


Catch A Brief Reflection

by DarkHououmon



Series: The Black Chalk Trilogy [3]
Category: ChalkZone
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-15
Updated: 2014-09-14
Packaged: 2018-01-08 21:30:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 206
Words: 1,571,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1137593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkHououmon/pseuds/DarkHououmon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Sinful Behaviors and Play The Game. "Oh dear Penny...You honestly don't believe your friend is any different, do you? The Black Chalk has planted its seed in him, just like it had with me. It is...just a matter of time. All the pieces will soon drop into the fray, and there is nothing you can do to stop it."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Jenny, the school nurse, always hated this time of the year. The weather was getting colder out, and soon snow would begin to fall. It was this time when flu infections became more and more prominent. Reports of people falling ill increased during this time of the year, and all because of something that kept mutating every year, making it impossible to be completely immune to it.

It had become mandatory at this school for all students to get a flu shot and be given checkups to make sure they didn't fall ill. Doing checkups didn't usually bother Jenny, but during this time, it was rather annoying. There were hundreds of students here, and she had to check on all of them before she could leave. This meant that she didn't get her usual breaks, except for lunch and going to the bathroom, for obvious reasons. She wished that the principal would come up with a better solution. Principal Stringent never did something like this, but she had retired years ago, unfortunately.

She had already attempted to reason with the new principal, Tyreek, but it was no use. He was determined to keep things remain the way they were currently set up. He said that the health of the students was a priority and she had an obligation to make sure they were all fine. She hadn't tried again to convince him. Tyreek had a strict mind. In some ways, it reminded her so much of Principal Stringent. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

She looked up at the clock. The day was half way through. And there were still so many students to check. Her trash cans were filled with so many empty needles. She was amazed they all fit in there. She had to take out the garbage three times, or was it more? And still she had to see many more students. This was going to be an exhausting day. It always was.

As she continued to check student after student, time seemed to blur, and she hardly noticed when two more hours had gone by. And when Rudy Tabootie was the next student to walk in, she felt a wave of relief sweep through her body. This indicated she was getting almost to the end, and soon she would be free for the rest of the day, and not have to worry about this until next year.

Rudy held up his hand and greeted her. "Hello, Nurse Jenny."

"Hello, Rudy." Jenny brushed off the chair. She motioned her hands over towards it. "Please, sit down. This won't take too long."

Rudy did as he was told. He walked up to the chair. He climbed into it and sat down. He pressed his back against it and smiled at Jenny. "It's that time of year again." He watched as Jenny put on her gloves in preparation for the checkup. "Winter is fun for a lot of things. But not so good when it comes to health, am I right?"

Jenny nodded her head. "Oh tell me about it. I wished we live somewhere warm all year round." She picked up her instruments and made her way over to Rudy. "Then I wouldn't have to worry about this."

"Actually..." Rudy lifted up a finger. "It might not be so much better. Penny told me how some disease thrives in warmer weather. You might get it a lot worse if we never got winter here."

Jenny rolled her eyes. Of course, she would never win. It was always something. Germs everywhere. Viruses and bacteria. No matter how cold or how hot it gets, some of those things would survive and thrive. And there was nothing she could do about it. Rudy was right. She would probably experience much worse if she did live in a warm reason, ideal conditions for many a germ to thrive.

She decided not to dwell on it for now. She took out a flat wooden stick and leaned in towards Rudy. She began her checkup. She did the usual stuff. She checked his throat, making sure there was nothing wrong with it. She was pleased when it appeared normal. She checked his blood pressure, which also came back just fine. His eyes, ears, and nose were also checked to make sure nothing was abnormal, and just like the other tests, they all came back normal.

This didn't surprise her. Rudy was usually a healthy teenager. Sometimes he got sick, but those were rare and far between. She was glad that he was doing fine. If he had gotten ill, she would have had to inform his parents and have him be taken to a doctor. And then she'd have to check all the students again to make sure Rudy didn't spread the disease. She had this happen once before, with another student, and it was not a fun experience.

The checkup went by really fast. Before she knew it, she had already checked his heart rate and the way his breathing sounded. And when she was certain there wasn't any problems, she started to put those instruments away. She went over to her desk and began to write down the results of her findings. She had to do this with every student and hand it over to Principal Tyreek. Once she was finished, she went over to a drawer and pulled out a small device to prick Rudy's finger with. She needed to get a small blood sample for checking iron levels.

"Hold out your hand." Jenny said in a gentle voice.

Rudy did so, but he looked nervous. "I always hate this part."

"Yeah I know." Jenny said sympathetically. It was never fun getting a finger pricked. "I'll make it quick."

She held onto Rudy's hand. She placed the device against Rudy's pointer finger. She did not hesitate to press the device shut, driving the needle into Rudy's skin only for a brief second. Rudy winced at this. Jenny then removed the device.

She noticed that she had pressed the needle a little too deeply. The tip of Rudy's finger blood a little more than it should have. Nothing life threatening, but it still had to be taken care of. She reached over and grabbed a small piece of cloth. She pressed it against Rudy's finger. It didn't require much pressure or much time for the blood to clot completely. When she pulled away, she noticed some of the blood had gotten on her finger. She ignored it for the time being, since she was finished with Rudy and she had some time to wash up.

"I'll go test your blood in a bit." Jenny said. She waved a dismissing hand at Rudy. "You may leave."

Rudy nodded at her. He got up out of his seat and walked towards the door. He opened it. He looked back at her and said, "See you later, Nurse Jenny."

"Yeah, see ya." Jenny said as Rudy shut the door behind him.

Jenny was about to go check on Rudy's blood when she suddenly got a pounding headache. She flinched, seething. She dropped the device on the ground, the tiny bit of blood spilling out on the hard ground. She dropped down to her knees and gripped her head. A pounding headache? Now? All of a sudden? She didn't know what was wrong. She felt fine just moments ago.

She closed her eyes and tried to cope with the sudden pain. It was unlike anything she had experienced before. It felt almost like something was crawling into her head. Something cold...and sharp... It spread through her head, from her temple to the back of her head. And nothing she did made the pain go away.

She looked around the room. Her vision distorted slightly, which scared her. It was almost like she was going to pass out...yet she did not. She got up to her legs, her body shaking. She stumbled over towards the cabinet. She grabbed a bottle of aspirin and attempted to take some. But then a sharp pain tugged at the side of her head suddenly and she dropped the pills on the ground. They spilled all over. She didn't try grabbing another bottle out of fear it would happen again.

Her vision darkened a little, like she was wearing sunglasses. She shook her head, trying to get her vision back to normal. Nothing changed it. It remained unusually dark. And then she felt a tingling sensation in the back of her head. It felt like something was working into her brain. She felt something change, something...very unpleasant. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the feeling. But nothing worked. She gripped her head tightly and trembled hard.

Then voices...omnipresent voices all around her. Dark...echoing...coming from all directions. Her eyes widened in fear as she looked around, trying to find the sources of these voices.

"We meet again, dear Jenny... Such promise... wasted... It has been a long time. We had helped you before. Now...We will help you again..."

"N-No.." Jenny whimpered, shaking her head. "You're not real...you're not real..."

Jenny knew she needed help and fast. She attempted to climb back to her feet. A wave of sudden sharp cold stopped her, going up and down her spine. She let out a cry as she fell back down. She kept holding onto her head, hoping that, somehow, she could will the pain away.

"Don't fret precious. We're here. We'll keep you safe. Just give into us. We only wish to help you..."

Jenny shook her head. Her eyes darted around the room wildly. She shut them again, trying to cope with the chilling sharp pain in her head. She wasn't sure how long she could hold out. At any moment, she could faint.

"It is too late...to resist, dear Jenny... You belonged to us before...you will again... Give it up. Let us in. Let us..reawaken you. So much was stolen from you. We will help you get it back. Now..awaken!"

Suddenly, all the pain stopped. Jenny laid on the ground, motionless for a few seconds. She let out a soft groan. She started to push herself off the ground. She raised her head. Strands of her blonde hair was plastered over her face, partially obscuring her. But her eyes could be seen. And as the faintest hint of a twisted smile tucked at her lips, her eyes began to glow black.


	2. The Diary Of Cosmo

The structure seemed to almost rise from nothing. Much of the area around it was flat, dull, nothing really exciting to see. Almost like the land was...incomplete. An unfinished place in which the only thing around for a couple miles was this single structure. It looked like a narrowing square, with a platform on the top of it. The structure appeared to be made of bricks, colored a deep red that slowly faded into white at the top. Primitive-looking stony stairs led the path upwards, each step being about two feet tall. This made climbing up require some effort.

On the top, somehow the structure became rounded. From a square, angular shape, slowly fading into a more circular one. Even the steps appeared to change shape. Once at the top, the steps took on a round shape, abandoning the angular look altogether, just like the structure itself. It looked almost like someone had taken a block, stretched it upwards, and used a nail file to smooth out the edges.

All around the edges of the rounded top were tall pillars. Unlike the rest of the structure, these were not any specific shape. No triangle, no square, no nothing. Just wavy, rocky structures that jetting out of the ground. Despite not being made of brick, they somehow still blended in well with the ground, not looking out of place. The pillars rose about twenty to thirty feet into the air. Tall and thin, yet sturdy, unbreakable. And attached to their tops were large, circular objects. They were transluscent with a hint of gold as the color.

The sun shined on these transluscent objects, causing each one to give off a soft, almost welcoming glow. Then, from the curved in side of the discs, light shot outward, shining on the ground below. Even though it was not necessary, the light from the discs still somehow stood out, illuminating the area even further. And the areas where the light shined revealed some patterns. Strange writings on the walls that faded when they went out of the light's reach. The writing was red in color, having a glow around them, almost like they were neon. The writing was odd shapes, almost like egyptian writing, yet still something totally different, foreign.

The light was circling all around. The pillars, despite being rock, somehow were able to spin the discs around in a constant circle around the structure. This allowed all the writing to be exposed, just not all at once. It was almost like a defense mechanism. This made it harder for visitors, especially those with ill will, to read the writing and figure out the secret of the place. The light also did well to expose the various cracks, moss, and dirt that littered it. The place looked like it hadn't been used in a very long time.

That, however, did not stop Rudy and his friends from wanting to explore it. They had heard stories about this place recently. Some zoners they passed by spoke of it, and mentioned how it was forbidden for some reason. They attempted to listen to them more and see if they had anything else to say, but the zoners vanished in a crowd. Their curiosity peaked, they did some research on the place.

There wasn't a lot of information they could find. Just that it was located far away, further than they had ever traveled before. Even by the fastest plane, it had taken them a few hours to get there. Rudy thought ahead and made sure to create a teleporter in this are so they could travel back in a faster amount of time. He also altered the design so there was a shield all around the teleporter, preventing another 'bull Snap' incident like what happened several years ago.

They did also learn the name of the place before they went there. Solar Pillars, if he remembered right. It was named for large structures that shot light out. Rudy wasn't sure what the purpose of these lights would be. The place was located in day zone. There was little need for the lights. Penny thought that maybe the lights served another purpose, and coming here, they found out she was exactly right on that. Snap commented that was a clever design, whoever had made this place. But what the place was actually for, they didn't know. It was literally incomplete. Whatever this artist wanted to draw, they apparently lost interest and just erased this large, mostly empty space with a single structure.

Even the ground was transluscent and see-through. When they first came, it looked like the areas around the structure were erased by a lot of real world water. It was almost like an island, but with empty space instead of a sea or ocean. They thought they would have to fly over it, but they quickly found out that the ground was indeed solid. It was just see-through, with no coloration to it whatsoever.

Despite being able to walk on the surface, it was still a frightening experience. They tried their best not to look down at the white void below their feet. It was hard to completely avoid this, however, and the trio found themselves occassionally looking down, sometimes freezing in fright because they thought they were going to fall down. They managed to keep going, offering encouragement to each other. But soon, about halfway, they couldn't take it anymore and Rudy drew them all a mode of flight. He drew rocket shoes for him and Penny, and he held onto Snap. They flew over to the island, feeling more secure being aloft over the clear ground, away from the endless void.

And when they got over onto the small amount of simple ground around the structure, they could being exploring it. It was a massive place, large enough to fit a small town. It also appeared to be pretty old. It showed plenty of signs of wear and tear. This confused Rudy. If this place wasn't that new, how come he had never heard of it before? He would have thought it was from the past year or so and something bad happened and that was why it was forbidden. But with the amount of wear he was seeing here, he guessed it was several years..maybe a few decades even. This place must have been one guarded secret. It was probably shere luck that those zoners knew about it.

It was a little strange an unknown place was forbidden if many zoners don't know about it. But then again, the fact that most zoners don't know about this place was probably protection enough. Who is going to go out to try to find something they don't know about? It would be pretty hard. The only way is if they stumble here on their own. Not likely to happen, as this wasn't a heavily populated place.

The longer they stayed, the more intrigued they became with the place. Who was its creator? What was its purpose? Was it hiding anything? Was this place dangerous and if so, why? What were the hidden perils here? Should Rudy do something with this place, perhaps destroy it so that no one can find it? Or was that going to make things a whole lot worse? And the more they stared at the red writing on the walls of the structure, the more drawn in they were. There was something about them... Rudy couldn't quite put his finger on it. But something about them kept catching their attention, making it hard for them to leave this place.

There were many thoughts on what the writing could be for. A warning, perhaps. It might explain what kind of danger this place hides, and warn them to get out as fast as they could. A danger that was either well hidden as they hadn't run into anything yet, or a danger that had long passed and this place was nothing more than a useless shell guarding absolutely nothing.

But danger wasn't the only thing it could be. Perhaps it was information regarding this place, maybe a hint of what its purpose was going to be. Maybe information regarding what zoners had lived here at one time. There were several things it might be trying to tell them, but without any way to decipher the writing right away, they weren't going to know anytime soon. It was a little frustrating to Rudy, but he understood that these things can take time. And Penny was going to try to do something about it.

Rudy looked over at his girlfriend. She was positoned in front of a currently illuminated spot. The light moved at a fair pace, so she still had to hurry as she sketched as much of the writing as she could in her notebook. Despite not believing herself to be an artist of Rudy's caliber, she was still able to draw pretty fast and accurately, especially when the time called for it. Rudy and Snap sometimes expressed confusion as to why she didn't think of herself as much of an artist.

He walked over towards her. He felt a little apprehensive about entering the light again. The filtered light felt strange. It wasn't painful or anything. Penny was completely bathed in it and she wasn't really reacting to it at all. Then again, he wasn't sure if it was affecting Penny or Snap. Maybe it was just him. None of them seemed to notice it. But whenever he entered the light, there was some awkward tingly sensation that swept through his body. It was uncomfortable and he disliked being in the light because of it. But if he wanted to speak to Penny, he'd have to come over to her; he wasn't about to force her to leave her work just to talk to her.

He walked into the light. He gave a shudder, flinching almost like he had been hit. His friends, who were looking in different directions, didn't notice. Snap was walking around the temple, eyeing it up and down. Rudy was glad that Snap and Penny didn't notice the flinch. If they asked him, he probably wouldn't really know what to say. This sensation, it was really hard to describe. It was probably nothing, anyway. Just a fluke thing perhaps.

He soon stood next to Penny. He didn't say a word at first. He just watched her, admiring how fast she was able to work despite having a limited time every so often to draw the writing on paper. He waited a few moments for the light to pass over them before he took another step forward and speaking up.

"How's it going?" Rudy asked.

Penny was a little startled. She clearly hadn't heard Rudy approaching. He felt bad for making her jump like that. But she didn't appear to be angry with him. Almost as soon as she appeared surprised, she was smiling at him, holding up her notebook towards herself. "It's going fine. This writing is really fascinating." She looked down at her notebook, tracing a couple fingers across the writing she copied down. "It's going to be a little hard to decipher, but I'm up for the challenge."

Rudy had thought about drawing her a translator. This is ChalkZone after all. Whatever he drew, it would work just as he intended. But he decided not to. Not out of mean-spiritedness or anything. But Penny did love figuring this sort of stuff on her own. And if she really wanted a shortcut and have these instantly translated, she would draw something herself. Or ask him to do it.

He moved his head so he could see the writing. He could tell, from how much wrinkling there was and how man pages were flipped, that Penny had already done a lot of writing. Her hand must be hurting by now. He knows his hand would be if he were in her position. But from the looks of it, despite that, she was still willing to write more. She was determined to get all this writing done before they left.

"How long do you think it will take?" Rudy asked.

"Quite some time." Penny replied. She glanced up at the structure. "The language here is unlike anything I've seen in other places of ChalkZone. This might be a dead language of some kind."

"Maybe there's a book about it." Rudy suggested. "I'm sure there's a library in ChalkZone somewhere that contains information on ancient languages that were spoken here at one time."

Penny thought about this for a moment. "Yeah, you could be right, Rudy. But..I'm still not sure. This place seems...ancient. It might be so old that even the libraries might not have information on it."

That was true. It was possible that, due to how old this place might be, no one knew about this language anymore. It might not be possible to find a single book with even a hint about this language they found on the walls here. It was definitely frustrating that it was going to take a much longer time for them to know what this place was trying to say. But patience was a virtue and he wasn't about to let himself get antsy over this.

He heard footsteps heading in his direction. He turned his head to see Snap coming up to him and Penny. The zoner stopped in front of them. For a moment, he was quiet, like he was trying to sift through his thoughts about something. Then he spoke.

"I have no idea how old this place is." Snap said. He looked up at the structure and spread his hands out to add emphasis. "I looked completely around this place, looking at every possible thing that could be a clue. But there's nothing here that gives a definite answer."

"Of course not, Snap. The year is not going to be just written down." Penny said.

"I know that, Buckette. I meant an approximate age, like if it was made last week, a month, a year..." Snap said. He paused, noting the way Rudy and Penny were looking at him, and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah it does seem silly to think that this place is that young."

Penny pointed her pencil in Snap's direction. "This place is definitely several years old. There's no way this kind of wear could appear in a short amount of time. Not unless somebody drew the cracks and vegetation on here."

Rudy smirked at this. "I can tell you it wasn't me."

"I'm quite aware it wasn't you, Rudy. I was just making a point." Penny said, smiling back at him. She turned her attention to Snap. "Well, from what you were able to see of this place, do you have any idea at all...any kind of clue that might help on how old this place is? I know you said you didn't know, but there has to be something..."

Snap narrowed his eyes, turning his gaze down, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His eyes widened a little and he pointed his hand in Penny's direction. "Yeah I think there is! I remember hearing something about how decay works in here or...something like that. I don't remember all the details, but I think that, from what very little I remember, this place might be as old as Biclops."

This took Rudy and Penny by surprise. That was a lot longer than they had imagined this place being. Almost fifty years if they did the math right. Looking back at the decay, it made sense. The place wasn't falling apart, so it couldn't have been quite so ancient. Fifty years seemed like a good amount of time for this place to end up like this, especially if no one has been here in that amount of time.

It was a mystery as to why this place was abandoned, and if it had been fifty years, how come there weren't more zoners who knew about it? Fifty years wasn't a huge amount of time, and since zoners lived a very long time, it was unlikely that most zoners here hadn't heard of this place. Rudy began to wonder if this place was really unknown...or if zoners were deliberately withholding information. That would explain why it wasn't so easy getting out here, with some zoners commenting that they shouldn't go, trying to get them to stop. A sense of dread started to rise up inside of him. What if this place was a bad memory for zoners? What if there was a very good reason why it was forbidden to come here?

"Did you do anything else? Besides walk around the temple?" Rudy asked, hoping that Snap did find something useful. And luckily he did, as Snap held out what looked like a beige-colored book, coated in dust and having some kind of lock on it. "Where did you find that?"

Snap pointed up towards the top, where the pillars were. "Up there. It was laying there, in the middle of it. It was like it was just abandoned there without a second thought." He looked down at the book and narrowed his eyes. "I was trying to get it open, but it's sealed tight!"

"That's because you need a key. Did you find any?" Penny inquired.

Snap shook his head. "Nope. Just the book."

Rudy lowered himself to Snap's height, going down on one knee. He got out his magic chalk and drew a small key, the right size for this book. He took the book from Snap and put the key in the hole. After successfully unlocking it, he opened it up. It was a little hard. The pages stuck together and there was a lot of dust and wear on the pages, making it a tad hard to read.

He looked down on the first page. It was a diary of some kind. The first page simply said 'This diary belongs to...'. It wasn't written; it was clearly typed. He hadn't seen a diary like this before. Then again, he hardly ever looked at diaries. He felt a pang of guilt. He didn't like reading someone's personal diary. But this thing was here for a long time. Would it even matter? He hesitated, then turned the page to see who this diary once belonged to.

Upon seeing the name, his eyes widened in horror. He felt his heart clench and he sucked in a sharp breath. He couldn't believe it. He wondered if, at first, he was hallucinating. But he was feeling well today. There was..there was no way his eyes were playing tricks on him. He stared in shock at the name written in the diary.

"Rudy?" Penny asked, worriedly.

Snap was just as concerned. "What's the matter, Bucko?"

Rudy slowly looked over at them. His eyes were wide and wild. He took in a few shaky breaths. Then he spoke. "This diary...it belonged to Mr. Cosmo..."

Penny and Snap gasped in horror, staring at Rudy in shock. The mere mention of Cosmo's name sent chills down all their spines. Horrible memories were instantly brought to the surface. Even though it had been three years since their encounter with Cosmo, memories of what he had done were still fresh on their minds. The most visibly shaken was Snap, who had been tortured mercilessly by that evil man. They had hoped they never had to deal with anything regarding that man ever again.

And now here they stood, holding a diary left behind by Mr. Cosmo. Likely from when he was a kid. Rudy stared at the diary, his hands trembling. Did he want to read it? Did he want to know what horrible thoughts Cosmo had regarding ChalkZone? The threat had long passed. It wasn't like it was necessary to read the diary. But..no..that wasn't true. Remembering the details about the hybrid zoner experimentation, and how Bardot resulted because of it, Rudy knew that it wasn't worth it to not read the diary. As hard as it was going to be, he had to look through it, and make sure there wasn't some other hidden threat Mr. Cosmo had left behind.

It was a chilling thought to them, realizing that, even a couple years later, Cosmo still found a way to come back to haunt them. He did that well with Bardot, a zoner they encountered two years ago that had many of his traits but none of his restraint. Snap could attest to that. He had been ripped apart by the beast. And now this diary, appearing in a place that Rudy was already feeling apprehensive about. It didn't take him long to realize who had created this place. It had been Mr. Cosmo himself.

Seemingly forgetting all about the words on the walls, Penny reached out at the diary expectantly. Rudy handed it over to her. She turned her eyes down at the page Rudy was on. She bit her lip nervously. "Teddison Cosmo... Yeah...that's him all right..." She said grimly.

"That guy is like a cockroach." Snap had a tinge of fear in his voice. "Just when you think he's gone for good, he finds another way to come back."

Rudy nodded his head, staring down at Snap. "Yeah, I know. At least this time, it's just his diary we found." He looked back at Penny as she eyed the diary. "I doubt it's going to go on a killing spree any time soon."

Snap relaxed a little at this. "Yeah, you're right."

Penny gave a sharp gasp, drawing attention from the two boys. They stared at her, worried expressions on their faces. Penny looked shocked by something. Her eyes were wide with horror. She slowly looked over at Rudy. She took in a few quick breaths. "R-Rudy..."

His heart racing, Rudy took a step forward. "What? What is it, Penny?"

"This diary...it didn't belong to just Cosmo..." She said in a shaky voice.

"What? But Biclops never mentioned him having a partner!" Snap cried, in absolute shock.

Rudy said, "Who else did that diary belong to, Penny?" Penny looked down at the diary, her eyes growing bigger each second that passed. She looked at Rudy, clenching her teeth nervously. "Come on, Penny. Who else was there?"

Penny spoke in a hushed whisper. And the name she said sent shockwaves through Rudy's body.

"Nurse Jenny..."


	3. The Days Before He Was A Monster

"What? Are you sure, Buckette?" Snap asked in an apprehensive voice.

Penny nodded her head. She looked down at the journal. "That's what it says, all right."

Rudy shook his head in disbelief. "No, it has to be a mistake..it..." He reached over and took the diary from Penny's hands. He looked at the page himself. His eyes widened slowly. "You're right..."

"Of course I am. Why would I lie?" Penny asked, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I know. It's just that..." Rudy said softly. He glanced up at the sky, then he turned to Penny. "I never thought that our school nurse would ever have been involved with this guy." He let out a soft sigh. "Just when you think you know someone..."

Snap walked over to him. He put his hand on his arm. "Why are you so worried, Bucko?" Rudy glanced down at him. "It's not like she can do anything. Remember what Biclopse said? All the artists, except for Wilter, got their memories wipes and kicked out of ChalkZone."

"Snap's right, Rudy. Nurse Jenny isn't going to be a threat to us." Penny said.

Rudy wasn't so sure about that. He recalled the whole incident with Mr. Cosmo. Mr. Wilter admitted to being shocked that the man had regained his memories, which proved that the amnesia thing induced on the artists was not permanent. It merely suppressed the memories. With the right stimulation, the artists could remember what happened, and possibly seek revenge or find a way back into ChalkZone.

There was little reason to believe Nurse Jenny would be any different. The way she behaved during the checkup did seem a little odd. The detail of him losing a little more blood than what was necessary was strange. It wasn't anything major, but it had him wondering if she had done it on purpose or not. Finding out she was a black chalk user, and that he had been in the same room as her, completely defenseless, it did shake him up a little. What would have happened if she had her full memories?

"I don't know, Penny." Rudy admitted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. His green eyes stared at her. "It's still possible that she could remember."

"Rudy..." Penny put a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it. "It will be fine. You'll see."

Rudy smiled back. "Yeah..I hope so."

He wanted so much to believe her. He wanted to believe that this diary wasn't marking the beginning of something bigger and more sinister than they had encountered before. He really hoped that Nurse Jenny was not going to get her memories back and become a new threat. They had deal with a lot the past couple of years. He had been hoping for some long peace thing. He didn't want to believe that, after two years of nothing dangerous going on, that the black chalk would raise its ugly head again and send something else at him.

The black chalk... He felt shudders go down his spine as he thought of that forsaken thing... Three years ago, he had almost lost his sanity, who he was, to that thing. It had nearly corrupted him, clouding his mind with chilling thoughts and rewriting his brain. It made him desire to do horrible things. He had murdered three zoners and nearly killed Penny while being controlled by the black chalk. It was just a stroke of luck that he was able to escape being fully corrupted.

He had hoped he would never have to deal with the black chalk again. But if Nurse Jenny did end up regaining her memories...would she try to corrupt him? How many more black chalk artists would get their memories back? What would their plans be? Would he have to face off against an army of them? The thought chilled him. The potential was there. Mr. Cosmo regained his memories. There's little reason to believe Nurse Jenny won't. Although he admired Penny for being so optimistic, Rudy couldn't bring himself to feel the same way. After the incident with Mr. Cosmo, how he regained his memories, it was best not to take chances.

He was in shock, at first, that Nurse Jenny had been involved with this guy. She was usually a pretty nice person. There was a reason why she was often the favorite for students to go to when they were feeling unwell. She didn't seem to fit the description of black chalk corruption. He would have expected her to be more like Mr. Cosmo. That man, even before his memories were awakened, was said to be pretty creepy and made even Terry Bouffant nervous to be around him. Terry was creepy enough at the time herself, so for her to be freaked out over Mr. Cosmo, that was quite a feat.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized...there were something about Nurse Jenny that might make sense if he took the black chalk into consideration. Despite her usually nice nature, there was a...bit of an issue with her. A problem that forced her to sometimes take medication if it got too bad.

A split personality...

Or something like that. While Nurse Jenny was usually sane, she had her moments where she was seen as a little crazy and downright creepy. Such events were rarely seen, at least at school. At her home, Rudy had no idea how she behaved, if she was sane or not. Nurse Jenny had done some pretty creepy things over the years, now that he thought of it. Things that he, for whatever reason, didn't think much of, but now knowing that she once worked with Mr. Cosmo, it started to make sense.

He recalled how, when he was ten years old, she had come over when Reggie got his foot stuck in a miniature portal. This was after he had gone back into the school building, so he didn't really see what happened. Penny had told him about it, though. And from what Penny said, Nurse Jenny seemed a little too eager to cut off Reggie's leg. She said how she wanted to try 'the procedure' and had taken out a saw and started to hack away at the air, making her intentions very clear. He had seen this action himself when he was coming back to help free Reggie. That look in her eyes... how determined she was to...

Rudy felt like an idiot. Why hadn't he noticed this before? How could he not have connected Nurse Jenny's obsession with 'the procedure' to the black chalk? As a kid, yeah he wouldn't have known. But he found out about the black chalk and what it could do. He should have...he should have realized something like this had gone on with her. And it wasn't like the whole thing with Reggie's leg had been the only incident, either. There had been others.

He recalled one particular time when she had been in the cafeteria with Principal Tyreek. During lunchtime, one of the students started to choke on something. The first thing Nurse Jenny wanted to do was beat the kid's back to try to force it out. She hadn't been able to do anything as Principal Tyreek stopped her and performed the heimleich. Then there was another time when a student injured his leg during gym, getting it stuck in some equipment somehow. And Nurse Jenny had brought along a knife to try to cut him free, despite the fact that it would have ended up hurting the kid even more.

Despite her few moments of insanity, Nurse Jenny was usually reliable, calm and sane. Those moments where she acted otherwise were rare and most people just dismissed as her 'forgetting her pills'. Most students still trusted her. Even Rudy himself had...at least before now. Before he had discovered she was a black chalk user...and that she had been partnered up with Mr. Cosmo. Now he felt uncomfortable around her, knowing that, at anytime, she could get her memories back.

And if her moments of insanity were from when she still had that amnesia induced on her...

...just what was she liked if she had her full memories back...?

"Let's see what it says."

Penny's voice took him out of his thoughts. He looked over at her. Her eyes were on the diary. Rudy glanced down at it. He bit his lip. He knew that they should read it just in case there was some other hidden threat that Cosmo left behind. But he was still nervous about it. Mr. Cosmo was quite an evil, demonic man, and the idea finding out what his thought process was, even if this was from when he was just a kid, unsettling.

Still, despite his feelings, he had to set them aside and read the diary, or journal was he was sometimes more tempted to call it. It was important that they make sure that no more of Cosmo's threats were loose around ChalkZone, or hidden somewhere in the real world like Bardot had until he accidentally erased his drawing.

Snap said, "I wonder what that creepazoid wrote about."

"Knowing him.." Rudy muttered softly. "...probably about how ChalkZone is nothing but one giant tool for him to use. He didn't think highly of zoners when we met him, and ever since the black chalk corrupted him, he had been a monster. Even as a kid."

"Yes. Quite." Penny agreed. "Which is why we should read his diary to make sure he didn't hide anything else from us."

Rudy nodded his head in agreement. He glanced up towards the light, doing his best not to flinch as it was coming back his way, soon to bathe him in that uncomfortable light. He started to move away from it, going close to where the clear ground started. Penny and Snap followed him, a little confused but not saying a word.

Rudy sat down on the ground. He crossed his legs and rested the diary on his lap. Penny and Snap took position on either side of them. They stared down at the journal in his lap. They all locked their eyes as they started to flip through the pages. There was a table of contents, which they thought was strange, as journals and diaries didn't usually have that. Perhaps Cosmo wrote so much, he did it this way so he could reread some of his old data. The table of contents was weird in another way. There were no specific names to identify them. It was marked by roman numerals. I, II, III, IV, V, etc. And that was it. Nothing special about any of them to help them tell just what those areas would contain.

He turned to the other page. A couple of them were blank, making him wonder why they were in the diary to begin with. Then he found one page with a large I written on it, the top and bottom nearly touching the edges of the page. And as he turned to the next page, the first handwriting from Mr. Cosmo in this diary could be seen. The three of them read in silence, their eyes darting and moving across the pages, reading each word.

It read:

"April 3rd at 7:00 PM-

I have no idea what happened. I was playing in my backyard with my best friend, Horace, when we happened upon what we thought was just a glowing piece of chalk. It was pretty, though, so we decided to play with it. Horace loved making cartoons on the sidewalk, so we went over to the steps that led up to my house's backdoor and we started to draw.

It didn't take us long to realize that, when drawing anything, there was some sort of bright glow. We had never seen anything like it. We were going to rush to our parents' and tell them. They might have been able to look at the chalk and figure out what caused the glow. But Horace said that we were old enough to figure things out on our own. I didn't really understand why he felt that way. We were only eight. But I gave in and we experimented with the chalk.

Upon creating a circle, we realized that, to our amazement, some kind of portal had been created. We were also horrified by this revelation. What kind of world would lie on the other side? Would it be dangerous? I wanted to tell our parents, but Horace still refused. He was pretty adventurous, I had to admit, and he convinced me to come into this strange new world.

I wasn't sure what to think of the place at first. It literally look like a child's drawing come to life. Everything looked so cartoony and yet so real at the same time. It was quite pretty and it was difficult to simply walk away from. I don't know how long Horace and I spent just walking around, but soon we came upon some natives.

We were taken aback by how the natives looked. Some were pretty humanoid, but others were merely stick figures, some were more beastly, some were bizarre, among other things. But they were all pretty friendly and welcomed us. It was from them that we learned that other artists also come into ChalkZone and have a lot of fun. It did fill me with relief that this place appeared to be safe. If other kids came here often, then why should I have to worry? There was nothing to fear here, especially when I learned I could create things with what they caled the magic chalk.

I will say, it felt both wonderful and strange to create something, to bring one of my drawings to life. I never felt this way before. It made me excited to come back to this place, which they said was called ChalkZone. The name was simple, but effective. Everyone and everything there was made of chalk. And somehow, they were alive. Very fascinating. I look forward to coming back here. The zoners, as they call themselves, said I could come back at anytime. They're certainly friendly. Much butter than the bullies at school, that's for sure.

It was a sad moment when Horace and I had to leave. But we didn't have much of a choice. Our parents were going to find out we were missing and I wasn't sure how they'd react to a world of chalk. So I convinced Horace we should leave. I kept the magic chalk in my pocket and promised him we would come back later. We said goodbye to the zoners and then we left."

A lot of the pages following that were similar. They mostly discussed about how Cosmo reacted when he first came into ChalkZone. It mentioned some of the adventures he'd have with Horace and, occassionally, the other kids. Rudy, Penny, and Snap shuddered as they realized that Cosmo's actions were similar to what they had done. Cosmo had not been lying when he said he had been a lot like Rudy once. There were still differences, but a lot of what the diary described were things they could imagine Rudy doing.

It was unsettling for them, reading these early pages and seeing how sane Cosmo really had been at one time. They were so used to him being a psychopath that anything that showed him otherwise, it rubbed them the wrong way. They all had bore witness to how cruel that man had become. To think that he started off so normal... And with such great promise, too. Cosmo could have been a great protector for ChalkZone if he hadn't gotten a hold of that black chalk.

It wasn't until they got about twenty or so pages in that things started to change. Cosmo had not yet been corrupted at this point, but something was immediately different, noticeable enough for them to see it. And what it was is, unlike the other pages which were all devoted to exploring different places of ChalkZone, this page was describing a singular location. And something about it had apparently peaked Cosmo's interest.

The page said:

"July 10th at 1:30 PM-

I found this really weird place. Not many of the zoners seem to know about it, and those who did, well they wanted me and Horace to stay away from it. I wasn't sure why. It seemed like any ordinary cave system. It was located in the middle of this forest, among some kind of civilization. It felt like it didn't belong there, among those zoners' homes and shops. But there it was, sticking out like a sore thumb.

I wonder if it was supposed to be some kind of protection. Perhaps those zoners were meant to be guarding it. That would make sense. Horace and I had tried to get in, but we were always stopped. The zoners never told us why. They just wanted us to leave. They didn't care if we had creator statuses or not. They were determined to keep us out, and unless we wanted to fight them, we had no choice but to obligue and move back away.

Horace was disappointed, and we had a talk with each other that we should try, someway, to give in. I had wanted to stay for nightfall, until I realized that doesn't work in ChalkZone. This place had a day zone, night zone theme going on, and the sun and moon never change position. So we could never truly use the cover of dark to get in. If we wanted inside, we would need to figure out another way.

Unfortunately, that will have to come at a different time. We had to go. Recess was almost over. If we didn't get out now, I hate to think of what kind of trouble we would be in. I will try going into ChalkZone alone later tonight and check the place out for myself."

The trio looked at each other nervously. They all had the same feeling of what the next page was going to contain. Reluctantly, Rudy turned the page. In a few moments, they would realize whether or not they were correct in their assumption.

The next page read:

"July 10th at 9:00 PM-

I have to admit, that was not the kind of trip I expected to have with ChalkZone. Nothing I had experienced these past few months with this place could have prepared me for what I had witnessed in that cave system. And I have a feeling I will never be completely the same after this.

I managed to sneak into the cave system using an invisibility cloak I drew. I snuck past the guards and got into the cave tunnel. At first, it seemed okay. The tunnels looked like they were dug out by something, but I guessed that was just part of the design perhaps. A detail the artist who likely made this wanted to add I suppose. I continued to walk down, and it started to get a little cold and damp, so I drew myself a jacket to wear as I headed down.

When I reached the end of the tunnel, there was this large door. It had something written on it. It was smudged so it took me a little while to realize that it said 'Everyone is born a sinner. A most dark desire. If you do not wish to leave yourself behind, get out of here.'

What had that meant? Even now, I still wasn't sure. I wish I had heeded its warning, even if I didn't understand what it meant. But curiosity had me gripped, and I ended up opening the door anyway. Drawing a large key and unlocking it was very easy. I went inside and took a look around. It didn't seem too special at first and I couldn't understand what the big deal was. It was nothing more than a large empty room, or so I had thought.

I did finally see there was something in the ground. A small patch in the middle of what appeared to be an empty room at the time. It looked like magic chalk, like from the Chalk Mine Horace and I visit once a day at least. This chalk, however, was black and it didn't sparkle as much as the white chalk did. Instead it glowed black. I stared at it, in utter amazement of my discovery. I couldn't wait to tell Horace about this. We had no idea there were other types of chalk in this world. I began to wonder if a different color meant a different power.

My amazement soon turned into my nightmare. I felt a cold chill all around me. Even wearing my jacket, I felt so very cold. I dropped to my knees and tried to keep myself warm. Then that's when I heard it. Voices, all around me. They beckoned to me, trying to make me use the black chalk. I looked around me to try to find the source of the voices. But it was no use. It soon came to my realization that the black chalk had been what was talking to me. I freaked out and rushed out of there as soon as I could.

I'm not sure if I will tell Horace about that strange encounter. Chalk speaking in an eerie, monotone voice, begging to be used, that was something that wasn't considered possible, even in the context of ChalkZone itself. And I wasn't even sure if that really happened. That's what scares me the most. I couldn't even tell if it was my imagination going wild or if the chalk really did speak to me. And if it was, why was it wanting me to use it? What did it want?

I just want to forget about that place, but there's a part of me, as I'm writing, that is being drawn into that place. Something about that black chalk is making me want to return. I'm going to try to forget about the place and just have fun in ChalkZone. There are plenty of other things for me to worry about other than this black chalk business. I won't ask anyone about it. I don't want them to know I went into those forbidden tunnels. I don't want to do something to offend the zoners that might impact not just me, but the other artists. It just wouldn't be fair if we were all punished for something foolish I did.

So for now, I'm putting that thought in the back of my mind. Horace and I plan on exploring some brand new place called the Candycane Forest. I look forward to it. I am hoping that place will be able to get myself to forget about those whole black chalk business. But alas, there is a part of me that's telling me it is far from over."

The trio looked at each other after that last line. There was more to read, but for the time being, they stopped. They let the last line sink into their minds. It seemed Cosmo had known something might be wrong, that something was about to give. He had sounded so worried about it in the journal. Even knowing that he wasn't corrupted at this time, it still felt quite strange. They all knew what kind of monster he had turned out to be and him showing any kind of concern was...alien to them to say the last.

A part of Rudy wanted to read more. He wanted to know what happened to Cosmo right after that. But another part of him was afraid of what he was going to find out. He himself had been a victim of the black chalk. He knew what it felt like as the energy from the black chalk began to rewire his brain, severing old connections and creating new ones. The damage was reversed after he was freed, thankfully, as the black chalk was too late in permanently altering him. The thought of reading the corruption status of someone else, even if he hated that person, was eerie. He felt as though he was going to be pushed back into that postion, the black chalk talking and beckoning him, changing him into a monster.

One thing he noticed was that, so far, not one entry had been from Nurse Jenny. He wondered if she was going to come in after Cosmo had been corrupted. He began to wonder just how involved she was, how much destruction she caused or helped to cause. Perhaps they should continue reading until they found an entry by Nurse Jenny, to see what kind of thought processes she had so they could properly assess what kind of threat level she truly posed.

But he soon realized they couldn't be able to do that. He heard a beeping from his phone. Penny and Snap looked at him, puzzled, as he pulled out his cellphone. It wasn't ringing. He had set up an alarm. He almost forgot about something he had planned that day and, unfortunately, they wouldn't be able to stay much longer. He turned to his friends.

"Sorry, you guys. I promised my parents I'd come with them on this meat convention my dad is going to. A one day thing." Rudy explained as he got up onto his feet. He clutched the diary to his side. "We'll have to continue reading this journal another time."

Penny said, "Okay, that sounds good. I don't know if I could have read more anyway."

"Yeah, me neither." Snap said with a shudder. "Knowing how that guy turned out, reading those entries is..." He gave a small shudder. "It's almost like he's pretending, you know?"

"Yeah, we get what you mean, Snap." Penny nodded her head.

"If it weren't for Mr. Wilter's word that he really was like me," Rudy said. "I would have believed he was lying too." The others nodded in agreement at what he said. He glanced down at his cellphone and let out a soft sigh. "Well, I have to get going. My parents expect me out of ChalkZone pretty soon. If I don't come out, they'll come in and try to find me, and they won't be happy if they're forced to have to come looking for me." He gave a nervous smile.

"Yeah we understand, Bucko." Snap smiled at him. "We can always come back here later. We have the teleporters up, so it shouldn't be a problem coming here anymore!"

"And hopefully, when we are able to come back, I can write down the rest of those markings." Penny said. She reached at her side, like she was trying to find something. Her eyes widened a little as realization struck her. "Oh, I left my notebook over there." She looked up at Rudy and asked, "Would you mind getting it for me?"

"Oh, sure Penny." Rudy said. "Hold on."

Rudy walked over to where the notebook was laying on the ground. He took notice of the light coming in his direction. He couldn't stop though. If he did, Penny and Snap would realize something was wrong, and he didn't want to worry them. He moved as quickly as he could. He reached down and grabbed the notebook. Unfortunately, he tried grabbing it with his weak left hand, and it slipped out, forcing him to stay and pick it up with his right. It wasn't much of a delay, but it was still enough for the light to touch him.

Unlike before, when Penny and Snap hadn't noticed anything because they weren't looking in his direction, this time, they were. They could see how Rudy reacted as the light touched him. Rudy tried not to do anything. He tried to ignore it. But the sudden uncomfortableness that gripped him caused him to react in a way that Penny and Snap clearly had not expected.

As soon as the light touched him, his body stiffened up. He dropped the diary on the ground. His hands and arms pressed against his side and he gritted his teeth. It felt like his whole body had just been grabbed by a giant hand. The uncomfortable sensation had intensified to the point where it was actually starting to get a little painful for him. He tried to move, but he felt like he was placed in some container filled with thick fudge or something. Moving was very difficult, taking a lot of effort to even move an inch.

Penny and Snap rushed over towards him. He could hear their panicked voices calling out to him. But, for some reason, Rudy couldn't make out what they were saying. Their voices had gotten too echoy. He looked at them, his eyes wide in a panic. That tingling sensation in his head, it was returning with a vengeance. He attempted to squirm to get out of the way.

Then he looked at the red writing on the wall. It seemed...different somehow. The writing seemed to almost flash at him. It was like it was beckoning to him, trying to get him to come closer. He managed to shake his head, and when he looked at the writing, he swore, for a brief second, it looked...readable..

Suddenly he was yanked backwards, clear out of the light. The sensation instantly left him, feeling like a burden was lifted off his shoulders. He laid down on his back, rubbing his head. Above him, Penny and Snap stared at him with horrified expressions. Penny knelt down and took Rudy by his right hand. She pulled him up to his feet.

Looking at him with concern, she asked, "Rudy...what happened...?"

"Yeah...you gave us a scare..." Snap said in a quiet voice. "What was wrong?"

Rudy rubbed his head a little. He looked at his friends, wincing slightly. "I-It was the light..." Penny and Snap looked at each other, confused. Rudy turned his head over towards the light. "It was the light..."

Penny and Snap looked over at the light that Rudy's eyes were locked on. It had just finished passing over the red writing and was moving along the steps. They looked back at Rudy, their eyes silently asking him if what he said was true. Rudy nodded, prompting the two to widen their eyes in horror at this realization.


	4. A Talk With The Parents

Rudy sat in the back seat of his parents' car, keeping quiet. He looked out the window, watching as the streets and everything rolled past. He hadn't said a word to his parents since they got into the car. They hadn't attempted yet to ask if anything was wrong, but he could tell that they sensed something was up. Maybe they were waiting for him to say something. Either way, he was kind of glad they weren't talking right now. His mind was too preoccupied and he wasn't in the mood to speak about what happened back at the Solar Pillars.

That had been one strange experience. He had mixed feelings about the whole thing. On the one hand, it did feel good exploring a new area. Every new place they find in ChalkZone always filled him up with some level of excitement. And there would always be new places to explore. Children, and adults too, would draw things on the chalkboard, including landscaping, and they'd appear in ChalkZone. So new areas always appeared. It gave them a limitless amount of things to go to and, as Snap would say, exploriate.

But this trip was unlike the others. This one also filled him with great anxiety. The Solar Pillars, right from the start, had sent a creepy vibe through him and his friends. The empty ground with an invisible platform... There was something wrong with that. He had never heard of anyone being able to draw something so clear that it can't be seen. There was no hint of it being something like glass or plastic. Maybe if he broke a piece off...no he didn't want to do that. He didn't want to accidentally shatter the whole thing, especially if he were standing on it while he was doing it.

The void was just...wrong. Why was it there to begin with? What could have caused it? He had been around ChalkZone and there is never a void like that unless the ground was completely erased, like the time he brought in a vacuum cleaner into this world. His initial thought was that the area was a target of the vacuum, but that was impossible, as when he popped the vacuum, everything came back out exactly where it was when it was sucked up. So this place was like that before then. Perhaps real world water was the cause, or deliberate erasing. There were a few things Rudy considered happened. Until they learned more of the place, all he could do was guess.

The writing and the light...they were also quite a mystery. Why did the writing only appear when the light was on it? Why did the writing seem different when he was bathed in the light? How come he was the only one affected by the light? What was so different about him that would cause his body to react to the light? And why was it starting to cause him pain that time around? Just what was with that light anyway? And the writing...what was it saying?

Penny and Snap had been so worried about him when they found out about how the light affected him. They wondered why he hadn't spoken up earlier when he first realized the light bothered him like that. There wasn't really a satisfying excuse Rudy could give, because he knew they were right. He should have spoken up earlier. If Penny had known that the light affected him negatively, she would have went and gotten the notebook herself. If they both had known about this light issue, they could have made sure that Rudy didn't have to pass through the light to come talk to them.

None of them could come up with a reason for why the light bothered him. Nothing that made sense anyway. There was nothing so vastly different about his genetic makeup that the light would only activate on him, and not Penny or Snap. The only thing he could think of was the black chalk, as that was the one thing different about him from Penny. He had been, unfortunately, touched by the black chalk. But that was impossible; all traces of the black chalk was removed from him. He did not hear those dreaded voices. He did not feel the temptation. He hadn't been using the black chalk long enough for it to become a permanent resident. If any ounce of black chalk still existed in him, the mere act of going into ChalkZone would have triggered it, causing it to reactivate.

It was creepy how the light somehow caused the writing to look different to him. He wondered why. He mentioned this to Penny on their way back. She was intrigued by it, but also worried. There was something major going on with that place, something very wrong. They had just visited that place once, and within a short time, all in the same day, it quickly shaped up to be a potentially dangerous place. The fact that it had something to do with Cosmo didn't help matters. It was uncertain if he drew the place himself, if he had help, or if it was something else. But what they did know for certain was that Cosmo was somehow involved with this place, and they had to figure out just what that was.

Thinking back to the writing, Rudy wondered if he would have to brave the light and go in there in order to read what was on the walls. He could have sworn that he could read something. He didn't remember what it said, though. It happened too quickly. The light did something to his head so he could, eventually, read the writing, like somehow, the light was a translator. But it was also something else, and it seemed to only work with him for some reason. There were so many questions about that place that haven't yet been answered. He hoped that, on their second trip there, they could learn more about it.

Cosmo's diary... That certainly left a bad taste in his mouth.

It was eerie knowing that Cosmo wasn't lying when he said he was a lot like him once. Reading those early entries, it did sound like stuff he would do. There was nothing in those first pages to suggest Cosmo would ever come the monster that they had come to know and hate. He was just a...regular kid, like he and Penny had been. Nothing strange or unusual. Just a kid who loved ChalkZone. In fact, these early pages suggested that Cosmo really did care for ChalkZone in much the same way he had. It was frightening to realize this, because now he had an idea of just how badly warped his mind was when he used the black chalk.

The last entry they had read before they left gave him chills. Cosmo had found the place where the black chalk had been locked up and, against what he was told, he went in anyway. Cosmo hadn't realized it at the time, but he was going to set off a horrific chain reaction that destroyed large portions of ChalkZone. Rudy wasn't sure entirely of the extent, but for all artists to be banned from ChalkZone, there had to have been massive damage.

It was sad that Cosmo had known that something was wrong. He was being drawn to the place and he didn't know why, and the black chalk had freaked him out. Cosmo had been determined to forget about the place and move on, have fun with Wilter, and be done with it. But Rudy knew that wasn't what happened. Cosmo had not only went back, but he had become a different person. He had gotten infected with the black chalk, and turned into a nightmare, one that ChalkZone was never going to forget.

Rudy still wasn't sure if he wanted to read the rest of the diary. He had nearly been corrupted by the black chalk. He knew what it felt like. He wasn't sure if Cosmo was going to suddenly shift, or if it was a gradual thing, and his writing would get creepier and creepier the further they delve in. Both would be pretty eerie to him. Even though he knew that they had to keep reading if they wanted to learn more about this place, he still wasn't all down with reading more of the diary. After that entry, Rudy knew that things would start going downhill for Cosmo and for ChalkZone. That journal entry marked the beginning of the end, in a way. Because after that, things weren't going to be the same.

Rudy felt a tinge of anger rise up inside of him. If Cosmo had known that something was wrong, he should have said something. The whole mess that happened afterwards, all that destruction of ChalkZone, all those zoners being killed, it could have been avoided, perhaps, had Cosmo spoken up to someone. He could have spoken to the zoners, admit he had done wrong, and they could have fixed it. Those zoners guarding it, they might have known a way to completely cure black chalk temptation, and Cosmo would have been fine.

He understood his fear. He understood that Cosmo didn't want anyone to suffer for his wrong doings at the time, which was so different from how he had known Cosmo when he was an adult. And it was true that it was possible all the other artists might have had to suffer for Cosmo's mistake. But what ended up happening was so much worse than what would have happened had he just confessed. Because of Cosmo, all artists were banned from ChalkZone, their memories wiped save for Wilter, and much of ChalkZone and many citizens were destroyed. There was no way confessing to what he had done would have resulted in something worse. Cosmo's decision not to speak made things worse for everyone.

He wasn't sure when they were going to read more of the diary. He had brought it with him for safe keeping, just in case he decided to brave it and read it while at the convention. He would have to be careful when he read it. He couldn't let anyone else see it, and he didn't want to offend his dad by having him believe he was more interested in the diary than hanging out with him and mom. He might try to get himself to read some of it while he's going to the bathroom. Or he might just wait until he's with Penny and Snap again before trying to read more.

He then realized there was someone they had forgotten in this equation. Mr. Wilter himself... He hadn't been able to see his teacher yet. He would tomorrow. He made a mental note to himself to talk to Wilter about his discovery. Perhaps the teacher would be able to give them some important clues, things that they might have missed. He might even be able to tell them just what Jenny's relationship to Cosmo was. Was she a friend, a simple ally, a relative, what? How did Cosmo view her? If they shared the same diary, it was possible that she was his human equal, perhaps helping to co-conspire to take over ChalkZone.

Mr. Wilter also would be able to tell them just what Jenny was like when she was under control of the black chalk. He might be able to give them the information they need to fight effectively against her, in case it ever came to that. Rudy hoped it never would. So far, there was no evidence of her getting her memories back, and he hoped it stayed that way. The last thing they needed was another black chalk user wreaking havoc in ChalkZone. He remembered how much Cosmo himself had been able to accomplish in twenty four hours, all under everyone's noses. The idea of a similar incident happening again was daunting. They didn't even know if Jenny had similar views on zoners as Cosmo came to adopt, if she was more mild, or if she was even worse...

He tried to push those thoughts aside. He tried to focus on what was happening now. He was going to a meat convention with his dad. And as boring as it sounded, these places tended to be some fun, well when he was with his dad that is. He enjoyed listening to what his dad had to say about his meat-related inventions. And he loved hearing the commentary people tend to make of his products. Even with very bizarre things like meat shakes, his dad tended to have a good amount of satisfied customers.

He stared out the window, watching as the world went by. The surroundings were becoming familiar. These buildings, those particular line up of trees, the rolling hills that were taking over, yeah they were getting close. The convention was well outside of town, in an area with few houses and buildings nearby. It was on a farm actually. Rudy could tell they were getting close. He could start to smell the scents from the farm, mostly from the animals. And they were getting stronger as the minutes passed by. He guessed they would be there in about fifteen minutes, give or take, provided that traffic here doesn't get too bad. It was out in the country, though, so he wasn't too worried.

Before he knew it, they had arrived at the farm. It seemed like those fifteen minutes went by faster than Rudy had expected. His dad pulled the car up on a hill, next to some other cars that were a little tightly packed. He put the car in park and shut it off. Rudy took a moment and looked around the convention from the car window.

There were a lot of people here, at least for a meat convention. Multiple tables were set outside, people going up and buying things or looking at items. The large red barn was open, revealing more stands and other convention goers. The convention, despite being small, was bustling with life. He could see some kids running around, playing with each other or with a friendly dog that the farmer here owned. Rudy watched the kids and gave a small smile. A lot of them were ten or younger. Looking at them reminded himself of what he was like at that age. It sure did bring back a lot of good memories.

He attempted to open up the door, but he found it was still locked. He realized his dad hadn't yet unlocked the doors. Strange, why wasn't he doing that? He noticed that neither of his parents were moving. They were sitting there quietly, staring blankly up ahead, like something was on their minds. He looked at them with a confused expression. What was going on? Did they want to talk to him about something? If so, why weren't they speaking? Heck, they were so still, it didn't even look like they were breathing. That wasn't like them. Why were they so still?

Rudy's confusion turned into apprehension as a minute passed and his parents still didn't move. He almost thought time had stopped, but looking outside, everyone was going about like nothing was wrong at all. Only his parents remained unusually still and quiet. He was getting really freaked out now, his heart starting to clench. He attempted to open the door, but it was still locked. He wondered if there was some kind of gas leak and his parents had been knocked out. If that were the case, he had to get out, and fast. He tried pounding on the windows, but no one, not even those who walked nearby, seemed to notice him.

Panicking now, he attempted to get his parents' attention. He grabbed their shoulders and shook them, hoping that they would wake up from whatever knocked them out. He made sure to take light breaths, not wanting to be afflicted by the same thing they were. He had to get them up. They couldn't be asleep in the car if it was filling up with gas. He couldn't smell anything, but that meant nothing. Something could still be filling up in this car, and it wouldn't be long before he would be affected.

"Mom? Dad?" Rudy called out in desperation. His parents didn't reply. Tears formed in his eyes. "Please...you have to get up... We have to get out of here..." Still nothing.

His breathing quickened, despite his best efforts not to let it happen. He looked all around. Why wasn't anyone noticing their plight? Why were they all acting as if they weren't there? Not matter how much noise he made, no matter how much movement he did, no one spared a passing glance, no matter how close they were. It was getting to the point where Rudy realized he would have to get out of the car himself. In desperation, he began to punch the glass as hard as he could. With the first punch, it hurt him, causing him to pull his hand back and rub his knuckles. He pulled his fist back and punched again.

When he pulled his hand back another time, he noticed something strange about the car window. There was something leaking out of it. Something black and goey and shiny. It poured in slowly, picking up a little speed as time passed. Rudy's eyes widened in horror at this. He looked around and realized the black goop was coming in from all directions. The roof of the car, the floor, even the seat he was in was leaking, getting coated in black goo. It was a little sticky, making it a tad hard to move.

Then, in front of him, he saw his parents start to move. But they looked...different. They seemed...darker, almost in shadow. They slowly turned their heads. He winced as their necks seemed to crack as they twisted. And when they looked at Rudy, he put his hands to his mouth in horror. He spoke in a frightened whisper.

"You're...you're not my parents..."

The two people before him, one of them was Nurse Jenny. The other...they looked familiar, but he couldn't tell if they were a guy or a gal. The two figures were getting heavily coated in the black goo, their eyes glowing a blood red. They looked at him, cackling evilly as the car continued to fill up with the black goo. Rudy let out a terrified scream and tried desperately to get out. The goo all around him seemed to get thicker, holding onto him tighter.

He tried desperately to get away. He punched the window again and again, hoping, by some miracle, it would give. But soon, it was completely covered in black goo. All the walls in the car were, putting him in sudden chilly darkness. The only light were those from the red eyes of Nurse Jenny and this other person. He tried to punch the goo, but all that happened was a splattering sound and nothing. The goo was preventing him from breaking the door down. Realizing he was not going to be able to free himself, he looked over at Nurse Jenny, his heart pounding against his chest.

"Such a naive child..."

Rudy nearly jumped at that. His eyes widened further, terror filling them. That voice...that omnipresent voice that came from all around... Multiple voices speaking at once... It was the black chalk...

Realizing this, he looked all around in a panic. The black goo..it was the black chalk. It had come back for him... It had trapped him.. He didn't know how this happened. What led up to this? He didn't notice anything strange. How could this have happened? Where were his parents? Were they hurt? Killed? And just how did he get here, trapped and defenseless? His body trembled as his eyes darted around, looking at the black chalk and then, seconds later, moving up to see Nurse Jenny and the mysterious second person.

The black chalk continued to speak.

"You think you can get away from us? You are so mistaken. No artist escaped us before, and you will not be an exception. We want you back, Rudy Tabootie. You will be ours again..."

Rudy shook his head, his lower lip quivering and tears streaming down his face. "N-No...I will not let you control me again! No, you will not have me!" He cried in a panic.

Nurse Jenny gave him a twisted smile. She spoke, her voice distorted. "You underestimate the power of the black chalk, Rudy. It will come back and find you, no matter where you go, no matter where you hide. Give in now. Trust me, it will be a lot easier."

The mysterious person spoke, the voice so distorted Rudy still couldn't tell if they were male or female. "Yes. Give in...give in or they will tear you apart..."

Rudy grabbed his head, pushing his fingers into his scalp. He gritted his teeth tightly, trying to block out the voices. He was not going to let them get to him. He was not going to give in. He would resist. Until his dying breath, he was going to resist. He had no idea how they managed to trap him here, but he would rather die than be turned into a puppet of the black chalk.

"Give in, Rudy..." The mysterious person said with a dark smile.

Rudy shook his head. "No."

"Surrender." Nurse Jenny said.

"No!" Rudy turned his head away, closing his eyes.

"Such determination..." The black chalk spoke, its tone sounding amused. "Such spirit... We love that... That is why we wish to have you again. You have...potential. You could help us achieve our goal..."

"Goal?" Rudy muttered under his breath. "What goal could you possibly have?"

"You know so little. You understand so little. There is much you don't know... If you let us in, we will show you. We will give you all the answers. Join us. Become one of us again."

Rudy narrowed his eyes. He straightened himself up and stared at the black goo all around him. Letting go of his fear for a short time, he bared his teeth at the blackness all around and said a simple phrase. "Fuck you."

The black goo all around him suddenly came to life. Rippling violently all around, the black goo started darting left and right. Rudy, horrified, pressed his back against the car seat, watching as the black goo moved all around him, like he was on a boat going down the rapids. Suddenly, the goo around his legs and arms froze, sealing him there. He tried to struggle, but it was no use.

He looked at Nurse Jenny and the mystery person. He let out a scream of terror when he saw their bodies distorting tremendously. Their sick, twisted smiles spread far beyond their ears. Their heads stretched forward, their entire bodies turning black. Their pupils vanished, leaving only the redness as their eyes. Their insides glowed white, noticeable whenever they opened their mouths. Their teeth became pointed fangs, making their mouths appear jagged.

With the sickening sound he'd imagine he'd hear from a clogged toilet, the two people in front of him began to stretch beyond recognition. They formed together, their bodies becoming one. Long spines grew otu of the back of the head of the combined figure. Before Rudy knew it, he was staring at what appeared to be a black goop dragon, flickering its tongue at him. The black dragon's mouth was turned upward in a vicious smile, and it was eyeing him like it was hungry.

The beast split its mouth open wide. Rudy could see right down its throat. The bright whiteness..it shined on him. As it hit him, he stiffened up. The light...it was just light what was at Solar Pillars. It was affecting him the same way. He looked at the dragon in horror as the mouth opened wider. The light began to hurt him, and soon it felt like he was on fire.

"You will not get away from us..."

Rudy's eyes widened in horror as the dragon pulled its head back. He could see the muscles tightening up as it was preparing to strike.

"We love you."

Suddenly, the dragon struck forward, letting out a loud, ear splitting screech.

sss

Rudy let out a scream as he jumped up in his bed. His eyes were wide, pupils shrank into dots. Sweat covered his body, soaking the bed. He took in a few ragged breaths. He felt his heart pounding against his chest so hard he thought it would burst free. He looked all around, and realized that he was in his bed in his own home.

He took in a few breaths, trying to calm himself down. It was all a dream...it was all just a dream... His mind reeled as images from the nightmare plagued him. He could remember, vividly, everything, the smells, how the goo felt when he touched it, everything. It all felt so...real... It was hard to believe that it was all just in his head.

He began to wonder if the Solar Pillars were also a dream. He looked around his bed to see if the diary was still there. He felt something under his covers. He picked it up and pulled it towards him. It was the diary all right. This meant that the Solar Pillars were indeed real. That whole exchange over there, it really had happened. As his mind grew less muggy, he started to remember what actually happened. He had gone to the meat convention, had fun, came home and went to bed. And that was when he had the nightmare.

"Rudy?!"

Rudy turned his head. He could hear the sound of footsteps rushing towards his room. The door opened up and he could see his parents. Panicked expressions were on their faces as they ran over to his bed.

"What's wrong?! We heard you screaming!" His mother cried in a panic.

"Is everything okay, son?" His dad asked cautiously.

Rudy rubbed the back of his head. His breath was still quickened. He was still sweating. He was still shaken up by that nightmare. And yet he still managed to give them an answer. "J-Just..just a nightmare..."

His parents gave a sigh of relief. It was clear that they thought something worse happened. They still showed concern for him. They looked at him sympathetically and reached up and touched his hands. They whispered soft, comforting words to him, telling him it will be all right. As they did this, Rudy felt his heart rate slow down. And soon it was back to normal. His breathing also slowed down, returning to its usual speed. His trembling slowly stopped.

For a few minutes, Rudy just sat there, his feet over the edge of the bed and staring down at his parents. It took a while for the impact of the fact his parents really were here to hit him, and unharmed at that. He just stared at them, letting that realization sink in. They were here. They were fine. They weren't kidnapped by the black chalk or its minions. They were okay. Slowly a smile crept onto his face, a tear forming in his eyes.

He suddenly jumped off the bed and gave his parents both a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around them. They hugged him back, looking at him in shock and worry. Rudy pressed himself against them, holding on firmly, afraid to let go. Delayed emotion now started to overcome him. The realization that his parents were fine, that they hadn't been harmed, it swelled up inside of him. And when he couldn't take it anymore, he started to cry a little.

"That must have been some nightmare..." His dad said softly, running his hand along the back of Rudy's head. "I've never seen you this upset over a nightmare before. Just..what happened...?"

Rudy paused, hesitating to answer. His eyes widened as images flashed in the back of his head. The black chalk speaking to him, that strange person, the black ooze, Nurse Jenny, the dragon, the odd light, it all came flooding back to him, making his head hurt. Moving away from his parents a little, Rudy rubbed his head, trying to cope with the pain. He could still feel that dragon's mouth around his body. He could still feel that light burning against his skin. Such a horrible sensation...

Rudy looked at his parents. They stared at him worriedly, expectantly. They wanted him to tell them what his dream, no, his nightmare was about. He didn't know if he could talk about it now. Despite having calmed down, he was still afraid. The nightmare still shook him up. It was so real, so disturbing. He could feel everything, smell everything. It was so realistic, even with the suddenly appearing ooze and the dragon that was formed from two adult humans. Nothing about the nightmare suggested it wasn't real. Nothing stood out to him and made him realize he was just dreaming. He...he didn't want to talk about it.

But he knew that, if he kept putting this off, it was going to get worse. If he refused to tell his parents, or anyone, then his fear would continue growing inside. He would just become more and more afraid as time passes. It would become even harder to talk about the dream if he didn't discuss it with his parents now. As much as he didn't want to, he knew he had to talk about it.

He took in a deep breath, looking at his parents. He gazed at the ground for a moment, then back at them. They waited patiently for him to speak. Rudy searched through his mind, trying to come up with the words to say. He thought about how he was going to explain it to them, thinking of sentences and phrases to use. When he felt he was ready, he began to speak to them.

"In the dream, we were heading down towards the meat convention, like we went to earlier today. We had arrived there, but when you parked, you both..just froze. You wouldn't say anything, you wouldn't move, nothing. And what was weird was..no one else around seemed to know we were there. They'd walk by and completely ignore my desperate attempts grabbing attention. They just completely ignored me." Rudy explained. His parents looked at each other worriedly, then back at him. "And..and then the car filled with this black ooze..."

"Black ooze?" His mother whispered in a soft voice.

Rudy nodded his head. "Yeah. Everything just...began to ooze this black stuff. And then when I looked in the front seats, you two were gone, and replaced with Nurse Jenny from my school, and someone else I didn't recognize." He watched as his parents' eyes went wide in shock. "And then the black chalk started to speak to me, saying how I will never be able to escape its grasp, and Jenny and that other person became this dragon and they swallowed me.."

His dad blinked a few times. "Black chalk?"

Rudy realized that he hadn't really gone into much detail about the black chalk. It's not that he never mentioned it. He did. But he didn't talk too much about it. Just what was needed and that's it. He hardly mentioned it before, and he wouldn't be surprised if his parents completely forgot about what black chalk is. Even he forgot a lot of the details he had shared with them a couple years back.

"It sounds dangerous." His mother said. "Black chalk..."

"Yeah it is." Rudy said affirmatively. "It's a dangerous type of chalk that corrupts any artist who dares to use it. Mr. Cosmo tried to corrupt me with the black chalk three years ago. And he nearly succeeded..."

"What?" His parents gasped, staring at him in horror.

Rudy's head lowered. "It was awful... I could feel the black chalk changing me, warping my mind... I nearly became a monster just like him.."

His mom's eyes snapped wide at this. "So that was how he was going to do it...?" She turned her head towards her husband. "The black chalk...?"

"I knew he wanted to try to...to...break him, but..." His dad looked at Rudy sadly. "..I had no idea it was going to be something like that..."

Rudy remembered his parents telling him about the video logs of Cosmo they had found. They had seen what kind of man Mr. Cosmo had become. They had gotten an idea at that time what he had planned. They found out about Cosmo trying to corrupt him, how he tried to have Penny killed off. And he recalled how much it really scared and disturbed them and Mrs. Sanchez to hear that sort of stuff said against him and Penny.

"The worst thing..."

His parents looked at him when he spoke up.

Rudy bit his lip nervously. "The black chalk's full corruption is...permanent."

"What? Permanent...?" His father said.

"If you had become corrupted, you..." His mother's voice trailed off.

"Yeah. I would have become just like Mr. Cosmo. Evil, a monster, despicable...and there would be nothing that could change me back." Rudy said softly. He closed his eyes. "I...I went nuts when I was under the black chalk's spell. It...it drove me to kill three zoners." His parents let out a gasp. "And I almost killed Penny. If Skrawl hadn't knocked the black chalk out of my hand, I would have been permanently corrupted." He reopened his eyes and looked at his parnets. "I am the only artist to ever escape its grasp. And now...I think it wants me back..."

His parents were at a loss of words. They stared at him in horror. Rudy looked down at the diary he had brought with him. He picked it up and brought it over. He set it on his lap, and he looked at his parents in the eyes.

"And..there's more..."

He proceeded to explain to them what happened while he was in ChalkZone.


	5. Sinister Motives

Jenny went over to the tall cabinet that stood not far from her desk. She used her finger to move down to the one she wanted. The one that began with a T... Once she found it, she put a key into the lock and undid it. Once she heard the click, she gripped the metal handle and pulled on it. Before her, a ton of folders became visible, all in alphabetical order. She looked through them, her eyes narrowing. There was one in particular she was looking for.

For a little while, she couldn't find it. She hissed softly in frustration. Come on, it's gotta be in here... And sure enough, she found it. Her frown faded in a small smile as she got what she wanted. She grabbed the folder and eased it out of the cabinet. She walked over to her desk and sat down. She laid the folder on her desk, spreading it flat down. She smirked as she looked at the name written on the top. This folder belonged to Rudy Tabootie.

Jenny had forgotten what it was like to be blessed with the knowledge of the black chalk. It had been so long. And so many things were forgotten, until now that is. She should thank the boy sometime. It was only after his visit that she regained her memories. And she had a feeling it had something to do with him. The only thing different about the meeting with him than the other students was that she had been a little too careless with him. A little blood got on her. That was what was different. And she was certain that is what helped her regain her memories.

Yes, there was something in Rudy's blood that interacted with the black chalk that laid dormant inside of her. She wasn't sure if it was more black chalk, or if it was something else. Perhaps some..component of the black chalk or something the black chalk reacted to. Something was different about it, and she was determined to find out just what that was.

His medical records might hold the key. She had seen him more than once over the past couple years. If Rudy really did have black chalk inside of him, she would recognize it. And if he did have it, how long was this the case? How long ago did he get it? Was his memory erased? Hmm... no that wasn't it. Narrowing her eyes, Jenny knew the truth very quickly. She had seen what artists were like when they were blessed by the black chalk. They were always so different. There was no indication that Rudy changed at all. That could only mean one thing.

He was the artist that got away...

Or so he thought. Jenny knew fully well that black chalk never really goes away. At least not completely. Rudy still had black chalk inside of him. Yes, she was fully convinced now he had been touched by the black chalk. That was the only thing that would make sense to her. Black chalk reacts to other black chalk, awakening each other, giving each other knowledge and power. Rudy, somehow, escaped its grasp. He was a renegade, an exile of sorts. And he was such a fool, believing that it was all over just because someone took the black chalk from him before the transition could be completed.

Jenny felt some tinge of anger at that realization. Rudy really turned down a great opportunity. He could have learned so much. All the black chalk wanted to do was help. It wanted to bestow knowledge and power on any artist who uses it. It was a gift, and Rudy had the gall to throw it away. Well, someday, that will all change. She would find a way to make the boy see things differently. The black chalk never lets go of an artist it chooses, and Rudy was not going to be an exception.

Her mind shifted for a time to Mr. Cosmo. She recalled the news she heard a couple years ago, about him being crushed to death in a freak accident. She clenched her teeth slightly. She felt it was such a pity that he had to go. If he were still alive, she would have gone and woken him up as well. After all, he was her partner. They had been equals back when they were in ChalkZone together. Cosmo was the one who started the revelation, waking up artists to the truth and how ChalkZone should really be handled. She had been happy to be a part of it, and she and Cosmo worked well as a team.

How sad that he wasn't able to be here and enjoy the splendid return of the black chalk. So disappointing indeed... Oh well, not much she can do about it now. She could at least now make up for lost time. There was much to be done. So much work ahead of her. But she wouldn't be able to do it alone. She would need some help. She knows of two other artists in here, both formerly black chalk users. The zoners might have taken away their memories for a time, but it wasn't to last, and soon three of them, including her, would be making a return to ChalkZone. She smirked as she wondered how the zoners were going to react when they realized their precious plan did not work.

She wondered how much had changed since she and Cosmo been there. She was certain that repairs had been made to the areas they destroyed. The hospitals would surely be back for certain. They had been among the first places she and Cosmo destroyed, as a way to weaken the zoners and make them more reliant on their creators. They were all leveled to the ground. Every single one of them, unless they miscalculated and one still stood somewhere.

She recalled details of a small war, with artists fighting artists. Black chalk against white chalk. The blessed versus the weak. Yes, it was a glorious battle that wound up tearing more of ChalkZone apart. She couldn't help but laugh. All those pitiful white chalk users did was help them further their goals. And of course, black chalk was winning, with more of the white chalk users being turned over to their side, or even killed. Yes, it was not just zoners who died at that time. A few humans lost their lives. Pitiful, but a necessary sacrifice for the greater good.

Jenny couldn't wait to go back to ChalkZone. She wouldn't do anything right away. She just wanted to see what it looked like, how much had changed. Getting a map of the place would be top priority, and she had a feeling she knew where she could get one. Not just any map, but a magical one that would alter its appearance as more places were erased into ChalkZone. That was an important detail; ChalkZone did change a lot more rapidly than anything in the real world.

She felt lucky that the two black chalk users she knew nearby were right in this school. It was pitiful seeing them like this. Neither of them acted like they knew ChalkZone at all, and that's because they didn't. They had taken up some mundane, boring lives as staff at this useless school. All that would change once they were awakened back to their past, glorious selves, and they could continue on with Mr. Cosmo's plans.

Teddison Cosmo...it was still so sad that he wasn't here anymore. Jenny did miss him. He had been one of her closest friends. It was simply cruel fate that he was taken from her, denied the glory of returning to ChalkZone and taking it over. Well it was just tough luck and, though she was sad, she knew she couldn't dwell on it for too long. There was nothing she could do to change it. All she could do now was move forward, and carry on with his work. She would make sure that his plans don't go to waste, that his dreams weren't in vain. Yes...she would finish what he had started.

But first, she needed to look through Rudy's medical records that the school had. She needed to see if there was anything she could use to get the boy to come down here today before school ended. A hidden medical condition perhaps, or something that seemed off. She needed some kind of excuse to make him come down. It was the blood that woken her up, she knew. And she needed more blood. Yet she could not just ask for it willy nilly. No, that would make her look too suspicious to him. She had to be smart about this. Rudy was an intelligent teenager and if she wasn't careful, he might realize what she was up to.

After looking through his records, she couldn't find anything of use to her. Nothing that she could use to get him to come down here without being suspicious. And thinking about it, she wasn't even sure how it was going to work. Even if she could find something that would warrant a possible blood test, how was she going to pull it off without becoming suspicious? She had to find some way to get blood from him without accidentally causing fingers to be pointed at herself.

So taking blood here was not an option. Maybe he had donated blood before. She could find that and steal it for herself. But there was no guarantee there would be black chalk in it until she ran some tests. She didn't want to have to go through all that trouble for nothing. It would be such a waste. All that effort into breaking into a hospital to get blood, only to find that the blood wasn't what she wanted... Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. No, she needed another plan.

She then recalled something she almost forgot about. She was a school nurse, which meant she had access to a lot of different things. She might have something here that would help her. She did keep some...rather odd things stored. No one ever found out about them, and even she forgot about a lot of the stuff she had. Even when she wasn't influenced by the black chalk, she did some strange things. Perhaps the black chalk never completely let go of her. Maybe that contributed to her awakening, to be blessed with the knowledge once more.

Her mind's gears began to turn as she formulated a plan in her head. She went over to the back of the infirmary. There was a hidden door here, one that she had forgotten about as she hardly used it in so long. She opened up the door, which blended in perfectly well with the wall. And inside, there were all sorts of things. Her grin widened as she stared at it all. Looks like those years of collecting odds and ends was finally going to come into some good use.

She reached in and grabbed a bottle. It was black in color with no label. She opened it up and took a quick whiff of it. The scent was very familiar. Yes, this was it. She twisted the cap shut and looked back in the small, hidden room. Her eyes moved around, glancing at everything in there. She grabbed what she needed and shut it. She had no fear of the cameras seeing her; she could easily say that was where she kept outdated medicine and that she was just doing some cleaning up.

Once she got what she needed, she put it all in her bag for the time being. She wouldn't be able to do anything right now. But soon, she would get what she wanted from Rudy. And he would never even know. And once she was able to get what she needed, she would be able to wake up the two other black chalk users and they could commence their plan on returning to ChalkZone.

They will not be kept out any longer...

sss

Rudy laid on his back on his bed, staring up blankly at the ceiling. His chest rose and fell slowly. He barely blinked his eyes as he was deep in thought. In his mind, he kept reeling back information regarding his discussion earlier today with his parents and friends. He had been trying his best not to think about it too much. He did need to get some rest soon. School day tomorrow and all that. He couldn't afford staying up too late as, tomorrow, he had an algebra test.

He was grateful that Penny helped him study for that. He did need to get a passing grade if he wanted to get a B in that class. The studying had gone pretty well, and he was certain he was going to succeed this time. But that would only be possible if he got a good night's rest. He kept trying to get his eyes to close and go to sleep. It was nine at night, and if he didn't get to sleep now, he might end up with very little sleep. Then taking the test would be impossible, even with all that studying he did with Penny.

But he couldn't help it. The talk he had with his loved ones about his nightmare, it just wouldn't leave him. After he had told his parents about what happened with Solar Pillars, they had wanted Penny and Snap to come over so they could talk more about it. They were hoping to see if they could come up with any possible answers or explanations to what was going on.

It was nice to have his parents in on the secret as well. It had taken some time the past two years to really realize the fact that his parents knew about ChalkZone. He had been keeping it a secret for so long that it was hard to retrain his brain not to tell a lie to them or to sneak away into ChalkZone. It had gone away eventually, and he was glad for it. He wasn't sure how long it was going to take him and Penny to get used to their folks knowing about ChalkZone. And it was a good thing they did know, as they now had someone else they could speak to regarding incidents there.

Though, due to how peaceful everything had been for quite a while, that hadn't been necessary. This was, actually, the very first time that he had really talked to his folks about something wrong in ChalkZone. For a first time, he thought it went over pretty well, as everyone got a chance to speak what they thought, and some ideas were tossed around. It was certainly better than before, when only he had Penny talk to in the real world about anything regarding ChalkZone. Then Mr. Wilter came onto their side, now their parents. That was a definite improvement, and it made it much easier to discuss things.

What kept clinging to Rudy's mind is what they said about his dream. While interpretations varied, it was decided, and agreed upon, that his dream must be trying to tell him something. It wasn't just a simple nightmare. Something in his mind was trying to warn him. There was the chilling suggestion that maybe there was still some tiny amount of black chalk still in him, and it was trying to reach out to him and communicate. No, that was impossible. That couldn't be the reason. And yet..it did make sense. The black goo...it might have been representing the black chalk in some way, and the dragon and the light... It might have been a foreshadowing thing, telling him that the black chalk really was coming back for him...

It was a thought he already had before the meeting. The black chalk does want him back, he was certain of that now. The black chalk was still around, hidden in ChalkZone. It was waiting for artists to come use it so it could spread its evil throughout the world. And what was terrible was that..it couldn't be punished. It couldn't be arrested and thrown in jail because..it was an inanimate object. It could speak and think, but not much else beyond that. And it wasn't like jail was going to do much for those objects. They already couldn't move anywhere. All putting them in jail would do was just change their locations.

No, they couldn't be treated like other criminals, like Draow and Bardot. The only thing he could think of was destroying the black chalk, but he was certain Biclops mentioned somewhere that it was impossible to do that. The black chalk would come back. The only thing they could do was keep it hidden and hope that no other artists could find it.

His parents were especially concerned about him when he mentioned what the light had done to him. It was that reaction that made his loved ones believe that the black chalk was responsible somehow. He still didn't want to believe it and yet it did still make sense, no matter how much he wanted to deny it. That was the only thing that was different between him and Penny. And she was never affected by the light. But if that were the case, then...how come he wasn't going nuts...?

He remembered how he felt when the black chalk started to surge through his body. He wanted to draw destructive things. He wanted to kill. He wanted to destroy. He was being given all this knowledge, and he had, for a time, had a greater understanding of magic chalk than he ever could have hoped for. But it came with a price. And that was his sanity. He nearly became a monster that day, just like Mr. Cosmo had become.

Going into ChalkZone should have triggered the black chalk somehow. Anytime he went, the black chalk supposedly inside of him should have activated, and the corruption process should have begun again. Yet it did not. There was simply no reaction. It was a little hard for him to believe that the black chalk could possibly exist inside of him without activating whenever he went into ChalkZone. If black chalk was to blame for the light's reaction...he had to figure out why and fast.

Snap had a pretty good suggestion. He had suggested that if the amount left in him was really so tiny, that might have been why it didn't react in ChalkZone. It might not be strong enough to go that far with him. Rudy hoped that was the case. It would fill him with great relief knowing that there was not enough black chalk in him to begin the corruption process all over again. He would prefer there being no black chalk in him whatsoever, but Snap's idea was the second best situation he could be in.

His parents suggested that he go to a ChalkZone hospital and get blood taken. This would be difficult as he would have to, somehow, get a hold of a real world needle for them to use as his blood would dissolve the chalk instruments they'd use. But he did see his parents' point. It would be better going to a hospital in that world as they would be able to detect chalk-based things more easily. They might be able to tell him if he really had black chalk in him still, or if he had something else going on with him.

He couldn't stay up too much longer. He had to get to bed. He had to get a good night's rest if he wanted to pass that algebra test. He tried his best to push those thoughts aside. He tried to clear his mind so he can focus getting to sleep. It wasn't going to be easy, but if he concentrated hard enough, maybe he would be able to accomplish it.

He laid back down on his bed. He stared blankly at the covers for a few seconds before giving a sigh. He grabbed the covers and pulled them over his body as he laid down on his side. He stared at the wall to his left for a while. He kept staring at it until his vision started to distort. He turned his head a little and shook his head, clearing up his vision. He didn't feel particularly tired, but that didn't matter. He forced his eyes to close. He took in a few deep breaths, and did his best to keep his mind clear. It was hard keeping his eyes closed. It was so easy for them to start opening up again as he still felt too awake. But he managed to keep them closed for the most part.

It took a little while, but soon he felt his mind start to get muggy. His body started to relax. His eyes had an easier time staying closed, and an increasing difficulty opening up. His heart rate began to slow down. Tiredness swept through his body. And, before he knew it, he was starting to fall asleep.

sss

Jenny knew that coming here at this time of night and trying to break in could land her in hot water. She knew full well that she was breaking the law doing this. But right now, she didn't really care. The cops weren't out in this area at this time, and everyone on this street was a sleep at this time. It was past one in the morning. If anyone was up, it would be either adults who were probably doing late night work and can't bother looking out the window, or children who don't know any better.

She wore a dark blue suit covering most of her body save for her eyes and nose. Blue was a good night time camouflage. She found it to be better than black. She also wore a thick pair of gloves so that she would not leave any fingerprints behind. She moved along behind the houses, staying clear of the street lights. She kept herself as close to the houses as she could, keeping her body hunched, so that it would be harder to see her.

She continued on her way, moving towards one particular house that was a little further away still. Rudy Tabootie's house. She knew it was the right place as she had the boy's address in her records. She knew this was the right street, and she knew this was the right house. She recognized it from when the news was on, when Rudy and Penny had mysteriously vanished for a time. Even though this was behind the house, she knew it was the right one from the color scheme and the way it was shaped.

Once she got to it, she kept to the back. She refused to go in the front as there was a higher risk of someone spotting her if she did. She went up to the back door and attempted to turn it. No surprise, it was locked. And when she looked on the side of the door, she noticed a white rectangular box with a bunch of buttons. She gritted her teeth at the sight of it. An alarm... Of course, she should have realized this. After Rudy and Penny were kidnapped, both the Tabooties and Mrs. Sanchez installed alarms so that such an incident wouldn't happen again. Well that was all fine and dandy for them, but it was going to cause trouble for her. She'd have to disable it somehow.

Or perhaps not. She remembered hearing about this type of alarm. It was designed to go off only if the door was forced open. If she were to slam against the door really hard, or if she broke a window, then the alarm would go off and alert the people inside. But if she found a way to open the door normally, slow and softly, then it wouldn't go off. She just needed a way to pick the lock. Obviously, she didn't have Rudy's household key, so she had to do this the very hard way. She had some experience picking locks, and now she was going to put what she knew to the test.

She got out a hairpin and eased it into the hole. She wiggled her hand from side to side and up and down. She narrowed her eyes in determination as she continued to pick the lock. Soon, she heard a click and the door was unlocked. She smirked and put the hairpin back into her pocket. She grabbed her bag she brought with her and opened up the door. She made sure to go in slow and nice so that she didn't trigger anything else with the alarm. She shut the door behind her.

She made her way through the house. She made sure to keep herself as quiet as possible. There were a few creaks, and she paused and flinched, thinking that it was going to draw attention. But luckily, nothing had happened. She sighed quietly with relief and continued making her way around the house. She managed to find the kitchen and the living room. She guessed the bedrooms were all on the top floor. It didn't take her long to find the stairs. She walked up them slowly, taking care not to make a squeaking sound with her feet as they pressed against the wood.

She went up to one of the doors. She had no way of knowing if it was Rudy's room or not unless she opened it up. She grabbed the knob and turned it slowly. She pushed it open and peered inside. Much to her surprise, she had guessed right the first time. She could see Rudy laying on top of his bunk bed. Well sort of a bunk bed. It had a ladder leading up to it, but there was just one bed. Where the other bed would be was a desk with a paper clipped to it and some drawing utensils.

Rudy was clearly asleep. He was laying on his back. His mouth was partially open and she could hear him snoring a little. She smirked at this. Him being asleep now was going to make things so much easier. She moved into the bedroom. She shut the door behind her just in case one of his parents has to use the bathroom at night. She can't have them seeing the door open and coming in. She walked up to his bed and stared up towards the sleeping boy. She put her bag on the ground and pulled out what she needed. A needle, which she put in her pocket, and then a cloth, a knife, and some bottle of chloroform.

She poured a bit of chloroform on the cloth. Not a lot. Just enough to do the job. She climbed up the ladder. When she reached the top, she stared at the boy's sleeping form. He looked pretty peaceful sleeping like this. She could try to do her work with him like this, but it was too much of a risk. She couldn't afford him waking up and alerting his parents, and she can't just tie him up and gag him because that may cause more problems than it was worth.

After she stared at him for a few seconds, she took the chloroform soaked cloth and pressed it against his face. The sudden gesture did cause Rudy's eyes to open. Before Rudy could try to struggle, she pressed the knife against his throat in a threatening gesture. Rudy held still, doing little more than letting out a soft whimper before he passed out from the chloroform. With his body now limp and unmoving, the chloroform taking a hold of his brain, Jenny could proceed with what she came here to do.

She got out the needle and moved herself as close as she could to Rudy without accidentally laying on him or falling down. She pulled the covers back so she could seize his arm. She pulled it out, straightening it at his side. She put her fingers on the crook of his arm, where it bent, feeling where his blood vessels would be. Once she found the right vein, she took the needle and stuck it deep into his arm.

Slowly, she pulled the top of the needle back. She smiled darkly as she saw it rapidly fill up with the boy's blood. Dark red fluid was drawn into the needle. The more she pulled back, the more blood that appeared. She didn't stop until the entire needle was filled with Rudy's blood. She pulled the needle out. She glanced at it, the same dark smile still spread across her face. She put the needle in the bag, careful not to spill any of it in there. She looked down at the boy's arm, noting the blood that poured out of where she had the needle stuck. She pressed her thumb against the hole she made and raised his arm up. She did this until the bleeding had stopped.

Jenny eased his arm back to his side and pulled the covers back up. She watched his sleeping, unconscious face for a few seconds. She reached over and pressed her hand against his face. She gently caressed his cheek. Her hand soon moved upwards and she rubbed the back of his ear like he was a dog. She then ran her fingers through his hair, taking her time. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his forehead and kissed him.

She leaned in and whispered into his ear, "Thanks for your contribution, Rudy. Sweet dreams..."

With that, she went down the ladder, took her things, and made her way out of the house, keeping as quiet as she could. Now that she has what she needed, all she has to do now is get a hold of those two former black chalk artists and rewaken them. And then, it was time to make some plans.


	6. Let Us Return To ChalkZone

Jenny stood in the middle of the school infirmary, her arms folded against her chest. She looked on at her handiwork that she was able to accompish. It wasn't easy pulling this off. She could have easily been caught. Thankfully, she did know this school pretty well and knew how to get around the security without too much difficulty. She also remembered to wear gloves at all times so that her fingerprints got on nothing. And after she was done with them, she made sure to cut them up, tear them apart and have them burned, destroying any chance of someone happening upon them and finding her marks all over them.

Everything was going exactly the way she wanted it. There was little possibility Rudy would know that it was her who ambushed him in his house. He had barely gotten a look at her before he was knocked unconscious. And it was very late at night and his mind was likely still muddled. There was a chance that he was not going to remember anything. Though that mark on his arm would look suspicious and he might have some memories following that. But with the suit she had worn, at best, he would only know he was attacked at night, but would not know who it was.

It was imperative that, for now, Rudy not know that she was up to something. The boy is clever, she knew. And there was Penny, one of Rudy's closest friends. If Rudy couldn't figure something out, she would. There was no way that Jenny was going to be able to get away with much of anything if Penny was on the scene. And she couldn't take her out without possibly exposing her self in the process, if she wasn't careful. There might be someone else she could go after as they had no idea who she was, but she would save that for another time.

So long as Rudy didn't know what was going on until she was ready for him to know, then she would be able to make her plans on returning to ChalkZone. She looked forward to going back to that place and continuing from where Cosmo had left off. She was going to make the zoners pay for what they did. They were going to pay for their insolence, shutting her and the others out like that. They had no right. All Cosmo was doing was claiming what was rightfully theirs. He had a vision, a wonderful one, and those stupid zoners took it all away. Oh how they were going to pay...

Especially Cyclops. That bumbling giant... He was supposed to be one of Cosmo's greatest warriors. A huge, monstrous beast with the ability to manipulate memories. He was like a large walking tape recorder and was to enforce Cosmo's rules, record everything that was going on and show it to Cosmo when called upon, and even inflict punishment when someone wasn't listening. That was part of the plan for him. His memory manipulation powers were given to him as a way to keep the others from knowing things that they shouldn't and would have come in handy should any zoner or non-pure artist were to get their hands on some knowledge that could be used against them.

But the giant turned out to be a wuss. Cosmo had not thought his design through and the giant ended up tripping all over the place and was hardly useful as a result. Cosmo's pride in the creation turned to shame and he shifted his focus elsewhere, creating Draow, a much more formidable creature and became Cosmo's 'right hand mind', so to speak.

Draow proved to be a much better enforcer than Cyclops. His design was a lot better, he was stronger and faster, and he was very loyal. He would do anything Cosmo told him to do, including keep a vow of silence so that no one realized just how smart he actually was. This would cause enemies to not use their full strength against him. They would assume he was just an overgrown mutt, and a lot of times, he acted just like that. In fact, Draow's performance was so convincing and he was able to stay in the role for so long, that pretty much ninety-nine percent of ChalkZone, at the time, thought Draow was just a pet Cosmo drew for himself.

And that is exactly how Cosmo wanted everyone to view him. He wanted everyone to underestimate Draow's capabilities, allowing the bat wolf to gain the upperhand, using moves that are clever, but not too much so, as to not expose his true intelligence underneath. Jenny had a feeling that even the little traitor, Wilter, had been fooled all that time, and never caught on. Her eyes narrowed a little as she thought about that old man, who was currently probably in his fifties or so. He had played a major role in getting them all kicked out of ChalkZone. Yes, he would also pay for what he's done. That might be her first order. She may just have to do something with Mr. Wilter, to get rid of him...

He was just as much of a nuisance as Cyclops was. In fact, the two had worked together to get rid of Cosmo and to stop the blessed artists from spreading their well-deserved control all across the chalk world. Jenny wasn't entirely sure how Wilter had done it, but he had managed to find a way to beat the other artists on his own before confronting Cosmo himself. It was an intense battle, but somehow, Wilter managed to win, and took Cosmo down. She would have tried to help, but she herself had already been defeated.

And after their defeat, Cyclops had begun to purge them of their ChalkZone memories. She recalled it didn't really hurt. It merely involved being forced to stare into Cyclops's one large eye. She sort of remembered a glow and a tingling feeling in the back of her neck. If she remembered right, they passed out after that and when they came to, they had no recollection of what transpired in ChalkZone, or that it even existed at all. They went on with their normal lives like nothing had happened.

But it would seem that, despite the ability being described as 'flawless' when Cosmo first drew Cyclops, it wasn't good enough. Something triggered her memories, something in Rudy's blood. And she was able to confirm what she had suspected all along. Rudy's blood did contain some traces of black chalk. It wasn't an insanely large amount, but it was enough to prove a couple of things to her.

It proved that black chalk really did restore memories. Rudy's black chalk was active this whole time, not forced into dormancy like hers was. It was active, but it wasn't strong enough to take control of Rudy, hence why he didn't act like any of the blessed artists she came across. It was because he was still one of the un-blessed. About half way between, so to speak. A hybrid of sorts.

The other thing that it proved was that Rudy was indeed in ChalkZone before. She wasn't sure if he visited often or if this was the result of some one time visit or what. Either way, the presence of black chalk proved that he was, indeed, in ChalkZone at one time. And in order to go to that world, magic chalk was required. Rudy must have a piece, logically. How else would he be able to go into that world? There was no other way. If she searched him enough, she wound find it.

But she was going to play it a little safer. It may be too much of a risk to just go back at his house, especially after that little stunt she pulled. Granted, she had good intentions, which was to reopen the portal into ChalkZone and let herself and her two comrades she chose back in. And from there, they would have reclaimed what was rightfully theres and begin to harvest ChalkZone, its full use taken advantage of. There was nothing wrong with that. It was Cyclops and Wilter who were in the wrong. They were the ones to blame. It was they who must fall.

And somehow, someway, she would see to it that it happens. But for now, she will focus on beginning the return to ChalkZone. It was going to require a little bit of planning, and she was definitely going to need some help on this one.

She looked in front of her, towards the two chairs in the middle. She hadn't been alone in there. Far from it. There were two other people in there. The two people she knew were black chalk artists just like herself. One of them was a large woman, about the same size as Rudy's mother, except noticeably smaller. The other was a man that was a little on the short side, and wasn't much taller than her. Jenny had managed to get them down here and soon, she was going to resurrect their memories. She would have woken them up sooner, but she had wanted to wait until they woke up. She wanted to see how they'd react to being in here, especially the way they were now.

The two adults were tied down to chairs. Their limbs were bound to the arms and legs of the chair, secured tightly. This kept them from getting up out of their seats. Gags had been placed in their mouths, keeping them mostly quiet. She felt she might be going a little too far in this, but it was worth it to minimize the chances of getting caught. And even if someone were to report this, with the status the man held, there was little chance of her getting in trouble.

The man and woman were struggling against their binds. They were shouting in muffled confusion. They both looked visibly angry and afraid at the same time. They clearly had no idea what was going on. That was understandable. Jenny knew that both of them had lost their memories. Once she resurrected them, they would calm down. They would see things her way. Yeah, she knew it was wrong to tie them up like this, but she didn't know how else she was going to accomplish this. Not many people were just going to allow some random person put blood on their skin.

She walked up to the two, giving them each a smile. "Don't worry. Everything will soon make sense. I will help you understand. It is okay."

The man and woman looked at each other, their eyes wide and giving confused muffled sounds. They looked back at Jenny and they let out a surprised scream when she took out a needle filled with red blood. Rudy's blood that is, from when she broke into his house. There was still about half of his blood remaining, more than enough to get the effect that she wanted. She went over to the man first. She gently pushed down on the needle. A small droplet of blood dropped out of the tip and landed on his bare skin. She repeated this same process with the woman, making sure to get a small amount of blood on her arm. She took a step back and waited for the results.

She didn't have to wait for too long. Seconds later, the two adults began to moan and groan. They closed their eyes tightly, whimpering as something started to overcome them. Jenny just smiled and watched this. It was unpleasant at first, she had to admit. So she understood why they were reacting this way. But it would soon be all over, and they would be reborn. They'd thank her for this later. She continued to watch them squirm, letting out muffled cries and looking around in a panic.

"It's okay. It's just all part of the process of remembering." Jenny said to them in a comforting tone. "You will be fine. Just calm down and let it take you under its wing. Let it help you remember."

The two adults continued to try to resist, but their struggling soon died down. This caused her smile to broaden more. At first, the adults just sat there, doing nothing. The only signs of life were their chests inflating and deflating with each ragged breath that they took. She waited patiently for them to do something. And soon enough, they did. They raised their heads up and looked over at her. Jenny was happy to see that the black chalk had exactly the kind of effect she wanted.

The man and woman were no longer afraid. Though it was hard to tell with the gags that were in place, she could tell that smiles were plastered on their faces. Genuine smiles at that, not nervous ones. Their eyes now shined a black aura, the dark smoke swirling around their eyes, filling them with knowledge they had long since lost years ago. They both stared at Jenny, no longer struggling or confused. They just sat there and waited for Jenny to set them free.

She went over to them and reached behind their heads, one at a time. She removed their gags and dropped them on the ground. They smacked their lips together, clearing their mouths of the taste of cloth. They said nothing as they smiled evilly in Jenny's direction. Jenny returned the smile. Yes, soon, plans will be made and set into motion. And with the help of these two, the goal of the black chalk will be completed.

"Greeting. Sorry to have you all tied up like this, but I had no choice." Jenny said, the smile never leaving her face.

"Oh it's quite all right, Commander Jenny." The woman said, shrugging her shoulders. "We understand why you did it."

"It has been...a long time." The man leaned back and took in a deep breath. "It feels so good to be alive again. Truly alive, and not trapped in this mundane hell that Cyclops enforcedo n us."

The woman scowled at this. "He and that traitor are not going to get away with this."

Jenny nodded her head. "Indeed they aren't. But first, we have to get back into ChalkZone. In order to do that, we need magic chalk. With no magic chalk, we will never be able to return."

"And how are we going to do that?" The man asked.

"None of us have any magic chalk left I don't think." The woman said. "I don't know how we'll be able to find any. We don't know if any artist has been into ChalkZone after us."

Jenny smirked at this. "There is someone." The man and woman turned and looked at her. "Rudy Tabootie. And I'm certain Penny Sanchez is in on this, considering how close those two are. Rudy has traces of black chalk in him, which is what I used to wake you both up." At this, the man and woman were intrigued. They leaned in a little to hear more of what Jenny had to say. "In order for him to have black chalk in him, he had to have been in ChalkZone before. That means he must have magic chalk somewhere. All we need is one piece, even a tiny one, and we're back in business..."

Jenny went over to the two tied up adults. She took out a small knife and cut the ropes that kept them secured to the chair. She grabbed their hands and pulled them up out of their seats.

"I am going to need your help." Jenny said. "Are you with me?"

The man and woman looked at each other. They turned to her and gave an affirmative nod, grinning darkly.

"Of course." The man said.

"It'll be my pleasure..." The woman replied, her voice darkening.

Jenny grinned at this. "Perfect..." She looked at the two of them. She remembered what it was like when they were kids. They were as confident then as they are now. Not too much had changed, outside the fact they are older and now with more experience. She felt lucky that she had these two on her side. "Welcome back... Lunchlady Ghadir and..." She turned her head to face the man. "...Principal Tyreek."

sss

When Rudy woke up, he had no idea what to think of the dull pain he felt in his arm. He glanced down on it and he did notice some kind of bruise on it, and what appeared to be a puncture mark. But he had no idea how that could have happened. Nothing occurred the other day that would have warranted such a wound, even if it were just small. He wondered if he had hit it during the night, but then, that wouldn't explain the puncture mark on it.

He had thought of possibly poking himself in the arm with a pencil, but he doesn't put pencils in his bed at night. So that wasn't it. He knew something had to have happened, but no matter how much he searched his mind, he just couldn't think of anything that might have happened. All he remembered last night was he had some trouble sleeping, and eventually pulled it off. He curled up in his bed and fell asleep. And then he just woke up in the morning, like usual. Nothing strange or bizarre happened. It was just a regular, uneventful night.

Or had it been? He never woke up with a mark on his arm like this before. It was a little tender, suggesting that, whatever happened, it wasn't exactly gentle or pleasant. And he had noticed he was a little more tired than usual when he woke up. He also had a slight headache, which he usually doesn't have when he first wakes up. It felt like something was pounding on his head. Not very hard, but enough to be a problem.

It was clear that something different had happened last night. He just couldn't remember what it was. Maybe he was just sleep walking and he hurt himself during the process. He didn't really sleep walk before, or if he did, no one told him about it. It was possible that he started to pick up the habit lately. He heard that stress can sometimes cause sleeping walking, and he had been stressed a lot more the past couple years than he's been before. Yeah, that was probably it.

He thought about raising the issue with his folks and his friends, but he decided against it, at least for now. He didn't really notice any negative side effects about what happened, aside from a little pain and a little headache. It didn't look like he had made a mess of things. It didn't seem like he had gone out somewhere and went on a stealing spree. He probably just walked all over the house for a while, tripped and fell on something tiny but needle sharp, and went back to bed. He did lose a little blood as he found some blood droplets on his bed, but nothing else beyond that.

If it got out of control, he would speak up. If he woke up and the next time he was in a garbage can somewhere singing along to songs from the fifties or something like that, he would say something to his loved ones and try to get help. Until then, he decided to think nothing of it. It was probably nothing anyway. Maybe nothing more than a one time freak incident.

He had managed to push those thoughts aside enough so that he could concentrate on what he had studied for today. That algebra test. He and Penny had studied for it all week, whenever they had a chance to. Penny, of course, had a great hang on it, but he still had some issues. She helped him the best she could, and he had prepared himself for this moment. And going into class, he did have some worry that he was going to fail. He was so set on the possibility of him failing that Penny had to snap him out of it and tell him to think more positivitely, otherwise, his negative attitude might spread to his work.

He tried to do what she told him to do. He cleared his mind, emptying it of all thoughts, except to those pertaining to just getting the work done. He remembered what Penny had taught him during their studying. And, when Mr. Wilter gave the command, like the other students, he began to work on the test. He toiled for whatever time had been allocated for the algebra test. By the end of it, his head was hurting, he was sweating, and he was afraid that he had failed miserably. Yet he still managed to finish all the questions in time and handed his paper in.

He was pleasantly surprised when he did manage to score that B he had wanted. He told Penny the good news and she congratulated him. He also told his parents as soon as he came back home. They were so proud of him and gave him a hug. Rudy wanted to go into ChalkZone afterwards, so he waved goodbye to his parents and headed out. He wanted to tell Snap the good news. He had promised him that he would tell him how he did on his test when he got into ChalkZone today. And just like his parents, Snap was also happy for him.

However, the happiness he felt didn't last for long. They all knew what they had to do next. They still had Cosmo's diary. They still hadn't read anymore pages since their trip to the Solar Pillars. And that was what they were going to do today. Despite his fears, he was going to read the next journal entry, right after the last one he read.

The three of them went over to Snap's place to do more reading. They had just arrived her a few minutes ago, and they were getting settled in. They planned on staying here for a while, so Rudy and Penny made sure to bring some drinks and food along, just in case. They kept them in a tightly concealed bag. They didn't want the soda they brought with to accidentally spill out and start to dissolve parts of Snap's home, or worse, hit Snap himself. The bag was kept at Penny's side, her arm looped around it so that it didn't fall down.

Penny and Snap sat on either side of Rudy, their eyes glued to the page. Rudy had just opened it up to the next entry. He felt his heart clench, knowing full well that he was not going to like what he was about to read. It was all going to go downhill, he knew. He already knew how this story was going to end, and he wasn't sure if knowing made it worse or not. He hesitated to start reading it, yet he didn't want to slow Penny and Snap down, as they were going to read it along with him. That did bring him some comfort, the fact that they were in this together, and that he didn't have to endure this terrible diary on his own.

Rudy took in a deep breath and proceeded to read the next entry.

"July 12 at 6:30 PM-

I know I said I was going to try to avoid that place, that forbidden tunnel, but I coudn't help myself. I keep thinking about it. It won't leave my mind. I had tried to enjoy my trip to the Candycane Forest with Horace. He had a great time there. But me, well, I just couldn't enjoy myself. Not completely. My mind was too focused on that tunnel. I thought about what those voices told me, and if they were even real or not. I just didn't know anymore, if they were real or just part of my imagination. And it was driving me nuts. I just had to know what was going on, and the only way to know was if I headed back.

So, when I was able to get some time alone, and I could get away from Horace without him finding out where I was going, I headed back to where I found that black chalk. Getting back in a second time was much harder. I won't go into details about how I succeeded. Let's just say I managed to get with with some great difficulty.

Being back in that odd room with all that black chalk was eerie. I could hear those voices again, talking to me, telling me to use it. The cold chill came back with a vengeance. Why was it so cold in here? Why did it feel like the temperature was lowering at a staggering rate? I really wanted to know. Maybe I should just leave now and ask the zoners about this place. Maybe I should just admit my mistake and leave before I cause more trouble. But a side of me wasn't letting me go, and I found my eyes glued on the black chalk before me. There was just something so tantalizing about the black aura that rose from it. It no longer looked as foreboding. It looked almost inviting.

It was so tempting to touch the black chalk. I had gotten really close to one piece. I had my hand reached out. I was going to grab it and hold it. I wanted to know what it felt like. I wanted to know what was so different about this chalk and if it was the cause of this room being so cold. Yet, there was a part of me that told me it was a bad idea. And as much was I wanted to grab the chalk, I did listen to that little voice in me and I didn't grab a piece.

I moved a couple steps away. As I did so, the voices began to grow louder. I had no idea if I could communicate with them or not. But I did attempt anyway. I tried talking back. I tried a few times, but they didn't really respond. I wonder if I have to be touching them in order to communicate. It was a possibility. I don't really know what helped me come to this conclusion, yet somehow, it seemed like the most logical solution to this. Yes, despite my fears, I was going to grab the black chalk so I may speak with it. I wish to understand it a little more. I mean, there has to be a reason why it was locked up, right? And I was in no danger. So long as I didn't draw anything with it, I wasn't going to unleash anything dangerous onto ChalkZone.

Knowing that it wasn't going to be anything that bad, I went over to the black chalk. I lowered myself so I could get a close up look of it. I reached out to grab a piece. My hand hadn't yet touched it, and I could already feel how icy cold it really was. I stopped myself, wondering if it was so cold it would burn my skin. I winced at the thought. Frostbite wasn't something I really wanted. Then again, who would?

I was about to grab a piece of black chalk when I heard a shout from far in the tunnel. I was startled and moved backwards when I realized I had been caught. Some of the zoners from the village found me and they escorted me out. They were certainly not pleased with me and they gave me a scolding I would never forget. I had tried to ask them about the black chalk, but they refused to comment. They warned me never to go in there again. I was pretty upset as I was just curious. Yet, I could also understand their reasoning for being upset. I did disobey the rules, after all.

I might try going back anyway. I managed to sneak in before and I could do it again. But not for a while. They would be suspicious and I imagine they'd put some guards there to keep me from going back in. I would wait until this blows over before trying again. I'll write again when I manage to get a hold of some black chalk."

Rudy felt his heart start to race. Cosmo had not yet been corrupted by the black chalk. But that part was coming up soon. It had to be the next entry or so. He wasn't sure if he wanted to read further. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be reminded of just what it was like to be influenced by the black chalk. He looked at his friends. They looked just as nervous as he did. Apprehension filled all their hearts. Rudy put his finger on the page and tried to turn it, yet he froze.

Did he really want to read further? Did he really want to know what happened after this? That was a silly question. Of course he did. No, it wasn't a simple want. It was a need. He had to figure out what happened. Cosmo wrote a lot of entries, and if there was anything here they needed to know, they would find it. There was no telling what other hidden dangers lurked around ChalkZone that Cosmo had left behind. If they never found out, how would they be able to protect ChalkZone from them?

He took in a deep breath. Then he managed to force himself to turn the page. A slow turn, but he still got himself to go to the next entry. And almost immediately, something was wrong. The other pages were written pretty neatly and calmly. But the writing on this page, it was sloppier, more slanted. The color of the ink stayed the same, but the overall look and feel changed. It wasn't gradual, either. It was sudden. Something major had changed at this point, and Rudy had a feeling he knew exactly what it was.

Although reluctant, he and his friends read the next entry.

"July 15 at 10:00 PM-

Well it seemed that I had gotten lucky. When I was startled back in that cave system, I had knocked myself into the batch of black chalk. A piece of it had broken off and stuck to me. I didn't really notice until I was on my way back home with Horace. When I did notice the black chalk clinging to me, I had Horace go on ahead. I wanted to check out the black chalk for myself.

I know I hadn't written any entries the past couple of days, but that was because I was busy. You see, when I touched the black chalk it was strange at first. It felt so cold and so sharp. Yet something drew me to it. I couldn't let go of it. It began to wrap me up in its magic. It was a wonderful sensation. I never felt something so good in my life. Those voices came back and spoke to me. But this time, they felt much more welcoming and kind. I didn't run away. I stayed and let the black chalk talk to me.

Knowledge. That's what the black chalk wanted to talk to me about. Knowledge, and giving it to me. I had learned so much, and there was still yet more to learn. The black chalk was a teacher of sorts. I don't understand why it was locked up at all. All it wanted to do was spread knowledge to other artists. There was so much that it knows, that it could teach. Why would the zoners hide such a thing? I had thought about that for a while, and I had come up with my own conclusion.

It was because the zoners weren't worthy of such knowledge. As I listened to the black chalk and thought about what I had been doing in ChalkZone, I realized just how much I had wasted my time. I had spent so long beind friends with these zoners, treating them like people. But the black chalk opened my eyes to the truth. They were nothing more than living drawings and they were meant to serve their creators. The black chalk knew this fully well, and it had chosen me to send that message. It wanted me to find the other artists and open their eyes to the truth as well.

First order of business, according to the black chalk, was taking over the place. That was the only way to begin the process of changing things to how it should be. Creators should not befriend their creations. They should rule over them. Creations were meant to serve, and anything less would be wasting their potential. I hadn't yet shared this with Horace, but I will in due time. I trust that he will see things my way and understand what I'm trying to accomplish. Jenny may also be interested in this. She's relatively new to ChalkZone and she and I get along really well. If Horace refuses my generous offer, Jenny could be a good partner.

I'm going to get started tomorrow after school. I will go into ChalkZone and I am going to make up for lost time. I will correct my mistake and commence the beginning of the plan to take over ChalkZone. I will continue writing entries to explain my progress. I trust it won't be too hard. Most of the zoners are more or less pacifistic, further proof that they are inferior to humans, and I can't believe I ever thought of them as my friends.

It is late now, and I must get to sleep. I will leave with this message, however. ChalkZone is going to be finally put to proper use. I just need to figure out how to control it completely, make it mine. And the black chalk is going to help me."


	7. In The Blink Of An Eye

As she was being driven over to Rudy's house, Penny's mind whirled with thoughts of what she, Rudy, and Snap read the other day. She, like the others, had been filled with anxiety as they got closer to whenever Cosmo's behavior changed. She had, honestly, been expecting something a little gradual, a slow change that only becomes disturbing when the beginning and ends were compared. But the diary offered something completely different, and it took her by surprise. It ended up giving a stronger creepy vibe to the whole thing.

Penny remembered what Rudy had told her about Mr. Wilter's account of the past. He had said that Mr. Cosmo's corruption was slow than his own. While Rudy was taking over not long after using the black chalk, Cosmo took a couple of times before the black chalk took control of him. That is what they had been lead to believe this whole time. There was little reason why Mr. Wilter would lie to them, especially since they now knew the truth about him and his connection to ChalkZone. Why would he muddle up this one important fact? Why would he continue to hide things from them? They would have to talk to him as soon as possible.

The diary clearly shown that the change was not as gradual as they thought. It had been quick, just like it had been with Rudy. This not only meant that Rudy's reaction wasn't anything special, that it was pretty average and normal, but it also meant that there some inconsistencies with Wilter's story. Of course, it was possible that Wilter didn't really know Cosmo was corrupted until later on. He might not have understood that the black chalk had a hold of him, and only believed he was corrupted when he started acting out. Cosmo might have been a good enough actor to fool him.

But this Jenny person... She still had a hard time wrapping her mind around that. Mr. Wilter had never once brought her up, and neither did Biclops. The two of them made it sound as though Cosmo had been working alone, aided largely by his dangerous weaponry and winged wolf, Draow. Even the visions Biclops showed them never indicated he worked with anyone else. It was clear something was going on here. Either those two weren't aware of Jenny's involvement or they knew and were witholding that bit of information.

She didn't like the idea of believing that those two were holding back on them. It was uncomfortable believing that Wilter and Biclops had important information regarding what happened years ago, that Cosmo had a partner, and then never telling them about it. Was it because she hadn't gotten her memories back? Did Biclops and Wilter believe that Jenny was no longer a threat because she had been given amnesia? It was a possibility, but this only raised even more questions, and made the thing seem even stranger to her.

Both of them knew that Cosmo got his memories back. Wilter had been suspicious when Cosmo entered the classroom that day, and yet he ended up putting his guard down and dismissing Cosmo was a threat. He had later regretted this decision when it lead to the horrific events that happened three years ago. She would have thought that he had learned from this. He should have known that, if Cosmo could regain his memories, others might follow suit. He should have told them about Jenny being a black chalk user, and anyone else that he knew of. Yet he kept silent about it.

Admittingly, Penny was not very happy with Mr. Wilter, or Biclops for that matter. If they knew a crucial piece of information, such as Cosmo having a partner, they should have said something. It would have made things a lot easier and they could have better prepared themselves just in case Jenny did regain her memories. They could also have gotten an idea of what she was like back then to have a better understanding of what she might be like now, should the amnesia on her wear off. It would have saved them a lot of trouble.

Snap had proposed his idea of why it was kept secret. It didn't make them feel that much better, as it sounded a little selfish, no matter many times Snap reworded it. It did make sense, though, his idea. It would indeed explain why they never touched up on the subject of Jenny whenever they told them about what Cosmo had done in the past.

It was because they were afraid of her. They were so terrified that even just mentioning her name made them fill up with anxiety. Suddenly, Wilter's reaction, the way he acted, around Nurse Jenny all those years ago, made sense. She recalled the incident when Reggie had his leg stuck and when Nurse Jenny came over and said that she wanted to try 'the procedure'. Wilter looked visibly shaken. She recalled the look on his face, the way he ever so cautiously pushed the saw away, and how he just took off, putting space between her and him.

In fact, that whole time, Wilter had been keeping his distance, more or less, from Jenny. He would barely look in her direction. At the time, she had believed it was because he was too busy worrying about how to get Reggie out of the ground. She had imagined the man had a lot on his mind, and she could understand why. A child being stuck in the ground like Reggie was, regardless if it was on school grounds or not, was a very serious issue. She had assumed that Wilter was just working out details of how to free the large child.

But if he were afraid of Jenny, then his reactions made even more sense. And, thinking back, it did add a whole new level to the whole thing. Mr. Wilter had never been too enthusiastic about Nurse Jenny. He was never outright hostile towards her, but something with the way he behaved around her did seem strange. As kids, they just dismissed it, believing it to be nothing. Then again, as kids, they didn't know about the black chalk, or Mr. Wilter knowing about ChalkZone, or any of that stuff. And Wilter's terrified reaction of Reggie might also have been, in part, caused by the possibility of ChalkZone getting exposed.

It was nothing more than a shot in the dark. The whole thing with Wilter and Biclops being terrified of Jenny and all that. But if that were the case, it did make the situation that much more serious. They recalled how Biclops, over the years, never once talked about Cosmo. He had shown Rudy some of the damage caused by the artists corrupted by black chalk, even kid Cosmo, but never really went into details about it. The only time Biclops ever talked about Cosmo was when they had met him in the real world and asked Biclops about him. It wasn't out of willingness he told them; they had found out and he simply had no choice.

But for him to not mention Jenny, despite her involvement with Cosmo, that did suggest something. It was possible that Biclops and Wilter were both more afraid of Jenny then they were of Cosmo. That possibly meant one thing.

Jenny was worse than Cosmo.

The thought sent chills down her spine. She remembered the Bardot incident very clearly. Bardot had proven himself a lot worse than Cosmo very quickly, and kept proving it as time went on. The hybrid zoner was absolutely insane, doing things just for sick pleasure. The idea of having to go through something like that again, of facing someone like Cosmo, but worse, a second time... She didn't want to think about it.

But it was a possible reality that she and the others were going to have to deal with. Jenny might turn out to be a much worse threat than Cosmo. Their best hope was that she was at least not as nuts as Bardot, and better yet, that she won't regain her memories. The possibility was still out there, however. And they had to be prepared just in case that happened. Knowledge was power, as Barney would say. And that was definitely true in this case. The more they knew, the better prepared they'd be if the unthinkable were to happen.

She wished she could just get her mind off the whole thing and try to focus on having fun in ChalkZone. But that was not likely to happen. Their next trip into ChalkZone was not going to be anything particularly fun. After reading that one entry the other day, the first 'corrupted entry', they decided, after school today, they would go and speak to Biclops himself. They would confront him about Jenny and see if he can give them more information. He wouldn't be able to deny her existence when they show him the diary that Cosmo wrote.

She hoped that Biclops would be cooperative. She hoped that, if he is afraid of Jenny, that he would be able to manage his fear enough to talk to them about her. This information was definitely important. Biclops could tell them about how Jenny was like and anything she might have done that they needed to know. Maybe they could get him to talk about other things that he might have left out when he told them the story of what happened when Cosmo attacked ChalkZone. Was there anything else that he wasn't telling them?

She and Rudy had wanted to go into ChalkZone during the school hours today. Unfortunately, things did not work out that way. Mr. Wilter was out sick and they had a substitute. It was an odd choice for a substitute though. She and Rudy had no idea that one of the lunchladies, Ghadir she believed her name was, had enough knowledge and experience to be a teacher. It did feel rather strange, as her method of teaching was definitely different than Wilter. They don't really see Ghadir that much. She was one of the lunchladies that usually works in the back and very rarely is up front.

Ghadir stayed in the classroom at all times, including study hall, the time of the day before school officially ends that students had a chance to study and just relax. Mr. Wilter would usually leave, and due to his strict teaching methods, other students usually left. So she and Rudy had no problem going into ChalkZone at that time. Even if Wilter stayed, he'd let them go in and stand watch.

But with Ghadir, that whole dynamic had changed. She refused to leave the room, even to go to the bathroom, during study hall. No one else but her and Rudy were in the room, and they were just waiting for her to leave. She remembered how antsy they were feeling as it was getting close to going home. They waited and hoped that Ghadir would move, go somewhere, but that had never happened. True, they wouldn't have had to wait too long as they were going to be home soon anyway. But it did frustrate them that they couldn't pay a quick visit to ChalkZone all because of some bad luck.

She wasn't sure exactly what was wrong with Mr. Wilter, other than he was sick. Well that was what Principal Tyreek had told them when he stopped by the classroom to give them the news. While she, Rudy, and the other students waited for Mr. Wilter to come into the classroom, she realized that he was quite late to class, which didn't make a lot of sense. It wasn't like Wilter to be tardy like that. And when the principal came in, she knew that something had to be wrong.

Principal Tyreek hadn't gone into too much detail of what was wrong with Mr. Wilter. Just that he was sick and he had to stay home. He never game an approximate time of how long he'd be gone. She guessed it was probably just going to be for a few days. She supposed that was manageable. A few days with a substitute was not going to be too bad. They just had to stick to going to ChalkZone at home until Mr. Wilter came back. It wasn't like their access was that heavily restricted anyway.

It did seem a little odd that Mr. Wilter was out. Although she tried to dismiss it as nothing more than a case of the flu, something in the back of her mind was bothering her. It was pretty strange for Mr. Wilter to get the flu. Oh it wasn't like he never did. But he was a pretty healthy teacher, and rarely caught the flu at all. And he had been perfectly fine the other day, with no signs of oncoming illness or anything.

Must have been just bad luck or something. She felt bad for Wilter. Having the flu sucks. She had it a couple times growing up, and it never gets easier to handle. She made a mental note to herself to go visit him after their trip into ChalkZone. Rudy planned on coming with her. There was a chance Snap might also want to come with, so they planned on bringing the portal chalkboard. They would write something on it so that Snap could follow them throughout ChalkZone.

Before she knew it, her mother had arrived at Rudy's place. Her mother had some errands to run, so she wasn't able to stay. She told her that she would be back within two hours to pick her up. Penny made a mental note of that so she would be out of ChalkZone on time.

As they pulled up along the side of the street, she noticed something a little different. There was another car here. And she recognized immediately what it was. It seems Rudy's aunt Tilly had decided to come over for a visit. It must have been a surprise visit as Rudy never mentioned this before. She wondered why Tilly had decided to come over, if it was just a regular visit or if something was going on. But seeing Sophie happily playing outside, she had her doubts that it was anything serious. Sophie was old enough to know when something was wrong, and if Tilly had anything bad to say, Sophie's behavior would reflect that.

Her mom pressed down on the breaks and the yellow car came to a complete stop. Her mom unlocked the doors. She turned to her daughter and said, "See you later, Penny. Have fun! And remember, I'll be back in two hours to pick you up. I expect you to be out here waiting. So try not to lose track of time while you and Rudy are in ChalkZone, okay?"

"Okay, mom. I promise!" Penny said.

Her mom smiled. She leaned forward and planted a kiss on Penny's forehead. "Take care."

"I will." Penny climbed out of the car. She waved to her mom. "See ya." She shut the door and walked towards Rudy's house. She could hear her mom drive away, and soon the sound faded into nothingness.

When she entered Rudy's house, she was immediately greeted by a bunch of talking. The sound was coming from the kitchen. She made her way over and she saw Rudy sitting at the dining table with his parents and his aunt Tilly. She couldn't tell what they were talking about. All the talking was pretty muddled together. She took a few steps further into the kitchen. They hadn't taken notice of her yet, but instead of speaking up and interrupting them, she decided to listen.

It was a little hard, but soon she started to pick up some words.

"What? You can't be serious!" Rudy cried, his eyes widened. "Why can't Sophie go with you guys?"

"Rudy, we explained this to you before. The dinner tickets we won are at one of those restaurants that has a bar in it. And Sophie is too young to be able to go. We can't take her with." His dad said. "She has to say here with you."

"Well why can't one of you stay?" Rudy asked, narrowing his eyes a little.

His mom replied, "It's very hard to get into this restaurant. Plus, there's a game going on there where we could win some grand prize. We don't want to miss that opportunity."

"You will be fine with Sophie." Tilly said. She stood next to Rudy and put a hand on his shoulder. "I know how well you two get along. You can take her into ChalkZone with you. She loves it there."

Rudy's eyes furrowed. Penny thought he was disgusted with the idea at first. But that seemed silly, and she soon realized what the real reason was. Which Rudy voiced very quickly. "Penny, Snap, and I have some important business in ChalkZone. It's too risky to bring her with on this trip. I don't want her getting hurt."

"Oh..." Tilly seemed to understand. It looked like she was reconsidering going, but in the next breath, this was clearly not the case. "Well, just don't go into ChalkZone then."

Rudy's eyes widened at this. "What?!"

"You heard her." His mom said, raising a finger up towards the air. "If whatever you plan on doing in ChalkZone is too dangerous for Sophie to attend, then just don't go there until much later today."

"But..." Rudy started to say.

His father interrupted him. "No buts, young man! You can postpone your trip there until we get back. It won't kill you." His dad paused for a moment, biting his lip. He looked to the side and rubbed the back of his head. He turned back to Rudy and said in a gentler voice, "Look, I know that you are worried about this black chalk business. I understand that you just want to try to find some answers that we and your friends could not provide. But right now, all we are asking is that you watch over Sophie until we get back. You can wait a few hours, can't you?"

Rudy opened his mouth to speak, then stopped. It was like he was trying to think of some way to get his dad to change his mind. But nothing was coming into his head. Penny watched this, looking at Rudy sympathetically. She would be the same way in his shoes. His father did raise some valid points. She wouldn't mind postponing the trip. They just had to let Snap know about it as soon as possible.

Rudy gave a soft sigh. "Sure, dad. I understand..."

"Good..." His dad patted him on the back. "We'll try to be back as soon as we can."

"Yeah. We promise, we won't stay longer than necessary." Tilly said. She turned around as if to stop leaving. She then saw Penny and stopped in her tracks. "Oh! Penny!" She put a hand on her chest and took in a few quick breaths. "You startled me! How long have you been standing there?"

Penny felt a little awkward when all eyes now turned to her. Rudy looked at her in absolute shock. And Tilly and his parents didn't look any less surprised. She felt a little foolish for not speaking up sooner. She felt silly that all she did was stand around and listen in on their conversations. It wasn't intentional or anything. She just didn't want to interrupt their speech. She would feel a little jerkish if she had done that.

She took a step back, looking at them all in the eyes. She gave a nervous smile and waved at them. They waved back, but slower than usual. Had she really surprised them by soming here so suddenly? They knew she was coming over. Perhaps she shold have spoken up when she arrived. Maybe she should have made at least some noise so that they would know she was here. And now she did feel a bit like a jerk as she was standing there listening in on their conversation without them knowing about it. Maybe it would have been better if she waited outside with the playful Sophie.

Penny said, "Sorry. I just didn't want to barge in."

"That's quite all right." Mr. Tabootie said. "Just please, speak up next time. Don't be afraid to do so, okay?" Penny nodded her head at this. Mr. Tabootie gave a small smile. "That's good." He turned to his wife and Tilly. "Well, shall we get going now?"

Mrs. Tabootie nodded her head. "Yeah, we should get going before it gets too crowded there. I want to be able to get one of the best seats."

"Let me just say goodbye to Sophie and we can be on our way." Tilly walked out of the kitchen and headed out the door.

Rudy's parents walked up to him and gave him a hug. He hugged them back. This lasted for a few seconds and then they parted. His parents smiled down at him. Rudy did return the smile, but it was a little smaller than usual. It was clear his mind was filled with worry, and Penny couldn't blame him for that.

"We won't be long." Mr. Tabootie said. "We promise."

"Yeah I know." Rudy said, doing his best to maintain his smile. "I understand. I hope you guys have fun."

"Thanks. We will." Mrs. Tabootie said. "We hope you do, too." She kissed Rudy on the forehead. "See you later."

Rudy raised his hand and waved goodbye to his parents. "Bye!"

With that, his parents walked out of the door. The sound of the door shutting could be heard. Then, not long after, Penny and Rudy both heard the sound of the car being turned on. The rev of the engine sounded out, and soon the car pulled out of the drive way and sped off into the distance.

For a few minutes, there was nothing but silence in the room. Rudy and Penny did not speak a word to each other. Penny hadn't been expecting this kind of development today. It was kind of annoying. First, they couldn't go into ChalkZone during school because of the whole thing with Mr. Wilter being sick. And now Sophie was there, and they couldn't risk taking her to the Solar Pillars, as they do not want to inadvertantly put her in any danger. True, they could just use the magic chalk to protect her, or even give her a piece. But after seeing Rudy's reaction and reading the journal, she and Rudy both silently agreed it was not worth the risk.

She didn't really want to postpone the trip herself. This ChalkZone visit was really important. It was imperative that they get as much information as they could. Yet, at the same time, she understand that they could indeed wait. Nothing bad was going on, and there was no signs of any imminent danger. Sure, Jenny was probably a threat, but right now, she didn't have her memories. And, much to her knowledge, nobody else at their school came into contact with black chalk. Just Jenny. So there was probably nothing really to worry about.

She still wished they could go into ChalkZone now. That had been the plan when she came here, but that ended up being changed. If she had known that Rudy's parents and aunt were going to some fancy bar restaurant sooner, she and Rudy could have altered their plans to accomodate. This all seemed pretty sudden and she wondered why his folks didn't say anything to him until now. That didn't seem like them, unless it was sudden for them, too. Maybe they won something on the radio or whatever.

After a while of silence, she decided to break it. "Well I suppose we'll have to tell Snap to wait a little longer."

Rudy nodded his head. "Yeah..." His voice was laced with disappointment. "Come on, let's go upstairs and give him the news before he has to wait for us too long."

Rudy and Penny walked up the steps. They headed into Rudy's bedroom and towards the large chalkboard. Rudy took out a piece of magic chalk and drew a portal. Once it opened, they were immediately greeted by Snap. The blue zoner poked his head and hands through the portal and gave his usual grin at them.

"Hiya, guys!"

"Hello, Snap." Rudy said in a somewhat defeated tone of voice.

Snap caught on to this quickly. His smile vanished and he furrowed his face with concern. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"We can't come into ChalkZone right now." Penny said.

"What? Why?" Snap asked. He sounded a little surprised, but he didn't seem upset. "Are you doing somewhere?"

Rudy shook his head. "No. My parents and aunt went out somewhere and they can't bring Sophie with. So they want me to babysit her until they get back. I don't want to risk taking her into ChalkZone today. I don't know if Solar Pillars is safe enough for her."

Penny spoke, "His folks said that, if we're worried about Sophie's safety, we should just postpone going into ChalkZone. Sorry, Snap, but we'll have to wait a couple of hours before we head in."

"Say no more!" Snap waved a dismissing hand at them. "I understand. Somethings you just can't control. I can wait."

"Thanks, Snap." Penny smiled at him.

"I still wish we could go in now. I want to find out more about this black chalk business, and more about that Solar Pillar place. There's something with that light, and I want to find out what it is. The longer I wait, the more nervous I get. There's something really wrong with that place. The more I sit here, the more I'm wondering. I find it hard to keep that place out of my head, you know? Something keeps telling me that, whatever Cosmo used that place for, it not only was an awful purpose, but it could be used again."

Penny and Snap looked at Rudy sympathetically. She understood why he was feeling this way. Although they could wait and it wasn't going to cause a problem, she could see how Rudy would feel uncomfortable with waiting. They had no idea what the Solar Pillars were, and they still needed to speak to Biclops regarding Jenny. They needed to find out more information so they could determine if there was any looming threat in the future.

If the incident with Bardot taught them one thing, it was that they couldn't take chances. They had thought they were through with Mr. Cosmo. They believed the threat was over. But they not only turned out to be so very wrong, but they nearly lost their lives to this one element about Cosmo that they had no clue about. Nothing was not worth knowing, especially in this case.

Snap cleared his throat, drawing the teenager's attention. "Well...if you really want to go, Bucko, I don't mind watching Sophie for you."

Rudy's eyes widened a little. "Are you sure, Snap? I don't want to force you if you don't want to."

Snap smiled at him. "It's no trouble at all, Rudy! I'll keep an eye on Sophie while you two go into ChalkZone. She and I will just play games or something in this room while we wait. She won't be leaving my sights."

Penny smiled at this. It was really sweet of Snap to offer babysitting Sophie for them. With him keeping an eye on her, that did free time for her and Rudy to go into ChalkZone. Snap was good with watching Sophie. It wasn't like this would be the first time. He could be trusted with her, and she knew he would keep her out of trouble. It wasn't that Sophie didn't know any better, but she was a bit more adventurous than Rudy was at that age, and she might wander too far. Having Snap around would keep her in the house. She did get along well with him.

She could hear the door opening up and she knew it was Sophie. She was probably going to head upstairs soon as she knew that was where she and Rudy usually hung out when she came over here. And sure enough, she could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. It didn't take long for the eleven year old to come through the door, smiling at them enthusiastically.

"When are we going into ChalkZone?" Sophie asked, a big grin on her face.

"Sorry, Sophie, but you can't go in this time." Rudy said to his little cousin. "You have to stay here."

"What?" Sophie looked disappointed. "Why?"

"Rudy and I have some important business in ChalkZone and it might be a little too dangerous for you." Penny explained.

"You could just give me some magic chalk and..." Sophie started to say.

Penny cut her off. "Sorry, but you remember what your mom said. We can't leave you alone in ChalkZone. That was part of the deal, remember? You have to stay with us when you're in ChalkZone. And today, we have to go somewhere that's too dangerous for you."

"We don't want you getting hurt, Sophie." Rudy said, putting a hand on the little girl's shoulder. "We won't be long, though. We promise. In the meantime," He gestured to the blue zoner. "Snap has agreed to stay with you until we get back. That'll be fun, right? You and Snap always seem to have a lot of fun together."

"Yeah..." Sophie said. She didn't sound to excited. She must have been really looking forward to going into ChalkZone right now. Rudy and Penny felt bad, but they weren't going to back out on their word. Sophie gave the best smile that she could. "I understand."

Snap climbed out of the portal. He walked over to Sophie and stood next to her. He turned and faced Rudy and Penny. "I hope you two find something."

"Yeah, we do too." Rudy said.

He and Penny headed towards the portal. Rudy took the small bag of magic chalk he had. He put it in his pocket as Penny climbed through the portal first. Then Rudy went in second. He turned to Snap and Sophie and he and Penny waved to them.

"See ya!" Snap called out.

"Come back soon!" Sophie said.

"Don't worry. We will." Penny said.

With that, Rudy and Penny headed further into ChalkZone, leaving Snap and Sophie alone.

sss

Sophie was disappointed that she couldn't go into ChalkZone. Everytime she comes over to Rudy's place, that was one of the first things she wanted to do. She wanted to go aroun ChalkZone and have fun. She always looked forward to it. She didn't really understand why her mother insisted she always have a chaperone around, though. Rudy and Penny were younger than her when they started going to ChalkZone and they could go on their own. Then again, their parents didn't know about ChalkZone at the time.

Still, she couldn't help but find it unfair. She wished that her mom would see reason. There was nothing so terrible about ChalkZone that she couldn't go alone. Most of the zoners were placid and docile. They wouldn't try to harm her. If anything, they'd probably just strike a friendly conversation with her. She was actually safer wandering the streets of ChalkZone than the streets of the real world. She could have gone into ChalkZone and just stick to familiar territory and wait for Rudy and Penny to come get her. She didn't see anything wrong with that.

But she didn't know how to explain herself. The disappointment came so suddenly. It was very rare that she wasn't allowed into ChalkZone when she came over. Most of the time, it was a guarantee. So this did genuinely surprise her. She had little time to come up with a counterpoint. All she could do was nod and say she understood the need of keeping her out of ChalkZone for now. She might have said it, but it didn't indicate she actually meant it. She didn't get why it was too dangerous for her. If it was, she could just use magic chalk, right?

Yeah, true her mom doesn't want her to be alone in ChalkZone. But that was what the magic chalk was for. She could use it to defend herself. She was much better at handling herself in ChalkZone than she was when she was two years old. Her drawing skills had vastly improved since then. She had much of Rudy's talent when he was her age. She could handle her own.

Now she was stuck in the house with Snap. Not that she didn't like Snap. She loved him. She enjoyed hanging out with him and playing games. She just wished they could do it in ChalkZone. Games there were always so much more fun and inventive. She didn't want to just lay around the house all day, waiting for her mother to come pick her up. She wanted to head into ChalkZone. Maybe if she spoke to Snap, she could convince him to let her go in. They could just hang around near the portal or something and not go far. And when they hear Rudy and Penny coming back, they could simply climb out of the portal and act like nothing happened.

She walked over to Snap. The zoner was laying on his back on the couch. They had recently finished playing a few games of checkers. It was pretty fun and they made a few jokes while playing it. But they soon had enough of playing and decided to turn on the television. Right now, some old cartoon was playing and Snap was fascinated by it. His eyes were glued to the screen.

Sophie used to like this cartoon when she was younger. She grew out of it, though, and there were other cartoons that got her interest. She understood why Snap would be interested in the cartoon, though. He was pretty much a drawing himself and 2D cartoons like the one playing now were also just a series of drawings that looked like they were alive and moving. While Snap was no stranger to it, that didn't stop him from enjoying cartoons when he came over to visit.

Snap took notice of her and broke his gaze from the television. "Sophie? What is it?"

"Snap, do you think we can go into ChalkZone anyway?" Sophie asked, her arms folded behind her back. "I mean, a quick visit couldn't hurt, right?"

Snap shook his head. "No can do, Sophie. I promised Rudy that I'd keep an eye on you. We can wait here."

"But..." Sophie searched for something that might change his mind. "What if you get thirsty? You can't drink anything there."

Snap waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine for a few hours." He gestured for Sophie to sit down. "Now come on, let's enjoy this cartoon together. You used to watch it, didn't you?"

Sophie nodded her head. "Yeah, I did." She said in a defeated tone of voice.

"Don't be like that." Snap said. "You can go into ChalkZone next time. It's not the end of the world."

She knew that he was right. She knew that she could just wait until next time to go. She had been to ChalkZone just a couple days ago, so it wasn't like she hadn't been there in forever. But she still couldn't conceal her disappointment. She still really wanted to go, and it still felt unfair to her that she had to be forced to say in the house. Why couldn't Snap see reason? A quick visit couldn't possibly hurt that much, could it?

But she ran out of things she could try to say to Snap. It was clear that the zoner was not going to go back on his word. He was very loyal to Rudy and Penny, and if he said he was going to do something, he would. Rudy and Penny entrusted him to keep her in the house, and that was exactly what he was going to do. There was nothing she could say to convince him otherwise. She could come up with the best reason, and Snap still wouldn't budge. It was best to just stop trying to convince him and try to enjoy the cartoon.

As she sat down, she felt something weird against her hip. She shifted herself, she still felt that strange sensation. She narrowed her eyes and looked down. Just what could be causing that feeling? She raised herself up and moved her hand under her leg. She grabbed something small and hard. She pulled it out. Her eyes widened widened when she realized what it was.

A piece of magic chalk... She stared at it in shock. How did it get here? Thinking back, she did recall Rudy bumping into the portal edge. That must have knocked a piece out and it, somehow, got down here. Maybe she and Snap kicked it by mistake. Either way, she had a piece of magic chalk now. A full stick, too, ready to be put to good use.

"Sophie..."

Sophie looked over at Snap. His eyes were wide and he was pressing his hands against the couch tenatively. He moved a little closer to her. His eyes were glued on the magic chalk she now held in her hand.

"Please give that chalk to me. You can't go into ChalkZone today. Please, just hand it over." Snap said gently, reaching his hand out towards her.

Sophie stared at him. Her better judgment told her that she should do as he says and hand it over. But her other side was telling her not to. She wanted to prove to the others that she could handle herself just fine in ChalkZone. This was her chance to prove it. She could prove them all wrong. She'd escape into ChalkZone and stay there, alone, until Rudy and Penny come back. She would prove to them that she could handle being alone in ChalkZone now. There was no reason why they had to keep chaperoning her like they have been.

Snap moved closer to her, his body tensed up like he was about to pounce. She narrowed her eyes at him. She was not going to let him take the chalk away from her. She was not going to let him ruin what was possibly her only chance to prove her worth to the others. Who knows when she would get another opportunity like this?

Without saying a word, she jumped from the couch and raced towards the door.

"Sophie! Wait!" Snap cried as he stumbled from the couch to chase after her. "Come back!"

But Sophie ignored him. She rushed out of the house door and onto the sidewalk. She stopped and was about to draw a portal, but there were two problems. The first one was that it was too out in the open. And the other was that Snap was going to catch up to her too fast. She knew of a more shaded area where she could draw the portal. So she bolted down that way before Snap could get out of the house. She could hear the door open behind her and she could hear him shouting at her to come back, but she ignored him.

She continued to run down the street until she found that spot she was looking for. Further down the road here, there was a large tree that provided a lot of shade. It obscured a lot of the neighbor's vision of the spot, reducing the amount of people that would see what was going on. She looked behind her and she saw Snap coming towards her. She narrowed her eyes in determination and she lowered herself to the ground. There wasn't much time to pull this off. She pressed the magic chalk onto the ground, preparing to draw with it.

Suddenly, she heard some heavy footsteps coming in her direction. And it was coming from the opposite direction as Snap. She turned her head and looked up. It was a man of some kind. She didn't recognize who it was. She had never seen him before. She wondered what he could want. She felt a tinge of apprehension as he took position just a couple feet in front of her.

"That's some pretty chalk there." The man said. His voice sounded friendly. She lowered himself and reached his hand out. "May I take a look at it?"

Regardless of his intentions, there was no way that Sophie was just going to hand it over. She had been warned of the dangers of exposing ChalkZone. Rudy and Penny couldn't stress enough how vitally important it was that she give no one the magic chalk. She didn't care if this man just wanted draw a pretty pony or something. She was not letting him have the magic chalk.

She narrowed her eyes and she pulled her hand away. "No. Sorry, but you can't use this chalk."

The man tilted his head in confusion. "Oh? And why not?"

"Because it's..." Sophie tried to think of some kind of excuse to give this man. She wondered how Rudy and Penny had been able to do this all this time. Coming up with excuses was hard. When she thought she figured out something, she said, "It was a gift.. I'm kind of sentimental about it..." Not the best reason, but hopefully it'll be enough.

"I see..." The man said. "Well then, I..."

"Sophie!" Snap called out. He stopped next to her. He put his hands on his knees and panted. "You shouldn't have run out like that! I..." He paused when he noticed the strange man. "Oh, hello. Who might you be?"

"I am Tyreek." The man said.

Snap's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, you're the principal from the school Rudy and Penny go to!"

Tyreek's eyes flashed at this. He tilted his head in slight curiosity. "Oh?" He asked. "Do you know them?"

Snap nodded his head. "Yeah. They're my best friends."

"That's very interesting." Tyreek then turned his gaze towards the little girl. "Are you his friend, too?"

Sophie nodded her head. "Yeah. Well he's my cousin, too."

Tyreek narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. "What are you two doing way out here? Shouldn't you be back home with them?" He made a gesture with his head. "It's not a good idea for you two little ones to be out here unattended."

Sophie narrowed her eyes. Another doubter? She wanted to retort back to him, but she thought better of it. She didn't know this principal that well and, for all she knew, he might use her retort as a way to punish Rudy. She had known principals in the past that were jerks like that. So instead, she focused on coming up with a reason for why she and Snap were over here.

"They're planning a surprise for me." Sophie said. She gestured to Snap. "He's here to accompany me while I wait. We have to go back in a few minutes."

"Oh, well in that case, I should be going soon too." Tyreek said, giving them a smile. He turned and started to walk away. Then he stopped in his tracks. He raised a finger as if he just remembered something. He looked back at the two and walked closer. "Are you sure I can't see that chalk?"

Snap looked shocked at this. "Why would you want to use that nasty old chalk anyway?"

Tyreek chuckled at this. "I like the way it sparkles. I never seen chalk do that before." He took another step towards them. "I just want to try it out. It won't be long. And I'll give it right back. I promise. I just want to see what the lines look like. They must be beautiful."

"I don't think that's such a good idea..." Snap said. He and Sophie took a few steps back from the man. "We have to get going now anyway. Rudy and Penny are expecting us." He grabbed Sophie's hand and tugged on her. "Come on, let's get going. They are probably done with the surprise by now."

"Yeah..." Sophie said. She turned to Tyreek and waved to him. "Sorry. Maybe I'll show you next time!"

Suddenly, Tyreek rushed in front of them. The motion was so unexpected that Sophie and Snap nearly tripped over themselves coming to a stop. Sophie stared at the man in shock, and Snap was no less surprised. Just what was this guy's deal? Why wouldn't he leave them alone? She began to get an uncomfortable vibe with this guy. The way he keeps trying to go for the magic chalk... A part of her began to wonder...did this guy know about it...?

She felt unsafe around this guy now. Snap also seemed to catch on that this guy was probably up to something. He put his arms out in front of her protectively. He didn't do anything to indicate he wanted to fight, but he made it very clear that the man was not to come a step closer.

"What is your problem?" Snap asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Problem? I don't have a problem." Tyreek said, holding out his hand in a gesture. "What is your problem?"

"I don't like the way you're trying to keep us here. We have to get back to Rudy's place. He's expecting us any time now." Snap said. "I know you just want to see the chalk, but you can't right now. You might get another chance later. But right now, no." He moved a little back, gently pressing his arm against Sophie to make her move back as well. "So please just let us go now."

Tyreek gave a smile. Snap and Sophie shuddered at it. It was a disturbing smile. It wasn't really scary or anything. It was just unsettling. He took a step towards them, his arms folded behind his back. He lowered his head a little and said, "Oh I understand. But I'm afraid there's going to be a little change in your schedule..."

Suddenly, Tyreek reached out and grabbed Snap by his scarf and raised him above the ground. The movement was so sudden that Snap gagged. He attempted to free himself.

"What's the big idea?!" Snap cried.

Sophie looked in in horror as Tyreek pulled out a large rock. The zoner's eyes widened in terror as the man pulled the rock back and then slammed it as hard as he could against the side of his skull. Sophie's body trembled as Snap fell limp in the man's arms. He then looked down at her, the creepy smile broadening. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife.

"If you don't wish your friend to be harmed..." Tyreek said calmly as he pressed the knife against Snap's vulnerable throat. "...come with me."

"I...I..." Sophie said, her voice shaking from fright. She stared at Snap's unconscious body, her eyes tracing along the knife that was going to slice his throat open if she didn't obey. "Please..."

Tyreek narrowed his eyes and he pressed the knife further against Snap's neck. "If you want him to be safe, just come with me."

Sophie's heart pounded against her chest. She should have just stayed back at the house. She shouldn't have run off out here. Why did she have to try to prove herself? Why did she rush out and do something so foolish? And now, because of her, she and Snap were both in danger. And there was nothing she can do about it. She didn't want Snap to get hurt. It wouldn't be fair. He didn't deserve that. She wanted him to be safe. She wanted the man to leave him alone.

There was only one thing she could do. There was only one way she thought of that would ensure that he would be fine...or so she hoped. She had no idea what this man was up to. She would have just run off away from him to get help, but he was holding Snap hostage. She couldn't leave him. She didn't want him getting hurt. The only way to help him...was if she complied with what this man said.

Reluctantly, she took a couple steps towards him, her head lowered in defeat. "Please..just..just don't hurt him..." She looked up at him. Tears formed in her eyes. "I'll come quietly with you..if you don't hurt him..."

Tyreek gave Snap's unconscious body a quick, hard shake. "Don't worry. He isn't the one we are interested in."

"We?" Sophie's eyes widened at that.

"You'll understand more when I take you there. Now..." Tyreek turned around and made a motion with his head. "Come along. They're waiting for us." He paused, then he turned to give Sophie a sideways glance. "And don't be trying to call for help. If anyone asks, say I found your friend injured and we are on the way to get him help. If you try to scream or run, I will slash his throat open. Do you understand me?"

A few tears strolled down Sophie's cheeks as she nodded her head. "Y-Yes sir..."

Tyreek smiled maniacally at this. "Good girl.." He turned and began to walk down the street. "Now come along. They're waiting for us. Well me, but they won't mind a couple of visitors."

Sophie gulped. "O-Okay..."

With that, Sophie reluctantly followed Tyreek. She didn't know how she was going to get out of this mess. She wished she had just stayed home. Yet she decided to be defiant and come out here. And now, both she and Snap were in danger, and Rudy and Penny weren't going to know where they were. Neither would her mom, her aunt or uncle, or Penny's mom. None of them will know, and all because she had to try to prove her independence.

Sometimes, she was a little too impulsive for her own good. Now, it might cost her more than she could know. As she followed Tyreek, doing exactly what he instructed her to do out of fear of Snap getting injured, she silently hoped that Rudy and Penny would find out what happened. She hoped and prayed that they'd be able to find them in time. But there was a fear swelling up inside of her, and she couldn't ignore it.

What if they don't find out in time?


	8. Frightful Disappearance

"Biclops..." Rudy said. His voice was soft and filled with disappointment. "Why did you hide this information from us?"

"If you had told us before..." Penny's voice trailed off. She wasn't sure what else to say after that. She just stared at Biclops, just as disappointed in him as Rudy was.

The giant was at a loss for words. He looked completely lost and unsure of what to do or say next. He stared down at the two teenagers, his eyes bulging open as he stared at the diary. "I...I just didn't..." That was all he could say before his voice became unintelligable mumbling.

"Of all the things you hid from us," Rudy's voice gained a tinge of anger. "This is the worst. I can see why you wouldn't speak of Cosmo to us. You didn't know he'd regain his memories. But this..?" Rudy shook his head. "There's no excuse... You should have told us."

"Yes, I know." Biclops said. "I...I'm sorry."

Words couldn't describe just how disappointed Penny, as well as Rudy, felt with Biclops. The giant really had been keeping Jenny a secret from them. Or rather, her status of being a black chalk user that is. She had hoped that maybe he just didn't know about her, somehow, but that, sadly, did not turn out to be the case. And it was so disheartening. She had thought that Biclops would have trusted them with the information. She thought that he would have told them anything that was important, anything that they should be aware of in case of future problems.

Rudy did recall that, when Biclops first told them of what Cosmo had done, he didn't give them all the details. He gave them a basic overall description, but left out details such as him creating the red chalk and how he was Cosmo's creation. These details were important, even if they did not really affect their current situation at the time. But still, Biclops did not admit to any of those; Mr. Wilter had to tell Rudy about that. So this wasn't the first time Biclops withheld information like that. Perhaps she and Rudy shouldn't be so surprised that Biclops did the same thing here.

Penny and Rudy couldn't talk to Biclops right away. They had to wait for him to clean up a little. There was a lot of snow in this part of ChalkZone right now, given it was the colder season, and Biclops's entrance was almost snowed in. They did offer to help and, with their assistance, Biclops was able to clear up the entrance. It was still snowing, though, and it was very likely that the entrance would be blocked up with snow again. Biclops didn't seem to mind too much as he was used to this sort of thing in the cold seasons.

After that was taken care of, that was when they brought up the topic of Mr. Cosmo. Naturally, Biclops was unnerved by the mention and wondered why they went back to that subject. They informed Biclops that they found out about Jenny being a black chalk user. At first, the giant tried to act like she wasn't involved with Cosmo. He immediately dropped that lame attempt at lying when they showed him the diary. When he laid his eyes on it, he knew there was no way he could convince them otherwise. There was nothing he could say or do that would get him out of this, so Biclops had no choice but to confess the truth. He and Wilter had been withholding that information from them.

That was so disappointing and upsetting to hear. Both Rudy and Penny weren't very happy to learn this. If Jenny was a possible threat to ChalkZone, and if she could regain her memories just like Cosmo could, then Biclops and Wilter should have said something to them. They should have informed them of any and all black chalk users that they knew of. If they didn't know about Jenny, that was one thing. But, from what they just heard, they not only knew Jenny, but they had plenty of encounters with her. They knew how dangerous she was, and yet they did not speak a word about her.

The only thing keeping the two teenagers from getting completely furious with Biclops was the fact that Jenny's memories had yet to be woken up. And nothing really bad happened yet anyway. So it wasn't like keeping the information a secret had caused much of a problem. No one was getting hurt by Jenny. She wasn't causing any problems right now. She was just a school nurse who, at worst, is just a little crazy at times.

The one question that was on both her mind and Rudy's was 'why?'. Why had Biclops and Wilter not tell them about Jenny? What possessed them to believe that keeping information was such a good idea? Were they afraid, like Snap believed? Was there some other reason they did not consider? Did they feel that it just wasn't important enough to tell them? Did it just merely slip their minds? There was some reason they didn't say a word, and Penny was hoping it was going to be a better excuse than just 'they were afraid of her'.

She understood fear well. She had been terrified in the recent past regarding Mr. Cosmo and all the trouble he had caused, such as the whole Bardot incident he unwittingly caused. But still, fear was not much of an excuse. She wasn't sure of selfish was the right word, but it was the best one to describe how she felt Biclops and Wilter were being. It was not only selfish, but foolish of them not to speak a word about Jenny. They were lucky that she hadn't caused any problems yet, otherwise the withholding of information would have landed them all in hot water. It would have caused problems that could have been avoided had they just spoken up earlier.

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Penny asked. "Don't you trust us?"

The giant nodded his head. "Of course I do. It's just that..." His voice trailed off, and he bit his lip. He furrowed his eyes and he turned his head away. "Yeah, I know it was foolish."

"You should have told us earlier, Biclops. If there was anything else we needed to know, you should have told us." Rudy said to the giant. From the tone of his voice, he was doing his best not to sound too angry with Biclops. "Can you at least tell us why? We keep asking you and you keep dodging the question."

"I..." Biclops started to say.

"Just please..." Rudy took a step forward. "Just tell us why."

For a few moments, Biclops was quiet. He stared at the two teenagers. His eyes would sometimes shift to the diary Rudy still held in his hands. Then they'd shift to the floor and he'd turn his gaze behind himself. He was trying to think of a response. It was clear from his facial expressions. And whatever he wanted to say, Penny could tell that it wasn't going to be a response they'd like. There was something kind of like shame in his eyes, like he knew he had done something wrong and was afraid to admit to it.

This was further evidence to Penny that the only reason Biclops didn't tell them about Jenny was because he was terrified of her. And that wasn't a very good reason, especially considering that was still that chance she'd become a major threat later on. He should have spoken up earlier, yet he chose to remain quiet. And if they hadn't found out about Jenny when they had, this would have lead to some pretty dire consequences.

She hoped Snap wasn't right about this. She hoped that his theory of them simply being afraid wasn't the reason they withheld information. She wouldn't stay mad at them forever if that turned out to be the case, but she would still be very disappointed in them. The two of them knew how dangeorus Jenny was and they should have told them about her in the past. It would have been best if they had mentioned her right away.

Biclops looked very nervous to continue talking. He made gestures with his hand, pressing his pointer fingers against each other. He looked left and right, as if he was trying to find a way to get out of here. This angered Penny a little. Why was he trying to find an escape route? Was he really that afraid of Jenny that he couldn't just spit out the words? Was it that difficult for him to do the right thing and answer their question? Did it bother him that much that he'd rather keep hiding the truth instead of speaking up about Nurse Jenny?

Finally, after what felt like an hour, Biclops spoke.

"Okay...I'll tell you." Biclops said. His voice was soft and shaky, filled with apprehension. It was clear to Rudy and Penny, even before Biclops continued on, that what he had to say, they weren't going to like too much. "But before you jump on me and accuse me of anything, please...let me finish speaking first, okay?"

Penny nodded her head. "Okay. We will."

"Go ahead and tell us." Rudy replied. "We'll stay quiet until you are done."

"Thank you. I'll try to make this as quick as I can. Anyway, here is why we didn't speak of Jenny, and trust me when I say, it's not for the reason you think. In fact, I doubt you'd ever think of this as a reason. Now, what happened was that...well I didn't tell you this, but it didn't take a single battle for Wilter to beat Cosmo. It actually took a few tries. On the final try, when he did manage to win, he and the other corrupted artists weren't happy. Least of all, Jenny, who had been helping Cosmo along the way, though mostly little details. Well after Wilter won, we found out something quite nasty that Jenny did, and we didn't know about it until it was too late."

The giant paused for a moment. He hesitated to speak. He opened his mouth, then shut it. Rudy and Penny stared at him, waiting for him to continue. Knowing he wasn't going to be able to stop there, Biclops forced himself to continue, albeit unwillingly.

"There was this odd structure that had been built over the same place where Cosmo discovered the black chalk. We had assumed that Cosmo had been the one to build it. We later found out, from Jenny herself, she was the one who constructed it. Cosmo did help, but it was mostly her idea. We were horrified because that machine, it had been the start of it all. The start of the war that caused creators and zoners alike to be injured, even killed, in a battle that waved on...for longer than it should have. This structure was their base and it was heavily guarded and well protected. It used lights to destroy a huge chunk of land all around it, killing off any zoner who couldn't get away. The death toll was unimaginable and the screams echoed for miles."

Rudy and Penny looked at each other. A structure that did all that damage? That was..unthinkable. They couldn't believe that Jenny would design such a thing. All those zoners...perished by her hands. And they had done nothing to her. They didn't do anything to deserve that. They knew she was insane, but they had no idea that she'd go that far.

Biclops was clearly uncomfortable with talking about this. He did want to stop. But he didn't, and the teenagers were glad for that. As horrible as this story was, they needed to know more. They had to get whatever information that they could. Even though they would rather have known about this place much sooner, there was a saying. Better late than never. At least he was telling them now.

Biclops bit his lip, looking around nervously as if he thought someone was listening in. He continued, "The attack from the structure was so powerful that it had essentially destroyed the ground all around it, creating a void. Well almost. A very thin layer remained that could be used to traverse along, but most zoners and creators avoided it for obvious reasons. The structure served to protect what remained of the black chalk so that white chalk users couldn't destroy it. The only way to open the seal is to read the writing on the wall, which can only be read by black chalk users."

Penny's eyes widened at this. She gave a soft gasp. She turned her head to Rudy. From his horrified expression, it seemed that he made the same connection. At first, she thought that this structure was somewhere they never been to before. But the things Biclops was saying.. They were all clicking in their heads.

The lights that surrounded the structure...

The void that surrounded it, but could still be walked on...

The writing that not just anyone could read...

There was only one place that could be. Penny felt her heart start to clench at the realization. She couldn't believe it. No, it wasn't possible, could it? She looked up at Biclops, her eyes filling with dread. The giant took notice of this and looked down at her worriedly. She tried to think of what to say, how to ask, but she couldn't think of how to word it.

"I..." Rudy started to say. Penny looked over at him, and so did Biclops. "What...what was this place...?" Rudy asked, his voice filled with apprehension.

Biclops paused, clearly hesitant to say the name, as if just merely talking about it was going to physically hurt him. "Solar Pillars."

It was like a lightning bolt clashed in the back of Penny's mind. Images flashed in her head, going so fast it was hard for her to comprehend them. Suddenly, everything fell into place. The reason the place was forbidden... Why the writing was the way it was... Why there was a void... Penny felt a lump in her throat. She swallowed hard as the horrific realization dawned on her, sending waves of freezing chills up her spine.

The place they had been to... It had been a ground zero. They had been walking around the ruins of an old part of ChalkZone that had once existed decades ago. It was the remains of a once thriving village that had been guarding the black chalk, keeping creators away from it so that it couldn't be used against ChalkZone. It had been the one line of defense ChalkZone had at avoiding a corruption massacre. And Jenny and that structure of hers and Cosmo's... That had stripped away that one protection they had. Not only that, but they had mass murdered that entire populace...

The thought of that chilled Penny to the core. Solar Pillars had been disturbing before, but now it was outright terrifying. It was not just a simple structure. It was a large weapon of mass destruction. She found it hard to believe that she, Rudy, and Snap had really been walking over the graves, so to speak, of countless zoners that had lost their lives. The fact that it had been responsible for the deaths of so many zoners...it was unsettling and left her feeling a little nauseaous.

Rudy looked just as sickened. His face had rapidly lost its color when Biclops said that the name of the place was Solar Pillars. He was horrified just like she had been. Rudy's body was trembling as he came to the same realization that she had. So many zoners lost their lives there... at least the lucky ones. If any fell into the void, they would have died a very slow and painful death, as they would have kept falling forever. The thought filled Penny's blood with ice. Solar Pillars, that horrible place... It was sickening knowing that someone had actually thought of that place and built it, for no other purpose than to cause destruction and mayhem.

"That's...that's awful..." Penny breathed, her voice shaking.

"We were there..." Rudy said quietly. His eyes moved around, slowly widening as the seconds passed. "We were there, and we didn't know that...that we...were..."

Biclops's eyes widened at this. "You went to Solar Pillars?!" He cried in shock. Rudy and Penny flinched. They slowly nodded their heads. "But..no one is allowed to go there! Any zoner that knows about it is supposed to keep quiet about it! How...how did you two find out?"

Rudy said, "Some zoners mentioned it, and we overhead it." He looked up at Biclops, a regretful expression on his face. "We..we had no idea that it was so dangerous... We..."

Biclops raised his hand to silence him. "There's something else you need to know about that place. And I'm..putting you all at risk by telling you, too."

Rudy and Penny looked at each other with confused expressions. What was Biclops talking about? How could he cause more trouble if he told them? What could possibly happen? They waited for the giant to continue. For certain, he would explain why he felt he was going to put them in danger by revealing the truth. Was there something more sinister about that place than they realized? Could it be worse than that they were already lead to believe?

The giant cleared his throat. "You see... For whatever reason, Jenny didn't want anyone to associate her with Cosmo, especially that structure. We were lead to believe that it was because she wanted to keep a low profile, so that she could take us all by surprise. Or maybe it was to torment us further by not allowing us to activately speak of her. But you see, when she designed that place, she had in an extra feature that can't be turned off." He pause for a moment, taking in a deep breath. "She made the place the 'heart of ChalkZone', in a sense. The way she structured it, she made it with the intention of making it connect with the rest of ChalkZone."

"Connect with ChalkZone?" Rudy asked in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Penny asked.

"It has the potential to destroy all of ChalkZone." Biclops said. This prompted a gasp from the teenagers. Biclops nodded his head, looking at them sympathetically. "That was our reaction when we found out. It was then we knew just how far the black chalk's knowledge went, and just how smart and dangerous it made corrupted artists. And it only got worse from there. In addition to that, she also did something with the structure that prevented us from talking about her involvement in anyway. Just me and Wilter as we were the ones who stopped her and Cosmo. It was...a form of punishment. We aren't entirely sure how she was able to do it, but if we even dare utter a single thing she did, or hint that she was involved, the structure would reactivate and prepare itself for the slow destruction of ChalkZone."

"Wh-What...?" Rudy shuddered in horror, taking a step back. His breathing quickened and he stared at Biclops, his eyes silently pleading to him to be wrong. "You're...you're joking, right?"

Biclops shook his head. "I wouldn't lie about this, Rudy. By me telling you about Jenny, the structure has reactivated itself, at least that one portion of it. I know it sounds bizarre, but it's the truth, and we were so worried about it that Wilter promised never to speak of it in the real world." Biclops shifted his gaze upward. "I imagine right now, the Solar Pillars is trying to reopen the portal."

"Portal?" Penny asked in a shaky voice.

Biclops nodded his head. "Yeah..." He shifted his gaze to the side, looking rather depressed. "Cosmo and Jenny created a permanent portal, one that can never be erased. It can only be sealed up and deactivated. Once the portal is reopened, the Solar Pillars will then commence the rapid transmit of real world water all along ChalkZone." Rudy and Penny took a step back at this, horrified. "The structure's tunnels stretch very far and are thick so they can handle the real world water for a time. The real world water would be used to slowly destroy ChalkZone. Wilter and I thought about destroying the place, but there was a fail safe; it would automatically activate if we attempted that."

"And since you told us..." Rudy said.

"Yes. It has been activated again, if Jenny's words were true." Biclops shook his head. "The only good news is that Wilter was able to clog up some of the innerworkings of that structure so that the process would take a long time. That would buy you sometime to fix the problem...but to do so, it's going to be a big risk, as it involves standing in the light."

"I did that, and it..didn't feel right." Rudy shuddered, clearly remembering what happened.

"And for good reason." Biclops said. "You see, the light reacts to the black chalk, and if there's any left in you, and it seems like there is, it will activate them and make them stronger. The longer you stand in the light, the closer to corruption you will get."

This horrified Rudy and Penny. The realization that Rudy had actually been getting re-corrupted sent chills down their spines. They both remembered, all too vividly, what Rudy was like when the black chalk had taken control of him. The idea that he was about to become like that again was frightening. All of a sudden, as they pictured the light in their heads, it looked far more terrifying than ever before. It now had a foreboding look to it. The whole place of Solar Pillars had turned into a nightmare, one far bigger than they ever imagined it would be.

Penny felt bad that they made Biclops tell them the truth. If talking about Jenny had activated this..this contraption, she wished they hadn't pressed him to say anything. She was happy that, at least, the process had been greatly slowed down so she and Rudy had time to fix it. But fixing it was going to be problematic as well, as it involved Rudy having to stand in that corrupting light. If he was able to read the writing in the light, he would have to brave it and read as fast as he could, then get out. Hopefully, he wouldn't stand there too long and he wouldn't become corrupted all over again. And this time, if the light did reactivate his corrupted side, there would be no going back... This time, there was no black chalk to knock out of his hands...

As she thought about what Biclops told them, if he was being truthful, if Jenny had been honest, and this structure did activate if her name was mentioned in context with the black chalk and Cosmo, that would very well explain why they never spoke of her. Maybe it was never due to fear, at least not the fear they thought of. It wasn't fear of themselves, but fear of what would happen to the rest of ChalkZone if they spoke up. This structure..it was really proof of how sick and twisted Jenny was. She might be even worse than Cosmo... And that was a chilling thought, considering how Bardot turned out to be.

Now that they know more about Solar Pillars and what its purpose was, Penny knew they could then focus on stopping it. Jenny was not 'resurrected', so to speak, so they only had the Solar Pillars to worry about. She and Rudy could take care of it as soon as possible and that would be it. Nothing else to concern themselves with. She wished they could just dismantle it, but from what Biclops said, that wasn't going to work. Or maybe it could so long as they were very careful about it and found a way to destroy it without making things so much worse. Yes, there had to be a way.

At least Jenny's memories hadn't been reactivated yet. At least she wasn't out causing any problems. That was the only bit of comfort that she and Rudy had right now. Things could be so much worse than they are now. And hopefully, it would stay that way.

sss

Rudy tried not to think too much about what happened with Biclops. The information he had given them, while important, was very disturbing and left him feeling unnerved. The things he told them...he didn't think he could get out of his head anytime soon. Rudy never would have guessed that he and his friends stumbled upon some kind of giant death machine.

All those zoners...gone...all because of some vile child's actions. That structure, killing all those zoners with light...creating the void all around them.. It was terrifying. He couldn't believe that the light was used as a weapon like that. Just...what did it do that it caused the loss of almost all the land all around it? What did it do so that only a transparent, thin layer of land was left behind? How many holes were in it? Biclops indicated it was cratered and that he and his friends were lucky they didn't fall through. How many were there and how many zoners had fallen down?

The aspect of it weaponizing real world water...even if it did turn out to just be a fib Jenny used to scare them, it was quite unsettling to think about. A permanent portal...was that even possible? Was that a possible lie Jenny said, all just to keep Biclops and Wilter from opening their mouths? How far had Jenny been willing to go to make sure they stayed quiet? There were so many questions swimming in Rudy's head, making it ache.

The fact that Biclops and Wilter didn't tell them about Jenny because of the possibility of the structure activating if they did...even if it turned out to be a lie, it still sent chills up and down his spine. If Jenny hadn't created it, then if she got her memories back, she would most likely try to do something like that for real. She already went far enough to help design and create something that obliterated an entire village and much of the surrounding area. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to assume that she would extend the destruction much further than that.

He had wanted to go back to the structure anyway. He wanted to brave it and go there to try to take care of the problem right away. The only reason he didn't was because he and Penny realized it was almost time for his folks to get back. They had been gone much longer than they thought. He didn't want his folks to come back and find that he and Penny went into ChalkZone when they were told not to. He'd have to postpone the trip a little before he would go back to the Solar Pillars. It shouldn't be too much of a problem though. He and Penny would be back very soon anyway.

He hoped that Sophie wasn't too upset still about not being able to go into ChalkZone. He did feel bad about having to leave her behind. It wasn't that he didn't want to take her, but with the possibility of a trip to the Solar Pillars, he just couldn't risk it. And now that he knows how dangerous that place is, he realized that it was a very good idea he didn't take her with them. He didn't want to expose her to that kind of danger. He'd feel awful if he did that.

Rudy and Penny climbed out of the portal. He turned around and used the eraser to close it up. He then made his way out of his bedroom, Penny following close behind. He could hear the television downstairs and he assumed that Snap and Sophie were watching some old cartoon together. This made him smile. It was nice that Snap was able to find a way to keep Sophie entertained while they were gone. He was always good with that.

"Snap! Sophie!" Rudy called out down the stairs. "We're back!"

There was no answer. Rudy thought this was strange. They would usually say something back. Why weren't they replying? Maybe they were too focused on the television or something. It was possible.

Penny shouted, "Hey Snap! Can you come over here? We have something to talk to you about!" When seconds passed by and there was no answer, Penny continued, "Snap, come on! I know you love that show, but can you please come over here?"

Still nothing. A few minutes passed and there was no reply from Snap or Sophie. Rudy and Penny looked at each other, baffled. Their confusion soon turned into worry. They couldn't have fallen asleep. Neither of them were remotely tired. And it wasn't like them to sleep when they were together anyway. Unless they were sick...but that was impossible. They were both just fine hours ago. It was unlikely that something like that happened in such a short time frame.

Rudy and Penny made their way down the stairs. They turned into the living room, expecting to see Snap and Sophie laying on the couch together. But there was no one there. Their eyes widened at this. They rushed into the living room and looked around. It only took seconds for them to realize they weren't in here. But if they weren't here, where could they have gone? Maybe they were in another part of the house perhaps? Maybe they went into the kitchen.

They went over into the kitchen, but there was no one there either. They tried looking in other places of the house, even something bizarre like the closet. They were nowhere in sight. Not a trace of them to be found. They looked in room after room. As the seconds passed, Rudy's heart clenched. An intense, uncomfortable feeling swelled up inside of him as he searched around for his cousin and friend. His searching became more and more frantic as he and Penny looked in every room of his house, only to turn up nothing.

He looked over at Penny, his eyes widened. "They're not here..." He said in a soft voice.

Penny let out a gasp and looked over at something. "Rudy...look.." She pointed a finger towards the door. "Sophie must have gone outside."

Rudy noticed the door hadn't been closed all the way, and he could see blue smudges. His eyes snapped wide in realization. Sophie must have run outside. But why? Why would she do such a thing? And Snap had gone after her... Who knows how far they had gone? He didn't know how long they were even gone.

He tried to calm himself down. Maybe Sophie and Snap just went outside to go for a walk, or to play a game or something. Just because they were both outside didn't mean something was wrong. Snap was a responsible zoner, and he wouldn't go too far, especially since Sophie was still young and he was vulnerable to real world water. Yeah, they would be back any second now.

He and Penny walked outside to wait for their return. He sat down on the sidewalk and looked left and right. He didn't see them anywhere, but he was certain they'd return soon. Sophie's mom would be here any second to pick her daughter up. Sophie knew better than to keep her mom waiting.

But as the minutes passed, and there was no sign of them, Rudy's worry started to rise up inside. He couldn't shake off this pang in his heart. What if something had gone wrong? What if they had gotten lost? It was possible. Snap wasn't that familiar with the real world and Sophie was impulsive at times, so she might end up going down unfamiliar streets. Maybe he and Penny should make a trek up and down the streets to find them.

They then heard someone talking down the street. They looked over and two people standing over there. One was a man, and the other a police officer. Their hearts tightened up at the sight of this, and their imaginations ran wild. They tried to keep themselves calmed down. After all, this didn't really mean it pertained to Snap and Sophie. They were jumping to conclusions too fast. Curious, they walked over to see what the commotion was all about.

"It happened by that tree over there!" A man in his fifties shouted at the officer.

"Can you describe the man who did it?" The officer asked. He had out a notebook and a pen.

The man thought for a moment. "Well he wasn't that tall. Maybe five feet four or five. Caucasian. His hair was short and black. He had some kind of brown suit on, looked like he was some important figure."

"Okay..." The officer wrote down the information. "Is there anything else you can tell me about him?"

The man said, "No. I couldn't get close enough to see much other details beyond that. He moved pretty fast when he saw I was coming, and then he was in the car and he fled with those two."

Rudy's eyes widened in horror. "Who...who did he take...?" He said, speaking loud enough for the officer and man to hear.

The officer looked over at Rudy. "There was a kidnapping. This man here says he saw someone sneaking around here and grabbing two little kids and taking off with them."

The man nodded his head. "Yeah. One of them was a little girl. Blonde hair from what I could tell." He scratched his chin. "The other..was some blue kid. Superhero outfit. Large white eyes. He was knocked out by the man and carried and the girl was forced to follow. I tried to intervene, but the man then just grabbed the girl as soon as he saw me and ran towards this car and he took off with them. I didn't have time to get the license plate number."

Rudy felt like the walls closed in all around him. He could barely register the world going on all around. His body froze. His blood chilled. He started to tremble. Sophie and Snap were kidnapped... The realization sent shockwaves through his body. No..it was not possible. Not them... No... He shook his head in denial. A few tears formed in his eyes and he took a step back.

Penny was just as shaken up. She turned to Rudy and attempted to comfort him. She put her arms around him and pulled him close. His mind swelling up with so much emotion, Rudy pressed his face against Penny's shoulder and held onto her tightly. It couldn't be true. They had to be mistake, they just..they just couldn't be right. But the descriptions... They matched Sophie and Snap well. No one in this neighborhood went around outside during this time dressed like a superhero. There was no way it could have been anyone else.

"Do you know them?" The officer asked.

Rudy looked over at them, wiping away a tear. "Y-Yeah... I do..."

"It'll be okay. We'll find them." Penny said in a gentle voice in a clear attempt to help him feel better. "They'll be okay."

"I hope you're right." Rudy said in a shaky voice.

He shut his eyes tightly as guilt began to take him over. Why didn't he just take Sophie with them? Better yet, why didn't he just stay out of ChalkZone? If he had just done what he was told, this wouldn't have happened. And now, because of his foolishness, Snap and Sophie were gone. And the one person who might have been the only witness couldn't even get the license plate number... He had no idea where those two were taken..or if they would even see them again.

Tears formed in his eyes as intense emotion swept through his body. Penny held onto him tighter and rubbed his back gently, whispering soft comforting words to him. But no matter what she said, no matter how much she tried to urge him that it wasn't his fault, the guilt just wouldn't leave him. If he had just stayed home and kept Sophie company like he was supposed to, she and Snap wouldn't have been kidnapped. This was all his fault...

"Rudy...?"

Rudy's eyes widened and he swiveled his head. He didn't hear the car pull up. He didn't hear the car doors opening. He didn't realize that his folks were back now. And now there they were, his parents and his aunt, walking slowly up to them, confusing plastered all over their faces.

His mom said, "What's going on here?"

"Ma'am, there's been a kidnapping." The officer said.

Rudy's mother, father, and aunt all gasped in horror at this. They turned to look at Rudy and Penny. Their eyes were wide with a burning, silent question. They were almost pleading with them. It was like they had a strong idea of what happened, and they were hoping it wasn't true. Rudy flinched at this, and looked away. He was going to feel so horrible for delivering the bad news, but..he didn't have a choice.

"Yeah..." Rudy said in a weak, cracking voice. "Sophie and Snap were kidnapped..."

At this, his parents gasped in horror, their faces paled. Tilly's body trembled and she brought her hands to her mouth in horror. She shook her head in denial, taking a few steps back. Tears formed in her eyes. His parents were just as mortified by this. They stared at them, almost like they were expecting it to be some kind of sick joke. But when Rudy lowered his gaze, that was confirmation enough for them to know that he was not joking about this.

Tilly spoke in a trembling voice. "S-Sophie..? She's gone...? No...no, not my baby, no..." She started to cry. Rudy's mom wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a hug. Tilly pressed her face against her shoulders and started to cry.

"How...how did this happen...?" Rudy's father asked, clearly shaken by what happened.

The man that the officer spoke to answered this question. "Some strange man came around this area, not far from here, ambushed them, knocked the blue one out, and took off with them. It happened only about an hour ago."

"Rudy..." Mr. Tabootie turned his attention to his son. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because we didn't kn..." Rudy stopped himself, his eyes widening. He looked at his folk's expressions. They stared at him in shock, and he realized he had just slipped up. Then again, there was no way he could lie his way out of this one.

"Rudy...you went into ChalkZone...didn't you...?" Mrs. Tabootie said. There was a tinge of anger in her voice. When Rudy nodded his head meekly, she said, "You were supposed to watch Sophie. We entrusted you with watching her, and you..." Her voice trailed off, clearly getting too angry to speak to him.

Tilly wasn't happy either. She glared over at Rudy, causing him to flinch and take a step back. But she said nothing. She was too busy crying, knowing that her daughter was in danger somewhere and they had no idea where she was. Rudy stared at Tilly sympathetically, feeling the guilt rise up further inside of him. His heart rate quickened and he felt more tears filling up his eyes. The sight of his mother and aunt this angry at him made him feel even worse about what happened. His mother was right. He was supposed to watch Sophie, and he didn't do that.

Penny still held onto him. She was doing her best to help him feel better. But he didn't think there was anything she could say to help him feel better from this. This...this was probably the worst mistake he's ever made. Due to his foolishness, he had endangered the lives of two people he cared about. If he had just stayed in the real world, this wouldn't have happened.

Mr. Tabootie walked up to Rudy. His eyes were narrowed. It was clear he was not very happy with Rudy. Though he wanted to move away, Rudy stood there, casting a nervous glance towards the ground. He knew he was in big trouble, and there was nothing he could do to get around it. He looked up at his father, his eyes brimming with shame and guilt.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Rudy. We entrusted you to watch over Sophie, and instead you went into ChalkZone. Even though we told you to wait, you went in there anyway." His dad said, his voice brimming with anger. "And because of that, they're both gone! They've been kidnapped and now they're in big trouble! We don't even know if they're still alive! Not only did you disobey us, Rudy, but you put both Snap and Sophie in danger!"

Rudy lowered his head, tears streaming down his face. He started to cry, taking in quick, shaky breaths. "I-I'm sorry... I know I goofed up.."

"Goofed up? You did more than goof up!" His dad snapped at him.

Penny spoke up. "Please, you aren't helping anything. Yeah, I know Rudy and I screwed up. But we aren't going to solve anything if we just stand around pointing fingers."

Mr. Tabootie took in a few deep breaths. His angered expression melted away and he looked at Penny for a second. "Yeah...I know." He looked over at Rudy. Realizing that he had scared his son, he reached a hand out towards him and gripped his shoulder gently. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just that..."

"I understand." Rudy said. He was still a little apprehensive, as his dad did not usually get that angry. "You have every right to be mad at me." He lowered his gaze. "I suppose I'm going to be punished for this?"

"Let's worry about that later." Mr. Tabootie said. "Right now, let's focus on finding Snap and Sophie."

Rudy nodded in agreement. He knew it was important that they begin to search for them as soon as possible. He didn't know where they were taken to, though. He didn't know how far they are by now, and they had no idea who took them and for what purpose. He could only hope that, by the time they are found, it wasn't too late to help them.


	9. Why Don't You Be A Good Girl?

Sophie had no idea where she was. The area where Tyreek had taken her didn’t look familiar to her at all. It was out in the country side with few buildings around. It was in the opposite direction that her mom would usually drive. She had never been out this way before, until now. Though she did look out the window to try to gain a sense of her surroundings, nothing looked familiar enough for anything to click into her mind.

The only thing familiar that she could see was Snap. She felt both happy and horrible that he was dragged into this. Happy because at least she wouldn’t be alone in this. She felt some comfort in knowing that Snap was going to be with her during this whole thing, whatever this ‘thing’ turned out to be. But she also felt horrible. She didn’t want him getting hurt because of a stupid mistake she made. She was the one who decided to wander out of the house despite warnings. She should have been the only one caught. Why did Snap have to suffer for it, too?

She thought back to the incidenti n the house. Why did she have to be so stupid and try to prove herself? Why did she get it in her head that she had to show that she was independent and could make decisions for herself? Why did she run out when Snap tried to stop her? She should have just handed the magic chalk over to him when he had asked her to. She should have stayed in the house like she was supposed to. Instead, she pulled a stupid stunt like this, and now look where she ended up. And she had no idea if she was going to make it out of this alive or not. She had no idea of the intentions of this crazy man who kidnapped her and her friend.

She could only imagine how terrified the others were going to be when they found out she was gone. Her mother especially... She’d freak out, have a heart attack. They must have found out by now. Surely, they were looking for her this very second. But that did little to comfort her. There was no way to know if they were going to be able to get on the right track and find her in time. They might be able to find her and Snap in time.

She knew that her mother, aunt, and uncle were going to be furious at Rudy for not watching her. She wouldn’t doubt that they all expressed anger towards him. She hoped that they didn’t stay mad at him for long. And Sophie didn’t really blame Rudy. Things would have been fine had she just stayed in the house. She was the one who made the mistake, in her eyes, not Rudy. She could just kick herself mentally for doing something so stupid.

And now, because of her stupidity, she was trapped in this dingy abandoned barn. Strong, horrible smells were everywhere, likely leftover scents from the animals that used to graze here. The wood itself was rotten in a few places and looked like it was going to fall apart soon. The red paint had all but chipped away, exposing the dark brown coloration underneath. There were three levels to this barn, ladders in place to help someone climb up. Large piles of hay were strewn about in large piles. Some of it surrounded her a little. The only bit of light came from the open windows above her, illuminating most of the inside of the barn.

Sophie was feeling a little chilly. It wasn’t that cold out, so she had run out without her jacket. But in this barn, unable to move, she felt colder than usual. Her body trembled as she desperately tried to get warm. The wind blowing in from the open windows did little to help her. To make matters worse, she was strapped down on a cold chair, her limbs bound to the chair’s legs. And she had been placed in the one spot where the most wind went through. A purposeful act, she suspected.

Her captor had left a few minutes ago, leaving her alone in here. He wasn’t going to be gone long. He said he was just going to ‘get the others’. He didn’t bother specifying who these ‘others’ were, though. Nor did he say how many were coming over, or for what purpose. She had a feeling it dealt with the magic chalk, but if that were the case, why not just take it from her by force and run off? Why go through the trouble of kidnapping her? Had that been part of the plan the whole time? And if it were, would she have been safe in the house anyway? Would he have taken her from Rudy’s house?

Questions burned through her mind. There was so much she didn’t understand about this whole thing. Why would the principal want magic chalk? Did he even know it was magic? Yeah, he must have. Why would he go through all this threatening if he didn’t know? She noticed that he hadn’t tried to take it from her when she was strapped down, adding to her confusion. Why didn’t he just take it? There had to be a reason. And she had a feeling she was going to get her answers very soon.

And sure enough, she turned out to be correct. The barn doors swung open, clanging against the sides. A rush of wind came in, blowing her hair back, forcing her to turn her head to the side. When the wind stopped, she looked over to see who was walking in.

Standing there in the doorway was Tyreek, who was still holding Snap by his scarf. At this point, Snap was now awake and struggling to get free. A few times, Snap attempted to swing a punch at Tyreek, but the man held him out too far to really be hit. Standing next to Tyreek were two women, both of whom Sophie didn’t recognize offhand. Though when she looked at the blonde woman more intently, she began to realize it was someone from Rudy’s school. What was her name... Jenny? Yeah, Nurse Jenny.

She was shocked by this. What was she doing here? Then again, what was the principal of Rudy’s school doing here? And was the third person also from that same school? Sophie couldn’t believe what she was witnessing. Two, maybe three, people from a respected school committing such heinous crimes... What had gotten into them? What made them think that this was a good idea? What was wrong with them? They never acted this way before. Sure, Nurse Jenny was a little weird. But she’d never willingly do something this horrible...would she?

“See, Jenny and Ghadir? I told you I got her.” Tyreek said as the three adults approached the little girl. “She says that she is Rudy’s cousin, and I saw her try to use the magic chalk.”

At this, Sophie realized that he really did know about the magic chalk. Suddenly the situation felt even more dire than before. She knew the consequences of just handing the magic chalk over to anyone.

“I can see that.” Jenny said, a dark smile on her face. She moved up to Sophie and walked in a wide circle around her, arms folded behind her back. “Rudy’s cousin, you say? Well that may work in our favor...”

Sophie didn’t like the sound of that. She began to struggle against her binds. “Please..let me go...” She begged with them, hoping that maybe, against the odds, they would listen. But when they did nothing more than smile at her, she gave a shudder and looked towards away. “I...I won’t tell anyone..I promise.”

Jenny reached down and cupped Sophie’s chin, tilting it upwards. “Oh I know, dear. But we can’t let you go yet. There’s still so much for us to..discuss.”

“Wh-What do you want from me?” Sophie asked them. She tried again to pull her arms free, but it was no use. “What did I do to deserve this?”

At this, Tyreek took a step forward. He put his free hand against his side and stared coldly down at her. “You resisted. If you had just given me the magic chalk when I asked, I would have left you and your friend alone.” Sophie looked up at him in fear. Tyreek raised Snap higher and stared at him for a few seconds. Then he turned to Sophie. “Because of your foolishness, you both must pay the price. And you both may have some...vital information that we need.”

Sophie leaned back in her chair in a desperate attempt to get away. “What kind of information?”

Ghadir spoke up this time. “Whatever we need.” She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “Whatever comes to mind, really. You two have information regarding Rudy’s status in ChalkZone, and I’m sure you know a lot more than that. And you two are going to give us that information...” She raised a small knife into the air, the tip of the blade glinting in the light. “...or else...”

Sophie gasped in horror and cringed back. Snap’s eyes shot open at this and he struggled harder to get free. “We won’t tell you anything!” Snap thrashed in Tyreek’s hand. “Let us go!”

Tyreek shook Snap hard, causing the zoner to gag and have a hard time breathing. “Be quiet, you!” He put his face close to Snap’s, causing the zoner’s eyes to widen and try to move his head back. “You two will fork over the information we need... Or you will be sorry...”

Jenny looked over at him. She lifted up her hand and made a gesture with her fingers. Tyreek walked over to her and stood in front of her. Jenny glanced down at the zoner for a few seconds, giving him a nasty smile. The look in that woman’s eyes...it was creepy. There was some kind of intent behind them. Sophie couldn’t yet identify what it was, but she had a feeling that things were about to take a turn for the worst.

Jenny made a signal with her hand towards Ghadir. The large woman walked over towards a corner of the barn. Sophie tried to follow her movements, but with the position she was tied down in, she could barely see her out of the corner of her eye. When she walked back, she saw that she was carrying several pieces of rope. She came over back to where Jenny was. It was then that Sophie looked up and saw there was a low hanging wooden bar above them. She watched as Ghadir threw the longest rope over on the bar, letting it hang up there. Then she turned her attention to Snap.

Sophie watched in horror as Tyreek shoved Snap into the ground on his stomach. The zoner let out a cry of pain as he hit the ground. His arms were forced back behind him and rope was wrapped around to hold them in place. The ropes were clearly tight and Sophie could see Snap grinding his teeth from the pain.

“No! Please! Stop!” Sophie cried out in horror.

But the adults did not listen. As Tyreek held Snap down, Ghadir went to work continuing to tie him up. After his hands were secured behind his back, she looped rope around his chest and the side of his arms, holding them further in place. She then went down towards his legs. Snap tried to kick at her, but it was no use. Ghadir grabbed his legs and held them together. She bound them together very tightly, causing Snap to seethe further in pain.

The lat thing she did was she took the long rope that she looped over the bar and tied it to the ropes attached around Snap’s chest and upper arms. Pulling on it a few times to make sure it was secure, Ghadir moved back. Tyreek let go of Snap and quickly grabbed the loose end of the long rope on the other side. With a swift yank, he pulled Snap up into the air. He stood in place, keeping Snap lifted a couple feet off the ground.

Snap attempted to free himself. He struggled wildly in the air. All he could manage was spinning himself around a little. He was not able to get himself free of the ropes. He tried as hard as he could. Sophie could see his face going a little red as he tried to put as much force into his pulls as possible. He yanked himself left and right, but still he remained dangling above the ground, his feet not even close to the floor. He stopped struggling and he glared hatefully towards Jenny.

“This is a cowardly move! Why don’t you release me and fight me?” Snap growled at her. “Are you afraid I’m going to win? I beat Bardot! I can certainly beat you!”

“Bardot you say?” Jenny asked, tilting her head to the side. “Who is Bardot? Care to explain?”

Snap snarled at her and turned his head away. “Never.”

Jenny stared at him for a few seconds. Then she shrugged her shoulders. “Okay then..” Snap looked at her in confusion. Jenny smiled at him before turning her head to Sophie. “I’m sure she will be able to explain. Besides...” She gave Snap a sideways glance. “...she will be doing most of the talking. You are here for...another reason.”

“What...?” Snap asked, his voice laced in confusion. “What are you...?”

Jenny pressed a hand against his mouth, silencing him. She put her face close to his. “You’ll soon find out, you useless piece of chalk...” Snap narrowed his eyes at her and bit down on her hand hard. Jenny’s eyes widened and she let out a scream. She yanked her hand away. She glared at Snap, but instead of hitting him, simply turned and walked away. She returned to Sophie’s side and smiled down at her. “Now..why don’t you be a good girl? Tell us what we want to know, and we will let you and your friend go free, unharmed.”

Sophie leaned away from Jenny, looking up at her in fear. There was no way she could just tell them whatever they wanted to know. More likely than not, they were going to ask her questions regarding ChalkZone. She couldn’t tell them that. She would be endangering all those zoners. She couldn’t betray them. Rudy told her many times what would happen if she did that. It was imperative that, no matter what, she remained quiet and not tell them anything.

She also had to figure out a way to keep them from getting the magic chalk. They could still take it from her, and if they did, it was going to be disastrous. If they could enter ChalkZone at any time, it was going to be much harder to stop them. It didn’t help that she had no idea what they wanted to do in ChalkZone. But if they were anything like Cosmo, that crazy man that Rudy told them about, it was nothing good. And judging from the way these three were acting, they certainly didn’t have ChalkZone’s best interests in mind. If they were like Cosmo, and she was certain they were, they were going to exploit that world, use it to their advantage. And she couldn’t help them do that. No, she wouldn’t do that. She was going to do her best to resist.

Sophie heard the snap of a finger. She looked up to see Ghadir had went over to the windows. For someone that looked like they weren’t in that great of shape, she sure could move. Ghadir closed all the windows. With each one, the room got darker and darker. And finally, when the last one was taken care of, Sophie had a hard time seeing what was right in front of her face. This didn’t last long as Jenny turned on a bright flashlight and shined it in her face.

Sophie let out a small cry. The light was intense, causing her pupils to shrink. She turned her head away, baring her teeth in discomfort. When her eyes adjusted to the light, she slowly looked over. She cast a fearful glance up at Jenny. As the woman smiled darkly down at her, as Ghadir started to climb back down to join them, Sophie wondered just what they were going to do.

Ghadir took position beside Snap. She kept her distance from him so the zoner wasn’t able to attack her. At the moment, Snap just glared at her, hanging limply in the air. He made no attempt to attack her, but from the look in his eyes, it was clear he was not above trying to do so, despite how impossible it seemed. Ghadir smiled darkly at him for a moment before shifting her gaze over to where Sophie was sitting. From the look in her eyes, Sophie could see a silent warning. ‘Obey or else’... A clear threat glowed in her eyes. Whatever she was going to do, it was nothing good.

“Now...let’s get started, shall we?” Jenny said in a cool voice. She positioned herself in front of Sophie. She placed her hands on her shoulders and leaned in a little. Sophie turned her head to the side as the woman moved in a little too closely. “I’m not going to worry about who Bardot is, as he’s probably not important to our plans. But here’s one question I strongly recommend you answer, little girl.” Her voice grew eerily soft. “Where did you get the magic chalk?”

“I...” Sophie started to say. She sealed her mouth shut tightly, refusing to say more.

“Don’t tell them, Sophie!” Snap called out to her, his eyes wide with desperation. “Don’t tell them anything!”

Ghadir glared at Snap and punched him in the stomach. He let out a cry of pain. “Shut up!”

Sophie looked on in horror. “Snap!” She looked up at Jenny. She took in a few shaky breaths. Then she shook her head rapidly and leaned away from the woman. “N-No...I won’t...”

Jenny’s smile never faltered. She leaned back away from Sophie. She turned around and walked away, holding her hands behind her back. “I see...Well then...” She gave the girl a sideways glance. “Maybe I need to give you a bigger incentive.” She looked over at Ghadir and gave her a single nod. “Go ahead. It seems we will have to resort to that plan after all.”

“P-Plan? What plan?” Sophie asked in a trembling voice. As Ghadir reached for something behind her back, Sophie felt her heart clenching. “What are you going to do?”

Sophie felt her blood freeze when Ghadir took out a water bottle, filled about halfway with what was clearly water. It was one of those that had a setting to send only sprinklets of water, not that it made the situation any less horrifying. She watched as Ghadir leveled the spray with Snap’s face. The zoner stared at the water bottle, his body trembling hard. Sophie struggled, trying to get herself free, but there was nothing she could do. She could only look on in horror as Ghadir prepared to spray Snap. With him tied up like that, there was no way he could get away from her.

Sophie’s breaths quickened as she looked back and forth from Jenny to Snap to Ghadir to Tyreek and back again. Despite Snap’s fear, anytime she looked at him, he would shake his head no. Even though he was in danger, he didn’t want her to speak a word to these people. Whenever she looked at Jenny, she just had her arms folded and stared expectantly down at her. She had a nasty smile on her face, a devious promise hidden underneath it. Sophie knew that, if she remained quiet, Jenny would go through with her threat.

She had never felt this torn before. She didn’t want to betray ChalkZone. She didn’t want to expose any information that these three could use against it. But at the same time, she didn’t want Snap getting hurt because of her. It just wasn’t fair. He never did anything to deserve this. Why couldn’t they just leave him alone?”

“Please leave him alone...” Sophie begged, her voice soft and desperate. “Please just let him go...”

Jenny chuckled evilly at this. “I’m afraid we can’t do that, child. You see, we know how to exploit weaknesses. And your clear attachment to that thing will prove most useful to us.. Now..” She leaned in closer to Sophie, who snapped her head back and clenched her teeth. “...talk...”

Sophie cast a glance over at Snap. The zoner silently said ‘no’ and shook his head. Sophie looked back up at Jenny. A nauseous feeling rising up in her gut, she swallowed hard and shook her head. This caused Jenny to narrow her eyes slightly. She looked back over at Ghadir, who stood next to Snap, waiting for a command. Jenny looked down at Sophie, waiting to see if she changed her mind. Sophie still refused to answer, not wanting to betray ChalkZone. Jenny gave a small snarl at this and then waved a hand over at Ghadir, giving her the signal. Ghadir smiled at this and stared intently at Snap. The zoner looked back at her worriedly, his eyes widening in fear.

Ghadir pressed the trigger on the bottle. A spray of small water droplets hit Snap against his face. The zoner’s eyes went wide and he let out a loud scream of pain. Steam rose from where the water hit him. Tiny portions of his face were a little dissolved, allowing blood to start trinkling out.

Sophie cried out in horror, “Snap!”

Ghadir sprayed Snap again, causing more blood flow. Snap continued to scream as he was sprayed a couple times with the water bottle. It wasn’t enough to cause major damage, but he was now loosing some blood. Burn marks appeared on his face from where the water bored into him. He shook his body from side to side, trying desperately to get free. Tears flowed down his face, his teeth gritted, and low whimpers were emitted from his mouth.

Ghadir only stopped when Jenny raised up her hand. She turned to Susie. She spread a twisted smile across her face. “Keep resisting, and he will continued to get sprayed. I know you don’t want to see him get hurt, do you?” She made a motion to where Snap was, letting out small whines of pain, blood covering his face and moving onto his chest and arms. Sophie looked at him, her eyes wide, and then looked back up at Jenny. “I didn’t think so. Now come on. Answer my question.”

Sophie opened her mouth, but she hesitated. She...she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t betray ChalkZone. She couldn’t give this woman the information she wanted. She had to resist...somehow.. She had to keep resisting. She turned her head away, trying her best to remain defiant. But that was soon shattered when she heard a bloodcurdling scream from Snap. She whipped her head around and gave a scream of terror when she saw Ghadir spray his back twice at close range. Through the small freshly dissolved parts of his costume, blood dripped down from the many small wounds.

“No! Please stop! You’re hurting him!” Sophie screamed, tears flowing down her cheeks.

“Then answer the question. Where did you get the magic chalk?” Jenny asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Sophie hesitated. Jenny said, “I will warn you, little girl. The longer you refuse to tell me, the more injured your friend here will get. Now talk!”

Sophie looked back at Ghadir. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw Ghadir prepare to spray Snap again. And Snap...he had so many small burn marks on him now, and blood stained his body. He was letting out small whimpers of pain and she could see the tears in his eyes. He was still silently pleading with her not to speak but..she couldn’t let him continue to get hurt like this. It..it wasn’t fair...

She looked back at Jenny, biting her lip. Seeing now choice, she lowered her head in submission. She said, “...I got it from Rudy...” Her voice was small, defeated.

“S-Sophie...” Snap said, his voice shaking from the pain. “No..”

Sophie looked at him and turned her head away in shame. “I’m sorry, Snap...”

“From Rudy, eh..?” Tyreek asked as he continued to hold onto the rope that held Snap above the ground. “And how long has he had magic chalk?”

“Yes...how long has he been going into ChalkZone?” Jenny asked, smirking at the little blonde girl tied to the chair. “Please share that knowledge with us. We are most interested...”

Despite Snap’s desperate shaking of the head, Sophie answered, not wanting to see him getting more hurt. “Since he was eight years old... He told us he found the chalk then, and he has been protecting ChalkZone ever since...” She said, her voice remaining small, no ounce of defiance in it. A few tears escaped her eyes. “He told me how...important it was to keep it safe from the real world...”

“I’m sure he did.” The tone that Jenny used was strange. It sounded like sarcasm, and then not sarcasm. Sophie couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Jenny continued, “And when was he touched by the black chalk?” Sophie looked at her in shock. “Yes, I know he was in contact with the black chalk. Tell me how long ago this was.”

Sophie hesitated for a second. She glanced down at the ground. She heard another cry from Snap. She looked up and saw he was sprayed again, this time on his arm. Her body trembling in fear for him, she looked at Jenny and said quickly, “It was three and a half years ago! Mr. Cosmo had...”

“Mr. Cosmo?” Jenny’s eyes widened at this, her expression softening. “He regained his memories...?” She moved a little closer to the girl. “How?”

“I..I don’t know...” Sophie said, gritting her teeth in fear. “B-But yeah... Cosmo tried to corrupt Rudy with it...”

Ghadir and Tyreek looked at each other. Their eyes were widened with surprise. They looked back at her. Jenny was the most surprised. It was clear she did not expect this bit of information. Slowly, Jenny’s eyes narrowed. Sophie gulped, realizing now she probably shouldn’t have mentioned Cosmo.

“What happened to Mr. Cosmo?” Jenny asked, her tone darkening a little.

“He was defeated... R-Rudy said that he tried to kill him...and he ended up caught in his own death trap...” Sophie said in a shaky voice. “He was crushed to death...”

At this, Jenny just stared at her, eyes widen and mouth relaxed. She looked shocked, stunned by this bit of information. Ghadir and Tyreek didn’t look any less surprised. For what felt like a few minutes, there was just silence in the room. Sophie felt very uncomfortable with sitting here under their gaze. They looked at her in shock, but did not speak a word. Then, slowly, Jenny’s mouth curled into a snarl, her teeth bared slightly. There was a glint of black in her eyes as she let out a low growl from her mouth.

“So the little brat killed Cosmo, did he...?” Jenny’s voice gained a dangerous tone.

Sophie shook her head in desperation. “N-No! I-It’s not like that at all! Rudy would never...”

Jenny cut her off. “I knew the boy was going to be trouble...” She leaned her head back, staring menacingly at the little girl. “I guarantee you that he won’t get away with this. Just like Mr. Wilter couldn’t get away...”

Snap gasped at this. “What did you do to Mr. Wilter...?”

Jenny cast an evil smile in Snap’s direction. “Let’s just say...” She moved over to Snap and pressed a finger under his chin. She ran her hand lightly over the top of his head, not caring when Snap winced in pain whenever she touched his wounds. “..he’ll be out of commission for a while...”

Snap’s eyes widened in horror. “You...you didn’t...”

“Oh don’t worry. He isn’t dead...” Jenny tilted her head to the side, a sneer spread across her face. “But whenever he wakes up, he will wish he was.”

“You...you monster...!” Snap snarled at her. “You’re not getting away with this!”

Jenny just laughed coldly at him before turning her attention back to Sophie. She then looked over at Ghadir and gave a nod. The large woman nodded back and moved over to Sophie. She put the water bottle away and stood next to Sophie. Jenny went over, but kept a considerable distance away from Sophie this time. She put her arms behind her back again and just smiled at the little girl. Sophie didn’t like the way she was looking at her.

“Ghadir will free one of your arms, Sophie. When she does, hand over the magic chalk.” Jenny ordered.

Sophie shook her head. “N-No...”

“You have no choice.” Jenny said coolly. “I call all the shots around here.”

“I won’t do it...” Sophie said. “Why don’t you try taking it for yourself?”

A low cold laughter from Ghadir. “Because, it so much more fun making you hand it over..because then you will have to live with the knowledge that you handed it over to us. It’s not as rewarding if we just take it from you.”

Sophie shook her head. “No...”

“Then so be it.” Jenny narrowed her eyes. She gave a nod to Ghadir. “Do it.”

Sophie looked over to see Ghadir pulling out a sharp knife. Her eyes widened in horror. She attempted to struggle but she froze and screamed as agony swept through her body, the knife plunged deep into her right arm. Ghadir pulled the knife back and struck back down, this time higher up on her arm. Blood pooled from the fresh wounds and she let out screams of agony. Ghadir then slashed across her face, leaving behind a long, bloody mark that stretched from the top right of her face down to the bottom left of her chin.

The three adults made no reaction when Snap cried out in desperation, begging them to stop. Ghadir stabbed Sophie again and again until she now sported ten stab wounds, her arms completely covered in blood. The little girl let out low whimpers of pain and her body trembled. Tears flowed down her face. She couldn’t speak at this point. Everytime she opened her mouth, all she could do was scream.

Even after Sophie surrendered and agreed to hand over the magic chalk, the knife torture just continued. The blade went into her arm and cut up along it, slicing through muscle and tissue. More tears came down her face and she tried to get free. More and more blood stained herself and the floor below her. Pain swept through her body, causing every corner to ache, even if it wasn’t attacked. She gritted her teeth and sobbed as she was stabbed in her left leg next. The knife was pulled slowly downward, increasing her agony and amount of suffering she had to endure.

She had no idea why they were doing this. Why would they keep hurting her when she surrendered? Was this their sick way of getting back at Rudy? Was Jenny only doing this to strike a blow against Rudy’s heart? Was she doing this just for some sick pleasure? She couldn’t think too hard on that. Her mind was clouded by the agony, making it hard for her to percieve the world around her effectively. She could hear Snap still calling out to them to stop, hearing the desperation in his voice.

“Stop that! Please! She’s just a little kid! What has she ever done to you?!” Snap cried out, struggling against his ropes. He was still in pain, but at the moment, he was ignoring it, twisting his body to try to get over to them. “Release her at once!”

“You can’t tell us what to do, you bundle of dust.” Tyreek said in a cold voice.

“And besides, she won’t be in pain for much longer...” Jenny said.

Through her pain, Sophie let out a gasp of horror. She looked over and saw Ghadir pull out a gun now and press it against her head. Sophie whimpered in fear and looked up at Ghadir, silently pleading with her. The woman just smirked at her, and her finger was pressed against the trigger.

“No...you can’t...” Snap said softly, his body shaking, moving his head from side to side in disbelief. “She’s just a child...”

“A child that is involved with the artist that got away.” Jenny replied, a creepy smile spread across her face. “I cannot have her telling Rudy anything, and she’s already as good as dead anyway.” She raised up her hand to prepare to snap her fingers. “We might as well get rid of some unwanted weight.”

Before she could snap her fingers, Snap let out a scream. “No! Don’t! I’ll...I’ll do anything you want! Just don’t kill her!”

“Snap...” Sophie managed to say through her pain. She watched as Jenny walked over to Snap and started to pace around him. What was she up to? What was she going to force Snap to do? She looked at the zoner worriedly. He cast her a concerned glance, eyeing her wounds up and down. “What are you...”

“I’m sorry, Sophie...” Snap said, lowering his head in shame. He then looked at Jenny, narrowing his eyes hatefully at her.

“So...you’ll do anything?” Jenny asked, her voice sounding slightly innocent. “Anything at all?” Snap growled at her, and then gave an affirmative nod. “I can see you really do have a strong connection with her. That is...perfect...” Her voice sounded unusually deep when she said that. “I know exactly what I want you to do. And if you do it, I promise we will release you both.”

Jenny walked over behind Snap. She made a motion with her hand for Tyreek to release him. With the support suddenly gone, Snap let out a scream was he fell to the ground. He landed with a thud, grunting a little. Jenny grabbed the rope and dragged him over to where Sophie was, uncaring if he hit his injuries against the ground. Once she was at Sophie, she held out her hand towards Ghadir. The woman handed the knife over to her.

Sophie’s eyes widened at this and she tried to tell them not to hurt Snap. But instead of stabbing him, she just cut him free from the ropes. They both stared at her in confusion. Before Snap could try to make a run for it or do anything, Jenny grabbed him by his scarf and yanked on him, causing him to gag. Ghadir pushed the muzzle of the gun further against Sophie’s head, threatening to shoot her if Snap did anything to try to help her.

Jenny handed the knife to Snap. He looked at it in confusion, taking it from her. Jenny made a motion towards Sophie and said, “Stab her in the stomach.”

At this, Sophie and Snap’s hearts filled with ice. They looked at Jenny in horror, their eyes wide.

“Wh-What?” Snap asked in a low voice.

“You heard me. Stab her.” Jenny said. The smile on her face never faltered. She spoke so casually. “Push that knife into her stomach. Then...” She pointed at the little zoner. “Stab yourself. Without cleaning the knife. Stab yourself with the knife coated in Sophie’s blood.”

Sophie couldn’t believe it. That was just..sick and wrong... Everything about this was wrong. This evil woman, this vile person, she was making Snap do something so horrible to her. Snap would never want to do something like that to someone. It would be utter torment for him to take that knife and plunge it into her stomach. How could anyone be this cruel and twisted? What would this accomplish? Why would Jenny force Snap to do such a thing?

And stab himself as well? With a blood-covered knife? Jenny must know what would happen if he did that. Blood wasn’t as dangerous as water, but it would still cause him pain. It would still cause some kind of internal damage. That was just..sick... Sophie wanted to get away. She wanted to take Snap and run, but there was nothing she could do.

“I...I can’t do that...” Snap’s body trembled. He stared at Sophie with wide eyes. He looked down at the knife, then back up at Jenny. “Please...not that.. I..I can’t...”

Jenny laughed coldly at this. “You have no choice! Either you stab her, and twist that knife while it’s in, and then do the same thing to yourself, or you both will die!” To emphasize the point, Ghadir started to apply pressure on the gun, threatening to blow Sophie’s brains out. “If you do as we say, you both will have a chance to live. Is it really that hard? We all make sacrifices... So why don’t you sacrifice a bit of your sense of justice and empathy and stab her! Or do you not care if she dies?”

“I...I...” Snap stammered. Tears screamed down his face. “P-Please..don’t make me do this..” He pleaded with her.

“Stab her.” Jenny said, narrowing her eyes. “If you want her to live, stab her.”

“D-Do it...” Sophie spoke up. Snap looked at her in shock. “Just..do it... Please..” There was tinge of fear in her voice as she stared at Snap. Tears welled up in her eyes. “I don’t want you to die either, Snap. Just...get it over with..”

“S-Sophie...” Snap whimpered, sniffling. “Please I...”

“Go ahead. I..I understand...” Sophie said, giving a small smile of acceptance.

Snap looked at the knife in his hand, his body trembling. Then he looked back up at Sophie. It was clear he didn’t want to do this. Sophie didn’t want this either, but she didn’t want Snap to die. If getting stabbed in the stomach meant a chance for both of them to survive, she’d take it. With her family nowhere in sight, and no sign of policemen coming, what other choice did she have? These adults already made it very clear they were willing to do anything to them.

“I..I’m so sorry...” Snap whispered as he pulled the knife up, poised to strike.

Sophie looked at the knife, which was already coated in her blood. She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes. She looked away and waited for the blow. She prepared herself for the intense pain that she was going to feel once that cold blade hit her. A few tears escaped her eyes, wondering why fate can be so cruel sometimes.

The blade came down quick. The coldness of it entered her stomach, and that area erupted in pain. Sophie’s eyes snapped open and she let out a bloodcurdling scream. Fresh blood flowed from the wound. Then, unwillingly, Snap twisted the knife, cutting her up further. More blood came, faster this time. She let out another scream and struggled, trying to get away from the pain. Her screams soon dissolved into sobs, and she took in sharp, shaky breaths. Then the knife was pulled from her, providing some relief, but still leaving her wracked with pain.

She opened her eyes and stared at Snap, her eyelid twitching in agony and teeth clenched tightly. Snap looked at her with a horror stricken face, his eyes shining with an apology. Fresh tears flowed down his cheeks, staining them a light red and obviously irritating his water-based injuries. Then, with a loud sniffle, Snap turned the blade inward to himself. Sophie watched as the zoner struck the knife right into his own stomach, a sickening sound being heard as the blade cut through his chalky flesh.

Snap let out loud cries of pain as he began to twist the knife in his own stomach. He screamed again and again as the real world blood irritated his new self-inflicted wound. Then he pulled the knife out and dropped it. His body trembled in agony, blood pouring like a faucet from his stomach. The zoner took a step forward, glaring hatefully up at Jenny, before he passed out.

“Snap!” Sophie cried, coughing up blood. “Get up!”

But Snap didn’t respond. He just laid there on his side, completely motionless aside from his breathing. Blood poured rapidly from his stomach wound and out from his mouth as well. Sophie stared at his still form in horror, her body shaking. She glared up at Jenny and opened her mouth to speak, but soon the blood loss started to affect her as well.

Pain overwhelming her and the blood loss becoming too much, Sophie’s world went dark.


	10. Piece Of News Most Dreadful

Five hours...

It had been five hours since his cousin and friend had disappeared. Granted, that wasn’t a very long time, but to Rudy, it felt so much longer.

Rudy never felt so guilty in his life. The horrible feeling kept tugging at his gut, filling him with nausaea. He tried his best to cope with it. He tried to clear his mind and focus on just getting stuff done rather than sit and worry about it. But it was hard and the thoughts just wouldn’t leave him. Even with Penny’s attempts to comfort him, it just wasn’t enough.

Of all the stupid things he had done, this was definitely one of the worst. This wasn’t a case where he had been alone and just wanted to visit ChalkZone real quick. No, this was a time when he was supposed to look after his cousin Sophie. His family had wanted him to keep an eye on her as she couldn’t go with them to this restaurant they went to. They entrusted him with her safety. Tilly often brought Sophie here to be babysat if she couldn’t go with her somewhere. And Rudy had always been good at keeping her well behaved and safe, especially with Snap’s help.

This time around, things were a little different, as he had to find out more information regarding Cosmo’s partner, Jenny. And while they did find out some worthwhile stuff, that was more or less overshadowed when he realized that going into ChalkZone, at least at this time, had been a horrible mistake. There was nothing he could do to turn back the clock. He was stuck with this mistake and it might have cost him more than he ever could have imagined.

Because of his mistake, because he went into ChalkZone and left Sohphie behind, though she had Snap, they both got kidnapped. He wasn’t sure of the circumstances or why they were taken. All he did know for certain is that both of them are gone, taken in broad daylight, and no one knows who took them and where. There was a general direction, but without the license plate number, it was very hard to track down the kidnapper. The description the eye witness gave was too vague to pinpoint any suspects. They had almost nothing to go off on.

They had very few chances. The police might turn up something as they were already performing a search as they spoke. Or maybe someone would find them and inform the police or call the hospital. Rudy hoped that, when they find them, they call them over immediately. If Snap were hurt and taken to the hospital, he could die the moment they inject him with any kind of fluid. And he hoped that, when they did find those two, it wasn’t too late. He hoped that they weren’t injured. If they were, he was going to feel even worse about disobeying his family.

To pour salt in the wound, Tilly was not very happy with him. She wasn’t really mean towards him, but whenever she’d look at him, she’d glare and turn her head away. She had hardly spoken since Sophie’s kidnapping, even to her sister. She kept to herself, preferring to be alone, at least for the time being. She was lost in her thoughts, no doubt trying to think of everything in her head and try to see if there was anything she could have done differently. He had a feeling that ‘leave Sophie with him’ was the thing she was having second thoughts on.

And his mother...she was disappointed in him as well. She was not as hostile as Tilly, but the way she spoke to him and the way she acted around him strongly suggested, no, confirmed that she was angry with him. She hadn’t spoken to him since the kidnapping, not that he talked to her either. He felt too ashamed of himself to try to speak to her. Besides, she and Tilly both had good reasons to get angry at him. Tilly’s daughter was gone and it was all because of him. If he had just watched her like he was supposed to, none of this would have happened. He felt like such an idiot.

His dad was more talkative and understanding towards him. He understood that Rudy never meant for this to happen and, out of the three, he was the only one who didn’t do anything that made him feel guilty, except for that initial outburst from when they first found out about the kidnapping. Like Penny, he would try to comfort Rudy, but nothing he said made him feel any better about the situation. It didn’t help that, whenever he saw his mom and aunt, regardless if they looked at him or not, he’d feel his guilt grow even stronger.

He felt so foolish... He thought that by leaving Sophie in the real world, she’d be safer. The place where he and Penny had to go was likely too dangerous for her, and she wasn’t to be allowed to wander off in ChalkZone alone. But he had been so wrong. Her being in the real world put her in greater danger. She had not only been kidnapped, along with Snap, but taken somewhere with no clues as to just where they were now. No trail to follow. Trying to find her in the real world was so much harder than in ChalkZone. There were multiple limitations the real world imposed on him and the others. He couldn’t just draw an airplane or something and try to find her that way.

At least in ChalkZone, he could do something to help. He had the power of the magic chalk there. He could create. He had a lot of friends there who would all be willing to help him. Forming a search part would be faster and he could be more efficient at finding someone. He had more options there. If Sophie had been lost in ChalkZone, it would have been much easier finding her. He should have just brought her into ChalkZone with him. That would have been a safer bet than just leaving her in the house. Even though she was with Snap, he should have realized that something like this could have happened.

Rudy went up into his room about twenty minutes ago. He wanted to be alone for a little while. He wanted to get away to be by himself so he could think about what happened. Maybe, if he searched his memories, there would be a clue in something that happened that he didn’t think about. Something that would provide a hint as to what happened. Being alone in his room allowed him to clear his thoughts some.

He sat down on the window sill and leaned back, pressing his back against the wall. He stared out the window, towards the road and street, and tried to think of the earlier events that happened. As he thought, the only thing that came into his head was that the attack was related to ChalkZone somehow. It was a bit of a stretch. But then it made sense. Anyone who got a very good look at Snap would take notice of his outline, indicating he’s a drawing. Zoner outlines weren’t always so obvious and Snap’s could be missed if someone wasn’t looking hard enough. But it was there. That would give some scrupulous people reason enough to capture him.

Why would Sophie be kidnapped then? Probably the connection. Those two were obviously together as they were both gone. Both captured. Perhaps Sophie had been trying to protect Snap, and the kidnapper just nabbed her, too. Maybe they were going to blackmail Snap into explaining what he is and where he came from, and was using Sophie as a means of making him talk. Rudy shuddered at the thought of his little cousin being hurt all just to make his friend, Snap, crack under the pressure. It was cruel... But he had already met those in the past who would do such a thing.

He tried to think of who might have done this sort of thing. His initial thoughts, years ago, would have been Terry Bouffant, but she had changed since the Bardot incident. She had been true to her word and she hadn’t attempted to do any reports regarding ChalkZone. They don’t see her too much, but when they do, she was usually pretty friendly. They were, by no means, buddy-buddy, but it was a nice change compared to how things were before.

But there was still Vinnie Raton. He was still more or less the same. He didn’t really care that Terry decided not to expose ChalkZone. He more or less preferred to work on his own anyway. He hadn’t been able to do much lately. Last year, he did try to free Boorat from jail, but it had completely failed, since he was not as intelligent as Terry. So he wasn’t really a huge threat, but the potential of danger was still there, and Rudy wasn’t simply going to dismiss him.

Vinnie was still obsessed with his ‘chalk world theme park’ idea. He had been going on about this for years. Rudy would have liked to find a way to get him arrested, but since everything he does bad just so happens to be in ChalkZone, there was nothing he could do. The only time he could get him arrested was when Vinnie had his bag with the portable chalkboard and he managed to get him to crash into the water fountain. And even then, he wasn’t in jail for very long as what he did was considered a ‘mild felony’.

As annoying as his obsession to profit off of ChalkZone was, Rudy would be lying if he said he didn’t feel somewhat relieved by that. Rudy’s worst fear isn’t someone trying to profit off of ChalkZone, but someone who would try to destroy it or drain it of its resources. There were many people who would be afraid of ChalkZone and the idea of drawings coming to life. It was a foreign idea to most people’s minds, and people tend to fear and hate what they don’t understand. Ms. Saffron herself had confessed that she had been afraid of ChalkZone until Snap helped her realize her fears were unfounded. His parents were afraid, too, until they saw Snap fight to protect them.

But not everyone was going to be so convinced. There would be people who would regard Snap’s behavior as ‘just a way to trick them’, and they would want to have ChalkZone destroyed to ‘protect the innocent’ or whatever. It would be even worse if they found out that the serial killer that attacked the town two years ago was a zoner. They might take that and say that all zoners were like that and should be destroyed. If ChalkZone were exposed and everyone learned that water kills zoners and washes away anything that was chalk, he could be sure that there’d be an army of people armed with fire hoses going in there to ‘wipe the abomination off the face of the earth’, as some of the extremists might say.

So he was glad that, when Vinnie came into ChalkZone, his reaction wasn’t to run away screaming and bring in his bulldozer to demolish the world. He had been excited about ChalkZone and really did seem to like it. If it weren’t for the fact that he wanted to expose ChalkZone and exploit it, he could be considered pretty harmless. He hadn’t even tried to hurt any of the zoners; the worst he did was just annoy the heck out of them. Even when he tried to free Boorat, he hadn’t used any methods that directly harmed any zoner. Though it might have been in part due to him wanting them to be in good condition for working.

Still, Vinnie was a threat to ChalkZone, and still wanted to expose it even after all these years. He wouldn’t put it past him to kidnap Sophie and Snap to try to get what he wanted. He didn’t really think he’d go too far. He wouldn’t really hurt Sophie and Snap, Rudy couldn’t picture Vinnie doing much damage to him. At least nothing compared to what Cosmo had done. Compared to that maniac, Vinnie was downright tame, even with his insane ‘dog barking’ tendencies. And it was clear that he was not a black chalk user as the trip into ChalkZone didn’t end up turning him into a homicidal maniac as it had with Cosmo.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when there was a knock on his door. He turned his head to see who it was. When the door opened up, he was a little surprised to see Tilly walking in. Given her behavior before, he didn’t think she would want to come in and speak to him, or anyone, for hours. Yet here she was, walking into his room.

He was uncomfortable by the way she was looking at him. He wasn’t sure what kind of emotion was on her face. It looked like so many rolled into one. Anger, disappointment, sadness, some others as well. She didn’t give him a glare this time, but he kinda wish she was because at least then he would know what she was feeling. But with the look she was giving him now, Rudy couldn’t tell what was going to happen. And as she approached him, he felt at unease. But he didn’t try to get away regardless. It wasn’t like running away was a very wise thing to do in this case.

He almost expected Penny, but unfortunately, her mother came and picked her up. She had to go home because her mom needed her help with something. But she did offer her condolences and promised to relay any information to them if she found anything out. Unless Penny decided to sneak out, which Rudy would not expect her to do, there was no way it could have been her, and he didn’t know why he had expected her. But he wished it was her as he wasn’t sure what to say to his aunt Tilly. Out of the three adults, she was the most angry at him.

Tilly walked over towards him slowly. Her cheeks were stained with tears, indicating she had been crying for a while. Her eyes were red and poofy. The way she walked was a little weird, and definitely indicated something was on her mind. She continued walking towards him, each step bringing her just a little closer, until she stood right in front of him. She cast her glance towards the ground for a moment, letting out what sounded like a forced sigh. Rudy could catch a tinge of anger on it. So she was still mad at him, which honestly didn’t really surprise him.

He expected her to yell at him, but she hadn’t said a word yet. She just looked at him. Her muddled expression did sharpen more and he could soon tell what emotion she was feeling. In addition to anger, the other strong feeling was disappointment, similar to how his mother felt. This went on for a few minutes, making Rudy feel even more uncomfortable. Why wasn’t she speaking to him? Why would she come up here just to stare at him like this? There had to be a reason she came up here. Maybe his mom or dad convinced her to.

“Hello, Rudy.” Tilly finally spoke. Rudy winced at how her voice sounded. Almost drained of emotion, and what was still in there, there was nothing positive about it.

Rudy hesitated. “Hi, Aunt Tilly...” He turned his head away for a second. He swallowed. “Uh...any news?”

His aunt shook her head. “No. I’m afraid not. They’ve interviewed almost everyone in the neighborhood by now. No one else except that one guy had seen anything. The only witness to the crime already gave out as much information as he could, and that hasn’t been enough to get a lead on the kidnapper.”

Rudy nodded his head. He couldn’t say he was surprised that little information had been found. It hadn’t been that long. The odds of the police finding out where they were taken in just five hours was very low, especially if there had only been one witness to the crime. It was then he realized, with a cold chill, how smart this kidnapper was. He must have picked a time he knew there wouldn’t be many people in the neighborhood to nab his cousin and friend. In fact, this time of day might have been better than at night since most people were away during this time.

The silence that fell upon the room was awkward. Tilly sometimes opened her mouth to speak, but she’d shut it. A few times, she did shoot him a small glare, and looked like there was something she wanted to say. She just couldn’t spit it out. Rudy felt uncomfortable in her presence. Her daughter was gone because of him. She had trusted him to keep her safe, and he completely screwed up. His mistake might cost him not only the life of his cousin, but also his zoner friend and the trust of his family. A part of him panicked and wondered if this incident would cause his and Penny’s folks to reverse their decision regarding ChalkZone. So far they never even hinted they’d do that, but the possibility was still there.

After what felt like an hour, his aunt let out an exasperated sigh. She took a step closer to Rudy. From her expression, she looked like she wanted to scold him. Instead, she did something different.

She opened up her mouth and uttered a single word in a soft voice. “Why?”

Rudy looked up at her in confusion. “Why what?” He asked hesitantly.

“Why did you go into ChalkZone when you were supposed to be watching Sophie?” His aunt asked him, her eyes narrowing slightly. Rudy flinched, seeing the anger hidden behind them. So far, his aunt was doing a good job at not exploding in his face. “What was so important in ChalkZone that you couldn’t wait a couple hours for us to get home? Would it have made that much of a difference?”

Rudy lowered his head. “I know I messed up... I’m sorry..”

“Yeah, I know you’re sorry.” Tilly said. “But that doesn’t really do much to help us find out where Sophie and Snap are, now does it?” Her voice had a slightly accusatory tone when she spoke that line and Rudy could have sworn there was a slight growl to her voice. Tilly exhaled slowly. She spoke in a forcibly calmer voice. “Look...I don’t want to be angry with you. I just don’t understand... You had always been so trustworthy, and then something like this...” Her voice trailed off and she growled in frustration.

Rudy flinched and looked away from his aunt. He wished she would leave him alone. He wasn’t in the mood to speak to her, and it was clear she didn’t really want to talk to him right now either. They both had a lot on their minds. Both of them were very worried for Sophie and Snap. They had no idea where they were or if they would see them again. And out of the two, Rudy wondered if he felt the worst. After all, he had been told to watch Sophie and he disobeyed.

Tilly spoke up again. Her voice slightly raised in volume, instantly catching his attention. “I just... Why did you disobey? Why did you ‘need’ to get into ChalkZone right at that moment? Please, tell me why you did it. I...I want to understand why.”

“W-Well...” Rudy started to say. He paused, trying to think of how he was going to word it. He realized that he hadn’t really told Tilly much of what happened with him. Now was a good time as any to fill in the blanks for her. “There was this...place my friends and I found in ChalkZone that had this strange writing, light that only affected me, and there was a diary there left behind by Mr. Cosmo.”

“Mr. Cosmo?” Tilly asked, her eyes widening slightly. “The one who created Draow and Bardot?”

“The same.” Rudy nodded his head affirmatively. “And from there, we found out that our school nurse, Jenny, she’s a black chalk user. We had wanted to go into ChalkZone to learn more about that and that Solar Pillars place we found. We just wanted to make sure there wasn’t another hidden through that could endanger ChalkZone, or the real world at that.” He paused, waiting for Tilly to reply. Then he realized there was something else he could add. “With what happened with Bardot we..just couldn’t take a chance. Our foolishness and neglect allowed him to be brought to life. We couldn’t allow history to repeat.”

Tilly stared at him for a few seconds. “I see...” She paused for a moment. She narrowed her eyes. “What’s this about black chalk? I know you mentioned it to me. What is it? Could you explain it to me again?”

“The black chalk is a dangerous type of chalk that corrupts any artist that uses it. I myself almost became a victim to it.” Rudy explained. Tilly’s eyes widened a little more at this. “Mr. Cosmo was a victim of the black chalk. He used to be more like me until he was corrupted. And he started to spread the corruption to other artists, and Jenny turned out to be one of them. Penny, Snap, and I know all too well just how dangerous Mr. Cosmo was, and we just...couldn’t take a chance...”

“And you couldn’t take Sophie into ChalkZone because...”

“I-I don’t know. I thought she’d be safer here. Well I was wrong.” Rudy said, his voice filled with guilt. “I should have just taken her with. She would have been safer with us. I..I...” He sighed. “I guess I just wasn’t thinking straight. I understand that you’re angry at me. I..I deserve it. I made a foolish mistake and all I can say is..I’m sorry.” He looked at Tilly, a tear forming in his eyes. “If something happens to them, I...” He lowered his head. “I don’t know if I could forgive myself.”

He started to cry softly. His eyes closed and he turned his head away. He couldn’t believe he had been so stupid. He couldn’t believe that he had made such a dumb decision. He could have waited. He didn’t have to go into ChalkZone right at that time. Biclops would still have been there. It wasn’t like something major was going to happen in those couple of hours. ChalkZone wasn’t under some kind of attack. There was really no reason, no strong enough urgency, to go into ChalkZone right at that time.

Now Sophie and Snap were taken with no clues as to where they might be. They could be very badly hurt, or even dead, and it wouldn’t have happened if he had just listened to his parents. He couldn’t stop the tears from trickling down his face. Guilt washed over him like a tidal wave. His aunt being in this room right now seemed to make things worse. Looking up at her, staring into her eyes, he was constantly reminded of his mistake, making him feel worse.

“If you came up here to punish me, go ahead.” Rudy said in a quiet voice. “I deserve it. There was no reason why I couldn’t have just stayed behind. So go ahead and punish me.”

He waited for his aunt to say something. He waited for her to dish out whatever punishment she could think of. He waited for her to rant and rave while she did so. He braced himself for the verbal beatdown he deserved for his horrible mistake.

But instead, he was treated with just silence. No word from his aunt. No yelling, no shouting, no nothing. Even her glare was gone, replaced with something calmer. He was confused. She had clearly been angry earlier. She hadn’t been happy with him. Why wasn’t she saying anything? He didn’t have a good enough excuse as to why he left Sophie behind in the real world while he went into the chalk word. There was just no reas for him to do that, and he acknowledged that.

To his surprise, Tilly lowered herself down to him, sitting down next to him on the window sill. She stared at him for a few seconds before reaching out to him with her right hand. She placed it on his shoulder. He stared at her in confusion. Slowly, Tilly started to smile at him. The smile was small and there was still some mixed emotions in there. But over all, it appeared to be a genuine smile.

Tilly said, “We’re not going to punish you.”

That one sentence sent a wave of shock through Rudy’s body. They weren’t going to punish him? Why not? He deserved it, didn’t he? He should have stayed behind and watched Sophie. He should have listened to his folks. It was his fault that both Sophie and Snap were gone. If anything happened to them, it would have been his fault. He deserved some form of punishment, didn’t he? How could Tilly come in here and say that they weren’t going to punish him?

He stared at her, his eyes widened in surprise. He wanted to say something, anything. But his mind was too full of shock to think of a comprehensive sentence to speak. He did try to talk regardless, but it just came out as confused babble. His aunt’s smile never faltered. She never made an attempt to indicate she had been sarcastic or lying. She didn’t do anything that indicated she was going to yell at him. And he couldn’t quite understand it.

“You’re...you’re not...?” Rudy asked in a soft voice. Tilly shook her head. “Why not? Don’t I deserve some punishment? I disobeyed you guys, I...”

Tilly raised her other hand to silence him. “I know. I’m not happy with what you did. Neither are your folks. But we understand you didn’t mean for this to happen. I spoke to your mother and father and we decided punishment was unnecessary. You acknowledged your mistake, and making you feel even worse isn’t going to solve anything.”

Rudy stared at her, still too surprised to speak.

“I will make it clear, though. I am still angry at you. But I’m not going to bite your head off. That won’t help us find Sophie or Snap. Just...” She leaned a little closer to him. “...just promise me you won’t do something like this again, okay? If we tell you to stay out of ChalkZone for a time, please listen to us. Do you understand?”

Rudy nodded his head slowly. “Yeah, I do...” He lowered his head and let more tears flow down his face. “I do...”

“Now now...” Tilly traced a tear from the boy’s face. “Don’t keep beating yourself up, okay? I’m sure we’ll find them, somehow.” Rudy didn’t reply. He just kept crying. Tilly gave him a sympathetic look. “Come here...”

To Rudy’s surprise, Tilly leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. She pulled him into a hug. Rudy froze, unsure of what to do. He remained stiff in her arms for a few seconds before he got himself to slowly relax. Tilly held onto him, gently hugging him. Slowly, he started to hug back. He clung to his aunt, pressing his face against her shoulder and cried softly. His aunt gently rubbed his back in an attempt soothe him.

Rudy felt himself start to feel a little better. The guilt was still there, but as the seconds passed, it became more manageable. His aunt’s comforting words started to have an effect on him, a positive one. He continued to cry, letting out all the negative emotion and all the guilt, all in one go. All the while, Tilly just hugged him, making to attempt to hurry him up. She just let him cry, rubbing his back slowly and pressing her cheek against his head.

After a few minutes, they broke apart. Tilly smiled gently at him, keeping her hands on his shoulders. Rudy did his best to smile back. Tilly said, “Do you feel better now?”

“Y-Yeah...a little...” Rudy said. His voice was shaky and he still felt guilty. But his aunt’s hug did help him feel a tad bit better.

Tilly’s smile broadened a little at this. She reached down and cupped his chin. She leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on his forehead. “I love you.”

Rudy’s eyes watered. “I...I love you, too.” He clenched his teeth as fresh tears stained his cheeks. “I’m so sorry about Sophie and Snap, I...”

“Shh...” Tilly said. Any sign of anger was gone by now. She placed a hand on his cheek and gently caressed it. “We’ll find them.. Don’t worry.”

“I...I hope you’re right..” Rudy said in a soft voice.

He really hoped his aunt was right. There was still a chance that Sophie and Snap would never be found, or if they were, it would be too late. There were no clues, no evidence of where to find them. And no one has spotted them yet. There was no sign of them anywhere. As much as he wanted to believe his aunt, as much as he wanted to be hopeful, there was still a strong chance that his worse fears will be realized this time. There was a chance that everything will go wrong and it would be too late to save them.

Still, he tried his best to remain hopeful. Maybe someone found something by now. Maybe a footprint, or a piece of cloth or something that was out of place. Maybe a security camera somewhere caught something. Maybe there had been more witnesses and they just haven’t come forward yet. Maybe someone had seen something. Anything.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps rushing up the stairs. The door was pushed open so fast that the knob banged against the wall. A startled Tilly and Rudy looked over to see Rudy’s mother standing there. Her eyes were wide with horror and she was taking in panicked breaths.

“M-Mom? What is it...?” Rudy asked, his voice filled with dread. Oh no...please, don’t let it be that... Please..

“Reggie Bullnerd...” Mrs. Tabootie said, her voice choked up with emotion. “He brought Sophie and Snap over... He found them on the side of the road...”

“What?!” Tilly said as she and Rudy nearly jumped from their seats. “Are they okay?”

Mrs. Tabootie had tears in her eyes and she shook her head. “They were both nearly dead when he found them...”

At this, Tilly and Rudy let out a sharp gasp. Their hearts filled with ice, and the uncomfortable sensation spread through their bodies. Rudy shook his head in denial. No, they had to be okay. They just had to be. His body shaking, he rushed forward, running passed his mother and making his way down the steps. The two women looked at him as he ran, and they soon followed close behind.

Rudy’s heart pounded against his chest as he ran down the steps. In his mind, thoughts intertwined and swirled constantly. Dread spread through every nerve, freezing it solid. Nearly dead... No, they couldn’t be that badly hurt, could they? Nearly dead meant...there was a chance he might lose them both.. No.. It couldn’t be true. There had to be some kind of mistake. Maybe Reggie had been exaggerating or something. But that wasn’t right... Reggie wouldn’t exaggerate about something like this.

And when he reached the living room, he froze, his heart nearly exploding from the intense negative emotion that welled up inside of it. His breaths came in shakingly, tears flowing down his face. Renewed guilt swept through him, causing him to tremble. His eyes widened, his pupils dilated, as he stared at the horrific scene before him.

There, laying down on the ground, were Snap and Sophie. They were resting on white, clean blankets, both laying on their backs. They both looked absolutely horrible. Their faces were pale, drained of color. Their faces were contorted in agony, like they had been in a lot of pain when they passed out. And when he moved his eyes up and down their bodies, he could quickly see why. Both of them were covered in wounds. Snap looked like he suffered several burns and had a gash in his stomach. Sophie also had a wound in her stomach, but in addition to that, she had multiple stab wounds. Both of them were covered in blood and their chest movements were painfully slow.

“Snap...Sophie...” He spoke, his voice cracked with emotion, filled with horror and disbelief.

Rudy walked up to them. He stared down at their mostly still bodies. He took in more shaky breaths, his body trembling harder. More tears continued to move down his reddened cheeks. The world around him seemed to darken and he became unaware of everything except for his injured friend and cousin. He didn’t even notice when his mother and aunt came down the steps, nor did he hear his aunt scream in horror at the sight of her daughter and Snap in such horrible condition.

Rudy dropped down on his knees beside them. He looked down at them, soft whimpers escaping his throat. He shook his head in denial. No..this couldn’t be happening..not to them.. What did they do to deserve this? Unable to speak, unable to percieve the world around him, Rudy put his hands to his face and started to sob.

sss

Rudy couldn’t believe this happened. He never would have thought that, when they found Sophie and Snap, they would both be in such horrible shape. He had feared something like this happened, but he was still in such shock and disbelief that it did happen. Who could have done this to them? And why? His blood boiled at the thought of someone hurting two children out of cold blood. Burning Snap, stabbing Sophie... Whoever did this, they were going to pay.

He had been grateful that Reggie brought both of them to his house instead of the hospital. Reggie’s explanation for that was that he wasn’t familiar enough with the roads to go to the hospital, but he did know his address. But regardless of the reason, Rudy was still happy that Reggie made the decision to go to his house instead of the hospital, since Snap could have been accidentally killed there.

Not long after Reggie had to leave, he and his family immediately went to work. Rudy called Penny and asked her to come over. He explained the situation and, after some talking, Mrs. Sanchez agreed to come down to help escort Snap to the ChalkZone hospital. She arrived with Penny as quickly as she could. She carried Snap in her arms while Penny opened up a portal into ChalkZone. As they went into ChalkZone, Rudy helped his folks get Sophie in the car and went with them to a real world hospital. He planned on visiting Snap as soon as possible. His folks did, too.

Upon arrival, Sophie was rushed down the halls and disappeared through the double doors. The doctors told them that they would do what they could to help Sophie and told them to sit down and wait. The doctors had no idea how long it would take, but that they would give them news as soon as possible. Rudy, his parents, and aunt sat down in the waiting room and did the only thing they could do. Wait patiently for the doctors to come back with any word on Sophie’s condition.

It took about an hour before any doctor came bake to tell them anything. All of them got up as the doctor had approached them. They listened intently as the doctor relayed information to them. They were relieved that Sophie was going to make it. The injuries were manageable and she was recieving a blood transfusion to replace the blood that she had lost. The stab wounds she had recieved on her arms and one of her legs, along with the slash over her face, were going to heal just fine. The stomach wound was of concern and she was going to need some mild surgery to help fix the damage done to her intestines.

But overall, Sophie’s condition, although at first appearing grim, was looking good. The doctor doesn’t think she’d be stuck in the hospital for too long. After the mild surgery, she just needs stay for a couple days to make sure there was no sign of infection and to ensure that the blood transfusion was a success. They also wanted to make sure that the wounds to her intestines wouldn’t cause any serious problems and she would be monitored. The doctor said she was very lucky and that her condition could easily have been so much worse. Rudy silently hoped that Snap would have a promising diagnosis as well.

About half an hour ago, the same doctor came back and told them that Sophie was fully stabilized and that they could come up to visit her. He escorted them down the hall to the room where Sophie was being kept. He opened the door and allowed them to go in. To give them some privacy, he shut the door.

The sight of Sophie laying unconscious with those wires hooked up to her was heartbreaking. Her body had multiple bandages on it where the cuts were. Some of them had bloodstains on them and would need to be changed soon. The heart monitor she was hooked up to beeped at a steady rate. Her expression had softened up, and now she looked more peaceful than pained. Her chest rose and fell at a more steady rate, each movement having more strength in it than when she was laying in his house. She had some IV fluids going in her, and there was some blood still being pumped into her.

He and his folks took a seat next to Sophie. His parents on one side, he and his aunt on the other. They watched as Sophie continued to sleep. If they didn’t know any better, they would have believed that she was just resting. She looked peaceful, and if it weren’t for the bandages and hookups, they would have thought she was just fine. But they knew better. She had been hurt, as well as Snap, and they still didn’t have a clue as to why.

As he stared at Sophie’s still face, Rudy’s heart filled with anger as he thought of the bastard who did this to her and Snap. He was going to find out who did it. And when he did, they were going to pay. He clutched a fist tightly, shaking at his side. They were going to pay big time. Whoever did this, they were sick and twisted. Sophie was only eleven years old. What kind of monster would do this to such a little child? He was going to find out who did this. He was going to find them, and he was going to make them regret ever touching her and his friend. No one gets away with hurting his loved ones. No one.

Another doctor came in and called out his folks. He wanted to discuss them about payment options and talk to them about whether or not to go through with the surgery or wait and see if it was even necessary. The doctor wanted to take them to his office to speak. He didn’t want to stress Sophie out in case she woke up and heard what they said. His folks told him to stay with Sophie. Rudy watched as his aunt and parents left, then turned his attention to his little cousin.

“Sophie...” Rudy said in a trembling voice. He sniffled and he reached down and gently stroked his cousin’s blonde hair. “I’m sorry this happened to you.. I should have let you come into ChalkZone with me.. I should have kept an eye on you.” He pulled his hand away and lowered his head, closing his eyes. He let out a few cries. “I’m sorry...I’m so sorry...”

Rudy was surprised when he felt a hand grip his arm lightly. He looked down. His eyes widened at what he saw. Sophie’s eyes were open. Barely, but they were still open and looking up at him. A small, faint smile was on her face. She stared at Rudy for a few seconds, then she spoke in a very weak voice.

“I-It’s okay... It...It wasn’t your fault...”

“S-Sophie...” Rudy whispered, tears flowing down his face. Although he knew now might not have been the best time to ask, he had to know. Even if she couldn’t remember everything right away, he had to at least try to ask the question. “Who did this to you...?”

Sophie’s expression turned fearful. Not of them, but at the memories that were probably swirling through her head right now. She might not be able to remember everything right away, but it was clear that, if there was anything she could remember now, it was the identity of her attacker.

“I-It was...” Sophie said. She stopped and coughed a few times. Rudy gripped her hand gently and waited for her to continue. “Ghadir.... your principal, Tyreek... and your school nurse, Jenny...”

Rudy’s heart all but stopped as horror swept through his body. His face paled and his body started to tremble. “Does...does Jenny know about ChalkZone...?”

Sophie nodded her head weakly. “Yeah...sh-she does... And she has the magic chalk...”

“No...” Rudy whispered as dread overtook his head. Things had just gotten a whole lot worse.


	11. That Boy Will Pay

“What...? Are you sure...?” Penny asked. Her voice was laden with fear.

Snap nodded his head weakly. “Y-Yeah.. I’m sorry, B-Buckette...” He hissed at the pain. “I wish I was wrong about this...”

“It’s not your fault.” Mrs. Sanchez said as she looked at Snap’s bandages. “Now please, hold still. If you move around too much, you’ll hurt yourself.”

Snap tried his best to keep still. He tried to do what Mrs. Sanchez told him to, but it was very hard. The burns were stinging him all over. The burns were tiny, but they were wide spread and the combined pain was unbearable. And then there was this stomach, which he was forced to stab. The human blood had been cleaned out of it, but the damage was already done. There was some internal damage to his intestines, with some holes burned into it, making the damage inflicted from the knife even worse.

He watched as Mrs. Sanchez removed one of his bloodiest bandages from his face and glanced at the wound. Although Mrs. Sanchez hadn’t been given permission to do this, she did still have knowledge on how to treat wounds. She was a vet after all, and she had spent some time in the past learning how to treat wounds on chalk beings. It was not much different than what she did before, except she had to use chalk materials, not things from the real world.

Penny would often assist her, drawing whatever she needed to treat a wound. And for this burns, the woman asked Penny to draw a small thing of chalk water, some cloths, and some ointment. Snap wasn’t sure if the doctors would appreciate her doing this without their permission, but knowing Mrs. Sanchez, she’d find some kind of excuse to give them that would pacify the doctors. And he didn’t mind. He had been treated by her before and she always did a good job.

It had been scary for him to wake up in the hospital room. He hadn’t remembered anything right away, and he couldn’t understand why he was in so much pain or why he was there to begin with. He had attempted to get up, but the severe pain in his stomach forced him to fall down and cry out in agony. It was then that he realized he wasn’t alone in the room. He could hear Penny’s comforting words and her hands gripping on him gently, trying to get him to calm down. He looked up at her with a blurred vision, which sharpened seconds later.

Penny wasn’t alone. She had brought her mother with. Snap couldn’t see Rudy anywhere and wondered where he was. Penny told him Rudy was with Sophie in the real world hospital. She promised him that Rudy would come over to see him as soon as he could. Mrs. Sanchez told him that he was lucky to be alive and that the stab in his stomach could have easily been fatal.

It was then that Snap’s memories started to come back. He recalled how he and Sophie were taken by Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir, if he remembered their names right. They took them out to an isolated area, in a barn specifically, and both were tortured for information. He flinched as he recalled how he had been sprayed by water and Sophie was stabbed. And, to his chilling horror, how he had been forced to stab Sophie in the stomach. It was such a horrible moment. He tried to push it out of his head, but now he couldn’t stop thinking about it. The way she looked at him, her screams, the feel of the knife going into her stomach, it all clung to him and wouldn’t let go, filling him with horrific realization.

He...had wounded someone. He had been forced to stab someone, a little girl, a person he cared about, in the stomach and nearly fatally wound her. The psychological damage was apparent. His heart was overtaken by grief and guilt. He had no idea if she was okay or how long it would take her to recover. He had stabbed her... He should have resisted. He shouldn’t have let Jenny get the laugh on him like that. He shouldn’t have let her control him. Sophie...he hoped she was alright. He hoped that she would forgive him for what he did to her. Please...he didn’t mean to do it...

That had been such a low blow. He wasn’t the type of zoner to do something like that. He wasn’t violent. He didn’t like inflicting harm on others. Stabbing Sophie like that, an innocent little girl, completely went against his nature. He wouldn’t do such a thing even to Mr. Cosmo, even after all the horrible things that man did to him. Heck, he didn’t think he could even do it to Bardot, who was a lot worse than Cosmo. And he had a feeling Jenny knew this. Jenny may have known he was not an aggressive zoner, and forced him to do that just to screw with his head, to strike him where it hurts the most just to be sadistic.

He let out a small hiss and cringed as Mrs. Sanchez pressed the water-soaked cloth against his face. It hurt only for a few seconds, then the coldness started to provide some relief. He relaxed and let her clean the burn marks on that area.

“I’m sorry. Did that hurt?” Mrs. Sanchez asked, her eyes a little wide.

Snap said, “Y-Yeah..but don’t worry. It’s better now... Just a little sting, that’s all.”

“Let me know if it hurts again.” Mrs. Sanchez said as she continued gently rubbing the wet cloth on his face. “Okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” Snap replied.

He laid as still as he could as Mrs. Sanchez cleaned up that burn on his face. When she pulled the cloth back, Snap was shocked to see some specks of blood on it. The burn must have been worse than he thought. He wasn’t sure how it had started to bleed again. At least it was just a small amount. The blood shouldn’t take too long to clot.

Mrs. Sanchez dried his face gently and then applied some ointment on his face. This stung a little, but he resisted the urge to cringe back and allowed her to apply it. The stinging did go away quickly and soon it started to feel rather soothing on his face. After she was done applying the ointment, she had her daughter draw some bandages. She then had Penny lift up his head for her. Mrs. Sanchez wrapped the bandages around his head, carefully avoiding his eyes and mouth in the process. Once Mrs. Sanchez was finished, she motioned for Penny to set his head back on the pillow.

“I still can’t believe Jenny has the magic chalk now...” Penny said after some uncomfortable silence had passed. “And if she’s anything like Mr. Cosmo...”

“She is definitely very similar to him. She forced a sadistic choice on me, just like Mr. Cosmo had with Rudy.” Snap said, cringing at the memory.

“What...what did she make you do?” Penny asked, her voice quiet and filled with fear.

Snap grimaced and turned his head away. “She...she forced me to stab Sophie...and then myself...” A gasp of horror came from Penny and her mother. They looked at him in shock, their eyes quietly asking him if it was true. He lowered his head in shame. “I-It’s true... It was either I nearly fatally wound the both of us, we would be killed... I...I didn’t want to...I..” Tears formed in his eyes as he started to cry. “B-But she made me and..”

“Shhh...it’s okay, Snap..” Penny said as she gripped his hand. “You didn’t mean for it to happen. It’s not your fault.”

“But...” Snap started to say.

“Penny’s right, Snap.” Mrs. Sanchez said as she gently placed a hand on his cheek. “You didn’t initiate that attack on her. They made you do it. You’re not the one to blame. They are.”

“Yeah, don’t beat yourself up, Snap. They won’t get away with what they did to you and Sophie. Don’t worry.” Penny said reassuringly.

Snap gave a smile. He wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind. What could he say? He was happy that they didn’t blame him for what happened. He still blamed himself, however, and he wasn’t sure if the guilt would go away anytime soon. He could have resisted or found someway to get her free. Maybe he could have used the knife to cut the ropes instead and they could have made a run for it. He could have thought of something that might have helped them out of there.

But Penny and her mom were right. He shouldn’t blame himself for what happened. He had done all what he believed he could do. He couldn’t allow those evil humans to mess with him like that. They attacked his heart, his emotions, and if he continued to act this way, they would have won. He had to be stronger than that. He had to remind himself that, in the end, he wasn’t the one to blame. It was Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir who should feel the guilt. They did this to him and Sophie. They were the ones who decided to kidnap them and subject them to horrific torture. And they weren’t going to get away with it.

Snap’s smile faded as another thought entered his mind. He wondered how Sophie was doing. He, Penny, and Mrs. Sanchez hadn’t got an update yet. Not surprised, considering that Rudy was in the real world and it wasn’t like the cellphone signals could cross dimensions or anything. Snap hoped that Rudy would be here soon. After what he was forced to do to Sophie, he wanted to make sure she was all right. And he wanted to apologize to her and make sure they were still on good terms. Sophie seemed to be understanding, but he wanted to be sure.

He was also worried about the fact that Jenny now had the magic chalk. Perhaps now was a good time as any to look through more of the diary to see just how much of a threat she is. He and Sophie got an unwilling taste of what she was capable of. What frightened him was the chance that she might be even worse than how she acted in that barn. It was an uncomfortable thought. She had made him hurt someone he cared about, something even Bardot never tried. What if she would go further than that? What if that was just a mild taste of what she was capable of?

He shuddered at the thought. And now she had magic chalk... He had no idea if she was in ChalkZone now, or if she was going to bide her time. If she was like Mr. Cosmo, she would lay low. At least for a time. It scared him knowing that she could be in ChalkZone, walking around, and he would have no idea if she was here or not. And if she decided to attack him while he was down, well, there was little he could do to escape. He was going to be in pain for a while, even with pain medication. He couldn’t even stand up without being in agony and that was going to last for a while. But, in the end, at least he and Sophie were still alive.

“Snap?” Penny asked, tearing him away from his thoughts. “Can I...ask you something?”

Snap nodded his head. “What is it, Penny?”

Penny glanced at the bandage that her mom just put on his face. “What..what happened to you? How did you get all those burn marks?”

Snap winced at that question. His mind swirled with memories of what had happened. He could sometimes still see that blasted water bottle when he closed his eyes. Ghadir had put it so close to his face. He had been able to see the real world water moving around in there, taunting him. Ghadir smiled at him almost the whole time. No remorse in her eyes, no indication that she felt sorry for what she was about to do. No, she was smiling deviously. She had wanted to pull that trigger and was disappointed when it was called off.

And when the trigger had been pulled, it was like being sprayed with lava. Each droplet, even the tiniest ones, hurt like hell and burned small portions of his skin. It reminded him so much of the vinegar that Mr. Cosmo used on his feet. The sensation of being burned by real world liquid was horrific. He had hoped he would never have to suffer through that again. And then something like this happens. He couldn’t believe how horrible his luck had been. Somehow, he had a feeling that wasn’t the last time he was going to be faced with water torture. A part of him was worried that he would have to endure it again sometime soon. He hoped he was wrong.

He looked at Penny in the eyes. His lower lip quivered as he thought of the intense pain he had been put through. He could still feel the water burning into his face, everyone he had been sprayed. “W-Water bottle..” He said in a soft voice.

“What...?” Penny asked, her eyes wide in horror. “They tortured you with water..?”

Snap nodded his head slowly, closing his eyes.

“But..doesn’t real world water...?” Mrs. Sanchez started to say. Snap looked up at her and gave another affirmative nod. Mrs. Sanchez gasped at this. “Oh my... I..I can’t believe they did that to you...”

Snap looked away. “Yeah... It was horrible. They did it to force Sophie to talk.”

“Those bastards...” Mrs. Sanchez muttered under her breath.

“They just..kept spraying me with water until Sophie spoke...” Snap said, shuddering at the horrible memories plaguing his mind. “And when they finally got her to speak, they found out that Mr. Cosmo had his memories back.. And that Rudy had defeated him. But Jenny..she...she thinks Rudy did it on purpose...” Penny’s eyes widened at this. “Just like Draow, she believes Rudy killed Mr. Cosmo... And she is going to make him pay.” He turned his head and looked at the horrified humans standing by his bed. “I’m sure that is why she had Sophie stabbed so many times... She wanted Rudy to suffer.”

Penny brought her hands to her mouth, her eyes big. “Sophie is only eleven years old...”

“Which makes Jenny’s actions even more disgusting.” Snap narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “The next time I see her I...” He clenched his hand into a fist. “I don’t know what I’m going to do...”

“What else did they do?” Penny asked hesitantly.

Snap opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped when he heard the door open up. He, Penny, and Mrs. Sanchez looked over and saw Rudy walking into the room. A small smile spread across the zoner’s face. He watched as Rudy walked up to the bed. There was a sorrowful look on his face, although Rudy was still trying his best to smile. There was a hint of tears in his eyes.

“Hello, Bucko.” Snap said, smiling up at Rudy.

“Hey, Snap...” Rudy reached down and touched Snap’s shoulders gently. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.” Snap replied. He hissed a little in pain. “Would be better if I wasn’t sprayed by a water bottle...”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror at this. “They did what to you?!” He looked over at Penny and Mrs. Sanchez. They nodded their heads solemnly. Rudy looked back down. He bit his lip, more tears flowing down his face. “S-Snap.. I’m so sorry...” He picked up Snap’s hand and gently squeezed it. “I promise, they won’t hurt you again..”

Snap smiled back. “It’s not your fault, Rudy. Don’t blame yourself.”

“I know...” Rudy lowered his gaze. “I still wish I had done something different, I... I didn’t need to go into ChalkZone right that second. I could have done something else. I could have watched Sophie and waited. I could have...”

Snap raised his other hand, silencing Rudy. “Even if you had stayed to watch Sophie, something could have happened. Jenny might have found another way to have her nabbed. She seems like the type of person who can adapt to get what she wants.” He narrowed his eyes in contempt for that disgusting woman. “She was truly vile...”

“Yeah I know.” Rudy said in agreement. “What she did to you and Sophie was just...inexcusable. Neither of you had done anything to her or her two lackeys, and they..” Rudy stopped, taking in a deep breath to calm himself. Snap could see that his chest had inflated rapidly. The thought of what Jenny had done was clearly upsetting the boy and he couldn’t blame him. “At least you two are safe now and can recover.” Rudy said, a small smile replacing his previous glare.

“Yeah...” Snap nodded. “How is Sophie?” Penny and her mother looked at Rudy expectantly. “Is she going to be fine?”

Rudy nodded his head. “She’s going to need mild surgery, but the doctors’ prognosis for her is looking good. They say she should be out of there not too long after the surgery is complete. The stab wounds were manageable and they got treated.”

Snap, Penny, and Mrs. Sanchez gave a sigh of relief. They were happy to hear the good news. It was nice to know that Sophie was going to be okay and that her injuries weren’t as severe as they thought they were. Her needing surgery was a little worrying, but if the doctors say she’ll be out of the hospital shortly after and if their prognosis was really as good as Rudy hinted, then it wasn’t as bad as they initially thought.

Snap wasn’t sure when his surgery was going to take place. There was some internal damage thanks to the human blood. The doctor that came in earlier didn’t say exactly what time it was going to be. He would guess later today or tomorrow. The surgery was going to be pretty mild, at least when it came to surgeries overall. He suffered similar damage to his stomach as Sophie, only his were a little more serious thanks to the human blood burning the wounds. At least it wasn’t water; that would have been disastrous.

“Snap, what exactly did they do to you and Sophie?” Rudy asked. Snap looked up at him. “Sophie passed out before she could tell me.” Snap grimaced as he recalled what had been done to them. It was not a comfortable subject. “Please, Snap. I know it’s painful, but you have to tell me. What happened?”

Snap paused for a moment. He didn’t stay quiet for long. He had explained some things to Penny and Mrs. Sanchez. Rudy had the right to know as well. As painful as it was to talk about what happened, he had to. It would not be a smart move to just keept quiet about it.

“This is what happened...” Snap began his story.

sss

“This is...perfect...” Jenny said as she held up the magic chalk. She stared at it, watching it glint. It was beautiful...although not as much as black chalk. Though she’d rather use black chalk, the white chalk would have to do for now, until they could get their hands on more. “The return to ChalkZone can finally begin...”

There was a dark chuckle behind her. She turned her head and saw Ghadir standing there. “I wonder if they will remember us.”

“I doubt it. Zoners are pretty stupid.” Tyreek muttered, rolling his eyes. “Even if we told them our names, they’d just stand there, dumbfounded.”

Jenny was standing in her bedroom with Ghadir and Tyreek. It wasn’t really much of a meeting place. Yeah she spruced things up, but it still wasn’t the ideal place she wanted to be. It felt...unprofessional was probably the word she was looking for. But then, where else could she go? She wasn’t ready to expose ChalkZone yet. She hadn’t done what she wanted with it yet. There were still so much to do, so much preparation that needed to be done first.

And of course, there was Rudy Tabootie. The little brat was more trouble than he was worth. Though it would be nice to get the black chalk reawakened inside of him, he was certain to make an excellent ally, her main goal right now was to remove him as a threat. Out of everyone, he was the biggest danger to their plans. If he was able to kill Mr. Cosmo, then he was to be taken seriously. The only other one who had ever defeated Cosmo was Wilter, and luckily that man had been taken care of.

She wondered if she should have just killed him. That would have prevented him from being a threat later on. Then again, what she did do to him would keep him from doing much of anything for a while. Yeah, there was no way he could try to stop them after what she, Ghadir, and Tyreek did to him.

The night that she restored Ghadir and Tyreek’s memories, the three of them had paid Mr. Wilter a ‘friendly’ visit. It had been easy, considering they worked at the same school he did and he saw no reason to be too nervous around him. He had been confused as to why they visited him, but if he was suspicious, he had done a great job of hiding it. When he asked why they were there, Tyreek, being the principal, simply stated he needed to discuss something regarding his job. Mr. Wilter was confused, but before he could say anything, they forced their way into his house.

Tyreek told Mr. Wilter that Ghadir was going to take his place as teacher for a while. Mr. Wilter tried to protest, stating that Ghadir was a lunchlady and wouldn’t know how to handle the teenagers. Ghadir insisted that she could do it, but Mr. Wilter was not convinced. He asked how long this was going to last, and Tyreek’s only response was ‘however long it takes’.

Mr. Wilter was getting uncomfortable as they continued to talk. The longer they stayed, the more suspicious Jenny was sure he had gotten. Mr. Wilter didn’t understand why he needed to take a break from the school and had done his best to convince Tyreek to let him stay, that he felt just fine. But Tyreek said he was not in any condition to work. Now this really threw Mr. Wilter for a loop. He clearly couldn’t understand why Tyreek would say something like that when he was in good physical condition, even for his age. And when Tyreek gave him that eerie look, Mr. Wilter realized in seconds that he was in big trouble.

The man had obviously realized that they had regained their memories of ChalkZone. He had tried to get away, but they already trapped him. They blocked his path and rounded on him, forcing him into the ground. Then they had proceeded to beat him up horrifically, using heavy objects to strike him with, and after he was beaten to a pulp, Ghadir grabbed the butcher knife and stabbed him in the stomach and chest. After it was all over, Wilter was laying on the ground in a whimpering heap, blood spilling all over the ground. The trio had just smiled down at him. It was so satisfying getting some payback against the artist who had stopped the black chalk’s glory.

After they cleaned up the bloody mess they had made, they took Wilter and dragged his battered form outside. They got in the car and they drove down the road. When they came by the hospital, they drove as close as they could to the window. They picked up Mr. Wilter and, uncaring if they hurt him more, threw him through the glass. Wilter let out a strangled cry of pain as the glass shattered and sliced his skin. The three of them then drove off before anyone could see them.

Mr. Wilter paid the price for his defiance against Mr. Cosmo. And now, it was Rudy’s turn. Jenny was not going to forgive him for what he did. Murdering Mr. Cosmo in cold blood...That will not be tolerated. She would make sure he’d pay for that. She didn’t care how. Corrupting him so he would be forced to be one of them, killing him so that he could never be a problem again, torturing him, or even torturing or killing his loved ones. All of them sounded good to the nurse. Any one of them would be able to teach Rudy a lesson.

She had started that when she had Ghadir continue to stab Sophie. She knew Rudy must care a lot for his cousin. And even if the bond wasn’t as strong as she thought, she was still family and Rudy would still feel awful about her being hurt. She wished she could have seen the look on his face when he found Sophie and Snap like that, bloodied and unconscious. She hoped Rudy took a nice long look, because what she did to Sophie and Snap was just the beginning of her revenge against him.

She had an idea of what she was going to do with Rudy. If she knew him well enough, then things will fall into place very quickly, allowing her to launch her move. She still had to be careful, as she couldn’t move too quickly. What she had to do, it required intelligence and the ability to decieve. Thankfully, the black chalk tended to give this ability to its loyal users. And already she formulated a plan in her head. Yes, after she was finished with the boy, he was going to regret killing Mr. Cosmo. He was not going to get away with doing it. She cared about Cosmo more than anyone, and the thought of someone like that boy killing him like that..it made her blood boil.

“When do we make our move?” Ghadir asked, a wide grin on her face. “Are we going into ChalkZone now?”

Jenny stayed quiet for a few seconds. “...No.”

Ghadir looked shocked and disappointed. “Why not? We have the magic chalk. Wouldn’t it be wise to go in now? It’s not like those lowly zoners can do anything to stop us.”

“Yeah.” Tyreek said, sounding just as disappointed as Ghadir. “What was the point of getting the magic chalk if we aren’t going to use it?”

Jenny turned to face the two. “Patience, Ghadir and Tyreek. We will go in soon enough.” She explained. She narrowed her eyes and glanced down at the magic chalk. “We can’t rush things. The boy will be expecting us to arrive as soon as possible, and we all know around when Rudy is likely to enter ChalkZone. We need to wait until late at night and go in while he’s not there.”

“And then we start to wreck the place, right?” Ghadir asked, her eyes twinkling.

Jenny shook her head. She forgot how eager Ghadir could be. Sometimes a little too much for her own good. “I know it’s tempting to do that, Ghadir. But we need to take care of Rudy first.”

“I’d say we just drag him to the Solar Pillars and force corrupt him like we did with some of the more resistant artists.” Tyreek suggested, pointing a finger up to get attention. “That would remove him as an obstacle.”

“Or we could just torture him.” Ghadir said. “Just like we had with those two stupid brats and Mr. Wilter.”

“Both are such wonderful suggestions, but I have another idea.” Jenny said, a dark smile spreading across her face. Ghadir and Tyreek stared at her, waiting for her to speak up. “First, we need to set up an ambush point. And then...” Jenny proceeded to explain her plan to her comrades.

sss

Rudy was seething in anger. Rage filled his blood, practically burning it. Even a trip into ChalkZone, walking along side Penny as he was now, it wasn’t enough to clear his mind of what Snap had told him.

Snap explained the entire story to him. Whatever the little zoner could remember, he relayed the information. At first, Rudy was shocked and horrified by what Snap said had happened. As the story continued, though, anger and hate slowly replaced those feelings. When Snap was finished, Rudy was so boiling with rage that he had to excuse himself so he wouldn’t bite someone’s head off. He went into the hospital bathroom and just sat there for about ten minutes, doing whatever he could to regain his composure.

No one was surprised by how he had reacted. They agreed that what Jenny did was disgusting and vile. Hurting a little child like that...blackmailing...forcing Snap to stab Sophie...it was all unforgiveable. It would seem that Jenny really does have a lot in common with Cosmo. She was just as disgusting as he was, if not even more so. Everything she and her lackeys did to Snap and Sophie was vile and abhorrent. Neither of those two had done anything to deserve what they got. And when Snap told Rudy how, even after Sophie agreed to give them the magic chalk, they still continued to stab her, Rudy thought he felt a vein pop in his head.

The anger inside still continued to burn him. It was the following morning since Snap and Sophie were taken to the hospital. And still he felt his blood boil. The anger did little to die down. He didn’t think it would go away for a long time. Going to school was going to be painful. In about an hour, he and Penny had to go. They had no choice whatsoever. They couldn’t call in sick. The fact that their principal was a black chalk user...that had been horrifying news. It was going to be hard discussing anything in private when he, their lunchlady, and their nurse were all corrupted. They could try something and no one was going to know.

It was scary. But despite how frightening things had become since they found that diary and the Solar Pillars, he and Penny tried their best to stay positive. They had been in tight scraps before. Mr. Cosmo and Bardot both had put them through hell, especially Bardot. And they still managed to come out on top. They would figure this out. They would be able to stop these three evil black chalk users. And somehow, someway, they were going to find a way to permanently end the black chalk’s reign of terror so ChalkZone could finally be at peace.

They had been told there was no way to destroy the black chalk. They had been told how it had some built-in defense, such as enabling black chalk users to create more black chalk. Still, Rudy refused to believe that destroying the black chalk for good was impossible. There had to be a way. Something that Biclops and Wilter had never thought of. He was certain there was a way, somehow, to destroy the black chalk completely.

Speaking of Mr. Wilter, he hoped he was all right. Snap told him that Jenny and her comrades did something to him, something painful, but had no idea what it was. Rudy’s heart clenched at the thought of Wilter being somewhere, possibly dying. He had to be okay. He just had to be...

“Rudy?”

Rudy turned his head over to Penny as he felt a hand on his. “What is it?”

Penny must have been reading his mind. The way she was looking at him, he could see the sympathy and empathy shining in her eyes. He didn’t even need to tell her what he was thinking. She already knew. “We’ll stop them.”

Rudy looked at her. He replied, “I hope you’re right.” He stopped walking, Penny standing beside him. He looked up towards the blue ChalkZone sky. “We’ve faced dire threats before and we always managed to win.” He looked towards the ground, then turned back to Penny. “I just hope that Jenny isn’t where our luck runs out.”

Penny looked at him sympathetically. She took a step towards him and put a hand on his shoulder. “We can do it together. It might not be today, or tomorrow, or the next day. But somehow, we will win. They won’t get away with what they did.”

“Yeah...they won’t.” Rudy said. His eyes narrowed as he thought of the horrific things Jenny had already done. “We’ll take them down.”

As soon as he said that, there was a cold laughter. The two teens stiffened up, their hearts tightening in dread. They looked around for the source of the laugh. They couldn’t see anything at first. The laugh seemed almost omnipresent, like it was coming from all around. But whether or not it was, they weren’t sure. Then they heard the laugh again and this time, it sounded like it was coming from their left side. They shifted their heads to see who it was, but still there was no one in sight.

Then there was the sound of rustling leaves and foliage. The two teens pressed against each other and looked all around. Another cold laugh, more rustling, more noises all around them. Rudy and Penny narrowed their eyes, apprehension filling their bodies. They readied their magic chalk, prepared to fight whoever it was that was threatening them. Rudy looked all around, wondering where they were and why they hadn’t shown themselves yet. Even before they showed up, he had a feeling he knew exactly who it was.

“I know you’re there, Jenny.” Rudy said, his voice filled with venom. “Come on out here...”

Without warning, someone jumped from the bushes and rushed towards them. Rudy turned his head just in time to see Principal Tyreek rushing towards him. The man pulled his fist back and punched him square on the jaw. Rudy cried out and was thrown into the ground. Penny screamed Rudy’s name and rushed to his side. But Ghadir came from the bushes and came towards her before she could do anything. The lunchlady grabbed Penny by the neck and kicked her in the stomach. Penny grunted in pain and fell to her knees. She looked up just as Ghadir delivered another kick to her chest, knocking her onto her back.

Groaning in pain, Rudy got up to his feet. He raised his magic chalk to draw. But he didn’t have time to draw anything. Tyreek punched him on his nose, causing it to bleed and he staggered back. He ended up dropping the magic chalk as he held his nose, crying out in pain. He recovered quickly, but by then, it was too late. Tyreek had taken his piece of magic chalk.

Penny still had hers. She tried to use it, but Ghadir stomped on her arm. Penny let out a cry of pain as Ghadir started to twist her arm roughly. The pain was enough to force her to let go of the chalk. Ghadir took it. Instead of just walking off, she proceeded to stomp on Penny’s stomach a couple of times. Penny cried out again and again as Ghadir slammed her foot on her vulnerable abdomen. Blood trinkled form her mouth.

“P-Penny..” Rudy said, horrified by what was done to his girlfriend. He attempted to get over to her, but Principal Tyreek had grabbed onto him, securing his arms behind his back and pressing the teen’s body against his. Rudy struggled to get free. “Let me go!”

Ghadir grabbed Penny roughly by the arm and yanked her off the ground. She held the female teenager in a headlock, squeezing a little too hard. Penny opened her mouth and gasped for some air. “R-Release us...at once!” Penny managed to say.

“Silence you two!” Tyreek growled. “You are in no position to tell us what to do.”

“Yeah. Be lucky that we weren’t sent here to kill you. Otherwise...” Ghadir squeezed Penny’s neck a little harder, causing her to gag. “..I would be twisting your sweet little neck until it broke...” Penny’s eyes widened in horror at that.

Rudy was horrified, not only by what Ghadir had said, but by the fact that this had happened so fast. One minute, he and Penny were just walking through a forest in ChalkZone. A usually peaceful forest at that. Then something like this happened. There was no warning, no time to react. They had been assaulted and quickly subdued. He couldn’t believe how quickly they had lost, how fast that these two black chalk users had been to disable them. Now they were immobilized, unable to do anything except wait and see what they plan on doing to them.

When he glanced at Ghadir and strained to see Tyreek, he realized something. These were the two in his dream, the one he told his parents about. The figure he didn’t recognize, it had been Ghadir and Tyreek, formed together to create a single person. That was why he didn’t recognize who it was. It wasn’t just one person. It had been two. The dream...it had been warning him about these two.

He didn’t have time to dwell on that. He heard another chuckle. This one sounded different than the others. He recognized the voice instantly. He narrowed his eyes as a third figure came towards them, coming in from the bushes. Sure enough, it was Nurse Jenny. She was walking towards them very slowly, her hands folded behind her back. Even just from the way she walked, she was so much like Mr. Cosmo. And the way she was looking at them, that sneer on her face, that smug expression, that was exactly how Mr. Cosmo would be looking at them if he were still alive.

“Ah...Rudy Tabootie...” Jenny said in a cool voice. She stopped in front of him, smiling darkly in his direciton. “I couldn’t believe how easy it was to catch you.” She tilted her head to the side. “For someone who was able to kill Mr. Cosmo...” There was a dangerous edge to her voice in that sentence. “I would have thought you would be less predictable...”

Rudy seethed. “I did not kill Mr. Cosmo. The idiot killed himself.”

Jenny growled at this. She took a step forward and slapped Rudy hard across the face. The boy let out a yelp. “Don’t you dare speak about Mr. Cosmo that way...” She hissed, glaring at him. Rudy just glared back, a defiant look in his eyes. Jenny’s expression softened up slightly. “I can see you have a lot of spirit in you. Too bad you’re using it for all the wrong reasons.”

“And what you’re doing is horrible!” Rudy yelled at Jenny. “I will make you pay for what you did to my little cousin and friend! That was sick, you know that?”

Jenny just smiled at this. “Consider it payback for what you did to Mr. Cosmo, boy.” She turned her head in Penny’s direction. “Perhaps we should give your girlfriend the same treatment?”

Rudy’s eyes widened at this. “Penny...?”

Ghadir, her arm still tight around Penny’s neck, sneered down at the girl she was holding. Penny hadn’t attempted to talk. She couldn’t. Ghadir’s grip was so tight now that she could barely take in a breath. Rudy could see her mouth open up wide for air. Ghadir wasn’t applying more pressure, but she wasn’t letting up either. She just smiled, getting clear enjoyment out of Penny’s suffering.

“Stop that!” Rudy cried in desperation. “Let her go! What gives you the right?!”

“We give ourselves the right, boy.” Tyreek said simply. “And soon, our rule will control all of ChalkZone. We will complete what our old leader, Cosmo, had been trying to accomplish. And this time, no one is going to stop us.” He lowered his head and whispered into Rudy’s ear. “Not even you, you miserable little chalk hugger...”

“Shut up! Penny doesn’t deserve that kind of fate! Neither did Snap and Sophie!” Rudy yelled, struggling to get free. “I’ll get you for that!”

“Oh pipe down.” Ghadir said coldly. “It’s not like we killed them. Besides...” A sneer spread across her face. “They would have been less injured if they had been cooperative. They brought that fate onto themselves.”

“Fuck you!” Rudy yelled at the lunchlady.

Ghadir’s eyes widened. She then narrowed them into slits and spoke through clenched teeth. “Watch your language...” It looked like she was about to hurt Penny, but Jenny raised her hand to stop her. Ghadir clearly looked disappointed. “What?”

Jenny looked at her briefly. “Let’s not get too hasty... After all, it wasn’t like Snap and Sophie begged for them to get hurt. It is not their fault.” Ghadir looked at the blonde woman in confusion. Before she could say anything, Jenny began to walk slowly towards Rudy. “Isn’t that right, Rudy? It would be...unprofessional if I attempted to pit the blame on those two, don’t you think?” Rudy bared his teeth at her. “But let’s not waste time on that... There is a reason I confronted you here, and now.”

Rudy snarled at her. “What do you want?”

Jenny stared at him intently, widening her eyes just a tad. This made Rudy feel very uncomfortable, especially with the way she was looking at him. “I issue you a challenge. And if you accept, and if you win, I promise I’ll leave ChalkZone for good.”

This prompted Tyreek and Ghadir to look at her with shocked expressions.

Rudy glared at her. “And if you win...?”

“If I win...” Jenny’s smile grew a little psychotic. “Penny dies.”


	12. You And Me, Rudy

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. His heart clenched and he could feel it pounding hard against his chest. His mind reeled with a rush of thoughts. Dread filled every part of his body. Did he hear right? Did Jenny really just say that?

His heart pounding, he looked over at Penny. She was still trapped in Ghadir’s headlock. The large woman was holding her tightly and he could see Penny was having a hard time just taking in a breath. The pressure on her neck caused her face to redden a little. The female teenager was doing her best to try to get herself free. She was pushing against Ghadir, scratching at her arms, anything to get free. But nothing was working and Ghadir just held on tighter.

It hurt Rudy to see Penny rendered helpless like this. She didn’t even have her magic chalk with her and Ghadir was clearly stronger than she was, and she must have a considerable tolerance for pain as Penny digging her nails into her arm and scratching her was doing nothing to loosen her grip. He wanted to do something to help her. Yet he himself was also having problems. He was still being held by Tyreek. The man was having no difficulty in keeping him still and though Rudy tried to struggle, the man refused to let go of him.

Rudy attempted to yank himself from side to side, trying to twist his way out. He was forced to stop when Tyreek stomped on one of his feet, causing him to let out a cry of pain. He turned his head to glare hatefully at the man with one eye. He then looked back at Jenny. The evil nurse was looking at him with her arms folded, a nasty smile spread across her face. A smile that told Rudy that Jenny knew she had him and Penny trapped. Rudy had a feeling that this ‘challenge’ was not going to be optional.

But still, he had to try to resist. The offer that Jenny would leave permanently if he beat the challenge was tempting, but he couldn’t fall for it. There was no guarantee she would actually leave. She just said that to try to pull him in. He wasn’t stupid. She could just pretend to leave and then attack in the middle of the night or something. And threatening Penny like that... No, he couldn’t accept the challenge. He didn’t want Penny to get hurt. He had no idea what Jenny was really planning, but he wasn’t going to allow her to toy with him like this.

“I...I refuse!” Rudy declared, snarling in Jenny’s direction. Jenny cocked an eyebrow. “Do you think I’m that dumb?! You’re just going to rig it so I’ll lose! And even if I win, you won’t stay out of ChalkZone! You just want to lure me into a false sense of security!” Rudy shook his head. “No I’m not doing it!”

For a while, Jenny just stared at him. Her expression was blank, giving it an eerie look to it. Even her smile was gone. It almost looked like she had turned into a statue. The only signs of life from her was her inflating and deflating chest as she took in each breath. Rudy kept glaring at her, refusing to let up. As uncomfortable as it was, he maintained eye contact with her. He wanted to make sure the message got through her thick skull.

Then, slowly, Jenny turned her head to the side. Her eyes widened ever so slightly. Her pupils dilated a little. There was a flash of black in her eyes. Rudy gave a quick shudder. That blackness in her eyes, it reminded him so much of Mr. Cosmo. It reminded him of when he himself had been controlled by the black chalk. Thankfully, the black in Jenny’s eyes didn’t last long. Just a few seconds. But those few moments of seeing it were enough to send a chill up his spine, unwanted memories coming up to the surface. Still, he did not back down or change his mind, and he kept glaring defiantly at her.

Jenny gave a small smile. He couldn’t tell what kind of intent it had. It was...such a blank smile, he had no idea what to think. Was it an evil smile? A knowing smile? What was it? He tried to make sense of it, but Jenny did nothing to indicate just what the intention behind the smile was. She just stood there, that same blank smile on her face. It was almost...robotic. Rudy realized that Jenny must be pretty good at hiding her emotions if she so desired to. Was she doing this to hide some evil intent, or was she just doing this to screw with his head? In the end it didn’t matter; whatever the reason, she was succeeding in creeping him out.

The smile didn’t stay blank for long. It soon broadened into a hideous grin. The grin only lasted a few seconds, but Rudy was able to catch it. A calmer smile replaced it and the nurse looked over at Penny for a few seconds. She gave Rudy a sideways glance. Her teeth were partly exposed in a small grin.

“Is that your final answer, Rudy?” Jenny asked. Rudy glared at her and nodded his head. Jenny shrugged her shoulders. “That is such a shame, Rudy. I would have thought you’d jump at the chance. Still...” She tapped her finger against her chin. “...I don’t want this meeting to be all for nothing. I need to do something to make it...worth my while.” Her eyes snapped wide as a thought clearly entered her head. Her palm opened up quickly to emphasize. “..Oh! I know!” She moved closer to Rudy and leaned in towards him, an evil grin on her face. “I could make you want to take the challenge.”

Rudy looked at her in disgust. He turned his head to the side a little. “Why would I ever accept a challenge from you?”

Jenny laughed coldly at this. She threw her head back and started to walk in circles around Rudy and Tyreek. Rudy kept turning his head, glaring at her cautiously. Tyreek did nothing except keep his focus on the boy. He had a smile of his own, like he knew exactly what Jenny was going to say. Rudy had a very bad feeling about this, but he did his best not to show any fear.

Jenny began to speak in a low, cold voice. It sent cold chills through Rudy’s body. The way she was speaking...it was very uncomfortable to listen to.

“Once upon a time, there was a little boy who had committed his own little crime. He dared to deny it, so foolish was he. He was given a generous deal and yet he had shot it down. And he refused to kneel before the superior ones. So the nurse took matters into her own hands For she knew how much the boy cared, his dear little friend, a shame they fell into her plans. Now that little boy must check whether or not it was worth it to refuse as the nurse gives the orders 'break her neck'.”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror at this. He stared at Jenny in disbelief. She...She couldn’t be serious, could she? No, she can’t do that. Rudy shook his head in denial, mouthing the word ‘no’ over and over again. His breath quickened and he looked over at Penny. She was looking at him with fear filled eyes. Ghadir was sneering down at her, looking satisfied by her fear. Then Jenny raised a hand and pressed her fingers together.

“No..please...” Rudy begged.

But Jenny did not listen. She snapped her fingers, the resounding sound filling his ear drums. As soon as she did this, Ghadir started to twist Penny’s neck. The teen let out a cry of pain as Ghadir gripped her head and started to turn it roughly, trying to bend her neck far beyond its flexibility. Penny struggled frantically as her neck was being twisted like this. Tears of pain flowed down her face and she let out a few cries of agony.

Rudy watched this scene in horror. He tried to get free of Tyreek’s grasp. The man just held onto him tighter, glaring down at the boy. Rudy twisted his body left and right, trying to yank it free. He watched in absolute terror as Penny’s neck was slowly being broken. He looked over at Jenny with wide eyes, silently asking her ‘why?’. Jenny did nothing more than continue to smirk at him. She looked over at Ghadir and looked very pleased by what she was doing to Penny. Everytime Penny let out a scream, Jenny’s smile broadened just a tad, and soon she had a grin stretching almost ear to ear, Penny’s screams obviously music to her ears.

“No! Please! Stop that!” Rudy called out, tears forming in his eyes. He didn’t know how much more Penny could take. Her head already looked like it was at an odd angle. “Let her go!”

Jenny turned to Rudy. That eerie smile on her face caused his blood to turn to ice. Shudders swept through his body as the evil nurse approached him slowly. She reached over and placed a hand on his cheek, the same one she slapped not too long ago. “If you want her to live, dearie, you must accept my challenge.”

“A-And what is this...challenge..?” Rudy asked, staring at her with a mix of anger and fear.

Jenny chuckled. “It’s very simple, really.” She put her face close to his. He could feel her breath against his face. “I challenge you to a magic chalk duel. If you accept, you will come with me. Alone. I’ll take you somewhere where we can have our duel. I will provide a piece of magic chalk for you so you can fight back.” She suddenly pressed her forehead against his so hard that Rudy flinched from the pain of bone slamming against bone. Jenny didn’t seem to have a reaction. “If you don’t accept...” Her voice was low and hissing. “..your friend over there will be a little...neck impaired...”

At this, Penny let out a scream as Ghadir twisted her neck even further.

Rudy stared at this with wide-eyed terror. “Penny! No!” He let out a cry of pain when Jenny grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled on it. He winced and stared at Jenny with one eye, the other shut tightly from the pain.

Jenny looked at him up and down before she eerily licked her lips once. “So if I were you, little boy... I’d accept the challenge. Unless of course...” She gave a sideways glance over at where Penny was. “..you don’t really care about her that much...”

Rudy glared hatefully at Jenny. He then looked over at Penny, his face filled with horror as he watched her struggling in pain. Her head had been turned further. He hadn’t heard the resounding snap of the neck yet, but he knew it was coming very soon. If he kept quiet, if he refused, Penny was going to have her neck broken, and there was nothing he could do about it. Well nothing except accept the challenge.

But could he really do that? Could he take such a gamble? If he lost, Penny would be killed anyway. And if he won...he would just be led into a false sense of security. There was no way Jenny would keep her end of the bargain there. She’d come back into ChalkZone. She had the magic chalk. She could enter this world at any time. There was also no doubt that she would steal more magic chalk. She and her lackeys could invade the Chalk Mine and take whatever they wanted from it. Biclops might not be able to stop them, and he might put himself in danger if he tried to.

The challenge was too much of a risk for him to take. He was not going to get any real benefit from it. In the end, it was Jenny would benefit most from it. It didn’t matter if he ended up taking the challenge or not. Penny was still going to die, unless he managed to beat the challenge, and then, it was just going to be a wasted effort. Jenny might stay out for a short time, but it wasn’t going to be permanent. She’d come back, and she might kill Penny anyway.

But he couldn’t just let Penny die... If he had the power to at least delay her death, he could. He listened to her cry out in pain. Each scream filled him with more fear and sadness, making his body shake with emotion. Tears formed in his eyes. It hurt him so much to see her this way. He realized...he really didn’t have a choice. Jenny was determined to force him into this challenge. He tried to find another way outl, but he saw nothing. He glared at Jenny, noting her evil smile and expectant glance at him. Rudy’s frown slowly faded and he lowered his head in defeat.

“O-Okay...I...I’ll do it...” Rudy said, his eyes closed. “I’ll accept your challenge. Just please...stop hurting Penny...”

Jenny smiled at him triumphantly, that nasty grin still on her face. She looked over at Ghadir and made a motion with her hand. The lunchlady looked disgusted and disappointed. But nonetheless, she listened and loosened her grip on Penny a little. She still held her in a headlock, but Penny looked obviously relieved when her head was no longer being twisted. The teen looked over at Rudy in shock and disbelief. Rudy stared at Penny for a moment and then lowered his head again.

“R-Rudy...” Penny said, her voice sounding a little strangled. “You..can’t...Don’t...”

At this, Ghadir slammed her fist hard against the top of Penny’s head. It wasn’t hard enough to knock Penny out, but it was enough to cause her to cry out in pain. “Shut up, you little louse!”

“Penny!” Rudy cried out.

Tyreek released the boy, pushing him into the ground. Rudy let out a grunt of pain. He looked up at Penny, the two locking eyes. Horror radiated from them both. He tried to get over to her, but he felt a hand grip his arm and yank him back. Rudy looked over and saw that Jenny now had a hold of him. She dragged him about a foot away. He struggled to get free. But her grip on him was like a vice. He watched as she lifted up the magic chalk and began to draw.

In seconds, Jenny had drawn a car. Not an overly fancy one. Pretty basic, but it still looked functional. Jenny drew the car keys and stuck it in the keyhole. She unlocked the doors, a click sounding out. She opened up the back door. When Rudy took a look inside, he quickly realized that there was a glass shield, which would prevent him from crawling through to the front and wrestling with her, not that he’d want to try to do that unless he had a death wish and didn’t mind crashing. Jenny pulled him towards the open back seat door, twisting his arm a little and causing him to wince.

Jenny looked over at Tyreek and Ghadir. The man took position next to Ghadir, his arms folded and clearly waiting for orders. Penny had tried again to wriggle free, to no avail. She was staring over at Jenny and Rudy with wide eyes and clenched teeth. Ghadir’s own stare was on Jenny herself as she, like Tyreek, waited for their next command. Rudy hoped that Jenny planned on letting Penny go now. He accepted the challenge. He looked up at Jenny, silently pleading with her to let Penny go.

But Jenny clearly had other ideas. She looked at her two lackeys, no expression of sympathy for Penny showing in those blue eyes of hers. Exposing her teeth in a psychotic smile, she made a dismissing gesture to the two other black chalk artists.

“I don’t want her going for help. I want to have some...fun with the boy.” She glanced down at Rudy and pressed her finger under his chin. He yanked his head away and growled at her. “I need to play with him for a while. I need to..break him a little. Weaken his spirit. I know how to do that, too...”

“So what should we do with Penny, then?” Tyreek asked, casting a sideways glance down at her. Penny looked up at her captors with a fear-filled expression. “Are we to just stand here and wait for you to return?”

Jenny shook her head. “No.” She made another gesture with her hand, turning her head to the side and staring in their direction with a knowing smile. “Pummel her. Beat her to a pulp.” Rudy and Penny’s eyes widened in horror at this. In contrast, Ghadir and Tyreek smiled. “Don’t stop until she has no chance of getting up and calling for help. I don’t care what you do to her. Just don’t kill her.”

“Oh don’t worry about that...” Ghadir said, casting an evil smile on the frightened Penny.

“We won’t...” Tyreek cracked his knuckles.

Rudy cried out, “Penny!”

Penny looked over at him and called out, “Rudy! Help me!” She was silenced when she was thrown into the ground in a loud thud. She let out a grunt of pain. She looked up and screamed as Tyreek kicked her in her stomach.

As Ghadir and Tyreek began to beat up Penny, Rudy struggled against Jenny’s grasp, trying in vain to get over to her. He was unable to get free and he was shoved into the car. The door slammed before he could get out. He pressed his face against the window as Jenny climbed into the front seat. He watched, his body shaking and his heart clenching, as Penny was ruthlessly attacked. Her screams echoed in his mind and tears flowed down his face. Penny..no...

“Quit your sniveling.” Jenny said, her voice made of ice. “At least she will survive.”

Rudy shot her a hateful glare. He looked back and he was horrified to see Tyreek holding Penny up by her neck and Ghadir throwing punches at her stomach. Penny had a couple bruises on her face and he could see blood trinkling out of her mouth and nose. He could do nothing but call out Penny’s name as the car was revved to life and Jenny started to take him far away from his friend. Soon she was out of sight, but he still shouted her name, hoping, praying she would be okay.

sss

Jenny grinned at what was happening before her. Rudy had crawled right into her little game. Either he was not as bright as she thought, or she had been clever enough to fool him. How silly of him to believe Penny would escape unharmed. No, she never planned on letting Penny go scott free, not without suffering a little bit. Having her lackeys rough her up a bit would be satisfying enough.

And now here she was, standing in a large cave system with Rudy positioned several feet away from her. The magic chalk she had given him glowed, providing a little bit of light. Not that it really mattered. This cave had a bunch of little red lights all around, forming a complete circle. The red hue gave an almost ominous appearance to the ‘arena’ that she and Rudy engaged each other in. It was beautiful. A perfect set up for their little game she was playing with him. Their sticks of white chalk added some extra glow, but they were easily overpowered by the red light.

Fighting this boy had been fun. He did put up a good fight. Yes, he would have made a marvelous addition if he didn’t make the mistake of choosing his worthless friendship to zoners over the power that the black chalk provided. The boy could have been a lot more than he was now. No wonder Mr. Cosmo seemed to take a liking to this boy. He really did have talent and it showed in their battle. Although she had been holding back a little, she was still amazed at how well he performed. If only he put those skills to a more...worthwhile cause...

The little brat made a huge mistake when he killed Mr. Cosmo. And of course he would deny it. Rudy just didn’t want to face the guilt of what he had done. He seemed like a kid who didn’t like the idea of hurting someone else. Even in his fighting, she noted that he used more defensive tactics and attempts to disable; he refused to draw an actual weapon like a sword or gun. Given this information, it wasn’t too much of a stretch to conclude that Sophie had been right, and that he’d never willingly hurt or kill another human being. For the most part... He must have made an exception with Mr. Cosmo, and now he feels guilt about that and denied doing it. How disgusting...

No matter. He was going to pay for all that soon. After this battle was over, he would start to regret what he did. She had big plans for him. Oh yes, big plans. She wondered how he believes he would get out of this mess. After all, what she was about to do to him, he had never encountered before. It was something that she and Cosmo had been working on to ‘relieve’ themselves of the white chalk pests. She never got to use it before, but now was a perfect time to try. And the boy walked right into it.

Jenny grunted when she suddenly felt Rudy slam into her. She mentally slapped herself for being so lost in her thoughts that she failed to notice the boy coming at her. She was pressed against the wall. Rudy had drawn a long, metal pole. He gripped the two ends with his hands and pressed it against Jenny, keeping her pinned against the wall. He glared hatefully at her, his teeth clenched tightly. Jenny just smiled evilly at him and kneed him between his legs.

Rudy’s eyes widened, tears moving down his cheeks, and he let out a scream. He staggered back, still gripping on the pole. He seethed, his body trembling. Jenny took this chance. She quickly drew a long, sharp sword, sparkling with electricity. She rushed at him before he had a chance to react. Gripping the handle of the sword, she mustered up as much strength as she could and struck down. The bar being made of metal, the electrical current was quickly drawn into it. Rudy let out another scream as electricity coursed through his body. He let go of the bar and nearly fell into the ground.

Laughing maniacally, Jenny pulled the sword back, holding it high above her head. “Now would be a good time for me to try that procedure!”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. The sword came down quick, becoming nothing but a blur of silver and yellow. Rudy rolled out of the way seconds before the sword slammed down into him. The loud clang of the sword echoed throughout the cave tunnels. Jenny wasn’t upset that she missed and she just sneered in in his direction. She held up the sword and rushed at him again.

Rudy got his magic chalk up and quickly drew something. Before Jenny could reach him, the brat had drawn up a shield in front of him. He backed up quickly, narrowing his eyes as the sword struck down on the shield. Sparks of electricity flew everywhere as the glass shattered. Jenny winced as some of the glass cut her across the face, causing a little bit of blood to move down her cheeks. She paid little attention to it though as she focused her attention on Rudy.

“How very clever...” Jenny said, giving a light chuckle. “I don’t suppose you have anymore parlor tricks for me, do you?”

“Screw you...” Rudy hissed as he held up the magic chalk.

“Watch your language, there, little boy.” Jenny said casually.

Rudy growled at this. “I won’t let you get away with what you did to Snap, Sophie, and Penny.”

Jenny shrugged her shoulders. “Well if you were trying to teach me a lesson in this duel...” Jenny’s sneer spread across her face, almost from ear to ear. “You’ve been doing a piss poor job of it. Come on, oh ‘great creator’ or whatever these worthless zoners call you. Try to stop me. Go on..I’ll stand perfectly still...”

She watched as Rudy started to round the corner and come at her from a different angle. She braced herself for a second, preparing for their collision. Then she got another idea. She looked down at the shattered pieces of glass and then at Rudy, who was barreling his way towards her. She lowered herself and grabbed a piece of glass. She paid little attention, gave no reaction, as the jagged pieces of the glass started to cut her hand. She ignored the blood that started to drip from her hand as Rudy came closer to her.

The boy had took out his magic chalk and was starting to draw. It only took seconds for Jenny to realize he was trying to trap her in something. Well she was not going to allow him to have that kind of fun. She rushed forward as the boy came over to her right side. She whipped around and grabbed Rudy by his arm and yanked him forward. She slammed the piece of glass across his left eye.

Rudy screamed and staggered back when Jenny released him. She smirked in satisfaction as he writhed in pain. He had his left hand against his injured eye, blood pouring from the wound. Rudy’s body was shaking and he let out low whimpers. Instead of attacking him, Jenny felt it was more fun to just watch him suffer for a little while. The blood came fast, covering the ground below him. Tears poured out of the uninjured right eye, staining his cheeks red, almost matching the blood stained one. Rudy attempted to move his hand away from his eye, but each time he tried to open his left eye, he screamed and put his hand over it again.

In the brief moments that his hand was removed, Jenny could see that the eye itself was undamaged. Well mostly. She had doubts that the eye would go blind, but she did scrape the cornea and iris a little. Most of the damage, though, was the sliced eyelid and the skin around it. This is where most of the blood was coming from. The sight of Rudy in pain like this was so satisfying, filling her heart with positive emotion. It wasn’t enough retribution for Mr. Cosmo, but it was a lovely start.

“You were a fool to accept a duel from me, Rudy. Not like you had a choice.” Jenny said. She started to walk over towards Rudy slowly, her hands and arms folded behind her back. “Because you knew that you either had to accept this challenge, or your little friend died. What a sadistic choice forced upon you, don’t you think?”

Rudy seethed in both anger and pain. He glared at Jenny, his breaths coming in shaky and ragged. His body continued to tremble from what Jenny recognized as anger and pain. “F-Fuck you..bitch...” Rudy said in a pain-filled voice.

Jenny’s eyes widened a little at that. She then narrowed them. “What did I tell you about foul language, boy?” Rudy just glared at her. Jenny’s evil smile returned, noting the look in the boy’s remaining unharmed eye. “Ah...I see you still believe you can win this challenge. Well face it, child. Your damaged eye is going to slow you down. And without your depth perception, how do you think you’ll stand a chance against me?”

Jenny did her best to hide her true motivations behind this challenge. She had been lying to the boy. She had no plans on killing Penny even if she did win. It was all just a lie, partly to toy with Rudy, and partly to hide what her real plans were. And so far, the boywas doing a marvelous job being fooled. He had no idea what was coming for him. When it was all said and done, he was going to wish the damaged eye was his only problem.

Rudy gave a pain-filled smile. “Y-Yeah well...If Cosmo could fight me well with one eye...I can fight you with the same limitation...”

Jenny stared at the boy in shock. “You took out his eye...?” She did not give the boy time to respond to that. Anger filled Jenny’s chest, the uncomfortable sensation sweeping through her body. “You little fucker!” Almost forgetting about her plan for several seconds, Jenny took the glass she still had in her hand, stained with blood, and struck across Rudy’s left hand, cutting deeply across the top. Rudy screamed. “You are going to regret that!”

She dropped the glass and pulled back her fist. She punched Rudy right against his injured hand and eye. The boy let out a bloodcurdling scream. Blood splattered all over her hand and the ground. Rudy started to stumble back. Jenny rushed towards him and pushed him into the ground. She pinned him down, her hand grabbing his throat. She squeezed hard, causing him to gag. Rudy kicked his legs wildly and he tried in desperation to push her off of him.

Soon the boy was able to get her off of him. He managed to pull a leg back far enough and kicked her against her chest. The nurse tumbled across the ground. She looked over at the boy hatefully. Half blinding Cosmo? Killing Cosmo? Oh that little brat was going to pay. She was going to wait for this, but she decided now was a good time as any to activate her little trap.

She smiled evilly at Rudy, letting out a dark chuckle. Rudy climbed up to his feet, staring at her in anger and confusion. He gritted his teeth and put his right hand out in front of him, clutching the magic chalk tightly. She stared at this, nothing just how perfect it was. Yes, this posture was the best for what she was about to do.

“I am going to stop you...” Rudy said through his pain. Determination was laced on his voice. “I will protect ChalkZone from you and your comrades. I swear it...”

“Oh really now?” Jenny asked innocently. She began to circle Rudy slowly. She kept a distance away, watching in amusement as he glared at her, his body tense. “There’s so much you don’t understand, Rudy... If you would just embrace the black chalk, you’d be blessed with that knowledge. But because you don’t, you put yourself at a disadvantage.”

“I know enough to know I am going to beat you somehow..” Rudy said, narrowing his eyes further.

This just made Jenny laugh harder. “Such a foolish child. I am gifted with the knowledge of the black chalk. I know a lot more than you do. I know the way the chalk here interacts, how it seems to come to life. I know how zoners are like a combination of flesh and chalk, and how it all comes into play.” Rudy glared at her and kept his defensive stance. His magic chalk was raised, prepared to draw. Her eyes glinted black at this. “You think you know so much about magic chalk, don’t you, little Rudy?”

Rudy growled at this. “If you’re trying to play mind games on me, it’s not going to work.”

“Oh, not at all...” Jenny said, her tone a playful mock. “But you see... There’s so much you can learn..” She stopped in front of Rudy, giving him an eerie smile. He looked apprehensive at this, causing her smile to broaden. The boy was tensed up, knowing that something was coming. But he had no idea what was about to unfold. “Let me show you a few things that you don’t know...” She snapped her fingers.

At this, the chalk in the boy’s hand started to disintigrate. Rudy stared down in shock, his eyes wide. The chalk crumbled into dust in a matter of seconds. The chalk dust clung to his fingers. The boy was at a loss of words, clearly not understanding what just happened. Then, seconds later, the chalk dust glowed brightly and Rudy let out a cry of pain. The chalk started to bore into his skin, absorbing into it. The bright lights rapidly died down as the chalk disappeared into his body.

Jenny watched this, amused. She then narrowed her eyes. “The artist who got away... Cosmo’s killer...” She spoke, her voice unusually dark. “It is the beginning of the end for you.”


	13. It Begins

Rudy let out a cry of pain. He jerked back, his body trembling. He pressed his hand against his eye. His other eye stared forward, wild with pain. He clenched his teeth and let out a hiss of pain. “That hurts!” He cried out.

Mrs. Sanchez stared at him. “I know, but you have to let me apply the disinfectant.” Rudy shook his head. “Please, Rudy. It’s just going to get worse if you don’t let me do this.”

“No..” Rudy kept his hand over his eye and took a step back. “It hurts too much...”

Rudy knew that he wasn’t acting appropriately for this situation. He had been cut in the eye. And by a broken piece of glass no less. The eye and the area around it had become very tender and swollen. Agony wracked through his face even before Mrs. Sanchez did anything. He knew he had to get the wound clean, but the pain of the woman even just lightly touching it gripped him with severe agony. He wished there was another way to do this.

He hadn’t been able to open his eye since the attack. That just complicated things more for Mrs. Sanchez as she sometimes needed him to open his eye a little so she could clean some of the harder to reach parts of the lid. She also needed him to open his eye for a length of time so she could assess the damage. She said he was very lucky that all he has was a scrape across the eye. Well yeah, lucky, but it was incredibly painful. Even just moving his eye hurt him. That made it difficult to just look around, since he can’t move his eyes independantly.

“Now, now, son..” Mr. Tabootie said, looking at his son sympathetically. “You need to let her clean your eye. It’s just going to get worse if you keep letting it go. Please, hold still and let her help you.”

“But...” Rudy started to say, still holding his left eye protectively.

“Your father’s right, Rudy.” Rudy turned his head to look at Penny. She sat down on the couch not far from him. She looked at him with a sympathetic expression. “My mom knows what she’s doing. Just let her help you. Your eye might get worse if you don’t get it treated.”

Rudy’s expression softened as he stared at Penny. He recalled how they had found her. Not long after he that magic chalk somehow disappear into his skin, he had managed to get away. He didn’t know if Jenny just let him go or if she had actually tried to stop him. Whatever the case, he got away. It wasn’t easy going through the forest without his depth perception, no longer able to gauge accurately how far away something was. He still managed pretty well and headed off where Penny was last seen.

When he had found her, he was horrified by what he saw. Though Tyreek and Ghadir were long gone, Penny had been left in that spot. He remembered how he had started to cry when he saw what kind of state she was in. There were no broken bones, but that didn’t make the scene any less horrific.

Penny’s clothes had several rips and tears in them from where she was cut up by something sharp. Small cuts covered her arms and legs. She had been beaten to a pulp. Several dark bruises covered her body, and there was swelling everywhere, especially on her face. Blood covered her body, some of it trinkling out of her nostrils and mouth. A lot of atttention was paid to her right leg. The other leg suffered damage, too, but there was a lot more on the right. Huge dark bruises covered it and there was a deep gash in her calf. It was like they wanted to prevent her from walking but didn’t want the extra effort of breaking her leg, so they just improvised.

He had managed to wake her up, but she was in so much pain that she was mostly unresponsive. She could only let out groans of pain. He had tried to help her to her feet. But though she could stand, the pain in her right leg caused her to buckle forward and back onto the ground. He realized there was no way she was going to be able to walk like this. She was going to need help. He proved that assistance. He looped her arm across his shoulder and held on, allowing her to lean against him as she walked. He was happy that, though still unresponsive, she still managed to walk pretty okay.

Getting her back to the portal was not an easy task. The process was slow and painful. He did manage to run into a familiar face. He had no idea what Lars was doing around these parts, but he didn’t question it. He asked for the bear’s assistance, and he gladly gave it to him. He lifted Penny up and carried her as Rudy lead him towards the portal. With the bear’s help, Rudy was able to reach the portal in a faster amount of time than he would have had he done this all by himself. He thanked Lars, and helped Penny through the portal.

Her mother and his parents were horrified when they saw what kind of condition they were in, especially Penny. The adults immediately helped the teens into the living room and did what they could to help. Mrs. Sanchez treated both of them, using whatever knowledge she had at her disposal. She first treated Penny, which made Rudy happy as he was more concerned about her than his own well being. Penny’s conscious state was improving. Soon she was no longer in a dazed state and she became more aware of her surroundings. Her mother patched her up, treating her injuries to the best of her current ability.

Now there Penny sat, multiple bandages and small ice packs on her body. The most heavily bandaged areas were her face and even more so, her leg. He could see small blood stains from areas that were still bleeding a little. Laying down next to Penny was some old cane his parents found. Penny was to use it to help herself walk. Mrs. Sanchez said it should only be temporary and that she should be able to walk without the cane in a few days, provided that the wounds on her leg are properly cleaned everyday.

And now it was his turn. He was less cooperative than Penny, partly due to the fact that the eye is a very sensitive organ. It was hard for him to hold still and let the woman go to work. He managed to keep himslef from moving for a little while when she used a wet cloth to wash the wound, but after that, it was hard for him not to try to get away. His instincts were telling him to run and hide somewhere to protect his injured eye. His head was telling him that everything was okay and that Mrs. Sanchez was only trying to help, but that did little calm himself down.

But Penny and his father were right. He needed to let Mrs. Sanchez do her work. She had the highest level of medical knowledge of any of them. There was no way he could treat the wound himself. He’d need help. Penny could help, but even if she were in top notch condition, she didn’t have the same level of knowledge and experience her mother had. When it came to something like the eye, Rudy knew it was best just to go with someone with more experience.

Rudy wasn’t entirely concerned about school. At the moment, he should already be there, but if Principal Tyreek had been in ChalkZone, he guessed that there was a good chance that school was closed down for today. Turned out, he was right. He guessed that Tyreek, Ghadir, and Jenny wanted some extra time to do what they wanted. So school was shut down for today. He wasn’t sure how. Maybe the principal convinced the rest of the faculty that there was some kind of electrical issue. However he did it, school was closed for today, which he didn’t mind.

School being shut down meant that he had time to have his and Penny’s injuries cleaned up and patched without worry of speeding things up. It also gave him time to talk to his folks about what had happened and figure out where to go from there. They needed to know what happened. They needed to talk about this. He and Penny had just been assaulted in ChalkZone. A course of action was needed.

But first, he needed to have his eye taken care of. The stinging pain caused a tear to form in his undamaged right eye. If he didn’t get it treated soon, it was going to get infected. And if that happened, he might not be able to use the eye properly ever again. He couldn’t have that. He did his best to relax so that Mrs. Sanchez could go to work.

“Okay...” Rudy conceded, slouching his shoulders. “I-I’ll try...”

“That’s a good boy. This procedure will go a lot smoother if you are cooperative.” Mrs. Sanchez made a gesture with her hand. “Now come on over here.”

Though reluctant, Rudy walked over to where Mrs. Sanchez was. He stopped right in front of her. As she reached for him, he cringed, but soon stopped himself. He told himself to hold still, and that it would all be over soon. He couldn’t run away. They were right. The wound was going to get worse if he didn’t allow it to be treated. He just hoped that Mrs. Sanchez would be gentle and not hurt him much.

Mrs. Sanchez placed her hand under his chin and gently gripped it. She turned it until he had his head was now positioned at an angle that made it easy for Mrs. Sanchez to analyze the wound. Rudy could feel her fingers touching his face, the area around his eye. He hissed in pain a few times as she assessed the extent of the damage. Then she took the cloth she tried to use on him before, applying a little more disinfectant ointment on it. She began to apply it to the wound on his eye.

Rudy grunted in pain and let out a whimper. Mrs. Sanchez whispered an apology a few times as she continued to apply the stinging disinfenctant. Once there was a thin layer of the ointment on his injured eye, Mrs. Sanchez took a clean, sterile patch of cloth and pressed it gently against his wounded eye. He let out a cry of pain and cringed back. Mrs. Sanchez didn’t let up, although she did slow down a little to try to lessen the pain. She took out some bandages and began to tie them around his head, securing the patch in place.

Once she was finished, Rudy took a few steps back. The eye still hurt, but it felt a little better now that it has been treated. He looked around the room, taking note of the expressions from his family and friends. It did feel a little awkward not having a lot of depth perception, but at least it was just going to be for a little while. He could make do in the meantime. It could have been a whole lot worse.

Rudy turned to the woman and said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Mrs. Sanchez replied. “You’re going to need to keep your eye covered for a while. After your eye heals enough, you can switch over to an eyepatch until your eye heals enough that you can open it again without experiencing discomfort. Okay?”

Rudy nodded his head in understanding. “Got it.”

“Rudy...” Mrs. Tabootie said, fumbling with her hands nervously. “Just..what happened?”

Rudy realized that he hadn’t relayed the information to them yet. Then again, it was understandable. They had been horrified when they saw their children come in so badly hurt and they would have wanted their wounds to be treated first. Rudy was more focused on making sure Penny was safe and got treated. It almost slipped his mind to tell them exactly what had happened.

Now was a good time as any to tell them. It wasn’t going to be easy. Things haven’t been looking so good for them lately. For the past two years, everything seemed to be okay. And then now, this. Sophie and Snap kidnapped and tortured...Penny beaten... Him with his eye sliced up, looking more horrific than the wound on his left hand. And he knew that this was all just the beginning. He didn’t know when it was all going to end, when it would be over. He could only hope that they find a way to stop that evil trio and fast.

“Penny and I were...ambushed...” Rudy said in a quiet voice.

A collective gasp of horror from the adults. They looked at each other, murmuring softly.

“You two were attacked?” Mrs. Tabootie asked cautiously.

Rudy nodded his head. “We were going for a walk to clear our minds, and then we were suddenly attacked by Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir. They took away our magic chalk and Jenny forced me into a duel. Ghadir almost broke Penny’s neck as a way to force me to comply.”

The adults were horrified by this. They looked over at Penny. Their eyes shined with an unspoken question. It didn’t take much to know exactly what they were thinking.

“It’s true.” Penny said. She glanced down at her leg and winced. She looked up towards Rudy’s parents, and then at her mother. The two locked eyes and Penny rubbed the back of her neck. “She just...kept twisting it. She would have broken it, too. She almost reached that point...”

“Was she the one who..?” Mrs. Sanchez asked, her eyes moving up and down her daughter’s injured form.

Penny nodded her head, flinching at the memory. “She ordered Tyreek and Ghadir to...beat me up.”

Mrs. Sanchez gasped in horror. “What?! Why?!”

“Because...” Rudy spoke up. His eyes narrowed angrily, and he tightened his left hand into a fist. “She wanted to make sure Penny could go for help so that our ‘duel’ wasn’t interrupted...”

“That’s horrible...” Mrs. Tabootie said, her eyes narrowed. “That vile woman...”

“What else happened?” Mr. Tabootie asked, sounding just as angry with Jenny as the others.

Rudy began to relay the information of what happened after that. “She took me to this large cave and we had a magic chalk fight in there. During the fight, I managed to get the upperhand, but that didn’t last. She grabbed me and cut my eye with a broken piece of glass, as well as my hand. She blames me for Mr. Cosmo’s death, so when he heard about his left eye being taken out, she punched me on the same eye she wounded and just went nuts.”

He took note of the horrified expressions everyone in the room was giving, Penny included since she did not witness the fight. Rudy frowned a little as he recalled that duel. Jenny had not been fighting fair. She targeted him in the eye and between the legs. Both were low blows. And he was certain she knew that, as well. She purposely targeted those areas to gain an undeserved upperhand.

He continued, “After that, she..did something with the magic chalk I was using. She said how there was a lot about magic chalk I needed to learn and how she wanted to show me somethings I didn’t know about it. She snapped her fingers and the chalk just..disintegrated and went into my body.” Rudy looked at his right hand. There were no signs of what happened remaining on there, but sometimes he can still feel the pain or see a faint glow, though he coudn’t tell if he was just seeing things or not. He looked back at the others. “The chalk just absorbed into my skin. It was....so painful..” He shuddered. “I never felt a pain like this before...”

It was true. He wouldn’t say it hurt worse than what he and Penny were subjected to with Barodt. But the pain did feel unique. The way it felt..it was unlike anything he ever encountered before. It was like a bunch of tiny needles spread throughout his body, poking him just enough to cause pain. But with all of it combined, it became almost unbearable. The pain seemed to flow differently than other forms of pain. The intervals were random and so was the amount of pain he felt.

He shuddered when he recalled the nurse’s words to him. Strangely, he hadn’t felt any adverse side effects from what happened. He almost thought that he was going to be ripped apart from the inside out. But that didn’t happen. The only thing to remind him of what happened was a dull pain that sometimes spread through his hand and a little past his wrist. He didn’t know if Jenny’s threat was a bluff or if she had been serious. So far, it appeared to be a bluff, or perhaps she meant something else by what she said. He wasn’t about to simply dismiss her claim, though. It was too big of a risk to do that.

He felt someone grab his hand, snapping him back to reality. He turned his head to see Mrs. Sanchez gripping his hand. She had turned it over so she could take a look at his palm first. She ran her thumb along the skin, gently pressing down as she analyzed the area. She then turned the hand over and examined the top, gently pressing her fingers against the skin.

“You say the chalk got absorbed into you?” Mrs. Sanchez asked.

Rudy nodded his head. “Yeah. Just pulled right in.”

Mrs. Sanchez released his hand and said, “I don’t see any signs of damage. But I might need a microscope to take a look.” She stared at Rudy. “Do you know what this sort of thing will do?”

“No.” Rudy shook his head. “I never experienced anything like this. I don’t even know if there will be any adverse side effects.” He stared at his hand. “All I can say for certain is that it hurt.”

“That might be a sign something is wrong.” Mr. Tabootie said, looking at his son with great concern. “Pain is never a good thing. If the chalk hurt going in...” He paused for a moment, taking in a breath. “You may need to have that looked at.”

Mrs. Tabootie said, “But how? We can’t take him to a real world doctor. If it’s magic chalk that was involved...”

“We can’t take him to a ChalkZone hospital either.” Mr. Tabootie said. “His blood would dissolve any needle they use to try to get a sample.”

Penny spoke up. “We could bring some stuff with us. That might work.”

“Yeah, it could.” Mrs. Sanchez nodded in agreement. “I have some medical supplies they can use. They’re mostly for animals, but they should work on humans as well. I’ll go get them as soon as I can.”

All of a sudden, Rudy felt very tired. He was confused and started by how suddenly it set on. One minute, he was just fine, listening to his friends and family discuss what to do next. And now, he was suddenly taken over by some severe grogginess. He did his best to fight back, struggling to stay on his feet. He felt his body sway a little, although he managed to keep himself from falling down.

He didn’t understand why he felt so tired. He got a good night’s sleep. He was well rested. And yet he kept closing his eye, some kind of ache in it. It wasn’t painful; it was the type of ache his eyes would get in the past when they were trying to close. His body started to feel a tad weak. Not tremendously so, but it was noticeable, causing his body to shake a little like he had been working out too much or something. He put a hand on his head and he staggered back. He almost tripped over something and he nearly knocked something else down.

“Rudy? Honey?” Mrs. Tabootie asked, her eyes wide with worry. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, son...you don’t look too well...” Mr. Tabootie said.

“I-I’m fine...” Rudy mumbled. His words slurred a little as his mind grew groggier by the second. His right eye kept opening and closing and he stared off blankly, no longer focused on his folks or anyone. His body swayed a little more but he was able to regain enough strength to keep from falling down. He put his hand on his head. “I’m just sleepy, that’s all..”

“Tired?” Penny asked, sounding alarmed. She glanced at the clock, then back at Rudy. “It’s not even noon.”

Mrs. Sanchez rushed over to Rudy and stood in front of him. She placed a hand on his head. “You do have a slightly high fever. Come on, I’ll help you to your room.”

With that, Mrs. Sanchez held onto Rudy’s arm. Mrs. Tabootie came over quickly to offer more assistance. She grabbed her son’s other arm. Working together, the two women helped to guide Rudy up the stairs. Penny and Mr. Tabootie watched, their worried eyes focused on Rudy. Slowly, Rudy, his mom, and Mrs. Sanchez went up the stairs. He was grateful for their help. He didn’t think he would be able to make it without them.

They took him over to his bed. They helped him up the ladder so he could reach the top where his bed was. Rudy collapsed on the bed, the grogginess becoming too much for him. He wasn’t aware of much of anything after that. He felt someone’s hand on his head, possibly his mother’s, and some concerned chatting between the two women. The world around him was getting darker, less clear. Soon, as his right eye shut, he succumbed to his tiredness and, even though it was still morning, he went to sleep.

sss

“Darn cane...” Penny mumbled under her breath. “That’s the fifth time I almost tripped over something...”

“Well at least you won’t have to use the can for long.” Rudy said, offering her a smile. “At least there’s that.”

Penny knew Rudy was right. The cane was just temporary. She didn’t have to use it for long. Or at least, her mother didn’t think so. It was still an adjustment. She never used a can before, well obviously, and learning how to walk with it took a little bit of time. She was so used to being able to walk on her own that she had to keep reminding herself to use the cane to help carry her weight. There were times when she would almost trip over because of a mistep she’d make when she completely forgot about her leg injury.

It wasn’t like she was alone, though. Rudy had some trouble navigating the school hallways without his left eye working. But at least he could still walk and move around without a cane. That was one positive thing about it. Not that his injury wasn’t any less severe. She sometimes cringed as she thought about the glass slashing against her friend’s eye. The pain must have been unbearable. Her mom did check his eye the best she could and didn’t find anything in particular that suggested anything got in his eye. That did provide some relief.

Speaking of Rudy, the way he almost passed out the other day was horrifying. She had never seen Rudy get that tired so fast before. It wasn’t even noon, and he looked like he was about ready to collapse. The fact that he had a fever was very concerning. He had just been fine earlier that day. She had a hard time believing that a fever could onset that quickly. Though her mom said it was possible, Penny still found it very strange. This had to be related to the chalk absorbing into the skin. There was nothing else she could think of.

“Rudy.” Penny said, making sure she was quiet enough that no one around them could hear. “I think we should go see Biclops.”

“Oh?” Rudy looked at her. “Why?”

Penny narrowed her eyes. “You know very well why.”

“Oh...” Rudy’s right eye widened a little when he realized what she was talking about. “Well I feel fine now...”

Penny shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m sure that magic chalk that got into your skin is what made you so tired the other day. I think it’s doing something to you and Biclops might have an answer as to what that is.”

“Maybe.” Rudy frowned. He looked left and right to make sure there were no students nearby. “But it might have just been a fluke thing. Maybe I just wore myself out too much and didn’t realize it because of adrenaline. I was fighting Jenny and she was tough. I could have exerted more strength than I realized and just, well, passed out when my body realized how much energy it actually used.”

While Penny understood where Rudy was coming from with this, she had her doubts. Something about this whole thing just didn’t add up. Rudy had exerted strength before and he never collapsed like that. He never got a fever. There was something different that happened this time around. And the only thing that changed was that ‘chalk absorb into skin’ thing that Rudy told them about. So, thinking logically, it was safe to assume that the chalk was doing something to Rudy. But what? She had no idea.

It had been two days since the incident and so far nothing else had happened. Rudy’s fever had gone away by the next day and he did feel a lot better, no longer so groggy and tired. So she could understand why he felt it was unimportant. The fever hadn’t caused him any problems all of yesterday and so far nothing today. But she just didn’t want to take that chance. What if Jenny did something horrible to Rudy? Black chalk users could create new types of chalk. What if this was one such chalk? What if its purpose was something far more sinister than they realized?

“I think we should pay Biclops a visit after school.” Penny said in a firm voice. “We really should get you looked at.”

“I’m fine, though. I’m telling you, I was just a little too tired.” Rudy said.

Penny shook her head. “And I’m telling you there is something else wrong. You were never tired before. Even after you fought Mr. Cosmo, you didn’t just collapse in the middle of the day. Rudy, something is wrong and you need to see Biclops. If you don’t come willingly, I’ll drag you in.”

Rudy glanced at her leg. “With that leg?”

Penny narrowed her eyes. “Don’t understimate me...”

Rudy held up his hands in self defense. “I’m not! It’s just that...” His voice trailed off. He froze where he stood. He took in a deep breath and then he said, “I just..don’t know.. It seemed like everything was fine... I haven’t felt sick again since that day. Jenny might have been lying.”

“And what if she wasn’t?” Penny asked.

“I thought about that. She doesn’t seem like she’s very trustworthy. Still, I just..have mixed feelings about this whole thing. And I don’t even know if Biclops could help us. What if he doesn’t know anything about this?” Rudy turned his head to the ground, avoiding eye contact with Penny.

Penny hobbled a little closer to Rudy. Steadying herself with her cane, she leaned forward and put her free hand on his shoulder. “I don’t know, Rudy. But we won’t know unless we try to speak with him.” Rudy didn’t reply. He just stared at Penny. She could see that, though he might try to hide it, he was very worried. “Let’s go see Biclops after school, okay?”

Rudy stared at her. Then he slowly nodded his head. “Okay... I’ll go.”

Penny smiled at him. “Glad to hear it.”

The two of them began to make their way down the halls. School was about to start soon and they needed to get into their classroom. Neither of them liked the idea of being in the same room as Ghadir. But at least, in the school, they couldn’t do anything without drawing attention to themselves. Yesterday, Ghadir hardly even paid attention to them, so today was probably going to be the same thing. Jenny and Tyreek, who they sometimes see in the hallways, also didn’t really do or say much to them. And all for the same reason. They didn’t want to blow their covers.

Penny hoped that Mr. Wilter would recover soon. She missed him, and so did Rudy. During their visits with Sophie and Snap, they learned about what happened to Mr. Wilter. Penny was horrified and disgusted by how Mr. Wilter had been attacked like that. They did manage to visit him once, but he was still in a coma-like state. The beating was much more savage than any of them had realized. The doctors say he might not be out of the hospital for a couple of weeks.

But at least he was safe. The hospital was pretty secure, and Jenny and her minions haven’t shown much interest in going after Wilter again. They seemed more focused on getting back into ChalkZone, which they succeeded at, and then starting up some kind of plan. Oddly, they hadn’t noticed them in ChalkZone at all yesterday. This did not mean that they put their guard down. They all knew that, at any moment, those three could show up. She and Rudy weren’t expecting an attack, and they both suffered greatly for it.

She recalled how horrified Tilly, Snap, and Sophie were when they got the information on what happened to them. They couldn’t believe how viciously she and Rudy were attacked. They were relieved to learn that she and Rudy were going to be fine and that their wounds had been treated by Penny’s mother. Snap wanted to go find Jenny and give her a piece of his mind. But Penny told him that wouldn’t be a good idea in his condition. He still needed to heal up. Snap understood, but he was still upset by the whole thing. So were Tilly and Sophie.

Speaking of Snap and Sophie, they recently had surgery the other day. It was a bit of a coincidence that their surgeries were on the same day, but at least they got done. They had to leave their visiting time with them earlier so that they could be prepped for surgery. They did want to visit them in the morning, but their folks felt it would be best to wait until the afternoon so that Snap and Sophie had a bit of time to recover more from the surgery. It might have been minor, but they’d be so drugged up that they wouldn’t be able to carry out much of a conversation.

From what Penny remembered, Snap and Sophie weren’t going to be in the hospital for too much longer. She thought she heard something about them being released in a few days with heavy bandaging around their stomachs. They would be given instructions on how to clean the wounds and then rebandage them. She wasn’t sure if she would remember the instructions or not, but her mom was a vet, so it didn’t matter. Her mom would be doing most of the medical stuff with them anyway. In fact, the past couple days, it was her who changed her and Rudy’s bandages. So she would be able to help treat Snap and Sophie just fine.

She looked forward to seeing Sophie and Snap again. She wanted to see how they were doing. Although the surgery wasn’t that major, at least compared to what could have happened, she still wanted to make sure they were doing okay and healing fine. There was the chance of complications during surgery and she wasn’t sure if they encountered any. The doctors didn’t really say anything about it, but they also didn’t deny it. So something might have happened, and the doctors just weren’t telling them for whatever reason.

Her thoughts shifted over to Biclops. She hoped that the giant would have some information about what was happening to Rudy. The chalk absorbing into his skin didn’t sound right. It wasn’t what magic chalk should do. It just didn’t seem...natural was the only word she could think of. Something was very wrong. The giant was Mr. Cosmo’s creation and she didn’t have a doubt in her head that Biclops might have bore witness to a lot more terrible things at the time than just what he told them. There was a chance that maybe, just maybe, he had seen something like what was happening to Rudy, and if so, he could provide valuable information.

She hoped that, whatever was wrong with him, it wasn’t anything too serious. If it caused that fever, she hoped that it wouldn’t do any worse. The idea of Rudy contracting some unknown virus or bacteria was frightening to think about. And if there was something terribly wrong, she hoped that it could easily be treated and stopped before it caused too much damage. She wasn’t sure what she would do if she ended up losing Rudy so something she was powerless against.

Wanting to get her mind off of it, Penny said, “Hey, Rudy. Do you think Snap would want to play a quick game of cards when we visit him?” She waited for Rudy to answer. She was a little confused. She tried again. “Hey Rudy? Did you hear me?” Still nothing. Concern started to grip her. “Rudy?” She looked over and her eyes widened at what she saw.

Rudy stood in the middle of the hallway, about a foot behind her. Her heart clenched as she saw him sway back and forth like he had before. But this time, the sways were more pronounced and he had an even harder time standing up. He had a blank look on his face, his eyes completely unfocused. Penny could have sworn there was a little bit of drool in the corner of his mouth.

“R-Rudy...?” Penny squeaked, her mind swirling with thoughts. “What’s wrong?” There was no answer. Rudy suddenly collapsed on the ground. “Rudy!” Penny cried in horror. She dropped down to her knees next to him. She gripped him by his shoulders and shook him. “Rudy! Wake up!” He didn’t reply. Trembling with emotion, tears forming in her eyes, she pressed her hand against his head. She let out a startled cry and pulled her hand back. Rudy was burning up.

Penny attempted to hold Rudy up herself. But it was too hard supporting him and herself with the cane at the same time. She was going to need some help. She looked around. The hallways, at the moment, were empty, no student in sight. She bit her lip. How was this going to work? She was going to need some help. But she didn’t want to leave Rudy behind, even though he was in no danger at the school. But then..what if Tyreek, Ghadir, and Jenny took advantage of his weakened state...?

Luckily, she didn’t have to wait too long to figure out what she was going to do. At that moment, she heard foosteps heading down the hallway, and a whistling sound. Her eyes widened a little at that. She knew that whistling anywhere. And as the figure turned the corner, she saw exactly who she was expecting.

“Reggie!” Penny called out.

The large teenager stopped in his tracks. He turned and cast his brown eyes in Penny’s direction. “Sanchez? What do...” He stopped when he saw Rudy on the ground. Although he was not exactly friends with Rudy, his eyes still widened in shock and concern when he saw Rudy laying prone on the ground. “What happened to him?!”

“He passed out.” Penny said. She pulled herself off the ground using her cane. “Help me get him home.”

“But we aren’t allowed to leave school grounds without consulting the principal.” Reggie pointed out, raising a finger. “Shouldn’t we...?”

“I’ll take care of it later. Right now, Rudy needs help, fast. His parents will know what to do.” Penny said, cutting him off. “Now please...can you help me?”

Reggie stared at Penny for a few seconds. Then he nodded his head. “Okay.”

Penny was happy that Reggie agreed to help. He was still not the friendliest student, but he had mellowed out over the years and was more cooperative. She watched as the large child went over to Rudy and knelt down. He, being larger and stronger, was able to hoist Rudy in his arms very easily. He then turned and followed Penny as she headed out towards the parking lot.

It was true that they could get in trouble for leaving the school grounds early, but right now she didn’t care. The principal was an evil black chalk user and she doubted that she’d get permission to leave even if she asked him. She would come up with some kind of excuse later if she had to. Right now, she needed to get Rudy help as soon as possible. As they made it out to the parking lot and Reggie began to guide her over to where his car was parked, Penny cast a glance at Rudy’s unmoving face and silently hoped that he was going to be okay.


	14. Unknown Anomaly

Penny couldn’t believe the turn of events that took place. She felt stupid for allowing Reggie to take them. She should have known that he would have been a little reckless driving. She should have realized that he might end up driving a little too fast. And now, here they were, in the one place that she hoped Rudy wouldn’t end up.

A real world hospital.

There was no getting around it. When the officer pulled them over when Reggie was driving too fast and drove through a red light, he had noticed Rudy in the backseat, groaning in pain. The officer was horrified by Rudy’s state and attempted to escort them to the nearest hospital. Penny wasn’t sure what to say. She wasn’t sure if they should resist, since they had to get him to his house, not to a hospital, at least not one in the real world. Reggie did attempt to resist, but he didn’t think things through, and wound up making the officer believe that they had done something to Rudy and were trying to ‘dump’ his body.

This landed them in some quite hot water. The officer had them both arrested while Rudy was taken by another police officer to the hospital. Penny tried to stop them, but she and Reggie were shoved into the car and driven off before she could do anything. She expressed anger towards Reggie, who didn’t understand how it was his fault. He shut up when Penny pointed out they wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t been speeding.

It took a while for Penny to get things cleared up with the police station and prove that she and Reggie were innocent. It took a lot of talking, a lot of explaining, and her mother and Reggie’s dad were both called in to confirm their stories. Their parents were not very happy to see them when they came down. But they did lighten up when they realized what happened. Well Penny’s mom did anyway. Reggie’s dad was still not happy. No surprise. His son was speeding and could have caused an accident. He took Reggie home and she overheard him talking about how he was going to have to pay off the fine the police placed on him for the reckless driving.

The police did apologize for the mixup and allowed Penny to go free with no charge, since she was not the driver of the vehicle. Penny wasted no time and told her mother about Rudy being sent to the hospital. Worried about what they might find, they rushed over as soon as they could. It took them a little while to figure out just which hospital he was taken to. By the time they got there, Rudy had been in there for probably half an hour to forty-five minutes. This scared Penny as it meant that they had plenty of time to look at his blood. What if they found something chalk related in it?

There was nothing she could do at this point. She and her mom did attempt to get Rudy out of there. But none of the doctors would let them see him, let alone get him out. They tried to come up with some kind of story. Unfortunately, the doctors weren’t easily fooled and they insisted that Rudy stay for some testing. All Penny and her mom could do was sit down and wait and hope for the best.

Penny hoped that they wouldn’t find anything suspicious in Rudy’s blood. If they found traces of black chalk or white chalk, what were they going to say? What would they do? Would the black chalk try to possess them, too? These thoughts frightened Penny. So much could go wrong with Rudy being here. She hoped that the tests reveal nothing chalk-related, but that was just wishful thinking. With all the testing she was certain they’d do, they were bound to find something in his blood. And if they did find something chalk-based in his blood stream, how were they going to react?

It was an uncomfortable thought that she couldn’t shake off. They could order more testing, delve further into it... They might even realize what it might do, should they do enough of the right testing, and there was nothing she could do to stop them. Her mother attempted to comfort her, but that didn’t stop Penny from worrying. Everything could soon go horribly wrong, and all because she trusted Reggie to drive them back to Rudy’s place. They also could have avoided this whole thing if they just stayed home, but no, she didn’t think something like this could happen.

It was difficult telling Rudy’s parents about what happened. Her mother had called them on her cellphone and spoke to them. Though Penny could hardly hear what they were saying, she could tell Rudy’s parents sounded very worried. Her mom informed them of the passing out in school and how he ended up in a real world hospital because of some unfortunate events. She didn’t go into detail about them, though if they really wanted to know, Penny could tell them herself.

Rudy’s parents weren’t here yet. They would try to be here as soon as they could. This hospital was further away than the one Sophie was staying at. It frustrated Penny. Why couldn’t that officer at least take Rudy to the same hospital as Sophie? Well there was nothing she could do about it now. She hoped that, by the time Rudy’s parents come over, that there would be some news regarding Rudy’s condition.

Oh who was she kidding? That was very unlikely to happen. They wouldn’t be able to make the connection. They don’t have the right equipment to detect chalk-based things. They might see chalk in his blood stream. They might wonder what it is. But even if they did connect it to being the source of Rudy’s agony, what could they do? There was no medicine they could inject him with that would help him. And it was very likely that they will never find out what was wrong with Rudy. They might thing it’s some unknown disease and try to keep him here for as much testing as possible.

That would not be good news. It would mean delaying Rudy the help he desperately needed. It would mean an increased chance of the doctors possibly being led to ChalkZone. It meant more time would be wasted as Rudy gets worse and worse. She knew they didn’t have that kind of time. They had to find a way to get Rudy out of here and fast. But how? Nothing she and her mom tried worked with these guys. Oh, why didn’t they just stay home...?

“Don’t worry, Penny.” Mrs. Sanchez said gently, trying to cheer her daughter up. She put her hand on her shoulder, prompting the teenager to look at her mom. “I’m sure everything will turn out okay.”

Penny appreciated that her mom was trying to look on the bright side of things. But it did little to comfort her. “How do you know? What if they find...?”

“That is a possibility. But that doesn’t mean they’ll know what it does. I think it’s a bit of a stretch for them to realize what the black and white chalk actually do. They’ll probably think it’s nothing.” Mrs. Sanchez said. She tried to sound hopeful, but Penny could detect some doubt in her voice.

Penny tried to be more positive. She didn’t like spending too much time thinking of the negatives. That never got them anywhere. If she had done that with Mr. Cosmo, and then later Bardot, they might have ended up worse somehow. She had never given up in the past, and she wasn’t about to start now.

Still, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that maybe, this time, positivity wasn’t going to help her. Maybe, this time, there really wasn’t a way out. It was a thought that frightened her. She didn’t like feeling this way. Yet it was still a possibility. Though her mom tried to cheer her up, tried to help her understand that things may not be as bad as they look, that didn’t stop Penny from worrying. After all, if the doctors find something with Rudy’s blood, and if they, somehow, find a way to realize what magic chalk actually is, what was there she could do to stop them?

Before Penny could say anything else, she and her mom heard the door slam open. She expected it to be Rudy’s parents, but it turned out to be someone else. They looked over to see what appeared to be a tall, thin doctor. He made his way over to them, holding a clipboard in his hand.

“Hello, my name is Dr. Valentino.” The doctor said. He reached out and shook Mrs. Sanchez’s hand and then Penny’s. “You’re friends with Rudy Tabootie?”

“Yeah.” Penny said. Her mother nodded affirmatively.

Dr. Valentino nodded in acknowledgement. “Normally, I would wait for his parents to come before I relayed information. But I’ll make an exception this time. Just don’t go telling anyone okay?” He flipped through his clipboard and read the data on it. He shook his head, rubbing his head in disbelief. “We aren’t sure what to make of this. We ran a lot of blood tests on the boy to try to figure out what’s wrong with him. But what we end up finding, it has us completely baffled.”

Penny felt a sting on her heart. Did this mean that they found something chalk-based? Her heart started to beat a little faster. “Wh-What did you find?” She asked, her voice having a fearful tinge to it.

Dr. Valentino shook his head. “We ran test after test, but no matter what, we always found the same thing.”

“And that is?” Mrs. Sanchez asked. Penny could tell she, too, sounded nervous.

The doctor looked at them in the eye. His expression silently told them he was very unnerved by whatever he had found. Penny felt an uncomfortable sensation well up in her chest. The way the doctor was looking at them... To her, it felt almost like a confession, that yes, they did find something chalk related. If that were the case, what was she going to tell them? What were they going to do? How much did they figure out?

“Well...” The doctor finally spoke up after a bit of silence. He bit his lip and he looked down at the paper for a second. He turned his eyes back to her and her mother. They both stared at him expectantly. “We found nothing.”

Penny felt like a weight was lifted from her shoulders. It was a relief that the doctors didn’t find anything chalk based in him. Maybe their equipment was just unable to detect it, or they felt it unimportant. But this bit of news was also a bit of a double edge. If they didn’t find anything, then...what was wrong with Rudy? How was the chalk doing this to him if the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with him?

Or maybe they did and just didn’t know what was causing it. The doctor hadn’t gone into detail yet. Before she jumped to conclusions, she should wait and see what the doctor had to say. She just hoped that, whatever Dr. Valentino had to say, it was not as bad as it seemed. But given that Rudy had actually passed out...yeah the likelihood of it ‘not being as bad’ was painfully remote.

Dr. Valentino said, “Well almost nothing. We ran all sorts of tests and checked various levels, but nothing seems to add up. The boy has a very high fever and a high white blood cell count, but that high count is the only thing we’re detecting. We suspected that it was an autoimmune problem, but there’s no signs of damage in an isolated area of his body. The white blood cells aren’t even attacking anything. They’re just reproducing like mad.”

Mrs. Sanchez gasped at this. “I never heard of white blood cells increasing in numbers like that unless they know or think they’re attacking a foreign substance.”

“Indeed.” Dr. Valentino said. “It is very strange. And the number of white blood cells is increasing, offsetting the natural ratio they should have with the red blood cells. His blood stream is getting packed with the white blood cells, which is interfering with the transfer of nutrients. We don’t know yet how this led to his fever, though. Fever is associated with disease, but since the white blood cells aren’t attacking anything...” He gave a small shrug. “We just don’t know.”

Penny wasn’t sure what to think of this. Like her mother, she hadn’t heard of something like this happening. Granted, the human body could do a lot of things and there were so many conditions out there that do really bizarre and strange things. This could be another one. But still, this wasn’t something she heard of. She didn’t know if it was really possible for white blood cells to increase like that without attacking anything. She wasn’t sure if fevers could spontaneously appear without the presence of germs.

A ChalkZone hospital might be their best bet. They might have a better idea of what’s going on. But even that wasn’t a guarantee. Even with the real world equipment thing solved, there was a chance that even a hospital in ChalkZone can’t find anything. She hoped she was wrong. She hoped that something could be found that they could use to help Rudy. Anything at all...

“We would like to keep him overnight for observation.” The doctor said. “When Rudy’s parents come in, I will speak to them about that.”

Penny’s eyes widened at this. Keeping Rudy here overnight? Oh no...that might make things worse. Rudy needed help and the only place that might have some answers is in ChalkZone. If he stayed overnight in the real world, the chalk would continue to do more damage to him. There was a chance that Rudy couldn’t even wait overnight. She had to find some way to convince the doctors not to do that. But what could she say? The doctors would think she was nuts if she tried to get them to agree to release him within an hour or so to go home, especially with his condition.

“That sounds fine.” Mrs. Sanchez said. Penny looked at her mom, trying her best to hide her shocked expression. “I’ll inform Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie when they get here. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

Dr. Valentino smiled grimly. “Thank you.” He turned around, facing the door. “I’m going to have a couple more tests run on Rudy. Still a couple we haven’t tried yet.” He gave Mrs. Sanchez and Penny a sideways glance. “I’ll come back with the results. It shouldn’t take too long.” Penny and her mom nodded in understanding. “After that, you two and his parents may go visit him.”

With that, the doctor disappeared down the hallway. The doors were pushed open. Penny stared off after him as the doors swung shut. Then she turned and glanced at her mother. With no one else around to see it, she did little to hide just how shocked she was.

“Mom...! We can’t let them keep him here over night!” She said in a hushed voice.

Mrs. Sanchez closed her eyes. “I know, sweetie. But we don’t have a choice.”

“We could try to talk to them...” Penny didn’t believe her own words. She didn’t know what she or her mom could tell them to convince the doctors. But wasn’t it best to try instead of giving up without doing anything? “Please, we have to try something.”

Mrs. Sanchez put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Please settle down, Penny. I know Rudy needs to get to a ChalkZone hospital. But we can’t just pull him out right now. The doctors would get suspicious. As hard as it is, we must let them keep Rudy overnight.” Penny shook her head. Her mom tightened her grip on her shoulder. “Penny, please. If we want to help him without drawing unwanted attention, this is the way it has to be.”

Penny said, “But...but what if he gets worse?”

Her mother looked at her sympathetically. “I know... That is an unfortunate possibility. But look on the bright side, like you always do.” She gave her daughter a gentle smile. “Things will work out, I’m sure.”

Penny wanted to believe her mother. She wanted to believe that everything was going to be okay. She wanted to keep looking on the bright side of things. But she still couldn’t help but worry. Rudy staying in a real world hospital overnight isn’t what she had in mind. The longer he stays here, the longer he’d go without proper help. Not that she believed the doctors here were useless. But if Rudy had a chalk-based disease, then his best chance was in ChalkZone, not here.

Being a foreign disease, who knows what kind of damage would be done to him overnight? His body can’t fight off whatever the disease was doing to him. A zoner doctor would have a better chance of understanding what was happening to Rudy. This disease had been ravaging his body for two days. Another day longer without finding out what it is could be disastrous. A ChalkZone doctor might be able to help reverse at least some of the damage. A real world doctor probably couldn’t do much of anything except try to keep Rudy alive in case the disease gets even worse. And since it was chalk-based and not real world-based, she had a feeling it’s going to do exactly that.

But the more she thought about it, the more she knew her mom was right. Trying to pull him out too early would raise suspicions. Rudy was so sick that the doctors would probably have a heated argument with them if they tried to take him out before they could at least run all their tests. Rudy’s parents could probably convince them to change their minds, but only if they agreed to take him to another hospital. She and her mom had no authority to do this. They weren’t his biological family. They’d have to wait for Rudy’s parents to get here before they had a chance to convince the doctors they’d just move Rudy to another hospital.

She hoped that, if the doctors are convinced and allow Rudy to be transferred to another hospital, they won’t try to escort him themselves. Maybe Rudy’s parents, her mom, or even herself could find a way to convince the doctors that they are capable of taking Rudy to another hospital. She was certain it shouldn’t be a problem. But she didn’t want to get her hopes up. There was always a chance something could happen.

“I’ll try.” Penny said. She lowered her head a little. “I’ll try.”

Mrs. Sanchez pulled her daughter into a hug. “We’ll get through this. You’ll see.”

Penny didn’t answer. She returned her mother’s hug and pressed her head against her shoulders. Her mind swirled with many thoughts, many possibilities of what could happen. Her heart wrenched as she realized that, second after second, Rudy was likely getting worse. And what hurt her more is that, even if they got him into ChalkZone, what if they couldn’t find out what it was? What if Rudy got worse? What if he...?

No. She mentally slapped herself. She couldn’t think like that. No giving up. There was always a way to make things better. There was a way to help Rudy. She didn’t know what it was yet. But she would find out. As soon as she could, she’d head into ChalkZone to speak to Snap about the situation. Maybe he would have some ideas. Plus she wanted to see how well he was doing after the surgery.

She heard the doors open up again. This time from a different direction, and she knew who it had to be. Frantic footsteps filled the room. She and her mom turned their heads to see Rudy’s parents come walking in, along with Rudy’s aunt, Tilly. Rudy’s parents were rushing forward as quickly as they could, Tilly following not so far behind them. It took them seconds to reach where Penny and her mom where.

Panting heavily, Mrs. Tabootie said, “What’s the situation? What did they say?”

“Is our boy okay?” Mr. Tabootie asked.

Tilly asked, “What’s going on?”

“They...they don’t know what’s wrong with him...” Penny said softly, lowering her head. The three adults stared at her in shock. “Well I mean, they kind of have an idea, but they don’t know what’s causing it.”

“Wh-What’s wrong with him?” Mrs. Tabootie asked, her eyes wide.

Mrs. Sanchez answered that question. “His white blood cell count is dangerously high, and still rising, interfering with his red blood cells’ ability to deliver nutrients and keep his body functioning properly. The doctors can’t detect anything the white blood cells are attacking. According to them, they aren’t attacking anything at all.” She scratched her chin. “Which is very odd. A fever is the body’s way of trying to kill off foreign invaders. So there’s something there.”

“Yeah, the chalk that got absorbed into his skin.” Tilly said. “That could be what the white blood cells are trying to attack, and what the body is trying to kill.”

Mrs. Sanchez shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

Mr. Tabootie tilted his head to the side, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“The doctors said that his white blood cells aren’t attacking anything.” Penny said. She stared at the adults one at a time. Their worry over the situation added to her own, making her feel even more worried about the whole situation. “It has them baffled, so they want to keep Rudy overnight.” She turned her head to look at Rudy’s parents. “Dr. Valentino wants to speak to you as soon as possible about that.”

Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie looked at each other worriedly. Tilly looked concerned as well. Penny wished she could give some more positive news. She wished there was something she could say to try to offset the unsettling news she had to give to Rudy’s family members. But unfortunately, she could only draw a blank.

Her mother spoke up. “Dr. Valentino will be out here shortly to speak to you, Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie. He went to go run some last bit of tests on Rudy to see if they can find anything else. Then he wants to speak to you about having Rudy stay overnight for observation.”

“What else after that?” Mr. Tabootie asked.

“What if they don’t find anything? Would they let us take him home or are they going to try to keep him in longer?” Tilly asked.

Mrs. Sanchez shook her head. “I really don’t know.” She turned her head to the door where the doctor had come from before. “All we can do is wait.”

Penny watched and listened as the four adults discussed what was happening with Rudy. She could hear the concern rippling off their voices. She could hear the sniffling of Rudy’s mother, the distressed way his folks were talking. It made her heart tighten listening to it. She looked at the door where Dr. Valentino entered from before turning her gaze back to the adults. She kept quiet, allowing herself to sink deep into her thoughts.

Rudy had to be okay. He just had to. Whatever the chalk was doing to him, it can be reversed. It had to be reversable. It couldn’t be permanent. She didn’t want Rudy to suffer. He didn’t do anything to deserve this. A bit of anger started to well up in her chest as she thought about the horrible things Jenny and her lackeys have done. Rudy was just the latest victim in their crimes. Sophie and Snap, even Mr. Wilter, and herself... They all had been assaulted by those monsters. When was it going to end? How far are they going to go?

Listening to how worried they all were about this whole thing made Penny feel more determination rise up inside of her. She couldn’t allow this to keep happening. She had to find some way to stop them. She wasn’t going to allow Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek get away with this. She didn’t know exactly what she was going to do, but one thing was for certain.

She would do whatever it took to help bring them down.

sss

Jenny watched with sick satisfaction as the bird zoner struggled to get free. He flapped his wings hard, feathers flying everywhere, as he desperately tried to free himself. But Jenny knew better. He was secured perfectly down. He was not going anywhere. Those iron cuffs would hold him down. It helped that the cuffs on his wings went right through the flesh. Blood still trinkled down from them.

Catching this zoner was pretty easy. It was just a matter of using the right kind of trap. She smirked evilly at the memory of this bird’s capture. Zoners can be pretty stupid at times, and this bird proved it. Only an idiot would fall for the trap she made. This zoner took it hook, line, and sinker. And now he was going to pay the price for that. But not first without answering some questions. There was a reason she and her lackeys captured this particular zoner and not some other one.

When she was going back to meet up with Ghadir and Tyreek after her little ‘dance’ with Rudy, she had overheard this zoner speaking to another. She didn’t quite recall all the words, but from what she could make out, this bird zoner had been one of Mr. Cosmo’s prisoners. So it seemed Cosmo had managed to figure out mind control, a concept he thought of years ago but never could set into complete fruition because of Wilter. She imagined this zoner would have some information regarding how the mind control worked, and possibly more of what that Tabootie brat had done. She had a feeling that, whatever information this bird zoner could provide, it would be very valuable.

The bird zoner continued to struggle. There were tears in his eyes, obviously from the pain in his ruined wings. The more he struggled, the more blood leaked out of his wings. His feet were secured down as well. The zoner wasn’t even that large. Definitely bigger than Snap, but smaller than Draow. This zoner was a little smaller than an adult-sized human and his body was pretty thin and lanky. His beak was pretty long, at least the top of it was. His lower beak stopped halfway the length of the top one. It looked...so breakable...

She, Ghadir, and Tyreek dragged the bird zoner, who was unconscious at the time, into the real world and into her basement. They had drawn a large flat table made of cold metal in ChalkZone and took it in here, and then they strapped the bird down to it. The wings were a bit of a problem, but Tyreek managed to force the cuffs straight through the skin and muscle. Not exactly what Jenny had in mind, but oh well. Whatever works. At least it would guarantee the stupid bird never escapes, and even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to fly away.

The bird recently woke up. He started to screech loudly in pain and try to get away. Jenny wasn’t worried about anyone hearing him. Where she lived, it was unlikely anyone could hear him and even if they did, she could always find a way to make sure that they don’t intervene.

She watched as the bird zoner continued to thrash. A nasty smile curled on her face. This was quite satisfying indeed. Watching this pathetic creature try to escape filled her with excitement. Soon, they would be able to do this to more zoners as they begin their conquest. In order to effectively control zoners, they must first be broken. She had no plans on controlling this zoner. She had something else in mind. But that something would still satisfy her nonetheless.

“Wh-What..what do you want from me?!” The bird zoner cried, thrashing his body from side to side. “What did I ever do to you?! Let me go!”

“Oh we’ll let you go all right...” Ghadir said, folding her arms against her chest. “But first, you must tell us what we want to know.”

The bird zoner stared at the large woman, his beak clenched tightly. “L-Like what..?” He seethed in agony, his body trembling.

Tyreek made a gesture with his hand. “Oh nothing that complicated. We just want to know about what Cosmo did to you.”

The zoner’s eyes widened in horror at this. “Mr. Cosmo? You know him?” The zoner paused for a moment. He stared at the three. Then, suddenly, something seemed to click into his head. “Oh no...you’re...you’re those...” He pressed his head back against the table, clearly horrified by the revelation he had just made. “You’re those corrupted artists who worked with Mr. Cosmo... How...how did you...?”

Jenny laughed coldly. She walked over and stood on the zoner’s left side. She pressed her elbow against his wing and applied pressure. The zoner hissed in pain. “We..had our way..” She reached down and gripped the bird by his neck and squeezed tightly, watching him gag and try to suck in a breath. “Now I strongly recommend that you cooperate. Answer our questions, and we’ll let you go. If you don’t, we have ways of making your kind speak..”

With that, she gestured over to Ghadir. She held up a water bottle spray in front of the zoner. She shook it a little, making it very clear it was filled with water. The bird zoner gasped in horror and his struggles in creased. It was clear he was running out of energy as his thrashes became less and less energized. More tears flowed down his face, this time not just from pain but from shere terror.

Ghadir put the bottle in front of the zoner’s face. She threatened to pull the trigger. The bird zoner, trembling hard, moved his head back, turning his head to the side. He let out small whimpers, looking at the three of them with a pleading expression. This earned him no sympathy and only made Jenny’s evil smile broaden more. Yes, this zoner should be afraid. If he wasn’t, she would begin to break him.

“Let’s begin...” Jenny said, smirking down at the injured zoner. She walked around behind the platform, her head tilted upwards, looking up towards the ceiling. “How did Cosmo control you?”

The bird stammered. “I...I...” Ghadir sprayed his chest with the water bottle. He let out a scream of agony. “He used bracelets! And nails!”

“Nails...?” Tyreek asked. “I can see braces, but how could he use nails?”

“Th-They were i-implanted into the head...” The bird zoner said. “S-Snap was one unlucky zoner to have one put in him.”

“And where did he take you?” Jenny asked.

The bird hesitated to respond. But one look at the water bottle quickly changed his tune. “At his s-studios...S-Same town the Great Creator lives in. He had set up shop there.”

Ah, so it seemed Cosmo got a little smarter and set up his base in the real world. That made a lot of sense. Jenny wondered why they hadn’t thought of it before. Then again they were kids at the time and it wasn’t like they could have done so without drawing suspicion from their parents. Still, a base in the real would would have made it even harder for the zones to challenge them, as they could hide their dangerous equipment in the real world quite easily.

Most zoners fear going into the real world, and for good reason. There were so many dangers here for them. Water and any real world liquid were the most prominent ones. That was the reason she dragged this zoner here. Trapping him in a world that is far more dangerous to him than it is to her was fun. The bird’s realization that he was in the real world was a wonderful, amusing moment. She couldn’t wait to see more zoners give this reaction as she restarted Cosmo’s mind control plan. She just had to find the blueprints for those things. She was certain to have it where this bird was held captive.

“That is...convenient.” Tyreek said, his arms folded against his chest. He turned to his comrades and gestured with his right arm. “We can head there later. I’m sure Mr. Cosmo left behind a lot of equipment we could use.”

“Yeah, he was always good at coming up with stuff.” Ghadir agreed, a dark grin on her face.

“You...you won’t find anything.” The bird zoner said in a small voice. He cringed when the three humans looked at him.

“What do you mean?” Ghadir asked, a dangerous edge to her voice. The bird zoner didn’t answer. She sprayed his injured wing again and again, watching him scream in agony. “Answer me!”

The bird zoner’s body shook as sobbed wracked through him. He looked over at his wing, which was now severely burned and bloody from the water spray. He looked at Ghadir with a horrified expression. He looked at the other humans. “It w-was e-e-erased!” He called out in terror before Ghadir could spray him again. “Water was used to erase everything!”

Jenny and her comrades were shocked by this. Someone had went and erased Cosmo’s beautiful work? That was unacceptable. She had an idea of who it was. And if she turned out to be correct, well that would make her even happier knowing that the little brat was getting what he so richly deserved.

“It was Rudy Tabootie, wasn’t it?” Jenny asked, her voice a little darkened.

The bird zoner looked up at her in fear. His body shook a little harder, his eyes getting bigger as he stared into her anger-filled ones. He stammered, struggling to find some kind of response. Jenny looked at Ghadir and flicked her head towards the zoner. Ghadir lifted up the bottle and spread the zoner’s face twice. He let out a screech of pain, tears staining his face, giving his eyes a reddish hue.

“Y-Yes!” The bird zoner whimpered. “I-It was him...”

Tyreek’s lips curled up in disgust. “He will pay for that.”

“Yes, he will.” Jenny said. She turned and looked at her comrades. “And with what I did to him, he’s going to wish he were dead.”

Ghadir chuckled. “Good. The fucker deserves every once of pain he gets.”

“Indeed..” Jenny turned her attention back to the bird zoner. She had her doubts he knew anything else. So perhaps now was a perfect time to end the interrogation. She stood next to the zoner, straightening her back. She reached down and pressed her hand against the zoner’s cheek. “Thank you for your contribution.” She said in a sweet voice. “You have been a great help to us.”

“S-So does this mean you’re letting me go?” The bird asked in a shaky voice.

Jenny nodded her head. “Yes, indeed.”

Ghadir spoke up, taking a step towards Jenny. “I’m getting a little hungry.” She cast a glance over at the zoner before looking back at Jenny. “And I am in the mood for some...poultry.”

“Of course.” Jenny said. “I haven’t forgotten about your...desires.” She made a gesture with her hand. “Go on ahead and help yourself.”

Ghadir turned her attention towards the bird zoner. She gave him a nasty smile, causing him to shake harder as he looked at her in both fear and confusion. Ghadir narrowed her eyes a little, filled with obvious intent. She licked her lips slowly as she moved closer to the bird. The zoner struggled as she got closer. Ghadir let out a dark chuckle as she stopped in front of him. She pulled out a large butcher knife, the tip of it glinting in what little light there was.

“Wh-What are you doing?!” The bird zoner squawked, his struggles getting more frantic.

“I am having me a bird dinner.” Ghadir said, licking her lips again. “And you look positively...delicious.”

The bird zoner’s face paled. “B-But I’m make of chalk...!”

Ghadir’s eyes glinted black. “I like the taste of chalk.” She leveled the butcher knife at his stomach, preparing to slice into it.

“She has a chalk addiction.” Tyreek said casually. “You being made of chalk is exactly why she wants to eat you.”

“No!” The bird zoner struggled frantically. He looked over at Jenny with a pleading expression. “Please! Let me go!” Jenny just stared at him. He thrashed from side to side, trying in vain to free himself. Blood poured out of his wounds. “You said you were going to let me go if I told you want you wanted!”

Before the bird zoner could say anymore, Jenny gripped his beak tightly, silencing him. Her left hand was at the base of the beak and the right gripped just the top beak. He let out a few muffled calls, trying to speak. He attempted to pull his head awa, but Jenny’s grip was like a vice. He looked up at her, silently begging her to let him go. Jenny just smiled at this. She leaned down, putting her face next to his.

She whispered softly, “I lied.”

Then, mustering as much strength as she could, she forced her right hand down very hard. The force caused the beak to bend and in seconds, there was a resounding snap and a bloodcurdling screech.


	15. I Haven't Given Up Yet

Snap stared at Penny in shock. He kept waiting for her to continue, to give him some kind of hope. But the more she stayed silent, the more he realized the dire truth. He didn’t want to believe it. It was something that he just didn’t want to comprehend. Yet running from the truth wouldn’t solve anything. It wasn’t going to help anyone, not him, not Penny, no one.

He felt his body tremble as the wave of emotion crashed into him. He just didn’t want to believe it was true. This couldn’t be happening. Not to his best friend. No... What did Rudy ever do to deserve this? He had helped save ChalkZone on many occassions. He helped people the best that he could. He didn’t deserve to be shot down like this. He didn’t deserve to die.

Death... It wasn’t something he wanted to think about. Rudy was still alive. He had to remind himself of that. But the news he got... she might as well just told him Rudy was dead and it would have had the same effect on him. The negative emotions that welled up inside of him... They were wrapped around him tightly, squeezing him like some invisible python. As the seconds passed, this feeling just got worse. It got to the point where a little bit of nausea and difficulty breathing started to settle in, weighing heavily in his stomach.

Penny had just informed him of Rudy’s fate. He had been injured in a fight with Jenny. Snap winced when she told him about his eye injury, which eerily matched Mr. Cosmo’s. The only difference was that the wound wasn’t as deep so Rudy would not lose sight in that eye. The idea did send shudders down his spine, the thought of Rudy having a mark that Mr. Cosmo had, same shape and size. He half wondered if Jenny did that on purpose, like she knew about the eye injury, or if it was just shere coincidence.

But the worst news came when Penny told him about the magic chalk infection. The chalk had been absorbed into his skin. Now Rudy had fallen very ill. He had nearly collapsed at home, and then he lost consciousness during school. He was staying at the hospital and the doctors don’t know what’s wrong with him. Well of course they don’t; they don’t have the right equipment to chalk for chalk germs. Snap had never heard of such a thing happening, but he knew it was very serious. If Rudy’s body can’t fight the infection, he is just going to get worse over time.

“They...won’t let you bring him home?” Snap asked nervously. “Not even to transfer him to another hospital?”

Penny sighed softly and shook her head. “No. Rudy’s parents tried to talk to them, but they won’t listen.” He looked at Snap sadly. “They insist that he stays overnight.”

“But...I thought Rudy’s parents would have some kind of control over that.” Snap said, his eyes wide.

“Usually, yes. I have heard of cases of patients being pulled out of hospitals by loved ones.” Penny lowered her gaze a little. “Sadly that isn’t going to work this time. The doctors are alarmed by the way his body is reacting and they think he might have some kind of dangerous disease. They want to monitor him overnight and have some tests run while he sleeps.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “They might even keep him there longer if it suits them.”

“But...if he doesn’t get the proper help...” Snap started to say.

“I know. But...I just don’t know what to do.” Penny said softly. “I know he’s going to get worse if he doesn’t get into ChalkZone. But getting him here...” She paused for a moment. “I couldn’t think of anything that would work. I was..hoping you had some idea on how to get Rudy out of that hospital.”

Snap thought about this. But it didn’t take him long before he realized he had no idea what they were going to do either. It was imperative they got Rudy out of there, but how? They couldn’t just ‘steal’ him away. The doctors would freak out and probably call the police to try to find him. If they think that Rudy has some kind of disease, then if he were to suddenly vanish without them knowing more about what he has, they might issue an alarm all across town. They might issue a manhutn to try to find Rudy and get him back to the hospital.

And if that is the case, if that’s how they’d react to him being taken out of the hospital illegally, no doubt they wouldn’t let him be removed legally. If even Rudy’s parents couldn’t convince the doctors to let him leave, then what hope did he or Penny have of pulling it off? They could talk to the doctors all they want to, but if Penny was right and if the doctors were this determined to keep him there for fear of a viral outbreak, then he really couldn’t see anything they could do that wouldn’t cause a riot. As tempting as it was to sneak into the hospital, it would just makle things a lot worse.

It didn’t help that there were cameras everywhere in that hospital. There were a few places without them, but Rudy’s room was likely not one of them. This meant that they weren’t able to use ChalkZone. They would be caught on camera and that was the last thing they really needed. After the threat of exposure two years ago with the parents and Terry, he didn’t want to go through that again. They needed to do something else. But what? How were they going to get Rudy help without alarming the doctors and potentially causing a massive manhunt for ‘the kid with the unknown disease’?

Snap knew there had to be something they could do. He just couldn’t think of it yet. Getting Rudy out of there was of utmost importance. He needed to get help and fast. He couldn’t remain in that hospital for too long. He would be in bigger trouble if he were transferred to another hospital somewhere without them knowing about it. If Rudy were moved, it would be much harder to get to him. So far, Penny hadn’t mentioned the doctors talking about moving Rudy somewhere, but the possibility was still there.

Snap didn’t want to stay silent for too long. Penny was staring at him expectantly, clearly hoping that he had some kind of idea. He didn’t want to disappoint her by saying ‘no’. He wanted to give her some kind of hope. She needed it. He did, too. Rudy was in danger, and coming up with an idea to help him, even if it didn’t work out in the end, was important to them. So he continued to think, tapping his hand against his chin thoughtfully as he tried to come up with a solution.

He did eventually think of something that might work. It wasn’t anything new, though. It was a thought tossed around. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that it might be Rudy’s only chance. It could still backfire on them in some bad way. But it was better than the alternative. Rudy would just sicker and sicker, possibly worse, if he stayed in the real world hospital.

“We could go with that idea you talked about before.” Snap said. “We could try to convince the doctors that Rudy is being transferred to another doctor, a specialist perhaps.”

“I’m not sure if that would work, Snap.” Penny replied. “We might need some kind of proof he is going to another hospital. That would require lying to one hospital and then that would cause a lot of commotion. It’s not like when Rudy and I used to lie to our parents about ChalkZone. That was more manageable.” She paused and let out a sigh. “Lying to a hospital would be...different. And with them fussing over Rudy’s ‘unknown disease’...they’re going to want to keep an eye on him until he got better. If he just vanished...”

“Oh...” Snap nodded his head in understanding. “I see what you mean, Buckette....” He turned his head away, his eyes facing towards the blanket. “Yeah this is going to be a problem.”

There was a chance that Sophie might be able to come up with some kind of solution. She was pretty smart when she wasn’t being impulsive. She might know of something that could help. But he couldn’t talk to her. Not yet anyway. Sophie wasn’t going to be released from the hospital until at least two days from now if he remembered right. He, too, was stuck here for two more days at least. Longer if he was unlucky. Penny sometimes got a chance to see Sophie but it was hard talking about anything ChalkZone related there without risking someone overhearing.

So before any of them could even talk to Sophie effectively, it would have to be after she was released from the hospital, and by then it might be too late. Rudy might be taken to another hospital or he might get so worse that he... No, he couldn’t think like that. Snap shook the thought out of his head. He needed to remain positive. Where there was a will, there was a way. He just needed to focus.

He felt his bed shift as Penny sat down next to him. He looked over at her, watching her as she looked towards the ground, her fingers intertwining together. She looked so sad that they hadn’t been able to come up with anything. He looked at her sympathetically. He wanted to say something, anything, to cheer her up. He wanted to figure out some kind of idea they could use. But he couldn’t think of anything. They had already discussed the doctors freaking out over Rudy having an unknown disease. This pretty much negated any attempt to move him and now even an elaborate lie wouldn’t work because the hospital would want proof and data and whatever else.

He felt so useless. Penny came to him for advice, and he wasn’t able to give it to her. The only idea he could come up with that would benefit Rudy was just to take him out of that hospital, whether it be by sneaking in at night or lying to the doctors. But both would backfire on them big time. They needed something else. Yet he wasn’t able to come up with anything. They were both stuck. He wished he could be of bigger help. He wished he could figure out an idea, but in the end, he was just as lost as Penny was.

“You haven’t heard of something like this happening before, have you Snap?” Penny asked, breaking the silence. Snap looked over at Penny. The teenager shifted herself again so that her undamaged left leg was over on the bed. She used her cane to help keep her right leg from hurting her. Snap recalled how angry he was when he found out what those brutes did to her. “Have you heard of any past records of a human being infected with a chalk disease? Or is Rudy the only one?”

“Far as I know, Rudy’s the first.” Snap said grimly. “If there’s any record of this happening to another human, I wouldn’t know.”

Penny sighed. “I thought not. So we don’t have anything to go off of.” There was silence for a few seconds. Then Penny continued speaking, her voice just as dull and depressed as before. “If there was another case, we would have at least had some kind of lead. But Rudy was the first human in ChalkZone in years and this never happened before. If there were any incidents, it would have been during...or before that time.”

Snap knew what she was talking about. And she was right. Rudy and Penny had been the only humans allowed into ChalkZone for years until their parents came along. Neither of them had contracted a ChalkZone disease before. If there had been a case, it would have been during or before Cosmo’s time. That was about fifty years ago, roughly. Zoners did live forever unless they were killed in some shape or form. But there were so many zoners and not no guarantee any of them had heard of something like this happening way back when.

And it wasn’t like they had time to go asking every single zoner if they knew anything. That would just waste time. They needed a faster way to get help for Rudy. That meant that, if they did ask anyone, it needed to be someone they knew would have a chance to have the knowledge that they needed. There were only two zoners he could think of.

There was Biclops. He would be the easiest one to get to, since he hangs out in his Chalk Mine most of the time. He was usually willing to give information and he was around when Cosmo was. If Cosmo was experimenting with chalk types and created one that absorbed into the skin and infect like what happened with Rudy, Biclops would know. Perhaps he might also know how to treat it. Cosmo had to have created some kind of antidote in case he himself was infected. If he didn’t, he wasn’t very bright.

Then there was Barney. He would be harder to find, though. They had no idea where he was currently. He left his Impenerable Forest years ago and after the Bardot incident, he had relocated from his previous home, probably living with King Mumbo Jumbo somewhere. Snap couldn’t blame him after being tortured by Bardot for a year and a half. He remembered how horrified and appalled he was when he learned what happened to Barney. Bardot was truly one sick zoner. At least now he was paying the price for that, along with Draow.

Barney was around for much longer. If King Mumbo Jumbo was in that temple for three hundred years, then Barney was either as old or even older. Being in ChalkZone for that long and having all that wealth of knowledge, Barney would have a better chance of knowing something about humans getting chalk diseases. There might be a record of it somewhere in his databases. But as helpful as Barney would be, finding him would be difficult. He wasn’t going to suggest that to Penny since they didn’t have a lot of time. So he went with the only other option.

“Biclops might know something.” Snap suggested. It was a shot in the dark, but it was the only thing he could think of. “Maybe you could head to the Chalk Mine and speak to him?”

Penny stared at Snap for a moment. “Yeah, that might be our best bet. Maybe Biclops has some idea of how to help Rudy.”

“Yeah, and he might be able to give you something to help him feel better.” Snap said, a small smile on his face. “I’m sure Biclops would have an idea of what to do.”

“Yeah you maybe right, Snap.” Penny said. She gave a small smile back to Snap, though she still had some doubt in her eyes. “I’ll go speak with him now.” She got up from the bed. “Thanks for the suggestion.”

“No problem, Buckette.” Snap said. He watched her as she left the room. As the door shut, he stared for a few seconds. Then his smile faded and he slowly turned his head away. “Good luck..” He whispered in a soft voice before settling back down in bed, pulling the covers back over him.

sss

Vinnie stood outside of his mini-mall. It was amazing that it was still his mall after what he had done in the past to get in trouble with the police. He had learned to lay low and be quieter. He had been pretty vocal in the past and too impulsive, which landed him in hot water on many occassions. It had taken some time, but he learned to be quiet and take his time instead of rushing into things.

He hated this mini-mall. He really did. He wanted to tear it down. He wanted something bigger, something better. He wanted to sell it, give it to someone else. But right now, this was his main source of income. If he just quit now without a backup plan, he was going to get himself in a lot of trouble. He couldn’t afford to do that. He had to, for the time being, keep this mini-mall so he could have a home and be able to eat and buy clothes. It may not be the best source of income, but it was better than nothing.

If he could have his way, he would have had that chalk world theme park built already. Yeah, it had been almost ten years, but he hadn’t given up hope. Those little brats couldn’t keep access to that world cut off forever. Sooner or later, they were going to mess up and he would take advantage of that. No one makes a fool of Vinnie Raton and gets away with it. He would get back at those two for what they did. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do to them, but he would sure think of something to teach them a lesson they’d never forget.

He could have been a millionaire if he had gotten his way. He had been so close, too. He had access to the chalk world, only for it to be ripped away from him. He had the photographic proof, but everyone though they were just children’s drawings he took pictures of. Even when he showed the one with Rudy in it, they thought it was just photo-manipulated or something. It didn’t matter how many times he talked to them. No one believed him when he said it was an alternate dimension he and the boy were in.

And he had the boy’s bag once. It had that chalkboard thing the boy popped his head out of. If he had just held onto that and shown it someone, anyone, they would have believed his story. Rudy and Penny would have been yanked out of that world and prevented from interrupting his construction of the chalk world theme park. They would have been helpless to do anything to stop him and he would have just gloated in front of them. That chalk world was meant to be profited on and he was going to do that, one way or another.

He had screwed up multiple times, blowing his chance at his theme park. If he were to attempt again, he would have to be more cunning and subtle. He couldn’t just barge into the kids’ houses and try to find something related to that world. And he wasn’t going to just grab something and run without making sure that it wasn’t going to bite him back later, like when he grabbed the bag, which apparently moved the portal around so those brats knew he was taking it. He guessed it was because there were words written on it. Perhaps next time he should erase those words so they would have no trail to follow. Yeah, that’s what he’d do.

If he ever got a chance like that anyway. There was no guarantee. He hadn’t gotten a chance to find any proof of that world or any way to get into it for a while now. He had tried, but he never came that close usually. He wasn’t about to give up, though. He was determined to get that theme park going. He didn’t care how long it took. Even if he were an old man, he would still be actively trying to find an entrance into that chalky place. He was not going to allow Rudy and Penny to constantly shatter his dreams like that.

Perhaps it was time he shattered something of theirs. A dark smile spread across his face. He looked around, watching as his customers went by, entering and exiting his mini-mall. His head was swirling with dark thoughts. Yes, that would be something he could do. Those brats ruined his chance at being a millionaire one too many times. Maybe now would be a good time to ruin something of theirs. He wasn’t sure what it would be yet. But he would come up with something.

He wasn’t sure yet how he was going to go about it. There was no hurry, though. He had all the time in the world to think about it. Living alone had its benefits. He would sit at home later today with his thoughts, trying to come up with a plan. And whenever he came up with something, he would enact on it. Not right away, not impulsively. He would not make the same mistakes Terry had made in the past. He wasn’t going to just rush up to Rudy and Penny. He wasn’t going to jump into things. No, he was going to be smart about it. And once he figured out what he could do and how to go about it, he would make them pay for what they did.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a door open up suddenly not far from him. He turned his head a little and he saw Terry walking out of one of his stores. She didn’t seem to notice him. She was holding some kind of plastic bag and was walking slowly away. He watched her, his mind filling with a mixture of negative thoughts, mostly anger.

Though he often didn’t act like it, he was not happy that Terry had given up trying to find that chalk world. She had never really explained to him why. She just called him up on the phone one day and told him their partnership was off. When he asked why, the only thing she’d say was that she was no longer interested in exposing that chalk world. Vinnie had no idea what happened to her to make her feel that way, but he did not take the news very well. He had tried to do some things on his own, but without her, it was difficult.

He did not take losing an ally very well. Now Terry would go as far as deny the existence of that world. So he no longer had her support. It was frustrating not having anyone’s support anymore. No one believed him about that chalk world and he has had to keep his mouth shut about it. If he dared mention it here and now, he may drive away his customers. Many people living here were aware of how he had gone nuts in the past over that world and he was certain most of them would leave if they thought he was starting up again.

It would be more manageable if Terry would become his partner again. No matter how many times he tried, though, she refused and had even blocked his number. His hatred for this woman grew over the past two years, and it was getting even stronger now as he watched the woman head towards her car. He seethed in anger, his teeth clenched. He did his best to hide his anger, not wanting to scare away his customers. It took all his willpower not to delve into his old ‘bark like a dog’ habit that he had tried so hard to break himself of. The longer he stared at Terry, the angrier he got. He tried to look away, but his eyes were glued on her.

The one thing she did that angered him the most occurred two years ago. There were those multiple disappearances in Plainsville. He had jumped to the conclusion that it was related to that chalk world. And he had been right. Or at least, he wasn’t the only one who thought so. Terry had mentioned it to him and told him that she would inform him more once she got more data. He had waited for her for days, feeling excitement fill up inside of him. That excitement died down when she still didn’t call him. And then came the day he would never forget.

Terry had gotten footage of what happened to the victims. This had excited him at first, but when he saw something that was not of the chalk world, but some badly recorded footage here, he was pissed. Terry would deny it, but he knew that she had footage of that chalk world and had the chance to expose it. She had gone soft and threw that footage away in favor of something so..useless. And it was not long after the airing of that footage that she had declared their partnership over.

Vinnie couldn’t believe that she threw away an opportunity like that. She had the footage. She must have. She could have shown it on TV. Even just a few seconds of it would be enough to convince the public that this chalk world, this ChalkZone as Rudy and Penny had called it, was real. But instead, Terry refused to do that, completely tossing away her chance of becoming famous. She threw away both their chances.

As he watched her walk away, dark thoughts entered his mind. He knew Terry must still have the footage somewhere. If she didn’t have it, then she would know where she put it. If he could just get his hands on that footage, he could show it on TV and he could finally be the millionaire he deserved to be. But first, he would need to find a way to get it from her. He’d need to confront her somehow, and in a way that wouldn’t draw attention from others.

A dark smile spread across his face. He watched as Terry got into her car. He watched as she drove out of his parking lot and went in the direction of her home, all the while never knowing that he had been watching her. He knew exactly what he was going to do. He kept himself from allowing his smile to get too disturbing, not wanting anyone to get suspicious. He watched as the car vanished, his mind swirling with thoughts as he began to plot what he was going to do.

There was always a way to make someone talk. It was just a matter of knowing their weak points. He had worked closely enough with Terry for a long enough time to know what her buttons were, what her weaknesses were. She had made a mistake turning against him. She must not have realized that he would, someday, use what he knew against her. True he might have been a bit of a bonehead back then, and that the thought really hadn’t crossed her mind. But years can change someone. He was no longer the same buffoon that Terry had known back then. And she was going to find out the hard way.

She was going to fork over that footage one way or another.

sss

Penny arrived at the Chalk Mine. She couldn’t believe she made it here this fast while using a cane. She should have just drawn some form of transportation, or ask some zoner to help her get to the Chalk Mine quickly. Not only was she thirst, but she was feeling tired. It didn’t help that her leg was bothering her. She stopped for a few moments, leaning against the cane to support herself. She rode out the pain first before she started to hobble over towards the cave entrance.

She didn’t see any sign of Biclops yet. That didn’t surprise her. He wasn’t always standing outside of the mine guarding it. Sometimes, he’d spend some time inside. He was just as effective guarding this place inside and outside. He was a large zoner after all, larger than most in the immediate area. Only the really brave or the really stupid would come here. Well that and those he considers friends, like herself.

She stood outside of the cave entrance. She didn’t have to wait there for very long. She could feel the ground shaking, and soon the giant she knew so well was coming towards her. She backed away slowly so she wouldn’t accidentally get crushed to him. He was singing and whistling and probably wasn’t paying attention to what was in front of him. But it didn’t take the giant long to know that he had a visitor. He stared down at Penny and looked pleasantly surprised to see her.

“Penny Sanchez!” Biclops said, a wide smile on his face. “What brings you here?”

“I-It’s...uh...” Penny said solemnly, looking towards the ground. Biclops immediately realized something was wrong and he dropped his happy persona. He took a step towards her and looked at he with wide, concerned eyes. “It’s Rudy...”

Biclops’s eyes went big. “Rudy Tabootie is in trouble?”

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah.”

“What’s wrong with him?” The giant asked.

“Well it’s kind of along story, but I’ll try to condense it down the best I can.” Penny said. She took in a deep breath and began to relay the information to the giant. “To start off, there are now three black chalk users loose in ChalkZone.” This prompted a gasp of horror from the giant. “Yeah, my thoughts exactly. They somehow regained their memories and they attacked us.”

“Is that why your leg is damaged?” Biclops said, pointing a finger at Penny’s damaged leg, which was still wrapped tightly in bandages.

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah, that’s exactly why. They almost broke it. And Rudy nearly lost an eye.” She paused as she remembered how she felt when she first saw his eye like that. It was a horrible sensation. She had such a strong pang. She had almost thought he went blind in that eye. “But the most bizarre, and terrifying thing that happened to him was... well, he was fighting against Jenny...” She paused and noted Biclops’s face paling. “Yeah, she regained her memories. Rudy was fighting her and he said that she did something to the magic chalk that caused it to absorb into his skin.”

“Into his skin...?” Biclops asked.

Penny nodded her head to confirm this. “Yeah.” She grimaced as the recent events played through her head. “And he has fallen ill. The effects didn’t really show until a couple days after the incident. He almost passed out at home, and at school, he collapsed on the ground.” She took a couple steps towards the giant. “Have you...heard of this happening before?”

Biclops stared at her. At first, he was silent. He looked like he was in deep thought. He remained like this for a while. Penny eagerly waited for him to answer. Then Biclops opened his mouth to reply, what he said sent ice through Penny’s veins.

“Yes. There was at least one case. They..didn’t make it.”


	16. And You Are A Coward

If Penny could see her own face right now, it was probably paler than a ghost. Biclops’s words did little to comfort her. They filled her with horror and dread. Now, more than ever, she feared for Rudy’s safety. If the previous human to get infected with a chalk disease...died...

Her mind suddenly flashed with images of Rudy’s collapse at the school, the fever he got at home. It was frightening before, but now it was really scary. If the last person how had this disease or something similar died, does this mean that there was no kind of treatment available? And if there was, is it too late to do anything about it? And now Rudy was stuck in that hospital for who knows how long. She was certain that the doctors would try to keep him there longer as they were dealing with an ‘unknown disease’. And in the end, they might make things worse, despite how well meaning they were.

She stared at Biclops, her eyes wide with horror as she did her best to digest the information she got. The words ‘They didn’t make it’ rang through her mind. She kept thinking back to Rudy and then trying to imagine this unknown artist. Horrible images of them laying on the ground, dead or coughing up blood or writhing in pain. They were uncomfortable images and she couldn’t get them to leave her head. There had to be something she could do to stop this. Anything.

Every disease had some kind of cure, didn’t it? Every disease had something that could be used to treat it. This disease couldn’t be any different, could it? Maybe they found something that could help and they just couldn’t reach it in time. Maybe this artist was doing better for a short while before relapsing or getting into another accident they couldn’t avoid due to damage from the disease. This disease just...couldn’t be completely untreatable, could it?

“They...they...” Penny said, finally finding her voice. “...they didn’t make it?” The giant nodded his head in confirmation. “Wh-What do you mean?”

“What do you mean by that?” Biclops tilted his massive head to the side. He raised up his hand in gesture. “Just what I said. They didn’t make it.” He looked pretty uneasy talking about this. Penny could see it in his large vertical eyes. “I don’t remember if the artist was a boy or a girl. It was utter chaos back then and I only heard it in passing.”

Penny felt her hope start to dwindle. Biclops had only heard of it? That was not good news. That meant he might not be able to provide as much information as she thought. It was still better than nothing, but it certainly was very encouraging. She might have had better luck with Barney. But who knows where that centipede was now? And there was no guarantee she’d find him in time to save Rudy. Whatever information Biclops had, that was the best she could go off of for now.

“What happened?” Penny asked, steadying herself on her cane. “What do you recall?”

“Well as I said, I didn’t witness it myself. There was a lot going on, as I believe you can imagine. I remember overhearing a couple of zoners talking about it. Apparently one of the white chalk artists had gotten very sick not long after a recent battle with the black chalk artists. They never said how long all of this was going on. But from what I do remember, the artist was wearing some type of green chalk...a chartreuse shade specifically, that helped them feel better. A sort of healing chalk, but it only works on a small scale and did little more than just ease pain mostly. For a time, the artist felt better, until they suddenly got worse.”

Penny’s heart clenched at this. “How much worse...?”

Biclops bit his lip. He looked down at Penny somewhat nervously. “From what the zoners said...a lot worse. The green chalk only made it seem like they were doing better, and it did heal some smaller wounds. They never said exactly what caused it, but something about whatever disease the artist head eventually killed them. It was doing...something else to them that no zoner was aware of that ultimately led to their demise.”

“And...you have no idea what it is?” Penny stared at him with wide eyes.

Biclops shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Penny. No zoner or artist were able to see the kid’s body to see what happened to them. The only thing we know for certain is that, whatever killed the artist, it hadn’t been noticeable. It had to have been something subtle enough that, by the time anything was detected, it was too late.” Biclops paused momentarily for breaht. “I do wish I could have brought you better news.” He furrowed his eyebrows in concern. “And now that Rudy Tabootie may have this very same disease...”

“I...I hope there’s something that could be done...” Penny felt a few tears tug at her eyes. “I..I don’t want to lose him...”

“I know you don’t. I...think you’ll be able to come up with something.” Biclops attempted to cheer Penny up. “If there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that you never give up.”

Penny took a finger and pressed it against her eye, rubbing away the small hint of a tear that formed. “Yeah, you’re right. I didn’t plan on giving up. It just...” She looked left and right. “..It just feels so hopeless, you know? Rudy has some disease that the only other artist who seemed to have it died from it. And there might be no cure for it. That doesn’t do much for encouragement.”

Biclops nodded his head. “Quite true. But there might be a way. The green chalk was a good try. That might be your friend’s only chance of at least extending his life span...” He grimaced at what he said. “Sorry if that sounds so dark to you. Anyway, the green chalk would help him survive longer, if it’s the same chalk disease.”

Penny realized she didn’t know how to tell if it was the same disease or not, because she never asked for the symptoms of the one Biclops had heard of. Since he had only heard it in passing, would he know? Would he have any idea on what were the tell tale symptoms? Well there was only one way to find otu.

“How would I know if Rudy has this same disease or not?” Penny asked. “Is there a way?”

Biclops paused for a moment, thinking to himself. He tapped his chin thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed as he was sorting through his thoughts. Penny waited patiently for him to reply. Once he seemed to remember something, he turned to Penny and nodded his large head once.

“Yeah there is.” Biclops said. “One thing the zoners said about this disease is that, even before the green chalk was used, it tended to flucuate.”

“Flucuate? What do you mean?” Penny was confused.

“The disease had a habit of ‘going away’ for a time. The initial symptoms actually appear the same day, so why Rudy didn’t, I wasn’t sure, but...”

“Oh wait they did!” Penny cried out, interrupting Biclops. Realizing what she did, she shrank back a little and gave a nervous smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to burst out like that. But I remember now. Rudy did have a bit of a fever not long after he got back. The collapse at school today and everything that’s happened and..”

Biclops raised his hand. “You don’t need to explain. We all make mistakes.” He lowered his hand. His eyes narrowed a little in concern. “So it seems he really does have the same disease. This isn’t good. We need to get him to a ChalkZone hospital stat.”

“But the doctors won’t let him leave.” Penny said sadly. “They want to keep him for observation.”

“Rudy should seem like he’s doing better sometime soon. Maybe tomorrow or the day after. There’s still some time to help him.” Biclops said, trying his best to encourage Penny. “As soon as the doctors say he’s getting better, try to have them release him. Get him into ChalkZone as soon as possible. He will need to stay here for a while.”

“For how long?” Penny asked.

“However long it takes. We need to know more about this disease. Not just for Rudy’s sake, but for the sake of any future artist that is infected with it.” Biclops explained. “The only chance Rudy has for a full recovery is himself. Whatever his going on inside, zoner doctors can try to understand it and maybe we can finally figure out a cure for it.”

Penny felt her heart sink. It didn’t really surprise her there was no cure. After all, this disease seemed alien to even the zoners. It wasn’t like a case of a familiar chalk disease somehow tranferring to humans. If it were that simple, the zoners would know what was wrong and try to find someway to deal with that. But the disease Rudy and this unknown artist had, it was something completely different and new. Its properties were not like any other disease they dealt with before.

Still, hearing that there was no cure didn’t do much for her spirit. It was good that there was something that could help Rudy a little and buy him time. But that, too, also caused her heart to clench. The way Biclops said it, it made it sound like Rudy only had a few days left to live without that green chalk, or that he at least believed that’s all the time he had left. The fact that Biclops didn’t even have any idea how long the artist lasted before they perished was unsettling to think about. That meant that she could have much less time than she thought to help Rudy.

Yet she wasn’t about to give up. If the green chalk would aid Rudy and help alleviate some of the pain, and if staying in ChalkZone in addition would help expand his life long enough for a potential cure to be found, she’d be all for it. Rudy was her best friend. She wasn’t about to let him suffer. Maybe she could help, too. She knew a thing or two about medicine and health that she learned from her mother. She was no professional like her mom was, but she had gotten better over the years. She could help to treat him.

“I’ll try my best to get him here as soon as I can.” Penny said, nodding her head. Biclops looked happy about this. Penny would have left now to go inform her mom and the others about what they could do. But there was one thing she needed to know. “Where can I find the green chalk?”

“Not in my Chalk Mine.” Biclops said with regret. “It used to be here, but it was destroyed.”

“By whom?” Penny asked.

Biclops hesitated, then he said, “....me.”

Penny gasped in horror and she took a step back. She stared at the giant in disbelief. “You...did what?”

Biclops waved his hands defensively in front of him. “I didn’t want to! Believe me, I had no intentions on doing it!” He sighed and lowered his gaze. “But Mr. Cosmo made me destroy the chartreuse chalk.” Penny stared at him in shock. Her eyes held an unspoken question, and he got it quickly. He held his hands at his sides. “He was going to spray me with water if I didn’t comply.” He lowered his gaze. “He didn’t let me go until all of that type of green chalk was gone.”

Penny stared at Biclops sympathetically. How horrible it must have been to have someone like Cosmo as his creator. She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to be forced to work with that monster. She wondered how long Biclops was his slave until he had enough and switched sides. She presumed not very long, if Cosmo was so quick to dismiss him as a ‘failure’.

“There is one other place that this type of chalk grows. I read about it in a book once. I believe the location is called Moonlit Gardens. According to rumor, some chartreuse chalk still grows there.” Biclops said. “I never hinted of its existence to Cosmo or any of his comrades. I knew that, if he wanted it to be destroyed, it couldn’t be for any good reason. I don’t think he and the others ever found out.”

“And hopefully it’ll stay that way.” Penny said, her eyes narrowing. With a renewed sense of determination, she stared at Biclops and said, “Where do I find Moonlit Gardens?”

At this, Biclops shrugged. “I don’t remember.”

Penny stared at him in shock. “You...don’t remember?”

“I didn’t have the book for long. I was just borrowing it from a library.” Biclops pointed at Penny. “If you go to the library in ChalkZone City, you will find the book..if it wasn’t stolen or taken out or anything. The book should tell you where Moonlit Gardens is.”

That came as a relief to Penny. She almost thought she would have to go to every zoner and quiz them on Moonlit Gardens’s location. If it turned out to be a really obscure place, then she would have wasted a lot of time trying to find it. If this book had the location, that would save her a lot of trouble. She knows what library Biclops was referring to. She would head down there as soon as possible and get it. She hoped that no other zoner checked it out yet.

She glanced down at the time. Unfortunately, it had to wait. She promised her mother she’d be back home around this time. She didn’t want her mom to worry, and she could always go back into ChalkZone to get the book the same night, couldn’t she? She wouldn’t be gone long, plus she wanted to know if Rudy was doing any better. Hopefully he was and they could get him into ChalkZone tonight. If not, she prayed he would be okay tomorrow.

“Thanks for the information, Biclops!” Penny said, smiling at the giant. “I really appreciate it! I got to get going now. Bye!”

Biclops waved his large hand. “You’re welcome! See you later, Penny! I hope everything goes over well!”

With that, Penny walked away from the Chalk Mine and started to head back home.

sss

Biclops was unnerved by what Penny had said. As he watched her leave, his head filled with uncomfortable thoughts. The fact that Rudy had gotten sick, and by the same disease that killed that artist years ago, it was a disturbing thought. He hoped that they would be able to find something to help him and fast. He had no idea how long Rudy had. He wished he had gotten more information from those zoners when he had a chance. Now it was too late because those zoners were killed. He remembered their screams...

He shook his head, not wanting to think about it. He turned and started to head back towards his cave. There was some rotten chalk he had to clean out. It was a bit early for spring cleaning, but it never heard to get a head start. It would also do him good to clear his mind a little. Thinking too much of the horrible things that happened when Cosmo was around was a sure fire way to stress him out and clog up his ability to think straight. Cosmo was gone, but with this new threat roaming around, he coudn’t afford to allow himself to get too worked up.

It was scary that these three artists all regained their memories. He still wasn’t entirely sure how Cosmo managed to do it. Biclops had thought that his amnesia-inducing powers were full proof. Perhaps Cosmo made an error with him when he was created and the amnesia power didn’t work as well as he hoped it would. That was a double edged sword. On the one hand, Cosmo controlling information like he wanted wouldn’t have worked out too well if memories could be restored eventually. But on the other, it means that all the black chalk users who survived the war could get their memories back. And there was a lot more than just Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir.

Biclops headed down the tunnel leading into the cave. He walked down until he reached a fork where multiple tunnels were. He stopped for a moment and looked around. It was hard to believe that, three years ago, the Chalk Mine was almost destroyed with real world water. There had been so much destruction of the place and the white chalk was nearly destroyed. Luckily plenty of it survived so more could grow in its place. Still, it was scary that those zoners almost succeeded in destroying all but the black and red chalk.

It did seem odd that Cosmo would leave the red chalk around. Then again, he might have wanted Rudy to be forced to choose between two evils. He could use the red chalk, which could control him physically. Or he could choose the black chalk, which could manipulate him mentally. Both were unpleasant and both had their own dire consequences. In the end, the black chalk was the more dangerous of the two.

Still, both chalks were too dangerous to use. It was just like Cosmo to back Rudy into a corner like that, forcing him to choose between either a chalk that makes evil drawings or a chalk that would make him evil. Biclops was glad that some white chalk was found and Cosmo was defeated. Granted, it was a horrific sight when Cosmo was crushed to death. But at least he won’t be able to cause anymore trouble. Cosmo had caused a lot of pain and misery. And it seemed like karma finally caught up with him. It had taken him a while to fully realize he was gone. After so many years of fearing him, it was hard to believe when he and Rudy witnessed his death, and realized that he was gone, forever this time.

He turned to the left and headed down that way. He made his way towards where his large wheelbarrow was stored. Then after that, he’d go to where the rotten chalk was located. He needed to get it out as soon as possible. If he didn’t, new chalk wouldn’t be able to grew in its place and there’d be no more usable magic chalk. Although it wasn’t spring cleaning yet, he was certain that some of the chalk had gone rotten by now.

He soon came to a large door. He grabbed his key and unlocked it. He went inside. He was now in a small room. Well small by his standards. The room was filled with different supplies he used to keep the Chalk Mine clean. On both walls, there were tall shelves filled with different things. Soap, buckets, mops, cloths, just about everything he needed to keep his cave clean. It seemed a little silly, since it was a cave and all. But white magic chalk required a clean environment to grow. Even prolonged presence with rotten chalk could slow down or stop growth altogether. That was why other types of chalk could form elsewhere; they didn’t have the same requirements as white chalk. But white chalk could only grow in here.

He went over to where the large wheelbarrow was. He brushed the dust off of it. Then he went around behind it and grabbed the handlebars. It was time to get to work. He started to push the wheelbarrow forward. He didn’t get that far when the door suddenly shut on him. The loud slam startled the giant and he stumbled back a little. He stared at the closed door curiously, wondering how that could have happened. Must have been the wind or something.

He narrowed his eyes. No, it couldn’t be the wind. This part of the cave was too far down to be affected by wind. The only way the door could have shut was if someone else was in the cave. He growled softly. Intruders...just what he needed. He let go of the wheel barrow and went over towards the door. He grabbed the handle and tried to turn it. It wouldn’t budge. Just great. The intruder jammed the lock. He would have to tear the door down to get out.

He needed a running start first. He walked to the back of the room. He moved the wheel barrow away so he would have more room. Once he got to the back part of the wall, he put his hands against it and took in a deep breath. He mustered up as much strength as he could, and then he started to run towards the door, his feet pounding the ground and sending vibrations through the walls. The room shook heavily, objects wobbled. He glared at the door and prepared to slam into it.

But he didn’t get that far. All of a sudden, a row of electrical bars shot out of nowhere. Biclops’s eyes widened in horror and he skidded to a stop, almost crashing into the bars. He stared at them and took a few steps back. His body shook as he tried to comprehend what happened. He looked around the room. There were no signs of hookups anywhere, nothing appeared to be altered. How did these electric bars get here? There weren’t that many. He counted. About four. But they were thick and he was too large to fit through. Hearing the sparkle of electricity told him that they were of very high voltage. If he dared to touch them...

Then he heard a blip sound and the electric bars multiplied. Soon there were at his sides as well as his back. Then electric bars shot above him, preventing him from raising his hands up too high. He was trapped in an electrical cage. It was the right size for him, but left little room for him to move around. The buzz of electricity filled his ears, forcing him to cover them and try to drown out the sound.

There was a cold laughter. His eyes bulged wide. He looked around, trying to find the source of that voice. The way she was laughing, there was only one person it could be. And when the door was unlocked and opened up, who he saw was exactly who Biclops was expecting.

“Hello, dear Cyclops...” Jenny said. She paused and stared at his stunned and angered face. “Oh I’m sorry.” She said in a mocking voice. “I meant Biclops. It has been...a long time..”

“Not long enough...” Biclops said, glaring at her.

“Quite.” Jenny said, the smile never fading from her face. She gave Biclops a knowing glance. “You always were such a softie.. Even when you obeyed Cosmo’s orders.”

Biclops narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Of course this vile woman had to remind him of that. He took a step back. “What do you want?”

“I want a lot of things. But I’m sure you mean what I want now.” Jenny said. Biclops growled at her. Jenny chuckled. “I’ll tell you what I want right now.” She moved towards the electric cage. She eyed it up and down. “I do love the way this electric cage looks.” She tilted her head to the side and gave him a sideways glance. “Don’t you think?”

“Let me out of here.” Biclops demanded.

“You are in no position to tell me what to do.” Jenny said, waggling her finger like a parent scolding a child. She then rested her hand at her side and said, “Now..that thing I want from you is...” She took a few steps closer to the cage. She looked up at him, her arms folded behind her back. “Information...and your imprisonment.”

Biclops widened his eyes. “You intend on keeping me here? For how long?”

“However long it takes.” Jenny sneered. “And nobody...” She shook her head slowly from side to side. “...will know you’re in here. You’re already a loner in ChalkZone. You spend most of your time in here, guarding the mine. And the only one who ever comes here usually is Rudy, maybe Penny and Snap I’m sure. Point is, not many come here. So for anyone to realize that you were missing, it would take a long time, and by then...well...” Her smile darkened. “It might be too late.”

Biclops clenched his shaking fist tightly, doing his best to hide his fear. “What information do you want and what makes you think I will just hand it over? I could use that power Cosmo gave me to...”

“Oh I don’t think so.” Jenny said, chuckling lightly. “You see, if you dare try to use that power on me, and I walk out of here not remembering what I was doing, my comrades are to blow this entire cave up.” She stared at Biclops in the eyes. “With you in it.”

Biclops was horrified by this. Jenny had always been such a nasty character and he knew she was fully capable of rigging things up without anyone noticing. The Solar Pillars were a testament to that. But it was still shocking and outright terrifying for him that he was trapped in here with no way out and no one would find him before it was too late. This vile witch was going to keep him in here until he starved and dehydrated to death.

He knew that had to be part of her plan. He knew things about Cosmo that Rudy would find valuable, and this woman knew it. So she was doing whatever she could to prevent him from delivering said information. She truly was cunning. He felt stupid and wished he had taken better precautions when Rudy started talking about Jenny. He should have done something like have Rudy place hidden cameras in the Chalk Mine when he had the chance.

Now here he was, trapped in the Chalk Mine with no way out. And there was Jenny, sneering at him, knowing full well that she won this ‘round’. He was terrified of her, just as much as he was of Cosmo. But he wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of him being afraid. He took a step forward, fist clenched tightly still. He was careful not to get too close so he wouldn’t electrocute himself.

“Now about that information... There’s some things I want to know. And you are going to tell me, otherwise not only is this place going to be blown up and you destroyed, but after you die, my comrades and I will begin to erase all of ChalkZone.” Biclops’s eyes widened in horror at that. Jenny smirked. “Because, after all, without the magic chalk, this world is useless.”

“You’re insane!” Biclops cried.

“And you are a coward.” Jenny said coldly. Biclops didn’t respond to that. What could he say? Not like she’d listen. He watched as she raised a hand up and point a finger directly at him. “The first thing I want you to do is show me exactly how Cosmo died. I know you witnessed it. Show me.” Biclops hesitated. “Show me you worthless piece of crap! Otherwise I will destroy ChalkZone!”

Biclops’s body was shaking. He could see the intent in Jenny’s eyes. She was not bluffing. Even though it wouldn’t do her so well in the long run, it was very clear she would resort to that if she had to. And even if she was bluffing, could he really take that chance? Could he really ignore the warning and risk ChalkZone getting destroyed? No, he couldn’t. He couldn’t let the millions of zoners die...he just couldn’t do that.

Lowering his head in defeat, he positioned himself so that Jenny could see just fine. He grabbed the side of his hair and pulled, activating his memory recall ability. His large eye went staticy and he opened it, allowing Jenny to bear witness to the events that took place when Rudy and Cosmo were fighting.


	17. We Will Do What We Can

Being a world made of chalk, where everything in the world had been drawn and erased via chalkboard, ChalkZone has had its fair share of bizarre cases and unusual phenomenon. There was almost nothing this world hadn’t seen at least once before over the countless years it has been around. About any absurd idea could be brought up and chances are, ChalkZone had experienced it before.

So when the doctors of the ChalkZone hospital were given a call about an unusual but very serious case, they thought nothing of it. To them, new and unusual cases were something of a norm. Not that random new conditions appeared all the time and not that they didn’t take them seriously. They did. It was just that, after all they had seen, nothing could really surprise them anymore. Or so they thought. They had believed they had seen every bizarre thing possible.

They were proven wrong when they finally saw their patient. Never before had they seen a human contract a chalk disease. Never before had a human been admitted to a ChalkZone hospital. This alone had sent shockwaves through the hospital staff. But it was made worse when they found out the patient was none other than Rudy Tabootie, the Great Creator.

Urgency became the dominant aura in the hospital as selected doctors rushed Rudy down the hallway. The boy was laying on a stretcher. He was awake and looking around the best he could. The doctors had taken precautions and strapped him down. His face was reddened from what was clearly a fever and his eyes were unfocused. It was clear that, if allowed to walk or not secured down, he would stumble over. His sense of balance would be impaired, making it impossible for him to walk on his own.

Penny watched as the zoner doctors took Rudy down the hallway. She couldn’t follow. She had to stay behind in the waiting room with Rudy’s parents, Tilly, Sophie, and Snap. Her mother, however, being a real world doctor, was allowed to come with the zoners. They felt her knowledge would be useful and it helped that she brought some real world tools that they could use since Rudy’s blood would damage anything they tried to use.

Penny stood there, watching as her mom, Rudy, and the doctors disappeared, turning a corner and heading down elsewhere, probably do an ER room. She turned and looked at the others. They all looked back at her with sympathy and worried expressions. As much as she didn’t want to be sitting around here waiting, it wasn’t like she really had a choice in the matter. Letting out a soft sigh, she gave one last look at the hallway Rudy disappeared down and headed back towards the others. She took a seat next to Snap and rested her head on her hands. She thought about the events that had led them here.

Sophie and Snap had been released from the hospital. They still needed their bandages changed, which her mom was happy to do for them. They were in some pain still, but that was easily manageable with painkillers. They were both happy to be able to be up and walking around on their own and not need assistance as much. A full recovery was still sometime away, but they were still much better off than they had been before.

Rudy ended up staying two nights in the real world hospital, much to everyone’s dismay. Penny had hoped that Rudy would be released yesterday. His condition did not look promising. His fever had gotten a little higher and he still hadn’t woken up. She had tried a few times, vain, to convince the zoner doctors to release Rudy. That, of course, didn’t work. She recalled what Biclops said and decided to wait until he started getting noticeably better. She wasn’t sure how long it would be before the disease would go into a ‘silent mode’. She could only hope it wasn’t too long.

Luckily it wasn’t. Penny would have hoped they could get him out of the hospital sooner, but at least he was out now. The doctors noted a steady rate of improvement and Rudy was awake and more responsive. It was only at this time that Rudy’s parents were able to convince the real world doctors to let Rudy come home with them. The real world doctors wanted a follow up to see how Rudy was doing. Exactly how this would be dealt with, they weren’t sure yet. But they’d think of something later.

After Rudy was released and they started to take him home, things went from bad to worse really quickly. It came as a shock to all of them. When the first ‘silent mode’ kicked in, it lasted a couple of days. This time was different. The ‘silent mode’ lasted maybe an hour at most. Not long after Rudy came home, he suddenly became very ill again. He collapsed on the ground, the fever having suddenly spiked up higher than it was before. He tried to get back on his feet but his sense of balance was destroyed and he only ended up wobbling around before he’d collapse again.

His sudden deterioration alarmed them and they rushed him into ChalkZone right away, not wasting a second. They were going to take him there anyway, but the fact that his ‘silent mode’ was over already and that his condition had taken a nose dive in a matter of less than an hour was truly scary and added a deeper level of urgency, making them move event faster to get him to a ChalkZone hospital.

The fact that the zoner doctors were horrified didn’t surprise Penny. They were confronted with an unusual and truly terrifying case. A human contracting a chalk disease was almost unheard of. Penny was still shaken up that the last human this happened to had passed away. She hoped that Rudy wouldn’t become the second case this happens to. The doctors promised that they would do whatever they could to stabilize Rudy, and Mrs. Sanchez had gone with them to offer help, given she has more experience looking after humans than they did.

All Penny could do now was wait with the others and hope for the best. Even though Rudy was now somewhere where he could get more proper help, that didn’t guarantee things were looking up. The doctors here still might not find anything, or if they did, the cure would be useless because it might involve swallowing or being injected with it. She wasn’t sure what kind of cure there could be that didn’t involve swallowing or needles, but she was certain something like that existed.

Penny felt a hand on hers. She looked down and she saw Snap looking up at her with sad yet still hopeful eyes. “I’m sure he’ll be okay, Buckette. Rudy’s been in tough scrapes before.” He said in a gentle voice in a clear attempt to comfort her.

Penny didn’t reply. She stared at him for a few moments. Then she smiled at him. She was grateful for his condolenses and she tried to get herself to cheer up a little. Rudy was in a better place now than he was b efore. He had a better chance of getting the proper help here. But Snap’s words did little to comfort her for long, and soon she looked away, her smile gone. She really wanted to believe him. She just couldn’t bring herself to do so.

“I...I hope you’re right, Snap.” Penny said in a quiet voice. She stared off at the door again for a second, then turned her head towards the ground. “I hope you’re right.”

At this, Snap huddled closer to Penny. Noticing Penny’s expression, he put his arms around her and pressed his head against the side of her arm. She looked down at him again. He stared at her with a sympathetic expresssion, a small smile of reassurance on his face. Penny, slowly, smiled back. She lifted up her arm and slung it around Snap. She lowered her head and rested her chin on his head. He was grateful for his presence. He usually knew what to say to help cheer her up.

She didn’t say anything. She just held onto Snap, refusing to let go. Snap didn’t mind. He laid against her, at times pushing himself closer. He wanted to be physically close to her to comfort her and help her remain hopeful. She knew, deep down, Snap was right. Rudy had survived a lot the past few years. He had been tortured, along with her, by Draow and Bardot. They both managed to survive, him being the worst off of the two. He was a tough person and it would take a lot to take him down. He would make it. She had to believe that. She kept repeating it in her head.

He would make it.

“After this, I think we should go find that chartreuse chalk you said Biclops mentioned.” Snap said, cutting off the silence. Not looking up at Penny, he continued to speak, his expression now that of determination. “We can go to the library and get that book and travel to the Midnight Gardens to locate that chalk.”

“Snap,” Penny looked at him with concern. “Are you sure you can go? You’re still in pain.”

Snap nodded his head. “Of course I can! I can still walk just fine. I’ll be able to travel with you no problem. I won’t slow you down!” He said with a smile on his face.

“Slowing me down isn’t what concerned me the most.” Penny pressed Snap against her a little more firmly. “I don’t want you getting hurt again.”

“I’ll be fine, Penny. Trust me.” Snap said, that same look of determination on his face. “It’s going to take more than what those creepazoids did to me to keep me down for long!”

Penny couldn’t help but smile at Snap’s enthusiasm. Even though he was still in pain, he still wanted to come with her to the Moonlit Gardens, even though neither of them knew how safe or unsafe it was. There could be danger lurking around every corner there. There could be traps there waiting for them. They might be ambushed by the black chalk users. So much could go wrong. Yet here was Snap, willing to face all of that if it meant helping Rudy. She admired his courage. Snap was a selfless zoner, putting others’ needs ahead of his own. This was very obvious two years ago when Bardot and Draow kidnapped them.

Her thoughts wandered to how things had been at that time. It was not a pleasant memory. She hated thinking about it. She sometimes had nightmares about it. She could still feel the pain from the injuries she sustained there. The feel of Draow’s teeth on her leg, twisting it until it broke... It still haunted her to this day. Sometimes her leg still had waves of pain rush through it. Though not as intense as before, it still brought her back to that moment. Sometimes she would then close her eyes and see that teal-eyed monster staring back at her, drool dripping from his fangs.

Snap had saved her and Rudy. He had been the worst injured out of all of them. He had been indirectly and directly tortured both physically and mentally. He had been on his last leg when he found them. He was so weak, so badly hurt, and yet he still fought for them. Despite how badly ripped apart he was by Draow and Bardot, not only did he win, but he beat the odds and he survived. He went through all that for them. Though he was afraid of dying, he still stepped up to the plate to save them, because losing them was more frightening to him than losing his own life.

“Can I come with?” Sophie asked. She attempted to go up to Penny and Snap, but her mother held her back. She struggled a little. “Mom!”

“No, you can’t go with them.” Tilly said with a stern voice.

“Why not? I’m feeling fine!” Sophie said before she winced in pain.

Tilly shook her head, narrowing her eyes at her daughter. “No, you’re not. You’re still hurt, and after what those monsters did to you, I am not going to risk you getting hurt. You are going to stay out of ChalkZone until this whole thing blows over. As long as those kidnappers are roaming loose in that world, I don’t want you setting a foot in it.”

“But...” Sophie looked at her mom with wide, determined eyes. She really did not want to be cut off from ChalkZone. “Snap is hurt, too, and he can go...”

Tilly sighed. “That’s because he lives in ChalkZone.”

Sophie asked, “And what about Penny?”

“She isn’t my child. I’m not going to order her to stay out of ChalkZone.” Tilly said. “That is up to her mother.”

Penny looked at Sophie sympathetically. The girl was looking left and right, the movement of her eyes suggesting she was really trying to figure out some way she could come with. Sophie loved going into ChalkZone and the idea of being cut off from it must be hard for her. She understood Tilly’s intentions, though. Sophie had been badly hurt by these people and now they were roaming around ChalkZone, doing who knows what to it. If they caught Sophie again, they might do much worse.

Penny wouldn’t want Sophie to come with. Her mother was right. She was still in pain and the bad guys could use that to their advantage. She might accidentally slow them down as she wasn’t used to running all around ChalkZone like they were. She wasn’t as used to combat. And she was the worst hurt of the two. She didn’t want to risk her getting injured again. She didn’t want her getting kidnapped a second time. She agreed with her mother. It was best that she stayed here. She just hoped that Sophie would come to understand that it is for her own good.

“Your mother is right, dear.” Mr. Tabootie said, glancing down at his eleven year old niece. “It’s too dangerous for you to go to ChalkZone now.”

“But...” Sophie started to protest.

“Now now,” Mrs. Tabootie spoke up. “You’ll be able to go back at some point. This isn’t a permanent ban. We just don’t want you getting hurt again.”

“I won’t!” Sophie cried. She looked over at Penny and Snap, her eyes wide. “I can come with you..can’t I?”

Penny flinched at this. The way Sophie sounded when she said that, the look in her eyes, Penny could feel a pang in her stomach. Sophie was counting her and Snap to back her up. Penny hated to shatter this, but she wasn’t about to lie.

“I’m sorry...” Penny said. Sophie’s eyes widened slightly. “But I agree with your folks. With Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek roaming around, it’s too much of a risk to let you enter ChalkZone at this time.”

“Yeah.” Snap said, nodding his head. He gave a reassuring smile at Sophie, pointing his hand in her direction. “But don’t worry! We’ll be able to take care of this problem soon, and before you know it, we’ll be back in ChalkZone, playing some nice games there and exploriating! Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

Sophie, disappointed, nodded her head and spoke in a soft voice. “I guess so...”

Tilly pulled her daughter close. “Oh I know you’re not happy, honey.” She gently rubbed her back. “You’ll be able to go back soon. You’ll see.”

“Okay.” Sophie said quietly.

Just then, the door opened up. They all turned to see one of the doctors, an anthro cheetah named Dr. Raiden, walking towards them, holding a clipboard. He had a forelorn look on his face, causing fear and worry to rise in everyone’s hearts. They all turned to face him and looked at him expectantly. Dr. Raiden positioned himself in front of Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie.

He glanced down at them with his amber eyes. “You are the boy’s parents?” He asked in a soft tone. They gave a nod of the head. Dr. Raiden bit his lip and he glanced at the clipboard. “Your son is in critical condition.” Everyone gasped in horror at this. “We are doing what we can to keep him stabilized. But we don’t know how long we can keep it up.”

“What’s going on with him?” Penny asked, her voice filled with dread.

“How bad off is he?” Mrs. Tabootie spoke up, her voice shaky.

Dr. Raiden’s ears lowered and he shook his head. “Not good. His fever has gotten worse and he isn’t responding to any treatment that well. Dr. Sanchez has been a great help. If it weren’t for her and that equipment she brought, Rudy may have passed away from the fever by now.”

Penny felt her heart clench, beating faster. She took in a few quick breaths, letting reality sink in. Rudy had been so close to death... She couldn’t believe it. She imagined her face must have paled a little at that. She looked at the others. She could see how horrified and worried the others were. His parents were staring in horror, shaking. His aunt and cousin were clearly frightened. Snap had his hands to his mouth, staring with huge eyes.

“We are doing what we can to keep his fever down. That is our biggest concern. It doesn’t seem like his body is getting damaged, although the high white blood cell count is of concern. We have to give him some medication to kill off some of the white blood cells so that his tissue can get the nutrients they need. But what is currently threatening to kill him is that fever. It keeps rising and the methods we are using now are just barely keeping it at bay. He was going to need a more affective treatment stat.”

Penny couldn’t believe it. A deadly fever that was raging out of control... This was an unpleasant way to die. She..she couldn’t allow it to happen. She had to find that green chalk and fast. It might not completely fix the problem, as much as she had hoped it would, but it would help Rudy feel a little better and bide him some time.

And hopefully the doctors can figure out what’s wrong with Rudy. If they could find out what’s causing the fever when there’s no infection, they could then devise a way to help him. Without knowing what actions the crumbled chalk took, they wouldn’t be able to treat him affectively. She hoped that, with extra time given to them, the zoner doctors can check his blood and see what’s going on with him.

“Did you check his blood?” Tilly asked in an apprehensive voice. “Did you find anything?”

Dr. Raiden swiveled his head towards her. “We took some blood samples and they are being looked at now. The results won’t be back for a while.” He paused, narrowing his eyes for a bit. He said, “But one result did come back already.” They all looked at him expectantly. “It was...” He rubbed the back of his head, looking left and right. He appeared to be confused, like he had no idea how to explain what they found. “..very...unusual...”

Penny didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean?”

“Unusual how?” Snap asked, a tinge of fear to his voice.

“What’s wrong with our boy?” Mr. Tabootie put his arm around his wife in an attempt to comfort her. “Is it manageable?”

Dr. Raiden at first was quiet. He looked at everyone in the room, wincing at their looks of fear, confusion, and concern. He clenched his teeth, his fangs barely visible against his lip. His ears flattened against his face again. He looked down at his clipboard and flipped through it. He stopped at one particular page and skimmed through it, his pupils moving rapidly from side to side. When he finished, he lowered his head and gazed at everyone at the room again. The look in his eyes told them all what he was about to say next was nothing good.

“When we checked a small sample of blood to see how high his white blood cell count was, we noticed that the structure was..a little different.” Dr. Raiden said.

Everyone blinked at him, looking confused. They didn’t understand why this was a concern.

“But Rudy is from the real world.” Snap pointed out. “Isn’t it normal that his blood isn’t exactly like ours?”

“Well yes, but that’s not what I meant.” Dr. Raiden explained. “You see, Dr. Sanchez is the one who noted it looked different, and she is from the real world, so she would know this sort of stuff.”

“And what did she find out?” Mr. Tabootie asked.

The cheetah doctor closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I...don’t know how to tell you this.” He looked over at Rudy’s parents. His eyes were filled with empathy. He clearly wanted to give them better news, but sometimes fate just won’t allow that. Penny felt her body tremble in anticipation. Just what had this doctor found out? “The boy’s DNA structure..it had been altered.”

“What?!” Everyone gasped in horror.

“It’s been...changed somehow. It’s not much. Very miniscule. But according to Dr. Sanchez, human blood isn’t supposed to have that kind of structure. The composition had been changed. How this will affect Rudy, we really don’t know. What we do know is that this is concerning and we will have to run more testing later, when Rudy is finally completely stabilized. Something is clearly wrong with his DNA structure.”

“Rudy..no...” Mrs. Tabootie held onto her husband.

Sophie said in a stammering voice, “I-Is he going...t-to..?”

The cheetah shook his head. “We don’t know if this change in his DNA is dangerous. It could just be a minor thing and have no consequences. Or, as my fellow doctors and I discussed, it might be what’s causing the spiked fever. It might be a new disease that attacks the structure of cells, causing them to break down and triggering an autoimmune response. But because the damage is done to the structure of cells themselves, the white blood cells have nothing to attack.”

Everyone was in shock. They had a hard time believing it. A disease that attacked the structure of cells? They hadn’t heard of such a thing before. Sure there were germs that attacked certain types of cells, even infecting them. But they hadn’t heard of one that did little more than just alter the DNA structure a little, enough to cause a reaction but subtle enough that the white cells can’t do anything to stop it. From the way the doctor described it, it seemed clear to them that Rudy’s blood was still functioning fine, so the chalk virus was somehow smart enough to be stealthy and spread in a way that the white blood cells, the body’s main defense, can’t fight back.

Matters were made worse considering that this is a chalk virus. It would not have the same type of signature as real world viruses. The body wouldn’t know how to respond to it. They might not even be able to destroy the chalk virus given its completely different structure from their real world counteparts. Penny knew all too well the horrors of diseases jumping species, and now Rudy was suffering from this. Just what was this horrid disease doing to him? And how were they going to stop it if oral and injection medicines would not work?

She wasn’t going to give up. No, she couldn’t give up. That would go completely against who she was. She’d keep trying to help Rudy, and she knew the others would as well. Even though it seemed hopeless, even the chartreuse chalk idea would just give them more time, they all wouldn’t give up on Rudy. There had to be a way to help him. There just had to. And she would do whatever it took to save him.

sss

“So...what’s what happened?” Tyreek asked, looking over at Jenny.

“That’s what the giant showed me, yes.” Jenny replied, her voice a tad dark. Her eyes were narrowed. “That is what happened to Mr. Cosmo.”

Ghadir hissed softly. “And the little brat still denies that he had anything to do with Mr. Cosmo’s death...” She took a bite of her food and swallowed loudly. Holding the piece of food and jabbing it in their direction, she said, “Killing Cosmo was bad enough, but to outright deny that is deplorable. I’d say we just finish the job now and...”

Tyreek shook his head. “No. The boy must suffer first.”

Jenny nodded in agreement. “And he is. That chalk disease I gave him, there’s no way he’ll survive it.” A nasty grin spread across her face. “The little urchin will be dead within three weeks. A month of he’s lucky to live a little longer.” She paused. Then she said, “And that’s with the chartreuse chalk. Without it, he’d be dead by now.”

Ghadir listened to this talk with a sense of anger and eagerness. She had been called in Jenny’s house for dinner and to discuss matters concerning Rudy and their plans. Ghadir, as well as Tyreek, had been interested to know what Cyclops, er..Biclops, had shown Jenny after she forced him to do it. Setting up that trap for him was pretty easy. It was just a matter of knowing when he left the cave and sneaking in to do what they needed. With magic chalk, it was fairly easy and the giant fell for it.

She had wanted to say and help interrogate the traitor, but Jenny wanted her and Tyreek to wait elsewhere for a signal she might make to start destroying the Chalk Mine. Ghadir wasn’t sure if she would have gone through with this or not since having no magic chalk meant that she and her comrades had no power over ChalkZone. They wouldn’t be as affective at getting what they wanted. It was probably just a bluff, and she placed her and Tyreek where they were to make it seem more believable to fool the giant.

Regardless, Jenny had gotten information from Biclops and left him alone. The giant was still trapped in the electric cage, unable to warn Rudy and his little friends of what was happening. He wouldn’t last very long without food or water and she guessed that he would die within a few days if no one found him. She smirked at the thought, licking her lips subconsciously. Jenny had promised her that she would get to eat Biclops after he expired. He was such a huge zoner...he would last for a long time. Ghadir couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into him.

It was hard to describe her fascination with chalk taste. She had this addiction for years, since she was a kid. It started off when she would do nothing more than lick the chalk dust from her fingers. She soon began to like it and started chewing on white chalk sticks. Her parents often had to buy more and more chalk because she would just eat them all so fast. There was just something about the texture and the taste that she liked. And ChalkZone, a whole world made of chalk, it was a fantasy come true for her.

She remembered the first time she killed a zoner for food. She was still a kid at the time. She had recently been blessed by the black chalk with extensive knowledge. She used this newfound knowledge to lure a small zoner into a trap in the deep parts of the Sunshine Forest, close to where the Solar Pillars were to be guilt. She had fun torturing the zoner, killing him as slowly as she could as she cut off pieces of chalk flesh and ate it right front of the zoner.

And that zoner was just one of many who became her meal. Others followed in his wake. True, she could go for easier prey, such as chalk food or a chalk plant. But for her, it wasn’t as much fun. She enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, luring unsuspecting zoners to their doom. She loved killing them off slowly, eating parts of them right in front of them. She loved to hear them scream. All of that filled her up with excitement and made it even more fun to eat them.

She wished she could have had a taste of Snap. Being that close to him made her lick her lips a few times, anticipating eating him. She wanted to at least tear off a piece of his arm or leg and eat it. The only reason she didn’t was because Jenny didn’t give the okay. Jenny was her leader and she called all the shots. She wasn’t allowed to eat any zoner until she gave the okay. After all, the zoner she might want to eat could still be of some use to them at some point.

But at least she was able to eat something now. The bird zoner they had interrogated before lasted a few days. She stored some of his parts in Jenny’s fridge. She was eating a piece of him now. One of his legs. She bit down on the leg and tore off another piece. The bird zoner’s screams she ripped his insides out was most amusing. She wished she had saved some of his organs to consume for tonight’s meeting, but oh well. This bird leg would do nicely. She continued gnawing and eating it.

“The next part of our revenge against Rudy will begin soon. We just have to get the pieces of the puzzle in place.” Jenny said. She walked away for a bit and then came back with a chessboard with pieces on it. She laid it down in front of Tyreek and Ghadir. She set up a few pieces, likely representing everyone involved in this. “Now watch closely.”

Ghadir never fully understood Jenny’s insistance on using a chessboard to explain some of their plans. Simply talking about them would be enough. But she dare not question her. Jenny was her superior. She always had been. She was Cosmo’s partner for a reason. And she was not in the mood to be of reminded of why.

“Rudy used to be here.” Jenny pointed to the king piece. “Then we were able to flush him out like this.” She began to make a few moves on the chessboard, indicating the capture of Sophie and Snap and then later, Rudy and Penny coming into ChalkZone. The pawn pieces representing Sophie and Snap were cast aside, captured, to indicate they served their purpose. Then Penny, represented by a bishop, was cornered with two pieces, a knight and a rook. That piece was removed, indicating her getting brutally beaten up. “Now we have Rudy here.”

Jenny now had the king placed in another corner, with two rooks and only one direction to go. Tyreek and Ghadir watched the board intently as Jenny made a few moves representing what they were going to do. She moved the king, representing the path Rudy was likely going to take, and soon the king was in the middle of the board, multiple pieces gone, representing different parts of the plan. Then she stopped and looked at her comrades.

“Our next move relies on the cooperation of our... ‘friend’..” Jenny’s grin broadened as she said this, prompting Tyreek and Ghadir to smirk back at her. “Biclops told me about the Moonlit Gardens, and how he had kept it a secret from Mr. Cosmo.” Jenny looked down at her board and moved a knight over into position. “He will be here. He will meet with Penny and Snap, both of whom I am sure will be there. And we...” She moved the bishop, the other knife, and then a queen over. “..will be there to..help out...”

Tyreek and Ghadir watched as Jenny moved the pieces some more, positioning them where she wanted them. Ghadir didn’t fully understand, but she got the gist of it. This was going to be one interesting plan, and it looked like it was going to work. She loved the way Jenny thought at times. She was just as cunning, if not more so, than Mr. Cosmo. If only he were still alive...

And now Rudy will be paying the price for what he did. Ghadir’s heart filled with happiness and anticipation at that. Yes, Rudy will pay dearly for what he’s done. He will not get away with murdering Mr. Cosmo.

“And so long as our ‘friend’ makes his move...” Jenny pushed the pieces around until the king, representing Rudy, had nowhere to go. A nasty grin plastered over the black chalk users’ faces. “Checkmate.”


	18. Do You Think We'll Let You Through

Penny was sitting down on her bed. She looked at her bandages that her mother recently changed. It still hurt a little whenever her mom treated her injuries. Some areas were still very sore, especially on her leg. Her mom miscalculated the recovery time of her leg. She had hoped that the leg would be better by this time, but the damage was more severe than she initially thought. This meant that Penny was stuck using the can for a longer period of time.

Oh well, not much she can do about it now. At least she can still walk. It could have been a lot worse. She looked over to see how Snap was doing. He was sitting on the other side of her bed wearing just his shorts. He also needed his bandages changed. Like her, he didn’t like this part as his wounds were still pretty sore. The burns still hurt him even now. The mere act of touching them often made him cringe, though he tried his best to hold still as her mom went through with changing his bandages.

Like with her, Mrs. Sanchez had washed Snap’s injuries first with warm water after removing the bandages carefully. She applied some ointment to the damaged areas carefully, being as gentle as she could. She then started to rebandange the injuries. Snap did his best to hold still. The rebandaging hurt him a little due to the sensitive skin, but he was doing a good job with holding still.

Mrs. Sanchez cast a glance over at her daughter. “Are you sure you want to go now?” She asked, holding Snap’s body carefully as she wrapped the bandages around him.

Penny nodded her head. “We don’t have much time. Snap and I need to get into ChalkZone quickly.” She frowned and lowered her gaze. “Rudy is running out of time.”

“I know dear, but...” Mrs. Sanchez bit her lip. “...shouldn’t you come up with a plan first?”

“Plan?” Penny asked, confused.

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. She continued bandaging up Snap as she spoke. “Yes. Just in case the library doesn’t have the book you want.. Where would you go from here? You need a game plan, even for something as ‘simple’ as this. If this library doesn’t have the book, then you need another plan you can fall back on.”

Penny realized her mother was right. She hadn’t thought of what she’d do if they couldn’t find the book Biclops had told her about. She didn’t even know the title of it as she had forgotten to ask for the title. But it couldn’t be that hard to find, could it? All they had to do was look up Moonlit Gardens are the library and all the books would show up. It should be easy, shouldn’t it?

She winced when she heard a yelp. She swiveled her head and looked over at Snap. He was cringing away from her mother. From the looks of it, her mom must have wrapped up one of the bandages a little too tight, irritating Snap’s injury. Her mother had an apologetic look on her face, pulling back a little.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Mrs. Sanchez said.

Snap said, “Oh it’s all right. I know it was an accident.” He winced as he looked down at his side, where a hint of one of his back burns could be seen. “Just please..be a little more gentle?”

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. “I’ll do what I can.”

Mrs. Sanchez continued with bandaging up Snap. She wrapped it around the rest of his wounds and then tied each of them off, securing them in place. Only after she was finished with rebandaging him did Snap put the rest of his clothes back on. It was a little hard for him to fit some of the clothes back on because of the bandages, but he was able to manage.

Once he was finished, he turned over to Penny and said, “Are you ready to go?”

Penny paused for a moment. She still wasn’t sure what she’d do if they couldn’t find the book. Maybe she should stay here and think about it for a time. She needed some plan she can fall back on. Her mother was right about that. With Rudy’s life on the line, she couldn’t afford to make mistakes. She should have thought about this more thoroughly when she had the chance. She shouldn’t rush into things without a game plan. It might be best if she waited before going into ChalkZone and speak to Snap about what they should do.

Then again, they didn’t have that much time on their hands. Rudy could keel over at any given moment. They had to hurry and try to find that book. They didn’t have time to sit around and try to come up with alternate plans. As much as she believed her mother was right and that planning was important, at the same time, they didn’t really have a lot of time on their hands to play around with. She had to get going, and the sooner, the better.

“Yeah, I am.” She got up from the bed. She steadied herself on her cane. She stumbled forward a little, but managed to keep her balance. “Come on, Snap. Let’s go.”

“Maybe we should see Biclops first.” Snap said as Penny headed towards the portal. She stopped and looked back at Snap. “Knowing the title of that book is important. I’m not sure why you didn’t ask Biclops before...but at least now, we can have another chance.”

Penny paused and contemplated this. Snap did have a good idea. She should have asked Biclops the title before, but at least this way, she could learn the name and then they could go find it in the library. Snap was right. It would be a lot harder finding the book if they didn’t have a name to go off of. She was glad Snap brought it to her attention. Rushing into the library without the name of the book handy might end up wasting more time than she intended.

“Okay, let’s pay Biclops a visit.” Penny said with a small smile on her face.

sss

Snap flipped through the book. Finding nothing that would help them, he let out a soft groan and tossed the book aside. “It’s not in here.”

Penny did the same thing with another book and shook her head. “It’s not this one either.”

“I’m going to look over here.” Snap said as he went down one of the aisles.

“I’ll look over here then.” Penny took off in another direction.

The library they went to in ChalkZone City was huge. It stood about five stories high and had a large variety of books, both old and new. It had a look that was the perfect combination between simplistic and fancy. The outside of it had stone lions positioned near the doors, and inside, there was a very tall, rounded ceiling with a chandelier at the top. Spiral staircases led up to higher levels, which they could see as the levels weren’t separated by walls or anything. Yet despite that, it still had a simple, almost homey feel to it. Nothing seemed too fancy or too out of place.

The library was bustling with life. Multiple zoners came in and out, checking out, renewing, and returning library books. It was a little hard for them to navigate this place at first as it was more crowded than they thought the library would be. And a little noisier too. The zoners all around them would chatter with each other. It wasn’t loud speech, but the small space and the shere number of zoners talking did become a little deafening. This made it a little hard for Penny and Snap to communicate.

They used the computer systems located near the entrance to look up information regarding Moonlit Gardens. They found a couple of books about it. There was surprisingly little information they could find. They didn’t know if Moonlit Gardens was a dangerous place or if it was simply obscure. Whatever the reason, there were only a few books that appear to mention or be about Moonlit Gardens. From the name, the only thing they could think of is that it has to be located in night zone.

Finding books around here was a little hard. The zoners who work here obviously don’t pay enough attention to what order the books are put in. This might be the result of this library being quite large. The librarians could easily miss some misplaced books and with how many zoners that came in here, it was no wonder the librarians weren’t able to keep up, or simply stopped trying to put everything in order during working hours.

Well that might be fine and dandy for them, but it was making it harder to locate the few books that reveals the location of Moonlit Gardens. Snap was frustrated that Penny didn’t ask Biclops the name of the book. He would have thought that would be one of the important questions she’d ask him. He didn’t know how it could have slipped her mind. Penny did apologize and they did try to seek out Biclops, but oddly he wasn’t at his cave. They didn’t see or hear any sign of the giant and they had assumed he went out for a walk.

Instead of waiting, they decided to come here. Time was of the essence. They had no idea when Biclops would be back. They couldn’t sit around all day waiting for him. Even though they had no idea what book they were looking for, it might take them less time to locate that book than to sit around waiting for Biclops to come back. He tended to go for very long walks at times.

Snap did think it was a little odd Biclops was gone during this time of day. He would have thought he’d be inside his cave doing exercises at that point, or standing outside the mine, enjoying the beautiful scenery. Him being absent was rather strange. But he and Penny didn’t have much time to sit around and think about it. They had to find that book and fast. Besides, Biclops wasn’t known to stick to a strict schedule anyway. He probably just got a head start on some jogging.

Snap looked all around the books in front of him. He looked at the names of the spines, trying to find one in particular. With the books out of order and scattered, it was hard to find anything of interest or anything that could help him and Penny. His eyes were starting to hurt from all the looking around and squinting to see letters. As much as he understood why the librarians didn’t bother trying to keep everything in order due to how busy they were, he wished they would put some effort into it. It would make searching the books here a lot easier.

He moved down to the next aisle. He glanced up and down, taking note of all the books that were there. His head started to hurt just thinking about all the books he’d have to sift through. Any one that he thought might have information, he would check out, even if it wasn’t a book in the search results the computer had given them regarding Moonlit Gardens. He felt it was worth a shot looking at them, because it was possible that other books mention Moonlit Gardens and just weren’t indexed. With all these books, he couldn’t doubt that at least some of them weren’t in the system. Hard to keep up with a place like this.

He hoped they would find something soon. Neither of them had a clue how long Rudy had. He was very worried for his friend. It came as a shock to him when he learned about his worsening fever and his DNA structure being altered. He knew a dangerously high fever could kill Rudy... And this DNA altering thing... He wasn’t sure if it was dangerous or not, but he didn’t want to take any chances. The fact that DNA isn’t supposed to be altered in this manner told him enough. They had to get Rudy that green chalk, and fast.

Suddenly, Penny’s voice rang out to him. “Hey Snap!” Snap turned his head to see Penny in another aisle, waving at him. “I think I found something!”

Snap wasted no time. He rushed down the aisle to where Penny was located. When he reached her, he could see that she was holding a book in her arms. She had lowered herself to the ground, her legs crossed. The book she had was large and white in color. She had it open to about the middle of the book. He couldn’t see much at first, just a bunch of squiggles. Getting closer, he could start to make out some details. It was only when he sat down next to her that he realized the book she had was on legends and what not.

He wondered, at first, why she would pick this book. But then he remembered what he thought earlier, about Moonlit Gardens possibly being a legend. Maybe it really was and not many zoners knew about it. Their only evidence that it exists is that Biclops apparently said green chalk grows there. He trusted Biclops’s word, and if he says that this place exists, then he believed him. Perhaps it was a good thing that this place wasn’t well known across ChalkZone. The last thing they really needed was for Jenny and her lackeys to find out and stage a trap for them.

“According to what it says here,” Penny traced her finger along the paper, her eyes moving back and forth as she read the words. “Moonlit Gardens is located deep in night zone, further than we have traveled there before. It is completely underground. We have to look for a hidden passageway, a tunnel somewhere in the Gem Desert.”

“The Gem Desert?” Snap asked, looking up at her. Penny nodded her head. “I think I heard of that place. It’s supposed to be pretty tranquil. Not a lot of night zoners live out that way.” He looked back down at the book. “Does it say where this passageway is?”

Penny shook her head. “It’s called ‘hidden’ for a reason, Snap. It doesn’t list any location for it. It just says there exists one, and finding it is not going to be that easy. The Gem Desert, according to this book, is pretty large. It’s located out beyond where Skrawl’s old hideout used to be. With the huge cacti and such.”

“But that’s in day zone.” Snap pointed out. “And Moonlit Gardens is in night zone.”

“Right.” Penny nodded her head. “But according to my calcuations, and what this book seems to indicate, if we keep going down beyond Skrawl’s...cactus hideout, not only would we eventually reach night zone, but we should end up in the Gem Desert. We will know we’re there from the tall, multi-colored gems that sprout everywhere, about as large as those cacti.”

Snap smiled and folded his arms. He gave a light hearted chuckle. “Or when we reach some place dark.”

Penny glared at him for a second, and then continued speaking. “The only clue it really gives on where to find this hidden tunnel is that it is located somewhere near one of these large gems.”

“Well that should be easy then.” Snap said.

“Actually no, it won’t be that easy.” Penny glanced at the book, furrowing her eye brows as she read more of it. “According to this, there’s hundreds of gems that grow there, even at the very entrance. And it doesn’t say how close to the gems the tunnel is. It could be right beside a gem or it could be a few feet away from one.”

Hundreds of gems? Yeah, he can see where that would be problematic. If that were the case, then it was going to be hard to figure out where to start. The hidden tunnel could be anywhere. It could take them hours to find it. They might have better luck going back to Biclops, wait for him to return, an ask him about the Moonlit Gardens’s entrance. That might actually take less time than looking through the Gem Desert, trying to find this one tunnel, which is well hidden somewhere in that desert. Things were definitely not going to be easy.

But Snap knew they couldn’t just sit around here for too long, trying to think of what to do. The sooner they started searching, the better. Rudy needed help fast, and that green chalk was going to buy him some time. It would be best to head to the Gem Desert now so that they are actually there. From there, they could formulate what they’ll do next. Penny could draw them some tools they could use to help locate the hidden passageway faster. He was certain she must know of something that would help them. She was smart. She would think of something on their way there.

“I’m sure we will find the passageway in enough time.” Snap said, smiling at Penny. “Let’s head out now.”

“Yeah, good idea.” Penny passed the book to Snap. He held onto it as Penny climbed up to her feet with her cane. She made a gesture with her head for Snap to follow her. “Come on, let’s check this book out and be on our way.” With that, she started to hobble over to the front desk, standing behind one of the zoners in the long line.

Snap followed close behind her. As they waited in line, he looked at her leg and winced. It looked even worse close up, even with the bandages. This made him even more worried if they were ambushed in the Gem Desert. If Jenny, Tyreek, and Gadir found them in the desert with Penny still injured like that, they would surely take advantage of it. Penny can’t run very well with the cane and she couldn’t stand up very long without it. He wouldn’t put it past those three to take advantage of Penny’s wounded leg.

And his injuries too... Although he wasn’t as hindered walking as Penny, he, too, was in considerable pain, even with pain medications, and he had very sensitive wounds that would spread agony through his body if they were even just lightly touched. If they were purposefully struck... He shuddered at the thought of just how painful that was going to be. Thinking about it, he realized how much of a risk it was for them to head out to the Gem Desert, since if they were attacked, they both had some physical weaknesses that could be taken advantage of.

But then again, he and Penny would stand a better chance against them together. If they were separated, yeah it would be a problem. He wasn’t that large and Penny’s injured leg would make it harder for her to fight back affectively. But together, they would be able to withstand them better. They were best friends and they’d protect each other. Even though they’d be at a disadvantage, if Jenny and her comrades want to get them, they would find it’s not going to be as easy as they might think it is.

Yeah, those three can try to stop them, but they were going to fail. He and Penny were going to beat them if they dare try to stop them. They would find the green chalk and help Rudy. And they would cure Rudy and then defeat those three black chalk users. He didn’t know exactly how they were going to do that, but he knew that, eventually, they’d figure something out and stop them. They had been in scraps before and they managed to succeed. Cosmo, Draow, and Bardot could all attest to that.

Snap clenched his hand onto a fist as he thought about that evil trio. Try as they might, they weren’t going to be able to stop him and his friends forever. They would succeed. They would win. And those three would be brought to justice. He would see to that.

sss

“So...this is the Gem Desert?” Snap breathed, his eyes wide.

Penny nodded her head slowly. “Yeah it is.”

“It’s...beautiful.” Snap’s eyes widened as he looked all around.

“Indeed...” Penny said, staring at the beauty all around them. She had a feeling that this place would be pretty just from the description, but she never imagined it would be like this.

The Gem Desert was indeed massive, spreading as far as the eye could see. There were a few hills and a couple mountains, but it was largely flat ground with several large boulders laying around. There were some plants growing, but with no leaves on them, just twigs. The ground color was a deep gray purple. In the moonlight above them, the rocks appeared to glint and shine. The reflective nature made it very easy to notice the formation of the land all around them without the need of a flashlight.

Protruding from the ground were the gems. Most of them were tall and angular, with a pointed end and a square-ish shape. Almost like a polygon pencil, if Penny had to think of any word to describe them. They grew either straight up or at angles. They were clear and highly reflective. She could see her reflection, kinda squiggly, on the gems that they passed. The gems were all multi-colored, like a rainbow. There were green, red, blue, orange, purple, and yellow gems all around them. Each one had rainbowy reflections on them when viewed from a certain angle.

In addition, the ground they walked on where the gems grew out of were also colorful. But not because of the ground naturally being that way. It didn’t take her and Snap long to realize it was the light from the gems that gave it this appearance. The light from the moon reflected through the gems, causing the light that exited it to be colored. This gave the ground a rainbow appearance, with patches of those six colors decorating the ground.

There were also small clusters of multi-colored crystals strewn about. From how they grew out of the ground, they looked kinda like bushes. Their tips were much sharper than the larger crystals and they had to be avoided. They were still pretty to look at, and unlike the larger crystals, these gave off their own light, making it even easier to see the landscape all around them. Which was good, because a lot of the ground they were stepping on was very uneven. One wrong move and they could trip and slam against these crystals.

Overall, the place looked quite beautiful and pretty. If she and Snap weren’t on such an important mission, she would be hanging around here, studying the structure of these gems, and perhaps taking pictures to show her mom. Maybe after this all blows over, she could bring her mom here. This place seemed nice and quiet. As the book mentioned, there wasn’t a zoner to be found within miles of here. It was just so...peaceful and quiet. But she didn’t have time to admire the scenery now. They had to locate that tunnel.

“Snap.” Penny pointed in one direction. “You look over there. And I’ll look around here.”

“You got it.” Snap replied.

With that, the two of them began searching the area. Snap went over to where Penny had told him to go and began to look around there. She stayed where she was and scanned the area for anything that looked unusual or out of place for this area. There were so many crystals. The book had been right about that. There were so many it was impossible to count them, and they were all over the place. She was certain, with the two of them looking, they would find something.

Penny went over to two crystals which, when crossed over each other the way they were, formed what looked lik an X mark. She looked at the ground around it. She didn’t see anything that stood out. She looked at the ground all around it, looking for anything that made it clear there was something hiding underneath. Nothing so far. She moved to another patch of crystals, these looking like they formed a box shape. Like before, she studied the ground to look for signs of abnormalities, but so far, nothing.

She walked around crystal after crystal, patch after patch. She looked around some large rocks as well, and spent some time walking with her head as low to the ground as she could manage with a cane. Navigating this rocky place was not easy with the cane, but she managed. She looked all around, trying to find any trace of a tunnel. She was not having much luck. She couldn’t even tell if the hidden tunnel was around here or if it was much further off. The only way to know is to keep looking and steadying every inch of the ground until they found something.

But after about half an hour, they were still no closer to finding the tunnel. Once a while, she’d glance over at Snap to see how he was fairing. It was clear he was having no such luck. He clearly looked frustrated as he checked gem after gem. She was getting frustrated too. She must have checked about fifty to sixty crystals so far, and the area around them, and there was still nothing. No sign of a tunnel to be found. She paused and looked all around her. How was she going to find the tunnel in time? She couldn’t just check all these crystals. There had to be a faster way to locate this hidden passageway. She just needed a little time to think and...

There was a cold chuckle. She heard Snap let out a cry of surprise. In seconds, the zoner was by her side, looking in one direction in fear and determination. She turned her head over to see what was going on. She gasped in horror at what she saw.

It was Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir... How did they find her and Snap so fast? How did they get here so quietly, without them knowing they were there? How did they even know that they were going to be here? She quickly took a fighting stance, steadying herself with her cane. This just earned mock smiles from the trio. They didn’t even need to say anything for her to know that they did not feel at all threatened by her due to her leg injury.

“Why hello...Penny...” Jenny greeted, giving a mock wave at the teenager. “What a pleasant surprise.”

Penny growled, detecting the sarcasm in that voice. “How long have you been waiting for us?”

Tyreek shrugged his shoulders. “What does it matter? The point is, you are here now.”

“Let’s just say we were waiting...a while.” Ghadir said, smirking down at them with her arms crossed. “I must say, we thought you would have thought to come here sooner. I guess you two aren’t as smart as we thought.”

Snap snarled, “You shouldn’t underestimate us...”

“Oh no?” Ghadir tilted her head to the side. “You and your human friend have not been able to lay a hand on us yet. If that shows us anything, it’s that you’re weak.”

Snap raised up a fist. “Why don’t you come down here and find out how ‘weak’ we are?”

Ghadir was about to speak, but she was silenced by Jenny. The nurse put a hand on her shoulder, making her close her mouth and look up at her. Jenny shook her head before looking back down towards Penny. “I know why you are here. You are trying to gain access to the Moonlit Gardens, no?” Penny clenched her teeth but did not respond. Jenny obviously took this as a yes as her creepy smile broadened. “Well then... You’ll have to get through us first. You see...”

Jenny raised her hands. Tyreek and Ghadir, who were positioned beside her, each took out a piece of magic chalk. To Penny and Snap’s horror, they realized it was black chalk. The pieces of black chalk was so hard to see in the darkness of night zone. Only a faint glitter from the black trails indicated that they were there.

Jenny took out her own. She raised it up in front of her, making sure that Penny and Snap could see it. A low chuckle escaped her throat. “Did you think that we would just let you through? You’d be a fool to believe that.”

Penny growled at this. “You’re not going to stop us from helping Rudy.” Snap nodded in agreement, glaring at the trio despite his fear. “If you’re expecting us to go down willingly, think again!”

“Oh no.” Jenny shook her head. “We don’t. Even injured...” Jenny looked intently at Penny’s injured leg. Penny took a subconscious step back. “We figured you would be too stubborn to just give up like that. Although...” She took a step forward. “You probably should have went with that plan instead. It would have been a lot less..painful.”

“You wish!” Snap shouted at them.

Jenny ignored his outburst. She raised her hand in the air and said. “I don’t suppose you two know why this place is empty, do you?” She waited to see if they would reply. When Penny and Snap said nothing, she took that as a gesture to continue. “Well you see, there is a good reason why this place doesn’t get many visitors. It would seem that, when you looked up information about Moonlit Gardens, you failed to realize just what kind of place Gem Desert is. I should know...” She chuckled. “Unlike you, I did the research, and you wanna know why there’s no zoners around here?”

Penny and Snap looked at each other nervously. Apprehension filled both their minds. What was Jenny alluding to? What was wrong with this place? Penny realized, in horror, there really did have to be a reason why this place felt lifeless. In most places in ChalkZone, there was at least some type of wildlife around. But here, there was nothing, not even a zoner insect. And this place was located right outside the day zone desert, where there were at least condors flying around. Here, nothing. All signs of life just abruptly ended.

From the look in Jenny’s eyes, from what she said, from how the others were looking at them, it was clear there was something very wrong this place, and they knew it. She took a few steps back, looking all around. Snap did likewise, darting his eyes around to find any possible source of danger. Neither of them saw anything at first. No sound, no sight, no nothing that they could detect.

Then suddenly, without warning, something hard struck against Penny. She let out a loud cry of pain as she crashed into the ground. Her cane was knocked to the side.

“Penny!” Snap cried. Snap rushed over to her side. He didn’t get very far. Something struck him as well, sending him flying across the ground, close to where the evil trio were. He let out a groan of pain.

“Snap!” Penny shouted in horror.

Penny managed to get back up onto her feet without her cane. She winced as she put pressure on her right leg. She had to shift her body weight onto her good leg. Her eye twitched as the agony spread through her body. Fear settled into her stomach as she realized what she was dealing with. Whatever attacked her, she couldn’t see it. At first, she thought it was because it moved so fast, she missed it. But she had seen Snap get attacked, and she couldn’t believe what she saw.

Or rather, what she didn’t see. The creature was invisible.

The horrific realization swept through her mind, chilling her. A large zoner was around here. It was angry, it was vicious, and it was invisible to the naked eye. She couldn’t hear it. There were no signs of footsteps. Whatever this zoner was, it could at least fly. She clenched her teeth. How was she going to fight an invisible zoner? And was this zoner a creation of theirs? The zoner was not attacking them, so she guessed this was the case.

Snap struggled to his feet. He looked over at Penny, his eyes wide. He started to make his way over, but he was stopped when he was yanked into the air by his leg. He hung upside down as Tyreek sneered at him. Snap struggled to get free, swinging his fist at the man. But Tyreek merely moved back far enough that Snap’s fist could not reach him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Tyreek asked, a dark smile on his face.

“Let me go!” Snap demanded.

“Oh I’ll let you go all right...” Tyreek narrowed his eyes. “Into the ground!” With that, he slammed Snap against the ground as hard as he could, prompting Snap to cry out in pain.

“Leave him alone!" Penny cried.

She tried to rush over, limping horribly due to not having her cane with her. She was struck into the ground again, letting out a pain-filled cry. The invisible creature had struck her in her damaged leg, sending shockwaves of pain through her body. Tears of pain formed in her eyes. The creature grabbed onto her and held her off the ground. She looked over at where Snap was, her eyes widening in horror as she saw a fresh bruise on his face from when he was slammed.

Penny tried to free herself from the invisible creature’s grasp. But no matter what she tried, she couldn’t get free. She looked all around for any sign of this creature, and, to her shock, it didn’t leave any trace. No shadow, no footprints, nothing. And when she moved her hand around where she could feel it gripping her, there was nothing. She was horrified. What kind of zoner was this? A ghost?

She turned her attention back to Tyreek. He was still holding Snap by his leg. Snap was clearly in pain. His eyes were shut tightly, teeth clenched. The new bruise on his face overlapped with an old injury and she guessed that the older wound reopened. Tyreek’s wrist was wrapped tightly around Snap’s ankle, twisting it a little. She struggled harder to get free, determined to help her friend. She wasn’t about to let him get hurt again by these monsters. Soon, after she struggled hard enough, the creature let her go. She dropped down, coughing as dust was kicked up. She turned to where Tyreek was, growled in determination, and limped towards him.

“Give me my friend back!” Penny shouted.

“So you want him back?” Ghadir asked in a knowing voice.

“Why don’t you give him back, Tyreek?” Jenny suggested, her voice taunting. “I do think she misses him.”

Tyreek raised Snap in the air. “Gladly.”

Tyreek slammed Snap as hard as he could into the ground, causing the zoner to scream in pain. Then he pulled his arm back and, mustering as much strength as he could, he threw Snap into the air. He did not aim for Penny. Instead, he threw Snap towards one of the large gems. Penny watched, horror gripping her heard, as Snap slammed fast first into the crystal. There was a sickening crack and, from the blood now dripping from his nostrils, she realized his nose has been broken. She watched as Snap slid down the gem and laid limp on the ground.

Terrified, Penny rushed to her friend’s side. Seeing that his eyes were closed, she realized that he had been knocked unconscious. She gripped Snap by his shoulder and shook him gently. Snap did not respond. She tried to shake him a little harder, hoping, praying, that he would wake up. She called out his name several times out of desperation. But the little zoner did not respond. He laid there, out cold, unmoving. The only signs of life were a few groans and the sound and sight of him breathing.

Penny’s body shook from fear and from anger. She slowly lifted up her head and glared at the trio standing before her. They all looked at her with smug looks. Oh how she wanted to wipe those smiles off their faces. She slowly rose up to her feet. Though the pain in her leg would cause problems, even though she had to deal with an invisible creature as well as this trio, she was not going down without a fight. She raised up her magic chalk, glaring at Jenny and her comrades with determination.

“Looks like the little girl wants to play.” Jenny said. She turned to her comrades and made a gesture with her head. “Come on. Let’s not disappoint her.” With that, she, Tyreek, and Ghadir, holding up their magic chalk, rushed down towards Penny.


	19. At A Disadvantage

Biclops laid down on the ground. He was resting with his belly against the floor. He glanced up towards the ceiling, the view partially obscured by the electric bars that held him in. He smacked his lips a few times, feeling how dry they were. He was very thirsty. He could use a glass of something to drink right about now. And he was hungry. Oh so very hungry. But there was nothing here to eat or drink and he was not able to get out of this electric cage. He was completely trapped.

Jenny had been right when she said no one would find him. There really weren’t a lot of zoners that came out this way. He didn’t go out into ChalkZone enough for zoners to realize anything strange was going on. He was usually in the Chalk Mine and only once in a while did he head out. Zoners were used to him not coming out for as long as a week or so. He didn’t have that kind of time. By then, he would die of dehydration, which is exactly what Jenny wanted. That was why she didn’t kill him right off the bat. She just wanted him to suffer.

She still held a grudge against him for his betrayal years ago. But what else could he do? He couldn’t stand watching so many zoners getting hurt because of these reckless creators. He had to find a way to put a stop to it. He was sick of being Cosmo’s slave, sick of being treated like he was just a tool to be wielded, and he did something about it. And he was glad he did. It felt nice to finally be able to do something good for a change, rather than be the ruthless monster Cosmo wanted him to be.

The bad part of that is that it did cause Cosmo to create Draow, who really was the ruthless beast Cosmo always wanted. Draow was a dangerous zoner with a volatile personality. And Cosmo wielded him like some sword. Draow never seemed to mind and followed his master willingly. Draow had turned the tide of the war even further into the favor of the black chalk artists. Draow’s ferocity was too much for most of the white chalk users, with only Tsere, Wilter’s creation, being able to stand toe to toe with him.

Biclops wondered if Jenny was going to try to get to the Solar Pillars. For now, it didn’t pose an immediate threat. With the machinery blocked, it wasn’t going to be able to activate completely. If it activated at all that is. Jenny did have a habit of decieving when she saw fit, and maybe Solar Pillars didn’t activate when he simply talked about it. Still, with how dangerous that place was and how very hard it was to stop it once it got going, it was too big a risk for him and Wilter to take. He felt bad that he had to withhold that information. At least he was finally able to tell them.

He guessed that Jenny and her lackeys were going to take over Solar Pillars. It was a weapon the black chalk artists had used in the past. It caused a lot of destruction and mayhem. It provided them a safe place to be while they used light beams to destroy target after target. It also housed the ‘origin of black chalk’, where black chalk originally started to grow. They would get an endless supply there.

Then there was the Chalk Mine. Cosmo had planted some of the black chalk in his own mine. Biclops had managed to contain it for years. After it was stumbled upon three years ago when Mr. Cosmo had returned, Biclops had sealed it more securely this time around to ensure no one would stumble upon it. Biclops had no idea of the Chalk Mine was the only place where Mr. Cosmo had planted its seed, but he had a feeling there was a lot more. So many locations, and it would be hard to find all of them.

This was a big reason why black chalk was thought to be impossible to destroy. It’s not just located in one place, like white chalk. It was likely it was located in many parts of ChalkZone. He was certain that Cosmo and other corrupted artists, able to create more black chalk, could spread the evil chalk throughout all of ChalkZone. With so many locations where the black chalk could reside, they could maybe destroy a few batches of black chalk, but not the whole thing. There was a saying. It’s easy to kill a lot of something, but it’s much harder to kill all of something. No matter how much black chalk batches they destroy, there could always be at least one. And one was all it took to begin the cycle again...

Biclops suspected that if there was a way to destroy all these batches of black chalk simultaneously, all at once, it might get rid of the black chalk permanently. It might also undo all the corruption that took place and revert any artist affected by it back to normal. But he wasn’t certain of this, and he wasn’t about to get his hopes up. He pretty much accepted the black chalk as a permanent problem and felt preventative measures, keeping artists from finding the black chalk, was the best option to go for.

It hadn’t been very pleasant seeing Jenny again. She was just as nasty as he remembered she was. He wasn’t sure if she would have gone through with destroying the Chalk Mine as it may not have worked in her favor. But there was no way he would have taken that risk. It wasn’t just his life he was concerned about. If they succeeded in destroying the Chalk Mine, it would render Rudy and Penny almost completely helpless, and they’d have to search across ChalkZone for more magic chalk. And they’d be stuck with different colored chalk, many of which he had forgotten the powers for.

He recalled how angry she was when he showed her the ‘footage’ of Cosmo and Rudy fighting. Since he hadn’t been there for the full fight, there was a huge portion of the fight he couldn’t show her. But what she did see was enough to infuriate her. She had been especially angry when Rudy slammed him against the wall like that, and how he managed to get away while Cosmo was crushed to death under the boulders. Even seeing his death, even though she could see for herself that Rudy had never meant for it to happen and that Cosmo really did cause his own death, Jenny still blamed him for it. And the footage did little more than fuel her thirst for revenge against Rudy.

And then, just to be sick, she had told him what the virus would do to Rudy. Biclops had never been so disturbed in his life. He had fought with all his might not to throw up. It suddenly all made sense. That other artist that passed way from this same disease...that was what had killed them. The virus did something..so horrific he couldn’t even think about it without feeling ill. It made him realize just how hard it was going to be to save Rudy. Even if they managed to get the chartreuse chalk to buy him time, they still needed to work as fast as they could to find a cure. But how could they find a cure for...something like that...?

Biclops couldn’t imagine how they were going to feel when they found out. They were going to be horrified, that’s for sure. And then they are going to try to find information on the disease, try to find a cure, and they might not find anything. This disease... It was abhorrent. He couldn’t believe that Jenny had actually done something like this to Rudy. Well then again, maybe he shouldn’t be all that shocked. She was always crazy, just that nowadays, she was even nuttier than she was as a child.

Biclops hoped someone would find him in time. He could feel his body getting weaker by the second. It wasn’t too bad at the moment, but if he stayed in here too much longer, he would find it difficult to move. He was almost always tired, even when he knew it was daytime hours. He had tried calling for help, but, being deep in the cave, no one could hear him. There was no guarantee that someone would find him in time. All he could do was lay there and hope that someone would find him before it was too late.

He had to tell Rudy about what was going on. He had to tell him and his friends what Jenny told him. They had to know. This information was very important. If they didn’t get it soon, Rudy might die because they don’t know exactly what they’re dealing with. This chalk virus was much more dangerous than they realized. He had to tell them somehow. He was getting tired...no he can’t fall asleep. He needed to keep trying to get attention. Someone was bound to hear him. Someone...anyone...

Biclops looked all around, trying to find a space small enough to squeeze his arm through. He tried to find something close enough for him to grab. Finding nothing, he did the only thing he could do. He raised his large hand into the air and started to pound the ground. He was not strong enough to break it, but it was enough that the room shook a little, sending shockwaves through the cave walls. He knew it was risky, but it was the only thing he hadn’t tried yet.

Again and again, he pounded the ground, hoping that it would be enough. The ground shook with vibrations from each blow. He grunted in pain, his hand starting to hurt from the slamming of his fist. But he still continued, gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain to the best of his ability. He hoped that the low rumble would be enough to draw some brave zoner to the cave to investigate. Or maybe it would frighten zoners away but then they might call someone to go take a look.

As Biclops continued to punch the ground, on the outside of the cave, unbeknownst to him, there was movement outside the cave entrance. Something small, beige, and having little hairs covering its body. Its long, proboscis-like mouth had a long tongue sometimes twirl out of it, or just hanging there like it were a dog.

Anyone who took a look at this thing immediately knew what it was. A wiggie. How it got to the Chalk Mine is unknown. It must have wandered far away from its home and got lost. Whatever the cause, it was hopping around the entrance of the Chalk Mine cave. This particular wiggie stood out from any other thanks to the collar around its neck. It was Wiggums, Snap’s pet wiggie. Wiggums hopped around the entrance, looking left and right as he explored this strange, new land he had stumbled upon.

Wiggums suddenly looked startled, having felt the vibrations sweep through the ground. Wiggums looked around, trying to find the source of the vibrations he felt. His tongue slurping in and out, he looked over at the cave, a look of curiosity clouding over his eyes. He tilted his head from side to sde. Then he felt another shake of the ground and he moved back. But being a wiggie, a zoner that would attach even to very large zoners, Wiggums was not frightened away so easily.

Curiosity clearly getting the better of him, Wiggums started to hop into the cave. He followed the vibrations deep through the tunnels, never breaking his hopping stride.

sss

Penny let out a scream as she was tossed across the ground again. She skidded across the rocky surface and crumpled down, groaning in pain. She looked over and glared hatefully at Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir. They hadn’t even bothered using their black chalks, and yet they were still gaining the upperhand. They took advantage of the fact she can’t walk that well, even with her cane, and really let her have it.

Again and again, they’d knock her into the ground. They kicked her, they threw her, they punched her, but not to the same degree as before. She could tell they were holding back. Compared to how they were to her in their first meeting, they were being downright gentle now. She quickly realized they were just toying with her, messing with her head. They clearly enjoyed to torment her this way, only attacking every so often and just preventing her from using her magic chalk.

She tried her best to keep her guard. She tried to prepare herself for when they’d come after her. But they were unpredictable. They’d come in at random times in random places. Sometimes they’d attack her in the side, others her back, and others from her front. There was even an aerial attack of sorts when Tyreek climbed on one of the large gems growing out of the ground and jumped on her, knocking her into the earthy ground. That knocked the wind out of her, and gave Jenny time to lift her up by her shirt and punching her in the face before throwing her aside, her back slamming against the gem with tremendous force.

And that was just part of the problem. In addition to them, there was an invisible monstrous zoner roaming around, attacking her. Only her. It acted like it didn’t see the black chalk users. Its eyes were only for her. And if she strayed too far from the black chalk users, it would strike her, knocking her off her feet. Sometimes the beast would knock her towards the black chalk users. She wasn’t sure if this was coincidence as the trio never really gave orders or hand signals to the beast, or if there was something more going on.

Dodging something she could see was not easy. It didn’t help that this beast, despite being large and strong enough to lift her up no problem, there were no footprints, no way to know where it was at any given moment. This made her much more vulnerable as she tried to face off against the evil trio. At any time, she could be tossed around like a rag doll by this thing, and its throws were much more painful than when Tyreek would throw her. Miraculously, she was able to avoid this thing most of the time, but it was only through shere luck and sometimes, that luck would run out and she sometimes still got attacked, knocked around the desert’s floor.

She sometimes had attempted to punch one of the black chalk users as they got close to her. But she was outsmarted each time. She couldn’t move fast enough and she wound up either causing herself to fall or almost fall, or she’d get attacked first and stumble backwards, sometimes falling down. She couldn’t count how many times she had fallen into the ground. More than she wanted, and each fall hurt her damaged right leg more and more. If she wasn’t careful, she might end up breaking her leg, and that was the last thing she needed right now.

The only good thing going on so far is that Snap was not being hurt. He was stil crumpled on the ground where he was slammed. He hadn’t moved from that spot. He was still out cold. Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek didn’t bother going after him. They didn’t even acknowledge that he was there. Their focus was solely on her.

This didn’t stop Penny from occassionally looking over to make sure Snap was fine. Knowing how this trio was, she wouldn’t put it past them to attack Snap while he was down. In that state, he was very vulnerable. She knew they weren’t above playing dirty and, at any time, they could grab him, and there wouldn’t be much she could do about it. In her state, she wouldn’t be able to run over and help him in time. Her leg, it hurt so badly. Even just standing, she was fighting back tears of pain. She wanted to go back and get her cane, but they were preventing her from doing that, attacking her and pushing her back any time she tried to get her cane.

She wasn’t sure how she was going to get out of this. She couldn’t draw anything. Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir were never too far away from her. If she tried pulling out her magic chalk, they’d punch her or kick her. They would do whatever it took to keep her from drawing. She wasn’t as fast as Rudy. She wasn’t able to draw anything quickly enough before she was shoved around like she was just some toy that they had found. It was frustrating and she did what she could to fight back, only to have her efforts fail on her each and every time.

There had to be someway to beat them. She stood her ground, glaring at them. They surrounded her now, each with dark smiles on their faces. They weren’t moving, not even an inch. They were almost like statues. The only source of movement came from their chests inflating and deflating from each breath they sucked in. She couldn’t go in either direction without one of them coming after her. And she cold hear the low hissing of the invisible zoner not far from her.

“Why don’t you give up now?” Ghadir asked, folding her arms and staring at Penny with that smug look on her face. “You’re no match for us!”

Penny growled at her and took a small step back. She ignored the hiss from the invisible zoner. “I will never give up...”

Tyreek gave a dark chuckle. “Well it seems to me like you should consider that.”

“I’ve never given up before.” Penny tightened her hand around her magic chalk. “I am certainly not going to start now!”

“There’s always a first time for everything.” Tyreek remarked.

Penny narrowed her eyes further. She kept her fighting stance. She did her best to ignore the pain in her leg. She wasn’t going to run away from this fight. Though it looked hopeless, there was no way she was going to run now. If she left, both Rudy and Snap would be in trouble. Rudy might die..no, he would die from the disease if she didn’t get him some help. And there was no way that this trio was just going to leave Snap there. They’d capture him and torture him, and she wasn’t about to let that happen to him.

There had to be something she could do to gain the upperhand. But what? They were too fast for her. She couldn’t draw anything in time. She was surrounded. She couldn’t turn and run off. Even if her leg wasn’t damaged, there was still that invisible zoner that was ready to attack her. Why it was targeting just her, why it wasn’t going after the others, why it didn’t attack when the evil trio were close to her, she wasn’t sure. But that didn’t matter too much to her right now when she was trapped and had no idea how she was going to get out of this mess.

Time was of the essence. Rudy needed that green chalk, fast. She had to look around this place and try to find it. She couldn’t remain here forever. She had to get that green chalk. She had to find that tunnel. She wasn’t going to be able to that with this trio and that invisible zoner lurking about. There had to be something she cold do. She just hadn’t thought of anything yet.

She looked around, trying to find something she could use to get out of here. Anything. But she found nothing. All that was around here were those large gems getting out of the ground, and of course the various rocks. None of those were going to do her any good. She then turned to glare back at the trio, looking at them one at a time. She gritted her teeth and kept her defensive stance, knowing that, at any time, they could start toying with her again. They obviously took pleasure in keeping her in suspense, attacking her at random intervals, with no rhyme or reason.

“It would be easier for you if you just surrendered now, Penny.” Jenny said as she paced back and forth, her eyes locked onto the eighteen year old’s. “Things would go a lot smoother, and you wouldn’t be wasting any of your...precious energy.”

Penny shook her head, refusing to back down. “There is no way I am going to surrender to you...you monster...”

Jenny’s eyes widened slightly and a psychotic smile spread across her face. “Oh I was hoping you would say that...” She raised her hand and snapped her finger.

Suddenly, Tyreek and Ghadir rushed at her as fast as they could. Penny looked at them, her eyes widening as she realized what was about to happen. Before she could get away, the two slammed their bodies against her, crushing her between them. She let out a yelp and a gasp as air was knocked out of her lungs. Tyreek and Ghadir squashed her between them for a few seconds before they took a few steps back. Stunned, Penny staggered a little, nearly losing her balance.

Ghadir rushed over and grabbed her by her injured leg. Penny let out a scream of pain as Ghadir hoisted her up and slammed her into the ground as hard as she could. Then, twisting her leg, prompting another scream, Ghadir threw Penny out away from them. Her body rolled across the ground, kicking up dust. She shook in agony as she struggled to her feet. She didn’t get very far and she ended up falling back onto her knees. She stared over at Ghadir with hate, raising her magic chalk in an attempt to try to defend herself.

This time, it wasn’t any of the black chalk users that stopped her from using the chalk. It was the invisible zoner creature. She felt herself being yanked into the air. The creature had her by her arm. She could feel its drool making her arm feel wet. She could feel sharp teeth poking at her skin. The creature’s low growls could be heard, vibrating through her body. She attempted to struggle, but without being able to touch the creature, there was nothing she could do to defend herself. She was helpless as the creature began to toy with her a little.

The creature began to shake her in the air. Her body was flung from side to side. Each shake was harder than the last. She could feel her body aching, her head starting to hurt. She closed her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth in pain, trying her best to bear it. The creature slammed her again and again before it finally released her and tossed her away. She let out a scream as her shoulder smashed against the hard, unforgiving floor. Then she just laid there, groaning in agony. She tried to get up, but she just collapsed back on the ground. She lifted up her head and looked around.

Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir were looking at her with looks of satisfaction on their faces. They were clearly proud of what they were doing. They were approaching her now, each holding up their magic chalk. She had no idea what they planned on doing, but it wasn’t going to be anything good. They got closer to her, flanking her from all sides. She felt Ghadir put her foot on her back, pressing her down, holding her there. She craned her head up to see Jenny. The vile nurse lowered herself on one knee in front of her, staring her with that evil expression.

“It is a shame it had to end this way, Penny.” Jenny said softly. “You could barely hold out against us, and should you be surprised? I hope not. You were outclassed, Penny. You never stood a chance against us. With that leg of yours, you are too slow.” Penny growled. Jenny reached down and placed her hand on her cheek gently. “I was hoping to keep you alive so you can witness your murderer friend perish, but maybe it’s better off this way. The more Rudy suffers, the better.”

Penny bared her teeth. “You’re sick! What did Rudy ever do to deserve this?!”

Tyreek growled lowly. “He killed Mr. Cosmo.”

“What?! No he didn’t!” Penny cried, turning her head to look up at Tyreek. “You’re insane to think that! Rudy wouldn’t hurt anyone! Cosmo died from his own stupidity!” She let out a grunt of pain when Ghadir slammed her foot against her back.

“Don’t you fucking dare bad mouth Cosmo like that you little worm.” Ghadir slammed her foot against Penny again, causing another yelp. “He has more talent in one finger than you do in your whole body... If I were you, I’d watch my tongue when speaking about him.”

Penny didn’t reply. She just growled, her eyes tightly shut. She only opened them when she felt Jenny move her hand a little lower and cup her chin. Her head was forcibly lifted up, causing the back of her neck to ache.

“That is true, Penny. Cosmo was more the creator than you will ever be.” Jenny spoke with a dangerous tone of voice. Penny felt herself shake ever so slightly when she stared into those anger-filled eyes. She tried to jerk her head away, but Jenny just tightened her grip. “Perhaps it’s time you learn a little...” She slowly turned her gaze over to were Snap was laying prone on the ground. A nasty smile. “...respect...”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror. “N-No...you’re not...” She struggled to get up, but Ghadir held her down. “Please leave him alone!” She cried in desperation.

Jenny and Tyreek moved in front of her, smirking down at her pinned form. There was no sympathy in their eyes. They ignored her cries as they turned and continued to move towards the unconscious Snap. Just in the way they were moving towards him, Penny could tell they were doing to do something horrible to him. Her heart pounding against her chest, she struggled to get free.

“You know...I hope they let me have a little fun with him.” Ghadir said. She licked her lips slowly, creeping Penny out. Ghadir stared in the direction her comrades were walking in. Then she looked down at Penny. “I have to wonder what he tastes like.”

Penny couldn’t stifle the gasp of horror when the lunchlady said that. Did she hear right? Did this woman really say, or indicate, that she wanted to eat Snap? That was...sickening. What kind of vile person anticipates eating another clearly sentient being? Penny felt her blood turn to ice as the horrific realization swept through her body. Realizing just what kind of danger Snap was in, she started to struggle even harder. She looked out ahead of her, panicking when she saw Jenny and Tyreek almost by Snap’s side now.

No..no she couldn’t allow this to happen. Her heart pounding faster, adrenaline rushing through her body, her struggles continued to increase. She wasn’t going to let these monsters eat her best friend. No, she wasn’t going to allow it to happen. She yanked herself from left to right, pushing back against Ghadir. Adrenaline powering her muscles, she managed to force Ghadir to move back enough to let her climb to her feet. She swung a punch at Ghadir, knocking the woman back , before she started to limp as quickly as she could over to where Jenny and Tyreek were.

“Oh no you don’t...” Ghadir growled.

Ghadir rushed over to Penny. With her limp, it didn’t take the woman long to reach her. She grabbed Penny by her shoulders and slammed her against one of the large crystals. Penny grunted in pain. She tried to push Ghadir back, but even with the adrenaline, she couldn’t manage to get the large woman off of her. Penny gritted her teeth and continued trying to push back. She looked out of the corner of her eye and saw that the other two were almost upon Snap now.

Ghadir clearly had no intentions of letting her go. She pulled back a fist and slammed it against Penny’s face. She let out a scream as her head was thrown to the side, hitting against the hard surface of the gem. She glared at Ghadir hatefully, baring her teeth. She mustered up as much a strength as she could and started to push back, despite the woman clearly being stronger than her.

This made the lunchlady laugh cruelly. “You really think you can beat us? With that bad leg of yours? With how much you are failing to protect yourself?” She tightened her grip. “Well I’ll tell you what. If you continue on struggling, you know what I’m going to do?” She leaned in and whispered into Penny’s ear. “I am going to make you eat a piece of your friend..”

Penny stared at Ghadir with horror-filled eyes. From the expression Ghadir was giving her, she was not lying. Penny felt her body start to shake. That was...unnecessarily cruel... She was not going to let her get away with that. She had to find a way out of here, and fast. If she didn’t, Snap was going to get hurt, or even killed, and this vile woman was going to eat him like some depraved sicko. She looked around in desperation for some way to free herself.

“If you’re thinking of trying to escape,” Ghadir said. “You may wanna rethink your plans. Even if you did get away from me, there’s still the crystal slither you have to get away from.”

“Crystal slither?” Penny inquired, confused.

“Oh yes. What do you think was attacking you?” Ghadir sneered. “Just one of the many dangers of the Gem Desert. I am amazed you didn’t do more research ahead of time.” She put her face close to Penny’s, causing the girl to turn her head, and said in a harsh voice, “Why do you think no zoner comes out here?”

The crystal slither...the invisible zoner. As Penny stood there, pinned against the crystal, she thought about how the slither had been behaving. Maybe there was something about it that she didn’t realize before. Her head swirled with thoughts as she tried to comprehend what had happened, and suddenly, it all started to make sense. Why hadn’t she made the connection before?

The crystal slither must not be able to see as well with anything that was black. The name suggested that it was made of crystal. And it must be adjusted for only certain light levels. It never goes into day zone because the light was too bright for it. But in night zone, it still couldn’t see that well, except around here, with the crystals giving off a little bit of light. Just enough for it to see and move around. That was why it had targeted her. The magic chalk gave off a glow that it could see. It must be a creature that hunts largely by sight.

And the evil trio... they had black chalk, which didn’t show up that well in the darkness of this place. It blended in quite well. Even she had a hard time seeing it when the trio stood in certain places and in certain ways. The zoner either didn’t see the black chalk or it was afraid of it. And if this is the case, if the zoner was targeting her because of the white chalk...

Realization clicked with her mind light a flashlight behind turned on. She looked down at her hand, gripping the white chalk. She looked back at Ghadir, then over to where Snap was. She knew what she had to do. Mustering up as much strength as she could, she stomped down on Ghadir’s foot. The women let out a cry of pain and took a few steps back. Wasting no time, Penny rushed forward as fast as she could with the limp. She raised the magic chalk into the air and started to wave it from side to side.

“Hey!”

The evil trio stopped what they were doing and stared over at Penny. They looked confused, wondering what she was going to do. Penny ignored them. She stared off in the direction she knew the crystal slither was. She could hear it coming towards her, a loud hiss escaping its toothy jaws. She waved the chalk back slowly, making sure the crystal slither got a good look at it. Then, tightening the muscles in her arms, she threw it over to where Jenny and Tyreek were.

The two of them stared down at the chalk in confusion. They didn’t have time to react when they were suddenly lifted into the air and a loud screech sounded out. The two of them let out a surprised shout. The crystal slither started to shake them, causing the black chalk to drop from their hands. Ghadir’s eyes were wide in horror and she rushed over to help her comrades.

Penny knew this distraction wasn’t going to work for long. She limped her way as fast as she could over to where Snap was. Once she reached him, she knelt down beside him and looked him over, making sure that he wasn’t injured further. She scooped him up into her arms and cradled him. She looked over and watched as Ghadir tried to do battle with the crystal slither, but was clearly having trouble. Tyreek and Jenny were trying to get free, flailing their limbs all over the place. But like her, they couldn’t land a blow on it.

A part of her felt guilty about doing this. She wasn’t the type of person to deliberately put others in danger like that, even if they were her enemy. But what else could she do? She had run out of options and Snap was in trouble. It was the only thing she could think of doing to save him. She tried to ignore her guilt as she glanced down at Snap.

A pang tugged at her stomach. It was unfair that he had to get hurt again. He didn’t deserve this. She reached down and began to stroke the top of his head. She hoped that this head injury wasn’t going to be anything serious. She felt her eyes begin to water as she started to realize how many head injuries Snap had gotten over the past couple years. At some point, one of them was going to do permanent damage. She bit her lip, trying to fight back her tears as realization hit her. Was this head injury...going to be the final straw? Was Snap going to began to have repurcussions?

She felt Snap start to squirm a little in her arms. She watched as his eyes started to flutter open. Elation began to fill her heart as she realized he was awake now. Snap let out a few groans, moving his head slowly as his glazed eyes looked around. He then saw her, and he started to look very confused, like he didn’t know where he was. Penny helped him sit up, using her arm to keep him from falling over.

“P-Penny? Wh-What’s...” He stared to say. He rubbed his head and winced. “Ow...it felt like someone took a drill to my head...”

“Come on, we have to get out of here.” Penny said. She attempted to get back up to her feet. She let out a cry of pain when her leg hit against something and she fell back down.

By now, Snap was awake enough to be somewhat aware of what was going on. He looked at Penny, his expression a mixture of pain and worry. “Where’s your cane..?”

Seething through clenched teeth, Penny looked in the direction her cane had been knocked. “It’s..over there...” She used her finger to point in the direction where the cane now laid on the ground.

Snap struggled to his feet. He rubbed his head gently. He started to walk towards the cane, wobbling a little. “I’ll go get it.”

“Wait..” Penny started to say, holding out her hand.

They didn’t get that far. Before Snap could get a foot away, the ground beneath them suddenly shifted. The two of them screamed as they suddenly fell downward. Before they knew it, they were in a long, underground tunnel. They held onto each other and continued screaming as the tunnel twisted and turned, twirled, dipped and dove.

The tunnel ride lasted for about a minute. They had no idea where they were being taken. The tunnel kept diving down, taking them somewhere deep underground. A few times there were some gems stuck in the tunnels, forcing them to duck whenever they showed up. They were hit a few times, causing them to cry out in pain. Other times, they were knocked over, causing them to start sliding on their stomachs, which was not very comfortable or pleasant. And at least once, a sudden turn or change in the tunnel caused them to slam against the side of the tunnel, which, with how hard this tunnel is, was quite painful.

Finally, they reached the exit of the tunnel. They were flung into a large room. They screamed as they slammed into the ground, tumbling across before laying still on the ground. They didn’t move for a few seconds, groaning in pain and shaking from the shere shock of that happening at all. Penny was the first one to sit up. She rubbed her head as she turned and looked at where they had ended up.

It was some kind of cave system. The room she was in was a dome shape, and there were multiple tunnels leading in all directions. She couldn’t tell where they were, or which way to go. And without the magic chalk, she couldn’t just draw them a mode of transportation. They were, for the time being, stuck and lost. Maybe, if they were lucky, they’d run into a zoner down here. Hopefully one much friendlier than the one above ground.

“Come on Snap.” Penny said. Keeping her weight shifted to her good leg, she helped Snap up to his feet. “Let’s get moving.”

“Where are we, Penny?” Snap asked, looking around with wide eyes. “How are we going to get out of here?”

“We’ll just have to explore until we either find the exit or find a zoner who knows this place.” Penny replied.

“...maybe one of these tunnels will lead us to Moonlit Gardens.” Snap suggested.

Penny realized Snap was right. This might be the path to Moonlit Gardens. It was hidden, and it did take them underground, which was where this place was. But..which tunnel do they take? It could be any one of these. She couldn’t stick around here for long. The black chalk trio might have seen where she disappeared to and come after her. They had to get moving.

The two of them started to make their way towards one tunnel when a voice suddenly stopped them.

“Penny? Snap? What...how did you get here?”

That voice... Penny’s eyes widened. No, it couldn’t be. Things were never that simple. She...she had to be hearing things. She turned around slowly and when she and Snap saw who it was, shock ravaged through their bodies. They rubbed their eyes, staring in complete disbelief. They couldn’t believe who it was standing there before them.

It was Barney.


	20. Hidden

Penny and Snap had a hard time believing who it was standing before them. They never thought that they would find Barney, of all zoners, down here. They would have thought they’d run into some crazy, territorial zoner before they ran into this guy. Barney had always been an elusive, mostly solitary zoner, and usually the only other zoner to know where he was is King Mumbo Jumbo. The odds of them just randomnly running into him like this were astronomical.

Though that was how they actually found him in the first place years ago, when they first met him during the second balloonemia outbreak. The gola monster had ripped a hole in the side of his cave home and that was how Rudy found the encyclocentipedia. It was shere luck that they had found him. Now they had the same brand of luck when they ran into him here. It was still hard for them to believe, and, for a moment, Penny and Snap were wondering if they were dreaming. But the longer they stood there, the more they realized that they weren’t dreaming.

Penny felt a mixture of emotions well up inside of her. Mostly positive ones. They had found Barney, the one zoner whose vast knowledge of ChalkZone history might help them find a cure for Rudy. Against all odds, they had managed to locate the elusive centipede zoner. If anyone had an inkling on how to affectively help Rudy, if anyone knew about this chalk virus and how to counteract it, it would be Barney. He had more information stored inside of him than any other zoner. He had years and years of information catalogued into his body. Yes, if anyone could help, it would be him.

“Barney...?” Penny asked in a low voice, her eyes wide. “You...live here?”

“In the middle of a desert?” Snap asked.

Barney nodded his head. “Yes, I do. It’s safe here. Not many zoners dare trek here, so I can have my privacy. Plus...” His antenna curled up as a fearful expression came onto his face. “..Bardot wouldn’t try to come here..”

Penny felt sorry for Barney. Even two years later, he was still affected by Bardot’s actions. It came as no surprise to her. Barney had been tortured for a year and a half by that monster. He had even lost his eyesight for a time to that beast. The poor centipede rarely had peace of mind during that time, and he was unable to tell anyone. Bardot acted like he owned Barney and could control him. It was truly sickening. At least now Bardot couldn’t hurt him anymore. He was stuck in the Fire Zone. Served that monster right.

She understood why Barney still felt unsafe, though, even with Bardot currently banished into the Fire Zone. He wasn’t the only one who still feared Bardot and was paranoid about him possibly escaping. Her and her friends also felt the same way. Especially Snap... He had actually been temporarily killed by Bardot. If it weren’t for Terry, Snap would have died two years ago because of what Bardot did. And if Bardot had succeeded in killing Snap permanently, Penny wasn’t sure what she and Rudy would have done with Bardot. It wold have been so tempting to rip him apart if he did such a horrible thing.

“I’m going to ask you again.” Barney said, his voice a little more firm. “How did you get here?”

“We...fell in.” Snap said, giving a small smile. Barney started at him, incredulous. “I’m serious.” Snap pointed a hand towards the ceiling. “The ground gave way and we fell in.”

“...I see.” Barney looked up and gazed around himself. “I guess some of the ground here isn’t as stable as I thought. I’ll have to take a look at them later on, when those crystal slithers have gone to sleep.”

“We had a run in with one of those.” Penny rubbed her had as she remembered being tossed around like a rag doll. “Nasty thing. If I hadn’t thought of that idea to throw my magic chalk away and let the creature chase it, I don’t thnk I would have escaped.”

“Yes, the crystal slithers are attracted to bright colors. Smart move to throw something with a glow. Most crystal slithers would go for whatever is brighter, and last I checked, you humans didn’t exactly glow.” Barney took a few steps towards Penny and Snap. He was about to say something else, but then he started to look confused. He glanced around the room, looking left and right like he was expecting something. “Hmm...”

Penny and Snap looked each other. Penny shifted her gaze back towards Barney and asked, “Are you looking for something?”

“Yes.” Barney turned his head around to gaze at different parts of the cave room. “Where is Rudy?” At this, Penny and Snap flinched. Barney’s eyes widened a little. “Is...something wrong?”

“You could say that...” Snap said sadly, his eyes downward.

“Barney, Rudy is very sick.” Penny said solemnly.

Barney looked at her in horror and took a step back. “He’s fallen ill?” Penny nodded to confirm. Barney clasped his hands together. “Do you know what disease he has? I could look up the information for you, if you’d like.”

Penny shook her head. “We...don’t know what disease he has.” She stared at Barney, who had a shocked expression on his face. Penny paused for a moment, biting her lip as she tried to think of how to explain the situation. It was going to take some time. The longer she thought about it, the more she realized this to be a fact. “Look..it’s going to be kind of a long story. Why don’t we all sit down and I’ll explain it to you?”

“Okay, that sounds good.” Barney took a few more steps towards the duo. His eyes widened when he saw Penny’s leg. “What happened to your leg?”

“It’s all part of the story.” Penny said. She winced as she lowered herself to the ground. It was so painful to do this without her cane. She should have grabbed it but..she wouldn’t have had the time. She might have gotten caught. She could always get another one later. “Shall I begin?”

Barney nodded his head. “Yes.” He used his hand to gesture to her. “Please proceed.”

“Okay then.” Penny said. She watched as Barney sat down on the ground in front of them. Snap sat down beside Penny, leaning against her in an attempt to comfort her during the unpleasant recap of what they had gone through the past couple of days. “Here’s the story.”

sss

Biclops kept pounding the ground with his fist. He ignored the pain spreading through it. He had to keep pounding. Sooner or later, someone would have to feel the vibrations and realize he was in here. Again and again, he hit the ground, paying no mind to some of the small chunks of rock that fell from the ceiling. The ground beneath him started to crack, where his fist was slamming. He paid no attention to it and just kept punching the ground. Somehow, someway, someone had to take notice.

But he was running out of energy. Without food or water for days, he was getting weaker. And all this pounding seemed to do was waste more and more of what energy he had left. His punches began to slow down until he was barely hitting the ground. He struggled to keep his eyes open. He could barely keep himself lifted off the ground by his hands. His body trembled from the decreasing energy. Soon, unable to keep himself up any longer, he collapsed on the ground, his eyes lightly shut and taking in slow, shallow breaths.

All he could do now was lay here and hope that someone either felt those vibrations or they would think to come see him about something. There was no guarantee any of these would happen. There were usually not many zoners around the Chalk Mine. The chances of someone finding him were astronomical at best. Still, he couldn’t give up hope. Someone might find him before it was too late. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been in a situation like this before.

He thought back to when those three evil zoner with the water cannons had come to the Chalk Mine. He had tried to stop them, but they washed away one of his legs. He had been in excruciating pain and he had lost so much blood. He had laid there for a while, waiting for help, but no one came. He eventually passed out and he really thought that was the end for him. He was surprised when he woke up and found that his leg had been repaired, and he knew who it was. Somehow, Rudy had found him in time. That was why he refused to give up this time. Despite how bleak it looked, there was always a chance someone would find him.

As soon as he got out of here, and as soon as he got something to drink and eat, he would find Rudy and his friends and tell them about the disease. He still wasn’t entirely sure what could be done to fix it, but knowledge was power, and it was important that they got this information in time. If they didn’t, something horrible would happen to Rudy if he got the wrong treatment. This disease, from what Jenny said, had a ‘trigger’, something that might seem to make things better, but would only set off a chain reaction that ultimately makes the situation much more terrifying and urgent.

If he had known about this earlier, if he had just gotten more information years ago when he had the chance, he would have been able to tell Penny the last time he saw her. She would have been able to inform the others of what was going on, and they could have helped Rudy a little more. Instead, he had botched up his chance and never learned more about this disease, until Jenny came along that is. Whether or not her words were completely true were uncertain, but with her, it was best never to take chances. It was best to assume that she was being truthful, because she would do all the horrible things she threatened to do.

Biclops knew Rudy did not have that much time left. He needed help and fast. He didn’t know what he could do to help. He wasn’t sure of a cure. He had no idea if any doctor could come up with a cure in such a short amount of time. Something had to be done, but Biclops soon came to realize how little options there were. He knew of no doctor who could work that fast, and by the time they figure out anything, it might be too late.

He felt himself getting weaker. His eyes started to close. He shook his head. No, he had to remain awake. He couldn’t allow himself to fall asleep. He struggled to keep his eyes open. He tried to fight back the weak tiredness that was starting to overwhelm him. His head was swirling from light-headedness. Hunger pangs spread through his underside. He found it hard to lift up a finger, feeling it shake from lack of energy. His eyes felt very heavy and, despite his best efforts, they slowly started to close.

Just then, he heard the sound of some small pebble rolling across the ground. Groaning softly, he opened his eyes to see what was going on. He could make out a shadow moving along the wall. His heart started to fill up with some excitement. Had someone heard him? Was he seeing things? He continued to watch the shadow moving along, and he could hear the pitter patter of someone coming closer. He pushed himself up onto one arm, nearly slipping in the process, and watched.

Seconds later, he soon found out the identity of who found him. And he felt his hope start to sink as he realized just who it was.

It was just Wiggums, Snap’s pet wiggie.

Biclops couldn’t believe it. Out of all the zoners, it had to be Wiggums that found him. Wiggies weren’t known to be overly bright or intelligent. They were wild animals that ran off of instinct. He narrowed his eyes in disappointment. It wasn’t that he was upset with Wiggums. He just wished that at least someone else came with him. What was Wiggums going to do to help him? He was a wiggie; most likely he would just gnaw on his hair or something and leave him bald, then he’d hop away.

Then again, Wiggums finding him was better than no one finding him. And Snap did say that he managed to train him. Maybe Wiggums could follow simple commands. He might have been taught some tricks. If he could figure out what those tricks were, he might be able to use them to his advantage and get himself free. He just hoped that he could keep Wiggums in here. If he began to hop away, he might not be able to get him to come back.

Wiggums jumped around in the room. He took notice of Biclops and looked up at him with his green and blue eyes. He slurped his tongue a little, drool dripping off of it, and he hopped towards the electric cage. Wiggums looked all around. Biclops wasn’t sure how a wiggie would look when it was confused, but this just might be the expression they’d make in such a case.

Wiggums got a little too close to the electric cage. A small spark hit him in the face. He let out a screech, startling Biclops as he thought that wiggies didn’t vocalize. The giant watched as the wiggie jumped into the air, a small burnt spot visible on his face. He landed on the ground and let out a low whimper, his body shaking from the pain. He turned and jumped away. Biclops’s eyes widened and he, using what little strength he had left, pounded the ground to try to get Wiggums’s attention.

“No...stop...” Biclops said, his voice weak and scratchy. To his surprise, Wiggums actually listened. The frog-like zoner looked back at him, his tongue hanging out apprehensively. “C-Come here...” Biclops used a finger to gesture. Though he hesitated, Wiggums jumped back towards him and stared up at the giant curiously.

Biclops had to think of something that Wiggums would understand. He didn’t have a lot of time to think. He had no idea how long Wiggums would stay here. He didn’t know if he could keep him here for much longer. Wiggums might get bored or distracted and hop somewhere else. He had to think of what commands Snap had taught this guy and figure out which ones would best help him. His mind, though muggy, filled with thoughts of what Snap mentioned to him regarding Wiggums.

There was one command he thought of that Snap tried to teach Wiggums, but it didn’t seem like he caught on. This wasn’t of much hope to Biclops, but it was the one command that might help him. It was worth a try. Maybe Wiggums would actually obey him and do what he says. There was nothing else he could do except try. Maybe, just maybe, this would work and he would be able to get out of this electric cage.

Pointing at Wiggums, Biclops said, “Wiggums...go..go get...Blocky...” His voice trailed off.

Wiggums just stared at him. He tilted his head a little to the side, his tongue licking around his face for a second. Biclops felt his hope shatter. Of course the wiggie wouldn’t know what that command meant. Of course he was just going to look at him like he grew another head. He should have known better than to place hope in something like a wiggie. Feeling his strength leave him, Biclops gave in, and he collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

Wiggums jumped into the cage with him, easily bypassing the electric bars. He jumped onto Biclops and made small jumps along Biclops, looking down at him in what was probably a confused expression. Then, something seemed to click with the wiggie. He jumped off of Biclops and through the electric bars. He disappeared down the cave tunnels, hopping faster than he ever had before in his life.

sss

After Penny finished her story, Snap could tell just how horrified Barney was by the whole thing. Though the centipede tried to hide it, Snap caught on quickly. The way his eyes looked, the small tremble he saw, it was clear that Barney was horrified. Him trying to hide it, perhaps to try to be a little strong, was not working. Both he and Penny could tell how scared he was by the whole thing.

For a while, all he did was stare at them with slightly widened eyes and his mouth part way open. His expression held some disbelief, like he was secretly wondering if they were pulling his leg or not. It took him a few moments for him to seem to realize that they were being truthful. He leaned back a little, putting his hands together in a nervous fashion. He looked towards the ground, his eyes narrowing a little as he went deep into thought.

Snap didn’t know if Barney really had the information they needed. There might be a chance that he did not. If there was never a cure found, then Barney might know of the disease but not how to fix it. That was how it was with balloonemia. They thought Barney knew what the cure was, but because none was found, it was not in his database. Nowadays, he did have the information thanks to Rudy, who did finally figure out a cure for balloonemia. But this disease, the one Rudy was infected with, no cure was ever found far as he knew. Would Barney even have a clue?

He never voiced his doubt. He didn’t want to upset Penny. And he didn’t want to upset himself either. He wanted to believe, truly believe, that Barney did have the answers. Squashing his hope using statistics wasn’t something he wanted to do. Right now, they really needed some form of hope. Believing that Barney might have some answers brought about that hope. And who knows? Maybe the centipede would have some kind of answer for him. Barney was full of surprises and it was amazing what kind of information was stored inside of him. There might be some kind of cure after all, or some form of treatment to repair at least some of the damage.

“...I see...” Barney said, his gaze still downward. He bit his lip and looked a little to the side. “That is...terrible. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Barney, have you ever heard of this disease before? Do you have any information about it?” Penny asked, looking at Barney with wide eyes. “Please, Rudy really needs help. Can you give us whatever information you can?”

Barney scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I have heard of this chalk disease one time before...” He glanced at Penny and continued, “It was during the Great Chalk War, a brief but devastating battle that left ChalkZone in shambles, countless dead or injured, both human and zoner alike, and gave rise to the No Creator Era, which lasted until Rudy Tabootie was able to get into ChalkZone.”

The centipede tapped his fingers together and closed his eyes in concentration. The monitors on his side began to glow faintly. Penny and Snap watched this intently, waiting to see what the centipede was going to say next.

“Now let’s see...”

One of his monitors came to life. It was the letter M. Penny and Snap watched as many words zipped up the screen, flashing by so fast that they couldn’t see it. It soon slowed down and a red box surrounded one particular entry. Peering closely, they could make out the words ‘Mystery Disease’. They looked at each other. This did not sound hopeful.

“Mystery Disease. Also called the Unnamed Disease. There was only ever one known case of it. A creator named Daniel caught it mysteriously after her skirmish with a black chalk user. Said black chalk user did something to cause the chalk to absorb into her skin.”

“That’s what happened to Rudy!” Penny exclaimed. Barney glared softly at her. She smiled nervously and said, “Oh..sorry. Please continue.”

Barney said, “Now then, the immediate effects of the disease made itself known when Daniel got a fever and had to rest. They were able to help her feel better using chartreuse chalk, but it only slowed down the effects. Daniel got better only for short periods of time before she would get worse again. After a while, she stopped coming to ChalkZone. It wasn’t until a few weeks later it was confirmed she died.”

“Well we kinda knew the gist of that.” Snap pointed out, gesturing with his hand. “Do you have any other information that could help us? Like what the disease did, or a cure?”

Barney shook his head. “I don’t have that much information on it. It’s called ‘mystery disease’ for a reason. There so little known about it because there was only ever one case. Her body was never brought back for study for obvious reasons, so the properties of the disease are largely unknown.” He looked at Penny and Snap, noting their disappointed expressions. “I am sorry I can’t provide a lot of information.”

“That’s okay...” Penny sighed. She glanced down at Snap, who still leaned up against her. The hope in his eyes seemed to have died down. She looked back at Barney with one eye. “We should have known you might not be able to help us that much. If there was only ever one case, and no cure...”

Barney rubbed the back of his head. He looked upset that he wasn’t able to help them. His eyes moved around, like he was searching his head for some kind of information. Then, something clicked with him. His eyes widened and his antenna straightened up. He looked at them and quickly said, “Wait!”

Penny and Snap looked at him expectantly.

“There was something I almost forgot about. There was actually a second case of this happening.” Barney said. At this, Penny and Snap’s eyes widened, feeling some hope returning. “Michael, another creator, about a year younger than Daniel, he was reported to have contracted the disease after a battle with another black chalk user. He experienced the same symptoms, but he stayed in ChalkZone longer, and there was an account of some symptoms that we believe Daniel suffered as well.” Barney paused for a moment, flinching a little, silently telling Snap that, whatever happened, it was not pretty. “Even with the chartreuse chalk, he was constantly in pain, throwing up blood.

At this, the two gasped in horror. Was this Rudy’s fate? Was this going to start happening to him soon? Was this how Daniel died? She bled herself out? Did Michael bleed himself out too?

Barney continued to explain. “Michael seemed to lose strength. For some reason, he was hardly eating or drinking anything. He would complain that it would hurt him too much. He did eventually disappear from ChalkZone, but not before another symptom popped up. Hydrophobia.”

“Hydrophobia?” Penny asked, incredulous.

“Yes, hydrophobia. The fear of water...” Barney started to say.

“I know what it is!” Penny said quickly. She took in a breath and sighed softly. “Sorry.”

“That’s quite all right.” Barney climbed up to his feet. “I’m sure someone will figure out how to help Rudy. Every disease has some kind of cure. It’s just a matter of finding it.” Penny and Snap nodded their heads slowly. “Now come on, let’s get that chartruese chalk.” He waved a hand for them to follow. “I’ll take you to Moonlit Gardens, and from there, I’ll show you the fastest way out.”

Penny climbed up to her feet. She took a step forward and staggered a little from the pain. Snap, who got up as well, grabbed onto her. Snap knew he wasn’t that big and couldn’t be of much help. But he still did the best he could, providing some support for Penny as they were being led down the tunnels. For the most part, he could handle it a little well, finding it no more difficult than when he helped Rudy and Penny down the stairs when they had broken legs. This was actually a tad easier since they weren’t moving down steps, so they were able to go a little faster.

Barney took them down the center tunnel. The tunnel had small green lights illuminating the path. There wasn’t too much light, but enough that they could see where they were going. The path was pretty straight except for a dip that was a little harder to get through than Snap would have expected. The walls were shiny, almost like they were made of metal. The ground was unusually smooth. It was like this tunnel had been cleared out by something artificially, a drilling machine perhaps. A few places dripped with a bit of moisture, which was unusual since this was a desert. Perhaps there was a water reserve somewhere nearby. Barney has to get his water from somewhere.

They continued to follow Barney down the tunnel. There were no twists or turns. Nothing like what he and Penny had to go through when they fell through the ground. It was a nice change, although at least, if there were turns here, they’d see them coming and be able to react, not that nausaea-inducing ‘ride’ he and Penny were forced on. A few times, Penny did almost lose her footing. Snap managed to push against her just enough so that she could keep her balance. He hoped that Barney would be able to provide something Penny could use until she could get another cane.

Up ahead, he could see the tunnel start to end, giving way to another large area. The light got a little brighter, making it easier to see. The green crystals on the wall stopped abruptly, no longer being needed to light up anything. He and Penny quickened their pace a little, careful not to trip each other over. Barney was the first one to enter the room. Then Snap and Penny followed. Once they entered, they had to stop and look around the place in absolute awe.

The room was huge. It must have stretched for about a mile. A huge, underground place with thick walls above it, no signs of collapse anytime soon. There were very few stalactites and stalagmites around. There was a body of water located a good distance away, looking large enough to support a family of zoners down here for a long time. There was a small flow of water coming out of the wall it was next to, likely from an underground spring.

There was, surprisingly, vegetation growing here. Most of it was just moss and grass. But there was the occasional tiny tree and some bushes. They covered much of the room, stretching as far as the eye could see. A few chirps revealed that there were some small zoner animals living here, and sure enough, he and Penny saw a family of birds flying by. This place looked a lot like something Snap would see above ground, though not as heavily populated and with less variety. But what it did have was gorgeous to look at.

All over the place, there were beams of light shining in. He and Penny looked up and they could see there were multiple holes in the ceiling, letting in the light of the night zone moon. It wasn’t much. The holes weren’t that large. But it was enough to feed the plants that grew down here. And it was more than enough to provide light here, making it easy for them to tell where they were walking. The ground here was much smoother than it was on the surface, so it wasn’t as difficult to navigate.

Then, growing in random places, was the chartreuse chalk. Snap held his breath for a moment as he looked at it. He felt some tinge of hope rising inside of him. Here was that chalk that would help Rudy a little. The chalk that would buy them some time. He couldn’t help but make a small smile. He looked over and he saw Penny looked happy, too. Snap looked back at the green chalk. It grew only from the ceiling, which was opposite of black chalk. They hung in large clusters, and, unlike black chalk, these looked beautiful and welcoming.

The three of them headed over to one of the nearest chartreuse chalk batches. As they walked along, Penny and Snap had to take their time to look around at the place. They admired how pretty it all looked. It was hard to believe that such a pretty place like this existed underneath such a dangerous, though equally, beautiful area. Barney didn’t have to worry about crystal slithers here, since they only hunt on the surface. Barney did talk about how the beast remains invisible by shifting light spectrum or something... Snap couldn’t understand it. He tried but it just gave him a headache.

When they reached one of the batches, Barney used his wings to fly up to it. The ceiling was a little high. There would have been no way he and Penny could have reached them on their own. Barney grabbed a hold of some green pieces of chalk. He took about five. He then flew down and handed them over to Penny.

“Here you are!” Barney said, smiling as Penny took the green chalk. “I hope this helps you out.”

Penny smiled back. She held the green chalk in her hands. Then she put them in her pocket. “Yes, these will do.” She bent down and wrapped her arms around Barney. “Thank you.”

Barney looked a little startled by the sudden hug. But then he relaxed and he hugged her back. “You’re quite welcome.”

“Hey, Barney.” A voice said from behind them. Startled, the three looked over to see who it was. “I didn’t know you had company coming over.”

“Ah, my old friend!” Barney said, a wide smile on his face. “Penny and Snap came over to borrow some chartreuse chalk.”

King Mumbo Jumbo walked closer to them. When Barney mentioned the chartreuse chalk, the turtle’s eyes widened a little. He didn’t look surprised, but rather worried. He looked at Penny and Snap, and seemed to detect the urgency in their eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Rudy’s sick.” Penny said solemnly.

Mumbo Jumbo’s eyes widened. “The Great Creator has fallen ill?” He stared at them in shock. His mouth hung open for a few seconds as he watched Penny, Snap, and Barney nod their heads. Mumbo Jumbo shook his head in disbelief. “How? What happened?”

“It’s quite a story.” Barney said, fumbling his hands together. He moved over towards his turtle friend. He gently put his hands on the king’s back and gently pushed him. “Why don’t you take them to the exit? You know those tunnels over there better than I do, and after that last near encounter I had with that crystal slither...”

Mumbo Jumbo raised his hand. “Don’t say anymore. I completely understand.”

Barney smiled at King Mumbo Jumbo. The two of them shared a quick hug and then the tortoise walked over to Penny and Snap. Barney smiled as he watched them leave. The king started to ask Penny and Snap questions about what was going on. He could hear them talking, and soon it faded as they disappeared further down the tunnel.

“So...did you do it?”

Barney’s eyes widened slightly and the smile on his face was gone. Fumbling his hands together nervously, biting his lip, he said in a soft whisper, “...yes...”

There was a dark, chilling chuckle. Barney flinched as a hand was placed on his shoulder. He turned his head slightly to the left, looking over with the corner of his eyes. Standing next to him was a tall figure, taller than Penny.

“Good..” The figure said. Leaning closer, light shining on the face, it was easy for Barney to tell who this was.

Jenny...

The nurse wrapped her arm across Barney’s shoulder and pulled him close. He let out a soft whimper, his antennas curling up in fear. “Wise choice... You knew the consequences if you didn’t do this, don’t you, my ‘friend’?” Another evil laugh and Barney winced, turning his head away. Playing with one of his antennas, Jenny said, “And as I promised, we will leave Mumbo Jumbo alone...”

Barney shuddered, staring at Jenny in fear. He looked back at where Penny and Snap had gone. A look of remorse plastered over his face. He lowered his head in shame. “I’m...I’m so sorry...” He said in a soft, barely audible voice, a tear strolling down his cheek.


	21. A Little Room For Improvement

“Hey! Wiggums!” Blocky cried. “Where are you going?!”

Wiggums did not slow down. He continued to hop at amazing speed. It was getting increasingly difficult for Blocky to keep up. He was not used to running this fast for this extended period of time. Not even his time playing Bardot’s ‘games’ could have prepared him for this marathon. Wiggums did slow down for him a few times, but just barely. Just enough so that he could still see him.

Snap had trained Wiggums well, but he mostly just obeyed Snap. It was a little difficult trying to get Wiggums to do something without Snap around. So Blocky was not surprised that Wiggums would not respond to his commands. He wasn’t sure where the wiggie was taking him. Usually when Wiggums comes get him, it meant Snap wanted to talk to him. Snap didn’t always contact him this way. Only when he was in the mood for it. But Snap was with Rudy at the hospital and the direction they were going was far away from the hospital Rudy was staying at, so that couldn’t have been it.

But if Snap didn’t send Wiggums to come get him, who did? How did they manage it? And why would they have Wiggums fetch him instead of come getting him themselves? Just where was this wiggie taking him? He didn’t go this way that often and he couldn’t recognize a lot of things around here.

As Blocky continued to chase after Wiggums, his mind shifted to Rudy. He was concerned about him. It was scary, the idea that the Great Creator had mysteriously fallen ill, and by the same disease he had heard rumors about. There was so little information, so little understanding on how it worked, and now Rudy was suffering from it. Blocky hoped that they find a way to help him. Someone had to know something of what’s going on, right? Maybe Biclops or Barney would know. They were full of information.

Then that concern shifted to fear when he remembered reports of three new creators in ChalkZone. Not so friendly ones either. They hadn’t done too much, but all that could change very quickly. A few zoners had already vanished, though there was no evidence to suggest these new creators were responsible for that. It could have been Bardot... No. He should his head. He wouldn’t have been responsible. The yellow zoner was banished to the Fire Zone, never to escape. There was no way he could have done this, and even if he did escape, he was wearing a purple collar, which he can’t remove, that weakened him. He wouldn’t be dumb enough to try to challenge anyone in that state.

Blocky wasn’t going to dismiss the possibility of these new creators being the one who made those zoners disappear. It seemed like too much of a coincidence that they disappeared around the same time these new creators showed up. But again, there was no proof that they did it. Regardless, many zoners have been taking precautions just in case. Most zoners started to walk around with friends, never being alone just in case they were picked off. When it was time for sleep, they’d lock the doors and windows and always stay with at least one other person. Some even went as far as get weaponry, even though the creators could just draw something to counteract it.

What was disturbing Blocky about all of this is that some zoners had been protesting in the streets, calling for the reinstatement of ‘all creators are banned’ that was in place for decades. This included Rudy Tabootie himself. These zoners claim that the disappearance of zoners after three new creators showed up is proof that all creators should be deemed dangerous and kicked out of ChalkZone permanently. And some other zoners began to agree with them. It wasn’t a particularly large group though, but it still worried Blocky that such a mindset was starting to spread at all.

He hoped that this anti-creator group wasn’t going to try to do anything to Rudy. The poor guy was already going through enough as it was. He didn’t need some anti-creator group getting him some problems. He wished that this group would see that Rudy is as much of a victim in this as them, that he is the one who is very sick, not them. But then, some people just can’t be reasoned with, and this group appears to be one of them. He hoped that, when the time came for it, they would be dealt with before they cause too many problems.

Blocky’s mind was torn from that when he took notice of where Wiggums had been taking him. It appeared to be the Chalk Mine. Blocky stopped for a moment, confused. Why would Wiggums bring him here? Since when did Wiggums take orders from Biclops? Or is that what happened all? Did Wiggums really want to lead him here or did he just want to play? He watched as the wiggie hopped towards the entrance. He stopped and stared back at him. He jumped up and dow, slurping his tongue, in an excitable manner. Blocky understood what this meant and he headed towards the Chalk Mine entrance.

Blocky followed Wiggums down the tunnels. He took a look around. This was one of the very few times he entered the Chalk Mine. He felt nervous. He knew how Biclops could be when it came to guarding this place. He didn’t permit a lot of people to come in here. Rudy was one of the few he allowed in the Chalk Mine. If someone else entered without permission, he was typically not very happy. He hoped that, if or when he did run into the giant, he would understand and not be too upset with him.

Further into the cave they went, and so far there was no sign of the giant. Blocky was admittingly confused, but dismissed it. Biclops probably just went for a stroll somewhere or something, or he was just in a different part of the cave. The Chalk Mine was not exactly very small. Then again he might not be here at all, like his first thought suggested. Biclops sometimes would sing to himself when he was alone, and he was hearing none of this. No pounding of feet as he walked, nothing. Biclops must have left the cave, but then, why was Wiggums taking him here?

The whole thing confused Blocky. He had no idea what was going on. There had to be a reason why Wiggums was taking him here. But what could it be? Who sent him? Why were they in the Chalk Mine? If they weren’t here, why would they have Wiggums come here to begin with? Something strange was going on, and the more Blocky walked down these tunnels, the more he started to get a bad feeling about the whole thing.

Wiggums then turned a corner and disappeared. Blocky rushed over. As he did so, he realized that it wasn’t a corner he disappeared through, but some open door. Blocky followed and he went through. He stopped and stared, his eyes widening in shock. He couldn’t believe it.

It was Biclops...

The giant looked horrible. He was laying on the ground, looking like he had passed out from something. He looked a tad thinner, and not in a good way. His mouth hung open, his tongue flopped to the side. Even from here, it looked dry. He at least didn’t look like he was physically hurt, well except for his hand, which looked a little bruised and banged up. Seeing the indention in the ground, he had a pretty good idea on how his hand got that way.

All around him were large electric bars. There was plenty of space between them for smaller zoners, but for Biclops, it was more than enough to keep him in that confined space. The area Biclops was stuck in was not too large and did not give him a lot of room to walk around, and the ‘ceiling’ of the cage looked like it was a little too low for the giant, which would have prevented him from standing up straight.

Blocky stared at this scene before him in disbelief. He watched as Biclops’s weak form took in slow, shallow breaths on the ground, his eyes sunken in, closed. Even without a lot of physical injuries, he looked so horrible. His pale skin made it seeme even worse, and everytime he heard him take in a breath, hearing out scratchy it was, he winced. Just how long had Biclops been trapped in here? Who had done this to him? When did this happen? Did they do anything else to him?

His body shaking, his heart racing, Blocky did the one thing he knew he had to do. He turned and began to run out of the Chalk Mine to get help.

 

sss

Penny, Snap, and the others sat next to Rudy’s hospital bed. The eighteen year old was still unconscious. His breaths sounded very weak. The heart monitor beeped ever so slowly and lightly. A wet cloth was laid across his head to try to help keep his fever down. It was hardly doing anything. One of the monitors showed that his fever was still dangerously high. His body was covered in sweat, his face pale, so white. He looked so...dead...

Penny wiped away a tear as she looked at Rudy’s prone form. They had brought the green chalk over. Rudy was wearing it around his neck, a piece attached to a string. So far, his condition was not improving. Snap suggested that it might just require a little bit of time for the chalk to activate. Penny hoped that he was right. She didn’t want to think that the whole trip to the Gem Desert wasn’t going to do anything to help Rudy. She didn’t want it to be all for nothing. It had to work. It just had to. Sure it was not going to cure the disease, but the idea of seeing Rudy do a little better, even for a short time, it would bring some hope to her and the others.

It hadn’t been easy getting back here. Even following King Mumbo Jumbo’s instructions, they still had a hard time. The exit they came out of was in the middle of the Gem Desert, and they couldn’t tell which direction they should go to get back. She had drawn a hovercar, though, being not as talented as Rudy, it didn’t function very well. It was even worse trying to use it when they were getting lost and had to try to find their way back. They did eventually get out after they thought more about the king’s instructions and finally understood what he was talking about.

She realized she should have drawn a teleporter there in case they had to find Barney again. Oh well, at least now she knew where he was. Unless he decided to move again, which she had doubts for, they could now go find Barney in case they ever needed his help again. Or just to visit him; not all the visits had to be business-related. That place did seem quite nice, and if even Bardot wouldn’t go there, she could undestand why he’d choose such a place. She did hope that, one day, he would be able to conquer his fear of Bardot. She hoped that he would come to realize that Bardot was trapped forever and can’t hurt him anymore.

She glanced over at Rudy’s parents. They had been crying for what felt like hours. Their faces were stained red, a little glisteny from the tears that rolled down their face. They had started sobbing when they saw their son in such a state. This was the first time any of them were allowed to see him, well except for her mom, and he looked so much worse than any of them had imagined. Mr. Tabootie had done his best to cheer up his wife, but even he couldn’t hold it together, and he started to break down himself. Seeing Rudy’s parents like this tugged at her heart strings.

Rudy’s aunt didn’t look much better. She, and Sophie too, had been crying a lot and looked like a mess. Sometimes Sophie would try to wake Rudy up, calling out his name, but to no avail. It was painful to watch, making Penny’s eyes water with more tears. And Tilly... Penny could have sworn she heard her say ‘sorry’ a few times. She wasn’t sure why she was saying that. Was it because of her being angry with Rudy for when Sophie disappeared? Why was she blaming herself like that? Rudy was never upset with her. But in times like this, Penny couldn’t really blame her for thinking mostly of the bad things.

She turned her attention back to Rudy. The chartreuse chalk had been around his neck for about ten minutes now. Why wasn’t it doing anything? Why wasn’t it working? She felt more tears well up. She looked down at Snap. He was crying, too. He wasn’t moving. He wasn’t saying anything. He was just frozen there, fresh tears moving down his face. Penny looked back at Rudy. She bit her lip. The chalk had to start working... shouldn’t it? Come on, work...

Just then, there was a soft glow coming from the chalk. Penny and the others watched, their eyes widening, as the glow spread through Rudy’s body, lasting only for a couple of seconds, before it vanished completely. The chalk kept glowing for a while, making some kind of weird sound. Penny couldn’t describe what it was, but something about it felt familiar. The chalk then made a ding sound before the glow became so dull that it was hardly noticeable. They all waited and watched, trying to see if the green chalk did anything to help Rudy.

At first, nothing happened. The hope that had risen up inside of them started to die down. Penny began to wonder if the chalk they brought back really was the right type, or if they had come back too late. She closed her eyes and let a few tears move down her face. She only reopened them when she felt Snap tug at her. He pointed at Rudy, and Penny could see that Snap’s eyes were widened. Confused, she looked over and when she saw what Snap was looking at, her eyes widened as well.

Rudy’s right eye was starting to open up, his lift still covered by the patch. She and the others watched with great anticipation as Rudy’s right eye opened up completely. The boy blinked slowly and let out a soft groan. Despite his eye being open, he didn’t seem fully awake, and when he tried to speak, it was just slurred words. He shifted on the bed, turning his body over. Another groan escaped his mouth as he took a look around. His right eye appeared to be glazed, distant, and filled with confusion.

Slowly, Rudy looked around the room. He lifted up his hand and started to rub his head. “Oh...” He groaned. “What...what happened...?”

Unable to hold back their elation, Rudy’s parents cried out his name and suddenly clung onto him. Rudy let out a surprised grunt as his parents wrapped their arms around him, crying tears of happiness. They expressed great joy and relief that he was finally awake again. Rudy could barely respond. He was still pretty out of it, the high fever still being present. He did not move; he just laid limp in his parents’ arms as they hugged him, his mother kissing his forehead and his dad stroking his hair.

Tilly and Sophie let out cries of happiness and they moved in closer, trying to get as close to Rudy was they could. Penny and Snap looked at each other and then back at the scene. They were stunned at first, but then extreme happiness welled up inside of them too. They shouted Rudy’s name and rushed over to join in. They took turns giving Rudy a hug and expressed their immense relief that he was awake again. All the while, Rudy did not respond with much outside of groans and perplexed expressions. This came as no surprise to any of them as Rudy had been out for a while and the fever may have made it hard for him to remember anything.

“Oh Rudy...” Mrs. Tabootie said as she hugged her son tightly. “We’re so glad you’re okay...” She planted another kiss on his forehead.

“What...what’s going on...?” Rudy said in a grumbled voice.

“You were unconscious.. A fever...” Tilly managed to say before getting choked up with more tears.

“You almost died...” Mr. Tabootie said, flinching. He ran his hand along Rudy’s head gently. “But you’re safe now... You’re safe...”

Rudy still looked so confused. He still couldn’t get his bearings and it didn’t seem to register with him just where he was. A few times, his right eye would start to close again. A shout from one of his loved ones was enough to keep Rudy from closing his right eye completely. He looked so out of it, like he hadn’t slept in days. He just laid there as his family and friends continued to hug him.

When she was able to, Penny held onto him, pressing her cheek against his. So the chartreuse chalk worked after all. Now Rudy had a fighting chance. She hoped that it will be enough to save him. She hoped that there was a chance to reverse this disease’s effects. For now, she concentrated on being glad he was still alive and some time had been given to him. She held onto him, running her hands along his back in an attempt to comfort him even though he still did not regain his bearings. Snap held onto his arm tightly and pressed his head against his shoulder, crying softly in immense relief. A few times, he’d whisper the word ‘Bucko’ in a shaky voice.

“We thought we lost you..” Penny said in a soft voice.

“But now you’re okay..” Sophie said quietly. She reached up and grabbed Rudy’s hand and squeezed it. “Now you’ll start to get better...won’t you...?” Tilly picked her daughter up and gave her a hug. “He’ll be fine, won’t he?” Tilly didn’t answer and just hugged her daughter tightly, tears streaming down her face.

Just then, the door opened up and they looked over to see Mrs. Sanchez. Penny watched her mother as she approached Rudy on the bed. They all made room for her, getting out of the way so she could examine him. She looked just as relieved as they were when she saw Rudy was awake now. She reached down and placed her hand across his head, then she pressed it against his cheek. She took out a notepad and wrote something down in it.

After that, she took out a stethoscope. She pressed it against his chest and listened, her eyes narrowing a little as she concentrated. Penny watched as her mother listened to Rudy’s heart beat and take in breaths. Once she was done, she wrote down the information on her notepad. She began to do other things, such as check his pulse on both his neck and on his wrist, and then she checked his blood pressure. Every time, she would write the information down in her notebook. Penny couldn’t tell if any of the information was good as her mother did not give any indications on the results being good or bad.

They all watched her, waiting in anticipation to see how Rudy’s condition had improved, or if it improved at all, with the presence of the chartreuse chalk. Penny felt her heart racing, clenching tightly at the thought of the chalk not working, of them being too late. She stared at her mother intently, clenching her teeth. She hoped, prayed, that the chartreuse chalk did something. The others were hoping the same thing. A quick glance down at Snap was enough for her to see the look of determination and fear in his eyes. Penny looked back at her mother, sucking on her lip. And when her mother turned to look at them, she found herseld subconsciously leaning closer, waiting to hear what she had to say.

“Rudy appears to be stabilized now. His blood pressure and pulse appear to be going down to manageable levels.” Mrs. Sanchez said, smiling at first. This excited everyone in the room, but they quickly quieted down when the woman frowned a little and looked down at the confused Rudy with concern. “However, his fever hasn’t gone down by much. It went down enough to allow him to be awake, but whether or not it will go down any further... Only time will tell.”

Penny looked at her mother as this information entered her mind. It was of some comfort that Rudy was doing a little better now, just like Biclops said he would. His blood pressure and heart rate returning to normal was definitely good. Both had been dangerously low, and from what she remembered her mother saying, that almost killed him, sometime after the fever nearly did him in. It was definitely terrific news that at least some things were returning to normal and he was improving a little. Even just a tiny bit of improvement was something, and it was nice seeing Rudy doing better than he had been for a while.

But the fever thing...that was definitely a concern. Her mother said it had gone down, but only enough to allow Rudy to regain consciousness, and it could go up again at any time. She wondered how low the fever would go, if it would disappear completely or remain there this whole time. Fevers were dangerous. Rudy may have to stay home for a while until they can figure out how to help him get rid of the fever. It would make him an easy target for those black chalk artists. No doubt they would take advantage of him in such a weak state.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Rudy started to talk again.

“C-Can someone...please tell me...” Rudy let out a soft groan. “What is going on here?”

Everyone in the room remained quiet. They looked at each other. From their expressions, Penny knew what they were all thinking. How were they going to explain everything to Rudy, especially in a state where his mind was muggy and he looked so unfocused? Someone had to tell him, though, or at least try. He had to know what was going on.

After a while of silence, Penny decided she would be the one to tell him. She moved closer to him and stood next to him. He looked up at her. She winced as she saw just how glossed over his right eye looked. Poor guy... he was still so sick and so weak. She took a moment to glance at the others. They all gave her a slow nod, encouraging her to begin the story. She looked back down at Rudy, who was staring up at her with that confused expression. A part of her wondered just how much he was able to see... She shook that horrific thought out of her head and took in a deep breath.

“Okay Rudy...” Penny hoped that he was going to be able to understand what she was talking about even in his muggy state. “Here’s what happened...” She began to explain to Rudy everything that had happened since he passed out at the school.

sss

Terry looked around in confusion. She stood in a large building that appeared to be empty. Not that there wasn’t anything in here. It looked like it was recently used. There was furniture, cabinets, and such in this place. It was clearly a home of some kind, and she guessed whoever lived here must had gone out somewhere.

But that didn’t make any sense. She looked down at her watch. This was the time when this person wanted to speak to her. She had gotten a phone call from her boss stating that this person in the building she was currently in had something of interest they wanted to report. This was the time they wanted to meet her. She had rushed over as fast as she could with her news camera. She had expected the person to be waiting for her, but when she knocked and no one answered, she was confused. She was even more puzzled when she found the door was open. Curious and confused, she walked in.

She didn’t like the idea of just entering someone’s home. She hoped that this guy wouldn’t mind her entering and would understand why she did it. Maybe he needed help? It was possible he was just stuck somewhere or busy and didn’t hear her knocking on the door. She didn’t really hear the voice or footsteps of anyone here, but it was possible that he was just a very quiet person. She took her time to look around the house, admiring how pretty it looked.

However designed this place had good taste, in her opinion. Everything seemed so neat and tidy, like it wasn’t lived in at all. The only sign she found that someone really was living here were some dishes in the sink. They didn’t look like they had been staying there that long. Everything else seemed almost impossibly clean. Maybe this person had just recently moved in. That would make sense. It would explain why the place looked more or less spotless.

Terry set down her camera and began to look around the place. She traveled through the house trying to find any sign of someone being here. A noise, a footstep, a shadow, anything. She found nothing, just more rooms. It was all so confusing. Where was this guy? Why did he tell her to meet him here at this time if he wasn’t going to be here? It was clear he was not in the house anywhere. Maybe he had just forgotten about their meeting and went somewhere. If that were the case, she should get going. Her boss wouldn’t be happy if she hung around here all day instead of going back for more orders.

She was about to start heading out when she noticed one room that seemed to stand out. The other rooms were dark, no lights turned on. But this one did. Perhaps that guy was home after all. She made her way to the room. She reached for the door knob and turned it to see if it was unlocked or not. Seeing that it was open, just like the front door, she turned it slowly and pushed the door open. She walked inside the room and took a look around.

This was...one unusual room. That was the only word she could think of to describe it. It was mostly empty except for a cabinet and some chair. It almost reminded her of a room she’d find at the doctor’s or dentist’s, though this room was more barren than what she’d find there. Everything else about the room was the same as she saw in the others. Same color floor, same color walls, same everything. She half wondered if this person was studying to be a doctor or dentist of some kind and just modeled this room to kind of resemble one to prepare. She hadn’t heard of anyone doing such a thing, but there was a first time for everything, wasn’t there?

She took a few steps further into the room. She put her hands on her hips and looked around. There was still no sign of that guy, much to her annoyance. She really had to talk with her boss about sending her to random sources like this without making sure they were legit. Anger rose up inside as she realized what this most likely was. Just some prank call, and she had fallen for it. She might have broken into a powerful person’s house and if they catch her in here, she was going to be in big trouble. While she had the chance, she had to get out of here.

Suddenly, the door shut behind her. Her body stiffened in surprise. She heard foosteps. Someone had entered the room with her. There was a click, then more footsteps. She turned her head, but to her shock, there was no one there. She grabbed the knob and tried to turn it. It was locked. She fumbled with the lock but for some reason, she couldn’t undo it. It was jammed. She spent some time trying to undo the lock, only stopping when she heard a cold laughter behind her, causing her heart to freeze.

It was then she knew, without a doubt, this was a trap... She had been tricked. She fell for it. Oh why didn’t she question things sooner? Why didn’t she leave when she realized there was no one here? Why did she have to be so nosey and look around? Now her nosiness had landed her in hot water. She was completely trapped. This room had no window, no vent, no other exit. Her only way out was blocked.

With nowhere to run, she slowly turned around to see who her captor was. She took a sharp gasp when she saw who it was.

“V-Vinnie?!”

There, standing not far from her, wearing his usual black leather outfit, was Vinnie Raton. He had his arms folded against his chest and staring at her with a smug smile. His dark eyes stared at her, almost boring through her soul. Her body shook a little from the shere shock of seeing him, and took a step back. How was this possible? Vinnie was not this intelligent. How had he...?

The man took a few steps towards her. Terry found herself moving back. She was still in such stunned silence, she wasn’t sure what to do. Vinnie had never been this smart before. She never would have thought he could trap her like this. What did he want from her? Was he angry about her breaking off their partnership? Was he going to try to coax her to resume her attempts at exposing ChalkZone? Admittingly, there were a few times where she was tempted, but she managed to control herself. She was never going back to that, not after her experience with the whole Bardot issue.

“Surprised, sister?” Vinnie said in a sarcastic tone. He paced in front of her, his head leaned back to look above him. “I bet you are shocked that ‘stupid little Raton’ did this... Well...” He stopped and turned his head, glaring at her. “I am not as dumb as you may think I am.”

Terry winced at how cold his voice sounded. He never spoke to her like this before...or to anyone for that manner. His voice never held this much malice before. She swallowed and managed to speak, “What do you want, Vinnie?”

“What do I want?” Vinnie pressed his thumb against his chest, narrowing his eyes further. “You dare ask what I want?” Terry winced at this. He pointed a finger in her direction. “You should know what I want! I want to be a millionaire! I want my chalk world theme park! You were supposed to help me!” He advanced on her, causing the woman to back away. “I don’t know why you turned your back on all this... But I intend to find out...”

Terry felt her heart start to race. She did her best to hide her fear. She pressed her back against the door and narrowed her eyes at the slightly shorter person standing before her. “And, what..you’re going to try to get me to tell you why I stopped, and then try to get me to help you again? Is that what this is about, Vinnie?”

Vinnie grinned nastily at her. “You seem pretty smart, sister. I remember why I enjoyed working with you.” He tilted his head to the side. “It is a shame you threw that all away.”

“I don’t plan on going back, Vinnie. You can’t make me.” Terry said firmly. “Now why don’t you let me leave?”

“Oh no, I can’t do that. You see...” Vinnie pressed against Terry, pinning her against the door. He grabbed her arms and forced them at her sides. She struggled to get free, but it was no use. He put his face close to hers. “For the next five hours...you belong to me...”

Terry’s eyes widened in horror at this. She started to struggle harder. If Vinnie was implying what she thinks he is, she had to get out of here now. No, Vinnie wouldn’t do that to her, would he? He was a nutcase, but he wasn’t that crazy. She tried to get free, pulling her arms as hard as she could. It was during this time she was given the horrific reminder of just how much stronger he was than her. He tightened his grip and twisted her arms, causing her to let out a yelp of pain.

She stared at him, her eyes locking onto his. As much as she tried to stop, she couldn’t keep herself from showing fear. Her eyes widened and she clenched her teeth. The realization that she was trapped, the dread that accompanied it, it was coming into full bloom now. She tried again and again to get free. Vinnie chuckled darkly as he watched her struggle.

“And trust me... by the time I’m done with you...” Vinnie said, his voice ice cold. “You will tell me whatever I want. And you will do whatever I say.”

Vinnie started to drag Terry over to the chair, keeping his grip on her arms. She tried to get herself free, her feet tripping up on the ground. But it was no use. Vinnie got her over to the chair and shoved her in it. Before she could get free, Vinnie started to clamp her limbs to the chair. Soon her arms and legs were immobilized. She tried to yank herself free to no avail. After one final yank, she involuntarily relaxed, running out of energy.

She looked up at Vinnie in horror. She winced as she saw him crack his knuckles and walk over to the cabinet. He pulled out something small. Her eyes widened as she saw it was a scalpel. Her eyes focused on the sharp tip as Vinnie walked back over to her. The man reached over with the scalpel and showed it to her, grinning menacingly as she shrank back in fear.

“So now then, sister...” Vinnie traced the scalpel lightly across her cheek. She winced at the slight pain. “...let’s talk...”

She shivered and looked at him with eyes wide with terror. How was she going to get out of this mess?

sss

Rudy couldn’t believe what had happened to him. His mind wasn’t so muggy anymore, so he was able to process the information that was given to him. It was hard for him to comprehend. How was this possible? He knew they weren’t lying. They told him the truth. But it was still so hard for him to fully accept as reality.

Being unconscious for days? He hardly even remembered what happened at the school. He did remember the fight with Jenny, but then after that, a blur. Even after it being explained, he still didn’t remember, not even the stinging pain of when Mrs. Sanchez apparently treated his eye. How was it possible that he had forgotten what happened even a couple days before the fever had knocked him out? He could see forgetting the day of, but all that time, a blur?

He was horrified when he learned that he had almost died at least twice due to the condition his body was in. And it was made even worse when he was informed he had some type of chalk virus. He had no idea how it was possible for a chalk virus to be contracted by a human, someone who was from the real world. Wouldn’t the virus dissolve in his blood? How was it wreaking havoc on his body? It was of no comfort that the last two humans who got this disease died...and no one knows exactly how that happened.

Rudy was grateful for the effort Penny and Snap put in to try to help him. Risking their lives while injured to get the chartreuse chalk, that must have taken a lot of courage. He was happy that they were able to find the chalk and they were able to help each other out defeat the evil trio, even if it were just temporary. It was nice that someone was able to get back at those three. He didn’t like the idea of Penny having them deliberately attacked like that, but he agreed there wasn’t much choice she had. It was either that or they both died.

He was happy to see that both Snap and Sophie got out of the hospital. They both looked relatively okay. The only reminder of what happened was the bandages that still adorned their bodies. They seemed to be able to moved around on their own just fine. He was happy for that. He had been so worried, so to see them doing much better did warm his heart.

He was furious when he learned what Ghadir threatened to do. Force feeding Penny a piece of Snap? Then wanting to eat Snap herself? This woman was absolutely sick and disgusting. She was twisted to even want to eat Snap at all. What kind of person would eat a sentient being? Only someone whose mind was so warped... Sort of like Bardot.. He shuddered at the name and tried to push it in the back of his head.

It was just as horrible that Ghadir was going to make Penny eat Snap. That was so cruel, so unnecessarily cruel... It would have been such a harsh blow to Penny mentally. The thought of it made his blood boil. If he saw Ghadir again, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He knew she was a vile person, like any black chalk user. But to eat a sentient, living, breathing person and to force feed a piece of them to a dear friend...? That was wrong on so many levels. Ghadir was not going to get away with that.

But for now, he tried to keep himself relaxed. Mrs. Sanchez believes he might make things worse for himself if he stressed himself out too much. He had to try to keep himself calm. That was going to be next to impossible with what was happening lately. She recommended he at least tried. So try he did. He wasn’t doing a very good job, though. His mind kept swirling with thoughts of the terrible things that had taken place.

It had been two hours since he woke up. He was still laying in the hospital bed. His friends and family had been ushered out. The zoner doctors and Mrs. Sanchez had wanted to run a few more tests on him to see how he was doing. He wasn’t too thrilled about it, but he participated nonetheless. And the tests were over before he knew it. So it wasn’t too bad. He just had to wait here for the results. He had a feeling that they were going to keep him here a little longer. He felt his stomach growling. He hoped they would bring some food in soon. He felt like he hadn’t eaten in days...which may very well be the case.

He glanced down at the green chalk hooked around his neck. He manipulated the object in his finger, examining it. He could see the faint glow from it. This piece of chalk was what was helping him stay awake. According to what Penny and Snap told him, this chalk would just slow down the disease’s progress. It didn’t get rid of it. Well it was certainly better than nothing. He was confident that they would find way to treat the disease. It was just a matter of time. Yeah...they’d find something soon.

He winced as he felt a sharp pang originating in his stomach and in his eye. He tried his best to ignore it. He hadn’t been able to hide the pain in his left eye earlier. The others caught on quickly, noticing the way he cringed. Mrs. Sanchez did what she could to treat the eye some more. It was painful, but he did feel a little better afterwards when more ointment was applied and the bandage reapplied. It was weird seeing out of only one eye, but at least he still had eyesight at all.

His stomach, on the other hand, he managed to hide well. He didn’t want to alarm them. He knew that stomach pains were a likely symptom of the disease he had, like what happened with Michael. He didn’t want to make his loved ones panic, and perhaps, in a way, he was trying to convince himself that the stomach pains were just from not eating for a while. It wasn’t related to the disease. It couldn’t be. He hadn’t started showing other signs like throwing up blood or the hydrophobia thing. Yeah, it was probably just something else. No need to worry. When he gets home, he’ll have something to eat and he’ll feel all better.

The doctors said he’ll be able to return home soon. Probably a few hours, however long it takes for the results to come in. His parents said they’ll be back to take him home later. However, after he gets home, he has to be monitored. Someone has to be with him at all times and look for any other symptoms that crop up. They weren’t able to prescribe any medications for him, though, because of the nature of the disease. A chalk virus infected a real world body... In this case, due to the dual-nature of it all, no oral or injection treatment from either world was going to help him out.

Rudy grunted as he felt another sharp pain in his stomach and he clutched it tightly. He shut his eye and gritted his teeth tightly. He tried to bear the pain. It had gotten a little worse. Perhaps it’s not hunger pains after all... No..that can’t be it. He shook his head. No, it had to be hunger pains. It can’t be a new symptom. It just couldn’t.. He tried to focus his mind on something else. Anything else. The more he thought about the pain in his stomach, the worse it seemed to get.

The door opened up. Rudy snapped his head over to see who it was. He saw Mrs. Sanchez walking into his room. She looked at him with concern. Rudy winced. He wondered if it was going to be some bad news. He watched as she went up to him, standing next to his bed.

“Well it seems all tests came back normal...” Mrs. Sanchez said.

Normal? Rudy was confused. If they came back normal, why did she look worried? Was there something else going on that he didn’t know about? Maybe if he waited, she will explain.

“However, I am going to recommend the doctors have you stay one more night, just to be on the safe side.” Mrs. Sanchez explained. “The fever you had could return at any moment. We want to make sure, at least for now, it’s gone. We also want to run some tests to see if there’s anything else wrong with you, things we didn’t notice before.”

Rudy nodded his head in understanding. “How many more tests do you need to run?”

Mrs. Sanchez replied, “A few. Don’t worry, it won’t take too long.” She leaned forward and placed her hand across his head. “Fever still seems to be down.” She removed her hand and glanced down at him. “Would you like something to eat?”

“Yes, please.” Rudy said.

Mrs. Sanchez smiled. “Hold on. I’ll go and grab you something. I’ll be back later.” She went up to the door. She paused and looked behind her. “Just try to relax while I’m gone. After what you’ve been through, you need some rest.”

As soon as Mrs. Sanchez disappeared, Rudy lowered himself back down on the bed. She was right. He did need some rest. He was a little tired. Perhaps a little sleep wouldn’t hurt him. The pain in his stomach was going way, making it easier for him to close his right eye. He took in a deep breath and started to fall asleep.

Suddenly there was a loud crash. He snapped his eyes wide open and looked around. The hospital was in shambles. Fire, bloodstains, smoke everywhere. The whole place was falling apart. No, it wasn’t just the hospital. Looking out a massive hole in the side of his room, he could see all of ChalkZone City was destroyed. It was all up in smoke and flames. Waves of heat smashed into him, causing him to flinch and look away. Horror and dread filled his mind as he looked at the destruction all around him.

What...what happened? How did this all occur so fast? Was this a dream? He couldn’t tell. He looked all around, trying to find some sign of this being a hallucination or reality. A sharp pain spread through his head and he clutched it tightly, seething in agony. The heat was increasing. The screams all around him were getting louder. He could hear the crashing of the building starting to crumble. A fire burst next to him, illuminating him in bright orange and red.

Then voices all around him. Spooky, chilling his heart to the core. His hair stood in end as he heard the voices.

“Rudy Tabootie... We weren’t lying when we said we wanted you back...”

Rudy looked all around for the source of the voice. He couldn’t see anyone.

“You may have resisted for so long...but sooner or later, the bow will break. We will have you again..even if we must kill you in the process.” The voice’s volume rose a little. “No matter how well you fight, no matter how long, you will fail eventually.”

Suddenly, black goop started to seep into the room. From the walls and from the ceiling it came. The floor all around him started to shine and move, covered by the black liquid. Rudy looked all around, horrified that he was surrounded by the stuff. It bubbled and popped like some kind of tar pit.

“Who...who are you?” Rudy asked, looking all around. “What do you want from me?”

“You do not remember us? What a shame..” The black goop on the ground rose up like a tidal wave. Rudy watched in horror as the goop began to form the head of a fearsome-looking dragon, the eyes glowing white. It opened its mouth wide, showing a bright white glow inside. “Maybe you need a reminder...”

Upon seeing the dragon, Rudy’s eyes widened in recognition. “The b-black chalk...”

“Ah so you do catch on quickly. Good boy...” The dragon head flexed its neck and lowered towards the boy like a snake read to strike. “You will make us an excellent servant...”

“I..I won’t work for you! I’ll never give into the corruption!” Rudy shouted, trying to sound brave. But deep down he was terrified, and the black chalk could sense this. Its cold laughter turned his blood to ice.

“How noble. How valiant. We are...most amused by your attempts to resist. But trust us, Rudy. You will not escape, not even in the light.”

At this, another dragon appeared. It sifted through the lightbulb hanging over Rudy. It was identical to the first dragon, only the colors were reversed. It was white with shining black eyes and a black throat.

“For you see, even in the brightest of light...” The white dragon opened its maw, showing Rudy what looked like an endless abyss of blackness. “There lies sometimes the cruelest of the dark.” Rudy shuddered at the cold laughter. “Even as a hero, you may hurt. We can sense it. You have the potential to cause harm...we know you want to...”

“You’re wrong...! I would never...!” Rudy protested.

“Deny it all you want to, boy.” The white and black dragons rose higher above him, opening their mouths wide and letting out a screech. Rudy covered his ears. “But in the end, we know the truth. We can sense what kind of person you are... You will give into your...less than pleasant desires.. One way..or another...”

The dragons suddenly lunged for him. Rudy let out a scream.


	22. Unexpected Turns

Mrs. Sanchez held a tray of real world food and a glass of real world water and headed down the hallway. She didn’t bring too much food. Considering Rudy hasn’t eaten in a while, his stomach was going to be pretty small and he won’t be able to eat as much. She brought mostly fruit and vegetables. It might not be the most appetizing tray, but Rudy needed to eat something that was both light and filling.

She did feel bad about ushering the others out. If it had been up to her, she would have let them stay. But she was not the main doctor in charge of Rudy’s case. She was merely a helper. Being a ‘real worlder’ as some have said, she had knowledge of real world anatomy that proved useful. In the end, she still had to answer to the main doctor, the cheetah named Dr. Raiden. For the time being, she worked for him and answered to him. He seemed like a nice guy, though she did not agree with all of his decisions, least of all having Rudy’s loved ones leave.

True, testing is better performed when there were no distractions. But it wasn’t like Rudy’s parents and the others would make a lot of noise. They would have hung back and kept quiet. Dr. Raiden still wanted them out. He wasn’t particularly nasty but he wasn’t too gentle either. He flat out told them to leave and that they can come back in a couple hours. Since a couple hours passed, she guessed that someone would return soon. Though she wasn’t sure how long they could stay until Dr. Raiden forced them to leave again.

She tried her best not to worry about it. Dr. Raiden still meant well. She couldn’t really bring herself to stay that mad at him. At least Rudy was getting some form of help, even though, even there, there wasn’t a lot the doctors could do. The contrast between real world flesh and chalk disease had them baffled. It was a wonder he got infected at all, and it was a bigger mystery on how to stop it. The green chalk helps to manage the disease, but it does not cure it. Figuring out how to get rid of the disease...that was going to be quite a difficult journey.

At least Rudy’s vital signs were looking more or less okay. They still weren’t the greatest she’s seen, but considering what he was through, she wasn’t surprised. Despite them looking better, from what her daughter said, it was going to get worse eventuall. The green chalk can only slow it down so much and it only did minor repairs. It wasn’t going to hold out forever. Sooner or later, unless a cure is found beforehand, Rudy was going to fall back down.

She wished there was more she could do for the teenager. It pained her to see him, or anyone, in that kind of pain. She always knew what to do to help animals. She always knew what to do if her daughter or him had real world injuries. But this...this was out of her league. It was foreign. How can she treat something that doesn’t require injections or oral consumption? She couldn’t really think of any other way to deliver medication, and none of those were going to work. Was there another method she did not know about?

One of the blood test results did come back. And it did confirm there was a virus, and the virus was definitely chalk by nature. But the virus, it behaved so unusually, and it mutated so often that, at the moment, a vaccine wasn’t possible. Not that it would have done them any good, since Rudy’s blood was real world. Any injections would be dissolved.

But at least they have an idea on what the virus looks like. The zoner doctors did look up some information. They, unfortunately, found no virus that resembled this one, in any of its forms it took. It was indeed an unknown disease. It was frustrating for her, and the other doctors, not to know what this virus did. They would find out soon enough after they took another vial of blood, a bigger one, and running a massive load of tests on it. That would help enlighten them on what they’re dealing wit. Still, she wished that the disease given to Rudy was a more common, well known one so the zoner doctors had an idea of how to treat it, despite Rudy not being a zoner himself.

She was getting closer to Rudy’s room when something stopped her. Something loud and unexpected. Something that caused her blood to freeze, her eyes widening in horror.

A scream from Rudy.

Almost immediately, Mrs. Sanchez, forgetting what she was doing, dropped the tray on the ground. Her heart clenching, she rushed down the hallway towards the room where Rudy was staying at. Again and again, Rudy was screaming out. It sounded like he was being hurt. What was wrong with him? Did those three monsters find their way in?

She soon reached his room and swung the door open. Her eyes widened as she saw Rudy’s heart monitor going haywire, indicating his heartbeat had sped up dramatically. Rudy was tossing and turning on his hospital bed, his right eye shut tightly. Sweat covered his face, plastering his hair down, making it look greasy. It took her only seconds to realize that he was having some kind of horrible nightmare. She had to calm him down and fast. His body was still too weak to handle this kind of stress. She immediately rushed over to him.

“Rudy! Calm down!” Mrs. Sanchez stood by his side. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it. “It’s just a nightmare.” She said, her voice a little calmer, realizing that if she yelled, she might scare him more. “Come on...wake up now.”

Rudy, however, was not responding to what she was saying. He continued to toss and turn, trying to get away from whatever he was encountering in his dream. Sometimes she’d hear him say things like ‘no’ and ‘leave me alone’. Her heart tightened and she wondered if he was having a nightmare regarding Jenny. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was, considering what that vile woman had put the poor boy through.

She continued to try to calm the boy down. She ran her hand along his head and squeezed his hand. She kept talking softly to him, hoping he would calm down. Once in a while, she’d shake him to try to wake him up from the nightmare. Whatever he was dreaming about, it must be horrible, and it’s putting a lot of stress on his heart. He couldn’t afford that now. He needed to recover at least a little bit. He was going to put himself in a bad spot if he kept this up.

“Shhh...” Mrs. Sanchez said softly, placing her hand on his cheek. “Please calm down, Rudy. You’re making things worse for yourself. Wake up.”

Just then, Rudy’s right eye flew open and he sat up in his bed. Mrs. Sanchez moved back as Rudy gasped, taking in several deep, fast breaths. His right eye was wide and wild. He looked all around the room, looking like he was trying to regain his bearings. His breathing slowed down a little, but it was still a little too fast. Mrs. Sanchez reached out towards him. He shot her a look, and she froze.

That expression... There was something wrong with it. Rudy was looking at her like...like he didn’t know who she was. There was no recognition in those eyes. Instead of familiarity, they held confusion and fear. His body trembled when she reached her head closer to him. He cringed back, and just before she was able to touch him, he did something she never thought he would do because of her.

He let out a bloodcurdling scream.

sss

The scream echoed off the walls of the room. Loud, long, it just kept going. And then it finally broke off, dissolving into a low, steady whimper that lasted for several seconds. A sniffle and shaky gasps followed, followed by a dark chuckle.

“You’re making this harder on yourself, Terry. If you just tell me what I want to know, I wouldn’t have to do this to you.” Vinnie’s voice was low and icy, more chilling than the room itself. He held onto the scalpel from before. It was now coated in dark red blood. “So why don’t you talk to me? Why must you torment yourself this way?”

Terry’s body shook in a mixture of pain and fear. Her face had several cuts now adorning it, as well as her arms and legs. Vinnie had been slicing her up. He never pushed the scalpel in too deeply, as it was obvious he didn’t want to kill her. He wanted to cause a lot of pain, and he was succeeding in that. Every minute she didn’t answer, she would get hurt. Though her mind was clouded by the pain, she still refused to to talk.

She had made a promise she wouldn’t try to expose ChalkZone again. And she wasn’t about to back out of that promise. She had learned more about ChalkZone in that one visit than she and Vinnie ever did on their little ‘exploits’. If Vinnie saw what she did, would he turn over a new leaf like she had? Or would he continue on his pursuits? Whatever she did, she knew she mustn’t tell him about what happened. If he found out what happened, he was not going to be very happy with her.

She hated this man. She always found him annoying before, but now she hated him. He was using pain, fear, and intimidation to try to control her. Well he was going to have to try harder than this to make her break. She wasn’t going to go back on her word. She wasn’t going to tell Vinnie anything. She narrowed her eyes at him and she turned her head away. She could hear the man scowl at her, but she ignored it.

Another cut along her face and she let out another scream. Her throat was starting to get dry and sore from all the screaming she did. She had hoped that someone would hear her, but Vinnie had told her the walls were soundproof. She had tried to ask him how he managed to get this place and if it was his, but he refused to answer that, musing that if she won’t answer his questions, then he saw no reason why he should answer hers.

Terry could do little to hide the fear she was feeling. She looked at Vinnie in horror, her eyes focused on the tip of the scalpel. She didn’t want to show fear. She didn’t want to give Vinnie that satisfaction. But the pain was getting too intense for her, and it was clouding her judgment a little. She still did her best not to speak up. She still managed to resist that. This was clearly not pleasing Vinnie. She watched as he bared his teeth. She half expected him to start barking like a dog and was somewhat genuinely surprised when he did not.

After cutting her another time and still failing to get a response from her, Vinnie growled in anger. He raised his fists in the air and shook them, throwing his head back. “Oh come on, sister!” He looked back at her and pointed the scalpel in her direction. “Sooner or later, you’ve got to break! No one can resist pain forever!”

Terry narrowed her eyes defiantly, as if to silently say ‘we’ll see about that’. The sight of this only angered Vinnie further. Terry looked on in fear as he raised his free hand and slapped her across the face. She let out a cry of pain as Vinnie’s open palm struck against the gashes on her face, stinging them horribly. She let out a few tears of pain and looked back at him. Though clearly afraid, she still glared at him and, to openly defy him, she spat in his direction. Vinnie wiped his cheek and glared at her in disgust.

“Why you...” Vinnie’s face turned red as anger rose inside of him. Terry’s eyes widened in horror as Vinnie grabbed her arm. “You really don’t understand what position you are in, do you, bitch?!”

He jabbed the scalpel deep in Terry’s arm, hitting against the bone. Terry let out several screams of anguish as he cut along her arm, slicing right through old wounds and causing more bloodflow. He wasn’t being as careful this time around. He cut her much deeper, causing more damage than he had with his other cuts. He continued to cut along her arm, from the shoulder all the way to where the cuff was that held her arm down. He twisted the scalpel in her arm before thrusting it out, causing some blood splatter. Terry emitted another scream.

But despite the agony she was in, despite her sobbing, despite the pain being unbearable, she still refused to speak. Not a single word came from her mouth. As tempting as it was, she did not want to give him the satisfaction of her replying to anything he said. She would rather die that tell him anything. He was not getting any information from her. The secret would come with her to the grave.

She let out a surprised cry when Vinnie seized her by her jaws and yanked her head forward as hard as he could. This alone was painful, but it got even more uncomfortable when Vinnie put his forehead against hers. When she opened her eyes, she was startled to see nothing but those hate-filled eyes. She tried to struggle to get free to no avail. Vinnie took the scalpel and placed the tip very close to her eye. Terry trembled in fear, yet still refused to speak, even with the threat of losing her eyesight. Vinnie growled when she did not respond the way he wanted and shoved her back.

“I don’t believe this! No matter what I do, you still remain quiet! Maybe this wasn’t the right away to approaching things. Maybe you are too stubborn for your own good.” Vinnie said in a low voice. He looked down at the scalpel, noting the red blood clinging to it. “I have never known anyone to tolerate this much pain.”

Terry wondered if he was finally getting it. Maybe now he was finally going to understand that, no matter what, she was not going to talk to him about ChalkZone. Maybe he would give up and let her go. After all, if she stayed here and died, that would be a pretty big risk, and the guy was in enough trouble with the police as it was. He didn’t need something else on his head.

“But...”

Terry’s heart froze. The way he said that, and the way he was looking at her, it told her that it was far from other. And as he let out another cold chuckle, she knew that she was not leaving any time soon. No, this was far from over. That much was clear.

“I actually have all the time in the world here... How, I won’t tell you, not unless you tell me what I want. I don’t care what kind of excuses I have to make so no one realizes you’re gone. But I will see to it that you cannot leave until you tell me what I want.” Vinnie grabbed onto her shoulders and leaned in. He whispered into her ear. “Trust me..I will break you. I have plenty of time to play with you, and sooner or later, you will break...”

With that, he plunged the scalpel deep into her thigh, slicing it up like some deli meat. Terry, unable to hold it back, let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed off the walls of the room. Vinnie showed no sympathy and just smiled coldly at her pain.

“Yes...you will break...”

sss

Penny couldn’t believe that Dr. Raiden had kicked them out of Rudy’s room. They would have kept quiet if they really needed the concentration. And her own mother... Penny had hoped that her mom would try to convince Dr. Raiden otherwise. But she hardly said anything. Maybe it was because she didn’t have authority or the doctor simply didn’t listen. Still, she wished her mother tried harder.

She wanted to see how Rudy was doing now. He had woken up a short time ago and was slowly regaining his bearings. He had become mostly aware after a while. It was around then they were kicked out so they could run more tests on the. She was curious to know how they came out. She hoped that Rudy was doing well enough that he could be dismissed from the hospital soon and come home. She didn’t mind having to monitor him as long as she knew that he was well enough to move around on his own again.

It was so sad seeing him bedridden the way he was currently. Unable to get up and do simple things for himself... He couldn’t even try to walk because the doctors say he is too weak for that. He needed to rest and regain more of his strength before he attempted to walk. Maybe, if fate were merciful, he would be walking by the time she got back. Wishful thinking, but still.

She would be able to see him later, though. In about an hour, her mom would pick her up and take her to the hospital. That wasn’t too long of a wait. It was certainly better than having to wait until tomorrow to see Rudy again. She was certain that Snap, Sophie, and the others would be happy to see Rudy again before he had to stay another night. It was sad that Rudy would have to stay another night in the hospital, but there was nothing she could do about it. The doctors were adamant about it and nothing would change their minds. Attempts were made to sway them but it was no use.

In the meantime, she had been dropped off at the school. Not the place she wanted to be, but she had little choice but to attend. Her mom did manage to get her some excuse notes explaining why she was late coming in and why she had to leave early. But that did little to comfort her as she knew she was wandering through a place, mostly on her own since Rudy was the person she hung out with the most, where three of her enemies, those black chalk users, resided. And there was nothing she could do about it.

She had hoped they could be pulled out of the school temporarily. They thought they could do this, that it would be so simple. But those three...they had really thought ahead with all of this. They had done something to make sure that they couldn’t be pulled out, and Penny couldn’t believe that none of them thought about this. They had spoken to the mayor. Apparently those three had a meeting with the mayor and had convinced him to forbid students from being pulled from school during this time of the year. They had no idea how they managed to do it, but they did. Now with the mayor on their side in terms of keeping them in school, it was impossible for their parents to pull them out.

Penny theorized that Jenny may have talked about a possible viral outbreak and that keeping the students in school would help her manage it better, or something. Or maybe they didn’t go as far as ‘keep students from being taken out’ and had just focused on her and Rudy. Whatever they did, however they did it, one thing she knew for certain was that she and Rudy were stuck coming to this school. It was a very unpleasant feeling walking down these halls, knowing that psychopaths lurk in certain parts of the school. Every time she passed the lunchlady, principal, and nurse, she had to give a shudder.

She really wanted to get out of this school. She didn’t want to be here with those three lunatics running about. She was uncomfortable going to class with Ghadir as her substitute. She hated going to lunch because Ghadir cooks a large portion of the food. She disliked being in a school run by a black chalk user. And she hated being in a school where the nurse is a psychopath. But if any of them call her down for something, she, unfortunately, had to obey, especially if Tyreek was involved. He had the authority to punish her, give her detention, send her to another class, whatever. She might not have to listen to him outside the school, but in school, she had no choice, otherwise he could call in the mayor.

But at least she only had an hour left to deal with this. It was study hall now and all she had to do was stand around in this hallway, leaning against the wall, and wait. She looked around and she saw many of the other students doing the same thing. She did feel somewhat safe here. With all these students around, there was no way that Jenny or her lackeys could make a move without drawing suspicion. They couldn’t hurt her here. Normally, she’d be in a quiet room, studying, but until those three are taken care of, she was going to hang around here during study hall. Better safe than sorry as the saying goes.

She saw someone coming towards her. At first, she couldn’t tell who it was due to distance and the crowd. When the person got closer, she saw it was Reggie. She narrowed her eyes slightly. She wondered what he wanted, or if he was just going to pass buy because maybe his father came in earlier to pick him up. But when he was clearly approaching her, she knew that this likely wasn’t the case.

“Penny.” Reggie said quietly when he stood in front of her.

“Reggie.” Penny acknowledged, giving a nod of her head. “What do you want?”

Reggie looked left and right nervously. He rubbed his arm up and down. “I...just want to say I’m sorry about before.” Penny looked at him with a confused expression. “I should have been more careful and I could have hurt Rudy more. So for that, I’m sorry.”

Penny couldn’t help but be surprised by this. Reggie rarely apologized for anything. The fact that he just came up to her and did it, she never thought she’d see the day. Reggie rarely admitted when he was at fault. He rarely did any kind of apologizing. She had to wonder what made him do it this time. She wondered if his dad made him do it or if it was a genuine guilty conscience or what.

Regardless, it did feel kind of nice to hear an apology from someone who rarely took fault for anything. It did go to show that Reggie wasn’t always so bad. Yeah he can be annoying and, sometimes, he wasn’t the nicest guy, though he had mellowed out over the years, but he was capable of doing nice things, such as offer to take Rudy back home, even if it ended up Rudy going to a real world hospital instead. Though it did not end the way she had hoped, Reggie’s assistance still helped Rudy in the long run. There was no way Penny could have gotten him help in time.

“Apology accepted.” Penny said, giving a small smile. She turned her head and looked up at the clock to see what time it was.

“Are you waiting for your mom?” Reggie asked.

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah. We’re going to see Rudy in the hospital.”

“Can I come with?” Reggie asked. Penny looked at him, her eyes wide in shock. “I want to see how he’s doing. We might not be friends, but I’m not heartless. I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

Penny was stunned by this. Normally she would have said yes, but there was no way she could allow Reggie to come with to ChalkZone. It would be too big of a risk. She recalled what Rudy said happened the last time he was there. There was no way any of them were going to put up with another ‘Reggie The Red’ incident. There was enough going on as it was.

“Sorry, Reggie, but you can’t come.” Penny said.

“What?” Reggie was shocked. “Why? Is it a crime?”

Penny shook her head. “No, it’s not that. It’s...” Penny searched her mind to try to find some kind of excuse Reggie would believe that didn’t sound too suspicious. “The doctors want to limit who can see him. Something about an unknown disease and they don’t want it to spread. But he’ll be released tomorrow. You can come by his house and see if you want.”

Reggie stared at her for a few moments. His eyes were narrowed. Penny wondered if he bought the story or if he had gotten smart enough to not be fooled. He soon relaxed and rubbed the back of his head. “Oh okay. I suppose that makes sense.”

“I’m glad you understand.” Penny said.

She expected Reggie to leave after that. It looked like he did want to leave since he delivered his apology and got the answer he was looking for. But instead, he remained standing there, staring at her with an expression that said there was something more he wanted to say. Something about the expression seemed a little off, though. It was like, what else he wanted to say, it was uncomfortable to think about or he didn’t know how she’d react.

She would have encouraged him to speak, but she knew that he didn’t like being rushed with these things. She knew it was best to just let Reggie figure out what he wanted to say. So she stood there and waited for him to say something, or if he was just going to get tongue tied and leave her alone. Whatever he had to say, she was certain that, given enough time, he’d know how to word it.

Before Reggie could say anything, the speaker came alive. She flinched at the painful beep that the thing sometimes made and she covered her ears. Then a distorted voice started to speak. She wished this speaker were fixed. It had been like this for months now.

“Penny Sanchez, please report to the nurse’s office immediately.”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror at this. The nurse’s office? Oh no... She couldn’t head there..not now.. Her mom will be here soon. What did Jenny want with her? Was she going to inject her with poison? Was she going to dig through her health records and find something to use against her? She tried to hide her shaking, but there was no way she could hide it from Reggie.

The large teenager looked at her in confusion, folding his arms. “Since when were you afraid of going to the nurse, Penny?”

Penny tried to calm herself down. “Afraid? I’m not afraid.”

Reggie’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe you.”

Penny sighed. She should have known she couldn’t lie to him when she was clearly showing fear in front of him. She let out a soft sigh. “I-It’s nothing...don’t worry about it.” She grabbed her things and looked back at him. “Well I should get going before they call my name again.”

“Hold on.” Reggie took a step towards her. He looked around at the other students. He gave a low growl, prompting any who were looking at him to turn away. Then he whispered something. “I know...”

Penny was confused. He knew? What did he know? She waited for him to continue, but he just continued to stare at her with that stern expression. Seconds went by and she tried to cycle, through her head, what Reggie was talking about. Then, slowly, as she studied his expression and those words, it dawned on her. Eyes widened in shock, she stared at Reggie and took a step back.

Reggie said nothing. Sensing that she might understand what he was saying, he gave an affirmative nod. This sent cold ice through Penny’s body and she started to tremble slightly. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out. She forced herself to turn around. She took a few steps away. She stopped and looked back at Reggie, who stared at her with that knowing expression. Taking in a shuddering breath, Penny continued down the hallway reluctantly, her mind swimming with rapid, terrified thoughts.

It...it couldn’t be possible, could it? No, Reggie had to be lying. No, that was impossible. He couldn’t lie about this. This wasn’t something that could just be made up by some outsider. The seconds passed and Penny’s stomach twisted in knots as she began to, relucantly, accept reality.

Reggie not only remembered ChalkZone, but he knew it was real.

sss

Barney could not believe he had done that. How could he have done such a thing? It made him feel sick inside. He felt nauseaous, wanting to throw up. He couldn’t believe what that vile woman made him do. If it had been up to him, he wouldn’t have done that. He should have...he should have been more resistant. He should have stood up to her. But he didn’t. He let Jenny manipulate him, and because of his weakness, Rudy may die.

Why couldn’t he stand up to her? Bardot...that was why. It had been two years and he was still terrified of that beast. Could anyone blame him? No one seemed to. He had been tortured for over a year. It was something that was impossible to forget. He still remembered that creature’s laughter as he was hurt. He remembered the pain as his body was ripped open and his legs broken. He still remembered the shere agony he felt when his original eyes were ripped from their sockets. He still had nightmares about that, and he’d often wake up and look around to make sure he still had his eyesight.

He had chosen Gem Desert as a means of feeling safe again. He had discovered it sometime after Bardot was arrested. It seemed like the perfect hideout. Not many zoners dare to tread there, so he would not have to worry about zoners seeking information from him. And it was a place he was certain Bardot wouldn’t go to due to the invisible crystal slithers roaming about. And for the past couple years, he and Mumbo Jumbo had lived in safe and secluded solitude. Everything had been fight.

That is, until Jenny came...

Barney had no idea how she had found him, but she did. And she had threatened King Mumbo Jumbo if he did not do what she said. Unlike Bardot, she hadn’t tried to hurt him. But she was a creator, and thus she cold actually hurt his friend, or even kill him, if she so desired. It was made worse when she said that Ghadir, one of her comrades, would eat him.

He had been forced into a sadistic choice. He either helped them take down Rudy or they would take down the king. He eventually chose Mumbo Jumbo over Rudy but it was a spur of the moment decision and he regretted it immediately. He would have regretted both of the decisions anyway. He wished he had fought back and done something to resist. He didn’t want to betray Rudy. He didn’t want this to happen to him. But now it was too late. There was nothing he could do.

Tears of guilt streamed down his face. He put his hands on his cheeks and shook his head slowly. Rudy was already in a terrible state. If he had just resisted and not give in to Jenny, then he could have done something to help Rudy instead of making things even worse. He couldn’t even go to him now to tell him the truth; the black chalk users could be anywhere in ChalkZone at any time, and they could go through with their threat if they found out what he did. He could risk putting both Rudy and Mumbo Jumbo in danger if he spoke up. And that was the last thing he wanted to do.

There had to be something he could do, though. He didn’t want to sit around here hiding the whole time. He didn’t want to be afraid of Bardot whenever he left. The hybrid zoner was trapped in the Fire Zone. He didn’t want to be afraid of Jenny. She couldn’t possibly see everything he was doing. He had to do something before it was too late for Rudy. He didn’t want him to end up like Daniel and Michael did all those years ago.

“Barney?”

Barney lifted up his head. Not bothering to hide his tears, he looked over and he saw Mumbo Jumbo walking towards him.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” The tortoise asked, his voice laced with concern.

Barney knew he couldn’t lie to his friend. He was never that good at lying to him. They have known each other for hundreds of years. Mumbo Jumbo easily catches on when he is being dishonest. And he had seen him cry; he knows something is wrong and he would not stop until he got at least an idea of what was upsetting him. Barney didn’t want to talk to him about it, but it would seem he had no choice.

Fumbling with his hands, he bit his lip and said, “I...I did something...terrible...”

Mumbo Jumbo’s eyes widened at this. “What did you do?”

“Well..it was less of a matter of what I did...” Barney said softly. “..and more of what I...didn’t...do...”

“What...?” Mumbo Jumbo sounded so confused. “What are you...?”

Barney trembled and he said in a slightly raised voice. "The chartreuse chalk is not what it seems!" He spread his arms out into the air, his eyes widened. He looked at Mumbo Jumbo, his pupils slightly dilated. "In this case, no it's not.." He said in a calmer voice, casting his eyes downward. He noted the tortoise's confused expression and he said, "I..I didn't tell Penny and Snap about the mystery disease Rudy had having triggers..." He closed his eyes and let a tear trinkle down his face. "And I did not tell them that the chartreuse chalk was one of these triggers."

Mumbo Jumbo let out a sharp gasp. “What?! Why..why wouldn’t you tell them?”

“Because Jenny was going to kill you if I didn’t!” Barney shouted, his voice panicky. He took in a few shaky breaths to try to calm himself down. “She was going to kill you...”

Mumbo Jumbo stared at Barney in shock. Then he took a few steps over to the centipede. He placed a hand on his shoulder. He gave him a serious look. “Barney...tell me everything that happened.”

Wiping away his tears and knowing there was no way to run from this, Barney began to recount what happened with Jenny and her comrades.


	23. Things Are Never That Easy

Penny’s mind felt numb as she sat in the passenger’s seat of her mom’s car. The car was moving along the somewhat bumpy road. But she hardly paid attention to it. She could barely feel the car moving forward. She hardly felt the car stopping at the red lights. She hardly heard her mom speaking about something. The only thing on her mind was what she had learned earlier, both from her mom and from Nurse Jenny.

Her body trembled at the thoughts that started to enter her mind. It wasn’t possible, was it? Were things really starting to go downhill again that fast? She didn’t want to believe it, but no matter how hard she tried to come up with excuses, nothing else could explain what happened.

The forced visit to the nurse’s office had been bad enough. She had no choice but to go to Jenny’s office, despite knowing what she was capable of doing. Jenny had been surprisingly gentle with her. She hadn’t attempted to strap her down or hurt her or anything. And that only served to creep Penny out more. Jenny could have done a lot of damage and she knew that. Jenny chose to instead torment her mentally by acting like she was going to hurt her, but never following through with it. Mind games...much like how Cosmo liked to play.

The visit to the office was, at first, largely uneventful. Penny wondered if Jenny just wanted to torment her a little, flaunt about how much control she had over the situation. Jenny had brought that up a few times. She told Penny that she could do whatever she wanted and there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn’t even tell the mayor as he was being twiddled under their thumbs. She even went as far as say she could break into her house and do some pretty awful things to her and she would never be able to pin the rap on her.

Penny had gotten increasingly uncomfortable being in the same room as her. She wanted to leave, but Jenny had secured the door tightly. She couldn’t escape until Jenny was through with whatever it is she wanted to do with her. Penny had to endure the nurse taunting her and mentally abusing her. It went from being uncomfortable to terrifying when she started to describe in detail the symptoms Rudy would experience, the same ones that Barney had mentioned to them before. Her blood ran cold. Was it possible Jenny had found Barney and...? Oh no.. Barney had been through a lot already. Did Jenny really have to make things worse for him?

Penny soon got tired of listening to Jenny speak and, out of anger, kicked her in the leg. The nurse did move back and looked at her angrily, but, to her surprise, she did not strike her back. But she didn’t stop with the mental abuse. She kept telling Penny about how she will never be able to cure Rudy in case, how it was impossible to find a way to fix the disease before it was too late. She strongly hinted that things were going to go downhill much sooner than she would have imagined.

She began to wonder if this was all Jenny brought her in for. Just to mentally torture her like this, taunting her on Rudy’s fate and how she’ll be helpless to stop it. Her harsh words echoed in her mind, unable to make it stop. She shook her head a few times, trying to get the words to leave her, but they wouldn’t. It frightened her, making her feel more apprehensive about Rudy’s condition. It forced her to ask herself an uneasy question. What if Jenny was right? What if she can’t help Rudy in time?

She tried not to think about it. She tried to stay positive. There was always a way. Always.. She couldn’t just give up. Jenny’s mind games...she shouldn’t allow them to bother her too much. She had to prove the evil nurse wrong and continue to perservere. She would find a way to help cure Rudy, and she would do it as soon as possible.

Nurse Jenny then told Penny something that downright horrified her. She couldn’t tell if she was lying or if she was just saying this to make her feel uneasy. But Jenny had told her about how she had broken into Rudy’s house and took some blood. She never confirmed this. She never showed any vial of blood. Nor did she ever say what it was for. She just said that she took some blood for him. No doubt this was Jenny’s way of showing Penny just how much control she really had. If she could break into Rudy’s house undetected and do something like that, then what else was she capable of doing? The thought scared Penny and she realized she was going to feel so vulnerable at night.

The visit to the office did turn out to have more to it than just mind games. Jenny was interested in getting some of her blood. She never stated why. Penny knew, whatever the reason, it could not be good. She had attempted to resist, but there was little she could do. Jenny had drugged her. It slowed her down and made it easy for the nurse to take her blood, choosing a spot far away from where the drug was injected. Thankfully, the drug’s properties wore off very quickly, just not fast enough to stop the nurse.

Jenny had taunted her about witnessing the next stage of the illness very soon. Penny wasn’t sure why Jenny was tormenting her mentally like this. She wondered if Jenny was trying to weaken her spirit so it’ll be easy to fight back against her. Penny was not going to allow her to get the upperhand and she did her best to remind herself that there still had to be some hope somewhere. Those two kids, Daniel and Michael, they could get more information from them. Maybe it would be enough to devise a cure or some way to weaken the disease more. She couldn’t allow Jenny to bring her down mentally like that.

And it seemed Jenny was not very surprised that Penny was able to hold out as well as she had. So she decided to bring out the big gun. She told Penny something that would never leave her. Something that she was going to worry about this whole time, trying to wonder what it means and if there was any way to stop it.

They had gotten on the topic of Rudy and the black chalk. It was revealed, if Jenny was being honest, that the black chalk does not require a living body as a host. So long as the body was mostly intact, and that there was enough of the black chalk essence in side, a dead body would become a literal zombie. This only worked in ChalkZone where the black chalk’s magic was the strongest. Jenny revealed that, even though she wants to kill Rudy, she knows the black chalk wants the boy back, so she planned on making sure he was in ChalkZone when he died so his lifeless corpse could be used to serve the black chalk.

Penny protested, stating that there was no way Rudy was going to just go into ChalkZone whenever they told him do. This prompted a cold laughter from Jenny, who went on to explain that, with what was going to happen to him soon, he was going to have no choice but to stay in ChalkZone. This was confusing and Penny attempted to have Jenny explain more. But the nurse refused, stating that it would ruin the surprise.

Jenny mentioned that things might be easier for Rudy if he just gave into the corruption again. This angered Penny and she shouted at the nurse that Rudy would never be like them. What Jenny said next was what was going to haunt Penny for a while as she struggled to understand what it meant.

"Oh dear Penny...You honestly don't believe your friend is any different, do you? The black chalk has planted its seed in him, just like it had with me. It is...just a matter of time. All the pieces will soon drop into the fray, and there is nothing you can do to stop it."

Penny had no idea what this meant. The way it was said, the way it was worded, it was so confusing. She had attempted to get Jenny to explain it more, but that was when she was kicked out of the office. She could hear Jenny’s cold, maniacal laughter as the door was slammed in her face. Jenny clearly enjoyed the torment she placed on her, forcing her to wonder the meaning of what she said.

Penny replayed that statement again and again in her mind. From the gist of it, it sounded like Jenny was implying that Rudy would, somehow, someday, give into the corruption, that he never truly escaped it completely. The thought was horrifying to her. She recalled how Rudy was when he was controlled by the black chalk three years ago. The idea of him becoming like that again...it was unbearable.

And Jenny’s words made it sound like she really thought all of this through. It hinted that she and her lackeys had this all planned out, with each step well coordinated and using the right moves to manipulate them into falling more and more into their little game. Stressing her out over this must be part of their sick plan. She wanted to try to ignore it. She wanted to show them that they can’t control her like that, but she couldn’t help but worry about the whole thing, which might be what they want. They might want her to fret over this so she makes mistakes. She..she couldn’t do that. She had to remain calm so she could think about this more thoroughly.

But it wasn’t just Jenny’s words that bothered her. After she left the school, getting in her mom’s car, she was informed of something that happened at the hospital with Rudy. As soon as she heard something bad happened, she immediately and wondered if it had anything to do with Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek. She was relieved when her mother assured her that they did not break in. But what happened, it was of little comfort and didn’t really make her feel that much better.

Rudy had a horrific nightmare at the hospital about an hour or so ago. He had been shouting and screaming in his sleep. It had been so loud that her mother heard it when she was halfway down the hall from him. He was covered in sweat and it seemed like, at least for a time, his fever had returned. When her mother attempted to calm him down, Rudy only struggled harder, making shouts at whoever was in tormenting him in his dream to leave him alone.

She had managed to wake him up after a while, but that was when a worrying symptom showed up. Some kind of form of amnesia. That was the best way her mother could describe it. Rudy remained terrified even after he had woken up. He acted like he had no idea where he was. He had stared at her mother with a horrified expression, and when she tried to touch him to calm him down, he screamed, clearly thinking that she was going to hurt him. His screams caught the other doctors’ attention, and they immediately came into the room.

Her mother and the doctors kept trying to calm him down. They would hold his arms and legs and try to tell him that everything was all right, that he was just in the hospital. Holding him down seemed to make things worse and Rudy just struggled harder, letting out panicked screams and begged them not to hurt him. Penny had no idea just what happened in the dream, but it was clear it traumatized him.

The doctors had no choice but to tranquilize Rudy. Penny’s mom had brought over some real world drugs just in case they needed them, and in this case, they did. Rudy’s heart rate was getting out of control. The only way that he could calm down was if he were injected with some tranquilizer. It was a little hard as he kept moving around. The doctors were able to hold him still while her mom injected him with the drug. Rudy did slowly calm down and became relaxed. The whole event had been terrifying, prompting one of the doctors to remain with him at all times so he doesn’t have another panic attack.

When Penny learned what happened, she was absolutely devastated. She was horrified that this had happened to Rudy. She felt her heart clench at the thought of Rudy suffering mentally like that. She knew nightmares could be horrifying, but being so bad that he actually forgot where he was and who her mom was? That was truly terrifying. At least he was calm now, though he only got calm thanks to the drug that her mom was forced to inject into him.

How had Rudy forgotten where he was? Why did he not recognize her mother when she came in to try to calm him down? She recalled, with a shudder, how her mom said he had even tried to attack her in self defense. He was truly terrified of her. There was no way it was mere acting, not that Rudy would ever pretend to be afraid like this. Something was seriously wrong. She and her mom both hoped that Rudy’s outburst was the result of the dream and not from any of the symptoms he was experiencing. They would find out for sure, whenever the drugs would wear off.

As her mom continued to drive her back home so they could head into ChalkZone, Penny hoped and prayed Rudy was going to be okay. He had to make it.. He just had to... She didn’t want to believe that his condition was getting worse already. She didn’t want to believe that there was nothing she could do. She didn’t want to believe the nurse’s words. There had to be a way to save Rudy. He would never give up on her. She wouldn’t give up on him.

Her stomach twisted in knots in apprehension of what was about to come. She feared greatly for Rudy. He was in trouble. He needed her help. She couldn’t let him down. And she knew exactly what she was going to do. In the midst of her muggy, confused, and horrified thoughts, she managed to formulate a plan. After she visited Rudy, she was going to do a little research of her own. She would find out about Daniel and Michael. She would try to learn of what happened to them, see if any real world hospitals have any records of them.

She was certain that something about what she may find regarding those two would help her. She would analyze whatever data she could get her hands on, and work towards helping Rudy feel better. She wasn’t going to give up. Despite Jenny’s words on how hopeless the situation was, she would still at least try. And if she worked hard enough, if she continued to push herself...

...she just might succeed.

sss

Vinnie was getting frustrated. Very frustrated. He had done so much harm to Terry. He had cut her up, made her bleed. He threatened her and he damaged her. And still, she would not break. She refused to tell him anything he wanted to know. He felt his blood start to boil, the full realization that she really had betrayed him coming to full bloom. Something happened that caused her to turn her back on exposing ChalkZone, and he fully intended on finding out what it was.

Everyone had a breaking point. Everyone got to the point where they finally can’t take it anymore. He just needed to find Terry’s. He had a lot of time to play with her. He just had to be careful of where he cut her and how deep. He didn’t want to kill her. However, he would do what it took to make her stay here a living hell. By the end of it all, she would be begging to be killed just to get away from the pain.

It shocked him how high of pain tolerance this bitch had. From looking at her, he would never have guessed that she could be so resistant against him. Even after all her injuries, even though she clearly hated the pain and screamed and cried, she still did not speak to him. She had stopped speaking to him since she was strapped down. He had tried some ‘friendly’ conversation, but she refused to speak even then. Even simple words like ‘yes’ and ‘no’ she wouldn’t speak. It was clear she didn’t want to give him any kind of satisfaction of acknowledging his questions and was ignoring him the best she could, despite all that pain he was inflicting on her.

He had to admit, it was kind of impressive. He would have thought she’d crack hours ago. The fact that she was still holding out and still refusing to speak, well it was an amazing feat. He had to admire that about her. It was just a shame that he didn’t have this kind of stubbornness and tenacity on his side. It was a shame that Terry, for whatever reason, decided to throw it all away. He was going to find out what happened, and once he did, he was going to find someway to force her back on his side. He wanted to control her and he would do whatever it took to achieve that.

He knew that torturing her like this may not work. It was clear it wasn’t. She was resisting too much. She would end up dying if he didn’t let up and try something else soon. But rather than stop, he decided to keep going for a while. He listened to her screams, smirking each time. Perhaps, if he kept this up a little longer, maybe she could end up snapping and giving in. And if not, well at least he had a little fun.

After another ten minutes of torturing Terry, he decided to try something else. He did have a backup plan in case the torture didn’t work. A dark smile spread across his face. She might have been able to resist the pain, but blackmail was a little harder to ignore. And the dirt he had on her, he could tell he’d be able to make her do anything he wanted. After how hard it was for her to rebuild her reputation, it was going to be much harder, if not impossible, for her to climb her way back up with what he had in store for her.

He ripped out the scalpel from her side, prompting a bloodcurdling scream from the woman. He took a step back and looked at his handiwork. Terry was covered in multiple cuts. Some were deep, most were shallow. Blood covered much of her body and stained the ground. Her face was glistening with tears. She had not only been screaming, but crying too. Sometimes she’d give him a look that was silently begging him to release her. He thought that at least one of these looks would be followed by her saying she’ll talk, but that never happened. He had ignored those looks and kept on hurting her.

A part of him was not proud of what he had done to her. He may have lost a willing ally. He found it much easier working with people if they were more cooperative and willingly followed him. He didn’t want to have to threaten Terry to make her do anything. But unfortunately, that seemed to be what the case was going to be. He wasn’t usually one for torture or causing physical pain and he would rather avoid it at all costs. But when it came to finding an entrance to ChalkZone so he could build his theme park, he thought that some sacrifices could be made. It was all going to work out in the long run.

Terry glared at him with those hate-filled eyes. He just smirked at her. He was going to make her break. And if he couldn’t do it through pain, he would do it through blackmail. Let’s see how long she would be able to resist when he threatened her with potential damage that she would not be able to recover from.

“I see you still refuse to talk. I wish you would just make things easier on yourself and speak, sister.” Vinnie said. He walked around the chair slowly, eyeing her injured body up and down. “But since you won’t, I’ll have to resort to...other means of making you talk.”

Terry growled at him, watching him as he circled her like a vulture. He pulled out something from his pocket. She saw it was a flashlight. He flipped it on. Terry let out a surprised cry and turned her head away, trying to shield herself from the bright light. Vinnie held the light steady, shining it against her face like he was a cop interrogating a suspect.

“I didn’t want to have to do this, but you left me no choice, sister.” He put his face close to hers. Terry wrinkled her nose in disgust as his breath hit against her face. “For you see, you made a mistake turning against me. Remember all those things you showed me? Back in your van? Do you think I forgot about all those?”

Terry’s eyes widened in horror. Vinnie’s smile grew nastier. Good, the little bitch understood where he was getting at. So she must also know there was no getting out of this. She couldn’t keep him from talking. She had no control over him. But he had oh so much control over her.

Vinnie chuckled and said, “Did you think I would simply forget? Oh no... I remember it all. You can’t take that way from me. And guess what?” He whispered in a harsh voice, “I have copies..” Terry shook her head in denial. “If you don’t want to believe me, that’s fine. After all, what reason do you have to believe a shifty guy like me?” Vinnie put his back to her and walked away. He stopped and gave her a sideways glance. “But then again...do you want to take that risk?”

Terry narrowed her eyes. She turned her head away, refusing to look at him. Vinnie shook his head. Defiant as usual. Even in the face of blackmail, she was still trying to resist. Well she won’t be able to resist for long. He knew how much she loved her job. He knew how much she would rather avoid doing something that would not only ruin her career, but her life. She would crack, he knew she would. He just needed to keep ‘gently’ nudging her in the right direction.

“After all... I could easily bring that evidence to court. I could easily have you arrested for stalking. Yes, it was years ago, but I don’t think they’d care. All that evidence, Terry...I don’t think you can defend yourself against all of it. Then everyone will know what you have done. They will know that you broke several laws getting all that information, all that dirt, on Rudy, Penny, and Snap. Once they see that evidence, you are going to be locked up.”

Terry glared at him, but he could see a tinge of fear in her eyes now.

“And even after you get out of jail, guess what? It’s going to affect your life as well. Who is going to hire someone who stalks children? Hmm? Who is going to believe you are trustworthy? You won’t have a job anymore. You will lose your home because you can’t pay your bills, and you will be living on the street. Is that the kind of life you really want? Do you not mind living in alleyways, scrounging for food like some wild animal? Is keeping information about ChalkZone away from me worth so much that you’d be willing to put yourself in such a bad place?”

The reporter still refused to answer. Vinnie watched as her expression grew more and more fearful. He could see her body start to shake a little. He smirked. Yes, he was getting closer. She would break soon.

He walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned in. “If you end up getting arrested and thrown in jail over this, remember this..” He smiled darkly. “You brought it on yourself. It would be all your fault. And when you sit in the jail cell, I hope you think to yourself how you could have prevented it all if you had just listened to me and did exactly what I told you to do.” He leaned back away from her, watching her terrified expression. “So what’s it gunna be, sister? Are you going to continue to resist, or are you going to help me?”

Terry finally couldn’t keep quiet anymore. “I...I...”

“Ah so you can talk!” Vinnie said in a mocking voice. “Good. Now why don’t you tell me your answer?”

Terry stared at him. She weakly shook her head. “N-No..I won’t...”

Vinnie cocked an eyebrow. “Still resisting I see. Well I’m sure I can convince you to see things my way. I’ve always had a knack for that, remember?” He leaned in close, putting his forehead against hers. His voice was a harsh whisper. “Even when we were kids, I could always get our parents to side with me. They’d never believe you. I know how much you hated how our mother and father wouldn’t believe you, and now it’s going to repeat, only this time, it won’t be just our parents against you. It’ll be all of Plainsville, and possibly other cities, other states.”

“You...” Terry started to say, but her voice trailed off. Her eyes were wide in horror as she seemed to realize the full gravity of the situation. “You wouldn’t do that...would you...brother?”

“I won’t...” Vinnie said in a casual voice. “...so long as you tell me what I want to know.” He lifted up the blood stained scalpel and looked at it. “Otherwise, drastic times call for drastic measures.” He gave her an eerie smile.

Terry stared at him with wide eyes.

sss

It had been difficult, but Penny’s mom was able to convince the doctors to let her in to the room with Rudy. She had even convinced the doctors to give them some privacy so they could talk. It took a while of talking, but the doctors eventually agreed, but told Penny she had a half hour limitation and then she had to get out.

She wished she could stay longer, but she should consider herself lucky to be able to come in her eat all. The doctors would only let her in, which meant that his parents, aunt, cousin, and Snap all couldn’t see him yet. The doctors were a little jumpy about that hallucination he had earlier, or whatever it was that happened, and they wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to happen again. They were afraid that if just anyone all of a sudden walks in, it could somehow trigger another episode.

While she understood their concerns, she did feel it was a little extreme barring everyone from entering the room and only letting her in for half an hour. They were all very worried about Rudy. They wanted to visit him. They wanted to make sure he was all right. It was unfair that the doctors keep them from visiting him. Yeah she understood the dangers of panic attacks, but they were his family. Surely, if he started to freak out, they could calm him down eventually, couldn’t they? At the very least, his parents would be able to keep him calm, wouldn’t they?

She sat down next to Rudy’s bed. The boy was pretty calm now, likely from the tranquilizer still being somewhat in effect. He seemed to know where he was now, his previous confusion gone. When she had asked him about why he screamed at her mom, he didn’t understand what she was talking about. This led to Penny thinking that maybe Rudy was never awake to begin with and maybe he was still dreaming. That would explain why he had no idea where he was and why he screamed at her mom.

At least it seemed to be over for now. The tranquilizer did its job at keeping him relaxed. He was more aware of his surroundings and he didn’t freak out when she and her mom came in. He was still a little tired, likely from the drug’s effects. But overall, he was looking better. She was glad to see him act calmer than how her mother had described how he behaved earlier. It was an improvement at least.

“The doctors say you may be released tomorrow.” Penny said, trying to make conversation. Rudy looked over at her. “Do you mind staying here another night?”

Rudy paused for a moment. He then said, “Not really. If it’s what is necessary, then I’m fine with it.” He leaned back on the bed, pressing his back against the headboard. “I just wish that they would the others in. I miss them. I want to see them again.”

Penny reached out and touched his shoulder. “And you will soon.”

Rudy smiled at her. “At least they let someone in to see me. Better than nothing, right?”

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah...”

She looked down at the plate laying in front of Rudy. Her mom had to go back and get more food for him. The plate had some veggies and fruit on it, but no meat. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to get some much needed nutrients into his body since he hadn’t really eaten since he was sick. She noticed that he hardly ate anything or drank much of anything despite being hungry and thirsty before. Strange, but then again, stomachs do shrink when there isn’t food put into them at a steady rate, so she wasn’t concerned.

She was happy that he got any food in him at all. And besides, he could always eat more later on. He would get hungry again and he would eat a little more. She’d be happy if he ate at least a quarter of the food on here before he had to go to sleep at night. She wanted him to regain at least some of his strength from having collapsed from a fever days ago.

She had thought about telling Rudy about what Jenny told her. But she decided not to. At least not now. She didn’t have much time to talk about anything too big in here. The doctors would be back soon to get her out so they could go back to monitoring him. She’ll have to wait until he was released from the hospital tomorrow to speak to him. As frustrating as it was, she knew she had no choice. She had no authority over these doctors. She’ll tell Rudy as soon as she could after he was released. She made a mental note to herself to remember.

And it wasn’t just that he needed to know. She was still shaken up by what Reggie had told her. He knew about ChalkZone? He remembered it? How? She thought that Rudy took care of that years ago. How is it that Reggie still remembered? Did someone tell him? She knew Rudy was going to be horrified by the news. Just when they thought things couldn’t get any worse, something else happened. Now not only did they have three black chalk users to worry about, but now they have a new Reggie problem to deal with. She hoped that he would at least be cooperative.

She watched as he picked up a carrot. He examined it for a moment and then he bit down on it. She smiled as he began to eat some of the carrot. It wasn’t much, but any amount of food after what he’s been through was good. He then reached for a glass of real world water and started to drink it. She was glad to see some sign of him doing a tad bit better, even though she knew it would start going downhill soon. The chartreuse chalk was not going to hold out forever.

Her smile faded when she saw him wince in pain and jerk the cup back. Water splashed on parts of his blanket, dissolving them, leaving holes behind. He put the cup down and his face contorted in agony. He forced himself to swallow the liquid and when he did, he let out a hiss of pain and held his stomach. Alarmed, her heart racing, Penny rushed to his side.

“Rudy?!” Penny cried, her eyes wide in horror. “What’s wrong?!”

Rudy looked at her, his eyes wide in a mixture of fear and pain. “I-It hurts....It hurts so much...”

Penny’s heart tightened as she listened to how pitiful Rudy’s voice sounded as he spoke. He was in so much pain. He sounded so terrified. He looked at her with those wide eyes, silently begging her to help him. She acted immediately.

Penny removed the tray from the bed, setting it on the nearby stand, and wrapped her arms around Rudy. He cuddled up against her, pressing the side of his face against her upper chest. She held up gently, listening to him crying and whimpering in pain. Hearing him like this, seeing him in this condition made Penny’s heart break. Tears of her own flowed down her face. What was wrong with Rudy? What happened that suddenly put him in such great agony? She watched as he continued to tremble in pain, her stomach twisting in knots.

Then he started to cough. She winced and more hot tears streamed down her face as she listened to him cough, holding onto him tighter. Again and again he coughed, and every time, it sounded worse and worse. She sniffled and pressed her chin against the top of his head.

“Oh Rudy...it’ll be okay...” Penny whispered, listening to him crying and coughing helplessly. “Shhh....it’ll be all right...”

Suddenly, Rudy gave a really loud, horrible sounding cough and she felt something wet against her shirt. It felt too thick and heavy to be saliva or mucous. Slowly, still cradling Rudy against her, she looked down to see what it was. Her eyes flew open in absolute horror.

It was a glob of blood...


	24. Swift In The Night

Blocky stood outside the Chalk Mine entrance. He watched as Wiggums hopped all around him. A forelorn look was on the green zoner’s face. He knelt down and picked up Wiggums and held onto him.

It was hard to believe that, just a short while ago, he had been having a pretty good day. Nothing strange or unusual. Well at first. That all changed when Wiggums showed up and when he passed by that anti-creator group. Now he had gotten on edge and nervous. His day had went downhill very fast. And it got worse when he found Biclops laying prone in the cave, unmoving. The finding had been such a shock to him. His body still trembled from it.

He had gotten help as soon as he could. They couldn’t transport him to the hospital. There was no hospital nearby that had sections large enough for him. Instead, doctors had to rush over with their equipment and make due. There were a lot of docotors, mostly fit and strong ones, that came in to assist the giant the best they could. From what Blocky heard, it hadn’t been easy trying to care for something so much bigger than they were.

He came in with them for a time. He kept his distance so he wouldn’t get in the way. The doctors went to work taking down the electric cage. This required meticulous work, looking all along the edges and walls to try to figure out where the power source was. When they were eventually able to find it, they cut off the power and the cage went down. Biclops no longer trapped by the horrific cage was a definite improvement.

The doctors checked the giant’s vitals. He recalled how horrified they sounded when they took note of the results. Apparently Biclops’s heart had started to slow down and his blood pressure dropped dramatically. He was so heavily dehydrated that his tongue looked like it had what resembled cracks in it, like he would see in a desert. His breathing had become so shallow that his chest hardly rose at all. And his breathing didn’t sound all that great either. Blocky had been horrified by this news. Just how long had Biclops been trapped here if his starvation and dehydration were this severe?

The doctors went to work providing nutrients for him and rehydrating him. They stuck multiple needles into his body, each one hooked up a machine to pumped in IV fluids. They also managed to hook him up to some monitor machines, such as one for the heart. The doctors hoped that he would be able to wake up relatively soon, provided all goes well. Satisfied and hopeful by this bit of news, Blocky took Wiggums, who had been getting in the doctors’ way, and left the cave.

Blocky decided it was best the wait out here while the doctors did their work. He didn’t want to get in their way. There was nothing he could really do to help them. And he could tell the doctors were getting a little agitated with him being there anyway. So might as well leave before they got annoyed enough and forced him to go. He would wait outside the cave until one of the doctors came to give him an update. So far, no doctors came, but they would eventually.

He hoped that Biclops was going to be okay. He had never seen anyone in that kind of state before. It was unnerving, unsettling. He had to wonder just how he got into that situation. Maybe Biclops would tell him after he woke up. He hoped that Biclops wouln’t mind talking about his encounter. He was sure that it would be less than pleasant, but the sooner he told someone about what happened, the better. Otherwise, it could just get worse.

He struggled to hold onto Wiggums. The wiggie was getting a little restless. He grunted in frustration as he held onto the squirming wiggie. He might have been useful in alerting him about Biclops’s condition, but he was still a wiggie and still prone to do things that just were’t helpful. He couldn’t let him hop around on his own without his leash. He might get himself into trouble, especially if whoever trapped Biclops was still around.Wiggums continued to struggle and he continued to hold onto him. Man, he wished he had remembered to bring Wiggums’s leash.

He heard footseps behind him. He turned around to see Rapsheeba coming towards him. He widened his eyes in confusion. How did she know he was here? Did she follow him? If so, why did she wait until now to show her face?

“Rapsheeba? What are you doing here?” Blocky asked.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Rapsheeba folded her arms together. “Why are you at the Chalk Mine? You know Biclops doesn’t like anyone in his cave. Well except for Rudy.” She noticed Blocky’s forelorn expression and her expression softened up slightly. “Blocky? What’s wrong?”

Blocky lowered his head and sighed. “Rapsheeba... Biclops..was in trouble.”

Rapsheeba’s eyes widened. “What? What happened to him?”

“Someone locked him up in a cage. It could have been for days.” Blocky’s voice was soft and filled with sorrow. “With how bad off he was, it couldn’t have been a short amount of time he was in there. He was severely dehydrated...and that was just one of his problems.” He looked over at Rapsheeba. She had her hands to her mouth, her eyes wide. “They’re doing what they can to help him.” A small smile. “The good news is that they think he’s going to make it.”

“Well that’s definitely good.” Rapsheeba smiled back. She still looked worried. “I wonder if this has to do with those three new creators who showed up in ChalkZone.”

Blocky was silent for a few seconds. “It could be. Reports did indicate those three new creators weren’t so friendly.” He glanced back at the entrance. “I hope they don’t come back and try that again. Biclops needs some time to recover.”

Rapsheeba nodded in agreement. “Yeah...” She furrowed her eyebrows. “Unfortunately, I don’t think they would be that reasonable. Best to be on the look out.”

On the look out... Yeah that’s all they could do. When it comes to creators, the best they can do is watch out for them and report if there was any suspicious activity. They couldn’t fight well against creators. Oh they could try, but they would always fail. The only way they’d have a chance was if they could get the magic chalk away from them, but that was easier said than done. They would have to catch the creators offguard and that was no easy feat. It would take all their skill and effort just to do that, and then they’d have to be careful of whatever the creator drew. Even if they got rid of the chalk, there was still the weaponry created that they’d have to deal with.

That is one reason why he was so concerned about what the anti-creator group would do with Rudy. Right now, he has no magic chalk to defend himself, and he wasn’t in the best of shape. He had heard there was some improvement, but he was still weak and ill. If the anti-creator group decided to get physically violent, they could do so with Rudy. They could gang up on him in the hospital and drag him out. They could beat him up if they so desired, as ‘retribution’ for what the three evil creators did. They might even try to kill him...

Blocky shook those thoughts out of his head. There was no way to know for certain, at the moment, what that group might do. It was possible that they wouldn’t even want to hurt Rudy. They might be a more peaceful group and just want to get him out of ChalkZone. They didn’t need to hurt him to do that. He shouldn’t place judgment on them until he knew more about them. He had only ever seen them in the streets; he never tried speaking to them. Maybe he would...sometime.

His thoughts were interrupted when, out of the corner of his eye, he could see someone walking out of the cave. He and Rapsheeba watched as one of the doctors came towards them. His eyes were fixated on Blocky only, barely paying attention to Wiggums or Rapsheeba.

Blocky swallowed, nervous about what the doctor might have to say. Something could have gone wrong. He hoped that this wasn’t the case. “Doctor? How...how is he...?”

The doctor paused for a moment. He then said, “He is doing fine...for the most part.” He narrowed his eyes a little and looked at the clipboard he was holding. “However, he is still very weak. It may take him longer to wake up from this than we thought. But overall, he should be okay. We just have to monitor him for a while and continue the IV fluids.”

Blocky and Rapsheeba were both relieved by this. Though it would take him longer to get up than they initially predicted, at least he was doing better. That was a definite improvement. They hoped that whoever had done this to Biclops wouldn’t be able to come back to try something else. They guessed that the doctors would remain there at all times and create a defense to keep Biclops safe, or maybe call someone to act as a bodyguard.

“You may go home.” The doctor said. “I am certain you must be getting tired, and we don’t think Biclops will wake up anytime soon. So why don’t you all go home and rest? I or someone else will call you if there’s any changes.”

“Okay.” Blocky said as he and Rapsheeba nodded in understanding.

The two of them turned around and began to walk away. As they did, Blocky’s thoughts kept going back to that anti-creator group. He half wondered if they were the ones who harmed Biclops somehow. Depending on how aggressive they were with their beliefs of ‘all creators are bad’, they might regard Biclops as a traitor. After all, Biclops had once been anti-creator himself and had been hostile towards Rudy when he first came. Could the group see his kindness towards Rudy as an act betrayal? If so, then trapping him like this could have been ‘retribution’.

There was no proof this group was behind this, though. There weren’t so many and they didn’t strike him as a group that knew how to do things, like set up electric bars without the giant noticing them. There was a good chance they weren’t involved at all, but still, it might not be a good idea to completely dismiss it. Not knowing the group was terrifying, because he had no idea what they were fully capable of or how far they’d go. They could be nonviolent, but then they could be downright maniacal.

He had to tell Rudy about this. That would be his next destination, the hospital. He had to go to him now and tell him about this group. He needed to be warned...before it was too late.

sss

Penny paced around the waiting room nervously, her arms folded behind her back. Once in a while, she’d glance up at the clock, seeing how little it moved in what felt like a long time to her. She sometimes let out a low grunt of frustration, wishing time would move faster. She tried to keep herself calm, but how could see? In this situation? The others didn’t try to stop her. They all felt what she was feeling.

When Penny had come over with news of what happened to Rudy, how he had coughed up blood, it was of no surprise when the others had gone completely silent in horror. Rudy’s parents asked her if she was being serious, to which she answered yes. She concerned the coughing of blood when she showed them the stain on her shirt from where Rudy had coughed on her. This horrified everyone, causing some nervous chatter amongst them.

Rudy’s parents were huddled together not far from the others. They were comforting each other the best they could. Penny watched them for a moment, her eyes filled with sympathy. She couldn’t imagine what they must be going through, to have their own son hospitalized with an unknown condition, and seemingly getting worse as time went on. She had thought that the chartreuse chalk would make things better for a time. Maybe they just brought it in too late and other symptoms started to appear. Still, this was worrying as it meant they most likely had less time to save Rudy. No wonder his parents would be so scared.

Tilly looked just as upset. She still sounded like she felt guilty still about how she had snapped at Rudy before. Penny wanted to comfort her and tell her that she shouldn’t blame herself, that it was all taken care of. But she wasn’t sure what she could say. She herself was so worried that it was hard to think of anything positive to say. She hoped that someone, perhaps the doctor, could bring in some optimism. They could really use it.

At least Sophie was trying to help. She tried to cheer her mother up, though Tilly hardly responded. Sophie did eventually stop trying, seeing that her efforts weren’t working. She huddled up against her mom and she was pulled into a hug. Sophie asked if Rudy was going to be all right. Tilly’s response was just to cry harder and hold onto Sophie more tightly.

Snap was quiet. He stared blankly at the wall. He hardly spoke since he got the news. Penny knew this wasn’t because he didn’t care. He was just stunned to silence. Rudy coughing up blood, and a lot of it too, was the last kind of news he would have liked to hear. Rudy’s condition was already starting to get worse. The coughing of blood reminded them of what Barney said. The realization that Rudy was getting to get these new symptoms was terrifying for them, and the others, too. She walked over toward Snap and sat down next to him. In an attempt to comfort him, she placed an arm around him, against his shoulder, and pulled him close.

As she gently held onto Snap, her thoughts went back to how Rudy acted earlier. He had seemed fine at first. He was a little weak, but he was calm and he was talking with her. Compared to how he used to be, it was a definite improvement. Nothing about his behavior hinted that something terrible was going to happen. She had been hopeful that he would improve enough that he could come home earlier.

But then...that happened...

She recalled the look of pain on his face when he had eaten that food and drank the water. He looked so anguished, so pained... She winced as the horrible memory came back to her. She held onto him and tried her best to calm him down. There was little she could do to alleviate the pain. All she could do was hold him and try to soothe him to make the pain at least a little more bearable. And then he coughed up blood and it horrified her. Just..just what happened to him? Why did it crop up suddenly? One minute, he was fine, and then the next, without warning, for no apparent reason, he was suddenly stricken by pain.

She soon realized that, no, it hadn’t been sudden. It happened after he had eaten and drank. She thought back to Rudy’s actions. He had eaten the carrot just fine. He hardly reacted to it. But when he drank the water, the reaction took only seconds. Her eyes widened a little as she realized that the water might have been what caused him pain. But how? It was just water. It wasn’t like it was acid or anything. It shouldn’t have caused him any kind of trouble. If he were a zoner, it would make sense. But Rudy was human, not a chalk being.

Then it hit her. Horror spread through her mind. Her blood chills. Could it...could it be possible that..? No, it couldn’t be. No, it was impossible. No disease, chalk or not, could do something like this. There had to be another explanation. Maybe the water was tainted or something.. No, it couldn’t have been. Some of the water got on Rudy’s skin and it was just fine. There was..no other explaination for this except...

...oh she hoped she was wrong. Her heart clenched at the thought. She hoped that she made a miscalculation. She had to be wrong. She just had to.

Regardless, she still had to tell the doctors about her hypothesis. They would be able to test for it. They could do some scans and bloodwork to see if she was, unfortunately, right. And if she was... She wondered how they were going to save Rudy. If this revelation turned out to be correct, then they were in a far more terrifying ride than she ever imagined they would. How...how were they going to fix this...?

Just then, her mom came walking into the waiting room. Immediately, they were all on their feet, looking over at her for any kind of news regarding Rudy. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie were the closest to her mother, so close that her mom had to take a few steps back to make some room for herself. She and Snap came close, too, but she did make sure her mom had some breathing room. Snap did the same. Tilly and Sophie hung back a little further, but were still close enough to hear what her mom had to say.

“How is our boy?” Mr. Tabootie asked, his voice laced with worry.

Mrs. Tabootie wiped away a tear. “Is he doing better? What about that blood? Is he...?”

Mrs. Sanchez raised her hand in the air to silence the two. She looked down at the clipboard clutched in her hand. She looked back at them. “For now, Rudy is stabilized. We managed to get rid of the pain and he has calmed down. We haven’t been able to identify yet what caused him to cough up blood or what caused the sudden pain. We will keep an eye on him.”

Mrs. Tabootie bit her lip. “You...don’t know what caused him to be in agony that fast? Can’t you do a scan or something?”

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. “If it happens again, we will. We are hoping it was just a one off thing. Maybe it was just the result of his stomach acids being too high after not eating enough.” The others looked at her in confusion. She nodded her head. “A bit farfetched, I know. That is why, if this happens again, we will do a scan first thing. There could be something else going on that we just aren’t aware of yet.”

This placed the group in a nervous silence. Penny understood what her mom was getting at, and she wondered if she had come up with the same conclusion as she did. She looked around at the others, her expression sympathetic. They were all clearly worried and horrified. Some glanced at each other, exchanging glances of uncertainty. Snap looked up at her with those big, worried eyes. Unsure of what to say but still wanting to comfort him, Penny reached down and touched his cheek. She made a silent promise that they would fix this, and she hoped he understood her wordless message.

“We have noticed that Rudy developed a new condition while we helped to ease his pain.” Mrs. Sanchez explained.

“What did you find?” Tilly asked, taking a small step forward.

“Is it bad?” Snap managed to ask, his voice cracked with emotion.

“What’s wrong with Rudy?” Mr. Tabootie asked, holding onto his wife to comfort her. “It can be treated, whatever it is, right..?”

Mrs. Sanchez furrowed her eyebrows in concern. “Well, this condition is more psychological. We don’t know how he developed it, but it could be a side effect of this chalk disease that he has.” She looked at the others, who awaited her answer. She glanced down at her clipboard, and then she said, “Rudy has developed a case of hydrophobia.”

This caused the group to chatter with each other, their eyes wide in shock. They couldn’t believe what they heard. Rudy had never had this before. To think that he would develop it suddenly, it was hard for them to imagine. The boy loved the water, especially in the summer time when they would all go to the beach. He had never shown signs of hydrophobia before. Why would he develop it now?

Penny had a good idea of why. She tried not to think about it. She still hoped she was wrong. But if she was right, and if the water had, somehow, damaged Rudy, if it had been what hurt him to begin with, then it was understandable that he would now have an adverse reaction to it. She hoped that he would conquer his hydrophobia after this was over. It was going to be so sad watching him be so afraid of something that he had once enjoyed. How far would this hydrophobia go? Was he going to be afraid of all water? She hoped those black chalk users don’t catch wind of this.

“Hydrophobia..?” Snap repeated, his voice light. He lowered his gaze, shifting his eyes in a way that showed he had some deep level of understanding. “Just like me...”

Penny looked at Snap sympathetically. She recalled that he, too, suffered from hydrophobia. Not chalk water, but real world water. Snap had been tortured by water. Mr. Cosmo used water to hurt him, to deepen his wound so he could place that horrible mind control needle into his head. And Ghadir had sprayed Snap with water to force Sophie to speak. The poor guy suffered some mental damage because of that. It was no wonder he would be so terrified of water.

And now Rudy was suffering from the same thing. Hydrophobia, and for similiar reasons. Snap was hurt by real world water. And now so had Rudy. Out of all of them, Snap would understand the most of what he was going through. Maybe it would be a good idea for Snap to stay with Rudy for the night. She wasn’t sure if she could convince the doctors to let Rudy go to Snap’s treehouse, but maybe she could get them to agree to let Snap stay. Having someone with him that understood what he was going through may do a lot to help him mentally.

“Hydrophobia?” Mr. Tabootie asked. “How..how in tarnation did he get that? We never saw him show fear of it before.”

“It is strange...” Tilly looked down at her daughter. “Has Rudy showed signs of hydrophobia while you guys are in ChalkZone?”

Sophie shook her head. “Not from what I can remember.”

“He went with us to that water theme park.” Mrs. Tabootie’s eyes widened slightly. Confusion and horror was plastered over her face. “I can’t believe that... How did he...?”

“Sometimes phobias can arise without warning. You can go through most of your life without a particular fear. And then, out of the blue, you can get it.” Mrs. Sanchez explained. She looked at each of them sympathetically. It was clear she was just as concerned about Rudy’s sudden phobia as they all were. “Of course, more often, there is a trigger. A traumatic event that could have caused this.” She closed her eyes for a moment and looked back at Rudy’s parents. “Have you noticed anything happening to Rudy that may have been unpleasant regarding water?”

The two looked at each other. They looked back. They shook their heads slowly.

“No...nothing like that.” Mrs. Tabootie said, sucking on her lip. “We would have noticed. Just a few days ago, he was drinking water no problem. We didn’t notice any adverse reactions at all.”

Mr. Tabootie nodded his head. “That’s right. He hasn’t acted like he was getting afraid of water.”

“There could have been a trigger.” Snap spoke up. The others looked at him. “I mean... I am..afraid of water too.. Real world that is, because of what those monsters did to me. It is possible that he must have been hurt by water, somehow.”

“But if that were the case,” Tilly said. “Wouldn’t he have said something?”

Snap nodded his head. “It does seem strange that he wouldn’t speak up about it.” He looked over at Tilly, his eyes narrowed slightly. “But maybe he just hasn’t had the chance? Or maybe it was too traumatic?”

“He would still have said something.” Mr. Tabootie said. “I know my boy enough to know that, if something was really bothering him, he would have spoken up.”

Penny listened to the others chatter. She kept quiet, just watching as the other spoke. She thought about saying something. She thought about speaking what her idea was. But she wasn’t sure how to word it. And she didn’t want to cause a panic. If what she believed was right, just how would they all react? They would all be horrified. But it would be much worse if she didn’t say anything at all. She couldn’t just keep this thought a secret. If it is what was wrong with Rudy, then...

...then she had to speak up. She had to tell them. Or at least her mother so she could test for it. As soon as she got the chance to, she would speak to her mother about it. She would be the best person to speak to about this first. Her mother would be able to confirm if she was right or not. Penny hoped that her mom would be able to prove her wrong. She didn’t want to be right.

Penny didn’t have time to try to speak to her mother. They all didn’t have time to talk some more. The doors were suddenly slammed open. They looked over to see Blocky rushing towards them, holding Wiggums. Rapsheeba followed close behind him.

“Hey you guys!” Blocky called out. He couldn’t hold onto Wiggums anymore and the frog-like zoner jumped out of his hands.

Snap knelt down, holding out his arms. “Hey Wiggums!” The wiggie jumped into Snap’s arms. He held him up and stroked his back. “Good Wiggums!” He then looked over at Blocky. “What’s wrong on?”

Rapsheeba said, “There’s something you need to know...” Her voice was filled with worry.

Penny and the others looked at each other nervously. From the sound of it, it was going to be more bad news. Just what they all needed... They watched as the two zoners fidgeted nervously, scared expressions on their faces. Anxiety spread through the group, their blood turning to ice. They waited and watched the two, wondering what has them so worried.

“Can I speak to Rudy?” Blocky asked, his eyes widened.

“He’s recovering right now...” Mrs. Sanchez said. She took a few steps towards the two. “Is it urgent? Or can it wait?”

“It might be able to wait...” Blocky looked at the ground and kicked his foot against the ground. “But..it would be best if I speak to him now. Can I?”

Mrs. Sanchez paused for a moment. “Well if it’s that important, then okay. Follow me. I’ll speak with the other doctors and see if I can convince them to let you in.”

Penny and the others watched as her mom grabbed Blocky’s hand and started to take him down the hallway. As she watched him leave, she wondered what he needed to tell Rudy. It sounded urgent enough that he needed to speak with him right away. Had something horrible happened? Did he know something about Rudy’s condition they did not? She decided she would ask him the first chance she gets. She hoped that, whatever it is, it wasn’t going to make the situation worse than it already was.

sss

“Are you comfortable, Bucko?” Snap asked, leaning against his beanbag seat. “You all good?”

Rudy rested on the other beanbag. He was a little big for it, but he managed to sit comfortably on it. He wasn’t too far away from Snap. He looked over at his blue friend and nodded his head. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Okay. Let me know if you need anything!” Snap said, a small smile on his face.

Though Rudy managed a small smile, it did little to distract him from the nauseating pangs he was feeling in his stomach. He hadn’t been feeling well lately, and it wasn’t just this mysterious illness either. Nothing seemed to go right lately, and just when they thought things couldn’t get any worse, something else would happen. He wasn’t sure when it was going to end.

He still remembered the horrible pain he was in when he drank the water. It had come on suddenly, unexpected. Eating the carrot had been fine, but as soon as he drank that water, it felt like he was drinking sulfuric acid. He felt like his insides were on fire. And when he coughed up that blood, he had been so horrified, more so than he’s ever been recently. He did feel comforting being held by Penny, and it did help the pain be more manageable. But it took a lot of swallowing of chalk before he started to feel better. He wasn’t sure why chalk worked, but he didn’t complain. At least the pain was gone...for now.

He had no idea if it was going to return or not. He wasn’t sure if the water really had caused it or if it were a coincidence. Regardless, he still was nervous around water. Looking at it reminded him of the horrific pain he was through. He didn’t want to experience it again and had been actively avoiding it, despite being dehydrated and in need of fluids. Luckily, the doctors had been able to rehydrate him using the IVs. Somehow, that did not hurt him. He hoped that this would remain true for as long as possible. If he started feeling pain from that, then how was he going to keep himself from dehydrating? He couldn’t drink chalk water. That would not help.

And would he start feeling pain from food? It was very possible. Water might just be the beginning. It might get to the point where he can’t eat anything without being in agony. Something was going on internally and he had no idea what it was. It was terrifying not knowing. The doctors did take some blood from him, but they did not tell him what they were testing for. He hoped that, whatever the results were, it would shed light on what had happened to him earlier.

He was grateful that the doctors allowed him to stay at Snap’s treehouse for one night. He wasn’t sure how Mrs. Sanchez and Penny convinced them, but he was grateful that they were able to pull it off. He’d go back to the doctors tomorrow. For now, he got to enjoy a night with Snap. It was a nice change of pace, sleeping with familiar territory around him instead of the hospital room. He felt more relaxed around here. He hoped that the doctors would allow him to stay every night here or at his own house. It might not be too hard to convince them; most of the doctors agreed. It was just Dr. Raiden that needed the most convincing.

But Rudy couldn’t get himself to relax too much. Blocky had brought some disturbing news. An anti-creator group? This was the first he heard about it. He had no idea if this group had always existed and only recently decided to be vocal, or if they had formed not long after the evil trio decided to show up in ChalkZone. It was very worrying. If these zoners could spread their mindset to other zoners, and if it becomes widespread...just what would happen to him, Penny, their family? What of Snap? Would he be treated differently because he was nice to creators?

At least, so far, they didn’t appear to be causing any trouble, but the fact that such a group exists at all frightened him. Rudy hated being the bad guy, and it hurt just as much if people started viewing him as such. He could understand the anti-creator group’s concern, since many humans aren’t exactly friendly. But to label all creators as bad...? That was prejudice, and Rudy had to wonder just how far they would take it. And with what Jenny and the others were doing, he doubt that this mindset would go away anytime soon.

He tried not to think about it. He tried to relax. He would deal with it when the time came. For now, the anti-creator group was just a background thing. They hadn’t done anything yet. There were no acts of violence, no harsh protests, no attempts to get at him or his friends or family. Nothing that would suggest that the group would be a major threat anytime soon. Right now, he had to focus on Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek.

He had no idea when they were going to strike next. He didn’t know what their next move was going to be. They could come over at anytime. And now that they have black chalk, things were about to get a lot worse. Would they try to force him to use it? Would they make Penny use it and corrupt her in an attempt to get back at him? Was Ghadir going to hunt more zoners and eat them and try to pin the wrap on him? Was Jenny going to try to hurt him in his sleep?

All these thoughts, and more, ravished through his mind, making it ache. So much could happen, so much could go wrong. Rudy never felt so confused in his life. He had no idea where their journey in beating them was going to lead them. They didn’t know how they were going to stop the evil trio. He had no idea if the anti-creator group was going to be a threat or not. All he could do was try to deal with everything the best he could and hope for the best. Everything would return to normal eventuall...wouldn’t it?

“I...heard about your hydrophobia.” Snap said, breaking the silence.

Rudy turned his head to him. “Mrs. Sanchez told you?”

Snap nodded his head. “Yeah. She told us all.” He gave Rudy a look of empathy. “I..understand how that feels.”

Rudy looked at Snap sympathetically. He recalled how Snap had been tortured by water. He wasn’t surprised that it still haunted him to this day, especially after getting sprayed by water recently. That did nothing to quell his fear. “It was so strange, though. I never felt so terrified of water before... It all happened after I got that horrible stomach ache, after I drank that water.”

Snap asked, “What...what did it feel like...?”

Rudy glanced down at the ground. He looked left and right, his eyes filling with anguish as he remembered the horrible sensation. “Seconds after I drank the water it...it felt like something was..burning inside of me... Like I had just drank acid or something. It burned...it hurt so bad... And then I coughed up blood.”

Snap grimaced at this. “Do you think the water triggered it?”

“I...I don’t know...” Rudy said, his voice laced with uncertainty and fear. “I don’t see how it could have. I mean..it was just water. If it were you, I could see, but..I’m a ‘real worlder’... I shouldn’t be affected by real world water like that.”

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two. They stared at each other, looking away, only to glance back. Thoughts swirled in their heads about what this could mean. Confusion and apprehension filled the air of the room, making it uncomfortable to be in. Rudy felt like he wanted to get out, but he remained there, because somehow, it still made him feel better being with one of his friends.

Slowly, Snap got up out of his beanbag. He furrowed his eyes with concern and, biting his lip, he walked over to Rudy. When he reached him, he stood in front of him for what felt like a few minutes. Then he leaned forward and placed a hand on Rudy’s shoulder. The look Snap was giving Rudy, all that concern and worry, it was making Rudy nervous. What was Snap about to say? He knew he would get his answer when Snap then opened his mouth to speak. What he said next, Rudy would never have predicted.

“Bucko...that feeling you described? The burning?” Snap sucked on his lip for a second. He paused and looked at Rudy nervously, the apprehension practically radiating off of his body. “That is...the same feeling I get...when real world water touches me..”

Rudy stared at Snap in confusion for a bit. Then, as he watched Snap’s eyes widen further, shining with concern, sympathy, and understanding, it slowly dawned on Rudy. Horror swept through his body as his eyes widened in terror. His stomach tied in knots and he felt like his blood turned to ice. No...no it was impossible. It...it couldn’t be true. His heart started to pump faster as he jumped out of the beanbag and backed away from Snap.

He looked at his friend’s face, looking for any signs that maybe he was joking. No..Snap wouldn’t joke about something like this. And the more he stared into his face, the more he began to realize that maybe...it was true. It would explain everything. But...no..it was impossible, wasn’t it? It couldn’t be what Snap was implying, no...

These thoughts were interrupted when, out of the blue, the lights in Snap’s treehouse went out, followed immediately by a crash and the sound of ripping. The whole tree shook violently, throwing the two friends about against the hard, wooden floors and walls. Snap’s belongings moved along with them, crushing and breaking. The TV smashed into pieces. The table it stood on broke, sending wooden pieces flying everywhere. Snap and Rudy grunted in pain as, in the process of the sudden crash, they were hit by some of the debris.

Dust filled the air, clouding their vision and making them cough. They waved at the smoke frantically, trying to get it out of the way. It took them about a minute to wave away enough dust to see much of anything. A burning smell filled his nostrils and he could see a hole in Snap’s treehouse. The edges looked charred, indicating that, whatever hit them, it was superheated.

He went over and helped Snap up to his feet. Other than a few scrapes and a bruise or two, the two of them were relatively okay. They brushed themselves off and looked over to see what had attacked them. They stared at the empty hole, and so far, nothing happened. Perhaps, somehow, it was an accident..no it couldn’t have been. Snap’s treehouse wasn’t small. It was clearly visible. This had been a deliberate attack. But...who had attacked them?

They got their answer when a dark figure jumped into the treehouse, knocking them back. A cold chuckle filled the room as they looked up. Their eyes widened in horror.

It was Ghadir...


	25. It Was All Your Fault

“Ghadir?!” Rudy cried. He took a few steps back. “What...how...?!”

Ghadir took a few steps towards them. She chuckled as she watched the pair take a fighting stance. She ignored Rudy’s question and began to turn her head around, looking at the interior of Snap’s tree house. After she got an eyeful, she sighed softly and shook her head. The smile never faded from her face.

“This place is a real dump.” Ghadir said. She looked at the ground and kicked a bit of debris to the side. “You should really clean it up. I’m surprised you can even live here, little blue creature.”

Rudy growled. How dare she call Snap a ‘creature’, like he wasn’t even a person. How dare she criticize his home for being dirty when she was the one who damaged it... And now she had the gall to act like she did nothing wrong. She wasn’t going to get away with this.

“You...” Rudy hissed, raising a clench fist. “How dare you...I...”

Ghadir raised a hand to silence him. “Oh please, spare me your ‘hero speech’. I might die of boredom!” Rudy narrowed his eyes further. Ghadir chuckled at this. She turned her gaze over to Snap. A slow, deliberate lick of the lips and she said, “I just came by for a...night time snack...”

At this, Snap’s eyes widened and he took a step back. “W-Well, if you want that, couldn’t you have just gotten something back at your place?”

The lunchlady’s smile spread and she shook her head slowly. “No. You see, blue boy...” She moved in closer. Rudy attempted to stop her, but Ghadir shoved him against the wall, holding him by his neck. As he struggled to get free, Ghadir gripped Snap by his scarf and tugged on him. “I have a...particular craving...”

Snap attempted to wiggle his way from the large woman. He was unable to make her let go, even when he bit her hand. “What kind of craving?” He asked hesitantly. He snapped his head back in fear as she put her face close to his.

“You...” Ghadir said in a low voice. Snap’s eyes widened in horror at this. “Yeah, that’s right, if you need confirmation, I like to eat chalk. And you, my fine little ‘friend’, you are made up entirely of it.” She licked her lips again. “I can’t wait to sink my teeth into you. I think I will eat you while you’re still awake. I know saliva doesn’t do well for dissolving chalk that fast, but..I don’t mind making the process as slow and painful as possible..”

“Gah!” Snap cried, pulling himself back as hard as he could. “No! Rudy!” He looked over at Rudy with wide, desperate eyes. “Help me!”

At his friend’s cries, Rudy attempted to struggle harder. He pushed back against Ghadir. The woman was too strong for him. Her grip on him was like a vice. She responded by squeezing his neck harder, causing him to gag. He felt so stupid for putting the magic chalk away. It was too far for him to reach. It was under the debris. If he could just get free, he could fight back. He could drive Ghadir away. But right now, he was stuck, pushed up against this wall, defenseless, unable to help himself, let alone aid Snap.

He watched in horror as Ghadir pulled Snap closer to her. She pulled on his scarf as hard as she could, forcing him on the ground. Snap looked up at her in fear, his body shaking. He tried to defend himself. He managed to land a punch on her face. But Ghadir must have high pain tolerance or was just very good at ignoring such actions. She sneered down at Snap, eyeing up up and down like he was nothing more than a catch of the day. The way she looked at him hungrily, smacking her lips in anticipation of eating him, it filled Rudy with dread. He had to help him somehow.

Rudy reached out with his right hand, his left one still gripping her arm as tightly as possible, and, in desperation, grabbed onto Ghadir’s hair. The woman let out a cry of pain as he yanked back as hard as he could. This caused her to release Snap. Rudy watched, sighing in relief, as Snap moved away from the large woman. Rudy continued to pull on her hair, now trying to make her let go of him. But instead of that, something else happened, the opposite of what he would have wanted.

Ghadir growled and tightened her grip on him. She whirled around and used her other hand to grab onto his shoulder. Baring her teeth at him, she shoved him roughly against the wall further. Rudy winced as he saw her eyes that up close to his, enough that he could see the tiny red veins in her eyes. She released her grip on his neck and reached down into her pocket. She pulled out something. Black, gloomy, and all to familiar. The black chalk...

Rudy attempted to struggle, his wide right eye staring at the black chalk. Ghadir hissed at him and, clearly getting tired of his struggles, gave him a hard kick in the stomach. Rudy keeled over in agony, coughing up blood. Ghadir reached down and yanked him back up to his feet by his arm. She delivered a punch to his jaws, causing him to cry out in pain, leaving behind a bruise.

Ghadir, a dark smile on her face, wordlessly went to work drawing up some chains that were attached to the wall, all the while keeping him pinned. Snap attempted to help him, but when he got too close, Ghadir pulled her foot back and kicked Snap between the legs and sending him flying across the room. He slammed against some debris and laid there, groaning in pain. Rudy looked at this in horror and called out his friend’s name. He stopped when Ghadir put something cold and tight around his wrists, nearly cutting off blood supply. Rudy turned his gaze to see what she had done.

Rudy’s arms were cuffed together, cold metal pressing against the skin. His arms and hands were secured above his head. Ghadir took a few steps back and smiled, clearly admiring what she did. Rudy, panic starting to enter his mind as he realized what was going to happen, started to struggle frantically. He tugged against the chains again and again, hoping that they would break. But nothing happened. He pulled harder and harder. His arm muscles started to ache badly and he soon realized he was not going to be able to break the bonds. After one final pull, his arm muscles gave out and he went limp.

He took in a few breaths, his eye wide with a mixture of emotions. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He lifted up his head and turned his attention to Ghadir. She sneered at him, her arms still folded like she was all proud. He realize that he was trapped. He was bound against the wall, and he was helpless against anything Ghadir decide to throw at him. If she wanted to use him as target practice for some new form of weapon, she could do that. His only chance now was if Snap was able to get help in time.

That’s when he realized something...

Snap was still here...

Rudy looked on in horror as Ghadir slammed her foot against Snap’s back, causing him to cry out. Why hadn’t Snap left? Rudy realized, dread filling him, that Snap must have stayed behind to help him. And Ghadir knew he would do that, so she had him chained up so she could go after Rudy, and she was going to do horrible things to him...right in front of him... Rudy struggled against the chains again, hoping that, somehow, he could get at least one arm free. But he was just a teenager and he was not thickly built. If he were built more like Reggie, then maybe...

Ghadir lowered herself onto one knee. She grabbed onto his scarf and removed her leg from him. Tightening her grip on his scarf, she roughly flipped him over so he was on his back. Snap grabbed her hand and tried to push her away. His struggles to get free just made Ghadir’s smile broaden.

“Oh how I love it when my prey struggles..” Ghadir said, a tinge of happiness in her voice. “It makes me feel so...alive...”

“You’re sick! Leave my friend alone!” Rudy shouted at her. This woman was vile...disgusting...

Ghadir gave an upwards glance to Rudy, her eyes flashing black for a few seconds. “Oh calm down. I’m going to let you have a taste.”

Rudy felt his stomach lurch forward. Ghadir was going to do exactly what she threatened to do with Penny. She was going to force him to eat a piece of Snap. How revolting...cruel... Snap hadn’t done anything to her. None of them had. And she had the gall to do something like this to them. How could anyone be so cruel? What gave her the right to treat them like this? He wasn’t going to stand for it. He wasn’t going to let her get with this. He struggled harder, trying his best to ignore the pain in his arms.

As he pulled against his binds, he watched in shere terror as Ghadir proceeded to play with his friend. She held him down by his neck, her fingers tightly wrapped around it. With her other hand, she started touching him. She stroked his cheek lightly, moving it up and down. Then she moved her hand up to his head and rubbed the top of it, smirking at Snap’s wide, fear-filled eyes. She dragged her hand down across his shoulder and all along his arm. She squeezed it gently. Snap jerked back to try to get away from her, but was unable to get far with Ghadir holding him like this. She continuously touched his arm, going up to his shoulder and head.

Ghadir then moved her hand down lower. She moved it along Snap’s chest and then down to his stomach. She gently massaged his underside, alternating between his chest and his stomach. Rudy was horrified by this and struggled harder, calling out Snap’s name. Snap, on the other hand, was quiet, in stunned silence as Ghadir continued to feel his body, like she was examing how much flesh he had on him, which was most likely what she was doing. Her hand soon went down to his leg. She ran her hand along it, squeezing his calf and thigh gently. She then spent some time rubbing his side.

She turned her head over to Rudy. “He has a lot of meat on him. I’m surprised, for someone his size...” She stared down at Snap hungrily. “Definitely a good thing... I am very hungry right now...”

“No! Leave him alone!” Rudy called out, his eye wide.

Snap looked up at Ghadir in fear. A few tears moved down his face. “P-Please...don’t...” He said with a whine. He yanked himself from side to side, but he was unable to get free.

Ghadir’s smile grew vicious. Her tongue moved across her lips in anticipation. “Oh don’t worry. I decided to be merciful. I’ll just take a couple bites out of you, but instead of making you live through that all the way, tell you what.” Her hand touched the side of his face and she gently caressed it. “I will break your spine so you won’t feel anything else.”

Snap let out a scream of terror. He kicked his legs against the ground and twisted his head away. “Rudy!”

Hearing the shere terror and distress in Snap’s voice caused Rudy’s heart to clench tightly. He tried to pull himself free. He pushed on the chains again and again. He thought they started to come free, but at this rate, he wasn’t going to get out in time. He watched, his right eye widened, as his friend was being tormented by this insane chalk eater. No...Snap... Tears flowed down Rudy’s facde as he realized he wasn’t going to be able to help his friend in time. That didn’t stop him from continuing to struggle, but his heart filled with dread as the fact that he won’t get free in time sank in.

Ghadir reached for Snap’s mask. She gripped the bottom of it and she pulled it up. After completely removing Snap’s mask, she lowered her face down to his. She gripped Snap’s head and twisted it to the side, holding it in place. Rudy watched, his heart beating fast, as Ghadir licked Snap’s cheek, going very slowly. Snap let out whimpers of pain. The saliva may not be as dangerous as water, but it still had a burning effect on zoners. Snap struggled frantically, crying out in pain as Ghadir continued to move her tongue up his cheek, taking her time. When she reached near the top of his head, she pulled back.

“Hmm...you taste good...” Ghadir said with a demented smile. She smacked her lips. “Yes... Nice flavor...” She raised her shoulders a little, almost like she was ready to pounce. “Delicious...”

Rudy called out, “Back off! Let him go!” He knew she wasn’t going to listen, but he wasn’t going to just watch in silence. “Ghadir, release him now!”

Ghadir looked at him. She just smirked, chuckling darkly, before turning her attention back to Snap. She eyed him up and down, watching as his body trembled in fear. “I know one thing I am going to do. After I break your back, I am going to cut off a piece of you and make you watch as I shove it down Rudy’s throat. Wouldn’t that be..a spectacular thing to see?” Snap gasped in horror and stared at her with wide eyes. “I can’t wait to see the look in both your eyes...”

Snap narrowed his eyes and started to growl softly. He didn’t bother replying, anger starting to override his fear. This did little to deter Ghadir, however. It was clear she didn’t see him as a threat and merely dismissed his growling. She put her face close to his, her eyes wide, a faint black glow to them.

“And after I am through with you, I’ll kill Rudy, and then I’ll hunt down your two zoner friends... Blocky and Rapsheeba I believe.” She grinned nastily as Snap, for a second, had a horrified expression, before he returned to growling, this time baring his teeth in a snarl. “I’ll eat them next. I’m sure they will taste just divine.” She let out a cruel laughter.

Snap’s body shook in rage. Rudy watched as Snap’s temper flared up, and exploded. The blue zoner pulled his fist back and punched Ghadir as hard as he could. Unlike his other punches, this one clearly registered with the woman. There was a small crack sound and blood started to drip from her nose as she let out a scream. She released Snap and staggered back, holding her nose.

Free, Snap took this chance to get away from her. Ghadir attempted to grab Snap again, but the superhero zoner reacted fast. He kicked at her leg enough to trip her up, causing her to fall into the ground. Snap glared at her hatefully. Though it was clear he was furious with her, he didn’t stick around to fight her. Instead, he rushed over towards the debris, heading straight for what Rudy could see was a sparkle. His right eye widened as he realized what Snap was doing.

“Why you little...!” Ghadir had recovered from the trip. She was back on her feet and she was not happy. She moved her way towards Snap, who, by now, had the magic chalk in his hand. “I am not going to...” She stopped when she noticed the magic chalk. “No, you’re not...”

Ghadir rushed towards Snap. The little zoner wasted no time. He jumped out of the way as Ghadir lunged at him. She hit the ground with a heavy thud as she missed. Snap rushed over towards where Rudy was chained to the wall. Rudy watched, his eye widened further, as Ghadir chased his friend down. His heart raced, wondering if Snap was going to be able to get to him in time. Again and again, his friend had to jump into the air or to the side to avoid being grabbed. Despite his difficulty, he was rapidly closing in the gap.

Snap eventually reached Rudy. He climbed onto Rudy’s shoulders and pushed the magic chalk in his hand. As Rudy gripped onto it, Snap was suddenly yanked back by his scarf. Ghadir glared at him angrily, holding onto his scarf like it was his scruff. Watching this in horror, Rudy fumbled with the magic chalk, trying to draw a circle to break the chains.

“I will make you pay for that...” Ghadir said, pulling a fist back. Snap turned his head away.

Managing to get free, Rudy charged forward. He slammed his body against Ghadir, knocking her back. Snap let out a cry as he hit the ground in a thud. Ghadir staggered back, almost tripping over herself. She glared back at Rudy. Her eyes held a mixture of surprise and anger, her teeth bared at him. Rudy took a fighting stance, raising up his magic chalk.

“Think you can beat me in a fair fight?” Rudy challenged.

Ghadir chuckled, her voice laced in anger. “I’m sure I would...” She raised up her black chalk. “Bring it on, little boy...”

“With pleasure..” Rudy hissed as he charged towards the large woman.

Rudy whipped his wrist around, drawing something as quickly as he could as he and the large woman rushed towards each other. Before he reached her, he managed to draw a simple weapon. A long metal bar. Gripping it tightly with both hands, though a little loose on his left, he rammed against her, pushing the bar into her stomach. The woman let out a gasp of air as the wind was knocked out of her. There was a loud thud as he managed to push her against the wall.

Mustering as much strength as he could, Rudy held her against the wall. Ghadir pushed back against him. For a while, Rudy could hold his own, keeping her from moving forward. Soon, his feet started to slip. He constantly scrambled to get his feet forward and planted firmly on the ground. But the more Ghadir pushed against him, the more he started to slip back. Then he felt his legs start to weaking. His left knee buckled and he was down on the ground. Ghadir, sneering, lifted up her foot and pressed it against Rudy’s chest. She pushed hard on him, caushing him to stumble across the ground.

Rudy laid on the ground for a few seconds. He looked up and saw Ghadir drawing something. He climbed up to his feet and held up his chalk to prepare to fight. Ghadir soon finished drawing and he could see that she had drawn a long, mechanical cobra, complete with a hood made out of needles and sheets of metal. Rudy stared, his right eye wide. How hard Ghadir managed to draw something that elaborate in such a short time? He had no time to question this when, a second later, the intricately designed mechacobra lashed out at him, its eyes glowing a bright red.

Rudy managed to dodge out of the way in time. The mechacobra let out a machine-sounding hiss, its mouth split wide open to show its fangs. Though mechanical, the snake did have venom. Rudy could see it dripping from its fangs. The snake slithered over towards him, hissing the whole way, never letting down its hood. It stood straight up. It was twice his height, but was still as thin as a real world cobra. Rudy raised up his magic chalk and took a few steps back, wondering how he was going to fight this thing.

Then the mechacobra seemed to lose interest in him. It turned its head and looked at where Snap was. Flickering a metallic tongue, it started to move towards the small blue zoner. Rudy’s eye widened in horror and he grabbed the snake by its tail. The snake whipped its head around and hissed loudly at him, its jaws wide open. Rudy yanked back as hard as he could, causing the snake’s upper body to fly upwards. It came down towards him thanks to gravity. Rudy watched as the snake opened its jaws further and prepared to bite him. Rudy realized, dread filling his heart, that he didn’t have time to get out of the way. He shut his eye and prepared for the pain.

Instead of pain, he heard something clang against something hard, a loud pained hiss, and something slumping on the ground. Rudy opened his right eye to see Snap standing in front of him in a fighting stance. Snap’s breaths were deep and quick, and he soon saw why that was so. In front of Snap, there was the mechacobra laying in a heap on the ground. There was a small dent on its head, just barely visible, and a bruise on his friend’s right fist. Rudy realized what Snap had done and he smiled gratefully down at him.

This didn’t last too long. Soon his smile faded as the mechacobra raised its head above the ground. Standing up tall and straight, the snake let out what sounded like a roar and struck forward. It wrapped its body around them like it were a python and held onto them tightly. Rudy and Snap grunted and struggled, their arms pinned at their sides. The snake split its jaws wide, its face not far from them. They looked up at the mechacobra in fear as it prepared to strike them.

But instead of biting them like they expected, the mechacobra opted instead to throw them against the wall. They cried out in pain and slid to the ground. Rudy sat up and rubbed his head. He looked up and saw the snake moving towards them again. He got up and held his magic chalk. As he did so, he looked over to where Ghadir was. She was holding some kind of device. His right eye widened as he realized it was the controls to this robotic snake. If he could just smash that device....

His thoughts were interrupted when there was a flash of silver heading in his direction. He turned just in time to see the mechacobra striking at him. A nanosecond later, there was a blue and white blur and now Snap was holding onto the snake, his arms wrapped around its throat. The snake let out a loud hiss as it desperately tried to bite Snap. When Snap wouldn’t let go, the snake, out of anger, slammed his body against the ground. The little zoner let out a cry of pain and released the snake. Before he could get up, the snake rose its head above him and struck downward. Snap let out a scream.

The snake never got a chance to sink its fangs into him. Rudy had grabbed onto the snake and yanked it back. The force of the pull was so great that the snake slammed its head against the wall. A few sparks flew and its body jittered mechanically a few times. It shook its head and turned its red-eyed face back at Rudy.

Thinking fast, Rudy began to draw something that Sophie herself used to draw all the time. Steel wool. After he finished doodling the scribbles, he grabbed the two ends and stretched them. He lunged for the snake and managed to wrap the steel wool around its head, sealing its mouth shut. He tied the steel wool in a knot and moved back. He and Snap watched as the snake shook its head, desperate to get free. Loud hisses escaped its throat, its tail wriggling in frustration. It would have been almost comical to watch if they didn’t know it could break free at any time. Rudy knew they had to seize this chance to get the controller out of the woman’s hand.

But what of the black chalk? He couldn’t just take it from her without risking corrupting himself. Maybe he could have Snap take it from her and break it into pieces so she can’t use it. That was his best bet. He lowered himself and whispered a few quick things into Snap’s ear. When he nodded his head, confirming he understood what they were going to do, the two friends, careful not to trip over the mechacobra, rushed over to where Ghadir was.

The woman was in the process of drawing something else. She didn’t get a chance to finish when Rudy pushed against her, breaking her concentration. The black lines that filled the air just fell down, laying useless on the ground. She glared at Rudy, gritting her teeth. In the process of pushing her against the wall, something happened that Rudy did not expect.

The black chalk touched him.

Almost immediately, Rudy felt the cold sharpness, the same feeling he did years ago. It rapidly spread through his body, creating a tingling sensation that felt foreboding. His right eye widened as a black glow emitted from it. His body started to tremble as the same echoy voices returned.

“So glad to see you... Why don’t you use us again..? You have so much potential, Rudy Tabootie... Why don’t you take us, use us once again...?”

Rudy shook his head, trying to fight against it as he kept Ghadir pinned. He quickly noticed the woman was not struggling to much against him. He realized, in horror, that she must know what was going on, and now she had gripped him to keep him from moving back. She made sure that his skin still contacted the black chalk. And the voices just grew louder, overriding Snap’s voice, who was calling out in desperation at him.

“Don’t you remember the power...? What it felt like...” The voices all around him taunted. “Draw with us... We will give you that power again...”

Involuntarily, Rudy slowly smiled. Not a friendly one, but the same malicious smile he had given years ago. The same one he gave...right before he killed three zoners and nearly killed Penny.

“No!”

Suddenly, Rudy was released and he stumbled backwards. As the horrific thoughts left his head, returning his mind to its normal state, he looked on to see Snap holdong into Ghadir’s arm. The large woman was struggling to get him off of her. In the struggle, Snap managed to grab the black chalk from her and he jumped back.

“Give that back!” Ghadir demanded. In a show of defiance, Snap threw the black chalk into the ground and, mustering as much strength as he could, crushed the chalk underneath his left food. He pounced the chalk into the ground until it was nothing but powder. Ghadir’s eyes widened in fury. “You little..” She whipped out her controller. “I’m going to...!”

“No you’re not!” Rudy rushed over and managed to snag the controller out of her hands.

“Hey!” Ghadir attempted to grab it back. She lurched forward, almost grabbing Rudy by his arm. “Give that back!”

Rudy narrowed his eye. “Never!”

With that, Rudy gripped the controller. As he did so, he heard a loud snap and he knew the mechacobra was free. It was slithering towards him now, preparing to strike. Wasting no time, he brought his knee up and his hands down as fast and hard as he could. Upon impact, along with pain, Rudy could feel, and hear, the device snapping in two. Sparkls flew from the exposed wire and he could hear the sound of engines dying down. Then a thud. He looked behind him.

The mechacobra lay prone on the ground. Its body sometimes convulsed as a few bits of electricity still pumped through it. But this soon died down completely and its red eyes became black with lifelessness. With the snake taken care of, Rudy threw the pieces of the controller into the ground and took a step towards Ghadir, raising his magic chalk. In response, her eyes wide a little as she realized she was defenseless, she took a step back, gritting her teeth in frustration.

“Do you really think it’s over, child?” Ghadir asked, her voice slightly panicked since she couldn’t fight back now. “Do you really think this will make me go away forever?”

Rudy narrowed his eye and shook his head. “No...but it will stop you for a time.” He jabbed the magic chalk in her direction. “Now leave...”

Ghadir remained where she was, her feet firmly planted on the ground. Rudy growled. He should have known that she wouldn’t just leave like that. Even at a disadvantage, she wasn’t going to admit defeat. She wasn’t going to run, not until she did what she wanted. She would have to be forced out. Rudy didn’t like using force if it was not necessary, but in her case, he would make an exception.

He looked down at Snap. He knew he could rely on him for backup just in case. Snap was afraid of Ghadir, but he was willing to stand up to her. Right now, more anger than fear shone in his eyes, and he was prepared to fight Ghadir if it was necessary. The two of them took a step towards Ghadir, watching as she moved back again. This showed that she was, in a sense, afraid of them now, even though she may try to hide it. Afraid enough that she wasn’t going to fight them in her current state. It was she, now, who was at the disadvantage.

“You can tell your two comrades that I am not going to give up.” Rudy declared, never abandoning his fighting stance. “I will keep fighting and we will get you three to leave ChalkZone forever! I don’t care how long it takes! We will win!”

Snap nodded in agreement. “Yeah! So why don’t you make it easier on yourselves and leave now? It will save you a lot of hurt later on!”

Ghadir just laughed, her shoulders shaking as her body shook in emotion. Rudy and Snap growled at this, baring their teeth. Ghadir was acting like this was all a joke, even though she is that is losing the fight. “So you really want to make us leave? I guess I can’t blame you...” She looked at her fingers, flexing them. “After all, you need to do something to offset the mistake you made...”

Rudy looked at her in confusion. “What mistake?”

“Oh? You don’t know?” Ghadir looked at the boy’s arm, pointing her finger at it. “Did you not question why you have that mark...?”

Rudy looked down at his arm. In the crook of it, he could see the small reddened mark that mysteriously appeared one day, just a short while ago. He hadn’t really thought much of it. Had it been something important? He looked back at Ghadir and, noticing her vicious smile, his eye widened a little.

“What...?” Rudy started to say.

Ghadir cut him off before he could say anything else. “How do you think Jenny, Tyreek, and I awakened? Jenny woke up after a bit of your blood touched her. She snuck into your house a few nights ago and took blood from you while you were sleeping.” Rudy’s right eye widened in horror at this. “Yes, boy, that is how you got your mark.” She leaned back a little. “And that is how I and Tyreek were awakened. It was thanks to your blood that the black chalk inside of us reawakened...”

Rudy shook his head in denial. He couldn’t believe it. A cold chill swept through his body. Jenny had done what? She took his blood while he slept? She was able to do that without getting caught? She used his blood to rewaken the others? It...it was his blood that caused all of this? He took a step back, his body trembling a little from this revelation. No, it couldn’t be true...it wasn’t possible...

Ghadir smiled at his reaction. She folded her arms against her chest. “It was all your fault, boy. You were the one who helped us awaken. We have you to thank.” A cold laughter escaped her throat as she looked at the horrified Rudy and Snap. “It was thanks to you that this was all possible, so I suppose we do owe you for that.”

“N-No...” Rudy said, his eye wide. “It’s not true... You’re lying!”

Ghadir tilted her head, looking amused by Rudy’s denial. She ignored his outburst and raised her hand in gesture. “And in case you are wondering why Jenny took some of Penny’s blood... Well it was just for a mere test. She wanted to see what was different about your blood and Penny’s blood. Something changed about the composition of your blood that let it absorb into skin. And once she figures that out, well...” Ghadir gave a dark laughter. “Well...that would be telling...”

Rudy’s eye was wide, but soon he narrowed it and gritted his teeth. He took a step forward and pointed at the large woman. “I...I am not going to let you get away with this!”

“Oh? But Rudy, my little boy...” Ghadir said innocently. “You already have... It was thanks to your blood that this all happened.” Rudy’s eyes widened and he took two steps back. “It was thanks to you that me and my comrades were able to return, ready to take back what is rightfully ours...”

“No...” Rudy shook his head, trembling.

“Yes, boy...” Ghadir said as she took a few steps forward. “It was because of you... Your friends getting hurt...you getting diseased...it was all thanks to you. This...” She raised her hands in the air. “This was all your doing.”

“You’re wrong..” Rudy tried to say.

Snap narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists tightly. “Hey, leave him alone! This wasn’t his fault! He wasn’t the one who asked for this to happen! It was all you! Don’t you dare try to pin this rap on him!”

Ghadir looked over at Snap. She laughed at him before turning her attention back to Rudy. “Face it, child. If you hadn’t gone to the nurse’s office that day, this wouldn’t have happened. If you had just waited for the checkup, you might have avoided everything that’s happened so far. Your friend here wouldn’t have been forced to stab his little friend and himself...”

Rudy took a step back. “No...”

“Stop it!” Snap warned, growling.

Ghadir didn’t stop. She continued to advance on Rudy, making him take a few steps back. “Your girlfriend wouldn’t have been beaten to a pulp and almost get her leg broken...”

Rudy’s eye was wide. He wanted to stay something to defend himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Snap’s body was shaking in rage, but Ghadir ignored him. She grabbed Rudy by his shirt collar and pulled him forward.

“This was all your fault, Rudy Tabootie...” Ghadir put her face close to his. “How does it feel, kid? How do you feel knowing that you caused all this? You could have resisted grabbing the black chalk in the past. You could have called in sick that day when Jenny had to prick your finger. You could have done something, but you let it slip through your grasp...”

“Let him go!” Snap cried, raising his fists in warning.

Again, Ghadir dismissed him, her eyes focusing solely on Rudy. Her eyes glowed black as she whispered into his ear. “You are the one at fault here... You are the only one to blame for all this... This was all your fault...”

Rudy yanked his head away. “No!”

Finally, unable to take it anymore, Snap took action. He lunged forward, pulling his fist back. He slammed his fist against the woman’s stomach, causing her to release Rudy and stagger back. She held her stomach, grunting in pain. Snap slammed his body against her. Despite being smaller, he was able to knock her back a little. He then went for her legs. Like before, he was able to knock her off her feet, making her fall into the ground.

Ghadir laid on her side, her face contorted in pain. She glared up at Snap. The zoner looked at her, his eyes wide with anger and teeth bared. He stood in front of Rudy protectively, his hands raised to show he was prepared to attack again if need be. The two just stared at each other for several seconds. Though Snap trembled in fear, there was a lot more anger in his display of emotions, and he made it clear, from the expression on his face, that he wasn’t going to allow Ghadir to get closer.

“Don’t you ever speak to my friend that way again...you bitch...” Snap growled, taking in a few quick breaths. “This is not his fault..and don’t you fucking dare try to convince him or anyone else otherwise...”

Ghadir just glared at him. She slowly rose up to her feet. She stared at the zone for a few seconds. Then, instead of attacking back like Rudy and Snap thought she was, she instead backed away. Wordlessly, she turned around and willingly left the treehouse. As she jumped down, the two friends moved forward. They watched as Ghadir, without looking back at them, ran off into the distance.

Snap watched this in disgust. “She’s such a coward...” He turned his attention to Rudy. He looked at him sympathetically. “You okay, Bucko?”

Rudy didn’t respond. His mind swirled with many thoughts as he recalled what Ghadir told him. Had it really been his fault that this happened? Even indirectly? Was it his blood that caused all of this to happen? The thought sickened him and it was hard to fight back the nausea that started to rise up inside of his stomach. Yeah, he didn’t mean for this to happen, but the idea of him being, in some way, responsible...

He snapped out of his trance when he felt a tug at his arm. He looked down and he saw Snap, who had his arms wrapped around his. Rudy stared at him wordlessly before looking away, his eyes aiming at the ground. The feelings of guilt...they were hard to fight back.

“Rudy...” Snap said quietly. “You know this isn’t your fault, right?” He held on tighter. “Don’t listen to what she said. She was just trying to mess with you. Don’t let her do that.”

Rudy said softly, “I...I know Snap. I just...can’t get it out of my head... What if she was telling the truth?” He stared at Snap intently. “What if it was my blood that brought back their memories?”

Snap said, “That doesn’t make you responsible. They were the ones who chose to do this. You did not make them.” He cuddled closer to Rudy as the teenager wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a hug. “This isn’t your fault. Please...don’t blame yourself...”

Slowly, though he still had some doubts in his mind, Rudy smiled back. Hugging Snap tightly, he said, “Yeah...you’re right... Thanks...”

Snap smiled back. “You’re welcome, Bucko.”

Rudy pulled back from Snap, still gently holding onto him. The two friends smiled at each other for a few seconds. Upon seeing Snap’s cheek, Rudy’s face furrowed with concern. He could see a little bit of bleeding and redness where Ghadir had licked him. The vile woman had licked over one of his burns, causing more damage to it.

“Come on, Snap. Let’s go see Mrs. Sanchez and get that burn cleaned up.” Rudy said. He stood up, gently lowering Snap so his feet touched the ground. “I’ll fix your treehouse when we get back.”

With that, the two friends started to make their way towards the hospital.


	26. Crisis Of Anatomy

Snap winced as Mrs. Sanchez placed the cool cloth against his cheek. It stung pretty badly as the woman had layered it with some disinfectant. He stiffened as the woman gently rubbed the cloth against his cheek. He soon relaxed as the soothing effects of the disinfectant kicked in. Soon, after she was done, she removed the cloth and reached down to grab some new bandages for him.

“You two say Ghadir attacked you?” Mrs. Sanchez said, her voice filled with concern.

“Yeah.” Rudy said. “She just burst through Snap’s treehouse and attacked us. We managed to drive her away, though.”

Mrs. Sanchez began to wrap the bandages around Snap’s head. Snap held as still as he could. This still kinda stung him. The new burn Ghadir gave him was worse than he thought it was going to be. It did make sense the more he thought about it. Ghadir had licked him slowly, so the real world liquid, saliva in this case, had longer to burn his skin. It didn’t help that she had licked over one of his older burns. So that added to the pain. He did do a pretty good job with holding still.

Soon Mrs. Sanchez was finished. She cut the bandage and then secured it tightly. She moved her head back and looked at him up and down. She reached down and began to lightly touch the bandage to make sure it wasn’t going to fall off. Once she had determined the bandage was fine, she gently grabbed his shoulders and turned him around, her eyes scanning to see if he had any other injuries to take care of.

“I’m fine.” Snap said as he moved a step back away from Mrs. Sanchez. “The burn was the only thing that needed to be taken care of. Thank you for that.”

Mrs. Sanchez, however, was clearly not convinced. “You could have gotten hurt during all that commotion and not notice. It’s best if I check you for other injuries.”

Looking over at Rudy, Snap said, “Rudy...?”

The eighteen year old nodded his head. “I agree with her. It won’t take long, Snap.”

The blue and white zoner turned back to Mrs. Sanchez. He kept still as she continued to examine him. She checked his arms, his legs, his chest, and stomach. She turned him around and looked along his back. She then examined his hands. She noticed the bruise and mumbled about getting him an ice pad for it. His feet were next. She gave him one more look around before she released him.

Snap took a step back and gave her a smile. “See? I’m fine!”

Mrs. Sanchez narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “No, you’re not.”

Snap’s smile faded. “What..?”

Rudy moved forward, his right eye wide with concern. “What’s wrong with him?”

The woman reached over and grabbed Snap’s left arm. She gently pulled him forward and turned his arm over. The two boys quickly noticed what she was trying to show them. Along Snap’s arm was a cut. Not very deep, but there was still a considerable amount of blood. This shocked Rudy and Snap. They had no idea how they missed this injury. And now that he was fully aware of it, Snap started to feel stinging pain from the injury. He winced when Mrs. Sanchez lightly touched him there.

Mrs. Sanchez immediately pulled her hand back. She gave Snap an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. That didn’t hurt too much, did it?”

Snap said, “It stung, like someone took a shard of glass and cut me...” Snap noticed Rudy wincing and immediately felt bad. Rudy’s left hand and left eye had been sliced by a broken piece of glass. He must have reminded him of the pain he felt as Jenny cut him up like that. “Sorry, Bucko.”

“Don’t worry about it Snap.” Rudy gave him a smile. He then turned his attention to Mrs. Sanchez. “How bad is the cut?”

“Not that bad.” Mrs. Sanchez shook her head. “I’m still going to have to clean it, though. But first...” She looked down at Snap. “What did you cut it on? Do you have any idea?”

Snap tried to think. He thought back to the attack, how they where tossed around. He couldn’t pinpoint what it could have been. He had hit up against different things, mostly wood. But there were no broken pieces of wood big enough and sharp enough to cut him like that. Ghadir couldn’t have done it. She had no sharp weapons with her and she didn’t try to bite him, thank goodness. The only other thing he could think of was the mechanical cobra. It did have some sharp edges to it as he recalled.

His eyes widened as he remembered what happened. It must have occurred when he jumped on the snake to wrestle it to the ground, which was not easy considering, even though the snake was thin, it was still a robot and a lot stronger than he had expected. The snake’s hood had some sharp points to it. In the struggle, he must have sliced his arm against it. Yeah, that’s exactly what had happened. He was trying to hold the snake, but then it had thrown him, and his arm cut along the mechacobra’s razor hood.

“That metal snake we were fighting...” Snap looked over at Rudy with wide eyes, then back at Mrs. Sanchez. “I must have cut my arm on it during the struggle...”

Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes widened at this. “Then we have to get this cut cleaned as soon as possible. Do you mind stepping out of your leotard? It’ll make it easier for me to clean your cut.”

Snap nodded his head. He took off his gloves and shoes so they wouldn’t be in the way. Then he removed his scarf and mask. He always found it difficult to remove his leotard without dragging his pants along with it. But he was able to succeed without experiencing too much trouble this time. With everything but his pants removed, he turned back to Mrs. Sanchez and raised his left arm up so she could start to mend it.

Mrs. Sanchez gripped his arm and reached for another wet cloth, this one doused in chalk water. She pressed it against his arm. He seethed a little from the pain that erupted, but soon he calmed down as the cooling effect took hold. Mrs. Sanchez moved the cloth up and down along the cut. Soon the cloth was covered in blood stains. After she was finished cleaning it, she dried it gently with another cloth. She reached for the bottle of disinfectant and sprayed his wound. Snap winced at this and yelped. Mrs. Sanchez whispered an apology to him and she reached for more bandages. After she was finished patching up the cut, Snap picked up his clothes and began to redress.

As he did this, Mrs. Sanchez turned her attention to Rudy. She walked over to him. As Snap put his clothes back on, he watched as Mrs. Sanchez checked Rudy over in a similar manner as she did with him. After he was finished redressing himself, Snap walked over towards them. He watched intently, hoping that Rudy didn’t get badly injured in that fight. He hadn’t noticed any injuries on his friend, but then again, they hadn’t noticed the cut until Mrs. Sanchez pointed it out. Were there any wounds Rudy had they didn’t notice? And if so, were they just as bad or worse than the cut on his arm?

After looking him over, Mrs. Sanchez gave a smile. “I don’t see any cuts on you. There could be some internal damage, but assessing from how you two looked when you walked in here, they probably aren’t too severe. If you experience any sudden pains, come back to me, okay?”

Rudy nodded his head. “Sure.”

“Oh!” Mrs. Sanchez raised a finger, drawing attention from the two boys. “Before I forget...” The woman walked over to a cabinet. She pulled out a dresser and took out a needle with a large vial attached to it. She went back over to Rudy. “Penny had a theory of what might be going on with you.”

Rudy said, “Oh? What does she think it is?”

“...something really horrific...that would explain why you suddenly felt pain when you drank the real world water...” Mrs. Sanchez said in a quiet voice, trailing off. She gave him a sympathetic, nervous look.

Rudy seemed to understand what she was referring to. His right eye widened. “Oh...”

So it seemed Penny thought the same thing he did. Snap wasn’t surprised. Penny was smart and caught on quickly to things. He was glad that she was able to make the connections and inform her mother about it. Snap felt stupid for not bringing it up before. He had his chance and he missed it. At least Penny seemed to realize what it might be and brought it up. Now they could test for it to see if this is what was going on. He hoped that it wouldn’t take long for the blood results to come in.

The idea was frightening. To think that something like...this...could happen to his best friend... It was unthinkable. He had no idea how those black chalk users were able to create such a thing. Well, if it is what he thinks it is, the next time he saw those black chalk users, he was going to make them reveal what the cure is. There was no way he was going to allow Rudy to suffer a fate like that. It was cruel...vile... He didn’t do anything to deserve that. He didn’t know how he was going to, but he would do whatever it took to get them to reveal how to treat the illness before the effects were too damaging.

He stood in silence, unable to think of what to say. What could he say in a situation like this? Anxiety rose in his heart as he realized what kind of danger his best friend could be in. He felt his blood chilling as he watched Mrs. Sanchez start to take blood from Rudy. He stared at the vial as it filled with the dark red fluid. A part of him was terrified of what the results would show, and the other was determined to find out. He kind of hoped that it wasn’t what he and Penny thought it was because of how horrible it would be, how much pain Rudy was going to be in for a while. But at the same time, he hoped that was it, because at least then, they’d have an answer to what was going on.

After Mrs. Sanchez was finished taking the blood, she pulled the needle out and pressed a small gauze on Rudy’s arm. After the bleeding stopped, she placed a bandaide over it, covering the small puncture wound. She labeled the vial and put it on the desk nearby. She turned back to Rudy.

“I’ll take it over to the doctors and we’ll have a look at it as soon as possible.” Mrs. Sanchez said. “We will have the results tomorrow. Come by after school as soon as you can. I will inform you of what the results told us, if what Penny thought turned out to be right or if there is something else going on.”

Rudy looked at his arm and then back at Mrs. Sanchez. “Okay. Thank you.”

Mrs. Sanchez smiled. “You two can head back now, if you’d like. Or did you want to stay another night at the hospital.”

Rudy took a step back and waved his hands. “No, I’m good. I promised Snap I was going to repair his treehouse since Ghadir damaged it.”

“Well I don’t mind waiting...” Snap started to say. Rudy gave him a look that told Snap that Rudy really didn’t want to stay at the hospital another night. He wasn’t sure why. He was about to ask, but he assumed that Rudy just wanted to be in a more comfortable room. He nodded his head. “Okay then, Rudy. Did you want to head back now?”

Rudy yawned a little. “Yeah, I am getting tired. I wanted to go to sleep earlier, but...”

Knowing what Rudy was going to say, Snap said, “Yeah, I know what you mean, Bucko.” Snap turned his attention to Mrs. Sanchez. “Well thanks for the help. We’ll see you tomorrow!” He waved at her.

“Okay, goodnight!” Mrs. Sanchez waved back at them.

sss

Terry let out a groan of pain. She couldn’t believe that her own brother did this to her. Well perhaps she shouldn’t be too surprised, actually. She and her brother never fully got along over the years. They had an estranged relationship and hardly saw each other before they tried to expose ChalkZone. Both of them had changed a lot, though sometimes still remained the same, such as how manipulative he could actually be. The only reason he had even listened to her before was because she had more knowledge about ChalkZone than he did.

She should have known that Vinnie might try to pull something like this. He was usually good about hiding his intelligence. Though she never thought he’d get this smart. If she weren’t in this terrible condition, she would have actually been impressed by it. He had thought through more than he usually would, and the entire time she was with him, he never once went into crazy mode like he had over the years. A part of her was glad, since his ‘dog barking’ thing he did drove her nuts. But another part of her missed it, because now it was replaced with a cold, calculating individual who, in a short time span, showed more cleverness than she had when she was digging up dirt on ChalkZone.

The first moment she realized Vinnie had snapped was when he started to torture her. She had resisted most of the time, despite the shere agony it put her through. She never thought he’d go as far as do something like that. He sliced her up real good, and she lost a considerable amount of blood. He kept going for what she thought was a couple hours. She wasn’t sure if it really was that long, but it sure felt like it. He had never resorted to causing physical harm before, so it took her by total surprise when he brought up th scalpel to her. She hoped that the scalpel would be all show, but he proved this theory wrong when he first started to slice into her skin.

Resisting was not easy. She had to bite her tongue and clench her teeth to keep herself from saying anything. She couldn’t stifle the screams that much, and she had let out cries of pain during most of the torture. Vinnie’s cuts became more pronounced, deeper and more vicious, the longer she didn’t say anything. She guessed that Vinnie was getting frustrated with her, and was getting desperate to make her say anything. She held her tongue and was able to keep quiet during most of the torture session.

She felt that, if she kept it up, Vinnie would stop. After all, she was his sister. He wouldn’t go as far as kill her, would he? She couldn’t see him doing that. Well, she didn’t foresee him going as far as hurt her, and she was proven wrong on that. Still, killing was really far out there. Vinnie couldn’t...he wouldn’t go that far, would he? They were family. He wouldn’t go that far...

But while Vinnie hadn’t gone that route, what he did do was just a cruel, if not crueler. She never thought he would do such a thing. He had actually threatened to ruin her life. He would do something so bad that it would cost her the job she currently has, and barred her from getting any new ones. She would be thrown on the street, like he said, and no one was going to trust her. After all, who would want to do business with a woman who had stalked a couple of children? Her obsession with ChalkZone was bad enough for some people, but when it came to stalking children, not many people she knew would be so forgiving.

Vinnie sounded very serious when he talked about it, too. It really did seem like he would go through with his threat if she didn’t cooperate. Terry wasn’t sure what to do at the time. She recalled the headache she got as she tried to think of a way out of the situation. She tried to think of something, anything, that would get her out of the mess without forking over the information Vinnie wanted. If this had happened a couple years ago, she would have given him the information no problem. But that all changed. And she was not willing to head back down that path.

She did eventually give in, but not before formulating a plan in her head. She didn’t like doing this to her brother, but after what he did, what else could she do? As she gave him the information he wanted, explaining to him what caused her to change her mind about ChalkZone, she was going to head down to the police station and tell them about her assault. With her bad injuries and Vinnie’s history with the police, they would believe her and lock him up. He wouldn’t be a threat to anyone after that.

But she had underestimated what her brother was capable of. He had not only realized that she may go to the police to report the assault, but he already formulated a plan to prevent her from doing so. After he was done interrogating her, not very happy with what she had to say to him, he unhooked her but kept her grip on her arm. He told her that she was going to stay at his place for a while. He warned her not to struggle or give any indication he was doing anything to hurt her. He wanted her to act like someone else hurt her and he was just bringing her home.

When she asked about her job, he said that he would just call her boss and say she was very sick and wouldn’t be able to come in for a while. He would also tell any of her friends if they were to try to call her. He said that if she tried to tell anyone otherwise, or struggled against him while they went back to his place, he would send that evidence in to the police. Not seeing much choice, Terry followed him willingly and he took her to his apartment on the other side of Plainsville.

Once there, he guided her up the steps and took her into the kitchen. In a surprising show of mercy that she didn’t thing think he was capable of in his current mood, he cleaned her cuts a little. He didn’t do a particularly good job, but it was a nice change from how he was treating her before. He gave her a thin layer of bandages and then took her to an extra bedroom he had. He threw her in there and locked her inside. He said he would let her out only for necessities, such as going to the bathroom and eating, but she was to stay in that bedroom until he saw fit to let her go. He also took liberty of taking her cellphone away so she couldn’t call anyone.

She was basically under a form of unofficial house arrest. She wasn’t able to leave the bedroom without his permission, and only to do important things. He would not allow her to leave the apartment. He would only let her go completely after he was able to set up his ‘chalk world theme park’ and by then it would be too late to stop him. She wished she could figure a way out of here, but this room had only one window and it was completely sealed shut. Vinnie had even spraypainted it black so no one can see in and notice her in distress. She couldn’t even pick the lock because Vinnie had made sure this room was bare of any small items that could be used in such a manner. She was completely trapped.

And apparently he was not done interrogating her. He said he was going to resume the interrogation sometime soon. There was something else he wanted to know. She guessed it was the tapes. He wanted them. He was going to want to expose ChalkZone, so he was going to try to get her to fork over those tapes. The idea of another interrogation frightened her. Would Vinnie hurt her more while doing so? How much further could he go with hurting her physically? Would he attack her mentally too?

She knew she was going to have to try harder to resist, for a couple of reasons. The most obvious one was what would happen if Plainsville did see that footage. Sure, years ago, she would have been psyched about it, but now that she had a better understanding of ChalkZone, the thought filled her with dread. She wondered if Vinnie had any idea of what would happen, what the consequences would be if he exposed ChalkZone. She wondered if he even cared about that. He was so ‘money money money’, she wondered if it was possible he would go as far as dismiss the needs of the zoners. She wouldn’t put it past him.

And then there was the other thing that had her worried. She had given all the tapes to the Tabooties’. She didn’t know if they had destroyed the evidence, kept it locked up or what. But no matter what they did with them, if she spilled the beans to Vinnie that Rudy and his family had the tapes, he would go after them. If he was willing to go this far in hurting his own sister for the chance of profit, then what would he do with Rudy and his parents? The thought chilled her blood. He would most likely do worse...

Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do right now. She had no way out of here. There was no way she could communicate with anyone. The only time she’d be let out of here was to eat and use the bathroom, and those Vinnie would limit so that she had less of a chance to escape. Her only hope is to try to sneak in an object during a trip out. He wouldn’t follow her in the bathroom, so maybe she could grab something there. It was unlikely, but it was the only chance she had. She hoped that, whenever she was able to get out, it wasn’t too late to warn Rudy.

Terry laid down on the bed, trying to ignore the aches and pains spreading through her body. Vinnie didn’t do anything to help ease the pain. She looked up at the ceiling, watching the fan spin round and around. She let out a soft sigh and spoke one quiet line.

“I’m sorry, Rudy...”

sss

Penny sat down with the others in the waiting room. They were waiting for her mother patiently, who was coming down the hallway soon to tell them of the results. She had seen Rudy late last night and was able to get a vial of his blood. Her mom and the doctors had been working on it for several hours, testing for what she believed was causing Rudy’s problems. She was nervous to know the answer, but in the end, she knew it would help her feel better, because not knowing was far scarier.

She had been startled when her mom told her about Rudy and Snap being attacked by Ghadir at night. When she saw Rudy and Snap the next day, she was able to talk to them so they could give a more detailed story. What she heard apalled her. Ghadir was truly disgusting, the way she tormented Snap like that. And licking his burn, despite knowing that saliva would hurt zoners... She was glad that they were able to make her run off.

It did concern her the way she left so easily. She would have thought that she would have stayed behind and fought longer. Then again, she was chalkless, so there wasn’t much she could do. In the real world, maybe. But this was ChalkZone, and Rudy was armed. Snap would have been, too, if he had blue chalk with him. But he was competent enough on his own, which, no surprise, Ghadir didn’t acknowledge. None of these villains do. Cosmo didn’t, and Bardot missed the mark as well. Well one good thing about that is that it allowed Snap to get some surprise attacks on them, which had turned the tides in their favor more than once.

But was there another reason Ghadir left? Was there something she did? Was her mission done? Was she not even serious and was just playing with them? Or was she just really crazy and wanted to try to eat Snap, but gave up when he started to fight back? If that were the case, then she’d have to agree with Snap and say she was a coward. If she runs off as soon as her ‘prey’ started to fight back... She decided not to think about Ghadir anymore and focus instead on what was happening right now.

Sitting next to her was Snap. He was leaning up against her for comfort. She had her arms wrapped around him and hugged him gently, carefully avoiding the cut he recieved from that mechacobra thing they described. He was strangely quiet. A few times, his eyes would move towards the door, looking to see if her mother was coming back. Then he’d shut his eyes and press his head further against her shoulder.

Sophie was in her mother’s arms. She sat in the woman’s lap. Tilly had her arms around Sophie and pulled her close. Tilly had been crying a lot, her face reddened from her tears. Other than a few sniffles, she had gone quiet as well. Sophie did try speaking to her mother earlier, and to the others. But they were all lost in their own thoughts, and they didn’t reply. They couldn’t bring themselves, too. Sophie understood the seriousness of the situation and she, too, fell silent. She glanced over at Penny and Snap once in a while and gave them a sympathetic, worried look. Her eyes silently asked them if Rudy was going to be okay, and all Penny and Snap could do was look away uncertainly.

Rudy’s parents sat not far from Sophie and Tilly. Like before, Mrs. Tabootie had her arms wrapped around her husband. She had been crying the entire time, her husband doing whatever it took to try to calm her down. He, too, was crying and it was hard for him to hold back his tears. It was a heartbreaking scene to watch. Penny wished she could say something, anything, to cheer them up. But what could she say? There was nothing positive about the situation she knew that would be enough to help them feel better. And if she was right about Rudy’s condition.... they were only feel worse.

They all had been more or less silent, save for some crying and sniffling, for about an hour now as they waited. No words were spoken. No conversation was made. They just sat there and waited for Mrs. Sanchez to come back. They had no idea how long it was going to take. It felt like hours had gone by. They barely looked at the clock. They barely moved from where they sat. They remained in their seats even if they had to use the restroom. They didn’t get up or talk or anything.

Penny felt like she was in a void, absent of sound. Except for crying and the occasional sound from the hospital, the room was silent. It was almost deafening, making her feel uncomfortable. She couldn’t bring herself to speak, though. Anxiety and depression had filled the atmosphere of the room. It was like a thick cloud, she could almost feel it. Everyone was waiting anxiously for the results, knowing that though the answer would enlighten them, it would also terrify them. And the worst part is... there might be no cure...

Penny shook her head. Of course there was a cure. There had to be. There was always a cure to a disease, even if it was obscure, or even not known yet. They just had to know where to look, what information to find. Somehow, someway, they would find the cure and save Rudy. He..he just couldn’t die like this... He couldn’t...

Then the moment they were waiting for happened. The doors opened up. They all turned their heads and jumped from their seats as Rudy, Dr. Raiden, and Mrs. Sanchez walked into the waiting room. Rudy’s head was lowered and it looked like he had been crying. This caused Penny’s heart to race. Had she been correct this whole time? The looks on her mom and the cheetah’s faces seemed to confirm this.

Rudy looked up and stared at his parents. They looked back at him with wide, worried eyes. They took a few steps towards him. They stared at each other for several moments, before someone finally spoke up.

“Rudy...?” His mom said in a low whisper.

Rudy bit his lip, tears forming in his eyes. “M-Mom...dad..”

In seconds, he had rushed over to his parents and gave them a hug. They put their arms around him and pulled him into a group hug. Rudy cried in his parents’ arms as they tried to calm him down. Penny and the others watched this with great sadness. Whatever the doctors had told him, it must have been horrible. It broke Penny’s heart seeing him like this. She, Snap, Tilly, and Sophie walked over to the grieving trio to offer their condolences.

When Rudy calmed down enough, his parents released him and they all turned their eyes towards the two doctors. Dr. Raiden and Mrs. Sanchez both looked very regretful. The cheetah’s ears were lowered and his face turned to the side. Her mother had a few tears moving down her face and she was fumbling with her hand nervously. They all knew what this meant. And they braced themselves for the worst possble news.

“The...results came back in.” Dr. Raiden said. His voice trailed off. He turned to Mrs. Sanchez.

“We had to run more tests, though, to confirm. That is why we called Rudy down. We needed to get an MRI on him.” Mrs. Sanchez said, her voice forelorn. She gave a sympathetic look to Rudy. “And what we found....confirmed our suspicions...” She fell silent.

“Well..? What’s wrong with him?” Mrs. Tabootie asked. “What’s wrong with our son?”

“Is it...bad..?” Tilly asked hesitantly.

“Can it be cured?” Snap spoke up, glancing uneasily in Rudy’s direction. “Please..tell us there’s a cure...”

Dr. Raiden shook his head. “As of now...there is no known cure. And what he has..” He looked over at Rudy. He gritted his teeth, sucking in a breath. He sighed, closed his eyes, and lowered his head. “Well, he can’t afford not having it...”

Everyone glanced at each other, their eyes wide in fear. Penny’s heart clenched, and she felt tears form in her eyes. She looked back at Rudy, who stayed between his parents, not wanting to leave their side. No wonder he was so scared. No known cure... That meant they’d have to find a cure themselves, but from what Dr. Raiden said...he didn’t have much time for that.

Mrs. Sanchez picked up. “There is no easy way for me to say this. And we do not understand entirely how this is happening, but...Rudy..his...” She paused, biting her lip. She looked at the others. They all looked at her intently, eyes wide with fearful dread. Penny could practically hear the hearts pounding. “His internal organs, and his blood vessels, they’re starting to change composition. They’re...becoming chalk.”

Horror swept through the group. There was a collection of gasps. Terrified looks plastered on everyone’s faces. They looked at Mrs. Sanchez, silently hoping, praying, that it wasn’t true. But all she could do was looked at them sympathetically. Dr. Raiden could provide them no comfort either.

Penny’s heart pounded against her chest. So she had been right. She was right all along. Rudy was turning into chalk from the inside out. That was why he was in so much agony from drinking the real world water. It was burning him... It was burned holes into his stomach, creating ulcers. That was why he had coughed up the blood. That was why he was in so much pain. Her heart clenched as she recalled the way he had whimpered in her arms, like he was a frightened little child. Now that she knew what was wrong, that memory was even more painful to think of.

“Oh Rudy...” Tilly said as she moved over towards him. She reached down and touched his cheek.

Mr. Tabootie put his arm around his son’s shoulders. He looked over at Mrs. Sanchez and said, “T-Turning to chalk...? Are..are you sure...?”

“C-Could it be a mistake?” Mrs. Tabootie asked hopefully.

Dr. Raiden shook his head. “I’m afraid not. We checked and rechecked many times. There’s no denying it. Rudy’s insides are becoming chalk. Right now most of the transformation is in his stomach, but it is spreading to other organs. And we detected signs that some of his blood vessels are starting to change, though thankfully it’s not any of the major ones yet.”

“But..there is something else.” Mrs. Sanchez said. She paused, furrowing her eyes with concern and fear. “His internal fluids, like his blood, they aren’t changing. They remain real world.”

A stunned silence among the group. The quiet was only interrupted when Sophie decided to speak.

“What does that mean?” Sophie asked.

Mrs. Sanchez looked at Sophie. She took a step towards her. “It means that... If this disease is allowed to progress...” She then looked over at Rudy sympathetically. “His insides will melt. He will die...very painfully...” She closed her eyes. “I-I’m sorry...”

Gasps of horror, heads shaking in disbelief, resumed crying and sobbing filled the room. Sophie looked up at Mrs. Sanchez in horror and she ran back to her mother and cried against her chest. Tilly tried to be strong for her, but she couldn’t stop crying. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie held onto their son and cried, whispering questions of ‘why?’ and ‘how is this possible?’. Rudy didn’t speak. He just sobbed, his head against his father’s chest, his body trembling.

Snap hugged Penny and started to cry. She picked him off the ground and held him gently. She pressed her head against his, not able to hold back her tears for long. They flowed freely down her face. The two of them cried against each other as the horrible news began to sank in. She glanced at her mother and the zoner doctor, and all they did was look at them sadly and regretfully.

Penny couldn’t believe it. How..how could this happen? What did Rudy do to deserve this? He was such a nice person, always willing to help others out. It..it wasn’t fair that he was subjected to this. Jenny, that monster... She knowingly put Rudy through this. She was the one who infected him with this horrid disease. And for what? Some ill-gotten revenge quest. And now, because of that fiend, Rudy was going to be in a lot of pain. He was going to suffer, and it was all her fault.

He was definitely better in ChalkZone. He couldn’t stay in the real world for long without nearly passing out in pain. But even in ChalkZone, he was in agony. And with this disease, it was just going to get worse. It didn’t help that there was no pain medication they could give him that could help, given the nature of the disease. So poor Rudy had to suffer day in, day out with the pain. Though he managed, she could still tell he was suffering.

“And another thing...” Dr. Raiden said regretfully. “His blood...contained remnants of black chalk.”

“Wh-What...?” Mr. Tabootie said, his eyes wide with horror. “It’s...it’s in his bloodstream?”

Dr. Raiden nodded his head to confirm. “Yes. It’s not a lot, but it is there.”

This horrified everyone. Penny and Snap looked at each other, their eyes wide with terror. Just what they needed. More reasons to worry. While they already had their suspicions before, especially with what they encountered at the Solar Pillars and with Biclops, it was still terrifying to find out just how right they were. Penny looked at Rudy sadly. It must have been horrible for him to recieve that kind of news.

The biggest concern on everyone’s mind, though, was the disease. The black chalk appeared to be dormant, so it wasn’t as big of an issue. What was really worrying was this disease. How fast will it spread? How much time did Rudy have? How were they going to fix it? Could they fix it in time? These thoughts crowded Penny’s mind, making it ache. There had to be something they could do. Anything...

Stroking Rudy’s hair gently, Mr. Tabootie lifted his gaze up to the doctors. “I-Is there anyway to find a cure? Any information at all?”

Dr. Raiden shook his head. “None that we know of. Though Mrs. Sanchez had an idea.”

All eyes turned to Mrs. Sanchez. She said, “Yeah... There is..someone we all know...” She held out her hands in gesture. “..who might know a thing or two about interactions between real world flesh and chalk flesh...”

It felt like a cold wind sept through the group. Everyone froze. Hearts seemed to freeze, along with blood. It felt as though time itself had stopped. Horror filled everyone’s minds. Penny felt Snap’s body shaking and she held him tightly. She looked down at him, listening to him whimper in fear. She looked at the others. Everyone was shaking. Everyone had wide eyes filled with fear. Dread hung thickly in the air.

Penny wished it wasn’t true. She wished that there was another way. She wished that it could have been someone...anyone else they could go speak to. But in the end, she knew her mother was right. There was really only one being out there they knew that might be able to provide useful information.

And she knew that the others were all thinking the same thing. They knew exactly who her mother was alluding to.


	27. The Fire Zone

Skrawl stared the trio in disbelief. None of them had ever seen his eyes this wide before. It would have been comical if not for the circumstances. Skrawl had a very good reason to be this shocked, to stare at them like this. After all, what they had suggested isn’t something the jellybean would normally expect from him.

“You want me to have my Beanie Boys take you...where?!” Skrawl asked, flabbergasted.

“You heard us.” Rudy said, trying to be as serious as he could. “We need to go to the Fire Zone. And we know that your Beanie Boys know the way, since they had to help deliver Bardot and Draow there.”

“But...but...” Skrawl made some wild gestures with his hands. It was clear he was having a hard time comprehending this. “There’s a reason that place is isolated! Even without considering those two criminals who now reside there, the environment itself is very hostile! Wh-Why would you want to go there?!”

Rudy couldn’t blame Skrawl for being so startled about the whole thing. He didn’t really understand completely what was going on. Though he was certain he knew of the three black chalk artists and the anti-creator group, considering both may or would have committed crimes that he’d have to attend, but his condition... There was a strong chance that Skrawl didn’t know about it. There was good reason why they had to go into the Fire Zone, even though they would rather not go, for obvious reasons.

Rudy did wish there was another way. The idea of heading into the Fire Zone to see the two zoners that nearly killed him and his friends was not very pleasant. Sometimes he and his friends had nightmares about their encounter with these two years ago, and now they have to confront them again. He wasn’t sure how it would go. He had no idea if they would try to escape. THey just didn’t know what to expect. Yet despite their fears, he knew they had to go, as Bardot was the only one who might shed some light on his condition, even if it’s just a little bit.

“We have to go see Bardot.” Rudy said, taking a small step toward the jellybean. “We need to talk to him about something very important.”

Skrawl’s mismatched eyes widened. “Why would you want to talk to him?”

“It...has to do with Rudy.” Snap said softly. Skrawl looked at him in confusion. Snap casted an uneasy glance towards Rudy. “He’s...very sick.”

“Master Tabootie is ill?” Skrawl didn’t sound too surprised. Standing on one foot, he folded his arms together. “I have heard some news about that, but I didn’t know exactly what was wrong.” He shifted his gaze to Rudy and nodded his head once. “What’s going on with you? Do you know what kind of disease you have?”

Rudy casted his glance towards the ground. He shifted his foot uneasily. He felt Penny put a hand on his shoulder. Rudy looked at her for a few seconds, looking at her sympathetic expression. He looked away. Talking about his condition... It wasn’t going to be very easy. It terrified him, filled him with dread. He didn’t think he could sleep very well at night. He had thought about putting off the trip to the Fire Zone until tomorrow, but he didn’t think he could sleep well through the night and thought it was best to get it done and over with as soon as possible.

The idea of turning into chalk... It was horrifying to think about. He never thought that something like this was possible. He didn’t think that there was something in ChalkZone that could turn real world into chalk. Naturally there must be a reverse, though, right? Maybe Bardot knows something about that. Maybe his ability to eat real world flesh was contributed to something he found... But then what about the other hybrid zoner? The one that was never in ChalkZone most of the time and had scared Draow? It surely didn’t interact much with ChalkZone..did it..?

This was all so confusing. And frightening, too. It was hard to believe that, just a short while ago, everything was fine. Then came when he had to get his blood checked and...then all this had happened. He had indirectly awakened three black chalk artists. He still felt guilty about that. Despite his friends and family telling him that it wasn’t his fault, he still couldn’t help but feel responsible about the whole thing. In a twisted way, Ghadir was right. If he had not grabbed the black chalk years ago, there wouldn’t have been any black chalk in his blood and he wouldn’t have accidentally awakened Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek. Though he hadn’t done it on purpose, it was hard to fight back that guilt.

Skrawl was still staring at him, waiting for an answer. Rudy sucked in a breath, his teeth pressed against his lower lip. He couldn’t keep quiet for long. He looked at his friends. They looked at him reassuringly. Rudy turned back to Skrawl.

“Well you see Skrawl...” Rudy said, stumbling over his own words. He rubbed the back of his head nervously. “I...I was infected.” He paused, watching as Skrawl raised an eyebrow, showing curiosity. Rudy had to provide more information so he could understand the severity of it. “To make it simple, it’s turning my insides to chalk.”

At this, Skrawl’s eyes grew big. “That’s something in ChalkZone that can do that?” The three nodded affirmatively. Skrawl tapped the tip of his claw gainst his chin thoughtfully, tilting his head upwards. “Interesting... ChalkZone has a way of surprising you, even if you are a zoner that has lived here for years...” He looked back at the trio. “Just..how serious is it? It must not be a very pleasant disease if you are willing to risk heading through the Fire Zone and speak to Bardot.”

Rudy and the others were happy that Skrawl had least caught onto that rather quickly. He knew that they would never want to venture into such a hazardous place without good reason. They would rather not have to interact with one of their worst enemies if they could help it. Bardot, as well as Draow, had caused significant problems for them. They had been tortured nearly to death by them, Snap practically ripped apart. The whole experience had been nightmarish, and they had good cause to not go anywhere near those two again.

To think that they’d have to confront those monsters again... They didn’t know how they well they could handle it. They were all terrified. It was something they could all understand, as a group. It wasn’t like with Cosmo, when only Snap had to stay a while in the hospital. They were all severely injured and they all had to stay in the hospital, for longer than Snap had to endure when they faced off with Cosmo. They were all on their deathbeds. All three of them nearly died. And now they have to confront the very two who had put them in that situation. It was going to be one terrifying experience.

“Yes, there is good reason.” Penny spoke up. “My mom checked him out at the hospital. She and the other doctors found that only his internal organs are turning to chalk...well that and his blood vessels. The source of alarm is from the fact that...well...” Penny’s eyes filled with fear as she spoke. “His internal fluids..are remaining real world..”

“Wh-What...?” Skrawl stared at them in shock. He took an uneasy step back. “You’re joking, right...?”

Snap shook his head. “No, sorry. We wouldn’t joke about this.” He held out his hand in gesture. “So please, will you lend us some of your Beanie Boys so we can head to the Fire Zone? We really need to talk to this guy, as much as we would rather not to.”

Skrawl looked at the three one at a time. His eyes remained wide. His mouth hung open. He looked as if he were having a hard time digesting this information. Rudy wasn’t surprised. It was all hard to take in at first. Not only is such a disease unheard of, but it was a terrifying concept. Skrawl looked around, his mind surely racing to think of a response. Rudy hoped that he would be a little cooperative. There wasn’t much time to spare.

“I...I don’t like the idea.” Skrawl said, his hand raised with palm up, his claws spread out in a relaxed manner. “I think it’s best if I just have my Beanie Boys go and get information for you. They’ll be armed. It’ll be a much safer option.”

“No.” Rudy shook his head, staring at Skrawl with his right eye. “This is something we have to do ourselves. We...we need to confront those two, and get the information that way. We’ve handled those two before...”

Skrawl narrowed his eyes. “Barely... And you and Penita over there spent most of your time being tortured.”

“I landed a kick..” Rudy narrowed his eye.

Skrawl waved his hand dismissingly. “That’s not much.” He pointed a finger at the three. “The last time you three faced off against them, you were nearly killed. Please, why don’t just let my Beanie Boys handle this?” He moved his hand around to indicate confusion and frustration. “Just..why?” His voice sounded a little strained. “Why is it so important that you confront them yourselves? Why won’t you let someone else do it? I thought you would rather you not go and face them?”

“True...” Penny said, taking a step forward. “But, you see Skrawl, you don’t know those two the way we do. Rudy and I had spent a lot of time with them.” She gave a shudder, obviously remembering the horrific events that took place. “We got a very good idea on the way they think, the way they would act.”

“And based on what we know..” Rudy chimed in, picking up from where Penny left off. “We would know that, if your Beanie Boys tried to get the information, Draow and Bardot maybe not be so cooperative. Even if you do arm the Beanie Boys, that doesn’t mean they’d be willing to talk. Your Beanie Boys are more likely to damage them too much to the point where they can’t talk, than actually get any worthwhile information from them.”

Skrawl cocked an eyebrow. “Oh really? What makes you think it’ll be different if you go?”

“Bardot and Draow, well mostly Bardot, were surprisingly honest with us during our stay.” Rudy explained. “Sure, he didn’t tell us everything, but what he did say was more or less the truth. If he lied, it was rare. The guy clearly didn’t see any consequence in being, at least in part, truthful. He never tried to really sugarcoat anything. I’m sure that, if we go, they would speak the truth to us, since they would really have no benefit from lying.”

“Well they could lie so they have the benefit of knowing you died.” Skrawl pointed out.

Skrawl did have a good point. Thinking about it, Rudy wasn’t even sure if his idea made sense or would work. It was true that Bardot was truthful with him much of the time. He hadn’t tried to lie and say things like they were going to let him go. He never once denied being a monster or indicated he felt what he was doing was right. He did keep Draow in line, so there was the chance that he could keep the bat wolf from attacking them.

But what if he was wrong? Maybe Skrawl was right. Maybe Bardot and Draow wouldn’t be truthful, simply out of vengeance. He and Penny might have spent quite sometime with them, albeit unwillingly, but that was no guarantee they knew exactly how they would respond. Skrawl was right. They could still lie to them.

Then again, this may not be exactly correct. Draow could still lie to them, though he hadn’t really made himself out to be much of a liar to them. The only big lie he ever really told them, and he didn’t actually say it, was when he never spoke and just acted like a dumb animal to fool them all. He had done this with everyone, actually, and when the facade was dropped, he was a bit of a chatterbox.

Bardot, on the other hand, due to his dual nature of white and red, may actually be incapable of outright lying. The more Rudy thought about it, the more it made sense. The red chalk half of him may be what prevented him from speaking actual lies. He was capable of giving partial truths and refraining from giving certain information, but it may be impossible for him to speak true lies. Red chalk drawings were not subtle. They attack outright. They make their goal quite clear, to spread chaos throughout ChalkZone. They were incapable of deciet. This trait may have dominated Bardot’s personality.

In that case, it may be possible to speak to Bardot and he would have no choice but to tell them the truth. Or just refuse to answer, but they may be able to make him talk. After all, he had spent two years in the Fire Zone. He must have weakened a little while he was there, at the very least. He wouldn’t be as much of a threat. They could trap him and force him to talk. Without his speed or venom, and without his usual strength, he wouldn’t be able to fight them effectively.

“We would still like to try. Please, just let us handle this.” Rudy asked the jellybean. “We will be at an advantage. We won’t be disarmed this time.”

“We will bring magic chalk with us. We will be able to fight back.” Penny added in.

“The Fire Zone would have weakened them, too.” Snap pointed out. “They’d be in a weak state when we find them. I doubt they would be too much of a threat. And with magic chalk, they wouldn’t dare try to mess with us.”

Skrawl scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Well...you do make a good point there...” He glared back at them. “But I still don’t like the idea. I’d feel more comfortable if you stayed here and I send a few of my Beanie Boys. They have ways of making criminals talk.” He paused for a moment, then added. “The last time you three encountered those two, you nearly died.”

“Aww... It’s nice to hear you talk about how much you care about us, Skrawly.” Snap said with a grin.

Clutching his fist and shaking it, Skrawl hissed at the superhero zoner, “What have I told you about that...? Stop calling me ‘Skrawly’!”

Snap chuckled at this. “Sorry, it’s just hard to resist.”

Skrawl growled at this. He then recomposed himself, taking in a deep breath. He took a couple steps back from the trio and turned around, putting his back to them. “Though I would rather you not go...” He turned his head and stared at them with one eye. “...I have a feeling that you three won’t leave me alone until I agree to it...so okay... As much as I hate it, I’ll permit it...” His voice grew slightly deep. “But just this once. So get whatever information you can during this trip, because I will not permit you to go back again.”

Rudy and his friends nodded their heads. “We understand, Skrawl.” Rudy said. “And thanks for the help. We really appreciate it.”

“Whatever..” Skrawl said quickly. He turned his head and whistled. “Beanie Boys! Come here!” As a small group of Beanie Boys came over, Skrawl looked back at the trio. “I will have them take you to the Fire Zone. You will have three hours to get the information you need. As soon as you are done, you are to report back to the entrance of the Fire Zone, and my Beanie Boys will bring you back here. Understand?”

“Crystal clear.” Penny said.

“Good..” Skrawl said, nodding his head once. He added, “Oh, and do tell me what they said to you. I would like to know more about this...condition of yours, Tabootie.”

“Okay, we’ll let you know then.” Rudy replied.

As the Beanie Boys were preparing to escort them to the Fire Zone, Rudy let his mind wander a little. He looked at his friends. They both looked very nervous. He was certain he did, too. He imagined all their hearts were filling with dread, perhaps speeding up a little. They were about to confront a very dangerous enemy who nearly ended their lives years ago. Hiding their fear was going to be hard. And there was still the off chance that, somehow, those two could try something.

They still had to go through with it, though. Bardot was the only one who could provide them useful information..if they could get him to talk that is. And with him weakened, they’d have to be careful with how forceful they were. They might accidentally hurt him, and if they want information from him, that was the last thing they wanted to do.

But at least, this time, unlike before, they were in better shape. They weren’t ‘crippled’ in a sense. They had magic chalk with them. They were together as a group. Bardot and Draow didn’t have that advantage over them anymore. They wouldn’t stand a chance against them while they had magic chalk. This time, it was Rudy and his friends who had the upperhand.

sss

“So..this is the Fire Zone..?” Snap said, his eyes widening. He looked all around. “It’s..huge...”

“It’s definitely bigger than I imagined.” Penny noted. She shifted the bag on her back a little as she turned her head left and right nervously. “And the smell...”

Rudy winced as he caught whiff of it. “Sulfur..” He turned to his friends. “Come on, let’s keep going. Those two have to be around here..somewhere...”

The three friends continued their trek further into the Fire Zone. The place was indeed a lot more massive than they thought. They had believed it would have been, at most, about twice the size of the Future Dome. But when they arrived overhead, they could see the extent of the place. And their calculations were wrong. The place was more like five times the size of Future Dome, massive enough that it spread out to the horizon.

The place looked horrible even from a distance. The ground was mostly pitch black with some dark red around. They could see some pillows of smoke in different parts, dark grey and hanging in the air thickly. They could see bright red lights which they knew must be from lava that constantly flowed through the place. And this all stretched on for miles with no end in sight. The only things keeping this place isolated was the fact that there was a terrifying electric fence all around that looked like it would char even Biclops if he dare to touch it, and that the place was located on a floating island, high above an unhabitable desert.

Looking at the lava that poured over the edge, Rudy had wondered if this place generated its own lava since it couldn’t come from the center of chalk earth. Where the lava came from was of little concern though, as, either way, it was still dangerous and they were going to have to avoid it at all costs. Rudy was relieved that they had remembered to bring a lot of chalk there. There was a chance they were going to need to use a lot of it, if they were particularly unlucky.

Just walking around the place was unbearable. Though where he, Penny, and Snap were wasn’t too bad, it was not really pleasant either. The ground was pretty warm, and some areas got randomnly hotter, with seemingly no rhyme or reason. There were a few dead trees around, blackened and many broken down. In the distance, they sometimes could catch a lake of lava or an eruption in the distance. This place was highly volcanic. Ash was constantly in the air. The only reason why they weren’t choking on it was because they were too far away to be affected by it. Judging from this alone, Rudy guessed that much of the Fire Zone was too unlivable, so that did reduce the amount of ground they’d have to search.

Rudy felt uncomfortable walking under this sky. Somehow, maybe due to the composition of the air, any mount of sky that wasn’t covered by the grey and black smoke was blood red. It gave the place an extra level of foreboding atmosphere, making him shudder. He could tell Penny and Snap didn’t like being underneath it either. They continued to move forward, doing their best not to look up at the red sky above them. They needed to focus on finding Bardot and Draow. They had to be somewhere here.

The three of them did their best to cope with the heat. It was about ninety in this place, and some areas, they felt like it got over a hundred, which may have been the case. They aren’t even anywhere near the volcanoes. They could imagine how high the temperatures in those places were. They’d have to be careful as one one step could lead them all getting horrifically burned. The fact that there were sometimes lava balls shooting in the distance didn’t help anything either. One of them could easily fling towards them, and with how fast they were going, they might not be able to get out of the way in time.

So far, the place looked quite barren and they could all see why. This place hardly looked livable, even in the less dramatic places like where they were walking. There were no living plants here. At least none that they could see. And with no visible water, how could any plants grow here anyway? They also didn’t see any animal life either. Nothing scurrying along the ground. Not even a little insect could be seen.

This was worrying for the trio. If this place was this awful to live in, what were the odds that Bardot and Draow were even still alive? They doubted that they were checked on that often, so they could have died from lack of water and food after a time and no one found out. This would be pretty bad if this turned out to be the case. They couldn’t very well get information from a bunch of corpses. They hoped that, somehow, those two had managed to survive all this time and were at least in good enough shape to speak with them. And they hoped that they would find them soon before their time was up. Or before they burned to death, which ever happened first.

They did soon find some bit of animal life, or rather...former animal life laying around. They came upon a massive corpse. It looked like some cow beast with a long lizard like tail. Most of the skin had rotted off, but what was left on there looked both rigid and papery. A few flies where flying around the corpse, eating whatever was left of it. The empty sockets and the grin only a skull could give bore through their minds, making them shudder in fear and disgust. They moved on quickly, wanting to get as far away from that horrid sight as they could. They hoped they wouldn’t run into too much of these.

And of course, that was exactly what happened shortly after. There was a whole grave sight of these things. Shattered bones and petrified skin laid everywhere. Their bodies were ‘moving’ in a sense, as a bunch of insects chewed on the skin. Here, they could also see a few other forms of life, such as red lizards that gnawed on the bones, and some black-colored plants growing around underneath the dead animals. They realized that the black trees they encountered may not have been dead, but were actually alive, somehow able to take nutrients from this hostile place.

They walked around for what felt like an hour and still no sign of those two. They began to wonder if they really were dead. They hoped they weren’t. They didn’t want this treacherous journey to be all for nothing. They had to be around here...somewhere.. But where? Rudy tried to think of which direction they should go. Should they keep going straight..or change direction? Where would Bardot and Draow be in a place like this?

“Perhaps we should go...” Rudy started to say. But when he saw the look on his friends’ faces, he stopped and lowered his finger. “Guys...? What’s wrong...?”

“R-Rudy..” Penny pointed at something behind him.

Thinking it was Draow or Bardot, Rudy looked behind him. What he saw wasn’t them, but they would have been a welcome sight compared to this. Standing before him was a large bear-like zoner that appeared zombified. Parts of its bones were exposed, but its internal organs appeared to function, glowing brightly. The bear was on its hind legs and it was huge, about the same size as Draow. It let out a massive roar, opening its mouth so wide that they could see deep down its throat. Its sharp fangs glinted in the red glow of the place.

Rudy quickly got out the magic chalk. He took a fighting stance, making sure he was between the bear and his friends. He gritted his teeth as the bear took a few steps forward, still remaining on two legs. Letting out another roar, it stomped on the ground, shaking it. Rudy tried to draw in self defense, but the bear lunged for him and nearly ripped his arm off. He managed to get out of the way, but then the bear swatted him with its paw, knocking him into the ground.

Immediately his friends came rushing over. Snap jumped onto its back and pulled on its ears. The bear reared back up onto its hind legs and swung its head and shoulders from side to side, trying to dislodge Snap. While the little zoner distracted the bear, Penny went over and pulled Rudy up to his feet. They turned around just in time to see Snap let out of the bear and fall into the ground. Before he could get back up, the bear slammed its paw against his chest and stomach, prompting a grunt of pain from him. The bear pushed down hard and Snap winced in pain struggling to get free.

“Snap! No!” Rudy called out, reaching out with his hand.

Penny rushed over and, using her own piece of magic chalk, she started to draw..but then the ground beneath them started to shake. The bear’s previously furious expression changed to horror as it looked around. Removing its paw from Snap, it started to back away. Rudy and Penny reached Snap’s side and helped him to his feet. They then looked back at the bear, which stood very close to them. It hardly noticed them anymore and it continued taking backwards steps.

They soon found out what had scared the bear so much. The ground was starting to crack open. Red lava became visible. The cracks rapidly spread and grew wider and wider. The bear turned tail and ran off, but it didn’t get that far. To their horror, the ground beneath the bear crumbled apart and it sank into the lava. They watched what happened next in absolute horror. It was something that Rudy didn’t think he could ever get out of his head.

The bear melted before them. It slowly sank into the ground. All the while it let out loud screams of agony that tore through their soul just listening to it. Blood poured from many places as the bear’s skin began to break out in boils and burned off. As soon as the beast’s skull became visible, they could no longer take it and they turned their heads away, shielding their eyes. They could hear the grunching sounds of the bear being broken apart. It made them all feel nauseaous. And then a bubbling sound...

They couldn’t stand there for long. The ground beneath them shook more and, to their horror, red lava started to appear beneath their feet. The intense heat nearly burned them. They took off running as fast as they could. The crack moved rapidly behind them, splitting the ground. Lava oozed onto the black and red ground, melting whatever it touched. Their hearts pounded, their mouths became dry and scratchy, and their eyes wide with fear and terror as the lava line raced rapidly towards them.

“Rudy! You have to draw something!” Snap called out, his voice a little more high pitched than normal.

“I don’t know what to draw!” Rudy’s mind was filled with such panic, he had a hard time thinking of what to do next.

Penny called out, “Something that can fly!”

Rudy’s right eye widened. Of course, why hadn’t he thought of that? Working with Penny, they began to draw a large hang glider, one that was big enough to support all of them. Once they were finished, they put their magic chalks in their pockets and they grabbed onto the metal handle bar with one hand each. Their other hands grabbed onto Snap’s arms. They jumped into the air, hoping that it would at least provide some kind of lift for them.

They weren’t able to glide through the air, which was of no surprise since they did not start from a great height. But the glider did let them leap large distances across the ground. Using this method, they were able to put several feet, yards between them and the line. They then veered off in a different direction, heading towards what seemed to be more stable ground. The red line that seemed to be chasing them just continued on straight. As the three friends landed on the ground and released the hang glider, they watched, caution on their minds, as the red line zipped further into the distance, lava oozing from the cracks.

Not wanting to stand around for much longer in case this ground decided to become unstable as well, they began to walk down in a new direction. They were shaken up by what happened. It seemed that even the ground here could be unpredictable at best, with lava hiding underneath anywhere. They had to wonder how anyone could survive so long on this place. And anyone who could..it was a terrifying thought. One would have to be quite tough to make a living here. This made running into Draow and Bardot that much more frightening.

“I..I don’t like it here...” Snap said in a soft voice. His body was shaking a little. “If Bardot and Draow could survive this, does this mean that...?”

Penny shook her head. “I don’t think so, Snap. This place is too hostile. They couldn’t be at their full strength.”

“And it doesn’t look like there’s much to eat or drink here.” Rudy pointed out, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder to reassure him. “They won’t be able to hurt any of us in their weakened state. They’re probably nothing but skin and bones now.”

Snap looked around nervously. “Maybe you’re right...” Snap didn’t sound very convinced. “Still...there’s a chance that...”

“It’s okay, Snap. We understand why you’re scared. We all are.” Rudy said gently. They slowed down their walk as he and Penny tried to calm Snap. “We all witnessed firsthand what those monsters were capable of. But they can’t hurt us anymore. And we have the upperhand.”

To emphasize Rudy’s point, Penny pulled out a piece of magic chalk. “They won’t try to do anything to us, even if they could. They know they stand no chance against two armed creators.”

Snap opened his mouth to say something, but then he stopped. His wide eyes looked around. He whipped his head from side to side. “D-Did you guys hear that...?”

As soon as he said that, Rudy and Penny took notice of it, too. There was something...near them. The patter of feet, shadows moving, something blurry moving just out of their line of sight. They thought they heard a growl, but it was too faint to tell if it was familiar or not. They stood close to each other, looking all around. They couldn’t see anything, but signs that someone or something was watching them were present, even if just vaguely.

After a while of nothing happening, the three cautiously began to walk forward. They never strayed too far from each other. They continuously looked around, trying to see any sign of what was following them. Once in a while, they caught what looked like a shadow or a dark figure, but it moved by so fast they couldn’t see it. They began to quicken their pace a little, deciding that it was best if they got away from here as soon as they could. They soon came upon what looked like a large stone pillar. And up ahead, it looked like the remnants of those lava cracks they saw earlier.

Suddenly, without warning, something large and heavy landed right behind them. Startled, they jumped into the air and looked to see what it was. It was that pillar they saw just seconds ago. It appeared to have been pushed over. They noted the claw marks against the stone. They took a few steps back, startled by how close they were to being crushed by this. But then, before they could catch a breather, the shallow ditches all around them erupted in a wall of fire.

They screamed and huddled tightly against each other, holding each other for comfort. The fire’s heat was intense, making them all sweat. It was almost burning, and the light was intense. They looked all around, trying to find an escape route. Panic settled into their minds, making Rudy and Penny temporarily forget that they have magic chalk to help them out. They just stood there, in absolute shock at what happened.

As the crackling fire and smoke surrounded them, making them cough, they could hear the sound of small footsteps, then claws scraping frantically. And then there was the flapping of wings and something heavy landing on something near them.

“Rudy...Penny...Snap...”

At this, Rudy and his friends froze. Their bodies stiff, their blood running cold. That voice....that horrible voice... They instantly knew who it was. They slowly turned around, their eyes wide in terror and fear.

“It’s been a long time...” The voice chortled.

There, standing on top of the rock that blocked them in, was Bardot. He was perched above them, his tail swishing left and right. And behind him, Draow. The teal-eyed beast leered down at them, hated practically radiating off his face.

Bardot gave a twisted smile as he saw the terrified expressions of Rudy, Penny, and Snap. He jumped off the rock and landed several feet in front of them. He took a few steps towards them, and then turned his head to the side. His familiar evil grin, his green eyes glinted with maliciousness, he stared at them with one eye.

Then Bardot spoke again, keeping his head tilted and leaning slightly forward, his voice mocking. “How have you been?”


	28. It Has Been A Long Time

Rudy shook his head in disbelief. He couldn’t believe it. He found it hard to believe. This is not what he was expecting when he came here at all. Neither did his friends. When they went looking for Bardot and Draow, they had been looking for a couple of weak, malnourished zoners. The Fire Zone was supposed to be a harsh landscape to live in. It was supposed to force them to use their wits all the time to survive. It should have made them much weaker. They should have been much thinner.

But instead, the two stood before them, looking rather well for two zoners who lived two years in this hostile environment. They were a little thinner, but not nearly as much as they thought they would be. And to their horror, they looked a little more muscled than the last time they saw them, likely due to life in such a harsh place. Overall, the two zoners looked mostly the same as the last time they saw them, and it looked like, if they chose to, they could put up a really good fight. So far, neither of them made a move towards the trio, but they kept tense, prepared for a sudden attack.

Rudy wondered how their interrogation was going to go now. His idea of them succeeding largely rode on the fact that he thought the two would be weak when they found them. He thought that Bardot would be too weak to attempt an attack on them. But here he was, clearly able to make a move on them if he so decided. The blood that lightly stained his claws showed that he was still in fighting condition. He shuddered as Bardot looked from him, to Penny, to Snap, and then back at him again, yet saying nothing.

The only source of comfort he could find was the fact that Bardot still wore the purple collar. He couldn’t see the purple energy flowing over him, and he wondered if the collar was broken. Then he realized it might be all internalized, possibly getting that way after a period of time. At least Bardot won’t have his speed or venom to use on them. He still had his smaller razor sharp teeth, though, and those thick claws. He might still be able to do considerable damage to them if he could get close enough to them.

And Draow... The massive zoner would prove a definite threat. He stood on the rock still, his eyes piercing into them. He did not look very happy to see them. He, however, did not speak or try to come towards them. It could be he was waiting for an order from Bardot, or maybe he was just biding his time. The main advantage of the fire walls all around them is that it would make it difficult for Draow to make a move behind them without them noticing. But the fire wall was still blocking their escape. Rudy and Penny held up their magic chalk slowly, showing the two that they weren’t defenseless and would fight if need be.

Rudy hoped Penny would be able to hold her ground. He was amazed she could do it earlier. He contributed it to adrenaline. She still had trouble walking and the adrenaline may have helped her overcome the pain for a short period of time. She lost her cane earlier, however, when they were running away from the bear. He wouldn’t be surprise if she would be frustrated by that because that would have been the second cane she lost in a few days.

With Penny’s leg injury, she would be an easy target. At least she had the magic chalk to defend herself, but who knows when these two would attack? He imagined that Bardot would still be quick, even if he wouldn’t be as fast as usual, and Draow could move pretty fast for someone his size. No doubt that they would sense Penny’s weakness and be able to launch an attack on her so fast that she couldn’t defend herself.

But then there was Snap. He was another possible target. Though Draow hated Rudy the most, he might decide to go for the easiest target, which is Snap. The blue zoner can’t use the magic chalk and they had no blue chalk with them. Draow could easily swoop down, take Snap into his jaws and crush him. In an attempt to protect both his friends from being targeted, Rudy took a few steps forward, standing protectively in front of his friends. He glared at Bardot, trying his best not to let his fear show.

But it was impossible, and Bardot could sense he was afraid. The yellow and red zoner gave a cold laughter and began to pace back in forth in front of the boy, his tail swishing from side to side. His voice as he spoke, the same cold chilling voice that Rudy, Penny, and Snap learned all too well, still made their blood freeze to this day.

“How long as it been since we last met? Why..I think it’s been two years, hasn’t it?” Bardot said. He sneered at Rudy, baring his sharp teeth in a nasty grin. “How have things been with you three? Anything exciting?” He seemed to take notice of the patch over Rudy’s left eye. “Oh nice, that is a good look for you. What happened? Did you trip over your own heroic ego?”

Rudy narrowed his right eye. Bardot sounded so sarcastic when he said that. It was clear that he was just mocking him, probably to incite an argument. He had to try to ignore his words. He couldn’t allow himself to be manipulated by this monster. A negative reaction is exactly what he was trying to get from him.

“Shut up, Bardot...” Rudy growled under his breath. “If you’re still sore about losing...”

“Me? Sore?” Bardot placed a paw on his chest and gave Rudy a feigned innocent look. “Why, Rudy, why would you think that of me?” His smile returned, though a little softer than before. “You know that I willingly came here, because I conceded to you and your friends. You beat me fair and square. Why would I be upset about that?”

Rudy planted his feet firmly on the ground. He pointed a finger at the yellow zoner. “Because you went nuts after Snap beat you! How do we know you won’t try to pull something like that again?”

Bardot’s eyes narrowed slightly. He straightened himself a little and lifted up a paw. He placed a claw tip against the collar he was wearing. “You see this here? Purple collar, made with purple chalk.” He held out the paw, palm facing up, and he continued, “In case you forgot, purple chalk subdues my red chalk half. Not completely you know, but some of my abilities, like my venom, are gone. I cannot take it off. And you boy...” He pointed a claw at Rudy. “You and Penny I see, you both have magic chalk. Why would I risk my own tail trying to fight you when you are armed?”

Bardot did have a point. This was what he and his friends believed when they came here. Them being armed would give them an advantage, and it seemed they might be right. Even though Bardot and Draow were healthier than they thought they would be, they would still be at a disadvantage against the magic chalk. Still, Rudy didn’t want to let his guard down. With these two, it was best not to take chances.

He still couldn’t believe how fit these two looked despite being in the Fire Zone. How was this possible? Were they really that good at survival that being in the Fire Zone did not cause as much trouble as he thought it would? The idea was frightening. If these two could be this well in the Fire Zone, what would happen if they broke free? The chances were highly unlikely, but if the very remote chance happened, and they did get out, just how much more dangerous had they become? He hoped that the day never came that they’d never get out of the Fire Zone. He couldn’t imagine the kind of terror they’d be able to unleash in their current state, even without Bardot’s venom and speed.

Bardot must be able to read minds, or he just creepily knows what to say at the right moment. “You three must be surprised to see us...so well...”

“...you could say that again.” Snap said, his voice filled with nervousness. He put on a brave face. He took a step foward, holding out his hand, pointing it at Bardot. “Just how is this possible? Did you two escape Fire Zone from time to time or something?”

“We have seen quite a bit of Fire Zone and nothing here suggests that you could remain this way for two years.” Penny said hesitantly. “By my calculations...”

“Oh shut up about your dumb calculations, bitch.” Draow growled. The fur along his back and neck ruffled up a little. “You can see right before your eyes that you are wrong.”

Pointing the magic chalk in Draow’s direction, Rudy shouted, “Don’t talk to her like that!” This prompted a snarl from Draow, but nothing else.

Bardot chuckled, sounding amused by the little display that happened in front of him. As Rudy turned his attention back to him, they locked their green eyes together. Bardot merely sat down on his hanches. Once again holding out his paw, gesturing with it as he spoke, Bardot began to explain. “It’s so simple, really. Putting us in a harsh environment like the Fire Zone has forced us to become...well smarter. We had to use our wits to survive, so we’ve adapted. If you think living here automatically means you’ll grow weaker over time guarantee....well... That is a fallacy.”

Suddenly, Draow swooped down. He landed behind the trio, not far from them. He did not act bothered at all by the fire, like he had grown used to being so close to it, which they didn’t doubt. He straighted himself up for a second, giving them an evil glare, before curling his lips into a vicious grin and putting his face close to them. The group took a few steps away.

“Are you..disappointed?” Draow asked, his voice sounding a little deeper than usual. He chortled at their lack of a reply, taking it as a ‘yes’. “Well...ain’t that too bad...”

Draow flattened his ears and moved in to attack them. The trio stood their ground, preparing to fight. They watched as the bat wolf slowly approached them, drool dripping from his fangs and eyes glowing with hatred for them. Suddenly, Bardot lunged between them. His back was to the trio while his head, fangs bared, were on Draow. The bat wolf’s eyes widened and he took a step backwards.

“Easy, Draow. There’s no need to fight them.” Bardot said calmly. “After all...” He turned to cast a one-eyed glance at Rudy and his friends. “...we already had our fun with them.” He turned back to Draow. “You already got to attack all of them. You got to tear them up. Don’t be so greedy. You don’t need to attack them again. Stand down.”

Draow’s ears dropped. He gave a look that was a cross between disgust and disappointment. “You ruin all the fun..”

Bardot chuckled at this, but did not answer Draow. He whipped his head and looked back at Rudy and his friends. He took a few steps towards them. “Honestly, I don’t see why you are so surprised by how well we look. Don’t you know the old saying? What doesn’t kill you...”

Draow moved in closer, standing right behind Bardot. He stood up straight, spreading out his wings a little. “Makes you stronger.”

“I am part red chalk. Though this collar subdues it, some qualities still remain, such as some of the tenacity and ferocity of the red chalk.” Bardot said, smiling darkly. “It really comes in handy here...”

“And I... I was drawn as Cosmo’s top warrior. I’ve fought against many zoners on my own, taking on as many as ten at a time, and always coming out on top!” To emphasize his point, he spread his wings out further. “I was bred for this kind of hostility!” His teeth were bared in a vicious grin.

Rudy, Penny, and Snap stayed close together. They kept their eyes on the two evil zoners, unsure of what to expect from them. Bardot did say not to attack, but then, he had only said that about Draow. He didn’t say that he himself wouldn’t attack, and then there was always the chance that he could change his mind and allow Draow to come in for an assault.

The realization of what Bardot and Draow were saying did start to click with Rudy. Horror swept through his head, his mind trying to digest this new bit of information. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought about it before. Bardot and Draow...they both just made a really good point. There was some truth to that saying. This place did require a lot of skill to survive in. He should have realized that, the longer Draow and Bardot stayed here, the more talented they would become, the more adapt they’d get to surviving here. He realized they should have been more prepared when they came here, and not assume that these two would be weak.

And the bit about the red chalk and what they were drawn for made sense and he couldn’t believe he didn’t consider it before. Red chalk drawings would be more durable in a place like this thanks to their ferocity. Bardot would still have at least some of that, and it would have helped him survive here. And Draow... He was drawn to be a vicious fighter. This kind of place, though it likely was still hard for him to live in, it didn’t faze him as much because he was already used to fighting against the odds. Why didn’t he see it before? Why did he assume that they would be weak instead of considering other possibilities?

And now his mistake might cost them. He and Penny still had the magic chalk, but that was no guarantee of safety. One of these two could try to snag the chalk away from them. They could attack so fast that they cannot use it. If they had survived here for all this time, they may have learned some new tricks. Would they be prepared? Were they even ready to face them now? Rudy realized he probably should have allowed Skrawl to send the Beanie Boys in instead. They might have had a better handle on this than him.

Well now it was too late to go back on that now. They were here now, and they would have to make the most of it. So long as they had magic chalk with them, they may be able to still get these two to talk and spill the beans of what they are looking for. Without his speed or venom, Bardot would be at a disadvantage still. Though he still had his sharp teeth and claws and wasn’t really defenseless, at least he wasn’t as big of a threat as he was two years ago.

But Draow would still prove to be dangerous. He was huge, much larger than any of them. If he so desired, he could kill them with his jaws. He didn’t have any special abilities, well other than that glass trick but there’s no glass around here so he can’t use it. But he still had his strength, his flight, his claws, and of course, his ferocity. He was not going to be a pushover. Out of the two, he was the most immediately dangerous. If Bardot decides to let him attack, they would need to be fully prepared and anticipate it.

Rudy wondered how they would get information from them. He had expected them to be weak and his initial plan was based around that. Well that was thrown out the window. With them both healthier than they thought they would be, he needed to come up with another plan. He wasn’t sure just how willing Bardot would be to tell them what they wanted. He could easily withhold some important information, telling a half truth while keeping out some important details, or he could not say anything at all and simply stall for time.

He was taken from his thoughts when Bardot decided to break the silence.

“Now...what is it you came here for?” Bardot asked. He stood on all fours. He started to pace around the trio. “I’m sure you didn’t come all this way just to say ‘hello’. So tell me...what brings you to these parts?”

Rudy narrowed his eyes. He and his friends watched as the hybrid zoner paced around them like a vulture. Bardot’s voice sounded somewhat curious, but mostly mocking. Rudy tried to think of how he was going to word it. Though he knew, whatever he did say, Bardot and Draow would find a way to mock him anyway. He and his friends would have to make sure they ignore anything that wasn’t information. These two would probably still try to provoke them. They always had a habit of doing that two years ago. Why would they stop now?

“I...” He glanced at Penny and Snap. They nodded their heads. Standing as a group, he said, “We came here to ask you a few questions.”

“Oh?” Bardot tilted his head to the side. He looked amused by this. He let out a soft laughter that didn’t sound entirely maniacal. “How very interesting... You, of all people, coming to me...out of all zoners...” He put his paw on his chest, and then held it out in gesture. “...for information? I never thought I would see the day.”

Draow took a step forward, his ears lowered. “Why would you want to come to us, or rather, Bardot, for information? What makes you think that you will get that information so easily?” He raised his wings, positioning them so that his wing claws glinted in the fiery glow all around them. “After all, you two fell for our fire trap like it was nothing.” He folded his wings against his body and looked around, a small smile spreading across his muzzle. “This thing is always hard to set up. But it works...”

Penny looked all around, her eyes widening at the tall flames that still shot out from the ground. “You mean, you two were able to...?”

Draow nodded his head affirmatively. “You’d be amazed what you learn about this place after you spent some time in it.” He lowered his head and moved closer. The trio took a fighting stance as he put his head close to Penny’s face. His eyes glinting in hatred, he said, “Of course, you three wasted our chance with this thing. So we won’t be able to get our next meal for a while. Of course...” He looked down at Snap, grinning evilly. “...I could always go for a snack.”

Snap’s eyes widened in horror and he moved back. Rudy and Penny moved in front of him protectively, glaring hatefully at the bat wolf zoner. Draow laughed at this. But upon seeing the magic chalk in their hands, he started to move backwards, putting some distance between him and the teenagers. He then turned his head over to Bardot, likely awaiting orders. The hybrid zoner smiled at him, but the only order he gave was a single gesture, a wave of the paw to indicate that he stay put.

“What kind of information are you looking for?” Bardot asked, making his voice sound as innocent as possible. He scratched his chin with the tip of his claw. “Maybe you need to know how I used to kill zoners? Do you want detailed information about how my venom used to work? Oh! Maybe you want me to recount exactly what I did to Snap for...”

“Knock it off!” Rudy shouted, his right eye narrowed. “Why would I want to know any of that stuff?!”

Bardot laughed, his shoulders shaking a little. “Well I don’t know...” He sat down on his haunches and tilted his head to the side, making himself look very eerie, especially in the glow of the fire. “Maybe morbid curiosity...?”

Rudy growled under his breath. The way Bardot said that... It made his blood boil. He sounded like he would actually really want to know those things in great detail. Why would he come all the way here just to hear about that stuff? If he wanted some gruesome data, he could have just went to the library for that. He didn’t need to come here.

He had to keep himself calm. He had to remind himself that Bardot was just trying to stir up some trouble. He couldn’t let him do that. He couldn’t allow him to control him like that. He wasn’t going to allow Bardot the satisfaction of making him or his friends lose their tempers. He wasn’t going to give him the joy of knowing that they had managed to push their buttons. No, they weren’t going to be toyed with like that.

Doing his best to ignore Bardot’s statement, Rudy said, “How was it possible for you to digest real world flesh? I know you mentioned about dehydration but...what else? That couldn’t possibly be the only way you did it.”

At this, Bardot’s eyes widened ever so slightly. He turned his head a little. “Why would you want to know that?” He gave a mock gasp, putting his paw to his mouth. “Oh! Don’t tell me!” He narrowed his eyes and spread his grin far back. His ears pricked up. “You’ve taken a liking to eating zoners?”

The trio gasped at that. They couldn’t believe Bardot would suggest such a horrible thing. Their blood boiled in anger, their eyes narrowing into slits. Despite wanting to ignore this guy’s attempts at upsetting them, it was hard, and he knew just how to get under their skin.

“You are sick...” Snap growled. He pointed his round hand at him. “Truly disgusting!”

Penny hissed, “How fucking dare you...”

Rudy’s body was shaking in anger. “Why would I want to do that?!”

“Hey, whatever floats your boat..” Draow said, a cruel smile spread across his face. He looked at the patch over Rudy’s left eye. “I see you have a missing eye...just like my master...” His voice became deep in anger for a few seconds. When he continued talking, his voice lightened up again, sounding eerily cheerful. “Maybe you got that from your latest victim?”

Rudy’s eye widened and then they narrowed. He let out a soft growl. He tried his best not to get too angry, but it was hard, and he could feel his blood burning in his veins. Penny and Snap were both also visibly angered by what Draow said. Of course these two would want to make it seem like Rudy would want to be the bad guy. They would do whatever it took to try to shift blame onto him, and try to make it seem like he caused the problems.

That was just how these two operated. They loved shifting blame onto others when they saw fit. They never want to take responsibility for their own actions, so to feel better about themselves, they take sadistic joy in blaming the victim. What a horrible thing to do... Victims don’t ask to be victims. These two...they’re the only ones to blame for their actions. They chose to do what they did. They’re the only ones at fault. They had the power of choice. They could have chosen not to do anything diabolical and they wouldn’t have ended up here.

“Why you...” Rudy growled. His fists shook in anger. “I’m not hurting any zoners!”

“Are you sure about that?” Bardot asked.

“Yes!” Rudy declared. He tried his best not to let his anger get the best of him. He took in a few breaths, trying to calm himself down. “If you really must know why I need that kind of informatin from you, it’s because...I’m sick.”

“A confession?” Draow said with a sneer, his eyes wide in insanity.

“No, it’s not like that at all!” Penny waved her hands in front of her. Though she clearly looked angry, she was fighting with her emotions as she spoke. She tried to sound as calm as she could. “He was infected by a chalk virus!”

“And it is turning his insides to chalk, but not his internal fluids!” Snap narrowed his eyes. “So if you don’t fork over the information...”

“What..?” Bardot cut off Snap. His head was raised up, his ears perked straight. The expression on his face was that of surprise, a rare expression they got from this guy. Whether or not it was genuine, it was hard to tell. His voice, however, indicated that he really was taken aback by this news. “You’re kidding...”

“No, I’m not.” Rudy shook his head.

Draow threw his head back. His mouth split wide open and he started to laugh coldly. The laughter seemed to almost echo off the fire walls all around them. “How perfect!” He was clearly amused by the news. Rudy, Penny, and Snap glared at him. “What a fitting punishment for what you did to Mr. Cosmo!”

“Are you still on about that?!” Rudy snapped. “I didn’t kill Cosmo! He killed himself!”

Draow stopped laughing and his ears folded flat against his head. “My master isn’t stupid... That only happened because of your interference, boy!” He spread his wings out, adopting a dinosaur-like stance. He moved closer, placing his muzzle inches in front of Rudy’s face. “If I got the permit, I would...”

Bardot put his paws on Draow’s face and pushed him back. The bat wolf looked disappointed, but he moved back as Bardot silently told him to. Rudy didn’t know how Bardot still had control over Draow despite not being able to use his venom, but he was partially glad that he did. Out of the two, Bardot seemed the most calm and collected. It may be thanks in part to that collar. Still, Bardot was still dangerous, and with him standing so close, he had to be prepared.

“I suppose maybe I should give you the information. With the magic chalk, I’m sure you could force it out of me. You could trap me and Draow until we speak.” Bardot mused. He paced around in front of Rudy. As he turned, he kept his green eyes locked on the boy’s. “Of course...is there really a need for such...hostilities...?”

Rudy, Penny, and Snap growled at this. They took a step back away from the hybrid zoner. Their eyes watched as he paced around them, sometimes rubbing up against them in an almost affectionate manner. Rudy and Penny thought about defending themselves, but they didn’t want to attack Bardot unnecessarily, as that wouldn’t make them much better than him.

Bardot moved away from them. He sat down, his back turned to them. “I think we can put our differences behind us... for at least a little while...” He turned his head and gave them an eerie sideways glance. “...you monster.”

At this, seeing that Bardot was looking straight at him as he said that, Rudy’s right eye snapped wide open. What was this guy talking about? How was he the monster? He wasn’t the one who tortured and killed so many people. He wasn’t the one who ripped Snap apart. He wasn’t the one who broke Penny’s leg. He did none of those things.

The idea of Bardot now trying to blame him, trying to make it sound like he was the bad guy, it made him and his friends so angry. How dare he act like he was innocent... How dare he act like Rudy did something so terrible... How dare he try to make it sound like they weren’t so different... He was despicable...

“He’s not a monster!” Snap shouted in defense.

“Oh I know... It’s not just him. You all are.” Bardot mused. He pointed the tip of his claw at them. “You’re just too blinded to see it.”

Penny clenched her teeth, her brown eyes glinting in anger. “We’re not the ones who commited those crimes, Bardot! Don’t try your mind games on us! We know what really happened!”

“We witnessed some of what you did! You confessed to us some of your crimes!” Rudy’s voice was raised. “How the fuck is it any of our fault?! What did we do that makes you think we’re monsters?!”

“Wouldn’t you like to know...” Draow spoke in a dark, cold voice.

Bardot moved in closer. He moved at considerable speed. Not as fast as he used to, but still enough that Rudy was startled when the zoner was upon them. He stood up onto his hind legs, folding his front paws against his chest. It was a strange gesture they never saw him in before. It somehow made it creepier, especially when he said the next line.

“Your twisted sense of justice...” Bardot sneered.

“What are you talking about?!” Rudy demanded.

Bardot chuckled darkly. “Of course you would be confused. Allow me to explain...”

At this, Bardot moved in front of them. Draow moved a few steps back. He settled on the ground, his wings folded against his body. He watched, a dark smile on his face. Bardot continued to walk on two legs, his arms folded behind his back. His tail twitched from side to side.

“You think that you are so much better than us...by having us sent away to this hostile place... You believe that you did...the right thing... making us live in a dangerous land where we have to fight to survive every day. You might think of it as retribution. You might think of it as..karma... I know the way you people think. Force the criminals to endure the same thing as we inflicted on our victims...” He held out his paw to his side. “..which makes sense...” He pointed a claw upwards, grinning at them. “Up to a point.”

“You see, there is a downside to this...type of action that you call justice.” Draow said. “And yet, you are so focused on ‘bringing closure to the victims’, that you are unable to see...what this is doing to you...”

Bardot sneered, “Yes..correct... You three might think that it is only right for us to suffer the same kind of pain as our victims... But here’s something you may not have considered.” He took a step towards them. “We may have tortured our victims. I will not deny that. We have done many terrible things. But see...” His smile broadened ever so slightly. “We never condemned any of our victims to a permanent life of that... We never kept a victim around that long. We always killed them, save for very few. We ended their misery, which you could see as the only act of kindness we gave to them. Now...if we are ‘nice’ enough to kill our victims so they won’t suffer long..but you three are willing to let us suffer for the rest of our lives as punishment, a much longer time span...” He leaned his body forward, his eyes widening in insanity. “..what does that say about you three?”

Rudy and his friends were horrified by this. Their bodies shook in disbelief. They tried not to let Bardot’s words bother them. He...He was wrong. He just had to be. He was just saying that to make them angry. He just wanted to initiate a reaction from them, maybe give him an excuse to attack. They shouldn’t listen to what he says. What did this guy know about justice? What did he know about fairness? The guy had tortured so many, killed so many.. How dare he act like the gospel of truth...

Rudy tried to get his body to stop shaking. He found it impossible to do so. His mind swirled with what Bardot had said. He was horrified, disgusted, and angered all at once. This foul beast...he had some nerve trying to stay stuff like that. Trying to shift blame again, this time trying to make it sound like they were no different... He was a horrible little zoner. It seemed the Fire Zone had done little to cool down that ego of his.

“So I have to wonder...”

Rudy, Penny, and Snap glared as Bardot walked back over towards them. He stood in front of them, still on his hind legs. He looked up intently at Rudy. His sharp fangs that once carried venom glinted in the light menacingly.

“If Draow and I condemned our victims to suffering for a few days...if you count Barney, under two years...And you three believe that Draow and I should suffer for the rest of our lives in this hell hole...Tell me...” Bardot reached up and grabbed Rudy by his shirt collar. He tugged him down, putting his furry face against his. He spoke again, his voice the same growly voice that Snap had to listen to when he was being ripped apart. “Who is the real monster...?”

That was it. Rudy couldn’t take it anymore. He was tired of listening to the trash this guy was saying about them. He had no idea what he was talking about... Unable to stop himself, he brought his foot back and he kicked Bardot square on the stomach. The hybrid zoner let out a yelp of pain and he stumbled backwards. Penny and Snap grabbed onto Rudy to keep him from rushing over towards Bardot. Rudy stood there, panting very slowly, as he glared daggers at the hybrid zoner.

Bardot pushed himself onto his front paws, his back legs sprawled behind him. It was a similar posture he was in when Rudy kicked him for mocking what he did with Barney. This time, though, Bardot didn’t try to attack back. He looked up at Rudy, his eyes wide in shock. He coughed a few times, a bit of blood spraying on the ground. At the sight of this, Draow moved in, but Bardot raised a paw up.

“No...don’t attack...” Bardot said. He coughed a few more times. A bit of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. “I asked for it.. I shouldn’t have provoked them.” He climbed up to his feet. His pained look disappeared as a smile replaced it. “Enough of that..let’s drop that..unpleasant subject...” He took a step forward. “Let’s...change topics...”

His eyes focused intently on Snap.


	29. How Very Interesting

Snap instinctively took a step back when the hybrid zoner set his eyes on him. He narrowed his eyes, trying his best to hide his fear. Rudy and Penny stood next to him, and he knew that they would keep him safe in case Bardot tried to make a move. Snap’s eyes never left Bardot’s as the yellow zoner took a few steps towards him, that same eerie smile on his face.

Anger filled Snap’s mind, and he knew that Rudy and Penny were feeling the same emotion. The way Bardot tried to twist things, try to make them sound different, he could feel his blood heating up more as he thought about it. Bardot was trying to say that they were just as much of monsters as he was. He was trying to say that, somehow, them being sent out here was somehow much worse than the horrible acts that they had committed. Snap and his friends didn’t commit mass murder across ChalkZone. They didn’t torture and kill zoners for nothing more than sadistic pleasure, and eating for Bardot’s case.

No, that is what Bardot and Draow have done. They were the real monsters here. They had no empathy, no sense of compassion. They don’t really care about others’ suffering. They just care about getting what they want. Others’ pain is their pleasure, especially for Bardot. What do they know about justice? What could they possibly know about the pain of others? They have no sympathy, no empathy for others. Bardot himself had even said that life was just a game and that Rudy and everyone else are just toys to him. Why would he care at all about what is fair and what isn’t?

But of course, Bardot wouldn’t care about any of that. He was incapable of caring. He was a hybrid zoner. His red chalk half prevents him from feeling much empathy. Unless it was his life on the line, he could care less. He doesn’t even care about Draow, whom he is stuck with for the rest of his life. The only reason he keeps him around is because he’s probably the best hunter out of the two. Snap clenched his teeth as he realized that these two were still killing zoners. At least, in this case, there was a better reason for it than just simple pleasure.

“Ah... Snappy boy....” Bardot mused, eyeing Snap up and down. “So..glad to see you well..” His voice was low, mocking.

Bardot moved in closer. Rudy and Penny stood in front of Snap, blocking Bardot from coming any closer. The hybrid zoner just stared at them. He lifted up his paw and snapped his claws. Draow came in quickly and rammed his head against the two teenagers. Before they could draw anything, Draow planted his feet against their bodies, his claws pressing against their arms and preventing them from drawing. Draow lowered his head and sneered at them, a low growl emitting from his throat.

Snap watched in horror as his two friends struggled to just breathe properly. He made a move towards them, but he quickly collided with something yellow. Bardot had jumped in front of him. Seeing Bardot this up close again after years, it was quite unnerving. Looking into those eyes, Snap remembered the fight he had to endure, how he was practically on his last leg. And now here he was again with Bardot. Though he wasn’t at the disadvantage he was before, he was still terrified, unsure of what to do.

Bardot began to pace around him slowly. His tail pressed against his body in an almost affectionate manner, similar to a feline. Bardot looked him up and down again. He appeared to be examining him. Snap felt unnerved by this. He wanted to get away from Bardot, but something kept him frozen. A mixture of fear for himself and worry for his friends. He did his best to hide the fact he was afraid and he glared at Bardot.

The hybrid zoner stopped circling him. He stood in front of Snap, his side facing him. He turned his head so he could look at Snap in the eyes. He moved the side of his head close to Snap, to the point where the blue and white zoner not only saw the details of the zoner’s eyes, but he could also make out the small scars that adorned his torn left ear, which was bitten off by Mumbo Jumbo. Snap leaned back, uncomfortable with the evil zoner being that close to him.

“Things are getting very interesting...don’t you agree..?” Bardot moved himself around behind Snap. He got up onto his back feet and put his front paws around Snap’s shoulders. He pulled him into something of a hug, resting his head on top of his. “I wonder how things will turn out for you guys this time.”

“Get away from him!” Rudy shouted. He tried to get up, but he made a grunt sound as Draow pressed harder against him. Next to him, Penny was having the same problem.

Draow put his face close to them. “Be quiet...!” He warned them, his fur ruffling in anger. “Be glad that Bardot isn’t allowing me to attack you... Otherwise, I would be tearing off your heads right about now...”

Snap spun his head over and let out a cry of terror. “Rudy! Penny!”

“Shh...now now...” Bardot moved around in front of Snap. He grabbed his head and forced him to look at him. He pressed his forehead against his, like he had with Rudy. “Don’t worry so much about them... I can promise that Draow will not do anything that bad to them. So relax... Why don’t we...chat a little? Reminiscence?”

Snap raised up a fist. Bardot’s eyes widened and, for a moment, he looked genuinely afraid. He lowered his head a little and took a step back. Snap narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you dare hurt my friends...”

Bardot’s previously fearful face relaxed. Again, like before, he smiled at him, almost friendly. It creeped Snap out. Bardot moved back towards Snap. He put his face close to his, baring his teeth at him in a hideous grin. “Why of course, Snap...” He began to walk around him once until he stood by Snap’s side. He looked at Snap and said, “I remember well what happened...the last time I messed with your friends...” He tilted his head to the side. “Don’t you?”

Snap gritted his teeth. It was so tempting to punch Bardot. The only thing preventing him was that he was worried Draow would hurt his friends if he did. Bardot was unpredictable. He could decide to have Draow attack them despite his previous reassurance that he would not. He could always change his mind and do something like that. It seemed fitting for his personality. Lure them into a false sense of security and then pull the rug out from underneath them.

He began to wonder if trying to get information from this guy was a bad idea. So far, he hasn’t said anything useful. He has just been taunting them, mocking them, trying to stir up trouble. He hasn’t been helpful in the least. That didn’t really surprise him. It wasn’t like Bardot had any real incentive to help them, and with his kind of personality, why would he want to anyway? There was no real benefit to him directly, and even if it were, he’d probably still find a way to screw things up for them, like hiding some crucial information to make things harder for them, or lead them down a dangerous path.

Perhaps they were better off trying to figure things out on their own. It would have had the same results anyway, except at least, if they did things on their own, they wouldn’t worry about possibly being mislead or sent to a trap. Bardot might not be able to lie outright, but he could still decieve. Yeah, they probably should have gone elsewhere for help.

Though he still understood why Mrs. Sanchez thought coming to Bardot was a good idea. He did have experience with interactions between chalk and flesh. Even if he’s not being very helpful right now, he might know something that could help them. Maybe there was another method he used that let him eat real world flesh that he didn’t tell them about. If Bardot were willing to speak more about it, it could shed at least some light on the situation. But considering how Bardot was, Snap had his doubts that they’d get any information from him.

“Hey Snappy boy...” Bardot said in a low voice. He pressed his head against Snap’s shoulders. The blue and white zoner could feel his breath against him. “Do you remember...the time that I killed you...?”

Snap’s eyes widened in horror at this. His body started to tremble. His mind erupted with the horrific memories of what happened two years ago. Flashbacks moved through the back of his mind like a series of lightning bolts. He remembered how Bardot had completely snapped and chased after him. He remembered that growly voice, the sharp claws that tore apart his flesh. The pain that he felt back then came back, and soon his body, momentarily, erupted in what he could best describe as memory pain.

He stared at Bardot, unable to move. He could barely register anything else going on. He couldn’t even hear his friends trying to call out to him to move. He didn’t notice Bardot started to circle him again, this time standing behind him. He wanted to move. A part of his mind was screaming at him to move, but instead, he remained frozen there. His mind went numb as fear took him over. Suddenly, when he noticed Bardot next to him again, he didn’t just see a nemesis that they had defeated years ago.

He saw his murderer...

Bardot smirked at this, looking pleased at his response. No doubt this was the kind of reaction that he wanted from him. “Ah so you do remember... Good times they were... Such good times.” Bardot leaned forward, his breath hitting against Snap’s face. “I still remember the smell of your blood...the way you screamed as I cut into you... The look on your face when I injected you with venom...” He pulled his lips back to reveal the entirety of his fangs. “Oh if only I wasn’t stuck wearing this purple collar. I would love to relive that moment... When I finally snuffed your life out.”

Snap’s heart practically stopped beating at this. Bardot’s face this close, those chilling words, it petrified him. He lost sense of what was around him. He didn’t hear his friends calling out to him. He didn’t hear Draow’s cold laughter. He no longer heard the fire wall crackling all around them. Instead, the only thing his mind was really registering was Bardot. His terrified eyes were glued on the zoner. No longer able to hide his fear, he began to whimper and tremble as the yellow zoner stood so close to him. Those fangs this close, even though they had no venomo n them, was a scary sight.

His mind was telling him to get out of here. But with his heart frozen in fear, he couldn’t move his feet. Even when Bardot moved out of his sights and came in from behind him, Snap still couldn’t move. Bardot came around his front again. All this circling was scaring Snap. He had no idea when Bardot would hurt him, or if he’d hurt him at all. He has a way of messing with his victims, and he was doing a good job of that right now.

Bardot pressed his claw against Snap’s chest. Snap finally managed to get his feet to move and he took a step backwards. Bardot chuckled at this. “I see you healed quite nicely... Tell me... Is your...lung of working order?”

Snap let out an involuntary cough as he remembered when Bardot punctured his lung. No doubt he would have done the same thing just now if he hadn’t moved backwards. He didn’t doubt that, despite how civil Bardot was being, he may still hold some level of resentment over losing. He just hides it very well. And now, he was getting his revenge by being downright creepy and stirring up trouble.

Regaining some sense of his surroundings, he looked around to see where Rudy and Penny were. They were still pinned on the ground by Draow. They had their heads turned, looking at him in fear. They weren’t calling out to him anymore, and Snap soon saw why. Draow was pressing down on them even harder. It was hard for them to get a word in. Snap’s heart beat faster. Were they able to take in a breath like that? Was Draow choking them? He had to help them. He had to, somehow, get Draow off of them.

Trying his best to push past his fear earlier, Snap tried to rush towards his friends. He didn’t get far. Bardot had made a dash towards him and slammed against him. The two of them rolled across the ground before Bardot managed to pin Snap down. To Snap’s horror, it was the same position he managed to pull on him twice. His arms were pinned over his head. His legs were secured together by his tail. Bardot’s back feet stood on him. Snap attempted to struggle, but found himself unable to get up. He looked up at Bardot, gritting his teeth.

Bardot lowered his head, staring intently into Snap’s eyes. “Even though I don’t have my venom..” He reached down with his claw. He traced it lightly over Snap’s throat. “I still have ways of killing you, if I..so desired.”

Snap gasped in fear and struggled harder. He tried to get his legs free, or one of his arms. Anything. Nothing worked. He had almost forgotten how strong Bardot was. Enough to keep him held down. He started to feel stupid. He should have realized that Bardot would try something like this. He should have been more careful. He shouldn’t have turned his back on the zoner. He should have planned things out a little more. Now he and his friends were pinned down, completely at the mercy of their foes.

Regardless of Bardot previously stopping Draow, who is to say he’d do that again? They were all pushed up against the ground. They weren’t able to get back up. They couldn’t fight back. It would be so easy for these two to kill them now. There’s little reason to think that they would not. The opportunity is there. Surely they both want them dead and wouldn’t miss such a chance. Coming here really was a mistake. They should have had the Beanie Boys come in instead. They hadn’t fully prepared themselves for this.

“I must say, Snap... I am quite impressed with how you managed. Dying, then being revived.... you really are unkillable.” Bardot put his face a little closer. Snap turned his head away as he felt the zoner’s breath hitting his face again. “Of course, you are still..mortal. I could kill you now and eat you...”

Bardot dragged his claw over Snap’s face. He pressed his claw hard enough to start cutting flesh. Snap let out a yelp of pain as a little blood started to trickle down his face. Bardot continued to cut along his left cheek, going from the side of his face and horizontally across, almost to where his mouth began. It didn’t help that Bardot was cutting over one of his burns. Then Bardot removed his claw and looked at the tip. He opened his jaws and slowly licked the tiny bit of blood that had gathered there. Snap shuddered at this uncomfortable sight.

“You still taste good.”

Snap’s eyes widened at this. He was suddenly reminded of his ‘visit’ from Ghadir. He wasn’t sure which was more disturbing. A sentient zoner that likes to eat other sentient zoners, or a human that likes to eat sentient zoners. The idea that there were two people who wanted to eat him... That terrifying reality began to sink in.

Bardot sneered at him. “Oh the things I could do to you right now... I could...puncture your lung again. I...could rip out your throat... I could severe your arm from your body...” Snap’s body trembled harder as he said those things. “Or I could...” Bardot tilted his head to the side. “I could do something...even worse..”

“W-Worse..?” Snap said with a shaky voice. “Wh-What could you do that’s..worse than that?”

Bardot didn’t respond. He just chortled darkly, closing his eyes. Then he reopened them, his glinting green eyes boring through Snap’s soul. He raised his shoulders like he was going to punch. He stared down at Snap with dark intent, giving a hideous grin. Although Snap didn’t understand just what Bardot had in mind, he knew one thing. He wasn’t going to like it. He let out a terrified cry and tried to struggle to get free.

Suddenly, Bardot released Snap. He jumped backwards, doing a backflip. He landed a few feet away, his tail raised in the air and his lower body hunched low to the ground. Snap scrambled up to his feet and took a defensive stance, prepared for any other assault this yellow zoner had in store for him. Bardot, however, just remained standing there, swishing his tail from side to side. He glanced over at Rudy and Penny, and then back at Snap.

“But I won’t.” Bardot said. He lifted up his paw. “Draow...” He snapped his claws. “Release them.”

Draow looked at Bardot with a disgruntled expression. “Do I really have to?”

Bardot shot him a look. “Come on, Draow... Get off of them...”

Draow folded his ears against his head and let out a low growl. “Fine...” He glared down at Rudy and Penny, who were still struggling to breathe properly. He spread his wings and took to the air long enough for Rudy and Penny to take in a sharp breath and get away from him. He landed back on the ground and turned his attention back to Bardot. “I still don’t see why you won’t let me hurt them more.”

“Well of course you...would think it was unfair.. I’d expect that from you, Draow.” Bardot raised his front body to be level with his back half. “Though I’m sure you’re not the only one confused.” He looked over at Rudy and Penny. They had reached Snap and were standing on either side of him protectively. “I take it you three want an explanation as well?” He took their glares as a ‘yes’. “It’s really quite simple... You see.. I...got wanted I wanted..”

Rudy narrowed his eyes hatefully. “What are you talking about? You were stopped!”

“Actually, no...I wasn’t.” Bardot drolled. “At least...not in time. You see..” He held out his paw in gesture. “I still managed to do what I had been trying to accomplish with my experiment.”

“Are you crazy?!” Penny cried out. “We know what your goal was and you did not accomplish it!”

“Weren’t you listening at all, little girl?” Bardot said in a taunting voice. “I guess I should understand if you don’t hear everything...” He took a few steps towards them. He looked amused when Rudy and Penny huddled closer to Snap, putting their arms around him. With their free hands, they raised the magic chalk. Bardot’s eyes widened just ever so slightly. He stopped advancing, but the brief spark of what was probably fear left his eyes quickly. “If you remember right, my goal was to see just how ‘unkillable’ your friend was. I wanted to see how much he could take before he fell down.”

“And that never happened!” Rudy shouted. “Snap is still here with us!”

“Y-Yeah..!” Snap shouted, trying his best to override his fear. He still felt unnerved by the fact that Bardot saw him as nothing more than a test subject. There was still a chance he still thought of him like that now, even if he wasn’t currently experimenting on him. “What are you getting on about?”

Even Draow seemed confused by all this. “I normally wouldn’t agree with our enemies, but...” He swung a wing in their direction. “They are right. What are you talking about, Bardot?”

Bardot gave Draow a smirk and then turned his attention to Snap. “Even you just forgot our previous conversation? Oh dear Snap..” He said the word ‘dear’ with the deepest level of sarcasm they ever heard this guy muster. He lowered his head a little, grinning. “I already killed you. You were technically dead. Yes, you were...revived... But still...if I heard the reports right..you were dead, for a time. So...” He tilted his head to the side and gave them an eerie look with a single green eye. “...I won...”

At this, the trio’s eyes widened in horror. Realization settled in with them. They realized that Bardot was right. He did get to see how long Snap would last. He did get to kill him, even if it was just temporary. Technically, he did win, just briefly before victory was snatched away from him when Terry managed to save Snap. Bardot’s smile broadened and he turned his head to look at them with both eyes. He looked clearly satisfied that they understood what he was talking about. He gave a dark chuckle and began to move towards them again.

Rudy, Penny, and Snap took a fighting stance. Despite being afraid, they weren’t going to back down from this monster. Snap gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. Out of them, he was probably the most afraid of Bardot, as he had, for a short time, lost his life to him. And he still had nightmares about his temper. Sometimes, when he closed his eyes at night, he could still see that feral face contorted in rage barreling down towards him. Sometimes he had to reopen his eyes just to reassure himself that he was just hallucinating.

But at least now, he didn’t have to face Bardot along. He had Rudy and Penny with him. They would make sure that Bardot can’t come near him again. He knew that Draow wouldn’t be able to surprise them again like he did before. They would be able to subdue him this time. And they would get that information from Bardot, even if they have to wrestle it from him. If Bardot knew anything, even just a tiny amount that could help Rudy, a little or a lot, they were going to recieve that information.

Bardot and Draow approached the trio. Rudy and Penny kept their magic chalk raised, the ends sparkling threateningly. This didn’t stop the two evil zoners from closing the gap between them. They continued to approach, evil smiles spread across their muzzles. They didn’t stop until the fire walls around them suddenly died. The smell of after smoke filled their nostrils. The trio looked around, a little confused by this sudden ‘freedom’. They could get away now. But they couldn’t leave. Not without getting Bardot to speak.

Draow looked disappointed. “Oh of cource the fire would be put out now...”

“Oh I knew it would.” Bardot said calmly. Draow gave him a disgruntled look, partially baring his teeth. “Draow, you know those fire walls only have a...limited life span...” Draow rolled his eyes. Bardot smirked at this. He looked back at Rudy, Penny, and Snap. “Besides, my desire to kill them isn’t..that strong anymore..”

Draow cocked an eyebrow. “Well you sure could have fooled me.”

“I like messing with people.” Bardot took a few more steps towards the trio. “Now... What information did you say you needed?”

“What?!” Draow spread his wings, his teal eyes wide in shock. “You’re just going to..hand over the information like that?”

“Sure.” Bardot shrugged like it was no big deal. “Why not?”

“It would be more satisfying if you didn’t say anything.” He turned an eye towards Rudy. “I would be to satisfied knowing that this boy died a painful death... Such retribution, don’t you think?”

Snap growled. What did this guy know about retribution? And what a hypocrite.. Just earlier, he was bragging about how retribution had problems, and now he was wielding the word almost like a weapon. Truly disgusting... He would expect nothing less from this guy.

He still couldn’t believe that Draow still blamed Rudy for Cosmo’s death. He had been told that Rudy didn’t do it, but of course he wouldn’t believe it. Whether or not he knew the truth was uncertain. But if he did and was just dismissing it so he could pit the blame on Rudy, that made Snap even angrier. Draow was so loyal to Cosmo that he refused to admit he had any faults. He was loyal to a fault. Snap realized that Draow would still blame Rudy even if he had seen what really happened with his own eyes. They had to try their best to ignore what he said.

Rudy and Penny also looked just as angry. Their teeth were bared and their eyes narrowed. Their hands clutched their magic chalk tightly, almost to the point of breaking them. But like Snap, they held back. They all understood that anger and rage was the kind of response these two zoners wanted. It was their way of getting back at them. Or at least Bardot’s way. Draow would tear into them if Bardot hadn’t kept him back. They had a feeling that Bardot felt that watching them squirm with more personal remarks was more satisfying than just outright attacking them.

“Calm yourself, Draow...” Bardot raised his paw. He pointed at Draow and said, “Stop right where you are and sit down. I will have a little...chat with these three...” He gave an eerie look to the three friends.

Draow growled in disappointment. He lowered himself on the ground, folding his wings against his body. “Okay then.... I still wish you’d let me have some more fun with them.”

Bardot ignored him. He moved even closer to the trio. He only stopped when he was about two feet in front of them. Then he sat down onto his haunches. He lifted up his paw and twisted it around so his palm was facing upwards. “What exactly did you want to know again?” He swung his paw out in front of him slowly, indicating all three of them. “Please, proceed...

“What do you know about the interactions between chalk and flesh?” Rudy asked, sounding annoyed that he had to repeat what they said earlier.

“And do you have any knowledge of how to reverse it? Anything that might be related to how you were able to...” Penny shuddered, bad memories obviously surfacing. “..eat real world victims...?”

“Hmm...let’s see...” Bardot raised his claw and tapped his chin thoughtfully, his pupils facing upwards.

Snap was a little surprised that Bardot was willingly giving them the information, or so it seemed. He still wasn’t sure if he would be helpful or not. After all, he had no real incentive to do so. He glanced at Rudy and Penny. They looked suspicious as well. They knew that, even if this guy forked over information, it may not be ‘complete information’. And whatever information he did give them, they would have to treat with caution.

The three friends stayed close to each other for comfort and support. They stood so close their bodies pressed up against each other. Their eyes never left Bardot, except when they would quickly glance over at Draow. Despite being told to lay off, Draow might still get frustrated enough and attack them. They were in this together. They had each other’s backs. And taking this posture, they sent a very clear, silent message to Bardot and Draow. This time, if they mess with one of them, they get the horns. They were not rendered weak and injured like last time.

“Now, I will admit.. I did not actually have an easy time digesting real world food. Even dehydrated, there was still some...indigestion...” Bardot held out his paw, his claws curving slightly upwards. “I had to ingest something else with it. In my case, what worked was a lot of chalk water beforehand, then immediately the real world food. Something about that made it possible for me to consume real world flesh.”

“I don’t think chalk water is going to help me with this.” Rudy raised an eyebrow. “In case you didn’t know, stomach acids would dissolve that stuff in a matter of seconds. I wouldn’t have enough time.”

“Indeed.” Bardot nodded his head in agreement. “That is why you should find..an alternate... Something thick enough that could coat your stomach for a short period of time. I can’t think of anything on the top of my head, but you three are...smart. I’m sure you can figure something out.” He tilted his head to the side. “After all...you managed to get out of the predicament I placed you in... You won fair and square. I’d be...shocked if you couldn’t figure this out.”

As much as they hated this guy, it was nice that he did admit to that. He seemed to understand, completely, what their potential was and he wasn’t risking underestimating them again, though he didn’t underestimate them to the same degree as Cosmo had years ago. It felt a little strange to them, though, that Bardot seemed to have accepted his defeat. But strange or not, it was still a welcome change from having a villain seek revenge on them.

Bardot continued, “As for finding a cure.. I cannot help you with that..however..” He took a few steps closer. He stared intently at the trio. “I am aware of Cosmo’s diary... If you look through it, you may find the answer to this.” At this, Draow’s fur raised on end and he let out a threatening growl, clearly not happy with Bardot suggesting they look through Cosmo’s private writings. “I do know this disease was created by him... I would think that he would have also created an antidote..in case any of his...comrades were infected.”

“I wonder why he’d care if his comrades would get infected.” Penny thought, narrowing her eyes. “Wouldn’t he just see them as expendable?”

“He certainly regards life that way in general.” Rudy mentioned in disgust.

Snap nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah...”

“Oh it’s not like that at all...” Bardot shook his head. The three friends looked at him in confusion. “Oh sure, he may have viewed zoners in such low light, but not other black chalk users. You see.. based on what I know of the black chalk, they’re a...collective mind. Many voices that talk and think as one, in a sense. They move as a unit, always.”

Collective mind? Think as one, act as one? Well that would explain why the black chalk spoke using only ‘we’ and ‘us’, never ‘I’ or ‘me’ when addressing Rudy. Then again, they weren’t really surprised by it at all. They already had their suspicions before. But hearing it confirmed like this... There was a sense of creepiness to the whole thing. The idea of abandoning individuality...

And Rudy had almost lost his individuality to the black chalk.. It was a frightening thought. Snap remembered the details Penny gave him when she told him how Rudy was nearly taken over by the black chalk permanently. Rudy gave him more details, like what it was like being controlled. It chilled Snap to the bone just thinking about it. It must have been horrible for both of them to experience. Nearly losing oneself to some...some thing... Snap was glad that things turned out okay.

“They look out for each other. They care about each other. You attack one, you get the whole flock, in a sense. They try to guarantee each other’s survival.” Bardot explained. “So it stands to reason that Cosmo, a black chalk user, would come up with a cure for this sort of thing, as he, influenced by the black chalk, wouldn’t want anything to happen to his comrades.”

Everyone remained still in silence. They let this information sink in. It wasn’t as much information as they would have liked, but it was still better than nothing. Looking back at Cosmo’s diary...why hadn’t they thought of that before? They felt a little stupid for not considering that before. Bardot was right. Cosmo surely would have written something about this in his diary right? And the thing about ingesting something thick did make sense. They weren’t sure yet what that is, but if they could find something, it would let Rudy eat some little bit of real world food and drink a little real world water so he wouldn’t have to go to the hospital every single time.

Bardot got back onto his feet. “Oh...and one more thing I should mention...”

The trio looked over at him. He dug into the ground, unveiling a weapon apparently he and Draow hid there. Rudy, Penny, and Snap took a fighting stance, wondering if Bardot decided to attack anyway. Draow seemed to think so, judging from his smirk. But he looked on in disappointment, as well as Rudy and Penny looking in confusion, as Bardot merely kicked the weapon in their direction.

“You might need this sometime...” Bardot gave a sneer. “I sense that...something big is coming...”

The trio widened their eyes at this.


	30. Cosmo's Cruelty

Draow remained on the ground. His eyes focused out ahead, in the direction where those three brats had walked off. He couldn’t believe that Bardot not only willingly gave them information, but that he had let them walk off scott free. The worst thing he did to any of them was he cut Snap’s cheek. Compared to the terrible things he did to them before, that was a gentle act. He could have done so much worse, and he wished that he had.

There was no benefit for Bardot to do such a thing. Why would he give information to help their enemies? The same ones that had put them in this hell hole? Yeah, they learned to master it and were living just fine. But he would much rather be free. He wanted to get out of here and be able to prowl the other areas of ChalkZone once again. There was more variety of prey there, more flavor. It was not just Bardot who liked to partake in the consumption of zoners. That was part of what made him a dangerous criminal.

He wished that Bardot would have let him do something to those three. Not just simply pin them down, but actually do some real damage to them. It was their fault that the Fire Zone was their home for the rest of their eternal lives. The only way out of this is to kill himself, and he wasn’t about to do that. He wanted to make them sorry they ever helped to turn them in. Somehow, someway, they would regret it. He was hoping that he would make them cry while they were here, because they may not come here again. But he missed his chance, and all because Bardot didn’t have the strong desire to kill them anymore.

He didn’t really understand why. Bardot was a hybrid zoner, and was shown to be incapable of remorse. So why would he be cooperative? Why would he let their enemies go without so much as one brutal attack? He was not a particularly remorseful zoner. He was not sympathetic to others’ well being. He didn’t genuinely care about anyone but himself. He and Bardot didn’t exactly like each other too much, but they did make a good team. Bardot, even without the red chalk’s maximum influence, was still light and agile on his feet, and that came in handy with hunting.

He watched Bardot. The yellow and red zoner was also watching the direction that the three left in. His tail was moving from side to side slowly. Other than that tail movement, he was surprisingly still, almost like he had become a statue. Draow climbed up to his feet. By this point, the three kids were far gone in the horizon, no doubt having drawn something to help them go faster. He took a few steps towards the hybrid zoner. He stopped when there was more movement from the much smaller zoner.

Bardot got onto his feet. His head was still oriented in that same direction. Then he slowly turned around. His pupils faced backwards, and he had, Draow quickly noticed, an evil smile with a strong hint of satisfaction. This caused Draow to stop and look at him in confusion. What was Bardot amused about? They had let their enemies simply walk away. It would have been more satisfying if they had either told them nothing or if they had hurt them badly before letting them go. But save for a few bruises and that cut on Snap’s cheek, they hardly delivered much of anything to them. So what was Bardot so happy about?

Bardot moved towards Draow, shifting his gaze onto him. He seemed to take notice of his confusion. His eyes twinkled a little and he raised his head up slightly. Draow was still confused, but he imagined that Bardot would explain himself pretty soon. He usually did in the past. He waited until Bardot was within a few feet of him, then he took a step forward, lowering himself a little and lifting his wings about an inch upwards.

“I don’t get why you’re smiling. You allowed our enemies to leave without so much as one debilitating injury!” Draow snarled, his voice reflecting his disappointment.

“Of course...Why wouldn’t I?” Bardot said, looking up at Draow. Nothing about his expression suggested that he regretted doing this, and that made Draow even angier.

Slamming his foot into the ground, kicking up dust, Draow shouted, “We could have done away with them! They were trapped! I had the two human brats pinned down! I could have killed them! You could have killed Snap! Or, even better, we could have forced them to take us to the exit so we can be free again, and then kill them!” He felt his body tremble in rage. “But no, you decided to just...let them walk away! I can’t believe you grew soft, Bardot!”

A chuckle escaped Bardot’s throat. “If you think that of me, then you don’t know me very well.”

“Hmph!” Draow twisted his head to the side and bared his teeth in an almost disgusted manner. “Before, you would let me attack them...”

“Yes...when we were ‘part of the story’ per say... But we aren’t in this one.” Bardot said. Draow looked at him, slightly confused. “It is clear we aren’t their problems now. So why not just let this new guy or gal have some fun, eh? We had our turn at them. Let someone else take the reigns.”

Draow shook his head. “It still makes no sense. We could have..”

“Yes, I know, Draow.. I know.” Bardot said, cutting him off.

“Then why did you let them go? Why do you not have a strong desire to kill them?” Draow asked, lowering his ears.

Bardot tilted his head to the side. The expression he gave him was pretty eerie. There was something practically glowing in those green eyes of his. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Draow took a step back. Bardot didn’t move from his spot. He continued looking at Draow with that expression, his head tilting a little further, giving his expression an even more unsettling look.

“I may not have a strong desire to kill them...” Bardot said, his throat taking on a slightly growly edge. “But I never said my desire to bring them harm has lessened...”

Draow didn’t understand this. If Bardot was still willing to hurt them, why had he done almost nothing to them when they were here? That didn’t make any sense. If he were in his paws, he could have slashed them with his claws. But other than that one cut he gave Snap, he hadn’t drawn any blood. If Bardot thinks he caused them harm by giving them the information they wanted, he was sadly mistaken.

He began to wonder if this environment had gotten to him. Maybe two years in one of the hottest places in ChalkZone, if not the hottest, had wore down his mind a little. That would explain why he didn’t act like he would have expected him to. Though even that was a bit of an exaggeration, as they had grown used to this environment. Not as big of a chance of it messing with their minds if they had grown used to it.

“What do you mean?” Draow finally managed to ask. His voice was a little lighter than usual, confusion heavily laced in his voice. “You did nothing to torment them.. Well almost nothing.”

“Oh sure I did... Remember when we mocked them about being worse than us?” Bardot asked. Draow nodded his head once. “I know it was complete crap, and I’m sure you do, too, am I right?”

Draow blinked a few times. He slowly nodded his head once. “I...suppose so...”

Bardot reoriented his head back to its original position. “Heh... I thought so. You see, I might not be able to lie outright, but I can still twist things to say something I know isn’t quite so true. That ability increased when I had my red chalk half subdued. Still can’t outright lie, but I can twist things even more than I could before. So I used that to torment them a little, make them angry. That was pretty fun...”

“Still not as fun as tearing into them...” Draow grumbled under his breath.

“Of course not.” Bardot commented. “I would expect that from you. I am certain you still wish to make them sorry for sending us here. While I might have hinted at it before, it’s a...bit of an exaggeration... You see, unlike you...” He placed a paw on his chest. “I know I landed myself in here by my own actions. So I am stuck here, and I accept that. That is why I do not have such boiling rage to get revenge on them like you do... My desire to still want to hurt them doesn’t really stem from them sending me here... It’s more just a part of my..personality...”

Draow shook his head. “You still let them go. You still gave them the information they wanted.”

“Yes I did...” Bardot mused. “But..not out of the goodness of my heart, as you can well imagine...”

“I know that. So...why did you relinquish the information then?” Draow asked, twitching his ears.

Bardot gave him a sinister smile, one that made Draow feel uneasy again. He took another step back. Despite knowing that Bardot no longer has his venom, he had come to respect him enough and felt it safe not to mess with him, especially when he was like this. Even before Bardot spoke again, Draow realized, in that moment, there really had been a darker motivation in giving the trio that information.

“Killing them would have been too easy for them. A bit too quick...” Bardot said, that sinister smile growing larger. His sharp teeth were exposed as well as a part of his gums as his lips were pulled up. “Death would have been an act of kindness. Especially considering the situation Rudy is in. So yeah, I gave them the information, but not because I wanted the best for Rudy. Oh no... It was to prolong his pain...”

Draow’s eyes widened. “Did you...?”

Bardot shook his head. “No, I didn’t twist my words when giving them the information. I spoke completely..straight if that’s the right term...” He lifted up his paw, glancing at the sharp tips and flexed them. “Giving them a way to let Rudy live longer... Well...” He turned his attention back to Draow, tightening his paw into something of a fist. “That would give Rudy more time to suffer in pain as the disease progresses. That would be satisfying enough, don’t you agree?”

At this, Draow’s ears pricked up. Now it does make sense why he decided to help them. While not entirely out of vengeance, his act, the way he described it, did seem particularly cruel. To allow the boy to live longer just so he could suffer through more pain. Draow wasn’t sure why he hadn’t thought of it before. But now that Bardot mentioned it, yeah, it does seem more satisfying. Not that they’d ever find out if the boy died or not, unless someone comes to tell them. Still, it was particularly enjoyable knowing Rudy was in a lot of pain, and would remain like that for a while.

It was times like these that Draow remembered how twisted Bardot really was. There was a reason he had decided to follow him to begin with. His twisted ways went beyond that of Mr. Cosmo. It was to the poitn where Draow sometimes thought that, had Bardot been there during the war, he would have almost surely ensured victory, as his dangerous venom and ferocious tenacity would have killed almost all opposition.

“Yes..I believe I understand now. Yes...” Draow said, a small dark smile on his muzzle. “An act of ‘cruel kindness’. How delightful.”

Bardot nodded his head. “That, to me, is more satisfying than just killing him outright. Oh..and one more thing...”

Draow looked at him expectantly. “What is it?”

“I do know the cure.” Bardot said plainly.

Draow gave him a shocked expression. “You...what?!” Bardot gave an affirmative nod, simply smiling at the winged wolf. Draow looked left and right, stumbling upon his words. “B-But..you can’t lie outright.. And you said that you couldn’t help them...”

Bardot chuckled at this. “Yes I did. But I never said why. I... said I couldn’t help them..not because I didn’t know...but because I..didn’t want to.”

“So...you withheld information?” Draow asked.

Bardot nodded his head. He gave Draow a wide sneer, baring his teeth. “Come now, Draow... You know I’m not that nice...” He gave a dark chuckle.

Draow stared a the chuckling Bardot for a few seconds before he, too, started laughing evilly. He swiveled his head in the direction the trio went. He no longer felt disappointed. He no longer felt like it was a waste of their time. No, now it seemed like the ‘visit’ had been quite eventful. He gave a sneer of his own, baring his sharp teeth, glinting in the red light of this zone.

“Rest in pieces...you murderer...” Draow said in a low, gravely voice.

sss

Rudy, Penny, and Snap had immediately headed over to Snap’s treehouse after the Beanie Boys dropped them off. Before they left, they did give Skrawl a quick overview of what happened. He didn’t show it outright, but from the tone of his voice, he did seem happy that they made it back okay. They couldn’t stay long, though, so they waved goodbye to him and went towards Snap’s treehouse so they could look more at that diary.

As they headed over, Penny’s thoughts replayed the recent events in her mind. She wasn’t sure just how trustworthy Bardot was. He did have a habit of twisting his words to either cause trouble or to mask information. He was quite manipulative, and she had no idea if they had fallen for any of his tricks or not. He seemed perfectly honest when he told them about consuming something else to help Rudy get some water and food into his system. But that didn’t mean that he still didn’t fool them somehow.

But they couldn’t afford not to take his words seriously, as they were the closest to help they had gotten for Rudy so far. It didn’t sound particularly dangerous, especially if they found something thick enough that could temporarily coat Rudy’s stomach in a protective layer, buying him some time to eat some real world food and water. And Bardot’s suggestion to look through the diary did make sense. Cosmo might have written about the cure somewhere in the diary...provided he had developed the disease during the timeframe that book was written in.

Penny realized that there was a chance that the diary did not encompass the entirety of Cosmo’s reign over ChalkZone many years ago. He may have stopped writing in it at some point, especially if the fighting got so intense he was unable to write much in it. She hoped that wasn’t the case, as that meant that there would be a lot of information about those times they would not get. She knew that Cosmo would not write about his defeat as he was kicked out of ChalkZone after that. But there was still a lot more he could have written.

But whether or not there would be information on a cure, Penny wasn’t sure. He might have written it elsewhere, or told his fellow black chalk comrades the cure orally. Her blood chilled at this thought. That was a very real possibility. Cosmo had shown to be quite prepared when they had encountered him three and a half years ago. He might have not written down the information on the chance that infected white chalk users would try to look for it. Cosmo was not stupid and he would have known that if he wrote the cure anywhere, his enemies would try to find it relentlessly. So he may have taken a precaution and not write it at all.

This would have meant that the secret ‘died’ with the black chalk users when their memories were wiped. That is, except Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek, all of whom have their memories back. They would all know the cure. The realization that they may have to try to interrogate those three for the information despite knowing how uncooperative they’d be gave Penny an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Another cause of concern for her is what Bardot said just before they left. He had handed them a weapon. It appeared to be some kind of sword, but with several lacerations and curves in it, lots of points and very spikey. She guessed that Bardot and Draow hide weapons like this under the ground so they can use it to kill in case their prey was larger than they had thought. She imagined that it would take them a while to forge such a weapon. She wondered why Bardot would even give them the weapon at all. Maybe it was just to scare them into thinking this ‘upcoming thing’ was a bigger threat than it really was.

Bardot never did imply what he felt was coming. He never elaborated or gave any hints. Any attempts to get him to talk more were met with mere shrugs, sometimes accompanied by a ‘I told you all I believe you need to hear’, which to her was just another way of saying ‘I told you all I want you to know; I will not relinquish anything else’. So Bardot might know a little more than he’s willing to let on about this upcoming threat. As angry as she was about him witholding information, she would expect that from him.

Whatever this upcoming threat was, and whether or not it’ll be a minor or major one, Penny hoped that they would find out soon. She hoped that they wouldn’t be taken off guard like they had been before. At least this time, they were somewhat prepared as they knew there was a danger of some kind lurking around. They still didn’t know what that danger was, so it wasn’t like they were really that prepared, and they could still be taken by surprise.

Right now, she tried to focus her mind on what she and her friends were doing now. They were all sitting around in Snap’s treehouse, which had been repaired since Ghadir’s attack. They sat close to each other on the floor in somewhat of a circle. She and Snap sat on either side of Rudy while he had the diary open. They hadn’t spoken much since they sat down. Rudy slowly flipped through the pages, all their eyes skimming for something, anything, regarding the disease Rudy head and if there was a cure.

“Do you think the creepazoid would really write about the disease?” Snap asked. “I don’t want to sound like a downer, but it doesn’t seem like something he’d do.”

“I know, Snap. I’ve had the same doubts myself. But we can’t afford not to look.” Penny sad, nodding in Snap’s direction. “If there is a chance that Cosmo did write something...then we should at least look, right?”

“We should remain hopeful that there is information.” Rudy said firmly. Penny wasn’t surprised by the way he sounded. After all, he was the one infected with a life-threatening illness. Or in his case, life-taking, since it was always fatal. “There’s...gotta be something in here..somewhere...”

“Well even if we don’t find the answers there, I’m sure there’s...other places we can look.” Snap said, smiling the best he could under these circumstances. “We won’t give up, Bucko.”

Rudy smiled. “Yeah I know..” He looked down at the diary. Seeing that this current page wasn’t telling them anything, he flipped to the next. Then his smile faded, a frown overtaking his face. “There is something else that is bothering me too...”

“What is it?” Penny asked.

Rudy leaned himself back a little. He let out a soft sigh. He looked at Penny and Snap. “I...I think I know who Bardot was referring to when he told us about ‘something big is coming’.”

Penny said, “You do? What?”

“Yeah. What do you think he was talking about?” Snap asked.

Penny and Snap cringed back when Rudy looked at them slowly. His eyes were wide with fear. At first he was quiet, just looking at his friends with that terrified expression. Just what did Rudy think of? What did he think Bardot was referring to?

When Rudy finally found his voice, he said in an unusually quiet voice, “Do you remember when Blocky insisted on seeing me when I was still at the hospital?”

Penny and Snap nodded their heads and waited for Rudy to continue. When he did not, and just stared at them intently, his words started to sink in. Their eyes grow big at the revelation. They gasped in horror, Penny covering her mouth in shock. They didn’t want to believe it. They did not want to consider the possibility. But they knew, deep down, this may very well be what the problem Bardot mentioned was.

The anti-creator group.

Penny couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of that possibility. She recalled when Rudy gave her the uncomfortable information. At first, she thought it was ridiculous and wondered if it was just an exaggeration. Then she told herself that Blocky wouldn’t exaggerate something like this, and Rudy surely wouldn’t either. And thinking back, it was very possible that some zoners would gain a hatred for creators. Heck, Biclops himself used to have such a belief not long after Rudy first came to ChalkZone. It would make sense that he wasn’t the only zoner who felt this way.

She had a feeling that this group won’t be as easily swayed as Biclops was. While the giant grew to trust Rudy and her, as well as their family members, the anti-creator group had become more extreme. From what Blocky said, they even want to kick Rudy out, despite knowing the good he does for ChalkZone. So far, they hadn’t really done anything outside of protests, at least according to Blocky, but there was a chance that they could make a move soon. When, she wasn’t sure, making the situation even more dangerous. She didn’t even know what to expect from these guys. Just how far are they willing to go to segregate the real world from ChalkZone? How much blood are they willing to shed to fight for what they may see as justice?

What was also very concerning is just how widespread this mindset could get. So far, it was just a small group. But it could get larger. And if they are manipulative enough, persuasive enough, even allies could be turned and used against them. The idea was frightening. If the anti-creator group got more active and managed to kick them out of ChalkZone for an extended period, that would give the black chalk users ample time to attack the place, and this time, there would be nothing that would save them. Even more disheartening is that, even if she and Rudy found a way in, the anti-creator group may not act thrilled or grateful when they are rescued and may proceed to attack them the first chance they got.

“Yeah...you’re right, Rudy.” Penny said when she found her voice. She cast her eyes downward. “That..that would be a definite possibility...”

“Just what we needed.” Snap raised his hands into the air. “More problems!”

“I know how you feel, Snap. We all do.” Rudy said in a somber tone. He pushed through a couple more pages of the diary, still not seeing anything of interest. “I’m...I’m not sure what we’ll do if it gets to that point. I can’t fight them...they might take that as proof that all creators are bad.”

“Rudy...” Penny placed a hand on his shoulder. “If they threaten you or anyone you care about, you will have to go up against them. If they want to take it as you being an ‘aggressive creator’, then that’s their problem. Anyone who actually knows you, like Snap and I, we will know you are doing it out of defense.”

“Yeah.” Snap nodded. He leaned against Rudy. “You don’t have to worry. Most of the zoners will and do understand.”

Rudy gave a small smile to his friends. “Yeah.. I...” Then he paused. His eyes widened. Penny and Snap looked at him worriedly. Had he thought of something else regarding this group? Did something else come to his mind? They noticed Rudy’s eyes were glanced downward, and then he spoke. “Look at this...” He pointed his finger down on the current page.

Penny and Snap took a look. Although they didn’t read far, there was one particular thing that they almost immediately took notice of. On this page, it clearly mentioned something about a transformative substance. They looked at each other in shock, and then back down at the paper. Did this page contain the information they needed? Only one way to find out. The three friends grew quiet and stared intently at the paper. They began to read it in their heads.

“August 10 at 2:00 PM-

Horace is still proving difficult to sway. Even after I explained to him countless times of ChalkZone’s true potential, he still refused to go along with me. I never really quite understood this. The guy’s father is an active anti-cartoonist. In that kind of environment, he should have been instilled with some level of hatred for cartoons. I came to the conclusion that he is allowing himself to be disillusioned with these chalk drawings being sentient. He hasn’t learned to look beyond that. I will have to do something about that later.

Oh well, I do not need to worry about that now. Right now, Jenny and I are working on some kind of discovery. I am glad I chose her as my partner and not Horace. She has always been cooperative, even before I enlightened her with the black chalk. It was almost like I didn’t have to, but she was still a little hesitant before, so the black chalk exposure became necessary. She has proven to be a valuable ally. Intelligent, resourceful, determined. All fine qualities to have for the new order I will be placing on ChalkZone soon.

We have discovered a substance mixture with some very interesting properties. We haven’t yet named it. We found that this substance could be intermixed with the ingredients to create a new type of chalk. I revelled in the idea of creating new chalk. The idea sounds intriguing, powerful. I had an idea of a new type of chalk which would create superstrong vicious zoners to do my bidding. Jenny had warned me that making the red chalk out of the ground up bodies of those tiny red bats might not get me the result I wanted, but it has to be better than the failure regarding Cyclops.

This substance we managed to create has the power to turn flesh into chalk. It was an amazing, shocking discovery. At the moment, we don’t know what we will do with the substance other than create some kind of chalk with it. We don’t know yet that all the properties it will have and what use it will be to use. But I have a feeling that we will find a great use for this new type of chalk. Turning flesh into chalk, that had some kind of potential to it.

Jenny had the idea of using it as a type of weapon. Her idea is that the substance could be used to create some kind of disease, and the chalk could be used to spread said disease. A biological weapon of sorts. Yes, I like that idea. Of course, it was just one idea, and I don’t know what we will ultimately do with it. Creating a biological weapon right now may not be necessary. Horace hasn’t activately went against me yet, and there isn’t been much resistance from the nonblessed chalk users yet.

Then again, I haven’t made any too major moves just yet. Time will tell if this substance would prove handy as a biological weapon. I do look forward to when the time came to test it out, though. If we do decide to turn this thing into a weapon, I want a test subject. But I want it done in private. I will not have those inferior white chalk users to catch wind to what is going on. So if we decide to create this disease, I will personally capture one of the white chalk users myself. I think I will go with John. I’ll him to a secluded area and lock him up and subject him to the disease. I will monitor the results.

I will update on this in a few days. I will need to talk with Jenny for a while before we ultimately decide what to do with the substance. I do believe Jenny has the right idea of using it as a weapon, though. There may come a time when we will need it, especially if the white chalk users become too unruly. I believe I can sway some of them with the black chalk, but any that refuses, including my dear friend Horace, they will have to be killed if they prove to be too much of a problem. Quite unfortunate, but sometimes, a few must suffer for the needs of the many.”

The three friends looked at each other with horrified expressions. That whole journal entry was just unnerving. They weren’t surprised by the bit about the biological weapon, but still, reading about it... It chilled their blood. They already knew that Cosmo was a monster even as a kid, but reading things that he wrote, it added a sense of dread to the whole thing.

The idea of a human test subject was just awful. It was unsettling knowing that Daniel and Michael may not have been the only victims of the disease. This had them wondering. If Cosmo had infected more than just those to...just how many creators died because of this disease? How many more suffered and perished? Had any of them survived?

The threat of going after Wilter.. They were glad that Cosmo never got that chance. Even if it took a few tries, Wilter did manage to beat him and send him packing. They were glad that Cosmo never got the chance to use his infectious chalk on any of them during his short stay in ChalkZone. That would have been disastrous, especially if Wilter didn’t know what the cure was, which was a possibility.

They decided to read the next diary entry. There may be more information written about this disease. Hopefully the cure is mentioned on this next entry. It has to be in here somewhere. They didn’t want to believe that Cosmo refused to put in an entry about it.

“August 20 at 5:20 PM-

A lot can change in such a short time span. It seems that the inferior white chalk users have decided to be more active against us. Horace still fights by my side, but only because I have a hold on him at the moment. I will maintain that hold for as long as I can. Even if I can’t convert him with the black chalk, he is still a useful ally to me, even if he is unwilling.

Jenny and I have decided to use that substance we created, which we decided to call gelxeno, to make that biological weapon I mentioned in the previous entry. For added fun, we decided to keep the chalk white, to fool any white chalk user to thinking that it is safe. This would ensure they would grab it, enabling it to absorb into their skin and go to work. Once we were able to create one gelxeno chalk, we went to work trying it out.

It was easy weeding John out from the group. I grabbed him before the others could see and dragged him off to the isolated area. I locked him up in an enclosed area and threw in the chalk. Of course, he was fooled into thinking I slipped up. He talked about how he was going to make me sorry I ever messed with him. I didn’t bother replying, though. I knew the little idiot was going to regret those words very quickly. Just as I predicted and hoped, he grabbed the chalk. With a snap of my finger, the substance responded and it absorbed into his skin.

It had taken a long time. A little too long for my liking. My parents would think I was missing, but I didn’t care. I could always come up with an excuse later. Right now, this research was very important. Despite taking a long time, it was still entertaining for me to watch. I took careful note, writing down symptoms that John suffered through during his time trapped.

It didn’t happen right away, but John did eventually suffer from a high fever which caused him to collapse on the ground. He did eventually wake up, but it was clear the fever was still there. He seemed to be hallucinating and acted like there were monsters all around him. The result of the high fever I am sure. Then he began to complain of stomach aches. This actually took a couple of days to occur. Soon it seemed like everything hurt him, and he collapsed on the ground in a fetal position, crying for his mother and father.

Needless to say, I found the whole thing very amusing. Watching one of my enemies suffering like that was quite enjoyable. I especially loved it when he started to vomit up blood. That was what he got when he refused to join the black chalk users. If he had decided to join, this fate would have been averted. His loss, I suppose.

When he finally expired was quite gruesome. Part of his skin had started to turn to chalk as well. From under his chest down across his belly, I had noticed a dark red line forming. Then it suddenly happened. The chalk skin, due to the internal fluids eating away at it, broke and his internal organs spilled out. They didn’t have their solid shapes. Many of them were warped beyond recognition, some even completely liquidated. It didn’t take long for John to die from that. I wrote down the results and I decided to consult Jenny. I will deal with the body later.

Like me, she was pleased with the results. Although using it as a weapon now was tempting, she and I both agreed more testing needed to be done. Getting a few more test subjects and trying different things with the gelxeno was important, and we also needed to see if it interacts with other ingredients. Before I can even use it, another important thing was a cure. I do not want my comrades infected by this disease. No, the only ones I want to suffer from it are the white chalk users who refuse to listen to reason.

There is something else I thought about working on. I have something that can turn real world flesh into chalk flesh, but it does not affect fluids. They remain real world. I am hoping to find something that can change chalk liquid into real world liquid. Then I would proceed capturing zoners and experimenting with it on them. If done right, the disease should cause them to bleed internally from the inside out as their own internal fluids turn against them. I may need something like this for the future, to give me and my fellow black chalk users a strong footing in the full on war I know is coming.

But for now, this one particular disease should be good enough. Once Jenny and I have tested it more and perfected it, we will unleash it among the white chalk users and infect them all. Well any that don’t willingly join us that is. If we discover a cure, we wil keep it from them. After they are taken care of, we can continue working on our plans for ChalkZone. I haven’t had as much time on that, I’m afraid. The white chalk users are too much of an annoyance. I must have them taken care of before I can continue.

I have heard of this unusual type of chalk, the chartreuse chalk. It is said to provide some healing capabilities, which I cannot allow for this. But it may have an interesting reaction to the gelxeno. I am aware that it may slow down the disease at most, but, based on what I heard of the chartreuse chalk, it may do something else. I must find out what it is. My next subject, I will throw in the chartreuse chalk and record what happens, since I don’t think I can keep my parents from worrying if I disappeared again.

And I know exactly who will be my next subject. I have recently found out that one of my black chalk comrades had defected. I do not know how she managed to break free, but I will not tolerate traitors in my group. I will have her dealt with as soon as I can, and this will be a finishing punishment for her.

Oh yes, dear Ms. Sanchez, you will not go unpunished.”


	31. Beatdown

The treehouse fell completely silent. Nobody spoke a word. The three friends stared in shock at what was written before them. They slowly leaned back away from the diary. Though they had planned on reading more, this new revelation..it left them so stunned, they didn’t think they could read anything more. What they had discovered was shocking, truly unbelievable. They weren’t sure what to make of it. What could they say about it? None of them had expected something like this to happen.

What made them fall silent wasn’t the gruesome death John had suffered. But that part still freaked them out. It was eerie how happy Cosmo sounded to watch another little kid die like that. They winced at the description of his organs falling out. Rudy consciously clutched his stomach and clenched his teeth, imagining his organs falling out like that. Was that the kind of fate that was in store for him? His entire belly just ripping open like that? A terrifying thought...

He wondered how John’s parents found out about his demise. He felt so sorry for them. He guessed that Cosmo would have disposed of the body in ChalkZone, so in the real world it would seem like John was kidnapped. And his parents would never find out his true fate. That left a sickening feeling in Rudy’s stomach. How many children had died like this? How many did Cosmo kill in private just for this sick experimentation of his? He knew Cosmo was cruel but...to actually enjoy watching another child suffer like that? That was low, disgusting.

Rudy realized something. He recalled what Penny and Snap told them regarding what Barney said of his condition. He never mentioned anything about this. The idea filled him with an uncomfortable sensation. Had...had Barney withheld information from them? Why would he do that? Rudy started to feel a little betrayed, though he knew there had to be a good reason why Barney wouldn’t tell them everything regarding this disease. Maybe he actually did know the cure, but was prevented from telling what it was. The centipede had knowledge of all of ChalkZone history and the only way he wouldn’t know the cure was if there wasn’t any, which he started to see doubts in.

Perhaps they should pay Barney another visit and try to get the truth out of him. Rudy didn’t want to be angry with him. But..there had to be a reason for all of this. There had to be a reason why he would lie about how many victims there were and what the cure was. Another unsettling thought entered his head. Had he told a little fib about the chartreuse chalk as well? Or refuse to say something about it?

He looked down at the piece of green chalk still strapped around his neck. He hadn’t dared to remove it as it was the only thing making the pain bearable. He was always in pain, but with this, he could at least manage it and function throughout the day without collapsing. But was there more to this chalk than previously thought? Rudy remembered that he didn’t suffer from any stomach pains from eating....until he started to wear the chartreuse chalk...

His eyes widened in horror at this. Did the green chalk actually...make things worse somehow? Did it interact with this infectious chalk in a way that made it seem like it was helping, but it was really moving things along? The thought was terrifying, but he wasn’t sure how well it fit. John’s insides turned to chalk and he wasn’t using the chartreuse chalk. But Cosmo did say that the gelxeno and the chartreuse chalk might have an ‘interesting reaction’... What was going on? Maybe the next journal entry would explain that more.

But though he wanted to turn the page, he, as well as his friends, were frozen in shock not just by what Cosmo did, and the revelation that the chartreuse chalk may not be what it seems, but by what the last page had said. That name that was listed, the person that Cosmo chose to experiment on next, out of pure spite...

....it was Penny’s mother...

The shock of this news nearly caused all of their strength to leave them, making them practically motionless. They couldn’t even bring themselves to speak. They didn’t know how this was possible. Thoughts swirled through their heads, refusing to leave them. Their bodies trembled a little from the shock of this information. It...it changed a lot of what they thought they knew about Penny’s mother.

Mrs. Sanchez had been into ChalkZone before. She was one of the black chalk users. And she...somehow escaped its grasp. She...she was the artist who got away... The first one who did it. How was she able to do this? How long was she under Cosmo’s command? Did she commit any horrible acts as a black chalk user? How had she managed to escape the fate that Cosmo had tried to bestow upon her? One particular question that hung over their heads was...how did she not remember ChalkZone when she came in? How did she not revert back to her black chalk state?

It puzzled them, and to an extent, scared them. This was a part of Mrs. Sanchez they never knew about, and finding out this way...it was very unsettling. Something different happened to her that caused her to lose her memories of ChalkZone, something different enough that, whatever black chalk may reside in her, couldn’t reactivate. It was like her brain got fried and those neurons were damaged to the point where they couldn’t be used anymore. Rudy wasn’t sure if that made sense, but it was the only thing he could think of.

Mrs. Sanchez did not recognize ChalkZone before and there was no reason for her to lie. Had her memories been wiped by Biclops, the moment she would set foot into ChalkZone, the mere sight of it would have triggered the black chalk to reclaim control over her. And she would have become whatever she was like while under its influence. That, of course, didn’t happen. Black chalk wasn’t that subtle. It had been two years. It would have made a move by now, if it had been reactivated at all.

Rudy glanced over at Penny. Understandably, she was the most shocked out of the three. She was staring blankly ahead, her mouth partially open from the shock of what they had learned. It must be so uncomfortable for her to come to terms with this. It was definitely scary for her to find out because not only did she find out that she is the daughter of a former black chalk user, but the same one that managed to break free of the control, which may make her a target of the black chalk users at some point. And add to that the fact that she almost came to not existing at all. Her mother was targeted by Cosmo for this experiment, which she wouldn’t have survived. If her mom hadn’t made it...

Rudy tried not to think about it. It was too horrible of a thing to consider. He couldn’t imagine going through his life without her, and neither would Snap. Thinking back on their past adventures, from the minor ones to the more dangerous, a lot of them, he didn’t think they’d be able to make it through without her. She was important to the team, and knowing that they almost didn’t have her...it made him shudder.

After a while of silence, Penny finally spoke. “I...I am going to go talk to my mom...”

Snap turned his head towards her. “You don’t want to read more of the diary?”

Penny paused as she was getting up. “I will... after I talk with my mom. You guys can continue reading it if you want. Fill me in when I get back.”

Penny was on her feet now and heading towards the door to Snap’s treehouse. Rudy watched her go. He wanted to say something to her, anything. But he found himself voiceless as she opened the door and left without so much as saying a goodbye to them. This filled him with some sadness. For Penny to not even say goodbye... The impact must have been deeper than he thought. He looked down at Snap and shook his head slowly.

“I hope her conversation with her mother goes over well.” Rudy said softly. “And I hope Penny doesn’t jump to conclusions that her mother’s been lying to her.”

“Oh don’t worry about it!” Snap said, trying his best to smile. “I don’t think Penny thinks that at all! I may not have known Mrs. Sanchez for as long as you guys, but from what I’ve seen, she seems to be an honest lady. I don’t think she’d keep something like this a secret unless she didn’t know about it herself.” He cast a sad glance at the door. “I do feel bad for Buckette, though. To find out that she is the daughter of someone who used black chalk...”

Rudy nodded in agreement. “It must be awful for her.” He paused for a moment. “I wonder something...” Snap gave him a curious look. “If she is the daughter of someone who used black chalk, then does this affect how black chalk interacts with her? Is she less susceptible, or more so?”

Snap rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well I dunno, Bucko...” He pointed his hand at him. “But it does make sense. I wonder if this means Penny does have black chalk in her after all.”

Rudy shook his head. “Unlikely. Remember what Biclops said? The light of Solar Pillars would have triggered a reaction in her.”

“True...” Snap said. “But maybe there needs to be enough black chalk for a reaction? And maybe what’s in her blood just isn’t enough for...” He trailed off. He rubbed the side of his head. “Yeah, that doesn’t make much sense, probably. So Buckette doesn’t have black chalk in her. That’s good to know.”

“But I still wonder if there’s still some kind of negative consequence. Mrs. Sanchez might still have black chalk in her. That might have affected Penny’s DNA structure in some way, making her either resistant or more vulnerable to the black chalk...” Rudy said softly, his eyes cast downwards. He had already closed the diary up and set it aside, not really wanting to read another page right now. “I...I don’t know what to make of this... We read the diary to try to find a cure. We didn’t find it yet, but we found something like...this...”

Snap placed a hand on Rudy’s arm. “Hey, don’t worry. We’ll figure some way to sort everything out.”

Rudy gave a small smile. “Yeah, I know we will. Like we always have...”

“That’s the spirit!” Snap gave a small grin. He got up to his feet and tugged on Rudy’s arm. “Come on, let’s go with Penny. I’m sure having her friends by her will make talking with her mother easier.”

“Now hold on, Snap.” Rudy gently pulled his arm way, making Snap let go of him. Snap looked at him in confusion. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“What? Why?” Snap’s eyes were wide.

“Because this is personal, between her and her mom.” Rudy looked over at the door where Penny left out of. “I think it is best for her to talk to her mother alone. If she wanted us to come with, she would have said something. I’m sure she’ll do fine on her own. It’s her mom we’re talking about here. Let’s give them some time to themselves. When Penny’s done talking, she’ll come and find us and let us know how it went.”

Snap stared at Rudy. Then he nodded. “Okay, then Rudy. If you feel that is for the best.”

Rudy would have wanted to go with Snap’s suggestion. He did want to go follow Penny to confront her mother. But as he told Snap, he felt that was a personal, family manner. He felt it would be more respectful if he let Penny speak to her mother alone, and then she can tell them about it when they meet up again. Yeah, information provided by Mrs. Sanchez may come in handy, if she is able to reveal anything worthwhile. But it’s not like he is going to be without that information for long. It wouldn’t take too much time for Penny to speak to her mom and come back. He’d say sometime later today, tonight at the latest.

He went over and sat down the pile of his blankets. He missed sleeping in his own bed, in his own house. He had hardly been in the real world due to how painful it was for him. He missed his parents, even though they do come visit him. He knows they miss him. He wishes he could go back home, but for now, he can’t. He doesn’t mind sleeping with Snap for the time being. He just wished he wasn’t forced to stay in ChalkZone by this stupid disease, given to him by some crazy woman who thinks he killed Cosmo.

He wished he could talk some sense into her. He wished that she would listen to reason. But who was he kidding? She was a black chalk user. Of course she wouldn’t listen to reason. She ignores anything that she does not accept, and replaces it with her own twisted reality. That was how all black chalk artists were it seemed. There was no changing them...not unless there was a way to destroy black chalk completely. Then there might be a chance that...

He shook his head. That would be too easy, wouldn’t it? He shouldn’t get his hopes up. It would be nice if they found a way to destroy the black chalk completely, and it would definitely be nice if, by doing so, any person infected with black chalk will have it removed from their systems completely. Wishful thinking, yeah. And Rudy knew not to get too excited over something that may not happen. But it was still nice to hope a little, wasn’t it? It wouldn’t hurt to be a little hopeful for something like that, so long as he does not cloud his mind too much.

He glanced back down at the diary laying on the floor. He thought about if he wanted to read more of it now or not. He would rather read it with Penny here as well as Snap. But he didn’t really need to worry about reading it without her; Penny did say that they could read more of the diary without her if they wanted. Yet Rudy wasn’t sure if he could bring himself to read more of the diary without her. It was just...easier reading it in the company of both of his friends, he found. They all drew strength from each other, so having both his friends with him as they read the horrible diary made it easier to bear.

He knew it was important to see if there was anything written about the cure. He knew the wisest choice would be to keep reading while Penny was gone. It was a life or death situation. He couldn’t afford not to know anything about what might be able to cure him. But for now, he couldn’t bring himself to read more. The revelation of Penny’s mom being a former black chalk user was shocking enough. He was still reeling from that. He could only imagine how Penny must be feeling. He hoped that she and her mom will be able to talk things over.

He turned his head to Snap. He realized something. Somehow, he had forgotten about Snap’s cut. It had stopped bleeding by now, leaving a dark red across his cheek from where Bardot scratched him. He wondered if he should have let Snap go with Penny and have Mrs. Sanchez treat that cut. It didn’t seem very deep, but he didn’t want to take chances, especially with him being sick. Rudy never thought about it before but...just what would happen if Snap managed to catch his disease...? He shuddered to think about it.

Perhaps going into ChalkZone City for medicine would be a good idea. Plus, after that disturbing discovery, he could use a bit of a walk. A walk would relax his mind a little, reduce stress. He definitely needed that after all that’s happened recently. And he did want to get Snap some kind of medication for that cut. Probably some aloe ointment will do, and some bandaides. He would feel better knowing he got something for his friend to help with his cut, even if the cut isn’t that deep and already clotted.

He was about to get up when something else dawned on him. He had been meaning to visit Biclops in the hospital. After Blocky told him what happened, he had been meaning to visit the giant, but circumstances have made it pretty hard. He had tried once, but he was still knocked out, so he wasn’t able to speak to him about what had happened to him. Knowing what happened to Biclops was very important. Blocky thinks it was the anti-creator group, and if it was, Rudy really had to know as soon as possible. If there was another group of danger out there, they needed to be prepared for the worst.

There was a chance, though, that, in this case, the anti-creator group wasn’t responsible. Maybe it was Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek. Maybe they ambushed Biclops. For what, he wasn’t sure. Information probably. It would definitely be just like them to leave Biclops locked up like that for days and letting him go hungry and thirsty. Whoever had done that to Biclops... Rudy was going to find out somehow, someway. He clenched his fist. Biclops never did anything to deserve that. As soon as he found out who did it, he would do whatever it takes to prevent another incident like that.

Rudy got up to his feet. He took a few steps towards the door. He looked over at where Snap was. The zoner was laying down on his stomach on his beanbag chair. The zoner looked up at him, locking eyes with him. Rudy stopped and said, “I’m heading into ChalkZone City. I want to get you some medication for that cut.”

“My cut?” Snap placed a hand on his cheek. He winced a little and withdrew his hand. “It’s not bleeding anymore. I think it’s fine.”

Rudy shook his head. “I’m not going to take a chance. Bardot has been living in that fiery place for two years. Who knows what kind of things he stuck those claws in... I doubt they are very clean.”

Snap thought about this for a moment. “You do prove a good point, Rudy.”

“I’m also going to try visiting Biclops again. I need to talk to him about what happened to him. I... we need to know who attacked him. Knowing who will help us better prepare, and to try to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Being left in the dark will leave us vulnerable. If Blocky was right...”

Snap shook his head. “I don’t think it was that anti-creator group, Rudy. Right now, their numbers seem too small to...”

“They may have more members than we realize.” Rudy said sternly. “I’m not going to take that chance. I’m not going to rule them out as a possible suspect.” He turned his attention back towards the door and started to walk towards it again. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Wait here for Penny, okay?”

“Wait!” Snap jumped up from the beanbag and headed towards Rudy. “Why don’t I come with you? I could go to one of those destinations for you.” He stopped about a foot in front of Rudy. “You could could draw a specialized phone for you, me, and Penny and leave a note for her in case she does come back while we’re gone. We can use the phones to meet up with each other again so we can head back to the treehouse.”

Rudy didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of that idea before. Usually, he wouldn’t be entirely concerned about leaving without telling Penny since she could easily find him in ChalkZone, though he still preferred letting her know where he’ll be so she didn’t have to wander all around ChalkZone to find him. But with that anti-creator group around, and with that leg injury of hers, he didn’t want to risk it. He didn’t want to chance Penny being targeted while she was alone. He and Snap could still run well and they could get away from the group, but Penny would have a hard time. She still had the magic chalk, but if that group gets it away from her, she was in big trouble.

One chilling thought that entered his mind was...would this group be willing to kill Penny? Would their hatred for creators be so great that they’d take a life? The thought sent ice through his veins. No, he couldn’t allow that to happen. Leaving a note, like Snap suggested, would definitely help. It would make Penny less likely to be targeted if she was heading straight for a certain destination, and the phones would help, too. Rudy didn’t want to risk Penny being separated from him and Snap for long as her leg injury would make her a prime target if this group turned out to be violent.

Snap would also be in trouble. Without the ability to use the magic chalk, if there were enough members in this anti-creator group, more than he realized, they could gang up on Snap, beat him to a pulp, whatever horrible things they could think of. He didn’t know the full extent of where they were willing to go. And that was frightening to think about. The anti-creator group could turn out to be mostly nonviolent, and he hoped that was the case. But if he was wrong, and if this group was willing to resort to violence, just what would they do to Snap if they caught him?

An uncomfortable memory entered his mind. He recalled the time that his Madcap Snap comics caused a slew of Snips to be created, and everyone in ChalkZone blamed Snap for it. At one point, Snap was surrounded by a mob and they had chased him down relentlessly all the way to the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. Rudy had no idea exactly what they would have done to Snap, but with how determined they were to get Snap, he guessed it wasn’t going to be anything that pleasant. And what of this anti-creator group? The mob that chased Snap might not have done anything too terrible, but this group...how far would they be willing to go with Snap?

From what Blocky said, the group was spotted making protests in ChalkZone City, which was where the hospital and the store were. The hospital would be the first thing they’d reach when walking down the street. Perhaps he should send Snap to the hospital to speak to Biclops. That would be a safe place for him to be. There was little chance the anti-creator group would be in there causing trouble. With Snap unable to use the magic chalk and no blue chalk in sight, that would be the safest option for him. Rudy knew that venturing the rest of the way might be dangerous and he might have an encounter with the group, but he would rather be the one attacked than either of his friends.

“Okay then, Snap. Sounds like a plan!” Rudy said, giving a small smile to his friend. He pointed a finger at him. “You can go talk to Biclops in the hospital. I’ll stop by a pharmacy further down the street and grab some medicine for you. Okay?”

Snap nodded his head. “Got it!”

sss

Rudy and Snap walked down the streets of ChalkZone City. Snap looked around, watching the different zoners moving by. So far, he and Rudy hadn’t really run into any trouble. He hadn’t seen any signs of any zoners acting up or being unnecessarily aggressive. They also hadn’t heard any protests yet. He wondered if the anti-creator group went to sleep or if they were further in town and they just weren’t close enough to see or hear them.

If they do run into them, Snap did hope that they weren’t violent. He might have said that their numbers were too small, but he could be wrong. He hadn’t seen the group at all, not even when Blocky mentioned them. Maybe he was just looking in all the wrong places or they were out during times that he wasn’t. But if they did end up encountering them, he hoped they were peaceful protestors and not some angry mob that would chase him and Rudy all the way across ChalkZone to the nearest portal to kick them out of. He hoped that they weren’t the ones responsible for what happened to Biclops. If they were, it frightened him to think of what else they could be capable of.

Snap did feel bad not knowing more than he should. The only things he knew about this group were what Blocky had told them. Without encountering the group himself, he couldn’t make any judgments of his own. The group might turn out to be harmless. Just a bunch of cranky zoners complaining for the sake of complaining. But what if they weren’t so harmless? Zoners might be overall a nonaggressive species, with only a small percent of particularly bad eggs, but even some of the more docile zoners can get nasty if they were frightened enough. And in a group...

He tried not to think about it. He tried to focus on walking with Rudy until they got to the hospital, where they would separate. He didn’t want to show that he was afraid. He was afraid that he might attract some unwanted company. Not knowing how this anti-creator group was was scary. He had no idea what to expect from them. Would they hurt him and Rudy? Would they go after Penny, too? Just would they do? As much as Snap wanted to get those thoughts out of his head, he just could not.

He and Rudy soon came at a turn. At this point, they’d have to separate. The road Snap had to turn onto lead straight to the hospital. He could see it up ahead. The pharmacy Rudy wanted to go was down the street some more. They stopped at the turn and remained standing there for a few seconds. They remained quiet before either of them spoke.

“I’ll head down to the pharmacy now. I’ll get your medicine and meet you up in the hospital, okay?” Rudy said to his friend. “I won’t be gone that long. It should only take about five, six minutes.”

“Okay.” Snap nodded his head. He paused for a moment. “What if Biclops is not available, for whatever reason?”

“Then just wait for me in the waiting room and I’ll meet you there.” Rudy replied. “I won’t be gone very long. I promise.”

“I know Rudy.” Snap said. His voice was laced with worry, and Rudy caught this.

“I’m worried about that anti-creator group myself, too, Snap. But I don’t think they’ll try anything here. There’s too many zoners out. I’m sure you and I will be fine.” Rudy smiled reassuringly at his friend, gently squeezing his shoulder. “I promise...I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’ll run down to the pharmacy, grab the medicine, and come back. I’ll probably be back before you even reach the hospital.”

Snap was still unsure. But he did trust Rudy’s judgment. He did his best to smile at his friend. He tried his best to mask his fear, though he knew Rudy could still detect it. He couldn’t hide his emotions that easily. “All right then, Bucko. I’ll see you soon!”

“I’ll be back soon!” Rudy shouted, waving at Snap before turning around.

After waving at Rudy, Snap turned and started to walk down the street. He only got a few feet when he heard something. A thud, a clash, and what sounded like a muffled scream. Snap’s heart immediately sped up, his eyes widening in horror. No...it..it couldn’t be... Snap swung his head around. He didn’t see Rudy, but he would expect that as Rudy may have already walked far enough to be hidden from view due to the buildings. He rushed down to where he and Rudy were standing just a minute ago.

Snap’s mind filled with dread when he saw that Rudy was nowhere on the street. He didn’t see any sign of him anywhere. His body trembled. He took a few shaky steps forward, his mind trying to process just what happened. He paid no attention to any of the zoners moving through the city. He didn’t notice if they acted like they saw something or not. His eyes were focused on the street where Rudy should have been, but was not.

Snap ran forward, moving down the street, looking left and right, trying to find any sign of Rudy. He couldn’t see anything. He bumped into a few zoners, but at the moment, he didn’t care. He stopped in front of the pharmacy that Rudy was supposed to go to. He hoped that, by some miracle, Rudy just figured out a super fast way of getting here, regardless of how ridiculous that would have been. He peered in the window, but to his horror, he could not see Rudy there. He took a few shaky breaths and moved back. Gritting his teeth, he looked around.

Suddenly his mind was assaulted with the horrible memory of when he learned Rudy and Penny were kidnapped. He remembered when he stumbled upon Rudy’s room and how there was blood everywhere from the attack Draow unleashed upon them. Now Rudy was missing again, and this time, there wasn’t even a blood trail. It was like he just never was really there. What...what happened to him...? Where was Rudy...? His body shaking harder, Snap let out a cry.

“Rudy!”

sss

Rudy had no idea how he got here. It all happened to fast. One minute, he was talking with Snap, and saying goodbye to him. The next, someone hits him from behind, covers his mouth, and drags him away. And then, without warning, it was all dark and he had no idea what happened. And when the lights finally came back, here was.

Well lights would be an exaggeration. There was really just one light and it was so dim he could barely make out the details of where he was. At first, he couldn’t tell if he was in ChalkZone or the real world. But when he realized that his pain hadn’t increased tenfold, he knew he had to be in ChalkZone still. He would have drawn a light so he could explore this place a little more, but he didn’t know if his captors were here or not, and he didn’t have his magic chalk with him. He felt one of his captors wrench it from his hands.

He wondered just who had taken him. Was it the anti-creator group? That was a possibility. But it also could have been Ghadir, Jenny, and Tyreek. They would have seized a chance to grab him whenever they saw fit. He concluded it was most likely those three, as the anti-creator group appear to be pretty vocal. There was a chance that they couldn’t sneak behind him and drag him off like this, especially not to another part of ChalkZone. That wouldn’t make much sense for this group. If they wanted him out of ChalkZone, they would have forced him to draw a portal.

Rudy looked around, wondering where Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek were. Were they still in the room with him? Were they watching from the darkness? Or had they left him all alone? Yeah, that did seem like a very real possibility. They could have locked him up somewhere isolated where no one would find him and just let him slowly die. Without access to the hospital, he wouldn’t be able to eat or drink and he would die, quite unpleasantly too.

He didn’t have to wait for long. The room did suddenly light up more as a few torches hanging on the wall were lit. With the room now more illuminated, Rudy could see he was located in some underground cellar. The walls were clearly made of stone slabs set tightly packed together, and there was a wetness feeling along those walls. He guessed he was below ChalkZone City. The room was pretty small and circular, with only one exit. A small tunnel that headed down straight. He could see a bright white light, and concluded that was probably the exit to a street in ChalkZone City.

Standing in the path, blocking his way out, was the trio he had believed to be responsible. Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek. With evil smiles, they approached him slowly. None of them had their black chalk out, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have any. Although defenseless without the magic chalk, Rudy took a defensive stance, glaring at them. They soon stood in the room, Tyreek standing in front of the path to make sure he didn’t get any ideas about leaving.

“Why did you bring me here?! Let me go!” Rudy demanded, clenching his hand into a fist.

“So sorry...but we can’t do that...” Jenny sneered. She took a few steps towards Rudy. “You see, we were going to just let the disease take you down, but we wanted to have a little fun with you...”

Rudy growled lowly. “You already had your shot at me.”

“True...but I want to do more... Besides...” Jenny flicked her head, indicating Tyreek and Ghadir. “They also want another bone to pick with you. You see, we are still not very happy about what you did to Cosmo.” Rudy’s eyes widened. Of course they would still be on that subject. “And we thought we would...return the favor. Don’t worry, we won’t kill you. But when we are done with you...” Jenny gripped his shirt collar and yanked him forward. “You will wish we had.”

Rudy yanked himself away and took a few steps back. He looked at the three black chalk users, trying to find away to get past them. It was no use. The room was too small. He couldn’t find a space big enough for him to squeeze through. Maybe if he were still Snap’s size like when he was a little kid, then maybe. But right now, as an eighteen year old, he was just too big. Trapped, all he could do was move back as the three evil creators boxed him into a corner, their eyes glowing with dark intent.

“It’s not my fault Cosmo died!” Rudy cried, his voice laced in anger and disbelief. “I don’t see why you keep blaming me for it! I didn’t want to kill him! I would never have killed him! No matter how evil and vile he was, I would not have killed him! You have to believe me! I didn’t kill him!” The trio didn’t look impressed by his words. They narrowed their eyes into slits. “I’m telling the truth! It was an accident! He killed himself with his own deathtrap! He didn’t get out of the way in time!”

There was a long and eerie pause. Rudy wasn’t sure if his words got through to them or not. He had his doubts he did. He didn’t think this group was someone he could reason with. But he had to try. Without his chalk and trapped, he had to find some other alternate way of getting out of here. Trying to talk his way out may not work so well, but what else could he do? Maybe he could make them see some reason. Maybe if he could convince them he wasn’t responsible for Cosmo’s death, they would at least reduce their hostility towards him at least a little. He didn’t expect them to stop going after him and his friends, but a little less hostility would be a welcome change.

Jenny was the one who spoke up. She leaned a little towards him, a dark smile on her face. “Oh...we know it was an accident...”

Rudy’s right eye widened. “Y-You do?” Jenny nodded her head. “How...?”

Ghadir took a small step towards him. She pressed her hand against the wall. “We..had a little chat with that giant friend of yours...”

At this, Rudy’s heart clenched. The realization washed over him like a waterfall. Without them saying anything to confirm, he knew, without a doubt, these were Biclops’s attackers, not the anti-creator group. So that mystery was solved. But that did him no good while he was trapped down here. He pressed his back further against the wall, ignoring the wetness.

“You were the ones who went after Biclops...” Rudy said in a soft voice.

“Yes. We were.” Tyreek confirmed, sneering at Rudy. “The traitor finally got a little retribution for what he did to us.”

“Traitor?” Rudy questioned.

“None of your business.” Jenny snapped. She reached out and grabbed Rudy by his chin. She lifted it up and twisted his head from one side, then the other, as if examining him. “You should worry more about yourself right now, kid. You have no idea what we are going to do to... And trust me, we’re going to have a lot of fun with you.”

Rudy tried to get free, but Jenny’s grip was like a vice. She grabbed one of his arms and twisted it. He seethed in pain. “But..but if you know it was an accident...why do you still blame me? Why do you still want to hurt me for something I didn’t do?”

“Why? Because in the end, it was still your fault.” Tyreek replied, gritting his teeth angrily. His eyes glowed black for a second, sending a chill through Rudy’s spine. “If you hadn’t refused Cosmo’s generous offer, he would have been fine. If you hadn’t shoved him against the wall like that, if you hadn’t interfered with his attack to get rid of the traitorous giant, he would have been fine. You helped send him to his demise, so therefore, you should still be punished...”

“Y-You’re insane!” Rudy struggled harder. “He wouldn’t have died if he hadn’t lost control of his temper like that!”

“But he also wouldn’t have died if you hadn’t been so uncooperative.” Ghadir hissed, slamming her fist into the wall and startling Rudy. “I am going to so enjoy pummeling you into the ground.”

Rudy’s heart began to race. His right eye looked all around, trying in desperation to find a way out. His mind filled with dread, feeling a cold wave of fear washing over his body. What was he going to do? How was he going to get out of this? He was trapped with no magic chalk. His body started to shiver from fear. He had to try to get out. He had to do something. He couldn’t just stand here.

Seeing some of a space by Tyreek, Rudy mustered as much strength as he could and wrenched himself free of the evil nurse. He pushed himself along Tyreek and managed to get pasted him. But he never made it into the tunnel as Tyreek had grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. Rudy let out a soft groan as Tyreek held him by his neck against the stoney wall. Tyreek kept his grip on him as Jenny moved in closer and reached her hand out towards him. Rudy turned his head away and winced as he felt Jenny lightly touch his cheek.

“I know you might think of this as unfair...but remember Rudy...” Jenny said. “Cosmo was a very dear friend of ours. We know what friendship is like. You know how you’d do anything if your friends were in danger? Well think of us as the same way, with other black chalk artists of course. Cosmo was...very dear to us...”

“And you were responsible for him ‘disappearing’...” Tyreek growled. Rudy winced as the man’s breath hit his face.

“You must pay the price for that.” Ghadir said, smirking.

“I am afraid that we cannot let you go unpunished. We are not satisfied yet.” Jenny said, a twisted smile spreading across her face. “And we won’t be until we see you crawling on the ground, begging for mercy!”

Rudy had no warning when Tyreek’s fist made contact with his cheek. He let out a pain-filled cry as his head was violently jerked to the side. Tyreek pulled his fist back and punched him again. Tyreek picked him up and threw him across the small room, causing him to slam against the wall. Rudy staggered forward, almost losing his balance. He was caught by Ghadir. She held him up and she delivered a punch to his stomach. His right eye widened and he fell down to his knees. Ghadir lifted up her foot and kicked him in the chest, knocking him onto his back.

Jenny knelt down beside Rudy. She grabbed him by his hair and roughly pulled it up. Rudy flinched in pain and looked up at her. “This little beatdown you will recieve should speed up that disease a little bit. Spill some internal blood...” Rudy’s right eye widened in horror at this. Jenny reached down towards the green chalk around his neck. Before he could protest, she yanked it off of him. “I don’t think you’ll be needing that.”

Rudy watched helplessly as Jenny tossed the green chalk over to Tyreek, who proceeded to crush it into dust with his hands. Rudy’s body shook a little harder at this. The effects of removing the green chalk were already becoming apparent. Without the green chalk to slow down the disease, the pain he was feeling was increasing. His right eye grew wild with pain and he started to writhe on the ground, feeling his internal fluids start to eat way at his insides.

Jenny looked down at Rudy with a satisfied smirk before she lifted up her foot and slammed it down onto his side. Rudy let out a screech of pain, his right eye bulging wide, and he gripped his side. Another kick, this one on his back. He slammed against the stone wall, his face smashing up against the rocks. His tongue was cut on one of his teeth and he could taste blood in his mouth. Jenny grabbed him and lifted him up, showing a surprising show of strength. Smiling evilly, she kicked him between the legs twice as hard as she could. Intense pain overwhelmed Rudy and he crumpled to the ground, writhing in agony.

Ghadir nudged Rudy until he was on his back. She began to stomp on his stomach as hard as she could. Rudy was overwhelmed by pain. Each time she stomped down, it was more and more agonizing. Soon blood poured from his mouth and he coughed painfully. He tried to speak, but he was interrupted when Tyreek body slammed into him, driving his elbow to his already bruised stomach. Another spray of blood and a loud scream of pain, and then Rudy coughed pitifully. The coughing quickly turned into whimpers as tears flowed from his right eye.

“Please...s-stop...” Rudy begged them, taking in shaky, pained breaths. “Please let me go...”

“Not a chance kid.” Ghadir sneered.

“This is too much fun.” Tyreek said, chuckling darkly.

“You’re going to be with us for a while. We have just gotten started.” Jenny said. She laughed when Rudy looked up at them in fear. “So hold on tight. You are in for one bumpy ride...”

Through some miracle, Rudy did manage to stand back up again. Pain wracked through his body, and he couldn’t stop shaking. The pain was becoming increasingly unbearable as time passed. He didn’t know how long he would be able to last before he finally passed out. He didn’t want to pass out. He had no idea what would happen to him after that. He couldn’t leave himself that completely defenseless.

Although he knew there was hardly a chance for him to win at this rate, he had to defend himself somehow. Raising up his fist, he went for the nearest target, which was Jenny. He took a step towards her, glaring at her hatefully, and slammed his fist against her face. She let out a surprised scream and staggered back. She looked at him in surprise, like she wasn’t expecting him to fight back that badly injured and in that much pain.

Rudy tried to make a run for it, but Ghadir and Tyreek gripped his arms and slammed him against the wall. He didn’t try to struggle. He moaned in pain, some more blood dripping from his mouth. He let out a few small whimpers as he tried to cope with the agony that gripped his body now. He had to force his right eye open to see Jenny walking towards him with what seemed to be a needle. His heart pounded. What..what was she going to do to him...?

“This should make it easier for us...” Jenny said as she jabbed the needle in Rudy’s arm.

Rudy felt something cold being injected into him. It took a few seconds and soon the whole thing was inserted into him. Seconds later, he could feel the affects already settling in. He felt strength leaving him rapidly. His limbs became harder and harder to move. Despite being fully alert, he soon found it impossible to move his arms or legs. He could still feel everything, though. His heart raced even faster, his breaths becoming quick and shallow.

Now completely unable to move, Rudy could do nothing to protect himself as the trio continued beating him up. He was thrown across the room. He was slammed against the hard ground and the stone wall. He was kicked. He was punched. He was body slammed. More than once, they kept him on his back and they repeatedly attacked his stomach, but sometimes they focused on his chest. Agony increased rapidly as the seconds passed. It was becoming too much for him to bear. His screams filled the room, echoing off the walls. He started to cry and sob as his limp body was relentlessly attacked.

Suddenly, while he was on his side on the ground, he felt Jenny grab his head and turn it so he was looking up at her. She forced his mouth open and shoved something inside. Something that he realized was...sharp... He let out painful whimpers as Jenny shut his mouth and forced him to swallow. With Jenny keeping his mouth shut, he couldn’t scream as the sharp object cut his esophagus. He could only weep, tears flowing from his right eye.

The pain...oh man the pain... Rudy’s body trembled in agony. He wanted to defend himself. He wanted to get away. But he was completely immobilized. He couldn’t even scream with Jenny holding his mouth shut like this. He looked up at her, and he shuddered under those cold blue eyes. He began to wonder just how he was going to get out of here. His mind filled with dread as he wondered if this would be the fate for his friends as well.

Then the pain finally became too much for him. At least, mercifully, he passed out.


	32. Get Away From Him

The mercy of the darkness did not last very long. Rudy’s right eye fluttered open. Though his mind was muggy and confused, it took him seconds to realize where he was when a swift kick to his stomach sent shockwaves of agony through his body. Het let out a loud groan of pain and looked up, seeing Jenny and her two lackeys standing over her.

“Ah, good thing you woke up...” Jenny said in a cold voice. She held up a needle in front of him. “Otherwise, I was going to inject you with this.”

Rudy stared at the needle, but didn’t attempt to respond. He could feel the affects of the drug earlier start to wear off, but by this point, it didn’t matter. Though still muggy on some of the details, the pain told him that he had been hurt badly. He felt pain everywhere, and all he could do was let out whimpers and cries. He looked up at his attackers, his eyes shining with the question of ‘why?’. He couldn’t understand why they would do this. How could anyone do such a thing like this?

But then, he shouldn’t be surprised. He had to remember these were black chalk users. Cosmo had killed children when he himself was a child. No doubt these three black chalk users would be the same way. Although he recalled Jenny said she wasn’t going to kill him, she might as well do that now, with all she and her lackeys have done to him. He let out pitiful whines as he started to close his right eye, waiting to be attacked again. He might as well just accept fate. He was going to die here and there was nothing he could do about it.

“No, don’t you dare pass out again!” Ghadir hissed as she yanked him roughly off the ground, not caring about aggravating his injuries. “You little fucker! You don’t deserve to pass out! You will feel every bit of pain we’re about to inflict on you!” She threw him into the ground and he let out a cry of pain.

Tyreek gripped him by his neck and lifted him off the ground, pushing him against the wall. He held him up there. Rudy opened his right eye part way, staring at Tyreek with clenched teeth. “We want you to suffer through this whole thing. If you pass out, then that means there’ll be portions of pain you won’t feel, and we can’t have that. So we waited for you to get up. Now that you’re awake...” He put his face close to Rudy’s. “It’s time to dance again.”

Rudy let out a scream of pain as Tyreek delivered a punch to his face. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take. His body was wracked in pain. He must have a lot of massive internal damage, especially in the stomach, which was a frequent target. He didn’t know how he was going to get out of this. He didn’t know if, even if he did somehow manage to get away, if a hospital in the real world or ChalkZone would even help him. With his body transforming the way it was, both places now may be useless. How was he going to heal from this?

Tyreek raised his knee and smashed it against his stomach, making him let out a loud cry of pain. Blood sprayed from his mouth. Tyreek released him and Rudy crumpled to the ground. The kick caused his stomach to lurch and he started to cough violently and painfully. More blood came from his mouth as he continued to hack. Then, after a few violent coughs, something came out. Rudy looked at whatever had come out of his mouth and he realized what it was. The object that Jenny had shoved into his mouth.

A broken piece of sharp glass.

His right eye widened at this and he immediately clutched his stomach as the drug’s affects had less of a hold on him. He let out more coughs, blood coating the inside of his neck from the cuts that piece gave him. He lifted up his head and looked pleadingly at the black chalk trio. He silently begged them to let him go. But their only response was to smile evilly at him and crack their knuckles. A whimper escaped his throat as he realized they still weren’t done with him. But what more could they do to him? He was already down to his last leg. Were they going to keep pushing him until he was on his last toe?

Struggling against the pain, Rudy tried to get up onto his feet. He grabbed onto the wall and pulled himself up. His legs were shaky and wobbly. He stumbled forward, trying to make his way towards the tunnel. He never made it that far. Jenny grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him into the ground. Rudy watched, terrified, as she laid her body across him, keeping him pinned onto the ground. Her hands kept his arms firmly on the ground. She lowered her face close to his until her forehead was pressed up against his. Rudy tried to wriggle free, but he was in too much pain and had too little strength to get her off of him.

“I love seeing you squirm like this.” Jenny said. Rudy shuddered as he looked into her blue eyes. They perfectly matched how cold she really was. “It makes me feel so...” She spoke in a low whisper. “...excited!”

Tyreek and Ghadir stood on either side of Jenny. They looked down at him, smiling evilly. Their arms are folded against their chest. They were clearly amused by what was happening. They didn’t make a move. They instead hung back and let their leader do whatever she wanted to Rudy. And Rudy had no choice but to take it. It wasn’t like he could defend himself very well while in this condition. Even as Jenny released one of his arms, he still couldn’t really lift his arm that well with the pain he was in.

Jenny reached over and gently stroked a few strands of hair from his face. Rudy shuddered at this. It was unnerving to feel Jenny touch him so lightly after she had spent time helping to beat the crap out of him. He couldn’t stop his trembling, watching her in his wary right eye, as her fingers lightly traced across his forehead before moving along to his hair. Her fingers combed through his strands of hair a few times before she rested her hand on top of his head.

“This was always my favorite part..” Jenny said, chuckling. Rudy looked at her, confused. She moved her hand along his face and caressed his cheek gently. “Petting my victims like this. Being gentle, especially after I hurt them... I love playing with their minds. I know I could just continue hurting you, and I will, but...” She traced a finger along the back of his ear. “..it’s so much more fun psychologically doing it this way..screwing with my victims’ minds...don’t you think?”

Rudy tried to get away. He tried to get up. He tried to at least lift a leg up and kick her. But it didn’t work. He had lost a lot of strength in this sudden assault. He was at their complete mercy, and he knows he wasn’t going to get any. He watched, his right eye wide, as Jenny sneered down at him. She knows she has full dominance over him right now. And it was unlikely to change anytime soon. He couldn’t do anything to stop Jenny as she yanked off his eye patch, exposing his injured left eye.

His left eye had healed some. The scab wasn’t as big as it was before. He still couldn’t open the eye and Mrs. Sanchez says it might not be for a few days before he could. The eyelids still need some time to heal. Rudy realized he might be in for a longer recovery if Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir decided to attack his eye.

To his horror, it seemed like they did read his mind. Jenny’s eyes were glued on his injured left eye. There was a nasty grin on her face. Rudy let out whimpers of pain and fear and he tried to squirm. Jenny’s bodyweight kept him pinned down. She reached over with her hand and grabbed his face roughly. She twisted it to the side, staring intently at his left eye. Rudy weakly kicked his feet against the hard ground as Jenny lightly traced a finger along the cut and across his eye. He shuddered in pain.

“This scar... Looks so much like the one Cosmo had in his final moments.” Jenny said softly. She continued to rub her finger against the eye, applying pressure as she went. Her smile broadened as Rudy started to sob from the pain of having his injured eye messed with like that. “Too bad you helped to snuff the life out of him...” She pushed even harder, prompting a scream from him. Then she pulled her hand away.

Tyreek gave a cold laughter as he watched Rudy weep. “Look at the ‘Great Creator’ now... Reduced to a whimpering little child. How amusing!”

“Oh how the mighty have fallen.” Ghadir’s voice was laced in sarcasm. She took a step forward, but Jenny held out her hand. Ghadir looked disappointed. “We want to play with him more.”

“Don’t worry, you will.” Jenny said, a dark smile spreading across her face. “I just have to...take care of something first.”

With Rudy’s head twisted in this manner, it was hard for him to see what Jenny was doing. He could feel her roughly manipulate his face, particularly the left side of it. Her fingers grabbed at his left eyelids. She stretched them. He let out a cry of pain as he felt the tender skin getting pulled and stretched. He thrashed weakly on the ground. This time, Jenny got help from her two comrades, who knelt down and held down his limbs so he couldn’t struggle.

Jenny kept pulling on his left eyelids until the scab that held them together broke. He let out a pained scream and winced as sudden light entered his left eye, which hadn’t been in much use for a few days. His pupil dilated and he looked around. Now able to see Jenny, he could see what she was up to. And he wished he hadn’t known. She lifted up a knife, and it was positioned straight over his left eye. Knowing exactly what would happen next, Rudy tried again to struggle, squirming with all what remained of his strength.

“N-No...please...don’t do this...” Rudy pleaded with them. It was very painful for him to talk. He coughed a few times, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. “P-Please..I-I beg of you...Don’t...” He was silenced when Jenny slapped him across his cheek.

“Oh shut up, you little crybaby! This won’t even hurt that much.” Jenny snarled at him. “I am just going to make a simple modification to your face...”

“N-No...” Rudy’s pleas fell on deaf ears. As he watched the knife come closer to his left eye, all he could do was shut his right eye tightly, grit his teeth, and wait for the pain to come.

Suddenly, a voice rang out in the tunnels.

“Get the fuck away from him, you monsters!”

In seconds, before Jenny could react, something blue slammed against her cheek. She let out a startled, pained cry as she was thrown off of Rudy. The teenager took in a sharp intake of relief as the weight was lifted from him. He rolled onto his side, letting out moans of pain. He opened his injured right eye and looked to see what was going on. He widened his right eye, not believing what he was seeing.

Snap... It was Snap... How did he find him..? Rudy had no idea how the zoner managed to locate him this fast. And right now, he didn’t care how. Relief swept through his mind that someone, against the odds, was able to find him before he wound up killed by this three. A small, faint smile tucked at the corner of his mouth. Maybe...maybe there was a chance he was going to survive after all.

The pain and blood loss made it difficult for Rudy to keep his right eye open. He refused to open his left eye due to how painful it was. But now his right eye was hard to keep open due to the loss of strength. Most of what he saw was blackness. But sometimes, he did manage to keep his right eye opened and watched the scene play out before him. It didn’t look like Snap was going to back down, even though he was up against three black chalk users. He still kept going. Rudy forced his right eye to remain open for a little while.

Rudy watched as Snap fought against the three black chalk users. He knocked Ghadir onto the ground. He managed to kick Tyreek in the shin, making him go down on his knees. Then he delivered a punch to his head and knocked him back. Jenny tried to get him, but Snap jumped out of the way in time. He used his small size to his advantage in this small space. He lunged at her and managed to knock her into the ground. As he started to punch her, Tyreek came from behind and tried to grab him. Snap got out of the way and Tyreek ended up colliding with Jenny instead.

Ghadir was on her feet by now and she grabbed Snap by his scarf and held him up. Unlike before, when this posture would have rendered Snap helpless, Ghadir had made the mistake of holding him too close. He brought his fist back and punched her in the jaw. She let out a yelp of pain and released him. A bit of blood trickled from her mouth, a result of her tongue being bitten. She snarled at him and raced towards him. Snap managed to trick her into running into the pile on the ground that was her two other comrades.

Rudy’s right eye couldn’t stay open for much longer. He closed it, the eyelid feeling unusually heavy. He managed to reopen it but only for short times. He managed to see a few things, such as Snap kicking Jenny in the stomach, and him landing on top of Tyreek and causing him to slam against the wall. Most of the time, even more so than before, it was just blackness Rudy could see. He did hear all the noises, though. Snap’s shouts of anger. The black chalk’s shouts of frustration, some of pain. He heard clangs, grunts, and slams. This lasted for what seemed like several minutes.

Then, eventually, the slamming and the attacking seemed to stop altogether. Rudy kept his eyes closed, listening intently to what was going on. He heard panting, not just from Snap, but from the three black chalk users as well. Then he heard a couple of footsteps, heading away from him and towards the tunnel. Tentative footsteps, like they didn’t want to leave, yet weren’t sure if they wanted to stay.

“That....that thing is...going to be a problem...” Tyreek said, panting heavily. “We...we should have brought...the black chalk with us...”

“Too late..for that now...” Ghadir hissed. She took a step back.

Jenny said, “Let’s get going... We can’t get to the boy now... Not with that blue thing in our way.”

“But we’re..so much bigger than him...” Ghadir said in protest. “We could crush him...”

“Not while he’s in that..state...we can’t....” Jenny growled in pain, seething. “We didn’t account for...the temper of a very angry zoner..especially when we’re without our...black chalk... We’ll deal with them later... For now, we retreat...”

Rudy heard footsteps rushing down the tunnel. They were getting faint as the seconds passed by. He forced his right eye open. He could see Snap standing there protectively in front of him, his back turned to him. He had taken on a fighting stance, hunched forward and fists clenched. He took heavy breaths, seething and growling in anger. In front of him, Rudy could vaguely see Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek rushing down the tunnel, soon only their shadows on the walls being seen.

“S-Snap...” Rudy managed to stay in a weak voice.

At this, Snap turned his attention towards him. Rudy could see Snap suffered some injuries as well, but at the moment, the zoner hardly noticed them. Snap’s expression changed swiftly, from anger to worry. “Bucko...”

Snap rushed over to Rudy’s side in an instant. He knelt down beside him and gently lifted up his head. He placed it on his lap gently and looked down at him worriedly. Rudy tried to smile at him, but he started to cough pitifully. He let out whimpers of pain, agony still sweeping through his body like a tidal wave. Snap gently touched his cheek and stroked it, his lower lip quivering.

“I-It’s okay, Rudy... You’ll be okay...” Snap said softly, obviously wanting to try to soothe Rudy. “I’ll get you help...”

Help...who could help him at this point? Rudy wasn’t sure who could help him while he was in this condition, his body changing into..something different. But he didn’t want to crush his friend’s hope. He managed to smile at him and he reached up and he touched his friend’s cheek. Snap had a few tears flow from his face as he raised his hand to touch Rudy’s.

Knowing Snap, he may find a way to help him. He might know something he doesn’t. Maybe he had something arranged. Maybe there was more zoners coming this way. Maybe his friends and family, too. He couldn’t see or hear anything of the sort. Maybe they were on their way. But he had his doubts he could stay up long enough to see it. He could already feel his strength waning to the point where it was hard keeping his right eye opened. Against his will, it started to flutter a little. His arm, too weak, fell to the ground.

“No, Rudy, stay wake! Please....don’t fall asleep...not now...” Snap begged, sucking on his lip. “Keep your eyes open...please...”

“S-Snap...it’s...so painful...it hurts so much...” Rudy whimpered. His body trembled. The internal pain was becoming harder and harder to bear. He had no idea of the extent of the damage, but from the pain he was feeling, there was no way it could be anything but major. He let out a few more coughs, blood spraying onto his chest. “They wouldn’t stop...”

Snap lifted Rudy’s head up slightly. He pressed the side of his face against his gently. “Shh... It’ll be okay Rudy... You’re going to be okay..”

Rudy continued to tremble from pain. He tried his best to stay awake for his friend. He tried to fight against the blackness that was starting to creep into his mind and the corner of his eyes. But he knew fighting it was useless. He had lost too much blood internally. His mind was not going to be able to stay alert for much longer. He let out a small whimper as he looked up at Snap with his half-opened right eye.

“Everything will be fine....You’ll be fine...” Snap said in a soft voice, gently stroking Rudy’s hair. “Stay with me...please...” He begged Rudy. With his face still against his, he nuzzled him gently, an attempt to comfort him. “I-I love you...”

Rudy let out a weak, pain-filled cough. He said in a soft whisper, “I....love you, too...” His voice trailed off as darkness started to come over him. Snap’s panicked cries for him to stay awake became warped and distorted, and soon he lost all touch with reality.

sss

“It...it has to be a mistake...” Mrs. Sanchez said softly.

Penny shook her head. “No, it’s not. It clearly said Ms. Sanchez. And don’t try to tell me it’s a common name around here, because it isn’t.” Penny tried her best not to sound angry. “Please...just tell me... Have you been hiding..anything? Did you...lie to me...?”

Penny knew that was a pretty harsh thing to ask from her mother. And she did feel a pang of guilt when her mom looked at her with a hurt expression. But she really had to know the truth. She had to know if her mom really had been keeping secrets from her, if she remembered anything at all about ChalkZone before the Bardot incident two years ago. She didn’t want to sound like she was accusing her mother. She just...really had to know what was going on.

She was completely taken aback by that diary entry. The realization that her mom was once a black chalk user... It was shocking. She still hadn’t gotten over it. Her mind was still reeling from it. Since she found out, she had been determined to learn more. There had to be a reason why her mom didn’t seem to remember ChalkZone...why she didn’t react when she ended up touching Rudy’s blood those few times... She had to know just...what had happened to her...and she wanted to find out from her mom.

When she came to the ChalkZone hospital, where her mom was helping to further analyze Rudy’s blood for any possible cure, she didn’t confront her right away. She had to wait until the other doctors, especially Dr. Raiden, had left. Even after that, working up the courage to confront her mom about this...it was difficult. She tried to come up with the words to say, how she would phrase things. Her mom may not be alone for too long...she had to take this chance to talk to her.

And she did. Her mom reacted just the way she had expected her to. She was just as horrified by the discovery found in that diary. She had hardly spoken for a few minutes when Penny told her what she and her two friends had found out. She told her mom about the horrific experimentations Cosmo did, and how he had specifically targeted her, Mrs. Sanchez, or Ms. as she was referred to in the journal, next. She had been identified as ‘the one who got away’.

Penny had thought that Rudy was the only one who got away from the black chalk. But she was wrong. They were all wrong. Her mom was the first one to do it. But how? She really had to find out. And she tried to get her mom to talk. Unfortunately, things weren’t as eventful as she hoped, because there was one aspect she had almost forgotten about herself. It was clear her mom did not remember anything. Nothing she mentioned with the diary, nothing she said about her being a black chalk user, none of it clicked with her. And since she clearly did not remember ChalkZone, this made sense.

Still, she was hopeful that, somehow, maybe her mom had some kind of repressed memory. Something...anything that could provide a clue. But at the same time, did she want to trigger the memory? Was there, against the odds, still black chalk in her? If memories were triggered, would she revert to how she was years ago? That entry was the first time her mom was even mentioned, so she had no idea how her mother was as a black chalk user...but then again, they did skip a lot of entries when trying to find something regarding the disease.

“I’m...I’m sorry, Penny, but I really don’t remember anything about that...” Mrs. Sanchez said. She leaned back in the chair she sat in earlier. Her hand was on her forehead and she gently rubbed it. “I...don’t know what to make of this... I would have remembered working for Mr. Cosmo.”

“You remember nothing? At all?” Penny asked. Her mother shook her head. “Are you sure?” She realized how forceful she sounded there and she immediately backed off. “I’m sorry... It’s just that.. I can’t believe this... You, a black chalk user.. It’s so hard to comprehend.”

“Yeah I know.” Mrs. Sanchez looked down at her hand and flexed her fingers, like she was imagining what it was like to hold the black chalk. “I can’t imagine it either. I wish I could remember something...anything.. But I don’t. And what’s strange is that..none of the zoners seemed to react negatively to me when I arrived.”

“Maybe they just didn’t recognize you, or maybe you weren’t that bad when you were a black chalk artist.” Penny suggested as she tried to make sense of the whole thing. At the comment of ‘not being that bad’, she got a look from her mom. She backtracked. “Okay, so that last part didn’t make a lot of sense. Every black chalk user we’ve encountered has been downright awful and monstrous. I just..can’t imagine you being like that.”

Her mom tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Well there’s always the chance that I wasn’t under its influence for long.”

“Yeah...true...” Penny said. She sat down in a chair next to her mom. She rested her elbows on her thighs and then her chin her hands. She sighed. “I just wish there was a way to find out exactly how you did it. Maybe Rudy could that information to purge what’s left of the black chalk from his system.”

“That could work.” Mrs. Sanchez narrowed her eyes slightly. “If there was a way to get me to remember.” She paused for a moment. “..without triggering any negative side effects.”

Penny didn’t need her mom to explain that. She knew exactly what the negative side effects she was talking about were. She was not the only one who was worried about possible reverting back to the black chalk personality. Her mom was worried about it, too. Even if her mom wasn’t entirely certain if she was the Ms. Sanchez Cosmo was talking about, it was clear she did not want to take that chance, in case it really was her. If awakening her memories also causes her black chalk personality to resurface, what were they going to do? They’d have to find a way to help bring her back to normal, but how?

There had to be a safe way to do this. A way to look at her past without triggering any unwanted side effects. Penny searched her mind, trying to find something, anything that could help them out. At first, she just drew a blank, and her head started to hurt. But then something came into focus. Something that she couldn’t believe she hadn’t even considered. There was a way she could see her mom’s past without worried about triggering the black chalk half of her mom, if it still existed at all.

She could go see Biclops. The giant had been forced to work for Mr. Cosmo for a time. Surely he would have seen something about this and have it stored in his mind somewhere. He might be able to show her what happened. Maybe he would even know how she broke free. If Biclops knew anything about that, then Rudy could use the information to get rid of the black chalk inside of him. But then, did he know at all? If he did, why wouldn’t he tell them? Unless what happened was very rare or just shere luck and there was little chance of it working again...

Still, she had to find out. It was too crucial not to know. Biclops was one of the few zoners nearby who could provide her the information she needed. There were other zoners around at the time, but Biclops had worked closely with the black chalk users. Not of his own accord of course. But he would have the most inside information regarding them, with the exception of Barney, who stored information in general, not just what he sees. She decided that, as soon as she went back to meet up with Rudy and Snap, they were going to go see Biclops about this.

“Hey...” Mrs. Sanchez said. Penny looked at her mom in confusion. The woman put her arm around her daughter and gently held onto her. “I hope that..whatever you find out about what I was like before...you won’t think less of me...”

Penny gasped in shock. How could her mother think like this? She looked at her face, noticing her mom’s forelorn expression. She thought she could see a tear in the corner of her eye. Penny got up from her chair and moved in front of her mom. She stared at her for a few seconds and then placed a hand on her mom’s.

“Why would you think I would do that?” Penny asked in a calm voice. “Why..why would I do that?”

“Because...you saw how Cosmo was. You can see how Jenny, Tyreek, and and Ghadir are now. You’ve seen what black chalk artists do. And I know you hate them.” Mrs. Sanchez replied, casting her eyes downward.

Penny bit her lip. “But I don’t hate you.. And you’re nothing like that now, and that’s what matters. Please, mom...don’t be upset. I won’t hate you no matter what I find out.”

“What if I killed someone?” Mrs. Sanchez asked.

“It wouldn’t have been you. Don’t you get it? The black chalk controls people. I already explained this to Rudy before. He blamed himself for the death of three zoners. He thinks he killed them. But he didn’t. It was the black chalk, using him as a puppet. It’s the same thing with you.” Penny said, doing her best to reassure her mom. “Whatever you did while under its control...it wasn’t your fault...”

Penny knew this to be true. This included Cosmo, Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir. Cosmo was once like Rudy, until he was possessed by the black chalk. She didn’t know exactly what Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir were like before, but their original personalities were erased when the black chalk took them over. But she wasn’t about to cut them any slack. Those three needed to be dealt with. Cosmo may have died years ago, but these three were still around. And they were still controlled by the black chalk. Just because she acknowledges that the black chalk is really what’s behind all this doesn’t mean she is dismissing the threat those three pose right now.

She put her arms around her mother and pulled her into a hug. She felt her mom hug her back. The two embraced for a few minutes, hugging and comforting each other. She rested her chin on her mom’s shoulder and gently rubbed her back. They stayed like this for a little while longer before they finally broke apart. They kept her hands on each other’s arms and looked into each other’s eyes, smiling.

“Thank you...” Mrs. Sanchez reached up and placed a hand on her daughter’s cheek. “I love you.”

“Love you too, momma..” Penny whispered as she cuddled close to her mom again, feeling comfort from her arms wrapped around her.

Suddenly the door was swung open, banging against the wall. Penny and her mom are startled and jerked back from the sound. They looked over to see what it was. Standing in the doorway was a zebra zoner doctor. His eyes were wide in fright. Penny’s heart filled with dread. Just what happened? What had this zoner so spooked?

“Dr. Sanchez! Quickly!” The zebra zoner cried. He rushed over towards the woman. He grabbed her by her arm and started to yank her forward. “We need your help!”

“What happened?” Mrs. Sanchez asked as she was being dragged towards the door.

“It’s Rudy Tabootie! He’s in trouble!” The zebra replied, his voice panicked. Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes widened in horror and, in response, she started to move along with the doctor.

Penny gasped at this. She felt her heart skip a beat. Rudy was in trouble? Just what had happened to him? Feeling her heart pound against her chest, she rushed forward and soon caught up with the zebra doctor. “What happened to Rudy?”

The zebra doctor cast Penny a sideways glance. “Your blue friend, Snap is it? He dragged Rudy into the hospital in horrible condition. He says that Rudy was attacked by those three black chalk creators!”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror. “How...how bad is he...?”

“Very bad... We don’t know the full extent of the damage yet. He needs to go into ER now, or he won’t make it!” The zebra doctor cried out fearfully.

As soon as the doctor said this, there was a stretcher that suddenly rushed past them, being pushed by Dr. Raiden and another doctor. Penny could see it was Rudy. Her blood froze as she saw just how terrible he really looked. He was covered in bruises. Blood coated his chest. From how bad the bruising was, she knew there had to be massive internal damage. Her body froze and she stood and watched as her mom and the zebra doctor followed the stretcher down the halls. Her mind become numb as she tried to comprehend what she just saw.

Rudy... Tears formed in her eyes. What did he do to deserve this? He was...he was just fine before. Okay not fully fine. But he was doing a little better. And now there was, unconscious, beaten to a pulp, and, for certain, there was a lot of internal bleeding. With that chalk disease, that was the last thing he needed. Her body trembled and she started to feel weak. How could this have happened? Oh why didn’t they just come to the hospital together? Why did she decide to just leave on her own? If she hadn’t left, maybe she could have helped prevent Rudy from suffering this fate. Rudy..he had to be okay..he just had to...

She dropped onto her knees next to the door to the room she had spoke with her mother in just seconds ago. She ignored the pain in her bad leg as she did that. She felt more tears flow from her eyes. Her body shaking harder from emotion, she started to cry. She put her hands against her face and just sobbed. She couldn’t believe this had happened. Rudy was brutally attacked, and judging from the doctors’ reactions, the way they were rushing him into the emergency room, it was clear that this was a life or death situation. Just..why would those three do this? What did Rudy do to provoke them to do such a horrible act? Then again, they were black chalk users... They couldn’t be reasoned with.

She soon heard the footsteps of someone else coming down the hallway. She didn’t bother opening up her eyes. She didn’t care who saw her like this. She just stayed on the ground, trying to get her thoughts together. She didn’t respond when the figure put a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t look up when the figure shook her a little. She did open her eyes, but she kept them downcast, her vision blurred by her tears.

“Penny...”

Penny’s eyes widened a little, and she turned her head. It was Snap. He looked a little banged up himself, but nowhere near as muc has Rudy was. She stared at him in shock. Then, without warning, she lunged towards him, pulling him into a hug. She felt the zoner hug her back and the two stayed like that for a few minutes.

When she pulled back, she stared at Snap in the eyes and said, “Snap, what happened..?”

Snap was fighting back tears of his own. “R-Rudy and I were going into ChalkZone City..and I was heading towards the hospital, and he went off in a different direction to go get me some medicine..then there was a strange sound and I looked and he..he was gone!” Penny gasped at this, her mouth dropping open. “I-I managed to find him...using the signal from the phones I had him draw.. The black chalk artists.. they were beating him up.. I managed to chase him away but..he..he was so hurt...I should have moved faster..I...”

“Shh..it’s okay..” Penny caressed his cheek gently. “He’s in the hospital now.. They’ll help him.. Don’t worry. Rudy will be fine..”

“I hope you’re right.” Snap whispered softly. He pressed the side of his face against her upper chest. “I really hope he’ll be okay.”

Penny pulled him closer, resting her chin on his head. More tears dripped from her face. They intermixed with Snap’s chalk tears on the ground, sucking it up. “He’ll be fine, Snap. He’s in good hands..” Penny did her best to smile. She wasn’t sure herself if Rudy would be okay, but she wanted to remain hopeful, especially for Snap. She continued to hug him gently and rubbed his back in an attempt to comfort him. “My mom will make sure he’ll pull through...”

“I know she will...” Snap said softly, his voice choked with emotion. He looked up at Penny, wiping away a tear. “We..we should tell Rudy’s parents...”

Penny felt a pang in her chest. This was going to be some very hard news to break, but they did have a right to know. She nodded her head to him and released him. Snap moved back and Penny climbed up to her feet. Though she had managed to walk somewhat okay without a cane, it was still a pain. Her right leg was still difficult to use for walking, but she hadn’t bothered getting another cane yet. Right now, that was the least of her worries. She had to get to the real world and talk to Rudy’s parents.

Snap went up beside her. He stood on her right side and grabbed onto her arm. Like before, he let her use him as support. She smiled gratefully at him. This must be a hard thing for him to do, as he was smaller than she was. But he was still strong. She was amazed at how well he could support her despite not being that big compared to her. With Snap helping her, it did make it easier to head down the hallway.

“I..I do hope we find out about the cure soon..” Snap said softly as they continued down the hallway.

Penny looked down at Snap. “I’m sure we will Snap. Somehow..someway..we will...I promise..”

Snap glanced up at her. “Do you think Cosmo has it written in his diary somewhere?”

“He might..I sure hope so.” Penny replied. She bit her lip. “If he doesn’t...it’s going to be a lot harder finding the cure..”

“And it might be too late...” Snap said, his expression forelorn. He shook his head sadly. “I..I know there’s a cure. There must be.. But to find it... It just seems like everytime we try to find information, we’re just sent through a hole, and come out with little more than what we knew previously.”

Penny nodded her head. “I know, Snap. But we’ll find something. I know we will.”

“It would be so much easier if someone knew the cure..or at least..a little bit about it...” Snap sighed softly. “But nobody does.. And that creepazoid may have kept it a secret from everyone...but the black chalk users...and the secret may have died with him...”

“Or it would have..if I had died along with him.”

Penny and Snap froze at that voice. It couldn’t be, could it? Where did he come from? How did he get here? How did they not notice him earlier as they headed down the hallway? Penny wondered if they were just hearing things. Maybe they were so hopeful for things to look up that they just thought they heard this particular voice. But when they looked out in front of them, she realized that hallucination wasn’t the case. There was no mistake of who this person was.

It was Mr. Wilter.


	33. Explainations From Wilter

“Mr. Wilter?!” Penny cried out in surprise. Snap looked just as shocked to see him. “How..how did you get here? I thought you were...”

Mr. Wilter nodded his head. “My recovery was faster than they had expected it, especially with what happened to me.”

Penny nodded her head. “You were attacked by Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir, weren’t you?”

“Used like a punching bag was more like it.” Wilter grumbled under his breath. He winced and rubbed the back of his head. “I’m still sore in a few spots, but they hadn’t slowed me down much! I..” When he took a step forward, he had to stop and flinch in pain. He straightened himself up and there was a slight crack in his back. “Okay, so maybe they slowed me down a little. But at least I can still walk.”

Penny eyed Wilter up and down. He did look a little banged up. There was some bruising from there he was attacked. Some scabs from where he was slashed were visible as well. But other than that, he seemed mostly okay. She wasn’t sure if he should be walking around like this, though. He might aggravate his injuries. It’s only been a few days since his attack. A week has it been? Depending on how massive the internal injuries were, he’d need more time to recover. Why would he risk coming into ChalkZone right now?

And how did he know she was going to be here? Maybe he asked some zoners. Yeah, that could be it. Maybe he heard news regarding Rudy and wanted to come see him. That was a possibility. Penny sometimes forgot that Wilter occassionally keeps a piece of magic chalk with in case. So it shouldn’t surprise her whenever he decided to show up in ChalkZone. She guessed that, since he was injured, she just wasn’t expecting him to show up this fast, so she was genuinely surprised by his appearance.

Whatever brought him here, and whatever enabled him to do so, it didn’t matter too much at this point. The point now is that he was here and she and Snap could speak to him about this cure, as it sounded like he knew something about it. She hoped that he knew more than what Barney claimed to know. Any new information was something, and would bring them one step closer to helping Rudy. She wondered if he may also know something about her mom being a black chalk user. Mayb he’d be able to provide information or at least clues as to how she managed to escape the black chalk’s grasp. He was around at that time. He’s gotta know something, doesn’t he?

“I am glad to see you’re doing better.” Penny said, giving her old teacher a small smile. He nodded his head and smiled back at her. Penny then frowned and looked from side to side. “So what brings you here? How did you know I was going to be here?”

Wilter took a few steps forward. “After I was released from the hospital, I knew I had to get into ChalkZone as soon as possible. If Jenny is back, then there was no doubt in my mind that something was going on in ChalkZone, and it seemed I was right.” He sighed and tilted his eyes towards the ceiling. “I’ve seen some devastation... Nothing as big as when Cosmo was around, nothing to draw a lot of attention. But it’s there. I came here when I overheard some zoners talk about Rudy being hurt...” His eyes furrowed with concern. “Is that right?”

Penny and Snap looked at each other sadly. They turned back to Wilter and nodded their heads slowly. Wilter’s eyes widened at this and he clenched his teeth a little. He looked down the hallway, where Penny and Snap had been glancing down earlier. Something seemed to dawn on Wilter. He turned back and looked at them again. Just like before, they nodded affirmatively.

“They took Rudy down that hallway.” Snap explained. He kept his grip on Penny’s arm, continuing to be a support for her. “He was ambushed earlier by Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek. They dragged him off somewhere and started to beat him nearly to death. I did manage to stop them, but they already did a lot of damage to him.”

Wilter winced. “Sounds like he was put through the same thing I was. Or close to it.” He looked down the hallway. “Did they say how he was?”

Penny shook her head. “Just that he needs to go to the ER...or he won’t make it.”

Wilter shook his head. “Those bastards...” He sighed and looked at Penny and Snap. “I’m sorry that happened. I would have warned you two about those three before, but...”

Snap raised his head. “Don’t worry about it, big guy. We understand. You were in no position to tell us anything.” Snap gave him a small smile. “At least you’re here now, and if there’s anything you need to tell us, you can. Those three creepazoids are nowhere near the hospital.”

Penny wasn’t as sure as Snap about that. The evil trio could be laying in wait nearby. After how Cosmo attacked the hospital to grab Snap, there was no reason for her to believe that Jenny and her lackeys wouldn’t do the same thing. They would attack this place if they saw fit. If they really wanted to kill Rudy, they would, and she knows they do want to kill him at some point. The black chalk trio may be around here somewhere, biding their time, but she knows they wouldn’t just make a move whenever they felt like it. There was reason to believe that, for now, they’d keep quiet.

But she did feel Snap was right about one thing. Wilter can talk to them now. Even if the black chalk users rush in soon, that still gave Wilter plenty of time to tell them at least one thing that is going on around here. There were two important things that she hoped Wilter knew about and that was the cure and what her mom’s status as a black chalk user really was, and why she was able to break free from it. She had hope that Wilter could provide the information that they needed. He had to know something.

“So...Wilter...?” Penny asked, taking a step towards her teacher. Snap helped her. “You indicated earlier that you knew the cure, right?”

“There is only one cure I’m sure you’re talking about. When I was coming down the hallway, I overheard you mention black chalk users. There is only one disease I know of that they created. Their own biological weapon. The gelxeno virus.” Wilter said. He looked at them intently. “That’s the one you’re talking about?”

Penny nodded. “Yes. Rudy was infected with it.”

Wilter stared at her blankly. His eyes widened and his mouth hung open a little. “How long as he had it...?”

“...a while now... A week I think. So much has happened and the days and nights are getting muddled together..” Penny said, stumbling over her words. “Well anyway, the disease has already done some progress with him. His insides are starting to change to chalk...”

“Yeah, and those creepazoids did a lot of damage to him...” Snap said sadly. Tears formed in his eyes. “A lot of internal bleeding.. I-I can’t imagine that that’s going to do to him...with his organs turning to chalk like that...”

Wilter looked horrified by this. “It’s going to get worse.” Penny and Snap looked at him horrified. “When his organs heal, if it wasn’t chalk before, it will become chalk. The damage areas will heal back as chalk. But if he’s bleeding internally, then he won’t heal, and he’ll continue to bleed out.” Penny and Snap gasped at this. They looked at Wilter fearfully, hoping that he had at least some bit of good news for Rudy. Wilter continued, “They’re going to have to stop the bleeding. Any and all bleeding.” He glanced down the hallways. “And that won’t be easy with the condition that he’s in...”

“Is there a chance, though?” Snap asked hopefully. “Can they still save him?”

Wilter looked at Snap and then at Penny. The two of them stared him with wide, hopeful eyes. They silently begged Wilter to tell them some good news. Something to give them reason to be hopeful. He bit his lip and he looked away. “....it’s possible... But it’s going to be very hard...”

Penny felt a sinking feeling in her heart. That wasn’t the kind of news she wanted to hear. She had wanted to hear something definite, more positive. But the way Wilter said that, it sounded like the chances of Rudy being able to recover from this were slim to none. Despite that, she wanted to remain at least a little hopeful. He was in a hospital now, and she knows that her mother, Dr. Raiden, and the other doctors would see to it that Rudy was fine. He would recover, even if it may take him a while.

Hoping that Wilter’s knowledge of the cure would be more along the lines of good news, Penny asked, “Do you know anything about the cure to this disease? Anything at all? Whatsoever?” She and Snap looked at him with hopeful expressions. “We’ve been running around in circles trying to find any information about the cure, and we have turned up nothing. Please, if you know anything...please tell us...”

Wilter stared at them for a few seconds. He looked at their expressions. Penny had a feeling that he could practically feel their desperation radiating off their bodies. They looked at him intently, hoping, praying, that he knew something that could help them. His words earlier indicated that he did know. She hoped that they didn’t mishear. She hoped that they didn’t misinterpret what he said. She hoped that, whatever he knew, it was going to help them, even if just in one small way.

If Wilter knew the cure, and if he could provide information where it is, Penny didn’t care where it was. She didn’t care if it was some hostile environment. She didn’t care if there were a ton of enemies she’d have to face. She didn’t care how hot it was, or how cold it was. She didn’t care how treacherous the terrain was. She didn’t care if she had a bad leg. As soon as she knew what the cure was and where to get it, she would go find it. She would go get it, even if it means putting herself in danger. And she knew that Snap would feel the same way, and he would be with her no matter what. They would get the cure, and they would bring it back for Rudy.

After what seemed like several minutes, Wilter finally spoke up. Penny and Snap stood quietly, listening to what he had to say.

“I know something of it, yes.” Wilter replied. At this, Penny and Snap’s eyes brightened. “I don’t know entirely what it is, though.”

Penny’s smile faded. “What...? You don’t...?”

“But we thought...” Snap started to say.

Wilter raised his hand to silence them. “True, I don’t know the cure myself. And for good reason. Cosmo, at this point, didn’t trust me enough with the knowledge. He was afraid I was going to go around telling just about every white chalk user about it. And he was right. I would have done that. He made sure I never found out what the cure was, no matter how hard I tried.” Mr. Wilter gave them a small smile. “But he wasn’t able to stop me from finding out something regarding it...”

“And what is that?” Snap asked.

The old teacher replied, “The location of it.”

At this, Penny and Snap moved closer to Wilter. “The location?” They asked in unison, their voices filled with more hope than they had been the past few days.

Wilter gave them an affirmative smile and nodded his head once. “Or rather, locations. The way Cosmo hid the cure was..rather convoluted. I was lucky to have found out at all. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and he was talking with Jenny about where he was going to hide the cure. To get to it is ridiculous and requires a lot of skill, but Cosmo believed that any black chalk user can do it with ease, while any white chalk user would perish.”

Penny and Snap gave a quick glance at each other. Yeah, this did sound like Cosmo alright. It sounded like the black chalk users in general. It would be like them to hide the cure in some ridiculous fashion so that only they can get it. They wouldn’t put it past the black chalk users to put the cure somewhere where it was really dangerous and convoluted just to get to. But one thing was for certain. She and Snap would still go find the cure, no matter where it was. It could be in the middle of the Fire Zone, and they’d still go there, even if they had to fight Draow and Bardot to get it. She’d get into a fist fight with Draow if she had to.

“From what I heard Cosmo say to Jenny, the cure is actually twofold. Two things you must get in order to cure Rudy of the disease.” Wilter explained. “And both are in completely different places. Well they’re sort of different places, but sort of the same, too.” Noticing the perplexed expressions on Penny and Snap’s faces, Wilter smiled. “I would have expected you to react like that. What I’m about to say may get a little confusing, so I’ll try to keep it as simple as I can.” He drew in a deep breath. He looked at them intently, indicating that what he was about to say next, he was going completely serious. “The cure is spread across two dimensions.”

It took a few seconds for this to register with Penny and Snap. And when it did hit them, their eyes widened in shock. They leaned back away from Wilter. Their mouths dropped open. They stood there, unable to move or speak. They stared at him, waiting to hear if he was joking or not. But when he didn’t, they had to accept reality. Mr. Wilter did just say dimensions... But..but how...? How was this possible?

“What? Two dimensions?!” Snap cried, his eyes growing bigger. His body trembled slightly from the shock. “You...you mean like...alternate dimension..?”

Wilter nodded his head. “That is correct.”

“But..that’s impossible...” Penny whispered softly. “There hasn’t been any proven method of going to an alternate dimension..or that they even exist.”

Wilter stared at Penny with a somewhat smug expression. A rare look she got from her teacher. “Sanchez, need I remind you that ChalkZone is an alternate dimension?”

At this, Penny flushed with embarrassment. “Oh yeah...” She didn’t know how she could have forgotten that. Maybe it was from the fact that she was so used to traveling to ChalkZone and back and how it was part of her life that she never once really thought about how it really was an alternate dimension, and the portals they use were interdimensional gates. “So dimensional traveling isn’t really all that impossible thing..”

The man shook his head. “No. Cosmo took it a step further and he managed to locate two dimensions with their own version of ChalkZone. He indicated they were mostly the same with very few differences. He chose them as the locations for the cure, and he kept them well hidden, according to what he said to Jenny. He kept it a secret even from his alternate selves in those timelines.”

“This is quite fascinating information but...” Snap rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Just how are we going to get to these alternate dimensions? And if you don’t know what the cure is, than it won’t help us much just going to these two alternate worlds. We wouldn’t know what to look for!”

“Snap is right. Knowing where the cure is, well that’s nice and all, but...are you sure you don’t know anything more?” Penny asked. She and Snap took another step towards Wilter, their eyes locking onto his. “Are you sure you don’t know the identity of the cure? What to look for? Anything?”

Wilter furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. “I’m sorry. If I did know anything about that, I would tell you. All I know is what Cosmo mentioned. The cure is split in half and kept in two different dimensions. I would imagine that, whatever machine he used to enter those alternate dimensions, it would have information about where the cure is specifically located, and what it is.”

“What if he kept the identity of the cure oral?” Penny asked, biting her lip. “That was a worry we all had... What if Cosmo never wrote down the cure anywhere? Not even in this computer system?”

“Unlikley.” Wilter shook his head. “I can imagine him keeping it mostly oral, but with all that was going on, Cosmo knew there could come a time when one of his comrades would need the cure but not know what it was, and everyone would be so busy fighting they couldn’t just tell them. So he would have written the cure down in at least one location, but password protect it. The machines that control the access to the two other worlds... they would be the ones to have that information, I’m sure.”

“Do you know where these machines are?” That was Penny’s next question. Even if they decided to jump in blindly to find the cure, they wouldn’t be able to do so if they didn’t know where the machines were.

“I used to have an idea of where they were... But ChalkZone has changed so much. There used to be a place called Tavern Town, but I forget its location. I believe that is where the machines are hidden.” Wilter replied. “That’s all the information about that I can give you. But I do hope that it’ll still prove useful to you.”

“I’m sure it will. Any information we can get a hold of is good.” Penny said. “Thanks for telling us.”

“You’re welcome.” Wilter smiled.

Still leaning on Snap for support, Penny thought about what their next course of action was going to be. They now had an idea of where to look. These alternate dimensions.. If they were alternate worlds, both with their own ChalkZone, she wondered how dangerous they would be. Wilter didn’t sound like he had been to these places, so he of course wouldn’t know what it was like in those dimensions. Penny had no idea if she should expect a completely different ChalkZone or one that was mostly the same. She didn’t know if the zoners were going to be more aggressive, more timid, or what.

Then again, Wilter did say that Cosmo confirmed there wasn’t much different about these ChalkZones, and that they should be relatively the same as they one they are in now. But there was a problem with that. If she knew anything regarding alternate dimensions, it’s that different choices would be have been made to result in that world, and those different choices would continue. The two other ChalkZones might have once resembled the one she was in now, but who was to say that would last forever? They could have changed dramatically since then. They could have become dangerous.

It would have been nice if Wilter knew the cure. But then she shouldn’t be surprised. Wilter was never a black chalk user. Cosmo and Wilter may have been friends once, but the black chalk drove a wedge between the two, and they had become bitter enemies. Even before Wilter had enough and took a stand, it would be understandable that Cosmo would not want Wilter to know anything about it. So he would have kept it a secret from even his former best friend. Unless Wilter started to use black chalk, Cosmo would never tell him, and Penny knew there would have been no way Wilter would have used the dreaded black chalk.

But at least they had an idea of how to find out what it is. If Wilter’s assumption is correct, and if Cosmo did put the information on those computers, they could always look there, if they ever find them that is. She had no idea where to start. She had never heard of Tavern Town. It may have been a place that used to exist in ChalkZone, but was destroyed by Cosmo.... No that didn’t seem right. Why would Cosmo destroy a place that had his computers hidden in it? There had to be something else. Maybe he had built something else around it on one of his final days? Or someone else had done it for him? That was a possibility.

As soon as she got the chance, she would speak to Rudy about it. She hoped that she would be able to get into the room without Dr. Raiden trying to get her out. She understood the need for rest, but she wished that Dr. Raiden wasn’t so strict about visitors and understood that she wasn’t going to do anything to cause damage. Well her mom sometimes managed to reason with the cheetah and got him to let her through. Maybe luck would be on her side this time. She wouldn’t go in anytime soon. She knew that, to treat his injuries, it would take a long time, especially given the nature of his condition.

But whenever she could, she would talk to Rudy. She would tell him what Mr. Wilter told her and Snap. Then they could decide where to go from there. The wisest thing would be to go find this place as soon as possible and get the cure, and just have her and Snap go. It would be too risky to take Rudy wish. But she had a feeling that Rudy would still want to come along with anyway. He was devoted to his friends and he would want to be there to protect him, no matter how poor of condition he was in. Even if he were on his last leg, he’d still try to do something to help, even if it ended up being too insignificant to make a difference.

She admired that about Rudy. His selflessness, his eagerness to help others even at the cost of his own needs. But in this case, she hoped that he would listen to reason and try to lay down and rest. He can’t afford going on any big trips while he was badly injured. He needed to stay here and recooperate. Going into one alternate dimension without knowing what’s waiting for them on the other side was bad enough. But two? She wasn’t going to allow him to get himself potentially hurt by dragging his injured body along. She would have to make it clear to him that he must stay and recover. She hoped that he would understand.

Rudy... She hoped he would be okay. She glanced down the hallway where he disappeared to. She hoped that, with her mother’s and Dr. Raiden’s combined efforts, they would be able to save Rudy. She looked down at Snap. He also glanced off in that direction, a worried expression on his face. She understood what he was feeling. She felt the same. That attack came out of nowhere. None of them had expected Rudy to be ganged up upon like that and attacked so viciously. He had already been stricken down with an illness. Did he really need something like this added onto him?

She couldn’t believe the nerve of those black chalk users. Rudy was suffering already with his insides turning to chalk. Did they really have to aggravate his body’s ailing condition more by beating him up like that? The whole thing made her blood boil, and she knew Snap was angry about it, too. Even if he didn’t say anything, the way he talked earlier showed he had some anger in him. Anger towards the black chalk users who put Rudy in this condition. The next time she saw them...she wasn’t sure what she would do... But one thing was certain. She would make sure that they never hurt Rudy like that again.

The thoughts about the black chalk artist made Penny remember that there was still something else they wanted to know from Wilter. Though she and Snap had been quiet for a while, Wilter never left. He seemed to know, seemed to sense, that they wanted to know more. And he was waiting patiently and politely for them to speak up.

Penny was a little hesitant to ask. A part of her was afraid to find out. But the other told her she needed to know this. She had to know the truth. And Wilter might know more about this than the cure. He might be able to provide important information to her. She was still afraid to know. The thought was still frightening to her. Yet if she didn’t find out, then she would be left wondering for the rest of her life. And she didn’t want that. Plus, the information Wilter could provide might be used to help Rudy.

“Do you know anything about my mom being a...black chalk user..?” Penny asked hesitantly.

Wilter blinked in surprise. “Where did you hear that?”

“From Cosmo’s diary.” Snap said.

“You found his diary?” Wilter was again surprised. He stared at Snap in shock. “Where? I was looking for it, and I never found it anywhere.”

Snap gestured with his hand outward, indicating the relative location of where they had gone before. “It was on top of Solar Pillars.”

At this, Mr. Wilter paled. His eyes widened. He took a step back. Penny and Snap had never seen the man look this shocked before. “Y-You went there..?” Penny and Snap looked at each other, then back at Wilter. They nodded slowly, solemn expressions on their faces. “That place is dangerous... Ever since that big explosion, that horrific attack by Cosmo, no zoner went there, except for the brave and the stupid.”

Snap glared at him. “I can tell you I’m not stupid.”

“Never said you were, Snap.” Wilter said apologetically. He cleared his throat. “Well since you went there, I assume you know what Solar Pillars was used for?” An affirmative nod from the two was all he needed. “Okay, good. Then I don’t have to tell you more about it.”

“Solar Pillars is one creepy place...” Snap commented, a shudder going through him. “I hope we don’t have to go back there again.”

“Be careful what you wish for, Snap.” Wilter said, his voice a warning tone. “There might come a time where you may have to venture there again. Solar Pillars served more functions than just a weapon.” He folded his arms against his chest. “It’s main function was the base of the black chalk users. It was where they ‘recharged’ so to speak. Though ‘recharge’ may not be the right word. Strengthen I suppose. The light of the pillars not only helped corrupt anyone with a small amount of black chalk in them, but it also helped strengthen fully corrupted artists. It gave them energy. Fighting them there was nearly impossible as the black chalk was stronger while under those lights.”

“Yeah, Biclops told us about that.” Penny said, nodding her head. “We went to him about it and we told him how Rudy had a reaction while under the light.”

Wilter’s eyes widened. “So he hadn’t purged the black chalk completely?”

Penny shook her head. “No, it’s still there. It’s not enough to corrupt him on its own, but under that light, he froze, and according to Biclops, he would have been corrupted if he hadn’t moved.”

“That is correct.” Wilter nodded his head. “That light is very good about bringing the worst of black chalk if they stay under too long. Your mom was the reason why they added that function, actually. After she managed to break free, Cosmo had those lights modified to strengthen black chalk. He was determined not to allow another of his comrades to break free of the black chalk’s control.”

“Just how did Mrs. Sanchez break free anyway?” Snap asked.

“Yeah, and just what did she do when she was a black chalk user?” Penny questioned Wilter. “Biclops never told me anything about this, so...could it be that whatever she did...it wasn’t that bad?”

“Or maybe she just wasn’t controlled for long?” Snap pointed out.

Wilter stared at them. He shook his head slowly. “I’m..afraid it wasn’t like that at all...”

Penny and Snap’s eyes widened in shock at this.

“Wh-What do you mean?” Penny’s voice was shaky.

Wilter gave Penny and Snap a serious expression. One filled with regret and sadness. He bit his lip. From the way he looked at them, the way his eyes shined with regretfulness, the two knew that, whatever he was about to say next, it wasn’t anything good. They felt their hearts clench, pounding in anticipation, waiting for Wilter to speak up.

“Penny, your mother...when she was a black chalk artist, she...” Wilter paused, glancing at the ground with narrowed eyes like he was trying to figure out how to say it. He lifted up his head, his expression softening, looking at Penny with sympathy. “..she was a monster...”

Penny never felt her blood run so cold so fast in her life. She staggered back, almost losing her balance. Snap was shocked, and had a hard time helping keep her from falling. Wilter took a step forward and grabbed the two of them. He managed to steady them, keeping them from falling donw. Penny and Snap looked at each other in shock, trying to comprehend what they had just been told. Penny rubbed her head. It was not the kind of news she had hoped to hear.

“Your mother was no different than the other black chalk artists. Cruel. Insane. Nasty. The last person you ever want to meet.” Wilter explained as he looked at Penny and Snap sympathetically. “I know it’s hard to digest this information, but what I’m telling you is true.”

Penny looked at Mr. Wilter. “But...but if she was a monster...why have no zoners freaked out at her?”

“Yeah. The zoners here remembered you even after all this time, somehow. So they would have recognized Mrs. Sanchez.” Snap pointed out, gesturing with his hand. “Wouldn’t that be an indication that she wasn’t as bad?”

“That is a good theory, Snap, but I’m afraid it’s false.” Wilter shook his head solemnly. “I was there. I know what Mrs. Sanchez was like as a kid, as a black chalk user. And she was just as nasty and vile was the rest of them. The reason why the zoners don’t react badly to her is that she was never sent out on any missions against the white chalk users. She had her own function, kept separate from the others.”

“And what was that?” Penny asked. She and Snap were afraid to now, but still, they had to find out. They needed to know what her mom used to be like, and how she managed to escape.

Wilter took in a deep breath and started to explain.

“Penny, when your mom was a black chalk user, she was placed in an underground section of Solar Pillars. She was Cosmo’s... mad doctor, so to speak. But a more accurate term would be torture doctor. Even as a child, she had some understanding of anatomy. All that studying really paid off, but in this case, it paid off in the worst possible way. She was in charge of torturing captured white chalk users, tormenting them until they broke and agreed to be corrupted by black chalk, or she’d kill them if they refused to comply. She never laid a hand on any zoner. But she did torture and kill a large number of kids. I had been unfortunate enough to witness a few torture sessions... She was absolutely insane...”

Penny stared at Wilter, her body shaking. She couldn’t believe it. She had a hard time letting this information process. Her mom did all that? But she was one of the nicest people she knew. It was hard to imagine her being anything but. She knew that it was still the black chalk controlling her, making her do those things. But still..it was her mom they were talking about. To know that she had been like that once, even if it may not have been for long, it was frightening to think about.

Looking down at Snap, she could tell he was just as horrified by this news. She glanced down the hallway. The knowledge that her mom had once been a torture doctor, a doctor that, instead of trying to end the pain, would inflict it, it send cold shivers down her and Snap’s spines. It was scary, frightening. Her mom was nothing like that now. She could see that. But now that she knew what she was like, she had disturbing images in her head, of her mother doing all this horrific stuff to other children. Just what kind of torture did she use? Did she even want to know?

And now did she manage to escape? What did her mom do that freed her? What would she have done? If she was just as insane as the rest of them, how did she manage to break free of the black chalk’s influence? What had she done that completely purged her of it? There had to have been something she did. Something that was different than what Rudy did. Her mom was completely corrupted by the black chalk and yet she managed to get free. That there did bring a sense of hope. This means that the corruption was not permanent after all. She had to know how her mom escaped.

Snap seemed to read her mind. In a shaky voice, he asked, “H-How did she manage to escape the black chalk? What happened to her?”

“She was torturing her latest victim... Ashley I believe her name was. I watched out of the room. This was before I started to fight, Cosmo, just so you know. Anyway, Mrs. Sanchez had been using electric torture on Ashley to try to break her. Unlike the other victims, Ashley was tough and refused to give in. She managed to break free and the two were fighting. Mrs. Sanchez tried to kill her using an electric sword Cosmo had given to her, but Ashley shoved her away. But Ashley didn’t watch where she pushed her, and Mrs. Sanchez ended up crashing against the electric bars that made up one of the prisoner’s cages.”

Penny and Snap looked at each other, their eyes widened in horror. They looked back, having a good idea of where this was going to go.

“The electricity from both the sword and the cage bars surged through her body. I never heard a scream that loud and that distressing before. I opened the door to go inside. Ashley backed up in horror and ended up running out of the room screaming. I didn’t bother trying to stop her and I rushed in to see Mrs. Sanchez. She had collapsed on the ground, her body twitching from the electrical shock. Knowing that she needed some help, I helped her to her feet and let her use me for support. We headed outside to go to the light where I knew she would gain some extra strength for the trip back to the real world. But to my shock, nothing happened.”

“The light wasn’t having an affect on her?” Penny asked.

Wilter shook his head. “No, it wasn’t. It was like she never had black chalk in her. Her personality changed, too. Before, if I or anyone tried to help her, she’d get snippy and push people away. But with me, she seemed willing to let me help her. She just hung onto me and didn’t say a word.” He gave a soft sigh. “I knew that once Cosmo found out, he was going to try to kill her. I had to get her out of there and fast. On my way on taking her out, making sure that no one saw me, I also noticed that she lost her memories as well. That electric shock gave her amnesia.”

“That would explain why she didn’t remember ChalkZone.” Snap said.

Wilter nodded his head. “Exactly.”

“And why the act of coming here did not trigger any memories. If the black chalk was fried out of her system...” Penny started to say.

“Then there was nothing in her body to activate when she came back into ChalkZone...” Snap concluded.

“I don’t know yet just how that electric shock did it. I am guessing it was the combination. Electricity from the sword and electricity from the cage bars. They weren’t lethal doses, just enough to cause pain. In her cage, they may have concentrated and done enough brain damage to wipe her memory, and to purge her system of the black chalk.” Wilter explained. “However, I do not consider this a true cure for it. It’s too risky and I don’t want you two trying that with Rudy or any of the black chalk artists, okay?”

Penny and Snap nodded their heads once. Penny said, “Don’t worry, we would never try to do something stupid like that.”

“Yeah. We want to help Rudy, not turn him into the next barbecue.” Snap said.

“Wait...” Penny just realized something. “If my mom got amnesia because of that incident, but she wandered in ChalkZone...wouldn’t she have still remembered?”

“No. Her memory was damaged for a short time. Her brain did not store information of anything she experienced that day. For her, it never happened.” Wilter said to Penny. There was a moment of silence. Then Wilter said, “Oh and one more thing...” Penny and Snap looked at him expectantly. “I have to get going soon. I am late for an appointment, but I will leave with this little tidbit of information. I know about the anti-creator group.”

“You do?” Penny asked.

Wilter nodded. “Yes, I do.” Wilter folded his arms and closed his eyes. “They’re an old group. I don’t know too much about them, not even their name. But what I do know is that at least some members are descendents of survivors of the village that was in charge of guarding the black chalk. The incident had, understandably, left them with a bad taste for creators.”

“So some of those zoners survived?” Snap asked, surprised.

“We thought everyone died...” Penny’s voice trailed off as she remembered what Biclops had told them.

“Most of them did, but a few apparently escaped before the light hit. Those zoners became the first zoners to outwardly hate creators. Biclops shortly followed, for a time, until he learned to trust a few creators, such as me and Rudy.” Wilter explained. “I wish I could tell you more, but there isn’t much more I know. Except this..” He stared at Penny and Snap intently. “What I’m about to tell you... You must heed my warning.”

“We will.” Penny and Snap nodded their heads affirmatively and waited for Wilter to proceed.

Wilter spoke, his voice low. “Beware the zoner with the metal finger. He is not to be trusted.”


	34. They May Prove Useful To Us

After Wilter left, Penny and Snap remained in the hallway, hardly moving from where they stood. They both were letting the information Wilter gave them sink in. In that short visit, there was quite a bit that they learned. And that information was sinking in slowly, and it felt like something was standing on their shoulders, weighing them down. Penny was not surprised. This was a lot to take in.

The alternate dimensions was definitely a big thing. She hadn’t thought it was possible, before, to travel to another world, another version of the world she was in. She had thought it was impossible. Sure there was ChalkZone, but that was different, at least for her. ChalkZone and the real world were linked together, so to her it felt like it was the same dimension, even if she knew, deep down, that it wasn’t. She and a select few people knew about how it was possible to travel to ChalkZone using the magic chalk. It was their gateway to this other world, where things drawn in their world appear here, fully realized, and even alive if it was meant to be.

But whole other dimensions... That was something she never dreamed possible. Even if there were multiple timelines, where everything that could have happened did, she didn’t think there was anyway to access them. She would have thought that the multiple timelines would have been kept separate from each other, a barrier between them so that no one can cross.

It seemed that believe was false. The black chalk artists had figured out a way to cross these barriers, and they used this to their advantage. Cosmo had hidden the cure, or cures to be more accurate, in these dimensions. She wished that Wilter had known what the cure was, but it did make sense that he didn’t know. Cosmo would not have trusted him enough at that point to be given knowledge of the cure. Even though he couldn’t given a lot of information, what he could tell them was still helpful.

Now that they know where the cures are, the task comes in how to find them. They need to locate this Tavern Town and look for those machinery, the ones that would have powered the interdimensional thing Cosmo surely would have created to access these other dimensions. Those machines may have information regarding what the cures are, so they know what to look for. But the question was...just where was Tavern Town?

They weren’t going to be able to do much of anything if they had no idea where to start looking. The place wasn’t destroyed. As Wilter pointed out, he wouldn’t destroy his machinery. He would have wanted to keep access to these alternate dimensions. Wilter did make a good point. She didn’t know what ChalkZone was like years ago, but from what Wilter told her and Rudy, a lot had changed, a direct result of the devastation caused by Cosmo. She was certain that this magic chalk war played a huge role in why ChalkZone changed so dramatically since her teacher’s childhood.

She came to the conclusion that if Tavern Town was not destroyed, then it may have gotten built over. Perhaps sometime shortly before the final battle that got Cosmo kicked out, he had drawn something over Tavern Town, or at least one portion of it, to keep it safe. A disguise of sorts. Yeah, that may have been what he did. If he made Tavern Town look like it was destroyed and then drew something in its place....yeah. But even if that is what happened, she still faced the problem of not knowing where it was. Mr. Wilter may not remember. There was a good chance that he hadn’t been to Tavern Town enough to pinpoint its exact location.

Maybe some of the zoners around here would know more about it. Maybe Biclops would know, or maybe some of the older zoners. There had to be someone around here who knew. There were zoners around here who were hundreds of years old. So someone, maybe roaming around ChalkZone City, had to know about Tavern Town. It was just a matter of looking around and trying to find someone willing to talk. If the zoner was around long enough to know about Tavern Town, they might also remember Cosmo, and not be too willing to talk, depending on how traumatized they were of him. Or they could try the library, and finding old maps. That might also help them.

She was surprised that the anti-creator group was so old, dating back all the way to what that horrid machine, Solar Pillars, was used against them. She couldn’t blame them for hating creators after that. Their whole home, and so many zoners, were destroyed all in one go. But what confused her was why were they so quite for all this time? If they hated creators so much, why didn’t they try to chase her and Rudy out before?

The only thing she could think of is that it may have been a similar case with Biclops. The giant was not so fond of creators at first, and had tried to get Rudy to leave when they first met. But after Rudy gave him another eye, and kept coming back to ChalkZone, the giant had kept watching him, and came to the realization that Rudy really wasn’t going to hurt zoners. Maybe the anti-creator group had, for a time, made an exception for Rudy and her when they saw that they weren’t trying to do harm to ChalkZone.

But recent events, such as the appearance of more black chalk users, may have broke the camel’s back, and now the group was getting restless. She recalled Wilter said that some members were descendents of the survivors, but she wondered if he actually meant to say something else. Zoners don’t die of old age, so he may have just meant the survivors of the attack, not descendents. It did make sense he’d make that mistake since he hadn’t been in ChalkZone for so long. But regardless, it was a scary thought that the group was starting to act up now.

She wasn’t sure if talking to them would be a good idea, at least at the moment. They might not be in the mood to speak to any creator. After what happened to them, she wouldn’t really be surprised. She couldn’t blame them for hating creators. She just hoped that they didn’t do anything drastic. So far, they didn’t. Just protests. Still, just how far were they willing to go? Would they soon resort to violent tendencies to get them to leave? Time would tell, and all she could do was wait and hope things won’t turn out that bad.

The zoner with the metal finger.. She did wonder who Mr. Wilter meant by that. A name would have been nice. But Wilter had to leave. He had turned around to leave just as Dr. Raiden came down the hallway. The cheetah zoner came up to her and Snap and informed them Rudy was stabilized, but he still needed some more treatment. He turned to walk away but left them with the message that he would be back to inform them when they may visit their friend.

Penny was grateful Rudy was stabilized. She hoped that whatever damage was done to him was mended and that he would be able to recover soon. She hoped that the damage wasn’t too severe and that Rudy wouldn’t be in too much pain for long. Whenever they got to visit him, she was going to inform Rudy of the information Wilter told them, provided that he was awake that is. There was a chance that he’d be asleep still from whatever surgery they surely had to perform on him. If he was passed out when they saw him, she wouldn’t try to wake him up. He needed his rest. He needed to recover from that vicious attack.

Her mind momentarily went back to the warning Wilter gave them before leaving. She hadn’t seen any zoner around with a metal finger. She thought that, at first, he meant a robot zoner, but he didn’t say robot zoner, and that would have been too vague of a description. The way he said ‘the metal finger’ made it sound like that this particular zoner had a robotic digit of some kind that stood out. Something that a zoner normally didn’t have and wasn’t present on any other zoner. She could conclude that this zoner was two legged and had a special finger. That wasn’t much to go off of, so she and her friends would have be careful and watch their backs.

The news about her mom had been horrifying. A torture doctor? She could never picture her mom being like that. Listening to Wilter describe how her mom used to be was terrifying. Torturing and killing all those kids, having no remorse, being psychotic and insane... It scared her. She wasn’t sure if she should tell her mom about what she found out. Yet, she knew, if her mom really did want to know what she used to be like, it might be best to tell her instead of letting her find out on her own. Self discovery might be more shocking.

At least she wasn’t like that anymore. As awful as it was what happened to her, Penny was glad that it happened, since it resulted in her mom being free from the black chalk’s control. The electricity obviously didn’t cause much life threatening damage, as her mom was still here with her. And it did nothing to hinder her intelligence, as shown by her doctoring skills, which were now used to really help people, not torture and maim like how she used to.

She realized that she and Snap still haven’t gone to Rudy’s house to tell his parents about what had happened. They didn’t mean to neglect to do that. Wilter’s appearance came as a shock, and what he said sent them both in a petrified state of surprise, they found it hard to move. At least Wilter said he would inform Rudy’s parents when he got back to the real world, so that solves that. She imagined that they would be here soon to see Rudy. Tilly and Sophie would most certainly come as well.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she and Snap heard footsteps down the wall. She immediately knew who it was. She came to recognize that soft padding of feet hitting the ground. She looked over and, sure enough, it was Dr. Raiden. He walked slowly over to them and stopped a few feet in front. He gestured with his hand to follow him. Without saying a word, Penny and Snap followed Dr. Raiden down the hallway.

Minutes later, they came to Rudy’s room. The door was closed and they could see a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign up, as well as some information about how he was just in major surgery. Dr. Raiden came up to the door and opened it up. He stepped aside to let Penny and Snap through.

“I’ll give you some time alone with him. Please be quiet. He’s just gotten some surgeries done on him and he needs rest.” Dr. Raiden said in a soft voice. “I’ll assume that the boy’s parents will be arriving shortly, so I’ll keep the door partially open for them. I’m going to meet up with Mrs. Sanchez and speak with her about Rudy’s condition. We’ll inform you of any updates.”

“Okay.” Penny said, keeping her voice low. “Thank you.”

Dr. Raiden nodded his head. “No problem, kid. Anyway, I’ll get going now. If you need to contact me or the staff for anything regarding Rudy, there’s a ‘Help’ button right by his bed.”

With that, the cheetah zoner turned and walked away. Like he said he would, the zoner doctor kept the door partially open. As he left, Penny and Snap turned their attention to Rudy. Their hearts sank as they saw what kind of condition he was in.

Rudy laid on the bed on his back. His right eye was closed softly, his left covered in a bandage. Rudy had multiple IVs going in his arms, providing his body with well needed nourishment. The sight of this was something of a relief to Penny and Snap as it told them that enough of his organs and insides were still real world, so the liquids, clearly real world by nature, could properly nourish him and not hurt him.

In addition to the IVs, there were some monitors hooked up to him, such as his heart. They heard the steady beating of his heart. It was slow, but it was stabilized and it wasn’t alarmingly slow. Rudy’s chest rose and fell slowly at a steady rate. His body was covered in some bandages. Thick ones covered his stomach where he most certainly had surgery. If there was anything else done to him, they couldn’t see it because of the blanket and hospital gown. She wasn’t sure if they wanted to see everything.

Rudy’s face was pale, almost as white as the sheets that covered him. He looked so sickly, like he had caught the flu or something. And the thing was, he was ill. He was stricken with an illness that was slowly killing him, and she and Snap had no idea how to exactly stop it. They had some ideas, but... Even if they did get to the alternate dimensions, would they be able to get the cures on time? Penny stared at Rudy’s unmoving face, partially covered by the breathing mask. She bit her lip. Rudy had to be okay.. He just had to...

She sat down in a chair next to Rudy. She looked down at Snap sorrowfully. She reached down and gently picked him up. She cradled him in her arms as they stared sadly over at Rudy’s unconscious form. She held Snap tightly to herself, tears flowing down her face, as they hoped and prayed that everything would be okay. Snap cuddled up against her, his arms wrapping around her tightly. The two friends held onto each other, their minds swirling with thoughts of what they were going to do.

One thing they weren’t going to do, for certain, was give up.

sss

Jenny grumbled softly to herself. Their trip into ChalkZone hadn’t turned out exactly how she had hoped. She and her comrades should have taken the black chalk with them, but they didn’t think it would be necessary. With how she had everything planned, it wouldn’t have been needed. They had the ambush all set. They had the location all ready for use. They knew exactly what they were going to do. It should have all worked out just fine.

They had grabbed Rudy before anyone could see him and dragged him off. They had taken him to a dark room underground, below ChalkZone City. They had him without magic chalk. He was defenseless against them. There was no way he could have fought very long against them, and they quickly gained the upperhand. They beat him up. They pummeled him into the ground. They kicked him and punched him. It was a glorious moment. Jenny remembered how happy she felt when she got Rudy reduced to a whimpering little brat. Served him right for what he did to Cosmo. Accident or not, the boy was still responsible and he needed to pay the price for it.

She and her comrades did whatever they could to maximize the damage. Forcing him to swallow that broken piece of glass was her favorite part. She loved the look in Rudy’s eyes as the sharp object sliced against the interior of his throat. The pain in those eyes, yesh, she wanted to see more of that. She wanted to see him suffer. They wanted to keep hurting him, and so they did. They wanted to keep beating him up until he was near death, for no other reason than just to make him pay for helping to cause Cosmo’s death. Of course, speeding up the disease by causing internal bleeding was just the icing on the cake.

She wished she could have messed with him some more. She enjoyed tampering with his left eye, watching him squirm like that on the ground. His legs quickly kicking at the ground to try to get away, his whimpering, his shaking, it made it all the more exciting for her. She enjoyed pushing her finger against the damaged eye, seeing how badly he reacted to it, especially when she began to apply pressure, making him cry out in pain. She wished she had thought about targeting that eye earlier. If she had, she could have taken the step that she had wanted to.

She wanted to gouge out that eye. She wanted to take that knife and slice it into his eye. She wanted to hear him scream as she destroyed his eye and ripped it out. She wanted to see his reaction when she showed him the remains of his left eye. Oh yes, that would have been truly a delight to see. Perfect retribution, she would say.

But of course, that Snap zoner just had to come in and ruin everything. He came in just before she could jab that knife into the eye. She hadn’t been expecting anyone to come, so she had moved it slowly and deliberately, just to further torment Rudy psychologically. Mentally torturing her victims was just as fun as physically hurting them, and it was even better when inflicted on Rudy. But she realized too late that she should have just jabbed him right then and there. And because of her foolishness, she missed her chance to permanently half blind Rudy.

Snap fought surprisingly well. She hadn’t expected him to be that good, especially up against three creators. But without their black chalk, the playing field was a little more even. Snap attacked them with such ferocity. His devotion to Rudy really showed there, the way he kept punching and kicking them, making sure they didn’t go anywhere near Rudy. If they were armed, they could have taken care of him easily. But Jenny was no fool. Without the chalk and with Snap in such a state of fury, she knew it would be a terrible idea to fight back, and they had no choice but to collect their losses and run.

Ghadir was especially disappointed by that turn of events. She could tell that Ghadir would have rather eaten Snap and continue to torture. Rudy. She would have let her do that, too, had they brought anything with them to subdue Snap with. That bottle of water may have worked. Putting him in some pain and then grabbed him would have been beneficial. Oh well, this was what she got for not thinking things completely through. She should have realized that Snap would have found Rudy and tried to stop them. She should have taken him into account and set a trap for him so he couldn’t stop them from hurting Rudy.

Maybe she would let Ghadir eat some of Snap should they encounter him again. Maybe cut off his arm and hand it to her and let her snack on it, while forcing the zoner to watch. That would definitely teach the inferior little creature not to intervene again. Or maybe she’d go with Ghadir’s idea, and making his friends eat a part of him. That suggestion was so twisted... Jenny loved it. Knowing that Ghadir was twisted and disturbed like that made her all the more happy that she recruited her by her side.

Although the trip into ChalkZone wasn’t as they had planned, it wasn’t too much of a loss. They still managed to deal a lot of damage to Rudy. That would surely speed up the disease like they had planned, giving the brat less time of recovery. She would have just killed him, but she and her comrades didn’t want to give the boy the luxury of a quick death. No, she wanted to drag this out for as long as possible. She wanted to watch him squirm.

She, Tyreek, and Ghadir sat down together in her living room. The television was shut off. The single light overhead had been flipped on. The room was dark, considering it was nightfall now. Everything else in the house had been turned off and all the curtains pulled down. It was not necessary to have things set up like this, especially since no one would see her. And even if they did, they wouldn’t really be able to do anything about it. They might even think she’s just crazy. After all, who would believe in a world made of chalk? Oh they’ll start believing soon, but by then, it would be too late to stop her and her comrades from achieving their goal.

They needed to discuss what their next move was going to be. She hadn’t yet decided just what they’d do. She had thought about doing something with Penny and Snap, but she wasn’t entirely sure yet what. Well she had ideas for Snap, just not how to execute them. Penny... The daughter of Mrs. Sanchez, the first black chalk user to get away... Yes, she’d have to do something ‘special’ for her. She and her comrades had thought about going after Mrs. Sanchez herself, but since she doesn’t remember being a black chalk user, they decided it wouldn’t be that much fun torturing her. Her daughter on the other hand...

Yes, torturing Penny instead of Mrs. Sanchez would be much more delightful and satisfying. If she knew what her mother used to be like, that could be used as a form of mental torture. They could tell her, in detail, everything her mom did while under the black chalk’s control. Yes, her reaction to that would be most amusing indeed. And the fact that she is connected to Rudy, being his best friend, that gave another reason to torment her. Anything that caused more pain for Rudy, physical or mental, was a great idea in her book.

“We were so close!” Tyreek snarled, forcing Jenny out of her thoughts. “If that little blue rodent hadn’t intervened, we would have....!”

“Oh please don’t remind me of that little blue creature...” Ghadir grumbled. She tossed a pillow at Tyreek, hitting him in the face. The man growled and at her. Ghadir shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, I’m getting hungry.” She gave him a sideways glance. “The talk of that blue zoner is making me feel starved. I wish I had a chance to take a bite out of him.”

Tyreek shook his head. “You’ve got other prey options in ChalkZone. If you were so hungry for chalk, you could have just eaten a small zoner before he took position behind that building.” He leaned back in the couch, closing his eyes. “It’s not our fault that you failed to do that.”

Ghadir snarled. “Hey, I didn’t have time to grab a zoner to eat. You two were hurrying me along!”

“Because we only had a small window of opportunity to seize Rudy. You knew that.” Tyreek retorted.

Jenny shook her head at this. Of course these two would be arguing. They didn’t argue that much, but when they did, it was annoying, and she wished they’d shut up. They were only going to waste time if they spend too much time fighting with each other. And plus, she did agree with Tyreek. Ghadir did have a chance to eat something. If she wasn’t so keen on eating only living zoners, she could have grabbed some chalk rocks or something and ate those to satisfy her craving.

But no, Ghadir always insisted on eating live prey. She only wanted to eat chalk beings, never chalk rocks, or chalk plants, or chalk food. Just zoners themselves. When asked why, Ghadir said she just loved the thrill of the hunt, and to torment her victims as she killed them slowly. Jenny couldn’t argue with that logic. She and Tyreek felt the same way when they took on white chalk users, and they all felt the same way when they went after Rudy. Still, her insistance on only eating zoners was sometimes annoying, especially when it could interfere with their plans. They’d have to keep an eye on her addiction.

“Oh pipe down you two! Let’s not squabble. We’re all on the same side here.” Jenny said, clapping her hands a couple of times to get their attention. “There is no use crying over spilled milk. Besides, we had our little fun with Rudy.”

“Not as much as we wanted.” Ghadir grumbled.

“True, but we still did damage to him and that’s what counts.” Tyreek said. “That’s all that matters in the end. The little fucker got hurt, and he deserved all of it.”

“Right.” Jenny smiled, glad that Tyreek at least understood that they didn’t suffer a total loss. She turned her attention to Ghadir. “I know you’re still upset, but please calm down. We’ll have another shot at Rudy, as well as his friends, later. For now, let’s discuss what our next course of action will be. We need to plan our next move.”

“I know...” Ghadir grumbled. She muttered something about how she wanted to eat Snap in front of Rudy. She did speak up again, but this time, she kept on topic. “As for what we could do next... Well I know we’ve been doing those small attacks around ChalkZone to stir up some trouble.”

“Yes, those were fun.” Jenny said, reminiscencing in her head some of those attacks. The way the places burned down, the way things fell apart, the way the zoners ran away screaming. It all filled her up with positive feelings. “Perhaps another attack is called for?”

“Maybe...but we could probably turn it into something more.” Tyreek said. The two other black chalk users turned to him. He leaned forward on the couch, resting his hands against his legs. “I had overheard that the attacks we were delivering had...stirred up a certain old group that caused us a bit of trouble years ago. You know, the group that has been trying to kick out creators for years?”

Ghadir and Jenny looked at each other in surprise. They both knew exactly what group Tyreek was talking about. They were in shock. Was that group still around? After all this time? But they had been so quiet... Why would they be quiet for all this time?

Tyreek continued, “There’s been word that the Luminos group, the anti-creator group, has started up again. Or rather, they stopped being silent and they’re back to protesting on the streets.”

Ghadir smirked at this. “More protesting... I’m guessing the Luminos freaks really haven’t learn their lesson. They are not going to drive us out just because they ask us to.”

“Oh no...they know that.” Tyreek said, gesturing with his finger. “Apparently, they have decided to use more...extreme measures of getting what they want. They are willing to resort to violence this time, as they believe it may get them the results they want faster. They hadn’t tried it yet, but unlike years ago, they are more willing to go that route...” He turned his attention to Jenny. “...should circumstances call for it...”

“Hmm...” Jenny scratched her chin thoughtfully. “Very interesting... Perhaps the Luminos...could be of some use to us...”

“Like what?” Ghadir asked, curious. “I don’t think they’ll just take orders from us.”

Jenny shook her head. “Of course not. I don’t expect them to. But...” She gave an evil smile to Ghadir and Tyreek. “They would still respond to an attack, would they not? And if they really are considering using violence, like Tyreek said...” She tapped her fingers together menacingly, her eyes darkening. “Let’s give them a reason to use violence...”

“Are you suggesting that we attack them?” Ghadir asked.

“That seems like a brilliant move. Attack them, provoke them into taking action. And it wouldn’t really matter if we try framing Rudy or not. The Luminos would see that as a reason to start going up against any and all creators. They would go after Rudy the next time they see him.” Tyreek grinned darkly. “That would be most amusing to watch.”

“Yes, quite. The Luminos are quite resourceful. I’m sure, over the years of keeping themselves hidden and silent from creators, they would have developed ways of fighting even armed creators. They would attack Rudy or Penny or even their family members. This should keep them busy long enough to let my plan come into full fruition. With Rudy and his friends unable to focus on the disease as the Luminos attack them, by the time it’s all done, it will be too late for the boy...” Jenny said, her dark sneer spreading across her face. Tyreek and Ghadir shared the same expressions. “Let us not waste time.” Jenny said as she got up to her feet. “Let’s...give the Luminos a little...surprise...”

Jenny was not stupid. She knew that provoking the group would also make things harder for her and her comrades. The good news was, though, is that it would also makes things harder for Rudy, his friends, and his family. With more enemies to deal with, they were going to find it harder focusing on trying to find the cure to Rudy’s disease. Even if they did figure out they were in alternate dimensions, they would never find Tavern Town in time, not while the Luminos gives them problems.

Jenny didn’t really mind fighting these zoners if it came to it. They were fully prepared to deal with them. Unlike Rudy and the others, she and her comrades had a better idea of what to expect from this group, and what kind of weaponry they may have. They might not be able to get to Rudy for a while once this plan is in motion, but they can still watch from the sidelines as he deteriorates further. Oh yes, for once, the Luminos group, the anti-creator group, they were going to be put to some good use...

sss

Terry sat down in the kitchen, resting on the chair. Or rather, she was hooked to it. Vinnie attached a pair of cuffs to her leg to keep her from wandering off. He had given her a plate of some food. Nothing too fancy. Just some meat and vegetables. He had also changed her bandages beforehand. He was mostly gentle, but it was obvious he was still angry with her, and he had hurt her a few times, though nowhere near as bad as when all of this started.

Terry barely moved her gaze from her plate. Her movements were slow, almost robotic. She forgot how long she had been stuck here. Not that long, but too long for her taste. She hadn’t been able to find a way out yet. So far, she found nothing in the bathroom that would help her. It was almost like Vinnie knew she’d look there and combed through beforehand. So for now, she was still trapped here, unable to leave. She scooped up some peas and chewed on them slowly and deliberately.

She didn’t bother lifting her head. She didn’t bother looking at the other side of table. She knew Vinnie was there. She could feel his gaze boring through hers. He was eating as well, slow and steady. His eyes never changed direction. Any time they ate together at the table, he’d keep an eye on her. If she looked up at him, he’d sneer at her, looking either angry at what she had done or satisfied that things were going his way for once.

She hadn’t spoken to him that much during her stay. She was still in disbelief that her own brother did this to her. Sure, they had an estranged relationship and hadn’t been that close in years. But they were still family. She thought that Vinnie wouldn’t go that far if it was his sister he was trying to get information from. She thought he wouldn’t go that far at all...but he had certainly changed, and in all the wrong ways. And now, she was trapped with him and it didn’t look like he was going to release her anytime soon.

“Well I think that’s all I’m going to eat...” Vinnie said. He pushed his plate away and he got up out of his seat. “So you finish up so I can put you back in your room. I need to prepare for bed now. I have to wake up early tomorrow so I can be ready.”

Terry glared at him. She swallowed slowly, stared at him with her angered expression and then looked back down at her food. Vinnie narrowed his eyes at this and moved towards her. Even when he slammed his hand against the table, shaking it, Terry still didn’t spare him a glance. She just let out a soft growl before continuing on eating. He had already done so much to her. The least he could do was let her finish eating.

But it seemed that he wasn’t going to be that generous. Angry that she wasn’t listening, he grabbed the plate from her and yanked it back. He practically slammed the plate on the table and Terry was shocked that it didn’t break. Even then, she still didn’t look up. She only did when she felt Vinnie grab her by her chin and forced her to look up at him.

She stared into his eyes, her teeth gritted and eyes narrowed. She didn’t bother trying to wrench herself free, as uncomfortable as she was right now. Vinnie was too strong for her. It didn’t help that he hadn’t been feeding her too much in order to make her even physically weaker. It wasn’t a dramatic change, but that missing bit of strength did make all the difference. She found it hard to resist him now whenever he grabbed onto her, whether it be by her arm or by her face, like what he was doing now. She refused to show fear towards him, and just continued to glare back.

“I told you, sister. I need to get ready and I am not going to leave you out in the kitchen unintended. I know you are going to try to escape.” Vinnie growled at her. Terry hissed back. “Now don’t be that way with me, Terry! You brought this upon yourself when you turned your back on all we had worked for. And for what?” He rubbed his tembles as a way of expressing his disbelief. “For that boy from the chalk world?! I still can’t believe you’d betray me like this, Terry!”

Terry growled, “I...didn’t betray anyone... I just...did what was right...” It was a little hard to talk with Vinnie holding her jaw like this, but she still managed. “If you..listened to...reason, you would see..I made the...right choice...”

At this, Vinnie gripped her harder and slammed her head against the table, narrowly missing hitting the plate. Terry let out a cry of pain and bared her teeth. Vinnie lowered his head and spoke harshly into her ear. “You’re a fool! I’m the only one seeing sense now! I don’t know why you let that boy trick you like that. I don’t know what he did, but I’m not going to let it happen to me!”

He released her and lowered himself to unhook the cuff chaining her leg to the table. He then grabbed her roughly by the arm and yanked her from the chair. He started to drag her down the hallway. He didn’t care if she tripped over her own feet. He continued yanking her roughly down the hallway towards the room where she would be locked up.

There was nothing Terry could do to resist. She had no choice but to let Vinnie drag her to the room like he always had. It hurt her, the way her feet tripped or she hit the wall. Her injuries hadn’t healed that much and even knowing that, Vinnie wasn’t very gentle with her. He was less gentle now since he was quite angry with how she acted to him today.

Once they reached the room, he glared at her, holding her arm tightly. “I don’t want to hear another peep out of you tonight, sister! I have a big day tomorrow. I have a meeting with the news station.”

At this, Terry’s eyes widened a little. “You...what...?”

“Oh don’t worry, you little traitor. I’m not showing them anything yet.” Vinnie waved his hand dismissively. “I just..need to confirm an appointment...” He sneered at her and reached out and gently cupped her chin. “You see, sister... I was able to sneak into the Tabooties’ house and took what I wanted.” Seeing Terry’s shocked expression, Vinnie let out a dark chuckle. “That’s right, Terry... I have the ChalkZone evidence. And in a few days...” He leaned in closer, staring into her terrified eyes. “...it will be broadcasted all over Plainsville!”

“No..wait...you can’t...” Terry tried to say.

“Shut up!” Vinnie growled. Mustering up as much strength as he could, he shoved Terry into the ground in the room, uncaring if he aggravated her injuries or not. He quickly shut the door before Terry could get out. He locked it. “Now, if you excuse me, I’m going to hop in the shower and after that, it’s time for bed. I suggest you get to sleep, too. Not like you have anything else you can do right now.”

With that, Vinnie gave a quick, dark chuckle, and he disappeared down the hallway. Terry could hear his footsteps as he headed towards the bathroom. She heard the door open and close, and then the wound of water turning on.

Terry pounded at the door. She twisted the knob. She tried to do whatever she could to get out. But the door wouldn’t budge. She wasn’t strong enough to get it open. No matter how hard she slammed her body, no matter how much she pushed and pulled, no matter how much she twisted that blasted knob, she was not going anywhere. She had to think of something soon. If she didn’t, then ChalkZone was going to get exposed.

But the question was...how was she going to get out of here...?


	35. Unexpected Ambush

Rudy groaned in pain as he rested on the beanbag on the ground. Snap helped him lay down. It was difficult moving much without having to rely on his friends for support. Gently, Snap helped him settle down on the beanbag. He only released him when he was certain he was on the beanbag chair. He took a few steps and stared intently at Rudy, his eyes shining with worry.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay, Rudy? Taking you out of the hospital now was a big risk...” Snap said softly.

“I know, Snap. But I feel more...comfortable sleeping here, than at the hospital. Besides..I feel..okay..” Rudy said. He forced himself to smile. As soon as he did that, there was a wrack of pain through his body, causing him to clutch his stomach and hunch over in pain.

Seeing this, Snap said, “No, you’re not okay.”

Rudy didn’t respond. He wanted to, but his mind was too clouded by pain. He laid on the beanbag chair, curled up as he held onto his stomach. It was still wrapped up in bandages and the skin didn’t heal too much. He let out a whimper of pain, tears forming in his eyes, as he tried to cope.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you talk me into taking you here.” Snap’s voice was firm. He moved closer to Rudy, reaching down with his hands. “Come on, I’m taking you back.”

“No...” Rudy said softly. He squirmed a little away from Snap, preventing him from grabbing him. He managed to sit up. He stared at Snap with a smile on his face. There was a twitch of pain in his eye, and his teeth were clenched. But Rudy did his best to look like he was fine. “It’s..nothing... Don’t worry.. I’m okay...really I am...” He let out another grunt of pain.

Snap shook his head in disbelief. “Rudy, I’m not blind. I can tell you’re not okay. Come here now...” Snap grabbed onto Rudy’s arm and tugged at it. “We are going back to the hospital. I’m going to tell the doctors we changed our mind and you are staying there for the next few days.”

“But Snap...” Rudy started to protest.

“No buts, Rudy..” Snap said. He pulled on Rudy a little harder. “You suffered a lot of internal damage from that attack. You’re in no condition to not be in the hospital. You need to go back.”

Rudy shook his head. “No...I don’t want to... I’ll go back for my checkup and IV fluids, but that’s it. I’m not spending another night there.”

“I don’t see why you don’t want to. I get it, you don’t want to be alone, but Rudy...” Snap stared at Rudy in desperation. “Please... I want you to get better. It was a mistake of me to help you all the way out here in your condition. I know the doctors said it was okay. I know you feel more comfortable here than in some strange hospital. But in your condition, Rudy...”

“Please just let me stay here...for one night?” Rudy pleaded. “I promise I’ll go back tomorrow, if you let me stay here another night. Please, Snap..?”

Rudy and Snap stared at each other for several seconds. They didn’t look away. Their eyes bored into each other. Rudy’s pain-filled eyes locking onto Snap’s worry-filled ones. For the next several moments, there was nothing but silence between the two. Then, slowly, Snap, who seemed to understand that Rudy was not going to go anywhere, released his arm. He didn’t look very happy by this, but Rudy was glad that he listened to him.

“...okay then...” Snap said softly. “I do not like doing this, Rudy. But if you insist on staying here, fine I won’t stop you. But...” He raised his hand on the air to get Rudy’s attention. He narrowed his eyes at the eighteen year old and spoke in a firm voice that reminded Rudy of his parents. “The first sign of you being in agony, and I am hauling you back to the hospital. I don’t care if I have to carry you with one arm. I’m taking you back. Do you understand?”

Rudy nodded his head. “Yes. I understand, Snap.”

“Good.” Snap said. He moved over to the other beanbag chair and pushed it close to where Rudy was. He settled down on top of it. He glanced over at the television, then at some of the board games that were piled up in a corner nearby. “So...what would you like to do to pass the time?”

Rudy did feel bad about getting Snap to help convince the doctors to let him leave. Rudy knew it wasn’t a good idea. It had only been about three days since he was treated. That wasn’t a lot of time to recover from surgery. He was still in a lot of pain. But he just really wanted to spend some time with Snap. He felt that he recovered faster when he was around his friends and family. Sure, they visited him during the day, but they couldn’t do that so much at night. He felt lonely at night. Hardly anyone spoke to him at that time. The doctors only came in to check a few things and that was it.

His parents, as well as Tilly and Sophie, had been horrified by what had happened to him. They visited him as soon as they could. He remembered their first visit and how heartbreaking it was. He was in too much pain to really talk to them that much, so Penny and Snap answered any questions they may have had. Rudy recalled how badly his heart clutched when he watched his family members stare at him like that, with those tears in their eyes. He wished he could have done something to help them feel better, but he could barely move at the time.

His family as well as his friends visited him often throughout the day. He enjoyed their company when they were around. When he could speak the next day, he tried to ask them if they could stay the night. He felt uncomfortable at night. He wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe it was the pain. Maybe it was being in an unfamiliar place. Maybe it was the fact that he was injured and in a lot of pain. Yeah that might be it. A psychological thing. Anyone who was injured would rather be close to their friends and families at all times. But..something was different about this, still. After all, he didn’t try sneaking out of the hospital when he and Penny were rescued from Bardot.

He came to the conclusion that it might be a side effect of the disease he was suffering from. Maybe it was messing with his head a little, making him act a little different. Despite knowing that this might be the case, he couldn’t really fight the urge to leave the hospital at night and be with Snap. He knows, deep down, it was not the brightest move. It was hard convincing Snap to let him come. Heck, it was harder trying to convince Snap than it was trying to convince the doctors. By comparison, the doctors were quite easy to get them to agree with him. Dr. Raiden was the one who permitted him to leave, provided he came back tomorrow for his checkup and IV fluids.

Despite this odd behavior in spite of knowing that he was making things worse for himself by traveling around this badly hurt, Rudy was not entirely concerned. If anything bizarre or dangerous would happen, he was certain his friends would be there for him. They would get him out of whatever situation he put himself in and get him to the hospital. He had a lot of trust in them. And there was his family, too. If they were with him and saw him in trouble, they could definitely help in any way that they could.

This made him remember that his family had almost never used the magic chalk before. There was Sophie, but the adults hadn’t used the magic chalk that often. He wondered if there would ever come a time when they would all have to learn how to use it more efficiently. He sometimes wondered, these past few days, if there’ll be another magic chalk war. He shuddered to think about it. If the war years ago resulted in so many casualties, both human and zoner, would he lose one or more family members should another battle start up?

He hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He hoped that a secondary war can be avoided. It probably could..if he is able to stop Jenny and her lackeys before it ever came to that. And then there was this anti-creator group. They still hadn’t really been causing any problems lately. But even after he gets Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir out of ChalkZone, what about this group? How far widespread was this train of thought? What would this group do? Would they still try to kick him out even after he took care of the real bad guys?

Another thing that had him concerned is the warning Mr. Wilter gave his friends. Penny and Snap had relayed the message to him, as well as everything else Wilter had to say. As much as it startled him how Mrs. Sanchez used to be, that isn’t what concerned him the most. She was not like that anymore, and he knew she would never become like that again, so he didn’t really feel afraid around her, even knowing what she did.

No, what concerned him was this business with the zoner with the metal finger. He had not seen any such zoner like that. Ever since Wilter gave them that message, they had been on the look out, trying to identify any zoner with a metal finger. So far, no luck. That was all Wilter had told them. Without much information to go on, it was hard for him to try to pinpoint just how this particular zoner was. Wilter never even told them why they should beware of this zoner? Were they involved with the anti-creator group? Were they another Cosmo creation that somehow escaped jail? Were they part of some new enemy faction that they’d have to take care of?

The questions piled one on top of another on Rudy’s shoulders, making him feel like a burden was weighing down on him. There was so much going on. So much had happened. It seemed like everytime he turned around, there was a new problem. He wondered just how things could get any worse. He refrained from saying that out loud, though. He didn’t want to tempt fate and suddenly they have a new problem to worry about in addition to the ones they were already facing.

One thing was for certain. He and his friends had a lot more to worry about this time around than they did in the past. Things were going to be more complicated than the time they were locked up in Cosmo’s underground maze of a building. More was going on than the time when he and Penny were kidnapped and Snap was forced to go through those ‘games’ Bardot had set up. This time, there were more players. A lot more was on the line. And this time, he wasn’t sure exactly how they were going to get out of this mess.

Still, he did his best not to allow hopelessness take over. He felt this way before in the past, and they still managed to get out. Somehow, someway, they would make it through this. He just wasn’t sure exactly how they would manage to get out of this mess. They had three black chalk users to deal with. They had alternate dimensions to travel to in order to cure him of this disease. They had an anti-creator group who would want to try to kick him out of ChalkZone. None of these problems will be easily dealt with.

But he knew he had to try.

Realizing that he had been silent a little too long and seeing Snap looking at him, confused and waiting for an answer, Rudy said, “Well..” He looked at the television. “Maybe some TV? Is there anything good on?”

Snap lifted up the controller and pointed it at the black box. “I’m not sure, Bucko. Let’s take a look.” With that, he pressed the power button on the controller. There was a blip and the TV began to glow as the screen came in.

At first, there was just static on the television. The roar of the static caused Rudy to wince and he covered his ears. Snap quickly turned down the volume. He gave Rudy an apologetic look before he began to flip through the channels. Rudy caught glimpses of several types of shows, such as a cooking one, what looked like a crime drama, and even some live action movie that looked like it was several years old. But none of them really caught his attention, and judging from Snap’s expression, he wasn’t digging any of these shows either.

Snap did stop on one particular channel. He and Rudy stared at the screen. It was on a commercial, so they didn’t know what was on this channel. Seconds later, the commercial was done and it went back to the programming. Another movie. This one looked a little newer. It appeared to be an action movie of some kind. He gave a small smile. Yeah, this would do. Snap looked content by it as well. He liked action movies, and this one seemed to deliver. Lots of car chases and what not. The two friends settled down and began to watch the movie. Snap turned the volume up a bit so they can hear.

On the screen, it appeared to be some kind of car chase. One zoner driving a car was being chased by another. Even though they had just started watching and they had no idea what was going on, Rudy and Snap were pulled into the action. As the car seemed to be chased towards a wall, with nowhere to go, the two friends leaned in, waiting to see what would happen next. The aggressor drive in and looked intent on smashing them. They got closer and closer. Rudy and Snap’s eyes widened, wondering what was to become of this poor zoner.

Suddenly, as soon as the aggressor driver smashed against the victim driver, there was a loud bang. At first, the two friends thought it was just the television, but a second bang and a shake of the tree proved them wrong. They immediately got up to their feet. As soon as they did so, a third explosion rocked the tree house, sending it yanking to the side, throwing them. Rudy and Snap smashed against each other against one of Snap’s windows.

More explosions rattled through the treehouse. They could feel the wood splintering. They could smell the scent of burnt tree. The two friends scrambled up to their feet. Rudy let out a groan of pain. The fall aggravated his stomach and he clutched it tightly. He coughed a few times. Thankfully no blood this time. Snap, looking at him with great worry, helped him up to his feet.

“Do you think it’s Ghadir again?” Snap wondered out loud.

Rudy looked around, trying to see if he could see a glimpse of their attacker. But at this angle, he couldn’t see anything except the sky. “I’m not sure, Snap. I don’t know if it would be her. I don’t think she’d try the same thing twice.”

“Well you never know.” Snap said. There was a slight shiver to his body. “She did seem intent on eating me...”

“No one’s going to eat you, Snap.” Rudy said to his friend, giving him a reassuring smile. After Snap smiled back, Rudy turned to the door, now located at an upward angle. He frowned. “Come on. We better see what’s going on.”

They began to make their way up towards the door. Getting there while the treehouse rattled with explosions was not easy. Debris flew everywhere. He and Snap were nearly hit by some sharp glass and splittered wood. Despite nearly losing their grip several times, they managed to continue climbing upward. Rudy used his magic chalk to help draw a rope and anchor to help them continue climbing up. Even with it, it was not that easy climbing up. The explosions were hurting his and Snap’s ears and he was amazed they didn’t go deaf by them yet, though there was some ringing in their ears.

When they were more than halfway to the red door, he started to smell something. He looked behind him and realized, in horror, that the treehouse was on fire. He could see flickers of orange flame peaking out through the wood. Then the wood started to give way and the fire began to burn, spreading through the ground at a rapid pace, turning the wood a charred black. The smoke soon filled the tree house, clouding their visions. Rudy and Snap began to cough and wheeze, the smell of burning wood filling their nostrils.

Using this as ‘inspiration’, Rudy quickened his pace. He helped pull Snap up, aiding him in his escape. They moved as quickly as they could towards the door. Rudy’s head started to swim, feeling whoozy from the smoke inhalation. He and Snap coughed harder, getting to the point where it was getting painful. The treehouse continued to rattle and shake as they climbed. He could feel the wood all around him begin to give way to the attacks. He could hear the cracks of wood splittering from many directions. If he and Snap didn’t get out soon, they were in big trouble.

Then, finally, they reached the door. Anchoring himself with the rope he and Snap were using, Rudy opened up the door. He grabbed onto Snap and the two of them climbed out of the treehouse. He set Snap down and now they stood on top of what remained of the treehouse. He could see that much of it had been demolished and the tree torn down from the explosions. As they stood there and looked around, they quickly saw just who it was that attacked the treehouse. And one thing became apparent very quickly.

It hadn’t been Ghadir. Instead of that crazed lunchlady, standing all around the tree...were zoners... Five of them. All armed, and all angry.

Rudy and Snap’s eyes widened in horror. Only seconds were needed for them to know exactly who these five zoners were. They were members of the anti-creator group that they had been warned about. They were shouting phrases such as ‘go home creator’ and ‘creators are monsters’. They practically chanted this as they continued attacking the treehouse with their weapons, which Rudy and Snap quickly saw as two small rocket launchers and three flamethrowers.

“Look! There he is!” One of the anti-creator zoners, a humanoid one, shouted, pointing his finger up at the downed treehouse. “Let’s get him!”

The other zoners shouted in agreement and they pointed their weapons directly at Rudy. The eighteen year old let out a scream of fear as a torrent of fire was shot in his direction. Snap jumped at him and pushed Rudy out of the way. Snap let out a hiss of pain as the flames singed the edge of his scarf, but other than that, he was fine.

“What are you doing?! He’s injured!” Snap called out angrily at the group, waving his arms up and down. “Leave him alone!”

“If he didn’t want to get injured, he should have stayed home!” One of the zoners, an anthro dog, snarled. He aimed his rocket launcher at Rudy. “Now...prepare to taste rocket, you filthy little human....!”

Rudy stared in horror at the rocket launcher. The dog zoner followed through with his threat and pressed the trigger. Thinking fast and not having enough time to draw anything, Rudy, ignoring the pain he was in, grabbed onto Snap and jumped down. He crashed into the ground not far from the anti-creator zoners. He got up to his feet and began to run. Snap looked at him with concern. Rudy held onto Snap and continued to run, not bothering to look back. Even though he was in the most pain, his determination to keep Snap safe from this crazy group overrid the needs he had.

No doubt this group would go after Snap next. He was not going to give them that chance. Holding Snap tightly, he continued to run. But eventually the pain started to getting to be a little too much for him. His legs startled to wobble and he started to stammer around. He panted heavily as he kept trying to push himself. He couldn’t slow down. Not now, not with that crazy group behind him. He could hear their shouts. They were getting closer. He turned his head. He could see them catching up. He could see the angry looks on their faces. The shere determination to get him... He turned and started to move forward again.

“I knew I should have taken you back to the hospital!” Snap cried. He held onto Rudy as he watched the group coming towards them. “Come on, Rudy! Draw something!”

Rudy flinched in pain as he reached down with one hand. He fumbled around in his pocket, looking for a piece of magic chalk he knew he put there. He grabbed it and pulled it out. “I got it!”

“Okay good! Quickly, draw something that can fly or something!” Snap shouted frantically. “They’re getting closer!”

“Okay!” Rudy raised his hand to start drawing, despite the pain he was in.

Before Rudy could draw anything, his foot snagged on an raised root in the ground. He let out a cry, mixture of pain and surprise, as he fell to the ground. The force of the fall caused Snap to be thrown to the side. Rudy watched as his friend rolled across the ground. Rudy called out his friend’s name and tried to get up to his feet, but by then, it was too late. The five anti-creator zoners had already caught up with him. He was not able to react when the dog zoner jumped onto his back, pushing him back into the grassy ground.

Snap looked up and he let out a terrified cry when he saw Rudy being mauled by the dog zoner. The dog’s claws cut into his skin. His jaws started to tear his shoulder open. Rudy was leaning up as straight as he could, his arms flailing as he desperately tried to get the dog zoner off. Rudy still had the magic chalk, but when he tried to use it, another zoner with them, this one a bird of some kind, slashed his wrist, blood splattering and causing the magic chalk to fly off away from Rudy.

“We will not allow you to create anything, you monster!” The bird zoner squawked as she started to peck at his head. Rudy let out cries of pain as the sharp beak hit against his head. In an attempt to defend himself, he raised his arm again and struck at the bird zoner, knocking her back. “Going to hurt me, monster?” The bird zoner growled.

“P-Please..stop...” Rudy pleaded with them. He tried to get the dog zoner off. He felt the claws ripping away at him, tearing off the bandages that were placed on him before. The dog’s teeth were shredding his shoulder. He could feel blood pouring down his arm. “Let me go! I didn’t do anything wrong! Why are you hurting me?!”

The humanoid zoner from before growled, “You’re a creator! You’re just like the rest of them! You are the enemy! You must be stopped!”

“Rudy!” Snap cried. He rushed over towards Rudy.

The bird zoner turned her head towards Snap. “Here comes his accomplice! Get him!” She shouted.

Another anti-creator zoner, this one an anthro crocodile, rushed over and body slammed Snap into the ground. Rudy, through his pain, watched in horror as Snap was pinned on the ground. The crocodile took him into his jaws and shook him a few times before throwing him against a nearby tree. Rudy struggled to get off the ground, determined to go help his friend, but the dog zoner on him kept him on the ground. His claws dug further into his skin and by now most of his bandages around his stomach had been ripped off.

Snap tried to fight back. As the crocodile zoner held him down, he delivered a punch, hitting against the crocodile’s face. This did little to deter him, though. Instead of making him back off, it made him snarl angrily. He lifted up Snap with one thick arm and slammed him into the ground a few times before holding him by his leg upside down in the air. Snap, though obviously in pain, snarled at the crocodile zoner and continued to try to fight back, swinging punches at him.

“Leave my friend alone! He never did anything to you guys!” Snap cried out in anger. He continued to try to punch the crocodile zoner. “Can’t you see he’s injured?! What kind of sick, twisted zoners are you, attacking someone when they are injured?!”

The crocodile snarled at this, baring his sharp teeth. “Monsters? I’m afraid you got us mixed up, little dirtbag.” He raised Snap higher into the air. “He’s a creator, and all creators are monsters. He would destroy you the first chance he got, and here you were, running around with him. For shame...” He gave Snap a look of disgust before throwing him away like he was nothing more than some trash bag.

Snap rolled across the ground and got up onto his knees. He placed a hand on his head and rubbed it gently. He looked over and saw the crocodile zoner walking over to where Rudy was. “Rudy! No!”

The dog zoner finally got off of Rudy. At this point, he was in too much pain to get up. The dog zoner did a number on his back and shoulder. That, combined with his old injuries, made it impossible for Rudy to get back up to his feet. He was unable to make much of a protest when the crocodile zoner, the largest and clearly the strongest of the group, bent down and grabbed him by his neck. With little effort, Rudy was hoisted off the ground.

The crocodile zoner was not very gentle with him. His thick fingers pressed against his neck painfully, making it hard for him to breathe. Rudy grabbed onto his hand and tried to pull it off. The zoner refused to let go. Rudy kicked his legs weakly in the air, trying to struggle to get free. But the dark green zoner’s grip was like a vice. Slowly, Rudy opened up his right eye, staring down at the crocodile zoner in fear.

The crocodile snarled at him, baring his crooked, sharp teeth. He lifted up his hand in the air. Rudy’s right eye widened in horror. Snap called out and rushed towards him. Rudy heard the flap of wings and a grunt of pain from Snap and he realized that his friend was knocked into the ground again. His right eye remained glued on the raised paw. Then it came down. Rudy shut his eye and turned away. The paw collided with his face and instantly Rudy let out a bloodcurdling scream.

The zoner had struck him on the left side of his face. His claws slashed against his injured left eye, ripped off the eyepatch and leaving gashes on the left side of his face. He couldn’t tell if his left eye was really injured this time or if he had been lucky enough to have that eye missed again. Agony swept through his body and he let out a few more screams as blood poured down his face. He opened up his right eye, twitching, and stared at the crocodile zoner with a silent question of ‘why?’.

Suddenly, without warning, there was a loud screech overhead. Everyone froze, their bodies becoming still. They all looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. Then another screech, this one louder than before. There was a shadow that casted over everyone. The anti-creator zoners looked up and soon there was a flash of green and another screech. Something big and heavy landed on the ground. Something solid hit against the crocodile zoner, knocing him back and hitting him against his allies.

Standing before them was Tsere. The large pterosaur stood protectively over Rudy. He opened up his beak and let out a loud, warning screech at the anti-creator group. The four members that looked at him in horror were backing away slowly, so terrified that they forgot they had weapons with them. The pterosaur turned his head over and hit his beak against the bird zoner that had Snap pinned down. The bird zoner joined her comrades and they all stared in fear as Tsere opened up his wings and let out a loud squawk at them.

The anti-creator group backed up slowly, moving a few feet away. Tsere looked down at Rudy and gave him a gentle nudge. Snap rushed over to him and helped Rudy to his feet. While Snap helped Rudy up, the anti-creator group seemed to remember about their weapons and began to fire at them. Tsere let out started screeched as fire narrowly missed him. As soon as Rudy and Snap were on his back, the pterosaur was off, running across the ground with his wings out to gain momentum.

Behind him, the anti-creator zoners were rushing towards them, shooting their weapons frantically at them and shouting curses and insults at them. Tsere continued to run. Rudy held on as tightly as he could, trying his best to ignore the pain. Tears of agony streamed down his face. Snap held onto him, pressing himself against him. Tsere started to flap his wings as they came to a cliff. Then, as soon as the pterosaur reached the cliff, he launched off of it, kicking up dirt with his claws. He dove downward.

The anti-creator zoners stopped at the edge, waving their weapons in the air threateningly and shouting angrily at them. They watched them, anger burning in their eyes, as Tsere rose up into the air and started to fly off into the distance, carrying Rudy and Snap with him.

Rudy took in a few shaky breaths. “Th-That was close...”

“Yeah, you can say that again...” Snap said, wiping his brow in relief. “Good thing Tsere showed up when he did. I don’t know what would have happened if he didn’t save us!”

“Yeah...” Rudy suddenly let out a cry of pain and clutched his injured left eye. He pulled his hand away and stared at his blood-covered palm in horror.

“Come on, Bucko...” Snap said, looking at Rudy with concern. He placed a hand on his injured shoulder gently. “Let’s get you back to the hospital...”

Rudy did not protest. “Okay...”


	36. Troubles Are Multiplying

“Rudy, what were you thinking?!” Mrs. Tabootie cried, a few tears moving down her face. “You were lucky it wasn’t as bad as it could have been!”

“What in tarnation were you trying to accomplish, Rudy?” Mr. Tabootie scolded his son.

Tilly nodded in agreement. She glared down at Rudy, trying her best to fight back her tears. “You should have just stayed in the hospital!”

Rudy lowered his head in shame, his eyes downcast. He couldn’t blame his family for being so upset with him. He had made a huge mistake by leaving the hospital. He should have listened to Snap and stayed here. He would have been safer if he just stayed at the hospital like he should have. Three days wasn’t a long time for him to heal, and now he got even more injuries. His mom was right. He was lucky that it didn’t turn out worse than it already was. The anti-creator zoners were vicious. They could have done a lot more to him if they had the chance.

“I tried to get him to stay, but...” Snap started to say.

“And what why didn’t you?!” Mrs. Tabootie snarled in Snap’s direction. She formed a fist with her hand and raised it up a little. “We were counting on you to keep him safe! But you let him out of the hospital, and now look at him!”

Snap cringed at this. He opened up his mouth to speak, but no words would come. He hunched himself over and gave Mrs. Tabootie a guilt-ridden expression. He took a few steps back from the angry woman.

“Now Milly...” Mr. Tabootie put a hand on his wife’s arm and pushed it down. “This isn’t the time to be pointing fingers. “Snap did say he tried to stop Rudy, and besides, we aren’t going to solve anything if we just stand around pointing fingers.” He moved his hand up to squeeze his wife’s shoulder gently. “The important thing is that Rudy’s back at the hospital and he’s being treated.”

Mrs. Tabootie’s expression softened up and she gave a deep sigh. “Yeah...you’re, right, Joe.” She looked over at Snap. The zoner looked at her apprehensively. Looking guilty herself, she said, “I’m sorry, Snap.”

Snap stared at her, then gave a small smile. “It’s quite all right. I...I understand why you were upset.”

Listening to this made Rudy feel even guiltier. He wished he hadn’t gotten Snap to agree to stay with him. He wished he had heeded the warning and stayed in the hospital. Now, because of his stupidity, he got even more injured and Snap got hurt in the process. If he had just listened and stayed like he was told, none of this would have happened.

And of course, he had tried to lie about his condition. Blatantly lie... He told Snap at the treehouse that he was feeling ‘okay’. Yeah right... He was feeling far from it. He knew Snap could tell that he wasn’t fine either. Yet he still said it anyway. He didn’t know why he did it. To comfort Snap? To delude himself to believing things were okay now? He shook his head. He shouldn’t have tried to lie. He was just making things harder on himself by doing so.

His first encounter with the anti-creator group had been a truly terrifying one. He hadn’t expected it to happen that suddenly, that swiftly. Now they burned down Snap’s home, leaving the poor guy homeless, at least until he drew him some other place to live. But now long would that last? Would the group go after him again? Was Snap also a target of this group? It was a possibility. That bird zoner called Snap his ‘accomplice’, so they must think Snap goes around helping Rudy ‘wreak havoc across ChalkZone’, even though that’s not what he’s doing. But this anti-creator group...they must hate humans so much that they refuse to see reason.

They did attack him while he was injured, after all. They clearly didn’t care that he was covered in bandages. They didn’t care that he was already hurt and weak. They still treated him like he was a maximum level threat and they hurt him. Rudy wasn’t sure if they were going to kill him or not. The way they were acting, it seemed like a possibility. Or maybe they were trying to send a clear cut message to him. Whatever they were doing, it scared Rudy that they still hurt him while he was hurt. If they were willing to go that far...just what was this group truly capable of?

They were interrupted from their thoughts when they heard footsteps coming call the hallway. They turned their attention towards the door. Seconds later, Dr. Raiden, Mrs. Sanchez, and Penny came walking into the room. They each had a concerned expression on their faces. Dr. Raiden was holding some charts while Mrs. Sanchez held some medical supplies. Penny was navigating down the halls using yet another cane that was given to her. They approached Rudy, who sat on the edge of his hospital bed.

Almost immediately, Mrs. Sanchez went to work treating the wounds. Penny set the cane against the bed and assisted her mother however she could, which wasn’t easy given her bad leg. Rudy did his best to hold still as his fresh new wounds were washed. Keeping still while the disinfectant was sprayed on him was not easy, but he managed to pull it off. As Rudy’s injuries were cleaned and bandaged up by Penny and Mrs. Sanchez, Dr. Raiden stood next to him and was flipping through his charts. Rudy and the others watched him expectantly, waiting for him to give him his prognosis.

“Well, the good news is that it doesn’t seem this group did a lot of harm to you, Rudy. It looks worse than it really is.” The cheetah zoner turned his amber eyes and glanced at Rudy’s left eye. “Especially in the case of your eye. The eye itself appears to be largely undamaged, but it’s going to take longer for it to heal now.”

“So he’s going to be fine?” Mrs. Tabootie asked, her voice hopeful.

Dr. Raiden replied, “Well, there’s still some hurdles. We need to look him over some more to make sure that he didn’t aggravate his internal injuries. There’s a good chance that the Luminos may have caused more harm than we initially believed.”

“Luminos?” Tilly asked. “Sounds like the name of a game my daughter might come up with.”

“Well I’m afraid the Luminos are not some game.” Dr. Raiden said. He grabbed the edge of a page and flipped it over. He gave Tilly a sideways glance. “They’re a dangerous group whose goal is to keep all creators out of ChalkZone. They had been quiet for some time, but...” He clenched his teeth a little. “I wonder what caused them to stir up now. Well, it doesn’t matter now anyway. The point is, they’re active again, and no doubt, they’d come after Rudy again.”

At this, Rudy’s parents and Tilly gave a gasp of shock. Penny, Snap, and Mrs. Sanchez also looked worried, giving the doctor an uncomfortable expression. Rudy felt a shudder go through his body. He couldn’t imagine what the Luminos would do to him if they were to get a hold of him again. If their first attempt at kicking him out failed, just what were they going to do a second time? He couldn’t leave ChalkZone without being in great pain.... Just what was he going to do?

He definitely needed some place he could be safe. Right now, the hospital may be his best bet. He had doubts that the group would attack this place. And with so many zoners here, they probably couldn’t get through anyway. But if the hospital turned out to not be too safe, or if the doctors say it may still be dangerous, then there was another place he thought of. Penny and Snap told him about the Gem Desert. That isolated area deep underground...that would be a good place for him to be. There was almost no chance that the Luminos would follow him there. It would be too risky of a move for them.

He was glad that Tilly did not bring Sophie into ChalkZone today. He did miss his little cousin. He did want to see her again. But with the Luminos roaming about, ChalkZone would be too dangerous for her. He hoped that Tilly could convince Sophie not to come here for a while until things were cleared up. Sophie might be able to hold her own, but Rudy would rather she not take the risk and stay out of ChalkZone. After what happened to him, he saw no reason to believe that this group would be gentle with the eleven year old.

Rudy winced as he felt Mrs. Sanchez start to clean his eye wound. He cringed and hunched over slightly as he tried to cope with the pain. He let out a small whimper was the woman carefully cleaned the cut and then went to apply the disinfectant. Rudy let out a cry of pain as the disinfectant stung him, but soon the pain gave way to relief and he calmed down. Mrs. Sanchez then started to apply new bandages to the damaged left eye. While she did this, Penny was taking care of the wound on his right hand. She washed the wound, cleaned it, which stung, and she wrapped a bandage around his hand, making sure it was good and tight.

As they were finishing up bandaging him, Dr. Raiden spoke up, addressing everyone in the room. “Rudy will have to stay here for a while. It is too dangerous for him to wander around ChalkZone with the Luminos out there.”

“But what if the group attacks here?” Mr. Tabootie asked.

“Yeah. I could be wrong, but I don’t think the hospital is exactly well armed to deal with this sort of thing.” Tilly pointed out.

“Don’t worry. He’ll be safe.” Dr. Raiden said, his voice filled with confidence and certainty.

“How can you be so sure?” Snap asked, pointing a hand in his direction. “I’m not trying to be a downer. I just don’t know how you can be so certain that he won’t be attacked.”

“Trust me...” Dr. Raiden’s voice was a little forceful when he said that. He stared at Snap intently. His eyes narrowed slightly, reflecting his level of confidence. “The Luminos will not try to attack him here...”

Snap took a few steps back. “Well okay... That’s good to hear.”

Dr. Raiden stared at Snap for a few seconds before he turned his attention back to the charts. He flipped through them some more, his amber eyes skimming through the paperwork. Then when he was finished, he closed it up and placed it in the crook of his arm. He held it against his chest. His attention was then shifted to Rudy, who was finished being bandaged up by Penny and Mrs. Sanchez.

“I trust that you will stay here for the next few nights.” Dr. Raiden said, his voice calm.

Rudy nodded his head. “Yeah... I will..”

Dr. Raiden gave him a small smile. “Good, good...” With that, he turned and started to head towards the door. He stopped and then turned his head so he could see Rudy with one eye. “It may be even safer for you if you didn’t leave the hospital at all. But if you need to, just make sure to come back soon, and don’t stay out too long. The Luminos would surely nab any opportunity they see fit to get you.”

Rudy nodded in understanding. He watched as the cheetah zoner headed out of the room. He turned his gaze towards the ground, his mind filling with memories of recent events. The attack on Snap’s home, the Luminos members attacking him, being ambushed by the black chalk users earlier.. So much was going on and he was getting more and more hurt as time went on. He did have a piece of green chalk again, thankful that Barney gave them more than one. But what if this was taken, too? What if the Luminos or the black chalk artists attack him again? What if they go after his friends and families next?

Rudy glanced sadly over to Snap. The poor guy lost his home because of him... If he had just listened to the doctors and stayed home, Snap’s treehouse wouldn’t have been attacked like that. Now Snap was currently homeless. He was certain that Blocky or Rapsheeba wouldn’t mind taking him in, and Rudy can always redraw his home. But Rudy still couldn’t help but feel guilty about it. Knowing Snap, the blue zoner wasn’t going to hold this against him. Snap would care more about his well being than some tree house that could just be recreated. But that didn’t help Rudy much to shake off the feelings of guilt.

Dr. Raiden’s warning did send a cold chill down his spine. Was he really not that safe going around ChalkZone anymore? What of Penny? Their parents? Tilly and Sophie? Wilter? Would they be attacked as well, if the group manages to get them alone somewhere in ChalkZone? Rudy had his doubts he could stay at the hospital the entire time. He would want to leave. He would want to see what else has been doing on lately. He didn’t want to sit around and do nothing.

But Dr. Raiden was still right. The group would attack him the next time they got. Depending on how desperate they were, they might go after him even if there were a dozen zoners surrounding him. The hospital was, by comparison, safer than just wandering around outside on his own. He still didn’t like it, though. He couldn’t remain cooped up here the entire time. He can see staying here at night where he could rest in peace, but with the black chalk users still causing trouble, and with the potential dangers posed by the Luminos, he needed to do something to help keep ChalkZone safe.

Rudy’s thoughts were interrupted when his parents came over. Penny and Mrs. Sanchez made room for them on the bed. They sat down next to their son. Worry shined in their eyes and they gave him a group hug. They were careful not to hurt him further. Rudy didn’t move. He just froze as they hugged him tightly, afraid to let him go. He couldn’t blame them for being this way. They did almost lose their son to a vicious zoner attack.

Not long after, Penny, Snap, Tilly, and Mrs. Sanchez approacheda s well. Like his parents, they gave him a hug, a way to comfort themselves and him, to spread reassurance among the group that everything would be okay. Rudy felt grateful for this. Reassurance was something they definitely all needed.

Suddenly, the door opened up again. Everyone looked, expecting to see one of the doctors, but instead it was someone that they hadn’t really expected. Instead of a doctor, it was Skrawl. He stood in the door way on two legs. He stared directly at Rudy. He had something of a frown on his face, but Rudy could tell there was some concern in those eyes as well. The jellybean took a few steps towards him. He stopped a few feet away.

“Chalk boy.” Skrawl said. He eyed Rudy up and down. “I take it you had a run in with some trouble?”

“Yes.” Rudy said.

Rudy noted the expression on his family’s faces. Although he had told them about Skrawl, they still felt a little wary around him. It may have been due to Skrawl’s social skills, or lack there of. Even two more years wasn’t enough for Skrawl to learn some proper etiquette. He would have spoken up as he watched his parents and his aunt watch Skrawl warily, but there wasn’t really much he could say to help them feel better. And it wasn’t like Skrawl was bothered by it anyway. He would just ignore them.

Skrawl took a more steps forward. He glanced at Rudy’s family members for a few seconds. He ignored the looks they were giving him and he turned his attention to Rudy. “I still can’t believe you took that risk.”

“You know about that?” Snap said, his eyes wide in surprise. “But..how would you know if...”

Skrawl raised his hand. “If you think I’m psychic, Snap, think again.” He pointed at Snap, narrowing his eyes, before turning his glance back at Rudy. His voice was still directed at Snap. “I spoke to the doctors when I came in. They told me what he did. And I must say, Master Tabootie...” Skrawl shook his head, now fully addressing the eighteen year old. “I am quite disappointed in you.”

“Hey now...” Mr. Tabootie spoke up. He moved up to the jellybean zoner and stared him directly in his mismatched eyes. “At least Rudy’s in the hospital getting treated now.”

“Yes..and that almost didn’t happen.” Skrawl leaned forward, causing the man to take a step back. “If he had just listened to the doctors, this wouldn’t have happened...”

“I know that, Skrawl. I know I screwed up.” Rudy growled, glaring at Skrawl. “What’s the point in making me feel worse?”

“You aren’t helping, Skrawl.” Penny said, her eyes narrowed.

Skrawl let out a soft growl. Just when they thought he was going to snap at them again, he let out a soft sigh. “Yeah I know.” He sucked in a breath, attempting to calm himself down. Rudy felt glad that Skrawl was at least making an effort to control his temper. There were times when he could still be pretty nasty when he lets his temper control him. When Skrawl spoke again, this time he was definitely a lot calmer. “I just came to give you quick news regarding that anti-creator group.”

“Oh?” Rudy asked, his voice laced with curiosity. “What did you find out?”

“Any good news?” Mrs. Tabootie asked hopefully.

“Or nothing that bad, if it’s not so good news?” Snap inquired.

Skrawl stood on one leg. He folded his arms behind his back. He stared at the humans in the group, as well as Snap. He paused for a few moments. Rudy guessed it was so that he could gather his thoughts and form some coherent sentences in his head so he could properly convey what he wanted to tell them. Whatever he had to say about the Luminos group, it had to be important enough that he’d come all the way to them to deliver the message himself, instead of just letting his Beanie Boys do it.

Skrawl said, “My Beanie Boys and I have detected some activity from the group, outside of what they did to you. It seems they are fighting with the black chalk users in less populated areas of ChalkZone. The anti-creator group has also caused some forms of vandalism. It isn’t just the black chalk users causing trouble. This anti-creator group is as well. We have attempted to arrest them...” His expressioned softed as he cast his gaze towards the ground. “But so far all efforts to arrest them have failed. They manage to escape our grasp.” He lifted his head back up. “But rest assured, we will do what we can to apprehend them. In the meantime, all you humans best watch your back.”

“They’re escaping arrest...?” Snap spoke softly, casting a wary glance over to Rudy.

“If they’re doing that...” Penny said in a low voice. “...they must be pretty resourceful.”

“I wonder just how they’re managing to get away.” Tilly wondered out loud. “I mean...to evade police that easily?”

“Especially flying police officers...” Mr. Tabootie pointed out, reminding them that the Beanie Boys can fly.

Mrs. Tabootie said, “Well maybe their luck will run out soon? No one can run from the police forever.”

“I quite agree, miss.” Skrawl said, giving a nod towards the large woman. “Which is why my Beanie Boys and I will continue to try to get them. But we will use caution. I have an idea of why they keep evading us.”

“And that is...?” Rudy asked cautiously, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

Skrawl furrowed his eyes with concern. “I have sent two groups of five Beanie Boys to apprehend some members at two different times. One was two days ago. And another was last night.” He paused. The silence was uncomfortable. Then he spoke. “They never returned.”

A cold chill went through everyone’s spines. Eyes were wide in horror. The Beanie Boys never returned? Ten of them just...vanished? They all had a feeling of what happened. An uncomfortable sensation that chilled their blood. It was something they didn’t want to think about, but they couldn’t just ignore it. There was no way they could. And the way that Skrawl said they never returned...how his voice sounded...that lead them all to the same conclusion.

The Beanie Boys had been killed... The Luminos had murdered them. This fact sent a realization through Rudy’s head. Not just his, but they all came to realize this. The Luminos were more dangerous than they had realized. They were willing to go against the law to get what they want. They were okay with killing if they felt it served the ‘greater purpose’. They were not afraid of shedding blood. Thanks to them, ten Beanie Boys were dead, or at least missing. Even if they weren’t dead yet, there was a chance they would be soon, considering how vicious their attack against Rudy and Snap were.

Rudy felt his heart rate speeding up. Things have just gotten a lot more dangerous. An uncomfortable thought tugged at the back his mind. Something that he was not able to ignore, especially now.

Just how could things possibly get any worse?

sss

Terry hoped this would work. Come on..it just had to work.. She was running out of options. This was the only thing left that she could think of doing. Come on, please work...

The realization that Vinnie not only had ChalkZone evidence, but that it would be shown soon sent ice through her veins. Had this happened years ago, she would have been excited. Now, the same thing was frightening her, in much the same way she was certain it would scare Rudy and Penny. She had promised Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie that she would not let the ChalkZone evidence be aired, and she wasn’t about to break that promise.

She had tried to talk Vinnie out of it. But he was determined to show it. He said he wasn’t going to let her control him anymore. He had followed her advice when it suited him. Now that she was no longer interested in exposing ChalkZone, he saw no reason to listen to her, and now he has taken the reigns. He hid the ChalkZone tape somewhere and locked it up. Even if Terry did manage to get out of the locked room, she’d still have to find the tape and she’d still have to find a way to open it up. Or she could just take it with her, wherever she ended up going.

Or at least, she would have at least tried, had Vinnie not decided to take another step. He told her yesterday that he had brought the evidence over to the network producers. Her heart had clenched at this, and she only calmed down when Vinnie said they would not look at the footage until the day of the broadcast. It was supposed to be tomorrow, but it ended up being delayed for another couple days. Three at most. Terry was relieved by this news as it gave her more time, but still, that wasn’t a ton of time to try to fix things before Vinnie would make the biggest mistake of his life.

About an hour ago, she had been taken into the bathroom. During this time, things started to look up for her when she found something laying on the ground. Vinnie hadn’t been as thorough as he would have liked. Perhaps he was in such a hurry to keep himself cleaned up that he had missed a spot. Whatever the case, she had managed to find a needle laying on the ground. It wasn’t the best choice to pick locks with, but it was better than having absolutely nothing to use like was the case before.

She didn’t try picking the lock right away. She had to wait. She overheard Vinnie talking on the phone, stating that he was going for another meeting to the news station, probably to secure the time slot and to discuss matters with the executive producers. She wondered if he would outright tell them about ChalkZone, or if he was going to be smart about it and keep it hush hush until the evidence was broadcasted.

When Vinnie left, that was when Terry made her move. She started to pick at the lock. She had been on it for about half an hour now. She knew she didn’t have that much time. There wasn’t a large window of opportunity for her. The news station wasn’t terribly far away and she had no idea how long the meeting was going to be for or when Vinnie would be back. She had to hurry as quickly as she could. Keeping the needle in the lock, she continued to twist it and push it up and down, hoping that, somehow, someway, it would give in and the door would unlock.

But as another half hour passed, and still no luck, she started to feel her hope sinking. If Vinnie came back before she could get this open, or even just as she got it open, she was in trouble. She didn’t know when else she’d have a chance like this. She couldn’t try at night as Vinnie was a light sleeper, and she might accidentally wake him up. She stared at the keyhole with determination, her teeth clenched, and she continued picking at the lock. Despite her hope waning, she refused to give up.

Then, finally, she heard something she never thought she’d hear. A click... She stared at the doorknob, her eyes wide in shock. She looked at the needle and then back at the door. She didn’t want to get her hopes up. She didn’t want to get excited over nothing. She reached down towards the door cautiously. She gripped the handle and pushed against it. Her more cynical side expected it to remain still, but to her amazement...she really had done it. The knob was turning...

Terry didn’t waste any time. She turned the door and she pushed it open. She winced as it squeaked. She had to remind herself that Vinnie was not back home yet. She moved cautiously out of the door. She looked left and right, confirming that she was indeed still alone. She crept through the house. Even though she was alone, she was still as quiet as she could. Vinnie could still return at any time and she had to be prepared to rush towards her room as soon as possible.

Terry did manage to find her cell phone, shoved in a dresser in the living room. She shoved it into her pocket and headed towards the door. She opened it up slowly and peaked her head out, looking left and right to make sure Vinnie was not coming. She went through the door and before she knew it, she was outside. At long last, since her kidnapping, she was finally outside. The sun hurt her eyes, forcing her to look away. She put a hand over her eyes and looked around, trying to figure out which direction she should go in.

She did not stay much longer there. Knowing that Vinnie could come back any second, Terry got a move on. She could be recaptured at any time. Vinnie could see her and catch her before she got far. She had to start putting distance between his place and herself. She had to get moving. And she knew exactly where she was going to go.

The Tabooties’. She knew how to get there from here. She had to tell them what was going on. There wasn’t much time left. She couldn’t stop for anything. Even though her wounds were bleeding in a few places again, even though she was in pain, she still pushed herself. She knew it was imperative she got to Rudy’s place as soon as possible. She would have called, but her cellphone ran out of battery, not being charged during all this time.

Without hesitation, and limping the whole way, Terry walked in the direction where she knew Rudy’s house was going to be.

sss

Reggie grumbled to himself. He couldn’t believe he was stuck doing some errands. Yeah, they didn’t have school today, but that didn’t mean his dad still had to turn it to business somehow and make him go on these errands. All Reggie wanted to do was say home and play some video games. The weekend was usually the only time he got to do that. When today’s school day was cancelled, though he forgot to reason, he was ecstatic and thought he could enjoy a day home alone while his dad worked.

Well that turned out to be a dud. His dad gave him some assignments. There were a few stores he had to go to, where he had to pick up a few things. His dad expected him to get all of these things and be back before he came home. A couple of the stores, he wasn’t really even picking up anything; he was just checking a few things, such as their car which was in shop. They were currently using a rental.

Reggie didn’t know why he had to do this stuff. The car wasn’t even his. His dad was just letting him use it for school. It really belonged to his dad. So why doesn’t his dad do all this? Why should he have to? Yeah, he did use the car, but only to get from home to school and back again. It wasn’t like his dad let him drive that far out anyway. This was especially true lately when he told his dad that he got a speeding ticket trying to take Rudy to the hospital. His dad really didn’t like that and had gotten stricter on his vehicle access.

Reggie would have put the blame on Rudy if he were in better condition. Truth is, Reggie felt a little guilty about trying to shift the blame on him when he was very sick. He had no idea how Rudy was. He hadn’t seen him in days. He thought about visiting his parents and asking him how he was, but he never got around to it. It wasn’t like Rudy to be gone this long. He wondered if it was because of the disease or if something else was going on. The more he thought about it, the more he was certain it was because there was more going on than he or Penny were letting on.

He was well aware of ChalkZone. Not that he really told anyone about it. They’d all think he was crazy. But Rudy and Penny knew he wasn’t nuts. Reggie remembered all too well the incident when he was ten and he ended up in ChalkZone with that red chalk. He knew it was no dream. He had pretended all this time to believe it was, but he was not a fool. Sure, he was not the brightest student on the block, but he could discern reality from fantasy. And he knew ChalkZone was real.

He hadn’t been very happy about getting tricked out of ChalkZone like that. He had been trying to find a way back in, but he never had any luck. He could have confronted Rudy and Penny about it, but he never did figure out how he could do that without drawing a scene. Besides, maybe they had good reason to kick him out. He hadn’t exactly been the nicest guy when he was there. Sure at first, he wasn’t that bad, but then the red chalk started to make him feel powerful and then the Chalk Mine, throwing trash around...

The giant had shouted something about the red chalk taking control of him. That wasn’t entirely true. Reggie was never controlled by it. He acted out because, for the first time in his life, he felt powerful, completely in control. And he wasn’t about to let anyone take that away from him, especially not Rudy. He started acting out because it was the best way he could express himself at that time, and he admitted that it was not exactly the best move he could have made.

He had mixed feelings about the whole thing. He hadn’t said anything about ChalkZone, but not because he was certain of the consequences; it was because no one would believe him. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it, if he should try to speak up anyway, if he should consider Rudy and Penny’s perspectives. He was still sore at Rudy for kicking him out, and he had thought about forcing him to let him back in. But not now. He wasn’t going to take advantage of Rudy being sick to get back in. He had mellowed out over the years and he was no longer the same bully they had come to know.

He had confessed to Penny that he knew about ChalkZone. So she knows. Maybe he could try to speak to her again, whenever he had the chance to. Maybe she would let him in ChalkZone. He just had to avoid the darn red chalk. He wasn’t really in the mood to be dragged all the way to the Chalk Mine again.

Reggie wondered just what ChalkZone was. There were a lot of drawings there...zoners he believed they called themselves. Everything was drawn. Everyone looked like it came out of a coloring book. He wasn’t sure what to make of them. Were they alive? Was it all an illusion? There were so many questions about that place he had, but he never got a chance to ask any of them. Perhaps if he confronted Penny, she’d answer. He was certain she’d be willing to speak if he threatened to tell people about ChalkZone. Yeah, a dirty trick, but it would still get results, would it not?

As he drove down the street, going to his next destination, he noticed something on the side of the street. Something that was moving, but quite oddly so. He narrowed his eyes in confusion. He looked left and right to make sure there were no cars coming. He started to slow the car down and pulled up to the sidewalk. He shifted his stick to park and he lowered his window. He peered out and had a look around.

It took him a few seconds, but he did eventually see someone on the sidewalk, the person he spotted from the corner of his eye. He instantly recognized the person as Terry Bouffant. He let out a gasp of horror. Just...just what had happened to her...?

Terry looked pretty bad. She was limping horribly, constantly tripping over her own feet. She looked like she had a lot of crude bandages wrapped around her. He could see stains of red all over her clothes, a lot of torn marks and a few stabs. Her hair was dirty and messed up and it appeared to be heavily matted. She looked pale, like she was a little sick or frightened to death. Judging from her face contorting, he could tell she was in a lot of pain and it must be taking her a great deal of effort just to move.

Knowing he couldn’t just leave her there, Reggie opened up his car door and got out. He rushed over to Terry. He managed to catch her just before she fell forward. Being quite strong, he managed to hold her up no problem. Terry let out a few moans of pain as Reggie supported her, slinging her arm across his shoulder.

“Ms. Bouffant! What happened?!” Reggie asked her, staring at her with wide eyes.

“T-Take me...to Rudy’s...please...” Terry said, her voice weak and pain-filled.

“What happened to you?” Reggie asked again. “Who did this to you? I’m taking you to the hospital!”

Terry raised her hand and protested meekly, “No... Tabooties’..now...”

Reggie had no idea why Terry was rejecting medical attention. She needed help now. Why was she insisting on going to Rudy’s place? Couldn’t it wait? Whatever it was, he was certain it could wait. He carried Terry over to the car. He went over to the passengers side and opened it up. He helped her into the car and buckled her down. Then he went back over and got into the diver’s seat.

He put the key in the ignition and turned it. As the car roared to life, he turned his attention to Terry. She leaned back against the chair, looking absolutely exhausted. Just how long had she been wandering outside like that? What happened to her? Who attacked her? He’d have to find out later. He had to get her to the hospital. He knows that she wantes to go to Rudy’s place, but that would have to wait. His errands had to right. Right now, getting this woman to the hospital was more urgent.

Reggie pulled away from the curb and he headed in the direction of the hospital.


	37. You Best Stay Out Of ChalkZone, Creator

It had been a few hours since they got the news from Skrawl. Penny recalled just how frightened she had been when the jellybean told them that law enforcement hadn’t been able to stop the anti-creator group, which Raiden told them was called the Luminos. What chilled her even more were the disappearances of those ten Beanie Boys...

Skrawl believed they had been killed and their bodies disposed of. He had sent multiple search parties to find the missing Beanie Boys, but so far, none of them turned up anything. Penny didn’t want to believe that the Luminos had killed them, and in her mind, she tried to search for other possibilities. Maybe they just got lost. Maybe they were being held hostage... No neither of those made much sense. If they were lost, the other Beanie Boys would have found them by now. They were pretty good at searching for members of their own species. And what motivations would the Luminos have in holding them hostage? If they want to kick creators out, that wouldn’t be a way to do it.

Skrawl may have already thought of this, Penny realized. He was a generally smart zoner, even if he did have his dumb moments at times. He may have thought of different outcomes, and believed the only rational one that made sense is that they were killed. Penny still wanted to believe that something else happened to them. The idea of the anti-creator group being so hostile that they would kill another zoner just to send a message, or just because they treated creators with kindness, it was downright terrifying. She hadn’t even met the group yet and already she could feel their hatred radiating off of them.

She was going to have to be careful when wandering around ChalkZone alone. Although most zoners don’t seem to share this anti-creator mindset, she had no idea just how widespread it is. She wasn’t even sure if the Luminos members would be vocal around her. Maybe around random zoners, but maybe they got quiet if they saw a human, perhaps watching them...waiting to see when they could strike... She shook the thought from her mind. She was getting a little carried away. If she wandered around a public place, the Luminos couldn’t make a move on her, could they? They would have to avoid the prying eyes of other zoners who do not share their hatred of humans.

Penny had decided to go for a walk. After what they learned at the hospital, she felt like she needed to get out and walk around for a little. She needed to clear her head so she can think of what next move they should make. She promised Rudy, who wasn’t keen on her leaving on her own, that she would be back very soon. She was just going to walk around ChalkZone City. It wasn’t like anything bad was going to happen. Plus she was armed. If something happened, she would be ready.

Besides, it wasn’t like any of the zoners here would bother her. The Luminos wouldn’t dare risk a move in public, would they? At most, she’d probably just hear them protest. Other than them, most zoners were relatively peaceful and wouldn’t bother her. Oh there was Boorat, who had gotten out of jail sometime ago. But he hadn’t been causing any trouble lately, and the worst he’d do is probably demand the magic chalk. She wondered, half-amused, how he’d react when he found out one of his creators, Ms. Bouffant, didn’t want to expose ChalkZone anymore. That would surely confuse him.

Speaking of Ms. Bouffant, she wondered what happened to her. She hadn’t seen her on the television news lately, and she hadn’t bumped into her anywhere for the past few days. It was a little unusual. No..it was quite unusual, she corrected herself. She could see not bumping into her for days. It wasn’t like Terry went to all the same places they did. But to not be on the news? Terry wasn’t one to get sick that easily, and she was usually on to give at least one report. But she hadn’t been on TV at all.

She hoped she was all right. They weren’t exactly friends, but they had been on friendlier terms since she stopped trying to expose ChalkZone. Penny was surprised how amiable Terry could be when she wasn’t obsessing over ChalkZone like she had years ago. She and Rudy had gotten to know her more unpleasant side during those times. Her scheming, trickster side, and she hoped she never had to deal with that again. So far, she was getting her wish. Terry had been honest when she said she won’t try to expose ChalkZone anymore, and for the past two years, never once did she lift a finger to do such a thing.

Penny sensed that something was wrong when Terry no longer showed up on TV. She thought about calling the news station and see if they know where she is. She hadn’t gotten around to it, but then, she didn’t have to. The news anchor did say something about her being sick, and normally this would satisfy Penny, but..there was something wrong about it. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. There was something about that statement that didn’t make much sense to her.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized just what it was that bothered her. The news anchor had stated he got the news from someone named Vinnie Raton. It had taken Penny a little while to recognize that name, as it had been a while since she last ran into that crazy man. It wasn’t that she thought Vinnie was heartless, but he and Terry weren’t exactly on the best of terms lately, or so she guessed. Since Terry stopped trying to expose ChalkZone, she had little reason to interact with that dog man. Their relationship was like that of partners, and once Terry pulled out, she guessed all communications would have stopped.

At first, Penny had thought nothing of it. But when she really thought about it, she realized that something didn’t make sense. Why would Vinnie be the one to tell the news anchor that she was sick? Wouldn’t Terry be the one to do that? And why would Vinnie care if she was sick or not? They were just partners, right? Or ex-partner in this case. Vinnie had little reason to interact with Terry. There was no way that he would go visit her since they’re no longer partners, right? The only reason he had ever worked with her was because of the whole ChalkZone fiasco thing. After that, there was little reason for them to associate with each other anymore.

Penny began to wonder if Vinnie had anything to do with Terry’s disappearance. Her heart clenched at the thought. Vinnie had never been particularly violent. Well there were those crazy barks he’d give, but he was all talk and no punch. He hadn’t tried to hurt them, or if he had, it was so far between she hardly remembered.

But then again, he was desperate to get that chalk world theme park going. He really wanted to go into ChalkZone and build an amusement park for people to enjoy. He wanted to make all that money, to be a millionaire. He made that intention of his quite clear. He didn’t try to hide it. If he was desperate enough, would he resort to violence? Blackmail? Would he go as far as kidnap Terry and try to force her to relinquish the information? Penny knew she was getting ahead of herself right now, but her mind kept swirling with these images. If Terry was in some kind of trouble, shouldn’t she try to do something about it?

Yeah, they weren’t really friends. On good terms, but not really buddy buddy or anything. But it would be wrong of her to just sit around and do nothing if she really was in trouble. Penny knew she had to do something, but with no leads, there wasn’t really much. And she couldn’t leave ChalkZone without telling Rudy and Snap where she’d be. With the Luminos group roaming about, they would think something terrible happened to her. She wouldn’t want to worry her friends. And her mother... She didn’t want to worry her either.

Her thoughts turned to Rudy. She was so worried about him. She wasn’t the only one. Rudy’s family, Snap, her mom, they were all worried about Snap. Sophie would be too, once she was informed about his condition. Rudy seemed to be getting worse and worse lately, and it wasn’t his fault. So much stuff was happening to him that he hardly had any time to recover. Just when things start to look up, something else happens to him. It filled Penny with sorrow thinking about it.

Rudy had the disease going on. It was spreading, according to Dr. Raiden, and slowly getting worse. For now, Rudy was able to handle the pain, partially thanks to the chartreuse chalk she gave him. It was doing the job just fine, keeping the pain at bay. But it wasn’t going to bide him much more time. It had been several days. The disease had progressed through his body and gotten worse. They needed to find the cure for the disease and fast, before his body literally melts from the inside out.

There was the concern about the alternate dimensions as well. How were they going to get there anyway? They needed knowledge of where to find the machines. Tavern Town...just where was that place? How was she or anyone going to find it? Perhaps a visit to the library would do her some good. She could go in a local library in ChalkZone City that wasn’t too far away. It may have knowledge in there on how to find Tavern Town. She could find out if it was buried under something new, and where that place was.

And once the place’s location was pinpointed, they could prepare for the trip and go there. She had a feeling their family members would want to go with them. She would have to convince them to stay behind. As much as their help could be used, she didn’t want them getting hurt. Plus, they had to stay behind to keep an eye on things with ChalkZone. The black chalk wielders might try something during their absence. Someone had to stay behind to make sure they don’t try anything. Their parents weren’t experts at using magic chalk, but they were good enough to hold off those three. She would feel better going off to alternate dimensions if her mom and the other family members were staying behind, keeping an eye on things.

Penny wondered what these alternate dimensions would be like. She wonders just how different they were. From what they were informed, there shouldn’t be a major difference, but that was years ago. She wondered how the small differences back then would add up to reflect how the dimensions were now. Did they stayed relatively the same? Was there really going to be almost no difference between the dimensions? Or was there going to be some great, dramatic changes brought on by vast, or even subtle, differences in the way the timelines had functioned?

She had no idea how long they would be in said dimensions, so it would probably be important to pack a lot of things for the trips. They had to be prepared for anything. Without knowing how these dimensions were, they had to realize anything and everything was possible. And just what would they say to their alternate selves should they run into them? Would they understand the situation? Would they even be allies at all? Since anything was possible, she had to consider the uncomfortable idea that their alternate selves might be the bad guys in at least one dimension they go to.

She hoped that wasn’t the case. Hopefully their alternate selves would remain helpful and aid them in finding the cure in each dimension. At this rate, they could use any and all help they could get. And if their alternate selves would help with that, great. She would welcome the gesture. Hopefully it won’t take them long in both dimensions to find the cure and get back. Rudy still had some time left, but not a lot.

She realized that it wasn’t going to be easy getting to the alternate dimensions. The black chalk trio would likely try to stop them somehow. No doubt they would figure out they know where the cures are located and they would try to cut off their access. Jenny wasn’t stupid. She’d figure out, somehow, that they know about the alternate dimension machines and would try to come after them before they reached them.

And it wasn’t just them they had to worry about. The Luminos might try to stop them, too. She wasn’t entirely sure if they would or not, but it was a possibility, especially if they got to the point where they’d attack any human on sight. She reminded herself of what they did to Rudy. That there served as proof that this group was dangerous. They may try to ambush them as they try to get to the machines. It was better safe than sorry and they would have to assume that the Luminos would also try to stop them.

They were getting attacked by two sides. Two groups that both equally hated them, equally wanted to get them, though for different reasons. The thought sent ice through Penny’s veins. How were they going to deal with this double threat? It was hard enough just trying to deal with Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir. Now they have the Luminos to worry about. It was going to be harder getting through this than it was to deal with Cosmo and Bardot. At least at those times, there was just one threat. Now there was two.

Or possibly more... There was Vinnie, and whatever he was doing with Terry. If it was related to ChalkZone, and she wouldn’t doubt it was, then they had that to worry about. She had no idea how successful Vinnie would be, but if he was getting steps closer to exposing ChalkZone, that was reason to be alarmed. And in addition to him, there was the metal finger guy Wilter had warned them about. If he was his own side, and didn’t align himself with the Luminos, then that, in addition to Vinnie, gave them four threats to deal with.

Penny saw she was getting close to the library. She tried to push those thoughts out of her head. She needed to focus on looking through the library, the same one she and Snap were in before, and try to see if there is any information on Tavern Town. Surely one of the books there would have information. She could ask the front desk if they had anything.

She wished she had brought Snap with her. They did make a good team the last time they were here, helping each other try to find that one book. She hadn’t thought about asking him to tag alone, and now she wished she had. She didn’t feel too unsafe wandering about ChalkZone City since there were a lot of zoners walking by. But it still would have been a good idea to ask Snap to come with her. She wouldn’t have asked Rudy. With his injuries, he shouldn’t be moving around too much.

Well she’ll have to make do. She was already getting close to the library. She didn’t want to run all the way back to the hospital and then come back when she could just go in the library now and look around. Once she was able to find the information regarding Tavern Town, she could then head back to the hospital and give Rudy and Snap her word. Whenever their family members came back, she would tell them as well.

Penny opened up the door to the library and headed inside. It was just like how she remembered it. Bustling with life. Zoners moving ever which way to get books or to chat with each other. The high ceiling, the lights above. Yes, it was exactly how she remembered it. She made her way to the front desk. There were a couple of zoners in front of her, but she didn’t mind waiting.

The line was moving pretty quickly, so she didn’t have to wait too long. While she waited in line, she took another look around. She had to admire the beauty of this library. Whoever had drawn this, they did have good taste and style, and their skill levels were quite good. Judging from how this place looked, she guessed it was the work of a professional architech, or at least college level.

She didn’t have much longer to really look at the scenery around her. The line had moved faster than she expected. Soon she found herself at the front desk. She went up to it and put her hands on it. She looked up and she could see the librarian, some kind of horse, standing there. The librarian looked down at Penny, chewing on something. Probably a piece of gum. In a voice that was a little gruffer than Penny was used to hearing from females, the librarian spoke.

“Yes? May I help you?”

“Yes.” Penny said, pushing her hands a little more firmly on the edge. She leaned forward a little. “Do you have any books about Tavern Town?”

The librarian stared at her for a few moments. Her chewing became slow, deliberate. She blew a bubble and it popped loudly in Penny’s face. Then the librarian shifted her gaze towards the computer. Penny could hear the tapping as the librarian began to type something on there. Penny waited patiently to see what the librarian would say next.

After a few minutes, the librarian turned to face her. “Yes, we have one copy of some old book. Old World ChalkZone. It’s not in the greatest shape.” The horse zoner leaned forward and pushed her arm out, pointing her hoofed hand in a general direction. “If you go over there by the maps, you may find it. I don’t know if it’s checked out or not, and I don’t know what kind of condition it is in. I hope it suits your needs.”

“Okay, thanks!” Penny called out to her, waving at her.

With that information in mind, Penny headed in the direction the horse zoner indicated. She soon came upon a couple of shelves lined with a few dusty books, a large map sphere that spun on an axis, and several maps that laid on the ground. There wasn’t a lot of books here. Probably up to ten. It shouldn’t take her long at all to find the book the horse librarian told her about. She moved over to the shelf and began to sift through the books.

Sure enough, it really didn’t take her a long time to find it. She could see the title on the thin book spine; Old World ChalkZone. She pulled out a large book with a lot of dust on it. She narrowed her eyes. She took in a deep breath and blew on it. She coughed as the dust was kicked up, getting in her face. She waved her hands to get the dust away. She took off her glasses and cleaned them of the dirt that now clung to it. She put them back on her face and she glanced down at the book.

This book definitely looked quite old. She couldn’t see a date on it anywhere, even when she opened it up. But judging from how yellow and warn the pages were, and how dusty it was, she guessed it might easily be over forty years old. She knew that if any book was going to have information regarding the location of Tavern Town, this was going to be it. She opened it up and began to look through it.

The page she opened up to was a large map of ChalkZone, or rather, how it used to be. She was amazed at how much things had changed in all this time. ChalkZone looked almost completely different. Some areas did not exist, such as the Amazing River. Other places, such as Twisted Slopes, she didn’t recognize. It may have been one of the places the black chalk users destroyed, or it was turned into something else. And still some places she still recognized, such as the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle, but their sizes and overall appearances were completely different.

Her eyes shifted as she moved them along the page, trying to find Tavern Town. It had to be here somewhere. It existed back when Cosmo was around. Wilter wouldn’t lie about that. So it had to be here. She continued to look. Her eyes were starting to hurt from the thorough checking, but she kept pushing herself. She wasn’t going to give up. She had to find that place. She had to figure out where this Tavern Town place was located.

Soon her eyes came upon something. She had almost missed it. In one part of the map, almost center, she could see what looked like a small settlement. And when she looked close enough, she could see the words ‘Tavern Town’. It was quite smudgy, but that is what it read. Penny double checked to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. Now that she was able to confirm that this was indeed Tavern Town, she had to figure out where it was in relationship with the modern ChalkZone.

She wished she had thought to bring a map with her beforehand so she could compare the differences. But then she remembered that, since this was a map section, there was bound to be a more up to date map here somewhere. She went over to the maps laying on the ground and picked on up. She took a look at it. After determining that it was only a few years old, she dragged this new map over and laid it down next to her. She flattened it out so she could see the map of ChalkZone and looked at it.

Carefully, she compared the two. She glanced at the old map, and then the new one. She did this for a while until she could start to note connections. She was able to see the changes between some locations, how they got bigger or smaller. She could see what areas had become comething else, or disappeared completely. She could even tell what areas were more or less unchanged all this time, though those were very few, very far between. Almost everything had changed in some shape or form.

Then, eventually, she was able to locate what she wanted. It took a while, but she soon found where Tavern Town correlated with modern day ChalkZone. Her eyes widened a little. She flipped back and forth between the two areas, trying to see if she made a mistake and to make sure she was accurate. And the more she looked, the more she realized that this was indeed correct.

According to these maps, Tavern Town used to be located right here... Well not this particular spot. But where ChalkZone City now stood, once there was Tavern Town. So somewhere around here lay the ruins of Tavern Town...

At first, she was confused. She would have thought that Tavern Town was just not on the map anymore, hidden by the black chalk users so no one can find it. For it to be located here, in what is now ChalkZone City... Wouldn’t that require it being torn down? Hmm probably not. Maybe the parts of it that stored the machines were just paved over, hidden passageways built to get to them. That was a possibility. She could imagine the black chalk users doing something like that. The machines could be located under something that was reinforced and somewhere not so conspicuous, making it less likely someone would come along and find it.

Now that she had a relative location of where Tavern Town is, she could report back to Rudy and Snap. They could then try to figure out exactly where in ChalkZone City was the remnants of Tavern Town. Their best bet, she guessed, would be to look underground. There was the sewers down below. As disgusting as the thought was, somewhere down in the sewers could be a hidden passageway to the machines that were located in Tavern Town over forty years ago. She had tried to get a more accurate location on the map but she found it difficult.

No longer requiring the book, she got up and put it back on the shelf. She folded up the map and set it down where she had grabed it. She made her way towards the door. Next stop was the hospital. She was certain Rudy and Snap were waiting for her, so she moved at a brisk pace. Out of the door she went and she began to make her way down the street, heading in the opposite direction she had come.

She began to make her way down towards the hospital. It was about fifteen minutes walking. She would call using the phone that Rudy had drawn for her, him, and Snap. But she wouldn’t take that long to get there. She’d probably make it back before the fifteen minutes are up. So there was really no need. She continued to head down the street, looking all around, admiring the beauty of the city around her. Definitely better than what they had in the real world.

She knew that Rudy and Snap were going to be happy when she brought them some good news. They were a step closer to finding the cure for Rudy for that horrid disease. Now that they knew the relative location of where Tavern Town was, that reduced the search radius greatly. ChalkZone City was huge, but it wasn’t endless. They should be able to find something relatively quickly. They just had to figure out what areas would be the best place to start. The sewers, as she thought before, would probably be the best place to look first.

Although there may be other places, better candidates, that they could try first. The sewer was a dangerous place for them to go with all those toxins and wastes... And with Rudy’s injuries, they shouldn’t risk it. And Snap still had those burns. The toxins might irritate his healing skin. Yes, perhaps another place would be best. Hmm...there were some dark alleyways in ChalkZone City no one really used. Maybe one of them could be hiding a secret passage. Or maybe one of the abandoned buildings around ChalkZone City could be the place.

Penny guessed that the location of Tavern Town would be in one of these places, where not many zoners go anyway. Cosmo and the black chalk artists wouldn’t want the zoners going around, destroying their equipment. So best guess is that it was located somewhere the zoners either don’t know about, or couldn’t get to, or would leave alone. The dark alleyways, the abandoned buildings, and the sewers were the best places for them to look first. She’ll talk to Rudy and Snap more about it. Maybe one of them could have a suggestion on where they could go first.

As Penny moved down the street, she suddenly felt movement behind her. She froze and she turned to look behind her. She didn’t see anyone. She looked all around. She didn’t see anyone. She saw some zoners, but they were moving about their own business. After looking around for a bit and seeing absolutely no one, Penny shrugged her shoulders and continued down the street. 

Then she heard the noise again. Footsteps. Several of them. And they sounded very close... Penny froze again and looked around. She still couldn’t see anyone. She wondered if she as just hearing things. Maybe her imagination was starting to get the best of her and she was imagining someone following her. Yeah, that was probably it. She needed to calm herself down and focus on getting back to the hospital. Rudy and Snap were expecting her back soon. Doing her best to remain calm, she resumed her walk back to the hospital.

She never got that much further down. As she passed by an alleyway, she felt someone grab her. Her eyes widen in shock, realizing this was how Rudy was captured by the black chalk artists a few days ago. She tried to scream, but a hand covered her mouth and she was dragged off. She quickly realized that it wasn’t Jenny, Ghadir, or Tyreek as the hand that gagged her was furry. She tried to struggle, but the hands grabbing her were too strong.

Once she was dragged several feet from the road, deep in a dark and abandoned alleyway, she was shoved against the wall hard. Her throat grabbed and her back pushed roughly against the wall, Penny opened her eyes to see who had grabbed her. Standing before her were three zoners. There was a crocodile one matching the description Rudy gave, a jaguar zoner, who was holding her by the neck, and some kind of unicorn zoner. They all gave her such hateful glares. She shuddered as she looked at them. They were so icy...

“You are coming with us, creator.” The jaguar zoner said with a cold voice.

“Where are you taking me...?” Penny asked, trying her best not to look afraid.

The jaguar zoner’s lips curled up, showing great contempt for her. “You are being taken back to that wretched portal where we will put you back where you belong. And if you know what’s good for you, you’d stay out of ChalkZone...” His voice gained a growly edge as he said this. He put his face close to Penny’s, his breath hitting against her face. “You are not to come back in.”

Penny tried to get herself free. She had to get to the hospital, and fast. Her legs kicked wildly against the wall, trying to land a hit on the jaguar zoner. But each hit she did manage didn’t really faze him much. If anything, it just made him angrier. Penny looked around, trying to find something, anything to help her. She had magic chalk with her, but right now, she couldn’t even use it against these guys.

The jaguar zoner clearly got tired of her struggling. His grip on her tightened and she nearly gagged. The jaguar zoner raised her into the air and smashed her harder against the wall. Penny let out a cry of pain. The cane that she had been using was now being held by the crocodile zoner. He was hitting it against the palm of his hand, looking fully intent on beating her with it if she didn’t behave. But Penny couldn’t give up. She had to get free. She had to get out of here. She had to at least try to call for help. But she couldn’t get her phone, or the chalk, as the jaguar zoner had smashed his body against her, pinning her arms effectively.

Penny pushed back as hard as she could, trying to get the jaguar zoner to back off a little. “Let me go! I need to go help Rudy!”

At the sound of Rudy’s name, the zoners growled softly, hatred clearly showing in their display of contempt. The crocodile’s teeth were bared, like he remembered when he had Rudy in his hands, only for him to slip away when Tsere had intervened. The unicorn flicked his head in agitation, giving a snort of anger, pounding a foot into the ground. The jaguar’s ears flattened against his face and Penny could have sworn his tail poofed up a little in anger.

The crocodile zoner took a few steps forward. The jaguar opened his mouth to speak, but the crocodile zoner beat him to it. “Now listen here, you filthy little human!” The crocodile zoner put his face close to Penny’s, his yellow eyes boring into hers. “We do not like watching you monsters roam around ChalkZone like some kind of infestation! You bring about nothing but destruction whenever you are here! If you really want what’s best for ChalkZone, then...” His voice grew low and very scratchy. “...get out and stay out....”

Penny struggled, trying to free her arms so she could get the magic chalk. “B-But...Rudy...”

“Rudy Tabootie is nothing more than a lost cause.” The unicorn snorted, his voice a little higher pitched than Penny would have expected. He walked over a little, his clopping sound a little pronounced with how thin this alleyway was. “Besides, we see no reason to help monsters like him.”

“He’s not a monster! Not all creators are bad! Why can’t you see that?!” Penny snapped at them, her eyes narrowed. She let out a grunt of pain as the jaguar zoner tightened his grip around her neck. It became very clear to her that these Luminos members were not going to listen to reason.

“We have seen two paths that he would take. And he is a monster in both!” The jaguar zoner snarled at her. “All creators are the same! They either become corrupted and violent, or they think they know everything and they began to take over!”

Penny looked at the zoner with a confused expression. What was he talking about? What did he mean by ‘two paths that Rudy could have taken’? It didn’t make any sense to her. Was this zoner psychic? Could he see visions of the future? Or...had he seen these alternate dimensions...? She didn’t have time to question it for long. Right now, she had to get free. She couldn’t ask them any questions. They would not answer her. From how they were glaring hatefully at her, it was clear they were not in the mood to talk.

Penny squirmed in the jaguar’s grasp. She twisted herself left and right, trying to make the feline zoner let her go. She eventually managed to get her arm free, and she was able to pull out the magic chalk. The anti-creator zoners’ eyes widened at this. The crocodile and unicorn took a few steps back, but the jaguar still refused to let her go, despite his eyes being glued to the sparkling white stick.

The jaguar’s eyes slowly shifted to the girl’s. “You’re going to try to destroy me...ain’t you, creator? Go ahead then.. Show everyone in ChalkZone exactly what creators do...”

Penny hesitated at this. She stared at the jaguar with wide eyes. She realized that he was right. If she did do anything to defend herself, she might risk coming off looking like a monster. These three Luminos members could use this to their advantage, use it to spread lies about creators and to bring more to join their cause. She had to do something else, but what?

She realized too late that she shouldn’t have hesitated. The unicorn zoner trotted over to her while she was trying to think of something she could do to get out of this mess. The unicorn placed his horn near her throat, causing her to pull her head back. She looked at the unicorn with wide eyes. He moved himself even closer, the tip of his horn nearly grazing her neck. Slowly, Penny lowered her hand. She still gripped the magic chalk, but she no longer wielded it. The unicorn only pulled back when he saw that she wasn’t going to try to draw anything with it.

“Why won’t you let me go?” Penny asked them. “Why won’t you let me help Rudy? He’s in trouble... He’s sick. He’ll die if he doesn’t get this information... Please... let me go. He might die...”

The three zoners stared at her. It was clear they did not care about what happened to Rudy. They narrowed their eyes further, their teeth bared. The jaguar zoner put his head even closer to Penny, his ears so flat against his head that it was almost like he didn’t have them at all.

“Good... We hope he does die.” The jaguar hissed.

Penny’s eyes widened in horror at this.

“That will be one less creator to worry about.” The crocodile zoner added, his thick tail moving from side to side along the ground. “We would deal with him ourselves right now, but we’ll settle with you.” He pointed at the wall next to Penny. “Draw a portal there.”

Penny looked at him. “What?”

“Draw a portal. Go through, and don’t fucking come back.” The crocodile zoner said in a growly voice. To emphasize his point, he raised a clenched fist into the air, wielding her cane like a weapon. “Draw a portal now before I beat your fucking face in!”

Penny stared at the three zoners, trying to weigh her options. She could do what they said and leave ChalkZone. She can always come back later. ChalkZone City wasn’t really too far from where she and Rudy lived. She can just head back to her house and get another piece of magic chalk, should she lose this one. But that would just delay the information she needed to give to Rudy. As much as she was afraid, she couldn’t let these Luminos zoners control her. She had to stand her ground.

Penny narrowed her eyes and raised the magic chalk in her hand slightly upward. “No... I am not leaving until I speak to Rudy...”

“You will speak to your...friend... after we capture him and get him out of here.” The unicorn zoner said, baring his teeth at her. “You can wait until then. Whatever you have to say to him, it’s not that important.”

“But it regards the illness he has!” Penny cried, her eyes wide. “That’s a life or death situation!”

The unicorn flicked his head to one side. “As I said, not that important.”

Penny narrowed her eyes at the unicorn. She felt anger begin to rise up inside of her. “How dare you...” She would have said more, but the jaguar silenced her by holding her even tighter, nearly choking her.

“How dare us? How dare you, and your kind, coming into ChalkZone, drawing all your fancy creations, destroying the place! Don’t you dare try to say we’re monsters when you creators have caused a lot more trouble. You do nothing but rip ChalkZone apart!” The jaguar’s voice was laced in hatred and anger. “It’s about time someone stood up to you monsters!”

“And since you seem so...intent on staying...” The crocodile zoner moved over towards her. He hit the cane against his palm threateningly. “Perhaps we should give you an incentive to leave...”

Penny’s eyes widened as she watched the crocodile zoner look at her that way, wielding her cane in such a manner. She struggled harder, trying to get free. She attempted to draw something, but the jaguar zoner pushed her into the hard ground. Her face scraped along the edge of the building. The jaguar zoner, with the help of the unicorn zoner, held her on the ground. She struggled to get free, but she was unable to get the zoners off of her.

She heard the crocodile zoner move in behind her. She twisted her head, trying her best to see him. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see his dark green body as he positioned himself beside her, right by her right leg. He lowered himself down. Realizing what he was about to do, Penny tried harder to get free. She couldn’t stop the crocodile zoner from grabbing onto her right leg with his hand. She winced as he felt her claws dig into her ankle.

The crocodile raised the cane into the air. Penny’s eyes widened at this. Then she shut them tightly, waiting for the pain to come. Down came the cane. Penny opened her mouth to scream, but the unicorn zoner covered her mouth instantly, muffling any sound she tried to make. Her eyes widened and tears of pain formed in her eyes as the crocodile zoner beat her leg with her own cane. Again and again, he struck down on her leg, deliberately targeting the bruises that were still there. Penny tried to get free, but the two zoners holding her down were too strong.

Then, after a few moments of the crocodile zoner beating her leg with her cane, he dropped it. At first, Penny thought he was finished, but he apparently still wanted to do more to her. He grabbed her ankle with one hand and her shin with his other. He started to twist the leg painfully. Penny tried to let out screams, all of them muffled, as the crocodile zoner started to twist her ankled horribly. He only stopped when he heard a slight crack before he released it.

Penny’s eyes snapped wide and she let out a muffled scream. The crocodile zoner...it felt like he had popped her ankle out of place. She attempted to move her leg, and though she could, it was so painful. A few tears of pain streamed down her face. She looked up at the anti-creator zoners, getting no looks of sympathy from them. She tried a few more times to struggle, but the pain in her leg, especially in her ankle, was making it hard for her to do so, in addition to the zoners holding her down.

The crocodile zoner lowered his head close to hers and whispered harshly into her ear, “I will do much worse to you if you don’t draw that portal and leave...”

Penny’s mind swirled with thoughts, trying to think of what she could do. She wanted to fight back. As frightened as she was, she didn’t want to back down. It wasn’t in her nature to give up. But right now, she had to get out of here. As much as it hurt her mentally to leave ChalkZone without telling Rudy and Snap about what she found, she realized that her best option right now was to leave. She had no choice but to cut her losses and get out. She can always find her way back into ChalkZone.

Penny, her body shaking from the pain, raised her magic chalk and pressed it against the wall, just like the anti-creator zoners wanted her to do. She slowly drew a circle. There was a flash of light, and she could see that it opened up in some alleyway in the real world. She didn’t have time to get up. The anti-creator zoners hoisted her off the ground themselves. They threw her through the portal. She let out a cry of pain as she crashed against a garbage can.

“Now erase the portal...” The jaguar said, narrowing his eyes. “And don’t ever come back into ChalkZone.”

“If you do...” The unicorn added, his voice a warning tone.

The crocodile zoner bared his razor sharp teeth. “We will kill you...”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror at this.


	38. This Is Amusing To Us

Penny winced in pain with each step she took. She was glad that the Luminos zoners were ‘kind’ enough to toss her cane out with her before forcing her to erase the portal. She was surprised they didn’t try to take the magic chalk from her. But with how crazy they were, logic may have slipped them. Plus, this did mean she could get back in, if she could find a way to sneak in without running into any of the Luminos members. But to do so...she had a feeling it wasn’t going to be easy.

Pain radiated off her ankle and all through her leg. The crocodile had done a pretty good job with beating it. He had caused additional damage to the leg, reinjuring areas that had started to heal. Her ankle wasn’t broken but it was sprained due to the twisting the crocodile did. Just merely touching the ground with her injured foot was enough to cause her to cry out in pain. Walking was impossible without the cane, and with it, it was just barely manageable. Each step, it felt like she was dragging herself through hot coals.

Oh why did she have to try to stand up to them then? She should have just left first thing instead of trying to defy them. She could have just found another way in. While it was true she could still do that now, before, if she had left without struggle, she wouldn’t have had a reinjured leg. Now it was difficult for her to move around, and if she tried coming back in without coming up with a plan, she was in big trouble. The zoners had threatened to kill her... and she wouldn’t be able to do much to defend herself when she can barely walk. How could she even run from this threat like this?

She took a few more steps and her body swayed from side to side, pain sweeping through her leg. She had to stop and lean against the wall of a townhouse. Supporting herself against it, she shut her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth. A few tears of pain moved down her face. Her breaths came in quick and sharp. Even though the zoners hadn’t done as bad as they could have, even though the crocodile hadn’t broken her leg, it was still very painful to wlak. Her limp was worse than before and now it was going to take longer for her leg to heal, and all because she just had to try to stand up to them instead of leaving like they told her to.

Her mind swirled with thoughts of what she should do. The most important thing that came to her head is that she had to get to Rudy and Snap and fast. And currently the only way to do that was to head back into ChalkZone. Rudy cannot leave ChalkZone at all in his condition. In order to get to ChalkZone, she’d have to find a blackboard, or some surface that she could draw on with chalk. Then she’d have to make sure it was safe. She had no idea when those Luminos zoners would show up and where they would be. She had a feeling that there may be some lurking around the areas where she and the others usually enter ChalkZone from.

With her leg this bad, she realized she couldn’t risk jumping right back into ChalkZone. Even if the group doesn’t follow through with their threat and they don’t kill her, they could still hurt her badly again. They could go as far as break her leg, or even tear it off. Then she’d really be in trouble. She would have to figure out something else. Another way to deliver the message. Only after her leg heals some would she try to get back into ChalkZone. Not being able to see Rudy or Snap for sometime would make her said, but a delay would be better than not seeing them at all, as her bad leg could easily get her even worse off, even killed.

Despite her fears, even though she was afraid of the Luminos group, she knew that, somehow, she had to get a message to Rudy. Even if it meant risking her life going through ChalkZone alone...she still had to find a way. She couldn’t just give up. She couldn’t allow the group to control her this much. She was afraid, yes. She knew it was now dangerous to go alone in ChalkZone. But she also knew that delaying the important information she found may cause more problems, or worsen the ones that already exist. She had to figure out a way to get a message to Rudy as soon as possible.

A thought came to her head. There was a way she could send a message to Rudy...provided the Luminos zoners don’t try to shoot it down. She could draw a homing beacon and have it deliver a message to Rudy. She could have it tell him about the attack and that she may not be able to back to ChalkZone for a while. She also could have it tell him about the location of Tavern Town, that it is somewhere in ChalkZone City. At least then, he and Snap would know what happened to her and the information she had found out.

She couldn’t draw the homing beacon right away, though. She had to wait. If she drew it now, the Luminos zoners might see it and try to destroy it. She would have to do it elsewhere. Somewhere that was a good distance away from where she was attacked, in relation to ChalkZone that is. For the moment, she had just been wandering the streets of Plainsville. There were a bunch of houses and apartments, but so far, no stores. But if she kept walking this way, she would eventually run into something, she knew.

As she limped down the street, a few people noticed her. Most of them didn’t really say much to her. They whispered to each other about her injury and they wondered what happened to her. But so far, none of them really offered to help her. Penny did her best to ignore the looks she was getting from the people walking up and down the street. A few times, she almost tripped, taking a misstep and nearly twisting her ankle further. She did manage to catch herself, but jsut barely. Even when she nearly fell, no one really offered to help her. Not that she minded too much; she was making pretty good progress despite her injured right leg.

Then, as Penny raised her cane to take another step, she miscalculated. The cane slipped on the ground and she lost her footing. She let out a cry as she fell forward. She shut her eyes, prepared to smash face first into the ground. But instead of that happening, she landed against something soft and warm, and then she felt herself being lifted up and steadied back onto her feet. She reopened her eyes to see who had helped her.

She didn’t recognize who the person was. Some kind of tall man with blonde hair. He still had a hold of her and was looking at her with concern. Penny placed her cane on the ground to support herself. The man slowly let her go, taking a step back. His blue eyes watched her carefully, making sure that she didn’t trip over herself again. Penny did wobble a little and the man instantly brought his hands forward to catch her just in case. This time, Penny did manage to steady herself before she fell down again.

Penny glanced up at the man and said, “Thanks...I think I got it now.”

“Are you sure?” The man asked with concern. “You almost took a bad spill there.” He glanced down at her leg, quickly taking note at how difficult it was for Penny to move it. “Just...what happened to you?”

Penny knew she couldn’t tell this guy she was attacked by zoners. In fact, telling him she was attacked at all might lead to some problems. He may try to drag her off to the police station and she’d have to describe her attacker and come up with this whole story and...well it wouldn’t be worth the trouble. Plus she could forget details of her own story and she could get in trouble with the police for lying to them. So instead, she had tell this man something else, which would be just as believable.

“I hurt myself.” Penny explained. She took a few steps forward, managing to do so without slipping this time. She winced in pain for a second and said, “I was moving too fast and I fell down. Twisted my leg up pretty badly. It was my fault. I should have heeded my doctor’s warnings and not move too fast. I had suffered a fall previously that made it hard for me to walk on this leg. I just made it worse.”

“I see...” The man glanced at her leg for a second before looking back at her. “Did you want me to escort you to the hospital? It might be a good idea to get that leg checked out, be sure there isn’t too much damage.”

Penny shook her head. “No...no I’m good. My mom is a doctor... She would be able to look.”

“Are you absolutely sure? It’s no problem. I can take you the hospital no problem. It’s not a big deal. And you should get your leg professionally treated and...”

Penny shot the man a glare, silencing him. “Are you saying my mom isn’t a professional?”

The man raised his hand up, looking apologetic as he realized he may have touched a sore spot. “No, of course not! I...” The man fumbled his hands together, sucking on his lip. He looked at her leg again. He then glanced at her. “I just want to help. You’re injured and you need to get help. So please....how can I help you?”

Penny wanted to just brush past the man and continue on her way. She didn’t really want to spend much time making conversation with him. She had to get back home. She had to use her chalkboard to create a homing beacon. The more she stood around here speaking with this man, the longer the message will be delayed.

But she couldn’t just ignore him either. She didn’t want to be rude. She didn’t want to just walk off without saying anything. It wasn’t like this guy knew he was delaying anything important. He just wanted to help her. There was nothing wrong with that. Besides, maybe she could use his help. On her own, there was no way she was going to be able to get home within the hour. It may take her three hours if she continued at this pace, or longer. If this guy was willing to help her, then perhaps she should take his extended hand.

True he was a stranger and she should exercise caution. But when she looked at him again, she eventually realized she did recognize him from somewhere. Mr. Longhorn, one of her neighbors. He was the one that often gave out the most candy on Halloween. She had visited him from time to time. He was such a nice guy. What luck it is that she ran into him. So accepting his help shouldn’t be a problem. Plus, the faster she got home, the better.

“Sure... Mr. Longhorn is it?” Penny asked.

The man’s eyes widened slightly. “You recognize me? People sometimes don’t know who I am when I’m not wearing that ridiculous oxen costume.”

“It certainly fits your name well.” Penny smiled at him.

“Yeah, true.” Mr. Longhorn said, rubbing his chin as a smile spread across his face. “Plus, it makes the children laugh...” He shook his head, as if realizing what they were originally talking about. “Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

Penny shook her head. “No... Just take me home. I told you, my mom can take care of it.”

“I still think the hospital would be a better option.” Mr. Longhorn said, his eyes narrowing slightly. “It’s closer, too. Right down the street over there and...”

“Just...please...” Penny said, raising her hand to silence the man. “If you want to help me. just take me home. Please... It’s..it’s important I get home as soon as possible.”

Mr. Longhorn stared at her with a confused expression. It was clear that he didn’t understand why she felt going home was more important than going to the hospital. Under other circumstances, Penny would have agreed and gone to the hospital. But not this time. She had to get home and deliver that homing beacon. She couldn’t delay it. If she head to the hospital, she may not be able to get the message out for quite some time. Sure, it may not be too much of a delay, but getting the information out as soon as possible was important.

“Look, if it makes you feel better,” Penny said, realizing that Mr. Longhorn may not agree to take her unless she came up with some sort of satisfying compromise. “I’ll have my mom take me to the hospital if my injuries turn out to be untreatable at home.”

Mr. Longhorn remained silent for a moment. Then he said hesitantly, “Well..okay then...”

Penny smiled, happy that they had reached some kind of agreement. “Where’s your car?”

“Right over here.” Mr. Longhorn replied.

With that, Penny followed Mr. Longhorn down the street. She was able to keep her balance pretty well, no longer tripping like she was before. She took care to avoid any dips and dents in the sidewalk so her cane didn’t get caught on something. Mr. Longhorn walked out in front of her, but never strayed too far. Once in a while, he’d stop to make sure she could catch up to him.

In a matter of a few minutes, they reached his car. A black one with a red flame front. It easily stood out against the other rows of cars lining the street. Penny realized that they were standing not far from the entrance of Vinnie’s mini mall. She looked over but saw no sign of Vinnie. She felt a bit of disappointment. If Vinnie had been there, she could have tried to ask him questions regarding Terry, but then, with a damaged leg, would that have been such a wise decision? Probably not, the more she thought about it.

Mr. Longhorn pressed a button on his key chain and there was a click sound. The car’s lights turned on just for a second. He unlocked the doors and moved around towards Penny. He guided her over to the passenger’s seat. He opened up the passenger door. He helped her into the car, keeping her steady as she stepped into it. The man then went over towards the driver’s seat and climbed inside.

Once Penny was situated and had her seatbelt on, and Mr. Longhorn did as well, the man turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. The car pulled out of the parking lot, and, in a matter of seconds, they drove down the street, heading in the direction of where Penny lived.

sss

The Mumbo Jumbo Jungle echoed with the sounds of animal cries. The different species that lived there sometimes clashed together, making it dangerous anyone to venture in alone. However, that apparently didn’t stop some from going in there today, as today, it wasn’t just the animal cries and nature sounds the jungle came alive with. Intermixing with all that were the sounds of explosions, shouts, and screams.

One explosion rattled the base of a tree. A bird that had made its home there let out a startled chirp and it wasted no time in flying away. Another explosion, and the tree was knocked downward. That wasn’t the only tree that was destroyed. As more animals fled, more and more trees were felled. Some foliage was burned to the ground. And mixing in with all their cries of fear and shock, a cold laughter. A series of it, from more than one person.

Stepping through the foliage, bending it to the side, were the black chalk artists. Ghadir, Jenny, and Tyreek each held a weapon, all the same. A bomber, which the projectiles having trails of fire behind them. Laughing cruelly, they continued their destruction of Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. At the moment, about twenty five percent of it had been destroyed, and it was increasing rapidly. At this rate, if they keep it up, the whole place would be leveled to the ground within the hour.

Tyreek was glad they finally could cause some more major destruction. What they did before, it wasn’t really a whole lot. Just enough to stir some trouble and draw attention. Even when they had attacked the Luminos before, they hadn’t done too much too them. They injured one member and that was it. Jenny said it wasn’t required that they cause too much harm. Attacking one or more members would have been enough to get the effect that they wanted.

Sure enough, she turned out to be right. He had been in charge of keeping an eye on things for a while and he had kept out of sight. He was pleased to see that some of the Luminos members had done exactly what they hoped they would do. They had attacked Rudy. It was so satisfying seeing Rudy try to run from the very beings he claims to want to protect. Now they were trying to hurt him. He half wondered if this would help the boy see sense and realize there’s no reason to protect zoners, especially ones that don’t want his protection. Then again, Rudy was a stubborn boy. The Luminos attack may not knock too much logic into him.

Oh well, if the boy was too stupid to see how wrong he was to protect these things, then he deserved to get hurt the way he was. There was only so much he and the black chalk artists could to make Rudy, as well as Penny, see things their way. If they choose to ignore them and decide to continue on their fantasy world, well that was their choice. Besides, it wasn’t like it really mattered if they agreed with them or not. Rudy was going to die from the disease soon. Jenny estimated about two weeks, at most, he had left. Why should they waste time recruiting someone who was dying?

True, they could give him the cure, but how could they trust him? Rudy could find a way to trick them into believing that he’ll join them, only to turn his back as soon as he could and attack them. After the way he took down Cosmo... Yeah it was best not to cut this teen any slack. It was important they got rid of any and all obstacles. After that, they could then begin to transform ChalkZone and use it to its true potential, just like Cosmo had wanted to do years ago, before his plans were cut short by Wilter.

Tyreek’s blood boiled at the thought of that man’s name. He wished they had just killed them when they had the chance. But Jenny had refused to let him or Ghadir deliver the final blow. She wanted him to suffer some more. While he understood why she felt that way, he still believed it would have been better if they killed him. Wilter could have given some crucial information to Rudy by now. They should have kept a better eye on him, and now they had no idea if he did say anything, and if he did, just what he revealed.

Good thing Cosmo had the sense not to tell Wilter the exact identities of the cures required to negate the disease Rudy had. That would have caused them a lot of trouble if he had done that. Tyreek felt they should have gotten rid of Wilter a long time ago. They could have won the war if they had. Tyreek was not the only black chalk user who didn’t like having Wilter around. But Cosmo insisted on keeping him on their side for some reason.

What was strange is that Wilter was a white chalk user. Tyreek and the others thought that Cosmo would have corrupted him. That would have kept him on their side for certain. But Cosmo, just in the case for Wilter, used blackmail to make him stay. Plus the other white chalk users had regarded Wilter as a traitor, so it wasn’t like he could easily defect over to them anyway. Tyreek wasn’t certain why Cosmo treated Wilter differently, using blackmail instead of outright corruption to control him. He wasn’t sure if it was just out of spite, or if it had to do with the fact that Wilter was once his best friend.

Either way, Wilter did ultimately betray them. He had defected to the white chalk users, even if it was difficult for him to pull off, and he fought against them. Knowing their weaknesses did give the white chalk users the advantage. It was still a close fight, but ultimately, thanks to Wilter, they had lost the battle, and the white chalk users won. After that, everyone was kicked out of ChalkZone and their memories wiped.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Tyreek did his best to focus on the task at hand. It didn’t matter now what happened years ago. The point was they were back in ChalkZone, and they could set things right that went wrong. They could put ChalkZone to good use, finally, at long last. They were not going to miss this opportunity. They were not going to allow Cosmo’s ambitions to go to waste. The past was not going to repeat. This time, they were prepared. This time, they weren’t going to take the same big risks they did before.

He and his comrades continued to attack Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. Flames burned the ground. Smoke filled the air. The sky darkened all around them. The screeches of zoner animals filled their ears, making them all smile. Watching these animals flee their burning home was fun. It was even more fun as they threw more bombs and watched the trees being uprooted as the projectiles exploded.

“This is so much fun!” Ghadir shouted. She aimed her bomber up towards a large feral bird that was trying to get away. She took careful aim and fired. The bird squawked loudly as it narrowly dodged the projectile, and it flew away faster. Ghadir snapped her fingers and growled in frustration. “Darn it.. I almost had it!”

“Better luck next time.” Tyreek said to her, a smirk on his face. He aimed his bomber at a tree and fired it. In seconds, the tree exploded into flames. There was a crack, and the tree fell down. “Next time, try to aim at something that doesn’t move. We’re here to cause destruction, not play target practice with the local wild animals.”

“Yeah I know. I was just trying to get a little more enjoyment out of it. I wanted to hear them scream.” Ghadir said, mumbling something else under her breath. Tyreek guessed it was a few curse words.

Before either of them could say another word to each other, there was a loud explosion right next to them. They both let out a cry of surprised and covered their ears. They looked over and they could see Jenny standing there. She had targeted a small patch of trees, clearing the way and leaving behind a burnt mark in the ground. She twirled her bomber in her hand with ease and she smirked at the two.

“Enough with your bickering.” Jenny said. “Just continue with destroying this place. With our luck, we should have visitors...very soon...”

Tyreek and Ghadir nodded their heads. They both knew exactly who Jenny was taking about. The whole reason they attacked this place wasn’t just because they could, although that was a good enough reason in their heads. No, it was because they wanted to draw the attention of some Luminos members. To help further cement hatred of creators into their minds, Jenny thought it would be nice if they played with a few members for a bit. But first, they would have to capture a few. Once that was accomplished, they could take them back to Jenny’s place in the real world where the real fun would begin.

Jenny had decided that capturing two members would do just fine. She had thought about upping the stakes and going with five, but she ultimately decided that it could cause more trouble than it was worth. Two seemed like a good enough number as any. And after they were done toying with the two zoners, they could drop their corpses back in ChalkZone, somewhere where they knew the Luminos members would be. It would send a message to them, and it would increase their hostile activities. Even though these acts also put themselves at risk, they didn’t care, so long as the affect they wanted was achieved.

At this rate, there would be little time for Rudy and his friends to find the cure. Even if they figured out where it was, the Luminos group’s increased activities would make it next to impossible for them to proceed to it. They would attack them on sight, and the Luminos group had been gaining a few new supporters as of late. The biggest clincher was the metal finger zoner, whom worked for the Luminos group, a high-ranking member specifically. They had detected activity from him recently. He was being subtle, unseen, which meant that when he did make his move, it was going to be quite entertaining, especially seeing Rudy’s reaction to the whole thing.

Another few explosions. More trees torn down. More cries of fleeing animals. More burning smells filling their noses. Yes..it shouldn’t be long now. Pretty soon, the Luminos members should be here. At least some of them. There was no way that they could ignore this. They wouldn’t turn a blind eye to this kind of destruction, even if it were far away from any zoner settlements. He, Ghadir, and Jenny refused to stop their attacks, knowing that sooner or later, something’s got to give and the anti-creator zoners would have to show up.

And sure enough, they did.

The first sign they were here was a whizzing sound of something being shot towards them. The trio looked up and saw what looked to be a dart with a tiny ground thing, flashing red, coming towards them. They jumped out of the way just as the dart exploded on contact. The explosion wasn’t very large, but it was enough to send a lot of dirt and dust into the air. The three coughed and waved their hands, trying to clear away the smoke.

Then they heard footsteps all around them. They heard the clicking of weapons, snarls of frustration and anger. As the dust cleared, the trio looked all around them and found that they were surrounded by six angry zoners. Luminos definitely. From the way they were threatening them with the weapons, they way they were looking at the, these were indeed members of the Luminos group.

He, Ghadir, and Jenny remained where they were. They stood close together, acting like they were trapped. They didn’t bother trying to fight back. At least not yet. That time would come soon. Instead, they looked around and pretended like they didn’t know what they were going to do. They wanted to give the Luminos members a somewhat brief illusion of control. It was more fun that way than attacking outright.

“What are you humans doing here? Don’t you know that you aren’t allowed in ChalkZone?” One of the zoners, a standard stick figure that was very common in ChalkZone. He readied his weapon, a small rocket launcher much like the ones used against Rudy and Snap. “If you know what’s good for you, you’d get out.”

“Face it, you three. You are outnumbered.” A stegosaurus zoner said. Her tails swished from side to side, the spikes glinting in the light of the day zone sun.

A dog zoner, the same one that mauled Rudy, took a step forward. His sharp teeth were bared. “There are six of us, and only three of you. We can easily tear you apart...” He steadied his rocket launcher, aiming it at them. “Trust us when we say we aren’t afraid to do it. If spilling your foul blood will keep ChalkZone safe, we will do it.”

Tyreek took a moment to look all around to see what they were up against. In addition to the stick figure, stegosaurus, and dog zoners, there was another humanoid zoner, this one looking more like a person instead of the generic stick figure commonly associated with little kids’ drawings. There was what appeared to be a lioness zoner with a pair of wings coming out of her back and some kind of rocky serpent for a tail. And the sixth and final zoner was some feathery serpent with wings attached near the head. It kind of reminded him of some kind of mythology he heard once.

All six zoners took a few steps closer to them, closing in the gap and clearly trying to block off any and all escape routes. Their weapons were raised, aimed at them. Despite this, he and his comrades weren’t afraid. Why should they be afraid of these idiots? They had no idea just what kind of position they put themselves in by being here. Oh well, they were going to find out soon enough.

The feathered serpent was the next to speak. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either you come quietly with us, and leave on your own accord. Or we can drag your kicking, screaming bodies to a portal ourselves.”

The humanoid zoner leveled his rocket launcher with them. “It is your choice, creators.”

“We suggest you comply.” The winged lioness said. Her rock tail let out a loud hiss, an indication that she was prepared to attack. “Otherwise...things may get rather...unpleasant.”

Jenny let out a dark chuckle. “Unpleasant eh...? That’s funny...” Jenny turned her head, looking at each of the zoners with an eerie expression. The Luminos members readied their weapons, fully prepared to attack. Jenny motioned with her hands, indicating all of them. “That just about describes what’ll happen to you. We...quite adore it when things get...unpleasant for our targets.”

The stegosaurus zoner slammed her tail against the ground, the loud thud sounding out. She formed a fist with one of her thick hands and took a step forward. “Now you listen here, creator! We have seen what you did here, and we are not going to let you get away with it! You’re better off just surrendering now, or do you want to taste some metal?”

The stegosaurus’s threatening words did nothing to scare the black chalk artists. The only response they gave was a smirk. The trio made it very clear that they weren’t afraid of them. Even outnumbered, Tyreek knew they could take them all on. They stood no chance against them. And in a matter of moments, they were going to have some fun with their little ‘visitors’.

“We are so glad you came. You see...it was getting a little boring bombing this place.” Jenny said in a rather casual voice. She made gestured with her hand and took a few steps towards the Luminos zoners. They aimed their weapons at her and bared their teeth, but she acted like she was doing nothing wrong, as if she were just talking about the weather. “It is a shame you didn’t get here earlier. For some zoners claiming to be protecting ChalkZone, you did a very poor job of it.”

“Yeah, I mean. Look at this place!” Ghadir spread her arms open, indicating the destruction all around them. “If you had been here earlier, the damage wouldn’t have been nearly as bad. So you let this happen. I wonder...does that make you..just as bad as us...?”

“Why you little...!” The stick figure zoner snarled.

The dog zoner rushed forward and stopped about a foot in front of Ghadir. If his mock charge was an attempt to scare her, it clearly hadn’t worked on her. Ghadir just smirked at the dog zoner as his lips were curled back into a snarl. His floppy ears flattened further against his head and the fur on the back of his neck stood on end.

“We’re nothing like you filthy monsters!” The dog zoner’s voice was intermixed with growls. Drool dripped from his jaws. “If you try to compare us to you...when we are just trying to do what’s right for ChalkZone while you are trying to abuse it...” He reached up and grabbed Ghadir by her shirt collar. He tugged on it. “I am going to kill you...do you understand?”

Ghadir stared at him. Then, slowly, she smiled. “Oh crystal clear, little doggy. Now allow me to offer my rebuttal...”

Ghadir suddenly grabbed the dog zoner by his arm. She lifted him up into the air and, displaying a show of strength, threw him into the ground. He let out a yelp of pain as his head and shoulders smashed into the ground. The sudden attack prompted the other Luminos members to take action. Wielding their weapons, they rushed forward to help their fallen comrade.

Jenny and Tyreek immediately started to attack. They sent out projectiles towards the oncoming group of zoners. The bombs exploded next to them, causing the zoners to scream in pain and fly back, hitting against the ground hard. Despite being a little banged up, the members still got up to their feet and they aimed their weapons at them. Jenny and Tyreek did not back down. As the rockets were launched at them, they managed to keep out of the way. Experience in the chalk war years ago helped out immensely here, and they were able to get out of the way with less injuries than the group did.

Ghadir fought with the dog zoner. The enraged canine attempted to bite her. She punched him in the face a few times, knocking him back. She then struck him as hard as she could with her weapon. The dog zoner was one the ground. She immediately jumped onto him and pinned him on the ground. Clearly wanting to taste him, she bit down onto his ear. The dog zoner’s eyes widened and he let out a how of pain as Ghadir worked on tearing at his ear.

“No!” The winged serpent cried, his eyes widened in horror as he watched his dog comrade getting attacked. “Someone! Help him!”

Tyreek managed to seize the winged serpent in his hands. He knocked the weapon out of his curled tail and grabbed onto his wing. “But who is going to help you?” Before any of the Luminos members could do anything to help, Tyreek pulled on the wing as hard as he could until he felt it snap out of its socket. The winged serpent let out a screech of pain, his feathers ruffling.

“Don’t give up! Don’t let them get away with this!” The humanoid zoner shouted.

The stegosaurus zoner raised her first into the air. “Let’s show them what happens when you mess with the Luminos!”

Tyreek smirked as the Luminos zoners came closer, desperate to attack, desperate to get their friends back. Yes, all going according to plan. And by the end of it all, they were going to be down two members. When one of the zoners, the stick figure, tried to attack him, he whirled around and seized him by his throat. He slammed him against the tree and put his face close to his.

“This is all so amusing to us...” Tyreek said in a low voice. He held up his weapon close to the zoner’s face. He smiled as the stick figure zoner realized he was in trouble, his eyes widening in horror. “Now hold still...”


	39. So That's Why He Did It

Maalik stood in the middle of the cave. He turned his head up, watching as the water dripped from the ceiling. This cave, one that he and his followers had found, it was pretty well hidden. Anyone who came this way would have no idea there was a cave here. If there was some good the hybrid zoner, Bardot, brought them, it was a hideout that even other zoners would not think to look in. And this one was guarded. Maalik knew better than to keep it out in the open.

He looked around, noting all the tents and small shops that were set up in here. It wasn’t that big, but it would have to do. With the unfortunate events going on recently, he just couldn’t afford letting anyone out in the open. It was just too dangerous. Although many headstrong zoners here wanted to go help, he knew it wasn’t worth the risk. He didn’t want to risk losing too many zoners. Their numbers had dwindled enough as it was. He was not going to let it keep happening, not if he could do something about it.

He took in a deep breath. He remembered how things used to be. He was an old zoner himself. A two legged lion wearing a robe. He was drawn somewhere in Africa, and his whole appearance was that of a stylized lion. Due to his age, he was considered to be one of the wisest zoners among them. He thought that way about himself as well. He had taken up the mantle as leader when the black chalk artists forty years ago had struck. The had been an unfortunate day for everyone involved. The day that they lost their village to the vicious creators.

He had loved that village. He had many friends there, those he considered even family. The village was well populated and everyone got along...for the most part. That all changed when word got out that the black chalk artists would attack. At first, Maalik had a hard time believing it. He never thought any creator would go that far. They had caused some trouble before, sure, but it was always small scale. He had dismissed the warning as hearsay. And he wished now, more than ever, that he had listened to the warning signs. What a way to be proven wrong... with bloodshed.

The explosion came swift and fast. The ground shook. Screams filled the air. Maalik barely missed getting hit. The only reason he did not was that he had been out in Tavern Town at the time, getting some food to bring back to one of his friends, Sthir, who had fallen sick the day before. When he had come within about a mile, he was nearly blinded by the bright light as the creators’ weapon was activated. He stood there, in horror, as the whole village was obliterated, replaced with almost nothing but a void.

A few others had survived. Not many, but at least some zoners survived. Maalik had taken it upon himself to go find the survivors and gather them together. The incident had changed them all, himself included. No longer would they take the threat of creators lightly. No longer would they dismiss them as just mere annoyances. After what had happened, they all knew that they had to take creators seriously, and they had to do something about them.

And for a time, something was done. Maalik remembered how much of a relief it was when Biclops, or Cyclops as he was known as at the time, helped to usher the creators out of ChalkZone, and for decades, no creator had set foot into ChalkZone. Maalik had felt safe during that time, although time couldn’t erase the scars of what happened. Sometimes, he would go by the remnants of the village, and his heart would sink, remembering how things used to be, and just what had happened to bring things to this.

But when Biclops started to permit a creator back into ChalkZone, Maalik couldn’t help but feel betrayed. He knew he wasn’t the only one. The other survivors, and supporters who came to join them, they all shared his viewpoint. After the incident with the light weapon, Maalik had thought that all zoners, especially Biclops, would agree that letting any creator in would be disastrous. He couldn’t understand why Biclops, of all zoners, who had been abused by the black chalk creators for some time, would even think of bringing in another creator.

Yes, this creator was white chalk, and Maalik knew that white chalk creators were typically more stable. But still, the little boy was a creator and he had to be kicked out of ChalkZone. Things got worse when another creator came in. Maalik wanted to do something about it. He had wanted to confront Biclops about this. Seeing the two creators roaming around ChalkZone reminded Maalik too much of what happened years ago. The magic chalk war, the casualties that followed... An uncomfortable feeling, anger mostly, settled in his stomach, and he felt burning anger whenever he saw the two creators, Rudy and Penny as he came to know them as, roaming around ChalkZone.

They hadn’t caused much trouble, at least not on purpose. The boy made some stupid decisions that did jeopardize them, but he always seemed to fix them. But that didn’t really matter so much to Maalik. He wanted them both gone. He was not going to take the creators lightly anymore. He would not underestimate them. He was not going to lower his guard around them. He was not going to permit another Solar Pillars incident, not if he could still do something about it.

He couldn’t just outright confront them, though. Other members of his group, the Luminos, they didn’t see it fit to attack Rudy or Penny if they weren’t causing trouble. Some of the Luminos were soft in Maalik’s eyes. He wasn’t suggesting that they hurt them, but Rudy and Penny could have been easily dealt with when they were children. Had they made a move back then, they could have gotten them out no problem, and ChalkZone would have been safe. Maalik wouldn’t have really wanted to hurt them, especially if he could avoid it. But now, since they are older, it was going to be harder to get them to do anything without being forceful.

And now there were multiple creators in ChalkZone. Mostly older ones larger than Rudy and Penny. Maalik narrowed his eyes at the thought. They were going to be tougher to deal with. Oh if only they had made a move earlier and taken care of this nearly a decade ago. None of this would have happened. He was the leader of the Luminos. He should have put his foot down. But it was hard for him to convince the other Luminos to do anything about Rudy and Penny. He had supporters, but even then, it was hard to do anything, especially since there was rarely a place the two went where they’d be alone.

Maalik was well aware that his viewpoints weren’t shared by many zoners. He was hoping to change this. He was hoping to enlighten the zoners about the dangers of letting creators in ChalkZone. He hoped that, eventually, they’d come to understand what he was trying to do and embrace his ideas. Some of the zoners already have, and they agreed to keep an eye on things. Maalik had eyes and ears all over ChalkZone. There wasn’t as much ground covered as he would have hoped, but he still had knowledge of what was going on in different places. Zoners that sympathized with him and offered assistance were able to inform him of current updates, and it made it easier to plan their next moves.

Maalik had been hoping to do this relatively peacefully. He wasn’t really one for violence. The lion zoner had rarely shed blood himself, no matter how angry he got. He had to remain calm and collected. It was hard to do so whenever he saw a human wandering ChalkZone. Anger always welled up inside of him. His mind would start to get clouded with hatred as he recalled what humans had done to ChalkZone. But, no matter how angry he got, he managed to keep himself from lashing out. He did not want to become a monster. He had to show everyone he was better than the creators by not resorting to their level.

After he sent Nile, his crocodile friend and one of the survivors of the Solar Pillars attack, as well as two other zoners, out to scout ChalkZone City for any humans, he had been worried. He had seen how Rudy and Penny were with the magic chalk. He knew they weren’t to be trifled with. Then there was the worry about their parents. While the older humans hadn’t really done much creating, they were still more knowledgeable than Rudy and Penny and this might reflect whenever they would create. Maalik was worried that something terrible would happen to his friend and comrades and he remembered how he paced back and forth near the entrance of the cave, wondering if they were going to be okay.

He remembered how immensely relieved he was that they came back safe and sound. Not a scratch on them. He was happy to know that Penny had been deal with, at least for the time being. Maalik was no fool and knew that Penny wouldn’t just stay out. But at least she got a message sent to her and she knews they mean serious business. If they kept this up, then they may be able to keep the creators out of ChalkZone for good. Next time, when they throw Penny out, they would have to be sure that she does not have any magic chalk with her when she goes out. That would keep her from finding a way back in.

Using violence still wasn’t something Maalik wanted to consider. Many other members of the Luminos, after the recent increase of violent events committed by creators, had been stirred up, riled, and they believe using violence was the best solution. Fight fire with fire. As much as Maalik didn’t want to get too aggressive, he understood his comrades’ point of view. And he understood that, at this rate, it was probably best to start using violence. The return of the black chalk users certainly warranted this. It would be hard to deal with them without getting violent.

Getting Rudy out of ChalkZone had been less of a success. The boy was injured and weak and it should have been easy. Their metal finger comrade had known where Rudy was going to be, and he had reported the news to them. Like usual, the metal finger zoner did not made a move of his own, other than reporting. That was typical. He usually didn’t like getting his paws dirty unless there was a reason to. But Nile was happy that the metal finger zoner wasn’t doing anything. He wanted to get a little action himself. So he was sent with other zoners, including a relatively new member, a dog zoner who called himself Hagar, and a rather impulsive female bird named Dameka.

Maalik believed that the plan would have been more successful if they had been able to control themselves a little more. He understood the anger they felt, especially seeing another zoner treat a creator with such kindness. Snap was not very well liked among the group as, out of all zoners, he was the most amiable and buddy buddy with the enemy. Still, controlling their tempers should have been a priority. Destroying his treehouse, Maalik had to admit, was a step a little too far and it may have cost them their victory. They should have just dragged the two out, as attacking like that bought the two time to get out of there.

Now Rudy was located in the hospital. No matter. It’s not like they can’t get to the hospital and weed Rudy out. It’s just going to be tougher now, since Rudy was in a public place. They were going to have to be careful about this. Maalik knew how they could do it, so long as cooperation was taken seriously. They won’t be able to get Rudy out of ChalkZone if they did not listen to his orders. It was important they did not let their anger get the best of them. Killing Rudy and Penny...that wasn’t something he himself had in mind, although he knew that some of his comrades, like Nile, felt it was the only way to keep ChalkZone truly safe.

Maalik did not entirely agree, but he did not entirely object either. At this rate, he felt himself getting desperate to free ChalkZone of creators. It had been such a blessing when there were no creators around. And now that more are cropping up, he knew that they had to be dealt with as soon as possible. Death was an extreme punishment, but for the sake of ChalkZone, he was willing to go that route, so long the other Luminos members did not become to obsessed with it. They could not taint themselves too much. They could not allow themselves to be corrupted like the creators. They could not become the monsters.

Maalik took his time to look around the cave again. He saw all the zoners here. He saw his friends and comrades, a handful that are survivors of that incident over forty years ago. He couldn’t help but smile. Everyone here was safe and happy, hidden away from any creator or traitorous zoner that might happen upon them. They were safe here. They had everything they could ever want here. Rarely did they ever have to leave the safety of the cave to go get something. And when they did, they were always armed, just in case a creator would try to give them trouble.

Some of the Luminos zoners went out on their own to protest. Maalik didn’t like the idea entirely as they were leaving themselves vulnerable. But they always came back unharmed, and their words of wisdom were drawing some more members. They hadn’t swayed a lot of zoners, but Maalik was confident that, with the right words of persuasion, they would be able to bring over more and more zoners to their cause. Once enough zoners sided with them, they could then proceed to drive out any and all creators from ChalkZone. The humans wouldn’t dare enter ChalkZone again if they gave them a strong enough reason not to come back.

He heard the footsteps of a group of zoners coming their way. The way this cave was set up, they could easily hear anyone coming. A defense mechanism to keep everyone safe. At the sound of approaching feet, most of the zoners stopped what they were doing. They turned their attention to the entrance of the cave, covered in thick vines, and waited patiently. Being the leader of everyone, being responsible for their safety, Maalik approached. The lion zoner walked forward, his tail swishing from side to side in an agitated manner. He narrowed his golden eyes at the vines, fully prepared to attack and defend the other zoners if need be.

He was immensely relieved when it was just the group of zoners he had sent out earlier. They had recieved word that Mumbo Jumbo Jungle had been attacked, and he sent out a group to go stop the creators, whom he knew had to be responsible. Only a creator would be cruel enough to do such a thing.

He watched as the small group approached him. A stick figure named Johnzer, a humanoid zoner named Layton, a stegosaurus named Diamond, and a winged lioness named Azure. They all looked exhausted. They were all injured, but at least they were all okay, and coming home safely. That’s what mattered in the end. He guessed that they must have been able to deal with the threat, even if just barely. He gave them a smile and took a few steps towards them to greet them. But when they gave him that look, he realized something was wrong.

As soon as he saw those sorrowful expressions, Maalik was suddenly reminded that the group was down by two members. His heart filled with ice. Where was Hagar? He was sent with the group. And Quet... Where was he? What happened to them? Feeling his body tremble, the lion zoner looked around behind them, hoping, praying, that the other two would come through any second. After about thirty seconds, seeing no one, he turned his attention back to the group, his eyes searcing theirs for any sign of hope. But he found none.

“We are sorry, Maalik....” Diamond said, her voice filled with sadness. Tears formed in her pale blue eyes. “We were not able to save them.”

It felt like a brick fell on his head. A wave of emotion swept through Maalik. Even though he hadn’t known Hagar or Quet that long, they were still a part of his group and they were like family to him. For them to be just...gone like that... An overwhelming guilt washed over him. He shouldn’t have sent them. He should have chosen someone else, someone with more experience.

“What...what happened...?” Maalik finally got himself to ask.

Johnzer shifted uncomfortably under the leader’s eyes. “We confronted the creators that were destroying Mumbo Jumbo Jungle... The black chalk users. We...we tried to get them to surrender without a fight...”

“But they refused to listen.” Sky said. “They attacked us viciously. We...we tried to do what we could, but the black chalk users were too strong for us. We barely made it out alive.”

“I know it doesn’t look like much, but it’s worse than it looks...” Layton said. He took a step forward, wincing. Maalik could tell, just by looking at him, he really was hurt was than it seemed. “Believe me...”

“Hagar and Quet then....?” Maalik’s voice trailed off, his eyes widening with emotion.

Sky’s ears folded down and she shook her head sadly. “They were taken from us. We tried to save them, but...”

Johnzer picked up from where she left off. “They were strangely prepared. They managed to get away before we could stop them.”

“When they were taken, they were both gravely injured.” Layton said with sadness laced on his voice. “We can only guess the worst happened to them, and add their deaths to the list of casualties. Then we move on, and try to save whoever else is left. That is...what they would have wanted...”

Maalik let this all sink in. He stared at his comrades in shock. He wanted to deny it all. He wanted it to not be real. Anytime someone from his group vanished, it was like someone yanked out his heart and tore it in half. After losing almost everyone he loved to the black chalk users, he did not want the same thing to happen again. He clung onto whatever friendships he could, and treated everyone in his group like a close friend. He formed a deep bond with almost everyone, including Hagar and Quet. And to know they’re gone...

He felt his heart being to beat faster. Anger, disappointment, guilt, sadness, it all mixed together and weighed down on his stomach. He felt an uncomfortable nauseaous feeling. He swallowed hard, his mind trying to make sense of what happened. He knew he had to do something soon. He turned his head and looked at the other zoners, who had all stopped and looked at him for support, for direction. The lion knew he had to make a decision soon on what their next move would be.

It was too much of a risk to go find Hagar and Quet. Layton was right. It was best to assume they didn’t make it. They could not change the past, but they could take the steps required to move forward. He had to come up with a decision and fast. He had to come up with a plan to make sure that everyone else remained safe. Everyone here was counting on him to make the right decision, the one that would help protect them and ensure no one else became like Hagar and Quet.

He heard heavy footsteps towards him. He didn’t bother turning around until he felt a had squeeze his shoulder. He turned his head and he could see Diamond standing there, giving him a sympathetic look. “What shall we do, Maalik? I know what we were going to do...but...with two members taken...what shall we do?”

Maalik stared at her. He glanced at the other Luminos members. They all, small and large, old and new, male and female, stared at him, waiting for a reply. They all counted on him. They all looked up to him. He looked back at the group of now four members he had sent earlier. They looked at him sorrowfully, tears in their eyes as they silently mourned the loss of two dear comrades.

Maalik turned his head down, looking towards the ground. He gritted his teeth, his eyes darting back and forth. He knew what he had to do. It was a risky move. They could easily slip up. But with two members gone, he couldn’t afford to go light with their next move. They had to increase their efforts to get the creators out of ChalkZone. And right now, the easiest human target they had was...

...Rudy Tabootie... the so-called ‘great creator’...

Maalik looked at the four zoners he sent out earlier. He gave a nod of his head and made a motion with his paw. They understood what he was trying to say and they moved towards everyone else in the cave. That way, Maalik could easily address everyone. He cleared his throat and spoke as loudly as he could, making sure everyone could hear him.

“All right everyone! I am going to need volunteers! In order to deal with Rudy Tabootie, and get him out before anyone else...disappears... we need to prepare our...plan.. I trust you all know what I’m talking about.”

There was murmuring among the group. Some looked excited, others uncertain, some confused. Among the chattering, Sky spoke up as loudly as she could, trying to be heard.

“You...you mean you’re going to...?” Sky asked.

Maalik gave an affirmative nod. “Yes... Our...metal fingered member...will be called upon. I am going to need his help with this one. And I know he’s been wanting to make a move for a while.” The murmering continued. Maalik looked around. He let everyone chat for a while. He knew that making such a move now, in such a public place, was risky. But for the chance at protecting those he cared about, he felt it was worth the risk. “He will detain Rudy, and I will select a group of five to go fetch him. We will discuss this. We cannot afford to slip this up.”

As the other zoners talked among each other, some arguing against the decision, some for it, Maalik turned his attention towards the cave entrance. Thoughts of the recent events swirled in his head. His eyes slowly narrowed in determination. He was not going to lose anymore members to those wretched humans. He would see to that.

sss

Mrs. Tabootie stood in the kitchen, making lunch for her and Joe. She had to be careful whenever she made any meal lately. She would almost make something for Rudy before she reminded herself that Rudy was stuck in ChalkZone and, at the moment, couldn’t really eat much of anything. The house did feel empty without her son, and she wished she could take him out of that ChalkZone hospital, but she understood the importance of it.

She and her husband were so worried about Rudy. Ever since Rudy fell ill, she had nightmares, and each time she woke up, she had to remind herself it was just a dream, that it didn’t happen. She was certain Joe had similiar nightmares. How could he not? She could even see him crying at night sometimes. Rudy was in trouble, and they were both helpless to do anything about it. The condition Rudy had was something that couldn’t be treated by either ChalkZone or real world medicine. This wasn’t like when he and Penny were hurt by Bardot and Draow. They couldn’t just rush him to the hospital. It wasn’t that simple anymore.

She was confident that the cure would be found soon. She had seen just how capable her son and friends could be. Penny and Snap wouldn’t give up on him. They would work together, Rudy would also offer to help in whatever way he could, and find a way to reverse the disease. She was certain that they could do it, but despite that, she still worried so much for her son. What if this was the one time where nothing could help him? She shook the thought out of her head. No, she couldn’t think like that.

Mrs. Tabootie thought back to when her son came back on top of that pterosaur zoner... what his name..Tsere, yeah that was it. He was so badly hurt, and all because he had decided to go Snap’s place instead of staying at the hospital like he should have. She couldn’t believe that the doctors had okayed him to leave. In his condition, after being attacked, she felt they should have been more stern about him staying. Joe tried to reason with her, but nothing he came up with made much sense to her.

She remembered being so angry that she lashed out at Snap. She hadn’t meant to. She wasn’t even that angry at him. She was just angry in general that such a thing happened, and she couldn’t do anything about it. Still, that was no excuse for how she acted and she should have controlled herself more. She apologized to Snap, but she still felt guilty about it. It wasn’t his fault this happened, and she should have made herself realize that before she lashed out.

This Luminos group had her very worried. So far, she and Joe hadn’t run into them, but she wasn’t sure if it was because the zoners don’t want to mess with adults right now, or if they were so focused on their son and his friend that they were just ignoring them. She couldn’t really understand how anyone, zoner or not, could do what these zoners did to Rudy. There was Bardot..and his accomplice, Draow. They were vicious and nearly tortured Rudy and Penny to death, but most zoners weren’t like them. And now there was a whole group who was willing to go as far as badly hurt Rudy, and for what? He never did anything to them.

At least he was safe in the hospital for the time being. Dr. Raiden had assured them that he would be safe there. She recalled how uncertain she was that he’d be safe, but Dr. Raiden explained it the best way that he could. Attacking the hospital would be an act of desperation. The Luminos wouldn’t want to risk hurting any patients unless they knew what areas to target that would lead to little to no injuries or casualties of zoner patients. Such a thing would require an inside job, someone who was part of the staff. Dr. Raiden had assured them that the Luminos had no such member in the hospital. Not yet anyway, and Dr. Raiden claimed that he would know if there was a member hidden.

That was of great relief to Mrs. Tabootie. So for now, Rudy was safe in the hospital. The Luminos won’t try anything, not yet. She didn’t know how long he’d remain safe there. She didn’t know how long it would take before the Luminos decide to make a move on him in the hospital. But for now, at least he was safe and they could figure out a course of action to take. She was grateful for Dr. Raiden’s help. Though sometimes a little gruff, he was doing a good job at keeping Rudy safe. And not just him, but Mrs. Sanchez too, they helped to keep Rudy as healthy as possible while he was suffering from that horrid disease.

With lunch now finished and the smell of pasta filling the air, Joe, who sat over at the table, took a few loud whiffs. He looked over at her, and when he spoke, it was enough to bring Mrs. Tabootie out of her thoughts. “Lunch smells good, Milly! What did you make?”

“Just some pasta, Joe.” Mrs. Tabootie replied. She got two plates ready for her, almost forgetting not to grab a third, and moved over to the table. She set a plate down on the table in front of Joe. She then set down one for herself. “No meat, though. I hope that’s okay. I forgot to thaw out the meat this morning. It was supposed to have chicken.”

“Oh that’s quite all right. We all had other things on our mind.” Her husband replied, giving her a reassuring smile. She knew he was referring to what has been doing on with Rudy. “But everything will turn out okay in the end. You’ll see.”

“I know, Joe... I hope you’re right.” Mrs. Tabootie said.

The large woman made her way over to the drawer where she kept the forks, knives, and spoons. She opened it up and pulled out a couple of forks, one for her, one for Joe. She then grabbed a couple of glasses and filled them up with ice cold water. She headed back to the table. She handed a glass of water to Joe and kept one for herself. She pulled out a seat and was about to sit down.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. She and her husband froze. Who was coming over? They certainly weren’t expecting any kind of company. Maybe it was Mrs. Sanchez. Yeah that’s probably who it was. Pushing the chair back, she gave a quick glance to her husband before she headed towards the door. There was another knock. She noted it sounded almost...desperate. She hesitated for a moment, and then she reached her hand over and grabbed the door knob, turning it slowly.

When she opened up the door, she couldn’t believe what she saw. There, standing before her, was Terry Bouffant. The large woman’s eyes flew open wide, staring at the thinner woman in horror. Terry looked absolutely horrible, covered in red marks and torn, tattered clothes. There was a look of pure agony on her face, and she looked like she hadn’t been able to clean herself up in days.

“T-Terry...?” Mrs. Tabootie whispered. “What happened...?”

Terry didn’t answer. Her body trembled from what she guessed was pain, perhaps fear too. Her body swayed as she took a few steps forward. Then, without warning, Terry collapsed forward. Letting out a scream of surprise, Mrs. Tabootie reached over and grabbed onto the woman, supporting her. She heard the sound of footsteps approaching. She looked behind her and saw the horrified look of her husband.

“Milly? What’s going on?!” Joe called out. He immediately saw how bad off Terry was. “Ms. Bouffant?!”

“Help me get her on the couch, Joe!” Mrs. Tabootie shouted.

Her husband did not waste any time. He rushed over. He lowered himself and grabbed onto Terry’s legs while Mrs. Tabootie held onto her arms. Working together, they carried her over to the couch. They gently placed her down. Terry’s head flopped to the side, her eyes closed. She was taking in weak, shallow breaths. Mrs. Tabootie sucked on her lip, staring down at the weak woman. Just what had happened to her....?

Knowing that she needed some kind of doctor, and fast, she turned her attention to Joe. “Quick! Call Mrs. Sanchez! Tell her to come over here immediately!”

sss

Skrawl couldn’t believe that kind of discovery he had made recently. He wasn’t expecting to find anything like this during his reading up on the Luminos group. He had known to expect some bizarre things with them, but this wasn’t something he was prepared for. He couldn’t even remember how he made the discovery. A newpaper clipping? Word of mouth? Criminal records? Whatever it was, he at least knew it, and it was hard for him to believe.

If he had made the connection earlier, he would have told Rudy and Penny about it. They could have been more prepared. They would have known about the Luminos group much earlier. But he made a mistake. He didn’t look more into it earlier, and now things have gotten more complicated than before. It may not really matter if they knew now or not, since the guy was locked up in jail. But then, he could be bailed out, and with this guy’s history, he couldn’t afford not to tell Rudy and Penny about him.

He had always wondered why his guard from before, Xenos, would work for Bardot. Yeah, Xenos was not always the nicest guy. He wasn’t as much of a coward as he had let on before. Skrawl learned that after he found out the truth about him. But what he found out was only half the story. He knew Xenos worked for Bardot. He had helped the hybrid zoner into the prison. He had helped Draow escape, all while standing on the sidelines. Skrawl, for so long, never did figure out why he did it, what kind of benefit he would have.

But now...now he knew exactly why. He had no idea why he didn’t do the research before. He didn’t know why he neglected to do more research on Xenos to fully understand his motivations. He had only found out recently the truth about this guard that he had hired.

Xenos...was a member of the Luminos. All this time, from when he was able to figure out just what kind of zoner he really was... Skrawl had been working with a member of an extremist group.

The more he thought about it, the more Skrawl realized how Xenos’s motivations now make sense. True, Bardot wasn’t out to ban creators from ChalkZone. But the fact he was tormenting two creators, how he was going after creators in the real world, killing them and eating them, Xenos may have been interested in taking part in that, in some shape or form. The Luminos hated humans, and judging from how Rudy was treated, that was plainly obvious. The members were willing to resort to violence to get what they want. Similar to how he used to be.. He grumbled softly, trying his best not to think about his past self. He focused on Xenos.

Xenos must have heard about what Bardot was doing. It was possible that Xenos was one of the more extreme members of the group. He may have hated humans so much that the chance of helping another zoner kill a large number of them may have been an opportunity that he just could not miss. And so he met up with Bardot and helped him out with his plan. Skrawl realized that some of Bardot’s plans may not have worked without Xenos’s help. He wondered what more Xenos had helped out with. How much more had that person he trusted as a guard accomplish?

The guy might be locked up in jail right now, but if the Luminos were extreme enough, they may try to get him out. And if he got out, and if he rejoined the group, then... Skrawl had to tell Rudy and Penny about this. Even if Xenos was just one of many zoners that were in the Luminos group, the more they knew, the better. He had worked with Xenos, unwillingly of course since he didn’t know his true motivations, and he had an idea of how this guy’s mind worked. This revelation, that his own guard was a member of the Luminos, that he had helped in what happened to Rudy and Penny, it was too important not to say anything.

Skrawl raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Almost immediately, two Beanie Boys came floating in the room. Once they got close enough, Skrawl got up out of his seat. He walked up to them, his eyes narrowed in determination. He picked up a piece of paper, where he had wrote down the information regarding Xenos.

“Go to the hospital and give this to Master Tabootie.” Skrawl said. “He needs to know about this.

Without hesitation, the Beanie Boys saluted their leader and they were off. Skrawl watched them leave the room, his arms folded behind his back. He still felt a pang of guilt that he hadn’t realized Xenos’s involvement sooner, but at least now, they weren’t in the dark anymore about that. And when the Beanie Boys arrive at the hospital, Rudy will know as well.


	40. It Was Making Things Worse?

The two Beanie Boys never made it that far.

As they passed over one of the first hills, a good distance away from the prison, what looked to be a couple of dark lines shot through the air. They headed straight towards the Beanie Boys. They went right through. There was a sickening crunch, a gargled cry, and the Beanie Boys stiffened up, dropping the note that Skrawl gave them. Then, seconds later, they fell to the ground.

When they hit the ground, there was a loud thud. Their bodies laid next to each other. Their eyes were wide open, but there was a glaze to them and they were completely unfocused. Their mouths were partially open and blood slowly leaked out of it. Their bodies stopped rising and falling. It was clear, to anyone who came by, that these Beanie Boys were dead.

Standing nearby, hidden in a tree covered with meanie leaves, were their attackers. A couple of sharp shooters, both holding a bow and several arrows. Both of them were clearly humanoid, dressed up in camouflage so they wouldn’t be seen. They stared down at the fallen Beanie Boys, keeping their arrows aimed at them just in case they decided to move. After a few minutes and still no movement, the two realized that they were indeed dead, and they relaxed a little.

“That takes care of them.” One of the sharp shooters said. He placed the bow on his back and he turned his attention to his partner. “Let’s go report this to Maalik.”

“Yes. He will be pleased we disrupted a little communication for those...creators...” The second sharp shooter said. A dark smile was spread across his face.

“First though...” The first sharp shooter started to climb down the tree. He put his arms around the trunk to steady himself and, being careful, went down the bark. When he got far enough, he jumped onto the ground, landing on his knees. He looked up at his comrade and waved his hand. “Let’s dispose of the bodies. If any of the creators find this, they could use the traces of the weapon to find out where our hideout is.”

“That’s ridiculous!” The second sharp shooter cried. “I don’t think they’d be able to do that!”

The first sharp shooter growled at up before walking towards the dead Beanie Boys. “I am not willing to take that chance. Besides, you know Maalik. He wouldn’t be very happy if we just left these Beanie Boys out in the open like this. Now...” He looked back at his comrade. “..help me carry them somewhere where they won’t be found.”

The second sharp shooter stared at them. Then he shrugged his shoulders. “Well okay then.” He jumped out of the tree and ran over to join his comrade. He stared at the two fallen Beanie Boys and then looked at his partner. “I get the smaller one.”

sss

“What?” Rudy breathed softly, his eyes widened.

Dr. Raiden, who stood before him, nodded his head solemnly. “I’m afraid so.” He lifted up his head, his short muzzle pointing towards the ceiling. “There have been attacks on zoners lately by this Luminos group. Thankfully not many were injured, but...the ones that were, they must be hospitalized.”

Rudy couldn’t believe it. He let this information sink in, as uncomfortable as it was. He hadn’t expected something like this to happen, and so quickly. Just what did these zoners do to warrant such an attack? Dr. Raiden had told him the victims’ names... and none of them ever did anything that horrible. He had no idea what the Luminos were trying to accomplish, attacking innocent zoners like this. Weren’t they supposed to be trying to protect ChalkZone? They were doing a poor job of that if they believe acting like the black chalk artists was going to get them anywere.

Rudy had enough on his mind already. This sort of news certainly was the last thing he needed. The anti-creator group was already causing problems. Once, they were just in the background, and he hadn’t heard a peep out of them. And now, they were becoming prominent, a true threat. They were making moves now and they could no longer be ignored or pushed in the back of his head. They were a direct threat and he and his friends would have to figure out a way to deal with them. Now, they didn’t have just the black chalk artists to worry about. Now there was the Luminos. He couldn’t even tell which group was worse.

“The staff is doing what they can to help them.” Dr. Raiden said, his voice low and sympathetic. He stared at Rudy in the eyes and said, “If you want to visit them, you may. They are stabilized now and should be fully conscious.”

“Okay...” Rudy replied softly. He still held a look of disbelief in his eyes. It was hard to believe that this really happened. He had a hard time accepting it. He had a hard time believing that a group that wanted to protect ChalkZone would go as far as do something like this. “Do you...do you know why the Luminos would attack these zoners? None of them did anything wrong... I mean...” Rudy put his hands on the sides of his head. “What would have been their goal?”

Dr. Raiden stared at him for a few seconds. The doctor’s eyes narrowed slightly. He sucked on his lip and, for a moment, Rudy could see a hint of his sharp teeth. “I’m guessing it was because they were nice to creators.” Rudy’s eyes widened at this. “I believe you already suspected this, and I will confirm it. The Luminos regards any zoner who was particularly nice to creators as traitors. They view such zoners lowly, almost as low as they do humans.” Dr. Raiden turned his head to the side, furrowing his eyebrows. He closed his eyes and said, “Your friend Snap is the zoner they hate the most.”

Rudy felt his heart clench. “S-Snap...?” He took a step back.

The cheetah doctor nodded his head. “I’m afraid so.” He turned his attention back to Rudy, straightening himself up. “No doubt he may become a target soon. If he knows what’s good for him, he will not be wandering ChalkZone alone. The Luminos are willing to kill, and I wouldn’t put it past them to try to kill your friend.”

Rudy felt his heart start to beat faster. His breaths came in quick and sharp. Kill Snap...? The Luminos may try to kill Snap...? He knew the group was dangerous. He knew that they were willing to sink so low to get what they want. But what they’re doing lately...hurting innocent zoners, possibly try to kill Snap...those were just low moves. He couldn’t believe how deluded this group is. If they really think they are protecting ChalkZone by acting like monsters, they need a reality check.

“Now I have to go check on something.” Dr. Raiden said, cutting Rudy from his thoughts. The boy shook his head and looked at the cheetah zoner. “Not sure how long I’ll be gone, but...” He raised his paw in the air. He pointed a claw down the hallway. “As I said, if you would like to speak to a couple of the zoners who were attacked, they are down that way. Perhaps you could use this opportunity to find out more information.”

“Okay. Thank you, Dr. Raiden.” Rudy said.

“No problem, kiddo.” With that, the cheetah zoner turned and walked away, leaving Rudy alone in the hallway.

Rudy didn’t begin walking right away. Instead, his mind was swimming with thoughts of what recently happened. He was already in a confused and worried state before. Dr. Raiden’s news of some zoners being attacked, just for being nice to creators at that, just made him feel worse. So much was going on lately, and it felt like, just when things couldn’t get worse, something else happens on top of everything else. He would wish for things not to get any worse, but then, he may just jinx himself.

Only a short while ago, he had gotten a homing beacon from Penny. It was crudely drawn, but it served its function just fine. It looked like it had a few small holes in it, like the Luminos were trying to shoot it down. He was glad that they failed, otherwise, he never would have found out about Penny until much later. He had been wondering why she hadn’t returned to the hospital when she said she would. He thought that maybe she was busy trying to figure something out, but when he got the homing beacon, he knew that idea was completely wrong.

He was horrified to learn what had happened to his friend. Assaulted in a public alley like that? Attacking Penny on her already injured leg with a cane, just to send a message to her? The Luminos really were crazy. It was a low, dirty move to target her bad leg like that. And when he was informed how one of the zoners twisted her leg like that, Rudy remembered how badly his blood boiled. He was relieved when he foudn out her leg was broken, but still, now she was suffering a far worse limp, and all because of some jerks who ambushed her when she was alone.

Hearing about Penny’s attack made Rudy realize one thing. It was not safe to go alone in ChalkZone anymore. He did feel relatively safe in the hospital. Dr. Raiden assured him nothing would happen, not without a spy which he claims he would have noticed. But outside the hospital? Yeah, not a good idea to wander alone. He hoped that Penny would be able to deliver the same message in the real world. But knowing Penny, she would, so their family should be aware of the situation now.

The beacon did mention that there were some copies floating around, likely informing their other zoner friends about what was going on. So Snap likely got the news as well. Rudy’s heart began to beat quickly when he thought of his friend. The fact that he may be a target of the group was really worrying. He hoped that Snap would stay with another zoner friend, like Blocky or Rapsheeba. It was dangerous for him to travel alone as well. He didn’t want what happened to Penny to also happen to Snap as well.

At least the beacon wasn’t all bad news. Penny had managed to locate where Tavern Town is, or was. He was shocked to learn that it was somewhere in ChalkZone City. That did narrow down their search, but Penny was right when she said it could take a while. This city was huge, stretching on for quite some time. It would be difficult trying to figure out exactly where to start looking first. He did agree with Penny that there had to be hidden passages somewhere, leading up to some old section where the machines were still hooked up.

The fact that ChalkZone City was built right over Tavern Town didn’t entirely surprise Rudy. It made some sense. In a way, it was almost like wiping Tavern Town off the map, but without ruining the machinery. Cosmo and the black chalk artists would have wanted it to remain hidden, and thus may have drawn some parts of ChalkZone City to cover it up. Or maybe some kid drew this and...Rudy wasn’t certain how it all came to be. What he did know is that Tavern Town used to be here, and they had to start looking for it soon.

But just where should they start? The sewers were a risk with their injuries. With his disease, that was certainly the last place he should be going right now. And Snap and Penny were hurt, too. The sewers could give Snap a nasty infection. Penny may be immune to chalk germs, but there were other dangers lurking in the sewers, such as some particularly unfriendly zoners. And there was no telling if any of the Luminos zoners were hiding in there, waiting to strike.

Searching the alleyways and abandoned buildings for passageways may be their best bet. He still wasn’t sure exactly where they should start, though. There were so many places they could start looking. ChalkZone City was massive. They needed a way to figure out where to start looking for those hidden machines. Maybe he could try finding a particularly old zoner, one that may have been around for the construction of ChalkZone City. Surely one of the older zoners might have an idea of where Tavern Town was hidden.

Rudy looked down the hallway. As much as he wanted to try to figure things out now, he knew that he would need Penny and Snap’s help. He hoped that they would both be able to get to him without any trouble. They needed to talk about this together. In the meantime, Rudy knew he needed to speak to a couple of the Luminos attack victims. He needed to get a bigger picture of what was going on, and talking with these two just might help him get that.

Rudy was horrified to learn that a couple of the attack victims had been Barney and King Mumbo Jumbo. He had thought he misheard and he asked Raiden to repeat himself a few times. After a few times, Rudy had to accept the truth. These two, who had been hiding in the Gem Desert, had been sought out and attacked. He wasn’t sure if they were assaulted in the desert or if they had come out. Either way, the result was the same. They were both attacked, and now they were both hospitalized.

He clutched his hand tightly in a fist, feeling his blood temperature rise. He started to move down the hallway, towards where those two were resting. He couldn’t believe the nerve of this group, attacking two innocent zoners like that. What did Barney and Mumbo Jumbo ever do to them? Nothing. At worst, Barney might be a jerk, but he never did anything to provoke an attack. And Mumbo Jumbo was just all around pleasant, unless his friend was threatened. The only thing these two did was be nice to creators, in this case, him and Penny mostly, as they hadn’t really met their family for too long. And if that was the reason they were attacked, just because they are nice to creators, well that was just sickening.

He was glad to learn that both of them were going to be okay. They did suffer some pretty bad injuries. Mumbo Jumbo’s shell was cracked, his right leg was broken, and he had a long, deep gash along his arm. Barney had a few broken legs, his face slashed, wings torn, and had several bruises on his body. But no major organs were damaged, and the wounds they did get were manageable. He was glad to hear that. At least it wouldn’t take them long to recover.

He soon reached their room. He recognized this room even before opening it. It was the same one that held once held Biclops. He had managed to speak to the giant, who explained what had happened to him. Rudy was a little disappointed that Biclops was not able to give him any information that he didn’t already know. But he did wish he had gone to the giant earlier. Biclops was aware of the disease that he had and what it was doing, and he had been wanting to tell him. He hadn’t been able to because the black chalk artists trapped him in his own cave.

Rudy felt guilty about not going to Biclops sooner and seeing he was stuck. The giant held no hard feelings, though he, too, was disappointed. Not in Rudy, but in himself. Biclops wished he could tell him more information, but the cure was kept secret even from him. Even though Rudy didn’t really learn anything that could help him and the others with this disease, he was glad to see that Biclops was doing better. He had been released from the hospital recently and went back to the Chalk Mine.

He had heard that Biclops had become more vigilant around the Chalk Mine. He was more cautious and more wary. He had also become a little more protective, confronting anyone who approached the Chalk Mine with an air of distrust and a little hostility, though no outright lashing. Rudy hoped that this behavior didn’t last too long, but he could understand why Biclops wold be like that. He had been trapped in his own cave by Jenny and her comrades. It was understandable that he would, at least for time, become more guarded. He was certain that Biclops would calm down soon once he realizes the incident wasn’t going to repeat itself.

Rudy put his hand on the door knob and slowly turned it. He pushed it open and stepped inside. He took a moment to look around the room. Since Biclops used to be in here, there were some differences in this room that weren’t present in the other rooms. For one, it was much larger, with a very high ceiling compared to other patients’ rooms. The room was quite long, too, more than enough to accomodate the gentle giant. On the wall with the window, there were some lines that Rudy knew made up the door that opened up. This was how Biclops was put into this room, since he was too large to come in through the usual way.

Other than these differences, everything else was the same. White walls, desks with tools on them, a flatscreen television, the smell of medicine in the air, the usual. This room had one large bed where Biclops was, but then it had a few beds on the side. It looked like multiple beds had been laid next to each other, but considering the fact that Barney was a centipede, this made perfect sense.

Speaking of Barney, there he lay. He was the closest one to the door. His legs were all casted and so were his wings. His body was bandaged up, covered in thick cloth. He could see some dark areas where he suspected the wounds started to bleed again for a time. Barney’s long body was positioned over several hospital beds, making sure that none of his body sections hung off the edge.

Laying on the last bed on the far end of the room was King Mumbo Jumbo. The tortoise was laying on his stomach, probably due to his broken shell. Several bandages wrapped around his body, mostly on his shell and around the arm that was slashed. His foot was in a sling. Rudy had to admit to himself that it did look a little weird, seeing someone with a broken leg lay down on their stomach and have their leg elevated while in that position. But he understood the need for it.

Rudy took a few steps into the room. He cleared his throat to announce his presence. The two zoners lifted up their heads and stared at him. They blinked a few times, as if they were confused and surprised that Rudy was here. Then they smiled and nodded their heads, gesturing for Rudy to come in further.

“Hey...” Rudy said. He bit his lip as he looked over the zoners’ injuries. “How...are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better. But don’t worry...” Mumbo Jumbo hissed in pain for a few seconds, but he managed to keep the smile on his face. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

“Not so bad?” Rudy stared at him in shock. “You call this not bad?!”

“It could have been worse if we didn’t escape.” Barney explained. He raised up a hand and gestured towards Rudy. “It wasn’t easy, but we did manage to give those Luminos zoners the slip.” He winced in pain as he accidentally aggravated one of his injuries. “And at least now we’re in the hospital. The doctors say we should recover in about a month or so.”

Rudy glanced down at the casts that adorned the zoners. “But...”

“Oh these?” Barney glanced down at one of his broken legs. “These breaks are minor compared to what Bardot did to me...” He gave a quick shudder as he mentioned that name. “The doctors say they shouldn’t take as long to heal.”

Rudy noticed how frightened Barney looked when he had just mentioned Bardot’s name. He felt bad for him, still being afraid of Bardot even after a couple years. That made sense. He was tortured for a year and a half. He wished that Barney would understand that Bardot was banished forever and could no longer get to him. The hybrid zoner was incapable of leaving the Fire Zone. The high elevation and the forcefield helped with that.

Rudy had thought about informing Barney and Mumbo Jumbo of his and his friends’ visit to the Fire Zone, and what they learned regarding his disease. But he decided against it. Bardot hadn’t revealed that much anyway, and considering how frightened Barney was just of the mere name, he didn’t want to distress him further by staying on the subject of Bardot. So he moved his attention to something else, still of importance.

“How...how were you attacked?” Rudy asked cautiously.

King Mumbo Jumbo’s smile turned into a soft frown. “We were leaving the Gem Desert to find you.” Rudy’s eyes widened. Mumbo Jumbo nodded his head to confirm. “Yes, we were looking for you. We needed to talk to you. There was something important Barney here wanted to tell you.” The tortoise shifted his gaze over to the centipede.

“Yes.” Barney said, picking up from where his old friend left off. He gave Rudy a sorrowful look. “There was...something important you and your friends needed to know. Something I...didn’t tell your friends.” He closed his eyes for a moment, and Rudy could see just how much shame Barney felt. “Jenny had...threatened me...”

“Jenny was in the Gem Desert?!” Rudy cried out in shock.

Barney nodded his head. “Yeah...she was. She made sure I didn’t tell your friends a little something about the chartreuse chalk. She said if I gave out one crucial information, she was going to kill Mumbo Jumbo...” Rudy stared at him in shock. Barney’s antenna curled up in sadness. “I’m...sorry...”

“It’s..okay...” Rudy said, trying to find his voice. “I just..can’t believe she’d threaten to do something like that. Then again...” Rudy lowered his head, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “She did threaten Biclops and Wilter into silence with that Solar Pillars thing.”

“...it was a lie.”

Rudy’s eyes widened. He looked over at Barney. The centipede looked at him. With a look that serious, Rudy knew that he was telling the truth.

“A...lie...?” Rudy mouthed slowly.

“Yes.” Mumbo Jumbo answered this one. “Barney told me all about it. The bit about Jenny stating that the Solar Pillars would activate using a distant voice signal, in this case, just talking about her cooperation...it was a lie. She said that just to mess with their heads, to be sadistic.” The tortoise’s eyes narrowed, reflecting a rare anger that Rudy did not see often from the old tortoise. “The Solar Pillars would never activate like that. Someone must be present.”

“Indeed. Biclops and Wilter could have told you about Jenny’s involvement, but with that threat, well...” Barney shook his head. “They couldn’t afford to. Jenny had done a lot of horrible things. It just..wasn’t worth the risk in saying anything.” He looked at Rudy. “Believe me. They would never have withheld that information if they were certain they could tell you without consequence.”

Rudy let this information sink into his mind. All this time, it was a lie. Solar Pillars hadn’t activated at all. It was just a lie Jenny said to try to keep Wilter and Biclops in line, to keep them from giving out said information. But why? He had to agree with Mumbo Jumbo. It was probably just to be sadistic. Jenny liked messing with people’s heads. That was a common trait among the black chalk artists. He recalled, with a cold chill, how she had ‘petted’ him, as she put it, just to screw with his mind a little more.

But as much as this news angered him, that Jenny was messing with them like that, it did bring about a sense of relief. The Solar Pillars was not a current threat after all. It was still dormant. But then...how long would that last? How long would it take before Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek would reactivate it? Had they reclaimed it? And what about that writing on the wall? He knew it had to be important. They had to figure out what it said. And the only way to do that...was if he stood in the light and risk corruption...

Could he really do that? Could he risk turning himself into a monster and potentially damage ChalkZone to read the words? In the end, he knew he had to do it, eventually. It was important that those words were read, to see what they say. If the words were hidden in that manner, then Rudy knew one thing. Whatever was written on there, it had to be very important.

“To continue our story,” King Mumbo Jumbo said, interrupting Rudy’s thoughts. “We were headed out of the Gem Desert when we were suddenly surrounded by four zoners, all of them were pretty large and muscular. They claimed to be a part of the Luminos group and they attacked us viciously.”

“When we asked why they were doing it, they said it was because we are amiable towards you.” Barney said, pointing a finger at Rudy.

“That’s what I was informed.” Rudy said softly. He tried his best not to let his anger towards the Luminos show. “How did you manage to escape?”

“Well luckily for us, the Luminos weren’t very aware of just where they were. They had done a number on us, as you can tell, but they never got much further because a crystal slither had attacked them.” Barney explained. “It seemed their weapons were shiny enough to draw their attention. We managed to slip away while the four Luminos zoners were busy righting the crystal slither.”

The crystal slither... Rudy recognized that name. He recalled Penny said that she and Snap were attacked by one when they were trying to find the Moonlit Gardens. She had sacrificed her piece of magic chalk in order to make the invisible creature attack the black chalk artists. She hadn’t been overly proud of what she did, as putting others in danger was not in her nature. But Rudy understood the need for it. It was either that, or they both died.

“It wasn’t easy moving ourselves along with these injuries, as you can well imagine.” King Mumbo Jumbo said, making a hand gesture to indicate the wounds he and his insect friend had.

Rudy took a moment and looked at the two of them. “Yeah...” That made him wonder something. “Just how did you guys make it to the hospital?”

“Well luckily for us, some zoners, who weren’t part of the Luminos, found us. They helped us to the hospital.” Mumbo Jumbo explained, a small smile on his face. “If it weren’t for their help, we may have gotten in bigger trouble.”

Rudy nodded his head in agreement. Yeah, that was lucky they ran into those zoners and got help. There was no way they could have made it to the hospital this fast with broken legs. There was also the chance that they could have been assaulted by the Luminos members if they had stuck around there for too long. With broken legs, they wouldn’t have been able to make it too far before the group would have attacked them again.

Rudy then remembered something. There was something Barney wanted to say about the chartreuse chalk. Judging from the tone of his voice when he said that, it had to be something important. Rudy glanced down at the green chalk strapped around his neck. It was doing a good job at keeping the pain at bay, but is there something more going on than he realized? He looked back at Barney, biting his lip.

“Hey...” Rudy said in a cautious voice. “What..what did you need to tell me about the chartreuse chalk?”

Barney’s eyes widened a little. He stared at Rudy, locking eyes on him. Then he lowered his head a little, looking like he had done something horrible. “It’s...it’s a trigger.” He said in a soft voice.

“What...?” Rudy stared at him in confusion. What was he talking about?

“I’m sure Biclops told you this diseae has triggers, right?” Barney said.

“...well yeah..” Rudy did recall Biclops mentioning something about that. “But...but he never said a word about the chartreuse chalk!”

“He might not have known, or with how weak he had been, he might not have been thinking straight.” Mumbo Jumbo said.

“But..the chartreuse chalk...” Rudy’s breathing quickened. He glanced down at the chalk, the same one he thought had been helping him. “It..it is keeping the pain from being so bad... It..it can’t be a...” He found it hard to believe. The chartreuse chalk...a trigger...? But how? That was impossible, wasn’t it? It had made his condition better, didn’t it? Just what was going on? “It..it can’t be...”

Barney’s antenna curled up even tighter. “I’m afraid so, Rudy. You see... the chartreuse chalk, in pure stick form like what you have, yes, it can help keep the disease at bay, slow things down. But it is a double edged sword. You see, though Cosmo didn’t know this right away...” Barney pointed a finger at the green chalk around Rudy’s neck. “...the gelxeno, which I’m sure you know about, a key ‘ingredient’ in that was a substance that the chartreuse chalk is made out of. This substance does heal, but it has the side effect of turning real world to chalk, which makes sense when you get right down to it. It can’t create new real world flesh, but it can with chalk, so when it heals someone of the real world, the flesh is turned to chalk.”

Rudy stared at the green chalk he still wore. He grabbed onto it and lifted it up. He stared at it, his hand trembling in horror at this revelation. “So...any time this thing heals me...”

“It changes more and more of your body to chalk.” Barney concluded. “It is the ingredient that causes real world to turn to chalk. It is the trigger that causes this symptom. As the disease was nearly ‘finalized’, the green chalk’s portion was removed by mistake. Cosmo did come to realize what the green chalk really did, and in one of his final experiments, tested it out on a white chalk user. The white chalk user did fall ill, but he did not suffer any transformative properties of the disease until he used the chartreuse chalk.”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. His mind reeled back, thinking of what had happened to him several days ago. He recalled how he felt before he used the chartreuse chalk. He was ill, but he didn’t really suffer a lot of internal pain. He didn’t even start having problems such as stomach aches and internal bleeding....

...until he had the chartreuse chalk around his neck. The realization sent ice throug his body. He stared at the chartreuse chalk with a new sense of dread and terror. All this time, he had beene wearing something that only acted like it was helping him, but in the end, was the key player in his suffering. Jenny removing it earlier... It was an act... She was trying to trick him into believing it was helping him, and while he did feel better wearing it, he realized just how much worse off he was wearing tihs. But was it too late now? Would removing it make a difference?

“If you’re thinking of removing the chartreuse chalk...” Barney said. Rudy stared at him in shock. Had he read his mind? “..don’t bother. The chalk already did enough damage. A part of it is now inside of you. Even without it around your neck, the transformative properties are still there. Just slower, but each time you suffer an internal wound, or any wound for that matter, the chartreuse chalk, either itself or the portion that’s in your body right now, will heal it by turning it to chalk. Going to the real world will just aggravate it, as your body will recognize the chalk as a foreign substance there and try to fight it off, reopening any and all internal wounds you suffered.”

Rudy gulped at this. “Any?”

“Yes. Any wound you suffered, any wound that did not heal before the chartreuse chalk was introduced...” Barney said sadly. “They will all reopen. That is why it hurts so much for you to be in the real world, Rudy. The wounds were starting to reopen.”

Rudy couldn’t believe it. He had a hard time digesting this information. The chartreuse chalk had been causing more problems than it was solving. It was an ingredient of the gelxeno, the substance used to create the disease. After all this time, he had made things a lot harder on himself. They...they should have thought things through more. They should have read more about this disease. They should have tried to get more information.

But now it was too late. From what Barney said, the green chalk already did enough damage, and it would continue doing damage as he got more and more hurt. The disease would continue to spread. The only way to stop it now was to find that cure, spread across two different dimensions. He hoped that they would be able to find them in time. He hoped that no one else would become a target of this terrifying disease.

Before Rudy could say anything else, there was a shout from down the hallway.

“Rudy! Time for your IV fluids! Meet up with me as soon as you can!”

Rudy recognized the voice was Dr. Raiden. He sighed softly. Why did Dr. Raiden have to interrupt him now? He was busy speaking with Barney and Mumbo Jumbo on an important matter. Then again, he knew how Dr. Raiden was about giving him his IV fluids. Plus, he did need them to remain functional. He had hardly been able to eat or drink anything without feeling pain, and right now, the IVs were the only thing keeping him from starving and dehydrating to death.

He can always come back later and speak to these more. It wasn’t like they were going anywhere. And the hospital was relatively safe. The Luminos weren’t going to attack it. And even if they were, it won’t be for quite sometime, as it would take careful planning. He decided not to make Dr. Raiden wait much longer. If he didn’t get over to that room now where the cheetah zoner was waiting, he could expect to find escorts coming into the room and dragging him over there.

“I wish I could stay but...” Rudy started to say.

“Oh don’t worry about it.” Mumbo Jumbo raised a hand. “We understand. We told you pretty much everything we needed to anyway.”

Barney nodded his head. “Quite. We’re just...” He lowered his head in shame. “..we’re just sorry we didn’t get it to you sooner. If we had...then you wouldn’t have that thing around your neck and you wouldn’t be as sick as you are. Sorry.”

Rudy gave a gentle smile to Barney. He moved over and placed a hand lightly on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Barney. It wasn’t your fault. Please, don’t blame yourself.” Barney looked at Rudy, a little uncertain. Then he slowly smiled, prompting Rudy’s smile to increase a little. “I’ll come back later and speak to you guys some more, okay?”

Barney said, “Okay then. We’ll see you later.”

“Bye!” Mumbo Jumbo said, waving his hand.

Rudy waved goodbye to the two zoners. He then turned around and began to walk out of the room. He gently shut the door behind him. He started to head down the hallway, towards where Dr. Raiden and the other doctors would give him his IV fluids.

Unbeknownst to him, a dark figure stood at the far end of the hallway, several feet away. With how the figure was standing, he was avoiding the security cameras, standing in a blind spot. The shadows casted over him, keeping him completely dark. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he watched Rudy head towards another room further down the hallway.

Growling softly, the figure took what looked like a small radio and placed it against his head. Teeth exposed in something that was a cross between a grin and a sneer of contempt, the figure spoke, “Time to make our move...”


	41. Attack On The Hospital

Penny was grateful for Mr. Longhorn’s help. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have gotten home when she did. Mr. Longhorn did offer to stay and help some more, but Penny declined, stating he had already helped her enough. She promised to call him if she ever needed his help again. Mr. Longhorn gave her his phone number and wished her to have a good day. Then he left, leaving her behind in front of her house.

She hadn’t really talked to Mr. Longhorn that much outside of Halloween, but he was, from what she had seen and heard, a genuinely nice guy. He might be helpful later on, if the time called for it. She wasn’t sure yet what he could do that wouldn’t risk exposing ChalkZone. But there was a feeling in the back of her head that, somehow, he would prove handy later on. She would keep the number somewhere safe and call him if she realizes she does need his help again.

They might be able to gain an extra ally in Mr. Longhorn, hopefully without exposing ChalkZone at that. He was genuinely concerned about her when he found her limping, and he did like helping people. Yeah, he would definitely make a good ally. She just had to figure out what he could do that didn’t involve revealing ChalkZone to him. She couldn’t just walk up to him and tell him about that place. He might be nice, but people’s reactions to ChalkZone was always unpredictable. It was too much of a risk, no matter how trusthworthy the person might be.

She didn’t waste any time. As soon as Mr. Longhorn left, she rushed into her home. Her mother was home and she noticed she was talking on the phone. She didn’t stay long enough to hear what it was about or if it was anything important. She instead ran straight to her room. She went to work drawing those homing beacons, giving them all the information she needed to send out. She drew about five of them, increasing the odds that at least one of them would get a message out.

She would have drawn more homing beacons, but her mom called her downstairs. She put the magic chalk she had into her pocket. She went down the stairs, which took some time considering her bad limp. When she got into the kitchen where her mom was, her mom looked like she was about to say something, but upon seeing her leg, she was horrified and asked her what happened.

Penny explained the situation as her mom treated her leg. Her mom was relieved that Penny wasn’t hurt worse than she could have been. The fact that she was cornered in ChalkZone City by these zoners and beaten up like she was, definitely cause for alarm. Her mom was thinking the same thing, that they shouldn’t go into ChalkZone alone anymore. It just wasn’t safe. Her mom agreed they need to get back in, but they would have to be careful of where they choose, and be cautious when they wenter. The Luminos group might not be large, but they had no idea just how widespread they were.

After Penny’s mom finished bandaging her leg, she informed Penny that there is another alarming situation. That was when Penny learned that Terry had arrived at Rudy’s place, all beaten up. Penny was horrified by this and she wondered if it was Vinnie’s doing. It seemed to make sense, although she wasn’t entirely sure if he would go as far as beat up Terry like that to get what he wanted. Still, the possibility was still there. She couldn’t deny that.

They left for the Tabooties’ place. Her mom had been called down there. Terry needed help and fast. She had been brought over by Reggie, whom she was told was still there. Penny felt a wave of anxiety rise up inside of her. She was concerned for Terry. From what she was told, she was in awful shape and covered in cuts and wounds. Whatever happened to her, whether it be by Vinnie’s hands or someone else, it must have been awful. A part of her was worried that maybe she was assaulted by the black chalk users. It was a possibility, and if that were the case, how many more would they attack?

She hoped Terry would be all right. Penny couldn’t fathom why anyone would do that to her. She didn’t do anything to deserve it. Even when she tried to expose ChalkZone, she never crossed the line so far that she deserved getting beat up like that. Whoever turned out did it, Vinnie or whoever else, she hoped that they would get arrested and convicted. Whoever did that to her, they deserved to be sent to jail.

Reggie being there also concerned her. She knew that he was aware of ChalkZone. She thought, after all this time, he would have forgotten. She thought that Rudy managed to trick him into believing it was just a dream. How he managed to make the connection that it was real, whether or not the dream trick even worked, Penny wasn’t sure. It didn’t help that she had no idea how trustworthy Reggie really was. Would he try to blackmail her into exposing ChalkZone? She hoped that wasn’t the case. She hoped that he would remain helpful, or at least quiet, about the whole thing.

But just what was she going to say to him? She was not fully prepared to speak to him about ChalkZone, and she wasn’t sure if she really wanted to. Chances are, she won’t be able to squeeze her way out of it, depending on Reggie’s behavior. If he knew enough, then he could really blackmail her and get her to try to talk more. Whenever Reggie wanted information, he knew how to get it. This case would not be any different. But handling this was still going to be difficult. It was a precariously delicate situation, and one wrong slip up would spell disaster. How was she going to inform Reggie of ChalkZone and at the same time, try to drive it into his head that speaking about ChalkZone is a big no-no?

Well she didn’t have a lot of time to think about that. They had arrived at the Tabooties’ place faster than she had expected. She had gotten out of the car and followed her mom. She had never felt this much anxiety going to her friend’s place before. She had always felt comfortable coming here. But today, it was different. Today, due to the vastly different circumstance compared to how it usually was, each step was forced, and the closer she got, the worse she felt. She knew each step was bringing her closer to the inevitable discussion she was bound to have with Reggie, to seeing up close and personal just what happened to Terry.

At least she was prepared, in a way. If she had come here and suddenly saw those two, it would have come as a bigger shock. That was a small bit of mercy. When her mother opened the door, the shock of seeing Terry on the couch how she was, though still unnerving, did have less of an impact on her mentally than if she had come in not knowing. And she didn’t feel much surprise when she saw Reggie sitting nearby.

“Oh we’re so glad you came!” Mrs. Tabootie called out. She rushed over to Mrs. Sanchez and took her over to the living room where Terry was. “She really needs your help!”

Penny watched as her mom approached Terry. The woman, at the moment, was unconscious, likely passed out from her wounds. Her mom lifted up one of Terry’s arms, grimacing at the deep cuts that were in it. She then lifted up her other arm and noted more injuries there. Her mom gave Terry a quick overview, flipping her over when she needed to and examined the extent of the damage. When she was over, her mom’s face was furrowed deep with concern.

“I will do what I can.” Mrs. Sanchez said.

“How bad off is she?” Mr. Tabootie asked, coming up from behind his wife. “She has so many cuts on her body..”

Mrs. Sanchez lifted up Terry’s hand and checked her pulse. “Her heart beat’s a little weak. I need to get these wounds treated and stop the bleeding wherever it is occurring.” Mrs. Sanchez took out the kit she had brought with her. She opened it up and took out some thick cloths. She gestured with her hand. “Bring me a bucket of warm water! These wounds need to be cleaned!”

Penny was the one who took action first. She rushed into the kitchen. She opened up the sink cabinet and pulled out the large grey bucket she’s seen Mrs. Tabootie use when mopping the floor. She filled the bucket with warm water. Once the water was about half way up, she went into the living room where her mother was waiting. She set the bucket down next to her.

Mrs. Sanchez gave her a quick smile of thanks before she went to work treating Terry’s injuries. Putting a cloth into the water and wringing it out until most of the liquid had dripped off, Mrs. Sanchez started to carefully rub it against the cuts that adorned the woman’s body. With each cut she cleaned, she used disinfectant to kill any infection that may have settled in. And after that, with each new cut she took care of, she wrapped bandages around carefully, making sure the wounds were properly covered.

Everyone was quiet while her mom did this. She went through each cut and stab wound that she would find. Every one of them was cleaned. There were so many... Penny couldn’t believe how many there were. The sight of all of them horrified everyone in the room. She knew they were all thinking the same thing. Just how had Terry survived these vicious attacks? Who had done this to her? Would she be okay? How much blood had she lost? As soon as Terry woke up, that’s what they were going to ask her. As soon as she was capable of talking, they’ll ask her what happened. They needed to know. And the sooner, the better.

Soon, her mom was finished. All of Terry’s wounds, even the harder to get to ones, were properly cleaned up to the best of her ability and patched up. Bandages adorned Terry’s body, covering up the wounds she had recieved. Penny winced as she saw how many bandages there were. Terry had so many wounds, it looked like she was dressing up as a mummy for Halloween, which she knew just wasn’t the case. And she knew that, even though the wounds were treated, Terry might still be in trouble. They had no idea if she had any internal wounds or not, or if she had any poison or infection running through her body.

Her mom closed the kit and turned to face everyone in the room. “I’ve done what I can to help her. But we need to get her to the hospital and make sure nothing else happened to her.”

Reggie spoke up at this. His voice was laced with guilt. “I...I wanted to take her to the hospital. I tried to, but she insisted on coming here.”

Mrs. Sanchez turned to look at the teenaged boy. Her eyes were wide with shock. “She wanted to come here?”

Reggie nodded his head. “Practically demanded it, actually. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.” He looked down at her prone form. “I don’t know why it couldn’t have waited. If she had been taken to the hospital, she wouldn’t be this bad off.”

“Don’t worry about. You did what you could.” Mrs. Tabootie said quietly. Her eyes focused on the still form on the couch that was Terry. “At least she’s getting help now.”

“I wonder why she wanted to come here, though.” Mr. Tabootie wondered. “Perhaps she has important information for us?”

“That could be. We’ll have to wait until she wakes up before we can find out.” Mrs. Sanchez said. She took a few steps towards Rudy’s parents. “I need to discuss something with you.” She turned her head and gave a quick glance to Reggie. “We can’t discuss it in front of the teens. Let’s go up to your bedroom.”

“Okay.” Mr. Tabootie said, nodding his head. He turned to Penny and Reggie. “We’ll be back, you two! Keep an eye on Terry for us, will you?”

“If she wakes up, let us know! Oh and make sure she doesn’t try to walk out of the house in her condition!” Mrs. Tabootie added.

“Okay, will do!” Penny said as she watched her mother and Rudy’s parents walk up the steps. She waited until they were all the way up the stairs and she heard the door close before she turned her attention to Reggie.

She winced when she saw the look in his eyes. A knowing smile... Not one that was genuinely evil. Not one that told her that he was going to do a lot of horrible things. Just a simple smile that was delivering the message ‘yes I know’. And nothing more. The smile still creeped her out nonetheless. She wished Terry would wake up soon so she could avoid a converstation with Reggie. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to him. She had no idea what to expect from him.

Yet she knew she couldn’t run from this. She had nowhere to hide. Reggie knew about ChalkZone, and she would have to accept that. And perhaps it wasn’t as bad as she thought. She realized, thinking back, if Reggie had known this entire time, he had never once said anything about it to anyone. Was it because he, somehow, knew the dangers of exposing ChalkZone? Or was it because no one would believe him? Whatever the reason, evidence seemed to point in the direction of Reggie not saying a word. After all, if he did say something, she would have found out by now...wouldn’t she?

The silence was uncomfortable. She didn’t like being in the same room as Reggie right now, alone. The boy never stopped smiling at her. He never stopped creeping her out, even if that wasn’t really his intention. He looked like he wanted her to speak up, to say something to him. But what could she say? She kept glancing at Terry, trying to get her mind off the fact that Reggie was in here with them. She wanted Terry to open her eyes. She wanted to have a conversation with her, so she wouldn’t have to speak to Reggie.

But she realized that would have been quite selfish. Terry had been badly wounded. She couldn’t just use her like that, to avoid a conversation with Reggie. That would be rude and thoughtless. And it was not like her to deliberately ignore someone who clearly wanted to talk to her. Deep down, she knew she had to speak to Reggie about this. They had to talk things through. Maybe Reggie wasn’t going to do anything bad to ChalkZone. Maybe he wasn’t going to become another ChalkZone enemy. She would never find out if she just hung back and tried to avoid chatting with him. Things won’t get better until she spoke.

She took in a deep breath. She made her decision. She had to speak to him. She had to get this over with. She turned her head and faced Reggie. The boy shifted himself, crossing one leg over the other. He interlocked his fingers and leaned forward. He definitely looked prepared to talk. Penny knew there was no backing down. They had to speak, and now was the best time to do that.

“So....you know...?” Penny finally asked, her voice barely audible.

The smile on Reggie’s face disappeared, replaced with a more serious expression. He gave a slow nod of the head. “Yes, I do.” He leaned forward a tiny bit more. He looked towards the ground. “I’ve known for quite some time. Ever since I found that red chalk....” Penny winced at this, recalling the incident as described to her by Penny and Snap. “I do apologize for taking so long to confront you about it.”

Reggie had known that long? Ever since he got the red chalk? But that was when he was ten years old. Did this mean that, for eight years, he knew about ChalkZone but never said a word about it? Penny wasn’t sure if she should feel amazed that he knew this long but never told anyone, or horrified that he had been harboring this secret this whole time, and yet pretended like he didn’t know anything.

The whole thing was quite unnerving. She and Rudy always thought Reggie wasn’t too bright. By no means that stupid or anything. But not exactly the most intelligent either. The fact that he had acted in such a convincing way... Penny couldn’t stop the shudder from going through her body. This was quite an uncomfortable discovery and she couldn’t believe she had no clue about this until now. Reggie...had outwitted them all. He had fooled them with a very convincing act. And they never found out until years later, until now, when he decided to break his vow of silence regarding the incident and speak to them about it.

What were his intentions? What did he plan to do with ChalkZone? What was going to happen? These thoughts swam through Penny’s mind. She felt even more uncomfortable in the living room with Reggie than before. A part of her wanted to go away, to stop this conversation right now, but the other knew she had to go through with it. She had to figure out what Reggie wanted, and what he planned on doing. Maybe she could convince him to remain quiet about ChalkZone. Maybe she could convince him to see reason.

Soon, pushing herself to speak, Penny broke the silence. “What..what do you want to know about...ChalkZone...?” She stared at Reggie, her eyes wide with worry. “You’re not...” She shook her head slowly. “...you’re not going to tell anyone...are you?”

Reggie stared at her blankly for a few seconds. Then he tilted his head a little to the right. “That would depend...” Penny felt her heart clench at this. “What can you tell me about ChalkZone? Can you give me a good reason not to say anything about it?” He got up and made his way over to Penny. Once he reached her, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’ll make you a deal, Penny. If you can tell me what I want to know about ChalkZone and in the process, convince me why it’s not a good idea to say anything about it, then sure... I can keep a secret...”

“And what if I don’t convince you...?” Penny asked, biting her lip nervously.

Reggie leaned in close, narrowing his brown eyes into slits. Penny was uncomfortable with how close he was getting to her. “Then I see no reason why I can’t just tell my dad about the place.”

“Your dad wouldn’t believe you.” Penny said quickly.

Reggie just smiled at her. “Do you really want to take that chance, Penny?” Penny couldn’t say anything. She gulped and leaned back away from Reggie. His grip on her tightened. “Now...” He pulled her close, a little rough, and his breath hit against her face, making her turn her head to the side. “...talk...”

Penny stared at Reggie in horror. From the way he spoke, it really did sound like a threat. It didn’t help that the way he was looking at her was so...unnerving. She wasn’t sure if he was just saying this stuff to make her speak, or if he would really follow through with the threat. She knew she couldn’t chance it. She couldn’t just keep quiet about it. Seeing no alternative, Penny did the only thing she knew she could do.

She would have to tell him the truth.

“...all right then...” Penny said, her voice somewhat defeated. “Let me go, and I will tell you the whole story.”

“A quick version. I don’t want to sit here for hours.” Reggie said sternly.

“I’ll try to condense it down.” Penny did her best to ignore Reggie’s rude comment. Slowly, Reggie released her and moved back, giving her some space. Penny cleared her throat. She faced Reggie and took in a deep breath. Well, here goes nothing... “Okay, Reggie. You want to know about ChalkZone. I’ll you about it. I’ll start from the beginning...”

sss

Rudy leaned back in the chair. He looked down at his arm. An IV was stuck in it. He could seel the cool liquid being pumped into his body. It was almost finished. Just a few more minutes, and he could be off the machine.

He didn’t really like taking the IVs. He didn’t like having his skin constantly prodded and poked. But he understood the need for it. He couldn’t eat or drink much of anything without being in pain. He needed the IVs to keep him alive for the time being. Although he would love to eat and drink something through his mouth, to taste something, for now, he would have to deal with the IVs. If it weren’t for these IVs, he would have dehydrated days ago. They were keeping him alive. He couldn’t argue with that.

Dr. Raiden was going to come back and get him soon. He had to leave to do something. He never specificed what it was, but knowing him, since he is a doctor, it was probably just to speak with the other doctors or to check his charts to make sure nothing else was going wrong. Rudy was grateful for the doctors’ help here. Dr. Raiden especially had been helpful. He had helped hook him up to the IV machine, which Rudy wouldn’t have been able to do on his own. Rudy wanted to talk to Dr. Raiden a little more regarding his condition. He wanted to know if the cheetah found anything else. He would talk to him first chance he got.

Rudy looked at the IV bag hanging by him. The liquid was almost all the way down. Pretty soon, Dr. Raiden should be returning to unhook him from the machine. He found it was always best to wait. Removing the IVs on his own, with how long the needles were, wasn’t easy on his own, and he would rather have one of the doctors remove it.

As he waited for Dr. Raiden or some other doctor to come in to unhook him, his mind went to Barney and Mumbo Jumbo. He was still shaken up by what he had discovered. The chartreuse chalk had actually been hurting him this whole time... If he had known that before, then he wouldn’t have... It was too late for that now. He couldn’t really be that angry at Barney for not saying anything. Jenny would have followed through with her threat. He was certain of that. Rudy couldn’t force Barney to turn his back on his old friend. He understood why he agreed to her little ‘deal’.

If he was mad at anyone, it was himself. He should have been more vigilant. He should have been suspicious of the green chalk when he first experienced that horrible pain. He should have questioned it and tried to find out more about it. But he and his friends and family...none of them suspected the green chalk was causing him any problems. Now it was too late to go against that. The green chalk already did enough damage. If he removed it now, he would still suffer from the pain. It might even get worse.

And all these internal injuries he now had... All healed with chalk... The second he stepped into the real world, he was going to be in absolute agony. He may collapse on the ground, lose consciousness, because of the pain. His body would fight what it percieves as an infection. His wounds would start to reopen. He would have no idea if it would be a close process or a quick one. He just knew that the pain was going to be excruciating.

After the IV fluids were finished, Rudy knew what he was going to do next. He was going to go back down to Barney and Mumbo Jumbo’s room and talk to them more. They might know more about this disease. They might know the cure. They might know at least something that would be beneficial to him. Maybe they might even know some way to go up against the black chalk users. They needed help now more than ever. And these two just might be able to provide the information they needed.

He hoped Barney would understand why he’d want to ask him so many questions. He knows Barney isn’t comfortable with constant questions. It wasn’t just the fact that he had been annoyed by so many zoners. But his encounters with Bardot hadn’t been so pleasant, and Bardot came to him for information. Rudy would have to be careful with how he asked the questions, and try to be cautious with him. He needed to be gentle with Barney and not scare him.

Poor zoner was still scarred from the Bardot incident. Rudy hoped that he would be able to conquer that fear at some point. He didn’t expect anytime soon. But he did hope that, one day, Barney can hear Bardot’s name and not freeze up in horror. Bardot can’t hurt him anymore, and even if he did escape the Fire Zone, Bardot was genuinely afraid of King Mumbo Jumbo. After what the tortoise did to him, there was no way Bardot would want to come within three feet of Barney.

Suddenly, Rudy was violently ripped from his thoughts when there was a sudden, loud explosion that rattled the building. The lights flickered rapidly. Rudy let out a cry of surprise, ripping his seat tightly. The building shook for a few seconds and then settled down. His heart beating against his chest, Rudy looked around slowly. Then, seconds later, there was another explosion, and the building shook violently underneath him. The lights in his room suddenly went out.

Then he heard the sound of zoners screaming and shouting. Some were patients, others doctors. He couldn’t make out much of anything except phrases like ‘we’re under attack’ and ‘help us’. A third explosion threw Rudy from his chair. The IV ripped out of him. He let out a yelp of pain and clutched his harm. He looked at it, noting the blood that started to flow through. He grabbed a piece of cloth and pressed it against his arm, trying to stop the bleeding. He got up to his feet, his body a little sore, some of his wounds aggitated from the fall. He looked all around.

He could smell smoke. A part of the hospital must be on fire. His heart clenched. Just how had attacked the hospital? Was it the black chalk users? It couldn’t have been the Luminos...could it? No, it couldn’t have been. Dr. Raiden had told him they wouldn’t attack unless they knew where they could without harming too many zoners. That would require an inside job, and Dr. Raiden hadn’t notced any spies anywhere in the building. But then...what if he was wrong...and...?

Rudy tried not to think about it. Right now, he had to get out of here. He moved towards the door and opened it up. It was a little stuck, so he had to be a little more forceful. He slammed his body against the door, ignoring the pain he was in. He managed to get it open, knocking the door against the wall. He took a few steps out into the hallway and he immediately could tell something terrible went down.

Smoke filled the hallways. They entered his nostrils and he could smell burned brick. He coughed violently, covering his mouth and trying his best not to breathe in the smoke. There was a sudden fourth explosion that nearly knocked him to his feet. He could hear panicked cries from doctors and patients all around him. He needed to help these patients in whatever way he could. But the hallway was so thick with smoke, he couldn’t see where he was going, and he couldn’t tell what direction to go in.

With yet another explosion causing the building to shake violently, Rudy was thrust against the wall. He let out a cry of pain as his injured shoulder smashed against the wall. He let out a cry of pain and froze there, his body trembling from the pain as he clutched his shoulder. Gritting his teeth, he looked around, his right eye wide, as he tried to find a way out of here. But he couldn’t see anything, and the attackers...what if they could? How could he defend himself, or anyone, against them?

Rudy walked down the hallway further, trying to figure out which way was which. Debris had fall everywhere. Many rooms were blocked by pieces of the building that had cracked and fallen from the explosions. He could smell more smoke the further he went down. His blood froze as he realized there must be multiple fires started in this place. With no power, the sprinkler system wasn’t on, and the fires won’t be put out. On top of that, the emergency lines that would automatically send information to the fire department...they weren’t going to get the signal that this place needed help. Rudy had to do something...and fast...

Suddenly, when Rudy made a turn down onto another hallway that he could just barely see, he slammed into someone tall and furry. He rubbed his head and looked to see who it was. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Dr. Raiden.

“Rudy?!” Dr. Raiden cried out, his eyes wide with concern. He immediately moved over to Rudy and looked him over. “Are you okay? The explosions...”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Rudy said. He rubbed his shoulder gently. “A little banged up, but no new injuries.” He heard another explosion, this one more faint than the other one. He had no idea if it was from a weaker explosion or one that was further away. Rudy looked left and right as he heard more parts of the hospital start to crumble. “What’s going on here? What’s happening?”

“The hospital is under attack.” Dr. Raiden said. He cast a worried glance down the hallway. “We didn’t see who the attackers were, but we’re suspecting it was the black chalk artists.”

“I had my thoughts it was them.” Rudy said. His voice was slightly embittered. “Only they would be cruel enough to do something like this...”

Dr. Raiden nodded his head. He then grabbed onto Rudy’s hand and started to move down the hallway. “Come on... I know a secret passage we can use to get out of here.”

“But...” Rudy stopped himself. Dr. Raiden paused and looked at him. “Shouldn’t we try to help the other patients? They’re in trouble. I..I need to help them!”

Dr. Raiden shook his head. “I’m sorry, but all the passages down there are blocked. You won’t be able to get to them.” Rudy was about to bring up the magic chalk, but Dr. Raiden seemed to read his mind. “Yes I know you have the magic chalk. But it is imperative we get you out of here before the black chalk artists show up! Once we are outside, then you help the other patients!”

Rudy was still reluctant to go. He cast a worried glance down the hallway. He could hear the screams of the other patients, calling for help. He couldn’t leave them like this, could he? He looked back at Dr. Raiden, giving him a pleading expression. “Please...I have to help them...”

“They will be fine! Trust me! The other doctors are working on getting them out!” Dr. Raiden said to him, his voice raised a little. “Now let’s get out of here!”

“But...” Rudy started to say.

Dr. Raiden put his face close to his. His eyes narrowed. Rudy froze, seeing how intense those golden eyes were. “Trust me..” Dr. Raiden’s voice came, filled to the brim with confidence. Rudy could practically feel the confidence pour from every word the cheetah spoke. “They will be fine... Now come along with me. I don’t know how long the passageways will remain open.”

Seeing no choice, Rudy nodded his head. “Okay...” With that, he followed Dr. Raiden.

The cheetah, still holding onto his hand, took Rudy down the hallway. They moved at a relatively brisk pace. The building shook a few more times, but thankfully, the explosions stopped and he didn’t have to worry about falling down anymore. It was still difficult to see. His right eye could barely focus with all the smoke filling up the room. He was glad that Dr. Raiden was helping him. Being a cheetah and having whiskers, he could navigate the hallways no problem, despite it being filled up with smoke.

Soon, they reached a door at the end of the hallway. Rudy could tell it was the staircase. The sign for it was just barely visible in front of his face. Dr. Raiden opened it up and they stepped in. Rudy let out a sigh of relief when he found that the staircase was clear of any smoke. He took in a few breaths, happy to breathe in something that wasn’t dusty or dirty. By this point, Dr. Raiden did let go of his arm, no longer seeing the point of holding onto him when he could see himself now. The two of them raced down the staircase.

They didn’t stop going down the steps until they reached the basement of the hospital. Rudy had never been down here before. The place was a little dank, but otherwise was mostly clean. He noticed that Dr. Raiden wasn’t running anymore, so they must be in a secure place of the hospital. Rudy winced as he heard more explosions above him and the faint cries of patients all around. Dr. Raiden’s ears would twitch and fold back in response to these sounds, and Rudy could tell, from his expression, he was worried as well.

They walked for about five minutes through this underground section. The lighting was somewhat poor, like no one had bothered to change the lightbulbs here for sometime. A few of them flickered, either in response to the explosions or they just plain needed to be changed. Rudy realized that the presence of the lights being on meant that the hospital must have some kind of backup generator. He wondered why it hadn’t kicked on, or if it had just turned on itself. He decided to ask Dr. Raiden.

“Is there a backup generator down here?” Rudy asked.

Dr. Raiden looked at him for a few seconds before looking away. “Yes, but it’s not fully functional. It has some problems.”

“I thought so... It is strange that just the basement appears to be lit...” Rudy said softly as he continued to follow close behind Dr. Raiden. “Maybe I could fix it for you guys after....”

Dr. Raiden suddenly raised his gloved paw. “Shhh!” He said in a somewhat harsh voice. “The black chalk artists might still come down this way. Be quiet and follow me... We’re close to that secret tunnel I told you about...”

Rudy nodded his head in agreement. He moved along behind Dr. Raiden. He took his time to look around the place as they went down. Unlike the top portions of the building, this place looked like it was made with old wood. Still mostly clean, but it looked a lot older than the rest of the building. Some kind of strange smell filled his nostrils and he snorted. This place didn’t smell as clean as he thought it was. He wondered just how often this part of the hospital was even used.

They continued walking down the hallway. The smell grew a little stronger, then weaker, then stronger. It confused Rudy, and he tried not to pay much attention to it. At least the place remained decently it the further they went down. If it had gotten gradually darker, he would have drawn some kind of flashlight. A few times, they did make a turn, taking them down a new hallway. They walked for sometime. Rudy had no idea where this secret passageway was, but if it required having to go through hallways a certain way, he could see how no one would be able to find this secret passage.

Just then, Dr. Raiden raised his paw. He looked over at Rudy, giving him a quick glance. “We’re here.”

Rudy noticed they had stopped in front of a large door. It was a little dirty, and it blended in well with the walls. If Dr. Raiden hadn’t pointed it out, he would have walked right by here. This door was so well hidden... He would have just thought it was part of the wall itself. Dr. Raiden dusted off a raised part of the wall next to the door. Rudy quickly saw it was some kind of keypad. It seemed almost out of place in this wooden section of the hospital. He heard beeps as the doctor crunched in a number, and a loud screech as the door opened up.

The two of them walked in. Rudy had to pause and take a look around the place. It was unlike anything he had seen before. The way this room was constructed...part of it seemed to be part of the hospital itself. But other parts stuck out like a sore thumb. It was almost like this section of the hospital needed repairs, and to do so, they brought in parts from another city and stuck it in here, with no rhyme or reason. It was like a meld of two places at once.

Rudy wondered why this room was like this. He would have stood there and tried to sort things out in his head, but he felt a tug on his arm and he knew Dr. Raiden wanted to get going. He couldn’t blame him. Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek... If they were indeed the ones responsible for the attack, then it wouldn’t take them long to come searching down here for him. They had to get out of here as soon as possible. Then they could think of a counterattack and fight back, drive them out of the hospital.

They walked through the large, somewhat rounded room, until they got near what looked like another door. This one appeared to be much smaller. It probably led to that underground passage Dr. Raiden told him about, or it could be a secret exit. Dr. Raiden moved up to it and started to push the buttons. There was a beep, but it was different than the others he’s heard. It was weaker, and more jittery. Dr. Raiden’s face furrowed with concern. He tried the combination again, and still the doors would not open.

“That’s strange...” Dr. Raiden said softly.

“What is it?” Rudy asked as he moved closer to him. “Why won’t it open?”

Dr. Raiden shook his head. “I don’t know...” His eyes widened a little with worry. “I wonder if it’s because it’s so old the circuits blew.. This place is hardly used that much.”

That did make sense. It would explain why this place didn’t look as clean as the rest of the hospital, why it looked a little dirty. It could be that this place is only really visited by very few people, and they might not see a reason to keep the circuitry working one hundred percent, especially if they don’t use the tunnel behind that door.

Rudy got out his magic chalk. “I can help get us out of this.” He offered. “If you don’t mind.”

Dr. Raiden shook his head. He motioned with his gloved paw. “I don’t mind at all.. Go on.”

Rudy moved in front of the doctor. He held up his magic chalk and stared intently at the door. He tried to figure out exactly how he was going to do this. He needed to decide what course of action to take. He could try to repair the door, or just draw a circle. Both had problems. Repairing the door would take a little while, thus leaving them vulnerable to the black chalk artists. Making a hole would be faster, but he had no erasers with him, and even if he did cover up the hole, there may still be a mark that would tell the black chalk artists he did come down this way.

Rudy ultimately decided drawing the hole was still the best choice he could make at the moment. He raised up his magic chalk. He brought it over to the door. He could hear more explosions...more loud screams... He had to hurry. He and Dr. Raiden didn’t have that much time to get out. Slowly, he began to draw a circle on the door.

Suddenly, without warning, there was a horrific pain in his shoulder, the one that was injured by that dog zoner. Rudy’s body straightened up, stiffening, as a shockwave of pain swept through his body. He let out a bloodcurdling scream, his eyes shut tightly and tears pouring from his eyes. Then he dropped down onto his knees. He clutched his shoulder tightly, whimpering in pain. He dropped his magic chalk and it rolled out of the way. What...what happened...? And what...was he feeling...?

Slowly, Rudy removed his hand from his shoulder. His right eye widened in horror when his hand was caked with blood. He looked down at his shoulder. It was bleeding... He could feel the hot blood dripping down his shoulder, stinging pain radiating off of his shoulder. Confusion and fear swept through his mind. How had this happened? Slowly, he turned his head and looked at Dr. Raiden with his right eye.

Dr. Raiden stood there with his right paw raised. Rudy took quick notice that his glove on that hand was off. There was something on his hand. Something that seemed a little strange. Rudy’s right eye widened a little when he saw it was blood... His blood... And the finger the blood was caked on... It was not like Dr. Raiden’s other fingers. This finger was a little thinner, a little longer, and was clearly made of...metal... Rudy’s right eye widened further as the words echoed in his head. What Penny told him about Mr. Wilter’s warning...

“Mr. Wilter told us be wary of this metal finger zoner guy. He is not to be trusted.”

Rudy stared at Dr. Raiden. At first, the cheetah zoner did nothing but stood there. But, as if to confirm what was swimming through Rudy’s mind, the zoner slowly smiled, his eyes narrowing as his golden eyes focused intently on him. As soon as Dr. Raiden gave him that look, it felt like a lightning bolt flashed in the back of his head. A cold realization swept through his body, making him tremble.

“Y-You’re...” Rudy stammered as he attempted to climb up to his feet. “You’re that...” Dr. Raiden tilted his head to the side, his smile broadening, sending more ice through Rudy’s blood as his mind tried to come to grips with what was happening. “You’re the metal finger zoner... The one that works for the Luminos...”

An uncomfortable pause. Then Dr. Raiden spoke, this time, his voice devoid of any concern or kindness he had displayed before. “Congratulations...” Dr. Raiden took a few steps towards Rudy. He glanced over at the blood covered metal digit. He took out a piece of cloth and wiped off the blood. “Though I thought you would have figured it out sooner.” He lowered himself and reached out and grabbed Rudy’s chin. “How do you think the Luminos knew where you would be that night? With your friend, Snap?”

Rudy’s right eye filled with horror at this. He didn’t answer as the realization pulled at the back of his head. Dr. Raiden smiled at his lack of a response and gave a cold chuckle. The cheetah zoner folded his arms behind his back and began to pace around him, much like a vulture waiting on dead prey. Rudy watched him warily, his breathing shaking, his heart pounding.

“And I am certain you must know I was responsible for your nightmare that one time, right?” Dr. Raiden asked, his voice chilling the air all around them. “Did you think it was from the fever? No..I put something in your IVs... No reason, just to mess with you.” Rudy couldn’t answer. He was too frozen in shock to speak up. Dr. Raiden went on. “And this attack on the hospital, I take it you now know it wasn’t the black chalk users....” He stared at Rudy, his smile broadening slightly. “All part of the plan...”

“You...” Rudy started to say. He winced from the pain in his shoulder. Just what had Dr. Raiden done to him? It felt like his shoulder was being sawed apart.

“You see, I had to make sure you stayed at the hospital until I could make my move. I had to make you believe the hospital was safe for you...” Dr. Raiden continued to circle Rudy. His tail flicked from side to side like a cat ready to pounce. “And you fell for my little lies.” His golden eyes widened slightly, a nasty grin spreading across his face. “You actually believed I cared about you. All of you believed me. My acting was flawless, don’t you think?” He made a gesture with his paw.

Rudy’s body trembled a little harder. He managed to climb up to his feet, but he didn’t try to run. Slowly, his eyes narrowed. “I’ll..I’ll stop you...”

“Oh contrare, filthy creator..” Dr. Raiden said. Rudy winced as he heard this doctor, the same one he thought had been helping him, speak to him in such a derogatory manner. “You will not be going anywhere.” He raised up his paw and snapped his finger.

All of a sudden, Rudy found himself surrounded by electrified water bars. He realized, in horror, that he had been standing right on the outline of such a cell. He realized, too late, that the structure of this spot was the same as what Mr. Cosmo had in his own hideout. Rudy looked all around him, his breathing quickening. Electricity danced menacingly along the bars. The crackling sound reminded Rudy of just how lethal it would be for him to try to get out of here, especially when he didn’t have the magic chalk.

“You are going to remain here for a while.” Dr. Raiden said. He walked up to the electrified water bars. He stared down at Rudy, his teeth exposed in the nastiest grin Rudy had ever been on the recieving end of. “My comrades will come down here and pick you up. They will be here shortly.”

Rudy narrowed his right eye and bared his teeth. He wasn’t going down without a fight. “I’ll fight back! I will make you pay for this! You lying snake!” Rudy was silenced when Dr. Raiden pointed his metal finger at him and it shot forward, becoming long and thin. Rudy moved his head back as the sharp tip of the extended claw nearly hit him in his right eye.”

“If I were you, I’d hold my tongue.” Dr. Raiden said, his eyes narrowed dangerously. After a few seconds, he pulled his digit back, returning it to its original size. “Oh, and just to make sure that you don’t try to escape...” He gave Rudy a sideways glance, a sneer on his face and golden eye brimming with evil insanity. “I poisoned your IVs.”

“You what...?” Rudy cried in horror.

Dr. Raiden waved his paw dismissively. “Oh don’t worry. It won’t kill you. It’ll just..render you unconscious for a little while. Enough time for you to be..collected.” He grinned.

Rudy was about to say something when he suddenly felt a whoosh of lightheatededness hit him. He grabbed onto his head, his right eye shutting tightly. A powerful headache took a hold of him. He gritted his teeth, trying to cope with the pain. He opened up his right eye and he watched as Dr. Raiden grinned down at him. Then his vision began to blur and distort.

“I will come back down with my comrades shortly.” Dr. Raiden turned and began to walk away. He paused and turned his head to look back at Rudy. “Sweet dreams, creator...” With that, Dr. Raiden continued to walk away.

Rudy tried to fight against the darkness creeping in the back of his mind. His world began to spin. His stomach churned painfully. His body trembled, strength leaving him rapidly. His heard pounded against his chest as he looked around, desperate to find some way out. The crackling of the electric bars was becoming too loud for him and he had to cover his ears. Soon, he was not able to take it anymore and he found himself on the ground, barely able to hold himself up.

Rudy felt fear fill his mind. He looked around, his right eye wide in terror. “S-Somebody...” He whimpered softly. “H-Help me...” Then he collapsed on the ground, unconsciousness winning the battle as his right eye shut.


	42. An Unexpected Helping Hand

Snap’s mind whirled with many thoughts as he felt the ground beneath him quake. He was able to keep his footing. The shaking wasn’t that bad. But he knew that whatever caused it, it was nothing good. He was quickly proven right when he got close enough to hear what sounded like a loud explosion. Panicked thoughts raced through his head as he bolted off in the direction of the explosion.

He had recently arrived in ChalkZone City, not just ten minutes ago. He was on his way to the hospital to see Rudy. He wanted to know how he was doing, and he wanted to see how his injuries improved. He had been worried about him and he wanted to see how well he was doing in the hospital. Rudy had been beaten up by the black chalk users and assaulted, shortly after, by some Luminos members. He must have suffered multiple new injuries and he must be in a lot more pain.

Snap was grateful for the doctors’ help, especially Dr. Raiden. The cheetah zoner might be stern, but he had been one of the most helpful doctors at the hospital, offering the most aid to Rudy. He was confident that, with that cheetah’s help, Rudy should have made some improvement today. Snap wasn’t expecting a miracle by any means. But he was hoping that Rudy made some kind of improvement, at least compared to how it used to be. Rudy deserved some time to recover after what had happened to him.

But before Snap could even see the hospital, the ground shook. Slightly, but it was still there. And it didn’t take him long to realize it was from explosions. To Snap’s horror, as he continued racing down the street, he realized that some place was being attacked. He couldn’t tell just where yet, though. The sound seemed to come from almost every direction. He had to stop a few times and listen carefully to try to figure out which direction to go next.

At this point, he forgot exactly where he was. His mind was so focused on finding the source of the explosions that he couldn’t tell if he was still headed for the hospital or if he was going off in a new direction. The thoughts running through his mind told him he had to get to where these explosions were, and fast. Someone was in trouble, or more than one person was...maybe a lot. It wasn’t in his nature to leave behind those in need. Rudy was safe in the hospital. Rudy would understand why he didn’t show up if he told him about the attack. Knowing Rudy, as soon as he found out, he’d want to help, in spite of his condition.

Snap raced further down the street and soon he saw movement. Quick, bright and red... He looked over and he could see what appeared to be flames shooting out somewhere. His heart raced as he realized, whatever place was being attacked, it was on fire. He heard another loud explosion and the ground shook. He could hear the cracking of brick, crumbling of rock. It was so close...

Then, as he moved down the street, he caught a glimpse of a sign. He nearly missed it. As soon as he saw it, the blue sigh with a white H written on it, he felt his blood freeze. It took him only seconds to realize what the target was...just what place was being attacked..

..it was the hospital...

Snap’s eyes widened in horror. Oh no...Rudy... He was in trouble... Snap’s heart beat faster as he moved down the street, picking up the pace. He could feel the organ pumping against his chest, fueling his arms and legs as he pushed himself to the limit, in spite of his own pain, and raced towards the hospital. The closer he got, the louder the explosions got, and the more visible the destruction. Soon, he was so close that he could feel the heat of the fire, and he could smell the thick smoke that hung thickly in the air.

Then he heard the screaming. Snap just barely made it onto the parking lot for the hospital when he saw a massive crowd of zoners. They were moving quickly out of the doors. Many of them wore uniforms.. Doctors, and they were helping the more able-bodied patients out of the front door. He then saw movement off to the side. There were large sliding doors, and he saw more zoners come out that way. These patients that were being ushered out were either too injured by the attack to move on their own, or they already were incapable of getting out and needed assistance.

Seconds later, before Snap could take a step forward, loud sirens blared and the blue zoner turned his head to see a fire truck coming over. The zoners hopped out and aimed their hoses at the burning building. Water shot forward and began to bathe the building in water. As this went on, Snap realized that the explosions had stopped completely. He looked around, and he could see dent marks and crumbled pieces from where the explosions had struck. He couldn’t see just who or what had done this. Was it the black chalk users? The Luminos? Some other third factor they hadn’t considered?

Snap didn’t have to wonder for very long. He heard footsteps and he saw that, among the crowd, were Rapsheeba and Blocky. Snap was horrified at first. Had they been hurt? How long had they been here? But when they got closer, he could tell that they weren’t hurt. He let out a sigh of relief. That was definitely welcoming news. But his heart was still clenched. What about these other patients? Were any of these zoners hurt? And what of Rudy? Where was he? Snap’s blood ran cold when he realized he must still be inside...

“Snap!” Blocky called out, waving his arms frantically.

“There’s been an attack!” Rapsheeba shouted, racing along with Blocky towards their blue friend.

Snap said, “Yeah..I suspected as much...” He looked at his two friends, his eyes widening with worry and fear. “What happened here? Did you see what happened?”

Rapsheeba nodded her head. Taking in a few deep, quick breaths, she pointed up towards the building. “You know that Luminos group you told me and Blocky about?” Snap nodded his head slowly. “They were the ones who did this! They came in wearing jet packs, and they started to bomb the building!”

Snap let out a sharp gasp. “What?!” He turned his head to the side, his eyes darting back and forth. “I...I don’t believe it...”

Blocky nodded his head. “It’s true! We saw the whole thing!” Blocky moved closer to Snap. He reached forward and grabbed him by his shoulders. “You’ve got to believe us!”

“I do believe you! I do!” Snap cried as he gently pushed Blocky away. “I just mean that..it’s so hard to believe...” Snap turned his head and looked at the burning building. There was another burning question on his mind. He turned to his two zoner friends. “Where’s Rudy?”

At this, Blocky and Rapsheeba looked at each other. Their expressions became forelorn. They glanced back at Snap. They hung their heads and shook them slowly, raising their shoulders to indicate they had no clue. Snap felt his heart freeze at this, a sickening feeling rising in his stomach. Rudy was in trouble, and they didn’t know if he was even okay or not. He looked back at the building. He couldn’t just stand here. He had to do something. Rudy needed him.

He started to move forward when he felt an arm grab him. He was yanked back roughly. He let out a cry of surprise. At first, he thought it was Rapsheeba or Blocky trying to prevent him from rushing into the burning building. But it instead turned out to be one of the doctors, one that Snap was quite familiar with.

“Dr. Urso?” Snap asked. He glanced down quickly at the bear paw that was wrapped around his arm, keeping him from going any further. He looked back up at the bear. “Let me go. I have to go help Rudy.”

Dr. Urso narrowed his eyes and refused to let go. “No. I can’t allow that. You go in there, and you may get burned alive!” The lion bear zoner tightened his grip. “You must stay out here! We already have zoners at work getting everyone out and to manage the situation. Stay out here!”

Snap yanked back his arm and glared at Dr. Urso. “But my best friend is in there! I can’t just stay here and do nothing!” He turned his head towards the burning hospital. The screams from patients and doctors alike filled his ears, making him shudder. He looked at the zoners rushing out and he could tell Rudy was not among them. He turned back to Dr. Urso. He spoke in a softer voice. “Please... Let me try to help him.”

Dr. Urso stared at him. His glare did slowly disappear, but he did not release Snap. He started to push Snap back, using his hands to usher Blocky and Rapsheeba to follow suit. He kept moving them back until they were on the sidewalk that lead to the hospital. Only then did Dr. Urso release Snap. When the blue zoner attempted to move around him, the lion bear managed to catch him before he got much further.

Snap was getting frustrated. He did know the risk of going into the burning building. He knew that it might be a big mistake to just rush in. But Rudy was in there. He couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. He had to get in there and help him. Rudy might be trapped somewhere, desperate for help. There was no telling if anyone else was with him, and even if there were, if they could even help Rudy. Judging from the bad shape of the hospital, Snap could tell there was a lot of internal damage. Rudy might be blocked off somewhere.

It was imperative he find a way to get in there as soon as possible. He had his doubts Dr. Urso would let him in there. The lion bear zoner seemed intent on keeping him from entering the building. The doctor kept his position in front of them, and looked as though he was prepared to stay there for a long time if need be. He was making it crystal clear, without saying a word, that he was not going to let themp ass.

“I understand your concerns.” Dr. Urso said. He reached over and placed a hand on Snap’s shoulder. “But we are doing what we can to manage the situation. Everyone is being evacuated.”

“And what about Rudy?” Snap asked, his voice tinged with emotion. “What about him?” He made a gesture with his hand to indicate the zoners rushing out of the damaged hospital. “I don’t see him among them! Do you?”

The lion bear zoner shook his head, his ears lowered sadly. “I’m afraid none of them have seen him. He was probably located in one of the least populated sections of the hospital...” His eyes slowly widened. “...the same areas that were attacked...” His voice came low and soft as realization seemed to strike the lion bear zoner.

At this, Snap gasped in horror. “What?!”

Rapsheeba and Blocky rushed over to their friend. They held onto him and attempted to calm him down. Snap’s body trembled with emotion, his eyes widening in horror. He stared at the lion bear zoner, hoping, praying that he didn’t hear right. But when the doctor kept giving that horrified expression, Snap knew that he wasn’t mistaken. Rudy was very likely located in the same spot that the building was attacked in. And if he was that close to the explosions...

No.. Rudy was okay.. He had to be. Snap shook the thought out of his head. He knew Rudy well. He...he would have gotten away. He was a smart human. He had gotten himself out of terrible situations before. Maybe he had seen the attacks coming and gotten away before they did anything. Yeah, maybe Rudy was hiding somewhere outside the building and...

Snap felt his heart freeze when he realized that couldn’t be the case. Rudy did have the magic chalk, but he did not have psychic powers. If his room was the one attacked first, he would not have had time to draw a defense before it was too late. Even if he did manage to get away, the other problem laid in the fact that...Rudy would have come up to him by now. He wouldn’t just sit around and hide. He would try to find him. Or, another very likely scenario, he would have been trying to help the doctors. The only way he wouldn’t do this is if he...was not able to...

Snap felt tears form in his eyes as the possibility of Rudy being badly hurt or even...killed... hung over his mind. He took in a few shaky breaths, sniffling. He looked at Dr. Urso, noting the lion bear’s forelorn expression, the ears lowered. The doctor said and did nothing that gave him a sense of hope. He looked at his friends. They stared at him sympathetically. Snap turned his head towards the ground. He couldn’t believe it...Rudy couldn’t have...no... No, he refused to believe it. Rudy was okay. He just had to be.

“Please...” Snap asked, trying not to sound so demanding this time. “Let me go in and try to find him... If he was caught in the explosion, I...” He bit his lip. “I have to go find him...”

Dr. Urso shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry, Snap. But no one is allowed back in the building.” In a clear attempt to comfort him, Dr. Urso gave a small, barely noticeable smile and said, “I’m..I’m sure one of the doctors found him by now. They’re doing a full sweep of the building.”

Snap wanted to take comfort in those words, but for some reason, he couldn’t. Even as his zoner friends offered their sympathy, just as worried about Rudy as he was, it did little to remove the painful feeling in his stomach. He couldn’t just stand here and do nothing. He stared at Dr. Urso and slowly, took a few steps back. The doctor had released him at this point and just looked at him sadly, clearly wanting to give him better news but not being able to.

“I’m going into that building.” Snap said, his voice firm. “And you can’t stop me.”

“Snap...please...” Dr. Urso said, reaching his hand towards him. “Don’t do it. You could get hurt.”

“We’ll go with him.” Rapsheeba said. Dr. Urso looked at her in surprise. “He’s our friend, and so is Rudy. We’ll do whatever it takes to help them.”

“Yeah. We’ll make sure they both get out safe and sound!” Blocky said, offering the best determined smile that he could.

Snap smiled at his friends. He was glad to have their support. He knew he could rely on them for help. With their help, they would find Rudy and get him out for sure. They would be able to do it. They worked well as a team when Bardot kidnapped Rudy and Penny, forcing them to play his ‘games’. He knew, with them by his side, Rudy would be safe. They’d find him and get him out.

Dr. Urso didn’t say a word. He stared at the trio, sucking on his lip. He looked very uncertain. It was clear he didn’t want them going wandering in the burning building. Snap could understand why. It was a dangerous move, and they didn’t know if the Luminos were still there or not. Some of them may have gotten into the building. They could be wreaking havoc now. Still, Snap knew something had to be done. Rudy was in danger..he could sense it... They had to save him.

The doctor opened up his mouth to speak, but there was a shout from behind them. The group turned their heads to see another doctor rushing towards them. This doctor was humanoid in appearance and was a little shorter than Dr. Urso. The humanoid doctor was covered in burnt marks and a few cuts, suggesting that he had just escaped the burning building.

“Dr. Varrick?!” Dr. Urso cried in shock. He looked at the doctor up and down when he got close enough. “What...what happened...?”

Dr. Varrick coughed a few times, wiping his mouth. “Barely..escaped... Hallways collapsing..” He breathed in quickly, his chest inflating and deflating at a rapid pace. “So...close... Almost..didn’t make...it...”

Snap was horrified by this. He could hear gasps coming from his friends. This doctor just confirmed what Snap suspected all along. There was collapses going on inside the building. Rudy..he was in big trouble.. He had to help him... He had to go in there and help him...

Dr. Urso almost seemed to read Snap’s mind. His attention on the humanoid zoner, he said, “Did you happen to see anyone else coming out of the building? Did you see the Great Creator at all?” The humanoid zoner stared at him. Dr. Urso pressed on. “He was in the hospital too! Did you see him or anyone else?”

When Dr. Urso asked that question, Snap felt his head turn in the direction of the humanoid zoner. So did Rapsheeba and Blocky. If this doctor knew anything...anything at all.. They needed to hear it. This doctor would, if he knew anything, provide important information that they could use to get Rudy out of there. Snap hoped that this zoner knew something, anything, even if it was just something minor.

“Yes...I did.” Dr. Varrick said.

At those words, Snap felt a strong sense of elation sweep through him. He took a few steps towards the doctor. “You did? Where is he? How is he?” He asked, his voice filled with emotion, his talking pace a little faster than usual. “Please tell me what you know!”

“Well, I could barely see, but I did notice that he was with Dr. Raiden.” The humanoid doctor said. Snap gave a sigh of relief. At least Rudy was with someone who could help him. “They were headed down the east corridor.”

At this, Dr. Urso gave a gasp of shock. This filled the air with tension. Snap didn’t like the sound of that. As if to confirm, Dr. Urso said in a soft voice, “The east corridor...? Why would they head off in that direction?”

“I guess it was the nearest one?” Dr. Varrick suggested.

Dr. Urso shook his head. “No... From where Rudy should have been, the nearest one would have been the northern corridor. That would have led them out here.” He made a sweeping motion with his paw to indicate the large gathering of zoners in front of the building. He looked at Dr. Varrick in the eyes and said, “You are certain they went down the east corridor?”

“Affirmative. It looked like they were headed towards the staircase there.” Dr. Varrick said. “Maybe they were going to a different exit?”

The lion bear put a hand on his head and took a few steps back. Horror swept through his face, becoming clear as day. Fear welled up inside of Snap. He really didn’t like where this was going. What was going on?

“Dr. Urso...?” Blocky asked hesitantly.

“What..what’s wrong?” Rapsheeba’s voice was shaky.

Dr. Varrick furrowed his eyebrows with concern. “Yeah...what’s wrong?”

“The stairs at the end of the eastern corridor...” Dr. Urso said. He stared at the group with wide eyes. “They’re off limits... They had been for years...” He looked left and right, panic seeming to overtake the lion bear zoner. “But...but... Dr. Raiden should have known that...” He looked back at the group. A mixture of horror and confusion practically radiated off his eyes. “Why would he take Rudy down that way? He should have known... He knows the procedure.. He knows that place is off limits.. He knows that the northern corridor was their fastest way out. Why would he...?”

Horror and dread filled the group of five zoners. Ice shot through ther veins, the horrific realization sweeping through their minds. There was only one reason they could think of...one reason why Dr. Raiden would deliberately go the wrong way. They looked at each other uneasily.

“Snap...” Rapsheeba breathed. “You...you don’t think...?”

Snap’s body trembled. Was...was Dr. Raiden a...traitor? Had he been an enemy this whole time? Snap’s mind flashed to when Dr. Raiden spoke to him so sternly about the hospital being safe. Why hadn’t he caught it sooner? Dr. Raiden was being a little too forceful..like he wanted Rudy to stay so he could... Oh no... Snap couldn’t believe it. And just how did the Luminos know where Rudy was? They could have found out on their own but...what if Dr. Raiden told them...?

Another flash entered his head as he recalled the incident with Mr. Wilter. He had been warning them about a zoner with a metal finger. He had no idea if Dr. Raiden was the zoner, but he recalled how Wilter stopped speaking almost as soon as Dr. Raiden showed up.. He and Penny dismissed it as him needed to go somewhere else quickly. But..but what if Wilter left...because he knew Dr. Raiden was a bad guy somehow...and he hadn’t been able to warn them because Dr. Raiden would have done something awful if he had...?

Snap felt his body shake harder as the horrific realization tugged at his mind. Dread, horror, and anger welled up inside of him. They had...they had trusted Dr. Raiden... And the idea that he may have been playing them for saps this whole time... It boiled his blood, and filled him with a strong sense of dread. If Dr. Raiden did work for the Luminos, and Rudy was with him... His eyes widened in horror. They needed to get in that building, and they needed to get in there now.

Before Snap could speak, he felt something being pushed into his hand. He looked up and he saw Dr. Urso standing here. Looking at his hands, he saw that the lion bear zoner had given him his ID card. Snap looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

“Take this and go around the back. There should be a small door that will grant you access to the lower part of the hospital. That is where the eastern corridor’s staircase leads to.” Dr. Urso explaiend. “If Dr. Raiden did take Rudy there, you should find them somewhere down there. Just keep quiet and stay out of sight.”

Snap stared at the ID card and then back at Dr. Urso. He gave a small smile and nodded his head. “Thank you...” He turned his attention to his friends. He motioned with his hand. “Come on!” With that, they rushed over towards the back of the hospital.

sss

Reggie sat down and listened intently to Penny’s story. She told him everything, from how Rudy found out about ChalkZone, to many events that happened during the years of them guarding ChalkZone, to what was going on now. She managed to keep it condensed, despite all the information she was telling him.

Some of the incidents, Reggie remembered. He recalled things like a giant frozen...thing, crashing in a dumpster, the time that a drawing that kinda looked like himself just magically appeared out of nowhere, despite Rudy not having a piece of chalk at the time, and he definitely recalled the time when his foot was stuck in the ground and he felt all sorts of weird sensations. He felt a sense of anger well up inside of him when he realized it was that blue boy he encountered years ago, who embarrassed him on the playground.

When he found out he was, what Penny called, a zoner, he wasn’t sure if he should be surprised or not. Reggie hardly ever bought the Greenland story. He just went along with it. Something about the story never added up, but considering his low intelligence, no one would have believed him if he did try to explain. He knew enough that Greenland was far away and that it didn’t make sense that the teacher wouldn’t know about this foreign exchange business. But if he were to bring it up, someone would come up with an explanation, and he himself was not very good at coming up with those on the fly, especially at that young age.

Now that he knew more about this ChalkZone, things did start making more sense. Why Rudy and Penny would disappear out of nowhere, reappear out of nowhere... All those strange events he had noticed... the voice that nearly drove him insane that one time... And among many other things. And now that he knew, he had to decide just where he should go from here. Now that he knew more about this place, this ‘world of chalk’ as he heard Terry and Vinnie call it a few times, it was time for him to decide what he would do with this information.

He did feel bad about forcing Penny into revealing the information he wanted. Blackmail was not exactly the route he wanted to take. Maybe as a kid, but he had matured a lot since then. He was just so desperate for answers, he had to get the information. He wouldn’t have really followed through with his threat, and he did feel bad about scaring Penny like that. He still wasn’t sure what he was going to do, though.

Penny did give him good reason not to reveal it. She explained the disasters that would take hold of ChalkZone if just anyone was allowed in. She reminded him of how unscrupulous some people are, who greedy people can get, and they could use ChalkZone just for mere profit. Such people wouldn’t care about the condition of ChalkZone. Since anything can be drawn, these people may view ChalkZone and zoners that live in it as expendable.

Reggie wasn’t entirely sure, at first, if he should believe the zoners were ‘real’, in a sense. They were just drawing, weren’t they? Sure, they could walk around, speak, whatever else, but if they were drawn to life, didn’t that mean they were just creations and nothing beyond that? Did they really have a sense of individuality? For a while, Reggie really did question the worth of these chalk beings, and whether or not it was worth protecting them.

But then a realization dawned on him. He had interacted with the zoners before, that one time. They seemed to react...realistically. Just like any person in the real world would... They showed kindness, fear, panic... They reacted like they really were in trouble when he started to through garbage around. The panic that they displayed when he was being a jerk, it did feel quite genuine. It didn’t seem like something that was merely ‘programmed’ into them, so to speak.

And that blue kid... Snap his name was... He was walking around in the real world just fine. Even though he was a drawing, he was able to interact with the world around him. He had touched him, grabbed him and threw him in his desk. He felt so real... He really did feel like he was there. And the interactions with him felt genuine. Nothing about that encounter screamed ‘fake’ to him. Snap interacted him like any sentient person would. So perhaps he really was real...

That would explain why Rudy and Penny were so desperate to keep the place a secret. If these zoners were real, were sentient, and any evidence he found supported this claim, then it was understandable why they wouldn’t want anything to happen to them. Reggie himself would be unnerved by the idea of enslaving and entire race. Sure, in his youth, he picked on kids and made them give him their lunches or lunch money, but he would have never gone as far as try to turn them into slaves, especially not to the same degree Penny implied would happen to the zoners.

He made his decision. He could see Penny staring at him, a worried look on her face. She was waiting for him to give his answer. She finished telling her story. She finished her side of this whole thing. Now it was his turn to speak up.

Reggie cleared his throat. “That’s...some story.” He casted his eyes downward. “So that’s where you and Rudy had been slipping off to..”

“Yes.” Penny nodded her head slowly. “We had been protecting it for years...” Her voice trailed off. She bit her lip, her eyes filling with more worry. “And now that you know...what are you going to do?”

Reggie looked up and stared at her. He remained quiet for a few seconds. He could sense the tension in the room rising as he kept quiet. The longer he stayed quiet, the more anxious Penny seemed to get. Then he spoke, “I’m not entirely sure if these zoners are real... It seems like they are, but a part of me..isn’t so sure.” He folded his arms and he narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure if there would really be any irreversable damage if I were to blab anything to my father.”

“No! Please!” Penny cried out. She moved forward and gripped Reggie by his arm. “Please..you can’t let word of this slip out! Please! I...”

Reggie gripped her hand and pushed it off of him. “You didn’t let me finish.” He waited for Penny to move back. He could see her breath is quickening, staring at him in fear. “Like I said, I don’t know if I can completely believe these zoners are sentient, and if it is really as dangerous as you say to expose this world of chalk, but...” He raised a finger before Penny could get another word in. She stared at him expectantly. Reggie remained this way for a few seconds, before he gave a small smile and made a gesture with his hand. “...I’ll give your story the benefit of the doubt. If you don’t want me to tell anyone about this place, then...okay. Your secret’s safe with me.”

Reggie was not prepared for the hug he got after that. As soon as he gave his word he won’t expose ChalkZone, Penny have wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. He froze, unsure of what to do. This was the first time Penny had ever done this to him. Had he really made her this happy when he said he won’t blab anything? ChalkZone must mean a whole lot to her then. Slowly, he hugged her back.

“Thank you...” Penny whispered under her breath. She clung onto Reggie a little tighter. “I cannot tell you how much that means to me...”

“No problem...” Reggie said, somewhat hesitantly. He really wasn’t used to situations like this.

Eventually, Penny let go. She moved back from Reggie, giving him some space. That smile was on her face. Reggie couldn’t help but return it. He could see her open her mouth to speak. He waited to hear what she had to say.

“I...”

But she never got further than that. There was a loud groan that caught the two teens’ attention. They turned their heads over to see Terry shifting on the couch. She let out groans of pain as she pushed herself up, obviously ignoring the pain she was in. Soon she sat up and she rubbed her head. Almost instantly, Penny rushed over to her side.

“Terry!” Penny cried out. She moved next to the injured woman and helped to support her when she nearly fell over. “What happened to you?”

Terry looked at Penny. Reggie noticed how confused she looked. The woman looked all around her, her eyes slowly blinking. It was clear she did not remember where she was or how she got here. She didn’t seem panicked, just confused and a little slow taking everything in. She rubbed her head some more with her free hand, her other arm being held by Penny, supporting her.

Terry did soon seem to regain her memories. Her eyes widened a little and she turned her attention to Penny. She opened up her mouth to speak. At first, she just took in a few breaths, as if she lost a lot of strength, which Reggie did not doubt. Then after that, she spoke, her voice weak and almost thready sounding.

“V-Vinnie... ChalkZone.... has..evidence..” Terry said, her voice quiet and soft.

Penny’s eyes widened. “What..? Are you saying that..Vinnie has evidence of ChalkZone?!”

Terry managed to nod her head once. “Y-Yes... He kidnapped me...tortured me... Got the evidence.. I just..managed to escape now...” She let out a groan of pain, her body stiffening up. Reggie had never seen so much pain reflecting in one person’s eyes before. “He’s..going to show it...on television...news station..”

Penny shot Reggie a terror-filled look. Reggie felt a sense of dread well up in him. He didn’t know why. He wasn’t as devoted to ChalkZone as Penny was. But something about that look she was giving him, the way she looked so panicked... He couldn’t help but feel the same way, too. This reaction alone gave him reason to believe that ChalkZone must be real enogh to warrant such terror at the idea of it getting exposed.k

“When...? Do you know when he’s going to show it..?” Penny asked.

Terry looked around the room. Confusion seemed to overtake her again. Her pain-filled eyes looked left and right. “I..I don’t know... I forget...could be today...tomorrow...” She stared intently at Penny. “Got to..get to Vinnie’s place...he hid the evidence...there somewhere...”

Penny did not hesitate. She got up and turned her attention towards the stairs. She started to make her way towards it. Reggie got in front of her, stopping her. Penny looked at him, confused.

“What should I do?” Reggie asked. Penny stared at him. Reggie pressed on. “I...I would like to help too. I don’t know why..something is compelling me to help. What should I do?”

Penny stood there for a moment. She glanced over at Terry. The woman, by now, had collapsed on her side. Her eyes were closed, but it was clear she was still conscious. Penny furrowed her eyes with concern. She looked back at Reggie.

“You go upstairs and tell my mother and Rudy’s parents about what happened. Tell them what Terry told us. Go with them if you’d like to help more. Help them get that evidence back from Vinnie.” Penny said. She took out her piece of magic chalk and looked at it. Reggie noticed the sparkling and his mouth opened in awe. “I will go into ChalkZone and inform Rudy about the situation. He needs to know about this. Snap, too.”

“Why can’t I go with you in ChalkZone?” Reggie asked.

“Because stopping that evidence from being aired is of top priority. I can go alone in ChalkZone and tell Rudy. But to stop Vinnie, that may require all the help they can get.” Penny said sternly, her eyes narrowed in a way that showed Reggie just how serious the situation was. “Reggie, it is imperative that the evidence that Vinnie has of ChalkZone is never seen on a public scale. Go with them, Reggie. Help them keep that evidence off the air. Okay?”

Reggie paused for a moment. Then he slowly nodded. “Okay..I will try my best.”

“Thank you.” Penny said, giving a quick smile before the two teens took off up the stairs, each with their own destination and mission in mind.


	43. Creators Are Monsters

Ghadir couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction when she walked into Jenny’s basement and saw the whimpering feathered serpent zoner laying on the ground. Quet she believed his name was. That was the name called out when the dog zoner, whom they learned was Hagar, was dragged out. All the while Quet was shouting his name, desperate to try to save his friend. If Ghadir didn’t know better, she’d say that these two were pretty close, which may have been the case.

Hagar had been strapped down and slowly tortured. There wasn’t much of a reason. It wasn’t like the dog zoner had any information they really wanted. Well they did manage to get some interesting facts out of him, such as how they planned on an ambush at the hospital to get Rudy at some point. Hagar was not able to tell them exactly when this would be carried out, but it didn’t matter. Jenny was satisfied enough that their plan was working.

The large woman smirked as she recalled the zoners’ reactions when they found out they had been used. Needless to say, they weren’t very happy. They talked about how no filthy creator can tell them what to do and how they can’t be controlled like some objects. She and her comrades mocked the two, revealing to them that the attacks against them were to get them to respond like this, going after Rudy. The zoners were informed that they did exactly what the black chalk artists wanted all along. Despite their claims otherwise, they really had been used as tools.

Not long after the black chalk artists revealed this to the Luminos zoners, amused by their reactions, Jenny decided to get rid of the dog. Ghadir was happy about this as she wanted to taste the dog zoner. Even though she already ate a sandwich earlier, her craving for chalk was getting stronger, and the dog zoner would satisfy that. So the trio began to kill Hagar, slowly, painfully. His death howls echoed throughout the room as they used scalpels to cut him up until he finally died. Quet had cried out his name during this whole thing, watching it in horror.

Then Ghadir ate Hagar. Not all of him. She got too full for that. But she did enjoy eating portions of him, all the while making sure Quet got a good view of it. The zoner soon got sick, nausaeated by the sight, and threw up in his cage. After Ghadir was finished eating her fill, she, with the help of Jenny and Tyreek, ripped the body apart and stored pieces in containers for later consumption. She went upstairs to put them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh.

Now she had returned. The whole experience clearly traumatized the feathered serpent zoner. He was curled up in a ball, his broken wing laying limply at his side at an odd angle. She could hear the low whimpers emitting from his mouth. She could see the tears flowing down his face. She just smiled at his sobbing, licking her lips as she imagined what he must taste like. She went over towards his cage, all the while the zoner never looked up at her, like he didn’t hear her approach.

She stood in front of his cage. Still he remained in his curled up position. Still he was crying, chalky tears dripping from his eyes. Once in a while, he would move his unbroken wing to readjust himself. But mostly he just laid there. His body trembled with emotion. His teeth were gritted. Ghadir couldn’t tell if it was from emotional pain or physical pain. Probably both, now that she thought of it. She had no doubts the wing hurt him still, and if she was as close to that dog zoner as she thought, then it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to think that he was still mourning his death.

Quet did finally take notice of her. He lifted up his head and as soon as he spotted her, his feathers ruffled up in irritation. He still cried, but now his eyes shined with a different emotion. Ghadir could tell that it was anger. She just smiled as Quet emitted a low growl, his long, thin teeth bared as he lifted up his shaky head off the ground.

“You...what do you want...?” Quet asked, his voice low. “What..what more can you take from me...? You took me from my home. You took my best friend away from me. Tell me, monster... what more can you do?”

Ghadir just smirked, refusing to answer. She paced a little in front of the cage, looking at him up and down. She noted his fluffed up feathers, his eyes glowing a little in anger. Despite his bared teeth, she knew he wasn’t going to try to bite her. With his broken wing and damaged spirit, he didn’t have the guts to do so. He was such a coward without his weapon, without his comrades there to help him. He couldn’t even fly away from her. He was trapped.

Yet here he was, still trying to at least be brave around her. As she paced around the cage, trying to judge which part she wanted to taste first, Quet never took his eyes off of her. Ghadir’s eyes followed the flow of his body, and in her mind, she mentally dissected him, much like the cuts of meat from a cow or pig. She had a feeling Quet knew exactly what he was doing. The more she looked at him like he was food, the angrier he looked, the more defiant he seemed to act. When she heard a low hiss from him, she stopped and stared at him, that same smirk from before still on her face.

“I know you want to eat me... I know you do... So why don’t you? Get it over with.” Quet growled under his breath. “But know this. No matter what you do to me... my comrades will avenge me. We, the Luminos, will free ChalkZone from you wretched creators. It will be safe once more. You’ll see...”

Ghadir’s smile grew twisted at this. “If you say so.” She shrugged her shoulders, acting dismissive of the serpent’s words. “You zoners really do have a knack of keeping hope long after you should have thrown it away.” She looked at her fingers. Noticing a bit of chalk dust from Hagar still on there, she slowly licked her finger. She grinned nastily at Quet and said, “It is really quite amusing how such...expendable things can be so defiant...”

“We’re not expendable!” The serpent raised his unbroken wing in an act of anger. “Every chalk life is precious! You have no right to...!”

Ghadir laughed coldly at this. “No right to what? Let me remind you that if it weren’t for us creators, none of you would exist. We draw you. We give you life.” Quet bared his teeth at this. “So wouldn’t it be fair if you put yourselves to real use and...served us..?” Ghadir scratched her chin thoughtfully for a second. “Yes... That would be most delightful. You things are mostly worthless but...labor..yes.. You are meant to serve us.”

“No! No! No!” Quet shook his head, his ruffled feathers shaking. “You’re wrong! Zoners...we’re not meant to serve the likes of you! We’re meant to be free! Free to make our own lives! We are not bound by a creator, and never should be!” Ghadir remained quiet, listening to the zoner rant a little more. “You creators...are such monsters... Going around, destroying everything...trying to claim what isn’t yours! You...you think that just because you can create, bring things into existance, that you are so much better than us!”

At this, Ghadir took a step forward. She tilted her head slightly to the side. “Oh? And what makes you zoners so special? You are weak compared to us humans.” She began to pace around the cage again. She smiled in amusement at the continued display of anger from Quet. “You melt if you touch almost any liquid in the real world. A bucket of water and that’s it. You cannot create even in your own world. Even in the real world, you can’t do this. A human could take on many zoners at once with creation ability...but what can you zoners do? Hard to fight against what are essentially gods...am I right?”

“You..” Quet growled under his breath.

Ghadir cut him off. “A human life is more precious in comparison to that of a zoner. You zoners live long lives. So long as you stay healthy, you can live forever. Humans do not have that luxury. Each time a human is born, they must wait years to gain knowledge, social skills, what have you. But you zoners are ‘born’ with that instantly. Twenty humans die? Must wait many years to get that number back. Twenty zoners die? Just drew twenty zoners to replace them.”

Ghadir moved in front of the cage. She stood a foot in front of it. She smiled at the growling zoner, clearly amused by the whole thing. Quet was getting angrier by the second. His tears still flowed down his face. She could still hear his sobs, mourning the loss of his dear friend. His body was trembling and he looked like he really did want to attack her. But it wasn’t like he was going to get far. He wouldn’t be able to squeeze his head through the cage.

“So perhaps you should change your tune a little when you try to tell me that zoners are ‘precious’. No, they’re that. You’re all nothing...just pieces of chalk that can move around. Well whoop de doo...” Ghadir twirled her finger a little and her voice was dripping with sarcasm. “You wouldn’t even be here without the help of us creators. You’re trying to drive out the very things that bring life to your pathetic little world. Yet here you are, trying to defend your kind, trying to make it seem like what you do is worth something. Unless you are doing work for your creators, which you should... Then whatever you do is worthless.”

“You’re wrong...” Quet growled. His voice had gotten weaker, and it looked as if her words had shook him up a bit. Being alone and with no support must be starting to take a mental toll on him. Still, he wanted to remain defiant. “The Luminos will show you how wrong you are.. Kill me...but you will never win.”

“Oh no..I don’t plan on killing you.” Ghadir said. Noting Quet’s somewhat confused expression, she continued, “Not yet anyway. We do have plans of capturing more zoners and dragging them here...to satisfy my..craving...” She licked her lips. “I want you to bear witness to the whole thing.” Quet’s eyes widened at this. “Oh yes... Think of it as punishment... Even after I kindly explained to you why you creatures of chalk should obey your creators, you still remain defiant. So why should I give you the luxury of death? When there’s so much worse I can do...?”

“You’re a monster!” Quet cried, his feathers ruffling more. His pupils shrank into dots. “A complete monster!”

Ghadir laughed at this. “Yes, I suppose I am. However...” She took a few steps towards the flying serpent. She smirked as she watched him raise his head, looking like he was getting ready to strike. She made sure to stay a good distance away. She sneered down at the crying, angry zoner. “If being a monster means doing some rather...deplorable things... then the Luminos are just as guilty.”

“Don’t you dare compare us to your kind, creator!” Quet snarled, snapping his jaws once in warning. “We’re nothing like you!”

“Oh no? I seem to recall that your group assaulted Rudy and Snap in a treehouse.. Not I care what happens to them of course, but...” Ghadir folded her arms behind her and leaned forward. The sneer plastered across her face spread, almost ear to ear. “You attacked them unprovoked. Even though you knew they didn’t do it..your people still attacked them. Ruthlessly at that. I heard Rudy needed some more bandages. So tell me...how are you better when you resort to the same kind of cruelty and violence me and my comrades do?”

Quet fell silent at this. He stared at her in shock, his eyes widening. Ghadir smirked at this. It seemed the little snake was starting to realize just what she was telling him.

“You say that you are just trying to protect ChalkZone, and I suppose that is a brave act, considering what you’re up against...” Ghadir drolled, shrugging her shoulders in a dismissive manner. “But if you try to tell me that you aren’t ruthless like we are...then you are just deluding yourself.” She turned her back to the zoner. “After all, if you were to open your eyes, you would see that, when you attacked Rudy so viciously, you’d realize just how much like me and my comrades you were acting.” She turned her head and gave Quet a sideways glance. “It is quite amusing that, for a group claiming to just want to do the right thing, how much like your enemies you act, despite claiming being nothing like them. Tell me, Quet... Can you really sit there and act like you and the rest of your Luminos buddies haven’t done anything others would consider wrong?”

“I...I...” Quet couldn’t think of a response.

“I thought not...” Ghadir chuckled darkly. “You Luminos have gotten so blinded by your...perception of justice...you have unwittingly become the very thing that you hated.” Ghadir watched as Quet’s eyes widened more and he lowered his head, his eyes darting left and right as if he were contemplating what she said. “You’re more like us than you are willing to admit. Look in the reflection, and you will see us shining back...”

With that, she made her way towards the stairs. She slowed down so she could hear Quet break out in denial. She heard him scream a few times that it wasn’t true. She could hear his sobs of anguish increase. Her smile broadened as she listened to the serpent zoner weep, collapsing in a heap on the ground. Then she opened up the door and shut it behind her, leaving the zoner alone.

sss

“Are you sure this is it?” Mrs. Tabootie asked as they stood outside a door.

Terry, who looked a little better from before, nodded her head. “Y-Yeah..this is it...” She took a step forward, reaching her hand towards the door. “This is my brother’s place.”

“I still can’t believe Vinnie is your brother and we never knew.” Mr. Tabootie commented softly. He shook his head. “Well it doesn’t matter now anyway. Let’s just get in there and get out before he comes back.”

Reggie watched this scene unfold before him. He couldn’t believe they were breaking into someone else’s home for some other dimension. Well it must be important enough to them to take this risk. And Vinnie did torture Terry, his own sister, so it didn’t really bother Reggie too much that they were breaking into his place. It wasn’t like the guy was innocent or anything. He just hoped that the police don’t catch them trying to break in.

That turned out to not be much of a problem. The door was unlocked, much to Reggie’s surprise. Maybe Vinnie hadn’t come back yet. That was a possibility. He heard the squeak of the door opening, and he and the adults walked inside slowly. They were cautious, looking left and right to make sure that Vinnie wasn’t there. If he caught them just walking onto his property, he could have them arrested, and that was the last thing they needed right now.

“Do you know where he might have hidden the tapes?” Mrs. Sanchez asked.

Terry shook her head. “I-I’m not sure.. Vinnie brought a copy over to the network.. Won’t be shown for a while... We have to get the copies so he has nothing left to show..” She winced, obviously still in pain from her wounds. Reggie didn’t understand why she didn’t just stay back and let them to the work. “Do a...full sweep of his home. He has to have..the copies somewhere..”

“Not to start anything but...” Mr. Tabootie said as they started to disperse a little. “...couldn’t you have looked for the tape beforehand?” Terry looked over in the man’s direction. “Why didn’t you do that?”

Terry paused for a moment. She looked like she was having a hard time trying to think of why she didn’t do that. Then she said, “I..I wasn’t thinking clearly..” She sucked in a sharp breath of pain. “Look, at least we’re...here now... Let’s just look for that blasted evidence...”

No one argued against that. Silence fell upon everyone. Reggie could tell how seriously the adults were taking this. He did his best and began to look around. They did a sweep of Vinnie’s home, looking in every room they could find. Dressers, drawers, underneath stuff, the bathroom, all of them were explored thoroughly. Every nook and cranny they came across was searched.

But after a while of searching, no one turned up anything. Reggie looked as hard as he could, but he found nothing. He tried to look for something small that could be locked. He imagined that was where Vinnie would hide the evidence. Terry said the evidence was a video of some kind, so he also looked for something like that. He guessed it would be marked as well. So he tried to find a marked tape, but with no luck. He looked around at the adults, and they were having as much of a hard time as him.

Then it seemed Terry found something. She stood frozen in the living room, her eyes widened in horror. This worried Reggie and the adults, as whatever she found, it couldn’t be anything good. They all approached her slowly. She was holding up what appeared to be a piece of paper. What frightened Terry was what was written on it. What did it say? They had to find out.

“Terry?” Mrs. Tabootie asked gently. “What is it? What does it say?”

Terry looked at them, her eyes wide in terror. The sight of them made the others take a step away from her. She turned her attention back to the note. She began to read it, her voice trembling the whole time.

“So you thought you could just get up and leave me, eh sister? Well you should know that I am not so stupid. You know me. I’m your brother. You should have expected something like this from me. I saw that you managed to escape. I saw you get in that kid’s car. I know you got away. So I took the liberty of taking the copy of the evidence with me. And just to teach you a lesson, I managed to convince the network to show that footage today. If you wish to try to stop me, you have about four hours, but by the time you get back to my home, it may already be too late, right? I placed a timestamp on this message to give you a little helping hand. See you later, sister!

-Vinnie Raton”

Silence fell upon the ground. For a while, no one said anything. Then, Mrs. Sanchez spoke up.

“How much time do we have left?” Her voice came soft and quiet.

Mr. Tabootie looked at the timestamp and then he glanced down at his phone, flipping it open so he could see the time. His eyes widened in horror. “Two hours...”

Reggie had never seen so many faces go pale so fast in his life.

sss

Penny struggled against her captors. She tugged left and right, trying to make them let go. But they refused and just tightened their grip. She hissed in pain as she felt their claws dig into her skin. She glared at them, gritting her teeth. How could she have let this happen?

“Hold still, creator.” The crocodile zoner she came to know as Nile said. “Or do you want me to beat your leg again?” Penny growled at this, but said nothing.

The stegosaurus, Diamond she believed she was called, snorted at her, a nasty grin on her face. “You should have stayed home, creator. You were warned of what would happen if you dared to set foot in her. You’ve got no one else to blame but yourself.”

“I had to come see my friend...” Penny retorted, narrowing her eyes further. “Rudy can’t go into the real world without being in a lot of pain...”

“Hmph..” Diamond said, flipping her head back and pointing her snout upwards. “Not our problem.”

“No..of course not..” Penny muttered under her breath.

Nile tugged her a little hard, nearly causing her to trip over her own feet. “Enough talking, creator. If you want to see your friend so bad, well that is where we are taking you.” The crocodile zoner said, his voice coming as a low hiss through his teeth. Penny’s eyes widened in shock at this. “He has been detained. You will be locked up with him. Your fates will be decided soon.”

“See? At least we’re giving you a kindness. You’ll suffer the same fate as your friend together.” Diamond said, swooshing her tail from side to side. She gave Penny a look of pure contempt. “That’s more than I can say for you creators...” Penny winced at how much venom was laced across each word in that sentence.

Penny should have been more prepared. She should have had Reggie come with her. She knew that traveling in ChalkZone alone was not a good idea. She had just discussed that with herself in her head. She shouldn’t have gone alone. But she wasn’t thinking straight. She was so determined to have that footage taken away from Vinnie that she had Reggie go with the adults to stop him. She had been so sure that she would make it to the hospital without incident. Oh how wrong she was.

She hadn’t been in ChalkZone a minute before she was attacked. The Luminos set up a few guards in that spot. Diamond and Nile were two of them. They had been waiting in that spot, knowing that she might try something. As soon as she did, they were clearly prepared. They attacked her without warning and she barely had time to react. In that moment, she wished she she had brought over reinforcement. Even just one other person, zoner or human, would have helped her out immensely. But she was alone, and she paid the consequences of that.

She was beaten up again. They knocked her in the ground. They punched her. They kicked her. She tried to draw, but these zoners clearly knew how to deal with creators. They never gave her a chance to draw. They knocked the chalk out of her hands and crushed it in under their feet. Without a means to defend herself and with her leg still hurting her, Penny couldn’t get out of the way as she was ruthlessly attacked. They only stopped when she surrendered, and submitted to them. Only then did they let up on the attacks and pull her to her feet.

Penny’s body was wracked with pain. Bruises covered her, some deep, some light. Aches spread through her body. She could taste blood inside her mouth, a result of her being punched in the face at least once. Two of the Luminos volunteered to take her somewhere to be held up, and it was these two. They seized her arms and began to drag her. And now here she was, still being dragged by these two zoners, having no idea where she was being taken.

The fact that Rudy was captured as well filled her with horror. She thought that the hospital was safe. That’s what Dr. Raiden said. He had been confident that the hospital was not going to be attacked because it would require an inside job. Then again, there was a chance that Rudy had decided to be brave and ventured outside into ChalkZone City. Yeah, that was a possibility. He could have been attacked there, just like she had.

She hoped that Rudy wasn’t hurt much. These Luminos were pretty vicious in their attacks. She can feel the hatred they had for humans radiating off their bodies any time they so much as just glared at her. And she could definitely feel it when they would hurt her, either through a punch, kick, or slash. The Luminos had shown no mercy to them. The crocodile zoner had slashed Rudy’s already injured eye, and he had beaten her leg, which was already injured. He deliberately targeted their injuries. Just how low were these guys willing to sink?

She didn’t bother trying to speak to her captors again. What was the point? They wouldn’t listen to her. No matter what she told them, they wouldn’t care. They wouldn’t see reason. They saw her as a creator, and in their deluded minds, all creators were dangerous. How can she reason with the unreasonable? The only thing she could do was follow them, meeting up with Rudy when she was tossed in the same cell as him, and hope that they could think of a way out of there. She knew they had to get out of there as soon as possible.

She soon found herself being guided through ChalkZone City. She noted that they were taking back routes, avoiding being seen by other zoners. Diamond and Nile warned her to be quiet, or they would hurt her. Penny did her best to be quiet, even as they yanked her roughly and hit her against the wall as they dragged her through some pretty tight spots. Penny didn’t attempt to struggle, worried not just for herself, but for Rudy if she didn’t comply with them. A few times, a zoner would almost see them, but she’d be yanked back, her mouth covered, and warned to shut up.

She couldn’t tell exactly where in ChalkZone City she was being taken. Without using the main streets, there was no way she could tell where they were. None of these areas looked familiar to her. She would have asked her captors where they were going but she knew that, even if she asked, they wouldn’t tell her anything. They would just tell her to shut up and to continue following them. So she did just that. She kept quiet and followed, doing her best to ignore the pain in her arms as they were twisted roughly. She would find out sooner or later where they were taking her.

And sure enough, she found out. She caught a glimps of the hospital as they headed in that direction. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the damage done to it. She wondered at first if it was Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir. But she soon realized, judging from the expressions that Diamond and Nile were giving, this must be the Luminos’s work. Penny felt her heart speed up, worried about Rudy and other patients being injured in the attack. She knew the Luminos were crazy, but...attacking a hospital...?

Penny felt anger rising up inside of her. The Luminos have been saying that creators are monsters, but they had done some despicable things themselves. They were such hypocrites. They probably don’t see the attack on the hospital as anything wrong. She growled softly under her breath. Oh how she wanted to give them a piece of her mind... How she longed to give them a long speech about how they were acting like the monsters they despised. But she held her tongue, knowing that she might put herself in a worse situation if she talked back, even if she would be speaking the truth.

The two zoners took her around the back. Penny didn’t recognize this part of the hospital. They headed off to the side, a little further back from the hospital. Nile knelt down and, with his free hand, pushed something hidden in the bit of foliage there. Penny noticed a small hatch opening up. Her eyes widened. A secret entrance? Since when did a hospital require a secret entrance? She didn’t have time to think about that when she was yanked roughly and she began to follow the two zoners through the secret passage.

The tunnel was rounded and looked like it had been dug out. The walls were made of clearly dirt and she could feel how moist the place was just by looking at it. The tunnel was lit by some small white lights. Much of the tunnel was still in shadow, but what was visible seemed to have an almost shiny surface, made easily seen by the small lightbulbs on the low roof of the natural-looking corridor.

Diamond and Nile took her through what she guessed was an underground section of the hospital. The place looked a little dirty and much of it didn’t look like it belonged to the same building. Curiosity increased and she began to look around, turning her head left and right as she tried to make sense of where they were. She didn’t get to do much sight seeing as the two zoners increased their pace, as if they wanted to get her to their destination as soon as possible.

Penny was able to see enough that she deduced that the hospital was built over something. This section just..didn’t look like it belonged. It made sense that the hospital was built over something else. This place looked like it still served some kind of function, albeit not very often. She saw a staircase in the corner, and she guessed that the hospital staff still had access to this place. She wondered what it could be used for. It clear that it was rarely used. She wondered why this area wasn’t just blocked off completely. Why keep access to a room that isn’t going to be used?

Soon, after a few more minutes of walking, they came to a large door. The stegosaurus zoner, once they got close enough, reached over with her tail and, showing a feat of nimble and dexterity, she was able to crunch in a number. The door opened up with a loud hiss and Penny was dragged inside. Her eyes widened in horror at what she saw near the far end of the room.

There was an electric water cage, very much like the one Cosmo had used...and then later Bardot. It chilled Penny to the bone to see it again. She had no idea how the zoners here managed to recreate it. There was a chance the water was made of chalk instead of real world, but with the electricity dancing and sparkling around it, she couldn’t tell. She’d have to touch the water, and she wasn’t about to do that. In the end, it didn’t matter if it was real world or not because there was no way she could get past the bars without getting electrocuted.

That wasn’t the only thing that horrified her. Something else caught her eye, something that made her heart skip a beat. There, laying in the middle of the cell, was Rudy. He had collapsed on his stomach and his face contorted in pain. She took in a few quick breaths, shock and worry rushing through her system. Just what had these zoners done to him? He was so still...except for his breathing, he wasn’t moving at all. And was that blood she saw? From his shoulder... Had he been attacked again?

Penny was dragged up to the front of the cage. Diamond pressed a button, causing some of the electric water bars to disappear. The two zoners released her. Penny barely had time to do anything when Nile grabbed her by the back of her shirt collar and lifted her up. He curled his lips back and glared at her in disgust. He then threw her in the cage with Rudy. Diamond tossed her cane, which he had been carrying in a sling around her large waist, in as well. Nile quickly pressed the button and the bars reappeared, trapping Penny inside with Rudy.

She looked down at Rudy, biting her lip as she saw how bad he looked up close. His shoulder had been ripped open again. Someone used something sharp to tear through the bandages and now there was a gaping hole in his shoulder. Fresh blood still poured from the wound, leaking on the floor. Tears flowed down her face. She wondered just what kind of person would be sick enough to do something like this. Wanting to do something to help her friend, she tore off a piece of her clothing and pressed it against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

She didn’t have much time to stop the bleeding when she heard more footsteps. These footsteps, unlike the others, was lighter, more fleety. Whoever was approaching, they weren’t very heavy. Penny tried her best to ignore whatever zoner was approaching. She knew it was a member of the Luminos. She was in no mood to speak to them. She did her best to keep her mind focused on helping Rudy.

“So I see we have a twofer today... How wonderful.”

Penny froze at that voice. It was so cold, so chilling...so uncomfortably familiar. No, it couldn’t be.. No.. It had to be a mistake. It just had to. Her heart pounded against her chest as she slowly turned around. Her mind screamed at her that she just misheard, that it wasn’t who she thought it was. But when she turned around completely, there was no denying it. There was no mistaking this zoner.

It was Dr. Raiden...

Penny stared in horror at the very doctor who seemed to have tried to help them in the past. He had always acted so concerned for Rudy. He had done whatever he could to help him. He had worked with her mother, doing whatever possible to aid Rudy and to figure out what needed to be done. This doctor had been the most vocal in talking with them regarding Rudy’s condition, and he always looked so sad whenever he had to give them bad news.

But now, here was the same doctor, the same zoner that had helped them, that had shown so much worry, standing before her. Instead of the usual worried, caring expression he’d give, he had an evil smile plastered across his face. His golden eyes shined not of kindness, but of contempt and disgust. There wasn’t an ounce of friendliness in the zoner that stood before her. Penny thought, at first, maybe he was an evil twin, but she could see his nametag clearly. This was Dr. Raiden. Realization sank in, chilling the back of her head.

“I take it you are surprised to see me. Well Rudy was surprised as well. I suppose I can’t fault you. After all...” Dr. Raiden raised a finger up into the air. “I did put on a very convincing show. Even my fellow doctors believed me. I played everyone for saps, and it was quite fun, too.”

Penny noticed that one of Dr. Raiden’s fingers was made of metal. Her heart filled with cold ice as horror spread through her body. This zoner was the metal finger zoner that Mr. Wilter had warned them about. Her mind reeled back as the realization settled in the bottom of her stomach, making her feel sick. They had been working with the very zoner they were supposed to be wary of. They had trusted this zoner, and he had played that trust like some kind of instrument. And here he was, looking all amused by it.

Penny couldn’t believe it. How could they have trusted this zoner? Why didn’t they see the signs earlier? His overconfidence, his willingness to let Rudy leave despite being injured badly, his forcefulness... Why didn’t they realize that something was wrong with this zoner? They had dismissed it as just a part of his personality. They hadn’t realized he was hiding some dirty little secret. He had been helping them all this time, or so the thought. Penny felt a cold chill sweep through her as the truth came forth. Now when she replayed those images in her head, of Dr. Raiden being helpful, disgust filled up inside of her, realizing that they had been fooled all along.

Dr. Raiden took a few steps towards the cage. He smirked down at Penny, his smile made of unwelcoming ice. “I am so amused that you all believed that I cared for the little monster.” His golden eyes casted on Rudy. “Oh how much I wanted to kill him... How much I wanted to get rid of him so that ChalkZone had one less zoner to deal with...”

Penny’s body shook in rage. The anger from having trusted this disgusting zoner at all rose up inside of her. Unable to hold back, she snapped, “We trusted you! You disgusting, decieving monster! We trusted you! Rudy was dying and we trusted his life in your hands! And you lied to him! You lied to all of us!” Dr. Raiden narrowed his eyes slightly. “How could you do such a thing?! How could you toy with us like that?! You’re a monster!”

Dr. Raiden’s lips curled up in a snarl. “I’m not the real monster here...” Penny panted a few times, still glaring at him. But she said nothing. Dr. Raiden lifted up his head slightly, staring down at the eighteen year old girl. “You creators have done far more harm than I have.” He lifted up his metal finger and pointed it at Penny. She watched in horror as it got a little longer and thinner, the tip glinting in the light. Once it got double the lenght, Dr. Raiden stopped growing the digit and said, “Besides, it’s not my fault you were so easily fooled. You were all so naive... Had you noticed the signs earlier, maybe you could have prevented this.”

Penny growled softly. She stood up, her body still trembling in anger. “Don’t you dare try to pit the blame on us. We didn’t ask for this to happen. You did all this! You horrid beast! You lying serpent! We trusted you and you played us for fools!”

Dr. Raiden’s golden eyes flashed rage for a second and a deep growl exited his mouth. The sound of it chilled Penny’s blood and she instinctively took a step back. “I didn’t cause the death of thousands of innocent zoners... That was your kind, you dirty little human...” Penny didn’t respond to this. Dr. Raiden folded his arms behind his back, straightened himself up and said, “But at least now you are being properly dealt with. More of my comrades will arrive, and you will be given your punishment.”

“What are you going to do to us?” Penny asked softly.

The cheetah zoner gave a nasty grin, one that chilled Penny to the bone, as if this room’s temperature had dropped by several degrees. His teeth were bared and she could see the sharp tips of his fangs pressed against his furry lips. “Execution...” Penny’s eyes widened in horror at this. “Tomorrow, after everything is...set up... You and your boyfriend there will be taken to a special room, where you both will be given the death penalty.”

“What?!” Penny cried in terror, her heart racing. It felt like her heart was going to burst from her chest. She couldn’t stop the fear and dread from filling her body, replacing the anger she felt before. Her mind felt numb. “Why?!”

His smile fading, replaced with a sneer of anger and hatred, his eyes narrowing into slits, Dr. Raiden said, “For the crime of coming into ChalkZone...” Penny shuddered under the cold, intense glare from the cheetah’s amber eyes.


	44. We'll Get You Out

“This place is like a maze...” Blocky grumbled under his breath. He looked all around their surroundings. “I can’t tell if we are even going the right way...”

“Shh!” Rapsheeba warned him. “We’re in enemy territory! Keep it down! We don’t know if there’s any Luminos zoners still down here!”

Snap turned and growled softly at them. “Both of you be quiet! Do you want to get caught?!”

Blocky and Rapsheeba stared at Snap for a few seconds. Then they put on guilty expressions and lowered their heads in a silent apology. Snap softened up his glare. He didn’t mean to snap at his friends like that. It was just that they were on an important mission. They couldn’t afford getting caught. They were in an unknown place, having no clue if there were any enemies lurking about. The last thing they needed to happen was to get caught. They had to be careful.

The three of them were moving through the dark and wet corridors. There were some lights, but many of them were flickering and some were out, making it a little harder to see. Snap noted that this place did seem like it was built out of different material. He wondered momentarily if there used to be another building over where the hospital used to be. That would explain the different material and why this place wasn’t really in use.

Something did confuse Snap. If this place was forbidden and wasn’t in use for years, why did the lights still work? And if this place hadn’t been visited in years, why did it look clean? Well sort of clean. The place was obviously still dirty, but it did look a tad cleaner than he would have expected. He wondered just how long this place was used in secret and how Dr. Raiden and his Luminos buddies were able to keep its use from being discovered. Maybe the walls here were thick enough to block the sound or something. Maybe the Luminos really don’t use this place that much and they were just using it now because it was convenient.

The thought of Dr. Raiden’s name boiled Snap’s blood. To think that, after all this time, they were working with an enemy... One that had been plotting Rudy’s demise all this time... He couldn’t stop himself from shaking in anger. He couldn’t believe how that doctor had played them all like saps, toyed with their emotions like that. Snap wished he had seen the signs earlier and done something. He wished Mr. Wilter had been able to warn them about this guy beforehand. If they had just done something earlier, they could have prevented this.

Well, there was nothing he could do about it now. All he can do was try to help Rudy. If Dr. Raiden took him down here, he would run into him eventually. Snap hoped that Dr. Raiden didn’t hurt Rudy further, or try to kill him. He hoped Rudy was still alive. He had to find him, and help him get out of here. Snap had recalled he had a piece of magic chalk with him he nearly forgot about. Rudy was going to need it, he was certain. He kept the piece hidden, just in case the Luminos find them. He wouldn’t want them to know he had magic chalk with him, otherwise they would destroy it.

Snap, Rapsheeba, and Blocky continued to make their way down the tunnels. They just kept going straight, looking all around, trying to see if they could figure out which way Rudy could have been taken. There were multiple paths they could take. Snap realized that this place was reminding him a lot of Cosmo’s hideout. He wondered if that was a coincidence or if there was a possibility that at least some of the Luminos had an encounter with Mr. Cosmo himself.

He couldn’t focus on that right now. He tried his best to ignore staring at the architecture itself and tried to focus on looking for a plausible direction Rudy would be in. But this place all looked so similar and he couldn’t see any evidence of Rudy being dragged. No marks on the floor. He guessed that Dr. Raiden played with his trust to get him to follow willingly. Snap grumbled to himself. He kind of wished Rudy had been dragged. With this kind of floor, that would have left a mark he could follow, even if just faint. But then, Dr. Raiden may have known that could happen and took measures to prevent it.

So far, they didn’t run into any Luminos. That was a relief. Snap wasn’t sure how they were going to go up against them. If he had blue chalk, he could draw some kind of shield. But he didn’t have any with him, and depending on how many Luminos they run into and how strong they were, he and his zoner friends might get captured. Regardless of not seeing any Luminos, Snap knew they could not take any chances, and they kept to the shadows as much as possible, moving at a slow, deliberate pace to avoid making sounds.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of footsteps. The three of them froze where they stood, their bodies becoming stiff. They moved back towards a corner they just turned from and pressed themselves against it. They were as far back in the shadows they could be while still being able to see. They looked at where the sound was coming from. They could see what looked like a large door that cranked open, and coming from it were two zoners. A stegosaurus and a crocodile.

Snap’s eyes widened. He recognized the crocodile zoner. He was the same one that was in that Luminos group that attacked him and Rudy at his tree house. Snap made a motion for Rapsheeba and Blocky to remain quiet. They huddled a little closer to the corner. They leaned with their heads to one side and tried to listen in on the two zoners’ conversation.

“I still can’t believe that pitiful human thought she could come back into ChalkZone unpunished...” The crocodile said under his breath. A low growl escaped his long snout. “But then, she did seem desperate...”

“Well of course she did, Nile.” The stegosaurus said, shaking her head from side to side. “Humans look out for each other. Which is why it’s best to pick them off when they are alone.” She paused for a moment. “But for now, we don’t have to worry about them. They’re locked up. They cannot hurt ChalkZone anymore.”

“Quite...” Nile said, a dark smirk on his face. “You are perceptive sometimes, Diamond. Targeting Penny when she was alone did work out better than she had if she had help from her little boyfriend.”

“Soon we won’t have to worry about them anymore.” Diamond chuckled lightly.

“I can’t wait for the execution.” Nile said, giving a soft laughter of his own. “Some proper justice being served will be oh so nice...”

“Now if only we can get that wretched blue boy...Snap...” Diamond’s voice was filled with contempt for that name. “Then it will be satisfying...”

“Oh don’t worry. We’ll get him eventually. He can’t run forever.” Nile stated.

The two zoners fell silent after that. They moved down the hallway. They walked past Snap and his friends, just barely missing seeing them. The trio held their breath as the Luminos zoners walked away. They held still, afraid to move, afraid that just one single movement would give them away. Luckily, the Luminos zoners didn’t appear to notice them, and they moved down the hallway. Snap, Rapsheeba, and Blocky dared not to move or breathe until after the two zoners turned a corner and headed down a new direction.

Snap felt a wave of horror wash through his body. That whole conversation had been unsettling to listen to. The Luminos were planning on killing his friends... Why? They hadn’t done anything wrong... What had they done to deserve such a harsh sentence? They were trying to protect ChalkZone. He wished that these nutcases would see that. He wished that they would open their eyes and see just how hypocritical they were being, just how much damage they were doing. But logic seemed to have left these guys a long time ago.

Snap was unnerved that they wanted to go after him next. A cold shiver went up his spine as he realized just how much they hated him. Why? Like Rudy and Penny, he hadn’t done anything wrong. Were they going after him just because of his closeness to Rudy? If so, that was really disgusting. Rudy and Penny were his best friends. He’d do anything for them. And for the Luminos to get angry about that... Snap tried not to think about it.

But as scared as he was of the Luminos finding him, he was much more worried about what would happen if they don’t find Rudy and Penny in time. Were they badly injured? He had no idea how they have been treated. The realization that Penny was captured too didn’t settle well in his mind. He knew Rapsheeba and Blocky were just as horrified. They gave him a look of sympathy and, shining in their eyes, he could see determination. Like him, they were determined to get the two humans out of their predicament. Snap knew that, if they worked together, they could accomplish a rescue.

Snap glanced at the large door. That had to be where Rudy and Penny were being kept. He turned to Rapsheeba and Blocky. He raised up his hand and made a shush sound. He then gestured for them to follow him. Slowly, looking left and right to make sure no one was nearby, they walked towards the large door.

sss

Rudy let out a soft groan. His right eye slowly opened up. His vision was blurred. His head was wracked with pain. He had no idea where he was. He looked all around as his vision started to clear up a little. He could see some colors, mostly browns and greys, intermixing together. Nothing was in focus. He recognized no defining shapes. Slowly, he pushed himself off the ground.

He realized just how weak he felt. He didn’t know if it was just from waking up or if something else happened. Why did his body ache? Why was his head spinning like this? Where was he? What happened? He blinked a few times and shook his head, trying to clear up his muggy mind. He felt like he had been sleeping for days. His eyes felt heavy and his brain was screaming at him to go back to sleep. Yet a part of him knew, somehow, that was not a very good idea. He shook his head again, trying to clear his mind at least a little so he could see where he was.

His vision did start to clear up, and as it did, he started to feel a dull ache in his shoulder. He winced, wondering if he smashed it against something hard. Instinctively, he reached over with his hand and clutched his shoulder. Almost immediately, he let out a cry of pain and released his shoulder. The sudden wave of sharp pain was enough to snap him back to reality. With his vision suddenly cleared up, he glanced down at his shoulder and he was horrified to see that it was wrapped up in what appeared to be a piece of clothing and there was a large dark red stain on it. Pain radiated from the wound.

“Rudy?” He heard a familiar voice say. “You’re awake!”

Rudy looked over and he saw Penny laying down next to him. She moved herself closer to him, a smile on her face. Rudy looked her up and down. She looked like she had been attacked again. She looked a little banged up, but didn’t seem too worse for wear. He glanced down at her leg and saw that it didn’t look like it was attacked again. Off to her right, he could see her cane, which looked like it had taken some damage.

Penny reached over and grabbed onto Rudy gently. She pulled him up some more and helped him keep his balance. Rudy couldn’t sit up straight for long. Feeling a wave of pain sweep through him, he lurched forward, using his hand to support himself. He let out another groan and he looked at Penny. For a few seconds, his vision blurred again. It quickly came back into focus and he tried his best to fight back against the tiredness which still tugged at the back of his head. He rubbed the back of his head and stared at Penny with a somewhat unfocused right eye.

“What...what happened...?” Rudy grumbled softly.

Penny lowered her gaze. Rudy could have sworn he saw anger flash in them. “Dr. Raiden happened... He fooled us all, Rudy.”

At the name Dr. Raiden, Rudy’s right eye snapped open wide. Suddenly, images flashed in the back of his head. Running into Dr. Raiden in the hallway... Following him down here... Attacking him from behind... Trapping him... Poisoning his IVs... It all came flooding back to him in a series of white flashes in his brain. As the memories came rushing back to him, he looked around and he realized where he was. He remembered now.

They were in a lower part of the hospital. A place that didn’t seem like it was in use that much, and Dr. Raiden had took him down here... He locked him up in this cage with bars made of electrified water. All around him, he could hear the loud humming, sparkling sound of the electricity as it flowed through the water. Dr. Raiden planned on keeping them down here until his comrades take them somewhere else... But to where and for what purpose, Rudy wasn’t certain.

Almost immediately, as he remembered what happened, the anger he felt before, upon learning the truth about Dr. Raiden, came to the surface. He found himself narrowing his eyes and clenching his teeth tightly. Penny did not act surprised. She was feeling the same anger as him. The doctor they thought had been helping them had been a bad guy this whole time, plotting against them. Rudy couldn’t believe they had trusted this zoner. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen the warning signs before, and now he and Penny were trapped, an unknown fate awaiting them.

Rudy thought back to his final conversation with Dr. Raiden before the cheetah revealed his true colors. His heart clenched tightly, filling with both anger and fear. Dr. Raiden had told him that Snap could be targeted...no, not could... Rudy realized that Dr. Raiden was actually confessing that the Luminos would go after Snap. It wasn’t a matter of if, but when. And now, thinking back, knowing the truth about this cheetah zoner, knowing he was the metal finger guy Wilter tried to warn them about, Rudy recalled the words Dr. Raiden said regarding Snap and he realized just how much his words had been laced with contempt. Not much to avoid suspicion, but they were there.

Anger and disbelief filling up inside of him, his body trembling from the emotion, Rudy clutched a fist tightly and he slammed it against the ground, ignoring the pain. He let out a shout of frustration and anger. Penny hung back, looking at him sympathetically. Rudy turned to look at her. She looked at him sadly and reached out and touched his injured shoulder. At her touch, Rudy found himself being able to calm down a little. Slowly, he relaxed and he stopped shaking. But the anger was still there. That would not go away from a while. This sickening feeling in his gut...It would be with him for some time. And he knew the same thing was true with Penny.

“I can’t believe it... Dr. Raiden lied to us, and we believed everything he said...” Rudy said, clenching his teeth, trying to hold back his anger.

“None of us could have known. He was..very convincing.” Penny said sadly. “And he didn’t lie about everything.”

“Well he lied enough that it fooled us, and we trusted him...we believed him..” Rudy tilted his head up. His right eye looked around, taking note of where they were, watching the electric bars with a feeling of dread. “Now look at where we are... If we had just..known earlier..we could have..”

Penny placed her hand on Rudy’s, interrupting him. He looked over at her. She shook her head slowly. “Dr. Raiden would have found a way to capture us anyway. Even if we knew the truth, he would have found a way to get us in here.”

Rudy stared at Penny. He realized she was right. If Dr. Raiden was patient enough to control himself all this time, waiting for the right moment to strike, then he would have been patient enough to figure out a backup plan in case this worked. Dr. Raiden would have found a way to trap them. If not through the method he used on him, then some other one, perhaps a more violent and forceful effort. Dr. Raiden had shown he was willing to use violence, evident by how he sliced his shoulder open.

“Yeah...you’re right...” Rudy breathed. He shiftd himself a little, his legs aching. He suddenly winced and he glanced down at his shoulder. He noticed some bright red blood and realized it was bleeding again. He let out a soft whimper and lightly pressed his hand against his shoulder, only to pull it away and seethe in pain.

Penny looked at the shoulder with great concern. She moved closer, reaching her hands out towards it. “Let me see it, Rudy...”

Rudy glanced at her. He held his shoulder protectively, ignoring the pain. He shifted himself, trying to move his shoulder away from Penny. “No...it hurts too badly... Don’t touch it..” He said in a low voice, his right eye wide.

Penny narrowed her eyes at him. “Please, Rudy.. Don’t be like this. Let me look at your shoulder.” She moved even closer. Her hands were getting closer to his shoulder. “Your shoulder was badly damaged. Let me look at it. Let me help you..”

Rudy moved even further back. He knew Penny was just trying to help. But the agony in his shoulder was making it hard for him to hold still. He recalled how it felt when Dr. Raiden stuck that claw into him. He didn’t want to feel that pain again. As Penny moved closer, he moved back, desperate to stay away from the pain.

“Rudy...” Penny said. She let out a soft sigh. “Please cooperate... I don’t know what happened to your shoulder, but it needs to be looked at. I did my best to stop the bleeding, but my efforts were clearly not good enough. Please..let me look at it...”

“N-No.. Hurts too badly...” Rudy whimpered, trembling in pain. He glanced down at his shoulder. “Dr. Raiden..ripped it open...”

Penny’s eyes widened at this. “Dr. Raiden did this to you...?” Her eyes glanced at Rudy’s torn shoulder. She bit her lip. “What..did he do?”

Rudy said in a pained voice, clenching his teeth, “He drove his metal finger in my shoulder when I had my back turned...”

At this, Penny let out a sharp gasp of horror and brought her hands to her mouth. “He used his metal finger on you?!” She cried in disbelief. Rudy nodded his head slowly. “Oh my g... Rudy let me look at it! It could be infected!”

Rudy stared at her. His right eye widened. He hadn’t thought about that before. Somehow, he had forgotten that being cut with metal was dangerous and could lead to a worse infection, especially if Dr. Raiden didn’t clean his metal claw beforehand. He glanced at his shoulder worriedly, and then back at Penny. He could see tears of fear forming in her eyes. As much as he didn’t want to, as much as he’d rather stay away from the pain, he knew that he had to be cooperative.

He recalled the time he and Penny were prisoners of Bardot and Draow, and how Penny wanted to look at his side wound, but he wouldn’t let her. He realized he was acting irrational again. Yes, he was in pain, but Penny was his friend and he should know that she was only trying to help him. Sighing softly, he moved a little closer to her and turned his injured shoulder towards her. He removed his hand, exposing his bloody, bandaged wound.

Penny reached over and gently undid the cloth that covered the wound. Lifting it away, she could see the wound, visible from the torn opening in Rudy’s sleeve and shirt collar. Rudy glanced down and he winced at just how bad the wound looked.

Dr. Raiden really did a number on his shoulder. In addition to the bitemarks he got from the dog zoner, there was a gaping hole in his shoulder. Dr. Raiden had driven his metal claw straight in him and twisted it around, creating a deep tear in his tissue. He could see straight down in it and the sight of it made him shudder. Fresh red blood was pouring from the wound. He thought he could see a little bit of discoloration in the skin as well. And the pain...oh man the pain... Just the lightest touch was like agony to him.

Penny reached down and gently touched the shoulder, careful to avoid his wounded area. She leaned in close and inspected the wound. Rudy held completely still for her. Though at times, Penny accidentally irritated his wound, he stifled his screams and was able to keep himself from jerking away. After looking at his wound, Penny’s eyes furrowed with concern.

“This looks bad...” Penny said in a low voice. “It looks like infection is already setting in...” Rudy’s right eye widened at this. She shook her head. “And we don’t have any disinfectant to help with this. The best I can do is try to stop the bleeding and cover the wound up. We have to get to the real world to get this wound properly cleaned up.”

“What about the...” Rudy stopped himself, realizing that he had nearly forgotten the hospital was attacked. “Nevermind...” His voice trailed off.

Penny tore off another piece of her clothing. A long piece that would easily wrap around his shoulder. To help her out, Rudy tore off a piece of his shirt. He handed it over to her. She took it and then glanced at his shoulder. She gave him an apologetic look and Rudy knew what was about to come. Penny gripped his shoulder and moved the piece of cloth over towards the wound. Rudy flinched and turned his head away, preparing for the pain.

Rudy was not able to stifle his cry of pain as Penny pushed the torn piece of clothing against his shoulder. The pain radiated all around the wound, shooting down his arm and throughout this body. Despite the agony, despite his trembling of pain, he remained as still as he could for Penny. He kept his head turned away, his eyes shut tightly, gritting his teeth in pain. He could feel Penny applying pressure as gently as she could. She kept the cloth pressed against him and held it there, trying her best to stop the bleeding.

This went on for a while. It wasn’t too long, but to Rudy, with all that pain he felt, it really did feel like it took much longer. After a while, he could feel Penny start to do something else. He felt ever changing pressure. He looked over and saw that she had managed to slow down the bleeding and she was wrapping his arm up with the new piece of clothing she had ripped earlier. She tied it as tightly as she could. She leaned back, looking at the bandaged shoulder and then looked up at Rudy.

“I’m sorry. This is the best I can do...” She said softly. “If we had some disinfectant and real world water, I could have been more thorough.”

“It’s..okay...” Rudy winced, his shoulder still stinging him. “You..did your best.” Penny gave him a soft smile at this, and he returned it. But his smile didn’t last long. He took a look at their surroundings, narrowing his eyes with concern. “How are we going to get out of here?”

“I don’t know. But we need to get out of here, and fast.” Penny said. Rudy noticed there was a sense of urgency in her voice. And it didn’t take him long to realize just why that was. “Dr. Raiden is going to have us executed.”

Rudy gasped in horror. He felt a cold chill sweep through his body. “Wh-Why...?” That was the only thing he could bring himself to say.

Penny lowered her gaze. “He is having us killed...just for being in ChalkZone...” Rudy looked at Penny in horror, not believing what he was hearing. “He..he said that a creator just..being in ChalkZone..was a bad enough crime worthy of the death penalty..”

“He..said that?” Rudy breathed. Penny nodded her head to confirm. Rudy looked away, still having a hard time coping with what was revealed. He and Penny were to be executed? Just for being in ChalkZone? Just...just what was wrong with these zoners? What was wrong with Dr. Raiden? How could they think that was a fair punishment? “I...I don’t believe it...”

“Well believe it. That’s what he said.” Penny said bitterly. At first, this stung Rudy, but then he realized it wasn’t him she was angry with. It was Dr. Raiden. And he couldn’t blame her for that. “Tomorrow, he will have us relocated. If he plans on taking us somewhere before then, he didn’t say.”

“And where will he take us?” Rudy asked.

“Some place ‘special’, as he put it, where we will be killed. He didn’t say exactly where. It could be another hidden room. It could be in a public place.” Penny replied, the same bitterness in her voice clinging to the edge of her words. “I’m certain that monster is going to oversee the full thing...”

“I wouldn’t doubt it.” Rudy muttered. Wanting to think about something other than the lying snake that was Dr. Raiden, Rudy looked around the cage, trying to find a weak spot of some kind. “There has to be away out of here.” He turned towards Penny. “Have you checked to see if there’s any weak spots in the cage?”

Penny shook her head. “I’m sorry, Rudy. I already looked. I didn’t see anything.” She looked over at one part of the cage. “There is a button out there that opens the cages. I tried to reach it with my cane, but it’s too long and I couldn’t get it at the right angle. I almost electrocuted myself trying to get it open.” She lowered her head. “Sorry...”

“Don’t blame yourself, Penny. We’ll...we’ll get out of here..somehow..” Rudy said, trying to bring about some sense of hope.

“I shouldn’t have gone alone. I should have brought someone with me.” Penny’s voice was low, barely a whisper. “And now look at where we are. If I had brought someone with, I wouldn’t have been captured.” Rudy opened his mouth to speak, but Penny interrupted him. “But..you’re right.. There has to be away out of here. I just..don’t know what that is yet...”

Rudy wasn’t sure himself how they were going to get out of this mess. He knew there had to be a way. There was always a way out. But at the moment, he couldn’t think of anything. He looked all around. It really did look hopeless. They couldn’t reach the button that unlocked their cage. They had no means of contacting Snap or anyone. He couldn’t even be sure that anyone knew where they were. Knowing Dr. Raiden, he might be telling lies to the other doctors about their whereabouts.

They were trapped. Completely and utterly trapped. Without any magic chalk to defend himselves with, what could they do? He was certain Dr. Raiden crushed the chalk he had with him, or at least hidden it. Penny didn’t seem like she had any magic chalk with her, otherwise she would have not been so worried about them not getting out. She could have used the magic chalk to get them out.

What were they going to do? Rudy tried to think of something, anything... They didn’t have a lot of time to get out. Once Dr. Raiden comes over and orders them to be relocated.. They...they were going to die... He had no idea if it was going to be a slow death or a quick one. He didn’t know just how merciful the cheetah would be with them. Considering his hatred for humans, he doubted that their death will be pleasant. Rudy shook his head, trying his best not to think about it. But he couldn’t fight back the dreadful, chilly sensations rushing through his body. They had to get out of here...and fast... But..but how..?

Just then, there was the sound of footsteps. Rudy and Penny looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. They looked left and right. The footsteps were getting closer. Rudy’s heart was beating quickly when he noticed the footsteps were coming their way, heading from the door Dr. Raiden took him in from. He and Penny looked at the door, which was still open. They could see, even from this distance, shadows moving along the wall. Terror filled their hearts when they realized what was likely happening.

The Luminos were coming to fetch them. Had it already been a day? Was it tomorrow now? Did Dr. Raiden change his mind and decide to kill them off now? The two teenagers huddled close together, holding onto each other and watching as the zoners approached them. They begged silently for this not to be the end. They hoped that something, somehow, would save them. A miracle...any one...even a small one...

The zoners got closer. He still couldn’t make out exactly what they looked like. The zoners were covered in shadows, but he could tell there were three of them. They seemed a little small, but he remembered the Luminos were often armed with dangerous weapons, so these three likely had some kind of weapon to keep them under control. He and Penny continued to hold onto each other, continued to watch as their captors approached. Although they wanted to be brave, they continued to shiver in fear, knowing that their end was coming and they may not be able to escape it.

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

“Rudy! Penny!”

At this, the two teenagers’ eyes widened in shock. They moved closer to the bars, careful not to hit themselves with it, and stared towards the approaching zoners. They had gotten close enough at Rudy and Penny realized who was actually approaching. It wasn’t the Luminos, it was...it was...

Snap... And the other two with him were Blocky and Rapsheeba...

A wave of relief struck Rudy and Penny. Elation welled up inside of them and they couldn’t help but smile. They hadn’t expected anyone to find them. They hadn’t expected Snap to figure out where they were. And yet here he was, approaching them quickly, warily, with Rapsheeba and Blocky in tow. The three zoners rushed over towards them, smiles of relief on their faces when they saw that Rudy and Penny were still alive.

Soon the trio stood in front of Rudy and Penny, separated by the electric water bars. At first, there was silence. Smiles on everyone’s faces, looks of concern, relief, and worry. Then Snap broke the silence.

“Bucko...Buckette... Are you two okay?” Snap asked, looking at his friends worriedly.

“Could be worse...” Penny said softly, wincing in pain.

“I’m..” Rudy was about to say ‘okay’, but he stifled himself. He wasn’t going to try to lie to Snap again. He could see plain as day that he wasn’t okay. He glanced down at his shoulder. “Dr. Raiden ripped my shoulder open...” Snap’s eyes widened at this.

“I can’t believe he did that...” Rapsheeba said softly.

“He attacked me from behind... He poisoned my IVs...” Rudy said, recalling the horrible events that happened to him recently. He stopped when he felt Penny’s hand on his shoulder.

“We can talk about this later. We have to get out of here.” Penny said.

“Right.” Rudy nodded his head. He looked back at the three zoners. “There should be a button around there somewhere. It should open this cage up. Look for a...” He turned to Penny for assistance.

“Small round button.” Penny said. “You can’t miss it.”

“Okay.” Snap said. He started to look for the button. “Don’t worry.. We’ll get you two out of there...”

Rudy and Penny fell silent as the three zoners looked for the button Penny described. They did a full look around, checking every part of the cage that wasn’t made up of water and electricity. Then, after a few moments, Snap seemed to have located the button. His eyes flashed in realization and he quickly pressed something. There was a click, and then the blip of water bars disappearing.

Now with a way out, Rudy and Penny climbed up to their feet. Snap, Rapsheeba, and Blocky rushed in and helped them up. They guided them out of the cage and held onto them until the two could regain their balance. Once Rudy and Penny could stand on their own, they all looked around, trying to figure out which way to go to get out of here. Rudy had a feeling they all knew a path to get in here, but, with the Luminos roaming about and this place like a maze, could they really find their way back without getting caught?

He knew they had to try. Looking around and knowing the enemy could be lurking around any corner, he made a gesture with his hand for his friends to be quiet. They all nodded in understanding. They then started to move out of the cage and towards the door where they come in here from.

They never made it that far.

They had barely moved a few feet towards the door when someone else came into the room. Rudy’s eyes widened in horror when he saw who it was.

“What are you doing out of your cage...?” Dr. Raiden said, standing in the middle of the door way. His eyes were wide with anger, his fists clenched and shaking. He took a few steps towards them, pointing his metal finger at them menacingly. “Get back in there, or I’ll...!”

Snap moved in front of his friends, spreading his arms out protectively. “You want them? You have to get past me first!”

“Snap!” Penny cried in horror.

“Get back!” Rudy shouted, knowing full well what might..no what would happen if he were caught by Dr. Raiden. Blocky and Rapsheeba, though not knowing just how much the Luminos hated Snap, were just as horrified as he and Penny were.

Dr. Raiden’s eyes slowly widened when he saw Snap standing there. His face softened up briefly, showing genuine shock. “Snap...?” Then his eyes narrowed dangerously, his teeth bared. “You...”

Dr. Raiden’s voice was a deep growl that permeated everyone’s soul. It chilled the room, making them all feel cold. Rudy couldn’t believe just how much hatred was laced in Dr. Raiden’s voice when he said ‘you’ to Snap. Before, Dr. Raiden had treated Snap with a level of civility, but that was only because he was trying to hide his true intentions. Now that his true colors have been shown, the cheetah saw no reason to hide behind the facade anymore, and they all could hear, from the tone of his voice, just how much he hated Snap.

“I am going to kill you!” Dr. Raiden’s voice.

Suddenly, without warning, he charged towards Snap. The blue zoner, realizing he was in trouble, tried to back away. Rudy, Penny, Blocky, and Rapsheeba tried to shield him from the enraged cheetah zoner, but he was too swift and nimble for them. He managed to dodge their attempts to block him, knocking them out of the way. Then, when he got close enough, he shot his metal finger towards Snap, elongated it to the point where it sliced through Snap’s scarf. With a shout of surprise, Snap was pinned against the wall, the metal claw dangerously close to his neck, much to Snap’s horror.

“Snap! No!” Rapsheeba shouted. She rushed towards the cheetah zoner, only to get knocked back by his free hand. She slammed against the wall. Blocky rushed over and helped her up.

Snap struggled against the enraged cheetah. He looked at Dr. Raiden in the eyes. His body shuddered under the glare of those hateful eyes. He clenched his teeth in fear, his eyes moving from the sharp metal claw that had him pinned, then towards Dr. Raiden, his face contorted in uncontrollable anger and hatred.

Without warning, Dr. Raiden grabbed onto Snap’s face. The little zoner cried out in pain as the claws of the cheetah’s left hand dug into his skin. Blood started to drip as Dr. Raiden tightened his grip. Seeing this caused Rudy, Penny, Rapsheeba, and Blocky to cry out in fear and horror.

“Snap!” Penny cried out. She tried to rush forward, but she cried out in pain and buckled towards the ground. Rudy looked at her and he realized that her leg must be hurt worse than he thought. Looking back at where Snap was, Rudy rushed forward.

“You little traitor!” Dr. Raiden shrieked, his voice boiling in rage, his pupils dilated. “I am going to tear your fucking face off!” With that, he started to pull. Snap let out a cry of pain.

“No!” Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Rudy mustered up as much strength as he could and slammed against Dr. Raiden. He was able to knock him back enough to make him let go of Snap. The blue zoner fell down and rubbed his head. Rudy continued to push back against Dr. Raiden, gripping the cheetah’s arm tightly. “Leave my friend alone!”

Dr. Raiden bared his teeth in disgust. “Let me go, you filthy creator!” The cheetah yanked his arm back, forcing Rudy to let go. He then struck forward with his left paw, narrowingly missing hitting Rudy. “If you want to be executed that badly, you should have told me! I would have been glad to obligue!”

“Rudy, I have magic chalk!” Snap cried, rushing over to Rudy. At this, the cheetah’s eyes flashed in horror, and then replaced with anger. “Quick! Draw something!”

Rudy took the magic chalk just as Dr. Raiden lunged at him and his friends. They managed to jump out of the way in time. The cheetah’s tail swished from side to side in irritation. Dr. Raiden growled at them, going down on all fours and walking around like he were a feral animal. His ears flattened against his head and he let out a loud hiss, baring his sharp teeth. They kept an eye on him, moving around slowly, waiting for him to lung.

Rudy’s mind swirled with thoughts on what he could do. He needed away to slow down Dr. Raiden, but he couldn’t hurt him. If he did, that would just fuel his hatred for humans. It would make him further convinced that creators were monsters. Instead, he needed to do something else. He turned his head towards the door that Dr. Raiden said was locked up. It was their nearest exit. They had no idea where this was going to lead them, but right now, they didn’t have much of a choice.

Dr. Raiden suddenly lunged forward, going towards Blocky and Rapsheeba. He struck out with his metal claw, scraping the ground as they dodged. The agile cheetah twisted his body around and went for Penny. He pinned her on the ground and tried to slash her throat open with his metal claw. He didn’t get that far when Snap jumped on his back and pulled on his ears. The cheetah let out a hiss of pain and threw his head back, tumbling backwards.

Rudy took this chance to draw a barrier around the fallen Dr. Raiden. With the shield in place, when the cheetah tried to lunge at him, he just slammed against the barrier instead. Rudy knew this wasn’t going to last very long, especially when Dr. Raiden began to scratch out a hole in the barrier to get through. Rudy turned to his friends.

“Through that door! Quickly!” Rudy shouted, making a gesture with his arm.

The group followed Rudy towards the door. Using his magic chalk, Rudy drew a large hole, big enough for them all to go through. Since he had the magic chalk and could defend himself, he gestured for the others to go through first. They didn’t argue, knowing they didn’t have much time. One by one, they all went through. As they passed through, Rudy kept a wary eye on Dr. Raiden. When it was his time to go through, Dr. Raiden had gotten out, having created a hole in the barrier he had been trapped in.

Then, just when Rudy thought they couldn’t get in more trouble, more zoners came in. About three Luminos, and he heard more footsteps. His eyes widened in horror as Dr. Raiden climbed up to his feet and pointed his long, metal claw towards him.

“Get them!” Dr. Raiden shouted.

Rudy didn’t waste any time. He quickly covered up the hole he created to buy them a little time. As they heard the shouts and insults from Dr. Raiden, the angry cries from the other Luminos members that came through, Rudy and his friends raced down the tunnel.


	45. An Unpleasant Secret Discovered

Unlike the other sections of this underground maze beneath the hospital, the tunnel Rudy and his friends ran through led to a singular tunnel that twisted and turned, but ultimately there was only one way they could go. They followed the tunnel, which appeared to be a little cleaner than the area they were in before, and more brightly lit. Some strange smells filled the air and they couldn’t tell if it was smoke or something else.

They did their best to ignore the smells and continued to run. Rudy hoped that they would find a place they could hide in soon. Being a singular tunnel like this, they were in trouble. Dr. Raiden and his comrades would soon be upon them. The barrier he put up was not going to last them long, and Dr. Raiden being a cheetah did not exactly help their cause. Rudy and the others continued on their way, hoping that they would reach some area with some doors. Even a single Y intersection would do them some good and throw off their chasers.

Rudy hoped they would find something soon. He knew that they would all get tired eventually. Penny could only move so fast with her cane and he was still in pain from his beatdowns, and his torn shoulder wasn’t doing him any favors. Even if the pain didn’t stop them, their physical stamina would eventually. They could only run so fast so far before they have to slow down. And if they did that while in the tunnel, then sooner or later, Dr. Raiden and his comrades would catch up to them. They couldn’t afford to stop. They had to keep moving.

But so far, they were having no luck. The tunnel seemed to go on forever. There were no signs of anything around here. He was beginning to wonder if this tunnel was some kind of trap. Maybe it looped around in a constant circle to slow down anyone who wandered in it. But then he realized that didn’t make a lot of sense. If it did do that, they would have went by the entrance already, which they haven’t. So there has to be at least one exit around here somewhere. But where? And when would they get to it?

Rudy and his friends shuddered when they heard pounding of feet in the tunnel. They knew it was the Luminos. And they were approaching fast. The group tried their best to pick up the pace. They noticed that the tunnel was getting smoother and the composition seemed to be changing. Rudy hoped this meant that they were approaching some kind of door or at least some place where they could hide and think of a plan to escape. With how loud the footsteps coming after them were sounding, it wouldn’t take long before at least one of the Luminos would catch up to them.

“I think I see light!” Snap called out. He pointed out with his round hand as the others looked at him briefly. “Up ahead!”

Penny turned her head to see what Snap was talking about. A few seconds later, her eyes widened and she shouted, “He’s right! We’re reaching the end of the tunnel!”

The others looked over. Just like Penny said, they were approaching the end of this hallway. They could see what appeared to be bright light. The hallway was finally exiting into another large room, or hopefully outside. Rudy hoped that, whever this led to, it would give them some places they could hide or multiple directions they could go off in, reducing the chances of Dr. Raiden or the other Luminos to find them.

They were fast approaching the room or whatever this tunnel emptied to. From this distance, it was hard to tell if the area they were approaching was outside somewhere or if it lead to a new room. The light was blinding, blocking their view of the place. Rudy wondered for a moment if where they were running was even safe. Well he didn’t have time to ponder that now. Dr. Raiden and the others were coming in from behind. He tried his best to pick up the pace. The others did likewise. They had to try to put in more distance between them and the anti-creator zoners.

Just then, they heard a growling shout behind them.

“You aren’t going anywhere, you disgusting little monsters!” Dr. Raiden’s voice echoed in the hallway, chilling their blood. “I am going to get you! You are going to wish you stayed in your little world!”

The group turned their heads to look behind them. Coming down the hallway, barreling towards them, was Dr. Raiden. He had dropped down on all fours again and was racing towards them. His tail was poofed in anger and raised high above the ground. His ears flattened against his skull. His neck fur was standing on end. He bared his teeth, exposing his sharp fangs at them. He was coming in at an astonishing speed, no surprise considering he’s a cheetah.

Rudy and the others picked up the pace the best they could. They tried to run faster, ignoring the burning sensation in their lungs. Their legs were getting tired. Rudy could tell they would not be able to keep this up for long. If they could just get into that opening before it was too late... But Dr. Raiden was closing the gap quickly. Rudy realized, dread flowing through his blood, there was no way they were going to get through before Dr. Raiden got to them. He realized that, just like before, he had to slow the psychotic doctor down again.

He raised his magic chalk, but he didn’t have time to draw anything. By this point, Dr. Raiden had caught up with them. With a yowl of anger, he lunged at the nearest target, and that was Rudy himself. Grabbing the boy’s arms, Dr. Raiden thrust him against the wall. Rudy let out a grunt of pain and kicked his legs in the air. Dr. Raiden put his face close to his and snarled at him.

“Rudy!” Penny cried. She started to limp over towards them. “Let him go!”

Dr. Raiden turned his head, giving Penny a look that told her and the others to keep back, or he would hurt Rudy. “I will deal with you later...” He said to Penny before shifting his gaze to Rudy. He smirked darkly as he watched the boy struggle. “You think you’re so clever... Well look at where your plan brought you. You know, you really should have just let yourself be executed. The method I chose was a lot less..painful...”

“What did he do to deserve being executed?!” Blocky cried angrily.

“They never did anything wrong!” Rapsheeba shouted. “Let them go!”

“You two...I know you... More zoners that associate with the beasts..” Dr. Raiden said, disgust laced across his voice. “I will deal with you later...” One amber eye sought out Snap. Another growl of contempt. “Right after I deal with...him....”

Snap shuddered, but he didn’t back down. He clutched his fist tightly and took a step towards Dr. Raiden. He would have approached more if the cheetah hadn’t twisted Rudy’s arm, causing the boy to cry out in pain. “I swear if you hurt him, I’ll...”

“I know very well what you’d do, Snap. You dirty filthy traitor.” Dr. Raiden retorted. A dark, nasty grin spread across his muzzle, his ears pricking up partway. “As soon as my comrades get here, and they will be here shortly, I will have you captured and executed as well, along with your friends. Now doesn’t that sound fair?”

“You’re horrible!” Penny cried, narrowing her eyes angrily at the cheetah. “You’re such a hypocrite! You’re no better than the black chalk artists!”

His ears flattening against his head, Dr. Raiden growled, “I am nothing like them, and you best not compare the Luminos to those fiendish humans.”

“She’s right.” Rudy spoke. Dr. Raiden swerved his head and glared at the boy, his eyes wide with at Rudy thought was surprise. “You think you’re better than the black chalk artists, but you’re not. You caused destruction like they do. You’re willing to kill two humans who did nothing bad to ChalkZone. You’re focusing all your energy on destroying us... and in the end, does that really make you better?”

Rudy was about to speak more, but Dr. Raiden gripped his throat with his left hand. Rudy’s eyes widened as he felt the hand tighten around his neck. The claw tips pressed against the skin, threatening to break through it. Rudy tried to push Dr. Raiden’s paw away, but his grip was like a vice. He opened his mouth to speak, but all he could produce were strangled cries.

Dr. Raiden snarled in the boy’s voice. “Need I remind you that if it weren’t for you...creators... The magic chalk war would never have happened? Do you have any idea how many lives were lost?” He put his face close to Rudy’s. “Do you..?”

“Put him down!” Snap shouted, taking a fighting stance.

Dr. Raiden responded to this by tightening his grip on Rudy. Rudy’s eyes widened and he struggled to take in a breath. Dr. Raiden smiled almost psychotically as he began to strangle Rudy. The boy struggled frantically to get free. He opened up his right eye partway and stared at Dr. Raiden pleadingly. He got no sympathy from the cheetah. He looked over and saw his friends, watching the whole thing in horror.

His friends wanted to make a move. He could tell. But Dr. Raiden could see them out of the corner of his eye. If they made a move towards him, he would hurt him more. He could kill him. He had them all under control. No doubt that he would snap his neck if they dare take a step towards him. He had to do something and fast. But what can he do, pinned like this? His lungs were crying for oxygen now, and his mind was starting to get muggy. If he didn’t get out of this situation soon...

Then something happened that clearly took the cheetah by surprise. His focus was so much on Rudy that he hadn’t been paying attention to the others as much as he thought he was. Penny, Snap, Rapsheeba, and Blocky had taken action. They rushed over to the cheetah and grabbed onto him. Then they pulled him back. The surprise move startled the cheetah and he released Rudy. Working together, the four managed to push him into the ground. They moved back just in time to avoid getting slashed by his long metal claw.

Penny and Snap helped Rudy to his feet after he fell to the ground. Rapsheeba and Blocky stood their ground between them, glaring in determination at the feline zoner. Rubbing his throat as he took in a few breaths to fill his lungs, Rudy looked over at Dr. Raiden. The zoner was on all four, his back arched up like he was ready to lunge. His fur stood on end. His tail swished back and forth in an agitated fashion. He started to circle around the group, a low growl emitting from this throat.

A dark smile spread across the cheetah’s face when shouts echoed down the tunnel. His eyes brightening with cruel intentions, he looked at the group in the eyes and said, “My comrades are here... You will all pay for your injustice soon enough. I promise you that...”

“Rudy! Do something!” Snap cried, waving his arms frantically. “Draw a hammer and bop this guy or something! We need to get out of here!”

Rudy knew he couldn’t attack this zoner. As he came to the conclusion before, doing so would just make the situation worse. Dr. Raiden could use the attack to incite a riot among the other Luminos. So instead, he opted to do what he did before. A barrier was their only chance at getting enough time to escape, even if it hardly slowed down the cheetah. Holding up his magic chalk, he rushed forward.

Dr. Raiden took quick notice of what the boy was doing. He paced back and forth, still on all fours, and watched with an amused look on his face. “You think that will hold me back for long? You tried your little barrier trick. You should know it won’t work.”

“It’ll work long enough!” Rudy shouted as he finished drawing a glass barrier, keeping Dr. Raiden at bay for the time being. He turned to his friends. “Come on! Let’s go!”

With that, without sparing the evil doctor another glance, the group rushed down. Dr. Raiden’s pupils dilated and he let out a loud growl. He raised up his metal claw and he began to scratch out a hole for him and his comrades to use. The sound of the claw echoed throughout the tunnel, forcing Rudy and his friends to hold their ears, the sound irritating their eardrums. They knew as soon as that sound stopped, it meant that Dr. Raiden finished creating a hole in the glass barrier.

As much as Rudy wanted to look back and make sure that Dr. Raiden hadn’t broken through already, he knew that would be a bad idea as that would just slow them down. They ran as fast as they could down the tunnel, straight towards the light. Closer and closer they got. And soon they went through the end of the tunnel.

The group had to stop and look around, taking in the sight. The area they were in was quite large, with some kind of round roof made of thick stone. The whole internal structure looked like it was made with a mixture of glass and metal. It looked pretty. Whoever had designed this place, they had an eye for architecture. Rudy looked around as did his friends. The place had a rounded kind of appearance. He then soon noticed that some places did stick out like a sore thumb. Bits and pieces were made out of wood, like the area they had been in before. These sections really didn’t look like they belonged, and Rudy wondered why this place was built like this.

Knowing they didn’t have a lot of time to be sight seeing, the group moved through at a brisk pace. They looked all around, trying to find anything that could help them. A door, another tunnel, anything that would buy them some time. But so far, nothing. The room looked largely empty. It went on for a while, almost like a medicine capsule that had been enlarged and stretched across. Rudy felt his heard fill up with dread. They didn’t reach a deadend, did they?

“Hey, you guys...” Rapsheeba said. They looked over at her and saw her standing near the wall. “Look at this.”

The group approached, staring at what the zoner was pointing at. They quickly saw there was what looked like a rectangular sign that was tilted and looked old and dirty. It was covered in thick metal. They thought they could see part of a letter. They knew this was a sign of some kind. But for what? And how long had this been here?

“I wonder what it says.” Blocky said. “And why would it be here? It doesn’t seem like something you’d find in a hospital.”

“Well you wouldn’t find underground passages like this in a hospital either.” Snap pointed out. “And yet here we are.”

“Hold on. I’ll check.” Rudy said, drawing everyone’s attention. “I’ll just make an opening here...”

Rudy reached forward with his magic chalk. He pressed it against the metal. Slowly, he draw a circle, large enough to dislodge the wooden sign. Seconds later, it fell to the ground, making a loud thud as it crashed against the metal ground. Rudy bent down and picked it up. The sign was covered with dirt. He used his sleeve to wipe off the dust. Then he held up the sign for them all to see. They were shocked by what it said.

“Welcome To Tavern Town...?” Blocky asked. He scratched his head. “Why would they take a sign from a town and put in here?”

“I don’t know.” Rapsheeba said, shrugging her shoulders. “Maybe they ran out of building material?”

Those were good ideas, but Rudy came to a different conclusion. He looked at Penny and Snap, and from their expressions, they came to the same thought he did. There was a reason this sign was here, and it wasn’t because it was taken from somewhere else and placed here. No, the sign was here due to a very different reason, one that sent shockwaves through his body.

“This...this was Tavern Town...?” Rudy said, his eyes widening.

“Come again?” Rapsheeba asked.

Penny answered, turning her head to Rapsheeba. “I don’t think this sign was taken. I think this is where it always been.”

“What? But...” Rapsheeba looked around. “Why would they place a sign here?”

“Because, queenie, this place used to be the location of Tavern Town, before ChalkZone City existed.” Snap said, his voice filled with awe. “I can’t believe we actually found it...”

“Neither can I.” Penny said. She moved closer to Rudy, staring at the sign as if she expected it to be some kind of hallucination. She placed her hand on it. “Looks like it was a good thing we used that tunnel.”

“Yeah...” Rudy nodded his head.

It truly was a miracle that they came across this place. Rudy could have tried to go another way, and they would have been struggling to find the old remnants of Tavern Town. Now here they were, due to circumstances they couldn’t control, they wound up in the very place they were hoping to find. Now realizing that this place used to be Tavern Town, suddenly the structure of the place made sense. The hospital had been built over whatever was left of Tavern Town. The pieces of wood that looked out of place..it really was. Concrete and whatever else was poured over whatever remained of this town, making room for the hospital.

Since this was the ruins of Tavern Town, then that must mean the machines were around here somewhere, the ones that would take them to the alternate dimensions and allow them to find the cures he needed. But the question was...just were the machines? Nothing down here was marked, and so far they didn’t see any doors. Maybe if they looked further down, they could find something. This place looked like it was kept a little well, suggesting that the Luminos must have had some use for this place. He wasn’t sure what for, but right now, that didn’t matter. What did matter was finding those machines before the Luminos caught up with them. He couldn’t keep drawing shields forever.

“I wonder where they would put the machines.” Snap wondered out loud, looking around the place.

“Maybe if we follow the wiring, we could find them?” Blocky suggested. He pointed upwards, and the others quickly saw a black cable with little lights on it. It looked like it was powering something. “I’m sure this cord would take us directly to...something at least.”

“Hopefully somewhere we could hide and prepare a counter move.” Snap said, looking over his shoulder warily. “I think I hear the Luminos coming.”

Rudy listened and realized, in horror, Snap was right. He could hear the pounding of footsteps and shouts from the tunnel. Dr. Raiden and the others would be upon them soon. They didn’t have much time. He looked at his friends and shouted, “Come on! Let’s see where this wire leads us!”

The group ran through the room, their eyes hooked on the line. They followed it through the area, turning and changing direction whenever the wire did. It took them down a long path, winding path, similiar to where they were before. As they ran, they did come across some doors, their shapes wobbly, matching the curviture of the walls. They skipped these doors, deciding to go to wherever this wire was. Rudy guessed the wire, due to its appearance, was important, so the machines they were looking for must be down this way somewhere.

They could hear footsteps behind them now, pounding, getting closer. Dr. Raiden was getting closer again. They could all hear his frustrated yowls and spews of insults. Rudy and the others, despite being tired, picked up the pace. The wire seemed to go on forever, but finally, just when they were about to collapse from exhaustion, they finally saw where the wire went. They stopped as they came to where the wire finally seemed to end, though they knew better.

There was a door in front of them. Barely visible, but still there. This one was different from the others. Round in shape. Not a perfect circle, more like an oval. It had a lever instead of a door knob. Rudy wasn’t sure if there was a practical purpose for that or if it was just designed this way so that the Luminos would know whatever was behind this door was different than the other rooms here. The wire that they followed went downward a little and then through what appeared to be a small opening.

From the other side, they could hear the sound of humming. Something was definitely running on the inside. A machine of sorts. Whether or not it was the one they needed, Rudy wasn’t so sure. But hearing the sound of Dr. Raiden fast approaching, hearing the shouts of angry Luminos members coming in tow, they couldn’t just turn back and check the other rooms in case they were wrong. They had to go through this door. If they hurried up, maybe they could slip through without Dr. Raiden noticing which way they had gone.

Rudy rushed past everyone and grabbed onto the door lever. He started to pull it. He winced and grunted. The lever was quite tight. He gripped it with both hands and started to push and pull, but it wouldn’t budge. He turned to the others and made a gesture with his head to help them. Penny, Snap, Rapsheeba, and Blocky grabbed onto a part of the hand. Rudy took in a deep breath and he counted. As soon as he said three, they all began to push the lever upwards.

Slowly, but surely, the lever began to move up, creaking loudly as they went. Soon it was straight up and locked in place. The door opened up a little, allowing them a small view of what was inside. They looked behind, hearing the Luminos getting even closer. Moving as quickly as he could, Rudy pushed the door open. Like before, he ushered the others in first just in case Dr. Raiden got there before they could all get through. Once the others went in, Rudy followed suit. Once he was on the other side with his friends, he and the others pulled the door shut. It made a loud thud sound, making them wince and hope the cheetah doesn’t realize which room they went in.

Rudy knew they had to by some time. The door opened inward, so if he put up a barrier, it should buy them time in case Dr. Raiden realizes this is where they went. They could hear the shouts of the frustrated Luminos and it sounded like they were beginning a search. Hopefully this won’t be the first room they’d look in. Rudy went up to the door and drew a large metal lever, placed in front of the door, which would keep it from opening very easily. He then put up another barrier, this one made of thicker glass to slow down Dr. Raiden.

Once the blockade was in place, the group of friends began to look around the room. It was kind of small, but still felt roomy. It was very rounded, not a single angular section to be found. It appeared to be made of a mixup of metal and glass. Not like what they saw out there either, which had parts of metal and parts of glass. This looked like it was a perfect blend, a mixture of the two. The surface was a shiny silver and they could see their distorted reflections quite well. A series of lights lined the walls, illuminating the room for them to see.

Along the walls, they could see a series of machines. Odd machines that they had no idea what the functions of were. The machines were twisted and oddly shaped, looking like some kid drew them without any concept of what they should look like. Some machines were angular. Some were more rounded. Some were just...hard to describe. Wires, some coiled, some straight, laid across the ground in a big mess, making it easy for them to trip over, especially Penny who had to use a cane to walk, if they weren’t careful.

The strange smell they detected before was very strong hear. They realized it was coming from these machines. Whatever they were doing, it was producing a weird smell. They walked further into the room, looking all around and trying to figure out just what this room was for. What were these machines? What were they used for? Why did the Luminos try to hide them behind a barely visible door?

“Perplexing...” Penny said. She hobbled over to one of the machines, one of the more angular was. She used her free hand to move it across the surface, lightly feeling the buttons that adorned it. “I’ve never seen machines like this before...”

Snap craned his head and looked all around. “I can’t even tell if these machines really work or if they’re failures of some kind.”

“I would think they had to serve some kind of function. They wouldn’t keep useless machines clean, would they?” Blocky asked.

Rudy shook his head. “I don’t think so, Blocky. You’re right...” He walked a little further down, looking around. “These machines have to serve some kind of function. But what?”

“Well maybe they’re used to power that big machine over there.” Rapsheeba pointed out, using her finger to indicate where she was looking.

Rudy and the others looked over and saw a large machine positioned practically in the wall itside. It was on the far end, set in some grooved wall edges. The machine was in different parts. The largest one looked almost like a pinball machine, but in shape only. Everything else about it was different. It had a series of buttons and a small screen. A kind of computer it seemed. Then further back, they could see what looked like a round pad with a small opening. A second piece that looked like it would fit in snugly was above it. A capsule of some kind.

It didn’t take them long to realize that the wire they had followed hooked up to this machine. It curled around in the back and appeared to be stretched tightly. The five friends walked over slowly to the machine, hearing the beeping sounds it was making, the humming that filled the room. They eyed it up and down and then looked at each other. They couldn’t tell what this machine did, but if that shiny wire they followed hooked up to this machine, then it must be something important.

Suddenly, a realization popped into Rudy’s head. He took another look around the room, noting the machines, the way some of them looked. Then he looked back at this machine. He took in a few quick breaths and took a step back. The others took notice of his behavior and looked at him with confusion and concern.

“What is it, Rudy?” Rapsheeba asked.

“Yeah. You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.” Snap commented.

Rudy looked at them with wide eyes. His eyes focusing on Penny and Snap, he asked, “Don’t these machines look...familiar to you guys?” Penny and Snap looked at each other and they shrugged their shoulders. Rudy looked at Rapsheeba and Blocky. He got the same answer. He sucked in a breath and said in a low voice, “Some of these...they’re just like the machines Mr. Cosmo had...”

At this, Penny’s eyes snapped wide open. She took another look around. Her eyes sparked with horrific recognition. “You’re right... I had almost forgotten what his machines looked like.” She took a few steps away, looking at the machines around her in dread. “These machines... Mr. Cosmo’s machines... why would the Luminos be using them...?”

Snap’s body shook at the mention of Cosmo’s name. “That guy sure has a way of coming back.”

Blocky approached one of the machines, a smaller one off to the side. He walked around it, looking at it up and down. He appeared to have spotted something. “Hey, come look at this!” When the others approached, he used his hand to indicate something that he had seen. “There’s something written on here.”

Sure enough, they all could see Blocky was right. Rudy had to lean in really close to see it, but he could soon tell there was something kind of emboss. Someone or something scraped into this machine. Not deeply, but enough so that something could be written. It took a few seconds of looking for him to tell what was written on it. His eyes widened when he saw what name was embossed on this machine.

“Raiden?” Rudy said softly. He looked up at the machine. “This is...Dr. Raiden’s work...?”

The realization sent shockwaves through them. These machines... They were built by Dr. Raiden? He didn’t seem like someone who knew machinery, but then... That would explain the electric water cage Rudy and Penny were stuck in before. It was possible Dr. Raiden had built it. It was just as likely that someone else made it, but, after seeing this, Rudy began to wonder if all or at least some of these machines had been built by Dr. Raiden himself.

Rudy thought back to Mr. Cosmo’s hideout. He knew the machines were made of chalk. Because of this, he knew that the machines had to have been created in ChalkZone. He thought that maybe Mr. Cosmo made them and dragged into the real world. But looking at these machines, seeing how similar they were to Mr. Cosmo’s, seeing Dr. Raiden’s name written on one of them, he began to wonder if Mr. Cosmo really did enslave some zoners to build stuff for him. It would have been easy for him to draw willing servents, but knowing the man’s derogatory attitude towards zoners, it was just as likely that he would force zoners to build the stuff for him.

“I bet Mr. Cosmo made Dr. Raiden build this stuff.” Snap said as he looked at the machines uneasily.

“That’s a logical conclusion.” Penny agreed. “Mr. Cosmo would certainly do something like that.”

“If that’s the case...” Rudy said, his right eye widening in realization. “That would explain why he joined the Luminos.”

The others nodded, indicating they, too, came to the same conclusion as he did. If it was true, that Dr. Raiden had been forced into labor by Mr. Cosmo during the incident three years ago, it would definitely explain why he hated humans so much. Mr. Cosmo was a nasty person, cruel and twisted. He may have done all kinds of terrible things to Dr. Raiden, perhaps anyone he cared about as well, to make him build these machines for him. Rudy couldn’t really blame Dr. Raiden for being mentally scarred from the experience. It must have been traumatic.

At the same time, he couldn’t let him off the hook either. While he understood why Dr. Raiden would be upset with humans after that incident, he was taking things too far. It did not excuse the way he was acting now. Rudy could feel sympathize with Dr. Raiden as he, too, had experienced just how cruel that monster could be. But that sympathy only spread so far, and if Dr. Raiden was willing to hurt others to get what he wanted, then he had to be stopped.

Suddenly, their thoughts were interrupted when they heard footsteps just outside the door. They froze and listened intently. They were afraid if they moved, they would be heard and the Luminos would begin to break the door down. At first, they heard a few footsteps around the outside, but not much else. Then silence. At first, they thought that they didn’t have anything to worry about after all. Then they were quickly proven wrong when Dr. Raiden’s voice rang out.

“They’re in here! I can smell them!”

Rudy and the others froze in horror.

“Break the door down!”

Then, seconds later, the room began to shake and vibrate as something, a large zoner perhaps, began to knock up against the door, slamming it as hard as they could. The group looked at each other, fear etched on everyone’s faces. The barrier was only going to hold up for so long. And as it already started to crack, they knew there wasn’t much time.

As the Luminos pounded against the door forcefully, Rudy rushed over towards the pinball shaped machine. “Come on!” He called out. “Let’s see what this machine does!”

The others rushed over towards Rudy as the room continued to shake, each slam against the door getting loud and louder. The Luminos were hitting against the door with increased force. Angry shouts could be heard, some of them insults, some of them shouts for them to come out and face them.

“You creators and your accomplices can’t hide in there forever!” Dr. Raiden’s voice boomed through. “As soon as we get through, we’re going to rip you into shreds!”

As the barrier started to crack, Rudy knew they didn’t have much time.


	46. Arrival At The News Station

Terry had never driven this fast before, especially while injured. She did realize she should have listened to Mrs. Sanchez and let someone else drive. But she felt responsible for Vinnie getting a hold of the tape and she wanted to set things right. She also knew the fastest route to the news station Vinnie went to, and it was easier for her to drive herself rather than try to guide. She knew she was going to regret driving on her own, but at least this way, they could get there pretty fast.

The others were buckled down. She was a little unsure about letting Reggie come with. She didn’t want to be responsible for a teenager getting injured due to her own reckless driving. Terry was passing a couple of red lights and turning at the wrong time, narrowly missing getting hit. Her passengers were screaming and yelling at her to slow down or to let someone else drive. She did make an effort to try to drive more safely, but urgency was on her mind now, and she knew the others felt the same way. Well she wasn’t sure about Reggie, but he might feel the same way as time goes on.

The news station was not too far away. If she kept going at this speed, they should get there very soon. When they would get there, Terry had to think of how they were going to do this. They couldn’t just barge in. She might be able to as she works at this station. But the Tabooties, Mrs. Sanchez, and Reggie..she had some doubts they’d be allowed to just walk in, not unless she could think of a good story to tell the people there of why they were coming with.

And even if they got past that part, they still have to figure out just where Vinnie was. The news station was not small by any means. Despite being local, there were a few levels and several rooms were they record and air stuff. It didn’t help that there was more than one video room, making it even trickier to locate Vinnie before it was too late. And then, when they find him, there was the challenge of getting the tape from him. Vinnie was not just going to hand it over because they asked, but they couldn’t force him to hand it over either. They would be in a public place. They’d have to be careful.

Terry wished she had done something earlier. She should have tried to find the copies of the tapes earlier. From how Vinnie’s note read, it seemed like he did keep the copies, or originals, of the ChalkZone footage somewhere in his apartment. He only took them after she left and he noticed her. She should have taken the time to look around and grab the copies before she went outside. Now because of that, they would up getting less time to stop him and wasting about half their time trying to look for the footage.

Well there was nothing they could do about that now. They had to get to the news station before the tape aired. They still had some time, unless Vinnie lied to them and the tape actually aired... No she knew that wasn’t possible. If the ChalkZone footage aired, she would of heard it on the radio, which was currently playing some low music. A discovery as major as an alternate dimension would likely spread like wildfire. Every channel, radio station, whatever else, in the local area would be disrupted. It would become public news later on. If they could stop it before it becomes local news, they might have a chance.

She could see the news station coming up. As she slowed down a little so she could prepare to turn in, she could see Vinnie’s car. Unless he walked somewhere, he should be in the building somewhere. She turned on her turn signal and spun the wheel, moving into the parking lot. She drove around until she found a parking spot and pulled into it. She put her vehicle on park and turned it off. She looked at the others.

“Come on!” Terry shouted.

Mr. Tabootie rubbed his head. “Next time...let someone else drive....”

“I think I’m going to be sick...” Mrs. Tabootie said, wobbling from side to side a little. “I can’t believe you drove that fast.”

“It was either that or the two hours would have been up!” Terry said, folding her arms.

“This place wasn’t that far away!” Mrs. Sanchez snapped. She then forced herself to relax. “But yes, you’re right. There isn’t that much time.” She unbuckled herself and climbed out of the vehicle. She gestured for the others to follow. “Come on. We don’t have much time to get that tape back.”

Reggie climbed out of the vehicle and stood next to Mrs. Sanchez. He stumbled a little, obviously affected by Terry’s insane driving. He put his hand on the vehicle and leaned against it. He put his hand on his forehead and shook his head. “This is...the right news station, right?”

“Well of course it is!” Terry said. She took a few steps towards the building. “Now come on!”

The group started to head towards the double doors that led into the news station. Terry got a few feet towards it when she suddenly stopped and stiffened up in pain. She attempted to take another step, but that just aggravated her injuries. No, not now... She tried her best to fight against the pain. She couldn’t afford to have her wounds slow her down now. She tried to push the pain in the back of her head, but it just wasn’t working.

She almost fell forward when she felt someone grab her arms. She looked to her sides and saw that Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie had come up to her and grabbed onto her arms. They held her up, allowing her to use them for balance. They looked at her with concern. Terry clenched her teeth and shut her eyes in pain for a few seconds. Perhaps she shouldn’t have driven after all. She aggravated her injuries more than she thought. Pain erupted throughout her body, making it hard for her to move.

She would have wanted to rest and try to let the pain pass, but she knew she couldn’t do that. She had to come with to help these people get in to stop Vinnie. She had to do something to help as well. She felt compelled to. If she hadn’t given the information Vinnie wanted, this may not have happened. Despite her agony, she had to keep pushing herself forward. She came this far and she wasn’t about to back out now. Leaning on Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie for support, she started to walk towards the building, Mrs. Sanchez and Reggie in tow.

“We knew we shouldn’t have let you drive.” Mrs. Tabootie said in a stern voice. Her eyes were narrowed, not in anger but with worry. “You might have hurt yourself more, with the way you were driving.”

“Well we had to get here fast...” Terry said, flinching in pain.

“We know, but we could have found another way to do that without you pushing yourself too far.” Mr. Tabootie said.

Mrs. Sanchez sped up her walking so that she walked close to Terry’s side, positioned so she could see her despite Mr. Tabootie being in the way. “We understand it is important to get that tape back. Don’t think we aren’t so worried. But by pushing yourself like that, you ended up slowing yourself down more.” Mrs. Sanchez eyed Terry up and down, noting how slower she was walking due to the pain. “You should have let one of us drive.”

Terry growled softly at this. She didn’t know why they had to start guilting her like this. Or maybe she was just overreacting. They were just concerned about her after all, and they were right. She should have listened. But she didn’t and she was moving at a slower pace. She realized, unless she could pick the speed up a little, they might not get there in time. She had no idea if Vinnie aired the tape or not. As frustrated as she was with these people reminding her of her mistake, she couldn’t fault them and she knew they had to stay focused on getting the tape back.

“I know..I know...” Terry said softly. She gave a sharp hiss of pain and nearly staggered to the side. The Tabooties held onto her tightly, making sure she didn’t fall. “But right now we need to focus on getting that tape back...”

“Should one of us go out ahead?” Reggie suggested. “I could rush over and...”

“No... they won’t let you in..” Terry said. “Not unless you have an ID.”

“Well don’t you have one?” Mrs. Sanchez asked.

“Yes I do, but...” Terry started to say.

Mr. Tabootie interrupted her. “Maybe you could give it to Reggie or Mrs. Sanchez. They could go in and try to slow down Vinnie.”

Terry shook her head. “I don’t think that’s going to work. None of you look like me. I don’t think they’ll let you in just because you have my ID, and how am I supposed to get in?” She looked at the others, waiting for one of them to speak. When they did not, she let out a soft sigh. “I had a feeling that was going to be the response. Look, that is a pretty good idea, but I’m afraid it won’t work. I’ll...try to move faster.”

Mrs. Sanchez bit her lip as she nervously glanced at the news station’s doors. They were still a good distance away. With Terry in so much pain, it would still be a little while before they got through the doors. She turned back to Terry. “There has to be something we could do...”

Terry looked at her sadly. “I’m afraid not... The only way to get in is...” She flinched. “..is if I go there first and let you guys in. Taking my ID won’t work... They’ll just think you stole it...”

As much as she would have loved that plan to work, Terry knew it would not. Things didn’t work like they did on TV. They couldn’t just use her ID to get in. This building did not operate under just the whole ‘scan the ID to get in’ routine. There were people on the other side who check everyone who comes in. A security measure. They check all IDs and there was no way they were going to mistake any of these people with her for her. Even if they were somehow fooled, she and the others would then be locked out.

The only way they were all going to get in was if she dragged herself over there. As slow as she was being, it was their only option. She could open the door for them and when they reached the guards, she could explain some kind of situation to warrant the need to take these people with her. From there, they could figure out where Vinnie was, which was easier said than done. They could locate him and then confront him. Hopefully this was going to be easier than she thought. She hoped that it would be an almost in and out thing. But things were never that easy, she knew. She had a feeling she would have to prepare herself for the worst.

Suddenly, she felt someone wrap their arms around her. Before she could say a word, she was hoisted off the ground. Confused, she looked all around, trying to figure out just what happened. Then she looked down and she could see that Mr. Tabootie had picked her up into his arms. Despite not being the most muscular guy around, he still managed to lift her up.

“I’ll carry you to the door.” Mr. Tabootie said.

“Good idea, Joe!” Mrs. Tabootie said. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.”

“Yeah...I don’t know why I didn’t either...” To keep her balance, Terry grabbed onto Mr. Tabootie. She did feel a little upset about holding onto Mrs. Tabootie’s husband like this, but the woman didn’t seem to mind. Terry turned her head towards the door. “Let’s get going.”

Being carried by Mr. Tabootie definitely made things a lot easier. The group walked over towards the door, their pace increased since she was no longer slowing them down. She wished she had thought of this sooner. If she had, they would have been to the door by now. Well, at least someone came up with the idea, and they were moving at the door at a faster rate. It didn’t take them long to reach it.

Now that they were at the door, Mr. Tabootie carefully set her back on her feet. Terry winced at the pain in her legs, but managed to keep herself steady. She hoped that the guards won’t slow her down when they see her bandaged areas. They had to keep moving. They couldn’t afford to slow down, not while Vinnie still had the ChalkZone evidence at his disposal. She took out her ID from her pocket and walked up towards the white-colored device on the wall. She held it up until she heard a click. She opened up the door and gestured for the others to come in quickly.

Then, after they were all in, she moved towards the second set of doors waiting for them. Again, she brought up her ID card. Another click, and then they were all in. But they couldn’t go anywhere yet. Standing not far from the doors were two guards, dressed in blue. They took immediate notice of them and they walked forward, glares on their faces.

“What are you folks doing in here?” The first guard asked.

“You need an appointment to be here.” The second guard said sternly. “If you have an appointment, give us the confirmation number.”

“No appointment. They’re with me.” Terry said, stepping in front of the group. She held up her ID card for the guards to see.

The first guard reached out and took the card. He looked at it for a bit before handing it to his comrade. The second examined it, narrowing his eyes, and then he tossed it back to Terry. The two guards looked a little suspicious. Terry wanted to groan. They didn’t have time to waste. Why won’t the guards just let her through?

“Terry Bouffant, eh? We were told you were sick.” The second guard said.

“Sick? Who told you that?” Terry said. She immediately realized, when she asked, who would have told them that. “It was Vinnie Raton, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. He called the boss and told us you were feeling unwell. He said he was looking after you.” The first guard said, folding up his arms. “He told us you should be in best resting, and that if we saw you, then we should make sure you go back home to rest.”

“I wasn’t sick.” Terry said. “Vinnie was keeping in his apartment against my will.”

The second guard chuckled at this. “Yeah right... Vinnie isn’t smart enough to do that.”

“It’s true!” Terry growled at them. “Tell me where he is! We need to speak to him!”

“Terry is right. She was held captive.” Mrs. Tabootie said, taking a step forward. “We can all vouch for that. She was badly injured. Don’t you see the bandages?”

The first guard tilted his head to the side. “She could have given them to herself.”

“How?!” Mrs. Sanchez cried in surprise. “What did you think she did? Take a bath in a bunch of knives or something?!”

The first guard smirked at this. “We wouldn’t put it past her. She had done some pretty crazy things before.”

“Yeah.” The second guard said. He pointed a finger at the woman. “Wasn’t she the one who used to blab about that chalk world?”

Terry narrowed her eyes at this. “I hadn’t talked about that place in a long time... I have been keeping focused on actual stories. You two should know that!”

“Yeah, but it only takes one time before everyone thinks you’re a loon!” The first guard laughed.

The group glared at the two guards. None of them could believe how they were treating Terry. Well Terry herself wasn’t surprised, but she knew the others were. She had to deal wtih this from time to time. Even after she had went back to ‘real’ stories, some people at the studio still made fun of her for her ChalkZone exploits. They would talk about her behind her back and call her names. Some weren’t that bad. Others...she cared not to remember.

These two guards were no exception. She often suffered a little mental abuse from them. They wouldn’t let up on her and usually said at least one derogatory thing to her. She had hoped that, this time around, they’d be more cooperative when they saw she had company. Well she was apparently asking for too much and the two just couldn’t keep their mouths shut. They hadn’t even moved out of the way for her and time was running out. As much as she’d love to chew these two out, she knew they had to focus on getting past them and finding Vinnie. If these two weren’t going to tell them where he was, they’d have to figure out themselves.

But the question was how were they going to get past them? The guards were blocking their path. She looked left and right. Nope, no way to get past them. She didn’t like the idea of making conversation with them, but it seemed she had no choice. Maybe if she kept talking to them, she could convince them to let them go through. These two were so surprised to see her instead of staying back, and if Vinnie really did tell them to make sure she went home, she needed to figure out a plan and fast.

“Look...just tell us where Vinnie is, and we’ll be out of your way.” Terry said. Her teeth were clenched and it took all her effort not to snap at the two men.

“Sorry. We can’t do that. We did promise Vinnie to send you packing if you showed up here.” The first guard said.

“Though we would love to tell you were he is. After all...” The second guard said, a somewhat twisted smile on his face. “...you freaks have to stick together, right?” Terry and the others narrowed their eyes as the two guards laughed. “Hey, just calling them as I see them. It’s not our fault you went off the deep end years ago, Ms. Bouffant.”

“Yeah. I mean, how stupid did you have to be to think that anyone would buy that chalk world story of yours?” The first guard said in a taunting voice. “Did you honestly think anyone would take you seriously?”

“Hey knock it off!” Mr. Tabootie said, pointing a finger at them. “You’re not acting very professional!”

“Sir, our job is to keep people out and to check to make sure whoever comes in is a staff member or has an appointment.” The first guard said, folding his arms. “We are not here to sugarcoat anything, or be very nice.”

“Yeah, besides, Ms. Bouffant here had it coming.” The second sneered at Terry. “That’s what she gets for being such an idiot.”

Fist clenched and shaking, Mrs. Sanchez moved towards the guards, putting herself in front of Terry. She pointed an accusatory finger at them. When she spoke, her voice was filled with more venom than Terry ever heard her speak in. “Now see here, you two! You’re acting like little children! You think you’re oh so much better than Terry just because you don’t believe in a chalk world? She’s not the one calling people names and acting all superior just because she disagrees with someone! People like you are disgusting! You feel so insecure about yourselves that you take it out on others! You should be ashamed of yourselves!”

Terry and the others, even the guards, stared at Mrs. Sanchez in shock. None of them expected her to snap like that. None of them were expecting outburst from her. Though it looked as if the Tabooties and Reggie wanted to give the guards a piece of their mind as well, Mrs. Sanchez had beaten them to the punch. And she said what was on their minds. These two guards were disgusting with the way they were acting. Terry couldn’t argue with that.

But as much as she appreciated the defense, as much as she appreciated Mrs. Sanchez standing up for her like that despite not being exactly friends, she doubted her words would sink into these guards. As shocked as they were, the next day, they would be back to their usual behavior. They wouldn’t change. Right now, her feelings weren’t what mattered the most. They needed to get that ChalkZone tape back, and if that meant putting up these two and what they say about her, she’s willing to do that.

Terry took in a deep breath. Her eyes set solely on the two guards, she moved towards them. She stopped when she was a foot in front of them. The two guards stared at her, their eyes still wide in shock at Mrs. Sanchez’s outburst. It took them a few seconds before they changed their expressions, their eyes narrowing a little. Terry glared back and folded her arms. She ignored the pain she was feeling, a burning sensation in her stomach as she knew time was running out. These two would move, or she’d make them move, somehow.

“Get out of our way. We need to see Vinnie.” Terry said in a stern voice.

The first guard glanced at his comrade before looking back at her. He shook his head rigidly. “No. We have our orders.”

“Vinnie isn’t your boss!” Terry growled.

“Or are you telling us he got a job here?” Mr. Tabootie asked, cocking an eyebrow. “I have my doubts he’d get a high ranking job like that.”

“No...” The second guard shook his head. “But we did get orders from our boss not to let you in until you felt better, Ms. Bouffant. We can see that you are...well...” The word ‘well’ was emphasized in sarcasm. “But the boss doesn’t want you in here..not today.” He took a step towards Terry and put his face close to hers. “Now..get out...”

Terry narrowed her eyes. This didn’t bode well for them. She had to figure out a way around them, but how? She thought about tackling them, despite her pain, but that wouldn’t turn out so well. She could easily hurt herself if she did that. She was covered in injuries. And judging from how these two acted, they probably wouldn’t think much of hitting her to make her stop. And, for struggling with them, they could have her arrested. They needed a...distraction of some kind...

She turned her head to the others, hoping that one of them had some kind of idea. Mr. Tabootie, Mrs. Tabootie, and Mrs. Sanchez just looked at her sadly. They did seem angry with the guards, but none of them appeared to have any ideas on what they could do next. The guards were determined to keep her back. They completely blocked their path. Terry realized they may have a better chance to retreat and think of another plan, but with so little time left... No, that would not work. They needed something else.

She then realized something was off. There appeared to be a member missing from the group. Terry looked all around. Where had Reggie gone? Did he go back outside? No..she would have heard him. These doors were quiet, but they weren’t that quiet. She would have seen him, or at least heard him, as the doors were opened. But then, where was he if he wasn’t outside or with them? She soon got her answer when they heard a sudden shout from the guards.

“Hey you there!” The first guard shouted, pointing down one of the hallways. “You’re not allowed in here! Get back!”

“Oh yeah? Why don’t you make me?” Reggie said in a playful tone.

Terry and the other adults stared in shock. Somehow, while they were all distracted with each other, Reggie had taken action. He had moved out away from them and headed down the hallway. She had no idea how long he had been standing there. She didn’t know how he even managed to get there without being seen. But what they all did know is that he was down there, and he was taunting the guards.

“Come here, boy!” The second guard yelled, slamming a fist against his palm. “Or do we have to make you?”

“Didn’t you hear me?” Reggie folded his arms against his chest. “Make me! I don’t work here. I don’t take orders from the likes of you!”

“Why you little...” The second guard growled. He turned to his comrade. “Come on, let’s reel him in!”

Reggie made a quick glance at the group. He nodded his head once, indicating that they should go on without him. He then turned his attention back to the guards. He backed up quickly, smiling mischeviously at them. Then he turned and started to run. Terry and the other adults watched, their eyes wide in shock, as Reggie rushed down the hallway, the two guards running after them. They stared in silence for a few seconds before Terry snapped back to reality.

“Come on, let’s get moving!” Terry shouted, motioning with her arm. “We don’t have much time!”

With that, the Tabooties and Mrs. Sanchez nodded their heads. They rushed down the opposite hallway, following close behind Terry. Though still in agony from her wounds, Terry’s mind was able, for a time, block out at least some of the pain. She had a new focus now. Get that tape back or suffer irreversible damage. Her wounds would always heal. ChalkZone never would if it were exposed. But to stop the damage before it started, they’d have to find Vinnie.

And where Vinnie was, Terry had no idea. They would have to check every room in this place and hope for the best. He was here somewhere. They just had to keep looking. Sooner or later, they’d find them. But whether or not they’d find him before it was too late... Terry gritted her teeth. No, they would make it in time. They just had to keep moving...keep looking. They would get that tape back and she would make Vinnie pay for what he had done.

It was just a matter of finding him.

sss

“This blockade of yours is not going to last forever, filthy creators!” Dr. Raiden snarled. “Sooner or later, it’s going to come crumbling down! Your magic chalk will only last you so long!”

Penny shuddered at the hostility laced in Dr. Raiden’s voice. His voice still sounded so chilling. She knew, from how he sounded as he spoke, he meant every word he said. If they didn’t get out of here soon, they were going to be in big trouble. There was no other pathway to get out of this room, and from the sound of it, Dr. Raiden had a large number of Luminos with him. Rudy was the only one with magic chalk. He couldn’t hold all of them off forever, especially if the Luminos target him specifically to get the magic chalk away from him.

Their only chance of escape now rested in these machines. She had a feeling that one of them had to be important. One of them had to have some kind of ability that would help them. But even then, it was just a shot in the dark. It could turn out none of these did anything that could help them. They could be trapped with nowhere to go. And as she heard the cracks of the barrier start to give way, knowing that, sooner or later, Dr. Raiden and the other Luminos would break the door down, she knew they were running out of time.

She and the others had rushed over towards the pinball-like machine. Out of all the machines, this one stood out the most. This would be the first machine they’d inspect. Something about it was drawing her to it. There was just something about the design that was intriguing. Something told her that this machine just might be the one they were looking for all this time. She glanced over at the door, watching it wobble as the Luminos kept slamming into it. She turned her attention back to the machine. Yes, this machine had to be helpful in some way.

The others moved aside for her as she went up to the monitor. She stood in front of it, staring at the black screen. She reached over and pushed a button on the side. Seconds later, there was a beep and she could hear the machine make a sound in addition to the beeping it was making already. The screen light up. Even though this room wasn’t necessarily dark, the light of the monitor did hurt them a little, forcing them to look away. When their eyes adjusted, they looked back.

Penny’s eyes widened at what she saw. The others looked at her, noting her expression. They moved a little closer, waiting for her to say something. Penny’s eyes remained locked on the monitor, not entirely sure how to make it out.

“What is it Penny?” Rudy asked.

“What do you see?” Snap inquired, leaning a little closer.

Penny stared at the monitor. “I...” Her voice trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

The monitor displayed something rather strange to her. It almost reminded her of a time machien. There were multiple slots, similiar to what she’d see in movies whenever a time machine was involved. But this wasn’t a time machine. The slots here appeared to be for longitude and latitude, but it also had options for other things. Just what, she couldn’t tell. The symbols were pretty weird-looking as well.

In addition to this, there were a few on screen buttons that appeared to have some kind of function. She decided to try them out. She checked them, but most of them did not work. She didn’t know if it was because this machine was not complete or if it was because she did not put in some kind of...data or whatever this machine needed to function. Out of all the buttons, only one appeared to work and it brought up a list of some kind. She used a pair of keys to scroll through, looking at what was listed. She was very confused. There was something clearly written here, but she couldn’t understand what it was saying.

Then she realized something. These symbols...they were just like the ones they saw at Solar Pillars. The exact same. But unlike those, these were visible without the foreboding light touching them. She knew that the light here was safe. Rudy was not getting a bad reaction to it. But knowing what these were was not going to help them. There was still the issue of reading them. Rudy can’t, not without that light, and they had no means of getting access to that light. They had to figure out a work around.

Penny rubbed her head, feeling a headache coming on. They didn’t have much time to figure this stuff out. The others were counting on her. She was the one, out of all of them, who would have the most knowledge when it came to machines. Rudy had some knowledge as well, but she was the best candidate to figure this stuff out. She continued looking through the machine, hoping to find some kind of clue as to what this thing did.

Another loud bang. A loud crack. The group looked over, their eyes wide. The door was dented by this point. It was still holding up. They still had time. But not as much as they thought they did. They had to hurry up. Their hearts pounded against their chest as they could the angry shouts of the Luminos on the other side. They sounded so hostile and aggressive. Murder was definitely on their minds. No doubt they would show no mercy once they broke the door down.

“They’re going to break through!” Rapsheeba cried out, her hands to her mouth.

“We have to get out of here!” Blocky shouted, waving his arms in the air. “There’s no way we can hold them off for long!”

Snap stared at Penny with fear-filled eyes. “Please tell me you figured this stuff out, Buckette...”

Penny clenched her teeth. She looked around the screen, her heart racing. She punched through the lists, the buttons, whatever she could find. Panic spread through her mind. “I’m trying, Snap! But I..I can’t figure this out!”

“I know you can do it, Penny! Just keep trying!” Rudy cried. He turned his attention to the door. He narrowed his eyes and held up his magic chalk. “If they break through, I’ll try to fight them.”

Penny looked at him in shock. “You’re crazy! You can’t fight all of them at once! Let me help you, I...”

Rudy held up his hand to silence her. “No, Penny. You’re the only one here best suited to figure out how this machine works. It might be our only chance out. If they take you, then what will happen to Snap, Rapsheeba, and Blocky? We’ll all get caught.” Penny opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t think of the words to say. She fell silent. Rudy gave her a smile. “I’m willing to hold them off, even if I end up captured in the process. Just please...work on that machine.”

Penny nodded her head slowly. “Okay Rudy..if you feel that is the best..”

Penny didn’t like this idea. She didn’t want Rudy sacrificing himself like this. She wanted him to be okay. She wanted him to stay safe. But she knew, in the end, he was right. It was imperative that she figure out how this machine worked. She was the best one for the job. If she and Rudy both fought, they could both get captured more easily. At least this way, one of them had a chance to escape. She could rescue Rudy and any other of her friends captured if she managed to get away. If Dr. Raiden captured anyone she cared about, any innocent person or zoner, she would do whatever it took to save them.

She turned to the monitor, narrowing her eyes at the screen. She looked through the display again, trying to find some kind of clue as to what this thing did. She pressed the buttons, looking through the list of odds words. Finding nothing, she tried to see if she could activate one of the other buttons, or locate one she hadn’t seen before. As she scanned the monitor, she did take notice of something she missed before. A small round button in the corner. She pressed on it.

A small window popped up. In the center of it was some kind of sphere. Blue, with some green and brown. She realized it was earth. At the bottom of the screen were arrow keys. She pressed them. Each time, the picture changed. Either it was a slight change, maybe some different colorations and patterns, or it would be more dramatic, with earth looking quite different, though at times, similar at the same time.

As she continued to look through, two in particular stood out among the others. One sphere looked like the earth she knows, but it appeared darkened. There was some kind of red coloration on it, with some black. It looked absolutely foreboding. She couldn’t help but feel her heart skip a beat just looking at this. The others around her appeared unnerved as well. The second one appeared more welcoming. It was one of the more dramatic spheres, but this one was more brightly light. Not terribly, but it had a golden glow that made it appear more inviting, a definite improvement from the dark and dreary world she just looked at before.

Both of these had one thing in common. Well two actually. They were the only two that had additional information on the screen. Both worlds were circled by some kind of marking. It was faint, but still there. The marking zoomed in and out slowly, as if trying to get their attention. Then, at the bottom, there was a little icon with what looked like a pill symbol on them. She bit her lip and she pressed on it, bringing up a new window.

The window was small and was fixated in the corner. There was no information, instead just pictures. One of them appeared to be some kind of chalk. It was white with black stripes, much like a zebra. Unlike the black chalk she and the others saw before, the black on here didn’t look dangerous. It looked rather calm and soothing, almost like it had been tamed by the white. But, thinking back to Bardot, she knew to be wary of it regardless. The other image displayed appeared to be some kind of potion, and yet wasn’t. It was hard to describe. It didn’t look like it was edible, yet was stored in a glass bottle like the stereotypical potion in games. It was clear-colored except for some rainbowy shininess in some places.

Suddenly, her eyes filled with realization. She looked at the screen, her mouth dropping open in awe. She had a feeling she knew exactly what this was. The different versions of earth, the ones that looked so different, different ChalkZones no doubt... And those items... They..they had to be the cure.. The worlds circles..they must be the alternate dimensions that Mr. Cosmo hid them in. Her heart filled with emotion as this realization swept through her mind. She whirled her head to the others so fast, she startled them.

“I think I know what this does!” Penny cried out.

“Really?” Snap said excitedly. “What is it?”

“What did you find out?” Rudy asked, taking a few steps towards Penny. “Is it going to help us?”

“I think so!” Penny looked back at the machine. “I...I think this is the dimensional machine we were looking for!”

Rudy’s eyes widened. “You really think so?”

“How did you find this out?” Rapsheeba asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

Penny pointed at the screen and said, “All these spheres this machine displayed.. It has to be alternate dimensions! They’re all of earth, just different colors. Some of them looked drawn.. I bet those are chalk earths! And these items here...” She turned to face Rudy. “I bet they’re the cures mean to reverse your condition, Rudy.”

Rudy’s eyes stared at the screen, his mouth partially open. He slowly reached forward and touched the screen, over one of the supposed cures being displayed. He took in a deep breath and he looked back at Penny. “Then...what are we waiting for?”

“Yeah, let’s get to those dimensions and find those cures!” Snap said, a smile on his face. “Let’s show those black chalk artists they can’t keep us down for long!”

Penny narrowed her eyes and bit her lip. The others looked at her, their eyes widening in worry. “I...don’t know how yet how to work this.” She looked back at the screen. She looked down at what was displayed, then glanced at the controls. “I need to look at this more before I....”

“Penny, do you know why Dr. Raiden would keep this machine if he knows it’ll help me?” Rudy asked, interrupting her. His eyes were wide in fear. “You...you don’t suppose he might...”

“..use it to teleport humans into any random location he wanted?” Penny finished, the same thought crossing her mind. “I wouldn’t doubt it. I have a feeling he might have turned this into a weapon. Maybe, for some humans, he’s going to teleport them to some place hot and inhabitable, just because he can. He’s a monster.”

“That’s an understatement.” Blocky growled under his breath. “I can’t believe he refuses to see reason.”

“That’s how all the Luminos appear to be.” Penny said, a sad tone to her voice. “But we’ll deal with them later. Right now, we have to get those cures. I’ll work as fast as I can to get this machine running.”

As soon as she said that, there was a loud bang. An explosion rocked the room, sending dust and debris flying everywhere. Penny and her friends covered their faces and coughed, trying their best to breathe. Once the dust cleared up, they looked over to see just what had happened.

Much to their horror, the Luminos had resorted to using weapons. Penny recognized them was the rocket launchers Rudy and Snap described that were used to destroy Snap’s house. The good news was they appeared to be empty as they were dropped on the floor. The bad news, the Luminos were still not completely unarmed. Through the smoke, they could see the shapes of many zoners coming towards them, some kind of weapon still in hand. Then, seconds later, Dr. Raiden appeared, a furious expression on his face.

The group gasped in horror when they saw just what the Luminos were wielding now. Guns... Laser guns to be exact, as the overall shape was not like that of a conventional gun. Behind Dr. Raiden were about six other zoners, some of them big, some smaller, and all of them were holding a laser gun. Dr. Raiden was not, and instead was pointing his metal claw towards them in a menacing manner.

Then came the order that chilled their blood and filled them with dread.

“Attack!” Dr. Raiden ordered the other Luminos. “Shoot them! Kill them! Leave none of them alive!”

At this, the other Luminos took position beside Dr. Raiden. They raised up their weapons and pointed them at the group of two humans and three zoners. Although clearly outnumbered, Rudy narrowed his eyes and moved in front of his friends. He held up the magic chalk and prepared to fight.

Before the Luminos could begin shooting, Dr. Raiden raised his hand. “Leave Rudy to me... I want to be the one to spill his blood... I’ll take care of him. The rest of you, slaughter his friends. I don’t care how you do it. Just do it!” With that, as the Luminos turned their attention to Penny, Snap, Rapsheeba, and Blocky, Dr. Raiden went down on all fours and raced towards Rudy, tail flying back behind him. “I’m going to skin you alive, creator!”

Rudy took a fighting stance. “Bring it on!”


	47. A Risky And Dangerous Move

Rudy had to react fast. His friends could not defend themselves against the barrange of bullets. There wasn’t that many places to hide in here. And with Dr. Raiden barreling down towards him like a wolf chasing its prey, he had to think of something and fast. Being a cheetah, Dr. Raiden would be upon him in a matter of seconds. He had to do something to slow him down, even if just briefly.

Rudy quickly started to draw with his magic chalk, his weaker left one tightly clenched in a fist as he glared in Dr. Raiden’s direction. Lines filled the air and soon he had drawn a long pole. It wasn’t much, but it would help him out enough. He held it in his hands, gripping it as tightly as he could. He pulled his arms back and waited for Dr. Raiden to get within striking distance. He then swung the pole, slamming it against the cheetah and sending him flying to the side. Although he had not wanted to outright attack Dr. Raiden since it would just give the cheetah reason to hate him more, it was either that or he let his friends die. And there was no way he would let that happen.

With Dr. Raiden temporarily down, Rudy rushed over. His friends were trying their best to dodge the laser bullets. The energy shots bounced off the walls a few times, narrowly missing them, before they ran out of energy and disappeared. He could see his friends hiding in some of the only places they could. He could tell they wanted to fight back, but there were too many bullets and they had no weapons or shields of their own. Soon the Luminos noticed him and now they began to shoot at him.

Rudy had a hard time dodging the bullets as well. They came in from nearly all directions. The laser guns appeared to shoot many small bullets at a time, but these bullets were made out of heated energy. Rudy seethed as one just barely grazed his arm. Looking at his friends, he could see they all suffered at least one grazing themselves. At one point, he had to twist his body in a way he never thought he could to dodge a payload of light bullets heading his way.

Turning to his friends, he shouted, “Over to the machine! Quick! I’ll draw you guys a shield!”

Penny looked at him worriedly. “But what about you?”

“I’ll hold them off! Hurry!” Rudy cried as he rushed towards the machine. He looked at his friends, who were hiding behind the little spaces the machines provided. “Get over here! Quick!”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay, Bucko?” Snap called out. He ducked as a bullet almost grazed his head. “Maybe one of us should stay out of the shield and help you...”

“No! I’m the only one with the magic chalk and I’m not about to let you guys get hurt! Get over here!” Rudy realized that sounded like a command. And he did sound a little harsh. But he couldn’t help it. He was just really determined to keep his friends safe. He knew he was taking a huge risk taking on the Luminos on his own. But he was willing to do it if it was going to keep his friends safe. “There isn’t much time! Hurry!”

Although his friends were clearly reluctant to do what he says, even though they would rather stay and try to help him instead of letting him go and do this on his own, they did eventually comply. They rushed over to where the machine was, dodging the bullets the best they could. A few cries of pain revealed that some of them got hit. Snap got hit in his arm, Rapsheeba her shoulder, and Blocky his side. Thankfully, they were only hit with one light bullet and it didn’t cause as much damage as it could have had multiple shots hit them.

Rudy raised his magic chalk and drew a shield for them. Though he knew that he could have just broken his piece in half and given one to Penny, he knew that would not have been a good move. She was the only one who may be able to figure out how to work the dimensions machine. If she could figure it out, she could activate it, and they could get out of this situation. Her figuring out how the machine worked was their best chance of survival.

Soon the shield was up. Another thick glass shield, like the one he drew earlier, before it was shattered by the explosion. The bullets hit against it and they just ricocheted off. Rudy was happy to see this. Even though he knew the shield wouldn’t be able to last forever, at least his friends were safe. Now standing outside the shield alone, he stood in front of his friends, raising his magic chalk and prepared to face off against the Luminos.

“The creator has made a shield for his friends! But it won’t last forever...” One of the anti-creator zoners said, a sneer on her face.

“We can tear it down easily!” A clearly overconfident anti-creator zoner said. He looked at the zoners and human in the shield with cruel intent flickering in his eyes. “I wonder how much I can make the girl creator scream...” At this, Rudy growled.

“Yes...but first...” Another one said, raising his hand up. “Why don’t we see how well the ‘great creator’ can dance.”

Another female anti-creator zoner laughed at this. “That will be fun.” She raised her laser gun and aimed it at Rudy. “I would love to see that.”

Rudy narrowed his eyes and took a fighting stance. He readied his magic chalk. If these Luminos zoners want a piece of him, he wasn’t going to run. They can try to get him if they wanted. But they were clearly underestimating him if they thought he was going down that easily. When it came to protect his friends, he would do anything to keep them safe.

He didn’t get very far in attempting to attack. Then again, neither did the Luminos. At that moment, Dr. Raiden was on his feet again, on all fours and rushing towards him swiftly. He rushed in front of the other Luminos, commanding them in a growly voice to not shoot. Rudy didn’t have much time to react as Dr. Raiden reared onto his back limbs and struck down with his metal claw. Rudy swiftly lifted up the pole he drew earlier and prepared for the impact.

Dr. Raiden’s metal claw slammed against the pole. The force nearly knocked Rudy to his knees. He gripped the ends of the pole as tightly as he could, though it was hard with his damaged left hand. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and started to push back, gritting his teeth. He stared at Dr. Raiden, watching as the cheetah bared his sharp teeth at him. The cheetah pushed harder on him, the tip of his metal claw between Rudy’s eyes. Rudy could feel his arms starting to get tired as the claw got closer to his face.

Then, mustering up as much strength as he could, Rudy pushed back against Dr. Raiden. He managed to make the cheetah step back. Then, when Dr. Raiden was just in the right position, Rudy seized this chance and shot his leg out along the ground, knocking Dr. Raiden onto the floor. The cheetah let out a shout of pain as his leg bent at an odd angle. Rudy knew the leg was not broken, and soon Dr. Raiden was back on his feet. Though Dr. Raiden was not on the ground for long, that did give him time to move back and put a little distance between him and the homicidal cheetah.

The other Luminos attempt to rush forward to get Rudy, but they are stopped by Dr. Raiden. The cheetah raised his paw up and turned his head to face the other Luminos. His eyes were narrowed, a warning that they better obey him. The Luminos, though clearly wanting to get Rudy for pushing down a fellow member of their group, had no choice but to obligue. Rudy could tell that Dr. Raiden had earned a lot of respect from the other Luminos members and was clearly a feared and high ranking individual.

“I want to be the one to slay Rudy.” Dr. Raiden said, venom coursing through his words. “You six go after his friends. Shoot down the shield and kill them all. I will keep Rudy away from them so he can’t help.” He bared his teeth in a nasty grin.

“Sure thing!” One of the anti-creator zoners said in a gleeful tone. They rushed over towards the shield and the group began to open fire.

Rudy watched this in horror, knowing that, with all of them concentrating their fire on the shield like that, it would not hold up for long. He couldn’t do anything about it, though, as Dr. Raiden jumped between him and the shield. He did a mock rush at Rudy, moving so fast that Rudy ended up stumbling backwards, nearly falling down on his back. He managed to keep himself balanced and he glared at the cheetah.

Rudy steadied the magic chalk in his hand, watching Dr. Raiden warily. He knew that, if he weren’t careful, the cheetah zoner could leap at him and rip away the magic chalk. His eyes never left the cheetah zoner as he, his hands folded back his back and body arched forward, began to pace around him, circling him, treating him like prey. He couldn’t help but shudder when the cheetah zoner licked his lips slowly.

“I want to taste your blood in my mouth, creator...” Dr. Raiden said, his eyes filling with insanity. Rudy’s right eye widened at this. He held his ground, gritting his teeth. Dr. Raiden just looked further amused by his determination. “I am going to rip out your heart and show it to you as you die.” Rudy took a step back at this. The cheetah let out a cold chuckle. “Yes...I think that might be a suitable death...”

“For what?” Rudy asked, watching as the zoner continued to circle him. “I didn’t do anything wrong! Why are you so intent on killing me? My friends?”

Dr. Raiden’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “You came into ChalkZone... That is bad enough that death is the only way for you to atone for you sins.”

“What sins?! We weren’t the ones who caused that horrible tragedy forty years ago! That was Cosmo!” Rudy shouted, gritting his teeth. “Don’t you see how much like him you are acting?! Cosmo would do something like this!” Rudy stopped talking when Dr. Raiden suddenly put his face very close to his.

Dr. Raiden growled, “Oh how I despise it when you try to guilt me...comparing me to that wretched human, Cosmo.” He began to advance on Rudy. He put his face so close that Rudy had to arch himself back to put some space between him and the cheetah. “But of course, I expect nothing less from you...humans... You do not understand what we are trying to accomplish. We just want to free ChalkZone from disgusting creators like yourself, who roam around, do whatever you want, thinking it has no consequence.”

“B-But that’s what you’re doing!” Rudy cried. “You’re going around like you own the damn place, hurting zoners who don’t agree with you and trying to drive out creators even if they hadn’t done anything wrong! Your stunt on the hospital may have resulted in death and injury, and I’m sure it has! You don’t think that is a consequence?!”

A dismissive wave of the paw. “Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good.”

“Greater good?!” Rudy coudn’t believe this guy. Was he really trying to justify these atrocities like this? “You think hurting fellow zoners would constitute as the ‘greater good’?!”

“If it means getting one step closer of freeing ChalkZone from you creators...” Dr. Raiden’s voice was a low growl. “Then yes.”

Rudy’s right eye widened. He took a few steps back. Dr. Raiden moved closer to him. A dark smile was spread across the zoner’s face. He looked so amused by this whole thing. Rudy felt a sickening feeling in his stomach. The idea that this guy was so prejudiced against humans that he was willing to go to extremes to get what he wanted... It was deplorable. This guy has no idea just how much of a hypocrite he was. He was trying whatever he could to justify his terrible deeds, and he had the gall to say it was for the good of ChalkZone.

This guy was disgusting. He had to be stopped. If he wasn’t, what more harm can he do? He was willing to have a hospital attacked..just to get at him. A hospital full of innocent patients... And Mumbo Jumbo and Barney.. They were attacked, and for what? Just for being nice to creators? These guys were a bunch of prejudiced bastards. They reminded him of the black chalk artists, who did horrible things to zoners under the guise of ‘wanting to improve humanity’. When he compared the two, at their core, there wasn’t too much separating an anti-creator zoner and a black chalk artist.

Rudy clutched his hand in a fist, holding his chalk so tightly he thought he was going to break it. “You’re a monster! You hurt innocents just because you wanted to get one creator out of ChalkZone! You’re despicable!” Rudy took a step forward. “You’re no better than the black chalk artists! You’re just like Cosmo!”

At this, Dr. Raiden let out a loud yowl of anger. Rudy felt his heart freeze at the sound of it, his blood running cold. He took a few steps back as Dr. Raiden’s face contorted with more anger than he had ever seen him display. Dr. Raiden struck out with his metal claw. Rudy moved back, narrowly missing getting hit. Again and again, Dr. Raiden tried to hit him with his metallic digit. Eventually, he got a hit, slashing across Rudy’s chest. The boy let out a cry of pain. Then, seizing this chance, Dr. Raiden lunged at him and knocked him into the ground.

Rudy struggled to get up, but the cheetah had a tight grip on him, pinning him on the ground. The pole had been knocked away, laying off to the side. Rudy still had the magic chalk but he couldn’t use it right now. He felt dread rise up inside of him. Was the cheetah going to take it away from him?

Luckily, the cheetah didn’t seem to have his mind on the chalk right now. His hate-filled amber eyes were solely on him. His hands gripped his arms tightly, his claws poking against his skin. Dr. Raiden put his face close to Rudy’s. His teeth flashed, showing off just how sharp they were. Rudy turned his head and looked up at the enraged cheetah in fear. He could see Dr. Raiden’s body was trembling in anger, and those dilated pupils, they were so uncomfortable to look at.

“How fucking dare you... miserable piece of shit!” Dr. Raiden growled at him. “I should have given you a stronger poison and watch you convulse as you die! By comparing me to...Cosmo...you deserve to die in the most painful way possible! How dare you compare me to that monster!”

Although afraid, Rudy replied, “But you are like him... If you just open up your eyes, you’d see that.” Rudy let out a cry of surprise when the cheetah lunged his face forward, almost hitting him in the head. He turned his face to the side, looking up at Dr. Raiden with his undamaged left eye.

“Shut up! You’re wrong!” Dr. Raiden took in a few quick breaths, emotion hanging off the edge of each one. His lips curled up slightly and his eyes glinted in a mixture of rage and hate. He moved his head until it was positioned next to Rudy’s ear. Dr. Raiden spoke into hit. “You dirty little human... You really don’t understand the magnitude of your accusation, do you? You don’t understand that I am protecting ChalkZone...because you want to keep coming here so you can exploit it.”

Rudy couldn’t believe the accusation that Dr. Raiden threw at him. He would never exploit ChalkZone. Why would this zoner think this way? Just what had he done in the past that indicated he would do such a thing? But then, the Luminos weren’t exactly known for being logical. If they think they can do horrible things and still be better than the black chalk artists, then they could not be reasoned with.

Dr. Raiden spoke some more, his bared fangs so close to Rudy’s skin. “Zoners cheer you...call you their hero...but I know the truth... I know about those incidents in the past that you caused...” At this, Rudy stared at him in shock and confusion. Dr. Raiden smirked, enjoying the expression on Rudy’s face. “Oh you don’t remember? Well let me remind you of one of my... ‘favorite’ incidents... Do you remember when you nearly wiped ChalkZone out of existance with that vacuum cleaner?”

Rudy realized instantly what he meant. “I-It was an accident! And I fixed it!” Rudy shouted in defense. “I didn’t deliberately try to destroy ChalkZone!”

Dr. Raiden chuckled darkly. “Keep telling yourself that. There’s more incidents than that too...of you doing something that jeopardized ChalkZone...”

“How would you know all this?” Rudy asked.

“I’ve been around a while, kiddo. I’ve seen a lot of stuff.” Dr. Raiden replied.

“Then you must know I protect ChalkZone!” Rudy shouted. He tried to struggle to get free, but to no avail. “Why are you doing this?!”

Dr. Raiden laughed, his warm breath hitting against the side of Rudy’s face. “Because..in the end, if you hadn’t been in ChalkZone again...those terrible things wouldn’t have happened. So I am going to take care of that right now.” He opened up his jaws and slowly licked the side of Rudy’s neck and face. “Flesh is so fragile... Allow me to show you just how fragile...” With that, he opened up his jaws, preparing to bite Rudy in the neck.

Rudy’s right eye widened as he felt Dr. Raiden’s jaws close around his neck. He could feel the fangs press against his skin. Slowly, the cheetah was increasing the pressure. Rudy grunted and shut his eye, pain increasing each second the cheetah bit down harder on him. The teeth hadn’t broken his skin yet, but they were putting pressure on his windpipe and Rudy realized he was having a harder and harder time breathing. He attempted to struggle, but the cheetah’s grip was like a vice. And soon, he could not take a breath at all.

He could soon feel blood start to trickle out of his neck. A small river moved down his neck, warm and sticky. Rudy’s brain started to swirl as it was being deprived of oxygen. Panic swept through his body. He had to get out of this situation and fast. Dr. Raiden increased the pressure even more and Rudy could feel the teeth slice further into his skin. At the moment, it was not life threatening, but if Dr. Raiden continued increasing the pressure just a little more...

His mind starting to panic, his right eye wide and wild, Rudy started to kick his legs in desperation. He managed to land a blow against Dr. Raiden’s stomach. The cheetah let out a grunt of pain, but did not let go. Despite his mind started to go, Rudy was still rational enough to realize that he did still have a clear shot of Dr. Raiden’s underside. He brought his foot back and hit it against the cheetah’s stomach again and again. He used as much force as he could, desperate to get free. Then finally, on the last kick, Dr. Raiden staggered back, releasing him.

Rudy took in a few quick breaths, filling his lungs with much needed oxygen. He grabbed his neck, feeling the blood dripping down it. He was lucky that Dr. Raiden didn’t bite down much further. He nearly severed his jugular. He kept his hand pressed on the wound, despite the pain, and attempted to stop the bleeding. With his right eye, twitching in pain, he looked over at Dr. Raiden.

The cheetah had gotten back onto his feet already. He was hunched over. The fur on the back of his neck was stiffened. He had his left paw on his stomach, holding it. Rudy realized he had kicked him a little too hard when he saw a little blood in the corner of the cheetah’s mouth. His right eye widened slightly at this. He may have made a mistake in doing that. No doubt, Dr. Raiden would use that an excuse to justify his irrational beliefs. The cheetah’s tail twitched from side to side in an agitated fashion. His gleeming amber eyes bore through his sole. Rudy felt dread rise up inside of him when Dr. Raiden pulled his lips up to show off his glinting teeth.

Rudy raised his magic chalk, preparing himself for a fight. He watched Dr. Raiden as the cheetah’s body stiffened up, a few shakes of rage being among the only movements noticeable. As Dr. Raiden glared at Rudy, the teenager took a chance to look back behind him. He needed to know how his friends were holding out.

He was happy to see the shield was still up. He could see his friends inside, clearly unharmed by this barrage of light bullets. They were working on the machine, trying to activate it. Rudy trusted that Penny would get it working soon. She was smart. She’d figure things out. But he wasn’t sure how long the shield would hold. There were multiple dents in it already. Just a little more and it would break. He needed a way to slow down the Luminos to buy his friends more time. He tried to think of something, but his attention was shifted when he heard a loud growl behind him.

Rudy realized, almost too late, that the cheetah had crept up on him when he had his gaze turned away. The feline zoner was now racing towards him at full speed. Rudy let out a scream of surprise and he dodged out of the way just in time. Dr. Raiden slammed against the ground with a loud thud. He shook his head and, with a loud yowl, turned his attention towards Rudy. Rudy attempted to draw with the magic chalk but Dr. Raiden was too fast for him. He jumped at the boy again, swiping at him with his metal claw.

Rudy didn’t know how long he could keep dodging Dr. Raiden. The cheetah zoner clearly had a of energy to him. Rudy, however, he had been injured from multiple incidents. He was not in fighting shape. He was at a disadvantage. It didn’t help that Dr. Raiden was stronger and faster than him. It was just shere luck he was able to stay out of his way for the time being. But he knew his luck would run out soon. He had to come up with a plan and fast.

“I don’t know why you keep trying to hide from justice, kiddo.” Dr. Raiden sneered. He stopped trying to jump at Rudy and stood up straight, his arms folded behind his back. He stared at Rudy, their eyes locking. “I could keep doing this all day if I wanted and wear you down. But why should I waste effort on that? If you would just surrender, I promise I’ll make your death swift. That’s a bigger act of kindness than I see you creators display.”

“Then you obviously haven’t been seeing as much in ChalkZone as you claim!” Rudy retorted. “If you have, you would have seen that Penny and I have done a lot for ChalkZone!”

“Oh really?” Dr. Raiden asked coldy. “Then why don’t you explain it to me?”

Rudy shuddered under the gaze of this cold cheetah. The fact that Dr. Raiden was taller than him didn’t settle well, making the cheetah look even more intimidating. Rudy only came up to the middle of his chest, forcing him to turn his head upwards. Rudy instinctively took a step back, unnerved by how the cheetah was looking at him. But he didn’t run. He planted his feet firmly on the groudn. If Dr. Raiden wanted an explanation, he’d be glad to give it to him, not that it would really matter. He doubted his words would go through, but here’s to at least trying.

“We saved ChalkZone when the balloonemia epidemic returned! We could have just left ChalkZone to its own devices, but we didn’t, because we cared about ChalkZone and we went through so much trouble to save it, because to us, it was worth it!” Rudy exclaimed.

Dr. Raiden did not look impressed. “If I recall...you unleashed the tiny red bats. You brought the epidemic back.” He tilted his head to the side. “The way I see it, you only saved ChalkZone because, without it, you have nothing to mess with.”

A sharp sting in Rudy’s heart. He let out a soft growl. “You’re wrong! I would never use ChalkZone!”

“Oh no? What about that science experiment? Didn’t you use ChalkZone to cheat?” Dr. Raiden asked. “And didn’t that cause some scientists to try to figure out how you did it, leading them to nearly discovering ChalkZone?”

Rudy’s heart clenched tightly. The teenager took a step back. “How did you know about that?”

“I told you, creator. I’ve seen a lot.” Dr. Raiden raised his right paw and flexed his fingers. His metal one glinted menacingly in the light. “It also helps that I’ve spoken to some zoners who witnessed what you did, or overheard conversations. Believe me, child, I’ve seen enough to know that you’re just as much of a threat to ChalkZone as those wretched black chalk artists.”

Rudy took in a shuddering breath, trying to think of what to say. He couldn’t fall for Dr. Raiden’s mind games. He couldn’t allow himself to start to feel he really was a threat. This guy was insane. He was twisting events of the past to make it look like he did those things on purpose. He couldn’t allow this cheetah’s twisted words get to him like this. He would prove him wrong. Somehow, someway, he would show Dr. Raiden just how much of a hypocrite he was being.

But for now, he had to figure out a way to slow him and his fellow Luminos down. He glanced over at the shield. Soon it would be down. He had to slow them down further, buy his friends more time. But how? He looked back at Dr. Raiden. The cheetah was sneering at him, his teeth exposed. He had his metal claw pointed in his direction. Knowing that the cheetah could make the digit longer or shorter, he knew he had to think of something before the cheetah attacked him.

Rudy waited too long. The claw shot forward, becoming longer, lankier. Rudy moved to the side, wincing as the claw barely grazed his other shoulder. In the few seconds that passed, Rudy’s mind had filled with many thoughts, rapidly thinking of what he could do. And upon looking at the metal finger and at the Luminos shooting at his friends, his mind quickly thought of a solution. It was a risky move, but there wasn’t much else he could think of doing.

As he heard a crack behind him, knowing that the shield was going to crumble down, Rudy grabbed onto Dr. Raiden’s metal finger before he could yank it back. The cheetah’s eyes widened. He was so startled he didn’t attempt to yank his metal finger back. Rudy pulled on him as hard as he could, swinging him around and towards the other Luminos. Rudy released him and watched as Dr. Raiden slammed into the other Luminos. They crashed into the ground, laying on top of each other, and let out soft groans.

Just seconds later, the shield that Rudy drew had fallen down. His right eye widened in horror as he watched his friends shield themselves from the falling glass. Perhaps he should have chosen a different material to use as a forcefield. He turned back to the anti-creator zoners. Thinking fast, he rushed forward towards the anti-creator zoners, drawing a long line with his magic chalk. Soon, how holding some rope, he rushed around them as fast as he could. Once the rope was wrapped around them, he made a tight knot, securing the group together.

Rudy moved back and watched as the Luminos tried to free themselves. They struggled and squirmed, using their teeth and claws to start to saw through the rope. He knew it was not going to hold them for long. He stood his ground, preparing to fight them whenever they got free. He casted a wary glance over to his friends, hoping that he didn’t accidentally hurt them when he created the glass shield for them. They seemed okay, but he couldn’t tell from this distance. Hearing a loud growl, he turned his attention back to the anti-creator zoners.

“You fucking worm!” One of the zoners shouted. “We’ll get you for this!”

“Yeah! Don’t think you won’t go unpunished!” Another yelled.

Yet a third one called out, “We’re going to rip you into shreds!”

Dr. Raiden let out a primal yowl. This silenced the other anti-creator zoners. They looked at him, fear and respect shining in their eyes. Dr. Raiden glared at them and said, “I told you..only I will deal with him. Do what you please with his friends. But Rudy is mine...” He paused for a moment. “But come to think of it...I want to deal with Snap too... I would love to skin him alive in front of his...creator...”

Rudy took a step back, his right eye wide in horror. “I..I won’t let you do that!”

“Oh but I will...trust me.” Dr. Raiden jeered at him. He extended his metal and placed it against the rope. Though his arm was bent in a way that made it difficult to move it all that much, Rudy was horrified when he saw that the zoner could still saw his claw back and forth, slowly cutting through the rope. “As soon as I get out of here, I am going to slowly cut away your friend’s skin and then rip off his limbs one by one...! He’s just as bad as humans..a zoner that sides with creators.. That is unforgiveable!”

Rudy’s body shook in both fear and anger. He was not going to let this cheetah zoner hurt his friend. Snap never did anything to deserve what Dr. Raiden was going to do. This guy was a total nutcase. Rudy had no idea how the other doctors never noticed his depravity, his willingness to do horrible things to other zoners, who did nothing to deserve it. The actions from this cheetah and his group had caused a lot of damage and he knew zoners had been injured as well. And yet he was treating it like it was for some ‘greater good’... He was a monster.

He was about to say something back when he heard a shout from where his friends here. He looked over. He saw that they were looking at him, waving for him to get closer. Rudy took one more glance at Dr. Raiden and the other Luminos zoners, making sure they were still trapped, before he rushed over to his friends. Once he reached them, he noticed that Penny was working by the screen, her hands moving at a fast pace.

“I figured out how to work this!” Penny shouted once she seemed to sense that Rudy was there with them.

Rudy looked at her in shock. “You did? How?”

“It’s too complicated to explain.” Snap said, his voice on edge as he looked at where Dr. Raiden was. Rudy looked at him sympathetically. No doubt he heard that Dr. Raiden planned on doing to him. The small blue zoner looked up at him and said, “Penny is setting everything up now. Hurry, let’s get in that pod thing before the anti-creator zoners get free!”

Suddenly there was a loud beep. Rudy looked over and saw that Penny had left the screen. “It’s all set up!” As she said that, the machine was getting louder. “It’ll take us to one of the two dimensions listed!”

“Which one?” Rudy asked.

“The black and red one.” Penny answered. Upon seeing Rudy’s horrified expression, she added, “I figured we should try to do the hardest one first and get it out of the way.”

Penny did have a point. Though there was no way to know for certain which world would be hardest, the black and red one did seem like it’d give them the most trouble. It was the most foreboding of the two dimensions. It looked like it was going to be hell on earth. He was prepared for the worst when they arrive there. Knowing they didn’t have much time, he rushed over towards the pod, climbing inside of it. Snap and Penny followed suit.

Blocky and Rapsheeba started to come over, but then there was the snap of rope. They all frozen in cold terror as the anti-creator zoners jumped back to their feet, aiming their laser weapons at them. Their eyes wide in horror, they looked back at Rudy, Penny, and Snap before turning their attention back to the anti-creator zoners. Swallowing hard, they did something that the trio did not expect them to do.

They moved in front of the machine, taking a fighting stance. Rudy’s right eye widened in horror at this. What were they doing? They couldn’t possibly stand a chance against the anti-creator zoners. What were they thinking? They had to get out of there and fast. Why won’t they just come with them? It would be safer.

“Rapsheeba! Blocky! Come on!” Snap called out, waving his hand frantically for them to come over. The pod they were in was already starting to glow. “This thing is activating! Hurry! Or you won’t be able to come with us!”

“I can’t stop the activation! Hurry, you two! If you come over now, you’ll still have time to make it!” Penny cried out in desperation, watching with fear-filled eyes as the two zoners stood their ground in front of the Luminos zoners.

Rudy took in a few shaky breaths. The lights around them grew brighter, the machine’s humming increasing in volume. “Please hurry! Before it is too late!”

Rapsheeba and Blocky looked over at them. The trio gasped as they saw their expressions. Smiles, but ones filled with sadness. No...they couldn’t be thinking of... No..

“We’re sorry... We have to do this.” Rapsheeba said sadly. There was a hint of tears in her eyes. “We need to slow them down. If we let them get to the machines, they could destroy it, leaving you stranded. Or they could send you somewhere else.”

“But you don’t know if they can do that!” Penny cried.

“True.” Blocky nodded his head. “But we cannot take that chance. You two need a distraction while you’re in those other dimensions. Rapsheeba and I will be glad to provie some for you.” He turned his head to the anti-creator zoners. “We’ll keep them as far away from the machines as we can. You can count on us.”

“But...” Rudy started to say.

“It will be okay. You can trust us.” Rapsheeba said. The top part of the pod started to come down. “So long.”

“And have a safe journey.” Blocky said.

“No!” Rudy shouted.

“Please! Don’t do it!” Snap yelled in horror.

Penny tried to pry the pod open. But it shut all the way. The last thing she and the boys saw of Rapsheeba and Blocky before the pod closed completely were the two rushing towards the anti-creator group, preparing to fight even though they didn’t have any weapons to use. “Please don’t!”

The trio shouted the names of their friends as light started to fill up the pod and heavy trembling shook them from side to side. A series of lights flashed all around them and it felt like they were being pulled in all directions. As they cried out for their friends one last time, they were suddenly stretched and yanked off in one direction. Then they disappeared completely, leaving behind a trail of smoke.


	48. The Dark Dimension

Penny could hardly comprehend what was happening. She was figured out how to work the machine, mostly by figuring out what a few of the symbols possibly meant and going from there. They had activated the machine...and now this was happening. Everything was going by so fast, she could hardly tell what was going on.

She couldn’t even see her friends. She could hear them, but their voices were faint, distant, echoing. All around her, she was surrounded by a vortex of pale-colored clouds. They swirled around her, creating something like a twister. She was being yanked in one direction. She couldn’t even turn her head that much. That was how strong the pulling force was. She had her eyes partway open, the force irritating them if she had them completely open.

She noticed that the color of the clouds and the light that shined through was getting darker. It was gradual at first, but then it increased rapidly. The clouds soon became a pitch black. The light that shined had shifted to a red color, and its overall appearance became more menacing. The very sight of it caused her to shudder in fear. She had a very bad feeling about whatever dimension she was going to. She hoped that it wasn’t as bad as she thought it was going to be.

Soon the force became stronger to the point where it was painful. She shut her eyes, trying to cope with the pain. She held onto her cane tightly. This was getting increasingly difficult as the force increased. It was almost like it didn’t want her to take the cane with her. Still, she refused to let go. She managed to lower her head a little as the speed she was going at increased. The clouds around her seemed to almost howl. She didn’t know if it was the remnants of her friends’ voices or if it was the clouds themselves. Suddenly, she heard a loud crack, similar to thunder. She forced her eyes open to see what it was.

Up ahead, she could see what looked like a black circle floating in the air. The black clouds and red light were swirling around it. It kind of reminded her of how planets orbit a star. It looked like the clouds were anchored in this hole and she guessed that this place might be the source of all these dark clouds and red light. She was pulled in at an even faster pace. Knowing that she was about to make impact, she shut her eyes again and turned away.

The impact sent shockwaves of pain through her. Sparkling electricity flew everywhere, engulfing her body. She let out a loud scream of pain. She was being pushed through something. She couldn’t see, unable to open her eyes. But it was stiff and almost sharp. It was a strange sensation and she didn’t like it. The electricity and the pain lasted a few moments. The whole time, it felt like her skin was going to tear off. Then, at least, she felt instant relief when the strange pressure stopped. She opened her eyes and looked around.

She didn’t have much time to take in her surroundings. She realized she was above the ground. Down below her, she could see what looked like a rundown alleyway. She screamed as she fell towards the ground. At this height, there would be some kind of damage once she hit the ground. She shut her eyes and waited for the impact.

Instead of hitting the hard ground, she landed on something soft and warm. There was a grunt sound, and though she still ended up on the ground, whatever softened her fall made it so that she wasn’t hurt by the impact. She slowly sat herself up and rubbed her head. She looked down to see what had broken her fall. Her eyes widened when she saw it was Rudy. She was sitting right in top of his chest. Giving a sharp gasp of surprise, she quickly got up and took a step back.

“Sorry, Rudy!” Penny said apologetically. Steadying herself with her cane, she reached over with her other hand and grabbed onto Rudy’s, helding him up to his feet. “I didn’t mean to...”

“It’s quite all right.” Rudy said. He stumbled forward a little and rubbed his chest where Penny had landed. “I didn’t want to see you getting hurt. That was some fall.”

“How did you manage to avoid getting hurt?” Penny asked.

“I was released on the ground. The worst that happened to me is that I rolled around for a bit.” Rudy said. He looked at Penny sympathetically. “Nowhere near as bad as what might have happened to you.”

Penny realized that the dimensional machine must have dropped them off in random locations. That would explain why she was dropped off elevated above the ground while Rudy was released right on it. Her mind filled with dread at that realization. If they were dropped off at random places...where was Snap? Could it be possible that the dimensional machine took them to random places on this planet? That meant that Snap could have been dropped off somewhere far from here...somewhere dangerous... She hoped that wasn’t the case.

They had to figure out where Snap was, and fast. She looked all around. There wasn’t much to see around this alleyway. It was pretty dark, too. She couldn’t see any lights and she could just barely make out the walls. She was able to see Rudy just fine, though. Maybe this building was just darkly colored, thus making it hard to see its shape. Yes, that had to be it. She could see some faint light over at one side. Pale pinkish in color, partially illuminating the corner edges, but not much else.

“Come on, we have to find Snap.” Penny said.

“I thought I heard him down that way.” Rudy replied. He started to make his way over. “Let’s go.”

The two of them started to walk over towards the pink light. As they got closer, Penny noticed it seemed to get a little darker as time passed. A little more chromatic as well. She did her best to keep up with Rudy. It was hard to avoid random obstacles on the ground, since she couldn’t really see too much of what was on there. But she did a pretty good job and almost tripped only once.

But when they traveled only a few feet, Rudy’s right eye suddenly widened and he let out a groan of pain. Penny watched, horrified, as he dropped down onto his knees. He held onto his stomach and his body started to shake in pain. She rushed over to his side, almost tripping over a rock in the process. She lowered herself too him and put her free arm around his shoulder. Just what had happened? Did Rudy hit against something sharp that they didn’t see? Did someone shoot him with some kind of weapon before they were able to notice?

Rudy let out a few whimpers, his right eye shut tightly, his teeth gritted. He held his stomach tighter. Then he started to wretch. Penny watched in horror as he started to cough and gag. His mouth opened up wide and the wretching sound he made broke her heart. Then, much to their terror, Rudy vomited up a small glob of blood, just like he had when all this had started. Penny stared at it, her eyes widening. Her mouth dropped open in shock, snapping her head back. She looked down at Rudy, panic sweeping through her mind.

Rudy’s reaction was no better. He stared at the glob of blood, his body trembling in fear. His right eye widened, his pupils shrinking to mere dots. He took in shallow breaths, quick and ragged. He reached out towards the blood, almost as if he couldn’t believe it was real. Penny watched as he dipped the tip of his pointer into the blood. He reached up and examined it in his fingers, rubbing the two digits together. A few tears started to move down his eyes and Penny could sense the fear radiating off of them.

Penny looked at her friend sadly. “R-Rudy...”

“Penny...I...” Rudy’s voice was filled with pain. He winced and cringed back.

He opened his mouth to speak again, but he only ended up throwing up more blood. Instead of a glob, this time he threw up a small puddle of blood, more runny and less thick. To Penny’s horror, the blood was a brighter red this time, indicating it was fresh blood. She gently rubbed his back, trying to soothe him as Rudy started to sob from the pain. He kept down on his knees, holding his stomach. A little more blood came out of his mouth as he let out a few painful coughs.

Rudy turned his head and looked at Penny, his right eye wide. Penny was horrified to see runny blood dripping steadily from his mouth. It was almost like he was drinking some kind of red fluid, put too much in his mouth, and decided to try to speak without swallowing any of it. That’s what it reminded her of. She could see his mouth was coated in blood, the blood that he was throwing up.

Penny didn’t understand why this was happening at first. Rudy hadn’t been struck. She had looked him over and found no injuries. And looking all around carefully, she could tell that there was no one around here. If there were, then she could have seen any attack they tried to pull. There would have been some mark. She found none on Rudy.

Then she realized something. She took another look around. She peered at the ground beneath their feet. She reached down and gently touched it. She rubbed it back and forth, feeling its texture. She knew, from experience, that things in ChalkZone usually had a slightly different texture from their real world counterparts, an indication of them being made of chalk. She felt around the ground, and a horrific realization came to her mind.

They weren’t in ChalkZone. They were in the real world. But if they were in the real world, then that meant that the chartreuse chalk was no longer dulling the pain for Rudy. It meant that he was now feeling the full impact of the pain the disease he had causes. It meant that his body was no longer protected from the disease. She stared at Rudy in horror and held onto him. She pulled him close to her, trying to soothe him as he continued to cry in pain.

“We’re in the real world, Rudy.” Penny said in a soft voice.

Rudy looked up at her in fear. “The...the real world? But I thought that machine would have...” A wince of pain. “..taken us into an alternate ChalkZone... Wh-Why would it...” A whimper.”..take us here?”

Penny thought back to the machine. She remembered how some of them looked different. She had come up with the theory that some of them were real world, and others were alternate ChalkZones. When she had selected this world, she recalled it did not look drawn, and so thought it would take them into the real world. Yet she wasn’t so sure about that. She didn’t think the machine could really take them into the real world. She had considered the possibility of the different looks indicating something else, such as how hospital the place or how dangerous it might be.

It seemed her initial idea was right. The spheres that looked like they were drawn must have been alternate ChalkZones. And the ones that looked...less drawn, they were alternate earths. She recalled that this place had a more photographic look. An indication it was going to take them into the real world... Her stomach twisted in knots at this realization. If she had known it was going to take them into the real world, she would have done something to help Rudy. The chartreuse chalk had no power here, and she was witnessing this impact as Rudy writhed in pain. There had to be something she could do to help him. But what?

Using her cane to brace herself, she looped her hand around Rudy’s arm and helped him up to his feet. Rudy staggered, almost losing his balance. Penny held on as tightly as she could. It wasn’t going to be easy walking, but they had to find a portal surface somewhere and get him into ChalkZone. Keeping Rudy as balanced as she could, she started to guide him out of the alleyway. Rudy leaned on her for support, whimpering from the pain. It was hard for him to walk in such agony, but he managed to do it, slow and steady.

“I wish the chartreuse chalk worked in the real world.” Penny said. She bit her lip as she looked at Rudy with worry. “We have a time limit here, but I don’t know how well you’ll manage with all that pain...”

“How long...?” Rudy asked in a shuddering breath.

“About two and a half hours..if I was able to set it up right. We could be here longer.” Penny saw they were getting close to the exit of the alleyway. Soon they were going to be able to get a good look around where they were. “Hopefully we can find a place to create a portal soon. Do you still have the magic chalk?” Rudy nodded his head. “Good. We can head into this dimension’s ChalkZone and you can heal up there a little bit. Or even wait there while Snap and I try to locate the cure. The machine seemed to indicate it is going to be in the real world.”

Suddenly, Rudy gave a sharp gasp. Penny shot her head towards him, her eyes wide in fear. It sounded like he just got into worse pain. From his expression, however, it looked more like he realized something. Though she calmed down a little knowing that it wasn’t pain that caused him to react this way, her mind was still filled with worry. Rudy’s expression was filled with fear. He turned his head towards her and she could see how scared he was.

“Rudy...?” Penny asked in a soft voice. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“I..I almost forgot to tell you...” Rudy said, sucking nervously on his lip. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Penny’s voice was filled with urgency.

“I...I spoke to Barney earlier... There was..something he didn’t tell us about the chartreuse chalk.” Rudy looked away as Penny’s eyes filled with dread. “Jenny had..threatened him into silence if he told the full truth about the chartreuse chalk. She was going to kill King Jumbo Jumbo if he blabbed a word while you and Snap were there picking it up.”

Penny felt her heart start to race. What did Jenny force Barney to conceal? What bit of information was so important that Jenny wouldn’t want them to know? An uncomfortable sensation settled deep in her stomach, making her feel sick. It somehow didn’t surprise her that Jenny had set up a trap for them, that she wanted them to take the chartreuse chalk with only half the knowledge.

This missing piece of information...just what was it? How bad was it? From the look in Rudy’s eyes, the information Barney was forced to conceal was very important. She could feel an uncomfortable pang in her chest. Just what was this bit about the chartreuse chalk that they didn’t know about? How much of a difference does it make? Is it really that important? Well of course it would be. Why else would Rudy look so worried? Why else would Jenny threaten Mumbo Jumbo to force Barney to stay quiet about it?

“What is it? What couldn’t Barney tell us?” Penny asked, her voice low. Her feet were firmly planted on the ground, not wanting to walk further until she learned more about the charteuse chalk. Rudy just stared at her sadly. “Please, Rudy...tell me. I-I..I know it must be hard. But you’ve got to tell me.”

“I know I do. It’s just...difficult.” Rudy turned his gaze downward. “It’s..going to make things complicated...” He winced in pain.

Penny pulled Rudy a little closer to her. “Rudy...”

Rudy turned his gaze back to his friend. He took in a shaky breath, and he spoke with a voice laced in fear and dread. “Penny... The chartreuse chalk...makes things worse.”

Penny felt a cold chill rush through her spine. “I-It...it what..?”

Rudy said, “Barney told me how it does heal, but it heals with chalk, not real world flesh. It is the major component in the disease I have. It initates the ‘flesh-to-chalk’ part.” A few tears strolled down his cheeks. “He..he said that in the real world, the reason why I’m in..so much pain...” He flinched for a moment, seething in pain. Then he forced himself to talk more, pain hanging off every word. “...it’s because my body is recognizing the chalk portions as..foreign...and it’s attacking them... Penny... My internal wounds are being..reopen...”

It felt like her blood just turned to solid ice. Her mind was jolted with a sudden stabbing pain at the horrific realization at what Rudy just said. She couldn’t think of anything except those horrible words. She was suddenly unaware of her surroundings. Everything seemed to go dark and all she could see was Rudy. Her body started to tremble with emotion. Her lower lip quivered. She couldn’t believe what she just heard. She stared at him, hoping for him to say it wasn’t true. But he just looked at her sadly.

Penny couldn’t believe it... It wasn’t possible.. No, he couldn’t be..no... She looked at the way he was hunched over, the way he was clutching his stomach. His internal wounds were...reopening? No... She found herself shaking her head in denial. A part of her wanted to run away, not able to handle the overwhelming emotion washing through her right now. But the other knew she couldn’t abandon Rudy. Not now, not when when he needed his friends the most. There had to be something she could do...anything... She couldn’t allow his internal wounds to reopen. He could..he could die...

Penny felt tears flowing from her eyes, unable to hold them back. Cries wracked through her body, her lip quivering even more. She tried to stop her crying, but it was impossible. Negative emotion consumed her. Her mind swirled with thoughts. Why hadn’t they figured this out sooner? If they did, Rudy might have been okay. They could have helped him out sooner. But now, because of Jenny, Rudy had a lot of internal wounds that were going to reopen. And judging from the sound of his voice, all of them were going to reopen.

The harsh reality of the situation really hit home for her when Rudy coughed and sprayed blood on the ground. He stared at the blood and whimpered. He cuddled up closer to her, pressing his face against her shoulder. She tried her best to comfort him. But what could she say? She had no idea where the cure was located, or how long it would take to get it. She didn’t know how much time he had. Internal bleeding was more serious than external. Harder to control. He could bleed to death if he lost enough blood fast enough. Penny never felt so helpless before.

But she couldn’t give up. Rudy needed her. He needed Snap. They had to find Snap quickly and devise some kind of plan to help Rudy. He needed it now more than ever. There had to be something they could do. The only thing she could think of was that they had to locate a surface they could draw a portal with. That was their only chance. In ChalkZone, the chartreuse chalk could stop the bleeding. She did feel anger well up inside of her at the thought of that wretched green chalk making things worse, but at least it would be of some use in ChalkZone. They had to stop the internal bleeding as soon as possible.

Penny gently pulled on Rudy, urging him to continue walking. “C-Come on Rudy..let’s find Snap.. We’ll find a way to help you. I promise.”

Rudy managed a weak smile. “I know you will.” He smacked his lips a little as some more blood trickled from his mouth. “I..I think I saw Snap land somewhere over there.” He raised a hand and pointed a trembling finger in one direction. “Let’s go see if he’s there.”

Penny nodded her head slowly. Helping him keep his balance, the two friends continued to walk out of the alleyway. They were getting closer to the light. She imagined, once they exited the alleyway, she could get a good look around and hopefully figure out where to go from here. She glanced worriedly at Rudy. Their pace was very slow but she understood why. Rudy was in great pain, more than she initially thought before. They had to get him help and fast.

Soon, they were out of the alleyway. But suddenly, the two froze. It wasn’t because someone stopped them. Instead, something did. The shere sight of this place and the horror that accompanied it. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Eyes wide in shock, they slowly looked around, taking in the horrible sights all around them.

This place looked like hell on earth. They were in some kind of city. Plainsville perhaps, but it was barely recognizable. The buildings...most of them were charred black, like something hot hit against them. Many were cracked and broken. Large chunks of debris laid on the ground. The road they stood on was heavily discolored and cracked. Looking behind them, Penny suddenly saw why they couldn’t see much of anything in there. The alleyway they were in was actually part of a shattered building. A broken piece laid overhead, blocking the view of the light. Penny could see the small opening she ended up falling through.

There was a constant wind here. Not very fast, but it was chilling to the touch. It gave this place an even stronger sense of foreboding. Penny shuddered when she turned her head in such a way that the wind hit against her face. There was a horrific smell that entered her nostrils. The smell reminded her of rotting flesh and bad meat. The realization that the scent of death hung strongly in the air frightened Rudy and Penny. They didn’t see any corpses laying around, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

They could see smoke rising from some of the damaged buildings. No fire or anything, just smoke. They realized something had to have struck this place, and it must have been recent. The fire was out, but they could still feel some sensation of heat. The smoke that pillowed out still had a strong burning smell to it. Looking up further, they could see the smoke dissipating against the sky. They realized, with a cold shudder, the sky wasn’t its usual blue, but instead had taken on a blood red coloration. The clouds in the sky were black, adding to the eeriness of his place.

Penny remembered the dimensional machine, and how there was a red and black hue to this place. Now she could see why it was colored like that. The red sky sent chills through her spine. At the moment, she couldn’t even see the sun, making the place seem even scarier. Just..just what had happened here? Why was this place torn apart? It looked like some kind of twister hit the place. Something terrible had happened in this dimension, and she had a feeling that, during their stay, they were going to find out sooner or later just what that was.

Without saying a word, she and Rudy forced themselves to start walking through the ripped up Plainsville. She knew this is what the place was. Off in the distance, she could see the shattered remains of their elementary school, where they went when they were ten. The building had a large hole in the center and the playground appeared cracked. Then, much to their horror, they could see, barely, the remains of a skeleton. They shuddered and they looked away, trying to focus on the cracked road.

“What...what happened to this place..?” Rudy asked as he and Penny continued to walk down the road. “This place looks...awful...”

“I don’t know.. I think a bomb may have went off here.” Penny looked around uneasily, noting the burn damages and the pillowing smoke. “I don’t think anyone survived...”

Rudy’s body gave a shudder at that. She heard him sniffle. “I..I hope our parents weren’t...” His voice trailed off at that.

Penny looked at him sympathetically. She couldn’t blame him for having that kind of reaction. Even though their parents of this world weren’t really their parents, they were their dimensional counterparts, it would still hurt knowing that they were killed in some kind of fiery explosion. Penny felt a sickening sensation rise up inside of her as she thought of her mother in this dimension suffering some kind of horrible fate. If that happened, she wondered how her counterpart was taking it.

Despite her growing anxiety, despite being afraid of running into what caused all this disaster, she knew they had to press on. They needed to find Snap. This place may have lurking danger and there was safety in numbers. She hoped that Snap was okay. It didn’t seem like there was any current danger present, but they hadn’t looked around this place for long. Despite looking horrific, that didn’t mean there was danger. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t. They had to figure out where Snap was and reunite with him and fast.

Rudy and Penny continued their trek down the frightening remains of Plainsville. They walked in the direction Rudy had indicated before, stepping over any debris they came across. They could hear some cracks, and they did their best to move quickly. Some of the collapsed buildings appeared to be unstable. Some of these buildings looked more intact, some with a couple large holes but not much else. But realizing there was some instability, Penny knew they couldn’t afford to be careless. They had to tread lightly.

Penny soon saw something stuck on the ground. A piece of paper wedged between two large rocks. It was flapping in the wind. Curious, she made her way over to it. Rudy walked along with her, not wanting to lose his balance and also curious about the piece of paper himself. Penny reached down and grabbed it. She pulled on it, yanking it from between the rocks. There was a slight tear, but it was more or less in one piece. She unfolded it and took a look. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

“Rudy..I think I figured out what happened...” Penny said, her voice low.

Rudy looked at her worriedly. “What is it?”

“Look...” Penny held out the paper to him.

Rudy looked at it. It took him seconds to realize what it said. “A...a weapon..?”

“Experimental, too...” Penny said sadly.

Though much of the paper was smudged, there was enough left on there for her to know what it was talking about. There was some kind of experimental weapon. Maybe more, she had no idea how many there were. But this one particular weapon may have been the cause of devastation in Plainsville. This version of Plainsville anyway. And that wasn’t all the paper talked about. It also made mention of some kind of war. The idea of a war causing this much damage from what may have been a single attack....it was a chilling thought.

A war broke out here. That much was clear. She didn’t know if it was still going on.. She guessed that it was. Why else would the damages here look so recent? Suddenly, she and Rudy felt even more unsafe. This place was foreboding enough with the red sky and the crumbled buildings. Now they had to deal with an unknown type of weaponry. They didn’t know how powerful it was, when it would be shot next, if they’d even survive... Now they really had to find Snap before it was too late. While Penny knew that the dimensional machine, so long as it remains unharmed and operational and provided she used it correctly, should send them all to the next dimension, allowing them to potentially escape danger, they still needed to be together.

Suddenly a voice called out to them. A familiar voice. Realizing who it was, Rudy and Penny looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the sound. Then, looking in one direction, they could see a shape moving towards them quickly. It was hard to make out due to the figure being in a shaded part of the torn city, but soon they got close enough and they recognized instantly who it was.

“Snap!” Penny called out, elation on her voice. She couldn’t help but smile, relief washing through her, as Snap hurried over towards them, looking relatively unharmed. “You’re okay!”

Rudy took a few steps forward, tugging Penny a little. He reached out with his arm as Snap approached them. “Snap!” When Snap got close enough, he put hooked his arm around the zoner and pulled him into a hug. “We’re so glad you’re okay...”

Snap hugged Rudy for a few moments and then moved back. He looked at his friends, a wide smile on his face. He was very happy to see them. “I’m so glad I finally found you guys! I didn’t see where you ended up and I had to do a little exploriating...” He gave a shudder as he looked around. “I...wish I could have had a nicer place to exploriate though...”

“Yeah...” Rudy said in agreement. He clenched his teeth. “This place is one big war zone...literally...”

Snap’s eyes widened. “That would explain all the corpses I ran into...” Rudy and Penny gave a sharp gasp at this.

“You ran into some dead bodies?” Penny asked fearfully.

Snap nodded his head slowly. “Yeah... It wasn’t pretty...” He was clearly shaken up by the things he had seen when he was trying to find them. His body trembled from fear. He tried his best to smile, though it was crooked, clearly hiding the fear inside of him. “Well at least I found you guys, and you’re safe. I-I was worried that...” His smile vanished. “..that something happened to you.. This place... It doesn’t feel safe...”

“I know. I...” Rudy clutched his stomach and nearly fell down again. Penny held onto him and helped him steady himself. Rudy’s body trembled in pain. Once he was steady, he looked over at Penny and said, “Thank you...”

“Rudy? What’s wrong?” Snap asked worriedly. Rudy opened his mouth but instead of words, just blood came out. Not a lot, but enough to tell Snap something was seriously wrong. The zoner jumped up in alarm. “Rudy! Bucko! What happened?!”

“The short answer is that the chartreuse chalk is what is turning his flesh to chalk, and now that he’s in the real world, his body is fighting against it and any and all internal wounds he suffered are reopening.” Penny said solemnly, her eyes filled with sadness and pain.

Snap let out a terrified shout. “Oy caloy! We’ve got to get him into ChalkZone then!”

“If we can find a suitable place...” Penny looked all around them. “These areas are too heavily damaged for a stable portal. We need to find some place less...cracked...”

“Well we better find something fast!” Snap called out. He rushed over and grabbed onto Rudy’s other arm. He aided Penny in helping Rudy keep from falling down. “If all his internal wounds are opening, then that means...”

He never had a chance to finish that sentence. There was a sudden loud boom and a loud cracking sound. The trio looked over to their side. Their eyes widened in horror when they saw a tall building they stood next to start to topple down. It was heading straight for them. They let out terrified screams as they rushed away as fast as they could. Rudy cried out in pain as his friends dragged him to safey and Penny winced as she forced her bad leg to keep moving.

The trio just barely got out of the way in time as portions of the building collapsed just behind them. They could feel the rush of air as the debris hit the ground. The force of the impact knocked them into the ground. Penny cried out in pain as her leg was twisted a little. Snap hit his arm, the one that was shattered years ago by Bardot, at an odd angle and he let out a cry of pain. Rudy hit his stomach against the ground and he vomited some more blood, whimpering in agony.

Dust was kicked up into the air, making it hard to breathe. The trio, coping with the pain, coughed as the dust filled their lungs. They looked over at the scene before them. Now where they were standing was pieces and debris of the building they were standing next to. Dust and smoke pillowed upwards and spread out, giving the area a sort of hazey look. They all wondered just what had happened. Why had the building suddenly collapsed?

They soon found out why.

There some kind of shadow overhead. It landed in front of them. Hidden in the smoke and dust, they couldn’t make out just what it was. Just that it was large and menacing looking. Its body moved through the dust. The trio instinctively moved back, wondering just what this was. They then heard low growling, confirming that whatever this thing was, it was alive and breathing. The growl sent chills through their spines.

The wind that swept through the torn city began to push the smoke and dust away. Not all at once; it was slow. But soon, seconds later, the top portion of the smoke had been cleared away enough, and the thing turned enough for them to see what it was. Or rather, who it was. Their eyes widened in horror at the realization of just who this was.

It was Draow. There was no mistaking him. As Draow turned his head more, they could see the wolf-like head, the same one they became all too familiar with. As more dust cleared, they could see that he was equipped with some kind of weaponry. They realized, in a cold chill, Draow had destroyed the building in an attempt to crush them to death. And now, seeing that it didn’t work, he was coming in to kill them himself.

His head turned to the side, Draow glared at them with one teal eye facing them. He bared his sharp teeth and opened up his jaws. A loud screech rumbled through the air, sweeping through their heards and filling them with terror. And as Draow turned to face them completely, the laser cannons mounted on his body aimed at them, Rudy, Penny, and Snap had just one thought running through their minds.

Run away fast.


	49. Chase Through The City

Rudy couldn’t believe his rotten luck. Of all the denizens of this dark world, of all those they could have stumbled across that might still be alive, the first one they ran into just had to be Draow, or rather, this universe’s version of Draow. All he and his friends could do was run. Magic chalk does not work in the real world. It was either run away and try to find a way to lose Draow, or they stand around and wait to get shot. The choice was very obvious. No need to stop and think about it.

Draow in this world looked, at first, like the Draow they came to know and hate. He was definitely the same size, towering over them quite easily. He did notice he looked a little more thicker than the Draow they ran into in the Fire Zone. He considered this being due to the fact that this Draow likely had access to more food, and thus didn’t go hungry as much. He was a little heavier, too, as his feet caused more vibrations in the ground than he recalled their Draow being able to do. Despite being heavier, this Draow was still very fast and he was gaining on them.

Trying to dodge his attacks was not easy. Unlike their Draow, this one, as they noted as soon as they could tell it was him, had weaponry attached to him. At first, Rudy thought that it was fused with him, as if Cosmo in this world wanted Draow to have more firepower initially. He soon realized this wasn’t the case. Draow here was simply mounted with the weapons. His body had some armor on it, such as on his chest and on his thighs. Strapped around his shoulder were laser cannons, two twin barrels pointing at them. And if that wasn’t bad enough, on Draow’s helmet, there were what appeared to be two very thin cannons, and they shot out smaller but no less dangerous lasers at them.

Running away was very painful for Rudy. Snap had the easiest time running, but he too was having some problems due to the pain in his arm. While it had healed, that arm occassionally did get a little sore, since the break there was very bad. And that blow to it moments earlier irritated that arm. Penny was fairing no better. She had a hard time running fast with her cane. It was a miracle that they were able to get this far without getting attacked. Rudy was impressed with how well Penny was managing to keep up despite having a bad leg, but he didn’t know how long that would last. Their luck would only run so far.

Rudy was trying his best to keep running. Out of the three of them, he was in the worst pain, he was certain. He had gained several internal wounds while in their dimension. Because of the chartreuse chalk, all of his internal wounds were healed up with chalk. Now that was starting to break down because of his body’s own reaction. All of the internal wounds he had suffered, they were all going to split apart soon and he would bleed to death. And all this running certainly was not going to make things any better. Indeed, he could feel horrific pain as his internal wounds were aggravated by the running. But it wasn’t like he had a choice in the matter.

The winged wolf was pounding along the ground behind them. He could hear him roar and snap his jaws wildly in the air. Soon, he was going to reach them unless they could figure out a way to lose him. He was glad that, at least for the time being, Draow hadn’t resorted to flying. He deduced that the cannons strapped on him made it hard for him to stay aloft for long. A price to pay for the weaponry he supposed. Draow didn’t seem to mind not flying, and being on the ground meant he had closer targets, and he’d have an easier time hitting them.

So far, he hadn’t attempted to use the cannons again, but that didn’t make this chase less urgent. Rudy and his friends had to keep moving. They couldn’t stop. Despite being in pain, despite them starting to run out of stamina, they had to keep pushing themselves. Their panic, fear...it filled their minds, and their need for survival outweighed the pain they were feeling. It didn’t make their agony go away, but their brains were focused on getting them out of there. Their hearts beat faster, blood pumping through their bodies at a rapid pace. Adrenaline rising in their guts, they pushed themselves harder and managed to put a little more distance between them and Draow.

But how long would this last? Draow was not going to give up that easily. He would continue to chase them down. He would continue to hound them, try to kill them. He looked like he was in better shape than them. They knew that he wasn’t going to run out of energy any time soon. He was clearly designed to be durable. It would take a lot to wear him out. Rudy knew they could could not afford to try wear down Draow, knowing that he was still full of a lot of energy. So they needed to lose him. But how?

They couldn’t keep this up forever. Draow was going to catch up to them soon. And if he decided to use his cannons on them, they were in bigger trouble. The terrain was very hard to navigate, and it was slowing them down. Often they had to run between and over some debris, and even duck down. This entire city was a mess, very difficult to get around here. Draow, on the other hand, was having no problems. He merely jumped over the debris or even slammed through others, being strong enough to break through them without slowing him down much. This made Rudy realize their situation was more dire than they had imagined.

Just then, off to their right, Rudy saw something that might prove useful. There was another pile of debris, like they had been seeing before, but this lead to what looked like a reinforced building, made of thicker material than standard buildings. Rudy couldn’t tell what the building was once used for. The sign was completely blown apart and there were no features distinguishing enough for him to know. But regardless, it was still standing and it looked the least damaged out of all the buildings they came across thus far.

The debris that laid in the front had a small opening. The rocks and chunks of building that made the tunnel looked relatively secure. They may hold up pretty well. If they could get in there and get inside the building, they could slow Draow down. Rudy had a feeling that Draow would be so intent on getting them, he wouldn’t think of flying around to the back and ambusing them there. Draow was not stupid, and he had a feeling this one could talk just like theirs could. But Draow was impulsive and, on his own, made some very rash decisions.

Yes, that building was their best chance of putting some distance between them and Draow. Hopefully it would buy them enough time to get away. Maybe they could lose Draow in the process and then try to find a piece of ground they could use the magic chalk on to escape into ChalkZone. If they run into anyone else, he hoped they would be a friendly face, or at least not chase them down like Draow was. Rudy had no idea how long they could keep this up.

Rudy turned to his friends. “Let’s go over there!” He pointed towards the debris he was looking at seconds ago.

Penny flinched as she forced herself to move faster with her cane and bad leg. “Are you sure, Rudy? What if Draow tears through the building?”

“It looks thick enough. It would take him some time. We can go through that opening there.” Rudy pointed to the twisted tunnel opening in front of the building. “Then we can go out through a back entrance.”

“But wouldn’t Draow just come around the back?” Snap asked, panting heavily. “He isn’t stupid, you know.”

“But he is impulsive, remember?” Rudy said. He looked behind him briefly. Draow was getting closer now. They had to get moving fast. “Trust me, he will be so focused on getting at us, he won’t even think about going around the back!” His friends still looked unsure. They casted nervous glances at each other. “Well what can we do? We have to change course or Draow will catch up!”

They all knew he was right about that. They could only keep going like this for so long. Dodging and moving around the debris laying scattered on the streets, avoiding the deep cracks, it was getting harder by the second. They were lucky that, so far, they hadn’t tripped up and slowed down that much. But how long would that luck last? If they kept going like this, then sooner or later, Draow would catch up. Or he would think to use his cannons and block their route of escape.

In the end, both Penny and Snap knew Rudy was right. Rudy could tell, by their expressions, they did realize that his idea was their best chance for survival. They were in the real world, after all. No magic chalk, so they could not defend themselves. And Draow having weaponry attached to him was going to make things much harder. They were unable to fight back, especially when they were all injured to some degree. Rudy felt his head start to feel a little whoozy. They needed to put some distance in and fast. They needed to find a more secure place to hide so they could rest.

“Let’s hurry up, then!” Snap cried. “I don’t think Draow is going to hold back on those cannons for long!”

“Snap’s right! We have to hurry! The moment he uses those cannons..” Penny started to say.

“Then let’s get going now!” Rudy cried.

Rudy realized that blabbing their plan out in the open may not have been the best move. Draow may not have heard them as he was making noise trying to get to them. His pounding of the feet, cracking the ground behind them, his growls and hisses that he was making, there was a chance that he didn’t hear them. But what if he did? If he did, then he could do what Snap said, and go around the back. Or he could start to use his laser cannons on them right now, cutting off their escape route.

But in the end, what choice did they really have? They couldn’t speak telepathically; they had no choice but to discuss the next mode of action in the open. He just hoped that, against the odds, Draow doesn’t show indication that he heard them and continues to be impulsive. If he heard them, if he reacted according to that, they were in trouble. But at this point, they really didn’t have a choice. It was either go into that building and get a chance of getting away at least for a time, or they risk getting killed by Draow.

As they came up to where the twisted opening was, they all shifted to the right, heading towards it. The hole was not very smooth and going through it was very hard, especially for Penny. The surface was not very cane friendly. She ended up hitting the cane or her leg against a raised portion of the ground, nearly tripping over. Rudy and Snap did their best to support her. Rudy fought against his pain as he helped Snap get Penny down the tunnel faster. Luckily for them, the tunnel wasn’t very long. It curved uphill, which was hard to navigate, but at least it was short and soon they made it to the other side.

They made it out of the tunnel and into the building just in time. There was the loud clang of claws hitting against the debris and a loud frustrated shriek by Draow. The three friends watched for a few moments as bits of the tunnel started to collapse as Draow desperately tried to get at them. Rudy realized that his belief of Draow being so impulsive that he’d just keep going after them head on was correct, at least for now. Draow may realize what was going on and come around the other side.

They took a brief moment to look around the building they were in. It was largely empty, like it had been abandoned for years. They could see multiple levels up above them, not seperated by ceilings. In fact, the ceiling itself was very high up. The building looked square-ish on the outside, but in here, it started to become a little more round as it went up, and then at the top, sort of a point. Rudy realized that this shape may have been caused by the internal damage, as this place was not unscathed. The floors were cracked around here, the walls twisted and mangled, and whatever was in here, such as a lonely desk in the middle of the room, was cracked, broken, and dusty.

He and his friends did not have a lot of time to look around, let alone rest. They stood there for a few seconds, panting and trying to catch their breath. This didn’t last long as suddenly, there was a loud boom and a crack. The building they were in shook violently. They screamed when a large chunk of the ceiling came down and they moved out of the way as fast as they could. The piece of ceiling landed just inches way from their feet, making their hearts run cold with fear. They had to get out of here and fast.

More pieces started to fall down. Rocks, cement, and dust began to pour down on them from above. The building shook more, making it hard for them to stand up. They didn’t waste any time. They started to get a move on, barely dodging all the falling debris that came down towards them. They had to find the exit to this building and fast. They could hear Draow shooting it with his lasers. He kept hitting it again and again. Rudy realized that, though this building was reinforced, it would not stand up to Draow’s laser attacks forever, and would soon come crumbling down. If they were still in the building when that happened...

Rudy, Penny, and Snap pushed themselves as hard as they could, trying their best to ignore the pain they were in. They moved through the mangled building, heading down one of the hallways that led to the left. They had no idea if it was the right way, but they didn’t have time to sit there pondering choices. They kept heading down the hallway, wincing in fear, hearts running colder, as the building wracked with destructive blows. The sound of creaking, of cement and support beams giving way to the laser attacks filled the air, making their sense of urgency and dread fill up inside their stomachs. The horrible feeling made them almost want to throw up.

They continued to run, not wanting to look back, fearing that if they did, they would get caught in falling debris. They navigated what debris already was in the building. Luckily, this debris was a little easier to get around, possibly due to this building being more durable than the other buildings and not suffering as much damage. Rudy wasn’t sure how long they could keep this up, but at least Draow was still attacking that one side. He wasn’t going to be fooled for long, though, and the intelligent wolf would soon come around to the other side to attack them, or perhaps blow a hole in the building and fly in through there.

Just then, they came up to a two way intersection. They could either go down left or right there. They stopped and looked down both ends. The hallways looked more or less the same. Both were filled with debris and appeared difficult to navigate. But they couldn’t head back now. Not while Draow was still attacking the building. They didn’t have a lot of time to figure out which way they should go. They looked down both tunnels, their minds racing, trying to figure out which way was the best.

Penny’s eyes widened suddenly. Rudy and Snap took notice of this. They looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to speak. Her gaze was fixated down the right tunnel. She must have seen something very important down there. But what? The two boys didn’t have to wait very long to find out.

“Let’s go down that tunnel!” Penny pointed down the hallway.

“Why?” Rudy asked, wincing in pain as a sharp jolt went through his stomach. “Is there...a reason you chose this direction? How is it different from...the others?”

Snap opened his mouth to say something. But then his eyes widened as well, clearly noticing what Penny head. He pointed his hand towards the right tunnel and said, “Buckette is right! I can see an exit sign down there!”

Rudy looked and saw it as well. It was difficult with the debris in the tunnel blocking and obscuring the view. But he soon saw what his friends were pointing out. There was a sign down there. With no electricity, it didn’t stand out very well. But he recognized the coloration and overall shape. He could barely make out the words that were written on it. But there was no mistaking it. The word ‘Exit’ was displayed on the sign. The back exit was down that hallway. Without saying another word, he and his friends headed down that hallway.

The building shook even harder, nearly knocking them off their feet. Then, when they were half way down the building, another violent shake wracked through the building. This time, they fell to the ground. Rudy let out a cry of pain as his damaged shoulder slammed against the hard rock. Penny hit her arm hard against a sharp rock, nearly causing her to drop her cane. She looked down at her arm. Thankfully there wasn’t a gash in it. Snap had been thrown face first into the ground. Rudy winced as Snap lifted up his head and he could see a couple of scrapes on it. Rudy made a mental note to himself to get Snap to the hospital and checked for brain damage after all this is done. All these head injuries...

The three friends climbed up to their feet. They helped each other maintain balance, preventing each other from falling down. Once they were able to stand up well enough, they continued down the tunnel. They could hear a loud roar from Draow, laced with venom, anger, and frustration. It didn’t seem like he was going to continue attacking that spot for long. He would eventually fly around back, or attack from a new angle to try to surprise them. Knowing that they were running out of time, they pushed themselves harder, making their way through the debris, heading towards the exit sign.

Soon they reached it. The building made a loud crack and they could hear it start to crumble. They had to get out of there and fast. Rudy grabbed onto the doorknob and started to turn it. Much to his horror, the knob was stuck. He turned on it as hard as he could. Seeing him struggle, Penny and Snap went over and offered their assistance. Their hands all grabbing the doorknob together, they began to push and turn the knob as hard as they could, twisting it, trying to get it unstuck.

A loud boom shook them violently from side to side. They managed to hang onto the knob and continued to turn it. Then, seconds later, as an other explosion tore through the building, the door was knocked from its hinges due to the force of the blow. Rudy, Penny, and Snap fell forward, hitting against the ground. They coughed and winced in pain. They looked up and saw the building they were in was starting to come down. There were heavy cracks everywhere and pieces were now starting to fall off. They climbed to their feet and they rushed out, managing to get a good distance away before debris started to crash into the ground.

Rudy, Penny, and Snap stared at this, their eyes wide in shock, realizing just how close they came to getting crushed to death. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with relief that they had, against the odds, made it out of there without getting badly hurt. They took one last look at the building before they headed down the street, making the first turn they saw in hopes of losing Draow.

They continued to run, their hearts skipping beats every time they heard Draow roar in anger and frustration. Eventually, he was going to realize they were out of the building and come find them. As much as they hoped that he would continue to remain focused on the building even after it crumbles all the way down, they knew that their luck wouldn’t be that great. Draow would have to be pretty stupid not to pick up their scent and come after them. Hopefully, they would have put enough distance between him and them that they could find a hiding spot long before he reached them.

Things were never that easy, which they found out very quickly. As they heard a loud crash, knowing the builing they were in crumbled, they could hear heavy footfalls coming in from behind them. They dared not look back. They continued to run down the torn street, moving as fast as they could. The footfalls were getting closer, and a roar of anger filled the iar, chilling their blood. After a few moments, Rudy took a chance and he turned his head to look over his shoulder, his right eye widened in fear.

He couldn’t see Draow, at least not directly. But he could see his shadow casted on the walls. He could see the rocks and dust being kicked up as he was getting closer to them. He was going to be upon them soon. Rudy realized, with dread, that going the way they had didn’t slow down Draow that much. They might have gotten a little further if they had moved faster...until he realized that Draow’s sense of smell was strong, stronger than he had initially realized...and with the direction they came out of, the wind was blowing the scent straight towards Draow. Rudy realized, in horror, they would have been in trouble even if they made it through the building faster.

He wished he had realized that sooner. He wished he had taken notice of which way the continuous wind was blowing. If he had, he would have realized that their scent was blowing straight to Draow, telling him almost immediately where they were. But there was nothing they could do about that now. All they were able to do now was run away. He hoped, prayed, that they would find some route of escape they could use. A tunnel, a cave, anything that they could use to try to lose Draow.

Rudy soon realized that he didn’t hear Draow’s pounding feet anymore. This would have brought about some relief, but instead, it just scared him. He and his friends knew that if they didn’t hear the pounding feet, that meant only one thing, at least in the case of Draow. He had taken flight. They turned their eyes upward, scanning the blood red sky for any sign of Draow. They didn’t see him anywhere. They soon realized that, with all these buildings around, Draow could be using them to zigzag his way to them without being seen. There were so many places he could be hiding.

Then, without warning, a building they were running next to suddenly collapsed. Smoke and dust kicked up into the air. Rudy, Penny, and Snap stopped in their tracks as Draow’s head and part of his front body poked through. His jaws were split wide open, his gums and teeth exposed. He let out a screech as he turned his head towards them. His gleaming teal eyes never leaving them, he squeezed his way through the hole in the building he had just made. The three friends stared at him in fear and backed up a few feet. Then they turned and started to run, doing their best to ignore the pain they were in. In seconds, there was a loud crack and they knew that Draow had gotten through the hole.

Draow rushed behind them, only a few yards separating them from him. He snapped his jaws wildy in the air, trying to snag one of them. He started to move faster, his wings spread out to the side to make him a little more agile. Rudy and his friends screamed in fear as they felt the beast’s hot breath on them. Draow nearly grabbed them a few times, especially during the moments were they were slowed down by a chunk of rock or debris that was difficult to get around

Rudy’s heart pounded as Draow continued to chase them down. He looked all around, trying to find someway to slow down Draow again. There had to be a way out of this. There just had to. Then he saw a particularly torn up road to their left. He bit his lip. This road might be their best chance at slowing down Draow some more, but then, it would also slow them down. What were they to do? They could take the chance and get further away from Draow, or even trap him in there for a time, or they could make it easier for Draow to get them. Both were possible if they chose that road.

In the end, what choice did they have? They didn’t have much where else to go. If they didn’t make a turn now, Draow was going to get one of them in his jaws. Once that happens, it was game over for them. There was no way they could get themselves out of Draow’s vice grip. At least the torn road, running between tall buildings that seem a little close to each other, would provide them a chance to get away. Not saying a word, just using hand gestures, Rudy ushered his friends to go towards the severely ripped up road.

Getting through the debris in this road than it was getting through the debris elsewhere. There was low hanging debris everywhere, and a lot on the ground as well. They had to duck and crawl through the crumbled portions of the ground. It slowed them down greatly. They felt their hearts beating faster, their stamina going down further, as they crawled and navigated through the twisted metal and large chunks of rock all around them. There was hardly a piece of ground that was flat, much of it bent and twisted at odd angles.

But the rubble also slowed down Draow. Unlike the other chunks of building he made his way through, this one was mostly metal, not as much rock or concrete. That made it much harder for the bat wolf to just charge at them. It took him more effort to get through the twisted metal. He didn’t try shooting at it with his lasers. Rudy guessed it was because the lasers might not be able to cut through the metal as well as it could rock and concrete, and it had a chance of bouncing back at him. Choosing this way was more helpful than Rudy thought, but for how long? Draow would not be held back forever.

And, to his horror, he was proven right about this. As he and his friends made it out of the street, and onto the next one, Draow, with a loud roar, had taken up to the sky. They looked up, watching in fear as the beast’s body, casted against the read sky, making him look more frightening, came towards them. Rudy, Penny, and Snap turned and started to run away from Draow. There was another street they could turn on down there. If they could just get to it...

It was too late. Draow had fired lasers in their direction, hitting against the ground in front of them. The three friends let out a scream and they turned around. They looked just in time to see Draow, hunkered towards the ground, beginning to fire more lasers from his large shoulder cannons. The lasers were pale pink in color with white twisty things around them. The beams shot towards them. Rudy, Penny, and Snap panicked and looked around, trying to find an escape route.

They realized that Draow hadn’t actually been aiming at them. There was a loud crack behind them, and the sound of crumbling as the laser struck the buildings around them, slicing through the rock, brick, and concrete like they were nothing. The trio moved back as the buildings crumbled down, the chunks of rock completely blocking their escape route. They looked all around, trying to find some way they could go. But all the streets around here were blocked now, debris and bits of twisted metal laying down. They couldn’t climb this, not fast enough to get away from Draow.

Slowly, they turned around and stared at Draow. He was blocking their only viable escape route. He had moved in close enough that the street they had came here was behind him. If they wanted to get there, they’d have to get through him first. And in their current state, they couldn’t do that. Rudy flinched as he felt more blood drip from his mouth. His body wasn’t going to be able to handle this kind of abuse for long, and he didn’t think his friends would last much longer either. They were completely trapped, the realization turning their blood to ice, their bodies shaking in terror.

Draow licked his lips slowly, his teal eyes glinting in eagerness and hate. He pawed the ground and, mustering as much strength as he could, he made a dash towards them. Rudy, Penny, and Snap watched in horror as Draow pounded the ground, leaving slight indentions behind, his jaws split wide open, his sharp teeth glinting in the red light all around them. With nowhere to go, they backed up against the debris behind them. They huddled together, putting their arms around each other. They glared defiantly at Draow, despite knowing they were trapped. If they were going to go down, at least they would go down together.

Suddenly, there was a shape that came out of nowhere. A figure, clearly human, without warning, came at Draow and struck against him. The figure moved so fast that Rudy and his friends could barely register it. Draow staggered to the side a litte and shook his head. He turned his attention to the figure and let out a loud roar. The figure stood in front of Rudy, Penny, and Snap. Before the figure made another move, they were able to get a good enough look at this newcomer.

The figure was pretty lean. A little muscular, but not overly so. They were a full body armor, complete with a helmet that covered their head. The armor was colored silver with some dark blue on the chest, arms, and legs. The armor looked very smooth, lightweight, and flexible, noticeable by how the figure was able to move around so easily in it. The armored figure wielded what looked like a long pole. Not a simple one, but a more fancy-looking one, complete with grooves and decorative things. They noticed it was adjustable, too, as the figure changed the length of the pole as they charged towards Draow.

The scene before them was intense. The figure ran towards Draow, completely unafraid of him. Draow let out a roar and attempted to attack the armored person. He snapped his jaws at them, narrowly missing them. He tried again and this time, the figure grabbed his mouth and forced it closed. They pushed him back a little and jumped out of the way before he could try again. The figure came around and struck Draow in the head. He let out a screech of pain and he backed up a few steps, but he did not surrender. His pupils dilating, he let out a loud roar of anger and rushed towards the figure again.

The figure rushed forward. Using the pole to aid them, they leaped into the ear, sailing over Draow and landing on the other side. The figure came rushing back and struck Draow in his leg before he had time to turn around. His eyes widening, he let out a painful screech before whipping his body around. His ears folded back and he bared his sharp teeth. He lunged forward and managed to snag the figure in his jaws. Rudy, Penny, and Snap watched in horror as the figure was lifted high into the air. Despite their pain, they started to move forward to help, but soon realized that was not necessity.

The figure shrank their pole’s length and, once it was only about a foot long, struck against Draow’s eye. This caused the beast’s fur to stand on end in agony and he let go of the figure. He staggered back, pulling his wing close to his head as if to try to rub his eye. He shook his head a few times and turned to face the figure. By this point, the armored person had gotten close enough to jab their pole against Draow’s lower jaw. Draow’s eyes widened and he let out a pained screech as his head was flipped back. He moved back a little from the force before recovering and coming at her again.

The trio were amazed at just how nimble and fast this figure was. They were keeping one step ahead of Draow. Despite the bat wolf being larger and more powerful, this figure managed to keep him at bay. They kept dodging his attempts to bite them and landed several blows, most of them concentrated on his head and neck. Once, they struck him in the chest, causing him to cough and gag a little as some wind was knocked out of him. The trio had never seen a human take on Draow like this before. It was incredible. But how long would it last?

The figure pulled their pole back and hit against Draow’s flanks. Draow threw his head back and let out a cry of pain. Then, before the figure could react, Draow struck his wing down and hit the figure against their chest. They flew back and hit against a building. They let out a soft groan of pain as Draow advanced towards them. Draow’s tail swooshed from side to side and he suddenly charged forward, giving little time for the figure to react. Rudy, Penny, and Snap watched in horror as Draow split his jaws open and snagged the figure in his jaws. He started to bit down harder, preparing to crush the figure in his jaws.

Suddenly, another shape moved in towards Draow, moving at astonishing speed. The second figure dove down towards Draow and landed on the back of his neck. As the second figure grabbed onto Draow’s ears and yanked them back hard, the trio realized, in shock, just how this second figure was.

It was Snap...another Snap.. An Alt-Snap... The second Snap had some distinguishing characteristics that separated him from the Snap they knew. He wore some armor. Not as much as the human figure did. It was closer to what Draow was wearing. His costume had several rips in it and looked dirty, dust and dark red marks covering it, indicating that Alt-Snap had been through a lot of fights. The jagged scars visible on his face was more proof of that.

Alt-Snap continued to pull back on Draow’s ears, making the beast wince and roar in pain, trying to swing his head to force him to get off. Using this distraction to their advantage, the figure lunged forward and drove the pole against Draow’s stomach, causing him to bend his head downward and stagger. His mouth opened wide as he tried to catch his breath. Clearly taking this as a cue, Alt-Snap jumped into the air and twisted his body around so he could drive his fist towards Draow. The fist made contact on the side of Draow’s head.

Draow let out a screech of pain, the force enough to make him stumble to the ground. He didn’t stay on the ground for long. He got up to his feet and he stared angrily at the two blocking his way to the trio. He roared threateningly at them, his fur standing on end. But Alt-Snap and the figure refused to back down. He charged towards them, splitting his mouth wide open. The figure suddenly thrust their hand forward, sticking their pole into his mouth. Draow’s eyes widened and he pulled his head back. He shook it from side to side, his jaws tightening around the pole, trying to get it out. Soon it would break. Rudy, Penny, and Snap wondered how the figure would be able to continue fighting when they just put their one defense in the beast’s mouth.

Seconds later, Alt-Snap lifted up his weapon. Some kind of small device attached around his right wrist. He leveled it up with something next to Draow. The trio realized he was aiming for the building. He activated his weapon, sending out a thin, broad yellow laser at the building portion above Draow. The pieces of rubbled started to crumble down. As Draow managed to crush the pole and regain use of his jaws, he was too late to escape. He looked up, his eyes widening in horror, as he saw the debris coming towards him. He started to run, but he waited too long.

Draow was soon buried under the rubble. There wasn’t a lot and most of the pieces were small. But it was clear that the chunks of rock and metal that fell on him, covering much of his body now, hit him with enough force to knock him out. The bat wolf laid on his side now, his eyes shut tightly and his mouth open up, his tongue flopped to the side. Rudy and his friends stared in shock at what had happened, hardly believing what had just transpired here.

The figure and the alternate Snap looked back at them. For a while, the two groups just stared at each other, unmoving, unblinking. Tension filled the air for a few moments as the two sides studied each other, uncertain if the other was a threat. Then, cautiously, Rudy took a few steps towards them, followed by Penny and Snap. The figure and Alt-Snap did likewise, looking at each other up and down. Alt-Snap stared at them with some degree of suspicion, but made no hostile gestures.

“Th-Thank you...” Rudy managed to say as he found his voice. “We would have been goners if it weren’t for you.”

“You aren’t from here, are you?” Alt-Snap asked. Rudy was taken aback by his tone. He didn’t sound as friendly as the Snap he knew. But then, giving the situation, he couldn’t blame him. “If you did, you would know it’s not safe wandering these streets, even in a group.”

“Hey it’s not like we had a choice!” Snap said, taking a step forward. He glared at his counterpart. “It was either that or we all died!”

Alt-Snap narrowed his eyes and gave something of a dark chuckle. “Oh really now? And just what could you have been running from that was worse than Draow?”

“The Luminos.” Penny said. From the tone of her voice, she didn’t like this alternate Snap’s attitude either. “They ambushed us. Escaping here was the only way we could have survived.”

“The Luminos?” Alt-Snap made a confused expression. “That’s a really weird name. How do I know you didn’t make that up?”

Rudy spoke up. “Because we didn’t! Why are you accusing us? We aren’t your enemies! You saw us nearly mowed down by Draow!”

Alt-Snap opened his mouth to speak, but he stopped when the figure next to him put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at up, his expression softening as the figure had their head turned towards him. “At ease, Snap. I don’t think these three mean us any harm. Cool your temper, okay?”

Alt-Snap let out a soft sigh. “Okay then...” He gave a sideways glance at the trio. “Sorry...” From the tone of his voice, it was hard to tell if he was sincere or not.

“Thanks again for saving us.” Penny said, her focus now on the armored woman, her voice clearly giving her gender away.

“No problem.” The armored woman said.

“Who are you anyway?” Rudy asked, eyeing her up and down. “You sound kind of like someone we know...”

“My name is...” The figure reached for her helmet. She undid the straps that held them down. With a click, the helmet became loose on her head. She slowly lifted her helmet up and then placed it in the crook of her arm. Rudy, Penny, and Snap let out a gasp of surprise and they each took a step back, not believing what they were seeing. “Ms. Saffron.”


	50. Explanation For Why It's So Dark

It was hard to believe. Even though Rudy and his friends knew they were in an alternate dimension, though they knew that things happened different here, obviously, it was still hard for them to believe this. After three years, three long years, none of them had been prepared to see something like this. After what happened...none of them expected this.

Rudy couldn't help but stare at the woman that stood before them. Part of him wanted to say it was an illusion. Part of him told him that this wasn't real, that it was some kind of dream. Yet he knew for certain...this was not a dream. What he was seeing here was reality. He kept telling himself it was an alternate dimension, that he should expect differences. Yet, somehow, this one different..it was parking the most confusion in his mind. Maybe it was because he saw her corpse. Maybe it was because he had visited her grave.

Whatever the reason, Rudy had a hard time believing that the person in front of him really was Ms. Saffron. After all this time, to see her alive again.... It sent mixed thoughts through his brain. His head started to hurt as he tried to cope with what he was seeing. He rubbed his eyes a few times, staring at the person in front of him. Could it really be her? Maybe it was just someone taking up her name?

He looked over at his friends. They, too, were just as shocked as him. They weren't expecting this woman to be Ms. Saffron. He couldn't blame them for being so shocked. The last time they had seen this person in real life, and not through some video or picture...it was when Cosmo had tossed her corpse at them. He still remembered that... The vision didn't leave his head. Her pale form crumpled on the ground, her head twisted to the side. A gruesome sight that was permantly etched into his mind.

Now here, standing before him, was the same woman. Sort of... an alternate version. But still Ms. Saffron nonetheless. They hadn't heard her voice in two years. There was a familiar ring to it. But it wasn't just her voice that was familiar to them, even if just vaguely. The way her face looked...just like the Ms. Saffron they knew. They recognized those dark green eyes. There was no mistaking that hair style, and the coloration, a dark blonde, yes, just like the Ms. Saffron they had come to know.

Yes, no matter what they thought, no matter how they sorted their thoughts, there was no mistaking it. This really was Ms. Saffron, this world's version of her. Here she was, standing before them, alive and well. This realization caused a wave of emotion to sweep through the trio's bodies. It hurt them, and yet it also made them feel...relieved. Seeing Ms. Saffron again brought about jabbing pain, remembering how their Ms. Saffron had died. It also brought about happiness. This Ms. Saffron not only survived, but, based on what they've seen, she was activately fighting against Mr. Cosmo...unless Cosmo was gone here and Draow was running the show.

Rudy felt so confused about how to feel. He was happy, yet he was sad at the same time. He was angry. Their Ms. Saffron shouldn't have had to die. She didn't deserve it... And now they were in an alternate world where she did survive. How, he was not certain, but she lived... Now this Ms. Saffron was stuck in what appeared to be a hellhole. He had no idea how much of the earth was like this, and he had no idea how Ms. Saffron was even surviving here. There didn't seem to be a lot of food around. Rudy had a feeling that, somehow, Mr. Cosmo was tied to this, or at least Draow. The realization that this Ms. Saffron could also die, all because of them, just like before....it filled him with a painful feeling in the pit of his stomach. Anger tingled the back of his head.

Seeing Ms. Saffron alive and well there...it reminded Rudy of his failure back in their dimension. He should have warned Ms. Saffron... Even though Ms. Saffron already knew she was going to die, or at least had a hunch, Rudy still felt like he could have done something. He felt that he should have spoken up, that maybe if he had, the woman would have had a chance to escape, to survive. Now she's gone... He had no idea how this Ms. Saffron survived. But if it was because his counterpart managed to warn her in time...he knew it was going to hurt. That meant that his warning really could have made a big difference.

After staring at Ms. Saffron for several moments, each of the trio lost in their thoughts, Penny was the first one to find her voice. She took a step forward, her eyes widened.

"M-Ms. Saffron...? You're..." Penny said, her voice a little shaky. "...you're alive..?"

At this, Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap gave confused expressions. They looked at each other. They looked back at the trio. The same confused looks remained on their faces. They stared at Penny like she had grown an extra head. It was clear they had no idea what she was talking about.

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm alive!" Ms. Saffron replied, incredulous. "Why wouldn't I be?" The woman fell silent for a few moments. Her expression softened up as if a realization had struck her. "Oh...I see..." She turned her head to the side and took in a deep breath. She looked back at the trio. "How...did it happen?"

Rudy realized that Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap probably guessed already they were from an alternate dimension. The fact that they weren't freaking out or confused told him that perhaps they've seen so much shit going on here that nothing surprises them anymore. Indeed, Rudy felt the same way. He never thought he would ever see something like this happen to Plainsville. He never thought have thought that Draow would be patrolling the city armed with cannons. Heck, he was surprised that it was even possible to travel to alternate dimensions.

At Ms. Saffron's question, there was unease spreading through the group. The details of their Ms. Saffron's death was not something they could easily discuss. Even though they had come to terms with Ms. Saffron's death, it was still a difficult subject to talk about. They had been devastated by her death. She had been making a change, and going on to be such a good person...and then Mr. Cosmo snatched that all away from her. The whole thing still stung them horribly, even after all these years.

Rudy forced himself to answer. He didn't feel comfortable, but he couldn't keep the two individuals in front of him hanging. He spoke in a soft voice, cracking a little with emotion. "Mr. Cosmo...killed her..."

Ms. Saffron's eyes widened at this. "...he did?"

"Yes..." Penny nodded her head sadly. A few tears formed in her eyes.

"And that's not all." Snap rubbed his arm nervously, gritting his teeth. He turned his head to the side when Ms. Saffron looked at him. It was clear he was having a hard time coping with this whole thing. "He...showed us the body.

Ms. Saffron put a hand to her mouth and gasped. She looked at the trio before her, looking at each one. Her wide eyes were silently asking them if this was correct. The trio nodded their heads slowly. Ms. Saffron looked more horrified. Alt-Snap did look disturbed by this news, although he didn't look quite as shaken up as Ms. Saffron did.

"Yeah..." Rudy said, his eyes downcast. "He just...tossed her body at us like she was just some rotten sac of potatoes. I'll...I'll never forget the look on her face, those lifeless eyes..."

There was silence for a few minutes. The only sound that could be heard was breathing. Rudy could have sworn he heard the thumping of heart beats as well. Then Ms. Saffron let out a soft sigh. She looked at them sympathetically. The same kind of sympathetic look the woman had given each of them at least one time. It was comforting...and yet it stung at the same time. Alt-Snap's own expression softened. He didn't look quite as sympathetic, but Rudy could tell he did feel bad for them.

"I'm...I'm sorry..." Ms. Saffron said apologetically.

"It's..all right." Rudy said softly. "It's just..difficult for us to come to terms with it. I feel like I could have done more to help."

"It wasn't your fault, Bucko." Snap said sympathetically. He walked over towards Rudy and put a hand on his arm. "Please don't blame yourself. You...you never asked for something like that to happen to her."

"Yeah, Rudy. And at least the Cosmo that killed her has been stopped." Penny added.

At this, Ms. Saffron's eyes widened. She took a step forward. "You mean you stopped him?"

"Yeah." Penny affirmed, nodding her head. She looked around, wincing at the damage all around him. "I take it you guys haven't?"

"No, of course not. Why do you think this place has gone to hell?" Alt-Snap said in a bitter tone. The trio looked at him, still surprised and unnerved by his tone. He certainly didn't seem to be as friendly as their Snap. Had the war that went on here really affected his personality that much? Or was he always like this? He shifted his gaze towards Snap. He gritted his teeth. "And you...don't use the word 'Bucko' in my presence."

"Oh yeah? Why not?" Snap asked, his eyes narrowing. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Alt-Snap growled, "Yes..I do..."

Snap folded his arms against his chest. "Well touch luck. You can't tell me what to do. You're not the boss of me."

Alt-Snap started to walk towards Snap. The pace was slow and deliberate. Rudy didn't like where this was going. There was some kind of hostility present in this Snap. It wasn't much, but it was there. The way he was looking at Snap.... Rudy knew he meant business. He and Penny wanted to step in and try to stop them. But when they moved forward, Alt-Snap shot them a look. It caused them to freeze and they found it difficult to make themselves take another step. The look he had given them was a silent warning for them to stay back.

Alt-Snap didn't stop walking over until he stood directly in front of Snap. The two zoners locked eyes onto each other, glaring at one another. Neither of them were backing down. Rudy and Penny found this hard to watch. It was so confusing... Even though their personalities and appearances were different enough that they could tell them apart, the fact that there were two Snaps facing down each other... It left them with mixed feelings. It made Rudy remember the whole Snip incident years ago, but at least none of the Snips had been actively hostile towards Snap. This was...nothing like how the Snips were.

Ms. Saffron didn't do anything to stop Alt-Snap from confronting Snap. Rudy wondered if it was because she knew Alt-Snap well enough to know that he wasn't going to hurt Snap. Yeah, that had to be the reason. Ms. Saffron hadn't shown any signs of hostility towards them, and she was able to control Alt-Snap earlier, even got him to apologize. That was the only bit of comfort Rudy and Penny had during this whole confrontation thing. They were still worried that something might go horribly wrong. Would Alt-Snap lose his temper and attack?

Alt-Snap and Snap continued to glare at each other. Minutes passed by. It felt like hours to Rudy and Penny. Ms. Saffron watched the scene in silence as well. She had taken a step forward, perhaps a sign she was getting a little worried that things might escalate. So far, the two zoners hadn't tried to hurt each other. Rudy and Penny knew their Snap wouldn't have attacked. He wasn't like that. But Alt-Snap..they don't know how much he had changed, how much of their friend was still in him.

Then, after a couple more minutes of what could best be described as an intense staring contest, Alt-Snap took another step forward, leaning towards Snap. Snap blinked once and gritted his teeth. He moved away from Alt-Snap, bending himself backwards as Alt-Snap leaned over him, glaring down at him with the most embittered eyes any of them had ever seen on a zoner they were used to being friendly and playful. Snap, clearly unnerved by the prolonged glare he was getting from his counterpart, took another step back. He soon found himself lowering his head just a tad, a subtle sign of submission.

In that moment, Rudy and Penny learned something about this alternate Snap, and they didn't even have to ask. He had an iron will, one that was so strong that his friendlier side had diminished. There was definitely an aura of hostility to them, and the two friends realized that this version of Snap would more quickly resort to violence to get something done. Whether or not he would have hurt their Snap, they weren't sure. But Alt-Snap seemed like the kind of person who took no jokes, and was willing to do whatever necessary to accomplish a goal.

The fact that he was able to make Snap back down simply by staring at him was telling. Snap had a strong will of his own. Perhaps his mind was conflicted by the fact that the person staring at him was basically himself. That might have had something to do with why he backed down. The other explanation was that Snap sensed what they did, that Alt-Snap wasn't quite as kind as him. Perhaps it was also because they were technically on the same side and Snap did not want to cause any trouble.

Then, slowly, Alt-Snap's expression softened up. It was like he realized what he was doing and caught himself before it went any further. He exhaled slowly. He stared at Snap. Though his expression was relaxed now, there was still that iron will behind those eyes, filled with intent. No doubt that the zoner was still bitter and grumpy. Thinking that it might be safe to approach, Rudy and Penny took a step forward, only for Alt-Snap to look at them. Again, they froze. Just what was it about those eyes that made him stop?

Turning his attention back to Snap, Alt-Snap said, "Please...don't use the word Bucko around me...okay..?" His voice was laced in passive anger. He spoke calmly, but there was still a lot of emotion packed in what he said. The way his body trembled was another give away of the emotion he was holding back. "Just please..don't..."

Snap looked at him, confused. His own anger appeared to have disappeared. Rudy couldn't see a hint of anger anywhere on his friend. Snap stared at Alt-Snap for a few seconds. He then spoke, his voice a little softer from before. "Does this include Buckette too?"

"Yes!" Alt-Snap cried, his voice filled with emotion. His eyes widened, looking surprised by his own outburst. He cleared his throat and said in a more controlled voice, "Yes.. Please. I..I would appreciate it..."

Rudy's eyes widened. That was the friendliest this Snap had sounded in the short time they knew him. He could detect sadness in this voice. He immediately made the connection. Something bad must have happened to the Rudy and Penny of this dimension to invoke such a response from Alt-Snap. Rudy felt his heart clench. Just what had happened to themselves here? He glanced over at Penny. He could tell she looked worried as well. As much as it scared them, they...they had to know what happened.

Then Rudy noticed something he had almost missed. Tears... Alt-Snap was shedding tears. Not a lot of them. They were small, faint, barely there. But he could see them. The armored zoner was holding them back. Rudy know, right away, they had touched a sore spot. They didn't tread lightly where they should have. It made him wonder, even more, just what had happened here to make this world...like this... He had to ask..he had to know. He and his friends had to know. But could they even bring themselves too ask? What if it was too touchy a subject, and Alt-Snap..well..snaps at them for asking?

"I.." Snap broke the uncomfortable silence. It was clear he was confused over the whole thing, yet at the same time, his sympathetic expression did show that he understood there was most likely a good reason for Alt-Snap's odd request. "Okay then...I don't know why, but..okay.."

Alt-Snap nodded his head slowly once. "Thank you." His voice was soft, and lacked any kind of anger he had displayed before. A few more moments of silence and he turned his head where Draow still laid unconscious. Rudy had almost forgotten about him. "I think it's best we get moving, Ms. Saffron. I don't think Draow will be out for long." He looked up at Ms. Saffron. "Let's take them somewhere...safer, and we can discuss matters further there."

Ms. Saffron nodded her head. "Good idea." She turned her head to the trio. She made a motion with her hand. "Come along with us." She and Alt-Snap began to walk away. "We'll take you to one of our safe spots."

"One of them?" Penny asked.

Ms. Saffron paused and turned her head. "Yes. Snap and I have many of them. In this world, the more places you can hide in, the better." She turned her head away and waved her hand in the air. "Now come along. Draow won't be down forever. We best leave before he wakes up."

Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked at each other. There were so many questions they wanted to ask. So much that they wanted to know... But they knew that Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap were right. This wasn't the time or place to be asking questions. Draow would eventually wake up. And if he did while they were there, they could be looking forward to another fight. And this time, they might not win. Best to leave now before the bat wolf woke up.

They didn't waste anymore time. They looked at where Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap were. They could see the two were waiting for them to catch up. It was clear that they did not want the trio to be alone while out here, and after the chase with Draow, they could understand why. The trio moved forward to catch up with them. They cast a wary glance at Draow as they went by. Soon they got past him and joined up with Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap. Without saying a word, the group began to make their way through the ruined city.

sss

Getting to this one safe spot was a little difficult. It involved navigating some of the more crumbled parts of town and going through some twisted tunnels. But compared to some of the things they been through before, it wasn't too difficult to get in here. It made sense too, as in this world, where food was likely scarce, Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap couldn't afford to waste too much energy.

The room they were in was part of an already crumbled building. They were deep underground. The chill of the air reminded them of that. There was some light, provided by small torches that Ms. Saffron had on the walls. The room was jagged and had no real defined shape to it. There wasn't a lot here either. A few places to sit down and a few other small things, but not much. Just the bare minimum to survive effectively. The place wasn't even that big, which also made sense. Smaller hiding spots were more difficult to find than something more massive.

When they got here, it was Alt-Snap and Ms. Saffron who started to ask questions. Multiple ones, so many it was hard to keep track of them all. Rudy decided, instead of answering each one one by one, especially since it was hard to remember them all and he didn't want to make the two denizens keep repeating themselves, that it was best that they tell the whole story, leaving in as many details as they could. He and his friends took turns telling the story, from how they encountered Mr. Cosmo to what led them up here.

It was a long story, but they were able to tell it without stumbling over their words or getting confused. Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap stayed quiet and listened to the whole thing, never interrupting. They told them about how Rudy was being confronted by Mr. Cosmo, how he nearly lost himself to the black chalk, how he had managed to defeat Mr. Cosmo. They told them of their 'adventures' with Bardot and how Rudy and Penny were tortured by him, and how Snap managed to beat him, only to nearly lose his life. They told them about the current situation with the black chalk artists and the Luminos.

"And that's what led us up to here." Rudy said, concluding their story.

There was a long silence in the room. Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap stared at them, their eyes unblinking. Rudy wasn't sure if they believed them or if they were shocked or what. It was hard to read their emotions.

Finally, Ms. Saffron spoke. "That's...some story..."

"You don't believe us?" Snap asked, his eyes wide.

Ms. Saffron shook her head. "No it's not that. We believe you." She looked upwards a little. "After everything that's happened here, nothing surprises us anymore."

Rudy thought the same thing. And now it was confirmed. The reason these two didn't look overly startled to see them in their world was because so much had went down here, it just didn't take them by surprise that much. They had still been confused as to how they got into their dimension and why they came. But, after their long story, they should understand now. Rudy was willing to answer any additional questions in case any popped up.

Now that they told their story, Rudy knew it was time for them to tell theirs. They needed to know as much as they can about this dimension and how it got to this state. They were going to be stuck here for a while, and the more they knew, the better. Otherwise, they could end up killed here, not knowing what kind of dangers lurked here. They were not expecting to have such a nasty run-in with Draow like that. If there were any more horrible surprises, they needed to know about it and fast.

Alt-Snap spoke up. "I know I'm going to ruffle a few feathers here... But I have to say.." He folded his arms against his chest. "You guys are lucky."

"Lucky?!" Snap cried. "After all we been through?!"

"It hasn't exactly been a cakewalk for us." Rudy said. He did his best to remain calm. He understood why Alt-Snap felt that way. This place looked much worse than where they came from. But he wished he would be more sensitive.

"I know..." Alt-Snap said. He casted his eyes downward slightly. "I'm sorry if I upset you. It's just that.. Compared to what happened here, you guys really were lucky." He paused for a moment, and then he said. "No you really were lucky. Your story matches ours...up to a certain point. This world went to all..all because of one small deviation. One that was close to happening in your world. It really was luck that you didn't have to endure what we had to here."

Sitting with her legs crossed, Penny leaned forward and asked, "Would you be able to tell us what happened here?"

"Yes. You told us your story. It's time we told you ours." Ms. Saffron said. She opened up her mouth to speak more, but Alt-Snap held up his hand to silence her.

"But first..." Alt-Snap took a few steps towards Rudy. He stared at him intently. "You say this Jenny person did something to you and what not and you're currently suffering internal bleeding because your body was...is healing with chalk?" Rudy nodded his head solemnly. Alt-Snap narrowed his eyes a little. "Hold on."

Alt-Snap walked over to a corner of the room. Rudy, Penny, and Snap watched him curiously. He stood in front of what looked like a crude, make-shift dresser. He pulled out a small drawer and reached into it. From the sound of it, there wasn't a whole lot in there. He pulled something out. It looked like a small bottle that was filled with some kind of black material. Liquid, very thick. Alt-Snap examined it before he walked over to Rudy.

"Here, drink this." Alt-Snap said, holding the bottle out to him. "It should help."

Rudy took the bottle and examined it. "What is this stuff?"

"Due to..circumstances... I spend most of my time in the real world. Finding ways to heal myself when there's little access to ChalkZone can be problematic as you can imagine." Alt-Snap gestured to the bottle. "That there stuff is a special concoction Saffron and I came up with. It's no magical healer, but it does help protect chalk wounds, and even aid in some healing... It's complicated. In short, it'll help mend your wounds a little. Go on, drink it."

Rudy looked at it, hesitating. He looked over at Ms. Saffron. She gave a soft smile to him and nodded her head.

Ms. Saffron said, "He's telling the truth. It'll take away some of the pain and keep your wounds from reopening all the way. It is not an instant healer. Those things don't exist. And if they did, life would be a whole lot easier." She leaned back a little. "But it will help you. It should bide you enough time to whenever you head over to the next dimension."

"Okay..thanks..." Rudy said, turning his gaze down towards the black liquid.

Rudy stared at the black liquid that Alt-Snap and Ms. Saffron assured him was medicine. It didn't look like any medicine he's seen before. The black coloration was making him feel a little at unease. It was the same shade as black chalk. Part of him wondered if this stuff was made from that... No, it couldn't be. He was not getting the same chilly feeling he usually did when very close to a lot of black chalk. And there wasn't really much of a reason for these two to lie to him, especially since they appeared to share a common enemy.

Rudy opened up the bottle and took a few sniffs. It didn't have any particular smell to it. He put the opening of the bottle to his lips and let the liquid flow into his mouth slowly. When the black liquid hit inside his mouth, his right eye went wide. He immediately jerked the bottle away, his lips pursed as the foul-tasting liquid rested in his mouth. He forced himself to swallow, and he coughed a few times. He wiped his mouth, trying to clean as much of the black stuff from him as possible.

Alt-Snap gave a few quick chuckles. "Yeah, it doesn't taste great. But trust me..." He pointed his hand towards him. "It'll help you feel a little better. If you're in as much pain as you say, you'll appreciate that bitter medicine."

Rudy smacked his lips, unable to conceal the disgusted look on his face. "I'm sure I will..eventually..." After a few moments, he said, "So...just..what happened here? Why is everything torn apart? Why can't you access ChalkZone?"

Snap said, "Yeah. How did everything go to hell here?"

"It is..a long story." Ms. Saffron said solemnly, a tinge of sadness on her voice. "We'll try to condense it down as much as we can, and give you the important details."

"Okay, that sounds fair." Penny said, nodding her head once.

"You say all this happened because of one thing that could have just as easily happened in our dimension." Rudy said. Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap gave an affirmative nod. "Just...what was that? What happened?"

Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap looked at each other, a nervous expression on their faces. They looked back at Rudy. They stared at him sympathetically. Rudy felt his body temperature lowering as dread churned in his stomach. This was not a good sign. He didn't like the way they were looking at him. Penny and Snap looked nervous as well. He could tell they caught on that, whatever these two denizens were going to say, it was not good.

Ms. Saffron spoke up. "Do you...remember how you told us that you were forced to use the black chalk? And how you nearly lost yourself to it?"

Rudy could feel his body start to tremble. He could feel his friends' fear filling the atmosphere, giving an uncomfortable aura. Unable to speak a word, dreading what was going to be said next, Rudy managed to nod his head rigidly.

"Well...that part of your story didn't have a happy ending here." Ms. Saffron said sadly, lowering her gaze.

Alt-Snap spoke, his voice shaky with emotion. "Your counterpart...our Rudy... He was permanently corrupted by the black chalk..." He shut his eyes. A few tears formed in his eyes. "He works for Cosmo now. He is his partner, his ruthless enforcer." Alt-Snap tilted his head back and spread his arms out, indicating not just the hideout, but anything outside of it. "He...helped Cosmo do all...this..."

It felt as though the room reached the freezing point, a cold chill rushing through the room. Even the warmth of the tortures seemed to fade away instantly the moment the trio heard just what had happened here. Horror filled their minds, making their bodies tremble slightly. They couldn’t believe what they had heard. Rudy...corrupted by the black chalk... It was..a horrific thought, one that had frightened them for some time. They all wondered what would have happened if Rudy hadn’t been cured in time; nightmares were common as well.

They never thought it would have been like this.

Rudy took a look around the small room. Though he couldn’t really see outside, he could picture it in his head, his mind panning through the streets as he recalled just how torn up the place was. The idea that the cause of all this was...himself.. It was truly terrifying. He couldn’t believe that his counterpart here had been corrupted. Just...just what happened that made a difference? As their story panned out, at what point did a small deviation lead up to him getting corrupted? 

Rudy found it hard to stop shaking in fear. His mind swept through many thoughts of what his alternate counterpart was like. He had some memories of what he was like when he was controlled by the black chalk. Is that how he was here? Alt-Snap did use the word ‘ruthless’ to describe this other Rudy, this Dark Rudy. Rudy wasn’t sure if he should feel lucky they didn’t run into him, or horrified because there was a chance he did see them and he was just staying out of sight, waiting to strike.

He looked over at his friends. Their eyes were wide in horror, mouths dropped open. They looked just as terrified as him at this horrific news. He couldn’t blame them. They had almost lost him as a friend years ago, and to know that, in another dimension, this happened as a result of him being corrupted..it was frightening to think about. They huddled a little closer to each other for comfort. They kept quiet, the uncomfortable information having a hard time being digested in their minds. This was difficult news to swallow, and they had a feeling it wasn’t the only thing they would find a hard time accepting.

Now knowing what had happened to his counterpart in this dimension, Rudy’s mind flashed to earlier, when Alt-Snap wanted Snap to not use the word ‘Bucko’. Rudy hadn’t understood why back then, but now it made sense. He knew the word must have hit some kind of sore spot, but he had no idea it was that bad. Rudy had almost thought his counterpart was killed, but to know that he had been permanently corrupted by the black chalk...that was a fate worse than death. Alt-Snap had to go on the rest of his life confronting his now evil friend, who still remembered what he was like beforehand but no longer cares. Alt-Snap had to fight against someone he had considered a very close friend. No wonder he was so bitter about the word ‘Bucko’.

Rudy realized he also didn’t want them saying ‘Buckette’ either. Another touchy subject. He wondered if the Penny of this dimension had been corrupted or if something else happened. Something must have occurred that made Alt-Snap not want to hear ‘Buckette’ either. He reacted with the same level of emotion, making Rudy realize that, whatever happened, it was horrified. Rudy felt his heart clench. Just what had happened to Penny here...?

“I-I..” Rudy said, finding his voice. “I..I mean, my countepart..did all this?” Alt-Snap and Ms. Saffron nodded their heads slowly. “What else happened? What about Penny? Mr. Wilter? ChalkZone? What happened to them?”

“Yeah...exactly how did everything get like this?” Penny asked, her voice laced in fear. “What happened that caused your Rudy to get corrupted?”

“And what happened after that made the world look like this?” Snap asked.

There was an uncomfortable silence. Ms. Saffron was the first one to speak up. She cleared her throat. She glanced down at Alt-Snap. He flinched a little, but nodded his head in understanding. Ms. Saffron turned back to the trio. She took in a deep breath and then proceeded to explain.

“Okay, here’s what happened; the gist of it I mean. Three years ago, of course you know that Mr. Cosmo reared his ugly head and started to formulate a plan to profit off of ChalkZone. And you know that you three were affected by him, with Snap getting captured, trying to coax Rudy to the ‘dark side’, Penny nearly killed by Draow. So I don’t need to go into detail about that. The point at which our story diverges is when the black chalk had taken a hold of you, Rudy. In our dimension, Penny was not able to save you in time. Skrawl had been killed by Draow beforehand, so she had no assistance in knocking out the black chalk. So the corruption became permanent.”

Rudy and his friends’ eyes widened at this. So that’s how it happened... Rudy remembered that Skrawl was the one who knocked the black chalk out of his hand. Penny couldn’t have done that. She would have risked getting the corruption in her as well. And Skrawl getting killed... He felt a strong pang in his stomach. He considered Skrawl a friend now and knowing he was slaughtered here, even if it wasn’t the Skrawl he knew, it still affected him.

“After that, victory was assured for Mr. Cosmo. With Rudy now fighting on his side, he was able to drive back what little remained. Mr. Wilter stood no chance and was horrifically injured. Penny and I had tried to fight back...” Ms. Saffron lowered her head. “...but it was no use. Despite our best efforts to stop those two from exposing ChalkZone, they ended up winning...and Penny was lost to us.”

“Wh-What happened to your Penny...?” Penny’s voice was shaky.

Alt-Snap, a few tears in his eyes, spoke up. “She was killed by Draow...” He looked at them sadly as they all gasped in horror. Alt-Snap narrowed his eyes and averted his gaze. “Rudy...our Rudy..ordered the attack. Draow and Penny fought and though Penny was able to hold up well, Draow ultimately got the best of her. He...ripped her apart. Literally.” He closed his eyes. Tears flowed down his cheeks. “I’ll never forget her screams...”

Terror struck through the hearts of the trio, a horrible pang making them feel nausaeous. They looked at each other with wide eyes. They huddled even closer to each other, horrified by just how close they really had been to losing each other. If things had happened slightly differently, then this was the world they had to look forward to. This hell hole, with a destroyed earth where surviving is the only way of life. They really had been close to losing it all.

Penny’s body was trembling. Rudy looked at her sadly. She was the most shaken up by this news, because it was her that had been killed. Well her counterpart anyway. Rudy and Snap were horrified as well. They each put a hand on Penny, pressing close to her to comfort her and themselves. As horrified as Rudy was that he was corrupted here, word of Alt-Penny’s death was more horrific for him. Penny was his best friend, and to think he could have lost her..it filled him with more pain than him losing himself to the black chalk.

Now it made sense why Alt-Snap didn’t want to hear the word ‘Buckette’ either. Just like ‘Bucko’, ‘Buckette’ was a painful reminder of what he once had. He used to have two close friends, whom he held so dear. But he lost them both, and under two circumstances. The Rudy of this dimension was corrupted and became his bitter enemy...and Alt-Penny..she had been slaughtered before his eyes. The two people Alt-Snap cared about the most were ripped away from him in equally horrific ways. Now it started to make sense why he was so bitter.

“Mr. Cosmo did try to kill me, in much the same way he did in your dimension.” As if to prove her point, Ms. Saffron tilted her head back, revealing a pale scar across her throat. “He slashed my throat. I survived because I managed to fight back before he could cut my throat too deeply. I was able to treat the wound. After it was treated, I went to join in the fight, only to find that I was a little too slow and Rudy was already corrupted. And then, after our Rudy and Cosmo won, after Penny was...killed... Snap and I fled, eventually finding a place we could hide for a while as we tried to come up with a plan.”

“All our efforts ended up failing, as you can see. With Rudy by his side, Mr. Cosmo had no problem with exposing ChalkZone to everyone in the world. Soon afterwards, Mr. Cosmo killed Biclops and took control of the Chalk Mine. He was able to supply the military, the army, the navy...everyone who was willing to pay a high enough sum, some magic chalk. Zoners did try to fight back, but with Mr. Cosmo’s efforts and Rudy’s help, that ended pretty quickly, and all of ChalkZone was enslaved. Just like Mr. Cosmo said in your dimension and in ours, what he promised to do..he fulfilled that. He turned zoners into ‘expendable labor’.” Alt-Snap said. He closed his eyes and took in a shuddering breath.

Realizing that Alt-Snap didn’t want to continue just yet, Ms. Saffron continued after him. “Mr. Cosmo and Rudy were able to convince the world that zoners were less than human, that they weren’t really fully sentient. The world believed the zoners were just ‘programs’ in a sense, and most people believed that zoners should serve their creators. There were attempts to fight for zoner rights, but they were quickly shot down, silenced.” Ms. Saffron shook her head sadly. “Life for zoners was hell here...still is. They have zero rights and because more can just be drawn, hardly anyone cares if they starve or dehydrate to death here. They are not even allowed back in ChalkZone. They’re forced to toil away here, in a world where they can easily be killed...”

The description of how this world was terrified the trio. The idea of zoners being enslaved... It was horrible. They couldn’t believe just how badly zoners were treated here. It was the same thing they had feared would happen when their parents found out about ChalkZone. Here, though, it really happened. Their worst nightmare had happened, and it was just as bad as they thought it was going to be; in some ways even worse.

Rudy felt his heart starting to beat faster as his mind played through horrible images of zoners being beaten, starved, overall living in a hell. Zoners that he had promised to protect... It was made worse by the fast that his counterpart had helped all of this happen. That added an extra level of terror in his heart.

Alt-Snap cleared his throat, regaining his voice once more. “ChalkZone itself has been destroyed. There’s still a few patches of land left, but it’s mostly an endless void now. Dark and depressing... The only land left are areas where zoners are ‘farmed’ more or less. When more zoners are needed, these areas are where they are drawn and then dragged out immediately for work.” He paused for a moment. He seemed to notice Rudy opening his mouth to speak, and as if he read his mind, Alt-Snap added, “Yes there is the case of people drawing things on chalkboards and erasing them. However, Mr. Cosmo and Rudy have placed exterminators in ChalkZone. These are men armed with real world water, whose job it is to keep any new land from forming and any unwanted zoners from appearing. Now anything or anyone that appears in ChalkZone that wasn’t drawn by a ‘licensed artist’ per say is destroyed almost immediately.”

“Wh-What...?” Rudy breathed, his right eye wide in terror. “I..don’t believe it... That’s horrible..”

“I knew things would have been bad if Cosmo won. I never imagined it would be that bad.” Snap lowered his gaze, his body shaking from the shere shock of learning what happened. “All those zoners...gone...”

Penny took in a shuddering breath. “How can anyone be so cruel...?

“Cosmo and Rudy can.” Alt-Snap said with a very bitter tone. He took a quick glance at Rudy and his expression softened up a little. “Sorry...I didn’t mean you.”

“I know you didn’t.” Rudy said, nodding his head in understanding. Knowing more of what Dark Rudy had helped to accomplish here, Rudy cold see why Alt-Snap adapted that harsh glare of his, the one that made them freeze. It was a byproduct of all the horrors he was forced to face here. “Wh-What else happened...?”

“Well after zoners were enslaved and forced into labor, countries who wanted to initiate war with other countries saw ChalkZone’s potential as a weapon. Horrible weapons of mass destruction were produced. Massive wars began, with chalk weapons wielded and creating horrible damage... And enslaved zoners were forced to fight, many of them being killed by either the chalk weapons or water.” Alt-Snap explained.

Ms. Saffron continued, “The wars got out of hand. The weapons became more and more destructive, and it ripped through the world. Most of the world is now devastated by the chalk weapon wars that had occurred. All the damage you see was the result of some chalk weapon being wielded in battle. It was like a nuclear war went off here...” She shut her eyes. “So much has been destroyed. Much of humanity was wiped out due to these chalk-based wars.”

“Those monsters don’t care either. They patrol this city like they own the place.” Alt-Snap growled. “They have shown no remorse. Mr. Cosmo still believes that he was benefiting society. He thinks it is humanity’s fault that they nearly blew themselves into oblivion, even though he never made an effort to control the humans that were producing weapons more destructive than they were worth. And now because of that, earth here has become hell... The red sky you see is a byproduct of the horrific weapons produced.”

“That’s what happened here.” Ms. Saffron said, concluding their story. “The gist of it, anyway. More had happened, but this bit of information we told you should be enough.”

The trio was completely silent. Horror, fear, and dread occupied their minds. They tried their best to digest the information they were given. Their hearts clenched tightly, filling with an uncomfortable feeling. The description of what happened here, the terror that gripped this world, it left them feeling sick. This almost was their world. If things happened just a little differently, this was the reality they would have faced.

It left them all feeling uncomfortable, a cold sensation sweeping through their bodies. They all felt some pang of guilt, a survivor’s guilt in a sense, because their world avoided that fate, and there they were, wandering around in a world ripped apart by war. They wondered if that was part of the reason Alt-Snap didn’t treat them entirely friendly. Though he had mellowed out, it was clear that he might have some level of resentment for them, and after hearing what happened, how could they blame him?

The guy, and Ms. Saffron, were both trapped in a world where both dimensions were dangerous. ChalkZone has been taken over and turned into nothing more than a factory of sorts. It was constantly redestroyed so that there were no safe zones left. Zoners were enslaved and forced into labor, even battle, with no rights whatsoever. They were treated lower than dirt, and any effort to help them was stopped. Rudy was corrupted and joined Cosmo and Penny was slaughtered, as well as many others. War tore through the real world, making it nearly uninhabitable. Every day must be hell for them. It reminded them of the Fire Zone, only this world looked like it would be even arder to live in.

With all this disaster weighing down on his head, it was no wonder Alt-Snap acted the way he did. Seeing so much death and destruction, and the loss of close friends, that would mess up almost anyone, a severe blow to the psyche. Rudy was convinced now, more than ever, that Alt-Snap really had been like their Snap once until the apocalypse pretty much happened. Alt-Snap had become guarded, but he didn’t completely lose himself. Rudy was happy that, despite all the terrible things that happened, Alt-Snap still retained some parts of their friend in him, evident by when he was willing to help him with his wounds despite being his Rudy’s counterpart.

Being permanently corrupted by the black chalk, losing Penny, these things still horrified Rudy, and his friends were still frightened by the news as well. Everything they were told, it chilled them to the bone. All the gruesome details...they clung to their mind like glue, freezing their blood. It didn’t help that all this nearly happened in their world. Now they all fully understood why Alt-Snap said they were lucky...because he was right. Despite all the hardships they had faced, all that was mild compared to what happened here.

“Now you know what happened...” Alt-Snap said in a firm voice. “Now you know why I was so shocked that you were out on your own here. I know I’ve been hard on you, but I’ve got good reason to be.” His expression softened up. “I really am sorry about the way I acted. It’s just that, in these dark times, one cannot take chances.”

“We understand...” Penny said, a small smile on her face. “After what happened here..that’s understandable.”

“Yeah...” Snap nodded his head.

Rudy said, “We won’t hold it against you.”

Alt-Snap smiled, a genuine one that wasn’t mocking or hiding any intent. Then he looked over at Penny and Snap and looked them up and down. “We should get your wounds treated, too. I know they’re minor compared to Rudy’s, but here, any wound can be a death sentence.” Alt-Snap got up and started to head over to where he got the black stuff for Rudy.

He never made it all the way through.

Suddenly there was a loud explosion. The room shook violently. Pieces of debris fell down all around them. The group barely dodged them. They looked around, trying to find the source of the attack. Then there was another explosion and a rush of air hit them, sending them all rolling back across the ground. Rudy, Penny, and Snap coughed and wheezed as they breathed in dust once more. They opened their eyes. They saw that there was now a bright light, pale red in color, indicating it was light from the outside. There was a figure standing there, but they were obscured, in shadow.

Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap climbed up to their feet. The trio followed suit. Their legs were wobbly and they almost tripped over. But they managed to keep their feet planted on the ground. They all stared over at the opening as the figure began to walk closer to them. Ms. Saffron took a defensive stance. Alt-Snap adopted a slightly more aggressive stance, looking like he was ready to tear into whoever was approaching.

“You...” Alt-Snap said, his voice laced in venom. “You’ve got some nerve showing up here...”

“Ah Snap.. So glad to see you..” The figure said. At the voice, Rudy and his friends widened their eyes in horror. That voice..no..it couldn’t be... The figure chuckled darkly, almost like he sensed their dread. The figure continued to walk forward. “But you really should know there was no way you could have hidden from me long.”

“Fuck off!” Alt-Snap snarled, aiming his weapon at him.

“My my...what a temper on you. Really, Snap, are you not that happy to see me?” The figure asked mockingly. “After all...”

Rudy, Penny, and Snap watched as the figure stepped into the light of the flames. They gasped in horror at who it was. There, standing before them, was Rudy..another Rudy... Dark Rudy. The counterpart stood in front of the hole he clearly had created, his arms folded against his chest, giving the cruelest smirk they’d ever seen from Rudy.

“I am your creator.” Dark Rudy finished with a sneer. Alt-Snap just snarled at him. Dark Rudy took a few steps forward, clearly not noticing the other three in the room, his attention solely on Alt-Snap and Ms. Saffron. “Now..why don’t we have a little bit of...fun?”


	51. Who I Almost Was

Penny stood next to her friends in silence. Her wide eyes stared at this newcomer in shock. Her body trembled, unable to fully believe what she was seeing. Yet she knew this was not an hallucination. As much as she wanted it to not be real, she knew, deep down, this was reality. A terrifying reality that chilled her to her core.

Standing not far from them, his eyes focused intently on Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap, was Rudy. Not the Rudy she knew, but Dark Rudy. The eighteen year old doppelganger of her friend looked so much like him, and yet so different. He stood up straight, making it easy for her to tell what kind of figure he had. He was thinner than Rudy, like he doesn’t eat much, but he was not emaciated either. He looked like he was a tad more muscular, too, likely the byproduct of working for Mr. Cosmo.

His brown hair was unkempt and a little longer than Rudy’s hair. He wore a full body suit complete with a few spikey armor pieces, most noteabley on his knees and elbows. He had some kind of pair of leather straps going across his chest and on his back, she could see he had some kind of weapon, a sword perhaps, or a laser. His face had a couple of small scars on them. Nothing too standout-ish, but she imagined he had a lot of scars all over his body after living in a place like this.

When he talked, his voice was chilling, sounding very much like her friend’s. Dark Rudy’s voice had a bit of a scratch to it, like he had a terrible cold. She could soon see why. There was a scar on his throat, similar to what Ms. Saffron has. She wondered briefly how he got that scar. Her mind immediately shifted elsewhere. She took notice of the boots he was weathering. Black leather, and at the tips, she could see a set of twin blades coming out of him. These boots were clearly meant to be used as weapons.

She, Rudy, and Snap remained frozen at the sight of this twisted version of the ‘great creator’. Cold ice swam through their veins, making their bodies shake even harder. They couldn’t tear their eyes away from him as he took a few steps towards Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap. Sometimes, Penny had to glance back at Rudy for her to realize that there was indeed two Rudys. She had to remind her brain that Rudy had not turned evil, and that Dark Rudy was a different person, one who was taken down a different path in life.

Dark Rudy’s mere presence was enough to make the room feel chilly. The wind that blew in, threatening to blow out the torches, added to the atmosphere. Penny and her friends wanted to move, yet they could not. So far, Dark Rudy hadn’t spotted them. Or at least, he didn’t act like he did. He was focused on Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap. How long this would last, and just what was going to happen, she wasn’t sure.

“I must say, it was fun tracking you down. I knew that, sooner or later, I’d find you in one of your hiding holes. But playtime is over.” Dark Rudy said, a small smile on his face. He reached behind his back and grabbed the handle of his weapon. “I’m tired of all this running around, you two. I really don’t get why you don’t just lay down and let me kill you. It would be so much easier that way.”

Alt-Snap held up a fist and shouted, “We won’t surrender that easily!”

“Just what I like to hear.” Dark Rudy sneered, his teeth exposed in a grin. “Nice to see that you are still as stubborn as ever, Snap. I suppose that’s one thing about you that would never change. A little surprising, seeing how you lost your innocense, too. I wasn’t the only one.”

Alt-Snap growled at this, but didn’t say anything. Dark Rudy smirked, staring intently at Alt-Snap. He slowly pulled out his weapon. They all could see it was a long sword. The blade itself was a little thin, but it looked incredibly sharp. It reminded Penny of a japanese katana, though the blade looked like it was more reinforced and sharper than she’d expect from a traditional katana.

“Do you really think you can stop us that easily, Rudy?” Ms. Saffron asked, narrowing her eyes at the intruder. “We managed to allude you before. We can do it again!”

“Ah just what I’d expect you to say, Saffron.” Dark Rudy’s voice was full of contempt. He glared hatefully at Ms. Saffron. “Too bad my master failed to dispose of you. He was right when he realized you would become a threat. Of course, maybe if you had seen reason and joined up, I wouldn’t have to...”

“Oh be quiet!” Ms. Saffron snarled at him. She took a step forward, forming a fist with her hand. “Do you think I’d want any part of this?! Look at this place! Everything is destroyed and it’s all because of your precious ‘master’!” She took in a few heavy breaths as she and Dark Rudy locked eyes on each other. “Why the fuck would I want to help him destroy the planet?!”

Dark Rudy stared at her, gritting his teeth. Slowly, he smiled. The change, how fast it occurred, was disturbing. The smile he gave could chill blood. He moved towards Ms. Saffron slowly, making his way over. Ms. Saffron kept her defensive stance, fully prepared to protect herself if need be. “Stubborn as always as well, Ms. Saffron. The little blue rodent has made that much of an impact on you.”

Alt-Snap looked visibly hurt by that comment, but his expression gave way to anger. The blue rodent insult also shocked Penny. Never before had she heard Rudy say something so demeaning about someone who was supposed to be his best friend. Seeing the way this Rudy and this Snap interacted, feeling their hate for one another, it was a jarring, stark contrast to how her Rudy and her Snap would behave towards each other. Even though they knew this was an alternate dimension, it was still unsettling seeing this display go on.

Rudy and Snap glanced at each other sadly, their eyes brimming with emotion. Penny watched, her expression solemn, as Rudy and Snap gave each other a reassuring hug. She couldn’t blame them after seeing this horrible display in front of them. They needed comfort, the knowledge that they would never turn on each other like that. Penny moved closer and joined in the hug, wanting to provide some support for them. After their hug, they turned to watch what was going on.

By this point, Dark Rudy was getting very close to Ms. Saffron. A dark smile was on his face, his eyes flashing black for a few seconds. Ms. Saffron didn’t move. She continued to glare at Dark Rudy as he made his way over. The only thing that stopped him was Alt-Snap, who jumped in his path and held his arms out protectively. Dark Rudy paused, looking mildly surprised by this, but mostly amused.

“So you want to challenge me, Snap? Okay then...” Dark Rudy lifted his long sword. He held it in front of him, a clear attempt to threaten Alt-Snap. The armored zoner’s image reflected off the sword, showing his face contorted in anger. “I’ll be happy to obligue...” Dark Rudy sneered, his voice and eyes overflowing with cruel intent. His teeth bared in a hideous smile, he steadied his sword in front of him, preparing to attack.

Alt-Snap stayed in his fighting stance. He held up his laser, preparing to shoot. The two former friends looked at each other, fully prepared to fight. Dark Rudy was about to make his move when he suddenly froze. The evil smile was replaced with a look of genuine shock. Alt-Snap looked confused, but then his eyes widened in horror, as if he realized what Dark Rudy had spotted. Ms. Saffron put her hand to her mouth, realizing the same thing. Dark Rudy stared in shock at his sword before he turned his head to the side.

Penny felt her heart freeze when Dark Rudy set his sights on her. They locked eye contact and she could practically feel something sharp burrowing though her sole. Dark Rudy’s expression didn’t change as he stared at her for several seconds. Feeling at unease, Penny took a few steps back. Rudy and Snap took position beside her, watching Dark Rudy with wary, wondering if he was going to suddenly attack.

Dark Rudy kept staring, mouth agape, at Penny. Then, after a few more moments, he finally spoke. “P-Penny...? How is this possible...?” Then his face contorted in anger, the rage practically boiling on his skin. “You’re supposed to be dead!” Twisting his body around faster than anyone thought possible, the dark version of Rudy put his sword in front of him, aiming the sharp tip at Penny. “I’m going to kill you! And this time, you are going to stay six feet under!”

Penny let out a surprised cry as Dark Rudy suddenly charged towards her. He moved at astonishing speed. He held his long sword at his side, his arm muscles contorting as he prepared to strike out with the sharp object. He aimed at Penny’s stomach, clearly preparing to disembowel her. Penny took a fighting stance, bracing herself for the chance to fight back. If Dark Rudy wants to kill her, he was going to have to fight her first. She would not go down easily. Despite being terrified, she would stand and fight.

Suddenly, when Dark Rudy almost got close enough to attack her, Rudy charged in from the side. He slammed his body against his evil counterpart and pushed him back. He was clearly in pain, his teeth gritted and a few tears moving down his face. Penny saw that he had pushed his injured shoulder against Dark Rudy. Still, he did not stop until he smashed Dark Rudy up against the wall. He gripped his counterpart’s hands and pushed them against the wall, denying him the ability to use his sword. As Rudy held his evil counterpart against the wall, everyone else stared, stunned by this sudden turn of events.

At first, Dark Rudy did nothing but stare in shock at Rudy. Rudy’s right eye glared with hatred at Dark Rudy, his teeth bared tightly. Dark Rudy’s chest inflated and deflated at a rapid pace, and Penny could have sworn she could hear his heart beating fast from over here. It was clear that the appearance of another Rudy had shaken him up. Then, eventually, Dark Rudy’s expression changed to a frown. Not one filled with anger, but one that indicated curiosity.

“Another me?” Dark Rudy asked in a soft voice. Rudy didn’t answer and just continued to glare hatefully at him. Dark Rudy looked back over at Penny, and then he noted Snap. “And another Snap...” He turned to look back at Rudy. “You’re from another dimension...aren’t you?” Amused by Rudy’s lack of a response, Dark Rudy smirked. “Oh this is too precious.” He gave a sideways glance to Alt-Snap and Ms. Saffron. “I see you tried sending for help, but I’m afraid you made a mistake bringing these three in. They’re weak.” He tilted his head a little. “And they will be easy to dispose of.”

Rudy pushed harder against Dark Rudy, forcing his counterpart to grunt. “You won’t be disposing of us! I’ll see to that!”

Dark Rudy stared at him. He sneered, “Oh really now? That would be pretty fun. I must admit, though...” He gave Rudy a sideways glance, a nasty grin on his face. “I never would have imagined my weak white chalk counterpart would be able to hold me against the wall for this long.” Rudy growled at this. “But of course, you can’t keep it up for long.”

With that, Dark Rudy pulled his foot back and kicked against Rudy. Rudy let out a howl of pain and staggered back. Penny and Snap cried out in protest and horror. They watched as Rudy fell down to his knees, holding his stomach. Upon closer inspection, Penny could tell that the blades did not penetrate his skin, which was a relief. But the kick to his stomach was still going to cause trouble. Dark Rudy took a few steps towards him, chuckling as Rudy coughed in pain, bits of blood spraying on the ground.

Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap took a few steps towards them, but they froze. Their eyes were wide with fear and shock. Penny guessed they were worried that Dark Rudy was going to do worse if they came closer. That caused cold dread to fill up inside of her. Just how far was Dark Rudy willing to go? How dangerous was he? She and Snap also wanted to help, but Rudy cast them a glance to stay back. Penny and Snap watched the scene in horror, both of them thinking the same thing. They had to figure out a way to help Rudy and fast.

Dark Rudy knelt down in front of Rudy. He grabbed his chin and lifted it up. The two of them locked eyes onto each other. Neither of them said a word. Rudy stared at his dark counterpart with an expression that was a mixture between fear and hate. Dark Rudy just smiled, clearly amused by this whole thing. He tilted Rudy’s head, as if examining him, and stared intently at the eye patch strapped to his head. Dark Rudy reached down and grabbed onto it. Despite Rudy’s efforts to turn his head away, he wasn’t able to stop Dark Rudy from pulling off his eye patch.

The scratch marks given to him by Nile were still healing. Red marks indicating where he slashed him were clearly visible. They were raked across the cut that Jenny gave him prior. If it hadn’t been for that crocodile zoner’s attack, Rudy’s left eye would have healed sooner. Now, with those new gashes, Rudy still couldn’t open his left eye. Penny wondered if it was going to be permanent, with all these eye injuries he was getting. She and Snap watched in horror as Dark Rudy lowered his hand to Rudy’s injured eye.

Dark Rudy placed his fingers against Rudy’s eye very lightly, running his fingers along the injury. Rudy winced in pain. Dark Rudy was surprisingly gentle, never pushing too much to make Rudy cry in pain. He continued to touch the wound gently, putting his face close and examining the mark. After a while, he moved back and smirked down at Rudy.

“Your scar, it kind of reminds me of the one my master has.” Dark Rudy said. “But of course, he can still use his left eye. Then again, so can you...am I right? Why don’t you open your left eye for me? I want to see it.”

Rudy growled at him and pushed his hand away. He took a defensive stance, preparing to fight. “Why don’t you fight me? I know you want to.”

“Sure, I do...but first..” Dark Rudy hunched over a little. “I want to see your eye!”

Dark Rudy charged forward and knocked Rudy into the ground. Rudy let out a cry of pain as his back hit the hard surface. The others cried out in shock and rushed over to help him, but Dark Rudy pulled out his sword and placed it against Rudy’s neck. He glared evilly at every one in the room, silently warning them not to get any closer or he’ll slash open Rudy’s throat. Reluctantly, everyone froze where they stood, watching in horror at the scene playing out before them. Dark Rudy looked down at Rudy.

Rudy’s right eye looked down at the sword pressed against his neck, his image reflecting off the sword. He looked back up at Dark Rudy, his right eye filled with fear, his teeth clenched. He looked like he wanted to try to push his evil counterpart away. The only thing stopping him was the fact that the sword was pressed so hard...just one wrong move, and he was going to get his throat slashed open. Dark Rudy leaned himself closer to Rudy, a smile filled with dark intent spreading across his scarred face.

“Turn your head to your right so I can take a closer look at your left eye.” Dark Rudy said in a somewhat pleasant tone. Rudy shook his head, determined not to expose his vulnerable eye to this beast. Dark Rudy narrowed his eyes. “You seem to think you have a choice here...” He pressed his sword harder and Rudy let out a yelp.

“Rudy!” Penny called out.

“Let him go!” Snap shouted, holding up a fist.

Dark Rudy looked over at them, sneering. “Oh don’t you worry. I’m not going to kill him. I just want to check his eye is all.”

“I know what you’re going to do...” Alt-Snap snarled, baring his teeth. “And if you do that, I’m going to...!”

“Oh shut up, you pile of chalk dust!” Dark Rudy said with a cruel tone to his voice. He gave a heartless smile to the zoner who was once his best friend. “If you don’t want an...unfortunate accident to happen to your...ally here.. I suggest you shut your mouth.” Alt-Snap growled angrily at this, but did not speak another word. Ms. Saffron was about to speak, but Dark Rudy halted her. “The same thing goes for you, toots. If you, any of you, speak another word, I will slice your friend’s throat open.”

This threat sent cold chills through everyone. As much as they wanted to do something to help, at the moment, they were unable to. They had no choice but to abide by Dark Rudy’s ‘wish’ and remain still and quiet, forced to watch what he was going to do to Rudy. Clearly satisfied by the fact that they weren’t going to move any closer, Dark Rudy turned his attention back to Rudy, smiling evilly down at him.

“Turn your head for me, and keep still.” Dark Rudy said. When Rudy still didn’t comply, Dark Rudy put his face close to his, pushing his sword a little harder against his throat. “I will cut your throat open if you don’t do as I say. Turn your head.” He narrowed his eyes and shouted, “Now!” Staring at him in fear, reluctantly, Rudy complied and turned his head so that his left eye was facing towards Dark Rudy. “Good boy...Now hold still...” He put his fingers against his eyelid. “This will hurt a little.”

Dark Rudy started to pull Rudy’s eyelids apart. He let out loud screams of pain as his eye was messed with like that. Penny felt her blood chill as she watched in horror. Her face was etched in terror and she wanted to do something, anything. Rudy’s calls of pain sent pangs through her heart. It made her want to rush over and help him. Snap wanted to help. His body was shaking in fear and anger. He wanted to rush over and knock Dark Rudy away. But neither of them could move. With the sword against Rudy’s neck like that, they couldn’t rush rushing over, not without a plan.

Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap, even though they didn’t know their Rudy as well, they wanted to help, too. She could see the look in their eyes. They were telling her the same thing. They didn’t like being forced to stay back. They were in the same pickle as her and Snap. From their angle, they weren’t able to move without Dark Rudy noticing. But then..right now his eyes were focused on Rudy. As he continued to pull Rudy’s eyelids apart, his dark chuckling filling the air and intermixing with Rudy’s loud whimpers and whines, Penny thought of a way to get Dark Rudy away. If she could just sneak around along the wall, maybe she’d stand a chance.

Slowly, she moved towards the wall. She didn’t stop until her back was against it. The other three saw what she was doing. She raised up her hand and put her finger against her mouth, urging them to be silent. They obligued and averted their eyes. Penny knew this was because they did not want to accidentally draw attention to her. They instead focused on the uncomfortable scene before them. Penny felt her heart tighten even more as she watched Rudy kick his legs and crying in pain as Dark Rudy tugged harder on his eyelids, trying his hardest to break the scab.

Suddenly, without warning, Dark Rudy gave a very hard pull. There was some kind tear sound, something breaking, and Rudy let out a loud scream of anguish, tugging at the heartstrings of his friends and horrifying Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap. Dark Rudy just smiled in satisfaction, staring down at Rudy’s left eye. He had successfully pulled his eyelids apart, exposing the eye itself. Rudy’s left eye moved around and then stared up at Dark Rudy, his pupil shrinking in fear. He tried to close his eyelids, but Dark Rudy’s grip was tight. A little bit of blood started to pour from the reopened wound, moving along the side of Rudy’s face.

“What a..pretty eye you have...” Dark Rudy said, his voice uncomfortably pleasant. Rudy’s face contorted a little in fear. The comment had clearly unnerved and frightened him. “A shame you had it closed for all this time. Well now you can open it up again.” Dark Rudy said. He released Rudy’s eye, watching him as he blinked his left eye a few times. “There, isn’t that better now?”

With both eyes open, his left eye quivering in pain, Rudy looked up at Dark Rudy, his teeth still clenched in fear. “I can’t believe I turned into such a...such a monster...”

Dark Rudy narrowed his eyes at this comment. “And I can’t believe you’re still weak. I would have thought that, by now, you would have embraced the power of the black chalk. But I guess you’re still brainwashed...no matter...” He moved his face so close he nearly hit against Rudy. “I know just how to fix that..”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror at this. “No! I won’t become like you!”

“Oh but little boy...” Dark Rudy laughed. “It’s your destiny..”

Before Rudy or Dark Rudy could get another word in, Penny had managed to sneak up behind Dark Rudy. She looked her arm around Dark Rudy’s throat and yanked him back. The dark version of Rudy let out a cry of surprise as Penny dragged him back. She then pushed him against the wall, keeping him pinned there. She glared hatefully at him. Dark Rudy was not pleased with her interference and struggled to get free. Penny managed to hold him, but barely. She was going to lose her grip soon, and she knew he was going to attack her with the sword, but she refused to back down. She was not going to let this monster turn her friend into a killer. No, she won’t allow it.

Snap rushed over to where Rudy was. He knelt down and reached his hand out towards him. Rudy took Snap’s hand and the zoner helped him up to his feet. Snap looked at Rudy worriedly and looked at him up and down to make sure he wasn’t hurt. Alt-Snap stared at this. His eyes were narrowed and his fists clenched and shaking. The sight of Rudy and Snap still getting along must be like feeling salt being poured into an open wound. He only calmed down when Ms. Saffron put a hand on his shoulder. Relaxing, he turned his head up to her.

“We need to get them out of here.” Alt-Snap said, his tone brimming with urgency. “If Rudy is here, our Rudy, then that means that Mr. Cosmo might not be far behind. If he shows up...”

“I know. We’ll be in trouble.” Ms. Saffron said. “Especially if he brings Draow...” She turned her attention to the others. She watched as Rudy and Snap rushed over to help Penny pin Dark Rudy to the wall. Ms. Saffron bit her lip. “They’re not going to be able to hold him back for long.”

“I know.” Alt-Snap said.

Ms. Saffron pointed at where the others were. “Go help them.”

Alt-Snap shook his head. “No.” When Ms. Saffron gave him a shocked expressio, he continued, “Not yet I mean. I need to wait until the right moment. If I attack Rudy too soon, he might hurt one of them.” Alt-Snap took position, his body hunched. “But as soon as I see an opening...”

Penny pushed against Dark Rudy’s shoulders, keeping him against the wall. Dark Rudy had tried to attack her, but Rudy grabbed onto his arm and pinned it. Snap had a hold of the other arm. Working together, they kept Dark Rudy pressed against the wall. The evil counterpart was struggling to get free, jerking back and forth. Penny couldn’t believe how strong he was. He didn’t look like he’d be this strong. Even with all their efforts combined, even working together, it was taking as much as their strength as possible to keep this guy from getting away.

Dark Rudy growled in frustration, clearly not happy with being pinned against the wall like this. He pulled himself from side to side, trying to squeeze his way from them. Rudy, Penny, and Snap did no let up. They were determined to make sure he didn’t try to get away. They had to keep him restrained. They couldn’t allow him to escape. They only met him for a short time, and they already knew he was too dangerous to let go.

But as Dark Rudy struggled harder, as they started to lose their grasp, Penny wondered just how long they could keep this up. Rudy still had the arm with the blade pinned, but that won’t last long at this rate. Something was going to give soon. If Dark Rudy got his arm free, all it was going to take was one well aimed strike and it was over. Out of the corner of her eye, she cold see Alt-Snap taking position. If they could hold him long enough, maybe Alt-Snap and Ms. Saffron could launch an attack at Dark Rudy, something that could knock him out and he could be taken to...whatever custody constitutes in this world.

“Release me! You filthy mongrels!” Dark Rudy snarled. He twisted his body around. “Unhand me at once!”

“No way, pal!” Snap said, the word ‘pal’ said in sarcasm. “You’re not going anywhere!”

“You’re too big of a threat for us to just let go! You’re going to surrender and you’re coming with us!” Rudy shouted. His voice was laced in pain.

“Yeah!” Penny held on tighter. She put her face close to Dark Rudy, causing the black chalk artist to snap his head back. “There’s no way we’ll let you continue wreaking havoc on this world!”

“So struggle all you want to.” Rudy said. “We’re not letting go!”

Dark Rudy let out a loud shout of frustration. His eyes widened in anger. His eyes began to glow black. The sight of them was chilling. Penny felt her heart fill up with ice. She had a feeling that things were about to get bad..very bad. Dark Rudy’s struggles seemed to get more violent when his eyes glowed black. He jerked back and forth with more force than he had ever exhibited before. Rudy, Penny, and Snap held on tightly, having a difficult time in restraining him.

Then, with a few more violent twists, Dark Rudy managed to get one of his limbs free. He jerked his arm hard, tossing Snap into the ground. With one of his arms now free, he grabbed onto Penny’s throat, squeezing so hard she couldn’t breathe. At this, Rudy shouted her name and moved in to help. This ended up causing him to loosen his grip on Dark Rudy’s other arm. He pulled his arm back and pushed Rudy away. This didn’t stop Rudy for long and he rushed back. Penny struggled to get free, her mouth open up, gasping for air.

Snap rushed over. Dark Rudy glared down at him. He kicked him away. Snap let out a howl of pain as one of the spikes slashed across his stomach. Blood spilled from his wound and stained the ground as he crashed down. He struggled to get up to his feet. The pain caused him to fall down. Rudy watched this in horror. Before he had time to do anything else, Dark Rudy, who had dropped his sword at this point, seized him by his neck and, like with Penny, he started to strangle him. Rudy let out choked gasp as he tried to free himself.

Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap rushed to Snap’s side. They helped him up to his feet. Ms. Saffron held onto Snap’s arm, using herself as support so he won’t fall over. Alt-Snap gazed at Snap’s wounds and shook his head solemnly. Snap looked at him with pain filled eyes.

“This looks bad...” Alt-Snap said, biting his lip. “He’s going to need medical attention...” He looked over at where Dark Rudy was. He took a few steps towards him. “But first, we have to stop him. We can’t treat anybody as long as he is here.” The word ‘he’ was said with strong emphasis.

Ms. Saffron continued to hold onto Snap. She looked at Alt-Snap with worried eyes. “Please...be careful.”

“Don’t worry.” Alt-Snap turned and gave her a smile. “I will.” With that, he rushed over at where Dark Rudy was.

Dark Rudy tightened his grip, holding Rudy and Penny at a distance so they had less of a chance of hitting him to get free. He let out a growl. The glow from his eyes intensified. Penny struggled harder, trying to get herself free. But it was no use. She couldn’t tell if this strength was natural or if it was being supplied by the black chalk. Either way, she and Rudy had to get away somehow.

Before she realized what was happening, Dark Rudy yanked her and Rudy away from each other, holding the two of them far apart. Penny barely had time to see Dark Rudy’s smirk when he suddenly threw them together. Penny’s eyes went wide as she felt her skull collide with Rudy’s. Horrific pain swept through her head and she and Rudy let out cries of pain. Dazed and confused, the two teenagers, Dark Rudy no longer gripping them, fell to the ground. They laid on top of each other in a heap.

Penny’s sensories were all jittery. Her vision was a little blurry. Her hearing a little echoey. She was confused, not entirely sure of just where she was. She did regain some of her senses, enough to know that she and Rudy were in trouble, that Dark Rudy was coming towards them with a sword. She looked up just as Dark Rudy held his sword over his head, an insane smile on his face. Penny, unable to get out of the way in time, put her body over Rudy to shield him. She shut her eyes and waited for the blow.

Dark Rudy never had a chance to strike them. Without warning, Alt-Snap jumped onto Dark Rudy’s back. He grabbed onto his hair and pulled. Dark Rudy let out a cry of pain and stumbled back. He tried frantically to get Alt-Snap off of him. The little zoner refused to let go. Unable to see Alt-Snap, Dark Rudy was not able to land a hit on him, nor could he risk it unless he wanted to get hurt as well.

As he held onto Dark Rudy, Alt-Snap turned to Ms. Saffron. “Get them out of here! I’ll keep Rudy here busy!”

Ms. Saffron didn’t waste any time. Holding Snap with one arm carefully, she rushed over to where Rudy and Penny were. She used her free arm to help them up to their feet. Rudy and Penny took a little bit of time steadying themselves. A pounding headache spread through their skulls, and they were still a little disoriented from the blow. Penny rubbed her head, wincing as she touched the sore spot from where her head collided with Rudy’s. She looked over at him sympathetically. She hoped that he didn’t have a concussion. That was the last thing he needed in his current state.

But she knew they didn’t have time to look at any of their injuries. They had to get out of here and fast. Once she and Rudy got enough of their bearings, they immediately started to follow Ms. Saffron. She could hear shouts of anger and frustration behind her, and she knew that Alt-Snap was doing all he can to keep Dark Rudy from coming after them. She hoped he would be able to hold him off long enough for them to escape.

Holding onto Snap, Ms. Saffron guided Rudy and Penny down through a back tunnel. It was longer and a little thinner than the entrance they took before, the one that Dark Rudy had destroyed. There was a little bit of debris in this tunnel, but thankfully they were easy to dodge. Penny was relieved. She was still a little wobbly and she didn’t think she could handle much fancy footwork to avoid larger obstacles.

After some running, their hearts pounding against their chests, they reached outside. Penny flinched as she saw the foreboding red sky again. She looked over at Ms. Saffron. She looked left and right, likely making sure the coast was clear or to figure out which way was the nearest hiding spot. She turned to Penny and made a gesture with her head. Without hesitation, she and Rudy rushed after her. They moved around the debris the best they could as they headed towards a row of destroyed buildings. There appeared to be a makeshift path between them.

They didn’t get that far when they heard a loud scream and a crash. They whipped their heads around. Their eyes widened in shock and horror when they saw Alt-Snap falling from a height. He crashed into the ground and rolled over. He shivered in pain and climbed up to his feet. It didn’t take long for Penny and the others to see how this had happened.

Dark Rudy had climbed through the ceiling. His sword..it must have been sharp enough to cut through the twisted metal and he was able to climb his way out. He had thrown Snap from his current position, which was high above a piece of debris. Thankfully it wasn’t a terribly high drop, but Penny knew it had caused some damage, especially when she saw Alt-Snap stagger and limp. Dark Rudy turned and looked at Penny and her group. His mouth ticked in a vicious smile and he jumped down. His knees buckled a little, but he managed to keep himself from falling down.

“Do you really think you can escape?” Dark Rudy taunted. He moved over deliberately to the group. “Perhaps it’s time you three..outsiders...learned why Mr. Cosmo had chosen me to be his partner...”

“G-Get away from them...” Alt-Snap snarled. Dark Rudy paused and stared at him blankly. “Fight me instead! I’ll take you on!” He leveled his laser at Dark Rudy. “Come on!” He shot at the ground, narrowly missing Dark Rudy’s feet. Dark Rudy moved back but his expression hardly changed, remaining blank. “You want a piece of me?! Come get me!”

Dark Rudy stared at him for a few more moments. Then he smiled evilly. He slowly turned around and began to walk over towards Alt-Snap. “With pleasure...”


	52. Former Friends

“Come on! Let’s go!” Ms. Saffron called out to Rudy and Penny. “Let’s get going before Rudy comes after us!”

But Rudy and Penny remained frozen, their feet firmly planted on the groud. They stared at the scene before them in shock, uneasiness sweeping through their legs, making them shake. Even though Rudy knew this wasn’t him or Snap, even though they were alternate versions in a future that never happened for him, it was still very unsettling to see any version of him and Snap acting like this towards each other.

Rudy had a hard time believing that this had ever happened. He never thought that there would have been a timeline where he would have become like this, to treat the zoner who was supposed to be his friend like garbage. The way Dark Rudy talked about Alt-Snap was horrible. Calling him names, speaking to him mockingly, being an overall jerk to him. It made even more sense now, seeing this, why Alt-Snap acted like a jerk. At least he apologized; Rudy had doubts that Dark Rudy would have that same kind of decency.

He felt Ms. Saffron grab his arm and pull him back. He forced himself to tear away from the sight and he looked over at the armored woman. She looked at him, her eyes wide with worry. He watched as she tugged at Penny’s arm, getting her attention as well. Ms. Saffron didn’t need to speak a word; just the way she was looking at them was enough for them to know that she is confused as to why they weren’t coming with her, and she really wanted to lead them to safety. Rudy stared at her before looking back at the fight.

“Do you...think he’ll be okay?” Rudy asked in a hesitant voice.

“He will be. Don’t worry.” Ms. Saffron said with a smile. “He’s taken on Rudy before. He’ll escape and regroup with us. He knows how to find me.” Ms. Saffron glanced down at Snap, whom she still had cradled in her arm. Snap’s face was contorted in pain and one hand was on his injured stomach. “We need to get somewhere safe so we can do something about your friend’s wounds.”

“Yeah.” Penny looked at Snap sadly. She reached out and stroked his head a few times. “Do you have enough supplies?”

Ms. Saffron replied, “Not a lot. It’s hard to come by medical stuff here.” She looked at Snap briefly, sighing sadly, and looked at Rudy and Penny. “But at the hideout we’ll be going to, there should be something we can use to at least cover the wound up. Hopefully the next dimension you’ll head to will have more medical supplies.” She glanced at where Dark Rudy and Alt-Snap were fighting for a second, then said, “Come on, let’s get going.”

Though reluctant, Rudy and Penny started to follow Ms. Saffron down the street, towards the buildings they were going to before. They could see the makeshift path as they drew closer to it. It looked like it had been melted by something. Perhaps Alt-Snap did this, or maybe Draow and Alt-Snap and Ms. Saffron were just using it to their advantage. There was some kind of burning smell coming from it and it made him wonder just how recent this makeshift path was. The idea of it being quite old and still smelling like that worried him. Was it going to be hot to the touch still? And if so, just what kind of weapon was used on this that it’d still be heated?

When they got close enough, Rudy could see that the pathway itself was not very smooth, just like he would have expected. The ground was uneven and warped-looking. It was definitely going to be difficult to navigate, especially for Penny. She could handle a short time walking without her cane, like when she tackled with Dark Rudy, but going through here, it was going to be hard, with and without her cane. The makeshift tunnel headed upwards, and looked pretty smooth, almost like a slide.

It seemed like they all were going to have a hard time climbing up this hill. The ground was not exactly good for walking, but maybe that’s why Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap chose this way. Less of a chance of them being followed. Rudy knew Ms. Saffron will have trouble as she was holding Snap and only had one free arm to help her traverse the warped terrain. And Rudy himself was still in pain and his head hurt from when Dark Rudy smashed his skull against Penny’s. The headache he was experiencing just added to the pain he felt in his stomach. It did lessen a little since he drank the medicine, but the pain was still strong and it was going to make careful navigation a little difficult.

The group started to climb up the path. It was just as hard as Rudy thought it was going to be. He kept nearly tripping as he tried to find a foothold. He did manage to push himself up slowly, but it was still difficult. Penny was having a hard time. Her cane was hardly of help here. She did use it, once in a while, to help steady her, but it wasn’t as useful at getting her up at a quick rate. Ms. Saffron had the easiest time, maybe because she was used to climbing this. She kept urging Rudy and Penny to hurry and move faster. Rudy tried his best to speed up the pace, but he only ended up tripping and hitting against the side. He let out a loud moan.

Penny stared at him in shock. She planted her cane against the torn ground made of wood and metal, and she reached her hand down towards him. He reached out for her. They took each other’s hand. Gripping him tightly, Penny yanked Rudy up as hard as she could. She managed to pull Rudy up a little behind her, and didn’t let go until Rudy was able to keep his balance on his own. He looked at Penny with a grateful expression before he and her hiked their way up towards here Ms. Saffron waited. The woman had stopped a couple feet in front of them and awaited for them to catch up to her.

They continued their way up. The difficulties didn’t seem to decrease for Rudy or Penny. Trips and slipping, nearly rolling back down the hill, that was still common place. They tried to make it happen less. They tried to be more careful. But their injuries and pain made hit hard to do so. Ms. Saffron had much less trouble, even though she was holding Snap, because she was not in as much pain as they were. Rudy and Penny couldn’t really be frustrated with her urging them on, though. They weren’t exactly at the beach or anything. Dark Rudy was nearby and he would kill them if he got the chance to. They had to get away and fast.

Soon, they reached the top of the hill. Rudy looked down and saw that it looked just as slippery going down. The path seemed to go into a dark alleyway. It looked difficult to navigate and he wondered how they were going to avoid obstacles. Getting their legs twisted and broken isn’t on their to-do list, and he’d rather avoid that as much as possible. With the very little light that shined in, he could make out an overall shape, enough to see that there was a sharp turn to the right, and he guessed the path was a little windy.

“The hideout is located along this path. It’s hard to see. I’ll let you know when we’re almost there.” Ms. Saffron said. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, we do.” Rudy said, nodding his head.

“Good.” Ms. Saffron said with a small, faint smile. She looked down at Snap. “I’m going to try to go down as carefully as possible so I don’t aggravate your injuries. If I do something to hurt you by mistake, I apologize.”

“Don’t..worry about it.” Snap said, seething in agony. “I’ll understand...” He opened up one eye, the eyelid quivering. “I’ve...been through...worse...”

Ms. Saffron looked at him sadly. She turned to Rudy and Penny and made a gesture with her head. “Come on, while we still have time!”

Rudy and Penny looked at each other and then back at Ms. Saffron. They watched her start to head over the edge and towards the dark tunnel that laid before them. They started to follow behind her. Penny used her cane to steady herself as she made it over the edge. She took a step down. She didn’t go any further. She looked over at Rudy and nodded her head. She was waiting for him to follow behind her. Rudy started to make his way over the edge, careful not to aggravate his internal injuries.

Suddenly there was a loud scream. This startled the group, bringing about shouts of surprise and shock. Rudy looked over at where Dark Rudy and Alt-Snap were. He gasped in horror when he saw that Alt-Snap had been thrown into the ground, Dark Rudy heading towards him. Penny, who had climbed back over to his side, had her free hand to her mouth, her body shaking. She and Rudy watched this scene in horror, unable to move or look away.

Ms. Saffron came up to join them. She grabbed Rudy by his shoulder and shook him. She did the same thing to Penny seconds later. When the two of them didn’t respond, she tried again, this time with more force. Still the two friends wouldn’t move, their eyes locked onto the battle taking place below them.

Frustrated, Ms. Saffron grabbed Rudy’s arm and yanked him back. “We need to get going! We don’t have much of a window of opportunity here! Move it!”

But Rudy couldn’t move. He was not able to tear his eyes away. He could tell neither could Penny. Normally, they would be running. They would be trying to get away. But this time was different. They were watching a version of himself, going up against his best friend..ex-best friend in this case. That struck a nerve in Rudy, and it made it much harder for him to look away. As horrible as it was for him to watch, he just could not look away. His eyes were locked on the battle, and Ms. Saffron was not able to make him or Penny look away.

It was hard for Rudy to believe what he was seeing. He...he would never treat Snap this horribly. He’d never turn on him like this. And to see that, in this world, seeing those two act this way to each other, so starkly different from what he would have expected, it stung him horribly. Even though he and Snap reassured each other that this wouldn’t happen, that they’d keep their friendship and not turn into how Dark Rudy and Alt-Snap were, Rudy still had that fear. Seeing the way Alt-Snap and Dark Rudy were fighting did not help anything either. Another scream, and Rudy and Penny watched in horror at the scene playing out before them.

Alt-Snap was kicked. Thankfully the spikes didn’t slice him, but the way he rolled across the ground was rather uncomfortable to watch. He pushed himself on his hands and glared up at Dark Rudy. He jumped to his feet and, despite being in pain, he ran around Dark Rudy and managed to deliver a punch to Dark Rudy’s side, making him stagger. Alt-Snap used his small size to his advantage and managed to get out of the way when Dark Rudy tried to kick him again.

“You worthless piece of chalk! Hold still!” Dark Rudy snarled. He lifted up his sword and struck down. The metal clanged against the ground. Dark Rudy growled in frustration. “Lay down so I can kill you!”

“Not a chance! I won’t let you get the best of me!” Alt-Snap shouted back. He jumped up at Dark Rudy and delivered a kick to his face. He watched as Dark Rudy stumbled back, his hand on his face where he was struck. Alt-Snap glared at him hatefully. “It’ll take more than talking to make me go down!”

Dark Rudy growled at Snap. There was a flash of black in his eyes. He took a few steps towards Alt-Snap, his body tense like he was going to strike him. Then, suddenly, he stopped. His expression slowly changed into a smile. Dark Rudy went from being angry to being calm. A swift mood change very much like Cosmo. His sword lowered to the ground. When he walked forward, the tip of it scraped along the ground, the sound irritating anyone who listened to it.

Soon Dark Rudy stood in front of Alt-Snap. The zoner moved back and took a fighting stance. His fists clenched, he glared at Dark Rudy with bared teeth. The two stared at each other. As Rudy watched, an uncomfortable feeling welling up inside of him, he realized that this staredown was similar to what Alt-Snap did to Snap. That same glare was back. But this time, it seemed that it was Dark Rudy who was winning. Alt-Snap shown signs of uneasiness and moved away from Dark Rudy. He did not run, though, and was clearly prepared to fight.

“Oh I know how you can be, Snap. You always were stubborn...so willing to fight even when there’s nothing left to fight for.” Dark Rudy sneered. He took a moment to glance around the ruined city. He gave Alt-Snap a sideways glance. “Tell me, Snap. What left is there for you to defend? Even if you somehow managed to beat me and Cosmo...a lot of damage was already done...”

“I can’t just stand by and watch as you ruin the world! With all that you’ve done, you and Cosmo deserve to be taken down!” Alt-Snap replied, his teeth gritting so hard it looked like they would crack in his mouth.

Dark Rudy’s smile slightly broadened at this. “As I said, you’re stubborn. And that has made you..something of a pest now. I know I used to admire that trait...” He paused. Then he lowered his head, his green eyes staring intently into Alt-Snap’s eyes. “After all, we used to be...friends...” At this, Alt-Snap’s eyes widened. Dark Rudy grinned, as if he got the reaction he wanted. “Remember, Snap? Remember the fun we used to have?” He began to circle Alt-Snap. “Ah yes, I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember when you used to call me ‘Bucko’.”

By this point, Ms. Saffron stopped trying to get Rudy and Penny to leave. Her eyes were locked onto what was going on as well. Her eyes were wide, her body tense. From how she was acting, Rudy could tell that Alt-Snap was a close friend of hers here and she wanted to see him pull through. Despite being confident that he would make it, it was clear that she really didn’t want to leave him behind, and she joined in with them, watching the scene unfold.

Rudy and Penny watched with wide eyes as Dark Rudy circled around Alt-Snap, much in the same manner Cosmo did to Rudy. Snap was watching as well, as Ms. Saffron had moved closer so she could get a good look. His wide eyes were fixated on the scene playing out down below. Tension and uneasiness filled the air around them. They couldn’t move. They couldn’t speak. All they could do was watch. Despite how disturbing it is, considering who those two down there were, it was nearly impossible to look away.

Dark Rudy taunting Alt-Snap about the friendship they once had...that left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. It was such a low blow, a deliberate kick to the heart. Alt-Snap’s expression had changed to that of hurt. They could have sworn they saw a hint of a tear in his eyes as he watched Dark Rudy walk around him like a vulture. Dark Rudy was enjoying his taunts and how Alt-Snap was reacting. Rudy felt his stomach lurch forward as he watched this. To think that this was almost him...almost what he had become... He shuddered to think about it.

“We used to exploriate together. We used to discover new places in ChalkZone. We used to have...a lot of fun...” Dark Rudy mocked, sneering down at the mentally hurt Alt-Snap. “Oh yes...those were some...good times, wouldn’t you say, Snap?” Alt-Snap did not answer. Dark Rudy chuckled at this. He stood behind Alt-Snap. He lowered himself and gripped his shoulders. Alt-Snap did not move, Dark Rudy’s words having a deep impact in him. He spoke into his ear. “But of course...all things must come to an end at some point, don’t you think?”

Alt-Snap looked at Dark Rudy with one eye, not daring to turn his head. “It only came to an end because you used the black chalk. It corrupted you.”

Another chuckle, and Dark Rudy released Alt-Snap and walked out in front of him. He looked down at his sword, examining it a little, and then looked over at Alt-Snap. “Corrupted me? Oh no, dear Snap.” He turned around so he was facing the zoner. “It enlightened me. It showed me the truth, that Mr. Cosmo was right about everything. The black chalk woke up my true potential.” He pointed his sword at Alt-Snap, but did not charge him. “It showed me how I was using my talents incorrectly, and it gave me a chance to do something about that.”

“It turned you into a monster.” Alt-Snap said in a low growl. “You’re nothing like how you used to be.”

“Of course not. Why would I want to go back to being...soft?” Dark Rudy sneered. “Why would I want to go back to thinking that you were something more than a mere expendable chunk of chalk dust? Oh yes we used to have fun..but now that I know the truth, I sometimes find it hard to believe I considered you a friend.”

Rudy’s eyes widened in shock at this statement. His body trembled. Had his counterpart really said that? Penny and Snap looked uncomfortable by the whole thing as well. They looked on in disbelief. The fact that Dark Rudy sounded, more or less like Rudy though with a scratchy voice, didn’t help things. Rudy cast a glance over at Snap. They locked eyes onto each other, a few tears forming in their eyes. Ms. Saffron stared down at the scene with unease plastered on her face.

Dark Rudy’s words clearly hurt Alt-Snap. Even from this distance, the group could see a few tears moving down his face. The zoner took a few steps back away from Dark Rudy, clutching his fists tightly as his body shook. Despite how clearly upset Alt-Snap was by those words, Dark Rudy showed no signs of remorse, no indication that he was going to apologize. Instead, he just continued to play with Alt-Snap’s emotions, all the while a dark smile was on his face.

“I wonder how it feels... Now that our counterparts are here, and you can see how well they get along..how does it feel?” Dark Rudy taunted. “Does it remind you of what we once had, you filthy little dirtbag? Does it make you think of the fun we used to have?” Alt-Snap’s body shook harder, his eyes widening further. Dark Rudy kept striking against this clearly sore spot. “I’m sure it does... I wonder if you keep dreaming of the way it used to be... I wonder if you keep wishing that I would return to your definition of ‘normal’. Well I hate to break it to you, dear Snap. But that won’t happen.” Dark Rudy reached out and touched Alt-Snap’s cheek. “But of course..we could have some kind of relationship again..if you’re willing to join me.”

At this, the anger Alt-Snap displayed before returned. He swiped Dark Rudy’s hand away and glared at him. “I’ll never join you...”

Dark Rudy smirked. “I figured you wouldn’t. You’re weak...” Dark Rudy turned his head. Rudy and the others felt their hearts freeze when Dark Rudy spotted them. He stared at them for a few seconds before chuckling darkly. “Just like my white chalk counterpart there....”

Alt-Snap’s eyes widened at this. He turned his head and he looked shocked that Rudy and the others standing there, watching. “What the...?” He took a step towards them. “What are you still doing here?! Run!”

Dark Rudy stepped in front of Alt-Snap, blocking his view of the group. With an evil grin, he stared intently at Rudy. “Of course..he does have the potential of...becoming strong. After all..” He closd his eyes and laughed. He reopened them, his eyes glowing black for several seconds. “He is me.”

Rudy flinched and he took a step back. Dark Rudy’s eyes bored into his. It was like looking in the mirror, some twisted mockery of a mirror. Rudy found it hard to move. And as Dark Rudy began to make his way towards him, he felt panic sweep through his body. Adrenaline started to grip him, yet he was unable to move. In the corner of his eyes, he could see Penny and Saffron taking position next to him, an attempt to protect him from Dark Rudy. Snap’s eyes were narrowed, looking determined to fight as well if it came to that.

Dark Rudy did not advance much further. Without warning, Alt-Snap had jumped onto his back again. He held onto his neck and yanked backwards. Dark Rudy let out frustrated yells and tried to yank Alt-Snap off. The others watched with wide eyes as the two former friends struggled against each other. Dark Rudy soon lost his footing and fell into the ground. Alt-Snap grunted in pain from the force, but refused to let go. Dark Rudy rolled onto his stomach and tried to get up, but Alt-Snap’s interference made this difficult.

Alt-Snap looked over as Dark Rudy attempted to grab him. He jumped out of the way and landed in front of him. He took a fighting stance, glaring hatefully at his former friend. The two glared at each other, hostility between them rising to the point where it almost looked like there was a glow. After a few seconds of intense silence, Alt-Snap spoke up.

“You..are not going anywhere near them!” Alt-Snap shouted. “I promise you that!”

“I wonder if you can keep your promise.” Dark Rudy wondered, tapping a finger against his chin thoughtfully. “I mean after all..” He took a step towards Alt-Snap. “You aren’t very good at keeping promises.” He watched as Alt-Snap’s eyes widened very slightly. Dark Rudy tilted his head to he side. “Remember?”

Alt-Snap clearly knew what Dark Rudy was talking about. His body shook and his eyes widened further. But soon he managed to get a hold of himself, pushing back against Dark Rudy’s mental attack tactics. He aimed his laser at Dark Rudy and said, “You are not going to put them through the same thing we endured! They don’t deserve that kind of ending.... And I’ll make sure you don’t give it to them!”

The dark version of Rudy cupped a hand to his ear and leaned to the side. “Ah, is that an echo I hear?” He lowered his hand and jeered, “Why..I believe that’s the same thing you said to Blocky and Rapsheeba.” Alt-Snap gritted his teeth and growled. “Yes I remember it. How Cosmo and I ambushed them as they were part of the resistance. You told them you’d protect them, but you failed to stop me and Cosmo as we oblitered the place they were in. They both died, all because you couldn’t protect them. Now isn’t that a shame?”

Rudy and the others felt their hearts twist in knots. Alt-Snap had lost Blocky and Rapsheeba, too? How horrible... Anger filled the pits of their stomachs as they turned their glances toward Dark Rudy, who was taunting Alt-Snap this whole time. No look of sympathy could be found, no ounce of understanding in any bone of his body. Rudy formed a fist with his hand. He...he was going to make his evil counterpart pay... Somehow, someway, he would.

More tears flowed down Alt-Snap’s face. His mind must be swimming in thoughts of Blocky and Rapsheeba, what happened to them. The zoner shut his eyes, allowing more tears to move down his cheeks. He reopened them and glared at Dark Rudy, his eyes practically glowing in anger. His body continued to wrack in trembles, some of it due to the anger, and some of it due to a sob or more that came from him. Dark Rudy’s words had torn a hole in his heart, and Rudy didn’t doubt that he had been doing this any time they confronted each other.

“You’re...you’re a monster...” Alt-Snap growled deeply. “I know I used to love you. I used to care about you. You were my friend...but not anymore.” He made a somewhat of a dismissive gesture with his hand. “I no longer recognize who you are, Rudy.” His eyes narrowed into slits. “Or should I even call you that anymore?” A sniffle. “The black chalk butchered your mind, turned you into the opposite of who you once were. Yes, sometimes I wish you’d change back, but it is too late for that now, isn’t it?”

Dark Rudy did not answer. He just smiled at Alt-Snap as the zoner continued to speak. He was amused, and found this whole thing funny. How truly disgusting...

“I used to blame myself for what happened to Rapsheeba and Blocky. But thinking back..I know it wasn’t my fault.” Alt-Snap’s voice grew darker, shakier, laced in anger. “It was yours..and that master of yours. You were the ones who collapsed that building! You were the reason that they were crushed to death! It was because of you that I lost two of my remaining friends! And now...” His body shook harder. He shut his eyes tightly. “You...you want to inflict that kind of pain on those two over there... You want them to experience what happened to us.” He reopened them. “You’re sick!” He yelled.

Dark Rudy stared at him for a few seconds. Then he said, “I only wish to let him experience the power...” He tilted his head to the side. “After all, it is not fair only I get to know the knowledge of the black chalk. I wish for him to learn, too. I want to be...generous.” He lowered his head a little, staring intently at Alt-Snap. “Is that so wrong?”

“..yes. Because you want to twist his mind, just like how Mr. Cosmo twisted yours!” Alt-Snap shouted at him.

Dark Rudy pulled his head back, staring down at Alt-Snap with a look of complete contempt. “Mr. Cosmo has more knowledge than you could ever hope to have, you failure of a hero.” Alt-Snap winced hurtfully at that and took a step back. “He knows more about how to...properly harness talents. I do hope that my weak self over there realizes that and comes to his senses soon. Otherwise, his skills are being wasted on nothing.”

Rudy’s eyes widened at this. He found himself taking a step back, nearly tripping on a piece of debris. His body trembled, Dark Rudy’s words reminding him so much of what Cosmo said to him. His dark counterpart had become a lot like Cosmo himself. In fact, when he looked at his counterpart, he hardly saw himself. He mostly saw Cosmo. The behaviors were rather similar. Even the mannerism of which he spoke was similiar to Cosmo. Dark Rudy’s whole behavior, the way he treated his former friend, the way he was acting to them earlier, it frightened him deeply.

He felt someone grip his hand. He looked over and he saw Penny. She gave him a sad look. Her eyes were shining with determination, showing Rudy that she would do whatever it took to protect him. He looked over to his other side and saw Snap looked at him with the same expression. Though Saffron’s eyes were still locked on what was going on, Rudy had a feeling she would protect him as well, as she had seen what would happen if he were corrupted by the black chalk.

“You leave them alone. They have nothing to do with what happened here.” Alt-Snap said, his voice low. “They have their own problems to deal with. They don’t need you complicating things.”

Dark Rudy laughed. “Of course! I’m sure they’re having plenty of trouble in their candy-coated dimension!” Alt-Snap growled at this. “What?” Dark Rudy shrugged his shoulders dismissively. “I’m just calling it as I see it. I mean, it’s obvious that they hadn’t been through hell.. I seriously doubt they’d be strong enough to deal with the dangers of this dimension.” He tilted his head up. “Which is why it’s best that they surrender now...avoid all that pain.”

“Oh screw you!” The armored zoner snapped at him. “You’re just as deluded as your fucking master!”

Dark Rudy’s eyes widened in anger at this. “Don’t you dare speak about my master like that, you blue rodent..”

Alt-Snap raised his laser at him. “And what are you going to do about it? It’s not my fault that your master is too stupid to admit his own mistakes, and since you hang onto every word he says...” Alt-Snap’s mouth ticked into a slight smirk. “Just what does that say about yourself?”

Dark Rudy’s body trembled. His eyes grew wide, the black glow returning. “Why you little fucktard! I’ll kill you!”

At this, Dark Rudy rushed over to Alt-Snap. He lifted up his sword and brought it down. Alt-Snap dodged to the side, the sword clanging against the ground next to him. Alt-Snap ran around Dark Rudy, holding up his laser weapon. He began to shoot at Dark Rudy. He wasn’t aiming to him; instead he was trying to trap him by knocking off some chunks of rock. Dark Rudy caught onto this and he jumped into the air, avoiding a piece of cement before rushing over to Alt-Snap.

The zoner moved to the side when Dark Rudy attempted to throw a punch. The fist sailed past him, narrowly missing his face. Alt-Snap grabbed onto the arm and pulled him hard, causing Dark Rudy to stumble forward. He moved behind him fast and delivered a kick to the back of his right calf. Dark Rudy let out a grunt of pain and went down on his knees. He didn’t stay there for very long. He whirled around and managed to grab Alt-Snap’s leg. He dragged him back and lifted him off the ground. Alt-Snap aimed his laser at him, but before he could use it, Dark Rudy began to slam Alt-Snap into the ground. He smashed his former friend against the ground a few times before he threw him aside.

Alt-Snap struggled to his feet. He looked over just in time to see Dark Rudy rushing at him at full speed, wielding his sword threateningly. Alt-Snap gritted his teeth and began to shoot at the ground. This time, he was clearly aiming to hit Dark Rudy’s legs to try to disable him. Dark Rudy managed to dodge for the most part, but soon one of the lasers grazed his side. He stopped and winced in pain. He looked down, seeling a little blood move down his legs. He stared at this in shock for a second, and then he looked at Alt-Snap with a rage-filled face, his pupils dilated into dots. Clearly ignoring the pain, he rushed over, his hands tightening around his blade, preparing to strike.

Alt-Snap rushed forward, his arms out at his side to gain speed. He moved to the side as Dark Rudy struck his sword down. He jumped up and slammed a fist against his stomach. Dark Rudy let out a cry of pain and he stumbled forward. Dark Rudy glared hatefully at Alt-Snap and kicked him, this time, one of the spikes slashing his side. The zoner howled in pain as he crumpled to the ground. He looked down at his bleeding side, his hand pressed against it. He glared up at Dark Rudy, his eyes shining with not just anger, but fear.

Dark Rudy slowly advanced on him, dragging his sword along the ground, making that same scraping sound. “You little worm... You have no right talk about my master in such a despicable form. It is time you learned some manners.”

Dark Rudy raised his sword and struck down. Alt-Snap rolled out of the way just in time. He pulled his foot back and kicked it against Dark Rudy’s shin. With the black chalk user temporarily distracted by the pain, Alt-Snap got up to his feet and drove his fist against the underside of his chin. Dark Rudy yelped in pain, blood from his mouth indicating that he had bitten his tongue. He staggered back awards. He shook his head and turned his attention to Alt-Snap. He let out a yell of anger and attempted to strike him again. The blade made a small gash in Alt-Snap’s side, making the wound worse. Alt-Snap screamed, but did not back down.

Alt-Snap took aim and shot a laser at Dark Rudy. The laser hit against his wrist, causing him to yell in pain and drop his sword. Now that Dark Rudy was without a weapon, Alt-Snap lunged at him, slamming his body against him and causing him to fall to the ground. He pulled his fist back and punched Dark Rudy in the head a few times. He then put his fists together and slammed them down against Dark Rudy’s chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Dark Rudy glared at the zoner and grabbed him by the neck. He yanked him off of him and threw him to the side. Now back on his feet, he grabbed his sword and ran towards him while he was still on the ground. He struck out with his long sword. Alt-Snap let out a scream as a part of his back was slashed, chalky blood dripping down from the wound. Dark Rudy then kicked him in the stomach, causing him to cough up blood and skid across the ground. Growling, anger still clouding his mind, Dark Rudy approached Alt-Snap. He pressed his foot against him and raised his blade to finish the job.

Rudy couldn’t take it any longer. He couldn’t stand watching this fight, and not doing anything. He couldn’t just stand idly by. He had to do something, anything, to buy Alt-Snap some time. Without thinking, focused only on helping Alt-Snap, Rudy rushed down towards the fight. Penny rushed down after him. Ms. Saffron, still holding Snap, followed them, standing not far behind.

“Hey!” Rudy called out. “Leave him alone!”

Dark Rudy stopped and turned around. Upon seeing Rudy, his angered expression swiftly changed to that of amusement. Alt-Snap’s eyes were wide in shock, clearly horrified that the group not only didn’t run to get out of there, but that they had come out into the open. Dark Rudy glared down at Alt-Snap like he was some piece of garbage and kicked him in his injured side, sending him sprawling on the ground. As Alt-Snap struggled to get back to his feet, Dark Rudy turned his attention to the group.

“Ah, coming to surrender I see. You know..you really should have listened to Snap here and run.” Dark Rudy sneered. “After all, it’s not like this sword is my...only weapon...” As if on cue, there was a loud screech. Dark Rudy tilted his head upwards. “Ah..right on time.” He grinned at the group. “Draow has..such a way of making an entrance..”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. He looked all around, trying to find the source of the roar. He and he others didn’t see Draow, but they did not let their guard down. They all knew that if Draow showed up, it was going to make things more complicated. Dark Rudy was touch enough to handle, but if Draow joins with him, how much of a chance would they stand...?

But Rudy knew they couldn’t back down. Not now. Not while Alt-Snap needed their help. Dark Rudy would surely kill him if they didn’t do something and fast. They had to find a way to restrain him quickly, but how? It wasn’t like they could draw rope, and if Draow really was approaching, he doubted they would get very far. Still, he wasn’t willing to give up. Alt-Snap needed their help, and whether or not he wanted it, he was going to get that help.

“Leave him alone.” Rudy demanded.

“Oh?” Dark Rudy asked, taking a few steps towards him. “And do you think I’m going to listen to you just because you made a demand? How pathetic. But I expect nothing less from my weak white chalk counterpart.” He took a few more steps. He paused when Penny moved in closer next to him. His dark grin broadened. “Ah, dear Penny... How nice it is to see you again, sweetheart..” Penny growled at this statement. “Maybe it is a good thing you other dimensioners came in.. A second chance is always good. Maybe you’ll..see the light...”

“We’ll never join you!” Snap shouted. He struggled against Ms. Saffron’s grasp. The woman tried to hang onto him, but soon she released him. The injured zoner ignored his pain as he limped over to stand with his friends. “If there’s..enough of the Rudy I know still left in you..you’ll know that we don’t back down easily...”

“We’re a team!” Penny took a step forward. “And together, we will defeat you..and your master!”

Dark Rudy shook his head, laughing shaking his shoulder. “Oh you three really are something! I can’t believe I was really this deluded!”

“You shouldn’t underestimate your enemies, Rudy.” Ms. Saffron said, gritting her teeth. “You never know when it will land you in hot water.”

“Oh please, spare me the lecture, you old hag.” Dark Rudy sneered. Ms. Saffron snarled at him. “I know very well what I’m up against. I remember what it was like being on...that kind of team...” Dark Rudy held his sword out, the sharp tip facing them. “And I know exactly how to tear it down...”

Snap took a step forward, his hand tightened in a fist. “We’d like to see you try!”

Dark Rudy looked down at him. “Oh really now?” He suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Snap by his scarf and hoisted him off the ground with ease.

“Snap!” Rudy called out.

“Put him down!” Penny shouted.

Ms. Saffron’s eyes widened in horror. “Release him at once!”

The three of them started to make their way over. But they didn’t get that far when Dark Rudy placed his blade against Snap’s throat, threatening to slash it if they got any closer. They froze, watching the scene in horror. Dark Rudy’s face contorted into a twisted smile. He looked at Snap, watching as the zoner’s eyes widened in terror.

“I know you aren’t the same Snap as from my dimension.” Dark Rudy sneered evilly, exposing his teeth in a nasty grin. He put his face close to Snap’s. “But it’s still going to be fun putting my sword through you...”

“No!” Rudy and Penny shouted in horror, reaching their hands out towards Snap.

“Don’t do it!” Ms. Saffron cried, horror plastered over her face.

Dark Rudy chuckled at them and then looked down at Snap. The zoner looked clearly frightened and struggled to himself free. His efforts proved useless. Rudy was forced to watch as Dark Rudy pulled his sword back, preparing to plunge the metal blade through his friend’s stomach. He wanted to do something, anything. But he didn’t think he’d be able to make it in time. It would only take a second for Dark Rudy to slice his friend open.

No... they couldn’t just stand around. They had to take action. His body shaking in anger, he began to move towards Dark Rudy. Penny and Ms. Saffron followed close behind. Dark Rudy moved back away, watching them chase him in amusement. He jumped onto a higher ledge and held Snap out to them. He placed his blade against his throat and began to apply pressure. Snap let out a cry of pain as the blade started to cut into his neck. Rudy, Penny, and Ms. Saffron watched this, their bodies shaking in terror.

Suddenly, before anyone could make a move to stop this horrific act, Alt-Snap rushed forward and slammed against Dark Rudy. The force was enough to make Dark Rudy let go of Snap. The zoner fell into the ground and rolled down the small, debris fill. Alt-Snap shot a laser at Dark Rudy’s chest, hitting square on his armor. Though the beam reflected, the force of the impact knocked him back more. When Dark Rudy tripped and fell, Alt-Snap rushed down and picked up his counterpart with some difficulty and carried him down away from the debris. He rushed him over to his friends and set him down.

As Rudy knelt down to pick Snap up, Alt-Snap made gestures with his hands, trying to shoe them away. “Get out of here now! Ms. Saffron, take them away! Please!”

“Come with us! Rudy’s distracted! Now is our chance to go!” Ms. Saffron yelled, her eyes wide in fear.

What happened next, none of them saw coming. None of them had seen Dark Rudy rush down the hill, grabbing his sword. None of them had seen him angle around in a circle, going for a surprise attack from behind. None of them realized what he was about do...until it was too late.

Rudy, Penny, Snap, and Ms. Saffron let out a surprised cry when they were suddenly shoved aside by Dark Rudy. They staggered, almost falling to their knees. Then, what happened next froze their blood, a sharp, uncomfortable feeling swelling up in their stomachs. They didn’t have time to react. They didn’t have time to do something about it. All they could do was stare in horror as the unthinkable happened.

Alt-Snap had time to just get a quick look at the blade before Dark Rudy jabbed it straight through his stomach. His eyes widened and he started to cough up a little blood. Then Dark Rudy lifted him up into the air. This irritated Alt-Snap’s wound and he let out a few cries of pain. Dark Rudy stood there, holding Alt-Snap above his head. The zoner looked down at him, his eyes wide in fear and pain, any amount of defiance in him earlier gone. Blood poured from his mouth. He gripped the blade, slicing his own hands in an attempt to get himself free. He cried, tears flowing down his face.

The sight of this sent ice through Rudy’s veins. His body trembled and he took a step back. He could hardly breathe. He couldn’t tear his eyes away. His eyes traveled from the blood moving down Alt-Snap’s wounds, down to the floor where the blood was collecting in a small, dark red pool. His mind nearly went numb, unable to process anything else going on. He couldn’t hear Ms. Saffron’s cry of disbelieve, Snap’s scream of horror, or Penny’s gasp of shock. All he could see was his counterpart holding Alt-Snap up, sword going through through his stomach.

Dark Rudy kept Alt-Snap elevated above the ground for several seconds, his face at first showing nothing but disgust for Alt-Snap. Then he started to smile twistedly, baring his teeth. Showing no remorse, Dark Rudy thrust his sword with as much force as he could. Alt-Snap was released from the sword and he crashed into the ground. Blood splattered everywhere, leaving behind a trail as he rolled across the ground. He came to stop on his back. He whimpered and cried in agony as he struggled to get up. He looked over at Dark Rudy, his eyes staring up at him in fear, silently begging him to leave him alone.

Dark Rudy knelt down, smiling evilly at his former friend. “Well..looks like this is the end, eh, old friend?” Alt-Snap tried to speak, but he started to choke on his own blood and he coughed pitifully. His body trembled from fear and pain. “Such a shame it had to end this way, Snap.” He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “Oh well... Let me grant you at least one kindness. I’ll end your pain for you..now..”

With that, Dark Rudy hooked an arm around Alt-Snap’s neck. He then grabbed his head with his other. Mustering as much strength as he could, he started to twist Alt-Snap’s head, bending his neck beyond its normal limitations. Alt-Snap’s eyes went wide and he let out a scream. This only lasted a few seconds as Dark Rudy made a sharp jerk and there was a resounding crack that seemed to echo. Alt-Snap’s body stiffened up at this, taking in a reflex gasp. Then his body went limp, his glazed eyes remaining open. Dark Rudy released him and took a few steps back. He smirked down at the dead body of his former friend before he turned his attention to the group.

“Now..where were we..?” Dark Rudy asked.

Rudy, Penny, and Snap’s minds were frozen in shock and terror at what they just witnessed. They were in absolute shock, their bodies trembling. They were only broken out of their thoughts when Ms. Saffron, tears in her eyes, grabbed onto them and pulled on them.

Ms. Saffron shouted in a cracked voice, “L-Let’s get out of here..now!”

Although they didn’t have time to fully register what happened, though they were still in shock, Rudy and his friends knew that they couldn’t stay there. They had to get moving. Ignoring their pain and trying to fight back against the cold shock that gripped them, they started to follow Ms. Saffron towards the next hideout. They moved as fast they could, their stunned minds not looking back at the gruesome scene.

Dark Rudy smirked at this. There was a flap of wings behind him, and he turned to see Draow. The bat wolf growled lowly as he approached Dark Rudy. He lowered himself to the ground, letting Dark Rudy climb on top of him.

“Come on, Draow..” Dark Rudy said evilly as the bat wolf rose up to his feet. Dark Rudy adjusted himself so that Draow’s cannon weapons would not bother him. “Let’s go have a little fun with our.. ‘guests’...”

With that, Draow let out a screech. He pawed the ground, kicking up dust. Then he charged forward, going straight towards the fleeing group.


	53. Reporting To The Master

Rudy didn’t look back. He didn’t stop. He could feel his chest burning as he continued to run. He didn’t know how long he was going to be able to handle it, but he couldn’t stop. Not now. Neither could the others. He could hear their heavy panting, their feet hitting the ground. Even as they headed up the debris hill and through the uneven ground, they still didn’t slow down.

A few times, they would nearly trip as pieces of rock and metal were stuck above the ground. It didn’t help that they were going in some place pretty dark and not very well lit. He could barely see what was in front of his face. But he had no choice but to keep running. He had to get moving. None of them were safe here. They were never safe, and seeing what happened earlier, that just cemented that belief. They had to get out of here as fast as they can, despite how tired their bodies were getting from the running, from the dodging.

Rudy’s mind was numb. Even though a lot happened just a short while ago, the fight, the trash talk, the blood, the death... None of that fully registered in his mind right now. His mind was a blank, and the only thing that he could think of doing now was run. His body was pumped with adrenaline. His legs felt like they were on fire. He wanted to sit down and relax. The danger present prevented him from doing this. He had to keep moving, despite his body roaring at him to slow down.

He hardly registered that Penny, Snap, and Ms. Saffron were with him. He knew they were there. He knew that he was not running alone. But his mind barely took notice of them. Just enough that he knew they were there. But he still hardly noticed them, his eyes mostly seeing just a vague interpretation of where he was running. The shock value of what he had just witnessed was the cause of this. His mind was still reeling from witnessing what Dark Rudy had done to Alt-Snap. It was an unexpected and shocking event, a part of his mind was in denial.

He heard a loud roar behind him. His heart pumping faster, he pushed himself harder. Then there was the scrape of claws and Rudy felt a rush of air behind him. Without looking, he knew that Draow had just tried to grab him. It was shere luck that he had been able to dodge the claws. Rudy dared to look behind, and his mind suddenly snapped back to reality when he saw Draow and Dark Rudy heading right for him, preparing for another attempt to grab him. This time, Draow was leaning his head forward, his jaws split wide open. Rudy realized, in dread, that he wouldn’t be able to get out of the way in time.

Before Draow could grab him, he felt Penny pull him to the side. The jaws slammed shut right next to him. He winced at teh sound of teeth clanging together with such shere force. He looked at Penny, giving her a shocked but grateful expression, and they picked up the pace. He and Penny followed Ms. Saffron, holding Snap, down the dark tunnels. They were grateful that she still wore the armor; the slight glint to the metal made it easier for them to see her as they navigated the dark tunnels.

Unfortunately, this also meant that Draow could still follow them. Not that he couldn’t follow them before. Being part wolf, his eyesight in the dark was better than theirs. Even without the glinting armor, Draow could still follow them. And follow, he did. He kept chasing them through the tunnel. At least he couldn’t fly in here. Not enough room. But that was of little comfort to the fleeing group as the beast got closer, hearing shouts from Dark Rudy for him to hurry up and get them. Rudy had no idea just how they were going to shake off Draow and Dark Rudy.

Draow slashed the ground as he tried to grab them. He fired his smaller lasers, trying to collapse the tunnel. It almost worked at one point and the group nearly got trapped with those two on their tail. Luckily they were able to get out of the way in time. Draow then started to fire at them, specificially their feet. This made Rudy realize that Dark Rudy wanted them alive. But why? It didn’t take him long to realize what that was. He wanted to take them back to his master, Mr. Cosmo. At least, him, Penny, and Snap. He did seem to indicate earlier that he wanted to get them to join him.

Draow let out a roar of frustration. The roar echoed throughout the tunnel, causing small pieces of debris to fall down. Rudy wanted to cover his ears so much, but he had to focus on running. He then heard another shout, this one from Penny, followed by a loud thud. He stopped and he turned. His heart froze when he saw Draow upon Penny, opening his gaping maw to seize her up.

“No!” Rudy shouted. He rushed over, picking up a piece of twisted metal. He slammed the piece against Draow, making him jerk his head to the side with a painful screech. “Leave her alone!”

Draow shook his head. He glared down at Rudy, baring his sharp teeth. He raised his wing claw and struck forward, hitting Rudy in the chest. Rudy let out a grunt of pain and backed up. He looked at his chest, seeing a line of red across it. He held onto it and stared at Draow and Dark Rudy with one eye. He didn’t stand there for long. He turned to Penny, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up to her feet.

“Are you okay?” Rudy asked.

“Yeah I’m fine...” Penny steadied herself with her cane. She looked back as Draow spread his wings as far as he could, the fur on his back ruffling. “Let’s get out of here!”

The two friends started to run towards where Ms. Saffron. The woman had stopped and seen that they had fallen behind. A horrified look was on her face as she watched them being chased down by Draow. The bat wolf pounded his feet against the ground, getting closer to them. Ms. Saffron didn’t start running again until Rudy and Penny caught up with her. Once more, the group ran together down the dark tunnels, Ms. Saffron leading the way.

Rudy had no idea how they were going to shake off these two. The lasers were making this complicated. If they get trapped behind a collapsed tunnel, what were they going to do? Only Ms. Saffron had weapons and she can’t take on both Dark Rudy and Draow. Rudy, Penny, and Snap were all injured and would have a tough time fighting back in their current state. No doubt those two would take advantage of their wounds and target them. They needed another way to get out of here. But how?

Without warning, there was a rush of air behind them, a dark shadow casting over them, and before they knew it, Draow slammed onto the ground in front of them, causing the ground to shake and crack. The group screamed and skidded to a stop just as Draow slammed his jaws in front of them, narrowly missing Penny. Dark Rudy smirked evilly at them as Draow spread his wings once more, not to fly, but to block any attempt for them to run around them. The group froze, and moved back as Draow started to advance on them.

“Give it up, you four.. I have you trapped.” Dark Rudy said. A snort from Draow caused him to add, “We have you trapped... You have nowhere to go. You could try running the other way, but then...” He snapped his fingers.

At this, Draow pointed his cannons up towards the ceiling of the tunnel behind them. He snapped his fingers and, seconds later, the laser pummeled through the ceiling. Pieces of metal, wood, and concrete came crashing down on them, kicking up dust and causing them to cough. Rudy and the others took a step back and they saw that the tunnel had collapsed. Not completely; there was still a way out. But it was so difficult to get to, and by the time they’d get there, Draow would have grabbed them already. They looked back at Dark Rudy and Draow, their breaths quickening as Dark Rudy hopped off of Draow and started to approach them.

“Nowhere to run to now. You can either try to run, but get captured...” Dark Rudy said. “..or you can do the sensible thing and just surrender now. We’ll go easier on you if you come with us willingly. Won’t we, Draow?” Dark Rudy turned his head to Draow. The bat wolf gave a low growl, but nodded his head once. The corrupted teenager then looked back at the group. “See?” He used his hand to gesture. “Now..come along...”

Rudy looked around, trying to find a way out of this situation. With them trapped, it didn’t seem like they had anywhere to go. They could try fighting back, but how well would that go? Ms. Saffron might be able to hold her ground, but for how long? Dark Rudy could easily kill her, just like he had with Alt-Snap. Running away wasn’t going to work in here, though. Those two monsters were blocking their paths. They could surrender and be able to live long enough to form another plan, but...that may not work. Whose to say that those two won’t cripple them so they can’t fight back?

Rudy felt so confused. He wasn’t sure what they could do to get out of here. He moved back with the others. They pressed their backs against the debris wall behind them. Ms. Saffron had set Snap on the ground and took position in front of them. She held out her new long pole, fully prepared to fight. This just amused Dark Rudy and he continued to approach them. Rudy looked all around once more, trying to find any kind of weak point, any place they could escape to, or any kind of weapon they could use to slow down Draow and Dark Rudy. Dark Rudy got closer. Draow moved in and snagged Saffron, holding her so that Dark Rudy could continue walking towards the trio.

He wasn’t able to think of anything before Dark Rudy stood in front of him. It was unsettling having his counterpart this close to him. It gave him chills looking at this boy’s eyes, seeing them so full of hatred and evil...no ounce of kindness in them. Rudy felt his stomach lurch a little as he stared at the person he had almost become a few years ago. The person standing before him was him...and yet he was not. It gave Rudy conflicting feelings as Dark Rudy still more or less sounded and looked like him, yet his personality was more like Mr. Cosmo’s. This Rudy was not the kind-hearted person he was, but instead he was a manipulative monster. It was scary seeing just what he would have become had Skrawl not been there to knock the black chalk out of his hand.

“Hard to believe I used to be so weak...” Dark Rudy said, eyeing Rudy up and down. “I feel almost sick looking at you, because all I can see is wasted potential.”

Rudy growled at this. “And you are all I never wanted to be. I’ll never join you.”

“Not like you have much of a choice. You see, after I take you to my master’s, the first thing he’ll do is drag your sorry ass into ChalkZone and make you use the black chalk.” Dark Rudy sneered, folding his arms against his chest. “After that, you’ll make a fine assistant...”

“I won’t let you do that!” Penny snapped at him, moving up next to Rudy to offer support. “You’re not going to use him like that!”

“Oh I know..it’s not just him...” Dark Rudy stared intently at Penny. He reached out and cupped her chin. “I’ll convince Cosmo to...initiate you too, sweetheart. I do so miss your company at times.” Penny’s eyes widened and she gritted her teeth. “Yes...Your intelligence was of..most useful asset. I’d love to have that back.”

Penny pushed his hand away. “I’d never help you!”

“Yeah! Why would anyone help a loon like you?” Snap shouted at him, showing him his fist.

Dark Rudy stared at him for a few moments. Before Rudy or Snap could react, Dark Rudy reached over and grabbed Snap by his scarf again and yanked him forward. This time, he didn’t try to lift him up. He just held him in place, refusing to let go. Snap grunted and tried to make Dark Rudy let go, pushing against his hand. Dark Rudy put his face close to Snap’s. He glared at Rudy and Penny, silently telling them he’ll hurt Snap if they made a move. Then he looked down at the zoner.

“Ah...Snap.. I’m sure you’ll be more useful than my Snap.. He never saw the light. He never understood progress...” Dark Rudy reached over with his other hand and gently ran it along Snap’s head, from the top and to the back. “But perhaps you will be different. Maybe you will be of some use to me.”

Snap turned his head to the side, growling. “Why would I help you?”

“Oh, no reason...” Dark Rudy said in a calm voice. Then when he spoke again, his voice was suddenly deep, the scratchiness adding a whole new level of creepiness to the sudden shift of tone. “...except I’d hate to be responsible for the death of another future servant!” With that, he suddenly threw Snap into the ground, causing the zoner to cry out. Dark Rudy pressed his foot against his back and held him down. “And besides...I don’t think you’d want anything to happen to your...friends, now do you?”

“Wh-What do you mean?” Snap asked, his eyes widening.

Dark Rudy grinned evilly. “Well, Snap, you see...”

He didn’t have time to finish. There was a sudden scream that echoed through the air. Everyone looked over to see what was going on. It didn’t take them long to see that Draow had released Ms. Saffron. He staggered back. The way he was limping back suggested that Ms. Saffron had used her pole to smash against his right foot. The sudden pain the bat wolf experienced caused him to release the woman. Once on her feet, she whirled around and smacked Draow in the head again. Draow shook his head and roared at her. In seconds, he charged for her.

Ms. Saffron rushed over to where Dark Rudy was. Rudy looked at her, confused. What was she doing? Why was she running towards Dark Rudy? Rudy soon noticed that his counterpart also looked confused and hadn’t tried to hurt Snap more. Had Ms. Saffron never done something like this before? Did it really take Dark Rudy by this much surprise? Either way, this temporary distraction is just what he and Penny needed. The two of them lurched forward. Penny grabbed onto Snap while Rudy shoved his counterpart away.

Dark Rudy stumbled. When he regained his footing, he looked over and saw that Penny was holding onto Snap protectively. The trio were all glaring at him. Rudy had taken a fighting stance. Dark Rudy growled angrily at this. He took a step forward but then stopped as he felt something brush by him. He looked to see it was Ms. Saffron. Dark Rudy’s eyes widened, as if he remembered what happened seconds ago. He turned around, but by then it was too late.

Draow, in a desperate attempt to get at Ms. Saffron, had lunged forward. His teal eyes widened in shock when he realized he was heading for the wrong target. It was too late to stop the attack. Before anyone knew it, Draow had slammed against Dark Rudy, crashing into the ground. Dark Rudy let out a cry of pain as one of Draow’s claws accidentally cut into his side. Shouting in anger and pain, Dark Rudy started to slam his fist against the side of Draow’s head, prompting grunts of pain from the large zoner.

“Get off of me, you fleabag!” Dark Rudy snarled. He punched Draow in the head again. “I said off!”

“I’m trying!” Draow called out. “But my legs...” At this, there was scraping sound, Draow’s feet trying to regain their footing. “They’re at an odd angle..I can’t get up!”

“Draow, sometimes you’re worthless!” Dark Rudy hissed as he tried to wriggle his way out from underneath the bat wolf.

Ms. Saffron took a stance by Rudy, Penny, and Snap. The trio were watching this scene in shock, not expecting something like this to happen. They only moved when Ms. Saffron tugged at Rudy’s arm. The boy looked up at her, his eyes still wide from what he had witnessed.

“Come on! While they’re distracted!” Ms. Saffron shouted.

Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked at each other. They then looked at Dark Rudy and Draow. For now, the two were still more or less tangled with each other. Draow’s feet were angled too far to the side. It looked painful, but Draow was hardly reacting to it, probably due to the fact that his attention was on Dark Rudy, who was hitting him. Rudy could see his counterpart trying to get out from underneath Draow. The beast’s chest and stomach laid across him, his body weight pinning him down.

Rudy had no idea how long this was going to last. As soon as one of them got free, they were in trouble. He turned to Penny and gave her a nod. They looked over at where Ms. Saffron was running. Without wasting anymore time, they headed out in her direction, rushing past Draow and Dark Rudy and continuing on their way. Penny cradled Snap in her arms while they ran. Rudy ran along behind Penny, determined to offer protection to his friends and Ms. Saffron in case Draow or Dark Rudy got free and came after them. So far, though, they remained trapped on the ground, but that wouldn’t last long, he knew.

They continued to rush down the tunnel, noting how much darker it was getting. It got to the point where they could hardly see the glint of her armor. This worried Rudy. What would happen if they went further and they could no longer notice her? Rudy really wished that she had set up lights down here. Or maybe this place wasn’t used that much and she saw no need for lights? Rudy tried to ignore what might go wrong, and instead focused on following Ms. Saffron the best that he could. He could still see Penny in front of him. Noticing her limping, he moved closer to her.

Now running along her side, he gently touched her arm. When she looked over at him, he made a gesture with his hands. Realizing instantly what he wanted, Penny moved her arm over, the one that she had looped around Snap’s body as gently as she could. Rudy took Snap into his arms. Now that Rudy had Snap, Penny had an easier time with moving. Then, after getting Snap onto his back, the zoner holding onto his neck for support, Rudy went over and grabbed Penny’s arm. Using himself as support, Rudy helped get his two friends away from the danger faster.

They soon heard a loud roar and they knew that Draow was back on his feet. This thought was proven correct when they heard the pounding of feet heading in their direction. Their eyes widening in horror, they pushed themselves to go faster. Ms. Saffron then veered off to the left, a sharp turn. Rudy and Penny nearly stumbled off to the right, but they soon regained their bearings and headed to the left where Ms. Saffron disappeared to.

They froze and looked around. Where did Ms. Saffron go? They looked left and right, but saw nothing. It was so dark now. Had it gotten so dark to the point where the armor no longer glinted? The thought chilled Rudy’s blood. How were they going to get out of this if they didn’t have any idea where they were or how to get out? Draow’s footfalls came closer, accompanied by a lighter pair. Dark Rudy was coming towards them as well. Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked at each other, unsure of what they were going to do.

Then something happened they did not expect. The side of the tunnel opened. A hatched was lifted and there was bright light. The sight of this caused the trio to gasp and turn their heads, the bright light hurting their eyes after being in the dark for a while. Then a dark shadow formed from the light. They were startled at first, but soon relieved when it was just Ms. Saffron. There was some strange movement with the shadow, and they realized she was gesturing for them to come on in. Hearing Draow and Dark Rudy shouting behind them, they rushed over.

The trio entered through where Ms. Saffron was. Seconds later, as the entrance closed, they heard the sound of scraping and footsteps. They all froze, waiting to see what would happen. Rudy was very worried, and so were the others. They all watched, tension rising in their hearts, hardly breathing. Draow had a great sense of smell. If he caught whiff of them, then he might...

Just then there was a loud beeping sound coming from the other side of the ‘door’ they just came in from. Not a loud one, but one that was constant, continuous, and kind of reminded them of a ring tone. The footsteps stopped and they heard the sound of clicking.

“Hrm...” Dark Rudy said. There was another click, like he was shutting something. “We’ll have to call off the hunt for now, Draow.”

“Why is that?” Draow sounded very disappointed.

“The master wants to see us. I am guessing he has, somehow, become aware of our... ‘guests’. He must have noticed them coming in or something. You know how he tends to notice things we don’t.” Dark Rudy stated. Footsteps. He was walking over to Draow’s side. “Let’s get going. We can always get them later.”

Draow let out a frustrated sigh. “I still can’t believe Mr. Cosmo put you in charge of this instead of me.”

Dark Rudy laughed. “There’s a good reason he chose me, Draow. You’re too impulsive.” A low growl from Draow. “Now quit your complaining and let’s get going. You know how the master does not like it when we are late to return.”

“Yes, oh wise one.” Draow said, his voice laced in sarcasm. There was the sound of footfalls, and then, as seconds passed, nothing.

The group remained frozen where they were. They weren’t sure yet if it was safe. Something could still go wrong. Draow and Dark Rudy could still come back. They remained still, quiet. Their breathing was very slow and calm, trying to make as little noise as possible. Their eyes were glued onto the ‘door’, waiting, half expecting Draow to suddenly tear through it like it was nothing. Then, after a few minutes, and with no sign of Draow or Dark Rudy, the group have a small sigh of relief.

Now knowing that they weren’t in danger anymore, Rudy took the time to look around the room they had come into. This one had a large light. He noted the chalky outlines and realized this was made in ChalkZone and brought in here. This room was a little larger than the other hideout they were in. The large light, in the shape of a cylinder, was located in the center, and the room itself was a ring around it. There were a few places to sit and a couple of dressers where he guessed their supplies went. Then he noticed something that made his heart stop.

There was a small desk on the other side of the light. He walked around slowly, staring intently at it. He saw that there were two chairs there. Just two, one for Ms. Saffron, and the other... Alt-Snap... The realization made his stomach nearly lurch out of his chest. Alt-Snap...he was gone... He looked over at Ms. Saffron. She was standing away from them, leaning her back against the strangely smooth metallic wall that surrounded them. Rudy would have taken the time to admire at how well constructed this place was, if he wasn’t full of sadness over what had happened with Alt-Snap.

Rudy glanced at his friends. They had taken notice of Ms. Saffron’s expression, as well as the desk, with the one chair that would never be used again. Tears pushed against the back of his eyes, and he did his best to fight them back. Both Penny and Snap looked remorseful for what happened and he couldn’t blame them. They had just witnessed the death of someone, a version of Snap, right before their eyes. He had died in such a horrific manner, and the fact that the one who broke his neck used to be his friend...a version of Rudy himself...that made the situation all the more horrific.

Out of them, he imagined Snap probably felt the worst. He was the one that Alt-Snap saved right before he was killed. Dark Rudy had tried to kill Snap, but Alt-Snap kept that from happening. Then, seconds after that, Dark Rudy managed to skewer Alt-Snap like he was nothing more than cubed meat for a barbecue. Snap might be blaming himself for what happened. Alt-Snap pretty much gave his life for him. If it hadn’t been for that risky move, Snap wouldn’t be here. Rudy wished he could have thanked him for that.

As much as Alt-Snap acted like a jerk, he really wasn’t such a bad guy. Sure he rubbed them wrong way and was pretty rude a few times. But he had good reason to be like that, and he did apologize to them. He was helpful to them, offering them aid. Rudy stared at the black liquid that Alt-Snap had given him. This might have been the last bit of medicine he had, and he had given it to him... Rudy felt the tears start to move down his face as the realization started to hit him. There really was some of the old Snap left in Alt-Snap. It was a shame that this had to happen to him.

As he sat Snap on the ground, helping him maintain balance, he could hear footsteps. He looked over and saw that Penny was walking over to where Ms. Saffron was standing. It took her a while, her limp causing her to move more slowly, irritated from the run they were forced to go on earlier. Soon she reached Ms. Saffron’s side. She reached up and touched the woman on the shoulder. It took a little while for Ms. Saffron to register this, and she looked down.

“We’re...we’re...” Penny bit her lip, her voice laced in sadness. “We’re so sorry for what happened to your Snap...”

Ms. Saffron’s eyes watered more, and from this distance, Rudy could see her tears. “I-I know...” Ms. Saffron wiped her eyes. “I know..” She sniffled and she looked up towards the ceiling. “I-I knew our luck would run out someday.. I just never imagined it’d be like this...”

“I feel awful.” Snap lamented, his gaze facing downwards. “I-If I hadn’t been so stupid..if I hadn’t put myself in danger, he..he wouldn’t have...”

“Don’t blame yourself, Snap.” Ms. Saffron spoke up, her voice cracked with emotion. She took in a shuddering breath and continued, “Y-You didn’t nothing wrong...”

“I still wish we could have...” Rudy said, biting his lip. “I mean..if we had acted faster..maybe...”

“Please don’t try to guilt yourselves. No matter what you did, our Rudy would have..found a way to kill our Snap eventually.” Ms. Saffron said. She shed more tears as she turned her head to look at Penny, and then back at Rudy. She wiped her runny nose and cleared her throat. “We...we can’t let ourselves fall into despair...that’s what they would want us to do... We need to focus on getting that cure for you, Rudy. There isn’t much time left to get it.”

Rudy and his friends, though they knew how devastating Alt-Snap’s death was, even more so to Ms. Saffron who had known him better than they did, understood that the woman was right. They didn’t have a lot of time to grieve about what happened. As hard as it was, they had to keep moving forward. They needed to locate that cure. If they didn’t have it when they were flung into the next dimension...they weren’t sure what they were going to do.

Ms. Saffron walked over to one of the dressers. She opened it up and pulled out what looked to be a dirty, torn map. Rudy, Penny, and Snap approached, looking down with looks of a mix of sadness and curiosity. Ms. Saffron wiped her eyes and sucked on her lip. She was doing her best to fight back her tears and focus on the task at hand. Rudy, Penny, and Snap were doing the best they could to control their tears, but they found it impossible. Poor Alt-Snap... The only comfort any of them had was that his death blow was at least swift. He didn’t suffer for long. But they’ll never get his death scream out of their heads, or that sickening crack...

“Okay..” Ms. Saffron’s broken voice spoke up, catching their attention. She pressed her finger against the map. “We are located here.” She moved her finger along towards the right. “Mr. Cosmo’s stronghold is here. A few miles away.”

Rudy looked carefully at the map. He noted that the stronghold wasn’t in the same spot as Mr. Cosmo of his dimension was. This one was located a little further out of the city. He wondered if Mr. Cosmo decided to build his own place of operations instead of using that one news station.

“The cure you seek, the zebra chalk, it’s located somewhere in there.” Ms. Saffron said.

“In there?” Rudy asked, looking at the flat details of the stronghold. Just looking from this, he knew the place was going to be massive. “How do you know this?”

“Because Snap...” Ms. Saffron paused, staring blankly for a few seconds. Then she forced herself to continue. “...and I overheard some of the zoner slaves who used to be around here talk about it. There was some mention of Mr. Cosmo receiving it from an anonymous source, but we didn’t hear much else. We knew, from the start, it was important.” She looked at Rudy. “It wasn’t until you arrived we realized just how important it was.”

“Just what is the zebra chalk anyway?” Penny asked.

Ms. Saffron said, “From what Snap and I were able to find out, based on what we heard from zoner slaves and from listening in on Mr. Cosmo’s conversations with our Rudy and Draow, the zebra chalk is made up of purified black chalk laced with white chalk.”

“A hybrid chalk?” Snap asked, his eyes wide. Ms. Saffron nodded her head. “I..hope it isn’t dangerous.”

Rudy and Penny looked at each other with unease. They understood what Snap was talking about. The last time they had encountered hybrid chalk, it was with Bardot. The zoner was part red and part white. He was a very nasty zoner, one of the most terrifying individuals they ever met. Would the zebra chalk create something similar? Did it have the potential of creating mentally unstable zoners like that?

Ms. Saffron looked at them sympathetically. “I’m aware of your encounter with Bardot, the hybrid zoner.” She said solemnly. She closed her eyes. “With that kind of encounter with hybrid chalk, I can see why you would be so hesitant with the zebra chalk.” She reopened her eyes. “But far as I know, the zebra chalk isn’t quite so dangerous.”

The trio looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

“I do not know the actual function of it, but there as never any talk from Mr. Cosmo or our Rudy to use it. If the chalk had some kind of dangerous function, believe me, they would have used it, perhaps in the war that tore both the real world and ChalkZone apart. But I do know that the black portions of this chalk are harmless. Being wrapped around and fused with white chalk like that, it makes the black portions more stable, less poisonouss.” Ms. Saffron explained. “In otherwards, black chalk that won’t corrupt you.”

Rudy’s eyes widened at this. Black chalk that wouldn’t corrupt him? He never thought he’d see the day. This didn’t make him want to go and use the zebra chalk. He was still quite wary about it and for good reason. He had nearly lost himself to it, and he had seen what he would have become had it used it too long. Still, the idea that the zebra chalk contained traits of non-corrupting black chalk that wouldn’t drive him insane...

His thoughts were interrupted when Penny spoke up.

“So the white chalk ‘tames’ the black chalk?” Penny asked. “Fascinating...”

“It sounds a little too easy to me.” Snap said under his breath. “Nothing is ever easy for us.”

“You’d be correct on that.” The trio looked back at Ms. Saffron. “The zebra chalk is very rare because combining the two types of chalk is very difficult, so I’ve heard. The white chalk is able to tame the black chalk by absorbing...something... You see, the black chalk has the potential of being rather harmless, just giving some new level of knowledge to aid chalk users without driving them into madness. But there’s something in them that makes them this way. The white chalk simply removes that.”

“So the white chalk can be used to cure black chalk users?” Rudy asked. It was a sudden, out of the blue question. But it needed to be asked.

Ms. Saffron shook her head. “It’s not that simple. The black chalk keeps a strong hold on its..victims...” She leaned back and folded her arms. “The only real way to revert the change is to destroy the black chalk. Combining it with white chalk isn’t practical on a large scale. The black chalk is in multiple places, and it would be hard to find them all. Obviously ‘taming’ one area of black chalk is not going to help.”

Rudy nodded solemnly, understanding. It would be too easy if they could just go to one spot and ‘cure’ the black chalk of whatever gave it its corruptive side. Of course if one area of black chalk were changed, it wouldn’t affect the other areas. So there goes that plan of stopping the black chalk. But it still gave him some level of hope. Now there was potentially another way of stopping at least more corruptions. And he still believed there was a way to stop the black chalk for good. He refused to believe that there wasn’t.

Rudy turned his head to Ms. Saffron. “So...how are we going to get the zebra chalk?”

Ms. Saffron looked at him. “The only way...is to get to Mr. Cosmo’s stronghold.” She stared at the three intently, her eyes narrowing slowly. “And unfortunately, there’s only one safe way to do that.”

“And that is?” Snap asked hesitantly.

“Well, let me put it this way.” Ms. Saffron said. “If we mess this up, we could all die.”

Horrified silence fell upon the room.

sss

Dark Rudy grumbled to himself. He was so close...so close to bringing in more allies to Mr. Cosmo’s cause. So close...but it was snatched away from him. And why? All because of his own stupidity. If he hadn’t been so easily distracted, he would have succeeded. Those idiots had nowhere to go. He should have remained more vigilant. He should have realized what Ms. Saffron had been doing and gotten out of the way. He could have made her little plan backfire and have Draow hit the dimensional hoppers instead.

Then again, Draow was also to blame. He shouldn’t have chased after Ms. Saffron like that. If he hadn’t, he would have stood a better chance at forcing the trio to come with him. All of them were trapped with nowhere to go. They were so close to nabbing them... And just where had they snuck off to? They seemed to just disappear into thin air. He would have spent more time trying to find them, but when Mr. Cosmo calls, he has no choice but to answer.

Ah well, there was always next time. As angry as he was at their escape, he convinced himself he could always go after them later. Draow, as much of an idiot as he could be, could always track them down later. There wasn’t a lot of hiding spots left for those dimensional hoppers and Ms. Saffron could go. They would be found sooner or later. And when they were... Dark Rudy smiled darkly. They would not escape this time. He would make sure of that.

Plus, their little encounter hadn’t been all in vain. He had finally managed to get rid of one of the two pests that had been standing in his and Cosmo’s way for sometime. He had dreamed of this moment. He replayed the moment over and over in his head. The way he grabbed onto the zoner, how he twisted his head until his neck snapped. Oh yes...that felt good. Finally, Snap was no longer going to pester him. A part of him was a little sad as he had enjoyed mentally tormenting him. Oh well, all good things must come to an end.

He held onto Draow was they flew over the ruined city. The smell of smoke was constantly in the air. This had taken sometime to get used to, but now the smoke and smell of it no longer bothered him. It was almost comforting in a way. It reminded him of Mr. Cosmo. A lot of this destruction, in a way it was his work. Indirectly, of course. Mr. Cosmo never intended something like this to happen. Not that it matters anyway. Mr. Cosmo wasn’t really to blame for this. It was those idiots who blew themselves into oblivion.

Besides, this ripped apart world could always be rebuilt. They had assumed control of ChalkZone. The zoners were all under their command. They can rebuild this world, but they would rebuild it right. The black chalk would help with that. The black chalk held the knowledge they needed to recreate the world as something more worthwhile. No longer would the weak exist. Only the strong. Yes, it would be a remarkable new world.

He did still recall the times when he used to hate Mr. Cosmo. The thought made him feel at unease. He was not comfortable with thinking about those times. It made his stomach twist in knots. At least the black chalk showed him the right path. It showed him that he was wrong about Mr. Cosmo, and now he seeks to help him in any way he can. He loved Mr. Cosmo now. The man had taken him in, gave him a new home, after he completed his first task and killed his parents. Yes, to some that would seem strange, willingly going with someone who ordered them to kill their parents. But Dark Rudy understood it was necessary. They were going to be in the way anyway, and sacrifices must be made sometimes. His white chalk self would have felt disgusted by the act, but he, enlighted by the black chalk, felt no remorse when he sliced his parents’ throats open.

He could see his master’s stronghold now. Among the broken, shattered trees and charred landscape, he could see the large grey building. It stuck out like a sore thumb. It was large and rectangular, made of solid silver. It rose high above the ground, having many levels to it. There were multiple windows, barely visible, but they were there. The top part of the building became a little more rounded and smooth, and a few sharp spikes rose from the edges of the building.

All around, there were bright white lights, making it easy to spot the place. With no fear of resistance, it didn’t matter how noticeable Mr. Cosmo made this place. It wasn’t like anyone was going to come over and break in. Still, there were some measures of security. A row of lasers were positioned all around, ready to shoot down any unwanted intruders. They took aim at him and Draow. But after doing a quick scan, the lasers lowered themselves and turned off. Not long after that, he and Draow landed in front of the building, facing a tall, thin door, just barely wide enough for Draow to fit through.

The two of them entered and they walked down the long hallway. The inside of the building was sort of like a palace crossed with a dungeon. It looked pretty, but it was warped and twisted, with some dirty spots and chains hanging. The inside was also made of silver, mixed in with some brick and metal. He and Draow made their way into the large room. It was sort of like a throne room, but this was not where Mr. Cosmo hung out. This was just a place where he kept some of his records. Nothing too important; he wasn’t dumb enough to keep important documents laying about.

Behind this large, square-ish room, there was a long, twisting staircase, looking like it was made of marble and lacked a hand rail. He and Draow made their way up. It took them a few minutes, but they soon reached the top level. They were now in another hallway. The silver glinted as they walked down it. Despite being a little heavy, Draow made little to no noise. Dark Rudy knew why that was the case. He did not want to upset Cosmo. The man disliked it when Draow made too much noise walking down here. Dark Rudy never understood why. Maybe it distracts him or something. He never bothered to question it though. His master has reasons for what he did, and he felt it was best not to pester him too much.

They soon reached Mr. Cosmo’s door. It was square-ish at the bottom, but like the building itself, it rounded at the top. Dark Rudy reached up and grabbed the metal handle on the door. He pounded it against the door a few times. He took a step back and he waited. Slowly, the door creaked open, granting him access to his master’s main room where he hung out in most of the time. Draow slowly walked behind him, his head low in submission.

The room was long, cylinder-shaped. There were rows of books, computers, and other equipment around them. There was one corner that was stashed to the ceiling with magic chalk, mostly black, for whenever they needed to rendevous with the destroyed ChalkZone. Up ahead, there was a desk made of black wood, and a tall spinny chair. Dark Rudy approached until he was a few feet in front of the desk.

“Master, I have returned.” Dark Rudy said. He lowered himself onto one knee and lowered his head in submission. Draow did the same, hunkering down. “I came as soon as I got your message.”

“Ah..Rudy...Draow.. my faithful servants.” Mr. Cosmo said. Dark Rudy could not yet see the man, but he knew he was there. He lifted up his head a little, just enough to barely see the chair. Slowly it spun around. “I am glad see you both returned faster than I would have expected.”

Dark Rudy could now see his master. Mr. Cosmo wore a dark green business suit like he always had, accompanied by a pair of dark blue jeans. In addition to that, he did wear some armor. He didn’t always sit up in his stronghold. He did take action, and that armor helped to protect him. Rudy could see his weapon of choice behind him, a long sword equipped with a laser function. Mr. Cosmo had a scar on his left eye, an aspect that made him, somehow, more intimidating.

Dark Rudy did not dare lift his head up any further. He waited for further instruction from Mr. Cosmo before he got up. He did not want to be rude, and he knows what happens if he upset his master. When he saw Mr. Cosmo motion with his hand, only then did he get up. Slowly, he rose to his feet. He still kept his head turned downward, a sign of submission. He heard Draow take a few steps back, settling back further behind him.

Mr. Cosmo tapped his fingertips together, a broad smile on his face. “I take it you two ran into the...dimensional hoppers...?”

Dark Rudy nodded his head. “Yes, we did.”

“I knew you would at some point.” Mr. Cosmo turned his head, his grey-blue eyes staring out the window, towards the broken city. “They landed in one of the most exposed parts of town. I saw them as they fell. I couldn’t believe it...but then again, many bizarre things were accomplished here, so..should I be surprised?” Mr. Cosmo shrugged his shoulders. “I think not...” He paused for a moment. “I take it you weren’t able to catch any one of them?”

Dark Rudy shook his head, a look of regret on his face. “No, I’m afraid not.” He hated bringing his master bad news. He did not want to be a failure to him. Then he remembered something else. He smiled and said, “But I still bring some good news. I finally gotten rid of that zoner pest, Snap. He won’t be causing us trouble anymore.”

Mr. Cosmo tilted his head. “Oh really now...? You got rid of him?”

Dark Rudy nodded his head affirmatively. “That’s correct. I managed to catch him offguard and mortally wounded him. And when he was in that weak state, I snapped his neck in two. He’s dead as a doornail now.”

Mr. Cosmo stared at him for a few seconds, and then smiled darkly. “Excellent...now we just have to take care of..dear Ms. Saffron... Then there’ll be no resistance left.”

Dark Rudy smirked. “Give me the word, and I’ll take care of her.”

“Not now.” Mr. Cosmo said. “First...I want to..meet these dimensional hoppers, these other versions of the people we knew. The other you...the other Snap...the other Penny. They might prove useful to us.”

So it seemed Mr. Cosmo came up with the same idea. It did not surprise him. His master was intelligent, after all. It would make sense that he’d come to the same conclusion as he did earlier. At first, he thought about killing the trio, but thinking about it, he had realized they could serve a practical purpose. They all had some kind of potential. Even though there was little resistance, having more people join them would be a good thing. And who knows? Maybe their potential allies could convince Ms. Saffron to give herself up to the black chalk. After all, just how long does she think she can still fight, after she had lost so much?

Mr. Cosmo got out of the chair. He walked around the desk and headed towards Dark Rudy. He reached over and touched him on his shoulder. Dark Rudy once would have pushed his hand away in disgust. His weak white chalk self would have done that. But now, he welcomed his master’s touch. He stared at the hand for a few seconds, and then looked up at him. Mr. Cosmo usually only did this when he had an important task for him to complete.

“Let us give those...newcomers..a proper greeting, shall we?” Mr. Cosmo asked.

Dark Rudy gave a dark grin.


	54. The Unthinkable

Reggie’s distraction worked well, at least for a time. As the teenager had raced down the hall, prompting the two guards to go after him, Terry, Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie, and Mrs. Sanchez head down the opposite hallway, moving quickly so they wouldn’t be in their line of sight when they turned around. Terry knew there wasn’t much time so they hurried as fast as they could. Despite her injuries, she managed to lead them pretty well down the hallway, which would be confusing to anyone who didn’t work here.

The first place Terry thought to check was the newscaster room, of similar design and appearance as the one where she almost exposed ChalkZone years ago. She imagined Vinnie was going to be there, waiting to get on the air. She hoped that he had the tapes with him, or at least the tapes were near that section of the building. If not, there were a few other places they could check. But it would take them a while, decreasing the odds of them finding the tape in time. She tried not to think about how little chance they had, and just focused on keeping moving.

They did a pretty good job, so far, of not getting caught. There were a few people, but none of them stopped them. Terry was a little confused at first. The two guards near the front stated that Vinnie wanted them to keep her out, and she was positive they mentioned her boss as well. She still found it hard to believe Vinnie swayed them to their side, but then, should she be surprised? He can be quite manipulative when he wanted to be. He probably found a way to blackmail them or something.

But it was still odd that no one else in the building, at least none that they ran into, really said anything. There were a few word exchanges, just the typical ‘hello’ kind of thing. Some of them did express concern, but most people going through the hallway were in a big rush and didn’t take time to notice she was hurt. She wondered why they were all in the hurry. There was talk of ‘it is almost time’ and ‘hurry we need to do this now’, types of conversations that Terry would associate with a really big news report.

Whatever the cause of everyone’s rush, Terry couldn’t really stop and think about it for too long. With the other adults in tow, she moved quickly down the hallway. Fast, but not too fast as she did not want to draw too much attention to herself. There was a chance that these people were ordered to kick her out if she showed up and the only reason they didn’t was because it just didn’t cross their minds. Running would look suspicious and they might realize who she was and get her out.

Up ahead, she saw that there were two ways she could go. She looked up, noting the signs. She could see one for the news room. That is what she wanted. She gave a small smile when she realized they had gotten close. They turned down that way and headed down. While they did, Terry hoped that Reggie would be okay. She had no idea how long he would be able to stall the guards. And though there was the chance that the guards would just go back to guarding after getting Reggie out, they might take notice that her news van was there and realize she was in the building. If they sounded the alarm...

She and the adults moved closer to the news caster room. She could see the double doors ahead. She was happy to see that the ‘On Air’ sign was still turned off. That meant that they still had time to get that footage back. All they had to do was confront Vinnie, hopefully alone, and get him to agree to give the tapes back. It was easier said than done, but they had to try. She could not break her promise to Rudy and Penny.

But when the adults got close enough, that was when things went from bad to worse.

They had managed to get to the door. They opened it up and entered it. There wasn’t much people there yet. She saw a few people making some preparations, but of course, there was no audience. All the seats were empty. That was another good sign. There was a little more time than she thought to get the footage back. She hoped that her conversation with Vinnie would go pretty smoothly. With these people there, there was that chance that the others around her would get suspicious if she acted up too much. And just talking about ChalkZone..it was going to be hard with these people around, even if there wasn’t that much.

They weren’t in the room for long before they spotted Vinnie. The billionaire-wannabe was sitting in a chair next to a round table. He was leaning back, relaxing before the airing would begin. Not far from him was a chalkboard, no doubt to demonstrate the use of the magic chalk. The sight of this panicked Terry. Had Vinnie also gotten the magic chalk? Or was it for a completely unrelated purpose? She tried her best not to fill her mind with too many questions and she and the other adults had approached Vinnie.

Terry was not at all surprised when Vinnie reacted poorly to her arrival. He hardly really paid attention to Mrs. Sanchez or the Tabooties. His eyes were soley on hers. He said that the guards should have kept them out. Terry would have been amused by his temper if the situation weren’t so dire. She and the other aduls tried to get him to give the footage back. Vinnie, of course, was not very cooperative and outright refused.

But they didn’t give up that easily. Ignoring the other people around, the adults ganged up on Vinnie, trapping him in the chair he was sitting in. He looked around, wondering outloud what they were going to do to him. They made it clear they don’t want to hurt hi. As tempting as it was, Terry wouldn’t allow it. She did not want to sink to his level. The pain she was in right now, she wouldn’t wish it on anyone, not even someone as nasty as her brother. All she wanted was the footage. Still, Vinnie refused to hand it over. He made it clear he had no intentions on screwing up this chance of a lifetime.

Terry and the adults tried to reason with Vinnie. They tried to tell him of the consequences that would happen if ChalkZone were exposed. The man simply brushed them off. He didn’t really understand the concern since the zoners were just 2D drawings. He admitted he wasn’t even sure if they were really alive or not, but that it wasn’t really a big concern to him if they were. He was interested in making money and ChalkZone was going to make him rich. He talked about how everyone was going to want to come to his chalk world theme park and he could charge them through the roof if he wanted to. It was clear he cared little of the well being of the zoners, and only cared about making as much money as possible.

Realizing this tactic wasn’t going to work, they tried another angle. They tried to get him to understand potential consequences for the real world if ChalkZone was exposed. Since anything drawn in ChalkZone becomes real, and since this means new types of weapons could be drawn, crime rate in the real world might start to rise, since access to firearms and other types of weapon would become very easy. There was also the chance of the more dangerous zoners finding a way into the real world and attack out of retaliation. Whatever came to their mind that would make ChalkZone seem too dangerous to expose, they brought it up.

This did not have the effect they wanted. Vinnie, who had been in ChalkZone before, knows just how not dangerous it was. He was also aware of water being able to neutralize any zoner, so any that would cause problems could be dealt with swiftly. He also said that if ChalkZone was really a danger, then he could just have the whole place destroyed, horrifying the adults. It was clear that this plan was not working. Their only other choice was to be forceful.

But they never got a chance to do that. Not long after, the other adults in the room took notice of them. They came over, wondering what Terry and the other adults were doing there. Terry couldn’t really answer any of their questions because her boss had come in. He shoed the others way, and then he noticed Terry. Terry would have tried to explain to her boss that Vinnie grabbed the wrong tapes or something and that they were trying to get them out. And they did try that angle, but her boss didn’t believe her. And the reason was shocking.

It turned out Vinnie had talked with her boss before about the footage, as well as those two guards, which Vinnie hand selected due to their dislike of Terry. Vinnie revealed to her that he formed a partner ship with her boss and those two guards if they helped him keep her away from the news room, preventing her from stopping him from showing the footage. He had known that there was a chance that she would be able to get here, and he had a feeling that she might have found a way to get past the guards. So he had taken an extra security precaution.

Terry and the adults were horrified by this news. They tried to plead with Terry’s boss, tried to explain to him why he shouldn’t listen to Vinnie. But the boss had apparently seen the footage and he, too, wants in on it. Terry realized that was why the guards didn’t care about her being injured. Their main goal at the moment was keeping her out. Her being injured was not on their list of ‘things to care about’. If anything, it just made their job of keeping her out a little easier. If Reggie hadn’t been there, she wouldn’t have made it past them. And then making fun of her for believing in ChalkZone...it had just been an act to conceal their true intentions.

Then after that terrifying reveal, of her boss and the guards being in cahoots with her brother, the door opened up and she and the adults turned to see Reggie. They were shocked to see he had been injured. Not horrifically, just a few bruises. But still, the idea that the guards attacked the child was terrifying. Terry wouldn’t doubt they dragged Reggie somewhere where no one would see them and started to beat him up a little as punishment for messing with them. They dragged him into the room, each holding onto one of his arms.

Her boss told Terry that he was not going to allow her to screw this up. They needed higher ratings and this chalk world was going to get them those ratings, that money that they needed. He expressed disappointment that she didn’t want to be a part of it, as she had been so gun ho about it before. He tried to coax her back to his side, promising fame and fortune if she did so. But Terry, and the adults who were also offered a position, declined. The boss sighed regretfully and snapped his fingers.

In seconds, a couple of other guards, these larger and stronger than the ones that taunted Terry, showed up. Terry, the adults, and Reggie were escorted down the hallway. Terry quickly realized they were being taken to the storage room in one of the hallways furthest from the news caster room. They did try to escape a few times, but all escape routes were cut off, and they were forced to continue walking with the guards.

Soon they reached the storage room. When the door opened up, they could see it was filled with maintenance supplies, mostly cleaning stuff, like a few brooms, some soap, and a couple of mops. There was one light, pretty dingy and flickering constantly. There was a strong chemical smell in the room from the cleaning supplies that surrounded them. The room itself was pretty small, and with all of them in there, it felt cramped.

Her boss told her that they’ll be locked up in this room until after the airing. Terry tried to stop him, but before she could reach the door, it was shut on her. She tried pounding on the door, demanding to be let out. But it was no use. The footsteps became fainter and she knew they were left alone here. She tested the door knob and it was locked.

And that was where they still were after twenty minutes had passed. Or maybe it was more. Terry wasn’t sure. Her phone was been shut off and she hadn’t asked the others what time it was. She knew a considerable amount of time passed, but she knew it couldn’t have been time up yet. She did not hear anyone coming down the hallway to set them free after the tapes were aired. Unless Vinnie and her boss planned on keeping them in there for an extended period of time for some reason, them not showing up was indication that the tapes weren’t yet aired. They still had time to get out, but not a lot.

Terry had kept quiet. The other adults, as well as Reggie, were discussing plans on getting out, but from the sound of it, they weren’t having a lot of luck. And even if they did get out now, Terry realized the odds of getting to the other side of the building without getting spotted was going to be tough. Who knew how many people here were in on the little secret? They couldn’t risk it. They needed an easier option, which Terry was busy trying to figure out.

Then a thought entered her mind. Why didn’t she think of this before? It would have been the easier option instead of going to find Vinnie. She recalled, somewhere down this part of the building, was one of the video rooms. Although the odds of this video room having the footage, let alone being the one to play them for Vinnie when he goes on the air, were slim, it was their best shot at this point. And the video room was much closer, so it would be easier to get to without worry of resistance.

But the only problem was...they needed to get out of here first. She thought about trying to get the door unlocked, like she had at Vinnie’s place. She still had that item she used before that let her unlock the door. But the problem was she didn’t have that much time. The picking of the lock might take a while. They had to get out of here now. But how else were they going to do it? There was no other door here, no window either. This door, the one she stood a few feet away from, it was their only way out.

An idea hit her. She looked over at Reggie. He looked pretty well muscled, more so than Mr. Tabootie. He might have enough strength to him to get the door open. He could body slam against it a few times. He might be able to generate enough force to break it down. Yes, the act could, most likely would, draw attention to themselves. But the video room wasn’t that far, and they could make a break for it and get there before anyone catches them. There was still the matter of getting into the video room, which wasn’t that easy, but she’ll think of what to do when they get there.

She did feel bad about asking him to do this while injured. The injuries he recieved didn’t look bad, but him slamming against the door might irritate them. She could ask Mr. Tabootie, but he might not be strong enough to break the door down. Maybe if he and Reggie could work together...yeah that might work better. They all couldn’t work on the door at the same time. There wouldn’t be enough room. But Reggie and Mr. Tabootie, who might be the physically strongest people here, they might be able to break the door down if they worked together.

Terry walked over towards them. As she got closer, she could hear their hushed conversations.

“We have to get out of here somehow!” Mrs. Tabootie said.

“I know we do, dear. But...how?” Mr. Tabootie asked, his voice solemn. “The door is locked.”

Mrs. Tabootie looked at her husband. Her eyes were wide with concern. “We have to do something, Joe! We..we promised Rudy we wouldn’t...”

“I know, Milly...I know...” Mr. Tabootie said, lowering his gaze. “I don’t want to fail Rudy either.”

“And I don’t want to fail Penny.” Mrs. Sanchez said. “Which is why I’m not giving up.”

Reggie looked over and took notice of Terry coming over. “Well it’s about time you joined us.” The other adults looked over, noting Terry walking over towards them. “I assume you were in the corner over there, figuring out a plan?”

Mrs. Tabootie stared at Terry and said, “If that’s the case, we would love to know if you thought of anything.”

“Did you come up with any plans? We haven’t been able to so far.” Mrs. Sanchez said.

Reggie shook his head. “Nothing that makes sense anyway.”

Terry paused, thinking about what she was going to say. She could feel all the eyes on her, staring at her, waiting for her to speak up. She could feel the pressure, realizing that it might be all up to her now. The others hadn’t thought of a way out. And now they were dependent on her finding a way. She had no idea if her plan was going to work..but at this point, it was the only chance they had.

Terry cleared her throat and said, “Okay, listen. Here is what we have to do. It’s going to be difficult, but I think we can pull it off.” She moved closer to the adults and began to tell them about her plan.

sss

Sophie struggled with all her might to get free. She kicked her legs. She punched wildly in the air. Nothing she did would land a blow on Ghadir, who held her tightly. She tried jerking herself left and right, but that did nothing to change her current situation. She went as far as try to bite her, and that still didn’t make the woman let go, although it did earn her a slap on the head.

Sophie could hardly believe this was really happening. How did this happen? How could she let it happen? She could feel a sore spot on her head, dull and achy. It wasn’t where Ghadir struck her either. It felt like she was hit in the head with something hard. She hardly remembered what happened recently. She recalled she was out with her mom at a local fitness store. They were picking up some kind of health drink her mom wanted to try. Then they left then..this.

She had no idea where her mother was. When she woke up, she was being carried through this large house by Ghadir. Too stunned to speak, she had immediately tried to struggle. It didn’t work out so well for her. She still struggled, hoping that, somehow, she could get herself free. Nothing worked. Ghadir held a tight grip on her and continued to carry her through the house, heading towards a dark-colored door.

Sophie smelled something strange beyond that door. It was hard to describe to herself what the smell was like. It was sort of familiar, sort of not. It did smell foreboding, making her heart pound as they approached the door. Sophie began to struggle even harder, hoping that she would, somehow, force Ghadir to let go of her. She thrust herself left and right, only to be rewarded with Ghadir squeezing her hard against herself. Sophie’s eyes went wide and she soon stopped, unable to breathe well. Only when she became completely relaxed did Ghadir loosen her grip.

“I recommend that you hold still from now on, little girl. Besides, we’re almost there.” Ghadir said, a dark smile on her face.

Sophie looked up at her fearfully. “Wh-Where are we?”

“That is none of your business, little girl.” Ghadir answered. “I will say this. No one will find you here...at least...not before our next plan is in motion.” She chuckled evilly. Sophie’s eyes widened in fear. “Oh yes..I do have to wonder how your dear cousin will react to this...”

At the mention of Rudy, Sophie let out a gasp. She realized she hadn’t seen Rudy in a while. She recalled that he was very sick and had to stay in ChalkZone. She had known about Rudy getting assaulted in ChalkZone, but last time she checked, he was doing better. From what this woman indicated by the tone of her voice, was it possible that...Rudy got into worse trouble...? Her heart clenched in fear at this. She looked up at her captor, wondering if she had anything to do with whatever else happened to Rudy.

Had he been captured? Was he hurt again? Was he..dead...? Uncomfortable thoughts swirled through her head. Her body started to shake from the emotion. She had to know what happened to Rudy. She just had to. She swore, if this woman and her lackeys did something else to him, she would find a way to make them pay. She knew she couldn’t do much considering her small size, but she was willing to try something. She...she couldn’t just allow them to get away with this.

Her struggles were renewed. She twisted against Ghadir more violently than before. She managed to scratch at her. She started biting her again. She did whatever she could to cause Ghadir pain and loosen her grip. The lunchlady was annoyed but this. Sophie continued trying to get herself free, ignoring any warning sign from Ghadir to slow down. This time, the slaps against her head did nothing. Soon, she managed to make Ghadir let go of her, at least one of her arms. With another twist of her body, Sophie managed to touch the ground.

She tried to run, but had forgotten that Ghadir still had a hold of her. Yanking her arm, Ghadir pulled Sophie back and lifted her up off the ground. She held her up and glared angrily at her. Sophie returned the expression, making it clear she was not going to submit so easily to her. The only thing that stopped her from glaring back is when Ghadir slowly smiled in the most twisted fashion she had seen. At this, Sophie’s expression slowly changed into confusion and fear.

“You know...if you want to struggle so much, go ahead. But...” Ghadir lifted her up a little higher. “..I don’t think mommy is going to appreciate it..”

Sophie’s eyes filled with horror. “M-Mom...?” She felt panic rise up inside of her and, out of desperation, struggled, her body twisting back and forth in the air. “What have you done with her?!”

Ghadir shook Sophie hard and then slammed her against the wall. The eleven year old let out a cry of pain before becoming still in the air. She slowly looked up at Ghadir, a few soft cries emitting from her mouth. “So far..nothing. She is a guest here...though she will be staying elsewhere. She might prove of some use to us. However...” Ghadir put her face close to Sophie’s. “If you continue struggling like a bad little girl, we may just give her the same fate we are...considering for Horace Wilter.”

Sophie gasped. “What are you going to do to him...? To my mom...?”

“Well your mom might be lucky and get out of this situation...provided you cooperate.” Ghadir said. She moved closer to the dark-colored door. She stopped a foot away from it. She kept her attention on Sophie. Her expression showed she was enjoying this mental torment, prolonging things just to watch her squirm a little in uncomfortable anticipation. “So if you be a good little girl, we won’t hurt your mommy. She’ll just be in our...custody for a little while.”

Sophie spoke in a stammering voice, “Wh-What about Wilter...?”

At this, Ghadir narrowed her eyes hatefully. Sophie could tell this hate was not aimed at her, but at the old teacher that still taught Rudy and Penny after all these years. “That little pest has meddled in our plans too much. We know he told Rudy about where those cures are hidden. He just doesn’t know how to stay out of these things... So..” Her eyes twinkled black. “...we are coming up with a more...permanent solution to our problem.”

Sophie couldn’t believe it. She stared at Ghadir with a terrified expression. The black chalk artists were going to..kill Mr. Wilter? No..they couldn’t do that... He..he didn’t deserve that. She had to warn him somehow. She also had to find a way to get her mom out of here. She had no idea if Ghadir was being truthful or not. What if her mom was horrifically injured?

And if what Ghadir said was true, then maybe Rudy was looking for them. If that’s the case, she had to figure out something on her own. Rudy might not make it back in time to save her, her mother, and Mr. Wilter from the black chalk artists’ wrath. There wasn’t much window of opportunity. If she could just get free now, then maybe...

The door opened up. She was lifted higher off the ground. They went towards the door and walked into it. Sophie immediately gasped in horror at what she saw. A large cellar, but the way it was constructed, with the blood platforms, chains, cages..it looked more like some kind of twisted jail crossed with a torture chamber. The smell was much stronger now and she looked all around. Seeing the stains of blood, she realized it must have been that she was smelling. She realized it didn’t smell like blood, though. It smelled...different somehow.

She was taken down the flight of stairs, which had a little bit of rust on them, making the place appear older than it really was. Aside from the blood and dirt stains, the place looked pretty new and polished. Kind of...it was hard for her to explain just how it looked. One word she could definitely use to describe it was ‘terrifying’. The whole place gave her a creepy vibe. The smell was just one of the factors in that.

When they reached the bottom step, Ghadir carried her over to what looked like a cage, but with water and electricity for bars instead of metal. Sophie noticed there was already an occupant. She couldn’t stifle her gasp of horror when she saw it was a zoner. Some kind of feathered snake with wings. He was laying in a curled ball, one of his wings at an odd angle. She realized it had to have been broken. She put two and two together and realized that the black chalk artists must have been kidnapping and torturing zoners, and this one was their latest victim.

Before she had a chance to say anything to Ghadir, the woman pressed a button on the side of the cage. With the front bars gone, Ghadir threw Sophie into the cage. She let out a surprised cry as she smashed into the ground, landing dangerously close to the back electric water bars. She looked at the bars, hardly five inches from her face, and backed up. She looked behind her just in time to see Ghadir press the button, effectively locking her in the cell with the zoner.

Ghadir folded her arms, staring down at the little girl. A dark smile coated her face, made of ice. “You will stay with us until we decide to make our next move. It may be a while. But we are willing to wait.” Sophie’s eyes widened slowly at this, her body shaking. “You and your dear mommy will be our guests for now. As for what we want you two for...” A dark laughter. “Oh you’ll find out eventually...” She tilted her head slightly, her eyes brightening with anticipation. “I simply can’t wait.”

Without saying another word, Ghadir turned and walked away. Sophie watched as she headed up the stairs and disappeared out the door, leaving her alone with the zoner. As the door shut and the sound echoed off the walls, Sophie realized just how dire the situation was. What was she going to do? She can’t get out of this cell, and the zoner here was injured. She didn’t even have any kind of cell phone with her to call out, or any small object to push the button to free themselves.

Perhaps this zoner could be of some help. She looked over at him, watching him as he slept. She moved a little closer to him. She soon took notice of what appeared to be tears. She bit her lip. Had this zoner suffered mentally? Considering how the black chalk artists could be, she wouldn’t doubt that. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for the zoner. She hadn’t even met him yet and already she could tell he suffered, and she wanted to do something to help him feel better. She made her way closer to the snake-like zoner.

When she got close enough, she reached out towards him. Being very gentle as to not disturb his slumber, she pulled him up off the ground. She set him in her lap, careful to avoid aggravating his wing injury. With the feathered snake zoner in her lap, still sleeping, she ran her hand along his head a few times, an attempt to comfort him even though he was still sleeping. She lifted her head and stared towards the ‘door’ of the cage. Somehow, someway, she had to get out of here. There was a way out, she was certain. And she was going to find it. She couldn’t afford to just sit here and do nothing.

A life...possibly more than one, were on the line if she didn’t escape.

sss

Terry’s idea was a success. At first, the others were reluctant, considering that it could draw attention. This had been Terry’s concern, but she managed to convince them that it was necessary to get out as soon as they could. She knew the fastest way to the nearest video room and it won’t be very likely that they’ll run into much resistance between this room and that. Knowing what was on the line, the others did eventually agree, especially since they had so little time left.

Reggie and Mr. Tabootie worked on the door. They smashed against it, using as much force as they could. Their shoulders were starting to ache. Still, they kept pushing themselves, applying as much force as they can to get the door down. Working together, they did eventually succeed. With one final push, the door came falling down, smashing against the ground. They all winced as the clang sound echoed down the tunels. Knowing that someone must have heard that, Terry gestured for the adults and Reggie to follow her right now.

The group rushed down the hallway, following Terry. The red-haired woman looked left and right, looking for the sign for the video room. She knew it wasn’t that far. Her memory was a little fuzzy on just the precise location, but she knew it was in this general area. She knew it wasn’t that far.

As they ran, she heard shouts from behind them. She cursed under her breath. Just as she feared. Someone had heard them. She wouldn’t doubt it was some lackeys her boss sent to stop her. She and the others moved faster, not daring to look back. She came to the hallway she knew they had to be on. With a sharp turn to the left, their hearts pumping in their chests, they headed down this new tunnel. She could hear footsteps behind them, then some sliding. She knew their pursuers hadn’t been shaken off yet. She would try to come up with a strategy to deal with them, but they didn’t have time.

She ran down the hallway, the adults and teenager right behind her, not far. Heavy breathing filled the air. She could have sworn she heard everyone’s hearts beating quickly, almost like they were going to burst open. The angry shouts from their pursuers was getting louder. She quickly realized, from the insults thrown at her, that it was the guards from before. She mumbled under her breath. She would be glad to deal with anyone but them right now. And Vinnie. If she ran into him, she had no idea how they would get out of their situation, especially since he seems to have her boss and some people here twirling under his thumb with the promise of fame and fortune.

Soon, up ahead, she could see the sign for the video room. They were so close. They just had to keep running for a little while. Almost there...

Suddenly she was yanked back. The guard that grabbed onto her arm sneered at her. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Terry pulled, trying to get her arm free. “Let me go!”

“Oh I’m afraid I can’t do that. You see...my partner and I...” The guard gestured with his head. Terry looked over and saw that the second guard had a gun out, typical of security. He had it pointed at the other adults, threatening to shoot if they moved. Reggie was included. Terry looked back at the first guard. “..we have our orders. You are to come quietly with us, or we will shoot. Our boss gave the okay.”

Terry looked at him in horror. Her own boss said that these two could use deadly force? He had never issued something like that before. She realized just how desperate he must be to get that footage on air if he was willing to have one of his employees and a couple of civilians killed for it. She had to find a way out of this. She head to get that video room. Who knows how much time they have left? Vinnie might have it air earlier and...she just had to get a move on, fast.

“Please..you have to listen. You can’t...” Terry started to say. She shut her mouth when the first guard pointed his gun at her.

“If I were you, I’d shut up.” The first guard said with a sneer. He leveled the barrel to her forehead. “I have the permission to shoot your brains out if you resist. You are not to interfere with the broadcast. If you dare set foot inside that video room...” He laid his finger on the trigger, threatening to pull it. “I will shoot you.”

Terry felt her heart beating fast. The others looked worried and terrified. She had to think of a way out of this, and fast. She turned her head towards the door. She could tell it wasn’t that far away. Just a quick bolt over there and that’s it. She looked back at the first guard. She needed some kind of distraction. As terrified as she was, she wasn’t going to let that get to her. She knew the consequences if she stood here doing nothing, if she allowed this guard to scare her.

She didn’t have a lot of time to come up with a brillian plan. She had to do something fast. She knew it would end up being impulsive. She didn’t like to be that way. She would rather plan things out more. But with Vinnie having that ChalkZone footage, there just...wasn’t that much time remaining. Anything she decided to do, it had to be done swiftly, within seconds. The sooner she got to that video room, the better. And there was really only one thing she thought of in that time frame. A risky move, but it wasn’t like she had a lot of options.

Terry pulled her leg back and, as swiftly as she could, kicked the first guard between the legs. The man’s eyes bulged open and he let out a pained grunt. He dropped down to his knees. Terry grabbed his gun from his hand and, without thinking, hit him with it against his head. Down the security guard went. She had a feeling she would get into huge trouble for this later, but she decided to worry about that later.

The commotion she caused from kicking and hitting the first guard caused enough of a distraction for Mr. Tabootie to tackle the second guard. Terry watched as he grappled the second guard, pulling the gun away from him. The second guard lunged for him, only to be punched back by Reggie. The man hit against the ground, too dazed and confused to get up. Reggie looked surprised, as if he did not mean to punch him that hard. Terry didn’t dwell on that for long and she turned her attention back towards the door.

Terry rushed over to the video room door. Not bothering to wait for the others, she turned the door and she rushed into the video room. There were two people in the room, both sitting in chairs and heaving headphones on. There were monitors everywhere, and in a few, Terry could see the news caster room Vinnie was in. She could see him standing there, and now there was an audience. Time was almost out...

Terry rushed forward, holding her hand out. “Wait! Stop!”

The two people looked over at her, looking confused. One of them appeared to be doing something with his hands, but from this angle, she could not tell what that was. The tall chair obscured her view. Neither of them answered her as she rushed over towards them.

“Please don’t air that tape!” Terry pleaded with them.

Still no response. Terry realized, with dread, that they must be listening to music. They might have been told to air the footage at a certain time, provided that they were the ones with the footage. She moved closer towards them, trying to get their attention. They just looked at her, confused. They were clearly not expecting her and didn’t know how to respond. She tried to get them to remove their headgear. Either they didn’t understand or they were ignoring her.

She realized that’s what it was. They were ignoring her. Her eyes widening slightly, Terry had a feeling that this was indeed the right room. She looked over at the person who was moving his arm before. He must be preparing the tape. She had to stop him. She rushed forward, preparing to lunch at the man. She was not going to fail. She had to stop him. She just had to.

Then, out of the blue, there was a click. Terry froze as she heard the sound of a machine whirring. She stared at the two people in the video room, watching them as they gave an eerie smile. This not only confirmed that Vinnie did have more than just her boss and guards under his control, but it made her blood freeze to solid ice. Her breath quickening, becoming shaky, she looked up at the monitors, the one where she could clearly see Vinnie.

She became aware of the other adults coming into the room. She could feel them near her. She could hear their gasps of horror, cries of disbelief. She could hear a few shouts of ‘no’ and ‘it can’t be’. Terry...she herself remained quiet. She could hardly think or move. It felt like the world around her froze. She felt her mind going numb in shock. Her wide eyes remained locked on the monitors, wishing she wasn’t seeing what she was.

The videos showed them shocked reactions from the audiences, look of shere disbelief, some of horror. A few people in the audience were jumping out of their seats. Vinnie looked pleased, and he looked like he was explaining something to them. There was no sound at all, but that didn’t really matter, for Terry and the others didn’t need to hear what Vinnie was saying to know what he was showing them. The middle monitor revealed it all.

There, on that monitor, showing Vinnie with a screen behind them, they could see footage of ChalkZone. There was absolutely no denying it. It was ChalkZone that Vinnie was showing them, the various footage that Terry had found two years ago in Bardot’s lair. And now, that same footage was being played back for the audience, showing different sections of ChalkZone, the zoners, all the unusual and bizarre wild life...

The world around Terry felt like it broke in half and weighed down onto her shoulders. Feeling heavy, her legs wobbled and she fell down to her knees. She felt a cold chill rush up her spine, her body trembling. This was the moment that she had once wanted to do...and now the same thing did nothing but fill her with horror. Her breathing became shaky, her body unable to hold still. Emotion welled up inside of her, and she was unable to fight back the tears that formed.

Around her, she heard gasps of horror from the other adults. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see them shaking their heads in disbelief. Mrs. Sanchez had her hands over her mouth, her body trembling. Mrs. Tabootie and Mr. Tabootie held onto each other tightly, whispering soft pleading words, begging for this to not be real. Reggie stood here, horrified, unable to move. None of them could move from their spot. None of them could believe what just happened.

Terry couldn’t believe it. She shook her head in denial. No..this did not just happen... No..impossible... Terry didn’t want to believe it was true. She didn’t want to believe that this really was happening. Maybe it was some bad nightmare and she’d wake up soon. But the longer she stayed in this room, frozen, the more she realized it was no dream. It was a nightmare, yes, but it was a reality nightmare. This was happening, and that realization caused her to shiver as a cold sensation swept through her body.

Terry turned her head, looking at the others. Besides Reggie, she could tell the other adults were crying. The wave of emotion must have been too strong for them, too. She couldn’t blame them. They had all suffered the same fate today. They had all made a promise...and they had not been able to upkeep that promise. Now, the one thing they all dreaded was happening before their eyes, and they were helpless to stop it. Even if she pulled those two video people out of the way and destroyed the tape...the damage was already done. There was no denying it. Terry could not lie to herself. Her heart clenching, she had no choice but to face the harsh reality.

Terry lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Rudy...Penny...Snap...I-I tried...” She fell silent, letting tears stroll down her face, crying along with the others. They failed... They all had failed. That realization hung heavily in the air, stinging their hearts. The unthinkable had happened.

ChalkZone...had been exposed.


	55. A Threat Both Old And New

Ms. Saffron stood outside the entrance to the hideout and looked around. After a few seconds, she looked back at Rudy, Penny, and Snap. She made a gesture with her hand. “Follow me. And stay close. You don’t want to get lost here.”

“Yeah, I would imagine.” Rudy said as he looked around cautiously. He took a few steps forward, his body slightly stiff. “I’m going to guess that Draow is not our only worry.”

“You’d be correct on that.” Ms. Saffron confirmed, nodding her head. She looked out at the ruined landscape before them. “There are a number of zoner slaves we need to be careful around as well. Some of them are implanted with a mind control nail, similiar to what your Snap and mine had to endure years ago.” She noted the looks of horror on the trio. “The more disobedient slaves are given these. Some even have their personalities and emotions...well not wiped, but suppressed, so they’re pretty much drones for the time being.”

“Have you been able to free any of them?” Penny asked cautiously.

Ms. Saffron shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. We do not have the means of removing the nails. We could block them, but material for that is scarce.” Ms. Saffron started to walk down the debris hill. Rudy, Penny, and Snap followed close behind. “As much as I would like to help them, I just simply don’t have the means to.”

Rudy looked down. “That’s...that’s awful...”

“I know...” Ms. Saffron said. “I know.”

Penny looked at Ms. Saffron sadly. She felt so sorry for her. Trapped in a world where it seemed nothing would ever go right, a world that seemed doomed now. Even when she had Alt-Snap’s help, things looked hopeless. Penny would normally try to look on the bright side of things. She would try to figure out a way out of a mess, no matter how hopeless. But there were times when things just seemed....too hopeless. And this was one of those times.

Both ChalkZone and the real world were more or less destroyed. The real world might have had the least trouble compared to ChalkZone, but there was still so much damage, so many people having died. With all this chaos and destruction, it seemed only a miracle could save it. Even if Mr. Cosmo was stopped here...there were still other unscrupulous people in the world. With ChalkZone now accessible, there were people left in the world that would use and abuse it. She wouldn’t be surprised if there were some people out there right now trying to grab control of ChalkZone right from under Cosmo’s nose and use it for their own gain. And these people might, just might, turn out worse than Cosmo.

And what of ChalkZone? With all that damage, it would take a very long time for it to recover. But it won’t be able to recover so long as Cosmo, and whoever else who might resume control later, still has ChalkZone under his iron fist. With those exterminators out there, washing away any ‘unauthorized’ zoners, items, and landscape with water, for the time being, ChalkZone stood no chance of recovery. The only way it could is if somehow it is freed again, but that would require a massive effort, and people who care about the zoners. She had a strong hunch there was a severe lack of that in this world, based on what Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap had told them.

This was truly a twisted and frightening world, one that she and her friends nearly encountered years ago. It was hard to believe that the biggest thing that led to all this was whether or not Rudy would have been corrupted by the black chalk. The thought chilled her. Rudy really did make a huge difference. She could see why the black chalk was so interested in him. It must have tasted his potential and wanted more of it.

She thought back to Nurse Jenny’s foreboding words.

“Oh dear Penny...You honestly don't believe your friend is any different, do you? The black chalk has planted its seed in him, just like it had with me. It is...just a matter of time. All the pieces will soon drop into the fray, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.”

She had tried to push that thought aside, tried to focus on helping Rudy and the others stop the black chalk users. Now, after seeing what Rudy could have been like if he were corrupted, Jenny’s words came back to her, buzzing around her head like angry bees. She hadn’t fully understood what Jenny meant at first. She still didn’t fully understand why she took her blood either. There had to be a reason. She might have been told, but with all that happened, she couldn’t really remember.

But after coming here, witnessing what she had, she started to understand what Jenny may have been talking about. She thought back to the nightmares Rudy informed her about. The black goo, the dragons, the black chalk talking about him. Then she thought about how Dark Rudy was, how twisted and vile he became. She thought about how much damage and destruction was caused when he was the one corrupted. And it all seemed to click with her.

Jenny was basically saying that the black chalk’s main plan now was getting Rudy back. Something that they were already familiar with, but there was a point or two that she nearly missed. She only took notice when she reanalyzed what Jenny had said to her. The black chalk’s planting of the seed...talking about the black chalk still inside his blood. Could that be the seed? And seeds grow, stretch... The black was living inside Rudy, biding its time until it can get its strength back, and when she thought about what Rudy said regarding Ghadir’s words, how it was Rudy’s blood that brought back Jenny and the other two....

Suddenly it all made sense. Now she felt she understood a point that Jenny had been trying to make to her. She had been giving her a warning, one that she nearly missed because she did not think hard enough. Jenny pretty much confessed, more or less, that this was part of the black chalk’s plan. The black chalk had created a gambit, one that it would win, no matter which outcome came. The thought made her body shake and she wanted to be wrong. But the more she thought about it, and Jenny’s words, the more she realized that...it was true. They had been ‘playing a losing game’ this whole time.

The black chalk must have sensed Rudy’s potential right from the beginning. Didn’t Rudy say something about the black chalk saying that it was watching him? How did the black chalk manage to do that? Penny realized there was definitely more going on with the black chalk than she first realized. However it had managed to monitor Rudy...it was able to determine that he was a skilled artist, and they wanted him on their side. But unlike the others, Penny theorized they did something different with him.

His corruption seemed to have been done a little different. Unlike other black chalk artists, Rudy still had black chalk in his blood. She deduced this from the fact that Jenny went to him for his blood, rather than using her own, to awaken Ghadir and Tyreek. The black chalk was able to find a way to keep a hold of Rudy, possibly due to a different way of corrupting him, which might explain why he had a violent outburst, but Mr. Cosmo did not appear to have suffered from the same thing. This created a gambit that was unwinnable no matter which way they chose. Either they left Rudy corrupted and this world happened, or they free him, but the black chalk remaining in his blood would remain and recorrupt artists who had been touched by the black chalk before.

Rudy’s two fates were either he become a slave or the pollinator...

The realization that this is likely what Jenny meant slammed against Penny like a freight train, filling her with horror. She quickly realized that, if they were going to beat the black chalk, they might need to change strategies. If the black chalk was able to think ahead like this, and form strategies... The black chalk wasn’t simply a corruptor. It had an agenda, and it was going to use Rudy to accomplish that. She believed...no, she knew..that the black chalk didn’t plan on Rudy becoming just a servant... The black chalk wanted him to be the spreader. It wanted control of not just ChalkZone, but the real world as well.

Maybe she was making some wrong guesses. But considering this is black chalk she was thinking of, and seeing what happened to this world, she had little doubt in her mind that the black chalk had a big agenda. It was bigger than simply controlling a few artists...it was wanting to spread this corruption further. Now, more than ever before, they needed to stop the black chalk. They needed to beat its gambit and stop it from succeeding. She was not going to allow it to use Rudy or any other artist like that. The black chalk would be stopped..somehow...

She was torn from her thoughts when she noticed where they were now. Out on the street, and she saw where Ms. Saffron was walking towards. Penny felt her heart ache as Ms. Saffron knelt by the prone form of her former comrade, Alt-Snap. From this distance, Penny could still see how pale his face was, those lifeless eyes. His head was twisted at an odd angle, looking very loose. His mouth was open in an eternal scream. A pool of blood surrounded him. Ms. Saffron pulled his eyelids shut and scooped him up into her arms.

Penny wiped her eyes as she watched this. She heard a sniffle beside her. She turned and she saw Rudy and Snap watching the scene sadly. Snap, who had been bandaged up with whatever supplies Saffron had left, had tears flowing down his face as he watched the woman hold his counterpart. He leaned against Rudy for support. The teenager wiped away his tears and lowered himself. He wrapped his arms around Snap and gave him a hug to comfort him.

Penny moved towards her friends. She joined in the hug, wanting offer them her support. She thought about telling them about what she believed she discovered, but decided to put it off for now. Now wasn’t the time to be discussing what the black chalk might be doing. Now was the time to get moving. They didn’t have much time left to get that zebra chalk and move onto the next dimension. She continued to hug her friends for a few moments, before pulling apart from them and turning her head to the sound of Ms. Saffron’s footsteps.

The woman gently cradled the dead body of who was probably her last friend in this torn world. “He deserves a proper burial...” Ms. Saffron said sadly, sniffling. She ran her hand along the back of Alt-Snap’s head. “Once we hit the forest, we’ll find a place out sight and bury him.”

Rudy nodded his head slowly. “Y-Yeah...that sounds good.”

“Wouldn’t want to leave him to rot out in the open.” Snap said, wiping away a tear. “He doesn’t deserve that.” The blue and white zoner stared at his counterpart’s unmoving face. He bit his lip and was fighting back tears. He didn’t do a good job of it. “Th-Thank you...for saving me...” He whispered in a soft voice.

Penny moved closer. She reached out and placed her hand on Alt-Snap’s cheek. She shuddered at the touch. It felt so cold, like ice. “It is...sad that things turned out this way...” She looked up at Ms. Saffron. “We’re still so sorry... We wished that things could’ve been different.”

“So do I.” Ms. Saffron said, closing her eyes. She took in a shuddering breath. “But there’s nothing we can do about that now. All we can do now is move on. That’s what Snap...my Snap...would have wanted me to do. I’m not going to let his death go in vain. I’ll keep fighting until my dying breath.” She held Alt-Snap a little tighter and she looked out in the direction Mr. Cosmo’s lair. “Let’s get going. Time is of the essence.”

Not saying another word, the group began to move through the torn city. Penny couldn’t help but still give a shudder or two at how bad this world looked. The longer she was in it, the worse it seemed to become. All around her, nothing but destroyed buildings, cracked roads, pillowing smoke, a foreboding red sky... It was like they all landed in hell. This place might as well be called that. Because that’s what it pretty much was. A hell created the black chalk for some nefarious purpose.

Penny winced as she heard sounds all around her. Rudy and Snap flinched at those sounds, too. Ms. Saffron did not. She must be used to hearing them. All around the trio, they could hear distant roars, screams, pleadings. Faint, but there, with a bit of an echo. The constant wind that swept through carried some of those sounds over, making them a little clearer. The sound of creaks and cracks were every where, and small explosions occurred. Far from here. Penny wouldn’t be surprised if some of the explosions were due to the rusting and poor maintenence of household construction.

The depressing sounds, mixed in with the chilling wind and the uneasy sights, it all combined to make the trio very uncomfortable as they moved through the city. They felt more at ease underground, where they didn’t have to see all this stuff. But they knew they couldn’t hide from it. If they did, they would screw up their chances of getting the zebra chalk. And if they hid from these problems, how were they any better than this world’s version of Cosmo, who did not take responsibility for his actions? True, it was not their problems, but they still couldn’t hide from them, even though they did not cause this to happen.

They continued to move through the torn city. They moved around the debris that stood in their way. They moved through houses and other buildings that had fallen apart. They jumped over gaps in the ground, deep crevices that spread for miles. They headed across what appeared to be a manmade river. Ms. Saffron cautioned them not to touch the water. Not just Snap, but Rudy and Penny as well. This gave the water, if it was water, a foreboding aura to it. They jumped over the river. Rudy had nearly lost his footing, but Penny was able to grab onto him and pull him back.

As they pushed their way through some dead tree debris located in the middle of the street, Ms. Saffron explained to them about how the rain around here was highly acidic due to the weaponry used the past few years. The river that formed here was sort of manmade, but not deliberately. The dent that the water flowed through was from a weapon; the rain simply used it, in a sene, to form an acidic river. Contact with the skin caused severe burns. Ms. Saffron informed them that this acidic water was often used to keep not just zoners in line, but also any human civilians that Mr. Cosmo might have enslaved and stationed somewhere.

The realization that this Cosmo also assumed control of some humans, and not just zoners, chilled the group’s heart. They were relieved when Ms. Saffron assured them that most humans did not suffer this fate. They were still horrified by the few that were, and they wondered who they were. Ms. Saffron didn’t say, and when they asked, she asked them to be quiet because they were getting close to the forest and they couldn’t afford making much noise.

Penny could see the forest ahead of them now. A little obscured by the shattered buildings. But it was there. She winced at how horrible it looked. Many of the trees were knocked down. The grass was hardly green in some places, even dried up. Some of the vegetation was still alive, but the green was more faded, like the plants were sick. With the acid rain, that came as no surprise and was expected. Some areas looked charred, like they had been attacked, and the ground in some places appeared so dry, it was cracked. Some of the dead trees standing looked like lighting had struck them, and at least one was split down the center.

It was an uncomfortable sight to see. Even the areas still green looked morbid and devastating. It was a testament to how bad off this dimension was. It made the situation for this world seem even more hopeless. Maybe there was still a way to turn things around, but as Penny looked around, her eyes scanning the forest as best as she could from this distance, she knew that it was going to be a very difficult task. Nature would recover...eventually. But how much it would recover, she wasn’t sure.

She did want to do something for this world. She did want to offer some form of help. But what could she do? What could she and her friends offer this world? And what could they do with the limited time they had here? They only had an hour left if she remembered right. As much as it pained her, even if she found out how to help this dimension, there was nothing they could do. An hour wasn’t much time. Heck it might be barely enough time to get the zebra chalk. All she and her friends could do was hope for a miracle for this dimension.

Suddenly there was a rush of wind. It came without warning, out of nowhere. The wind, coming from a different direction than the constant wind, hit against them. It was so sudden that they stopped in their tracks. Then there was a dark shadow that moved over them. The group looked around, trying to find the source of that wind. At first, nothing else happened. They still remained frozen, knowing that something just wasn’t right.

Ms. Saffron looked around, her eyes scanning the skies. “We better get moving, quickly...” She turned to Rudy, Penny, and Snap. “I don’t doubt that was one of Cosmo’s zoner slaves. He must know we’re here. We best get a move on before...”

She never had a chance to finish. Out of nowhere, a dark shape slammed into her, pushing her into the ground. Saffron let out a cry of pain as a heavy clawed foot pushed against her. She looked up and her eyes widened in horror. Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked in, watching in dread as Ms. Saffron was pinned down by Draow. He pushed so hard against her that he was causing some blood to ooze from Alt-Snap’s corpse and cover her in it.

“Ms. Saffron!”

The trio rushed over to Draow, prepared to fight him to get him off of her. Draow looked at them and let out a loud screech. He fired a few of his lasers at their feet, causing them to jump back. They looked on in horror as Draow swatted his foot against Saffron, sending Alt-Snap’s body crumpling across the ground. The bat wolf then grabbed onto Saffron’s arm and held on tightly. He lifted her up and sneered at her before turning his sights to Alt-Snap.

Rudy, Penny, and Snap, not wanting Alt-Snap to suffer any kind of cruel post-death fate, tried to rush for him again. They didn’t get very far. A bright ball was fired at them and there was a bit of an explosion. Suddenly a large wall of ice formed, blocking their attempt to get to Draow. Through the ice, they could see Draow lowering his head towards Alt-Snap. He sniffed him a few times before snagging him in his jaws and lifting him up.

“We can’t let him take them!” Snap cried. “We have to do something!”

Rudy and Penny nodded in agreement. They knew Snap was right. They had to stop Draow from taking Saffron and they had to make him let go of Alt-Snap’s body, too. He might be dead, but whatever Draow was going to do to him, it would be disgraceful. They weren’t going to let him defile Alt-Snap like that. Penny looked around trying to find some kind of exit to this place. The shield didn’t go on forever, and she could see where it ended. Pulling on her friends, they headed in that direction.

“Oh I don’t think so...” A cold chilling voice said, freezing the group. “I’m afraid you’ll be...staying here for a little while..”

Suddenly, the ice shield glowed and it spread further. Panicking, the trio started to run, trying to get out of the shield before it finished. Seconds later, they slammed into something solid, but soft and warm too. They took a few steps back when they realized it was Dark Rudy. The evil teenager smirked at them, aiming some kind of fancy-looking gun at them. The trio, having no choice, moved back a little. They were forced to watch as the ice made some kind of crinkling sound as the shield completed, trapping them inside with Dark Rudy.

They heard a grunching sound and a horrified scream. Dark Rudy smiled evilly as the group rushed back over to see what was going on. What they saw horrified them. Though the ice made their vision a little wobbly, they could see clearly what was going on. The sight caused them to get sickening feelings in their stomachs, making them want to throw up. It also filled them with anger, that such a fiendish act was committed. Snap slammed his fist against the ice angrily, only to recoil from pain.

Ms. Saffron had her hand reached out. Her eyes were wide with terror and anger. “No! Don’t do it! Please!” She was shedding tears rapidly. “If you can grant him any kindness...please just let me bury him! Please, he doesn’t deserve this!”

Draow looked down at her. With Alt-Snap’s body still in his jaws, he couldn’t speak. He did, however, respond to Ms. Saffron by smiling nastily at her and chuckling. To Saffron’s horror, as well as the trio, Draow had started to crush Alt-Snap’s dead form in his mouth. Blood, some coagulated, some still liquid, oozed from the corpse. Then, without hesitation, Draow tossed the zoner’s body into the air. Alt-Snap moved like a limp ragdoll and came falling back down. He landed inside Draow’s mouth.

Draow moved his jaws from side to side for a few seconds. The sound of crunching and grinding could be heard. Bones snapped and bent under the pressure. Then the bat wolf swallowed loudly, gulping down Alt-Snap’s body hole. He licked his lips and sneered at Ms. Saffron. Alt-Snap’s blood still stained his teeth. He put his mouth close to hers, causing the woman to look away.

“What’s the matter?” Draow snarled at her with an evil smile. “You can’t handle the sight of blood? I thought you would have been used to it by now.”

“You sick monster...” Ms. Saffron growled back at him.

“Me? A monster?” Draow feigned surprise. He pulled his head back and pricked his ears up straight. “I am afraid you are mistaken. How can I be a monster when I didn’t kill your little friend? I merely...ate his corpse.” He licked his lips slowly, as if he were enjoying the taste. “Is that so wrong? It wasn’t like he was alive..he certainly was not going to use that meat of his anymore.”

Ms. Saffron growled at this. “Don’t you have any respect for the dead?!”:

“Hmm...” Draow scratched his ear with his wing claw thoughtfully. He shook his head. “Nope.” He put his face close to hers, tightening his grip. “Now..let’s go for a ride.”

With that, Draow grabbed onto Saffron’s other arm and took off into the air. The trio watched, unable to do anything, as Draow carried Saffron towards the direction of Cosmo’s lair. Soon they disappeared completely, leaving them alone with Dark Rudy, completely trapped. They turned and looked back at Dark Rudy. Their bodies shook with a mixture of fear and anger as they watched him approach.

They could not believe just how disrespectful Draow was. Eating Alt-Snap’s body like that...how disgusting...despicable and vile. That poor zoner deserved a proper burial for his bravery, and instead he ended up as Draow’s lunch. Draow truly was as much of a monster as Cosmo. He didn’t even have the decency to honor the dead. They couldn’t be that surprised. They remembered who his creator was. And they know how his creator can be.

Dark Rudy stopped in front of them, that evil smile still on his face. The gun was still pointed at them, ensuring that they didn’t try anything to escape. They continued to glare at him hatefully. Their minds swam with thoughts of escape. There had to be a way out of here. They had to get out and help Ms. Saffron. They had to escape and get to Cosmo’s lair. They could not allow Dark Rudy to hold them like this. They could get out of this mess, somehow, someway.

“Do you like my fancy weapon?” Dark Rudy asked, chuckling darkly. He pointed it at the ground. He pulled the trigger. A small stream of freezing cold ice hit the ground. Rudy, Penny, and Snap jumped back as a large mound of ice formed. “One of my favorite weapons...courtesy of ChalkZone. Doesn’t it..look familiar to you?” Dark Rudy addressed Rudy, staring at him. “Even just a little...?”

Rudy stared at the gun and he let out a gasp. “Isn’t that my freeze ray?!”

“You mean the one you used to stop the garbage from destroying the Chalk Mine?” Snap asked.

“Oh yes it is.” Dark Rudy sneered, taking a step forward. “I remember that day. Yes..I stopped the Chalk Mine from being destroyed with this thing...but now I found a more..practical use for it...” Dark Rudy aimed the freeze ray at them. “It’s much more fun using it as a weapon, don’t you think?”

Rudy growled at this. “You’re twisting my creations!”

“Uh uh..our creations..” Dark Rudy said, emphasis on the word ‘our’. He waggled his finger. “Remember, I am you, and you are me. Whatever you drew as a kid...” He placed his hand against his chest. “..I did as well. The only difference is that, unlike you, I am not wasting my talents. The freeze ray had more...potential than just saving the Chalk Mine.”

The trio glared hatefully at him and took a defensive stance. Despite being at a disadvantage, they weren’t going to just roll over for this corrupted version of Rudy. Even though it would be hard, they would stand and fight. They had to. They couldn’t just leave Ms. Saffron captured.. They just had to help her. She helped them. Now it was their turn.

Just then, they heard some kind of gushing sound behind them. They turned around and watched as some kind of figure, obscured by thick, white steam, entered the ice shield. They noticed the ice itself was melting in this one spot, forming an opening for this new figure to walk in. The figure was nothing but shadow at first, but when they took a few steps closer, coming into view, the group felt like their blood temperature dropped by tens of degrees.

Penny couldn’t believe it. She found herself shaking, unable to stop. Rudy and Snap were terrified as well. Snap was whimpering and he moved behind Rudy and Penny for protection. Rudy’s eye were wide in horror, his mouth open. He tried to speak, but no words would come out. Penny could feel the airs on her neck stand up, sending a cold chill up and down her spine. They wanted this to be a dream, an illusion, anything, but they knew they weren’t that lucky this time. Even though this person was long dead in their world, it was still a shock seeing him here, alive.

There, standing in front of them, was Mr. Cosmo...

Seeing him again after all these years frightened the trio. The sight of him caused memories to rush back at them. They remembered his labrynth of a lair. They remembered all those zoners he had captured and controlled. They remembered how he had trapped them in the real world and they were powerless to do anything to stop him. All the horrific things he had done...it all came back at them like an avalanche, and they remained frozen where they stood.

The emotional wave that hit them caused them to tremble harder. Their minds went almost numb. It was hard for them to comprehend that this was Mr. Cosmo. A different one, but still Mr. Cosmo. He had his arms folded behind his back and he gave them a cold smile. His expression, so much like the one their Cosmo gave them. He appeared to have a calm demeanor as well, similar to theirs. Everything about this Cosmo reminded them of the one that they defeated years ago. Now, despite all their efforts, they had to face him again...

Penny managed to move her almost completely frozen neck towards Snap. Out of all of them, he was having the worst reaction. Rudy was scared, like her, but Snap was outright terrified. He hid behind her and Rudy, his body shaking like a leaf. She could hear soft whimpers escape his mouth and tears of fear were welling up in his eyes. She and Rudy could both feel their hearts break at this sight. Snap had been tortured by this man, or at least a version of him, and now he was standing right before him again. It was as though he came back from the grave.

Cosmo smirked at Snap’s reaction, folding his arms against his chest. “I take it my counterpart in your world did what I did to our Snap.” His voice was as cold as the ice around them. “I wonder how easy it’ll be to break him again.” He grinned.

Rudy and Penny put her hands in front of Snap protectively.

At this, Cosmo just laughed. “Oh of course you’ll have that reaction. I’m not surprised.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Sure, it’s been a while, but...” He leaned in a little, his teeth bared in a grin. “I remember quite well how you two are...protective of that little thing.”

Rudy’s eyes widened, then they narrowed dangerously. “He is not a thing!” He shouted through gritted teeth.

“Oh relax.” Dark Rudy said, taking a few steps towards them. “It’s not an insult.” Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked back at him, turning their heads. Dark Rudy shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “He is just stating the facts.”

Rudy growled angrily at his counterpart, but did not respond. He turned his attention back to Cosmo. He stood in front of Snap protectively. “If you hurt him, I’ll...”

“I do remember this.” Mr. Cosmo said, interrupting Rudy. He gave a small smile, pushing his head back a little. “Yes, it’s all coming back to me now. I remember how protective you two are of the little blue creature. It’s...strange seeing all this again, but then, since you three are from an alternate dimension, I shouldn’t really be surprised.” Mr. Cosmo took a few steps towards the trio, blocking their only way out. He said, “However..I do not plan on making the same mistake as before.”

Penny narrowed her eyes. She knew Cosmo was up to something. He always was. That’s one thing they learned about him. Cosmo was always thinking, always planning. She could see the glint in his eyes. Yes, there was something he wanted. She had a feeling she knew what it was. She was not going to allow that to happen. She took a few steps forward, putting herself in front of both Rudy and Snap.

Mr. Cosmo cocked an eyebrow, looking at the girl. He didn’t seem confused. Just mildly surprised. His smile faded for a short time, but then it returned, especially when Penny took a fighting stance. Despite being at a disadvantage due to her bad leg, she was willing to fight if it meant keeping Cosmo from corrupting their Rudy. She knew that is what he wanted to do. She couldn’t allow that to happen because, if he did that, they lose no matter what. Either they lose Rudy to this dimension, if the transport doesn’t work, or they end up with a corrupted Rudy in their dimension, or the other dimension. She did not want to lose Rudy to the black chalk. Not again...

“You’re not going to corrupt Rudy!” Penny snapped at him. “If you’re going to try, then you’ll have to get through me first!”

Despite his fear, Snap spoke up. “And me!”

Dark Rudy laughed at this. “Oh give me a break!” He tilted his head to the side, grinning nastily. “You think you stand a chance at stopping my master? You have no idea what you’re dealing with here! You...”

Mr. Cosmo raised up his hand. “Silence.”

“Yes, master.” Dark Rudy fell silent. He went onto one knee and lowered his head submissively.

Mr. Cosmo turned his attention back to the trio. A calm smile was on his face. He moved closer to them. The trio remained frozen where they stood. He came up to Penny, who was the closest to him. He reached out and grabbed her chin gently, tilting it upwards. Penny looked into his grey-blue eyes and shuddered at how intimidating they looked, even when Cosmo was more or less calm.

“Such bravery...yes...I can use that.” Mr. Cosmo said. Penny’s eyes widened at this. “As I said...I am not going to make the same mistake as I’m sure my counterpart also made years ago...” He released Penny and walked around behind her. The female teenager shuddered as she felt him wrap his arms around her and pulled her into an unwelcoming hug. His chin rested on her shoulder.

“Penny!” Rudy shouted. He and Snap moved over to try to help Penny, but they were stopped when Dark Rudy, jumped in front of them, pointing the freeze ray at them.

“Do not interrupt my master.” Dark Rudy said in a low, threatening voice. “Or I will make you wish you were dead.”

Unable to do anything, Rudy and Snap looked over at Mr. Cosmo, watching with wide, horrified eyes as Mr. Cosmo played with Penny a little. He continued to hug her, holding her tightly against him. Penny struggled, feeling her heart racing against her chest. What was Mr. Cosmo doing? Why was he acting this way towards her? Their Cosmo never did this to her. She could feel his breath against the side of her face, making her struggle harder.

Mr. Cosmo refused to let her go, much to her dismay. She looked over at her friends, her eyes wide in fear. They watched her, horrified, unable to help. Dark Rudy smirked at them, pointing his gun at them so they wouldn’t be able to help her. Penny gave Cosmo a sideways glance. She could see his twisted smile. She felt him move one of his hands along her arm gently. The hand soon moved up to her hair and he stroked it playfully, giving a dark chuckle. Then he gripped her shoulders and spun her around. He put his face close to hers.

“I don’t want just Rudy this time, dear Penny.” Cosmo’s voice was low. “I want you, too.” Penny snapped her head back. She heard her friends gasp in horror, a cold laughter from Dark Rudy. “You see, I was too...hasty in letting my Rudy kill your counterpart... You have...potential.. Intelligence..” He placed his hand on her head again. He gently squeezed it a few times. “Yes.. a big brain like yours would come in handy.” He turned his gaze to Snap. “And I’m sure I can find a...place for your friend there...”

Penny struggled against his grasp. “We will never join you!”

“Oh but you have no choice.” Mr. Cosmo sneered. “You have nowhere to go. And besides...I learn from my mistakes. I know how you three form a...formidable team. So...” He chuckled. “I figured...why not get the whole package? All three of you would be beneficial to me.”

Penny twisted herself left and right. She tried to get herself free. Cosmo just tightened his grip. She winced as he grabbed her a little too hard. She narrowed her eyes, trying to hide her fear. “We would never serve you! We will find a way to escape and we will beat you!”

Cosmo smirked in amusement. “I’m sure you would..if I allowed you. Yes...you are quite intelligent...” He put his face even closer to Penny’s, putting his forehead against hers. “I can see why Rudy finds you...attractive...” He turned his head and looked back at Rudy, smirking. He turned back to Penny. “Perhaps I should...toy with his heart a little before he’s corrupted. This should be fun..to watch...” Then, without warning, Cosmo did something shocked the trio. Even Dark Rudy looked surprised by it.

Cosmo put his hand behind Penny’s head to hold it steady. He pressed his lips against hers. Penny’s eyes went wide at this sudden kiss. Rudy and Snap gasped and tried again to get to her, only to be shot at by Dark Rudy. Penny tried to get herself free. Cosmo pushed on her head harder, making her unable to turn away. He continued kiss her, keeping his lips firmly pushed up against hers. Then, several seconds later, he parted. He smirked as he looked at Penny’s horrified and disgusted look.

“I thought you might have that look.” Cosmo commented. He looked behind and saw Rudy and Snap both looking very angry and revolted by what he did. This just made him smile more. “Ah...you responded just as expected as well...”

“You sick twisted bastard...” Rudy snarled.

Snap raised a fist into the air. “How dare you toy with our friend like that!”

Mr. Cosmo chuckled at this. He turned back to Penny. He licked his lips slowly. “That was fun... But I had my fun with you...” With that, he pushed Penny back towards her friends. She stumbled, but managed to keep her footing despite having a bad leg, her cane helping to support her. Mr. Cosmo took a few steps towards the group, outstretching his hands in what could be interpreted as a welcoming gesture. “I’m going to so enjoy getting you three on my side. Well, Rudy and Penny of course. As for Snap, well...” He grinned evilly at him. “I think my mind control devices will make him most...obedient.”

“Never!” Rudy practically roared at him. “We will never be obedient to you, you monster!” Penny and Snap nodded their heads in agreement. “No matter what you do, there’s nothing that will make us want to join you! You’re a sick, twisted monster! We stopped you before and we’ll do it again!”

Dark Rudy chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Oh please...”

Mr. Cosmo folded his arms, tilting his head to the side. “I must admit, you are pretty stubborn..determined... I know you will fight to the end to try to keep yourselves from being...converted. But you’ll soon see the light soon enough.” He stared into Rudy’s green eyes. His own eyes twinkled, brightening as if he saw something that made him excited. “I do look forward to having two Rudys at my side...” He leaned his head back a little. “One is good, but two would be great. Oh the potential...!”

Dark Rudy glanced over at Mr. Cosmo. His expression was...strange. It was hard for Penny to pinpoint. It looked almost like a mixture between sadness, worry, and anger. She and her friends didn’t understand why he had this expression. Wasn’t he all gun ho about them joining him earlier?

Mr. Cosmo looked at Dark Rudy, noticing his unease. He smiled and said, “Oh don’t worry, Rudy. You will still be my favorite.” At this, Dark Rudy seemed to relax a little.

The trio looked confused. Favorite? Just what did he mean by that? The only thing that they could think of was that Dark Rudy wanted to remain second in command or something, a higher rank. It might mean something else, but if it did, they were at a loss of what that was.

But they couldn’t dwell on that now. They had to focus on getting out of here and fast. There was an opening in the ice. They might be able to get to it if they figure out away around Mr. Cosmo, a way to get out before Dark Rudy shot them. They had to fight back. They could not allow themselves to be turned into monsters. They could not give into the corruption. They had to get out of here, save Ms. Saffron, and get the cure. And they had less than an hour to do that.

The trio took a fighting stance. This amused Dark Rudy and Cosmo. They flinched at their cruel laughter.

“How amusing...you three want to fight us?” Dark Rudy chuckled. “This should be easy...”

“Do not underestimate them, Rudy.” Cosmo said before looking at the trio. “So..you three are issuing us a challenge? Okay then...” He pulled out his own weapon. A long sword... “Rudy and I will be happy to obligue.”


	56. You Never Stood A Chance

Rudy had no idea why they issued a challenge without thinking things through. He didn’t know how he and his friends were going to be able to fight back when they had no weaponry of their own. This might be one of the biggest mistakes they made since they got here. He should have thought things through more... Oh why didn’t he do that...?

Yeah he did want to go help Ms. Saffron. He didn’t want to fail her, like how he felt he did their Ms. Saffron. He didn’t want her to suffer the same fate as her counterpart, or Alt-Snap. Mr. Cosmo was blocking their only way out, so fighting seemed like the only thing they could do. It wasn’t like Cosmo would just step out of the way for them. He’d remain there, making sure they didn’t get through.

But in the end, remaining to fight was a mistake. He realized this the moment Mr. Cosmo charged at them with the sword. Even though he knew he wasn’t going to kill them, that was still a terrifying sight to behold. After witnessing Alt-Snap get impaled, Rudy and the others reacted quite negatively to the sight of the sword. They did manage to dodge the initial blow, listening to the sword clang against the ground. But they knew the only reason they didn’t get hit was because Mr. Cosmo and Dark Rudy weren’t going to kill them. They were going to hurt them, yes, but not kill.

Rudy realized they were screwed.. How could they fight back? His counterpart had a weaponized freeze ray. Just one hit of that and they wouldn’t be able to move. They might even die if he wasn’t careful with it. Mr. Cosmo had that sword that he kept swinging around. Even if he wasn’t trying to deliver any fatal blows, just one mistake and they could accidentally get hit. They all had to be very careful as they did their best trying to get away from the attacks.

Things were further complicated by the fact that they were all injured. Penny could not move very well with her bad leg. And her cane made for an easy target. If she lost it, she could still walk but she would be greatly hindered further. Snap’s stomach wound made it hard for him to move as well. He wasn’t able to get as much medical attention as would be required for such a wound, and as such he sometimes nearly collapses in pain. He does try his best to keep himself standing, but from the look in his eye and the way he held his stomach, Rudy knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep standing like that forever.

Rudy himself was having problems. The medicine that Alt-Snap gave him did lessen some of the pain, but he was still more or less in constant pain. His stomach hurt the most and if he were to be hit in his stomach, he would be crippled with the pain. His intestines were also starting to hurt him, a confirmation that the disease he had was spreading. He didn’t know how long the medicine Alt-Snap would last him, and he didn’t know what he would do should Dark Rudy or Cosmo give him an injury that reopens an internal wound or creates a new one. And since he was in the most pain out of his friends, it would be hardest for him to hide his agony, and if the enemy sees that he’s the weakest...

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Mr. Cosmo’s sword suddenly came crashing down towards him. The sword clanged next to him. It was so close he could feel a rush of air was the sword sailed past him. Rudy stared the weapon in shock, his wide eyes staring at his reflection. He looked back at Cosmo, who was smirking at him. Rudy took a few steps back, adopting a fighting stance. As Cosmo raised the sword again, in an attempt to fight back, Rudy rushed at him.

Rudy slammed his body against Mr. Cosmo, causing him to stagger back. The evil reporter hit against the ice wall, but that didn’t seem to slow him down all that much. He chuckled at this, like all it did was amuse him. He held up his sword again and pointed the tip at Rudy. He started to advance on the boy slowly. Rudy backed up against the wall, narrowing his eyes, trying not to show fear. Mr. Cosmo pressed the tip of the sword against Rudy’s chest, pushing in a little and causing the teenager to wince in pain.

“You and your friends certainly dodge well...” Mr. Cosmo said.

At this, Rudy looked behind Cosmo and he could see his friends dodging Dark Rudy’s attacks. His counterpart was not as careful as Cosmo and those blasts he tried to shoot them with did look fatal. His heart wrenched when Penny’s shoulder was grazed by a blast of the freezing ray. It tore through the close and he could see where her skin turned blue and a bit of blood that came from it.

Snap didn’t have better luck. Though he could move a little faster, he was still at a disadvantage. He ended up tripping and hitting his injured stomach. He cried out pain and remained on the ground. He attempted to get up, but the freeze ray was fired at him, slicing along his back. He let out a yelp of pain before Dark Rudy grabbed him by his scarf and threw him into Penny, knocking the two into the ground.

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. “Penny! Snap!”

Mr. Cosmo put his face close to his. “But you aren’t very good at fighting.. How disappointing..” He said, ignoring Rudy’s outburst. He pressed his sword even harder, causing Rudy to yelp. “If I had known that my associate there and I wouldn’t have had too much of a problem beating you, we would have just skipped this whole thing and just captured you. It would have saved us so much time.”

Rudy looked at the sword. Even though he knew it was not a good idea, he grabbed onto the sword with his hands. He winced as he felt the blade start to cut into his palms, feeling warm red liquid ooze from them. This action did surprise Mr. Cosmo. It was enough of a distraction that Rudy was able to push the sword away. In a couple of seconds, he pushed the blade far back enough that he was able to get out of the way. Mr. Cosmo watched him, not moving, as Rudy moved over to the other wall.

Rudy stared at Mr. Cosmo. The man was not advancing on him, at least not yet. He turned his gaze over to where his friends were. He was horrified to see that Dark Rudy managed to freeze Snap’s foot to the ground. He was struggling to get free. Dark Rudy lifted up his freeze ray and was about to hit Snap when he was knocked to the side suddenly. Rudy felt relieved and surprised when Penny had managed to limp over to him and use her cane as a weapon. Dark Rudy was on the ground now and Penny pinned him down, using her body weight to hold him down.

He looked over at Mr. Cosmo. The reporter had noticed this turn of events, but he did not look the least bit worried. He started to move back towards Rudy, leveling his sword up. Rudy stared at the sword, fear rising up inside of him. It was incredibly sharp, much more so than he had expected. He looked at his hands. Both his palms were sliced up. The cuts weren’t too deep, but there was a lot of blood coming out, and it hurt him to close them into fists. But in this situation, did he really have much of a choice?

Mr. Cosmo charged at him and brought his sword forward. Rudy noted the trajectory of the tip would slice into his shirt. Mr. Cosmo was going to try to pin him so he could go and help Dark Rudy with subduing his friends. Rduy moved to the side, reacting just in time as the blade sailed past him and hit against the wall of ice, cutting through a small portion. Then, just as Cosmo turned to face him, Rudy ignored the pain he felt and punched Mr. Cosmo in the face.

The man let out a pained cry and he staggered back, releasing his sword. This shout caught Dark Rudy’s attention. He stopped struggling against Penny and he looked over to see what happened. The sight of Cosmo on the ground with a bloodied nose, Rudy standing over him, filled Dark Rudy with anger. Growling lowly, Dark Rudy grabbed onto Penny’s bad leg tightly, making her scream in pain as he irritated her injury. He twisted her leg and forced her off of him. Penny held onto her leg, trying to cope with the pain, as Dark Rudy rushed over towards Rudy.

“How fucking dare you!” Dark Rudy snarled as he lunged for Rudy. Rudy did not react in time and he felt his counterpart slam against him. The two of them hit the ground, landing on his back. Rudy’s eyes widened, but it wasn’t from the shock of being pinned down. Dark Rudy grabbed onto his shoulders, effectively holding him down. “I’m going to teach you a little lesson!” Dark Rudy pulled his fist back in and was about to punch his counterpart when Rudy managed to pull his leg back and kick him in the stomach.

Dark Rudy went flying onto his back. He laid there for a few moments, groaning in pain. He slowly climbed up to his feet, rubbing his stomach a little. He looked over at Rudy, glaring hatefully at him. Rudy sat up, but hadn’t tried getting back up. At first, Dark Rudy stared at him in confusion, clearly wondering why he didn’t get back on his feet yet. Then, Dark Rudy’s eyes widened in realization when he saw Rudy do something unexpected.

Despite his best efforts not to let it show, Rudy held onto his stomach, his body shaking in pain. He let out a few faint whimper, his eyes wide as he tried to fight back the pain. A little bit of blood trickled form the corner of his mouth. He looked up at Dark Rudy. Slowly, his dark counterpart’s face contorted into an evil smile. Rudy felt his chest and stomach freeze when he realized that his counterpart had figured out his weakness. Dark Rudy chuckled evilly and started to advance on him, his freeze ray raised up, ready for use.

“Oh ain’t this too precious? You’re injured!” Dark Rudy sneered. He now stood in front of Rudy. When Rudy attempted to get up, Dark Rudy kneed him in the chin, forcing him on his back. Dark Rudy pressed his foot against the boy’s stomach, pushing down hard. This caused Rudy to struggle, tears of pain moving down his face. “I know this anywhere...” Dark Rudy stared intently at the blood coming out of Rudy’s mouth. “I am certain my attack couldn’t have caused the internal bleeding, so the only other logical explaination is you have..that disease...”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror at this. “Wh-What..?” He grabbed onto Dark Rudy’s foot and tried to push him away. This prompted Dark Rudy to push a little harder. “Get..off..of...me...” Rudy demanded.

Dark Rudy shook his head. “Oh now...I’m afraid I can’t do that. You see...” He leaned down a little, pointing the tip of his freeze ray at Rudy’s face. “My fingers might slip, you see... This won’t kill you, but I guarantee you will be in a lot of pain if I shot you in the head with this. And if I don’t unthaw you in a minute or two, you’ll die anyway.” His smirk increased in size as he watched his counterpart’s eyes widen further. “So I suggest you hold still...unless you don’t mind if I accidentally pull the trigger...”

Rudy stared at his counterpart in terror. His mind raced, trying to think of how he was going to get out of this. His counterpart knew about his internal bleeding. He knew that he was in a lot of pain. And he was going to use that to his advantage. He wanted to kick him away again, but would that work a second time around? No...he could see Dark Rudy sometimes moving his eyes down to look at his legs and arms, making sure he didn’t try to make a move against him. Rudy was stuck on the ground unless he could think of another way out.

Looking over, he could see, behind Dark Rudy, Penny managed to get up to her feet. Snap was still trapped. He felt his heart clench as Snap kept trying to pull his let out, only to cry out in pain as he tugged too hard and ended up bending his leg at an odd angle. He didn’t hear a crack, so the leg wasn’t broken, but it was clear there may have been some minor damage as he could see tears in Snap’s eyes.

He attempted to get up to help his friend, but Dark Rudy lifted up his foot and stomped down on his stomach once. Eyes bulging wide, Rudy let out a strangled cry as a wave of unimaginable pain swept through his body. A spray of blood came out of his mouth, covering a part of his chest. He coughed a few times, trying so hard to breathe. He could feel blood in his mouth and the back of his throat. He took in several shaky breaths, a wet, sloshy sound being hard as he inhaled and exhaled.

His mind clouded by pain, he hardly paid attention to what was around him. His vision blurred a little. He stared up at Dark Rudy with unfocused eyes, letting out a few soft whimpers. The pain he was feeling crippled him, making it hard for him to think. He could see a second figure coming into view. Taller, older...it had to be Mr. Cosmo. Rudy made a weak attempt to get away, only to cough out more blood and groan in pain. Mr. Cosmo lowered himself, bringing out what looked to be some kind of rope. Rudy closed his eyes, his mind becoming muggy.

“Oh don’t worry...” He heard Mr. Cosmo say. “We won’t let you die... We’ll take you and your friends somewhere to be treated. You’re of no use to us if you die here.”

Suddenly, there was a shout of pain and surprise. Rudy opened his eyes to see Snap, who Penny had managed to free, jump onto Dark Rudy’s back. Dark Rudy moved back away from Rudy and tried desperately to get the little zoner off of him. Snap held on tightly, determined not to let go. Penny slammed her body against Mr. Cosmo. The man stumbled back, but remained standing. He smirked at Penny in amusement. Penny glared at him before turning her attention to Rudy. Limping over, she lowered herself to him.

“P-Penny...” Rudy managed to say through his pain. He was shocked to hear just how scratchy his voice was. He coughed a few times. “Wh-What....”

“Shh...” Penny said. She looked at him up and down, briefly examining him. “We need to get you out of here...”

“But...” Rudy gasped. “Wh-What about...?”

Penny glared in Mr. Cosmo’s direction. The man took a few steps forward, clearly showing his intent on not backing down. “I won’t let him near you.”

“How noble..” Mr. Cosmo said. He started to pace from side to side in front of Rudy and Penny. He watched with amusement as Penny pulled Rudy into her arms and glared hatefully at Cosmo. His grey-blue eyes looked into Rudy’s. Recognition flashed in his eyes. “So I see the disease gripped you... Well I can...help you with that. I certainly don’t want you..expiring on me.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I mean...whatever will I do with your corpses?”

Penny snarled at him. “If you take one step closer....”

“Oh my..such a fiery one you are... It makes me wonder what you’d be like once the black chalk touches you.” Mr. Cosmo pondered, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Penny gritted her teeth at this. “Yes...that would be quite a spectacle.”

Rudy wanted to do something, anything. His mind did start to clear up a little, but he was still a little too out of it to think properly. He couldn’t think of anything he could do to get Cosmo away. All he could do was lay there in her arms, coughing pitifully. He had no choice but to wait for this bout of pain to be over..if it would be over. More blood moved from his mouth and he felt some of his strength leave him. He didn’t know how much blood he lost, but he was aware enough that he was losing too much. The bleeding had to be stopped and fast.

But how was he going to get out of this mess? Snap was busy with Dark Rudy. He could hear shouts of pain and frustration. He had no idea if Snap was winning or not. He couldn’t see at the angle he was at. Even if he turned his head, he couldn’t really notice for certain. Penny was with him, but she had a bad leg, and Cosmo, though without his sword, was bigger and stronger than she was. He could take advantage of her injured leg and make her crumple to the ground if she wasn’t careful. And him... That stomp to his stomach reopened part of his stomach wound, he was certain. The same one that was burned through when he drank the real world water. He was in too much pain to get up and fight.

If Snap is able to beat Dark Rudy, they might stand a better chance. That would be a difficult task to pull. Snap was injured, and now had something of a bad leg too. Maybe not as bad as Penny’s, but it was still going to cause him problems. His stomach was injured from an earlier attack, and if he were deliberately attacked there, Snap would be temporarily disabled by the pain as well. And if he did manage to beat Dark Rudy, would he be able to stand up to Mr. Cosmo? Even with Penny’s help, that would be no easy task.

Rudy, even in his muggy mind, knew they couldn’t give up. He was unable to formulate a coherent plan in his head. He could feel his world start to spin, the pain inside his stomach increasing. The blood flow..it wouldn’t stop. He didn’t know how much longer he would be able to stay awake. For now, he was doing a good job, but as his vision blurred a little more, how long would that last?

Mr. Cosmo came up to them. He reached down towards them. Penny, growling, swatted at his hand. Mr. Cosmo pulled it away, faking surprise. He reached forward again. This time, when Penny tried to swipe him, he grabbed her wrist. She let out a grunt of pain as he twisted it.

“Let me go!” Penny cried, slamming her fist against his arm.

Mr. Cosmo winced at this, but refused to let go. “Oh dear Penny... If this is the best you and your friends can do...you never stood a chance...” He pulled her back, ripping her away from Rudy. Penny looked in horror as Rudy’s head hit against the ground from the sudden pull. Cosmo put his face close to hers. “But then...I should have known you three wouldn’t stand much of a chance while injured..and while I had some...help.”

As if on cue, there was a loud cry of pain. Rudy and Penny’s heart filled with terror as they recognized whose scream that was. The realization was enough to break Rudy out of his muggy mind, making him more aware of his surroundings and what was going on.

The scream came from Snap.

“You filthy little creature!” Dark Rudy’s voice boomed through the icy room. Rudy and Penny saw that he gripped Snap by his leg. Judging from a bruise on his face, they deduced that he must have slammed the zoner against the wall. That must have been what caused their friend to scream. “I’ll make you cry!”

With that, Dark Rudy slammed him against the wall again, prompting another cry. Rudy, horrified, attempted to get up. He managed to get on his knees, only to fall forward into the ground. Penny cried to wrench herself free of Cosmo’s grasp, but he bent her arm roughly, forcing a scream from her. He then kicked her injured leg, forcing her onto her knees. Unable to get to their friend, they were forced to watch as Dark Rudy continued to hurt their friend.

Dark Rudy grabbed Snap by his throat. The zoner thrashed and threw punches at him. Though they landed, Dark Rudy was too enraged by the fact that Snap ‘dared’ to fight back, his eyes glowing black, to care. He grabbed Snap’s legs, holding them together. Then, mustering up as much strength as he could, he brought his knee up, slamming it against Snap’s stomach. The zoner screamed in pain before being thrown into the ground. The pain was so intense that Snap ended up passing out on the ground. Dark Rudy stood over him, glaring down at his prone form, before swiftly, and eerily, calming down.

“Well..that was easy...”

“S-Snap...no!” Rudy called out before giving into a coughing fit.

“How dare you!” Penny cried. She attempted to struggle against Mr. Cosmo, but it was no use. His grip on her was iron tight. “I’m going to..!” Penny’s voice was suddenly silented when Cosmo put a hand over her mouth.

Cosmo, holding Penny down and keeping her silent, save for a few muffles, said, “Calm down... Not like we’ll kill him. And why bother fighting..? Look all around you, little girl... You and your friends lost... You were in way over your head. And now...you will be coming with us...”

Dark Rudy smiled evilly at Rudy and Penny. He grabbed onto Snap’s scarf and started to drag his unconscious form on the ground, uncaring of how roughly he handled him. Rudy and Penny looked appalled by this harsh treatment of their friend, but Dark Rudy did not react to their glares with anything except a broader smile. When he reached them, he lifted up Snap higher into the air, holding him like he was nothing more than some old ragdoll.

“I think you should...consider coming with us. I mean..” Dark Rudy gave a smirk to Snap’s knocked out body before giving a sideways glance to Rudy and Penny. “Not like any of you will get far...not in your condition. Why don’t you let us..help you?”

“Because you will just use the black chalk on us!” Penny snarled.

“Oh that is right...” Dark Rudy said, resting his hand on his chin for a few seconds. Raising his arm up in a half shrug, he said, “Of course, the..only way we can do that is...going into ChalkZone... And we...don’t have plans on doing that yet.”

“Quite... First we want to treat your wounds...” Mr. Cosmo said calmly. “All three of you need some type of treatment.”

“The black chalk...can cure...” Rudy said, coughing. Mr. Cosmo and Dark Rudy stared at him. “I-I know it...it c-can... I remember...” He managed to push himself off the ground with his hands. His body trembled in pain. He looked up, his eyes locking onto Mr. Cosmo’s. “I don’t believe..for a second that you would...treat us first, then use the b-black chalk... It healed me... I know you’ll take us into ChalkZone...force us to u-use the black chalk..”

Rudy realized too late that the black chalk only healed once. And since it already healed him three years ago, it was not going to do that again. Even given the fact that this is an alternate timeline, he was still Rudy, and technically the same person as Dark Rudy, just on a different path. The black chalk would not heal him.

But that didn’t matter. That hardly was in his mind at all. Because in that moment, as soon as he let it slip that he had touched the black chalk, both Mr. Cosmo and Dark Rudy looked incredibly shocked by this. Then, chilling his blood, their faces contorted in anger. Mr. Cosmo still looked tranquil, even with that glare on his face, and he never made a threatening move. But Dark Rudy... His body was shaking with anger, his face reddening. Rudy could see him grinding his teeth and he realized, too late, he had just made a huge mistake.

Dark Rudy’s eyes turned black again. There was a stream of black energy eminating from them. His fists were clenched tightly, shaking even more than his body was. A low growl escaped his throat. Constant, threatening. He slowly advanced towards Rudy. Unable to tear his eyes away from the sight, Rudy watched, fear gripping his heart, as his counterpart approached them, hostile intent made very clear.

Her eyes widening in horror, Penny opened her mouth and bit down onto Mr. Cosmo’s hand. The man let out a cry of pain and pulled his hand away. As soon as her mouth was free, Penny shouted, “Rudy!”

Mr. Cosmo, still glaring from what he learned from Rudy, turned his attention to Penny. He reached down with his hand and gripped her on her shoulder. He squeezed it tightly and there was a slight crack. Penny’s eyes went wide and she fell to the ground, unconscious. He looked down at her form, watching her take a breath in and out, before looking over at Rudy.

The boy had seen this and was horrified. Rudy couldn’t believe it. Now both of his friends were knocked out and helpless. He can’t do anything to help them. If these two fiends were to hurt them badly, there was very little stopping them. He couldn’t even get up, and when Dark Rudy reaches him, he was certain he was going to get a crippling injury that would make it even more impossible to help his friends. Hearing a growl, he slowly turned his head to face Dark Rudy.

Rudy couldn’t help but tremble in fear at the sight of this angry black chalk user. His glowing eyes bored into his. Rudy felt his body freeze, no movements other than shaking. Curling his lip back in a snarl, Dark Rudy knelt down and gripped Rudy by his shirt collar. He roughly pulled him up off the ground, showing a feat of strength. In too much pain, all Rudy could do was stare at Dark Rudy with one eye open, blood still dripping form his mouth.

“So... you mean to tell me that you have experienced the joy of black chalk...” Dark Rudy’s voice was quiet at first. Seconds later, it suddenly boomed, filled with unbridled rage. “And you dare swat its hand of knowledge away?! How fucking dare you! You piece of shit! How dare you!” Dark Rudy shook Rudy violently, his teeth clenched tightly. “How could you turn down such a golden opportunity, you little fucker?!”

Rudy winced and turned his head, finding it hard to stare at Dark Rudy in the eyes. It was so..unsettling seeing what was essentially himself yelling at him. Even if the voice was scratchy, it was still uncomfortable to listen to. He flinched when Dark Rudy roughly grabbed his chin and turned his head so he was forced to look back at him. Dark Rudy had anger practically radiating off his body, and he was clearly expecting an answer.

Rudy, his vision still blurry, his head still aching, stammered, “I...I...c-couldn’t...let it...control me...”

Dark Rudy’s eyes widened in rage. “It doesn’t control you! It helps you!”

“It was..t-turning me into a monster...” Rudy said, his own eyes narrowing a little, showing at least some defiance. “If it was..going to turn me into something l-like you...I would rather d-die...”

“If that is how you feel...” Dark Rudy placed his freeze ray against his head. “I will be happy to obligue.” Rudy looked at the freeze ray in horror and then shut his eyes, waiting for the blow.

“Wait.”

Dark Rudy lowered his weapon and looked over at Mr. Cosmo. Confused, Rudy opened up his eyes and saw Mr. Cosmo walking over to them. He still looked angry, but his expression had softened up considerably. One arm was folded behind his back. The other was raised, his hand flat and straight up. A sign to halt...and Dark Rudy obeyed that very well. Rudy wondered, disgust on his mind, if he would become as devoted to Cosmo as Dark Rudy was if he were to be corrupted by the black chalk as well.

Dark Rudy looked at Mr. Cosmo in confusion. “But, master, he...”

“...is just naive still.” Mr. Cosmo said, cutting him off. “But...” He stared at Rudy in the eyes. An evil smile spread across his face. “I’m sure a little bit of our..hospitality...will change his mind..”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror at this. He attempted to struggle, only to be violently shaken by Dark Rudy. This irritated his stomach injury as he was pushed back and forth constantly. Rudy felt his stomach lurch and he vomited up some blood. Dark Rudy just smirked at this, satisfied.

“Do not hurt him too much. Remember, I need him alive.” Mr. Cosmo said.

“I know. I just wanted a little fun with myself..” Dark Rudy said, laughing cruelly as Rudy whimpered in pain.

Mr. Cosmo took out some rope. He went over to Snap. He bound his arms behind his back and tied his legs together. He then went over to Penny and repeated the same process. One both Penny and Snap were tied up, he turned his attention to Rudy. Unable to get away, Rudy couldn’t stop Mr. Cosmo from pulling his arms behind his back, securing them there. He could feel the rope pressing against his body. In too much pain and growing weaker, he offered little to no resistance.

Once Rudy was secured, Mr. Cosmo took a step back and stared down at Rudy. “You and your friends are coming with us. We will fix some of your wounds so you won’t croak on us. You will remain locked up until we set up an...appointment..for you to be...enlightened.” Mr. Cosmo narrowed his eyes. “And since you managed to escape the black chalk before...we will make sure you can’t do that this time. You will be ours, other Rudy.”

Rudy’s eyes widened at this. He wanted to protest. But his mind suddenly got very lightheaded. He looked around. His vision blurred more. He could see Dark Rudy and Mr. Cosmo watching him. He couldn’t tell what their expressions were. The colors and shapes, they were mixing together. Confusion clouded over his head and his vision was darkening. He couldn’t remember where he was, and all he was aware of was that he was in pain. A lot of pain.

Then, moments later, he blacked out.

sss

Sophie didn’t expect the zoner to start to stir this quickly. She had thought he was in too deep a sleep to really wake up now. A part of her was sad, as it meant that he was going to become aware of the pain he was in moments. But another of her was a little happy, as she could talk to the zoner and figure out just what had happened to him. She already had the gist of what happened, but she was interested in the full story. She felt that, if she got that, she might get more of a hint of what the black chalk artists were up to.

The feathered snake zoner groaned, moving his head a little. He opened his eyes a little. They were unfocused and clouded. Sophie doubted he could see very well right now. Though he looked up at her, he did not give any indication that he could see her. He let out another moan, this one more pronounced. The pain in his wing must be registering in his brain now. She bit her lip, feeling sorry as the zoner started to writhe a little in pain.

“N-No...Hagar...please don’t do it to him...” The zoner said in a whimper, his eyes widening slowly. “Hagar...is my friend..please don’t do that to him..please...” Suddenly the zoner’s head shot straight up, straightening his body so he was looking the opposite direction of Sophie. “Hagar!” He took in shaky breaths, his eyes remaining wide open.

Sophie looked at him sadly. This outburst did help her get a better understanding of what happened. She guessed Hagar must have been tortured, even killed, and right in front of him, too. Poor guy. He was clearly shaken up by it. His body trembled and she could see the tears streaming down his face. She wanted to comfort him. She reached over and ran her hand along the back of his head. This motion startled the zoner, his body giving a jerk.

“It’s okay...” Sophie started to say.

What happened next, she did not expect.

The snake zoner looked over at her. He stared at her blankly for a few seconds before he opened his mouth and let out a hiss. Her heart skipping a beat, Sophie immediately pulled her hand back and recoiled from the zoner. The snake zoner let out another hiss and spread his unbroken wing out in an attempt to make himself look bigger. A low growl emitted from the snake’s throat, his long, sharp fangs exposed. He lowered his head and coiled his body, looking prepared to strike.

Sophie didn’t understand why the snake zoner was doing this. Her breathing quickened. She now began to wonder if the zoner was one of the more hostile aggressive zoners that Rudy told her about. If so, she was in trouble. Fear welled up inside her chest and she backed away from the zoner. The zoner glared at her, his eyes practically glowing in what she identified as hatred.

“Filthy human...stay away from me!” The snake zoner growled. “I won’t let you hurt me!”

“Hurt you...?” Sophie asked, tilting her head. “I wasn’t going to hurt you..”

The snake zoner flipped his head to the side, staring at her with one eye. “Don’t lie to me... All you humans are the same! I bet you were tossed in here so you can push me against the water..” He raised his head a little higher, now towering over Sophie. “Isn’t that right, creator?”

Sophie shook under the glare of this zoner. She could feel waves of his hatred all around him. She didn’t know why he hated humans so much. Bad experience perhaps? Still, regardless of his hate, she still wanted to do something to help him. In spite of his attitude, she cold tell he was just really scared. She needed to help him somehow, even if he wasn’t so keen on getting that help based on his attitude. She reached her hand out toward him, only to pull back when he snapped at the air.

Sophe looked down at her hand, making sure it wasn’t bit. Seeing no wound, she looked back at the zoner. “Why are you acting this way? I’m a prisoner here, too, you know.”

The snake bared his teeth. “You’re just trying to put my guard down. You humans are a sneaky bunch... Well I, Quet, am too smart to fall for that!” Quet ruffled up his feathers, making them appear poofy. A clear warning sign for Sophie to stay away from him. Sophie leaned back, gritting her teeth in fear. If the snake decided to strike... “It was a good thing I woke up now, before you could have done anything to me...”

“But I was in here for a while...” Sophie said in a soft voice. “If I had wanted to hurt you, I would have done so...”

Quet stared at her. He looked confuse at first, but this did not last long. “You’re just wanting to put my guard down...”

“Please...I’m not going to hurt you.” Sophie said. She needed to get this zoner to understand she won’t harm him. She needed to get it through to his head that he was in no danger around her. “I want to help you get out of here.”

Quet blinked, but nonetheless kept his harsh gaze on her. He moved a little closer. Sophie flinched and cringed back, expecting the snake to bite. Instead, Quet just put his face close to hers, their eyes meeting. It felt like he was staring into her soul, judging her. Sophie felt intimidated by this, but she did not move from her spot.

Quet said, “....why would you want to help me? You’re a creator...”

“I want to help because it’s the right thing to do.” Sophie said quietly. “Please...I just want to help you. I’m not going to hurt you...”

Quet looked far from convinced. He curled up into a tight ball in front of her. His eyes stared intently at her. His body shook from a combination of fear and anger. “Just stay away from me, creator...”

Seeing she had no choice, Sophie obligued. She nodded her head once and leaned back in the cage, careful not to touch any of the electrified water bars. She could tell she was not going to make much progress with this zoner right now. If she rushed things, she could make her situation worse and she could risk making Quet even more hostile towards her. For now, she had to keep away from him, like he told her to, and wait. Maybe, if she spent some time with him, she could help him build some kind of trust.

She just had to remember to be patient.


	57. Invoke His Temper

When Snap woke up, the first thing he was aware of was pain. Horrible pain, mostly concentrating in his stomach, radiating all around. He soon became aware of aches and pains all over him. He couldn’t remember, at first, just what happened. He couldn’t recall just how he got this way. Why was his stomach hurting? Why was his body so sore? Just..what had happened to him? He tried to remember, but when he thought too hard, his head hurt, and he felt as though the room spun a little.

As his heavily blurred version started to come into focus, Snap became aware he was in some white room. Pretty bright white, too. Wait..how did he get here? Groaning softly, Snap felt some of his memories return. He remembered being out in the open. No...he was in something...so were his friends. Some place cold, yet they could still feel the heat of wherever they were. A city? Oh why can’t he remember? Maybe he sat up and tried to wake himself up, he would start to remember.

He attempted to shift his body. That was when he noticed he did not budge. Strange.. But he didn’t find it odd at first. He thought that maybe he slept on one part of him wrong and it became paralyzed. It happened to him a few times before. Not a big deal. He could just use his other side instead. So he attempted again to adjust himself. Like before, this had no effect. Still muggy, Snap did not yet realize what was going on. His eyes blinked open and shut slowly, more memories coming back. Not a lot. He thought he remembered something about chalk and a cure. The memories were pretty hazy.

Snap tried to move his arms. No response. He tried with all his might. They just wouldn’t budge. His legs gave no response either. They were as still as stone. Snap shook his head slowly, groaning some more. Just what was going on? His vision started to clear up more. He had to turn his head to the side and winced as he became aware of a bright light hanging over him. Clenching his teeth, he felt his mind start to clear up even more, allowing him to think more clearly. He turned his head to his right arm. It was laying down next to him, a little out to the side. He wasn’t strapped down. He tried again to move the arm.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing. It just laid there, still like it were just a piece of stone.

Trying to move his arm and seeing it not move caused lightning strikes to explode in the back of Snap’s head. Flashes of what happened, the fight, Mr. Cosmo, Dark Rudy, Alt-Snap’s death, the horrific world they were in, they all flooded back to him quickly. So fast they came that Snap’s heart quickened at such a rate he thought it was going to burst. His eyes snapped open wide, nearly bulging out of their sockets. He looked all around, panic rising inside of him as he realized he still had no idea where he was or how he got here.

He looked over at his other arm. He tried to move it. Like his other arm, this one didn’t budge. He attempted to move his legs and felt cold fear rush through him as they wouldn’t move an inch either. What was going on here? Why couldn’t he move? He could still feel his limbs. He could still tell they were there. But they just wouldn’t budge, despite not being strapped down. He attempted to lift up his head to look around, but, though his neck and head was still capable of movement, anything at his shoulders down was completely paralyzed, resulting in him not being able to lift his head that far or adjust his body in any way.

The only things below his shoulders that could move was his ribcage and diaphragm. He could see it inflate and deflate at a rapid rate as his heart beat faster and faster as time went on. He looked left and right, trying to make sense of where he was. Where was Rudy and Penny? He didn’t see them anywere. Did they get away? Snap became aware he must have been captured. That was the only thing that made sense. It was the only thing he could think of that happened to him. Why else would he be laying on some cold table paralyzed from the shoulders down?

He hoped that Rudy and Penny were okay. He might have gotten captured, but perhaps his friends got away somehow. Yeah, they were smart and capable. Surely they managed to escape their captors. As frightened as he was that he was trapped, he would be even more terrified if he was certain his friends were caught as well. He couldn’t imagine the torment that Dark Rudy and Cosmo would be putting them through right now if they were caught. Unable to move yet capable of feeling everything... He didn’t want to think about it.

Unable to move anything but his ribs, diaphragm, head and neck, all Snap could do was lay there until someone came. He did look around the room a little more, as best as he could with a mostly paralyzed body. In addition to noting a white room, a light above him, and him laying down on what appeared to be a large table, Snap took notice of some tools, like scalpels, bandages, and medicines. He could see a cabinet to his right, filled with empty jars, needles, gauges, and other things. To his left, he could see another table, though this one was empty, a small round window and right by it, another cabinet. This one had what appeared to be paperwork and x-rays of some kind.

He realized he was in some kind of hospital ward, or a room built to be like one. This, at first, confused him. Why would Dark Rudy and Mr. Cosmo bring him here? It didn’t make a lot of sense. Wouldn’t they try to kill him instead? Then he remembered something? Didn’t they say something about wanting them to join them? Yes...they did say that, didn’t they? So they must have taken him here to be treated.

The realization brought him little comfort. Even if he turned out to be right and those two were just going to treat his wounds, if they hadn’t done that already, he still couldn’t dismiss the fact that they’d probably still torture him. They could mend his wounds but that didn’t mean they had to be very gentle about it. They could still be really rough with him, hurting him as they took care of his injuries. They probably won’t even treat his injuries very well, just barely enough to allow them to heal. And he didn’t put them past them not to give him any kind of anesthetic, so he’d be forced to feel the whole thing.

After a few minutes of silence and fearful waiting, the time finally came. He could hear footsteps heading in his direction. He turned his head left and right. He didn’t see anyone. He realized the door was behind him. He let out a soft whimper at this realization, unable to see his captor directly. He tried pushing his headback to get an upside down view, but he couldn’t move far enough. He could see a shadow on the wall, but nothing else.

Then someone came up to his side. He moved his head so he could identify who it was. It took him less than a second to recognize Dark Rudy. It was terrifying for Snap to see someone who looked so much like his best friend...and yet so different too. He looked into this teenager’s eyes and got none of the warmth and kindness that he would from Rudy. And that spiked armor he still wore...it made him look terrifying, even in just shadow.

Snap watched him warily as he walked a little closer to him, leaning forward, towering over him. That dark, twisted smile, it sent shudders through his body. Or it would have if most of his body wasn’t paralyzed. He wanted to speak, but he felt frozen, more so than he already was, as chilling terror swept through his limbs. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from those cold eyes. It frightened him to see what was essentially Rudy’s eyes, only all warped and twisted by this universe’s sick actions.

“I see you are awake.” Dark Rudy smirked. “Good... I don’t have to worry about waking you up. I was hoping you’d be conscious during this.”

Snap felt his heart race as he saw Dark Rudy walk over to grab some tools. “Wh-What are you going to do with me?”

Dark Rudy picked up a few items. He held them in the crook of his arm. He turned his head back, giving Snap a sideways glance. “Oh relax, Snap. I’m just going to treat your wounds. Mr. Cosmo wouldn’t want me to kill you, as much as I’d love to.”

Snap had a feeling that was the case. Like before, he didn’t feel comforted by it. There was some kind of cruel intent in Dark Rudy’s eyes. He knew, without a doubt, that his experience was not going to be a pleasant one. And he wasn’t able to even fight back. Dark Rudy could do anything to him right now, and there was nothing he could do about it. He was helpless, completely at his mercy. And knowing Dark Rudy, he would be getting none of that from him. He watched as Dark Rudy approached him.

Once he reached him, Dark Rudy dropped the items he grabbed on the table in front of him. Snap strained his head, trying to see what they were. He could see what looked like disinfectant, some cloths, a small thing of what he guessed was water, and a few other things. He couldn’t see everything, though, and that scared him. What more did Dark Rudy bring over? All the items were chalk, but the only thing that assured him of was that the water was not going to dissolve him. His mind raced, wondering if Dark Rudy brought over anything sharp.

“It is a shame that my master won’t let me kill you. Oh how I would love to experience snuffing your life out.” Dark Rudy chuckled. He positioned himself right behind Snap and reached down and stroked Snap gently on the head. The zoner let out soft whimpers of fear. As Dark Rudy ran his hand along Snap’s head, moving down to his cheek, caressing it, he said, “I know what you’re probably thinking. I already killed my Snap. Why should I worry about killing you, too? Well you see, Snap, I enjoyed finally ridding myself of my Snap to the point where..well...” Dark Rudy lowered his head until his forehead touched Snap’s. “I want to experience it again..”

Snap let out low whines as Dark Rudy’s evil eyes were so close to his. So close he was, that was all he could see. Nothing but eerie green, with some black tinge to it. Snap wanted to struggle, but the only thing he could manage was moving his head from side to side. Dark Rudy found his attempts at struggle funny, and he gave a cold laughter that helped to further cement to Snap that he was in trouble. Dark Rudy was going to do more than just ‘bandage him up’.

Dark Rudy pulled away. He closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. “But I can’t. A shame...but I can at least have a little fun with you.”

Snap’s breathing quickened. “Wh-What did you do to me?” He jerked his head from side to side. “Why can’t I move?”

Dark Rudy smiled twistedly at him. “A special thing my master created. Selective paralyzation. We injected you and your friends with it so that you can’t move your arms or legs...but you can feel everything...” He moved around Snap swiftly, appearing at his side. “And I do mean everything.”

Snap felt horror swell up inside his body. Terror gripped his head, refusing to let go. Not only was his fear confirmed, and Rudy and Penny were not only caught, but in the same position as he is, but Dark Rudy practically announced that he had plans on hurting him. What he done so to Rudy and Penny? Had he hurt them? Was he going to hurt them? Anger mixed into the emotion dish his panicking mind was conjuring up. He better not have hurt them...

Despite his fear, Snap narrowed his eyes up at his captor. “Did you do anything to them?” He asked through clenched teeth.

Dark Rudy shrugged his shoulders. “Why does it matter if I tell you?” He grinned down at Snap. “You will find out sooner or later. So for now, relax. You’ll be reunited with your friends soon.”

Snap’s face shifted back into horror when Dark Rudy reached down and looped his hand underneath his back and lifted him up. Dark Rudy worked on undressing him. His mask, shoes, and gloves were the easiest things to remove. The evil teenager used his head to keep Snap up while he worked on removing his scarf. He left Snap for a moment, letting the back of his head hit against the table, as he carried the articles of clothing over to a small stool nearby and dropped them on there.

Then Dark Rudy worked on getting his leotard off. It was difficult, and Dark Rudy had to shift Snap around once in a while, but he soon managed to get the leotard off, leaving Snap in nothing but his pants. Dark Rudy then laid Snap back on the table, the same position as before. Snap’s wide, fear-filled eyes watched as the evil version of his friend went over to his right side. Snap panicked when he saw Dark Rudy reaching for a scalpel. He tried so hard to move his body.

“Relax, I’m just going to remove your bandages.” Dark Rudy said. “They need to be changed anyway.”

Dark Rudy went to work cutting through the bandages wrapped around Snap’s stomach. Once they were completely sliced, Dark Rudy pulled the wraps off from him and dropped them on the ground nonchalantly. He then placed his hand on Snap’s chest and peered down, looking closely at the wound. Snap lifted up his head to see what he was doing. Snap noticed the cut on his stomach and winced at how bad it looked still. Dark Rudy narrowed his eyes, as if he didn’t expect the cut to be this bad.

Dark Rudy reached over to the supplies. He grabbed the thing of chalk water and placed the cloth into it. He dipped it in a few times and wrung it out. He turned his attention to the wound. Snap stifled his cries of pain as Dark Rudy started to clean the wound with water. It hurt...oh man it hurt... Dark Rudy wasn’t being very gentle either. Snap turned his head from side to side, trying to cope with the pain. When Dark Rudy pulled away, that did offer some relief, but it was short lived. The evil teenager took the disinfectant and sprayed it on the wounds. Snap let out screams at this. Dark Rudy smiled, amused by his pain. He sprayed a couple more times, each one prompting another cry from Snap. Then he set the bottle down.

“I don’t know why you overreact to the spray, Snap. Not like it is going to damage you.” Dark Rudy said, smirking at Snap’s tears of pain. “You should be thanking me. That wound needed to be properly cleaned. You were lucky you didn’t get much of an infection from it.” Snap let out a few whimpers and stared at Dark Rudy with fear-filled eyes. “All that’s left is bandaging it up. I’ll check to see if there’s any other wounds that need to be treated, then you will be taken to where your friends are being held up.”

Snap felt his body being lifted again. Dark Rudy steadied him and, using one hand, he grabbed the cloth bandage roll. He started to wrap it tightly around Snap’s body. Like before, Dark Rudy made no attempt at being gentle. Snap cried out in pain as his wound was aggravated. He couldn’t stop his tears from covering his face. He shut his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth. Around and around the cloth went, squeezing tightly against his stomach wound. Then when Dark Rudy was finished, he released Snap and cut the cloth. He used surgical tape to hold the bandaging in place.

“There...” Dark Rudy said. “That wasn’t so bad, now was it?”

Snap glared at Dark Rudy, looking at him with one of his eyes twitching in pain. “It..it felt like my stomach was being set on fire...”

“Oh you’re just a big crybaby.” Dark Rudy rolled his eyes. He trailed his eyes over Snap’s body, looking for any other wounds. “I’ll have to give you an examination to see if there’s any other wounds I can treat. I did have an x-ray done of you while you were still out. My master will examine them and see if you require any internal treatment.” Dark Rudy lifted Snap, sitting him up. “Now, let me look you over...”

Snap could only whimper in fear as he felt Dark Rudy’s hands move over his body as he examined him for further external injuries.

sss

Penny looked at her surroundings. Dull, grey-black, very gloomy. All those words, and more, described the kind of situation she and Rudy were in. Though it took her a while to regain her memories of what happened, once she did, she knew that she and Rudy were in big trouble.

They were no longer outside, no longer under that ice shield or in some kind of hideout. She did not see Ms. Saffron anywhere. The first thing she became aware of when she woke up was the pain in her shoulder. It felt like someone had stabbed her there. She reached over and gently rubbed it. She got a good look at her surroundings and she knew, as her mind cleared up, that she was not in the middle of the torn city anymore.

Instead, she and Rudy were located in some kind of dark room. Well it was sort of dark. There were a few black lights that offered some illumination. But for the most part, it was hard to see. She wasn’t sure why regular, brighter lights weren’t used, but, seeing her surroundings, she knew she was in no position to argue about the lights. The bars that surrounded her and Rudy, the same electric water bars that she and her friends grew to loathe, surrounded them from three sides. The water itself was black and the electricity red. Behind them, a dark grey-black wall to prevent them from escaping.

It was clear she and Rudy were prisoners there. And she knew their captors had to be Cosmo and Dark Rudy. The realization made her shudder. Just what were they going to do with her and her friends? She was aware of them wanting to bring them over to their side. And she knew the black chalk would be an easy way to do that. Still, she couldn’t help but be fearful of their possible fates here. Those two might do more to them before the corruption, just to have a little fun with them.

She recalled this wasn’t the first time she woke up here. She woke up earlier, but with her arms and legs paralyzed. Mr. Cosmo started to examine her. He had begun to remove her clothes, causing her to panic. But he never went that far, did not remove all of them, much to her relief. He stated that the removal of most of her clothes was necessary so he could examine her for injuries. Penny was forced to endure what felt like, to her, an hour, of Cosmo looking her over and treating any injuries he happened to find, including a couple she was not aware of. He did put her clothes back on right afterwards.

Penny was glad that was over. His treatment was pretty rough and painful. He certainly wasn’t very gentle with what he was doing. After he was finished, he carried her over to this cell, where she saw Rudy laying prone on the ground. Cosmo explained he already examined Rudy and did what he could, although the internal damage wasn’t something he could fix without surgery, and with that chalk disease, even that wouldn’t help him. He also informed her that Dark Rudy would be treating Snap and that he would return with him shortly.

Penny had mixed feelings about the whole thing. On the one hand, she was happy that she and her friends were getting treated. They definitely needed it after all they went through. They were going to be in this dimension for a little while longer. If they were going to endure the second dimension, best to get treatment as soon as possible. But on the other hand, she knew the reasoning for their wounds being mended was nothing good. Dark Rudy and Mr. Cosmo.... they weren’t doing it from the goodness of their hearts. No, they were doing it because they want to use them. They want them on their side, and as soon as their wounds were all treated...

She hoped that the dimensional machine would activate soon. She hoped that she set the coordinates right and figured out how to work the timer. If not, they were in trouble. She had no idea if this dimension even had a dimensional hopper of its own. If it didn’t, it would take a while to invent one, especially with so little resources. And though, if it does work, they’d be out of this mess soon, she still wanted to get Ms. Saffron out of here and they still needed to get that cure. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to endure another trip to this dark dimension. They had to get that cure now.

She was horrified to learn that they had just a half hour left to grab the cure. They wouldn’t be able to get it while they were like this. Rudy still hadn’t woken up yet. If he didn’t wake up soon, she would have to try to shake him awake herself. Then there was Snap. Where was he? Cosmo said he was being treated and that he’d be here shortly, but could she really believe his words? He could have just gotten rid of him since zoners can’t be corrupted by the black chalk. She could only guess where he was now, if he wasn’t being brought over here like Cosmo claimed he would be.

She heard a moan behind her. Some elation entered her body when she turned her head and saw that Rudy was raising his head up off the ground. She limped her way over to him. Though her leg had been fitted with a brace by Cosmo, it was still painful for her to walk. Once she reached Rudy’s side, she lowered herself the best she could, steadying herself with her cane until she was on one knee. She reached over and placed her hand on Rudy’s cheek. The boy looked up at her.

“Penny...?” Rudy whispered. He attempted to sit up. Seeing he was having trouble, Penny reached forward and grabbed his arm. She pulled him up carefully. Rudy let out a groan of pain. She could see the pale red spots from when the blood came out of his mouth. “Where..where are we...?”

Penny looped her arm over his shoulder and pulled him against her. “We’re stuck in Cosmo’s lair. He’s locked us both up.”

Rudy’s eyes widened at the realization that they were captured. He looked around, his eyes filling with panic when he noticed something else. “Wh-Where’s Snap...?”

“Your counterpart is treating his wounds.” Penny said solemnly. “Just as Cosmo treated ours.” She lowered her gaze and looked at the strong, metal brace that Cosmo outfitted her with. She looked back at Rudy. “He said that your counterpart should be bringing Snap over soon. It shouldn’t be too long.”

Rudy stared at her. His eyes gazed at the brace on her, then traveled up to note the bandages on her. Then he looked own at himself, and quickly noticed he really had been treated. Penny watched him, sadness in her eyes as Rudy was clearly trying to digest what was going on. He looked so confused and frightened. She couldn’t blame him. She felt the same way as well. It did feel so weird being treated by who were supposed to be their enemies. Her mind wasn’t entirely sure how she should take it.

She was glad to see that Rudy was regaining some of his strength. He sat up and was now sitting on the ground, his legs crossed. He reached up and rubbed his head a little. He took a look around the cage, like he was confirming for himself that she was speaking the truth. He let out a soft sigh, shaking his head. He glanced over at her sadly before gazing downward. She moved closer to him, once again pulling him into a partial hug. He jerked from her a little, and she realized she was irritating one of his injuries.

Penny pulled back and looked at him apologetically. “I’m sorry, Rudy.”

Rudy glanced her and looked away. “It’s okay.” He fell silent for a while. He looked up towards the ceiling, almost like he was hoping there was a gap up there they could climb. “Do you think Snap and Ms. Saffron are...okay?”

Penny wasn’t sure how to answer that. She bit her lip, her mind reeling to try to work out a reply. Snap, she had some idea of how to reply, but what of Ms. Saffron? She had no knowledge of her whereabouts, or even if she was still alive. Cosmo never told her about that. She turned her attention back to Rudy. She had to think of some kind of answer. She couldn’t just remain silent about this, even if she wasn’t sure of an answer.

Penny lowered her gaze, breaking eye contact with Rudy. She felt him shift a little, and she could feel his eyes boring into her, like they were trying to draw the answer out of her mentally. She looked back and said, “I...I don’t know.. Mr. Cosmo said that Snap was being treated, like I already told you. But...I don’t know if your counterpart still hurt him or not. I don’t even know if Cosmo was telling the truth. He...might have been lying to us.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it..” Rudy said in a quiet, somewhat bitter town. “Cosmo has a way of decieving people.”

She nodded in agreement. “As for Ms. Saffron...I fear the worst for her. I mean, Cosmo and your counterpart might have gotten rid of her so she ‘doesn’t interfere’. Cosmo never once mentioned her when I woke up earlier in a medical room.” Upon seeing Rudy’s confused expression, Penny said, “Yeah, I woke up in a medical room, unable to move. Cosmo was treating my injuries. No doubt Snap was put through the same thing.”

“I remember something like that. Waking up, couldn’t move, my wounds being treated...” Rudy’s voice was low and quiet, his eyes filled with realization. “I..I had no idea it was Cosmo doing that. I just thought I was really tired and was hallucinating, but...” He glanced at Penny and shut his mouth. Whatever he was going to say next, he either forgot or decided not to say it.

Penny said, “I do hope Ms. Saffron will be okay.” She sighed softly. “Unlike you, me, and Snap, she won’t be coming with us to the next dimension. I hope we’ll have enough time to at least free her before time runs out. If we go before that, she’ll be trapped here...alone.”

Rudy flinched at this. “That..would be awful.”

“I know... which is why I hope we can prevent it. If we can just get out of here...” Penny looked at their surroundings. She clenched her teeth. “But we can’t go anywhere with these stupid bars in the way. And we have, at most, half an hour to find that cure, too.”

“Half an hour...?” Rudy sounded horrified by that. Penny nodded her head solemnly. “Half an hour...that’s not much...”

He never got a chance to finish. In that moment, there was a loud clang sound. Something heavy hit up against something solid. The two friends looked over. In the small room they were in, to the left of their cage, they could see a double door with a rounded top. One of the halves was open, pushed up against the wall. Then, seconds later, the other half opened up as well and they winced at the loud sound that they made.

They could see two figures walking in, both appearing to be carrying something. As they stepped into the barely lit room, the black light bouncing off of them, creating a dark purplish illuminations, Rudy and Penny could see it was Dark Rudy and Draow. Dark Rudy was walking out in front of Draow, the bat wolf being positioned a little far behind him. The two walked through the door, Draow just barely fitting through, even with his wings folded up against his body.

In Dark Rudy’s arms, they could see Snap. The zoner was unconscious, laying limp in the evil teenager’s arms. Rudy and Penny looked him up and down, and noticed he didn’t seem to have any new injuries on him and that Cosmo was being truthful when he said that his wounds were being treated. They looked over at Draow. He was carrying an unconscious Ms. Saffron. She had been stripped of her body armor, revealing her torn blouse and long skirt underneath. Draow held her by the back of her blouse, moving very slowly like he was making sure he didn’t kill her. She, too, had been treated.

Dark Rudy smirked at Rudy and Penny as he stood in front of the cage, holding Snap in his arms. He ran his hand along the back of Snap’s head playfully and said, “Ah so you two are awake as well. How..delightful.. I am sure my master will be pleased...” Rudy and Penny didn’t answer. They just glared hatefully at him. This just made Dark Rudy’s smirk broaden.

Draow set Saffron on the ground. He turned his canine head towards Dark Rudy and said, “Did you want to go inform Mr. Cosmo?”

Dark Rudy shook his head. “No, you can go do that.” He gave Draow a sideways glance. “Remember what he said? He wanted me to watch them until we can set up an...appointment for them to be corrupted.”

“And what of Snap?” Draow’s teal eyes glared directly at the unconscious Snap, his sharp teeth bared. “The black chalk cannot be used on him.”

“Not to worry, you oversized fleabag.” Dark Rudy waved his hand dismissively. Draow snarled at the insult. Dark Rudy ignored it and continued, “Mr. Cosmo will just turn him into a drone. Mindless, emotionless, completely obedient, courtesy of the mind control nails. He’ll be just like any of our current zoner slaves.”

Draow’s ears straightened a little at this. “Good...” His smile spread across his muzzle.

Rudy and Penny were horrified by this. The idea of their friend being stripped of who he was...turned into nothing more than some mere ‘object’ to be wielded and used.. It was horrifying to think about. Memories of what happened with their Cosmo came flooding back. The sight of all those zoners, barely reacting to anything, moving autonomously...

They couldn’t allow that to be Snap’s fate. They couldn’t allow these..these monsters to do that to him. He didn’t deserve it. It would be a fate worse than death. Snap would still be alive, yes, but would his life even be worth living if he was stripped of all sentience and turned into nothing more than a mere machine, activated by words? The idea of seeing their friend like that horrified them. It reminded them of how Snap was forced to attack them. But this would be worse. At least when he was forced to fight, he could respond and react to their voices and the pain. But if he were stripped of all emotion and sentience...

They were ripped from their thoughts when the ‘door’ keeping them in was opened up. Dark Rudy threw Snap into the cell first. Rudy and Penny were horrified by just how roughly he was tossed in, like he was just a bag of garbage. Then Draow assisted with Saffron. The woman was thrown so hard she hit against the wall. Rudy and Penny winced at just how loud the thud was, and she came crumpling to the ground. A second later, the ‘door’ was shut, trapping all of them inside.

Dark Rudy waved a hand at Draow. “Now get going. Inform him that two of our guests are awake.”

“And if the others wake up before we get back?” Draow asked, flicking his ears once.

“A pleasant surprise.” Dark Rudy stated. “Now go on. I’ll remain here and guard them. They might be trapped but since the boy there is...me... I will not underestimate him. I’m sure he and his girlfriend there were working on a plan of escape.” The evil teenager looked over at Rudy and Penny and sneered at them. “Weren’t you?” Rudy and Penny growled, prompting the evil boy to chuckle darkly. He looked back at Draow. “I promise you, they will not be going anywhere.”

Draow looked a little annoyed. Penny deduced it was because he was the one who wanted to guard. She was kind of glad it was Dark Rudy instead, as Draow would have been harder to get away from, with his larger size, more firepower, and his impulsive nature. Draow said in his dark voice, “Very well then...” He turned and started to walk way. He gave Dark Rudy a sideways glance. “You know the consequences if you fail...”

Dark Rudy waved a dismissive hand. “I do not intend to fail, dear Draow. If you think I will, then you do not know me very well.”

Draow snarled. “Whatever...” With that, he disappeared out of the room.

Penny watched as Dark Rudy took out his long sword. She could still see the chalk blood on it from when he stabbed Alt-Snap with it. Dark Rudy looked at the sword, examing it, and then gave a nasty grin to her and Rudy. He did not say a word, which she was glad for. She was not interested in speaking to this monster. He instead just turned aroud, putting his back to them, and stood guard there.

Getting out of here was going to be even tougher. Not like they wouldn’t have had problems before. The electrified water bars were going to be a problem. But now that Dark Rudy is there.. If they made any attempt to escape, he would stop them. He might not be able to kill them, but he could still hurt them. A lot of pain can be caused by even minor injuries. Just the right blow in just the right spot, and they would be crippled by the pain.

She knew there had to be a way out of here. Figuring it out was going to be tough. Ms. Saffron might have some ideas, but right now, she was knocked unconscious. She didn’t think she would wake up anytime soon, which would prove problematic for them. Without that cure...

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a moan. She looked over and saw that it was Snap. She immediately got up and started to move towards him. Rudy had already gotten by his side. She watched as he sat him up, careful not to hurt him. Snap’s eyes opened up slowly and he let out a few coughs. She felt her heart ache as she listened to him cough like that. And those groans of pain... just what had Dark Rudy done to him? Did he really just treat him, or had he done something else?

Snap’s unfocused eyes looked around the room. They soon locked onto Rudy’s. The eighteen year old smiled gently at his friend and reached over with his hand to try to soothe him. But instead of accepting Rudy’s comforting touch like he normally would, Snap did something completely different and unexpected.

He let out a terrified cry and jumped back. He moved away from Rudy, his body shaking like a leaf. His mouth emitted low whimpers. Rudy and Penny watched, horrified confusion sweeping their minds, as Snap went a few feet from Rudy and curled up in a ball.

Rudy and Penny felt their hearts break at this. Why was Snap acting this way? Didn’t he recognize them? Didn’t he know that he was with his friends? His eyes were wide and alert, yet there was still something about them that was off. The way he looked at Rudy.. It wasn’t the way he usually would. Snap wouldn’t look at Rudy with a face filled with terror like he was now...unless something was very wrong with them.

Immediately, their thoughts went to Dark Rudy and Mr. Cosmo. Anger started to swell in their guts. The most logical conclusion they could come to was that Snap must have been hurt by them. They must have done something to him while he was being treated, something that caused him to react in such fear to them, or rather Rudy. He was looking at Rudy like he expected him to hurt him. He wasn’t paying attention to anything else, just Rudy. And when the boy tried to get closer, Snap’s whimpering grew louder.

“No..please..don’t hurt me again!” Snap cried, tears flowing down his face. “P-Please don’t...”

Rudy looked at Snap, his eyes wide with confusion. “Why would I hurt you?”

Snap’s body trembled harder. “Why wouldn’t you? I’ve seen what you did... To my counterpart... You want to do the same thing to me...” More tears. “J-Just please..let me go...” He sobbed, closing his eyes. “I just want to be back with my friends...”

Rudy and Penny instantly realized what the problem was. Snap mistook Rudy for his evil counterpart. An easy and understandable mistake. Dark Rudy was the one who ‘treated’ his wounds, so his mind would partially still be on that when he woke up. And it was quite dark in here. Snap likely couldn’t see the full details of Rudy’s face, easily mistaking him for his counterpart.

The sight of Snap weeping in fear like this, acting terrified of Rudy, it was a horrible sight to behold. They never thought they would see the day when Snap was afraid of Rudy, even if it was through mistaken identity. They had to show Snap that it was just Rudy and that he was back with his friends. They had to calm him down. Snap needed their comfort right now. Wordlessly, they began to approach him.

Snap scrambled to get away, but he was so distraught, he tripped over himself and landed on the ground. He looked up and he saw Rudy moving his hands towards him. Snap let out another terrified shriek and shielded his eyes, crying harder. Rudy paused, biting his lip, his own tears staining his face. Then he continued to move forward slowly, carefully, not wanting to frighten Snap more. Penny moved in close, moving to Rudy’s side. Snap did not notice her, his eyes locked on Rudy.

“Please...why do you insist on hurting me?” Snap whimpered softly. “Why won’t you l-leave me alone?”

Rudy said in a soft voice, “Snap..it’s me...”

Snap turned his head away. “Just go away..please.. You hurt me already...why do you want to do it again...?”

Rudy grabbed onto Snap. The zoner let out a scream of terror and struggled frantically to get away. Rudy held on tightly, refusing to let go. Penny was heartbroken as she watched Snap try to get away from Rudy, looking so terrified that it was his counterpart. Rudy wrapped his arms tightly around Snap and hugged him, placing his chin on his head. Snap twisted and writhed in his arms, trying to get away. He wailed and shivered, his eyes wide in fear.

“No! Let me go!” Snap shouted.

“Snap..it’s me! Rudy!” Rudy said, his voice cracking with emotion. “It’s me! I would never hurt you!”

“Yeah Snap...” Penny said as she moved in closer. “It’s okay...you’re with us...”

Snap took notice of Penny. His eyes widened with shock and confusion. His panicked breathing started to slow down a little. He looked at her up and down. “P-Penny..?” Penny nodded her head, smiling gently at him. Snap turned his head up and looked at Rudy. He said, “R-Rudy...? Is that really you...?”

Rudy smiled at Snap. “Yeah...it’s me...”

Snap stared at Rudy in shock. Slowly, his shaking decreased, his fearful cries slowed down. A small smile ticked on the corner of his mouth. He took in a few shaky breaths, staring at Rudy in disbelief, and then, without warning, he dove further into Rudy’s arms. The boy wrapped his arms around his frightened blue friend. Snap cuddled up against Rudy for comfort, crying softly.

“Oh Rudy...I’m so sorry...” Snap whimpered. “I-I didn’t know it was... I thought you were...”

“Shh...it’s okay. I understand...” Rudy said softly, running his hand up and down Snap’s back gently. “Calm down..we’re here for you...”

Penny moved in closer. She gently ran her hand along the back of Snap’s head. She watched sadly as he buried his face in Rudy’s shoulder, crying. “Yeah..it’ll be okay...”

Snap just continued to whimper and cry in Rudy’s arms. It was a heartbreaking scene to watch. He looked and sounded so frightened.. And the way he reacted to Rudy before.. No doubt about it. Those monsters had hurt him somehow. They didn’t see any injuries on him, but they did something to him. As they did their best to comfort Snap, engaging in a group hug, their minds swam with thughts of what they were going to do. One thing was for certain. They would not let Dark Rudy get away with whatever he did to Snap.

Penny still wasn’t certain how they were going to get out. They needed to get out very soon. They had little time to formulate a plan. They needed to get out of the cage, but how, with Dark Rudy there? Maybe if they distract him, make him leave.. She wasn’t sure how they were going to pull that off. What could they do to make Dark Rudy leave them be for a little while? They couldn’t just ask him to leave; that would be too convenient and stupid. They could try pressing the button while he’s not looking, but that would be too risky. Just one touch and they would die...

She refused to give up, though. There had to be a way out of this mess. She just had to keep thinking. She looked over at Ms. Saffron. She bit her lip. She wished she was awake. Ms. Saffron knew Dark Rudy better than any of them. Surely, she would know how to handle this boy. She might know how to get him to leave his post long enough for them to try to open the door.

But for the time being, the woman was unconscious. No doubt Draow did a number on her. And during her treatment, she had little denial that they hurt her. Why else would she be knocked out like this? She saw no indication of pain on Saffron’s face, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t injured in some way. She thought about trying to wake her up, but if she were knocked out, she wouldn’t have much luck in waking her. They would have to wait and hope she woke up soon. She really hoped she did. Not only did they need her help at getting the zebra chalk, but they just..couldn’t leave her locked up alone after they left. It just...wouldn’t be right.

Just then, she heard a groan. She quickly noticed Ms. Saffron’s eyes fluttering open, another groan escaping her throat. Rudy and Snap turned their heads to see the source of the sound. The three friends watched as Ms. Saffron sat up slowly, rubbing her head. Penny felt relieved. Ms. Saffron was awake now. They could check on her, update her on their situation, and figure a way out of here. She might be able to help them think of something.

sss

Rudy’s eyes widened in shock. He couldn’t believe what Ms. Saffron just said. He wasn’t sure if she was crazy or not. The idea..it was risky. Why would she even suggest something like this? He looked over at his friends. They weren’t too crazy about the idea either. Of all the ideas they had heard of, this was one of the craziest they’ve been told of recently.

Ms. Saffron hadn’t been awake too long. It did take a little time to get her bearings. Thankfully, with what little time they had left, she was able to realize their situation pretty quickly. But because of how recent she got her bearings, Rudy half wondered if this idea was the result of that. Maybe she just wasn’t thinking clearly and suggested something so insane...But if that were the case, why wasn’t she correcting herself? Maybe still too much in the confusion to realize what she was saying? Possibly.

Ms. Saffron’s expression never changed. They all had huddled close together in the back. They kept quiet, making sure that Dark Rudy never heard them. If he turned around and saw them, Rudy had no doubt he would figure out what their plans were and stop them. And they whispered lowly, not raising their voice no matter how shocked they got. The less Dark Rudy knew, the better.

“I know...but it’s our best shot.” Ms. Saffron said in a whisper. She looked at the three people in front of her, noting their shocked and wary expressions. “I am not saying this because I am confused and desperate for a solution. I am saying this because it really is our biggest chance of escape.”

“But..purposely angering your Rudy...” Penny began to say, her voice trailing off.

Snap whimpered softly. “I don’t think I want to see what his temper is like...”

The blonde woman nodded in understanding. “I know, Snap. He can be terrifying if pushed far enough. But...” She closed her eyes. “He is rather impulsive when he’s angry, very much like Draow.” She reopened her eyes and turned to look at the trio. “If you were to anger him enough, he would unlock the door and head in. When that happens, you have a chance of escape.”

“But my counterpart would be blocking the entrance.” Rudy pointed out. “If we went forward, he might...no he would attack. How could we get past him?”

“Ah, that’s where you come in.” Ms. Saffron said. She looked intently at the boy. “You would be the one to anger him. He would come after you. While you two fight, me, Penny, and Snap can escape. I’ll guide them through and get the zebra chalk for you. We’ll come back as soon as we can. The zebra chalk isn’t too far.”

Rudy wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about this plan. On the one hand, it might be their best chance of escape, like she said. And if Dark Rudy pays attention to just him, then he would focus on just him, especially if he were as impulsive as Saffron said he was. This did bring him some level of relief as it meant that his friends and Saffron could get out unharmed. But on the other hand, it was still dangerous and risky. There was no one hundred percent guarantee that Dark Rudy would only target him. He might hit one of the others back in a fit of rage.

But at this rate, there was little choice. They hadn’t been able to think of any other plan. The only one that seemed to have a chance of working was this one. Ms. Saffron’s plan might be risky, but it did offer their best chance of getting out of here. He could handle his counterpart. He believed that he could hold him off long enough for them to be the zebra chalk. He would make sure that his counterpart did not try to get at his friends or Saffron.

Rudy made his decision. He watched as his friends looked at him with unease, wondering what choice he was going to make. He then looked at Ms. Saffron. He paused, then gave her a single nod. “..Okay then.. What do we do?”


	58. Tricked

Rudy replayed the plan over and over again in his head, making sure he got all the details correct. He needed to be sure he got it all memorized. Ms. Saffron told them a few times so they wouldn’t forget. It was a pretty simple plan, but even these kinds of plans can be easily foiled if one minor detaile was forgotten. Penny and Snap were also lost in thought, no doubt remembering what their move was going to be when the time came.

Rudy had the important job of not only instigating a fight with Dark Rudy by angering him, he also had to make sure he did not notice the others leaving. He also had to make sure he kept Dark Rudy angry so that his focus stayed exclusively on him. So long as Rudy managed that, the evil teenager would not notice that the others had slipped away. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to keep the boy’s attention on him, and he didn’t know if he could manage to keep fighting against his evil self for that long. But he was willing to try.

Penny and Snap’s task was much simpler by comparison. It would still be hard, though. They had to follow behind Ms. Saffron and keep themselves quiet. They would have to make sure that they don’t make a sound, which isn’t going to be easy considering they also had to move quickly. While he kept Dark Rudy busy, they would be able to, so long as they don’t make a sound, slip away and escape.

Ms. Saffron was going to take them to where the zebra chalk was. The first part of his cure... She said it was located nearby, locked up tightly. She needed help getting it out. Once they were able to get it, she would bring it back and give it directly to him, or if she doesn’t have time, to either Penny or Snap.

All this had to happen within a short time frame. Penny said they were down to twenty or less minutes. That wasn’t a big frame of time. They would need to move quickly. They couldn’t sit around here and try to discuss why this Cosmo had the zebra chalk locked up, if he had any use for it, or anything like that. Even though the information might prove useful, they just didn’t have the time. They had to act now if they were going to be able to get out of here. They needed to get a move on.

Rudy knew his time to make his move was coming up. He looked over at Ms. Saffron. She was going to give him the signal of when to start to pester Dark Rudy. She told him that one of the easiest and fastest ways to piss him off was to insult Mr. Cosmo. Dark Rudy cared about Cosmo and was fiercely loyal to him. Any insult, even a minor one, would be enough to anger him. Rudy had taken notice of this earlier, so it came as no surprise to them. Rudy had a little bit of time to figure out exactly what he was going to say to Dark Rudy. As soon as Ms. Saffron gave the signal, it was show time.

He was nervous about this. It was going to be a frightening experience. Purposely invoking Dark Rudy’s temper...it was going to be terrifying. Based on what Ms. Saffron said, he was truly scary when he was angry, even more so than what they had already seen. Rudy was going to have to be very careful around him. He needed to anger him, and then he was going to need to defend his life, as Dark Rudy would get so angry, he’d blindly attack, forgetting about his orders to keep him alive.

Rudy hoped that Mr. Cosmo was not going to show up anytime soon. If he did, they were in trouble. He would ruin their plans for certain. He wouldn’t be able to keep both Dark Rudy and Cosmo busy. And if Cosmo sees what’s going on, he would likely unleash his zoner slaves. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to prevent Cosmo from showing up. All he could do was hope that Mr. Cosmo stays..wherever he is, until they manage to get what they needed. There was the chance that they would not be able to get the zebra chalk before Cosmo came back... He hoped that wasn’t going to be the case. He hoped that, for once, luck would be on their side.

Rudy looked over at Ms. Saffron. He waited patiently for the signal. With twenty minutes and counting left, she would have to make the signal in the next minute or so. Less, preferably, if they were going to do this in such a short time frame. Once in a while, he case a wary glance on his dark self. Dark Rudy wasn’t looking their way. His back was still turned to them. He shuddered at the sight of that sword. This was going to be one huge gamble. If he wasn’t careful, he would get skewered..just like Alt-Snap did...

Ms. Saffron gave the signal. She flicked her wrist in the way she said she would when it was time. Rudy took quick notice. She stared at her, his eyes widening slowly. He gulped. It was time to start. He couldn’t hesitate. He couldn’t afford to waste any time. Looking at at Dark Rudy, he started to make his way over. He could feel his heart racing. He was about to do something that, normally, he would consider stupid, at least in his predicament. But he knew he had to do it. It was the only way they could get out of here.

Rudy took position near the ‘door’ of the cage. He looked directly at Dark Rudy. He couldn’t help but trail Dark Rudy’s blade with his eyes, noting the blood stains still on it. The sight of that made his blood chill. He knew that blood could quiet easily be his. The only thing that comforted him was knowing that Penny, Snap, and Ms. Saffron wouldn’t have to suffer the same kind of fate. He was willing to put himself on the line if it meant keeping others around him safe. He hoped that his distraction was going to be good enough.

Swallowing hard, Rudy cleared his throat. It was time to begin. The moment that would kickstart their plan on getting out and obtaining the zebra chalk. It was a terrifying moment, but he managed to control his fears and made himself speak.

“Hey!” Rudy said sternly. He was surprised by how much force he was using. He didn’t mean to sound like this. “Hey you! Turn around!”

Dark Rudy turned his head. He gave Rudy a sideways glance. He gave a small, evil-filled smile. “Oh if it isn’t my weak self.. What do you want? Going to beg me to let you go?” He chuckled darkly. “I know that’s what you’re going to do, and let me save your breath. It isn’t going to work. My master ordered me to keep you in here and that is exactly what I’m going to do.”

“Oh really? If your master told you to jump off a bridge, would you?” Rudy asked in a somewhat playful tone. Dark Rudy cocked an eyebrow, looking a little confused, yet intrigued by what he said. “Oh, what if he told you that you don’t exist anymore and you’re just some ghost wandering around? Would you believe him then?”

Dark Rudy’s eyes started to narrow. Rudy could tell he was starting to provoke him. He would need to keep this up, try to say other things. A part of him felt guilty about doing this. He didn’t like being the bully. He hated instigating fights and mocking others. Sure, if an enemy angered him enough, he would push back. But in this case, he was the one starting things, and he wasn’t too proud of it. But it had to be done.

Rudy folded his arms against his chest, giving a smirk to his dark half. Dark Rudy tilted his head a little. Rudy’s behavior was atypical right now and Dark Rudy was taking notice of that. Rudy felt a pang in his chest. If Dark Rudy saw through what he was doing now, their plans might be ruined. He tried his best not to show fear, any indication that he was worried about something.

“Let’s face it. You are just a mere puppet to him. He pulls the strings, and you do all the work.” Rudy said. Dark Rudy’s eyes narrowed a tad further. Less confusion and more bits of anger started to show. He was on the right track now, but he had to go further. “You know, it is a shame that you work for him. I mean...” Rudy held his hand out in gesture. “..if you’re going to sell your soul to someone and hand them your free will, couldn’t you do it with someone who is...I dunno...competent?”

Dark Rudy growled softly. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

Rudy shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Am I?” He asked in an innocent voice.

The evil teenager furrowed his eye brows and gritted his teeth. “If you’re trying to imply that my master is incompetent..”

“Hey, you said it. Not me.” Rudy said playfully, smiling at Dark Rudy despite of his fears. He could see the evil teenager’s body start to shake from anger. Rudy continued, “I mean, after all, if Cosmo really were as good as you say, how come he doesn’t do a lot of the work? Why doesn’t he put himself on the front line? Oh, that’s right! It’s because he’s a coward and prefers making others do his own dirty work.”

Dark Rudy growled deeply. His eyes started to flicker black. “Take that back...”

Rudy could tell he was really getting him angry now. That was good. He just had to keep this up. He just had to keep acting like a jerk and give him no indication of what he was really trying to do. That was not going to be too easy, since his dark self is pretty much him. Dark Rudy would have knowledge about how his mind works and if he thought long enough and hard enough, he would realize what was going on. So far, the plan was working well enough.

Now he just had to continue mocking Cosmo. More insults, more jabs at his capabilities. He prepared his body for the assault that would eventually come. He could see, out of the corner of his eyes, Penny, Snap, and Saffron positioning themselves to the side. They were prepared to run as soon as they had an open shot. They were counting on him in giving them that open opportunity to get out of here. And he was going to deliver. He was going to get them out of here.

“Why should I?” Rudy asked calmly, pacing in front of the ‘door’. His eyes locked onto Dark Rudy’s. He flinched a little at the sight of the black glow, but nonetheless remained calm, at least physically. On the inside, his heart was pounding. “After all, just what has Mr. Cosmo done that didn’t involve blackmail? Or making someone else do the work? Sometimes I wonder why I worry about him so much. Not like he’s really as competent as he believes he is. Without anyone to back him up, he is just a pushover. If it weren’t for you and Draow, I’m sure Mr. Cosmo could be stopped by a ten year old child.”

Dark Rudy hissed at this. The glow trails from his eyes increased. His teeth were bared in anger. Dark growls constantly emitted from his throat. He pointed his sword in his direction. The blade itself wobbled as Dark Rudy’s body shivered with negative emotion. “You uncultured swine! You don’t know what you’re talking about! How dare you speak of Mr. Cosmo with such foul words!”

Rudy watched as Dark Rudy continued to seethe in anger. The plan was working. Just a little more...

Dark Rudy continued to rant. “If you think for one minute I am going to sit idly by and let you insult my master like that, you’ve got another think coming! Cosmo has more value in one finger than you do in your whole body!”

“Oh I’m sure he does...” Rudy said. “..if by value, you mean failures.”

“Why you...!” Dark Rudy’s body shook harder. He gripped the sword so fightly, Rudy thought he was going to crush the handle. He instinctively took a step back away from the ‘door’, but he still faced Dark Rudy and he still kept giving him a mischevious smile. This did not suit well with Dark Rudy. “Mr. Cosmo is giving you the opportunity of a lifetime! And you dare to deny that?! Do you know how lucky you are that he is considering training you?!”

Rudy forced a laugh at this. “Lucky? If you mean unlucky, yes, I do agree.” Dark Rudy gritted his teeth at this. “I mean, really, what should I expect from someone who isn’t smart enough to realize what the word ‘no’ means? I bet he can’t even figure out how to execute one of his own plans without the help of an assistant, despite him supposedly being the leader of all of this.”

Rudy knew that what he said wasn’t true. He did not really believe Cosmo was that incompetent. His experience with him proved otherwise. But if he was going to anger Dark Rudy, he had to keep this up. He had to lie, say these things about Cosmo, to piss off Dark Rudy. Seeing the evil teen’s face start to turn red, he was on the right track.

“How dare you!” Dark Rudy snarled at him. “If you keep this up, I’ll..!”

“Or you’ll what? You’ll bring Cosmo down here and hope that he somehow can make it all better?” Rudy said in a mocking tone of voice. “Really now..is that where you will go anytime there is trouble? Up to Cosmo? Hope that he can fix things for you?” Rudy tried his best not to shudder at the sound of Dark Rudy’s growling. He tried not to react at his contorted face. Rudy said, “Well sorry to break it to you, but your master is nothing but a phony. He only pretends to be smart. But really, he’s just an idiot when you get right down to it.”

“Shut up!” Dark Rudy yelled.

Rudy chuckled at this. “Why should I? Are you afraid to hear of the truth?”

“You’re lying! You don’t know anything about my master! You’re just jealous that you don’t have his talent!” Dark Rudy yelled at him. His voice rose in volume. “If you dare speak another derogatory word about my master...” He clenched his teeth tightly, growling softly. “You..are...going...to...regret..it...”

It was clear to Rudy that his counterpart was trying to control his temper. He was starting to lose it. He was being pushed over the edge. He was getting so close. He was doing a good job at hiding his fear, keeping his counterpart in the dark of what was really going on. He just needed to think of something to break him, something would cause him to snap. And he believed he knew just what to say to him. A bold move, very dangerous, but it should work.

Rudy gave a sneer, his grin broadening. “Regret it eh? Well if I were in your shoes, I’d regret working for Cosmo. I’ve encountered him in my dimension, too, you know. And let me tell you, he was a pushover.” A lie, but a necessary one. “I couldn’t believe I was ever even afraid of that guy. I mean, why should I be afraid of someone who was so stupid, that he ended up killing himself?”

Dark Rudy’s face went into complete shock. His eyes bulged open wide. His mouth dropped open. He shook his head a little and he spoke in a small voice, “Y-Your Cosmo is..dead..?” There was no hint of anger there. Just confusion.

Rudy nodded his head. “Yes. He was so consumed with trying to kill me, that he ended up getting crushed to death by his own death trap. He was trying to crush me, but I got away.” Rudy folded his arms again, smirking at his counterpart. “If he hadn’t done something so stupid, he would have lived. But hey, I guess we all can’t be so intelligent, right? Plus, maybe Cosmo did himself a favor. He no longer has to be around to listen to his own stupid advice.”

Dark Rudy stared at Rudy in shock for a while. He was completely still, the only movement being his eyes blinking a few times. Rudy was worried that maybe he took things the opposite way. Dark Rudy didn’t appear angry, just shocked. That was not going to work for their plans. He waited, hoping to see some kind of outburst. Rudy did still bad with the way he was acting. He normally would not speak that way. But he acknowledged it was necessary.

Then, slowly, Dark Rudy’s eyes narrowed into slits. His body started to shake, harder than before. He let out a roar of anger as he straightened himself to look threatening. His teeth were bared, clenching tightly against each other. His eyes were wide, wild with rage. Rudy took another step back, unable to stop his eyes from widening. Had he done it? Had he provoke him enough to make him snap? He watched as Dark Rudy raised his sword and pointed it in his direction once more. Rudy took that as a yes.

“You...you little fucker! I am going to make you regret those words!” Dark Rudy snarled. “I will show you why my master picked me as his second in command! I will show you what he has taught me!” Dark Rudy took a step forward, his black eyes boring through Rudy’s. “You, my pathetic weakling self, will learn the very definition of pain... You will regret ever speaking out against my master...”

“Y-You really are touchy aren’t you?” Rudy mocked. He was not able to hide the emotional crack in his voice. “I can’t blame you. Sometimes the truth is more painful than a lie. That’s why some people like to hide behind comforting lies.” His smile broadened. “I bet that is what Mr. Cosmo does. Too much of a coward to face reality.”

Dark Rudy let out a loud yell, one filled with more hatred and anger than Rudy had ever heard anyone muster up before. It was enough that it chilled his blood. He gave a quick glance at the others. They, too, looked frightened by the sudden battle cry that Dark Rudy emitted. Rudy heard the sound of clicking, and he looked over just in time to see Dark Rudy rushing at him, his eyes wide with anger. Rudy didn’t have much time before Dark Rudy slammed up against him, pushing him into the ground.

Rudy struggled on the ground, kicking his legs wildly. He twisted his head from side to side. Dark Rudy had his sword pressed up against his neck. Rudy looked at the blade in fear, seeing his reflection. He gritted his teeth as he looked up at Dark Rudy. He shuddered visibly as he looked into those eyes. They were so uncomfortable to gaze into. He could feel the hate radiating from them, joining in with the black mist that came out of those eyes. A look of cruelty...something that he hoped he would never have.

Rudy started to push back against Dark Rudy. He tried to get the sword away from his neck. He grabbed onto Dark Rudy’s arms and pushed hard. His evil self was stronger than he thought he would be, and he wasn’t able push him back that far. He closed his eyes tightly, straining to try to keep the sword a little away from his neck. It took him seconds to realize that, in his anger, Dark Rudy might forget that he is not supposed to kill him.

Rudy opened up one eye and looked up at Dark Rudy. No look of mercy from him. The dark teenager pushed harder, trying to push the sword against his throat. Rudy’s legs kicked on the ground. He had to get this guy off of him. He wasn’t going to last much longer at this rate. As the sword pushed harder against his neck, he could feel his heart quickening. Just one slash from this sword and it was all over. Pulling his foot back, he kicked against Dark Rudy’s stomach. Dark Rudy grunted in pain and held his stomach. With this distraction, Rudy managed to slip out from him, causing the teenager to fall forward into the ground, no longer pushing up against him.

Dark Rudy shook his head and snarled in Rudy’s direction. He was still caught in his own rage. Before Rudy had a chance to get up, Dark Rudy, dropping his sword, charged him. Rudy was on his hands and knees when he was tackled a second time. He let out a cry of pain as he was pushed back into the ground. Dark Rudy laid on his back. He gripped his shoulders and pushed him into the ground. Rudy struggled to get free, but Dark Rudy refused to let go. Suddenly, without warning, Dark Rudy started to punch him in the back, between his shoulders.

Rudy couldn’t tell if the others got a chance to leave yet or not. Dark Rudy was hitting him in the back hard, each one prompting a cry from him, no matter how much he tried to hold back. Dark Rudy snarled and hit him again and again. Rudy couldn’t concentrate on what was around him. All that was on his mind now was the pain. He let out a soft whimper as Dark Rudy continued to punch him. Then he suddenly stopped. Rudy was confused. This lasted a few seconds. Dark Rudy gripped him by his hair and yanked him back. The sudden pull of his hair and scalp made Rudy scream loudly. It felt like Dark Rudy was going to rip off the skin completely.

Rudy looked at Dark Rudy, whimpering softly. Tears of pain started to move down his face. Dark Rudy growled, taking in open mouthed gasps slowly and heavily. He yanked Rudy’s head forward and glared at him in the eyes. After an uncomfortable stare that lasted a few seconds, Dark Rudy proceeded to lift Rudy up by his hair with another rough pull. Rudy cried out in agony and tried to yank his counterpart’s hand off of him. He didn’t have time to when he was suddenly gripped by his arm with his counterpart’s other hand and dragged over to the wall.

Dark Rudy released his arm and then sneered at him as he tightened his grip on his head. He smashed Rudy’s face against the wall and pulled it down slowly. Rudy could feel the rocky surface scrape against his skin. Dark Rudy pulled his head back and smashed it up again. There was a crack and Rudy realized his nose was broken. He swiftly became aware of a horrible pain emitting from the middle of his face, and there was a warm liquid pooling out of his nose. Blood...

Dark Rudy threw Rudy into the ground. He glared down at him for a few moments, watching him hold his nose in pain. Then he knelt down and, before kneeling down and grabbing him by his shirt collar. He yanked Rudy up off the ground. Rudy let out a cry of pain as he was forced off the ground and slammed against the wall. Dark Rudy sneered at him, an evil smile spreading across his face. Rudy twisted his head to the side as Dark Rudy pressed his body against him. He pushed his face against Rudy’s, their cheeks touching each other. Rudy was very uncomfortable with this and tried to get free, which resulted in Dark Rudy pushing up against him even harder.

“Oh you poor naive fool... You thought you could get away with saying those things that easily...?” Dark Rudy said with a jeer. He grinned, his breath hitting against Rudy’s face. “Well I’m sorry to disappoint you, weakling, but life isn’t always fair...”

Rudy struggled to get free. His counterpart’s face this close to him, it frightened him. He grabbed onto his counterpart’s shoulders and pushed back against him. He managed to make Dark Rudy take a few steps back. With this window of chance, Rudy dashed off to the side, freeing himself from Dark Rudy’s grasp. His counterpart didn’t look disappointed he didn’t have a hold of him. He just advanced on him again, slowly, deliberately.

“Don’t worry..I won’t kill you...” Dark Rudy said in a calm voice. “I’ve managed to tame my temper. But..you still need a little lesson...”

Rudy moved back, standing dangerously close to the electrified water bars. He couldn’t go back much further. He felt his heart race faster as Dark Rudy got close to him. If he got too close and ended up pushing into the water bars, he would be electrocuted. He realized that he may have just made a wrong move. Running over here was a potential death sentence. He tried to ease his way out of it, but Dark Rudy adjusted his body so that he couldn’t move away from the elecric bars no matter which way he went.

He realized, in horror, that Dark Rudy was deliberately keeping him there. He knew how dangerous the electricity in the water was. He knew full well what would happen if he touched it. And now he was boxing him near it so that he would constantly be close to death. And with him in the front, someone who was capable of hurting him, willing to kill him if he so got the word, it made it clear just what he was doing. Psychologically torturing him... Cutting off his escape route while keeping him pressed near a lethal weapon. No matter which way he went, he was in trouble.

Dark Rudy advanced on him. He moved until Rudy had his back pressed against the ground, parallel to the water bars. Dark Rudy pinned Rudy down, gripping his shoulders tightly. Rudy struggled, but soon stopped, not because of Dark Rudy, but because of the electric bars. He was dangerously close to them. Oh why didn’t he think this through more? He stared up at Dark Rudy in fear, wondering what he was going to do to him.

“Now...prepare for...” Dark Rudy stopped suddenly. His head raised up. Rudy looked at him, confused, wondering what got his attention. Dark Rudy looked around slowly. Rudy realized, dread rising up in his stomach, just what Dark Rudy came to notice. His counterpart looked down at him, his eyes wide in shock. “Where are the others..?”

Rudy didn’t answer him. He just stared at him, silently, panting heavily. He didn’t even need to answer for Dark Rudy to finally make the connection. The realization that he had been tricked dawned on him. His eyes widened further, his mouth dropping open wide. Dark Rudy stared at him in disbelief. That disbelief soon contorted into anger. Growls emitted from his throat. Rudy gulped, realizing that he was in worse trouble than before.

“You little bitch! You tricked me!” Dark Rudy shouted. He grabbed Rudy by his throat. He started to squeeze tightly, strangling him. “Where are they?! Tell me!” He increased his pressure, causing Rudy to gag. “Tell me now, you soft-hearted waste of space! I’ll break your neck if you don’t tell me!”

Rudy opened his mouth wide to breathe. He took in small breaths, all that he could manage. He looked up at his counterpart pleadingly, silently begging him to let him go. Dark Rudy growled, his face contorting further into rage. It was a terrifying sight. Saffron was not kidding when she said that Dark Rudy was scary when he was angry. Rudy had a feeling that Dark Rudy was so angry he was not going to let go on his own.

Pulling his foot back, he kicked against Dark Rudy’s stomach once more. The force of the kick was enough to get Dark Rudy off of him, flying onto his back. Rudy scrambled up to his feet. He looked over to the open door. He gave a few pants, and then rushed over towards it. He ran as fast as he could. He didn’t get far. He felt his arm being gripped and he was suddenly yanked back. He screamed as he was thrown against the wall with tremendous force.

Before he had time to react, Dark Rudy advanced on him and delivered a kick between his legs. Rudy’s eyes bulged wide and he held onto that spot protectively as he collapsed on the ground. Tears of pain flowed from his eyes. Of course his counterpart would make such a low, underhanded blow. He looked up as his counterpart stared down at him, smiling evilly. Using his foot, Dark Rudy gently pushed against Rudy until he was completely on his back. Then he pulled his leg up and it came down with great force.

Rudy let out a cry of pain as the foot smashed up against his stomach. Blood sprayed from his mouth from the stomp and he let out groans of pain. Dark Rudy left at this and stomped down on his stomach again, forcing more blood out of his mouth. Then he gave one more, bringing down his foot as hard as he could. Rudy screamed in pain and put one hand on his stomach, rolling to his side. He curled up in a ball and started to sob in agony. He vomitted up more blood, a small pool forming on the ground in front of him.

Pain..so much pain... Rudy found it difficult to move. He wasn’t able to think. All that was on his mind right now was the pain. His body trembled, blood still leaking out of his mouth. He opened up one eye and stared up at his counterpart. He let out a few pained whines as Dark Rudy sneered at him and prepared another attack. He lowered himself to the ground and gripped Rudy by his shirt collar again. Rudy stared at him fearfully as he balled his hand up into a fist. He pulled it back. Rudy shut his eyes and looked away, preparing for the pain.

It never came.

Rudy was confused when there was a shudden shout of surprise and he felt Dark Rudy let him go. He opened his eyes completely and looked over to see what had happened. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw.

Penny...It was Penny.. She had come back to help him. The female teenager had Dark Rudy in a headlock and she was pulling him away from him. Dark Rudy was struggling against her, but was having no luck in dislodging the angry teenager. Penny’s teeth were bared and eyes narrowed in anger. She gripped Dark Rudy’s other arm and then she forced him into the ground. Rudy managed to sit up and he watched as Penny kept Dark Rudy on the ground, unable to get himself up.

Dark Rudy struggled underneeath her. “Let me go at once, you bitch!”

“No!” Penny snarled at him. “I won’t let you hurt my friend anymore!” Penny tightened her grip on him. She used her body weight to hold him down. “I don’t care if you technically are a version of my friend. You’re a monster and I won’t let you get away with hurting him!”

Dark Rudy glared up at her, looking at her with one eye. “You are going to regret this! Just wait until I report this to Mr. Cosmo! If he finds out...!”

“Oh shut up! Enough with Mr. Cosmo! I don’t care what your master thinks! Do you think I give a rat’s ass about that?!” Penny snarled at him, twisting his arm and prompting a cry of pain from Dark Rudy. “You sick little monster!”

Rudy’s eyes widened when he noticed something that Penny did not. He pushed himself onto his hands. He opened up his mouth to speak. He couldn’t at first. Blood just poured out of his mouth. He gave a few coughs. He tried again, this time managing to let out a wet, strangled cry, “P-Penny! Look out!”

Penny looked over at Rudy, confused. “What...?”

It was too late for her to react. She did not see Dark Rudy reaching over and grabbing his katana, which was nearby. She did not see him raise it up..until it was too late. Penny let out a cry of pain when the blunt part of the katana was thrust against the side of her head. She stumbled into the ground. Dark Rudy instantly climbed up to his feet. Glaring angrily, he pressed his foot against Penny’s chest and pointed the blade down towards her, the tip touching her throat. Penny’s eyes went wide with fear.

“Penny!” Rudy struggled to his feet. He slipped a few times and he had to pause due to agony. He soon managed to get onto his feet. He stumbled forward. He had no idea why Penny came back, but now wasn’t the time to question that. “L-Let her go!”

Dark Rudy looked over at him, giving him an unimpressed look. “Why should I..?”

“Because if you d-don’t...I’ll make you pay!” Rudy shouted. He started to cough and he held onto his stomach. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Dark Rudy looked at this with an amused expression. “It seems right now you need to help yourself. And besides...” He pushed against Penny harder, making her grunt in pain. He pressed the blade further against her throat. Penny squirmed, wanting to push the sword away but afraid to make any attempt to do so, fearful that she would end up getting herself hurt. “I don’t think you’ll want her to get hurt, now would you?”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. “Don’t you dare...”

“Don’t dare what? I won’t do anything...” Dark Rudy said. “So long as you stay there and wait for my master to come down. Surrender yourselves.” He smirked down at Penny. “If you make one move, I will hurt your dear little Penny. I’ll slice her throat just enough to take away her voice.” Rudy and Penny’s eyes widened in horror at that. “Oh wouldn’t that be lovely? Imagine, not being able to hear her sweet voice anymore.” Dark Rudy stared at Rudy with a twisted smile on his face. “I could also break her back...make her not able to walk.. Would you like that..?”

Rudy’s body shook in a mixture of pain and anger. He felt his blood start to boil. He glared hatefully at Dark Rudy. He growled softly. All instincts told him to ram this guy. But he couldn’t do anything, and that made him angrier. He wanted to rush into this guy. He wanted to make him pay for hurting Penny. But he knew he couldn’t do that, not while she was pinned down like that. He was stuck. He had no choice but to stay where he was. As much as he hated to admit it, Dark Rudy was running the show now.

“Tell you what.” Dark Rudy said with a sneer. “I’ll let her go...if you tell me where Ms. Saffron and your Snap went.” Rudy opened his mouth to respond, but Dark Rudy held up his hand to stop him. “..and one more thing I’d like you to do after that...” He pointed out of the cage. “You see that?”

Rudy looked over. On the ground near where Dark Rudy was, there was a bottle of water. He hadn’t noticed it before. He looked back at Dark Rudy, his heart clenching. “Y-Yes..”

Dark Rudy gave an evil smile. “I want you to drink it.” Rudy and Penny gasped in horror at this.

“Wh-What?!” Rudy cried, his eyes wide in terror. His heart pounded against his chest.

“You want him to do what? B-But..that would...” Penny started to say.

Dark Rudy laughed evilly. “I know it would...”

“Why...?” Rudy asked, his breath quickening.

“Just for a little entertainment...” Dark Rudy chuckled. He pushed the sword a little harder against Penny’s throat, causing her to cry out in pain. “Either tell me where your two comrades went and drink that real world water, or I will hurt your friend here. It’s your choice, Rudy.”

Rudy looked at him in horror. He then stared at Penny. His mind swirled with thoughts, trying to think of what he could do. He couldn’t allow Penny to be hurt. Even if she won’t be killed, the thought of her being crippled like that..it was too much for him to bear. He loved her. He would never want her to be hurt like that. He looked back at Dark Rudy. He realized that he truly was boxed into a corner.

He couldn’t rush forward. That would only ensure her getting hurt. No matter which way he came from, Dark Rudy would be able to slice Penny’s throat before he could reach him. He couldn’t run away either. He would never abandon Penny like that. She needed his help. She was his best friend. If he left her...just what kind of friend would he be? A terrible one... And if he left, not only would he be a coward, but Dark Rudy would hurt her anyway.

In the end, he knew there was just one choice he had. As much as he didn’t want to, Dark Rudy had him by the arm, figuratively speaking. He had no choice but to give into Dark Rudy’s commands. With Penny threatened like that...what over choice did he have? He couldn’t get her out of that situation, not with her pinned down and at Dark Rudy’s mercy. He looked over at Penny. He gave her a sad, regretful expression.

“I’m...sorry Penny...” Rudy said softly. Penny’s eyes widened. He looked over at Dark Rudy, glaring at him, before bowing his head in submission. Dark Rudy grinned at this.

“That’s a good boy...” Dark Rudy said. “I knew you would see sense.”

Rudy turned and quietly walked away. He headed straight over to where the water bottle was. Penny took notice of this and tried to struggle.

“No, Rudy! Don’t do it!” Penny cried out in desperation. “Please! Don’t!”

Dark Rudy glared down at her. “Be quiet, you. This is between him..and me...” Dark Rudy turned his attention back to Rudy. He smiled evilly as Rudy walked back over, holding the water bottle in his hands. It was about halfway full. “Good, good... Hmm you know..I changed my mind..” Rudy looked at him in confusion. “You don’t have to tell me where Saffron and Snap are... Instead, just drink that..” He pointed at the water bottle. A nasty smile on his face. “All of it, too.”

Rudy stared at Dark Rudy in horror. Was he serious? Drink all the water? He looked at the water bottle. Despite being halfway gone, there was still a lot of water in there. If he drank the whole thing, he might... He looked back at Dark Rudy, who was giving him an evil smile, baring his teeth. He remembered that the black chalk does not require a living host, so even if Dark Rudy killed him, his body could still be used.

Rudy looked at the bottle. He let out a whimper, remembering just how painful it was when he drank a little bit of water at the hospital. Now he had to drink this...and possibly die... He looked over at Penny apologetically. Then he gripped the bottle and started to twist the top off.

Penny cried, tears flowing down her face. “Rudy! No!”


	59. Not Going To Fool Me, Creator

Quet rested on the ground, curled up into a ball. He was tired, still a little groggy from having woken up just a short while ago. He had almost forgotten how he came to be here. One look at his surroundings, seeing the electric water bars surrounding him, it came rushing back at him like a tidal wave. Unpleasant memories resurfaced.

He and a group of his friends, all part of the Luminos, they had ventured into Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. They had detected creator activity and they set out to neutralize the threat. They realized they were up against the black chalk creators, the more aggressive type. They knew, right off the bat, it was going to be a dangerous move. They knew what they were risking by going up against them. But they had no choice. They couldn’t allow those despicable humans ruing Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. They had to fight.

And fight they did. They stood their ground well at first against the creators. Quet had thought that, if they were careful enough and planned their moves, they would gain the upperhand and drive the humans away. All they really had to do was get the magic chalk from them. Without it, the creators were helpless. They could then force them to leave, or threaten to leave them stranded in ChalkZone if it came to that. Humans couldn’t eat or drink anything in ChalkZone, so that would have been a death sentence for them. Granted, it was a pretty terrible one, but after what humans did to ChalkZone, they deserved it.

They weren’t able to hold their ground for very long. And eventually, he and Hagar were captured. They were plucked right from the field and taken to this forsaken place. He was trapped in the real world, which might as well be hell for him. The liquid in this world would kill him. Any liquid, slow or quickly, always painful. These bars surrounding him, they would keep him in here. He might not be one of the largest zoners, but he could not fit through these bars.

That large human, Ghadir he believed her comrades called her, she had tortured his best friend right in front of him. It was a horrific sight. His eyes watered as he recalled all the gruesome details. The cutting of his skin... The ripping of muscle... The blood pouring out of the wounds... His friend’s screaming in agony... It haunted him, swirling in his head, refusing to let him go. Quet lowered his head and fought back the tears.

“A-Are you okay..?”

Quet snapped his head up and looked at the source of the voice. He let out a low hiss when he saw the human girl looking right at him. She seemed so...confused. He wasn’t sure why she was looking at him like this. But he didn’t care. This was some kind of torture, he knew. They tossed a small creator in with him just to torment him. He didn’t know what the girl was capable of doing, but he wasn’t going to give her that chance.

When he woke up, he couldn’t believe that he was stuck in this cage with a human. She could probably get out at any time. She might be their little minion, here to torture him mentally by pretending to want to help. Well he wasn’t going to fall for it. The creators might be wanting to make this place even more of a hell for him than it was before. But this little trick was dependant on whether or not he’d be dumb enough to fall for it. If they think he would just lower his guard just because this girl acts nicely towards him, they were in for a big surprise.

Quet said in a low, growly voice, “That’s none of your business, human.”

The little girl gave a sigh. “I don’t know why you’re acting like that. We’re both in this predicament together. It would be easier if we just...”

“Shut up!” Quet hissed, ruffling his feathers a little. “I’m not going to let you get my guard down! You hear me?” He lowered his head in a threatening manner, like he was ready to strike. “I’m onto you. I know you’re just trying to put my guard down so you’ll wait until I fall asleep and you hurt me!”

“I don’t know why you think I’m going to hurt you.” The girl said, sounding confused. “How could I hurt you? I am unarmed and in case you still haven’t noticed, I’m a prisoner here too.”

Quet growled at this. Very convincing. The larger creators must have told her to put on a convincing show, to act like she was a prisoner. Good thing he saw right through this ruse. Who knows what kind of trouble he would have been in if he didn’t realize what was going on. This girl probably has some kind of hidden weapon somewhere, out of sight and ready to be used once he lets his guard down and she could take him by surprise.

Very clever of them to choose a child to do this. Children human were, overall, less threatening, at least at a glance. They did have more active imagination and they had more energy, so in fights, they lasted longer. That was part of why the magic chalk war was so devastating; the fighters were energetic children. But they were also more vulnerable without the magic chalk. Adult humans have some chance of fighting back well enough, but children...not so much. Not that they can’t fight back, but their small size and overall being physically weak did make it hard for them to stand up against zoners that were larger than them.

This girl, on the other hand, yeah she was small, but then so was he. They were pretty well matched. If it came to the point where they would fight, he did feel assured that he at least stood a chance. He was swifter than this little girl. He could wrap himself around her before she had a chance to strike. Perhaps if he got a hold of her, her comrades would do whatever he said. He could get out of this terrible place and try to find his way back into ChalkZone. He had to report to Maalik about what happened. Maalik.. His heart clenched. He must think he’s dead...

“I don’t understand why you won’t let me help you.” The girl said, her eyes narrowing in what Quet guess was feigned confusion. “Don’t you think we stand a better chance if we work together? We both have one thing in common. We’re both trapped here against our will. They’ve hurt both of us.”

Quet shook his head. “Your acting is getting a little old now, human.” He stared at her intently. “I thought you would have learned by now..I’m not that stupid. So why don’t you drop the act already and tell me what’s really on your mind.” He spread his wings a little more. “You want to eat me...just like that large creator at my friend!”

The girl’s eyes popped open in horror. Her hands flung to her mouth. “She did what?!”

“She ate him...” He lowered his head, his body trembling in emotion. “She just...killed him slowly..and ate him...” Tears moved down his face as he shook his head slowly in denial. “Forced me to watch the whole thing...” He then opened his eyes and shot a hateful glare over at the girl. “Which is why I am not going to fall for your tricks, filthy human! I will make sure my friend’s death is avenged! You will rue the day you messed with the Luminos!”

The girl was silent for a little while. Quet briefly wondered if his words got through to the human and she finally realized that her tricks and lies weren’t going to work on him. He hoped this was the case. He was sick of talking with this human. He was tired of trying to explain to her that her job in the plan was not going to be fullfilled. He was not going to allow her to trick him like this.

Then, after a few moments, the girl opened her mouth to speak again. Quet growled softly, irritated that she would dare speak again.

“But... I was not responsible for your friend’s death.” The girl said. “Why would you be taking it out on me?”

“All you humans are the same...” Quet growled soflty.

“How can you judge all of humans based on the actions of a few?” The girl asked, tilting her head. “Doesn’t that seem...too judgmental? What if one of us humans decided that all zoners were overly aggressive jerks just because one of them that we met was a bit on edge?”

Quet narrowed his eyes. “That would be different.”

“How?” The girl asked, her voice a little forceful. “How would it be different?”

“Zoners know the difference between right and wrong.” Quet said in a deepened voice tinged with anger. “Unlike you humans...who just roam around and do whatever you want to ChalkZone. The Luminos will put an end to your reign of terror. Even if I’m gone, their legacy will continue. The Luminos won’t rest until all the humans are out of ChalkZone.”

The girl stared at him for a few moments. Her eyes were still filled with confusion. She lowered her gaze to the ground. “...I see..”

So it seems this girl finally realized that her lies weren’t going to work. Good. Maybe now he could finally get some truth out of her. Maybe if he were a little...persuasive, he could get her to let him out and tell him how to get back into ChalkZone. He could even try to force the plan out of her mouth. She was part of their team, so she should know what they planned to do, right? Yes, she wold know...

“So you’re a racist.” The girl stated simply.

Quet’s eyes widened at that. “What did you say?”

“You’re a racist.” The girl repeated. There was some mixture of anger and disappointment in her voice. Quet stared at her, wondering what she was tallking about. “You’re prejudiced against creators. You’re so spiteful, you made up your mind about an entire species, just because of what a few did to you. I can understand being cautious but...to go after any human you see in ChalkZone, even someone who was defenseless....”

“Oh shut up!” Quet snarled at her, baring his teeth. “You have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Oh no? And you do?” The girl said, cocking an eyebrow.

“Yes! I know all about you humans! I know you want to take over ChalkZone and exploit it! All of you do! You see zoners as just mere tools! You want to control us!” Quet shouted at the girl. The girl flinched and moved back. Quet moved a little closer to her. His feathers ruffled further, making him appear larger than he really was. “You...you and your kind disgust me! Thinking you can rule a species like that...” His body started to shake in anger. “At least soon...ChalkZone doesn’t have to deal with such monsters...”

“Like yourself?” The girl asked in a bitter tone.

Quet snapped his head back. “What the fuck did you just say to me?!”

The girl glared at him. There was clear anger being those eyes. Not a rage, but still noticeable. He watched as the girl got up to her feet. She glared at him, her finger pointed accusingly at him. “You heard me! You...your Luminos...based on what I heard, you’re monsters too! You go after humans even if they did nothing and you try to drive them out! You generalize an entire species! You’re willing to hurt just to get your way! Listen to the way you’re talking to me! I didn’t do anything and here you are, acting like I just sank a ship full of your friends!”

Quet narrowed his eyes into slits. He positioned himself into an S formation. He tensed his body up. This girl was getting on his nerves. If she kept it up...

“Look, I’m sorry about your friend, okay? I wouldn’t want anything like that to happen to anyone. I am sorry for your loss, and I can understand why you’d be so shaken up after that.” The girl said, her voice soft at first. Then it grew in volume after the short pause and her eyes narrowed again. “But that doesn’t excuse your behavior! I didn’t do anything wrong! I am innocent! I was not involved in those creators that hurt you! You’re threatening someone who never did a damn thing to you!”

“Isn’t that what creators do..?” The snake zoner asked, sneering at her. “You creators attacked innocent zoners before....”

The girl snarled, “I guess that’s one thing you Luminos have in common with creators.”

Quet’s eyes widened at this, then narrowed into slits. That was it. That was the sentence that broke the camel’s back. The little brat had gone too far. Quet’s body shook viciously, anger sweeping through his feathered body. He tried to control himself. He tried not to let anger get the better of him.

But he was not able to.

Without warning, Quet unleashed his fury in one, single strike. He shot himself forward at lightning speed. The girl moved back in shock, but she was not able to get out of the way in time. Quet slammed his jaws shut around her arm, close to the wrist. The girl let out a scream of pain. Quet bit down hard, drawing blood. He released her when he realized the blood was starting to hurt him. He pulled back from her.

Quet glared angrily at the girl. He watched as she clutched her hand, her body shaking in pain. The blood dripped from the wound, staining the ground. She was down on her knees. Quet could see the deep gashes he made near her wrist. He took in a few heavy breaths. Maye now, the little brat would respect. Maybe now she would understand that her lies and deceit weren’t going to work on him.

Slowly, the girl looked up at him. He was a little surprised by what he saw in those eyes. Fear, pain, a silent question of ‘why?’. Quet didn’t quite understand. Anger still ruled his mind. He still glared at her hatefully. But now there was a new emotion. A new feeling. Confusion. The girl moved back from him, emitting small whimpers of fear and pain. Quet glared at her while she stared back with those wide, distressed eyes.

Quet’s expression started to soften a little as he started to calm down a little. Striking the girl helped him unleash a huge amount of his anger, and now he was able to calm down, the emotion no longer overflowing in his body. His teeth remained gritted, the breath being sucked in and out raggedly. He glared into her eyes. He waited for her to say something, anything. He knew that she wanted to give some kind of retort, perhaps a rant on how the humans were going to win this war. It was going to happen sooner or later. He just needed to wait.

That never happened. Instead, the girl just moved further way from him, trembling in fear. He looked on in confusion. This fear...it was looking pretty genuine to him. He moved a little closer. The girl leaned back, gritting her teeth fearfully. He stared into her eyes. That look... It seemed...so familiar.. He raised his head up and he thought back to Hagar. This look was the same one that his friend had given him before he....

Quet shook his head, moving a little back from the girl. He took notice of the water behind her. He could see his reflection in the water. As he stared, he thought he could briefly see not himself, but Ghadir staring back. And, a second later, those words she spoke, echoing in the back of his head...they resurfaced, gripping him tightly.

“You're more like us than you are willing to admit. Look in the reflection, and you will see us shining back...”

Quet snapped his head back, his eyes wide in horror. He let out a surprised yelp and moved back away from the girl, away from that distorted reflection of his. He curled up in a ball on the ground and stared at the girl, his breathing quickening. No, it wouldn’t be... He thought he purged his mind of those thoughts. He thought he managed to get over Ghadir’s little mind trick...

He wasn’t like the human. He couldn’t be. No, he was just defending himself. This girl..she brought it on herself. She shouldn’t have been involved with these black chalk artists. If she had just stayed home and did..whatever it is humans do when they weren’t tormenting ChalkZone, she would have been fine. She chose this path. She had the bite coming, didn’t she? She could have just told him the truth, but no, she decided to lie to him. She should have seen this coming. It was her own fault she got hurt.

But the longer he stared at her, the more he started to see less of the girl and more of Hagar. That look, the same one that he made when he was being hurt. He had tried pleading for mercy, to no avail. He was so scared..so frightened.. It hurt Quet to see him like that. He wished he could have helped him. He wished he could have done something to save him from that terrible fate... And now here, laying before him, was a human with that same look, one fille with fear and dread. And no matter how he looked at her, she still looked so much like she was...afraid of him...

That was impossible, wasn’t it? Yes...yes it had to be. Maybe he was reading too much into it. Creators weren’t afraid of zoners. They were afraid of getting hurt, yes, but zoners themselves? No. They weren’t because they know they have an advantage over zoners in both worlds. Water in the real world...magic chalk in ChalkZone... This girl was just a very good actor.

Or was it even acting...?

Quet didn’t have much time to think about it. In that moment, the door swung open, hitting against the wall hard. He and the girl snapped their heads in the direction of the sound. They could see someone coming down the stairs. This person was clearly not Ghadir. They were too thin. It wasn’t Jenny either. The figure was all wrong. That left just one person, and that was Tyreek.

Sure enough, that guess was correct. Tyreek made his way down the stairs, a blank expression on his face. He moved towards the cage, his arms folded behind his back. He stared at the two, his eyes filled with some kind of intent. Quet hissed lowly and coiled back, prepared to make another strike. This time, he would aim for something a little less...non-vital... The neck would make for an excellent target. His teeth would rip right through it. Yes, human...get close enough...feel the pain of the fangs...

Tyreek stood in front of the cage. He was quiet for a few moments. Then he started to smile a little. “Breaking your mother is going to be fun...” He said in a cold voice. “As soon as she wakes up, we’ll have some fun with her. Making her join us.. She’ll make a perfect replacement for Mrs. Sanchez...”

The girl’s eyes widened in horror. It was like she forgot about her pain when she stood up and moved towards the front of it. “No..please don’t do that!” The girl pleaded with the man. “Please let my mom go... Please..”

Tyreek’s eyes twinkled. “I am afraid we can’t do that. You see...she’ll be of some use to us...” He smirked evilly. “I’m sure she will be happy to obligue... when she sees who you’ll look, she will sing to our tune.”

“No...” The girl whimpered.

“Now, now little Sophie..” Tyreek waggled his finger. “No need to get worked up. We might decide to corrupt you, too. A family reunion is in order, don’t you think?”

“Fuck you!” Sophie shouted, her eyes blazing with anger for a few seconds.

Quet watched this scene in confusion and shock. He hadn’t expected the girl, Sophie, to react like that. He didn’t understand why she was still putting on a show. Did they really want to be that convincing? And why was she so offended by her mom being corrupted? They were human. Didn’t that mean they were already corrupt by default? He had seen the way humans act in ChalkZone...

He watched as the two humans stared each other down. It was quite a contrast. A pretty small on, not much larger than himself in size. He was quite long, but not very big himself. Tyreek, the human who broke his wing, was much larger than the girl. Not the tallest human he’s seen, but still towering over the girl. He still thought that this was just acting, that maybe they wanted him to believe that Sophie was in danger so he’ll lower his guard around her. A good way to get in a sneak attack.

“What a naughty little girl... Perhaps I should have some fun with you.” Tyreek said in a cold voice. He tilted his head to the side. “I mean...after all.. I do need to pass the time, and you do need to learn some manners.” Sophie’s eyes widened and she took a step back. “I see your little snake companion there hurt you. Well don’t worry...” His eyes flashed black. “After what I do to you, I doubt you will notice that little mark.”

What happened next, Quet did not see coming.

Tyreek opened up the door. He reached in and seized Sophie by the arm. After she was yanked out, the door was shut again before Quet could try to get out. He watched as Sophie was dragged towards a table, the same one that Hagar had been tortured on. All the while, Sophie was screaming and shouting, pleading with him not to hurt her. Tyreek did not listen to her and she was forced on the table.

Quet’s eyes were glued on the scene. Tyreek strapped Sophie down to the table, just like Hagar was. She tried to move. She tried to fight back. No matter what she did, she remained strapped on the table. Unlike with Hagar, there was no nail driven into her body somewhere to hold her down. But that didn’t make the scene any less pleasant to watch. Quet’s eyes widened as he saw Tyreek lift up a scalpel.

Okay...this acting was getting a little too realistic. If he didn’t know better, he’d say this was real. He knew they would want their acting to be convincing to him, but..wasn’t this going a little too far? He watched as Sophie struggled, trying to wrench herself free. Side to side, she twisted, becoming more pronounced when the scalpel was brought over towards her. Quet’s eyes filled with disbelief when Tyreek made the first incision on Sophie’s arm. A loud scream echoed through the room.

Quet watched this in horror. He curled up into a tight ball, his body trembling. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He tried to convince himself it was just acting. But all the blood he was seeing, the screaming...no it wasn’t acting. This was..real... He shut his eyes tightly, trying in vain to block out the screams.

sss

Penny couldn’t believe what was happening. How could this have happened to them? How did they let it come to this? This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. It was all planned out. But now..it was falling apart right before her eyes. This...this wasn’t accounted for. None of them had realized this might be something Dark Rudy would do. None of them realized that he would come up with such a sick, twisted plan.

She had ignored Saffron’s orders and ran away from her and Snap, back to where Rudy was. It had been a good thing she did. She had stopped the evil teenager from hurting her friend. But now she was in a predicament herself. And Rudy..he couldn’t do anything to help her. Dark Rudy had her pinned down effectively, his katana against her throat. She could feel the coldness of the blade against her skin, the sharp edge just barely cutting the very tip of her body. If Rudy made a move towards her, she would be hurt.

Now she was forced to watch, her eyes wide in horror, as Rudy took the water bottle. Dark Rudy..that sick, twisted, vile monster... He wanted him to drink the full thing. He wanted him to more or less commit suicide. That was what was going to happen if Rudy drank that. His stomach would dissolve and blood and acid would pour out, burning and melting him form the inside out. That was Rudy’s only way of keeping her from getting hurt. Dark Rudy threatened to maim her permanently if he did not comply.

And now there he was, holding the bottle in his hands. The cap was already off. He was staring at the water right now, his teeth clenched in fear. She could see the terror radiating from his eyes. He did not want to drink the water. He did not want to feel that pain again. But Penny knew Rudy was willing to put himself through hell if it meant keeping his friends alive. Her eyes widened in horror as he pulled the bottle closer.

“Rudy! Please! Don’t do it!” Penny cried, tears moving down her face. “Please..I don’t want to lose you...!”

Rudy paused and looked her. Slowly, he smiled. “I know you don’t...” His smile faded as he looked down at the drink. “But I have no choice...” He gave her a sideways glance. “I’m..I’m sorry...” With that, he started to put the tip of the bottle against his lips.

“No!” Penny shouted, her voice laced with desperation.

Suddenly a loud voice rang through the room, startling everyone in it.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Penny looked up and she could see the look in Dark Rudy’s eyes. She had never seen his face go that pale that fast before. She had never seen him look so frightened since they got here. His body was trembling. She looked and, with one eye, she could see just what had frightened the dark teenager so much.

There, standing in front of the cage, was Mr. Cosmo...

The man’s eyes were wide in shock. No, not just shock, anger. Practically overflowing...his body shaking with the emotion. His eyes were glowing pitch black, more intense than Dark Rudy’s ever did. His hands formed into fists, trembling. His eyes focused on the water bottle that Rudy was holding in his hand. He then looked over at Dark Rudy, noticing him pinning down Penny with the sword against her throat.

Mr. Cosmo stormed over towards them. He came up to Rudy. He reached over and ripped the bottle of water away from him. He snarled at the bottle and he threw it aside. Water splashed all over the ground. He gripped Rudy by the shoulder and shoved him aside. Rudy stumbled backward. He regained his footing and he looked over, confusion plastered over his face. Mr. Cosmo began to approach Dark Rudy, his teeth clenched in anger.

Penny watched was Dark Rudy’s body trembled hard. She could have sworn she heard him whimpering in fear. His eyes stopped glowing completely, and she could see his pupils dilated. He seemed to forget all about her as he dropped his katana and started to move back away from Mr. Cosmo. His body continued to tremble like a leaf. This sight...it was so confusing... This behavior..it wasn’t like what she would normally seen out of this teenager.

“You impulsive little whelp!” Mr. Cosmo shouted. Dark Rudy looked hurt by this, but mostly terrified. “Do you have any idea what you almost did?!”

“I...” Dark Rudy started to say. He cringed when Mr. Cosmo raised a hand in the air like he was going to hit him. “Please I...”

“I did not tell you to kill them! I told you specifically you cannot do that!” Mr. Cosmo shouted, his eyes blazing with anger. “And you deliberately disobeyed me! I would have thought you’d known not to defy me after all these years!”

“But I...he...” Dark Rudy tried to explain himself, but he just kept stumbling over his own words. “They tricked me...the others escaped..and I...”

“So why didn’t you just go after the others instead of trying to kill our potential allies, you idiot?!” Cosmo shouted at him. This caused Dark Rudy to cringe back further. He pressed himself against the wall. Cosmo boxed him up against it. He gripped Dark Rudy by the throat, causing the boy to let out a surprised cry. “And now because of you, two prisoners are missing and not accounted for! Who knows where they are now?! If they get that chalk...”

“I-I’m sorry master...” Dark Rudy whimpered, lowering his head. Tears flowed from his eyes. “I’m sorry..I..I promise I won’t do it again...”

Mr. Cosmo narrowed his eyes dangerously. “You better not...” He put his face close to Dark Rudy’s. “..for your sake...” With that, he released the boy.

At this point, Penny had gotten up to her feet and rushed over to Rudy. Mr. Cosmo yelling at Dark Rudy provided a good distraction. Though it was hard for her to tear away from it, she managed to force herself to move. She rushed over towards Rudy and now was standing in front of him. Rudy’s eyes were locked onto what was going on as well. His eyes were wide in shock, his mouth dropped open. The shock of seeing Cosmo come in out of nowhere stunned them both. Out of all people to save them from death, they did not expect it to be Cosmo, even if the intentions were not that good.

Mr. Cosmo still had Dark Rudy pressed up against the wall. He was still yelling at him. Rudy and Penny couldn’t believe just how angry this man was. Rudy himself had seen Cosmo angry, and, judging from the way he was reacting to this, it wasn’t quite as bad as this. Dark Rudy was reduced to tears, whimpering, clearly frightened for his life. A part of them felt a little sorry for him, as they both understood how Cosmo could be. Rudy himself had been a victim of Cosmo’s rage. But their pity for him could only go so far; he did try to kill Rudy just moments ago.

Penny turned her attention to Rudy, trying her best to block out the nasty things that Cosmo was saying. She grabbed onto Rudy’s arm, getting his attention. He turned to look at her. “Come on, Rudy. While they’re distracted with each other.” Penny gestured her head to the side, indicating the way that Saffron and Snap had gone. “Let’s get out of here.”

Rudy nodded his head shakingly. “Y-Yeah...good idea...”

Without hesitating, without sparing another glance at Cosmo and Dark Rudy, the two friends rushed through the open door where Saffron and Snap went and headed down the hallway.

“And further more, I....!” Cosmo snapped. He stopped when he noticed Dark Rudy pointing at him. He narrowed his eyes and growled, “What do you want?!”

Dark Rudy, eyes wide in shock and fear, kept pointing at something behind Cosmo. “M-Master...they’re getting away...”

Cosmo’s eyes went wide. He turned his head and looked behind him. Upon seeing that Rudy and Penny were indeed gone, he snarled angrily, gritting his teeth. He shot a glare back at Dark Rudy, causing the boy to cringe further against the wall, moving his hands over his face like he thought he was going to get hit.

“Now look at what you’ve done!” Mr. Cosmo growled angrily at him, his eyes shining an even darker black. He took a few steps back, glaring at Dark Rudy. “Well? Don’t just stand there!” He grabbed onto Dark Rudy’s arm and pulled on him hard, practically throwing him towards the ‘door’ of the cage. “Go get them!”

“Y-Yes, master!” Dark Rudy whimpered as he started to race out of the door.


	60. Throwing In A Complication

Snap followed Ms. Saffron closely. He kept close to the back of her legs, his body hunched over in apprehension. He looked all around, left and right, as if he thought something was going to grab him from behind if he didn’t remain very close to this woman. Even though Saffron had a weapon out, he still felt afraid. She was injured...so was he. If they ran into danger, would they be able to get out of it?

They were headed down a somewhat dark hallway, complete with black lights on either side. This made the hallway difficult to navigate. The sight of the purple illumination made him think back to the cage he was recently trapped in. He flinched as he recalled how he had thought Rudy was his counterpart and he freaked out. He hoped he wouldn’t make the same slip up again. Rudy was his best friend. He should know better than...

There was a sound, something of a footstep. Snap froze, clinging to Ms. Saffron’s leg. She put a hand in front of him protectively, her narrowed eyes surveying the corridor. She looked down at him and grabbed him by his hand. She yanked Snap to the side, against the corner of another tunnel that intersected with this one. She pressed her back against the wall. Snap did likewise, his eyes wide in fear. He hoped that they hadn’t been spotted by the enemy.

He could hear the footsteps approaching. Two of them. They were pretty light. He couldn’t tell if it was because whoever was walking was light or if they were just being very careful. One did sound slighlty heavier and he thought he heard some kind of clang accompany it. He did not dare look, though. If he looked over the edge, that would risk...whoever it was..spotting them and coming after them. He looked up at Saffron, and she made a shush gesture. He nodded in understanding. Wasn’t like he was going to make noise anyway.

Soon, moments later, the figures appeared in plain sight. Snap took quick notice of two zoners. One appeared to be some kind of feathered dinosaur, complete with long spines coming out of its back, and walked on four legs. The other one walked on two, and they were hunched over. They appeared to be some kind of kangaroo, although their feet were more dinosaur-like than kangaroo. The two of them walked close together. No sound from them at all except for an occasional groan and their feet hitting the ground.

Snap was horrified by their condition. Though it was hard to see, he could see enough. He couldn’t tell if they were mind controlled or not, but they were very emaciated. Their bodies were horridly thin. He could see their ribcage very well, as well as their general skeletal structure. Their bodies were covered in bruises and cuts, which he had no doubt came from either Mr. Cosmo or some other nasty human, or from whatever horrible job they were forced to perform. The way they were walking indicated they were very weak, as if appearance alone wasn’t enough to confirm. Their gait was uneven and wobbly. It looked like they would fall over any second.

For a brief moment, Snap thought that perhaps he and Saffron should put these two out of their misery. It was a fleeting thought, one that froze his blood. Did he really just have a thought about killing two zoners? Taking two lives? He shook it out of his head. No, that wouldn’t be justified. Then again, did these zoners really stand much of a chance? Even if they were free, there was nowhere for them to go to get treatment. Killing them would be an act of mercy, freeing them from the old Cosmo put on them.

Snap looked up at Ms. Saffron. Even in the darkness, he could see that her face was forelorn. She was watching the zoners with great sympathy, biting her lip. Her face held a tinge of horror to them. The way she looked at them...it felt as though she had seen other zoners like this. This wasn’t a ‘what has Cosmo done?’ type of look, but more of a ‘so he has done it again’ instead. The woman looked down at him. He remained quiet for a few moments before he broke the silence in a hushed whisper.

“Do...do we...?” Snap asked.

Ms. Saffron appeared to understand what he was going to say. Her eyes widened for a moment, then they closed. She turned her head away. “That would be the humane thing to do...” She said solemnly. She shook her head once. “But we don’t have time for that right now. We have to keep moving. We’re almost there.”

Snap nodded. He waited until the starved zoners were gone before he followed close behind her, continuing on their way. It still frightened him that he had considered killing two zoners, his own kind. He kept telling himself that it would have been an act of mercy. Those zoners were suffering. Even if they weren’t reacting, their brains were still registering the pain and the weakness. It would be far crueler to just force them to live like that for the rest of their lives.

But Ms. Saffron was right. They didn’t have a lot of time. They didn’t have the luxury of stopping to do something else. Though it pained him to leave the zoners to continue their miserable lives here, he had a mission, a goal, and so little time left. He needed to stay focused on the task at hand. He followed Ms. Saffron as they continued to move their way down the corridor. Luckily those two zoners appeared to be the only ones in here as the rest of the journey was uneventful.

Two minutes of walking down the tunnel and Ms. Saffron suddenly stopped. Snap looked up at her in confusion. She just stood there quietly for a moment. Then she turned to the right. She stared at what looked to be just a blank wall. Snap tilted his head, wondering what she was doing. Why was she looking at what was clearly a metallic wall, nothing of particular interest anywhere on it. She put her hands on the wall and moved them around.

“What are you doing?” Snap asked in a whisper. He pointed his hand on Ms. Saffron. “There’s nothing there.”

“Shhh!” Ms. Saffron hissed at him. “I need total silence for this.”

Snap narrowed his eyes at her. What did she need total silence for? All she was doing was...touching a wall. But he did what he was told and kept quiet. He folded his arms against his chest and watched as the woman continued touching the wall, feeling around for something. He didn’t know what she was going to find. It was just a wall. There was no indication that there was something there. Then, moments later, Ms. Saffron started to hit the wall. She pounded against it. Not heavily, but enough that the sound was pretty clear. What was she doing?

Then, when she hit a certain spot, the sound was different. It was hard to explain. A little more...echoey? Whatever term was appropriate, the sound really was different. As soon as Ms. Saffron heard that sound, her eyes widened in realization. She kept her hands pressed against the wall, moving them around in a singular location. Snap took a step forward, watching with great interest. A few seconds later, Ms. Saffron pushed in on the wall. Snap was about to question her when he saw that a piece of the wall started to sink inwards. His eyes widened at this.

Ms. Saffron took a few steps back. Snap could hear the sound of something turning, grinding, and then a piece of the wall just...started to revolve like it was some kind of door. He stared in disbelief at this. Soon, where there was once just a standard, metal wall, now stood what looked kind of like a long freeze door, standing a little taller than Ms. Saffron. The open door revealed some kind of lit area, the lights here being much brighter. A white instead of the black that they had been running into before. Snap didn’t understand the use of black lights as they were poor illuminators, but he didn’t have time to think about that now.

Ms. Saffron gestured to Snap to follow her. He moved up to her and they headed into the open door. They were in a thin, rigid-looking corridor. There wasn’t much room to move around here. There was so little space that he had to stay behind Saffron. Not that he wouldn’t have done that anyway, but he was not able to get in front front of her. In fact, he could hardly see what’s in front of him at all. Her legs were blocking the view. He kept following her down, unsure of where this tunnel was going to lead them.

Luckily the tunnel wasn’t too long. They soon reached that looked like a round room. No, not round. Hexagon-like. It looked kinda round, but he could see the multiple rectangular flat surfaces, placed against each other to form something of a round shape. The room wasn’t too big, the size of a simple bedroom. There were multiple cabinets here, pressed against the wall and curving a little to fit the shape of the room. Most of the cabinets were pretty tall, too, nearly touching the ceiling. A single bright white light hung at the top, making it easy to see everything.

Ms. Saffron walked across the middle of the room, continuing straight. She went up to one of the cabinets. This one was a little different than the others. A little wider and with about two less ‘doors’ that pulled out. She reached over and grabbed the bottom one. She pulled it out slowly, revealing its contents. Snap could see there was a bunch of stuff in there. Multiple items, all locked away together.

“So this is where he keeps his stuff?” Snap asked.

Saffron shook her head. “Well not entirely... You see...” She reached her hand into the cabinet. “This is where he keeps things he isn’t entirely sure about. He isn’t sure what use the zebra chalk has for him, and he keeps it in here to throw intruders off.” She turned her head and gave Snap a sideways glance. “You would think he’d keep the zebra chalk with him. He knows enough that it has purified black chalk. Logic would dictate that he’d keep the zebra chalk with him for study, right?”

Snap nodded slowly. “Yeah, that does make sense.”

“Correct. However, he is aware that, sometimes, his place will be broken into, and so he keeps the zebra chalk here. These items, they all hold possible potential, and if there’s one thing he hates so much, it’s not figuring out what an item can do before it’s taken away. Especially if said item could help him out in his conquest of the world.” Ms. Saffron explained. She continued to rummage through the cabinet. “He has taken precautions with his ‘figured out’ stuff as well. More tight security, but it’s kept far away from this stuff. He knows not to keep all his weapons and what not in one place. They’re scattered.”

Snap nodded his head. Yeah that did make sense. Mr. Cosmo never struck him has someone particularly stupid. He always seemed so well prepared. Keeping his stuff scattered was a good strategy. He had a feeling that the madman had this whole place memorized, so it wasn’t a problem for him. Keeping things scattered meant that anyone who broke into the place would have to know where to find the items. They would need a good idea of the layout and everything. Going to the wrong place meant not only wasting time, but it also meant increasing the odds of them getting captured.

Ms. Saffron pulled away from the door. She held up an object in her hand. Snap gave a small smile when he saw it was the zebra chalk. He looked at it intently, noting the sparkling white stripes and the glow of the black stripes. Finally, at long last, they had one piece of Rudy’s cure. Now all they had to do was get back to the others and prepare for their trip to the next dimension. They were so close now to getting Rudy cured of this horrific disease. So close... He hoped that the next dimension wouldn’t be as difficult to handle as this one was.

He was glad that Ms. Saffron knew where the zebra chalk was. If she hadn’t, they would have been looking all over the place for it, and they might have ended up going to the next dimension without it. That would have caused them to have to come back here, and who knows how difficult that would have been a second time around. Ms. Saffron had been a real help. Knowing the layout of this place enough to know which way to go, where the zebra chalk was hidden...

...wait...

...how did she know that this was where it was going to be...?

She just said that the items were scattered. Located in different spots... Just..just how was it she knew this was where the zebra chalk was? They would have more likely ended up in the wrong place. While she did know the layout better, it was unlikely that she would have located the zebra chalk but then did nothing with it, especially if she knew it was important.

He thought about this for a while. They were in one of Cosmo’s storage areas. They had somehow managed to get the zebra chalk on the first try, even though the odds were against them. Saffron had acted completely sure of this location; she knew this was where the zebra chalk was. But in order to know, she had to have visited this stronghold more than once and found it...and if she found it before, why didn’t she try to take it? Could..could it be possible she..?

He shook his head. No..no it wasn’t possible. Ms. Saffron wouldn’t do something like that. She must have found out someway before they came. Maybe she was captured before and she learned that way. Yeah...that had to be it. He shook the thoughts out of his head. He knew that they were running out of time. They had to keep moving. He looked over at Ms. Saffron and opened his mouth to speak. He quickly shut it at what he saw.

Ms. Saffron was staring at him. The expression she gave was...regretful. Snap felt his heart clench, remaining quiet. He watched as Ms. Saffron put the zebra chalk in her pocket slowly. She continued to look at him sadly. She took a step forward. “I’m...I’m sorry Snap..”

Snap felt a cold chill sweep through his body. He moved back a few steps. “Ms. S-Saffron...?” He watched as she reached behind her back. “Wh-What are you doing...?”

Ms. Saffron grabbed something behind her back. Snap’s eyes bulged wide as he saw her hold up what was clearly a can of Fix-It. The same stuff that he had used on Boorat to freeze him many years ago...and now Ms. Saffron had the same stuff in her hands, and the nozzle was aimed right for him.. His heart pounding against his chest, he moved back away from the woman.

“Please...” Ms. Saffron said, her voice laced with remorse. “...don’t make this any harder than it has to be...” With that, she pushed down on the bottle’s button.

Snap let out a yell and he jumped to the side. He narrowly missed getting hit with the spray. He looked up at Saffron with a horrified and confused expression. Why was she doing this? How could she do this? He thought she was an ally. How could she suddenly turn on him like this? She attempted to spray him again, prompting him to jump out of the way again. He tripped, falling into the ground. He turned and he saw her rushing towards him with the can of Fix-It. Reacting quickly, he jumped into the air, climbing up one of the cabinets.

Ms. Saffron rushed over and grabbed onto the cabinet. She started to climb up it, holding the can of Fix-It in one hand. Snap watched, petrified, as she made her way up the cabinet. His mind was overwhelmed with fear and dread. He couldn’t understand why Ms. Saffron was doing this, especially after what they had been through with her earlier. His mind and heart were filled with ice, numb, frozen in terror. When Ms. Saffron got too close, he did the only thing he thought he could do.

He positioned himself at the edge of the cabinet. He crouched, mustering up energy, and then he jumped. As he sailed over her back, twisting his body around so he was facing her, he took quick notice of something. It was brief. He almost missed it. But it was there, plain as day.

There, on the nape of her neck, close to the base of her skull, was a nail... A mind control nail... No, he corrected himself. A body control nail..

Snap landed on the ground, his feet hitting against it with great force. He stared in shock at Ms. Saffron. She turned around to face him, again still looking so sad, so regretful. He realized, with a cold shudder, that her body was being controlled. This...this must have been a backup plan Mr. Cosmo came up with. He must have known that they might escape, and he...

Realizing what kind of danger he was now in, Snap clenched his teeth in fear and he started to back away. Ms. Saffron clearly didn’t want to do this, but the nail was sending the commands now. The nail, and whatever instructions were being given to it, they were what dictated her actions now. Whoever was behind the controls was of little interest to Snap at the moment. Right now, what mattered the most, was getting out of there.

Saffron spoke, her voice cracked with emotion. “Just hold still, Snap. It will be less painful that way.”

Snap shook his head slowly. He watched her, staring into her remorse-filled eyes. He had to get out of here and fast. But he also needed to get that cure from her. If she was being controlled, there was little chance that she was going to be able to hand it over. Though it was probably not a smart thing to do, he had to try. He took a defensive stance, then he rushed over towards her, running at full speed.

The woman attempted to spray him with Fix-It again, but he collided with her body, slamming it with his own. She let out a pained grunt and she flew backwards, hitting against the cabinet. It fell over to the side, clanging against the floor. The contents spilled everywhere. Ms. Saffron laid on her side, groaning and attempting to get up. Snap took this chance and rushed at her again. He knocked the can of Fix-It out of her hand and then proceeded to yank the zebra chalk out from her pocket. She tried to grab him, but he moved out of the way, jumping back away from her.

Without hesitation, he started to run down the corridor they came in from. He could hear Ms. Saffron chasing him, closing in from behind. He knew she used the spray again. It barely missed hitting him. He pushed himself harder, trying to gain distance despite his pain. Soon, he exited out of the room and was back in the darker, barely lit hallway. In a panic, he wasn’t sure which way to go. So he went the first way he thought of, which was left. Seconds later, Ms. Saffron emerged from the hole in the wall and she came after him.

His heart, filled with cold fear, sped up, adrenaline rushing through his body. He had to get back to Rudy and Penny fast. Things have just gotten worse. Oh so much worse. As the body controlled Ms. Saffron continued to chase him down, Fix-It in her hand, his mind rushed with so many thoughts, bringing about a headache. Noticing her gaining on him, Snap had a dreadful thought rush through his head.

What if this was Cosmo’s plan? To separate them? If he had intended on at least some of this happening, then wouldn’t that mean that... Oh no.. He shuddered, a cold rush in the back of his head and middle of his chest. Rudy... Penny... He picked up the speed, hoping, praying, that he was going the right way.

sss

All that blood.. All that screaming... The smell of the blood lingering in his nostrils...

Quet found it hard to believe just how much could happen in a short time frame. Tyreek had not had Sophie strapped down for long. Maybe five, six minutes at most. Although the thought chilled him, he wondered why he would torture another person for just a few minutes, instead of indulging in it for a longer period of time, like they had with Hagar. The only thing he could think of was that they wanted Sophie alive for a while.

Quet had kept himself curled up in a ball when Tyreek tossed the girl’s bleeding form back into the cage. She had let out a cry of pain and was sobbing, her tears mixing in with her blood. He took quick notice that only her arm had been cut. He had forced himself to look away during the brief but still horrifying torture, so he was not aware if Tyreek had attacked her anywhere else.

Moving a little closer, around in a partial circle, he got a better look at the arm. A little hard to see as Sophie laid on the ground, on her right side. Her body pressed against her good arm, which was pressed up against her butchered arm, her left one being held against her as she laid there in a weeping, shivering ball. Her left arm had several deep lacerations in it. Some were long and some were short. All of them were deep. He guessed a few had hit the bone. Blood kept pouring out of the cuts, staining the ground. The girl hardly seemed to notice her injury on her right arm, which was nothing more than a prick on the skin compared to what Tyreek had done to her.

Quet couldn’t understand why Tyreek would just barge in here and torture for a short time. What was the point in that? And why would he do it to Sophie, and not him? She was a human, the same species as him. He was a zoner. Not that he would have wanted it, but shouldn’t he have gone after him instead? What was the point in hurting someone who should have been his ally? This wasn’t a punishment, and if it was, it was a rather bizarre and cruel one. Sophie hadn’t really done anything, and yet here she was, with a sliced up arm, crying from the pain she must be going through.

The sight of this gave him fixed feelings. He wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about this. He could feel some part of him being somewhat satisfied, as at least now, it was a human and not a fellow zoner that was in pain. But at the same time, something about this just didn’t feel...right. Seeing the girl crying on the ground, remembering her cries of fear, pain...fruitlessly trying to plead for mercy and yet never getting it... It caused a new, unexpected feeling to arise inside of him. Something he thought he would never feel regarding a human.

Pity.

A part of him felt disgusted with himself. How could he feel pity for such a monster? Humans were bastards... They had done so much to ChalkZone... Why would they deserve such pity? It wasn’t like they would do the same for them. No, this human girl didn’t deserve pity, especially after the way she insulted the Luminos by daring to compare them to humans. That bite she got was her own fault, and well deserved as well.

Yet...he could not fight off this feeling of pity and sadness for her. It wasn’t an overwhelming feeling or anything. But it was enough to throw him off unexpectantly. He couldn’t understand how he could feel sorry for the little beast. He wished some of his group members were with him. They would help him through this tough time. They would reassure him and help him feel better. If only Hagar was still alive... He would be a big help here. He would help him remain strong and not fall for the humans’ tricks. He would help him not to make the mistake of feeling sorry for Sophie. Yes, Hagar, out of all zoners, would have been a great help.

But now he was gone... Tortured to death and eaten by that vile human, Ghadir. He was all alone here. There was no one here to help him cope with this. There was no one to aid him in fighting off against the humans. There was no other zoner here. It was just him. If there were other zoners, they certainly weren’t here in the room with him. A part of him almost hoped there were no other zoners here. He wouldn’t want them to suffer the same fate as he was here.

Quet continued to try to make sense of what had happened. Why had Tyreek tortured Sophie like that? He thought, at first, it was part of his plan. But no, that torture was actually real. There was no way that could have been faked. Those screams, those wounds he could see plainly before him, they were purposeful attacks, true pain. That couldn’t have been planned. He had seen enough pain and fighting to recognize real screams, and what Sophie made definitely qualified. He replayed those screams over and over again in his head, feeling a shudder rush through at just how chilling they really had been.

Tyreek couldn’t have done it to get at him. Tyreek knew about his distrust and hatred for humans. The man would not have hurt Sophie as a way to mess with his head. If the man had messed with one of his zoner friends, that would have been one thing. But this human? Even if Quet were to believe something as silly as not all humans being bad, he didn’t even know this girl. Hurting her would not have had a strong profound impact on him, besides making him recoil in horror.

Sophie continued to lay on the ground, crying softly, her body writhing a little in pain. Quet wanted to look away and go into his own corner of the cage. But his eyes...they couldn’t tear away from the girl. They remained glued, watching her as she sobbed in agony. He wondered what the girl had done to earn the wrath of Tyreek. He pondered what kind of action she took that caused the man to turn on her like that and slice up her arm like it was just a piece of deli meat.

Maybe she had said something to him earlier while he was knocked out. She might have insulted him or something. A similiar situation to when she insulted the Luminos. The memory brought about a burning anger. He stared intently at the bite, blood still leaking out of it slowly. He trusted that she would not dare do something like that again. If there was any injury she fully deserved, it was that bite. She provoked him. It was her own dang fault she got bitten. If she had just shut up, that wouldn’t have happened to her.

A fleeting thought swept through his mind at that instant. Was it really her fault?

He shook his head. He couldn’t believe the denial that entered his head. Of course it was her fault. He wouldn’t have bitten her if she hadn’t pushed him over the edge. He growled at himself for even considering that question. He stared at her with narrowed eyes, convincing himself that she was still the enemy and that he shouldn’t feel sorry for her. The little brat was responsible for the bite, and why should he care why Tyreek hurt her like that?

The more he looked at her, the softer he felt his expression become. In the midst of his anger, he started to feel some kind of sensation in the back of his head. Staring at Sophie brought about something else. Something that he did not expect to happen. Seeing Sophie like this...it was starting to remind him so much of his friend, Hagar. The crying, the shivering of pain, it was similiar to how Hagar looked before he died...

He shook his head at the realization. Sophie was going through the same thing his friend had in his final moments. He listened to her pitiful cries. He watched her as she convulsed in pain. It dug away at his mind, picking apart the anger and hate he felt, replacing it with more pity...sympathy... It horrified him that he was feeling sorry for a human. A human of all species... But he just couldn’t help it. The sight of this human in such suffering brought about these new emotions and feelings. It forced him to sift through his thoughts and ask himself something that he never thought he’d ask.

Had he been wrong..? Was it possible that Ghadir’s taunts...and Sophie’s accusations...were right?

He shook his head. No. That was impossible. He knew exactly what humans were like. They were vicious, merciless, willing to hurt anyone to get what they wanted. They destroyed so many homes...attacked so many innocent zoners. They were disgusting monsters that needed to be dealt with. They didn’t know right from wrong. They just did as they pleased, not caring who got hurt in the process. He had known humans from long ago attacking zoners in their homes... Zoners who had not done a damn thing to provoke them.

A cold chill swept through his head. Isn’t that the same behavior the Luminos displayed? No, it couldn’t be... But the words of those two humans echoed in his mind. Thinking about what they said, watching Sophie weeping on the ground, seeing her bloody arm, it forced him to think back to a particular attack not too long ago. And not just think of it, but view it with a different perspective. Something that he had never wanted to do, for fear of losing his way, the way that the Luminos had helped guide him on.

Fighting back against the anger, Quet recalled the events of that night, as reported by Hagar and Nile. Maalik had sent out the group to attack Rudy and Snap. This had been after a vicious assault had been made against them. Maalik wanted to start ushering humans out of ChalkZone and Rudy was the easiest target. So they went after him. They attacked the treehouse and forced the two to flee. A pterosaur zoner had saved them, much to the anti-creator group’s annoyance. Maalik hadn’t been too happy with that news, as he recalled. Quet himself had been angry and wished that he had gone on the mission with them.

He had considered the attack an action of justice. The Luminos had finally started to take some real action against the tyrannical creators. They were finally showing them what happens when ChalkZone is messed with. So many of them had wanted to start to fight, and some of the most eager were sent on that trip, as Maalik felt they would be tenacious. But now, thinking back to it, he found himself wondering something. Was it truly an act of jusice like he wanted to believe?

A feeling of dread welled up in his head when he realized just how similar the attack was to the creators’ attacks. Rudy had been innocent, at least in that case. He hadn’t been the one to attack, and they knew it. He and Snap never did anything directly to them, and yet, despite that, they still attacked them anyway. Wasn’t that very much like what they accused the humans of doing? Attacking innocents that weren’t involved with them?

The realization that he might have been wrong this whole time hit him like a ton of bricks. He had wanted to continue to deny it, but who was he kidding? Even if he found a way to continue to believe that all humans were bastards, how could he stare at Sophie, how she is right now, and consider her to still be a threat? She was hurt. She was scared. She was trapped here. He realized that, in the end, they really were in the same predicament together. He winced as he looked at her arm, looking at all that blood. His mind echoed with her tortured screams. Human or not, he came to realize she hadn’t really deserved what she got.

And the bite... Had she deserved that, too? Could he really say it was her fault? He felt a cold chill in his stomach. It twisted, making him feel at unease. Victim blaming... It was something he would expect from the black chalk artists. How could he, someone who was supposed to bring justice, sink to the same level? He had always prided himself in being a quick learner, to adjust fast. And here he was doing the same thing, but in a way he never thought would happen.

Feeling some sense of guilt and pity for the human, Quet decided to do something. Letting out a soft sigh, he started to make his way over towards the human girl. He still felt hatred towards humans. That bit never changed. But now, it felt like his mind was opening up a little, and helping him realize that perhaps, not all humans are bad. And right now, with Sophie, he didn’t see a monster, but a victim. And he felt compelled to go over to her.

He slithered over to her until he positioned himself behind her. She seemed to know he was there, but was in too much pain to really react to his presence. What he did next, he never thought he would do with a human. He cuddled up towards her, pressing his body against her back. He draped his unbroken wing on top of her, being gentle so that he did not irritate her wounds. Her body stiffened a little at the touch, but quickly relaxed.

Quet raised up his head and looked down at her. He noted her tear stained face. Looking at her like this, it made him think of not just his friend, but himself. He had been in this same mental turmoil before. He clenched his teeth for a few moments. Then he lowered his head down and rested it on the girl’s shoulder. His long tail curled around her, draping across her legs. As he rested against the human, he said something that even surprised himself.

“I’m sorry for biting you.”

Sophie’s eyes opened up. With one eye, she looked up at his direction in shock. Then her expression softened up. She closed her eyes, tears dripping from them. “I forgive you.” She breathed before silence fell upon the room.

sss

Rudy and Penny rushed down the hallway. They hadn’t gotten too far when they heard footsteps pounding behind them. They spared a quick glance to see that it was Dark Rudy. His previous fear was gone, replaced with anger. He was rushing towards them, his teeth clenched and eyes narrowed into slits. Rudy and Penny had to try to lose him, but in this place, would that even be possible? They could only hope they find Snap and Ms. Saffron soon, before Dark Rudy caught up to them.

Where was Mr. Cosmo? Rudy realized that he hadn’t followed them. It was Dark Rudy, and only Dark Rudy, who was chasing them right now. There was no sign of Draow either. They didn’t even hear the screech of the beast like they would have expected in a situation like this. His mind ran cold as he realized that Mr. Cosmo probably went to get Draow and was having him be exceptionally quiet to avoid detection. There might be little time left to get to the other dimension, but a lot can happen in a short time. If they allow themselves to be killed...

He tried to focus on running. He couldn’t confuse his mind with these thoughts. There were a lot of things he wanted to know and didn’t understand. But right now, despite his fear and growing pain, he had to keep running. He had to focus his mind on that. Even if Cosmo wouldn’t let Dark Rudy kill them, if they were badly injured... They didn’t even know what the next dimension was going to be like. If it was anything like this one, he could practically hear the death sentences already.

When they came to an intersection in the hallway, Rudy’s heart froze. He realized he had no idea where to go. He didn’t know the path that Snap and Saffron had taken. But he couldn’t just stop and try to think of which way to go. Not while Dark Rudy was catching up to them, his eyes promising a world of pain once he reaches them. He needed to decide now which way to go. As they came to the intersection, he went the first direction his mind thought of, which was right.

The turn was sudden and sharp, causing Dark Rudy to actually run past them before he regained his senses and came after them. Rudy and Penny continued running down the hallway. It was filled with black lights. Rudy grumbled to himself. He had no idea why Cosmo insisted on these black lights. It made it so hard to see where they were going. He wondered if Dark Rudy was going to have a hard time following them, since his vision was likely darker. He might not see obstacles as well as they could. It was not like he had the help of the red electricity, which provided a little more light.

But as they ran down this hallway, barely dodging obstacles that laid in their path, he and Penny realized something chilling about Dark Rudy. He was not only dodging the stuff as well, but he was doing it better than they were. A chilling thought entered his mind. What if the black chalk was helping him see in the dark? Or maybe it was something special about this light? Perhaps the black chalk allows its users to see in black light more clearly than other people? If that were the case, that would explain why Cosmo would choose this type of lighting for his building.

Rudy let out a cry of pain when he slammed against something cold and solid. He was so lost in his thoughts, he wasn’t fully paying attention to where he was going. He hit against the wall because he did not realize that there was a two way turn here, and a dead end for the middle path. Penny had took off to the left. She realized that happened and he could see her, barely, rushing back at him.

“Rudy!” Penny cried.

Rudy didn’t have time to answer when he felt something slam against him. He cried out in pain as Dark Rudy crashed him against the wall, holding him there. Rudy struggled, jerking himself left and right, trying to get free. Dark Rudy gripped his shoulders tightly, sneering into his face.

“End of the line for you, little guy!” Dark Rudy taunted. “You’re mine!”

Rudy glared at him, gritting his teeth. Seeing Penny in the corner of his eyes, he called out to her, “No! Stay back!” He didn’t want her to get hurt. He wasn’t going to allow Dark Rudy to harm her.

“But...Rudy...!” Penny called out.

“Just go find Snap and Ms. Saffron!” Rudy called to her. He turned his attention to Dark Rudy, glaring hatefully at him. “I’ll keep my counterpart here busy!”

Penny looked reluctant to leave. She remained standing there, her feet on the ground, firmly planted. Rudy shot her another look, his eyes filled with desperation. He silently begged her to leave. He didn’t want Dark Rudy to have a chance at hurting her. Slowly, Penny nodded, seeming to understand the situation. Though it was clear she did not want to leave, she turned and headed down the tunnel.

Dark Rudy watched her leave, his eyes narrowing. He gave a quick snarl of annoyance, clearly disappointed that she left before the ‘fun’ would begin. He turned his attention back to Rudy. “She won’t get far, I guarantee you that.” Dark Rudy said in a deep voice. “She’ll be recaptured and corrupted...” His shoulders shook as he laughed. “Just like you will be.”

Rudy narrowed his eyes and twisted his head away. “I’ll never be like you!”

“I used to think the same thing when I used to be like you.” Dark Rudy mused. “I never thought I could go as far as Mr. Cosmo does. But the black chalk has away of...changing things.” He leaned in closer to Rudy. “You might have escaped the black chalk one time, my dear counterpart...” His eyes narrowed as he suddenly gripped Rudy’s hair and yanked on it, twisting his head painfully to the side. Rudy let out a cry of pain. Dark Rudy leaned in close and spoke harshly into his ear. “...but you won’t be able to do it a second time...”

Rudy growled at this. He gripped onto his counterpart’s shoulders, mimicking the way Dark Rudy was holding him, and began to push back against him. He managed to make Dark Rudy take a few steps back, but Dark Rudy was a little stronger than he was and he couldn’t move back too far. The two boys pushed against each other, trying to dominate the other. He wasn’t going to let his counterpart win. He just couldn’t.

“I don’t see why you fight... The end for you will come..” Dark Rudy said in a sinister voice. “Well your innocense anyway. Such a useless thing...” He pushed against Rudy as hard as he could, causing them to fall into the ground. Dark Rudy pinned Rudy down, sneering evilly at him. “Struggle all you want to... This little story will have the same ending. You and your precious girlfriend becoming our..allies...whether you want it or not.”

Rudy pushed against his counterpart, his legs kicking against the ground. Dark Rudy smirked at this and punched him in the stomach. Rudy froze, screaming in pain. His body started to tremble as blood poured from his mouth. He gave several painful wet coughs, blood spraying from his mouth. He felt his attempts to fight back weaken as the pain overwhelmed his mind.

Dark Rudy laughed at this. “You little fool... You thought you could challenge me with such a disadvantage? You’re bleeding internally... You have the disease...” He put his face close to Rudy’s. “You thought you could win when all it took for me to disable you is a small punch to the stomach? You really are pathetic!” Dark Rudy reached down with his finger and rubbed the underneath of Rudy’s right eye, wiping away some of his tears. “You know, it wouldn’t have to be so painful if you just surrendered yourself.”

“Screw..you...” Rudy said, gritting his teeth at him and speaking through the pain. “Y-You’re the one that should surrender...”

Dark Rudy threw his head back and laughed. “Oh? And why?”

“Because you are making a huge mistake underestimating me..” Rudy warned.

Dark Rudy tilted his head to the side. “You really are something! You know..tell you what... I won’t corrupt you..yes... I’ll force you to watch Penny get corrupted first..and then we’ll have her torment Snap a little.” Rudy’s eyes widened in horror at this. “Wouldn’t that be delightful? I can just imagine the screams... We won’t have her kill Snap, but...” He whispered close to Rudy’s face. “...we’ll make sure that she beats him up so bad he will wish he were dead..”

Rudy couldn’t believe it. His counterpart was so..twisted and vile.. Corrupting Penny and then having her hurt Snap like that? That was cruel... And forcing him to watch it? Rudy didn’t know if he could bear the sight of Penny beating on Snap, especially when they were supposed to be friends.. What had they done to deserve that kind of fate? Nothing... And this monster..he was going to force them into a terrifying situation. A nightmare..only it was reality...

Rudy felt his body tremble harder. This time, it wasn’t from pain, but anger. A boiling rage, sizzling his blood, rose through his body, making his arms and legs feel warmer all of a sudden. He was not going to allow Dark Rudy to torment his friends like that. He was not going to let him use them like toys. He would never let him get away with that... Dark Rudy was vile... He never wanted to be like him...The idea of him becoming like him..it twisted his stomach into knots.

Feeling his rage boil over, Rudy pulled his fist back and punched Dark Rudy in the head. Dark Rudy’s head was knocked to the side and he let out a cry of pain. He was pushed a littl aways from Rudy, but still had him pinned down. Rudy did not hesitate to deliver another blow, this time to the boy’s stomach. This caused Dark Rudy to stagger back, holding his stomach tightly. Dark Rudy’s eyes shut and he clenched his teeth, seething in pain. Opening his eyes, he only had time to see Rudy rushing at him. For a brief second, his eyes widened in horror.

Rudy slammed against his body. The two teenagers flew back. They crashed into the ground. They began to roll across it. They wrestled with each other, gripping each other’s arms and shoulders. They continued to grapple with each other, trying to pin the other one to the ground. Rudy refused to give up. He was determined not to allow Dark Rudy to win. Then again, his counterpart was equally as determined. Clenching his teeth tightly, Dark Rudy kept trying to force Rudy on the ground.

After a while of wrestling, Rudy managed to get Dark Rudy on the ground. His counterpart looked genuinely shocked that he was able to pull it off, despite having severe stomach pains. So shocked he was, that he hardly made a move to get out from underneath him. He just looked at Rudy, eyes widened with surprise. Rudy glared at him, panting heavily, doing his best to ignore the pain he was feeling.

“You...you are the most disgusting person I ever met! I’ve met a lot of asshole in my life, but you are the worst! And the most terrible part about it is...you’re me...” Rudy snarled at Dark Rudy. “You’re supposed to be the good guy! You’re supposed to be helping others, but instead you turned yourself into a monster! I would..I would...” Rudy’s shoulders shook with emotion. “I would rather die than become like you! You’re a disgusting person and you deserve to rot in prison!”

Dark Rudy stared at Rudy in shock, his eyes widening further at the outburst. But this did not last very long. A sneer spread across his face. “Well then..I hate to disappoint you, but sometimes..life can be...disappointing...”

Rudy put his face close to Dark Rudy, managing to startle his counterpart again with just how hostile he was being. “Shut the fuck up! Don’t pull that crap on me! Bardot tried to pull something like that on me and Penny and it didn’t work! Don’t fucking try to do the same thing on me now because you’re wasting your breath!”

Dark Rudy stared at him for a moment. Then he turned his head to the side. “...I see... Well then...” A dark smile spread across his face. “..perhaps instead of fighting, I just tell you a story...”

“I’m not in the mood to listen!” Rudy shouted at him.

“Oh but you’ll love this one...” Dark Rudy said, chuckling evilly. “It’s about how I killed my parents...or rather, how ‘we’ killed ‘our’ parents, since we are technically the same person.” Rudy’s eyes widened in horror at this. “Oh yes, Rudy... our parents are dead in this dimension...thanks to our hands...”

Rudy’s body started to shake, his anger washing away into terror. “N-No..it cannot be...”

“Oh yes it is... They were so easy to kill... They were..too trusting...” Dark Rudy taunted.

“No...” Rudy shook his head slowly, a low whimper escaping his throat. “Y-You’re lying...”

“I assure you I am not.” Dark Rudy smirked at him. “Oh I wish you had seen it...the looks in their eyes... Yes..oh poor mommy and daddy... taken out by their own child...” He laughed cruelly as he watched Rudy’s face pale at this. So distracted was the boy that Dark Rudy was able to turn the tables and pinned him down to the ground. Rudy looked up at his conterpart in horror and fear. Dark Rudy lowered himself and whispered softly. “Why don’t I tell you the story...?”


	61. A Deed Most Abhorrent

Rudy twisted his body left and right. He stared up at his counterpart in horror. Dark Rudy was going to be telling him a story..no a nightmare...and there was nothing he could do to get away from it. He wouldn't even be able to block it out. Dark Rudy was so close... Those green eyes with the faint black glow, he just couldn't look away from them.

Dark Rudy gripped his arms tighter, his fingernails pressing up against his skin. Rudy winced a little, but he paid little attention to the mild physical pain. His mind was filled with dread. He stared up at Dark Rudy right fear-filled eyes. He couldn't believe what Dark Rudy had told him. He couldn't believe that he would be so..cruel and twisted as to do something like this... It wasn't only the fact that he did it, but now he was going to flaunt it, like it was some kind of huge accomplishment.

"Why are you trying to squirm away, little boy?" Dark Rudy chortled. He tilted his head to the side, his grin broadening. "You don't have a little bit of time for a story...?"

Rudy didn't answer. He just jerked himself from side to side, trying in vain to free himself. Another hit to the stomach and he froze in pain. He let out a cry of pain, a bit of blood spraying from his mouth. He then laid still, his body trembling in agony. He let out soft whimpers, tears moving down his cheeks. He felt an unwanted warmth against his cheek. He opened his eyes and saw that Dark Rudy was caressing his cheek. His eyes moved up to meet his, and Rudy could see no remorse in them.

"I don't see why you're...so hesitant... After all, not like that they are..your version of your parents." Dark Rudy mused, moving his hand along Rudy's cheek before moving it up to play with his hair. "So come on...stay a while...let me tell you the story.. You'll get a real kick out of it.."

"N-No..." Rudy stammered. "Please..I..I don't need to know the details..."

"Oh yes you do." Dark Rudy grinned. "After all...aren't some of the most exciting stories the ones that are most..personal..?" He tilted his head to the other side. "So..there I was.. Coming home from school.."

"No..."

"I had just gotten assigned that task. I knew that my parents would be home, so I had..already planned everything out." Dark Rudy said. "They were my parents..so it was very easy for me to get them...in the position I wanted..."

Rudy turned his head from side to side. "No..."

"Oh yes..." Dark Rudy leaned in closer. Rudy winced as he felt the boy's breath against his face. "Dear mommy was the first one to go... I asked her to come into my bedroom. I told her that I wanted to put on some new necklace I got for her. And of course..mom being mom..she trusted me and she came up. I told her to stand still and I went around to her back. I slung the necklace around her..." Dark Rudy's eyes glinted. "Do you want to know what happened next?"

Rudy shook his head.

Dark Rudy laughed. "Well too bad!" Dark Rudy's smile grew more twisted. "I pulled on it as hard as I could. I used the window sill to provide an advantage point. I kept pulling. Oh you should have heard her. Calling out my name...asking me to stop...pleading when I kept pulling harder. She was so frightened and confused. She had no idea what was going on. She pleaded with me to let go. She told me I was hurting her..but I just kept going...and going..."

"No...please..." Rudy begged him. He didn't want to hear anymore of this. He had heard enough. "No more..please..."

"Oh but I'm just getting to the good part! I can't stop yet!" Dark Rudy exclaimed, his eyes wide with glee. He put his forehead against Rudy's. "I pulled harder..and then, with one swift yank, I broke the necklace. It sliced deep into my mom's throat. She crumpled to the ground..and I stood over her, smiling, letting her get a nice good look at her son. I wanted her to know that I was the one who killed her. She looked horrified...hurt...betrayed..." Rudy's eyes widened in horror. "She died of blood loss seconds later."

Rudy felt more tears move from his eyes. Even though it wasn't his mother who was killed, but his counterpart's, the graphic visions he was getting of his mom dying were too much for him. And the fact that it was his counterpart that did it... His body trembled hard. It made him wonder just how many of his loved ones his counterpart had slaughtered, and how many of them were area it was him who did it.

Dark Rudy kept his forehead pressed against Rudy's. "Then came dear old dad..." Dark Rudy rubbed his head against Rudy's in an almost affectionate manner. Rudy let out a whine. Keeping his cheek pressed against Rudy's, Dark Rudy said, "I guess he heard the thud as my mom fell, so he came running up the stairs. He asked if everything was all right as he came into the room. He was horrified, to say the least, when he saw my mom laying on the ground, dead. He rushed to her. He saw me and I acted scared. I told him I slipped and that happened...and of course he believed me... He told me to rush downstairs and call the police. I left the room. I went into the kitchen and got a butcher knife. I snuck back upstairs. My dad never saw me coming in from behind..."

Rudy struggled. "No...no.."

"I moved in closer, and when I got close enough, I stabbed him as hard as I could in the back. I think I must have done more damage than I thought, because he came crumpling to the ground. His legs weren't moving. I assume they were paralyzed, or he just decided not to move his legs. Oh well." Dark Rudy shrugged his shoulders. "I went over and when he saw I was the one who stabbed him... Oh you should have seen the expression he made. Truly a sight to behold! He kept asking me why I did it, how could I betray my own parents, shit like that. I didn't bother answering any of them. With a smile, I knelt down..."

Rudy thrashed, trying to get himself free. Dark Rudy tightened his grip on him.

"I placed the butcher knife against my dad's throat..." Dark Rudy said softly, his voice but a whisper. Rudy shuddered as he felt his counterpart's breath against his hear. "And I sliced it open. I cut slowly, listening to his screams of pain, his crying. I made sure to slice both of his jugulars. Oh you should have seen the blood. There was so much of it..." He moved back and looked at Rudy in the face. "He died shortly thereafter too. Both their eyes remained open, forever etched with the look of betrayal."

"Y-You...monster..." Rudy cried softly. He could taste tears in his mouth. His lower lip trembled. "I-I can't believe y-you..."

"Oh believe it, Rudy. I killed them because, well, they were of no used to me. I needed to begin training as Mr. Cosmo's..apprentice... And being with my parents...I just complicated things. I just merely...removed them as a factor..." Dark Rudy grinned. He reached down and lightly traced his fingers over Rudy's quivering lip. "I don't see why you're this upset, little boy. I gave them more or less quick deaths, didn't I? At least I showed them that kindness."

"How could you do that...to your parents..?" Rudy growled at him, his eyes narrowing slowly. He managed to free his arm and he pressed it against Dark Rudy's upper chest. He forced him back a little. Dark Rudy offered no resistance. "They loved you...they trusted you... And you betrayed them.. You killed them for some madman...! You're a despicable monster!"

"Yes..I suppose I did." Dark Rudy said nonchalantly. He shrugged like it was no big deal. "That's just the way the coral crumbles. They had to go, otherwise, I couldn't begin effectively training. In the end, it was worth it."

"Worth what?! This world?!" Rudy snapped at him. "This place is destroyed!"

"But it can be rebuilt." Dark Rudy said. "A new world can arise from this one. A better one...with no weaklings.." He moved his face a little close. His black aura eyes stared into him, piercing his soul. "No one like you will be allowed to live in our new world."

Rudy stared at Dark Rudy in horror. He knew he was crazy. He knew he was insane. But his place...it was just...evil...diabolical... He and Cosmo were trying to reshape the world? Was that why Cosmo allowed the humans to just go crazy with the weaponry? That..was truly disgusting. He would expect nothing less from him. What made him even more furious is that his counterpart was going along with this idea. His counterpart was helping Cosmo do all this. That made it even more unbearable. He'd...he'd never want any of this.

A part of him wished that they had come to this dimension sooner. He wished that he had been able to stop his dark half before things got this far. He wished he had saved the zoners from being killed, enslaved, and tortured. He wished he had been able to save ChalkZone from being exposed, exploited, and destroyed. He wished that he had gotten here sooner so that Cosmo could have been stopped earlier and the chalk-based wars never happened. To an extent, Rudy felt like a failure. Even though this wasn't his dimension, he still felt as though he let everyone down, and he wished there was a way to reverse all this damage.

Rudy growled angrily, "You're sick..."

Dark Rudy chuckled. "And you're weak."

Rudy narrowed his eyes. He opened up his mouth to speak, but he didn't get a word in edgewise before suddenly, Dark Rudy made a gag sound. He was pulled back roughly. Rudy leaned up off the ground and he was shocked by what he was seeing.

"Penny?!"

Penny had come back...again. She had managed to get behind Dark Rudy and pulled him back. Now she had him in a headlock, struggling to keep him still. Dark Rudy was thrashing about, trying to force her to let go. She held his neck as tightly as she could in the crook of her arm. Her other hand held onto his arm tightly, trying to hold him steady. The two of them moved about in the hallway, each trying to pin the other.

Penny glared hatefully at Dark Rudy. She kept her grip on him, holding on no matter how hard he struggled. She wrestled with him as they moved around in circles. Dark Rudy attempted to slam against the wall, trying to make her let go. Penny grunted in pain, yet her grip on him remained. The two of them continued to thrash against each other and eventually they fell into the ground. Rudy watched this, his eyes wide, unsure of what to do in that moment.

Dark Rudy and Penny rolled across the ground, wrestling, just like he and his counterpart had before. To his horror, despite Penny having caught him by surprise, that was about the only bit of luck she really had. Dark Rudy was stronger than her and he was able to pin her down pretty quickly. He had a furious expression, looking insulted that she had dared to intervene with their fight. He looked like he was about ready to choke her. But he did not. Rudy guessed that the only thing keeping him from doing that is the fear of Mr. Cosmo's temper.

"You little bitch! You really love tempting me, don't you?!" Dark Rudy hissed. He gripped Penny by the throat and tightened it. Penny gagged. Rudy was relieved she was still breathing, but it sounded so horrible. "You're lucky that Mr. Cosmo won't let me kill you..!" He lowered his head. A sneer, mixed in with anger and dementedness, spread across his face. His eyes glowed with insanity. "Or I would break your sweet little neck...Just like how I did with my Snap.." He put his face a little closer. "Maybe, if Cosmo lets me...if he decides your Snap is worthless, too... Maybe I will break his neck in front of you and your dear friend...."

Rudy's eyes blazed in anger. He was about to say something, but soon saw that Dark Rudy paid the price for what he said. He heard his counterpart scream as Penny slammed a fist against his jaw. Dark Rudy let out a cry as he staggered back away from Penny. Rudy rushed forward and he looped his arms around Dark Rudy, pinning his limbs against his body. He pulled back on him, attempting to force him to hold still.

As he held onto him, Penny got off the ground and brushed herself off. Rudy gave her a quick glance to make sure she was all right. Seeing that she was fine, he turned his gaze back to Dark Rudy. He gritted his teeth and tried to hang on. Dark Rudy twisted his body left and right. He finally forced Rudy to let go, knocking him back. Dark Rudy took several steps away from them. He narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth.

"Why don't you surrender now?" Rudy asked.

Penny said, "Yeah. You're out numbered two to one. Do you think you stand a chance?"

Dark Rudy jeered, "Like I will surrender to the likes of you..." He raised his head, tilting it upwards slightly. He spoke with clenched teeth. "I will enjoy beating the shit out of you..."

"Your precious master won't let you." Penny reminded him.

For a brief second, there was a look of fear in Dark Rudy's eyes. But that dissipated almost as quickly as it came. His smile grew darker. "Not as long as I don't cause too much damage..." He hunched over a little. "Now why don't you hold still...? It'll go smoother..."

"Fuck you..." Rudy growled. "Now way we'll bow to you..."

"Very well then.." Dark Rudy chuckled. He narrowed his eyes. "Bring it on then..."

Dark Rudy adopted a fighting stance. He glared intently at the duo. Rudy and Penny adopted a similiar stance as well, hunching their bodies a little and raising their hands up to prepare to fight. They took position on either side of Dark Rudy, in front of him, and, seconds later, they rushed at each other.

sss

Dr. Raiden's lips curled back into a snarl. He stared at the scene before him, unable to believe what he was seeing. How...how could those two...filthy traitors do something like this? There were only two of them.. Just two...and yet somehow..this had happened.

He and his team of fellow Luminos zoners had been battling against Rapsheeba and Blocky ever since the humans and zoner accomplice escaped into the alternate dimension. As pissed off as he was that they got away, Raiden did realize that it could work to his advantage. He could of done away with them right then. Messing with the controls was easy. It was his machine after all. All he had to do was walk right up to it and push a few buttons and that was it. It wold be easy to either trap them in that dimension, whichever they went to, or send them elsewhere. A more hostile environment would have worked oh so nicely...

But he couldn't get anywhere near the machines. Despite having no control over the dreaded magic chalk or any weapons of their own, Blocky and Rapsheeba had been able to hold their ground well. Granted, they were still hurt. It wasn't like their shots had missed or anything. They were clearly doing damage to them. Both the zoners had several lacerations where the laser bullets hit them. There were also scrapes and bruises as well, and they both limped a little. They certainly were not going to leave this fight unscathed...if they survive at all.

Yet..they were still standing their ground and pushing back against them. They were better fighters than they had imagined they would be. They were nimble and quick, especially for zoners who were injured. They never went far from the dimensional machine. And they never let them anywhere near it. They couldn't shoot at the machine; the resulting explosion would kill him and his comrades. They had to get up to it, but those two zoners wouldn't let them. When they try to shoot at them, they manage to dodge. He couldn't understand it... How were they able to last so long against them?

Dr. Raiden wasn't sure how long his patience was going to last. He had hoped to have taken down the traitors by now. It should have been such an easy task. These corrupt zoners had to be dealt with. Their poison should not be allowed to spread any further. If only he could land a blow on them. One that would do something more damaging to them, like breaking their leg or something. But he hadn't made a move, at least not yet. For the time being, his comrades fought against them...for a while.

Rapsheeba and Blocky managed to take out his comrades. Not in the sense of kill... They didn't do that. But they did manage to knock them out. As furious as Dr. Raiden was, he had to admit, that was pretty impressive the way they managed to land those blows on them. In the right spots at that. The more Luminos zoners they knocked out, the more they were able to push back. They never took any of their weapons either... They just punched them out, aiming either at the back of the head or the front. After a Luminos zoner was knocked out, Rapsheeba and Blocky left them alone. Why, Raiden didn't know. Maybe they were going to save them for whenever the two creators came back. He snarled at this. Disgusting..

And now here he was, alone. His comrades were defeated. It didn't happen all at once. One by one. But his comrades fell, unconscious, and after what he guessed was hours, Blocky and Rapsheeba stood triumphant...for now. He would deal with them. Oh yes, they would pay.. But he needed to be careful. They were tired and weak now, having exerted energy on the fight. But they were now surrounded by weapons. They could use that to their advantage. If they got it in their heads to shoot at him, they could. He needed to figure out a plan to kill them.

He could feel his cheetah mind begin to turn the wheels, his mind churning for a plan. He might not be 'wild', as some would put it, but he still had the mind of a predator. His eyes focused intently at what he currently saw as his quarry: Rapsheeba and Blocky. His mind began to dig up different coures that he could take in order to take them down. Those two...they may have gotten lucky, insanely lucky, and had been able to defeat his comrades. But they would not escape him. No...he could see to that.

Dr. Raiden took a few steps close to them. He raised his metal finger. The tip glinted in the light. He pointed at the two, his amber eyes shining with hatred. "You two....I will not allow you to get away with this! You filthy traitors!"

"We aren't traitors, Dr. Raiden." Rapsheeba said sternly. She leaned against the dimensional machine. "You..it's you who is the traitor.. You and the Luminos!"

Dr. Raiden's ears flattened against his school. That stupid bitch... How dare she accuse him of such treachery.

"We weren't the ones who attacked the hospital and hurt all those zoners. We weren't the ones who bombed this place. That was you...you and your comrades. So how is it okay for you to bomb a building, but it's not okay for creators to be in ChalkZone? Tell me...is a human standing in ChalkZone really more damaging than you ordering a building to be practically leveled?!" Blocky cried, anger laced on his voice, trailing off the tip of each word he spoke.

Of course these two wouldn't understand. They were both brainwashed. They were beyond hope. If he had found them earlier, he could have broken them free of the creator's hold. He could have saved them. But now it was too late for that. The creators had already lured them to their side. Their only chance of being cured was just to be killed. It was what they deserved.

He thought back to Snap. Out of all the zoners, he was the most corrupt...the most evil...the most vile. He needed to be stopped. He had chosen to side with Rudy and Penny...with the creators... He was the one who brainwashed Rapsheeba and Blocky, as well as many other zoners. It was his fault that the poison of trusting creators had spread so far. The zoners had lowered their guards, and because of that, they were vulnerable to attack. He could feel his blood boiling at the thought. Snap...that little monster was going to get what was coming to him.

Dr. Raiden had so many thoughts of how he was going to kill Snap. So many ways, all so suitable.. It was hard to choose which one. Breaking his neck was a good choice. Cracking his skull open...ripping off his face...tearing his stomach open and letting his intestines fall out...tearing his limbs off and letting him bleed to do death.. And that was just a few of the thoughts he had. His burning hatred for Snap was quite strong, to the point where, the next time he saw him after he and his human accomplices came back, he would likely attack him out of a rage again. Sinking his teeth in the biggest traitor of all would be most delightful.

"I really wish I could cleanse you too... I do admire your skill. It takes... a lot of talent to beat armed zoners, especially when you weren't doing so hot.." Dr. Raiden said. He took a few steps towards the two zoners, who quickly adopted a fighting stance. "But I'm afraid that you've become too..toxic. Your line of thinking is dangerous, and I will not allow it to fester in ChalkZone any longer." His tongue moved across his furry lips slowly. "Sometimes sacrifices must be made. And you two will be perfect for it.."

Although the two zoners did look afraid by what he said, they still did not back down. They glared at him, holding their fighting pose. Despite being injured, despite not being able to move as well or as quickly as he could, the two zoners were still prepared to fight him. This amused Dr. Raiden. It really is a shame that they chose to side with creators. He would have loved to have that fighting spirit for the Luminos. Oh well...it was too late for that now. They were corrupted by the creators...by that filthy zoner, Snap, and there was no turning back for them. All he could do now was put them out of their misery.

Dr. Raiden lowered himself to the ground. He stood on all fours. In this stance, he felt more like a predator. His calculating, killer mind worked best on this state. His pupils became slits, very thin in the middle of his amber eyes. His long limbs held his body up, his back arched. His tail swished excitedly from side to side. He began to pace side to side in front of Rapsheeba and Blocky. He let out a low growl, his teeth gritted. He eyed them, trying to look for the perfect place to strike where they'd have little chance of escape.

"I hope you two don't take this seriously..." Dr. Raiden grinned. "This is just business...that's all... It's something I must do for the safety of ChalkZone."

Rapsheeba snarled, "How is destroying a hospital for the good of ChalkZone?!"

Dr. Raiden narrowed his eyes. "The destruction of this hospital is nothing but a simple statistic on the chart. So long as most of ChalkZone is safe...I'm willing to make the sacrifice... Humans have caused more damage than I have. If you think that this measly hospital and the 'small' number of patients here really holds a candle to what Cosmo did with the Light Pillars, and all the zoners that ended up losing their lives and dhe destruction..." Dr. Raiden shook his head. "You really are delusional."

"You're a monster!" Blocky shouted.

Dr. Raiden sneered at him. "Oh...if only you weren't deluding yourself.."

“How can we be the delusional ones when you are unable to see just how hypocritical you are being?” Blocky asked, his eyes narrowed. “I mean, look around you! Look at what you’re doing! How can you say that this destruction is okay...when it’s the same kind of destruction that the black chalk users would do!”

Rapsheeba spoke up, pointing a finger in Dr. Raiden’s direction. “This attack...it’s not so different from when Cosmo attacked! You...you’re becoming just like him!” Dr. Raiden let out a low growl at this, but the female zoner still continued. “You seem to think that just because you’re doing it for what you think is the ‘greater good’..that doesn’t make the act any less heinous! It doesn’t make you any less like Mr. Cosmo was!”

Dr. Raiden’s fur rose on end. “You better not be implying what I think you are...”

“Face it, Dr. Raiden.” Blocky said. “You are just like Mr. Cosmo! You’re just too blind to see it!”

Although the cheetah growled louder, warning the two to stop it with the Cosmo comparisons, they kept going.

“That’s right! You are deluding yourself, Dr. Raiden! If you would just open your eyes, you’ll see just how much like Cosmo you really are! You had a hospital bombed...a hospital! And all for what..to get one person?” Rapsheeba snarled, her eyes wide with anger. “Mr. Cosmo did the same thing three years ago! How can you not see the parallels? How can you not see just how much like him you really are?! Are you that afraid, Dr. Raiden? Are you afraid of being seen as a monster, so you delude yoursef?”

“That would be a cowardly thing to do if that were the case. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that you made a mistake. But look around you, Dr. Raiden. Your lies, your self delusion...it’s just making things worse! Open your eyes, Dr. Raiden! Open them!” Blocky shouted.

Dr. Raiden’s eyes snapped open wide at this. His jaw slacked, his mouth hanging open. His body became stiff, frozen there. His pupils shrank and he became quiet. Rapsheeba and Blocky stared at him, looking confused as to why he suddenly stopped moving or making noise. They still hung back, a smart move. The cheetah could still see them. His rage had boiled over, but he couldn’t react much. His mind was locked and suddenly, he was unaware of his surroundings for a moment.

Memories...horrible memories...they all came flooding back to him. All around him, he could see images of his past. He tried to block them out. He put his hands to his flattened ears tightly, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth. He tried to snap himself out of it, but it was useless. The flashbacks came to him, flooding his mind with horrible details of what happened to him. The images floated all around him. And as hard as it was, his mind’s eye couldn’t be shut. And he was forced to look at these horrible images. Memories that he wish he had forgotten, wished that he could block out.

Him being captured by Mr. Cosmo...dragged from his home...

Being brought into the real world and fitted with a painful shock collar...

Forced to build machine after machine with no rest...

Being whipped and beaten whenever he disobeyed Mr. Cosmo...Given no food or water...no breaks...

Unable to look away as his captured friends were given similar treatment, some of them even being killed...

And that voice...that horrible voice... The way Blocky spoke suddenly brought Dr. Raiden back to a horrific incident while he was still Mr. Cosmo’s slave. He could see it in his mind, unable to make it go away. He was so lost in his mind that he didn’t realize that Rapsheeba and Blocky were looking at him all confused, noticing his body was trembling now. His wide eyes, pupils the size of tiny dots, remained staring blankly ahead as his mind rapidly churned.

In the memory he was unable to stop from entering, he was chained to the wall. He didn’t have his outfit on him, completely naked. He was covered in cuts and bruises and dirty fur. His head hung low, his eyes shut, teeth gritted in pain. He felt something press against his chin and it was lifted up forcefully. He could hear Cosmo calling out to him. But he did not listen. He ignored Cosmo, not wanting to open his eyes and see the horrific reality in front of him.

But Cosmo did not like this. As Dr. Raiden tried to ignore his voice, tried not to look, Cosmo started to hurt him badly. Kicked in the stomach, cut along his arm, punched in the face...and he couldn’t do a damn thing to defend himself. He could hear his voice in his head now, echoing in his mind.

“Open your eyes, Dr. Raiden... I’m growing impatient... Open your eyes... I said open your eyes, Dr. Raiden!”

Then came the cattle prod... Dr. Raiden screamed bloody murder as the electricity coursed through his body. He still remembered that horrific pain. His body had convulsed wildly against the chains and he tried to get free, tried to get away from the pain. But he only ended up hurting himself more. He soon fell limp and just laid there. Mr. Cosmo again demanded that he open his eyes, and this time, Dr. Raiden did open his eyes. One eye, teeth still clenched. He stared at Mr. Cosmo. He raised the prod to his face. Both his eyes opened to stare at the sparkling blue electricity in horror.

Mr. Cosmo had called him a good kitty and told him that as long as he is obedient, he won’t have to hurt so much. Dr. Raiden still tried to be defiant. Mr. Cosmo had tried so hard to break him, going as far as making him one of the only zoners he never mind controlled; he controlled him using abuse. And it had worked...

But no longer. Dr. Raiden tried to fight back in that moment. He tried to bite Mr. Cosmo. And it turned out to be the worst mistake he ever made. Mr. Cosmo punished him for that, in an unusually cruel way. He electrocuted him with the cattle prod, but in two places. First, he targeted the sensitive area between his legs, a low blow. Then he pushed the tip into his mouth and held his jaws shut. Both were incredibly painful and he wasn’t able to move right or talk for weeks.

The flashback finally disappeared, but he remained frozen where he stood. Still on all fours, his tail rested on the ground. His expression was that of horror, and he looked around the room, like he nearly forgot where he was. Rapsheeba and Blocky and taken a few steps back, staring at him in confusion. If they were calling out for him earlier, the cheetah did not hear them. Cosmo’s voice still echoed in the back of his head for a while, fading slowly into the back of his mind, and soon disappearing altogether.

That incident..that horrible incident... That left a deep scar in him. It was bad enough how he was treated before that, as well as his friends. But electrocuting him...like that.... That is what finally broke him. That was what made him decide that Maalik’s views were right after all. Before then, Dr. Raiden had some questions regarding Maalik’s ‘all humans are evil’ believe that was dominant for the Luminos. But after that, he saw that Maalik was talking about.

He finally noticed Rapsheeba and Blocky again. The sight of them caused anger to resurface, forgetting about his previous fears. They weren’t the ones who were tortured... They weren’t the ones forced to watch loved ones being controlled by that human... If they had witnessed what he had..if they had experienced what he did..they would sing a different tune. They would realize that the Luminos are more right than they’ll ever be. Humans were all bastards... And he was not going to let one hurt him again..ever...

His tail whipped up into the air, poofing in anger. His pupils changed into slits. He growled, staring intently at the two zoners. These two traitors... They will pay for their heresay. They will not get away with siding with the filthy creators. He was not going to give them the change to help creators hurt more zoners. They will be punished for their sins... He will see to that...right now.

Dr. Raiden let out a loud yowl. “Fucking human-loving filth! You’re both traitors to zoner society! You’re a threat and you must be dealt with!” His fur raised on end threateningly. His teeth glinted in the light. “And I will make sure that you both get your just desserts...” He raised his back legs up, hunching, preparing to dash towards them. “Hold still...this will only hurt more if you struggle.”

Dr. Raiden rushed towards Rapsheeba and Blocky. His feet pounded the ground and he dodged his fellow Luminos and the weapons as he got closer. The two zoners were not able to get away in time. They barely had enough time to even realize he was rushing at them. With his cheetah speed, it only took him seconds to reach them. He slammed into them as hard as he could, sending them flying backwards. He watched as they rolled across the ground. He charged them again, giving them no time to get up.

When he reached them, he attacked Rapsheeba first. He seized her by the leg and bit down hard. She let out a scream of pain as he crushed her leg, the bone cracking under the pressure. He swung her back and forth in his jaws violently before he released her, sending her crashing into the wall. He then turned his attention to Blocky. He slashed him through his side, doing out the other end, with his metal claw. He lifted him up, listening to his screams of pain, before flinging him mercilessly towards Rapsheeba. He crashed into her and the two let out soft groans of pain.

Dr. Raiden watched them, letting out soft growls. He paced back and forth in front of them. He watched as Blocky ignored the pain in his side to try to tend to Rapsheeba. The female zoner was clutching her leg. The flesh had been torn and it was bent at an odd angle. Blood leaked out both of both zoners. Blocky had a hard time moving his body, Dr. Raiden could tell, due to the gaping hole he had given him.

He smiled in twisted satisfaction. With those wounds, they would not be able to fight back well. Rapsheeba can’t get up with a broken leg, and Blocky would defnitely be inhibited by that wound in his side. Dr. Raiden got into position, swishing his tail side to side in an excited manner. He licked his lips slowly. All he needed was one well placed blow...and that would be it. Tearing out their throats with his jaws would be an easy task.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, he rushed at them. He smiled darkly as he watched them cower in fear. Rapsheeba let out a scream of terror. Blocky held onto her protectively. Dr. Raiden just laughed at this futile bravery. All it did was make things easier for him. When he got close enough, he lunged into the air, his jaws split wide. Soon he would be tasting their flesh and blood in his jaws as he ripped them into pieces. They screamed and shut their eyes, looking away.

Suddenly, he felt something slam against him. Dr. Raiden let out a yowl as he was thrown into the ground by something thick. He bounced along the ground until he finally crumpled down. He let out a soft groan. He lifted up his head, rubbing it with his left paw. He looked over to see what had happened. His eyes widened in shock and then narrowed in anger.

“Dr. Urso...what an unpleasant surprise...” Dr. Raiden hissed.

Dr. Urso stood in front of Rapsheeba and Blocky protectively. His bear had was contorted in anger, his teeth exposed. He stood on four legs, just like he had before. His fur was poofed up. His pupils were dilated, looking almost like dots in his eyes. His lion tail was waving back and forth. His long, bear-like claws scraped against the ground.

“How did you find this place...?” Dr. Raiden asked, his ears lowering. “No one outside of the Luminos is supposed to know...”

“You were spotted going down the forbidden corridor. It was easy to deduce that you’d be here.” Dr. Urso snarled at him.

Dr. Raiden chuckled bitterly. “Oh so you’re clever now eh?” He said sarcastically.

His ears flattening against his head, Dr. Urso said, “I can’t believe we trusted you.”

“Join the club. Both Rudy and Penny said the same thing about me.” Dr. Raiden said with an evil smile on his face. “But that’s their own fault... They never bothered to look at the signs.”

“Oh shut up! What you’ve done is inexcusable! Now come along with me...” Dr. Urso pawed the ground. “Or I will make you come with.”

“Oh dear me, is that a threat?” Dr. Raiden asked, pointing his metal claw at the lion bear. “Do you think I’ll just bow down to you just because you asked?” He laughed cruelly. Dr. Urso snarled at this. “Well...how about this. If you win a duel against me, I’ll go quietly. But if you don’t...” He thought about a possible outcome. “You become my prisoner... Deal?”

Dr. Urso hesitated for a second. “Deal.”

“What?” Rapsheeba and Blocky cried in unison.

Dr. Urso turned his head to them. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this covered.”

Dr. Raiden laughed at this. “Oh poor naive fool... You have no idea what you’re in for.”

Dr. Urso shot him a glare. “Shut up! And let’s get started...”

“Gladly...” Dr. Raiden sneered.

With that, the two zoners rushed at each other, claws poised to strike, teeth prepared to slice. Rapsheeba and Blocky held onto each other as they watched the two collide, and soon the room was filled with yowls, growls, and howls of pain and anger and fury.

sss

“Hurry! Let’s get a move on!” Snap cried.

“But..where do we go?” Penny asked, clutching the zebra chalk in her hand.

Rudy looked all around. “Anywhere but here!”

“Sounds like a plan, Bucko!” Snap shouted. He looked behind him. “But let’s try to pick up the pace, okay?”

Penny couldn’t believe just how much happened in a short time frame. It was unbelievable... It took her a while to fully realize that this all really did happen. She never expected it to. How could she predict something like this? No one could have. Even if she were really good at guessing what would happen in the next few minutes, she would not have been able to guess something like this.

She and Rudy had been fighting against Dark Rudy. Working together, they had been able to hold him back pretty well,..for a time. Dark Rudy was getting desperate and his actions and movements became more unpredictable and wild. When this happened, fighting him, even together, became much harder. And soon, they were suffering blows and were being pushed back. The fact that Dark Rudy could handle the two of them at once was frightening.

Still, they did not give up. They kept fighting back. They helped each other out, had each other’s backs, while Dark Rudy had no one. That was the one advantage that they had, and they were using it to their full potential. Dark Rudy might have the upperhand in strength and not having as many injuries, but he was still just one person. Working together, Rudy and Penny eventually turned the tables on him again and managed to force him back a little.

Suddenly and without warning, Snap came running down the hallway, right at them. He wasn’t stopping and his face was filled with that of terror. He shouted about something with Ms. Saffron being controlled and how they had a run-in with Cosmo, and the man had knocked her out... There was so much that the zoner spewed at them in a frantic voice, she couldn’t remember it all. What was clear to her was that now Snap was running at them with Draow, Cosmo riding on his back, chasing him down. Rudy and Penny wasted no time and they began to run away as soon as Snap joined them.

And now here they were, running down the corridor, trying to get away from Draow. Now it wasn’t just Mr. Cosmo riding on his back; Dark Rudy joined him as well. They could hear shouts of anger, profanity, whatever else. They weren’t even sure at this point if they were still going to keep them alive, especially with Draow firing lasers at them. But one thing was for certain. There was no way in hell they were going to stop running now. Even if they had no idea where to go, the machine would activate soon, and they would soon be out of here. They just had to stay alive for a little while...just a little while...

Penny dared a glance behind her as they made a sharp turn. She watched as Draow nearly slipped on his feet trying to turn. It would have amused Penny if she did not realize what kind of situation they were in. The bat wolf was not fumbled for long and she could hear his thundering footsteps as he rushed at them again, letting out screeches of anger. She felt glad that they were indoors and the ceiling in this place was a little low. Draow was not able to use his flight to his advantage.

...until they reached the end of this hallway. To the trio’s horror, they ended up in a large, open room with a very heigh ceiling. As soon as they entered it, they knew they were in trouble. When Draow came into the room, he did exactly what Penny thought he would do. He spread his wings and he flew overhead. He went over them and landed in front of them. He lowered his body and roared in their faces, causing them to skid to a stop. Rudy, Penny, and Snap stared at Draow in horror before taking a few steps back. Draow advanced on them.

“So you thought you could get away...?” Mr. Cosmo sneered. “And after I gave you a generous offer.. Well..ain’t that just too bad?” Soon, Draow had the trio boxed up against the wall. He spread his wings out, making it harder for them to get away. “I thought I might be able to use you...but if you choose to run, I guess I have no choice.” He lifted up a small tac-like object, examining it briefly. “I used something like this on dear Saffron...” He looked down at the trio. “I think I’ll use it on you two...”

“B-But I thought...” Rudy stammered, his eyes widened in horror.

“Yes, I know...” Mr. Cosmo said. “But after what you did...well... I want a more painful way of you being my servant. And body control works wonders, don’t you think?” He smiled twistedly at them. “And besides...it’ll be quicker. It’s a little hard getting into ChalkZone as you can very well imagine. But something like this tac here...can be installed in both of you in a much shorter time frame.”

“We won’t let you do it...” Rudy snarled, eyes narrowing.

“We would never join you...” Penny said. “We would rather die...”

Mr. Cosmo’s eyes twinkled. “Is that so...? Well don’t worry. That is an option...” Draow opened his jaws, flashing his sharp teeth at them. “But let us not be too hasty...”

“Perhaps we should give them an incentive to join, master.” Dark Rudy suggested, a sadistic smile on his face. “Perhaps something similar to what you did to me...before I was enlightened..”

“I usually don’t agree with him,” Draow spoke, his own smile across his muzzle. “But he’s talking sense this time. I’m sure they would join if we....” His teal eyes glinted with malice. “..push the right buttons...”

Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked on in horror. They huddled close together, looking at their enemies in fear.

Mr. Cosmo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm...yes...that sounds like a good idea...” He pointed his hand forward. “Draow. You know what to do.”

Draow walked over even closer to the trio. He looked down at them, growling lowly. Then, before Penny or her friends could react, Draow lashed forward. He swung his muzzle and hit Rudy first and then Penny. The force was enough to knock them into the ground. Snap rushed to his friends, but he did not get far. Much to Rudy and Penny’s horror, they looked up just in time to see Snap snagged in Draow’s jaws. Rudy reached for him, only for Draow to raise Snap higher and taking a few steps back.

“Let our friend go!” Rudy demanded.

“Oh, but why should we?” Dark Rudy sneered. “After all..he still has a function for us.”

“Indeed. You see, we really could use the help, and if you aren’t willing to just join us...” Mr. Cosmo gestured to Draow. “We will give you a reason to join.”

With that, Draow tightened his grip on Snap. Rudy and Penny stared at the scene in shere terror, their eyes wide. Snap was struggling frantically in the bat wolf’s jaws. His teeth hadn’t punctured his body yet, but Penny knew it was just a matter of time. She felt her heart clench tightly, a feeling of nausaea coming over her, as she and Rudy watched Snap slowly being crushed. The little zoner’s face was etched in pain and he was frantically struggling in vain to get free.

“Release him!” Penny cried. “Please stop hurting him!”

Draow bit down harder, causing Snap to scream in pain.

“Snap! No!” Rudy cried, tears flowing down his and Penny’s faces.

“If you want his safety...” Mr. Cosmo said. “Join me. Agree to become my slaves. And I will let your friend go. Otherwise...” He snapped his fingers. Draow shook his head, mercilessly shaking Snap. The blue zoner shrieked in agony, much to his friend’s dismay. “...your little friend will soon be in pieces.”

“No..please...!” Rudy begged. “Stop hurting him!”

“Stop this!” Penny shouted. “Please!”

“We’ll stop...” Dark Rudy started to say.

Mr. Cosmo finished for him. “...if you say yes.”

Rudy and Penny were frozen. They watched as Snap was continuously hurt by Draow. Shaking and being crushed, Snap was crying and screaming in pain. In the midst of his cries, they could hear him shouting at them not to do it. He didn’t want them to surrender. He wanted them to resist. That was so like Snap. To want them to be defiant and stand up for what’s right rather than being forced to give regardless of the pain that he himself would be put through.

Penny couldn’t let him suffer, though. She couldn’t let Snap be torn apart by Draow. He didn’t deserve that. She didn’t want to disappoint Snap by giving in, but she and Rudy really didn’t want to see him getting hurt. He was their best friend. If they let him get ripped into shreds..they would never forgive themselves. There was really only one option they had...

They couldn’t fight Draow. Not now. They had no weapon, and even if they did, he still had their friend in his mouth and he could easily crush him. All it would take is a signal from Mr. Cosmo...and that was it. No, the only way out of this that she and Rudy could see...was something that sickened the two of them. Their stomachs twisted in knots thinking about it. But there was only one way they could help Snap now. One way that they could see. They could only hope that Snap would forgive them after it was all over.

“Mr. Cosmo...we...” Rudy started to say.

He never had a chance to finish. No one had a chance to say or do anything else. For in that moment, a sudden bright white light shot through the room, enveloping the whole place before concentrating on Rudy, Penny, and Snap. Mr. Cosmo, Draow, and Dark Rudy watched in absolute shock as the trio suddenly vanished without a trace.


	62. The Light Dimension

The room was filled with cat-like yowls and the roars of a bear. They intermixed together, bouncing off the walls all around. The two doctors clashed against each other and became nothing but flying fur, their colors swirling around each other as they wrestled and snarled. Although in horrible pain and their bodies feeling like they wanted to pass out, Rapsheeba and Blocky found it hard to turn away. They watched the spectacle with widened eyes.

Dr. Urso didn’t really understand the motivations behind Dr. Raiden’s sudden turn. He had always been a calm and respectful doctor. That was how he knew him as. He had trusted him as a comrade, but now after seeing this, he felt disgusted with himself. He had seen what he did to Rapsheeba’s leg and how he ripped into Blocky. Both such despicable acts. He was glad that he got here before the cheetah could do anymore damage.

When he came here, he didn’t know what to expect. A part of him was appalled with the idea of Dr. Raiden being a traitor. He didn’t want to believe it. He had worked close with him before and he seemed like he was a reasonable guy. It was definitely a shock to his system when he finally saw Dr. Raiden for who he really was. A monster...a jerk...and a hypocrite. The real Dr. Raiden was someone so horrible, that Dr. Urso thought he was a completely different zoner. A part of him wished that was the case.

As furious as he was with himself with Dr. Raiden, at least now he could do something about it. He managed to stop him from doing something worse to Blocky and Rapsheeba. The other Luminos were still knocked out...for now. He would still have to keep an eye on them, though. It wasn’t really so much him he was worried about, but the two injured zoners. They wouldn’t be able to fight well in their condition, especially Rapsheeba and that broken leg of hers.

He and Raiden wrestled across the ground. They dug their claws into each other and used strength to try to pin the other down. They rolled across the floor, snarling and shouting angrily at the other. Each called the other a ‘traitor’ and a ‘threat to zoners’. This banter of anger against the other went on as they fought with each other. Raiden managed to bite down on his ear, blood dripping from it. Urso ripped his head away and bit down on Raiden’s jaws, his teeth slashing across them and making him yowl in pain.

Their claws dug into each other. He could feel his claws ripping into Raiden’s body. He could feel the cheetah’s claws doing the same thing to him. He winced in pain and did his best not to release the cheetah. He gripped down hard on his arms and yanked on him, putting him on his side. He attempted to pin him down, but a swift kick to his stomach sent him staggering a little. He did not release the cheetah and sent a fist slamming against his back. Raiden howled in pain, his eyes widened big. Then the feline zoner managed to rolled himself on his back and pull his feet into position. The feet slammed against Urso’s head, knocking him down.

Dr. Raiden jumped up onto his feet, all fours. He paced around the fallen Dr. Urso for a bit. Dr. Urso grunted and raised himself up, rubbing his sore head. He opened up his eyes in time to see Dr. Raiden rushing at him. His eyes widening, the lion bear zoner had little time to react as the cheetah slammed against him, pinning him into the ground. He winced as the cheetahs sharp claws punctured into his skin once more, tearing into his flesh. He looked up at Raiden, noting his hate-filled eyes. He returned the glare.

“So this is what it’s come down to, Dr. Raiden?” Dr. Urso asked bitterly, his teeth partially bared as he spoke. He turned his head to the side. “Once you were one of my closest colleagues and now..you’re doing this. Do you feel proud of yourself?”

Raiden did not bother to answer that. His face contorted into a snarl, a low rumble from his throat. He lifted up his right paw and lowered it down towards Urso’s left arm. He pressed the tip against it. Then, seconds later, he activated his claw and it began to swiftly rip through the arm. Urso howled in agony before striking Raiden off of him with his bear-like paw. The cheetah rolled across the ground and shook his head. When the two of them got up, Urso could see the blood clinging to the metal finger. He snarled and winced as he placed his left arm on the ground.

Dr. Raiden smirked darkly at this. Dr. Urso knew that the cheetah was going to use his injured arm to his advantage. But despite being wounded in this way, he was not going to give up. The lion bear knew the consequences if he allowed the cheetah to have his way. He would stand his ground. Though it hurt him to put pressure on the left leg, he still remained standing. His arm was thick, too, so though there was a lot of pain, the damage wasn’t as bad as it would have been if the same thing happened to Raiden.

The cheetah zoner paced around him slowly and then broke into a run. Urso’s eyes widened in horror at this. The cheetah became a blur of black and gold. He ran around him, going so fast that Urso could hardly see him. It was clear that the cheetah was attempting to disorient him, make it hard for him to attack back. Urso looked left and right, trying to get a good view of the zoner. But he moved so fast...one second he were there, and then another second, somewhere else. He felt his heart racing when he knew, at the time, Raiden could attack from any angle and he wouldn’t be able to defend himself.

And he quickly learned how right he was. Suddenly, without warning, Raiden struck him on his right side. He yelped in pain as he felt the metal claw slash across his shoulder, knocking him into the ground. As he laid there, slowly getting up, the cheetah came around the other side and slammed his body against him, making him fall back a few steps. Then he attacked again, his metal claw tearing open a small part of his left side. Finally, Raiden struck his metal claw across his back, making the lion bear throw his head back and howl in agony before falling to the ground.

“Dr. Urso...no!” Rapsheeba said through clenched teeth.

Blocky’s eyes widened in horror. “Please get up! He’s coming back!”

The two of them froze when Dr. Raiden stared at them. His intense golden eyes bored through their souls. Blocky and Rapsheeba gulped in fear and huddled close together. Dr. Raiden stared at them for a couple more seconds befoer turning his attention back to Dr. Urso laying on the ground. With a calm smile, he walked over to him and began to pace around him like a vulture around a kill. Dr. Urso looked up at him and growled softly.

“Ain’t this a shame?” Dr. Raiden said. He pushed himself up onto two legs, walking in a hunch. His arms rested behind his back and he glared down at Urso like he was studying him. “I remember what it was like working with you, Dr. Urso. I would regret having to kill a fellow doctor. But if you’re going to side with those traitors..” Dr. Raiden briefly cast a glare at Rapsheeba and Blocky. “..then perhaps the best thing to do is euthanize you. Can’t have you spread the poison or let you be further damaged by the brainwashing.” He shut his eyes and gave a light smile. “Yes, death would be merciful.”

Dr. Urso snarled at him. He pushed himself on his hands, ignoring the pain in his body. He lifted up his head and made sure that the cheetah could get a good look at his sharp teeth. “You’re despicable... Doctors are supposed to help people, not kill. You’re...you’re a mockery to this hospital.”

Dr. Raiden blinked and then smiled. “Oh but dear Dr. Urso...” He slowed down his pacing a little and drew himself closer. He spoke again, his voice lowering in volume, becoming something of a hiss. “I am helping people. I am helping ChalkZone by getting rid of threats.”

“Blocky and Rapsheeba did nothing to deserve what you gave them!” Dr. Urso snapped at him.

“Oh I can see why you’d say that. You’re poisoned by the creators as well.” Dr. Raiden mused, partially baring his teeth in a smile. “Such a shame...”

Dr. Urso flattened his ears against his head. “The only one poisoned around here is you. You’re just like Mr. Cosmo.” Dr. Raiden shot a glare at him. Dr. Urso did not back down. “Yeah, you heard me. You’re the zoner equivilant of Mr. Cosmo. Both of you are the following: racist towards the other species, willing to harm innocents to get your way, think you are doing what is best for everyone, attacking hospitals to get a select target...”

“Shut up! You understand nothing!” Raiden bared his sharp teeth. “Humans are dangerous! And so is anyone associated with them!”

“But why?” Dr. Urso asked, narrowing his eyes. “How can I be a threat when I am not plotting anything against ChalkZone?” He gestured towards Rapsheeba and Blocky. “How can they be a threat when they have never committed any crimes against ChalkZone?”

Dr. Raiden snarled. At first, it looked like he was puzzled as to how to answer that question. But he soon said something. “You all befriended humans...”

Dr. Urso said, “And...?”

Dr. Raiden raised his head a little. His golden eyes flashed. “And that means you could be plotting against us! Y-You..you could be preparing some kind of plan with the creators..an invasion...a sudden attack..anything!” Urso noted the slight stammer in Raiden’s voice. “I-I-I won’t allow it!”

“Oh come now... Do you really believe that?” Dr. Urso asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Do you really think that anyone who ‘sides’ with the humans is going to plan some full scale invasion or something?”

“You never know...” The cheetah zoner flattened his ears against his head. “When it comes to the safety of ChalkZone...one cannot take chances...” He took a step forward. “Don’t you remember what happened with Mr. Cosmo, Dr. Urso? Don’t you remember what he did, both in his return and what happened many years ago?”

“Of course I do. I would never forget.” Dr. Urso replied. “But unlike you, I don’t use that incident to generalize all humans. They are varied like we are, and you are a fool to think them all the same.”

Dr. Raiden narrowed his eyes at this. He dropped down on all four. His tail swished from side to side. He turned himself around and started to circle Urso in the opposite direction. He moved around in a circle, Urso keeping his eye on the cheetah, anticipating a sudden attack. Raiden did not speak for a few minutes. Occasionally, he’d turn his attention to the injured two zoners, and Urso was worried he’d make a sudden break for them. But he always returned his attention to the lion bear.

Dr. Urso prepared himself. He had no idea when the cheetah was going to attack. At any moment perhaps. He bared his teeth and hunched himself. His muscles rippled through his body, preparing himself for an attack. His claws flexed on the ground, tapping against the hard metallic floor. His eyes leveled with the cheetah’s, keeping lock on him for as long as possible, only breaking when the cheetah zoner disappeared behind his back, only to reemerge at his side. He had no idea how long this circling was going to last, and he felt adrenaline start to tug at him in anticipation for the attack.

“A part of me wishes that I didn’t have to do this. But you left me with no choice. As soon as more of my comrades arrive...” Dr. Raiden smirked when Dr. Urso widened his eyes. “Oh yes, didn’t you know? I contacted my leader. He and some reinforcements will be arriving shortly. They were coming for Rudy, but you traitors will do just fine...” He tilted his head a little. “And now you will suffer the same fate that Rapsheeba and Blocky will. A punishment you all so richly deserve.” His eyes widened slightly. “Death...” He said with a grin.

Dr. Urso widened his eyes at this. Did Dr. Raiden really think that was a just punishment? Death? For what? None of them did anything to deserve that. This cheetah really was more twisted than he thought. He couldn’t believe that he once thought of him as one of the most rational of the doctors. He was anything but that. His logic didn’t make any sense. He was twisting everything and doing horrible things, and for what? To keep ChalkZone safe? How could he keep it safe when he himself was a threat?

Dr. Urso pressed his claws against the ground. He thought they would break, but he ignored the uncomfortable sensation. He watched with eyes blazing in anger as the cheetah paced around him. Soon, the cheetah stopped and stood in front of him. The two stared at each other. Dr. Urso snarled at the taller zoner. There was silence for a few minutes as the zoners glared at each other. Neither turned away. Neither backed down. Then, Urso finally broke the silence.

“How exactly do I deserve to die when all I am doing is preventing you from killing two innocents?” Dr. Urso asked, his voice forcefully calm.

Dr. Raiden shook his head. “They aren’t innocent, you idiot. They were helping the creators to escape!” He raised his paw and pointed his metal finger at the lion bear. “That is why they must die! They are working with the enemy!”

Urso turned his bear-like head to the two zoners. He could see them huddled against the wall, clearly in a lot of pain. They were frightened, staying closed together. He took quick note of their injuries before looking back at Raiden. “When I came in here, they were the ones who were injured. Not you. They were at a disadvantage. I can see they are weakened and hurt, not just by you, but I’m assuming your Luminos comrades did a number on them as well.” Dr. Urso’s head tilted to the side as a perplexed expression came on it. “So tell me...how are they guilty again?”

“They were helping the enemy! I just told you!” Raiden snapped at him, his tail twitching violently. “Did you not hear me?!”

“Oh I heard you of course.” Dr. Urso waved a paw somewhat dismissively at him. “But what I didn’t hear was a reason. A real one. If they were helping the ‘enemy’ to escape, I’m going to assume they were going in self defense. Were you not the one who made the first move? It’s obvious they hadn’t gotten a move on you. And even your comrades don’t look as badly hurt as them. It seems to me that they were on the defense...and you are the aggressor.”

Raiden replied, “Well yeah we made the first move...but we had no choice! They were a threat! We...”

“And how were they a threat? Tell me that, Dr. Raiden.” Dr. Urso asked, his teeth bared. “Tell me what did they do that was so bad that they deserved that? What did Rapsheeba do to deserve having her leg broken? What did Blocky do that made him deserve having his side ripped apart like that?” He took a step forward and stared intently into Dr. Raiden’s amber eyes. After a couple seconds of silence, the lion bear snapped, “Tell me!”

Dr. Raiden opened his mouth. No words came out, not at first. The cheetah looked like he was struggling to find some kind of response. He looked left and right, his eyes darting around. Dr. Urso watched him as he struggled to find something to say. He narrowed his eyes a little more. Just like he thought. Dr. Raiden didn’t have a strong argument. Here he was, trying in vain to justify what he had done.

What he did eventually say caused the lion bear’s blood to boil.

“Does it really matter...?” The cheetah’s voice was ice cold as he said that. “They were asking for it. They could have redeemed themselves by joining us sooner. But they chose this path. They brought it on themselves.” A dark sneer spread across his muzzle. “It’s their own blasted fault this happened to them. If they hadn’t, then I wouldn’t have...”

Dr. Urso struck Dr. Raiden as hard as he could across his head. The cheetah let out a yowl as he was thrown into the ground. He laid there and groaned in pain. He shook his head and looked up at Dr. Urso. His eyes were filled with a mixture of anger and shock. Across his face, he now adorned four slashes courtesy of Dr. Urso’s claws.

“Fuck off!” Dr. Urso boomed, his pupils shrinking from the anger. “Telling them it’s their fault.. That is bullcrap and you know it! You decided to attack them! You initiated the fight! It was your fault that happened, not theirs!” His ears were flattened so much, he doubted anyone could see them. “And here you are, trying to say otherwise.. You’re disgusting!”

Dr. Raiden climbed back onto all fours, his back arching upwards. “They..they had the gall to judge me...when they did not experience what I had!”

“So whatever happened to you gives you the right to do terrible things to others?” Dr. Urso asked. Dr. Raiden clenched his teeth, but did not reply. “Your past is not an excuse for your present actions, Dr. Raiden. “I understand that you went through a lot of pain when you are Mr. Cosmo’s prisoner. But for you to use that justify your own horrific actions...” He shut his eyes and turned his head away. His teeth, bared, pushed against each other so hard he thought they would break. He leaned forward and his eyes widened suddenly. He shouted, “You’re a sick little monster!”

Dr. Raiden snarled at this. He wagged his tail in agitation, the fur on it starting to poof a little in anger. His pupils became slits and he showed his sharp teeth at the lion bear. “You know nothing...” He pawed the ground. “And I will prove it to you..”

Without warning, the cheetah dashed towards the lion bear. A collision, and Dr. Urso shrieked in pain as his side was torn into. Blood splattered everywhere. He rolled across the ground and hit against the cold hard floor. He could hear Rapsheeba and Blocky’s cries of terror for him. He turned his attention to them for a second, his eyes telling them to stay there. He did not want them to get more hurt than they already were. He then looked over at Dr. Raiden. The cheetah paced around him slowly, eyeing him up and down like he was his prey. Then he started to run around him, just like before.

Dr. Urso tried his best to remain standing. Even as he was hit again and again, he refused to back down. He knew that, if he was careful enough, he could gain the upperhand in this fight. He might not be as fast as Raiden, but he was much stronger than him. Raiden’s body, being a cheetah, was lanky and thin, devoted to speed, not strength. And even his speed had limits; his endurance was not as pronounced, while he himself could use his strength for a longer duration. If he could get a hold of him, he could turn the tables on this fight.

His eyes focused, watching the whirl of fur go around him. If there was one thing he was good at, it was spotting details. He watched the way Dr. Raiden was moving, and noting how he looks when he starts an attack. His mind swirled with thoughts as he processed this information. He could not slow down time, but he could still have lightning fast reflexes when he put his mind to it. With Raiden moving this fast, no way he could stop himself in time once he launched his attack. He closed his eyes for a few moments, listening and waiting for the right time. Then, when he heard Raiden’s body shift just a minute way, he made his move.

Dr. Raiden’s eyes widened in shock when Dr. Urso suddenly bit down on his leg. His body lurched violently forward and he slammed into the ground due to his momentum. His face smashed into the floor and he let out a groan of pain, his teeth clenched. He lifted up his head and looked over. Dr. Urso’s jaws clamped tightly around his right leg, blood pooling out of the injury. Dr. Urso tightened his grip, causing a cry of pain from the cheetah. He lifted him up into the air and then tossed him aside.

Dr. Raiden crashed up against the nearest wall. He slid down and rubbed his head. He attempted to get up, but the bite. Dr. Urso gave him sent shockwaves of pain through his ankle and leg. He let out a cry of pain and he fell down to one knee. He raised his head up and he saw the bear barrelling down towards him. He only had mere moments before the bear jaws crushed down onto his shoulder. His eyes widened in agony as he shrieked, his mouth as far open as it could go. Blood stained his shoulder as his shoulder was ripped up. Dr. Urso forced him into the ground.

The cheetah struggled to get free. Dr. Urso just tightened his grip on him. After a while, Dr. Raiden finally stopped struggling and just laid there. He stared up at Dr. Urso, panting heavily. Then, as the lion bear’s eyes intensed, a growl emitting from his throat, Dr. Raiden, realizing in that moment he was screwed, widened in his eyes in absolute horror, his ears lowering.

sss

Rudy let out a soft groan of pain as he sat himself up. He rubbed his head, his eyes remaining shut. “Dimensional traveling is painful...”

“You can say that again, Bucko.” Snap said. Rudy forced his eyes open and looked over to see Snap laying on his back, a look of pain etched on his face. “I don’t know if I want to go for a third ride.”

Penny, who was further off from the group, pushed herself up on her hands. “At least this time we managed to stay close together.”

“At least there’s some kind of upside.” Snap hit the side of his head. “And it got us away from...those three...” He gave a shudder.

Rudy furrowed his eyebrows as he thought back to what happened just a short time ago. They were in that dark dimension, trapped by Dark Rudy, Mr. Cosmo, and Draow. They had Snap in the beast’s jaws, and they were threatening to kill him if they didn’t join. They had no way to defend themselves. They couldn’t save Snap...except if they agreed. Thinking back, he realized that Mr. Cosmo might have had Snap killed anyway. He was not very trustworthy.

He felt relieved when the time finally ran out. And just in the nick of time, too. They were sucked away from that horrible place. Even though he had no idea just how safe this dimension was, he was still happy to be away from...that dimension. He did feel bad about leaving Ms. Saffron behind. He wished they could have taken her with somehow... Maybe they could work on that later. He..he didn’t want to leave her in that world. She deserved better than that. Though it might not be the best idea to drag her into another dimension, he felt that she deserved a more proper place to live.

The dimensional traveling was the same as when they first entered. The only difference was that, instead of getting darker, it just got lighter. Even more so than when where they came from. It was...welcoming, comforting. It said nothing about how dangerous it was, if it was safe or anything. But all in all, it was a more comfortable ride compared to the first trip. And soon, he was let out into the world. Even the friction of entering didn’t seem quite as bad, or maybe he was just a little used to it from the first dimensional hop.

He was glad that, this time, he was with his friends. He wasn’t sure what he would do if he were stuck in this world and he had no idea where they were. It was scary when he arrived in the other dimension and they had all scattered. Now, this time, they landed close together. They can focus their initial energy on getting their bearings and trying to figure this place out instead of exploring an unknown land for each other.

Rudy looked around, trying to get an idea of just where he was. So far, the only thing they could really take notice of was that they were in ChalkZone this time. He remembered the waves of relief that went through his body as he realized where they were, at least in regards to real world or ChalkZone. He could feel the pain in his body lowering as the chartreuse chalk went to work. At least, now, he did not have that to worry about as much. He still had the medicine that Alt-Snap had given him. He would keep it safe, just in case he needed it.

He and his friends were relieved when they took a look around and saw ChalkZone still standing. It was certainly nothing like what was described in that horrid dark dimension. ChalkZone here was still fully in tact. He hadn’t yet recognized where they were. For now, he didn’t care too much about that. He just stood there and looked around, happy to see that this ChalkZone did not suffer the fate of the other one.

It looked peaceful, like it always was. He could see some zoners off in the distance. They were barely noticeable, but he could tell they were happy. He could see some flying zoner animals overhead. The day zone sun shined brightly. The grass, the trees, it all looked so beautiful.. Nothing at all like the war torn world of the dark dimension. He deduced that if this ChalkZone was fine, the real world most likely was as well. A wave of relief hit him as it dawned on him that his parents, anyone else he cared about, must still be alive and well, not having suffered some horrific fate.

The way Dark Rudy killed his parents... Those horrific details... Those images that nagged him in the back of his mind...

Rudy felt his body shiver before he forced the thought out of his head. He couldn’t think about that. Not now. He had to focus on what was happening right now. They had to first figure out just where they were, and go from there. He wished he knew their relative location. He wasn’t sure if this was a new area or this ChalkZone was structured differently or what. Part of it looked familiar. He saw a spot that looked kind of like the area where he’d come in from at home. But even that just vaguely reminded him of it; it still looked so different.

“I wonder which way ChalkZone City is.” Penny wondered out loud. “I would draw a GPS, but without knowledge of this place...”

“Yeah we know. It wouldn’t work.” Snap said, pointing his head in Penny’s direction. “It was still a good idea though.” He turned his attention Rudy. “What about you? Any ideas?”

Rudy scratched his chin thoughtfully. He looked over at the zoners. On the hill he stood on, it flowed down ward and went into a wide open flat area with some few sparse trees. It reminded him of some of the fields Snap and Blocky liked to play in. His eyes followed the invisible ‘trail’ down further, and he could see that, off in the distance, he could see some faint mountain structure. But other than that, there didn’t appear to be anything, at least not in this direction.

He looked in other directions, and he could see a forest that was nearby. It kind of reminded him of the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle, except the predominant color of the leaves here was red, with some speckles of orange. It was almost like a fall setting. If some of the leaves were on the ground, that would complete the image. He looked around another way and he could see, off in the distance, a river of some kind. It was pretty straight and looked much wider than the Amazing River back in his dimension.

And still, nothing looked familiar. Standing around here, there was no way they were going to find out if this place just had a different overall look or if they were in some new part of ChalkZone. They would need to go exploring a little. As much as he loved doing that, he knew they wouldn’t have much time. So he hoped that, somewhere along the way, they would find someone that could help them. And after that, they could begin to search for one particular person he believed could help them find the second cure.

“Our best chance is to get a vantage point.” Rudy said. He looked up towards the sky. “If we draw some kind of flying machine, we could use it to scale the area above. We could locate ChalkZone City with it.”

“That sounds like a great idea, Rudy!” Penny said, smiling. “We could also draw a simple map...you know, just in case we need it.”

“Yeah, that sounds good!” Rudy said before looking at the area all around them. “Now if we could just figure out which direction to go first...”

Snap walked over to Rudy. He gently grabbed his arm to get his attention. Rudy glanced down at him. Snap pointed with his hand down to the right. “How about we go where they are going, Bucko?”

Rudy looked down and he saw a large group of zoners all going in the same direction. They stayed close to each other, chatting away and laughing. He watched them as they walked off into the distance. He turned back at Snap. “Yeah, that should work. Smart thinking, Snap!”

Snap smiled at him. He then looked over at Penny. “Hey, Buckette! What kind of machine do you think would be best for us to use?” He rested his head against his hand, thinking. “I don’t think we want anything that will disturb the locals...” He pointed a hand at her. “..especially the last dimension.”

“Yeah, you’re right Snap. We can’t take that risk.” Penny said, looking at her two friends. “Even though this place isn’t one giant war zone, we don’t want to risk alerting any possible enemies. Stealth would be an excellent tactic.”

Rudy nodded his head. “Hopefully it won’t take us long to find my counterpart.” Penny and Snap looked over at him somewhat nervously. He understood why they looked at him like that. His other counterpart wasn’t the nicest. But surely, this place...looking at this place..it can’t possibly be that bad. The zoners were happy. Nothing was destroyed. Yes, this was one peaceful place. “Yeah, I know... But my counterpart here wasn’t corrupted by black chalk.” He turned and motioned with his hand. “See? Nobody here seems frightened or enslaved.” He looked back at his friends. “So if my counterpart wasn’t corrupted by the black chalk, then he must be a lot like me.”

Penny thought about this. “That seems like a logical conclusion.”

“It would definitely be a nice change of pace from...” Snap shivered a little. “...that other Rudy...” He closed his eyes for a few seconds, letting out a small whimper of fear. He reopened them and said, “Yeah, I bet everyone here is more pleasant. It’d be nice to see another kind Rudy for once. It was so..confusing seeing someone that looked and sounded like you...act so cruel and heartless...”

Rudy looked at his friend sadly. He nodded his head slowly in understanding. “Yeah, I know, Snap... It was scary for me, too.” He raised his head up. “But at least we don’t have to worry about that anymore.” He smiled the best we could. “Now let’s go ahead and try to find my counterpart here. I’m sure he’ll be glad to help us when he explain the situation.”

“Right.” Penny said. She gestured for her friends to come closer. “And I think I know what kind of machine we should draw that would draw the least amount of attention but would give us good speed.”

The friends began to disuss their next move.

sss

Mr. Longhorn walked down the street. He looked over and he could see the sun was starting to lower. It was late afternoon and the land was bathed in the golden light associated with this time of day. It was his favorite time to go out for a walk. Even long walks like today, where he was out further from town than he usually was. The air during this time was nice.

Yeah, it was getting chillier out due to the time of year, but he didn’t really mind. He had a nice thick jacket on, so the chilliness around him, especially when the wind picked up, didn’t bother him. He felt warm no matter how hard the wind blowed. And his mind was at peace. He hadn’t felt this peaceful in a while. It was a nice change of pace since his encounter with that Penny girl earlier.

He wondered how she was doing. He didn’t know her too well. Yeah they were neighbors, but they really only spoke during Halloween usually. So he didn’t know enough about her to know where she could have been. The injury she had did startle him. What could she have been doing that caused that? Where had it happened? And how long as she limping like that? She didn’t tell him a whole lot, much to his frustration. He wanted to know more, but he decided not to press the subject further.

He wasn’t sure why she insisted on going back home. He kind of knew her mother, and he was aware she took care of pets. So he didn’t doubt her story that her mom could have helped her. But with that bad of a limp, he would have thought she’d want to go to the hospital to make sure it wasn’t serious. He didn’t think her mom had any kind of x-ray...or maybe she did. He just wasn’t sure what to make of the situation, and he had been bothered by it for a while.

He did start feeling a little better about it now, and he felt his mind relaxing. He was going to check up on Penny, but first he decided to go for a walk. He wasn’t going to be gone long. He had a few hours left to go visit them before darkness would set completely. Four, five, give or take. That was plenty of time for him to get back. Even though he didn’t know Penny that well, he was concerned for her, and he still wondered just what had happened to her. He hoped that, whatever it was, it wouldn’t happen again.

He started to pass by one particular house. He looked over at it. It was a nice house, a pretty white color with some decorative designs. The edges curled and in some places were sharp-looking. The house had at least two levels, maybe more. It looked very new, practically shined even in the evening light. There were a lot of nice houses, but something about this one drew him in. He had a thing for architecture, and this house made great use of that.

He paused and stared at the house for a few seconds, admiring its structure, and then he turned around. It was about time he started to head back. It wouldn’t be good if he got stuck way out here without little to no lighting. At least Plainsville wasn’t that far away. He would be back into town within about twenty minutes, and then back home in an extra forty minutes, if he did the math right. Taking one last look at the house, he began to walk away.

Suddenly he heard something. Faint, barely audible... He listened to it intently, trying to pinpoint what it was. His eyes widened as he realized it was a scream of some kind. He looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. Where was the screaming coming from? There was hardly anything out here except...

...the house...

Mr. Longhorn looked over at the house. He stared at it, and then, slowly, walked toward it, exercising caution. He moved along the grass and walked up the short hill that the house was situated on. He kept listening to the faint screams. They were getting louder as the seconds passed. As he listened to them, he quickly realized that this house, indeed, was the source of the screaming. He felt his heart tighten, and he wondered if anyone in there needed help, or if it was just some dumb TV show or something that they kept up too loud.

The screams kept getting louder as he walked around the house. He kept his head low, not wanting to be seen. He followed the screams until he located where he believed they were coming from. There was a small window above his crouched body. He slowly raised himself up, being very cautious. When he raised himself up enough, he could tell that the blinds were raised up, but not by much. He listened intently and he could tell that this was the source of the screams. Wanting to know what was causing the distress, he peered inside, making sure not to make any noise. What he saw horrified him.

There were two people in the room. Both of them were woman. One of them had wavy blonde hair and what appeared to be a nurse’s outfit. She looked like that one nurse he saw go to the school..maybe she was the same one? The second woman wore a sweat outfit, for exercise most likely, and had hair that was shorter than the blonde’s, and it was colored brown. He recognized the brown-haired woman as Tilly. He had met her once before during a festival, and again during a Halloween thing.

Tilly was chained up against the wall. Her arms were tied together and strung over her head. She had several bruises and cuts on her. She looked like she was crying and pleading, but the blonde was whipping her so hard that she couldn’t get a coherent word out. The nurse just kept hitting her and from how twisted her smile was, how real the tears on Tilly looked, this was not acting.

Mr. Longhorn lowered himself to the ground and pressed his back against the wall. His mind raced at what he had just seen. What was that nurse doing? Why was she whipping Tilly? Why did she capture Tilly to begin with? He looked up at the window again and then looked away, biting his lip. That was the most horrible sight he had ever seen. He had...he had just witnessed someone being tortured. What should he do...?

Going to the police would be a good idea, but..what if they don’t get here in time? He had no idea if that nurse was going to keep Tilly alive. He had no reason to suspect that she would. Though he could be blowing things out of proportion, in this case, he felt that overthinking it and believing it’s something serious was the best course of action. His mind swirled as he tried to think of what he should do. He looked back, listening to Tilly’s screams. They were chilling to listen to.

He soon decided. Though it might be dangerous, he felt the best thing he could do was to try to help. Going to the police might be a smart thing to do, but he was here now and he felt like he should do something. As long as he was careful and didn’t allow the nurse to see me, he could probably sneak into that room whenever she leaves and get Tilly out of here. He was worried that the nurse might off her before the police, if called, could arrive. At least if he tried to intervene, Tilly had something of a better chance of getting out of here.

Slowly, he began to make his way around the house and towards the back door. All the while, he listened to Tilly’s screaming. Each one made him flinch, made him move faster. As he moved along the house, he hoped that he would reach Tilly in time.


	63. A Peaceful Place

Trying to figure out a mode of transportation was pretty difficult. Penny wanted something that could fly, as she said earlier. But figuring out just what kind of flying machine was a little hard. She wanted something that was pretty silent and wouldn’t leave a trail behind. Something that would be able to move at considerable speed since they had so little time here, but also something that would not make too much noise.

She and the others agreed that stealth was their best option. They really had no idea what this dimension was like. She did understand Rudy’s enthusiasm that it may be better than the last one. And she did have similar thoughts. This place wasn’t torn apart nor do the zoners they see look unhappy. So it might not be too bad. But she didn’t want to jump to any conclusions yet. There might still be something wrong with this world and the last thing they needed was to draw attention from the bad guys. If any existed here... she would assume there were. No way this place would be completely devoid of unscrupulous zoners.

She originally thought of a hot air balloon. But they were pretty slow. Though she thought of ways to speed it up, no matter what she thought of, the hot air balloon would likely still be pretty noisy. She tried to tweak in her head, making some mental changes, but nothing seemed to work out. So the hot air balloon was definitely out of the question. She felt disappointed as she thought it would have been the best way to get into ChalkZone City without revealing themselves.

So she had to try to think of something else instead. A hovercraft was another idea. They could easily draw one with a stealth feature that would hide them. There would be more space for them as well and they would have more control of where they would go. A hot air balloon would have been harder to navigate with. But Penny realized a hovercraft might not be the best option. either. If they weren’t careful, they could run into someone or something and the locals would be alerted. Plus she didn’t think there was anyway to muffle the sound of the hovercraft’s engine.

In the end, after she, Rudy, and Snap discussed things, they settled on the rocket shoes. They were generally pretty quiet and they were pretty quick to draw. Though Penny and Snap did not have as much experience with them, they were both confident that they’d be able to use them just fine. As for invisibility, Penny suggested they could try wearing a device similar to what Skrawl had. He had used a cloaking device to bypass Bardot’s insane security system to get to his hideout.

Though Rudy was muggy on the details, he was able to draw what Penny had asked of him and they now all sported that silly outfit Skrawl had to wear and some rocket shoes. Penny was glad they decided to go with this option. It was the most lightweight decision they could have made. It would be easy avoiding detection in this manner. And the cloaking devices strapped to their bodies would definitely help avoid the zoners from seeing them, at least until they could explain things, if possible.

“These straps are irritating me.” Snap muttered. He attempted to move the straps around to try to get more comfortable. But he was having a hard time to. It seemed, no matter what he did, he looked like the straps were bothering him. “Is there anyway to adjust them?”

Rudy said, “I’m sorry, Snap.” Rudy held out his hand in gesture. “But that is the most practical way to have it strapped on you. Otherwise, if you move around too much while in the air, it might slip off of you and expose you.” His eyes furrowed a little. “...does it really bother you that much?”

Snap nodded his head. He looked down at the straps that went across his stomach and shoulders. “I think I can manage it though.” He winced slightly. “Do you mind drawing me some painkillers perhaps?”

Penny’s eyes widened. “It’s hurting you?” Snap looked over at her and nodded his head. Penny bit her lip. “Well..we can’t take it off of you otherwise you’ll be spotted...” She thought for a moment. “We’ll just have to find this world’s version of Rudy faster then.”

“Yeah that sounds like a good idea, Penny.” Rudy said, nodding his head slowly. “We can find my counterpart, then we can stop in some area away from the zoners to take off our cloaking devices.” He turned back to Snap. “Can you handle wearing that for that long?”

“Yeah I think so.” Snap replied. “But...about that pain medication...” He added with a small smile.

Rudy gave a small smile. “Sure, Snap. I’ll get right on it.”

Penny looked at Snap sadly. When they had arrived in this dimension, before they decided what kind of device they’d use for traveling, they did treat Snap’s wounds the best they could. He had several puncture marks from where Draow had bitten him. They managed to stop the bleeding. She wasn’t sure if there was a lot of internal damage, but overall the damage wasn’t as bad as they feared. It still wasn’t very minor, though, and they had to disinfect and clean the puncture wounds. Once they had, they wrapped up the wounds in bandages.

Penny was glad that Snap brought something up now before they took off. It would have been hard fixing this if they didn’t know until they were hovering over the city or something. Though they tried to adjust the straps so they wouldn’t irritate the wounds, based on what Snap told them, that wasn’t going to be a possibility. Their best bet was that the pain medication that Rudy gave him would kick in soon. She’d hate to see Snap in so much pain. He certainly didn’t deserve it. She was glad that this dimension, so far, seems pretty peaceful; it would be horrible if they landed in another war zone and they all risked getting hurt further.

Soon Snap finished taking the medicine, swallowing it down with the water. He wiped his mouth and smiled at Rudy. “Thanks, Bucko. I think that’ll help.”

“I hope so.” Rudy looked in the direction the zoners had gone off in. “Anyway we should get going now. We can’t waste time standing around. We should find my counterpart and ask him about that cure. Hopefully he’ll know something about it.” He paused for a moment. He closed his eyes and sighed. “...then again, he might not... I don’t think Mr. Cosmo would have left it somewhere that my counterpart could get to it.”

“...yeah I almost forgot about that. If the Rudy here wasn’t corrupted by the black chalk...yeah...” Snap said, his eyes widening a little in realization.

Penny bit her lip. This wasn’t good news. There was a chance that Rudy’s counterpart here did not know. And if he didn’t know, then they had no leads on where to go. It wasn’t like the last dimension where Ms. Saffron there had known where the cure was. In this dimension, it was very likely that this Rudy would not know anything about the cure. Heck, they didn’t even know if there was a Rudy in this world. What if he had been killed, or unable to come back into ChalkZone?

Those thoughts disturbed her. The idea that they might have no leads in this dimension was unnerving. If they had to leave this dimension without the second cure...just what were they going to do...? They would have to come back here, but would she even be able to succeed a second time? Would the machine be destroyed afterwards? She hoped that they would be able to find the cure in this first trip. Attempting a second one would be risky and dangerous. They might not even have the chance to, not while the black chalk artists and the Luminos zoners were at large.

Speaking of the Luminos...just what were they going to run into when they got back? She had no idea how Rapsheeba and Blocky were doing. The machine is still functioning. That much was true. But she didn’t know how bad off those two were or how long they’d be able to stand up to Dr. Raiden and his minions. She hoped they were doing well. She wished she could help them, but they wouldn’t be able to get back for another couple of hours. That did give them time to prepare.

A part of her was worried that there might be an ambush waiting for them. Not knowing what was going on in their own dimension was scary. For all she knew, the Luminos secured the machine and were just waiting for them to pop out. They could try to be prepared for that, but even then, it might not be enough. All she could do was speak to her friends about it and hope that they can take the appropriate steps to prepare for the return trip. And they’d have to keep the cures safe just in case the Luminos tried to get them, or if the black chalk artists showed up.

“Well I’m sure we’ll figure something out.” Penny said, trying to cheer her friends up. “We won’t find anything out standing around here, so let’s get going.”

Rudy nodded his head. “Yeah, you’re right. And even if my counterpart doesn’t know anything, someone else around here might.”

“That’s the spirit!” Snap grinned in spite of his pain. “Where there’s a will, there is a way!”

Rudy smiled at this. He turned his attention in the direction the zoners were going. He watched it for a few seconds, noting more zoners going in that same direction. “Let’s go ahead and follow them. I’m sure that, even if they aren’t going to ChalkZone City, wherever they’re going has someone or someplace that can help us.”

“I hope so. I hope it’s not going to be just some kind of club or something.” Snap said. “Not that I don’t like clubs...but we can’t afford to waste time at one here. At least not until we find that cure.”

“Yeah...” Penny said, nodding in agreement.

“Come on now.” Rudy waved his arm to his friends. He activated his cloaking device, disappearing from view. “Let’s hurry up and take off before they get too far.” A few seconds later. “Are you guys coming or not?”

Penny and Snap looked at each other. Then back at Rudy. It seemed that there was a bit of a bug with their cloaking device designs. Penny couldn’t believe she didn’t foresee it. Now they were going to be delayed further so they can correct it. There was no way that this was going to work. They needed to be able to see each other while navigating. If they can’t, then they could easily lose each other in ChalkZone City and that certainly wouldn’t be good.

“We need to change these devices...” Penny said as she slipped hers off.

“But we don’t have time!” Rudy cried. “Why do we need to change them?”

Snap stared at Rudy. “Bucko, we couldn’t see you.”

“Well that’s the point! We don’t want anyone to see us! That’s the point of these cloaking...” Rudy’s voice trailed off as realization set in. “...oh...You couldn’t..see me...”

“Yes, that’s right, Rudy.” Penny said. She lifted up her device and looked it over. She tried to see if there was anything she could adjust in the settings that might be able to help them out. “We want to be able to see each other. Otherwise, we’ll be yelling at each other and that is going to attract attention to us.” She gave a small smile to Rudy. “I’m sure you don’t want have us following you by having you sing that one song you did during the balloonemia incident, when you were with a de-informationized Barney.”

Rudy’s eyes widened and he immediately blushed. “You...you heard that..?”

Penny put a hand on her hip and gave a sly smile to the boy. “Rudy, I could hear your voice over the radio that Barney used to talk to me to. You weren’t that soft-spoken.” Snap giggled a little at this.

Rudy stared at his friends, looking embarrassed. He then shook his head and cleared his throat. “...okay yeah, let’s fix these devices before we head out.”

Penny examined her cloaker more closely. “I think we might be able to spread the cloaker’s radius if we adjusted the controls..then all we have to do is stay within each other’s range, and we should be able to see each other. But no one outside the radius can see us.”

“So let’s not pick up any hitchhikers, okay?” Snap joked.

Penny smiled at this. “Oh don’t worry, we won’t. As long as we’re careful, it should be okay.”

Rudy gave a quick glance behind him. “Perhaps we should draw shelter her so no one sees us?”

Snap’s eyes widened slightly at that. “Good thinking, Bucko! I almost forgot that we’re out in the open here.” Snap looked around them. “No one spotted us so far, but that could easily change soon. Best to cloak ourselves while we work on this.”

“Yes, that seems like a reasonable solution. Maintaining stealth here is important, at least until we can figure out if this ChalkZone is safe or not.” Penny said. She sat down the cloaking device and raised up her magic chalk. She turned to Rudy. “Let’s go ahead and draw something quick.

Rudy took out his chalk as well. “Yeah.”

Working together, Rudy and Penny began to draw up a shield. Penny started on one side, and Rudy the other. Using their rocket shoes, they flew around, creating lines in the air that soon interconnected with one another. After a few moments, the shield began to take form. In a flash, the shield became real, surrounding them in what looked like clear glass. It blocked anyone from seeing on the inside, but they could see out, just in case that was necessary. Though they were completely sealed inside, they would be able to take the shield down afterwards.

Now that they were cloaked out in the open, they could begin work on fixing the cloakers. Penny believed the solution should be pretty simple. Though they could just redraw the devices, that would take a little while and she felt that a faster solution was necessary. Fixing them to change their radius was a better option and it should be easier. She just had to change a few things in the device itself. Once she figured out what it was, she could then work on doing the same with Rudy and Snap’s cloakers as well.

As she and her friends worked on the devices, she was not aware of a set of eyes staring at her. She was not aware that someone had spotted her and her friends before the cloak was set up. There, standing far away from them, between two trees that crisscrossed each other, was a tall, stick figure zoner. His small eyes stared at the now cloaked spot, his eyes brimming with contemplation. Then he lifted up something. A radio. He pressed a button and he held it up to his head.

“Hello? Tell our leader that we have company.” The stick figure said. After a few seconds, his face frowned. “Oh trust me. He’s going to be interested in this...” With that, the stick figure turned the radio off and then stared at the cloaked spot. He narrowed his eyes a little. “I wonder where you three are headed...”

sss

“Ow!” Quet hissed, pulling his body back. He bared his sharp teeth. “That hurt! Don’t do that!”

Sophie narrowed her eyes. “If you would just hold still, it wouldn’t hurt so much.” She moved in closer. “Now let me see that wing. I just want to...”

“No!” Quet coiled on the ground, glaring at her. He moved his broken wing away from her. “Don’t touch it!”

“Come on. Don’t be like this. That wing needs to have some kind of support put on it, or it could get worse.” Sophie explained. She took another step towards Quet. She paused when he gave a hiss at her, his feathers ruffling, but she took a few more steps. “I know I’m not much of a medical expert, but I know enough that a broken limb that’s not mended as soon as possible can easily get worse. So please..let me help you. I promise I’ll be gentle.”

Quet growled softly at her. His eyes narrowed not in anger, but in pain. He lowered his head and moved it back, a fearful response. “Don’t touch me...”

Sophie sighed. She wasn’t getting anywhere with this feathered snake. She wanted..no she needed to do something about his broken wing. It needed to be mended, even just a little. If it was left like that.. She shuddered to think of the possibilities. She wished Penny were here, or Mrs. Sanchez. They’d not what to do. She didn’t have very much skill when it comes to this sort of stuff. So her plan was pretty simple; just try to tie the wing against the snake’s body.

Unfortunately, just touching the wing hurt him. The break was horrible, even dislocated out of its socket. Much of the wing was tender and could only be touched certain ways. The snake zoner immediately shrieked and recoiled when she just barely touched the spot that was broken by mistake. He didn’t want her to come anywhere near her. He was in pain and he was trying to get away from it. She kept going after him because she knew something had to be done, otherwise it could get worse. But Quet was not very cooperative. At least he hadn’t attempted to bite her again. That was a good step in the right direction.

She was glad that Quet was at least more willing to speak civilly with her. The only reason he was acting aggressive now was due to the pain he was in, not because of the hatred he had for her earlier. Quet still seemed apprehensive with her, but he was getting a little more open minded and calmer. He had even apologized to her for biting her earlier. That was nice of him to do. Though still cautious with her, he did let her get close enough to touch him and he was overall friendlier in his conversation.

But now he was being uncooperative again, and this time it was because of a more serious reason. His wing was giving him problems and she was trying to mend it, at least a little. But she can’t, not while he kept scooting away from her. She was glad that he was still cooperative enough that he wasn’t trying to bite her. She still wished that he would settle down and let her treat his wing, though. Even if she couldn’t do much, she’d feel better if it was bound against his body so that it wouldn’t be budged and moved around so much.

“Quet, please let me look at your wing. I will be gentle..I promise.” Sophie moved closer. Another hiss made her stop, but she kept going. Soon she was just inches in front of Quet. “I just want to help you. You don’t want to go around dragging that wing behind you, do you?”

Quet stared at her. He glanced down at his injured wing. He shook his head. “No...I don’t..”

“Then let me try to help you.” Sophie said. “Before it gets any worse. I know it’ll hurt, but..please let me do something for you...”

With that, she reached out towards his head. He snapped his head back and growled softly, but she still moved her hand towards him. The zoner stared at her hand long and hard. In seconds, her hand touched the top of his head. His eyes widened for a moment, and then relaxed. Much to Sophie’s surprise, he pushed his head against her hand in an almost affectionate manner. This was the first time he’s done this.

Then Quet pulled away. He stared down at Sophie. He had a glare return to his face, but it wasn’t harsh. He tilted his head to one side and said, “You’re not going to stop bugging me until I let you do this, are you?”

Sophie gave him a smirk. “Nope.”

Quet sighed and turned his head away. “I figured..” He gave her a sideways glance while he seemed to contemplate what choices he had. Finally he moved himself to the side and said, “Oh all right.. Fine. I’ll let you look.” He made sure the side with his broken wing was to the girl. “Just..try to be careful, okay...?”

“Don’t worry. I will.” Sophie said as he moved up closer to the snake zoner.

Sophie reached over and lightly touched the broken wing. She heard the zoner let out a sharp hiss. This time, he did not recoil or try to get away from her. He remained as still as he could as the girl examined his wing gently. Sophie could see where the wing started to bend the wrong way. Luckily the break didn’t seen to be too bad. It was at least staying under the skin and the wing didn’t appear to be very loose. She guessed the fracture might be more hairline than anything.

She deduced that most of the pain the zoner was feeling actually came from the dislocation. The whole first section of the limb, including where the fracture was, she knew it was sore from how he was reacting, and she guessed that when Tyreek dislocated his wing, he tore some ligaments and muscle, making most of the first joint painful to the touch. Popping the limb in place was the best thing to do, but she didn’t trust herself with that. So she would instead just focus on immobilizing the wing.

She looked around, trying to think of something she could use to hold the wing. At first, she couldn’t think of anything she could use. It wasn’t like she could leave and find some medical supplies, and she didn’t have anything with her other than her clothes. She looked down at what she was earing. She quickly decided on using her socks, as that was the easiest option. She took her shoes off and then slipped off her socks.

Quet took a few sniffs and turned his head away. “You’re seriously going to use that?!”

“Well you got any better ideas?” Sophie asked. The snake zoner did not reply. “I didn’t think so. Now stop complaining and hold still.”

Sophie went over and grabbed onto the wing. She gently pushed it, guiding it into a folded position. Quet let out a few whimpers, but managed to keep himself from screaming. Sophie went as slow and as gentle as she could. Soon the wing was folded against his long, thin body. Quet’s eyes were shut, a few tears flowing down his face. Sophie felt bad about doing this to him, but it was preferable over having the wing be dragged around limply like it had been. What if it hit against the electric water bars by mistake?

She took the first sock and wrapped it around the wing. She was careful to avoid the first joint, instead tying across the uninjured second joint. She tied it as tightly as she could. She didn’t think that would be enough support, so she took out the second sock. She tied it a little closer to the first joint. Once it was secured, she leaned back and looked at what she was able to do. The wing was secured against the zoner’s body. The two socks seemed to be enough, so long as Quet did not do any rigorous moving around. She doubted he’d do that anytime soon.

Quet opened his eyes and turned his head. He looked down at his dislocated wing now strapped to his body. He tilted his head from side to side as he examined it. He then looke over at Sophie. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. He turned his head away, an unreadable expression on his face. Then he managed to get himself to speak.

“..th-thank you...” Quet managed to make himself say.

Sophie gave him a smile. “You’re welcome, Quet.”

Silence fell upon the room. No one spoke. No one said a word. Sophie didn’t like the silence. It always made her feel uneasy. Now it reminded her of when she and Snap were kidnapped by Tyreek and how they were tortured. She could still hear Snap’s screams as he was sprayed with that gawd awful water bottle. She had hoped that Quet would speak more, but he had gone silent, turning his head away from her.

She tried to think of something to say to him. She wanted to talk to him about something. Anything to get rid of this dreadful silence. She didn’t think Quet liked it either. Every time they head a small sound, they’d get jumpy, apprehensive. Talking would get both their minds off of what was happening and help relax them a little, even if, in the end, it wasn’t really going to help them get out of here. It was still something at least. They could focus more easily when their minds weren’t so filled with anxiety. Who knows? Maybe they could figure out an escape plan after this.

Then something came to her mind. There was something she was curious about regarding this zoner. She knew it was none of her business and she’d understand if Quet would not tell her the story. But she didn’t see any harm in asking. She moved a little closer to him. He noticed her and turned his head to face her. His eyes narrowed in confusion.

“What is it?” Quet asked.

“There’s...something I’d like to ask you.” Sophie said. “...if that’s okay with you.”

“Hmm... It depends on the question.” The snake zoner raised his head a little. “What is it you wanted to ask, crea.... Er...” He shook his head. “I mean...Sophie...”

Sophie smiled briefly at this. It was nice that the zoner was starting to use her name, instead of just calling her ‘human’ and ‘creator’. And it was definitely a nice change of pace from ‘filth’. She said, “Just...how is it you came to work with the Luminos? What...drove you to join it?”

At this, Quet’s eyes went big. He looked at her in surprise. At first, she thought she offended him, but he didn’t seem angry. Just surprised she asked that. She wondered if it was because no one ever asked him that question before. For a while, he did not say anything. All that could be heard was the breathing from the two people inside the cage. Then, slowly, Quet’s expression changed. He shut his eyes and he looked away from Sophie.

“My family was attacked by that one black chalk user...Jenny I believe?” Quet asked.

Sophie nodded her head. “You...were drawn with a family?”

Quet nodded his head. “Yeah... I don’t know if they’re alive or not. I hadn’t seen them since the attack. But then Jenny came after me. She chased me down and she cornered me in an alleyway.” He paused, biting his lip. Sophie could see a hint of tears in his eyes. “That was when Hagar appeared. We were already good friends before this. But that rescue...it brought us closer. He offered to take me to the Luminos. He said I would be safe with them.”

“And you joined?” Sophie knew that was a redundant question.

“Yeah..I did.” Quet said quietly. He turned his head away from her. He stared out ahead. “I know I haven’t been part of the Luminos for long, but they’re...very persuasive. For any new members, they give long speeches on the dangers of creators. It works.”

“Long speeches?” Sophie inquired.

“Yes. Constantly fed to us...er...them...” Quet said. Sophie was surprised by this. Did he just indicate that he was no longer a member of the Luminos? She decided not to question it for now and let him speak. “Unless they changed it so fast, each member must report to the meeting, where another speech is made. None of us are allowed to perform any missions until after that. With some exceptions of course.”

Sophie listened to this, her eyes widening slowly. From what Quet was saying, it really sounded like the Luminos zoners were brainwashed. Whether or not the zoners had a previous hatred of creators was something she couldn’t be too sure of. But she guessed that was the case with many of them, and the brainwashing just made them hate creators even more. That would explain how Quet became so anti-human even though he hadn’t been in the group for that long. She had to wonder just how this was pulled off. Whatever it was, she could tell it was potent. She had to tell Rudy and Penny as soon as possible.

She thought about what Quet just said. Something else did catch her attention. Did he say something about exceptions to the brainwashing? That didn’t surprise her. Some of the zoners must have already hated humans and the brainwashing just made things worse. She found it hard to believe that they all were neutral or okay with humans before joining up and getting brainwashed. This cycle of hatred had to have started somewhere.

“Who are the exceptions?” Sophie asked.

“Well...some of the zoners are survivors. You see, when Mr. Cosmo was a kid and that war was going on..” Quet explained. “He destroyed large sections of ChalkZone. Some of the Luminos are victims of that. Many of them lost everything. So as you can imagine, they started to have bitter tastes for humans.” Sophie nodded in understanding. “I already had some lingering dislike of humans based on what I heard of that incident. So I was easier to...mold...when I joined up.” He sighed softly. “Some of it still sticks with me. As I told you, they’re quite persuasive.”

“Do you still agree with what they say?” Sophie asked.

“Some of it...yes...I admit. Hard to just snap out of it. And they made some good points.” Quet said. “The room that we meet in to hear the speeches, it might have something to do with how we are easily swayed. There might be something in its design I suppose. I dunno. I’m confused about the whole thing.” Quet sighed in frustration. “Raiden might know.”

Sophie was confused by this. “Raiden? You mean..Dr. Raiden...?”

Quet nodded his head. “Yes. He was in charge of designing that room. He and the leader of the Luminos, Maalik, they’re good friends.”

Sophie felt her heart clench. Horror swept through her body. Dr. Raiden...that was the same doctor that was part of the team that was helping Rudy. Had he..had he been a bad guy this whole time? Was he plotting Rudy’s demise? Just what was he going to do with Rudy? She couldn’t believe it... Someone they had trusted Rudy’s life with...had been toying with them this whole time. Suddenly some of his behavior, such as not letting them see Rudy that much, made sense.

Quet continued his speech. “Dr. Raiden is not just a doctor. He’s a talented inventor was well and can make all kinds of machinery. He was responsible for a lot of what Mr. Cosmo had years ago. Maalik wanted him to use his skills for ‘good’.”

“And let me guess.” Sophie said, fighting to get over her initial shock. “By ‘for good’, you mean helping to recruit Luminos members?”

Quet nodded his head. “Yes. Dr. Raiden is a major part of the Luminos, even more so than Maalik. Yes, Maalik is the leader and he hates humans just as much as Raiden. Maalik is the founder and the one that guides everyone and usually plans all the missions. But Raiden....” Quet shut his eyes. “Raiden is the backbone of the whole thing. He is the bite to Maalik’s bark. If it weren’t for Raiden, the Luminos likely would not have obtained as many member as it does now, at this rate.”

“So Raiden is the second in command?” Sophie asked.

“More or less, yes. He is more impulsive than Maalik, but he can be very patient and controlled when he tries hard enough. I heard that he is so skilled with getting the job done that Maalik has him set aside as a...how you humans would say..trump card.” Quet explained. “And when those two fight together...with Maalik’s strength and Raiden’s speed...”

“..it’s a slaughterhouse...” Sophie finished, her eyes widening in horror.

Quet stared at her. Then he said, “...pretty much, yeah. If that’s how you want to look at it.”

sss

Penny made sure to keep herself steady as she flew close to her friends. She instructed them about how close they should fly to each other to hide themselves without bumping into each other. So far, they were doing a pretty good job of it. And thankfully, the fire coming from their rocket shoes wasn’t making too much noise. None of the zoners they flew high over seemed to notice them.

The trio followed the zoners they spotted earlier. There was a good number of them, all heading in the same direction. She didn’t know where they were going. They couldn’t see anything yet, but they guessed that something was going to show up soon enough. She hoped so. She had no idea how long the rocket shoes were going to last. Rudy assured her that they would last a long time, but a part of her was still worried that something might go wrong. Perhaps she was still anxious from their experience in the last dimension and how much bad luck they had there.

The trio kept their distance from the zoners. They flew pretty high up, but not too much. They needed to stay close enough so they could see the zoners clearly. They didn’t want them obstructed by anything. They were getting close to a somewhat forested area. Several trees, although they were not too densely packed. They followed through. They lowered themselves and followed close behind, zigzagging along the trees, careful not to brush up against anything or make themselves known to the zoners.

Penny felt bad about following them like this and so did Rudy and Snap. The way they were behaving reminded them of villains they faced in the past, such as Bardot, and how he had all those cameras. They knew that sneaking around like they were would make themselves appear suspicious. But they just couldn’t take any chances. They needed to figure out if this place is safe first before they just wandered around aimlessly looking for Rudy’s counterpart. Speaking of his counterpart, she hoped that he was more sane than the last Rudy they met. She had some lingering fear that this Rudy might be dangerous on some level, but she did reassure herself that it was an unlikely possibility given that the Rudy here wasn’t corrupted by black chalk. And even if this Rudy was somehow still dangerous, he couldn’t be nearly as bad as Dark Rudy was.

As they came out of the trees and then noted the zoners turning direction, heading down a small hill, Penny took notice of something about their behavior. They still looked happy, no doubt about that. They seemed almost excited about something. But they were moving in a single file line. Not the whole way; just here they suddenly started to do that. She couldn’t help but be confused by this. It didn’t make her suspicious or anything. The behavior wasn’t dangerous or evil or diabolical. But she still couldn’t shake it off. And the way the zoners’ level of happiness seemed to change...from happy to even more happy.. Something about it didn’t seem right...

Oh well, she’s probably overthinking it. Rudy and Snap didn’t seem so worried. Or maybe they just didn’t notice or weren’t focusing on it right now. She hadn’t really noticed much else odd, so maybe it was just how things worked in this dimension. There could be different rules here on what zoners could or could not do. That didn’t really mean there was danger. Yeah, things were going to be okay. She shouldn’t get too worked up over this.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed that Rudy and Snap had suddenly stopped. She stopped with them, making sure she did not go out of range. She looked at them, confused as to why they stopped. She stared at them intently and then noted where their eyes were fixated. She turned her head and tried to look at what they were. She soon spotted it, and she too was in shock.

There, not far from them, was ChalkZone City. They instantly recognized it from the tall buildings that were pressed close to each other. Just like theirs, it was huge, stretching as far as the eye could see, and so wide, they couldn’t see any edges to the place. It looked very much like the ChalkZone City they knew, only it seemed..even larger and more active. Some of the buildings seemed different, like there were different businesses in place or something. Cautiously, they moved into the city to take a look around.

This was definitely a contrast to what they saw in the dark dimension. In this dimension...this light dimension, things definitely seemed a lot better. They could tell that before, but seeing this, it seemed to confirm their suspicions. The light dimension, so different from the dark dimension, was teeming with life. They could see countless zoners below them, looking like they were having a great time. None of them were in strife. None of them were being hurt or tortured. They were all just..happy and enjoying each other’s company and having fun.

They took notice of some zoners going into clubs. They could hear the music booming out of the building. The zoners that came in looked excited while those who exited were calmer but looked very happy like they enjoyed themselves. Looking to their other side, they could see some zoners having some kind of party. A zoner blew out a candle and they all cheered happily. And still further away, they could see what looked like an indoor playground, something they don’t recall their ChalkZone City having. They could see many zoners in there going down slides, using a swingset, monkey bars, a merry-go-round, and see-saws.

Penny noticed that the zoners here seemed...happier than the ones back in their dimension. This made her forget her earlier confusion of the single-filed zoners and what the Rudy of this dimension was like. Now her mind was on how happy these zoners seemed. She wondered if that was because the Rudy of this dimension was just..better at keeping ChalkZone safe. If that were the case, she hoped that Rudy wouldn’t get too jealous of his counterpart. They can’t afford any hostility on this trip. They needed to get that cure before time ran out and head back to their dimension.

She would have spoken, but she had warned her friends against talking, even though they all had the temptation. Talking was most likely going to give them away and they couldn’t do that until they met the Rudy of this dimension. That reminded her, she had no idea where she was going to find this dimension’s Rudy... Light Rudy. She assumed he was going to be around here somewhere. Perhaps they should turn in a different direction. The center of ChalkZone City might be a good place to start. It seemed like it was the most active area. She could hear the cheers and shouts from over here.

Penny waved to her friends to get their attention. They looked over at her. She motioned for them to follow her. The trio turned and they went down towards the center of ChalkZone City. As they went, they took notice of more and more happy zoners. They hardly saw anyone that was upset and everything seemed a little more orderly. It brought them relief. It was definitely good to see ChalkZone in tact and organized compared to being destroyed and controlled by some corrupt man.

When the trio reached the center, they were shocked by what they saw. There was a huge gathering of zoners in this spot, positioned a little more to the left. They were surrounding something that they knew was never in their ChalkZone.

It was a statue of Rudy.

The statue was huge, about as big as Biclops. The statue of Rudy looked heroic and was holding a piece of magic chalk up into the air. It wasn’t made of stone either, but it wasn’t made of chalk. It was some kind of device made to look like magic chalk. It had a glowing tip to it. The light that emitted from it was intense. But unlike the light from the Solar Pillars, this was more..welcoming and calm and tranquil. It drew them in, but it was nothing like what the Solar Pillars did.

Then, not far from the statue, they took notice of something else that certainly wasn’t in their dimension. It was some kind of castle-like structure. It was tall and very long. It was colored grey, but instead of being made out of stone bricks, it was marble-like in structure instead. It looked so smoothly cut and constructed. Whoever made this, it must have been very hard for them to do. They took note of the wavy top, the way it sometimes creates a point in some of the structures. Decorative designs ran along in a few lines around the castle. There were very few windows and there appeared to be at least two balconies where whoever lived there could come out.

In the middle, they could see a tall tower that had a round top with a tip, like a raindrop almost. The tower looked a little twisty as it spiraled up into the air. A single dark window was visible. And it wasn’t the only tower. There was another not far from it, looking exactly the same. The front of the castle had no draw bridge, but instead large spikes that appeared to act as the ‘door’. Despite the weird shape, it, like the statue, didn’t appear menacing, but rather inviting.

The appearance of a castle in the middle of ChalkZone City was confusing. They weren’t really sure if this ChalkZone was somehow ruled.. The castle didn’t really prove any of that. Maybe a kid in this area in the real world drew the castle and it just happened to plop in here. That was a possibility. Still, it was strange and such a sharp contrast. The castle really didn’t look like it belonged here. The zoners didn’t seem to mind, though. And after seeing a zoner leave the castle, they guessed it was in good use.

The trio decided to get a closer look. They flew down together, staying close to one another, and landed on the ground. They pressed themselves against the wall and made their way over towards the entrance. They looked over at the statue again and noticed that the zoners seemed to be paying tribute. They guessed that Light Rudy must have done something incredible to save ChalkZone. The thought made Penny smile. This was definite proof that this Rudy had his morals straightened out.

They soon reached the entrance. The spikes were already going up. They rushed in as fast as they could, making it in before the spikes shut all the way. They brushed themselves off and took a look around. They found themselves in a huge, high-ceiling corridor. A red velvet carpet laid outstretched before them, going straight down. They paused for a moment, and then they started to follow the red carpet slowly.

Pictures of various things, not just of Light Rudy but of others like this world’s Penny, this world’s Snap, other zoners, some that appeared to be accomplishments and other things. They guessed the zoners that lived here admired Light Rudy and wanted to add more tribute to him here. Round lights hung over their heads as they continued down the corridor. There was a wave of warmth that hit them. Penny wasn’t sure if that was emotion or if this place was heated for some reason.

Soon the corridor emptied into a large open room. It looked much like a medieval throne room, with large flags hanging off the side with all sorts of decorations and a large throne situated on a raised platform, stairs reaching up to it. The red carpet ended at the edge and a golden carpet was situated underneath the regal chair. The throne was tall and gold in color and very decorative, complete with a red cushion with golden tistle hanging off the sides. There were a few mosaic images on the walls, most of them related to Light Rudy in some way. And hanging over head was a large white chandalier made out of what appeared to be magic chalk. The sparkling confirmed that they were indeed magical.

Suddenly, a voice spoke up.

“I know you’re there...” The voice sounded familiar, and yet still different. Nothing aggressive, but still a little strange. “You may turn off your cloakers now.”

Then, up ahead of them, they could see something flicker on the throne. The trio realized that whoever lived in this castle must have known they were coming. He must have used his own cloaker to keep himself invisible. But why? Maybe to see who they were first...Yeah that was probably it. Seconds later, the person’s cloak went down, and they instantly recognized who it was.

It was Light Rudy.

After a few seconds, Light Rudy got up from the throne and stared down at the trio. He then raised his hand and beckoned them to come forward, wearing a smile. “You might be invisible, but I know you’re still there..my counterpart. Don’t be afraid. You and your friends are welcome here. I don’t know why you traveled all this way, but there must be a good reason, right? Well let’s talk.”


	64. First Impressions

Rudy, Penny, and Snap stood still, frozen where they were. They stared at Light Rudy in shock. None of them had anticipated that he’d be there. None of them realized that he might be there waiting for them. It never crossed their minds. They thought that no one would see them coming. They were invisible, and Light Rudy confirmed it. So...how had it known that they were there?

“I said you can remove your invisibility cloaks.” Light Rudy said. His eyes seemed to sparkle in realization. “Oh! You are probably wondering how I knew you’d be here. Well, simple really.” He raised a hand up in gesture. “One of my enforcers saw you arrive. He had delivered the report, so I knew you were here. I had a feeling you might arrive here, so I prepared.”

Silence for several moments. Then Rudy worked up the courage to speak. “H-How did you know we were in here? We weren’t making any noise I thought..”

Light Rudy put his hand to his ear. At first, the trio thought that it meant he couldn’t hear them that well. But then they soon realized that he was just making a gesture to show his point. “You might walk lightly, but I can still hear you. These walls and floor, they’re made of material that makes it easy to detect even the lightest footstep...if you listen carefully of course.” He smiled softly at them. “I am going to presume you’re from an alternate dimension. No other explaination for why another Rudy would show up. So why don’t you join me...come closer. Let’s talk.”

The trio hesitated for a few moments. They weren’t sure what to do. Light Rudy seemed friendly enough. He didn’t act outwardly hostile towards them. He didn’t lash out or try to have them captured. He seemed willingly to be diplomatic with them and speak to them. That was very much like how Rudy himself would be. He would rather talk, not fight. Light Rudy appears to be the same way. He was definitely a nice change from Dark Rudy. They shuddered at the memory of that twisted version of their friend.

Then they started to walk forward. They knew they couldn’t just sit around and do nothing all day. They had to get a move on. They had to make contact with this guy. They came all this way to find him, and here he was. They couldn’t allow themselves to be so hesitant. He seemed like he’d be willing to help them, or at least try to. There was a chance that he might not know about the cure, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask, right? The worst he could say was ‘no’.

They continued to move forward until they were about five feet away from Light Rudy. He stared at them and he gave them a quick nod of the head, motioning for them to turn off their cloakers. The trio looked at each other, and then, seconds later, they pressed a button. In a flicker, their cloakers went down, exposing themselves to Light Rudy. This prompted Light Rudy to give them a smile, and then motion to them to follow him. They headed down towards where the throne was.

As they walked down, Rudy looked at his counterpart up and down. He didn’t look menacing like Dark Rudy did. Light Rudy did have what appeared to be a cape on that dragged on behind him. A regal-looking one; something he’d expect a king to wear. He did not have a crown on, but he did have some rings on his arms and a couple on his fingers. The statue outside did not have this, so they wondered if Light Rudy just liked to dress up; maybe there was a party or something. But looking around this place, that didn’t seem like a possibility.

Overall, though, Light Rudy wasn’t very intimidating. It struck them as odd that he would wear this stuff, and be here. And the whole thing with ‘enforcer’...it made them believe there was something more to this place than they thought. But nothing about it seemed overtly dangerous or anything. Things were likely just run differently here. Rudy knew they couldn’t just jump on the ‘it is dangerous’ bandwagon right away. They needed to learn more about this dimension first. It seemed so much better than the last dimension they were in.

He was still confident that his counterpart here was not going to be too dangerous. He was not corrupted by the black chalk. This was quite clear from his behavior. There was no black flicker in his eyes, nothing that indicated something was wrong with him. It did kinda disturb him the way he knew they were there, but the explanation he had given the trio made sense, and he relaxed himself.

His counterpart being helpful just like him, that was a definite step in the right direction. He imagined that they were going to have much better luck here than they did in the other dimension. He knew not to let his guard down, so he tried his best to remain on alert. Still, he couldn’t really see anything overtly dangerous about this place. Just how bad could this place be? Everyone here seemed so happy and everything so organized and light-hearted. If there was anything wrong, it had to have been pretty minor.

Light Rudy raised a hand, gesturing to them to stop. They were at the base of the steps. Light Rudy walked up them slowly and then went into the throne. He sat down on the throne and adjusted himself. He stared down at them with an intense but still somehow calm expression. He rested his arms on his lap and tapped his fingers together. The trio stared at this, realizing that perhaps this really was Light Rudy’s castle. But what would he need a castle for?

Light Rudy gestured with his hand, beckoning the trio. “Come on now. Don’t be shy. I won’t bite.” His voice was stern, yet gentle. “I am here to you help you. Please, tell me what it is you need from me. Why did you come here?”

Rudy tried to think of what to say. He was having a hard time, which confused him. He thought it was going to be easy since his counterpart here appeared to be helpful. So why was he having a hard time thinking of what to say? Maybe it was because he was not expecting Light Rudy to be helpful this fast. Maybe it was because he had expected Light Rudy to offer a little resistance, like he was confused or something. But no, he was, right away, willing to listen to them.

A part of Rudy felt relieved. The sooner they could talk, the better. It was a nice change of pace to be able to talk instead of being forced to run and hide. This place, overall, was quite peaceful and they hadn’t seen an ounce of hostility while they were here. Even in the big crowd, not one zoner appeared to be aggressive. A little odd since in their dimension, there was always that one zoner who was at least complaining. But here? All the zoners were quite happy. A little too happy, but nothing that suspicious or anything.

Although Rudy couldn’t think of what to say, Penny had figured something out and began to speak.

“It’s quite a long story. So I’ll cut to the chase.” Penny said. “We need to find this...potion.” Light Rudy cocked an eyebrow. Penny made gestures with her hands to show how big the thing was and what shape. “It’s kind of like this...and it has a rainbow..ish.. kind of aura to it. That’s the best way I can explain it.” She reached out a hand toward Light Rudy, her palm facing up. “Have you seen anything like that?”

Light Rudy moved his right hand towards himself. He rested his chin on his knuckles, gazing upwards in thought. It took him seconds to reply. “I can’t say I have. Sorry.”

Rudy felt his stomach twist in knots at that response. It was the kind of response they were dreading. If Light Rudy was being honest, then finding the cure in this dimension was going to be much harder. Rudy tried his best to stay positive, though. They still had a chance to find it. Light Rudy was just one person. They could always ask someone else. Surely Penny or Snap’s counterparts here might now, or some of the zoners. Someone here had to know about the potion, right? They couldn’t all be oblivious to it.

Still it was a shame that Light Rudy did not know about the potion. If he did, that would have saved them a lot of trouble. They didn’t have that much time to find the potion. If he didn’t know, they were going to need to talk to as many locals here as possible until they find someone who did know. And even that might go over the three hour limit they had here. Less than that now since it took a little while to get here. A part of him wished that Penny managed to allocate more time for them. But the other was thankful for that limit; if she had put in just a few extra minutes, who knows what would have happened to them in the other dimension? Snap might have been hurt worse and they might have been corrupted...

“So you really don’t know about this potion?” Snap asked, pointing his hand in Light Rudy’s direction. The teenager shook his head. “Are you absolutely sure?”

“Yes, I’m positive.” Light Rudy said. There was slight irritation to his voice, but nothing too prominent. “I am sorry that I cannot provide you with more details on that.” He leaned back. “However, I will try my best to assist you. The three of you are welcome to stay here. It is quite safe here. No danger. I have a guest room you can stay in do any sort of..planning you might have to do.”

Rudy gave a small smile. “That’s very kind of you.” A thought crossed his mind. “Say..earlier, what did you mean by...enforcer?” He gave Light Rudy a perplexed look.

“Ah yes. I see that is one difference between your dimension and mine. You see...” Light Rudy leaned forward a little. “I wanted to find a way to help keep ChalkZone safe. It had almost suffered a great tragedy, which was narrowly averted. I needed a way to make sure I could keep an eye on things.” He spread his arms out to indicate the castle they were in. “So I created this place and became the authority for ChalkZone. I and my enforcers just help keep the peace here. And so far it is working out well. You can see for yourself the effects of this.”

Though the trio weren’t too sure how they felt about the idea of Rudy being in charge of ChalkZone, they could not deny the effects all around them. The zoners did seem happy. There didn’t seem to be any chaos anywhere. It seemed very peaceful and calm here. And Light Rudy didn’t sound like he was abusing his power. His words indicated that they were just more akin to police officers than an actual ruler or anything.

It did seem a little weird to them. Rudy never once thought about becoming an officer of sorts in ChalkZone, especially one dressed like a prince or a king. But then again, it didn’t strike him as ominous either. If this ChalkZone did narrowly avoid a horrific fate, then he could understand why his counterpart would be very worried and do something to try to help avoid such things in the future. Becoming the police, sort of, didn’t seem too bad. Still strange, but at least he was just helping to enforce the rules, and he seemed to be doing a good job with keeping everyone safe. No crime or anything in sight.

“Yes..” Penny said, looking around. “This place does seem very peaceful...”

Light Rudy nodded, a small smile on his face. “I am glad you think so.” He paused and then narrowed his eyes a little. “I take it you’re still having trouble with your ChalkZone?”

Rudy nodded his head. “Yeah there’s some things going on right now. The Luminos are causing problems in our dimension and then there’s the black chalk artists...”

Light Rudy raised his hand to silence him. “I assure you three...you have nothing to fear from the Luminos here. They are my enforcers.”

The trio looked at him in shock. Light Rudy’s enforcers were...the Luminos? How? Did he convince them that they were wrong and they became willing to help him? Were the Luminos here formed for a different reason? While they were comforted to know that the Luminos may not harm them here, they were still apprehensive, knowing what happened the last time they faced the Luminos.

Snap was the most visibly shaken. He did manage to keep himself under control. He looked at Light Rudy, his eyes a little wide, and he said, “The Luminos work for you?”

Nodding his head, Light Rudy said, “Yes. Their leader, Maalik I believe his name was, he was killed by...either Draow or Bardot. I forget which. Anyway, they had launched a surprise attack on the group and many of them were killed. Draow and Bardot were both arrested and I helped out the surviving Luminos. They, despite being anti-creator, were thankful for my help and they became loyal to me. So I decided to give them a chance to truly help ChalkZone, and they are now my most trusted enforcers, with my Penny and Snap being my advisors.”

Rudy, Penny, and Snap listened to this intently. They were shocked by what they had heard. It seemed the Luminos here were just as anti-human as the ones they knew, but they..still joined up with Rudy? Out of gratefulness? That struck them as odd and unexpected. They never would have thought that the Luminos would ever do something like that. Though a nice change of pace, they weren’t entirely sure how to feel about that.

Upon hearing that Bardot and Draow had attacked them, they realized that the events after Cosmo was killed must have been quite different. They weren’t sure at one point their histories became altered. But it was clear that Bardot’s plans when breaking Draow out were different. Something attracted him to the Luminos and that is who he had attacked. They were glad to hear that he and Draow were captured, so they don’t have to worry about running into either of them here.

“Judging from your reactions, I’m going to guess that the Luminos are still a problem for you?” Light Rudy asked, stating the obvious. The trio nodded. “Yes, they were...pests at first I admit, but they did see the light and now I don’t know if I could keep ChalkZone safe without them.”

Rudy felt a sharp pang in his stomach. Pests? The way Light Rudy said that word, it seemed so..off... He never thought he’d hear himself say it, even in an alternate dimension. Dark Rudy he could see saying it due to being corrupted. But Light Rudy? Why would he use that word? And why would he speak it in that manner? He gave a quick glance to his friends. Though they did their best not to show it, he could tell they, too, weren’t sure what to think and were confused like him.

But he might just be jumping to conclusions. Light Rudy here might have seen some things that made him a little more bitter than him. Yeah, that was it. He seemed pretty pleasant, even when he said that word. He seemed so willing to help out... Yeah he’s probably just stressed. Keeping this place safe..he imagined that would be difficult to pull off, and very stressful. He decided not to question Light Rudy on his questionable choice of words.

“As for the black chalk artists... I am going to presume you mean Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek.” Light Rudy said.

Snap nodded his head. “Yeah, those are the creepazoids all right.”

“We still haven’t managed to stop them...” Rudy said in a somewhat bitter tone, recalling all the terrible things they managed to do and get away with. “Jenny injected me with a chalk virus that’s turning my organs to chalk.”

Light Rudy’s eyes widened at this. “And your internal fluids?”

“They remain real world.” Rudy said solemnly, lowering his head.

“You see..” Light Rudy turned his attention to Penny, who was speaking. “That is why we were hoping you’s know where this potion was. It’s the second part of the cure that our Rudy needs to survive. As we speak, his internals are changing and he’s in constant pain. We need to give him the medicine very soon, otherwise, he’ll...melt from the inside out, to put it simply.”

Light Rudy looked genuinely horrified by this news. He leaned back in his chair, a hand to his mouth. “Oh my, that is serious. It makes me wish I did know something but...I’m sorry.” He shook his head solemnly. “I really don’t know.” He stared at the trio with a regretful expression. Then his eyes brightened. “But I do know someone who might be able to help. I’m sure my Penny and my Snap would know something. They aren’t my advisors for nothing.”

With a snap of the finger, two figures came into the room. Rudy, Penny, and Snap watched, waiting for these two new counterparts to show up. In the seconds that they weren’t there, the trio wondered just what these two were like. Though they had different thoughts on what they would be like, the only way to find out was to wait for them to show up.

The first one to show up was Penny’s alternate.. Para-Penny. Her outfit wasn’t as ‘flashy’ as Light Rudy. She did wear a pretty necklace around her neck, but her outfit was of simple colors. Dark and long, fitting the form of her body, looking very much like how they’d expect an advisor to look. Her expression seemed a little hardened, reminding them of Alt-Snap. But it didn’t seem..hostile at all. She just looked a little more serious and she regarded them with great interest.

The next one to appear was this world’s Snap. Para-Snap... When he came in, they were in the shock of their lives. He looked pretty much the same as their Snap. Para-Snap wore his usual blue superhero outfit. He looked as serious as Para-Penny did. The only thing he wore that was different than their Snap was a pair of gold braces encircling his arms, clearly decorative as they served no other purpose. His reaction to them was different than Para-Penny’s. Instead of looking curious, he looked shocked, and then a little angry, his eyes focusing on their Snap’s. And they quickly saw why.

Para-Snap...was in a wheelchair.

The sight of this sent shockwaves through their bodies. It brought forth memories of what happened to their Snap three years ago. They all remembered those days, when they thought Snap could never walk again. It was a terrible feeling, a fear that they had dreaded. Snap had not done so well for a while. The thought of not being able to walk had crushed his spirit, and though he tried to feel better, the pressure and negativity of it all caused him to shut himself out from his friend and spiral backwards emotionally.

It was such a huge relief when Rudy and Penny were able to cheer Snap up and brought him back to his old self, in spite of being in a wheelchair. And things got even better than Snap had started to get feeling back in his legs and he could walk again. Snap had been so happy, and he certainly didn’t take walking for granted anymore. They were glad that his fate wasn’t as cruel as they thought it was going to be. Snap really had been lucky.

And now, seeing this, they realized just how lucky he really was. Here, before them, was another Snap, who had suffered the same fate as their Snap, but this time, the effects were more permanent. It was a chilling sight, reminding them of what almost became of their Snap. Granted, it was a better fate than what happened to Alt-Snap, his neck breaking, that sound still echoing in their minds... But it was still a horrific sight, despite being bloodless. The idea of Snap being permanently paralyzed here.. It made them wonder just what wrong.

Para-Snap’s eyes locked onto Snap’s. The zoner took a step back, and Rudy noticed a shudder. He looked back at the paralyzed zoner. The expression... The way he looked at him... It wasn’t as harsh as Alt-Snap. If anything, it looked more...sad.

In a calm, somewhat defeated tone, Para-Snap said, “...so I see you got your legs back...” The tone was slightly bitter, hinting strongly at jealously and envy. Rudy could not blame him for that. “Heh. Lucky you.” He forced a smile on his face. “Glad to see that some version of me was able to get out of there unscathed...”

Para-Penny nodded her head. “Yes, that was indeed lucky. The chances of getting your legs back were...astronomically marginal.”

Light Rudy looked at the two with a somewhat regretful expression. “I think it was probably in the timing. Maybe they just got him help faster.” He turned to look at the trio. “I hope you three don’t mind explaining to us your story...what happened and how you got here.”

“We would love to hear it.” Para-Penny said, her voice clearly expressing interest.

“We will but...” Penny said, biting her lip. Their counterparts looked at them, waiting for her to continue. “I..” She looked left and right nervously. “I hope you don’t mind us asking this, but...”

“Go on.” Light Rudy said. “You can ask us anything.”

Penny hesitated, then she said, “..how did he...” She stared at Para-Snap. “..how did he lose his legs permently...?” She winced, clearly worried if she sounded too insensitive about asking.

But their counterparts didn’t seem offended at all. Rather, they looked like they had expected that question. Rudy realized he shouldn’t have been so surprised. Seeing one of their counterparts in a wheelchair was a stark contrast, and it would be understandable that their counterparts would have expected such a question. If anything, Penny’s question just brought sadness in them as it would have made them remember what happened.

Para-Penny was the one who replied. “Well I’m going to guess that your Snap suffered that dreaded mind control nail thing, right?” The trio nodded. “Well same thing with our Snap. Mr. Cosmo here, just like yours, tortured our Snap with it and eventually paralyzed his legs. Then he...kicked him...” Her eyes closed and she appeared to be fighting back tears as she remembered.

“Right on my head.” Para-Snap raised his right hand and placed it against his forehead. He gently patted it. “Twice, too.”

“Twice?!” Snap cried in horror. Para-Snap looked at him and nodded his head.

Rudy and his friends were horrified by this revelation. Para-Snap was kicked twice? It was bad enough to be kicked once. That alone had caused a lot of damage to Snap and delayed his healing. But to be hit twice? They couldn’t fathom it. Just how did Para-Snap survive such an ordeal? How did he not go brain dead after that? The thought terrified them when they realized their Cosmo had the same opportunity to kick Snap another time. And yet he didn’t... The realization that it would have been so easy for Snap to suffer the same fate...it was terrifying to think about.

They guessed..no..they knew that was the reason this Snap never regained use of his legs. Para-Snap was kicked twice...more damage had been given to him. Fate had been crueler to Para-Snap, completely stripping away his ability to walk. Now he was trapped in a wheelchair... They could only hope that he managed to cope well and adjusted to his new life. He didn’t seem too sad. He was clearly upset that their Snap could walk, but he didn’t break down or anything.

“But do not fear, you three.” Light Rudy said. The trio looked up at him. They noted that he had a smile on his face. But something seemed a little...off about it. And the way he was speaking... Something about it was strange, but they couldn’t quite put their fingers on it. “Mr. Cosmo...” A twinkle in Light Rudy’s eye. “..is no longer a threat here.”

sss

Skrawl narrowed his eyes as he glared at the entrance of this forsaken place. He never thought he would come back here, especially under these circumstances. And alone, too. Normally he would send his Beanie Boys, but he knew that would have been a horrible mistake, especially with what was happening lately.

The jellybean was aware that his Beanie Boys were being killed. At first, he didn’t, and thought they were getting lost or something. But as more disappeared and none of them returned, the conclusion he eventually came to was...they were being killed. Thinking back to what he learned about Xenos and the Luminos, he quickly made the connection. If the Luminos were as anti-creator as he suspected, then they must be behind the deaths of his Beanie Boys. Those that remained, he ordered them to stay at the jail.

He decided to put his self-flying chair to good use. Penny had drawn it for him before so he didn’t have to use his Beanie Boys. But he never got around to trying it out. Now was a good time to use it. He also made use of those cloakers that he had on when he went to go to Bardot’s hideout. He guessed that his Beanie Boys were being killed with stealth as he had not heard any reports from any zoners about witnessing any deaths, or even finding any bodies. The Luminos must be pretty thorough and he couldn’t take a chance of them seeing him.

He knew about the attack on the hospital. The thought of such a vicious attack being planned out and executed, it horrified him. He wasn’t sure exactly why the hospital was attacked. Were they going after Rudy? That might be why. He knew Rudy was sick and was being cared for at the hospital. It would make sense that the hospital would be targeted. The damage report...it was so much worse than when Cosmo attacked the place. There were no death reports yet, but with all that debris and how big the hospital was...

Skrawl wanted to offer some help. He knew the rubble was already being cleared away, but the more help, the better. They needed to get the remaining patients and doctors out of that hospital. It needed to be checked more deeply to ensure that there wasn’t anyone still left in there. It was a huge hospital so there was a chance that not everyone got out. Anyone who died...they needed to be found and accounted for. They definitely could use the help and he was certain they would appreciate it.

Skrawl’s idea of how to help, though, may not be so welcomed. He was prepared, though. He knew what he was going to say and do. And he was certain that things would go his way. He was always a great planner and strategist. He knew how to guide things to play out how he wanted. If he played his cards right, this plan should work.

If Master Tabootie saw him here, he would think he was nuts. Calling upon these zoners...out of all of them... It was probably not the smartest move he could make. But they were perfect. Once he convinced them to help, they would be a great asset. Their abilities would help them clear the debris and find any survivors or anyone who died. Yes, it was a risk, but with what he planned to do, there wasn’t too much danger to it. He just needed to be careful and stick to his perfectly thought out plan.

Skrawl stared at the entrance one more time and then he entered the torn up zone. The red sky, the large amount of heat, the volcanic activity, it all gave away just where he was. A place that was feared among many zoners. A place that most sane zoners would never venture to.

The Fire Zone...

Skrawl looked all around, taking note of all the lava, the burnt-looking trees, and the swirling clouds. All of it made this place very foreboding and threatening even from a distance. The occasional lightning flashes and the loud rumbles added to that effect. Still, he did not show fear. He walked calmly through the land, looking left and right. He knew what he came here for. And it shouldn’t take him long before he would find it. All he had to do was be quiet and listen.

Skrawl looked all around, taking note of all the lava, the burnt-looking trees, and the swirling clouds. All of it made this place very foreboding and threatening even from a distance. The occasional lightning flashes and the loud rumbles added to that effect. Still, he did not show fear. He walked calmly through the land, looking left and right. He knew what he came here for. And it shouldn’t take him long before he would find it. All he had to do was be quiet and listen.

And soon enough, he found what he was looking for. Looking off in the distance, he could see two forms moving across the ground. They were chasing after something. Possibly their prey. Skrawl narrowed his eyes and he, still sitting in his flying chair, headed in that direction. He picked up speed, careful to avoid any lava that shot out of the ground. As he got closer, he could make out the features of the two he was going after, as well as what they were chasing. Some kind of bear-like zoner that looked badly hurt.

Although he could just watch the chase and see how it ends, he didn’t have time for that. He needed to speak to those two now. He raised up his gun that he brought with. He took careful aim and he shot forth an arch of electricity. It twisted and turned in the air as it went towards the two zoners giving chase. He could see their eyes widen in shock as the electricity formed around them, trapping them in an electric cage. They let out growls of frustration and tried to find their way out. The prey that they were chasing didn’t stop and just kept on running.

Skrawl lowered himself down in front of the cage. He swifted off his cloaker. The two zoners inside looked at him in surprise. They took a step back. Then the biggest one narrowed his eyes and growled at him, while the smaller one just looked at him curiously. Skrawl narrowed his eyes in disgust. If it weren’t for the severity of the situation, he wouldn’t have called upon these two.

“Draow...Bardot...” Skrawl said in a stern voice. “I bet you are wondering why I am here.”

Draow’s ears folded against his head. “You put us here, you little fucker...” He spread his wings a little. “Open up this electric cage and I’ll...!” Draow was silenced when Bardot drove his claws into his thigh. Draow let out out a yelp and lowered his head a little.

Bardot shook his head at Draow, looking like he was disappointed in his behavior. He then turned his attention to Skrawl. “So nice to see you.” Skrawl snarled at the fake friendliness that Bardot displayed. “Yes, we are...rather curious why you came here.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this...” Skrawl said, rubbing his head for a few seconds. “But I came to get you out.”

Draow’s ears perked up. “You’re setting us free?”

“Well let’s not be so hasty. I meant that I am getting you out so you can be of some use.” Skrawl explained. His eye narrowed. He held up his gun, showing that he was still in control here. “I know you two have a history of...terrible things. But I think now, you can use your abilities for something actually beneficial.”

“Oh really now?” Bardot tilted his head to the side. “And what might that be?”

Skrawl said, “The hospital in ChalkZone City has been attacked. Reports say that the attack was far more devastating than what Mr. Cosmo had managed three years ago.”

Draow smirked evilly at this. “That must have been one spectactular sight.”

Skrawl glared at him, but decided to ignore his insensitive comment. He should expect that from Draow. He continued, “They need help there. That is where you two come in. Draow...” Skrawl stared at him intently. “You are a large zoner and you have a lot of strength. You would be perfect to help clear away the rubble. Tsere will assist you.”

At this, Draow’s eyes widened in shock. “Tsere?!”

“Yes. You two are to work together as a team.” Skrawl said, glaring at him. He turned his attention to Bardot. “And you...” Bardot gave him a smirk. “You are small and nimble. You can fit through the debris and search for survivors. Any you find, you can guide them to safety.”

Bardot scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Very thoughtful, Skrawl.” He held his paw out, bottom up. “But there is just one small problem.” Skrawl narrowed his eyes at him, silently asking him to proceed. “Just..how do you think you will get us to do anything like..that...?”

“Yeah.” Draow asked, baring his teeth in a grin. “What makes you think we will help any of those worthless zoners?”

Skrawl just stared at them. He was not surprised by this attitude. It was typical of these two. If they had accepted to help right away, he would have been suspicious. After a few moments of being silent, he spoke up.

“Because I have an offer I don’t think even you will be able to refuse...”


	65. I Will Help You

"Okay, I trust you two will do what you're supposed to." Skrawl said after he explained the situation to the doctors and patients that stood outside of the damaged hospital. "And remember: you are both wearing shock collars. Try to do anything to harm another zoner, and you will be zapped."

"Oh goodie..." Draow said, rolling his eyes. "How can we forget that?"

Bardot just smiled. He looked at the frightened doctors and patients. They clearly knew who they were. A shame that he can't have a little fun with them. Oh well, watching them be afraid of him was enough. As he focused on them, he found himself subconsciously licking his chops, anticipating what they must taste like. Oh yes, they must have a nice flavor...

He was brought out of this trance when something suddenly hit him on the head. Bardot let out a yelp of pain. He rubbed his head and looked up, narrowing his eyes. Skrawl had just bopped him. Bardot bared his teeth in annoyance at the jellybean zoner. If he weren't wearing the shock collar, as well as the purple collar, he would be teaching this misshapen zoner a thing or two of why one shouldn't mess with him.

"You are here to save the zoners inside, Bardot, not eat them. If you find any bodies, drag them out here. Do not consume them." Skrawl told him, pointing a finger at him. "Eat any of the bodies in there, and believe me, you will get your well deserved punishment. Do not desecrate the dead."

Bardot smirked at the zoner. He found it amusing how Skrawl thought he could control him. The only reason he was even listening to him was because of the shock collar he put on him, as well as that deal he made. It was pretty unexpected, and he was right; it was hard to resist it. He and Draow agreed to do this only for that deal. They felt it would be worth it in the end. Although they were both hungry, they felt they could wait until after this was all finished. It shouldn't take that long, right?

Bardot still found it hard to believe that Skrawl came to them, of all zoners, and asked for their assistance. He didn't know if he had gone mad or what. Skrawl knew full well who they were and what they did. He was the one who had them arrested. He was the one who took them to the Fire Zone where they spent the last two years in. To have Skrawl take them out, even for a short time, and then expect them to offer assistance..it was really quite amusing. Standing here, Bardot was interested in doing a lot of things, and helping these zoners wasn't one of them.

But, encouraged by the offer and influenced by the shock collar, he decided to do what Skrawl asked of him. Besides, maybe he will see something interesting anyway. Theere might be dead zoners he could come across. He could still eat them anyway. It's not like Skrawl was going to know. The shock collars wouldn't activate unless he hurt someone, and it was impossible to hurt the dead. A shame he won't be able to torment any injured zoners, though. The shock collar would prevent that.

"Of course, Skrawl..." Bardot said in a calm voice. "Whatever you say..."

Skrawl narrowed his eyes, not appreciating his tone. He then turned towards Draow and pointed a finger at him. "You! Begin to clear the rubble! Tsere will be here any moment!" He put his hand on his hip. "I expect you to be on your best behavior. I do not want you two to be fighting!"

Draow growled angrily, "Can't I at least do this on my own? Why does the beak face need to be a part of this?"

Skrawl gave him a wry smile. "Because it'll be fun to watch..." Draow bared his teeth at him. "And you both are large, strong zoners. Tsere has agreed to be civil with you. I expect you to return the favor. Do you understand?"

The wolf bat nodded his head. "Yes, I do." He said begrudgingly. "I'll...cooperate." He looked away, a moping expression on his face.

"Good, good..." Skrawl said, giving something of a smile to him. "Remember. Work together. No fighting. Clear the rubble. Don't attack any zoner. And if you do what you ask...well...remember that offer I have given you." With that, Skrawl turned his back and walked away. He didn't leave though; he just stood with the other zoners, his mismatched eyes facing them. He gave a single nod of the head and they knew what that meant.

Bardot watched as Draow walked over to a collapsed part of the building. He looked at the rubble, eyeing it up and down. He started at the top. He flapped his wings just enough to hover above the ground. Using his powerful jaws, he began to remove the rubble. He then took it to a spot beside the hospital and dropped the piece there. He kept doing this, slowly clearing away the debris. Bardot deduced that it would take him a little while to clear it all up, even with the help of Tsere and whoever else came to assist.

Bardot moved forward, knowing that Skrawl may activate the shock collar if he did not get a move on. He moved up to where Draow was. He looked at the rubble and debris laid out before him. Large chunks of rock and metal laid on top of each other, tightly packed in some places. But he could see areas with dark openings, which he knew led to the inside of the building. Skrawl had been right about him regarding one particular thing. He was small and he could slip through this rubble with ease.

He climbed up the rubble, seeking out the biggest hole available to him. It was pretty small, but it was enough for him to slip his body through. He pulled himself through, his claws scraping against the rock. The twisted tunnel was not comfortable and he almost bent his wrist at an impossible angle. Using his claws, he scraped away, tearing small areas of rock so he could go through. Within about a minute, he had managed to worm his way through. Out of the rubble he came and into the hospital. He fell down with a thud. He coughed and looked around.

The hallway here was a mess. Large portions of rock and metal laid in his path. Signs were on the ground or crooked on the wall, most of them shattered. There was absolutely no lighting here. The hallways weren't too dark considering this was a day zone hospital, but it was still a little hard to see. Dust hung heavily in the air, making it a little harder to breathe. He sneezed a few times as the dust irritated his nostrils.

Bardot looked left and right, trying to figure out which way was the best path to take. Both hallways had collapsed sections. Both looked difficult to navigate. And in front of him, he might as well forget it. The debris collaps here was so tight there was no way he was going to be able to fit through any of this. He finally picked a direction, which was right. He turned and began to walk slowly and cautiously. He looked overhead, making sure that more debris wasn't going to fall on him, either by structural damage or by Draow's idiocy.

He made his way through the crushed up parts of the hallway. He squeezed through the holes left there by the debris, crawling through the chunks of stone and rock. The damage continued down, stretching to about halfway down the building. Eventually, he came to the end of the twisted rubble and finally into a more clear spot he could move around in. He moved about three feet away from the rubble and stopped. He shook his body, throwing off the clumps of dirt that clung to his yellow fur. Then he continued to move down.

Bardot was amazed at the level of destruction of this place. It was almost beautiful, but it didn't spark too much interest in him. Building damage such as this isn't what interested him. Rather, it is the damage done to living things that intrigued him more. Even with his red chalk half subdued by the purple collar, his twisted personality was still more or less in tact. He wasn't as prone to violent outbursts, but his sick fantasies still reigned. And he loved it. A twisted smile spread across his face as he started to smell blood from injured, maybe even dead, zoners. Maybe he'd get lucky and see a corpse or two before he had to rescue one of these zoners.

He wondered if any of these dead or dying zoners would give him a thrill like how Snap did after he ripped the zoner apart and injected him with venom. Bardot remembered that. Oh how he enjoyed it so much. The feel of his claws ripping into flesh, the blood that spilled out onto the ground, his screams, finally sinking his teeth into him... Yes... If it weren't for the fact that the enjoyment of killing wanes after he already successfully did it, even if it was just temporary, he would have taken the chance to kill Snap again, not because he had any strong desire to, but because of his predatory instincts and how good it felt to satisfy them.

Bardot soon came to the next hallway. Only one way to go. He turned left and headed down. He almost immediately came to a dead end. Another pile of tightly packed rubble. He snorted at this. He hoped that most of the hospital wasn't like this. He didn't know how Skrawl would react if he came out too quickly and without any zoners, dead or alive. He might get shocked, and he was not interested in that. He glanced down the wretched collar on his neck. He couldn't even try to get it off unless he wanted to get shot full of lightning.

Bardot was about to get a move on when he heard soft whimpering. His ears pricked up with interest. He moved along slowly, keeping his body low to the ground. A sneer spread across his face when he happened upon a dying zoner. The zoner did not see them and he made sure not to be heard. The zoner was trapped under the rubble and there was a pool of blood underneath them. He watched with great satisfaction as the zoner struggle weakly to get free, causing more blood to spill. Seconds later, a piece of debris was dislodged and it fell down on the zoner, killing them via crushing the skull.

He couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle at this, laced with darkness. He took a few steps forward. He could have prevented this tragedy by pulling the zoner out, but he decided not to. If Skrawl asks, he would say he found him like that. The purple collar had given him the ability to lie, something he kept secret from others. Skrawl won't know he's lying. He had thoughts of playing that jellybean for a fool, but decided that visiting a hospital of dead, injured, and dying zoners was too fun to pass up. He can be patient and toy with Skrawl later.

He stood in front of the bloody, crushed corpse. He could hardly see the zoner except for their arms. He licked his lips and lowered his head. He ran his tongue along the ground, tasting the savory blood. He spent a minute lapping at the blood, satisfying his thirst for it. He raised his head and turned to one of the arms. He walked over and bit his jaws down on it. Like he thought, the shock collar didn't activate as this zoner was already clearly dead. He ripped off a chunk of flesh and at it. He consumed about half the arm, coating his face in blood.

He sat down on his haunches and started to lick his paw and clean his face. That small meal would satisfy him for a little while. It was nice tasting some civilian zoner flesh. He hadn't been able to eat that in quite some time. The flesh of the native creatures of the Fire Zone was fine enough. They had a nice flavor to them. But nothing could compare to the savory taste of civilian zoners, such as Snap. And human flesh...that was a delicacy that he hoped to one day return to. If he played his cards right...

He smirked evilly as he continued on his way through the hospital. He gave one last look at the corpse before moving on. Yes, there was a very good reason why he should remain locked up. The jury made the right choice with sending him to some place like the Fire Zone. He did deserve to be locked up forever, because if he were free, he would resume his gruesome butchering work. Nothing would ever change that. He would forever hurt others, so he should forever be banished.

He went up the staircase. Surprisingly it seemed to be more or less in good condition. It was a little wobbly, but, other than that, it was fun. He made his way up the steps, going slowly so he wouldn't fall down, especially if the idiot Draow slipped up and caused some kind of cave in here. That was the last thing he needed. He was relieved when he reached the top level and could get off the wobbly staircase.

In this new hallway, it seemed relatively intact, at least compared to where he had just come from. He moved along it slowly, looking left and right to make sure nothing was about to fall on him. To his disappointment, he didn't smell any blood here, but maybe he would if he moved down further. There was some dust here, but it was clearer, so taht was a relief. His nose was definitely happy with that. So far, he did not hear or see any zoners here. He put his nose up in the air and sniffed. He did not smell any zoners here, so he pressed on. There was a chance that the zoner smells were being inhibited by the burnt smell and the smoke. They might still be there if he looked hard enough, but he decided not to. Again, Skrawl is not going to know just how thorough he looked here.

Besides, if there were any zoners here, they are good as dead anyway. There might not be much collapse in the tunnels, but he could tell, from the way the hallway walls were warped, that the rooms around here had broken down. Any zoners still inside were either dead or they were dying. No point in trying to rescue them. He moved along, bypassing the rooms. At the end of the hallway, he turned left, the only way he could go due to airtight collapse on the right. The left side was still damaged, though, and he had to worm his way through the small openings in the debris.

After he got through the collapsed portion, he came to another dead end. The hallway here had a huge tear in it, and sunlight shined through the opening. He could see outside, with parts of ChalkZone City perfectly in view. He looked down and saw that he was a little higher than he thought he was. He could see the floor down below where he was at just a little while ago. He could also take note of at least one more level between him and the bottom floor. He raised his head and looked out ahead. The hallways after this seem to be mostly clear. He lowered himself and prepared to jump.

Bardot stopped when he heard something below him. The sound of someone walking. There was someone alive down there. Bardot narrowed his eyes and peered down, trying to see who it was. He couldn't tell from up here. He would need to travel down further. He studied the gap, trying his best to gauge how he was going to get over there. He placed himself on the edge, using his front feet to steady while he pushed his back feet against the edge to prepare to jump.

In seconds, he pushed with all his might, sending himself falling downward to the next lower level. He let out a cry of pain as he collapsed on the ground, smashing his scarred shoulder against the hard rock and metal. He got up onto his feet and shook his head. He could hear the footsteps had stopped momentarily, and now they were headed back in his direction. As they did, he caught a familiar scent in the air. He couldn't quite place why he recognized it; the smell of dirt and what not made it hard to pinpoint just what this smell was.

It didn't take him long to find out why he recognized it.

"...Bardot....?"

The hybrid zoner froze at that voice. It couldn't be, could it? His luck couldn't possibly be that good, right? Of all the zoners he could have run into, there was no way he would be fortunate enough to run into this particular zoner...wasn't there? He took a few steps forward, and as the dust cleared, he could see, much to his shock and delight, he had really been that lucky to find this particular zoner here.

Standing a few feet away from him was Barney. Ah, Barney.. his favorite victim... Yes, his target two years ago was Snap, but out of all the zoners, it was Barney who suffered at his claws the most. He recalled how much fun it was when he first encountered Barney. The zoner had no idea just how dangerous he was, and when he started to break his legs, slowly crushing his spirit... And then ripping out his eyes... He could tell that Rudy had fixed that, and he felt glad for it. Now he could see the look of fear etched on the centipede zoner's face as they stood only a few feet apart.

Bardot tilted his head to the side, giving a twisted smile to the frightened zoner. "Hello, dear Barney... Did you miss me...?" He gave a dark chuckle. He couldn't hurt Barney, but the zoner didn't know that. He could toy with him for a little while before he dragged him outside. "It's...been a while, hasn't it?"

Barney's antennas curled up and he moved backwards, cringing as the yellow zoner got closer. "P-Please, don't hurt me..." He whimpered, his body trembling.

Bardot just chuckled coldly as he continued to advance on the zoner. This was fun. He remembered doing this to him before, although back then, he could not see. Perhaps it had been a mistake to rip out his eyes. Seeing the fear shining in them..yes, that made this moment even better. Soon he had Barney boxed up against the wall. The zoner curled up in a ball and whimpered as Bardot moved closer to him.

He stood in front of Barney, flashing his teeth viciously at him. It would be so easy to rip him apart. If it weren't for this stupid shock collar, he could do all kinds of things to this zoner. Unspeakable acts...incredible violence... His red chalk half might be subdued, but its influence was still there. He could still sense his wilder side, his predatory side. And seeing Barney like this, backed up against the wall, that brought that part of him out even more.

Bardot licked his lips slowly. "I do miss our torture sessions, Barney. I miss hearing you scream.." He lowered himself, his haunches raised and tail swinging from side to side. "I wonder how easy it would be now.. I wonder if it will be how I remembered it..." With that, he moved closer to Barney.

"No! Please don't!" Barney put his arms and hands in front of his face in an attempt to defend himself. "Don't hurt me, please!" Barney had some tears move down his face.

Bardot reached out and placed his paw against Barney's cheek. The zoner's eyes widened, his pupils turning into dots. Bardot moved in closer, putting his forehead against Barney's. He grinned, his fangs and gums exposed. His green eyes glinted with the bit of sunlight that shined on them. Seeing the fear upclose... Yes, he was enjoying this. He was glad he took Skrawl's offer.

"I missed you, Barney. I'm sure you missed me." Bardot said, smiling cruelly at him. He rubbed the side of his face against him in an almost affectionate manner. With his head still pressed against him, he said, "Maybe after we get out of the hospital, you and I could...play together, just like old times. What do you say...?"

"Get the hell away from him!" A loud voice boomed.

In that second, there was a look of relief on the centipede's face, and Bardot's own eyes widened. He knew that voice anywhere. He turned his head and he could see King Mumbo Jumbo rushing towards him, his eyes blazing in anger. Bardot stared at this, his eyes wide and mouth dropping open. Cold fear rushed through his body. It took a few seconds for him to react.

When Mumbo Jumbo got close enough, Bardot let out an animal-like screech, fear flowing off of it, as he jumped into the air. His fur stood on end, his tail poofed up, and his crest raised up straight. He looked much like a startled cat in the air. His dilated pupils froze on Mumbo Jumbo. When he came back on the ground, he immediately jumped back away from Barney, putting space between him and the angered tortoise zoner.

Bardot stared at Mumbo Jumbo with a horrified expression. He took in a few quick breaths, trying to control his increasing heart rate, pounding against his chest. His ears flattened against the side of his head, his crest pressing down, becoming nearly unnoticeable. He crouched down low with his tail tucked between his legs. He moved back a few steps, his body trembling in fear. If there was one zoner that could strike terror in his heart, it was King Mumbo Jumbo, and for good reason. He had no advantage over him. He was defenseless against him.

"What are you doing here?!" Mumbo Jumbo growled, taking a defensive stance in front of Barney. "And did you forget what I said I'd do if you dare hurt my friend again?!" His voice was dripping with venom.

"I-I-I didn't forget.. I d-didn't hurt him..." Bardot said in a shaky voice, taking in quick breaths. "I was just p-p-playing with him is all.. I-I wasn't going to hurt him I swear..." He could tell the king did not look convinced. Gulping, looking left and right, Bardot said, "I-I can explain why I'm here.."

Mumbo Jumbo narrowed his eyes. "Explain then..." He folded his arms. "This had better be good."

“And that is pretty much how it all went down.” Penny said, the story finally concluded.

She and her friends watched their counterparts, noting their expressions. They had been quiet the whole time, never once interrupting. They listened intently as the trio explained the story of how they got here. Just like with Ms. Saffron and Alt-Snap, they included details of how they defeated Cosmo, the issue with Bardot and Draow, the black chalk users, the Lumino, all of that. They also added in details of the dark dimension, describing the twisted world and how different it was from this place.

As she, Rudy, and Snap explained to them, Penny did take notice of something a little odd with Light Rudy. He seemed strangely calm... Okay not completely calm. He still had reactions, like shock and disgust at the appropriate parts, like when they told him how Bardot killed her father and ate his arm in front of her. She guessed that he was calmer than she thought he was going to be because he might have seen a lot of gruesome things... She didn’t know the history of this place and it was possible that Light Rudy was a little more used to it.

But then...that doesn’t explain why Para-Penny and Para-Snap reacted worse. There was more fear and terror in their expressions, much like how she would have expected from Light Rudy. They would have seen the same horrible stuff as Light Rudy, right? They helped to protect ChalkZone, right? If that were the case, shouldn’t Light Rudy also be just as horrified as them?

There was still a chance she was overthinking things. Maybe Light Rudy was horrified but just didn’t react to the same degree as Para-Penny and Para-Snap. She not only didn’t know the history of this world, but she didn’t know about his either. And it wasn’t like he had no reaction; that would have been even more eerie. No, he was reacting appropriately, just not with the same intensity as she thought he was going to. She wasn’t going to judge him harshly. After all, he may be a valuable ally in this light dimension.

“That was an interesting story.” Light Rudy commented, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Dimensional hopping...I didn’t know it was possible.”

“It is. Believe us, it is...” Rudy said, rubbing the back of his head. “I can still feel the twists and turns as I was yanked down what was essentially a giant drain...”

Light Rudy gave a chuckle at this. “I can imagine. At least you don’t have to worry about it again...for a while I mean. You say you have a couple of hours here?”

Penny nodded her head affirmatively. “That is correct. We need to find that cure in the meantime.”

Light Rudy frowned at this. “I still wish I could tell you where it is.” He rested his chin on his hand and slowly shook it. “But I really don’t know where it is.”

“You told us that already.” Snap said, folding his arms. “Can you please stop saying that? It’s rather discouraging.” Penny noticed Para-Snap’s eyes widen a little at this.

“Yes, my apologies. I didn’t mean to remind you.” Light Rudy said, tilting his head slightly forward. His expression was soft and regretful for a few moments. Then he straightened himself up and looked more confident. “However, I do offer my assistance. I’ll do whatever I can to aid you in your quest.”

Rudy smiled at this, as did Penny and Snap. Rudy took a step forward. “Thank you. We can’t tell you how much we appreciate it.”

Light Rudy smiled back. “Don’t worry. I can tell how much it means to you.” He motioned a hand towards Para-Snap and Para-Penny. “They will escort you to a guest room where you can get your bearings and speak to each other about what you’re going to do.” At this, Para-Snap started to move his wheel chair over and Para-Penny walked alongside him. As they reached the trio, Light Rudy said, “I trust you will find these accomodations...better than what you experienced in that twisted dimension you told us about.”

“I’m sure we will.” Snap nodded his head.

“Yeah.” Rudy said. “Thanks.”

Light Rudy’s smile broadened a little. He made a motion with his hand and seconds later, Para-Penny and Para-Snap began to escort them down the hall. They didn’t get too far when Penny realized there was something they forgot to discuss. She stopped in her tracks. The counterparts looked at her, confused, while Rudy and Snap tried to say something. Penny didn’t give them a chance to. She looked back at Light Rudy and started to speak to him.

“Before we go, would you mind explaining to us how this dimension got this way?” Penny asked. Light Rudy looked at her a little confused. “I’d like to know, and I’m sure my friends do, too, right?” She looked over at Rudy and Snap. They looked at each other briefly and nodded their heads. Penny looked back at Light Rudy. “I know it’s..personal and...

“Why do you want to know?” Light Rudy asked, abruptly cutting her off. “Is there any reason you need to know?”

Penny was a little taken aback. Had she really upset him that much? No, he wasn’t upset. Just confused. But the tone was a little off. It was...a little different than the tone Rudy would usually use. She looked left and right and she said quietly. “Well...we told you our story, so I guess I thought...” She couldn’t think of an explanation. She felt stupid. She should have thought this through more. “I’m sorry.”

Light Rudy’s expression softened up. “No, I’m sorry. I am just...not used to such questions is all.” Penny nodded in understanding. Light Rudy stared at her and her friends for a few moments, as if contemplating what he should say. “It’s not important right now anyway. We can’t focus too much time telling each other stories.” He turned his head to the side and gave a dismissive wave of the hand. “Take them to the guest room now. Make sure they are comfortable.”

At this, Para-Snap and Para-Penny nodded their heads affirmatively. When Penny returned to the group, the two got behind her. They turned back to Light Rudy. Penny wondered if they were expecting another order from the teenager. And it turned out that thought was correct.

“After that, report back to me.” Light Rudy said, his eyes narrowed just slightly. “We need to discuss some things. I also would like to prepare a tour for those three.”

“A...tour?” Para-Snap asked, his voice a little quieter and less energetic than Snap’s. “For what reason...?”

Light Rudy stared at him for a few seconds, and then responded with, “I just want them to get a taste of what I was able to accomplish here. Interact with the locals a little. Besides...” He tapped his fingertips together, a small smile on his face. “I’m sure...one of them might have heard about this potion that we were told about.”

“A logical conclusion.” Para-Penny said, her face somewhat blank. “So many zoners come here, so it would make sense that one of them would know about this potion they speak of.” She turned her attention back to the trio. “Come along now. The room isn’t too far away. Let’s get you there so you can finally relax.”

The group started to move. They headed down the hallway, around the corner from where the throne was. Para-Penny and Para-Snap stayed close behind, guiding them as they moved through the castle. As they moved, Penny thought about the things that had happened. She still felt bad for asking what was probably an insensitive question. Even if Light Rudy didn’t seem overtly mad at it, she could tell she may have struck a nerve with him. She would be more careful with her questions in the future.

She was a little confused by that tour thing. Was it really necessary? True, they might find a zoner that knows about the cure, but they didn’t need to go on a tour for that. They could just go around, asking zoners on their own. A tour just seemed...unnecessary. But from the tone of his voice, Light Rudy was insisting on it. Maybe he was just excited and wanted to show them what he was able to get accomplished here. Considering how peaceful this place was, she could see that.

Still, that didn’t sound like the Rudy she knew. He wouldn’t boast like this. He wouldn’t take saving people and protecting them for granted. But then, she had to remind herself that Light Rudy wasn’t the same Rudy she knew; there were going to be differences, like how her counterpart seemed a little colder, at least in terms of when she talks sometimes, and Para-Snap was quieter and more subdued than their Snap, from what she had seen. So she shouldn’t really be surprised that he’s acting a little different here.

Snap spoke up, breaking her out of her silence.

“You are certain this place is safe?” Snap asked nervously. “There isn’t going to be some large armored zoner popping in and shooting the place up?”

Penny looked at him sympathetically. He must be still affected from when Draow took him in his jaws and nearly crushed to death. She couldn’t blame him. That wasn’t the only time he had been in the beast’s jaws. She recalled when she told him how Draow of their dimension nearly got him that way. After experiencing it again, she could tell why he would be so apprehensive about it happening again.

Rudy put a hand on Snap’s shoulder to comfort him. He then looked over at Light Rudy. “Yeah, this castle is well protected, right?” He paused for a moment, and then said, “You claim it’s safe. Just..how well protected is this place?”

There was a flash in Light Rudy’s eyes. Nothing hostile or aggressive, but still unexpected. The teenager slowly rose from his throne. Para-Penny and Para-Snap watched him with expressions that Penny best could read as apprehension. That worried her. Did they offend Light Rudy?

If they did, Light Rudy did not react in anger. When he came within a few feet of them, he just stood there. His expression was still soft and gentle, nothing like what Dark Rudy had given them. He slowly smiled, staring intently at them. “Don’t worry...we have everything under control here...” There was a twinkle in his eye, something like Dark Rudy had, only..not so ominous.

Rudy stared at his counterpart for a few seconds, and then nodded his head. “Thanks for the reassurance.”

“No problem.” Light Rudy said, nodding his head once. Then he frowned. “Now get going. You don’t have that much time to plan. And if the Luminos in your dimension are as bad as you say they are, well, I wouldn’t want you losing your opportunity to get the cure here.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Rudy said, before turning around and starting to walk away. He raised his hand up. “We’ll see you around.”

The trio then resumed walking down the hallway, guided by two of their counterparts. The hallway soon curved and they were out of sight of the throne room. Now they headed into an area with a tall ceiling but walls pretty close together, forcing them into a single file line. Para-Snap had the hardest time due to his wheelchair, but he managed surprisingly well in spite of the difficulty.

The castle was pretty. It felt elaborate and yet so simple. It was nothing like Cosmo’s stronghold in the dark dimension. This felt easier to navigate, with the design similar to an actual medieval castle. There were even maps that they passed by that showed them where they were, and how to get to certain places. That was definitely different from what they experienced before. A nice change of pace.

The castle seemed to be made mostly of marble. Some of it was still stone, but large chunks of it were clearly marble. They could tell from the swirl designs and the shininess of it. The hallway they entered had some more pictures. This time, it was less of Light Rudy and more of ChalkZone itself. Some were maps of how things used to be and changed, then there were some layouts and designs... Penny guessed that some of this was Light Rudy’s work and he was just so proud of what he did that he hung them up, or maybe he wanted to preserve history or something.

The torches that hung on the wall were pretty to look at. There was already lighting here so the torches were not necessary. They seemed more..decorative than anything. They were too small to be of good illumination. The color was a cross between purple and blue. It was hard to tell which color it seemed more like. As they walked down the hallway, past these torches, Penny could hear a little crackling from the fire. Despite the flames being pretty close, despite feeling the heat, she didn’t feel afraid of the fire, as if she somehow knew it wasn’t going to harm her. It was somehow soothing. Maybe it was the color?

Penny decided to try to make a little conversation. Though they didn’t have far to walk, from what they were told, she didn’t think it would hurt to talk a little with their counterparts to pass the time. Plus they could take this chance to learn a little about this dimension.

“So...you two are your Rudy’s advisors?” A stupid question, and Penny felt silly for asking it. “I-I mean...” She tried to correct herself, but she couldn’t think of what to say.

“Yeah we are.” Para-Penny said in a simple tone. She did not sound like she was upset, or if she was, she hid it very well. “We help him make many of the decisions here.”

Para-Snap spoke up. “Of course, he is allowed to veto anything if he decides he does not agree.”

“Veto? That doesn’t sound like...” Snap started to say.

Para-Penny cut him off. “We are his advisors, meaning we advise things to him. He does not have to listen to us.”

Snap stared at her and then nodded his head slowly. “Oh..okay. Sorry, I misunderstood.”

“Understandable.” Para-Penny said.

Then more silence after that. Penny wondered why these two weren’t too talkative. Light Rudy spoke more than they did. She thought, at first, it was because Light Rudy didn’t want them interrupting their discussion too much. But now that they were away from him, she would have thought that they would speak a little more. But they were still quiet, at least in comparison to Light Rudy. She had to wonder why they were quiet. Just their personalities...or something more?

She shook the thought out of her head. She didn’t want to be suspicious of anything if she didn’t have anything really strong to go off of. This dimension, so far, had not given her strong reason to be suspicious. She glanced at her friends. Though they still had their guard up, she could tell they were starting to relax a little. Despite a few strange things, this place was more or less safe compared to the dark dimension.

Snap started to speak. “Say...what is with those things on your arms?” Para-Snap looked at him. Snap’s gaze was on the golden braces on his arms. “Why do you wear them?”

Para-Snap stared at him. For a second, his eyes widened. Snap gave a puzzled expression. Para-Snap turned his head away. “I-I just like them, okay?”

Snap cocked an eyebrow. “Okay then...”

Penny’s previous relaxation was interrupted when she heard the tone of Para-Snap’s voice. That was the most emotion he put into any of his talking. He sounded...frightened almost. But why? Was there something more to those braces that met the eye? Maybe they were sentimental to him and reminded him of a horrific tragedy maybe? It didn’t seem like he couldn’t take them off, so she doubted he was being forced to wear them. Yeah, that must be it. He wears them because they remind him of something in the past. A past mistake perhaps?

Snap did look sorry for bringing up the gold braces. He had clearly struck a nerve with Para-Snap. He hadn’t meant to. Penny knew he didn’t mean to upset him. He wasn’t the type of zoner to deliberately cause trouble like that. She could hear him give a soft-voiced apology as they continued on down the hallway. Para-Snap’s previous expression changed back to what it was before, a relaxed one.

Soon enough, they reached the room. It was a tall door with something of a point at the top. A double door at that. Para-Penny moved over and she pushed the door open for them. She stepped aside and she motioned with her hand for them to go on. She and Para-Snap both smiled. Small, not very energetic, but they were still there and they appeared to be quite genuine. Definitely better than the eerie, psychotic smiles they got from Mr. Cosmo and Dark Rudy.

“You may go in. If you need us, there’s a bell in there. Ring it and one of us will come up.” Para-Penny explained as the trio walked into the room.

Para-Snap nodded his head. “Don’t be afraid to contact us. We’re here to help in anyway we can.”

With that, the door shut behind them. The trio listened as the footsteps and wheel sounds disappeared down the hallway, leaving them alone in the room. They turned and looked around.

The room they were in was quite nice. It was large and spacious. There was a large bed, the kind that had curtains around it for privacy. It was big enough it could hold all three of them comfortably. There was a dresser to store stuff in if they needed to, a table, and like Para-Snap said, there was a bell on the wall for them to ring. Directly across from them was a large window, allowing them to see into ChalkZone City down below. In front of the window was a sill like what Rudy had, big enough that they could sit on it without trouble.

They walked in further into the room, continuously looking around. It was definitely a nice room, prettier than they would have expected from a guest room. They guessed Light Rudy really wanted guests to fell at home here. Perhaps the zoners around here use them at times? That would make sense. No way Light Rudy would spend all of his time here. That would make no sense; he’d starve to death without access to real world water and food.

The group walked over to the window sill. They sat down on it, keeping close to each other. They looked out the window, admiring the beauty outside. They could see the zoners down below. They appeared to be having a great time. They didn’t know what they were celebrating, but it seemed like every zoner wanted in on it. They smiled at this. They were glad to see a place where the zoners were happy, and not enslaved like in the dark dimension. They deserved to be happy, not locked up like wild animals.

“This place is nice.” Rudy said, breaking the silence. Penny and Snap stared at him as Rudy glanced out the window. “My counterpart must be doing a great job of protecting ChalkZone here. I mean, look at how happy everyone is here. They’re singing, dancing, playing... They’re even happier than in our dimension.”

Penny could detect a hint of..not jealously, but sadness? “Rudy, are you upset about something?”

Rudy looked at her. “Well..I just wish I was doing as good of a job as my counterpart is here. I mean...” He looked back outside. “I want our ChalkZone to be as happy as this one. I want to be able to be the person they can count on to fix things.”

“Bucko, our ChalkZone already sees you as that.” Snap said, pointing his round hand at Rudy. “You saved ChalkZone before. The zoners there already trust you to be able to help them. You don’t have to be upset that this place is happier.”

“Snap is right, Rudy.” Penny said, putting a hand on Rudy’s shoulder. “You’re doing a great job back in our dimension. Don’t change your habits just because of how this dimension is, okay?”

Rudy stared at his friends, and then slowly nodded his head. “Yeah, I know. It would be silly of me to be upset.. You’re right..” He looked out the window again, and then back at his friends. “I hope finding that potion in this place won’t be difficult.”

“I’m sure it won’t be.” Penny said. She wanted to do her best to stay positive. In spite of them not knowing where the cure was, they couldn’t just give up. “The Rudy here is willing to help us, and there doesn’t appear to be any bad guy close to here. I think this might be a smooth ride.”

Snap nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’m sure, with our counterpart’s help and no interruptions, we’ll find that cure in a jiffy!”

“Yeah... We might be able to operate more smoothly in this dimension, we...” Rudy started to say.

Suddenly, something interrupted them. Something that they did not expect and couldn’t comprehend. Tearing through the air, there was a faint sound. They couldn’t tell what it was, but it was very unpleasant and uncomfortable. They could barely hear it, but what they did here sent chills down their spine, and then it was gone almost as soon as it happened. They stared at each other, horrified expressions on their faces. They all had the same thought rush through their heads: What did they just hear?


	66. Confusion And Suspicion

The uncomfortable sound rang in the back of Rudy’s mind, refusing to let up. It had been faint and barely audible, but he knew it was there. No mistaking, it was definitely there, and it chilled him to the bone. Just what was that sound? Why was it in the castle? Was someone hurt? Was it some other unknown sound? His counterpart must have noticed the sound, right? Maybe he could explain what it was.

Rudy couldn’t tell if the sound was even from a sentient person or not. He couldn’t tell if it was a scream, a yell, a roar, something else... It might not even been from a living thing. But the sound was so...frightening, especially with the way it just appeared out of nowhere. It was amazing how a faint sound could change the whole feeling of a group. One minute, they were more or less relaxed and enjoying the view. And now, they were stiffened up in fear, looking around to see if there was some kind of attack or something. They half-expected one of their counterparts to burst through the door and warn them of danger.

But that never happened. As the minutes passed, the sound never came back, and there was no indication of anyone coming down the hallway. Whatever it was, it must not have alerted their counterparts. Rudy found that strange. Why wouldn’t they be alarmed by this sound? Surely they must have heard it, right? Yeah, if they could hear it, faintly, in here, then their counterparts would have definitely heard it.

Maybe they did react to it. Maybe they took care of the problem and that was why they didn’t hear anything else. Maybe it was some zoner who was stuck and needed help, or maybe it was some kind of machine that malfunctioned. There could be multiple reasons for the sound. Reasonable ones that didn’t involve some kind of malice, trickery, or weaponry. Rudy did not want to jump to conclusions so easily. The sound was probably nothing they had to worry about too much. Yeah, probably just something that malfunctioned or a zoner that needed help but now got it.

But the chilliness of the sound... There was no way Rudy could just write that off. The way that the noise sounded like... It certainly was not a cheerful sound. It was almost foreboding in nature, and caused him to shudder. Even though he had no idea just what exactly the sound was, there was something about it that made him feel uncomfortable. He couldn’t shake it off, no matter how hard he tried. There was just...something not right about that sound.

“Wh-What was that...?” Snap asked, his wide, fearful eyes darting around. “It sounded like a scream...”

“Or broken machinery...” Penny added, her wary eyes scanning the room as if she was hoping to find the source of the sound. “It sounded like it came from below us.” She looked down towards the ground with a cautious expression. Rudy and Snap did the same. “Do you think that they heard?”

Rudy nodded his head once. “I have no doubt about that.” He turned his head towards the bell. “Maybe now is a good time to use that bell. We have to talk to them about this.”

“Good idea, Rudy. They might know what that sound was.” Penny said. “Maybe it’ll turn out to be nothing serious.” Penny smiled the best she could. Rudy could tell she was struggling to do so and she could see more worry than any genuine positive feeling in that smile she mustered. “I hope they don’t mind us calling them this early.”

“No I don’t think they would.” Snap waved his hand to the side. “Why else would they give us a bell if they don’t want us to use it?”

“Well you never know.” Penny said.

Rudy made his way over to the bell. He could feel his friends watching them. They started to walk slowly behind him, taking their time. Rudy reached the bell. It was gold in color and there was a string attached to it. He bit his lip and then reached over. He grabbed the string and he started to pull it downward. The bell itself started to shake and the ring of the bell sounded out. He kept pulling down until he could do it no more, the ring lasting as long as he pulled the string.

He released the bell and he took a few steps back, along with his friends. The ring didn’t sound abnormal and yet there was still something about it he didn’t like. Maybe the tone? It was just..off somehow. He couldn’t quite place it. He stared at the bell intently, as if he thought it was going to jump out at him. He only tore his eyes away from it when he heard footsteps approaching the door. He and his friends backed away to make some room.

One of the doors opened up with a creak. They made quick notice of there being only one person coming in and they recognized immediately who it was. It was Light Rudy. The teenager walked slowly into the room, his arms folded up behind his back. Silence fell upon the room. The only thing that could be heard is the sound of Light Rudy’s robe dragging along behind him. Rudy still found the robe cape thing to be strange and he wondered why his counterpart took to wearing it.

After Light Rudy made his way about halfway into the room, he stopped and turned aroud. He faced the trio, a small smile on his face. He didn’t look very upset that they called someone up so early. In fact, it looked almost like he expected it. Maybe he did know something about that noise. Maye he would explain to them what it was, if that were the case.

“May I help you?” Light Rudy asked in a gentle voice.

“Yeah..” Snap said. Light Rudy turned his attention to the small zoner. “What was that noise?” He spread his arms out. “It just came out of nowhere!”

Light Rudy tilted his head to the side. “Noise? What noise?”

The trio looked at him with perplexed expressions.

“Oh come now..don’t tell me you didn’t hear it!” Snap said, his eyes widened. Light Rudy leaned himself back and shrugged his shoulders. “It just happened..just a few minutes ago! Right guys?” Rudy and Penny nodded their heads. “See?”

Rudy told his counterpart, “It was an eerie sound. I can’t quite place what it was.” He used his hands to gesture, trying to get his counterpart to understand what he was talking about. “It was faint and it came from down below. It was almost a moan but it wasn’t...” All the while, Light Rudy just stared at him like he didn’t know what he was talking about. This frustrated Rudy. How could his counterpart not know? “Oh come on! You can’t be serious that you didn’t hear it! If we heard it up here, then you should have heard it..”

Light Rudy narrowed his eyes a little. Penny, likely sensing that Rudy might be starting to go a little far, placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. Rudy froze and looked at her. Then he looked back at Light Rudy. He winced a little. He could see now that he was upsetting Light Rudy a little. He didn’t seem outwardly furious or anything. But, for a brief moment, his eyes were uncomfortable to look at.

Rudy took a step back and lowered his head slightly. “Sorry about that.”

Penny looked at him sadly, and then turned her head towards Light Rudy. “He didn’t mean to raise his voice like that. He’s just confused...we all are. I mean...” She raised her hand up, a perplexed expression on her face. “Are you really serious that you did not hear the noise?”

Light Rudy stared at the group. The glare remained on his face. He looked at them, like he was studying him, maybe trying to judge and see if they were telling the truth or not. He folded his arms against his chest, his glare never softening. At first, Rudy wonder if his counterpart was going to scold them for making him come up for ‘nothing’. Though Rudy would feel bad about wasting anyone’s time, he would also be upset if his counterpart thought them to be liars. His counterpart would know he wouldn’t do that...right?

Light Rudy’s expression slowly softened up. He turned his gaze downward slightly. He gave a sigh. “I do apologize if I confused you.” He took a step forward and spread his hands out. “As for that noise, it’s nothing really. Just some zoner having a little too much fun. It happens occasionally here. My friends and I are used to it.”

The trio looked at each other warily. Just some zoner having fun? Though the thought did cross their minds, the more they thought about it, the more they began to think it was something else. That sound..it was too eerie to be some zoner having fun. There was...something more chilling and sinister about that sound. If something terrible was going on nearby, Light Rudy would need to know about it.

Rudy realized that something sounded a little odd about the ‘zoner having too much fun’ explanation. He didn’t want to accuse his counterpart of lying or being crazy, but if that sound was from zoners having fun...how come they never heard it before? They didn’t hear it when they were outside. Nothing like it. Cheers and whistles, yes. But this sound? No. Nothing even remotely like it. And if it was from the zoners, shouldn’t they have heard more? The zoners were pretty noisy outside. There should have been quite a bit of that noise...and there wasn’t. Something didn’t add up.

“That...doesn’t seem possible.” Penny said. Light Rudy shot her a look. She took a step back, fumbling with her fingers. “I-I mean...I’m not trying to insult you or anything, but..” She looked left and right, trying to think of something to say. “It just doesn’t seem logical that...”

“It is nothing, okay?” Light Rudy said firmly. He turned his gaze towards the window. “Take a look outside and you’ll see there’s a bunch of zoners having fun. They aren’t far from the window.” He deepened his frown. “Do you think it’s too much of a stretch that the noise came from there?”

“Well..I suppose..but...” Penny stared to say.

Light Rudy cut her off with a wave of the hand. “Then it’s settled then. I told you once, and I will say it again.” He leaned forward a little, his eyes staring intently into Penny’s. “We have everything under control here...” He said with great emphasis on ‘everything’ and ‘control’. He tilted his head to the side. “Do you understand?”

Penny nodded her head once. “Yeah..I do..”

“Good.” Light Rudy said, his smile returning to his face. “I am glad we could get that misunderstanding sorted out.

Rudy stared at his counterpart, a confused and faintly angry expression. He couldn’t believe the way he spoke to Penny. It was almost like he was scolding her like she were his daughter. That wasn’t right. Why would he treat her like that? Did he treat his Penny like this? A second later, and he gave a small sigh. He was probably just looking too much into it. Maybe he just felt a little insulted or something. Didn’t excuse his behavior, but he didn’t want to make a scene. Penny didn’t seem as upset about it as he was.

It was still strange, though, the way he talked to her. He put so much emphasis on those words, especially control. He had done the same thing before, when Para-Penny and Para-Snap were taking them up here. Why did Light Rudy focus so much energy into that one word? Was he trying to drive it into their heads that everything was organized here? Though Rudy was glad that this place hadn’t fallen into chaos, he couldn’t help but feel a little unnerved by the whole ‘control’ thing.

To him, it almost sounded like his counterpart was..obsessed with control. The thought was unnerving. Again, he didn’t want to accuse his counterpart of anything. Maybe there’s an explanation for it later on. Maybe a little more control was how he managed to keep things orderly and keep ChalkZone safe. A little more control wasn’t going to hurt anyone, and from how the zoners were acting outside, it wasn’t like his counterpart stripped them of their rights or anything. Maybe he was overthinking things. He shouldn’t get too worked up over what might be nothing.

Rudy managed to keep himself calm. The last thing that needed to happen is him snapping at Light Rudy and causing some kind of disagreement. If Light Rudy won’t help them, then they were in trouble. They didn’t know this world as well as he did. They were going to need his assistance. Best to try to keep things as civil as possible.

“I hope we don’t hear that noise again.” Snap said, looking uncomfortable.

“You might...” Light Rudy warned him. “Just try to block it out, okay? I’m able to do it, as well as my friends. I’m sure you’ll be able to. And besides..” Light Rudy’s smile broadened a little. “At least you don’t have to worry about it for too long. Just a few hours.”

The trio nodded in understanding. Light Rudy was correct on that. They didn’t have to endure that uncomfortable sound for too long. They still had doubts that it was some zoners having fun, but it might turn out to be nothing. Besides, they had little time to investigate everything odd going on here. They had to remain focused on getting the potion first. After they nab the cure, then they could go around trying to investigate that sound.

Rudy, despite what Light Rudy said, was interested in trying to get to the bottom of it. He wasn’t sure that it was just nothing and he couldn’t help but doubt it was some zoner outside. The more he thought about it, the more he doubted that Light Rudy’s assumption was correct. If something sinister was going on, he felt it was only fair that he try to figure things out. Maybe help his counterpart fix the problem so that it didn’t get any worse. He was certain Light Rudy would appreciate the help.

Light Rudy suddenly clapped his hands together twice. This caught their attention and the three friends focused their gaze on him. Light Rudy still wore a smile, the friendliest he had ever given them. His eyes were filled with intent, but none of it seemed like it was negative intent at all. Rather, it was inviting, warming. Nothing about his gaze suggested anything like that Dark Rudy’s eyes promised them. And that helped them relax more.

“How about that tour?” Light Rudy suggested, rubbing his hands together. “After whatever scared you, I’m sure you all want to wind down now a little, don’t you?”

Rudy looked at his friends. They gave him a quick nod. He turned his gaze back to Light Rudy. “Yeah that sounds good.” He paused for a moment. “When will the tour begin? We don’t have much time and...”

“Now.” Light Rudy said. Noting their perplexed expressions, he added, “It doesn’t take me long to work things out.” He continued to smile at the trio. “Trust me, after a couple of years of helping to run this place, I get used to squeezing in some..unexpected detours of sorts.”

“Well..if it’s not too much trouble..” Rudy said.

Light Rudy raised his hand much like how he had with Penny. He closed his eyes. “Oh it’s no trouble at all!” He reopened his eyes, the same smile still plastered over his face. “I would be delighted to push aside what I had planned and take you on a brief tour.” He walked over to Rudy and put his arm around Rudy. This act surprised Rudy and confused Snap and Penny. “I very much would like you to see some of my...work. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Rudy wasn’t sure how to react to being held by his counterpart like this. He could feel Light Rudy pulling him against his body. He was pressed so close, he could feel his warmth and his breath as he breathed against him. He didn’t squirm. Despite being confused by this act, he did not resist, afraid that he might offend Light Rudy if he did try to get away from him. It was just a partial hug after all. Nothing sinister.

True, he had seen Penny get hugged by Cosmo, even kissed by him. He shuddered at the thought. But he knew Cosmo was the enemy, an evil man with a vile ambition. Light Rudy did not display these same traits, and his goal was to keep ChalkZone safe. He had to be so far removed from Cosmo, right? Yeah, he was just being friendly was all. He managed to smile back at his counterpart.

“I think I’d like it, too.” Rudy said.

Light Rudy grinned. “I knew you would!” He gently patted Rudy on the shoulder and walked towards the door. He stopped and gave them a sideways glance. “I will wait for you in my throne room. Come down and meet me in a few minutes. I’ll give you a little bit of time to prepare. But be quick. There isn’t a huge window of time.”

With that, Light Rudy walked out of the room, leaving the trio behind. They looked at each other, each thinking about what had happened. They were still freaked out by that noise they heard earlier. They could all still hear it in their heads, echoing, tugging at them. It was almost like a warning, like someone or something was trying to tell them something sinister was going on. Maybe some bad guy they didn’t, or even Light Rudy, knew about. Or someone that Light Rudy didn’t want them to know about. But he wouldn’t lie about something like that, could he?

Rudy knew his counterpart was not corrupted by the black chalk. He kept telling himself that over and over. There was no way his counterpart could do anything too questionable when he was not tainted by that horrible black entity in the form of chalk. Rudy knew what he was like without the black chalk. He would never hurt anyone and his counterpart must be the same way. If he, uncorrupted by black chalk, would not lie about an enemy existing, then neither would his counterpart, who was also not controlled by the black chalk.

Suddenly, the memory of a voice came to him. Something that was told to him recently that he nearly forgotten about. In the back of his mind, he could see the vision of the black chalk dragons, the dark cloaked beast with bright white light inside it. He remembered the inverted version, the white dragon with a pitch black inside as it opened its maw at him. The screeches filled his head and he remembered how they circled around him menacingly.

Then he remembered something the black chalk told him.

“You will not escape, not even in the light. For you see, even in the brightest of light...There lies sometimes the cruelest of the dark. Even as a hero, you may hurt.”

Rudy could not suppress the look of horror on his face as those words echoed in the back of his mind. He didn’t want to believe it. The black chalk, it was just taunting him, wasn’t it? It was putting ideas into his head so that he would start to doubt himself. The black chalk wanted him to believe that he could be a vile person without it. The black chalk wanted him to give into his inner darkness so he would be easier to control. He..he couldn’t allow it.

Then something else flashed in his head. The destruction he had seen in the nightmare... his body trembled as he realized something horrific about it. Recalling the details of the nightmare the best he could, he realized, with a cold chill going down his spine, that the destruction eerily matched what he had seen in the dark dimension. And the destruction of the hospital he was in...it reminded him of what happened when Raiden had ordered an attack on it.

Rudy tried not to, but he couldn’t help it. He started to tremble in horror as he realized that the black chalk may have known that these things were going to happen and it was giving him a warning. And if what the black chalk was doing was giving him a premonition, then that thing about intenst cruelty laying in the light, not just the dark, then...then was it possible that...?

“Rudy?”

Penny’s voice snapped Rudy out of his trance. He looked over and he saw that Penny and Snap were looking at him worriedly.

“You okay, Bucko?” Snap asked, his eyes filled with concern. “You really had us worried there.”

“Yeah, you were spacing out. Is something wrong?” Penny asked.

Rudy shook his head to get the thoughts out of his mind. He stared at his friends. He knew it was not a good idea to lie to them. But at the moment, he didn’t want to think about what he recalled in his mind. He’ll tell them later. Right now, he just wanted to clear his mind.

Reaching his hand up and rubbing his head, Rudy said, “Y-Yeah...I’m fine.” He stared at his friends, who didn’t look too convinced. “Let’s just get going. My counterpart is waiting for us...”

With that, he started to walk towards the door. Penny and Snap looked at each other, concern etched on their faces. They then started to follow close behind Rudy. The three friends disappeared down the hallway.

sss

“Oh come now...” Jenny said, a nasty grin on her face. “Do you really want to keep resisting? Why don’t you make easier on yourself?”

Tilly let out a scream as the whip hit against her face. She snarled at the woman. The blonde must be crazy to think that she would bow down so easily. “Go fuck yourself...”

Jenny’s eyes widened a little at this. “I wonder if you are the one who taught Rudy the foul language.” Tilly did not answer. Jenny’s smirk returned, and she tilted her head a little, lowering it in a menacing manner. “Very well then. If you won’t join willingly...I have other ways of doing so...”

Tilly narrowed her eyes. “And just how do you propose you’ll do that?”

“Oh you’ll see...” Jenny said, chuckling evilly, her shoulders shaking. “You will see, dear...”

Tilly watched, her eyes narrowed, as Jenny turned and walked away. As soon as the blonde woman left her alone in the room, Tilly hung her head, her thoughts swimming with what happened recently. She still didn’t fully remember how she got here. It was all a haze. What she did recall was that she woke up cuffed to this wall and told that her daughter was being held captive. The black chalk artists made it clear from the get go that they planned on corrupting her.

Horror settled in her stomach as she recalled the bits of their plan that they revealed to her. They wanted a spy from within the family, and so they singled her out. Maybe it was because they thought she would be the easiest target. Well they were right about one thing. She had been easy to capture. One minute she was doing..whatever it was. Shopping maybe, and then the next she wakes up in here, completely defenseless, well except for her words and her resistance. Occassionally she ended up pleading with Jenny stop, but she’d find her inner strength again and start to resist once more, much the woman’s chagrin.

They did not say just what they planned to do with Sophie. She bit her lip, her mind filling with dread. Just what had they done to her? They didn’t say if she was okay or not. They didn’t say if they were going to try to corrupt her as well. She hoped they would let her go. Her daughter didn’t deserve this. What did Sophie do to deserve being locked up like some wild animal? She had a feeling they weren’t even going to feed her. They were just keeping her in the basement so that she would crack.

She still resisted. She still did her best not to give in. Sophie would be disappointed in her if she gave in. She had to remain strong, no matter what. Yet the fear still lingered there. Not just of Sophie, but for herself too. What would happen if the black chalk artists did corrupt her with the black chalk, like Jenny said they would? She would become a threat to her own loved ones. Her body filled with terror as she realized she might end up doing horrible, despicable things to Sophie, Rudy, her sister, anyone else she cared about... She didn’t want that. She didn’t want to partake in such horrible things.

But what was she going to do? Jenny had just assured her that they had ways of making her give in. Were they going to hurt Sophie? Were they going to force corrupt her? Was there something else she had in mind? All she could do to find out..was sit here and wait. The idea was very uncomfortable. She had to sit here and wait in complete and utter silence until Jenny got back. Or Tyreek or Ghadir if they decided to show their faces to her anytime soon.

The realization that she might be turned against her loved ones caused a few tears to roll down her face. She recalled when her sister, Millie, told her about what happened with Rudy, how he was almost corrupted by the black chalk. The idea frightened her. Rudy couldn’t control himself. He was not able to stop his horrendous actions while he was controlled. Was it going to be the same for her? Was she going to be forced to...harm those she cared about? The more she thought about it, the more tears that came.

She lifted up her head at the sound of footsteps. She looked over and she could see Jenny returning to the room. A part of her was relieved that Jenny was at least merciful enough not to let her wallow alone, wondering what she was going to do to her. The other was furious that she did not give her enough time away from her. Two very conflicting views, and it ended up giving her a little bit of a headache.

Jenny walked in front of her. She was holding a small bag in her hand. Even though it wasn’t opened up, Tilly could see the black glow eminating from it. She knew right away what it was, even before Jenny pulled it out. Jenny waved the piece of black chalk in front of her tauntingly, knowing full well all she had to do was press it against her skin and the black chalk would take a hold of her. Tilly watched, her eyes glued to the black chalk, dread rising up inside. She did her best not to show her fear, but Jenny seemed to have caught it.

“I take it you know what this is, right, Tilly?” Jenny said, grinning darkly. “And I also can guess that you know what will happen if I touch you with it, right?”

Tilly stared at her. “What are you going to do with it?” There was a bit of a crack in her voice, despite her best efforts not to show fear. “Corrupt me with it?”

“Well that is a tempting thought, and part of the original plan.” Jenny said. She looked at the black chalk, twisting it around as though she were examining it. “But I have another idea.” She looked over at Tilly, her eyes twinkling black for a second. Tilly cringed, knowing that Jenny had something horrible planned for her. “I’m going to make you beg for it...”

Tilly’s eyes widened, then narrowed. “You’re a fucking idiot if you think I would want that!”

Jenny chuckled evilly. “Oh, dear Tilly...you don’t know what I’m capable of.” Tilly watched as Jenny paced back and forth in front of her, watching her warily. “You see, the black chalk’s effects are...kind of like a drug. You take a little, you don’t like it, but constantly exposed, you’re not addicted yet, but you start to crave it.” She looked at the black chalk and then gave Tilly a sideways glance, a nasty grin filled with hidden dark promise. “All I need to do is constantly subject you to short bursts of this stuff...and you will eventually beg me to keep it on you.”

“No...I’d never do that!” Tilly shook her head, doing her best to glare at Jenny. “You can’t make me!”

“Oh we will see about that...” Jenny smirked as she moved the black chalk towards an exposed part of Tilly’s left arm. “I wonder how many times it will take before you want the corruption to stick with you... Trust me, it’ll end up feeling good. You would want it to come back. You’ll be pleading for it to envelop you...”

Tilly closed her eyes and looked away. Not able to hold back her tears anymore, they started to drip down her face. “No...”

Jenny’s eyes widened, a black shine to them. “Oh yes... And I am going to enjoy it so much...” She brought the black chalk closer. In seconds, it would make contact with Tilly’s arm. “Now..hold still...”

Tilly, helpless, could only stand there and wait as the corruptive black chalk was about to touch her skin.

Suddenly, there was a set of footsteps rushing towards them. Without warning, a male voice cried out.

“Hey, bitch!”

Both Tilly and Jenny’s widened in shock at that. They turned their heads to see what was going on. As soon as Jenny turned her head, she was suddenly sized by her shirt collar by what looked to be a man. Tilly didn’t recognize him at first, but it certainly was not Tyreek. The man in question, snarling at Jenny, pulled his fist back and punched her in the face. Jenny staggered back, her nose bleeding.

Then the man looked over at her and asked, “Are you okay?”

Tilly recognized who the man was. “Mr. Longhorn?!”

sss

Penny did feel relieved about being able to walk through ChalkZone City rather than having to fly over it in stealth. The brace Mr. Cosmo fitted her with was doing well in helping her walk on the ground. She had almost forgotten she was wearing the thing. The only sign that there was anything wrong with her leg was a slight limp. Some of the zoners took notice, but said nothing, likely because she seemed to be doing just fine.

It was definitely nice not having to worry about making noise. The locals were now aware of their presence, and they took it rather well. A quick introduction from Light Rudy and the locals were relaxed around them. A few even attempted to speak with them before having to run off doing something else.

The zoners here seemed genuinely happy. At first, it was hard to tell from the window and from above, but seeing it upclose, the happiness seemed genuine. There was nothing about it that seemed fake. The zoners were welcoming, waving and smiling at them, and just having a good time. There was still something a little off about it, but she wasn’t as worried as she was before. Neither were Snap or Rudy. They had all forgotten about that strange sound from before, their minds relaxed. They looked around and took in the sights all around them.

Zoners playing games, like hopscotch, jumprope, and chess. Other zoners were walking together, either as friends or on a date. Other zoners were helping to clean up the streets. Zoners greeting each other or inviting each other inside. It was all pretty to look at and caused happiness to swell inside Penny’s chest. Seeing these zoners look and behave so happy... It was a wonderful sight to see. It reminded her of their own ChalkZone back at home, though as they constantly noted before, the zoners here were just..happier.

She wondered just what was making these zoners so happy. Maybe it was the cleaner city. It definitely looked shinier than their ChalkZone City. Maybe it was the larger space and more places for them to go, more things to do. Maybe it was the zero crime and no hostility. She did not see a single hostile zoner, not even someone who was just a bit of a jerk. There was no crime, no matter how small, not even something simple like jaywalking. Perhaps they should speak to Light Rudy after this and get an understanding of just what made this place like this, how he succeeded in making everyone so happy.

She, her friends, and Light Rudy continued to walk through the city. Light Rudy was taking them along a set path, marked on the ground. She guessed that taking zoners on a small tour of ChalkZone City, at least some of the busier parts, was common. Light Rudy might take in new zoners just recently erased and show them around. Maybe he helps them find a place here in ChalkZone City, much like how Snap does in their dimension, what with the tours and all he tends to do while she and Rudy are at home or at school.

“Hey I have a question.” Rudy asked.

Light Rudy, who was in front of them, turned his head to give Rudy a sideways glance. “Yes?”

“What is your Skrawl like?” Rudy inquired. Light Rudy gave him a strange look. “Yeah, I know. An out of the blue question. But..I just couldn’t help but ask.” He looked all around him. “None of these zoners seem...angry in anyway. I was wondering if Skrawl here is..happier than ours.”

“Yeah, the guy might have turned over a new leaf, but he still has an attitude problem.” Snap pointed out.

Light Rudy nodded his head once. “Yes, my Skrawl was like that at one time. Especially before the events of Mr. Cosmo.” He stopped walking, causing the trio to pause as well. They watched him as he closed his eyes and turned his head towards the sky. He took in a deep breath. “But I assure you, he has been given a...useful purpose. I gave him a position that will assure he can give a good message to everyone in ChalkZone.”

“Well that’s good.” Rudy said, giving a small smile. “I’m glad to see that he’s changed sides here, too.”

“Better than him going back to being a criminal, that’s for sure.” Snap added.

Light Rudy gave a chuckle. It caused the trio to freeze. Not because it sounded cold, but because it was sudden, unexpected. Light Rudy gave them a wide grin. “Rest assurred you will find no criminals here. Any and every criminal is accounted for.” He moved his head to the side, turning his gaze to the zoners around them. “And these civilians don’t need to worry about them anymore.”

Penny wondered just how Light Rudy kept the streets so free of criminals. He did mention that all the criminals are ‘accounted for’. What did he mean by that? Did he mean that he has tabs on all criminals? Did he have all of them arrested and sent to jail? This version of Rudy did seem even more devoted to ChalkZone than her Rudy, and that was saying something. Perhaps it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to think that Light Rudy spends more time looking for criminals and having them pay their dues.

That was definitely an admirable trait. She liked that Light Rudy was so dedicated in keeping ChalkZone safe, even if it meant potentially depriving himself of sleep coming in here and patrolling the city to make sure that no one was breaking the law. He had mentioned he did that, but only if he had time. Usually the Luminos were the ones who did that. The thought of the Luminos made her shudder. She reminded herself that they were not dangerous in this dimension. Light Rudy had assured them of that.

Suddenly she heard a thump sound. She and her friends looked out in front of them and they could see that a human sized zoner, a bit on the short side and only coming up to Light Rudy’s chest, had bumped into the counterpart. The zoner in question was female and appeared to be a two-legged very cartoonified horse. What happened next confused the trio.

The horse zoner had a brief look of fear in her eyes. It was quickly replaced with shame, her ears lowering. She bowed down and backed away a couple steps from Light Rudy. “I-I-I am so s-sorry..I didn’t mean to... I-I didn’t see y-y-you...” The horse zoner’s voice was shaky and filled with emotion. “I a-am sorry! So sorry!”

Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked at each other, confused by this. Why was the horse zoner so nervous around Light Rudy? What exactly did she think he was going to do? Light Rudy, even now, didn’t even look all that hostile. He looked mildly annoyed, but that was it. He stared down at the horse zoner, who moved back a couple of staps and acted like Light Rudy was going to shoot her full of lightning. A very odd reaction...

And it wasn’t just her. Looking all around them, some zoners had stopped what they were doing and were staring at Light Rudy and the horse zoner. While some of them were still smiling, most of them weren’t doing that anymore. Instead, they wore expressions of shock and even some worry. This lasted for a few seconds before Light Rudy gazed at everyone. His expression was soft, like they would expect from Rudy. A simple stare from him caused the zoners to revert back to their previous behavior. Then he looked down at the horse zoner.

“Don’t worry about it.” Light Rudy said in a gentle voice. He lowered himself to try to put himself at eye level with the horse zoner. “Say, these nice people here...” He flicked his head once. “They are curious about a potion that gives off a rainbowy kind of glow.” He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes at the little zoner in curiosity. “Have you seen something like that?”

The horse zoner stared at him, still looking frightened. Had she really been that startled? “N-No I haven’t...”

Light Rudy stared at her, and then nodded his head. “Okay then.” He stood straight up. “You may go now.” The horse zoner didn’t waste any time getting out of there.

Penny and her friends were confused by what just happened. Why did the zoners, including her, look at Light Rudy that way? Why did a glance from Light Rudy cause them to go back to their own business? Why was there, for a moment, suddenly tension? Something was definitely going on here. Penny tried her best not to jump to conclusions. There was probably a logical explanation for why that had happened.

But she wasn’t so certain she could keep pushing it off. She could see the looks on her friends’ faces. They weren’t sure either. They looked a little wary, much like how she was certain she looked. Confusion started to fill their minds as they tried to make sense of what happened with the horse zoner. Rudy was a sweet person and a zoner pumping into him wouldn’t anger him. Surely it must be the same for Light Rudy, right? It was just an accident. Why did the horse zoner react like that? Why did the other zoners freeze and look at them with something similar to worry?

The tour continued, but now things seemed a little different. The zoners still acted the same, but after that display, after seeing the zoners momentarily pop out of their happiness, Rudy, Penny, and Snap began to notice something...subtly different about the zoners. Their behavior had altered just a tad. Now, though they smiled, they looked more..forced. Everything looked forced, as if they were trying so hard to remain happy. And any time the zoners would look at Light Rudy, that was when they’d try even harder to be happy.

The whole thing was becoming unnerving. Penny’s gut began to twist in knots, making her feel unwell. She didn’t want to believe that something was wrong with this dimension. She wanted to believe that everything was fine and that she was overreacting. But then...how could she explain those bizarre reactions? They never got anything like that back in their dimension. The zoners’ behavior was definitely off and there was no way she and her friends could deny that.

As they passed by more zoners, some of them started to act even friendlier, to the point where it was creepy. They would ask them things like how were they, offered some help, even offered to give them some supplies or gifts. And all Light Rudy had to do was raise his hand, not even speaking a word, and the zoners backed away, some of them lowering their heads in submission. This act was disturbing, causing the friends to look at each other with wary eminating from their eyes.

Penny spoke up, “Wh-Why are the zoners acting this way?”

“Yeah...why?” Snap looked around, shuddering at the sight of the behavior of the zoners around them. “It’s creeping me out.”

Rudy nodded his head in agreement. He bit his lip. “Yeah...and why are they acting this way around you?”

Light Rudy, at first, ignored them. They continued walking down the street, moving past some more zoners, some of which had the same odd reaction to Light Rudy, and others obviously fake happy. Light Rudy did eventually stop and turn around. He stared at the trio, his arms folded behind his back. Nothing about his expression suggests he was worried about any of what was going on. He didn’t even look sad, angry, or anything. He was just...blank.

Then, slowly, Light Rudy smiled. The smile was still warm and welcoming. The same as always. But given in the context of what was going on now, it seemed almost like it dropped a couple of degrees. “Oh don’t worry about it. They’re just nervous about some upcoming celebration. I admit I’m kind of a stickler with how things go. They’re just worried that I’ll be upset with them over some minor details. That’s all.” He turned around and said, “Let’s continue the brief tour, shall we?”

The trio paused for a moment. They looked at each other, then back at Light Rudy. They soon followed close behind them. As they did, they, again, glanced at each other nervously. Though they had tried to hide it before, though they tried to bury it in their minds, not wanting to believe it, after seeing what was going on now, they didn’t think they could deny it to themselves any longer. Their gut instincts were taking over, and they were all thinking the same thing.

There was something very wrong with this place. And it had something to do with Light Rudy.


	67. Do Your Job, Bardot

King Mumbo Jumbo...

Of all the zoners he could have run into in here, it had to be King Mumbo Jumbo...

Bardot stood frozen in place. His body was low to the ground and his tail between his legs. His ears and crest were still flattened against his head as he looked up at the tortoise in horror. Barney was positioned behind him. The centipede wasn’t smiling, but he looked satisfied that his friend was there to protect him. Bardot only gazed at Barney for a few seconds before the tortoise, snarling, got in his vision, that reptilian face of his overflowing with the threat of harm if he dared to take a step closer.

He remembered his encounter with Mumbo Jumbo all too well. He had been arrogant at the time and believed that no zoner alive could hurt him. This tortoise had proven him wrong. Bardot couldn’t believe how foolish he had been, thinking the old tortoise would be of no match to him. He had forgotten about his thick skin and his hard shell. He allowed himself to become too egotistical. And Mumbo Jumbo had brought him back down to earth.

He could still feel those blows to his body. He can still feel the aches and pains from everything the tortoise had done to him. His left ear, which was ripped in half by the tortoise, twitched a little in nervousness as he remembered the terrifying details. Bardot learned not to mess with Mumbo Jumbo that day, and he had hoped he’d never have to run into him again. He would take spending the rest of his life in the Fire Zone in a cage and slowly starve to death, than to be within striking distance of this tortoise.

But then here he was. Fate was cruel not just to the innocent, but to the offenders as well. And today proved that. Here, standing before him, was the turtle. His eyes, glowing with anger and hate, bored through him, making his body shake and tremble. He realized that he must look like how his victims tend to when he is taunting them. On anyone else, it’s amusing. But now here he was, feeling the same thing they were. And he was not enjoying it. He took a few steps back, putting in a little distance.

“I-I didn’t come here to h-h-hurt anyone!” Bardot exclaimed, his eyes wide with fear. “I was s-s-sent here by Skrawl...to get any s-survivors out!”

Mumbo Jumbo cocked an eyebrow. “Why is it I don’t believe you?”

“I-It’s true I swear!” Bardot raised himself up higher. He lifted his head and looked directly at Mumbo Jumbo. “I am not allowed to hurt anyone! If I do, I’ll be shocked with this collar!” Bardot lifted up a paw and tapped his pale colored claw against the black collar that encircled his neck. “Skrawl put this on me so I could not attack anyone. He sent me in there because my small size allowed me to squeeze through the debris, and I’m supposed to search for survivors and bring them out...”

King Mumbo Jumbo folded his arms, glaring at him. It didn’t look like he was convinced. This did not surprise Bardot in the least. After what he’s done, he expected the tortoise to not be so receptive to his words. He would need to prove to him that he was harmless to them. Normally, he would hate to do this as he did not want to be harmless to anyone. Pretend to be harmless? Yes. Actually be harmless? No. But he made an exception with Mumbo Jumbo. He would rather the tortoise see him as harmless than someone who could cause trouble as it meant that he was less likely to get pounded by this guy.

Barney still remained behind his friend, looking at him somewhat curiously from behind the tortoise. The fear was still there. Bardot could detect it from his quick glances at him. Now there was curiosity mixed in that fear. Barney kept looking at him with a perplexed expression, obviously confused of his talk of ‘rescuing survivors’ and all that. Of course he should be confused. He, out of all zoners, was the last one any zoner should trust with a job like this. But sometimes, weird things do happen.

“After all you have done...” Bardot turned his attention back to Mumbo Jumbo as the tortoise began to speak. “...you expect me to believe that you’re here to help?” Bardot clenched his teeth and turned his head a little to the side. “Just how stupid do you think I am, Bardot? Do you really think I am going to buy that bullcrap?”

Bardot cringed back. “It’s the truth. I swear! I’m just here to guide you out!”

Mumbo Jumbo looked down at Barney before turning his glance back at Bardot. “Yeah, I’m sure tormenting my friend here counts as ‘guiding him out’.” His voice was laced with angry sarcasm. He took a step forward, forming a fist with his right hand. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t pound you into next week for that!”

Bardot’s fur poofed up in terror for a few seconds and his body trembled. “I can p-prove it to you! I can show you that I c-c-cannot harm your friend!”

Mumbo Jumbo glared at him harshly, his fist raised in the air in threat. Then, slowly, he relaxed a little, lowering his right hand down. He then gave a smile. Not a friendly one. Not an evil one. But a more...eerie and creepy one. Bardot shuddered at the sight of it. He briefly wondered if this was how his victims felt when he tormented them. Yes, this was exactly how they felt, and now he was getting a taste of it.

“Okay then...” The turtle folded his arms against his chest. “Show me. Try to attack me.”

“A-A-Attack you?” Bardot’s eyes were wide in fear. “B-But why you?”

“Because you might be lying and are just trying to get a free pass at my friend here.” Mumbo Jumbo put his arm around Barney in an attempt to comfort his friend. Barney trembled when he looked at Bardot and cringed back further behind his friend. “You and I both know your attacks can’t hurt me, so whatever you do, it’ll just bounce right off. And besides..” He leaned forward and gave a sly grin to the yellow and red zoner. “..it’ll be fun for me.”

Bardot stared at him in horror, his mouth dropping open. He stood there for a while, trying to weigh his options. If he didn’t attack the king, then he risked entering a world of hurt. The king was not going to be satisfied without physical proof. He did not want to get beaten up a second time, but he also could not leave without him. If he did, and they got out, they could report him and the deal would be off.

He felt as though he was in a lose-lose situation. He was stuck with a zoner he’d rather be far away from. This zoner, this tortoise, was the only thing that could make him terrified. He hated the idea of being so close to him. But at the same time, he had no choice but to stick with him due to that deal. He couldn’t force Mumbo Jumbo into silence like he could with Barney. Even without his venom, he could torture Barney, but nothing he does would faze the tortoise.

The longer he stared at the tortoise, the more impatient the reptile zoner got. His eyes narrowed slowly. He clenched his beak in a warning manner. Bardot could see his hands tightening, and he knew hat if he didn’t do what the tortoise told him, he might get hurt. To follow up further, the tortoise took another step forward, lowering his body a tad as if he were getting ready to charge. Bardot’s eyes widened and he cinged back some more, the front part of his body low to the ground.

Seeing that he had no choice, Bardot crept over towards King Mumbo Jumbo. He kept his body low to the ground, his tail still between his hind legs. Once he got close enough, he paused. He glanced up at King Mumbo Jumbo. The king stared at him and then nodded his head once firmly. Bardot lowered his gaze and stared at the tortoise’s left leg. He lifted up his paw, his claws glinting in the little sunlight that shined through. He hesitated, and then struck forward.

Just before his claws could even graze the leg, the shock collar activated. Shockwaves of electricity flowed through his body. Bardot let out a screech of pain and jumped back away from the king. The electricity coursed through his body, arching over his yellow and red fur. When it finally stopped, Bardot laid on the ground in pain. His eye were shut tightly and, for the first time that he can remember, tears of pain moved down his face. He took in a shuddering breath and wiped away the salty liquid. He looked up at King Mumbo Jumbo.

“N-Now do you believe me?” Bardot asked. His body twitched once from the shock of the collar. “That happens...a-a-any time I try to do harm.”

King Mumbo Jumbo smirked at the hybrid zoner, looking clearly satisfied. “Yes, I believe you now...” He gave a lighthearted chuckle. Nothing cold or icy; just amusement, like he was enjoying seeing Bardot get some more comeuppance for what he had done in the past. “Well...since you came all this way to get us out of here...” He said, gesturing with his hand. “Why don’t you lead the way, dear Bardot?”

Bardot flinched at that. “Y-Yes, sir...”

“And...” Barney finally spoke up. Bardot stared at the orange centipede in surprise. He hadn’t expected him to work up the courage to speak. “I..I have a question...” He had his arm raised up, his finger pointed up as if to draw attention. His body still shook in fear and Bardot could detect the terror lingering off of his voice. “A-A-After this, and the shock collar is t-taken off...you’re not going to try to g-get me?”

Bardot stared at Barney for a few moments. He slowly raised his body off the ground. He straightened himself up, his tail swishing from side to side. He tried to hide his fear now, enough to make it seem like he was relaxing now. He even managed to give a small smile to Barney, causing the insect zoner to move back in fear. Though satisfied by this, Bardot could do nothing to follow up on it.

Sitting down on his haunches, Bardot said, “Of course not, Barney. Not with this thing...” Bardot put his claw against the shock collar again. He gazed up briefly at King Mumbo Jumbo. He shuddered once under that gaze. He tilted his head a little to the side. “And I won’t make a move with your friend here...” He placed a paw on his torn left here. “I am not interested in a matching set.”

Barney still looked nervous, but he appeared to relax a little as he realized that Bardot could not hurt him. Mumbo Jumbo stared at him in satisfaction, a smirk on his face. Bardot stared at them with narrowed eyes. How frustrating it was that he had to do this. If it weren’t for the stupid deal Skrawl made, he would be out of here, or he would have killed Barney before his shell friend could reach him. Oh well, nothing he could do about it, and he might as well suck it up.

He started to walk forward. He kept close to the wall. Barney cringed back as he walked by him. Bardot spared him a quick glance before walking further out in front of them. The hybrid zoner looked left and right. He put his nose in the air and sniffed, trying to figure out which why those two had come from. Determing they came from the right, he decided to go left. He looked back at them and made a quick gesture with his head, urging them to come with.

Bardot was soon walking down this new hallway, ripped up and shattered, and he was doing it with Mumbo Jumbo and Barney. The two of them were close behind him, making sure he didn’t try to runaway or leave them behind. He kept his body low, trying to look nonthreatening, for fear that he might do something to anger the tortoise.

As they moved through some of the rubble, they came across a room. Part of it was blocked by debris but there was a hole in it, large enough for him to squeeze through. They were about to pass it when small whimpering could be heard. Bardot’s ears pricked up and he turned his head over to the door. Whoever was in there sounded like they were in a lot of pain. He gave a faint smile. No doubt the zoner was probably going to die soon anyway. He turned and continued on his way.

This only lasted a second. Suddenly King Mumbo Jumbo stomped his foot down in front of him. Bardot let out a surprised screech and jumped back. He looked up at the tortoise. Those narrowed eyes bored through his own. He watched as the king lifted up his right arm and pointed a claw at the door. Bardot looked at it for a few seconds, then at King Mumbo Jumbo. Seeing that he had no choice but to listen to his unspoken command, Bardot began to slink over to the door.

When Bardot reached the door, he was taken by surprise when the tortoise walked over close behind him. He reached forward and gripped onto the door, which was off its hinges. With a great show of strength, he yanked the door out of the wall, exposing what was inside.

Bardot could see a small room. It appeared to be filled with medical supplies. Syringes, needles, bottoms of medicine, gloves, just about anything imaginable for First Aid treatment was strewn about the floor, likely from the impact of the bombs that went off here. He could see a zoner, one of the doctors, laying on the ground in a pool of blood. He stared at him and for a moment, bloodlust started to settle in.

He was snapped out of this trance when King Mumbo Jumbo bopped him on the head, much like Skrawl had, only with a little more force. Bardot shook his head and rubbed it, staring up at the king in fear. King Mumbo Jumbo put his hands on his sides and tapped his foot impatiently. Lowering his ears in submission, Bardot began to, reluctantly, walk over to the fallen doctor to offer his...he shuddered at the thought, assistance...

sss

“There’s something really wrong with this place...” Penny said softly.

“I know what you mean.” Snap gave a shudder. “There’s these..weird vibes this place is giving off... And the way everyone is acting..”

“I want to say that you’re both overreacting.” Rudy said. The two of them looked at him, slight frowns on their faces. Rudy gave a sigh. “But I know you’re right. Something just doesn’t add up about this place.”

The three friends were back in the guest room after the ‘tour’, if they could call it that, was over. Their minds rushed with the thoughts of what happened. More zoners acting strangely...more being overly happy or generous...more acting a little nervous around Light Rudy... Yes something was definitely wrong here. And the way Light Rudy acts like it was no big deal... Something about that just didn’t feel right. It was...too strange.

Sitting on the window sill, the three friends looked outside, down below. The zoners were still acting happy as always. Before, when they felt joy at the sight of this, now fear and apprehension replaced that. Now that they had seen what these zoners acted like around Light Rudy, they could start to see the fakeness shining through. Their behavior...it really did seem like it was forced. They no longer looked genuinely happy. They looked as though they were hiding something.

In fact, as they watched their behavior a little more closely, they noticed some subtle things about the zoners they hadn’t seen before. Things that gave away that not all is as it appeared. They could see quick, nervous gestures, glances over the shoulder, wary looks, small things that they had never seen before. Before, they thought that these zoners were happier than the ones back at home, but now they’re starting to see that perhaps this was wrong...perhaps these zoners weren’t happy, but rather frightened.

“I still want to give my counterpart here the benefit of the doubt. I mean...” Rudy said, fumbling with his fingers. “He wasn’t corrupted by the black chalk.. It’s hard for me to fathom the idea that he might have..done something terrible here...” He closed his eyes. Penny and Snap looked at him sympathetically. “Because...because if he could do something awful when not under the influence...” He looked at his friends. “..does that mean I’m capable of something as well?”

“Oh don’t think like that, Bucko!” Snap said, putting his hand on Rudy’s arm. “This isn’t your future, remember? This isn’t the path you chose. No matter what your counterpart may have done...” He gently rubbed Rudy’s arm while holding up the other one, his palm facing up. “..that doesn’t mean that’ll be something you’d do.”

“Yeah, he’s right, Rudy.” Penny said. She moved closer to Rudy to offer her support as well. “You’re still you. Your counterpart is just a version of you, created from different circumstances. He might be you but at the same time, he is not you. He has his own path and so do you.” She placed a hand on Rudy’s shoulder. “Don’t let anything your counterpardt does, whether it be positive or negative, make you feel bad about yourself, okay? No matter what, you’re still you, and I know you won’t go down any dangerous paths.”

Rudy stared at his friends. Slowly, a smile crept onto his face. He was starting to feel a little better now, with their support. He could always count on them to break him out of his depression, his self doubt. He wanted to hug them. He wanted to show how much their words meant to him. But he was frozen where he sat. Though he smiled at them, though a part of him was relaxing, there was still a side of him that just wasn’t so sure.

They didn’t even know if Light Rudy had done anything here. They didn’t know if he had done something awful to this place. The zoners’ reactions to him suggested that, and if that were the case, just what did he do? The thought of a version of himself doing something so horrific that practically every zoner feared him sent cold chills down his spine. There was a lot that his counterpart could have done. About the only thing he knew that he didn’t do, aside from destroying ChalkZone, was exposing it. He saw no other humans here, and Light Rudy seemed determined to keep this place safe.

Yet despite that determination, which Rudy admired, was it possible that Light Rudy was hiding something...much more sinister under those sleeves of his? The zoners’ reactions did suggest something darker was at work here. The way the zoners behaved was definitely not right. They never acted like that around him back in his dimension. He thought back to the noise he and his friends heard. Did Light Rudy really not hear it...or had he lied to them?

He still didn’t want to jump to conclusions, despite all the suspicions plaguing his mind as well as his friends. There was a chance that they were overreacting. Light Rudy’s explanation of them planning for something and are just nervous made sense. Light Rudy had confessed of being strict and maybe the zoners were just nervous of upsetting him. And depending how much time they had to set up for this celebration that Light Rudy had talked about, the zoners being jumpy and fidgety would make sense.

“We do agree that this might just be one big misunderstanding.” Penny said in a gentle voice. Her hand remained on his shoulder. She stared at him with a sympathetic expression. “We know that jumping to conclusions would be a terrible idea, and we cannot go around accusing any of our counterparts of anything, especially not without evidence.”

Rudy nodded at this. What Penny said was true, and it was the same thing he was thinking. He would feel like a total asshole if he just waltzed up to Light Rudy and started spewing accusations left and right at him. That wouldn’t be fair or a wise thing to do. Regardless of Light Rudy’s actions, accusing him like that would likely end in pain.

Penny bit her lip. “But..we shouldn’t let our guard down.” She released Rudy and leaned back. She placed her hands on her lap, her fingers crossing over one another. “We need to stay cautious. Don’t let them know that we’re wary. That would complicate things. Just smile and pretend like nothing is wrong...at least until we can figure things out.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea, Buckette.” Snap said. “We can just lay low and act like nothing is wrong. We can keep an eye on our counterparts and see if they do anything suspicious.”

“And if they do...” Penny said. She paused for a moment. “Well, we could talk to them about it. We still shouldn’t be confrontational. We can’t be too forceful or we might end up in trouble. We don’t know everything about this dimension. We don’t know how our counterparts would react if we’re too blunt and confrontational with our questioning.” She turned her head and peered out the window. “Everything might be fine here. This might be a truly peaceful place.” She closed her eyes for a second and then turned back to Rudy. “But still...we can’t let our guard down.”

“I know, Penny...I know.” Rudy nodded his head a couple of times. Using one eye, he glanced out the window. He could see the zoners down below. He could see how happy they were...or rather, how happy they were acting. “I just hope that my gut instinct is wrong...and this place isn’t so bad...”

Snap nodded his head. “We hope the same thing, too.”

Silence fell upon the group. This lasted for a few minutes. The three friends looked at each other, and then out the window. They stared at the zoners outside, watching as they moved about with...whatever it is they were doing. They could hear the sound of the zoners outside. Faint, but still there. Although they tried to tell themselves that they could be wrong and this place could be safe, they could not help but notice just how fake everything looked now. Even the cheering and happy shouts no longer sounded as genuine as they originally had.

As they sat there in silence, Rudy’s mind churned with memories of that tour. He can still remember that horse zoner, the way she reacted to Light Rudy. She was...not just nervous. She was terrified. Rudy had seen enough of that emotion to recognize it. She was terrified. But why? Light Rudy had insisted that she was just trying too hard to prepare and was something of a perfectionist. But that reaction...that didn’t seem like anything Rudy would have expected if it was just from something like that. Something was off about that reaction and the more it dwelled on Rudy’s mind, the more chills that went through his body.

Then something else came to his mind. Something that made him freeze as soon as he thought of it. Just..what was the purpose behind the tour anyway...?

Light Rudy had said it was to help them get more familiar with the area, to let them see if there’s any changes from their dimension, and to see if any zoners knew about the cure. They had taken opportunities to ask some zoners, but they either didn’t reply, going off to do whatever they were doing before, or their answers were quick and they’d move on. It felt almost like they were..forced to give those kinds of answers, or the idea of talking about the potion frightened them. Was it because of Light Rudy or were they afraid of the potion itself?

And couldn’t they have done that without some kind of tour? Yeah, they could have. Light Rudy didn’t have to go with them. He didn’t have to lead them around the way he had. They could have just gone outside, staying close to the castle, and speak to the zoners. Rudy wondered if they would be more receptive if Light Rudy wasn’t around or if they were going to get the same responses.

In the end, that tour had been one giant waste of time. Luckily they still a good amount of time to find the cure. But they would have had more time if Light Rudy hadn’t insisted on taking them on a tour, which wasted about thirty to forty minutes of their time. They had little time to be here; they had to find that cure, and Light Rudy knew that.

A disturbing thought entered Rudy’s head. Was it possible that Light Rudy was...deliberately delaying time? The thought caused his heart to freeze. There was no proof. He had no way of knowing if this was true or not. But...the evidence seemed to add up to that. Light Rudy had been a little too...insistant on the tour. There was really no point to it, in the end. Unnecessary and not very beneficial. So why had Light Rudy wanted to take them on it if it wasn’t required? The only thing that Rudy could think of was...to waste time.

The idea was disturbing. The thought of his counterpart wasting their time like that.... If that is what he was doing, then what was his motivation? Light Rudy knew Rudy was dying.. If he had the cure, surely he would have given it to him, right? What was the point in just keeping it hidden and letting him die? Was there something else going on that they didn’t know? If Light Rudy was doing this on purpose, was there something that they had that he wanted?

Regardless, Rudy couldn’t let Light Rudy know they were suspicious. Despite all this, there was still a chance they were just overreacting. There was still a chance all of this could be easily explained. They couldn’t jump to conclusions. Yet at the same time, they could not let their guard down either. Something was wrong here. He and his friends were certain of that. They could not ignore their gut feeling.

Suddenly, the sound they heard from before came back. Their bodies stiffened, widening in horror. They looked around nervously, trying to find the source of it. The sound grew louder, chilling their blood. The same horrible sound...the one that they could not identify.. It moved through the room, growing louder and louder.

They stared at each other and then around the room. The awful sound echoed in their ears. It quieted down and then it just got louder. Now it seemed like there were multiples of that sound, intermixing in a haunting choir. They kept looking around for the source of the sound. What was it? Where was it coming from? And how could Light Rudy not hear this? Or Para-Snap or Para-Penny for that matter? None of them seemed worried at all... How could this horrible thing be normal?

Then, as they listened intently, as the sound grew louder and sharper, they soon realized what it was. Fear and dread shot up and down their spines and they shivered in response. As soon as they were able to identify what the sound was, their suspicions of this place started to shoot through the roof.

It was a scream... No, not just a scream. Many of them, intermixing together. And along with that...loud groans, sobbing, even faint pleading. That was why they couldn’t identify the sound before; it wasn’t just one thing. It was a lot of things, combining together in a terrifying chorus of pain and terror. This went on for a couple minutes before there was the echo of a crack, a multitude of what sounded like loud whimpers, and then nothingness.

Instinctively, the trio huddled close together. They looked at each other in fear and horror. The realization of what the sound was...and that it came from below them somewhere, frightened them. Just what was going on? There was no way those were zoners acting happy. There was genuine pain in those sounds, definite distress. It was clear now, more than ever, something was going on here. If they weren’t cautious about this place before, they definitely were now.

What was Light Rudy hiding from them? Why was he ignoring these sounds? There was no way he couldn’t have heard them. Were they really that normal here? Rudy’s body shivered at the thought. If this was normal here, then this place wasn’t as peaceful as he thought. He didn’t know if Light Rudy was responsible, though. There was a chance that something else was going on and maybe, by some miracle, he didn’t have anything to do with it.

He and his friends had to figure out what was going on. They couldn’t just sit around here anymore. Though they knew focusing on finding the cure was top priority, they couldn’t just ignore this either. They had to figure out what was happening around here. They had to figure out what those sounds were. Light Rudy might not answer them. He might dismiss it like he had before. So they had to go with another option.

Para-Snap and Para-Penny might be more helpful. Neither of them seemed to be as forceful or insistant as Light Rudy. One of them must know something of what was going on. Rudy looked over at the bell. He looked at his friends. They gave him a single nod. They needed to speak to those two, and without Light Rudy around. They needed answers. Some real ones. And those two might be the ones to be able to provide that for them.

Rudy walked over to the bell and he gave it a ring.

sss

Dr. Urso let out a roar of pain and stagged back when Dr. Raiden drove his metal claw into his shoulder. The lion bear put his paw on his shoulder, feeling the warm blood pour through it. He growled in Raiden’s direction, showing his sharp teeth. Despite the successful blow, the cheetah did not look victorious, his face still etched in fear.

Dr. Urso barreled down towards him, mouth agape. He jumped at him, attempting to clamp his jaws around him. Dr. Raiden jumped out of the way, landing a few feet away from him. Despite having an injured leg, Dr. Raiden still had a bit of speed to him, enough that he was able to dodge his attacks. Dr. Urso shook his head, getting off the gorund. He turned his direction back to Dr. Raiden. His ears flattening, he took off after him again, ignoring his pain.

Dr. Raiden stared at him in horror, arching his body in defense. Then he narrowed his eyes and bared his sharp teeth. He rushed at him and the two collided with each other. Wrapping their arms around each other, digging their claws into each other’s body, they wrestled with each other. They rolled across the ground, the other fighting for dominance. Their yowls and screeches and roars echoed in the room.

Soon, Dr. Urso managed to pin Dr. Raiden on the ground. He gripped the cheetah’s shoulders and pushed against him, keeping him down. Dr. Raiden struggled like he had before, and quickly stopped. He took in a few breaths and stared at up Dr. Urso in fear. Dr. Urso glared down at him, his teeth still bared. A low growl emitted from his throat. As he continued to stare down at the cheetah, his mind swirled with burning thoughts of the past.

Their trust in Raiden... Letting him near patients... Letting him near Rudy and the other humans... How could they have been so naive? How could they have been fooled by this..this monster? Dr. Urso had blamed himself for a time, but that faded when he realized everyone else had been duped as well. Dr. Raiden was a very good actor. Any time he had expressed concern for Rudy...It really had felt so genuine..real... Dr. Urso had truly believed that he was a calm, determined doctor willing to do the right thing.

But he had been so wrong. His stomach stung horribly, twisting in knots, as he witnessed what this cheetah was really like. A monster, cold and calculating, a short temper, blaming the victims, acting like his past justified the means... These were things that he never thought was possible from Dr. Raiden. He had never suspected that he was capable of such atrocities...

Well no longer... He was not going to be fooled by this monster again. He was not going to fool anyone. His mask that he had glued on so tightly, it had come off, exposing the true horror that laid underneath. And now that he had exposed himself for what kind of monster he really was, no one was going to trust him again. Well no one except that Luminos group of his. Dr. Raiden was not going to be able to pull another cruel stunt like this.

“Y-You really have no idea what you’re doing!” Dr. Raiden cried in desperation, his eyes wide. He jerked from side to side, trying again, in vain, to get free. “Y-Y-You’re welcoming the enemy! Please..don’t do this... I beg of you!” He stared up at Dr. Urso, his ears lowering a little. “I really don’t want to hurt you... I have too much respect for you. Please stop this! Try to see sense!”

Dr. Urso curled his lips back in a snarl. The nerve of him...trying to make him join him. That was disgusting. Dr. Raiden should know that he would never involve himself with something as dangerous and illogical as the Luminos. “I used to respect you, Dr. Raiden. But after seeing what you have done here... I can say all that respect flew out the window. You’re disgusting, and you dare try to pull me into your twisted logic?!” He yanked Dr. Raiden up and put his face close to his. Dr. Raiden turned his head to the side and looked at him in fear. “It’s not me who needs to see sense. It is not me who has been corrupted. It is you!”

Dr. Raiden stared at him in fear. His chest inflated and deflated at a rapid pace. His eyes, wide and wild, looked around, as if he were trying to find a way to escape the angry lion bear’s grasp. In response, Dr. Urso squeezed his shoulders harder, making it clear to the cheetah that he was not going to let him go. Dr. Raiden gritted his teeth. He stared at Urso a few seconds before his previous snarl returned.

“I am sorry you feel that way, Dr. Urso...” The two animal-like zoners stared at each other in the eyes. It was an intense moment, tension rising up between them. Pupils dilated. Teeth were bared. Fur was raised on end in anger. Dr. Raiden narrowed his eyes into slits. “I need to get rid of the corruption...And I will not allow you to stop me!”

With that, Dr. Raiden suddenly freed his arm, slashing Dr. Urso across the face with his metal claw. The lion bear roared in pain as the cheetah squeezed from underneath him. He shook his bloodied face and turned his head. His eyes widened in horror at what he saw.

Dr. Raiden was running, or rather limping as fast as he could, over to Rapsheeba and Blocky. His eyes were wide and feral, blazing in hatred. Dr. Urso started to run towards him, but the cheetah had gotten so far, he didn’t know if he could make it in time. His heart clenched as he heard the two injured zoners cry out in terror, the deranged cheetah coming after them with wide open jaws. It would be over in a matter of seconds.

Dr. Raiden let out a yowl as he stood in front of Blocky and Rapsheeba. He focused his eyes on Rapsheeba, the most helpless of the two. He swatted Blocky away several feet and then prepared to strike Rapsheeba. The female zoner looked up at him in fear, watching as he raised his paw up. Dr. Urso’s eyes widened and he pushed himself harder. Dr. Raiden positioned his paw above Rapsheeba’s neck and chest, fully intending on killing her. Then, much to everyone’s horror, he struck down...

...only to suddenly freeze. Blocky looked at this in confusion, trying to drag his injured, bleeding body over. Rapsheeba had her arms above her to protect herself. When she realized the blow wasn’t coming, she looked up. Her eyes widened as Dr. Raiden stood there, frozen. Even Dr. Urso was in shock at what happened, slowing his running down and moving in a wide arc to see what had happened.

Dr. Raiden’s paw had stopped moving when it was just about to hit Rapsheeba. His face was contorted in a mixture of confusion and horror. His eyes had a far away look in them. Dr. Urso wondered, briefly, if he was having some kind of flashback. Dr. Raiden moved his paw a little, only to grit his teeth and move back, the same terror-filled expression on his face.

Urso didn’t waste any more time. Though confused, he took this opportunity to get Raiden away from the injured zoner. He rushed forward and he slammed his body against him. Raiden let out a screech as he rolled across the ground. He got up and he shook himself. He stared at Urso in shock. Then, as the horror of whatever entered his mind before left, Raiden narrowed his eyes and lunged towards Urso. He collided with Urso, knocking him to the ground. Urso let out a roar of pain as the cheetah’s jaws clamped on his shoulder, tearing into his flesh.

Urso managed to knock him off, his bear-like paw striking against Raiden’s torn shoulder. A loud screech and Raiden was on the ground. He got up and, staying on all fours, started to move away a little. He glared hatefully at Urso, letting out a roar of anger and frustration. Urso roared at him, louder than he ever had before. The sound echoed off the walls. Raiden’s face paled a little and his ears lowered against his head. He moved away more when Urso started to stalk towards him, growling lowly.

Dr. Raiden’s body trembled. Then, as the cheetah realized he had been defeated, he turned and ran away. Dr. Urso’s narrowed eyes watched as the injured cheetah scampered off out of the room. He could hear his footfalls fade as he rushed down the hallway. Once he realized that Dr. Raiden was not coming back, he turned his head towards Blocky and Rapsheeba.

Taking in a few breaths, Dr. Urso asked, “Are you two all right?”

“Y-Yeah...” Blocky said. He winced as he pressed his hand against his wound. “Thanks for the help...”

“I’m okay...” Rapsheeba said as she tried to sit herself up. She accidentally hit her leg a certain way and she cried out in pain. She fell back down to the ground. “My leg...” She whimpered, letting out a few tears.

Blocky looked at her sadly. He moved over, wincing in pain from the rip in his body. “Rapsheeba... That...that cheetah nearly ripped your leg off.” When he got to her, he lowered himself and grabbed onto her arm. He pulled her up, letting her put her weight against him despite his pain. “We need to get you out of here...”

Dr. Urso watched this with sadness. Seeing this made him hate Dr. Raiden even more. What had these two done to deserve what they got? They were both innocent, and Dr. Raiden just tried to murder them both. Because of him, Blocky had a gaping wound and Rapsheeba’s leg was twisted and crushed horrifically. He had to get them to safety where he could examine them. He might not have access to his tools, but he could still help in other ways.

Dr. Urso walked over to them. Once he reached them, he said, “Come on, you two.” He lowered himself to the ground. “You can ride on my back. I’ll be gentle. I promise.”

“Are you sure?” Blocky asked.

“We...” Rapsheeba winced in pain. “..don’t want to be a burden.”

“It’s no trouble.” Dr. Urso said. “Now hurry up and get on. We need to leave before Dr. Raiden’s reinforcements...”

Suddenly there was a loud roar. One of feline nature. It wasn’t Raiden’s roar. This one sounded deeper, a little bigger, more ferocious. It was echoing down the hallways. It sounded angry, feral, and dangerous. Blocky and Rapsheeba’s eyes widened in horror, pressing themselves up against Dr. Urso in fear. The lion bear’s eyes were wide in shock. That roar...he knew who it belonged to. His heart started to beat faster as he realized their situation just got worse.

The roar belonged to the leader of the Luminos, Maalik.


	68. We Need To Figure Out What's Going On

Rudy couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Neither could his friends. They stood there in absolute shock, unsure of how to take what they were just told. They wanted to believe that it was some kind of sick joke. They wanted to believe that their counterparts just had a twisted sense of humor. They wanted to believe they would actually get an answer out of this.

But instead, they just stood there, mouth agape, as they stared at their counterparts. At first, it had just been Para-Penny and Para-Snap who arrived. They were, at first, happy about this as it meant they could speak to them alone. They thought that they had some time speak with them now that they were alone together again. But that was shattered when Light Rudy showed up behind them. The three of them had walked into the room together, not sparing each other a glance. They were looking intently at them.

Light Rudy had been the one who urge them to tell him what the problem was. He claimed that he would do whatever he could to help. Though the trio knew what happened the last time they brought this up, they did so again, seeing no choice. They explained to Light Rudy, Para-Penny, and Para-Snap about what they had heard. The trio could have sworn they saw the tiniest bit of a reaction from Para-Snap and Para-Penny, but hardly anything from Light Rudy. It was the same as before.

And he responded the same way. That it was just some overly excited zoners that didn’t know how to lower the volume. The way he said it...there was something about it that was a little chilling. They couldn’t quite figure out what it was, though. Just something...unsettling about it. What made it even more disturbing was the fact that Para-Penny and Para-Snap backed up Light Rudy’s claim, nodding their heads and adding comments about how things had been like that for a while and that it was common.

Rudy had a hard time believing that. There was nothing normal about what he and his friends heard. He had a hard time thinking that these light counterparts of theirs could have...just not heard that. There was no way they could have missed it. It was louder than the sound they heard earlier. They...they must have heard it. Why were they lying about it? What were they trying to hide? What did they have to hide here?

“I’m sorry if that’s not the answer you want.” Light Rudy said, bringing Rudy out of his thoughts. “But that is the way it is here. I can assure you that you heard was not what you think it is.” He took a step forward. He clasped his hands together, his welcoming smile on his face. “It might have sounded like a scream, but trust me....” He leaned forward, a slight narrowing of the eyes. He shook his head slowly. “...it was not a scream. It was just excitement...”

Penny’s eyes, widened in disbelief, cried, “You expect us to believe that?!” She paused, and turned her gaze down. She hadn’t meant to yell like that. She cleared her throat and spoke in a calmer voice. “I mean... That was not cheering. We know what excitement sounds like. What this noise was...it was anything but cheerful.”

“I could clearly hear begging...” Snap mentioned, putting his hand to his mouth nervously. “It sounds like some zoners were trapped nearby...and they’re calling for help.” He pointed his round hand in Light Rudy’s direction. “Aren’t you going to help them?”

The trio looked at Light Rudy expectantly. To their surprise, so did Para-Snap and Para-Penny. Their expressions, though calm, still had a tinge of something to them. Rudy glanced at them more closely and he realized that what he was seeing was nervousness, apprehension. That fueled his belief that something wasn’t right, and it seemed it all connected to Light Rudy somehow. Just..what had his counterpart done here, if he did anything at all?

Light Rudy stared blankly at Snap for a few moments. An uneasy silence fell upon the room. Snap bit his lip and took a step back. There was something a little unsettling with the way Light Rudy was looking at him, even though he was still smiling. Light Rudy lowered his front half, putting his head close to Snap’s. He gave him a sideways glance. His smile broadened just a little bit. His green eyes stared into Snap’s solid white eyes.

“No...” Light Rudy’s calm response came. Snap’s eyes widened at this. Light Rudy quickly added, “...because there is no one to help. Trust me. If any zoner were in danger, I would know about it. I have everything under control here. Not much gets by me. Rest assured that I’ve got the zoners’ backs here.” He straightened himself up, still staring down at Snap. “So don’t worry so much. Don’t let that sound bother you...” He looked at Rudy and Penny. “Or you two for that matter. It is nothing really of concern.”

Para-Penny nodded her head. “That is correct. Everything is fine here.” She held out her hand in gesture. “Either you three were just hearing things or you just misinterpreted what it was.” She noticed the expressions she was getting. “I don’t mean to insult you or anything. But our Rudy is telling the truth. You are safe here.” She used her hand to gesture to everyone in the room. “We are all safe.”

“Greatly spoken, Penny.” Light Rudy said. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You always did know what to say.” He patted her a couple of times before he headed over to Para-Snap. He walked behind him, his arms folded behind his back. “And what about you, Snap? Do you have...anything to add?”

Rudy looked at Para-Snap. He noticed the nervousness from before came back, but it was still faint, subtle. Para-Snap kept his eye on Light Rudy and then he smiled. The smile didn’t seem completely genuine but it didn’t look fake either. He watched as Light Rudy put his arm around Para-Snap, sort of hugging him. Para-Snap seemed startled, but it was brief and barely noticeable.

“No not really...” Para-Snap said. He motioned a hand at Para-Penny. “She pretty much covered it all.”

Light Rudy nodded his head. “Okay, that’s all I wanted to know.” He gently stroked the top of Para-Snap’s head. Rudy took notice that Para-Snap, though smiling and calm, didn’t seem like he entirely enjoyed Light Rudy’s touch. Light Rudy walked away from him and back towards the trio. He straightened himself, as if to make himself appear taller. “I know that my answer is not satisfying you. And I am sincerely sorry about that. How about we...turn to a more pleasant conversation?”

Rudy gritted his teeth and took a step back. Dodging the conversation...and earlier that outright lie about what they heard not being a scream... Rudy knows what screams sound like. He’s heard them enough in the past. Light Rudy is acting as though nothing is wrong. And maybe that’s true...maybe nothing is wrong and he’s getting worked up over nothing. That was a possibility. This castle was big. The sounds may have been warped...

...but no, that couldn’t be possible. The sounds were clearer this time, sharper. He could distinctly hear crying and shouts of pain. Faint, distant, but he could still hear them. There was no way he had misidentified those... There was no way his friends had misheard it. Somethig was wrong and Light Rudy was going to tell them, one way or another.

“I don’t believe you...” Rudy said, his voice as calm as he can make it.

He could not believe the effect that it had on their counterparts. Para-Penny and Para-Snap’s eyes widened. They took a step back. They looked at Light Rudy. This time, their nervousness was more prominant. They seemed almost afraid. Light Rudy, on the other hand, was staring intently at Rudy. His eyes were also wide, but he didn’t look afraid like his comrades did. Instead, Rudy could see a different emotion in his eyes.

Anger.

Light Rudy, his eyes slightly narrowed, anger noticeable in his gaze, walked up to Rudy slowly. Rudy felt some air of tension now. He hunched his body like he was preparing to run. He stared intently at his counterpart, gritting his teeth. He took a step back as Light Rudy positioned himself in front of Rudy. Though they were the same height, Rudy felt shorter as he looked at Light Rudy’s gaze. Light Rudy stook there for a while, staring at Rudy, the anger clearly shining in his eyes.

Then, Light Rudy spoke. “Excuse me..” He tilted his head to one side, and gave Rudy a sideways glance. “Are you calling me a...” He leane a little closer, his pupil staring directly at Rudy. “..liar?”

Rudy found himself taking a step back. His eyes narrowed slightly. “I know what I heard. And it wasn’t what you claim it was.” He pointed a finger at him and said, “Now why don’t you try telling me the truth? I’m sorry if I’m offending you, but I will not stand here and be blatantly lied to.”

Light Rudy’s eyes sparkled. “So you are calling me a liar...” He forced a chuckle. “Well then...” Para-Penny and Para-Snap exchanged looks as Penny and Snap watched the scene in confusion. Light Rudy walked around Rudy. Any apparent sense of anger was gone, but the tension was still there. “I am sorry you feel that way. I don’t mean to come off as..someone less than desireable...”

Rudy realized that he may have made a mistake. He had nearly forgotten that, earlier, the whole idea was to be a little stealthy about this. Before their counterparts came, they had discussed to each other how they were going to do this. They weren’t going to accuse them of anything. They were just trying to get answers. They needn’t be forceful. But here he was, being confronted by Light Rudy. He may have...no he knew he offended him by calling him an outright liar. That was not going to help things. He may have cost them a potential ally.

Still, he did his best to remain calm. Light Rudy wasn’t acting outwardly aggressive. He might be angry, yes, but anger does not mean hostile. Light Rudy hadn’t made a move against him. He hadn’t tried to hurt him. He might just be confused by his accusation. Maybe he was telling the truth... Rudy shook his head, reminding himself that it couldn’t be the case unless Light Rudy thought they were talking about something else.

“Look, if it’ll make you feel better,” Light Rudy said as he put his hands on Rudy’s shoulders. “I will look into this...screaming you claim you heard. And if I find anything, I will let you know, okay?”

Rudy stared at this counterpart, wondering if he could completely trust what he’s saying. He turned his head away, his eyes narrowing in contemplation. He looked at his friends. They weren’t sure what to make of this either. He turned his gaze to Para-Penny and Para-Snap. They were nodding their heads, making slight gestures as if encouring him to accept what Light Rudy was saying. This confused him, and made him more suspicious.

“Oh...okay...” Rudy finally said, lowering his head a little.

Light Rudy’s expression softened up and he moved away a few steps from Rudy. “Alrighty then. I’m glad we could get that settled.” He looked at the trio and then added, “I think we should discuss this...cure thing..don’t you?”

Rudy had mixed feelings about the somewhat sudden change of topic. On the one hand, he was a little relieved. Light Rudy didn’t go apeshit on him or anything. That was good. He certainly didn’t want a repeat of what happened in the dark dimension. On the other hand, he was annoyed by it. It felt as though Light Rudy was dodging the topic, which he didn’t doubt. His friends looked a little miffed by the change of topic as well, but none of them complained. The cure was an important thing they needed to talk about anyway.

Para-Penny said, “Yes. You said it was a potion with a rainbowy color, right?”

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah, that’s correct.”

“Why?” Snap asked. “Did you find it?”

“We believe we have..or rather..” Para-Penny adjusted her glasses a little. “..one of our comrades thinks they found something like it. You see, we sent word out to the Luminos about the potion and they had been searching for it since you got here.”

“We weren’t expecting them to answer back so quicky.” Para-Snap added quietly.

Light Rudy nodded his head at Para-Snap. “Indeed, it did come as a surprise.” He looked at Rudy and his friends. “I cannot guarantee if this is what you are looking for.” He took in a breath an exhaled. He gave the trio a small smile. “I suppose we will find out soon enough, right?” The trio looked at each other, not answering. Light Rudy continued, “I will have them bring it over as soon as they can. I imagine they would be here before your time is up.”

The trio was silent at first. Then Rudy spoke up.

“What if it’s not the cure?” Rudy asked.

Light Rudy paused to think for a moment. He tapped a finger against his chin, his gaze upwards. Then he nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. “Then I guess it just isn’t it.” He held his hands at his sides, his eyes closed. He was still smiling, as if he didn’t find it any big deal. “And we’ll just have to look elsewhere.”

“But..we can’t afford to waste time!” Penny cried. “We don’t have that much time left, and Rudy needs that cure!”

Light Rudy nodded his head. “I’m quite well aware that he does.” He turned his head to Rudy. His smile was still so soft and gentle, no sign of malice or anger in it at all. It was like he had forgotten so quickly about Rudy’s accusation from before. “You can trust my comrades. They’re good at finding things for me.” He turned his head so that he was looking at the entire trio. “I assure you that chances are remote that they didn’t find the potion you speak of. They are fetching it as we speak.”

Para-Snap said, “Yeah. Don’t worry. You’ll get it.”

“The Luminos will bring it here shortly.” Para-Penny added.

Light Rudy took out his magic chalk. The trio instinctively took a step back even though Light Rudy didn’t make an aggressive gesture towards them. They watched as he whipped his wrist up and around, creating some kind of shape in the air. When he was finished, a gold watch materialized. It fell into Light Rudy’s outstretched hand. He fiddled with it, winding something on it. Then he walked towards the trio. He reached over and seized Rudy’s wrist. He yanked on him a little, causing Rudy to come forward. Light Rudy placed the watch in his palm and forced the hand closed over it.

“I set this watch to go off when they said they’d be here.” Light Rudy said. “I imagine that you three want to go around town on your own and ask about the potion, just in case the Luminos didn’t actually find it. Am I right?” The trio’s eyes widened at this. Light Rudy smiled. “I’m good at reading thoughts sometimes..not a literal tone of course.” He pointed at the watch Rudy now held in his hand. “Keep that with you. That way, if you’re still in town when the Luminos get here, you can come back as soon as you can.”

“Okay...thanks.” Rudy said. He glanced down at the watch. He put it in his pocket. “Yeah we would like to walk around town if that’s okay by you.”

“Sure, go on!” Light Rudy said, giving a dismissive wave of the hand. He walked over to where his comrades were. He pushed passed Para-Snap and Para-Penny. He stopped in the doorway and looked back. “Just...try to stay close, okay? If you’re too far off, you might run out of time by the time you get back.”

“Try to stay within the town square.” Para-Penny said, raising a finger. “That’s the area right outside of the castle. There’s plenty of zoners to talk to out there.”

“I’m sure there are. We talked to a bunch already.” Snap said. “They didn’t know anything about the potion, though.”

Penny looked down at him and said, “Well maybe we’ll have better luck this time. Someone has to know about it, right?”

“I wish you the best of luck, you three.” Light Rudy said. He turned his head around, facing the hallway. “I do hope that you’re able to find what you need here. It would be a shame if you came all this way, only to leave empty-handed. Anyway, I’ll leave you three be for now. I’m certain you want to discuss what you want to do next, so see you around soon.”

With that, Light Rudy walked out of the room and down the hallway. They could hear his footsteps as they grew fainter in the distance. As soon as he was gone, Rudy, Penny, and Snap glanced at each other, trying to think of what to do. Rudy did want to go outside to talk to more zoners. They might get more answers now that Light Rudy wasn’t there. They’d be able to see for themselves if Light Rudy was the reason they were quiet, or if there was something more going on.

He then glanced at Para-Penny and Para-Snap. They were still in the room with them. Perhaps they should talk to them instead, before they left. The way they acted around Light Rudy, even if it was brief, was strange. Especially Para-Snap’s. Out of the two, he looked the most afraid, even if there wasn’t that much noticeable fear. Though he might have been just nervous because Light Rudy was a ‘stickler for details’, Rudy couldn’t shake the uncomfortable vibe that something really was wrong. And he knew his friends, who saw the same thing he did, felt the same way. With Light Rudy gone, now was the chance to ask.

Rudy, Penny, and Snap quickly noticed that the counterparts were starting to leave, likely to join up with Light Rudy. They rushed over and went in front of them to stop them. Para-Snap and Para-Penny were surprised by this. Para-Penny took a few steps back while Para-Snap pushed on his wheels, guiding himself backwards to give them some room.

“Can we speak to you two for a moment?” Penny asked. “Before we head out?”

Para-Snap and Para-Penny glanced at each other. They looked back. They hesitated for a moment, and then they nodded their heads once in almost perfect unison. Rudy had no idea how far they would get with these two. He didn’t know if they could get any information from them, or if they would continue to hide it...if they were hiding information at all. But they had to try. They had to make the effort to try to learn more about this dimension. Something was wrong and he bet that these two know something of why that is.

“We’ll each ask a question.” Rudy said. “And please...try to answer. We would appreciate it. We aren’t trying to be hostile. It’s just that...”

“..any information you can give is may prove helpful.” Snap finished.

“Yeah...” Rudy said. He glanced at the counterparts. “Do you understand?”

“...sure.” Para-Snap answered in a soft voice. He made a gesture with his hand. “Go right on ahead.”

Para-Penny narrowed her eyes slightly. “But do make it quick. We don’t have that much time. Our Rudy will not be happy if we don’t join up with him soon.” She glanced down the hallway. “And if he has to come back and get us, we’ll never hear the end of it.” She turned her head back. “So whatever it is you want to ask us, please hurry up.”

Rudy could sense a bit of urgency in her voice. He bit his lip in response. He looked at his friends, who gave him each a nod. He looked back. Not wasting any time, he and his friends each asked their question. They each hoped that they would, somehow, get the answers they were looking for.

“Why are the zoners acting the way they are? When we were out with your Rudy, the zoners seemed to act a little...” Rudy tried to think of the word. “...too happy, like it was forced. And they seemed quite nervous around your Rudy, a little jumpier. Just..why is that?”

Penny asked her question next. “Why are you two lying about the screams we heard? We aren’t stupid. We know exactly what we heard. And you two, as well as your Rudy, you keep saying it’s nothing. But we know it’s not. Why are you trying to lie to us about that? I sure hope there’s a good reason, because I can’t think of anything that could justify lying to us about something like that.”

“And what was the purpose of the tour? We don’t have a lot of time in this dimension. I don’t understand why your Rudy made us go on it. All it really did was waste time! Can you tell us why he would want us to go on it?” Snap asked, delivering the third and final question.

The room fell quiet after the three friends each asked their question. They stared at their counterparts, waiting for them to reply. For a few minutes, the counterparts said nothing. They just looked at them. Their expressions were unreadable. They looked kind of blank, but they all could detect some kind of emotion in there. They noticed Para-Penny’s pupils moving a little, like she was scanning the room. But why? Did she expect something to be in here? Para-Snap might have been doing the same thing, but without moving his head, it was a little hard to tell.

Then finally there was a response.

Para-Penny said, “We will answer your questions in the order you gave them to us, okay?” The trio nodded their heads once. “Okay then. Let’s get started.”

Para-Snap nodded his head once. “..yes... We’ll answer to the best of our abilities...”

Para-Penny addressed the first question. “The reason why the zoners act the way they do..well that is simple really.” She folded her arms behind her back and straightened herself up. She looked almost like a professional intelluctual from some important meeting or something. “The zoners here tend to be a little jumpy at times. It’s almost the anniversary of a recent horrific attack that our Rudy saved this place from. Ever since then, the zoners are quite nervous around this time. They usually aren’t like this. If you had come around at an earlier time, you would see that they wouldn’t behave so strangely.” She paused and held out her hand in gesture. “Well strange for you...” She twisted her wrist around. “Not so much for us, as we’re used to it. But does that make sense?”

Rudy paused and thought about this. It did make sense, kind of. If the zoners were nervous about another attack, then he could see them being a little jumpy around this time. Still, he didn’t think it fully explained the reactions they saw. It didn’t seem to explain why the zoners reacted the way they had to Light Rudy. If being nervous of an upcoming attack is what is causing this, then why were the zoners acting so strangely around Light Rudy?

Rudy soon gave his response. “I suppose... Not sure if it explains everything, but yeah, it kinda makes sense..”

Para-Penny nodded her head, smiling in response. “I’m glad you think so. Now for the next question...”

Para-Snap answered this one. “We aren’t lying about those sounds you heard.” His voice was a little forceful, and for a moment, he had the same level energy as Snap did on an average day. A second later, he seemed to realize this and he quieted down a little. “...we aren’t lying. It’s just that...” He looked all around. “...the castle here can warp sounds sometimes...and it makes you think you hear things...” He paused for a moment, biting his lip for a second. “Just...try not to worry about it, okay?”

Penny looked left and right. Rudy could tell she was not convinced of this story. And the way he was talking, Rudy could detect slight hesitation in his voice. It seemed obvious to him that this zoner was hiding something. He seemed a little too nervous to be just worried about some kind of celebration. No, he was certain there was more to it than that.

Penny did not answer Para-Snap. She gave him a confused expression and slowly took a step back. Rudy could tell she was having a hard time thinking of what to say. It didn’t surprise him. What Para-Snap said...it just seemed to make it too obvious that he was lying, or stretching the truth a little. They didn’t want to become too obviously suspicious. They weren’t sure how trustworthy any of their counterparts here were, and until they had something more to go on, they couldn’t outright accuse them of anything. Rudy had nearly slipped up before. He would not do that again.

Para-Penny spoke up, breaking the silence. “And for the final question, regarding that tour, well...you see, our Rudy likes...formality I guess is the word I’m looking for. He likes giving newcomers a quick tour of the place. He just didn’t want you to feel...left out.”

“We know what you might be thinking. Since you aren’t going to stay, why give you the tour?” Para-Snap said in a soft voice. The same small smile still spread across his face. It broadened a little, as if to try to convince them that he was genuinely relaxed. “Well, our Rudy is a stickler for tradition, so even if you weren’t staying here long, he’d still give the tour. He just didn’t want to be rude. That’s all.”

“Correct.” Para-Penny added. “Besides, it’s been a while since this dimension had any other-dimensional visitors and our Rudy wanted to...” She stopped and her eyes widened.

“Wait...” Snap said, realization hanging off his voice. “I thought your Rudy said you guys didn’t know about dimensional hopping...”

“Yeah...Do you care to explain?” Penny asked, turning her head to the side a little.

Para-Penny stammered, “I-I...we...”

Rudy knew it. He knew it was going to happen sooner or later. They slipped up. Para-Penny’s expression clearly indicated shock and something like fear, like she was worried she had accidentally told them something they weren’t supposed to know. He watched as the two counterparts gave each other a quick glance, both their eyes widened in worry. Rudy narrowed his eyes slightly and took a step forward. They couldn’t deny it any longer. They were hiding something, and he and his friends were about to find out what it was.

“We know you’re hiding something. Don’t try to deny it.” Rudy said, staring at them with a stern expression. “I told you before. I’m not going to sit here and be lied to..” He noticed the two counterparts flinching once at this. It was like they expected him to...hurt them... The realization chilled him and his expression softened up a little. “Just please..tell us what is going on here. Please...we...”

“We promise we won’t tell your Rudy you said anything.” Penny said in a gentle voice.

Snap added, “Your secret is safe with us!”

Para-Penny and Para-Snap looked at each other. The fear in their eyes became more prominent. It was becoming clearer as the seconds passed that something really was wrong, and they were afraid of something. Was it Light Rudy? Was there something else going on? Whatever it was, it had these two on edge. They started to back up a little. Rudy noted their gait. It was...a little submissive, something he would expect to see from someone who was..a slave...

At this, Rudy’s eyes widened. He glanced at the golden braces around Para-Snap’s wrists. His mind thought back to how he reacted when Snap questioned him about it. He had acted strangely, and he seemed nervous. He thought at first that they were just sentimental, representing a disaster that he wanted himself to remember. But now he was having second thoughts. Was it possible that the golden braces represented something...far more sinister?

Para-Penny glanced over her shoulder, her eyes still wide. “I-I think I hear our Rudy calling for us.” She looked back at the trio. She was talking so fast, clearly in a hurry. Her voice had a stronger tinge of urgency on it than it did before. “Sorry to leave you so suddenly. We can talk later, okay? Bye!”

With that, she rushed behind Para-Snap and grabbed onto the handles. She turned him around and the two of them hurried down the hallway, leaving behind a confused and disturbed trio. A cold chill settled on the room, making them shudder. Suddenly, they no longer felt so welcome...or safe here.

sss

Terry couldn’t believe it. She wanted this to be some kind of bad dream, a nightmare she would wake up from. She wanted to open her eyes and find that she was in her bedroom the whole time. Or even still at Vinnie’s, before he had taken the tapes here. Her body shook with emotion, and she did her best to control it. Yet she was not able to hide her shivering, something that the others around her noticed.

She could feel their eyes on her, looking at her sympathetically. She knew they were giving each other those same looks, and she knew they were trying to comfort each other. Today had been a horrible day, one that she had wished never would have come. Sure, years ago, she had dreamed of something like this. She had wanted to do this for a long time. But now that it has happened, after she knew more than she had in the past, she no longer wanted it. And now, instead of bringing her happiness, it brought her fear.

ChalkZone had been exposed... They had tried to stop it. They had rushed over as soon as they could. If only they had moved faster... If only they had thought about how to escape sooner... They could have prevented the tragedy. And now the audience was probably questioning just what they had seen. No doubt her brother was explaining to them everything that he knew about ChalkZone. She didn’t have a doubt in her mind that he was going to rile up the audience to want to go, perhaps as a way to encourage research to try to find a way to tear a hole in the dimensions and get into ChalkZone.

She wondered if her brother was going to force her to give him magic chalk. He already had her on a leash before, and he could do it again. But now, he had not just her, but the other adults, too. He might know of a way to control them, as well. He was smart when he wanted to be, and he could dish out threats to force them into submission. Rudy’s parents and Mrs. Sanchez both likely have magic chalk somewhere. And if Vinnie knew...he could find a way to force them to...

...wait...

Did he have to do that...?

Terry’s mind was suddenly invaded by a memory of the recent past, something she had almost forgotten about. Didn’t Vinnie say he broke into Rudy’s house to get the footage? If that were the case, then didn’t that mean that he might have also found magic chalk...?

Her heart froze at the thought. If that were the case, then Vinnie could have brought that with him. The chalkboard...was that the reason he had the chalkboard? To show the audience that ChalkZone was real? She could feel her heart pounding as the realization swept through her like a cold chill. The idea that Vinnie would have brought undeniable proof of ChalkZone’s existence was terrifying. They had to do something...and quick. But what?

She and the other adults sat together quietly in the empty room. After they saw that ChalkZone was exposed, they fled. Though hours had passed, they dared not leave the room. They were trying to cope with what happened and tried to figure out what they were going to do. She had no idea if the audience was still there or not. She was certain that, if they had left, changes are they still didn’t have access to ChalkZone even if they were convinced it was real. Vinnie certainly wouldn’t give up the magic chalk, if he had a piece, since he would want access himself.

So far, no one in the building had found them. She knew that her boss...former boss..was looking for her and the group she was with. She didn’t hear anyone in the hallways yet, but that didn’t mean they weren’t coming. This room was used quite a lot, so it made for a good hideout. Her boss would suspect her of going somewhere that was not in use too much, a more obvious place to hide. She and the other adults, as well as Reggie, pressed themselves together on one side of the door, so that when it opened up and her boss did a quick look around, he wouldn’t really notice them so easily.

That didn’t mean they were safe. They would still need to remain cautious and alert. She hoped that someone, her or the others, could figure out what they could do. At the moment, they were trapped in here, unable to get out. To her horror, practically everyone in the news station was against them. Vinnie had rallied them to his side, and now they were fighting a losing battle. They could still win, she was certain. But it was going to be a lot harder than before. They had to be careful, and be wary of what moves they make.

Terry glanced at the parents, looking at them sympathetically. Though they had calmed down a little, not too long ago, they were beating themselves up over the exposure of ChalkZone. They felt as though they let their children down. She couldn’t blame them. Terry felt like a failure as well. They had done their best to comfort each other. Even Reggie had some things to say to try to cheer them up a little.

Though they were all still upset about failing Rudy and Penny, they all knew that they couldn’t dwell on that anymore. They couldn’t keep beating themselves up over what had happened. They had to get to work on trying to fix things. There may still be a chance of protecting ChalkZone, but they would have to hurry. Now that the secret was out, there was little time left to act. They had to make sure that the footage does not go viral or nation wide. It would be much harder to fix if that happened. So long as it remained local, they may still have a chance.

But..just how were they going to fix it? The footage had been aired...at least to the audience. This was all prerecorded stuff. No doubt they were preparing it now, or will be soon, for an official airing on TV. They needed to destroy that footage as soon as possible. But to do that, they would need to get to the footage room where they were before, and try to find it there. Or in the other video room in case they took it elsewhere. With everyone in here against her, that was not going to be an easy task.

And what of the audience? They needed to be accounted for as well. Even if no one believed them, that didn’t make the audience harmless. Some of them might be as determined as she was in the past. She recalled the things she did to get access to ChalkZone. The idea that there would now be multiple people acting like that..it was frightening. Even more so if it turned out that some of the people in the audience were more tenacious and determined than she was.

Her mind thought back to the first time she tried to expose ChalkZone. It had been the same day she had kidnapped Snap and dragged him to the station in hope of proving the existence of ChalkZone to Mr. Riverera. It hadn’t worked, and she recalled how she had found out she had magic chalk and tried exposing ChalkZone that way. But then when she thought she succeeded, Snap came and started to perform and act and...she was not very happy. Even now, she was not happy with the wiggie that ate her hair.

But thinking about what happened did give her an idea. She recalled that the audience had seen Snap come out of the chalkboard, but none of them thought ‘world of chalk’. Instead they were rather entertained by him and thought it was a magic trick. If the audience could be fooled into believing that so easily, then perhaps they had a chance in covering up ChalkZone if they did something similar. Perhaps make them thing it was movie? Yes..that might work...

It would be easy to believe, too. ChalkZone was such a bizarre place and already had a child-like look to it. With the right adjustments and right moves, she and the others could convince the audience that what they saw was just some movie. A computer animated one probably, or a classic 2D one. All it would take was some careful planning, and once they’re convinced that it was just a movie, they could then work on trying to do something about her brother and the news station. She turned her head to the others and opened her mouth to speak.

But she did not get very far. Suddenly, the door burst open. The group screamed and jumped back, nearly crushed by the door. Terry realized what a mistake it was to sit so close. And soon they heard footsteps and, before they knew it, Terry’s ex-boss stood in front of them.

“M-M-Mr. Pierce!” Terry stammered.

Mr. Pierce narrowed his eyes angrily at the group. The parents moved close together, standing in front of Reggie due to him being the youngest there. A parental instinct, even if he wasn’t their child. They moved back, with Terry in the front, her arms outstretched in a protective manner. She narrowed her eyes at her boss, wondering what he was going to do.

“I am surprised you are so upset by this, Ms. Bouffant. This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” Mr. Pierce asked, tilting his head a little.

“Not anymore!” Terry spat at him.

Mr. Pierce narrowed his eyes. He ran his hand along his black hair, smoothing it out. “Well I’m sorry you feel that way.” He gave a small chuckle. “I was going to offer you a position regarding this ChalkZone business...but...” He shrugged his shoulders. “..if you don’t want it...”

“You can’t do this!” Mrs. Tabootie called out. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?!”

Mr. Tabootie joined his wife. “You don’t know what you’re tampering with here!”

Mr. Pierce looked at the parents, silencing them with his stare before they could say anything else. A creepy smile spread across his face. He looked at Reggie, who was giving him a glare. Mr. Pierce shook his head and turned his attention to Terry.

“I really don’t want to do this. But you left me no choice, Ms. Bouffant. You see...” Mr. Pierce licked his tongue across his teeth in a menacing manner. The group in front of him flinched and took a cautious step back. “Our ratings were getting...low... And this world of chalk business, it’s going to make us a fortune. I’m not going to allow you or anyone else jeopardize this chance.”

“And I won’t let you get away with this!” Terry declared. She pointed a finger at her ex-boss. “You’re making a huge mistake! But then you don’t care, do you? You’re a...a.. greedy bastard and I can’t believe I signed up to work for you!”

Terry’s eyes widened slightly. she couldn’t believe she said that to Mr. Pierce. Boss or ex-boss, it wasn’t a smart move. Mr. Pierce looked surprised by it. Then he slowly smiled. It was an eerie smile with hidden promise. Terry watched as the man reached behind his back. Her heart skipped a beat as he took a few steps forward, menacingly walking towards them. He shut the door behind him, blocking their only escape route.

“Well then...” Mr. Pierce said. To everyone’s horror, he lifted up a gun and pointed it at them. “Fuck you, too.”

“Wh-What are you doing?!” Mrs. Sanchez cried.

“I will not allow you to interfere with..the plan...” Mr. Pierce said. He closed his eyes and took aim at Terry. “Now hold still...” He put his finger on the trigger.


	69. Uncomfortable Signs

“Are you sure you don’t know anything?” Penny asked, her voice conveying some tinge of desperation. “If you knew anything at all, you’d tell us, right?”

The zoner that stood before them nodded his head swiftly. “Y-Yes, of course I would!” He grinned broadly at them, his teeth exposed. “Why wouldn’t I tell you? You guys are guests here, and we’re here to help you feel welcome!”

“Yeah we know that. But why are you acting like that?” Snap asked, staring at the zoner up and down.

“Acting like what?” The zoner’s grin faltered just a tad, but he kept it up. “Nothing is wrong! Everything is fine!”

Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked at each other. They weren’t sure if they really believed the zoner. It didn’t sound like he was being one hundred percent truthful. Something about the way he was talking and acting...it just didn’t add up. He sounded too nervous and anxious. Even though he was smiling at them, it didn’t feel genuine and was overall creepy to look at. This zoner was doing the same thing that they noticed Para-Penny and Para-Snap doing. They were hiding something.

This wasn’t the only zoner they spoke to, either. They had attempted with a couple other zoners. They all acted perpetually happy and grinned the whole time they spoke to them. They had offered to help like the others had in the past. They were overly friendly and welcoming. But as soon as they bring up any topic even remotely related to Light Rudy, they’d act even more nervous than usual. That told them at least one thing. The strange behavior was linked to Light Rudy. They already suspected this before, but now they were certain.

None of the zoners treated them like they did with Light Rudy. They were still creepily happy and it made them nervous. But they weren’t quite as creepy as when Light Rudy had been around. The zoners didn’t seem as...panicked, if that was the right word, around them. They seemed more relaxed and calm, even if their behavior was still off. Occassionally, they would even notice them looking around briefly, as if they were looking for something. They had noticed Para-Penny and Para-Snap doing the same thing. What were they looking for?

“Anyway I have to get going.” The zoner said, raising his hand up. “I’m sorry I didn’t have any information regarding that potion.” He gave them an apologetic look. He raised his head and looked over at a female dog zoner standing on all fours nearby. “She might know something.” He said, pointing at her.

The trio looked over. The dog zoner wasn’t too far from them. She was standing near the statue of Light Rudy. She had some kind of bag strapped around her neck and she appeared to be waiting for someone. It didn’t seem like she was standing there for long, and the trio believed if they hurried, they could catch her and talk to her before she had to go. They turned to the zoner they were just talking to, but to their surprise and confusion, he had already taken off and was already mixed in with the crowd around them.

Snap was confused. Not just by this, but by everything. He had been in ChalkZone City in his own dimension many times and the zoners never acted this way. It felt so strange for him to be in a place he considered home, almost, only to find it utterly transformed...and yet still kind of resembling the ChalkZone City he knew. There were many similiarities, especially in structure. But also so many differences, too. Small ones, mostly harmless, and yet still somehow unnerving.

Why had that zoner run off like that? He understood if he needed to be somewhere quick, but he had practically bee lined away from them. He had never known any zoner to move that fast. Well except for Bardot. If he wasn’t suspicious before, he was really suspicious now. The behavior was just too strange. All these zoners all around them, there was something off about them. Their behavior was getting faker and faker the more he looked at them. If it had just been that one zoner acting strange, that was one thing. But they were all acting like this.

It was worrying to him. He knew that, in order for the zoners to act this way, there had to be a good reason for it. They wouldn’t just one day behave in this manner. What had happened to these zoners? Why were they acting this way? What were they so jumpy about? Snap bit his lip as thoughts rushed through his head. Different scenarios played in the back of his mind. There could be a number of things to bring about this behavior. And he had a feeling that Light Rudy was the key player in all of this.

A part of Snap hoped that wasn’t the case. He didn’t want to have to deal with another evil Rudy. He wanted this Rudy to be as kind, or almost as kind at least, as his Rudy. He wanted an ally, someone who could help them find that cure. He wanted to believe that their suspicions were unfounded and that they were overreacting. After all the trouble they went through in the other dimension, he thought it would be nice if this one didn’t give them as much trouble. But alas, sometimes things just don’t work out that way.

For Snap, the biggest alarm came to him when he and his friends saw how their counterparts behaved earlier. The way Para-Penny and Para-Snap suddenly looked so nervous and afraid. That was a major hint to them that something really was wrong with this place. Snap had a sinking feeling in his stomach that something terrible was going to happen soon if they weren’t careful. He hoped that, somehow, one of these zoners could clue them in on whatever is wrong. A small hint, a gesture, anything.

He, Rudy, and Penny walked over towards the dog zoner. Noting her thin frame, elongated nose, and her streamlined ears, Snap could tell she was a greyhound. A little stylized as she seemed a little too thin to be a healthy greyhound. But she did look pretty healthy. Around her neck was that bag, made of leather. Her front paws had a thumb and he guessed that she is able to manipulate objects with them.

“Hey! Can we talk to you?” Rudy asked, holding out his hand. The pale grey and white dog zoner looked over at them. “I’m sorry if we’re cutting into your time. We would really appreciate it if you could answer a question.”

The dog zoner stared at them. Her eyes narrowed slightly as if in contemplation. Penny took a step forward. The dog zoner looked over at her.

“Yeah, it’ll be quick. We promise.” Penny said.

“Well okay then.” The greyhound said. Her voice sounded kinda like one of those stuck up stars and she held up her head with a sense of self-absorbed dignity. But she didn’t speak or act that rudely to them, nor did she sound annoyed by them approaching her. “Make it quick. My partner is coming over and I need to take these posters.”

She gestured her head down. The trio took notice of something peaking out of the back strapped around her neck. Snap couldn’t tell what they were. He thought about asking the zoner if he could have one, but decided to hold it off until they asked her a more important question. The posters could wait.

But there was something about them that...drew him to them. Though he could only see a corner piece, the colors and the way they were arranged were eye catching. He was curious about what they were and a part of him did want to just take it. But he knew that would be rude and they didn’t want to upset any of the zoners here. They looked like something was bothering them enough; they certainly didn’t need anything else to get upset about.

“Okay, here’s the question.” Rudy said quickly, in a tone that told Snap that he wanted to ask the question quickly before they ran out of time. “Have you seen any potion with a rainbow aura around here?” The dog zoner cocked an eyebrow. “We asked a few other zoners, but they claimed to have not heard of it.”

Penny nodded. “We were hoping that someone here, perhaps you, could give us more information. Like...where it could possibly be or any legends or something...?” She added.

The greyhound tilted her head. She stared at the trio as if they had gone crazy. There was a glare on her face. Not one of anger, but one of confusion. It was clear from her expression that she did not know what they were talking about. This was not a promising sign. Perhaps if they reworded the question a little or provided something else...

“You do a lot of walking around and traveling, don’t you?” Snap said. When the greyhound looked at him, he added, “You look like someone who has been to a lot of places.”

The greyhound raised her head up a little. “Well I’m glad you noticed.” She gave a small smile. “It comes with the job. I’m one of Lord Rudy’s messengers. I travel around bringing news mostly.”

“L-Lord Rudy?” Rudy asked, his eyes widened.

The greyhound looked confused. “Well of course I’d refer to him as that. What else would I call him?” From the sound of her voice, Snap and his friends could tell that she did not see anything wrong with using the term ‘lord’ to refer to Light Rudy. “Most of us messengers refer him as that. It’s customary. Tradition if you will.”

“Okay...” Rudy said, nervousness tinging on his voice.

The realization that this messenger worked for Light Rudy was unnerving. It was not something any of them expected. Now they were worried if they would even get that far with this zoner. If Light Rudy was up to something, and this zoner worked for him, then would she even tell them anything, if she knew anything at all? The trio could not shake off the uncomfortable sensation that they might have gotten themselves into trouble.

Now they had to be very careful with what they asked and said. If they acted too suspicious, would this zoner inform Light Rudy? They wouldn’t doubt it. The way she spoke, the way she said the name, it sounded like she revered him, in a way. Or at least was comfortable around him. Unlike the other zoners, she did not seem as nervous talking about Light Rudy. Not to the same extent anyway. If something really was up and if she caught wind they were suspicious, then what would happen to them? What was Light Rudy capable of doing, if he was the reason the zoners were acting strangely?

Snap knew what the answer was. A lot. There was a lot of things Light Rudy could do. This wasn’t like if Skrawl were running the show. Light Rudy was human. He could create things. If he wanted to do something...questionable, he had the means and the firepower to back it all up. He didn’t even need the help of Para-Penny or Para-Snap. If he was as good at protecting ChalkZone as he claimed, he could bend the zoners to his whim on his own...if that is what he wanted to do anyway.

“Well anyway...” Snap said as he tried to get back to what they were going to ask. “Has your Rudy mentioned anything about a potion? Or in your travels, has anyone talked about it?”

The greyhound raised a paw up and pressed a claw against her chin thoughtfully. “Well..no...” She shook her head. “I can’t say I have heard anything like that in my traveling. Lord Rudy hasn’t mentioned anything to me either.” She held out her paw in gesture. “In fact, this is the first time I even heard of this potion you speak of. I’m guessing it’s important?”

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah... We really do need it.” She glanced sorrowfully at Rudy.

“Our friend is sick, and he needs that cure.” Snap added. He shuddered once as he remembered the gruesome details about what will happen to his friend if he did not get the cure in time. “So any information we can find would be beneficial.”

“I would imagine so.” The greyhound gave Rudy a sympathetic expression. “I would love to give you more information, but I’m afraid I don’t really have any.” Her ears pricked up and she turned her head to one direction. “I can’t stay here any longer, though. I must get going.” She gave the trio a sideways glance. “Good luck trying to find help here.”

As the dog zoner took off, the trio stood there, watching her leave. The last thing she said, about good luck finding help, they didn’t think much of it initially. But as it echoed in their minds, they noticed that it sounded a little..ominous, like a warning. Was the dog zoner trying to tell them something? Was she, subtly giving them a hint that something is wrong with this place? It did seem possible. The way she said that last sentence was unnerving, and a little sarcastic. It was like she knew for certain they weren’t going to find any help.

And she might be right on that. As Snap replayed the recent events, he took notice about how no one seemed to be willing to help them. The zoners acted too nervous, too uncomfortably happy. They kept leaving quickly or dodging the question or giving answers that weren’t helpful in anyway. The only zoner that could give them any information that they didn’t know or made some kind of sense was that dog zoner. And the only thing they managed to get from her is a newfound ominous feeling regarding Light Rudy and the fact that finding help here might be hopeless.

He didn’t want to believe it was hopeless, though. Someone here, anywhere, had to have information that they could use. There has to be a zoner here who wouldn’t be afraid to give them information. There had to be a zoner brave enough to do that for them. If they kept looking around, they would find something. They just had to keep looking. Where there was a will, there was a way, right?

“Let’s try looking over there.” Snap suggested, pointing in the direction of a new street.

Rudy looked over. Giving it a quick glance, he nodded to Snap. “Yeah, that looks like a good place to continue.”

“Someone there might be able to help.” Penny said. Snap could tell she was trying to sound hopeful, but was having some doubts herself.

The three friends were about to walkd over when something caught Snap’s eye. He raised up his hand, halting his friends. They looked at him with a confused expression. They tried to call his name, but Snap paid no attention. His eyes and mind were focused on what was on the ground. He walked over to it slowly. And as it came into sight, he realized what it was. It was one of the posters that was in the greyhound’s back. It must’ve fallen out when she ran.

Snap bent down and grabbed onto it. He flattened it out and picked it up off the ground. His gaze fell upon it, and in seconds, his eyes widened in shock at what he was seeing. He felt his body freeze. He looked over at his friends. They stared at him, wondering what was going on. He gestured for them, almost robotically, to come over. They took a few steps and soon the same look of horror was exchanged between them. The three friends stared at the poster, a sinking feeling in their gut as they pondered if this was real or not.

The poster looked very much like a propaganda poster they would see during a war. The colors, orange and white, looked both professional and flashy. There was a stylized image of Light Rudy on it. He looked...downright menacing on the poster. Whether or not that was the actual intention, they weren’t sure. It might have been accidental, but what wasn’t accidental was what was written on the poster itself.

“Don’t fret, precious. I’m here. I’ll shield you and protect you from the other ones, the evil ones.”

The message seemed, at first, like a message of hope and encouragement. The poster was saying that Light Rudy would protect them. That, in itself, wasn’t bad. And it was something they would expect. Rudy was the protector of ChalkZone after all, it seemed like Light Rudy also was. And yet, despite this, the message still sent chills down their spine, and it wasn’t the message itself, but the wording of it.

No matter how they looked at it, the wording was just...off. Unsettling. And it being on what was clearly a propaganda poster... That made it even more eerie to them. The message did not send any kind of hopeful feelings. It instead sent a sensation of fear and dread. The way Light Rudy looked on the poster, too... The way he was looking up... It almost felt like he was...watching them...

At this, their eyes widened in realization. The back of their minds flashed with mental white lightning. The way the zoners were looking around... Para-Penny and Para-Snap doing the same thing... Was it possible that..that...Light Rudy had a way of..watching them...?

The realization send cold chills down their spines, freezing their blood in horror. If Light Rudy really did have a way of watching them, then did that mean that he..knew they were suspicious? Did that mean that he could see what they were doing now? Or had spies that told thim everything they saw? Was the dog zoner would to inform Light Rudy?

And now Light Rudy’s message of ‘everything is under control’ came back full throttle, hitting them with the force of a train wreck. It had sounded strange then. But now, with this new revelation, it sounded downright sinister and foreboding. They looked all around them, watching the zoners. Were they being...controlled somehow? Para-Penny and Para-Snap...were they under some iron grip? The way they were acting before...so nervous...looking around like they thought Light Rudy was going to come out and get them... It was all adding up now.

The three friends exchanged nervous looks with each other. This world was suddenly less inviting. They could feel the walls closing in around them. It was almost like they were trapped. The land itself didn’t change. It wasn’t like some shield had suddenly formed. But they still felt an ominous force pushing in all around them. And they each began to ask themselves a question.

Just what had they gotten themselves into...?

sss

Sophie narrowed her eyes at the approaching man. Tyreek sneered down at her, cruel intent shining forth from those eyes. She gritted her teeth, keeping away from the ‘door’ of the electric water cage. She had hoped that Tyreek would let her have at least a little time to herself. But she guessed that was just too much to ask. Of course Tyreek wouldn’t leave her be for that long. She did not display surprise when she had heard him walking down those steps.

Tyreek hadn’t even said a word and already she could tell he intended to do harm. Just what he was going to do, she wasn’t certain. She backed up a little as he got closer to the cage. His sneer froze her blood, but she did her best to hide her fear. She positioned herself in front of Quet out of instinct. Even though Tyreek was likely not going to bother him, that she was a bigger player in what he and his comrades wanted, she didn’t want to give him the chance of going after the injured zoner.

Tyreek stood in front of the door, his arms folded against his chest. His dark chuckle seemed to lower the temperature of the room. Sophie felt herself shivering harder. Yet she did not back down. She narrowed her eyes at the man. She kept caution about her. She had no idea when he was going to open the cage and just yank her out. She glanced quickly at her injured arm. The bleeding had stopped, but for how long? Would this evil man reopen those wounds, or give her more?

Getting tired of the silence and sick of waiting for Tyreek to say something, Sophie said, “What is it you want?” Her voice was embittered, devoid of any sign of fear.

If Tyreek were disappointed that she wasn’t acting afraid, he sure as heck didn’t show it. Instead, he merely look amused and straightened himself up. He stared down at her and said, “It seems your mommy is a little hard to...persuade...” Sophie’s eyes widened a little at this. “So I thought that maybe she needs a little help. We could use her assistance, and you can help with that.”

Sophie felt her heart clench up tightly. She took a step back, a little bit of fear starting to come through despite her best efforts to hide it. “What are you going to do?” She asked with as much defiance as she could muster. Despite trying her hardest, she couldn’t stop a little bit of emotion from choking out.

Tyreek raised his head up, sneering down at the eleven year old. He looked downright terrifying in this position, especially with the way the lighting bounced off his face, keeping much of it in darkness. “Well I’m certain you dear old mommy will agree to join us..” He leaned forward, folding his arms behind his back. “...if you were threatened with the same fate...”

Sophie’s eyes widened in horror and she took a few steps back. Tyreek was going to do what? He was going to..use her to get to her mom? No, she couldn’t allow that. She shook her head in denial. She narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth. She took a defensive stance as Tyreek opened the ‘door’. There was no way she was going to go down without a fight. She was not going to let herself be used like this.

In seconds, Tyreek reached out for her and seized her by the arm. He twisted it roughly, making her wince in pain. He started to yank her forward. To defend herself, Sophie started to pound her fist against his arm repeatedly, as hard as she could. This did make Tyreek wince slightly, but he continued to drag her forward, not caring if she tripped over herself or not. She started to pull back, trying to yank her arm free. In desperation, she bit down on the arm, but that had no effect except for Tyreek growling and giving her a swift yank.

Suddenly, a blur swift past her and hit against Tyreek. The man’s eyes widened and he let out a cry of pain. He released Sophie and staggered back. Sophie could see lacerations on the man’s hand. Red blood dripped from the wound and onto the ground. He held his hand to his chest and seethed in pain. He glared back at Sophie, looking at what, or rather, who, had caused the injury.

Sophie was surprised when she saw Quet next to her. His long body wrapped loosely around her. His undamaged wing spread out wide. His head hung in front of her, his blazing reptilian eyes glaring in Tyreek’s direction. His mouth was open, revealing his sharp teeth. A low hiss exited his mouth. Tyreek glared at him and took a step forward. Quet responded by lashing out at him, slamming his jaws shut near his hand and prompting Tyreek to move back. The two glared at each other, hostility rising.

Quet said in a low voice, “You want her...you have to get through me first...”

“Quet...” Sophie said, her eyes widened. She hadn’t expected Quet to help her like this. And she certainly didn’t expect him to stand up to Tyreek, a larger, stronger human, the same one who injured his wing.

Tyreek stared down at his injured hand. He looked back at Quet. He snarled angrily. “That can be arranged...”

Tyreek moved forward, this time his focus was on Quet, not Sophie. He reached out with his uninjured hand, preparing to seize Quet. The snake zoner hissed at him again and, without warning, lunged at Tyreek.

Sophie’s eyes grew wide. “Quet! No!”

sss

Maalik watched in satisfaction as Dr. Urso, Rapsheeba, and Blocky were tossed in the electric cell. The door was secured. The traitors weren’t going to escape any time soon. He had thought about using a regular cage, but decided to go with an electric one so that they didn’t have any change of getting out. The lion bear could use his claws to saw through the metal if he tried hard enough. While there was a chance he wouldn’t do that, he couldn’t offer him that opportunity.

He had gotten Dr. Raiden’s distress signal, calling for more backup. When that happened, Maalik felt his heart clench. Raiden was a dear friend of his and he knew him very well. Raiden would not call for help unless he absolutely needed it. Horrific images had ran through his head as he and some of the other Luminos had rushed over to offer their support. As they approached the back entrance of the damaged hospital, he hoped and prayed that he would not be too late.

When he did find Dr. Raiden, he was running down the hallway before he finally collapsed from exhaustion. Maalik was horrified by his appearance. He was bloodied and battered. Someone had attacked him. At first, he thought it had been Rudy. But he quickly found out he was wrong. As Dr. Raiden was helped up to his feet, the cheetah told him that it was one of the doctors who attacked him. Dr. Urso was his name. Maalik remembered that name and his blood boiled. So Dr. Urso decided to side the humans, did he...?

The fight with the lion bear was quick. Maalik was physically stronger than him, and Urso had already been injured. Taking full advantage of this, he attacked his weak spots, where he was already injured, and he had managed to subdue him quickly. He pounded the lion bear into the ground, tearing open a wound on his leg and nearly breaking his arm. He would have attacked more brutally if there wasn’t a more urgent matter at hand.

He had learned from Raiden, as the cheetah was being treated by a doctor Luminos he had brought with, that the creators and the wretched traitor Snap had went into the alternate dimensions. Something about finding the cures he was certain. Raiden had mentioned that Cosmo told him a little bit about it when he was still his prisoner. Maalik knew this was going to complicate things as they could not go after Rudy now. He had dimensional hopped and, at first, he had no idea when he’d be back.

Maalik knew about the alternate dimensions. All of the Luminos had. They had used the machine once, though he had long forgotten the reason why. They weren’t in the dimensions long...but it was long enough that they learned some horrific things. And Rudy in those dimensions... Maalik’s mind boiled with rage as he recalled what both of them were like. This fueled his determination to take down Rudy before it got that far. Everyone here saw him as a hero, but Maalik knew the truth. He knew some terrible things, and while many zoners might condemn him and his people’s actions, in the long run, they would thank him for it.

He glanced over at the three traitors. They were still conscious, awake, and all of them were injured. Maalik thought about giving them some form of medical attention as he didn’t want them to die before justice was served. But he decided not to...at least for now. They deserved to be in some pain for what they did. Helping creators... The thought made him furious. And the lion bear hurting Raiden...unforgiveable. He was going to make sure Urso paid for that big time.

He heard footsteps approaching him. He looked over and his expression softened up as he saw Dr. Raiden walk over to him. He was bandaged up and was walking with a limp.

“Raiden...” Maalik said, his voice soft. “Are you okay now?”

Raiden winced as he put pressure on his damaged leg. “I am..okay.” He took a quick look around the room, studying it. He looked back at Maalik. “So what’s the plan now? What’s next on the agenda?”

Maalik looked over at the dimensional machine. “We need to get Rudy back.”

“We can just wait for him.” Raiden said, taking a tentative step forward. Maalik’s heart ached as he watched his best friend wince in pain. This made him even angrier at Urso. “There’s a timer.. When it’s up, they’ll all return.”

Maalik’s eyes brightened up. Finally some great news came out of this. Rudy and his friends were going to come back here. Whether or not it was soon, he wasn’t sure. But he knew exactly how he was going to make sure they don’t escape, no matter how long it takes. He stared intently at the machine, his eyes narrowing and a smile spreading across his muzzle. Rudy might have escaped justice before, but it was not going to happen again.

“Raiden...” Maalik said. The cheetah looked at him. “The timer won’t reset if it’s unplugged, right?”

Dr. Raiden shook his head. “No, it’s resiliant like that. You unplug it and plug it back in, all the coordinates and timers are the same. You have to manually undo it.” He paused for a moment. “Why?”

Maalik smirked. “Because we’re taking the traitors...and the machine with us back to the hideout.” Dr. Raiden stared at him in surprise. “That way, whenever the humans come out...we will be prepared...” He grinned, his sharp teeth flashing in the light.

sss

Rudy, Penny, and Snap moved down the alleyways, away from the zoners. They hadn’t gotten any further with anyone. Just the same chilling behavior from before. The piece of propaganda they found made them more wary now. The way the zoners were behaving was becoming more and more frightening. And any zoner who happened to see the poster... They almost had a terrified look in their eyes.

Knowing that they weren’t going to get any further with the zoners, the three friends retreated into the alleyway. They felt safer in here, less...exposed. They didn’t see any cameras anywhere and no zoners seemed to be watching them. But they all knew that it didn’t mean they were in the clear. Something could go wrong and they had to be extra cautious.

Penny glanced at the poster again. What could it mean? Why was it created? What purpose did it really serve? She couldn’t help but feel it was less..welcoming and calming, and more threatening. Just the way it looked, those words written on it, the way Light Rudy seemed to glare at them... It was downright chilling. The more she learned about this dimension, the more uneasy she felt. If it weren’t for needing to find the cure, she would have tried to find a way to get out of this dimension.

The three friends sat close to each other. Their minds raced with thoughts of what they should do now. They weren’t sure if they should keep asking the zoners here questions, especially not out in the open. They would just keep getting the same answers, and Penny noticed some of the zoners seemed a little irritated. Plus, if Light Rudy does know more than he’s letting on, which was a possibility, and if he really can see a lot more than they know, then talking out in the open would invite trouble. Light Rudy might get upset with them. If he is, somehow, as nasty as Dark Rudy, and if he has so much control...

Penny shuddered. She didn’t want to believe that Light Rudy was as dangerous as Dark Rudy. She didn’t want her and her friends to have to deal with something as horrific as that again. Dark Rudy was a terrifying monster who toyed with them like they were just a bunch of building blocks or something. To think that Light Rudy might be playing them as well, despite not being corrupted by black chalk.. It was an unsettling thought and one that scared all three of them deeply.

Rudy was the most shaken. She couldn’t blame him. Dark Rudy was enough of a scare for him, seeing himself act so different.... And now here they are with Light Rudy, who wasn’t corrupted by the black chalk. But now it seems that he might be just as twisted, if their suspicions of him end up being true. This was terrifying for Rudy because it meant that Light Rudy chose this path, whatever path it ended up being, on his own accord; he was not forced into this. To Penny, that was definitely much scarier than simply being forced into the role.

They checked the watch that Light Rudy had given them. It was almost time for them to head back. The idea scared them. After what they witnessed out here, they weren’t sure if they wanted to head back. As much as they wanted to give Light Rudy the benefit of the doubt, as much as they would love this all to be a misunderstanding, the growing dread in their stomachs just wouldn’t leave them alone. They all knew full well what would happen if they let their guard down, if they are ill prepared. They had been taken by surprise before. They weren’t going to take that chance now.

Although she didn’t want to, though she knew her friends didn’t want to, they had to start heading back now. If Light Rudy was dangerous and he got suspicious... Penny got up to her feet and took a few steps back towards the town square. Rudy and Snap watched her. She looked back at them, a regretful look on her face.

“We should head back.” Penny said. “We can’t let this Rudy know that we think something is up.”

Rudy stared at her and then he nodded his head. “I know what you mean, Penny.” He looked towards the ground. “I’m having a bad feeling about all of this as well...”

“I hope this isn’t going to complicate things too much.” Snap said as he got up to his feet. “We need to nab that cure. And I bet this world’s Rudy isn’t going to just hand it over so easily.”

Rudy turned his head to Snap. “I have a feeling you’d be right on that.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Everything seems to point in that direction. We’ll have to be careful.”

Penny walked over and placed a hand on Rudy’s shoulder. She gave him a gentle smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll think of something.”

Rudy stared at her, and then offered a smile of his own. He put his hand over hers and said, “Yeah..I’m sure we will..”

Suddenly Rudy gave a wince of pain and hunched over a little. He staggered forward and hit up against a garbage can in the alleyway, knocking it over. He put his hand on the brick wall and leaned against it, his eyes shut with tears moving down his face. He seethed in pain, breaking in quickly and trying to cope with it.

Penny looked on in horror. She sometimes nearly forgot that Rudy was in constant pain recently. He had been doing a good job of hiding it well and it had seemed like he was okay. Usually only close examination of the way his eyes twitched at times or subtle changes in his voice indicated anything was wrong. But now, as he suffered from a sudden bout of pain, she was cruelly reminded that the situation was much worse that it seemed, and that Rudy’s body was being destroyed from the inside out.

She and Snap rushed forward as Rudy started to fall to the ground in pain. They grabbed onto his arms and helped him stand up. Rudy’s body shuddered. His eyes were still closed tightly. They could hear whimpers of pain escaping his throat. Penny and Snap stared at him with sympathetic and horrified expressions, whispering comforting words to him to try to calm him down. Slowly, they eased downwards, helping him sit down on the ground and lean back against the stone wall. Rudy turned his head upwards, his mouth wide open, and took in deep breaths.

After a few minutes, Rudy started to calm down. His body slowly stopped shaking and she and Snap could see the intense pain leaving from his eyes. He leaned forward, panting some more. He reached up and rubbed his head, gritting his teeth. He looked up at his friends, looking into their horrified eyes. As if to try to calm them down, he gave a small smile.

“Rudy...” Penny said in a soft voice.

“Are you okay, Bucko?” Snap asked.

Rudy nodded his head. “Y-Yeah...I’m fine now...” He paused before adding, “Well as fine as I was before that sharp pain hit me. It felt like my stomach was being sawed in half..” Penny and Snap looked down at him sympathetically.

“I certainly would believe that.” Snap said, his eyes furrowed with concern. “We need to get that next cure and fast!”

“Yeah I know...” Rudy said, his eye twitching in pain. “I have a feeling if I don’t get that cure soon, I’m going to be feeling a lot worse than what I did now...” He shuddered in fright, making it clear that the idea scared him. Penny and Snap nodded in solemn agreement. Rudy started to push himself off the ground. “Well, lets get go....” He paused, his eyes widening.

Penny and Snap looked at him in worry. He had frozen, his eyes getting big. Fearing that he was going to suffer another pain attack, they rushed forward to try to help him, but soon they stopped and realized that Rudy wasn’t in pain. He was in shock. He was staring at something on the wall. Penny and Snap looked at each other nervously and they cautiously approached to where Rudy was. They looked to see where he was looking. It took them a few seconds, but they soon saw what he was looking at.

Their eyes widened in horror at what they saw. They hadn’t seen this before. The garbage can had been blocking it. It was a word. A word that was spray painted on the wall. One that was so simple, and yet had an ominous message to it, a foreboding aura surrounding it. A single word that suddenly made the atmosphere of this whole place suddenly become the stuff of nightmares.

“Obey.”

The three friends stared in horror at that word. They couldn’t tear their eyes away from it. It might have just been a piece of graffiti, but then...why would just one word be written, and why would it be ‘obey’? Was there more around here? How many more hidden messages were there in this place? The three friends shuddered in fear. It seemed like, the longer they were here, the more uncomfortable things they learned about this light dimension. It seemed that they were right to be cautious of this place.

More dread rose up inside their hearts when they saw the single word wasn’t alone. There was another message written below it. The black paint was a little smeared, but they could make out what it said fairly easily. This was a single sentence, not just one word. What it said was just as frightening as the single word.

“He will protect you.”

More propaganda... There was no doubt in their minds that this message was meant to sway the zoners, to make them trust Light Rudy. While the phrase itself was pretty inoffensive, the way it was just written here, and those black smears... The message felt so..twisted and distorted. There was nothing comforting about it. It sent chills down the trio’s spines. They wondered if there was more propaganda like this. They were all certain that, if they looked hard enough, they would find more things like this.

They didn’t have time to think about it, though. Seconds after discovering that sentence spray painted on the wall, they heard footsteps from outside the alleyway, and a voice shouting in desperation. The trio looked at each other worriedly and they crept over to the front. Careful not to be seen, they peered out and looked to see what was going on.

They saw a humanoid zoner, dressed up in some kind of outfit, being led somewhere by Light Rudy. The zoner in question was handcuffed, his arms behind his back. Light Rudy had a hold of his arm and it appeared to be some kind of arrest. The zoners around them looked at Light Rudy with what looked like fear. They were backing away, forcing smiles on their faces as if they were worried they would offend Light Rudy.

“N-N-No! Please! I didn’t mean to!” The humanoid zoner cried out. He was pulling himself away from Light Rudy, a terrified expression plastered over his face. “I promise I won’t do it again!”

Light Rudy just continued to drag him. “I’m sorry, but you disobeyed a rule and you know there are repercussions for that. It’s the same with everyone, so don’t think I’m singling you out.”

The humanoid zoner attempted to twist himself free. “No!”

Horrified and unable to sit back any longer, Penny moved out of the alleyway, her friends following close behind her. Light Rudy took notice of her and froze. The humanoid zoner spotted the trio and gave them what looked like a pleading expression. Though he said no words, it was like he was begging them to help him out of this situation.

“Where are you taking him?” Penny asked, her eyes wide.

Light Rudy simply smiled at her calmly. “He’s just going to jail.”

“Jail?” Snap looked over in the direction they were headed. “But you’re heading for the castle.”

“Oh I didn’t tell you?” Light Rudy asked, tilting his head. “Maybe I forgot... I have a jail built under the castle. It makes it easier for me to keep an eye on criminals.”

“But I’m not a criminal!” The humanoid zoner cried out. He stared over at the trio with wide eyes. “Please you’ve got to believe me! Don’t let him...” He was silenced with a rough yank of the arm.

“Stop trying to squeeze your way out of this.” Light Rudy told him firmly. “You committed a heinous crime and you must pay your debt to society.”

“What kind of crime did he commit?” Rudy asked.

Light Rudy stared at Rudy for several seconds. His expression became blank and unreadable. Then he gave a small smile and just stared to walk off, completely brushing Rudy’s question aside. He continued dragging the screaming zoner towards the castle, acting nonchalant, like nothing was wrong.

The trio watched this in horror. All around them, zoners took notice of what happened and some were expressing feelings of concern, murmuring among each other. For a few brief moments, the happy facade was gone. It did come back up, as fake as ever. But the zoners’ reactions and the way Light Rudy just dodged the question had all three of them worried, their blood chilling. The way the zoner was acting... It was sheer terror... It wasn’t the behavior they’d expect from a criminal like Draow. This sounded more like a...victim...

The trio looked at each other worriedly, and then back at where Light Rudy was dragging the zoner. Something was very wrong here. A jail under the castle? Regardless if they knew before, hearing it now, and seeing the way the zoners, especially the one being arrested, made the idea sound so sinister. And why would Light Rudy need a jail in the castle? Why not just have a separate building for that?

“Let’s follow them...” Rudy said in a low voice. Penny and Snap looked at him in surprise. “We need to find out what’s going on...and I bet we’ll learn something if we follow them.”

“Yeah, you’re right, Rudy.” Penny said. “And that poor zoner.. He might be innocent. We could help him out.”

Snap nodded his head. “He certainly didn’t seem like a criminal to me.” He turned to his friends and waved his arms up and down. “And just what kind of crime could he have committed anyway? That Rudy just..walked off without telling us!”

Rudy stared at the castle, his eyes narrowed. “And that’s why...we’re going to get answers now.”


	70. The Facade Is Shattered

Rudy glared in the direction Light Rudy went, his face shining of determination. He wanted, no, he needed to know what was going on. There was too much suspicion about this guy now. They no longer could ignore it or push it aside. Something wasn’t right about him and they were going to find out what it was.

Following him may not be the best idea. He had no idea if Light Rudy had a means of seeing them, whether now or through some video feed he had recorded. He didn’t know if he and his friends would be able to follow undetected. But he was still willing to try. They had to figure out what was up with this way. Something was definitely off about him. It seemed like he was hiding something. And they needed to find out just what that was.

As he and his friends moved through the town square, following Light Rudy, a question that he constantly asked himself was...just what had that zoner done? Like Snap said, Light Rudy just dragged him off without telling them what he did, other than a ‘heinous crime’. Just what kind of crime could he have committed that was so terrible that he had to be handcuffed and practically dragged screaming to the jail? He and his friends had not noticed any sort of crime in ChalkZone City. Any heinous crime they could think of would have been noticeable, right? Or did the crime happen outside of ChalkZone City and they just weren’t there to see it?

And why was Light Rudy dragging him like that? It looked a little rough, especially if the guy was already arrested and handcuffed. They could see guiding him, but Light Rudy was a little..forceful. The zoner looked absolutely terrified, to the point where Rudy couldn’t even regard it as simply not wanting to pay debt to society. He looked like he was about to cry, literally, and he was trying so hard to get away. Not even in a ‘you can’t do this to me’ sort of way, but much more of a ‘please don’t do this to me’. He had a pleading expression and when he spoke, he was clearly panicked.

That had definitely rose their suspicions about this guy. Rudy wasn’t even sure if he could give him the benefit of the doubt anymore. At this rate, Light Rudy was shaping up to be a jerk at the very least. Maybe a little bossy. Rudy hoped that this was all it was going to be. He hoped that Light Rudy would not go far beyond being a bit of a jerk. Although he would still hate the idea of seeing seeing a version of himself acting this way, he could handle this version being a jerk than being another monster.

The prospect of this version of him being as cruel as Dark Rudy...it still left him with a sickening feeling in his stomach. And he had a feeling, a gut instinct, that whatever he was going to witness in this Light Rudy’s prison was something he was going to regret, something that was going to be etched in his mind and give him nightmares. He knew his friends felt the same way about this. After dealing with Dark Rudy, it would be nice if Light Rudy wasn’t quite as cruel. But they couldn’t just keep their hopes up at this point. He knew they had to prepare for the worst as they continued to follow Light Rudy.

The zoners around them did sometimes watch them as they went. Many of them, though still smiling fakely, did show some concern for them as they got closer to the castle. None of them spoke up, but from their expressions, Rudy could tell it wasn’t because they didn’t want to say anything; it was because they couldn’t because something, or someone, had them terrified. Rudy hoped that this universe wasn’t as hopeless as the other one, that somehow they could make things right here, or at least make things a little better.

Soon the trio could see the castle up ahead. Light Rudy, still holding onto the zoner, was still heading for it, but then, instead of entering the front, he started to move around to the side. This confused the trio until they remembered he mentioned something about a jail below his castle. They watched as Light Rudy moved along the side of the castle. They kept their distance, doing their best to be quiet so that Light Rudy did not see them. So far he hadn’t, but Rudy wasn’t sure how long their luck would hold out.

Moving around the side, keeping back, ‘disguised’ more or less by a crowd of zoners moving through on that street, they could see Light Rudy go up to one part of the castle. The trio was confused when all Light Rudy did for a moment was just stand there. They didn’t see any sort of door or even window here. They watched, perplexed, until they noticed Light Rudy feeling the wall. Then his hand appeared to sink in. To their shock, part of the wall started to slide to the right, revealing a dark tunnel. The wall moved pretty slowly, but Light Rudy appeared to be in no hurry. And when it opened all the way, he went in, hauling the zoner behind him.

The door began to slide shut. Rudy, Penny, and Snap wasted no time. They rushed over, running as fast as they could. They slid in one by one, narrowly missing getting crushed as the door closed all the way. They soon found themselves in utter darkness. They wondered, for a moment, how Light Rudy could be navigating this. Looking ahead, they soon saw just how he was doing this. There was a faint glow, indicating he had drawn some kind of very low powered light. Rudy did the same, creating a light for him and his friends to use.

Holding the low-powered flashlight, only partially illuminating the tunnel, he and his friends got a very good look at the tunnel that they were in. It was made of simple stone, nothing really fancy. It looked a little dirty and didn’t look like as much effort was put into it, at least appearance-wise. It did look like it was stronger and more reinforced, though, so it seemed to do its purpose quite well. Slowly, the trio began to make their way through the tunnel. Not being able to see too well, they had to be very careful.

“It’s so dark...” Snap said softly, looking left and right. “Why doesn’t this Rudy keep this place well lit or something. You’d think that he wouldn’t want to trip onto his own face.”

Rudy seconded Snap. “I’m not sure why he wouldn’t have at least torches here. Unless he doesn’t use this place often....”

“It might be to discourage any zoner prisoners that might escape.” Penny suggested. Rudy and Snap looked at her, confused. She continued, “Well there is a chance that prisoners do escape from here, and this Rudy may not want them to get out into the town. If these criminals really are dangerous, then keeping them from getting out in the open would be important. Maybe he has this exit tunnel dark to make it harder for them to escape.”

“I’m not so sure, Penny.” Rudy said, rubbing the back of his head in confusion. “If that were the case, then shouldn’t he have created a labrynth in here? To make it harder to tell which way to go? So far, this is a straight shot. I think that any criminal that escapes would be able to make their way to the exit just by feeling the walls.”

Penny narrowed her eyes in contemplation. “Hmm...perhaps you’re right, Rudy.” She took a look around the tunnel as they walked through it. “But still, there must be a reason why there’s no light in here. It doesn’t seem practical for him not to have lights in here, unless this tunnel serves some kind of purpose.”

Before they could say anything else, they heard the sound of a door opening. Bright light suddenly shined through. They winced at this, shielding their eyes from the sudden brightness. And then darkness came again and they heard the door close. Realizing they had reached the end of the tunnel, they rushed forward, being careful not to bump into each other or against the wall.

Once they reached where the door was, Rudy felt around, looking for a handle or a latch. Once he found it, he slowly pushed it down, not wanting it to make any sound so that Light Rudy didn’t know they were following him. It was a big enough risk to follow him through the town square. If Light Rudy found them down here, who knows what he might do... Once the door was open, Rudy pushed against it slowly. There was a little bit of a creak and he winced, but nothing seemed to happen after that. No indication Light Rudy heard them. Soon, he and his friends entered the room.

They couldn’t help but feel disturbed by what they saw. It took them only seconds to realize that this was not a jail. It was a dungeon. The cells were made of stone with iron bars. There were chains hanging on the walls. There was some sort of strange smell in the air, giving the place a foreboding aura. There was no blood or any bodies or anything that they would have expected with a dungeon. Still, the idea that this guy had a dungeon, not a simple jail, down here was pretty creepy in its own right.

They walked down slowly through the well lit dungeon. Large lights hanging overhead illuminated the place well, enough that they could see dirt on the ground and a few faint cracks that they wouldn’t be able to see normally. The dungeon seemed well designed over all, feeling like an actual medieval dungeon, though a little bigger and most definitely cleaner. The trio looked left and right, eyeing all of the empty cells protruding out of the walls. Some of the iron bars were rusted and they wondered if any of these had been in use.

They soon came to a four way intersection. At this intersection, they could see simple walkways. No cells or anything, just hallways with some small torches on the walls, even though it was not really necessary. They noticed one torch was missing from the line. It confused them, but they didn’t waste time thinking about that. Noticing which way the shadows on the walls moved, they knew Light Rudy had turned left up here, so that was the way they went.

The door at the end of this tunnel was made of wood with some iron stripes at the top and the bottom. There was a half circle opening with two thin metal bars and they could see inside. This door lead to yet another tunnel and they could see Light Rudy walking down with the zoner. Wasting no time, Rudy opened up the door slowly and the trio entered this new hallway.

The hallway they now were in was wider and, in a sense, shorter with a dead end. On the right side were a series of doors. They were made of iron and thick metal. Even from this distance, Rudy could tell that they were very heavy and likely meant to large, powerful prisoners. But why was he taking that humanoid zoner into them? He didn’t appear to be so strong that he would need something like this. Or perhaps he was stronger than he looked?

Rudy didn’t dwell on that. Making a gesture with his hand, they went towards where Light Rudy went: the middle door. They crept slowly up to it. The metal door had no windows in it, no way of peering inside. Rudy put his hands on it, trying to figure out how in the world it opened up. He searched for a doorknob or latch. He did eventually find something. A small indentnion that he put his fingers in and he could feel a small latch inside. He grabbed onto it and began to pull slowly. With his friends’ help, they managed to open the door part way.

They stopped immediately. The door led into a medium-sized room. It looked sort of like a doctor’s room. A string of neon lights hung overhead, providing bright illumination, making it easy to see everything. There were cabinets lining the walls, a tiled floor, all kinds of equipment and such. It was so out of place for a dungeon. It didn’t seem like it belonged here. For a second, they had forgotten they were even in a dungeon at all.

But that wasn’t why they had frozen. This sudden transition from old-fashioned dungeon to something more akin to a modern doctor’s office wasn’t the reason that they now stood frozen in fear and surprise. No, there was another reason. None of them could believe what they were seeing. Rudy rubbed his eyes once and reopened them to make sure he was not hallucinating.

In the middle of the room was a large platform. It was attached to wheels and had been turned to face perfectly horizontal, elevated several feet above the ground. Light Rudy was leaning over it, pushing the zoner against it and strapping him down. Iron strips held the zoners’ limbs in place. The zoner was struggling in vain to get free, pulling himself left and right. The iron strips were thick and would not budge.

The sight of this was a shock to the system. Rudy felt his heart clench up with emotion. For what purpose could his counterpart have to strap the zoner down like that? Why would he need to do such a thing? He would have thought that his counterpart would just toss this guy in a cell or something. But tying him onto a table like that? It was so...sinister. His mind filled with dread and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to see anything else. Yet he was unable to tear his eyes away. He and his friends stared at the scene before them, wondering what was to become of the humanoid zoner.

Rudy tried to rationalize it as the zoner being more dangerous than he led on and his counterpart needed him restrained. That would explain the overexcessive force and..no, he couldn’t do that. The zoner was in too much fear. He had seen that emotion enough to know when it was absolutely genuine. This zoner was acting like his life was in danger. Watching the zoner be so afraid, Rudy really wanted to do something to help him, but his mind was too frozen in shock to do anything, same with his friends, and they found themselves just watching.

“P-Please..don’t do this!” The zoner begged, struggling against his binds. “I-I didn’t mean to..I swear! I-It was an accident!”

Light Rudy smiled at the zoner. That same creepy smile he gave the trio earlier. It felt devoid of any actual happiness. Light Rudy paced back and forth in front of the zoner. His arms were folded behind his back, walking back and forth in a casual manner. His eyes were glued to the zoner, as if he were studying him. The zoner kept staring at him as well, maintaining eye contact with him.

Light Rudy said, “I’m sure it was an accident. I’m sure you didn’t mean to disobey...however...” He closed his eyes and tilted his head upwards. “I’m afraid I still can’t let you off the hook. You see, the rules are the same for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you did it by mistake or not. You still must be punished.” The zoner seemed to look even more terrified as Light Rudy said this. Light Rudy chuckled lightly and said, “If I started to pardon everyone who claimed they did it by mistake, then we would have a lot of criminals getting away with stuff...and you know that I cannot allow that.”

The zoner jerked himself left and right. “I didn’t do anything that terrible, though!” He stopped struggling, panting heavily as though he used up a lot of energy. He stared at Light Rudy with wide eyes. “Why do I need to be punished? All I did was...”

“Jaywalked.” Light Rudy finished for him. “Yes, that is a pretty minor crime compared to what I’ve dealt with in the past. But regardless, it’s still a crime and there is a rule against it.” Light Rudy reached over and gently touched the zoner on the cheek. The zoner whimpered and turned his head to the side. “The rules are in place for a reason. They are for the safety of everyone in ChalkZone and they are to be followed. Failure to follow this results in punishment. That goes for everyone.” Light Rudy moved back, straightening himself up as if to make himself look taller. “Like I said before, I’m not targeting you. I like you...but rules are rules, and I can’t just make an exception for anyone...no matter how good they’ve been in the past.”

The zoner’s breath quickened, his eyes getting wider. “Wh-What are you go-going to do to me?”

“Dear...” Light Rudy said in a voice that was chilling to listen to, his back to the zoner as he went over to the cabinet. He leaned back, turning his head to give a sort of backwards glance at the zoner. “You should already know what will happen. I treat all criminals the same way. You see..”

When Light Rudy turned around to go back to the zoner, Rudy and his friends realized, in shock, that he had the missing torch with him. He must have placed it at an angle that they couldn’t see it in. He held it tightly in his left hand as he walked back over to the zoner. The crackle of the fire and the smell of it made the scene appear even more ominous than before. Even though the room was well lit, the fire somehow added an eerie glow to Light Rudy’s face.

Light Rudy held the torch close to the zoner’s face. The zoner, gritting his teeth and looking at him fearfully, moved his head to the side, trying to get away from it. Light Rudy just smiled at this, as if it just simply amused him. He kept the torch close to the zoner’s face. There was a sort of twinkle in Light Rudy’s eyes, one that was unsettling to look at.

Light Rudy said, “If you do not stop a criminal at a minor defense, they will just get worse. Let them get away with something, and they come back for more.” He moved the torch along the zoner’s body, keeping it dangerously close. “So it’s best to deal with such threats before they have time to fester and grow. That is why I treat all crime the same...because they are all in the same. I dish out punishment for even the most minor offenses for a reason, dear.” He put his face close to the zoner’s and said in a low voice, “I need to squash out any threats to ChalkZone.”

Much to the zoner’s relief, Light Rudy pulled the torch away. He walked over and he hung it on the wall. The zoner’s somewhat relaxed expression didn’t last very long when Light Rudy grabbed what looked like a metal bottle from the cabinet. The zoner’s eyes went wide and he started to struggle frantically. Though Rudy, Penny, and Snap had no idea what was in the bottle, as it was not labeled, it was clear the zoner did. Whatever was in that bottle was no good.

Light Rudy walked back over to the zoner nonchalantly. The smile remained on his face. His whole gait and movement suggested he was calm and collected. Even as the zoner started to cry in fear, his body trembling so hard it was making the table shake, Light Rudy still acted like nothing was wrong. He soon stood next to the zoner. He smiled calmly at him before reaching down and pulling the lever next to the platform. In seconds, the platform was cranked up until the zoner was at an upwards slant.

Rudy was getting very uncomfortable with what he was watching. He could feel his stomach twisting in knots. Light Rudy hadn’t really hurt the zoner, but what he did see was unsettling. Putting the torch that close to the zoner, even if he didn’t burn him, that was just cruel. That could have easily gone wrong. Just what was his counterpart thinking? And this talk of having to stop crime before it grew was just plain creepy to listen to.

He and his friends were all thinking the same thing. Just what was Light Rudy going to do to this zoner? They had thought that, at most, he would give him a light punishment, even though he didn’t really deserve it if all he did was jaywalk. But with the way Light Rudy was acting, how unsettling and creepy, and how frightened the zoner was behaving, they had a feeling that, whatever he was about to do, it was not going to be something they were going to enjoy seeing.

Despite their suspicions, despite what they had seen in the past, despite all their caution, nothing..absolutely nothing...could have prepared them for what they were about to witness.

Light Rudy grabbed onto the end of the bottle. He twisted it and pulled the lid off. He dropped the lid on the ground with a loud clang. Light Rudy nonchalantly moved closer to the zoner, who was now trying so hard to rip himself from the platform. Tears of fear moved down his face, glinting in the light. Light Rudy slipped his head behind the zoner’s head, holding it in place. Then he brought the bottle slowly over, smiling calmly the whole time.

“Thirsty?” Light Rudy asked in a soft voice.

At this, the trio’s veins filled with ice. Their bodies froze in place, unable to move. Their eyes widened in horror. The way Light Rudy said that... That horrible smell...one that Rudy was all too familiar with... It..It couldn’t be...No.. Light Rudy wouldn’t...he wouldn’t do something like that, would he? That was... Downright cruel... Rudy shook his head in denial, not wanting to believe it.

Penny and Snap looked horrified as well. Penny had her hands to her mouth, stifling a gasp of horror. She looked like she wanted to back away from what they were watching, yet her feet were practically glued to the ground. Snap was visibly shaken, his body trembling. He looked the most horrified out of his two friends. He had managed to take a step back. Yet his eyes would not leave the scene. It was like a part of him was, despite being frightened, morbidly curious to see what would happen next.

As the smell hung more strongly, more prominent, and as Light Rudy moved the bottle closer to the zoner’s mouth, the zoner reacting more and more terrified, crying harder, Rudy knew he couldn’t deny it any longer. Staring at the scene in horror, unable to tear his eyes away, he uttered a single word in a hushed whisper as his eyes slowly grew big.

“Vinegar....”

Light Rudy held the zoner’s head in place, gripping it tightly. The zoner tried to kick his limbs free, trying in vain to escape. Light Rudy pressed the tip of the bottle against the zoner’s mouth, shoving it in there. He then tilted it upwards. Almost immediately, there was a sizzling sound as the zoner’s eyes widened. Loud whimpers of pain emitted from his throat as Light Rudy forced him to drink the vinegar. The zoner’s body trembled in agony. His face became slick with tears. His fingers and feet twitched. Light Rudy did not stop until the bottle was completely empty.

The zoner was forced to swallow all of it. He had tried to push some of it out, despite it burning and dissolving bits of his face. But Light Rudy held his mouth shut and rubbed his throat, triggering a swallow reflex. As the zoner swallowed the vinegar little by little, his whimpers increased in volume. Then, after he was done swallowing all of the vinegar, Light Rudy released him and took a few steps back. His arms folded against his chest, he watched the scene with a look of sick amusement, like he was proud of what he did.

The zoner was crying loudly in agony, twisting in his binds. More tears flowed down his face. Sobs wracked through his body. His eyes shut in pain and then reopened. He stared at Light Rudy with a silent question of ‘why?’. Light Rudy just watched him. Even if the zoner had wanted to speak, it was clear he could not. A sickening gurgle sound could be heard as the zoner started to cough up blood. His lips and tongue appeared heavily burned, darkening to almost black. Bright red blood rose up in the back of his throat and it started to pour out of his mouth, staining the ground.

For a few moments, the zoner cried and continued to vomit up blood, staining the whole front of his body as well as the ground. The horrific sounds of distress sent chills down the trio’s spines. Horror settled in their minds, making them breathe in quick breaths as they witnessed the terrifying events unfold in front of them. The zoner was clearly choking on his own blood and his face was going pale from the blood loss. He sobbed and coughed pitifully, tugging at their heart strings. How...how could Light Rudy do something so cruel...?

Then something happened that would forever be etched in their heads. It was something that was a horrific reminder of what Rudy’s fate will be if they don’t get him the cures in time.

There was some kind of darkening color forming on the zoner’s underside. From his chest all the way down to his stomach, this mysterious line formed. It reminded the trio of a paper towel as it was absorbing water. Then, in seconds, the body ripped open. A practical sea of blood and partially dissolved guts spilled out all over the floor. There was a sickening squishy sound as the partially liquified organs pushed up against each other on the ground. The zoner let out one last sound, a final rasp, before he closed his eyes and went limp, his mouth open in an eternal scream.

Horror and dread shot through the trio’s bodies. Their minds raced, making their world feel like it was starting to spin out of control. Their stomachs churned uncomfortably, and they put their hands to their mouths, trying their best not to throw up at what they had just witnessed. The gruesome sight stained a picture in the back of their heads, and they found themselves unable to look away at first. They soon managed to turn their heads, holding their stomachs as they tried so hard not to lose their lunch.

The horrific smell of the dead filled their nostrils now. This caused their stomachs to lurch forward, making them feel sick. Their minds would not be able to bleach themselves of what they had just witnessed. Their bodies trembled in shock and horror at what happened. They couldn’t believe that Light Rudy did something like that... And now the strange smell from before made sense. They were smelling remnants of Light Rudy’s past victims... And a horrific realization sent ice through the back of their heads. If this was how Light Rudy treated all his ‘prisoners’....just how many zoners had he killed...?

Unable to hold it in, Snap, down on one knee, wretched, spilling his stomach contents all over the ground. Rudy and Penny moved back away, staring at their friend sympathetically. They knelt down beside him and gently rubbed his back. He lifted up his head and looked at them. His eyes were brimming with fear and disgust. He did not need to speak in order to tell them what he was thinking. The same thing was on Rudy and Penny’s minds as well.

Light Rudy was a disgusting monster. And now they understood just why the other zoners and Para-Penny and Para-Snap feared him, why they acted the way they did. This place...it was not a blessing. It was not a paradise. It was hell in disguise, and they had just been walking in the dead center of it all. Their minds flashed back to the horrific sounds they heard before. Now they knew what they were. The sounds had come from Light Rudy’s victims...

“Who is there?” Light Rudy’s voice broke through.

The trio froze, shivers going down their spines. They looked over at the door. Through the small opening, they could see Light Rudy looking in their direction. His expression suggested he did not recognize who they were.

Light Rudy said, “I know someone is there. Show yourself now. It is against the rules for any unauthorized personnel to be down here. Especially when I’m busy taking care of criminals.”

The trio felt their blood lower to chilling levels as Light Rudy narrowed his eyes, grabbed the torch in a threatening manner, and began to head towards the door. They backed up slowly, keeping themselves pressed close together. They saw the door start to push open. In a panic, unsure of where to go, the trio just bolted down out of this hallway and kept running straight. They pushed the door at the end of this tunnel open, not daring to look behind them to see if Light Rudy was chasing after them.

The hallway they entered was a hell zone. To both their sides were cells filled with zoners. All of them crying out in pain and agony. Blood stains were everywhere. Machines with sharp objects, electrical devices, even real world water, this and more was used to torture the zoners in here. Their screams permeated their minds, filling their bodies with a cold horror they never thought was possible. They continued to run, trying to keep focusing on the door in front of them, but unable to tear their eyes away from the tortured zoners.

As they ran, they recognized two zoners in particular. Draow and Bardot... The state they were in, despite being their enemies, was horrific. If there was ever a time they would actually feel sorry for these monsters, it was what was happening to them right now. The sight of it, even if it was brief as they ran as fast as they could, was nightmarish.

Draow was chained up against the wall, like he was in Skrawl’s jail in their dimension. But this...this was much worse. The chains were so tight, it looked like it nearly cut off blood circulation. Large portions of his fur were missing, more of it blackened as if set on fire. His right leg was twisted and mangled, looking heavily infected. His eyes no longer shined like their Draow’s did. Any look of rage or defiance was gone, replaced with a whimpering dog with torn bat wings. He was very emaciated, his ribcage clearly visible against his skin. Every once in a while, he would give a dog-like yelp as he was mercilessly electrocuted by the machine.

Bardot was just as bad. He had several gashes all over his body. The machine was constantly cutting into him, drawing blood. His body was horrifically scarred. His left hind leg looked like it had been ripped off and was not treated very well, a festering stump with little bandages covering it. His body had several deep tissue burns, some still bleeding with bright red blood. His tail was broken in several places, looking as crooked as a child drawing while being shaken. Like Draow, he was very thin, his ribs outlined on his sides. He was crying softly. His sobs wracked through his body, making him look and sound nothing like the monster they had come to know him as.

The sight of this horrified the trio. Even though Draow and Bardot were their enemies, they would never wish a fate like this on them. They knew all too well what it was like to be in a similar position. It was a horrible fate they wouldn’t wish on anyone, not even their worst enemies. Despite what Draow and Bardot put them through, seeing them like this, they couldn’t help but feel pity for them. Even the Fire Zone was a welcome punishment compared to what they were getting here. How could Light Rudy think this is justice...?

The trio continued to run, going through the door and entering a new hallway. They kept running down the brick hallways, the only source of light being the torches. A thick horrible smell, death, hung even more strongly here. They winced and felt nauseated, but they couldn’t stop running. They could hear someone behind them, and they knew who it was. From the terrified shrieks they heard from the tormented zoners, they knew it was Light Rudy. He was gaining on them. They needed to find a place to hide and quickly.

They came to a two-way intersection next. They looked left and right. Both looked pretty much the same. Hearing Light Rudy’s footsteps behind them, they chose to go down the right hallway. They opened up the door at the end here and rushed in. They nearly threw up at what they were seeing.

This room..it was one of the dumping grounds Light Rudy must use for his victims. All along this room, on both sides, were corpses of multiple zoners of various species and size. Much of them had been reduced to bone. Others had pieces of dried flesh still clinging on them. Others were recently put there. Glazed eyes stared at them in eternal fear. Others were sort of new and just started to rot. Flies were everywhere. Maggots chewed at the carcasses. The horrific smell dominated their nostrils and it was getting harder and harder not to lose their lunch.

They reached the end of this room. They felt the walls, frantically trying to find a way out. Realizing they had reached a dead end, the trio turned around and pressed their backs against the wall. They watched, in horror, as Light Rudy approached the door. They could see him through the barred window of the wooden door ahead of them. He still had the torch with him and he was still swinging it as if to say ‘I am going to burn you with this’. The trio hugged each other and shut their eyes, preparing for the worst.

Suddenly, the trio let out a surprised cry when the wall suddenly moved. A section of it began to spin, pushing them along. They held onto each other in surprise as they were forcibly moved. Then the wall clicked into place and they found themselves in a new room. This new room was small, square in shape, and had a single light illuminating it. There wasn’t much in here, and at first, they thought they were alone.

They were proven wrong when a hand touched Rudy’s shoulder. His eyes went wide and he tried to let out a scream. A hand clamped against him and another arm looped around his body, holding him in place. Rudy let out muffled cries as he struggled to get free. His mind raced with many panicked questions. Had they fallen into a trap? Had Light Rudy pulled some kind of stunt on them? Had some other enemy ambushed them here?

Penny and Snap were about to call out, but the figure holding Rudy lifted up a finger, indicating them to be quiet. The figure was mostly in shadow, and the trio couldn’t recognize who they were. The figure put their head close to Rudy’s and whispered a single word.

“Quiet.”

Rudy’s eyes widened. He recognized that voice. As he relaxed his body, as the figure released him slowly, he turned around and he saw that he had been right. It was Para-Penny. She moved closer, illuminating her body in the light. As she did that, the trio saw that she had a worried, terrified expression on her face. She looked over at the wall where they spun in from. She eyed it cautiously, as if she were expecting Light Rudy to burst through at any time.

Para-Penny looked at the trio. She took a few steps towards them, her body hunched, her footsteps light. “Do not speak too loudly.” She said. “He will hear you. Stay quiet. Understand?” The trio nodded in unison. “Good...are you three okay?”

“Yeah...” Snap whispered. He rubbed his stomach. “A little queasy...and shaken...but I’m fine..”

“We’re all fine.” Penny said quietly. She looked over at the wall nervously before looking back at Para-Penny. “Did you..?”

Para-Penny nodded her head. “I saw you three pursue our Rudy. I knew something bad would come of it, so I went in. When I saw you get chased into here, I used the secret passageways our Rudy doesn’t know about....” The trio stared at her in shock. She nodded her head. “Yes, there are some things he does not know.”

“Well thanks for the help.” Rudy said, giving a small smile of gratitude. This only lasted a few seconds. There was a burning question on his mind, and his friends’ as well. And now that they knew the truth, there was no way Para-Penny could dodge it. “...what happened to this place....?”

Para-Penny stared at him. She then closed her eyes and lowered her head. “It is time that you knew the truth....” She reopened her eyes and stared at the trio. “...of what happened here...and to our Rudy...” She looked at the trio one at a time before rubbing her hands together nervously. She began her story. “It all started three years ago...”


	71. Do You Want To Know How It Got So Light?

Para-Penny had almost immediately went quiet. Her head faced down to the ground. She grimaced as she seemed to be sorting out her thoughts. Penny watched, noticing her counterpart’s increasingly nervous expression. She must be worried that Light Rudy would somehow hear her. After what they all experienced, Penny couldn’t blame her counterpart for being so afraid.

It didn’t take too long for Para-Penny to find her voice again. She cleared her throat and swallowed nervously. She turned to the wall cautiously, and then looked back at the trio. She opened her mouth to speak and began to tell the tale of what happened.

“Our Rudy was, believe it or not, a lot like yours at one time. In fact, I see your Rudy and I am reminded, painfully, of how things used to be.” Para-Penny glanced over at Rudy, who flinched and looked at her apologetically. Para-Penny gave a small smile and waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.” Her smile faltered as a few tears formed in her eyes. She lifted up a hand and wiped away a single tear. “Yeah...I really do miss those days.”

“How did he...change?” Rudy asked in a hesitant tone.

“That’s where my story begins. You see, our Rudy was a lot like you, but all that changed three years ago when we were fighting Mr. Cosmo.” Para-Penny said.

The trio glanced at each other nervously. They realized something the same about both dimensions. The outcome of both really did seem to depend on something that happened with the fight with Mr. Cosmo. The idea chilled them. Knowing that Mr. Cosmo really had so much power that his actions, in some shape or form, could shape the destiny of a world... It was unnerving to think about.

“I was in the hospital with our Snap. He had recently come out of the surgery and was slowly recovering. Our Rudy came in and he looked distraught. I thought it was because of our Snap’s condition. Well that was part of it, as you can well imagine, that wasn’t a good time for any of us.” The trio nodded their heads slowly. Para-Penny continued, “Our Rudy confided in me what happened. He said that Mr. Cosmo kept taunting him, kept trying to force him to kill him. He threatened to destroy all of ChalkZone if he didn’t. He really got into our Rudy’s head to the point where he let anger take control and he just...snapped.”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror. “Y-You mean he..?”

Para-Penny nodded her head. “Yes. Our Rudy killed Mr. Cosmo.” Noticing their horrified expressions, Para-Penny quickly added, “Not on purpose, mind you. He simply lost control of himself and slashed Mr. Cosmo’s throat open. But at the end of the day, he did kill him, and it wasn’t something he was proud of doing either.”

The trio was horrified by this. The idea of Rudy, not corrupted by black chalk, taking a life was very unsettling. Even if, in this instance, it was an accident, it was still horrible to think about. Rudy looked the most shaken. Penny looked at him sympathetically. Rudy was not a violent person and he would never willingly take a life, not even that of an enemy. She couldn’t imagine him even killing Bardot, one of the most evil and vile zoners they had ever encountered. Rudy just wasn’t like that. He preferred non-violent measures whenever possible, and he’d never hurt anyone, no matter how disgusting they are, unnecessarily.

Penny could only imagine what Light Rudy must have went through at this time. In spite of him being a monster now, he wasn’t always like that. During this time when he was still more like their Rudy, knowing that he took a life must have been horrible for Light Rudy. It was something that he would have to live with for the rest of his life. She wondered if, on some level, Light Rudy was still haunted by that death. She had to wonder if there was a part of him that still regretted doing all this, or if practically all of his guilt was now overrun by...whatever the heck happened to him after that.

“Our Rudy was so worried about doing it again, and he was so distraught. I did attempt to calm him down and told him that nothing would change him. Heh...funny now that I think of it.” Para-Penny’s voice took on a slightly bitter tone. “How foolish of us to think it would end there. We were so hopeful things would turn out okay. We thought that, after Snap recovered, things would go back to the way they used to be. We believed that everything would be all right.” She shook her head. “It wasn’t. That was just the beginning....of the end.”

The trio looked nervous by this. When the words ‘the end’ entered their heads, their first thought was of the dark dimension. Everything had gone downhill there. So much death and destruction, both worlds destroyed... It was horrible. It was clear, judging by this world being more or less in tact, Para-Penny hadn’t meant a literal end. But it was still an end none of them had ever wanted to witness, even if it didn’t pertain to their home dimension.

The end of Rudy’s innocense. The end of ChalkZone’s freedom.

Para-Penny continued the story. “Like your Snap, our Snap didn’t have an easy recovery. And as time passed and it seemed like he was never getting the ability to walk again, that did have an emotional toll on all of us, including our Rudy. However, with what happened with him and Mr. Cosmo, I believe that the emotional impact on our Rudy was worse. While our Snap was trying to adjust to the wheelchair, our Rudy kept blaming himself. He said he sometimes heard Mr. Cosmo’s taunting voice, saying how he was a killer, a monster, didn’t deserve friends, what have you. The nightmares plagued him, but he didn’t tell us...until he did something else.”

“What did he do?” Snap asked cautiously. His eyes bulged and he put his hands to his mouth nervously. “D-Did he kill...?”

“He did...snap more or less again, yes. He didn’t mean to. He claimed he hadn’t meant to. He was trying to take care of Jacko. Something about he wanted another bride or some bullcrap like that. You know how Jacko was.” Para-Penny’s eyes furrowed. “Still, he didn’t deserve what our Rudy gave him, accident or no accident. Our Rudy was so fed up that he...punched Jacko.” She paused and bit her lip. She looked shaken, as if he had witnessed this firsthand. “The punch was stronger than he had intended and Jacko’s head hit against the stone concrete. He died shortly after from head trauma.”

So Jacko was dead here too... The trio thought about what happened to their Jacko. Thinking about it, they realized his demise here was less gruesome and more merciful. Their Jacko had evidence of slow torture, and the autopsy suggested it had taken days to kill him. It was a horrific thought and made them feel sorry for Jacko. Yeah he was a jerk, but he didn’t deserve what he got from Bardot. Though they were still sad that he was killed here as well, they were glad that he didn’t suffer too long.

“Just like with Mr. Cosmo, our Rudy was not happy with what he had done. And what made this one worse was that...there were witnesses to the crime. Not a lot, but enough that things started to spread about our Rudy, and some zoners acted differently around him. Our Rudy was distressed by it all. It just added to the depression he was going through, and the self-loathing he was trying to deal with. He tried to tell the zoners that he didn’t mean to kill Jacko. Though some believed him, others did not, and they called him a traitor. Yet despite that, most zoners still supported him, and that helped our Rudy a little emotionally, and he continued to help ChalkZone after that.”

A pause. Para-Penny glanced at the trio. Her expression changed. A small tinge of fear and horror could be seen in her eyes. The trio guessed that she was about to get into more unsettling territory. Were they about to hear just what caused Light Rudy to fall into madness? How he was now...something had to have driven him there.

Para-Penny continued on with the story.

“Things just kept getting worse. Not all at once, but gradually. There were...subtle changes in our Rudy. The nightmares continued to haunt him. This made him more and more paranoid about the safety of ChalkZone. Mr. Cosmo in the nightmares, as he explained, would tell him about how any zoner or any human that he does not keep an eye on could always find the Solar Pillars and...”

Para-Penny was cut off when Snap cried out in a loud whisper, “Solar Pillars?!”

Para-Penny nodded her head. “Yes. Our Rudy said that Mr. Cosmo was going to use the Solar Pillars to wipe out ChalkZone. Whether or not he was going to go through with it, I don’t know. But yes...” She turned her gaze to the side. “Our Rudy had been paranoid about that place for...sometime actually. And it caused him to behave in increasingly erratic ways. This started to manifest more when he fought against villains. As you can imagine, your Rudy would try to have the villains arrested, yes?” Penny and her friends nodded their heads. “Well our Rudy was like that..for a time, but then things changed, slowly.”

“He started getting more aggressive?” Rudy asked.

“Yes, actually.” Para-Penny said. From her tone, she wasn’t really that surprised that Rudy guessed right. If anything, she sounded like she expected it. “It was slow and gradual. But each time we took care of another villain, he acted a little more hostile. He became more and more violent. But still nothing like this. By violent, he was more willing to hurt the villain than he was in the past. Still, he did manage to keep ChalkZone safe, and not many really complained. It wasn’t like he caused horrific injuries...at least for a time.”

Rudy, Penny, and Snap felt their stomachs fill with an uncomfortable feeling.

“Things...eventually got worse. The nightmares got worse, and then we had to deal with Draow and Bardot, whose plans were much worse than what you three encountered. Nothing involving the real world this time. They focused instead on just ChalkZone and they caused all kinds of horrific deaths. Our Rudy, due to all the pressure from the propaganda spreading about him, to the nightmares, to the pressure of nearly losing ChalkZone to another bad guy, it finally came to a peak during this time. We fought against them, and we managed to defeat Draow and Bardot, but Rudy....well we found out later that he had hurt them, more than necessary.”

The trio’s eyes widened in horror at this. Para-Penny gave them a sympathetic expression. She looked like she was having a hard time talking about this. Penny thought she was being pretty brave in telling them this story. It was important that they knew as much as they could about this world. She and her friends gave Para-Penny time to take in a few breaths before she continued.

Para-Penny explained to them more of what happened. “As I said, his increased violent, paranoid behavior was gradual. Any death he caused, for a time, was accidental. And, for a time, the wounds as well. Even in his increased hostile state, Rudy hadn’t meant to hurt the villains as much as he did. He only wanted to stop them.” She narrowed her eyes slightly, her eyes down to the ground. “That changed with Draow and Bardot. Rudy had...gotten it into his head that he needed to try harder to protect ChalkZone, and that manifested in the form of...well he called it justice, but it was actually torture.”

Penny winced at this. Her mind flooded with images of what Draow and Bardot looked like now. She could still see it in her head, engraved into her brain. Both of them so beaten up and weak and nothing at all like they used to be. Despite the face that she hated those two, seeing them like that was unsettling. She had never really been interested in killing anyone before, but for those two, she would rather see them dead than see them suffer the way they were. The same with the other zoners, as well. She could still hear their cries and moans of pain and agony.

Just...how the hell does Light Rudy think this is justice? How can he possibly think he is justified in doing all of this? What possessed him into doing this? Though Para-Penny was telling the story, Penny couldn’t help but keep asking herself these questions. It was hard for her to believe that Light Rudy would have gone down such a dark and disturbing path. She could only imagine how hard this was on Rudy, knowing that, even as a protector of ChalkZone, he could still cause damage and pain to others, that he could still become a psychopath.

She knew he would never become like that. That wasn’t like him. He’d never cross the line. She had faith that, if he were faced in the same situation, he wouldn’t go down this same path. He would be able to move on and not let the past haunt him. But then again... A cold chill went up her spine. Para-Penny had the same hope for Light Rudy, and look at what happened... Penny shook the thoughts from her head. She couldn’t allow herself to consider the idea that Rudy would do something like this. This wasn’t their dimension. The circumstances were different.

“Our Rudy hurt Draow and Bardot badly. He just...kept hurting them. When our Snap and I found the two, they were pretty broken. Still defiant. In pain, but defiant. They looked pretty bad. We asked our Rudy why he did it, and he just said how he needed an attitude adjustment. He wanted to protect ChalkZone, but he felt he was too...inadequate as he put it. He told us how ChalkZone had been under siege multiple times in the past, and he wanted to do something about it. So he decided to take over the place.”

“Is that why there is a castle?” Rudy asked.

Snap chimed in, “Yeah, did he build the castle during this time, or did it come later?”

“It came later. Our Rudy didn’t really have a place at first, but this changed quickly. He had won the approval of most zoners, and upon suggestion of one of the citizens, he had created a castle here. The purpose of it was mostly for show, but also to give our Rudy a place of business, so to speak, and despite his horrible actions to Draow and Bardot, he did pretty good for a while. He was genuinely helpful and laid down some rules to try to keep ChalkZone safe. This system worked well...only for a short time. Though our Rudy tried to purge himself of those violent tendencies, he became...dependent on them. He found that they help him maintain control better.” Para-Penny sucked on her lip. “He began to treat the prisoners worse and worse, to the point where...well you know what became of that.”

“It was awful.” Penny said, her eyes filling with fear. “I never seen anything so horrific in my life...”

“All those screams...” Snap shuddered. “I’ll never be able to get them out of my head.”

“Forcing that zoner to drink that vinegar...that was just...cruel...” Rudy said, his voice shaking.

“Yes, indeed. Our Rudy became more and more obsessed with control and he felt that criminals can only be controlled by torture and by death. He began to think that it was better to deal with all criminals the same way. He truly thinks that the most minor offenses would lead to more violent crimes. So he decided that criminals, even minor or accidental ones, should be treated with the same harshness as the more offensive criminals. The lucky prisoners were killed, but even they suffer through a lot of pain, as our Rudy wanted them to truly regret their crime, no matter how minute it was. The more offensive criminals, in his eyes, are tortured forever. Draow and Bardot are his oldest victims. They have been tortured for years and are kept just barely alive so our Rudy can continue hurting them.”

Although the trio were getting more and more uncomfortable listening to this, they couldn’t stop now. They had to keep listening to the story. They could tell there was more. The more they hear, the more disgusted they became with Light Rudy. He was setting himself up to be a bigger monster than almost anyone else they ever met. Even Bardot was starting to look a little tame compared to this guy. At least Bardot didn’t act like he was one of the good guys.

As Para-Penny started to continue the story, Penny’s mind reeled back to their encounter with their own Bardot in their dimension. She recalled the words he spoke, the way he twisted their justice into making it look bad. While at the end, she knew that he was just messing with them, her hear clenched when she realized just how close to home Bardot hit. It was coincidental. There was no way he could have known what happened here. But Bardot’s words, about ‘letting them suffer longer made them a bigger monster’, in this case, he was kind of right.

Light Rudy had twisted their sense of justice. He had become a monster while trying to keep ChalkZone safe. He had implimented torture as a means of punishment, and any prisoner unlucky enough to stay there for life was always in pain, always tortured, always suffering. Penny felt her stomach churn as she realized that they were witnessing a mockery of justice, locking up ‘criminals’ who may not have done anything that bad and torturing them. That wasn’t justice...that was cruelty and it wasn’t something she and her friends would ever associate themselves with.

Here, in this hellhole of a world, even Bardot and Draow suffered under the cruel hands of Light Rudy. If even these two monsters were reduced to tears, a frightened mess, by Light Rudy, Penny wondered just how far he was willing to go... Just how cruel had Light Rudy gotten? How twisted had his views become? It frightened her to think that there might be some worse side to Light Rudy, even more twisted than the one they just met.

“Our Rudy wanted more and more control, and he did whatever means was necessary. He started to impliment hidden cameras everywhere, many of them heat seeking. That was the real reason he knew you guys were in the castle. He saw your heat signature, which isn’t something you can really hide. The only reason he doesn’t know about these tunnels is because I added them in before the cameras were implimented. I did it originally as a safety precaution. Before our Rudy went nuts, I thought it would be nice to have some escape routes in case the prisoners got rowdy. But when our Rudy went insane, I kept the tunnels a secret.” Para-Penny said.

Rudy looked over at the wall they came in from. He turned back to Para-Penny. “That would explain why your Rudy didn’t come through here. He doesn’t know this is here.”

Para-Penny nodded her head. “Exactly. And I’ve been keeping it that way. He would not be happy if he found out that I built these.”

“After what we’ve seen...” Rudy said, his body shuddering in disgust. “...we don’t blame you. I mean...your Rudy is just..nuts...”

“Yeah I know.” Para-Penny said, closing her eyes. “I know.”

“So what else happened?” Snap asked hesitantly.

Para-Penny looked at him sadly before continuing, “Our Rudy became a control freak. While I’m certain, on some level, he still wants to keep ChalkZone safe. That is a driving force behind all of this. But he’s going too far, and now his big priority is control. He believes that absolute control is the only way he can assure that nothing goes awry in this world. So he began to get stricter. The zoners, of course, complained and they tried to get him to loosen up. Our Rudy’s response was to have them arrested and killed, anyone who protested.” The trio’s eyes widened in horror at this. “Yeah...our Snap and I were horrified by this. We were especially disturbed when our Rudy began to demand complete obedience, a certain way to feel, a certain way to behave...”

Penny thought about what they witnessed on the way to ChalkZone City. She recalled how the zoners were walking in a straight line to ChalkZone City. She recalled the forcibly happy zoners, and the partying and all that. Were they all byproducts of Light Rudy’s terrible ruling? Was he forcing this kind of lifestyle on the zoners?

“Some of the zoners saw things his way and our Rudy implimented them as spies, workers, whatever he needed, to help him keep an eye on the place. He had also seized control of the Luminos by killing Maalik and lying to them. He said that Maalik was killed by an ‘unchecked criminal’ as he put it. Some of the higher up Luminos, so twisted were they already, that they willingly followed our Rudy, making him an exception to their ‘anti-creator’ viewpoints. Most of the Luminos hate him but are forced to work for him anyway. Our Rudy treats any zoner who willingly does his bidding with a level of kindness much better, giving them special privileges and all that.” Para-Penny explained. “Our Rudy uses his enforces to keep the rules, to pacify the zoners, whatever is needed to keep control. But he didn’t stop there.” She shook her head. “Not by a long shot.”

“Wh-What else did he do?” Rudy asked, clearly afraid to know.

“After all that..” Penny’s eyes widened. “What more could he do?”

“More than you know...” Para-Penny said sadly. “Oh so much more...” She shook her head from side to side, closing her eyes for a moment. She looked back at them, noting their increasingly terrified expressions. “In addition to his enforcers, Luminos or not, our Rudy had created a series of giant robotic dogs he calls angetroller, short for angel patroller. They’re angelic-looking canines, made of pure metal and steel with glowing eyes that hunt down any zoner who disobeys a rule that our Rudy or an enforcer had missed. They’re not always around, like now. Our Rudy only brings them out when he thinks someone is causing trouble but somehow can’t find them, even with the cameras. They’re equipped with light energy tentacles that they use to capture anyone trying to escape. Our Rudy sometimes rides in them, especially if he wants to be there in person.”

“Robot...dogs?” Snap said slowly.

Para-Penny nodded her head. “Armed at that. Not just with the light things, but weaponry too. Not to kill, or so our Rudy would say. Just to slow down the ‘criminal’ so they can be captured.” She gave a sigh and shook her head. “With these and everything else, with his own jail, with his enforcers, our Rudy has ChalkZone under his iron rule. He says to strive for the greater good, but he commits terrible acts to get it. He has become disillusioned and if you try to tell him what he’s doing is wrong, he will snap at you. He refuses to see reason and thinks of himself as better than the criminals he captures. He uses this ‘greater good’ business, the whole ‘safety for ChalkZone’, as an excuse to commit this horrible acts. He kept fooling himself that he’s fully convinced he’s doing the right thing.”

“And he doesn’t allow anyone to disagree?” Penny asked.

“No. Anyone who dares to defy him ends up tortured and killed, as if they were a criminal. That’s why the zoners around here are so afraid. If they say the wrong thing, they’ll wind up dead.” Para-Penny explained. “Our Rudy wants to control everyone and everything, including the flow of information. He wants to keep some things secret from others, and he makes sure that information is kept under tight control. Like with you..” The trio raised their heads a little. “He lied about the cure. He already knew about it beforehand. I don’t know everything, so I can’t tell you how he found out or what all he knows about alternate dimensional traveling. But I can say for certain that he does have the cure; he never sent the Luminos to get it. He’s keeping it, and yes he was indeed wasting your time earlier, with the tour.”

“Why?” Rudy asked, horrified. “Why would he do that if he knows I need it?”

“Because he wants to control you.” Para-Penny replied.

“Control me?” Rudy’s eyes widened.

“Why would he want to do that?” Penny asked. “I mean, we aren’t even from this dimension...”

“All the more reason he wants to control him...all of you.” Para-Penny asid, lowering her gaze. “He wants to control everyone and everything, regardless of the dimension. He sees you being here was a potential threat, but rather than kill you, he wants to instead control you. He wants to delay you getting the cure for as long as possible to force you to bend to his every whim. I overheard him threatening to destroy the cure if you don’t give into him.”

The trio was horrified by this. Learning that Light Rudy had purposely delayed them hadn’t surprised them. They already knew something was wrong with him and his methods were already fishy. But the reason behind it scared them. They didn’t understand how Light Rudy could want to control them when they aren’t going to be there for long...unless... Their minds filled with dread when they realized that Light Rudy might have a means of keeping them here. And if that is true...

“Our Rudy is so obsessed with control that...” Para-Penny’s voice trailed off. A few tears formed in her eyes. “He...”

Penny hesitated, then she asked, “What did he do?”

“I’m...I’m afraid we weren’t honest with what happened to our Snap.” Para-Penny said.

At this, Penny felt her heart twist. “Wh-What do you mean?”

“Are you telling me that Cosmo...didn’t cause my counterpart’s legs to be damaged?” Snap said, his voice soft and filled with horror.

Rudy was shaking. “My counterpart...di-did he...?”

“W-Well...you see...” Para-Penny bit her lip. She looked at the trio, sadness filling up in her eyes. This was clearly a sore topic for her to discuss. “Our Rudy’s lust for control extended to us as well. He began to treat us less like friends and equals, and more like minions to bend to his whim. He controls me through threats and blackmail. He has me on a leash and I haven’t found a way to break free yet. But our Snap...”

“H-How does he control him?” Penny asked, her voice filled with dread.

Para-Penny closed her eyes. “I can handle him abusing me. It’s awful and I hate it. But I would prefer that over what he did to our Snap.” The trio looked at each other, cold horror spreading through their heads. Para-Penny looked at them sympathetically. “The truth is...our Snap did recover from the paralyzation. He wasn’t kicked twice...it was only once. He had a similar recovery as your Snap.”

“So he could walk again?” Rudy asked.

“Well he started to be able to, yeah. He got to the point where he could move his legs again and walk short distances.” Para-Penny explained. “But our Rudy...he wanted to control both of us, and he...permanently damaged our Snap.” The trio gasped in horror at this. “He attacked him... Just out of the blue...attacked him. He snapped his lower spine and caused him the complete loss of his legs. All that recovery...gone in a few minutes. Our Rudy wanted complete dominance over our Snap, and he did so by keeping him permanently in the wheelchair, where he could control him more by exploiting his weakness: his inability to walk.”

“That’s...that’s horrible...” Penny said, her body shaking. “I-I can’t believe he would...”

Silence fell upon the room. Cold fear and dread spread throughout, chilling Rudy, Penny, and Snap. Light Rudy crippling Para-Snap like that...especially after he had made some progress, that was just..cruel and heartless. Penny looked over at Rudy and Snap. They had huddled close together. She watched, her heart aching, as they put their arms around each other in a partial hug for support. She went closer to them, knowing they needed some comfort now.

Just like in the other dimension, the relationship between their counterparts here had suffered. It was chilling to think about. They couldn’t believe that Light Rudy would do such a thing. Break Para-Snap’s back just to keep him in the wheelchair.. They could only imagine how broken Para-Snap was when this happened. All his hope of returning to his normal life were shattered that day. He was permanently trapped in that wheelchair, and all because of his so-called friend. That must have been a glow on him emotionally.

“I know this is hard for you to listen to. I can..” Para-Penny bit her lip. “I can stop if you want to.”

“N-No...” Rudy said softly. “Please..continue..”

“Y-Yeah... We want to know what else happened...” Snap said. “We hate this story, but we need to know more about what happened here.”

Para-Penny nodded her head. “Okay then..I’ll continue. Let me know when you don’t want to hear anymore. I’ll understand if you don’t want me to finish.”

“We’ll let you know.” Penny said.

Para-Penny gave a nod of understanding and continued.

“After putting our Snap in the wheelchair for life, our Rudy went to work dominating him. He...was horrible to him. He says that he needed complete obedience and control, and knowing that our Snap had a carefree spirit, energetic and outgoing, he felt that could be a potential threat, that our Snap would leak information. Even though we told him that we wouldn’t tell, he...didn’t trust us and he began to use harsher methods. And with our Snap...he began to abuse him, more so than with me. He wanted to break him mentally so he was easier to control, and he eventually succeeded. Our Snap’s spirit had been shattered for a long time before you three came here. That is why he’s so quiet compared to your Snap. He’s a shattered version of his former self.”

Snap’s eyes turned downward, widening as realization swept through him. “I...I don’t know what to say...”

“You don’t have to say anything.” Para-Penny assured him. “This is a lot to take in...” She paused for a moment and then said, “Do you want to know what the golden braces are really for?”

The trio looked at her. They nodded their heads slowly. Dread filled their minds. Thinking about the golden braces now, they did seem to have some kind of terrible aura to them. And the way Para-Penny brought it up, they had a feeling that they were connected with Light Rudy’s treatment of him. And they turned out to be right.

“Our Rudy put them on him. They, in a way, mark our Snap as his...personal prisoner...” Para-Penny shuddered when she said the last two words. “While he uses the threat of real world liquid to keep most zoners in line, with our Snap, he uses those golden braces. They have light tendrils in them that bind his arms to the chair.” The trio was horrified by this. “Without the ability to use his arms to operate his wheelchair..”

“He’s essentially immobilized...” Rudy finished. “He can’t escape...”

Para-Penny shook her head. “No, he cannot. Whenever our Rudy wants, those golden braces are activated and they keep his arms on the chair. Without being able to go anywhere, or even defend himself, our Rudy can do...well whatever he wants to. Interrogate him, abuse him, break him more....He’s done this a few times to force him to talk.” Para-Penny had a few tears form in her eyes. “I-I try to help him in anyway I could... I tried to remove the golden braces, but they won’t come off. I tried to help him emotionally, but our Rudy is so dominant and abusive to him, more so than with me, that our Snap is...just broken.”

The trio sat there, frozen in horror and disgust. How...how could Light Rudy do all this? How could he treat his friends like crap? How could he...?

The thought was unsettling. It plagued their minds, filling their veins with ice. They shivered, unable to stop. All this information...it was horrible. It wrapped around them in an iron grip, plunging them in an unstoppable horror. This was especially terrible considering the fact that this was a version of Rudy who did all this. It was just like the dark dimension... This Rudy was just as vile, just as twisted as Dark Rudy was. In someways, even worse. Light Rudy paraded around like he was some hero, and the thought disgusted the trio.

Light Rudy had allowed himself to give into his demons. He had adopted a lust for control, a pursuit of violent measures, and he had ripped apart his friendship with Para-Snap and Para-Penny, and for what? To dominate... He had gotten so paranoid about losing control that he was willing to do anything to maintain it, even if it means hurting those who were supposed to be his friends. Both Para-Snap and Para-Penny had been abused by him, and they couldn’t escape. Light Rudy had them on leashes like they were just dogs. And they didn’t doubt he saw them that way, too, on some level.

Penny knew, out of all of them, that Rudy was taking this news the hardest. He valued his friendship with them and his role as ChalkZone’s protector. To be in both of these words, knowing that they both contained a hideous and vile Rudy that had a large body count and metaphorically bloodied hands, she could only imagine how awful he must feel right now. She hoped that he wouldn’t allow these experiences to paint his own future.

As she looked at her two friends with a saddened expression, her mind thought back to what that one Luminos zoner had said. She recalled that he told her about two paths and Rudy being a monster in both...

A lightning bolt flashed in the back of her head as she realized what he was talking about. The Luminos...they must have seen the alternate dimensions somehow. For what purpose, she wasn’t sure, but they must have been talking about Dark Rudy and Light Rudy. Two equally evil Rudys, under different circumstances. Both were corrupted, but in different ways. Dark Rudy was forcibly corrupted, but Light Rudy corrupted himself, which, in her eyes, made him the bigger, far scarier monster out of the two. She wondered if they were going to use these two evil Rudys as a means of convincing ChalkZone that Rudy would become a monster, no matter which path he took.

“Our Snap was not the only zoner that our Rudy made his...personal slave. To a lesser extent, there’s also Skrawl.” Para-Penny said. She paused for a moment, biting her lip. The trio waited for her to speak. “He has given Skrawl a...fate worse than death.”

Rudy took in a few shaky breaths. It was clear he didn’t want to hear anymore, yet he couldn’t bring himself to say ‘stop’. Instead, he pressed for more information. “What did he do to him?”

Para-Penny contorted her face with one that was unreadable, her teeth clenched. Then they could see the fear in her eyes. She glanced down. “You see, he...”

Suddenly there was a loud crash. The wall broke into pieces, chunks of debris flying everywhere. Smoke filled the room. Everyone coughed, trying to catch their breaths. For several seconds, none of them could see anything. The dust blocked their view. When it cleared, the trio and Para-Penny gasped in horror. The trio stepped back while Para-Penny was frozen where she stood.

There, standing just outside of the rubble, was Light Rudy. Next to him, there was what they guessed was a Luminos zoner, glaring harshly at them. A female rhino, looking both hulky and feminine at once. She had some dirt marks on her nasal horn, indicating that she had been the one to tear the wall down. Light Rudy’s eye were narrowed dangerously and his arms were folded up against his chest.

“R-R-Rudy...” Para-Penny said, trembling. “H-How did you...?”

Light Rudy chuckled coldly at this. “Oh my dear Penny, you should know I have ways of..figuring things out.” He peered inside the room and looked around. “I can’t believe I didn’t know about this until now. Quite clever, dear Penny...clever indeed...” He stared at Para-Penny for a moment and said, “Though I admit, keeping this a secret from me...I am very disappointed in you.”

Para-Penny took a step back. Her body shook like a leaf. The trio could see her face paling, a look of horror plastered over it. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come. She was petrified in terror.

“As for how I found out about these...hidden passages, I merely consulted my other.. ‘advisor’...” Light Rudy said. He stepped to one side to reveal Para-Snap.

The crippled zoner looked at the trio and Para-Penny apologetically. His expression was filled with sorrow and regret. “I-I’m sorry... He...He wouldn’t leave me alone..he...”

“Silence!” Light Rudy snarled. The trio watched in horror as he slapped Para-Snap on the head. Para-Snap cringed away from him, looking at him in fear. As Para-Snap whimpered, Light Rudy glared cruelly at him and said, “This is between me....” He looked back at the trio, giving them an intense look that was a mixture of anger and something else they couldn’t understand. “...them..”

Slowly, Light Rudy approached the trio. They took a defensive stance, glaring hatefully at him. They prepared for a fight.

“Now that you three have seen my...lair... Perhaps now is a good time to really talk.”

sss

Bardot watched as the latest victim was taken out of the hospital. He growled softly to himself, his claws tapping impatiently into the ground. Oh how he wanted to tear into that zoner...how how he wanted to cause some kind of bloodshed. But he couldn’t even have the glory of letting these zoners die under natural circumstances. This blasted tortoise was going to make sure he followed through with his promise, and he would have to suck it up.

He felt the turtle’s presence behind him. He sat on his haunches, his head lowered with a disgusted and somewhat pouting look. He could hear Mumbo Jumbo chuckling behind him, sounding clearly amused by all of this. Of course this would be amusing to him. Here he was, a hybrid zoner, a feared individual, going from a dreaded chessmaster of sorts, to being an obedient dog, forced to do whatever the old tortoise wanted.

“This has to hurt.” King Mumbo Jumbo said with a mischevious grin.

Bardot glanced up at him, his ears lowered not in fear, but in disappointment. “More than you know...”

“Well we should go back into the hospital.” Barney said, who was standing a few feet away. “There might be more victims.”

“Oh...” Bardot groaned as he leaned his head back. “Do we have to...?”

Barney looked over at him with a smirk. Though the centipede was still afraid of him, during their multiple traverses through the hospital, he had grown a little more relaxed around him, especially knowing he can’t really hurt him. And of course, probably as both a coping mechanism and as a way to get back at him for what he did, Barney had taken to taunting him a little, much to his chagrin.

“We could stop....if you don’t mind me telling Skrawl about what you did earlier.” Barney said with a mischevious smile.

Bardot stared at Barney for several moments, a partial glare and his mouth open a little. Then he narrowed his eyes further and he grumpled, “I hate you....”

Barney chuckled once and shook his head. “That isn’t going to get you out of this deal. If you didn’t want to help zoners, why did you take the offer?”

“Because I...” Bardot trailed off. He gave an exasperated sigh and got up onto his feet. “Nevermind that. Let’s jut get this over with.” He hung his head low as he walked in front of Barney and Mumbo Jumbo.

They began to move through the hospital once more. This would be the third trip in. They would need to go down a different path, as they already searched the other one pretty thoroughly. That meant going through some thicker debris. But that wasn’t a problem for him and the other two seem to follow him just fine.

Bardot wasn’t happy, at first, that these two zoners insisted on coming with him. He knew that they were only coming to make sure he kept his end of the deal and didn’t abandon any other zoners. But the turtle guy did come in handy at times with his strength, so he guessed he couldn’t complain too much, even if the only reason Mumbo Jumbo helped him was so that the zoners would be safe, not for his sake.

He still sometimes twitched a little from the electric shock he had given himself earlier. He was a little peeved that the king didn’t believe him and he had to hurt himself. But he did understand that it was his own fault anyway. He had not given anyone a reason to trust him. So he shouldn’t really be surprised that he had to actually hurt himself in order to get the king and centipede to understand that he can’t hurt them. He found it sucky that he’s been reduced to this, from having all the power to becoming the one being controlled. How ironic life can be sometimes.

They began to move through a new corridor. This one was on a lower level than they were on before. There appeared to be a lot more collapse there. There was less space to manuever around. Even he, who was the smallest of the three and can slip through tight spaces, had a hard time navigating it. Making their way through was painful and took a lot of time, but they did eventually reach the other side, and they were greated with a second hallway with rows of doors on both sides.

Bardot’s ears lowered at this. He sighed softly. Though he couldn’t tell if there were any more victims for him to...he shuddered, rescue... He had a feeling that he was going to run into more than one victim here. And he was going to have to search all these rooms, too. The two zoners behind him were not going to allow him to shirk his ‘responsibility’. He only paused for a moment to look all around the hallway before moving through it, his green eyes focusing left and right to see any kind of movement. His ears pricked up, trying to hear any sound. Behind him, Barney and Mumbo Jumbo also kept an eye out for any sign of victims.

Suddenly, the floor beneath them started to break. The three zoners froze, feeling the ground beneath them give way. They stared at each other as realization settled in. Before any of them could react, the floor broke and they began to fall down. They let out screams of terror as they fell for several seconds. Bardot looked at their surroundings as they fell. He realized they were falling through a few levels of the hospital. It looked as though something tore through here. There were ledges all around, but they looked distorted and twisted, possibly remnants of a Luminos attack.

King Mumbo Jumbo landed on one of the ledges on the other side. He let out a groan of pain and struggled to his feet. Bardot landed on a somewhat higher ledge on the other side. He laid there for several seconds. To Bardot’s confusion, Barney continued to fall. In a split second, Bardot wondered why the centipede zoner wasn’t flapping his wings. Knowing that he was going to get blamed if he didn’t do something, he lunged forward and grabbed onto one of Barney’s legs.

Soon the centipede was dangling there, his eyes wide with horror. Bardot looked down and saw that there was quite a drop. Part of it wasn’t even the hospital. Just what kind of bomb was this? It did a lot more damage than he thought. It tore through a deep portion of the city’s underground. He held onto Barney as tightly as he could, gripping two of his back legs with his paws. Bardot pressed his back legs against the stone floor, his claws pressing into it. He gritted his teeth as he tried to pull Barney back up.

“You...weigh...more than you...look...” Bardot said through clenched teeth. His tail wriggled in frustration.

Barney glared at him and put his hands on his hips. “Well sorry I don’t work out enough for you.” Bardot shot him an annoyed look.

“Are you okay, Barney?” Mumbo Jumbo called out, his eyes wide with worry.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine!” Barney called out.

Bardot tried his best to pull, but he found it difficult. He didn’t know what this centipede was eating, but it was making pulling him up even harder. “Oh geezus why don’t you fly?!”

“I can’t. My wing muscles are too damaged for flight.” Barney said.

Bardot’s eyes widened and his mouth shut in a blank expression. Then he rolled his head and eyes in an annoyed manner. “Oh of course!” He pulled harder, trying to get the centipede back onto the ledge. “That’s going to make this harder...!”

Mumbo Jumbo put his hands to his mouth and called out, “Swing him over to me!” Bardot and Barney looked down at the king with widened expressions. “Hold onto him and swing him! Then let go! I’ll catch him!”

Barney and Bardot looked at each other, both wondering if the king was serious. Seeing that he was, they both knew there wasn’t much else they could do. Bardot could feel his grip on the centipede zoner slipping. Though he didn’t care if Barney got hurt or not, he knew that he let him get hurt, they could use it against him. He held on tightly and, keeping his back feet firmly planted on the ground, he began to swing Barney back and forth.

With each swing, he moved Barney further ahead and further back, the swings becoming wider. Bardot kept this up. Each time, Barney got closer to his friend. True to his word, Mumbo Jumbo stood there, holding out his arms to catch his friend. Bardot pushed and pulled harder, swinging Barney like he was some kind of living rope. Then, with one final motion, he mustered up as much strength as he could and he threw Barney down.

The orange centipede let out a cry as he was released. Moments later, this stopped when King Mumbo Jumbo grabbed onto him, preventing him from falling further down. Bardot watched was the turtle hoisted his friend onto the torn ledge. Seeing the king give him a look, Bardot, reluctantly, jumped down to join them. Making the jump was easy, although landing wasn’t so much fun. He ended up tripping and rolling on the ground. He ended up with his back end in the air, slowly plopping down and he let out a soft groan.

“Good show.” Mumbo Jumbo said. “You should be an entertainer.”

Bardot sat up onto his haunches and rubbed his head. He moved his paw along his crest and shot the king a glare. “Oh shut up...” He got up onto his feet and looked around. “I wonder what level we are on...”

“It seems the first floor just above the basement.” Barney said, pointing at what appeared to be a map. “If that is to be believed.”

Bardot stared at the map, noting how one area was marked one color, but the rest another. He deduce that the centipede was right and this was the floor they were on. He frowned. They were not on any level with any patients. That meant they would have to climb their way back up. This was going to be a real joy. More quality time with these two. He wanted to gag.

“Okay...let’s get go...” Bardot suddenly tripped on something solid. He grumbled as Barney and Mumbo Jumbo chuckled at his ‘clumsiness’. He got up to his feet and glared at the ground. “Now what could have...”

He took notice of what it was. It was some kind of diary. He realized it was Cosmo’s diary. But...how did it get here? Didn’t that Rudy human have it? Maybe he lost it in the attack? Or someone else had it? Questions flooded his head as he tried to think of just how this book got here. He then shrugged his shoulders. It didn’t really matter now, did it? The point was, it was here. Deciding to take a quick look before they moved on, he pushed the book open to a random page and began to read.

“Hey, no time to read, Bardot.” Mumbo Jumbo said, his hands on his hips. “We need to get going now.”

Barney nodded his head. “If we don’t hurry up, we won’t get to the next victim in time. Let’s hurry up.”

Bardot didn’t respond. His eyes were wide in shock at what he just read. His body shook not in fear, but in disbelief. How...how was this possible? He heard footsteps behind him. He forced himself to tear his eyes away from the diary’s entry. He looked at Barney and Mumbo Jumbo as they approached. His expression remained the same. The two zoners were clearly confused by this and they stared at him with perplexed looks.

“Why do you look like that?” Barney asked. “You look like someone just threatened to rip out your spine or something.”

Mumbo Jumbo stared at the diary. “What’s with the book?” He pointed at it.

Bardot didn’t answer them at first. He stared at them, his eyes widening a little more. He looked back down at the diary and then back at the duo in front of him. Soon his eyes locked onto Barney. He felt a new sensation about this zoner. Something that he thought he’d never feel involving him.

Fear.

Bardot’s ears lowered and he hunched his body low. He took a few steps back away from him, his body shaking. “Y-You....You’re...”

Mumbo Jumbo and Barney looked at each other in confusion. Barney scratched his head while Mumbo Jumbo shrugged his shoulders. They looked back at Bardot, clearly wondering what the heck he’s talking about and why he’s acting this way.

Bardot’s eyes slowly grew big in a mixture of fear and disbelief. Then he spoke the words that would send a cold chill of silece among the three.

“You’re a physical manifestation of the black chalk...”


	72. The Danger From Light

Never once had such a thought cross his mind before. Never before had Rudy considered the idea that he could actually corrupt himself, and by trying to protect ChalkZone at that. If he were asked this in the past, he would have almost laughed at the idea of him turning evil if all he was doing was keeping ChalkZone safe. The idea never once settled in his mind that he could actually become a demonic person without an external corruption source.

He had been wrong. Oh so very wrong...

Here, standing in this hellhole of a dungeon, he was seeing just how likely it is for even the light to become monstrous. All around him were the smells of death, decay, and mournful cries of prisoners in agony. That awful torture machine he and his friends passed before, he could still hear the sparkling of electricity and the whirring of the razor sharp chainsaws. At times, the screams actually got a little louder, tugging at his heart strings. This place was definitely hell, and what chilled him more is the fact that this torturous graveyard of a jail was built and run by himself... a version of himself...

Light Rudy stood right outside the entrance to the hidden room he and his friends were in. The corrupted version of himself had stopped just right outside, placing a foot on the rubble. His eyes bore into theirs. He did not look pleased that they had ventured into his dungeon without his permission. But Rudy didn’t care. This....this monster had lied to them since day one. He had lied about the cure. He had lied about the condition of this place. He had kept his horrendous treatment of the zoners here a secret. He had enveloped this land with his extremely controlling hand, not willing to let the zoners have their freedom, all in the name of ‘safety’.

Not too long ago, Rudy had really believed that Light Rudy accomplished something great. He thought that he had managed to keep ChalkZone even safer than he managed to. He had thought about asking him for help, if they ever had time. But now, seeing this, he was disgusted he ever thought like that. True, the zoners here might be safe from other thoughts, but they weren’t safe from Light Rudy himself. They were treated more like slaves than people, forced into a particular lifestyle and behavior lest they end up tortured and killed. This...this was not a solution. This was not the right way to go. Why can’t his counterpart see that?

He and his friends took defensive stances, remaining there as Light Rudy stared at them. For a few moments, they didn’t say anything. Silence spread across the room, with only a few sounds being noticed, such as breathing or the snorting of the female rhino zoner. The trio had no idea when Light Rudy was going to make a move. The way he was looking at them, how angry he appeared, they briefly wondered if he was going to have them ‘punished’ for following him into his dungeon. Rudy lightly placed a hand across his pocket in preparation. He had almost forgotten about the chalk he brought in earlier. If need be, he’ll use that against Light Rudy.

Then Light Rudy took a step forward. Instinctively, Rudy and his friends took a step back. They gritted their teeth in a mixture of fear and anger. They could feel the tension rising up inside this room. Rudy could practically feel it all around him. The tension was so thick, he could have sworn he could cut out a piece with a knife. Adding to the uneasy tension were the expressions on Para-Snap and Para-Penny’s faces. Looking at them, Rudy couldn’t help but feel his heart tighten. What a horrible life both of them must have led, being controlled by someone they had trusted so much in the past.

Para-Snap looked absolutely terrified. His eyes were bulging, he had tears moving down his face, and he was whimpering softly. Though Light Rudy no longer had his eyes on him, Para-Snap was still in that same posture from before, cringing back away as if he were afraid Light Rudy was going to smack him with an invisible hand or something. Para-Penny’s body was hunched a little. Much like Para-Snap, she was shivering in fear. She was more quiet, but he could still hear her panicked breathing. The reactions from these two told Rudy and his friends one clear message: Light Rudy is not to be fucked with.

But Rudy knew that is exactly what they’ll end up doing. They needed to stand up to this monster. He couldn’t be allowed to get away with all this. Someone had to try to stop him. There had to be a way to beat him. Nobody is truly invincible. Light Rudy might have a grasp on ChalkZone now, but that wasn’t going to last forever. Sooner or later, his control will come crumbling down and he will get what he deserved.

Light Rudy stared at the trio, his eye narrowing further. Then, without warning, that fake kind smile came. It was such a sudden transition it creeped out the trio. In response, Para-Snap and Para-Penny looked even more nervous, as if they knew the sudden smile did not mean they were out of the woods yet. Light Rudy took yet another step forward. Then he spoke, shattering the silence that gripped the room.

“Ah, dear counterparts..” Light Rudy said in a gentle voice. “I am so sorry that we have to meet under such...unpleasant conditions.” He spread his hands and arms outwards as if to indicate all of the dungeon. “I admit, I had no idea that you would stumble upon my...place of business so quickly.”

“Business?! Is that what you call this?!” Penny shouted in disgust.

Light Rudy folded his arms. “Well I can see how you would think that.” He stared intently at Penny, eyeing her up and down. “Someone like you couldn’t possibly understand. Even my Penny has refused to see reason.”

“That’s because she’s not a monster!” Penny snapped at him. “How can you treat them like this? How can you torment them like this?”

Light Rudy stared at her and then shook his head slowly. “I needed to be sure of absolute control. That is the best way to handle things around here. Not that you’d understand.” Light Rudy held up his hand in gesture, indicating the group. “None of you would understand, because you haven’t seen the things I have. I know the way a criminal’s mind works. You give them an edge, and they exploit it. They always go back to crime.”

“That’s not true!” Rudy shouted at him, drawing his counterpart’s attention. “How can you even think that? There are plenty of criminals who turn over a new leaf! Not all of them return back to crime!”

“Oh really?” Light Rudy chuckled. He turned his head to the side and gave a creepy sideways glance to Rudy. “Name me one criminal.”

At first, Rudy couldn’t think of anyone. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Light Rudy smirked at him, looking satisfied. Rudy felt his head begin to hurt as he tried to think of an example to give Light Rudy. Soon, someone did enter his head. There was one criminal he could think of off the top of his head that had changed quite dramatically in the least couple of years.

“Skrawl.” Rudy said. “He’s changed. I told you in our story, remember?” Indeed, they did tell their counterparts about Skrawl and how he had changed since the incident with Mr. Cosmo. Light Rudy blinked his eyes, as if confused that Rudy brought that name up. Rudy added, “He was once a well known criminal that had tried to take over ChalkZone, as I know you’re aware. But he changed in our dimension! He runs his own jail and he helps to catch criminals!”

Light Rudy stared Rudy for a few seconds. His eyes were wide and his expression someone blank, mixed in with surprise. Then his eyes narrowed slowly. The frown that he gave was almost chilling, and Rudy could have sworn he saw some kind of glint in Light Rudy’s eyes. “He is just trying to save his own skin. He wants you to think he’s changed, but he’s really just plotting something big. Once a criminal, always a criminal. You can’t trust them.” Light Rudy gave a smile. Less friendly, but not entirely evil. “That’s why I assigned him a...job of sorts.”

“What have you done with him?!” Rudy demanded, gritted his teeth. “I swear, if you...”

Light Rudy raised his hand up to silence him. He spoke up, “No need for such a...short temper, my dear counterpart.” Rudy growled. Light Rudy just smiled and said, “No need to worry about what happened to dear Skrawl... But if you want a hint of what I did to him, let’s just say that I’m sure if he could still talk, he would be begging for death right now.”

The trio gasped in horror at this. Para-Penny had told them that Light Rudy gave Skrawl a fate worse than death. And now they just got a glimpse of what had happened. Whatever was done to him, it had taken away his voice somehow. And begging for death... That sounded so much like he was in constant pain or discomfort, or both. Poor Skrawl..even as a villain, he didn’t deserve something like that. He didn’t deserve that kind of horrific fate. Whatever Light Rudy did to him...he didn’t deserve it...

“You monster!” Rudy snappe at him, taking a step forward. His hand formed into a fist. “How dare you! How could you do something like that?!”

Light Rudy simply chuckled. “Oh you must be mistaken. You see, I’m not the monster around here.” He began to pace from side to side in front of the trio. He looke at them intently, like he was studying them. “I am the one who takes care of the monsters. It’s just that, to deal with them, any method must be considered. I had no choice but use more extreme measures of control to ensure that no zoner roaming around has a violent tendancy in them.”

“You’ve taken away their freedom!” Snap cried.

“An unfortunate cost of safety, I admit.” Light Rudy said. His expression softened up. The trio couldn’t tell if it was genuine or not. His had some kind of tinge of regret, but it could have been faked. “I’m not entirely happy with some of the choices I’ve made. Believe me, if I could change things around here, I would. But sadly...” He raised his head a little. “That just isn’t going to work. It’s too much of a risk. This method has worked for this dimension for a few years now. It’s much more...efficient.”

“Oh bullshit!” Rudy snapped. Light Rudy stared at him, his eyes wide in surprise. “If you really cared, you wouldn’t be murdering countless zoners! We saw what you did to that jaywalker!” He pointed a finger at Light Rudy. “That was sick and wrong! How could you do something like that to another living person?!”

“I admit my..methods are a bit on the extreme side...” Light Rudy started to say.

“A bit? You’ve went way over the edge! You tortured and killed an innocent zoner!” Penny shouted at him. Her eyes were narrowed into slits. Light Rudy cocked an eyebrow as if he didn’t know what Penny was talking about. “You made him drink vinegar!”

Snap gagged a little when Penny said that. He held onto his stomach, putting a hand over his mouth. He resisted throwing up again. “It was...a horrifying sight...”

Light Rudy merely shrugged his shoulders. “Well he shouldn’t have disobeyed the rules. It was his own damn fault that happened to him.” He held his hands out to his sides in a gesture. “I’m the guardian of ChalkZone. I need to dispell of criminals before they become a threat. Even he knew that.”

Rudy’s eyes blazed in anger. “You....” He couldn’t believe how callous his counterpart had become. He had murdered a zoner in a very graphic and horrific way. And here he was acting like it was no big deal. “How dare you call yourself a guardian... You’re no guardian...”

Rudy started to walk over towards Light Rudy. Slowly, deliberately, he made his way over. His counterpart started at him calmly. He could see Para-Penny in the corner of his eye, trying to wave at him desperately to get away. Though he understood that she was just trying to keep him safe, Rudy was too focused on his disgusting counterpart to really take heed of her warning. Soon, he stood in front of Light Rudy, only about a foot away from him.

Rudy bared his teeth in anger at his counterpart. He couldn’t believe that they were the same person, just in different dimensions. He couldn’t believe that this person was associated with him. No matter what he said or did, it wouldn’t change the fact that this person was Rudy, like him. And the thought disgusted him. The very idea that Light Rudy was himself here, that he had derailed himself so far and turned himself into a monster, and then have the gall to deny himself a monster and act as if he was doing nothing wrong, it was sickening.

Rudy had felt disgust before. He had felt horrified and angered by what criminals did in the past. Cosmo, Draow, Bardot, Jenny, Ghadir, Tyreek...all of them had been horrible and done terrible things. This case, however, was ‘special’, because the monster was himself. He had always heard the phrase ‘your worst enemy is yourself’, and he could see truth in that. He knew, whenever he got to fighting Light Rudy, that it wasn’t going to be easy. Light Rudy was himself, and thus would know his weaknesses. Yet the same was true in reverse.

A realization dawned on him. Was this why he wanted to control him? Was Light Rudy the most afraid of him out of all of them? It was possible that Light Rudy felt that he was going to unravel all of his ‘precious work’ and thus sought to to control him. Light Rudy was so paranoid of losing control, that he even wanted to conquer him, despite him being from another dimension. The alternate dimension thing, according to Para-Penny, was the reason why Light Rudy wanted to control him. Rudy half wondered if Light Rudy thought he was going to come in with an army to take over ‘his’ ChalkZone.

“Do you want to know what you are?” Rudy jabbed a finger against Light Rudy’s shoulder. This shocked Para-Penny and Para-Snap, judging from their horrified expressions. Even Penny and Snap looked unnerved. But Rudy did not remove his finger. Light Rudy stared at him with a slight glare, but said nothing. “You are a murderer! A torturer! A demon! You’re just like Mr. Cosmo! He forced you to kill him so you’d become like him...and that’s exactly what you are! When you look in the mirror, you’ll see Mr. Cosmo being reflected back!”

The room fell silent. Para-Penny and Para-Snap looked at the scene with worry, their bodies shaking in fear. They both had a look that suggested that Rudy just took a step too far. Even the previously vicious rhino zoner looked a little afraid when Rudy had that outburst. Penny and Snap looked at each other, then back at Rudy with a worried expression. Rudy felt his blood slowly getting colder when Light Rudy’s eyes narrowed further, a menacing glint in them. He watched as his counterpart’s lips curled up in a snarl, a soft growl escaping his throat.

Rudy wanted to get away. He wanted to put some distance between him and his counterpart. He could practically feel the anger brimming from this guy’s body. There was a slight tremble to Light Rudy’s body. His pupils shrunk a little. Not too much, but noticeable enough and creepy enough to unnerve Rudy. He removed his finger and he managed to force himself to move back. Light Rudy stared at him, turning his head to the side. Rudy saw his counterpart’s eyes shine for a second, intent clearly showing.

Before Rudy had time to say anything or move further away, Light Rudy raised his hand. In a matter of seconds, Light Rudy formed a fist. He reached over and seized Rudy by his hair. Rudy let out a cry of pain as his head was yanked to the side. Penny and Snap called out his name and rushed over. Before they could get to him, the rhino zoner rushed forward and slammed them against the wall. Rudy tried to twist his head to see if they were okay, but Light Rudy’s grip on him was like a vice. Then his counterpart raised his fist and slammed it hard against his throat, right against the center where his larynx was.

Light Rudy released him and watched as Rudy fell to his knees, giving a strangled cry and a painful gag. Tears moved down Rudy’s face and his heart rate quickened as he struggled to breathe. He fought against the gag reflex that Light Rudy had triggered. Holding onto his neck and gently rubbing it, Rudy coughed a few times. Small bits of red appeared on the ground and he knew it was his blood. He looked up at Light Rudy just in time to see his counterpart raise up his leg and slam the front of his foot against his chin.

His head suddenly tossed back, Rudy flew backwards due to the force. He let out a cry of pain as he slammed against the ground, skidding along on his back. Penny and Snap called out his name, but they were silenced when the rhino covered their mouths with her thick, somewhat leathery hands. Para-Snap was frozen in fear. He watched the scene unfold, still trembling like a leaf. He looked like he wanted to help, but his fear of Light Rudy was holding him back. Para-Penny, on the other hand, though terrified, she rushed over just as Light Rudy prepared to attack Rudy again.

Light Rudy was taken aback when Para-Penny got in front of him, standing protectively in front of Rudy. She had her hands in front of her and waved them from side to side, as if somehow it’ll keep Light Rudy from getting any closer. He looked at her with a surprised expression before slightly narrowing his eyes.

“No please don’t hurt him!” Para-Penny cried out. “He had enough problems already! That disease... y-you can’t...!” She was stopped with Light Rudy seized her by the throat. She gagged and struggled against his grasp. She stared at him with fear-filled eyes.

“Do not interrupt me, dear Penny...” Light Rudy snarled at her in a low voice. He leaned in a little closer. “Or do you need another...lesson...?” Para-Penny’s eyes widened and she struggled harder. Light Rudy smirked at this. “I’ll take that as a no....” Mustering up as much strength as he could, he threw the eighteen year old girl into the ground. He ignored her grunts of pain as he turned his attention back to Rudy. “Now..where were we...?”

Rudy pushed himself up on his hands. He looked up at Light Rudy, a sense of fear growing inside of him. But not just fear, anger too. The way he treated Para-Penny was horrible, and the way he said the word ‘lesson’...it made him wonder just what did he do to her. These ‘lessons’ must have been awful for Para-Penny to react the way she did. And throwing her into the ground like that...how despicable...

He glanced over at his friends. His eyes widened as he saw them being pushed against the wall. It looked as thought they were starting to have some problems breathing. The way the rhino was pushing against them, and the way she had her hands clamped over their mouths, sealing their jaws shut... He had to help them. He attempted to get up, but he found himself thrust back into the ground a second later. A foot pressed firmly against his chest. Rudy looked up and saw his counterpart glaring down at him.

Light Rudy growled at him, “So..you think I’m like Cosmo, don’t you...?” He hissed at him, baring his teeth. Rudy responded by narrowing his eyes and making no attempts to deny his claim. Light Rudy’s eyes looked as though they were starting to glow. “You little maggot! How fucking dare you compare me to that monster! I’m nothing like him!” His voice raised in volume, filled with intense emotion. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll apologize!”

Despite his situation, Rudy refused to comply. “Why should I?”

Light Rudy seethed at this. “Or I’ll...” Light Rudy looked around, looking like he was trying to think of what to respond with. Then his eyes settled on Penny. A creepy smile spread across his face and his eyes brightened. “I’ll just have a little fun with your girlfriend there.”

Rudy’s heart skipped a beat. “P-Penny?”

“Yes..” Light Rudy nodded. He paused for a moment, then he said, “And I think I’ll toy with your blue friend, too.”

“No! Don’t hurt them!” Rudy cried out. “Leave them out of this!”

Light Rudy chuckled coldly. He turned his attention to the rhino zoner. He lifted up his fingers and snapped them. In moments, the rhino dragged Penny and Snap over by their arms, uncaring if she hurt them or not. She threw them into the ground next to Rudy and Light Rudy. They let ot groans of pain and started to get up onto their feet. Light Rudy watched them and got out his magic chalk. The two got to look at it only for a few seconds before something unexpected happened.

The magic chalk glowed and, without warning, several light tendrils grew out of it. The sight of this shocked the trio. Their eyes widened, having never seen something like this before. Since when did the magic chalk have this capability? They didn’t have long to think about it as the tendrils shot out towards Penny and Snap. At lightning speed, they wrapped around them and lifted them into the air. Light Rudy smirked at them, holding them straight up in the air. The two tried to struggle to get free, but the binds were too tight.

Light Rudy glanced down, his sick smile broadening when he saw Rudy look at him in horror and shock. “Surprised?” Rudy nodded his head just barely. Light Rudy grinned at this. “I knew you would be, my dear counterpart. You don’t know the full potential of the magic chalk.” He looked up as Penny and Snap struggled. “You see, using more...appropriate measures of dealing with crime has allowed me to learn some....new tricks...”

“Let them go! Please!” Rudy begged him. He tried to get his magic chalk, but as if knowing what would happen, Light Rudy stomped down on his hand. Rudy let out a cry of pain. He said in a barely audible voice. “P-Please release them..”

“I will...after you apologize to me.” Light Rudy said. He stared into Rudy’s eyes, his grin broadening. “Take back what you said about me being like Cosmo...and I’ll let your friends go.”

“I...” Rudy started to say.

“I’ll let you think about it. In the meantime...” Light Rudy gave a smirk up at Penny and Snap. The look he gave them caused them to shiver. “I’ll just...play with your friends.” Rudy’s eyes widened as his counterpart started to flex his arm. “Let the lesson...begin!”

With that, Light Rudy began to thrust his arm around. The tendrils, due to the force, yanked on Penny and Snap. They let out screams of pain as they were slammed against the wall. They were then thrown back into the air and they collided with the ceiling. Then they were thrown into the ground with a heavy thud. Each time they collide with the hard surface, they screamed. They tried to get free, but the more they struggled, the tighter the tendrils wrapped around them. Light Rudy took to twirling them in the air like they were just some sort of flag before throwing them against the ground again.

Rudy watched this scene in absolute horror. Tears streamed down his face as he called out their names. He shuddered as Light Rudy gave him a grin before slamming his friends against the wall and began to drag them along, their bodies scraping against the concrete. Rudy struggled to get free. He tried to yank his hand from underneath Light Rudy’s foot, but his counterpart squashed against it further, making him wince in pain, especially when Light Rudy twisted his foot against his hand, causing more agony. Unable to get up, he was forced to watch this scene with wide, terrified eyes.

Neither Para-Penny nor Para-Snap stepped up to help. Rudy thought it was because they were too afraid. Light Rudy had clearly traumatized them both, giving them both a deep seated fear of him. But when he looked over at them, he realized that another reason had come into play. He hadn’t noticed this earlier, but the rhino zoner had dragged Para-Penny to Para-Snap and she was holding onto the two, preventing them from helping even if they wanted to. At this, Rudy realized that he was entirely on his own.

His heart tugged every time he heard that thud, knowing that his friends were getting badly beaten up. His friends screamed every time they hit the ground, and each scream sounded more painful and more desperate. His mind raced, trying to think of a way out of this. His legs kicked against the ground, trying to hit against Light Rudy, but his counterpart had moved to the side, preventing this as an option.

After another crash, Snap cried out, “Rudy!”

“Snap!” Rudy shouted back. “Penny!” His breathing quickened as he saw the bruises that were forming on them. He looked up at his counterpart pleadingly. “Put them down! Please! I-I beg of you!”

Light Rudy sneered at him. “If you want me to release your friends..” Another slam, another scream. “Apologize to me...”

Rudy stared at him, his mouth open. He looked up at his friends. He watched in horror as they were continuously beaten against the ceiling, ground, and wall. And each slam sounded like his counterpart was slowly using more force. Rudy jerked his body from side to side, trying to free himself. He grunted in pain when Light Rudy slammed his foot against his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

“Say you’re sorry!” Light Rudy snarled. “Or I will beat your friends to death!”

“No!” Rudy cried in horror.

Light Rudy slammed his friends against the ceiling and then against the ground. He dragged them along, ignoring their cries of pain as he sneered at Rudy, a nasty grin that told Rudy that he only had one option. Rudy’s heart pounded against his chest as he took in quick breaths. He stared in horror as his friends were repeatedly dragge along the ground, blood starting to form from the deep scrapes they were getting. Just how much more of a beating could they take...?

He looked up at Light Rudy, clenching his teeth in fear. His blood boiled in hatred for this guy. How could he be so cruel...? His blood also, at the same time, chilled every time he heard his friends scream. He..he had to something. As much as he hated to do it, there was really only one thing he could to do to save them.

“I-I’m sorry..” Rudy said, his voice soft.

“What’s that?” Light Rudy cupped his hand to his ear. “I can’t hear you.” When Rudy didn’t answer quickly enough, Light Rudy threw Penny and Snap against the ground again, prompting howls of agony from both of them.

In desperation, Rudy screamed, “I’m sorry!” Light Rudy froze as he was prepared to strike his friends into the ground once more. He looked down at Rudy with a small, nasty smile on his face. “I-I take it back... I’m sorry I said you were like Cosmo! I was wrong!” Rudy felt disgusted with himself that he had to say this, but it was either this or watch his friends die. “I’m so sorry! Please... Stop hurting my friends...”

Light Rudy smirked at him. “There...that wasn’t so bad, now was it?” He lowered Penny and Snap to the ground gently, but he did not release them. Light Rudy took a step back, releasing Rudy only for a few seconds. Light tendrils wrapped around Rudy and held him up in the air. Light Rudy smiled darkly as Rudy hung his head. “I hope you take this lesson to heart, dear boy. We wouldn’t want another...accident...now do we...?”

Rudy glared hatefully at Light Rudy. His eyes shined with anger. He felt his blood boiling over. There was so much he wanted to say to Light Rudy. So many colorful words he could use against him. The only thing stopping him was his friends’ safety. He feared that if he said anything more against Light Rudy, he would finish the job and kill Penny and Snap. They were already badly beaten as it was. They couldn’t afford anymore harsh attacks like that. Light Rudy chuckled at his lack of a response, apparently taking it as some form of surrender.

“Wh-What are you going to be doing with them?” Para-Penny asked in a soft voice.

Light Rudy turned and looked at her. He gave her a soft glare that caused her to gulp and step back. “Don’t you worry about these three. It is yourself you should be concerned with. Keeping these tunnels a secret from me is a felony.” Para-Penny’s body shook harder at this. Light Rudy then smiled. “But I’ll let it slide...” His eyes narrowed. “But just this time. If I find any more misconducts by you or Snap..” When his gaze met Para-Snap’s, the crippled zoner shivered and emitted low cries of fear. “..I’ll ensure that you both get the same treatment as any prisoner around here.”

“Y-You would do that to your own friends?!” Rudy growled at him. “Or are they even your friends now?”

Light Rudy glared at him. “Watch your tongue, boy. Or did you forget your lesson already?” Rudy fell silent, but his eyes remained narrowed. Light Rudy continued, “No one is exempt from the rules, not even those two.” He gave a sideways glance to Para-Penny and Para-Snap. “As much as it would hurt me to do it, if they disobey me again or if I find out they’ve been doing something else in secret, I will have to punish them. No exceptions.”

Rudy growled at this. Light Rudy didn’t care about his friends. His stomach churned when his counterpart blatantly lied like that. If he really cared for Para-Penny and Para-Snap, he wouldn’t treat them the way he does. He isn’t even treating them like people. He is treating them like slaves, and he has them both on leashes, in fear of him. This isn’t the way friends act towards one another. Light Rudy was a sick, twisted person, and as much as he’d love to chew him out for how he was treating them, he held his tongue in fear of making things worse.

Light Rudy said, “I’ll be escorting you three to your holding cell.” He sent a light tendril up to grab Rudy’s magic chalk. “I’ll be hanging onto this so you can’t escape. You will stay in the holding cell until you only have twenty minutes left. At that point, I will have a way to control you completely, dear counterpart. You will submit to me, just like everyone else here has...”

“You’re crazy if you think I’ll listen to you...!” Rudy growled at him.

Light Rudy chuckled, his shoulders shaking. “Oh my dear counterpart, I know you are going to be hard to..break. But with time running out and you close to death...” Rudy’s eyes widened a little at this. “..I don’t think you’ll have much of a choice. I can’t have any unknown factors in my world, regardless of alternate dimension or not. Soon or later, counterpart..” Light Rudy’s voice became softer, a whisper, as he lowered Rudy to him and put his face close to his. “...you...will...be...mine...”

“Rudy won’t listen to you!” Penny snapped, struggling against her binds.

“Yeah!” Snap shouted. Despite their pain, he and Penny were struggling. “He’ll never bow down to the likes of you!”

Light Rudy glared at them, and then smiled as the light tendrils wrapped around their mouths, silencing them. “I’m afraid you underestimate me. I can make anyone bark on command for me...metaphorically speaking. You have no idea how much control I have...”

The trio glared hatefully at him, not bothering to answer. Para-Penny looked at the trio sympathetically, a silent apology in her eyes. She tried to move forward, but a twist of her wrist from the rhino forced her to stay. Para-Snap didn’t try to move. It wasn’t like he could do anywhere with one of his arms gripped by the rhino zoner.

Light Rudy turned his attention to Rudy. “You have such a strong spirit... It will certainly be fun breaking it.”

Rudy’s eyes widened at this, then narrowed. “What kind of sick ‘hero’ are you, breaking spirits like that?”

Shrugging, his counterpart replied, “It allows me more control. And the more control I have, the more protection I can provide.” Rudy gritted his teeth at this. Light Rudy continued, “Don’t think I don’t have the means of tearing down your spirit. Snap here was a fiesty one as well...” Light Rudy walked over to the crippled zoner. As he got closer, the zoner’s whimpers got louder, his body shook harder, and he cringed away from Light Rudy. “I managed to turn him into my personal...pet...”

Penny and Snap’s eyes widened in horror at this. Disgust was clearly in their eyes. Rudy looked at Light Rudy the same way. How could he do such a thing? How could he reduce his friend into some kind of ‘pet’? How could he tear him down that far?

They watched as Light Rudy gently ran his hand along the back of Para-Snap’s head, petting him like he were some kind of dog or cat. Para-Snap whimpered and cried, clearly not liking Light Rudy’s touch. The trio were horrified by this dehumanizing behavior towards Para-Snap. Para-Penny hadn’t been lying when she said he was a shadow of his former self. The trio could hardly recognize the frightened and broken zoner before them. Nearly all of his spirit had been shattered.

Giving Para-Snap a couple of gentle pats on the head as if he were rewarding him for doing some trick, Light Rudy began to head down the tunnel. He looked behind him and stared at the rhino zoner. “Take my two ‘advisors’ to their room. I want to have a word with them later on.”

The rhino zoner nodded and started to escort Para-Penny and Para-Snap down the hallway. Light Rudy followed, dragging the trio with him, still held in the light tendrils. He began to take them through the dungeon to place them in a holding cell.


	73. You Weren't Expecting Me, Were You?

The smell of death and decay hung strongly in the air. They invaded Rudy’s nostrils and he tried to push it out. He tried so hard to ignore the smell, but he found that it was impossible. Like his friends, he grimaced at the horrific scent that seemed to permanentl permeate through this dungeon. And the further down they went, the stronger it seemed to get.

The smell didn’t seem to bother Light Rudy. No surprise. Considering he runs this horrific mockery of a jail, he must have gotten used to the smell of rotting zoners, ones that he had slaughtered mercilessly all in the name of ‘justice’. The more he learned about Light Rudy, the more he sees him do, the more Rudy really wanted to punch him in the face. Light Rudy was sick and twisted, and he can’t believe the monster still has the gall to call himself a guardian.

Up until the rhino took the two down a different path, Rudy had, once in a while, looked at Para-Penny and Para-Snap. He felt so horrible for them. Someone whom they had previously called ‘friend’ had been tormenting them, along with the rest of ChalkZone. They were being controlled and manipulated, treated like slaves. Rudy wished he could do something to help them. But what could he do? These two were abused for years by Light Rudy, and he himself was only going to be here a little while longer. What could he do in that short amount of time to help them?

He still didn’t want to just do nothing. This wasn’t like the dark dimension, where everything was pretty much already destroyed by the time they got there. Here, there was still a chance to make a difference. There was still hope that things could be turned around. They needed to find a way to take down Light Rudy, remove him from his position of power. Most zoners were afraid of him, and once Light Rudy is stripped of his influence over them, the zoners would retaliate. Light Rudy’s abuse of them would bite him back and he will learn just how wrong he had been all this time.

Rudy hoped that, if or when Light Rudy is stopped, that Para-Penny and Para-Snap are both able to recover emotionally. He hoped that they begin to repair their broken spirits, regain their confidence, and help heal ChalkZone. He hoped that they would find a way to make Light Rudy pay for what he has done to ChalkZone, force him to own up to the horrific mistakes he’s made.

Out of the two, he was most worried for Para-Snap. It seemed like his spirit was shattered more thoroughly and deeper than Para-Penny’s. He was treated like some sort dog. Seeing Light Rudy pet Para-Snap the way he had, seeing Para-Snap’s fearful reaction...it was sickening. It reminded Rudy a lot of Mr. Cosmo, who pulled a similar thing on Snap as a way to show how lowly he thinks of him. Light Rudy really was like Mr. Cosmo. Rudy wished that Light Rudy would come to see that, but seeing how far gone he was already, he doubted that Light Rudy would acknowledge it.

“I have to wonder...” Light Rudy’s voice permeated through the darkness. Rudy glared down at him as his counterpart gave him an upwards glance. “Just...how did you three figure out about this dungeon’s...security method?”

Rudy and his friends stared at him in confusion. Security measures? What was this guy talking about? They hadn’t really noticed anything like that. Maybe security cameras, but that was more or less a given in a place like this. From the sound of it, Light Rudy was referring to something else. But what?

Light Rudy stared at them. He narrowed his eyes as if he was getting annoyed by their lack of a response. He turned his head away and continued to walk down the tunnel. The smell of death was becoming even stronger now. The trio wondered if Light Rudy, just to be sadistic, was going to put them close to an area where he killed a lot of zoners. Perhaps to drive them mentally insane and try to break them.

“Not talking, eh? No matter...I’ll figure out how you figured out my real world water defense.” Light Rudy said.

The trio’s eyes widened at this. Real world water defense? How...how was that possible? And just what kind of defense was he talking about? How was using real world water ‘defensive’? He must really be twisted and so far out there to think that using real world water was a sensible defense mechanism. Then again, this was the same guy who used real world vinegar to punish a zoner for jaywalking, so they wouldn’t really put it past him.

“Perhaps my Penny and my Snap told you... They are aware of the security system here.” Light Rudy said as-a-matter-of-factly. “I imagine during your little... ‘stay’ with my Penny, she had mentioned the security system here, did she not?” The trio didn’t respond. “Either that, or my Snap told you...” After a few moments of silence, Light Rudy glanced back up at them. “I’ll find out eventuall, and once I do, I’ll incorporate that into the defense, to ensure that no outsider knows how to break in. You see...” He tilted his head a little. “There is good reason why I never let any prisoners go...”

“We saw no real world water, though.” Penny spoke up, catching Light Rudy’s attention. He narrowed his eyes up at her as she continued, “The only real world liquid we saw was that vinegar you murdered that zoner with.” There was a bit of bitterness to her voice when she said those last few words.

Light Rudy shook his head. “I did not murder him. I just dished him some justice...that’s all...” He held out his hand in gesture. “Is that so wrong?”

The trio didn’t bother to answer him, knowing he would just twist what they say and through it right back at them. It was sickening listening to this guy talk about justice and doing what was right, when in fact he was doing anything but. He was a monster, and he is trying to pretend that he isn’t. He dishes out horrific torture for the most minor offenses. That isn’t what a guardian should do. A guardian was meant to protect. All Light Rudy was doing was spreading fear among the populace.

In Light Rudy’s mind, control is what was top priority. Everything else, including fairness and freedom, came second. He believed control was the only way to protect, and he was abusing and milking that control for all it was worth. It was clear this guy was just paranoid, shown by how desperately he wants to control them, individuals from another dimension. Light Rudy sees them as a threat, and he is dealing with them the way they feel he dealt with any other thing he found threatening: by trying to control them.

“If you three really didn’t know about the real world water defense..” Light Rudy said. Using his free hand, he rubbed a finger on his chin thoughtfully. “..then you are pretty intelligent. Yes...it would be...quite an amazing feat if you managed to go through the first part of the dungeon without triggering the defense, if you didn’t know about it in the first place.”

Rudy stared at him in confusion. He narrowed his eyes. “Just...what are you talking about?”

“Yeah...” Snap asked, “How did this security thing with the water work?”

Light Rudy smirked up at them. “It’s really quite simple...” He gave a light chuckle. “I have found a way to...set up quite an interesting defense. You see...” He lifted up his head, his eyes glinting. “...the tunnel that I’m sure you three followed me in... Without light, real world water emerges from...well everywhere.”

The trio’s eyes widened in horror at this. They looked at each other, exchanging nervous looks with one another. They tried to imagine what Light Rudy was talking about. Just..how had he managed to do something like that? How did he build it? Did he force Para-Penny to? Or some innocent zoner?

Light Rudy briefly closed his eyes. “I see you three are genuinely shocked..I guess you really didn’t know.” He reopened his eyes and smirked up at them. “I guess you three are smarter than I give you credit for...” He chuckled as he watched the trio, one by one, give him a look of hatred. He merely shrugged his shoulders, as if he was doing nothing wrong. “But yes, I have it set up that way. It’s a...secret, to take the prisoners by surprise. Without at least a soft light, most of this dungeon would ooze real world water. It wasn’t easy to upgrading the castle’s dungeon to be like this..” His eyes glinted again, a hint of insanity in them. “..I think it was worth it, don’t you?”

“You monster!” Rudy snapped at him. Light Rudy glared at him. “How could you...”

“Oh shut up!” Light Rudy growled at him. “Spare me another of your petty speeches, counterpart.”

Rudy and his friends clenched their teeth at this. The way Light Rudy was so dismissive like that... It boiled their blood. He really would not listen to reason. If they tried to show how wrong he was, he would just chew it up and spit it back out. His mechanism of stopping zoners, using real world water, not telling them that it was there...that was horrible. How could he do something like that? That was a question they found themselves asking a lot. It just shocked them at how far gone this Rudy really was.

A cold chill went up their spine as they realized that Snap could have been horrifically hurt if they didn’t get that light going in time. If what Light Rudy said was true, then if they were in the dark for too long, the real world water would have damaged Snap. And if they didn’t hurry, it would have killed him. They really were lucky that they got a light going and stayed within that light.

Light Rudy turned left and headed down a new corridor. This one was a little thinner than the others and, much to the horror of the trio, had a few blood stains on the wall. Light Rudy noticed their expressions of horror and chuckled. “Judging from your expressions, during your little... ‘exploriating’ my dungeon...” The trio grimaced at his use of Snap’s word for exploring, and the tone of voice he used when he said it. “...you three haven’t been down here. Oh are you in for a real treat...”

The trio shuddered at his ice laughter. As they went further down, they could hear soft cries and moans. They didn’t see anyone yet, but they could hear them. Scraping against the walls, calling out for death, pleading to have it all be ended for them. Listening to this sent cold horror through the trio’s spines. What kind of place was this? Although they didn’t hear the whirring of a torture machine, the air around here felt as oppressive and terrifying as that other room they ran through before.

“This is where I place zoners who directly question my rule.” Light Rudy explained. “I cannot allow such zoners to roam free and spread their poison. This is where I break them down. Keeping them in total isolation works wonders. Even if they can hear each other, with no physical contact with another, the zoners...breakdown mentally.” Light Rudy gave a small smile at this. The trio looked at him in disgust. “They become easier to control... and after that, they’re taken to a holding cell where they’ll never be released. Some of them I do kill...depending how much of a violation they made.”

“You’re sick!” Penny snarled at him. “How could you do this?!”

“Easy, dear...” Light Rudy said, not bothering to look at her. “I just tell myself it’s for the good of ChalkZone. Believe me, it’s amazing what you’re able to do once you convince yourself that what your doing would benefit the most people.”

“But...but you’re not benefitting anyone but yourself!” Rudy’s eyes were narrowed into slits. “How can you go around pretending to be some guardian when you are doing nothing but oppressing these zoners?!” Even though he knew it wouldn’t do him much good, Rudy struggled against his binds, hoping that, by some miracle, he would get free. “How is any of this fair? How is any of this justice?”

“You’ve become quite delusional, boy...” Light Rudy glared up at him. “You’re so stuck up i your fantasy land that you have almost forgotten what reality is.” The trio growled at this. How dare Light Rudy act like he isn’t the delusional one. “You’re so short-sighted. That was my problem before. I only looked at short term problems; never the longer term ones. Well I changed all that, and thanks to my actions, ChalkZone hasn’t suffered nearly as much as I’m sure yours does...”

Rudy hissed at him. “At least I’m not oppressing the zoners! At least they actually feel safe around me!”

“Yeah... But how much more danger has your ChalkZone been in, dear counterpart?” Light Rudy asked. Rudy didn’t answer, instead just glaring at him. “From what you told me, things are still going wrong there. And you want to know why? It’s because you’re too weak and soft. You think that you can keep ChalkZone safe by being kind and gentle with everyone. Oh how wrong you are...” Light Rudy’s twisted smile spread across his face. “You think you’re such a great guardian, that you are able to stop all threats...but with how soft and squishy you are, you will eventually be torn down. Someone, whether it be zoner or creator, will stop you, and unless you step up your game, you will not be able to defeat them.”

Rudy’s eyes slowly widened as his counterpart spoke. Though he was trying his best not to allow his counterpart’s words to get to him, he couldn’t stop the stinging feeling in his heart. Light Rudy was striking at him mentally now. He tried to fight it off, but Light Rudy kept speaking to him, his voice permeating through his mind. And it was clear Light Rudy was enjoying this.

“I’ll understand if you feel like a failure, dear counterpart. I felt like that after I made some..mistakes of my own.” Light Rudy said in a somewhat taunting voice. “You can criticize the way I run things here all you want to. But in the end, you cannot deny it got results. If you stay here long enough, you’ll notice that nearly no crime is committed here and nearly no zoner acts hostile to another. I’m sure that’s much more than I can say about your dimension’s ChalkZone.” He shrugged his shoulders, holding up his free hand in gesture. He closed his eyes softly with that disturbing smile on his face.

“B-But I...” Rudy started to say. He couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Oh I’m sure you try your hardest. Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure you do whatever you can to help...” Light Rudy opened his eyes and sneered at Rudy. “But end results speak quite loudly... And with all the danger your ChalkZone has been in..tell me...counterpart... Just how much of a guardian are you? You try so hard...and yet look at all the danger your ChalkZone ended up in... You say I’m no guardian...but isn’t that being hypocritical? A true guardian is able to keep everyone safe. And when you compare our two dimensions’ results, when you see that I have been able to keep my ChalkZone from suffering as many attacks...”

Rudy felt his heart start to pound. Light Rudy stared at him intently as they walked down the smelly corridor.

“What does that say about you...?” Light Rudy said coldly, giving him a smile made of ice.

Rudy felt his mind go numb. He felt as though the walls around him were starting to close in. He felt his heart beat a little faster. He felt an uncomfortable sensation in his chest, making him feel a little nauseaous. Light Rudy’s words echoed in the back of his mind, refusing to let him go. He knew it was bullshit. He knew he shouldn’t listen. He couldn’t fall for Light Rudy’s mind games. He couldn’t allow him to manipulate him like that. This was how Mr. Cosmo tried to control him. He..he couldn’t let it happen again.

And yet, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t push the uncomfortable feelings aside. His mind flashed with memories of what happened to their ChalkZone. He recalled the events that happened with Draow and Bardot, those death traps he made and the zoners that wound up hurt because of them. He remembered the recent incidents with the black chalk artists, and the Luminos. The damaged hospital and all those innocent zoners hurt, maybe even dead...

Could...could Light Rudy be right, to an extent? Was he really failing as a guardian for ChalkZone? Rudy tried to push those feelings aside, but they wouldn’t leave him. His body started to shake with emotion, that cold feeling rushing through his body. The realization that Light Rudy might have made a point was starting to hit home. He wanted to say something in his defense, but all he could do was hang there, his eyes and mouth wide open as he tried to contemplate what he heard. He couldn’t let himself be manipulated, and yet he couldn’t think of what to say to counter what Light Rudy said. And this brought a satisfied, disgusting smirk on his counterpart’s face.

“I see you are at a loss for words, my dear counterpart... I had a feeling you would be.” Light Rudy sneered at him. “In all your talk of me not being a true guardian, how I am doing things wrong, how I am oppressing the zoners, you fail to realize what went on in your own dimension. Sure my methods aren’t..the greatest... But they got better results than you did. The zoners in here are, more or less, safer than they would be in your dimension. You think you’re so much better...but look who is pulling the strings now. Look at whose dimension suffered the fewest attacks. Look at it, dear counterpart... Look at it....”

“Leave him alone! You’re wrong! You have no idea what you’re talking about!” Snap shouted, interrupting Light Rudy. “He’s a bigger guardian than you will ever be! He hasn’t lost sight of what being the protector of ChalkZone is all about! Sure, our ChalkZone may suffer from more attacks compared to yours, but at least the zoners in our ChalkZone are willing to help our Rudy! At least he doesn’t need to resort to barbaric measures to assistance whenever he does need help!”

“You’re disgusting!” Penny chimed in, backing up Snap. “Your ChalkZone might be safer, but at what cost? You destroyed the spirits of almost everyone here! You force them into some form of slavery, forcing them into a life you dictate for them! You make them live in constant fear and distress! The slightest slip-up and you go nuts and murder them! In the end, it’s not that much safer...you are the current threat to this ChalkZone! You are the danger, and you are too blind to see that!” She twisted once to the right. “And that is what seperates our Rudy for you! He admits his mistakes. You run from them like a coward!”

“Oh really now?” Light Rudy stopped in his tracks. He glanced up at Penny and Snap. Rudy and Snap watched, in horror, as Light Rudy lowered Penny towards him. He placed her a foot in front of him. His green eyes bored into her deep brown ones. He reached out and cupped her chin. Penny twisted her head away and attempted to bite him in self defense. Light Rudy pulled his hand way. “My...you have quite the energetic spirit to you... Much like what my Penny used to have...”

Rudy, having now fully snapped out of his mental lock, tried to struggle to get free. Snap attempted to do the same thing. Their struggles increased as they saw Light Rudy get closer to Penny. They watched as their friend tried to lean back away from him, twisting her head away as Light Rudy caressed her cheek gently. Just what was he planning on doing with her?

Penny, clearly not liking his touch, managed to bite him. Light Rudy’s eyes widened and he let out a yelp of pain. He pulled his arm back as hard as he could, trying to wrench his hand free. Penny refused to let go. Finally, Light Rudy managed to make her let go by lowering her a little further and kicking her in her damaged let. Penny cried out in pain, letting Light Rudy yank his hand back. Light Rudy examined the damage, noting a bit of a bruise starting to form. Then he turned his attention back to Penny.

“So you managed to do a little damage to me...” Light Rudy said softly. He chuckled. “Well for that, I must commend you... No one has..been able to do that to me in nearly all my time as ruler here. Congratulations...” Penny bared her teeth at him. Light Rudy leaned his head a little closer, turning it to the side. “Too bad I’ll have to snuff out that spirit...”

“What are you going to do to her?” Rudy demanded once he found his voice.

“Exactly what I did to my Penny to...keep her under control...” Light Rudy replied.

“What..” Penny started to say, her eyes narrowed. Light Rudy glanced over at her. “..What did you do to my counterpart?”

Light Rudy didn’t reply. He just stared at Penny for a few seconds. Then he slowly smiled. A twisted smile more disturbing than anything they’ve ever seen before. His teeth were exposed in this nasty grin of his. His eyes had a glint to them, one with hidden promise and...something else. At first, the trio was confused, but the longer Light Rudy continued to stare at Penny like this, the more they began to understand just what he was saying. Slowly, Penny’s eyes widened in horror, her mouth dropping open. Her face seemed to lose a shade or two and she leaned back away from Light Rudy.

Terror and dread filled Rudy and Snap’s hearts as the realization of just what Light Rudy did to Para-Penny dawned on them. He..he couldn’t have done something like...that..could he? And now he was going to use this same method on Penny...? No..they couldn’t allow it. They weren’t going to let this monster break their friend like that. They struggled harder against their binds.

“No! Don’t you fucking dare!” Rudy yelled at his counterpart, his voice filled with venom. “Get the fuck away from her!”

“If you touch her, I swear, I’ll...!” Snap snarled, his teeth gritted in hatred.

Light Rudy just laughed at the two’s attempts at stopping him. He stared at them for a few seconds and then turned to Penny. Grinning nastily, he reached out for her again. Penny, though afraid, growled at him, making it clear that she was going to bite him again if he put his hand too close. Light Rudy ignored her, continuing to reach out for her.

Suddenly, there was a cracking sound. Everyone froze where they were, their eyes widening at the sudden sound. Even Light Rudy was shocked, indicating to the trio that, whatever was about to happen, Light Rudy had nothing to do with it. They looked over to where the source of the sound was. It took them a little while, but eventually they found where the sound was coming from.

There, a few feet in front of Light Rudy, they could see something moving. Something long and thin. A whirring sound could be heard, and in seconds, something tall and grey showed up. It appeared to be some kind of needle with two joints. It appeared to beep a little and it was spinning around in a circle. Then what appeared to be some kind of dish appeared around it’s ‘neck’ and it stopped, pointing straight at Light Rudy. Then something unexpected happened.

Giving a series of beeps, the thing suddenly blasted forward, almost like a gun. Something thin and sharp plunged into Light Rudy’s upper left arm. The evil counterpart let out a scream of pain, releasing Rudy and his friends and dropping to his knees. The light tendrils suddenly not wrapped around them anymore, the three friends dropped to the ground suddenly, hitting hard against the ground. They shook their heads and pushed themselves up. They looked over at Light Rudy, confusion settling in their heads.

The needle that shot into Light Rudy’s left arm was twisting around, ripping into his flesh. Light Rudy screamed in pain, his eyes widening in horror as his own blood was being splattered on the ground. As he staggered to the side, hitting against the wall, there was a loud creak from somewhere around them. The trio looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. With all the distressful sounds from the zoners here, and Light Rudy’s screaming, they couldn’t make out the exact location of this new scraping sound.

Then, without warning, something else seemed to explode. This time, it wasn’t the needle shooting itself again. There was some kind of smoke being delivered into the room. Light Rudy’s screams soon transformed into coughs. The trio started to cough as well, tears brimming in their eyes as they struggled to breathe. Their vision began to blur and they barely registered when something grabbed onto them and yanked them down below.

Enveloped in darkness, the trio were so groggy and out of it that they could only give weak screams as they were being dropped down through what felt like an underground shaft or tunnel. They bounced against the walls, scrappin against them, their minds swirling from the gas. And then, suddenly, there was bright white light, causing them to shut their eyes and turn away. They flew out of this opening and sailed through the air. They landed on the ground in a loud thud and, seconds later, they passed out.

sss

At first, all Snap could see around him was blackness. No sign of any light. Just darkness, an empty void surrounding him. He was confused and he had no idea where he was or what happened. He remembered something about Light Rudy, but how he got here was a blur.

Then a voice called out to him from the darkness.

“Hey, wake up!”

Snap’s mind whirred a little as he tried to think of who that voice belonged to. Something about it was familiar, yet he couldn’t quite put his hand on it. The voice seemed to come from all around him, and was echoy. Was he in some kind of cave or something? Had he fallen through a hole in the ground?

Snap’s muggy mind started to register a few things. He could feel he was laying against something cold and hard. Still nothing but blackness. A shard of a memory came back to him. He recalled that he had fallen down somewhere. He remembered the sudden rush his body felt as it was flung down some kind of long tunnel. What happened to get him in that position? How did he and his friends end up in that tunnel?

“Oh come on, open your eyes now, you little blue runt!”

The voice came again, harsher and more irritated than before. But despite it being clearer, Snap still couldn’t recognize the voice. It irritated him not knowing. Whoever was calling him either didn’t like him too much or was simply losing his patience. It being a masculine voice was the only thing he could really determine.

Then he felt someone grab his shoulders. He was suddenly shaken back and forth. His eyes began to flutter open, letting in the light that started to devour the darkness. Burred colors and fuzzy shapes began to flood his vision. He could hear the voice calling out to him again, demanding that he wake up. Soon, pain from his previous injuries registered, and he started to groan as the figure kept shaking him.

“...h-hey...stop that...” Snap managed to say, his voice pained. To his relief, the figure stopped shaking him, but his hands were still on his shoulders. Snap rubbed his head. “Oy caloy...what happened...?”

“Well since you’re actually conscious now, I can tell you.” The figure said, his voice sounding a little less muddled to Snap’s ears. “I saw you three head into the dungeon and I knew something bad would come of it, so I hatched a plan to get you three out of there.” Through Snap’s blurred version, the figure, who seemed to have a lot of red on them, stood proudly. “And in case you’re wondering how I managed to, well, you forget who I am! Master of illusions! The king of surprises! Having all those concerts and learning all those tricks really paid off, wouldn’t you say, dear boy?”

Snap sat up, groaning as he kept his hand on his head. His body ached everywhere. Must have been that fall. Light Rudy’s beating on him and Penny didn’t help things either. He realized, as his mind began to sharpen and his vision cleared more, that he had some bandages wrapped around his body. He also noticed that he felt a little better. Perhaps he had been given some powerful medicine while he was knocked out. It became clear to Snap that, whoever this was, he had helped him and his friends. He turned his head to thank him.

Then he froze. He stared at the zoner before him. His eyes were wide in shock. It..It couldn’t be... No it was impossible... He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. Yet the figure remaind. But..he was supposed to be... How did he...? Snap’s head swirled with thoughts, giving himself an ache on his forehead, spreading through his skull. His body trembled as his mind tried to process this information. It couldn’t be real, could it? No, he must be hallucinating...

But no matter how many times he shook his head, no matter how many times he pinched himself to see if he was dreaming, the figure remained there. The zoner dressed in crimson red narrowed his eyes at him, perplexed by his behavior. Snap tried to think of something to say. Anything. His mind just couldn’t believe he was seeing who he was. It...no it was impossible... Wasn’t it? There was no way this could be....

“...I see you are surprised.” The zoner said, hands on his hips. “Well I’m not surprised. Considering my... ‘reputation’ around ChalkZone, if you can call it that, I can see why you’d be shocked that I, out of all zoners, was the one who came to your rescue.”

Snap rubbed his eyes again. He stared at the zoner. He couldn’t deny it anymore. That appearance, that voice, that attitude...there was only one zoner he could think of that matches this. One zoner... and even after accepting the bizarre reality before him, he was still in disbelief.

“J-J...Ja...Jacko?!” Snap cried, his voice doing nothing to disguise just how shocked he really was.

Jacko stared down at him, his bony hands still pressed against his hips. He gave Snap a look that..it wasn’t disgust, but more just displeasure. “Who did you think I was?”

“B-But..” Snap’s mind reeled, recalling the words Para-Penny told them. “You...you’re supposed to be dead...!”

Jacko’s eyes went wide and his mouth became relaxed, almost blank at this. Then he gave a smile and said, “That’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?”

Snap managed to get up to his feet. “Penny...your Penny I mean.. She..she said that your Rudy punched you..and killed you... Something about head trauma.. H-How did you survive that?”

“Well yes... Our Rudy would have killed me...” Jacko said slowly. He then leaned forward, staring intently into Snap’s eyes. “If that had been me he killed.”

Snap stared at him in confusion. “...what?”

“You heard me. That wasn’t me he killed.” Jacko straighted himself up and put a hand on his chest. “It was my stunt double.”

“You have a stunt double?” Snap asked. He shook his head, correcting himself. “Er, had a stunt double?”

Jacko nodded his head. “Yes. You see, during that year, I was going on tour and I had some new tricks I wanted to try out. But they were pretty dangerous. My friends recommended I find another zoner who looks like me to play some of the stunts. And you know how hard it is to find someone who looks just like you.”

Snap wanted to say something about that. He wanted to tell Jacko about the time that much of ChalkZone got angry at him when those Snips showed up. Snap himself would not have a lot of problems with finding someone that looked at least enough like him to pass off for him, and the feeling wasn’t exactly a great one. But he decided to keep quiet about it and let Jacko continue the story.

“To my luck, my creator had apparently liked my design enough that he drew me again. A little different in appearance, but it would do. Long story short, I convinced him to be my stunt double. Then one day, as I was preparing an underground rig for the concert, I overheard some arguing. I looked over to see our Rudy and my stunt double shouting at each other. Seemed my stunt double also wanted a bride...” Jacko stopped for a moment, and then, scratching his chin, he added, “Well that would have been my fault... I did kinda put the idea into him. Anyway...” Jacko held his palm up as he looked back down towards Snap. “I watched them argue and I saw our Rudy punch him. When I realized my stunt double was dead, I fled the scene...I admit...”

Snap stared at him. Then he narrowed his eyes. “And you just went on hiding, pretending you were dead... And why didn’t you say anything before? I’m sure your friends missed you when they thought you died.” There was a tinge of anger to Snap’s voice. “Why did you hide like a coward?”

Jacko closed his eyes, his face softening in regret. He sighed and said, “It’s not something I’m proud of.” He reopend his eyes, his glowing yellow eyes narrowing. Pointing a sharp finger at Snap, he said, “It is a good thing I stayed in hiding, though. I witnessed, from the background, our Rudy’s descent into madness. I knew something had to be done...so I set up a small resistance down here. Mostly to just exchange information without ‘Lord Rudy’ finding out.” He said, a tinge of sarcasm in his voice as he said ‘Lord Rudy’.

Snap looked around, taking note of his surroundings. They were in a cave-like structure, sort of like what the Chalk Mine looked like, only this cave seemed more angular, smoother, and had a lot more stalagmites and stalactites growing everywhere. Judging from what he was seeing, he was in a room of sorts. Roundish almost, laying on a makeshift bed. There wasn’t too much to this room, but it had the necessities to it. He could see the door, which was open, and through there, he could see what looked like a round tunnel with multiple doors on the sides.

It was hard to tell, but Snap guessed that this area was several feet below ground, far away from Light Rudy’s prying eyes. A good place to hide out if that were the case. This sort of reminded him of the Midnight Gardens where he and Penny found the chartreuse chalk. He half wondered if Jacko was inspired by the Midnight Gardens to construct this place, or if he found it by mistake and decided to make it his headquarters.

The realization that Jacko was still alive still shocked him and his mind was still trying to accept it. Even though Jacko had explained how the mixup happened and who Light Rudy had really killed, it was still hard for Snap to believe that Jacko really was still alive. He was a little torn. On the one hand, he did feel happy that he was still alive, as he didn’t deserve to be killed, like he was in their dimension at the claws of Bardot. But on the other hand, how much can he trust him? He remembered his obsession with getting Rudy to draw his bride and how he had tried to kill Rudy...

At the thought of Rudy, Snap’s eyes widened. “Where’s Rudy?” He looked around the room, realizing that only he and Jacko occupied this one. “And Penny?”

“Don’t worry.” Jacko waved a somewhat dismissive hand. “They’re fine. They’re in another guest room.” Snap stared at him. Jacko, sensing that the zoner was apphrensive, put his hands on his hips and sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head a few times. “Look, if you don’t believe me, I’ll take you right to them.” He reopend his eyes. “Would that make you feel better?”

Snap nodded his head. “Yeah..It would.”

“Okay then.” Jacko said. He turned his back to Snap and beckoned him with a sharp, bony finger. “Follow me.”

Snap wasted no time. He got up out of the seat and followed Jacko.


	74. A Resistance Underground

Snap followed close behind Jacko down the tunnel. He looked around, noting the roundness of the tunnel, almost like a large insect had burrowed through here. He could even see some shininess on the walls, something he would expect from an insect using its saliva to help solidfy the walls. He took a moment to shudder, his mind filling with disturbing thoughts of just how large that insect had to be.

On both his right and left, he could see multiple doors. He and Jacko walked passed all of them. As they moved along, Snap looked at some of the doors, noting that each of them was marked with a letter U and a number. All the doors were shut, except for one on the end. There wasn’t much to see, but what he did glimpse indicated that at least some of these were stock rooms. He imagined a few were equipment rooms as well. And of course he knew a few had to be other guestrooms, like the one he had stayed in.

At the end of the tunnel, Jacko pushed against the wall. There was a clank sound as the wall slid to the side. Snap’s eyes widened at this. It reminded him of what Light Rudy did on the castle when he went into the dungeon’s entrance. He wondered if Jacko took the idea from him, or if it was reversed. After the door slid all the way, Snap was introduced to another set of tunnels. This one not only had one going straight, a dead end in the front, but at the side, there were two tunnels going left and right. A sort of four way intersection.

Stepping into the series of tunnels, Snap looked left and right, taking in the sights. The tunnel was tinted a different color. The last tunnel was the usual grey he would expect from an underground section. But this one had shifted, now having a bit more of a blue hue to it, but still pretty dull in color. A way to identify the tunnels, he was certain. Mr. Cosmo did something similar. This tunnel was lit up by bright orange torches that rested on the walls, all in a row. Snap only knew the tunnel was blue when he looked at the ceiling, where the orange light wasn’t hitting it.

Snap and Jacko headed forward until they reached the dead end. Jacko turned to the left and headed down that way. Snap followed close behind. This one had a wooden doorway in the front, rather than a sliding door like the one they just used. Jacko pushed it open and the duo headed inside. Snap immediately noticed this tunnel looked just like the one he was in before, though hued a dull yellow instead. The yellow was hardly noticeable, but it was there. He deduced that oen of the doors from before lead to a larger part of this underground hideout, and that the tunnel to get there would also be blue. He would find out if this theory was right soon enough.

Jacko took him down this new roundish tunnel. They headed straight forward, where he could see there was a door, much like the one that was on the room he stayed in. Once they reached the door, Jacko reached up and grabbed the handle. He turned it and slowly opened it up. Snap walked up next to Jacko and looked inside the room.

There was a makeshift bed here, too. Like his, it wasn’t very comfortable. Just simple enough to do its job. Rudy and Penny were laying on their backs next to each other. They didn’t appear to be hurt...at least not by Jacko. Surprisingly, they had some bandages on them. Real world at that. Not too many, but enough to cover the more server of the injuries. This surprised Snap. He wondered how Jacko, or anyone else in this resistance thing, had managed to get a hold of such materials. And especially without Light Rudy noticing them.

Jacko looked down at Snap. Taking notice of his expression, he said, “We confiscated some materials from our Rudy. Don’t ask us how we did it. It’s...too convoluted to explain.”

Snap nodded his head slowly in silent agreement. Then he said, “I knew your Rudy brought in real world liquid, but I didn’t know that extended to supplies as well...”

Jacko nodded his head. “Yes, from what I observed, he does bring in real world things to extend his stay here in ChalkZone.”

Snap looked up at him with wide eyes. “Extend it? You mean like...move in?”

Jacko shook his head. “Not to that extent.” He pointed his finger up. “I just meant that he stays here for longer durations than your Rudy does, assuming your Rudy hadn’t gone crazy like ours had.” Snap stared at him and nodded his head slowly as a way of saying that Jacko was right. “His stays increased until he is easily here for eight, nine hours straight. Possibly longer on some days.”

“Doesn’t his parents notice him gone for that long?” Snap asked. He moved forward and sat down on the bed. His friends weren’t awake yet. He’d wake them up soon. Or try to at least. He looked at Jacko and spread his hands out in gesture. “I mean, if he’s gone for so many hours at a time, wouldn’t they get worried or something? I’m guessing that they don’t know about ChalkZone like our Rudy’s parents do.”

Jacko narrowed his eyes slightly. Snap looked worried. Had he said something wrong. Jacko then lowered his gaze a little. “...I guess you don’t know...”

Snap felt his heart clench. “Don’t know what?”

“Our Rudy’s parents...” Jacko’s voice trailed off.

Snap’s eyes widened at this. Were they...dead...? Even though they weren’t the Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie he knew, the idea of them being dead still struck at his heart. He waited patiently for Jacko to finish. But what came out of the zoner’s mouth was not something he expected.

“...abuse him.” Jacko managed to say.

Snap felt like a bullet was shot through his heart. He felt as though the world around him had been shattered. Light Rudy’s parents were...abusive? His eyes widened in horror. Despite hating the guy, he couldn’t help but feel some empathy for the guy. He never would have imagined a cruel Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie. Is...is that why..he was like this..?

Jacko seemed to read his mind, and he confirmed what he was already suspecting. A simple nod of the head was all Snap needed. The information was hard to swallow. Snap felt a lump in his throat. What kind of parents would abuse their own child? Yes he’s heard of it before. He knows it happens. But the thought was still sickening.

“That’s part of the reason why he stays here for longer periods of time. Granted, from what I can tell, his parents aren’t physically abusive, but emotionally, they still are hurtful towards him. I found out during one of my spying sessions. He had broken down at one point and kept saying things like ‘Mom...dad...why?’ and ‘Please...why do you do this to me...?’” Jacko sighed, closing his eyes. “I admit I was surprised when I found out. Our Rudy never acted like he had been abused before.” He looked down at Snap. “I think that extra detail is what pushed our Rudy into..this territory. The abuse might have been relatively new, like...something happened in the real world in the last three years that altered his parents’ personalities. A car accident and brain damage maybe...I don’t know...”

Snap lowered his gaze, his eyes looking at the ground. “So the reason he acts controlling towards ChalkZone is....”

“In part because he desperately doesn’t want to lose control of something. He lost control of how his parents treat him. He doesn’t want to lose something else.” Jacko finished, confirming what Snap was thinking. Jacko’s face, for a moment, showed sadness, possibly towards Light Rudy. But then they narrowed and he said, “But that does not excuse his behavior. I hope you know that.”

“I know..” Snap nodded his head. “I’m not going to ignore what he has done.” He shook his head. “There’s no way that he could justify slaughtering so many zoners.. But, still...” He glanced over at Rudy. “That...does explain in part what drove your Rudy to do all this. I always thought that something was missing, that something else must have factored in. I just...” He lowered his gaze. “...I just never imagined it was something...like that...”

The room fell silent, with only the sound of breathing behind heard. Jacko looked down at Snap, an understanding expression on his face. He didn’t speak up again after that, as if he wanted to give Snap some time to process this unexpected information. And that’s exactly what Snap was doing. He stared down at Rudy and Penny, watching his friends as they laid there, still unconscious. He hoped they would wake up soon. If not, he would have to force them to get up. They didn’t have a lot of time.

At least their wounds were mended, so that was good. Well some of them anyway. It was better than nothing. That would give them an extra boost of energy that they’ll need to face the black chalk artists whenever they get home. Or if they do, depending on how their stay here goes or if the Luminos find a way to get them before they can go after Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir. So many factors were coming into play and Snap wondered if they could deal with them all.

His mind wandered back to Light Rudy. As much as he hated the guy for how he treats his friends and all of ChalkZone, he did feel some pity for the guy after finding out about his familial abuse. He guessed that, since Bardot and Draow did not attempt to invade the real world in this universe, an alteration occurred regarding the events that played out during that time. An alteration that was far worse than he would have imagined.

Rudy’s parents never struck him as abusive. So he did think Jacko was onto something when he said it was recent. Perhaps, during Light Rudy’s time of trying to do the right thing, being accused of being a murderer, and what not, his parents were in an accident. That’s the only thing he could think of to explain their sudden change of behavior towards him. That would have broke the camel’s back and push him further down this path. It might have been the thing that caused him to snap, after all that other pressure was weighing on his shoulders.

He thought back to Light Rudy’s disgusting behavior towards Para-Snap. He wondered if some of that mental abuse he gave him, as well as Para-Penny, was the result, direct or partial, of the abuse he suffered from his parents. Perhaps Light Rudy was a little more broken than they thought he was. With all that was going on, no wonder Light Rudy ultimately snapped and went crazy. He must have thought that he was rapidly losing control of everything, so he became obsessed with controlling ChalkZone. It wasn’t just the safety of ChalkZone he was becoming obsessed with; it was the fear of completely losing control of his life.

However, Jacko was right. This did not excuse Light Rudy’s behavior. From the sound of it, he had never told Para-Penny or Para-Snap about the abuse. He never told anyone. He just...kept it to himself. He should have told someone. He should have warmed up to at least one person and confess what was going on. If he had done that, he might have gotten the help he needed to avoid this dangerous path he took. While Snap understood that abuse can really mess a person up, ultimately the actions Light Rudy took were of his choice. He can choose to not be this way, and yet he is still choosing to hurt others.

Though Snap did feel bad for Light Rudy, as being abused by one’s own parents was not a fate he’d wish on anyone, he knew that he was still the enemy. He still did despicable things, often under the guise of ‘protection’. Regardless if this was influenced by his abusive parents or not, he was still hurting and killing countless zoners. There was no excuse for that. And now Light Rudy was trying to find a way to control him and his friends, despite them being from an alternate dimension. They needed to prevent him from getting the edge.

Light Rudy had the cure. He had what they came here to get. And Snap knew he wasn’t going to give it up without a fight. They would need to get it from him, somehow. And they had so little time to do it. If they didn’t hurry up and get the cure, then they’ll leave without it, and Rudy...Snap bit his lip. He wasn’t sure if he could handle fighting through this dimension again, or the dark dimension for that matter, if it came to it.

And what of the Luminos? For all he knew, there was an ambuse waiting for them. He had no idea how well Rapsheeba and Blocky were holding up. He didn’t even know if they were still alive or not. A cold shudder went down his spine at the realization that they might be...dead... He shook his head. No, those two were too tough to be taken out that easily. He was certain they were still holding their ground, or at the very least were still alive.

But still, there was no telling what was waiting for them back in their own dimension. Considering the recent threat of the Luminos, there was a chance that, when they got back, they would need to deal with Dr. Raiden and his mooks. And in their current conditon, just how well would they perform? That was a reason why they had to get the cure on their first trip there. They needed to fight against Light Rudy and take it from him, and that was going to be easier said than done.

Snap looked at his friends. He had hoped they would wake up by now. Time was of the essense. He then paused to wonder how much time had passed. He knew it couldn’t be time yet, since they were still in this dimension. But that didn’t mean they weren’t almost out of time. He looked over at Jacko. Perhaps he knew an approximate time.

“How long was I out?” Snap asked.

Jacko tapped his thin with his long, boney finger. “Hmm...I’d have to say it’s been at least twenty minutes...give or take...”

Snap’s eyes widened at this. Twenty minutes wasn’t that long of a time, but in their case, that was twenty minutes less time they had in this dimension. He knew his friends needed to get up quickly if they were going to make use of the remaining time they had here. He turned his attention Rudy and Penny. He leaned over them and placed his hands on their shoulders. He started to shake them, hoping it wouldn’t take too long to wake them up.

“Bucko!” Snap cried. “Buckette!” He shook them gently, using just enough pressure so he didn’t irritate their injuries too much. “Wake up! Come on, you have to wake up!”

It took a little while, a few minutes, but they did eventually start to stir a little. Snap kept shaking them even as they started to open their eyes and look around. He only stopped when he felt them start to sit up. He moved back, watching them as they looked around the room, their minds clearly still groggy. He wasn’t surprised. He had been in the some condition not too long ago himself. It would take a little time for their minds to become clear again.

“S-Snap...?” Rudy said. He blinked his eyes a few times and looked around. “Where are w-we...?”

“And how did we get here?” Penny asked, taking off her glasses to rub her eyes. She put them back on once she was finished.

Jacko held out his hand in gesture. “You’re safe. Deep underground where the resistance lies.”

Rudy and Penny’s eyes shot open wide. It was clear they were not expecting to hear Jacko’s voice. At this, they seemed to perk up pretty quickly. They stared at Jacko in shock, their eyes so big they almost looked like they were going to roll out of their sockets.

“Jacko?!” Penny shouted in absolute shock. “H-How did....”

Rudy’s mouth hung open. “We thought you were dead....”

“I seem to be getting that impression a lot lately...” Jacko stated in a somewhat annoyed tone, rolling his eyes. He folded his arms against his chest and stared down at the two surprised teenagers. “As you can see, I’m still alive and kicking!” He pointed at them. “And don’t you forget it!”

Snap wasn’t surprised by Rudy and Penny’s reaction to Jacko. That was more or less similar to what he experienced. He gave a soft sigh and cleared his throat to get their attention. Once his friends’ eyes were on him, he said, “I can explain...”

sss

“I-I...I’m what..?” Barney stammered.

“I told you...” Bardot’s voice came soft and almost gentle for someone like him. “It says so right here. I didn’t write this, and Cosmo didn’t have a tendency to lie about this sort of stuff.”

Barney couldn’t believe it. In his mind, those words replayed over and over again. The words that Bardot had spoken with a tinge of shock and horror to his voice. He had hoped that Bardot was making it up to scare him, but he had his doubts when he saw how startled the hybrid zoner was about this. If Bardot was messing with him, then he wouldn’t be acting this way. He would be taunting him, not acting...afraid of him.

It was a strange sensation. Barney was used to being afraid. He was used to looking at Bardot and feeling cold fear rush through his body. His mind whirled through the memories of his time as Bardot’s ‘favorite target’. It had been a horrible time and he still had nightmares about it. Even though Bardot was no longer a threat to him, he still felt fear towards him. Even as he teased him, it was just a way to cope with his fears; he knew full well how dangerous Bardot was. He knew the only things keeping him safe were the shock collar and the purple collar.

But now, it was Bardot who was looking at him in fear. Barney thought nothing really scared Bardot. Not a whole lot. It seems he was wrong. Even Bardot, one of the most vile zoners he’s ever met, one of the cruelest and least remorseful, was afraid of the black chalk. Bardot had never shown fear towards it before, but now here he was. The fear wasn’t entirely obvious. Bardot wasn’t shivering or anything. But his expression and posture showed enough evidence that he was afraid of him, afraid of the black chalk.

But...it wasn’t possible, was it? How could he be black chalk incarnate? How can he be a physical entity of the stuff? It just didn’t make any sense. None of his thoughts were ever about taking over ChalkZone or hurting anyone. The worst he’d do was refuse to help someone, but that didn’t mean that he actually wished harm on them. That didn’t mean that he was some monstrous creature hell bent on taking over ChalkZone, and the real world too, by extension.

King Mumbo Jumbo spoke up. He pointed at Bardot. “That’s impossible! If there’s anyone who can say that Barney is not a physical manifestation of black chalk..” He then pointed to himself. “It’s me!”

“That’s what it says, I swear!” Bardot said. He lifted up the diary and turned it around so they could see it. “See?”

Barney took a few cautious steps towards Bardot. His large eyes focused on the open page of the diary. He squinted his eyes a little to sharpen his vision, and he began to read what it said. His eyes moved left to right, reading word for word. It took him only a few moments to fully realize what it was saying. His eyes widened and he stared at Bardot in shock, then back at the diary page. He shook his head in denial and took a step back.

Mumbo Jumbo looked down at his friend with concern. “Barney...?”

“H-He’s right...” Barney spoke, his voice barely audible. “That is wh-what it says...”

“Impossible!” Mumbo Jumbo cried. “It can’t be...”

“But it is.” Bardot interrupted him. His shocked expression was replaced with a more stern one. His tail swished back and forth. “As much as I’d love to say this is some kind of cruel joke on my part...” He lifted a paw and pressed it against his chest. “I’m afraid I can’t.” He glanced down at the diary and then back at the duo. His eyes went a tad bigger and he held out his paw in gesture. “Although...it does make you wonder...”

“About what?” Barney managed to ask through his shocked state.

“There is something I never understood about you, Barney, and this...black chalk business...it would fill in the gaps.” Bardot said. Sitting on his haunches, making gestures with his paw, he continued, “Just...how is it that you have so much knowledge of ChalkZone if you weren’t even around for some of it? How is it you can obtain knowledge of new events if you haven’t even been there?”

Barney was at a loss for words. “Well I...”

“And once more...” Bardot narrowed his eyes a little. “Aren’t you and your friend at least three hundred years old? No, definitely longer than that.”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with this?” Mumbo Jumbo asked, his own eyes narrowing at the hybrid zoner. “What’s your point?”

“My point is the time frame does not fit well with Barney’s design.” Bardot said. He tilted his head a little to the side. “If the time frame was more than three hundred years, then Barney’s design should be a little more...archaic I guess is the word. During this time, the real world didn’t have computers, definitely nothing like how Barney looks. Even the concept of computers was far removed. Sure there were machines, but nothing like how Barney looks.” He paused, as if to let Barney and Mumbo Jumbo allow this to sink into their heads. “It’s a given that Barney is over three hundred years old, and yet his design, those computer monitors of his, it makes no sense...unless the black chalk was somehow involved.”

The room fell silent for a few moments. The uncomfortable information settled in the pit of Barney’s stomach. He bit his lip nervously, glancing up at Mumbo Jumbo. His tortoise friend was unnerved by this as well. Despite the turtle’s believe that this information has to be wrong, Barney could see that the information still worried him. And the talk of his design not matching the era... Barney felt his heart clench as he made the connection.

“Perhaps we should read a little more...” Bardot suggested quietly.

“We have patients to rescue.” Mumbo Jumbo said blankly, the information obviously having a bigger impact than he was willing to admit. “We can look at it later.”

Bardot looked as though he was going to protest. But instead he just grabbed onto the book with his tail and nodded his head. “Yeah...that’s probably a good idea.”

Barney took notice of how quickly Bardot was willing to continue the search. The diary must have really unsettled him as well. For Bardot to want to go on rescuing other zoners rather than read more about this black chalk business...that was really telling. Barney hoped that he could keep focused at the task at hand and help those zoners. And whatever the diary has to say about him...

...he hoped it wasn’t going to spell doom.

sss

The news station had erupted in the loud bangs of a gun. Intermixed with that were the pounding of footsteps as people were running down the hallway. Specifically, it was Terry, Reggie, Mr. Tabootie, Mrs. Tabootie, and Mrs. Sanchez. They kept running down the hallways, pushing anyone out of the way, as Mr. Pierce hounded close behind them, shouting at them to hold still.

He kept shooting at them. Terry noticed that he did not aim for them directly, but usually near their feet or on the wall. It was like he was trying to coax them somewhere or startle them to stop. Much to her shock, no one in the hallways appeared to be reacting to the shooting, and a cold feeling settled inside of her. Could it be possible that Vinnie really did get everyone on his side? It was a thought she had before, but not it seemed more evident.

These people must all be so desperate to get into ChalkZone that they were willing to go along with a murder and cover it up. Her boss shooting at her and no employee trying to help them was proof of that. All the employees they ran into just watched, some in amusement, some in annoyance or even blank expressions. And some still curious. But none of them were horrified in the least. That clearly told Terry that these people knew what her boss was doing and they were all willing to help cover it up.

She thought at first that perhaps the audience would hear and get suspicious. She knew they were still there. But then she realized the walls in this place were thick. Chances are they didn’t hear any of the shooting. And there was an exit in that large room. They could leave and enter using that entrance, so they couldn’t ever come across this shooting.

Terry and the others continued to run down the hallways, trying to find a point of escape. They soon came to a two-way intersection. They stopped for a moment. Terry looked left and right, trying to figure out the best path to take. Hearing another gun blast, she decided to go right and head down that way. Down that way they went, pounding their feet against the ground, their breaths quickening, their throats becoming dry.

Soon they came to the end of this hallway with just a single door in front. Terry realized, in horror that the door was locked and there was no other way for them to go. She and the others turned around to face Mr. Pierce. With a nasty grin on his face, he began to advance on the group slowly. He held the gun at his side in a relaxed manner. Terry and the others huddled a little closer, glaring at the man.

Terry’s mind rushed with many thoughts. They were cornered now. She should have went down the left path. That may have taken them somewhere safer. Now here they were, trapped with no where to go. Her boss, her crazed ex-box to be precise, was backing them up now. Even though they clearly outnumbered him, that gun of his evened the odds into his favor. Just one wrong move, and one of them could be shot in the head. Terry knew that, in order to get out of this mess, they would need to be very careful.

“Well, well...” Mr. Pierce sneered. “It looks like you’ve fun out of places to go, Ms. Bouffant..”

Terry narrowed her eyes. “You don’t have to do this, you know...”

“I know I don’t.” Mr. Pierce said, gesturing with his hand. “But it is so much easier this way...” He leaned forward, his sneer broadening, teeth exposed. “Less of a chance of any of you spoiling our..fun..”

“Fun?!” Mrs. Sanchez cried in horror. “You call what you’re doing fun?!”

“I know I was not the best kid when I was younger...” Reggie said softly. Then his voice raised up. “But even at that time, I wouldn’t have thought this was fun!”

Mr. Pierce chuckled coldly. “Oh I know that you don’t find this fun. Why would you? You’re all about to die...” He raised up his gun. “But for me...it marks the beginning of a new era for me and this station... This world of chalk business is going to make me rich, and save this station. It’s going to revolutionize everything...” He narrowed his eyes and put his finger on the trigger. “And I’ll be damned if I allow any of you stand in my way...”

Mr. Pierce was about to pull the trigger when there was a sudden shout to the side. A voice from someone that none of them, especially Terry, had expected.

“Hey what are you doing?!”

Terry and the others were shocked to see Vinnie rushing down the hallway. He had a look that was a mixture of anger and shock. None of them had thought that Vinnie, out of all people, would be the one to try to stop Mr. Pierce. They all thought he’d be too busy trying to convince the audience of ChalkZone than to come wandering the hallways.

Mr. Pierce narrowed his eyes as Vinnie came to him, standing at his side. The shorter, black-haired man pointed his finger foughly at Mr. Pierce, anger clearly blazing in his eyes. Mr. Pierce just stared at him, looking more annoyed than anything.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Vinnie shouted.

“You told us to use whatever means necessary to keep them from stopping the exposure of the chalk world.” Mr. Pierce said simply. “I’m just following what you said.”

“I didn’t mean for you to kill them!” Vinnie cried, raising his hands into the air. “Do you know what would happen if you did that?! Do you want to be charged with manslaughter?!”

Mr. Pierce stared at him, and then smiled slowly. “No...but you see... everyone here is willing to help lead the investigators off trail. I won’t get caught..” He put a hand on his chest and shook his head slowly. “No one will find out about this...”

Vinnie took a step back. “You’re crazy!” Terry was somewhat amused what her brother said that. After all, he hadn’t been acting sane himself, so the comment was pretty hypocritical. But her amusement was short-lived when she reminded herself of the seriousness of the situation. She watched her brother take another step back and say, “I told you to stop them, not kill them! I demand you put that gun away now!”

Mr. Pierce looked at Vinnie long and hard. There was silence in the hallways, an uneasy one that permeated the soul of almost everyone with an uncomfortable apprehension. Then Mr. Pierce’s smile darkened, a hidden promise that made even Vinnie look horrified. Slowly, Mr. Pierce raised his gun and pointed it straight at the shorter man.

“I was hoping you could remain useful to me, Vinnie...” Mr. Pierce said. “I guess I was wrong.”

“Wh-What are you..?” Vinnie started to ask, but he never had a chance to finish.

Before any one could react, the trigger was pulled. A loud bang sounded out, immediately followed by a grunt of pain. A bloody hole appeared on Vinnie’s chest as the force knocked him back, landing in a heep on the ground. A wet, painful gurgle escaped Vinnie’s throat was he struggled to breathe, his eyes bulged open in pain.

The group watched this in horror. Their eyes widened in shock, bodies shaking in disbelief. They couldn’t believe what they just witnessed. A cold dread spread through their bodies as they watched the injured Vinnie lay on the ground, coughing up blood. They wanted to say something, anything, but nothing would come out of their throats. All they could do was watch the scene, a growing horror gripping them tightl.

Then finally, Terry broke out of the hold. She clenched her teeth, taking in a shaky breath. Despite what her brother had done to her, she couldn’t help but feel tears drip from her eyes. Giving a violent shake or two as her mind tried to process what just happened, she rushed over to his side.

“Vinnie!”

sss

Rudy needed some time to process the information that Jacko had given to them. He had said quite a bit, things that he didn’t know and, chances are, even Para-Penny and Para-Snap didn’t know. The information took a while for him to digest, and it took a little longer for him to not be so confused about it anymore.

He found it all so hard to believe. Jacko being alive was definitely a huge shock. When Para-Penny said that Light Rudy killed him, they all knew it had to be true; she wouldn’t lie about this, and it’s not like it was easy to mistake another zoner for Jacko. Unlike Snap, he didn’t have a lot of rip off versions of himself running around. So seeing Jacko alive did send their minds into confusion and they wondered just how Para-Penny got it all wrong. The stunt double explanation did make sense, but it still took time for them to full process everything.

It struck Rudy as a little odd that Jacko would be the one to lead the resistance. He didn’t seem like the type who would do something like that. He was a leader, all right, or at least he believed he was, of his own band and friends. But of a resistance? Jacko didn’t seem like the kind of zoner Rudy would imagine would be part of a resistance. But then, he’s seen several surprises over the years, so he shouldn’t really be too shocked by it. He was still grateful that Jacko did help them, and he had a feeling this resistance was going to make things a little easier for them.

Stealing supplies from Light Rudy to mend their real world wounds must have taken a lot of courage, given how much control his evil counterpart had here. He was glad that Jacko or whoever else was able to pull it off. He and Penny did need their wounds treated, and they were glad that Snap’s wounds were also tended to. This would help them get a little boost for whenever they had to face off against Light Rudy, which he knew was inevitable.

He did feel sorry for his counterpart when he learned of the abuse. Same with Penny. The idea of his parents turning abusive, likely after an accident, was scary to think about. Penny chillingly told him how the brain is sensitive and how the right injuries in the right place can turn anyone into a cold, unfeeling person. However, despite the horrible abuse that Light Rudy was suffering from, they didn’t think it excused his behavior. Much of what he was doing was his own choice. He doesn’t have to be this way, and yet he chooses to be.

Rudy looked around the large room he and his friends were in. After Jacko told them a thing or two about the resistance, what happened to him, and what not, he had taken them to this room. It appeared to be a meeting room of sorts. The room had very flat walls, probably to make it look a little professional. The room was a dull red, maybe to indicate the importants of the room. The red coloration largely came from two large crimson lightbulbs, both looking like they were at least ten feet tall, more than enough to light up the room.

All around, he could see multiple chairs and couches, none of which looked comfortable but appeared decent enough, scattered along the edge of the walls. There were a few zoners in here, other members of the resistance. The other members hadn’t really spoken to them. Some were a little cautious, but that is understandable. After how Light Rudy was behaving, Rudy couldn’t blame the zoners here for being apprehensive around him. Jacko did assure him that the zoners won’t try to hurt him, and the red cloaked zoner also made sure the other zoners know that he was not the enemy.

Rudy’s eyes set on the middle of the room, in which there was a large table with markings on it. From this distance, it was hard to tell what it was. A part of him wondered if it was some kind of game. But after Jacko told them this was a meeting room, he guessed that its actual function was a map of sorts. If Jacko is as good at spying as he says, then it would make sense that he’d be able to conjure up a map. His rescue of them did show that he had a good idea of the layout of ChalkZone City, and of Light Rudy’s castle. Jacko did leave for a few moments. He was calling some of his high ranking subordinates to come and speak with them of a strategy.

Rudy sat down on one of the chairs, further away from the other zoners so he didn’t make them feel uncomfortable. His friends sat down next to them. As they sat there, relaxed, and waited for Jacko to return, their minds swam with thoughts of what they were going to do. They wondered if Jacko was going to help them take down Light Rudy or if he was just helping them get the cure from Light Rudy. A part of them hoped that it would be both. They couldn’t stand the thought of this place being controlled and tormented like this...yet they also knew how unlikely it was they could make a difference in such a short time.

Still, they felt like they should at least try. This place deserved a helping hand. It wasn’t like the dark dimension; they had a chance to change things around here. They had a chance to make Light Rudy’s little ego come crumbling down all around him. They wanted to make him pay for what he’s done. They wanted him to be forced to face the consequences of his decisions. They wanted him to fully realize just how wrong he had been this whole time. The guy deserved karma to bite him in the ass and he deserved to be punished for what he’s done to the zoners here.

But how they were going to do that, they weren’t sure. With all the control he had, it wasn’t going to be easy. There was a way, they were certain. If they just struck at the right spot, they could stop Light Rudy once and for all. They just needed to figure out the right strategy. The right moves at the right time, they could make Light Rudy’s little world come crashing down. They...

“Okay you three!” Jacko’s voice suddenly cried out. “I talked to the others and...”

At the sudden sound of his voice, Rudy, Penny, and Snap let out a cry of surprise. They jumped up from their seats, their eyes wide in shock. Jacko blinked at them, confused by their shocked expressions. He tilted his head to the side and scratched the top of his head.

“I scared you?” Jacko asked.

The trio pressed their hands against their chests, feeling their hearts beating faster. They each glared at him.

“Please don’t sneak up on us like that!” Snap shouted, taking in quick breaths.

“How did you manage to get here so fast anyway?” Penny asked. “It’s like you appeared out of nowhere!”

Jacko folded his arms against his chest. “A good magician never reveals his secrets...” He leaned forward a little, gesturing with his hand. “And besides, how do you think I’ve been able to keep tabs on this place without being seen? When you peform as many trick-filled shows as me, you learn a thing or two about appearing and disappearing into nowhere.”

“Yeah we noticed...” Rudy grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. “Like how you jumped out of that coffin when I wasn’t expecting it...”

Jacko’s eyes widened a little. “You mean back when you broke your arm?” Rudy nodded his head once. Jacko rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Yes...I do remember that. An old trick of course...I...” His eyes widened and he stared down at Rudy, his arms flatting at his sides. Then they narrowed and he put his hands on his hips. “Yout still owe me a bride!”

“What?!” Rudy cried, his eyes wide in shock. “You’re still upset about that?!”

Jacko gave that silly smile of his as he put his hands together, putting himself in a posture that looked like the stereotypical love-struck person. “I can’t help it! She was so beautiful!” He then glared at Rudy and pointed his finger at him. “And you took her away from me!”

“She was not even alive! She was a real world pumpkin I needed for a contest!” Rudy cried.

Snap added in, “Yeah! And besides, you should thank Rudy for taking her away. Your place would have smelled horrible once the pumpkin head started to rot!”

Jacko formed fists with his hands and raised them above his head in an almost threatening manner. “That would have been a better fate than me never finding any true love!”

Penny raised up her hands before the two could say anything else. They all paused and looked at her. “Knock it off. We don’t have time for this.”

Jacko glared at her, and then his expression softened up. “I know...” He turned his back to the trio and took a few steps away. “As I was trying to say before, I spoke to my subordinates. They will be here shortly. We will discuss our next course of action.” He gave them a backwards glance. “I guarantee you, somehow, someway, you’ll get that...cure thing that you were looking for.”

The trio nodded their heads. Rudy, letting go of the brief anger he felt before, said, “Thanks for the help, Jacko.”

Jacko paused for a moment, staring at Rudy. Then he looked away. “Sure.” He muttered under his breath. At the sound of approaching footsteps, he added, “That’s them. Come along now. We have much to discuss.” He said, beckoning them with his sharp, boney finger.


	75. A Fate Worse Than Death

“Vinnie!” Terry cried as she knelt down by her brother’s side. She reached down and gently put his head on her lap.

Everyone around her stood in silence. Mr. Pierce watched the scene with cold contemplation. He looked as if he wanted to shoot Terry right then and there, but held back, as if he wanted to see her suffer a little at the sight of her wounded brother. Mr. Tabootie and Mrs. Tabootie, horrified, pressed close together, watching the scene in shock. Mrs. Sanchez had her hands to her mouth, unable to believe what she was seeing. Reggie stood, his arms slacking at his sides. Though he wasn’t showing the same level of emotion, his eyes told a different story. Overflowing with horror, his eyes watched the horrific scene before him, and he was unable to speak.

Terry didn’t pay attention to any of this. She ignored everyone around her. She became unware of her surroundings. All she could see was Vinnie, literally dying before her. She had been at odd’s end with her brother for years, becoming estranged. She had started to even hate her brother on some level when he began to abuse her to get into ChalkZone. She had wanted to see him get arrested and sent to jail for what he had done to her.

But now she had forgotten those feelings of vengeance as she looked down at Vinnie, a hole in his chest, blood caking his mouth. She gently ran her fingers through his dark hair, trying to fight back her tears. She felt confused by this. Why was she crying after all Vinnie had done to her? She soon knew the answer to that. It was because he was still family to her, and on some level, she still cared something for him. She had heard the saying ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’ before, how it’s not possible to know how one would react to something, until it does happen.

Well she was certainly learning that now. She held onto Vinnie, lifting him up so he didn’t choke on his own blood. She could see the look in his eyes. They were wide and frightened. She had never seen him with this expression before. She watched, her heart wrenching, as he coughed up more blood. Then he locked eyes onto her. For the first time, he was giving her an expression that was a cross between an apology and pleading.

Terry bit her lip. She looked down at the wound on his chest. She ripped off a part of her outfit and pressed it against his wound, hoping to stop the bleeding. It didn’t take long for the cloth to become completely soaked in blood. Despite this, she kept it pressed, hoping that, by some miracle, the bleeding would stop. But as time passed, and the blood continued to flow, she realized that this was not to be the case. As she realized she would not be able to stop the bleeding, dread filled her body with a cold chill.

“Vinnie...please...” Terry begged him, her face staining with tears. “Don’t go...”

Vinnie coughed pitifully, blood spraying from his mouth, horrifying everyone except Mr. Pierce, who just watched with those dreadful cold eyes. Vinnie let out a soft whimper, his eyes widening further in pain and fear. Terry took in a sharp, shuddering breath. Seeing Vinnie like this was more painful than she ever thought imagineable. Vinnie had always been pretty headstrong and tough, and seeing him reduced to this... She hated it... She absolutely hated it.

“...sis...ter...” Vinnie choked out in a raspy voice. “I...am...so-sorry...” He took in another gasp. Terry flinched as she heard how wet it sounded, a reminder that he had blood in the back of his throat. “..for hur-hurting you..”

“Vinnie..” Terry started to say. To her horror, Vinnie suddenly went limp, his eyes remaining open in that horrid stare of death. “No..Vinnie..?” She started to shake her brother by his shoulders, hoping and praying he was still alive. When he didn’t get up, she shook him harder. “Wake up! Please!” But he did not respond.

Terry choked back a sob. She clenched her teeth and stared at Vinnie’s still body. She reached down to his neck to check his pulse. She felt her heart freeze when she realized that he was dead. Tears flowed down her face, a chilling sensation gripping her. Vinnie was...dead. Her brother had been killed. She sniffled as a few sobs wracked through her body. The parents and Reggie watched her sympathetically. She stared at his face and slowly reached forward. She put her hands over his face and gently shut his eyes.

She stayed on the ground for a few minutes, sobs shaking through her body, her face starting to sting from the tears. She reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes. She couldn’t believe this really happened. The cold grip of emotion wouldn’t let go of her. Even though her brother had done some horrible things, he didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve to die. She never wanted this to happen to him. Now he was dead...

...and all because of that greedy asshole...

Terry felt a new emotion sweep through her. As she turned her head up to glare at her ex-boss, her body shook with emotion. Anger now started to take her over, sweeping out the sadness and assuming control. Her tears now felt so much hotter against her face as anger started to boil her blood. She slowly rose to her feeth, baring her teeth and letting out soft growls. She formed fists with her hands and she stared at her boss with a sense of vengeance running through her mind.

Mr. Pierce just stared at her blankly, as if he didn’t think he did anything wrong. He still held the gun in his hand. It was lowered...for now. She knew that, unless someone or something stops him, he would take another life with it. Mr. Pierce was stricken with the same vice Vinnie had, the same one that she herself had years ago. Greed. But it was clear her boss lacked any kind of moral restraint, and was willing to do anything to get what he wanted. And now, Vinnie was dead because of him. That bastard...he was going to pay for this...

“You...” Terry said. The other adults and Reggie looked at her in shock when she spoke like that, her teeth clenched tightly. Her voice was deeper, more growly... She had never spoken like this before. “You killed him!” She shouted at Mr. Pierce, taking a step forward. “You killed my brother!”

Mr. Pierce stared at Terry with that cold look. He then smiled, the same chilly feeling coming off it as his eyes. He merely shrugged and said, “Well that was his own damn fault. If he hadn’t tried to interrupt me, I wouldn’t have shot him.”

“Bullcrap!” Terry snarled.

Mr. Pierce waggled a finger in front of his face. “Now now...now need to get upset.” He held his palm up, giving Terry a cold smile. “You will soon join him...”

“Like hell I will...” Terry took a defensive stance. “Do you think I’ll give you that chance?”

Mr. Pierce cocked an eyebrow. “Do you really think you can take me on? Unarmed?” Terry narrowed her eyes further. Mr. Pierce laughed at this prospect. “Oh this is too rich! Okay then, bitch..” He raised his gun at her. “Let’s dance...”

“Terry...” Mr. Tabootie started to say.

Terry interrupted him. “Go down to the audience room and find a way to convince them that ChalkZone isn’t a real place.” She gave him and the other adults a sideways glance. “Just follow the signs, and be careful. Go down there and dowhatever you can to make them believe that it was just a movie or whatever else you can come up with. There isn’t a lot of time. Hurry!”

“But what about you?” Reggie asked. “I don’t think we should just leave you behind...”

“Reggie’s right.” Mrs. Sanchez chimed in. She moved forward, reaching her hand out. “Let us stay and...”

“No!” Terry snapped at them, causing the group to freeze where they stand. “Just get going! I’ll keep Mr. Pierce here busy! Just move it, before it’s too late!”

“But...” Mrs. Tabootie started to say. Another stern look from Terry was enough to make her back down. The large woman gave a sigh. “Okay then...” She turned to the other adults. “Let’s just do what she says...”

The group, though clearly reluctant to leave Terry’s side, started to rush past Mr. Pierce. The man raised his gun and attempted to shoot one of them. Terry lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his body. She yanked him forward and threw him against the wall, pinning the gun to his side. She held onto her ex-boss and turned her head. Once she saw that the group was out of sight, having turned a corner, she turned her attention to her ex-boss.

Mr. Pierce narrowed his eyes. “Do you really think you can stop me that easily?”

“I can damn well try!” Terry said as she pushed harder.

Mr. Pierce growled and pushed back against her. Despite her best efforts, Terry was flung backwards and she hit against the wall. Mr. Pierce brought out his gun and aimed it at her. Terry barely managed to dodge the bullet he shot. Though she looked at him in horror for a second, the fresh memory of what he had done to Vinnie weighed on her mind. She rushed forward, pulling back her fist and punching him before he could get another shot out.

Mr. Pierce fell to the ground on his back. Terry wasted no time. She jumped onto him, tackling him on the ground. The gun was knocked out of his hands. Terry began to wrestle with her boss, pushing him against the ground. He glared hatefully up at her, his teeth bared. The two began to wrestle with each other on the ground. Terry refused to give up. She refused to let this asshole get away with murder. She was going to make sure he never hurts anyone again. She punched him again.

sss

Light Rudy headed down the hallway slowly, his arms folded behind his back. His eyes were narrowed with a look of contemplation and anger. His mind swam with thoughts of what recently happened. He snarled a little as he realized that his dear ‘guests’ have vanished. He didn’t remember how that happened. He recalled moving down the dungeon to place them in a special holding cell...and then he just found himself on the ground with a large gash in his shoulder.

He had no idea what happened. He had no memory of such an attack. He didn’t even know how it was possible someone could slip past his security defenses. He had made sure they were fool proof. He had put so much time and energy in making sure that no one could sneak around ChalkZone without him or his higher ranking subordinates finding out about it. Yet, it somehow had happened. The wound on his shoulder on the disappearance of the dimensional hoppers was proof of that.

He had taken a short trip to the medical ward. One of his loyal subordinates treated him, using the real world material he brought over to mend the wound. It still stung him, especially when he moved his left arm. But at least it was usable now and the blood stopped flowing. He made a mental note to himself to give whoever did his to him a very ‘special’ punishment.

He knew that they had to have had help. He had the trio in his grasp. They were at his mercy, under his...control... But they had still slipped away. They had to have had outside help. His first thought was to ask his ‘advisors’ about it. His Penny might know something. After all, she did try to help them hide from him. She did have those tunnels networked through the dungeon and he didn’t even know about it until recently. He wouldn’t put it past her to do something else right under his nose.

His Snap also might know something. He might have him under his control, he might be able to make him speak on command, but he didn’t doubt that a little bit of lingering spirit rested in that zoner. He might have been able to send some kind of signal while he wasn’t looking. It would make sense that he’d be the one to do this. After all, why should he suspect a crippled zoner who had a shattered spirit to pull off a risky move like that? Light Rudy wasn’t stupid, and he knew his Snap wasn’t either. He knew what the zoner was capable of when he put his mind to it, so it was not unreasonable to assume he might have had a hand in this.

But he decided not to ask them, not now. They were already locked up in their room. He had plenty of time to speak to them later. Right now, he should focus on getting the fugitives back. Having an unknown factor in his world was unforgiveable. He could not allow it. If he let the slightest grip of control slip, well there goes everything he worked so hard to achieve. He needed to keep an iron grip on things around here to ensure ChalkZone remained safe. He didn’t understand why the trio were so angry with him. After all, the greater good was far more important than individual safety, right?

Keeping control was not going to be easy. With this slippage in security, he had to ensure that it doesn’t happen again, and he needed to get those three back pronto. As condescending as he had been, as arrogant as he acts, Light Rudy was smart enough to know that if he loses his grasp on the populace, he was in big trouble. While he was certain that wouldn’t happen, and though he took measures to prevent it, a part of him was still fearful of the day the zoners turned against him. They outnumbered him. They outsmarted him. They outmuscled him. He would be completely screwed, and he knew that.

Because of this, his drive to maintain control increased. He couldn’t close control... He just couldn’t. His parents...after that car accident and their behavior towards him grew more and more abusive... He had lost control of how they treated him, of how his life was in the real world. He was not going to lose something else. He just couldn’t... He couldn’t afford to lose something else.

Light Rudy had long convinced himself that he was going the right thing. All the harsh actions he took were for the good of ChalkZone. In the end, it benefited ChalkZone and in the long run it suffered from very little actual crime and attacks. It was to the point where he felt that everyone should agree with him. His harsh actions had brought about what he saw as an age of more or less peace. Yes there was still blood and gore at his hands, but there hasn’t been another violent zoner or human threatening ChalkZone, now was there? That was what he constantly told himself whenever he had to kill another zoner.

And yet, on some level, there was still a part of him who knew this was wrong. A small voice in the back of his head that kept screaming at him to stop, that he was becoming, or already became, a monster. This voice used to bug Light Rudy, throwing him in a pit of doubt. But he had managed to conquer that voice and overcome it, reminding himself he was only doing this for the sake of ChalkZone...and to a similar degree, his unwillingness to lose control of something else in his life.

Besides, it was too late for him to change anyway, wasn’t it? He had gone down this path for years. He had paved the way in bloodshed and corpses. He had taken the life of many a zoner. Could he really go back to the way he used to be? Could he really leave this path after how far dow he had gone? If he did that, then all the deaths he caused would be meaningless. No, he couldn’t do that. Regardless of what anyone says, he needed to stay on this path of death. It was too late to turn back now.

He came to a large door. It appeared to be wooden with black metal plates on it. There was some kind of symbol on the door, looking almost like a very exaggerated dog, kind of. He pushed the large door open, hearing it squeak as the bottom of it scraped along the marble floor. He moved inside and stepped into a large room. He immediately took note of the small. Dust, with a mixture of metallic, intermingled together, giving the place a smell similar to what he’d find at a factory.

The room was a large rectangle, with a low ceiling everywhere except in the middle, when it suddenly shot straight up. The room was sort of like a warehouse, with a bunch of metal shelfs and boxes and tools all around. Towards the center, there was a large hatch, stretching as long as thirty feet. Nearby was a set of computers, attached to eachother with a single wire, connecting from one to the other. The monitor was on, a pale blue color, and below it, a keyboard. Light Rudy headed straight over here.

Once he reached the blue monitor, he pressed a key, opening up a dialogue box immediately. There was a list of options. He scrolled through them, pressing buttons, the sound of clicking filling the previously silent room. He continued pressing options, such as type of weaponry, what kind of weapons he’d like to use, among other things.

This was something he usually didn’t resort to often. Though he had used these things before, he had never used them on criminals that he didn’t know the location of. He had no idea who had let them escape and where they could have gone by now. He wished he could have salvaged the security camera of that hallway, but it had been damaged, possibly by whoever was in there getting the trio out of his dungeon. Well, he did design these things to be great at finding things, so he was certain this was going to work.

After he was finished, he pressed a large button. There was a shirring sound, an engine running. He turned around as the hatchet slowly opened up, the doors sliding to the side. Steam pillowed out as something started to rise up from below. Light Rudy moved back, his green eyes staring intently as one of his angetrollers rose up from down below. Slowly, surely, it was lifted up form underground on a large platform, and soon it stopped, its head nearly touching the ceiling. It faced towards the large wall on the other side of the door, a sort of track below it going off in that direction.

The angetroller, like all the others, had the appearance of a canine. This one was modeled after a german shepard, its mechanical and cybernetic parts colored in the same fashion as that breed would be. Its metallic parts were cut smoothly and fit in so well that it almost looked as if the entire robot had been cut as one giant piece. Large, metal claws stuck out of the feet, shining a bright silver. Its small, boney-like tail moved back and forth slowly, almost like it was excited for the chase. The angetroller moved its head from side to side, its mouth open and its glowing, cybernetic tongue hanging out.

Light Rudy took a few steps towards the angetroller, watching as it fidgeted on its platform. He had originally thought about real dogs for this, but he found robotic dogs were better. He didn’t need to feed them or walk them, and he could turn them off later when he wasn’t using them. Plus he could program them to be completely loyal to him. He’d never have to worry about betrayal by his angetrollers. That was one thing he didn’t fear would happen.

The angetroller turned its head and faced him. The eyes was just one long strip of pale yellow. The angetroller wagged its tail at the sight of its master and lowered its body to the ground. Light Rudy gave a soft smile as he approached. He gently patted the angetroller on its head, prompting it to wag its tail harder. The vertical halo attached to the back of the robot’s head glowed brighter. The halo was used as a radar system to help the angetroller search for criminals. Its wings unfurled a little, prepared for flight. This wasn’t a feature used often, but it came in handy whenever it was needed.

The angetroller opened up its head. A hatched hissed as it moved forward, exposing the inside of the angetroller’s head. Light Rudy climbed onto the seat. The head closed, and slowly the angetroller rose up straight. Light Rudy now sat in its cockpit, joysticks and a bunch of buttons at his disposal. He flipped one of the switches, and all around him, the monitors turned on, allowing him to see what was around him in crisp detail. He pushed another button and the robot’s feet pressed firmly on the ground, slightly apart.

Then, in seconds, the angetroller began to slide along the ground, moving forward and at increased speed. Light Rudy held onto the joystick, his eyes narrowing in determination, as they approached the wall in front of them. There was a beep sound as the angetroller moved passed a hidden sensor. Then, in seconds, the wall in front of him opened up, revealing ChalkZone City. As soon as they exited, the angetroller lunged in the air and landed on the ground in a heavy thud.

Light Rudy watched as the startled zoners all around him ran off, moving away and giving him room. Light Rudy carefully, not wanting to hurt a zoner if he didn’t have to, moved through the city. He activated the radar system of the angetroller. As information began to pop up on the screen, Light Rudy narrowed his eyes dangerously.

“Where are you three, you little fuckers...?”

sss

Rudy, Penny, and Snap walked through the back alleyways of ChalkZone City. These areas were partially in ruin, since they weren’t in use much. According to Jacko, these areas weren’t patrolled all that much and had no security cameras since Light Rudy saw no use for them here. He instructed them to stick to these areas and slowly inch their way forward, using areas not heavily populated by zoners.

The meeting had taken a little longer than they thought. They were left with about an hour left, if Penny’s memory didn’t fail her. She had hoped that the meeting would have discussed a little more strategy, but due to what little time they had, Jacko had to skip much of it and cut right to the chase. At least they had been able to get a map from it, which Jacko had clearly marked paths they could use to get to the castle with as little detection as possible.

Jacko had led them down a corridor and came out in a rundown part of ChalkZone. They had asked if he could come with, but Jacko declined. He said he had to keep an eye on the resistance, since he was their leader and they looked up to him. The trio couldn’t help but feel a level of disappointment, no longer having the resistance to back them up. But Jacko assured them that, whenever they can, he and the resistance will try to help them in their quest. The trio were grateful for his help and they thanked him. They then began their journey towards the castle, using Jacko’s advice and the map as a guide.

Moving through this part of ChalkZone City was not easy. Because it wasn’t as well maintained as the town square was, it wasn’t as simple moving through it. Broken pieces of different things, some metal, some stone, some other random things, laid strewn about on the ground. They had to squeeze their way through the debris. Despite it being easier to walk down the alleyway and cutting across a busier part of ChalkZone City to get to their destination, she and her friends knew that would not be a good idea. They had to stick to these lesser used spots of ChalkZone City in order to reach the castle with as little resistance as possible.

They had spent several minutes walking, never taking a rest except to look at the map. The three friends remained as quiet as they could. They couldn’t risk drawing attention. They had no idea where Rudy’s enforcers could be hiding. They had no idea if one of the oppressed zoners, out of fear, would turn them in. They had to stay out of sight, quiet, hoping that no one would spot them as they took this beaten path to where the castle was. Eventually, they all knew they would get to the town square, or to a more defended area, and that meant that they’d have to break into a run.

Jacko had made it clear that there was a larger chance they’d get to the castle spotted than unseen. What was important is that they get as close as they can to the castle without Light Rudy knowing. The later the dictactor found out about them, the less time he had to organize an attack or capture attempt against them. Penny hoped that they would be able to get there with at least some time to create a defense and slow down Light Rudy a little bit, even if t won’t last long with him having the magic chalk.

After they reach the castle, there was another map they could use. Jacko, due to his spying excursions, was able to draw up a map of the castle. He had given them a copy. Though the map might be a little out of date, he told them it should be good enough. The map marked the location of where he believes the potion cure would be kept. It also marked some places they could hide, areas that were kept out of sight from Light Rudy. With this map, they felt assured that they had a chance of going in and getting the potion before the hour was up.

Stopping Light Rudy was also on their minds. There was little discussion of that at the meeting, however. Jacko and some of the other resistance members said it was too risky, and that there was too little time anyway to try to pull one off. Rudy, Penny, and Snap didn’t want to believe there was nothing they could do and tried to encourage the resistance to speak of someway to rip the rug from underneath Light Rudy. But in the end, they all had to agree that there really was too little time to really consider such a plan. Jacko assured them that, one way or another, Light Rudy would fall.

Soon, they headed down an alleyway, the closest unguarded one to the castle. They moved slowly through the debris. There wasn’t as much here as there were in the other alleyways they crossed. This was a sign they were getting closer to the town square, to a more defended part of ChalkZone City. They stayed low to the ground, close to the wall, and as quiet as they could be. They stared intently ahead, seeing the castle, partially obscured by the statue of Light Rudy, which looked much more menacing now than it ever did before.

It wasn’t going to be easy, but Penny deduced they could sneak around the castle and then straight shot it towards the side of the castle, in a part that was cast in shadow due to the buildings it was near. Jacko seemed to indicate that this was the least guarded part of the castle and the map indicated there should be a secret passageway there they could use. She hoped that they could get there without anyone sounding the alarm. Looking at the zoners, it was hard to tell who was friend and who was enemy. Who was to say that an enemy zoner wasn’t pretending to be afraid? And of course, they could be hidden anywhere. They had to be careful.

It scared her that there would be any zoner foolish enough to work for Light Rudy. Then again, some zoners were insane. She didn’t doubt there were some twisted enough to work for Light Rudy, especially if it meant better treatment and higher privileges. Those enforcers of his could be anywhere, and they had to watch their step. One wrong move and...

Suddenly, there was a heavy thud, and a cracking sound. Penny froze for a second, her eyes getting big. Then she shook her head. Rudy or Snap must have been a little too noisy when they were talking. True they had to move through debris, and that wasn’t easy to do without making noise. But they could have kept it down, couldn’t they? They were lucky that none of the zoners appeared to react to it, otherwise...

...The sound came again. This time it was louder and closer. She narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She wasn’t incredibly angry, more frustrated. She knew how dangerous it was if they were caught out here. They couldn’t give Light Rudy a chance to get them. It was imperative that they remained as quiet as possible. She swung her head over to look at her two friends.

“Will you two be quiet?” Penny asked in a low whisper.

Rudy and Snap looked at each other nervously, and then back at Penny. Rudy said, “But...that wasn’t us...”

At this, Penny’s eyes widened slowly. A realization dawned on her. “If that wasn’t you..then...?”

The trio got the answer to Penny’s unspoken question in seconds. There was a loud crash behind them, the sound of rubble crumbling down. They jumped away, dust kicking up into the air. They shook their heads as their vision was temporarily obscured by the dust. The smell of it permeated their nostrils, adding to the sense of dread and horror they were feeling. As they tried to see what had happened, the sound of a mechanical roar, the whirring of a machine, filtered through their ear drums.

The trio ran backwards, putting space between them and the smoking rubble that laid before them. The buildings next to them had been ripped apart. The metal was twisted and narled and looked burnt. There was hardly much of a building left there. The trio wondered if here had been any zoners inside. They couldn’t dwell on that thought long before the sight of a glowing yellow sliver in the middle of the air drew their attention. A low grumble and a dark shadow formed. Whatever had attacked them, it was massive. In seconds, the thing lunged for them, the dust parting away to reveal what it was.

The trio gasped in horror as they what what looked like a large robotic german shepard dog, complete with glowing, metal wings that were spread out at each side, each feather ending in a razor sharp edge. The robot dog, the angetroller as Para-Penny called it, approached them slowly, each footstep shaking the ground. It let out a low growl and stared intently at them. Then, without warning, a familiar voice rang out.

“There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

Penny froze, her eyes filling with horror. Rudy and Snap shared the same expressions. Instinctively they took a few steps back away from the angetroller. They knew, without a doubt, it was operated by Light Rudy. There was no mistaking that terrible voice. That voice made of pure ice and malice.

“I don’t know how you managed to escape...” Light Rudy seethed. “But I will not have it happen again! You are coming with me! You are all under arrest!”

With that, the angetroller opened its metal maw and roared loudly, its glowing tongue and wicked sharp teeth adding a sense of dread about the whole thing. The angetroller pawed the ground viciously and walked menacingly over towards the trio. Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked at each other. Fear washed over their faces, none of them making an attempt to hide what they were feeling.

“We need to get out of the city!” Rudy shouted, using his hands to gesture Penny and Snap to follow him.

“Why? Rudy, the potion is...” Snap started to say, using his round hands to point to where the castle was.

“I know! But we can’t risk fighting here, where the zoners can get hurt!” Rudy cut him off.

Penny, realizing what Rudy was saying, nodded her head. “Rudy’s right, Snap! If we fight here, we’ll cause more damage! We must flee ChalkZone City and take our fight with Rudy’s counterpart out there, where there’s less of a chance an innocent zoner will get hurt!”

Snap seemed to realize this judging from his facial expression. But then it was replaced with a look of horror when there was sudden pounding behind them. He looked over and let out a scream. “Let’s get going! Now!”

To their horror, the angetroller had started to charge towards them. The trio didn’t waste any time. They turned to the left and started to rush towards the further parts of ChalkZone City, to where the outskirts were. The angetroller followed close behind them. Once in a while, it would get close enough to snap its jaws at them, narrowly missing them. Its wings sliced through the buildings and the trio winced as they heard the sound of brick and metal crumbling down to the ground.

The trio rushed through the buildings, taking random turns but always going in the direction outside the city. The sudden turns did disorientate the metal beast a little, causing it to skid and force itself to change direction. So far, it wasn’t relying on anything, not even flight, to get them, and they used that to their advantage as much as they could. They gained some distance from the beast, but not much. If the beast could breathe, they would be feeling its hot breath against them right about now.

Soon they could see the grassy hills up ahead. They knew they were reaching the exit of ChalkZone City. They pushed themselves to run faster. The sooner they got out of the city, the sooner they could defend against the angetroller... But then a horrible thought rushed through their bodies. Didn’t Light Rudy still have the magic chalk...? The trio couldn’t believe they had forgotten about this small detail, and now it was too late to change their plans. The beast was almost upon them, and if they headed back, they could lead the destruction right into the town square. Light Rudy would probably tear through it to get to them, if he was desperate enough to have them captured at all costs.

Penny wondered to herself how things could possibly get any worse. And she soon got her answer, much to her horror. There was a sudden flash of light coming originating from where the castle was. Though pretty far, the light was bright enough that she and her friends knew instantly what the origin was.

The Light Rudy statue...

The magic chalk that was placed in the statue had been activated. It seemed to almost beep a few times, a wave of light going through it. And then, seconds later, a bright light shot into the air. Rudy, Penny, and Snap nearly froze at the sight of it. The light shot into the air, going up several feet. Clouds seemed to swirl around it, perhaps attracted by the light. And then, without warning, stripes of light shot forward, arching over ChalkZone City. Horrified zoners looked up and whimpered, indicating to the trio that this was not good news.

They watched as the light began to encomposs all of ChalkZone City. The tips of each light tentril attached to one another, and touched down on the ground. A pale yellow shield was formed, a loud humming eminating from it. The trio stopped as they saw a flying zoner try to escape, only to get zapped as it touched the shield. The zoner fell down, screeching in agony. The trio, their hearts clenching up tightly, realized what this meant. They were trapped in the city. They turned around to face the angetroller coming up towards them.

Although chalkless, much to their horror, the trio still stood their ground, ready to defend themselves. They weren’t going down without a fight. They heard a cold laughter from Light Rudy, prompting them to narrow their eyes in determination. The angetroller stopped advancing on them and stared down at them. There was a stand off, neither side moving an inch, both of them locking eyes to one another. It was almost a battle of will, each side waiting for the other to make a move or back down.

Then, without warning, the back of the angetroller opened up, revealing tendrils of light, similar to what Light Rudy’s magic chalk had, but these were artificial, mechanical in nature and more solid-looking. The trio each let out a scream as the tendrils shot towards them, but they weren’t fast enough. The tendrils wrappeda round their bodies, squeezing them tightly. They gagged and coughed, struggling to get free. They were hoisted off the ground and raised above the mechanical dog.

“I can’t believe how easy it was to catch you three. If I had known it would be this easy, I wouldn’t have used one of my best angetrollers to find you.” Light Rudy taunted from within the cockpit of the robot dog. “Ah well, I guess I can’t blame you. No magic chalk...” He sneered. If he were visible from the cockpit, they would imagine that he would be looking directly at Rudy when he said that. “Let’s go... I have much to discuss with you three...”

Penny couldn’t believe it. They had been caught so easily, despite their best efforts not to be seen. But their best wasn’t good enough and now they were being taken prisoner again. This time, she had her doubts that Jacko would save them again. What he did was risky enough. Pulling it off again would be hard, especially since Light Rudy would be on his guard, increasing defense to make sure that it didn’t happen again. She wished she had recalled they had no magic chalk... If they did, they could have figured out a better way of getting to the castle. They were at a huge disadvantage without that magic chalk.

It was too late for that now. It was too late to come up with a defense. They were all captured. They could not escape the grasp of the angetroller. There was no way to squeeze through these tendrils. There was no way to stop them from being carried over to the castle. All they can do was hold still in the air, as struggling was just wearing them down, and hope that luck would shine on them again and they find another way to escape.

As they continued to be taken down the street, something caught Penny’s eye. It was something positioned below them, in a part of ChalkZone City they hadn’t been in before. Her eyes widened in horror at what it was. She noticed, from the expressions on Rudy and Snap’s faces, they had seen it as well. She wished she could unsee it. She wished that she hadn’t looked down this way. Although it wasn’t a crimson-littered sight, this was one of the most horrifying things she had seen in this dimension.

There, placed in one of the streets leading into ChalkZone City, was Skrawl. He was completely still, unmoving. He didn’t look harmed, but the expression on his face, a silent twisted scream, told them everything they needed to know. The way he was just propped up there, in plain sight of all the zoners...they knew that he wasn’t just taking a stroll and decided to do that pose for whatever reason. It didn’t take them long to realize just what happeend to this universe’s Skrawl.

He had been frozen in place, much like Boorat was...although whatever Light Rudy used to freeze him was more thorough as not even his voice could be used. Skrawl had been carefully placed; there was no way this placement had been random. They could see some zoners walking by, many giving the frozen Skrawl a look of sympathy or fear. Penny bit her lip, realizing the horrible truth.

Skrawl had been turned into a living statue as a warning to the zoners of ChalkZone City not to cross Light Rudy. The dread swept through her body and she and her friends couldn’t help but shiver in fear. When Para-Penny said that Skrawl suffered a fate worse than death, they knew they would find something horrible regarding the jellybean.

They just never imagined it was something like this.


	76. Cruelty For A Friend

There was the sound of clicking as Light Rudy unlocked the large cell door. Above him, he held Rudy, Penny, and Snap in his magic chalk’s light tendrils. They squeezed them tightly, keeping them from escaping. As soon as Light Rudy kicked the door open, he tossed the trio into the cell. He shut the door and locked it up.

Light Rudy smirked at the trio. “There...this will hold you for a while.” He said in a cold voice. The trio glared at him defiantly. He just laughed. “I can see your spirits are not broken... Well I am not surprised. I haven’t a chance yet to really try to...”

“Shut up, you bastard!” Rudy cried out to him, his eyes blazing. “Spare us another of your arrogant speeches!”

Light Rudy stared at Rudy for a second, his face blank. He soon smiled lightly. “All right then.... I’ll skip the formalities, if you can call them that...” Light Rudy waved his hand dismissively, starting at the trio with that dark look. “I’ll come back later to check on you and...discuss things further. I take it that, given what little time you’ll have left by that point, you’ll be more...cooperative...” Rudy growled at him. Light Rudy shook his head. “You really should be more receptive, dear counterpart. What I’m giving you is a generous offer.”

“Generous offer?!” Penny cried. Is that what this guy thought he was doing? She couldn’t believe that Light Rudy thought this way, so similar to Cosmo... Okay, actually, she can believe it. That man left a deeper mark on this guy than he was willing to admit. She continued, “How is this a generous offer? You’re holding us hostage and you’re denying Rudy the cure that he needs! Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to control him...and us? Why?”

Light Rudy turned his attention to Penny. She shuddered a little at the way he was looking at her. She could see a glint of that promise she saw before. The dark promise, the one that had a sinister foreboding aura to it. This time, Light Rudy made no attempt to grab her, like he was just satisfied with spooking her a little this time around. But even if he did try something, she wouldn’t let him get far, and neither would her friends.

For a few moments, Light Rudy didn’t respond. He just smiled at the trio as they stared back at him. They were all waiting for him to answer. Penny knew it was just going to be another poor excuse. Light Rudy was the kind of person to say and do anything to get the results that he wants. He would cling onto some kind of excuse, even if it didn’t make sense, and ignore when anyone else tried to point out the fallacy of it. She knew, along with Rudy and Snap, that there was nothing they could say or do that would make Light Rudy see reason. His mentally was far too gone for that.

When Light Rudy did finally say something, it was a chilling reply. It wasn’t one that they entirely expected, but it also wasn’t entirely surprising, given his vicious personality.

“I cannot lose control of anything else... I must keep control of everything, otherwise everything crumbles apart. I might have lost control of myself..I will not allow that to happen to ChalkZone. I control it to protect it. I don’t want to see it become as twisted as I have become.” Light Rudy’s voice was cold, his expression unreadable. “Yes I admit it. I am insane. I know what I’m doing is wrong. I am fully aware of the fallacy of my own little lies, aware that I have convinced myself into delusion...and I see you three have caught onto that...”

Rudy, Penny, and Snap stared at him in shock. Light Rudy was aware of how much of a lunatic he had become? He was fully aware of what he was doing, even though he knew it was wrong? A part of them didn’t expect this. They had thought that Light Rudy really does believe a lot of things he says and does. To think that, on some level, he knows some of this wrong...and to know he was still doing it despite knowing it is wrong... That made their blood boil. That made Light Rudy a worse person than they ever could have imagined. He knows that he is doing wrong and yet he still does it anyway. He doesn’t care who he hurts just as long as he remains in control.

They wanted to call bullshit when he said he was acting this way for the sake of ChalkZone, but a part of them could see why. Light Rudy, by his own admission, was insane, and they could see him having a twisted logic like that. They could see him thinking that ChalkZone needed to be controlled in part due to him not wanting it to become twisted. Well it was clear that his logic was broken as Light Rudy didn’t seem to realize just how broken and twisted this ChalkZone had already become, thanks to his horrendous actions. He had crossed the line too many times now, and he needed to be stopped, since it was clear he wasn’t going to stop himself.

The next thing Light Rudy said definitely confirmed what they already suspected.

“Perhaps I could change... Perhaps I could listen to that little voice inside of me and not do this anymore. But you know what? Who fucking cares at this point? It’s far..far..too late to change...” Light Rudy narrowed his eyes. “I have watched my life gone to hell. Zoner after zoner became convinced I had gone evil, even though I am just trying to do the right thing. So you know what? I eventually decided to say screw all that.” Light Rudy sneered, an evil smile spreading across his face. “I thought that...after all I’ve done...I’m irredeemable..and if the zoners want to see me as evil, then okay...” His eyes flashed. “Then let me be evil...”

Horror spread through the trio, mixed in with a near uncontrollable anger. Light Rudy was a disgusting and vile person. Is this why he acted the way he did? Penny realized, in that moment, that despite the lies Light Rudy might have been telling himself, despite what anything else they knew, ultimately, at its core, Light Rudy’s behavior went much further than just wanting control. He was acting this way because he was a coward, believing that it was too late to change. He was wrong about that. It’s never too late to turn one’s life around and at least try to do something beneficial.

It was truly disgusting the way Light Rudy pretty much declared he was not only evil, but he was evil just to be that way, just because of the way some zoners were acting around him. While they were certain that some of this was influenced by his abusive parents, they knew, ultimately, Light Rudy chose to become this way. He was coming up with any kind of excuse, and at this point, he wasn’t even trying to justify his actions anymore. Penny wondered if Light Rudy this this even from Para-Penny and Para-Snap, this hidden believe that he should just continue being an asshole because he felt he crossed the line too much to be redeemable. Penny wasn’t sure which was more disgusting: Light Rudy pretending that he wasn’t doing anything wrong and convincing himself it was for the good of ChalkZone, or him knowing full well that he was a despicable monster and doing absolutely nothing about it because he doesn’t believe he has time left to change.

Hearing this new bit of information about him made the trio want to take him down even more. He really was the worst kind of person. They couldn’t think of anyone one else as disgusting and vile as he was. Even Bardot didn’t seem to reach this kind of level of bastardary, and that was saying something. Light Rudy’s body count was much larger than any villain they can think of, aside from perhaps Dark Rudy, and even he wasn’t as monstrous as Light Rudy, plus he had the excuse of being forcibly corrupted. Light Rudy did all the corruption to himself.

Light Rudy stayed quiet, as if he was letting them digest the information. The angrier they got as the full impact of what he said settled in them, the broader his smile became. It was like he wanted them to hate him. It was like he fed off their anger and hate and was doing whatever he could to increase that anger. Perhaps it was strategic, as Penny was fully aware of how anger and hate makes it hard to think straight. And she knew, if that were the case, it could easily work, as it was hard to think about Light Rudy and his actions and not feel a bit of anger boiling in their stomachs.

Penny wondered if this treatment was just exclusive to them. She wondered if Light Rudy, knowing that they might not be there forever, was venting more or less, confessing how cruel he was while keeping up the facade for the populace. Perhaps he wanted so badly for him to be engraved into their minds, so that they won’t forget him... The more she thought about this, the angrier she got. She knew Rudy and Snap felt the same way. Though she understood that being abused does suck, after all the vile acts Light Rudy did and after this horrific confession... She looked forward to the day when he was finally taken down for good. This beast needed to be stopped.

“You....you...” Penny started to say. She wanted to say ‘monster’. She wanted to say anything to call this beast out on his cruelty. But she couldn’t think of anything to say. What could she say to someone who just freely admitted he was a monster and clearly showed no true remorse for what he’s done? All she could do was glare at him and seethe, her teeth clenched.

“You’re doing all this because you think you can’t change?” Rudy spoke up, speaking what was on her and Snap’s mind. “That’s disgusting! How can you delude yourself like that? It’s better to try to change and fail than it is to never make the attempt! But you...you aren’t going to make the attempt at all, are you? Because you are a coward! Deep down, you’re a coward who is afraid to lose control! You know full well what the zoners around here will do once they let to go of their fear of you, don’t you?” Light Rudy’s eyes widened slightly at this. “You know that they are going to make you pay for what you did. You know that all that abuse you dished out on them will bite you back in the ass. You know all of this...don’t you..?”

For a few seconds, the room was silent. Light Rudy didn’t bother to reply. Penny and Snap looked at Rudy, listening intently to what he had to say. Rudy took in a few breaths, but from the look on his face, Penny knew he wasn’t done yet. There was still more he wanted to say.

“I don’t know if you’re telling the truth about the whole ‘let me be evil’ thing you told us. I don’t know how much of what you say is true. But I can say that your actions speak louder than words. I can tell just what kind of person you are from the things you do.” Rudy growled softly. He lifted up a hand and pointed it at Light Rudy accusingly. “You are a cowardly monster, someone who commits horrible acts...and then has the gall to try to say it’s for some bullshit like the ‘greater good’! You act this way because you are afraid of what will happen when it all crumbles down...aren’t you? I can tell you are. You have the power to change, yet you refuse to because you’re too much of a coward to face your own mistakes! Tell me, counterpart, what will you do once the zoners turn on you? What will happen when your precious world begins to fall apart all around you? What will happen when you have no one left by your side...and you are alone...?”

Penny and Snap were a little surprised by Rudy’s words. He usually didn’t go this far in calling someone out on their bullcrap. But what Rudy was saying was true. Regardless if what Light Rudy told them was a confession or just saying something he knows they want to hear, Rudy was right that Light Rudy was a coward, hiding behind any excuse he can to justify it. And even when he wasn’t hiding behind an excuse and openly admitted it, he still tried to twist things to make it seem like he just ‘can’t help it’.

Though Penny wasn’t entirely comfortable with Rudy continuing to provoke Light Rudy, especially since that twisted counterpart was in a position of dominance over them at the moment, she didn’t try to stop him and neither did Snap. They both wanted to hear Rudy continue to tear down Light Rudy. The bastard deserved it. Plus, unlike Light Rudy, their Rudy was not twisting anything; he was making observations and statements based on what Light Rudy had given them. Light Rudy can’t say he isn’t a monster when he had freely committed horrific actions against innocent zoners.

And that thing with Skrawl... Just another example of how cruel Light Rudy had become. Light Rudy even told them, freely and without remorse, what he had done to the jellybean zoner. He did not say what led up to the circumstance, but the trio didn’t really care, because whatever any ‘reason’ Light Rudy might give, they knew it was not going to be anything good.

Light Rudy said that he had developed an upgraded version of the freeze ray, which he admitted he had lost. But not ever he had apparently used it on Skrawl. Their suspicion before, regarding it being a warning to the other zoners, was correct. This act was done early in Light Rudy’s conquest of ChalkZone, and it had set a deep impact in the zoners, enough that some of them becam subordinate to him after this. Skrawl had remained like that for about two years, possibly three, depending on how long Light Rudy’s dive into madness was. He was alive, and Light Rudy said he does make sure he stays alive.

The cruelty of this was unimaginable. A fate worse than death, indeed. Skrawl is fully aware of what was going on around him. He can hear everything, smell everything, feel everything, and definitely feel everything. His body was still fully functional. But he just can’t move. Light Rudy refuses to grant him death, instead keeping him propped up like that, not allowing him to even slowly die. The realization of this, and how cruel it was, hit the trio like a freight train, and their hatred for Light Rudy reached the boiling point again. He just knows what to do to make people hate him, and he keeps on proving how much of an asshole he was.

Still, Penny couldn’t help but start to feel a little uncomfortable with the way Rudy was talking to Light Rudy. Something about it seemed..off... It didn’t sound entirely like something she’d expect Rudy to say. Calling him out, yeah, but Rudy just kept going. The tone of his voice changed, and it started to sound a tad....sinister. And then came when he said something that she thought she’d never hear come out of Rudy’s mouth.

“Can you answer me that, counterpart? What are you afraid of? What will the zoners do to you when you lose control of everything? Are you...afraid..? Are you terrified of losing control of something else? Are you afraid that all your ‘precious work’ will come crumbling down?” Rudy asked, his voice reaching a low level. One that Penny and Snap thought wasn’t possible for him. “Sooner or later, your hold on the zoners will break...and you know what’ll happen after that, don’t you..?” Rudy stared intently into Light Rudy’s eyes. A creepy smile came onto the boy’s face, uncharacteristic for him. “Are you afraid of a repeat of what happened with mom and dad..?”

Penny and Snap looked at Rudy, horrified by this low blow. Though Light Rudy was a jackass, they never would have suspected Rudy to act this way. He was already starting to act a little out of character the way he was talking, even in spite of Light Rudy getting more and more uncomfortable. The Rudy they knew would know when to stop, and wouldn’t keep going. But Rudy, for some reason, not only didn’t stop, but he had continued sounding more and more like...

...Cosmo...

The way his voice sounded, the way he seemed to almost play a mind game with Light Rudy, these were things they expected from Cosmo, but not from Rudy. The realization sent chills down their spine.

Light Rudy couldn’t respond. He stared at Rudy in shock. He already looked horrified when Rudy talked about the zoners turning against him. He definitely appeared afraid, showing that losing control of the zoners really was something he feared and dreaded. But when Rudy mentioned his abusive parents, it was like a firework had went off. Light Rudy went from being afraid to being absolutely terrified. The combination of the two had apparently sent a cold wave of fear through Light Rudy’s body, and the trio could see he was trembling.

This didn’t last too long. Although it wasn’t a simple shrug off, Light Rudy did regain his previous composure. He glared at Rudy, but didn’t say anything. Penny guessed that Rudy’s words had really shaken him up, perhaps reminding him of his near corruption at the hands of the black chalk, or forcing him to face the uncomfortable reality that he had corrupted himself, that he had the choice to change, but he never takes that path, all because of the lame excuse that it was ‘too late’.

“I-I...” Light Rudy tried to say. He took in a few shaky breaths, almost losing his composure again. Then he narrowed his eyes. “I will deal with you three later. I have some...business to attend to.” With that, he turned and began to walk away, leaving the trio alone in the cell.

After Light Rudy disappeared, Penny and Snap stared over at Rudy. Their eyes were wide and mouths open. Rudy glanced over at them and noticed their looks. The twisted smile he had on his face had faded, turning into a look of confusion. He turned his body around so he was facing them directly. Narrowing his eyes in confusion, he began to speak again, this time, his voice sounding more normal.

“What is it?” Rudy asked.

“Rudy...you...weren’t sounding like yourself...” Snap said, his voice shaky.

“What do you mean?” Rudy tilted his head slightly, raising an eyebrow. “What did I say?”

Penny spoke up next. “The way you were acting towards your counterpart...” Rudy turned his attention to her. She bit her lip. “It...it didn’t sound like something you would say. You were acting like...like...”

Rudy asked, “Like what...?”

“You were acting like Cosmo...” Penny finished, biting her lip nervously.

Rudy’s eyes widened at this. He shook his head. “N-No I wasn’t.. I...I was just pointing out to my counterpart and..I...” Penny and Snap just stared at him, worrisome expressions on their faces. Rudy still seemed to be in denial. “I’m not like him... I-I will never be like him...”

“Bucko...” Snap said gently. “I know that you were trying to get him to see that he was wrong, and that’s not why Penny and I are worried. It’s that...you were playing some sort of mind game with him, like what Cosmo would do.”

“Yeah..it was scary... I would have accepted such words come from someone like Cosmo. But to see and hear you act this way...” Penny said. She lowered her gaze. “It was frightening...”

Rudy seemed to slowly realize that they were speaking the truth. He looked around in horror, his eyes widening in realization. He dropped down to his knees and gripped the sides of his head. His body began to tremble. Penny and Snap watched him sympathetically.

“I...I don’t believe it...I..didn’t mean to...” Rudy said softly. “H-How was it po-possible I...?”

“Do you think this has to do with the black chalk?” Snap wondered aloud. “I..did see Rudy’s eyes flash black for a second...”

“You...” Rudy said, his voice trembling. “You did..? My eyes did that...?”

Snap nodded his head shakingly. “Y-Yeah...they did, Bucko. It was really freaky too...”

“I didn’t see it.” Penny confessed. She looked at Snap, perplexed. “When did they...?”

Snap, though looking very uncomfortable with talking about this, managed to say, “It was right when he was talking about how his counterpart’s precious work will crumble down, the zoners turning against him....and bringing up his abusive parents...” He shuddered. “It happened a few times during this, actually. Each time it only lasted a split second, so I’m not surprised you didn’t notice it, Penny.”

Rudy and Penny glanced at each other nervously. Penny wasn’t sure what this could mean. It seemed as though the black chalk was...becoming stronger. But how? They weren’t in the dark dimension anymore, and in this dimension, it didn’t seem like there was any black chalk around. So what was triggering this temporary relapse? What was causing Rudy to act this way? It wasn’t like they were at the Solar Pillars. She wasn’t even sure if that place existed here. At least not anymore. Light Rudy might have destroyed it in an attempt to protect ChalkZone, at least before he went completely insane.

She recalled a saying, about how if one keeps running away from a feeling and hiding it, the worse and stronger it can become. Was it possible that, in all the years that Rudy’s internal black chalk had been ignored, it was getting stronger? Was the black chalk getting to the point where it was starting to assume control of Rudy even though there was no external black chalk for it to feed off of? It was a possibility, a chilling one at that. Just as chilling is the thought that there might be something here triggering this response.

Whatever was causing this reaction, she and her friends had to figure out what it was...and fast. So far, Rudy seems to be fine now. But if he suffers another sanity slippage like that, they would need to act fact. They needed to make sure that Rudy didn’t fall down the slope again. She knew that the black chalk had to be stopped...before it was too late.

sss

Light Rudy headed down the hallway of his castle, having left the dungeon a little while ago. He made his way towards where his Penny and his Snap were being ‘stored’, so to speak. It was a special room, secured with multiple locks. Pretty simple, but effective. The locks were on the outside and the door was heavy and made of metal. No matter how hard she tried, his Penny would never be able to break it down. There was also no window, an extra precaution he took just in case they decided to go that route.

He needed to speak to his two ‘friends’ before he dealt with their ‘guests’. He was going to get to the bottom of this escape business, and he knew they had to have known something about what happened. And he was going to get the truth out of them, one way or another. He knew they were involved in that escape and he was not going to give them a chance to do it again. During the rest of the time the ‘guests’ were here, he was going to keep his Penny and his Snap locked up so they can’t intervene any longer.

He was also going to search them to make sure they had no means of communication with this mysterious rescuer. He would make sure to cut off all contact. He needed to make sure that he didn’t lose another grasp of his control again. He couldn’t afford to. As soon as he loses control of the zoners around here....

A cold shiver went up his spine and his eyes widened slightly. It was rare that he showed a worried expression, and this was one such occassion. He knew what would happen if he lost control. Rudy had been right. He was afraid of that time. Losing control...it was something that he sometimes had nightmares about. And each time he had a nightmare, he would tighten his control, making it even harder for it to become broken. He refused to allow himself to lose his grip on ChalkZone. After all he had done to get up top, he would fight with all his might to keep it like that.

It was a little scary for him how his counterpart had acted. Granted, he had provoked it. He had decided to mess with them with the whole ‘let me be evil’ line. On some level, Light Rudy really did think of himself this way. There were multiple factors in why he took this bloody path. The desire to protect ChalkZone, the desire to keep control of something after his parents started to abuse him....and the zoners’ reactions to when he accidentally killed a few zoners, back before he had become more or less its ruler.

While it wasn’t all of them, the portion that did think he turned evil...well they kept pestering him, protesting, and whatever else they felt they could do. Light Rudy did eventually take care of them, but in the end, he only proved that they were right. He had really turned evil, something he wasn’t proud to admit. At least for a while. Light Rudy just stopped caring...almost. At times, he did still feel a tug at his heart, or what was left of it. And he still did genuinely wanted to keep ChalkZone safe. But he was so far gone now...he hardly even recognized himself anymore.

So by ‘let me be evil’, what Light Rudy pretty much was telling the trio, in addition to purposely pissing them off, was that if they want to call him evil, fine. If they want to interpret his actions as monstrous, then they can. Most of himself was still convinced he was doing the right thing. Even though that small part of him knew he was evil, that a small part of him knew that his line of logic not only contradicted each other, but it really was messed up, he still purposely blinded himself...

...to pretend that he wasn’t the monster everyone says he is. A cowardly act, he would admit. But he knew it was too late for him now. Too late for him to change. He had twisted his own mind and his own beliefs, to the point were, at times, a part of him didn’t even understand the point he was trying to make. He had taken to saying anything he could think of to try to drive home whatever point he wanted to, even if that point didn’t make much sense. Light Rudy hated being told he was like Cosmo, because he knew it was the truth. Oh he might say it’s not true...but he was just lying to himself. He knew his counterpart was completely right when he said he was like Mr. Cosmo.

While most of himself enjoyed what he was doing now, that he had convinced himself that everything he did was making ChalkZone better, and that he really did think that his counterpart was too soft to be a good protector for ChalkZone, that same small part of him, the voice that he usually tried to silence, the one that knew his views were twisted, that voice knew something that he himself would never admit to. One of the reasons he was targeting his counterpart specifically, in addition to wanting control, was because he was...

...jealous. Yeah, he was jealous of his counterpart. A small part of him was. His counterpart had managed to avoid becoming twisted. Seeing him reminds him of how things used to be with everything here. Seeing the trio together made his stomach churn, giving him a burning feeling reminding him of how close he and his Penny and Snap were. And on some level, he wanted that relationship back. But now... He shook his head as he continued down the hallway. It was far too late for that. He can’t be saved. If these people want him to stop so badly, they would have to take him down.

And, stubborn and arrogant as he was, he would fight back. He would not go down that easily.

Light Rudy thought back, again, to how his counterpart behaved. He hadn’t expected him to act like that. The things he said....yeah he knew on some level, they were all true. He had done an eerily good job at ripping apart a hidden fear of his. His counterpart was right. He was afraid to lose control. He won’t lie. And the thing about his parents.. That’s what frightened him the most. How did his counterpart know about that? There was no way he should have known. He had kept that a secret even from his Penny and his Snap.

...unless they overheard him somehow... Yeah that had to be it. One of his ‘advisors’ overheard him talking to himself, perhaps during one of his naps in ChalkZone, and they told the trio. He growled softly at this realization. That gave him another reason to keep those two locked up. They weren’t to dispell any information without his consent. Calling all the shots about information and how it moves through a populace is a great way to keep control over the citizens. And to think that his ‘advisors’ were leaking information, despite knowing the consequences...it angered him. Oh they were in trouble...

His mind cleared of the incident with his counterpart. His mind forgot about the things he was thinking about before. All that was on his mind right now were his Penny and his Snap. His mind was no longer thinking about how he wished to mend their relationship. The small part of him that wanted that was overruled by the anger that swam in his chest now, making it clench uncomfortably. He felt his mind churn as he thought about what kind of punishment he would dish out on those two. They weren’t going to get away with what they have done. He would make them pay.

Any doubt or confusion or whatever else he felt before that was uncomfortable, he began to channel it to anger, focusing on his Penny and his Snap. He did his best to keep himself from completely losing it. He did his best to keep himself somewhat under control. But he knew that likely wasn’t going to last. This wasn’t the first time those two had defied him. He was becoming determined to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

He soon came to the door. Solid grey in color, the only door with multiple locks in this whole place. He could hear nothing on the other side, but he knew those two ‘friends’ of his were on the other side. They had nowhere to run. Bringing up his magic chalk, he started to draw a circle on the door, a temporary one to grant him access. As soon as the circle completed, he stepped into the room.

“Hello...my dear friends...”

sss

Para-Penny turned her head, her eyes widening in horror. She watched as her Rudy stepped into the room, a cold look in his eyes, mixed in with anger. She felt a shiver go up and down her spine. She knew what this look meant. She had seen him give this look to them before. Not just her, but her Snap as well. It was a look that told them that their Rudy was beyond talk. Even if he tried to make conversation, he was not going to listen to reason. It was the state she was the most afraid of, because he was the most unpredictable at this point.

She moved back, grabbing onto her Snap’s wheelchair to get him away from their Rudy. She could hear him whimper softly at the mere sight of their Rudy. This made her heart clench. It had been horrible, the way their Rudy’s behavior gradually got worse, to the point he was now downright abusive. And she was often forced to watch...helpless as their Rudy beat up their Snap whenever he didn’t listen to even the simplest command. He had done unspeakable things to him...as well as her, to keep his control over them. And for the moment, it was working; Para-Penny didn’t try to rush at their Rudy, despite having a desire to, only out of fear. Her mind flashed horrible images of the things this beast had done to them.

She still, at times, longed for the day that their Rudy was stopped. She still believed that the Rudy she knew was still in there somewhere. She still thought that, if their Rudy were to see the monster he had become, and if he actually tried to change, he could do that. She didn’t want to believe that it was completely too late. Anyone can make a difference if they tried. Their Rudy, in spite of his cruelty, still had the chance to make the choice to change. He still had a chance to repair the damage he caused.

This didn’t mean she was going to be willing to forgive him. That...would take time. He had caused a lot of mental damage to both her and their Snap, traumatizing them. And the rest of ChalkZone suffered similarly. But she was willing to give him another chance only after he proved he could change....if he ever makes the attempt at all. Their Rudy was convinced that he couldn’t change, or at least he certainly act he felt that way. This frustrated Para-Penny, reminding her bitterly of how it used to be so different...how their Rudy would try to fix his mistakes... Whatever happend to that Rudy...?

Her mind was interrupted when she heard a low growl come from their Rudy, a clear sign that he was not in a good mood. The way he was looking at them was chilling. She kept moving back. Once they were at a corner of the room, and their Rudy just kept advancing on them, she stood in front of their Snap in an effort to provide him some protection. Their bond had strengthened since their Rudy started to abuse him, and she was going to make the effort to protect him, even if she ended up losing pretty quickly.

When their Rudy held up his magic chalk, she shuddered. She had no magic chalk of her own. She was as defenseless as her Snap, or any zoner for that matter. Without the magic chalk, she stood no chance in fighting back against their Rudy. Unable to move, she just stared at the chalk in horror. Her mind raced. Just what was their Rudy going to do to them this time? There were so many terrible things... and his expression did nothing to convince her otherwise.

“I thought I had you two under my control. I thought you two knew better than to cross me...” Their Rudy said darkly. He kept advancing on them, his dark eyes staring intently at them, peering into their souls. Then he stopped about three feet in front of them. He growled, his shoulders rising and falling with each breath. Then he sighed, his shoulders slouching. “I see I was wrong...” He shook his head. An eerily calm expression came onto his face, a fake smile clearly visible. “I guess I have no choice but to teach you another..lesson...”

Para-Penny’s eyes widened in horror at this. “N-No..please!”

“F-For what...?” Their Snap squeaked. “What did we do..?”

“What did you do?” Their Rudy asked, incredulous. “What did you do...?” He threw his head back, giving a soft laughter filled with ice. Para-Penny and her Snap winced at this, and they cringed at the sound of it. “Oh you really don’t know what you did...?” He looked back at them. The smile was still there, broadening in a creepy fashion. “Perhaps I need to remind you two...”

Their Rudy began to pace from side to side in front of them, his eyes remaining locked on them. Para-Penny huddled close to her crippled friend, putting her arms around him to comfort him while he whimpered in fear. Both of them trembled as their Rudy paced in front of them, holding the magic chalk in front of him in a threatening manner. Para-Penny felt her heart beat faster, her mind racing with thoughts of what their Rudy was going to do to them.

“You two found a way to get our... ‘guests’ away from this place.” Their Rudy said darkly.

“They..they escaped...?” Para-Penny asked, her eyes widening. She let out a scream as their Rudy suddenly laughed out and grabbed her by the neck.

Yanking her forward, their Rudy hissed in her face. “Yes they did! And I know you or Snap here was involved!”

Para-Penny stared at him in shock. Their Rudy thought they were involved? But how could they be involved? At what point would they have had a chance to do something like that? Besides, they were being dragged off earlier by one of his enforcers. They wouldn’t have had any time to call for help when one of his enforcers was nearby..not that they even had a method of doing so.

And yet here their Rudy stands, accusing them of something they didn’t do. They weren’t involved in this, and their Rudy was insane to think that they were. They were innocent. The dimensional hoppers getting away from them wasn’t something they could take credit for. As much as she and her Snap wanted to help their counterparts escape, they couldn’t claim in any involvement in this.

Para-Penny winced at the upclose view of her Rudy’s face. Those eyes...once so loving and caring, now all there remained was anger and hate and...well whatever else remained was nothing positive. She turned her head to the side, clenching her teeth in fear.

“I-I swear..we had nothing to do with...”

Para-Penny let out a scream when their Rudy suddenly slapped her across the face. Her head jerked to the side, a red mark appearing on her cheek. A bit of tears began to form in her eyes as she looked at her Rudy in dread. His eyes were wide with anger, and she could see the red veins in his eyewhites easily, making the whole thing even scarier.

“Don’t lie to me, bitch!” Their Rudy snarled, his teeth bared. “You two are the ones who know the most about how I fun things around here. I know you two exploited something to allow our counterparts to escape! I did manage to catch them..but I will not allow them to escape again...” He threw Para-Penny back, nearly causing her to trip over. “That means I will have to teach you two a lesson...to ensure you don’t pull another stunt like that again...”

“But...we had no involvement...” Their Snap whimpered in a low voice. “We...we didn’t even know they escaped until you said something...”

Their Rudy turned his attention to the wheelchair bound zoner. He snarled at him, causing the zoner to whimper. He slowly walked up to him. Para-Penny attempted to protect him, but their Rudy pushed her out of the way. She landed on the ground in a thud, her shoulder hitting against the hard ground. She got up to her feet and watched at what was happening in horror. By now, their Rudy had reached their Snap. She watched as he cringed back, his body shaking.

Their Rudy stared at him coldly for a few seconds, and then he said darkly, “Perhaps I will start the lesson with you..” Their Snap’s eyes widened in horror.

Without warning, their Rudy suddenly seized the crippled zoner by his scarf. He lifted him out of his wheelchair and into the air. Para-Penny watched in horror as their Rudy began to violently. The zoner cried out in pain and fear as their Rudy kept shaking him. The zoner somes gagged as the scarf pressed up against his throat. Then he got even more violent and started to smash their Snap against the wall and against his wheelchair, each one prompting the zoner to scream.

Para-Penny watched their Rudy beat their Snap up like this, swinging him around like he was just a rag doll, in terror. She started to rush towards them, holding out her hand. “No! Please, stop that!”

Their Rudy did stop, but he did not let go of their Snap. He held him up in the air, his fingers wrapped tightly around his scarf. “Do you want to take his place?”

Para-Penny froze at this question. Her mind filled with fear, knowing what was in store for her if she agreed. But then she looked at their Snap, seeing how scared he was. He didn’t deserve the beating he was getting from their Rudy. If getting hurt meant that he would be safe, then she would do it.

Para-Penny nodded her head. “Yes... I will.”

Her Snap’s eyes widened at this. “N-No..P-Penny...don’t...”

“Silence!” Their Rudy shouted at the zoner before smashing him against a metal part of his wheelchair.

“Snap!” Para-Penny shouted, taking a step forward. Her wide eyes watched as their Snap started to cry softly, tears flowing down his face. His fear had reached its breaking point, like it always did. Her heart clenched as she watched him sob in their Rudy’s hands, their Rudy looking at him in contempt before turning his attention to Para-Penny. “Please stop hurting him! I’ll do anything...if you just leave him alone!”

Their Rudy looked at her silently, and then grinned deviously. “Anything...?”

Para-Penny nodded her head. “Y-Yeah... Punish me instead.. Leave him alone.” She eyed their Snap sadly for a moment before continuing. “He’s suffered enough already, by your hands... Please, at least grant him some kindness this time, and leave him alone.”

Their Rudy thought about this for a few moments before he nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. “Well..okay...” He thrust Snap back into his wheelchair and patted the top of his head gently, causing the zoner to whine. “I’ll take you up on your offer... But I think I am going to do things..differently this time.. I think I know exactly how to keep you two from...defying me ever again...”

Para-Penny looked at him in confusion. What was he talking about? What did he have in mind? She watched as their Rudy reached up and snapped his fingers. At that, there was a glow and Para-Penny immediately knew what it meant. She looked over in horror as light tendrils shot out of the golden braces that their Snap was forced to wear. The terrified zoner was unable to stop the tendrils from binding his arms completely to the chair, preventing him from using it.

At this, Para-Penny stared at their Rudy in shock “I thought you said you were going to leave him alone!”

“I did, and I am... I will leave him alone this time..” Their Rudy said. He pointed a finger at Para-Penny. “But you won’t...”

Para-Penny was horrified by this. “Wh-What...?”

As the crippled zoner struggled in vain to get free, their Rudy just smiled at the two of them. A smile filled with dark promise and a twisted desire. “You heard me...” He held a hand up, palm facing the ceiling. “I’ll cease my punishment on him...if you hurt him instead.”

Para-Penny was mortified by this. “But..why...?”

“Because striking at the heart is an effective way of control... And I know that you still have a strong bond with Snap. I’m not doing this to shatter that...but rather, take advantage of it.” Their Rudy said with a sneer. “Hurting him will hurt you...efficient... Perhaps after this, you will think twice before you defy in the future.”

“B-B-But..please...anything but that....” Para-Penny begged, her body shaking. “I can’t hurt him...”

“It’s either you hurt him...” Their Rudy’s eyes glinted. “Or I will...”

Para-Penny’s body shook harder. She didn’t want to do this. She didn’t want to hurt their Snap. This was sick and wrong. Their Rudy never forced them into this kind of predicament before. This was a new low for him. It reminded her of what the counterpart Snap had to go through. She recalled their counterparts saying how the counterpart Snap was forced into a similar situation by Jenny, involving him and Sophie. And now here she was, forced into a similar sadistic choice.

She looked over at their Snap. She saw how frightened he was, staring at her with those eyes. Both of them were thinking the same thing. They didn’t want to experience this. They were innocent. They didn’t do a damn thing to warrant such a twisted punishment. But it was useless to argue with their ‘leader’. Once he had his mind made up about something, it was near impossible to change it. If she didn’t do this, then she knew that he would do something much worse...

Having no choice, Para-Penny slowly approached their Snap. An apologetic look was etched onto her face. “I’m...I’m so sorry....”

A sadistic grin spread across their Rudy’s face as Para-Penny reluctantly gripped her Snap by his shoulder and raise her fist, poised to strike. All the crippled zoner could do was turn his head and wait for the blow.


	77. I'm Going To Get You

Penny sat down on the ground in their cell. They had already tried to get it open. Snap even tried to squeeze through the bars, but nothing worked. They were helpless to get out. The bars here were set closer than most of the other cells they have seen, and they were made of harder material than the other bars, making them harder to break. Light Rudy must really not want them to escape.

Her mind ran with multiple thoughts, trying assess their current situation. There was no way they could stay in here that long. They needed to get out. Rudy was running out of time. If they didn’t get the cure before time was up... She wasn’t sure if they could come back here. She had no idea what was going on in the real world. She didn’t know the situation of the Luminos. Once they returned, would they be attacked? They had to be prepared, as best as they could. The Luminos were still a major threat.

She hoped that they won’t run into them, though. At least not now. They all needed some time to recover from their injuries they sustained while dimensional hopping. She didn’t know how much more of a beating they could take. Jacko’s treatment of them did help a little, but that was going to mean squat when they were being surrounded by the Luminos, who would, more likely than not, be in better shape than them. They would be easily taken down. Though the odds were very unlikely, she hoped that they would at least get some kind of break before they had to fight again, give their bodies some time to rest.

She turned her head to look at Rudy. He was sitting on the other side of the cell. His behavior earlier had really spooked him. Though he hadn’t suffered another incident like that in the short time they’ve been here, he was still quite shaken up, and she couldn’t blame him. His speech to Light Rudy had taken a dark turn, and he had started acting a little like Cosmo, or any black chalk artist for that matter. It was subtle, not absolute, but still there. The words he said, and the way he said them were quite telling.

Her mind’s gears turned as she tried to think of what the cause could have been. Her earlier assumption, ignoring the black chalk, she wasn’t sure that made sense. It didn’t quite explain why it took until now to activate. There had to be another reason. But as she searched her mind for an answer, she could only come up with a blank thought. She knew something must have triggered the black chalk....but figuring it out wasn’t going to be easy. She looked all around her surroundings, finding nothing that she felt would have triggered the change.

She looked sympathetically at Rudy. He was worried that he was going to snap like that again, and she understood this fear. Without knowing what caused the trigger in the first place, how could they hope to prepare to prevent it from happening? Losing control was not a pleasant experience, and she knew that he wanted to have nothing to do with Cosmo and all these other crazed villains they have encountered. None of them, especially Rudy, wanted to sink down to their level.

Figuring out what triggered this response was important. They had no idea if it was something going on in this dimension, or if it was something that would carry over when they returned home. The thought was chilling to Penny as she realized that the black chalk getting stronger may still occur in their dimension. Rudy might start to suffer a change in attitude and he may start to slowly transform before their eyes. He might turn into a monster, unwillingly, once the black chalk takes hold. They needed to stop it and fast.

But how? How can they stop something that they know little about? They don’t know the trigger. They don’t know what caused the black chalk to suddenly activate like that. Though it lays dormant again, though Rudy had regained control of himself, the question was...how long was this going to last? How long would it be until the next trigger? Would he suddenly lash out at them if the black chalk seized control without warning? The thought was horrifying to the trio.

Penny heard a small whimper. She turned her head and saw Snap. He was positioned away from her, and from Rudy. Not out of fear. He was on the back wall, as far away from the bars as he could go. Although they couldn’t see any of the prisoners around here, they could certainly hear them. They did their best to try to block them out, but it was impossible. There was no way they could not hear what was going on, or smell any of this either.

The horrific smell of death, decay, and gore filled their nostrils. A sickening smell that made them want to retch. It was as bad as that room they ran into when Light Rudy had spotted them. The smell lingered in the ar, heavy and thick. Even breathing through their mouths didn’t save them from the smell, and they were left there, holding their stomachs at times, trying not to throw up. And the sounds...the sounds added to it, making it even worse. They could hear the cries of zoners all around them. Screaming, sobbing, pleading, howling... The sounds intermingled, becoming a singular sound. It was very much like what they heard earlier...only now it was crystal clear and sharp. This, along with the torture machine...this was what they were hearing. The torture of many an innocent zoner at the hands of this madman...

Once in a while, they would hear a zoner speak up. Each time they did, whatever they say either horrified the trio or tugged at their heartstrings painfully.

“Please..stop this! Make it end!”

“Just k-kill me...I want to die...Please let me die... Why do you keep me alive...?”

“I-I can’t live like...like this anymore! All I did was cut in line! How is that..how does that condemn me to this?!”

“I can’t...please..stop this...Kill me...please...”

These cries..there were so many of them. Zoners saying how they didn’t deserve this, naming whatever ‘crime’ they committed, always something minor or relatively moderate... Some zoners pleading for death... All of it was heart wrenching to listen to, filling their chests with a horrible, cold sensation. Light Rudy’s brutality and his coldness emitted quite well here, and it horrified the trio. And they had no choice but to listen to all of this. They half wondered if Light Rudy purposely put them there to attack them mentally.

Although Light Rudy claimed that this area was for zoners that defied him, the trio wouldn’t be surprised if some of these zoners didn’t actually defy him. It was possible that Light Rudy, using his twisted sense of ‘logic’, would interpret some of these ‘crimes’ as acts of defiance against him. And they had little doubts that these zoners suffered from the same level of torment as any other prisoners around here. Light Rudy really was doing his best to mentally shatter all the zoners that he held in these stone walls. If he had any remorse for what he has done, he would try to change it. But he isn’t... Either he is a coward like Rudy said or he really doesn’t care. She didn’t know which was worse.

The more she listened to these mournful cries, the worse she felt for these zoners. They were really suffering. She could hear just how much sadness was laced in their voices. They needed help. If only they had magic chalk with them, they might be able to at least free them. Give them a chance to escape, as having a chance to escape and getting caught was better than having no chance at all. She didn’t know how they were going to escape, but she wasn’t about to give up. She never gave up before, and she wasn’t going to start it up now.

“P-Please make i-it s-stop...”

Penny’s heart tugged when she looked over at Snap, who was now laying on the ground, curled up in a ball. He was shivering in fright, wide, wild eyes looking around. She bit her lip and she headed over towards him. Rudy looked over sympathetically, but didn’t move, likely out of fear he might act like Cosmo again and lose control. Penny could see how much it hurt Rudy not to be able to go over and comfort his friend. But she understood why he’d be afraid to get close. Hurting Snap would be mentally scarring for him, and he certainly wouldn’t want to put Snap through any pain.

Penny knelt down by Snap, resting on one knee. She reached over and she gently touched Snap’s shoulder. The zoner shuddered hard and he looked up at her with wide eyes. The sight of them made her heart clench. His eyes were already red and puffy, and he wore a terrified expression. She ran her hand along his shoulder and side gently, doing her best to soothe him. Snap replied by cuddling up close to her, resting his head on her thigh. She glanced over at Rudy with a worried look. Rudy started to move over, but then would pause, glance at his hands, and move back.

“It’s okay, Rudy. You can come over.” Penny said as she continued stroking Snap. Her hand ran along the back of his head as he nuzzled his face against her. Tears dripped from his eyes. She used her free hand to beckon Rudy. “Come on...”

“B-But...what if I...?” Rudy asked, casting a wary glance at Snap.

“You won’t lose control... It’ll be fine.” Penny said, trying to calm Rudy down with her words. “Come on over. If you try anything..if the black chalk starts to use you again, I promise I’ll stop you before you hurt yourself or us. Okay?”

Rudy looked at her pleadingly. “Y-You promise...?”

Penny gave a small smile. She nodded her head slowly. “Yeah...I promise. It will be okay.”

Rudy didn’t look entirely convinced, but to Penny’s relief, he began to move over towards them. Slowly, steadily, looking around cautiously as if he were afraid he might lunge at them at any second. He made his way over to them. Each step was a little shaky and forced. But he didn’t back away, and soon he was by their side. He got down on his knees next to Penny, Snap’s back to him. He looked down at Snap, his eyes shining with worry. He reached down and gently placed a hand on his back.

Snap turned his head and looked up at Rudy. He let out a small whimper of fear. This saddened Rudy and Penny. They both thought that Snap was afraid of Rudy, mistaking him for Light Rudy like how he had mistook him for Dark Rudy in the other dimension. But they soon realized it wasn’t Rudy he was afraid of this time. His glance was towards the bars, and they soon knew it was all the moans and pained cries of the zoners, and likely the smell of death, that was getting to him.

Although still clearly afraid of what he might do if the black chalk took control of him again, Rudy didn’t back away this time. He remained there with Penny, comforting Snap. The zoner continued to shake and whimper in fear. The sight of it tugged at their heart, a pang clenching the middle of their chests and stomachs. They had a feeling they knew exactly what was wrong. They believed they knew the reason why Snap was reacting like this.

This place was reminding him of his time at Mr. Cosmo’s. Although not quite the same, the sound of all these zoners begging, pleading for mercy, being isolated like this, it must remind the poor little guy of when he was trapped with Mr. Cosmo for a while. That was a horrific experience for him, and now, though the circumstances aren’t quite the same, he was being reminded of that all over again. They wondered if Light Rudy knew it was going to trigger this kind of response... They wouldn’t doubt it. Light Rudy already showed how cruel he can be. Deliberately reminding Snap of his stay with Cosmo was horrible and something they would not put past him.

Snap looked up at them. They felt their hearts sink when they saw how red his eyes looked now. He let out a few soft whimpers, each one making their stomachs twist even more. The pang in their stomachs increased, making them feel a little nauseaous. The sight of their friend so scared like this was heart breaking. They wanted to cheer him up, help him feel better. But given where they are...that was not going to be an easy task. Still...they had to try.

Penny pulled Snap against her, setting him up so he was sitting on her lap, his back pressed against her chest. Her arm slumped across his body protectively, securing her to him. She rested her chin on his head and she began to speak.

“Shh...it’s okay, Snap...” Penny said in a soft voice. “Everything will be okay...”

“Yeah...” Rudy said. He reached down and gently squeezed Snap’s hand. “We’ll get out of here soon. We’ll stop my counterpart, and he won’t be able to hurt any more zoners.”

“A-Are you sure...?” Snaps voice was smaller than they ever heard it before. Hearing him speak like this broke their hearts. This place must really be having a toll on the poor guy’s mind. “This..this is too much like...like what happened with me...and C-Cosmo...”

Rudy and Penny weren’t surprised. They were right. Snap was having a flashback to when he was Cosmo’s prisoner. He had been tormented while under that horrid man’s ‘care’. As soon as he had been taken from Ms. Saffron and into his office, Snap had suffered nonstop. Mr. Cosmo had been downright brutal to him, doing whatever he could to crush Snap’s spirit further. He was a disgusting man, one of the most vile people they ever met. And to think, he was not the worst villain they had met recently.

It stung their hearts to see Snap suffering a mental flashback like this. Snap had gotten better over the few years, but he still once in a while, like now, suffered a flashback, Cosmo’s abuse still fresh on his mind. Although Cosmo hadn’t dished out the worst cruelty they had seen, that didn’t make what he did to them, to Snap, any less horrible or scarring. For hours on end, Snap had been mentally and physically abused by that man, and since they encountered another version of him in the dark dimension, those memories were now fresh on their minds.

“Yeah, Snap.” Penny said soothingly. She pressed the side of her face on top of his head. She could feel his body still shaking from fear. “Shhh...it’ll be okay. We won’t let you go through that ever again.”

“They won’t be able to hold us down. You’ll see, Snap. We’ll get out of here and everything will be fine.” Rudy gently squeezed Snap’s hand, gently running his other hand over it. “You’ll see...”

Slowly, Snap started to calm down. Rudy and Penny continued their gentle gestured, their minds mixing with thoughts about their friend and how they were going to get out of here. It did relax them to see Snap calming like this, and it did bring a smile to their faces. But they still had another problem on their hands. How were they going to get out of here?

That was something that Penny kept trying to figure out herself. She looked out the cell door. She didn’t think they could be rescued again that easily. The possibility was still there, especially if Jacko knew this place well. But then...she knew she couldn’t get her hopes up. Jacko didn’t know they were captured again. He was busy with the resistance, planning..whatever it is that he was. It wasn’t like they had a tracking device and he could tell they were in trouble. Penny knew that, chances were, they couldn’t rely on his help again.

Suddenly, there was a scream of pain. Penny’s eyes widened in horror. She knew instantly it came from Snap. She turned her head to see what was going on. Her eyes casted down to Snap, nothing his fearful expression laced with pain. There was a look that seemed like it was trying to say ‘why?’ and upon seeing that, Penny’s heart ran cold. Though not wanting to look, she forced her eyes up and she gasped in shock at what she saw.

Rudy had grabbed Snap’s arm and painfully twisted it. Snap was so stunned that, despite his pain, he hadn’t attempted to pull his arm back. He was looking at Rudy with a silent question, asking him why he was doing this. And Rudy... His expression was horrible. A nasty smile, his teeth bared in a grin. Those eyes...they were black, glowing... The black chalk had assumed control of him again.

“Rudy!” Penny shouted. Not sure of what else to do, she struck him on the face, knocking him into the ground. “What the hell are you doing?!” Her voice was laced with more panic than actual anger.

Rudy’s eyes instantly stopped glowing and he rubbed his face. “Why did you...” His voice trailed off when he saw the look in Snap’s eyes. Penny hugged Snap to her protectively and Rudy seemed to instantly realize just what had happened. He sat back up and looked at his hands, hsi body shaking in fear. “N-No...I didn’t just...” He gulped, looking at his two friends fearfully. “I didn’t just lose control again...” His voice grew small and pleading. “...did I...?”

Penny and Snap stared at Rudy, neither of them speaking. Silence fell upon the cell. No one spoke for several seconds. Though the screams and cries of the tormented zoners were all around them, their minds, numb, didn’t notice that at the moment. Instead, they were focused just on each other. They even lost sight of what their cell looks like as everything seemed to almost turn into a dark voice in their minds. Rudy, slowly, backed away from his friends, shaking his head in denial. Unable to think of anything to say to cheer him up, Penny and Snap remained quiet.

Penny couldn’t believe that it happened again. Just like before, without warning, Rudy had been taken over by the black chalk. How? Why was this happening? Urgency filled her head. They had to figure out what the hell was going on. What was triggering Rudy to act like this? The reaction this time was worse than before. He had actually hurt Snap... Granted it wasn’t terrible, but still... They needed to figure out what was going on and fast.

Just then, there was a loud scraping sound. Soon following that, metal being ripped up, electrical sparking everywhere. The three friends lifted up their heads as this and looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. Then, without warning, something popped up behind them. A dark shadow, obscured, moved in close. The three friends let out a scream.

“Stop it you three!” The figure cried. “Are you trying to give me away?!”

The trio stopped when they realized who this was. It was the same dog zoner that had shredded Rudy’s shoulder, Hagar. Well this universe’s version of him anyway. He had, according to Jacko, left the Luminos after Light Rudy took over. He was one of the few Luminos who defected that didn’t end up killed. He was one of the leading ‘generals’, if that’s the right term, in Jacko’s resistance.

“How did you...?” Penny started to ask.

“That’s none of your business.” Para-Hagar spat. It seemed pretty clear that some anti-creator sentiment still resinated from this zoner. But at least he wasn’t an ally and not going to rip them apart like his other counterpart would. The dog zoner jumped from the ceiling and landed on the ground. He brushed himself off and said, “I’ll just say it’s a trick that Jacko doesn’t want anyone knowing about.”

“Are you here to help us get out?” Snap asked. His voice still carried some lingering fear from what happened earlier.

“No, I snuck in all this way, barely getting past security, just to take a good look at you.” Para-Hagar’s voice was laced with venomous sarcasm. “Of course I came to get you out!” He barked at them.

The trio couldn’t help but narrow their eyes at the zoner. They wished he could at least act a little friendlier. They knew the situation was serious and they had no time to fool around. But still, Para-Hagar didn’t have to act this nasty, especially if he knew that they weren’t the bad guys here. The brainwashing from the Luminos must be hard to let go, and they had a feeling that nothing they’d say would stick to them.

Para-Hagar let out a soft growl at them before he looked down at the leather pack that was strapped around his waist. He fumbled around in it until he took out two white sticks. The trio’s eyes widened as they instantly realized what it was. Magic chalk...

“How did you get those?” Rudy asked, his mind clearly not on Cosmo anymore. Then again, Hagar’s surprise appearance did kind of jolt them from those thoughts. “Did Jacko give them to you?”

Para-Hagar snarled, “Enough with the questions. We don’t have a lot of time to get out of here.” He raised the pieces of chalk. “Here, catch!” He tossed them at the trio.

Rudy managed to catch his piece. But when Penny attempted to catch the second one, she miscalculated and it hit her square in the face. She let out a small yelp and brought her hand to her face. Para-Hagar folded his arms and chuckled at this, but did nothing more to provoke. Snap, who managed to catch the magic chalk, reached it up towards her. Penny thanked him quietly and took it.

Penny thought about saying something to Para-Hager about his rude laughter, but she decided to ignore it. Right now, there were more important things to take care of. She got up to her feet and took a few steps towards Para-Hagar.

“What is the plan?” Penny asked.

Para-Hagar, his arms still folded, said, “Jacko had a feeling you three might need help, especially after one of his scouts saw you being chased by the angetroller.” He tilted his head up, as if trying to see something that wasn’t there. “The light shield out there is going to be problemsome as well. At least for you three.”

The trio looked at him intently, their minds filling with dread.

“What do you mean...?” Rudy asked as he slowly rose up from the ground.

Snap did likewise. “What’s up with the shield...?”

Para-Hagar looked at the trio. His right eyebrow cocked upwards, as if to ask ‘are you kidding me?’, even though he should know that there’s no way they could have been aware of whatever threat he was referring to. He shook his head and spoke up. “The light used to create the shield...” He paused as if for dramatic effect. He closed his eyes. “...was taken from the Solar Pillars itself.”

A wave of horror struck through the trio. Eyes growing bit and their mouths dropped open. The Solar Pillars? The light came from the..Solar Pillars. All of a sudden, it all made sense. Rudy’s sudden aggression.. They recalled what Biclops said about the light. Anyone with black chalk in them standing in it too long would suffer corruption. The light strengthened the black chalk in the exposure...

But Rudy hadn’t acted anything like he did before when the light touched him. How did... Then it hit them. The light here was more dispersed, so the effect wasn’t as noticeable right away. Penny turned her head up, imagining the shield around them. The light from there was likely dancing down to the ground, touching everything. The light was permeating through the walls. That was how strong the effect was. Light Rudy, in an attempt to ‘solidify’ the light must have made the light stronger, able to go through rock and have its effects be far more reaching.

Snap said the same thing that they were all thinking.

“Oy caloy!” Snap cried. “We have to get out of here!”

“My thoughts exactly.” Para-Hagar said softly. He turned around. “Come along. Follow me, and stay close. I’ll...”

Suddenly there was a loud scream that permeated the walls. The trio winced, looking around. It took them a while to realize who it was. As soon as they recognized the sound of that voice, their eyes grew big.

“That was Snap! Their Snap I mean...” Penny cried in horror. Her eyes, big with fear, looked up towards the ceiling again. “It sounds like it’s coming from up there!”

“What do you think is happening to my counterpart?” Snap asked cautiously.

Rudy’s eyes filled with terror. He looked around, his mind looking like it was overflowing with thoughts. Then he turned his attention to Para-Hagar and he narrowed his eyes in determinatin. “Do you know where your Penny and Snap are?”

Para-Hagar turned his head to the side so he could look at Rudy with a single eye. “Yes. I am aware of where they are being held...” Noticing the look on his face, Para-Hagar added, “Why?”

Rudy bit his lip. He said, “Take us there.”

Para-Hagar’s eyes widened a little in shock. He turned around slowly, staring at Rudy in disbelief. “You want me to do..what?”

“You heard me.” Rudy said, refusing to back down. “Take us to them. They need our help.”

“But Rudy..the light...the black chalk...” Snap started to say, his body shaking. “We need to get out of the city before it has a chance to corrupt you.” He took a step towards Rudy. “You’re already changing.”

“I want to help our counterparts just as much as you.” Penny said softly. “But Snap’s right. If the light corrupts you..how will you help our counterparts. You might end up being the one hurting them.” She moved towards Rudy slowly. She reached out for his shoulder. “We need to get you out of here. Snap and I will...”

Suddenly Rudy swatted her hand away. Penny looked at him with a hurt expression. Rudy’s glare instantly softened up as he realized what he did. He sighed and lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Penny.” He lifted up his head and looked at her. She could see the determination still glowing in his eyes. “But I can’t let you two go in this alone. And I won’t be able to live with myself if I let them suffer.” Penny and Snap looked at him with worried expressions. “I know you two are worried, but I’ll be fine. I promise.”

Penny wasn’t sure what to say. On the one hand, she did understand Rudy’s desire to help Para-Penny and Para-Snap. He wasn’t the type of person to just abandon someone like that, even if he was in danger in doing so. But...if they delay this for too long... She gulped at the thought. Just..what was going to happen? They had to get out of the city and fast. Or at least, get him out. She and Snap could handle things from here. But she understood why Rudy would be reluctant to leave them.

In the end, she and Snap both knew they were not going to be able to change Rudy’s mind. He was determined to go with them to help their counterparts. They could try to get him to alter his plans, but it wasn’t going to work. There was very little time left for them to argue about this. Instead of drawing out a fight, Penny decided it was best to just let Rudy come with them if he was this determined.

“Okay then...” Penny said. “I sure hope you’re right, Rudy.”

“A-Are you sure this is a good idea?” Snap asked, the memory of Rudy twisting his arm still fresh on his mind. “What if...”

“Don’t worry, Snap. It will be okay.” Rudy said, trying to be as hopeful as he could for him and Penny. But the two of them could easily tell from the sound of his voice that he had some doubts himself. He stared at them with a soft, sad expression before looking back over at Para-Hagar. “Take us to where they’re being held...please.”

Para-Hagar raised an eyebrow. “You really do stick together, don’t you?” He gave a chuckle and turned back around. “As you wish then...” He raised up a dog-like hand and gestured for them to follow. “Come along with me.”

The trio followed close behind Para-Hagar. They hoped that they would reach their counterparts in time.

sss

Para-Snap’s body trembled in pain. He had been in pain before. He had suffered multiple times at the hands of his so-called ‘friend’. His Rudy had beaten him up, done horrible things to him just to keep him ‘under control’. And he never apologized for it either. He would always say it was either his fault or that he was doing it for his ‘own good’. What a load of bull...

But he had lost the mental strength to fight back against him. He found it harder and harder to work up the courage to defy him. He had been reduced to a broken mess of his former self, and he wasn’t sure if there was anything that could be done to break him out of it. There was hardly a day that went by that he wasn’t in some kind of pain, whether emotional or physical. It had became practically normal for him to be like this.

After all the pain and suffering that he had gone through, almost no action from his Rudy could surprise him. He had crossed the moral line countless times, and never showed any true remorse for what he’s done. This...what was happening to him now... He would accept as his new normal life. But things were different this time. Their Rudy had reached a new low, something he didn’t think was possible considering he was already pretty damn low.

He had forced their Penny to hurt him. Not just a simple punch in the face either. He had gone further than that. He looked over at his Penny, seeing the look of regret on her face. Her body was shaking in emotion and he could see she held something in her hands. The thing that their Rudy forced her to use on him.

A cattle prod, sparking with electricity...

Para-Snap never thought that their Rudy would sink so low as to force their Penny to hurt him like this. He could see the hurt in her eyes everytime he had screamed. She was forced to hit him with this thing, electrocuting him, again and again. The voltage was not fatal, but that didn’t make it any less painful. His body twitched a little, feeling the remnants of the electricity flowing through his body.

Para-Snap’s eyes caught their Rudy standing at the side. That sick, twisted expression, just casually looking over at them like he was doing nothing more than watching a movie or something... Para-Snap’s stomach twisted in knots and he felt a lump in his throat. It was so painful for him to see their Rudy like this, so different from how he used to be. Terrible memories filled his mind, chilling him as he reminded himself of how it used to be. Now all he could feel for this guy was fear...

...and anger as well. Para-Snap might be so broken that he can no longer defy his Rudy. But that didn’t mean all the anger went away. On the contrary, it still lingered with him. He found it hard to believe that this was the same Rudy he used to play with when they were younger, the same one that would legitimately and earnestly protect them and ChalkZone, the same one that he used to be close to. And now...this was the Rudy that replaced him. Cold and calculating... If Para-Snap had enough courage in him, he’d fight back. And after what he forced their Penny to do, that desire was increasing.

But he couldn’t do anything except whimper in pain and fear. Their Penny was coming at him again with the cattle prod, urged on by their Rudy. She had wanted to stop. She was reluctant. She didn’t want to do this. But their Rudy would not let her back down. He really wanted to drive it into their heads that they shouldn’t cross him. He wanted them to suffer for this ‘crime’ he thinks they committed. Just like their Rudy to jump to conclusions and never try to get the true story...

Their Penny now stood in front of him. Tears flowed down her face. She opened her mouth and in a very shaky, squeaky voice, she said, “I-I don’t want to do this...please forgive me..”

Para-Snap looked at her, and he nodded his head slowly. “...it’s okay...I understand...” He shut his eyes tightly and waited for the pain. “..make it quick...”

“I will..” His Penny said.

Seconds later, a horrific pain spread through his body as the cattle prod was pressed against his chest. His eyes bulged open and he struggled to get away. His arms were still bound to the chair by the dreaded golden braces. He could do nothing to get away from the pain. He screamed as loud as he could, his throat hurting from it. He thrashed and writhed as the electricity arched all over his body. Tears moved down his reddened cheeks, stinging them.

Then finally his Penny moved away, lowering the cattle prod. She looked at Para-Snap apologetically. Sobs wracked through her body. It hurt him to see her like this. It wasn’t fair. Why must their Rudy keep tormenting them like this? Why..? What was the point? To break them? They were already broken.... And yet he still had the gall to hurt them, to torture them. Para-Snap wanted to hug his Penny. He wanted to try to offer some comfort. They needed each other. But he was frozen where he was, his arms unable to move. The light tendrils squeezed his arms, causing them to ache. His Rudy tended to have them be a little too tight.

He wanted to cheer her up. He wanted to say something, anything. But nothing would come out. All he could do was whimper in pain and fear, his body trembling. And when he saw their Rudy start to walk towards them, his body shook even harder. His Penny looked over and took a step back, her head lowering a little in fearful submission.

“That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” Their Rudy chortled. He reached over and touched their Penny on the cheek. “I trust that you two will be more...careful.. We don’t want this nasty little thing happening again, do we?” Their Penny took in a shuddering breath and turned her head away in fear, as if she thought he was going to hit her, which wouldn’t surprise Para-Snap. Their Rudy chuckled before turning his attention to him.

Para-Snap cringed as far as he could go as their Rudy stood in front of him. His hand moved towards him. Para-Snap stared at it and he turned his head to the side. Instead of striking him like he thought, their Rudy started to rub his chin gently with his hand, tilting his head up a little. Para-Snap shuddered, staring at him with a fear-filled expression as their Rudy continued to rub his chin like he were some kind of cat.

Being treated like a pet...he hated it. When his Rudy first started doing this to him, he had retaliated. He had fought back, telling him that he was a person and he should know that. But for whatever reason, their Rudy was determined to turn him into his personal pet, something about better control and protection or something. And with the constant abuse that followed, Para-Snap eventually gave in. He allowed his Rudy to treat him like some kind of dog or cat, but only out of fear of getting tortured again.

He cringed as their Rudy ran his hand along his cheek, caressing it, before petting him on the top of his head. He knew his Rudy could hurt him at any time, which was a big reason why he was always struck with dread whenever his Rudy came over to pet him like this. He can easily turn on a dime and slap him or punch him. His Rudy continued to stroke his head before he gently patted him like he was being a good boy. He shut his eyes and shivered, and when his Rudy finally moved his hand away, he looked up at him with big eyes, his lower lip quivering.

“I hope you two will not try something like this again. It hurts me to do this.” Their Rudy said. Both Para-Snap and his Penny knew this was bullcrap. If he was really sorry, he wouldn’t be doing these horrible things. Their Rudy continued, “I think it’s possible we can..avoid such unpleasantaries in the future if...”

Suddenly, without warning, the light in the room went out. Although the castle was in day zone, with this room having no window, darkness descended upon them fast. All around them, they were shrouded in shadow, having a hard time seeing anything. No light was in the hallway either. Para-Snap looked around, as did the other two. What happened? What was going on? Then they heard the sound of scraping, and something was moving along in the room. Something tall and lanky...

“You!” Their Rudy suddenly snarled. He glared at Para-Snap and their Penny, advancing on them slowly. “How many times do we need to go over this lesson?!” He demanded through clenched teeth.

“W-We didn’t have anything to do with this! I swear!” Para-Snap cried, cringing back.

Their Rudy raised his fist. “Don’t fucking lie to me! I...!”

Their Rudy never had a chance to finish. Suddenly, something pale, whitish, blurred in front of them. Their Rudy was struck by this white blur and he was tossed backwards. The duo watched, holding onto each other in fear, as their Rudy fell to the ground. His magic chalk rolled away from his hand. Their Rudy pushed himself up onto his hands, staying on his back, and rubbed his head. He looked down to see some red marks on his chest. His eyes widened in shock for a second, then they narrowed, and he looked around, trying to find whoever had attacked him.

The figure moved around the room, staying out of sight and in the shadow. The three of them looked around, trying to keep an eye on this intruder. Para-Snap had no idea who it could be. Just who was crazy enough to infiltrate their Rudy’s castle? He knew of a few attempts in the past and they always ended in tragedy. So who was...?

Claws scratched against the walls, the scraping hurting their ears, causing them to flinch and turn their heads. Then, suddenly, there were lights. Nothing too bright, but instead they were small, floating around, and colorful. They sparkled, dimming, brightening, and repeating that. They floated in the air, flashing colors of red and orange, giving the room an almost eerie aura to it.

Then, a voice filled the room. One that shocked and confused everyone. Even though it had been a long time since they heard this voice, there was absolutely no mistaking it.

“I’m going to get you! I’m going to get you!”

That voice..it couldn’t be... The three looked around as they saw the figure moving. And then finally, he showed up in the light. Para-Snap and the others couldn’t believe it. They couldn’t sustain their gasps of shock. There, standing before them, was Jacko... But..but how...? Didn’t he die...? Maybe this was somebody else. Maybe...

No, that was impossible. No other zoner looked quite like this. There was no mistaking that red outfit, that orange pumpkin head with glowing eyes and a glowing mouth. The lights floating around him cast him in both shadow and red and orange hued lights, making him look terrifying in this dark room. His yellow eyes pierced through the dark, his jagged mouth open in an almost sadistic sneer.

“Look out, boy!” Jacko growled, advancing menacingly towards their Rudy. He brandished his white, boney claws. “Because I’m going to get you!”

Their Rudy’s eyes grew large. His mouth was open in shock. His body started to tremble. He took in quick breaths, at first unable to say anything. Then he spoke in a stammering voice. “N-No.. It’s not possible... Y-You can’t be alive...” Their Rudy’s face had paled as he stared at Jacko in absolute horror. “I-I-I saw you die...”

Their Rudy started to back away from the advancing zoner that seemed to come back from the dead. Their Rudy kept going until he hit against the wall of the room. He looked at the wall, his eyes big with fear, and looked back at Jacko. His body continued to tremble in terror as Jacko moved towards him, flexing this claws of his. Suddenly Jacko struck forth, slashing across the wall above their Rudy in an attempt to scare him. And it worked.

Scrambling to this feet, their Rudy backed away shakingly. A few low whimpers of fear escaped his throat, his pupils dilated with a look of pure terror and horror that Para-Snap and his Penny had never seen on him before. Their Rudy was so filled with fear that he didn’t even bother going for his magic chalk or even calling for help. He forced himself to back away from Jacko, each foot look very shaky. Jacko smirked and continued to advance in him, his hands raised in the air in an attempt to look scarier.

Then, with a scream of shere terror, their Rudy turned and started to run away. Jacko wasted no time. He chased off after the fleeing creator. His laughter mixed in with their Rudy’s screams of fear, echoing through the hallway.

Para-Snap and his Penny were left in complete shock, unsure of what to make of this. They hardly had time to wrap their heads around this when suddenly they heard more footsteps. Down the hallway, the opposite direction that their Rudy and Jacko went, were their counterparts and some kind of dog zoner.

“Hurry! We must get out of here!” Rudy shouted at them.

Para-Snap and his Penny looked at each other and back at them, confusion plastered over their faces.

“How did Jacko...?” His Penny started to ask.

“No time to answer that!” The dog zoner shouted. “Let’s get going! Jacko can’t keep Rudy distracted for long!”

Although very confused and startled about this sudden turn of events, Para-Snap, along with his Penny, knew the dog zoner was right. Without hesitation, they joined up with their counterparts and the dog zoner and they began to flee.


	78. This Is For My Brother

Mr. Pierce snarled at Terry. He aimed his gun at her and fired. Much to his chagrin, Terry was able to get out of the way, having already deduced what he was going to do. Terry, by now, had gotten close enough to her ex-boss to grab onto his arms. She wrestled with him and pinned him against the wall.

As she held him there, her mind briefly thought about the other adults and the teenager. She hoped that they would get to the audience room in time. She knew there wasn’t a lot of time left, and if any of them went home without being convinced that they just saw a movie...well what were they going to do? They could try to get into ChalkZone. They could spread the word about it, and the wider this stuff gets out, the harder it will be to control.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Mr. Pierce managed to push her away from him. She stumbled backwards, shaking her head. She looked up just in time to see Mr. Pierce aiming his gun at her again. Her eyes widened in horror as he pulled the trigger....

...only for there to be a click sound. Mr. Pierce tried to pull the trigger again and again. But he soon realized that he was completely out of bullets. This realization caused his eyes to go big in surprise. Terry let this realization sink in and she took action. She rushed over to Mr. Pierce and she gave him a kick, raising her leg high enough to hit against his hand arm. The useless gun was knocked out of his hand and the man was sent tumbling to the side.

Terry lunged on her boss, wrapping her arms around his throat, and pulled him into the ground. The two adults wrestled with each other, each trying to dominate the other. Despite her ex-boss’s struggling, cursing, and threats he dished out, she refused to let go. She tightened her grip, trying to use what weight she had to hold him down. She knew this wasn’t going to last too long, but as long as she can buy some time for the others, that was good enough for her.

“Get off of me, you bitch!” Mr. Pierce snarled. He grabbed arm and started to pull. “Why don’t you just make things easier on yourself and lay down and die!”

Terry responded with a swift kick in Mr. Pierce’s side. The man let out a cry of pain. He yanked on her harder and Terry nearly lost her grip. In defense, she bit down on his arm, prompting him to let go. The two rolled some more on the ground, and eventually Terry came out on top. She held her boss down, looking at him with a similar look of contempt that he was giving her.

“You’re not getting away with murdering my brother!” Terry shouted at him.

Mr. Pierce stared at her almost incredulous. He jerked himself from side to side. “You’re still upset about that?!” He cried, acting as if Terry should have gotten over it by now. “Why do you even care anyway? He hurt you!”

Terry snarled at him. A part of her couldn’t believe that she had actually worked for this man, willingly at that. If she had known that he was like this, she would have left him long ago. Even when she wanted to expose ChalkZone, even when she was willing to stalk children and kidnap a small boy, she never would have went as low as this man. She had no idea, in all the time she worked for him, that he would be willing to do something as disgusting as he was doing right now.

And how dare he question her about caring about Vinnie’s death, when he himself doesn’t care either. He just shot him in cold blood. Vinnie hadn’t even done anything to deserve that kind of reaction from her. Yes, she was angry that Vinnie hurt her. She was shocked at how cruel he had gotten. She never had thought he could sink that low. But he was still her brother, and she still cared enough to cry when he was killed. And in the end, he wasn’t the one who condoned them to die... It was Mr. Pierce who decided to take that route, and even Vinnie had been horrified by it.

Terry punched Mr. Pierce. Her fist connected with his jaw. She winced as his teeth scraped against her hand. She ignored the blood that started to ooze from the small cut she accidentally gave herself. She knew it was going to get infected, but right now, her attention was solely on this heinous man. Mr. Pierce had let out a cry of pain, his head now turned to the side. He looked up at her, his eyes wide in shock. The two adults panted for several moments, their breaths being the only thing they could hear in the hallway.

Terry spoke through clenched teeth. “You’re disgusting! Do you really think I will brush off my brother’s death just like that?! You must be insane if you think I would! Yes, Vinnie hurt me. He tortured me. And I hate him for doing that. But he was still family...and at least he apologized for what he did! That made him a bigger person than you’ll ever be!”

Mr. Pierce stared at her wit hwide eyes. Then they narrowed into slits. A low growl exited his mouth. “I see then... You know, some people might think it’s a good trait to have...to be able to look past the ‘bad’ and see the ‘good’, and all that jaz...” He grabbed Terry’s shoulder with his hand and started to push back against her. “But I see it as foolishness!”

Mr. Pierce struck his fist against Terry’s head, striking in between her eyes. A powerful wrack of pain went through her head. Terry’s head flung backwards, bringing her body with it. She landed on her back, the headache pulsating through her skull. Her vision blurred slightly and she was confused for a few seconds. She pushed herself up and put her hand on her head. Her body swayed back and forth a little, her equilibrium temporarily messed up.

The man didn’t give her time to recover. Terry let out a scream when Mr. Pierce kicked her in the stomach, sending her tumbling across the ground. As she laid on the ground, her mind reeling in pain, the man’s hands suddenly went around her neck. Terry’s eyes went wide and she started to struggle. The man’s foot was placed against her chest, applying pressure to hold her down and to disrupt her breathing further. Mr. Pierce’s hands squeezed her throat tightly, cutting off her air supply. Terry began to choke.

Her eyes bulging in panic, she started to thrash on the ground, struggling to free herself. She kicked her legs against the air, trying in vain to hit Mr. Pierce. But in her panic, combined with Mr. Pierce being aware of what she was trying to do and reacting accordingly, she was unable to land a blow. Her hands gripped his arms and she tried to pull him away from her. Her mouth was open, desperately trying to get a breath in. Mr. Pierce glared hatefully at her, his teeth bared. He squeezed her neck even tighter, making sure that she couldn’t breathe.

Terry’s mind reeled as her lungs began to burn at the lack of oxygen. She needed to do something and fast. Her eyes darted back and forth wildly, desperately searching for a way out. Her eyes trailed to where her legs where. Trying to calm herself so she can concentrate, she began to move her leg back. It was difficult to do and her chest screaming to take in a breath made it hard to concentrate. When she pulled her leg back enough, she struck forward, landing a kick against the evil man’s stomach.

Mr. Pierce’s eyes widened and he grunted in pain. He released his grip on Terry and held onto his stomach. He dropped down to his knees. Terry took in a sharp breath as the pressure on her neck was released. She took this chance to squeeze out from underneath the man. She scrambled back a little and got up to her feet. She glared down at Mr. Pierce, rubbing her throat gently.

Mr. Pierce, still holding his stomach, glared up at Terry. He let out a few coughs. A few droplets of red came out. Not too much, but enough that told Terry her kick did a little damage to him. He seethed through his clenched teeth, “You...little....bitch....”

Terry walked over to him slowly, her fists clenched tightly. “This ‘little bitch’ is going to teach you a lesson...” She started to quicken her pace. “This...is for my brother...”

Suddenly she dashed towards her ex-boss, giving him no time to react.

sss

It wasn’t possible...

It couldn’t be true...

This...this had to be all some kind of nightmare...

Light Rudy’s head was filled with these thoughts and more as he raced down the empty corridors of his castle. He never thought, in all his time of protecting ChalkZone as its ruler, that he would have had something like this happen to him. His heart pounded against his chest as he ran as fast as he could from his haunting pursuer.

His mind still couldn’t completely wrap around what was going on. Just how was this possible? This shouldn’t be happening. And it wasn’t just for the fact that he had a security system installed with this place, including heat signature, but that the one chasing him....shouldn’t even be alive anymore. He...had seen him die years ago. There was..no way that he could still be around. This whole chase thing, it shouldn’t be happening. He shouldn’t be hounded by someone who shouldn’t even be here.

Yet..that is exactly what was happening. As much as he wanted to deny it, all his senses were telling him it was the truth. And all he could do now was run.

“Come on, little boy!” Jacko’s voice echoed down the halls. “Don’t you want to play?!”

Light Rudy let out a soft whimper at this. It just wasn’t fair. He shouldn’t have to endure this, not after how Jacko should be dead. He punched him in the face... He had cracked his skull open practically. There were witnesses to the crime... If they were still alive, they would back him up when he said that Jacko should have been dead. He had even checked his pulse and he was gone, no signs of life at all. How...how had he come back...?

His mind reeled, trying to think of an explanation. It was true that Jacko could survive being pulled apart. He had seen him in pieces once during one of his acts, and he recalled someone mentioning that he is also in pieces when he’s getting ready to perform. But that didn’t mean he was truly dead and thus unable to be killed. He could only survive being pulled apart using a special method, and he couldn’t stay apart forever. He could die if enough damage was sustained to his bones and his face. And because of the cranial damage....yeah that should have done in him.

Something must be able to explain this. There had to be. He couldn’t allow any unknown factors into his ChalkZone. He had to know everything. He had to control everything. It was of utmost importance. If he didn’t control everything, then he risked losing it all. He was not going to allow that to happen. He couldn’t, he...

Suddenly there was a motion above his head. He ducked down and glance behind him. Jacko had gotten closer to him, gaining speed with those long strides of his. His wickedly sharp claws looked menacing, somehow glinting even there was little light in here. Again, Jacko struck, forcing Light Rudy to move to the side. The claws missed him, but just barely. He had no idea if Jacko intended to hurt him or not. He didn’t know if Jacko was back for revenge. All he knew was that Jacko was chasing him and he needed to run. Fast.

Light Rudy had never been this terrified before. In the real world, with his abusive parents, yes, he had been this scared. But not here in ChalkZone, not while he was in control. There were things he was afraid of happening, but he hadn’t been struck down by terror quite like what he was experiencing now. Even Rudy’s little speech to him didn’t have this much of an effect on him. His face was pale, he knew, drained of color. The cold feeling in his chest spread throughout, making him shiver. Terror had gripped him, and it wouldn’t let go.

Soon he came to a two-way intersection, and he had to go either left or right. He stopped, his mind frantically searching his mental map of this place. He tried to think of which way was the best path to take. He looked left and right. He didn’t have long to look before he heard a cold laughter behind him. He turned around and saw Jacko rushing at him, waving those claws of his in the air. He saw how sharp they were, and seeing the slashes on his chest, he was not interested in getting hit again.

He let out a terrified scream as Jacko gained on him. He jumped to the side as Jacko struck down. The claws managed to slash into his robe. Light Rudy winced at the sound of claws tearing up the cloth, and he knew that, if he wasn’t careful, that could be his skin. He picked up the pace and he ran down the left corridor. His heart continued to race and he thought it would burst from his chest. His mouth hung open, taking in each breath to his burning lungs. He looked behind him with wide eyes. Jacko continued to chase him down.

Light Rudy tried to think of what he was going to do. He couldn’t keep running like this forever. He tried to formulate a plan. He could have just drawn something to defend himself, but he had dropped his magic chalk earlier and forgot to grab it when he ran. His underlings weren’t anywhere nearby either. At least not within shouting range. He was completely on his own for this. He had to stop Jacko and take care of him once and for all....but how?

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he had forgotten that he was running straight towards a wall, the path making a sharp turn to the right. He noticed this too late and he slammed against the wall. He grunted in pain, holding his nose. Suddenly, he felt something grab him from behind and he was yanked back. He heard the sound of ripping and he knew that Jacko had slashed into his robe. The claws ripped the cloth into shreds. Light Rudy struggled to get free, the cloth pressing up against his neck and nearly choking him. He only got free when Jacko’s claws ripped the cloth enough that it busted clean off.

The sudden release of pressure caused Light Rudy to tumble forward. He nearly fell to the ground, but he managed to keep his balance. He tumbled a little as he started to go forward. Soon his feet pounded the ground once more. Jacko didn’t stop and soon the skeleton zoner started going after him again, that maniacal laughter filling the air. His blood froze at the sound of it. Seeing the zoner rush at him, those claws poised to strike, Light Rudy let out another scream, his eyes wide in horror.

Soon, after a while of running, Light Rudy’s body started to tire. His legs started to feel weak and shaky. His lunged burned, the back of his throat aching everything he took in a breath. His heart was pounding so fast he could hardly count how many times it was beating. His body started to slow down. His ragged breaths filled the air. He tried to push himself further, running down the corridor and making another turn. His shoulder hit against the wall as he turned, his sense of direction being a little muddled from how tired he was getting.

He slowed down to a stop as he reached a dead end, with nowhere to go. He took in a few heavy breaths, staring at the wall and his eyes growing larger as he realized he was trapped. Holding onto his chest, feeling how fast his heart was racing, Light Rudy turned around and he could see Jacko advancing on him. Light Rudy backed up slowly, whimpering in fear from the advancing zoner. He clenched his teeth, pressing his back against the wall. His body shook from both fear and weakness. He close his eyes and turned his head to the side.

“P-Please...don’t hurt me...” Light Rudy whimpered. He placed his hands against the wall as he pressed up further against it. “I’m sorry I killed you.. Please don’t haunt me...”

“You’re sorry?” Jacko asked, incredulous. He had ceased advancing, stopping several feet in front of the terrified teenager. He put his hands on his hips. “No you’re not!” He pointed a boney finger at him. “You’re just trying to worm your way out of this mess because you don’t want to face the consequences!”

“Please...” Light Rudy begged. “Just go away...”

Jacko shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Rudy. You see...” He began to walk towards Rudy slowly. He scraped his claws along the wall. “I have been watching you. I know how all of ChalkZone has gone to hell ever since you took over. I know that you have fallen into a slump of madness, and you refuse to see reason. You have become terrified of responsibility and you push the blame onto others so that you don’t have to fix your own damn mess!”

By this time, Jacko was now just two feet in front of Light Rudy. The boy cringed further away, those yellow eyes boring into his. Light Rudy wanted to fight back, but with no means of doing so, all he could do was shiver in fear. He was defenseless against Jacko. And being powerless was something that he hated...dreaded... He had tried so hard to make sure he would never have to feel like this, and yet here he was, cornered, chalkless, and a ghost of his past standing before him.

Jacko raised a fist into the air, tightening it into a fist. He glared at Light Rudy, his eyes’ yellow glow increasing. “You need to be stopped! If you go on like this, you will destroy everything!”

Light Rudy shuddered. “A-Are you...going to k-kill me...?”

Jacko paused and tapped his finger against his chin. “You know...that isn’t such a bad idea...” Light Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. “After all, that was my plan with you years ago, when you wouldn’t draw me a beautiful bride..” Jacko turned his attention to Light Rudy and moved a few steps closer. His claws scraped against the wall, the screeching sound irritating Light Rudy’s ears. “But....I won’t resort to killing you.”

Light Rudy stared at him in surprise. “Y-You won’t...?”

Jacko shook his head. “No, Rudy. For you see...” He lowered his head, his jagged mouth barring in a menacing manner. “You don’t deserve the comfort of death.”

Light Rudy felt his heart pound. He took a few steps back away from the pumpkin-headed zoner. Jacko took another step forward. He kept his claws against the wall. They scraped against it. The indentions were shallow, but still clearly there, showing just how sharp Jacko’s claws were. The teenaged boy moved back further, despite there being nowhere to go. He wished he could just phase into the wall or something and slink away.

His eyes stared at the sharp tips of Jacko’s claws. It offered him no relief that Jacko didn’t intend to kill him. He knew that the zoner could do so much more to him. Light Rudy was quite aware of things that are worse than death. After all, that’s what he condoned a lot of criminals to. A lifetime of pain was probably the worst kind of punishment anyone could suffer. And he had done it to countless zoners...all for the greater good of course.

Light Rudy looked left and right. He tried to think of a way to escape. He knew that Jacko would indeed hurt him if he got close enough. This wasn’t like his Snap or his Penny or many of the zoners he had once called his friends. They would probably hurt him, yes, if they ever get the courage to do so, but what separated Jacko is that Jacko was...genuinely sadistic, even if he was fighting for what he thought was the good of ChalkZone. This zoner was capable of being cruel, and he wouldn’t doubt for a second that he’d sink those claws into him.

The zoner advanced on him slowly, those glowing eyes piercing into his. Light Rudy let out another whimper of fear, his body trembling. He was experiencing what it was like for his Snap and his Penny under his abuse...seeing the world through their eyes...and he wasn’t liking it. He needed to get the upperhand and fast. The dimensional hoppers’ time was running out, and so was his chance to gain control of his counterpart.

After a while of looking around, he soon found something. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a button. His mind whirled as he tried to think of what it does. He had done so much that it was hard for him to pinpoint just what this was for. Anything was better than nothing at this point. And he wasn’t going to be able to think straight right now with his mind filled with fear like it was now. He looked back at Jacko, who was getting closer. Without hesitating, Light Rudy slammed on the button.

There was a loud creak, a clang, and then something above them had given way. The two of them looked up slowly at the loud noises. In seconds, a chandelier fell from the ceiling, released from an open hatch. It crashed against Jacko. The zoner let out a loud, bloodcurdling scream as he was crushed against the hard surface of the marble ground. The dust that was released hung in the air, causing the two of them to cough until it cleared. And when it did, Light Rudy could see the results of his actions.

Jacko was laying on the ground, on his stomach. He had a pained expression on his face. The chandelier rested heavily on his back. Jacko’s body shifted, and the chandelier did move a little, but the sudden impact must have sent Jacko wracked in pain. Light Rudy stared at him, taking in quick breaths. Slowly, he started to calm down as he realized he was out of danger now. The fear that gripped him disappeared, replaced with anger. He narrowed his eyes at the trapped zoner as realization slowly struck him.

Jacko had been a distraction. He had chased him off so that his counterpart and friends could escape. How...unacceptable... Who knows how far away they were now? He didn’t have time to sound the alarm, and his underlings might not know to do anything if he didn’t tell them. He glared hatefully at Jacko, no longer caring how he was still alive or not. He would...correct that soon enough. He wanted to do so now, but time was of the essense. He still had a chance to catch up to the dimensional hoppers if he hurried up. Jacko was not going to go anywhere.

It was a good thing he had pressed that button. He had forgotten about some of the traps he set up in the castle to fight off against intruders. The chandalier was an old, but effective, idea. The chandelier itself wasn’t the heaviest he could have drawn, but it did the job just fine. And now Jacko laid on the ground, the chandelier on his back and keeping him pinned. Light Rudy realized he was safe now. He moved towards Jacko slowly, his arms folded behind his back. His heart rate was slowing down and any signs of fear had vanished from his face.

“Looks like the tables have turned, eh, Jacko...?” Light Rudy asked coldly, glaring down at the zoner. Jacko made an attempt to attack him, swiping at him. Light Rudy merely stepped back, the claws just barely missing him. “Heh...nice try.”

Jacko snarled at him. “I’ll get you...”

Light Rudy shook his head. “I don’t think so. You aren’t going anywhere.” He straightened himself up. He paced around Jacko, moving along his side. He paused and looked at the fallen zoner. “I would toy with you...I would send you down to be punished.. But I don’t have time to play with you. I need to make sure my...counterpart doesn’t escape.” He turned his back to Jacko. “You can just stay here. I imagine you won’t be able to go anywhere for a while...”

Light Rudy began to walk away. He could hear the boney zoner shouting at him, demanding that he come back and calling him a coward. Light Rudy ignored that. Jacko doesn’t scare him anymore, not while he is pinned down and powerless like that. He just continued to move down the castle. He needed to get to his security station and check the cameras. They must have picked up something he could use.

As soon as he figured out where his counterpart was, he would find him. He’d locate him and he’d catch him. And this time, he won’t put him down in the dungeon. Oh no...he had a special place for him. If there was one thing that Cosmo was good for, it was ideas. And one idea that Cosmo had that Light Rudy felt was brilliant...was the whole ‘keeping a cage in the office’ thing. He had his own area in this castle, and there was plenty of room for a cell there. Yes, his counterpart would stay there, where he can keep an eye on him.

He won’t get away again.

sss

Rudy’s heart pounded against his chest as he, his friends, and their counterparts ran. Para-Hagar was no longer with him. They had run into one of Light Rudy’s loyal followers, one of the crazed zoners who knew what the madman was doing, approved of it, and followed him every step of the way. Para-Hagar, after telling them about an escape route they can use, went off to distract this follower and give them a head start.

While Rudy was glad that they don’t have to listen to anymore of Para-Hagar’s rude comments, he was not overly happy that he had to leave him behind. Para-Hagar might be a jerk, but he didn’t deserve to be killed off like he would be if he were captured by the follower. He hoped that Para-Hagar is able to make it to safety without their help. Seeing how he was able to sneak into the castle alone, he was confident that the dog zoner had enough skills to fight his way back out.

The area of the castle they were running through didn’t look like other parts they had been in before. This area...well it looked clean, like it was well cared for. But the material made to use it were different. While most of the castle was marble, this area was made of diamond. Stronger stuff, and it shined a pale blue. In some areas, it was slippery, and they almost tripped over once or twice. Rudy had no idea why this part was made of this stuff or why Para-Hagar wanted them to go down this way. Perhaps there was a hidden passageway here that Jacko had found or something. They would find out soon enough, he was sure.

Rudy glanced behind him to make sure the others were still with him. He had gone out in front, running faster than the others, and thus he needed to make sure the others were still behind him. He didn’t want to abandon anyone. And just as he hoped, the others were still behind him. Some distance between them, but they were all still relatively together.

Penny and Snap ran along side each other. Penny still had a limp. She was staggering a little, but she was able to keep the pace up rather well with Snap’s help. The little zoner slung her arm around him and let her use him as support. He might be small, but he was strong, and supporting Penny wasn’t too difficult. Penny was careful not to put too much weight on Snap, and together, the two were moving at a good pace.

Para-Penny had her hands gripping Para-Snap’s wheelchair and she pushed against it. The golden cuffs no longer bound the zoner’s arms to the chair. He had started to push the wheelchair a while back, wanting to free Para-Penny of the task. But Para-Penny soon stepped in again. Para-Snap might have been able to go pretty fast, but at the rate they were going, they would end up losing him, and they needed to go faster. Para-Penny had assumed control of the wheelchair again, and with her providing more speed, Para-Snap was able to keep up with them.

Their counterparts still didn’t know the story behind Jacko, and Rudy and his friends still weren’t entirely sure what happened that made Para-Snap scream, though they had good ideas. Right now, it just wasn’t a good time to discuss such things. They needed to get out of here and fast. They can always tell each other stories later. They had no idea how long Light Rudy was going to be distracted. For all they know, Jacko might have been defeated by now and his crazed counterpart was coming after them again.

He had no idea that he was going to get his answer to this. Not this fast, and especially not the way that it had happened.

He and the others had been approaching a part of the wall that looked a little different. A small marking, a light change in coloration. Para-Hagar had told them that this should lead them to one of Para-Penny’s internal tunnels. Para-Penny herself had confirmed this. Although she had tried to get the dog zoner to explain how he knew about it, this was around when the follower had spotted them and tried to capture them.

Before they could even reach this part of the castle, without warning, bars rose up all around them. The group let out screams of startlement as they were ensnared in a trap. The bars continued to rise and then they started to...ooze for a lack of a better word. The growing liquid connected together, forming a ceiling above them. It solidified with a sickening crack sound.

“Wh-What is this?” Rudy asked as he backed away from the bars. “How did...?”

“This is one of our Rudy’s traps. I had...forgotten about this one.” Para-Penny said, regret laced on her face. She looked all around. “I’m so sorry... I-If I had remembered, we could have...”

“It’s not your fault.” Penny assured her counterpart. “With all that’s been going on, it’s hard for any of us to think clearly.” She turned her head to glance at the bars that ensnared them. “Do you know how to get out of this?”

Para-Penny shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Our Rudy kept that a secret from us.”

“...yeah...Just in case the information got out to the...wrong people.” Para-Snap said quietly, a little bit of bitterness showing in his voice.

“Well then, I guess we’ll just have to find a way out ourselves.” Rudy said, putting his hands on his thighs. “There has to be someway out of here.”

Snap walked up to one of the bars. This bar was thinner than the others. Looking encouraged by this, Snap grabbed it and began to pull. He yanked as hard as he could. But he soon lost his grip and he was flung backwards. He hit against the ground in a thud. Snap pushed himself up onto his hand and rubbed his head. Penny knelt down beside him and helped him up to his feet.

“I don’t think that’s going to work...” Snap mumbled.

Penny nodded her head slowly. “It was a good try, though.”

A thought crossed Rudy’s minds. The chalk... Para-Hagar had given him and Penny magic chalk. They could...wait... He paused. Light Rudy might have thought about this and did something. He should talk with Para-Penny first before using the magic chalk. The last thing they needed to do was trigger yet another trap.

“We have magic chalk but...” Rudy looked over at Para-Penny. “Would it be a good idea to....?”

Para-Penny shook her head. “No. I recognize this stuff. The material used to create this, although it is made of chalk, it resists magic chalk. And it’s as hard as diamond. Good luck trying to break it.”

“And good luck getting out at all...”

The cold chilly voice swept through the air. Rudy, his friends, and their counterparts froze at the voice. They all looked around in horror and dread. The voice...it seemed to come out of nowhere, and they had a hard time pinning down just which direction it came from. Silence fell upon them, and soon they heard footsteps. Slow and deliberate... They realized they were coming from a different hallway to their right. A figure was walking towards them, arms folded behind his back, a hideous scowl on his face.

Rudy felt his heart racing. Even before Para-Snap and Para-Penny began to whimper and cringe in fear, even before his friends had horror-struck looks on them, and before the figure had stepped into the light, he knew who it was. He clenched his magic chalk tightly in his hand, his eyes narrowing slowly. He could do little to stop the fear growing inside of him, but he tried his best to look brave.

There, coming at them in the hallway in a hunched over, menacing posture, was Light Rudy...

To say his counterpart looked pissed was an understatement. He could practically see his eyes glowing in rage, the red veins quite visible. A snarl was etched on his face. He stared at the group disapprovingly. He looked terrifying, the way his face was, the way the lighting bounced off of it, the shadows casted on it... The closer he got, the more unnerving it became to look at him. Soon he stopped in front of them, a few feet away, glaring directly at Rudy.

“I can’t believe you were trying to leave..so soon...” Light Rudy said. His voice was irritatingly pleasant, betraying the look on his face. “...especially without saying goodbye.” Rudy growled and took a defensive stance. Light Rudy continued, “I’m not done with you, dear counterpart. I intend on...keeping you around...”

“Once the dimensional machine activates, we’ll be gone! So nice try!” Snap shouted, pointing his round hand at him.

Light Rudy looked at Snap, narrowing his eyes slightly. “That...won’t be a problem.”

Penny said, “You don’t even have a dimensional machine! Once we leave, you’ll never find us!”

“I have..ways.” Light Rudy sneered at her. He lifted up his magic chalk, the sparkling looking so menacing. The group’s eyes widened in horror as he stroked the top of it. “Yes...such ways that I have. I can easily have someone build it for me. You told me this Dr. Raiden built it.. Well I suppose I can get my Dr. Raiden to make the machine. He is one of my..subordinates right now.”

“An unwilling subordinate!” Para-Penny cried in a burst of emotion. “You tortured him into submission!” She fell instantly silent when Light Rudy turned his eyes on her. She gulped and took a few steps back.

“Of course, my dear Penny...” Light Rudy said in sarcasm. “I had to... He was...uncooperative.” He shut his eyes and forced a chuckle out of his mouth. “I’m certain he has knowledge of how to build a dimensional machine. I can use that to find you...dear counterpart.” Light Rudy paced in front of Rudy, his green eyes never leaving his, locked in an intense stare. “I intend on putting a lock on you..I’ll find you..and I’ll bring you back. You will not be an unknown factor anymore. I’ll place my control on you. And you will do whatever I say..”

“Bullshit! I’m not doing anything you say!” Rudy shouted, gritting his teeth.

“Yeah!” Snap shouted. “No way he would listen to a creepazoid like you!”

Light Rudy snarled at that comment, but he paid no attention to Snap or any of the others. His eyes were solely on Rudy. A dark, twisted smile spread across his face. Rudy was unnerved by it, but he did not back down. He gripped the bars with one hand, his other still holding the magic chalk. He made it clear that he was not defenseless.

“Not even for the cure...?” Light Rudy asked calmly. The group started at him in shock, eyes widening. Light Rudy smirked at this. He pulled something from behind his back. “I am certain you want this...”

Rudy’s eyes widened further at what Light Rudy was holding up before them. It was the cure... The potion.. Light Rudy held it in his grasp, in a vial much like he’d expect from a video game, the material made out of dark colors, almost black. But the cloudiness around it was clearly rainbow, creating an interesting contrast. Rudy started at the cure, curiosity starting to take him over. Just what was Light Rudy planning..?

Light Rudy held the potion up a little higher. He stared at it while he looked over at Rudy. His other hand still holding his magic chalk, he began to make gestures as he spoke. “I know how badly you want this, dear counterpart. I know you won’t survive without it... So I’ll give it to you...”

“Really?” Rudy asked. He frowned and took a step back. “But at what cost?”

Light Rudy grinned. “Your complete allegience to me...”

“He’d never agree to that!” Penny shouted. “Why would he take orders from a coward like you? You’re so paranoid about control that you have to resort to blackmail to get what you want!”

“True...” Light Rudy said. Rudy and his friends were confused. Was he confessing that..Penny was right? Light Rudy stared at them, a glint in his eye. “But this ‘coward’ still has some tricks or two up his sleeve.. And he’s the one who has you all trapped and at his mercy...”

Rudy growled. “Your luck has to run out sometime...”

“Oh but it hasn’t yet...” Light Rudy shook his head, a nasty smile on his face. “And since it hasn’t, I’m going to use the time I have left to break your spirit, dear counterpart...”

“You better not, or I’ll...” Snap started to say.

Light Rudy cut him off. “Shut your tongue...” He hissed. Then he smiled. “Or do you want to end up like your counterpart there?” Snap glanced at his counterpart and then back at Light Rudy, his eyes widening in horror. “I have time to break someone else’s back...”

“Don’t you dare touch him!” Penny put herself in front of Snap protectively.

“That...was a low move...” Para-Penny muttered, her eyes narrowing a little.

Light Rudy just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly like it wasn’t a big deal, as though they were just speaking about the weather or something. Rudy glared hatefully at his counterpart. He glanced over, noting how frightened Snap looked, how angry Penny herself looked, and how shocked their counterparts were at what Light Rudy said. He couldn’t believe the nerve of that guy...threatening to put Snap in a wheelchair, and for what? Just to get to him? That was disgusting...

“You...you’re just like Cosmo! I told you once, and I’ll say it again!” Rudy shouted. “You’re no different than Cosmo! You think like him! You act like him! And don’t deny it, because it’s true! You’re disgusting!”

Para-Penny and Para-Snap huddled close together, their bodies shaking in fear. Light Rudy’s eyes glinted, and he stared down at Rudy. Anger radiated off his face. But unlike before, he didn’t fly into a rage. Somehow, he managed to keep himself calm. Somehow, this made him look more unsettling. He looked down at the potion and then back at Rudy. Grinning nastily, anger dripping off that fake smile, he raised it up, poised to smash it.

“No!” Snap shouted. “What are you doing?!”

“We need that!” Penny cried.

“Don’t!” Rudy shouted, his eyes wide in horror. He reached his hand out as if he could grab it. “Please!”

Para-Penny and Para-Snap watched silently in horror. From their expressions, it was easy to determine that they were both not surprised by Light Rudy’s actions, and horrified that he was willing to go this far.

Light Rudy chuckled, lowering the potion at his side. “See? I told you I still had some tricks...” He gave a smile to Rudy, filled with hidden promise. “I...need to make sure that you...surrender to me. I need to make sure that you don’t have the spirit to fight back. I must control you, dear counterpart. And you will be mine.” Leaning forward, he sneered, “And I think I know how..”

Light Rudy placed the potion in the crook of his arm. He then snapped his fingers. When he did so, the bars in front of Rudy melted, dropped down to the floor in seconds. Rudy stared at this, confused. He didn’t have much time to do anything else when he was suddenly grabbed by Light Rudy. The light tendrils from his magic chalk wrapped around his body and hoisted him off the ground. He was yanked out of the cage swiftly.

“Rudy! No!” Penny shouted as she and Snap rushed to the opening. The hole closed up, trapping them inside. “Leave him alone!”

“Stay quiet!” Light Rudy snarled. “All of you... Or I will do what I did to Skrawl and freeze all of you!”

This caused Penny and Snap go gasp in horror, their minds running through the memories of Skrawl and what was told of his fate. They then glared hatefully at Light Rudy. They complied though, and kept quiet. Para-Penny and Para-Snap both shivered at the idea of being turned into a living statue, aware of everything but unable to respond. They acted more submissively than Penny and Snap, lowering their heads and moving away.

Rudy struggled against his binds. He glared hatefully at Light Rudy. His teeth were bared, and his eyes bulged in anger. Threatening his friends, Para-Penny, and Para-Snap to such a gruesome fate... He wouldn’t allow that. That was truly disgusting.. Everything this guy did was horrible. He..he wasn’t going to let him get away with it. He squirmed in the light tendril’s grasp. If he can just get himself free, then maybe...

“Surrender to me...” Light Rudy stated casually.

Rudy shook his head furiously. “No!”

Light Rudy tried again, this time, more force was added to his voice. “Surrender, and I will give you the potion.”

“Suck it, counterpart!” Rudy snarled.

Light Rudy looked shocked by this statement. So did his friends. Para-Penny and Para-Snap looked shocked as well, but some horror could also be plainly seen in their eyes. He wondered, for a moment, if he had gone a little too far. Still, he did not back down. He had to make it clear to Light Rudy that he was not going to surrender to him.

“Then so be it. I tried being reasonable...” Light Rudy said. Rudy narrowed his eyes. “I normally would try harder, but alas, there isn’t much time left. So I will skip to a more...convincing means of controlling you. One that is fast and efficient.”

“And that is...?” Rudy asked.

“If you won’t surrender to me now for the sake of this cure...” Light Rudy gestured to the potion. “I wonder if you’ll sing a different tune if you are dying...” Rudy felt his heart clench at this. His friends and counterparts in the cage gasped in shere horror. Light Rudy grinned at this. “I see we understand each other... Yes, if you are on your deathbed and the only thing that can save you is this...” He looked at the potion, then back at Rudy. “I think we can...reach an agreement then...”

Without warning, Light Rudy began to pound Rudy into the ground. Again and again, Rudy screamed as he felt his body being smashed into the ground. Pain wracked through his body as Light Rudy pounded him repeatedly into the diamond floor. His shoulders, his legs, his side, his face, his arms, all of it was crushed up against the ground. He kept crying out in pain and each time he did, Light Rudy would just hit him even harder.

“No!” Penny shouted.

“Rudy!” Snap cried.

Light Rudy ignored them. His eyes focused on Rudy. A nasty grin spread across his face. He smashed Rudy against the surface of the wall and scraped him along it, causing Rudy cry out in pain. Then he thrust Rudy towards the ceiling, smashing his head against it, and then slammed him back into the ground. Eventually, Rudy started to cough up blood.

“Yes...you will be mine...!” Light Rudy shouted, his eyes wide in insanity.

Over and over, Rudy’s body was slammed against the ground, the walls, and the ceiling. More blood poured from his mouth. Agony wracked through his body. Horrific pain from his internal wounds began to plague him. This abuse was irritating his wounds. They were breaking open. He could practically feel the warm blood as it gurgling through his body, out of his mouth as it dripped out of the corner of his lips.

Soon, his screams became obscured as blood began to choke him. His vision started to blur, and his thrashes slowly ceased. His mind began to get muddled as his face paled from the blood loss. Light Rudy held him high above the ground, smirking at him. Rudy looked down and was horrified by how much blood loss he was suffering now. His shirt was coated in the warm, red liquid. He tried to speak, but the blood in his mouth stopped him. He took in a weak, shallow breath, trying hard to take in oxygen.

Light Rudy made one final blow. Raising Rudy into the air, he suddenly thrust him into the ground as hard as he could. Rudy let out a weak cry as he smashed up against the ground. Blood sprayed from his mouth, splattering the ground. He laid there, shivering and whimpering in pain. The light tendrils released him, and Light Rudy approached Rudy slowly, smirking triumphantly at him.

“You see..I always get what I want...” Light Rudy said calmly. “Either you agree to serve me, and I will give you this potion which will help you... Or I will let you die. It is up to you." Light Rudy chuckled. “So...what’s it going to be, dear counterpart?”

Rudy looked up at his counterpart fearfully. He opened up his mouth to speak, but a flash of white light in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Then, seconds later, something caused Light Rudy to stumble backwards. His counterpart staggered in pain, nearly falling down. Rudy soon saw the source of this, and quickly realized, even in his muggy state, what happened.

Penny had drawn a short teleportation device. A clever solution since the cage was resistant to chalk somehow and was unbreakable. He could see the others remained in the cage and he wondered if Penny told them to stay for their own safety. He watched as Penny stood in front of him protectively, holding up her magic chalk, a glare on her face.

“Leave him alone, you bastard!” Penny yelled at Light Rudy.

“So...” Light Rudy said, scowling at her disapprovingly. “You want to dance? Okay then...show me what you’ve got...”

“With pleasure...” Penny said.

Rudy wanted so much to tell Penny not to do it. He didn’t want her getting hurt. But he was unable to say anything. He tasted blood on his tongue as it dripped onto the ground. His body slumped, going limp. Unable to keep touch with reality, his eyes closed, darkness consuming his mind.


	79. The Dog Bites Back

The first thing that Light Rudy did as Penny approached him was activate those light tendrils again. Four of them snaked out of the chalk, raising above her. Unlike the other light tendrils, these had heads...sort of. The ends opened up in a vicious, sharp-toothed maw and loud hisses escaped from them. Penny froze at the sight of this, her eyes widening in horror. The light snakes arched themselves high above Light Rudy, making him look menacing.

She only paused for a few seconds, then she started to run again. She kept her magic chalk held up in preparation for the fight. She knew her best chance was to disable Light Rudy. If she could get the chalk away from him, she could subdue him more easily. Getting the chalk away from him was not going to be easy, though, and it was going to be even harder doing this by herself. But she didn’t want to risk the others getting hurt. She warned the others to say put and let her handle things. Might not be the best choice as she could use help, but it was better than them all suffering a horrific, dehibilitating injury and none of them able to fight.

She was aware of the risk she was taking fighting alone. But right now, she was less focused on herself and more on Rudy. In spite of her limp, she was pushing past it the best she could to take on Light Rudy. This monster had to be stopped, and if she had to risk getting killed to help bring him down...then so be it.

She looked up as she saw one of the light tendrils coming down towards her. She waited for the right moment before she jumped out of the way. The tendril hit against the ground. Being made of diamond, it caused the tendril to scrunch up a litte upon impact. Penny winced as her injured leg hit against the ground when she landed. Even with the brace, her leg still gave her some problems. And she knows that Light Rudy would use that to his advantage. He knew about that injury. They had told him...too much. And now they were paying the price for it.

Another light tendril shot out towards her, at her left side. She winced as the tendril wrapped around her arm and started to pull her. She grabbed onto it. Immediately she cried out in pain. The tendrils weren’t hot and yet somehow they still burned. She tried to pull herself back, but Light Rudy just kept yanking her forward, a sinister smile on his face. She gritted her teeth and struggled to pull herself free, with no luck.

“Look at what we have here!” Light Rudy sneered. “This was a short fight. I’m disappointed. I thought you would have put up a better fight...” Penny narrowed her eyes at him. Light Rudy shrugged. “What? I’m just speaking the truth! It seems obvious to me that it’s not just my counterpart who is weaker in your world.” His eyes twinkled. “So are you.”

Penny growled at him. “You couldn’t be more wrong...” She tightened her grip on the light tendril and planted her feet firmly on the ground. “I’ll show you just how wrong you are!”

“Oh really now?” Light Rudy chuckled. He started to pull Penny further towards him. “Well perhaps you are more blind than I thought. Look at yourself. You are caught. I’ve got you. How do you plan on escaping...?”

Penny stared at the tendril then back at Light Rudy. She narrowed her eyes and struggled to move back away from him. As the seconds passed, she got closer to him. She had to get free...but how? The tendril has a hold of her dominant arm, and with her weaker arm, she couldn’t draw anything good enough to get herself out of this. She wasn’t going to give up though. It wasn’t in her nature to give up that easily. She just had to think of another plan. She had to do it for everyone’s sake.

She looked over at the cage containing Snap and their counterparts. Snap looked like he really wanted to join in the fight, and she couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t like Snap to just sight around while his friends were in danger. But she didn’t want him getting hurt. She promised she’d signal him for help if she absolutely needed it. And their counterparts...they were still terrified. They moved as far back in the cage as they could, wanting to get away from Light Rudy. All that abuse they suffered... Penny hoped that they would one day regain the courage that Light Rudy stole from them. They were stronger than they looked. They just had to start believing in themselves again.

She then glanced at Rudy. He had fallen unconscious a few moments ago from the blood loss. Her heart stung as she watched him lay there, breathing shakingly, so shallow... She hoped it wasn’t too late to save him. They needed to give him something to help stop the bleeding. She hoped that they can give him the cures in time...before it was too late. She hoped that the cures could mend some of the wounds and at least help him regain consciousness and some strength. If he didn’t get those cures soon...

She shot a glare at Light Rudy. There was no way she was going to give up. Not now. She turned her gaze upon the light tendril. She stared at it for a few moments. Then she looked at Light Rudy. A thought entered her mind. She slowly smiled somewhat deviously, confusing Light Rudy. Still smiling, she kept her hold on the light tendril and kept her feet on the ground.

Penny, holding the tendril tightly, gave a small yank. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to get Light Rudy’s attention. And once he gave her that increasingly confused look, she said in a soft, quiet voice, “Who’s got who now?”

Light Rudy’s eyes widened in shock. “I...”

Penny didn’t give him time to finish. She suddenly yanked on the tendril as hard as she could. Light Rudy was thrust forward. Penny threw him against the wall, watching his body collide with it. She noticed that he refused to let go of the chalk, which didn’t surprise her. He did not want to let go of his weapon, even if it meant getting hurt, and she used that to her advantage. Once he got up to his feet, she pulled him again, causing him to trip and fall into the ground.

This went on for several moments. She kept thrusting him against the ground and the wall, and Light Rudy was never given a chance to respond. The other light tendrils waved in a panic in the air. Without Light Rudy to command them, they were pretty mindless and just did whatever. Penny didn’t like hurting people, but considering the circumstances, it wasn’t like she had much of a choice. She had to get the chalk away from him, and only then would she cease hurting him like that. She threw him into the ground yet again and then yanked him forward, causing him to fly in the air.

She watched as he landed backfirst against the wall and slid down. He let out a groan of pain. Penny narrowed her eyes and pulled against the light tendril yet again. Just like before, Light Rudy refused to let go of his chalk. In fact, he hung on a little tighter. He was thrown high into the air and then back down into the ground. He let out cries of pain as he hit the diamond hard ground. Penny knew that he had to let go sooner or later. All she had to do was just give one hard tug, something that he couldn’t possibly still hang onto.

But she didn’t get that chance. Light Rudy had gotten sick of her little trick. Although it was true she could yank him around...but so could he. Light Rudy began to pull on his chalk like he was before, tugging her closer to him. Penny fought back, yanking herself backwards with all her might. But Light Rudy was the stronger of the two. Penny found herself overpowered and she was being dragged closer to Light Rudy. Her eyes widening, she started to try to free her arm, tugging at the light tendril. She winced when it just squeezed her harder, nearly cutting off blood flow.

Before she knew it, she was in front of Light Rudy, his face so close to hers. She moved her head back as Light Rudy leaned forward. He glared at her in contempt, anger glowing from those eyes. Light Rudy grabbed her by the throat, holding her in place. Still holding onto the magic chalk, stuck between his fingers, he pulled his fist back and he began to punch her.

“Penny!” Snap’s voice sounded out. “No!”

Penny let out a scream each time the fist slammed against her. He kept striking her in the same spot, right on her lower jaw. Pain spread through her jaw, a bruise starting to form there. After the fourth punch, Light Rudy then did an uppercut, striking against her chin and sending her flying backwards. It was only then that the light tendril let her go. Penny hit against the ground hard, skidding across the ground. She stopped a few feet away and groaned softly. She coughed a few times and she could taste blood in her mouth. She realized that she had been forced to bite her own tongue.

Penny looked up and saw Light Rudy coming towards her. Her body trembling, she got up to her feet. She took a fighting stance. Despite the pain, she wasn’t going to back down. She narrowed her eyes at Light Rudy, growling softly. Light Rudy looked a little surprised at her defiance, but he kept advancing. The light tendrils hissed loudly and raised above Light Rudy. They stared down at her, their maws opened up as if they wanted to rip her into shreds.

Light Rudy snapped his fingers and the four light tendrils went around Penny. They stretched along the back of her and then wrapped around behind Light Rudy, ensaring her. Penny looked all around, realizing that she was trapped. She narrowed her eyes further as Light Rudy got closer to her. She didn’t have time to react when he suddenly reached out and grabbed her by her throat. He yanked her forward, squeezing her neck tightly. She grunted and struggled to get free.

“Such defiance...” Light Rudy said softly. Penny gritted her teeth at him. “Such a shame that it isn’t being put to proper use...” He looked at her up and down, studying her. “Yes... You could be of some use to me. But I take it you will be a fool like your friend here...” Light Rudy gestured towards Rudy. “...and deny that offer, even if it will save your life.”

Penny snarled at him, “A lifetime of serving you is worse than death! I’d rather die than do anything you say!”

Light Rudy narrowed his eyes. “I’m...so sorry you see things that way.” In a show of strength, he raised her into the air. Penny’s legs kicked wildly as she struggled to get free. “I really don’t see why you don’t agree... I know you don’t care about dying, but do you want your friends to die too?” Penny’s eyes widened at this. Light Rudy grinned. “It will be your fault they die. You three forced my hand. I regret it had to come to this. But sometimes...sacrificed must be made for the greater good...”

Penny stared at him, her blood starting to boil over. She gritted her teeth, feeling like they were going to pop out. Of course Light Rudy was going to do whatever it took to shift the blame from himself. How typical. If he was going to try to toy with her, he was going to have to do better than that. She knew this little mind game. Many a villain they faced before had tried to use this tactic because they were too much of a coward to face responsibility for themselves. And if Light Rudy thinks that tactic is going to work on her...

..well he’s in for a big surprise.

Penny looked at her surroundings. Her eyes looked down at where she was currently. She was still dangling in the air, held up by her neck. She took notice of where her legs were positioned now. Her eyes widened as her mind swiftly formulated a plan. This position she was in... Light Rudy had made a mistake in lifting her up like this. In doing so, he had made himself vulnerable. And she was going to take advantage of it.

Mustering up strength in her leg, she pulled her foot back. She then, seconds later, brought it forward. She slammed the front of her foot directly into Light Rudy’s stomach. Immediately Light Rudy’s eyes went wide, his mouth opening in a loud grunt. His hand released her and she fell to the ground. Light Rudy staggered back, holding his stomach. A bit of blood was coughed up from his mouth. His body trembled in pain as he staggered back to his feet. He still had the magic chalk in his hands, but at the moment, the light tendrils had retreated back inside it.

Penny knew she didn’t have a lot of time. She had to subdue this guy. She was not going to let him get away with hurting anyone else. Raising her chalk, she drew as quickly as she could. In seconds, she now held a long metal bar. Simple, but it would be effective enough. Tucking away her magic chalk into her pocket, she gripped the bars at both ends. Glaring in the direction of Light Rudy, she tensed up her leg muscles and she made her move.

Penny rushed forward, her feet pounding the ground. She did her best to ignore the pain in her leg. She limped, but she still moved fast enough to take Light Rudy by surprise. She slammed against him and forced him into the ground. She pressed the metal bar against Light Rudy’s chest, pushing down on it. The evil counterpart of her friend grunted as he gripped onto the bar and tried to push back. With only one hand on the bar, though, he wasn’t able to gain the upperhand like he had before, and Penny was able to keep him down.

“Let me go, you bitch!” Light Rudy snarled. “Do you...do you think this..will stop me...?”

Penny said, “And do you really think I will let go...just because you asked..?”

It wasn’t easy holding him down. Even though he had just one arm on the bar, pushing on her, he was still strong and it still required all her strength to keep him down. Her eyes looked at his magic chalk warily. Though he hadn’t thought to use the light tendrils yet, she knew that he could at any time. She was in a prime spot to be attacked.

Light Rudy growled at her, narrowing his eyes further. “You’re making a big mistake! If you would just join me, this wouldn’t be...!”

Penny pushed down on him hard. Light Rudy, unable to keep it up, had a moment of physical weakness. The bar hit against his chest with great force. His eyes went wide as his breath was kicked out of his mouth. Penny glared hatefully at him, baring her teeth.

“Don’t you dare...” Penny said in a low, growling voice. “Don’t you fucking dare try to blame us for this! You...you’re the one who’s doing all this! Take a look around you! All this pain and suffering..it’s because of you! You’re the only one to blame around here!” She pushed harder against him, watching his eyes widen in shock. “If you had any amount of courage left in you, if you had any regret, you would own up to your mistakes! But you don’t because you are a coward!”

Light Rudy stared up at in her in shock. He seemed to momentarily forget that he still had his magic chalk in his hands. Instead of trying to escape, he just stared at Penny, taking in quick breaths. Penny could see the panic start to rise inside of him. It hadn’t quite boiled over yet, but she could tell that he was starting to feel the impact of losing control. She could see the desperation in his eyes, and she knew that he was not about to surrender now.

“Y-You’re wrong! I’m doing this for the benefit of everyone! No one here understands! And I can see you don’t either!” Light Rudy shouted, kicking his legs against the ground. “You...you’re just like my Penny and my Snap.. They don’t understand either! They’re too blind to see that I’ve been trying to help others!”

“Help?!” Penny shouted, her eyes wide. “Torturing zoners, killing zoners, ruling them with an iron fist...is that what you call help?!”

Light Rudy hesitated. “I-It keeps them orderly... Order keeps chaos out... Control ensures the safety of others.”

Penny wanted to punch this guy so badly. Had he really deluded himself into thinking that he was doing right with all these horrible acts? He had already confessed before that he was just lying to himself. She wondered just how much he believed his little lies, how much he had brainwashed himself. She could detect a little hesitation in his voice, and she realized that perhaps, there was a part of him that still doubts what he’s doing.

“How can there be safety when you took it all away?” Penny asked, forcing her voice to be a little calm. “You took away the zoners’ sense of safety when you started to kill them left and right, and for the smallest offense! And now you’re expecting me...everyone here...to believe that you’re doing this for their own good? Bullshit!” She put her face close to his. “You care about no one but yourself...”

Light Rudy stared at Penny with wide eyes. Then they narrowed dangerously. A low growl emitted from his throat. “I was right. You are just like my ‘advisors’. Just like you...they don’t understand. They refuse to see. They’re just as weak and cowardly as you!”

Penny was taken aback by this. “Cowardly? Is that what you think they are?” Judging by Light Rudy’s expression, she couldn’t tell if he was really truthful in those words, or if he was just so desperate to retort that he would just say anything. She narrowed her eyes. Regardless, what he said was still a fallacy. “You’re wrong. They’re stronger than you realize. And they’re braver than they think. You can’t control them forever!”

“Oh yes I can... I just have to try as hard as I can to do so...” Light Rudy retorted, baring his teeth. “And do you really think they’ll try anything against me now? Come now... I’ve got them both on a leash. They wouldn’t dare lay a hand on me... They know the consequences.”

“You underestimate them. I knew you would. Yeah, they’re afraid. But you know what else? I bet they’re angry. Deep down inside, I know they’re angry at how they’re being treated. And you know that thing about anger, ‘Lord Rudy’?” Penny said that name with great sarcasm. “It’s that when it’s bottled up inside..it tends to grow. Sooner or later, your abuse of them will bite you back! I believe in them! I know that they have the courage they need to take you on! And when you lose your control of them...” Penny turned her head to the side. “What will you do then...?”

Light Rudy stared at Penny in shock. He looked over at where Para-Penny and Para-Snap were being held. So did Penny. The two of them were staring at the scene. Instead of fear, a look of realization seemed to have dawned on them. They had moved closer to where Snap was, and they gave each other a look, that same look of realization that they had on their faces before. Light Rudy and Penny saw Snap approach them and it looked as if he was going to give them more words of encouragement.

Then, after Snap said something to Para-Snap and Para-Penny, something happened that Light Rudy clearly wasn’t expecting. When the two ‘advisors’ looked back at him, they did, at first, have a look of fear. But then something changed. Slowly, their eyes narrowed. That hidden anger, the one that Penny told Light Rudy about, was coming to surface.

At the sight of this, Light Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. He glanced up at Penny. She smirked at him, a silent way of telling him she told him so. Light Rudy’s body began to shake. He took in a few quick breaths. Then his eyes narrowed in slits and he started to push back against Penny. He pushed so hard that Penny was unable to keep him down. She found herself being pushed backwards. Then Light Rudy apparently remembered that he had his magic chalk. They wrapped around her body and she was tossed into the ground, losing her grip on the metal pole.

“You...” Light Rudy growled. He raised Penny into the air, this time positioned too far away for her to kick him. “I will make you pay for this!” Penny struggled to breathe, gagging as one of the light tendrils wrapped around her neck and squeezed it.

“Let her go!”

Light Rudy turned his head and his eyes widened. Seconds later, he was knocked into the ground as a force slammed against his side. His grip on Penny was released and she fell to the ground. Penny grunted as she hit the ground, rubbing her head. She lifted it up and looked around to see what had happened. She knew she heard Snap’s voice. There was no mistaking it, and she could see Snap rushing towards her. But as he gripped her arm to help her up, she realized something.

It hadn’t been Snap who yelled... It had been Para-Snap. She looked over and, to her shock, she could see him positioned in front of her, glaring in Light Rudy’s direction. She quickly realized that Snap and their counterparts had used the teleporter and Para-Snap had been the first one to make a move. The golden cuffs were off of him. How did that happen? Did Snap do something about that? And when she noticed a bit of white chalk smear on the front of the cheelchair, she realized that it had been Para-Snap who knocked Light Rudy away. He had rammed into him... Considering how afraid he was before, that must have taken a lot of courage.

Light Rudy got up to his feet. He stared at Para-Snap, his eyes wide in shock. “...Snap...?” In response, Para-Snap snarled at him, showing more anger towards him than he ever had before. Light Rudy looked afraid at first, taking a step back. But then anger started to take him over as well. He stormed over. “You...”

He didn’t get far when a fist slammed against him, connecting with his jaw. Light Rudy let out a scream as he was thrown back into the ground. He skidded across the ground and landed several feet away. Penny looked over and noticed Para-Penny standing in front of Para-Snap. Her hand had been formed into a fist, and Penny knew, right away, she had been the one to punch Light Rudy. Again, that must have taken a lot of courage on her part. Light Rudy lifted up his head and stared at her in absolute shock.

Light Rudy climbed up to his feet and stared back at his former ‘advisors’. His expression held a mixture of shock and confusion, perhaps a little fear as well. His body began to shake violently as emotion swept through him. The realization that he had just lost control over two people whom he previously dominated was entering his mind. It swept through his body, forcing him to face reality. He shook his head in denial, unable to accept what had happened.

He turned his head to Penny and Snap. She could see how much this was impacting him. She could see the shere shock radiating off of his face. This was clearly something he had never foreseen before. He had prided himself in his control of everyone and everything around him. Now that control had begun to slip, and Penny knew there was no way back now. And he knew that, too. Slowly, he began to back away, and at first it seemed like he was going to run like the coward he was. But then he locked eyes onto Penny and she winced at how much hate they held for her.

“You are going to regret this!” Light Rudy shouted. He lifted up something into the air, his fingers wrapped around it. Penny and Snap gasped in horror as they realized it was the potion Rudy needed. “Your precious little friend there will pay for your mistakes!”

“Stop! Don’t do it!” Penny shouted at him, her eyes wide.

Snap took a step forward. “If you smash it, I swear I’ll...!”

Light Rudy smiled insanely at them, a dark chuckle resonating from his body. “You should have thought about that before you defied me! Now take one last look...” He waved the potion back and forth in his hand. “For it is the last time you will ever see it! Say goodbye to the last hope for your friend! If I can’t have him...” His eyes narrowed dangerously. “...neither can you...”

“No!” Penny and Snap cried in unison.

Suddenly, just as Light Rudy started to throw it, Para-Penny grabbed onto him. He looked at her in anger and surprise. She held onto him tightly, wrestling with him. He struggled against her and tried his best to knock her back away from him. She was relentless and refused to let go. She grabbed onto his arm, holding it still. In their struggling, she soon managed to start pulling him to the side. He wriggled himself left and right. But Para-Penny’s grasp on him was like a vice, and she squeezed him harder, growls emitting from her face, contorted in anger.

Then, when Light Rudy was yanked back far enough, Para-Snap took action. Although his legs were useless, his arms sure weren’t. Being forced to push himself around at times does build strength in the arms, and Para-Snap proved that notion quite well when he grabbed onto Light Rudy’s throat and applied pressure. Light Rudy gagged and continued struggling against the two. He let out a cry of pain when Para-Snap bit him in the shoulder, sinking his teeth as far in as they could go.

Penny and Snap watched this scene play out, completely shocked by it. They both knew that, eventually, their counterparts would fight back. They just never imagined it would be like this, or this fast. Had their words really had that much of an impact on them? Had they really made the difference these two needed in order to defy Light Rudy? To stand up for themselves? They continued to watch the two wrestle with Light Rudy, their eyes shining with anger, the same anger that they had kept hidden so long.

Penny turned her attention to Rudy, who was laying on the ground. He needed help, fast. But first, they needed to grab the cure, and then they had to get out of here. They couldn’t stay here, not near Light Rudy. She took out her magic chalk and she quickly drew a crude but useable stretcher. She then lowered herself down to Rudy and picked him up into her arms. She laid him on the stretcher and, with Snap’s help, strapped him down in it. She then turned her attention back to the fight.

Para-Snap and Para-Penny were still hanging onto Light Rudy. She could see that the evil dictator was becoming frustrated. So angry was he that he wasn’t thinking straight, not using his light tendrils. This gave the edge that their counterparts needed. They held onto him tightly, struggling to keep him at bay. Para-Penny was grabbing his arm and holding it in the crook of her own. With her other hand, she began to pull his fingers apart, wrestling him for the potion. Soon she managed to get it out of him and she turned to Penny and Snap.

“Here!” Para-Penny shouted.

“No!” Light Rudy cried as Para-Penny tossed the potion over.

Penny cought the potion in her hand. She stared at it and then gave Para-Penny a grateful look. “Thank you...” She said softly.

“Hurry!” Para-Penny cried out as Light Rudy began to struggle harder. “Get out of here!”

“But...” Snap looked at them worriedly. He pointed a round hand at them and asked, “What about you guys?”

“D-Don’t worry about us!” Para-Snap shouted as he almost lost his grip on Light Rudy’s neck. He squeezed harder, causing the teenager to gag. “We’ll keep him busy! Just go! Now!”

Light Rudy glared at his two ‘advisors’ and then cast a hateful glance at the trio. His eyes were practically glowing and his teeth were gritted. He started to make his way over to them, his hands clutched into fists. But Para-Penny and Para-Snap wouldn’t let him get too far. With a sharp downward pull, Light Rudy was knocked into the ground. He landed on his stomach, his eyes shut tightly. Para-Penny and Para-Snap pressed down at against him, keeping him pinned.

Penny and Snap didn’t waste any time. While Light Rudy was busy struggling with Para-Penny and Para-Snap, they quickly grabbed onto Rudy on the stretcher and they bolted. Penny didn’t know where they should go. All she knew is that they had to get far away from here as soon as possible and hope that Light Rudy doesn’t catch up to them before they can give Rudy the cures and before time runs out.

As she ran, holding onto the stretcher, her heart pounding against her chest, she cast a wary glance back, catching a glimpse of the fight. She turned her attention back to look ahead of her. She hoped that their counterparts will be okay. She hoped that Para-Penny and Para-Snap would be able to defeat Light Rudy and remove him from power. Now that they have the courage to fight back, she hoped that they would be able to finally enact some justice against the cruel Light Rudy for all that he had done to them. They deserved a little payback for all the misery he inflicted on them.

These thoughts, and more, ran through her mind, filling every part of her brain, as she continued to run down the hallway. She turned her head to give Rudy a quick glance. She bit her lip as she saw he was still unconscious. She hoped it wasn’t too late for him. It...it couldn’t be too late. He had to be okay. He just had to. She tried not to think about it too much. Right now, she and Snap both needed to concentrate on getting out of here.

“Creator!”

The sudden shout caused Penny and Snap to come to an abrupt stop, a cry of surprise coming out of their mouths. They looked around, trying to find the source of that sound.

“Over here!”

They looked to their right, down a tunnel they nearly passed, and they could see a familiar face. It was Para-Hagar. The dog zoner was waving at them, gesturing them to follow them.

“Come on!” Para-Hagar shouted. “Follow me!”

Without hesitation, Penny and Snap, pushing Rudy with them, followed the dog zoner down the corridor.

sss

Maalik stood in the small, stony room located deep in the lair. It was quite a challenge getting this machine hooked up. But Dr. Raiden had little trouble. That didn’t surprise Maalik. After all, his friend had been forced to create this thing, so he would know a thing or two of how it works and how to put it together and all that. Maalik, however, still found himself amazed at how fast it was set up, and how fast Raiden got it up and running. Definitely a good thing considering time was almost up for the creators and that filthy traitor.

According to Dr. Raiden, if the machine wasn’t hooked up in time, then the three would have been forever trapped in the vortex of time. While that seemed satisfying enough of a punishment, Maalik didn’t think it was good enough. He felt that it was best for the three to be present, and that they should recieve their punishment here, in front of witnesses. He already had in mind how they were going to be executed. The execution room was already being set up for those three when they arrived. A few hours wasn’t too long to get ready, but on the upside, that meant not a long wait to finally dish out some justice.

Behind him were two cages. One of them held two of Snap’s friends, Rapsheeba and Blocky. Two more traitors who will get the punishment they deserved. Then next to them was Dr. Urso. Maalik felt his blood start to boil as he looked at the lion bear. The disgusting zoner had the nerve to hurt his friend, and for what? Because of his caring for the two traitors caged next to him. Even more unforgiveable as the fact that he had been one of the reasons Snap survived years ago, when he had been nearly killed twice.

Under his instruction, Dr. Urso had been tied up and a muzzle fitted over his mouth. He didn’t want to risk the lion bear escaping the cell. It wasn’t an electric one, but one made of metal and stone. He was worried that Dr. Urso might find a way out using those strong jaws or powerful paws of his. He didn’t want to risk having any other members of the Luminos hurt. He didn’t want another of his...family, being mauled by that horrible monster. He had already lost Hagar and Quet...he was not going to lose anyone else.

He turned his head to look at another cage placed near the machine. This would be the one where the creators would be placed, along with that traitorous Snap. He was not taking chances. He has the machine completely surrounded by his guards, all armed to the teeth. As soon as the trio would come through, which should be very soon, they would be seized and escorted to the cage. They would not be given any chance to escape. Any and all magic chalk will be confiscated, and the three will be executed for their crimes. And the sooner, the better. The longer he carried this out, the more chances there would be that they’d escape, and his home would be threatened...

“Should be any time now.” Dr. Raiden said, walking in from the right. Maalik watched as the cheetah approached him, his arms folded behind his back. He stopped next to the lion and said, “Pretty amazing, isn’t it? Finally, after all this time of preparation...” He turned his head to face the machine. “We’ll finally be rid of those three little monsters.”

Maalik nodded his head slowly. “Indeed. Soon we’ll be able to rest easy at night. I won’t have to worry for my family..” He turned his head, casting a worried glance to where some of the other Luminos were hanging out. He sighed and shook his head softly. “I still feel responsible for the loss of Hagar and Quet..”

Raiden put a hand on his shoulder, looking at him sympathetically. “It’s not your fault, dear friend. It’s not any of our faults that happened. We can only hope their deaths were swift.”

“I know.” Maalik said. “But I still think things could have gone better if I had chosen differently. Perhaps they’d still be here. Or if I had chosen a more subtle way to get Rudy, maybe you wouldn’t have been hurt. Maybe...”

“Maalik...for the last time it wasn’t your fault. I’m doing fine right now.” Raiden said. He gestured to his body, noting the bandages on it. “I’ve been treated. I will be okay. And besides, I didn’t ask for this.” He turned his head and cast a hate-filled glance to the trio of traitors behind them, concentrated on Dr. Urso. “If he hadn’t decided to hurt me... or if the creators had just surrendered...they could have done anything except fight. It’s their fault I’m hurt...” He looked back at Maalik. His expression softened up. “Not yours. Please, don’t blame yourself, dear friend. You did what you could and at least soon, the creators and the traitor will be taken care of.”

Maalik gave the cheetah a soft smile, who returned it. He knew Dr. Raiden was right. It wasn’t his fault this happened. He had made the calls he felt were right, and though they didn’t turn out exactly the way he wanted them, they were still going to succeed in taking care of Rudy, Penny, and Snap. His plans to capture them, though delayed and not exactly the results he wanted, were still, ultimately, going to work. And at last, they could finally get rid of three of the biggest threats to ChalkZone.

He understood that Raiden was right about something else. It wasn’t his fault that Raiden was hurt, and it wasn’t Raiden’s fault either. They were both just trying to do what was right for ChalkZone. Those traitors were the ones who decided to attack. If they hadn’t done that, then this wouldn’t have happened. Dr. Raiden did nothing to deserve that Dr. Urso gave him. Dr. Urso was the one who was protecting threats, not Dr. Raiden. And the others...they could have surrendered, but no, they decided to fight back, protecting the dangerous creators. Dr. Raiden was right. They were the ones who decided to fight back against justice. They were the ones who decided to resist and make things difficult. If they had just surrendered, they’d...

“...y-you bastards...”

Maalik’s ears twitched at this. He and Dr. Raiden turned their heads. There, they could see Blocky had gotten up to his feet. Out of the three traitors, he was the only one still awake. He grabbed onto the bars and glared at them hatefully. He took in shaky breaths, his eyes narrowed. If he weren’t contained in the cage, Maalik was certain he would have gone into a rage and attacked him or another Luminos. Good thing he was trapped in there.

“I-It wasn’t our f-f-fault you got hurt.” Blocky seethed through clenched teeth. “Don’t try to b-blame it on us! You were attacking us! D-Did you think w-w-we were going to roll over for you and just l-let you kill us?!”

Dr. Raiden shook his head. “Typical traitor. Not willing to admit when you are in the wrong.” He pointed his metal claw at Blocky. “Stop trying to divert guilt from yourself, you disgusting traitor. You’re the one who has been running away from justice for far too long. If you didn’t want to get hurt, you should have...”

“Hypocrite!” Blocky cried. “You’re the one who is trying to make it seem like it wasn’t your fault you got hurt! Well guess what, pal? It was! If you hadn’t attacked us, Dr. Urso wouldn’t have hurt you! You mercilessly attacked my friend when she didn’t do a damn thing to you! You’re a monster!”

Maalik’s pupils dilated, his ears folded down, and he snarled angrily. How dare the traitor try to pin blame on his friend... How dare he spew such nonsense... Maalik prided himself as being calm and rational, but when someone spews lies abut Raiden, the closest friend he ever had, then that’s when he decides to show a little more of his..wild side..

Dropping down on all fours, Maalik rushed over to the cage. The traitor’s eyes widened in fear. He scrambled to get away. Maalik narrowed his eyes. He was not going to let him go that easily. He reached the cage and shot his paw through. He gripped the monster by his arm and yanked him forward. He slammed him against the bars roughly, watching as he cried out in pain. He slammed him again for good measure, wanting him to feel regret for what he said.

Maalik’s lips curled up, exposing his sharp teeth to Blocky. The traitor whimpered and struggled to get free. “Don’t you fucking dare talk about my friend like that! He’s not the one in cahoots with those monstrous creators! That would be you, filthy little traitor! If I hear another word of blasphemy from you, I will rip your limbs off! Do you understand?!” Blocky gulped and he nodded his head swiftly. “Good...” Maalik looked at him with contempt and threw him away. “May that be a lesson to you...”

Dr. Raiden approached the cages. He stared down at Blocky, a small smile on his muzzle. “As soon as your...human friends get here, they will be properly taken care of. ChalkZone will no longer have to fear them.”

Blocky took a few steps back, shaking his head. “No..don’t go through with it..please..” He was about to continue, but Maalik’s roar stopped him. The traitorous zoner jumped in the air and moved back further from the front of the cage. He looked at Maalik in fear.

“Shut up!” Maalik shouted at him. His pupils dilated and his teeth glinted in the light. “You had your chance at redemption and you botched it up! So prepare yourself, Blocky...” He lowered his head and stared intently into the frightened zoner’s eyes. “Your time will come.”


	80. Ignored Epiphany

Light Rudy couldn’t believe this was happening. He had dreaded when this moment would come. He had hoped that it wouldn’t come to this. He had fought so hard to keep control, to prevent this from happening. But it wasn’t good enough. In the end, all his efforts were in vain, because despite what he did to ensure he maintained control, now it was starting to crumble down.

And it was all because of those three outsiders...

Ever since they came, everything around him seemed to start to fall apart. Everything was fine before they showed up. Everything was running smoothly. His rule over ChalkZone had been solid, and he had been able to maintain it quite well for a few years. He had everything go his way for a long time. And now, all that was disappearing. All of it was starting to crumble. There was still a chance to salvage it, thoug, if he acted fast.

He still had his grip over ChalkZone, for now. How long that would last with those three counterparts running loose, he wasn’t sure. If he didn’t get to them, if he didn’t stop them before more damage was spread, he was in trouble. He couldn’t allow that to happen. He wasn’t going to let everything he worked for go down the drain like this. No...he couldn’t allow that. He had to do something and fast. He couldn’t lose control over something else.

He had already lost control over his two ‘advisors’.

He was still on the ground, struggling to get up. His Penny and his Snap held him down. His Penny was practically sitting on him, concentrating her weight against the middle of his back. Her arms were looped around his body, pinning his arms to his side. He struggled left and right, trying to worm his way out from underneath her. He strained to turn his head and look at her. Her eyes shined with anger. That other Penny, the one that fled, she had mentioned something about anger, about how it grows, and in his Penny, he could see what she was talking about.

His Snap had taken to hanging onto his legs. He tried to separate them. He tried to kick his Snap away, but it was no use. His Snap’s arms were quite strong for someone his size. Stronger than they ever were before... And now he was using those arms to help hold him down, keep his legs from moving. He kept trying to wriggle his way from these two. He sometimes slammed his legs into the ground as hard as he could, but his Snap, overwhelmed by the anger that was hidden inside all this time, refused to let go.

Light Rudy wasn’t sure if he should be impressed by their tenacity or furious that they dared to defy him like this. He had warned them countless times what would happen if they defied him. He had punished them multiple times in the past in hopes of avoiding any possible discrepancy in the future. He had ‘tamed’ them, if that was the right word, and they still had the gall to go up against him like this. The fools... They were going to regret turning on him like this. And after all he had done for them as well...

Still, he had to give credit where credit was due. Taking him on the way they had did take guts. There wasn’t a lot of zoners here who would dare try to go up against him. Most zoners, he knew, were scared of him. He could get any random zoner to do whatever he wanted, and they’d do it without question. But these two... These two suffered the most punishments. Compared to the others, he had gone a little easy on these two. But still, they were just as afraid of him as anyone else here. They knew what he’d do to them if they defied him....and they somehow gained the courage to do just that. Defy him.

Although he’d never admit to it, he knew that other Penny had been right when she said he couldn’t control them forever. He knew that. Deep down, he did know, and he had expected them to turn on him at some point. He just never thought it’d be this early, or during this crucial time. He knew he should have created a more fool proof plan for when these two turned on him. He should have been more prepared, so that when this happened, he could take care of these two much faster.

Oh well, it was too late for that now. Right now, he had to focus on getting himself out of here so he can stop the trio from escaping. He was not going to allow something else to not go his way. He wasn’t going to let someone else escape his grasp. That was unacceptable. He wasn’t going to allow any more control slip from his grasp. But first...he had to take care of these two...

Again and again, he struggled to get free, twisting his body from side to side. He tried to pull one of his arms free. He kept pulling, trying to pull it out of his Penny’s grasp. But despite him being physically stronger, in this position, he was at a disadvantage. With the weight from his two ‘advisors’ holding him down, and being pushed into the ground, he was having a hard time trying to get himself free. It wasn’t that he wasn’t strong enough; the angle was just making it difficult for him.

And his Snap holding his legs like this with those small but strong arms of his...that was definitely causing some problems for him. If he could at least get him off, then it wouldn’t be an issue. He would use one of his legs to kick himself away from his Penny and free himself. He just had to get into the right position.

But the longer he struggled, the more frustrated he started to get. He knew there wasn’t much time. These two idiots were going to cause him the loss of three potential allies, three potential servants to his cause. But of course, these two don’t understand. They never understood his methods of safety. If they would just stop and listen, they’d understand. He had tried to explain it to them before, and they still didn’t understand. That was one reason why he had to be harsh on them. He couldn’t afford them brainwashing the zoners. He couldn’t allow it to happen.

“G-Get off of me...you two...” Light Rudy demanded. He turned his head and snarled at them. “Y-You’re making me angry....!”

“And you have been making us angry for years!” His Penny shouted at him. Her arms held onto him tightly, squeezing them so he couldn’t get himself free. “You’ve beaten us! You’ve tortured us! You’ve broken us! And for what? Some false belief that you were protecting ChalkZone!”

“It’s not a f-false belief!” Light Rudy cried. “You two are just b-blind!”

He heard his Snap scoff loudly at this, showing some of the most raw anger he had heard. “You think we are blind? Look at what you’ve done, Rudy! You took away my legs! How the fuck was that protecting me?!” Light Rudy heard a sniffle and he knew that the crippled zoner was crying. “You...you undid all that progress... I-I was doing so well... And you fucking took it away!”

Light Rudy’s eyes widened at this. His mind flooded with memories of what happened that day. He remembered it like it was yesterday. His Snap had been practicing walking. He was starting to get it down quite well. He had...smiled at him and came towards him... And Light Rudy had attacked him out of the blue. He had broken his back quite easily. He still remembered the look on his face when he did that. Those wide eyes filled with shock, hurt, betrayal...

A pang started to fill Light Rudy’s stomach. Maybe...maybe he had gone a little too far there. He had broken his Snap’s back when he had made so much recovery... And there was a part of him that still felt guilty about that. He had shattered his Snap’s hope of recovery, and all because he wanted to gain control over him...

He shook his head. He tried to push those thoughts aside. No, he had done it for the benefit of ChalkZone, and for his own good. By assuming control over him, he could make sure that nothing happened to him. Yes, he admitted that he had harmed him, but at least it was just him, and nobody else. At least he knew what would be wrong with his Snap. He’d still know everything. There would be no unknowns. He couldn’t allow any more unknowns...not after what happened...

Not after what happened with Mr. Cosmo and the Solar Pillars... He remembered that moment.. He had no idea if Mr. Cosmo would go through with it or not. He had no idea if he’d be able to activate the Solar Pillars and destroy ChalkZone. And his parents... He never knew when they’d hurt him. He could come home some days and they’re fine. And then others, they’d torment him. And he was so scared to call the police...too scared to tell anyone...

...because he was a coward. He was a coward who was terrified of the unknown. Control was his only comfort. Control everything, and nothing would surprise him. As long as he had total control of everyone and everything here in ChalkZone, there would be no surprises, no horrific surprises like what happened with his parents and Mr. Cosmo.

That is, until the dimensional hoppers showed up. He was already aware that dimensional hopping existed. But he never expected that a counterpart for him and his ‘advisors’ would show up. And now they were roaming around his domain, doing who knows what. He couldn’t allow them free reign here. He had to make sure he knew what they were doing at all times. He wanted them to surrender to them, allow him control, so not only could he protect ChalkZone from the unknown, but himself as well.

“You used to be our friend, Rudy! You used to look out for us! You used to care about us!” His Penny yelled at him. He looked up and he could see tears of anger in her eyes. She stared at him, her teeth clenched. “We used to be able to rely on you! But now...look at yourself.. You’ve been abusing us for years... You’ve threatened us with torture and death... What..what kind of friend are you if you think that would protect us?!”

Light Rudy took in a few quick breaths. His mind raced as he tried to think of a reply to that. He can justify everything he does. He can think of a reply to this. He always could. He was only doing what was right for everyone. Who cares if the others thought he was evil? At least he was doing something about the threats of ChalkZone. At least his method ensures that he knew everything that was going on. His counterpart was just too weak and soft to properly deal with danger. If he would just join him, he’d teach him a thing or two about being a guardian.

His ‘advisors’, his... ‘friends’, though he wasn’t sure if he can call them that anymore, they don’t understand. He was only trying to protect them from danger, the unknown. Ultimately, that’s all he ever really wanted. That’s what his actions amounted to. He wanted to keep everyone safe. Why couldn’t they understand that? Why were they blinding themselves and refusing to see the good he was doing? Yes, some zoners are dying, but at least most of ChalkZone remained safe from outside threats.

“You...you just don’t understand!” Light Rudy cried, still thrashing about on the ground. He could hear his Penny and his Snap grunted and seething as they hung onto him, pressing him against the ground. He could feel his Snap’s limp legs hit against him wildly as he kept slamming his feet into the ground. Without the ability to move them, the legs were at the mercy of gravity and inertia. “I did what I could to help everyone! That’s all I’ve been doing! Why can’t you understand that?!”

“Fuck you! Do you think we’ll believe that malarky?! After all you’ve done?!” His Penny snarled almost hatefully at him. Light Rudy almost cringed at the sound of it.

“Yeah! You’ve killed hundreds of innocent zoners...” His Snap growled under his breath. Then he practically shouted, “And you expect us to believe you were doing it for the good of ChalkZone?! Bullcrap!” He squeezed his legs tighter, securing them further. “I used to be afraid of you... But now I see I was a fool. Why should I be scared of a coward like you? You’re disgusting...”

His Penny joined in. “You treated us like crap for too long! But no more! Your abuse as gone on long enough!”

“Please...” Light Rudy said. His tone was that of anger, but there was a little bit of a plea. He didn’t want to hurt them if he didn’t have to. If they would just listen to reason... “I’m only trying to help... Please stop this, and we can...”

His Penny suddenly pushed against him as hard as she could. He let out a grunt of pain as air escaped his mouth. His eyes went wide and for a few seconds, he had a hard time breathing. His struggling had stopped and he just laid there, breathing in and out to catch his breath. His green eyes looked up, meeting those deep brown eyes that he knew belonged to his Penny.

“Shut up! You’re not helping anyone! You don’t care about anyone but yourself! You...you self-centered hypocrite!” His Penny snarled at him, her voice having a bit of a growly edge to it.

Light Rudy couldn’t help but flinch. He never heard her speak to him like this before. The only time he can recall her speaking like this to anyone was...when she was talking to a villain...

But he wasn’t the bad guy here. He was the good guy. He was trying to keep ChalkZone safe. He was trying to keep the unknown from harming it. He was doing this for the good everyone...wasn’t he...? For a brief moment, that pang of doubt gripped him before he managed to push it away. He was doing this for the good everyone, including himself. He just had to keep believing it. He can’t let himself fall into doubt. He can’t let his actions be all for nothing. He had to keep doing this...keep doing this...

They just don’t understand. They never understood. They refused to see things his way. They only see the short term for everything. They refused to see the long term benefits of what he was doing. His Penny was smart. He knew that if she just put her mind to it, she could use that big brain of hers and realize he was correct. She’d see that if they kept using his methods, ChalkZone would eventually become much safer than it’s ever been before. He couldn’t give up now. He refused to give up. Not after all he had accomplished.

His Penny cried a little harder. He could feel her body trembling. “You took away my freedom.. I can’t even walk down the street anymore without worrying that you might be there, waiting for me! I know you can’t hurt me in the real world, but you’ve found methods to extend your control there, too! My mom tries to help me...and she can’t because she doesn’t know what the fuck is wrong and I can’t tell her! My own mom can’t comfort me...” His Penny took in a shaky breath. “And it’s all because of you!”

Light Rudy felt his eyes grow big at this. Just like when his Snap yelled at him, another flashback, this time with his Penny, came forth. He recalled doing something horrible to his Penny, not in the real world, but in ChalkZone. It wasn’t too long after he had permanently paralyzed his Snap’s legs to control him. He needed to assume control over his Penny. Like his Snap, his Penny had a wild streak to her and if it wasn’t controlled, bad things could happen. So he sought out to take care of that.

He had taken her to a secluded part of ChalkZone. He had made sure she couldn’t get away. She didn’t understand what he was doing...why he was doing it. She pleaded with him to stop. She said it hurt her too badly. But he kept going. He kept inflicting pain on her. Over and over, he had...and then he...

The memory brought about an increased heart rate. It frightened him. Why was he feeling like this now? He had convinced himself he did what he could to keep ChalkZone safe. Everything he did...wasn’t he doing it for the good of everyone? Yes..he was. Even if he wasn’t entirely proud of some of the things he did, like to his Penny, it was ultimately benefiting everyone. He was keeping them safe. Yes, he was doing the right thing. He was protecting them...from the unknown.... If they could only see that...

His body began to shake with emotion. Everything that has happened recently, all the things he thought, all his fears, they were starting to get to him now. All his work, everything he did, all the things he strived for in this world... It was all going down the drain fast. He couldn’t allow that to happen. He refused to let that happen. Anger and rage, it started to come up to the surface, replacing his previous doubts and fears. His body shook even harder, and he began to fight back.

“You...two...don’t...understand!” Light Rudy shouted.

He started to thrust about more violently. He twisted and pulled harder and harder. He could hear gasps of shock from his two ‘advisors’. He could feel them hold harder. He could practically feel their heart rates quickening. He kicked his legs faster. He used more force each time he twisted and turned from side to side. He let out shouts of anger, screams of frustration as he tried to free himself.

His Penny and his Snap struggled to keep a hold of him. His Snap wrapped his arms around his legs tighter. He grunted every time he slammed his legs into the hard floor. Each time, he could feel his Snap beginning to lose his grip. Then, finally, with one final thrust, the grasp that his Snap had on him was gone. The round hands slipped from him and he was sent flying through the air. He heard a crash and he knew that, against the odds, his Snap had been thrust against his wheelchair.

With his legs now free, he started to kick against the ground. He pushed himself harder, trying to roll himself over. Although his Penny held on as tightly as she could, she couldn’t stop him from rolling over until he now laid on top of her. Using his legs to push himself up, he began to thrust himself against her as hard as he could, slamming and droppinng himself against her stomach. His Penny’s eyes widened and she let out a few pained grunts. Soon her grip on him loosened and he managed to pull himself away from her.

Getting up off the ground, he took several steps away from his ‘advisors’ before turning back. He stared at them. His Penny was still on the ground. She was starting to get up now, rubbing her head. He looked over and he could see his Snap trying to adjust himself in his wheelchair. Slowly, Light Rudy’s eyes narrowed and his teeth were gritted. His anger started to boil over. He couldn’t control it. He could feel the emotion, both chilling and burning, go through every part of his body, his shaking becoming more erratic, more violent.

These two had betrayed him... They had turned their back on him. And because of them, the dimensional hoppers had gotten away. He had no idea how far they were now. He had no idea if they had managed to get out of his dimension or not. And even if he made Dr. Raiden build him a machine, there was no guarantee he’d find these three again. Oh these two....they were going to pay for what they’ve done...

“How dare you...” Light Rudy snarled, his eyes sparkling. “How fucking dare you treat me this way... And after all I did to keep you safe!”

“You...keep us safe? Don’t...don’t make us laugh!” His Penny shouted back.

His Snap managed to get back into his wheelchair. He looked at him, his face showing a clear expression of defiance. “Don’t keep repeating yourself, Bucko...” Light Rudy winced at how his Snap used that word against him. “We’ve been through his song and dance before. You aren’t fooling anybody! That...that other Rudy...the one you almost murdered... He was right about you! You’re just like Cosmo! You and your actions...are no better than that madman was! But of course you deny it all! And you know who else would do the same thing? Cosmo...”

Light Rudy froze at this statement. He stared at his Snap in shock, looking into those narrowed white eyes of his. He could practically feel the anger dripping off from his mouth as he had spoken those words. Those harsh, cruel words... Light Rudy’s mind reeled more more flashbacks. He thought about all that Cosmo had done. He thought about what that man did, what he almost took away... It had taken so much to put a stop to him.

Cosmo... That evil man... He had tried to destroy all of ChalkZone... He had tried to enslave it even before that. He had threatened everyone here... And he had stopped him for good. How...how dare his Snap...how dare anyone, compare him to that monster. He was nothing like Mr. Cosmo. He was better than Mr. Cosmo. And he was going to prove it to him...and his Penny. He would show them just how wrong they both were.

Unable to hold back his anger for much longer, his pupils shrinking, he let out a yell of anger and he ran towards his Snap. His Penny attempted to stop him. He paused and turned towards her. He slammed his fist into her face and she topped backwards, letting out a scream of pain. He watched her fall before he turned his attention to his Snap.

“Penny!” His Snap shouted. He attempted to move over towards her, but Light Rudy got in his way. “Rudy, I...”

“Too late now, you little runt!” Light Rudy wasn’t sure what his Snap was going to say, but right now, he didn’t really care. He reached over and grabbed his Snap by his scarf. “I am going to teach you two a lesson!”

Tightening his grip and moving quick enough to avoid being bitten again, Light Rudy threw his Snap clean out of his wheelchair. His Snap let out a scream as he rolled across the ground. Light Rudy wasted no time. He rushed over to his Snap’s side and gripped him by his throat. He pulled his fist back and began to punch him in the face. Again and again, he punched the small zoner, listening to him cry out in pain.

“Let him go, you monster!” His Penny shouted.

Light Rudy turned his head and saw his Penny rushing at him at full speed. He lifted up his Snap and, without thinking, without hesitation, he threw him at her. The zoner collided with her and the two fell into the ground. Light Rudy snarled, his face twisting into a sick, satisfied smile. Yes, this felt good... They will pay for what they’ve done. He raised up his magic chalk, the light tendrils shooting out once more. Oh how they will pay...

The light tendrils shot out, wrapping around their bodies. The two of them screamed as they were hoisted up into the air. He squeezed them as hard as he could, and he could hear them start to gag. He started to throw them against the ground, the walls, and ceiling. Each time, they screamed as loud as they could, or they would gag as they could barely breathe. He slammed them into the wall and scraped them along it as hard as he could, ignoring their cries of pain.

Again and again he did this. He didn’t slow down when he saw how bruised and banged up they were getting. He didn’t stop when they began to plead with him to stop. He didn’t stop when the saw blood start to pour from their mouths. All that he knew was that they had betrayed him and they needed to pay the consequences. He kept slamming them, thrusting them as hard as he could against the solid diamond ground. He was throwing them so hard, he could have sworn he was making a slight indention in the ground.

Suddenly, before he could continue to pound them, something struck him at his side. A force that caused him to let go of his magic chalk. He could hear his Penny and his Snap scream as they fell to the ground, badly beaten. He tripped over and he fell into the ground in a loud thud. He pushed himself on his hands and shook his head. He looked around to see what was going on. He could see his ‘advisors’ on the ground. His angere started to subside, and he wouldn’t help but feel a little surprised at how bad they looked.

Both of them were heavily bruised and had many swollen injuries. They looked like they had been crying. He could see the blood that poured from their mouth as they coughed. Had he...had he done that...? He shook his head. They were asking for it, weren’t they? Besides, he had beaten them up before and he hadn’t reacted like this. He knew he was doing the right thing. But...was was so different now...?

He didn’t have long to think about that when he was kicked in the side. He screamed in pain as he rolled across the ground, hitting against a nearby wall. The force of the kicked caused him to slam his back against the wall. He shook his head left and right as he tried to fight back the wave of pain going up and down his spine. He opened his eyes and looked up to see who his attacker was. His eyes widened in horror.

“J-J-Jacko...?” Light Rudy stammered.

“You..you think you could get rid of me that easily...boy..?” Jacko looked a little banged up, but was otherwise fine. He had his hands raised menacingly. “Think again! You’re not getting away from me this time!”

Jacko rushed forward, his hand raised, poised to strike. Light Rudy let out a fright-filled shriek and he scrambled to get away. He kicked his legs against the ground as he forced himself up. He attempted to run but he wasn’t fast enough. Before he could get far, Jacko’s bone claws were struck against his right arm. The claws dug deep into his skin. Light Rudy howled in agony as the claws cut into his flesh, going all the way down his arm. When the claws left him, blood splattered on the ground.

Light Rudy winced as he looked at the wound. There were now three long gashes on his arm, deep and bloody. They stretched from his shoulder, snaked down along the underside of his arm, cut into his wrist, and ripped up his palm. Horror and dread raced through his mind as he realized what had happened. He couldn’t use his left hand that well. Like his counterpart, he lost some usage of it in the fight against Cosmo. Granted, he had some more control over it compared to his counterpart, but still, it was hardly usable for suitable drawing. And now, his right arm was in too much pain to be of use and his right hand was shredded.

In other words, he was completely defenseless now...

Light Rudy looked up at Jacko in fear. He backed away from him. He turned and attempted to run, but Jacko managed another blow on him. Those claws raked across his right thigh, causing him to trip. Three more gashes appeared. These were just as deep as the ones on his arm, all in a row, going down the right side of his right thigh. He cried in pain, tears moving down his face. He scrambled to get away, running as fast as he could.

The pain in his leg caused him to limp, making running painful and very difficult. Jacko was coming in from behind. The zoner deliberately moved slower, prolonging the chase to scare him. The zoner had a psychotic look on his face, his claws, some bloodied, flexed open and shut menacingly.

“I’m going to get you! I’m going to get you!” Jacko taunted as he chased after Light Rudy. “Look out, boy, because I’m going to get you!”

Feeling more fear twisting his stomach than ever before, all Light Rudy could do was scream and run away, blood trailing along behind him.

sss

“Sunshine!” Snap cried as Para-Hagar opened up the hatchet, allowing all of them to exit out of the castle. “I’ve never been so glad to see it!”

“Yeah, that’s nice.” Para-Hagar rolled his eyes. He made a gesture with his hand. “But in case you didn’t know, your little friend here is in trouble and our Rudy could be right behind us. So if you don’t mind, try to get to a hiding spot!”

Penny looked over at Para-Hagar. “You mean you’re not staying?”

The dog folded his arms and shook his head. “Nope. Sorry, toots. But Jacko was specific. He just wanted me to lead you out. After that, he wanted me to immediately leave to help the other members of the resistance.”

“What are you planning?” Snap asked.

Para-Hagar snarled a little. “That information is not for outsiders...” Snap took a step back. Para-Hagar paused and seemed to regret being that harsh. His face softened up. “...unfortunately, those are the rules.” He turned his head to look down the corridor they had used to escape. “I need to get going, before he shows up..” He turned his head to Penny and Snap. “Good luck on your endeavors.”

With that, before the two could say anything to him, the dog zoner was gone. He moved at incredible speed, and he disappeared down the alleyway. They watched him leave. Penny was a little annoyed that he left so quickly. He could have stayed and let them thank him properly. But he was right. They had to get a move on. She looked at the tunnel warily. Though she was glad that Light Rudy wasn’t coming down the halls, there was no telling when he’d show up. They had to get a move on.

She gripped the bars on the stretcher tighter. She looked down, staring at Rudy. He took in another ragged breath. She bit her lip. He needed help..fast. How long was he going to last like this? He needed the cures..and he needed to be hospitalized. He needed treatment badly, or it’s...it’s just not going to end well for him. She couldn’t lose him. He was her best friend...

“Uh...Penny? Shouldn’t we give him the cures now?” Snap asked, tugging at her arm.

Penny looked down at him. She wanted to reply, but she didn’t know what to say at first. She wasn’t even sure how the cures even worked, and they had little time to figure that out. And they needed to figure out a place for them to go, just in case Light Rudy showed up. Biting her lip, she looked around at their surroundings.

They were at the side of the castle, away from the town square. They could still hear the zoners, their fake happiness still ringing in her ears. She could still see them, but they were off to the side, further back enough that they couldn’t see her, or her friends. That didn’t mean there wasn’t a zoner watching, however. There might be a hidden one, one of the Luminos perhaps. They might be going to get Light Rudy, or they might take action. What she needed to do was find a place that would provide shelter for a little bit, just enough for her to give the cures to Rudy.

But what if she fails? What if she doesn’t give the cures the right way, and everything they did was all for naught? What if... No, she wouldn’t fall down into doubt. Not now. Rudy was counting on her. He needed her now more than ever. She couldn’t let him down. She could do this. She just had to keep trying.

Penny looked back down at Snap. “We need to hide first!”

“But, Buckette...” Snap said. His eyes looked down warily at Rudy. He winced as Rudy coughed in his sleep, a little bit of blood trinkling down his mouth. “What if...?”

Penny reached down and put a hand on his shoulder. “It will be okay.. I’m sure of it...” She smiled gently at him, trying to do what she could to comfort him. “We need some cover so that the evil Rudy can’t interrupt us in time. The sooner our Rudy gets the cure...”

“I know...That’s why we should give it to him now, before...” Snap started to say.

“After we find a place to hide.” Penny said sternly. Not wanting to waste much time, she quickly looked around for a suitable place for them to go. “There has to be some place we can...”

“Well hurry it up!” Snap cried. “We don’t have much time!”

Penny looked around at their surroundings. She realized, quickly, they were near one of the destruction sights that Light Rudy caused when he brought out his angetroller. She could see the demolished buildings, rubble crumbled up against each other. It looked kinda similar to what they saw in the dark dimension. The metal was a little twisted in many places, and she could see multiple areas where they could squeeze through.

She took note of how some of the buildings were completely knocked over, no bits of them left standing. Large piles of rubble laid strewn about. But some of the buildings were still standing, just with gaping holes in the. She could see the twisted metal inside, and other bits that made up the support for the building. Loose pieces hung here or there, a few of them dropping due to gravity. She soon realized that this demolished area, all that debris, could be used as a hideout of sorts. It wouldn’t let them long, but it would take some effort for Light Rudy to get to them there.

“Come on!" Penny began to run quickly, pushing the stretcher with her. She moved so fast that Snap was startled by the movement and jumped before he started to run after her.

“Wait up!” Snap cried.

“Oh...sorry!” Penny called out to him.

The two friends rushed over to the pile of rubble in front of them. Penny wasn’t sure if anyone was watching, but she couldn’t afford to slow down. She just kept running, getting closer to the rocks and metal that laid on the ground. Her heart pounded, feeling it beating quickly. Soon, she had to stop, knowing she couldn’t safely navigate Rudy through without accidentally throwing him off the stretcher. When they came to the start of the rubble, she moved in to carry him in her arms.

She detached the straps with Snap’s help, making sure they were all unbuckled. She didn’t like the idea of getting him out of the stretcher, but she hated the idea of him falling out and getting hurt worse even more. After undoing the straps, she pushed her hands underneath his body. She took in a deep breath and she hoisted him up. He was a little heavy for her to carry, but she could manage it. Holding him in her arms, she began to climb up the rubble, her sights set on one of the holes in a large building.

She and Snap navigated along the rubble. It was not easy, especially carrying Rudy. Snap was able to move along a little faster. But though he could easily reach the hiding spot without Penny and just wait for her there, he chose instead to slow down, pause, and wait for her to catch up to him before he moved along. He would occassionally look back to make sure he didn’t move out far enough. She was grateful for this as it was best for them to stick together.

She kept shifting her eyes towards the ground, noting how rough it was, how many jagged spots there were. She minded them the best she could. She made sure to watch her step so that she didn’t fall down. A few times, the debris would shift under her weight, but she was able to keep herself from falling down. And before she knew it, she and Snap had reached the spot, hidden inside the whole with the twisted metal and broken brick hanging overhand. In here, they had a bit of time to prepare in case Light Rudy or one of his goons finds them here.

Penny laid Rudy on the ground gently, making sure he was on his back. His head lolled to the side. She and Snap winced at how bad he looked. His face was pale, having lost most of its color. His mouth hung open loosely and his breathing was shallow. He wasn’t coughing up blood anymore, but that was of little comfort to them. There was still a lot of internal damage he had suffered. If that wasn’t taken care of soon...

“Give him the cures! Fast!” Snap cried, his voice urgent.

Penny reached into her pocket, pulling out the first cure, which was the zebra chalk. She stared at it for a few seconds before she glanced down at Rudy. She lowered the chalk down to his right hand. She closed his fingers over it. She then went over to his left hand. She placed the potion in it, letting it rest on his palm. She and Snap moved back and waited.

....and nothing happened...

Penny’s eyes widened in horror. Why wasn’t it doing anything? Why weren’t the cures activating? Why were they just doing nothing? This doesn’t make any sense. Her mind began to race, her heart pounding. Was it possible that they...grabbed the wrong cures? Was it possible that they were lied to, duped? Could Cosmo have written a lie about the cure...perhaps there is none? Did Mr. Wilter lie to them?

She shook her head. No, their teacher wouldn’t lie to them. Mr. Wilter wouldn’t deliberately give false information about this sort of stuff. And why would Cosmo write an elaborate lie in his official diary? To throw off white chalk users like herself, sure, but wouldn’t he cause confusion? Or..or maybe it wasn’t his real diary they were reading, but some fake one he made up, and... No that didn’t make much sense. It would take a lot of effort to write a fake diary just to throw off his enemies. It would be easier to just not write one at all.

But that didn’t matter right now. She to figure out why neither cure was activating. There was no indication they were doing anything. She glanced down at Snap. He, too, had a shocked and worried expression. He had moved over to Rudy’s right hand and gently nudged against it, as if he wanted to see if the cure would activate by merely touching it. No surprise, Snap could nudge it all he wanted to and that chalk wasn’t doing a damn thing. Something was wrong.

“Buckette...” Snap said, his voice cracking. “Y-You...you don’t think...?”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror. Snap didn’t need to finish his sentence for her to understand what he was suggesting. And she refused to believe it. No, it couldn’t be too late. There...there was still time to save Rudy. There just had to be. She felt her breath quickening as she stared down at Rudy’s face, his eyes still shut. She bit her lip and she shook her head.

“No, I don’t think it’s too late. We just need to..” Penny’s voice trailed off. She wasn’t sure what else she could say.

“Hey...” Snap spoke up suddenly, his eyes widening a little. “Maybe...maybe we need to combine them?”

Penny looked down at Snap confusion. “Combine them?”

“Yeah...” Snap nodded his head. “Maybe, since the cure to the disease Rudy has is in two parts...maybe we need to put those parts together for it to do anything?” Penny looked at him, perplexed. Snap turned his head away. “Yeah, I know it sounds stupid. But it’s the only thing that came to my mind, I...”

“No..I think you’re right.” The wheels in Penny’s mind began to churn. Of course... Why hadn’t they thought if it before? “Maybe we do need to combine the cures.”

“You do?” Snap asked.

Penny nodded her head. “It makes sense. The cure was split apart. The potion is just one half of it, as is the zebra chalk. If we combined them...” Penny paused for a moment. She then took the potion into her hand and waved a hand towards Snap. “Hand me the zebra chalk.”

Snap nodded his head and reached for the zebra chalk. He took it into his hand and pulled it out of Rudy’s palm. He handed it over to Penny. “Here you go!”

Penny took the black and white chalk into her hand. She then turned her attention to the potion, noting the black substance inside sloshing around a little. She noticed there was a lid on it. A cork specifically. She grabbed onto it, and, with a twist of her wrist, she managed to get it off. Then she, sucking in a deep breath and hoping that she wasn’t about to make a huge mistake, dipped the black and white chalk into the potion.

There was a reaction. The potion sizzled a little, giving off a hiss. Then the substance was sucked up into the chalk. The motion was fast, taking Penny and Snap by surprise. The entire black substance, as well as the rainbow cloudiness, all merged into the zebra chalk. The sensation was uncomfortable. It felt like the chalk was getting moldy and the texture felt off. Then there was a rapid heating thing going on with it, soon forcing Penny to drop the chalk on the ground.

She and Snap watched as the zebra chalk began to glow brightly. Sparkles hovered all around it. The black stripes disappeared off of it completely, and at first, the chalk was solid white, whiter than they had ever seen on regular magic chalk before. Soon something changed, and they began to notice faint colors appearing. In a matter of seconds, moving stripes of many colors, a rainbow, moved rapidly along the chalk.

The two friends stared in shock at this. Penny, biting her lip, reached down towards the chalk. Snap looked at her, his eyes filled with worry.

“Be careful...” He said in a soft voice.

“I will...” Penny’s quiet reply came.

Penny lowered her hand slowly, hesitantly. The chalk looked safe enough, but it it could still be dangerous. Her hand reached out for it cautiously, taking her time. She glanced at Rudy and realized she had to hurry up. She gulped and, mustering as much courage as she could, she reached out and grabbed the chalk in her hand.

It felt...warm. Cool and warm at the same time, and inviting. She stared at it in awe for a few seconds before turning her attention back to Rudy. She looked at the chartreuse chalk still attached around his neck. She wondered if she should remove it. The chartreuse chalk would create problems. It was responsible for his flesh turning into chalk. She narrowed her eyes in disgust at it. Yeah, that damn green chalk had to go. She reached down and yanked the piece of green chalk from the necklace attached around her friend’s neck.

Once that was disposed of, she replaced it with this new chalk. She made sure it was secured good and tight. She gently rested it on her friend’s chest and she leaned back. She and Snap, sitting next to each other, watched Rudy and the chalk carefully, looking for any signs of movement, any change at all.

Then, seconds later, something happened.

The chalk began to glow. A few times, in quick flashes, it get even brighter. Then a ring of wavey light, almost like someone had scribbled the line in midair, appeared around the rainbow chalk. This wavey line of light started to pulsate across Rudy’s body, arching over his body. Penny and Snap watched as the light danced over Rudy’s prone form, going from his head to his arms to his legs and repeated this pattern. Then, seconds later, it stopped and the light was swiftly sucked back in. The chalk itself kept its glow.

Penny and Snap watched Rudy carefully, looking for any sign of improvement. Penny hoped that this worked. She hoped and prayed that it worked. It had to have. She held onto Snap’s hand, drawing comfort for him. He did likewise, refusing to let her go. They pressed against each other as they watched Rudy’s still body. Their eyes, wide with hopefulness mixed in with a silent plea, watched Rudy for something to happen, a sign that he was going to be okay.

Then, slowly, Rudy turned his head to the other side. His eyes fluttered open for just a second and he let out a soft groan. Although it wasn’t much, Penny and Snap took that as a sign that the cures had worked. Tears of happiness flowed down their faces as they hugged each other tightly. At long last, after all the hardships they had been through, Rudy was finally cured of the disease. Penny knew that the process would be very slow and that Rudy still wasn’t out of the woods yet. Snap knew this, too. But they were immensively relieved that the worst was finally over. Rudy, finally, could begin the road to recovery as the chalk slowly turned his internal chalk back to flesh like it should be.

But they knew it was far from over. They both knew, after they return back to their dimension, they needed to prepare to face off against two enemies, both of whom wanted them dead.

The Luminos...and Jenny and her comrades.


	81. Surrender

No...Oh no... This was impossible. It couldn’t be true. After everything he did to ensure complete control, it couldn’t be crumbling down now...

Although Light Rudy had seen it coming, he had hoped it would never come to this. It still came as a shock to him that, after the last couple of years being in charge, of being untouchable, all of that was finally changing. Just a short time span ago, the same day, he had been in control. He had everyone twirling under his finger, more or less. Nobody challenged him. Nobody stood up to him. He had everyone in the grips of fear, so he could control them better.

Now, not long after his counterparts came, it was starting to break. He had lost control of his ‘advisors’, and he had lashed out at them as a result. Now he was being chased by someone whom he thought was dead. He had been injured. His thigh and arm was shredded. He couldn’t take a step without being wracked with pain. His right hand was useless for holding any chalk, let alone draw anything. He was defenseless, and all he can do now is run.

His mind swirled with thoughts of what happened. How could this have happened to him? How could he not have prepared himself more? He knew something like this could happen... Why didn’t he prepare himself more? His defenses, his pleas of how he was just protecting everyone, he knew they would no longer work. No one was going to buy that... And he wasn’t sure if he bought it any longer himself. He had convinced himself for years he was doing the right thing, but seeing all his control start to break, some second thoughts started to emerge in his head. And he couldn’t just push them aside any longer.

Light Rudy continued to run down the hallway. He didn’t know exactly where he was going, or where he was in his own castle. His mind was too shaken up by the recent events to really fully comprehend what was going on. All he could do was run and hope that he would be able to get away from Jacko. His limp was worsening each second, making it harder and harder for him to move. He looked behind him and his eyes widened in horror when he saw Jacko still there, and there was a trail of blood behind him. Light Rudy realized that, even if he lost Jacko, the zoner could follow his blood. He was bleeding so badly...

Light Rudy felt dread swell up in his chest. The realization that he, and not some criminal, was badly injured and bleeding profusely dwelled heavily on his mind. For the first time, it was he who was trying to get away from danger. It was he would end up pleading for mercy, not some criminal. As he struggled to move faster down the hallway, as he cradled his shredded arm to his chest, one thought briefly entered his mind: Was this what the criminals felt when he was dishing out justice on them?

He didn’t know why he thought that. Of course it was. This was the kind of feeling he had hoped that criminals would feel when he gave them the death penalty. He had wanted them to feel truly sorry for what they did. If they didn’t feel this way, then he would have upped the penalty more until they did. The criminals deserved that kind of punishment, didn’t they? They broke the law. They conspired against him. He needed to make sure they truly regretted doing that, and the only way was to inflict pain on them. Pain was the motivator. Pain was the controller. Pain was what was going to keep them all safe...

But now that he was on the receiving end of the pain, now that he was experiencing something similar to what the criminals do, he began to wonder how long he could continue to believe that. He wanted so desperately to hold onto that belief, and he would fight as hard as he could to maintain said belief. Yet he knew that his hold on it was starting to slip a little. It was forcing him to see things through another’s eyes, so to speak, and now he was starting to understand, a little, why the dimensional hoppers and why his ‘advisors’ were angry with him.

Still, he had to do something to make sure he maintained control. After all this blows over, he’d do something to ensure that he’d never lose control again. He couldn’t allow this poisonous thinking to leak out into the rest of ChalkZone. He couldn’t allow himself to lose the control he tried so hard to establish. Absolute control was necessary to keep the unknown at bay. He couldn’t allow the unknown to sneak its way into his world. He couldn’t allow it to hurt him again. He couldn’t allow it to hurt the others either. As much as he did cause pain, he’d rather be the one doing it than someone else.

Light Rudy soon came to a dead end. He stood there, frozen, and then looked back. His body trembled as Jacko came close behind him. Raising his claws, Jacko struck out at him again. Light Rudy winced as Jacko hit against his chest again, creating more bloody wounds on his chest in addition to the smaller ones he gave earlier. Light Rudy clutched his chest and gave a loud whine of pain. He looked up at Jacko with a silent, pleading expression before limping away as fast as he could when the zoner attempted to strike again. The claws clanging against the wall, screeching, hurt Light Rudy’s ears.

He moved down the new hallway. He hadn’t seen any of the Luminos yet, and he didn’t think they’d be of much help if he did find one. The Luminos might not do anything he says if they see him injured and defenseless. Well there a couple, but the odds of running into the most loyal ones was slim. Chances were he’d run into one of the Luminos who was only doing what he says out of fear. Light Rudy didn’t hold out much hope for help and just accepted that, this time, he was entirely on his own.

He kept limping down the hall, wincing in pain. His leg was starting to burn him. It was telling him that he should stop and rest. But Light Rudy knew he couldn’t do that. He had no idea what more Jacko was going to do to him. he had no choice but to keep moving. He dared not look back, that evil laughter behind him sending chills up his spine. His arm felt like it was on fire, intense pain shooting up and down it rapidly. He could barely move the arm without feeling agony, and even just moving his fingers caused him pain.

He felt his heart pounding against his chest, taking in breaths faster. His mind still raced with thoughts, trying to comprehend what happened, trying to figure out what he should do next. He had no idea how he was going to get out of this mess. He knew he couldn’t keep this up forever. He knew that Jacko could easily move faster and catch up to him; he was just deliberately going slower to scare him. At any moment, the zoner could break into a run, and there’ll be nothing Light Rudy could do to escape him...

Fear swept through his body. He had never felt this afraid before. He didn’t know he could feel this afraid. Was this how afraid the criminals were when he punished them? He imagined so. He recalled the looks in their eyes, the way they pleaded to him for mercy. Now here he was, likely with the same terrified expression, trying in vain to escape the pain. He knew it wasn’t over. He knew Jacko would do more than this to him. And unlike some of his victims, Jacko made it very clear he didn’t intend on killing him. The thought filled him with dread as he knew that there were things worse than death; that’s the policy he used when punishing criminals like Draow and Bardot.

He had always thought that his way was fair. That he was doing whatever was necessary to keep everyone and himself safe. He thought that death and torture were necessary in stopping crime, in stopping dangerous zoners from destroying the place. He had thought that everything he did was perfectly justified, and that everyone else was just too blind to see it. Now that he was on the receiving end, he began to wonder just how fair he had been these past few years. Was it possible that he was..wrong?

Light Rudy shook his head. No, no he couldn’t be wrong. He can’t think like that. He can’t allow himself to be bathed in doubt. That would be dangerous. That would mean making all the deaths he caused to be...in vain. He didn’t want that. He couldn’t allow the deaths to be all for nothing. They had to be necessary sacrifices striving for the greater good. He just had to keep believing it, keep convincing himself what he was doing was right, and everything was going to be okay. Yes, everything just had to be okay...

“Got you!”

Light Rudy screamed as sharp claws cut along his back. He could feel warm blood drip down from the new wounds, four deep gashes that went from the middle of his shoulders down to his lower back. The force of the strike caused him to fall into the ground. He tumbled across the floor before he finally crumpled into a heap. He just laid there, whimpering in pain as tears flowed down his face. He looked up and he watched as Jacko approached him slowly.

Jacko had lowered his hands, letting them rest at his sides. The psychotic smile was gone, replaced with a more stern, angrier one. He approached Light Rudy slowly, his eyes narrowed, his mouth contorted into a snarl. Light Rudy could see the contemptment this zoner had for him just by looking at his eyes. He tried to move, but his body was too wracked in pain for him to get up. He laid there helplessly Jacko approached him until he was just about a foot away from him.

Light Rudy let out a small whimper and pleaded with Jacko. “Please...don’t hurt me...”

Jacko put his hands on his hips and stared at Light Rudy with a look of disgust. “How dare you beg... How many zoners have begged you to let them go, only to have their lives cut short, or worse, tortured for the rest of their lives? Do you really think that you have the right to beg me to let you go, after you have done so much worse?!”

Light Rudy was silent for a moment. He tried to think of something to say. What could he say to that. He knew that Jacko...was right. He had ignored the pleas of the criminals when he dished out justice. It wasn’t that he thoroughly enjoyed the pleas themselves; he had taught himself to block it out. The only reason he was satisfied with what he did was because he felt that he was doing the right thing. He thought that his actions brought ChalkZone ever closer to total safety.

Yet..he was stubborn. He still wouldn’t let go of this belief. Despite knowing that his actions were horrendous, he still wanted to believe he was doing the right thing. He still fought in his head to maintain that belief. Slowly, he narrowed his eyes at Jacko. His body shaking in pain, he pushed himself up on one arm, supporting himself. He tried his best to hide his fear for the skeleton zoner. He gritted his teeth, grinding them against each other as he fought against the pain.

“Y-You don’t understand...” Light Rudy grumbled softly. “Why does...no one understand...? I was only trying to h-help...”

Jacko didn’t look at all convinced. “Help?! Look around you, boy!” Jacko raised his hands in the air, spreading them out. “You’ve enslaved the zoners! Even I, as dangerous a zoner I am, I’ll admit, I wouldn’t do something like this!” He pointed an accusatory finger at Light Rudy. “You did all this! You turned yourself into a monster! And now...you must pay the price for that.”

Light Rudy’s eyes widened, filled with fear, as Jacko took a step towards him. He cringed back, shedding tears of fear and pain. “Please let me go...” Although he knew it would neither impress Jacko or get him a ticket out of here, Light Rudy found himself begging once more, having run out of any other options. “I beg of you...let me go...”

Jacko snarled before reaching out and grabbing Light Rudy by his neck. The boney fingers wrapped tightly around his throat and Light Rudy gagged. He was lifted into the air almost effortlessly. He struggled a little in the air, kicking his legs weakly. He soon stopped and he looked down at Jacko, a terrified expression plastered over his face. What was Jacko going to do to him now?

Jacko snarled and pulled Light Rudy closer to him. With his face close to his, the skeleton zoner snarled, “Stop your sniveling! You can’t run away from this anymore, Rudy Tabootie! You’ve been hiding from your mistakes for far too long! And I intend on making you face them!” Light Rudy’s terrified eyes couldn’t tear away from Jacko’s glare. Jacko pressed a claw tip on Light Rudy’s cheek. “You have said in the past that justice always has a way of catching up to the criminal.. Well guess what, Rudy?” His voice turned into a harsh whisper. “It’s catching up to you now...”

With that, the skeleton zoner began to carry Light Rudy down the hallway. The teenager struggled against his grasp, trying in vain to get free. He pushed against the boney hands, but he couldn’t get himself free. The blood loss was starting to get to him a little and he felt himself become weaker. Soon, unable to fight back, he just hung there limply as Jacko took him over to the end of the corridor, where there was a window. Light Rudy’s eyes widened as he realized just what Jacko was about to do.

Jacko stopped in front of the window and stared at it with narrowed eyes for a few seconds. Then he looked down at Light Rudy, grimacing at him in disgust. He raised him up a little higher and said, “Your control is crumbling down... And I will prove it to you!”

Light Rudy shook his head in protest, but that did nothing to stop Jacko. The skeleton zoner, tightening his grip, suddenly thrust Light Rudy forward with as much strength as he could. Light Rudy sailed through the air, his eyes wide in terror, a scream escaping his mouth. The teenager crashed straight through the window, shattering it into millions of pieces. He then fell down towards the ground, hitting it in a loud thud.

Once he came to a stop, he coughed, letting out a few whimpers of pain. He lifted up his head and looked all around him. He quickly realized he had been thrown into the town square. The zoners around him had stopped what they were doing and were staring at him in shock. Light Rudy then looked up just in time to see Jacko jump from the building and land several feet in front of him. The zoners were even more shocked and confused than before. All around, Light Rudy could hear zoners commenting on this sudden turn of events.

“Jacko? I thought he was dead!”

“What happened to Rudy? Maybe Jacko had something to do with it?”

“How did Jacko survive? He had brain damage!”

What’s going on?”

“What’s Rudy going to do?”

These and other comments filled the air. None of the zoners seemed angry, not at first. They were merely shocked at what happened, and Light Rudy couldn’t really blame them. Nothing like this had happened before, so it’d make sense that they’d be confused. And Jacko’s return... Yeah that came as much of a surprise to him as it was to the other zoners. He still had no idea how Jacko survived, and he had his doubts the zoner would tell him.

Light Rudy struggled slowly to his feet, staggering as he did so. Fresh blood continued to move from his wounds. He stared at Jacko, panting heavily. He took as step forward, and nearly tripped over. He gritted his teeth, hissing in pain as he clutched his right leg. The pain was getting even worse, and he realized, in horror, he couldn’t defend himself. Not that he could before, but now it was worse. Even running away was no longer an option for him.

“My fellow zoners!” Jacko shouted, quelling the crowd into silence. He had his hands raised into the air. “I am happy to inform you that Rudy is no longer a threat to you! I have rendered him defenseless! You do not have to fear him anymore!”

At this, there was murmuring all around Light Rudy. As he struggled to keep himself from falling over, he looked around, staring at the zoners all around him and Jacko. Some of them were talking amongst each other. Others were simply staring in disbelief. Some looked as if they couldn’t believe what happened. As Light Rudy looked around, he soon realized that his control was starting to break. Then the thing he dreaded would happen...started to happen.

One by one, slowly at first, the zoners around him started to glare at him. Their eyes narrowed. Teeth were bared. Growls erupted everywhere, surrounding him. The zoners soon began to look furious, staring at him, and him alone. All that abuse he had inflicted upon them, all the fear he struck into his hearts, it was coming back at him in the form of anger. The zoners began to move towards him, enclosing him in the tight circle. Light Rudy looked left and right, desperately looking for a way out, but the mistreated zoners stopped him at every turn. And soon there was nowhere for him to go.

Light Rudy’s body shook as he looked around. His eyes widened so much he thought they would drop out. No..it couldn’t be... Not now... He desperately tried to find a way out, a way to keep control. His body trembled more as his mind raced, his heart pounding against his chest. Fear swept through his body as he was forced to face the horrific reality. He had lost control...not just of his ‘advisors’, but of ChalkZone, too. The control had slipped out of his grasp. His hold on ChalkZone had crumbled, and now the zoners were turning on him. All of them... He was surrounded.

Light Rudy looked around left and right, noting the furious stares, hearing the vicious growls, from the zoners around him. None of them attempted to move towards him, but how long would that last? He gripped his head tightly, his mind trying to comprehend what happened. He took in a few quick, panicked breaths, and he shook his head in denial.

“No...no...this can’t be happening...no...” Light Rudy grumbled, gripping his face tighter. His eyes darted wildly left and right. There had to be something he could do... Anything... But no, there was no escape. And even if his most loyal followers tried to help him...they were outnumbered easily by the crowd. The realization that he lost everything came crumbled down around him like a freight train and he let out a scream, “No!”

sss

Penny and Snap raised their heads at the sudden sounds going on from the town square. A crash, a scream, a cry of ‘no’...what was going on? They looked at each other and then in the direction the sound was coming from. It sounded like Light Rudy. They wondered what could have happened to him. Just what was going on over there?

Snap knew there was little time to go over and investigate. He knew that time was almost up and they’d be whisked away back into their dimension. But he couldn’t just stand here and do nothing. He couldn’t let go of that part that felt compelled to see what was happening in the town square. Maybe Light Rudy was trying something. Maybe the zoners needed help. Maybe they had time to do one more thing to help this dimension, like stop whatever attack Light Rudy might have tried.

But could they really leave Rudy behind? No..they couldn’t. Carrying him over might not be so easy. And they did risk running into Light Rudy’s guards, if they were out here anywhere. There had to be something they could do, though. Snap didn’t like just sitting around here and doing nothing. A part of him wanted to, so desperately, do something to help. Even if it wasn’t his dimension, he still felt some kind of connection with the zoners here. Seeing them mistreated...he wanted to do something, anything.

“Do you...” Snap managed to say. “Do you think we should go see what it is?”

Penny stared at Snap. She looked like she was trying to think of an answer, as if she was as torn as he was about the whole thing. She glanced down at Rudy and bit her lip. “I’m no sure if it’ll be a good idea to leave him...” Penny said softly. Then she turned her head in the direction the sound came from. “But I do want to know what’s happening over there... They might need our help, and I know Rudy wouldn’t want us to abandon those in need.”

Snap pointed a hand at Penny. “That’s what I was thinking, Buckette. But...” He looked down at Rudy, his eyes filled with worry. “How are we going to move him without hurting him? Or landing ourselves in trouble?”

He watched as Penny thought about this, rubbing her chin. Snap knew she could figure out something that could work. She was always good at coming up with plans. He sat down and waited patiently for her to speak up, never once trying to hurry her along, despite knowing they had limited time. He trusted her to be able to figure out something before time ran out. And he soon turned out to be right about that.

Penny said, “I can draw a small camera and send out a probe to record what’s going on.” She pulled out her magic chalk. “That way, we don’t have to worry about moving Rudy around or getting caught by one of the guards, if any are there.”

“Great idea, Buckette!” Snap said, smiling at her.

Penny lifted up her magic chalk and began to draw swiftly. Though she was not as skilled as Rudy when it came to drawing, or so she’d say, she was still good enough to create a working camera and probe. The camera was handheld and had a large screen, allowing them both to see what was going on. And the probe itself was smell with a tiny lense attached to it. The probe soon took off into the air and headed in the direction of the commotion.

Seconds later, the screen came to life. The two friends watched intently as they began to see what happened. They could make out what appeared to be a large crowd of zoners. They soon noticed that these zoners looked...very angry. Not afraid or terrified. But legitimately angry. They were surrounding Light Rudy at all sides, showing clear intent on hurting him if he tried to get away. Standing in front of Light Rudy was Jacko, who was menacing the boy but not making an attempt to kill him.

Penny and Snap widened their eyes in shock. It seemed that, during their escape, Jacko had managed to render Light Rudy helpless. They noted the wounds on his body, deep gashes on his chest, back, right arm, and right leg. They knew there was no way that he could defend himself. For the first time, Light Rudy looked absolutely terrified...

And they were glad that, instead of attacking him outright, Jacko and the other zoners were simply holding him at bay, preventing escape. They had a feeling that the zoners knew, even Jacko who was clearly one of the most aggressive zoners there, on some level that if they started to hurt Light Rudy more than necessary, they’d be just as bad as he was.

Snap felt a sense of hope rise up inside of him. If the zoners could keep Light Rudy at bay and seize control back, then there was hope for this dimension’s recovery. Light Rudy might be defeated for good, and with him gone, they could begin to repair the damage done to the place. They could re-establish the zoners’ sense of freedom and safety, and no longer could Light Rudy hurt them. Yes, things were looking up for this place after all.

He and Penny huddled close to Rudy protectively as they continued to watch the scene unfold.

sss

Light Rudy trembled. He looked all around. There was no escape for him this time. Nowhere to run. The zoners all glared hatefully at him. They didn’t try to hurt him... Why...? Why weren’t they attacking him? Didn’t they want to? He knew why. They were messing with him, trying to get inside his head. They wanted him to suffer, just like how he had made them suffer. They were toying with him mentally, and it was working.

Jacko just stood in front of him. The zoner had stopped menacing him and just glared at him. There was no further need for the skeleton zoner to do anything. Light Rudy’s panicking was satisfying enough for the zoner. Light Rudy looked all around, wild-eyed, trying to think of a way to escape. He kept taking in quick breaths. He kept trying to fight back against the fear. He tried so hard to believe he was still somehow in control. He tried to believe he could quell everything down and have things return to the way they should be...to regain that control again.

But the more he looked around, the more he realized that this...just wasn’t the case. He couldn’t deny it any longer. He had to face reality. He had lost control. It crumbled, shattered completely. The zoners were no longer afraid of him. What could he do to them now? Nothing. He had no means of control left anymore, and that terrified him. His body continued to shake as he kept looking all arond him, silently hoping that he’d find some kind of escape route, anything. But he knew...he had nowhere to go.

He looked all around once more. He clenched his teeth, sucking in panicked breaths. He got no looks of sympathy...not that he expected any. All he could see were looks of anger and hate. He could see the zoners’ hidden desire to hurt him, but none of them attempted. It was driving him crazy. The zoners messing with him like that...trying to teach him a lesson...

It forced a whole horde of horrific memories to enter his mind. His eyes widened as memories of what his parents had done to him flooded his mind. He tried to make them go away, but the shock and fear of what was happening all around him, the way the zoners had him surrounded, it forced him to face these memories.

The name calling...the beatings...the near starvations... All those things his parents did to him.. He had managed to hide his wounds well, acting like nothing happened. And he thought he had managed to control those memories, to push them back and try to focus instead on protecting ChalkZone. But now, he found that impossible. He knew there was no escaping those memories now. As much as he wanted to hide it...he couldn’t any longer. And as Jacko made his way over to him, the memories took a hold of him completely.

Light Rudy lowered himself to the ground and cringed into a ball. He let out whimpers of fear as he stared up at Jacko, no longer seeing the zoner, but instead one of his parents coming over to hurt him again. He shivered violently as he began to speak, no longer in the confident voice from before, but in one that was more suitable for a lost, frightened child.

“Mom...dad...don’t hurt me anymore...” Light Rudy pleaded.

Jacko paused and stared at Light Rudy. His expression softened up a little. But whether or not it was out of true sympathy or pity was uncertain. He just stared as Light Rudy looked at him with those big eyes.

Light Rudy started to cry, shedding tears of fear as he put his arms over his head. “Please stop hurting me, mom and dad...Please stop...I-I don’t like it...” He sniffled as he curled up more. He must look pretty pathetic right now, but he didn’t care. “Why do you do this...? Why...?”

“Rudy....?”

Light Rudy’s eyes widened at that voice. He lifted up his head, tears still dripping from his eyes. He struggled up to his feet as he stared at his Penny. She looked banged up, covered in bruises, but still able to move around. He didn’t see his Snap anywhere. He might have been somewhere else...maybe helping the counterparts or something. His Penny was looking at him, her expression still holding anger towards him, but now there was something else. Shock...surprise...

“Is that what happened to you?” His Penny asked. “Is that one of the reasons why you became like this? Your parents were...” She tilted her head to the side, trying to comprehend what she just heard. “...abusing you?”

Light Rudy wiped away his tears. He tried his best to subside his crying. There was nothing he could say or do to get out of this. He had tried so much to keep this a secret. He didn’t want anyone knowing about this. But..now his Penny had heard the truth from him. He could try to deny it, but there was nothing he could say to convince her. He could see the look in Jacko’s eyes... The zoner knows he can’t get out of this, and he had stepped away to allow his Penny to come forward.

Light Rudy, unable to think of anything, just slowly nodded his head. “Y-Yes...”

“For how long?” His Penny asked.

“...shortly after Cosmo was def...killed...” Light Rudy admitted.

His Penny’s eyes widened in shock. Then they narrowed into anger. Her hands formed into fists, shaking them. She took a step forward and yelled at him, her voice laced with emotion. “And instead of telling us... or calling the police... you..you took it out on ChalkZone?! On us?! How fucking dare you! How could you do something like that, Rudy?! You should have told someone! I know this isn’t the only reason for your disgusting behavior, and I know that being abused is bad...but that’s no fucking excuse for the way you’ve acted!”

Light Rudy took in a shuddering breath, taking a step back. He kept his head low, his body still shaking. He didn’t even try to interrupt her. He just let her continue to yell at him, wincing a few times as she did so.

“Snap and I could have helped you! If you had told us from the beginning, we would have helped you! If you had called the police, you could have gotten the help you needed! But instead, you just turned it into another excuse to abuse us...all of us...! You should be ashamed of yourself!” His Penny snarled at him. She took a few steps towards him. “You had every opportunity to get help! But you ignored it, and turned your fear into a weapon against the place you were supposed to protect! How...how could you...?”

Light Rudy spoke in a choked voice, “I-I didn’t want ChalkZone to be affected by the unknown... The unknown is what hurt me... The unknown of how my parents treated me, whether or not Cosmo was being truthful with his threat.” He paused for a moment. Then he added. “I just didn’t want it to happen again...”

“You’re fucking disgusting, Rudy! You say you wanted to protect ChalkZone, but look around you!” His Penny spread her arms out, indicating the crowd around him. “Do any of these zoners look happy?! Do they look protected?! They’ve been terrified of you, Rudy. Terrified! Is that what a guardian should do? I don’t think so! You’ve been running away from your responsibilities for far too long! And it comes to an end now!”

His Penny moved ever closer to him. Light Rudy stopped trying to get away. He stared up in fear at her as she stood a foot away. He tensed up, half expecting her to hit him, but instead, she continued to chew him out verbally.

“You’ve had multiple chances to get help! Don’t fucking try to tell me that you were ‘too scared to tell anyone’! That’s bullcrap and you know it! You should have spoken up! But instead, you hid like the coward that you are! You’ve taken your fear out on these zoners, and me and Snap...and look at all the fucking damage you’ve caused!” His Penny shouted at him. She reached out and grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him forward. “And you had the gall to try to put the blame on them for their misfortune, when it is you who did all of this! How despicable!” She snarled at him. “I never thought I’d have any feelings of hatred towards you, Rudy. But now..I do...”

Light Rudy’s eyes widened. He felt emotion well up inside of him. His body shook harder as the realization of what was happening continued to close down around him. He jerked himself free from his Penny swatting her hand away. He took a few steps back, staring at her with widened eyes. She continued to glare at him hatefully, her teeth exposed as she growled at him. Light Rudy looked all around, feeling everything continue to crumble around him.

He tried to tell himself that he was just trying to help. He tried to remind himself of what he was trying to accomplish. All of his actions...they were justifiable, weren’t they..? But as Light Rudy took a look around him, seeing those angry faces, then looking at the expression his Penny gave him, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out. He tried so hard to convince himself that he was doing the right thing. And now, all these feelings, making his body shake, they were boiling over, until he couldn’t take it any longer.

“You hate me now? Good! I don’t blame you!” Light Rudy shouted, feeling waves of emotion sweep through his body. His voice was tinged with more anger than he ever mustered before. “Because everything...everything here...” He paused for a moment. He gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing in anger. He then stretched his arms out and shouted as loud as he could. “It is all my fault!”

His Penny’s eyes widened in shock. Jacko looked surprised. All the zoners around him were surprised as well. Still angry, but surprised. There, he said it. He finally said it. Light Rudy stood there, his arms now resting at his side. He stared at his Penny, his glare softening up. He didn’t even try to deny it anymore. All his defenses had crumbled down, leaving him with nothing left to delude himself with.

Tears forming, Light Rudy’s frown was gone, replaced with a look of anguish. “It’s...” He said in a soft voice. “It’s all my fault...” He confessed, putting his hands to his face. “All...my...fault...” He dropped down onto his knees, ignoring the pain he was in. All the emotion he had bottled up was finally coming to surface, and he started to sob on the ground.

For several moments, nothing else happened. No one said anything. It was completely silent, save for his crying. He didn’t expect anyone to do anything. He didn’t expect comfort. He didn’t deserve it, not after what he had done. He just stayed there and cried, no longer caring who saw him.

“What have I done...?” Light Rudy whimpered as the realization the full impact of his actions. “What have I done...?”

Suddenly, unexpectedly, he felt a warmth around his body. His eyes shot open as he realized that his Penny had come over and pulled him into a hug. His body froze at her touch and he looekd at her in shock. Jacko and the other zoners were surprised by this gesture as well. Why was she doing this? Didn’t she say she hated him? Light Rudy wanted to get away from her, but instead he just held still.

“Confessing you did wrong is the first step in making things right, Rudy.” His Penny said, using a gentler voice than before.

“But...” Light Rudy said in a small voice. “It’s...it’s too late for...”

“No. It’s never too late to change, Rudy.” His Penny said, her grip on him tightening slightly. “It’s never too late to right what you wronged. You shouldn’t have given up on that. It’s better to be late to fix things than it is to pretend you were never wrong to begin with. If you have any regret for what you’ve done... You’d do something about it. That’s what the Rudy I used to know would do.” She paused and took in a breath. Light Rudy noted how shaky it was. “I hope you haven’t lost that part of you.”

Light Rudy just laid there in her arms for a few moments. He let her words start to sink in. Slowly, hesitantly, he put his arms around her and, for the first time in a long time, hugged her. He expected her to push him back, but she didn’t. He continued to cry, sobbing against her shoulder.

“I’m sorry...” Light Rudy whimpered as he cried against her. “I’m so sorry...” He sniffled loudly, his body shaking. “...for everything I’ve done...I’m so very sorry...”

“I can’t forgive you..Not yet...” Light Rudy wasn’t surprised by this response. His Penny continued, “After what you’ve done, my trust in you, their trust, all of our trust in you has been severely damaged. You’ve spent so much time lying to us, yourself, tormenting us... I can’t just let that go. Forgiveness is something you will have to earn, and if you are truly sorry, then you will strive to earn that forgiveness..and re-earn the trust you once shared with us. You can’t run from this anymore.”

“I know...I know...” Light Rudy said.

“I’m still willing to help you, but only if you finally accept help. We can undo the damage you caused.” His Penny told him. “It’s not too late, Rudy. It was never too late. Even though you caused a lot of harm, you can still redeem yourself...if you just repair what you’ve broken. It will be hard, but it is better to try and fail then never to have tried at all. I will help you, and so will Snap. But again, we will only help you if you are willing to admit that you need help and accept it. What do you say, Rudy?”

At first, Light Rudy wasn’t sure what to say. He was confused. How could his Penny still be willing to help him after what he had done? He had hurt her...and his Snap, too. Why would they still want to help him? Perhaps he didn’t give them enough credit... To help someone who had tormented them for years... that took courage...guts. Perhaps they were stronger, braver than he thought they were.

He had wanted to say he didn’t need help, but..that was a lie... How could he deny it anymore? He had poisoned his own mind. His parents’ abuse left him traumatized. He had done a lot of horrible things by trying to block the truth from his mind. He couldn’t deny that his own mind was warped and his view of the world skewed. Even his logic doesn’t make sense anymore. He..he did need help...

And his Penny was right about something else. He couldn’t run from this anymore. He had been running for years. And look at where it had gotten him. More tears shed as feelings of remorse and regret started to overwhelm him, along with strong pangs of guilt. He held onto his Penny tighter, unable to stop the tears from flowing. He couldn’t delude himself again...not any longer.

Slowly, in response to his Penny’s question, Light Rudy nodded his head slowly. “...I surrender...”

As he held onto his Penny, out of the corner of his eye, he could see a flash of light. He didn’t need to turn his head. He knew what it was. It was his counterparts. Their time in this dimension was over. But he didn’t feel any anger this time. He didn’t feel angry at his counterparts for breaking his control. He felt...grateful for that instead. His desire to go after them was gone.

“Come on, Rudy...” His Penny said as she broke the hug and grabbed onto his uinjured left arm. “Let’s get going.”

Light Rudy made no attempt to struggle. He walked with his head low in submission as his Penny and Jacko began to lead him somewhere.


	82. Welcome Back, Traitor

Snap groaned softly as his eyes slowly opened up. Everything was a blur. He tried to think of what happened. He recalled something about being in the light dimension, and Light Rudy surrounded by the zoners... But what else happened? His muggy mind tried to piece together what happened. Slowly, he rose up, rubbing his head softly. His vision was still too blurry for him to tell what was around him. All he could see were mostly shades of brown and grey.

His mind continued to put the pieces of the puzzle together as a few more memories came to surface. He remembered Para-Penny yelling at Light Rudy for not confessing about the abuse sooner. He recalled how she had hugged him, and how surprised he and Penny were. And something about a surrender... Yeah that is. Light Rudy had said he was sorry and he surrendered. The time ran out, and he and Penny weren’t able to see what happened next. He could only hope for the best.

Then there was a white flash, being sucked down the dimensional vortex, then...nothing. A large void of blackness shrouded his mind. He struggled to try to remember what happened after that. As he rubbed the back of his head, he winced when he realized how sore it was. Confused, he gently pressed on it, and seethed as a wave of pain shot through his head. As that happened, his eyes shot open as a torrent of memories came flooding back to him. Yes, it was all coming back to him now.

Coming back through the machine... Arriving back in their dimension... Surrounded by...the Luminos... They were attacked...knocked out...

Snap blinked a few times as his mind became sharp once more. His vision cleared up and he looked around at where he was. He was in some kind of cave system. It reminded him of Bardot’s hideout, but whether or not this was the same place or not, he couldn’t tell. It looked so different... It could have been remodeled if it was the same place. The type of rock that made up this cave were more or less the same as the one in Bardot’s hideout. If he wasn’t in that same place, then he was likely somewhere close by.

He looked around and realized he was in some kind of cage. Stone floor and a stone ceiling with metal bars all around him. Thick and strong, lining up all around him, preventing him from escaping. He slowly climbed up to his feet, stumbling a little. He walked slowly to the front of the cage. He grabbed onto the handle bars and he took a look around.

They were in some large cave room. It was very dark, with the only lighting being a few torches. He could see brighter light in the small opening in front of him, which he guessed led to a tunnel of some kind, possibly leading to the Luminos’s main place of business. The room he was currently in had not much in it. Mostly just the cage. Seeing scrape lines on the ground told him that they had been moved into this position. Perhaps the Luminos wanted to keep them cut off from themselves, as if they felt they weren’t deserving to be in their presence, which he didn’t doubt.

Taking a step back, he realized something felt different about him. He couldn’t quite put his hand on it at first. He then looked down at his body, and noticed there were some new bandages there. Confusion swept through his head. Did the Luminos do this? Why would they? They wanted him dead... Unless they wanted him alive long enough to be punished. Maybe they were so twisted, that they didn’t want him dying before they could ‘dish out justice’ to him. He shuddered at the thought, realizing he was going to be forced to go through another Light Rudy scenario, only this time, there was a chance that the Luminos would not see reason, no matter how hard it’s hammered into their heads.

Turning around, he could see Rudy and Penny laying there. His eyes widened and he rushed over to their sides. Much like him, they had been treated, most likely using the material Jacko had given to them before they attempted to sneak into Light Rudy’s castle. He could see new bandages on them that he knew that Jacko couldn’t have put on them. Like with him, he guessed that the Luminos didn’t want them dying before justice could be served. He growled softly at this. Those twisted fiends... What kind of person would treat their enemy, only to try to kill them shortly after? What was the point? Well he knew he couldn’t complain about that. At least they were still alive now and had a chance to fight back...hopefully.

He stared down at Rudy. Out of the two, he looked the worst. It did seem like he was getting better, though. His face had some color return to it. It wasn’t a huge improvement, but Snap guessed that Rudy would wake up soon. He hoped he would, as it meant that his chances of survival were improving, and it would give him a fighting chance in case the Luminos get tired of waiting and just off him while he sleeps. The internal wounds were something of grave concern, though, and if the Luminos decide to target those areas...

Snap bit his lip, fighting back his tears. He hoped that Rudy would be okay. He didn’t want them to go through all that trouble, all for nothing. He didn’t want them to have fought for their lives in those dimensions, only for Rudy to still die regardless. He..he had to be okay... He looked better. He kept telling himself he looked better, that things were looking up now. But being hopeful was not going to be enough in this case. Rudy needed to go into a hospital and fast.

And instead, they were trapped here with the Luminos... Of all the times for the Luminos to attack, it had to be now. They couldn’t just hold off their attack for a little while... But then, why would they? They probably knew that Rudy was going to be hurt by the time he got back and they were going to take full advantage of it. Those monsters were taking advantage of Rudy’s weakness to dish out their own sick brand of ‘justice’, if it can even be called that. And it wasn’t just Rudy...he and Penny would also suffer at their hands.

Speaking of Penny, he glanced over at her and was happy to see that she did look better than Rudy. That was good. At least one of his friends was fairing a little well. He would have been devastated if they were both gravely injured...like how they were with Bardot...

His mind chilled as those horrific memories came flooding back to him. This situation...this scenario...it was forcing him to remember what happened two years ago. He remembered running through that cave system, trying to find his friends. Then he found Penny and..she looked so horrible... All that blood, those wounds... And Rudy, he had been the worst out of the two. He could never get those images out of his head. That was the day that he nearly lost both of them. And when they fainted, and wouldn’t wake up, he really did think he was going to lose them.

But despite that fear of having already lost, Snap didn’t back down. He still fought tooth and nail against Bardot, who came in soon after his friends passed out. He had been on his deathbed. He had been pushed to his limits. He was bleeding and hurt, like his friends, except he had to keep exerting his waning energy. He fought furiously with Bardot and he had managed to pull through, especially after he got the blue chalk. He had never used the blue chalk since, especially due to its rarity, but he remembered how it felt to create...and he used that power to stop Bardot. Of course, Bardot still ripped him to shreds afterwards. The memory of that pain still haunted him. All that blood...the red...then the venom...

He still came out on top though. Bardot had been right about one thing. His nickname for him, The Unkillable, it really did suit him well. Snap, however, wasn’t cocky and knew that he was just as mortal as anyone else. His counterpart, Alt-Snap, was proof of that. Snap shuddered as he remembered how his counterpart’s neck was just..broken just like that. Dark Rudy showed no remorse for what he’s done, cruelly taking away the last friend Ms. Saffron had in the dark dimension. Snap hoped that she was going to be okay.

Snap settled down between his two friends. He crossed his legs indian style and settled his hands in his lap. He looked at them both sympathically, hoping that they would wake up soon. He wanted to wake them up himself, but he never got a chance to. In that moment, there were footsteps heading in his direction. Snap lifted up his head and looked in the direction it was coming from. He could see a tall shadow moving along the wall, and even before the figure came in, he knew who it was.

Dr. Raiden...

Snap narrowed his eyes as the deceitful cheetah began to walk in the room. As the cheetah stepped into the room, coming towards the cage, Snap was confused. He took notice of the cheetah’s injuries. Bandages adorned the cheetah and he noticed that he was walking with a slight limp now. What had happened to him while they were gone? Had Blocky and Rapsheeba done this? No...they wouldn’t do this. His heart clenched at the thought of the attacker who hurt Raiden also harmed his friends.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a cold chuckle from Dr. Raiden’s throat. He shot him a glare, baring his teeth. He didn’t bother trying to speak a word to the cheetah. What could he say to him? He already knew that he wouldn’t listen to reason. He watched as Dr. Raiden lowered his head, his golden eyes flashing as he crept closer. That smile...that sinister smile hiding a lethal promise... it stared straight into Snap’s soul. Snap did his best not to show fear.

“Well well well...” Dr. Raiden mused. His head tilted slightly. “I see one of you is finally awake. I admit, I didn’t expect it to be you.” He pointed his metal finger at him. “But...I am glad. I had hoped that you would be the first to awake...so you can see where you landed yourself by aligning yourself with the humans.”

Snap growled at this. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. Again, what could he say to this monster? Dr. Raiden had played them all for fools. He hadn’t cared at all how he toyed with their emotions, made them all believe that he was one of the good guys. Why would he care about anything he said? If anything, he’d just throw back whatever he said in a torn up pile of verbal words.

Dr. Raiden seemed to delight in his silence. That smug grin spread wider on his muzzle. Despite the limp and the wounds, he still carried himself with some grace, pacing around the cage and eyeing him up like he was prey. Snap winced as the cheetah scraped his metal claw along the cage. The screech filled the air and he was shocked that his friends hadn’t woken up from that. At any given moment, Dr. Raiden could use his metal claw against him, and Snap tensed up in preparation for a sudden attack. But Dr. Raiden never used it, perhaps taking delight in scaring him with the possibility, but never actually taking action.

Dr. Raiden stopped in front of the cage. His back was to Snap. He tilted his head up, his gaze towards the rocky ceiling. He looked like he was deep in thought. Then he chortled and he turned around. His grin grew nasty as his teeth were bared, glinting in the light of the torches. Snap took a defensive stance as the cheetah raised up his metal claw again. The tip of it was aimed right at him.

“I am going to so enjoy tearing you down, Snap. Out of you three, I hate you the most. You are a zoner. And yet, here you are, aligning yourself with these monsters. How despicable...” Dr. Raiden spoke. His face slowly contorted into anger as he continued to speak. “I don’t think there’s any hope of rehabilitation for you. Spending so much time with these...creators...has turned you against your own kind. Your mind has been poisoned, and I intend on making sure it does not spread to other zoners. I could oh so easily rip your face off like I promised to do...”

Dr. Raiden shot out his metal claw. Snap let out a scream and jumped back. The claw extended at a rapid pace, and before he knew it, the tip of it was just inches away from his face. He stared at it, his body shaking from the shock of it all. Then Dr. Raiden started to gently scrape the claw along Snap’s face, making a thin, shallow red line. Snap winced and turned his head. That turned out to be a mistake as Dr. Raiden suddenly dug his claw in deeper, making a deep cut on his cheek. Snap let out a yelp of pain.

“Ah yes, I love to hear you scream. After what you’ve done, yes, this is a nice change of pace. Killing you now would make my day.” Dr. Raiden said, smirking evilly at Snap. The little zoner’s eyes widened in horror. “But...” The cheetah waved a dismissive paw. “That wouldn’t be nearly as fun as putting you three in the Death Arena.” Noting Snap’s expression, Dr. Raiden chuckled. “It’s a relatively new thing we built. A way to get rid of creators, designed to ensure that even magic chalk can’t save them.” He tilted his head. “That also makes it a fine trap for you...as you won’t be able to escape either.”

Snap wanted to say something. He wanted to protest against this. Although he knew talking would do no good against Dr. Raiden, he knew he had to try somehow. He couldn’t just sit here and let this guy talk about how he was going to kill them... Just what did he and his friends do to deserve this? How can Dr. Raiden stand there and talk so casually about death, as if killing them was no big deal? How could he see the black chalk artists killing zoners as unacceptable, but killing creators as perfectly okay?

Snap watched as Dr. Raiden withdrew his metal claw. The zoner gave a sigh of relief when the metal claw was no longer near his face. This feeling of relief didn’t last long. Raiden began to approach the cage, his arms folded behind his back. The way he moved reminded him so much of Mr. Cosmo. Snap briefly wondered if the time spent being held prisoner by Cosmo caused the cheetah to acquire some of his characteristics. Possibly, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

The cheetah stood in front of the cage, inches away. Snap glared at the cheetah, adopting a defensive posture. He gave the cheetah a look that made it clear that if he tried to do anything to his friends, he would make sure he was stopped. He wasn’t going to let Raiden do whatever he wanted without a fight. But his determination to protect, his insistence in fighting back was just all amusement for Raiden.

“You think you stand a chance against me? I’m afraid not, little traitor.” Dr. Raiden looked down at his bandages. “Enjoy the treatment while you can... We couldn’t have you dying without being properly dealt with.” So Snap’s thoughts were correct after all. “We could have killed you outright but...it wouldn’t be the same.” He held up his paw in gesture. “After all, by siding with the creators, you are just as guilty as they are. And you deserve to be punished the same way as them.”

Snap narrowed his eyes and growled at the cheetah. On impulse, Snap suddenly tried to reach out for Dr. Raiden. The cheetah simply took a step back. Snap’s short arms weren’t long enough to reach him, and after a few seconds of trying, Snap slowed down and stopped. With his arms still slung around the bars, he snarled at Dr. Raiden, eyes shining of clear intent.

Dr. Raiden raised his head slightly. “I see you were going to hurt me... Typical. Just what I expected from a traitor like yourself.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “This is why you must be dealt with as soon as possible. You might use that to hurt an innocent zoner...if you haven’t already done that, you filthy little traitor...”

Snap opened his mouth to speak. But this time, something unexpected happened. When he tried to force out a word or two, nothing happened. He froze, looking confused. He cleared his throat, thinking that maybe he just had something stuck in it. He tried again. But the same thing happened. No words would come out. His heart began to race and he put his hands to his throat, feeling it. What was going on? Why couldn’t he speak?

He could see the cheetah watching him with a smug, satisfied look. Snap’s eyes filled with shock and he wondered if Raiden had something to do with this. Again and again, he tried to speak to no avail. Frustration and horror began to settle in. But as he kept trying to speak, all he could do was produce squeaks and grunts. Soon his throat began to hurt from the effort and he started to cough a few times. Each cough was a little painful. After a while, he managed to stop coughing and didn’t try to speak again.

He looked at Dr. Raiden, his eyes wide with silent questions. His mouth partially open as emotion swelled through him, the zoner took a step back. His body started to shake. The cheetah...had done something to him. Something horrible... The way Raiden was looking at him, that devious smile, those eyes, the way he was chuckling, Snap knew, without a doubt, that Raiden was responsible for why he couldn’t speak. He wanted to demand him to tell him what he’s done, but...without the ability to speak, he couldn’t even do that.

Dr. Raiden’s grin turned almost psychotic, his eyes glinting with insanity. He reached over and he opened up the door. In an instant, he seized Snap by his scarf and hoisted him up. He quickly shut the door and then took a few steps away from the cage. He held Snap up like some lost cat he found, holding his scarf like a scruff. He kept Snap held out at his side, watching him as the zoner struggled with his teeth gritted, trying in vain to get free. A few times, out of desperation, Snap tried to swing a punch, only for his fist to not be even close enough to strike the cheetah. Soon, Snap gave up struggling and just held still, looking at Dr. Raiden with eyes filled with a mixture of hate and fear.

Dr. Raiden shook Snap once, causing the zoner to grunt. “Such a flawed design... Your scarf is so easy to grab, so easily can it be used against you...” He chuckled as he raised Snap a little higher, putting him more at eye level with him. “You’re completely defenseless as long as I hold you like this. Just like how a little kitten would be in the same situation...” Snap growled at this. “I suggest you do something to better cover up your achilles heel, Snap..not that it will do you any good, seeing as you will be dead soon.”

Snap tried again to speak. He had so many choice words for this monster. There was so much he wanted to say to him. But he was silent, at least in terms of words. He could still make other sounds, but his speech was gone. He shuddered as Dr. Raiden brough his hand close to him. Attempting to defend himself, Snap tried to bite him. The cheetah pulled his hand back for a few seconds, but this time, he reached around behind his head.

Snap felt the paw touch the back of his head. He tried to bite, but the angle made it impossible to do so. Then the cheetah slowly moved his paw to the side of his face, and then grabbed his head in such a way that he couldn’t open up his mouth. Snap struggled, moving his head from side to side, but Raiden’s grip was too tight. The cheetah forced his head upwards, twisting his head so painfully that Snap let out a whimper.

“My comrades and I weren’t interested in hearing you spew out your lies to corrupt us, so we’ve taken the liberty of removing your voice...” Dr. Raiden said casually. Snap’s eyes widened in horror and he let out a low whine, shaking his head in denial. Dr. Raiden gave a quick, dark laughter at this. “Don’t worry, it’s only temporary. I just...injected you with something to paralyze your vocal cords for a while. True, it was not necessary seeing as you will die soon...” Snap whimpered at this. “...but it is worth it to have some time with you not being able to poison anyone with those dangerous lies you tell.”

Dr. Raiden released Snap’s head and then moved his metal finger to the middle of his upperchest. He pressed a little hard, enough to make Snap wince. He then traced his claw down, going down his chest and stomach and stopping at his pants. A thin mark was left behind, but no blood and there wasn’t a lot of damage. Dr. Raiden kept the claw pressed against his stomach. Snap wanted so much to defend himself, but he was afraid that if he made a move, Raiden would forego waiting for the ‘trial’ or whatever and just plunge that metal claw deep into his stomach.

“I do hope that you don’t try to escape... I can guarantee that it won’t end well for you...” Dr. Raiden spoke in a harsh, low voice. “Just like how it didn’t end well for your two zoner pals...”

Snap’s eyes shot open at this. He looked at Dr. Raiden with a look of shere horror. What had this monster done to his friends?

Dr. Raiden said, “They had been foolish enough to try to get away from justice... They ran around this place, trying to find their way out. Fortunately, they were caught and taught a..very valuable lesson...” Dr. Raiden raised his paw up and stroked the back of Snap’s head, petting him in a manner that reminded Snap too much of Light Rudy’s treatment of Para-Snap. “I can guarantee you they won’t be able to do anything else for a while...if ever...” He looked down at Snap. “I’m betting you want to know what I did to them, right?”

Snap gulped. He couldn’t hide his fear, unable to stop his body from shaking. He gave a small whine and he nodded his head once. As much as he knew it was going to hurt him..he had to know.

Dr. Raiden continued to smile darkly at him. He leaned in closely, making sure his face was close to Snap. The zoner flinched as he felt the cheetah’s hot breath hit his face. He moved his head to the side so that his mouth was next to his ear. Then he whispered, in cold ice, the words that would forever be etched in Snap’s head.

“I killed them....”

It felt like the world just shut down. Snap felt his heart freeze as dread and shock spread through every part of his body. His breathing quickened. He stared at Dr. Raiden, his eyes so wide he thought they would roll out of his sockets. He shook his head in denial. No..it wouldn’t be true. Raiden had to be lying. He had to be just messing with him. Rapsheeba and Blocky couldn’t be death... It was impossible..no...

Tears began to stream down Snap’s face as the words began to sink in more. A nausaeated feeling swelled in his stomach. He felt like he wanted to throw up. He stared at Dr. Raiden, hoping that this was some kind of sick joke. But all the cheetah did was smirk at him, looking satisfied by his reaction. He made no attempt to deny his claim, instead just letting it all sink in for him. Snap couldn’t believe it. He refused to believe they were gone. This cheetah was not going to mess with him like this...

“Oh you should have seen the look on their faces, Snap. Such fitting ends for those monsters.” Dr. Raiden said, holding out his paw in gesture. “It was difficult catching them...but once they did, they were so easy to take down. I started with Blocky.. Ripped his limbs off..then I started to shred him into pieces. Then Rapsheeba... I broke her other leg. Then I began rip open her back. I broke her spine before crushing her skull...”

Snap cried harder at this. Tears stained his cheeks as he stared at Dr. Raiden with a silent question of ‘why?’. This just made the cheetah’s grin grow broader.

“You’re too late to safe them. Oh if only you had gotten back here sooner... Maybe they would have lived. They were waiting for you, Snap. You should have heard them, calling out your name in vain as I sliced them apart. They really believed in you, Snap. And yet you failed to get here in time. It’s your fault they’re dead. How does it feel, Snap? How does it feel being responsible for the loss of two of your corrupt comrades? I bet it doesn’t feel good, right? I bet you are kicking yourself in the ass right now, knowing that it’s entirely your fault that two of your...friends have been disposed of...”

Snap was sobbing by now. Regardless if the cheetah was being truthful or not, this was too horrible to listen to. He couldn’t even look at the cheetah anymore. He turned his head away, averting his gaze. He sniffled and took in shuddering breaths. More sobs wracked through his body.

Dr. Raiden gripped his head the same way he did before, keeping his jaws shut. He forced Snap to look at him. “Maybe now you will understand what we’ve gone through...” His voice was low and growly. “Maybe now you will get a glimpse of some logic, and understand the fear we live through, knowing that at any moment, a filthy creator could take away our friends and family...but then...” He put his snarling face close to Snap. “..I wouldn’t expect you to understand...You’re too twisted of a monster to care about ChalkZone... You filthy little thing.. You disgust me...”

Dr. Raiden carried Snap back over to the cage. He opened it up. Giving Snap one more disgusted look, the cheetah threw Snap into the cage and shut the door, locking it. Snap howled in pain as he hit painfully against the ground. For a few moments, Snap just laid there, crying against the ground. He lifted up his head and looked over at Dr. Raiden, who stared at him with his arms folded, a look of pure cold contempt aimed at him. There was not even the faintest hint of sympathy from the cheetah, not that Snap expected any.

“You will remain here until it is time. Trust me, Snap...” Dr. Raiden’s tail twitched in anger as his face contorted into a wild-looking snarl. “Your time will come...” With that, he turned and walked away, leaving behind Snap and the two unconscious humans.

Snap watched as the cheetah left. His mind raced as he tried to comprehend what happened. His tears continued to flow down his face. Dr. Raiden...had to be lying right? His friends, Rapsheeba and Blocky, they..couldn’t be dead, right? No, they couldn’t be. Raiden had to be just trying to torture him mentally by saying something he knows would hurt him. Snap refused to believe they were gone. He knew them. They were tough. They..they couldn’t let this cheetah just kill them like that...would they...?

The realization that his friends really might be gone, that Dr. Raiden might have been truthful in what he said, hit him like a freight train. His stomach churned in knots. He choked back a sob. Dr. Raiden’s words buzzed around him, taunting him. What if Raiden was right? What if their deaths were brought about him being late...? No... It wasn’t his fault..he couldn’t let Raiden mess with him like that. Yet the thought wouldn’t leave him alone. And soon the emotion began to swallow him up, refusing to let him go.

Unable to take it any longer, Snap moved over to Penny, the least injured of his two friends, and curled up next to her. He slung her arm over him and cuddled up with her, placing his head on her shoulder, he began to weep, his cries echoing slightly off the walls.

sss

Sophie tried to calm her mind down. Yet she couldn’t stop the barrage of thoughts that swept through her mind. She tried her best to comprehend what had happened. She couldn’t believe the kind of things that can happen in such a short time frame. It had only been the same day...and she had been kidnapped, tortured, ridiculed by a racist snake, somehow managed to befriend that snake, threatened again by Tyreek, Quet lunging to save her...

And now here she was. Strapped in the back of a car, heading towards what she guessed was her home. She didn’t remember. Her mind was too clouded with thoughts on what happened to really pay attention to the direction of the car. Her mind swirled iwth thoughts as she tried to make sense of what happened. What she knew for certain is that things were definitely going to change. She just hoped that the change would be for the better. What she and her mom did was risky...but what choice did they have? Not like they could really deny it.

Sophie recalled the events that occurred the past hour..or was it two hours? She didn’t recall exactly. She remembered how Tyreek was going to hurt her again, and how Quet had come to her rescue. She was surprised that he had become protective of her so fast, especially since they hadn’t known each other that long. Perhaps it stemmed from the whole ‘you’re in the same situation as me so let’s stick together’ mentality. Whatever the reason, she was grateful and shocked that Quet fought against Tyreek, while injured, to get him away from her.

The fight went on longer than Sophie expected. The snake zoner wrapped himself around Tyreek and squeezed tightly. The man’s arms were pinned and he had tried to get himself free. Despite being hurt, Quet was able to hold out on his own for a while, able to keep the evil man at bay. He had managed to strike him a few times with those sharp teeth of his. And, for a while, it looked as if Quet was going to be able to defeat Tyreek and get her out.

But that didn’t last.

Tyreek managed to grab onto Quet’s injured wing. He tore off the makeshift bandage that Sophie put on him and then proceeded to threw Quet into the ground. Sophie tried to go help him, but Tyreek had managed to shut the cage door early on in the fight. She couldn’t do so much as hold her hand out without risking electrocution. She watched in horror as Tyreek stomped on Quet’s wing as hard as he could, shattering the bone. Quet’s howls of pain filled the room, his tail curling in agony.

Sophie begged Tyreek to stop, but the man just laughed at her. He then talked about how he was going to show Sophie what he dreamed of doing to disobedient children at the high school her cousin goes to. The thought chilled Sophie’s blood, and that sensation became worse, creating an uncomfortable sensation in the back of her head, as Tyreek proceeded to pick up the squealing Quet. With one hand on his neck and the other on his tail, he thrust the middle portion on the ground and stepped on it. Then he began to pull.

Sophie was horrified by the screams that followed. Tyreek just kept pulling, threatening to break Quet completely in half. The zoner screeched and struggled frantically, his unbroken wing flapping about in desperation. Then Tyreek let go of his tail and kept pulling as hard as he could on Quet’s head. He then let go as he had his head pulled out as far as it could go. The resulting left over force caused the zoner to snap his head back, hitting against Tyreek’s body before flopping to the ground with considerable force. He just laid there and groaned in pain.

Sophie was horrified by this beatdown and called out to the man for him to stop. But he ignored her completely and just continued to dish out a vicious assault to the snake zoner, never once letting up. It looked as though Quet was going to be slowly killed. Tears formed in her eyes as she was forced to watch this scene play out. Eventually, the beating got so bad that Quet lost consciousness. Then Tyreek grabbed his head and proceeded to begin twisting his neck. Sophie was horrified, but the only thing she could do was watch as Tyreek went to snap Quet’s neck in two.

Suddenly, the door from upstairs opened. At first, Sophie thought it was just Ghadir or Jenny coming to complicate things. But she was in for the shock of her life when a man came down the steps and proceeded to punch Tyreek in the face. This caused Tyreek to let go of Quet, letting the snake zoner drop to the ground. The man, whom Sophie eventually recognized as Mr. Longhorn, proceeded to fight against Tyreek, keeping him at bay.

Then she heard more footsteps and she turned her head to see her mom coming down. Sophie was very relieved to see her mother. She expressed concern when she noted her injuries, but her mom said she was okay. Her mom then opened up the cage door and let her daughter out. They embraced for a few seconds, happy to be reunited. They broke apart when they heard a loud thud and saw that Mr. Longhorn had managed to punch out Tyreek. Sophie asked about Ghadir and Jenny, and while Ghadir hadn’t been seen, Longhorn assures her that Jenny is too incapacitated to do anything against them.

During the short time they were still in that dreaded basement, Mr. Longhorn had taken notice of Quet and questioned what he was. At first, Sophie and her mom tried to tell him he was just some rare species of snake, but Longhorn wasn’t fooled in the least. He knows enough about animals to know that snakes do not have feathers and that the only reptiles that had feathers of any kind were dinosaurs, and they weren’t around anymore. Although Sophie and her mom tried their best, they ultimately were backed into a corner and were forced to reveal the truth.

They told Mr. Longhorn about ChalkZone. They told them about the zoners, how they were created, and that Quet was one such zoner, made up of chalk dust instead of the same building blocks as them. But still very much alive. Mr. Longhorn wasn’t sure how to react to the information at first, and Sophie hoped and prayed they didn’t make a mistake by telling him. But what other choice did they have? It was either that, or Mr. Longhorn would have found other ways to find out the truth.

Although unsure what to think of Quet, Mr. Longhorn didn’t leave him behind. When he ushered her and her mom out, he carried Quet with him. Upon Sophie’s request, he was gentle with him and didn’t just drag him along behind like he was some discarded jumprope. Mr. Longhorn led them down the road towards the city. It had taken a while, and the journey was a little tiring. But they did eventually make it in to the city. Sophie was relieved when her feet finally touched the concrete of a side walk inside of dirt dangerously close to the road.

Mr. Longhorn took them to his house so he could get his car. Sophie’s mom had instructed Mr. Longhorn to take them to the Tabooties’ house. She had the keys to the house and that was where they could enter ChalkZone from to take Quet, and from there, take him to the hospital. Although skeptical, Mr. Longhorn did comply agree to do so. Sophie was happy that the man was willing to help them, even if he didn’t fully understand what was going on.

And now, they arrived at the Tabooties’. It seemed really quiet, but Sophie chalked it up to them being busy. A lot was going on, and she and her mom found it understandable if they weren’t home right now. Her aunt and uncle did welcome them into their home whenever they needed to come, so her mom had no qualms about going into the house whiel they were gone.

“Well we’re here.” Her mom said as the car was put into park. She reached for the passenger door and turned to Mr. Longhorn. “Thank you for the help.”

“Don’t mention it.” Mr. Longhorn said.

Her mom shut the door and went over to the back door. She opened up Sophie’s door and helped her out. She then reached into the car and grabbed onto the unconscious snake zoner. Holding him in her arms, she raised her foot up and kicked the door shut. The two of them bid farewell to Mr. Longhorn before turning and walking away, heading towards the house.

But instead of leaving, driving off like they expected, they heard the sound of a car door opening and shutting. Confused, they turned around and saw Mr. Longhorn locking his car and then heading out towards them. There was a glare on his face, a look that was almost uncomfortable and yet wasn’t. It was hard for Sophie to pinpoint. But it was a look that seemed ambiguous enough that she wasn’t entirely sure of the man’s intentions.

“What are you doing?” Sophie asked in a quiet voice.

Mr. Longhorn stared at her for several seconds. Then he said, “Simple...”

He moved in closer, staring at the two humans long and hard. That same look was still on his face. He still gave no indication, at first, what he was going to do. Sophie wondered, for a brief second, if they had made a mistake in telling him about ChalkZone. Was he going to force them to give him access to it? Was he going to try to reveal ChalkZone to other people? Was he going to try to kill Quet?

Then, at least, Mr. Longhorn gave the continuation of his reply. And what he said next solidified what his intent was.

“I’m going to help you.”


	83. You Only Delayed The Inevitable

“Snap...it’s okay...” Penny said gently. “Shhh...calm down...”

In her arms laid Snap. She had her arms wrapped around him protectively, holding him against her. He held onto her tightly, refusing to let go. She could feel his tears start to stain her shirt. She didn’t mind, and just let him continue to cry into it. She had tried to settle him down, but no matter what she said, it didn’t seem to be enough to calm him down. He kept his face pressed against her and sobbed hard.

Penny had woken up a little while ago. Her mind had been muggy at first. But when she felt some kind of warmth against her, she did wake up enough to lift up her head to see what it was. Upon seeing her friend in a sobbing mess, in distress, she immediately reacted. She had pushed herself up and pulled Snap into her arms. She held onto him gently, trying her best to help him feel safe and secure. Snap responded by cuddling close to her.

His sobs continued to wrack through his body. Penny bit her lip as she watched and listened to her friend cry like this. She didn’t know what happened to make him react this way. She had no idea what happened while she was knocked out. She looked down at Rudy. He still hadn’t woken up. She hoped he would wake up soon. She wanted to know that he was getting better, and Snap needed his comfort as well. She turned her head back down to the zoner. She listened to him cry and sniffle. Her shirt became overed in more tears and she could feel his body tremble as the sobs continued to sweep through it.

She had attempted to get him to speak to her about what happened. But he refused to speak. A few times, he did open up his mouth and she thought he was going to talk, but instead, he would just cry harder. Never once did he speak a word to her. She hoped that he would settle down enough so he could talk to her. She needed to know what happened, otherwise, she couldn’t properly comfort him. She was doing all she could now to help him, but without knowing what was wrong, she wasn’t really sure what to say to him.

Something happened while she was knocked out. Something that was bad enough that it hurt Snap mentally. She did notice a cut on his face, but there was no way that would have made him cry this much. No, it had to have been a mental thing. There was a number of things it could have been. And whatever specific thing it was, it left her friend a broken mess in her arms. She hoped she would find out soon so she could comfort him better. But for now, she did what she could by holding onto him and letting him cry it out in her arms.

Hopefully soon, she would be able to relax him enough so he could tell her what happened. Her sotmach churned as she listened to him cry. Just what had hurt him so badly? And who did this to him? Penny was certain that someone here, one of these blasted Luminos, said something to make Snap cry. A burning feeling of anger swelled in her stomach at the thought of it. How dare they hurt Snap like this...

It was of no comfort to her when she realized, not long after she woke up, that they were trapped, captured by the Luminos. Her memory had come back pretty quickly, and she remembered the ambush, how they were all suddenly attacked. She was glad that they were still alive, but she was confused as to why the Luminos didn’t kill them right then. They probably had some kind of plan for them. Snap might know what it is, but he was in too much of a state of sorrow to really talk. So she held off on asking.

She wasn’t sure how they were going to get out of this mess. Here they were, trapped in a cage with no magic chalk. They had no form of contact with anyone outside of this dreaded place. And the only ones who would be approaching them would be Luminos. She was certain they would do whatever it took to make sure they didn’t try to run away. Even if they got out, Penny realized there would be a lot of guards, too many to simply make a break for it. They would be caught again and tossed back into this cell.

The only good that came out of it was that at least they were together. She was grateful the Luminos were at least kind enough to keep them together in the same cage, and not separate them. Then again, they might decide to do that later on to torment them mentionally, the bastards. She didn’t have any doubts that they would do something like that. So she decided the cherish the moments she had with Snap, and hopefully Rudy whenever he woke up, for however long that she could.

She continued to hold onto Snap. She used one arm to keep him against her. She used her free hand to run it along the back of his head soothingly. She felt her own tears dripping down her face, watching her friend as he cried his heart out. Oh Snap... What was wrong with him? Why was he so sad? Why couldn’t he tell her? She did her best to try to calm him down, but nothing was working, and it was taking a toll on her heart.

“Snap...” Penny said gently. She cupped his chin and tilted it up. Her heart clenched at the sight of those reddened, puffy eyes. “Tell me what happened... Please...”

Snap’s lower lip quivered. He opened his mouth, but instead of speaking, he just squeaked and turned his head away. He shut his eyes and she could see the stream of tears move down his cheeks. Penny reached down again and placed her hand on his cheek. She gently turned it, making him look at her again. Snap reached up with one hand and placed it on her arm.

Penny looked at Snap with tear-filled eyes. “Please, tell me what’s wrong. I want to help you feel better, but I can’t if you don’t tell me... Please...talk to me, Snap.” Seeing Snap still not responding with anything more than tears and whimpers, Penny took in a shuddering breath. She tried her best not to cry harder, but it was difficult. “Please Snap...tell me...” She rubbed his cheek gently. “Please...why won’t you tell me...?”

Snap looked at her with those big, teary eyes for a few moments. He moved his head away and pressed his face against her shoulder. He cried harder, his sobs growing louder. Penny cried with him, holding onto him and wishing she could help him feel better. There had to be a reason he wasn’t responding. Whatever happened...it had to have been serious. She sniffled and pressed the side of her face against his head.

“Oh, Snap...” Penny whispered. “Why won’t you tell me what’s wrong...? I want to help you... Please talk to me.. It’ll be okay...” She stroked the back of his head gently as she rubbed her face against it. “Shh...it’ll be okay...Everything will be okay...You’ll see...” She became quiet as her own cries filled the room.

Then Snap started to stir in her arms. She pulled back a little and looked down at him. For a few moments, she and Snap just stared at each other, each crying, both with tear-stained faces. Snap’s body still trembled from all the emotional pain he was in. He looked like he was going to erupt in a fountain of tears any second. She gently caressed his cheek as his lower lip quivered. She could feel his tears move along her hand as she did so. Seeing Snap like this hurt her so much. She wanted to help him, but felt helpless to do so.

Slowly, Snap started to move his head back. Penny removed her hand and watched him, curious of what he was about to do. He kept his grip on her arm, but with his other hand, he moved it up towards his head. Penny was confused by this. What was Snap doing? More confusion swept through her head as Snap moved his head back enough to expose his neck clearly, and she could see him move his hand towards it. Then he gently patted his hand against his throat.

Penny watched him as he did this a few times. At first, she didn’t understand what he was trying to tell her. Then, slowly, something dawned on her. Horror and dread swept through her body, causing her blood to chill. No...they couldn’t have done that to him...could they? She looked at Snap as her eyes filled with fear. Snap just stared at her. He seemed to realize that she was understanding what he was saying and he lowered his head. Never once did he indicate that her suspicion wasn’t true.

Penny said in a soft voice, “Snap...you can’t...you can’t speak..?”

Snap let out a soft whimper. He slowly shook his head. At this, Penny felt like her hear just broke in two. Snap...couldn’t speak. The Luminos...took away his voice. The shock of it stunned her for several moments, freezing her body in place. When she finally did unfreeze, her body trembled hard. Her eyes filled with more tears. Her mouth open in shock, she stared own at Snap. He whimpered again and pressed close against her. Almost immmediately, Penny gripped him tighter, not wanting to let him go.

Tears cascaded down her face as the impact of what Snap managed to show her sank in. Was this a reason why he was crying so much? She was certain there was more, but this...this was a low blow... Attacking an innocent zoner mentally like that, depriving him of his voice... Snap was a social zoner who loved to talk. Taking away that part of him would be devastating for him. She could only hope it was temporary. She hoped that the damage dealt to him by the Luminos wasn’t going to be permanent. She cried harder as the thoughts of Snap never speaking again entered her mind. She hoped and prayed it wasn’t so.

How could the Luminos be so cruel and heartless? How could they attack Snap mentally like that, by taking away his voice? How could they think that was acceptable behavior? It angered her..no, it infuriated her the way the Luminos treated him and creators. They were acting as if they were justified in what they do. They refused to see reason and they refuse to use logic, instead inserting their own. They were a bunch of racist assholes who act like the monsters they claim to hate, and then have the gall to deny it and even shift blame onto them. How despicable...

But she tried not to think about them too much. Right now, Snap needed her comfort. She gently held onto him, letting him cry into her arms. She needed to be here for him. It must have been awful for him, when he was the only one awake and he had no one he could turn to for comfort. She and Rudy were unconscious. They weren’t able to defend him when...whatever happened had occurred. But now she was awake. Now she can provide whatever comfort she could. She kept her arm around him, whispering soft, comforting words to him.

“It will be okay, Snap... You’ll see...” Penny whispered, her voice cracked with emotion. Snap cuddled up against her further, rubbing his head against her shoulder. “Everything will be okay... Shhh.... Calm down...”

Just then, she heard footsteps from the cave tunnel in front of them. She lifted up her head and she could see a figure walking in. At first, she thought it was Raiden, but she realized the features were all wrong, and this zoner wasn’t a cheetah, but instead a stylized lion. The zoner walked into the room slowly, his golden eyes narrowed slightly. Although Penny wasn’t sure who the zoner was, the way he walked and the overall aura made her tense up. There was something...unusually dangerous about him.

The lion zoner walked until he was a few feet in front of the cage. He looked at the trio inside. He first looked at Snap, then Penny, then finally Rudy. He looked a little disappointed when his gaze fell upon Rudy, as if he was hoping that he would be awake by now. But he showed little anger at that and instead kept an overall calm composure. In some ways, it reminded Penny of Dr. Raiden, except that this lion zoner seemed to have a genuine calm personality, not the fake one that Dr. Raiden used. Still, the way the lion looked at her...it was like he had a hidden desire to tear her into pieces.

Then the lion zoner finally spoke.

“I see at least two of you are awake.” The lion zoner said. He cast a glance at the crying Snap. “Hmph... quit your sniveling, traitor. You’ll have much more to worry about soon enough.”

Penny’s eyes widened. Then they narrowed and she clenched a fist tightly. “What have you done to Snap?!”

“Me? Nothing really. You’re all going to die soon enough anyway. So why would I waste the effort?” The lion zoner replied. There was a faintest hint of a smile on his muzzle. But despite how small it was, Penny could see the venom glowing from it. “I am a zoner who prefers trying to avoid...disasterous fights. That is why I didn’t confront you creators until now. I have to stay behind to make sure my people are safe from you.”

Penny was about to retort. But then she listened to the zoner’s last line carefully. The way he said it... Was it possible that this guy had a high rank in the Luminos? Just..how important was he? She knew Raiden was high ranking enough to command a group of other Luminos and act like their authority. But what about this guy?

The lion zoner seemed to catch her expression. He chuckled lightly, faintly. He raised his hand in the air, as if to show off just how important he was. “Yes, my dear human, you are gazing upon the leader of the Luminos.” Penny’s eyes widened at this. The lion zoner lowered his hand and continued to smile faintly at her. He took a step forward and pressed his hand against his chest. “My name is Maalik. Remember that name...for it is that name, and the name of the rest of the Luminos, who will be the ones to take you three down.”

Penny’s eyes filled with shock at this. This...this was the leader of the Luminos? This guy? She eyed him up and down. Suddenly, that strange aura she felt about him before was making sense. This guy did seem like he was more dangerous than even Dr. Raiden, and that was saying something. Her grip on Snap tightened as she tried to shield him from his sights. She had no idea of Maalik was going to try to take Snap away from her or not. She watched him carefully, looking for any sign of movement.

So far, he seemed more or less level headed. At least in comparison to the other Luminos. But..just how far does that extend? He couldn’t be that reasonable if he was the one running this place. He was the one calling all the shots. He was the leader. And if the Luminos were taking orders from him, then all the insane anti-creator sentiment had to have come from this guy. He must have ordered the attack on the hospital...the attack on Snap’s treehouse..capturing them for execution... It was all this guy.

And that was what made him more dangerous than any of the other Luminos. Dr. Raiden was dangerous enough, and certainly volatile, but even he took orders from Maalik. This lion zoner could order the Luminos to do anything, and they’d follow without question. If he decided to kill her now...he would. If he wanted to tear Snap and Rudy away from her, he could easily do that with a click of the finger. In response to that thought, she pulled Snap even closer to herself.

Maalik looked a little amused. He folded his arms against his chest and took a couple steps closer. Penny cringed a little, half expecting him to suddenly attack. But he remained where he was, not doing anything to try to hurt them. She wasn’t sure if he really didn’t want to hurt them now, or if it was just to mess with her mentally.

Maalik said, “I must admit, it was...clever of you three to escape into the alternate dimensions. Too bad all that did was delay the inevitable, though. You wouldn’t have been able to stay in there for long.” He raised his head up. His golden eyes glinted, and Penny shuddered at how much more malice there seemed to be in those relatively calm eyes compared to Dr. Raiden’s. “As you can see, we were...prepared for you. Ready for your return.” He chuckled. “Dismantling the machine and setting it up here worked like a charm. As soon as you came back...”

“You had a trap waiting for us...” Penny growled softly.

“Ah yes...” Maalik nodded his head a few times. “We certainly did.” Another chuckle. He pointed his finger at her. “And you fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker.” Penny growled at this. “Hey don’t be angry at me that your little dimensional hopping didn’t pan out as well as you hoped. You might have been able to find those cures...” A claw extended from his finger. “But that will mean nothing very soon. The three of you will be executed tomorrow.”

“Why?!” Penny cried, even though she knew what the answer was going to be. “Why do you want to kill us so badly?! We haven’t done a damn thing to you!”

Maalik’s eyes glinted with hatred. “You’re a creator. And all creators are dangerous. I made the mistake of not dealing with you when you were kids. More stamina yes...but smaller means so much easier to kill once I got a hold of you...” Penny tried her best to hide her fear. She narrowed her eyes at this clearly insane zoner. “But I can deal with you now. I will not let you get away with threatening ChalkZone. I won’t allow you and your comrades to get away with..forcing my hand...”

“Forcing your hand?! Oh don’t try that on us!” Penny snapped at him. Still holding Snap in her arms. she shouted, “You’re the one who decided to do all of this! We didn’t force your hand! You made yourself make a move!”

“Typical creator behavior. Always trying to put the blame on others. Never willing to accept responsibility. How revolting.” Maalik snarled at her. He moved closer and now he was in front of the cage. Penny moved back, her eyes widening a little at the thick muscles that bulged under the skin of this zoner. He was definitely not thinly built like Raiden was. “But no matter. You and your friends will be taken care of soon enough. The Death Arena is waiting for you.”

Penny gasped in horror at this. She heard Snap whimper and cry. She realized that he must have been told about it. She stroked his head while she glared hatefully at Maalik.

“The Death Arena will be your grave, I assure you. Even if you did have magic chalk, you will not survive. You see, I have...ways of making you evil creators helpless, to force you on your knees before me.” Maalik said. He raised up his paw in gesture, moving it in front of him. “As you can see for yourself, you and your comrade creator there are trapped. Without your dangerous weapon, you’ll be easy to..pick off. And after that...well I’d love to say we’d be done, but there’s still more work to do.”

Penny narrowed her eyes slightly. “The black chalk artists...?”

Maalik nodded his head. “Yes..they will be dealt with soon enough.” He paused for a moment, and then he looked at Penny with a slightly broader smile. His tail twitched from side to side. “Of course, after they’re dealt with, there’s still some...loose ends to tie up...”

Loose ends? What was the zoner talking about? If they succeeded in killing her, her two friends, and the three black chalk artists, what more was left? There wasn’t anyone else except...

..their family...

Penny’s eyes widened in horror at this realization. She shook her head. “N-No...you can’t....”

“Oh yes I can.” Maalik nodded his head. “We are aware of the legendary blue chalk. And we intend to use it, if we have to.” He grinned nastily at Penny, exposing his sharp teeth to her. “We will find your precious family...and they will be taken care of. We will not allow them to gather up an army to avenge your deaths. I was going to leave them alone, but considering they’re still humans and thus still dangerous...best to kill them off before they have a chance to do something horrible to ChalkZone...”

Penny shook her head. “You can’t do that...” Her eyes narrowed into slits. “I won’t let you! Don’t you fucking dare touch our families!” She pointed a finger at him. “If you, I swear I’ll....” She couldn’t think of anything to say after that. She just seethed, staring at Maalik hatefully. She soon muttered, “Stay the fuck away from our families...or I’ll make you sorry...”

Maalik didn’t look fazed by this. He cocked an eyebrow. “Not like you can do anything about it, creator. Because you’ll be dead..and last I checked...” He turned his back to her. He took a few steps away from the cage, his tail swishing from side to side. He turned his head and stared at her with one golden eye. “...the dead can’t fight back.”

“You...” Penny began to speak. The lion zoner cut her off.

“Don’t waste your breath, human. Nothing you say will save you now.” Maalik said. He smirked at her before turning his head away. “I will leave you be...for now. But the next time you see my face, it will be time for your punishment. In the meantime, spend as much time as you can with your...comrades. It will be the last time you’ll ever see them...” He raised his arm up and waved his paw dismissively. “For now, I bid you farewell.”

With that, the lion zoner walked away. Penny wanted to say something to him. Anything. He wanted him to be certain that she would do whatever it took to stop him, to protect her mother. She wanted him to know how much Rudy would do to keep his family safe. But no words came out. She watched, her stomach burning in anger and hate as the lion zoner disappeared down the hallway.

After Maalik was gone from her sights, Penny’s anger slowly melted away. A new emotion started to take over. Horror and dread. The realization that the Luminos would go after their families next hit her like a freight train. She felt her heart speeding up, a horrible ache sweeping through it. Her mom was in danger...so were the others. She...she had to warn them somehow... But how? She had no magic chalk.

She couldn’t believe the Luminos were so willing to go after their families. But their families were not in ChalkZone nearly as much as they were. How could the Luminos view them as a threat? It was as much of a surprise that they think Rudy, who has been protecting ChalkZone was evil. It was even more ridiculous that they think their family was just as dangerous when they were not in ChalkZone as much, and it’s not like they ever really used magic chalk that much.

It just wasn’t fair...their families never did anything to deserve getting killed by these...monsters. They had never threatened ChalkZone. They never hurt any zoners. It wasn’t fair that they were being targeted by the Luminos next. Then again, none of this was fair. They were being judged like criminals when they haven’t done anything to deserve such treatment. They had always done their best to keep ChalkZone safe, protecting the zoners and all. And yet the Luminos refuse to see that. They ignore any of the good done for ChalkZone by creators, and instead just label creators as monsters, even if the actions suggest otherwise.

She could only hope that, if she and her friends do die here, that their folks would be resourceful enough to escape capture and stop the Luminos. They were intelligent adults. They could figure something out. They could work together and stop the Luminos from spreading more death and destruction across ChalkZone in their ill-gotten mission of ‘enacting justice’. She trusted them. She knew their families could do it.

Still, she hoped that it wouldn’t come to that. She hoped that they would be able to stop the Luminos before it was too late. She hoped that she, Rudy, and Snap could stop the Luminos before they had a chance to get at their families.

Penny felt something stir next to her. She thought it was Snap at first, but the sensation was at her side, not on her stomach and chest, where Snap was positioned. She looked down and she saw that Rudy had started to stir. She gave a small smile, strong relief washing through her body as Rudy started to wake up. Considering what he had gone through, all that internal damage he took, it was a huge improvement of him being awake at all. His prognosis was definitely looking better now.

Rudy’s eyes opened up. She could see just how glazed and unfocused they were. He turned his head slowly and let out a soft groan. He looked so confused... But that was to be expected. He had been horrifically beaten by his light counterpart. She winced as the horrible memory came flooding back to her. She could still hear his screams of agony as he was slammed mercilessly by Light Rudy. But at least he was out of that danger now, and awake. If he stayed unconscious for too long.... She tried not to think about it.

Rudy looked up at her. She winced at his expression. He looked so...weak, like almost all his strength was gone. He hadn’t even tried to speak, and she could tell he was very weak just by looking at him. His face was still so pale. His eyes looked so dull, like they lost some color to them. He attempted to get up, but his body shook from the lack of strength and he fell back down. Another groan escaped his mouth. Biting her lip, Penny reached down with one hand and gently stroked his hair.

“Please...save your strength, Rudy. You’re still so weak...” Penny whispered to him gently. Rudy looked up at her with half opened eyes. “Try not to move too much.”

Rudy groaned again. He turned his head a little, looking at his surroundings. He looked so confused. He turned his head back to her. He took in a few breaths, raspy and weak-sounding. He said, “Wh-Where are w-we...?”

Penny bit her lip. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to tell Rudy while he was in such a confused state. But she also didn’t want to just be silent to him. She didn’t want to give him more of a reason to be confused. She stroked his hair some more, running her fingers through it in an attempt to help keep him calm. From his expression, she could tell the feeling of pain was returning. The last thing he needed was to go into a panic.

“We’re at the Luminos’s hideout, Rudy.” Penny said. Rudy looked at her almost blankly, confused. “We were captured.”

“H-How..?” Came Rudy’s coarse voice.

It was then that Penny realized that Rudy had missed out on more than just the capture. He was knocked out by Light Rudy and had remained unconscious during the remainder of their time there. Well he wasn’t going to be in the dark forever. She would have to fill him in on everything that happened. Still holding Snap, she shifted herself a little so she was facing directly at Rudy.

“You were knocked out by your counterpart in the light dimension. After that...” Penny said, beginning to tell the story to Rudy.

sss

Rapsheeba couldn’t believe it. She just couldn’t... No, it was impossible. He had to be lying. He couldn’t have... She shook her head in disbelief, her gaze never leaving his.

“No..you’re lying..” Rapsheeba said, her lower lip quivering. “You...no... He can’t be..” She tried to choke back her tears. She tried her best not to cry. She couldn’t fall for this guy’s lies. Snap...he could be...”

“Snap can’t be dead...” Blocky said, his wide eyes staring at the ground. “He’s too tough for that..” He slowly looked up at the zoner standing before them. His eyes slowly narrowed. “This...this is some twisted lie you came up with just to mess with us, isn’t it?! You sick, cruel bastard!”

In response, Dr. Raiden, standing before her and Blocky, just laughed coldly. His laughter chilled their blood, making them shudder. Nothing about his behavior suggested he was lying. He didn’t try to say that he was messing with them...then again, why would he? He was making a low blow at them. He wanted them to suffer mentally, and he had succeeded in doing that. Not by attacking them physically, but instead mentally. Their hearts...

Blocky and Rapsheeba had separated from Dr. Urso. Or rather, the lion bear was taken away. Maalik had decided that he didn’t want the ‘traitors’ to be within close proximity of each other, and he felt that Urso deserved some isolation as a form of mental punishment. The two zoners were sad to see Urso being taken away. They wished they could have done something to help him, but they were both trapped, and Rapsheeba couldn’t even walk. Her leg was twisted so horrifically...

Rapsheeba then recalled how, not long after, Dr. Raiden began to speak to them. At first, it was just the usual ‘you will pay for what you’ve done because you’re both traitors to ChalkZone’ that they’ve heard before. But then things got...personal... And when Dr. Raiden said he killed Snap, her mind just...went blank. She had hoped she misheard. She hoped that he meant to say something else, anything else. But the more Dr. Raiden repeated it, the more she realized that he really did mean to say it.

“Oh you should have heard him, dear Rapsheeba...” Raiden smirked. He lowered himself onto his knees and looked at her. His eyes glowed with insanity. “It was so much fun breaking him down... How gallantly he tried to save his friends...you... But he failed in the end...”

Rapsheeba’s eyes watered more. She tried to move away from Dr. Raiden, but her twisted, broken leg wouldn’t allow her. She let out a cry of pain before she got too far. Blocky rushed to her side. Though he was hurt and in pain, he ignored that and reached down. She felt him lift her up gently, holding her as he glared hatefully at Dr. Raiden. Rapsheeba just laid there, tears staining her face. Her mind reeled from what Dr. Raiden was telling them. She couldn’t tell if he was being truthful or not. But what he was saying, regardless, was horrible.

Dr. Raiden smirked evilly at the two zoners. “I was able to catch him before he got too far. I had some...fun with him. I ripped open his body, spilling his guts. I did it slowly, too, listening to him scream and plead for mercy. He really wanted to save you all. And I am sure he was..so disappointed he wasn’t able to do so... Yes, such a...shame he isn’t around anymore. He probably would have tried to slay our leader...”

“N-No... Snap wouldn’t do that..” Blocky said, gritting his teeth. “No way in hell would he do that!”

“Oh really?” Dr. Raiden chortled at this. He sounded so amused by what he was doing. “Well then... Perhaps I was a little hasty in killing him then. No matter. He’s dead now so I won’t have to worry about him anymore.” He grinned evilly, watching Rapsheeba’s sorrow-filled expression and the hatred glowing off of Blocky’s eyes. “It’s such a shame that you didn’t get to say goodbye to him... Oh what a darn shame...”

Rapsheeba shook her head in disbelief. Snap couldn’t be gone. He just couldn’t... This monster..he had to be lying to them. Snap couldn’t have been killed. He..he escaped. Yes, that’s what happened. He must have gotten away, and Raiden just wants them to believe he’s dead. Snap was...he was too smart to be killed off so easily. He may not have it in his heart to badly hurt someone, but if he had to defend his life, if he was protecting someone else, she knew he’d do whatever it takes to succeed.

Yet...Dr. Raiden’s insistance on him being dead, constantly bringing it up, rubbing it in their faces, it made Rapsheeba consider the idea that maybe...Snap really was gone... The idea broke her heart in two, and she couldn’t help but cry harder. She could hear Blocky sniffle as well. Despite him trying to be strong, she could tell he was starting to crack under the emotional pressure. Snap had been a close friend of his as well, and she knew that, like her, he cared deeply for him. The idea of him being killed off like that... it was just too much bear.

Dr. Raiden said, “If you do not believe me that he’s dead...then take a look...” The cheetah extended his metal claw to them. “Look here and tell me he isn’t dead.”

Although they didn’t want to, Blocky and Rapsheeba looked at the metal finger, stopped just inches in front of their faces. It didn’t take them long to see what Raiden was talking about. Their eyes widened in horror and they felt their hearts begin to beat faster. No..it couldn’t be...no...

There, on Dr. Raiden’s metal finger, was blood... And not just blood. They could see a tiny bit of dark blue..a bit of clothing from Snap...

Rapsheeba took in a shuddering breath. She still wanted to believe Snap was okay, but after seeing this... It was certain now that Dr. Raiden had harmed their friend. And knowing how vicious he was, the way he tried to rip Snap’s face off before... There was no doubt in her mind that he would have done more than just give him a small cut. She put her hand to her mouth and she started to cry harder. Blocky held onto her, trying to comfort her the best he could.

“Now do you believe me your precious friend is dead?” Dr. Raiden asked them. “That..was from when I cut your friend open. That blood is just a small amount, a testimont, to the pools of blood that I managed to leak out of him.”

“You..monster!” Blocky snarled. “How could you do this?!”

Dr. Raiden laughed darkly. “Oh me? Well I’m not the only one that let it happen.” He withdrew his metal finger. His tail twisted from side to side as the claws of his back feet dug into the groudn. “You two let it happen as well..”

“What are you talking about?! We never...” Blocky exclaimed.

Dr. Raiden raised his paw to interrupt. “Of course you don’t understand...you don’t think...” He raised his head up and he closed his eyes. “Snap wanted to save you.. Instead of fleeing for his life, he stayed behind and...well...” He looked at the two zoners with a sneer on his face. “Look at where it got him. He died trying to save you...” He leaned a little closer to the cage. “..which means you are responsible for his death. If you hadn’t gotten caught, he wouldn’t have died... So..how does it feel knowing you caused the death of one of your closest friends..?”

Rapsheeba held onto Blocky, sobbing into his shoulder. “It’s not true...it can’t be true...” Her voice was shaky and laced with emotion. “Snap...my man...no...”

Blocky rubbed her back gently to comfort her. He shot a venomous glare at Dr. Raiden. “You’re going to pay for this...”

Dr. Raiden laughed coldly in response. “Oh I’m going to pay all right...” His golden eyes flashed with cruelty. “I’m going to pay for your one way trip to hell...”

sss

Terry continued her struggle against her ex-boss. Although he no longer had his gun, he still proved to be quiet dangerous. She was able to hold up pretty well against him, despite how long this fight was taking. She could feel her stamina start to go down, her movements slowing. She knew she couldn’t keep this up forever. Adrenaline was only going to get her so far.

And her ex-boss...He was relentless. Despite how tired he was getting, he was still fighting back. No matter how many punches and kicks she gave him, he would come right back up and attack her. The two of them struggled in the hallway, hitting against the walls and ground. Anyone that came by just ran off, likely not wanting to interrupt their boss’s fight with her. She knew how he could be, often wanting to do things himself. Maybe that’s why he got rid of Vinnie. Maybe he felt..threatened by him...

The memory of what this man did to her brother caused burning anger to fill her stomach, and gave her an energy boost to keep fighting. She was not going to let him get away with murder. She was going to stop him..somehow...someway.. And after she stopped him, she would find the other adults. She needed to know if they succeeded in convincing the audience that what they saw was a movie of some kind, and not something real. She needed to know that they were able to make it there to begin with, and not run into some of this evil man’s guards.

Mr. Pierce grabbed her by her neck and shoved her against the wall. This happened so fast, she was not able to defend herself. She gagged as the grip on her neck tightened. She opened up one eye and glared at the man. He stared at her hatefully, his teeth bared in a snarl. Though the gun had no bullets, he raised it up to her. She saw him flip it in the air and grab it by its muzzle. And when he raised it over her head, she quickly realized just what he was going to do.

Thinking fast, Terry slammed her leg between his. The man’s eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open. His gun fell from his hand and he dropped onto his knees. She slammed her knee against his chin, sending him flying backwards. She watched as Mr. Pierce tumbled across the ground, landing in a heap. As he started to get up, she rushed forward and grabbed his gun before he had a chance to get it.

Upon seeing this, Mr. Pierce roared at her, “Give me back my fucking gun, you bitch! You have no right to do this!”

Terry narrowed her eyes as she lunged for him. The man let out a grunt as he was knocked to the side. The woman wrapped her arm around him, putting him in a headlock. He struggled to get free. She tightened her grip and snarled at him, “You’re not going to get away!”

Mr. Pierce struggled, twisting his body left and right. Terry started to lose her grip. She realized quickly she was not going to be able to hang onto him for long. He shouted at her, “I’m going to bash your skull in! Your blood shall decorate this hallway!”

Terry was horrified by this, but she refused to let go. She raised the gun above his head. Mustering as much strength as she could, she struck down was hard as she could. The metal of the gun hit against the top of her ex-boss’s head. There was a loud thud and a gasp of pain from Mr. Pierce. The man stiffened up from the impact before falling to the ground in a heap, unmoving. Terry moved away and looked down at him cautiously, waiting to see if he was going to move. But he didn’t. He just laid there, still as stone.

At first, Terry feared she had killed him. As much as she hated him, she didn’t want him to die. That would land her in more trouble and it would make her no better than him. She quickly pressed two fingers against his neck. She was relieved to feel that he still had a pulse. Now that she knew he was still alive, she knew she had to restrain him so he couldn’t get away. She couldn’t risk him regaining consciousness and then summoning help to stop her and the others.

Terry dragged Mr. Pierce into the nearest room. She laid him on the ground and then looked around the room to try to find something she could use. She soon found some discarded rope, probably from something related to the audience room. She went to work tying his legs and arms. She then fitted a cloth gag in his mouth so he couldn’t call for help. She double checked to make sure he was secure. Satisfied that he wouldn’t be able to go anywhere, Terry shut the door to the room and headed down the hallway.

Trying to get to the audience room without being spotted was not easy. Many employees walked through the hallways now, likely on alert that there were intruders in the building. She used her knowledge of the building’s layout to try to work her way around them, using lesser known, lesser used passages to find her way to where she wanted to go. She still had some trouble, almost running into someone. By shere luck, she was able to avoid being spotted and was able to continue down the hallway.

Along the way, while moving through the hallways and staying hidden, she had spotted some employees holding what appeared to be...weapons. Her eyes widened as she looked at them. These were unusual weapons. They appeared to be rods and she saw some sparks of electricity from them. But that wasn’t what confused her. Instead, it was what was on the other end. She thought she saw something drip. Water..? What kind of weapon would...

Her eyes snapped wide in horror. Water...of course... Her ex-boss had equipped some of the employees with weapons that have some water in them..because he wanted to hunt down the zoners and kill them. Or capture them, or whatever else. He was going to use the magic chalk and go into ChalkZone...probably do treat the zoners like some big, dangerous game, and hunt them. That...that might be what he planned on doing to ‘boost the ratings’...

Horror filled her heart the thought of this. The thought of ChalkZone being turned into a hunting ground, where humans would be allowed to hunt zoners for sport... No she couldn’t allow that. She hurried down the hallway, moving at a faster pace. Now it was more imortant than ever that the audience was convinced it was a movie. They would deal with Mr. Pierce and the rest of his employees later.

She soon found the door that lead to the audience room. She hoped and prayed it wasn’t too late. She hoped that the other adults made it in, that they were able to talk the audience out of ChalkZone’s existence. Without hesitation, she opened up the door and rushed inside.

Almost immediately, someone grabbed her. She struggled, thinking it was a guard. She soon saw it was Reggie. He stared up at her with wide eyes. Something was wrong. She could tell right away.

“What is it?” Terry asked cautiously.

“We need your help!” Reggie cried. He looked over towards where the other adults were. “We’ve tried... But the audience...they won’t listen!”

Terry looked over. She saw Mr. Tabootie, Mrs. Tabootie, and Mrs. Sanchez trying to talk to the audience. She couldn’t hear the words being spoken, but the audience sounded angry and confused. It was clear that, whatever the adults were saying ot them, the audience wasn’t listening. They didn’t believe them. Terry’s eyes widened in horror at this realization. If they didn’t convince the audience in time...

...Then knowledge of ChalkZone would spread.


	84. Return To The Solar Pillars

Jenny couldn’t believe how well things were turning out so far. They weren’t exactly as she had hoped, but still, things were looking more or less in her direction. The Luminos were responding just as she thought they would. The annoying trio were also doing exactly what she hoped they would do. Though some things did turn out differently than she had hoped, she was able to redirect her plans to accomodate for the new developments.

The Luminos attack on the hospital was one of the unexpected things, but it worked beautifully. She wasn’t sure exactly what prompted that attack, but apparently Rudy was in there. She guessed they were going after him. She might not have been in there to see what happened next, but she had a very good idea. She knew that hospital was the location of the machinery that Cosmo had to travel to alternate dimensions to hide the cures. She knew that the trio had used those machines to get into those alternate dimensions.

While she was disappointed that there was a chance Rudy got the cures, she was assured that he and his little friends were hurt. Jenny knew about those dimensions quite well, and she knew that the threats that laid in those worlds would have surely left the boy badly wounded, as well as Penny and Snap. There was no way that they would have been able to make it out of there unscathed. That was impossible. A part of her was disappointed that Rudy didn’t die in those dimensions, but another was glad he was back. She wanted to play with him some more.

Even if they had given him the cures, even if he no longer had that gelxeno disease ravaging his body, he still had massive internal damage. She was certain that he had gotten more wounds in addition to the ones that she and her comrades gave him. The thought made her smile. Rudy was injured and weak, and he would be easy to pick off. But she wouldn’t kill him right away. No, she’d rather draw out his death for however long possible. She wanted to see the look in his eyes as he slowly died at her feet. Then his body would be put to more...practical use...

She had hoped to get a spy in that group to watch Rudy and his friends and inform her on what’s going on. A spy would come in handy, allowing her to keep another step in front of them. One step in front is good, but two steps, three steps...that would be even better. And even if the spy thing didn’t work out and Tilly wasn’t subtle enough, the knowledge of turning her against Rudy would be satisfactory enough. Jenny would love to toy with the boy’s mind by turning an enemy out of one of his trusted family members.

But that, unfortunately, didn’t happen. As she walked through the jungle, no one there but herself, she sorted out her thoughts on what happened very recently. She hadn’t expected someone to come find her. She hadn’t expected some strange man to barge in and beat her up like that. When she had come to, she found that Tyreek had also been attacked, and Sophie and the snake zoner had been taken away. Ghadir had been elsewhere, much to Jenny’s chagrin. If she had stayed where she was, this wouldn’t have happened.

Oh well, there was nothing she could do about it now. All they could do now was cut their losses and move on. They might have lost an ally in Tilly, but they could still go forth with their plans. Everything was starting to fall into place now, and soon it’ll all converge. Yes, so much was going on...and she had planned most of it. Just like she told Peeny, the pieces will fall into the fray soon. Nothing will stop it. No matter what, Penny will not be able to stop it, neither will Rudy or Snap, or anything. It was much...much too late for that.

The attack on the Luminos had just been part of the plan. And just like she hoped, they had attacked Rudy and his friends. That kept the trio too busy for them to realize what’s been happening around ChalkZone. The initial small attacks were, at first, random and done mostly to sharpen their skills. But after they attacked the Luminos, the attacks became more..purposeful. Provoking the group to using more extreme methods, and to divert attention away from their real goal.

With the trio so busy, they weren’t able to notice when she had assisted Vinnie in getting that ChalkZone evidence. She had told him specifically not to mention her, as she wanted to throw the investigation off, in case someone found out before the plans could unfold more. This act had the effect she had hoped for. Drawing the adults away from ChalkZone and have them try to stop Vinnie. Whether or not he succeeded, she would still get what she wanted. A diversion that would keep the adults out of ChalkZone while she and the trio worked on the next phase of the plan.

She soon exited out of the forest and she stopped. She stared at what laid before her. She couldn’t help but smile. She folded her arms behind her back. She took in a deep breath, her chest inflating and deflating. It felt good to be back here. It had been such a long time since she last set foot here, and it was like how she remembered it. It looked like the place was still operational, too. That was good. She wasn’t sure if she could repair it as some parts were drawn by Cosmo, and he, thanks to that brat, was no longer around to help.

She watched as the light of Solar Pillars moved about, going about their work like they did years ago. The light looked just as powerful as ever. She could just picture it all now. The lights concentrating together, aimed at a specific target, the ensuing explosion...yes it was all beautiful. She couldn’t wait to do that again. She couldn’t wait to have this place completely operational again, fully functional and ready to cause some destruction to help further her goals. Without hesitation, she stepped onto the thin, clear platform that rested above void. She stared at the light and began to walk towards it.

Ah yes, the light... It had that ability to draw people into it. Black chalk artists were the ones mostly affected, but it can also draw in zoners and white chalk creators if they weren’t careful enough. There was something about the light that did it. Beckoning them, like it wanted them to come close enough to kill them... Sentient light that sided with the black chalk. And the writing on the walls that can only be seen in the light...yes the light has a way of making sure only those it wants can see what the writing really says.

Jenny wasn’t entirely sure how this sentient light came to ally with the black chalk. It had been around as long as the black chalk. But whatever brought them together, the light had been an excellent ally, giving them a boost in strength and providing a safe stronghold for them. The light was always willing to do the bidding of the black chalk and the two worked great together as a team. And she knew that alliance was still there. She could feel the sentient light calling out to her, drawing her closer to the structure in the middle of the void.

The Solar Pillars could stand to use a little sprucing up, but it wasn’t really that dirty and it didn’t seem to be broken either. A little worn, but not really terrible. The rotation system still worked and that was definitely good, as that bit was the hardest to design and draw to make it work well. It seemed so simple, but she recalled the frustration when she tried to create the particular bit of the Solar Pillars. But when she finally got it to work...that was just a triumphant moment for her. And from that point forward, the Solar Pillars was a highly lethal weapon, able to concentrate high levels of energy and destroy nearly any target in ChalkZone.

And of course, her favorite part of the Solar Pillars is its potential to wipe out all of ChalkZone. While she had lied to Wilter and Biclops about how the activation works, she was not lying about how the Solar Pillars can call upon the power of real world water. All she had to do was set up portals in the right place, a few tweaks here or there, and that was it. Real world water would be pumped into ChalkZone, and she would be able to use it to wipe out whole sections of this place. It didn’t matter if she destroyed everything; it can always be redrawn.

She had originally planned on saving it for later, but due to the way the plan was turning out, she decided to bump it up a little. She had recently gotten news from Ghadir, who spied on the hospital for a little bit, that Rudy was taken by the metal finger zoner, Raiden. Jenny was surprised that Raiden was able to hide himself so well for so long. And in plain sight as well. Perhaps the zoners weren’t so intelligent after all...not that they were that smart to begin with. No wonder Cosmo thought their function was best as expendable labor. That’s what they all were. Expendable.

Even Draow, the most vicious and loyal of Mr. Cosmo’s creations, could be replaced...and the winged wolf not only knew this, but proudly embraced it. He was one of the few zoners who understood that he was expendable and would serve his purpose for however long he could. And if someone better came along and if he were to be killed, he’d expect it. He was probably one of the very few smart zoners out there. He was one of the few that Jenny could admire. Plus, he did serve Cosmo much better than Biclops had.

Moving onto the next plan was not very easy. It required speeding things up a little and risking exposure. But they were able to pull it off. She decided that both Biclops and Wilter were dangerous to keep around. Although she hadn’t wanted to kill them, since they might still prove of some use, she had other ways of dealing with them. One of their recent attacks should have provoked the Luminos to attack Biclops. She hadn’t been able to confirm it herself, but based on what she heard, this part was a success and, if they were right, Biclops was taken to another hospital, far away from the one Rudy was in.

Mr. Wilter, on the other hand, it was easy taking him down. He still had some internal damage. Just a few kicks in the right spot and he went down. He was currently locked up in Solar Pillars where he won’t be able to bring potential harm to the plan. While it was possible he wouldn’t be able to give as much assistance to the trio as he could in the past, with those injuries, Jenny knew, from experience, not to underestimate him.

Wilter had proven to be an effective enemy years ago. After his betrayal and joining the ranks of the wretched white chalk artists, he had used his intimate knowledge of the black chalk users to, slowly, turn the war’s tide in favor of those unblessed artists. Though Wilter had been hurt, defeated, and unable to get close to Cosmo, he had eventually succeeded. He won because they made the mistake of underestimating him and assuming that he’d never ge through. They had forgotten that failure means education, and the more Wilter failed, the smarter he got, and he managed to catch them off guard...

Jenny’s stomach twisted in knots as she thought about it. She felt a burning sensation, making her want to throw up out of anger. Wilter had caused them enough grief as a kid. And she knows he was somehow involved with Cosmo’s defeat a couple years ago. She knows that the man has ways of getting the upper hand and was smarter than he appeared to be. So instead of giving him the chance to potentially ruin this plan, she decided to get him out of the picture, to not allow him contact with the trio until this was all over.

She now stood at the base of the Solar Pillars. She looked up, smiling as the light loomed all around her. As it passed over her, she could feel its energy. She stiffened a little, and then relaxed, feeling content in the light. She could feel herself becoming stronger and more alert while under the light. She opened her eyes and looked at the writing on the wall. She could read the portion she could see quite clearly while in the light.

It read:

“The Origin Light shall serve the Origin Dark. Together, they will bring about a new balance, combine the worlds that should be one, and recreate the world to serve all.”

Jenny smiled at this. Yes, this is what was going to happen eventually. It will happen. She would see to that. Cosmo had tried to help the black chalk and the sentient light, which they started to refer to as servant light, succeed in their goal, the same one he had shared thanks to their enlightenment, the same one all black chalk artists shared. Though it has been delayed, they would succeed...eventually.

She started to go up the steps. She kept going, never stopping once, until she reached the top of the structure. She remembered enjoying being up here. It was such a terrific advantage point. They could see for miles in all directions. They often used this point to see if the white chalk artists were coming towards them. Quite often, they were able to have the element of surprise on their side, able to attack them from a different angle than they were expecting. Only on a few occassions did the white chalk artists take them by surprise.

As she stood there, her mind went to thinking about the next phase of the plan. Ghadir had informed her about how she saw the Luminos take the machine back to their hideout. This bit of news was all Jenny needed to know that the Luminos would catch the trio after their little dimensional hopping. From there, they would be locked up and eventually killed.

That...was exactly what she wanted.

Not the killing part. Jenny would rather be the one to kill Rudy and his friends. However, she did want them all together in one place. She already knew where the Luminos’s hideout was. It was easy getting that information from one of the Luminos they kidnapped. The dog was easy to coerce. And with a location confirmed, and with the trio and the Luminos on one place, they had just become one giant target...

Yes, it would be so easy to eliminate them now. Her enemies, all in one place... All she had to do was operate the Solar Pillars and have the servant light concentrate its fire on that one place, that one single location. It would annihilate it, kill everyone. It would be glorious. After that, there would be no one standing in their way...well almost. She would need to take care of the parents afterwards. She would need to make sure they don’t get a chance to interfere with the plan. She thought about killing them, but opted to just capture them instead and lock them up with Mr. Wilter.

And even if some of the survive the blast, she knew the explosion would wipe out most of them. If not the trio, then a large chunk of the Luminos would be gone. That would weaken them and make them easier to deal with. Yes...with just a handful left, it would be too easy picking them off one by one. They could separate them from each other and kill them off. They would have no backup... They would be easy to get rid of...

Jenny smirked evilly at the thought. Yes, it would all work out so well. Finally, they could be rid of the enemies that stand in the way of the glorious black chalk and its faithful companion, the servant light. They would be able to usher in a new era, one that they would have control over. They would fuse the real world and ChalkZone together to create a new world. The black chalk and the servant light had the power to do so. They could easily merge the real world and the chalk world together. They could easily put zoners in their proper place as expendable labor. And she looked forward to it.

She walked over to a raised, nearly invisible button on the top of the structure. She lifted up her foot and pressed down on it. There was a slight hiss as the button was pressed all the way down. Then, seconds later, she heard another hiss and a scrape. She looked behind her and saw that a small opening appearing on the ground, a piece of stone moving aside to reveal a dark passageway. She took one last look around her, as if to make sure that there was truly no one here, and then headed down the staircase.

Almost immediately, the stone slab shut, casting her in darkness. This only lasted a few seconds when multiple black lights turned on, enough to illuminate the hallway enough to see. She moved down it slowly. It was a very narrow passageway with nothing on the walls except circular black lights, the faint purple glow creating a violet aura around her. Moving down the staircase as it moved straight down was difficult, especially given how narrow it was and how dark it was. But she was able to make it, having remembered this place like the back of her hand.

She soon moved into a new corridor. This one was better light. Instead of black light, it was some regular white lights. They were still dull, but she could see more clearly here. The interior in this area looked kinda like a fusion of an old building and some high tech office. There were no doors to any of these rooms, instead having curved openings that sort of pointed at each other, but never quite connected. She moved through this corridor, looking left and right at all the few rooms located in here.

She remembered this area. It was where much of the planning had taken place. The multiple rooms had different purposes, with the center ‘hallway’ that she was walking through, which was wider, being where the meetings themselves took place. One room would have snacks. Another would have computers where they could store data. Another had images of their enemies and their creations. Another had maps of ChalkZone. Yes...they were quite prepared, even back then. The black chalk’s gift of knowledge enabled them to do things that people would not associate with children.

But she didn’t come here to remininsce over the good times she had here. She could always do that later. She wanted to bring Tyreek and Ghadir here so they can discuss their next plans. With their hideout in the real world discovered, they needed to go somewhere else, and what better place than the Solar Pillars? Yes..this place would do nicely. Even if the trio found them here, they would have a hard time getting through thanks to this structure’s security system. But for now, she would set those thoughts aside, as she had something else to take care of first.

Jenny turned down a new hallway. This one shifted from the white light back to the black light from before. The circular lights illuminated the hallway just enough so that she could walk down it. This hallway was still thin like the first one she went in, but it wasn’t quite so much. It was roomier, allowing her more breathing room as she walked along the stone floor. Just like before, there wasn’t really anything on the walls except the lights. No signs, no pictures, no nothing. Just black lights. The black chalk artists knew their way around the place by heart; signs were unnecessary and would only lead to trouble if a white chalk artist infiltrated their place.

She soon came upon a two-way intersection. She turned left and headed down that way. The hallway changed shape slightly, becoming slightly curved and the black lights replaced by torches, giving the place a foreboding, important look. The place’s overall appearance now looked a bit like a dungeon almost, but more modernized and having metal doors on each side, rather than wooden. Jenny continued down this hallway, her eyes narrowed.

She remembered this place well. It was the torture chamber. Or specifically, the holding chamber, as not all their victims were tortured. Still, this was the area where white chalk artists were brought in when they were captured. They’d be detained in one of the rooms and be forced to join their ranks or die, or give up vital information. Jenny could still hear the screams echoing down the hallways. Lovely screams from their victims, the enemies of the black chalk. She smirked at the memory of it.

Even though it’s been years, the smell of death still hung strongly in this place. Not just of death, but of dirt and the mugginess of it all. It all intermingled together, creating the strong, horrible smell. But somehow, to her, that small was welcoming, beckoning her further down. It gave her a sensation of being home. It gave her a sense of accomplishment. Oh how she’d love to relive those days... And she will. As long as everything goes according to plan, she will get a chance to relive the glory days.

Of course, being here also brought about a bad memory. She recalled how they used to have a torture doctor, Inez Sanchez. Inez had been, for a time, a wonderful addition to the team. Her knowledge of anatomy and her specific torture methods had made it easy to convert or get rid of threats. Her work was quite valuable to Cosmo. Though she hardly left the Solar Pillars, she was still a major part of everything going on. Jenny recalled watching one of her torture sessions once and thoroughly enjoying it.

But then it all changed. Her blood boiled at the memory of Inez changing sides. She didn’t know what caused it, but she was certain it had to do with Wilter. The fact that Wilter defected shortly after was quite telling. She had a feeling that he was the one who did something to Inez to make her lose her hold of the black chalk, poisoned her into joining the other side. Or rather, leave ChalkZone entirely and never returning...

...until now...

Yes, she could do something about it now. Inez, Penny’s mother, was in ChalkZone once again. Though she doesn’t remember anything of her glorious past, Jenny could do something about that. Out of the adults, perhaps she should keep Inez alive. She could weed her out from the group, drag her here, and recorrupt her. She could bring back the torture doctor they had lost so many years ago. Yes, it would be splended to have that woman back on their side. But she would worry about it later, as right now, there were other things to take care of first.

Moving through a metal door and heading down a new hallway, the smell of death was stronger, making Jenny flare her nostrils. She looked left and right, smiling at the few bones that remained here still. Even after all these years, they were still there. Shattered, broken bones from enemies that were tortured to death. Nonchalantly, she picked up one skull. The small child’s skull had a deep crack in the middle of the top of the head, and the jaw had been dislocated. She didn’t quite remember what happened to this kid. They tortured and killed so many it was hard to keep track of them. She tossed the skull behind her, hearing it crack and break as it hit against the ground.

She soon heard the sound of moaning. A broader smile spread across her face. She knew that moan anywhere. It was music to her ears. She continued down, the moans and groans getting louder with each step she took. Soon she came up to one of the doors. Metal like all the others, with only a single scratch in it to mark it and identify it. She opened the door and swung it open.

Inside was a small room with multiple chains on the wall and some straw strewn about. Not much else here besides a little bit of water in a bowl. The room had a strong dusty smell to it, and the walls dripped with chalk water. Moving further in, she took note of some blood stains, left behind by past victims years ago. But there was also some fresh blood. Real world blood as there were small indentions in the walls starting to form that weren’t there when she was here last. This blood, along with the groans that were the loudest here, it all came from the room’s single occupant.

Horace Wilter.

Jenny saw the man laying on the ground, curled up in the ball. She smirked at this, happy to see that his spirit was starting to break finally. Their little beatdown from before didn’t work so well. But this time, it seemed that Wilter was finaly starting to see what he can’t win. She was certain that he still had some spirit in him, but it was waning. He’ll be easier to control now. It will be easy making sure that this man never interfere with their plans again.

She approached him slowly. She watched as he shivered in pain on the ground, his moans echoing off the walls. She noted his condition. He had suffered a second beat down, but this time, she made sure he was brought into ChalkZone, where he was locked up here. His body was covered in new bruises and cuts. His shirt was covered in the dirt of this room. There multiple scrapes on his body. His clothing a little torn and tattered, and his leg had been broken. She could see the bone sticking out, courtesy of the break that Tyreek had given him.

Wilter had a metal cuff strapped to his neck, chaining him to the wall like some kind of animal. That was what all this was...treating their victims like animals. The straw and the water in a bowl were additional features to give it that feel. The chain was so low that Wilter could not stand up even with both legs unbroken. It was designed to keep their victims on the ground, on all fours. And it was for no other reason other than just to amuse the black chalk artists. It felt great reducing their enemies to this level. It made the black chalk artists feel...empowered.

As much as she wanted to listen to him groan some more, she decided to add some more...noise to this room besides that. She broke the silence and spoke to the man.

“Hello...Horace...”

Wilter lifted up his head and looked at her. She smiled at the look in his eyes. Though he narrowed them and tried to look tough, she could see the pain, the hopelessness shining in those eyes. Yes, that’s exactly how she wanted him to look at her. After all the trouble he’s caused, he deserved this.

Wilter said in a low voice, “Jenny...” He let out a cough. “What...do you want? Haven’t you done...enough already?” He winced in pain.

Jenny walked a couple steps towards him. She grinned down at him in satisfaction. “Oh how it pleases me so much to see you reduced to this.” Wilter growled at this. Jenny ignored it. “You might have managed to trick Teddisson...but you couldn’t do so with me. I know your little tricks, Wilter.”

“Congratulations.” Wilter said in a bitter tone. “Not like it’s going to..do you any good.” He attempted to raise his head up further, but his chain didn’t go out this way. He pulled on his neck a little and winced before lowering his head again. “It’s not me you need to worry about. Rudy will..stop you...”

“Oh will he now?” Jenny asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Yes.” Wilter nodded his head. “I have faith in him. There’s a...good reason...I let him into ChalkZone all those years ago...”

Ah yes, Jenny remembered that. She had caught wind of how Rudy was let into ChalkZone in the first place. Wilter had left a piece of magic chalk for him to find, in hopes that Rudy would discover ChalkZone, and sure enough, he did. That was one of the very last non-expiring chalk, as due to the magic chalk war, Biclops or someone did something to the chalk to make it rot after an extended period of time. All magic chalk now had an expiration date. Wilter might still have one of the last non-expiring magic chalk at his disposal, and if he did, it was well hidden.

But that didn’t matter, as Jenny had no interest in it. She already had the black chalk, and that is what she preferred to draw and create with anyway. The puny white chalk was no match for the power given by the enlightening black chalk. Yes, soon, so very soon, she would ensure that the white chalk never causes her trouble again. Soon, only the black chalk would remain...

“Oh, dear Horace..how do you think Rudy will stop me when he has no idea what I’m up to?” Jenny said with a sneer on her face. “He’s too...preoccupied right now. And I can guarantee you..he’ll be in no condition to fight back.”

“Don’t underestimate him...” Wilter warned.

“Oh I won’t. Don’t worry, Horace. I don’t plan on making the same mistake with him as I did you.” Jenny smirked at him. She folded her arms against her chest, her mind swimming with thoughts of all the things she was going to do to that boy. “Yes.. I think if I break his arms and legs, he wouldn’t be able to fight back very well...don’t you think?”

Wilter looked at her in horror. He then narrowed his eyes and growled, but he made to attempt to talk back at her. She could see the look of fear in his eyes. The man was trying so hard to hide it..but he was failing miserably, she could tell. She chuckled at this, amused by him trying to be defiant, yet unable to completely hide his fear from him. She could tell he was starting to break. He knew, even if he won’t admit it, that defeating the black chalk this time around was not going be as easy as it was when he did it years ago.

“However, Rudy does have...potential, even in death.” Jenny said. Seeing the look in Wilter’s eyes, Jenny’s smile spread, her teeth exposed in a nasty grin. She tilted her head to the side. “I assume you know what I’m talking about..am I right, Horace?”

Wilter’s face went pale and he shook his head from side to side. “No...you’re not...”

“It is not of my will, but the will of the black chalk.” Jenny said. She raised her head up, staring down at Wilter coldly. “The black chalk needs a host...some place to grow..someone to spread it... And Rudy is the perfect candidate for that.”

“Leave him alone!” Wilter shouted.

Jenny smirked. The man would say that about anyone whom the black chalk had chosen or wanted. He’d say that about anyone who was being targeted by them. And it was amusing how he thought that simply shouting at her to ‘leave him alone’ was going to convince her to leave Rudy be. If anything, it made her want to go after him even more just to spite Mr. Wilter.

Jenny lowered herself to one knee. She was now eye level with the man. She stared at him, their blue eyes locking onto each other. She reached out and touched his cheek. He grimaced but didn’t try to pull away. It wasn’t like he had much where else to go, and if he fought back, well, he knew he’d be taught a very painful lesson. She gently stroked his cheek, a way of messing with him, as he knews that, at any second, she could strike him.

“The black chalk has chosen Rudy Tabootie to be its spreader. Its new..host. Its pollinator. And once the black chalk chooses a host, there’s no going back. And it will have Rudy...dead..or alive..” Jenny said in a low voice. She watched as Wilter’s face went even paler. Though he tried to look brave, fear was now more prominent on his face. Ah how she loved this sight. “Don’t think that Rudy would have escaped this fate even if Cosmo hadn’t been reawakened a few years ago. Rudy’s fate was sealed ever since he was a little kid.”

Wilter looked at her in confusion. “What...what are you talking about?”

Jenny chuckled. “I’m surprised you don’t remember... But then again...” She closed her eyes, her mind thinking back to those times. “..it has been a while.” She reopened them, a small smile on her face. “Yes...such a long time.”

“What do you mean Rudy was ‘chosen’ as a kid?” Wilter asked, no, demanded. There was some force to that voice. This amused her. Wilter trying to sound brave... How funny. “I know I chose him to go into ChalkZone, but...”

Jenny waggled her finger. “Ah, but there was...something else that happened as a kid.” She lowered her hand and her chuckle shook her shoulders. “You see..something happened years ago that forced Rudy, Penny, and Snap to embark on a journey to stop an ancient epidemic... You know, the one caused by the very things used to create the red chalk.”

Wilter whispered in horror, “The tiny red bats...” He took in a shaky breath. “The balloonemia epidemic...”

“Yes. That incident.” Jenny nodded her head. “And the creature that caused this epidemic hundreds of years ago... He had marked Rudy. Oh the creature might not remember who he was, having lost that part of his mind long ago. But the black chalk part of him...the servant light that resides in him as well...they haven’t forgetten, even in that..weak form the creature now uses. And during a split moment, the black chalk and servant light temporariy activated, and marked Rudy.”

“The epidemic came back... and that creature...the host...” Wilter said in a quiet voice. Horrific realization was sweeping through his mind. “It claimed Rudy..?” Jenny nodded her head once. “But how? Wouldn’t Rudy have known he was dangerous and..?”

Jenny laughed coldly at this. “Oh no he wouldn’t. You see, the host is...more or less harmless right now. Nobody in ChalkZone, not even him, knows his true identity. You’d think they’d get suspicious without how much he knows, but then...” Jenny shrugged her shoulders. “What can I say? The zoners are pretty stupid to not have seen the signs before.” She turned around and walked away, her hands folded behind her back. She stopped and said, “But soon this host will remember his...true calling. Especially as time for a new host approaches. The black chalk and servant light residing inside of him...they will take him over...turn him back to his glorious self. Then it’ll come time to transfer that into Rudy’s body, dead or alive...”

“No!” Wilter shouted. “I won’t let you!”

The man attempted to get up and move towards her to grab her. But he didn’t get far. He pulled a little too hard and gagged himself on the metal cuff. He fell back into the ground. He let out a cry of pain and his body trembled as his wounds were irritated. Jenny turned her head and stared at him with one amused eye. Just like Horace to try to stop her, even when he was in no condition to do so. Typical.

“If I were you, Horace, dear...” Jenny said as she turned around to face him. She folded her arms against her chest and smirked at him with an amused expression. “I would worry about yourself. You will not survive here forever... I do plan on...disposing of you... Unless of course...” She held her hand out in gesture. “You could give yourself over to the black chalk and...”

“Fuck off!” Wilter snapped at her, wincing in pain. “I’ll never join the likes of you!”

“But you already worked for us before. Don’t you want to do it again? Don’t you remember what it felt like? The power?” Jenny asked, smiling at him. “Yes...I bet you miss that, don’t you?”

Mr. Wilter shook his head rapidly. “No... I don’t miss torturing and killing innocents.. Why the fuck would I miss that?”

Jenny shrugged her shoulders. “Eh...just a question.” She lowered her head, her eyes staring intently into Mr. Wilter’s. “I wonder if the host misses that power... Even if he doesn’t remember. Hmm...I suppose we’ll find that out soon enough..” She grinned at Wilter. “Won’t we?”

“Y-You will be stopped...” Mr. Wilter said, narrowing his eyes. His voice was weaker than before, and it didn’t sound like there was as much defiance in that voice. But the man was still willing to hold onto the belief that, somehow, the black chalk would be stopped again. “I know you will...” He raised his head. “You will not escape this time...”

“Oh I’m shaking.” Jenny said sarcastically, gesturing with her hand. “But rest assured that when the black chalk and servant light go to reclaim this host for the transfer...he will concede. Nobody can resist the temptation...not even the strongest among us.”

Jenny moved back towards Mr. Wilter. The man glared at her and attempted to move back. He only irritated his wounds and he fell into the ground. He gave a few whimpers of pain. Jenny reached down and grabbed his chin. She lifted up his head. She put her forehead against his, her eyes staring into his.

“He can run from his destiny. But he can’t hide from it. Sooner or later...” Jenny’s voice turned into a harsh whisper. Her eyes filling with insanity, her pupil shrinking, she gave Mr. Wilter a dire warning. “...dear old Barney...that encyclocentipedia bug...will serve the black chalk once more...even if he doesn’t want to...”


	85. Catching Up

“What...what...” Sophie’s eyes were wide with horror. “What happened here?!”

“It looks like a bomb went off here...” Tilly said, her voice trailing off.

Mr. Longhorn, still holding the unconscious snake zoner, looked all around. “I’m going to guess this isn’t normal..”

Tilly shot him a glare. “Of course it’s not normal! Why the hell would it be?!”

Mr. Longhorn shrugged. “Sorry, ma’am. You know I’m knew to this.” He glanced over at the scene before them. “With a bizarre place like this, I thought...”

“Well now you know!” Tilly snapped.

Mr. Longhorn lowered his head a little, flinching at the woman’s temper. He didn’t say anything more. The three of them, slowly, cautiously, headed towards the scene in front of them.

Sophie looked up at her mother. She could still see a glare on her face. She could understand why she was upset. Mr. Longhorn was crossing the line a little with that question. Asking of destruction was normal... She was surprised herself when he asked that. While she understood that he was new to ChalkZone and that this world had some different rules that he might not be familiar with, he had seen for himself that zoners can get hurt, so it seemed ridiculous of him ask that question.

In addition to that, Sophie also knew that Rudy was in this hospital. Like her, Tilly was very worried about him. There was no sign of Rudy anywhere..or anyone else they know for that matter. At least not from where they were currentl. Sophie looked all around, trying to find some evidence of her cousin, but there was no sign of him. Her heart started to clench. Was he trapped in the blast? Was he buried inside? Was he...dead...?

She shook her head at that last thought. No, he couldn’t be dead. He had to still be alive somewhere, somehow. She believed in Rudy. She believed that he would be able to survive something like this. He probably got away or found a way out or something. Or maybe they just haven’t found him yet. She could still see some zoners getting out of the hospital. Yes, at any moment, Rudy might come out, safe and sound. She just had to wait, be patient. Soon he’d show up. He just had to...

But the closer they got, and the more she saw that Rudy wasn’t there, nor Penny...Snap...nobody that she knew... Her heart started to sink. She still refused to believe that something bad happened to Rudy. He had been through enough already. But he was tough and... she just couldn’t believe that he might be gone. Perhaps one of the zoners might be able to help clear her mind. Surely one of them knows where Rudy was, if he was still in the building or taken somewhere or what.

As they got closer, they could see the destruction more clearly. Sophie winced at all the holes, collapsed portions, and charred sections of the hospital there were. She remembered when Penny told her about how Cosmo attacked this very hospital a couple of years ago to get to Snap. The destruction she described was bad...but this... This paled the destruction that Penny told her about. This was much worse. There was easily twice the amount of destruction. She was amazed that the building was even still standing. How had it not collapsed by now?

Whatever was still holding it up, it was enabling the zoners, both employee and patient, to get out of the wrecked building. She imagined there was a large crowd of zoners here before as the hospital has a lot of people in it. But for the moment, there was a smaller group, mostly of doctors. She could see some ambulances, and she guessed that they were being taken to another hospital. She was certain that there was more than one hospital in ChalkZone City. With a place this large, there had to be more. They needed to get Quet to a hospital.

She looked all around, seeing all the zoners and noting their injuries. She winced at them. While some weren’t too bad, just a few cuts and scrapes, others looked much more serious. Deep gashes, a broken bone or two, a charred face... She had to look away the best she could. The only good thing about that is those zoners with the worst injuries appeared to be getting help the fastest. The zoner with the horrifically burned face was getting on the ambulance now, and another was pulling up to pick up more injured zoners.

“Hey you!”

Sophie and the others turned their heads to see a humanoid zoner coming towards them. He had a frown on his face. Not one of anger but...she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. His voice sounded a little fear-filled, concern. The zoner had a name tag on. Dr. Varrick.. Yeah she remembered that name from somewhere, she was certain.

Dr. Varrick rushed over to the group and stopped. He took in a few breaths. Then he stood up straight. He wasn’t very tall, at least in comparison to her mom and Mr. Longhorn. But he wasn’t incredibly short either. She and the others waited for him to speak.

Dr. Varrick caught his breath and said, “What are you doing here? It’s dangerous!” He took in a few more breaths. “You should get out of here! We don’t know if this building well...” His voice trailed off. He looked over at Mr. Longhorn. He stared at him, locking eyes. Mr. Longhorn looked left and right, uncertain of what to do, and then smiled nervously. Dr. Varrick’s eyes widened. “You brought another human into this world?!”

“Please, it’s not what you...” Tilly started to say.

“We thought we could trust you!” Dr. Varrick’s voice was filled with anger and hurt. He glared harshly at Tilly and Sophie. He pointed a finger at them. “You were only allowed to come here if you didn’t drag anyone unauthorized with you!”

Sophie tried to speak. “But...”

“But nothing!” Dr. Varrick snarled. He glared angrily at the two, taking in a deep breath as if to try to calm himself doing. He shifted his gaze over to Mr. Longhorn. “And just who are you?” He put his hands on his hips, narrowing his eyes. “And what is your purpose here? Why were you dragged here?”

“You know, you could stand for an attitude adjustment.” Mr. Longhorn said bluntly. Dr. Varrick growled softly at this, but said nothing. Mr. Longhorn held up his hands, showing the injured snake to him. “I came with them to help escort this guy to the hospital.”

Dr. Varrick’s eyes widened as he saw Quet hanging limply in the man’s arms. He eyed him up and down, noting his condition. Mr. Longhorn took a step forward and handed the snake zoner to the doctor. Dr. Varrick, very gently, grabbed onto Quet and held him gently in his arms. His mouth open in shock, he looked the snake zoner up and down. Quet remained unconscious and unmoving. The only sign of life were the breaths he was taking. Dr. Varrick slowly turned his head to look at Mr. Longhorn, his expression of anger gone, replaced with one of confusion and surprise.

Mr. Longhorn glanced over at Sophie and Tilly. He turned back to the zoner and used his hand to gesture to them. “If you must know, these two were captured by...who they call the black chalk artists.”

Dr. Varrick took in a sharp breath. “The black chalk artists?!” His voice was laced with horror.

“Yes.” Mr. Longhorn said. “I take it you know who they are?”

“I do..” Dr. Varrick admitted.

“Okay then.” Mr. Longhorn said. “I found them in a house outside of Plainsville. They were captured and being hurt by those artists, as well as that snake...zoner I think is what you call yourselves.” Mr. Longhorn paused as if to let Dr. Varrick digest this information. The man’s eyes narrowed slightly as he continued. “I got them out of there, and upon seeing the snake zoner, I knew something was up, and yes they told me. But it wasn’t like anything but the truth would have worked at that point. I took them out of there and I helped to get them here. I assure you that I came here with good intentions.”

Dr. Varrick was silent. He just stared at Mr. Longhorn for several moments, his eyes widened even further. He looked like he was trying to speak, but couldn’t. Sophie expected him to say he was lying, but it was clear that, even if the zoner thought the man was lying, he had no way of proving. He, slowly, turned his head to look at her and her mother. His eyes were wide, silently asking for confirmation. To give it to him, she and her mom nodded affirmatively, never once hesitating.

Dr. Varrick looked back at Mr. Longhorn. “I...”

Mr. Longhorn folded his arms against his chest and narrowed his eyes. “I hope that teaches you a lesson about jumping to conclusions or throwing accusations before you get the facts.”

For a few moments, the humanoid doctor was silent. He looked down at Quet, at Sophie and Tilly, then back at Longhorn. His expression softened up a little and he let out a sigh. He closed his eyes and lowered his head. “...sorry.” Longhorn responded with a smile.

Wanting to move along past the uncomfortable subject, Sophie took a few steps towards the humanoid zoner. “What happened here?”

Dr. Varrick winced and bit his lip. He looked a little guilty for his accusation earlier. Nonetheless, he replied. “There was a bombing attack here.”

“What? Bombing?!” Tilly cried, putting her hands to her mouth in horror. Sophie clung to her mother, her heart filling with dread.

Dr. Varrick knocked his head solemnly. “Yes. The Luminos group had attacked this place several hours ago.” He turned his head and looked over. “It looks bad now...but trust me. It was so much worse not too long ago. It was chaos...” He looked back at them. “Fortunately, we have been able to get most of the patients out. We suspect some are still trapped and we are looking for them as we speak.”

Mr. Longhorn’s horror stricken face stared at the zoner before him. “Why would this...this Luminos group bomb a hospital...? What could their motivation have been...?”

“We suspect that it was because Rudy Tabootie was in there.” Came Dr. Varrick’s solemn-laced reply. “You see, the Luminos are very anti-human. The idea of any human being in ChalkZone boils their blood.” He pointed a finger at the three. “You three put yourselves at risk of an attack from them just by being here.” Noting their expressions, he quickly added, “But you might be safe for now. We haven’t seen their faces around here for a while. They were spot fleeing somewhere with some kind of weird machine... We haven’t seen them since.”

Sophie’s grip on her mother tightened. Though Dr. Varrick told them that the Luminos were out of that area, she still felt unnerved and uncomfortable. She knew a few things about that group thanks to what Quet told her. And one thing she learned is that she can’t let her guard down. The fact that this racist group had attacked this hospital just to get to Rudy...it was horrifying to think about. How could that group go as far as hurt their own kind just to get one human? How could they be all for protecting zoners...when they just endangered the lives of countless in this horrific endeavor? How...how could they justify such a thing?

Her mom looked horrified. She tried to speak, but no words would come out. Sophie put her arms around her and hugged her. Her mom barely responded. She just stared out blankly, her mouth open. She was in such a state of shock to hear about this bombing. Sophie could only imagine the emotions running through her mind right now. Similar to hers, she was sure. Shock, denial, dread, disgust, fear... all mixed together and creating an uncomfortable sensation in the back of their midnds, making their hearts twist up in knots.

Mr. Longhorn, though he didn’t know them quite as well, was just as shocked and horrified as them. He, too, was a loss for words. He made more of an effort to speak than Tilly, but it was ultimately all vain. He did manage a few words out, but nothing coherent, no complete sentences. Just mainly gibberish to reflect the state of shock he was in. Sophie imagined his mind was a torrent of emotions. He was just brought into this strange new world, and this was his introduction to it. She hoped that this wouldn’t give him reason to betray them somewhere down the line.

Sophie hoped and prayed that her cousin was okay. She hoped that he managed to escape the Luminos. She hoped that he hadn’t been injured further. He was already going through enough already. He didn’t need more added on top of that. He didn’t need this horrible group taking advantage of his weakness like this. That horrible disease ravaging his body... A few tears formed in her eyes. That disease... She hoped it would be dealt with soon.

And the zoners... She looked over at the destruction of the hospital. She grimaced at the sight of it. She hoped there hadn’t been any casualties. These zoners didn’t deserve to suffer from the wrath of some insane group who can’t see logic if it was thrown in their faces. They hadn’t done anything at all to deserve that. But if what Quet told her was true, then nothing would convince them that they were wrong. They would simply insist that it was for the good of all of ChalkZone, that, somehow, all of this destruction was justified.

Then she remembered a name. One particular name she had grown to despise.

Dr. Raiden...

Had he been involved in this? Was he in charge of the bombing? Did he do something to Rudy? Her heart tightened at the thought. The cheetah had been allowed near Rudy so many times... He had so many opportunities to off Rudy.. And he had played with their emotions. The memories of Raiden, what he had done, and knowing it was all fake, it boiled her blood. She couldn’t believe they had trusted Rudy’s life to a...a monster...

Her mom spoke up after several moments of silence.

Tilly asked, “Where...where is Rudy...?” Her voice was hesitant, laced with emotion.

Dr. Varrick looked at her. His face slowly filled with an expression of regret. He shook his head slowly. “We...have suspicion that he was captured.”

Tilly gasped in horror. “What...?”

“By who?” Sophie asked. She had a feeling she knew who did this. And she had a feeling that Varrick was going to confirm what she already suspected.

And sure enough he did.

“Dr. Raiden.”

Tilly took a step back. “D-Dr. Raiden...? But..I thought...wasn’t he...?” Tilly looked left and right. Emotion was sweeping through her body, making it shake. “Isn’t Dr. Raiden...?”

“If you’re trying to ask if he was one of the doctors in charge of taking care of Rudy, then yes. Which is why it came as a shock to me and the other doctors when we found out he had a hand in all of this.” Dr. Varrick said. He used a hand to gesture to the hospital, to all the zoners, many injured. “We suspect that he coordinated the attacks, and then grabbed Rudy during the commotion. I had thought he was just aiding him out but...” Dr. Varrick lowered his head. “According to Dr. Urso, Dr. Raiden’s behavior was...contradictory to what he should know.”

Sophie was horrified. She couldn’t believe it. Rudy was taken away by this..this monster.. And she had no idea where he was. What did Raiden do to him? Where did he take him? Her body was a sweeping mess of emotions as she tried to process what was going on. She felt more tears come into her eyes, and she wasn’t able to stop a few from moving down her face. This...this couldn’t be happening...

Dr. Varrick continued, “I spotted him taking Rudy down the wrong corridor, towards a forbidden part of the hospital. You see, this place was built upon an old part of ChalkZone called Tavern Town, if I remember the name correctly. It’s supposedly not well maintained and too dangerous to walk around in. I don’t know what happened after that, as I did not follow.” He looked around at the horrified humans. His face filled with more regret. “Dr. Urso did let Blocky, Rapsheeba and Snap go in there to try to find him...but they vanished. Dr. Urso went after them and...we haven’t seen him either.” He sighed and turned his head away. “We haven’t seen any sign of Rudy, Rapsheeba, Snap, Blocky, or Dr. Urso since then.”

“I...I don’t believe it...” Tilly said. She took in a few shaky breaths. “You mean, all this time..Dr. Raiden was... fooling us?”

“He fooled all of us, ma’am...”Dr. Varrick said, nodding his head slowly. “And I can’t tell you how sorry we were. If we had known about Dr. Raiden’s involvement with the Luminos, we wouldn’t have trusted him anywhere near your nephew.”

Tilly stared at Dr. Varrick for several seconds. Her eyes slowly narrowed. She bared her teeth and growled. She formed fists with her hands. Her body shook with emotion. “Why that no good....! I’m going to...!”

Sophie put a hand on her mom’s arm. Tilly looked down at her daughter. Sophie looked up at her and said, “Please...I’m...I’m sure he’s okay...I’m sure they’re all okay...” She wasn’t sure if she could trust her own words. But she had to believe Rudy was okay. She looked over at Dr. Varrick pleadingly. “Is there anyway that Rudy and the others...”

The humanoid doctor replied quickly. “I don’t know. I told you, I haven’t seen them since they all went to that forbidden area.” He paused and glanced down at Quet. “I need to get this guy to the ambulance over there.” He looked back at the group. “If you want to ask more questions, try asking Skrawl over there. He might have seen something of importance.”

“Skrawl?” Mr. Longhorn asked, looking confused by the name.

Tilly, not looking at him, nodded her head. “Y-Yeah.. He’s a friend of Rudy’s...” From the sound of her voice, her mind was still reeling horridly from the emotions she was feeling. Sophie understood why her mom felt like this, as she too was feeling a similar wave of emotions right now. Tilly looked at Dr. Varrick and said, “Thank you for the information..”

“No problem. I wish you the best of luck.” With that, Dr. Varrick walked away, holding Quet in his arms.

Tilly stared down at her daughter and then looked in the direction Varrick had pointed at. “Come on...let’s go talk to Skrawl.”

sss

Draow couldn’t believe it. He could be back in the Fire Zone, enjoying a good hunt and a good meal. He never thought he’d miss the Fire Zone so much. But he would prefer that over his current predicament.

Why had he agreed to that stupid deal Skrawl made? He couldn’t even remember what it was. And right now, he was too infuriated to care. He should have just ignored the deal and moved on. If Bardot wanted to accept it so badly, well good for him. As much as he respected the guy for his aggression, and for technically killing Snap, even if it was just short-lived, he should have just let Bardot go on his own and remain behind in the Fire Zone. Although that place was rather hostile, it was better than where he was now.

Here he was, being forced to carry this debris away from the hospital. He had been duped into making this deal and now he can’t get out of it. He wanted nothing to do with cleaning up this mess. He could care less about those stupid zoners trapped in the hospital. They can all die and go to hell for all he cared. But it was too late to back out. With this shock collar on him, he had no choice but to keep following through with the deal.

And that wasn’t the only thing keeping him from flying away. Helping him with this load of debris was Tsere. Just like Skrawl said, Tsere had arrived shortly, not long after Bardot disappeared into the building. Tsere had been pretty cooperative with him and helped him move the debris. Although there was hostility between then, it never amounted to anything physical. Although perhaps that would have been better...

Draow was uncomfortable being this close to Tsere. Out of all the zoners, Tsere was the only one years ago that could best him, both when Cosmo was a kid and when Cosmo had reawakened, before Rudy caused his death. Draow had good reason to hate this particular zoner, to fear him... Up until Snap’s lucky punch two years ago, Tsere had remained the only zoner who had defeated him in a one-on-one combat.

Draow remembered those days. He had terrorized the skies, the zoners.. He had been a beast that was widely feared and dreaded. He remembered the screams of horror from his victims as he came diving down, ready to rip them apart. A smile spread across his muzzle as he thought of these memories. Yes, those were the glory days. He had been a major factor in turning the tides in favor of the black chalk artists. His lethal precision, his deadly attacks, it tore apart the opposition. While there were complications, the one thing that mattered is that they were winning the war.

But that all changed when Wilter defected from the group. Draow’s ears flattened and he growled at the memory of it. If it weren’t for Wilter’s betrayal, they would have won. While things didn’t go downhill right away, ever since that jerk betrayed them, slowly, the tide turned against them. Wilter’s knowledge of the black chalk artists proved to be a lethal weapon. Then he had created Tsere, an equal to him, and there went his reputation...sort of. He was still feared, but Tsere was able to keep him at bay much of the time. For the first time since his creation, he had an equal.

And he hated it... He hated having someone who can beat him a fight. He hated knowing that there was something, about his size, who could take him down. Draow was not afraid of going up against someone his size or even larger. But the thought of an enemy who could defeat him boiled his blood. Tsere was often a step ahead of him due to his faster flying, and overall being more agile than him.

When he bit down on his wing three years ago..yes...that was the ultimate payback. The feel of the bone crushing in his jaws, the blood splattering the ground... Yes... That was the first time he can recall doing that much damage to the pterosaur. He had robbed Tsere the power of flight for a long time, and he was unable to help Rudy, Penny, and Snap while he and Bardot terrorized them. It may not have lasted as long as he had hoped, but it was satisfactory enough. If he didn’t have this shock collar on, he would go much further and rip off Tsere’s wing.

The only thing pleasant about this whole thing is that Tsere couldn’t talk. Or at least, he never heard him talk. He wasn’t sure if Tsere took a vow of silence like he had. Draow remembered that day. Not long after his creation day, Draow had willingly vowed not to speak to lure the enemy into a false sense of confidence, to trick them into thinking he was just some dumb animal, letting him pull off some..amazing feats, taking them by surprise. Tsere on the other hand..he wasn’t certain. The pterosaur was intelligent, he’d give him that. Sentient and understands speech. But whether or not he could actually talk, he didn’t know.

Not that he cared or anything. Now wasn’t really the time for such trivial questions. Right now was the time to continue on with this deal to get it over with. He couldn’t back out of it now, so he might as well suck it up and keep going. It wasn’t like this was the first trip out here. If he could make it through the past ten trips, he can make it through this one.

Up ahead, he could see their destination. The Wait ‘N Sea, a large body of water that stretched for miles. It wouldn’t take them long to reach it. After that, they can get rid of this pile of rubble and go back for the next batch. Or perhaps they could rest a little after this. His wings were getting a little tired. This was not a light load. None of them were. Even with Tsere’s help, taking away some of the burden, it was still very heavy and it took so much effort to fly it all the way out here.

He had no idea why Skrawl insisted they take it out here. Wasn’t there a dump or something they could use in the city? He tried to reason with Skrawl, but the jellybean insisted they did it this way. He said something about how there was too much debris for the dump or something, which he called bullshit on. But if he wanted the debris to be dumped out here, then so be it. He hoped that Skrawl wouldn’t complain to him later, because he was the one who insisted they did it this way.

Soon they were flying over it. They continued along for a while. There wasn’t many zoners out here save for a few birds and the occasional fish that jumped out of the water. When they got about sixty feet away from the shore, Draow started to loosen his grip on the tarp used to hold the debris. Almost right away, there was a loud, warning screech. Draow turned his head to look.

Tsere looked at him with eyes blazing an unspoken warning. Draow stared at him, his mouth partially open. Oh of course Tsere would react this way... He rolled his eyes. He continued to loosen his grip, but Tsere gave another screech and he struck forward with his wing, narrowly missing him.

Draow looked at him and said, “What? It’s faster if we do it this way.”

Tsere narrowed his eyes into slits. Slowly, the pterosaur shook his head from side to side. Then he used his wing to gesture out in front of them. Draow looked up ahead, noticing, up ahead about two hundred feet or more away, what appeared to be a tall, cone-shaped mountain. He looked back at Tsere.

“Oh come on... You mean to say that we can’t just drop this into the ocean?” Tsere responded with a shake of the head. Draow pricked up his ears. “Oh why not? It’s not like anyone is going to know!”

Tsere just looked at him with that same expression. Knowing that he wasn’t going to be able to convince Tsere to take a shortcut, Draow flattened his ears and rolled his head back.

“Oh fine... We’ll do it your way.” Draow muttered. He shot Tsere a look. “Are you happy now, you overgrown scaly bird?”

Tsere’s eyes narrowed further. But then, almost instantly, he smiled. He closed his eyes for a moment and nodded his head once, giving something of a happy trill. Draow rolled his eyes at this. He grumbled under his breath. He could hear Tsere let out a series of low chirps, his way of laughing. He growled at him but didn’t say a word. He turned his attention back to the task at hand. He and Tsere continued their way towards the mountain.

Soon they reached it. The mountain was actually a volcano, but it was inactive for a long time. Skrawl insisted dropping the debris in here would be safer as there’s no zoners here. Dropping the debris shouldn’t stir up anything, at least not with this volcano. There was no lava to be found here, just some cooled down magma that hardened into stone. Working with Tsere, they flew overhead until they were right above it. Down below, he could see the other debris they dropped. Turning the tarp to the side, the debris fell down.

After they dumped the load, Draow turned to Tsere. “Okay...time for the twelfth trip. Oh the joy...” He rolled his eyes. This prompted a playful sneer from the pterosaur. “Oh shut up! Now come on! Let’s get this over wi...”

He didn’t get a chance to finish that sentence. Without warning, water, lots of it, splashed over him. The suddenness of it nearly caused him to drop his end of the tarp. He gasped and choked as the water washed over his face. A cold chill swept through his body as the water coated him, soaking his fur. In a matter of seconds, he was sopping wet, his ears lowered and his fur plastered downward, the ends of them dripping of liquid. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tsere struggling not to laugh.

Coughing, Draow muttered, “Well, good thing these shock collars are water proof...” He coughed one more time. “Otherwise, I’d be the world’s first fried bat wolf cuisine....” Tsere let out a series of loud, laughing chirps. Draow shot him a glare. “Oh shut up...”

Tsere just continued to laugh at him. Draow growled, his ears flattening against his skull and his teeth bared. Tsere ignored him and gave him a grin of sorts. But then, his expression rapidly changed. Draow was confused when he watched his enemy go from being very amused to suddenly scared. The pterosaur’s eyes widened, his pupils shrinking into dots. Draow tilted his head to the side. Just what had startled the zoner so much? Curious, Draow turned his head in the direction Tsere was looking.

He froze. His own eyes widened. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. No wonder Tsere was so startled. That portion of ChalkZone...didn’t look like this just moments ago. There, up ahead, Draow could see a twisted torrent of clouds. Nothing that appeared to be dangerous in of itself. It was what was in the clouds that caught his attention. Something was distorting the sky a little there. Something bright...

It didn’t take him long to realize that it was a thin vertical shaft of light. Well almost vertical. There was a curve to it. Looking at it carefully, Draow could make out the curvature’s direction. It was pointed straight at them...almost. Draow quickly realized what happened. That light beam must have hit the ocean somewhere, and he was caught in the aftermath of it. He shook his head, feeling the water droplets fall from his fur.

Then, not long after the light faded away, there was another. It was a little thick in the front, and then thin as it went down. He couldn’t tell if there was another shape to it. He was too far away. He couldn’t even hear this thing go off. But then, as he kept staring at the light, he realized...he didn’t have to get closer. He already knew what this was. Yes, he had seen this before. Long ago... He never thought he was going to see it again.

While Tsere might be struck with fear, a different emotion waved through Draow’s body. His muzzle twisted into a smile. His eyes glinted and a dark chuckle escaped his throat. He swiveled his head in Tsere’s direction. For once, the pterosaur gave him a horrified expression. Yes, he loved this look. Tsere rarely showed a fearful expression towards him. This was a lovely change of pace. Seeing that smile wiped off his beak was priceless. And now, it seemed things were starting to look up.

“You know what that is...don’t you...?” Draow turned his head to the side, a nasty grin spreading across his muzzle. “I think you remember that, don’t you? Yes, how could you forget? You were there...”

Draow loved watching his enemy start to shiver in terror. He loved watching Tsere lose any sense of amusement in him, replaced by shock and fear. Draow couldn’t hold back his cold laughter. Things were going to change. The tide was going to shift. His enemies would soon fall to their knees. And he was going to be there to witness it all. Oh how it shall be glorious. No one, not even the so-called Great Creator, would be able to resist this power. Let’s see those brats try to stop the black chalk’s plan this time.

Draow turned his attention back to the light shooting up. He watched as it touched the sky. He could see it curve, again going towards the ocean. This time, he could see the light hit against the large body of water. He could see the resulting splash, the giant tidal wave pouring outward. Yes, he recognized this light from anywhere. He knew what it meant. Tsere knew what it entailed. Oh what a splendid turn of events...

Draow turned his head and looked at Tsere with his piercing teal eyes. “You are aware that the light there...it’s from the Solar Pillars...” Draow sneered. “The Solar Pillars is operational again.” Flying closer to Tsere and putting his face in front of his, he said, “And you know what that means, don’t you...?”

Tsere looked at him, eyes wide in horror. The pterosaur shook his head, not as a way of saying he didn’t know, but as a way of showing utter disbelief. Draow just grinned evilly at this.

“Cosmo’s partner, Jenny Hope, is back...”

sss

“Oh come on! Do you really expect us to believe that?”

“Yeah! We saw it all with our own eyes! How can you say that it’s not real?”

“Maybe you just want to hog it all for yourself!”

Reggie did not like where this was going. Although he hardly knew a lot about ChalkZone, he did feel the same sense of urgency as the adults with him did in trying to keep it a secret. Plus, he had promised he would do what he could to help, and that is what he intended to do. He didn’t want to let them down. He had to keep trying. Not just him, but the adult with him as well. They couldn’t give up, despite how difficult things were at this point.

But...what could they do? The audience, so far, hadn’t been convinced that what they saw was a fake. He wasn’t sure about what everything they had seen. But whatever they saw, it was clear they felt it was good enough evidence to support this place’s existence. Had they seen footage of Rudy and Penny? Had they seen footage of them going into ChalkZone? Had they seen footage of a zoner in the real world? All of these things might be convincing enough for the audience to believe it was real, and to refuse to believe anything otherwise.

Normally, this wouldn’t bother him as much. People will believe what they want. He learned that growing up. Everyone did, a natural part of growing up. If there wasn’t anything at stake, he would just say screw it and let the audience believe that this place is real. But he knew he couldn’t do that. Although he wasn’t sure just how alive zoners were still, he wasn’t going to take the chance. If there was a chance that they were alive, he didn’t want to turn his back on Penny. He wanted to say here and try to make the audience belief it wasn’t real. But how?

The parents had been trying the longest. They tried all kinds of things to try to convince the audience that it was just some movie. That was the goal. According to Terry, it would be the most believable thing they could do. That or a game, something, anything to divert the whole ‘the chalk world is real’ thing. It wasn’t going to be easy. They all knew that from the start. But it was disheartening to see the parents try in vain to convince the people here, and it was all to no avail.

Then when Terry came, he thought they had a chance. But that hope went down the drain. Though she tried valiantly, even her efforts didn’t work. If anything, it convinced the people in the audience even more that there was a world of chalk. They had begun to shout demands at them.

“We know this place is real! Give us a way inside! We want to see!” A black-haired man in the back shouted.

“Yeah!” A woman in the middle called out, standing up from her seat and waving a fist. “You can’t keep this to yourself!”

Another woman, this one in the front, leaned forward and put her hands to her mouth. “Tell us how to get in!”

“We want in!”

The people began to chant that last phrase over and over again. At first, it was just a few. But then more and more started to shot it. Demanding it, their voices raising louder and louder. They waved their fists in the air, their narrowed eyes facing them. Terry, the parents, and Reggie began to back away. The tension in the room was beginning to rise, making them all feel uncomfortable, not to mention unnerved by all of this.

Reggie stood close to the adults as he looked around. Left and right he turned his head. All he could see were a bunch of angry people demanding entrance into this world of chalk. They looked angry enough that, if they didn’t give them what they wanted or if they didn’t convince them otherwise, they would rush them and attack. He bit his lip. This wasn’t good. He looked over at the adults.

Mrs. Tabootie turned to her husband, her eyes wide in fear. “Oh Joe...what are we going to do? Rudy’s counting on us, and we...”

Mr. Tabootie grabbed his wife’s hand and put an arm around her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. “Don’t worry, Milly. We’ll..we’ll think of something...”

“But what if we don’t?” Mrs. Tabootie looked over at the audience nervously. “We’ve tried...but they won’t listen...”

“Now now...” Mr. Tabootie cupped her chin. “We can’t give up. Rudy wouldn’t want us to give up. We’ve...got to keep trying.”

“I know...” Mrs. Tabootie said. “I just wish I knew what we could do.”

“We’ll have to think of something and fast.” Terry said. Her voice was filled with urgency. They all looked at her. “If we don’t figure out a way to get them to believe the footage was fake before time runs out...” She paused, letting the information they already knew sink in. “They could spread it. If they convince more people...”

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head in understanding. “They will try to find a way in.” She turned her glance downward. “They could come after us for information. Or our children...”

“We won’t let that happen!” Mr. Tabootie said sternly, narrowing his eyes. “We’ll find a way..I’m certain of it!”

Terry nodded her head, giving a small smile. “I agree. There has to be something we’re missing.”

Reggie watched the adults. He felt bad for them. It was clear, from their expressions, they had no idea how they were going to stop the audience from trying to find ChalkZone. He searched his own mind, trying to think of something. Terry was right. There had to be something, a way to convince the audience that what they saw really was fake. He had been in ChalkZone once, and he tried to think of what little he knew to figure out a plan. This proved to be difficult as he knew so little about the place.

So he instead turned his mind to thinking about other things, stuff he knew regarding ChalkZone from other sources, other events that were related to ChalkZone, and just movies in general. Perhaps a memory there would give him an idea. His head was hurting from all this thinking. He didn’t normally think this hard for this long, but if Penny was right and if zoners really are just as alive as people, then he had to keep trying.

Then something came to his mind. His eyes slowly widened. Why hadn’t he thought of this before? Yes, this just might work. There was a chance that it wouldn’t, but it was better to try it and fail than not try it at all. It was worth a shot. He couldn’t think of anything else, and the adults hadn’t thought of another plan yet. They..they needed to try...

“Hey..” Reggie said, drawing the attention of the adults. “I...I think I have an idea...”


	86. Are You Ready For Round Two?

“They’re....they’re what..?” Rudy asked, his eyes wide in horror.

Snap whimpered, “They’re...they’re dead!” His face was stained with tears. His body shook like a leaf. “He k-killed them...!”

Penny bit her lip, stroking the back of Snap’s head. “Is that what he told you?”

Snap held onto her tighter. “Yes...! He told me he killed them!”

Penny held onto Snap gently, keeping her arms wrapped around his trembling body. She pressed her chin against his head and whispered, “Shh...it’ll be okay...” Snap just cried harder, his face pressed against her shoulder.

Rudy watched this scene, an uncomfortable sensation tugging at his heart. It had taken him a little while to fully wake up enough to understand what was going on. Penny had filled in the details the best that she could. As he sat there, running his hand along Snap’s arm in an attempt to comfort him, his mind replayed the information he had been told by Penny. His mind went to work sorting them out as he attempted to completely understand just what happened while he was out.

Penny told him that Para-Snap and Para-Penny had stood up to Light Rudy and fought against him to buy them time. Rudy was surprised by this, but also happy. He was glad that they were finally able to set up to the plate and go up against their abuser who tormented them for years. Penny then explained that Para-Hagar managed to get them outside and how they were able to get to something of a safe location, away from the crowd of zoners. From there, she had given him the cures that stopped the chalk disease.

Rudy recalled the great feeling of relief that swept through his body at that news. Finally, after all this time...he didn’t have to worry about that chalk disease. The gelxeno was no longer an issue. It wasn’t turning his body to chalk. According to Penny, the chalk in his body should be changing back into flesh, though it would take time. He was aware that he was still in pain and still needed help. But the worst was over. He had cried a few tears of happiness when he had recieved the news. He couldn’t wait to tell his parents the great news...provided they get out of here.

After recieving the good news, Penny had brought forth more information. What she told him next shocked him. Apparently Light Rudy had been badly injured by Jacko and was surrounded by zoners in the town square. Rudy had expected Penny tell him how the zoners beat him up as revenge for what they did to them. But instead, Light Rudy seemed to break down and confessed about the parental abuse. After being understandably chewed out by Para-Penny for not saying anything, Light Rudy did something that Rudy thought he’d never do.

He admitted fault.

Light Rudy had actually admitted that it was he who was at fault, and no one else. In front of everyone, he had said this.

Rudy couldn’t believe it. If Penny or Snap hadn’t been the one to tell him, he probably wouldn’t have believed it himself. Light Rudy had done nothing but put blame on others. He had run from his responsibility for so long. He had thought that Light Rudy would have continued to push blame on others and try to find some way to say that nothing that happened was his fault. The fact that he actually admitted it... Rudy had to admit he didn’t see it coming.

There was more. Penny told him about how Light Rudy had begun to feel true remorse, as after he confessed he was the only one at fault, he collapsed on the ground and cried. Para-Penny, who turned out to be a braver, stronger person than even Rudy realized, actually comforted him and told him that there was still time to make up for what he’s done. From what Penny saw, she was certain that he would at least try to change, and he had peacefully surrendered instead of trying to fight back. He had also apologized for what he’s done, another good step.

Rudy wasn’t entirely sure if Light Rudy would continue down this path or not. He had done so many horrible things that there was a chance that he’d go back to the way he used to be. But he did want to give his counterpart the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Para-Penny could keep him in line and help him start to slowly redeem himself. Maybe, overtime, his counterpart’s behavior would improve and he could step off the dark, twisted path that he had put himself on.

Rudy was happy to hear that the light dimension seems to be getting a brighter future now. With Light Rudy’s surrender, they could work on dismantling the twisted and strict regime that his counterpart had formed, and they could attempt to bring about true freedom and happiness to the zoners’ lives there. He wished the same could be said about the dark dimension. There was just too much damage there. Destroying the entire dimension would be an act of mercy, but, far as he knew, there was no way of doing that. And he wasn’t sure if he could even go through with that.

Penny did have an idea that would work better. Obviously they couldn’t go through the entire planet, but she suggested that they could go back to the dark dimension and rescue some of the denizens there. They could locate some of the nearby zoner slaves and bring them over to their dimension where they could get treatment and begin to recover. Saffron could be brought over as well since she had no one left in that dimension, and she certainly didn’t deserve to be left to rot there. And Penny said they should definitely drag Cosmo into their dimension too, where he could be arrested for murder and pay for his crimes.

Rudy did like this idea. Bring Saffron and some tortured zoners over into their dimension where they could start anew and live in a world that wasn’t ravaged by war. And bring over Cosmo so he can be dealt with some long, overdue punishment. He would still feel bad about those they won’t be able to rescue, but he’d still feel better knowing at least some of them were given a second chance. And he’d definitely feel better knowing that Cosmo finally got what he deserved. It might be a different Cosmo, but he was still guilty of similar crimes, and more. With evidence pointing at him, he wouldn’t be able to defend himself. He’d be locked up for a long time.

When Rudy asked how they ended up here, and where they were, Penny told him about how, not long after Light Rudy had surrendered, their time in the dimension was over, and it took them back to their native one. Upon arrival, they had been surrounded by Luminos. Apparently, the machine had been relocated into the Luminos’s hideout, wherever that was. They were knocked out and then caged up in here. He was also informed that Snap’s vocal cords didn’t work, which horrified Rudy. And, unfortunately, Penny hadn’t been able to explain to him why Snap couldn’t talk.

Just as alarming was that Penny told him next. Maalik, the leader of the Luminos, had arrived to inform them about the Death Arena, and that they will be put in there to be executed sometime tomorrow. The thought, even just the name ‘Death Arena’, sent chills down Rudy’s spine. Penny was not informed of any details of the arena, except that Maalik seemed confident that they weren’t going to survive.

Not long after Penny said that, Snap started speaking. A little and it was forced, but the fact that he started to speak shocked them both, and quickly filled them with elation. They asked Snap what happened, and Snap, though shaken up and clearly not in the mood to speak, filled them in on details that Penny wouldnt have known.

Snap told them that it was Dr. Raiden who had taken away his voice. He had injected something into his neck to prevent him from talking. While Penny and Rudy were unconscious, Raiden had menaced Snap. As Snap told the two about some of the things Raiden did, such as scratch his cheek and hold him up by his scarf and shook him, they felt their blood start to heat up with anger. The way Raiden was treating their friend was horrible, and it wasn’t like he even did anything to him. He signalled him out just because he was a zoner who was their friend. It was disgusting and Rudy couldn’t wait until this guy got his comeuppance.

Then, it got worse... Just when Rudy and Penny thought Dr. Raiden couldn’t get anymore despicable... He did something else that just set that bar way low...

Raiden had told Snap that he killed Blocky and Rapsheeba, in rather gruesome ways, too. Raiden said that they got out and he managed to catch them. When he did, he just..killed them. Not only that, but he had the gall to pit the blame on Snap. He had told Snap it was his fault they were dead. He just kept at it, tormenting Snap mentally over the loss of his friends and doing whatever he could to convince Snap that it was his fault they were dead. When Raiden left, Snap had broken down crying and went to Penny for comfort.

And here was Snap now, still crying after that horrible display. Penny did her best to soothe him, but despite her comforting words, Snap couldn’t stop crying. Rudy did the best he could, but he had no better luck. He and Penny felt their hearts break as they watched Snap cry like this. They couldn’t believe that Dr. Raiden would do something like this to him. Snap didn’t deserve this... What did he do to deserve such torment...?

Rudy wasn’t sure if Dr. Raiden spoke the truth about killing Blocky and Rapsheeba. When Snap mentioned about Dr. Raiden wanting them to be in the Death Arena for justice, he had his suspicions that Blocky and Rapsheeba were still alive and that the cheetah had lied to Snap. Penny thought the same thing, but Snap...he was still so upset. He wasn’t sure if they were still alive or not. Without those two zoners here with them, there was nothing Rudy or Penny could say to reassure him that they were fine.

While the prospect of Rapsheeba and Blocky still being alive did make the two happy, it also made them furious. If they were alive, that meant that Raiden had lied to Snap just to torment him mentally. Dr. Raiden had made a low blow against Snap and lied about what happened just to get him to cry. That was despicable, one of the lowest things he could have done. Now, because of that horrible cheetah, Snap was laying down with them, crying his heart out because he didn’t know if Rapsheeba and Blocky were okay or not.

“I-It’s...It’s my fault they’re d-d-dead...” Snap cried, pressing his face further against Penny. “All my fault...”

“Snap...” Penny whispered, rubbing his back gently. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t ask for that to happen...” Snap looked up at her. Judging from his expression, he wasn’t sure if he should believe her or not. “Don’t listen to what Dr. Raiden says. He is just trying to upset you.”

“Yeah, Snap...” Rudy said. He inched closer, ignoring his own pain the best he could. He moved his hand up Snap’s arm until he placed it firmly over his hand. “We don’t know if Rapsheeba and Blocky are gone.... But if they are...” He reached up with his other hand and gently touched Snap’s cheek. “It would be Dr. Raiden’s fault. Not yours.”

Snap sniffled. “B-But what if he spoke the t-truth..?”

“We’ll find that out soon enough.” Rudy gently caressed Snap’s cheek. “They might still be alive. Dr. Raiden lied to us before. He may be lying to you about this.”

Penny nodded her head in agreement. “Rudy’s right. Dr. Raiden isn’t to be trusted, Snap. You know that... He is probably just trying to hurt you. He’s a bastard, and you shouldn’t listen to him.”

Snap stared at his two friends, trembling. His eyes were red and puffy. His cheeks glistened with his tears. He took in shuddering breaths as his lower lip quivered. He lowered his gaze and slowly closed his eyes. “What if it is my fault? What if they did die because of me...?”

“Snap...” Penny held him a little tighter. “It’s not your fault.”

Rudy said, “You did not issue the attack on them. If Raiden is speaking the truth, then you weren’t the one who called the death order on them. Raiden was the one who decided to kill them in cold blood. If they’re gone, Snap, then it’s not your fault. Please...don’t blame yourself...” Rudy felt hot tears pool down his face. He gently traced a tear from his friend’s eye. “Please... I don’t like seeing you like this... Don’t kick yourself for something that isn’t your fault. Please...”

Penny gently rubbed the zoner’s back. “We’ll get out of here somehow, Snap. And when we do, we’ll find Rapsheeba and Blocky. If Raiden did kill them, we promise we will not let him get away with it. Rest assured, he will not get away with it..or anything else he’s done.”

For a few moments, Snap continued to cry. Rudy and Penny felt their hearts tug as he kept sobbing like this, each cry filled with more and more emotion. Then, slowly, Snap reached up with his hand and gently wiped away some tears forming from his eyes. He gave a loud sniffle and, with a shuddering intake of breath, he smiled. He didn’t speak a word. He just smiled. A small one, but it was still there. It broadened a little as Rudy and Penny returned it, giving him a reassurance smile. Closing his eyes lightly, Snap nestled into Penny’s arms.

The crying continued for a while. Sobs wracked his body. Watching their friend weep like this was heartbreaking. Still, the two did not leave his side. They continued to do whatever they could to calm him down. Squeezing his hand, rubbing his back, whispering comforting words... Whatever they could to help him. The effect wasn’t instantaneous, but soon Snap started to calm down. His crying started to diminish, quieting down. His body slowly stopped shaking. Soon, he became tranquil, laying calmly in Penny’s arms.

Snap opened up his eyes and stared at his two friends. Though he still seemed uncertain, his smile remained. He said in a soft, faint voice. “...thank you...”

Rudy smiled and stroked the top of Snap’s head. “You’re welcome. We’ll get out of here...we promise.”

Snap’s eyes brightened a little at this. “I love you guys...”

At this, Rudy and Penny felt emotions swell in their chest. Penny pressed her face against his. Rudy took in a shaky breath, feeling a few tears form in his eyes. He gently squeezed Snap’s hand.

“We love you, too..” Rudy said in a soft, gentle voice.

Snap seemed to have a stronger spark of happiness at that. He shifted himself, and Penny understood what he wanted. Being gentle, she lifted up Snap from under his arms and held him over to Rudy. The eighteen year old boy grabbed onto his friend and pulled him into his arms. Snap snuggled up against Rudy, that smile still on face. As Rudy held onto his friend, his mind swirled with thoughts of what happened.

He didn’t know how they were going to get out of this. He didn’t know what they could do to escape. But he knew that, somehow, someway, they would succeed. They’ve been in tight spots before. If they kept trying, they could best their enemies. As he listened to Snap’s increasingly calm breathing, his heart rate slowing down to normal, Rudy made a silent promise: Raiden was going to pay for what he did.

sss

Dr. Urso grumbled to himself as he listened to the Luminos speak to each other. They were discussing their current plans and what the next moves were going to be. He wanted to say something to them, a sarcastic remark at least. But he couldn’t really say anything...or do anything for that matter. He was bound and muzzled on the ground in this cage. Once in a while, the Luminos would look in his direction and smirk, obviously satisfied that he can’t do anything ot them.

Dr. Urso had recently woken up. He had been confused at first. His memory was rather hazy and muddled. He had been confused why he was tied up like this, why he was in a cage, why he was muzzled. He looked around, his mind trying to gather his bearings. He didn’t know where he was or how he got here. It had taken him a little while of thinking and attempt to recall some memories before he realized that happened. And it didn’t all come back to him completely until one of the Luminos mentioned Dr. Raiden’s name.

At that mention, all of a sudden, his mind flashed with multiple memories. The attack on the hospital... Rudy mysteriously vanishing... Snap and his friends wanting to help... Fighting Dr. Raiden... Then Maalik showing up and... Yeah, that’s what happened. Maalik had viciously attacked him and managed to best him very quickly. Dr. Urso was hardly prepared for it. He had no time to react. Maalik attacked brutally and swiftly, giving him no chance to fight back.

And now he was here, in what he guessed was the Luminos’s hideout. He didn’t know where Blocky and Rapsheeba were. He hoped they were okay. From this area, he couldn’t tell. He tried sniffing for them, but detected nothing. Then again, it was possible that the other smells of this place, such as from the Luminos and their machinery, were mixing in with the scent and making it hard to pick out specific scents. He was certain they were here somewhere and were likely taken into an isolation room similar to where he was.

Well it was sort of isolation. He was in a round room with an unsually small opening. The walls were very close, making it almost feel like they were going to crush him. Dr. Urso wasn’t really claustrophobic, but he did feel uncomfortable in here. Out in front of him was another room with some Luminos talking. He could hear some of what they were saying, and on occasion they’d sneer at him, but never try to engage conversation with him. He was technically alone as there was no one in the cage with him. But he wasn’t totally alone. That didn’t really make him feel any better as the only ‘company’ he had here were those Luminos.

What they were saying made no sense either. They talked about how Rudy, Penny, and Snap were going to get what they deserved and how their reign of terror over ChalkZone would finally come to an end. Urso had to stifle a chuckle at that. Reign of terror his tail... Those two did nothing but help ChalkZone, so he didn’t know just where the Luminos were getting this ‘terror’ business. Then again, the whole group was looney, so he should expect it.

He was horrified to learn that the trio were going to be sentenced to death tomorrow in the Death Arena. The Luminos didn’t talk about it detail, but what they did say sounded horrible. Urso wanted to break out of here and get them out, but the ropes were very tight on him and no matter how much he tried, the muzzle was not coming off. The Luminos had noticed his struggling to get free and they would just laugh at him. One of them pointed out that if he wanted to die so badly, he would have to wait his turn because Rudy, Penny, and Snap were up first. Then Rapsheeba and Blocky, and finally him.

There had to be something he could do to get out of here. He had to give them a fighting chance. If he could just get out of these ropes and get out of this cage, he could try to free the trio, Rapsheeba, and Blocky. He just had to think of something. He couldn’t give up. Not now, not while there were lives on the line.

As he was thinking about a way to escape, he heard footsteps in the room in front of him. His nostril flared and snorted. He let out a soft growl, his ears lowering against his head. He knew that scent anywhere. It was Dr. Raiden... That dirty little traitor... And sure enoug, he turned out to be correct as Dr. Raiden made himself visible. He did notice him, but he didn’t bother doing anything except smile. He turned his back to him and began to speak with the other Luminos.

“There’s been a chance of plans, boys...” Dr. Raiden said. A sneer spread across his muzzle as he raised his head. “Maalik decided to...change our schedule a little.”

Change the schedule? Dr. Urso’s eyes widened at this. He didn’t like the way Dr. Raiden said those words. There was some...uncomfortable meaning behind it. Some dark intent. He attempted to push himself closer to the front of the cage. His ears swiveled, straining to pick up as much of the conversation as he could.

“Prepare to escort the three most wanted to the holding chamber. Maalik has decided to move up their execution. Rudy, Penny, and Snap are to be sentenced to death within two hours.”

Dr. Urso’s heart twisted, his mind filling with dread. Maalik had decided to quicken the execution? But why? What did it matter... What did matter was that Rudy, Penny, and Snap were in trouble. He had to do something to help them. He needed get out of here and find them, or those two other zoners. He needed to do something to put a cork in the Luminos’s plans. He wasn’t going to allow an innocent to die, not while he could do something about it.

He started to jerk his body a little. He struggled to move his arm, wriggling it in the rope. He winced a few times as the rope started to feel tighter due to the new position of the arm. He struggled as ahrd as he could to get his forearm up, bending it towards the rope. He kept this up, working as best as he could. Although he started to feel tired, though his arms were aching, he still kept it up. He thought about those two creators and three zoners he was motivated to keep going. He never gave up on helping others in the past. He was not going to start doing that now. Not while he still had a breath.

Soon he felt his hand touch against the ropes. Just barely, but he still managed to touch them. He flexed his bear claws towards the rope. He managed to press a claw against the rope. He started to wriggle his finger around, slicing into the rope. This manuevering was hard at this angle. He still kept at it. He looked out cautiously ahead, making sure the Luminos didn’t notice what he was doing. Whenever they looked over, he made sure to hold still to make it seem like he wasn’t trying anything. Then once they turned their heads, he continued.

“Moving up the schedule eh?” One of the Luminos said. “I guess he’s really eager then.”

“Well the sooner we get rid of them, the better.” Another Luminos stated.

Dr. Raiden clapped his hands a few times to get their attention. “Remember you two are in charge of operating the Death Arena. So make sure you are fully prepared in two hours. Maalik is counting on you.” His tail swished from side to side. “I take it you two can handle this?”

The first Luminos nodded his head, saluting Dr. Raiden. “You can count on us!”

The second Luminos smiled. “Yeah, we know this machine like the back of our hand!”

Dr. Raiden smirked at this. “I sure hope you do....” His eyes then narrowed and he growled softly. “..because if you don’t, then those three can escape...” He started to advance on the two zoners a little. “Once they escape, they will go into hiding. They will form a resistance against us. They will be harder to stop!” His hands formed into fists and he raised them a little. “Now is that what you want?”

The two zoners shook their heads rapidly at this. “N-No...”

“Good...” Dr. Raiden bared his teeth at them. “Don’t screw this up!” He looked at the two of them, his golden eyes gleaming. “Remember. Study the machine well. Make sure you know its core functions. Don’t press the wrong buttons. We have one shot at this. We finally have a chance to deliver justice on those three little monsters. I count on you two not to blow this opportunity.”

“We won’t!” The first zoner said.

The second zoner noddedh is head rapidly. “Y-Yeah... We can do it!”

Dr. Urso struggled harder against his ropes. He pushed his hand further up, digging his claw deeper into the rope. He kept scratching at it, slicing into the rope. He kept his eye on the cheetah and the zoners. They hadn’t looked back yet. Raiden was too busy talking with the two zoners to really pay attention to what he was doing.

Come on...just a little more...

Then he finally heard it. The sound that meant he was free.

A rip.

In an instant, he felt the ropes start to loosen on him. He cut another bit of the rope, finding it easier this time around. After a few more were cut, the ropes slide off of him. He felt instant relief as his arms moved back in front of him where they should be. He ripped off the ropes that tied his legs together, using his claws to shear the material. He fumbled with the muzzle, having some trouble with it. It didn’t take him long to remove it, and he let it drop on the ground.

The clang was loud enough for the zoners in front of him to hear. He watched as they swiveled their heads. Their eyes were wide in shock and they froze, unable to believe what they saw. Then Dr. Raiden scowled at him. He struck one of the zoners standing next to him and pointed in Dr. Urso’s direction.

“Quick! Get the tazer!” Dr. Raiden shouted. “Before he gets out!”

Dr. Urso acted fast. He slammed his body against the ground, his feet pressing against the hard floor. He moved towards the front of the cage and he opened his jaws wide. He slammed them shut around two of the thick bars. He bit down as hard as he could. His powerful jaw muscles went to work, bending the metal. Getting a good grip on it, he yanked back as hard as he could. He tore off the metal bars, creating an opening in his cage. He threw the bars aside and he leapt out of his cage.

Though he was in some pain and he staggered a little, he managed to stay on his feet. He shook his body and his fur ruffled up in anger. He stared at the Luminos, his eyes blazing. He curled his lips back and he split his mouth open wide in a roar. The sound echoed off the walls and struck fear in the hearts of the two smaller Luminos. They stood there, trembling. Dr. Raiden, annoyed by what he perceived as cowardice, knocked the two away.

“Forget it! I’ll handle this!” Dr. Raiden snarled. He glared at the two zoners. “You two, warn the rest of the Luminos! Tell them Dr. Urso is out of this cage!”

The two zoners didn’t hesitate. They rushed out of the room. As soon as they were gone, Dr. Raiden turned his attention to Dr. Urso. He took a few steps through the narrow ‘doorway’, his eyes practically glowing in anger. His sharp teeth were exposed. He lowered himself on all fours, arching his back as his fur stood up. He began to pace around Dr. Urso. Their eyes locked onto each other, watching every move the other made.

“You are not leaving here, Dr. Urso... I will make sure of it...” Dr. Raiden hissed at him, his ears flattened against his skull. “You may have beaten me once.. But rest assured, I will not allow it to happen again...”

Dr. Urso growled. “So confident... Even when you pretended to help Rudy, you had this trait. I would admire it if it weren’t being used for ridiculous purposes.”

“Ridiculous?!” Dr. Raiden cried, his pupils shrinking. “You call protecting ChalkZone ‘ridiculous’?!”

“If by protect, you mean targeting innocent zoners and humans on some ill-gotten quest... then yes.” Dr. Urso narrowed his eyes. His tail swished from side to side. “You are a fool... the whole lot of you! And I, for one, will not stand for it! I will not allow you to harm the innocent!”

Dr. Raiden snorted at this. A dark smile spread across his face. “You are mistaken... We aren’t hurting any innocent.” He pawed the ground, scraping his metal claw along the ground. “No creator is innocent. They’re all corrupt... Every last one of them!”

Dr. Urso slammed his paw against the ground. “I have no time to waste on you! Get out of my way!”

The cheetah chortled at this. “Do you think I’m going to move...just because you asked?”

“Do you really want to fight me?” Dr. Urso asked. The lion bear tensed up his muscles. “Do you want to go through another beat down?”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect the Luminos, and ChalkZone, from you, monster!” Dr. Raiden declared.

Dr. Urso chuckled bitterly. How hypocritical. Dr. Raiden calling him a monster... “So you’re really up for round two then?” Dr. Urso asked, cocking an eyebrow. “What makes you think you will beat me this time?”

Dr. Raiden glared at him. “I shall smite the wicked...”

“Then bring it on, kitty cat..” Dr. Urso smirked playfully. “Show me what you’ve got...”

Raiden let out a loud, cat-like yowl. Dr. Urso returned it with a roar of his own. The two called out to each other like this, their animal-like cries echoing in the room. Then Raiden made the first move. He bolted towards Dr. Urso. The lion bear tensed up, lowering himself down and baring his teeth some more. Letting out a snarl, he charged towards Dr. Raiden.

Dr. Urso was surprised at how well Dr. Raiden was able to run on the damaged leg. But then, there was still a clear limp and a reduction of speed. This was going to be an easy fight. As Dr. Raiden attempted to lung at him, Dr. Urso quickly moved around to the side. Then he raised his paw and struck down as hard as he could on the cheetah’s shoulders. The feline zoner screeched in pain as he tumbled into the ground. He didn’t stay on the ground long. He got up and stared at the new gashes in his shoulder. He hissed at them and charged towards the lion bear again.

Raiden lunged at him again, opening his jaws wide. Urso stood up on his legs and raised his paw. Raiden’s eyes widened but it was too late for him to call off his attack. The paw struck him in the face, slamming him against the ground. Urso didn’t bother waiting for him to get back up this time. He charged towards him and headbutted against the downed cheetah. This sent him skidding across the ground. Dr. Raiden let out cries of pain as he tumbled along the hard floor.

Urso charged at him, but this time, Dr. Raiden reacted more quickly. He jumped away from the lion bear, landing some distance away. He staggered as he put pressure on his injured leg. He managed to keep his balance and he walked in a curvature. Urso managed to turn himself around and he headed straight for the cheetah. Raiden stood there until Urso got close enough, and then he jumped into the air, letting Urso slam against the wall. The cheetah landed on Urso’s back and he started to dig his claws into it.

Dr. Urso let out howls of pain as the claws shredded into his back. He could feel his warm blood dripping down his back. He shook his body left and right, trying to knock the cheetah off of him. Eventually, he managed to get the lighter zoner to fall off. He turned around and struck the cheetah against his chest, cutting him there. Blood squirted from the fresh wound as Raiden fell into the ground. Dr. Urso was quick to pin him down, pressing his paw against an uninjured part of his chest.

For a little while, all the zoners did was glare at each other. Their gleaming eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of this room. Then Dr. Urso broke the silence.

“Stop this madness, Dr. Raiden! This is not going to help anything! What you are doing is hurting people!” Dr. Urso shouted at him, pressing against him harder. “If you have any ounce of humanity in you...you would stop! You would see what you are doing is wrong! If you want to protect ChalkZone, then stop terrorizing the innocent and focus on the real threat!”

Dr. Raiden’s lips curled into a snarl. “I am trying to deal with the real threat, but you are trying to stop me, you traitor!”

“You are trying to kill innocent humans and innocent zoners! Doing so will not make anyone safer! In fact, you will just make things worse!” Dr. Urso cried. “Why can’t you see that? Rudy has done a lot for ChalkZone and so have the others! They helped ChalkZone countless times! If you get rid of them, you will just be endangering the lives of everyone else!”

Dr. Raiden fell silent for a few moments. Then he said, “It may not solve all the problems...” His voice grew low and growly. “But it would push things in the right direction..”

“You’re insane!” Dr. Urso was frustrated with the cheetah’s stubbornness. Why is he refusing to see?

“Hmph, I could say the same thing about you...the way you side with the very species that caused the deaths of so many innocent zoners. You know how dangerous they can be....and yet you still side with them.” Dr. Raiden glared at him with a look of absolute contempt. “I hate you so much... You’re disgusting...a disgrace to zoners everywhere. And I will not stand for your treacherous ways! You will be stopped, monster!”

Dr. Urso snarled, “Me? A monster? I’m not the one who bombed a hospital! I’m not the one who injured all those patients! That was you and your ringleader, Maalik! How dare you call me a monster when you two condemned all those zoners to death because of your little paranoia quest!”

“Paranoid huh...?” Dr. Raiden’s voice was ice cold and surprisingly calm. “I guess you really are blind... No matter. I will put an end to you soon enough...”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not the one pinned down!” Dr. Urso snarled at him.

Dr. Raiden chuckled. “No...but I am in a prime position to...this!”

Dr. Urso’s eyes widened and he froze. He took in a sharp gasp as there was a sudden pain in his chest. Something sharp was tearing into his chest. The horrible agony spread straight through and he felt something poke out of his back. Slowly, he looked down. To his horror, Dr. Raiden had driven his metal finger straight through his chest, close to his right side. Blood leaked out of the wound, moving along the metal finger and hitting against the ground. Then, in a swift motion, Dr. Raiden ripped the claw out.

Dr. Urso howled in pain as he felt the claw ripping his flesh on the way out. Blood now gushed from the gaping hole in his chest. He clutched it, wincing in pain. He took in pained, weak gasps of breath. The claw had torn through his right lung. He cried in pain as Dr. Raiden struck against him, knocking him into the ground. The lion bear rolled across the ground and landed on his stomach. He pushed himself onto one paw and used his other to hold onto his chest. His teeth were clenched and his eyes shut tightly, his body trembling in pain.

He lifted up his head and watched as Dr. Raiden moved towards him slowly. His metal finger was raised in the air, coated in his blood. The cheetah zoner grinned maniacally at him, letting out a laughter that froze his blood. Dr. Urso’s eyes widened in fear and he took a shaky step back. He coughed up some blood, letting out a few whimpers at the pain that wracked through his chest.

Dr. Raiden charged him. Dr. Urso let out a gurgled roar and he bit down on the cheetah’s arm. His teeth tore into it and he could taste the cheetah’s blood in his mouth. Before Raiden could use the claw on him again, he threw him aside and then began to run as fast as he could. His heart beat against his chest. His mouth opened up to try to get in more oxygen with just one working lung. He could feel his body staggering, having a hard time moving with this much pain and damage.

He could hear Dr. Raiden start to come after him. He could hear him limping, the pain in two legs slowing him down. Dr. Urso tried not to pay attention to it, instead focusing on just getting out of here. He continued to hobble along, his blood pooling onto the ground and leaving behind a trail of it.

Dr. Raiden’s voice echoed in the cave.

“You can run, Dr. Urso! But you can’t hide!”

Dr. Urso responded by pushing himself harder. He had to find those five...before it was too late.


	87. I Work For A Higher Power Now

It was unbelievable.

He never would have concieved it.

How was this possible?

Was it possible he misread..? No..it wasn’t...

Bardot had these thoughts and more as he continued to walk through the ruined hallways with Barney and Mumbo Jumbo. By this point, he had stopped really caring that he was helping victims out. He stopped caring that he wasn’t able to inflict harm like he usually loved to do. Right now, that was hardly a thought in the back of his mind. Instead, he was focused on something else.

And that was Barney himself...

Bardot still couldn’t believe the words that were written in that journal. He had reread them over and over to see if he might have misread something. But no. They remained the same no matter how many times he reread it. The realization of what Barney was gave him a sickening feeling in his stomach. He admitted that came as a shock even to him. He was a zoner who was heartless and had killed innocents without a second thought. So why did this bother him so much? He had asked himself that over and over, and he thought he finally came to an answer.

It might have been for two reasons. The first one, he couldn’t help but feel horrified that all this time, he had been torturing someone who was more or less a manifestation of the black chalk. Bardot was aware of its powers, and what it meant for anyone who dared to use it. But it wasn’t that specifically that worried him. According to the journal, Barney’s true form was something...rather vicious, something that Bardot himself wouldn’t dare lay a claw on. If Barney were to return to that form, he had no idea if even the Great Creator could defeat him.

The other reason was that Barney’s true form was a marker of doom. Should he return to it, it could mean the end of everything, or the beginning of the downfall. As vicious as Bardot himself was, he found the black chalk to be too dangerous even for him. And it didn’t settle well with him that Barney had the potential of ending everything, or bringing about massive, near-apocalyptic destruction. Barney was a servant of the black chalk, whether or not he knows it, created by it to serve it. Bardot would not want ChalkZone to be devasted, as he did not want to die himself. He was cruel and cold, but not stupid.

His mind reeled as he replayed that blasted journal entry in his head over and over. He tried to find some bit of information in it that might be useful, but he’d have to read more. Right now, he couldn’t do that. He was carrying another victim, and Mumbo Jumbo would have his head if he were to stop and read more of the journal. The king was disturbed by the entry as well, and so was Barney. This did not surprise Bardot at all. He had imagined they’d react that way, and if they didn’t he’d wonder what the heck was wrong with them.

He wished the journal would have provided some insight into how to know when Barney was about to change. That bit of information would be useful. While he normally didn’t like working to help others, he’d make an exception this time. His life would be on the line, too, so he would offer assistance, if it got to the point where it was necessary. Stopping Barney’s true form would become a necessity, one that overrid any personal desire on his end.

Bardot repeated one name over and over again in his mind.

Nihilanth.

That was Barney’s true name. Nihilanth. The name echoed in Bardot’s mind. The name had a familiar ring to it, like something he heard before...yet it also sounded so foreign. It had a creepy and eerie vibe to it, which went along quite well with Barney’s true form, which was described as a monstrosity with two heads. Half white, and half black. One side, the servant light, and the other, the black chalk.

Bardot hadn’t mentioned the true name, as he feared that simply saying it outloud might be enough for Barney to revert back to his true form. It still scared him how he had been torturing someone like this for over a year... If he had known what Barney was, he wouldn’t have done that. Not that he had a good reason to hurt him, he admitted... Still, it was done and over with, and he couldn’t change it. Now he thinks back to those days and he has to ask himself how Barney didn’t revert back then.

That’s when he realized there has to be a trigger of some kind. Obviously, hurting Barney to the point of near death wasn’t enough to do it. He could slash him as much as he wanted to, break as many of his legs as he desired, tear out his wings, and none of that would activate the Nihilanth half of him. So something else must trigger it, perhaps something nonviolent, like a keyword or something. That was why he held back on saying the name, out of fear that might be what triggers the transformation.

He couldn’t help but wonder why Barney forgot his true calling, why he had become a centipede instead of the beast he once was. Something must have happened hundreds of years ago, and somehow, Cosmo knew what it was. How had he found out? Perhaps the black chalk told him? The black chalk shares information with its users. It may have informed Cosmo about this... Well the good news was that this was the last patient to take out. He and the other two had finished their sweep of the hospital finally, and after that, he could look more into this Nihilanth business.

As the three of them headed down the twisted hallway, getting closer to the entrance, Bardot’s mind replayed what the journal...diary..whatever... entry had said.

The words on the pages were as followed:

“September 30 at 1:30 PM-

I have made an interesting discovery. This one holds a lot of promise for the future. But for now, I will leave it as is, as what I found out has the potential of unlocking, what do you say, a mega weapon. The struggle against the white chalk creators is most irritating, but they are manageable for the time being. Even after my dear friend, Wilter, defected, for now, we are still more or less in control.

My comrades and I have made some progress around here. We are preparing another attack with the Solar Pillars as I write this down. I have a new target in mind. I am aware that some of the zoners are attempting to rebuild a location I previously destroyed. So I think I will have a little fun with them by targeting their hometown. Yes, I think that would do.

Anyway, back on topic, I found out about this interesting insect zoner named Barney the Encyclocentipedia. He apparently likes to keep to himself and isn’t a very social zoner. Well specifically, I learned something new about him. I knew about him before, with the tiny red bats and all. Speaking of which, my experiment with the red chalk was not a total success. I will need to try some more. Perhaps this information about Barney will be of some use to me.

In case you are wondering how this is possible, to whom it may concern, I learned that Barney is not at all what he seems to me. He may have forgotten who he was, but the servant light and black chalk inside of him have not. Yes, you heard me right, Barney is, in fact, a manifestation of black chalk. I was very shocked to learn that, as he doesn’t seem, at a glance, like the black chalk type. Rude, yes, but not vicious or helpful. But then, it ultimately makes sense. He has a lot of knowledge, just like the black chalk, a feature that no other zoner has. Even my failed zoner, Cyclops, doesn’t match up to him.

I learned that Barney’s true name is Nihilanth. He existed long ago at the beginning of ChalkZone’s creation. I have not acquired all the information, but I do know that the black chalk and servant light are, in a way, responsible for ChalkZone existing at all. Origin Dark and Origin Light, and they had worked together to make the rules of this place possible. Though where the black chalk and servant light came from is uncertain. I am sure I will learn more about this as time goes on, as the black chalk continues to bless me with more of its intimate knowledge of the world it, technically, created.

Barney, or Nihilanth as his true name goes, is really a beast of epic proportions. A creature large in size, massive in power. A half white, half black thing with two heads, each weilding its own power. In this form, Barney could tear apart all of ChalkZone. I do have to wonder how the zoners would react if he were to awaken. How could they hope to fight against something who is their Ultimate Creator? But Nihilanth, he is not only the Ultimate Creator. He is also the Ultimate Destroyer. He has the power to bring an end to ChalkZone, if he so desired.

I do not know how or when Barney will become Nihilanth. The black chalk told me that it will happen eventually. They will, at some point, have a use for Nihilanth again. I suspect that the black chalk had put Barney in dormancy due to how dangerous he was as Nihilanth. If this is true, I wonder just how powerful he is, and if anyone can stop him. I may try to find control mechanisms. I could use this power on my side. I’m sure Nihilanth would help me anyway. He is a servant of the black chalk, as am I. And we have a common enemy. The white chalk artists.

Those unblessed artists will ruin everything the black chalk and servant light worked so hard to achieve. It is a shame that the white chalk rebelled against the black chalk. It had been created by the black chalk in hope of spreading the servant light. But the white chalk apparently lacked the vision the black chalk had, and sacrificed its sentience and mind in order to prevent itself from becoming a pollinator. What a treacherous child it turned out to be.

No matter. Its sacrifice is in vain. The black chalk and servant light are still spreading their wonder across this world. Soon, it will take over, and the plans to fuse the real world with this chalk world will commense. It will take a long time, but with my help and my comrades’ assistance, the black chalk shall prevail.”

It came as a surprise to Bardot that the white chalk was sentient. Or at least it used to be long ago. Red chalk had some sentience, enough to drag a creator around to do its bidding. And unlike all other chalk, it can move on its own. White chalk he always thought was generic chalk that wasn’t really unique on its own, but still very practical and useful, at least to a human. To find out that it was once sentient as well... and it gave up that sentience willingly, losing its mind... That was almost like death. And now the white chalk is just a vegetable more or less.

Bardot had to wonder if it was possible to restore the mind of the white chalk, and what would happen if it occurred. Would the white chalk be corrupted by the servant light? Would it start to take control of any artist who uses it, just like the black chalk had? Would it be able to defeat the black chalk? Could it be used to put an end to the black chalk’s attempts at conquering the world?

Another thing Bardot had to wonder was why the black chalk wanted to fuse both worlds. Though Bardot himself was insane, he wasn’t quite that nuts. Even he knew that there were dangers of doing that, more so for the chalk half. Fusing the worlds would wind up in disaster for the zoners as they would be in constant threat of real world liquids. The real world half wouldn’t fair much better either, as fusing the worlds could mean being able to use the magic chalk even in real world sections, and letting people create weapons of mass destruction. It would not be a pretty future and it would ultimately be destroyed.

That was when he realized...that was the ultimate goal of the black chalk and servant light. Maybe they were not pleased with how ChalkZone turned out, and they wanted to get rid of it, rebuild it. But why would it take so long to do so? Cosmo was a kid when it all seemed to start, but he was certain this was going on much longer, with Barney from three hundred years ago.

Then it hit him. There was a reason why it was taking so long for the black chalk to achieve its goal. It was the real world... The real world was the reason why it wasn’t so simple for just wipe out ChalkZone.

Bardot was aware that, even if ChalkZone were totally wiped out, it would be reborn. People use the chalkboard everyday. Things are erased. They go into ChalkZone. That would, overtime, repair some of the damage. While it wouldn’t be the same as it was before, it would eventually be repopulated and new landscape would form. That isn’t what the black chalk wanted. It wanted total erasure of the place, and the real world’s existence prevented this. So...it was going to up the anty.

It wanted to destroy the real world as well. It first wanted to conquer ChalkZone and the real world and weaken both, whether it be by a war or whatever, and then it would attempt to fuse the worlds, which would be disasterous for both. Even if just the chalk half was destroyed, the missing part of the world would make the real world half unstable and it would crumble down. There would be nothing left...

And that would be when the black chalk and servant light would recreate the world. A world by its own rules, one that they would be proud of. It would do whatever it takes to achieve this goal and if it’s been going on for hundreds of years... Bardot had to give them credit for patience. He didn’t think he would be able to be patient for nearly that long.

The return of Nihilanth may mark the beginning of this. He had immense powers. He could easily destroy anything in his path. He might be used to secure a fusion of the worlds, or tear a hole in the dimensions to expose ChalkZone, something to spark a war or anything that would weaken the two worlds. If Bardot could figure out just how he would be triggered, he would find a way to prevent it. As much as he loved causing death, it wasn’t so fun when he was on the menu. Plus, he wasn’t too keen in living in an empty void. Destroying everything...that was taking it a step too far, even for him.

But for now, he tried not to think about it. He would have a chance to read more of the diary later on after he delivered this final patient. He would also be glad to get away from Mumbo Jumbo. While he was no Nihilanth, he was still pretty scared of the guy. He just wanted to go back to the Fire Zone so he could read more on this issue. He didn’t even care about the stupid deal anymore. He just wanted to go back to the Fire Zone. Even that place was welcoming compared to...Nihilanth..

Up ahead, he could see the entrance. The sunlight from the day zone shined in, and he could see some dust still hanging in the air. The hole itself appeared to be larger. Draow and Tsere were doing a good job at clearing the debris. At least it would be easier carrying this patient out, and this would be the last time he’d have to do this. Silently, he, Barney, and Mumbo Jumbo headed out to the entrance, walking through it and stepping outside.

Bardot noticed there weren’t as many zoners here. He deduced that they must have been taken by the ambulance by now. It had been a few hours since he started to work on his deal. Barney and Mumbo Jumbo stayed behind him, walking close to him to make sure he went over to the ambulance, likely on the off chance he would try to eat the patient. Unneeded, but still clever. He walked over to the two doctors waiting for him. He stopped and turned himself to the side, allowing the doctors better access.

The doctors grabbed onto the patient and hoisted him up. They strapped him to a stretcher and pushed him into the ambulance. Seconds later, the sirens went on. Bardot lowered his ears, irritated by the sound. He watched as the ambulance drove away. Once they were gone, he turned his attention to the two zoners standing behind him.

“Well that’s the last of them.” Bardot said. “I fulfilled my end of the deal.”

Mumbo Jumbo nodded his head. “You did a pretty good job...but I bet this is probably the most painful thing you ever did, am I right?” The tortoise smirked at him, his arms folded against his chest.

Bardot gave a quick shudder. “..yes. Believe me, every second I was helping those zoners, I wanted to shoot myself.” A partial lie, but he didn’t want to bring up the subject of Barney and the black chalk.

“That would have been amusing to watch.” Barney said. He tilted his head upwards and tapped his finger on his chin. Bardot knew what the centipede was thinking before he even said it. “I can just see it now... Oh!” He looked back at Bardot. “You could become part of a firework or something! It would be smashing!”

Bardot rolled his eyes and shook his head. Nihilanth or not, he was tempted to swat Barney, not because he was insulted by the joke, but because it was just terrible. “Whatever.”

Mumbo Jumbo, on the other hand, didn’t seem happy or amused by the joke. He looked more..horrified than anything. Bardot wasn’t sure why at first. It wasn’t like Barney said something like that to the king himself, or to any of their friends. So why was he so unnerved by it? Barney also looked confused. His laughter slowly died down and he looked at his friend in confusion.

Mumbo Jumbo’s mouth hung open. He stared at Barney in disbelief. He slowly shook his head from side to side. “Barney...” He managed to say after several moments of silence. “That was...rahter dark of you.”

Barney tilted his head. “Really? It was?”

The king nodded his head. “I never heard you joke about killing someone before.”

“Killing someone? But I...” Barney’s voice trailed off. His eyes widened in horrific realization. He put his hands to his mouth. “Oh my g...you’re right...”

It took a little while for Bardot to understand. And when he did, he unconsciously took a step back away from the centipede zoner. He looked at him cautiously, eyeing him up and down to make sure he wasn’t transforming back to his true form. He did feel relief wash through him as he realized that it wasn’t happening. But he still had to be cautious. He never knew when Nihilanth would rise again, and Barney’s brief dark humor moment could have easily been the trigger.

King Mumbo Jumbo was right. Barney hadn’t joked like that before. Oh he’s made sarcastic comments in the past. But that wasn’t the same as a joke like he just told. He didn’t say it with a deadpan expression. He didn’t say it with mock seriousness. No, he was laughing and giggling the whole time as he said that he could become part of a firework. He was literally saying that him being exploded and burned alive by a firework was going to be ‘smashing’. He had made a joke about death.

Jokes about death didn’t bother Bardot so much. And it wasn’t like he didn’t deserve something gruesome like that to happen to him. He had caused enough death to warrant that. What was chilling, both to him and Mumbo Jumbo, was the fact that it was Barney who said this joke, a zoner who, in the past, wouldn’t do such a thing. He had seen tons of zoners die during the first balloonemia incident. He’d be the last zoner to cheerfully joke about death like that. Joking can be a coping mechanism, but it didn’t suit well with the centipede zoner, especially after his little...torture sessions two years ago.

Bardot opened up his mouth to speak, but then stopped when something else caught his attention. His ears swiveled at the sound of voices. Wanting to get his mind off of the brief, unsettling change in Barney’s persona, Bardot turned his head to the source of the sound. He looked around, watching everyone to see whose lips were moving. He soon saw where the noise was coming from.

He saw Skrawl standing near the sidewalk on the other side of the parking lot. He was making some gestures with his hand and he looked like he was in an intense discussion with someone. Bardot had to move his head a little to see who it was. He saw...what he believed to be some humans. Interesting... He didn’t expect any humans outside of Rudy and Penny, but then he had been locked up in the Fire Zone for a couple of years. So things may have changed. He wondered what they were talking about. The humans looked distressed.

Smirking, Bardot decided to move closer to see what was going on. Perhaps it would be something entertaining. He was stopped when he heard something stomp behind him. He groaned and turned his head.

“What is it?” Bardot asked.

“You’re not going to cause trouble, are you?” Mumbo Jumbo asked, glaring at him. His voice indicated he was still a little shaken from what Barney said. “Because if you do...”

“Oh relax, Mumbo Jumbo.” Bardot waved a dismissive paw at him. “I have to report back to Skrawl, remember?” With that, Bardot didn’t let the tortoise say anything else. He just turned and walked away.

Bardot moved silently over to the group. His ears pricked up as he started to catch some of their conversation. He kept as quiet as he could, not wanting to draw attention to himself. He was interested to know what they were talking about. The panicked looks on the two females’ faces did make it seem like it would be something rather exciting. Perhaps this could help get his mind off the unpleasant discovery he made regarding Barney. Something else he could focus his mind on.

Soon he got close enough to hear every word that was being said. He kept his distance and crouched low to the ground. He turned his head to the side, his undamaged right ear swiveling forward to catch as much sound as it could. He stayed quiet and listened.

“Are you sure you haven’t seen anything?” The woman asked.

Skrawl nodded his head feverishly. “For the last time, yes! I was out here, keeping an eye on Draow! If Master Tabootie did come outside with any of those Luminos, I didn’t see it!”

The small girl took a step forward. “Did you at least hear anything?”

“No, I haven’t. I’m sorry I can’t provide any information for you, but I really haven’t seen anything that no one else here hadn’t already.” Skrawl used his hand to indicate the few other zoners remaining outside. “If they haven’t seen or heard anything...” He gestured to himself next. “I haven’t either.”

“Do you know where the Luminos hideout might be?” The man asked, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “If you had any inkling of that, then maybe...”

“Sorry, I don’t.” Skrawl shook his head. “If I had known that, I would have sent my Beanie Boys...stealthed...over there.”

“Why didn’t you stealth the other ones before they were killed?” The man cocked an eyebrow.

Skrawl stared at him blankly. He narrowed his mismatched eyes. “I didn’t think of it at the time, okay? There was a lot going on and...” He grumbled softly and put his hand over his face. “Nevermind that.” He pointed a claw at them. “If you want an idea of where I think their hideout might be, it’s possible they’re using Bardot’s old cave, or someplace close by.”

“Why would they do that?” The girl asked, her eyes widened.

“Could it have to do with Bardot’s reputation?” The woman suggested.

Skrawl nodded affirmatively. “I suspect the Luminos know how terrifying a reputation Bardot has, and they could be using the same, or a similar, location as zoners may not go there as often. They would be...discouraged.” He folded his arms. “But I can’t be too certain until I try to track down the hideout myself.”

“That won’t be easy, would it?” The man said.

Skrawl shot him a look. “What do you think, pal?”

The man smiled nervously and took a step back. “Sorry.”

Bardot’s interest was peaked. Some group using his cave? He searched his mind, trying to figure out if he knew about this group. The Luminos... No it didn’t sound familiar to him. But something about the name still caught his attention. He wasn’t sure what it was. He had to wonder why this group was using his cave. What purpose could they have with it?

Bardot had mentioned to Rudy that he sensed something big was coming. Perhaps the Luminos were going to be involved somehow. Depending on who they were and what their goals were, they could be either the victims or the perpetrators in this whole thing. He wondered if Barney would be familiar with the Luminos. He had information on so many other things. So surely he would know about the Luminos.

Then, suddenly, before he took a step to call Barney over, a memory came back to him. Yes...now he remembered. The Luminos...the anti-creator group... Bardot’s mind reeled with thoughts and he quickly came to the conclusion that Rudy was taken by them. He gave a hmph sound and smirked. How very interesting... He wondered if the boy learned about the cures’ locations...and if he managed to get them. Or perhaps the Luminos nabbed him before he had a chance to. Either way, this was an intriguing development.

“Bardot!?”

The hybrid zoner snapped his head up to attention at that voice. He looked over and he could see Skrawl staring at him, his eyes narrowed.

“Yes, Skrawl?” Bardot replied, smirking darkly.

Skrawl pointed his finger to the ground. “Get over here...”

Bardot did as he was told. He walked over towards Skrawl. He turned his gaze towards the humans. The man looked puzzled, but the two females looked scared. He guessed they must know about him. He grinned at them before turning to look at Skrawl. He sat down on his haunches and gestured with his paw. “What is it, dear Skrawl?”

“Have you found any sign of Rudy Tabootie during your final trip?” Skrawl asked.

Bardot shook his head. “No I have not.” He raised his paw up. He motioned towards the humans. “I couldn’t help but pick up on some of your conversation... Is it true that Rudy was captured?”

“Far as we know, yes.” Skrawl replied.

Grinning, Bardot asked, “Then why did you need to ask me that question? You just want to be sure?”

“You and those two...” Skrawl pointed at Barney and Mumbo Jumbo, who were still present. “...for quite a while in there, and I just wanted to know if you heard or saw anything.”

“I see...” Bardot shook his head. “Well the answer is no. The only things I heard in there were those two zoners that got ‘assigned’ to me, if you can call it that, and the moans and groans of the surviving patients we found. Oh and the crumbling of debris...”

Bardot’s voice trailed off as he shifted his head over to look at the humans. The man’s expression had softened. He guessed that he didn’t know just who he was. He smirked at the two female humans. The little girl in particular was especially frightened. She was clinging to...whom he guessed was her mother. Ah yes... Bardot kind of missed that look from a human. He still had something of a desire to eat human flesh and this girl, she reminded him so much of one of his victims, before Rudy and Penny. If it weren’t for the shock collar, he might decide to have a little fun with her before he went back to the Fire Zone. Not kill her, but just play with her for a bit.

The girl’s grip on her mother tightened. The woman put her hand in front of her daughter and glared at him. A bit of a defensive posture. Bardot wasn’t fazed. Skrawl did nothing, but that was only because of the shock collar. Bardot knew it would be taken off soon, but only after he goes back to the Fire Zone. So, unfortunately for him, he won’t be able to have a little fun with the girl. Well, making her look at him in fear like that was satisfying enough. He grinned more broadly, showing his sharp teeth and fangs to her.

“You’re...” The girl said in a shaky voice. “You’re Bardot...the one who kidnapped Rudy and Penny...nearly killed them and Snap..”

Bardot knew it. This girl had connections with Rudy somehow. Why else would she know that information? He chortled, moving his tail from side to side. “Why yes I am...” He pressed his paw against his chest. “The one and only Bardot!” He lowered his paw to the ground. “Of course, I lost a lot of my bite since this purple collar business but...you know.”

“You better not harm my daughter...” The woman said in a threatening voice.

Bardot chuckled. “Oh please... As much as I’d love to sink my claws into her, this shock collar prevents me from hurting anyone.”

The woman didn’t look convinced. With narrowed eyes, she turned to Skrawl for confirmation.

The jellybean nodded his head. “Yes, it’s true. The shock collar will pump electricity through his body if he tries to hurt you. So don’t worry. He’s harmless.” He pause for a moment. “For now.”

“W-What does that mean?” The little girl whimpered.

“Oh don’t worry about it, Sophie.” Skrawl waved a dismissive hand at her. “He and Draow are going straight back to the Fire Zone after this. You won’t have to worry about seeing his ugly mug again.”

Bardot turned his head to Skrawl. “Oh come now. You hurt my feelings, Skrawl!” He said sarcastically. Suddenly, confusion swept through his body at the mention of ‘Draow’. He turned his head up towards the sky and looked around. “Where is Draow anyway? Shouldn’t he be back by now with Tsere?”

At this, Skrawl blinked his eyes in confusion. He looked up towards the sky. “You’re right... They should be back by now...”

“You don’t suppose something happened?” Sophie asked in a quiet voice. “M-Maybe Draow got free?”

“If he did, then Tsere would be back.” The woman said. Then her eyes widened. “...unless something happened to him...”

Realization swept through the group like a freight train. Confusion occupied Bardot’s mind. He wondered why Draow and Tsere weren’t back yet. His mind played different scenarios of what could have happened to them. As he did this, he watched as Sophie and her mom exchanged looks of horror. Skrawl looked very worried. Bardot wondered if he was regretting his decision to recruit them. He bet he was. The man was puzzled, but he seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation.

Bardot looked over at the hospital. There was still quite a bit of debris left to pick up, even after all that time. Draow couldn’t be done yet, and if he were, he would have reported to Skrawl and be waiting outside here for him. Skrawl’s reaction alone was indication that the bat wolf was not finished with his work. Bardot had seen Draow and Tsere leave and he could hear them arrive even within the ruined hospital. So what was taking so long this time?

For a while, there was silence. Nobody said anything. Heads were tilted up, eyes at the sky. They all looked around, each lost in their own thoughts. They searched the skies for any sign of Draow and Tsere. They kept an eye out for any movement, any shadow, anything that indicated those two were returning.

Soon, Bardot took notice of something. His ears perked up at the sight of a shape moving along the clouds. With the position it was in, it was completely in shadow. Bardot narrowed his eyes, watching as the figure moved closer to the hospital. He soon realized who it was.

It was Tsere.

But...why was he alone? Where was Draow? Didn’t he know he would be shocked with that collar if he didn’t get his tail back here? He watched in silence as the pterosaur drew closer. And when he got close enough, Bardot realized something...wasn’t right with Tsere. He was...staggering. His flapping and soaring was off, tilted almost, uneven. And closer still, he could see something on him. It took him a few moments to realize that it was blood.

Tsere had been attacked...but by whom? It couldn’t have been Draow, could it? He had a shock collar on that prevented that from happening. Perhaps whoever attacked Tsere captured or killed Draow in the process? It was a possibility. But that did lead to more questions. Who was this zoner that attacked those two? Where was it now? Why isn’t it chasing Tsere? Bardot didn’t have time to ask himself more questions when the pterosaur suddenly plummeted downwards.

Tsere fell from the sky, his eyes shut lightly. The zoners all around screamed and ran off to avoid getting hit. Mumbo Jumbo and Barney took several steps back. Skrawl and the humans looked in shock as the pterosaur crashed into the ground. Tsere let out a loud squawk, his head raised up in the air, his mouth open as he let out that shrill cry. His head then fell down to the ground and he just laid there. The dust that was kicked up settled down slowly, revealing a ripped up pterosaur on the ground.

Bardot had been tossed into the ground. Tsere had passed over him before he crashed. The wing claw sheared against his neck. He winced as he felt the claw cut into him. He staggered back, feeling a little blood escape from his neck. He had felt something rip and snap. He looked to the ground and noticed that the shock collar had been ripped off of him. No, not just the shock collar. The purple chalk collar was off of him, too. Bardot stared in surprise, but he barely paid attention to his returning strength. Confusion ruled his mind and he looked over at Tsere.

Bardot noted the injuries. None of them looked terrible, at least at first. There were several cuts on his body, most of them still bleeding. But none of them looked very deep and it didn’t look like he lost a lot of blood. But then he took notice of a couple massive bruises on the pterosaur’s back. He had been beaten...but with what and who did this? He deduced that the attacker was about the same size as Tsere, which meant Draow may have done this, but that was impossible right? With that shock collar on...

As Skrawl and the humans rushed to the pterosaur’s side, shouting his name and seeing if he was all right, Bardot heard something. A movement. His ears swiveled, trying to find the location of the sound. He turned his head and he soon saw some kind of shadow, something moving very fast...heading straight towards Barney. Bardot quickly recognized the shape. His eyes widened as his mind flashed through what would happen if the shadow succeeds in taking Barney. Without thinking, he made a dash towards the centipede.

“Watch out!”

Ignoring the defensive stance of Mumbo Jumbo and the frightened cry of the centipede, Bardot ran over as fast as he could. His speed returning to how it used to be, it was easy for him to dodge Mumbo Jumbo’s attempt to stop him. Bardot jumped into the air and slammed against Barney. The two zoners rolled away just as something large and heavy swooped between them, knocking the king onto his back. Barney and Bardot rolled across the ground before coming to a stop.

Barney and Bardot stared at each other for several seconds. Barney’s eyes were wide in shock and confusion. Bardot stared at him with something of a fearful look, his mouth open and panting. The two of them then looked over, seeing who this shadow was that had attempted to take Barney. Bardot lowered his ears and snarled as he looked at the perpetrator. He got up from Barney. He took a few steps forward.

Barney stared at him in confusion. “You...you saved me...”

Bardot made a quick gesture with his paw. “Don’t get soft with me, Barney. I only saved you because something much worse would have happened if I didn’t...”

“What do you mean...?” Barney asked. He gasped in horror. “Does this have to do with what the diary said about me?”

Bardot silently nodded. He made no attempt to reply to him as he stared at the perpetrator in front of him. He growled lowly and took a few steps forward, his tail swishing from side to side in agitation. He was not going to allow this guy to force him to live in an abyss. Not while he could still do something about it.

“Stand down, Draow...” Bardot said coolly. As Barney scurried away to go back to Mumbo Jumbo, he pawed the ground, his claws scraping against it. “I did not tell you to attack anyone.”

Draow, who landed not far from Bardot, laughed at this. “I don’t take orders from you anymore, Bardot.” He sneered. “I answer to a higher calling now!”

Bardot noticed that Draow’s shock collar was gone. His eyes widened in shock. How did that happen? He doubted Tsere had anything to do with it. He turned his head to look at the fallen pterosaur. That could explain the injuries then. If Draow’s collar was somehow removed...which it was, then he could have attacked Tsere. How he could have managed this, Bardot had no idea. Something must have happened out there while they were delivering their last load. Something unexpected. Something that Skrawl did not account for. But what?

A higher calling? What did Draow mean by that? Did he meet someone else out there during their last trip? Did this individual have anything to do with removing the collar and the attack on Tsere? Then it hit him. He realized quickly just who Draow was talking about. His eyes widened at the realization. If what he thinks is true, then things just got a little more complicated. A part of him hoped he was wrong. But another part hoped he was right, as that would spare him some time in figuring out what to do about it.

“Do you mean that...?” Bardot started to say, narrowing his eyes in curiosity. “...she’s back..?”

Draow smiled, exposing his gums and sharp teeth. “You got it, dear Bardot...” He lowered his head, his eyes staring intently at the yellow zoner. “And Jenny...is looking for some...assistance...”

“What kind of assistance?” Bardot asked.

Draow chuckled. “Oh you really want to know?” Bardot nodded. Draow took a step forward. He jeered at Bardot, “I think you’ll love this, dear Bardot...” He tilted his head to the side, staring down at Bardot with one eye. “It’s right up your alley!”

Bardot stared at him. Then he said, “Try me.”

sss

Urso ran as fast as he could down the tunnels. He hadn’t run into any opposition yet, which he was grateful for. He had enough trouble with this deranged cheetah chasing after him. Though Raiden’s legs were more injured, which slowed him down enough, Urso had only one working leg and was losing a lot of blood. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep up this running. It was hard to breathe and he felt some of his strength start to leave him.

Despite his pain, though, he did his best to stay focused on the task at hand. He kept his nose stuck into the air, sniffing for any signs of Rudy or the others. He swiveled his head left and right, picking up as many scents as he could. So far, he couldn’t detect anything outside of the machinery and dust around here, and sometimes a Luminos. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t run into any of them coming down here. Shouldn’t these tunnels be crawling with them? It didn’t make any sense.

Unless...

His eyes widened in horror for a split second as realization struck him. He recalled that Raiden mentioned sounding the alarm. Could the Luminos be hiding from him, waiting to attack? Could they be forming an ambush? It was possible they had a map of this place and had a way to see where he was. Suddenly, he felt more on edge than before. Even if he lost Dr. Raiden, there was a chance he was headed straight for a trap. If that’s the case, he needed to use caution and be prepared for the unexpected.

As the tunnel made a sharp turn to the right, and he pivoted himself to follow suit, he finally caught a scent. His nostrils flared as he recognized Rapsheeba’s scent. It was faint, barely there, but he could still detect it. Now locking onto the smell, he pushed himself to go faster. Raiden continued to come along behind him. The cheetah hadn’t bothered to speak to him for a while now, and instead opted to just yowl a few times at him like a wild animal. That yowl echoed off the walls, making him feel unnerved.

Dr. Urso soon came to a large opening, the tunnel suddenly widening in a circle. There were multiple paths here to take. He sniffed the air a few times. He found that the scent appeared to be coming from the middle tunnel on the right side. He turned his body and headed over there. He hoped that Rapsheeba wasn’t far from here. He had to get to her and free her and Blocky, whom he assumed was going to be still with her. After he got those two out, then he would go and find Rudy, Penny, and Snap. He hoped that they wouldn’t be far.

Suddenly, he was stopped. A sheet of thick metal lifted up in front of the tunnel. Without warning, it was sealed shut from him and he nearly smashed his nose into the metal. He stopped and looked at this in shock. He heard the sound of the other tunnels being closed off one by one. Determined to get through, he raised himself onto his hind legs and started to slam against the metal wall. The Luminos would need to try harder to make him hold still.

Again and again, he pounded against the metal wall. He could feel it start to dent a little. He could hear the sound of the metal creaking under his weight. Soon there was a roundish shape sinking in the middle of the metal wall and he knew that, if he kept this up, he would be able to get out of here. He pounded against the wall again, and then he prepared himself for another go.

Suddenly, he felt something sharp on his leg. He looked down and saw that Raiden had caught up with him. Before he could defend himself, Raiden yanked on his leg and pulled him back. Dr. Urso let out a cry of pain as he was thrown across the ground. He rolled across the floor, agony sweeping through his body as his wounds were irritated. Blood stained the ground. He landed on his stomach and shook his head. He looked around and realized he was in the middle of the room. He turned his head to Raiden and snarled at him.

Dr. Raiden was on two legs at this point. His arms were folded back behind him. There was a pained look in his face, showing that the wounds were still affecting him. But the dark smile on his face almost overshadowed that pain. With a nasty smirk, Dr. Raiden took a few steps towards Dr. Urso. His tail swished in anticipation, showing that he was excited for this. Dr. Urso could practically see his eyes twinkle.

“Well well...looks like you’re out of options, Dr. Urso...” Raiden said with a sneer. Urso struggled to his feet. Raiden laughed as he watched him wobble. “Oh yes...this will be so easy.”

Dr. Urso stood up on his feet. He coughed up a little blood. He shook his head and flattered his eyes against his head. “You’re...you’re not going to be able to stop me...”

Dr. Raiden cocked an eyebrow. “Indeed...perhaps you are right.”

Urso looked at him in confusion. Was Raiden admitting that he can’t defeat him? Was he admitting that his attempts to make him surrender weren’t going to work? That didn’t sound like Raiden. Something was up... He looked into the cheetah’s eyes, and he could see there was something dark and sinister in those eyes. A deeper motivation. Yes, he had something up his sleeves. And it didn’t take him long to find out what that was.

“But with their help...” Dr. Raiden took a step aside. “..I will.”

Dr. Urso’s eyes widened as he saw a group of six other Luminos walking into the round room. As soon as they entered, the metal door shut. Urso realized he was completely trapped in here. He looked around, and sure enough, all escape routes were cut off. He looked back at the Luminos, his eyes widening in fear. Dr. Raidne might be injured, but these six zoners? They were in perfect health. Not a scratch on them. All of them looked pissed, and they were all glaring at them hatefully.

The lion bear zoner took a few steps back. He kept moving back until he felt his ankle hit against something hard. He looked behind him and saw that he was now pressed up against the metal door he was trying to break down. He looked back and saw the Luminos heading towards him and positioned themselves in a way that trapped him there. He lowered his head and bared his sharp teeth in defense.

“You should have surrendered, Dr. Urso. It would have been so much easier.” Dr. Raiden said.

“Fuck off!” Dr. Urso shouted at him, his eyes blazing. “I will never bow down to you!”

Dr. Raiden tilted his head to the side. “That is a...darn shame, Dr. Urso...” He chuckled darkly as he moved in behind the group of six zoners. He was taller than any of them, allowing Urso to clearly see those vicious eyes and smile. “Well I hate to say it, but your efforts to find those monsters were in vain. I told you, Dr. Urso. You can’t hide from me. Or from any of us. Your luck as run out.”

“I’m not beat yet!” Despite his pain, despite the weakness starting to grip him, Dr. Urso pawed the ground in preparation for a fight. “I will fight until my last breath!”

“That can be arranged...” Dr. Raiden said. He dropped down on all fours, grinning evilly. He looked at his comrades and made a gesture with his head. “Kill him.”

With that, the Luminos gave a battle cry and they moved in towards the lion bear. Dr. Urso narrowed his eyes and let out a loud roar that echoed through the room. Though this caused the Luminos to pause for a few seconds, they continued on after him. Dr. Urso tensed up his leg muscles and he bolted towards the group, his mouth split wide open and saliva flying back.

“I will not allow you to get away with this!” Dr. Urso’s voice boomed as he charged the Luminos.


	88. Move Up The Execution

Maalik stared in utter disbelief. “Dr. Urso is....what?!” He grabbed onto Nile’s arms and pulled the crocodile towards him. He shook him a little. “Are you absolutely sure?!”

Nile’s eyes rolled a little from the dizziness of Maalik’s shaking. He shook his head and pushed the lion’s hands away. He looked at him straight in the eyes. His expression was deceptively calm; Maalik knew a hurricane of emotions laid under that face. The crocodile gritted his teeth nervously, turning his head to the side. He gave Maalik a wary look, as if afraid he was going to be punched if he didn’t say anything.

“Yes... I can confirm it.” Nile replied. “I saw him running through the hallways, and one of our people had been alerting others to his escape.”

Maalik couldn’t believe it. Of all the monsters they captured to have escaped, it had to be the biggest and the strongest. It just had to be the one that could tear off the iron bars like it was nothing. He knew he should have gone with putting him in an electrical hydro cage instead. Urso would not have been able to break out of there without getting sprayed by water. And even if he got passed that, he would have had to deal with the electricity that coursed through there. But instead he had opted for an iron cage because it was ‘less work to keep up’ or something like that.

Now he was paying the price for his stupid mistake. He should have listened to Dr. Raiden when he told him to put Dr. Urso in an electric water bar cage instead of the traditional iron one. It was fine for the others to be an iron cage because they weren’t that physically strong and they had nothing that would have been able to file down the iron bars. Instead, Maalik had decided it would be okay to put Dr. Urso in one because he was tied up...he should have known the lion bear’s tenacity was great enough that he would keep trying to free himself...and succeed in doing so.

Maalik felt like he had failed his people. He had promised his fellow Luminos that he was going to keep them safe. He had promised them that Dr. Urso was not going to be able to hurt them. Not just him, but any creator and any traitor. He promised that they’d be save from all of them. Now Dr. Urso was running loose in the halls and he had no idea if he had hurt anyone or if his people were lucky to escape his wrath. He could only hope that someone manages to catch that beast, and when he was caged again, Maalik would ensure he never threaten anyone again.

“Is there...anything else?” Maalik asked, somewhat hesitating. He was worried of what the response might be. Would it be more bad news?

“Well...I did see Dr. Raiden going after him.” Nile said, gesturing with his hand. “He was keeping a considering pace after Dr. Urso. I think he was trying to lead him into a trap.”

Maalik’s eyes brightened at this. Finally, a little bit of good news. Though he wasn’t sure if Raiden’s plan worked, or how he would manage to catch Urso. But he was happy to know that the problem was, potentially, being taken care of. Raiden was an intelligent zoner. He’d be able to outsmart Urso and get him recaptured. He still worried for his dear friend, but he knew he could handle himself on his own. He was quite resourceful.

“And another thing.” Nile added.

Maalik asked, “What is it?”

“Dr. Urso is injured.” Nile said. Maalik gave him a confused look. “Well yeah I know you hurt him. But I saw a massive trail of blood. I think Dr. Raiden managed to rip into his chest.” He put the tops of his hands against his hips and smirked. “I don’t think Dr. Urso is going to be able to gain the upperhand that easily this time around...”

A dark smile spread across Maalik’s face. Even better news. Raiden had managed to give a crippling wound to that monster. With a hole in his chest, he was going to have a much harder time fighting back. Raiden was going to have the upperhand, especially if he brought along help. Yes, it seemed Raiden had all this covered. He was smart enough to bring help along if he were injured, and with an injured Urso outnumbered... Yes the monster would finally be taken care of. There was no way he was going to get out of this alive.

All fear and worry drained from Maalik’s body, replaced by relief and elation. The knowledge that Urso was going to be removed as a problem, as a threat and danger to his people, was very reassuring. Now he could focus on the next task at hand. As much as he hated Urso, he knew he was not the only threat he needed to deal with. While Raiden took care of that lion bear zoner, he himself would focus on taking care of the others. Even after this, there was still work to be done. He knew it was going to be hard, but he knew they were going to achieve their goal if they kept trying hard enough.

Maalik knew that Dr. Urso was trying to free the others. According to Nile’s report, he wasn’t anywhere near the entrances. He wasn’t heading that direction. He seemed to be following a scent, and Maalik knew it had to be one of the traitors. He guessed it was Blocky and Rapsheeba he was after, since they were the closest to where Dr. Urso had been stored. He felt some relief that it wasn’t one of the creators, otherwise they would be in trouble. Blocky and Rapsheeba could easily be taken care of, especially since Rapsheeba had a broken leg. But the humans? If they find where their magic chalk is being stored...

No, he was not going to allow them to harm his people. He would not give them that chance. He was not going to give Urso the inkling of an opportunity to free them. Even if the odds are remote, he knew there was still a chance. He knew what he had to do. There was only one thing he could do to assure that Rudy and his comrades never get a chance to escape and spread more of their chaos ever again. It was something he was already going to do sooner...but now he was going to push the schedule even further up to the front.

“What shall we do, Maalik?” Nile asked. His eyes were narrowed, suggesting he caught the thoughtful expression Maalik gave. “Should we send more assistance to Dr. Raiden...just to make sure?”

Maalik thought for a moment and shook his head. “No, he can handle things. He already has some help.” He folded his arms behind his back. He turned and walked away a little. “We need to focus our attention on the creators. I know the Death Arena isn’t quite ready yet but...” He lowered his head and sighed. “We have no choice.”

“Y-You mean...” Nile’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Maalik nodded his head, giving somewhat of a regretful expression. “I know it could potentially harm our fellow Luminos if something goes wrong. I know that those zoners assigned to operating it might not fully understand how to use it. But...” He tilted his head up towards the ceiling. “I’m afraid we don’t have much of a choice. We can’t let Urso free them.”

Nile snapped his head back in shock. “Dr. Urso?! But he’s being take care of right now! He can’t possibly survive...”

Maalik cut him off. “I’m aware that he most likely won’t survive the attack. But I know there’s still a chance he might, and I am not going to take that risk, Nile.” He shut his eyes and lowered his ears as horrific memories of the past came flooding through his head. “I..I just can’t afford to assume like that...”

Nile looked at him sympathetically. He put a hand on his shoulder. “I understand.” He paused for a moment. “But please...don’t keep blaming yourself for what happened. It was those blasted creators that wiped out that village, not you.”

The stylized lion smiled gratefully at Nile. He was right. He knew it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t ask for it to happen. Though it still saddened him, though he still felt guilt about it, there was nothing he could do to change the past and he knew it. And like Nile said, he didn’t tell the black chalk artists to attack his village. They did that on their own, for now apparent reason other than just because they could. Right now, he understood that he should just focus on taking care of the current problems. The ones that he had control over.

He was not going to make the same mistake as before. He was not going to assume everything was going to be all right. He was not going to make the assumption that Urso will die, or at least be recaptured. He was not going to assume that the creators and traitors won’t get free. Even if the odds were stacked against them, he knew there was still a chance. He had made the mistake years ago of not taking the threat of creators as seriously as he should have. He did not make the right preparations, and it cost him almost everything.... Well not this time. He won’t let it happen that way.

Maalik made his decision. He was going to stick by it. He was not going to wait the couple of hours before taking Rudy, Penny, and Snap to the Death Arena. He was going to do that now. He had no choice. He needed to send them to their judgment day now before they had a chance to escape justice. They had run from justice long enough. Now, it was time for them to pay up. They needed to own up to their mistakes, and the only way to do that was to send them to the Death Arena. He would feel at ease once those three were finally dispatched.

“Go get the Death Arena set up.” Maalik said as he waved a paw in Nile’s direction. “I am going to go fetch the creators and that filthy little traitor.”

Nile’s eyes widened. “By yourself? But..sir..” He held out his hand and took a few steps towards Maalik. “A-Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if...I mean..they might...”

Maalik looked at the crocodile sympathetically. “I understand your fears. I’m... a little afraid myself. But I’m sure I can...persuade them to be cooperative.”

“How will you do that?” Nile asked. “They’re a bunch of heartless monsters. Why would they listen to reason?”

Maalik couldn’t help but chuckle. He had already thought ahead on this. He knew exactly what he was going to do. He turned around to face Nile. He raised up his hand and extended a single claw. His pupils focused intently on it as a grin spread across his face. The crocodile zoner looked at the finger in confusion, cocking an eyebrow. Then, seconds later, there was a little spark of electricity, causing the croc’s eyes to widen.

“Oh I have my ways...” Maalik said coolly. He looked at Nile. “I’m sure they’ll listen to me. I’ll make them listen...”

With that, silently, Maalik began to walk out of the room. Nile stood there for a while, but he soon started to walk away as well. Maalik could hear the croc’s footsteps as he headed down the opposite path he was taking. Maalik went down the tunnel, moving through the twists and turns, changing which tunel he was going down a couple of time.

As he continued on his way towards where Rudy, Penny, and Snap were being held, thoughts swam through his mind. He couldn’t help but think of Dr. Raiden. He bit his lip. He didn’t completely express it back there, but he was worried about him. Dr. Urso was...monstrous. Even with help, he wasn’t entirely sure if Dr. Raiden could avoid getting hurt again. He hoped that his friend would be okay. He hoped that Urso would be stopped. Yet, the fear of something happening to Raiden was still fresh on his mind.

He made a silent promise. He swore, if Urso hurt his friend again, if he dare lay a paw on him, he was going to make him regret the day he was erased. Urso was not going to get away with attacking Raiden like that. He was going to make that lion bear suffer. Oh how he was going to suffer. And he would have brought it all on himself. If Dr. Urso hadn’t interfered, he wouldn’t be in this mess.

Urso was going to get what was coming to him.

sss

Skrawl was in shock at what was going on. He hadn’t predicted something like this was going to happen. Just...how did this happen? Why didn’t he see this coming?

It all seemed like it was going to work. He had managed to recruit Draow and Bardot to help with the hospital. He had put shock collars on them to ensure that they wouldn’t try anything. He had even made a deal with them, one that they couldn’t refuse. He thought it was going to be fine. He had thought of as much as he could, and made preparations just in case. It was all going so well too...

But then it all so quickly went down the drain. He couldn’t believe just how much went wrong in a short time. And this time, shockingly, it wasn’t Bardot who was causing the problems. It wasn’t that hybrid zoner who had done anything to cause trouble. Instead, it had been Draow. Skrawl had no idea how he managed to do it...but somehow Draow got the shock collar off of him, and it all went downhill form there.

The bat wolf had attacked Tsere. Here, on the ground, the pterosaur lay. Multiple cuts adorned his body as well as some massive bruises. He had taken quite a beating. Skrawl gently moved his hand along the pterosaur’s head, making sure he was okay. Tsere let out a few pitiful chirps, but was otherwise still as stone on the ground. Skrawl guessed that Tsere had flown over here to warn them about what was going on, but Draow had mowed him down, effectively knocking him out of the air before he could do anything.

Tsere’s fall had accidentally ripped off Bardot’s collars. Both of them... Skrawl was very worried about this. Even if Bardot did not agree with whatever this higher calling Draow mentioned wanted, there was still a chance that the hybrid zoner could escape and wreak havoc elsewhere. He was back to full power. Skrawl was aware of just how dangerous he was. Memories of Bardot’s reign of terror two years ago flooded his mind, making his body shudder. He didn’t want a repeat of that.

Skrawl had thought that Bardot would either be willing to join, or would be the more aggressive of the two. That’s how it was in the past. It was Bardot who was the most vicious, the most vile, the ringleader...

...but this time it seemed that reversed. Skrawl couldn’t push aside his shock of this revelation.

Bardot was a surprising zoner. Skrawl already knew that the zoner could be full of surprises, but this time, the surprise was something more pleasant than dangerous. Bardot had done a couple of things that Skrawl never would expected from the zoner. He had done somethings that he felt were against his character. Yet, Bardot not only pulled it off, but he did it in stride, showing no signs of backing down.

Bardot had saved Barney from Draow. He wasn’t sure what the bat wolf wanted with him. But it had to be a terrifying, horrible reason if Bardot, of all zoners, had willingly saved him from capture. And now, while Mumbo Jumbo and Barney stood next to each other, Bardot had positioned himself between him and those two zoners. Bardot was baring his sharp teeth, his fur raised on end. He was giving a very clear signal to Draow: ‘try to go after them and I will kill you.’ This was definitely not something he would have expected from Bardot.

At the mention of Jenny wanting assistance, Skrawl pondered what that could be. If he remembered right, Jenny was Cosmo’s partner years ago. She had been the one to infect Master Tabootie with that chalk virus that ravaged his body. And she was calling for assistance from Draow and Bardot? What could she want Bardot for? Perhaps a position of power... Or maybe she wanted to use him as a power source. Whatever she wanted, Bardot showed no interest and more or less told Draow to ‘fuck off’. It was an almost eerie thing to see, someone as vicious as Bardot being the one to defend someone else, even if, in the end, it was for selfish reasons, which he wouldn’t doubt.

Skrawl turned to the humans that stood near the fallen pterosaur. They were frozen in shock at what happened. The man, Mr. Longhorn he believed his name was, had some confusion on his face. Still shock and fear, but also a strong sensation of confusion. He wasn’t surprised since he obviously hadn’t been into ChalkZone before. Skrawl wasn’t entirely pleased that they had brought in another creator, especially without Rudy’s knowledge, but with all that was going on, he decided to let it slide. It was Biclops’s department anyway.

The two females, Sophie and her mom Tilly, were mostly horrified by what was happening. They stood next to Tsere and their heads were turned in the direction of Draow and Bardot. Their bodies were shaking from a mixture of shock and fear. Sophie looked like she wanted to help, but her mother held her back. Even if she didn’t do that, Skrawl would have. It was too dangerous for them to be here. They might have magic chalk, but the mother wasn’t as much of an artist and Sophie didn’t have enough experience to take on Draow.

He needed to get Sophie, Tilly, and Longhorn to leave. But he also understood they could have a benefit. With all that was going on, they could use the help. These humans maybe useful in some way. Skrawl reeled through his thoughts, trying to figure out some way they could be helpful without putting them at first of Draow, or Bardot in case he decided to turn aggressive himself.

Then he thought of something. He recalled that Sophie liked spending time off and on in the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. That wasn’t too far away from here. And he had his suspicions that the Luminos hideout is that way. Sure there were some wild animals, but none of them were as dangerous as Draow or the Luminos. And Sophie was talented enough to take care of the animals in case they decided to give them trouble.

He could send Sophie, with her mom and Longhorn of course, out there to locate the hideout. They could bring Master Tabootie the magic chalk. If he was at the hideout, then most likely, he has no magic chalk. The Luminos would have taken that away from him, leaving him defenseless. Sophie and the others could help him out by bringing the magic chalk to him. It was still going to be dangerous, though. He understood it could actually end up being as big of a risk as letting her fight Draow, now that he thought about it. This might not be a good idea after all.

But he had no idea how much Rudy had left...if he and his friends had any time left. They were most likely locked up, injured, and defenseless. Perhaps when he was a villain, he wouldn’t have cared about this. But he wasn’t like that anymore, and he had grown to like those three. And he’d be damned if he let them get hurt.

Yeah, this seemed like the best plan of action he could take here. Send these three humans out to find Rudy and, hopefully, bring him back here. A risk, but a necessary one. Getting him and his friends out of the Luminos’s hideout was a definitely high priority. The group was very dangerous. Biclops paid a testament to that... Skrawl hoped that the hospital Biclops was currently in wouldn’t be attacked like this one was.

Skrawl didn’t waste anymore time. He took a few steps towards the humans. He cleared his throat to get their attention. As soon as they looked at him, he began to speak.

“I need you three to head to the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle.” Skrawl said.

Tilly looked at him, confused. “Why? Shouldn’t we..?” She looked down at Tsere.

“And what about them?” Longhorn pointed at the bat wolf with the other zoners. “Shouldn’t we do something about that? I might not be familiar with this place but...”

Skrawl held up his hand. The group fell silent. “I understand your concerns. But don’t worry.” He pointed a claw at himself. “I will take care of it!” He pointed at them. “You just worry about finding Tabootie!”

“He’s in the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle?” Sophie asked, her eyes brightening a little with hope. “Do you think he’s there?

“He might be. There is a strong chance that Bardot’s old hideout is where the Luminos are. And I know you’ve done a lot of exploring in that jungle, hadn’t you, Sophie?” Skrawl looked down at the little girl.

“Yeah I have.” Sophie narrowed her eyes a little. “But I don’t think I ever saw any hideout...”

“You’ll know it. Trust me!” Skrawl stated. He made a few gestures with his hand, using his claw to ‘draw’ a shape in the air. “The entrance looks like a rhino’s head. Unless they changed it, that’s roughly what it should look like. Just keep looking deep in the jungle until you find something like that. It shouldn’t be too easy to miss.”

“Okay then.” Sophie said, nodding her head.

Tilly took a step forward. “Isn’t this dangerous?” She narrowed her eyes at the jellybean. “Sending a little girl by herself to...”

“I’m sending all three of you over! Don’t you listen?” Skrawl growled softly at her. Before Tilly could respond, he raised his hand. “Nevermind that now. There’s..more important things at hand right now. Go now, before Draow decides to target any of you!”

“And what are you going to do?” Mr. Longhorn asked. “Perhaps I could stay and...”

“No!” Skrawl snapped at him. He realized he was a little too harsh when he said that. The humans looked at him in shock. He softened up his expression and cleared his throat. “I mean...no.. Sorry, but I can’t risk it.” He paused for a moment. Noting the glare on the man’s face, he continued, “It’s not that I think you’re not capable or anything, Longhorn. Please do not misunderstand me. The reason I’m asking you to go with the two girls is because if Draow captures you...well it’s not going to end beautifully.” Skrawl held out his hand in gesture. “He could easily take you to wherever Jenny is...and corrupt you with the black chalk.”

Mr. Longhorn cocked an eyebrow. “The..black chalk?” He folded his arms and tapped his foot. “Just...what the heck is that?”

“It’s a dangerous type of magic chalk that warps the mind of any human who dares to use it.” Tilly replied. “No one can resist it, so don’t even try to act all ‘well it’s not going to bother me’.. Believe me it will take you over.” Her eyes became downcast. “My nephew nearly became a slave to that thing. According to Penny, he had become a vile monster while the black chalk controlled him.”

Mr. Longhorn’s eyes widened in horror. “I...”

“You can talk later!” Skrawl snapped, waving his arm dismissively at them. “Just get going now!”

“Okay... We’ll try our best!” Sophie declared.

Skrawl offered the faintest of a smile. “I know you will.”

As Skrawl watched them leave, he turned his attention to where Draow and the others were. He narrowed his eyes as he watched Draow and Bardot having what appeared to be a heated argument. He wasn’t sure what they were saying. But at the moment, he didn’t care. All he had to know was that Draow was causing problems, and he had to stop him somehow. Without hesitation, Skrawl rushed forward, running towards Draow at full speed.

sss

Rudy’s eyes were wide in shock. He couldn’t believe what was happening before him. Well not a lot happened yet; they were just standing there, shocked, but still, he couldn’t conceive what was about to happen.

His head moving rigidly, he looked over at Penny and said, “I-I...I thought you said we had until tomorrow...”

Penny stood there. Her eyes were wide, her pupils shrinking. Shivers moved up and down her body. She opened up her mouth and she replied in a quiet voice. “That’s...what I thought...yes...”

Snap hid behind Rudy, looking over at in fear. “I wonder what changed their minds.”

Rudy wasn’t sure how to answer that. How could he? He didn’t know himself. All he knew was that Maalik was going to execute them tomorrow. That would have given them enough time to figure out a plan of escape. But then, without warning, Maalik had apparently changed his mind. He had come in just moments ago, a dark sneer on his face. He announced that he decided to send them to the Death Arena now.

They were going to be executed now...

Rudy’s heart froze, ice running through it. His stomach twisted in knots. He couldn’t believe this was happening. No...this couldn’t happen this way.. It wasn’t fair. They didn’t deserve this. Horror and fear swept through his body. He started to feel a little nauseous. He held his stomach and gently rubbed it. The realization that they were going to die weighed heavily on his mind. They had little time to make a plan now. They had no time left at all. They were going to be escorted to the Death Arena..and that was it. Rudy had no magic chalk, and neither did Penny. The Luminos thought ahead with this and took precautious to ensure they couldn’t escape.

Rudy could feel his heart speeding up. Fear was taking a hold on his mind, not loosening its grip. He could sense the fear and dread from his friends. He could see how frightened they were, their bodies shaking. His body trembled as well. As much as he wanted to be brave and look brave, he wasn’t able to stop his body from shaking as the realization of death approaching them hit him like a freight train. A horrible pang in his stomach developed as he realized this was similar to Mr. Cosmo...how he was going to give him a couple hours to make a life changing decision, and when Rudy broke the hourglass, Mr. Cosmo took that as a ‘time’s up’ thing. It was...sick and twisted, and so was what Maalik was doing.

Despite his fear, Rudy wasn’t going to just lay down while this evil zoner threatened his friends. He was not going to stand around and just willingly go along with what he says. Even though there was hardly a chance he’d succeed...he needed to fight back somehow. He needed to defend himself and his friends. He needed to show Maalik that they weren’t going to just roll over to whatever he says. They needed to hold onto a little defiance.

Rudy took a step in front of his friends. He took a defensive posture. He pointed at the lion standing before them. “We’re not going with you!” Penny and Snap looked at him, worried expressions on their faces. They then nodded in agreement and tried their best to glare at the anthro lion, though it was clear they were afraid of him. “Nothing you say will make us come with you!”

Maalik chortled at this. He shook his head slowly. “Oh Rudy, Rudy, Rudy...” He straightened himself up. “Always have to do things the hard way. Never wanting to just go the easy route...”

“You think we will just roll over and let you kill us?!” Rudy exclaimed, incredulous. How could this zoner think they were just going to give up just like that? He was insane.

“Y-Yeah!” There was a slight crack in Snap’s voice, but nonetheless, he sounded as brave as he could. “We’re not pushovers!”

Maalik glanced down at Snap. There was a glint in his eyes. Snap noticed this and gulped, taking a step back. Rudy and Penny made sure to keep Snap behind both of them, while Rudy made sure both his friends were behind him. He spread his arms out in a protective manner. The lion watched this with an amused expression, his tail wriggling behind him in excitement. The way Maalik was looking at them was very much like how a real lion would look at its prey. It was very unsettling.

Maalik took a few steps closer to the cage. The closer he got, the closer the three friends huddled, sharing each other’s comfort with the other. They were a team and they were going to get through this together. They huddled as close as they could, pressing their bodies against each other as they glared at the approaching lion.

Soon, the anthro lion stood about a foot in front of the cage. He stared at them intently with those golden eyes of his. They were filled with hidden malice, making them all think of Raiden. Rudy’s body shuddered as his memory brought up that awful zoner. He was still bitter about how the cheetah had lied to them all, how he was the metal finger zoner that Wilter had warned them about, how Raiden had poisoned him time and again, resulting in the bad nightmares that plagued him. He winced as he felt a pain in his shoulder. He’ll never forget the sensation of the sharp metal claw digging into his skin.

“How funny to see you three so defiant when it’s so close to your end. Typical.” Maalik rolled his eyes. “I’ve known that you three would try to find comfort in each other, especially when your time is almost up.” He turned his head a little. “Why don’t you face death with dignity? That’s the least you can do after you threatened ChalkZone.”

“For the last fucking time, we didn’t threaten ChalkZone, you deranged fuckball!” Penny snapped. Rudy and Snap stared at her, both a little surprised by her choice of words.

Maalik’s eyes were a little wide in surprise himself, but he remained relatively calm. The only sign of agitation from him was a little curling of the lips. But that only lasted a short moment and soon the smile came back. The eerie smile consisting of exposing his large, sharp fangs at them. The sight of them made the trio unnerved, causing them to take a small step back. Maalik moved away from them, but then started to walk around to the side, getting to where they were in the cage now so that he would be closer to them.

He came up to the side, now a foot away from the trio themselves, not just way from the cage bars. He had his arms folded behind his back. He eyed them up and down, inspecting them almost like they were a piece of meat. His glances at them were quite unnerving, and they couldn’t help but shudder. Maalik being the leader of the Luminos wasn’t very comforting either. This was the guy who ordered pretty much everything that happened. He was responsible for that hospital attack. They knew he’d be willing to sink to low levels with them, if he could do that. What was he going to do this time?

Maalik finally spoke up again after a bit of silence. “I think it’s best that you come along quietly. You will need whatever strength you have left for the Death Arena.” He chuckled darkly. “It would be...too much of a shame if you were killed off too quickly. My people would want to be entertained...”

“What are you talking about, you sicko?!” Rudy shouted.

Maalik replied, “Oh some of the Luminos will be there watching. It will be so much fun for them to watch their mortal enemies get what they deserve....” He watched as the trio’s eyes widened in horror at this. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes glinting. “Oh yes... It will be a beautiful sight. Your blood staining the ground...”

“We haven’t done anything to you to deserve this!” Snap shouted, forming fists with his hands. “You’re the ones attacking us unprovoked!”

“We were attacked first.” Maalik said, narrowing his eyes. “So we fought back by attacking your precious little treehouse, traitor. You don’t deserve a home here after what you did.”

Rudy’s eyes widened at this. His mind flooded with memories of that incident. He recalled that Snap was, currently, homeless. And it was because of the Luminos. They had heartlessly attacked his treehouse, destroying it completely with rocket launchers and whatever else weapons they had. Snap didn’t deserve that. It wasn’t his fault, Snap’s fault, or Penny’s fault that the black chalk artists attacked the Luminos. And yet, though the Luminos know that, they’re still using it as an excuse to hurt them.

That was truly disgusting. How dare the Luminos do something like that... How dare Maalik say he didn’t deserve to live in ChalkZone... and for what? Just because he allied himself with creators? Snap was their best friend. Maalik had no right to judge him for that. Snap can be friends with whoever he wanted to. It wasn’t Maalik’s job, or anyone else, to tell Snap who he is allowed to be friends with and who he should avoid. How fucking dare Maalik try to push his beliefs onto him...

“Shut the fuck up! Snap did nothing to get his treehouse destroyed!” Rudy yelled at the lion zoner, pointing a finger in his direction. “I understand that the black chalk artists were causing you grief but you had no right to attack my friend’s home like that! Don’t you know what it’s like to lose your home...see it burned to the ground... well do you, piece of shit?!”

Rudy was surprised by his own temper. His friends looked at him, shocked. Maalik was surprised as well and he had taken a step back. Rudy grew quiet, taking in ragged breaths and glaring hatefully at Maalik. The lion zoner stared back at him. He looked a little shaken, like something he said got to him. Maalik, for a moment, looked...not remorseful, but sad, like he was remembering something from the past. But that soon changed to a snarl and Rudy felt his heart skip a beat at that growl.

“How fucking dare you, human filth?!” Maalik growled angrily at him, showing a bit of a temper that reminded them of Dr. Raiden. “My home was destroyed by you creators! I lost almost everyone I cared about! Don’t you ever think for a second I don’t know what it’s like to lose my home! Because I’ve been there!”

There was silence for a few moments. The trio stared at the angered lion for several seconds. Their eyes were widened. They recalled that detail they’ve been told in the past, about how the black chalk artists from before they were born had destroyed a large section of ChalkZone and wiped out nearly an entire village. They were certain this is what Maalik was referring to.

But that did not excuse his behavior. His actions were atrocious. He was using all those deaths...all that tragedy...to justify his own horrible actions. He was not honoring the loss of those zoners...he was using them to further his own personal vendetta. That was truly sick...

“If you cared at all about those you lost...” Rudy said in a low voice. “You would realize you were dishonoring their deaths with this stupid revenge..and you’d quit before you disgraced them further...”

Maalik’s eyes widened in shock at this. For a moment, he had something of a saddened expression. Then he quickly wiped it off his face and scowled at Rudy. His pupils dilated into slits and he let out an animal like growl. The sound permeated through their bodies and souls, freezing their blood into ice, making their hearts pounding harder.

Then, just as quickly as he looked angered, Maalik suddenly became calm again, or at least tranquil in appearance. The sudden shift was quite unnerving for the trio. Maalik raised up a finger and looked at it.

“I still think you should just...come along with me. Your deaths will be swifter that way...” Maalik twisted his finger around, his pupils focusing on it intently like it was the most fascinating thing ever. “But of course, I predicted you wouldn’t be so...cooperative. So I have means of making you do what I say.”

“And what is that...?” Penny asked cautiously, narrowing her eyes. “What do you have up your sleeve, Maalik?”

“Oh nothing much...” Maalik replied. There was a twinkle in his eye as his grin grew nasty. “Except....this!”

Suddenly, as soon as his claw from his raised finger was extended, there was a sparkle of electricity and then, seconds later, a long, winding arch of electricity shot out of the finger, growing larger as it extended. An electrical ‘snake’ of some kind raised its head up into the air, letting out a silent shriek. It shot forward towards the trio as they let out a cry of surprise. The coiling snake slipped through the bars and headed straight for...

“Snap!” Rudy and Penny cried in horror.

Snap had no time to react before the electrical snake coiled around his body, squeezing him tightly as he was lifted into the air. He let out bloodcurdling screams as the electricity pumped thorugh his body, dancing over his blue form horrendously. Rudy and Penny watched in absolute horror, helpless to do anything to stop it. They couldn’t touch the snake or even Snap without getting shocked themselves.

“Let him go!” Rudy shouted, tears forming in his eyes. “You monster! Let him go!”

“He hasn’t done anything to you!” Penny cried, her voice tinged with desperation.

Maalik chuckled and said, “I’m well aware of what happened to Snap under Cosmo’s...assistance. The whole neurological damage thing...” Rudy and Penny’s eyes widened in horror, their blood freezing. “Now we wouldn’t want to have that happening again...now would we...?” Maalik sneered.

The electrical snake squeezed Snap tighter, pumping more electricity through his body. He jerked and twisted, trying to get free. His body convulsed as the electriciy coursed through his veins painfully. He continued to let out horrific screams, tears flowing from his eyes. His clothing started to get torn and burnt, and some blood started to form from new small wounds.

“Please don’t do this...” Penny begged Maalik.

The lion just smirked at her. “If you don’t want him to suffer more...paralysis...you know what to do...”

The electric snake shocked Snap some more. The little zoner cried out in pain.

“Snap!” The two friends cried, tears flowing down their faces. They watched Maalik, a growing sense of hatred and fear rising inside their guts. What were they going to do now?


	89. Taking An Unexpected Role

Skrawl knew that going up against Draow was not going to be easy. He was at a disadvantage here. Yeah he had fought him before and managed to hold his ground. But that was in the Chalk Mine; there was not a lot of room for Draow to fly, so he was grounded much of the time. It was easier to fight him while he was on the ground.

But here? That advantage no longer existed. They were outside now, in ChalkZone City. Lots of open space here. Plenty of room to fly. Draow can easily gain the upperhand just by flying into the air. Skrawl wouldn’t be able to lay a claw on him once he was in the sky. His Beanie Boys might be able to go after him, but Draow was more agile in the air. He’d be able to outmanuever them and strike them from behind with those sharp claws of his.

But regardless, he had to try. It wasn’t like anyone else here was going to try. Mumbo Jumbo was busy guarding his friend. The other zoners around them were moving back, keeping away from Draow. He could see the look of fear in their eyes. None of them had the guts to take on Draow. Mumbo Jumbo might, but he was at a disadvantage. He was slow, and though his shell might keep him safe to an extent, Draow could lift him up into the air and drop him from a great height. The fall would defnitely kill the tortoise. Yeah, it would not be wise for that overgrown turtle to try to fight Draow.

It didn’t seem like Barney was going to. Definitely good, as Barney was not a physically strong zoner. He could fly and manuever, probably about as good, if not better, than Draow. But if he were grabbed, he was in trouble. According to Rudy, he could just break his body apart, but that would create some...interesting problems, and was not highly recommended. Skrawl asked just what specifically happened, but Rudy and the others, even Barney himself, said they didn’t want to talk about it. So Skrawl eventually dropped the subject.

Bardot was still standing in front of Draow, snarling at him. Skrawl was surprised at this as he thought that the two were partners, and Bardot always seemed willing to work with Draow in the past. He wondered what changed this time. Well it did seem like Bardot still had a use for Draow as he hadn’t tried using his venom against him. Skrawl wasn’t sure how he was going to get the purple collar back on him, but right now that wasn’t his immediate concern. It wasn’t Bardot who was causing the current problems right now. It was Draow.

There had be a reason why Bardot was going up against his own partner. There had to be some logic behind him willingly saving Barney. Just what did Draow want with him? And what did Jenny want? Assistance, yes, but for what? Well he was going to make Draow give him those answers, one way or another.

As he got closer, he started hearing their conversation more clearly.

Draow tilted his head a little, blinking in confusion. “I still don’t get why you don’t agree, dear Bardot... You always were one for death.”

Bardot lowered his head slightly. His claws flexed on the ground. “That might be. I admit, I do still love the good scream or two...” He then raised his head up, narrowing his eyes. “But I also like living too! I might be a heartless monster, but I’m not stupid! I know what would happen if your plan goes into full swing! You might be suicidal, but I’m not!”

“Just what I would expect from you. It is...so sad that I’m the only zoner who seems to know his true calling in life...” Draow took a step towards Bardot. His gleaming teal eyes showed no fear for the little zoner, despite knowing how venomous he was now. He spread his wings out, as if to make himself look more intimidating. “Things are about to change, Little Bardot... All this will come crumbling down... It is the beginning of the end... And there is nothing you can do to stop it...”

“I can still try...” Bardot’s tail swished from side to side. He lowered himself, preparing to lunge. He glared intensely at the bat wolf. “If there is one thing I share with my victims...” His green eyes glinted. “...it’s that I don’t wish to die anymore than they do. I would have thought the same for you. Perhaps I was wrong.”

Draow sneered at this. “Indeed..” He tilted his head again, this time a little further. One teal eye stared down at Bardot, showing a mixture of emotions. “Zoners are meant to serve their masters. Their creators. And once their purpose is served, they are no longer of use. All zoners, even I, am expendable, and we must all accept that. We are nothing but a speck in the long run, and our purpose is simply to fulfill the intended desire of our creators. We exist to serve...” He made a sweeping motion with his wing. “And nothing more.”

Bardot growled at this. “Such a pity you adhere to such ridiculous ideals. Serving the creators...what kind of life is that?” His eyes narrowed further. “If you think I was going to play fetch with your failure of a creator...”

Draow’s pupils shrank and he gave out a loud screech. He raised his paw up and slammed it on the ground. There was a shattering sound. As Skrawl moved closer, he could see some glass on the ground. His eyes widened in horrific realization and he covered his ears. Seconds later, Draow scraped his claws along the glass. It took only seconds for the effect to become noticeable.

A horrific screech filled the air, akin to the scrape of someone slashing their nails across the chalkboard. It echoed against the buildings, reaching unbelievably high levels, to a point that Skrawl thought wasn’t possible. The horrific sound brought all the zoners to their knees, covering their ears. Mumbo Jumbo and Barney huddled close, their hands against their faces. They gave loud shouts of pain, as did the other zoners. Bardot had fallen into the ground, his tail wriggling in agitation and his eyes shut as he tried to cope with the sound.

Then Draow stopped just as suddenly as he started. Zoners started to relax as the horrific, dehibilitating sound vanished. But they were a little slow to recover, many remaining on the ground. As Skrawl climbed up shakingly to his feet, he saw that Bardot was still on the ground, his body trembling a little from the loud sound. Draow took this chance and rushed towards him. Before the hybrid zoner could react, Draow grabbed him in his jaws. He shook him a few times before throwing him to the side.

Skrawl watched as Bardot slammed against the ground hard, making an indent in the ground. As Bardot groaned in pain and struggled to his feet, Skrawl could see, out of the corner of his eyes, the other zoners that remained were attemptingto move Tsere. No longer having to worry about him, Skrawl’s mind focused intently on the fight that was going on. Draow didn’t stop at just throwing Bardot. He kicked him once, sending him sprawling across the ground. The third attack missed and Bardot jumped out of the way.

Bardot stood not far from Draow, his hips raised in the air in preparation of a pounce. His tail twitched sideways a few times in agitation. His teeth were bared. His pupils shrank a little. Then, after pawing the ground, he charged towards Draow. He let out a screech as he jumped into the air, fully intending on biting the bat wolf. He never made it that far as Draow struck him with his foot. Bardot crashed into the ground, his shoulder almost shattering under the pressure. The hybrid zoner got up to his feet, but staggered backwards, showing clear distress.

Skrawl thought, at first, Draow was going to go after Bardot. But instead, the bat wolf turned his attention to Barney and Mumbo Jumbo. The bat wolf watched as the tortoise took a stance in front of Barney, and glared hatefully at Draow. This caused Draow to just laughed darkly at his pathetic attempt at protecting Barney. Slowly, Draow, lowering himself into a parallel walking pattern, much like a dinosaur, stalked towards them. He stared intently at Barney, his eyes glinting with cruel intent.

“Get away from him!” Mumbo Jumbo shouted, holding up his fist. “Take one more step towards him, and I’ll...!” Draow gripped Mumbo Jumbo by his arm and hoisted him up effortlessly.

“No!” Barney shouted, reaching his hand out towards him. “Let him go! Please!”

“I will if you come with me willingly...” Draow said, snickering. “Otherwise your friend here will have a little...accident...”

To demonstrate just how serious he was, Draow slammed the tortoise into the ground as hard as he could. Mumbo Jumbo let out a cry of pain. He raised him again and threw him against the concrete. There was a slight crack sound and it became apparent that Draow’s slamming caused a minor crack in Mumbo Jumbo’s shell to form. If the bat wolf managed to keep this up, he could shatter the shell or cause enough damage that would be fatal for the tortoise, or at the very least, lead to some permanent life changes.

“Stop that!” Barney cried, tears flowing down his face. “He hasn’t done anything to you!”

“On the contrary...” Draow lifted the tortoise up to eye level. “He was standing in my way... I cannot allow that...” Mumbo Jumbo, his face a little bruised, just scowled at him. Draow chuckled at this and tossed the tortoise into the air. Effortlessly, he snagged him by his neck, his talons wrapped around this throat and preventing his head from retracting. The suddenness of this caused Mumbo Jumbo to gag. “I do wonder what turtle soup tastes like...”

Barney widened his eyes. “No! You can’t!”

Draow laughed coldly. “You cannot tell me what I can and can’t do...” He pointed a claw at the centipede. “Besides, it is not him that I want. It’s you. I’m all for a trade, Barney. Come with me and I will let your friend here go. If you don’t, well let’s just say...” He tightened his grip on Mumbo Jumbo’s neck, nearly choking the turtle zoner. “...your friend here can’t hold his breath forever...”

“I...” Barney started to say.

“No!” Bardot shouted. Barney looked over at the hybrid zoner. Bardot wobbled a little on his feet, his head low to the ground. His eyes were wide, filled with what Skrawl guessed was panic. “Don’t do it! If you go with him, you’re going to change back into that monster you were long ago!”

Barney’s face went pale. He put a hand over his mouth. He stared at Bardot in horror. “I’m..going to what...?”

Bardot took in a few heavy breaths. “Whatever you do...don’t go with him! Or you will destroy us all!”

Draow narrowed his eyes. He bared his sharp teeth as he glared in Bardot’s direction. “Of course you had to go ruin the surprise, dear Bardot. Oh well...” He glanced down at Mumbo Jumbo. “If Barney refuses to go with me, I suppose I can enteratin myself with his friend here...” He slammed Mumbo Jumbo into the ground, knocking him out. “I am hungry..” He licked his lips slowly.

Barney held out his hand and screamed in horror. He started to rush over. “No! Please don’t!”

Draow laughed coldly at this and he proceeded to open up his jaws and prepared to bite down on Mumbo Jumbo. Before he could get too far, Skrawl had managed to get close enough to actually do something now. He charged against Draow, slamming his body against him. Draow staggered to the side, screeching in surprise at the sudden attack. Due to him being on just one leg, he lost his balance and he fell to the groudn. His grip on the tortoise was lost, and Mumbo Jumbo dropped into the ground. Barney rushed over and checked on him.

While Barney tried in vain to wake up the king, Skrawl climbed into Draow’s back. The bat wolf stood back onto his feet and lowered his body. He swung himself from side to side, trying to get Skrawl off of him. He let out screeches, his jaws split wide open. He tried to turn his head around to bite Skrawl, but it was to no avail. In desperation, the bat wolf started to run across the ground. He slammed into some of the zoners near by, his sharp claws slicing into their bodies. By now, Tsere had been taken away, giving Draow more room to run and buck himself to get Skrawl off.

Skrawl refused to let go. He grabbed onto Draow’s ears and pulled on them hard. He screeched, his eyes widening and pupils shrinking. He shook his head from side to side, trying to make Skrawl release his ears. Draow continued to run around the place, attacking any bystander that stood in his way, including using his head to knock away a female doctor who was unfortunate enough not to get out of the way in time. He ran towards the ruined hospital and slammed up against it, trying to knock Skrawl off.

Despite Draow’s desperate actions, Skrawl still managed to hang on. He yanked on Draow’s ears even harder, forcing the zoner’s head up. Suddenly not able to see where he was going, Draow started to stagger wildly and move in odd directions. He ended up slamming up against the hospital, shutting his eyes in pain. Draow’s legs started to shake, and Skrawl could tell that he was starting to lose some of his strength. If he could just keep this up for a little while longer, he might be able to force Draow into the ground.

Unfortunately, things were never that easy. Draow snapped his eyes wide open and, displaying strength that Skrawl hadn’t expected, bucked really hard, nearly knocking Skrawl off of him. Then Draow straighted himself up into the air spreading his wings out. Skrawl pulled on his ears, trying to make him stop. However, this time, though it caused Draow to point his head up like before, instead of running around in a panic, the zoner did something else that Skrawl hadn’t predicted.

Draow pushed himself back, his feet working on the ground and wriggling until he was on his heels. Then, with a final push, Draow fell down to the ground. Skrawl thought he won at first, until he realized this was a deliberate strategy on part of Draow. He had no time to react. In seconds, Skrawl was crushed up against the ground, Draow’s heavy body slamming against him with great force. His eyes widened and he let out a scream of pain. Draow then lifted himself up and smirked down at him.

“Nice try, you stupid jellybean...” Draow hissed. He spread his wings a little. “You aren’t going to get the best of me this time.”

Skrawl’s body was wracked in pain. Dirt clung to his body. Multiple scrapes and bruises adorned his form. A little blood here and there. He hadn’t been knocked out, which shocked him considering how hard he was struck against the ground. He opened up his mismatched eyes and glared up at Draow. Although he wanted to get up, at the moment, he was in too much initial pain and could only manage a few groans.

Draow chuckled at this. He took a step towards Skrawl and sneered down at him. He grinned, flashing his razor sharp teeth. He reached out with his foot and pressed it against Skrawl gently, gingerly pressing his talons against his body. Skrawl looked at him in fear, a look he usually didn’t show too often. He knew that, with enough pressure, the bat wolf could easily tear him open. All it would take is a little pressure. In an attempt to defend himself, Skrawl raised a hand and slashed against Draow’s leg.

Although he managed a couple small bloody marks on him, and the bat wolf did flinch in pain, Draow did not relent. He responded by pressing his claws further against him. Skrawl winced at the pinch against his skin. He attempted to push the foot off of him, but Draow was too strong. Then, just when Skrawl thought he was going to be ripped open, Draow opted instead to pick him up into the air. He held him up and squeezed him tightly. He sneered at him before throwing him as hard as he could into the ground.

Skrawl let out a cry of pain as he hit the ground with great force. He coughed up a little blood and his body trembled in pain. His mind was a little muggy from the agony that swept through him. He shifted his gaze up towards where Draow was. He had turned his body away from him and was looking at the remaining zoners around them. His vision was starting to become a little blurry, but Skrawl could make out the looks of horror around him.

“May that be a warning to all of you little worms!” Draow spread his wings out in a threatening manner. “Try to interrupt me, and you will end up like them!” He used his wing to indicate Bardot, Skrawl, and Mumbo Jumbo. “Do I make myself clear?” The other zoners took a few steps back and nodded their head swiftly. “Good...now..where was I...?” Draow turned his attention to Barney. “Ah yes... Nihilanth...”

“Nihilanth...?” Barney asked nervously as Draow started to stalk towards him. “Wh-What are you t-talking about?” The centipede whimpered, moving back a little.

Draow chuckled. “Oh don’t worry... You’ll remember soon enough...” He kept walking towards Barney until he had him cornered against the rock. The zoner didn’t attempt to fly away, knowing full well that Draow can fly and would go after him. “Come with me...or will I have to use force?”

Barney trembled. “I..I don’t want to...”

“I see...” Draow’s eyes narrowed into slits, a nasty grin spreading across his face. “Well then..I was hoping you’d say that... I’ve always wanted to try this...” Draow raised his wing claw upwards, poised to strike. Barney’s eyes widened in horror. “Hold still.”

Skrawl watched the scene, his vision starting to go. He realized he must have suffered a lot more internal damage than he thought. His hearing was becoming echoey. But despite this, he was still able to understand much of what was going on. As his mind started to shut down, he watched as Draow attempted to slash Barney with his claw.

Barney’s eyes were locked onto the wing claw. He looked up at Draow, his eyes wide with silent pleading. He pressed himself further against the rock, his body shaking. Draow just laughed and gave Barney a look that told him he was totally screwed. Then Draow tightened his wing muscles. Barney, knowing that he was about to be slashed, shut his eyes and turned away. Draow’s expression turned almost insane, his eyes glinting, and he struck down, his claw fully prepared to slice into Barney’s body.

But the blow never came. Barney opened his eyes, confused, and he looked over to see what had happened. His eyes widened in shock at what he had seen. Without warning, unexpectedly, Bardot had jumped straight into the path of the claw. The yellow zoner let out a screech of agony, his body stiffening, as the claw cut against his side. Blood flew everywhere and the zoner fell into the ground in front of Barney. The centipede zoner looked on in shock. Skrawl, despite his muggy mind, was shocked as well, and he and Barney just stared at the fallen hybrid zoner, who now laid on his side, heaving in pain.

Barney stammered. “Why did you...?”

Bardot looked over at Barney, gritting his teeth in pain. “I had to... I don’t want to...” He seethed through his teeth, his body shaking hard. “I don’t want to die anymore than you want to destroy this place...”

Skrawl couldn’t believe it. He never expected Bardot, of all zoners, to take the blow for another. He didn’t think Bardot would ever put himself in harm’s way to save another, even if it was for selfish reasons. This was a definite side to Bardot that no one had expected to see. Even Draow looked shocked by this selfless act from a zoner who was nothing less of a heartless beast.

Draow blinked his eyes, his ears pricked up. “Well...that was unexpected...” He narrowed his eyes. “I guess life really does have a way of placing the players in areas you did not expect them.”

Bardot glared up on him as he laid on the ground. There was a long deep gash in his side. Blood was pooling out rapidly. He struggled up to his feet, his legs wobbling. He said, “Yeah...sometimes we can play unexpected roles...” He glanced at Barney real quick before turning back to Draow. “I will not allow this world to be destroyed, for I will die along with it, and I simply can’t have that. And if it means playing protector for this centipede...” He bared his sharp teeth, hot venom dripping from his fangs. “Then I will do it...”

“So you’re going to defend him now? I wonder how long you can keep that up.” Draow jeered, his pupils focusing on the bit of blood dripping down Bardot’s side. “I’d be...quite interested...” He turned his head upwards a little, tapping his wing claw against his chin thoughtfully. “Though I was hoping to deal with Barney...”

“Looks like there’s a change in your schedule..” Bardot snarled.

Draow chuckled darkly at this. “Yeah..whatever...” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m flexible...”

Draow kicked Bardot away from Barney. He rushed over towards him and then formed a fist with his foot, causing the zoner to shriek in agony. He then rushed over from behind him and formed a fist with his foot. He slammed it against the back of Bardot’s head. With a jerk and a shake, Bardot’s body went stiff and then limp. He fell to the ground unconscious.

The last thing Skrawl saw before he passed out was Draow reaching forward to grab the unconscious Bardot into his talons. Then all was black and mute.

sss

Dr. Raiden could not believe it. How hard is it to kill this stupid lion bear? Why won’t he die already? He had wounded him earlier. He had ripped into his lung. He had a gaping hole in his chest. He should be on the ground already from the loss of blood. This..this is not what he had expected to happen.

Just how much energy does Dr. Urso have? How much of a beatdown can he really taken before he fell? Just...how is it possible he could still hold his ground after being so badly hurt? Raiden just couldn’t comprehend it. Just what was giving Urso so much strength to not only keep fighting, but to be able to stay one step ahead? To remain standing while the others were becoming so exhausted?

Well there was no denying it now. As much as he hated to admit it, he had seriously underestimated the lion bear. He had thought it was going to be so easy taking him down while injured. But he had forgotten that he had never fought Urso before these current events. He had no idea just how much of a beating he could take, how far he was willing to go. Well now he was learning that information. And he quickly realized he had been an idiot. He should have just brought a gun and shoot the guy.

Dr. Urso, who stood not far from him, had his jaws clamped around one of the Luminos zoners. He bit down hard, causing the zoner to cry in pain. He stood on two legs, carrying the zoner with him, and he thrust him around like he was some kind of toy. He let go of the zoner, sending him flying through the air and crashing against another zoner. A female zoner shouted angrily at him, throwing insults as she raised her weapon and tried to strike him. Dr. Urso let out a bear-like roar and he turned himself around. He thrust his head against the female zoner and pushed her into the ground. The weapon flew away and landed on the ground some distance away.

Another male zoner lunged at him, his claws poised to slash the lion bear. Urso stared at him. Raiden could practically see the wheels turning in that lion bear’s mind and he knew what Urso was going to do next. Instead of attacking, Urso simply jumped backwards. The male zoner was not able to stop himself as he crashed into the female zoner that Urso previously attacked. The two of them rolled across the ground and landed in a heap on the ground.

Dr. Raiden gripped his head, digging his claws against his scalp. “Can’t you idiots do anything right?! He’s injured! You should be the ones beating him!”

“We’re trying!” A zoner shouted. “But he’s too strong!”

“Try harder!” Dr. Raiden screeched. His pupils dilated, a little bit of fear in them. “Do you know what would happen if this monster manages to get away? Do you really want that?!”

Another zoner shook his head. “N-No..we don’t...”

“Then keep fighting! I don’t care what it takes! Just bring him down!” Dr. Raiden shouted, pointing his metal claw at his comrades.

Dr. Raiden, glaring at Dr. Urso, who was busy attacking another Luminos zoner, charged towards him. His feet pounded the ground. He did his best to ignore the pain he was in. He had to stop this monster. He had to keep him from finding his little friends. He couldn’t allow all that the Luminos worked for to be in vain. He could not allow another incident like what happened decades ago to repeat. The creators must die, and he was not going to allow some idiot like Dr. Urso save them.

He jumped up into the air and landed on Urso’s back. He started to rip into his back. Urso let out several bear-like screeches as he struggled to get him off. Before Raiden knew it, Urso had managed to grab onto his tail. Pain swept through the cheetah’s body as the powerful jaws broke the middle of his tail. He was then thrust into the ground. The lion bear slammed his paw against his chest, prompting another cry of pain from the cheetah. He glared up at Dr. Urso, baring his sharp teeth.

Dr. Raiden attempted the same trick as before. He prepared to drive his metal finger back into Dr. Urso’s chest. This time, he would make sure to puncture his other lung and let him die of painful asphyxiation. But Dr. Urso had grown wise to him. Before he had time to strike, the lion bear moved aside and grabbed onto his right arm, the same one with the metal finger. He lifted him up into the air, standing on his hind limbs. The other Luminos, horrified, rushed over to help him. Dr. Urso used Dr. Raiden like a weapon and, swinging around in a circle, slammed him against the other Luminos, knocking them into the ground. Then he threw Dr. Raiden as hard as he could against the wall.

Dr. Raiden groaned in pain. He pushed himself up with one hand and rubbed his head. He didn’t have much time to fully recover when there was a sudden loud crush not far from them. His blood chilled and his eyes widened in horror. Oh no...he couldn’t have...

“Dr. Urso’s getting away!” One of the Luminos cried in fear.

His face paling, Dr. Raiden looked over and saw that Dr. Urso managed to tear down the metal door he was trying go through earlier. The door was ripped up and mangled, a testament to the lion bear’s strength. It was a horrifying realization to Dr. Raiden, seeing that Urso, despite losing blood and strength, was still powerful enough to tear the door down like that. He shifted his eyes upwards and saw Urso barreling down the path, heading to where Blocky and Rapsheeba were being held.

Dr. Raiden’s eyes widened at this and he gave a shiver of fright. This was not good. This wasn’t good at all. If that monster managed to free the traitors...if he found the creators and got them out before it was time for the Death Arena... The cheetah’s heart pounded against his chest as a cold rush an through his body. He had to do something and fast. Dr. Urso must be stopped before he could find Blocky and Rapsheeba.

“After him!” Dr. Raiden shouted.

Although fearful and shaken by Dr. Urso’s display of ferocity, the Luminos gave chase. Raiden joined them, ignoring the pain in his body. His eyes narrowed in determination. He was not going to allow Dr. Urso to get away. He couldn’t afford to. The other Luminos, his family of sorts...they were counting on him. He wasn’t to allow the past to repeat again. Not while he could still do something about it.

He had one thought rush through his mind as he and his comrades chased after the bleeding lion bear: Dr. Urso was going to be his.

sss

“Come on, creators!” Maalik shouted, a psychotic smile on his face. “Don’t you want your precious friend to still be able to walk?”

Maalik’s electric coil tightened around Snap a little more. He was then slammed against the roof of the cage and then brought back down. The force of the impact prompted a howl of pain from Snap. The zoner had multiple bruises on his body from repeat abuse at the hands of this lion. Maalik just smirked at his pain and thrust him against the cage bars. Snap yelped in agony as tears of pain flowed down his face.

Rudy and Penny stood in horror, watching the scene as fear swept through their bodies. They wanted to do something, anything. They wanted to get their friend away from Snap. They wanted to comfort him. He was in so much pain. They could hear him crying, see his tears glinting against his face. His sobs grew louder as Maalik kept electrocuting him. They knew that he wouldn’t be able to take this much abuse forever. Sooner or later, something was going to give.

The two humans looked over at Maalik, their eyes wide. Maalik sneered at them, flashing his teeth in a nasty grin. “Hurry up! If I keep shocking him like this, he might be paralyzed!” Gasps of terror. “I know you wouldn’t want that, now would you?”

Penny couldn’t believe just how cruel Maalik was being. Well no, she could believe it. After all she had seen the Luminos do, she could believe it. They were all heartless monsters. They were not afraid to hurt the innocent just to fulfill their goals. Maalik was hurting Snap, just to get at them. It was despicable. She could tell Maalik had a lot of pent up anger, and now he was unleashing that all in one go. He was unleashing it against Snap, ripping up his body with the electricity. And all she and Rudy could do was watch in horror.

Snap’s body convulsed in the air, twitching left and right. He let out more screams, but soon those started to fade. Not because the pain was getting less, but because the damage was getting worse. Snap was becoming weaker in the air. The zapping of his body was draining him of his strength, and she was certain it was causing some internal damage. If this kept up, Maalik would end up killing Snap. Paralysis would be a best case scenario in this situation.

Her heart broke as she listened to her friend cry out in pain. His screams intermixed with his sobs. The electric coil just continued to squeeze him. Arcs of electricity danced over his body, shocking his body more. Snap tried to struggle some more, thrusting his body from side to side. But soon he didn’t have the strength anymore to fight and he hung limply in the air. His head lowered and though he still screamed, he no longer struggled.

The sight of their friend giving up the fight horrified Rudy and Penny. Maalik smirked at this surrender from Snap and he smashed him against the wall and floor a few times. His claw sparkling brighter, even more electricity shot out, wrapping around Snap to send more shocks through his system. Snap let out a loud, echoing bloodcurdling scream at this. More blood began to leak out of his body from multiple burns. Rudy and Penny’s hearts raced faster, their blood turning into ice. Snap was not going to be able to handle this for much longer...

Unable to take it anymore, Penny cried, “Stop! We surrender! Just please stop hurting him!”

Maalik’s eye twinkled. He raised Snap higher, poised to strike him into the ground.

Rudy held out his hand. “Let him go! We...we give up...” He lowered his head slightly. “Let Snap go, and we’ll go with you quietly...”

“Hmph...I knew you would see sense at some point, boy.” Maalik said with a dark smile on his face. He ignored the glares he got from Rudy and Penny. He turned his attention to Snap. Tightening his arm muscles, he gave him one last toss into the ground, prompting a cry from the zoner. “Lucky you surrendered when you did. I almost stopped the blue boy’s heart...” The electric snake disappeared into thin air and Maalik lowered his hand.

Although furious with the horrible lion zoner and his cruel actions, Rudy and Penny did not spare him another glance as they rushed over to Snap’s side. They knelt down beside him, looking at him with wide, fear-filled eyes. They looked him over, trying to see the extent of the damage.

Snap laid still on the ground, save for a few sharp twitches and convulsions. His body had multiple burns and blood stains from the electric coil. His clothes were ripped up in several places and dirty. His head was turned to the side. They could see his tightly shut eye with tears leaking out the corner of it. His cheeks shined with the salty tears. His teeth were gritted and he let out constant low whines. The way he looked...it reminded them so much of what happened when he was captured by Mr. Cosmo...

Rudy pushed his hands underneath Snap’s body. He gently lifted him up into his arms. He held him close, pressing his face against his. Snap let out small whimpers, crying like a little frightened child. He cuddled up to Rudy as best as he could. Penny walked over and gently ran her hand along the back of his head. She looked at him sympathetically. Poor Snap... This experience must have reminded him of Mr. Cosmo. She glared in the direction of the lion zoner for a few seconds. This was such a low blow, hurting Snap both physically and mentally. How could this guy sink that low...?

Maalik walked over and he used his claw to unlock the cage door. He smirked at their glares, responding by showing them his claw sparkle. He was telling them, without words, that if they dare try to run or do anything, he was going to finish the job with Snap. He opened up the door slowly and gestured for them to come out. Having no choice, they complied, walking out slowly, still glaring hatefully at the evil lion.

Acting as though the Snap issue had never occurred, Maalik said, “I will escort you to a new cage, which is placed as part of the Death Arena. You won’t be there that long, I assure you. When the bell rings, you will be brought up into the arena itself, and you...” He chuckled. “Well..you’ll see what’ll happen...” He grinned.

He turned his back to the group, folding his arms behind himself. His long, lion tail swished from side to side in excitement. The sight of this made Penny’s blood boil. This guy was sick, getting exciting over killing three innocents... He was making a huge mistake, but he wasn’t going to listen to reason. She would have said something, but there was really nothing she could say. How could she and Rudy fix stupid?

Reluctantly, they began to follow the lion zoner down through the tunnels. They passed by several other Luminos along the way as they headed through the earthy corridors. The Luminos didn’t do much to them outside of sneering at them, others glaring hatefully. There was an insult or two tossed at them, but none of them tried to make a move towards them. Maalik kept them at bay, but it wasn’t for good intentions. Rudy and Penny knew it was just so that they could be ‘punished’ in the Death Arena.

After moving down a few levels, going through twisting paths, and walking through some rocky paths, nearly tripping a few times, they did finally get to what appeared to be a large room. They only got a glimpse of it. Penny thought she saw a large platform with electric water bars around it. Was that the Death Arena? She didn’t get a good look at it, but she reminded herself, bitterly, that they would all get a nice long look at the Death Arena as they were sent to their dooms.

Maalik took them through a metallic-looking hallway, which stood out from the stoney walls they were used to from before. White diamond-shaped lights hung above them, illuminating the path. The tunnel was narrow, forcing them to walk in a single file. They unwillingly followed Maalik through the corridor until they reached a large door at the end. Maalik opened it up and led them inside. As soon as they were all in the room, Maalik shut the door behind him to ensure that they would not try to run off. Not that they would, though the thought was tempting to Penny. Where could they go? There were Luminos zoners everywhere...

Maalik escorted them to a cage, similiar to the same one they were in before. He opened up the door and motioned a paw for them to go inside. Reluctantly, Rudy and Penny, carrying Snap, walked into the cage. Maalik slammed it shut and locked the door good and tight. He took a few steps back and smirked evilly at the trio.

“Prepare yourselves...” Maalik hissed through his sharp teeth. “You are about become part of something...” He raised his paw up in the air, looking at his extended, sharp claws. “...beautiful...”

Rudy and Penny just glared at him hatefully. They watched as the lion zoner turned and walked away, leaving them alone in their cage. As soon as he was gone, they turned their attention to their fallen friend. They listened to Snap’s constant painful whimpers. Rudy started to cry and hugged Snap to himself. Penny bit her lip, choking back a sob. Whatever Maalik did to Snap.... she hoped it wasn’t permanent...


	90. The Return

Draow chuckled as he lifted up the unconscious form of Bardot. It seemed so funny to him, how this is one of the most feared zoners across ChalkZone. That he himself had taken orders form this guy once. Now here he lay, unconscious and helpless in his talons. How pitiful. It would be so easy to crush him, to snap his neck. All he had to do was get him in the right position, then twist his head. It would all be over.

But he was not interested in that. No, Bardot served a bigger purpose than that. Jenny said she wanted him for something, and deliver him he shall. It was part of the deal in freeing him. Not long after he saw the explosion of light, he had rushed off to the Solar Pillars. Of course, Tsere tried to stop him, but he was easily taken care of. All it took was a good strike and down he fell into the water. He used that opportunity to get away as far as he could, before the pterosaur could surface again.

Draow soon found the Solar Pillars, where he located Jenny. He didn't know if she was expected him or not, but she was on top of the structure. The two of them had a brief reunion. They didn't spend too much time catching up with each other. Regardless of how long it has been, they both knew serious work needed to be done. Draow was pleased to see that Jenny was back. He respected her about as much as he did Cosmo, and now that Cosmo was gone, she would be the one he'd take orders from.

She used the black chalk to help remove the shock collar from his neck, freeing him from Skrawl's control. Jenny told him the brief plan, what she had been doing, just the necessary things. He was amazed at how much she was able to accomplish, even rewakening two other black chalk users. How perfect... And using Rudy's black chalk-laden blood to do it. How very creative... He wondered what the look on Rudy's face was like when he realized this. It must have been quite the sight.

Jenny wanted him to locate Bardot. She'd inform him more of her plan later. She didn't explain entirely why she needed him. Draow guessed that he had something that she wanted or required. Well no matter the reason, he would still deliver upon her request. She also wanted him to reawaken Barney, to change him back into what he once was. Nihilanth.

Ah yes...Nihilanth... Draow heard about him. Cosmo informed him of his discoveries. Unfortunately, while Cosmo was still alive, the whereabouts of Barney were unknown, and Cosmo was more concerned with recruiting Rudy, one reason being the fact that he was marked, and the other being the man did legitimately see potential in Rudy. Draow lowered his ears and growled at the memory. He wished Cosmo had set his sights on locating Barney instead of focusing so much on the boy. They had access to ChalkZone. There was nothing really holding them back from looking...

Oh well, nothing can be done about that now. He instead needed to focus on the task at hand. He looked down at the hybrid zoner, still unconscious in his claws. He chuckled a little. How ironic... It was usually him who was at the mercy of this zoner. But now the tables had turned. He was the one who could easily kill him. Purple collar or not, Bardot wouldn't be able to defend himself. His venom was of no use to him while he was unconscious.

Oh how good this feels... How wonderful the sensation is of him holding Bardot like this, so helpless in his claws. Oh how easy it would be to crush him under his weight, to rip his body apart with his sharp talons. The only thing holding him back was the fact that he was still of use to him, and to Jenny. She would not appreciate it if he killed him right now. No, he had a purpose to fulfill first. No sense in offing him when he hadn't even done that yet.

Draow was confused as to why Bardot declined the offer. He was downright aggressive about it as well. He couldn't understand it. Why would Bardot even care really? He never really cared about anyone but himself. So why should he care if their plan was going to kill so many zoners and people? Bardot would be into that sort of thing. It was the kind of thing that, kind of in a sense, turned him on. It was one of the things that made Bardot genuinely happy. He remembered those torture sessions with the other humans, before they set their sights on Rudy and Penny. Their pain and suffering never bothered Bardot before.

He was still trying to wrap his mind around it. There was no concievable why Bardot should have neglected the offer. Sure, he mentioned he didn't want to die. But then why should he care? Bardot had shown little concern for life. Did he really care about his own that much that he couldn't accept his true calling? Was he going to allow it to get in the way of fulfilling what the black chalk intended? Perhaps Draow was looking at this the wrong way. Perhaps there was another reason for Bardot's behavior, or perhaps he was just overlooking something. An important detail.

Perhaps it was his white chalk half. Maybe it was causing him to have some kind of internal dilemma. Yeah, that was probably it. Bardot's white chalk half was having a bit of an influence over him. It had been his dominant half for two years, after all. Yes, it was the only thing he could think of that would explain his behavior. He could be wrong, but he was going to stick with this belief, as it was the most comfortable and most understandable to him. Bardot had often thrown himself in danger in the Fire Zone and it didn't seem like he cared if he died or not. Maybe it was because he didn't really have much to do, no plans or anything. Well now he had a plan he could be a part of and he still rejected it... How sad. No matter. He can still use him anyway.

As he stared at the dangling Bardot, various thoughts came to his mind. He was quite amused by this whole thing. He remembered the times when Bardot would threaten him. Those sharp fangs of his, that venom, it had been a good reason for Draow to listen to Bardot and take orders. Well now, Bardot was the one at his mercy. It was he who was going to use Bardot, instead of Bardot using him. This was going to be sweet...

Draow heard a whimper and he turned his head to Barney. The centipede was still cowering against the chunk of debris. Taking a look around, the bat wolf was able to ensure that both King Mumbo Jumbo and Skrawl were unconscious. Now was the perfect time for him to commense with the plan. The other zoners wouldn't dare come near him. Not after what he had accomplished. Plus, none of them had any weapons to deal with him. Knowing that nothing can stop him, he made his way over to Barney, dragging Bardot roughly across the ground.

Barney whimpered, shivering in fright at the sight of Draow. "What are you going to do...?"

Draow loved the sound of that voice. So scared and frightened... He guessed Barney had become especially frightened of him after he had taken out Bardot, the very zoner who terrorized him for over a year. Yes, it must be a terrifying thing, to be standing in front of someone who bested one's tormentor. Draow wondered, if Barney wasn't Nihilanth, just how frightened and tormented he could make Barney feel. He wondered if he could up Bardot's little game and reduce Barney to a crying mess, at an even faster rate than Barney managed.

But he didn't dwell on those thoughts long. He had a job to do, and Jenny would have his head if he didn't get a move on. He lowered his body, leaning forward. He stared intently into Barney's wide, frightened yes. A sneer spread across his muzzle, exposing his sharp teeth to him. He was so going to enjoy doing this.

"I guess you haven't been paying much attention to Little Bardot here..." Draow hoisted the zoner off the ground. The yellow zoner's body looked a little worse after being dragged around on the ground like that. "He made it quite clear..." Draow started at Barney with a look of insanity. "I am going to change you back, Barney. You will become..Nihilanth once more."

"No..I'm not.." Barney protested.

Draow chuckled at this, his shoulders shaking. "Oh of course you don't remember. But don't worry..." He spread his wings out and leaned slightly forward. "You will remember soon enough. Oh yes... Nihilanth, you will come forth again. And you will help bring down this miserable world!" Draow spread his wings in an almost proudful manner. His smiling face faced up towards the sky. "All of this will come down! And you will be the cause of it!"

Barney trembled. He shook his head in protest. He tried to move back, but he couldn't take another step. "I-I don't want this.. I won't do it."

"Ah but you won't have a choice. That side of you exists, Barney. You have black chalk in you...and it will awaken." Draow smirked at him. His teeth glinted slightly due to the sunlight around them. He took another step forward, his claws clanging against the ground. "You might not want to embrace your destiny, but you will have no choice in the matter. You will change back. And you will do what you had meant to do all along.. Destroy both this world..." He tilted his head to the side. His eyes flashed a little. "And the real world..."

"No!" Barney cried. "I would never do something like that! I'm not Nihilanth!"

Draow's eyes widened for a second, his face becoming deadpan. Then he sneered, giving one of the creepiest expressions he could muster to Barney. "Oh dear Barney... that's where you're wrong. You just..don't remember. But as I said, it will all come back to you. And that will happen within the next few minutes."

Barney took in a sharp gasp and shook his head. "N-No..."

"Oh yes." Draow said, his eyes glinting. "For you see..while the main...trigger if you will, is not available right now..there is a suitable substitute..." Draow looked down at Bardot's prone form. He gave a dark chuckle. "Yes..this would do nicely."

"Bardot? But what does he have to do with...?" Barney started to ask.

"His red chalk side. It will come in handy for this." Draow said, cutting off Barney. He lifted the furry zoner up into the air. He looked over his body, noting the bright red on his outline, a giveaway that this guy really was half red chalk. "The aggressiveness of the red chalk would be more than enough...to wake you up..." Draow stared intently at Barney. "Nihilanth...will rule over this world once more..."

Barney wanted to get away, his body shaking like a leaf. But Draow had him cornered now. His massive form cast a shadow over the centipede zoner. He was imposing to this little creature. Barney knew he had nowhere to go. Even if he tried to fly away, he would be caught. Draow was a better flyer than him. He would be able to knock Barney right out of the sky, just like he had with Tsere. He took a moment to reflect on how easily he had beaten up Tsere...oh yes, that was great. A terrific revenge against one of the individuals responsible for the fall of the black chalk artists years ago...

Enough reflecting. Time to focus. Time to bring back Nihilanth.

Draow lifted the unconscious Bardot a little higher in the air. He turned him around in his foot, looking around for a suitable spot, focusing on the red portions of his outline. Locating a nice one on his shoulder, he brought his wing claw down, pressing the tip against the red chalk portion of the outline. He scraped along it, collecting some of the red dust onto his claw. Then after he gathered enough, he threw Bardot aside. He watched him skid across the ground and chuckled in amusement. Then he turned his attention to Barney.

Draow moved even closer to Barney. The centipede zoner trembled and let out a scream when Draow reached for him. The zoner attempted to fly off in a desperate attempt to get away. He didn't get very far. Draow seized him by his mid section and threw him into the ground. Before Barney could get up again, Draow grabbed him by his head, holding him tightly. The centipede struggled frantically, his wings flapping in vain. Draow just remained like this for a few moments, just watching the zoner squirm like some large worm.

He used his talons to force Barney's eyes open. Barney panicked and struggled harder, prompting Draow to use his other foot to hold him in place. This was a delicate procedure and he couldn't risk causing unnecessary damage. Once he managed to hold Barney a little still, enough for him to be able to complete the next teset, he brought his wing claw over, the same one with the red chalk dust clinging to it.

Being very careful, Draow pressed his claw against Barney's left eye. A light pressure, just enough to get the red chalk into the eye. Barney let out a scream of pain and jerked a little. Barney didn't try to struggle too much after that, out of fear of hurting his eyes more. His body trembled tremendously, and Draow knew it was because he was remembering what Bardot did to him, ripping out his eyes. Draow didn't intend on doing something quite that gruesome. After he was done coating the left eye with the red chalk dust, he did the same with the right, making sure all the red chalk dust he had got into his eyes.

Draow released Barney and watched him as he covered his eyes, crying out in pain. He blinked a few times, tears moving down his face. He tried to get the dust out of his eyes. They must be hurting him so badly. That would subside soon. All he needed to do was wait and watch. It would happen soon..oh so very soon...

Barney looked over at him, his eyes wide in fear and pain. Draow couldn't tell if the redness in his eyes was from him crying, from the irritation the dust must have given him, or if it was the dust itself. He just smirked as Barney put his hands over his eyes again and cried. His body trembled like a leaf. He threw his head back and swayed a little, as if he wanted to escape, but didn't know where to go or what to do. This wriggling display went on for a few moments. A minute or two went by. Draow just sat there and waited patiently.

Then something finally happened. Draow's ears pricked up and he stared in interest.

Barney stopped shaking altogether. The pained expression was replaced with an almost eerie blank one, his mouth partially open. His hands dropped to his side limply, just hanging there. His eyes were wide, staring out into space. Then his eyes, the pupils in them becoming just tiny dots, began to glow. The glow spread over his whole body, and as the seconds passed, the glow became brighter.

Draow ignored the horrified shouts from the remaining zoners, and from any zoner who was passing by and saw this. He ignored the groans around him, indicating that at least one of the zoners he knocked out was waking up. Instead, all he did was stare at Barney with a satisfied smirk. He spoke three words.

"It...has begun."

sss

“Ow...” Snap groaned, gritting his teeth. He kept his eyes shut. He suddenly winced and cringed. “Ouch..that hu-hurt...” He whimpered softly.

Penny looked at him sympathetically. She knew this was painful for him. But she had no choice. She couldn’t just let him lay there like that. She had to try and do something for him. Rudy was doing a good job at holding Snap still without irritating his wounds too much. But Snap still struggled. Each time she touched him as she was trying to do this, he would try to jerk away. He must be in so much pain, the poor guy.

“I’m sorry, Snap.” Penny said. “But I can’t leave the wounds like this. I need to do something for them.”

“I-I’m f-fine...” Snap said. Rudy and Penny stared at him, both knowing it was an obvious lie. Snap sucked in a sharp breath. “I-I’m telling the tru-truth...”

“Nice try, Snap. But we know you’re in pain. Please, let Penny try to do something for those burns. It’s...not going to be much, but it’s better than nothing.” Rudy said, tightening his grip on his friend. He lowered his head and gently pressed it against Snap’s. “Please hold still... we don’t want you to be in so much pain...”

Snap let out a bitter chuckle. “Y-Yeah... Neither do I.”

Penny reached over and touched Snap’s hand. The zoner turned his head to her. “Please..try to relax. I’ll make this as quick and gentle as I can.” She gently squeezed his hand. “I promise...”

Snap’s expression softened up slightly. He looked at his two friends. He seemed to realize he was not going to be able to get out of this. He sighed and lowered his head. “Go ahead... Just..make it qu-quick.”

“I will.” Penny promised. She wasn’t sure just how fast she could make it, but she’d hurry things along the best she could without sacrificing quality.

Despite Snap trying to relax, she could tell he was still nervous, still in pain, and still traumatized by what had happened with Maalik. Snap had cried for sometime after the lion zoner left them be. They had just moments ago managed to calm him down enough to stop crying. It wasn’t an easy thing to do. Snap being reminded of Cosmo was a horrible experience. He had uttered a few things, heartbreaking things, that harken back to what happened with that evil man. It may have been years since that incident, but Snap sure as heck hadn’t forgotten. How could he forget? He had been put through hell there.

She remembered all too well what happened, both from what she experienced and what she had been told. Snap had been electrocuted, forced to walk near the water bars of his cage, his feet burned in vinegar, cut by a knife... He had been used as a puppet and forced to fight them, and he nearly lost his ability to walk. Not to mention an infection nearly claimed his life. She still remembered that damn high fever, just how hot it felt when she touched his head.

Her and Rudy’s blood reached a boiling point when Snap told them what the electrocution reminded him of. Well of Cosmo, but specifically just why it had. He said it felt like the mind control thing all over again, and he went on to explain that the pain he felt from the electrocution was the same pain he felt every time the mind control device was activated. She and Rudy had fallen silent when Snap told them that, and let it sink in. Everytime that device was activated, Snap was in the same amount of pain as he was just a while ago when Maalik was electrocuting him. The thought chilled their minds with horrible thoughts. They wondered if Maalik knew this and was purposely doing it... If so, he was lower than they ever thought he could be.

As angry as Penny was at Maalik, she knew right now wasn’t a good time to really think so much about him. She couldn’t sit here and let her anger fester towards him, when she had something else of greater importance. She looked down at Snap. He was bracing himself, and waited for her to do something. She wasn’t sure how long she was lost in her thoughts, but likely not too long, as neither Snap nor Rudy looked really confused by her lack of activity. Penny went to work on helping Snap.

Without magic chalk, there really wasn’t much she could do for Snap. The most she could do was try to stop the bleeding and cool the areas down a little. But even this was hard without having any magic chalk available to draw what was needed. And she doubted that any of the Luminos were going to be nice enough to give them back their magic chalk, if they even still have it stored here somewhere. She wouldn’t put it past them to crush the chalk on the off chance they escape and find it.

So she had to improvise. She started off by dabbing some of the wounds. She tore off a piece of her sleeve and used it to help stop the bleeding. She didn’t use anything of Snap’s as it would have a higher risk of infection. She had to work around the leotard. She thought about taking it off, but Snap was in too much pain. She didn’t want to irritate him further. She’ll save that for when they could get a hold of magic chalk so the process doesn’t have to be so painful. After that electrocution, Snap didn’t need anything else causing him pain.

After she was done with that, she reached over to grab something. One of the metal bars had a piece that dropped off from it. Not like it did them any good with escaping, but it would come in handy for this. She picked it up and dropped it in another torn piece of cloth. She couldn’t risk allowing the rusty metal to touch Snap’s burns directly, but with how cold it was, it would make a good substitute for ice. The cloth should protect his wounds from the rusty metal. After wrapping it up nicely, making sure none of the metal was exposed, she lowered it towards Snap.

Snap winced as the clothed metal was pressed against his burns. Penny went as fast but gentle as she could. Though Snap cried out a few times, tears forming in his eyes, he was able to keep mostly still and allowed Penny to keep pressing on the burns. Penny could tell the coolness of the iron bar was having a positive effect on Snap. Not much, but the cold from the metal must feel good on those burns. Since the metal would heat up pretty quickly, she spent only a small amount of time on each wound.

Penny soon pulled away. Snap looked at her, a little disappointed. His expression seemed to silently ask her ‘is that all?’. Penny lowered her head and looked at him with an expression of her own to answer it. There wasn’t much else she could do. The wounds, though not bleeding anymore, weren’t that much better. Without magic chalk or without being in a hospital, she wasn’t going to be able to do much for him.

“I’m sorry, Snap. I...I wish I could do more...” Penny said, closing her eyes softly. “But I...”

“D-Don’t worry about it, Buckette. You tried your best at least. That’s what counts.” Snap smiled the best he could through his pain. He glanced down at his wounds. “They feel a little better... Thanks.”

Penny gave a small smile to him. “You’re welcome, Snap.”

The room fell silent. No words were spoken. Only their breaths escaped their mouths. They were all deep in thought. They all understood that they were in big trouble. At any moment, they would be taken up into the Death Arena itself. There would be a crowd watching them, cheering on their deaths. The idea was horrifying, chilling their blood. And with no magic chalk, just how were they going to get out of this mess?

Penny shuddered to think about what would happen if they didn’t get out in time. If this really was the end for them, if they weren’t going to make it out alive...what about their folks? Penny still remembered Maalik’s words. He intended on going after their family and killing them off. How well would they fair? How long could they fight back? They don’t have as much experience with ChalkZone as they do. They never spent a lot of time creating. There’s Sophie, but she is young and she never went up against a life or death situation before, at least nothing like what they were experiencing now.

The more she looked over the events in her mind, the more she realized there likely wasn’t a way out this time. They couldn’t squeeze through the bars. Maalik had that electrical claw thing, so they couldn’t run. The arena was guarded and they’d be trapped in it. They had no magic chalk, so whatever they were going to dish out, they couldn’t escape it. And to make matters worse, Maalik said the arena would kill them even if they had magic chalk at their disposal. The thought was horrifying. Just..just what did this arena do that made even magic chalk useless? What kind of violence were they going to be exposed to?

Still, she refused to give up. It wasn’t in her nature to do so. They had been in hopeless situations before and they managed to get out. She wasn’t going to count possibilities out, not even to her last breath. There was always a way out. She just had to know where to look and what to do. She knew Rudy and Snap wouldn’t give up either. They would continue holding onto the hope that they would find a way out of here. Even though it was going to be hard, she knew that, somehow, they would get out of this.

She just...didn’t know how they were going to do it. The only way she could see is if someone finds them and gets them out of here in time. But what were the odds of that? There was little chance of it happening. That would require someone knowing where they were. Urso was here, and so were Blocky and Rapsheeba, but they were still locked up, far as she knew. Even if one of them escaped, they wouldn’t know exactly where they were and going through the Luminos infested hallways was not going to be an easy task.

Their families could find out and try to help them. Right now, she imagined they were probably relaxing, just waiting for them to come home. If they were to get suspicious, they’d come in and try to find them. She just hoped that they would be able to make it past all the dangerous Luminos and figure out where they were. She wasn’t sure how long it would take for them to come, either. They knew that they spent a lot of time in ChalkZone, so they might just be watching television right now...

Suddenly her eyes snapped wide open. She took in a sharp gasp. Rudy and Snap stared at her in confusion and worry. Penny remembered something. Her heart clenched tightly, her stomach twisting in knots. How...how could she have forgotten...? A shiver went up and down her spine as she realized she forgot about something very important. How could she do such a thing? How could she have let this slip her mind...?

“Penny...” Rudy said in a soft voice. “Wh-What is it?”

Snap pointed his hand in her direction. “You look very pale, like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Penny looked over at Rudy and Snap. Horrible guilt swept through her body. She..she didn’t recall if she told them what was going on. So much else has happened that she...forgot about this. She wanted to kick herself in the shins for forgetting something this incredibly important. She hoped that Rudy and Snap won’t be too mad at her for not telling them sooner.

“It’s..it’s about Terry...” Penny said, her voice a whisper. Rudy and Snap’s eyes widened a little and they leaned in close. They waited for her to continue. Penny swallowed hard. “She was attacked.”

“Attacked?!” Snap cried in shock. “Oy caloy! Is she okay?!”

Penny nodded her head. “We were able to treat her wounds. She had...cuts everywhere.” She lowered her head as she recalled what had happened. That was a horrible sight to see. The image of Terry’s body cut up like that... “She had gone unconscious for a while, and when she woke up, she said...” She bit her lip. Oh man, this was going to be so hard to say... “She..She said...”

“What?” Rudy asked. His voice had a panicked tinge to it. “What did she say, Penny?”

“Yeah, don’t leave us hanging!” Snap said. “What did Ms. Bouffant tell you?”

Penny sighed, her voice shaky. She looked over at Rudy and Snap. Her eyes filled with worry and horror and regret. She lowered her gaze, swallowing hard. This was going tobe so hard to tell them. She had to say something. She couldn’t just keep quiet about this. But that didn’t make it any easier to tell them. And what she had to say, it was going to make the situation even more dire and hopeless.

“Terry said...that Vinnie was the one who did that to her. He had kidnapped her and tortured her.” Penny watched as Rudy and Snap widened their eyes in shock. “She said that Vinnie...” Here it comes. The brick that was going to hit the wall. The thing that was going to freeze her friends like statues. “...he managed to get ChalkZone evidence.”

Rudy and Snap reacted just as she imagined they would. They moved back, their bodies stiffening as a shudder went through them. Their eyes widened a little more, their mouths dropping open. They shook their heads in denial, hoping that Penny was telling some sick joke. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a joke, and she gave them a look to confirm she was telling the truth.

“No...he...” Rudy’s voice trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

“She stopped him...right Buckette...?” Snap looked at her with wide, hopeful eyes.

Penny closed her eyes and shook her head. Her friends gasped in horror. “I’m sorry, she did not. Terry said that Vinnie took the evidence and it’s...” She looked straight into her friend’s eyes. “Vinnie is going to air it on the news....” She watched as her friends looked at her, horrified. “And you know what that means...”

Snap’s body shook. “I-If he hadn’t been stopped...fr-from airing it...”

Rudy finished Snap’s sentence. “Then...then ChalkZone’s been exposed...”

Penny nodded her head solemnly. “Yeah...”

The trio fell silent.

sss

Skrawl couldn’t believe what was going on. His mind was still a little muggy, trying to remember all that happened. But what he was seeing before him, it gave him back enough of his memories. He could hear the moans of Bardot and Mumbo Jumbo as they were starting to come to. But he paid little mind to them as he watched the scene in front of him play out.

Standing not far in front of him was Draow. He had his wings spread slightly and, though it was hard to tell from this angle, there was a sneer on his face. He thought he heard a chuckle escape his throat, but it was hard to tell. He looked like he was satisfied with something, as if he fufilled his mission. Skrawl rubbed his head as he thought about that. Soon, the realization struck him and he looked around to try to find Barney. When he did, he couldn’t believe what he saw.

Barney stood completely still. There was a vacant look in his eyes. Not one that showed any kindness or cruelty. Just..nothing. His body was still, except for a slight shake here or there. His gaze was turned slightly downwards, though he was not looking at anything or anyone. A glow was covering his body, getting a little brighter as time went on. There was some kind of sound occupying it. It was hard to describe, but it was chilling to the bone.

As Skrawl stared at the scene before him, he heard another groan and he turned his head, forcing himself to tear his eyes away from the glowing Barney. He could see Bardot and Mumbo Jumbo on their feet, staggering a little and rubbing their heads. They looked so confused at first, but they seemed to snap back to reality rather quickly when they noticed the glowing Barney before them. They both looked shocked, though Bardot looked more horrified than shocked.

“Oh no...” Bardot said softly, taking a small step back. His ears lowered. “We’re too late.”

Mumbo Jumbo looked down at the hybrid zoner. “What do you mean...? Are you saying that...?” He couldn’t finish his sentence. But Bardot understood what he was going to say. The zoner simply nodded at him, not bothering to turn his gaze to him. Mumbo Jumbo’s face went pale. “N-No... Barney...”

It was strange for Skrawl to hear Bardot actually sounding concerned of the situation. Though it was only because he didn’t want to die himself, it was still strange, almost unsettling, to hear him speak like this. Still, they needed all the help they could get, and having Bardot on their side is better than having to deal with him again. He just hoped that Bardot would remain useful and not just abandon them, which would be quite in character for him to do.

Mumbo Jumbo’s body shook. His eyes were wide in horror. A few tears escaped his eyes. He took a step forward. It looked like he was in obvious pain, the way he flinched and winced as he took each step. He hardly paid attention to Draow. The bat wolf didn’t seem to notice him. He was focused on Barney. Mumbo Jumbo was having a hard time holding back his emotions, and soon his face was flooded with tears. He broke into a run after Barney.

“Barney! No!” King Mumbo Jumbo cried.

“No you old fool!” Bardot shouted, holding his paw out. “Don’t get too close!”

“Fuck you, Bardot! I’m not going to stand by and watch my friend be turned into a monster!” King Mumbo Jumbo ignored Bardot’s warnings and rushed over to where Barney was.

Draow just smirked and let him pass. Skrawl was confused by this at first...until he realized the bat wolf must know that Mumbo Jumbo couldn’t get too close. And from what Bardot said, how urgent it was...

Skrawl’s suspicions turned out to be right.

King Mumbo Jumbo only got within a foot of his friend before he slammed against an invisible wall. Sparkling energy zapped him, causing him to cry out in pain. The tortoise was thrown back with great force, and the slammed into the ground. He shook his head and lifted up his head to look up at Barney, whose glow was even more intense now. The king winced and looked away, the light becoming too much for him.

Draow laughed. “You should have listened to Bardot, tortoise!” He turned his attention to Barney. His eyes were wide with insanity. “You can’t stop this!”

“Barney...no...” Mumbo Jumbo whispered as he, Bardot, and Skrawl watched what was going on with wide, horrified eyes.

Barney just continued to glow brighter as the seconds passed. Soon, he was engulfted in a sudden bright white flame of sorts. No part of Barney could be seen. That strange sound was growing ever louder, permeating their ears and shaking them to their core. The ball of white fire grew larger. It increased in size so much that the heat from the white flame forced everyone, including Draow, to move back. Everyone in the area was watching this, all in horror and shock, except for Draow. He was enjoying it.

Then, after several seconds of this, something happened. The flame stopped growing, and it started to wobble a little. What happened next, Skrawl would not be able to forget.

The flame, which was sort of in the shape of an egg, started to ‘hatch’, in a sense. There was a crack sound, intermixed with a gloomy sound that reminded Skrawl of the groan and low growl of predators. Then a large shape took form. Rising out of the egg-like shape was a large wing. It spread out, line reflecting off of it almost like it was metal, though it clearly wasn’t. It was black as night, contrasting well with the white flame. Then a second wing, this one as white as the flame, making it a little harder to see. Like the first wing, light reflected off it for a moment, making it look more foreboding than it already was.

A large foot stepped out, stomping on the ground, shaking it. A black foot...and then a white one, with claws the same color as the other foot. Two long tails shot out as the ‘egg’ flame shattered, the pieces falling to the ground. The tails were long and wriggling, smashing into the ground in a threatening manner. There standing before them was a headless creature, a body with a black left half and a white right half. But the transformation wasn’t complete yet, for the front of it had a wriggling mass, and seconds later, something came out.

A twin set of wriggling, twisting mass, one white and the other black, shot out the front of the body, where the shoulders and chest started. The masses twisted and molded together amongst themselves, one on the left and the other the right. The stuff wriggled around and soon formed two heads. The black one formed first, looking straight upwards. The front split open, revealing a toothy mouth and a white glow from within that maw, as well as glowing white eyes. It looked down at them and gave them a menacing look, letting out a shriek in the process. The white head formed after that, turning around in a circle a little as its jaws split apart. It had glowing black eyes and a black glow in its mouth. It let out a screech.

Then one last thing happened. With the sound of a buzz, a blip, like the sound of a computer being turned on, glowing squares, white on the left side and black and the other side, formed. In seconds, a row of them were now present on both sides of the beast. Once they all appeared, each one had a static sound, with a bit of snow like what was seen on channels that were offline. Then they went silent. The beast let out a few low growls and stared down at them. Except for the squares on the beast’s side, he no longer had anything on him that reminded anyone of Barney.

Bardot shivered in fright. “It’s..it’s happened...he’s..”

Skrawl couldn’t believe it. He tried his best not to shake. It was hard not to. His wide, mismatched eyes stared at the creature who, just moments ago, used to be Barney. “It can’t be..”

“B-Barney...” Mumbo Jumbo said, a few tears forming in his eyes. “It’s..not possible..”

Draow let out a loud, cold, maniacal laughter. “Well believe it!” He spread out his wings further, staring at the two-headed, two-tailed dragon that stood before them. “Say hello to the one that will bring about your end!” He threw his head back and shouted, “Nihilanth has returned!”

Skrawl stared at Nihilanth in horror. He took a step back. There was something horribly familiar about this creature. And it took him only seconds to realize what it was. He recalled about how the trio...he couldn’t remember just which one had told him, mentioned that Rudy had a couple nightmares involving a black dragon head, and another, where a white one appeared. This dragon...matched the description... Black head with white eyes. White head with black eyes.

This..was the dragon from Rudy’s dreams.


	91. Time Is Up

Rudy stared at the ground, lost in his thoughts. It had been several minutes since Penny delivered the unexpected and horrible news. His mind was still having a hard time wrapping his brain around it. He couldn’t understand why Penny waited until now to tell him and Snap. Why had she hidden this information? Why didn’t she speak up? Rudy couldn’t fathom why she didn’t say anything.

A part of him wanted to be angry with her. He understood there were other things going on, but she still should have said something. This was a huge deal. ChalkZone being exposed is the worst thing that could happen. It was the very thing they fought so hard to prevent. And Penny knows this, too. She helped to prevent ChalkZone’s exposure countless times. How could she go back on it now? How could she betray them by not giving this important information? If...if he had known...

..there wouldn’t have been anything he could do, sure... But at least he would have been prepared. Even if they got back to the real world too late, at least they would know what to expect. By not telling them, he and Penny would have returned to find a very nasty surprise waiting for them. Rudy couldn’t help but wonder all the feelings he would have felt eating away at him when he saw the zoners being dragged off and enslaved. It would have been something similar to what they saw in the Dark Dimension. They would have bore witness to the beginning of the end.

He stared over in Penny’s direction. He couldn’t completely fight off the feelings of anger that he felt coiling up inside of him. He couldn’t help but see her lack of telling them as a betrayal. Extreme, yes... He guessed it was from the fact that this information was huge, a ‘game changer’ of sorts. This wasn’t like simply saying Craniac 4 was up to something, or that it was Snap’s birthday and he forgot to get him a gift. Not that those weren’t important. They were. But those he could handle. Those he could fix.

He couldn’t fix this.

If ChalkZone was exposed, there was nothing he could do. He could try to fight back. He could still attempt to protect ChalkZone. But after it being exposed...there was little he could do about it. Those people would want a way inside. They would try to find it. Even though the chances of them finding out were slim, there would still be people trying to find out. What if they connected him and Penny to ChalkZone like Terry had? They could track them down, capture them, interrogate them. If they were desperate enough, they could blackmail them...

He couldn’t understand why Penny wouldn’t say something. Now they had more to worry about. Something else to add to their plate of anxiety, as if they didn’t have enough to worry about already. Out of them, Snap was reacting the worst. He had gone silent, laying on the ground. His body was shaking like a leaf. He could hear him whimpering softly, whispering some soft words.

Rudy was not surprised that Snap was reacting this way. Unlike them, ChalkZone was his home. Seeing the place he called his home being taken over and overrun by unscrupulous people would be horrific for him. That would be like if Plainsville were invaded by a foreign army and overtaken. It would be like the apocalypse had reached them. It was be disastrous. Poor Snap would likely get enslaved like everyone else, forced to do the bidding of one of these humans and treated like he was a mere object.

And this time, there would be nothing he and Penny could do about it. They wouldn’t be able to stop anyone from going on. Once a way was found, there would be no stopping the inflow of people. If they tried to interfere, they could be arrested for trying to ruin ‘public property’. Yeah, that’s what ChalkZone would become. Public property... So many people would tell them that zoners aren’t really alive and aren’t deserving of protections, and that ChalkZone should ‘belong’ to everyone, like it was just a piece of land meant to be bought or used. There was also a chance of it becoming government property, which wouldn’t be much better. If anything, it’d be more or less the same.

There was the hope that maybe zoners would get rights but...who would do that? He and Penny would fight for those rights, yeah. So would his parents, his aunt, his cousin, Penny’s mom, even Terry would. But who else? Zoners were literally drawings come to life. Many would see that as an excuse not to give them rights. They would see it as evidence of them not really being alive. They could use it as an excuse to treat zoners as ‘expendable’. He feared not many would care about how the zoners feel about their home being invaded; they would just see one huge dollar sign.

But as angry as he was with Penny, he knew, in the end, she hadn’t really betrayed them. She would never do that. He didn’t feel comfortable with himself when he thought that. Accusing his friends of betrayal was not something he’d ever want to do. It wasn’t something he was proud of. After what he experienced in the light and dark dimensions, with how their friendships turned out there, he wanted to make sure that didn’t happen here. He didn’t want to shake up the foundation he built with her all because of a single mistake.

It was a huge mistake, sure. Penny should have said something. But at least she said something now. At least she brought it up as soon as the thought appeared to cross her mind, instead of just shrugging it off and walking away. She did seem remorseful, too, when she said it, so perhaps she had meant to tell them before, but it slipped her mind. Maybe she had forgotten due to the dangers they were in. It was understandable. A lot was going on. Between being chased by an alternate Draow and Cosmo, Dark Rudy, Light Rudy, the torture chamber, all that, he could understand why Terry’s visit would have slipped her mind.

He tried his best to calm those angry feelings. He kept reminding himself that Penny hadn’t meant to wait this long to tell him. It wouldn’t do him any good to just stay angry at her. What would come of it? Nothing. It would solve nothing. Instead, he should focus on what they could do about it. He had to ask himself what they could do to stop or lessen the damage inflicted.

At the moment, there was nothing they could do. They were locked up in this hell hole awaiting death. They had no way of getting out. They had no magic chalk. That alone was a problem. He wasn’t going to count on a miracle, either. In times like this, just simply hoping for something to happen wasn’t good enough. They had to make it happen. If he and his friends wanted out, they would have to figure out a way themselves. But..how?

Their only moment of chance he could think of is whenever they’ll be escorted to the arena. And that was relying on them being taken through the tunnel again. He had a feeling this cage was constructed to raise them up into the arena itself, ensuring they didn’t have a chance to escape. Even if they were taken down the tunnel again, they could have a Luminos in front and in back to keep them from escaping. There were also likely to be Luminos placed all around as well, and if they tried to flee, they would be chased and caught. With their injuries, they wouldn’t be able to run far. Especially Snap...

Rudy glanced back down at Snap. He watched as the blue boy shook and shivered on the ground. It wasn’t just Penny’s news that brought him down like this. The memory of Cosmo that was brought about by Penny’s news, how Cosmo nearly won, that came back full force. In combination to that, Snap was still in a lot of pain from the burns that Maalik had given him. He could probably still stand up and move around, but he would be slower and might need assistance. No doubt the Luminos would take full advantage of his wounds.

Despite wanting to run as soon as they had the chance, Rudy knew that would be a horrible idea. Penny still had a limp, regardless of how well she hides it. He himself was still recovering from the internal wounds he recieved during the last few days. And Snap had been badly burned, and that was going to give him problems. They would all stand no chance of getting away with so many Luminos zoners around and especially with no magic chalk. To get out, they were going ot have to play it smart.

But sadly, he knew they would have little time to make a plan. In a short time, maybe a few minutes, maybe half an hour, they were going to be taken up into the arena. They would not be able to make much of a plan while up there. They would be too busy trying to survive. He didn’t even know what they were in for. None of the Luminos had told them what their fate was going to be, how they planned on killing them. The thought made him gulp nervously. He hated not knowing what was to come. He would rather he knew. It was better than sitting around and just waiting for the unknown to reveal itself. The anticipation of that made his stomach churn.

“I’m sorry.”

Rudy looked up. He turned his head to where Penny was. She stared at him with a sorrow-filled expression. He didn’t say a word. He instead waited to see if she would say something else. After a few moments, Penny sighed softly and turned her head away. She turned her gaze to the ground.

“I’m so sorry...” Penny said quietly. “I-I never meant to wait so long to tell you...”

Rudy wondered if she could read his thoughts. Had he not hidden his anger well? Did he really make it that obvious to her that he was upset with her? A pang of guilt settled in his stomach. He never meant to do that. He didn’t want to upset Penny and make her feel bad. That was never his intention. He was upset, sure, but he didn’t want to make her feel sad.

Penny choked out, “I just...I didn’t mean to...I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner... I’m sorry...”

Rudy got up from the ground and walked over to Penny. She stared at him with those tear-filled eyes. Rudy felt a stronger pang of guilt and bit his lip. He knelt down in front of her. He stared at her for a moment before wrapping his arms around her. He pulled her into a comforting embrace. He let her press her head against his shoulder. He gently rubbed her back. He pulled her as close as he could, pressing his arm firmly against her back.

He let her cry into his shoulder. It was heartbreaking to hear her like this. Forgetting to tell them this important information, added on with everything else that’s happened, the threat of what was going to happen, it was no wonder Penny was having a break down. Rudy was surprised he himself hadn’t broken down yet. He was trying this best to remain strong for his friends. But he couldn’t keep it up forever. All three of them had their limits, and right now, they were being pushed towards that.

“It’s okay, Penny...” Rudy whispered. “I know you didn’t mean to..” He gently stroked her hair. “At least you told us now, and that’s what counts.” Rudy pulled back and gently cupped Penny’s chin. He smiled the best he could at her. “We’ll get out of this somehow...I promise.”

Penny stared at him, her eyes shining with tears. She then smiled and closed her eyes. “Yes.. I know we’ll make it out somehow.”

“That’s the spirit.” Rudy grinned. “You, me, and Snap will get out of here. I know it.”

Still holding onto her chin, Rudy leaned forward, slowly closing his eyes. He pressed his lips against Penny’s. The kiss lasted for a few seconds. They soon pulled apart, smiling at each other. Rudy felt happy that Penny was cheering up now. It was good to see her smile again, even if it was small and going to be short-lived due to the danger they were in. He hoped he would be able to cheer up Snap, as well. He also needed his comfort, and Penny’s comfort as well.

Before Rudy could turn his attention to Snap, he heard his friend’s voice. He stiffened at it. The way he was spoke was unnerving and sent chills down his spine. The words Snap said repeated themselves over and over again in his mind. He swore, in the first two seconds of hearing those words, Rudy had replayed them a hundred times in his head. He hoped it wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true. Not now...

“I hear footsteps, Rudy. They’re...they’re coming...” Snap’s weak voice stated, fear filling each word.

Rudy shivered. Penny looked horrified, any signs of happiness gone from her. The two friends slowly looked over towards where Snap’s wide, scared eyes were facing. Towards the door, they could see the knob opening. Rudy and Penny stiffened up, bracing themselves for what was about to come. They knew what time it was even before the door opened up. It was going to be a couple of Luminos here to take them to the arena. Rudy felt his heart beating faster as he realized their time had come. They ran out of time and now they were going to escorted to their doom.

The door opened up, revealing a stegosaurus zoner and a unicorn zoner. The two of them glared hatefully in their direction. Rudy shuddered. He could practically feel the animosity glowing from their eyes. The look of contempt was unmistakable. It was even more apparent on these two than it was on Raiden or Maalik. He didn’t even think that was possible. He found it hard to tear himself away from these two zoners. Their hostile, cold glares gripped him, refusing to let him go. Eventually, they started to walk forward.

Rudy wasn’t sure what the unicorn’s name was, but he was certain this stegosaurus was named Diamond. He recalled Penny mentioning her before. She matched the description she had given him. Out of the two, Rudy felt more intimidated by the stegosaurus zoner. Diamond looked like she could be physically stronger than Nile, that large crocodile zoner who had nearly taken his eye out. While Diamond didn’t have a powerful jaw to bite him with, she did have that spiked tail. He hoped she wasn’t going to use it against him.

Rudy and Penny moved back towards Snap. The blue zoner had gotten up to his feet. The two of them took position on either side of Snap. They moved in front protectively, glaring at the two approaching Luminos zoners. They gave them a clear silent message. They were not going to allow them to hurt Snap. They were not going to be allowed anywhere near him. After what Maalik did to him, they weren’t going to allow another Luminos to hurt him.

Diamond and the unicorn stopped in front of the cage. Diamond took note of their stance and just smirked evilly at them. She folded her arms and chuckled. Her large tail swished from side to side. Unlike with Maalik and Raiden’s tails, this one had force behind it. Rudy could practically hear the wind being pushed away as the tail moved. This was a tail he did not want to get hit by.

“Ain’t this cute.” Diamond sneered. “A trio of monsters, all acting scared of us.”

“Indeed...” The unicorn said, her laughter softer but more eerie sounding than Diamond’s. “I bet they’re going to try to cry innocent so they can escape justice.”

“Well they won’t get far, I’ll tell you that.” Diamond said. She leaned her head to the side towards the unicorn. It was like she was going to tell a secret, but she was making it plainly obvious what she was saying. “They might have escaped justice before..but not anymore.” A grin spread across the dinosaur’s face, her thick arms folded against her body. “This...will be most amusing to watch.”

Rudy wanted to say something to the zoner. He wanted to retort and tell her how wrong she was. He wanted so much to tear apart her ‘logic’ and throw it back at her. He and his friends didn’t do anything to deserve this. She was insane if she thought that being taken into a Death Arena was a fair punishment. But she wasn’t going to listen. He knew that. She was just like any other Luminos. They were a bunch of hypocrites. They would ignore everything he told them.

He knew there was nothing he could say that would convince the Luminos otherwise. No amount of scolding, pointing out the obvious, none of that was going to make anything click in their heads. If it did, they would ignore it, push it aside in favor of their own logic. It was truly disgusting.

But there was nothing he could do about it. He looked at his friends. Both were scared. Both of them still had a few tears in their eyes from their earlier breakdown. Both were shaking. Rudy noticed that he, too, was trembling. But they all were wearing glares. They would not allow these zoners to get the pleasure of seeing them so terrified. They were going to make sure that, whenever they look at them, they would get looks of defiance. It was all they really had left now. Even if they wouldn’t be able to get out, they would try to at least get the last laugh and try their best not to show fear towards them.

“You know what I’m betting, Twistia?” Diamond said, her eyes brightening a little.

Twistia looked at her, giving an evil smile to match the one her comrade was making. “What is it, Diamond?”

The stegosaurus’s eyes locked onto Snap’s. The zoner gulped and took a step back, but still glared at her. “I’m betting the first one to die will be the little traitor there.” Her thick claw was pointed in Snap’s direction. “I’m betting he is going to last only a few minutes... The arena would start and he’d be trying to save his pathetic little life. And then he’ll get sliced in half.”

Twistia chuckled at this. “Oh yes, I can see that happening.” She tapped her hoof fingers against her face thoughtfully, her head tilted to the side. “I think after that, he would crawl to try to get away, before getting cut up again, down the middle. His left side would be over here...” She moved her left arm out. Then she moved her right arm and said, “..and his right side here.”

“A glorious sight it would be.” Diamond said. “Like a beautiful painting, only it would be for real...”

Though Snap was clearly trying to be brave, what these zoners were saying about him was too much. He let out a small cry of fear and hid further behind Rudy and Penny. He stared at Diamond and Twistia, his body trembling. Rudy and Penny, disgusted and horrified by what the zoners were saying about him, took a defensive stance in front of him. Such sick, twisted zoners...

How dare they make such sick, twisted jokes about this... How dare they say those things about him and then act like it was okay... Snap never did anything to deserve this. None of them did. Rudy and Penny both wanted to defend Snap verbally. They really wanted to defy these two, to fight back with their words. But they kept quiet. It wasn’t because they had nothing to say. They had a lot of colorful things they could say. It was just that...what good would it do? They won’t listen to reason, and insulting them might make them do something worse to them.

As much as they wanted to talk back to their captors, all three of them realized that would only land them in more hot water. As if the Death Arena wasn’t bad enough... They were certain the Luminos could give them a worse fate, or a more terrifying and slow death. They kept their mouths shut, glaring hatefully at the pair. Snap tried to be brave and glared back, but their words still shook him up. He clung onto Rudy’s leg. Rudy could feel his friend trembling. He wanted to comfort him, but what could he say to him? They were all about to encounter a brush with death...

“Enough joking around....” Diamond said, her voice like ice. She moved off to the side. “Let’s get them up into the Death Arena.”

“Yeah, let’s shall.” Twistia chuckled as she moved onto the other side of the cage.

Rudy watched as the pair took position on either side of the cage. Diamond on their left. Twistia on their right. He wondered what they were going to do. Carry them? Then he realized that wasn’t the case. Why hadn’t he noticed it sooner? On either side of the cage were a couple large buttons. His eyes widened. Just what did they do?

Diamond and Twistia positioned their hands over the largest button, which was tinted a red color. They took in a deep breath and then started to tap the ground together. Rudy didn’t understand why at first. But then he realized it must be to help them synchronize their timing. The two buttons probably need to be pressed at the same time to really work. For a few seconds, the two zoners tapped their feet until they were in perfect unison with the air. Then they tensed up their arm muscles and, after five more taps, they slammed their hands against the buttons, and there was a click sound.

All around them, a stone wall started to rise up. Circular it was, and it encased them inside. They could no longer see the two zoners. They could hear their cold laughter, but that was about it. As soon as the wall rose completely above them, they felt the ground start to move. They wobbled a little from the sudden jerk. They could hear the sound of chains moving, rock scraping against rock. They didn’t need to see where they were to know they were being lifted up into the air.

As the light vanished and it grew dark as they were being taken through a tunnel in the floor of the arena, the three friends huddled close to each other. Their hearts pounded against their chests. Anxiety rose, spreading a cold chill through their body. They looked at each other, a few tears in their eyes. They all knew this could be the last time they’d ever see each other. The chance of escape was still there, but slim. They hugged each other and cried softly, a way to say goodbye to each other in case they never get a chance to.

Then light shined on them once more. They winced and moved back from each other. They looked up. They could see a large white light high above them. No, not just one. Many of them. Even just from what little they saw, this room felt...big. Very big. And it was all completely illuminated. They could hear the sound of a crowd all around them. An unruly crowd that seemed upset the main entertainment hadn’t shown up yet. Then, slowly, the stone wall went down, and the three friends got a good look at where they were.

They were in what looked like a giant version of one of Mr. Cosmo’s cages. It was very much like the one Snap was trapped in. He could see the familiarity spark in Snap’s eyes and he cringed, shuddering at the memory. Penny put a hand on his shoulder to try to comfort him. Rudy looked at him sadly. Then he looked around to get a good idea of their surroundings.

All around them were a few large pillars. They were made of stone and pointed at the top. They were thick and sturdy, despite having a few cracks in each of them. Thick water bars, wider than the ones Cosmo had used, surrounded them on all sides. Electricity sparkled through them, larger than the ones he’s seen before. They coiled around like some snakes, dancing along the water menacingly. Just looking at these electrified bars, hearing them crackle, it was a cruel reminder to the three of them of just how trapped they were.

The arena had a circle indention in the center as a well as a few designs. The floor looked very clean, but Rudy guessed that was because this place was newly built. He was certain they had mentioned something about this being new. And he was aware that, unless they found a way out soon, it will be their blood that will decorate the ground. The thought sent chills up and down his spine. To think that this could be their grave sight.... He shook his head. No, he had to remain positive. There might be a way out of here. He just..he just had to think positive and look for any possible opportunity.

He looked at the area around them. There was a stadium all around the trio. It looked like something he’d find in one of those sports stadiums where professional baseball was played. Except instead of wood, metal, or plastic, these were made of stone. There was no visible chairs. Instead, it was multiple ‘ridges’ of sorts, all made of stone, and the Luminos zoners, lots of them, were seated. It was a simple stadium. No pretty colors or markings. None of the zoners had any food or drinks like humans would at a baseball game. They were just sitting there, waiting for the ‘games’ to begin.

The Luminos zoners stared at the trio. Many of them had nasty smiles. Others frowns, others looked absolutely excited to see some slaughter. There was some shouts from them. So many spoke at the same time, the voices so loud, they intermingled with each other. It was hard for Rudy or his friends to hear exactly what they were saying. But he had a feeling it was a bunch of insults, and perhaps with a few comments about ‘getting what they deserved’, and some variants of that.

To their left, he could see another pillar, this one being attached to the wall. It cut between the stadium overhere and was very tall. He had to crane his head just to see more details. It had a platform on top and he could see what looked like a mic. Behind that was what appeared to be a small room, which he guessed housed something important that related to the Death Arena. He could see a shadow moving up on the other side, where he couldn’t see. There must be a ladder there.

He, Penny, and Snap watched as the shadow moved up the ladder. Their hearts raced as the figure got closer to the top. They knew that once the figure was up there, he was going to announce the beginning of their punishment. They felt their hearts clench and they pressed against each other for comfort. They knew that this could be it. This could be the beginning of their end. They swallowed hard and prepared for the worst.

Soon the figure was on top, moving towards the mic. They soon saw it was Maalik. The lion zoner looked a little different, and they soon realized it was because he was wearing some kind of colorful robe. A sacrificial robe perhaps? How disgusting... The way he was treating this whole thing was despicable.

The zoners all around them grew quiet. They turned their attention to Maalik. Their eyes glued onto him as Maalik walked slowly over to the mic, his tail swishing from side to side. He soon reached the mic and he reached out towards it. He wrapped his fingers around it and lifted it up. He brought it to himself. He cleared his throat and ran his other paw through his mane. Then he began to speak.

“Greetings, my fellow Luminos! Today, we have a very special treat! You are all familiar with the so-called ‘Great Creator’, the ‘Genius Girl’, and of course, the ‘Terrible Traitor’, am I right?”

There were a couple of angry shouts at this. The trio winced and looked around as the Luminos zoners glared hatefully at them. Maalik raised his paw and they calmed down.

“Well as you can see, we finally have them captured and at our mercy! For so long, we zoners have suffered at the hands of creators! And we have watched many a zoner get brainwashed, or a traitorous zoner like Snap would come along and side with creators right away! Well I say no more! We will take a stance to protect our home! No longer will we hide! We will finally act! And we will start with these three!”

Several of the Luminos zoners cheered on the anthro lion. There were several whistling and shouts of ‘oh yeah!’ and other things. It frightened Rudy to see just how excited these zoners were for bloodshed. They clearly had no remorse for what they were doing.

Maalik grinned, his sharp teeth exposed. “What do you say we show these three monsters who they are dealing with? What do you say we give them a...Luminos welcome?” The zoners all around shouted positively, causing Maalik’s smile to broaden. “Okay then..! Let’s get started then!”

Rudy could faintly hear the sound of a button being pressed. He wasn’t sure if Maalik did it or if it was someone in that small room. It didn’t really matter, though. He and his friends looked up towards the roof. Between some of the largest stalactites, there were some holes opening up. Something long, attached to a flexible metallic coil and having a hose-like ‘face’ shot out. They twisted and turned as they extended down towards them. They then positioned themselves all around the trio, moving around a little kind of like snakes. The trio couldn’t take their eyes off of them.

Maalik chuckled softly as the things got into position. “These three have escaped justice for too long! Now is the time to change all that! Now is the time for them to get the punishment they deserve! So what do you say everyone?” He motioned his paw out in front of him, indicating everyone around him. “Shall we give it to them? Shall we force these three to face justice and finally bring some bit of closure to our fallen brethren?”

The crowd went wild. More cheers. More whistles. More excited shouts. The sound of it was positive, and yet, used in this context, it was downright horrifying.

“All right then!” Maalik shouted with glee. His voice was loud, practically booming. It increased in volume, echoing off the walls, as he shouted, “Let’s get this party started!”

The cheers from all the zoners around them grew even louder. It was as loud as at a music concert. The sound was almost defeaning, making the trio want to cover up their ears. Then, another sound filled the air. They couldn’t quite understand what it was. Sort of reminded them of something they heard in movies, but with all that was going on, they couldn’t pinpoint just what that sound was.

Then Rudy understood. At the realization, his heart stopped. He looked at the nearest hose thing. He saw the tip of it was starting to glow. Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. He turned to his friends and leapt towards them.

“Look out!” Rudy cried as he slammed against his friends and knocked them into the ground.

Seconds later, the hose shot out a thin, red hot beam at them. It made a loud sizzle sound, indicating just how hot it really was. The beam struck near them and there was a small explosion. The three friends laid on the ground for a few moments, panting heavily. They looked over and stared down at the floor where the beam struck. There was a large charred and cracked mark on the ground now, steam rising up from it. They realized that, if they hadn’t been able to get out of the way in time, it would have been them...

The other hoses moved a little further. All around them, the trio saw that ever single hose was glowing red now. They felt their blood turn to ice as they realized just how screwed they really were. Just how were they going to get out of this?

sss

Bardot started up in horror, taking a few steps back. He had never felt this much fear before. Not even King Mumbo Jumbo made him this terrified. And he knew the king wasn’t the type of zoner to really do him in. He knew the king wouldn’t hurt him unnecessarily.

But this guy? This guy was a whole different story...

He hardly paid attention to most of the zoners around him. He did, however, take notice of the reactions of the nearest zoners. Draow, of course, was gleeful. He had a broad grin on his face and looked absolutely pleased with himself. Bardot could have sworn he saw him inflate his chest in pride. He normaly didn’t mind it, but in this context, he found it disturbing even more him. The fact that this guy didn’t care about his own life and wanted to help destroy the world... And he thought he himself was looney.

Skrawl was shocked by the events that had unfolded. He was still a little wobbly on his feet, but still looked able-bodied enough to fight back if he had to. Bardot wasn’t sure how well he could hold up, though. Draow did do a number on him after all. He wasn’t sure just how bad the internal damage was, but it was enough to keep Skrawl incapacited for a time. The jellybean zoner did look determined to fight, but what good could he do against Nihilanth. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

Bardot looked over at King Mumbo Jumbo. While he didn’t really sympathize with others, he at least understood enough about friendship to know that the king was going through a hard time right now. He had just lost his dearest friend, perhaps the last one from so long ago, to the black chalk. His friend was kind of still there, but he was now Nihilanth. Bardot wasn’t at all surprised when the king started to cry a little, his body trembling. He could hear the king whispering the word ‘no’ over and over again, shaking his head.

Bardot then turned his attention back to Nihilanth. He couldn’t believe how terrifying he looked, more so than he had imagined. A large half black, half white dragon with two tails and two heads. There were no spines on the back of this dragon, but there were long horns on the back of their heads. The round-mouthed black dragon head had long white horns jetting out backwards, a slight curve to them. The pointed-mouthed whtie dragon head had black horns which curved back at first, but then pointed upwards and the tips faced forward.

The dragon mouths were open. A low growl came out of them, sounding booming even though there was no force behind it. The mouths each had a glow, white on the black head and black and the white head. The teeth looked wickedly sharp, as if they could tear through anything. The two heads wriggled a little, moving about as they surveyed their surroundings. The beast shifted his body a little, which was held up by four legs, whose color scheme matched the rest of the dragon.

Then, eventually, after a while of silence save for Draow’s chuckling and gasps and whispers from other zoners, the two-headed dragon finally spoke.

“Ah...it is...good to be back. We haven’t been able to spread our wings in such a long time. Let us tell you, it was..not so pleasant..being that worthless bug.”

The voice sounded almost omnipresent. Bardot couldn’t even tell which direction it came from, despite knowing Nihilanth was the one who spoke. Then he realized the reason for that. The dragon had spoken telepathically. As he watched him speak more, he took quick notice that both dragon heads were obviously speaking; it was clearly two voices, one deeper and one lighter, but the mouths weren’t moving. The voices were in their heads.  
“It is a darn shame that it took us so long to awaken. The seeds of our plan would have gone to waste if we hadn’t woken up sooner. But no matter...we are awake now. And we can take action.” Nihilanth said. The two heads rose higher into the air as if to make himself look important. “We are your deity, zoners. Take a good look at us. We are the reason you even exist...and we are the ones who will bring your downfall. It is time for this world to end...” The dragon heads smiled a little. “And for a new one to rise from the ashes.”

Bardot heard some of the zoners start to panic. A few of them shouted words of defiance. He thought Nihilanth was going to attack them, but instead he stood there, remaining calm. He reminded him of himself, but Nihilanth seems to give off a more chilling vibe. Being venomous and fast might be great for frightening zoners, but this guy had abilities he did not. And he had a feeling they were all going to bear witness to what this guy could do.

Mumbo Jumbo took a few steps towards Nihilanth. Tears stained his green face. Nihilanth turned his two heads to the zoner. All four eyes narrowed in curiosity, as if he was puzzled that any zoner dared to approach him. Bardot thought about saying something, but decided against it. Mumbo Jumbo knew the risks. It wouldn’t be his fault if he got attacked.

“Please..don’t do this...” Mumbo Jumbo pleaded, reading his hand out. “I know you’re still in there, Barney. Please answer me. Show me you’re still there...Please.”

Nihilanth moved his heads closer to Mumbo Jumbo, one on each side. They both glared at the turtle, causing him to move back a little. Then a sneer spread across the two dragon heads. The laughter that came out of them was the cruelest, coldest, and most unsettling laugh Bardot had ever heard. It was enough to chill the bones of even someone already cold-blooded like himself.

“Your friend, the one you call Barney, no longer exists.” Nihilanth said. At this, Mumbo Jumbo’s eyes widened in horror. “And he never shall again.” Nihilanth narrowed his eyes further. “We have waited far too long for this moment...and we will not have it squashed by becoming that...worthless insectoid again...” The two heads moved even closer to the turtle, causing him to fall on his back. “So we hope you got to say goodbye...because you will never see your friend again....”

Tears strolled down Mumbo Jumbo’s face. “No. It’s not true...” He took a few steps back. His body trembled. “I-It can’t be true. Not Barney..no...”

Nihilanth chuckled at this. He pulled his heads back, raising them high above. He lifted up his paw and made a gesture with it. “We do wish we could stay and make some more...conversation... But our destiny calls us. We must not waste much more time here. If we were you, zoners, we would say our last goodbyes to our loved ones. Because soon...oh so very soon... you will all die. Fear not! It is for a worthy cause! Who knows? Maybe we will be generous and resurrect you in the new world...”

“Like me?” Draow spoke up, a smile on his face. He took a few steps towards Nihilanth and bowed dow him, his head low in submission.

“Ah yes, Draow...a faithful servant. Yes... for serving us, you will be..rewarded...” Nihilanth said. The smile on Draow’s face grew broader. “But not yet. First, we must prepare for the end. There is still stuff to do. Go back to the Solar Pillars. We will catch up to you.”

Draow nodded his head. Without another word, he spread his wings and took off into the air. Bardot was glad to see him go as it was one less zoner to have to listen to. But there was still Nihilanth. And he was not better company. If anything, he was worse. Bardot would rather deal with Draow than with this guy.

Bardot wondered why he hadn’t heard anything from Skrawl in a while. He looked over and saw the zoner was gone. At first, he thought he had abandoned the scene. He was proven wrong when he saw the jellybean rush over towards the crowd, shouting at them. He then saw him bring out his handheld radio. He must be calling for help, perhaps sending some of his Beanie Boys around to warn about Nihilanth. Bardot wasn’t sure what good that would do, but perhaps it would be at least fair to let the citizens know what was going on.

Bardot heard a heavy sound in front of him. The ground shook slightly. He turned his head and his ears lowered at what he saw. The dragon was walking towards him. The look in his eyes, the way he was smiling at him, it was unsettling. Just what did this dragon want with him? Bardot walked back, his tail between his legs. He hadn’t seen what this dragon was capable of and he could already feel the immense power radiating off of his body.

Soon Nihilanth stopped advancing. Bardot turned to the side, his body arched a little in preparation of a run. His eyes, widen and green, stared up at Nihilanth. He was a huge dragon. He was definitely a lot bigger than Draow. The size of Biclops...if not bigger. He lowered his two heads towards Bardot, placing themselves on either side of him and making him feel trapped.

“Bardot...the hybrid zoner... We must thank you for our rebirth.” Nihilanth said.

“What the hell are you talking about?!” Bardot snapped, momentarily forgetting who he was talking to.

Nihilanth replied, “It was your red chalk that enabled us to breathe again, to so speak. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. So we thank you for your assistance.”

Bardot took a few steps back, his eyes wide in shock. He had helped awaken this guy? But how? He didn’t do anything. Something must have happened while he was still knocked out. That was when he noticed a pain in his shoulder. He winced and looked down at it. To his horror, there was a gash on one of his outlines, where the red chalk portion would have been. The mark was the right size and shape to be Draow’s wing claw. His eyes widened. So that’s how the bat wolf had done it...

“We can use your help again. Your red chalk half is..most desireable to help us with...something...” Nihilanth scratched one of his chins thoughtfully. Their gaze was tilted upwards. Then he stared down at Bardot, his paw raised with the bottom pointing up. “Yes... you can be of some use, Bardot. You can help us fulfill our wishes.”

The hybrid zoner bared his sharp teeth. “I want no part of this!”

“You seem to think you have a choice in this.” Nihilanth sneered. “How cute...”

Nihilanth started to move towards him at a quick pace. His wings spread out, making him appear much larger. His heart beating against his chest, Bardot attempted to run away. He turned tail and bolted. But he had hesitated for too long. By the time he had started to run, Nihilanth had already caught up to him. He felt a thick paw wrap around him, and hoisted in up into the air. Bardot stared down at Nihilant in fear. He tried to bite him, but the skin of this beast was too thick. Nihilanth squeezed him tighter, causing Bardot to gasp for air.

Nihilanth spread his wings out more. He started to beat them. Each flap sent a wave of powerful wind. Mumbo Jumbo was thrown back, as well as several other zoners. Bardot watched as they had to cling onto something to keep from tumbling away. Bardot himself was feeling the affects of the wind. The only reason he didn’t go flying off was because of the dragon’s vice grip around him. He tried to struggle again, but it was in vain.

In seconds, the dragon started to go up into the air. Soon, they had risen several feet into the air. Bardot stopped struggling, not too keen on dropping from this height. He may not want to work for this dragon, but he also didn’t want to turn into a yellow and red pancake. Then Nihilanth just hovered there. He flew about as high as the nearest tallest building. The two dragon heads watched the citizens below, and a nasty smile spread across both muzzles. Bardot had a feeling he knew what was going to come next.

“Perhaps we should give a send off before we go. Yes...a taste of my power...” Nihilanth said.

There was a beeping sound, rapid and almost continuous. Bardot looked down and saw that the black side of the dragon was doing something. The white glowing squared were rapidly blinking, moving back and forth until it settled on one square. It then flashed some letters. They moved too fast for Bardot to see. It looked like the beast was running through a list of items, similar to what Barney could do with his encyclopedia entries. Then it soon stopped, and Bardot, for a split second, could see the image of a large bomb.

Then what happened next horrified Bardot and terrified everyone that was still there, looking at the two headed dragon.

A tendril, glowing white, shot out of that square. It coiled around the dragon a few times before it went to the dragon’s black paw. The dragon held up his paw, its palm facing upward. The light shot into his hand, gathering there. There was a brief sound, like a shing almost, and the light began to form and take shape. Bardot’s eyes widened in shock when he saw that Nihilanth had manifested a large bomb in his paw.

So that was his ability. That was why Mr. Cosmo said that one of his nicknames was the Ultimate Creator. Nihilanth...had the power to create anything stored in his database. He was a creator himself, except he did not require magic chalk to do it. The realization hit Bardot like a freight train. When Nihilanth said he was a diety, he was not joking. When Mr. Cosmo mentioned this, he wasn’t lying. And seeing this power for himself... He really wondered just how even the Great Creator could stand up to him.

Nihilanth gave a nasty grin to the terrified zoners below before he just chucked the bomb down towards them. The bomb already started to glow, indicating it was going to go off. Bardot had time to see the zoners panicking and screaming as Nihilanth flew higher into the air, moving at a fast pace that Bardot didn’t know was possible for someone this large. They now hovered a high above ChalkZone City. Nihilanth glanced down, sneering as the bomb went off. Bardot’s eyes widened at what happened next.

The bomb’s explosion gave way to a massive rush of heat and fire. The boom sound was deafening, hurting his ears. A bright flash intermixed in with the heat and fire and it went off in all directions. Bardot could hear the sound of buildings toppling, screaming as zoners tried to get away. The could hear the twisting of metal was buildings collapsed in on each other, being ripped apart by the bomb. A large mushroom cloud formed, consisting of pillowing smoke. Bardot could feel the heat even from here.

A rush of wind from the explosion then tore through more of ChalkZone City. Zoners were knocked everywhere. Some more buildings were wrecked. Some still stood, but had large tears or burn marks in them. Sometimes both. Fires started to form all around, a wall blazing with heat. More smoke pillowed out of the damaged areas and, before Bardot knew it, a large portion of ChalkZone City had just been decimated. He had no idea if there were any survivors from the ground zero point.

Bardot couldn’t help but stare in horror at the destruction below. It wasn’t simply the fact that the zoners were in trouble. What bothered him was just how powerful that bomb was.. and this as just a taste of this guy’s power? Just how powerful was he? He imagined that he was immensely strong, but still...seeing that power was...unimaginable. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to see just how strong this guy could be. He didn’t say a word as he looked up at Nihilanth with wide eyes.

Nihilanth watched the destruction below, his body having an orange glow from the fires in ChalkZone City. He gave a cold chuckle before he looked down at Bardot. “Let’s go for a ride...shall we..?”

With that, Nihilanth began to take Bardot in the direction of the Solar Pillars.


	92. No Longer In The Dark

Urso wasn’t sure how long he was going to be able to keep this up. He was still loosing blood. Not as much as he used to, but all this running around wasn’t helping his wound close any faster. If anything, it was irritating it. His racing heart was pumping blood through his body so fast that his body wasn’t having much time to clot the wound.

But he had no choice but to run. If he slowed down, even just a little, he was in trouble. Behind him, Dr. Raiden and a few other Luminos were chasing him. Raiden was up in the front. He could see fear tinged in the cheetah’s eyes, perhaps from the shere shock of how he was able to get away. Truth be told, Urso himself was shocked at what he was able to accomplish. Sometimes willpower really was strong, even if it was usually short-lived.

“Come back here, Dr. Urso!” Dr. Raiden shouted from behind him. “Let’s get this over with! You can’t run forever!”

The lion bear knew he was right. He couldn’t run forever. He needed to patch up this hole in his chest. It was painful taking in each breath. He wasn’t getting as much oxygen either, forcing him to take in even more breaths at a faster rate, increasing his pain. The continued blood loss was slowly weakening him and if he wasn’t careful, he could end up passing out long before he reached anyone. But it wasn’t like he had a choice. It was either keep running or die, and he wanted to have some fighting chance.

Dr. Urso smelled the air and he caught a familiar scent. It was Rapsheeba’s. It was stronger now. As he entered another set of hallways, he detected another scent intermixing with it. No, two of them. Blocky...he was with her? Oh that’s right... They were locked up together. So naturally, if he found Rapsheeba, he’d find Blocky as well. The other scent that came to his nose was much more worrying. A salty, iron kind of smell that he knew could only be one thing: Blood.

Horror swept through his mind. He couldn’t tell just how much blood there was. His nose could only tell him where those two were. It couldn’t tell him if they were still alive or not. He felt his blood chill at the thought of those two innocents being dead. Had he been too late? Had he taken so long to get out? There was only one way to find out. He had to find them, and fast.

He heard an angry yowl behind him. Dr. Urso turned his head go quick glance behind him. His eyes widened as he saw Dr. Raiden had started to speed up the pace. He was well ahead of his brethren. He could see not just fear, but a strong sense of determination in those cheetah’s eyes. Dr. Urso could tell, just from looking at him, how serious Raiden was when it came to protecting his clan. He really did see him as this great big threat. He really did think that he was going to slaughter everyone he cared about. And he was pushing himself to his limits to stop him. Dr. Urso would admire this trait if it wasn’t being misused.

Seeing Dr. Raiden like this did make Dr. Urso a little sad. He really could have been a great ally if he didn’t use his past to justify horrific actions. He could have let go of the past and moved on. He didn’t mean for Raiden to forget what happened, but he really needed to move on and heal. He needed to see that he was wrong to label all humans as evil because of what happened.

But here he was, a major driving force behind the Luminos. He was as much of a voice for it as Maalik, and, from what little he saw here, Raiden seemed to be the most influential, constantly reminding the other Luminos of the dangers of creators. Maalik was still the leader, but it seemed that he and Raiden shared equal power, more or less. And both of them were racist towards humans, and both used the path as an excuse. How despicable...

Urso tried not to let his anger eat away at him. Right now, he needed to keep running. The scent was getting stronger. He knew he was getting closer. He needed to focus on helping Rapsheeba and Blocky. Once he was able to do that, he would then have to try to find Rudy, Penny, and Snap. He had no idea where the Death Arena was, but perhaps one of those two would know where it was. Maybe a Luminos was talking about it in front of them, not really being cautious because why would they? Blocky’s side was torn and Rapsheeba’s leg was broken. They weren’t going anywhere.

The blood scent worried him because he had no idea if it meant they had been injured further or not. He wouldn’t put it past Raiden or someone else in this insane, twisted cult to hurt them further just for the ‘fun’ of it. Blocky and Rapsheeba didn’t deserve what they were getting and it boiled the lion bear’s blood that the Luminos think that this was all perfectly fine. How sickening...

“You can run but you can’t hide!” Dr. Raiden’s voice boomed down the hallways.

Dr. Urso growled at this. Dr. Raiden sounded a little closer now. He had to move faster. He pushed himself harder. Up ahead, there was a sharp turn. He pounded his feet on the ground and moved a little faster than he was before. As soon as he got close enough to the wall, he jumped up into the air and pressed his feet against it. He pushed himself off from it and gave a turn to the right, and headed down in the new direction. As he ran, he could hear a crash behind him and he realized the cheetah and his comrades couldn’t make the turn in time. Good, this was going to buy the lion bear a bit of time.

Urso headed down this new hallway, noting the slight color changes in the walls, perhaps as a way to mark them visually. He headed along a path that twisted a little, having the appearance of a staircase, but no railing and no actual stairs. The walls seemed pretty close here. Even though there was a drop down, an edge he could fall over, and a path far down below, something about the walls in this area made it seem like the area was much smaller than it really was. Perhaps it was the large stalactites that hung lowly, very close to the path he was running on.

Soon, Dr. Urso reached the top of the ‘staircase’, which ended with a small platform and a door that sunk into the wall a little. He sniffed all around, his nostrils flaring. He quickly deduced that either those two zoners were behind this door, or they were very close by. Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, Dr. Urso wasted no time. He raised his hand and grabbed onto the knob. He turned it. For whatever reason, it was unlocked. He wasn’t sure why it was, but perhaps the Luminos didn’t really feel as threatened by Rapsheeba and Blocky. Well, it was making his job easier. He pushed the door open and entered the room.

A mixture of feelings swept through the lion bear’s body. As he shut the door and locked it to buy more time, his eyes were glued on what was in the middle of the mostly empty room. He could see another iron bar cage, much like the one he was trapped in. This one was smaller, no surprise considering the zoners inside were much smaller than him. It took him only seconds to realize just who were in this cage.

It was Rapsheeba and Blocky, just like he had thought. The two of them were huddled close to each other. They both looked like they had been crying. Even from this distance, he could see the tear stains on their faces. He looked them over, noting no additional injuries on Rapsheeba. He was grateful for that. Out of the two, she was the worst off. The break Raiden gave her was horrible, and he could see it wasn’t treated very well. Infection was already settling in. He had to get her help and fast.

A wave of horror struck him when he saw Blocky. Like Rapsheeba, his wound was infected, he had been injured again. It wasn’t significant. A few small bruises here and there. But the fact that the Luminos had hurt him again, and for no apparent reason, angered the lion bear. And how they were ‘treating’ these wounds was horrible. Granted, it wasn’t the worst, he’s seen, but they did a poor job. It was barely passable. They probably didn’t bother giving them proper treatment because they were going to die anyway, once they were sent to the Death Arena. Dr. Urso didn’t have any supplies with him, but he could at least try to help in whatever way he could.

Dr. Urso approached the cage slowly, taking care to walk in a wide circle and come into view, hoping that he won’t startle the two zoners. He watched them carefully. He felt pity for them when he saw them hugging each other, crying. Blocky looked as though he was comforting Rapsheeba. Urso wondered what had Rapsheeba upset, if there was something else wrong besides what was going on right now.

Soon, Dr. Urso positioned himself in front of the cage, facing towards them. He cleared his throat and said, “Hey you two...” He made sure to be gentle with his voice as to not frighten the two.

Rapsheeba and Blocky turned to him. Their eyes widened in horror for a few seconds. But then recognition seemed to hit them, and they realized who this was.

“Dr. Urso...?” Blocky asked softly. “It’s...really you?”

Dr. Urso nodded his head. He couldn’t help but smile when the two zoners showed signs of happiness and relief. He could tell just how hopeless those two had been feeling. The relief he saw in their eyes sent a warm feeling through his heart, a nice change from the chilling sensation that was there before. He wanted to give them a hug to comfort them further, but first, there were more important things to take care of first.

“How did you find us?” Rapsheeba asked in a quiet voice. “We thought that...”

Dr. Urso said, “I managed to break out of my cell. It wasn’t easy, but let me tell you...” He gave a bit of a sly smile. “I don’t think the Luminos will underestimate me again. I’m probably going to give some of them nightmares.” He took a step closer to the cage. “But enough talking. I need to get you out of there, and then we can find Rudy, Penny, and Snap and...”

At this, Rapsheeba’s eyes widened. “S-Snap..? Dr. Raiden told us he was dead...”

Dr. Urso stared at her in shock. “He did what?”

“I don’t know if he’s being truthful or not...but there was blood on his finger. He obviously hurt someone.” Blocky said solemnly. “Definitely chalk blood.”

Rapsheeba shed a few more tears. She closed her eyes and turned her gaze downward. “I-It was horrible. He just...kept taunting us. He kept at it again and again, telling us how Snap was dead and...” She put her hands on her face and cried harder. Blocky put his arms around her and hugged her again.

Dr. Urso watched this scene in horror. His eyes were wide in shock. Dr. Raiden had done...what...? He had told these two that their friend was dead, just to break their hearts? That was...twisted and sick. He coudn’t believe he would do such a thing. These two had enough problems to worry about. They didn’t need to be tortured mentally by being fed lies. Dr. Urso knew for a fact that Snap was still alive. Dr. Raiden wouldn’t have mentioned him when he talked about moving up the schedule if that were the case.

He looked at the two crying zoners with sympathy shining in his eyes. It must have been a horrible experience for them. He was certain that Dr. Raiden had injured Snap earlier and then use that blood that stained his claw to taunt these two about him being dead. It was a cruel and heartless thing to do. With them being separated and the aura of incoming death everywhere, he could understand why they weren’t so sure if Snap really was dead or not. Well he wasn’t going to leave them wondering for long. He wasn’t going to let them suffer like this.

“He lied.” Dr. Urso said calmly.

At this, the two crying zoners slowly become silent. They looked at him with wide eyes. They shined with silent questions. At first, they didn’t say anything. Then Rapsheeba leaned a little forward, biting her lip nervously.

“He...what..?” Rapsheeba asked, a choke in her voice.

The lion bear looked at her and said, “Dr. Raiden lied to you. He did not kill Snap.”

“What? Are you sure?” Blocky asked. “Are you absolutely sure?”

“Snap is...” Rapsheeba’s voice had a tinge of hope to it. “...he’s alive...?”

Dr. Urso nodded his head affirmatively. He gave a small smile of confirmation. “Yes. He’s alive.” He then narrowed his eyes a little as memories of Raiden’s words came back to him. “He was talking about moving up the execution, and he specifically mentioned not just Rudy and Penny, but Snap as well.” He stared at the two zoners, letting this information sink in. “Unless he is planning on executing a corpse somehow, I think it’s a safe bet that Snap is still alive.”

Dr. Urso watched as the expressions on the zoners’ faces slowly changed. At first, they were shocked. Their eyes widened and their mouths dropped open. Then his words started to take effect. Anger, for a moment, spread across their faces. He watched as their eyes narrowed for a few seconds. He couldn’t blame them for being angry. It wasn’t him they were upset at, he knew. They were angry at Dr. Raiden for toying with their emotions like that. He had played their hearts like an instrument and hurt them badly mentally. Then after the anger swept through, relief and finally happiness took hold.

The lion bear couldn’t help but smile as he watched the two zoners get grins of their own. Their eyes shined with happiness and they looked at each other. They wrapped their arms around each other and started to cry again. This time, it was out of relief and joy than sadness. The realization that Snap really was still alive, and not dead like Dr. Raiden told them, cheered the two of them up immensely. But as much as Dr. Urso wanted to let the two zoners have their moment, he knew there wasn’t much time left. And as he heart footsteps, he tapped on the cage to get their attention.

Once he had it, Urso spoke. “We need to get going. Dr. Raiden is coming this way. I need to get you out and...”

“No.” Rapsheeba spoke.

Dr. Urso’s eyes widened in shock at this. “But why? You’re....”

“We’re not the ones in the greatest danger right now.” Rapsheeba said. “We maybe hurt, but we’re not the ones who need the most urgent rescuing.”

“But..” The lion bear started to say. Blocky interrupted him.

“Rapsheeba is right, Dr. Urso.” Blocky said, making a gesture with his hand. “We are injured, yes, but like she said, we’re not the ones who need saving right this second. If Rudy, Penny, and Snap’s execution has been moved up, then you should go after them first. Find them and get them out!”

Rapsheeba looked at Urso pleadingly. “Please...save them... You’re the only one who can. They’re probably stuck in that awful arena right now. And you’re the only one with the power to do something about it right now. Please...” A few tears formed in her eyes. “Save them...”

Dr. Urso stared at the two zoners. He was amazed at how sacrificial they were being. They were giving up their one chance of escape in order to help another. That was...really noble of them. It showed how much they really did care about their friends. He gave a small, faint smile at this. He had to admire them for their courage and determination. He also knew they were right. As much as he did want to help them, the trio needed help more. And if they were in that arena....

He hoped he wasn’t going to be too late. He hoped that the arena hasn’t started yet, or at the very least, the trio were able to keep alive so far. He had no idea where the arena was, but he would find out. He’ll search every room in this gawd damn place if he had to. If he must, he would interrogate any Luminos he sees and force them to take him to the Death Arena. He would not give up on those three until the end.

Dr. Urso stared at the two. He looked into their pleading eyes. He bit his lip, then he nodded his head. “Okay...I’ll do what I can..I promise...”

“Thank you.” Rapsheeba said, a smile spreading across her face. She was clearly happy that there was, finally, some tinge of hope for them.

Dr. Urso’s ears swiveled. He turned his head. “They’re coming... Don’t worry, I’ll take care of them...” He winced as he pressed his paw against his injured chest. “And I’ll...” He seethed. “I’ll save your friends.”

“Good luck.” Blocky said, staring at Urso with concern.

Rapsheeba bit her lip. “And please...be careful...”

“I will.” Dr. Urso said through clenched teeth. “I will not..fall down that easily...”

There was loud banging on the door. Dr. Urso watched, narrowing his eyes, as the knob was turned futilly as the zoners on the other side desperately tried to get it open. Again and again, they slamemd against the door, trying to knock it off its hinges. Dr. Urso went down on all fours and slowly moved towards the door. His muscles tensed up as he prepared to charge them.

He heard another cat-like yowl and he knew it was Dr. Raiden. He could hear loud, irritating scraping and he realized that he must be using his metal finger. The sound was awful and hurt his ears, but Dr. Urso tolerated it the best he could. He curled his lips up, fully prepared to fight the Luminos as they entered. They would not be able to stop him. They can try, but they would fail. He would see to that.

“Open this fucking door!” Dr. Raiden shouted at him from the other side. “If you don’t, you will fucking regret it, you monster! Open up!”

Dr. Urso lowered his head, his eyes glinting. “You want me so badly? You can open the door yourself!”

“I’m going to kill you, Dr. Urso! Do you have any idea who you are dealing with?! You’re going to regret this! I swear it!” Dr. Raiden’s voice became a little shrill, emotion overflowing in each of his words.

“Oh yeah? Well then...” Dr. Urso gave a determined smile as the door was about to be knocked down. “Screw you, too!”

sss

Sophie ran as fast as she could. Her mother and Mr. Longhorn were close beside her. Their feet pounded the ground. They took in quick, heavy breaths. They could feel their hearts pounding against their chests. They had to move fast as they could. They couldn’t slow down. Despite how tired they were getting, stopping was not an option. Not unless they wanted to die.

Sophie knew she should have been more careful as they came into the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. She should have known she should have drawn them camouflage or something to protect them. But it was too late for that. She was late to realize her mistake and now, because of it, her mom as well as Mr. Longhorn, and herself too, were all in danger of being killed. She could feel her energy start to wane, and unless they found shelter soon, they were all going to die.

They had recently arrived in the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. It seemed fairly peaceful, well for this jungle anyway. She didn’t see any of the wild animals nearby. Despite knowing that she probably should draw some form of protection, perhaps something to make them invisible. But she wasn’t sure how she could draw it or how to set it up. Without that knowledge, it would be difficult drawing something that would work. Rudy and Penny could do it as they were older and a lot smarter than she was with these things.

Still, she felt she should have done something instead of nothing. She felt she should have at least tried camouflage. That would have been easier to draw instead of an invsibility cloak. But she had assumed they would be relatively okay until much further in the jungle. She also wanted to save as much of the magic chalk as possible. So she didn’t bother using any of it, instead option to wait until later on before she did something with it. And that soon turned out to be a big mistake.

Only a short time after arriving in the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle, there was a loud cat-like yowl. The three froze in their tracks and looked around. Then, out of the bushes nearby, a large panther jumped out. Well something like a panther. It was black like one and had the overall same shape. But it was quite large for a feline, it had a scorpion barb at the end of its tail and part of its body looked lumpy and scaly. Its fangs were quite large for a panther, too. Not quite smilodon length, but still impressive looking. She would have admired the design if she weren’t too busy running for her life, the beast hounding the three close behind.

They had spent some time running away. They had tried going through thicker parts of the jungle. They tried ducking under low hanging branches, going through vines, whatever they could to slow down the beast. But the creature kept up the pace. It used its sharp claws to tear through obstacles. It was quite agile, able to leap over low hanging branches without a problem. Running underneath some of them wasn’t an issue for the most part for the feline. She wasn’t sure how long they could keep this up. The feline was obviously in better shape for manuevering around this jungle.

Soon they reached a clearing. Oh great, just what they needed. A place with plenty of room for the feline to run around and get them from the front. She didn’t know if this was worse or just as bad as being in the entangled jungle. Well there was no turning back now. She and the others stepped into the clearing and just kept running. The tall grass helped hide them a little, but with how fast they were moving, it wouldn’t take long for the feline to notice where they were due to the way the grass moved.

Sure enough, before they could reach the other side of the clearing, the beast jumped in their path. It let out a loud yowl and started to stalk towards them. The three humans took a few steps back, looking at each other nervously then back at the feline. The creatures tail swished from side to side. Sophie could see the tip drip with venom. She wasn’t so much concerned about that, though. The venom couldn’t hurt humans. But the claws and teeth sure could. She shuddered when she saw the feline lick its lips. She deduced that it must not realize they weren’t made of chalk.

Sophie thought about using that to her advantage. Perhaps let herself be attacked and then find a way to get some of her blood on the feline. Once the pain registered, it would realized that it wouldn’t eat them and run off. But then...that would be a pretty mean thing to do, not to mention it was very risky. It all rided on being able to get a non-serious injury that bled enough and then be able to hit the feline with it. And even if she succeeded, the pain might just make the feline angrier, which would make their situation worse. She had to think of something else.

She looked at her mother and Mr. Longhorn. They had taken position close to her protectively. They were both frightened of the panther, but they refused to lead her side, knowing what would happen if they did. Sophie knew they would try to protect her should the feline pounce. But how long would they last? The cat hasn’t made a move yet, but there was no telling when it would. Sophie looked all around, trying to figure out what they could do.

That was when she realized something. As she turned her head left and right, she realized this place wasn’t as open as she thought. The trees on the sides here, they were tightly packed. There was no way out except what was ahead. The shape of this earea was almost like a teardrop was well. There was just a small opening in the front, narrower than the entrance they came in from. And the feline was positioned right in front of it. Its ears flattened against its skull, it let out a vicious yowl and took a step forward. Sophie could ear the claws being unsheathed and she knew the panther was about to attack.

Thoughts raced through her mind. She tried to think of what her cousin would do in this situation, or Penny, or Snap. What would any of them do if they found themselves here? Turning back was not an option. The feline was too close to them now. In the time they would turn around and try to run, the beast could already be upon them. They needed to try something else. She searched her mind for another solution. Those three wouldn’t give up and neither would she.

Eventually something did come to her mind. She recalled something she had read about carnivores. Hunters like felines and canines are adapted to see movement. That’s what they look for and that’s what their eyes see first. A strategy that could be seen as a workaround for how prey uses camouflage to hide themselves. As soon as she thought this, Sophie could feel the wheels in her head start to turn. Yes...that could work...

She took out her magic chalk. The end sparkled brightly. The feline’s pupils dilated and it let out a low growl. Its tail raised, poised to strike. Sophie could see the muscles in its legs tensing up. She knew she didn’t have much time to do this. Quickly, she began to draw in the air. Lines swirled all around until it formed what she wanted. A small, simple bot with a blinking light. There wasn’t much complexity in its design. It wouldn’t even be able to fly that far before it fell down, but at least it would buy them some time.

Sophie twisted the propellers until they were taut. She then held it up, showing it to the feline. The panther’s eyes locked onto the object, focusing on the flashing red light. Sophie moved it back and forth, making sure the panther was looking straight at the winged bot. Once she was able to determine the cat really was interested, she tossed the object into the air. The loud squeaky sound of the propellers unravelling could be heard, and the thing started to fly in the air. She saw the feline’s hind quarters raise and waggle, much like how a domestic cat would when they were about to pounce, and, seconds later, the feline jumped towards the object.

“Quick!” Sophie cried as the panther chased after the propeller bot. “While it’s destracted! Let’s get moving!”

Sophie knew the panther would not be distracted for long. She could hear a crunching sound and she knew that it had already caught the bot. As she and the others began run forward, she looked behind her and saw the panther was batting the bot around, playing with it as it skidded along the tall grass. She then followed the others as they exited out of the clearing.

In order to buy them some time, Sophie began to draw a barrier. A simple glass one and she had a feeling the cat could break it anyway. But at least it would be some kind of buffer to give them time to keep moving. She gestured with her hands as she looked at her mother and the man, ushering them to move forward quickly. They didn’t need to be told twice, and they kept moving forward, keeping up a brisk pace to put space between them and the scorpion-tailed panther.

They soon came out towards another somewhat open area, with a dip in front of them. They could see a patch of trees below them, larger ones than most of the trees in this area. Sophie thought she could see a clearing beyond that. The three humans looked at each other and they all silently decided to follow the ridge until they could find a safe way down. Walking together, they began to move along the edge of the sharp slope, taking care to watch where they were going.

“That was great thinking there, kiddo!” Mr. Longhorn complimented after a minute of walking. He smiled at her and tapped his finger against his head. “Way to use the old noggin!”

“Yeah, that was brilliant!” Tilly said with a smile on her face.

Sophie smiled at them. She simply said, “Thank you.”

She would have said something more. She thought about saying a few other things, but right now wasn’t the time for it. And right now, she really didn’t want to say much else. All around them was danger, and they had to keep quiet. They had to keep moving forward. They had to keep looking for Rudy, Penny, and Snap. They had to try to find this hideout. They...

She never had a chance to complete her thought. She had taken a mistep and her leg suddenly jerked downward. Her eyes widened as her body started to fall to the side. She could hear her mother call her name as she started to roll down the side. She rolled and crashed into the ground several times. She cried out in pain as her clothes were slightly torn and dirt clung to her. She soon rested on the bottom of the slope, a groan escaping her mouth.

Sophie pushed herself up onto her hands. She shook her head and leaned back. Pain wracked through her body. She let out a few groans and brushed herself off. She could hear footfalls behind her. She barely had time to look around before Tilly put her harms around her and lifted her up into the air. The eleven year old groaned in pain when Tilly hugged her a little too tight. In response, Tilly did loosen her grip but it was still firm. As her mom held her, Sophie noticed Mr. Longhorn walking forward, looking as though he saw something. Before she could ask what he was doing, her mother spoke.

“Oh Sophie...are you all right?!” Tilly cried.

“I’m okay, mom. Just a little bruised is all.” Sophie replied.

“Are you sure?” Tilly set her on the ground. She moved her hands up and down her arms and looked over her daughter. “No cuts or breaks or...?”

“Mom, I’m fine!” Sophie cried, pushing away from her mother. Noticing the hurt look in her eyes, Sophie realized she sounded a little more forceful than she had meant to. “I’m sorry. I’m just...worried about Rudy and the others...”

Tilly looked at her sympathetically. “I know, dear. So am I...”

“Hey you guys!”

Tilly and Sophie turned their heads to see Longhorn. The man was standing between to trees. His eyes were wide with interest, indicating he really had seen something when he walked off. He used his hands to gesture for them to come over. With how fast he was moving his hand, whatever it was, it had him excited. It must be of importance.

“Come over here!” Mr. Longhorn cried. “Hurry!”

Not wasting anymore time, the two of them began to move over to where the man stood. They moved over some of the large rocks that were in their way. Soon they came up to the man. He was pushing aside what appeared to be tall grass. He looked at them, his eyes twinkling. Then he looked out at where he was peaking out from before. He motioned with his hand for them to take a look at what was out there. He stepped aside, allowing them to peak over the tall grass. It didn’t take them long to see just what had the man’s interest peaked.

There, in the middle of a clearing, was a large cave. Not just any cave. Sophie recognized the shame of it. It was the same thing described by Skrawl. A rhinoceras’s head. It looked like it could use some repairs, but it was the same place alright. A little bit of smoke pillowing out of it indicated it had been in use at least recently. Thick vines covered the front, covering the opening and making it seem as though there was no entrance.

Sophie took a moment to let this sink in. They had found Bardot’s hideout. It was the same place that Rudy and Penny were held. It was the same place where they were tortured. It was the same place where Snap fought against Bardot and Draow. And now here they were, standing many yards away, staring at it. A wave of emotion swept through Sophie. She felt unnerved at being here, knowing all the horrible things that happened. But on the other hand, her cousin and friends were likely in there, and now they had arrived at the location.

Sophie could see a few zoners walking into the structure, and a couple walking out, heading off in a different direction. She realized that getting it wasn’t going to be easy. This had to be where the Luminos were. None of the zoners coming in and out looked like they were very trustworthy, and even if they weren’t, she had to assume they were Luminos just in case. She couldn’t afford to let themselves get captured. They were of no help to anyone locked up themselves.

After a few moments of silence, Mr. Longhorn spoke. “So..how do we get in?”

“I’m wondering the same thing. There’s so many zoners there.” Tilly noted.

Sophie narrowed her eyes, watching as the zoners moved about. She guessed they were probably guarding the area. Though there wasn’t a ton of zoners, it was still a significant number that she realized they would need to figure out a workaround.

“We need to sneak around them somehow.” Sophie said, her narrowed eyes staring straight at the rhino-shaped entrance. “We need to get in there...and fast.”

But she knew that was easier said than done. There wasn’t a whole lot of time. She had no idea if Rudy, Penny, and Snap were still alive or not. She had to assume they were alive and try to rescue them. The question was..how was she going to get in there without getting caught? There had to be a way...but what?

sss

Mr. Pierce let out a groan of pain. His eyes fluttered open. His vision was blurry and his mind muggy and distorted. He became aware of a voice calling out to him, but he couldn’t really make out what they were saying. He pushed himself up to rub his head. He winced as soon as he touched it. His head was sore...but how...? Just what had happened?

He looked towards his right, where the muddled voice was coming from. He could see the shape of a person there, who appeared to be leaning down towards him. Mr. Pierce struggled to keep his eyes open. A wave of exhaustion swept through his body, intermingling with the mysterious pain in his head. A few other aches of pain were spread throughout his body. He struggled to remember what had happened. He tried to sort through his memories.

His vision soon became clear, and he took notice of who it was standing before him. It appeared to be Mrs. Harlow, who was, more or less, second in command to this building. She had her hands on her knees and she was looking down at him, concern etched over her face. As his mind became a little more clear, Mr. Pierce became aware of something around his arms. Something limp and rough. He looked down and saw what they were. Several pieces of cut rope. And on the ground nearby, a gag.

Pierce’s eyes widened at this. Just what had happened to him to cause this? Someone had tied him up. But who...? His mind raced, trying to figure out what happened recently. He searched his mind through what recent events he could recall. He looked over at Harlow, his eyes widenedd as he silently asked her if she had any idea what had happened.

“I found you tied up and gagged, sir.” Harlow explained. “I was coming here to do paper work and I found you. I untied you as soon as I could. I tried to wake you up but...” She bit her lip nervously. “The bruise on your head was a deep purple and I knew that you had been hit really hard. I...I almost thought that it had...” Her voice trailed off.

Pierce looked around the room. He couldn’t see anything in here that reminded him of what happened. Just a usual room. Some cabinets and he saw a chair here or there. He wasn’t even sure if this was the very same room he had been put in, or if the woman decided to drag him somewhere else for whatever reason. He needed to figure out what happened and fast. If there was an intruder in this place, he’d...

Suddenly, at the word ‘intruder’, his eyes snapped wide open. Memories came flooding back to him. White flashes appeared in the back of his mind as he had a recollection of recent events. Vinnie telling him about ChalkZone. Vinnie showing him ChalkZone’s footage. He had struck a deal with him...then Terry and those other people showed up...tried to ruin everything... He had killed Vinnie, then Terry fought him.... Yes, so that’s what had happened. He rubbed his sore head once more. Terry had struck him. And she was the one who tied him up and gagged him.

As the memories came back to him, the man started to seethe. He clenched his teeth tightly. That bitch... How dare she interfere... How dare she do this to him... He might not be her boss anymore, but she should know better than to cross him. He was not going to allow her to stop him from exploiting ChalkZone. She was not going to allow her and her ragtag team of losers stand in his way of fame and fortune. He was going to make sure that not only will they succeed in claiming this land of chalk, he would be sure that Terry paid for her interference. And he knew exactly how he was going to do that.

Mr. Pierce got up to his feet. He brushed himself off, a scowl on his face. He was still in some pain, but he could otherwise move around. He turned his attention to Mrs. Harlow. The woman flinched at his glance and cringed back. He wasn’t surprised. She knew this look from him and she knew it meant he about to do something...really horrible.

“Sir...?” Mrs. Harlow asked. Mr. Pierce took a few steps towards the door. She reached her hand out towards him. “Shouldn’t you rest? You were hit in the head pretty hard and...”

“No! I’m not going to let that bitch get away with this!” Mr. Pierce snarled. He stood by the door, his fists clenched and shaking. Anger boiled his blood. “I will make her pay for this. I will make her wish she never crossed paths...with me.” He paused for a moment. He directed his next statement to her. “Don’t try to stop me. I know what I’m doing.”

Mrs. Harlow lowered her head submissively and took a step back. “Yes, sir...” She spoke quietly. “What..what are you going to do?”

Mr. Pierce stood there for a few moments. He turned his head to the side. One eye stared back at the woman. The pupils shrank with anger and cruel intent. He gave a nasty grin and said, “I...am going to expose her dirty little secret...”

Mrs. Harlow’s eyes widened in horror at that. Pierce chuckled and, not bothering to let the woman say anything, he turned and walked out of the room. His eyes narrowed and he walked slowly and deliberately towards the video room where he knew Terry would be.

“Watch out, Terry Bouffant...” Mr. Pierce growled through clenched teeth. “I’m coming for you...”


	93. A Chat With A Criminal

Rudy let out a scream as a laser shot in his direction. His eyes widening, he jumped out of the way as fast as he could. The laser struck the ground just inches behind him. He winced as he heard the rock crack a little as it left an indention in the ground. His chest heaving, he looked behind him to see a large blackened area in the ground. It was actually hard to tell if there was a new mark or not; by this point, almost all the arena’s floor was covered in simmering black.

He looked over at his friends, watching as they dodged the lasers. Penny was constantly ducking as a laser shot over her head. A few times, the laser grazed her a little, causing her to wince. She clutched her shoulder as a laser cut into her and she almost fell down to her knees. One of the hoses got in front of her. The tip glowed red and was about to fire. Penny reacted by bringing her leg up and kicking the hose upwards. This caused the laser to fire towards the ceiling. Upon impact, a bit of rock broke, causing a stalactite, a small one, to fall down and crumble.

Rudy looked at Penny with concern. He eyed her up and down to make sure she was all right. That hose didn’t seem to have gotten a chance to hit her. He smiled slightly as he realized she hadn’t suffered further injury from that. That smile faded, however, when he heard some jeers from the audience around them. He turned his head and gazed at them, watching them as they shouted vicious statements in their direction.

“Did you see that? They tried to attack us!”

“Just like those filthy humans... They seek any chance to harm!”

“The fucking nerve of them! I can’t wait until one of them gets their heads cut off!”

“The monsters will get what they deserve!”

Rudy couldn’t believe the nerve of these zoners. Yelling things like that when all Penny did was defend herself. She had knocked the hose away so she wouldn’t get hurt; she didn’t do it to hurt them. Hitting the stalactite and nearly falling on them had been an accident. And it was a small one at that, so it didn’t cause any strong collatorial damage. He couldn’t believe they had the gall to be mad at her for this. What exactly did they expect her to do? Just sit down and take it? Just how stupid do these zoners think they are?

It wasn’t even Penny’s fault this happened anyway. If they didn’t want a laser cutting into the ceiling and breaking a piece of their home, then they shouldn’t have put them in the Death Arena to begin with. They shouldn’t have started this whole mess. They attacked first. They were the ones causing all this trouble. They were the ones who wouldn’t listen to reason. And they had the nerve to try to pit blame on them. They had the nerve to act like they should all just sit down and take the incoming lasers. No, they weren’t going to do that. They were going to do their best to stay alive. Even if they may end up failing in the end, at least they tried.

Turning to his right, he gasped in horror when he saw a hose prepare to fire at Snap. He could see Snap trying to get out of the way. His face was contorted in agony, his teeth clenched tightly. He was trying to move faster, but each step was clearly agony for him. Soon he tripped and fell into the ground, and Rudy knew he wasn’t going to be able to get up before the thing would strike. Rudy felt a flash of anger sweep through him as he recalled what Maalik had done to him, and how these zoners were perfectly happy to see a injured zoner get laughtered in here. How disgusting...

Rudy didn’t waste any time. He dashed off towards Snap while Penny was busy distracting the hoses. Once Rudy got close enough, he did what Penny had done and struck the hose. He used his fist instead of his feet. He pulled it back and slammed it against the hose, knocking it against a stone pillar. He watched as it jittered and recoiled, moving in a snake-like motion. Rudy rushed to Snap’s side and knelt down.

“Are you okay?” Rudy cried in concern.

Snap looked at Rudy, giving a slight shudder. “Y-Yeah...I’m okay...” He said in a quiet voice. Rudy could practically feel the terror in that small voice. “Th-Thanks...”

“No problem.” Rudy reached down and grabbed Snap by his arm. He gently pulled Snap up to his feet, minding his burns. “Though I wish I could provide more comfort...”

“Don’t worry about it, Rudy. This isn’t your fault and you know it.” Snap said, smiling a little. “But maybe, someday in the future, they will see they were wrong.”

Rudy wasn’t sure how to reply to that. On the one hand, he had to admire Snap for his optimism. Even in light of all these zoners had done, he remained hopeful that at least some of them could turn over. That was the vibe he was getting from him. And he could see why. Some of these Luminos may just be misinformed, and perhaps they could be convinced they were wrong if they were presented with enough evidence. And if they realize they were wrong, then perhaps they would change, or at least stop trying to hurt them.

But then, they’ve done a lot of horrible things. Could they really change? Rudy used to think so, but now he wasn’t so sure. The Luminos have done nothing but hurt them, accuse them, and be downright nasty to them. They had been taunted at, jeered at, and their future deaths made fun of, like it was no big deal. They had tried to reason with them, but the Luminos wouldn’t have it. They seemed so dead sent on them being right that they refused to see reason. Then they had the gall to say they were the ones refusing to see logic.

And Raiden and Maalik...they were worst of them. And both of them were high ranking at that, with Maalik being the leader, and they suppose Raiden would be second in command, or somewhere up there. These two were running the show. These two were the ones in charge of everything, Maalik definitely. They were the ones brainwashing these zoners into believing creators were all evil. They were both insane, and quite dangerous.

Dr. Raiden had been one of the doctors on his case when he had the chalk disease. He had interacted with the other doctors and acted so helpful then. Rudy thought he could trust him. Rudy had believed he was helping him. Then came the bombshell when Dr. Raiden tricked him and revealed he had played him for a sap this whole time. He had even poisoned him. And on top of that, he had also tried to rip Snap’s face off, and why? Because he saw him as a ‘traitor’, and for no good reason either.

Maalik was no better. He was the ultimate leader of everyone here. This meant that he was in charge of everything and solely responsible for things like the attack on Snap’s treehouse and the bombing of the hospital. Even if the initial plan was just bomb areas with little to no patience, the damage caused by it was great and so many zoners were hurt, perhaps even killed. All because of an insane agenda that this zoner had. All because he was bigoted and lived in his own world, not allowing any other views to stand in his way.

And it was because of Maalik Snap was like this. He had electrocuted Snap to near death, and now the little zoner had several burns on his body. Penny did what she could, but it hardly made the situation better. Snap had a hard time dodging these lasers and he knew he wouldn’t be able to do it forever. This had been one close call...

Rudy heard a hiss kind of sound behind him. He looked over just in time to see a hose prepare to fire. Narrowing his eyes, Rudy rushed over and grabbed onto it. It felt almost like a victory when he did. These things were usually too fast for him to grab and this one happened to get a little too close. He wrapped his hands around the back of the hose’s head and yanked on it. Almost right away, the thing reacted and started to tug back, a laser firing into the air once as the hose attempted to free itself. Rudy refused to let go and kept yanking on it hard.

He could hear the sound of sparking and he knew he was causing a little damage to the hose. Encouraged by this, he pulled harder on it, dragging it back away. He looked over and saw the electric water bars. Getting an idea, he started to pull the hose towards it. A few times, the thing pulled back, causing him to slide on his feet along the ground. But he would quickly regain his footage and he’d pull back. He was almost there...just a little closer...

He soon reached the electric water bars, gritting his teeth as he pulled on the hose with all his might. He was about to through the hose in there as fast as he could, but he paused, his eyes widening in realization. Wait...if he threw this in here..would it affect the other hoses? Rudy wasn’t sure if the hoses were all connected to the same machine or not. He didn’t see where they were attached in the ceiling. While it seemed like a good idea if they were all connected as it meant that electrocute one head, it did them all in, but...what about..?

Rudy looked over at his friends. Penny had went over to Snap’s side and was protecting him from the other hoses. Laser after laser shot. She had him cradled in one arm as her other smacked away any hose too close. Some of them seemed to ‘get wise’, or rather, the operator got wise, and moved them back so she couldn’t hit them. But some were still quite close. If he electrocuted this one, and if they were all attached to the same source, then the other hoses would be affected and...

...Penny and Snap might be hurt...

Rudy felt his heart clench when he realize what he almost had done. He needed to try something else, and fast. He had the hose in his grasp, and he could see another hose coming towards him. As he stood there, trying to weigh his options, he quickly realized something about the hoses. There was always a pattern in which they had fired. A distinct one. It was as if one hose could only fire once, then had to wait for the other hoses to fire. That meant that, sooner or later, this hose had to fire, and he had a hold of it. When it would fire, he could...

The wheels in his mind began to turn. He looked down and saw the hose was starting to glow. The pattern must have gone around once already. He looked over at where Penny and Snap were. He narrowed his eyes in determination. He would show the Luminos that they weren’t going down that easily. He yanked the hose as hard as he could over, positioning it quickly. He lifted the hose up and aimed it. Then, moments later, it fired.

Thanks to Rudy’s manipulation, the laser shot forward and, instead of hitting his friends, it sliced right through several hose heads. The heads themselves were cut off completely and they dropped into the ground. Loud sparks flew everywhere as the heads just lead there. The coils they were attached to flicked around like a snake trying to wriggle its way out of danger. Some kind of fluid dripped out and the coils flung back, flailing in the air. The rest of the heads coiled back, moving away from Penny and Snap. The operator must not want to give Rudy another chance to fire, but that was what Rudy wanted.

Rudy didn’t do the next thing until Penny and Snap were out of harm’s way. They rushed over towards him, Penny holding Snap in her arms. He gave them both a look, silently telling them to run back, holding the hose in a knowing way. Penny nodded her head, her grip on Snap tightening a little. Rudy turned his head towards the electric water bars. He tensed his arm muscles, and he threw the hose into the water bars.

There was a loud sparkle and crack, a flash of white light that flickered several times. Rudy and his friends had to shield their eyes for a moment. The white electricity danced along the laser hose, making it twitch and thrash like it were a living being. It traveled up along towards the ceiling. Then, just as he had predicted, the other hoses, even those already beheaded, started to thrash and twist as electricity coursed through them. This went on for several seconds before there was a booming sound deep within the ceiling, and black smoke pillowed out. Then the laser hoses just went limp, hanging there lifelessly. A few sparks of electricity here or there, but otherwise silent.

There was a stunned silence among the Luminos. Rudy looked around, seeing the look of shock on the zoners’ faces. A few of them looked at each other, clearly not believing what they were seeing. He could see some lips moving. He guessed they were questioning if they had seen what they thought they did. Some of them looked horrified, cringing back and he could have sworn they were trembling in fear. Did he and his friends really frighten them that much? Were the claims of them being monsters manifested from actual fear, and not just hate?

Well after what the black chalk users put them through, that didn’t surprise him. Still, that didn’t justify what they were doing. They had no right to do something like this. What gave them permission to inflict pain on others? What gave them the right to dictate what was wrong and what was right?

Rudy looked up towards Maalik to see his look. Just as he thought, like everyone else, he was shocked. It was hard to make out the details of his face, but he could see enough from here. His mouth had dropped open, and his eyes were very wide. He could see the pupils had shrank into dots, and he thought he saw the lion shaking. He took a small step back from the mic, his hands raised and trembling. The lion’s head was moving in a way that suggested he was trying to speak, but just couldn’t get the words out.

Rudy turned his head to see Penny and Snap. He eyed them up and down to make sure they weren’t hurt by the sparking hoses. They didn’t appear to be. They were both in pain, though; he could tell by the looks in their eyes. And so was he. They were all hurting from the wounds they recieved over this journey. Not just from here, but from the alternate dimensions and the black chalk users. Rudy was amazed they could hold up as well as they could. And that luck was going to run out eventually. They couldn’t keep dodging forever, especially in their current conditions.

“That was...smart thinking...Bucko...” Snap said. He took in a few quick breaths, his eyes wide. He was still in shock of what happened. He turned his head to Rudy and gave the best smile that he could. “Way to go.”

Penny nodded her head, smiling at Rudy as well. “Yeah, great job!”

Rudy smiled at his two friends. “Thanks.” He then narrowed his eyes slightly as he double checked them for injuries. “Are you two okay? You didn’t get hurt from that or anything, did you?”

Penny shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” She glanced down at Snap. “I didn’t see if he got hit or not.. Hey, Snap, are you okay as well?”

Snap nodded hsi head in response. “I’m fine, yeah.” He flinched and seethed through his teeth. He corrected himself. “Well I’m as fine as I was before. I didn’t get hit by those hoses, though.” Then his eyes widened for a moment. Pointing a round hand in Rudy’s direction, Snap asked, “Say, Rudy, why didn’t you use that laser to fire a hole in one of these pillars?”

Rudy blinked at this. He..hadn’t really thought of doing that. Could that have worked? He wasn’t so sure. He took another look around the arena. He noticed the pillars were made of the same stuff as the ground. He looked at the floor and noticed there weren’t too many dents. There was some, and a little cracking. But no major damage outside the black charring. He realized that the Luminos must have designed the floor to be very strong, not easily destructible. They must have done it this way so that the lasers and whatever else they used didn’t create large cracks in the ground that he and his friends could use, should any of them get a clever idea.

He looked and Snap and shook his head. “That wouldn’t have worked, Snap. The pillars are made of the same stuff as the ground here. And look at what overall little damage the lasers did.” Rudy held out his hand moved it across the air in indication. “If the lasers could only do a few cracks and dents here, I think it’s safe to say it would do the same to the pillars. It would have been a wasted effort. I might have losed my grip on the hose by then.”

Snap stared at him, then nodded his head. “Oh okay. Yeah that makes sense.”

“You probably could have taken out a pillar, but it would have taken a few tries.” Penny pointed out.

That was true. He probably could have toppled a pillar and they could have had a chance to escape. But it would have required holding onto the hose longer, and he was certain the operator would have gotten wise to him and managed to get him to let go. It was just shere luck he was able to hold on as long as he had.

Before any of them could say anything else, they heard a high pitched screech, the painful feedback from the mic above them. They winced, covering their ears for a few seconds. Then they looked up. On top of the stand, they could see Maalik holding the mic. He had tapped against it a few times, indicative from the position of his finger. Rudy guessed he did that on purpose as the crowd did look like they were about to panic. Clearing his throat, Maalik pulled the mic to his mouth.

“It seems we have a little setback here. Perhaps I have underestimated these three. Even injured, they have been able to stand up to the lasers. Though they are the enemy, I must compliment them on their skills.” Maalik said. His voice was a little calmer there than it was before.

Rudy wasn’t really sure how to feel about this. On the one hand, he was glad that Maalik was acknowledging he underestimated them. It was good, on some level, that he realized they were not going down that easily. But on the other hand... Maalik was insane, evil.. He was certainly going to use this as an excuse to up the anty. And if he was not going to underestimate them again, the next thing he’d do, it will be even harder for them to escape. They would have to be prepared for the worst. Maalik and other Luminos were determined to see them die. And he sure as heck could bet they would keep throwing stuff at them until they died...

..or until he and his friends got a way out, whether it be by something they figured out, or someone else.

Maalik continued to speak, breaking the boy out of his thoughts.

“But testing strength isn’t what you all came to see, am I right?” There were some loud murmurs of agreement. Maalik continued, “Yeah, that’s right! You all came to see them get justice handed to them, right?!” Loud cheers of enthusiasm from the crowd. A chuckle from the lion zoner. “Well since these three managed to dodge the lasers, let’s try to give them something harder! I know the ‘Great Creator’ was able to get a hold of the laser hoses and use them to his advantage... The electrocution trick was clever, I admit... But let’s see what he and his friends will do when they can’t either grab nor electrocute the weapon!”

There was a loud cranking sound. This time, it came from below them. Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked down at their feet. They thought, at first, it was going to come in through the arena floor. But instead, a hatchet opened in the ground on the side of the arena. Something long and metal grew out of the groudn. Rudy cocked an eyebrow. Metal conducted electricity. But then he soon saw what Maalik was talking about. Something grew out of the front, something clearly not metal.

“That’s rubber...” Penny whispered under her breath.

Rudy looked at her. “Rubber? Are you sure?”

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah.” There was a tinge of fear in her voice. “That’s clearly rubber. No mistaking.”

“And rubber does not conduct electricity.” Snap concluded fearfully.

Rudy felt his eyes widen. He heard another sound and he looked over at this new thing. The rubber tip stopped growing. The tip of it began to swell. It became around, then flat like a disk. It was barely an inch thick after it was finished. He then saw sharp blades grow along the edges. Rapidly they appeared until there were countless serrations in the disc itself. Rudy gasped in horror as he realized what this was.

It was a giant saw. The whole thing was larger than he and his friends. Taller, each serration large enough to cut off small body parts, like fingers. He took in a few quick breaths, his heart rate quickening. He and his friends stared at the unmoving rubber saw in horror, knowing exactly what was going to come. Even though it was made of rubber, he could tell it was very hard, and those serrations were about to become extremely sharp. He and his friends moved close to each other, their bodies shaking as they realized what was about to happen.

Maalik laughed coldly and stuck his paw out, palm facing up. He curved his fingers inward, like he was angry enough to hit someone, and he slowly raised it up. “Let’s see them get out of this one!”

With that, as rubber handles attached themselves to the saw to keep it from falling, the saw itself began to spin rapidly. Unlike a regular saw, this one didn’t have the familiar shing sound they would associate with a working saw. Rudy didn’t know if that made the situation more eerie or not. The saw started to move. It twisted around as it was placed vertically. The metal arm moved back a little, positioning itself. Then it started to move forward. It came closer and it passed through the water harmlessly, the blade still spinning.

Gulping, the three friends moved back slowly. The saw moved towards them menacingly. Soon Rudy, Penny, and Snap were backed up towards a set of electric water bars. They looked back, teeth clenched in fear. They knew another step back and they would be electrocuted. They looked up in front, watching the rapidly spinning saw in front of them. The saw was pulled back and then shot forward at incredible speed. The three friends let out a scream and they jumped to the side. There was the sound of water splashing as the blade cut through the bars harmlessly and then pulled back.

Rudy’s face paled as he stared at the water clinging to the rubber blade. His mind rapidly went through thoughts and he realized that the rubber must be real world. This was different from the hoses. The hose he had tossed into the water did disintegrate, but not before sending archs of electricity up to damage the main machine. But this rubber blade had no damage. It must be real world. Then again, he and Penny did get mild treatment, so they must have gotten a hold of some real world supplies. And Dr. Raiden was smart. He could have figured out how to set this whole thing up.

But this had a horrible implication. His eyes trailed along it, noting the dripping real world water. If it were aimed just right and moved fast enough, that water could get on Snap. If the operator got wise enough, they could theoritically turn the blade horizontally, gather water, and then fling it on Snap. And he and Penny weren’t safe either. Just one hit and they’d be cut in half. He and his friends took a few steps back. He found himself pressing up against one of the pillars. The saw turned towards him.

“Rudy!” Penny cried.

Rudy shivered as the spinning saw poised to strike. He stared up at it in fear, looking in each direction and trying to figure out the best path to escape. He could hear the jeers and cheers from the Luminos zoners around him. They were excited for his bloodshed. The whole enthusiasm these zoners had for him getting mauled just made this whole situation even worse. He watched as the blade pulled back and them, suddenly, it struck down.

sss

Mr. Wilter wasn’t sure what to think of what happened. He wasn’t surprised that Jenny got another prisoner. But he certainly wasn’t expecting it to be Bardot of all zoners, the same zoner responsible for what happened to Rudy, Penny, and Snap a couple years ago. He couldn’t fathom why they would capture him and for what purpose. Besides, wouldn’t Bardot want to be part of all this? He was a cold-blooded killer after all. This should be like a dream come true for him.

But Bardot had already made it clear he wanted nothing to do with whatever Jenny was planning. If it weren’t for the muzzle placed around his mouth, he would have bitten her. He hissed and growled at her and tried to strike her with his claws. The zoner could do nothing to stop himself from being dragged into this room and chained to the wall via a metal band around his neck.

Mr. Wilter rested on his stomach, tired from the crouching he was doing before, and looked over at Bardot. His head was on his crossed arms. This wasn’t a comfortable position, especially given the metal band around his own neck. But it was a little better than sitting up from before. His eyes remained locked onto Bardot, wondering why he had been brought here. Jenny didn’t really say anything except that she would be right back. He guessed she was going to work on some machine of death or whatever. He wouldn’t doubt it, given how active a member she was of the black chalk artists.

It still seemed odd that they’d bring in Bardot, though. Never before had the black chalk artists ever brought in zoner prisoners. At least, none that he could recall. Maybe they did and had an area for that he didn’t know about, or perhaps they started engaing in it after he had left. Either way, it seemed strange to him. He would have thought they’d bring in one of Rudy or Penny’s family members. While he was grateful that wasn’t the case, it left him even more baffled, since it was Bardot, a zoner with a heart cold as ice, that was brought in.

As he laid there, Mr. Wilter couldn’t help but feel guilty. He wished he had been smart and avoided getting attacked again. Unfortunately, he just wasn’t vigilant enough and he had been caught off guard, just like before. Jenny had ambushed him while he was still in ChalkZone and dragged him off. A few kicks and he was down. The vile woman then took him here, where he had been ever since. She wasn’t bothering to feed him and he knew he would starve to death if no one found him.

He didn’t doubt that she would give the same harsh treatment to Bardot. Even though the zoner was a monster, Wilter didn’t feel right in wishing that kind of fate on him. It was a slow and painful way to die. It wasn’t a fate he would want to see anyone suffer, no matter how nasty and vile they were.

But then, there was that chance she had plans for Bardot. He still couldn’t really think of what they could be. Bardot, for whatever reason, really didn’t want to work with her. He disagreed with her, and he really showed it. Considering who cold-blooded he was, just how was Jenny going to get Bardot to do anything? She could threaten his life, but depending just how badly he disagreed with her, he might be willing to die instead. So that wouldn’t get her far.

But there was another method that might work. One that even Bardot was likely not immune to. And that was torture. Jenny could inflict pain on Bardot until he agreed to do what she said. It wasn’t going to be easy breaking one of the cruelest zoners, but if there was one thing Jenny and other black chalk users were good at, it was reducing even the most hardened people into a sobbing, helpless mess. The idea of Bardot breaking like that was unfathomable, but if there was anyone who could make it possible, it was Jenny Hope.

Mr. Wilter scoffed bitterly at that last name. It was like a cruel irony. Hope is what they need right now. They all needed hope, a hope for a miracle to happen and they are able to turn things around before it was too late. Yet here comes a person, wearing that term as a last name. Hope was attached to a person who was going to destroy that hope. Wilter gritted his teeth at the thought.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard Bardot clearing his throat. Wilter looked in his direction. The hybrid zoner was located straight across from him. He was sitting on his haunches, his head lowered. Those bright green eyes stared into his blue ones. Bardot eyed him up and down and Mr. Wilter felt uncomfortable. He didn’t like the way the zoner was looking at him. And when he licked his lips like that, Wilter shuddered. It was just as he thought. Bardot was looking at him like some prey item.

“So...what are you in for?” Bardot asked casually, lifting up his paw in gesture. He acted as if his staredown didn’t happen. The muzzle was still around his face, the only comfort Wilter had with being so close to this zoner. “I take it you aren’t visiting.”

Mr. Wilter narrowed his eyes. “Well of course not!” He turned his head to the side. “I was captured.”

“No shit.” Bardot said with a blank expression. “I can see you are captured. But if you didn’t hear me, human, I had asked you why you are here, not how you came to be here.”

Mr. Wilter growled softly. He hadn’t spoken to this zoner long and he already hated him. Well he hated him already when he found out what he did to Rudy, Penny, and Snap. But Bardot had ways of making people even angrier at him. It was almost like a talent of his.

Mr. Wilter said, “Okay then, you want me to be more specific? Fine.” He shifted himself on the ground, trying to get at least a little more comfortable. “I was brought in to keep from interfering with Jenny’s plan.”

“Ah I see.” Bardot raised his head slightly. “The opposite of me thing. I was captured so I would be part of her plan.” He let out a soft growl and shifted his gaze away. “I guess she just can’t take no for an answer.”

“Well apparently neither did your victims.” Mr. Wilter spat. Bardot glanced at him. Wilter pointed at the zoner and said, “I’m sure your victims all said some form of ‘no’ at some point, am I right? They must have begged for their lives, and you ignored them. I’m sure some of them yelled ‘no’ when you dragged them off into hell. So isn’t it fitting that you are being faced with someone who is doing the same thing to you?”

Bardot blinked at him a few times. He then narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “Well played, human... Well played.”

“Now you are getting a taste of how they felt.” Mr. Wilter said.

Bardot nodded his head slowly. “Yeah...” He turned his head away, averting his gaze. “You got me there.”

Mr. Wilter cocked an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected that kind of response from Bardot. “What? No witty comebacks? No attempt to deny what you are doing?”

Bardot shook his head. “Nope.”

Mr. Wilter looked at him with a perplexed expression. “Why not?”

The zoner gave him a look. “I cannot tell a lie.”

“Oh come now...” Mr. Wilter said, narrowing his eyes. “Do you think I’m stupid?”

“No I don’t. I think you might be delicious.” Bardot said, a small smile on his face. Wilter’s eyes widened and he cringed back on instinct. “Yeah, I admit, I would like to sink my teeth into you. I do miss the taste of human flesh. But as you can see, I’m in no position to do so. Besides, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m a little preoccupied with that Jenny girl.” He waved a paw in the direction Jenny had come from. “But anyway, I tell you the truth, I cannot lie, at least not straight up lie, since my purple collar is gone. Half truths...yes. Complete lies?” He shook his head. “No.”

Mr. Wilter wasn’t sure he could believe the zoner. There was no conceivable way he could think of that Bardot couldn’t outright lie to him. But curiosity still gripped him. He saw no problem with striking up a conversation with the hybrdi zoner. It wasn’t like he could do anything to him. The metal bars were strong even for his claws.

“Why do you say you can’t lie? What exactly is holding you back?” Mr. Wilter asked.

Bardot raised his paw and pointed a claw tip at one of the red portions of his outline. “This. I am half red chalk, not just white chalk.” He brought his paw out forward, the claws pointing up. “But I’m sure you must have known that, right?”

Mr. Wilter nodded his head. “And what’s your point?”

“My point is that red chalk is incapable of lying. Pure red chalk drawings cannot hide their intent. Always on a rampage. Always just seeking trouble and loyal to no one but itself. You never saw any red chalk drawings do any sneak attacks, am I right?” Bardot asked. Mr. Wilter nodded his head. “I thought so. Red chalk is not able to deceive. And since I am half that, I, too, cannot lie. Not completely anyway. My white chalk half gives me some deceivable capabilities, but not really that much. I did gain the ability to lie, but only with the purple collar on me. Now that it’s gone, my red chalk half is not dormant anymore. I might have my venom and speed back, but I lost my lying abilities.”

Mr. Wilter stared at the zoner. He still wasn’t sure if he could trust what he says, but what he said did make sense. He recalled that Cosmo wanted honesty to be a part of the red chalk drawings. He was afraid of mutiny, he supposed, and wanted chalk creations incapable of lying. So the red chalk drawings were born. Sadly, due to some complications, the red chalk drawings were too aggressive, not loyal at all. The moment he found out about this, Mr. Cosmo abandoned it...at least until he had tried to create a hybrid zoner.

Bardot, standing before him, was the only hybrid zoner in existance. He was such a...paradox he guessed. A mixture of two types of zoners. There had been others before him, but they were both gone. One was too mood swingy and the other too aggressive even for Draow. Bardot, however, lives and he was a testament to why combining chalk should not be allowed. Bardot had instincts of both, making a deadly combination. A zoner with the intelligence and individuality of white chalk combined with the feral ferocity of red chalk...

“If you were able to lie before,” Wilter asked. “Would you have done so with Rudy, Penny, and Snap?”

“No.” The answer came quicker than Wilter had expected. “At least..not much. Enough to cause some deceit, but I like to keep a level of honesty with my victims.” Bardot tilted his head to the side a little. “I think it’s a sign of weakness if someone relies on too much lying to get what they want. I think it takes more skill to not lie so much and be up front about things and still get what was desired.” He turned his head to the other side, looking at Wilter with one eye. “That is why I did not sugarcoat what I was doing. At least not to the same degree as others might have. I did not lie to those three. I made it clear they were all going to suffer.”

“You tortured them.” Mr. Wilter said bitterly. His stomach burned in rage as he thought about all the things Bardot had done.

“Why..yes I did.” Bardot nodded his head once. “I did...quite a lot to them. I can still remember their screams...”

Mr. Wilter ground his teeth together. “You’re disgusting!” He spat.

Bardot chuckled darkly at this. “Yes. I know I am. I’m quite aware I’m a monster. I will not try to deny what I am. Anyone who sees my actions would know I’m a monster. So why bother denying it?” A smile spread across his muzzle. “Life is all a game. We are all players. The only thing that matters in the end is winning.”

Mr. Wilter growled at the callousness of this zoner. He could see why he was so hated. Even if he didn’t commit those horrible deeds, just his attitude alone made him want to strangle him. Treating life like it was some big game was horrible. He was devaluing all living things with that statement. He was making light the issue of death. He was a sick, twisted zoner. And he had the ‘luck’ of being trapped with him for a time.

“If you think life is one big game, why didn’t you join Jenny then?” Mr. Wilter asked in a bitter tone.

Bardot narrowed his eyes. “Because I’m not interested in destroying this world. I might be a heartless beast, but even I have my limits.” He raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think I want to kill myself?”

“Oh, so it’s okay to treat everyone else’s lives as a game, but not your own?” Mr. Wilter asked in a sarcastic tone.

Bardot’s eyes widened slightly at this. He stared at the man in surprise. “Well I...” His voice trailed off. There was a long pause. He finally exhaled. “I guess I never really thought about it before.” He admitted.

Wilter said, “Oh really now? Is it because you never thought you’d find yourself in the same situation as your victims?”

“Well I kind of did. But I kind of did not.” Bardot admitted. “I’d like to say this is caused by a conflict between my white chalk and red chalk halves, but that would be a lie.”

Mr. Wilter snarled. “Do you feel any remorse for what you’ve done? Any at all?”

Bardot paused for a moment. He tapped his claw against his chin. Then he shook his head. “No, not really. My red chalk half makes it...not impossible, but hard for me to really empathize with anyone. So I can’t say I feel any true..remorse for anything I’ve done.” He stared at Wilter and lifted a claw up. “I think I know what your next question is. Do I feel proud of what I do? Well I’ll answer that right now. Not much.” Wilter cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah you heard me right. I do things because I feel like it. Often no reason other than sick satisfaction. But I do not feel strong pride about it.”

“I see..” Mr. Wilter lowered his gaze. There was still anger swirling in his mind. And for good reason. “If you know what you’re doing is wrong, if you know you are doing despicable things, then you must be doing them because you don’t care. You aren’t listening to your conscience. And that’s despicable... You have choice, don’t you? Yet you still continued to do awful things.”

Bardot nodded his head. “Yeah, I know. And I am aware that I could have done something more...beneficial instead of torturing and killing people. But it’s too late for that now, isn’t it? I’m already going to be sent back to the Fire Zone after all this.”

“Saying it’s too late to change is just an excuse not to make the effort.” Mr. Wilter snarled.

Bardot snapped his head back, a little urprised by the hostility in the man’s voice. “I take it you speak from experience?”

Mr. Wilter glared at him, then his expression softened up slightly. “Y-Yes...”

“What did you do?” Bardot inquired.

Mr. Wilter bit his lip. There was something he never told anyone. Not even Rudy or Penny or Snap. He kept it locked away in the back of his mind. It was something he wasn’t happy to remember. It was something he would rather forget. But he had constant dreams and nightmares about it, reminding him of his mistake so many years ago.

“I...I chose to be a black chalk artist...” Mr. Wilter admitted.

Bardot stared at him in shock. “You were a what?!”

Mr. Wilter nodded his head. “Not for long... but I was one.”

Bardot blinked a few times. He slowly tilted his head upwards. “How did Rudy and the others take it?”

Wilter hesitated. “I never told them.” He paused for a moment. “I...lied to them. I told them I was the only white chalk artist with the black chalk artists.”

Bardot took a sharp inhalation. “You lied to them?!” There was genuine shock in his voice. “I’m their enemy! I’m a cold-blooded monster! I tortured and killed multiple times! And for gawd’s sake, even I know that was a terrible idea!” He pressed his paw against his chest for emphasis. “I thought you would have known better. They are your comrades, are they not? Why would you lie to them?”

“Because I was...ashamed.” Mr. Wilter said.

“I know what they will say to that. It’s not an excuse. And you know what? I’d agree with them on that.” Bardot said, narrowing his eyes slightly. “I embrace my monster side. I embrace what I am, because I’m not ashamed of who I am. Perhaps, one day, I’ll feel remorse for what I did. But my point is, I’m comfortable with who I am.” He pointed a claw at Wilter. “But by lying, you exposed yourself for not trusting who you are. You’re not a black chalk artist anymore. You could have been truthful with them. Now when they find out you’re lying, I can guarantee that bond you had with them will be damaged. Because who knows what else you might be keeping from them?”

Mr. Wilter stared at the zoner in shock. He hadn’t expected to be chewed out by Bardot of all people. Bardot, the same zoner who had, without a care, tormented many a zoner. He had tortured Barney for over a year, for crying out loud. He could understand getting this speech from, oh say, Biclops. But Bardot? Fucking Bardot? Wilter wasn’t sure how he should feel about that.

Even though Bardot was being a little hypocritical, after all he brought up the whole choice thing and he was trying to say it was too late for him to change, but in the end, Bardot did make a good point. Rudy, Penny, and Snap did not like being lied to. They trusted him, even more so now when he had become their ally. If they found out he had lied to them...not just withheld information, but actually lied to them, they were going to be angry. Bardot was right about something else. They were going to wonder how much more information he had hidden from them.

Wilter bit his lip and turned his head away. “Yeah, I know it wasn’t the wisest decision.”

Bardot asked, “Just...how did you get free, anyway?”

Mr. Wilter stared at Bardot. “I got free...thanks to the white chalk.”


	94. Hope For The Black Chalk's Defeat

Bardot sat on his haunches, staring at the man in surprise. This had been...quite an eventful conversation. He hadn’t really expected to get much of it. Nothing too entertaining anyway. But it was better than sitting around quietly, doing nothing. It was a good way to pass the time. And he ended up learning a thing or two in the process.

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Wilter had brought up some good points. One in particular stood out. Why was it that he was fine with toying with others’ lives, saying that life was a game, yet didn’t apply that to himself? In all honesty, he hadn’t really thought about it all that much. And if he had, he pushed it aside. Bardot was not entirely sure how to reply to that. He had stated twice, once with Rudy and then once with Wilter, about life is all just a game and they were all players in it. He had referred to Rudy as a ‘toy’. And if that’s what he thought life was, then why didn’t the same thing apply to him?

He wasn’t sure. It was just something that never really entered his mind. He was able to shake off the feelings eventually, but for a time, some confusion entered his head, swirling around. He had, for the first time, started to question some of his actions. Had they been worth it? Were they a good idea to begin with? Just how hypocritical was he being? Why would he even care about that? He hadn’t cared his entire life, so why start now?

He hadn’t been lying, or being half truthful, when he said his red chalk half prevented him, for the most part, to feel empathy. There was some, but not enough to really motivate him to change. And even then, without the red chalk half active, he still didn’t care, or at least convinced himself not to. He still had the same, nasty personality. He was still the same killer that the others had grown to know and loathe. It was too late for him to change. Even if he tried, how far could he go with the red chalk half of him? The purple collar was gone, destroyed in that blast, and there was no more purple chalk within miles of here, far as he knew.

Bardot had never felt so confused in his life. He began to wonder just how much control he really had, and how much he couldn’t do anything about. How much of his personality came from the red chalk and how much of it came from himself? Had he really been selfish in his actions from before, in helping Barney, or, on some level, did he come to sort of...like the centipede? The thought was confusing, causing him to flinch slightly.

He thought about Wilter’s words. They echoed through his mind.

“Saying it’s too late to change is just an excuse not to make the effort.”

Perhaps...perhaps the old man had a point there. Bardot thought back to Snap, and how he had never given up on helping his friends. Rudy and Penny, even when separated, they didn’t really fully break. They had never lost their faith in Snap. They all could have just given up because of how great the odds were. It had been so slim that any of them could have gotten help in time. Snap had been literally running against the friction of fate. And they still pulled through. That he could not deny. They had hope nearly crushed, yet it could not be completely squandered. And in the end, they had prevailed.

And what of Skrawl? He had been a bad guy for years. Granted, he never did anything near as bad as he did. But he was still a pest and caused trouble. He still managed to pull a change and now worked as a cop more or less. He now used his intelligence as a benefactor to ChalkZone, rather than trying to harm it. Now it was like he had never been a villain.

Bardot normally would push those thoughts aside. And even now, he did...kind of. It still lingered in his head. Perhaps the reason why he was thinking about this now was because no one had brought it up to him like that before. Perhaps now he was finally starting to see something that, this whole time, he had missed. He still didn’t care too much, yet he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He had a feeling that this would continue to enter his mind for the rest of his life until he could sort out his thoughts. He may need some time. Wilter’s words had shaken up some of the things he thought, and brought in a point of view that, for whatever reason, he hadn’t considered before.

Perhaps...he could at least try to make the effort to act a little better. He wasn’t sure if he could change completely, or if he even wanted to. He still loved the smell of blood, the sound of screaming, just being downright nasty. But...Wilter could be right. Saying it’s too late to change..he could be right and it could just be an excuse. Perhaps, instead of stating he can’t change, he could see if he really could. Perhaps acting a little better wouldn’t hurt. Even if it did end up hurting him, it might be worth it to try. That way if it fails, he could at least say he tried to change and it didn’t work. Wilter couldn’t blame him for trying, right?

It had been a genuine shock when Mr. Wilter admitted he lied. Bardot himself disliked full on lies. He had never really considered half truths as bad...but then were they? He wasn’t sure. What he did know as that he prefered some level of honesty. He felt an honest villain who could still succeed was better than one who had to fake his way to victory. It was a belief he adapted not long after he was created. Sure at first, it was annoying, but he got used to it, and even learned how to be dishonest if he had to, but he tried to avoid it most of the time.

He still couldn’t help but be surprised at his admittance of lying to Rudy, Penny, and Snap. Even he knew that was a bad idea, and he was their enemy. He might not completely understand all aspects of friendship and what not, but he understood enough to know that Wilter was going to be in trouble if they were to find out about this black chalk business. It was a surprising twist to find out that Mr. Wilter, at one point, had used the black chalk. He never would have imagined he, of all people, would be one. Especially considering he was the one who brought down the black chalk users long ago.

It also came as a surprise that the white chalk was what freed him. Wilter hadn’t explained that yet, but he hoped he would soon. That peaked his interest. Bardot remembered that mentioned in the diary. Something about how the white chalk used to have sentience but it gave it up. Had Wilter managed to reactivate that sentience? He must have, if even just for a short time, and it broke the black chalk’s control over him. It seemed to make sense. White chalk sounded as though it were the opposite of everything the black chalk stood for. Black chalk stood for power and control, while white chalk seemed to stand for freedom and coexistance. Well that’s his guess; he wasn’t entirely sure.

Bardot began to wonder if that could be how the black chalk could be stopped. He remembered the zebra chalk, and how it was ‘purified’ black chalk, or rather, black chalk that lacked the corruptive properties of other black chalk. Did it have something to do with the white chalk it was combined with? Yeah..it must be. Perhaps the white chalk had been the answer the whole time. It still won’t be an easy task, but perhaps, if enough research is done, there was finally a way to stop the black chalk permanently...

Definitely a good thing. He certainly didn’t want to die. And he was quite aware no one else did either. Well except for a few like the idiotic Draow. He still didn’t fully understand why he was so gun-ho about wanting to destroy the worlds. Bardot had doubts Nihilanth would revive him. There was something about him and told him he was being a little dishonest. He could be wrong, though. Maybe Nihilanth was being honest. But he wouldn’t hold his breath.

Bardot finally spoke up after being lost in his thoughts for a while.

“So...did you ever figure out how the white chalk helped you?”

Mr. Wilter looked over at him. He furrowed his eyes a little. “Not entirely. I don’t even know how it happened.” He turned his head away. “I wish I knew.”

“I’m sure Rudy and the others would be happy to hear about this cure thing.” Bardot said as-a-matter-of-factly. He lifted his paw up in gesture. “It would be a great relief to them to know there was a way to get rid of black chalk infection this whole time. But...” He closed his eyes and shook his head as he put his foot back on the ground. “I’m still surprised that you hadn’t said a word about it until now You instead told them other ideas, but....the one bit of information they could have used, you kept from them.” He tilted his head to the side. “Why is that?”

“I guess...” Mr. Wilter let out a soft sigh. “I was just...afraid they might ask how I found out and...” He turned his gaze to the ground. “I admit, I was a coward.”

“Hmph.” Bardot smirked. He lifted up his head. “It’s all quite fascinating to me really...” Wilter turned his gaze towards him. “You try to shame me by telling me with the whole ‘it’s too late for change is just an excuse’ thing, and yet you...” He pointed at Wilter. “You have your own dirty little secret. And I take it you won’t tell them because it’s ‘too late’, am I right? It’s been so long and you think you might not see reason to it?”

Mr. Wilter did not respond to this. Bardot wasn’t surprised. Whatever the reason, be it he had no real reply or thought Bardot made a point or whatever third option, Bardot took that chance to continue.

“Don’t you think that’s a little...I dunno...” Bardot tried to find the word he wanted to say. “Hypocritical?”

Mr. Wilter’s eyes widened. Then they narrowed into slits. Bardot stared at the man as he struggled to get up as far as he could go. He couldn’t lean back that far with that chain on his neck. Once he was in straight enough position, he pointed a finger at him. Bardot prepared for the man to chew him out.

“How dare you...how fucking dare you! I’m not the one who tortured and killed all those people! I’m not the one who toys with lives and treat life like it’s a fucking game! Yeah, I made a mistake.. And I’m not proud of it...but at least I’m willing to admit that! I don’t act like it was the right thing to do.. but you..! You never admit fault to anything! You’ve blamed your victims in the past for the predicament they ended up in! You might say I’m a coward for not telling Rudy and Penny...but you are worse! Oh you might admit when you did something, but you often act was if it was the other person’s fault! You know what, Bardot? I have something to say to you that I’m sure most others would agree with. Fuck. You.”

Bardot stared at the man, his eyes blinking rapidly. He was, honestly, surprised by the outburst, and then not surprised. He had a feeling that the man would not react well to his hypocritical comment. But what he ended up saying, some of it he did not see coming. He sat there, letting those words run through his mind again.

He did realize that Wilter was right about something. Bardot is willing to admit when he did something, but not if it was his fault or not. At least, he never made it truly apparent...most of the time. There were a few occassions, such as when he provoked Rudy in the Fire Zone and got kicked for it. That he would admit, he was asking for it. But most of the time? Yeah, Wilter had a point. He not only didn’t outwardly say it was his fault, but he never really apologized either. In this case, Wilter was right when he said he was worse. Wilter was willing to at least say he was sorry. But Bardot himself? Apologizing was not something that ever really crossed his mind.

Bardot didn’t really feel a strong level of guilt. He wasn’t surprised. His red chalk half made it near impossible to completely empathize with anyone or truly recognize when he was wrong. But he could not deny that this man, somehow, forced him see a few things he hadn’t really thought about before, or had otherwise skipped. Perhaps he should start to make the effort to act better. What harm could it do?

Bardot didn’t fully understand himself why he thought about doing this. Why did the man’s words affect him enough to consider this? Why was he rethinking some of his actions? He shouldn’t care...and for the most part, he did not. But something was driving him, and perhaps, in the end, he was more in control than he thought he was. Perhaps that’s what ultimatley led him to do something he never thought he would do.

He shifted his green eyes towards the ground a little, averting gaze from Mr. Wilter. He gritted his teeth slightly and uttered the words he had spoken before in this context.

“I’m sorry.”

Wilter was taken aback by this. His head snapped back and he stared at Bardot in shock. The look on his face silently asked him if he had heard right. Bardot stared at Wilter, making a slight smirk. Not one of malice or cruelty, but a calmer one, as if to say ‘yes you heard me right’.

“Did you...just say you were sorry?” Mr. Wilter asked. Bardot nodded his head affirmatively. Wilter narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Why do I find that hard to believe? Perhaps you can still lie after all.”

Bardot shrugged his shoulders. “It’s really up to you if you want to take it seriously or not.” He placed a paw on his chest. “I should not be surprised if you don’t trust me. After all, I did not really do anything to earn trust. I already had to hurt myself to prove to King Mumbo Jumbo and Barney that I was not able to harm them. It is...” Bardot hesitated for a second. “...my fault no one trusts me. So perhaps..I should take your words into consideration.”

Mr. Wilter cocked an eyebrow. “What? You’re going to try to change?”

Bardot replied, “Well..” He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I suppose I could...try to at least improve my attitude a little... Not like I have anything else to do anyway.”

“Except kill the first chance you got.” Wilter said, narrowing his eyes.

“...True.” Bardot admitted. “Quite true. But...” He paused for a moment, trying find the words to say. “Perhaps I misjudged myself. Perhaps you are right about that whole ‘too late to change is an excuse’ thing, and perhaps I should try it myself. Who knows? It might be a little fun to try something...different.”

Mr. Wilter narrowed his eyes a little more. “Fun? Why would you think it’s fun?”

Bardot shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess because it’ll be a challenge?” He smirked at the human, tilting his head. “And what about you? Are you going to come clean with Rudy and Penny and tell them the truth?” He took a small step forward, feeling the chain start to pull on him slightly. “Or do I have to?”

“They won’t believe you.” Wilter said bitterly.

Bardot said, “True, but what if, on the off chance, they do? Would you rather they find out from me...or would you rather they find out from you?” Bardot stared at the man. He watched him as he struggled to find the words to say. Bardot continued, “I’ll take that as a ‘you’d rather tell them yourself’. Well then...why don’t you?”

Mr. Wilter didn’t reply.

“Why don’t you tell them? You preached to me about how it’s ‘not too late’..so why don’t you live up to your own words, old man? Tell them.” Bardot said. He cocked an eyebrow. “Or are you too scared?”

“Scared?!” Wilter cried in shock.

“You said it yourself, not me. You said you didn’t tell them out of fear.” Bardot said. “But as you and I both know, that’s not an excuse. Not one I imagine Rudy and the others would take well. You may have just made things worse by not saying something earlier. Imagine....all of this could have been avoided had you spoken up.”

“How dare you blame me...” Wilter started to say.

Bardot raised a claw in the air. “Uh uh! Before you speak another word, let me clarify something for you.” Bardot leaned forward slightl, staring intently at the teacher. “I am not the one who prolonged this risk. You did. You are the one with the knowledge that you chose to withhold. Not me. While you can blame me for what happened to Rudy, Penny, and Snap last month, you cannot blame me for this. This was your doing, Wilter. I would be right when I say that this is all partially your fault for not speaking up about the cure sooner. The black chalk could have been stopped sooner and Barney wouldn’t have been forced to transform into Nihilanth.”

Mr. Wilter opened up his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He just stared at Bardot as shock slowly registered on his face. He leaned back as a horror-filled expression became apparent. His finger that he had been pointing at Bardot lowered almost in an instant. He lowered himself back on the ground as the weight of Bardot’s words seemed to hit him. Bardot stared at him, his eyes narrowed. He waited for the human to speak up again.

It took a while for Wilter to sort out his thoughts. He laid there, his eyes moving from side tos ide as he seemed to consider what Bardot said. Though he could have taken this chance to say more, Bardot decided to just let the man lay there and come to his own conclusions on his own. Eventually the teacher did start to speak again.

“Well...I...” Mr. Wilter said. “I never thought I’d say this but...you’re right...” He lifted up his head and faced Bardot. “I could have made things better if I had just said something.”

“And like you said, it’s ‘never too late to change’.” Bardot nodded his head once. He gave Wilter an intent look. “So..are you going to prove your point and speak up to them? Face the consequences?”

Mr. Wilter paused. Then he nodded his head slowly. “Yeah. I can try at least. I just hope they won’t be too mad at me.” He stared at Bardot and narrowed his eyes. “And what about you? Are you going to try to make the effort to change?”

Bardot stared at him. He thought about the question. How was he going to answer that? Could he change? He had already considered trying to improve his attitude a little. But it sounded as if Wilter wanted him to make an actual effort to change, in more ways than he thought possible. A part of him laughed at the idea. He wasn’t sure if he could ever stop liking torturing and killing. He was still tempted to do that the first chance he escaped. The feel of his claws through another... Nothing felt quite like it.

But he did admit he liked a challenge. He liked testing, just like how he tested Snap. Perhaps he should test again, this time using himself as the ‘guinea pig’. Perhaps he should test himself and see what he could really do, if he put in the effort. As he told himself before...what could it hurt? He’s going straight back to the Fire Zone anyway, so it wasn’t like attempting to act different was going to really change his fate. It wasn’t going to change anything. So sure...why not? Might as well go for broke, right? Whatever term humans use.

“...okay then...” Bardot said, straightening himself up. “I suppose I can try...”

Mr. Wilter shot out his hand. Bardot flinched, moving his head back. The human stopped his hand in front of him. Bardot started at the hand in confusion. What was the man trying to do? He looked up at Wilter with a perplexed expression.

“Let’s shake on it.” Mr. Wilter said simply.

“Why?” Bardot asked, tilting his head.

“To make it official.” Stated the man.

Bardot wasn’t sure what to think of this. Why would they need to make this official? It wasn’t like they were even friends, or could prove or disprove if the other made the effort. He couldn’t understand why Wilter was doing this. He stared at the man’s open hand, trying to weigh his options. He could take it and shake it...he could even try to hurt the man. It would be so easy too... But it’d be a wasted effort in the end. He could ignore the hand, but there was something about it that was...beckoning to him.

Bardot took in a deep breath. He still wasn’t entirely sure why he was going to do this, but he did say he liked a challenge. And if this man really wanted to make it ‘official’...then okay. He supposed he could take the man’s hand. A part of him was still confused. His mind was muddled with multiple questions. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to think with a mind half white and half red. It was going to take a little while getting used to it again.

The hybrid zoner lifted up his paw. He reached out and he grabbed onto Wilter’s hand. The human’s hand closed around his paw and he did likewise. Slowly, up and down, they shook hands, or paws, or whatever. He stared in confusion at first as they shook hands, and then slowly gave a light smile. Something about this felt almost...right. But...why?

He didn’t have time to think about that question when he door opened up. His ears pricked up and he let go of the man’s hand. He turned his head over and he saw a figure walking in. He narrowed his eyes and let out a small growl. He wasn’t at all surprised by who it was, nor was he really pleased to see her. He didn’t appreciate Jenny dragging him into something he wanted no part of. And he wasn’t about to give into her that easily.

He watched as the woman walked up towards them. Her arms were folded behind her back, giving a dark smirk at the two prisoners. She stopped a few feet away from them. There was a glint in her eye. Bardot recognized it. He himself had that glint in his eye before. He knew the woman was up to something. He lowered his head a little, flashing his teeth at her. Though he was muzzled, he could still use his claws against her if he had to.

“Hello...” Jenny said softly. “How are you two doing today?”

Mr. Wilter narrowed his eyes. “Do you really need ask that?”

Jenny chuckled at him. “Oh of course I do! I like to see the hope wither from my foe’s eyes...”

“Rudy will stop you.” Mr. Wilter said.

“You sound like a broken record.” Jenny said, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. “You’ve already told me that. But there’s a difference between believing and knowing.” She pointed a finger at him. “You only believe Rudy will stop me...” She held her hand up. “But you don’t know that for certain. Who knows? Some important details might spring up and..render him helpless to stop me...”

Mr. Wilter growled at this. “Always so overconfident.” He turned his head to the side, averting gaze. “I see nothing has changed with you.”

Jenny chuckled at this. She turned her attention to Bardot. The hybrid zoner moved back, flattening his ears against his skull. His pupils shrank a little. The woman sneered at this and said, “I see you’re trying to be a little...defiant. I’m not surprised. You’re Bardot, the hybrid zoner. You answer to no one. Well guess what, fluffball? That’s all going to change today. You are going to help me.”

“Not a chance.” Bardot said through clenched teeth. “I’m not suicidal! I’d rather die than serve you!”

Jenny’s eyes flashed. “Funny you should say that...”

Bardot’s ears lowered a little more at this. His expression shifted a little, his eyes softening into surprise. What did she mean by that?

“Because what I need you for...may result in your death. A painful death...” Jenny chortled. At this, Bardot’s expression changed to that of horror. “Your red chalk half can be used to...power machinery. It can give an extra boost to the light cannon. And I already have the perfect target for it.”

Bardot stared at the woman with widened eyes. He narrowed them again and growled at her. “I won’t go down that easily...”

“Oh but dear Bardot...” Jenny said as she reached her hand out towards the zoner. “You won’t have a choice in the manner. You will make one...fine...” She spoke the next word with a darker, intent-filled voice. “..battery...”

At this, Bardot swatted at Jenny. His claws swiped across the air. The woman pulled her hand back and stared at him with a calm expression. Bardot seethed at her, his teeth bared and his fur poofed up in anger. Though he couldn’t bite her, he opened up his mouth and let out hisses and growls. He could feel some of his feral side start to take over, but he fought to keep himself rational. In his condition, he couldn’t afford to slip up.

He could see the expression on Wilter’s face. He looked horrified. And why shouldn’t he? Mr. Wilter wouldn’t want to see another living being be used like some tool, even if it is someone like Bardot. And he knows full well that the machine Jenny intends to put him in is going to cause him grief as well as those he cared about. There was nothing beneficial to either of them of what Jenny was going to do. Bardot had no intentions on letting Jenny control him, and he certainly wasn’t going to be used like some battery. He would fight back the best he could, and offer up as much resistance as he could offer.

“I am not a fucking battery!” Bardot snarled, his voice a little deeper and a tad growly. “I will not let you use me as such!”

“Well..too bad, Bardy...” Jenny said, narrowing her eyes slightly as a nasty grin spread across her face. Bardot winced at the way she said that nickname. “I have waited a long time for victory, and I don’t care how I get it. I know you could make for a fabulous ally... But I think I’d rather just use you as a power supply. Oh it’ll kill you in the end, believe me... quite painfully too...” Bardot’s eyes widened in horror at that. “But it’s for a...worthy cause...”

“Screw you!” Bardot snarled and he attempted to swipe at her again.

He missed. Jenny had moved to the side, allowing his claws to sail past her, missing her by several inches. Jenny moved around to his side and then lunged on top of him. Bardot felt the air rush out of his lungs as they were forced to be emptied. As he attempted to catch his breath, Jenny pulled out a needle. His eyes widening at the sight of it, he started to struggle. Jenny held him down using her body weight, and soon he felt the cold sharp needle be injected into his neck. Something was pushed into him. His body stiffened at this, his pupils shrinking. He looked over at Wilter, noting his horrified expression. He looked up at Jenny, who looekd satisfied with what she did. She got off of him, and Bardot felt relief from the sudden shift of burden.

He got up to his feet and took in a few breaths. He glared in Jenny’s direction, rubbing his neck from where the needle was pushed into him. It didn’t take long for the drug to take a hold of him. There was a rush of dizziness that swept through his body. He let out a sharp gasp at how sudden it was and he wobbled. He tried to keep his balance as his vision began to blur. He soon fell to the ground as his world started to darken. He heard the sound of chains rattling and he realized Jenny had unhooked him from the wall.

He soon became aware of the ground moving...No wait, he was moving. Jenny was dragging him out of the room. He felt the mild pain of his body scraping along the hard ground. He found it harder and harder to move, and soon he was a limp rag doll being dragged along like he were an inanimate object. How fitting that he be treated this way when he hadn’t been so kind to others himself.

The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Wilter attempting to break free, perhaps to stop Jenny from using him as a battery, since he knows what would happen if she succeeded. Then, everything went black and silent.

sss

Penny winced as she put pressure on her leg. It was starting to hurt her again due to all the running and jumping around she had to do. It didn’t help that she had to hold Snap the whole time. Not that she complained. She wanted to make sure he was safe. She just hoped that she didn’t end up getting both of them hurt or even dead by overexerting herself. And it wasn’t just her and Snap that she worried for.

Rudy was also in danger. Out of them, he was probably the most damaged. He had a ton of internal injuries and she was certain some of them were bleeding again. Though they no longer had to worry about the chalk disease, that didn’t make his situation any better. She wasn’t certain how long he could keep up dodging the saw...and she didn’t know how long she’d last either. This saw was going to be a lot harder to defeat than the lasers. Rubber, able to go through the real world water and not get damaged by the electricity...they were in some deep shit.

Rudy jumped out of the way as the saw blade struck forward. His eyes widened in horror and he stumbled when he nearly ran into the electrified water bars. Rudy took in several quick breaths as Penny and Snap looked on in horror. The saw blade seemed to be concentrating on him, keeping him boxed in one part of the arena. Rudy couldn’t seem to get far without nearly getting sliced or pushed into the electricity. It was a terrifying sight to behold.

She winced as she heard the Luminos cheer. She turned her head and glanced up at them. Several of them were clapping, their arms in the air, looking derangely happy. She narrowed her eyes and growled at this. How can they get pleasure from this? How can they think this was right? They were disgusting. They say that creators are monsters, but they are the ones who were making a sport out of their deaths. They were the ones who decided to do this and treat their lives like some kind of fucking game.

Why couldn’t they see what they were doing...?

If they did see, then they were doing a great job of ignoring it. She did think Snap might have had a point. The Luminos might have the capability of changing. Maybe not all of them, but most of them. If they could wake up and see what they were doing, and if they could really look at it instead of ignoring it, then it was a possibility. There was a chance that they could see how wrong they were and perhaps change. Penny would love for that to happen. She understood that the Luminos only want to protect ChalkZone and they had the potential to do that... But they were going about it the wrong way. If they could learn not to accuse, if they learn not to behave so hostile...

She was interrupted when she heard a loud clang. She turned her head and saw that Rudy had fallen into the ground. The saw cut along behind him, barely missing him. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the blade turn around and prepare to slice him in half. Thinking fast, she set Snap on the ground gently and rushed over to Rudy. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back before the blade could hit him. The two of them landed on the ground together. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Rudy spoke.

“Penny! Why’d you do that?” Rudy cried, his voice filled with panicking emotion. “If the saw hits me, I don’t want you dying with me!”

“I’m not sitting by and just let you get hit!” Penny shouted at him. She understood Rudy’s concern, but he was nuts if he thought that she’d just stand there while he was cut in half. “I care too much to let you or Snap die! I know you’d do the same for us!”

Rudy stared at her, then nodded his head. “Yeah, you’re right. I would.” His eyes then widened in horror and Penny noticed his gaze was no longer on hers. “Snap!”

Penny looked over and she and Rudy gasped in horror at what they saw. A dripping wet saw was closing in on Snap. The zoner was trying to get away, but he could barely stand up on his feet, let alone move. The burns were irritating him, and without proper treatment, they were only going to get worse. Penny got off of Rudy and the two of them rushed over as fast as they could.

Rudy grabbed onto the rubber bar that propelled the saw. He couldn’t slow it down that much, but it provided enough of a delay to allow Penny to jump forward and grab onto Snap. The two of them rolled away. Penny cried out in pain as she landed on the ground painfully. Snap made a few cries himself from the burns. Rudy let go after they had gotten away, allowing the saw to move at regular speed once more. There was a splash sound as the blade cut through the water again. Rudy rushed over to them.

“Are you two okay?” Rudy asked, his eyes wide with worry.

“My leg hurts.” Penny said. She rubbed it lightly, wincing. “I think I landed on it wrong.”

Snap sat up and rubbed his head. “Body aches..everywhere...” He seethed and he clutched onto his knee cap. “Stupid burns...stupid cat..”

Penny looked at him sympathetically. She repositioned herself carefully. She managed to avoid irritating her wound too much and she reached over towards Snap. “Let me look at that knee real quick, before the saw comes after us.”

Snap looked at her, a little perplexed. She knew there was a risk involved in this, but she just wanted to see the knee real quick. Snap seemed to understand there was a time limit and didn’t waste any time. He moved his hand away from his knee, revealing a torn spot where the electricity cut through. Penny leaned in closely, putting her hand gently on his leg while avoiding touching the obviously sore area.

She winced at it. She could see the deep red where the skin was burned and bloodied. No wonder Snap was having a hard time using that leg. She wished she could have a little more time to examine it, but right now, it just wasn’t practical. She looked over and saw the blade was coming at them now. Rudy took a defensive stance in front of them, even though he must know that wasn’t going to do them any good. His eyes were narrowed in determination, as if he hoped that him blocking the saw would buy her and Snap some time.

Penny scooped Snap into her arms. She shifted him onto her back, thinking this would be an easier, more comfortable way to carry him. Just like how they had in Cosmo’s lair three years ago, she let Snap lay on on her back, his arms crossing over and around her neck for support. She held onto his legs carefully, hooking them in her arms. She jerked left and right a little, adjusting herself as well as Snap, making sure he didn’t fall off. Once she had a hold of him, she planted her feet firmly on the ground, prepared to make a dash when she needed to.

The saw had shifted its attention onto her. Penny realized that the operator of this thing must have decided she would be an easier target, holding Snap like this. The saw whirred menacingly and approached her slowly at first. Then it shot out forward quickly. Penny moved to the side, but then the blade quickly positioned itself right in front of her. Her heart pounding, she tried moving away, only to have the saw move around quicker than she thought possible, blocking her from going that way. She then backed away, the blade moving so closely to her she could feel the tiny amount of wind from the swirling blade.

Rudy rushed forward and grabbed onto the saw again. He was not able to slow down, no matter how hard he tugged and pulled, his feed skidding across the ground. This thing was certainly stronger than the laser hoses were. Penny and Snap soon found themselves boxed into a corner, trembling as the blade came towards them. She could hear Snap whimper in fear and hold onto her more tightly. Penny looked left and right, trying to figure out a point of escape. She couldn’t find any.

She could see a little shininess on the blade. She knew right away it was covered in real world water. If the blade just made a sharp enough flick, it could pour a bit of real world water on Snap. That would be devasting to him. She couldn’t let that happen. She didn’t know what she could do to stop it, but she wasn’t going to give up. She glared at the blade as it turned horizontally, giving her even less room to move around. It came to her slowly, and she could see a bit of her reflection on the water that coated it.

“End it! End it! End it!”

“Shed some blood!”

“I want to see them die!”

Penny flinced at this words. She looked all around. The Luminos were clearly getting excited for this. She couldn’t believe they actually think this is acceptable. They really did think they were doing the right thing for ChalkZone, and they were eerily happy about it. Why couldn’t they see just how wrong they were? Why were they refusing to see logic? Why were they acting irrational?

She looked over and saw poor Rudy trying so hard to help them. He was holding onto the blade and pulling back. But he wasn’t having as much luck as he did with the laser hoses. He could barely hold the saw back as it inched towards them. Soon it would slice into their flesh and kill them unless one of them figured a way out of this. There had to be some way to get free. A way out she didn’t think of before. There was always a way out. Always... Penny eyed the saw up and down, desperately trying to find a way to get past this saw.

Then she saw it. There, in the middle of the spinning saw, was the plastic handle that held the blade in place. The wheels in her head started to turn. She stared intently at it, noting that this was what held the blade in place. It might be her best chance out...

..and their best chance at beating this thing. She just had to be careful and aim her jump just right...

The blade looked like it was flexing, like a predator ready to strike. It pulled back ever so slightly. Penny licked her lip in determination, preparing to jump. She crouched a little, tightening her leg muscles. She made a mental note to use her good leg for this; use the bad one and she could falter and get hurt. She waited for the right moment, watching as the blade prepared to strike. Then, just as it started to lunge towards her, Penny made the riskiest move she could possibly do here.

She jumped towards the blade. Snap let out a scream of surprise and horror as she did this. She held onto him tightly as she sailed through the air. She brought her left foot down, gritting her teeth. She stomped onto the blade’s center, where the handle was connected to it. She made sure to apply as much force as she could. She stayed on the blade only for a few seconds before jumping off, barely missing hitting her leg against the spinning saw. She staggered a little and turned around.

Rudy rushed to her side. “Are you two okay?”

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah. We’re fine.”

“That was crazy, Buckette!” Snap cried, his large, frightened eyes staring at the blade in front of them. “Why’d you do that?”

“It was either that or we both get sliced.” Penny said. “And if my calculations are right, the saw shouldn’t be a problem anymore.”

“What makes you say that, Penny?” Rudy asked, looking at her, perplexed.

Penny looked over. A small smile spread across her face. She made a gesture with her head. Snap and Rudy looked over in the direction she indicated. “That is why.”

The three friends watched as the blade started to wobble. Just as Penny had hoped, stomping on the handle the way she had was enough to loosen it a little. The blade was wobbling every which way. With how fast it was moving, it was going to lose stability fast. She gestured to Rudy to follow her. They needed to get as far away from the blade as they could before it was too late. Soon they were positioned on the far side of the arena cage. They watched the blade intently.

The saw started to be pulled back, repositioning itself to face them. It started to move forward, but it never got that far. A small screw had been...not completely dislodged, but it was enough to loosen the blade even more. It didn’t happen all at once. A few increased wobbles, more shaking of the handle, but eventually, just as Penny predicted would happen, the saw lost too much stability and it could no longer be held to the metal bar. It dropped down, disconnecting entirely. Then something happened that Penny nearly forgot about.

The saw still had momentum and, positioned vertically now, it was coming straight at them. She and her friends let out a scream and they jumped aside. The blade sailed between them. They felt the rush of air as the rubber saw cut across the ground, narrowly missing them. They looked over and watched as the saw cut through the water. It fell down and she thought, at first, that’d be the end of it. But the blade continued on its way and, to her horror, started going into the audience.

The Luminos in that area screamed as the blade cut up towards them. Luckily the blade never made it that far up and most of the zoners were safe. The ones that were too close managed to dodge out of the way in time. The blade soon lost its momemtum and it toppled down. It soon laid there on its side, covering a large portion of the stone bleachers. It stopped spinning and soon silence fell upon the large room.

The trio watched as dust was kicked up into the air around the fallen saw. They took in a few breaths, their eyes moving around to make sure none of the zoners were hurt. The water, luckily, didn’t seem to have landed on any of them. They looked at each other, their expressions the perfect mixture of relief and horror. They were happy they were still alive. But they knew that, now that the saw was gone, something worse was surely to come. Who knows what else these zoners have up their sleeves?

Then, after what felt like several minutes, the silence was interrupted as voices cut through the air like a knife through butter. And the words spoken chilled Penny’s blood.

“Did you see that?!”

“The Genius Girl tried to kill us again! She sent the saw after us!”

“Kill her first! Spill her blood!”

“Bash her head in! Crack her skull open!”

Snap hung onto Penny harder in an attempt to comfort her. Penny looked around, her eyes wide in horror as the zoners all chanted for her death. Rudy stood close by her, slinging an arm around hers protectively. He glared daggers at the audience, a look that clearly said ‘how dare you’. Penny swallowed, wanting to say something, but no words would come out. The zoners’ chants got louder, laced with more venom and hostility. She felt her heard pounding against her chest.

The crowd only stopped when Maalik raised his hand into the air. They quelled down. Some still chanted for Penny to die, but they too stopped eventually. Maalik’s eyes stared directly at Penny. Then he looked at each of the trio, snarling a little. He didn’t look pleased by this turn of events. He spoke into the mic, his voice barely controlled and having a growly edge to it.

“It seems they are even more clever than I ever imagined. They beat the lasers..and they beat the saws. And as you can see, both times, they managed to attack us!” Maalik held his paw out to where the saw was, and where the laser damage was located. “They found ways to fight back and they seek to take us down with them! They’re trying to kill us!”

Penny felt anger boiling in her blood. She could tell her friends were angry at this as well. What did Maalik expect them to do? Just roll over and take it? They were just defending themselves. They were trying to survive. They weren’t going to just...lay down and let themselves be killed. They weren’t suicidal. How dare these zoners take their acts of just trying to stay alive and twisting it the way they were... How fucking disgusting...

“Well I think it’s time to take the next level! This time, I will give them something they’d have no chance of weaponizing in an attempt to murder any of us in cold blood!” Maalik shouted, raising his paw in the air and causing the zoners to cheer and beg for him to ‘teach the filthy creators a lesson’.

What happened next, the trio did not expect.

Maalik suddenly, without warning, jumped off the ledge. He sailed through the air with feline grace and landed on top of a pillar, his tail raised up to avoid the water. He jumped down into the middle of the arena, his weight slamming against the ground with full force. He turned around around and faced the trio, his arms held out and his fingers curved. His claws were insheathed. There was a look of insanity in his eyes.

“Me!” Maalik growled, a nasty grin on his face.

The crowd went wild, cheering on their leader. There were multiple shouts calling for blood shed, body part tearing, and death. The trio huddled close together and looked on in horror as Maalik smiled evilly at them. He dropped down on all fours and started to pace around them, looking at them intently. Penny watched this, swallowing hard. How were they going to get out of this one? How were they going to fight against someone with an electric finger?

Maalik raised his haunches, his tail swishing back and forth in agitation and excitement. He glared intently at the trio as he licked his lips in anticipation. His pupils shrank and his lips curled upwards, flashing his sharp teeth.

“Time to die, you filthy monsters...”

With that, Maalik let out a cat-like yowl and charged towards the trio.


	95. Malefic Plans

Draow stood on top of the Solar Pillars. His toes curved inward, gripping the hard rock. He took in a deep breath, inflating his chest, before exhaling. He surveyed his surroundings. Yeah, it was quite atmospheric here. He could see for miles in all directions. He could see the trees off in the distance, noting where they stopped and created a sort of line around the near-abyss surrounding the Solar Pillars. The very sigh of it made him remember how it got there in the first place.

It was the first activation of the Solar Pillars. Cosmo and Jenny wanted to test it out to make sure it worked. And what better way than to destroy the very village it was built in? None of the zoners suspected anything. They thought Cosmo and Jenny were just playing. They bought their acting. Oh how naive they were... And they paid the price. Draow smirked as he remembered the screams as the beams started to tear apart the ground. He suspected some zoners survived. Yeah they did. Some of them went on to become Luminos zoners.

That one village hadn’t been the only victim of the attack. There were a few other villages nearby that suffered the same fate. There were also a few other targets the device was used against. They didn’t use it all the time because it was so powerful, it required an insane amount of energy just to use it. But when they could use it, and when it was practical, it was a nightmare to behold for their enemies. Nothing was safe; the light beams could be used to target any location across ChalkZone. It is a darn shame that the machine needs a strong power source to function. At the moment, they don’t have the material necessary to power it. But they did have a good substitute: Bardot.

Draow smirked at the thought. For once, it wasn’t him who was being used. It was Bardot. He knew exactly what Jenny was going to do to him. She was going to strap him down into a machine and his red chalk would then be shocked, causing it to become transferred and power the machine. The process would ultimately kill him; half his outline would be torn from him, leaving his body unstable and weak. If that didn’t did him in, the electricity pumping through his body sure would. He had to wonder how Bardot feels about this. Not so pleasant when he’s on the recieving end of torture.

Draow was never really that interested in getting revenge on Bardot, though. The only reason he was glad for his capture was because of the practical use he had to them. His red chalk half would make a fine battery, though just temporary. They would use it to target one or two important areas. That would be a nice start and put them ahead of the game. Watching him squirm is nice, but he’d think that about almost anyone. Nothing personal.

He waited on the Solar Pillars patiently for orders. He was fully aware that he was too impulsive. He was never interested in leadership. That was why he decided to listen to Bardot for a time. He was a calm and collected zoner, and reminded him so much of Mr. Cosmo. But now he had shifted loyalties. He now took orders from Jenny. Oh how he missed her... She was a lot of fun to work with years ago. Now he was getting that chance again.

His mind thought back to the Luminos. He smirked, chuckling darkly. The fools... They had no idea what they were in for. They think they are protecting ChalkZone by attacking the creators. All they were doing was speeding up the inevitable. They are making things worse for themselves. And the idiots don’t even realize it. It’s all so...hilarious to Draow. He wanted to laugh loud and hard at the predicament the Luminos were putting themselves in. He wanted to swoop down to one and laugh in their face about the course of action they were taking.

But..no... It’ll be so much more fun to watch as they see their world crumbling down all around them, and nobody coming to save them. It’ll be so amusing for him to see their hope die in their eyes as everyone starts dying off one by one. Yes, that’s a good way to go about it. Don’t kill them all once; do it one by one so he could see the looks on their faces as their loves ones are destroyed. Soon, everything would be destroyed, and reborn in the new image the black chalk has intended for it.

No more weakness. No more softness. No more regret or guilt. None of that stuff. It would just be about power and strength. Only the strong would survive. Everyone in this new world would be powerful, never showing such weakness as crying, and always obeying Nihilanth, the rightful ruler of ChalkZone. Yes, it shall be glorious. And he would serve as his right-hand man of sorts, swooping in and dealing out proper justice when it needed to be. This new world would be more stable and more under control. No unknown variables. Yes, it shall be a great new world.

He heard the sound of heavy flapping and he knew who it was. The bat wolf turned his head and looked up towards the sky. He smiled as he saw Nihilanth swooping down towards him. The two headed dragon landed next to the Solar Pillars. His foot stood next to the remains of the shattered teleporter. Draow recalled how Nihilanth ripped apart the first one, then the second, to ensure it couldn’t be used by the enemy. The beast folded his wings against his body and looked up towards Draow with his white head.

“Draow, I have a special task for you.” Nihilanth said.

Draow leaned forward, his eyes glinting in anticipation. “I eagerly await your orders.” Nihilanth was the only one he’d listen to over Jenny.

Nihilanth used his black head to point in one particular direction. “I need you to go the Twisted Mountains to locate some blue chalk.” At this, Draow’s eyes widened. “I need you to get at least one piece, then bring it back here.”

“Why blue chalk?” Draow asked. “You don’t need it to...”

“But you do.” Nihilanth stared intently at Draow. “I want you to use the blue chalk for when Rudy and the others show up. Blue chalk is only usable to zoners, so Rudy and Penny can’t hurt you with it.” He raised his heads into the air, his eyes glowing intently. A nasty grin spread across both his faces. “I want you to keep them...distracted, while I go in to take care of Rudy Tabootie.”

Draow smirked at this. “Are you going to kill him?”

Nihilanth shook his head. “No. He’s much too valuable for that. Instead... I’m going to make him my new vessel. I could use a new form, and why not something as innocent looking as a weak teenager?” A loud chuckle seemingly coming from all directions. The sound of claws pushing into the ground. “I will absorb the boy into me. He shall become...a part of me.” He spread his wings upwards, practically pointing to the sky. “The Great Creator shall fulfill his purpose I set forth for him so long ago!”

Draow chuckled evilly at this. He was quite aware of the plan Nihilanth had for Rudy. At least to a certain extent. He was aware the dragon wanted to use Rudy for something, and he was aware that, when he used to be Barney, he had marked Rudy years ago. If he recalled right, it had been a lick of some kind, unless he misheard the dragon’s explaination earlier. While Draow would prefer killing Rudy, seeing him being imprisoned and used by Nihilanth for the rest of his life would be much more satisfying. Yes, a fate worse than death is what the little brat deserved for killing Cosmo.

The blue chalk would definitely be fun to use. He wasn’t sure how well he could draw with it, but his feet were flexible enough that he probably could draw something simple with it. He had no idea how he was going to take care of those three long enough to let Nihilanth make his move. But he was excited to try anyway. It would be fun trying to figure out how to deal with those three, while having the power of a creator on his side.

He couldn’t wait to see the look on Snap’s face. The blue boy used the blue chalk against him. He remembered when he woke up and found that Snap had used the blue chalk to tie him up. Well now, this time, the blue chalk would be used against him. Yes, this will be some satisfying revenge. He also wanted to get his claws into that Penny girl. Rebreaking her leg would be great. Perhaps this time he’d rip it off. Nihilanth never said anything about keeping her alive. So yeah, maybe he’ll do that to her.

He heard a low growl from Nihilanth and he knew that he should get going. He did not want to upset the two headed dragon. Draow stared into his glaring eyes and lowered himself, bowing in submission.

“I shall get going.” Draow said in a respectful tone. “I will not let you down.”

Nihilanth’s expression softened up. “I should think not. You have always been so...loyal.” The two headed dragon looked away. “Now get going, and don’t come back until you find a piece of blue chalk. Do not take too long. I sense that those three will arrive here soon. We must...be prepared before then.”

Draow kept his head low submissively. “Yes...master.”

With that, Draow opened up his wings. He pushed himself off and jumped into the air. He began to flap his wings, keeping himself aloft. He turned direction and headed where Nihilanth had pointed out. He looked behind him towards Nihilanth just once before he turned his gaze back onto the horizon. He began to make his way towards the Twisted Mountains.

sss

Maalik’s feet pounded the ground as he drew closer to the trio. His mouth was split wide open. His pupils dilated and the trio thought they could see a bit of drool flying out of his mouth, his teeth eerily shining in the light. For a moment, the trio forgot Maalik was a zoner. For a time, in this moment, he reminded him too much of an actual feral lion.

The lion zoner jumped in the air, heading towards them with claws fully extended. The trio let out a scream and they moved out of the way as fast as they could. The lion zoner slammed into the ground. His eyes widened in horror for a moment when he saw just how close he was to the water bars. He recovered quickly and he stood right back up. He shifted his body, turning around and facing the trio again. He let out a guttural growl and rushed towards them again.

He opened his mouth and slammed it shut, narrowly missing Rudy’s right arm. The teenager jumped back, feeling a strong sense of apprehension as the lion sailed past him, landing on the ground a few feet away. The lion zoner swiveled his body around and came for him again. Rudy didn’t have time to react as the zoner pinned him onto the ground. He winced as the zoner’s claws dug into his arm and they were pinned at his sides. Rudy kicked his legs wildly to get free, but it was no use. He let out a cry when Maalik put his head close to his, letting him see those golden eyes up close.

“Filthy little human...” Maalik spoke through clenched teeth. “You think you can escape justice that easily? I have watched many a zoner perish at your hands...” He gripped Rudy by his throat and raised his paw in the air. The claws glinted in the light. “Now it’s your turn!”

Rudy cried, “You’re making a big mistake!”

Maalik narrowed his eyes. “You made the mistake of coming here. Your kind is responsible for all the misery my people go through!” He tightened his grip slighlty on Rudy’s neck. “And you dare say I’m making a mistake? You’re disgusting! It’ll be so joyous to me when I’m finally rid of your kind!”

Rudy couldn’t believe how irrational Maalik was being. Well actually, no, he can believe it. But it was still so..bizarre that he found it, on some level, still hard to believe. Maalik wants to protect ChalkZone and that was good. But he was going about it all the wrong ways. If he would just see what he was doing, if he could understand that he really was becoming like the black chalk artists... But what were the odds of that? He was too caught up in his own little world that he refuses to see what was right in front of him.

Rudy thought back to what Penny said, about how Vinnie had ChalkZone evidence and she isn’t sure if Terry managed to stop him in time. If that were the case, Maalik was going to have so much more to worry about than just a few creators. Without him, Penny, and Snap, along with the few they trust enough, ChalkZone would be open season to those unscrupulous people. There’d be nothing Maalik could do to stop them. If he could just open his eyes and realize that he was fighting against the very people who were trying to keep ChalkZone safe...

His thoughts were interrupted when Penny let out a scream. “Rudy!”

Rudy looked over and he could see Penny, Snap on her back, looking at him in horror. Same with Snap. Rudy looked up and saw what they were looking at. Maalik had decided not to strike him with his claws. But what he was going to do, it was just as bad, if not worse. He could see a single claw extended, and sparks flew from the tip. Rudy’s eyes widened in hororr as he realized what was about to happen.

“No please...!” Rudy begged. “Stop doing this! Why can’t you see that you are acting the same way as the black chalk artists?!”

Maalik’s pupils shrank. “How dare you compare us to them...”

Rudy looked up at Maalik in fear. “But you are! Look at yourselves! Look all around you! Don’t ou think this is what the black chalk artists would do? You and I know how despicable they are!” Maalik growled at him, but he did not reply. “How can this be right, Maalik? You say you want to protect ChalkZone, but all you’re doing is terrorizing others! You’re acting just like the ones you are fighting against!”

“You filthy disgusting little...” Maalik’s ears flattened against his head. Rudy shuddered under the glare of those golden eyes. The spark from his finger increased. “I’ll show you!” He snarled as he moved his finger claw to Rudy. The boy squirmed, trying to get away. “You will pay for your insolence!”

Rudy had no time to react was the claw was struck against his body. The tip pressed against his chest. In seconds, electricity coursed through his body. His eyes flew open and he let out screams of agony. He jerked left and right as pain spread throughout his body. His nerves felt like they were being set on fire. Each second that went by, the pain just got worse. Rudy forced one eye open and he looked over at where Penny and Snap were. His eyes locked onto Snap. He felt a new level of sympathy for him. He had been through this kind of pain not once, but twice. And now that he was experiencing it, he was getting a taste of how Snap felt.

Rudy continued to scream. His hearing was disrupted and echoey. He thought he heard his friends cry out, trying to help him. He thought he heard Maalik threatening to kill him if they did take a step closer. He thought he heard the sounds of the audience cheering on Maalik, telling their leader to finish him off. He could be mishearing things, but none of that would seem out of the ordinary in this situation. The electricity was cutting him off from his senses for a time, and for a while, all he could really hear was the buzzing of electricity, echoing through his ear drums.

Suddenly the pain stopped. A weight was lifted up from him. Rudy, confused, lifted his head up a little. His body shook from the tremendous pain he was in. He looked around to try to figure out what was going on. Then he eventually saw it. His eyes widened in shock at what had happened.

It was Snap... He had grabbed a hold onto the lion’s ears, positioned on his back, and yanked on them. The lion twisted his body, arching upwards and trying to grab onto Snap. But how..? How did Snap get there with a damaged knee, let alone a badly burned badly? Then he saw what the cause was. There was Penny standing on the other side. Her arms were positioned in such a way that indicated she tossed something. Rudy’s mind immediately filled in the blanks. Penny must have ran around here and, on Snap’s suggestion, threw him on the insane lion.

Snap held on tightly, pulling and yanking on Maalik’s ears. The lion let out yowls of pain, anger, and frustration. Rudy’s hearding was still a little muddled. As it started to clear up, he could hear a slew of insults and racist-sounding words coming out of both Maalik and the audience. Rudy winced at the sound of them. They were all so full of poison and venom... Rudy tried his best to block them out as he struggled up to his feet.

Maalik, letting out a yowl of anger, went towards Penny. He rushed at her as fast as he could. Rudy’s eyes widened in horror and he tried to make his way over there. But his legs were too shaky and wobbly and he found himself unable to move very fast. He couldn’t do anything except watch as Maalik lunged towards Penny, preparing to tear into her. He was relieved when Penny managed to get out of the way, but that was short-lived as the feline shifted direction and started to run towards her again.

Snap’s eyes bulged open and he pulled harder on the lion. He tugged the lion’s head to the side, disrupting his vision a little. The lion shut his eyes, in some pain from Snap’s yanking, and his body jerked to the same side as Snap was pulling. The lion swung his head from side to side and eventually he got Snap off of him. Snap let out a scream as he slammed into the ground and landed dangerously close to the electric water bars. Eyes wide in horror, Rudy moved as fast as he could over. He helped Snap up to his feet and kept his grip on his arm so he couldn’t trip over. They looked at each other for a few seconds before glancing over at Maalik.

To their horror, he had gone after Penny. He rushed towards her like before. Penny moved to the side like she had before. Maalik started to move past her, and it looked as though he was going to miss. But then he shifted position. Moving with more agility than they thought possible for the large feline, Maalik turned almost on a dime and slammed into Penny. He forced her into the ground, baring his sharp teeth at her. Penny struggled, but it was clear that she was having a harder time than Rudy did. As Penny struggled, Maalik’s eyes flashed and he gripped her bad leg as tightly as he could.

Penny let out a scream of pain, her eyes widened. Maalik began to twist her leg. Penny’s good leg kicked the ground as she desperately tried to get free. Her head jerked from side to side. Seeing Penny in this much pain twisted the hearts of Rudy and Snap. They both took a step forward, but Maalik shot them a look, a clear silent message of ‘I’ll kill her faster if you get too close’. The two friends, unable to get closer, watched in horror as Maalik tormented Penny.

He twisted her leg harder, beginning to bend it beyond its limits. Penny slammed her leg against the ground, kicking against it. Her eyes were shut tightly as tears flowed down her face. Rudy’s heart pounded against his chest as he watched Maalik slowly breaking her leg. He wanted to do something, anything, to help Penny. But he was unable to think of what he could do. The lion zoner could tell he was there, and if he made a move around him, he would hurt Penny. And in the mean time, Penny’s leg was getting further damaged and, in a matter of seconds, she was going to get another broken leg, just like the one given to her by Draow two years ago. Rudy swallowed. Penny didn’t deserve to experience that all over again...

Just then, Maalik released her leg. There was confusion at first. Even the Luminos zoners all around them were perplexed by this. Maalik glared down at the crying Penny, a look of contempt clearly on his face. Then he grabbed her ankle on the same leg, twisting it roughly. Penny shut her eyes again, more tears moving down her face. Then Maalik extended his claws. He drove them into her ankle. Penny let out a scream and there was a faint snapping sound, like something elastic was cut, as Maalik sliced her achilles tendon.

Rudy and Snap watched this in horror. They couldn’t believe what happened. Maalik had cut Penny’s achilles tendon in her right leg. They watched her foot as it became limp and immobile. As if she didn’t have enough to worry about... Now her leg was weak and she was going to have a harder time walking around, even with the brace on. Maalik sneered coldly down at Penny, acting as if he was proud of what he did. Rudy’s heart clenched in anger. The bastard... How dare he do that to Penny...

Penny shut her eyes tightly and turned her head to the side. “Wh-Why...?” She choked out, her voice laced in pain.

“Because you are a monster, and you deserve it.” Maalik’s low voice came. “I don’t see you bother to keep denying it. Everyone here knows you’re a monster. Everyone here knows all creators are evil. You just proved how evil you were by attacking my people...”

Penny opened up her eyes and glared up at Maalik. “You’re wrong.” Maalik cocked an eyebrow. “I was not..trying to attack...anyone..” She winced in pain. “I was just trying to help my friends survive. We’re all...fighting for our lives you know... We are just trying to live. That’s all we’re trying to do here. You are the ones provoking us. We’re just defending ourselves.”

Maalik stared at her, his eyes a little wide. It looked as though some of the words got to him. But even if they did, it was short lived and soon they were narrowed again. He spoke in a growling voice, “Just what I’d expect someone like you to say. Always something to justify your horrible deeds.”

“And what about you? You’ve been trying to kill me and my friends..and we’ve done nothing to you! Open your eyes, Maalik!” Penny cried. There was a tone of desperation to her voice, mixed in with fear. “If you and your followers hadn’t tried to hurt us, none of this would have happened!”

Penny let out a scream as Maalik grabbed her hair and yanked on it hard. He pulled her head upwards towards him. He put his face close to hers. Drool dripped from his jaws as his pupils became tiny dots. Penny looked at him in fear, making no attempt to struggle.

“You little bitch! I have been trying to hold my patience...but you... you and your nasty little friends know how to push me to my limits... And you know what? So be it!” Maalik tightened his grip on her hair. “If you wish to test my limits...then I will test yours!”

Rudy and Snap were horrified as they watched Maalik slam Penny’s head against the ground. Penny let out a cry of pain, her eyes bulging open. There was an eruption of cheers when he did that. Rudy and Snap tried their best to block out their horrible words as they kept their eyes glued on the horrific scene before them. They both tried to think of something they could do to help. Anything... They couldn’t just let Penny continue getting her head beaten in by this monster.

Maalik held Penny’s head on the ground for a few moments. He smirked down at her expression of pain. Her teeth were clenched tightly as she seethed. Maalik chuckled a little and he pulled her head up again. Penny winced at her scalp being yanked around like this. Maalik pulled her head close to his. His muzzle practically touched her face. Hot breath blew her hair back slightly.

“I wonder how many tries it’ll take before I break your skull open...” Maalik hissed in her face. Penny gasped in fear. Maalik’s grin broadened. “Yes... I’d like to see some brain matter....”

“No! I didn’t do anything wrong! Why can’t you see reason?!” Penny’s struggles became more frantic. She jerked from side to side. She tried to pull her head free of Maalik’s grasp. “You have become blind to your own actions!”

Maalik narrowed his eyes. “I will do whatever it takes to protect my people. I made the mistake of letting you creators run free...and it resulted in the death of almost all my village.” Shouts of confirmation came from the audience around them. Penny closed her eyes and turned her head to the side. “I do not intend on screwing up again. I will not make the same mistake as I did before.”

Rudy couldn’t take it anymore. He had to do something to help. At the moment, Maalik was too distracted with talking to Penny to really notice what he was doing. He couldn’t make what he was doing too obvious, though. The audience could warn Maalik about what was to happen. He had to make this quick. He looked over at Snap and, though he didn’t want to, sat him on the ground. Snap opened up his mouth to speak, but Rudy help up a finger to silence him. One wrong word and they could all end up in trouble.

Rudy then tensed up his leg muscles. Sneaking around wasn’t an option. It would give the audience more time to respond and warn Maalik. If he could just get into the right spot, though, and then charge, Maalik would have a harder time reacting and he might he be able to get to him before he did anything permanent to Penny. So far, he hadn’t tried to electrocute her. He hoped he doesn’t get the idea to do that. Getting a little closer, careful not to make it look like he was going to charge, Rudy prepared himself. He had just one shot at this. It was a risky move, but what else could he do? Penny couldn’t get out on her own.

Working up as much courage as he could, he dashed towards Maalik. Right away, he could alreayd hear the shouts from the Luminos zoners.

“Look out!” One cried. “He’s coming after you!”

“The monster is attacking!” Shouted another.

Maalik turned his head. He spotted Rudy rushing at him at full speed. He only had time to widen his eyes in shock before Rudy slammed against him. His body smashed up against his, causing the feline to stagger back a little. Maalik shook his head, having been forced back a few steps. Rudy watched him for a second before turning his attention to Penny. He reached down and grabbed her arm, pulling her up to her feet.

Penny had trouble standing up on her own. She could put pressure on her leg, but she had to be careful. Her face was etched in pain each time she applied pressure to her damaged foot and leg. Her foot was loose and wobbly, making it hard for her to keep her balance. The twisting of the leg irritated the internal damage done to the leg by the black chalk artists and the Luminos zoners. The brace given to her by Cosmo was working pretty well, but in this case, it wasn’t doing much to alleviate the pain.

Penny leaned against him for support, gripping his arm tightly. Rudy started to take her over to where Snap was. The progress was slow and Penny weakened leg dragged a little on the ground. Rudy noticed Snap was waving his arms frantically. It was hard to hear his voice in the shouts of the Luminos all around him. But he soon realized just what Snap was trying to tell him. Unfortunately, he realized it too late.

Maalik was rushing towards them again. He had already closed the gap as he and Penny turned to look at them. They let out a cry of surprise as he grabbed them by the back of their shirt collars. He pulled them apart and lifted them up into the air. He held them up there for a few seconds, snarling at them. Snap attempted to rush over. He was limping horribly, favoring his undamaged leg. Maalik took one look at him and sneered, silently mocking his attempts at trying to stop him. He then gave a nasty look to the two humans before he made his move.

Maalik slammed Rudy and Penny together. Their skulls clashed against each other. Horrific pain swept through Rudy’s head and he felt a little dazed and confused. He felt his body being lifted up higher and, before he knew it, Maalik threw him in the direction of Snap. Rudy’s muggy mind was slow to process what was going on. He was aware of being in the air, Penny flying next to him. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, he crashed into the ground, landing on something soft and warm...but also hard and cold.

Rudy pushed himself up onto one arm. He used his free hand to rub his head a little. His mind cleared up a little, though there was still a pounding headache concentrated on the center of his forehead where it collided with Penny’s head. He looked over and saw Penny laying down next to him. She hand herself pushed up onto her hands, her head hunched over and eyes shut in pain. Rudy wondered momentarily what had softened their landing. It only took him a few seconds to realize what it was. His heart clenched as he moved back a little, staring down at what laid beneath him and Penny.

Snap laid there on the ground. He was still conscious, thank goodness, but he looked like he could pass out at any moment. Maalik had used their body weights to slam Snap into the ground. The zoner’s body shook in pain as he laid there on his back. He could tell that them slamming into him had irritated his burns and a few of them bled a little from the impact. The wound on his leg was especially damaged, and he could see a large splatter of blood around the knee. Penny, after she recovered enough to realize what had happened, gasped in horror.

“Snap!” The two cried in unison.

They knelt down beside Snap. Penny took Snap into her arms, gently setting him on her lap. The two friends looked at Snap worriedly. Snap let out a few soft whimpers of pain. He looked up at them with pain-filled eyes. They wanted to do something, say something to help Snap feel better. But they had no time before Maalik ran after them again.

The two friends got up to their feet. Penny wobbled on her leg, crying out in pain every time her foot hit the ground. Despite her agony, she managed to push herself, moving away just as the lion sailed past her. Rudy moved to the side as Maalik tried to tackle him. He watched as the feline sailed past him and landed on the ground in front of him. Maalik shook his head and turned around. Snarling, he rushed towards the three again.

Then something happened that the trio had hoped wouldn’t happen. They had hoped that Maalik would be too busy trying to catch them to think of doing this. But when he lifted up his finger, he knew what he was about to do. And there was nothing they could do to stop him.

Maalik’s finger sparkled as he stood there, glaring hatefully at them. A large electrical coil shot out. The electrical snake coiled around the trio. They screamed and tried to get away. They couldn’t move fast enough and soon the electric snake tightened around them. They screamed as electricity flowed through their bodies. Maalik lifted them up into the air. He held them up there, watching as their bodies convulsed from the electricity coursing through their veins.

A zoner jumped up from the bleachers and shouted, “Way to go Maalik! Teach them a lesson!”

“Yeah! Show them what happens when you mess with ChalkZone!”Another zoner spread her arms out into the air.

“They won’t be able to mess with us anymore!” A third zoner cheered.

Maalik chuckled as he watched the trio squirm in his grasp. Rudy tried to keep an eye on everything that was going on, but the electricity made it impossible. The pain...the pounding in his eardrums... He squirmed left and right, trying to get free. Maalik responded by tightening the coil around them and increasing the electricity flow. All three of them threw their heads back and let out bloodcurdling screams.

“What do you say we end it, folks?” Maalik spoke as loudly as he could. He raised his paw up in gesture, pointing it at the Luminos audience. “They did put up a good fight, but why don’t we give them the Luminos send off?”

“Yeah! Do it! Do it! Do it!” The Luminos chanted, raising their fists in the air and throwing it in the direction of the cage.

Rudy opened up one eye and looked around. His vision was a little blurry, but he could see well enough to know what was going on. His heart clenched in horror as pain swept through his body. He could feel himself being moved over against his will. Not just him, but his friends as well. He gasped and his struggles increased as he realized they were being taken over to the electric water bars. Maalik kept carrying them over until they were a few inches away from the sparking water bars. The three friends exchanged looks of horror and stared over at Maalik pleadingly.

Maalik sneered at them. “Time to say your last goodbyes...” His voice was soft and cold. It sent ice through their veins. “This is the last time you will ever see each other..”

The trio widened their eyes in horror as Maalik started to drag them over to the electric water bars. In seconds, it would touch their bodies. Snap would die from either the electricity or the water. Which ever came first. And Rudy and Penny would die from being electrocuted to death. It would all happen in a matter of seconds. Their hearts pounded against their chests as they looked at the encroaching water bars. Their eyes were filled with fear and terror. They looked at each other, all wishing they could hug each other but were unable to move. A few tears escaped their eyes as they realized this would be the last time they’d see each other.

To make matters worse, Maalik was taking his time in dragging them over. He was prolonging their suffering, their pain. He was delaying this for however long he could. A sneer was still on his face was he watched them gleefully. The trio knew there was no way they could reason with this psychopath. They tried to escape, but no matter how hard they struggled, nothing worked.

Soon they were less than an inch away from fully touching the water bars. Their breaths quickened and they leaned towards each other the best they could. They shed tears of fear as they tried to comfort each other in what might be their final moment together. Rudy couldn’t believe this was happening. What did he and his friends do to deserve this? What have they done to earn this kind of fate? Why couldn’t the Luminos see what they were doing? Why couldn’t they see they were about to murder three innocents?

Unable to get free and knowing there was no way out, Rudy and his friends shut their eyes. They prepared for the moment when the water bars would touch them, and they all died. The only comfort in this is that at least they would die together and not alone. Letting out a soft whimper, Rudy waited for the final blow.

“Get your filthy paws off of them!”

The loud, booming voice came out of nowhere. It echoed off the walls, increasing in volume. Maalik froze where he stood. He turned around to see what was going on. The trio opened up their eyes, wondering who shouted. Everyone in the room was shocked by who was running towards the arena.

It was Dr. Urso. Injured, bloodied, a hole in his chest, but still Dr. Urso. His eyes were blazing in anger, his teeth gritted. The room echoed with the sounds of pounding feet as Urso charged towards the arena. He showed no signs of slowing down or stopping. Maalik’s eyes widened in horror and he released Rudy, Penny, and Snap. He turned around to face Urso, flexing his claws defensively.

Rudy rubbed his head as he sat up. He and his friends watched, shocked and amazed, as Dr. Urso leapt in to the air. Despite being injured and likely weakened, the lion bear managed to jump high enough to slam his body against the weakest, most damaged pillar. Rudy knew this was going to take a lot out of the lion bear zoner, but it still amazed him that Urso was still willing to take that risk anyway. There was a sensation of relief running through his mind knowing that Dr. Urso was on their side, and not someone acting like an ally like Dr. Raiden had.

As soon as Dr. Urso rammed his body against the pillar, there was a loud crack. Enough of it broke to cause the pillar to lose its support. Unable to stand up for long, the pillar started to topple downwards. The trio screamed and they got up to their feet. Though shaky from the electrocution, they managed to get themselves far enough away to avoid the pillar crashing on them. Maalik, letting out a cat-like howl, jumped back, landing on all fours as the pillar crashed in the middle of the arena.

The pillar broke into a few pieces. Long cracks swept through the floor of the arena. There was a blip sound as the water bars were all deactivated at once, replacing them with safe, open spaces that could easily be traversed. Dust was kicked up into the air, and for a while, they could all hear the sound of low crumbling. And then, as it cleared, silence fell upon the room.

sss

Bardot struggled with all his might. He yanked himself left and right. But no matter what he did, he could not escape. Jenny had made sure he had been secured. The metal devices that encased his paws, stretching him out, were too strong for him to break. His tail wriggled wildly in irritation as he struggled to free himself with no luck. His eyes were shut and teeth gritted. There had to be a way out of this thing...

But there wasn’t. The large, enclosing cuffs around his paws were too heavy and too strong for him to break off. He couldn’t even get an inch from them. Though his muzzle was removed, he couldn’t do anything to bite Jenny. She was standing too far away from him. She was watching in amusement as he struggled against his binds. He soon gave up, his body relaxing as it was suspended in the air. He lowered his head and took in a few quick breaths. His mind replayed just how he got into this position.

He had been knocked out by her. Something was injected into his body to render him unconscious. When he had come to, he found that she had dragged him here against his will. She hooked him up to this machine. The machine just appeared to be a long metal cylinder thing. He guessed it was part of the light cannon. He was located in an indention of sorts in this metal cylinder. It was huge, with plenty of room to manuever around if he weren’t bound up like this. He was stretched out taut in the air, in the shape of an X, and he was several feet above the ground.

Bardot took in a few more breaths and he looked over in Jenny’s direction. He snarled at her. If she would just get close enough, he could show her exactly what happens when she messes with the wrong zoner. If he had to, he would break off his limbs, crawl to her, and bite her to death. He could already taste her flesh in his mouth right now. It was making him hungry...but he pushed those thoughts aside as he was in bigger trouble than simply being hungry.

Jenny walked up towards him. His green eyes locked onto her icy blue ones. He bared his teeth at her, letting out low growls. His ears flattened against his skull. She stopped a few feet in front of him. She folded her arms against her chest, smirking at him. Bardot could practically feel the ego dripping off this woman’s body.

“Nice that you stopped struggling, Bardot. That will make this so much easier.” Jenny said.

Bardot growled, “I’m not beat yet...”

Jenny laughed. “Oh contrare, little Bardy...”

“Don’t call me that...” Bardot interrupted her. His voice was deepened and it had a growly edge to it. “Don’t you fucking dare call me that...”

Jenny shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “Whatever you say....” She leaned in a little closer. “..Bardy...” She moved her head back as Bardot snapped his jaws at her. She just smiled as he bared his razor sharp teeth at her. Without a fear in the world, Jenny reached over and scratched Bardot’s chin like he was a cat. “You are all prepped up and ready, and you got nowhere to go...”

Bardot snapped his jaws at her again. He got closer this time, but his jaws still missed her hand. He hissed loudly at her as she pulled her hand back. She folded them behind her back and she paced from side to side in front of him. Her eyes locked onto him and she eyed him up and down like he was just a piece of equipment to her. Which, ironically, he was, as she was going to use him as a battery.

Jenny said, “So soon, dear Bardot, your red chalk half will serve a new purpose. A power supply for the light cannon. It will charge it up a little more than usual, and it will help us destroy some...particular targets.”

“It won’t last long...” Bardot hissed under his breath.

“Oh of course not. I know that you won’t supply power for too long. So after you are all...dried up...” Jenny chortled as she held her hand out in gesture. “I will let Ghadir eat your remains. She loves eating chalk and I’m sure she’d love to dine on you once you are all..used up...”

Bardot’s eyes widened in horror. Not wanting to show weakness to this person for too long, he glared at her again. He started to struggle again, yanking himself from side to side. He pulled as hard as he could, but soon he had to stop as he felt himself nearly rip out one of his own limbs. He hung there limply again. His breaths came quick and shallow. He locked his green eyes with her, heated venom dripping from his fangs as he anticipated biting her. Of course, Jenny acted as though nothing was wrong, acting nonchalant of the whole thing, unafraid...a lot like...

..himself...

Bardot realized that, in some ways, Jenny was behaving similar to how he did with the trio, and his other victims. His eyes widened slightly at this realization. How fitting it was that he get similar treatment as them. He couldn’t lie. It did not really feel good being on the receiving end of all this. But thinking about those three did bring another realization.

“Do you...really think you...can best Rudy...and those other two...?” Bardot asked through panting breaths. Jenny looked at him, cocking an eyebrow. She gave him a look of ‘what are you talking about?’. Bardot continued, “They’re stronger than you..realize. I learned that..the hard way... I tortured them.. I nearly killed them..and they still won..”

“Perhaps..” Jenny said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “But everyone’s hopes die at some point. And sooner or later, theirs will, too.”

Bardot chuckled bitterly at this. “Keep dreaming... I had them all on their last leg..and they still didn’t give up. Snap had..managed to push me away...when he should have been near death and unable to move..” He lifted up his head and and smiled darkly at the woman. “If there is..one thing I learned about them, it’s that they never quit, even when the odds were...stacked up against them. Even if you kill me...at least I’ll die knowing that you...won’t be able to take those three down.”

Jenny narrowed her eyes. “We shall see about that, Bardy.” She turned her back to him and started to walk away. “The pieces have fallen into the fray... Let’s see if they can get them out...”

Bardot didn’t know what she was talking about. But he didn’t bother replying to her after that. He watched as she walked away towards a series of controls located about twenty feeet away from where he was hooked up. Lots of levers and buttons attached to a long, curving metal device, the computin system that runs this whole place. Or at least, certain parts of it. He looked at her curiously, wondering what her next move was going to be. Then she gave him that look and he couldn’t help but feel a pang in his stomach.

“Anyway...that’s enough chitcat...” Jenny reached over and grabbed one of the levers. Her fingers closed around the round tip, gripping it tightly. “Let’s get started, shall we?” Bardot’s eyes widened in horror. “Say cheese, you little fluffball!” She pushed the lever down.

Bardot felt instant pain. His eyes bulging open, he let out screams of pain. Electricity danced through his body. No..not electricity..some kind of special energy. It burned through his body, concentrating on his red chalk portions. They started to melt a little bit, and horrific pain swept through his body. He screamed loudly as his body convulsed. His tail wriggled and poofed up, archs of energy rushing through it.

Next to him, there was a white monitor with bars indicating power level for the laser cannon. At first, it was empty. But soon, seconds later, one of the bars became full. Though Bardot knew that, once it was full, he’d likely be dead or dying, he hardly paid attention to that. The horrific pain kept him from concentrating. He just screamed in pain, twisting and turning, trying to get himself free. This...this was the same level of pain he was certain his victims had gone through..and he wasn’t liking it.

Tears of pain started to flow down his face as pain wracked his body. He opened up his eyes and looked over at Jenny. He gritted his teeth as he stared at her pleadingly. Jenny just smirked and increased the voltage. Bardot threw his head back and his horrific, bloodcurdling screams echoed throughout the room.


	96. Time To Shake Things Up

For a while, the large arena room remained quiet and the air still. There was the official murmuring among the crowd, but other than that, along with the sound of panting and breathing, there were no words spoken. The dust had completely cleared up by this point, showing the damage that Dr. Urso had managed to obtain.

Despite being clearly badly wounded, the lion bear had done considerable damage to the arena. The pillar had broken up and now laid in the middle of the shattered arena floor. It wasn’t certain if the pillar had done any damage to the wires that connected the controls to the arena. What was clearly certain is that Dr. Urso had managed to take down the water bars that sealed Rudy, Penny, and Snap in the arena. For the first time in a while, all three of them felt one strong feeling sweep through their bodies.

Relief.

During the moment of silence, the three friends stared at Dr. Urso in shock. He stood not far from them. His body was shifted so that his head was pointing in the direction of Maalik. The stylized lion was still frozen in shock, his eyes wide. It didn’t look like he was going to be making a move for another several seconds, perhaps minutes. His eyes were darting around once in a while, looking at the damage that laid strewn before him. There was, for the moment, no anger in those eyes. Just shock.

The three friends took this moment to reflect on what had happened. They were almost killed... In a few seconds, they would have been dead. The thought frightened them, chilling their blood. They were almost murdered by these psychopaths... The realization that if Urso hadn’t shown up when he did, that they would have died, send cold waves through their bodies, making them shudder. They huddled closer to each other on instinct. The feeling of relief was a little slow to take hold. But slowly, surely, they felt their bodies swell up in emotion. Unable to hold back and not caring who sees, they hugged each other and shed some tears of happiness. They were alive...they were still alive...

But for how long? That thought crossed their minds, adding a sort of bittersweet feeling to their elation. They might still be alive now. Urso may have been able to stop Maalik in time...but could he do it again? What of Maalik calls in for reinforcements and surrounds them? There was a chance they could still die there today. They were alive...for now. But they were far from out of danger yet.

And if they were attacked by muliple zoners...just how would they get out of it? Snap knew he wouldn’t be able to outrun them for long. His body ached all over. The burns covering his body made it hurt in some shape or form whenever he moved. He would like to just lay down and rest, but right now, it was unavoidable and he had to move. The pain reminded him of when Ghadir sprayed him with the water bottle, except this was much worse, with damage extending to his insides. His movements, especially in walking, were hindered, making him an easier target should the Luminos decide to focus on him.

He felt seering pain in his leg and he clutched his knee with his hand. He only did this for a second before he had to pull his hand away. His leg had been burned by some of the real world water that was on the rubber blade. He wasn’t sure at one point it happened as everything happened so quickly. What he was certain of is that he was hit with enough water on the knee to cause considerable damage. And when Rudy and Penny were thrown against him, it twisted his leg enough to tear the damaged skin, increasing the pain and causing blood splatter. He could still walk, but it was extremely painful to do so.

Rudy and Penny weren’t better off either. Rudy had internal damage done to him and Snap could tell he was in almost constant pain, even if he tried to hide it well. Snap wouldn’t be surprised if some of his internal wounds had reopened and started to bleed. He needed to see a doctor and fast. Dr. Urso was here, but right now, he was in no position to treat anyone, not while he was staring down Maalik in preparation of a fight.

Penny was going to have trouble with her right leg, even more so than before. She was already having a hard time using it before. She had something of an easier time when Mr. Cosmo gave her that brace. But now any help that had given her was undone when Maalik severed her achilles tendon. Like him, she could still walk, but that damage gave her a worse limp than she ever had. Her foot looked clearly loose, reducing its movements and making her leg overall weaker. She was not going to be able to outrun the Luminos either, should they decide to attack. Without being able to push herself off the ground with that foot, just how fast could she go?

Snap looked over at Dr. Urso. Again, he felt relief move through his body. This was not the first time that Dr. Urso saved him. But it was the first time he saved not just him, but his friends as well. He definitely owed Urso for all the times he helped him. Dr. Urso had worked hard to save his life after Cosmo tortured him. He had helped him when Bardot nearly ripped him to shreds. He had helped him get into the building to locate Rudy and Penny after they were taken by the Luminos. And now here he was, helping them in their hour of need again. Snap’s respect for the guy had definitely increased.

Dr. Urso finally shifted his gave from Maalik. He looked over at the trio. He took a few steps towards them, limping a little from his own injuries. “Are...are you three...okay?” He asked through a clearly pained voice.

“Yeah, we’re fine.” Rudy said in a soft voice. He was still breathing a little quickly. “Thanks...” Dr. Urso smiled in response to this.

“What about you?” Penny took a step towards Dr. Urso. “You look horrible...what happened to you?”

“I just ran into a little trouble...” Dr. Urso replied.

“Who?” Snap asked.

Dr. Urso said, “Dr. Raiden...” His voice was low and growly. He flinched in pain and said, “He’ll be here soon. We need to take this chance and leave. We need to get to Rapsheeba and Blocky before...”

Snap’s eyes widened at this. He felt a strange sensation move through his body, like someone was freezing him in place. He stared at the lion bear in shock. Did...did he just say...Rapsheeba and Blocky? But how? Didn’t Raiden kill them? Snap took in a few quick breaths as his mind tried to wrap around this details. Maybe Urso just doesn’t know they’re dead? Or maybe...maybe they are...?

A sense of hope welled up inside of him. He took a few steps towards Dr. Urso. The lion bear’s eyes were on him now. He looked as if he wanted to tell him something. And that something was...positive. He didn’t see despair, but something more akin to happiness. This made Snap feel even more hopeful than before. He didn’t want to get his hopes up too high, but maybe...just maybe... He had to find out. He had to figure out what Dr. Urso was talking about. He..he needed to know...

And so did his friends. He could see them staring at the lion bear with anticipation in their eyes. A sense of hope... They were waiting for the lion bear to elaborate, and Snap was certain he was going to do that any moment now.

Snap managed to speak, “R-Rapsheeba? B-Blocky...?” His voice was barely audible. “Th-They....are...?”

Dr. Urso stared at Snap for a few moments. The wait was excruciating, filling Snap with anxiety. Then the lion bear gave a smile despite his pain, and nodded his head once. “Yes, they’re still alive. I was just with them not too long ago.” He flipped his head to the side. “They’re locked up in one of the isolated rooms there.” He paused, as if to let it sink into Snap’s head. “And they’re both very much alive.”

Snap felt an overwhelming sense of joy overtake him. Tears of elation swept down his face as a smile tugged its away on his mouth. He turned and hugged the nearing person, who was Rudy. As his two friends gave him a hug as he let this wonderful news settle in his mind, he kept telling himself over and over again: his friends were alive...they were alive.

Then, as he released his hug and turned to face Urso, another feeling began to sink into his stomach, causing a burning sensation. Anger. Raiden had lied to him... He had toyed with him and hurt him mentally. He had told him an outright lie just to make him cry. That was sick and disgusting... The realization of what Raiden had actually did caused his blood to boil. Not only had he lied to him about his friends’ fates....he had the gall to tell him that it was his fault. Snap realized he had been in a depression all for something that not only didn’t happen, but was not his fault.

Dr. Urso sensed Snap’s anger and said, “He did the same thing to Rapsheeba and Blocky.”

Snap’s eyes widened. “He...what?”

Urso said, “They said that Dr. Raiden said he killed you.”

Shock swept through the trio. They looked at each other, their eyes widened. Raiden had done what? He said what to those two? Rudy and Penny looked visibily angry, and Snap even more so, his fists shaking. Of course, Dr. Raiden just had to spread the pain and misery, didn’t he? He had put the same treatment on Rapsheeba and Blocky as he did with him. That was...unacceptable. Snap could only imagine the horror those two must have felt when they believed he was dead. The trio were only assured by the fact that Dr. Urso must have told them Snap was alive. As least they have that comfort now.

“They are injured, however.” Dr. Urso said. The trio looked at him in shock. Worry swept through them. They hoped that the two weren’t injured too badly. Dr. Urso continued, “Dr. Raiden tore open Blocky’s side...and he broke Rapsheeba’s leg horrifically..nearly tore it off.”

The trio gasped on horror. Rudy’s eyes went wide open. Penny put her hands to her mouth. Snap took a step ack. Their bodies shook with emotion.

“He..did that...?” Penny asked in a quiet voice.

“That creepazoid!” Snap cried, kicking his foot against the ground despite his pain. “Wait until I get my hands on him, I’ll...!” Snap was calmed when Penny put her hand on his shoulder.

Rudy asked, “Are ...they okay?” There was slight hesitation to his voice.

Dr. Urso replied, “They won’t be unless they get proper treatment. Come on, let’s leave while we...”

It was then that Snap and the others were reminded that they weren’t alone in this room. The Luminos had finally recovered from the shock that had silenced them before. The crowd started to speak up again, shouting words of anger and disbelief in their direction. The blue and white zoner looked all around, his eyes filling with fear as the clearly hostile zoners practically spat venom to him and the others.

“Dr. Urso broke out?! Kill him before he lets the monsters free!”

“Please stop him, Maalik!”

“Finish them all off! Tear apart their insides! Shed their blood!”

Maalik raised his hand in the air, silencing the Luminos around him. His eyes looked squarely at Dr. Urso. Snap shuddered when he saw just how much rage was flashing behind those eyes. It reminded him so much of how Dr. Raiden looked at him. Maalik looked like he wanted to rip Dr. Urso’s throat out, and he wouldn’t doubt that he’d try to do that.

Maalik shouted, “Oh don’t worry! They won’t be going anywhere! I will make sure of it!”

With that, the lion zoner got down on all fours. His tail swished from side to side as he approached the group. Dr. Urso growled at him and kept himself on all fours. His fur raised on end as he walked in front of the group. The trio wanted to do something to help, but Urso gave them a look that told them to stay back. Despite his pain, Urso was willing put himself on the line to help them. He kept himself positioned between them and Maalik. As the lion paced around, Urso followed his every movemet, ensuring that Maalik wouldn’t have a shot at the trio.

There was a slight look of fear in both their eyes. Maalik seemed afraid of Dr. Urso...not just him, but all the other Luminos seemed, to an extent, horrified by his presence. Snap wondered why they were so frightened of him. Did they label him a monster as well? All Dr. Urso was doing was protecting the innocent. All three of the trio silently agreed with each other, giving each other a quick glance, that if these Luminos hadn’t acted this way, they wouldn’t have had to see this side to Dr. Urso.

But Snap and the others noticed that Dr. Urso looked afraid as well. Well they couldn’t blame him. He was going up against Maalik, the leader of the Luminos, and he was badly hurt already. He didn’t stand much of a chance, and it was possible that he could end up dying here. But there was also a spark of...what Snap guessed was familiarity. It was like Dr. Urso had been beaten by Maalik before. Then his mind clicked. Dr. Urso had to have been captured as well. How else could he be here? And Maalik must have been the one to...

He didn’t have time to finish his thoughts when two loud roars filled the room. Urso’s bear-like roar paled the faces of the other Luminos and they moved back, despite them being nowhere near the lion bear’s striking range. Maalik’s lion-like roar had the opposite effect, making some of the Luminos cheer, but striking fear in the hears of Snap and his friends. They took a few steps away as the two large zoners paced around each other, Urso doing whatever it took to keep himself in between.

Maalik growled at Dr. Urso, “So we meet again, monster. I would have thought that my beatdown to you earlier would have taught you a valuable lesson.” Urso narrowed his eyes, but did not respond. “Since you managed to escape the binds I gave you, perhaps I should go for a more...” His eyes rested on one of Urso’s hind legs. “...permanent solution.”

Dr. Urso’s ears flattened. “You can try to stop me...but I’ll keep fighting you until my last breath! I will not let you harm the innocent!”

Maalik’s eyes flashed. “You are so deluded, Dr. Urso.” His head lowered as his eyes narrowed into slits. “Those three are not innocent. They never were...” His eyes widened, anger radiating off of them. “It is you who harmed an innocent! You hurt my best friend! I swear to gawd...if you hurt Dr. Raiden again, I’ll make you wish you were never created!”

“What the hell?! You think Dr. Raiden is fucking innocent?!” Dr. Urso cried in disbelief.

“I don’t think...” Maalik replied. “I know...”

Dr. Urso shook his head. “You’re insane if you think that! Dr. Raiden menaced and attacked these three, as well as those other two, when they did nothing wrong! He was the one who made the first blow! He was the one who heartlessly shattered the leg of a zoner who was only trying to protect her friends! He psychologically tormented them for no fucking reason! He tried to kill them!” He pounded the ground with his foot. “And you’re trying to tell me that he’s innocent?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

Maalik took in a few growly breaths. A hiss escaped his mouth as his lips curled upwards. “At least he fought back for the right reasons... Had those two humans stayed out of ChalkZone..and if the little traitor there tried to redeem himself...” Maalik cast a cold glance at the trio, sending ice through their veins. He turned back to Dr. Urso. “This wouldn’t have happened to them. Dr. Raiden wouldn’t have had to hurt them. They brought it upon themselves...” He pointed his sparking finger at Urso. “And you know it. Don’t try to lie to me...”

Dr. Urso hissed, “You are the one deceiving yourself... Dr. Raiden is a monster. Like you all are... You are the enemy here. You have become no different than the black chalk artists who destroyed your village years ago.”

Maalik’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open at this. He stared at Dr. Urso for several moments. Snap could have sworn the feline was having flashbacks, possibly reliving, briefly, a few moments that he experienced during that time. Though Snap could sympathize with him having lost nearly everyone he cared about, that was no excuse for how he acted now. He just wished that he and the other Luminos could just see that.

But of course, if Maalik had any regret, it was fleeting and he was back to being angry. His eyes practically glowed, and he charged forward. The lion bear braced himself for impact. He reared onto his hind legs, but before he could attack, Maalik slammed against him. The trio moved to the side, letting out a cry of surprise and worry as Urso was slammed against his back. Urso let out a scream of pain as Maalik pressed up against the large wound on his chest. Urso attempted to bite in defense, but Maalik bit down on his snout, his teeth tearing up his flesh there. The lion bear let out a few muffled whimpers, Maalik’s jaws keeping him from opening his.

Unable to take this anymore, the trio rushed forward to help. Despite their fear, despite knowing what Maalik could do to them, they still pushed against him, ignoring their own pain. Working together, they managed to pus the feline zoner off of Urso. Maalik took a few steps back and let out a loud hiss at them, showing off his sharp teeth. He lunged at them. Urso, who had recovered enough, jumped in the way and used his paw to strike Maalik into the ground.

While Maalik was still trying to get up, Dr. Urso turned to the trio and shouted, “Come on! Before we run out of time! Let’s get going!”

“Yeah, good idea.” Rudy said. “These Luminos zoners all look like they want a piece of us...”

Dr. Urso took a step forward, but then clutched his chest tightly. Pain swept through his body as he seethed. The trio looked at him, their eyes wide in fear and concern. They ignored the sneer they were getting from a sickeningly satisfied Maalik as they rushed to Dr. Urso’s side. He was on his knees now, holding his chest tightly. He was taking in several breaths. He sounded horrible. Each breath sounded painfully ragged.

The lion bear began to cough a little. Snap and the others were horrified when they saw blood spray on the ground. Dr. Urso must have been pushing himself too hard. He had irritated his wounds, and now they might be a lot worse than they started as. He needed help and fast...

“Dr. Urso...” Rudy said, voice laced with concern. “Are...are you okay..?”

Dr. Urso shut his eyes and seethed through clenched teeth. “Dr. Raiden...tore open my lung...”

Snap felt his heart skip a beat. A punctured lung? That...that was what happened to him when he fought against Bardot. The yellow zoner had pushed his claw into his body and ruptured one of his lungs. He could still remember how painful and hard it was to breathe with just one lung. Now someone else stood before him with the same condition, only this time, the damage looked more severe than what Bardot pulled off. Snap stared at Dr. Urso with a sympathetic expression.

“Come on...” Penny said, reaching over and touching Dr. Urso on his shoulder. “Let me look at it...”

“We don’t have time for...” Dr. Urso’s voice trailed off. His eyes went wide. “Look out!”

Without warning, Dr. Urso, summoning up some strength and fighting against his own agony, pushed the three to the ground, pressing his body over them. An arch of electricity shot out, grazing along Urso’s back. The electricity hit against the wall, causing a little bit to crumble. The arch was dangerously close to some Luminos, and Snap could see their infuriated looks. He could already tell what they were going to say before they even said it.

And sure enough, they did. Shouts of ‘they tried to hurt us again’, and variants of that, began to fill the room. Each time he heard it, Snap felt his heart twist. These zoners were truly sick. He couldn’t believe how disgusting they were being. He still had some hope that some of them could be helped. But he wouldn’t wouldn’t doubt that some of them are too far gone to be saved.

Trying his best to ignore the chants, he looked over at his friends to make sure they were all right. For the most part, they seemed okay, at least as far as ‘not getting hurt again’, unless he counted an extra scrape or two from them. He looked at himself. There was some more bleeding from his knee, a couple scratches on his arm. But not much else. Shakingly, he climbed up to his feet as he looked over at Maalik, whose finger was raised and sparkling menacingly.

“Oh my, it looks like I missed.” Maalik said in a strangely calm voice. “But no matter...” He, now on two legs, walked over to them slowly. “It won’t take much to finish off you monsters.” He raised his finger again. Sparks of electricity shot out from all sides. “Now..hold still...”

Dr. Urso snarled at him. “Fuck off!”

Maalik raised an eyebrow. “Would you like to be the first to die, Dr. Urso? That would be a fine contribution to ChalkZone, you know. Give up your life.” He raised up his head and stared at the group of four. His eyes glinted with intention. “Perhaps you all could surrender to death.. You want to help ChalkZone? Let me kill you so you cannot harm ChalkZone ever again.”

The trio glared hatefully at Maalik. How dare he say such thing... Their deaths would contribute nothing to ChalkZone. If anything, it will make things a lot worse, because then there’ll be less of a line of defense against the black chalk artists. Why couldn’t Maalik see he was fighting against the same people who want to help beat those black chalk users? Why couldn’t he understand that they could have been allies, instead of enemies?

Dr. Urso answered Maalik’s question with a loud roar. He charged forward. He was in clear agony, yet he still ran, and he threw his body against Maalik’s. The lion zoner had no time to respond. He found himself pinned to the ground. The lion bear zoner gripped his arms and kept them pinned at his sides. Dr. Urso’s pupils shrank and his lips curled up in anger. He let out a roar in Maalik’s face, causing a brief expression of fear to appear on the lion zoner.

This time frame of victory didn’t last very long. They did not hear the Luminos reacting to the presence of another zoner. They did not hear the footfalls. They did not hear the yowl of anger. They noticed none of that...until it was too late.

Snap’s eyes widened as he suddenly felt a sharp pain against his arm. He looked down and saw something long and metal had cut through the cloth of his right arm. He was lifted into the air. Rudy and Penny saw this and their eyes filled with terror.

“Snap!” They cried in unison. They reached out to try to grab him, but they were too slow and Snap was yanked back.

Before the zoner knew it, he was taken far away from his friends and Dr. Urso. Something grabbed onto his scarf. He felt the metal thing being pulled out of his cloth roughly, something sharp scraping along it. He gagged as he was shook in the air by his scarf. He struggled to get free, but he was shook again and he soon hung there limply, like he were just a cat being held by its scruff. He looked over and his eyes widened in horror at who it was.

Dr. Raiden glared down at him menacingly, his teeth bared at him. He was holding Snap out in front of him, keeping him from being able to kick or punch him in self defense. Dr. Raiden narrowed his eyes, lookig like he weas ready to bit off Snap’s head at any moment. Shouts from Rudy and Penny caused the cheetah zoner to stop what he was doing and look over at them.

“Let him go!” Penny cried. “Please don’t hurt him!”

“Release my friend now, Dr. Raiden!” Rudy shouted, clenching his hands into fists. He took a step forward and he snarled, “I swear, if you hurt him..I’ll...!”

Dr. Raiden chuckled coldly at this. “You’re in no position to be telling me what to do, boy...” The cheetah sneered. He turned his attention to Dr. Urso, who had looked over at him, his eyes wide in shock. “Hello, dear Urso...” Dr. Raiden’s voice was laced with hatred. “Let go of my friend...Or little Snap here...” He extended his metal claw and pressed it against Snap’s throat. “..is going to have a little...accident...”

Rudy and Penny’s faces paled. Dr. Urso gasped in horror. Maalik smiled evilly. The Luminos all around them started to cheer, urging Raiden to just get it over with and kill Snap already. Snap was frozen in terror. His body trembled as he looked down at the claw pressed against his neck. Being held up like this, something sharp pressed against his throat, it reminded him so much of what happened with Cosmo, when he was dragged off to the Chalk Mine to ‘witness the beginning of the end’. Now it was happening again and he was unable to stop the horrific flashbacks...

Dr. Urso’s body trembled. He stared at Snap with eyes wide in horror. He looked around, as if he were trying to weigh out his options. He glanced down at Rudy and Penny, his eyes filling with more sorrow as he saw how worried and terrified they were. He shifted his eyes to Dr. Raiden’s. The cheetah’s eyes glinted as he sneered at the lion bear zoner. Obviously seeing no choice, Dr. Urso lowered his head in submission. He took a step off of Maalik, and quickly found himself pinned down.

“Now this is more like it.” Maalik hissed. Dr. Urso looked up at him in fear. “It is nice when the criminals start to be a little more...cooperative. It makes things easier.” He put his face close to Urso’s. “Maybe I’ll be merciful and give you a quick death.”

“Dr. Urso!” Rudy cried. He looked over at to where Snap was. “Snap!”

“Please let them go!” Penny cried. “Don’t hurt them! Please!”

Maalik turned his attention to her. “Perhaps we will...if you give us a trade.” Rudy and Penny stared at him, horrified. Snap shook his head, pleading with Rudy and Penny not to do it. But their attention was on the menacing lion zoner, his gaze like a vice. “After all, our biggest goal is to get rid of creators...any zoner associated with them is just..secondary. You two...if you are willing to take their places, then sure, we’ll let them go.”

“Yeah, we will.” Dr. Raiden said in a cold voice. He retracted his metal claw and began to stroke the top of Snap’s head. The blue zoner shuddered at his touch. “So..what do you say? Their lives for yours...?”

Horror swept through the trio as they were given this ultimatum. Snap shook his head, shouting at Rudy and Penny not to go through with it. Dr. Raiden smacked him on the head and told him to be quiet. Urso tried to speak in protect, but his mouth was held shut by Maalik. The two feline zoners stared intently at Rudy and Penny, awaiting their decision.

The two humans looked at each other, and all around them, their eyes filled with fear and confusion. They took a while to reply. They looked as if they tried to figure a way out, but then Snap could practically see the hope shatter from their eyes. They had been boxed into a corner, and they knew it. They lowered their heads, submitting to the two cat zoners, much to the delight of the other Luminos and horror to Snap and Urso.

“Excellent..” Maalik said softly. “Let’s..get this over with...”

sss

Jenny watched as the light cannon’s power was getting more and more full as the seconds passed. Her arms were folded behind her back and she chuckled evilly. She couldn’t wait to get this thing fully operational. Although the light cannon could only be fired once before needed to recharge, Bardot’s red chalk half should provide enough juice to power it a tiny bit more often. At least until his red chalk half is used up, which wouldn’t take too long.

She could hear his screams of agony. They filled the room, echoing on the walls. It was like music to her ears. It told her the transfer was a success. Bardot was being drained of half of his body, in a sense. The red chalk made an excellent substitute. Yes, he was making a fine battery. And with his ‘help’, she was going to be able to use the cannon in a matter of a few moments.

But she couldn’t, not right now. She looked over and saw Tyreek and Ghadir working at the controls. They were punching in numbers and other data. She could hear the tapping of the keys. They were busy looking for their first target. Only when they had it all set up could she begin to fire the light cannon. This shouldn’t take too long, though. They were good at finding target locations. And though the power source provided by Bardot wasn’t even near half way, it was enough to fire a strong enough blast to where she wanted it to go. After they took care of a few targets, they could then concentrate on other things, such as finding the proper power supply for this weapon.

Anticipation filled every part of her body, making her fingers shake a little. Soon, so very soon, she would be able to use the light cannon again. As soon as the target was found...

“Found it.”

Jenny looked over. She could see Ghadir had lifted up her head and was staring in her direction. Jenny walked over to her slowly. She continued to walk over until she was a few feet away from the large woman. She stared at her intently, waiting for her to continue.

Ghadir elaborated. “We have located the target you wished for.”

“And we are locked on.” Tyreek said.

Jenny grinned at this. Excitement moved through her. She was unable to contain it and she let out a laughter. She walked over to the controls, standing next to Tyreek. She glanced down and stared at the monitor set not far from the man. Just like they said, there was a target locked on right now. She studied it to make sure it was the one she had been looking for.

The target was located in Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. She could see what looked like a cave shaped like a rhinoceras’s head. There were a few zoners gathered around it, some leaving, some entering. Thick vines concealed the entrance, making it look as though there was none. Jenny grinned evilly. This was where Rudy was. She knew that he and his two friends were there. And all or most of the Luminos were in this spot. A single location, making it easier to wipe them out. Rudy doesn’t need to be alive to be used by the black chalk...

Jenny noted the red circle plastered around the image. A target simple, indicating they were locked on. The light cannon was ready. She looked over at Ghadir and Tyreek. They looked at her, evil smiles of their own. They waited for her to say the word. The words that they had been wanting to hear since they arrived.

With a nasty smile on her face, Jenny closed her eyes and spoke a single command.

“Fire.”

Ghadir and Tyreek did not hesitate to press the large buttons next to them, making sure to time it so that both were pressed down in unison. The light cannon rumbled and Bardot’s screams increased in volume for a few seconds. Jenny grinned.

Outside, the pillars whirred to life and formed together, creating a single point. It pointed itself in one particular direction. Concentrated light energy gathered at the tip. There was a loud bang as the energy was released. A long piece of light shot into the air, thicker in the front and then trailing off at the end. It struck upwards to the sky, the clouds swirling around it as though it were trying to increase its own speed. It continued upwards until it finally arched down and rushed in that direction.

The beam of light continued on its way. The air around it sizzled, steam rising off the beam. It increased in speed as it headed off towards its intended target.

The Luminos Hideout.

sss

“There you see...? That wasn’t so bad now was it?” Maalik chuckled. He held onto Penny, keeping his arm looped around her neck and holding her close to him. “I promise I’ll make this quick, my dear...”

“Penny!” Rudy shouted. He couldn’t get too far as he was held back by Dr. Raiden. He winced as he felt a sharp claw against his throat. He glared up at hatefully at him. “You’re a monster...”

Dr. Raiden glared down at him. “Enough already. Be glad my friend is being...generous enough to give her the most painless death he can offer. If you don’t wish to suffer the very opposite of that...” He pressed his finger further against Rudy’s throat. “I would hold my tongue if I were you...”

Rudy glared at him and then looked over at Penny. He glanced over at Dr. Urso and Snap. They were both knocked out and laying prone on the ground. The two feline zoners promised they’d keep them alive if he and Penny surrendered. But Rudy had a feeling they were lying about that. Once they were gone, who was going to help those two? Rudy realized that surrendering had been a horrible idea, but he and Penny both panicked and weren’t thinking straight. Now they were paying the price for that.

He wanted to do something to help Penny. He wanted to break free and rush over. But he couldn’t get the cheetah zoner to let go. And Maalik was facing towards him. There was nothing he could do. Even if he broke free, Maalik could just speed up the process. His heart raced as he saw the lion zoner pin Penny against the ground. His mouth opened up and he was preparing to bite Penny’s skull. In a matter of seconds, Penny’s head would be ripped open. He took in a shuddering breath. What...what did she do to deserve this?

Maalik moved in even closer. Penny let out a few soft whimpers. Tears flowed from her eyes as she turned her head to the side. Maalik closed his mouth on her head. His sharp fangs pressed against her skull. She shut her eyes and waited for the blow. All Rudy could do was watch. He started to cry softly as he was forced to bear witness to the death of one of his best friends. This..this just wasn’t fair...

Suddenly a bunch of Luminos zoners rushed into the room.

“We have to get out of here!” One of them shouted.

“Run! Run for your lives!” Another cried.

At this, Rudy, Penny, Raiden, and Maalik, as well as the audience, all looked at these zoners in confusion. Something had them clearly frightened and shaken. Rudy felt his heart clench. Just..just what had caused these zoners to become so scared, they’d interrupt Maalik killing Penny? If it was that serious then... Oh no... What was going on...?

Maalik kept his grip on Penny. His facial expression changed to that of worry as he stared at his fellow Luminos. “What’s wrong? What is it?”

One of the zoners rushed over. They didn’t pay attention to Rudy or Penny, or even the unconscious zoners. He raised his hands into the air, as if to indicate the magnitude of the situation. “Light beam! Same one that destroyed your village! Heading this way!”

Maalik’s face paled. “Wh-What....?”

Rudy and Penny looked at each other in horror. The black chalk artists. They must have reactivated the Solar Pillars. And now they were going to...

There was no time to respond. Without warning, there was a crash, and then a rumble. The whole cave started to shake and wobble. Chunks of debris began to fall everywhere. Everyone started to scream as the quake got louder, throwing everyone aside, causing stalactites to fall everywhere. Then there was a flash of light that swept through, tearing apart the ground.

Rudy tried to keep his balance, but the ground’s shaking threw him to the side. His head hit hard against one of the fallen stalactites. His vision blurred as he slumped to the ground. He watched with a dazed expression as more pieces of the cave began to fall, hearing the zoners scream as they scrambled to get out of the way. He could hear crunching sounds, as if some of the Luminos zoners were crushed on the weight of some heavy rocks.

Then, unable to stay awake any longer, Rudy blacked out on the ground.

sss

From behind the thick shield she managed to draw up in the nick of time, Sophie watched in horror as the light beam tore through the rhino’s head. Her body shook, listening to the cracking of the rock. The light beam was bright, forcing her to look away. She had to shield her eyes to look over, and what she managed to see horrified her.

Mr. Longhorn and her mother stood behind her. They looked on in horror as the powerful light beam continued to rip through the rhino’s head, pumping its energy deep into the underground cave system. Mr. Longhorn’s eyes were wide in fear and he took a step back. He looked all around at the destruction going on right before his eyes. He took in a shuddering breath and gulped, whispering soft words indicating disbelief.

Tilly’s hands were to her mouth. Her eyes were wide, her pupils shrinking. She shook her head in disbelief, clearly not wanting to believe what she was seeing. She looked as though she wanted to rush out there, but Sophie knew her mom was too smart to do such a crazy thing. She knew running out there would risk her own death. Unable to do anything, all her mom could do was stand there and watch.

Some of the zoners in front of them were getting vaporized. Sophie couldn’t hide her tears as she watched them get burned alive by the light, their bodies turning to ash. The ground was torn up, dirt flying everywhere, deep holes being formed. Zoners lucky enough to escape the death heat found himselves knocked around, thrown into the ground, crushed by rock and debris. It was a horrific sight, but Sophie found it hard to turn herself away from it.

She could hear soft murmuring behind her. She looked back and was reminded that she, her mother, and Mr. Longhorn weren’t the only ones hiding behind the shield she drew. A few Luminos zoners, about five, had taken her offer of shelter and rushed over. They were huddled against each other, keeping behind the shield as the light beam continued to wreak its destruction upon the hideout they had once called home. Sophie could see them whimpering and crying, and she knew it wasn’t just fear, but also sorrow. She felt sympathy for them. She silently hoped they weren’t going to turn on her as soon as the danger had passed.

Sophie turned her attention back to the light beam. It soon vanished, having run out of energy. As it did so, it caused an explosion, and energy was swept in all directions. A gush of wind hit against the shield, nearly knocking right through it. Sophie stared at the cracks that formed, her body shaking at just how powerful that blast was. She and the others huddled closer to see what destruction the light beam had caused.

Smoke rose all around, obscuring their view for a bit. The smell of burning ground filled their nostrils, adding a strong sense of fear in the air around them. The smoke eventually cleared, and they all gasped in horror at what had happened. The rhino’s head was completely shattered, now nothing more but a pile of rocks on the ground. A few rocks rolled on the ground, sound of clanging and crumbling remaining the air for a few seconds as the remaining dust and smoke disappeared.

Sophie’s body trembled as she stared at the destroyed cave entrace. She took in a few breaths, tears forming in her eyes. No..no it couldn’t be... She shook her head in denial. She felt her mom put her hand on her shoulder. She looked up at her. Tilly looked down at her daughter, biting her lip nervously as tears flowed down her face. Sophie looked back at the destruction, her stomach twisting in knots.

Emotion swept through her body. Her body shook hard and she felt weak. She dropped down onto her knees. She started to cry. Rudy..Penny...Snap... No..they couldn’t be..no... She threw her head back and let out a loud mournful wail.

“No!”


	97. Do You Think This Is Fair, Raiden?

Darkness...

Pain...

Nothing but darkness and pain...

Then confusing sounds, an unusual smell...

Then finally, a bright light...

Rudy opened up his eyes. For a brief moment, he saw a flash of white light as his eyes adjusted. He wasn’t sure what it was, and at the moment, he didn’t care. His groggy, mugged up mind was slow to realize what happened. His blurry vision had a hard time telling what was around him, except for shapes and colors, and even they weren’t enough to tell him where he was.

He felt so sleepy for some reason, like he was taking a nap, but didn’t have time to sleep for long. He realized he was laying on something cold. Perhaps he passed out somewhere. This certainly didn’t sound or feel like his room. He couldn’t hear his parents anywhere. Maybe he went on a night on the town or something. Went to get something to drink and...no he wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t drink. That just wasn’t in his nature. So...what happened then?

Rudy rubbed his head and realized there was a sore spot on it. He winced and he gently felt around the area. A dull ach, a little sharp if he pressed too hard. He must have hit his head. Or someone else hit his head. This....this must be why he couldn’t remember what happened. He got hit in the head and.... Oh man, just what happened that would have resulted in a head injury? He looked around, trying to find any sort of clues.

His vision and his mind started to clear up. He started to get a good look at his surroundings. It was dark, with only a few lights still on. He could see a general shape of the room. A rocky sort of look, huge stones laying on the ground, some sharp points at the ceiling, some kind of large square-ish structure... Rudy realized he was in some kind of cave. But how did he get here? He looked around some more, noting all the details around him. Judging from the dust floating in the air, he guessed that this cave didn’t always look like this. It must have just recently happened...like it was attacked and...

Suddenly his eyes snapped open wide. Flashbacks moved through his head like film through a projector. He started to remember details of what happened up to this point. He remembered being held prisoner by the Luminos. He remembered his friends and himself being put into an arena, where the Luminos tried to kill them. Then Dr. Urso came...then there was a loud explosion and... Now this.

The explosion..the light beam... The Solar Pillars.. That...that had to be it. That had to be what happened. Jenny must have decided to target the Luminos. But how? When did they learn of their hideout? Who would have told them? Rudy rubbed his head a little more, looking around some more as his vision cleared up and he could see the details of the room better. He gasped in horror at what he saw.

Everywhere, he could see piles of rocks laying on the ground. Multiple piles, resulted from collapsed parts of the cave. The arena was totally shattered. The small room where the zoner controlling the weapons for the arena had fallen down. He winced when he saw a pool of blood in that pile of debris. The zoner obviously didn’t make it. He continued to look around, seeing more pile of rubble surrounding him. Many of them had blood or some part of a zoner sticking out. There were so many... Rudy came to the horrific realization that most of the Luminos in the room had been crushed to death.

The smell of death did hang strongly in the air, intermixing with the dust. The smell was horrible, causing Rudy to almost gag. He held onto his nose, his body shaking as the realization of so many zoners having died hit him. Even though it wasn’t his fault, he still felt some level of guilt. He was supposed to be the protector of ChalkZone, yet he wasn’t able to save these zoners from their fate. Then again, would they have let him help if he decided to? No, they’d just push him away.

Further examination of the room revealed that some did survive, thank goodness. He saw a couple of Luminos zoners on the ground. A few of them were unconscious. A couple were awake, looking around in confusion or horror. Others still were trying to wake up their fallen comrades. Rudy looked at them with an expression of sympathy. Despite what the Luminos did to him and his friends, he still couldn’t help but feel sorry as he watched the Luminos try to wake up their friends, seeing the look of sorrow and heartbreak on their faces. He had been in similar situations before, so he could understand how they feel.

Rudy could see his friends and Dr. Urso laying down on the ground a few feet away from him. Dr. Urso was still knocked out, but Penny and Snap were waking up now. They were leaning against a collapsed wall, rubbing their heads and looking around with puzzled expressions. Rudy stared at them for a few moments before he started to make his way over to them.

He winced as he started walking. His leg must have been hit by a piece of rock. It felt as though someone banged his leg a few times. The middle of his left shin hurt pretty badly, especially when he put his weight on it. This was definitely not good news. Just what he needed. Another injury. Now his walking was also impaired. He could only hope that nothing happens in the near future that he’d need to run away as fast as he could.

He soon made it over to his friends’ side. He stared down at them, looking at them with great concern. They still looked so confused, and judging from their expressions, they couldn’t tell who he was. He couldn’t blame them. Being knocked out suddenly would mess anyone up. Being careful, he reached over and gently touched Penny’s shoulder.

“Are you okay?” Rudy asked.

Penny looked so puzzled and confused. She stared at him as if he were talking gibberish. She let out a groan and looked around. Then, seconds later, she seemed to comprehend what Rudy was asking. She blinked a few times and stared up at him.

“I..I think so..” Penny let out a soft groan. “Where...where are we...?”

Rudy lowered himself onto his knee so he could be eye level with Penny. “We’re in the Luminos hideout. It was attacked. The room here collapsed all around us.”

Penny’s eyes widened at this. She looked as though a memory train just struck her in the face. She stared at Rudy for a few seconds before she looked around the room. It all seemed to come flooding back to her now. She looked more horrified as each second passed. She turned her head down towards the ground, as if trying to make herself realize this all really happened. She looked back at Rudy.

“Who attacked...?” Penny started to ask.

“I think it was Jenny.” Rudy replied, his eyes narrowing. “She must have activated the Solar Pillars. Nothing else can explain it. There’s no one else in ChalkZone I can imagine that would do something like this.” He was about to continue, but he heard another moan and he looked down at Snap. His expression softened. “How are you feeling, Snap?”

The blue and white zoner stared up at him. He blinked a few times and he shut his eyes tightly. He let out another groan and replied, “Like I got hit by a stream roller...” Snap rubbed his head and looked at his hand, as though he were expecting to see blood on it. He looked back at Rudy. “What happened here?”

“I think Jenny must have used the Solar Pillars to destroy this place.” Rudy replied solemnly. He turned his gaze away and glanced at the dead zoners around them, their bodies hidden under the rubble. “Most of the zoners here...didn’t make it.” He looked down at Snap, noting his look of horror. “I suppose we were just lucky we didn’t get hit.”

“Very lucky.” Penny added, nodding her head. “We were all knocked out. It a miracle none of us got buried under the rocks.” She paused and she looked at some of the zoners still alive. “They were lucky, as well.”

Rudy nodded his head in agreement. It really had been luck that they survived with no worse injuries. He knew they all had to have been hit at some point during the collapse. How else would Penny and Snap have been knocked out? But it was nothing short of a miracle that they were able to make it out relatively okay, with nothing but a few extra bruises and maybe a cut or two.

He stared down at Penny’s leg. He hoped that the collapse didn’t cause additional damage to her leg. She was going to have a hard enough time walking as it was. She didn’t need more damage to her leg. He bit his lip as he thought about the horrible treatment Penny’s right leg had gotten. And it all started when those black chalk artists nearly broke her leg when all of this mess had started.

He glanced down at Snap, his eyes glued on his leg. Snap did not suffer as much continued damage as Penny did, but what did happen to him was rather gruesome. The blood stain on his knee made Rudy wince and shudder. That must be causing him such horrific pain. The wound looked a little worse than he remembered it, and he noted the injury had torn open, leaving it exposed to the elements.

He wished he had magic chalk with him. If he did, he could use it to draw something for Penny and Snap, and himself, too. He could draw some form of transportation to help them get around to accomodate for their damaged legs. He could draw them away to get out of there. If the Luminos allowed him, he’d draw something to help them get out, too. Despite what they’ve done, he couldn’t just leave them here to die. He’d help them get out as well.

Rudy heard the sound of heavy panting. He knew it wasn’t from his friends, and Urso was still knocked out. He turned his head and, looking between two of the largest piles of rubble, he could see a zoner there. At first, Rudy couldn’t tell who it was due to the poor lighting of the room. But he soon recognized who it was: Maalik.

The lion zoner was on his stomach. He pushed himself up, supporting himself on his hands. His eyes were wide open in shock and horror. His mouth was opened slightly as he looked around. His breathing was so heavy that it shook his body a little. His head turned from side to side as he surveyed his surroundings. His expression had a tinge of disbelief, and the longer he looked around, the wider his eyes got.

“No...no...It can’t be...” Maalik said softly. His mouth opened wider as horror started to settle in. “It couldn’t have happened again.. No...” A few tears filled in his eyes. He clutched his head tightly, shutting his eyes and letting out a soft whimper. “Not again..no...”

Rudy stared at him, feeling a pang in his chest. He was still angry at Maalik for what he did, but he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He had lost most of his village to the Solar Pillars long ago, if he remembered right. Now history had repeated, and now he not only lost his home again, but also most of his people. This must be one scary deja vu experience for the lion zoner.

Maalik continued to look around the room, his eyes wide in desperation as if he didn’t want to believe this had happened. The lion zoner struggled up to his feet. He took a few steps forward, staggering a little. He moved slowly through the damaged room, his eyes darting around as he took in the horrific sights all around him. He looked so scared and frightened. For a moment, Rudy almost forgot that Maalik was a dangerous enemy zoner.

There was a pitter patter of footsteps, and soon Rudy could see Dr. Raiden coming up. The cheetah zoner looked a little more beaten than Maalik. He could see a bit of blood come from his mouth, probably from his face smashing into the ground a little too hard. The cheetah zoner looked just as horrified. His eyes looked around the room, that look of disbelief plastered over his muzzle. His body was shaking a little with emotion. He didn’t shed a tear, as though he was in too much shock to do so.

Dr. Raiden then turned his attention to Maalik. His horrified expression gave way to sympathy. He moved closer to Maalik, moving in a slow but graceful way. He reached out and put a hand on Maalik’s shoulder. The lion zoner shuddered, surprised. He looked over and when he saw Dr. Raiden, Rudy could see a flicker of happiness in the lion zoner’s eyes. That flicker only lasted for a second, and Maalik put an arm around the cheetah zoner. He pulled him into a half hug, expressing relief that he was okay. Dr. Raiden gave him a quick nuzzle as a way of reassuring him.

Rudy and his friends watched this scene play out. If those two weren’t their enemies, they would think that display to be somewhat heartwarming. It was clear that those two really did care about each other. In a way, they reminded them of themselves. Raiden and Maalik are there for each other in much teh same way as they are with themselves. They just wished that they could use that friendship and teamwork for something beneficial, instead of helping each other try to slaughter the innocent...

Maalik spoke up again. “I can’t believe this happened... Why did this have to happen again? How....?”

“It’s okay, Maalik. Not everyone is gone. You still have me.” Dr. Raiden said, smiling as best as he could. “And you still have them.” He motioned his paw to indicate the few survivors still remaining. “You aren’t alone in this.”

“I know.” Maalik said. It was clear he was trying to be happy, but he just couldn’t bring himself to. He took in a quick, shuddering breath. “I just...wish I... Reliving this...it’s..” His voice trailed off as he shut his eyes and shed a few tears.

Raiden looked at him sympathetically. He gently squeezed Maalik’s shoulder. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault...”

“I know...” Maalik said in a soft voice. He shut his eyes for a moment as he leaned against Raiden for comfort. His eyes opened up and Rudy shuddered when they locked onto him. “...you...” Maalik moved away from Raiden. The cheetah zoner watched him in confusion as he moved away from him. “How dare you...”

Raiden seemed to realize who Maalik was talking to. In an instant, any sorrow on his face was gone, replaced with anger. He joined Maalik as they slowly approached the injured trio. Their pupils shrank and their eyes blazed in anger. Rudy shuddered. They...they couldn’t possibly blame him and his friends for this, could they? As he looked into their eyes, anger radiating off of them, he knew the answer was a ‘yes’.

“How fucking dare you..” Maalik snarled, extending his claws from his fingers. He pointed an accusing finger at the trio. “You just can’t be satisfied with your destruction...can you?”

“What are you talking about?” Snap asked, holding his hands up in confusion. “We haven’t done anything! We were the whole time!”

“Yeah, how can you blame us for this?” Penny said, tilting her head. “We didn’t even have any magic chalk with us. And even if we did draw something, you would have taken it from us. We couldn’t have done anything to cause this!”

“Oh stop denying it, would you?! We know you set things up to have this place attacked! You must have gone to the Solar Pillars and scheduled it to target this place!” Dr. Raiden shouted, the fur on the back of his neck raised on end. “We know how you creators work! We know that’s exactly what you did!”

Rudy narrowed his eyes at the two feline zoners. How dare they accuse them like that... Hea nd his friends would never do something that horrible. They would never try to set up such an horrific even like this. These two were jumping to conclusions way too fast, and they were accusing them of something they didn’t do. It was sickening...

It wasn’t his fault, or his friends’ fault, this had happened. How were they to know Jenny was at the Solar Pillars? How were they to know that Jenny would target this place? How could they have been prepared? At what point would they even had time to communicate to Jenny or get to the Solar Pillars? They had been too busy either running away from the Luminos or being stuck in an alternate dimension. They literally had no free time to go to the Solar Pillars to activate anything. Even before the Luminos, there were the black chalk artists that stirred up trouble. Even then, they were more worried about that than trying to work the Solar Pillars, which Rudy wanted no part of anyway.

Raiden and Maalik’s hatred for humans was most prominent here. In spite of the destruction around them, instead of helping their fellow zoners, they were sitting here accusing them of causing this mess. They didn’t care that they were injured and had been captured by them. They were still willing to believe that this was somehow part of their grand plan of...whatever it is they think they were doing. They were insane, and their attitude was not going to do their remaining members any favors.

“Hey! Knock it off!” Rudy took a step forward, his eyes narrowed into slits. His blood boiled as he glared at the two feline zoners. Anger burned through his stomach. “This isn’t our fault and you know it! In case you hadn’t noticed, we hadn’t exactly been having a blast here lately! We had to deal with not one, not two, but three black chalk users who wanted us, especially me, dead! We had to endure two, count it, two, alternate dimensions, both we were lucky to have survived! We were captured by you and then put into an arena where we literally had to fight for our lives!”

Rudy took a few more steps towards Maalik and Raiden. The two zoners glared at him, taking a step back. They tensed up, as if they thought Rudy was going to lunge at them at any moment. Rudy’s body trembled as anger swept through it. He paused for a moment, grinding his teeth. Penny and Snap looked at him with concern. If they said anything, he didn’t hear it; instead he focused on the two zoners in front of him as he continued his rant.

“And you two still think, in spite of all that, we were somehow involved in this?! How fucking dare you... Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised! You all thought that Penny was trying to hurt you before, what with the lasers and then the saw... Well guess what, you idiots?! She, just like the rest of us, was just trying to defend herself and her friends! If you didn’t want something like that to happen, you shouldn’t have set up this dumb arena in the first place! You could have just listened to reason instead of living in your own fantasy world! If you had spent more time trying to fight against the black chalk artists instead of hunting me and my friends down when we did nothing to you, maybe this wouldn’t have happened!”

“Why you little...” Maalik started to say.

Rudy didn’t let him continue. Ignoring the glares he got from the two felines, he went on to say, “You accused us of being mosters..you kept saying how we are a threat to ChalkZone..and how we need to be stopped..” His voice was soft at first. As he continued, it increased in volume once more. He took another step forward, his fists shaking at his sides. “You act as though we gathered up innocents and tortured them to death.. Well guess what?! We didn’t do that!” He pointed at the two felines. “You did! You were the ones who tried to kill me and my friends in cold blood! You were the ones who messed with our heads just to hurt us! And for no fucking reason! You are acting like the monsters you claim to fight against!”

Rudy took in a few shaky breaths. Maalik and Raiden looked very angry at this point. Their eyes practically glowed and their sharp teeth were bared at him. But Rudy didn’t back down. His friends and the other Luminos looked shocked by his show of courage in front of the two menacing zoners. He stood a foot in front of them now, staring at them in the eyes. He showed no signs of backing down.

“And yet..here you are... Threatening and trying to kill the innocent... Just like how you claim that we are doing. We didn’t blow up that hospital... That was you. Any zoner that died there? It’s your fault they are dead.” Rudy said, his teeth clenched. “You cannot say that’s our fault. You were the one who decided to do that. Their deaths are on your heads...” He narrowed his eyes further. “And you still dare to say that we are the real threat here? Well if that’s what you honestly thing...” He stepped forward. “...screw you.”

Rudy could feel a stunned silence all around him. The surviving Luminos were talking among each other, looking shocked and confused by the way Rudy was talking to their leader. Penny and Snap gave each other nervous glances before looking back at Rudy. Everyone, friend and enemy alike, were taken aback by just how brave Rudy was behaving. He was standing within striking distance of Maalik and Raiden and pretty much talked back at them without so much as flinching. He knew this was a bad idea. He knew he should move back now. But he felt like he had to give them a stern talking to. They needed to open their eyes to the truth, and the sooner, the better.

But would they ever listen to reason? Rudy wasn’t sure. From the looks of it, his words did affect them, but not in the way he would have liked. It didn’t seem as though they were reevaluating their predicament. They weren’t rethinking their actions and having any kind of realization hit them. They were instead just angry, furious at what he said. They looked offended, like he had said some great insult to them. He was simply speaking the truth; they really were going too far with this and they were acting so hypocritical. Why couldn’t they see?

Rudy knew the possibility of them understanding was remote. They were too far gone in their fantasy world. They would probably continue to believe that all creators were evil and that nothing they were doing was wrong. They were failing to realize just how awful they were acting, and if they did start to realize it, they would ignore it. They were....

He didn’t get a chance to finish his thoughts. Raiden had lunged towards him and pushed against him. Rudy let out a cry as he was knocked into the ground. Raiden gripped his arms tightly and snarled down at him. Rudy’s previous anger disappeared, replaced by fear. He realized too late why it was a mistake to be so close to these two when he was talking them down.

“Rudy!” Penny cried.

“We’re coming, Bucko!” Snap shouted.

The two didn’t get too far. Maalik, with a loud roar, charged towards them and stood in front of them. He gave them a warning glare, his stare piercing into them. “Do not take another step closer...Or I will rip your heads off...” Maalik warned them.

Penny and Snap huddled close together and looked up at the angr lion in fear. They took in a few shuddering breaths before turning their heads towards Rudy. They watched, concern etched on their faces, as Rudy struggled on the ground. Raiden tightened his grip, his claws digging into the boy’s arms. He let out a cry of pain, prompting Penny and Snap to try to get over to him. But an attempted bite from Maalik stopped them.

The surviving Luminos took a few steps closer. They kept their distance, watching the scene unfold. Some looked happy that Raiden was attacking Rudy, but most of the surviving zoners seemed confused and uncertain. It was as though they weren’t sure fighting Rudy was the best idea in their current situation. So it did appear that at least some of the Luminos had some sense of rationality still in them.

“You little fucker....!” Raiden snarled. His tail wriggled wildly in agitation. “How fucking dare you say such things! You hypocritical monsters!”

Rudy tried to push Raiden away. He kicked his legs against the ground. He gritted his teeth as he struggled to get free. “You’re...wrong...! It’s you..who is...the hypocrite...!” He was able to push Raiden a little back, but he was still trapped on the ground. “I wasn’t the...one who...lied to my friend..about death... You are...so sick..Dr. Raiden...”

Dr. Raiden’s eyes widened for a second. He growled lowly. “Oh you mean when I told Snap that I killed his friends? The little traitor deserved to feel some heartbreak! I was just teaching him a lesson!” A dark smile spread across his face. “It’s not my fault he was too stupid to realize I was lying.. He brought it on himself...”

Rudy growled at this. He wanted to punch Dr. Raiden so badly..the only thing holding him back was the fact that the Luminos would use it as an excuse to keep trying to hurt them. “What you did was sick and wrong! You should be fucking ashamed of yourself!”

“And you should have stayed out of ChalkZone, you filthy creator...” Dr. Raiden snarled. He lifted up his left paw, his claws fully extended. Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. Raiden bared his teeth in an evil grin, his eyes flashing a bit of insanity. “Rest in pieces, oh ‘Great Creator!’”

Suddenly, there was a loud crack in the ground. Something underneath them was breaking. The two froze. They stared at each other as their eyes widened in shock and realization. They looked down as several cracks spread out across the ground underneath them. Everyone around them looked surprised. Before anyone could react, there was a loud break and the ground had given way completely. Having only a split second to spare a glance to each other, the ground beneath the two shattered, and they fell.

Rudy and Raiden let out screams as they plummeted into what seemed like a dark abyss below. They crashed into several ledges, bouncing off of them, crashing into each other, and soon they were covered with more scrapes and bruises than before. Raiden’s tail, already damaged, snapped again, this time at the tip. The cheetah let out a screech of pain. Rudy’s shoulder slammed against a rock and he howled in pain, feeling his shoulder nearly break from that. The two continued to fall for several seconds.

Soon they landed on the bottom. The cold hard ground was unforgiving as they slammed against it. They laid there in a heap for a few moments. Dust kicked up from when they landed. They coughed and gagged as they tried to breathe. Slowly, they pushed themselves up on their hands. They looked at each other, taking in a few breaths as realization of what happened dawned on them. They craned their heads up, seeing just how far they had fallen. Gathered around were Penny, Snap, Maalik, and the other Luminos.

Rudy could hear them calling out to them, asking if they were okay. But though he wanted to respond, he found himself unable to. The smoke and dust all around them made it hard for either of them to speak. Any time they tried, they’d just cough more. The Luminos and his friends seemed to understand that and went silent. Then they disappeared from the ledge. Rudy hoped it was to discuss how to get them out. He hoped that they weren’t going to fight up there. That was the last time they needed right now.

The hole he and Dr. Raiden fell in was pretty deep. The edges were jagged with a lot of footholds. They could probably climb out, but the footholds were not close enough and many looked like they could crumble at any moment. As if on cue, one of them did, producing pebbles that rained down the side of the hole. There wasn’t much space here either. There was enough for them to stand and manuever themselves around, but they could not get more than five feet away from each other.

Being this close to Dr. Raiden made Rudy feel nervous. He knew what the cheetah zoner was capable of, and without magic chalk, he was vulnerable to him. At any moment, Dr. Raiden could attack him. That metal claw of his was going to be downright impossible to keep avoiding when there’s so little space to move around. Even if he didn’t use that metal claw, his teeth were still sharp and he could try to suffocate him like he almost did before, or rip out his throat. He was always within striking distance down here...

“You dirt little human... Look at what you’ve done!” Dr. Raiden snarled at him.

“What?!” Rudy cried in disbelief. “You can’t pin all of this on me! You were the one who slammed me into the ground!”

“Because you were spewing blasphemy about my people! You deserved to get attacked!” Raiden shouted, standing on two legs and walking over to Rudy. After he forced the teenager to put his back to the wall, Raiden hunched over and glared at him in the eyes. “If you hadn’t spoken such nonsense, then this wouldn’t have happened!”

Rudy narrowed his eyes. “You can’t be serious!”

“Oh I am dead serious!” Dr. Raiden replied, his sharp teeth flashing in what little light there was. He grabbed onto Rudy’s shoulder and pushed against him. “This is all your fault, you little brat! If you would have just...”

Rudy slapped Raiden’s paw away and wriggled his way from the wall. He took a few steps away, forming a fist with one hand. “Oh shut up, will you?!” He lifted up his free hand and, keeping it flat, cut through the air in gesture as his eyes filled with anger. “I’m sick of your victim blaming, Dr. Raiden! Or should I even call you a doctor? The way you act, I am amazed you can even keep your doctor title! You certainly don’t deserve it!”

Raiden’s lips curled upwards and he let out a low growl. “Why you little...” He stalked over to Rudy, his fur raised as his pupils shrank. “I helped to save countless lives in the past!”

“Hah!” Rudy scoffed. “You could have fooled me!”

“Listen, you little runt...!” Dr. Raiden raised his metal finger and pointed it in Rudy’s direction. “Don’t you dare fucking test me... You have no idea what I’ve been through! You don’t know any of my accomplishments! Don’t you dare try to judge me, you little monster!”

Rudy narrowed his eyes. How ironic... Raiden, the same zoner who used hypocrocisy to justify his own actions, was telling him not to judge him. Raiden was the one who jumped to conclusions about him and other creators. He was the one passing judgement on him without even getting to know him. How dare he...

“You are such a hypocrite, Dr. Raiden! You say I shouldn’t judge you, that I shouldn’t jump to conclusions about what you can and can’t do...but you do the same thing to me! How is it fair that you get to tell me what I am and what I’d do, but if I try to point out your hypocrisy, I’m wrong?!” Rudy snapped at him. “What gives you the right, huh?! What fucking gives you the right?!”

Rudy didn’t mean to yell like that. He didn’t mean to be so pushy. But he was so angry with Dr. Raiden. Fury boiled through his blood as he thought about how hypocritical he was being. Dr. Raiden was never going to admit fault. He would keep pushing blame onto him. He would keep acting as though he was totally justified in what he was doing. And he was certain he would come up with whatever excuse he could to keep acting the way he was. It was truly disgusting.

Dr. Raiden snarled and slapped Rudy across the face. The boy yelped as he felt the claws cut across his face. He fell into the ground onto his back. He sat up, holding himself with his hands, and looked up at Dr. Raiden. The cheetah zoner glared daggers down at him, his body shaking in fury. His left paw was raised, indicating that was what he struck him with. Slowly he lowered it as he took a step towards Rudy.

“You will never understand.. Then again, you are a creator, so why would you understand?” Dr. Raiden said in a soft voice, laced with venom. Rudy just glared at him, waiting to see if he would spew out anymore nonsense. “I was captured by Mr. Cosmo, and I was tortured beyond belief... Though it was not that long, I still remember the pain. I still remember what he had put me through...” He closed his eyes tightly and his body shivered. Rudy could detect a little bit of fear and he guessed he was having brief flashbacks. “It was the most horrible experience I ever been through... He never put a mind control device on me... He broke me, abused me to control me...”

Rudy’s eyes widened a little at this. Dr. Raiden was one of the zoners in Cosmo’s hideout? He thought he heard something about that before. But there were so many zoners there, he could hardly remember all that were captured. He remembered Blocky being one of them. He was surprised to learn that Dr. Raiden wasn’t mind controlled like the others. Perhaps Cosmo wanted to toy with him instead, all just for fun. Considering how cruel Cosmo was, he wouldn’t put it past him.

“And I vowed to myself..I would never let something like that happen again. Not to me...or anyone I cared about... I lost so many friends to that horrid light beam.. and Mr. Cosmo was not above killing a few zoners while he was there.” Dr. Raiden opened up his eyes. He moved a little closer to Rudy. He narrowed his eyes into slits. “When Maalik said he was going to create a new group dedicated to ChalkZone’s freedom...Luminos... I was on board. I wanted to make up for my inability to save my other friends. I wanted to make sure that nothing like what happened to me happened to anyone else.”

“And yet you decided to threaten humans and zoners who hadn’t done a damn thing to you.” Rudy pointed out.

“We had no choice! We...we didn’t know who to trust! The enemy....the enemy isn’t always so distinguishable!” Dr. Raiden shouted at him. “They can be anywhere! We..we had to be sure.. We couldn’t allow any allies of creators to get away because..if we did that...they could call for backup and...”

“And you being ridiculous, Dr. Raiden?” Rudy cocked an eyebrow. “If Penny and I wanted to hurt ChalkZone, we have done so already. But we spent whatever time we can protecting it. If it weren’t for us, so many bad things would have happened to ChalkZone. It sickens me how you only look at the bad in a creator...but you never bother trying to find the good. You push all that aside, and only thing about what could happen, instead of questioning if it would happen. You say I can’t judge you, but you can’t judge me, because you don’t know me that well if you think I would betray ChalkZone.”

Rudy paused for a moment. He stared at Dr. Raiden. The frown on the boy’s face was a little softer now. Dr. Raiden’s eyes were still narrowed, though he could see a flash of curiosity in his eyes, like he wanted him to continue. And so he did.

“You hurt my friend, Snap, and for what? Being a ‘traitor’? Well let me tell you something, Dr. Raiden. Snap is one of the most dedicated zoners I know. He has risked his neck countless times to protect ChalkZone. I know he would rather die than give away any crucial information that could put it in jeopardy. He is the last zoner I know how would willingly do anything to hurt ChalkZone. And you accuse him of being in this grand scheme to take down zoners? That’s disgusting!”

Raiden stared at him for a moment. He then said, “I couldn’t allow the pain I felt while being controlled by Mr. Cosmo to spread to anyone else! I..”

Rudy cut him off. “Your past is not an excuse to justify how you act now, Dr. Raiden!”

Dr. Raiden glared at him. “Dr. Urso said the same thing to me...”

“Well good! He’s right!” Rudy got up to his feet and took a few steps back. “I understand you had not such a good time. I can sympathize with that. But to use your past as a way to justify your own cruel actions...that’s deplorable! We did nothing to deserve what you gave us! You were the one who decided to blow up that hospital! You were the one who decided to build a deadly arena to try to kill me and my friends! Any time we hurt you was in self defense! We were trying to stay alive because you were hurting us! How the fuck do you think we should react to that?! Just roll over?!”

Dr. Raiden’s eyes widened a little at this. They narrowed, but the shock was still there. The cheetah took a step back. He opened up his mouth to speak. “W-Well I...” But no words would come out, and Rudy knew he had boxed Dr. Raiden into a corner with that question. The cheetah zoner had no response.

Rudy said, “You say you want to make sure that no one else in ChalkZone suffers from the fate your friends were given. But tell me something...” He leaned forward a little. He stared intently into Dr. Raiden’s eyes. Then he asked the piercing question. “Would they be proud of what you’re doing? Would they feel honored that you are using their deaths as an excuse to cause more pain, under the guise of ‘keeping ChalkZone safe’...?” Rudy paused for a moment. He tilted his head. “Tell me, Dr. Raiden... would they...?”

Dr. Raiden stammered, “I-I...”

“Think back to your actions, Dr. Raiden. When you threatened me...my friends... Didn’t it remind you of something? Think really hard, Dr. Raiden...” Rudy said in a low voice. “And tell me... how are your actions any different from Mr. Cosmo’s? Would your friends look at your actions and think you were being a hero? Or...” He narrowed his eyes a little more. “Would they see you as no different...?”

The cheetah zoner stood there for several moments. He looked left and right. He tried to speak, but no words would come out. His expression was that of confusion at first. But then, as he searched through his thoughts, his eyes slowly widened, like realization hit him. Then horror came onto his face. He turned his gaze back to Rudy. They held that stare for several seconds, eyes locked onto each other.

“I...”

He didn’t get a chance to continue. In that momet, something long and heavy fell down towards them. The snap of the object startled them, causing them to jump back. They turned around and stared at what it was. A rope. A thick and sturdy one. The two looked up towards where they fell in from and they could see the Luminos gathered around.

“Grab onto the rope!” One of them cried. “We’ll hold the rope still!”

Rudy wasn’t sure if they meant for him to use the rope, but he wasn’t going to sit here. He looked over at Dr. Raiden and made a motion with his head. He was going to allow Raiden to go first. Raiden stared at him in confusion, then walked over to the rope. He grabbed onto it tightly and began to climb up. Rudy followed close behind.

Scaling up the side was not easy. Despite the side not being entirely smooth, it was really hard to find a good grip, making it easy for his feet to slip and slide. He nearly fell over a few times. The only thing that kept him from falling all the way was hanging onto the rope. He hung on and continued to move up as best as he could. Dr. Raiden was getting far up ahead of him. With those claws on his feet, the cheetah was moving up like a pro, leaving Rudy in his dust, so to speak.

But Rudy kept on climbing. Despite having trouble, he was going up at a considerable pace. He was getting closer to the top now. He could only hope that the Luminos at least allow him to get out of the hole instead of trying to push him back down. Soon he reached the top, putting his arm over the ledge and hanging on. He looked around, seeing the Luminos staring at him. Then he saw Maalik and he shuddered from his glare. Dr. Raiden wasn’t standing far from him.

Suddenly, the rope snapped. Rudy realized the edge of the hole was very sharp, and him and Raiden climbing on it must have caused it to cut along the edge. He let out a scream as he plummeted back down.

“Rudy!” Penny and Snap cried, before Maalik jumped in front of them.

Rudy grabbed into a foothold. It was a little weak and wobbly, but held him up pretty well so long as he didn’t struggle too much. He hung there, holding on for dear life. He had no idea if he could survive a second fall. He looked up and he could see Dr. Raiden and some other Luminos staring down at him. Raiden’s eyes were narrowed, and Rudy wondered if his words had any impact on him at all.

“Do it, Raiden! Finish him off!” Maalik cried, holding a fist in the air. “Do what’s good for ChalkZone! Throw him down there!”

“Yes, do it!” One Luminos zoner said. “We’ll finally be rid of the Great Creator!”

“This will be fun to watch!” Another shouted.

“No! Please don’t do it!” Penny cried. “Please...don’t...”

“Shut up, filthy human!” Maalik growled, putting his face close to hers. “You and the traitorous zoner there will get what’s coming to you. Don’t you worry.” An evil smile spread across his face. “You will all share the same fate. Death...” Penny and Snap’s eyes widened in horror. Maalik turned his head to Raiden. “Show Rudy what happens when you mess with the Luminos! Throw him back down!”

Dr. Raiden stood there for several seconds. He glared down at Rudy. The two locked eyes with each other. Rudy gritted his teeth, staring up him in fear. If Raiden did knock him down, he probably wouldn’t survive the fall, or he would be more severely injured. He shut his eyes and lowered his head, waiting for the final blow. What else could he do? It wasn’t like Raiden was going to listen to reason.

Then, the cheetah spoke. And what he said silenced the whole room. It was something so completely unexpected, even Maalik was taken aback by it.

“No...”

Rudy opened up his eyes. He turned up to the cheetah. Did...did he just say ‘no’? Did Raiden really just disagree with something that Maalik told him to do? That was..inconceiveable. Raiden never acted like this before. He wondered if....was it possible that Raiden had finally seen through his own little lies? It seemed impossible, but..what if it was true? He stared at the cheetah in shock, noting the zoner’s somewhat softer expression.

Maalik took in a few quick breaths. “Wh-What do you mean ‘no’? Hurry up! Finish him! Don’t you want to do what’s right for ChalkZone?!” Dr. Raiden nodded his head. “Then why don’t you kill him?! Kill the boy before he has time to formulate another attack!”

“Because...that isn’t what would be right..” Dr. Raiden moved towards the edge of the hole. He stared down at Rudy, then he dropped down onto his knees. He looked over at Maalik, giving him a stern look. “This...is for the good of ChalkZone!” With that, Dr. Raiden did something that nobody expected him to do.

Dr. Raiden lowered himself further. He reached down with his left arm. He opened his paw, extending it as far down as he could towards Rudy. The boy was confused and unsure of what to think of this gesture. As the ledge started to cumble, he quickly grabbed onto the cheetah’s hand with his right. Dr. Raiden held onto him tightly, letting him dangle there for a few seconds before he reached down with his other hand and grabbing onto Rudy’s right arm to get more support.

With a single hard yank, Dr. Raiden pulled Rudy out from the hole and back onto the ground above. He released him, letting the boy drop on the ground. Rudy looked up at Dr. Raiden in shock. Maalik was just as surprised, and so were the other Luminos, Penny, and Snap. Silence fell upon the room as everyone tried to wrap their heads around what happened. This...was clearly not the way they expected things to go. Life is..definitely full of surprises.


	98. Opening Eyes To The Truth

Maalik stood there in silence, his eyes wide in shock. The other Luminos surrounding him looked just as surprised. A few of them tried to open their mouths to speak, but no words would come out. They were all stunned to silence.

“R-R-Raiden... How...” Maalik stammered. His body shook with emotion. “How can you do this...? Why...?”

Raiden didn’t reply. He remained where he was. His tail swished back and forth at the base, bent in the areas where the bone was broken. His expression was calm, almost blank. He hadn’t made an attempt to move towards Rudy, even though he was within perfect striking distance. The cheetah continued to stare at the lion zoner, his eyes holding a stern, somewhat hard gaze with him.

Maalik looked like he was at a loss of words. Penny found it hard to look away. She had never seen Maalik look this flustered before. Then again, she hadn’t really known him that long, having just met him today. Still it was different than how she had known him before, with that cold expression and calculating smile.

Maalik looked down at where Rudy was. The eighteen year old boy was on the ground, his head tilted upwards as he stared at Raiden. It was clear from his expression that he had not expected Raiden to help him. None of them expected it really. After all the time he spent trying to hurt them, kill them, and just plain being a creepazoid, him doing something actually beneficial came as a genuine shock to everyone. Even Raiden himself looked a little surprised at what he had done.

The lion zoner’s eyes narrowed, hardening like ice as he kept his glare on the boy. Maalik formed a fist with his hand. He took a step forward and pointed a finger straight at Rudy. “It was you...! Wasn’t it?! You did this!”

Without warning, Maalik rushed forward. He moved faster than anyone expected, and before there could be a reaction, Maalik had grabbed onto Rudy and shoved him against a stone wall. Rudy let out a loud grunt of pain, Maalik’s paw firmly wrapped around his shirt, keeping him pressed against the rocky surface. His left eye was shut in pain while his right was barely open. He stared down at Maalik as his teeth were gritted in fear.

“Rudy!” Penny cried. She attempted to move forward, but a couple of the Luminos held her and Snap back. They were unable to do anything except watch what was going on. They looked at each other in horror and then looked back at Maalik and Rudy.

Maalik pressed Rudy as hard as he could against the wall. Penny wished she could do something to help, but she and Snap were being held back by a couple of the surviving Luminos. Rudy looked absolutely terrified. He was trying to get himself free, but the lion zoner was a lot stronger than he was. Rudy could attempt to kick Maalik, but Penny knew that might end up in disaster, especially with the lion’s jaws that close to him...

Maalik shouted at Rudy, “This is all your fault! You poisoned my friend!” He raised his paw in the air. “I’ll get you for this!”

“I didn’t do anything to him! You’re making a wild accusation!” Rudy cried. He turned his head to the side when Maalik snarled in his face. “Please...I didn’t do anything! Why don’t you listen to reason for once in your life and...” Rudy gagged when Maalik grabbed his throat with his other paw and squeezed it tightly.

“Shut up, you little worm!” Maalik snarled in his face. He extended his claws and Rudy helped when he felt the claws stick into his neck. “I’m going to rip out your throat for your crime, human!”

With that, he began to tighten his grip more. Rudy’s eyes went wide as a little bit of blood started to form. Penny and Snap gasped in horror and cried out Rudy’s name. They attempted to struggle to get free. The Luminos tightened their grip, preventing them from escaping. The two were forced to watch as Maalik prepared to shred their friend’s neck. Their body shook with emotion as they watched, eyes wide in horror. Penny couldn’t believe how accusatory Maalik was being. He didn’t even consider the chance that Dr. Raiden chose to save Rudy on his own; he was so deluded about all creators being evil that it escaped his mind that a zoner could sometimes want to help a creator and not be brainwashed.

Penny’s heart pounded as she watched Maalik dig his claws in deeper. Only seconds passed, but it felt so much longer than that. It was as though time everywhere had slowed down and seconds felt like minutes. She felt her mind race as she tried to think of what to do. There had to be a way to help Rudy. But there was so little time. Would she even be able to help Rudy before Maalik would....?

She got her answer rather quickly. She and Snap were taken from their thoughts when someone took action. It wasn’t Dr. Urso; he was still unconscious. Instead, it was Dr. Raiden. To everyone’s surprise, Raiden rushed over to were Maalik was and grabbed onto his arm. Maalik stared at the cheetah in shock, his expression reading a strong ‘why are you doing this?’ to Raiden. Maalik could not comprehend why Raiden was doing this.

“That’s enough, Maalik!” Dr. Raiden shouted. He pushed up against Maalik. “Let him go!”

“No! Don’t you see? He’s poison! He’s damaged you! And I will avenge you!” Maalik shouted back, his eyes wide with emotion. He wriggled against the cheetah’s grasp and started to push him back. “Let me go, Dr. Raiden! I don’t want to hurt you!”

“And I don’t want to hurt you either.” Raiden replied.

Maalik said, “Then let me go and I will do what’s right for ChalkZone...if you won’t do it yourself.”

Dr. Raiden narrowed his eyes. He gripped onto Maalik tighter, his claws digging a little into the lion’s arm. He pushed against the lion zoner harder, using so much unexpected force that Maalik couldn’t fight back. The cheetah zoner managed to get Maalik off of Rudy, sending the zoner staggering backwards. Maalik stared at Raiden in shock, his mouth dropping open. Dr. Raiden stared at him with narrowed eyes, but there was a look of regret in them, clearly showing he did not want to fight his best friend. The two stared at each other for several seconds.

The other Luminos looked startled by this. Even those that were still enthusiastic about killing Rudy before were left in awe and shock about what was going on. They started to move in a little closer. They still kept their distance, but curiosity was getting the better of them. Penny wondered if they ever had something like this happen before. It didn’t seem like they did. And especially not between Raiden and Maalik, that’s for sure.

Even the Luminos that were holding them had released them to get closer. Snap attempted to rush forward after he was released, but Penny put an arm across him, preventing him from going much further. When he looked at her with a shocked expression, she put a finger to her mouth to silence him.

“We can’t rush into this, Snap.” Penny whispered in a low voice. “One wrong move and we could all get killed. We need to be quiet and careful, okay?”

Snap stared at her, then nodded his head. “Okay, Buckette...”

Penny knew Snap understood she was right. They couldn’t just rush over and grab Rudy. That could end in distaster. Even if Raiden was trying to prevent Maalik from hurting Rudy, there were still other zoners here who may or would want to attack him, not just Maalik. If they moved too quickly, they could prompt one of them act faster and attack Rudy before Raiden could do anything to stop it.

Instead, she and Snap had to move along slowly. Walking around behind the Luminos and working their way forward was the best way to go about it. If they could get in closer, remaining quiet, and calculate a path they could take, they might be able to get Rudy and get out of here without risking harm to anyone. It wasn’t going to be easy, but she felt they could pull it off if they were patient and quick enough. To get out of here, she knew it was going to require both patience, figuring out what to do, but also swiftness, due to what little time there was.

As she and Snap stood close behind the Luminos, she couldn’t help but stare at Dr. Raiden. She wasn’t entirely sure what to think of his actions. She couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or not. After the way he had played them all for fools earlier, she wouldn’t put it past him to come up with an elaborate lie to fool them again into trusting him. She couldn’t let her guard down around him, and she kept eyeing him with a suspicious look. Maalik’s reaction appeared to be genuine, but perhaps he was just acting was well.

But then, that didn’t make a lot of sense. Why would Dr. Raiden try a plan like this now? He had the perfect opportunity to kill Rudy right then and there. He could have just thrown him down the hole again. There was no reason to really keep going. It wasn’t even that complicated. One little push was all it would have taken, and that was it.

The only logical explaination she could think of was...this was sincere. Dr. Raiden was helping because he chose to, not because of some grand scheme that he and Maalik thought up. That was hard for her to swallow. She knew everyone else was surprised as well, especially Snap and Maalik. Out of everyone, they seemed the most shocked by this surprising turn of events. Penny couldn’t help but ask herself a single question.

What caused Dr. Raiden to turn like this all of a sudden?

It had to have been something Rudy said while they were down there. She and Snap couldn’t get close enough to the hole for long to hear anything they said. They were only at the edge a short time before someone grabbed them and yanked them back, as though they though she and Snap were going to off Raiden or something. Typical Luminos.

She wondered what Rudy could have said that appeared to have gotten through to Dr. Raiden. She had almost given up hope that he could change, or at least acknowledge he was wrong. She knew Snap was surprised by this as well. When he said that he was hopeful the Luminos would see the error of their ways, he had been referring to some of the members, not all of them. He wouldn’t have dreamed that Raiden, one of the most racist of the members, if not the most, would change. But that did offer some hope. If Dr. Raiden could admit he was wrong, then perhaps more of the Luminos zoners would follow suit.

Dr. Raiden remained standing where Rudy was. His eyes, narrowed, stared at Maalik. There was a bit of a stare down between the two zoners before silence was finally broken.

“Dr. Raiden...” Maalik growled under his breath. “Get out of the way... Don’t make me hurt you...” His tail swished in agitation. His hands were clutched into fists, shaking as emotion started to well up inside of him. Penny could have sworn she saw his eyes go a little glassy as a bit of tears started to form. “Please...just move out of the way so we can get this over with and move on.”

Dr. Raiden stared at him quietly, that same stern, relatively emotionless expression on his cat-like face. Then his expression changed ever so slightly as his lips curled up just a tad. Not enough to fully bare his teeth, but enough to show a little bit of his fangs. He dropped down on all fours and positioned himself in front of Rudy. He stared at the boy for a few seconds before looking back at Maalik. Rudy couldn’t help but look at Raiden in confusion.

Dr. Raiden spoke a single word. “No.”

“Raiden...” Maalik’s voice went slighlty higher pitched. Emotion was overflowing from the words he was speaking. Desperation was written clearly on his face. “Please don’t do this to me... I don’t want to fight you. Don’t let this monster brainwash you... Please snap out of it!” Raiden stared at him, narrowing his eyes. Maalik took in a few quick breaths, looking left and right. He was clearly having a hard time comprehending this. “I don’t want to lose you, too!”

“...and you haven’t.” Dr. Raiden said. He tilted his head slightly. “Tell me, Maalik. How can I be be brainwashed if I already had been?”

“What..?” Maalik’s eyes widened at this.

Dr. Raiden took a small step forward, but kept himself in front of Rudy. “We had been accusing many a zoner of brainwashing other zoners into trusting creators. None more so than Snap.” The cheetah’s eyes locked onto Snap’s. The blue and white zoner took a step back. Penny could have sworn she saw a flash of regret in the cheetah’s eyes when that happened. Raiden looked back at Maalik. “We accused him of being a traitor to ChalkZone and of corrupting the citizens.”

“And that’s true!” Maalik cried.

Dr. Raiden stared at him. He then said, “...perhaps we were blaming the wrong zoner, Maalik...”

“What are you talking about?” Maalik took a step back, his body shaking. “What are you trying to...?”

“Take a good look at ourselves, Maalik. Take a look at what we have done. We recruited zoners and we indoctrinated them! We kept feeding them whatever information we thought was true, and turned them into our loyal followers! Even you have to admit that sometimes we were rather...forceful.” Raiden said. He paused for a moment, his eyes furrowing slightly. “But Snap never did that...did he? And you and I both had seen him do things that neither of us could call evil...yet we both decided to push that away to fuel our own beliefs. Now was that fair?”

“Raiden...” Maalik started to say. Raiden raised up his paw, indicating he was not yet done talking. Maalik gritted his teeth, but went silent and waited for his friend to continue.

“Snap didn’t brainwash anyone... That was us, Maalik. We did that. We were so desperate to gain a stronghold that we resorted to unscrupulous measures. And we deluded ourselves into thinking it was the right thing to do. A necessary evil for the ‘greater good’, as the saying goes. I’m sure you probably still believe that...don’t you?” Raiden tilted his head a little at this. He stared at Maalik in the eyes, his glare almost accusatory. “I know you told me that the ends justify the means, right?”

Maalik looked left and right, trying to think of an answer. Everyone in the room watched, waiting to see how this would turn out. Maalik looked like he was going to explode. He stared at Raiden, his body language suggesting he was tempted to rush over and attack Raiden, but his expression indicating he didn’t want to do that.

Dr. Raiden remained quiet. He didn’t move an inch, keeping still except for his tail. He was very patient and gave Maalik all the time he needed to reply. He made to attempt to hurry up Maalik’s reply. Even though the lion was having a hard time thinking of a reply, never once did Raiden say anything. Penny was a little impressed with how patient and calm he was being during all of this. He was hardly even raising his voice, despite the emotion she could detect behind that voice of his.

Maalik finally replied. “W-Well yeah...they do!” He took a step forward. “We had to do what was necessary for the good of ChalkZone! You know that!”

Dr. Raiden nodded his once. “Indeed I did...but..” He turned his head to the side. He was deep in thought for a few moments. He let out a soft sigh. He looked back at Maalik. His eyes were a little bigger, as if a realization had struck him. “How can we be the good guys...if our methods are just as bad as the ones we claim we’re fighting against?”

That question sent a shockwave through the room. Penny and Snap looked at each other. It seemed Raiden did finally start to see sense. This revelation was shocking, but also a relief. At last, the cheetah was starting to see just how hypocritical he and the Luminos had been. Finally, someone in the Luminos group was realizing that they weren’t being as noble or as heroic as they convinced themselves they were. It was a shame that it took this long for that fact to stick to them, but it was still better than nothing.

The other Luminos were looking at each other. A few of them were glaring. Penny wasn’t sure if it was out of anger against Raiden, or frustration. Perhaps it was a combination of both. Some of them had softer expressions, and still others looked a little horrified. Out of realization, out of fear, Penny wasn’t sure of which one it was. She could hear some murmuring, the Luminos whispering to each other as they watched the scene unfold.

Although the chances weren’t as great as she would have liked it, Penny remained hopeful that, somehow, Dr. Raiden was going to be able to convince the other Luminos to stand down. She and her friends might not be able to get them to see reason, but perhaps they’d listen to Dr. Raiden. After all, he was an influential members of the group. Surely, if there was anyone else they’d listen to beside their leader, it would be him. Dr. Raiden was second in command after all, and the Luminos did appear to be willing to listen to him, as evidenced when they were chased by him in the hospital.

Dr. Raiden spoke up again, continuing his speech to Maalik, and to the rest of the Luminos as well.

“What had Snap actually done to earn our wrath? He hadn’t attacked anyone! And what of the two creators? What did they do? I ask you all...what did they do? I can guarantee you won’t be able to come up with an answer.” Maalik tried to respond, but Raiden cut him off. “And before you say anything, Maalik, answer me this. Would our friends who died from Mr. Cosmo’s actions really approve of what we’re doing?”

This caused Maalik to take a step back, his body shaking. “What...? Well I...”

“That’s the same question the boy here asked me. And..” Raiden paused, sucking his lip. “He’s right... They wouldn’t approve of it. I know they wouldn’t...” He stared at Maalik. “And you know they wouldn’t either. Don’t try to deny it.”

Silence fell upon the cave for a few moments. Raiden watched Maalik, waiting to see if he would respond. Maalik struggled to find an answer, a counterpoint to argue with, but he couldn’t say anything. Penny knew it was because he had nothing he could defend himself with. Or if he did, it was a weak point, something that wasn’t going to be strong enough to justify their horrendous actions.

“I used to think that we were doing ChalkZone a favor by getting rid of those three. I used to think agree that the ends justify the means... Well in this case... I was wrong.” Raiden said. He looked at everyone in the room, well the surviving Luminos anyway. “We were all wrong. Take a good look at yourselves...and ourselves as a whole! We were all practically cheering for the bloodshed of someone else! And don’t lie...” Raiden raised his paw to indicate to a couple Luminos who looked as though they were trying to deny it. “I know some of you must have demanded gore while those three were in the Death Arena.”

Penny shuddered as Raiden said this. She was reminded of the horrible taunts the Luminos zoners were throwing at her and her friends. She could still hear those voices in her head. Regardless of what happens today...she would not be able to get those words out of her mind. She felt a hand on her arm. She looked down and saw Snap looking up at her sympathetically. She gave a small smile of gratefulness at him.

“To those who did do that, answer me this. Isn’t that something Mr. Cosmo would do? Demand the bloodshed of another? Cheering as someone was killed? To those who knew Cosmo well...you’d know that’s something he would most certainly do. How are we better than Cosmo...” Raiden pressed a paw against his chest. “..if we ourselves are acting like him?” He gazed at the ground for a second, shutting his eyes. “I used to think that Rudy, Penny, and Snap were the monsters. I used to think that they had been the ones bringing untold destruction, hurting innocents but...” He took in a shuddering breath. He lifted up his head and looked at the surrounding Luminos. “I was wrong...”

“No you weren’t..” Maalik spoke up. He reached out towards Raiden. “You’re just confused and...”

“Don’t you see, you old fool?!” Raiden snapped, staring at Maalik with glassy eyes, looking like he was about to cry. “It’s us! We’re...we’re the monsters!” He used his paw to gesture to them. “Look at us! Look at what we’ve become! Blowing up a hospital just to get to one person... accusing others of something they didn’t do... kidnapping and threatening a few individuals..placing them in a deadly arena and watch them die for our own amusement...” A single tear moved down the cheetah’s face. His body trembled a little. He took a step forward, his eyes wide with emotion. “That is what Mr. Cosmo would have done, as well as his black chalk user lackeys! These three were right about us all along! We have become just like Cosmo and those who followed him! We’re no different!”

More silence. More murmuring. More confusion and realization spreading across the Luminos. Penny and Snap looked around as they watched the Luminos zoners glance at each other, clear expressions indicating that they were starting to question things as well. Rudy was also looking at the scene before him, the same confused and shocked look from before. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but just couldn’t find the words to say.

Penny turned her gaze to Maalik once more. The lion zoner looked increasingly flustered. He wanted to retort so badly. She could tell he did. But with Raiden being a friend, and the fact that he clearly had no real defense, it was hard. Once in a while, he’d glance at the other Luminos, and she thought she saw a flash of horror in his eyes as the members seemed to, one by one, see the point that Dr. Raiden was making. Maalik was losing his grip on them, and he clearly wasn’t liking it.

“We...we had to be sure, Raiden!” Maalik moved a few steps forward. “An eye for an eye, right?”

Dr. Raiden stayed silent for a couple seconds. He responded with, “An eye for an eye...” He paused as he raised his head. “...leaves the whole world blind.”

Maalik narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He moved his head back, looking absolutely stunned and almost angered by what Raiden had said. “Raiden...”

Dr. Raiden continued, “That’s how revenge is, isn’t it, Maalik? If everyone adhered to the ‘eye for an eye’ thing, then yes, we’d all become blind. The cycle of revenge doesn’t stop until someone makes it happen. Somewhere along the way, someone has to say ‘no’ and stop. Otherwise, it just keeps going, and we’ll all end up living in an eyeless world. Sure we could still survive and thrive without eyes, but do we really want to pave our future to be that?”

Penny couldn’t help but feel impressed with how philosophical Dr. Raiden was being now. He was really showing that, despite his initial radical beliefs, he was capable of some intelligent thought and reasoning. It was a shame that he took so long to make use of that more intelligent portion of his mind. If he had been more reasonable sooner, they could have avoided this whole mess. And when Raiden spoke next, it seemed he had practically heard her thoughts.

“It is easy for us to pit the blame on these three for what happened to most of our group, Maalik. But is it really their fault? Perhaps..it is ours.” Dr. Raiden said.

Maalik shook his head. “No! We did nothing wrong! They should have just...”

“Should have just what? Laid down and die? How could you be so naive?” Raiden asked, cocking an eyebrow. “How could we all be so stupid? We were attacking them! They defended themselves..just like we would have in their situation!” He sighed. “How could we fault them for that?”

“Yeah he does have a point...” One of the Luminos said.

Another looked at him, replying with, “Perhaps it was a little much..”

The trio couldn’t help but give a small smile at this. It wasn’t much, but it seemed that winds of change were coming. Some of the other Luminos were also starting to see the light. More and more of them had expressions that suggested they understood where Raiden was coming from. There were still glares, but even those had softened up a little as realization began to hit them. Perhaps, if Raiden was able to keep this up, he could convince the remaining Luminos to stand down.

They certainly hoped so. The Luminos could probably make good allies, if they were willing to go down that path. If they acknowledged they were wrong, they could begin to make ammends by helping them stop the real enemy, the black chalk and those who followed it. It would be the start of their path of setting things right. If they really cared about ChalkZone, then they would do what was right and help them against their common enemy. They would realize they were wrong and do what they could to make up for it.

But the question was...could he convince Maalik? The leader was probably the most stubborn of them all. If Raiden can’t get through to him..what would happen? Would Maalik go nuts and attack Raiden? Would he try to round up more zoners and create a new, more dangerous version of the Luminos? Would he resurface later and try repeat what he was doing now? Convincing Maalik was a crucial step, otherwise, the threat of the Luminos would not be averted.

“They should have just accepted their punishent, Dr. Raiden!” Maalik spread his arms out, indicating the whole room. “Look at all the death that surrounds us! They did this! It was their fault it happened! They tried to escape justice and....”

“Justice? Can we really call this justice?” Dr. Raiden asked, staring directly into Maalik’s eyes. He turned his head from side to side. His golden eyes moved around the room, taking in the destruction all around him. He gave a soft sigh. He looked at Maalik with a saddened expression. “I used to think that we were just delivering justice to those who deserved it... But I can now see I was wrong.” He paused as he looked at the trio one by one, and then at the still unconscious Urso. “I was...wrong about a lot of things. And so were you.” He raised his head up slightly, making himself look almost regal. “If we hadn’t captured them and did all of this..then this wouldn’t have happened. We did this, Maalik, not them.”

“Y-You’re wrong...” Maalik said in a low voice, his eyes narrowing further. “They should have stayed out of ChalkZone! If they had, then we wouldn’t have had to capture them!”

“We had the choice, Maalik. We could have chosen not to act upon them, and we did. And look at what’s happened..” Raiden’s body shook again, a little harder this time. He shut his eyes, letting a few more tears move down his cheeks. His next couple of breaths were shaky, laced with emotion. “This is where the path of hatred and revenge brought us, Maalik! Was it worth it, Maalik? Was it really worth it?”

Maalik opened up his mouth to speak, but no words came out. The lion zoner took a step back, his hands forming into fists. He looked like he wanted to attack, but he was struggling to keep himself from doing so. The friendship between him and Dr. Raiden was clear. Maalik didn’t want to hurt Raiden, despite the fact he was making him angry. Penny hoped the lion zoner could keep this up and not resort to violence.

“I..I’m a doctor, Maalik! I’m supposed to be helping people! Well I still do...but I also did some pretty terrible fucking things! I blew up my own hospital!” Dr. Raiden shouted, his loud voice causing the other Luminos to take a step back. “Sure I didn’t do any of the bombing myself...and it was your order...but I could have ignored it! And now look what happened... We probably caused the death of countless zoners, all for what...? Protecting ChalkZone?! How can we be protecting ChalkZone if we killed innocents in the process?!”

Maalik’s eyes widened at this. The angry expression was gone. He didn’t respond. He just stood there, staring at Raiden. Everyone in the room watched and waited to see if Raiden would say anything else. The cheetah zoner was quiet for a bit, as if he were letting this information sink in. Only when he seemed to think they understood what he was saying did he continue.

“I’ve done...so many terrible things...” Dr. Raiden said. He lowered his head, his body shaking in guilt. “I broke a zoner’s leg...for no fucking reason! And I...” He again looked over at Snap. His facial expression softened up, guilt watching over his face. “I...toyed with Snap’s heart...” He paused and turned his head to Maalik. “How can I call myself a hero when I did the same thing Mr. Cosmo would have done?! How could we all pretend to be heroes when we had turned ourselves into monsters?!”

The Luminos looked at each other, whispering softly to each other. The aura of the room began to change. The tension wasn’t as strong as before. The trio felt a little more relaxed around the Luminos. Not by much, but it did feel like some of the anxiety they were feeling was starting to go away.

“I...” Maalik started to say, but he couldn’t think of anything. Any ounce of anger from him was completely gone by now.

“Well I say no more! We already screwed up big time, over and over... Let us not continue doing that! Let us bring about the winds of change...and start doing something that means something for once! Let’s get off this path of destruction...and use our skills to stop the real enemy, the one that we had neglected in favor of our misguided pursuit of these three: Jenny and her lackeys!” Dr. Raiden announced. The cheetah’s speech permeated through the room and most of the Luminos looked at him with great interest, their expressions indicating they were agreeing with him. “Let’s do what we should have been doing all along. Let’s help these three! Let us allow them to help us!”

A Luminos zoner said, “Yeah..maybe...”

“I’m still not sure...” Another one said lowly.

“Maybe we should have...” A third one said, her voice barely audible. “I thought we were...”

“It is not too late to change our course, Maalik!” Dr. Raiden said. “Let’s change the course before we end up doing something much worse! Let’s not seal our own fates!”

“Raiden, I...” Maalik kept trying to speak, but he looked too confused and uncertain to say anything. “This...”

“We have blinded ourselves with hate for far too long, Maalik. It was this blindness that we put on ourselves that caused this to happen. We should have listened long ago... But now I’m listening.” Raiden moved a little closer to Rudy. He positioned himself so he was in a more obvious protective stance. He looked as though he would guard the boy from Maalik should the lion zoner attack. “If there is to be more killing... It will not start with me.” He took another glance around the cave room. “We have horrifically misjudged a lot of people, especially these three. We have committed heinous acts in what we thought was justice... Let us not continue to make that mistake. Let’s not be like Cosmo.”

At this, it felt like a strong wind just blew through the cave, even though there was no wind. Silence now settled upon the damaged room. Raiden’s words seemed to almsot echo in the minds of everyone in there. Penny and her friends looked around, noticing changes in expression. Suddenly, no Luminos was glaring. Those that were softened that expression up as realization struck them like a freight train. It seemed Raiden’s words had gotten through to them.

As if to confirm this, one of the Luminos zoners took a step forward. Penny recognized her as Diamond, one of the Luminos zoners that captured her before. The stegosaurus zoner stared intently at Raiden, then at Rudy. Her expression was a little hardened at first, but there was a flash in her eye, then her face softened up. She looked over at Maalik. She looked conflicted for a second, but that didn’t last very long.

“Dr. Raiden’s right...” Diamond said. The stegosaurus zoner then walked over, dropping down on all fours. “We...we have taken things too far...” Soon, she stood next to Dr. Raiden. She lifted her head up, giving a somewhat pleading expession, like she was silently begging her fellow teammates not to think ill of her. “Enough...”

At this, the other Luminos looked at each other. Murmurs and talks spread throughout. The trio could see some horror-filled expressions as the Luminos zoners seemed to understand what they were actually doing this whole time. Some of them put their hands to their mouths. Some took a step back. Penny could hear a few whispers of ‘what did we almost do?’, ‘what have we done?’, and some other things.

The trio felt a sense of relief wash through them. Even though they still had to wait and see where this goes, it was definitely good news that the Luminos seemed to have finally saw the error of their ways. Snap was right. The Luminos were capable of seeing that they had been wrong, and today was that day. Finally, they had allowed the truth to break through the wall of lies and half truths they had been told and believed, and now they were really seeing their actions for what they really were.

Maalik seemed to also start to realize this. He no longer tried to counter Raiden’s words. He had a horror-struck look on his face. He was starting to come to realize just how wrong he was as well. There was a very strong ‘what have I done?’ expression in his eyes. He looked all around, and Penny could practically see the guilt begin to eat away at his soul. Then he lowered his head, his ears flattening against it. Penny knew he had surrendered to Raiden’s words. He had no defense...and he knew it.

Then something happened to help further cement this change in thought.

Penny felt someone grab her arm. She thought it was Snap, but when she looked over, she saw it was one of the Luminos. But instead of trying to drag her off, the Luminos zoner, who carried a softer expression, one that was more concern than anything, was helping her, allowing her to use him as support. Another Luminos zoner, this one one of the smaller members, did the same with Snap, offering her assistance to him. Penny could see Nile, the large crocodile zoner that had hurt her leg and redamaged Rudy’s eye, walk over to Urso and push the lion bear zoner onto his back.

Maalik walked over to where Dr. Raiden and Diamond were. He stared at them, especially Raiden. He lowered his head and said, “...You were right...We have taken things way too far...” He then glanced down at Rudy. Raiden and Diamond moved aside. Maalik said, “We’re...so sorry... Will you...give us another chance?” He extended his hand out to Rudy.

Rudy stared at it for a moment. He looked at Maalik, looking a little unsure. Then he gave a small smile. Some caution in it, but a smile nonetheless. He reached out and took the zoner’s paw. Maalik returned the smile, for once not a malicious one, and they shook hands, officially establishing an alliance.

Just then, there was a loud crumbling sound all around them. Everyone froze and looked all around nervously, some clenching their teeth in fear. Penny flinched. This place wasn’t going to be stable for long. They had to get a move on before everything around them collapsed. Finding a more stable area was top priority. And she wasn’t the only one thinking that.

Maalik took a look around before glancing down at Rudy. “Let’s go find somewhere safer than here...” He pulled Rudy up to his feet. He held onto him, aiding him in his walking. “We..have much to talk about...”

With that, the zoners and two humans began to make their way through the destroyed room, hoping to find somewhere more stable or, better yet, a way out of there.


	99. First Step Towards Amends

“Why you little... look at what you did!” Johnzer snarled as he boxed Sophie and the two other humans up against the remains of a nearby tree. “Our hideout...our home..it’s destroyed because of you monsters!”

“What?!” Sophie cried, her eyes wide in shock. “You can’t blame us for this! We didn’t launch that attack!”

“We don’t even have a means of communication here. How could we have done this?” Longhorn asked, trying to sound as calm as he could.

Johnzer paused for a moment. He looked as though he was having a hard time answering that. Soon he gave a reply, his eyes narrowing into slits. “You filthy creators have ways of achieving the impossible...” He took a step forward, pointing an accusatory finger at them. “I know you were able to pull this off somehow!”

Three of the other Luminos nodded their heads. But Sophie couldn’t tell if it was from sincerity or not. Their expressions seemed more nervous than anything, as if they were afraid to disagree with Johnzer. She guessed that Johnzer might be one of the zoners in charge of brainwashing zoners into being Luminos members. And from their reactions, it sounds like he is pretty aggressive at it, too. She had to wonder what this zoner was capable of doing.

The fifth zoner, on the other hand, wore a different expression. The lioness, her wings folded behind her back, looked more annoyed than anything. Not outwardly angry, and she wasn’t even looking at her or the other humans. Instead, she turned her glance over to the stick figure zoner who called himself Johnzer. She stood there for a while, her hands on her hips, before she decided to make a move. She walked towards Johnzer. She reached out and grabbed onto his arm. He shot her a disgusted look.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Johnzer cried. He yanked his arm away, growling softly. “Stand back, Azure Sky! These three must be taken care of! I...”

“Oh will you shut it?” Sky snarled, pulling her lips back to show off her teeth. As she folded her arms against her chest, she said, “If it weren’t for these three, we wouldn’t even be there discussing this! Are you really going to be so damn paranoid that you are going to overlook that?!”

The three other zoners looked at each other in realization. They started murmuring to each other and nodded their heads in agreement. Johnzer looked at them angrily and the three took a few steps back. He turned back to Sky, his eyes nearly blazing in anger. Sophie could have sworn she saw his head turn a few deeper shades of red as the boiling emotion started to overtake him.

Johnzer pressed a finger against the lioness’s shoulder. “Need I remind you that Layton is dead? And so are many of our comrades?” He moved his arms in one direction to indicate the ruined rhino head. “Who knows how many survived that blast! I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re all gone!” He straightened himself up, his finger now aimed in Sky’s direction. “This wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for those three!”

Sophie couldn’t believe Johnzer was pitting the blame on her, her mom, and Longhorn. The three of them wanted to protest, but Johnzer was pretty intimidating, especially for a stick figure. They weren’t sure if anything they say would get through to him. He seemed quite radical in his beliefs and it felt as though nothing they say would convince him otherwise. He was refusing to acknowledge the fact that her actions did ultimately save their lives. If she hadn’t been there, they would indeed have died. But Johnzer refused to see that.

There was still some hope that he might realize he was wrong. Quet was just as insane as he was for a time. He thought that she was going to hurt him, despite the fact she was a prisoner as well. He had overlooked that fact to fuel his own ill-gotten beliefs. It took her getting badly hurt by Tyreek for him to reconsider that view. He was more or less friendly the last time she had seen him. He had even given her some knowledge of the Luminos and how they worked. Well not a lot of information, but enough that she could tell Johnzer was either a zoner who spread the brainwashing or was a frequent victim of it.

Still, she did not give up hope that Johnzer could be convinced otherwise. There was still a chance that he eventually listen to reason and settle down. Perhaps Sky could convince him. She did seem pretty level-headed. More so than Johnzer right now, that’s for sure. And she was seeing the logic in the situation. She put together that she and her comrades would not be around if it weren’t for her drawing that shield up. The three other Luminos zoners seemed to agree with her as well. More so than with Johnzer.

Sky cocked an eyebrow. She had been quiet for a few moments, as if she were trying to contemplate how to respond to what Johnzer said. She sighed and shook her head. “Do you really believe that, Johnzer? Those three hadn’t even done anything, outside of drawing this shield. And don’t lie. You and I both know we would be dead if it weren’t for them!” She took a step forward, forcing the stick figure to move back. “As much as we know how dangerous creators are, we cannot deny that the little girl over there did make all the difference.”

“Yeah she did...” Johnzer snarled. “She and her two comrades were the reason this happened at all! They should have just stayed out of ChalkZone!”

Sky, her eyes narrowing further, leaned forward and slapped Johnzer across the face. The stick figure’s head shot to the side as he let out a cry of pain. He froze there, and then stared back at Sky in shock. The three other zoners were shocked and moved a little back, as if they didn’t want to incur the wrath of Sky. Sophie, her mom, and Longhorn were also surprised. They didn’t dare move, though, keeping themselves around the tree.

Sophie could tell both her mom and Longhorn wanted to take some kind of action. She could see their legs twitching a little, wanting to run. But they kept themselves where they were, and for good reason. They didn’t know what Johnzer might do if they dare moved. They weren’t sure if he was going to go crazy or not, and try to strike a blow against them. Plus, Sophie herself was the one with the magic chalk right now, while they had none. She had more artistic experience than them, so she was their best line of defense right now.

Sky stood over Johnzer, her hands on her hips. “Enough of that, okay?! We have more important things to worry about than play the blame game!” She reached down and grabbed Johnzer by his neck. She lifted him up with ease. “I am not fond of humans anymore than you are, Johnzer. But the girl did save us... You cannot deny that. If you do, you’re an idiot!”

Johnzer hung there for several seconds. He gripped the lioness’s hand and tried to make her let go. She refused to loosen her grip. The other Luminos zoners watched the scene play out, their eyes filled with concern, worry, and fear. They looked uncomfortable by what was going on, and Sophie had to wonder how often stuff like this happened with the Luminos as a whole.

The winged lioness pulled Johnzer close to her, her narrowed eyes staring at him intently. Her pupils shrank slightly as she focused intently on the squirming Johnzer. Sky watched him for a little while before she spoke up again.

“Right now, our other comrades are in trouble. They have been buried alive! They need our help! Some of them must have survived the blast. We won’t know until we go look. We should be doing that right now. We should be digging through the rubble and find a way inside. But instead of doing that, you decide it is necessary to blame those three, whose presence might I had is what let us survive at all, and box them into a corner!” Sky’s voice was filled with intense anger, but a tinge of something else. Disappointment? “You claim you care about the Luminos group...and I’m sure you do...” Her ears lowered a bit as her voice grew softer. “I just wish you’d show it.”

With that, Sky dropped Johnzer to the ground. He laid there, rubbing his head a little. He looked up at her, his eyes wide. For a while, none of the Luminos made a move or sound. They hadn’t even acknowledged them again. They were busy just staring at each other, as if wondering what to do, wondering how to react. The three Luminos zoners kept their distance, their bodies indicating submission. They might be lower ranking members. Perhaps both Sky and Johnzer were higher than them, and the three were just waiting orders.

Sky and Johnzer stared down at each other. The shock slowly left the stick figure’s body and Sophie could see anger return. The two glared at each other, the stare so intense she could practically feel the tension radiating off of it. She wanted to move back away, but she was afraid to move. Her eyes mainly focused on Johnzer, who was clearly the most aggressive of the group. Sky probably came at a close second as she did strike her comrade. Sophie wasn’t sure how much safer she’d feel with her, but she was glad that Sky was seeing reason and could keep the other three zoners from attacking. Johnzer though...she wondered what she could do about him.

As the scene before them unfolded, Sophie looked over at the destruction. Dead bodies everywhere... Many charred, others killed by debris, or crushed to death. There was so much blood, and that smell... the horrific smell of death still hung thickly in the air, making her shudder. Her eyes moved around, noting all the dead bodies. There must be at least twenty of them, all strewn about, some reduced completely to ash from the blast. Although the Luminos had been causing so many problems, though she didn’t know any of those zoners personally, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. As nasty as they were, they didn’t deserve that.

Her eyes soon settled on the cave. She winced as she looked at the rubble, no longer looking anything like the rhino head that was once there earlier. Her thoughts went to Rudy, Penny, and Snap, and the other Luminos of course. She wasn’t sure how many more died, and she wasn’t sure if she weanted to know. She had seen too much death lately; she didn’t need to see more. If it were up to her, and if it weren’t for certain factors, she would just leave and inform the police and ambulance of what happened and let them do the rescuing.

But this was different. Rudy, Penny, and Snap were trapped down there. She didn’t even know if they were dead or alive. Rudy was family... and so were Penny and Snap to an extent. They were her friends, and she felt obligated to help. She could still go with her original plan and get help and bring it here. That would be the smart thing to do, since she had no idea of the dangers that lurked down below. But she cared so much for those three. She...she couldn’t just stand there and do something...

The thought of them possibly being injured much worse, or even dead, horrified her. They had enough on their plate already. Why did this stupid beam have to strike here? Why now? Tears formed in her eyes. She tried her best to remain strong, but she couldn’t hold back her tears. Tilly and Longhorn had tried to comfort her earier, and though their words helped a little at first, she couldn’t completely ignore the horrible twisting in her stomach.

Sophie felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and she saw her mother looking down at her with a concerned expression. Sophie tried to force a smile, but she was unable to, and even if she could smile, it would be so fake that her mom would see right through it instantly. Next to her, Longhorn approached, standing next to her mom and looking down at her worriedly. Sophie lowered her head in a weak attempt to hide her tears.

“I’m sure they’re fine...” Tilly tried to sound convincing. Sophie picked up on the tone of her voice right away. She was scared and worried...clearly uncertain of her own words. “They’re smart and resourceful. I’m sure they found a way out of there. And if they’re still down there, they could have found a place to hide. Don’t worry, Sophie...I’m...I’m sure they’re okay...” Tilly bit her lip and a few tears escaped her eyes. She wasn’t fooling anyone.

Mr. Longhorn watched as mother and daughter hugged each other for comfort. He bit his lip, pausing for a moment. Then he took a step forward and spoke to them. “We’ll find them. Don’t worry.” His voice was filled with as much encouragement as the man could muster. “We’ll look through the rubble and we won’t rest until we find them.” Tilly and Sophie looked over at them, their faces stained with tears. Longhorn fixated his gaze on Tilly’s. “If they are as resourceful as you say...I’m sure we’ll find them.”

Tilly gave him a small smile. There was still sadness in it, but it was clear that she was feeling a little encouraged by this. “Thank you.”

Mr. Longhorn smiled back. “Don’t mention it.” He then glanced down at Sophie and said, “We will need to begin the search as soon as possible. We have to go through the rubble... Can you draw anything that can dig through this rubble?”

Sophie searched her mind for something, anything that could work. She didn’t have the same amount of knowledge that Rudy and Penny did, though. She glanced over at the rubble, biting her lip. There had to be something that could work. She had to think of something...anything that might be able to help her. But so far, her mind was drawing up a blank. She couldn’t think of anything to draw without risking causing the debris to fall in deeper, potentially crushing any survivors, including Rudy, Penny, and Snap.

She knew she didn’t have long to think about what course of action to take. She didn’t have much time to consider what object she should draw to help get down below. She kept searching her brain for something she could use. She looked up at the two adults, hoping they could provide some kind of answer. But neither of them could think of anything. They remained silent, staring at Sophie and looking just as lost as she was. She had a feeling the solution was so simple...so why as it alluding her mind?

Then, before she could continue thinking, one of the Luminos zoners got her attention.

“I have an idea!” One of the zoners said. He looked a little nervous, but his eyes were wide, indicating a thought really did cross his minds. He took a step towards Sophie, their arm outstretched towards her as if to grab her attention. “Why don’t you draw something to dig the rubble here?”

The zoner next to him nodded her head. “Yeah, that sounds like a plan!” She looked over at Sophie, pointing a finger in her direction. “You could draw a bulldozer or a crane or something, and use that to get the rubble out of the way!”

Sophie’s eyes widened at this. Of course...why didn’t she think of it before? She could draw something like that and her mom or Mr. Longhorn could operate it. She wouldn’t trust herself using heavy machinery like that. But yeah, that could work. She didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of it before, or how it slipped her mind.

She heard a growl and her train of thought was disrupted. She looked over and saw that Johnzer, who was now no longer paying attention to Sky, stormed over to the two zoners that spoke up. She could see the two of them look back at Johnzer with an almost terrified expression.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?! Don’t give the enemy any ideas!” Johnzer snarled, causing the two zoners to cringe. The third one took a step back. “Do you want them to blast us to smithereens?!”

“Well we..” The female zoner tried to say.

“Silence!” Johnzer shouted. He shoved a finger in their direction. “Say another word, and I’ll...!”

“That’s enough!” Sky roared at him. She rushed over and grabbed Johnzer by the arm. She pulled him back roughly, causing the zoner to trip over his own feet. She slammed him against another nearby tree and kept him pressed there.

Johnzer struggled to get himself free. He bared his teeth at her, his eyes narrowed into slits. “Let me go, you bitch! You’re helping the enemy! Maalik would not approve of this! He’d...”

“Oh stop it, will you?! I know full well Maalik might not approve of this...but when it comes to helping my people, I’m more than willing to take the risk.” Sky glanced over at the three humans for a second. She looked back at Johnzer. “That human creator is our best chance at saving our people, Johnzer. You and I can’t dig through that rubble! And after that attack on ChalkZone City, it would be hard to get the materials we need...” She shook a little, a mixture of anger and sorrow rushing through her body. “So don’t you fucking dare ruin this for us, Johnzer! Set aside your feelings and listen to reason! Use logic, not anger!” She tilted her head to the side. “Or are you too far in your own little world to do that...?”

Johnzer stared at Sky in shock, eyes bulging open. He took in a few quick breaths, cringing from the intensity of the lioness’s glare. He darted his eyes left and right and looked as though he was trying to think of something to say. Finally, after what seemed to be forever, the stick figure zoner replied, his voice shaky and quiet.

“O-Okay....” Johnzer whimpered softly, his body shaking. “I’ll...I’ll try...” Sophie wasn’t sure if this was genuine or just out of fear of being hurt.

Sky glared at him. She moved her head a little closer and said , “...good...” She released him, letting the stick figure zoner fall to the ground. She stared at him for a few seconds before looking over at Sophie. “Well? What are you waiting for? Draw quickly! We don’t know how long either of our comrades will survive down there!”

“Okay, I’m on it!” Sophie replied. She wasn’t sure if she’d be skilled enough to draw something affective enough to take care of the debris, but she knew she had to try.

As she raised her magic chalk to start drawing, her mind briefly wandered to what the lioness had mentioned earlier. ChalkZone City was attacked? From the sound of it, it wasn’t the Luminos. Could it have been the black chalk artists? That’s the only thing she could think of. She wanted to ask the lioness more about that, but she knew there wasn’t time to chit chat. She would ask about it later, after they found their trapped comrades and got them out of there.

sss

“Hold still. This might sting a little.” Dr. Raiden said.

Snap gave a shudder at that warning. He understood that antibiotic medicine can sting. He had been told that in the past. He’s suffered so many injuries recently, so he knew the whole gist and everything. What made him shudder wasn’t the prospect of pain, but it was the fact that Dr. Raiden was the one telling him this. Despite the fact that Raiden had finally listened to reason and stopped trying to hurt them, he still felt uneasy around the cheetah.

Snap swallowed his fear and did this best to hold still. If he moved around too much, he might made the pain worse. He bit his lip as the cheetah moved his paw close to his damaged knee. In the paw, the cheetah clutched a cloth soaked in antibiotic medicine. Although used to the pain by now, Snap couldn’t help but cringe and look away as the cloth was brought to his knee. It was pressed against him and he couldn’t stifle the whimper that came out of his mouth. A few tears of pain flowed down his face. Despite the fact it was no different than any other pain he felt when his wounds were treated, somehow, this being done by Raiden, it felt worse.

He wasn’t sure why, other than it was from his fear of the cheetah. He was still scared of him on some level. So that fear was making him anticipate pain, because that’s all the cheetah ever gave him before. It was hard to convince himself that Dr. Raiden could be capable of doing something...more gentle with him.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Rudy. The boy gently squeezed his shoulder. Snap felt a little comforted by this and he relaxed. Rudy and Penny being present here, sitting next to him, that was the only reason he felt comfortable enough to let Dr. Raiden treat his knee wound. If they hadn’t been here with him, he was most certain he would have freaked out and tried to run away. Even if logic told him the cheetah wasn’t going to hurt him again, the fear was still there.

Snap winced a little as Dr. Raiden gently dabbed his wound with the antibiotic. He tried to get his mind off of it. He looked around the room they were in. They were in a somewhat small room, though it was still big enough to house all of them, and still be a little spacious for them. It didn’t feel like they were crowded or anything. Against the odds, this room was largely intact. There was still a crack on the ceiling, which had them all nervous, but for the time being, it seemed to hold up pretty well.

The room itself was a doctor’s room. Dr. Raiden’s room to be exact. It was a strange coincidence that the one room they really could use, a medicinal room, was available to them. After all the bad luck they had been recieving lately, it was nice to finally get some good news for once. Something going their way. Dr. Raiden had offered treatment to those who needed it, and right now, he was his current patient.

At first, Snap was not comfortable with the idea of Dr. Raiden treating him. He would rather Dr. Urso do that. He trusted him. But the lion bear zoner was hit pretty badly and thanks to that wound Raiden gave him, it was unlikely he would wake up anytime soon. He hoped he wouldn’t be knocked out for too long. Dr. Raiden did examine him, partially out of guilt, and he did think that the lion bear had a chance of survival but he needed to be taken to a hospital. Dr. Raiden did to what he could for Dr. Urso, including closing up the hole in his chest and back. He could do nothing for his lung, though, stating he needed a surgery room for that.

Rudy and Penny eventually convinced him to let Dr. Raiden treat his wound. He was surprised, but when they explained that, though they were still a little uncomfortable themselves, Raiden was the only doctor around and was the best qualified to treat the wound, he understood. Plus, they felt it was a good way for Raiden to start to make up for what he did. He certainly seemed like he wanted to start making amends. This was a good start. Though still a little reluctant, he eventually gave in, and allowed Dr. Raiden to bring the supplies over to him.

He didn’t like having to take off his leotard, especially around the Luminos. He felt...vulnerable. But he understood the reasoning for it. Having the leotard on would make it harder to treat the wound properly. The germs from his leotard could get into the open wound, causing an infection. The cloth itself would just get in the way as well, making it hard to impossible to bandage it up. It took a little coercing, but he did eventually take it off.

Currently, he was sitting at the table, his friends near him to comfort him. Dr. Raiden soon finished cleaning the wound with the antibiotic. He then reached over and grabbed some gauze. Though the bleeding had stopped, there was a chance it could resume. Dr. Raiden pressed the gauze against Snap’s leg, causing the zone to wince. Holding it there with one paw, he used the other to grab a small piece of surgical tape. He put it on the gauge to hold it in place.

Dr. Raiden stared at what he had done so far. He studied the gauze and leg, making some minor adjustments until it looked okay to him. He met Snap’s gaze and said, “I’ll go grab a bandage to wrap that up in. Hold on.”

Dr. Raiden left the trio and walked over to a nearby cabinet. He opened up one of the doors and rummaged through the items in there. He soon found what he was looking for. He reached in and grabbed a roll of bandages. He shut the cabinet door and went back over to the trio.

Once he returned to them, he immediately went to work. He made a gesture to Snap to raise up his leg. Slowly, Snap did so. Dr. Raiden then took the bandage and started to wrap it tightly around his leg. Snap winced a little from the pain. Raiden kept wrapping it until it was good and tight, but not too much as cutting off circulation wasn’t exactly something any of them wanted. Raiden pressed his metal claw against the cloth. The sight of it made Snap and his friends wince, but Dr. Raiden didn’t try to hurt him with it, instead using it to slice through the cloth.

He made a gesture to Penny to hold the bandage in place. Penny obligued, grabbing onto the cloth and holding it there while Dr. Raiden got out more surgical tape. Tearing off two pieces, he leaned forward and pressed them against the bandage, holding the cloth in place. Penny let go and, with a wave of his paw, Dr. Raiden gestured for Snap to bend his leg a few times. Snap did so. It felt thick, but he could still bend his leg pretty well. After testing it for a bit, he was able to conclude the bandage was firmly in place.

“That should hold it there long enough.” Dr. Raiden said. “You might need to have a more thorough examination of that, but...as I said, I don’t have access to all my tools here. The surgery room is damaged.”

“It’s okay. Not your fault.” Snap said softly. He paused for a moment, glancing down at his now bandaged leg. He looked over at Dr. Raiden and offered the best smile he could. “...thanks, by the way.”

Dr. Raiden gave a light smile. “You’re welcome, Snap.”

Snap turned his head and looked over at the other Luminos. They were all sitting on whatever tables were left, and those who didn’t have a seat just sat on the ground. There weren’t that many Luminos zoners left. Aside from Raiden and Maalik, Snap could only count about eight other Luminos. So ten total, unless any outside the hideout survived. The Luminos group was larger than he thought it was, with probably about thirty to forty members. And now, most of them were dead. Despite all they did, he did feel sorry for them.

Most of the surviving Luminos were now expressing their grief and sorrow. They couldn’t before; they had been distracted by Raiden and Maalik’s...insanity, to put it simply, and it didn’t help that the walls and ground were unstable around there. So they had to get going as quickly as possible. Now that they were out of danger, for the time being, they could begin to grieve. It was hard to tell in the weak light of this room, but he could see the tears in their eyes as they wept for the loss of their comrades, who may have been family members, friends, and love interests.

Maalik stood off to the side. The lion zoner kept to himself most of the time he was in here. He sometimes would glance in their direction, looking at him and his friends, Raiden, as well as the other Luminos. He always wore a sorrowful, regretful expression. Snap could tell the lion zoner was sorting through his thoughts on what had happened. He must feel horrible knowing that his actions had brought this kind of fate on his people, the same ones he promised he’d protect.

Snap was glad that, instead of running away which was so easy to do, Maalik was staying behind and trying to make up for what he did. At the moment, he was keeping to himself. He couldn’t blame him. The guy did need a little time to think about what he did. But Maalik did intend on helping them; he made that much clear. They needed to help one another in order to get out of this mess.

“He’ll come around.”

Snap nearly jumped at that voice. He hadn’t been expecting it. He and his friends looked over and saw Nile standing not far from them. They were surprised. Where did he come from? They thought he was with the others. How did he get here so fast and without them hearing him?

Nile looked over at them, his reptilian eyes staring down at them. “He just...needs a little time. That’s all.”

“Yeah, we can understand.” Penny said, nodding her head. She bit her lip and lowered her gaze. “Realizing that you made a lot of horrible mistakes...that’s not an easy thing to come to grips with.”

“Tell me about it.” Rudy said, a tinge of regret on his voice. “There’s a number of things I wished I hadn’t done. Perhaps things would have turned out better if I had chosen differently.”

“Like what, Bucko?” Snap asked.

Rudy interlocked his fingers together, his feet pushing against each other. He bit and sucked on his lip, his eyes moving from side to side. After a while, he replied. “Like the time when I opened up a portal...when Mr. Cosmo had...” He closed his eyes. Snap and Penny stared at him sympathetically, recalling when Rudy told them this story. “If I hadn’t been so stupid, I...”

“Rudy...” Penny gripped Rudy’s arm. The boy looked over at her with a saddened expression. “It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known that Cosmo wanted you to create a portal. You had every right to believe that he was going to bring in the FBI or whoever else to interrogate you. Don’t beat yourself up over it, okay?”

“I know...still, I...” Rudy started to say.

“Your girlfriend is right.” Nile said, cutting him off. The trio looked at him, a little surprised he was commenting on this. “You had no way of knowing what Mr. Cosmo would have done. He was such an...unpredictable human. Understandable you would make a mistake. At least you did something about it.”

The trio couldn’t help but feel a little impressed and relieved at how friendly Nile was being now. There was still a little tension and they knew it wasn’t going to go away any time soon. But it was getting better as the seconds passed, and it was still good that Nile was trying to be a little helpful, instead of antagonizing them like he had before.

Nile didn’t stick around for long, though. He turned his back to them and said, “I’m sorry to cut this short, but I do need to go speak with Maalik on what we should do next.” With that, before any of them could reply, he started to make his way over to Maalik.

The trio watched him go ofter, and soon the crocodile zoner was speaking with the anthro lion. They could see them making gestures and, from their facial expressions, it was a bit of an energized conversation, despite their voices being pretty low.

As this discussion was going on, the trio’s minds went to something they hadn’t been thinking too much about due to all that was going on. And that was the whole deal with Vinnie threatening to reveal ChalkZone. The realization that something like this was going on while they were too busy to do anything about it was bone chilling. They couldn’t even tell if they were too late or not. Sure, there were no new creators now, but that could just be the result of the corporation biding their time so they could set things up.

They were hopeful that Terry could do something to stop the mess. And she wasn’t alone. Snap recalled Penny telling them previously that Mr. Tabootie, Mrs. Tabootie, Mrs. Sanchez, and even Reggie were going to try to stop Vinnie from exposing ChalkZone. The knowledge that even Reggie was willing to help surprised the blue and white zoner. He understood that Reggie’s attitude had improved over the years, but it still surprised him. Well people can be surprising in general.

Snap was frightened by the idea of ChalkZone being exposed. It meant that, even if they fixed everything there, the danger had not passed yet. If ChalkZone was exposed, than they’ll soon have a whole host of other problems. He wasn’t even sure how well Rudy and Penny, and the others at that, could protect ChalkZone if there were hundreds, thousands, even millions of humans wanting to get into ChalkZone. Snap knew how conniving and cunning humans could be, and if enough wanted something, they had ways of getting it.

While Snap understood that not all the humans would be bad and that a lot of them probably mean no real harm. But most humans wouldn’t see him and his kind as sentient and he knew zoner treatment would be bad. It would be a lot like what happened in the dark dimension, where zoner rights were practically nonexistant and the race was turned into slaves. Snap didn’t want that to happen in his dimension. He didn’t want his home to taken over and his species being treated like they were lower than dirt.

At the moment, there was nothing he and his friends could do. As hard as it was, the three of them tried to relax their minds and not panic over it. They can’t get anything done right now, so they might as well try to calm themselves until they can do something. They need a clear mind to get out of this place and to deal with the current threats presented to them. Jenny had to be stopped as well as her two lackeys, Ghadir and Tyreek. He had no idea what they were doing right now, but whatever it was, he knew it was nothing good.

Their thoughts were interrupted when Dr. Raiden sat down next to them. He kept some respectable distance, but he wasn’t too far away. They looked over at him, noticing his forelorn expression. His head was bowed, his ears lowered. He had a guilty expression on his face, and the trio knew what the guilt resulted from without having to ask him.

Dr. Raiden straightened himself up, his head facing towards the ceiling. He looked like he was lost in his thoughts. He turned over to look at them. He bit his lip, the tips of his canine teeth partially exposed. His expression was slightly contorted, making it very clear to the three the inner struggle he was going through. He soon broke the uneasy silence.

Dr. Raiden said, “How...are you three?” The cheetah hesitated slightly with that question, indicating nervousness.

Rudy said, “Well we’re doing...okay. In pain, but we’re doing okay.”

“Yeah. Could be a lot worse.” Penny winced as she accidentally irritated her ankle where Maalik had drove his claw through. “Well at least we’re alive...”

Dr. Raiden nodded his head slowly. He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Yeah...that’s true.” He paused for a moment, rubbing the back of his head. He glanced down at Penny’s leg and said, “...sorry I couldn’t really do anything for it...”

“Don’t worry about it. We don’t have access to where you stored the real world supplies, so it’s understandable.” Penny said, giving a small smile. “Maybe on the way out, we’ll run into something.”

“Perhaps...” Dr. Raiden said. “Perhaps we will.”

A pause. About a minute of silence passed before Rudy broke the silence.

“Say, Raiden...” Rudy asked. The cheetah zoner turned his attention to him. “You said that Mr. Cosmo...didn’t use a mind control device on you. He broke you instead?”

At this, Snap’s eyes widened in shock. He swiveled his head in Raiden’s direction. “He tortured you, too?!”

Dr. Raiden nodded his head solemnly. “Yeah, he did...”

At this, Snap felt a pang in his stomach. He had thought he was the only zoner to get tortured by Mr. Cosmo. He was aware that some other zoners also had mind control devices put into their heads. So they must have been in pain. But unlike him, that was the only pain that was deliberately inflicted on them. Snap, on the other hand, not only was he the only zoner self aware the whole time, but he had recieved the most brutal treatment and had been tormented almost nonstop while he was trapped there. To learn that Dr. Raiden had been through something similar... Though the guy had done horrible things, he wouldn’t have wished that kind of fate on him.

So it seemed he and Dr. Raiden shared something with each other. There was a common ground between them. Had he learned about this earlier, he was certain Dr. Raiden would have been dismissive, perhaps saying how he had gotten it worse. Finding out now, after Raiden’s change of heart, was definitely for the best. Snap never expected to find a similarity between himself and Dr. Raiden this fast. And especially not in such a shocking way as this.

“What did he...do to you?” Snap asked cautiously.

Dr. Raiden sat there quietly and, after a short time passed, he replied. “He put an electric shock collar on me and used it whenever I disobeyed him. Well that was one of the ways he’d punish me or force me to build something for him.” Raiden paused for a second, closing his eyes. “He would whip me and beat me into submission. He’d leave me chained to the wall with no food or water. He’d sometimes use a cattle prod on me, too.”

“What?” Rudy asked, his eyes wide in horror. “He already had an electric shock collar on you. Did he really find it necessary to...?” Dr. Raiden nodded his head. “That bastard...”

Dr. Raiden opened his eyes and turned his head to the trio. “I was one of his first victims. I was stuck in that place...probably for two days. I don’t know. With all the pain I was in...time went pretty slow.”

“I know what you mean.” Snap nodded in understanding. Horrible flashbacks came flooding to him as he recalled what happened to himself. The pain...he’d never forget the pain. “I felt like I was trapped there for months.”

“Yeah I’m not surprised.” Dr. Raiden said softly.

“What else did he do?” Penny asked hesitantly.

“There was...one time I tried to fight back. I tried to bite Cosmo.” Dr. Raiden said. The trio looked at him with wide eyes. “Yeah...I can already tell you know that it didn’t end so well for me.” Dr. Raiden shook his head slowly. He gritted his teeth and shuddered. “I’ll never forget the pain I felt that cattle prod between my legs... and how he put it in my mouth and kept my jaws shut.”

A collection of gasps from the trio.

“He did that to you?!” Penny cried in horror.

Dr. Raiden nodded his head. “Yeah, he did. And I...” He sucked in a sharp breath. “I admit that is what...ultimately broke me. That’s what made me decide that all creators were evil.”

“It was?” Rudy asked in a soft voice.

“Yeah. I admit, I didn’t always have those radical beliefs. I used to be...well like you see me now. But after that horrific incident, after experiencing all that pain, yeah, I finally gave into Maalik’s beliefs of all creators being dangerous.” The cheetah gave them a sideways glance. “You all know where that went.”

The trio nodded in response. They were quite familiar with what happened after that. A little too familiar. Dr. Raiden had been one nasty enemy for a while, hurting them, trying to kill them, being an overall asshole to them. They still remember how scared they were when he chased them down the hallway back in the hospital, how deranged he had looked and acted.

Snap shuddered as he remembered how Dr. Raiden had treated him when they got back here. He had his voice taken away for a while and Dr. Raiden toyed with him. Not just mentally, but physically as well. He had held him up by his scarf like he was a stray animal and just...messed with him. Snap could still feel the coldness of that metal claw against his skin, feeling it cut into his skin. He had been so terrified with how the cheetah was screwing with him, and he really did feel helpless being held like that. He couldn’t do much of anything to defend himself.

And lying to him about killing his friends... That was the worst thing Dr. Raiden had done to him. Nevermind nearly getting his face ripped off. Nothing could compare to the pain he felt when he thought that his friends died in the most brutal way. Getting his face ripped off would have been no picnic, but knowing or believing some of his closest friends were hurt...that was so much worse. He had been broken into tears and he remembered how hard it was to cheer up, even with his friends’ help.

And knowing it was all a lie... Snap would be lying if he said he didn’t still feel that burning anger. He was still sore with the cheetah for doing that. That was a disgusting thing to do, and he had done it to Rapsheeba and Blocky, too. They didn’t do anything to deserve that, and yet the cheetah still did that to them. He couldn’t imagine the pain they must have been through. He was glad that Dr. Urso was able to clear up the lie.

But despite any lingering anger, he and his friends did still feel sorry for Dr. Raiden for that horrific treatment. Snap had known Cosmo to be cruel, but what he did to Raiden was...just downright abhorrent. To shock two very sensitive areas was inhumane. But then, he’d come to expect that from Mr. Cosmo. The man had been a complete monster, and Snap recalled how disappointed he was that the man died before he could be put in a trial. He deserved to be convicted for all the horrible things he had done.

“Listen I...” Dr. Raiden said, breaking the silence. His gaze was towards the ground. “I wanted to say something to you three.”

The three looked over at the cheetah. They kept quiet, waiting for him to continue. Dr. Raiden lifted up his head and looked at them. He looked as though he was having a hard time getting himself to speak, like he didn’t know exactl how to say what he wanted to. They were patient with him, though, and let him speak at his own pace.

Dr. Raiden said, “I wanted to...apologize for my...atrocious behavior earlier. There’s many things I did that I’m not proud of. And I’m sorry for all of it.” He winced a bit at that, probably thinking of some of the horrible things he did previously. “I misjudged you three, and there was no excuse for that. I..should have given you a chance instead of letting my own radical beliefs and deep seated anger get the better of me.”

The cheetah glanced down at Snap. The blue and white zoner couldn’t help but flinch a little as they met the gaze of the cheetah. He didn’t mean to react like that, and he did feel guilty. The cheetah’s expression softened up more, and he could see more guilt etched in his face.

“I’m sorry I accused you of being a traitor, Snap. I should have known better than that... What I said to Maalik was true. I had seen you do some beneficial things, but I..kind of just pushed that aside to fuel my own beliefs. And I’m sorry about that.” Dr. Raiden said. Hesitantly, he reached out and placed his hand on Snap’s shoulder lightly. “I’m sorry about lying to you regarding your friends. It was wrong to do and I shouldn’t have done it.”

Snap gave a small smile. “I forgive you.”

Dr. Raiden looked surprised by that, but he smiled back. He turned his head to look at Rudy. He bit his lip and said, “I’m sorry about poisoning your IVs and tearing up your shoulder like that. And I’m sorry about helping to organize that bombing on the hospital. So many zoners might be dead and it’s my fault..” The cheetah lowered his head, his ears flattening against his skull. “I’m sorry about everything I did. There’s...so many terrible things I did, I don’t think I could name them all without forgetting something.”

“It’s okay. At least you acknowledged that you did wrong and you’re trying to fix it now.” Penny said gently. “That’s what counts. Yeah you did a lot of harm, but at least you can start making amends now.”

Rudy nodded his head. “I admit, I still don’t feel comfortable around you, but that’s to be expected. But I think you do have potential of doing ChalkZone some real good. If you are determined to be of help, I’m sure you’ll be able to succeed.”

Dr. Raiden smiled a little at this. He still looked upset, but it was obvious their words were cheering him up a little. The guilt was still there, but they knew it wouldn’t go away anytime soon, just like how their fear of him wouldn’t completely disappear right away, either. Dr. Raiden severely damaged their trust in him and that would take a little while to rebuild.

“We forgive you.” Rudy said. “We’re willing to give you a second chance...if you are serious about trying to change.”

“I am.” Dr. Raiden nodded his head a couple of times. “I do want to make it up to you three. I...have a lot to answer to.”

“Yeah you do.” Snap realized that sounded a little more stern than he had wanted it to be. He cleared his throat and said, “Well what I mean is, you did do a lot of terrible things and there’s a lot of work that needs to be done if you want to make amends.” He smiled the best he could. “But I’m sure you’ll be able to do it. You’ve already started to make it up to us now by helping us and accepting our help instead of pushing us away. Admitting your wrong does take a lot of strength courage, even more so when you try to do something about it.”

“Yeah, you definitely have potential, Dr. Raiden.” Penny said. “I just hope that you keep trying, no matter how discouraged you might feel. The road to redemption is never easy.”

“Yeah I know.” Dr. Raiden said. He looked away for a few moments, before turning back to the trio and smiling at them. “Thank you.”

Before any of them could speak again, there was a shout from where the remaining Luminos were. The group of four looked over and saw that Maalik was waving his paw at them, gesturing for them to come over. Looks like the meeting and discussion of what to do was about to start. Without hesitation, the trio and Raiden got up from where they sat and walked over to join the rest of the Luminos.


	100. I Am Going To Toy With You, Terry

“Come back here, you bitch!” Mr. Pierce’s voice rang in the hallways.

Her heart pounding against her chest, Terry kept running down, doing her best to stay away. She turned her head to the side momentarily, seeing the insane man coming at her with one eye. She gasped at how close he was getting and pushed herself to move faster. She hoped that the others were able to get away in time. She wasn’t sure how long she could run away from this guy or what would happen after he got rid of her.

Reggie had come up with a plan to convince the audience about ChalkZone being fake. She forgot how he was going to do it, but she trusted that he’d be able to pull it off. If he knows enough about movie magic, maybe he planned on replicating the effects to make it seem like the evidence they saw in the footage was definitely faked. How he could do that, she wasn’t sure, but she hoped he’d be able to pull it off.

He hadn’t even gotten started when Mr. Pierce burst through the room. Well not burst through... More like he came in. With the audience there, the man couldn’t act overtly aggressive or anything. At least, not so much that the audience realizes something is wrong. He was alone, at least, but his presence was still a shock. He had grabbed her by the arm and started to take her away, under the guise of ‘there’s an emergency that needs to be taken care of’. She had tried to call out for help and the other adults had attempted to help her, but the man gave a very clear, quiet message that indicated he would do real harm if they didn’t cooperate.

Terry wasn’t sure at first why Mr. Pierce wasn’t going after the other adults. Then she realized that it was likely because he blamed her entirely for this plan of his to fall apart. She was the one who told the others what happened and she was more or less the leader of the group trying to stop him. So he must be thinking ‘if he gets rid of her, he could take down the rest’. Probably not the most well thought out plan because he isn’t considering what the other adults are capable of, but on the other hand, the fact he was willing to go this far, to kill like he had with her brother, was frightening.

Sure enough, when they got out of the room, he did attempt to kill her. He had no knife or gun with him, so he attempted to break her neck. She managed to get away, but instead of staying there and fighting back, she started to run off. She wanted to get the crazed man away from the others so they could go through with the plan. It had been a while and she guessed that Reggie might have been able to pull it off. She wasn’t sure, though. The only way to know was to go back and ask but she couldn’t do that until this man was taken care of.

She had to figure out a way to call the police and have him arrested. There had to be a way she could do that without getting caught. It wasn’t going to be easy and with the man chasing her, on her tail, she had no time to pull out her cellphone to do so. The man was getting too close and there was still a strong chance she’d run into someone else in this building. Practically everyone was against her and if she ended up going down the wrong tunnel and she tried to call for help, someone might lunge at her and knock out her cellphone. Or did she have her cellphone? So much crazy stuff happened today she was losing track of what she did and didn’t have.

So far, the hallways were eerily empty. She wasn’t sure why. Something about this didn’t feel right. She wondered if Mr. Pierce was herding her somewhere. It didn’t seem like he was; he was just chasing her blindly. But why were the halls empty? Normally there’d be people walking around in here, but she hadn’t really seen anything. It was as if he had gathered them all in one place and was just waiting for her to go there and she’d be ambushed.

The realization that this might be what was happening scared her. She wasn’t sure if she could fight off a group of people beating her up or whatever. She had a hard enough time fighting her ex-boss. What good would she do standing up against the entire staff here? Not much. She was injured and not fully up to strength due to what Vinnie had done to her. She still had aches and pains all over her body. She had fought hard against the pain to fight back and run, but sooner or later, she wouldn’t be able to do that anymore. She’d run out of the strength to fight back. She knew she would not lost long in a fight against more than one person, let alone a whole staff made up of...definitely more than ten, fifteen people.

And what would happen to the others if she did get caught? At least they know that Mr. Pierce is free and might be coming back for them, so they’re prepared. But then.... Oh no... A horrible thought crossed her mind. What if Mr. Pierce sent some people over to the audience to take care of the others? They were not staff members there, so the audience would not bat an eye if they were dragged out. Mr. Pierce might have ushered her away so that the guards could come in and take the others out of that room to stop them. That might be what Mr. Pierce had been doing and...

She felt like an idiot. If that was what Mr. Pierce’s entire plan was, then she shouldn’t have run off like that. She should have stayed so she could provide some kind of blockade, even short-lived, to buy the others time. For all she knew, as soon as she had left, the guards could have come to take care of the ‘intruders’, so to speak. And if that call to kill was still in effect, then they might have... Her eyes went wide with horror. She hoped that wasn’t the case. She prayed that the other adults were fine. She might be a little paranoid, but when it comes to something like this, it was better to assume the worst and be prepared than it is so dismiss it and then realize they had made a horrible mistake.

Terry soon came to a two-way intersection in the hallway. She didn’t have time to pause. She quickly turned to the right and headed down that way. She could see another hallway on the left and then further down, a dead end with the ability to turn left or right. She headed down that way. She could hear the scramble of feet from her ex-boss as he raced towards her. Terry didn’t dare look behind to see how close he was. She knew he was really close. Practically on top of her by now. She pushed herself to move faster and managed to gain a little distance from him.

Suddenly, as she passed by the hallway, she realized her suspicion had been correct. Some of the stuff had been waiting for her. He had been herding her. He probably set a group of staff in various locations and was just waiting for her to go to one of these designated locations. She wished she had realized this sooner. She wished she hadn’t run off to lead him away. She had no idea what was happening to the others and now she found herself in a situation wher she couldn’t really do anything to go back and help them.

The moment she passed by that hallway, a group of five staff members, three men and two women, lunged at her. They moved so fast, she had no time to react. She was slammed against the wall, her body crushed up against the hard surface. She let out a yelp of pain as this happened, her wounds irritated. She struggled to get free, but the five staff members were able to hold her in place.

As they held her, Terry managed to crane her head to the side to see Mr. Pierce approaching her slowly. His angered expression was gone, replaced with a calmer look. The sight of it made Terry’s heart freeze. She knew that what the man had in mind for her was not going to be good. She could see the reflection of triumph in his eyes, amusement mixed in as well. The other staff members didn’t really have expressions at all besides determination. They were not going to let her go, no matter how hard she struggled, no matter how much pain she was in. They didn’t care, and neither did Mr. Pierce.

“Well well...looks like you ran out of places to run, my little rabbit...” Mr. Pierce said coolly. His arms were folded behind his back. He looked at her like he was examining some inanimate object. “You should have chosen to hop somewhere else and mind your own business.”

Terry snarled at him. “I would never have done that... I’m not a coward!”

Mr. Pierce chuckled. “Well, being a coward would have spared you this fate. I will tell you this, dear Terry. I am not going to let you get away with what you did.” He narrowed his eyes and took a few steps towards her. “I’ll take care of your little pals next. I don’t care what they manage to pull off... I will sway those people back to my side. And I will made a huge profit on that world of chalk business.”

“No! You can’t!” Terry cried.

“Well of course not. Not yet anyway.” Mr. Pierce licked his lips in anticipation. Terry shuddered at the sight of it. “I need to take care of some...loose ends first. I know full well I can’t just start churning in the profit just yet. I need to make sure an incident...” He looked left and right. “...like this...” He looked back at Terry. “...doesn’t happen again...” He took a few steps closer, staring intently in the woman’s eyes. “You have been a thorn in my side, and I cannot allow someone like you gettin in my way. So, I will make sure it never happens again.”

Terry looked at him in fear. “And how...do you plan on doing that?”

“Very simple, really, I will make sure they get arrested...” Mr. Pierce said. He leaned in closely, his eyes glinting with intent. “...for your murder.”

Terry’s eyes widened at this. Her heart skipped a beat. She was already horrified knowing that the man was most likely going to try to kill her. But she didn’t expect him to go as far as to blame her death on Rudy’s parents, Penny’s mom, and Reggie. That was just horrible... He was going to convinct them of something they didn’t do, just to get them out of the way. She wasn’t sure if that was better or worse than straight up killing them.

And what about Rudy and Penny? They’d have no parents to come home to. Where would they go? She’d offer some kind of help, but she might be dead or otherwise held prisoner. Even if they did find help, what would Mr. Pierce do? Would he just leave them alone, or would he go after them as well? What if he was going to go after anyone who was associated with ChalkZone and get rid of them so that he and his company alone had access to it? From how he was acting now....that just might be what his plan was.

She couldn’t stop the feelings of horror and dread from sweeping through her body as she looked into the man’s eyes, seeing that psychotic smile. She was horrified that he was not only going to kill her, but also frame a few innocents on her death. Their lives were going to get ruined all because of his selfishness and greed. She..she had to figure out a way out of here and fast. If she didn’t, then so many lives would be ruined. Not just the other humans she was with, but ChalkZone as well, and Rudy and Penny.

Her struggles increased. She squirmed, yanking herself left and right. She tried her best to worm her way out, pulling and tugging against her captives. She tried to pull her limbs free, any one of them. She shut her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth. She tried her best to ignore the pain she was in. She tried to overcome it and get herself free. She glared at her captors, feeling them wrap their arms around her limbs and hold her in place. She tugged and pushed against them, trying to make them loosen their grip on her. Just a little bit, and maybe she could get free.

Eventually, through enough struggles, she did manage to move forward a little and regain control of her arm. She managed to punch one of the people holding her and she did try to run. But that arm was seized again, and the person she punched came right back. She was pushed up against the wall even harder. She was so squished, she had a hard time breathing. She wanted to call for help, but who would came help her? She was alone in these hallways and with everyone, besides the audience, willing to cover up murder, not even the security of this place was going to help her. Surely, they would erase any evidence of what happened here.

Mr. Pierce raised his hand. He moved two fingers back and forth towards himself, signalling the five staff members to follow him. All but two of the staff members let go. The two strongest men held onto Terry’s arms and started to drag her. She tried her best to get free, but they tightened their grip and twisted her arm, causing her to flinch in pain. She had no choice but to let herself get dragged over to wherever Mr. Pierce was taking her.

They headed down the hallway the staff members ambushed her from. She realized, with a pang in her chest, that this was the medical section of the news station. She recalled that this was where staff members going go when they weren’t feeling well. Nothing too fancy. Mostly just the basic stuff. The hallway wasn’t that big, and there were only a couple rooms in this hallway. But Terry couldn’t help but feel worried that they had specifically wanted to come down this hallway, and that even if she had been caught somewhere else, this was where she would end up going.

Normally, walking down this hallway wouldn’t really bother her. It was just like any other hallway, save for a slight smell of medication in the air. But coming down here, forced to walk through here with Mr. Pierce...it suddenly had a whole new meaning to it. She tried a few more times to struggle and get free, pressing her feet against the ground and pulling back. No luck, just like before. Her feet ended up being dragged across the ground, bending so far that it hurt.

Mr. Pierce soon came up to a door, the furthest one down on the right. He opened it up and he waved his arm to the side, gesturing for the staff members to take Terry in the room. They did so, dragging the injured woman with them. After the five members walked in, Mr. Pierce followed suit. He shut the door behind him and stared intently at Terry.

Terry quickly noticed that this was the examination room, where staff members were briefly examined if they had been injured. Being a news reporter might seem like an easy job, but managing that audience room wasn’t easy. Injuries occurred quite frequently and people coming to this room occurred more often than one would think. It was a standard examination room for the most part, with a few chairs, an examination table, and a shelf with different medicines and simple supplies and instruments.

Terry grunted as she felt herself being hoisted onto the table. The five staff members held her down. Four of them held down her legs. The fifth one grabbed her head and held it still. Terry wrenched herself left and right, but it was impossible to break free. She tried to look to see where Mr. Pierce was, but the man had went out of her line of sight, and the woman holding her head prevented her from turning it. Despite not be able to break free, that didn’t stop her from constantly trying, her heart racing against her chest.

Behind her, she could hear clanging sounds and she knew Mr. Pierce was rummaging through the medicine cabinet. She heard the sound of pills in bottles, liquid medicine sloshing around, the clang of needles hitting the table, among other things. The sound of it made her even more frightened, making her struggle even more. She had to get herself free. She had to get out of here. She heart raced as the dread of what this man planned on doing with her came to the surface. She knew he was not going to give her a pleasant death.

The sound of footsteps filled the room. Terry strained to see Mr. Pierce as he got closer to the exam table she was held down on. He smirked down at her evilly, and in his hand, she could see a needle. Her eyes widened in horror as she stared at the fluid-filled needle as the man got closer. He went to her left side, staring down at her with an almost psychotic grin. He held the needle up, letting her get a nice, long look at it.

The needle was filled with poison... She knew that’s what it must be. Something she was allergic to, or an overdose of one of the drugs. He was going to inject her with it and have her held down until she died. Her heart racing against her chest, she struggled on the tablet, twisting herself left and right. The other people holding her down just gripped her more tightly in response. They gritted their teeth and glared down hatefully at her. They deliberately pressed down on her injuries, aggravating them and sending pain shooting up and down her body. She let out a scream of pain and her body froze, trying to cope with it.

Finally, she relaxed against her well, laying there limp on the table as Mr. Pierce came over with the injection. He placed the needle close to her face, a way of taunting her, telling her this was how she was going to die. A few tears moved down her face as she let out a soft whimper. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. Unable to fight back, all she could do was wait for the injection.

But nothing happened. There was no pinch, no needle being pushed into her skin. She opened up her eyes, confusion washing over her face. She looked up at Mr. Pierce, wondering what he was doing. He was still holding that needle. He still looked at her with that devious smile on his face, a nasty grin. He was certainly going to inject her with it, but why was he waiting? To draw it out... He wanted her to suffer a little before he killed her. The anticipation was just as bad as the needle, causing her stomach to churn and twist. He was going to prolong her suffering just for his own amusement. How sickening...

“What..what are you waiting for...?” Terry asked, narrowing her eyes. “Did you change your mind or something?” She knew talking back like this when she can’t get away wasn’t a good idea. But at this point, she had little to lose. Fight back or not, she was going to die.

Mr. Pierce’s smirk permeated her sould, sending a cold wave through her body. “Well...no I haven’t. But you see...I left out an important step.” He reached his hand down and traced a couple of fingers along her cheek. “I want to see you suffer a little. But I don’t want to do it by causing you physical pain...but mental...” His smile broadened. “After all, some things are worse than death..”

Terry’s eyes widened at this. “What are you going to do?”

“Something that I think you will get a real kick out of...” Mr. Piece glanced at the needle in his hand. He twisted it back and forth, examining it. “This needle isn’t filled with anything you are allergic to, my dear... It’s not going to kill you.” His eyes twinkled as he stared down at her. “Oh no, it’s going to do something...far more entertaining.” He leaned down and whispered into her ear. “It’s going to make you tell the truth...”

“What?!” Terry cried. She looked up at him with terrified eyes. What did this guy want to get out of her? “B-But that’s impossible! There’s no such thing as a truth serum! They don’t work!”

Mr. Pierce chortled darkly at this. “Well true...they don’t always work one hundred percent. But they do have an...amazing trick.” He moved his hand away from her face and moved a finger up and down the needle. The sight of it was quite unnerving. “You see, this type of drug I have right here...it can suppress the higher functions of the brain. And guess what, little princess?” He paused for dramatic effect, making her anxiety rise up inside of her, making her feel a little nauseous. “Lying...requires that higher function.”

Terry gasped at this. She felt her eyes bulge. She tried to turn her head away, but it was held still by that woman. She could have sworn her face went pale when the man said that. Her heart began to race. She attempted to struggle again, but she was stopped when Mr. Pierce slapped her across the face.

“Stop that!” Mr. Pierce snarled at her. “And just...relax...”

It unnerved Terry how this man could go from sounding really angry to really calm in a matter of seconds. She whimpered, feeling the sting on her cheek where he had struck her. She could see his hand was still raised, poised to hit her again if she did something else to bother him. Her body shaking, she kept her mouth shut, her pupils locking onto his. What was he going to do with her? What information did he want out of her? And what was he going to do next?

“As soon as I inject you with this..” Mr. Pierce turned the needle upside down and glanced intently at her arm. He looked back at her, grinning as he saw her face contort further into fear. “You will tell me anything I know. Without that higher function, it will be hard for you to lie. And I will have ways of..making you talk, so don’t even try pulling the silent treatment on me.”

“Wh-What information were you...?” Terry started to say.

Mr. Pierce interrupted her. “I am going to get you to tell me everything you know about this chalk world...including where to get that..gateway chalk. The key to get inside...” Terry looked up at him in horror. “Then after that, I am going to toy with you for a little bit. And I know just how to do it, too.”

“Wh-What are you going to do?” Terry asked, fear laced on her voice.

“I am going to inject you with more of this truth serum stuff...” Mr. Pierce’s grin grew a little more psychotic. “..and as what I’m going to do after that... well.. Let me tell you a little something, Terry. I know about what you did...to get that information regarding...what was it...ChalkZone?”

Terry sucked in a sharp breath at this. He...he wasn’t really going to... A cold laughter stopped her and she gritted her teeth in fear.

“I do wonder how those people you were with are going to react when they find out about what you did, Terry. You stalked those two children around for...quite sometime..” Mr. Pierce tilted his head and leaned a little forward. He gave her a knowing look. “Haven’t you...?” Terry took in quick breaths, her heart clenching. “I will take that as a yes... You see, Terry, I have my...own ways of getting dirt, and through that, I know you had been stalking children, following them around and taking pictures and trying to force interviews with them. And you still have that evidence with you.”

“N-No...I burned them..I...” Terry started to say. She stopped when she saw the man’s grin broaden. Had she...had she forgotten something...?”

“Well true..you got rid of most of the evidence you gathered..but you failed to remember the...backups.” Mr. Pierce said. “You see, you had created copies of much of the evidence, just in case you were caught by the police and you kept them in this building somewhere. Guess what? I know where it is, they have your signature on them, and I can show them to those other adults. And you will confess to them. With the truth serum, you’ll have no choice, and I can sit back and watch you squirm as they chew you out for what you did. I do wonder if their trust in you will falter...”

Terry stared at the man, horrified. Killing her was bad enough, but did he really need to go this extra mile? And she knows that he was going to do much worse than that later on. If he was willing to treat her like this, just how was he going to treat the zoners?

“Oh and with all that information you gathered on the children, I have a good idea of where I can find this... Rudy and Penny. They will be my next target.” Mr. Pierce tilted his head to the side, grinning at the woman. “Thanks for the information, by the way. Don’t worry...I will make full use of it...”

“N-No...” Terry said, attempting to shake her head. “No please...” Her breathing increased, a few sweat beads rolling down her face. She stared at the man in horror, her eyes wide with the silent plea of ‘no don’t do it’. She silently begged the man, but she knew he wasn’t going to listen to her. And when he saw that glint in his eyes, she had an idea of what he was going to do to them. “They’re children...please...don’t...”

“They are eighteen. They’re not ‘little kids’ anymore, Terry. They’re old enough to be treated like adults.” Mr. Pierce replied. “And treat them like adults, I shall.” He reached down and stroked her cheek. She winced at the feel of his cold hands against her skin. She let out a soft whimper. “If those children really do hold the key to ChalkZone, then if you are unwilling to give the information, even with the truth serum, then I will just turn to them. I’ll get them to talk..one way, or another.”

Terry tried to protest, but the woman holding her held suddenly held her mouth shut. She couldn’t do anything except let out whimpers of protest, staring at the man with wide eyes. Why was he doing this? How could he go after the children? She couldn’t believe she had actually been working for this psychotic, evil man. Going after these people to get more information, threatening their lives... And to make it worse, there was nothing she could do about it.

As he brought the needle over, she knew that no outcome would be beneficial. She could die, if somehow she is allergic, and he could just go after the others for information. If she reveals what he wants to know, then he can toy with her and still go after the others. There was nothing stopping him. Her body shuddered as fear and dread took her over. She stared down at the needle, watching it get closer. She hoped and prayed that something would stop him, that someone would burst through the door and get her out of this mess. But life didn’t always have a happy ending. She learned that the hard way with Vinnie.

Unable to do anything, she was helpless to stop the needle from puncturing her skin. She shut her eyes as she felt the pinch. She could feel the cool liquid being injected into her slowly. Her eyes drifted upwards, looking up at Mr. Pierce. She saw his smile turn more psychotic, and she felt her own eyes widen. As the effects of the drug started to take over, she shut her eyes and let a tear trinkle down her face.

sss

Rudy looked left and right, feeling somewhat strange about this situation. He had hoped, for sometime, that the Luminos would come to their senses. He had hoped that, one day, they could be together, working on the same side instead of against each other. The Luminos did seem like they had wanted to really help ChalkZone. They had a level of protectiveness of it.

But they had been spending so much time working against them, so much time trying to hurt them... He had almost given up hope on them changing at all. They had tried to kill them. And they had tormented them. He still remembered the cruel words they had spoken. He remembered what Raiden told him when he first revealed himself to be a Luminos zoner. He recalled how Maalik electrocuted Snap to near death. He could never forget how the Luminos had chanted for Penny’s death, all their deaths.

That was why he was still uncomfortable around them. Despite the fact that they did seem like they wanted to help now, rather than try to hurt them, he still couldn’t help but feel uneasy around them, tense. He had a feeling that Snap and Penny felt the same way. They had been treated horridly by this group, so it was understandable that they wouldn’t just automatically feel safe around them. A part of his mind was still on alert, wondering if any of them would try to make a move. After all, they hadn’t, before, given them any reason to trust them.

Dr. Raiden had lied to them for a while. He lied about caring about Rudy’s condition. He had lied to them about wanting to help him. He decieved them all and lured him into a trap. Poisoning his IVs, tearing his shoulder, locking him up... Yeah he apologized for it, but that didn’t make the bitterness of the betrayal go away. He had toyed with their emotions like it was nothing. Due to that, despite the apology, Rudy and the others still felt nervous around him. Not just him, but the Luminos in general. After being branded monsters and treated like they were lower than dirt, it was going to take some time before they build any real trust with them.

He was glad, though, that they were at least willing to change, admitted that they had been wrong. It was nice being treated well, instead of trying to hurt them. They all did look remorseful for what they had done. A couple of them were still horrified by some of the things they had said. Despite still being somewhat frightened of them, Rudy and the others were still willing to give them a chance. They needed to work together to get out of here; it would not be beneficial for them to continue to be at odd’s ends.

Rudy was torn from his thoughts when one of the Luminos zoners, Diamond, approached them. The trio looked over and watched as Diamond took a few steps towards them. Her gaze was that of guilt. She stopped a couple feet in front of them. She turned her glance down towards Snap briefly before looking up at the trio as a whole.

“Before we begin discussing what we will do, we..wanted to tell you three something. I speak for everyone when I saw we’re so sorry for the way we acted towards you three. We apologize for the ruthless things we said to you while you were simply trying to survive the Death Arena. We acted like it was some kind of sport and that was just sick and wrong. We’re all sorry.” Diamond said in a regretful tone.

At this, the other Luminos, Raiden and Maalik included, nodded their heads in agreement. There were some murmurs of ‘we’re sorry’ here and there. A few of them gave saddened looks while a couple others looked away in shame.

“And I’m especially sorry.” Diamond said. She clenched her teeth. Her gaze returned to Snap. She flinched, as if remembering something horrible she did. “About what I said to you before, when Twistia and I were bringing you three up into the arena... how you were going to die violently... I’m so very sorry about that. I take it all back. It was wrong of us to say. I’m sorry...” She contorted her face to sorrow for a few seconds. “...and if Twistia were still here, she’d apologize, too.”

At this, Rudy was brutally reminded that most of the Luminos were dead now. Only a small handful had survived. Twistia was one of the many unlucky ones. He still remembered the sight of her corpse. She had been crushed to death by one of the large falling stalactites. Diamond had been horrified by the sight and tried to wake up her friend. Her pleas still filled his ears, and he looked at her sympathetically.

“We forgive you.” Rudy said. Penny and Snap nodded in agreement, all of them giving the best smile they could. Diamond offered a small smile of her own, though it somewhat forced due to the sorrow filling her mind. “And...we’re sorry for your loss.”

“Thanks..” Diamond nodded her head. She glanced down at the ground, a little uncertain. She gave the trio one last look before she left to go sit down.

Not long after she sat down, Maalik spoke up next.

“I’d like to apologize myself. Not just for what was already mentioned, but for the things I did.” Maalik pressed his hand against his chest. He moved towards the trio, standing about two feet in front of them. “I had thought that I was doing the right thing by going after all creators. I had wanted to keep the Cosmo incident from happening again. But I didn’t realize that I had been turning myself into Cosmo...that we were all becoming like him. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize that. There’s...a lot of things I’ve done that I regret.”

“Yeah...but at least you’re trying to change now.” Penny said. “And that is what’s important. Recognizing your mistakes, and trying to fix them.”

Maalik nodded his head. “That’s indeed true. And I do promise to work towards that.” He turned his glance to Rudy. He locked eyes onto the boy. There was a flash of regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry about ordering the bombing of the hospital. I..I can’t believe I thought that was a good idea. If any zoners died there... it wouldn’t just be Dr. Raiden who would be at fault. I’m the leader of the Luminos. I ordered that attack. I would be responsible. I’m responsible for...pretty much everything the Luminos had done.”

“A good leader takes responsibility.” Rudy said, nodding his head.

“And I plan on doing that.” Maalik said. There was a pause, and then he turned to Snap. “I’m sorry about electrocuting you, Snap. I almost killed you and there was no reason for that.” Another pause. He flinched as he looked at the burns he caused Snap. “How..are you feeling?”

Snap replied, “In pain... But I’m okay. I’m still in one piece.”

“That’s good. My electricity can...cause a lot of damage. I’ll see to it you get to the hospital soon to be examined.” Maalik turned his head up, looking towards the ceiling. “If we get out of here that is...”

“Oh I’m sure we will!” Snap said, giving a small smile. “We just have to keep trying! There must be a way out of here, am I right?”

“Depends on if there’s any open tunnels left. I don’t know how far the damage had spread.” Maalik admitted, rubbing the back of his head somewhat nervously. “If there’s no open paths, I’m afraid this will be our home for a while, until someone finds us or we find a piece of magic chalk.”

At the mention of ‘home’, Rudy noticed Snap flinch. Penny’s eyes flashed at that, and Rudy could feel a pang in his heart. They were all reminded of how Snap had lost his treehouse not once, but twice. Ghadir attacked it, causing some destruction. And then it was blown up by the Luminos. They had taken rockets and just...attacked it... It had been burned to the ground and Snap lost everything. Though he didn’t really bring it up due to what was going on, Rudy could tell that he was heartbroken about what happened. All his belongings, including gifts and pictures and videos...all of that was gone.

Maalik caught their expressions and, from the remorseful look on his face, knew what they were thinking about. He sucked on his lip and looked away, a bit of shame shining in those golden eyes. He looked back, staring intently at Snap. “I’m sorry about blowing up your treehouse, Snap. I knew it was wrong...and I ordered that to happen anyway. I should have known better. I lost my home years ago..and it’s happened to me again, with this. I know what it’s like to watch my home burn to the ground. I’m sorry I forced you to go through that.”

Snap smiled at Maalik. Still nervous, but he still managed to smile. “I forgive you.”

“And we forgive you, and the others as well.” Rudy said, smiling the best he could. Penny smiled and nodded in agreement. “It seems like you are all willing to change, and if you are, we’re willing to give you a second chance.”

“Yes, we do want change. We only wanted what was best for ChalkZone, but we didn’t realize the monsters we turned ourselves into. Well no more of that, I assure you.” Maalik said. He had a smile on his face for a time, but it soon disappeared. He bit his lip and said, “I definitely want to make it up to you three.” He turned his head to Snap. “Especially you...since I am the reason you are homeless. I’ll make you this promise, Snap.”

The lion zoner lowered himself onto one knee. He was almost eye level with Snap. He paused for a moment, biting his lip as he tried to think of the words to say. The trio watched him, waiting for him to respond. They wondered what this promise was going to be.

Soon Maalik spoke again. “After all this is over, I’ll build you a new treehouse.”

“What?” Snap’s eyes widened at this. “You do?”

“Not just. Them too.” Maalik indicated the other Luminos, who all gave affirmative nods. “We all feel bad about what happened..especially me. I think this would be a good way to start making it up to you. Let me give something back to you that I took away.” He placed a hand on his chest, giving a faint smile. “Let me give you back your home.”

The trio were amazed at this kind of offer. They hadn’t been expecting it. They did expect an apology, and they got that, but they also got much more. Maalik was offering to build Snap a new home... Building a house was not an easy thing to do, and took a lot of commitment. The fact that Maalik was willing to go through that for Snap, as a way of making it up to him, was truly amazing.

They couldn’t help but smile at this generous offer. Maalik really didn’t need to build Snap a new home. Rudy could do that. He could take the magic chalk and draw the home no problem, and it would be faster. But Maalik was offering anyway. He looked fully intent on going through with that promise, as well. There was nothing in his voice or his expression that suggested otherwise. He really did want to go through with it and build the house himself, with the help of some of the other Luminos, he was sure. Offering to build Snap a new home...definite improvement over the way the Luminos treated him before.

Snap, a big smile on his face, momentarily overcame his fear and, without warning, hugged Maalik, wrapping his arms around him the best he could. Maalik looked surprised, then he slung his arm carefully around Snap, returning the hug. Snap whispered a small ‘thank you’, which Maalik did answer, saying ‘you’re welcome’. They remained like this for a few moments before Maalik released Snap and moved back. He looked down at him and then, taking a step back, addressed the group as a whole.

“We treated all three of you horridly. And we are sorry for that. I’m sorry for it. We should have known better than to judge you two just because you were creators. We should have taken into account that not all creators are the same. We accepted diversity with zoners..we should have done so for humans. We promise we won’t do that again.” Maalik said. He stared down at Snap. “And I’m sorry that I.., well not just me, all of use, labeled you a traitor. It was completely unfair to us, and we can see now, more than ever, you were never the enemy to begin with. We’re sorry for that...” He pulled his head back and closed his eyes. “We’re sorry for everything.”

“It’s okay. We forgive you.” Rudy said in a gentle voice.

Maalik smiled at him. But then he frowned. Not out of anger, but out of seriousness and determination. Rudy knew exactly why. They had some important things to discuss. Now that the apologies were out of the way, they needed to refocus their thoughts on how to get out of here. They were still trapped and it was crucial they found a way out soon, or they would all starve to death down here.

Maalik smiled at him. But then he frowned. Not out of anger, but out of seriousness and determination. Rudy knew exactly why. They had some important things to discuss. Now that the apologies were out of the way, they needed to refocus their thoughts on how to get out of here. They were still trapped and it was crucial they found a way out soon, or they would all starve to death down here.

Getting out of here was not going to be easy. If all the pathways were blocked...what then? The arena was pretty far under the ground if he remembered right. Granted, it wasn’t the furthest, but still, it wasn’t like they were close to the surface or anything. And even if they did find a passageway, knowing if it was the right one wouldn’t be easy. He wasn’t even sure if the Luminos would know where the path went. Everything was crushed and twisted by that sudden attack. The tunnels are likely all unrecognizable at this point.

But still, they had to try. Trying was certainly better than doing nothing at all. If they tried and failed, well that was better than just sitting here. He’d rather they die trying to get out of here than just laying around, making no attempt on getting out of here.

“I hope Rapsheeba and Blocky are okay...” Snap said, concern laced over his voice. A few tears appeared in his eyes. “I..I hope they...” His voice trailed off. He couldn’t speak anymore. He leaned up against Penny for comfort.

Penny put her arm around him. “I’m...sure they’re okay, Snap.”

Rudy looked over at Maalik. “Where were those two being held?”

Maalik replied, “One of our holding chambers. Higher level than this area.” He paused and thought for a moment. “I..am not sure if your friends survived. I...”

“Wait!” Dr. Raiden raised his paw. “I know what room you’re talking about, and I’m the one who built it! Well refurbished it I mean.” He pointed his metal claw into the air. “I recall I put some kind of material around that room to help support it. I did that because I was afraid the trai...er, I mean Rapsheeba and Blocky would have found a way out. I wanted to reinforce it...” He made a gesture with his hand, looking at them. “There might be a chance the room is in tact and his friends are still alive.”

“Yeah! We should go and find them, and get them out of there!” One of the Luminos shouted. “That is where we put the magic chalk as well!”

Rudy’s eyes widened at this. “Our magic chalk? The ones you stole?”

The same zoner nodded his head. “Yeah, that’s right! They should be in that very room!”

Maalik said, “Okay, then that settles that.” He turned his head to Nile. He made a gesture with his head. “Go out there and try to find a path to that holding chamber. And be careful!”

Nile saluted his leader. “That should be no problem for me!” With that, the crocodile turned and went out of the door.

Rudy watched as the crocodile zoner left. He and his friends hoped he would be able to navigate the tunnels without problem. He was the most armored of the zoners, thick scales and skin covering his body. He had a feeling Maalik would probably sent out another oner with him just in case. The trio hoped that he’d be able to find a path to Rapsheeba and Blocky. He hoped they were okay, and he hoped the magic chalk was there. If it was, they had a better chance of getting out of here.

Suddenly, he heard a groan from nearby. He turned his head. One the ground, where the now bandaged Urso lay, he could see the lion bear beginning to stir awake. The zoner opened up his eyes and looked around. A muggy, confused expression was plastered over his face. Wasting no time, Rudy walked towards him, preparing to fill the lion bear in on what had happened while he was knocked out.


	101. The Twisted Mountains

Dr. Urso was surprised at the turn of events that had unfolded while he was knocked out. He couldn’t even remember how that had happened. Was he fighting Maalik or Raiden? Had he been knocked out by a rock? He wasn’t sure. All he remembered was standing protectively in front of the trio, some shaking, and then...blackness. He had been knocked out for a while, and he knew this just by seeing how the attitudes around him had changed.

He looked around him, seeing the few surviving Luminos that remained. Their numbers had dwindled dramatically. He was still outnumbered, however, and if he had to fight them, he’d probably lose. But none of the Luminos tried to harm him. This would have been confusing to him had Rudy, Penny, and Snap not explain the situation, what had happened while he was knocked out.

He was amazed that Rudy was finally able to get through to Dr. Raiden. He still wasn’t sure how he pulled it off. He himself had tried to get the cheetah to listen to reason, but he had kept failing at it. Just what had Rudy done that was so different? Well, it doesn’t matter anyway; whatever he did worked and Raiden, well not just him, all the Luminos, were trying to be helpful. They hadn’t tried to harm him and he hadn’t seen any of them lift a threatening claw towards Rudy or his two friends.

He still couldn’t help but remain wary of the group, though. It would take some time to get used to their company and accept the fact that they had changed. They had caused a lot of harm, after all, hurting, even killing innocents like with that hospital, all to fuel their own misguided quest to help ChalkZone. They had a lot to answer for, and it would take more than just a simple apology to really make amends. He was glad, though, that they were at least trying to change and they were doing their best to be helpful.

He laid down on the ground, resting on his stomach. His eyes were fixated towards the door where Nile had gone out from. It hadn’t been too long...maybe ten minutes since the crocodile zoner had left. He was going to see if there was a clear path to where Blocky and Rapsheeba were, and if there was, he was going to lead them to them. They were on an upper level and, if he were to believe Raiden’s words, it should be reinforced, so those two may still be alive. Raiden isn’t entirely sure, but he certainly sounds hopeful that they’re fine.

Dr. Raiden... Out of all the Luminos zoners here, he was the one Dr. Urso was the most uncomfortable around. Just seeing him made his stomach churn. He understood he was trying to change, but the cheetah had lied to him all this time. He had tricked him and his fellow staff members, and played them all for fools. That wasn’t something he was going to get over so easily. Especially after how they had trusted Dr. Raiden so much...

Dr. Urso had really trusted Dr. Raiden, valuing his advice and tips when helping patients. He seemed to be so trustworthy. He never once came across to him as something capable of doing nasty deeds. And then all this happened and..his view of the cheetah had been shattered. He had been crushed knowing that Raiden, who really was a good doctor, fully capable of treating all kinds of injuries and such of varying degrees of severity, had been working for the Luminos all this time. To see Dr. Raiden acting like a monster to the trio and their friends...it was heartbreaking to see. If there was one way to get on Dr. Urso’s bad side, it’s when a professional doctor uses their skills to harm.

He was glad that the trio were willing to give them a second chance. The last thing they needed right now was lingering hatred or anything that could increase the tension in the room. They had so much more to worry about right now. Just getting out of this place was the start. The whole thing about ChalkZone City being attacked... Dr. Urso hoped that there weren’t any casualties, but he had a feeling that wasn’t the case. They needed to get out of this cave fast and go see what was going on. What happened? Why was it attacked? Rudy thinks it was the black chalk artists. Dr. Urso kind of hoped it was; he really didn’t want there to be another problem to worry about.

He heard footsteps heading his way. He lifted up his head and he could see Dr. Raiden headed towards him. A part of his instinct told him to get out of there. Dr. Raiden was the one who gave him most of his injuries, especially the one through his chest that tore his lung. But he managed to keep himself relaxed. Dr. Raiden adopted a non-aggressive posture, trying to silently tell him that he means him no harm. Dr. Urso watched as the cheetah stopped in front of him, looking down at him with a concerned expression.

“How are you feeling?” Dr. Raiden asked, almost with no hesitation.

Dr. Urso pushed himself up on one arm and lightly pressed his paw against his chest. “Very sore, especially here.” He winced, clenching his teeth. “But that’s to be expected you know... Having something sharp and metal torn through your body isn’t exactly fun.” Dr. Urso didn’t realize how harsh that sounded until he saw the cheetah’s ears lower. Dr. Urso bit his lip and turned his head away. “Sorry.”

“No...don’t be. I...I shouldn’t have done that.” Dr. Raiden said. “I’m the one who should be sorry.” He lowered his head, averting gaze from the lion bear. “I..do want to help mend more of the damage when I can.”

“That’s thoughtful of you.” Dr. Urso replied. He tried his best to smile at the cheetah. “What about Snap?”

“I’ll treat him as well.” Raiden replied. He rubbed the back of his head, his face contorting in nervousness. “I...do owe him as well. I apologized, but I still feel like I should do more.” He glanced over in Snap’s direction. The zoner was with his friends as they rested against the wall, waiting for Nile to return. “Out of all of them, I feel like I treated him the worst. He really is a good guy... I just wish I had seen that before instead of letting myself get clouded.”

Dr. Urso nodded his head once in agreement. He couldn’t argue with that. Dr. Raiden had been very unfair to Snap. Not just him, but the rest of the Luminos as well. Their treatment of Rudy and Penny was bad enough. Snap was viewed as worse simply for being a zoner who befriend creators. He had been branded a traitor in spite of how much he had helped ChalkZone. They had been so quick to judge him, and that was just plain wrong.

“I...also need to apologize to his two friends... Blocky and Rapsheeba.” Dr. Raiden said, raising his head up a little. “I hadn’t exactly been nice to them either. I hurt them...treated them like they were monsters...”

“Yeah..you did.” Urso said, sounding a little more bitter than he had intended. At this, Raiden lowered his head a little. “I...really wish you had listened to reason earlier.”

“Yeah...me too.” Raiden said in a quiet voice.

Urso did his best to be civil with Raiden. It was a little hard to speak without sounding a little angry at times, though. Just looking at Raiden reminded him so much of what this guy had done. Raiden did apologize to him, and he had forgiven him, but it would take time before he would feel comfortable around him again. It would be a while before he could look at Raiden and not feel his stomach twist up inside.

He was glad to hear that Dr. Raiden intended on apologizing to Rapsheeba and Blocky. They definitely need an apology from him. Raiden had torn open Blocky’s side and he broke Rapsheeba’s leg. And all for an ideal that wasn’t even necessary and, to an extent, was dangerous. Dr. Raiden does at least feel remorse for what he did, and he was willing to apologize, in spite of how they might feel about him. That was good, definitely. Better he apologize as soon as possible than to delay it.

Just then, the door opened up. Urso and Raiden looked over, as did everyone else in the room. Nile walked into the room. The crocodile looked left and right until he found Maalik. The lion zoner approached him quickly, his eyes a little wide.

“Did you find them?” Maalik said, stopping a couple feet in front of the dark green zoner.

Nile nodded his head a few times. “I have.” He raised up his hand and pointed towards the right. “The main tunnel is blocked off, but...” He moved his arm a little to the left, same general direction. “..if we take a detour around where we kept some of our less...explosive weapons, we should get into another path that’ll take us there.”

“How are they?” Snap asked, speaking up unexpectly.

Nile looked down at the small zoner. He hesitated for a moment, clenching his teeth. That didn’t look like a good sign. Snap, as well as his human friends, looked at him worriedly when he did that. “Well...they’re alive..but...” Nile tapped his claw against his chin, like he was trying to think of how to explain it. “The room is mostly in tact, but one of the support beams fell. It landed on their cage.”

Silence and horror spread through the room. Snap’s body shook a little and he backed up to where his friends where. Rudy and Penny put a hand on his shoulder to try to comfort him. Urso felt dread filling his heart. He watched as the other Luminos expressed similar concern, looking at each other and speaking softly to one another. This...was not good news. Support beams were very heavy, and depending on how hard it fell down...

Well Nile did say that they were alive. So that was a bit of good news. But he didn’t mention their condition. Being alive didn’t really mean much other than having a heart beat. If they were mortally injured, then they were going to die anyway. And if they had a dehibilitating injury that would make life a living hell, then being alive was almost like punishment. He hoped that wouldn’t be the case. He hoped that they were still alive or had manageable injuries. He’d even prefer them dead than have something that would make their lives even worse, no matter how much treatment they got.

Rudy asked hesitantly, “Did...did the beam...?”

Nile shook his head. “No. I should have made it clear. The beam is resting on the cage; it’s not broken through...yet.” That hesitation really drove home the point what Nile was apparently trying to make. Everyone looked at each other again, though no one spoke. All eyes were on Nile. “The support beam is heavier than the cage. Much heavier. While the cage is in tact now, sooner or later, it will break through, and those two will get crushed.” A collection of gasps. “We’ll need to hurry up and move that beam out of the way.”

“Why didn’t you do it?” Rudy asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. “You were there, and you’re strong. You could have done something without having to come back all the way here.”

“No. The beam is too heavy for me. I tried, believe me.” Nile rubbed his arm. “I nearly pulled a muscle.”

“Oh...sorry.” Rudy said, obviously feeling guilty about being a little accusatory there.

“Okay it’s settled then.” Maalik straightened himself up. He looked at everyone, not just the other Luminos, but the trio and Dr. Urso as well. He lifted up his hand and made a motion gesture. “Come along, let’s get over there now.” As everyone walked over, Maalik turned his attention to Nile. “Lead the way!”

Nile saluted his leader. He turned his back and walked towards the door. He stopped and looked behind him. “Everyone, follow me!”

Without hesitation, the crocodile zoner headed out of the room. Behind him, everyone else followed suit, staying close behind, but still giving space to each other so they didn’t crash. The group of survivors moved along the rocky path, staying clear of any unstable areas. As they headed up the pathway that Nile was referring to, Dr. Urso felt someone brush up next to him. He looked over and saw it was Dr. Raiden.

“I’ll help you.” Dr. Raiden said. He slung the lion bear’s arm over his shoulder, letting him use him as support.

Dr. Urso looked surprised by this offer, but smiled gratefully in return. He briefly looked over and saw that a couple of Luminos were also helping Rudy, Penny, and Snap to walk as well. He looked back at Raiden and said, “Thank you.”

Dr. Raiden gave a small smile back. “You’re welcome.”

The group continued their trek down the tunnel, all hoping they would get to that room before the collapse would happen.

sss

Draow stared off into the distance. His wings were spread out, catching the breeze that allowed him to glide a little. He felt some relief as his body was being lifted up a little by the wind. He was getting tired of flapping the whole way. Why did the blue chalk have to be placed this far away? True he had flown this distance before, but it had been a while. It was further away than the volcano he and Tsere were using to dump the debris. Well further between it and the city that is. He felt as though he was flying for hours.

But he did not stop. There was no way he was going to stop, especially not now. He wanted to show his loyalty to Nihilanth. If he wanted the blue chalk, than he shall bring it over. He didn’t care how long it took. He would find it and bring it back over to him. He would do anything to insure Nihilanth’s victory, even if it cost him his own life. He had waited a long time for this moment, and he was not going to screw it up.

His master, Cosmo, had often dreamed of resurrecting Nihilanth. He had wanted to do that so much, but they never found the means to do it. Draow recalled how disappointed Cosmo would be whenever an attempt failed. And of course, the traitorous Wilter managed go stop their entire operation. They hadn’t even been close to fully discovering just how to wake up Nihilanth and use his power to help take over ChalkZone. Well destroy it to be more specific.

Sometimes he could still hear his master’s shouts of frustration and anger. And that was definitely cause for alarm. Cosmo rarely had much of a temper, even as a kid. So when he showed anger, everyone took notice and everyone backed away. No one wanted to be around Cosmo when he was mad. The only ones who could were himself and of course, Jenny. Draow could do little to calm him down. He wasn’t very good at it. But Jenny usually could get him to relax, reassuring him that, somehow, they would be insured victory.

He did miss seeing that partnership. Draow was happy that Jenny was back and they could resume their plan. But he wished that Cosmo was around to witness this. He and Jenny were quite close, more so after the black chalk blessed her. Draow sometimes wondered just how far their relationship would have gone had he still been around. Their relationship was largely business, though they had a strong friendship as well. It never really extended far beyond that. They were only eight or ten, so romance certainly wasn’t on their minds.

What he did know was that their friendship was strong enough that Jenny had freaked out when she found out Cosmo had been defeated. Draow could still hear her shouts of anger and vulgar in the air. She usually didn’t get angry like that. She was usually more self-controlled. But Cosmo being defeated...well it caused something inside of her to snap, and she completely lost it. She damn near strangled Wilter to death. He wished that she had succeeded.

Then of course, the other traitor, Biclops, then known as Cyclops, had taken the steps required to kick all artists out of ChalkZone, and also robbed them of their memories. It was a horrifying sight for the bat wolf to see. He could still see their near expressionless eyes, zombie-like state, as their minds were zapped and their memories drained out. All that precious knowledge, all that blessing that the black chalk had given them...gone.... He recalled how his blood boiled and how badly he wanted to do something. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that he was tied down, unable to move.

He had been taken to a jail after that, but it did not hold him for long. He had busted out and retreated into the lesser populated portions of ChalkZone. It was then he did something non-impulsive for once in his life. He had remained quiet and hidden, awaiting for the day that, hopefully, his master would return. That wasn’t something he’d often do; he hated laying down and instead would rather just go out and try to do something. That time, however, he chose to be quiet, refusing to attack anyone no matter how tempting it was. Though he had no way of knowing of Cosmo would return, but he would wait until he was certain Cosmo had died in the real world.

And his waiting and being patient ultimately paid off. Mr. Cosmo had finally returned. Some of his memories weren’t back, but they were returning nonetheless. He recalled how happy he was that he was remembering his glorious past. And when he was finally able to start doing something more productive than just laying around, he was excited. Finally, after all that time, he could sink his teeth into someone else, or his claws or whatever. Admittingly, that was part of the reason he slashed Snap’s back. He had been repressing the urge to kill for so long that he ended up taking it out on Snap, cutting his back open with a single blow.

Oh well, not like it really mattered. Snap still served the purpose that Cosmo had wanted out of him. Draow hadn’t been so certain about recruiting Rudy, but he did agree he had potential. Even now, the boy could be doing a lot of good if he were just to see the light. Nihilanth wanted to destroy the worlds to create one with more order. If the boy cared about peace and harmony, then he should be all for Nihilanth’s plan. But instead, he rejected Cosmo’s generous offer and ultimately killed him, even if it was indirectly.

Draow’s pupils shrank at the memory. Although Bardot was right, and that he had his chance at revenge on the boy, it just didn’t feel like enough. He wanted to go after Rudy again. He wanted to rip his body apart, spill his intestines on the ground. He wanted to watch that little light in his eyes go out as he breathed his last breath. The only reason he didn’t go after him was because Nihilanth had his own plans for the boy. Oh well, watching the boy get corrupted and then absorbed into Nihilanth would be satisfying enough.

As for his friends, he wasn’t sure what Nihilanth had planned for them. He hoped that the dragon would let him kill them. He wanted to sink his claws and teeth into something, and those two did help stop Cosmo as well. If he couldn’t rip apart Rudy’s body, then he would do the same with Penny and Snap. He chortled and a dark smile spread across his muzzle. Memories of what he did to Penny flooded back to him. Oh yes, that was a glorious time. He can still feel her leg in his jaws, breaking it like it were just a toothpick. And her blood...sure it burned his tongue a little, but it still had a delicious taste to it.

Perhaps he could get Bardot to tell him how to eat humans. That..was starting to sound like a lovely idea right now. He might not be able to eat Rudy, but he could eat Penny and those adults that he was certain come into ChalkZone every often. Their parents. Wilter, too. Yes, he’d definitely want to be rid of him. And of course, Snap. Though since Snap was a zoner, he could eat him now if he wanted to. It wouldn’t take much to take him down. Just a little bit of pressure, and it was all over. He used to be disgusted by the idea of eating human flesh, but he had to admit, Penny’s blood did taste pretty darn good...

His ears twisted as a high-pitched whistle entered them. He winced a little, irritated by the sound. But he was also happy to hear it. It meant that he was almost at the Twisted Mountains. As he kept on flying, up ahead, sure enough he could see it. The place was huge, much bigger than he remembered it. Well it had been a while since he was here.

The Twisted Mountains spread for miles in both directions. A long, thin strip of sharply pointed rock formations, with barely a smooth patch of ground on top. Many of the mountains twisted and curled around, hence the name. There were multiple loops of rock, creating small holes which the air blew through, making the whistle sound. They could easily be called the Whistling Mountains and the name would fit, but it just didn’t sound scary or foreboding enough.

Draow dove towards the mountains, moving his body through the bits of rock that seemed to grew out of the ground almost like bare trees. It was difficult navigating this without getting hit, but he was an expert at flying, and he was able to do so without getting himself hurt. He moved through the warped rocky formations, some looking like frozen waves and others like a rocky geyser. He soon found one of the few areas of flat, safe ground to land on. He flapped his wings to slow himself down and then pressed his feet against the ground. He folded his wings at his side and walked forward.

He headed into one of the cave systems of this place. Unlike the outside, the inside had smooth ground, for the most part. There were stalactites and stalagmites everywhere. But there was still plenty more ground to safely walk on, making it easy to navigate. The cave systems stretched about as far as the mountain range itself. It was quite a hollow range, more so than most mountains. As a result, it was not as sturdy, which was why Cosmo never wanted to set up anything permanent here.

But it also made it the ideal place to hide the blue chalk. Draow had known about the blue chalk even before Bardot did. He was amazed the yellow zoner even found a piece at all. He didn’t know if he came all the way here, or if there was a stray piece somewhere. Regardless of how he found it, he was glad he did. Even though he never got a chance to use the blue chalk, he did feel content with watching Bardot use it. When Jenny created the blue chalk, the intent was to arm their own zoners with magic chalk so they could overwhelm the white chalk users. But due to Wilter’s actions, that never happened. So he was happy to see the blue chalk in action and realizing it did, in fact, work.

The realization that soon, he would be able to use the blue chalk...it was exciting for him. He would be on par with Rudy and Penny. If they drew something, he could counter it. He could also use the power of the blue chalk against other zoners. If he wanted to toy with another zoner, he could very well do that. Heck, he’d even be on top of Bardot at full power. That would be spectacular. He could just see it now. Oh the weapons that he would create... One weapon he’d definitely draw is that electric cannon that Mr. Cosmo used. Yes, that was such a powerful weapon. He could still see that electric arch destroying those buildings...hearing those zoners scream and run away... And soon it would happen again. He would guarantee that.

He walked up a ledge, almost like a staircase, but broader, the edges curving downward almost like a slide. The path curved a little, and then veered off in a new direction. Draow barely fit on this path, but despite that, he managed to move along with grace. He lowered his head as the roof of the cave wasn’t as high. He moved himself around, avoiding any stalactites that still hung from the ceiling. He walked forward, heading towards an oval shaped, low level tunnel. He carefully walked in, his feet slipping a little as he headed down this pathway.

After moving through the bumpy tunnel, going up and down and slipping a few times, he managed to reach a small, underground chamber. A pale blue light shined everywhere, giving a feeling of calmness to the room. This feeling of serenity was misleading, for in here lays one of the most dangerous weapons Jenny’s ever created: the blue chalk.

All around him, it hung. The ceiling, the floor, even the sides of the cave had it. Though it was told to be a rare chalk, that was only partially true. It didn’t really grow anywhere else. Just in these caverns. But here, it was plentiful, with hundreds of pieces all around him. The room was practically clustered entirely, with few places for someone his size to walk. The room itself was shaped like a donut, with a thick pillar, thin in the middle and wide at the ends, in the dead center. Ringing around it were a bunch of blue chalk clusters, making it look almost like a decoration of some kind.

Draow paused for a moment and looked around. He wished he had brought a bag with him so he could take more than a couple pieces. But then, he only really needed one or two pieces anyway. He didn’t need to defeat the trio; just distract them enough for Nihilanth to make his move. He just had to make sure he didn’t lose a piece. If Snap got a hold of it... He growled softly. He had to make sure that little blue rodent didn’t get any of his pieces.

Draow didn’t want to waste anymore time. He had to get back to Nihilanth soon. He raised up his foot and, using his strong claws, slashed some pieces of blue chalk, breaking them and causing pieces to fly everywhere. He reached down and, in his jaws, clenched in his teeth, he grabbed some pieces of blue chalk. He was careful not to let any saliva get on them. He turned and made his way out of the wonky tunnel he had used to come in here.

Soon, he was out of the Twisted Mountains. The sound of whistling filled the air, causing his ears to twitch. He looked out into the horizon. He took in a deep breath, inflating his chest as a sense of pride overwhelmed him. Soon, Nihilanth’s plan would unfold, and everything was going to end...and be reborn. A new world would be created. One of the strong. One that would kill off the weak. One where Nihilanth’s law was absolute.

He spread out his wings, a dark grin on his face. The end was coming soon for this world, and he would bear witness to it. He jumped off the ledge of the rocky cliff face. He dove down towards the ground, folding his wings to the side to speed himself up. Then, just as he was almost at the ground, he spread his wings out again, the wind catching up and pushing him upwards suddenly. He gave a few hard flaps and soon he was flying towards the Solar Pillars.

sss

Blocky wasn’t sure what to think of the recent events, the things that happened within the past hour. Things had went from a usual prisoner scenario, where he had a rough idea of what was going to happen to him and Rapsheeba. Though it was horrible, he would have preferred that over what was going on now.

There had been some kind of explosion. A blinding white light shot through the place. He could feel his body nearly burning at the feel of it. He could still recall just how hot that light beam had felt. The only reason why he and Rapsheeba weren’t suffering from any terrible burns was because of the cage they were in. It deflected most of the light, meaning that he and her only suffered from part of the beam. But that was the least of their troubles. The beam had done more than just make them feel heat.

All around them, some parts of the room collapsed. Not much. A few rocks here or there. But his concern wasn’t that. It was the support beam that had fallen into the cage he and Rapsheeba were trapped in. The roof itself had some cracks in it, and he guessed that, if this place were struck again, the ceiling would collapse, either crushing them to death or leaving them trapped to starve to death. Even if that didn’t happen, this support beam was barely being held up by the cage. It was a massive beam; the fact that it was knocked over by the light was terrifying. And if it stayed on the cage for too long, it was going to collapse on them, and they’d both die.

He had done his best to cheer up Rapsheeba. She was so worried about not being able to see Snap again. He understood how she felt. He missed him, too. He wanted to see him at least one more time before this beam collapses. He wanted to be able to at least say goodbye to his little brother.

Yeah it seemed a little ironic for him to refer to Snap as his little brother, as often times the roles felt reversed. Snap was usually the one looking out for him. But no one can deny the fact that he was drawn a few years before Snap was. Though it sometimes doesn’t look or sound it, he was the older one of the two. While not literally brothers, due to the fact that Rudy had not created Snap to be his blood brother, they still treated each other as such. He cared for Snap deeply and the idea of not seeing him again broke his heart, and he knew Rapsheeba felt the same way.

But then something strange happened. The door, which was a little damaged from the beam, opened up. They had expected to see Dr. Raiden walking in, perhaps boasting about how he managed to stop Dr. Urso and how their time was up. Instead, it was another Luminos, a crocodile. He peered into the room and looked around. He locked eyes onto him and narrowed them. Blocky remembered his heart skipping a beat and he took a staggering step back. He took a defensive stance in front of Rapsheeba. They fully expected the zoner to come in and drag them away somewhere.

Instead, the crocodile zoner stayed where he was. He made no threats towards them. Not a single one. Rather than that, he told them that he would be right back and that he was going to bring with him Rudy, Penny, and Snap. He didn’t give them a chance to say anything before he shut the door and they could hear his feet on the ground as he ran off. The room fell silent after that.

Blocky and Rapsheeba were both still so confused by that. About seven to ten minutes had passed, and they were no closer to fully understanding what happened than before. Why were the Luminos going to bring those three up here? From the sound of it, they were still alive, and that was good. It brought about a feeling of relief. But they still had no idea why they were being brought up here. Were the Luminos going to destroy them all in one go, instead of separately? Were they going to kill the three in front of them to show what happens when the Luminos were messed with? Many thoughts ran through their minds, making them shudder.

Blocky felt a warmth next to him. He could see Rapsheeba leaning up against him. She made sure to avoid his damaged side. He glanced down at her leg, wincing at the sight of it. It was definitely infected now, pus starting to leak out of the wound and some discoloration prevelant. Rapsheeba needed that leg treated, or else she’d get worse. She already looked like she had a fever, her face flushe a little red. He himself wasn’t feeling so great. His wound was still infected, and he had a small headache and a bit of a chill. He didn’t bring this up with Rapsheeba, though. He didn’t want to give her more to worry about.

He heard a creaking sound and he looked up at the ceiling of the cage. It was bending down a little more. He could see a crack in it. He knew that, in a short time, it was going to break through. They needed to get out of here and fast, or they’ll be crushed to death. He bit his lip, having a hard time tearing his eyes away from the near-collapsing ceiling. He never thought about his death before, and he certainly never thought about his death being caused by a support beam falling on him.

“Do you...do you think Snap is okay?” Rapsheeba asked, interrupting his thoughts and causing him to look down at her. Her voice was small and a little weak. Blocky winced, realizing that the sickness was starting to affect her even more. “I...hope the Luminos didn’t do anything...bad to him.”

“I’m sure he’s fine.” Blocky assured her. He wasn’t sure himself, but he didn’t want to bring her hope down. “He’s a smart zoner. I’m sure he’ll get away.”

“How can you be so sure? For all we know, he and Rudy and Penny might be...” Rapsheeba’s voice trailed off, unable to continue. Blocky looked down at her sympathetically. She bit her lip and said, “I’m sorry. I know I should look on the bright side more. It’s just..hard to do.”

Blocky nodded his head once. “I understand, Rapsheeba. But we shouldn’t lose hope. I’m sure that...”

He didn’t get a chance to finish. In that moment, the door opened up again. The two trapped zoners looked over and saw several zoners walking in. Their eyes widened and they huddled together in fear, their bodies shocking. They watched, watching for the Luminos to drag the trio over to be killed or whatever they planned on doing. Blocky held onto Rapsheeba protectively, glaring hatefully at the Luminos and making it clear he was not going to let them harm her.

Then something strange occurred. As the Luminos walked in, they started to notice that, indeed Rudy, Penny, and Snap were with them, but so was Dr. Urso, and the way they were coming in was nothing like they expected. Instead of being dragged in, a Luminos zoner was helping each one, letting them use them as support. There was no force behind it either; the Luminos zoners helping them were all being quite gentle with them, moving at a pace that allowed them to be able to walk without much trouble.

Blocky and Rapsheeba stared in confusion. They weren’t sure what to make of this. What was going on? Why were the Luminos zoners being helpful? Even Dr. Raiden wasn’t being the asshole he was before; he was the one aiding Dr. Urso. Just...what had happened that caused this change? They opened their mouths to speak, but no words would come out.

“It’s okay..” Snap said, who was being helped by one of the smaller Luminos zoners. Blocky and Rapsheeba winced at the burns they saw on his body. He smiled at them and lifted up his hand. “They’re on our side now.”

Blocky and Rapsheeba looked at each other, shocked. So the Luminos had made a change. It seemed rather...sudden, and they weren’t sure what to think about it. They trusted Snap, knowing he’d never lie about something like that. But they still felt at unease. What if the Luminos were tricking him and the others? There was little reason for them to think they were being honest about this. But then, what if they were being honest?

The Luminos zoners helping the trio guided them over to the cage. It didn’t take them long to reach it. Rapsheeba and Blocky moved themselves towards the cage bars, Blocky helping her the whole way. Rudy, Penny, and Snap stood in front of the cage, staring at the two trapped zoners. They smiled at the two, silently trying to assure them that everything was going to be all right. Snap reached in and grabbed onto Rapsheeba’s hand. Blocky’s on hand was ensnared as well. They stood like that for a little while, just staring and smiling at each other. Tears of happiness formed. Although Blocky didn’t completely fall for Dr. Raiden’s lie about Snap being killed, he knew how hard it hit Rapsheeba. And seeing him in person, now, clearly still breathing, he could tell it was doing wonders for her psyche.

“Snap my man...you’re alive..” Rapsheeba said, wiping away a tear. “I’m...so glad. I..I thought that...”

“I know. So did I.” Snap said. “Dr. Raiden told me he killed you.. It hurt me so bad. I..I thought I’d never see you again.”

Blocky gasped in horror at this. Rapsheeba’s eyes widened. Blocky couldn’t believe that Dr. Raiden actually did that. Lying about killing just to get inside their heads...how disgusting. He shot a glare in the cheetah’s direction. He half expected a sneer, but the cheetah instead lowered his head and had what he guessed was a shame-filled look. He turned his attention back to Snap. He could see the relief shining in his eyes. Poor Snap...he could only imagine what he went through when he thought they were dead.

“We’re okay, Snap. We’re still here...” Rapsheeba spoke softly. She clearly wanted to give Snap a hug, but the bars and her condition prevented it.

Blocky squeezed Snap’s hand a little. “We’re fine..and we’re so glad you are, too.”

Snap smiled at them. “Yeah...”

“How are you two?” Blocky turned his attention to Rudy and Penny. “Are you two okay?”

“Did they..hurt you?” Rapsheeba asked, wincing at her own pain.

“Yeah, they did.” Rudy nodded his head slowly. He bit his lip. “The Death Arena was horrible. And those chants for death...” He was silenced when Penny put a hand on his shoulder. He turned to her.

“We don’t have time to explain. We need to get them out of there.” Penny said.

“Indeed.” Dr. Raiden said, approaching them slowly. He was still helping Dr. Urso. He moved towards the cage. “The beam will crush you two unless we can remove it somehow.” He looked up at the beam, his pupils moving along it and wincing a few times. “Yeah, it’s definitely not going to hold for long. I’d try to move it, but I don’t have the muscle.” He stared down at the two zoners and said, “But don’t worry; we’ll have that support beam off in a jiffy.”

“I’ll...try to move it.” Dr. Urso said. “Just let me go and I...”

Dr. Raiden shook his head. “No. You’re too badly hurt.” He clenched his teeth briefly, lowering his ears. It was clear he knew he was reason why Dr. Urso was in bad shape. Well part of the reason anyway. “Let Nile, Diamond, and Maalik take care of it.”

“Do you think they’ll be able to do it?” Penny looked up at the support beam. “It looks really heavy. Perhaps we should draw something and...”

“No. There may not be enough time.” Dr. Raiden said. “It could collapse before we figure out something to use to pull the beam off that would fit in this room. Plus we don’t know how stable some of the areas surrounding this room are. Sure this room might be reinforced, but the ground below sure isn’t. I guarantee it won’t be pleasant if you draw a piece of heavy machinery and the whole floor below us collapses.”

Penny winced at this. “Yeah...probably not a good idea then.”

“Come on!” Maalik said, waving his arm to get Diamond and Nile’s attention. “Let’s move this support beam!”

The three zoners walked over to where the support beam was. Nile and Diamond took position behind the cage. The two of them grabbed onto it, wrapping their thick arms around the stone pillar. Maalik walked up to the front. He grabbed onto the top part of the beam, the one that was hanging overhead of the cage. The three of them tensed up their muscles, gripping the stone pillar as tightly as they could. Taking in a few breaths and counting, they, in unison, started to lift the pillar up.

It took a little while. Blocky could hear their breathing becoming restrained. He could see, though hard to tell from this angle, their teeth gritting, their faces turning red from the effort of moving the pillar. Their feet slipped a few times and they almost dropped the support beam on them again. Blocky winced every time it looked like they were going to lose grip on the pillar. But thankfully, that never happened.

Soon, the three zoners, working together, managed to lift the pillar completely off of the cage. They moved the pillar back away from them, and then started to set it on the ground next to them. They were very careful; simply dropping it might cause the damage that Dr. Raiden had mentioned. They started to lower the pillar very gently, grinding their teeth and their faces turning even redder as they struggled to keep the pillar from just dropping down. Then, after taking their time and being careful, Maalik, Diamond, and Nile managed to set the support beam gently on the ground.

Maalik walked over to the cage. He extended his claw and stuck it into the lock. He picked at it for a few seconds and then opened up the cage door. As soon as he did, Snap moved into the cage, limping all the way. He wrapped his arms around Rapsheeba and Blocky, who returned the hug. They stayed in this embrace for a few seconds, crying in happiness. Rudy and Penny smiled at this. So did the other Luminos, except for Raiden, who held a guilty expression.

“I...” Raiden started to say, but a loud crash above them stopped him from speaking. He lifted up his head, his ears swiveling. “What was that?”

Then a voice sounded out. Faint, but there.

“Rudy?! Where are you?!”

Rudy’s eyes widened in shock at this. “That’s...that’s Sophie!”

“Your little cousin?” Dr. Raiden asked. Rudy nodded his head. “I wonder how she found out you were here...”

“Nevermind how. The point is she’s here and these tunnels are nearing collapse. We don’t know what’s stable and what’s not. We’ll have to go get her.” Maalik said, addressing not just Raiden, but everyone. He looked at a couple of Luminos and pointed at them. “Grab the magic chalk and bring it back here!” He went back to addressing everyone. “After Rudy and Penny get their magic chalk back, we’re going in the direction of that girl’s voice. If she came in after the collapse, then there’s a chance she might be able to lead us out!”


	102. A Cruel Unexpectancy

Sophie walked through the tunnel cautiously. She had no idea how well it was going to hold up. The light beam had done a lot of damage. Who knows how well the structure was? It could collapse at any moment. Every step she took, she could hear a slight cracking sound. It didn’t help that, even when she wasn’t walking, she could hear creaking all around her. It felt almost as though the slightest movement was going to do something to cause a collapse.

Because of this instability, Sky had insisted that only she, her, and Johnzer go into the tunnel. The other Luminos, Tilly, and Longhorn were told to wait outside for them. If they didn’t come back out after a long, extended period, they would try to do something to help. The machinery that she drew was still there. It was pretty crude, but it would do. Longhorn could operate it just fine. He’d use it in case they were gone for too long. Sophie hoped that using the machine wouldn’t be necessary; with how weak everything was, she feared the machinery would cause a collapse.

Still, she understood the importance of having it, and she knew that, should the circumstances called for it, they would have to take a risk and use it. She didn’t want to risk drawing any machinery in here; the floors were pretty weak in several places. Sky mentioned how hollowed out the ground was, making Sophie even more reluctant to draw anything particularly heavy. She didn’t want to trap herself down here, let alone anyone else. She couldn’t tell what areas were safe and which weren’t. She had take a guess and just be very careful.

Once in a while, she could call out for Rudy or Penny or Snap. Johnzer and Sky did likewise, well for the other Luminos that is. They were hoping for some kind of response. Anything. But no matter how many times they called out, they got no response. So they eventually stopped for the most part, only once in a while calling out a name as they delved deeper into the ruined hideout. They all hoped and prayed that they would hear someone in here eventually. There...there had to be survivors. If there weren’t, then that meant that... Sophie shoved the thought out of her mind. She couldn’t think of that. Not yet.

The tunnels were pretty dark. There were some working lights thankfully. It also helped that she drew a small torch. The fiery orange glow illuminated the walls, making it look somewhat spookier than without it turned on. She could see the curves, sharp edges, and rough surfaces of the cave. She could see different equipment laying scattered, broken and ripped apart, leftover from the light’s attack. The debris was everywhere. Pieces of metal laid strewn across the ground. She and the other two had to be careful when walking. It was so dark, even with the torch, that it was easy to trip over the broken pieces of equipment.

To her horror, the rooms and tunnels they walked through didn’t have just shattered pieces of machinery. There were also bodies. Left and right, they saw several. Some were just laying there, impaled or suffered some fatal blow to the head. Others were ripped apart, their organs strewn about. A few broken off limbs or severed heads were everywhere. And many of the bodies had severe burns on them, so bad that the skin looked a little blackened.

The sight made her shudder. The horrid smell of death hung strongly in the air. She snorted and tried her best to hold her lunch. She almost lost it when she walked by the different body parts and charred organs that were on the ground. She put her hands on her mouth, looking left and right with a horrified expression. She couldn’t believe just how much damage was caused by the beam. Seeing the dead bodies above ground were bad enough. These were just as awful, with the bodies ripped apart like they were just rag dolls.

Sky and Johnzer’s reactions were worse, which made sense. After all, these were their comrades, their friends, perhaps even family or love interests. And they never got a chance to say goodbye to them. Sophie couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. She listened to them as they cried softly at the sight of the dead zoners all around them. Once in a while, they’d exclaim a name in a horrified way, indicating that they had found the remains of someone they cared about. It was so much like how she’d react if she found that her cousin or one of her friends were dead. They cleared about their comrades as much as she cared about Rudy, Penny, and Snap. Sophie wished there was something she could do for them, but she couldn’t fix this. She couldn’t undo death. If...if only she had known about the light beam, maybe she could have done something to prevent this...

Sadly, there was nothing she could have done. She kept telling herself that over and over again. No matter what she did, this still would have happened. This place still would have gotten attacked. She could not predict when the light beam would strike again, if it was going to, and by the time she would see the light beam coming their way, it would be too late. She’d have no time to draw up a defense. She had been incredibly lucky she could draw that shield in time. Shields don’t take long to draw, but even then she was just a second away from nearly getting vaporized herself.

At least she was able to save some zoners. Even if not all of them were grateful... She looked over at Johnzer. Despite his attitude from before, she was still happy that he was still alive. The fact that she was able to save anybody at all did mean something to her. This is what Rudy would have done. She didn’t want to disappoint him. And she wouldn’t have been to just...let those zoners die. Yeah it would have been easy, but she didn’t care about it being easy; she cared about doing the right thing.

She was glad that most of the Luminos recognized what she was trying to do. It wasn’t like Quet, who took a little while to warm up to her. Quet had accused her of trying to hurt him, even though she was a prisoner like he was and he should have been able to see that. He had, for a time, refused to listen to reason. So it was nice that, this time around, she got a different reaction. Only one zoner gave her a hard time and it was Johnzer. Thankfully, Sky was able to get him to stifle himself and quit the accusations. She was right, after all. Rescuing his comrades would be more important than revenge.

She still didn’t understand why Sky allowed Johnzer to come with. She wasn’t completely comfortable around the stick figure zoner. She sometimes looked up at him warily, wondering what he was going to do. He hadn’t spoken a word to her since they came in, but once in a while, he’d glare at her. She shuddered each time he did, practically feeling the hatred he had for her welling up inside of him. She was worried he might try to do something when Sky wasn’t looking. Why couldn’t she have let one of the other Luminos come with? Why Johnzer? Maybe it was her way of trying to get Johnzer to be more cooperative with her or something. Still, Sophie wasn’t sure if him coming with was a good idea.

But she did her best not to be too worried about it. They had other things to worry about and it’s not just Johnzer who needed to set aside his feelings for this. She did, too. She couldn’t allow her fear of Johnzer get in the way of finding Rudy and the others. She couldn’t let herself get so afraid that she make a miscalcuation or other kind of terrible mistake, and get themselves in a bigger predicament. If Johnzer was able to tolerate her, then she could try to do the same for him.

As they continued down the tunnels, they all took notice of how much of the tunnels were blocked. The ceilings in them had collapsed, making it impossible to go through without use of equipment. This forced them down the middle tunnel. Sky believed that the tunnel would take them down to the Death Arena, but she wasn’t entirely sure. The caves were so collapsed, it was hard for her or Johnzer to fully recognize where they were.

Well at least they had some places they could look. Even if it might be going totally the wrong place, it was better than digging through rubble and causing more damage or getting themselves killed. They weren’t going to be able to help anyone if they were dead. Both Johnzer and Sky were hopeful that they would find another Luminos in the tunnel, one that was alive that is. Whoever Luminos they run into might be able to inform them of any tunnels that are still open and aid them in finding the others.

But the more they walked through the tunnels, winding and turning, moving around the rubble, the more their hope started to die. They hadn’t found anyone alive here yet. Anyone they found was dead, crushed to death or torn apart or burned alive. Death’s scent was everywhere, making them feel uncomfortable. The more they saw this, the more they all began to wonder if their loved ones were still alive or not. They were on a lower level as well. They could have been easily crushed to death by a collapsing ceiling or something.

They tried to hold onto the hope that someone was still alive down there. They tried to tell themselves that there was no way that every single one in the caves were killed. Someone, at least one, had to have gotten away. Maybe more. They refused to completely give up hope. They couldn’t do that, not to those they cared about. They had to keep looking. They had to continue searching these ruined caves. So long as there was a chance some of them survived, they’d keep looking.

They soon exited the current tunnel and they were in a wide, open area. Sophie looked up, admiring, for a moment, the beauty of this underground second. Stalactites and stalagmites, at least ones that weren’t knocked off, shined in what little light there was, forming fantastic shapes and shadows as they moved through. Somewhat eerie, but it still struck Sophie with awe as they walked along the pathway. The walls had some areas that looked like a huge dragon clawed against it. A bit of water trickled down, creating several small, miniature waterfalls.

As gorgeous as the scenery looked, Sophie knew she couldn’t spend too much time looking at it. She refocused her attention on the path ahead. The walls curved with the path, which headed towards a strip that went abruptly downwards. Up ahead, not far beyond that, Sophie could see a round, dark hole, indicating another tunnel to go through. Just like before, it was the only tunnel still open. There was only one other one she saw and it had a bunch of boulders in the way, leaving this one the only one they could pass through.

Sky looked down at the tunnel as they walked along the pathway. Her wings unfurled slightly, her pupils dilating a little as if she recognized something. “Ah yes, we’re going the right way.” She said, breaking the mostly silence that had hung in the air. “I would say it’s because these tunnels leading to the Death Arena were stronger than the others, but really it all came down to shere luck.”

Sophie winced at that. Luck? That was an understatement. She knew the winged lioness was correct. There was really no guarantee what tunnels would be left standing and what wouldn’t. It really was shere chance that any of these tunnels were even still up after that light beam attack. The fact that they could even walk through the hideout in its current state was a miracle in of itself. And she knew that, any moment, their luck could run out.

“I do have to wonder what the outcome of the Death Arena was.” Johnzer said out of the blue. A dark smile spread across his face. “Heheh...maybe they were able to finish it before the light beam hit. It would be nice to know that the light beam took care of a couple of threats...” He stared at Sophie when he said this. “Less things to worry about.”

Sophie gasped at this, putting a hand to her mouth. Horror struck through her heart. That was a low blow Johnzer made. Scaring her like that... She was worried sick about Rudy, Penny, and Snap, and here Johnzer was, who was currently suffering loss himself, taunting her over the possibility of those she cared about being gone. He meant it, too. There was no tinge to his voice that suggested he was being sarcastic. And the way he was looking at her...

Sky struck Johnzer across the face. The stick figure zoner staggered to the side a little. He let out a cry of pain, flinching and gritting his teeth. He covered his sore cheek with his hand. He looked over, glaring angrily at Sky. The lioness’s paw was still raised in the air. Her eyes were narrowed, her teeth slightly bared. The two of them froze, staring each other down.

“What the hell did you do that for?!” Johnzer exclaimed. He rubbed his cheek a little. “I didn’t do anything!”

Sky growled at this. “I should ask you the same thing, you little asshole.”

The stick figure glared at the lioness, wearing a look that strongly suggested he felt like he was the one being wronged. He formed a fist with his hand, his fingers tightening up. “I was just having a little fun with her. My gawd...is that so wrong?!”

“If that ‘fun’ revolves around telling her that those she cared about might be dead..” Sky folded her arms against her chest. “Then yes it is. You had no right to do that.”

“No right? No right?! The fuck yes I have the right! She’s a creator! A threat! She’d do the same thing to me, if it weren’t for the circumstances!” Johnzer shouted, baring his teeth. He took a step towards the lioness, ignoring the feline zoner’s increased agitation. He grabbed her by the throat and pulled her a little. “I know she says she wants to help us, but you know how creators are! As soon as she reunites with her buddies, she’ll try to get us!”

Sky grabbed onto the stick figure’s shoulder and pushed him away. Johnzer moved back a little, but stayed close to her. The two of them glared at each other for several seconds before Sky pointed a finger, claw extended, at him. “Don’t be so fucking ridiculous, Johnzer! She hadn’t even lifted a finger against us! And right now, we can use her help, so stop acting like such a paranoid buffoon and get with the fucking program!” She unfurled her wings more, making herself look larger than she really was. “And stop mocking her regarding the possible condition of her friends! That is a low blow and you know it!”

“Why the fuck do you care about how she feels?” Johnzer retorted. “She’s just a human! She isn’t one of us! She’s the enemy!” He pointed a finger in Sophie’s direction. He glanced at her, momentarily giving her a hateful look, before he continued ranting at Sky. “What does it matter what I say to her now, anyway? As soon as we find Maalik, he’ll have us capture her anyway! He wouldn’t approve of how amiable you are being with the enemy!”

“And he wouldn’t approve of you stalling time just because you can’t seem to be cooperative for more than a short period of time, you idiot!” Sky said, knocking Johnzer on the head. She watched as the zoner cringed a little from her. “Maybe I should have brought someone else with instead of you! If you can’t set aside your own petty grudge, Johnzer, than if we are too late to save the others, it will be your fault!”

“No, it’ll be the human girl’s fault...” Johnzer said bitterly. “You’re just too blind to see it.”

“You fucking jackass! It wouldn’t be her fault! She’s the one trying to help us!” Sky grabbed Johnzer’s arm and yanked him forward. “You’re the one who keeps causing trouble! You’re the one who keeps antagonizing her! If you can’t cool it and stifle yourself for long, then I will find a way to make you be quiet!”

Sophie wasn’t sure what to say or do. She took a few steps back, watching this scene in horror. She sometimes glanced down the tunnel warily, fearing that it might collapse before they had a time to get to through to look for any survivors. That’s what they should be doing now, but instead, these two were arguing with each other. They were wasting precious time. Why couldn’t they see that?

Well Sky sure did. She knew what was important and if she had any hostility towards her, she hid it well enough because she knew it was a waste of time. She wouldn’t get any benefit out of fighting with her. Johnzer, on the other hand, though he did a good job for the most part of being cooperative, apparently he had so much hatred inside of him that he just did not give up. And now it came out, unable to hold it back any longer. His anger and temper was going to cost them valuable time. They needed to get going, not stand here arguing.

Sky was attempting to talk sense into Johnzer. She tried to explain their situation and why him accusing Sophie was not going to do him any favors. But the stick figure was relentless. It was like a volcano of hate had explosed inside of him and he wasn’t able to stop himself from pouring out that hostility, flowing from his mouth in an almost liquid state. He seemed to have lost most of his fear for Sky as her attempts to stop him this time didn’t succeed.

Johnzer was raising his voice, yelling louder, and so was Sky. They were in a heated argument now. Sophie moved back a little further. She wanted to try to stop the argument, but what could she do? She had no idea what to say to them. She wasn’t even sure if Sky was going to listen to her; she looked quite intent on continuing to chew Johnzer out. Despite being the more logical of the two, even Sky could fall victim to the whole ‘anger making one lose focus’ thing.

Luckily, she didn’t lose focus for very long.

“We are wasting time, Johnzer!” Sky cried. She pointed towards the tunnel. “Let’s get going before that tunnel collapses!”

“We would have been going earlier if you would have just shut up! I did nothing wrong!” Johnzer shouted back, raising a fist in the air.

“The hell you didn’t! Your antagonizing is what is slowing us down!” Sky snarled at him. “Let’s get going now!”

Johnzer narrowed his eyes into slits. He growled, his teeth bared. He raised a fist into the air. His arm tightened, his muscles building up strength. It was clear what he was going to do. Sky had a look of horror plaster over her face. She shook her head and shouted ‘no’ before she reached out with her paw. But the zoner did not listen. Without warning, Johnzer slammed his fist against the wall, releasing so much rage in that single blow.

There was a loud crack. Everyone froze. Johnzer’s angered expression was gone, replaced with fear as he slowly looked over at where his fist was. There had been a lot of damage done to this room that they did not know about. There was a crack forming on the wall, stretching upwards along towards the ceiling. Johnzer had an ‘oh crap’ expression, his eyes focusing on the front of the crack as it went up towards a piece of overhanging rock above. The crack encircled this section and, when the two ends met, there was a loud creak and then the overhanging rock broke.

Johnzer was frozen in fear. The rock was falling too fast for him to get out of the way in time. He let out a scream and turned his head away, his eyes shut tightly. Sky reached her hand out and started to move forward, but Sophie had reacted faster and moved more quickly than even she realized she could. She charged towards Johnzer and pushed him out of the way. After making sure the zoner was out of harm’s way, Sophie dove to try to avoid getting crushed, but she had reacted too late. Before she knew it, heavy rock collided with her.

Her eyes buldged open and she let out a bloodcurdling scream as her right leg was crushed underneath the rock. She fell into the ground, hitting her chin and biting her tongue. She hardly noticed the pain of that as she felt her leg bones being snapped and broken and splintered. Blood leaked out from underneath the rock as pain swept through her body. The sound of her leg cracking echoed off the walls, permeating through her mind.

Soon her screams were reduced to whimpers. She laid there on the ground, her body trembling in pain. She could hardly move, hardly think. There was so much pain... She never thought she could feel this much pain. It took her back to when she and Snap were kidnapped by Tyreek and tortured by him and Ghadir and Jenny. The pain in her leg...so similar to what she felt when Snap was forced to stab her. Only this...this was worse. The pain was excruciating...and she was still awake. Still conscious, still able to feel as the rock pulverized what was left of the bone in her right leg, from the middle of her shin down.

Tears of pain flowed down her face. She was in so much agony that she didn’t even notice Sky had rushed over to her side. She only noticed when she felt a hand on her head. She looked up and saw Sky staring down at her. There was a look of concern on her face. The lioness, despite making it clear she didn’t like humans, was being quite gentle with her. She stroked her head as her eyes shifted around to look at the extent of the damage. Her ears lowered as she caught sight of the blood pooling out from the rock where part of her leg was trapped under.

Johnzer hung back. He stared at Sophie in shock, his eyes wide. His body was shaking as emotion swept through him. He had an expression of disbelief. He took in a few quick breaths, his chest inflating and deflating swiftly. He bit his lip and took a few steps towards Sophie. She looked up at him with one eye, sobs wracking through her as the pain increased. He opened up his mouth to speak, but words were failing him. He shut it, gritting his teeth as he looked down at Sophie.

At last, Johnzer managed to choke out, “...y-you...you saved me...”

With her voice straining with pain, Sophie said, “Y-Yes..of course...I..did...”

Johnzer looked left and right, stammering. He struggled to find something to say. He was still struck with disbelief. “B-But why? Why would you...”

“It was..” Sophie said, coughing a few times. “..the right th-thing to do...”

Sky turned her head and glared at Johnzer. “Do you still think she is just biding her time?” Johnzer did not answer. Sky’s expression softened up as she gave a sigh. “This isn’t the time to be angry.” She gestured towards the tunnel. “You go on ahead. If you find anyone, bring them over here.” Sky turned her attention back to Sophie. “I’ll keep the hu...er, I mean Sophie company.”

Johnzer did not say another word. He simply nodded his head and, casting a regretful expression to Sophie, he took off down the tunnel, leaving the two alone. Sophie watched him leave. Her vision started to get a little blurry, the blood loss starting to take a hold of her. Lightheadedness started to sink in, making it hard for her to keep her head lifted off the ground for long. She started to close her eyes. She didn’t keep the close for long when Sky put a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her.

“No, don’t close your eyes.” Sky said. “If you fall asleep right now, you might never wake up. Keep your eyes open, kid.”

Sophie tried her best to do what the lioness asked of her. She forced her eyes to stay open. Although tiredness was moving through her head, pulling at her eyes and making it hard to stay awake, she kept fighting to stay awake. She didn’t know how long she’d be able to pull this off, but regardless, she kept on trying. A few times, her eyes blinked and closed, but this only lasted a few seconds before she’d shake her head and force them open again.

As the minutes passed, Sophie started to shiver. Her teeth chattered. The blood loss’s effect was becoming even more apparent now. She tried to curl up and keep warm, but with her leg trapped, she couldn’t do that. Her mind was getting muggy and it was getting even harder to stay awake. But she couldn’t fall asleep. Sky was right. If she fell asleep, she might never wake up again. She struggled against her body’s urge to sleep, keeping her eyes open for however long she could.

She felt a warmth next to her. She turned her head and saw that Sky had laid down next to her. Resting on her stomach, Sky raised her wing and draped it over her, similiar to what Quet did, but Sky’s wing was much larger, covering most of her body as it was pressed up against her. Then she felt Sky loop her arm around her shoulder, pulling her a little close. She rested her head between her shoulders, right against the back of her head.

The warmth from the lioness’s body helped Sophie’s body to stop shaking so hard. She still had a hard time keeping her eyes open, but she was feeling a little better now that she wasn’t as cold. She cuddled up against Sky the best she could, continuing to fight to keep consciousness.

But she was fighting a losing battle, she knew. As the blood continued to leak from her body, as pain spread throughout, she knew it was just a matter of time before she passed out. She could only fight for so long. She did her best to stay awake and fight against her body’s urge to close her eyes and go to sleep. She forced her eyes open, despite how heavy they were getting. She could feel herself losing, though and, unable to fight back any longer, her eyes closed.

“No! Keep your eyes open, kid!”

Sky’s cries did get her attention. Sophie tried to open her eyes, but now she felt like she didn’t have the strength to anymore. It felt as though her eyelids were glued shut and no matter how hard she tried, she could not reopen them again. Sky’s words were becoming warped and far away sounding. Soon, without warning, blackness descended upon her and she couldn’t sense anything anymore.

sss

Rudy’s heart was filled with horror, dread filling his mind. It couldn’t be... No, he must have misheard. This zoner couldn’t possibly be speaking the truth. He has to be lying. He has to be just trying to mess with him. He was a Luminos zoner, one who hadn’t been there when Dr. Raiden gave his speech. He must still have resentment towards creators. He had to be making this up...

But..but what if he was telling the truth? What if Sophie really did... No... No, it couldn’t be true. He tried to convince himself that the zoner was lying, just trying to mess with him. But could he really do that? Could he really look at this zoner’s horrified expression and tell him that he was lying? No...he could not. He’d be no better than the Luminos were when they had refused to see logic before and thought that Penny’s blocking attempts were attacks towards them.

He and the others, both his friends and the Luminos, were rushing down the tunnels. Despite the weakness all around them, knowing that something could break, he knew they had little choice but to run. The infrastructure of this place was weaker than they all thought. Standing around was a death sentence. Plus..Sophie was in danger. They had to get to her and fast, before it was too late. The Luminos offered their help and he was grateful for it. They continued to move along the tunnels, following the zoner, Johnzer, as he led them back to where Sky and Sophie were.

Rudy recalled the confusion he and the others felt when Johnzer came running towards them. They were relieved to see someone else was alive, but confused as to whey he looked so panicked. At first, they were worried that the were as another tunnel collapse. Rudy had thought he heard something crashing shortly before they saw Johnzer. But when the zoner exclaimed about how Sophie’s leg was crushed under a large piece of rock, Rudy recalled how his heart practically stopped beating. He gave his friends a horrified look. Penny and Snap looked terrified by this news, and they exchanged their own looks of horror with him.

Johnzer gave a quick version of the story, basically saying how Sophie pushed him out of the way and didn’t dodge the rock in time. He didn’t describe anything in detail and instead urged them to hurry. And hurry, they did. Despite him and his friends not being able to run that well, they still pushed themselves to the limit, practically pulling the Luminos zoners helping them along with. Although he and Penny both had a piece of magic chalk now, they didn’t have time to sit down and think of what to draw; right now, they had to get to Sophie before she died of blood loss.

He couldn’t believe this had happened. He had a hard time believing that his little cousin was hurt again. His mind reeled back to what happened when the black chalk users kidnapped her and Snap. Both of them had been badly hurt and needed to be hospitalized. They both needed surgery due to the damage done to them by the knife that Snap had been forced to use. And now, not long after said surgery, Sophie was hurt again. And just like before, he wasn’t able to do a damn thing to help her.

Penny and Snap did their best to cheer him up. They told him how it wasn’t his fault and that he shouldn’t blame himself for what happened. He tried to listen to them. He told himself that they were right. He couldn’t have foreseen this coming. It was nobody’s fault. It had been an accident. He never had the power to prevent it. He needed to focus on getting to Sophie and helping her instead of blaming himself for what happened. Despite this, he could not shake off the feelings of guilt, and he had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to for quite some time.

Up ahead, he could see the exit of the tunnel they were running through. He could see Johnzer pausing for a moment, standing at the entrance. He was looking around, obviously trying to see if there was any damage around them. When he saw none, he turned and waved at the others to continue following him. Before they knew it, they were out of the tunnel and in a large, cavernous room.

The room was quite pretty, with all the rock formations around them, and the shininess from the dim light of a torch. Rudy realized that Sophie must not be too far up ahead. He and the group followed Johnzer as they climbed up a somewhat steep slope before continuing going uphill. They moved around the winding parts of the wall and pathway and soon they reached the upper level. Rudy froze, his heart filling with ice at what he saw.

There, laying on the ground, was Sophie. There was a large rock behind her. He could see that her right leg was caught underneath it. He winced as he saw all the blood coming out from underneath. Sophie’s face was pale and her eyes shut lightly. Seeing the glistening on her cheek, he knew she had been crying before she passed out. Sky, the winged lioness, was laying down next to her, a large wing of hers wrapped across her body in a clear attempt to keep her warm. The torch he had spotted before was resting against the wall a little further away.

Rudy stood there for several seconds, his body shaking. He shook his head slowly. “Sophie...” Without saying another word, he pulled away from the zoner who was helping him and rushed over to her side, ignoring the pain he was feeling.

The others followed close behind. They all gathered around Sophie, looking down at her with concerned expressions. Rapsheeba, who was riding on one of the Lumino’s back with Blocky put her hand to her mouth and she held onto the square zoner, who tried to comfort her. Snap and Penny fought against the pain in their legs to approach close to where Rudy was now standing. They looked at him sympathetically, hands on his shoulder. Rudy stared down at the unconscious Sophie, his lower lip quivering.

“S-Sophie...” Rudy gasped again. He looked at Sky, his eyes wide and pleading. “Please tell me she’s...”

Sky interrupted him. “She’s alive, but she has a weak heartbeat. She’s lost so much blood.” Her voice was calm but filled with sadness. “I-I did what I could to keep her awake, but the blood loss was too much for her.” Her ears lowered. “Sorry I didn’t try harder.”

“It’s okay.” Penny said. “You..you tried. This was no one’s fault.”

“That’s..where you’re wrong.”

All eyes turned to Johnzer. Rudy stared at him, wondering what he meant. Why did the zoner say that they were wrong about it being no one’s fault? Was..was there something more to this that he hadn’t told them? He watched the zoner fidget a little, showing clear signs of being uncomfortable. Rudy’s eyes widened at this. Did he have something to do with this...?

As if to answer him, Johnzer said, “I..slammed my fist against the wall, and it caused a chunk to break off. It’s..my fault this happened.”

Rudy gasped at this, his eyes widening further. “You...caused this...?” Anger started to boil in his stomach. He narrowed his eyes. He growled softly, “How could you do something so stupid?” The only thing keeping him from walking over towards the zoner was Penny and Snap holding onto him.

“Why would you do that?” Dr. Raiden asked, still holding onto Dr. Urso. “You can see all the damage around here. Didn’t you stop to think that hitting the wall like that could..?”

“Enough talk!” Maalik said. He glared at Johnzer. “I’ll speak to you later about your temper, Johnzer. I know it was your own unbridled rage that ultimately caused you do this. But right now, I don’t have time to scold you.” He turned his attention to Sophie. “We need to get the little girl out of there and fast.”

“Rudy!” Penny said, getting Rudy’s attention. “We can draw a lever and get her out! A lever isn’t too heavy, and it should help us lift that rock off of Sophie. It looks heavier than the support beam and even if it isn’t, the rock looks too smooth and slippery to be picked up that easily.” She got out her magic chalk. “A lever should do the trick, though! Come on!”

The two creators wasted no time. Sky got out of the way and the zoners kept back as Rudy and Penny went to work. Rudy drew the long piece of thick metal while Penny put in the fulcrum, placing it close to the rock that fell on Sophie. As soon as the lever was created and in place, a couple of the Luminos rushed over. Rudy and Penny moved out of the way, limping over to where Sophie’s unconscious form was. They reached down and grabbed her arms. They looked over and gave a nod to the Luminos.

Taking this signal, the Luminos started to push down on the lever. They gripped the lever as hard as they could and just continued pushing down, using as much as their strength as they could. Rudy and Penny kept their grip on Sophie’s arms, ignoring their own pain. Soon, the Luminos were able to get the rock to be lifted up a little. More Luminos zoners came over, providing more strength as they pushed against the boulder, lifting it up even more. Soon enough of it was moved up for Rudy and Penny to pull Sophie out from underneath it.

The sight of Sophie’s leg was horrible. The boulder had completely crushed it, from the middle of her shin down, including her foot. This portion of the limb was flattened, blood still pouring out, pieces of shattered bone visible, and the damaged portion just...dangling almost uselessly. Rudy choked back a cry as his friends looked at Sophie sadly and then at him with sympathetic expressions. Rudy knew there was too much damage done to the leg. It..it couldn’t be saved. Sophie’s leg needed to be...

“We need to amputate her leg...” Dr. Raiden said softly, staring at Sophie from where he and Dr. Urso were.

Dr. Urso nodded in agreement. “We need to remove the portion of her leg that’s crushed. It’s just going to make things worse if it stays there. The infection...”

“We also need to make sure we stop the bleeding.” Dr. Raiden added. “She’s already lost too much blood already. She can’t afford to have a heavily bleeding wound for long.”

Rudy felt as though his world had gone dark. This...this just isn’t fair. Sophie was so young... She didn’t deserve to have an amputation at this age. He wished there was something...anything he could do to help change fate. He wanted to save Sophie’s leg. He didn’t want her to have to go through life missing her right leg. But in the end, he knew that they were right. The leg cannot be saved and he knew it. It was just going to cause Sophie more pain and cause more infection if it were kept in place.

It had to be removed.

Rudy looked around at the others. Everyone, Rapsheeba, Blocky, the other Luminos, his friends, Dr. Urso, were all saddened by what had happened. He could see Rapsheeba and Blocky shedding a few tears as they stare down at the unconscious Sophie. Johnzer looked regretful by what he had done. The Luminos were sad. Not crying, but sad. Urso’s ears were lowered. Penny and Snap were crying, staring down sadly at Sophie as Rudy held her in his arms on the ground.

“How...” Snap spoke up, his voice rattled with emotion. “..how can we remove her leg? We..we don’t have any...”

“I’ll do it...” Dr. Urso said. Dr. Raiden looked at him with a confused expression as the lion bear moved away from him, dropping down on all fours and moving with a bit of a limp over to them. “My..jaws are strong enough.” He said with hesitation. “I can break off her leg and then we can stop the bleeding. Do you..have any cloths you can use?”

“All we have is our own clothes.” Rudy managed to say, his voice dripping with sadness.

“Then they’ll have to do. This needs to be done now, or she’ll be worse off later. It’ll be too risky to drag her through with that crushed portion of her leg.” Dr. Urso said. He positioned himeself by Sophie. He looked at Rudy and the others sadly. “You..may want to look away.”

Rudy and his friends watched as Urso grabbed onto the portion of Sophie’s crushed leg that was still weakly attached. Urso tightened his grip, getting a good hold on the leg. He pressed his paw on the undamaged portion of the leg for leverage and he began to pull. They looked away, closing their eyes, not wanting to see Dr. Urso rip the flattened portion of the leg off. Soon there was a loud crack and a rip, and Rudy knew the deed had been done.

As he tore off another piece of his own clothing and pressed it against the stump of Sophie’s leg, as Penny applied pressure against the little girl’s groin to further help stop the bleeding, Rudy hoped and prayed that Sophie would make it. He hoped that their efforts to save her will work and that they would be able to get her to a hospital in time. He tried his best not to look at the severed, pulverized portion of the leg as he and Penny continued to work to stop the bleeding as the others drew closer.

“Please Sophie...” Rudy whimpered quietly. Tears dripped from his eyes. “Please don’t die on me...please...”


	103. Suddenly And Without Warning

Tilly was in absolute horror when she realized what had happened. Her body was frozen, only movements being a few shivers here or there. She stared up ahead, at the group approaching them. Her eyes were locked onto them, hoping and praying that what she was seeing wasn’t there, that it was just some cruel trick.

But as they got closer, she realized that it was real. A strong feeling of horror and disbelief flowed through her body, making her blood freeze. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She hardly paid attention to Longhorn, who was attempting to comfort and her and calm her down. Tears flowed down her face as her body started to shake harder. She took a few steps forward, her hands raised and trembling. She bit her lip and finally released her anguish.

“Sophie!”

Tilly rushed over to the group consisting of zoners and a couple humans. They had just exited the tunnel that Longhorn had made with the machinery Sophie drew. Rudy, Penny, and Snap, who were near the front of the group being helped by some of the Luminos, looked like they had been crying. Still were, she could see their tears. That told her, seconds before she saw Sophie, that something terrible had happened. And when she saw Sophie, she forgot about everything else. She focused only on Sophie. She didn’t question the Luminos’s change of heart. She didn’t question if Dr. Raiden was now an ally or not. The only thing on her mind at this moment was Sophie.

Her daughter was being carried on Sky’s back. The lioness had dropped down on all fours and had Sophie nestled between her folded wings. Sophie was laying on her stomach, her head turned to one side. Her limbs were hanging limply on the sides of the lioness, and Tilly could tell something was very wrong. She could tell one of the limbs was short, but why, it was hard for her to figure out from the distance she was at before. Now that she was up close, she could see what the cause was.

The realization made her heart freeze. She gasped in horror, putting her hands to her mouth. She wished it wasn’t true...but it was. No amount of tilting her head and looking at different angles was going to make her think that what she saw was just an illusion. She took in a shuddering breath, tears flowing down her face. She looked over at Rudy, Penny, and Snap, noting their forelorn expressions. They stared at her sympathetically, their eyes filled with tears. Tilly looked back down at Sophie and stifled a sob. Sky’s ears folded back and she lowered her head slightly.

Sophie... was missing part of her right leg. From the middle of her shin down, it was gone. The end of her leg had been sort of bandaged up by pieces of torn clothing. The cloth itself was stained a deep crimson. Sophie herself was knocked out, her face pale. She looked so sickly. Tilly’s body shook, unable to believe what she was seeing. She lowered herself down, reaching out with a shaking hand.

“S-Sophie...” Tilly whispered. She clenched her teeth and shed a few tears, her breathing shaky. She touched her daughter’s face, gently caressing it. She looked over at the trio, staring at them with a heartbroken expression. “What happened...?”

Rudy bit his lip and opened his mouth to speak, but another voice called out instead.

“I can explain that.”

Tilly looked over. She saw Johnzer walking up to her. She narrowed her eyes slightly. She recalled all to well how Johnzer had treated them earlier. He was the only one of the five Luminos they saved that was still bitter towards them. But something seemed a little different about him this time. The aggressive posture and expression was gone, and he instead looked more nervous, rubbing his arm and his head turned to the side.

Tilly thought that she was going to have to drag the information out of Johnzer, but thankfully, she didn’t. The stick figure cleared his throat and spoke up.

“It was my fault... I was arguing with Sky here and I got angry and I punched the wall...” Johnzer flinched, clearly remembering what happened. “A piece of the ceiling broke off and she pushed me out of the way.” He glanced down at Sophie’s unconscious form and sighed. “I..I didn’t think she would...”

“Well of course she would. She isn’t heartless you know.” Rudy said. There was a tinge of bitterness in his voice. Tilly couldn’t blame him. She felt angry with this zoner as well. “What did you think she was going to do? Just let you get crushed?”

Johnzer paused for a moment, then looked away. “Yes..”

“Then you don’t know my daughter that well...” Tilly said as she stroked Sophie’s hair. “You should have just kept going... What..what would possess you to stop and argue when you knew the tunnels might collapse? What would drive you to think that punching a wall was a good idea?”

Tilly tried not to sound so angry, but it was hard to. Sophie was badly hurt because of this zoner. She appreciated that Sophie still saved this guy, regardless of how much he was an ass before. It certainly wasn’t in her nature to let someone get hurt. She was similar to Rudy in many aspects, this being one of them. But they wouldn’t have been in that position if Johnzer hadn’t punched the wall. She couldn’t fathom why he’d do that, let alone stop and argue with Sky.

From the looks of it, she wasn’t the only one angry at Johnzer. Rudy, Penny, and Snap clearly were. They were doing a good job not letting it get the best of them. They didn’t try to go after the zoner. The Luminos were all upset with them as well. A few of them were glaring at him. Maalik and Raiden looked the most pissed off of the group, and she could have sworn she heard one of them refer to Johnzer as an ‘idiot’.

“I...I...I don’t know..” Johnzer admitted. He held his head in his hands, his gaze downward. “I just don’t know. I..I thought she...and..” He shook his head from side to side. “I don’t know...”

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Tilly asked, her eyes narrowed further. “You know full well why you did what you did. Now tell me.. Tell me why you thought it would be such a good idea to waste time arguing instead of saving it for when you got out here?”

Johnzer stared at her. He looked at the others around him, both zoner and human. He looked guiltier each second that passed, all eyes on him. He gave a soft sigh and lowered his head in what Tilly guessed was shame. “I...I thought she was tricking us... I thought she was playing us for a fool, so I...taunted her..”

“You said some pretty horrible things to her, too.” Sky muttered softly, glaring at him.

“You mean to tell me that the reason why the girl is hurt and why that tunnel had a near collapse was because you couldn’t control yourself and decided to antagonize her when you were supposed to be looking for us before the tunnel collapsed?!” Raiden snarled, his ears flattened against his skull. “Of all the stupid....”

Maalik raised his paw, silencing him. Though he looked clearly angry, as did everyone else, especially Tilly and the trio, he made it clear, with the look in his eyes, he didn’t want to continue this discussion. He clearly did not want some kind of argument breaking out here. No one spoke a word as the lion zoner took a few steps towards Johnzer. The stick figure took a single step backwards. His head was still lowered in submission. He tapped his fingers together nervously as Maalik took position in front of him.

The lion glared down at him. Tilly wondered momentarily what the outcome of this was going to be. But she didn’t pay attention for too long. Though angry at Johnzer, she was more worried for Sophie. She looked down at her, biting her lip. She stared at her daughter’s right leg, or what was left of it. She stifled back a sob as she imagined what life was going to be like for her after she recovers. She continued to stroke her daughter’s hair, wishing for a way for Sophie to get her leg back without a prosthetic. But she knew that was impossible.

It just wasn’t fair. Why did this have to happen to Sophie? She was only eleven years old. She didn’t deserve to have this kind of injury, especially not at this age. It wasn’t like a simple cut or bruise. This was permanent. She was going to go through the rest of her life without the rest of that leg. Never again would she began to run, jump, and play without the use of a prosthetic.

But..but at least she was still alive... At least there was that. Despite how upset Tilly was with the whole thing, she did tell herself that at least Sophie was still alive. That falling piece of ceiling could have resulted in a far more disasterous consequence. Sophie could have been crushed easily. Losing a leg was traumatic, but at least it was just a portion of her leg that was missing. It didn’t seem like there were any other new injuries on her; just that one. Sophie would recover physically. Her leg would heal up and she’d be fine.

Mentally..she wasn’t sure. She had no idea how her daughter was going to take missing a leg. It was a huge adjustment, one that she didn’t deserve to have to endure. But there was nothing that could have been done. Even if they went to the hospital right away, they would have just amputated the leg anyway.

But if Sophie does react negatively, Tilly would be there for her. So would Rudy, Penny, Snap, and the others. They would see her through this and help her recover. They would help her adjust to her new life without a leg, and soon, she’d be back to her usual self. It won’t be easy, she knew, but they would at least try to help her, and they wouldn’t give up. Especially not her; she was Sophie’s mother after all.

“I’m...I’m so sorry, Aunt Tilly...” Rudy said as he approached her. His head was hung low in shame. “I...I couldn’t...”

“Rudy..why are you sorry? You weren’t even there with them, were you?” Tilly asked.

“No, but I should have been. I should have hurried up. I should have pushed myself further. If..If I had, maybe I could have gotten there in time and stopped the whole thing from happening.” Rudy said. He folded his arms behind his back and made nervous gestures with his foot. “I could have saved her but...but I...”

Rudy couldn’t say anymore. He lowered his head further, a few tears escaping from his eyes. Penny and Snap looked at him sympathetically. They grabbed onto his hands and tried to comfort him. Rudy looked like he was trying to let himself get cheered up, but he was clearly too upset. He closed his eyes and stared to cry a little harder.

Tilly looked at Rudy sadly. The poor kid was blaming himself for something that he didn’t do. He had no idea that something like this was going to happen. He couldn’t have predicted Johnzer’s actions. He couldn’t have known that Johnzer was going to break off a piece of the ceiling by accident. He couldn’t have known that Sophie was in the caves looking for him. He had no power over this. The one who should be sorry is Johnzer, and he seemed to regret what he had done. Rudy, however, had no reason to feel guilty about this.

Tilly wondered, at first, why Rudy would apologize for something that he had no involvement in. It wasn’t like when Sophie was kidnapped, when Rudy just made the situation worse by going into ChalkZone instead of watching her. Then she realized...that was it. Her mind flooded with memories as she recalled how she had reacted to him when she found out that he hadn’t been watching her. She was quite angry with him, and Rudy was really upset. She recalled her behavior towards him and realized that, in spite of not being verbally vicious to him, she had been a little more hostile than she had wanted to be.

And now it made sense. Rudy probably thinks she is going to be angry with him again, just like before. She bit her lip, a sense of guilt washing over her. She thought that had been taken care of, but it seemed as though that incident left a bigger mark on Rudy than she had anticipated. That guilt was still there, eating away at him. And her reaction towards him...as well as her sister’s and brother-in-law’s, had helped to make this feeling even worse.

She bit her lip and walked over towards Rudy. She didn’t want him to feel guilty about this. It wasn’t his fault. There was nothing he could have done to prevent this from happening. He had no clue, no control over it. She wanted him to understand that. All around her, she could hear the Luminos talking, sounds of disappointment in Johnzer as well as relief, happy to be reunited, but she hardly paid attention to that. Instead, she focused on Rudy. She reached the boy and looked down at him sadly. Penny and Snap moved away, giving her room. She rested her hand on his shoulder, getting the boy’s attention.

“Rudy...your friends are right.” Tilly said gently. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. What happened to Sophie wasn’t your fault. Please don’t blame yourself. You couldn’t have prevented this.”

Rudy sucked his lip, his eyes getting more watery. “B-But I could have...”

Tilly silenced him by pressing a finger against his lips. “Shh...it’s okay. I don’t blame you for this. I know that if you had known what was going to happen, you’d do anything to stop it, am I right?” Rudy nodded his head, wiping away a tear from his eyes. Tilly smiled gently. “I know you would. You didn’t fail, Rudy. How could you have if you had no control over what was going on? Please..it’s okay... Calm down..”

Rudy looked over at where Sophie was. More tears flowed from his eyes. His body convulsed a little as he let out small sobs. He looked at her and, without warning, grabbed onto her. Tilly wrapped her arms around her nephew, pulling him close. She gently rubbed his back as he cried into her shoulder.

“Shh...it’s okay...” Tilly whispered gently as she tried to soothe the boy. Penny and Snap stared at their friend sadly. A couple of the Luminos shared in the sentiment, and so did Rapsheeba and Blocky, who were being held by one of the Luminos. “It’s not your fault...shhh...”

Tilly continued to hold onto the crying Rudy as she looked over at Sophie. Her eyes filled with more sadness. Sophie... Her daughter... She hoped she was going to be okay. She glanced down at Rudy. She hoped he would be okay, too. She hoped everyone would make it out in the end, and the ones responsible for all their grief, the black chalk artists, will be taken care of. She knew, above all, they were the ones to blame for this.

As she held onto Rudy to try to settle him down, she started to overhear the conversation that Maalik was having with Johnzer.

“I can’t believe you did that, Johnzer! You could have been killed, or worse, all of you would have been!” Maalik snarled. “If it hadn’t been for the girl and shere luck, you would have died! And to top it off, you would have trapped us in there because that tunnel was the only one left standing! You almost ruined our chance of escape!”

Johnzer replied in a soft, meek voice. “I know...”

Maalik growled at him. “Your temper had been a problem in the past, but this time, it almost cost more than just a few fights and broken equipment. I had given you a talk before about your temper, but apparently you hadn’t been listening! Now look what you’ve done!”

Johnzer took a step back, fidgeting with his hands. “I...I didn’t mean to...”

“You didn’t mean to what? Antagonize her? Mock her about her friends being dead? You didn’t meant to do that? The hell you didn’t!” Maalik snarled. Johnzer let out a small whimper. “I’m so angry with you right now...but I can’t waste time on this. I’ll talk to you more thoroughly later. Right now, there are more important things on hand...”

“L-Like what...?” Johnzer asked, a tinge of hesitation in his voice.

“We need to make sure she gets back to the real world where she can be treated. There’s nothing we can do for her here.” Maalik said.

“Correct.” Dr. Raiden spoke up. “Though Dr. Urso and I are doctors, there’s really nothing we can do for her here. The girl is from the real world; her blood would dissolve anything we try to use on her.” He turned his head towards the humans. “With the magic chalk, it should be easy for them to return, though we could still help them get there, perhaps just to ensure they can reach that location without interference from the black chalk artists.”

“Why would they need our help? And why are you helping them?” Johnzer asked. “They are the enemy.”

Maalik glared at him, but then his expression softened up. He lifted up his head and began to address Johnzer, Sky, and the other three Luminos that Sophie helped to save. “I’ll give a quick little run down. We are no longer going to try to harm the humans. They are our allies now. I..and the rest of us, had been wrong about them. There is not to be anymore bad blood between us. So I give you this clear message. Cooperate with them. Don’t fight them. If I see any of you harm them, you have me to answer to.” He pointed to himself before lowering his hand down. “Do you understand?”

The three zoners nodded their heads. Sky turned her head to Maalik and she nodded her head as well. Johnzer looked a little confused, but he did not argue with his leader. He gulped and nodded his head in return, lowering it a little in submission.

Tilly had let go of Rudy. The boy seemed to have calmed down now. She smiled gently at him. He smiled back, though the smile was a little weak. She reached down and traced a stray tear from his face. She looked over momentarily at Maalik, wondering what had caused this change in attitude. The Luminos, from what she recalled, certainly hadn’t been so friendly before. So what caused Maalik to change his views?

It was as if Rudy read her mind. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you more about it on the way to the hospital.” He walked over to his cousin, or rather, limped over. “So much has happened... Penny and I will fill you in.”

“I can explain too.” Snap spoke up.

Penny shook her head. “No you can’t.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You need to go to the hospital and get yourself patched up.”

“Penny is right.” Dr. Urso said. He looked over at Rapsheeba and Blocky, then back at Snap. “All three of you need to be treated. Dr. Raiden and I will escort you to a hospital.”

“But..but what if those creepazoids strike while...” Snap started to ask.

“It is a risk we’ll have to take.” Dr. Urso said. He narrowed his eyes a little as he stared over at Snap. “With you all being this injured, you won’t stand much of a chance against the black chalk artists. You must all go to the hospital and get treated. Sophie isn’t the only one who needs to be hospitalized. Now let’s get going.”

“What about the black chalk artists?” Rudy spoke up, his voice laced with concern. “Without us here to stop them...”

Maalik spoke up. “Don’t worry about them. We’ll make sure they don’t do anymore damage while you’re gone.” He paused for a moment and then added, “And we’ll do it right this time. No more bombings. I promise you that.”

Tilly wasn’t entirely sure how well this plan would work. She didn’t know too much about the Luminos, so she didn’t know what they were capable of. She knew they were responsible for the bombing of the hospital, so she was aware they had weapons. But with their hideout destroyed, they no longer had access to this stuff. How were they going to be able to fight against the black chalk users?

Then again, she also knew it was probably the best course of action they could take. Her daughter, Rudy and Penny, Snap, several others, they needed to be treated. They were all badly hurt and if they were to try to face Jenny and her lackeys now, they would most likely lose. There was no way they could stand up to them right now. It was a miracle that they didn’t collapse already. The black chalk users, though, were mostly at full health. Maybe a little injured, but they had the advantage. There was no doubt about that.

Tilly herself needed to get treated. She wasn’t as badly hurt as the others, but Jenny still beat her pretty badly. She should get these injuries, no matter how minor, cleaned and checked out. Perhaps she’ll get Mrs. Sanchez to look at them. She wanted to meet up with her and the others anyway to give them an update of what was going on here. They must be wondering why their children were still in ChalkZone after all these hours.

Speaking of her sister and the others, she wondered why they weren’t in ChalkZone looking for them. She would think that she’d hear something about them, but in the time she was here, she hadn’t really seen any sign of them. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions. They might be somewhere else in ChalkZone or they just hadn’t come yet. She didn’t worry too much; she was certain they were okay. They hadn’t been targeted by the black chalk users and they might not have been around in ChalkZone to be attacked either. As soon as she met up with them, she’ll talk with them.

Penny raised her hand a little, looking at one of the Luminos. “What should we do about that explosion? The attack on ChalkZone City?”

Tilly’s eyes widened at this. “There was an attack?”

Rudy turned to her and nodded his head. “Yeah, there was. One of the Luminos said that right before the light beam hit the hideout.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have further information.” Nile said solemnly. “The light blast killed the messengers before they could tell us anything else.” He held out his hand in gesture. “The only way for us to find out what happened is by going there. But we have no idea if it’s safe or not. Whoever did this, and I wouldn’t doubt the black chalk artists are involved, might still be there, laying in wait.”

“Blindly rushing in will be a terrible idea.” Dr. Raiden said. His eyes narrowed as he shifted his gaze towards the ground. “We will need to be careful...” He lifted up his head and looked over at the other Luminos, and then turned to where Rudy was. “You get yourselves treated. We the Luminos, like Maalik said, will take care of things while you are gone. Rest assured we will do what we can to make sure Jenny and her two comrades won’t be able to do more harm.”

Snap raised his hands up into the air. “But your hideout is destroyed! You don’t have access to your weapons anymore!” He brought his hands down, keeping them out in front. “How are you going to be able to hold them off?”

“We’ll find a way.” Maalik said. “Trust us on that.”

“We’ll...try.” Rudy said hesitantly.

Maalik lowered his ears slightly. “I understand there’s still some trust issues. That is to be expected. We do plan on making it up to you, so let us start by helping you stop the black chalk artists.” He waved a paw in their direction. “Go on now. Get back to the real world and rest up, and let us provide some level of protection while you’re gone. We know it won’t be foolproof, but at least we’ll be able to provide a buffer.”

“We’ll make sure your zoner friends get properly treated as well.” Raiden said. “There should be another hospital around here, outside of ChalkZone City.”

“But what if...” Mr. Longhorn, who had been quiet until this point, started to ask.

“They’ll be fine. I assure you.” Raiden said. He lifted up his head slightly. “It’s in a lesser populated part of ChalkZone. I have my doubts the black chalk artists will target that area. Now time is a wasting away. Get a move on, before...”

He didn’t get a chance to finish. Suddenly there was a loud roar that shook the ground. Booming, hurting their ears. Everyone screamed and put their hands on the sides of their heads. They cringed lowering themselves to the ground as the roar ripped through the air. The roar was so loud that it nearl ruptured their ear drums. After a few seconds, the roar stopped. Everyone relaxed a little, but they weren’t putting their guard down. Cautiously, they looked around, trying to find the source of the sound.

Without warning, something large flew over them. A dark shadow was cast upon the group. A strong wind brushed over them, knocking a few of them off their feet, causing them to grunt as they hit the ground painfully. They craned their heads around and soon they saw something. The sight of what it was made them all gasp in horror. Tilly put her hands to her mouth, not believing what she was seeing. There were exchanges of horror and fear among the others. A couple looked like they were ready to fight, but were held back by the others.

Flying over them was a dragon of some kind. A massive beast, half white and half black. It stared at them with glowing eyes and gave a screech. It turned around, veering back in their direction. Its eyes narrowed, teeth bared, it flew down and landed heavily in front of them. Its wings flapped hard as it hit the ground, causing another gush of wind to sweep through everyone. They covered their faces and looked away, and when the wind settled down, they all stared at the beast.

The black and white dragon stood before them, towering over them easily. Its two heads moved to the side, apart from each other, and stared them down. The glow in their eyes seemed to intensify slightly. What appeared to be drool dripped from its jaws. Its long tails wriggled behind it, slamming into the ground heavily, vibrations rushing through the ground.

For a few moments, the dragon did nothing. It just stared at them, tilting its heads around as if examining them. Tilly silently hoped that this dragon was one of the good guys. A scary one, but still good. They could use someone like him to help fight the black chalk artists. If he turned out to be an enemy...she wasn’t sure what they would do. They don’t know what this guy was capable of doing. The last thing they needed right now was another enemy.

Tilly was about to break the silence when Rudy beat her to it. And what he said caused her to turn her head towards him in alarm.

“N-No...it can’t be...” Rudy whimpered. His eyes were wide in horror. His two friends looked at him with concern. “N-Not you...you can’t be real...” He took a few steps back, his body trembling. At this, the dragon smiled evilly.

“Rudy...?” Penny asked, holding into his arm. “What’s wrong...?”

“Yeah, Bucko...you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Snap said nervously.

Rudy lifted up a shaky finger and pointed at the dragon. “Th-That’s him... That’s the dragon I saw in my nightmares...”

“What?!” Penny and Snap cried.

Tilly gasped in horror at this. She recalled Rudy mentioning the dragon before. She looked over and stared at the beast. He was chuckling now, his teeth flashed evilly. He was staring intently at Rudy, as if he were silently taunting him. Rudy was frozen in fear, unable to move back any further. Penny and Snap took position in front of him. Tilly stayed close to Sky and Sophie, glaring hatefully at the dragon.

“You saw Nihilanth in your nightmares?” Dr. Raiden asked, staring at Rudy with wide, horrified eyes. “Why didn’t you say something?”

Without turning his head, Rudy stammered, “I-I...I didn’t know who he was...”

“Who’s Nihilanth...?” Rapsheeba asked in a shaky voice.

Blocky added, “And what does he want?”

Maalik spoke, his voice laced in fear. “Nihilanth is...”

“Silence!”

The booming voice came from all directions, or so it seemed. It took everyone a little while to realize that the voice was echoing in their heads. The dragon was speaking telepathically. The dragon’s two heads glared down at them, baring his sharp teeth. A low growl emitted from his throats. His wings spread out slightly, making himself look bigger, more important. He pulled his heads up, arching his necks in the shape of S’s.

“I do not wish to be..interrupted. And there are too many people here.” Nihilanth lifted up his paw, pointing a claw at them. “I need to take care of that first and foremost. And I know just the thing..”

The black squares on the white side of the dragon blinked rapidly, moving all along the side of the dragon. The black squares glowed brighter, one at a time, in a repeated, swift pattern. It settled on one of the squares on his white tail. The square flashed multiple letters and eventually settled a single letter, an F. An image of what appeared to be a clock with some kind of shield around it appeared briefly, disappearing as fast as it came. Energy tendrils, as black as night, moved out of the square, wrapping itself in the air menacingly.

“Run!” Maalik shouted. He turned to the other Luminos and ushered them back. “Quickly! He’s going to...!”

The lion didn’t finish in time. Before anyone could react, the black mass formed what looked like a sheet of thick, malleable plastic. It shot out out towards the group. They began to scream and run off, but they didn’t get too far. The plastic grabbed onto them, wrapping itself around them as they screamed in fear. Tilly watched in horror as, left and right, the plastic wrap grabbed everyone. She almost got grabbed as well until Mr. Longhorn pulled her back.

Nile almost escaped. He turned around and slashed at the plastic with his claws. He missed. He attempted to jump out of the way when the plastic lunged towards him, grabbing him with ease. He let out a roar before disappearing into the plastic’s invisible vortex. Screams of horror were emitted from Tilly and Rudy when the plastic went over Sophie, grabbing her and Sky before the lioness could fly off to safety.

Raiden and Maalik, now the last zoners left aside from Snap, who managed to escape, stood their ground. They dropped down on all fours, growling and hissing at the floating plastic. They hit the ground with their paws, their claws scraping along it. Their tails swishing from side to side, they ran towards it, intent on tearing into the plastic to free the trapped people. They jumped into the air, jaws split wide open. Tilly knew this was a bad, impulsive idea and she was proven right when those two were grabbed as well.

Now all that remained were herself, Mr. Longhorn, her nephew, and his two friends. They stood there, shaking in fear and horror at what had happened. In a matter of seconds, Nihilanth had managed to take away most of the group, both the injured and the uninjured. The plastic thing, which now formed into a small ball, looped into a necklace and hanging around the two necks of Nihilanth, had taken almost everyone. There were no signs of them left.

Tears formed in Tilly’s eyes as she shouted, “Sophie! No!”

“What have you done with them?!” Mr. Longhorn demanded, gritting his teeth. He held a fist up in the air and shouted, “If you don’t give them back, I’ll...!”

“Wait!” Penny rushed over as best as she could with her damaged leg. She grabbed onto his arm and held onto it. “Let’s not do anything to make him angry. You saw what he was capable of.” The man stared down at her. “We shouldn’t blindly rush into this.”

“Yeah. One wrong move and you could end up trapped in there as well.” Snap said, pointing a round hand at the man.

Mr. Longhorn continued to glare, but his expression softened up slightly. “Yeah...” He breathed. “I suppose you’re right.”

Tilly noticed how Rudy, Penny, and Snap hadn’t once asked about Mr. Longhorn and why he was in ChalkZone. But then, there were more urgent things to worry about, so it made sense that they wouldn’t question his presence for the time being. She turned her head and glared up at Nihilanth. Tears continued to move down her face. Sophie needed help and now she was taken by this beast. Why didn’t they listen to Maalik and Raiden? Why did they stand around and continue talking when they should have gotten a move on? Now it was too late for that.

Tilly worked up the courage to speak to the dragon. “What did you do with them?!”

Nihilanth chuckled, baring his teeth at them. “I merely...removed them for the time being. Do not worry. They are fine.” He looked at the necklace with his black head. “They are just inside this forcefield vortex. They are in suspended animation, unable to move or have any sense of time pass for them. They are neither living nor dead. I will release them later.” He lifted a paw in the air in gesture. “I wanted some...bit of peace and quiet while I introduced myself to you. It would have been so distracting with all those little..ants...squirming about.”

“Ants?!” Snap snarled, raising his fists into the air. “Those were living, breathing people you just absorbed there, you big creepazoid! What gives you the right?!”

Nihilanth threw his heads back and laughed coldly. His laughter permeated the souls of everyone there, turning their blood to ice. He sneered down in their direction. “Oh you mortal little fool... You have no idea who I am, do you? Then again, Maalik didn’t get a chance to finish telling you. So...let me tell you... And pay attention! Because I will only tell you this once!”

Nihilanth took a few steps forward, his steps shaking the ground slightly. He spread his wings out completely, showing how massive they were. He reared himself onto his hind legs, his necks arched back and his heads forward, still in that S position. He spread his front limbs to the side, his paws in the air, palms facing upwards. His tails raised into the air, the tips arching downwards. Then he spoke again.

“I am Nihilanth! I am the deity of ChalkZone! If it weren’t for me, you puny zoners and your pathetic magic chalk wouldn’t even exist! I plan on bringing order, a new world! I am the one that commands the black chalk, for I am the black chalk! Combined with the loyal companion of the servant light, the power that runs the Solar Pillars, I plan on abolishing all of ChalkZone....and the real world...! And from the ashes, a new world will arise! So take a look around you, fools! Soon all of this will come crashing down! And there’ll be nothing you can do to stop me!”

Horror and fear spread throughout the remainder of the group. They stared at Nihilanth in shock. Did he just say he was going to destroy both worlds? And he was the black chalk..? They all exchanged looks of horror, including Longhorn, despite not knowing fully about ChalkZone and everything else. The realization that this monster wanted to destroy everything... It came as a sudden shock. It wasn’t very subtle; Nihilanth just came out and said he planned on destroying the world.

Just outright saying this...it indicated just how confident this guy was. He did not sound afraid that Rudy, Penny, and Snap could stop him. His voice, it was so cocky, too, and a tinge of authorative mixed in. He msut really think himself the deity of ChalkZone. But then, if he was responsible for the existance of zoners and magic chalk...then perhaps he really did create this place, and if he did...

How were any of them going to stand up to someone like this...? Tilly felt her blood freeze. The others looked just as frightened as she was. The suddenness of this dragon saying that he was going to destroy the world rattled through them, making their legs feel weak and striking them with disbelief. It took them all by surprise. None of them had ever faced someone like this before. Destroy the world and rebuild it... Nihilanth was truly a madman.

“Y-You can’t do that...!” Mr. Longhorn cried, his body shaking.

“Well not without destroying the real world as well.” Nihilanth sneered at him. “I did want to destroy just ChalkZone, but its connection with the real world makes that impossible. So, the real world must go too.” He tilted his white head to the side. “Exposing ChalkZone is just...step one of the plan.”

“Step one?!” Snap cried in horror.

Nihilanth nodded his head. “Oh yes... It’s just the beginning. I plan on doing more than just exposing this precious world to the more hostile real world. I’ll explain it all in a little bit, don’t you worry.” He chuckled evilly. He lowered his two heads and moved forward. “But first...”

Nihilanth approached Rudy. Penny and Snap tried to stay in front of him, but they were swatted to the side. Rudy tried to go after them, but Nihilanth used his leg to block him. Mr. Longhorn and Tilly watched in horror as the dragon backed Rudy against the rock rubble. Penny and Snap, shaking their heads and looking over, were horrified by what was going on.

Rudy pressed his back against the rubble, his body shaking in fear. Nihilanth stood in front of him, just a couple feet away. Grins spread across both his faces. He took a couple steps closer, boxing Rudy further in. The boy’s pupils dilated and he whimpered softly in terror. The dragon’s heads positioned himself at either side of Rudy, completely blocking his escape route.

“Rudy Tabootie...at long last...we meet face to face.. How are you...?”


	104. Want To Know Who We Are?

Rudy was petrified, unable to move. He stared up at Nihilanth in fear, his body shaking. He wanted to try to run. He wanted to get away from this beast. But both his escape routes were blocked, and he wasn’t about to run under the dragon either. He remained where he was, his eyes occassionally looking over at where the others were before looking back up.

He couldn’t believe it. It was the same dragon he saw in his dreams. The black head was all too familiar. Every detail was the same, right down to the white glow of his eyes and mouth. And the white head...how could he forget that? It was the same head he saw when Nihilanth told him about how even in the light he wasn’t safe. He had no idea how Nihilanth knew these things, about what happened with Dark Rudy and Light Rudy. But that wasn’t the only thing about Nihilanth that creeped him out.

What was his deal about destroying the world? And was he a deity or did he simply view himself as one? It certainly seemed like he was a deity, with him sucking most of them out of reality in a sense, like it was nothing. That wasn’t something he could have done easily himself. And even if Nihilanth wasn’t a deity, Rudy knew that he was currently outmatched by the dragon. He saw how he was able to create things without magic chalk... The realization strike him with chilling horror.

Rudy wished he had that weapon that Bardot gave him. He wasn’t sure if Bardot thought this was the danger, and he wasn’t sure if the weapon would even slow down Nihilanth, but right now, he didn’t care. He just wanted something to defend himself with, and he didn’t know if he could draw fast enough, before the dragon would attack him. And he no longer had Bardot’s weapon; they lost it sometime earlier, though with all that went on, he couldn’t remember how. He hoped that weapon would turn up again later. He had a feeling that it might prove useful to them someday, perhaps turn the tides.

Rudy kept his back up against the rubble, staring fearfully as Nihilanth moved even closer. The heads were at his sides now and he could feel the dragon’s hot breath against him. Those glowing eyes of his, both the white and the black, seemed to pierce through his soul. It felt as though they were empty voids, and he could see in them forever. The way the dragon was looking at him... It made him feel at unease. A cold shiver ran up and down his back as he remembered one of the things Nihilanth said to him while he was in his first nightmare.

“We love you.”

That horrible memory made him tense up. He realized, dread enveloping him, that this dragon wanted him. He didn’t know what for specifically. He knew the dragon wanted to use him. If he really is the black chalk incarnate, then he knew, at the very least, he wanted to use him. But just what he intended to do to him to make that happen... And with how he said ‘we love you’... Rudy had a feeling he was not going to like the answer.

“What’s the matter? Do we have your tongue?” Nihilanth taunted, chuckles running through his body, making his necks quiver a little. “You should relax a little. We will not do anything against you or your friends...yet. Oh no, we have our own plans to take care of first. If we act now, we will ruin them.”

“You already acted when you took those zoners away!” Penny cried, she and Snap standing not too far from Nihilanth. The two of them took a defensive stance. “Let Rudy go!”

Nihilanth shook his head head, his black one raising up. “We’re afraid we can’t do that, little girl. You see, he’s the key to our victory. The one we had marked...”

“Marked?” Snap asked, narrowing his eyes. “What are you talking about? We never saw you before!”

A cold laughter swept through Nihilanth. “Oh yes you have...well kind of. Of course, our form at the time, or our host..which ever you prefer...” He raised his paw up in gesture. “He...had no memory of who or what he really was. And you three...” He pointed a claw at Rudy, then at Penny and Snap, completely ignoring Tilly and Longhorn. “...you befriended him and helped him, and in return he tried to help you. But of course...” Nihilanth lowered his white head, putting it close to Rudy. “...you were so clever, you didn’t even need his help...or our help, depending on if you want to think of us as one and the same, or separate.. It really matters not to us.”

Rudy stared at Nihilanth, confusion settling in on his mind. What was this dragon talking about? What did he mean by how they had met before..how they helped him...how he tried to help them? They never met this guy before or anyone who looked anything like him. He was...nothing like anything they had seen before. At what point could they have met him?

The way Nihilanth looked at him now, with at knowing expression, it was clear that the dragon expected him to remember him. The dragon stared at him intently, both sets of eyes focused solely on him. Their glow seemed to almost permeate his soul, making him shudder. Rudy searched his mind, trying to think of what zoner was similar enough to Nihilanth, whom they helped and he tried to help in return. But so far, nobody came to mind.

“It seems you are having a hard time remembering.” Nihilanth said, moving his heads back and then forward in a smooth, threatening manner. “Isn’t that just...a shame...?” He grinned, flashing his teeth. “No matter. Perhaps...if we give you a clue, you will remember.”

“What are you doing to do with him?” Tilly, who stood behind the dragon, asked.

Nihilanth looked at her with his black head. “Don’t you worry. It will not be anything that will...hurt him.” He turned his head back and stared down at Rudy. “Hold still...”

Rudy looked left and right, trying to find a way out. The dragon moved his black head closer, closing in the gap. He could hear the others shouting for him. His aunt tried to approach, but she was blocked by one of the long tails. Snap took action but was kicked back into Penny. Longhorn wanted to do something, but Tilly stopped him, clearly not wanting him to get hurt as well. Unable to get any kind of help, Rudy was boxed into a corner, even more so than he already was. He looked up at Nihilanth in fear and whimpered as the black head drew closer. What was Nihilanth going to do?

The dragon opened up his mouth. He could see that Nihilanth had no tongues, explaining the need for ventriloquism. That was not a problem for Nihilanth, for the whiteness of his mouth sparkled and light formed a makeshift tongue. Long and pointed at the tip, it looked so wicked, giving the dragon a more terrifying appearance than before. Rudy gave a loud whimper at the sight of it and moved back. He found himself now pressed up against the white head, which kept him from going any further. The black head drew even closer, that light tongue hanging out.

Then, without warning, Nihilanth’s light tongue pressed up against his face, forcing Rudy to move his head to the side in disgust. Nihilanth proceeded to lick upwards. Rudy shuddered at the feel of the tongue against him like that. It was over in a matter of seconds, and Nihilanth took a step back, giving Rudy a bit of breathing room.

The action confused everyone there. Penny and Snap looked at each other, blinking, and then back at Rudy. Their expressions showed they were both horrified and disgusted by what Nihilanth had done. They took a stance that showed they wanted to fight. The only thing holding them back was they didn’t want to do something to make the situation even worse. Tilly put her hands to her mouth and gasped, taking a step back. To her, it must have looked as though the dragon was tasting him. With her daughter gone, she did not want something to happen to another family member. Longhorn looked unsure of what to do, but it was clear he wanted to fight.

Rudy stared at Nihilanth as he pressed his hand against his cheek. Why had Nihilanth done that? What was the point? Was he really tasting him? Did he plan on eating him? The thought made him shiver, bringing him back to the Bardot incident. But perhaps there was another reason. Another cause for why Nihilanth would do that. He said he wanted to remind him of something, but...of what?

Rudy’s mind could still feel that dragon tongue along his cheek. He could still feel it pressed against his face, moving up in a dog-like manner. There was something...almost familiar about that lick though. The way the tongue felt and moved, he could have sworn he felt something like it before. A part of his mind was remembering something. For a while, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Why did this seem so familiar to him? Then, without warning, his eyes widened as memories flashed in the back of his mind. He stared up at the dragon in disbelief.

“N-No...you..you can’t be...” Rud said softly, shaking his head in denial. “It’s not possible... It can’t be true...”

“What is it, Rudy?” Penny asked, taking a step forward. She reached her hand out towards him, as if she wanted to pull him away from there. “What’s wrong?”

“Yeah, Bucko. What is this creepazoid...” Snap started to say, but Rudy cut him off.

“Please! You have to be lying! H-He wouldn’t...” Rudy shoo his head from side to side.

Nihilanth laughed coldly at this. “So...do you remember us now?” He raised his heads up in an S shape, looking as though he was going to strike any second. His mouths were open up, showing off his long, sharp teeth. “It hurts, doesn’t it? Yes, mental pain can be quite...powerful. Especially if wielded by someone so...capable.” He pressed a claw tip against Rudy’s chin, careful not to cut him. “Sometimes a comforting lie is better than the painful truth, don’t you think?”

Rudy wanted to take a step back. He wanted to push the claw away. He wanted none of this to be real. He wished that Nihilanth didn’t exist. He wished that this was all just some horrible dream he was having, and that he’d wake up at any time. But he knew, to his horror, this was real. And that realization sent ice through his veins.

Rudy looked into those eyes again. They stared back at him, never blinking. He shivered as he suddenly recognized those eyes. The way they looked at him, yes, there was something familiar about him. Uncomfortably familiar...

Nihilanth sneered at him, his grin spreading across both faces. A dark chuckle swept through his body. His tails wriggled around behind him, slamming into the ground. Tilly and Longhorn let out a cry of surprise and moved back away, trying to avoid the slamming tails. Nihilanth ignored them, as well as Penny and Snap, just focusing on Rudy. He stared at him, watching as the boy began to shiver in fright as horrific realization struck him.

Then Nihilanth hit the nail on the coffin. He did something that confirmed Rudy’s fear.

“Knowledge is power. Power is pain...” Nihilanth said in a calm, eerie voice. “Don’t you remember that, dear little Rudy?”

This statement confused Tilly and Longhorn, but Rudy, Penny, and Snap all knew what it meant. A sharp gasp came from Penny as she took a step back, putting a hand to her mouth. Snap’s body shivered, his eyes widening in disbelief. Rudy was horrified, cringing back, wishing he had misheard that statemetn. The realization of who this was frightened the trio, for it was indeed someone they knew. How...how was something like this possible? How could...how could he...that zoner...be Nihilanth...?

It had to be a lie... This dragon couldn’t be telling the truth. He was..he was just trying to trick them. He was just trying to confuse them, to disorient them so that he could have an easier time taking them all down. Confusion was a powerful weapon, and lies could be the sharpest of spears, able to disarm and weaken them. Rudy had to be vigilant. He couldn’t believe what this dragon was saying. He..he couldn’t be telling the truth.

But then, what if he was? What if he was really...?

“Barney...” Rudy said in a soft, disbelieving voice.

Nihilanth was quiet, responding with nothing but a pair of sneers.

sss

Slowly, Skrawl opened up his mismatched eyes and looked around. All he could see was darkness. Maybe some rays of light here or there, but for the most part, just darkness. There was a strong smell hanging in the air, something like dust and smoke. He took in a breath, only to cough a few times. His throat hurt, forcing him to rub it a little. He looked all around, having no idea where he was or how he got here.

Just what had happened? He tried to think of the events that led up to this point, but he could only draw a blank. It was like part of his life was just...gone. Erased and forgotten. One minute, he remembered speaking with those humans, and the next...this. What happened in between? What events had unfolded? He rubbed his head, groaning at the sore spot he found on the back of it. Whatever happened, it involved him getting injured. Had he been attacked? Dumped somewhere? He wasn’t sure.

Skrawl tried to get up, but he let out a cry of pain. Agony shot up one of his limbs and he quickly realized it was stuck. Confusion settled on his mind. Just..what was trapping his limb? He tried to see, but it was so dark. He could barely make out the outline of the thing, and even then, he couldn’t be quite sure. He shifted his body, wincing as he accidentally tugged on his trapped limb. He reached over with another limb and touched it. Hard, smooth, kinda wet... He guessed it was a piece of rock. A very big chunk. He wondered if his limb was broken. With how heavy this rock was, he wouldn’t be surprised.

Skrawl would have tried to free his limb and seek a way out of here, but he knew that wouldn’t be a good idea. He might make things worse for himself. He had no idea what happened, but he told himself to remain calm and someone would find him. The smell of smoke made him slowly realize that there had to have been an explosion of some kind. What led up to it, who was the culprit, he wasn’t sure. He couldn’t even tell where he was right now. That blow to his head made him lose a chunk of his memory. He might also have more injuries he wasn’t aware of and moving around would agitate them. Yeah, waiting would be the best thing to do.

As Skrawl laid there in the smelly darkness, he searched his mind to try to remember more details of what happened. Just what had occurred after he sent Sophie, her mother, and that man out to where the Luminos hideout was? He had a feeling something major happened in this gap of his memory, but he just couldn’t think of what it was. Something important...

His head started to hurt as he struggled to remember. Why couldn’t he remember? He rubbed his head again, his fingers massaging his temple. He looked left and right to try to see if he could recognize any bit of the rubble. Some kind of clue to tell him where he was. Maybe if he knew where he was, that would be the first step in figuring out what happened. Did he go somewhere else and got caught in an explosion? Did he wander further downtown and got attacked? Or did he never leave? Though he was having a difficult time remembering, Skrawl did not give up and continued to try to think of what might have happened.

He soon did start to remember something. He recalled speaking with Bardot. Did he...? No, he didn’t have the means with him to cause an explosion, let alone knock him out. Perhaps Draow? Yes...he remembered something about Draow. A rebellion of some kind. Draow going up against Bardot, saying something about working for a higher power or whatever. And he wanted something with Bardot and Barney...

Yes, it was coming back to him now. Not all at once, but he was certain that Draow was involved somehow with this. Or at least, caused it in some way. He had been knocked out again earlier, right? Yeah, he was. And then there was a dragon... He recalled a vague image of a dragon. It was unlike any other zoner he had seen. And then...that’s about where his memory stopped. The dragon.... the dragon had to do with what happened here. Maybe...maybe he blew it up. This might be ChalkZone City and...

Skrawl’s eyes widened in horror as he realized he never left ChalkZone City. And if he never left, and there was rubble, it meant there was an attack. Though his mind was still muggy, it was sharp enough for him to comprehend these things. He realized that the dragon, or even Draow, unleashed a horrible attack right near the hospital. There was an explosion, a wave of heat, he himself had been trying to usher the zoners away, to get to safety.... A blinding flash of light, then nothing. Blackness had overtaken him...until now.

He heard the sound of rocks rolling down. He could hear crumbling, scraping, and above him, he saw more light starting to shine through. He saw shapes moving about. He couldn’t tell who they were, or what they were. The bright light made them appear to be black shadows, zipping left and right. Little by little, more of the rocks were taken down until, finally, one was removed that allowed in the light of the day zone sun. Skrawl shut his eyes and looked away, shielding them while raising one of his undamaged limbs up into the air. He gritted his teeth and stayed like this for a couple of seconds while his eyes slowly adjusted to the light.

“Boss! It’s you!” A voice called out.

Skrawl slowly opened up his eyes and looked over. He was surprised, and relieved, to see one of his Beanie Boys hovering there. The Beanie Boy looked very relieved to see him. There was a second one behind him, moving more of the rubble away. The Beanie Boy that called out to him moved in closer and reached his hand out towards him.

“Here, take my hand.” The Beanie Boy said.

Normally, Skrawl would not take too kindly to being told what to do. He liked doing things his way and preferred being the leader. But in this case, he made an exception. He reached out with one of his unbroken limbs and took the Beanie Boy’s hand. The Beanie Boy latched onto him. A second one came and took Skrawl’s other arm. The two of them worked together to pull Skrawl out of the rubble. They lifted him into the air and flew him over to a spot away from the rubble and laid him down, careful not to irritate his injury.

Now that he was out of the rubble, Skrawl took a look around, as well as at his limb. He was shocked and horrified by what he saw. Had this...had this really happened? All this damage...this destruction... it happened without warning, and he knew, in horror, not everyone made it out in time...

The first thing he noticed were the toppled buildings. Many of them had been ripped to shreds and crumbled to the ground. Some larger buildings, like the hospital, were kind of still standing, but multiple holes had been ripped through it, making it look like swiss cheese. Nearby vehicles, such as one of the ambulances that didn’t get out of the way in time, were totalled, melted and gnarled into near unrecognizable shapes. Large chunks of concrete had been blown away, creating an almost circle shape, the radius of the blast. The ground in many places was clearly charred, burned a pitch black. No, not just the ground. Many of the buildings and vehicles were this way as well. Black smoke pillowed out of multiple areas and it looked as though there were small fires everywhere.

And the bodies... so many bodies... They were everywhere. Laying on the ground, most of them clearly dead, a few still alive by some miracle. He was certain there were more survivors, probably trapped underneath the rubble, trying to crawl their way out. He winced as he saw all the dead bodies, many with their eyes and mouth wide open in an eternal scream. Others were blown apart, their organs spread everywhere in a mushy mess. Red stains covered much of the ground. It was a horrific sight to behold.

The jellybean turned his attention to the few survivors that remained of the blast. Some of them were doctors and a couple of them were citizens. Some were knocked out, only signs of life being their inflating and deflating ribs. Others were crawling to try to get away from something, leaving behind a blood trail. Others were groaning loudly in pain or trying to look for help. Out of what was probably a hundred zoners in the immediate area, Skrawl counted maybe fifteen around in this area, excluding his Beanie Boys, that were alive. Only a small handful survived that blast.

He recalled King Jumbo Jumbo had been in the blast as well. Where was that tortoise? Skrawl attempted to get up, but as soon as he put weight on his limb, he cried out in pain and he tripped over. The Beanie Boys that helped him out grabbed onto him and helped him become steady. They looked at him with concern as they aided him back on the groudn.

“You need to be careful.” One of the Beanie Boys said. They glanced warily down at his limb. “You were hurt pretty badly.”

Skrawl looked down at his limb. He noticed that it was heavily bruised and had a couple bleeding gashes. He couldn’t tell if it was broken or not, but he guessed that it was. He was almost tempted to try again, given how stubborn he knows he can be. But he knew he couldn’t risk it. He rested there and took another look around. Not seeing Mumbo Jumbo anywhere, and not knowing if Tsere made it away in time, he looked up at his Beanie Boys.

“What’s the status of King Mumbo Jumbo and Tsere?” Skrawl asked. He was shocked at how weak his voice sounded. It even caused his Beanie Boys to look at each other worriedly.

The second Beanie Boy said, “Tsere, as far as we know, was taken to another hospital outside the blast zone’s radius. I presume it’s safe to say that he is fine.”

The other Beanie Boy added, “As for King Mumbo Jumbo, we aren’t sure. We haven’t seen him anywhere. He might be buried somewhere, or he could have been vaporized.”

Skrawl flinched at that. While being vaporized might be a preferable fate as it was quick and he didn’t have to suffer long, it wasn’t something he really wished for the tortoise. He knew Barney would be heartbroken if he found out his friend was dead, and as the head warden of one of the most secure prisons, Skrawl felt it was his duty to make sure as many zoners survived the blast as possible. The tortoise wasn’t very fast, making him feel concerned that he might not have gotten out of the way in time.

If his Beanie Boys didn’t find him, he hoped that meant that he was just trapped under the rubble, like they thought he was. He recalled the tortoise hadn’t been that far from him when the explosion happened. So he might be close to this area. If his limb wasn’t so badly injured, he would try to search for him himself. He turned his attention back to his Beanie Boys.

“Do you think you can try to search for him?” Skrawl asked. “I’d try, but I can’t walk.” He looked down at his limb and winced.

“Sure thing, boss!” One of the Beanie Boys said, saluting him.

“You just leave it to us!” The other cried. “We’ll do another sweep of the area.”

“Try to stick around here.” Skrawl reached with his two undamaged limbs and drew a wide half circle with both. A visualization. “Within the blast radius around me. Mumbo Jumbo wasn’t far from me, so he may be somewhere near where I am. As soon as you find him, let me know. Don’t move him if he’s unconscious, too badly injuried, or if it’s not worth the risk. Do move him if he’s in a precarious situation.”

“Sure, okay!” The second Beanie Boy said to him.

The two Beanie Boys left Skrawl’s side. Skrawl watched the Beanie Boys as they began to search through the rubble, as they did so, Skrawl’s mind wandered a little. He wondered what they were gong to do to stop these foes. He was leaning more towards the dragon being the cause of this. He was massive, powerful... Yes, it had to have been him. If he could do this so easily, without breaking a sweat, what more was he capable of? And what chance did they have against him?

And what of Master Tabootie and his friends? Skrawl had no idea what happened to them. He didn’t know if they were still trapped by the Luminos, if they were captured, if they were lost... He just had no idea. And it worried him. The longer he didn’t see the trio in a horrific time like this, the more he began to wonder if something terrible happened to them. He wished he could figure out exactly where they were and if they were okay.

Another thing that worried him was whether or not Rudy and the others could even take this dragon on. Could any of them do that? He didn’t know the dragon’s limits. He didn’t know how far he could take his power. He wasn’t sure if the trio stood much of a chance against him. He didn’t know if anyone could. What would happen if the dragon managed to defeat them? Kill them? What if a creator was not enough to fight the dragon...?

Despite the situation being hopeless, Skrawl wasn’t going to back down that easily. He would try to find a way to defeat the dragon. He would try to find a way to get himself to the library, provided it was still standing or at least had a way inside, and look through the books. There had to be something there he could use. Something about this dragon. Information, any kind, about it, what could be done to stop him. He was certain that information regarding that was there somewhere. He just had to start looking somewhere, and the library was the best place to look.

Skrawl moved away from his thoughts and looked over when he heard the sound of his Beanie Boys getting closer. They looked alarmed and worried. Skrawl knew it wasn’t going to be entirely good news. He braced himself for the worst.

“What is it?” Skrawl asked. He coughed a few times. “Did you find him?”

One of the Beanie Boys nodded his head. “Yeah we did.” He turned his head and pointed to a somewhat tall mound of rocks. “He’s buried over here.”

“How is he?” Skrawl inquired.

“Pretty bad... No, quite bad.” The other Beanie Boy said.

The first Beanie Boy bit his lip. “He has multiple cracks in his shell. If we aren’t careful when moving him, his spine could be shattered.” Skrawl’s eyes widened in horror at this. “His shell isn’t the only thing either, I’m afraid. He has a few deep gashes and several bad burns.”

“He was unconscious when we found him. He’s still breathing, but they are slow and ragged.” The other Beanie Boy added in, fumbling with his fingers nervously. “We don’t think he’ll last much longer unless moved right away...”

“Then what are you waiting for? Get to it!” Skrawl told them, holding a hand up and pointing where they said Mumbo Jumbo was. “Why are you over here telling me this?”

“Well you see, boss...” The second Beanie Boy stated, making some gesturing with his hand. “With all that rubble around him, piled on top of him, it would be quite tricky getting him out of there. It wouldn’t take much to cause more pressure and that shell of his cracks open. We need some way to remove large portions of the rubble at once, not one at a time.”

Skrawl gave a soft sigh. “And let me guess. Just the two of you won’t be able to do that.”

The first Beanie Boy shook his head. “We’re strong, but we need more manpower to help move the rubble.” He held his hands up. “I mean, we could start moving the rubble now, but he’s in such a precarious position, with the way the rocks are piled on him, it would just be way too easy to accidentally make things worse for him.”

The second Beanie Boy spoke up. “We can go get some more Beanie Boys to help, but I’m afraid the tortoise doesn’t have long to live.”

Skrawl hesitated to ask the dreaded question. “How...long does he have?”

The Beanie Boys looked at each other, and then back at Skrawl. Saddened expressions plastered over their faces. “We’d say....perhaps half an hour...”

Skrawl felt his blood freeze at this.

sss

Penny was horrified by what Nihilanth had said. She could see Snap shivering in response, and she, too, felt her body quiver at this horrific realization. Rudy, even from here, she could tell had bulging eyes, a horrified look, intermixed with disbelief. She didn’t want to believe it to be true. It just...couldn’t be true.

How could Barney be Nihilanth? How could he be involved with such a horrible monster? Barney never once struck her as someone who would do something like this. A part of her felt angered. Had they really been played for a fool by someone they thought they could trust? Barney had helped them, or at least tried to, to stop the balloonemia outbreak years ago. Her stomach burned at the thought of trusting someone like that with the lives of so many. Then again, Barney wasn’t exactly keen on helping them initially, so maybe...

Penny shook her head, feeling ashamed of herself for accusing Barney like that. There had to be more to this story than Nihilanth mentioned. Barney could just be a victim in all of this, taken over by the black chalk, turned into its unwitting pawn. Barney was an overall friendly zoner. Maybe standoffish at times, but he wasn’t really bad once they got to know him. All he wanted was to be left alone. He’d...he’d never want to do something like this, and she felt horrible that, for a moment, she thought that.

So many things happened lately. She had seen so many horrible things. She was under stress. But she felt that wasn’t an excuse to believe Barney would turn against them. Whenever she’d see Barney again, she felt compelled to apologize to him, even though she hadn’t really outright accused him of anything. Nihilanth might be holding Barney hostage somewhere, even in his own body, if he and Barney really were one and the same.

Now that she thought of that, there was something familiar about Nihilanth’s design. The squares along his back, those letters she had seen before, flashing. It made her think of Barney’s body sections, the computers with legs. She widened her eyes at this. How had she not noticed this before? So perhaps Nihilanth was telling the truth and they really were sharing the same body. Penny felt a lump in her throat as she started to wonder something.

If this was Nihilanth...and if they have the same body...then..where was Barney? Was he dead? Was he locked up inside Nihilanth? What happened to him? What had this monster done to him?

“I-I-It can’t be... Not Barney...” Snap said in a soft voice. He stared over at Nihilanth with eyes wide in fear. “How is it possible...?”

Penny reached down and gently touched his shoulder. “It might be possible that Nihilanth possessed him. I don’t think they’re the same person.”

“I hope not. The thought of Barney being...that thing...” Snap couldn’t finish his sentence.

Penny looked at him sympathetically. She couldn’t blame him for being upset. “Yeah..I know.” She glared over at Nihilanth. “We’ll stop him..somehow.”

“Yeah I know we will.” Snap said, trying his best to sound brave. Despite his attempt, Penny could tell he was still scared. “I wonder if Barney is okay...”

“I’m sure he is.” Penny wasn’t really sure herself, but she wanted to reassure Snap.

At the moment, they couldn’t really focuse on that. Though Penny and Snap were upset with what happened to Barney, there was nothing they could do about that now. Right now, they had another problem to worry about. Rudy was still cornered by this beast. They needed to figure out a way to get him out of there...but how? Distraction wouldn’t work. This thing had two heads. Neither of them even knew what this dragon wanted with Rudy. He seemed to have taken an interest in him. What did he plan on doing?

Penny couldn’t really think of anything else to do except distraction. She watched as the dragon continued to menace Rudy. Nihilanth was wordless at the moment, but he was using his laughter and his actions to torment Rudy. The boy was clearly frightened, unable to escape. It didn’t help that this monster was the very thing from his nightmares. She remembered him telling her something about that. And now it was real, standing before him. She couldn’t blame him for being afraid. A monster from his nightmares had literally come to life. She’d freak out herself if that happened to her.

But with those two heads...how would they pull off a successful distraction? She and Snap could go to different spots, but they wouldn’t be able to go far. Two heads meant Nihilanth could watch them both and stop them quickly. Rudy might stand a chance of getting away, but it would be so tight. It didn’t help that she and Snap were hurt. They couldn’t be able to move that fast and they could end up getting hurt by the dragon.

Then she realized that it wasn’t just her and Snap. Tilly and Longhorn were also available. She didn’t know how Longhorn came to be in ChalkZone, but right now, she was too focused on what was going on to really be scared of what Longhorn might do. Plus, Tilly seemed to trust him, so perhaps Longhorn is an ally. Well he was going to be an ally soon, because she was going to require his help to make this work. With her, Snap, and the two adults working together, keeping themselves apart, Nihilanth would have a hard time focusing on them, and one of them could get close enough to pull Rudy away. Yeah..it was worth a shot anyway.

Penny looked over at Tilly and Longhorn and used her hand to call them over. The two adults walked over slowly where she was. Once in a while, they would look over at the dragon nervously, before turning their attention back to her. She looked over at Snap and called him over as well. Soon the four people were standing close to gether. Penny took one last look to make sure Nihilanth wasn’t looking at them, and then she began to speak.

“I have an idea.”

sss

Rudy shook his head in disbelief. Those words, the same words Barney spoke, they echoed in his head. He didn’t want to believe it was true. Nihilanth had to be lying. But then..how did he know Barney’s favorite phrase? There were only two explanations, and both of them chilled Rudy to the bone.

Either Barney was in danger...perhaps even killed, or Nihilanth really was Barney.

Rudy wanted it to just be a coincidence. He wanted to believe that either Nihilanth just has the same philosophy as Barney and just happened to come up with the same phrase, or he just heard it somewhere else. He didn’t want him to be Barney. He didn’t want Barney to be in trouble. After all Bardot had done to him.. The zoner did not deserve to have this kind of fate.

Rudy stared at the dragon in fear. He took a step back, nearly tripping over the pile of rubble behind him. He had no idea what this dragon wanted to do with him. Nihilanth marked him. He wanted him for something. Rudy felt fear freeze his blood, his mind racing with different thoughts of how this dragon was going to use him. If he was able to use Barney, if he was able to take control of another zoner... what did that mean for him? Or did he even take over? Rudy wasn’t sure, and the confusion frightened him more.

Wait... what about... Oh no... Rudy’s eyes widened in horror as he realized something. There was something he forgot about that make him realize that this had to be Barney... Nihilanth had to have taken him over, transformed his body, or something.. Barney wasn’t captured and held somewhere else. In a sense, this was Barney, and the reason why that had to be the case...

...no one should have known about the licking... At least, no one outside of him, Penny, and Snap. Barney was too out of it at the time to remember what he did. And he and his friends wouldn’t have spread that knowledge anywhere. He doesn’t recall mentioning it to Barney at all, and why would they? It was a pretty embarrassing thing and they all had agreed it was best to try to forget that had happened.

The only way Nihilanth could have known about that was if he was Barney himself, or at least had been in control of Barney at the time. Rudy was so confused by what was going on, not fully understanding how Nihilanth and Barney share the same body. His head was starting to hurt trying to make sense of it all. But there was no other way he could see, and as if to confirm, Nihilanth spoke again.

“Knowledge is power. Power is pain. If you don’t understand, I won’t try to explain.”

Rudy took a step back, his eyes widening in horror. “No..it’s impossible...” He trembled. “You can’t be...”

“Oh but we are... We are Barney..though again, we are not.” Nihilanth tilted his white head to the side. “It really depends on how you look at it. If you want an explanation, we can tell you this: We lived inside of Barney, as he was created as our vessel. We had been waiting to be activated, but Barney lost his memory of us. We do not know how that happened, but because of it, we had remained dormant for a very long time.”

“And somehow you regained control for that short time...” Rudy said, putting some of the pieces together.

Nihilanth nodded his two heads. “Yes indeed, we did. It was brief, but more than enough time to mark you. Barney separating his body parts was just what we needed. It weakened his mind and, for a moment, we could control him. We marked you with our tongue, giving you a unique scent so we could monitor you more closely from that moment on. We believed that you were special, perhaps...special enough to be something more than what Mr. Cosmo had in store for you.”

Rudy gulped at this. He remembered when Mr. Cosmo had tried to make him into his apprentice. He had tried to corrupt him with the black chalk. The idea that someone else, even worse than Cosmo, had their eyes on him, and wanted to do something even worse...it caused a cold shiver to go up and down his spine. What...what did this dragon plan on doing with him? What about him would ensure his victory? He wanted to speak, but he was frozen in fear. What could he say to this...?

“If you are wondering what we did with Barney, do not fret. He is still inside of us. Dormant now, but he’s still here.” Nihilanth lowered his black head down. Rudy was startled by how fast the head moved, how quickly the white eye was leveled close to him. “Take a look in our eye. You will see him there.”

Rudy, despite his better judgement, looked. He peered into the dragon’s white eye placed before him. And soon, he could see what the dragon was talking about. Though it was faint, he could see an image of Barney in there. His back was turned to him, and he looked lost and frightened. Rudy wanted to reach out and try to help him, but there was nothing he could do. Despite wanting so desperately to help, he knew that he was helpless to get Barney out of there.

Then he saw the image of Barney looking at him. Those eyes widened in shock and recognition. Then the centipede zoner opened his mouth, like he was trying to speak. There was no sound; it was like someone hit the mute button on him. Barney rushed over towards him and seemed to be pounding against something, trying to break out. Rudy bit his lip, watching Barney sadly. He reached his hand up, wanting so much to grab the zoner and pull him out, but there was nothing he could do.

Suddenly, a black cloud appeared in the dragon’s eye, wrapping around Barney. Rudy watched in horror as Barney was dragged off. Though there was no sound, Rudy could tell Barney, as he wriggled in the cloud’s grasp, was screaming and shouting for mercy, to be let go. Then, in seconds, Barney was yanked backwards, disapppearing into the white distance. The dragon’s eye blinked and the image was gone.

“Barney!” Rudy cried, staring in horror. He glared up at the dragon. “What have you done with him?!”

“We just pulled him into the darkest corner of our mind. We...cannot risk allowing him to assume control.” Nihilanth said. He stared down at Rudy, his heads positioned on either side of him. Their eyes moved up and down, studying him. “But do not worry, little one. He will not be alone for long...”

“What do you mean...?” Rudy asked hesitantly.

Nihilanth sneered at him. “We will not waste time explaining, so let us just straight up tell you.” He placed his heads close to Rudy. “We want to make you our new host.”

Rudy felt his blood turn to ice at that statement. He cringed back, staring at Nihilanth with widened eyes. His body trembled harder. Nihilanth wanted to do what with him? No...no he can’t do that... Rudy didn’t want this. He wanted to part of this... Nihilanth couldn’t do this to him. He refused to be used by him. He wasn’t going to allow himself to be controlled by this...this monster...

His eyes narrowed, glaring at the dragon. His hands formed into fists, shaking them. Nihilanth wanted to use him to cause pain, spread destruction. There was no way he was going to allow that to happen. He was not going to let himself become the bad guy, like how he had been in the alternate dimensions. He wasn’t going to let himself be turned into a mere tool. If this dragon wanted to use him, he was going to have to fight him for it.

“You..bastard...I won’t let you use me!” Rudy cried, adopting a fighting stance. “I’ll fight you before I let you control me!”

Nihilanth laughed at this. “Oh do not worry. We do not plan on taking you yet.” He tilted his heads to the side, grinning menacingly down at the boy. “We will give you a fighting chance at the Solar Pillars.”

Rudy stared at the dragon. “The Solar Pillars?”

Nihilanth nodded his heads. “Yes. We will allow you and your friends some..recovery time. Aren’t we so generous?”

Rudy kept glaring at the dragon. Fear still accompanied his mind, but he was trying his best to be brave. He didn’t want the dragon to have the luxury of seeing him afraid anymore. He didn’t want the dragon to have a sense of control over him any longer.

“We can give a little..assistance. Let us remove something for you.” Nihilanth said. He raised his paw into the air and it began to glow. “Let us...take care of the internal wounds you suffered as a result of that nasty chalk disease..”

Rudy’s eyes widened in shock. How did Nihilanth know about that? Had he picked that knowledge up from Barney? He didn’t get a chance to think about it more when, without warning, he felt something in his stomach and chest. Almost like a hand, but not. It moved around on his insides, and it felt as though something was being pulled. It wasn’t painful, but there was a lot of pressure.

He frozen, his body stiffening up. He stood up on his toes as an invisible force grabbed a hold of him. He closed his eyes against his will as his body glowed faintly. He stayed like this for several seconds. He felt an energy move through him, a warmth that also felt cold at the same time. This lasted for several seconds and then, as suddenly as it gripped him, it stopped. When he was released, Rudy staggered back, falling onto the ground. He held himself up with one hand and rubbed his head.

He took immediate notice that he didn’t feel as painful anymore. He looked down at his body. His external wounds were there, and some internal ones remained. But the pain he was in...it had reduced. It was as thought some of his wounds had...vanished, like they never had happened at all. He looked up at the dragon, a confused expression on his face.

Nihilanth smirked at him. “There...isn’t that better now?”

Normally, the idea of healing powers would be welcome to Rudy. Such abilities would come handy. But since this dragon was the one who healed him, the idea just frightened him. This dragon had reached inside of him and healed his wounds. What if...what if he had done something..more...? He could of easily twisted his internal organs into something unrecognizable. Rudy shuddered at the thought.

“And before we forget..” Nihilanth pressed his claw against Rudy’s chin. “We can easily remove the effects, so if you do something that we do not find...acceptable, remember that we can, very painfully, give those wounds back to you.”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror at this.

Suddenly, a cry rang through the area, catching his and Nihilanth’s attention.

“Hey you! Let him go!”

Rudy realized it was Mr. Longhorn. The man rushed over, standing on the same side as the dragon’s white half. The man jumped up and down, waving his arms in the air. Rudy was horrified by this. What was this man thinking?

“You want someone bigger and tastier?” Mr. Longhorn taunted. “Well come after me! I will hold still! I promise...”

“What are you doing?!” Rudy cried in horror.

Nihilanth chuckled. “How amusing. A mere mortal things he can take us on. Well okay, I’ll play your little game...” With that, the two headed dragon opened up his mouth, and a ball of glowing energy began to form. “After all..I don’t need you alive...”


	105. Madman

“Are you seriously trying to convince us that this was nothing more than filmmaking?” One of the men in the audience exclaimed, incredulous. He put his hands to the side of his face, giving Reggie a perplexed look. “Are you insane?! Do you think we’re that stupid?”

“Yeah! We know movie magic when we see it! And that certainly wasn’t it!” Another man, not far from the first man, shouted.

A woman stood up and pointed at Reggie. “We know you are just trying to hog that world for yourself!” She looked at the others, raising her hand to gesture to them. “Well we won’t allow for that! We will not let you deprive us of what should be public property! Isn’t that right everyone?”

There were shouts everywhere. ‘Yeah’, ‘You said it’, ‘Right on’, and various other statements were shouted, moving across the audience like a tidal wave. The shouts got louder, making Reggie and the parents back up a little. They looked at each other worriedly, their teeth gritted, before turning back to the audience. The crowd was getting restless, many off their seat, many more wanting to rush at them, looking as though it took all their will power to stay put.

“We need access to that world!” Another woman shouted. “We need to make sure those...those chalk things can’t get into our world!”

A man next to her raised his fist into the air. “Yeah! We need to control them!”

“Or exterminate them!” Shouted another man.

This sent cold chills through Reggie and the parents. These people...they wanted to control or kill off the zoners... This wasn’t just about being able to create their own drawings or try to build a theme park or whatever. They were scared of the zoners on some level. And if they got a way in, they were going to hurt them. They...they couldn’t be allowed to do that. Don’t they realize that most zoners were harmless and wouldn’t think about hurting a human, let alone invade this world?

Apparently not. As the second past, the audience’s shouts grew more and more hostile and angry. They became more accusatory, and some started to say horrible things, mostly involving some way of killing a zoner. This horrified the group and they looked at each other again, each silently asking the question ‘how are we going to get out of this?’

“Why are you protecting those things?” A woman asked from the far back of the audience. Her voice was barely audible, but she was loud enough to hear. “They aren’t even human!”

“Yeah, they don’t have any rights! They’re probably not even sentient!” Another woman, in the front row, shouted.

A man on the large left cupped his hands to the sides of his face to amplify his voice. “I say we find our own way in, take a hose, and wash away those chalk creatures! That way, they can never hurt us!”

“Yeah!”

“Wash them away!”

“Cleanse that world!”

“We will make proper use of it!”

The adults and Reggie gasped in horror. Their faces paled at this and they took a few steps back. The audience had gotten even more hostile. They were surprised that they hadn’t pulled out guns on them, but they were certain, if they gave them enough time, they could. The audience was quite aggressive at this point. Many were waving their fists in the air. Many were standing up. Most of them looked ready to charge down, and their eyes...oh gawd their eyes... They practically glowed with intent.

Mrs. Sanchez couldn’t stop her heart from racing. She looked all around at the audience. Like the other parents, and Reggie, she was getting very worried. Reggie had forgotten what his initial plan was, due to the audience suddenly giving demands. They had been so vocal that Reggie, as he admitted after Terry left, lost his train of thought. So he had to fallback on the only other thing that made sense: movie magic.

Mrs. Sanchez had been hopeful that this plan would have worked. It seemed the most logical, probably the best way to explain what the audience had seen and why it felt so real. She would have thought it would have worked. She thought that the audience would have loved a realistic explanation that would account for the ‘chalk creatures’, as they put it. But it turned out she had miscalculated. The audience not only refused to believe that explanation, they were downright determined to believe ChalkZone was real, and now they were demanding access to it.

She wasn’t sure what they could do. They had been here a long time, a few hours, trying to explain this to them. She wished Terry were here to offer some extra help, although it wasn’t like she had much luck herself. The audience was totally convinced ChalkZone was real, and now, if they were allowed to go home with this knowledge, they might try to find a way inside the place. Just trying to get into ChalkZone was bad enough but..these people were taking it to a whole new level.

They clearly did not see zoners as people. They saw them just as chalk things, expendable and they were willing to kill them all without a second thought. This was one of the reasons why Rudy and Penny had kept ChalkZone a secret for so long. They knew that, if word got out, there would be people like this, willing to dismiss the sentience of the zoners in favor of their own paranoid beliefs. And she could see why.

Zoners weren’t flesh and blood, at least not in the sense one would be used to. They still had blood, organs, bones, all that, but it was all made out of chalk. The concept was confusing, and she could see how frightening it would be for someone, to meet a person who was made of chalk and yet still had anatomy much like they’d find in the real world. To anyone who didn’t understand ChalkZone would be so confused by these conflicting natures that they’d likely lash out at zoners, for fear of what they were.

That still, however, make it right what this audience wanted to do. The zoners had never done anything to them, and already they were passing judgment on them. What right did they have to say zoners had no rights? What made them so damn special that they got to decide what counted as a living, sentient person and what didn’t? Her stomach twisted in knots, anger seeping into it, as she thought about it.

But she couldn’t let herself get too angry. The audience was too hostile at this point. If she started to yell back at them, a fight could break out. She and the others had to stand their ground. They just had to keep trying to convince the audience ChalkZone wasn’t real. It would be easier doing that than it would be to try to convince them that the world was safe and to not spread word about it. She could already hear the cries of protest from the audinece if they had attempted something like that.

“Nothing is working...” Mrs. Tabootie said, her voice soft and laced with worry. She looked over at Mr. Tabootie. “They still want a way in.”

“I did have a plan of convincing them ChalkZone is too dangerous to explore, but...that would just make things worse.” Mr. Tabootie admitted, gritting his teeth in fear.

Mrs. Tabootie narrowed her eyes slightly. “Yeah, it would.” Her expression softened up. “We need another plan, but what...?”

“I...I don’t know...” Mr. Tabootie shrugged his shoulders. “I wish I could tell you, Millie, but I’m drawing a blank here. Our boy might have been able to think of something.

At this, Mrs. Tabootie shed a few tears. “I hope he’s okay.. that disease...”

“Now now, Millie. I’m sure he’ll be okay. He and his friends are resourceful. They’ll..figure something out with that disease. I’m sure of it.” Mr. Tabootie put a comforting arm around his wife. “You’ll see.”

“I do hope your right, Joe.” Mrs. Tabootie whispered softly.

Mrs. Sanchez looked at the two adults sympathetically. She recalled how Rudy contracted a terrible virus that was changing his insides to chalk. It was a horrific, bone-chilling situation and she had no idea how he was doing right now. He didn’t know if their children managed to find treatment for him, if he was still around... They just had no way of knowing right now. She felt concern for the boy. She hoped that Rudy was okay.

As worried as she was for him, her daughter, and Snap, there was nothing she could do about it right this second. Right now, she had to focus on convincing the audience ChalkZone wasn’t real. She and the others could not leave. Not yet. This was urgent. Their children could handle things in ChalkZone. The magic chalk gave them a fighting chance. But they had little control in the real world. She, as an adult, had a bit more power compared to them. She and the other adults had a better chance of stopping this than their children did. And she wasn’t about to let them down. The others weren’t about to give up either. There had to be a way to keep the audience from continuing to believe ChalkZone was real. But..how...?

“I wish I remembered my plan...” Reggie said. His voice was filled with regret. “I told Penny I would try to help...”

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault you forget.” Mrs. Sanchez said, smiling at the teenager. “At least you had some idea. I’m sure you’ll remember it, or come up with something better. And I’m sure Penny would be happy that you tried to help.”

Reggie nodded his head once. “Yeah, that’s true. Still, I can’t help but think I could have...done more. And now...” He looked over at the audience. He winced as he listened to them shouting, their cries filled with hostility. “...the one time I could have done more... I...”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it.” Mrs. Sanchez put a hand on his shoulder. “You did what you could and that’s what counts.”

“And you did help us get into the building. You took a pretty big risk.” Mr. Tabootie pointed out. “That had to be worth something, right?”

Reggie smiled a little at this. “Yeah, I suppose so...” He flinched as the audience gave a few louder shouts. He looked warily over at them. “But...what are we going to do about them? They’re...really determined... And nothing we tried so far will convince them otherwise.”

Mrs. Sanchez looked back at the audience, watching them for a few moments. She bit her lip, a concerned expression washing over her. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie looked at each other nervously. They all knew Reggie was right. They were aware about how their previous attempts to convince the audience didn’t work. They kept on trying, and so far, nothing worked. The sight of ChalkZone was so spectacular to the audience, they simply refused to believe otherwise. The audience was more determined than they initially thought they would be, and that was going to prove to be a problem.

As much as she did not want to quit, as much as she wanted to keep trying, she still had to admit that she was completely lost here. The audience was growing impatient. She could tell they wanted to leave. They had done their best to keep them here and so far no one had left. But how long would that last? Sooner or later, some of them would start to leave, and they’d take home with them the knowledge of ChalkZone. She...they...couldn’t allow that.

She didn’t want to let down her daughter. She knew Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie didn’t want to let their son down. Reggie didn’t want to let any of them down. None of them wanted to let down the trio, or ChalkZone. Even Reggie was quite determined, despite not knowing about ChalkZone for as long as they did. There had to be something they could do. But, as they continued to listen to the rants and shouts of these people, the more hopeless their situation seemed to get.

“Let us in! Let us in! Let us in!” The crowd chanted, shoving their fists into the air. All eyes were locked on them, their intensity making the group shudder. “Let us in! We want in!”

In a weak attempt to calm them, Mrs. Sanchez said, “We cannot allow you to enter a world that does not exist! We understand why you would think it does. The effects were pretty realistic. But I guarantee you, it does not exist!”

“Y-Yeah..” Reggie chimed in. Mrs. Sanchez glanced down at the boy, noting how nervous and unsure he seemed. But he was still trying and she was happy for that. “You’re just being delusional! How can you believe in something that can’t possibly exist? Footage can be faked, you know!”

“...you know, he does have a point.” One of the women said in the audience. “What if we are taking this a little too far?”

A man nodded his head. “We could be getting worked up over nothing.”

There were a few murmurs in the audience, many agreeing with this sentiment. Mrs. Sanchez and the others smiled at this. It seemed like they were finally starting to get through to them. Now if they could just keep this up, maybe they could convince them all that ChalkZone wasn’t real and they would stop trying to gain access to it.

But soon it became apparent that their words weren’t enough yet. It was soon revealed that not everyone in the audience was convinced, and they made themselves known quite vocally.

“Oh come on! Don’t try to pull that crap on us!” A dark-haired woman called out, pointing an accusing finger at the group. “You’re just trying to lead us astray! But we’re not stupid!”

“Yeah!” A man cried. “You might be able to convince some of the weaker-minded folks here. But you can’t fool us all! We know for a fact this chalk world exists, and we will not rest until we get access into it!”

“We know that you four of a soft spot for those..chalk creatures. We know you are in cahoots with them! You’re all a bunch of traitors, and you must be stopped!” A blonde man shouted, who was a few seats behind the other man. “Those chalk things must be destroyed! And you must be stopped!”

“No we are not traitors!” Mrs. Tabootie cried, looking around at the audience in desperation. “We’re just trying to...”

“Traitors! Traitors! Traitors!” The audience began to chant. Unlike before, there was more venom and menace in this chant. They sounded angrier, more hostile. Their eyes glowed with hate and they looked like they wanted to tear them apart.”

“N-No! You don’t understand!” Mr. Tabootie cried, his eyes wide in horror.

“Please, you have to listen to us!” Mrs. Sanchez cried in horror. She waved her hands out in front of her in desperation. “Let us explain! We...”

“Arrest the traitors! Throw them in jail and throw away the key!”

“They are trying to protect those...those worthless things! We must stop them!”

“They need to be stopped!”

“We cannot allow them to spread their poison!”

“Only after they are taken care of can we with those monsters!”

Reggie said in a shaky voice, “P-Please...you have to understand... Listen to yourselves! Listen to what you’re saying! You’re labeling us traitors, but we haven’t don anything to deserve that! Wh-Why can’t you see that?”

One of the men in the audience shot a fist in the air. “Stop trying to cover for those chalk creatures, boy! If you want to be of help, tell us how to get in so we can take care of this unprecidented threat!”

“Yeah! I bet it was one of these chalk things that killed those people a few years ago!” A woman cried. “That Terry Bouffant woman must have been covering for them!”

Another woman stood up. “I will not allow another chalk creature to do the same! We must stop them! You are either with us or against us, and it seems you are against us!”

“You are all traitors!” A man next to her cried.

Mrs. Sanchez felt cold ice run through her veins at the mention of the killing a couple years ago. She glanced nervous looks with the others in the group. Reggie was not as familiar, seeing as he didn’t really watch the news that much. But the other two adults knew full well what that woman was talking about. How could they ever forget something like that?

Two years ago, there had been a small killing spree in Plainsville. Someone had slaughtered about five innocent people, of varying ages, including Mrs. Sanchez’s ex-husband and Penny’s father. Rudy and Penny themselves had been captured by the culprit, whom they found out was an evil zoner named Bardot. That vicious little creature had no remorse for what he did and had tortured all of his victims, with Rudy and Penny being the only ones who survived the incident.

It terrified her that someone in the audience, without proof, made the connection. She was right of course. It was a zoner who did it, and she could see, partially, why she’d come up with that conclusion. The bodies seemed to have vanished into thin air. No evidence was left behind except for blood. It was like they disappeared from reality, and in a sense, they had. They were talking to an alternate dimension were they were all put through horrific pain, killed, and then eaten by Bardot.

It was a horrifying realization for them all, to know that the audience was now onto the realization that a zoner had been the one behind those crimes. And they were pinning Terry as a traitor as well, thinking she was working with the killer and covering p his tracks. If they became completely convinced that a zoner was responsible for those deaths...how were they going to react to the other zoners? It was already clear these people had a low opinion of zoners. They could see the anger blazing in their eyes. They wanted to control the zoners, to kill them, whatever else came to mind.

And they were so willing to claim anyone being friendly with zoners to be a traitor. They saw her, Reggie, and Rudy’s parents as the enemy. They were accusing them of working with the zoners do something horrible. Terry was lumped in with them as well. She had a feeling that Rudy and Penny would be subject to the same treatment as well. Perhaps even worse if the audience finds out just how long those two knew about ChalkZone and kept it a secret...

Suddenly, there was a burst of static, feedback from a mic. A loud, muffled tapping sound. The audience became quiet, as did Mrs. Sanchez and the others. They turned their heads around, as if to locate the source of the sound. It was all around them, coming from the multiple speakers hooked up. They heard the sound of someone clearing their voice, and, moments, later, someone began to speak.

To the group’s horror, it was Mr. Pierce.

“Attention everyone in the audience! As you can well understand, we are having some..difficulties. I do apologize about that. At this moment, I cannot in good conscience continue to speak on the subject manner of the chalk world. However, do not fret. I will have another meeting tomorrow and you are all welcome to come, free of charge! I just need to take care of some...problems first. You may go home and rest now. Oh and do not spread word of this world of chalk yet. We have much to discuss about it first. You are dismissed!”

At this, the audience sat there in silence for a few moments. They looked at each other with confused expressions. But they soon looked pretty satisfied with what Mr. Pierce had said. They shrugged their shoulders and talked amongst each other about what they were going to talk about tomorrow, what their plans for the chalk world was, and all that. They got up from their seats and began to leave. Though Mrs. Sanchez and the others wanted to stop them, they couldn’t think of what to say to convince them.

Slowly, the audience began to disperse. They moved out of their seats and down the rows of seats. They headed into the walkways between the sections of seats and began to head out. A few of them shot a cold glare at the group, giving them a hidden promise of wanting to make them pay for keeping ChalkZone a secret from them. The group flinched at this, dread washing through them as the audience, with the knowledge of ChalkZone, disappeared out of the news room and out the large exit double doors.

Mrs. Sanchez couldn’t believe their unfortunate luck. All those people, all those couple hundred people, know about ChalkZone now. While it was possible for some of them to have been convinced it wasn’t real, most of them clearly believed in its existence. And now they were walking away with that knowledge. The thought chilled her blood. Just what was she going to tell her daughter the next time she saw her? How was she and her friend going to react knowing that so many strangers now had knowledge of ChalkZone? Even if they didn’t know how to get into it, it was still going to be a problem. They would try to get in.

The only good news was that Mr. Pierce did say to not spread the word. He must want to be able to provide undeniable proof before he had them spreading the news around. Perhaps he was worried about being called a liar and having his reputation ruined. That made sense. If she ran a news station and she had heard this bizarre story of a chalk world, she would want to be able to provide evidence. Something that no one could possibly deny. That did give them a bit of a chance of convincing the audience they were wrong, that Mr. Pierce had, somehow, lied to them.

“Come on.” Mr. Tabootie spoke up. “Let’s get out of here and find Terry. I’m sure she could use our help.”

“Agreed. I hope she’s okay.” Mrs. Tabootie said. “If Mr. Pierce got to a mic, then he must have done something to her...”

Reggie raised a finger up. “Or she could have gotten away and he got tired of chasing her.”

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. “That could very well be it. Terry might be okay.” She looked over at the doors. “But we might not be if we stay here or too long. Come on. Let’s get going.”

The group headed over to the door. By this point, they were the only people left in the room; all of the audience had disappeared. Mrs. Sanchez knew that they had to get going before they would be trapped in here. They needed to get out of this room and try to find Mr. Pierce. There was a chance that Terry was in danger, and they needed to stop Mr. Pierce. He was the number one enemy at the moment. They had to find a way to stop him.

Soon they reached the doors. Mr. Tabootie walked out in front of them. He reached out towards the door and grabbed the handle. He turned it and began to pull it open. As he did so, they realized, too late, that someone had been waiting for them on the other end...

A long muzzled gun greeted them, held by one of the large male employees of this place. He cocked the gun and aimed it at them threateningly. He took a few steps into the room, causing the group to back away slowly. Following close behind them were a few other employees, some men, some women, all of them holding a weapon and aiming it right at them. The group looked all around them, realizing, to their horror, they were completely surrounded already.

Mrs. Sanchez looked left and right, trying to find a way out. She couldn’t see any. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie held onto each other, fear clearly shining in their eyes. Reggie tried to look brave, glaring at the gun wielders, his back hunched in preparation for a fight. But Mrs. Sanchez could tell, behind that glare, he was just as scared as they were.

Among the staff members surrounding them, she could recognize the two guards they ran into before. They looked a little more insane here, their pupils dilated and nasty grins on their faces. Their guns, though small, were just as deadly as the larger guns, and the guards pointed it at them, ready to kill. Mrs. Sanchez couldn’t believe that this man got these people somehow involved with using murder as a means of getting what they wanted. Just..how had he convinced them to do this? He must have made a very big promise for them to act this way...

“You four aren’t going anywhere..” One of the staff members said. He chuckled as he leveled his gun with Mrs. Tabootie’s head. “Don’t make a sudden movement... Wouldn’t want to hurt your pretty little face...”

“You leave her alone..” Mr. Tabootie said, putting his arm in front of his wife. “Or I’ll...”

Another man pressed his gun against the side of his face, making him freeze. “Oh I wouldn’t try anything if I were you... Unless you want to lose your head...”

The group remained silent at this. They froze where they stood, fear dominating their minds. What were they going to do now? They were surrounded by these lunatics. They had no place to go, nowhere to run. All guns aimed at them.. Even if there was a chance that they were not loaded, could they really take that chance? No, it was too risky. All they could do was stand there and hope that they either find another way out or Mr. Pierce decides not to have them killed.

One of the woman, the largest on in the group, narrowed her eyes at them. She gestured with her gun towards the door, giving them a look that says ‘follow us or we will shoot you’. As she did this, the staff members behind the group moved up uncomfortably closer. They looked at them in fear, staring at their guns as their fingers rested on the triggers, showing they weren’t afraid to pull them if it came down to it. The adults and teen looked at each other, fear gripping them, making their hearts race. Seeing no choice, they began to relucantly follow the group down the hallway.

Slowly, the gun wielders, keeping them trapped within their circle of guns and threats, led them down the hallway. They moved towards a flight of stairs and headed up that way before moving down a couple of hallways, making only two turns during the whole thing. They then soon came across a hallway that looked like a medical place. They were ushered into the first door. The staff people weren’t exactly gentle with them either. They practically shoved them in there. A couple of them came in with them, keeping their guns pointed at them. The others stayed outside, guarding the door as if they were afraid someone else might try to stop them.

Mrs. Sanchez looked around the room. It looked more or less like a waiting room of some kind, although it didn’t have as many seats. Other than the few rows of chairs and the receptionist window, which was closed, there wasn’t really much here. A table and a picture or two, but that was about it. There was another door on the other side of the room, but none of them dared to approach it, knowing that it likely did not lead anywhere and would just result in them getting trapped. They were also aware that someone was likely waiting for them on the other end if they did dare try to approach.

And they turned out to be right, for seconds after looking at the door, Mrs. Sanchez noticed the door knob was turning. Moments later, it was swung open. Out of the darkness of the hallway revealed behind it, they could see some figures coming out. As soon as they stepped into the light, the group gasped in horror at what they saw.

It was Terry...

She was behind held by a man and a woman. Their hands encircled her arms so tightly it looked as though they were affecting the blood flow. Terry looked beat up, a few bruises on her body and her clothes a little torn. She had a bit of a bloody nose and her face was contorted in pain. When she opened up her eyes and looked at them, they could tell just how broken she was. Her eyes were glassy almost, and her cheeks stained with tears. She looked like her spirit had been completely shattered. She no longer looked like the strong-willed, confident reporter they had come to know.

The another figure approached not long after. Mrs. Sanchez recognized it as Mr. Pierce. She growled and tensed up, but did not make a move. She and the others watched as he stood not far from Terry. She noticed how terrified Terry looked of him now. Just what had this bastard done to her? She wanted to rush over and get Terry away from him, but she and the others were stopped by these blasted guns...

Mr. Pierce sneered down at Terry, seeming to enjoy her fearful reaction. He looked back at the group and folded his arms tightly against his chest. He looked so confident, like he truly believed he was going to win. There was no indication of hesitation or fear. Just solid confidence.

“Welcome... I’m so glad you could make it.” Mr. Pierce said. “Please, try to feel welcome. You are my..guests at the moment.”

“What have you done to Terry?!” Mrs. Tabootie spoke up, forming a fist with her hand.

“Oh her?” Mr. Pierce gave a sideways glance to the red-haired woman. “Nothing much. Just taught her a little lesson about..defiance.” He raised his hand up in gesture. It was then that the group noticed he was wearing plastic gloves, almost as if he planned on doing horrific torture surgery on Terry. “I needed to make sure she was...cooperative. You see, I want to have a little fun with her...”

“She’s not a toy! Let her go!” Mr. Tabootie took a step forward, only freezing when a gun was aimed at him.

“Yeah! What did she do to deserve this?!” Reggie cried in disbelief.

Mr. Pierce chuckled at this. “Well it wouldn’t have happened if she did not cross me... But oh well. Too late for that, right?” His smile became more twisted after a few seconds passed. “Well let’s not waste time... I do want to get started. This is going to be a lot of fun...”

Mrs. Sanchez glared hatefully at the man. How dare he toy with another person like this.. She watched Terry sympathetically as the woman shivered in fright and turned her head away, teeth clenched and eyes closed. Just what did Mr. Pierce plan on doing with her? What kind of twisted ‘fun’ was he talking about?

Mr. Pierce continued, “You see, I know something about this woman that you don’t. A...dirt little secret she hid even from you. I am certain she never told you, and why would she? What she did was...not exactly pleasant.” He chuckled at the group’s confused expressions. The evil grins from the employees permeated their soul, telling them silently they knew what this secret was. “Just so you know, I gave her an experimental drug that will prevent her from lying...and I had her beaten up a little as a warning to what will happen to her if she dare try to remain silent.”

“If you know this secret, why don’t you tell us?” Mrs. Sanchez asked, narrowing her eyes. “Why force Terry to do it?”

“Because it’ll be a lot more fun to toy with her and make her be the one do it...” Mr. Pierce sneered at her. He tapped his fingers together in a menacing manner. “Oh yes.. I can’t wait to see the look in her eyes, that crushed spirit, as she is forced to tell you the truth about something she did years ago. It is something she managed to lock up in her past, but she did not do a good job about keeping it a secret. Now I know and I intend on forcing her to tell you. And I will love every second of it.”

“You monster...” Mrs. Sanchez snarled, not believing how cruel this man was being. “What gives you the right?!”

Mr. Pierce held his hand up, palm upwards, and said, “I give myself the right. I am not going to allow this chance of fame be ruined... This news station needed a boost like this and I will not waste it! Terry Bouffant here did have a chance...she could have rejoined me, but she did not. I knew she would not...she had been blinded. I had trusted her in the past, and I am disappointed she will not see reason. So...I have every right to play with her...and make her regret ever crossing me...”

At this, the group felt a burning sensation in the pit of their stomachs. Anger towards the way Mr. Pierce was treating Terry, and fear for Terry’s safety. They didn’t know what Mr. Pierce planned on doing with Terry after he was done ‘playing’ with her. Was he going to beat her up again and leave her out in the street? Was he going to hold her hostage? Was he going to force them all to do his bidding? He might be able to blackmail them, depending on what information he may have on them. He was in charge of a newstation after all. Some of his employees might have gotten some interesting dirt on them...

Mr. Pierce chuckled as he walked around behind Terry and the two people holding her. He positioned himself directly behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, causing the woman to cringe and whimper in fear. He put his face next to hers, his cheek practically touching hers. He gave her an evil smile, satisfied with the way she was turning her head away. One fear-filled eye looked down at him as her teeth were clenched.

“Well now...let’s get started, Terry. Go on...” Mr. Pierce said, his eyes narrowing into slights. “Tell them... Tell them what you did years ago.”

Terry hesitated for a moment. “I...I...” She tried to speak, but she soon went silent.

Mr. Pierce narrowed his eyes and spoke in a threatening voice. “If you don’t tell them, I will break your arm, you bitch!”

Terry let out a fear-filled cry at this, her body shaking harder. She looked over at Mrs. Sanchez and the others, staring into their shock-filled eyes. She gave them a look that seemed to silently beg them to forgive her. She looked over at Mr. Pierce, letting out a soft whine when he narrowed his eyes hatefully at her. Her body giving a shudder, she shed a few tears as she hung her head in submission.

“I...I stalked Rudy and Penny for ChalkZone evidence...” Terry tearfully admitted.

A stunned silence fell upon the group. They looked at each other, then back at Terry. She had done what? She had never once mentioned this in the past. She never said she talked Rudy and Penny. Why..why would she keep this a secret from them? Why had she done something like that? She never once came across as someone who would go that far just to prove a point.

Mrs. Sanchez felt some anger inside of her. She couldn’t believe Terry did that. She did understand it was years ago, and Terry had clearly changed. What angered her and Rudy’s parents was the fact that she never told them. She had kept it hidden from them... Granted, she understood, in some way, why she hadn’t told them. The fear of their reaction would have been a deterrent. But keeping it a secret for so long was even worse. They had trusted her... And then this happened. What else had this woman done that they did not know about?

But then...had she really done this? She wasn’t sure if Terry really was given a drug or not. Maybe Mr. Pierce was lying to them, trying to turn them against her. He’d be hard pressed to do that, even if they believed she did stalk their kids. If this man thought that they would suddenly start hating her, he was wrong. Terry had done enough to earn their trust. However, she won’t lie; she was upset with Terry for not telling them. But again...was she forced into reciting a lie and Mr. Pierce just playing them for suckers?

It seemed the other adults were thinking the same thing.

“Do you expect us to believe that?” Mr. Tabootie asked, glaring at Mr. Pierce. “She wouldn’t do something like that! You’re just lying to mess with us!”

“Let her go!” Mrs. Tabootie demanded.

Reggie took a defensive stance. “I know I used to be a bully...and did some pretty bad things..but I would never have gone as far as you, asshole!”

Mr. Pierce stared at the group, his eyes widened slightly, as though surprised. Terry had a softer expression, looking as though she was relieved that they didn’t react the way Mr. Pierce had wanted them to. But that expression changed to worry as Mr. Pierce walked away from her. He headed towards the door that he had come out of before.

“I see you need some...convincing...” Mr. Pierce said. He stopped for a moment, then gave them a sidways glance. “I had a feeling it might come down to this, so I was prepared.”

Mr. Tabootie cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Mr. Pierce sneered at him, giving him an evil smile. “You see..I took the liberty of getting copies of Ms. Bouffant’s evidence. I have it all back here in a box... I will bring it right out to you.” He paused for a moment and said, “And you will see that much of it is signed by her... If you aren’t convinced after this that she did stalk your children...I will be..surprised.”

With that, Mr. Pierce disappeared down the hallway. The group looked at each other, unsure of what to think of this. Was this man lying, or did Terry really stalk their kids? Or was she being forced into doing this? They didn’t have long to consider the possibilities when Mr. Pierce returned a short time later. The group took a step forward as the man came back in, but the staff members kept them from going too far. The adults and teen froze at the sight of the guns.

Mr. Pierce carried a relatively large box with him. The top was taped shut and it looked relatively heavy, but not too much so. He carried it over and set it between Terry and the other adults. Immediately, Mrs. Sanchez could see Terry shaking in dread, her eyes locked onto the box. Then, slowly, she looked up. Her eyes were shining with a silent plea. Something that looked close to ‘please forgive me’. Mrs. Sanchez’s heart tightened at that.

Mr. Pierce took out a knife and plunged it into the box. He swiftly cut down along the top, and in seconds, the box was open. Mr. Pierce grinned evilly at its contents. He looked over at the group. He made a swift gesture, causing a couple of the gun wielders to step aside and ushering the adults to come forward. Reggie was held back, his arm gripped by one of the male employees. Mr. Tabootie, Mrs. Tabootie, and Mrs. Sanchez, on the other hand, were ushered forward towards the open box.

“Go on..take a look inside...” Mr. Pierce sneered at them. “And then try to tell me that I’m lying.”

Cautiously, the adults approached the open box. They looked at it intently, wondering just what they were going to find inside. They paused, looking at each other for a moment. They were all scared on some level. They weren’t sure they were going to like what they find. But, with the guns pointed at them, they knew they had no choice but to look. They gave each other a nod, confirming to one another that they were in this together. They looked back at the box and peered in side. They gasped at what they saw.

They were photocopies of pictures...lots of pictures. Old ones at that, considering how young Rudy and Penny were in them. But there were a lot in here. So much, and they weren’t multiple copies either; every single picture was different in some way. Most of them did have Terry’s signature on them, as if she wanted to make sure everyone knew she is the one who gathered the evidence. The sight of all these pictures of their kids, some clearly snuck in, others, their children showing anger or distress at being followed, was horrifying. They...they never knew anything about this. They don’t recall their kids ever saying anything about this.

To their shock, it wasn’t just photographs that Terry had gathered of their kids. She had also gotten copies of newspaper articles involving Rudy and Penny. Mrs. Sanchez immediately recognized the one about Penny’s speech back when she was ten years old. There were others of her as well, along with a couple regarding Rudy. Keeping newspaper around and keeping some articles didn’t seem out of the ordinary to the adults. What horrified them was the fact that all of them related to their kids in some way, even if they were just mentioned.

They also found several torn pieces of notebook paper in the box. When the adults checked them, they were horrified to find that they contained personal information of their children, including what school they went to, their address, their walking routes, the places they hung out at... The sight of this information made their blood run cold. They also found short memos that Terry wrote about trying to uncover ChalkZone. She hadn’t exactly spoke about their children favorably. It wasn’t anything like that Mr. Cosmo had said, but it was still unsettling. They stared at Terry with wide eyes. How could she have done this? Why didn’t she tell them?

It wasn’t just Rudy and Penny she had stalked to. Snap was another common person she had pursued, though not to the same degree as Rudy and Penny, given that he was in ChalkZone most of the time. There was some information gathered on a scientist, the same one that took Rudy years ago when they thought he discovered perpetual motion or something like that. Mr. Wilter and some of Vinnie were also available, but all of them were to a much lesser extent, maybe a handful of pictures and such. About ninety percent of this box was devoted to Rudy, Penny, and Snap.

The parents stared at Terry, unable to not feel somewhat hurt by all of this. Terry closed her eyes and looked away in shame. That look could not have been faked so easily. It confirmed what they had been trying to deny. Terry really did do all of this, and never once said anything. She had gathered mountains of evidence involving their children, and at one time, didn’t have the best of intentions. She hadn’t even liked their children, notable by the way she referred to them as ‘pests who were getting in her way’. They wished Terry had something earlier. They wished that she had told them about this years ago, when they called for her help. It would have went so much better, but the fact that she waited so long...

“I-I don’t believe it...” Mrs. Sanchez said, breaking the silence.

Mr. Tabootie stared at Terry, his mouth partially open in shock. “We..we trusted you..”

“Why did you do this...?” Mrs. Tabootie asked, biting her lip. “Why...?”

Terry’s eyes widened slightly as guilt overwhelmed her. She gritted her teeth and turned her head to the side. Mr. Pierce put his face close to hers, making her give a weak cry of fear. He slung his arm around her stomach and ran his fingers through her hair playfully.

“Yes..why don’t you tell them, dear Bouffant?” Mr. Pierce said. He moved his hand from her hair onto her cheek. “Tell them why you did it.” They’re waiting.”

Terry hesitated. She stared at Mr. Pierce in fear. She looked back at the adults. She winced as she saw them look at her in...not anger, but disappointment and hurt and disbelief. She averted her gaze, keeping her focus towards the ground. “I..I wanted to prove ChalkZone was real... I tried at first to get Rudy and Penny to cooperate...but when they didn’t I...started to stalk them in hopes of finding more information about this chalk world I was certain existed.” She closed her eyes, letting a few tears fall. “I even went as far as kidnap Snap...”

The adults gasped in horror at this.

“You did what?!” Mr. Tabootie cried, his hands flexing in response to the shock. “How could you do that?”

“I...” Terry started to say. But it was clear she couldn’t finish and she fell silent.

The adults looked at each other worriedly at this. Terry had kidnapped Snap just to prove a point... And from the sound of it, she might have done the same with their children. How far had she been willing to go? They knew she wasn’t like that now, but it still scared them how...twisted she had been years ago. Just how close had she come to deciding to kidnap their children?

“I can’t believe you did this.” Mrs. Tabootie said. There was a tinge of anger in her voice. “We have known you for a few years, and you...kept something like this from us... Why didn’t you admit this to us? Why didn’t you confess? Lying about it, hiding it..that only makes things worse.”

Terry took in a few shaky breaths. It looked as though she was about to cry. “I-I wanted to tell you..! I wanted to confess everything! But I...I was too scared... I thought you would have hated me... I thought you...” Her voice trailed off. She started to cry, shedding tears of regret. “I’m sorry...I’m so sorry... I regret it all... I feel bad about what I did. I-I’m so very sorry for it all...”

Mr. Tabootie stared at her for a few seconds. Then his eyes narrowed and he said, “You should have told us before, Terry...”

Terry’s eyes widened at this, clenching her teeth. There was a cold chuckle next to her and she turned to see Mr. Pierce standing behind her still. He released his grip on her, but he was still uncomfortably close. He began to play with her hair, that sinister smile spread across his face.

“You see, Terry? Lies can be a dangerous weapon. They can backfire and hurt more so than any truth can. And you’re learning that the hard way.” Mr. Pierce taunted her. “They hate you now... You have broken their trust because you were too afraid and selfish to tell them the truth. You thought you were doing everyone a favor by keeping it a secret. Well now, Bouffant...look at where it’s gotten you.”

Terry stared at the adults. Mrs. Sanchez and Rudy’s parents wanted to speak to her. They wanted to say something, but words escaped them. Terry cried a little harder, more tears moving down her face. Mrs. Sanchez wanted to say something to cheer her up. She wanted to let Terry know that she and the other adults didn’t hate her. They were willing to forgive her. She had done so much for them before. She helped save their children, and she saved Snap’s life. She wanted to tell Terry they still saw her as an ally.

But they never got the chance to.

“And since they hate you now and no longer have a use for you...maybe I will relieve them of the burden.” Mr. Pierce said harshly into Terry’s ear. The woman shivered in fright and looked up at him pleadingly. This made his grin broaden. “And of course, on the off chance that they are willing to..forgive you...I don’t want you to have the luxury of hearing it. You don’t deserve it.”

Mr. Pierce suddenly covered Terry’s mouth with his hand. Terry let out a few muffled cries, her struggling increasing. The two people holding her tightened their grip, keeping her from escaping. There was a sickening slice sound, indicating that Mr. Pierce had plunged something sharp into Terry. A knife..

Mrs. Sanchez and the others, including Reggie, let out a cry of horror as they saw blood pooling from Terry’s neck. The knife had been pushed into the back of her skull. Terry’s eyes flew open, pain etched deeply into them. They called out her name, begging for Mr. Longhorn to stop. They tried to rush forward, but the staff people kept them from approaching. Mr. Pierce smiled evilly at them as he kept the knife in the base of Terry’s head, where it connected with her neck. Terry’s body was convulsing in pain, loud whimpers rattling through her body.

Mr. Pierce whispered into her ear, “Shh shh shh..it’s okay... It will be all right. You’ll be okay. Just relax.” He began to twist the knife, causing Terry to scream into his hand. “It will all be over soon. The pain will go away soon and you won’t feel a thing.”

Terry continued to whimper loudly, showing clear signs of distress. The sight of this horrified Mrs. Sanchez and the others. Then, slowly, Terry’s body started to relax. Her pained expression changed to that of someone who was merely tired. Her body soon became limp and she let out a weak, shuddering sight as her eyes closed. Her head lopped forward, her mouth hanging open. Mr. Pierce pulled the knife out of her neck and sneered at Terry’s unmoving form.

“Goodbye, Ms. Bouffant.” Mr. Pierce said. “You are dismissed.”

With that, the two people holding her threw Terry into the ground. Her body hit like a rag doll, and soon just laid there, unmoving. Mrs. Sanchez and Rudy’s parents rushed to her side. Mrs. Sanchez reached down with two shaky fingers. She pressed them against Terry’s neck. To her horror, there was no pulse. She felt a lump in her throat as she stiffled a small cry. She looked over at the other adults and shook her head. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie gave her a horrified expression before hugging each other, looking at Terry with a disbelieving look. Mrs. Sanchez looked over at Reggie, and she could see him shaking in shock at what happened, looking just as horrified as them.

Mrs. Sanchez glared hatefully at Mr. Pierce. One by one, the others joined her. How..how could he do this? He had taken the life of another in cold blood. To pour salt in the wound, he had killed Terry before they had a chance to explain to her that they don’t hate her. She died probably thinking they would never forgive her. Mr. Pierce deliberately sent her to her grave with the belief that they hated her... He..he was a disgusting, vile man... A complete monster. They would make sure he would get what was coming to him. He was not going to get away with this.

“You..you monster...!” Mrs. Tabootie shouted. If it weren’t for the staff members, Mrs. Sanchez knew the large woman would be barreling towards the evil man. “How could you...how fucking could you do this?!”

“Quite easily. The woman was a nuisance to me...so I got rid of her.” Mr. Pierce said, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. He laughed at the looks he was getting. “Oh don’t be like that! I did her a favor! Now she can be with her dear old brother... Vinnie isn’t alone anymore.”

Reggie growled at this. “You will pay for this...”

“That’ll be the day.” Mr. Pierce chortled. His eyes twinkled. “Oh...and before I forget...” He lifted up his gloved hand and, without warning, flung it forward. “Catch!”

Something sailed through the air, heading in their direction. Reacting fast, Mr. Tabootie reached up and grabbed onto the object. They all realized immediately it was the knife used to kill Terry. Her blood was still caked onto the blade. They stared at the knife in shock, their hearts clenching as they saw just how much blood there was. The knife had been pushed in so deep. They looked down at Terry’s lifeless form, a few tears forming in their eyes. Just how much pain had she been in while she died?

“Now you will get blamed for her death.” Mr. Pierce sneered, staring at Mr. Tabootie. “And the rest of you, his accomplices...”

Horror struck through the group. They stared, wide-eyed, at Mr. Pierce.

“N-No...I...” Mr. Tabootie started to say, looking at the knife in his hand, then back at Mr. Pierce. “You’re wrong...”

“Ah, but I do not have my fingerprints on that knife. I never touched it until today. And even then, I wore gloves.” Mr. Pierce taunted, raising his hands and showing off the gloves he was wearing. “You, on the other hand... Yes, your fingerprints are all over it. When the police arrive, and they gather evidence, it will point to you.” Mr. Pierce said, his dark smile becoming twisted. “You get to go to jail in my place..”

The adults and Reggie looked at Mr. Pierce in horror. Their hearts froze, dread overcoming their minds. They looked at each other worriedly. Mr. Tabootie’s body shook in fear as he stared at the knife he now held. Mr. Pierce was framing him for Terry’s death, and at the moment, none of them could think of how to get out of this one.

Mr. Pierce laughed victoriously, crossing his arms across his chest and jeering at them with a satisfied expression. “I win.”


	106. A Twinkle In His Eye

Reggie let out a grunt of pain as he was tossed into the room with the adults. His body hit the ground painfully and he rubbed his head. He glared in the direction that he had been forced in from. Standing there were two male employees. Both of them had blank expressions, save for a little eye narrow. They stood there for a second before taking a step back and letting Mr. Pierce walk in front of them.

The man sneered down at the group, his hands folded behind his back. His smug, satisfactory look made Reggie feel somewhat nausaeous. He wanted to punch this guy in the face and wipe that grin off. He couldn’t do that, however. Not in here, and not while those large guards were there. He could make things worse for himself and the adults and, given what’s happened, that was the last thing they really needed.

“I will let you four rest in here. Wouldn’t want you getting lost in this building while the police come, right?” Mr. Pierce chuckled darkly. “Plus, this way, there’s less work involved for the police. I’ll have you all, including the murderer...” His eyes fixated on Mr. Tabootie for a second. “..all nice and wrapped up for them.”

“You monster! You won’t get away with this!” Mrs. Tabootie shouted, forming a fist with her hand.

Mr. Tabootie, though looking shaken, spoke up next. “We’ll find a way to prove that you were the one who murdered Terry Bouffant! I don’t know how...but we’ll do it!” He pointed a finger at the man. “You won’t be able to escape prison for long!”

Mr. Pierce folded his arms and laughed coldly. “Oh you really think so? Okay then, enlighten me...” He held out his hand in gesture. “How are you going to prove your innocence...if the murder weapon has Terry’s blood and your fingerprints? What more could the police need to convict you?” He turned his head to the side, looking at Mr. Tabootie with one evil eye, grinning.

Mr. Tabootie’s expression softened up to worry. His face paled slightly. Mrs. Tabootie looked at him sympathetically. “I...I... I don’t know, like I said. B-But we’ll find a way...!”

“There’s always a way to prove someone’s innocence...” Mrs. Sanchez said, her eyes narrowed at the evil man. “...and someone’s guilt...”

“Oh that will be the day...” Mr. Pierce rolled his eyes. “Face it you three.” He pointed at them. “You have nothing on me. No shred of evidence to prove I killed Terry. I will lead her body where it lays now, bring in the police, and they will test the evidence and they will know that you...” Mr. Pierce looked at Mr. Tabootie again. He grinned broadly and chuckled as the man looked at him in fear. “...are the killer. And all of you, his accomplices. I get off scott free...while you all go in my place.” He pressed his hand against his chest. “Seems like a...sweet ride don’t you think?”

“Fuck you...” Mrs. Sanchez said bitterly.

Mr. Pierce turned to her. “Be angry all you want you. But you know the truth.” He leaned forward slightly. His eyes bored through their souls. “You cannot prove anything...”

The group glared at him. Reggie felt a burning sensation in his stomach. He wanted to do something, anything, but he refrained from doing so. He didn’t have a plan. He couldn’t rush into this blindly. Mr. Pierce had them boxed into a corner, so to speak, and they had nowhere to go. As angry as he was, as much as he wanted to get at Mr. Pierce, he knew he was better off just not doing anything. Nothing he or the others would say would get through to this guy. How could they reason with a murderer?

Mr. Pierce was right. They did not have any proof their innocence or his guilt. They didn’t have a way to show the police that they had been framed. Mr. Pierce had been quite careful and planned things out well in advance. He had carefully orchestrated this so he would come out on top. It was going to be hard...no, nearly impossible, to prove this man’s involvement. With what he had done, how were they going to prove that Mr. Tabootie was innocent? How would they show that he had not killed Terry?

Like Mr. Pierce said, the evidence pointed to him. Only this fingerprints were on that knife. Pierce had been wearing gloves the whole time, only handled the knife with gloves to avoid getting his fingerprints on the knife. He had taken the knife from Mr. Tabootie, still wearing the gloves, and placed it in a plastic bag labeled as ‘evidence’. He closed it up and held it out to them and taunted them about how the police were going to be convinced afer seeing this. With Mr. Tabootie’s fingerprints and Terry’s blood caked on the blade of the knife, Reggie knew it would be a given that the police would convict Mr. Tabootie of the crime.

“I am going to go make that phone call now. The police will be here shortly.” Pierce grinned at them. “If I were you...I’d just make things easier on myself and surrender. Not a good idea to fight back with a bunch of policemen on your tail.” The man chuckled darkly, sneering in satisfaction at the group. They looked at him with an expression of hatred and horror mixed in. “I really looked forward when you are arrested...I get to watch, knowing that I am free to do what I want...and you cannot do a damn thing to stop me...”

“Someone will defend us!” Mrs. Sanchez said.

“There will be people who are not so easily fooled!” Mr. Tabootie said with determination. “You’ll see! Someone will make the judge and the court see reason! Someone, if not us, will find a way to prove that I am innocent!”

Mr. Pierce tilted his head to the side. “With your fingerprints on the knife, I’d love to see how you could prove your innocense.”

Reggie growled at this, but said nothing. He couldn’t really think of anything he could say to this madman. He was truly insane, and it was not possible to reason with people like that. He wanted to do something to wipe that grin off his face, but what could he do? What could any of them do to get out of this predicament? At the moment, nothing came to mind. They were trapped, boxed into a corner with only one way out: jail.

They could do what they can to plead for Mr. Tabootie’s innocense. They could say whatever they could to go what he’d not the kind of man to take a life. But would the court believe it? And the evidence did still point to him. Finger prints on the murder weapon, being in the same place at the same time, even motivation...

That had been part of the reason Mr. Pierce showed them the evidence. Mr. Pierce wanted to get them upset with Terry so that he could use that as motivation for why Mr. Tabootie would kill Terry. He really had thought of everything, which means it would be harder to unravel this and find a loophole. He knew there had to be something... There was always a way to prove someone’s innocence. He just had to figure out where to look.

He just might be able to figure something out. He needed time, but he could think of something. His years as a bully would come in handy here. He had always been good about figuring out how did what. Okay it wasn’t full proof, but still, the experience he had keeping the kids in line, exposing lies when they were told to him, it may come in handy here. He wasn’t always so stupid. He might not get the best grades, but he still had some intelligence and understanding, which made him clever sometimes. And this one such situation where that hidden cleverness would come in handy.

“Once the police come, I will make sure all of you get arrested. You will be detained somewhere for a few days while the trial is being set up.” Pierce sneered at them. “I will see to it that you are all taken. After all...I cannot allow any of you free. I will not tolerate interference with my plan.” The man looked at his hand and flexed his fingers. “Terry Bouffant and Vinnie Raton learned that the hard way. Now they are both pushing up daisies...”

Mrs. Sanchez took a step forward. “You murdered them, you twisted little...!” She stopped when the two people who threw them in pointed guns at her. Her eyes widened and she gulped, taking a step back slowly.

Mrs. Tabootie shouted, “You killed them all just to fuel your twisted, greedy desires! They did nothing to deserve what you gave them! Yes, Vinnie tortured Terry but at least he apologized for it. And Terry may have stalked our children, but she apologized for doing it. The fact that they both recognized what they did was wrong and said they were sorry makes them both bigger people than you!”

Mr. Tabootie nodded in agreement, standing close to his wife. “You might have us locked up for now. You might have the upperhand at this moment. But I’ll tell you this: it is not going to last!”

Mr. Pierce just smiled at the adults. He did not react to anything they said. A clear sign that he thought he was winning. He took a single step forward, putting himself part way into the small room. “I know it might not last...” The group’s angry expressions vanished, replaced with ones of confusion. “Which is why I’m having you all arrested, leaving an...exposed spot somewhere else.”

Reggie cocked an eyebrow. He spoke for the first time since he was dragged into this room. “What are you talking about?”

Chuckling, the evil man looked towards Reggie. “You look like you are kind of smart... Think about it. What would I had access to...” He slowly turned his head to the parents. “..by removing them...?”

Reggie looked at the man in confusion, and then towards the parents. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at them. What would the man have access to? It wasn’t like they ran anything gigantic. Mr. Tabootie was a butcher, yeah, known for some of his bizarre and unique meat concoctions. But he wasn’t exactly running anything that Mr. Pierce would be interested in. There was nothing about his meat shop that was spectacular enough to deem it necessary to have him arrested just to get in. And his wife was stay-at-home, or so he thought. He wasn’t sure if she worked nowadays but he doubted it was anything really flambuoyant or anything.

Mrs. Sanchez ran a vet at her home, and he thought she had an office somewhere... But while her vet did make more money than Joe’s meat shop, it was still not something that Reggie could see being worth murdering someone over. Plus, Mr. Pierce didn’t look like an animal person. He couldn’t really fathom him wanting to take that business over. Plus he knew that his current plan revolved around ChalkZone. So him removing the parents had to do with that chalk world. But what?

Then he realized it. His eyes opened in shock. There was something left exposed by having the parents arrested. Or rather, someone. He slowly turned his head, staring at Mr. Pierce. The man seemed to understand that he figured out what it was. A nasty grin spread across his face as Reggie shook his head a few times. The adults looked at him curiously, their eyes widening. They waited for him to speak, their eyes suggesting they dreaded the answer.

Reggie’s body shook a little and he said in a soft voice, “Rudy and Penny...”

Mr. Pierce stared at the boy and then gave an evil, knowing smile, a confirmation. At this, there was a collection of gasps from the parents. They looked at each other in shock and terror. They whispered soft words to each other, expressing their disbelief and fear of the new information they had just been given. Mr. Pierce turned his head towards them, turning that grin into a smile.

“That is correct.. After you are all sent to jail, those two will be...vulnerable.” Mr. Pierce tapped his fingers together menacingly. “I’m sure I can get whatever information I want out of them with the proper...coaxing...”

“Leave our children alone!” Mr. Tabootie cried.

“If you dare lay a hand on them....” Mrs. Sanchez threatened, gritting her teeth together.

Mrs. Tabootie said, “You...you won’t get away with it! Stay away from our children!”

“Oh but you won’t be able to do a damn thing. What can you do to protect your kids from me, all locked up?” Mr. Pierce sneered at them. He paced side to side in front of them, giving them all a dark, twisted smile which highlighted well what kind of person he was. “With you out of the way, those two little children will be ripe for the taking.”

The parents’ faces paled in horror. Reggie was terrified, his body shaking. This guy was going to kidnap Rudy and Penny and force them to talk. They...they were next... And there was nothing he or the adults could do to warn them. He couldn’t believe that this man would target teenagers. Okay so he can believe it. Still, that didn’t make it any less shocking. Rudy and Penny had no idea what was going on. They were probably in ChalkZone...and when they came back and saw their parents were missing...

He flinched at the thought. Without their parents to help them, they were in trouble. They weren’t defenseless by any means. Better this happen now than when they were ten and too weak to fight back. Still, they were in trouble and Reggie knew it. They had less of a chance fighting back. Neither of them would stand much of a chance trying to fight these guys. They’d be outmuscled and outclassed. And the parents...they couldn’t be able to do anything to help them. They would be locked up while their children were tormented by this guy.

“You sick bastard...” Reggie said, causing the man to look at him with one eye. “You murdered Vinnie and Terry...you are framing these people, and me, for a crime we did not commit to save your sorry ass... and now you are going to drag two more innocents into the fray?! You’re such a coward!”

“Hmph...” Mr. Pierce shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever works...” He grinned as he stared into Reggie’s angered face. He looked back at the parents. “I will be stationing some of my workers at both your homes. I am aware that those two locations are where those children of yours enter ChalkZone. So my people will be there to apprehend them as soon as they come back.” The parents’ eyes widened in horror. “They will be taken here, where they will be locked up for questioning.”

“No!” Mrs. Tabootie cried, a faintest hint of a tear forming in her eye. “Please! You can’t do that!”

“Leave them alone!” Mrs. Sanchez shouted.

Mr. Pierce waved his hand dismissively. “You have no power over what I do with your children. I will do anything to get what I want from them.” His eyes flashed. “Anything...”

This sent a wave of horror through the group. They weren’t sure exactly what this man was alluding to, but they all knew it could not be good. He was going to do something horroble to Rudy and Penny. They knew he would. And there was nothing they could do to stop him. With them locked up, Rudy and Penny were vulnerable to him. Exposed, as Pierce put it, and they’d be locked up. This man had ways of making them talk, and they were certain that the truth serum he used on Terry was not the only way.

Blackmail would be the most powerful weapon in this case. He wouldn’t need to use the truth serum. He could tell Rudy and Penny that he would ensure that their folks would get the death sentence unless they cooperate. Those two surely would not want to see their parents die, and they would be pressured into giving additional information to Pierce. Losing their parents would be a far more devastating blow to them than any physical wound this man could inflict on them.

Without warning, Mrs. Tabootie cried, “Interrogate us! You want the information? Talk to us! Please...leave our children out of this!”

“Why do you need to go after them? We know about ChalkZone...” Mr. Tabootie said, his body shaking slightly with emotion. “Why haven’t you tried getting information from us?”

Mr. Pierce cocked an eyebrow. “You’d suffer in their place?”

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her heads. “Yes... Please...spare them. Do what you want with us, but spare them.”

Mr. Pierce went quiet. He folded his arms and tapped his foot. He moved his head up towards the ceiling, as though he were trying to think of what his answer was going to be. The group waited quietly, all of them hoping he would take the offer and interrogate the parents instead of the teenagers. Maybe he would be convinced to do this, and Rudy and Penny would be spared of being targeted by him. With all that was going on with them, they didn’t deserve to have this added on to their stress.

Reggie watched the man carefully. His brown eyes moved up and down, studying the way the man’s body moved, reacted. He kept an eye on his face, looking for minute details. His time as a bully enabled him to read faces fairly well. Wasn’t always accurate, especially since Rudy and Penny managed to slip under his radar, so to speak, since he never realized what they were up to for a time. But he felt it was good enough to let him know what might be going through Mr. Pierce’s head. And what he was seeing worried him.

The man didn’t look like he had any intentions of taking the offer. All his movements pointing to him jus faking the pondering. He wanted to make them believe that he was considering it, to throw them off their guard. He was toying with them. And judging from the subtle expressions on his face, Reggie could tell he was enjoying this, drawing this out, making them wait like this.

Then finally, Mr. Pierce spoke.

“Nah... I’ll decline your..generous offer.” Mr. Pierce said. “I think I’d rather...talk to Rudy and Penny on the matter...”

The parents were horrified by this. Reggie was not surprised, but he, too, was upset. His suspicion had been confirmed. He wished he had been wrong, like he was so many times in school. But a time when he turned out to be right...it had to be for this.

Mr. Tabootie took a step forward. “W-Wait..!”

Mr. Pierce raised his hand to silence him. “Don’t try to change my mind. It’s already made up.” He turned his back to them. “I must make that phone call now. I wasted enough time with you.” He started to walk out of the door. He raised his hand and waved goodbye to them. “See you later....” He paused and looked at them with an insane smile. “...murderers...”

The door was shut, leaving behind the horrified and stunned group.

sss

Penny knew this idea was dangerous. She knew there could be devastating consequences. But what else could she do? They had to get Rudy away from this dragon. She couldn’t allow the dragon to go forth with his plan. She..she just couldn’t let it happen.

Using Rudy as another host... When she heard that, she felt her heart freeze into ice. Horror swept through her body, making her shudder. Nihilanth wanted to turn Rudy into a mere puppet. He was going to deprive Rudy of his free will and use him like a tool. He was going to enslave him and use him to help himself destroy the world. It was...it was Mr. Cosmo all over again, only this time, the stakes were higher, and this guy had more power twirling under him than Cosmo did.

She remembered how horrified Snap was. He shivered, staring at the dragon in shere terror. She had heard him say things like ‘no’ and ‘he can’t do that’. She couldn’t blame him for being so horrified. Rudy had been targeted in the past to be used as a tool in the past by Mr. Cosmo. That evil man had tried to force Rudy to be his apprentice, to follow in his footsteps. Now it was happening all over again. The realization of this was chilling. They remembered what happened when Mr. Cosmo tried to control Rudy. Penny would never forget how nuts he went under the corruption of the black chalk.. And she and Snap both remembered the dark dimension, and what came of that.

What would happen if Nihilanth succeeded...and gained Rudy as a host...?

Penny was not interested in finding out. She would make sure he never got that chance. She won’t allow him to take her friend away like that. She, Snap, and Tilly would not allow it. She could see how worried and shocked Tilly was, just like she and Snap were. She knew she would be as determined as them to stop the dragon. Mr. Longhorn would be of some help as well. He looked like he was trustworthy enough to fight alongside them to stop the dragon. And right now, he was proving that as he took on the dragon.

Penny hoped he was going to be okay. She didn’t want this to result in his death. She’d feel horrible about letting him be the bait to distract the Nihilanth. If he died...she would blame herself for it. It was her idea, after all, to use someone as bait, as she was unable to figure out any other way of getting Nihilanth away from Rudy. She was surprised at herself. She kept reminding herself that she had to do what was necessary to save Rudy.

Still, she wished she could have done something else. She watched the scene play out before her as she, Snap, and Tilly moved into position, each going a different way so the dragon did not have a single target, just in case he spotted them. Nihilanth’s attention had shifted to Mr. Longhorn. The man was doing what he could to keep the dragon’s gaze focused on him.

Nihilanth let out a blast of energy. The beam of power struck towards Mr. Longhorn. The man moved to the side, the energy grazing him and causing him to wince. Nonetheless, he still stood his groudn, grinning mischevioiusly at the dragon.

“That’s right, ugly!” Mr. Longhorn shouted, waving his hands at his sides. “Keep looking at me! A nice, nutritious meal is waiting for you! Just come and get me!”

Nihilanth chortled, his two mouths open in a grin. “You are amusing. Funny how excited you seem to be for your own death. We can’t tell if this will be more fun or not... Oh well...” He raised his claws paw into the air. “This will keep us from getting bored...”

Nihilanth, now close enough to strike, swung his paw at Mr. Longhorn. The man narrowed his eyes and jumped out of the way. He managed to jump high enough to sail over the paw of the dragon. Nihilanth looked only mildly surprised, as if it didn’t faze him. Penny was impressed by this, but she didn’t know how long Mr. Longhorn could keep this up. He would soon run out of energy, and Nihilanth would...

Penny shook her head. While it was tempting to watch as Mr. Longhorn threw rocks and clumps of dirt at Nihilanth, she knew she didn’t have much of a window of opportunity. She turned her attention to Rudy. He hadn’t noticed her yet. His terrified eyes were locked onto the dragon. He watched as Nihilanth went after Longhorn. He looked like he was ready to run after them and try to help Mr. Longhorn. She could practically see his leg muscles tightening to sprint.

Tilly and Snap were positioned on opposite sides. Unlike Penny, they weren’t moving. Their job was to act as distractions should Nihilanth turn back over to them. Tilly and Snap would do whatever it took to keep the dragon’s two heads on them, keeping him unable to focus on Rudy or Penny. Tilly and Snap kept apart, knowing that if they stayed too close together, Nihilanth would be able to strike them with a single blow. Keeping apart would make it harder for Nihilanth to take them out, forcing him to target one while the other can do things like throw stones at him, preventing him from focusing on attacking.

Penny was aware this strategy might not work for long, but it was the best one she could come up with. After she would get Rudy out of the way, she could have him draw some kind of fast vehicle and they could use it to get to safety, where they could begin to think of a plan. The dragon was ‘generous’ enough to give them that. She didn’t like the idea of doing into the real world, especially since there are zoners in trouble in ChalkZone City, but right now, they were too badly hurt to do anything. There was a saying, about living to fight another day. She and her friends had no choice but to go back to the real world to rest for a few days, and come back when they were stronger. If they tried to do something for ChalkZone City now...

...they might wind up dead.

Penny moved closer to Rudy, her eyes locked onto him. She occassionally looked over to make sure that Mr. Longhorn still had Nihilanth’s attention. She turned back to Rudy and inched her way closer. She could see him walking forward now, his shocked and worried expression on Longhorn. The man was throwing rocks at Nihilanth now, making the dragon angry. Loud hisses and the slamming of jaws filled the air as the dragon attempted to kill him.

“Rudy!” Penny called out in a low hiss. The boy didn’t hear her. She moved in closer. When she saw he was about to run, she reached her hand out and called out to him, “Rudy! Stop!”

Finally, the boy paused and took notice of her. His eyes widened, slight confusion on his face. “Penny?” He looked over at Mr. Longhorn. “But...what about...?”

“He’ll be fine!” Penny said. She couldn’t tell if Longhorn would be fine or not. But he seemed to have things under control. Nihilanth wasn’t using his full strength right now, and that was giving Longhorn a bit of an edge. “Quick! Draw something to help us get away!”

“Why didn’t you...” Rudy started to ask.

Penny realized quickly why he was confused. She had magic chalk as well. It wasn’t just him. She owed him a quick explanation. Her eyes looking over at where Longhorn was to make sure Nihilanth was still distracted, she looked over at Rudy and said, “You have more artistic skill than me, Rudy. We need something fast, but durable enough to withstand Nihilanth’s attacks! And you’re more qualified to do that than me! Hurry up and draw!” Penny hated to sound demanding to her friend. But time was of the essence. They had to get out of here fast.

“But...Nihilanth said he might give us some time to heal.” Rudy said. “I don’t know if I believe him...but if he is...”

“It doesn’t matter, Rudy!” Penny shouted at him. She understood his confusion. If Nihilanth was going to let them go for now, it did seem pointless to pull off a tricky plan like this. But there was something that Rudy was not considering, which was understandable given the confusing and scary circumstances. “Nihilanth is probably going to spare you, me, and Snap. He doesn’t see a reason to keep Longhorn around and he likely views your aunt in the same light! We need to save them before Nihilanth has a chance to do away with them!”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror as he stared over at his aunt and then at Longhorn. Realization washed over his face, understanding what Penny was trying to tell him. “I..I can’t believe I overlooked that...” He shook his head, snapping himself out of it. He narrowed his eyes in determination, fighting against the fear he felt before. “Don’t worry, Penny. I’ll take care of this!” He raised his magic chalk.

Penny smiled at him. She let out a cry of surprise, her body visibly cringing, when she heard an explosion. She looked over and saw Longhorn had barely dodged another energy blast. She bit her lip and looked back at Rudy, panic filling her eyes. “Hurry!”

Rudy wasted no time. He flicked his wrist in the air and began to draw.

sss

Mr. Longhorn jumped out of the way as the two-headed dragon fired another blast at him. The energy was very hot, nearly sizzling his skin, but all he did was laugh at the dragon, taunting him more. Nihilanth was visibly angered. He didn’t appear to quite lose his temper, but Mr. Longhorn guessed that his time as a ‘toy’ was running out. Despite knowing this, Longhorn still shouted taunts once in a while to Nihilanth.

“Is that all you got?!” Mr. Longhorn used his hands to gesture to the dragon to come over. A playful grin was on his face. “Come on! I’ve seen leaves with better moves than you!”

Nihilanth snorted at him. “You dare insult us in that way?” He gave a small smile. “This amuses us... But you are wasting our time. Now...hold still and die!” He lifted up his heads and fired another blast at him. Longhorn managed to dodge, but just barely. Nihilanth growled at this. “We told you to hold still, mortal! Or do you really wish to have a much worse fate on your hands? We will be glad to give you something more...destructive, if that is what you wish. More pain...”

“Bring it on, chubby!” Mr. Longhorn taunted. He picked up a clob of dirt and threw it at Nihilanth. He chuckled as it hit the dragon’s white face. The dragon shook his white head and growled at Mr. Longhorn. “You say you can kill me with a flick of the finger. Well prove it! Come on! Prove it to me! Try to kill me if you dare!”

Nihilanth pulled his heads further up. He towered over the man. He moved at a quicker pace. Longhorn ran backwards, keeping his eyes on the dragon. The feet of the beast pounded against the ground. The tails waved wildly in the air, looking as though they were ready to strike. Longhorn just grinned and threw another clump of dirt at the dragon, this one hitting him against his chest. Nihilanth narrowed his eyes at this and sped up his movements.

Mr. Longhorn was terrified. Ever since he agreed with this plan to go up against Nihilanth, he had been scared out of his mind. This was a huge monster, one that could easily crush him in his jaws. He knows he was taking a huge risk by taunting him like his. The man knew how majorly this could, and likely would, backfire on him. He was taunting a deity, a powerful creature who could create anything if he wanted to. He was but a mere man. There was little power he had over Nihilanth, and so little he could do against him.

But he was willing to take the fall if it meant saving the others. He was acting brave and putting a show only to keep Nihilanth’s attention on him. If Nihilanth is as powerful as he says, than his power being taunted and mocked was the best way to irritate him. Keeping him annoyed was a good way to keep him from using his full strength. That didn’t stop the occasional energy blasts, but so far, the dragon hadn’t attempted to create something else, or to absorb him into that void thing he took the others in.

There was so much he didn’t understand. He hardly knew anything about this world or its inhabitants. He didn’t understand this whole ‘creator’ and ‘zoner’ business. He was a stranger to this world. Even after he was given a quick rundown, he still didn’t fully understand or get it. It had been so hard for him to follow what Penny was talking about when she discussed the plan with him. He understood that she wanted him to keep Nihilanth distracted, but he didn’t understand the bit about magic chalk and Rudy drawing something... It was all so confusing.

But despite not having a full understanding of the situation, he still kept Nihilanth busy, going along with the idea. He kept shouting at the dragon, taunting him, deliberately ignoring his better judgment so that he can give Penny and the others time to get to Rudy. He did his best to hide his fear, not wanting Nihilanth to get the satisfaction of seeing him afraid.

“Come on, get me if you can!” Mr. Longhorn cried, giving a loud, almost maniacal laughter. “I dare you! Hit me with your best shot!”

Nihilanth chuckled. “Gladly... Though we do not want to waste our best efforts on an ant like you. But this...should take care of you...”

Nihilanth put his two dragon heads forward. He opened up his jaws. The energy, both the black and the white, formed into a ball, glowing brightly. Mr. Longhorn’s eyes widened as he watched the dragon form a large ball of energy, swirling of black and white. He thought he heard Tilly calling out to him to get out of the way, but the energy was humming loudly. He could barely hear anything else. There was a strong wind that started to push him back a little. The light was so bright, he could barely see. He turned his head to the side, his eyes shut and teeth clenched. The light...he couldn’t see now...

Nihilanth fired his weapon. There was a boom sound. The energy shot towards him, forming into a line of power. The black and white energy blasts swirled together, forming one singular line, twisted with black and white, looking almost like a unicorn’s twisted horn. Longhorn managed to open up his eyes for a second and see this zebra striped blast coming his way. He leaped to the side, rolling across the ground. There was a blast of heat brushing up against him and he let out a scream of pain.

Although most of the blast had missed him, the tail end of it struck against his back. There was a seering burn sweeping across him, part of his shirt ripped off. He tumbled across the ground as blood poured from the massive burn on his back. Soon he laid on the ground, letting out a few whimpers of pain. His body trembled as he attempted to get up. He pushed himself off the ground with his hands. He shook his head and looked behind him.

His eyes widened in horror at the sight of Nihilanth coming his way. The dragon wore a satisfied smirk on his two faces. He was getting closer, and in seconds, he would close the gap. Longhorn tried to get up. He didn’t get far before the pain from his back was too much and he fell back down. More fresh blood leaked from his wound. He could feel the warm liquid pool out, moving along his side and onto the ground. He shivered in pain and tried again to get up. He screamed as agony struck in the middle of his back, where the worst of the burn was. Again he collapsed. He realized he was not going to be able to get out of the way in time. He looked over and by now, Nihilanth was upon him.

Nihilanth reached down and grabbed the man in his black paw. Mr. Longhorn let out screams of pain as pressure was applied to his charred back. He struggled, wriggling in the dragon’s paw. His arms were pinned at his sides, and blood dripped from his back. The dragon lifted him up into the air and brought him close to his face. Mr. Longhorn, despite trying to hard to keep on a brave face, finally shattered and now looked at the dragon with a look of pure fear.

“Ah yes... That’s more like it. Yes.” Nihilanth chuckled. “A look of fear. We like that.”

Mr. Longhorn struggled in his grasp. He tried to free one of his arms, but it was no use. Plus, what good will it do anyway? This creature was huge. A few punches and slaps weren’t going to make him let go. If anything, it would just irritate him more, and that wouldn’t be a good thing in his current predicament. He tried to see how Penny and the others were doing, but the dragon blocked his view.

Nihilanth positioned his heads on either side of the man, much like how he did with Rudy. The sneers on those faces sent chills down Longhorn’s spine. Though the dragon hadn’t said anything yet, he could tell those expressions meant one thing: he was screwed big time.

“This is where your foolishness has gotten you, little ant.” Nihilanth said, rearing into his hind legs so he could use his white paw. He pressed a black colored claw against Longhorn’s head, giving him a light yet menacing stroke along his hair. “You should have learned to look where you tread. You should have thought twice before defying a deity... And now...” He raised the man a little higher, turning him slightly to the side like he were just some mere object. “You will pay for that.”

“P-Please...” Mr. Longhorn begged. The idea of begging... He hated it. But right now...he was so desperate to live that... “Please don’t do this... L-Let me go..please.”

Nihilanth’s laughter echoed in the air. His body shook with each chuckle. Mr. Longhorn’s eyes grew big, clenching his teeth in fear. He turned his head away, not bearing to look at this thing. The beast’s voice continued to echo in his mind, making it impossible for him to ignore anything he said. He was forced to listen to the dragon’s cruel words.

“We do not know what you hoped to accomplish, little puny human. We are a powerful deity, stronger than anything you’d find here. And you...thought you could best us? Well think again! All you did was irritate us, and trust us.. We are not pleasant when we are irritable. You only sealed your own fate. It is your fault you got into this predicament. Now..what shall we do with you? Perhaps rip off your limbs... skin you alive... Crush you slowly in our paws...”

Longhorn’s eyes filled with horror and his struggles increased. He stopped when Nihilanth squeezed him tighter. Pain shot through his back, making him freeze, unable to move.

“Yes, that would be...delightful...” Nihilanth traced the tip of a black talon along Longhorn’s face. The man gave a soft whine, wincing as the sharp tip of the claw scraped him lightly. Nihilanth was being uncomfortably gentle right now. “Something slow and painful... You do not deserve a quick death after your previous...annoyance...”

Mr. Longhorn shuddered, staring at the dragon in fright. He watched as the dragon lifted his white paw up above his head. The digits closed until there was only one claw. It was brought down towards him slowly. Knowing exactly what was in store for him, Mr. Longhorn closed his eyes and turned his head away, waiting for the blow.

But it never came. Mr. Longhorn opened up his eye, confusion filling them. He looked over to see what was going on.

To his shock, he could see that Tilly and Snap had rushed over. They stood on either side of the dragon, shouting at him. No coherent words, just loud shouts to get his attention. They did what he had been doing and threw clumps of dirt at the dragon to keep him distracted. Nihilanth shook his heads, irritation written on his face. Snarling, he turned away from Longhorn and turned his attention to Tilly and Snap. The two backed up, but kept a somewhat close distance. They followed his lead and taunted the dragon, despite the fact that they were clearly frightened of him.

He couldn’t believe it. Don’t they know how big of a risk this was? The whole point of him being bait was to keep the dragon away from them. He wanted to shout at them to run away and save themselves, but the dragon squeezed him tighter, taking his breath away. As he struggled to breathe, he looked down at Tilly and Snap. They took notice of his predicament and looked horrified, prompting them to try throwing rocks at the dragon’s head in hopes of making him let go.

While this was going on, Mr. Longhorn could see Rudy doing something with the magic chalk. He still didn’t understand how it worked, even after seeing Sophie use it. Seeing it used a second time, it seemed like something was clicking in his mind. Sophie’s drawing was crude and quick, a simple yet effective drawing. Rudy’s drawing was a little slower, and more intricate. Longhorn watched as the boy’s wrist flicks formed lines in the air, quickly taking shape. His eyes widened a little, in awe as the boy created what looked like a hovercraft.

He recalled the things he was told about the magic chalk. Things he didn’t understand, but now do. So much had been going on, so much confusion, it didn’t completely click with him until now. He felt a strange sensation well up inside of him. He did his best to shake off the feeling, knowing that there were more important things to worry about. But despite being able to shift his focus on trying to get out of here, he was not able to completely abolish that strange feeling he now had.

Longhorn’s attention was torn away when he heard a shout from his side. He looked over and he saw Tilly holding up a large rock.

“Let him go!” Tilly yelled at Nihilanth. She chucked the rock at the dragon’s head, hitting him between the eyes. Nihilanth snarled and shook his head. “I can do this all day!”

“Yeah! Put him down!” Snap cried, taking a fighting stance. He looked in fear when the other head roared at him, but he did not back down.

Nihilanth bared his sharp teeth and, out of frustration, threw Mr. Longhorn into the ground. The man cried out in pain as he tumbled across the ground. He shivered in pain as he looked over to see the dragon moving towards Tilly. He lifted up his paw and struck her into the ground. He gave a cry of horror as she rolled across the ground. A few gashes now appeared on her side where she was struck.

Snap rushed over to Tilly’s side. He didn’t get far when the dragon wrapped his black tail around his body and hoisted him up. Snap struggled in the air, kicking his legs. He was almost immediately slammed into the ground. He gave a loud cry as dust was kicked up into the air. Nihilanth snorted him, his lips curled up in disgust. It was like he felt Snap was such a weak opponent, he was not worth fighting. He turned his head towards Tilly and walked towards her.

Longhorn watched this in horror. He attempted to get up, but his back irritated him too much. So much pain...so much agony... He fell back into the ground, groaning in pain. He could only watch as Nihilanth approached Tilly, cruel intent evident with every step he took. Longhorn closed his eyes and looked away, not wanting to witness the carnage that would surely follow.

Suddenly, he felt something grab him. He was lifted up into the air and soon he found himself in a seat of some kind. Puzzled, he looked around and quickly realized he was in the hovercraft Rudy had drawn. The boy was at the driver’s seat, Penny positioned not far behind him. The man realized that what had grabbed him was a large metal claw that Rudy added to this thing. The teenager looked over to make sure he was okay before turning his attention to where Nihilanth was.

Despite being a teenager, Rudy proved himself to be an excellent pilot. He moved around Nihilanth no problem, avoiding the dragon’s claws and tail attacks as the beast tried to stop him. Rudy plunged downward, grabbing onto Snap and Tilly in the same claw, using skill that Longhorn would have suspected from someone much older. Rudy opened up the hatch and dropped those two into the hovercraft. They wasted no time and secured themselves to a seat.

Nihilanth charged at them, looking irritated that Rudy took away his ‘toys’. Rudy turned the hovercraft around, dodging his attacks with ease. He flew down, moving the craft between the dragon’s legs before turning upwards into the air. Nihilanth sent out blasts of energy, which Rudy gracefully dodged, spinning the hovercraft into multiple barrel rolls. Though everyone in the cockpit, including Longhorn himself, were getting nausaeous, they barely paid attention to it as the dragon tried to strike them into the ground.

Nihilanth let out a loud roar and struck his paw against the hovercraft. His claws scraped along it. Everyone let out screams of horror as the hovercraft spun in a circle in the air. Rudy pulled on the steering device and eventually managed to level everything out. As Nihilanth lunged forward with one of his heads, the jaws slamming shut so close, Rudy turned the flying vehicle to the side and, pulling the shift stick into a new position, started to speed off into the distance.

Nihilanth’s voice boomed through their heads.

“We do hate to cut this short, but we had our fun with you. Disappointed? We’re sure you are. Do not fret. We have plenty more in store for you. We never intended on killing you...at least not you, Rudy Tabootie, and your two little friends. We want to have some more fun with you later on. Remember...come back in three days to the Solar Pillars... We look forward to our future encounter. Goodbye! And we promise you this, Rudy Tabootie...”

A cold laughter spread through the air, chilling their blood.

“You will be ours....”

With that, the two headed dragon took off into the air. He flew up to their level. He grinned evilly at them as they flew away. In seconds, giving a dark chuckle, Nihilanth turned around and started to fly in the opposite direction, his wing beats so heavy they could be heard even from where they were, even through the metallic structure of this hovercraft’s hull.

As Penny and Snap attempted to console a clearly shaken up Rudy, Mr. Longhorn again found himself looking at the magic chalk the boy had. It stuck out of his pocket, and he could see the sparkling end quite clearly. There was something about it that was drawing his attention. The ability to create... He hadn’t fully understood what this entailed in this world, but now he did. Now that he finally thought things through, saw Rudy using it to create this complicated machine, he understood.

That sensation from before returned. That tingling feeling that was rising up inside of him. The longer he stared at the magic chalk, the stronger this feeling became. He felt his fingers quiver in what he guessed was anticipation. He couldn’t hear what anyone else was saying. His mind all but forgot their encounter with Nihilanth and the seriousness of that situation. All he knew right now was the magic chalk and the abilities he had seen shown before him.

“The magic chalk...” Mr. Longhorn whispered in a barely audible voice. As he continued to stare at the sparkling white stick, his eyes twinkled.


	107. Howdy, Hunted

Ghadir walked steadily through the shadows the trees were casting. She was out on an open field, with a forest next to it. She was making her way through the very edge of the forest, keeping her body hidden from view. She crouched low, keeping herself hidden. Her eyes focused out onto the field, looking around at the few zoners who were wandering out here. Her eyes shifted back and forth, unconsciously taking note of their conditions, weaknesses, whatever else.

Doing hunts in night zone were generally easier, since the darkness gave her an advantage. It was easier to hide and pick out a zoner to chase. It still had its issues, though. There wasn’t as much variety in night zone and zoners were generally more on alert. Even more so now that they caught wind of her hunting activities. She had to be careful not to hunt in the same spot more than once, and if that meant going further away from Solar Pillars, then so be it.

She was feeling quite hungry right now and had excused herself to go hunting. Jenny didn’t have a problem with it. There were some black chalk artists in the past who had a problem, mainly because they were worried her habit of hunting zoners would cause her to slip and ruin one of their plans. Tyreek had expressed concern about this as well. She didn’t pay attention to him regarding the issue, though. She had always been careful to only target one zoner at a time and limit her hunts to just 2, maybe 3 at most per day.

Eating chalk was not exactly the best thing and she’d admit that. She loved the taste and texture, and often when she was hungry, she craved chalk. But it wasn’t like she got any nutritional value out of it. She could care less though. It was like candy to people. Some people at a lot of candy and it’s not like it’s the healthiest thing. So she felt she should be entitled to eating chalk. Not like it really hurt anything. Well anything that really mattered anyway.

True, she could eat inanimate chalk objects, and she had once in a while. At one point, she had tried to limit her hunting even more to keep their plans from getting ruined, but she found it dissatisfying just eating a chalk plant or chalk rock. No, she wanted more out of the deal. It was then she realized something. It was not just the act of eating chalk she loved.

It was the thrill of the hunt.

Yes, that adrenaline that pumped through her body as she chased down her victim... their screaming and pleading as she closed in for the kill... Yes, that’s what she loved. That’s what she desired as well. Killing and eating a sentient zoner, somehow that made the chalk taste even better. Nothing could compare to the flavor of a panicking, pain-filled zoner as she bit into them and tore them apart bit by bit. Small zoners were her favorite target as their tiny size made it easier for her to rip them up using her own jaws. No need to use special equipment for them.

She had been wanting to hunt Snap. When she licked his face, she found him to be quite flavorful. She wished she could have taken a bite out of him, but due to circumstances, that was not going to be possible. Instead, she’d have to settle on another zoner. Someone small and defenseless... Snap was a superhero zoner and had some strength to him. She remembered how well he fought when the little guy defended Rudy. He really could throw a punch. She was still a little sore from that.

No, she needed someone who couldn’t fight back. Someone weaker. Someone who would be more fun to chase. A zoner who had little chance of harming her, making it easier for her to toy with them before killing them and eating them. There were a number of small zoners, though. How was she going to choose the right one?

Ghadir kept moving along, keeping herself hidden from view. She looked out towards the field and scanned what zoners were there. Most of them were a typical size. About as large as a ten year old human. Some were about the size of an adult. She wanted something smaller, though. Plus, most of these zoners looked able to fight back. She wanted something that would have a hard time stopping her. There had to be someone.

Something soon caught her attention. She noticed some zoners looking particularly excited. They were jumping up and down, cheering someone on. She tilted her head, curiosity entering her mind. What were they so happy about? Given what’s happened lately, she was surprised any of these tasty chalk freaks were able to be happy about anything. She moved along to get a better look. She made sure not to step on any of the twigs or kick any of the rocks. The slightest sound could scare the zoners away and she’d lose her chance.

She eventually got into the right position to see what the zoners were jumping up and down for. She saw what looked like a small platform, the kind that people would go on and perform. There was a large group of zoners gathered around there. Some were sitting in seats. Others laid on the ground. The largest ones stood in the back. All of them were enjoying the show, cheering and clapping and wanting more. She looked over onto the platform to see who they were cheering for.

On stage, there was a small puppet zoner with red hair and a yellow plaid shirt covered in blue overalls. The zoner was hopping around, spinning his body in circles and singing some kind of song. He looked like he was having a good time with himself entertaining these zoners. And it was clear that the zoners enjoyed his entertainment. This guy certainly had a lot of energy to him. As much as Ghadir would never openly admit to it, he was a pretty good performer.

She took notice of how small he was. He appeared to be smaller than even Snap, and he wasn’t a big zoner to begin with. He looked very amiable, probably more so than the average zoner. He looked like he’d try to make friends with anyone, as if he didn’t have a bad bone in his body. She guessed he was created with the purpose of entertaining others, making them laugh and be happy. Well he was certainly succeeding in that endeavor. He was definitely quite the performer.

Ghadir attempted to move on, but she found herself unable to keep her eyes off the performing zoner. She stared at him, eyes locked on. There was something...that was attracting her to him. He was so small...so nonviolent...so...vulnerable... The zoner had little defense on him. He didn’t look very strong. And he was so amiable, she doubted he would try to fight back even if his life depended on it. And he must be getting tired from that performing. It would be harder for him to run away for long. Yes.. He was a perfect target... He was the type of zoner she wanted to hunt. And his small size... He’d make the perfect snack.

Ghadir licked her lips slowly as she hunched a little more, moving along the trees. She kept her eyes on the puppet zoner, watching him as he performed. Seeing his body move around was taunting for her. It made her hungrier. It made her want to taste him even more. She found that, often, smaller, more frightened zoners tasted better than larger ones. She wondered if the same would be true for this puppet. There was only one way to find out. It was time for her to begin the hunt.

She had to figure out a distract, however. Although there weren’t a lot of zoners there, there was still enough that it was going to be an issue. If she just ran out towards the zoner now, she could cause her hunt to fail. The zoners might panic...no she knew they would, but some of them might be braver and attack her, and if she went after the puppet, some of the zoners may come to his aid. She needed a way to herd him away from the others so she could strike. Something that would make it hard to impossible for any zoner to come to his rescue, and to create chaos and confusion.

Her eyes twinkled. She knew just the thing. She lifted up her piece of black chalk. She looked over at the cheering zoners, a nasty smile spreading across her face. Oh yes, they better celebrate, for in a few seconds, all that was going to disappear. With a few flicks of her wrist, she began to draw.

sss

Howdy spread his arms out and, without hesitation, took a bow as the audience cheered and whistled at him. His heart filled with pride, his smile growing larger.

“That’s all I have for now, folks!” Howdy announced. He felt bad when he saw some of the zoners express disappointment. “But I’ll do another show tomorrow! I promise!”

Howdy didn’t like ending his shows as he didn’t like to disappoint people. He liked making others laugh and be happy. That was what he was created for. To make others laugh. If he could, he’d put on longer shows. But there was only so much he could do in one sitting. His body was exhausted and he was about ready to collapse. He wanted to go home and lay down on his bed and sleep. As much as he loved to entertain people, he still had his limits and he was not going to be able to do another show for a while.

The zoners were satisfied with his promise of coming back tomorrow. Though some were still sad, which made his heart sting, most were content with waiting for the next show. He might do another show in day zone next time. Bigger audience and more people to entertain and make happy. He watched as the zoners left, dispersing and going to do some other hobby or to go to sleep. Some did look tired already, despite it not being exactly bedtime yet.

Howdy stretched his arms in the air and yawned. He walked over to the steps that led onto the stage. He went down them slowly, his legs aching a little from all that performing. He had been going on with his dancing and sincing for quite sometime today, longer than usual. He usually only put on half hours shows, but today, he decided to push it to an hour and a half. Three times as long as normal. It went somewhat well, but it still wasn’t exactly the wisest choice to make. His feet ached now and he may have drained some of the energy from tomorrow’s performance.

Oh well, he could always just delay it He doubted the zoners would really mind if he decided to wait and extra hour or two before he performed again. Yeah, it would be fine. Now he just had to hit the hay and get some rest. It was going to be fun walking home while he felt tired. But it shouldn’t be a problem. Plus if he had a really hard time, he could always just ask another zoner if they could take him back. He’s done that a few times before and nobody really minded it too much.

He walked down the steps of the stage slowly, wincing a little as the muscles in his leg hurt. He soon reached the bottom step. He stretched himself out again, letting out another yawn and scratching his side. He smacked his lips a few times and his eyes closed partway. He looked around, watching the zoners walking about, doing some kind of activity or just walking about, doing whatever.

This had been a fun place to come to. About a month ago, Snap had told him about this place. Moon Festival, he believed it was called. It took place only once a month and it was a relatively small gathering of games and other forms of entertainment. There was also food, merchandise such as shirts, snowglobes, scarfs, shoes, other different items, and small rides, mostly animal-based ones. Howdy had missed the last festival, so he made a note to himself to come and perform here. Snap felt the zoners would really love his singing and dancing. Howdy was nervous at first, but Snap turned out to be right and they were getting real kick out of his brand of entertainment.

Howdy was disappointed that Snap wasn’t here this year. He wasn’t sure what was going on with him and those two creators, Rudy and Penny. He hadn’t really seen them in a few days and he wondered what was going on. He had tried to find Snap and talk to him, but no luck. Even Rapsheeba and Blocky appeared to be missing. He couldn’t understand why they were nowhere in sight. He had heard some rumors about what might be going on, but those were just rumors. He wanted to write it up to them being busy but even that didn’t make a lot of sense.

Howdy didn’t like being left in the dark about these sort of things. Even more so considering that some of the rumors mentioned something about black chalk artists. He didn’t know who they were, but he knew they were big trouble. Did they have something to do with their disappearance? He shuddered at thought. He knew full well that getting out of that kind of mess was going to be a heck of a lot harder than it was when he managed to stop that...what was it called...dog from trying to turn him into a chew toy.

The puppet zoner was about to head off in the direction of his house when suddenly, without warning, there was a loud explosion and a bright flash of light. Howdy let out a startled scream, jumping into the air. The other zoners looked scared as well, shocked out of what they were doing. A stunned silence fell upon them. Nobody moved, or even dared to breathe. Heavy heart pounding filled the air as they all looked around, trying to find the source of that sound.

Panicked murmuring now became prevelant as the terrified zoners talked to each other in low whispers what had just happened. Several seconds went by and there wasn’t another instance of that sound. Slowly, some of the zoners began to calm down, thinking that it may have just been a misfired firework or something. The brief, semi-peace only lasted for a short, time though. Not long after some of the zoners began to calm down, something else happened.

Another boom. Another explosion. And now a stream of light, multicolored, shot through the air. Howdy and the other zoners looked on in horror as the light trailed over towards them, revealing itself to be, indeed, a firework. But clearly, not a misfired one. This one was a homing firework; it had a predetermined destination. And that destination...was the middle of the festival. It slammed into the ground, rattling through the floor and creating a huge explosion.

Zoners everywhere screamed, jumping back away from the explosion. A few small flames sparked from the explosion and soon set the grass ablaze. As the fire grew larger and began to spread, more fireworks were shot in their direction, all of them homing, all of them landing at various points around the Moon Festival. Panic filled the air, many zoners screaming and running around, trying desperately to get away. Each time a firework hit the ground, it sent out a few small sparks everywhere, some of them setting new fires that began to spread even more.

Howdy jumped left to right as some of the explosions caused small fireballs to be shot all around. He barely managed to dodge them, some of them getting so close they nearly burned his skin. He gave out panicked cries as he tried to run through the chaos and madness all around him. He wanted to call for him, but his mind was so filled with panic and fear, it just didn’t occur to the puppet zoner.

He looked left and right, looking at all the destruction around him, the zoners running around, trying to get away. A few of them got hit, and he watched as their now bleeding bodies fell to the ground. Some zoners stopped and went over to aid them. Howdy would have tried to help, but he was tossed backwards as a fireball landed in front of him. He backed away real quick, stopping only when he felt heat behind him. He turned and saw that there were now several trails of fire all over the place, and if he didn’t hurry, he was going to be trapped.

He saw that there appeared to be a pathway of some kind, leading towards the nearby forest. A dangerous place to go during a fire, but there was nowhere else he could go. Even if the zoners attempted to help him, they could do nothing until the firefighters arrived. And who knows when that would be? Making a split second decision, the terrified, screaming puppet made a dash towards the forest.

Howdy ran as fast as he could. His heart pounded against his chest, his eyes wide open in fear. He took in heavy breaths, trying to keep his body oxygenated. His tongue hung out as he kept on running. This was one of those rare times where he regretted performing. He had used up some of his stamina..no a lot of it, with all his jumping and dancing around on stage. His already weak legs were screaming with aches, making him want to lay down. His muscles felt like they were on fire and his lungs began to burn. His mouth felt dry and he had a strong desire for something to drink.

The puppet zoner did his best to ignore his tiredness and thirst and pressed on, pushing himself further than he ever did before. Everywhere, fireworks exploded, the ground rattling. Screams filled the air, making his eardrums ache and pound. He wished Rudy were here. He would be able to take care of this mess and save everyone from this firework disaster. But since he wasn’t, Howdy had no choice but to keep running. He felt his heart tug everytime a zoner screamed in agony. He..he hoped they would be okay.. He felt horrible about leaving like this, but what could he do? Until he got out of the fire...nothing.

The end of the fire trail became closer as each second passed. Soon, he was going to reach the end, and then he could finally get out of here. He kept on running, his feet pounding the ground. The firework explosions all around him rattled through his head, echoing over and over again. He tried his best to focus on the exit. All he has to do is keep running and he would soon make it. Everything around him became a blur, distant, as he focused on that one point where the flames did not block his path. Any second now...

He made it. As soon as he reached the end, he leaped into the air to get further away from the fire. He rolled across the ground and looked behind him. His eyes widened horror as he saw all the flames everywhere, and he could see a few more fireworks flying in the air, blasting more parts of the festival. He could see some of the zoners hadn’t been so lucky and had been severely injured. He wanted to do something for them, but he barely had any time to think of a plan before the sound of a twig snapping caught his attention.

Nervously, Howdy turned his head to see what made that noise. His eyes scanned the trees and bushes that surrounded him now. Left and right, his head turned, but he saw no sign of life. At first, he thought maybe he was just hearing things. But then he saw some kind of figure approaching him. Dark, casted in shadow. He couldn’t tell who it was, but despite that, he felt a growing sense of anxiety. There was something about this figure that was making him feel afraid, but what?

“Hello there, little one...” The figure said. He heard a chuckle, making him swallow. “What are you doing out here and so...alone...?”

Howdy bit his lip as the figure said that. He didn’t like the way she said ‘alone’. There was some kind of...intent behind it. He didn’t like it here already. He wanted to live. He started to back up a few steps, staring at the shadowed figure. Soon, the figure stepped into a small patch of moonlight, revealing what she is.

Howdy was shocked and confused to see another human. This was clearly not Rudy or Penny, though. Or even any of their family members. She was a large woman, reminding him of Rudy’s mother almost, but this human was not the same size as Rudy’s mom. She was lighter. A mix between Rudy’s aunt and mother. She looked completely unfamiliar to him. Who was she? Why was she here? And why..was she looking at them that way?

“Did I startle you? Oh I’m so sorry...” The woman said. Howdy could tell there was no genuineness in that voice. “My name is Ghadir.”

“I-I’m Howdy.” The puppet said nervously, giving a nervous chuckle and waving to her.

Ghadir grinned at this. “Howdy.. What a nice name. Well if you want to know what I’m going...” The woman looked all around her, folding up her arms. “I wanted to come here for a nice...hunt. It took me a while to find the perfect spot, but there..I think this will do quite nicely, yes.”

Howdy took a step back. Hunt? What did the woman mean by that? He could feel anxiety rise up inside of him. He didn’t like the sound of that. What kind of hunt was she talking about? A hunter of fun? A hunter of company? Maybe...maybe it was some kind of game? Yeah..maybe that was it. But...the way she was looking at him... No...there was something wrong here...

“What are you going to do?” Howdy asked nervously. “D-Did you come to see me perform? I-I-If so...I’m done for the day. I’ll come back tomorrow and...”

“Oh I’m aware you perform, little guy.” Ghadir said, folding her arms behind her back and walking around Howdy slowly. “I was watching you from afar. I must say, you are an impressive performer. I can see why the zoners love you so much.”

By now, Howdy was shaking. This female human was making him very nervous with her presence. “Yeah, they do...”

Ghadir chuckled. “Do you have time to play...a little game...?”

Howdy stared at her. A game? Perhaps his assumption had been correct. Maybe she really just wanted to play a game with him and he was just getting worked up over nothing. He felt himself relaxing a little as he gave a small smile to her. If that’s all this was, just a game, then he had no reason to be so panicky. There was still a part of him that was nervous however, but maybe that would go away in due time.

Howdy nodded his head. “Yeah. That sounds like fun. But can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

Ghadir shook her head. “No... It must be done now. Otherwise I won’t be..satisfied...” She stopped circling Howdy and stood in front of him. She lowered herself onto one knee and reached out towards the puppet zoner. She cupped his chin gently with two fingers. “Besides I think you might enjoy it. Adrenaline-thumping fun. This game is to die for!”

“Well that does sound like fun but...” Howdy took a step back. He rubbed his arms nervously. He looked over at the fires, biting his lip. “But I think that is of greater importance. Why don’t you..?”

“Already taken care of.” Ghadir said. She snapped her finger.

Howdy heard the sound of sirens and he could see some firetrucks coming into the field. Howdy felt relief wash over his body as the firefighters began to douse the flames with water. He wiped his brow he watched the fire started to die down. It made him feel happy knowing that the zoners would be fine. He wondered if this woman had anything to do with it or if she just knew that the firefighters were coming.

If she was responsible, then he felt grateful towards her. At least someone was able to take care of the fire before it got too bad. Now that he didn’t have to worry about the fire hurting anymore zoners, Howdy felt calmer. He gave a sigh of relief and his body relaxed. He felt his heart rate slowing down. As seconds passed, more and more of the fire was put out, steam rising where it had charred the ground. He winced at the damage caused, but it was better than what could have come out of this.

Howdy turned his attention back to Ghadir. “Did you do that?”

Ghadir nodded her head. “Yes, I sent out a message to the nearest fire department. I have my...ways.” She chuckled lightly. She took a step towards Howdy. “Now...about that fun...”

Howdy waved his hands in front of his face. “No thank you. I’m too tired to play anything now. I should be heading back home.” He pointed his thumb behind him. “Did you want to walk with me? I could tell you some jokes while we walk. It would be nice to have the company.”

Howdy did feel bad about leaving without doing anything to help the zoners. But he did feel assured that they were going to be okay. He took another glance and saw that the firefighters were helping zoners out of rubble, taking care of burns and other flames. He could see some ambulances had arrived as well. At least they were getting the help they needed. He still wanted to do something for them. Perhaps he’ll perform for them at the hospital to cheer them up later. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan. Help them get into a better mood.

Ghadir laughed at his offer. The way she laughed...it sent a quick chill through this body. That feeling of anxiety was returning quickly, eating away at his insides. His smile vanished and he took a few steps away from Ghadir. That look again... Why was she giving him that look?

“Oh you’re not going to be walking, my dear...” Ghadir said in a low voice. She hunched her back and lifted her hands up. She flexed them, as if excited for something. She gave him the creepiest grin anyone has ever given him. “You’re going to be running.”

At this, something clicked in Howdy’s mind. Hunting... She didn’t mean a game... She meant... His eyes widened in horror, his heart speeding up. His body trembled harder as he watched Ghadir lick her lips, confirming just what she had in mind for him. He shook his head in protest, moving further away from him.

Howdy’s mind filled with fear and horror. Just..just what kind of sick person gets a kick, fun, out of hunting another sentient being? And the way she licked her lips... It was almost like she wanted to eat him... The thought horrified the puppet zoner, chilling his blood. He wanted to run. He wanted to turn and dash away. But fear gripped him, keeping his feet firmly planted on the ground. He couldn’t move. All he could do was watch in horror as the human started to move towards him, her eyes filled with insanity.

“You see, little one... I love the taste of chalk... I love hunting zoners. It’s just a game to me. A game of death.” Ghadir said. She pointed a finger in his direction. “You will make such a...lovely snack..” She moved towards him slowly, laughing coldly as he backed away. She took out a set of gloves, all of them having a sharp claw looking like it was made from real world material. “And with those zoners too preoccupied..no one is going to notice as I pick off such a...tiny and helpless zoner like yourself.”

It felt like a lightning bolt hit in the inside of Howdy’s mind. So that’s what was going on. Ghadir had been responsible for those fireworks. She sent them off to create chaos and distract the zoners. She had them explode in a certain way to ensure that he would be forced to come out here. And while the zoners were busy taking care of the fires and tending to the injured, they would not notice a small zoner missing. Not among that panic. That meant that no one was going to come to his rescue when Ghadir...

He didn’t have time to finish his thought. Suddenly, without warning, Ghadir lunged towards him. He screamed and jumped out of the way. He shuddered as she hit the ground, allowing him to get a sense of just how heavy she was. He moved back quickly as she climbed up to her feet. She rushed towards him and attempted to strike at him with the claws on her right hand. Howdy jumped into the air. As he did so, he got a closer look at the gloves and realized there was a little bit of real world water in them, and a tiny hole in the front. His eyes widened in horror, realizing that these claws were more dangerous than he initially thought. If he got hit...

He dodged another attack, watching in fear as the woman slashed the claws into the dirt, scraping along it. He gave a soft whine as he watched part of the ground dissolve slightly, a result of the real world water touching them. He looked up at Ghadir, low whimpers escaping his mouth. Ghadir licked her lips and ran towards him. Wasting no time, Howdy turned and started to run for his life.

He didn’t dare look back. He just kept running. He could hear that vile woman behind him, cackling as she chased him down. Howdy ran through the foliage and past the trees, hoping to find some place he could hide. He couldn’t simply climb up a tree; Ghadir was a human and thus capable of using the magic chalk. She would just chop the tree down. And hiding in the foliage wouldn’t work; they weren’t thick enough to completely cover him.

He soon came by a set of large trees. He ran in the front and then veered off to the side as fast as he could. He went to the furthest tree and pressed his back against the trunk. He was so tired, so worn. He didn’t know how long he could keep this up. He needed a breather. He put a hand on his chest and breathed in quickly, his tongue hanging out.

Suddenly, a set of claws came his way. He let out a scream as the claws hit against the tree bark. He bent himself down just in time, narrowly escaping getting hit. He watched, his face contorted in fear, as part of the wood began to dissolve, steam rising from it. He backed up a little before turning and running away. Ghadir moved herself to the front of the tree trunk, her fake, clear claws still pressed up against the bark. She gave him a nasty, crue intent filled grin.

“Come back here, little guy!” Ghadir called out to him. “I promise, this will only hurt a lot!” A cold laughter, and she ran after him again.

Howdy ran through the trees, going through narrow passages and through trickier paths in the forest, hoping, in vain, that they would slow the woman down. Though it did a little, he could always hear her laughing, her feet hitting the ground. She was so much larger than him. Each step, she traveled more distance than he ever could. She was gaining on him, making his heart freeze with fear.

His panicking mind was remembering the incident years ago, when he was first created. He had been taken into the real world for a talent show and ended up being chased by some big dog. Dumpster he believed her name was. She had an after him. He remembered how terrified he was of having that dog go after him like that. He had never felt so scared in his life...

...until now. Only it was much worse. This woman was larger than Dumpster and, unlike that dog, she had clear, cruel intentions for him. If he allowed her to catch him, it would be all over. Taking in heavy breaths, he looked briefly behind him, and let out a terrified scream when the woman got close enough to try striking at him again. He jumped up into the air, barely dodging the claws.

“Hold still! It will hurt less if you do!” Ghadir shouted at him. Her claws glinted in the moonlight as she raised them up. She pushed herself to go faster and soon she was upon Howdy again. “Take this, my delicious little meal!” Ghadir struck down with her claws.

Howdy let out a scream as the claws barely grazed him. He tumbled a little, nearly losing his balance. He managed to keep himself from falling down and he veered off in a different direction, going through a somewhat tall patch of grass. He heard Ghadir curse and tumble and he knew that she wasn’t able to turn as fast. He used this opportunity to pick up a little speed, gain a little distance. His heart felt like it was going to explode. His lungs were on fire. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep this up, but he didn’t have a choice.

He could soon hear the woman running after him, but at least he managed to put some distance between him and her. He continued running through the forest. He felt stupid for not running out into the field earlier; he had panicked and just started to run and now it was too late for that. All he could do was keep running and hope he would find safety soon.

Up ahead, he could see a tall, rocky structure with what looked like a path in it. A maze perhaps? Maybe he could lose her in there. A risky move, but he was desperate. He ran as fast as he could, doing his best to keep distance between him and that mad woman. He soon reached the front of the maze. He took a moment to look at its structure. A cross between granite and marble. A bit of quartz too, studded on the sides. Quite the pretty maze. But he didn’t have time to admire its beauty. Taking one last look behind him, Howdy bolted into the rocky maze.

The structure of the maze reminded him of a hedge maze. A simple one, with no open areas. Just even width paths that led in multiple directions. He turned towards the left and ran down that way. He didn’t stop running, not even to think about his decisions. He could hear Ghadir behind him, in the maze now. He could hear her cursing, demanding that he show himself. The frightened little zoner continued to run for his life, terror gripping his mind.

Left turns, right turns, curving around. Howdy did all of this. His choices of which way to go were randomized. There were several times he wanted to stop. But he just kept on going. He was afraid, if he stopped, Ghadir would find him. It sounded like she was close behind. She didn’t seem like he had gained that much distance from her. Then, up ahead, he saw what looked like a taller pathway, the rocky portions raised higher above. Maybe this would lead him out of the maze. He turned into it and headed down that way, breathing heavily.

This new pathway headed straight down and he could see it sharply turned to the left. He ran down, trying to tone down his breathing a little so that Ghadir woudn’t hear him. Soon he reached the corner. He made a sharp turn to the left and ran down...

...only to realize he had come at a dead end. He nearly slammed into the wall, his feet skidding frantically to stop. He stood there in shock, looking left and right to see if this really was a dead end. His body shook a little as he realized it was. He had to go back. He turned around and started to run back down, only to stop when he heard footsteps coming down his way. He shivered in fright and backed away. His heart pounded against his chest as Ghadir appeared before him, grinning evilly at him.

sss

Ah yes, this was great. The adrenaline pumping through her body. The thrill of it all. The screams of her hapless victim.... This all reminded Ghadir of why she loved hunting to so much. Especially something that was...sentient. The little puppet zoner was quite fun to chase. His tiny little form was faster than she had expected. And wandering into the maze... He was pretty clever. She would give him that much credit.

But now was time to end it. The little zoner had made a mistake by going down the wrong tunnel. Ghadir had known that was a dead end. So much for that cleverness. Oh well. Howdy was still fun to chase. He put up a bit more effort than most other small zoners she had hunted. The larger ones usually put up the bigger fights. Howdy might not be able to fight, but he made up for that with being quite fast and agile, even though he was tired and didn’t have as much energy to him. She wondered what he was like when fully rested...

Oh well, she supposed she’ll never figure that out. It’s been fun, but it was time to end this little game. She approached him around the corner and she spotted him about halfway down the deadend hall. She grinned nastily at him and she began to approach him slowly. She chuckled as she watched him scramble to get away from her. The pathetic little zoner tried to climb the walls to get away. He kept slipping and falling. What an idiot.

Ghadir decided to toy with his mind a little and pressed her claws against the wall. She scraped along slowly, creating a screech sound that clearly permeated through the zoner’s soul. He covered his ears, whimpering loudly, showing clear discomfort. She repeated this process, this time with her other hand. The screeching practically echoed off the walls. She smiled as she watched him reacting so negatively to the sound. Just what she wanted... Yes, she loved seeing that reaction.

Soon she was halfway down the pathway. She took her time approaching. She hunched herself forward, flexing her claws in front of herself. She was proud of these claws. They were a childhood idea of hers. Plastic claws filled with real world water. They helpd to deal some damage to these zoners. She didn’t always use them, but for this hunt, since she wanted to kill and eat a small zoner, she put them on. She showed them to Howdy, feeling sick satisfaction as he whimpered and cried in fear. The zoner pressed his back against the wall, his body trembling like a leaf.

“N-No..please...don’t hurt me..” Howdy begged Ghadir. His pupils dilated in fear. “I beg of you..don’t do this.”

Ghadir chuckled as she approached him slowly, drawing out the moment. She watched as he quivered, shrinking into something of a ball up against the wall. He put his arm in front of him in a weak attempt to protect himself. She grinned. Killing this zoner was going to be more fun than she thought it was going to be.

Soon she had him boxed in. He lifted up his head and stared at her. He whimpered loudly and cringed as she lowered her hand towards him. He pushed himself up against the wall even more. Just like she thought, he made no attempt to attack her. It was just not in his nature. Instead, what he did do was beg some more. She loved it when her prey begged. It made the hunt more worthwhile and enjoyable. She licked her lips as she listened to the zoner’s pleas.

“D-Don’t..please..stop... I-I don’t want this... Please let me go..” Howdy pleaded with her. “Please lady... Y-You can’t do this.. Please don’t do this. I-I-I’m not even that tasty.. Too hard to chew..”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m sure you’re divine!” Ghadir sneered at him. She reached down and grabbed him by his throat. She slammed him against the wall as hard as she could, chuckling at his cry of pain. She took her claw and pressed it against his cheek. She slowly cut him, listening to him whimper. A tiny bit of blood leaked out, caking to the tip of her claw. She licked it slowly. “Yes... You taste wonderful. I can’t wait to have more...”

“No!” Howdy struggled against her grasp. His legs kicked wildly in the air. “Let me go! Somebody! Anybody!” Howdy’s panicked, terrified voice filled the air. “Help me!”

Ghadir chuckled, her shoulders shaking, as she watched her prey squirm in her grasp. It made her feel good, accomplished. She loved how frightened he looked, how in charge she really was of his pathetic little life. She was the predator and he was her prey. Drool dripped from her jaws as she savored this moment. She licked her lips, excited to sink her teeth into this little zoner. She leaned in more, getting closer with her mouth, filled with saliva that she knew was going to be quite painful to the zoner.

She decided to stop talking to her prey for now. It was time for her to take action. She opened up her mouth and, without warning, she bit down on Howdy’s left shoulder with her front teeth. The puppet zoner let out a scream of pain. Ghadir bit down as hard as she could, sinking her teeth into his flesh. She ground her jaws into his shoulder, listening to the little zoner’s anguished screams. She had to chew from side to side in order to get her saliva to dissolve more of the zoner. Due to him being so small, this didn’t take long.

Soon, she tore off a chunk of his shoulder out. Howdy let out a bloodcurdling scream as blood began to pool from the fresh wound. Ghadir chomped down on the torn piece of chalk flesh. Yes, this tasted delicious. She loved the look of terror in Howdy’s eyes as he watched her chew a piece of himself. She swallowed loudly and licked her lips. She stared at his bleeding shoulder then into his terrified eyes, and she got an idea.

She bit down into his shoulder again, making him scream once more. She worked her jaws, sawing her teeth through him with the aid of her saliva. She ripped off another piece of his shoulder and used her free hand to grip a small piece of that flesh, careful that it was devoid of her saliva. She looked at the piece before giving Howdy a knowing look. She smirked nastily at him as he seemed to understand what she was going to do. He shook his head in protest as she brought the small piece of his own shoulder to him. Without giving him a chance to verbally protest, she shoved the bloodied, torn flesh straight into his mouth.

Ghadir held his mouth shut, forcing him to swallow. Howdy started to cry softly, tears moving down his cheeks, as he swallowed. He looked up at her, his eyes shining with the silent question of ‘why?’. She laughed cruelly, licking her lips slowly. She loved to psychologically torture her victims, as well as physical. And making him eat a piece of himself... What better why to hurt him mentally than that?

Ghadir wanted to tear him apart now. She wanted to dig her claws into his flesh, cutting him up slowly. She wanted to make sure his death was as slow and as painful as she could make it. She wanted to hear his screams. She wanted to watch him convulse on the ground as she continued cutting him up. He was so small...so innocent... It will be fun breaking him, both mentally and physically.

“Prepare for a lot of pain, my dear little food...” Ghadir said. “I want the song of your screams.”

Howdy shivered in fright. “P-Please...”

“No use begging. You’re mine now.” Ghadir sneered at him. She reached out towards him with those sharp claws. “I am going to enjoy tearing you into shreds, and then eating your remains.” Howdy let out a frightened cry and turned his head to the side, whimpering, tears shining on his face. “Sweet pain, my dear...”

Suddenly, something large and grey boomed through the maze. A grey blur flashed in front of her, making her lose her balance. She fell to the ground, hitting against it heavily. She hit her shoulder hard, and she knew it was going to bruise. She shook her head and lifted her head up. She looked in the direction that grey thing had come from.

To her shock, the grey thing had knocked over a clear hole in the wall...multiple walls. And Howdy had already made a run for it. She could see him staggering, limping away. He was leaving behind a blood trail. She got up to go after him, but realized the hole was too small for her. She’d never got to him in time. He might find help before she could reach him. The realization that she lost her prey made her seethe. Growling, she turned to face who this interloper was.

“Magic chalk! Magic chalk!” The grey figure, who turned out to be a red-haired rat, cried. His voice sounded male...mixed in with a woman’s voice. “I must find the magic chalk!”

“Excuse me! But who are you?” Ghadir asked, tilting her head to the side.

The grey rat looked at her. “I am Boorat!” He raised his nose in the air and sniffed. There was a twinkle in his eye. He rushed over towards her. He stood up onto his hind legs, appearing about her same height. “And you have magic chalk! I can smell it! Give it to me!”

Boorat? Where had she heard that name before? Wait..wasn’t that the rat that Rudy, Penny, and Snap dealt with in the past? She thought she heard some zoners talking about it during one of her previous hunts. If this is the same zoner...

A nasty smile spread across her face. Perhaps this wasn’t going to be such a wasted effort after all. Ghadir took a step towards Boorat. “All right then... I’ll give you the magic chalk. If you do a favor for me that is...”

“What do you want?” Boorat asked, folding his arms. “And what’s in it for me?”

“Oh trust me... You will love this.” Ghadir chuckled. She leaned in closer, folding her arms behind her back. “I want you to bring me something...or someone, actually.”

Boorat tilted his head to one side. “And who did you have in mind?”

Ghadir grinned evilly. She spoke a single name. “Snap.”

sss

Pain...so much pain... and fear... Swirling in his stomach, making him feel sick...

Howdy clutched his shoulder. Blood continued to pour from it. Pain wracked through his small body, making him trouble. It..it hurt so much... It was like getting slobbered all over again. He remembered the shere agony of that. But this...this was worse. At least the licking was over fairly quickly, but this pain wracking through him...it was not going away.

Ghadir had taken to decently sized pieces out of his shoulder. She had nearly ripped his whole arm off in the process. He could barely move his arm now, not without causing himself a lot of pain. Blood continued to flow from it, dripping onto the ground. Loud whimpers emitted from his mouth as he tried to bear the horrific pain radiating off of his ruined shoulder.

His mouth still rank of the aftertaste of himself. He had been so shocked, horrified, and disgusted by what the evil woman made him do. He could still taste that piece of flesh as he it was shoved into his mouth. He could still feel it slithering down his throat. He felt nauseaous just thinking about it. He felt his stomach churn and lurch forward. It took all his will power not to throw up. He held back, shivering as his tongue still tasted some of his own blood in his mouth.

“It’s okay, buddy.. It will be okay..” Snap said as he grabbed onto Howdy’s good arm, letting him lean against him. “You’ll be fine. We promise...”

Howdy took a look around where he was. He was in the cockpit of some hovercraft. There was some man here. Unfamiliar. He was cautious of him and stayed away. Rudy was at the wheel, steering the hovercraft away. Penny and Snap had approached him, and he could see Penny was quickly drawing some medical supplies for him. He looked over at the trio one by one, giving a gratefu, though still terrified, expression.

Not long after Howdy managed to get out of the cave thanks to the timing of that grey rat, he noticed a hovercraft above him. And they had apparently noticed him. He was quickly grabbed, firmly but gently, by a metal claw. After what he had been through, naturally he panicked. He only calmed down upon entering the hovercraft and realizing it was Rudy, Penny, and Snap, plus some man he didn’t know. He was so relieved. He felt his initial fear start to melt away, but he was still afraid. So very afraid..

“Howdy...what happened...?” Penny asked, concern laced on her voice.

Howdy didn’t reply. He couldn’t reply. His body shook, his mind flashing with images of that vile, insane woman. Tears flowed down his face. He turned to Snap, the closest one to him, and just held onto him with his good arm. Howdy pressed his face against Snap’s chest and cried into it. Snap held onto him gently, rubbing his back in an attempt to soothe him.

Penny looked at him sympathetically. She looked over at Rudy and said, “We’ll need to take Howdy to the hospital before we go. I’ll treat him the best I can, but this wound..it’s too big and open for me to handle on my own. But I’ll do everything I can for him.”

Rudy was silent for a moment. Then he spoke, his voice heavy with sadness. “Do..you think he’ll be okay?”

“With proper treatment, yes. But his shoulder will take a while to heal.” Penny said.

“I wonder what happened to him...” Rudy pondered sadly. “But he’s too shaken up right now to speak. We’ll have to ask him a bit later when he’s calmed down. Help him anyway you can. I’ll head to the nearest hospital.”

Penny nodded her head and, taking the medical supplies she just drew, she walked over towards Howdy. She knelt down on the ground, onto her knees. She looked at Howdy sympathetically, watching him as he sobbed, Snap holding onto him and whispering soft words to him. Penny bit her lip, tears of her own forming. What happened to Howdy? Who could have done this? How would have been cruel enough to hurt him in this way? Poor little guy...

“Howdy...” Penny said gently. The puppet zoner looked up at her, sniffling. “I’m going to treat your wound, okay? I’ll be as gentle as I can. Please..come over here...”

Though Howdy looked reluctant, which she didn’t blame him for given the pain he was already in, the puppet zoner did let go of Snap and staggered towards her. Penny’s heart clenched as she watched the way he walked. All that wobbling.... It was clear the poor guy was in so much pain. So much pain....

Penny raised a dampened cloth and brought it over to Howdy’s shoulder. “Hold still..”


	108. From Bad To Worse

Rudy landed the hovercraft not far from where the hospital was located. He lowered it to the ground gently and turned it off. The machine hummed as it powered down. The lights inside the cockpit went out, but the day zone sun made it easy for them to see where they were. The door automatically opened, the ground being not too far down so they could just jump out.

But nobody exited the vehicle. Not yet. Instead, all eyes turned to the frightened puppet zoner. Rudy looked at him, his heart aching. Of all the things they thought they would run into when they were leaving, a badly wounded Howdy certainly was not one of them. He couldn’t believe it. He was in absolute shock when he saw how badly hurt Howdy was. Who...who did this to him? And why? He wanted to get Howdy to talk. He wanted to know what happened, but right now the puppet zoner was so traumatized... he didn’t think he’d get a word in edgewise.

Penny was finishing up his bandages right now. They weren’t the best, but they would still be good enough to hold Howdy until he could get the shoulder looked at. Who knows how long he’d have to wait in the hospital, and having an open wound like that for too long was always a bad idea... He was glad that she was able to help him feel a little better in terms of that injury. He was still clearly in pain, but it wasn’t as bad as it was when they first found him. Rudy felt relieved to see the wound covered up now, instead of open and raw like it was before.

After Penny finished up with the bandages, the little puppet zoner had leaned up against her, wrapping his right arm around her. He hugged her tightly, small whimpers wracking through his body. Penny gently held onto him, lifting him up into her arms and cradling him. She carefully avoided his damaged shoulder. She whispered soft, comforting words to him. Snap took a few steps forward and gently ran his hand along the top of Howdy’s head.

Rudy looked at the puppet zoner with sympathy. He could feel a sharp pang in his stomach every time Howdy let out a cry of anguish. He...he was really torn up. Not just physically, but mentally to. Whatever happened to him must have been really horrifying. How had he obtained that wound? What was he doing in the middle of a forest like that? Howdy wasn’t the type of zoner to stray far from others unless he was going home, and Howdy’s place was nowhere near there.

Mr. Longhorn stood off to the side. He hadn’t really said a word during this whole situation, which did not surprise Rudy. Just what was this man supposed to say to this? He knew nothing about what as going on, or at least not as much as they did. Even if Longhorn tried to offer some comfort to Howdy, even if he could find the words to speak, it wasn’t like Howdy was going to let him get that close. The zoner was so traumatized that he had cringed at the sight of Longhorn. And that wasn’t like Howdy. He was generally friendly with anyone; to get that reaction, that person had to have done something bad to him, and Rudy didn’t think Mr. Longhorn did anything.

Rudy’s eyes widened slightly. Mr. Longhorn may not have done something, but perhaps someone else did. Maybe another human... Of course, why didn’t he realize it earlier? Those three black chalk artists... Had they been responsible for Howdy’s injury? Were they the reason he was so scared...?

These thoughts running through his mind, hearing Howdy’s soft crying, Rudy felt his stomach churn, a burning sensation running through it. He formed a fist with his hand and growled faintly. If those three were responsible... They were going to pay... He would make them pay for this. Howdy hadn’t done a blasted thing to him. He was so small, so nice, so innocent... How could anyone hurt him like this? How could anyone torment someone so...heartlessly...?

Rudy took a few steps towards Howdy. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he took care not to make himself appear aggressive. He took in a deep breath. He knew that now might not be the best time for this, but the sooner Howdy spoke about this, the better. Once they figured out what happened, they could then proceed to try to make things right. They could better comfort him and reassure him, and once they knew what the threat was, they could have an easier time protecting him and making sure it didn’t happen again.

“Howdy...” Rudy said gently. The puppet zoner looked up at him. Rudy bit his lip and took a step towards him. “I...I know you’re still scared, but please...can you tell us what happened to you?”

Howdy’s reaction did not surprise anyone. The puppet zoner whimpered softly and more tears flowed down his face. He pressed himself further against Penny, like he was seeking protection from some invisible enemy. Rudy’s expression softed up and he felt a few tears escaping his eyes. Poor Howdy... The sight of the zoner reacting this way made him even more determined to find out the identity of his assailant.

“It will be okay, Howdy.” Rudy said, giving him a sympathetic look. “You don’t have to go into detail... Please tell us who did this to you, and we will make sure they never hurt you again.”

Howdy’s body shook hard. He attempted to speak, but at first, all that he could manage were nonsense words. It took the zoner a little time before he managed to say something coherent. “A-Are you sure...? Wh-What if she...” His voice cracked with emotion. He took in a loud sniffle, a quick sob escaping his mouth. “She kept on... I don’t know if even you can...”

“Now now, little buddy..whoever this person was, she isn’t here right now.” Snap said in a soothing force. He continued to gently rub the top of the puppet’s head, giving him the best smile he could offer. “You can talk to us. She’s not going to come get you.”

Howdy gave Snap a look that one could translate as ‘are you sure?’. Snap continued to smile at him. Rudy could see a bit of faltering; Snap was doing his best to make Howdy happy, but he could tell it was difficult for Snap to do so. Without any knowledge of who did this, and just what happened, how were any of them going to be able to make things better for Howdy? Rudy hoped that Howdy would find the courage to speak up.

“We will keep you safe.” Penny said, smiling gently at the zoner. “Please, talk to us.” Howdy stared up Penny, his lower lip quivering. Then Howdy looked over to the side and his eyes widened in horror. Penny turned her head and saw Mr. Longhorn approaching slowly. Howdy whimpered and pressed himself further against Penny, trying to get away from the man. “Howdy, this is Mr. Longhorn. He’s not going to hurt you.”

“I thought she wasn’t going to hurt me, but...” Howdy’s voice trailed off as he started to cry a little harder. “She kept chasing me....tried to rip me apart...”

Mr. Longhorn gave him a sympathetic look. “I didn’t mean to scare him. Should I...head back?”

“Yeah...at least for now.” Penny said. She rubbed Howdy’s back gently. “I know you want to help in some way, but he’s too scared to let you close to him.”

“I understand. Whatever happened to him...I’m sure if it happened to me, I wouldn’t be so quick to trust myself.” Mr. Longhorn said, biting his lip. He moved away from the group, standing in one of the corner regions, the same place he was in before. And there he remained.

Rudy was saddened by this. He wished Mr. Longhorn could offer some help. He looked like he did want to do something. The way he looked at Howdy did suggest he saw him as a person, not just as a chalk drawing come to life like most people would. Okay so zoners were chalk drawings, but they were more than that. He wished that the black chalk artists could see that. He wished that everyone who got exposed to ChalkZone would see that. But sadly, too many people would just treat zoners like dirt for not being human. He was glad that Mr. Longhorn didn’t seem to fall under that category of people.

Rudy turned his attention back to Howdy, watching him as he cried. The crying got a little softer now. Howdy did start to calm down, but just a little. He hoped that Howdy would be able to talk to them soon. The doctors were going to want to know what happened to him. The more they knew, the better they would be at treating him. Snap was going to go with him; he needed hospital treatment as well. If they find out what happened, Snap could go with Howdy and explain to the doctors what happened to him. That way, Howdy wouldn’t have to repeat himself.

The eighteen year old moved in closer, making sure to go slow as to not startle the little zoner. He soon was right to him, standing next to Penny and in front of Snap. He, carefully, ignoring the pain the best he could, went down onto his knees. His eyes focused on the zoner, his expression softening up even more. “Howdy...please...what happened? I know you are frightened, but please...try to tell us. We want to help you.”

“Who did this to you?” Snap asked. He leaned a little against Howdy, attempting to help the puppet zoner feel better. “Tell us, and we will do what we can to make it better. We promise.”

“Yeah, Howdy. It will be all right... We promise it will be okay.” Penny said soothingly, gently rubbing his back some more. “We will make sure they can’t get to you again.”

Howdy did not respond. He just hugged Penny as tightly as he could with his right arm. He looked at each of them, an uncertain look plastered across his face. A look that showed just how scared and traumatized he was. All they knew about his attacker was that they were female and possibly human. But his attacker might not even be human. What if she was someone completely different, a new threat they needed to worry about?

They hoped that wasn’t the case. The last thing they need right now is another threat to worry about. There was already so much going on with Nihilanth and the black chalk artists. To know that there might be another danger out there...it made their stomachs churn, filling with dread. They didn’t know how they were going to handle yet another threat. It was like ChalkZone was being attacked at multiple angles. They could only stretch themselves out so far.

As Howdy continued to cry, Rudy realized that Howdy may not reply. And he couldn’t blame him. He was obviously too scared. If they push him too hard, they might make things worse for him. He had to figure out another way to get him to answer that wouldn’t involve too much talking. He had an idea of who it might be. And it would be easy figuring out if it turned out to be true. It would just take a couple of yes and no questions. Howdy didn’t even need to talk; he would just need to nod or shake his head as a response.

Rudy reached out and touched Howdy on his uninjured right shoulder. “Would it make you feel better if I just asked you a couple yes or no questions? That way, you don’t have to speak if you don’t want to.”

Howdy shuddered and gave a small whimper. Then he nodded his head slowly.

Rudy cleared his throat, preparing a small list of questions. If his hunch was right, they would learn the identity of his attacker and, perhaps, their motivation. “Was your attacker a human?” To none of their surprise, Howdy nodded his head shakingly. That definitely explained his uneasy reaction to Mr. Longhorn. “Your attacker was a woman, right?” Another nod of the head. “Okay, next question. Was your attacker one of the black chalk artists?”

At this, Howdy didn’t nod or shake his head, but instead he shrugged. This made Rudy realize that Howdy might have been out of the loop kind of. He might have been somewhat aware of troubles going on, but he might not fully understand who the black chalk artists were. Rudy was certain, though, that it was one of the black chalk artists who did this to him. Tyreek was ruled out, leaving Jenny and Ghadir. Although he hadn’t want to bring up their names for fear of frightening Howdy too much, the boy knew that was the best way to figure out who did this.

“There are three black chalk artists. They have been causing trouble across ChalkZone for some time now. Don’t worry, me and my friends will do whatever it takes to stop them.” Rudy said, doing his best to sound as reassuring as possible. “Their names are Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir.”

At the mention of the last name, Howdy let out a cry of fear. He scrambled against Penny, holding onto her for dear life. At this, Rudy and his friends looked at each other. The way he reacted to the name ‘Ghadir’... Something clicked in Rudy’s mind. Without even having to ask again, Rudy knew..his friends knew... Ghadir was the one who did this to him. She had to be the one. Why else would Howdy react like this? Why else would he act so..scared and frightened at the mere mention of her name? Just what...what had she done to him...?

Rudy’s eyes rested on Howdy’s injured shoulder. Seeing the bandaged wound made his mind reel back a little, thinking of an incident that occurred before they had even figured out about the whole ‘flesh to chalk’ disease that he had been previously plagued with. He recalled how Snap’s treehouse was attacked by Ghadir. The large woman had just...showed up and wrecked the place, and then she had taunted him about eating Snap.

With that thought in mind, something clicked in Rudy’s head. He continued to stare at the wound. He wondered... Could Ghadir have done this to him? His mind flooded with thoughts of those horrific words she spoke to him and Snap. Those taunting, terrible words and those actions... Touching Snap all over like he was just a hunk of meat. And the way she said she would start tearing out pieces of him...

“Howdy...” Rudy said, biting his lip. His eyes did not stray from his shoulder. “Did Ghadir..do that to you...?”

Howdy nodded his head quickly. He took in a shuddering breath and, his voice cracked with emotion, he spoke. “Y-Yes...she did... Sh-She bit me..” His voice trailed off and he started to cry harder.

Horror swept through the group. Everything fell into place. Suddenly, it all made sense. The three friends rapidly pieced together the fragments of the puzzle, getting an idea of just what had happened. Although they didn’t know all the details, they knew enough to get an idea of what happened to poor Howdy.

Ghadir had targeted him. She had made it known to Rudy, Penny, and Snap that she liked to eat zoners. None of them would put it past her to hunt zoners. She was already cruel enough to do so. She must have weeded Howdy away from other zoners some how and hunted him down. She chased him all the way out there and caught him. She bit into his shoulder and had started to eat him while he was alive. The realization of all this horrified and disgusted the trio. How dare she do something like that to such an innocent zoner... What did Howdy do to deserve something like that?

No doubt she tormented him mentally, too. They knew Ghadir well enough to know that she would have toyed with Howdy while she had him captured. They couldn’t begin to imagine just what she put him through. What more had she done to him? Just what did she say to him? How long had she been chasing him? All these questions swirled their minds.

Anger boiled in their minds. Ghadir had done disgusting things before, but this was one of the worst. Deliberately targeting and attacking a small and friendly zoner like Howdy... Tormenting him mentally, eating him alive... That was truly disgusting. He was even smaller than Snap and not even a fighter. Howdy couldn’t defend himself well even if he tried. Ghadir was at an unfair advantage. And she still chased him because of how helpess she would have seen him. The trio wouldn’t be surprised if his small size, friendliness, and nonaggresive nature were the primary reasons she went after him. She was a horrible, vile woman...

But Rudy understood they couldn’t stay on the subject for long. As angry as he was, as much as he wanted to go find Ghadir right now and find a way to stop her horrendeous hunting activities, he knew that he and his friends couldn’t do much right now. They needed to get Howdy into that hospital, along with Snap. And then he and Penny had to go into the real world to get treated. They needed to allow time for their wounds to heal a little. And during this time, he could make plans with Penny on what they should do so they weren’t blindly rushing into anything.

Rudy stared at the sobbing Howdy sympathetically. He leaned a little closer to him and spoke in the most reassuring voice he could muster. “We promise, Howdy, Ghadir will never hurt you again. You’ll be safe...” Howdy looked up at him. Rudy felt his heart break at the sight of those saddened eyes.

Penny said sadly, “Come on...you need to get into the hospital now.”

Snap grabbed onto Howdy’s arm. “It will be all right, buddy.. You’ll see. The doctors will patch you up and you will be okay.”

Howdy didn’t say a word. He just leaned against Snap, pressing his body against him for comfort. Snap gave a quick sad look to Rudy and Penny before he began to gently guide Howdy towards the door of the hovercraft. The blue zoner was very gentle, going slowly so Howdy could keep up without staggering. He held onto his arm firmly but gently. Rudy and Penny watched as Snap let go of Howdy, jumped out of the hovercraft, and then held his arms out, signaling for the puppet zoner to follow suit.

Howdy hestitated, but he soon jumped out with Snap. The superhero zoner managed to catch him and steadied him carefully. Howdy cried out in pain from his shoulder injury accidentally being irritated. Snap whispered a few quick ‘I’m sorry’ statements and managed to calm him down. He then continued to guide Howdy towards the hospital. Rudy and Penny didn’t close the door until they saw them walk straight into the hospital. Satisfied that their two friends were safe and sound in the hospital, Rudy and Penny shut the hovercraft door.

Mr. Longhorn asked somewhat hesitantly, “So...what are we going to do now?”

Rudy looked over at him. He said, “We’re going back to the real world. Penny and I need to get to the hospital to get treated.” He eyed Mr. Longhorn up and down. “And so do you. Nihilanth did a number on you.”

“And after that?” Mr. Longhorn asked.

Rudy was about to answer, but Penny beat him to it.

“We were given three days tops, so we will use that time to recover a little and then discuss our next course of action. If you want to help us, you’re more than welcome to. We could use the extra hand.” Penny explained, making some gestures with her hand as she spoke. “But please, do not let a word of this get out. It is crucial that you do not tell anyone about ChalkZone.”

“I know.” Mr. Longhorn replied.

Rudy and Penny looked at each other. They were surprised by this response.

“You...you do...?” Rudy asked hesitantly.

Mr. Longhorn nodded his head. “Yes. That little girl...Sophie, she’s the one who told me about how I shouldn’t blab to anyone about ChalkZone.” He took a step forward towards the two teenagers. “So don’t worry; it’s already been relayed to me.”

Rudy blinked a few times. Sophie had told him about ChalkZone? But why? She knew the dangers of doing so. It wasn’t like her to slip up and just spill the beans to someone. He tried not to be upset with his little cousin, especially since she, along with his aunt and so many zoners, were now prisoners of Nihilanth. And she had lost a portion of her leg... Now just wasn’t a good time for him to be angry with her.

But he still couldn’t understand why she told him. There had to be a reason, though. Maybe Mr. Longhorn stumbled upon ChalkZone and he had no choice but to tell him. If he had seen ChalkZone or some evidence for it himself and Sophie had no way of stopping him... Yeah he could see why she would tell him some things about ChalkZone. Once someone saw proof of this world’s existence, it would be very hard for any of them to convince them that it wasn’t real. Rudy was grateful that only Mr. Longhorn seemed to have found out. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if a whole group of people found out. That would be a nightmare...

Rudy tried to push those thoughts aside. He shouldn’t think too much about what might be. He shouldn’t worry, right now, about what didn’t happen. He should just focus on the now, on what he knew was happening, and what he knew they should do. They needed to head back and get themselves treated. They...

Penny spoke up, cutting off his thoughts.

“When did Sophie tell you this?” Penny asked.

Mr. Longhorn did not hesitate to answer. “She told me after I rescued her.”

Rudy’s eyes widened at this. He looked over at Penny, noting her shocked expression. He stared at Mr. Longhorn disbelievingly. “You...rescued her?” Mr. Longhorn nodded his head. “From...from who?”

“The black chalk artists.” Mr. Longhorn replied. “As well as her mother.”

Rudy couldn’t believe it. A sense of horror filled his stomach. His aunt and cousin...they had been captured by the black chalk artists... Possibly tortured and tormented, and he didn’t know anything about it. When did this happen? How long did it happen? What did those evil artists want with them? Questions swirled through his head, making his brain hurt.

Rudy’s mind reeled as he recalled seeing other injuries on Sophie. Ones that he didn’t think could have been caused by a rock falling on her. Those gashes he saw on her body... Were...were they given to her by the black chalk artists? And his aunt looked injured as well. Were her injuries the result of the cruelty of the black chalk artists? His body trembled with emotion, a sickening feeling filling his gut. As if Howdy getting terrorized by Ghadir wasn’t bad enough... Two of his family members had also been tormented by these vile people... And he didn’t know about it.

Rudy wasn’t sure what Mr. Longhorn wold know about what happened. Though he knew that he should be heading back to his place now, he needed to know what happened to Tilly and Sophie. He needed to know what this horrible monsters did to his family members. What had those two been through that he hadn’t been able to stop, that he didn’t know anything about?

After a few moments of silence, Rudy took a step towards Mr. Longhorn. “Can you explain to us what happened?”

Mr. Longhorn nodded his head. “Certainly. I’m sure there’s some things I don’t know...”

“That’s okay. Just whatever information you can provide would be fine.” Penny said. “But do make it quick.” She looked around nervously. “I don’t want to get our hopes up that we won’t be attacked...”

Rudy knew Penny was right. Even if Nihilanth didn’t attack them, there was no telling if the black chalk artists won’t make a move. Even though they might be in league with Nihilanth, there was still a chance that one of the three might decide to do something on their own. Ghadir was the biggest candidate for rogue activities. If she decided to come after them out of anger of taking away her ‘lunch’...

“I’ll give you the quickest version I can provide.” Mr. Longhorn said. With that, the man began to explain his encounter with the black chalk artists.

sss

Snap looked down at Howdy sympathetically. The puppet zoner leaned against him for comfort. Snap slung his arm around him gently, carefully avoiding his wounded shoulder.

“It’s okay, Howdy...” Snap whispered in a soft, gentle voice. “You will be okay...”

Howdy’s body trembled in fear and pain. Tears still flowed from his eyes. He looked up at Snap, his teeth gritted as his face glistened with tears. “Are you sure, Snap...? She’s not going to come get me again...?”

Snap wasn’t sure if Ghadir would not attack. He had no idea where that awful woman was now. For all he knew, she may have followed them to the hospital. He wouldn’t put it past her to do something so horrible, so disgusting... But he didn’t want to say that to Howdy. He didn’t want to freak him out anymore than he already was. The poor guy was traumatized. The last thing he needed right now was more anxiety eating away at him. He wanted to cheer him up, help him feel better. He couldn’t lie either, but what he had to say next, he didn’t have to make up.

“If she does, I’ll protect you from her.” Snap said reassuringly. He pressed his face against Howdy’s gently. “I promise, she won’t be able to get to you again. If she hurts you, I will hurt her back. I will keep her from getting to you. I promise.”

Snap normally did not threaten to harm someone else. He was not an aggressive zoner, and deliberately hurting someone was not something he liked to do. But when it came to protecting his friends, he would do whatever it took. If he had to attack Ghadir, he would. He was not afraid to inflict harm if it meant saving someone he cared about. And unlike Ghadir, Snap would not go that far. He would not try to kill, nor would he torture. He was not like that bitch.

Howdy looked uncertain. Snap couldn’t blame him. After what happened to him, he’d be on edge, too. Snap could really sympathize with Howdy not just because he was attacked, but because he ws harmed by someone who hurt him as well. Snap had a nasty encounter with that woman before, and she knows how scary and frightening she was. It didn’t help that she loved to eat zoners and had a taste for chalk. An enemy who wanted to eat him was one of the most terrifying things he had encountered.

“You’ll protect me? You promise...?” Howdy whimpered softly, grabbing onto Snap’s arm with his right hand.

Snap nodded his head. “I promise. She won’t hurt you again.” He gently gripped Howdy’s hand in his. “If she shows her face, she will have to get through me first. I’ll make her regret she ever laid a hand on you.”

Howdy gave a few sniffles and then, slowly, smiled. Snap felt his chest well up with positive emotion. Seeing Howdy smile after what happened to him... that made him feel happy. It told him that Howdy started to recover a little mentally from the torment Ghadir put him through. He hoped, in time, Howdy would continue to recover, not just physically, but mentally as well. He pulled the zoner a little closer to him, smiling back and helping him feel safe.

They were in the waiting room in the hospital right now. He had just finished signing their names and grabbing a number. He told the receptionist that he and Howdy were together, so he only needed to grab one number. He didn’t want to leave the little zoner’s side. He needed to stay with someone he could trust for a while. He was so shaken up by his experience... Snap would feel horrible if he let Howdy be taken into a room by himself. Even if there were doctors in there, he knew the puppet zoner would feel safe if he stuck with him.

The receptionist said it shouldn’t take long for the doctors to get to him. Something about it only taking maybe ten minutes or so. Snap hoped she was right. The longer he saw Howdy wincing and writhing in pain, even if it wasn’t as pronounced as before, made his heart tug even tighter. Howdy was not as badly injured as he was, but he still felt more concern for Howdy than he did for himself. That was just the kind of zoner he was. He looked up at the time and winced when he saw only five minutes passed. It felt so much longer. Why does time have to come to a crawl during important moments like this?

His mind wandered as they waited. He tried to think of how they were going to face off against Nihilanth. The guy had the power to create things in midair... How were they going to deal with that? Rudy and Penny could use the magic chalk, but they were limited by how much of the chalk they had left. If they ran out of chalk during the fight, then they were left defenseless. Nihilanth had no such limitations. He seemed like he could create at any time if he really wanted to, and he could create faster.

But he had to have some kind of weakness. Despite his claim of being a deity, Snap knew he was not perfect. Like everyone else, he had to have a weak spot somewhere. An area where they could strike and take him down. It was not going to be easy, he knew, but a way had to exist. And once they found that way, they could deal with this monster. Destroying both ChalkZone and the real world was a terrifying and horrific thing to do. Snap was not going to let him do such a thing without a fight, and he knew his friends felt the same way. If that evil dragon wanted to commit such a heinous act, he was going to need to go through them first.

And then there was the black chalk artists. They needed to be dealt with as well. Snap knew the best way to beat them was to destroy the black chalk. Figuring out a way to do that was going to be hard. He and his friends weren’t even certain of a way to destroy the black chalk. But he knew that, somehow, there had to be a way. There had to be a way to stop this stuff. Taking care of the black chalk would in turn take care of the other problems. If they found a way to destroy it completely, utterly, perhaps...just perhaps, they could make the black chalk lose its grasp on any artist it had corrupted in the past.

Snap knew the chances of that might be low. He recalled how corruption was permanent. But then, that was because a bit of black chalk remained inside of them, dormant and ready to reactivate. If they found a way to destroy black chalk completely, then perhaps any artist who was corrupted would be cured. Maybe Jenny, Ghadir, and Tyreek would revert back to the way they were before the corruption. Even if they were still jerks, they would at least not be as bad as they are now. And with no more artists to create and spread black chalk...

It would finally be over. The idea sounded so strange, so foreign to Snap. After all the trouble they had been through regarding this stuff, it felt almost...strange, that there might exist a way to erase this problem for good, to destroy the black chalk so it can never do harm ever again. Such a goal felt almost like a..fantasy, a dream that could never be reached. But he and his friends accomplished the impossible before. Surely, they would, somehow, someway, manage to accomplish this.

“Number twenty four?” A voice suddenly called out. Snap looked over and saw a female humanoid zoner peering through the door. “Twenty four, you may come in now.”

Snap looked at the small item in his hand that had his number on it. Twenty four... The same one that was called. He gently nudged Howdy. The puppet zoner looked up at him and, without having to say a word, he immediately understood what he wanted. Snap got out of the seat. He helped Howdy walk, despite the fact that Snap had a worse time walking. Being gentle, he held onto Howdy and guided him to where the doctor was. He and Howdy disappeared through the door, the female doctor watching them as they went. After they entered, she shut the door behind them and proceeded to guide them down the hallway.

“You two can wait in there. Dr. Lancer will be with you shortly.” The woman doctor said, motioning with her arm towards the third door on the left.

“Thanks.” Snap said.

He and Howdy headed towards the room. He opened up the door and entered inside. After Howdy came in with him, he shut the door behind him. Howdy and Snap headed towards the chairs and they sat down together, waiting for the doctor to come in to see them.

sss

It hadn’t taken the two teenagers long to get to Rudy’s place. Rudy had thought about dropping Penny off first, but Penny thought it would be better if they both went through Rudy’s house. It was closer and she didn’t see a reason why Rudy had to drive to her place, drop her off, and come back. Plus, they were going to the same place anyway, so why split up?

Penny wondered if their folks would be back by now. It had been several hours. That was more than enough time for ChalkZone to get exposed, but so far, she hadn’t really noticed anything strange in ChalkZone. At least, nothing outside of what they were already dealing with. Given how many hours it’s been, and considering Terry’s general competence, she was certain that she and their folks managed to stop Vinnie from exposing ChalkZone.

Penny still felt some guilt from not telling Rudy and Snap earlier. Yeah so much stuff was going on, but she felt that she should have still said something. During their momentary downtimes, she should have been able to say something. She should have spoken up before so they would be more prepared, no surprises.

She was glad that, for the most part, everything seemed to be okay. She didn’t see any humans trying to force their way into ChalkZone. There was no invasion, no troops coming in, no crazy people trying to take over. If Vinnie succeeded in exposing ChalkZone, surely something like that would have happened. But it didn’t. She felt a sense of relief wash through her body. Either their folks succeeded or they were busy holding Vinnie back somehow.

The knowledge that they didn’t have to worry about ChalkZone being exposed was definitely welcome news. With all the bad things that happened, they definitely needed a bit of good news. Something positive for once. Now if only more things would go their way...

“Penny, we’re here.” Rudy said, cutting her from her thoughts. The boy looked over at her, his face filled with determination. “Let’s get going. The sooner we get treated, the better.”

Penny nodded her head in agreement. “I’m coming, Rudy.”

The door to the hovercraft had already opened up. Penny watched as Rudy walked over to the edge of the craft. He jumped off. She could hear him cry out in pain. She rushed over to make sure he was okay. She was relieved to see that he was standing up now. He looked a little bit in pain, but he was no worse for wear. He used his hand to gesture to her to follow.

Penny had to be careful. Her damaged right leg was going to give her problems. She couldn’t simply jump down. She instead sat down like she were on a large seat. She then pushed herself until she slid off. She fell to the ground. She cried out in pain as her feet hit the ground. She staggered to her right as her leg echoed with pain. Rudy rushed over and grabbed onto her right arm. He held onto her until she was able to regain her balance. Once she did, the two of them headed over to where the portal would be placed.

As they went over, Penny’s mind went to what happened recently. Not just with Howdy, but to Tilly and Sophie, Rapsheeba and Blocky, the Luminos, all captured and stored in that...that thing Nihilanth wore. She had no idea if she could trust the dragon’s word or not that they’d be fine. Or did he even say that? He might toy with them while they were gone and, given what he was capable of, she didn’t want to know what he might do to them. Her body shuddered just thinking about it.

She hoped that they would be fine. She hoped that Nihilanth won’t do anything more to them. She hoped that he would not get bored of waiting and play with his victims in the meantime. She would feel horrible if she was not there to help them, if that happened. Even though she understood it wouldn’t be her fault, she’d still feel guilty about it. And she knew that Rudy would feel the same way, possibly more given that two of his family members were also trapped. She understood how he still felt guilty about what happened to Sophie, and knowing that she had her leg crushed... It brought back horrible memories for him.

He felt a little worse still after Mr. Longhorn told them what he knew. Apparently Tilly and Sophie had been kidnapped by the black chalk artists. Longhorn wasn’t sure why but he mentioned he thought Tilly or Sophie told him how Jenny tried to corrupt Tilly. The thought horrified her and Rudy. The black chalk artists had tried to turn a family member against them. A spy in the midst, to keep an eye on them.

And Sophie had been tortured... The girl had told the man about what Tyreek had done to her, how he cut her up just for the ‘fun’ of it. The realization that Sophie had been cut up made Rudy remember how the same thing happened to her before, when she and Snap were interrogated. Penny tried to help Rudy realize it wasn’t his fault, that he couldn’t have known about this second kidnaping. But Rudy still felt bad about it.

Rudy and Penny were also informed of a captured zoner. Quet they believed his name was. He had been captured and taken prisoner for an unknown purpose. They had no idea what they wanted with him, but they knew it was nothing good. They were relieved that Quet, though injured, had been taken to the hospital. And from there, Skrawl had sent them to the Luminos hideout. Penny was amazed that the jellybean figured out where the hideout was. She had no idea how he found out, but nonetheless, it was a good thing he did. If he hadn’t done that, she didn’t know if they could have gotten out of the ruined hideout at all.

She and Rudy were grateful to Mr. Longhorn as well. He had found Tilly and Sophie when no one else would have been looking for them. He had been able to offer assistance that those two thought they never would have recieved. He had taken on the black chalk artists, beaten them in a fight, and got those two, as well as Quet, out of there. Rudy and Penny appreciated his help and were glad that he turned out to be an ally. They certainly needed as many allies as they could find in this. They had never faced a greater threat before.

Mr. Longhorn had been dropped off earlier. Rudy went to a different location first, near where Mr. Longhorn lived, and created a portal for him. This wasn’t a decision she or Rudy made; Mr. Longhorn insisted on it. She was with Rudy on this one. She didn’t know why he wanted them to drop him off somewhere else. She supposed he had his reasons. Maybe he wanted to get his insurance card or something for the hospital visit. Whatever the reason, they dropped him off at his place before heading here. She hoped he would be okay.

Rudy took out his magic chalk and began to draw a staircase up into the air. He then pressed it against the air and drew around, producing a portal. A brief flash of light, and the portal was complete. Rudy turned to her and gestured for her to come up. Penny did so, climbing up each step, and soon she stood on the step right behind him.

“Do you...think our folks are back?” Rudy asked out of the blue. Penny stared at him. “I mean, I can’t shake off this feeling that...something might go wrong...”

Penny looked at him sympathetically. She understood how he felt. Even though nothing bad happened to ChalkZone related to the possible exposure yet, the fact that there was a probable one at all was frightening. She didn’t know what she could say to cheer him up. She didn’t even know how to cheer herself up. But she had to try.

“I’m sure everything is fine, Rudy. Maybe our parents are waiting for us now.” Penny said with a smile on her face. “They might be worried about us. We should go greet them and tell them everything that has happened. They need to know about what’s going on.”

“Yeah...plus I’m sure my parents would love to know that the stupid chalk disease Jenny gave me is gone now.” Rudy said, forcing himself to smile.

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah, I’m sure they will be. Let’s get going.”

Rudy was the first one to go through the portal. He pushed his head through and reached in with his arms to pull himself into his room. Then, without warning, Rudy suddenly lurched forward at a faster rate than Penny ever saw him go. She wondered if he had tripped.

“Rudy? Are you okay?” Penny called out.

No answer.

Penny felt her heart clench a little. “Rudy? Answer me!”

Still no answer. Just silence.

“Rudy!” Penny’s breathing quickened. Just what had happened? Did he trip and fall and hurt himself? Did he see something horrifying? Why wasn’t he answering her? “Come on, Rudy! This isn’t the time to joke!” When Rudy still didn’t answer, she put her head through the hole to see what the problem was. And what she saw horrified her.

Gathered in Rudy’s room were five men dressed in dark suits. One of them held onto Rudy, covering his mouth so he couldn’t speak. Rudy looked at her with wide, horrified eyes. He was struggling to get free, but the man holding him was too strong for him. All five of the men were looking straight at her. The horrific realization that these men had just seen proof of ChalkZone barely had time to register in Penny’s mind when one of the men grabbed her and pulled her out of the portal roughly, uncaring of her injuries.

Penny tried to scream for help, but the man holding her covered her mouth. All she could let out were a few muffled cries. She looked around, her mind having a hard time registering just what was going on. Her heart beat quickly, dread filling her body. This...this had to be a nightmare. It just had to. This couldn’t be happening. She looked over at Rudy, and she could see the terror, somewhat hopeless expression shining in his eyes. The two of them still tried to escape, but a tight squeeze, a gasp for breath, and they stopped struggling.

One of the other three men pointed over to Rudy’s chalkboard. “Take the chalkboard with. Mr. Pierce will be pleased to have a working portal he can use.”

Rudy and Penny watched in horror as the two men walked over to the chalkboard. They stood on either side of it and grabbed it. They lifted it up and began to carry it out of the room. Rudy and Penny looked at each other, tears forming in their eyes. They couldn’t believe this was happening.. After all they were going through, why did this also have to happen...? Now, even if they stopped Nihilanth, ChalkZone wasn’t safe anymore...

The man that spoke before turned his attention to the two teenagers. He gave them both a nasty smile as he walked up to them. “You really should have thought things through before you just used your fancy portals whilly nilly. Oh well, we would have found a way to catch you anyhow.” He smirked as the teenagers glared at him. “I will relinquish you two of your magic chalk. You won’t be needing it anymore.”

At this, the two teenagers struggled to get free, trying so hard to keep the man away from them. Rudy let out loud muffled cries of protest as the man grabbed onto his hand, where the magic chalk was clutched. He pried the boy’s fingers open, and judging from the look in his eyes, Penny could tell it was painful. Soon, the man took the chalk from him and took a step back. Rudy kicked wildly at his captor, his piercing eyes boring through the man, silently and forcibly pleading with him.

The man chuckled as he placed the magic chalk in his pocket. He turned his attention to Penny. He walked over to her and began to search her. Penny attempted to fight back, but she couldn’t even land a hit on the guy. She had no choice but to wait for him to take the magic chalk. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the look of triumpth on his face.

But to her surprise, the man pulled back and looked at her somewhat disappointed. “No magic chalk on her. Oh well.” He waved his arm as he headed towards the door. “Let’s get them to the news station. Mr. Pierce doesn’t want to be kept waiting.”

As they were being dragged to the door, Penny couldn’t help but wonder what happened to her magic chalk. She thought for sure she had it. Where could it have gone? Then she realized something. There was only one place it could have gone. There was one person who could have taken it from her without her realizing it.

Mr. Longhorn...


	109. Threat Of Insanity

Rudy yanked his arms left and right. He tried to get them out of the cuffs that held them. He banged them against the back of the chair over and over again. But no matter how hard he pulled and tugged, he just couldn’t get free. Penny had already given up struggling. She looked over at him, her eyes filled with worry, as he kept trying to get free.

Both he and Penny were now in a somewhat empty medium-sized room. It was mostly white with some gray corners. There was a silver mirror, which Rudy guessed was one way. They were probably being watched now. His experience with Mr. Cosmo taught him to be cautious of dark mirrors like that. Given their current situation, he couldn’t take chances and assume that it was just a regular mirror. He did his best to ignore the mirror; he wasn’t sure what their captors would do if they found out he knew that mirror was likely one way.

He and Penny were pushed into seats and their hands cuffed behind their backs. Their feet were also cuffed to the legs of the chair. Even if they managed to get their hands free, they still would not be able to get away. These men hadn’t been very gentle with either of them. They paid no attention to their wounds and just shoved them along. He remembered how his blood boiled when they were pushing Penny around, aggravating her damaged leg. He would have said something to them, but they were both gagged almost immediately after being detained.

“Struggle all you want to, little boy. It’s no use.”

Rudy shot a glare at one of their captors. A tall man with black hair and a dark blue suit. He didn’t know his name, but he didn’t really care. His glare shot daggers at the man as he watched him move to stand in front of them. The man placed his hands on the table set before them. His piercing eyes looked straight through their souls, making him shudder once.

Rudy attempted to shout a curse at the man, but it only came out as mumbling. The man did seem to understand what he was trying to say and his eyes widened in slight surprist at first before he shrugged his shoulders and acted nonchalant about the whole thing. Rudy couldn’t understand how this man could act this way about having been involved with a kidnapping. Doesn’t he see just how wrong this was?

But as angry as he was with this guy, he was more concerned about the consequences of this kidnapping. His chalkboard had been taken, and the portal was not erased. These men took it somewhere in this news building and he had no idea just where it was. He didn’t even know if this Mr. Pierce guy was using the portal or if it was just being stored in his room. Not knowing what was going on filled him with anxiety. The fact that these men now know about ChalkZone filled his blood with ice. What..what were their plans?

Rudy felt a wave of guilt wrack through his body. All those zoners...he had let them down... They trusted him to keep ChalkZone a secret, and, thanks to his stupidity of leaping before looking, he ended up getting captured, along with Penny, and the chalkboard was now in Mr. Pierce’s custody. He didn’t know what this man was like, but if he had ordered this kidnapping and theft of property without a second thought, then he must not be a very reasonable guy and he should keep his guard up around him.

The man standing before him chuckled, looking amused by how helpless they must both look. He leaned in a little closer, baring his teeth in a grin. “You two will remain here for a little while. Mr. Pierce would like to speak to the two of you regarding...what was that place called...ah yes, ChalkZone.”

Rudy and Penny shook their heads and made muffled cries of protest. They both wore expressions of horror, their eyes filled with fear. The man just laughed at them, thoroughly amused by this. The two teenagers knew, even if they weren’t gagged, there was nothing they could say to dissuade this man from going through with this, or any one of them. Their worst nightmare was coming true. Someone had found out about ChalkZone and had taken the first steps towards turning it into mere profit. This was similar to what Vinnie had been trying to do, only this time, it not only went further than what Vinnie succeeded with, it almost seemed like it was going to be worse than what that crazy man had in store.

And to make matters worse, this was a news station. They had the equipment, the technology, and the manpower to broadcast this locally, even nationally if they really wanted to. They could show everyone this world from another dimension. Soon, countless people would know about ChalkZone and those people were going to want a way inside. And the realization of this was terrifying for Rudy and Penny. All those years of protecting ChalkZone...it might be coming to an end.

Rudy recalled what it was like when their parents found out about ChalkZone. That had been such a horrifying discovery. It made things worse when their parents refused to talk about what to do with ChalkZone until after the trial. He recalled how the fear ate away at his stomach, made it hard to sleep at night, and put him on edge around his parents. He had no idea if they would become allies for ChalkZone or if they would expose ChalkZone or ban them or what. He recalled how much of a relief it was that they listened to their pleas and agreed not to endanger ChalkZone.

But this time, it was different. These men, these people in this building, they were not friends or family, or even aquaintances. They were not going to simply take pity on them that easily. They had shown clear intent to exploit ChalkZone for their own purposes. This time, the threat was much greater, as it wasn’t just a few people they had to try to convince. It was everyone in this building. They were all in on this, he was certain. And they were all determined to take control of ChalkZone.

His heart began to beat a little faster. Just...just how were they going to get out of this situation? What could they do? He felt a lump in his throat as reality hit him hard. He could see how upset Penny looked. He wanted to cheer her up but...what could he say?

“I do wonder what we will do with those chalk creatures once that place is opened up.” The man pondered. Rudy and Penny stared at him wide-eyed. He tapped his finger against his chin. “Maybe we will put chains on them and force them to work for us. Or maybe just wipe them out. I’m not sure.”

Rudy and Penny made muffled cries of ‘no please’. No...he..these people couldn’t do that. They couldn’t just enslave and kill sentient being like that. No..please no...

The man chuckled coldly. “I don’t know why you two are so worked up. They’re just chalk, not people. Who the fuck cares if they die?” He made a dismissive midair swipe of his hand. “I don’t think the general public would give a crap what happens to them.” He held his hand out in gesture. “And why should they? After all, they can just be redrawn, and it’ll be like nothing happened.”

The man ignored the two teenagers cries of disbelief, their muffled begging. He turned his back to them and started to head towards the door. He stopped and looked back at them. He smiled as he watched them struggle to get free, looking into their fear-filled eyes. It was like a game to this guy.

“I’m going to go get Mr. Pierce now. He will be pleased that you two were able to make it.” The man grinned as Rudy glared at him. “I’m sure you will have a nice, long chat with him. He has...much to discuss with you two.” With that, the man disappeared out of the room and left the two teens alone.

Rudy continued to glare towards the door even after it was already closed. He felt a torrent of emotions rush through his body. Horror, fear, anger... Some others he couldn’t identify. It felt as though his whole world was coming to crash down. ChalkZone had so much to worry about already, and now it had this added onto it. A threat of exposure, a real world threat... Rudy felt his heart speeding as horrific images of what could happen flooded his mind. He hoped and prayed it didn’t come to that.

He wondered, with dread, just how much these people knew about ChalkZone and just how they found out. Did Terry tell them? He imagined that, if that were the case, then she was probably forced to relinquish the information. He hoped she was okay. If she had been captured, he guessed she was being ‘stored’ somewhere else. He doubted Mr. Pierce would just let her go; he seemed like the kidn of guy to keep this victims around ‘just in case’.

His heart nearly stopped as he realized something else. If Terry was captured, and he bet she was, where were his parents? And Penny’s mom? Had they been captured as well? He felt his body shaking slightly from fear at this realization. If they were captured.... what did Mr Pierce want with them? Did he milk information out of them, too? He hoped that, somewhat against the odds, they managed to get away. But somehow..he had his doubts. He was unable to push away the terrible thoughts of what might be happening to their folks right now.

A few tears began to flow down his face as the weight of everything going on came down onto his shoulders. This...this couldn’t be happening.. No... He wished this was all a nightmare. He wished that none of this was true. He wished that he had just hit his head when coming into his home and he was simply knocked out. He wished that he could just close his eyes, reopen them, and he’d be somewhere else, anywhere but here. But reality crashed down on him when, everytime he opened his eyes, he was in this same, dreadful white room. His nightmare had become his reality. And this nightmare might never end.

He felt his blood start to heat up when Mr. Longhorn entered his mind. Although admittingly, he had no proof, he knew, and he was certain Penny knew, he was the only person who could have stolen Penny’s magic chalk. Snap and Howdy would never do that, and Penny had her chalk when they left. Rudy certainly wouldn’t have taken it, so that left only Longhorn. He guessed he grabbed it when he was on his way out. He did bump into Penny..he must have taken it then.

Rudy wanted to kick himself for not noticing what Longhorn was doing. If he had been more vigilant, if he had been paying closer attention to this man, maybe Penny wouldn’t have lost her magic chalk. On the one hand, that did mean one less chalk for Mr. Pierce to have. That was the only good news from this, though. If Mr. Pierce uses up that other magic chalk or loses it, he and Penny may be trapped outside of ChalkZone forever...

Rudy felt sick to his stomach. He couldn’t believe they trusted Mr. Longhorn. They should have known he’d try something like this. They knew little about him. They trusted him a little too much for someone they didn’t even know, and now look at where it got them. They put their trust in him, and he betrayed that trust, he betrayed them both, by stealing the magic chalk...

And now he had no idea what that man was going to do. He was running loose in ChalkZone with no one to stop him. He was free to do whatever he wanted. Rudy felt his stomach churn at the possibilities of what might be going on. Was Mr. Longhorn attacking anyone? Causing destruction? Had he just been curious and wanted to try the magic chalk? Did he have some kind of agenda? He had no way of finding out, and not knowing was filling his body with dreadful ice. He could only hope that either someone, Snap or another zoner, managed to get the chalk away from him, or Mr. Longhorn turned out not to have taken the chalk out of any ill-intended purposes.

But, unfortunately, he had no reason to believe either of those were the case.

sss

So...this was the magic chalk...

Mr. Longhorn leaned up against a tall tree. Clutched in his hand, held out in front of him, was a piece of the magic chak. Specifically, the piece he borrowed..no...stole from Penny. He stared at the white stick, noticing how the end seemed to sparkle every so often, a clear sign it was magical, as he would imagine. The man ran his finger along the piece, noticing how it didn’t feel any different than regular chalk and yet he knew..this was no ordinary piece of chalk.

A part of him did feel some guilt about taking the chalk. Though he knew Rudy and Penny had a spare piece, so if they ran into any trouble, they could just use that other one, he still should have asked first. He should have just went up to them and asked if he could borrow the magic chalk.

But he felt that they would have said no. There were a number of reasons why they’d do that, and he didn’t care to list them all in his head. They were all no-brainer reasons, common sense and understandable. His curiosity of the magic chalk was quite strong, and he had been staring at it almost nonstop since the full realization, the full impact of what it could do finally hit him. He didn’t know why it took so long for it to hit him, but when it did, there was this nagging feeling that he just couldn’t ignore. He...he had to try this out, see what it feels like...to create.

So, against his better judgment, he played the role of a thief and just...took the chalk away from Penny when she wasn’t looking. He had hidden it well in his pocket. When he was dropped off, he waited until they were far enough away before he got right back into ChalkZone and found a place where he could relax. He tore his eyes away from the magic chalk for a moment and looked around.

ChalkZone really was something else. Real..and yet not, almost. Chalk drawings, most of which he assumed were from children, walking around, breathing, living, just overall acting as if they were like anything from the real world, except made of chalk. He admitted to himself, sometimes he wondered just how real they were. Or if he was letting his imagination get the better of them. Then again, he had seen and interacted with a few zoners himself. He had even felt one, Quet, as he carried him. He certainly felt real, and all the zoners, the way they reacted to things, they still felt real. Despite being made of chalk, they still had the same level of sentience, emotional range, and natural reactions he would expect from someone from the real world.

His mind took a while to get used to how this place looked. It all looked like a children’s book come to life. A cartoony feel to it, and yet it also felt real. It was an interesting combination of the two, and it also made his head hurt a little as he tried to fully accept this. It was kind of hard for him to fully comprehend the sharp contrast of ‘unrealistic cartoony’ and ‘realistic three dimensions’ that this world was displaying before him. If someone had just told him about this place, he probably wouldn’t have believed them. But seeing it here, for himself, walking through it, he knew he couldn’t simply deny what he was seeing.

His eyes turned towards the magic chalk again. Staring at it caused two feelings to well up inside of him. There was, of course, the guilt. He had betrayed their trust by stealing something that he knew was very important to them. Sure it wasn’t as bad as kidnapping one of their friends, something he’d never do, but it was still a harsh betrayal of trust. But on the other hand, he also had the sensation from before fill him up, and he soon realized what it was. The feeling was wonder. Power, too, but mostly wonder...for the time being.

Here, in his hand, was a tool that would enable him to draw and create whatever he wantede. He had never thought something like this was possible. How could he have? And now here he was, holding such a creation tool in his hand. The possibilities were endless... That feeling of wonder overwhelmed him, intermixing with the feeling of being in power, control. He tried his best to push back those ‘in power’ feelings, instead attempting to focus on the awe and curiosity of being able to create. He had seen what Sophie and Rudy could do with it. Now...it was his turn.

What should he draw first? Something small. He didn’t want to try creating something alive, at least not yet. And he didn’t want do anything too large. So...perhaps something small and simple will do. A ball perhaps? Yeah. That would be a nice, simple first object to create. A good start on getting a personal demonstration of this newfound power.

He raised up the magic chalk, trying to think of how this was going to work. Recalling how Sophie had done it, he pressed the chalk in the air and started to draw. It took a few tries before he finally figured out how to do it. Slowly, he formed a circle in the air. As soon as he connected the line to complete it, he moved the chalk away and took a step back. In seconds, the circle manifested into a pale blue ball and dropped to the ground. He looked down at it for a few seconds, his mind slowly registering what he had accomplished. He reached down and picked up the ball. He held it close to his head.

It certainly felt real. There was nothing fake about this. It still had an outline, like a cartoon, but it also had a three dimensional shape he would expect from his own world. He turned the ball around in his hand, feeling its texture, further convincing himself that, despite this being made of chalk, it was still no different than a ball from the real world, just with a weakness to water. He would probably take this back into the real world now and it would still function like any regular ball would. Wanting to try drawing a few more things, Mr. Longhorn dropped the ball to the ground.

He drew a jump rope next. This time, he tried something different, and added some stripes and imagined color. He hadn’t really thought about what color the ball was going to be, so that color was chosen randomnly. This time, he wanted to see just how much control he really did have. He kept picturing in his head he colors and pattern he wanted and as he finished drawing the rope, he watched as it materialized. To his amazement, the rope formed with the same colors as he imagined. So creators did have quite a bit of control over their creations. He wondered just how far that extended.

The man continued drawing more objects. Nothing animate, just simple objects, like toys, household items, just whatever he could think of. All around him, these items laid littered. And each time an object would come into reality, a sense of wonder would wash through his body. The longer he began creating these items, the more wonder he felt, but also the more power he felt as well. He couldn’t fight back those feelings anymore. The feeling of power was becoming prominent in his head.

Then he took it to the highest level he could think of. If it felt this great to create simple objects, just how would it feel to bring something to life? Yes, that’s what he would do next. The feelings of guilt were almost forgotten as he continued to have fun trying out the magic chalk. He raised it up to create something alive. Something small, like..a bird. Yes, that would do nicely.

Mr. Longhorn’s wrist flung from side to side, around in circles, as he drew a simplistic bird. A songbird to be exact. He finished it in a matter of seconds. The bird manifested quickly, becoming a robin that immediately took to the sky. Longhorn watched as the bird fluttered in front of him for a few seconds, chirping continuously. Then it took off, disappearing into the sky. Mr. Longhorn watched it fly as, slowly, a smile crept onto his face.

The feeling of power now rushed through him. The ability to create not only objects, but life, laid in his hand. This feeling was foreign to him. Strange and uncertain, and it was making him feel a little strange. That power feeling moving through him, he couldn’t help but continu to smile almost creepily. A grin came onto his face, his eyes twinkling. Was this what Rudy and Penny felt when using the magic chalk? Did Sophie feel this way? This was....this was a wonderful feeling. It made him feel so...powerful...

He wasn’t able to hold back this feeling for long. His body began to tremble as the feeling of power filled him to the core. Unable to keep it bottled up inside, Mr. Longhorn started to chuckle. He couldn’t stop himself. He pressed his hand against his face, closing his eyes and gritted his teeth as he continued to chuckle. Then the chuckle turned into a full on laughter. Finally, releasing all of this pent up emotion at once, he threw his head back and started to cackle insanely.

sss

Lars’s ears pricked up when he heard the sound of laughter. He didn’t recognize who it was. Who could it possibly be? He didn’t really see anyone out where during his walks before. He chose this path partly because there wasn’t many out here. He liked his solitude. Not that he was opposed to company; he just liked being alone from time to time.

The sound of laughter was not something he expected. Even less so, laughter that...just didn’t sound right. A part of him wanted to just turn and walk away. But he had a sense of curiosity to him. Not to the same degree as some zoners like Snap, but enough that made him feel..compelled to go see who was laughing and why.

The polar bear began to head in the direction of this uneasy sound. It sounded as though someone was going nuts, like they cracked under some kind of pressure. Maybe it was a lost zoner. This area could be hard to navigate at times. And it was relatively open; anyone who didn’t know what they were doing could lose their way and not know which way to go. He had known some zoners who cracked and started to laugh as a result. He hoped that, whatever the cause of the laughter was, it wasn’t anything too serious.

The closer Lars came, the louder and more distinct the laughter became. He was able to get a good grasp on the intent of the laugh. And just like he thought, it was definitely a sign of someone cracking under some kind of pressure. Though just what pressure, he wasn’t sure. The laughter didn’t sound..maniacal or anything. It just sounded like this person was going a little nutty, like they got a few loose screws or something.

Eventually the polar bear did find the area where the laughter was coming from. To his shock, there was a bunch of items laying around. Balls, swords, jumpropes, boxes, bikes, just random stuff laying around with no rhyme or reason. He wondered just what was going on. Why were these things here? Who would put them here? This wasn’t a dumping sight. What zoner could have...

Then he realized it wasn’t a zoner doing this. He kept seeing flashes of light. Rapid and disappearing as soon as they appeared. He looked over and saw more items, even some small animals like birds and squirrels, appearing rapidly in thin air, coinciding perfectly with the white flashes of light. These were being created. Perhaps there was a human on the other side just going nuts with the chalkboard? That was a possibility, but where was the cackling coming from then? Laughter from the real world did not seep into ChalkZone. It had to becoming from here, and it wasn’t from any of these creations.

Then he saw the source. Standing in the middle of the mess was a human. A man, clearly larger than Rudy. Lars’s eyes widened in horror as he saw just how this man was behaving. His body was shaking as he kept on laughing, clearly having gone insane. Even his eyes were filled with craziness. He was drawing and creating left and right. Random items, some alive, some not. Some of the items were dangerous, such as the swords and guns, but the man was making no attempt to use any of it. He was just...creating like crazy.

Lars put a hand to his muzzle, realizing the seriousness of this situation. He knew, just from looking at this, what the human had. He had read about this condition before, but he hadn’t been certain if it was real or not. Rudy and Penny never displayed this, and neither had their folks. The black chalk artists were insane, but that was due to the black chalk taking a hold of them, not because of their own original personalities. What this man had, though, had nothing to do with what the magic chalk was doing to him, but what he was allowing to happen to himself.

The condition was known as Magic Chalk Madness. Supposedly it happened to some white chalk artists in the past. Generally rare, and, though there was no proof, there was the belief that adults were more suspectible to it. This adult man was certainly proving that. The condition occurred when a newly formed magic chalk user goes a little too crazy with the power of creation. It wasn’t a corruption; it was believed those who fell under this spell didn’t become evil; they were simply temporary insane. They were unable to fully control the power of the magic chalk and, as a result, they started to go insane.

Though supposedly temporary, white chalk artists who fall under the Magic Chalk Madness were still dangerous. They could create hostile animals or destructive objects, or alter the landscape. They were not thinking clearly as they created. They had no restraint in this condition and, if they weren’t stopped quickly, they could end up unintentionally causing a lot of destruction. The odds of Magic Chalk Madness occurring can be reduced by not allowing a new magic chalk user use the chalk when they were alone, and limiting how much and what they create. Seemed this man didn’t understand the danger and came out here to create unrestrained, and thus causing himself to contract this condition.

Lars was less worried about how this man got here and more worried about what kind of chaos he might bring, to himself and this area around him, if he didn’t stop. The polar bear knew he had to do something to stop him, before this man did irreversible damage during his temporary lapse of sanity. But how was he going to stop him? He had little knowledge of how to stop this condition. The only thing he could think of was...

He had to get the magic chalk away from him, somehow. It wasn’t going to be easy. He imagined the man might be hostile towards the idea if he wasn’t careful. He had to sneak around him. He couldn’t move in the front. If he could just get the chalk away from him, and then hold him down, he may be able to help the man pass through the madness and return to normal. And after the man calmed down, he could then get information from him, who he was, where he came from, why he was there.

Lars kept himself back, moving around slowly. He kept his eyes on the man, watching as he was flailing around, his wrist ripping across the air and creating random things and creatures. He could see the white glow in the man’s eyes, a sign of the madness taking a temporary hold on him. The problem was, temporary didn’t mean a short time. If he didn’t get the chalk away from him, who knows how long he was going to stay like this?

The polar bear soon managed to get to his side, and so far, the man still didn’t see him. Lars dropped down onto all fours and began to walk slowly around. He stepped lightly, carefully, making sure he didn’t make a noise as he came around towards the man’s back. He listened to him laughing, his blood chilling as he heard just how far gone this guy really was. He hoped there wasn’t a chance of Magic Chalk Madness being permanent...

Soon Lars positioned himself behind the crazy man, keeping himself several yards away. He kicked at the ground, narrowing his eyes. He had just one shot at this. He had to get it right. One wrong move and... He shook the doubt from his head. His glasses flashing as his eyes filled with determination, the polar bear tightened his muscles, and, with a burst of energy, charged towards the man.

sss

Rudy let out a cry of pain as his head was slammed against the table.

“Rudy!” Penny cried, her eyes wide in shock.

Rudy didn’t answer. He let out a few groans of pain as he opened up his still hurting left eye and stared up at Mr. Pierce. The man’s first act, after ungagging them, was to come up behind him, grab him by the back of his head, and force it onto the table. This position was uncomfortable. Aches wracked through his body, intensifying a little the longer he stayed like this.

Mr. Pierce sneered down at Rudy. “Let me get one thing straight before we get started, little boy. I do not tolerate lying. Try to lie to me... and I find out, you will regret it.” He started to twist Rudy’s head against the table cruelly, further pushing his face up against it. “And if you try to resist telling me what I want to know...I have ways around that.”

Rudy glared up at the man. He didn’t bother speaking, just keeping his teeth gritted. There was no way he or Penny would ever relinquish information about ChalkZone. He was crazy if he thought he was going to get them to talk. They’d rather die than betray their friends in ChalkZone. But he doubted this man would understand that. It didn’t seem like this guy was the type of person to listen to reason. All he could see in regards to ChalkZone was one giant dollar sign.

“Let him go!” Penny cried, her voice laced with horror. “Please!”

Mr. Pierce turned his head and looked over at Penny. His shoulders shook as he chuckled darkly. He glanced down at Rudy for a few seconds before looking back at Penny. “As you wish, my dear...”

Mr. Pierce lifted Rudy’s head back up. Rudy winced in pain. The man was pulling him by his brown hair. Instead of letting him go like he and Penny thought, Mr. Pierce slammed his head against the table one more time, forcing another scream out of him. Then, looking satisfied, Mr. Pierce let go and moved towards Penny in a menacing manner. Rudy opened up one eye and stared in horror.

“L-Leave her alone...” Rudy said through his pained haze.

The man ignored him and soon he stood next to Penny. He reached down and cupped her chin. He forced her head up and stared at her in the eyes. “I hope you take into consideration your predicament, little girl. As I told your boyfriend over there...” He flicked his head in Rudy’s direction. Penny looked at Rudy with wide eyes before looking back at the evil man. She jerked back as Mr. Pierce suddenly put his face close to hers. “I will get the truth out of you two, one way or another. You will tell me whatever you know about this...this ChalkZone, including the different locations, any weaknesses, whatever you know...”

Penny leaned back, her eyes wide in horror. “A-And what do you plan on doing with the information?”

“Well, I’ll be using it to help with the conquest of course...” Mr. Pierce said to her.

“No! You can’t!” Penny started to say. “You can’t just...”

Mr. Pierce grabbed onto Penny’s face, holding her jaws firmly against each other. The act was so quick that Penny let out a cry of pain. There was a bit of blood trickling from her mouth, a clear indication that she had been forced to bite her tongue. Rudy was horrified by this unnecessarily cruel act. From the look in the man’s eye, this had been deliberate.

The man chuckled as Penny let out a few small whimpers of pain. He continued to hold her mouth shut, gagging any attempt for her to talk. He said, “What do a couple of stupid teenagers know about how to treat a world? You don’t have the experience...that I do. You two are just delusional, child-like in your endeavours. You try to protect a world that needs no protection. You two try to squander progress and opportunity. Well that is all going to change soon enough. After all...the public demands it.”

At this, Rudy and Penny’s hearts froze. The public demanded it? Just..just how many people knew about ChalkZone now? Their hearts racing against their chests, they looked at each other in horror.

Mr. Pierce said, “Well...not all of the public. Just those who happened to see that footage Vinnie gave me.”

“How...many people...?” Rudy started to ask.

“Probably a couple hundred. It was a big audience after all.” Mr. Pierce said. “Local, from right here in Plainsville.”

Rudy was both horrified and relieved. It was comforting news that only people from Plainsville saw that footage. But the fact that so many ended up seeing it.... It was a terrifying thought to realize that more than a hundred people had seen evidence of ChalkZone. He..he had no idea what he and Penny were going to do now. It was one thing when their parents found out, but to have more than a hundred... He didn’t know if it was possible to convince all of them to leave ChalkZone alone. It all seemed so hopeless... He still wanted to try. He and Penny didn’t want to give up, but..what were they going to do?

“Of course, the audience’s reaction to ChalkZone was..a bit of a mixed bag.” Mr. Pierce said. He walked out in front of the two teenagers, standing on the other side of the table. He stood with his left side facing them. His arms folded behind his back. “You see, they were indeed stunned and in awe at the prospect of ChalkZone, as they should be. It is quite an amazing place. I hadn’t even been there, and already I am excited for what this place has to offer.”

Rudy and Penny glared at the man. Hearing him talk about ChalkZone like it was just a commodity waiting to be profited off of was disgusting. They would have said something to him, but it was clear this man would not listen, and would silence any effort on their part to reason with him.

“But you know how people can be. The unknown is frightening. And the sight of the..what were they called, zoners..yes, that had them quite frightened.” Mr. Pierce said. At this, the teens’ eyes widened in fear. Mr. Pierce grinned at them. “I’m sure you know what this means, don’t you?”

Rudy felt ice shoot through his body as the realization took a hold. He shook his head. “No...no you can’t...”

Mr. Pierce turned so that he could look at the boy with both his eyes. Rudy shuddered at how they gleamed darkly at him. “The majority of the audience has called for the mass genocide of the species.” He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly at the horrified gasps of the teenagers. “And majority wins... Though perhaps I could try to persuade the audience to see the zoners as useful, instead of being afraid of them..”

Rudy and Penny were horrified by this development. They had known that some people’s reactions to ChalkZone would not be so favorable. But this...this was worse than they imagined. If what Pierce said was true, then so many humans wanted the zoners dead... They had called for the deaths of millions of zoners, whom they had never met. It was a heinous act, one that chilled them to the bone. They..they couldn’t allow this to happen.

Rudy could feel his body shaking with emotion. He was unable to calm down. How could he, when ChalkZone was now under fire from a new threat, his own hometown? He didn’t know how much of the town was in that audience. And if they knew about him and Penny going into ChalkZone, even if they stopped Pierce, they would be the next ones targeted. They would be forced to give them the information they want so they could kill the zoners. They had to figure out a way to stop this. He didn’t know how, but somehow...they had to do something. Otherwise, even if they stopped Nihilanth and the black chalk artists, it wouldn’t matter so much, because a bunch of crazy creators would invade ChalkZone and tear it apart.

A few tears formed in his eyes. He couldn’t believe that it might all come crashing down to an end now. Old fears welled up inside of him as his mind filled with horrific thoughts of what the zoners might be forced to go through. He and Penny had hoped they’d never have to face something like this. They hoped and prayed it never came to this, and yet..here they were. The buds of their worst nightmare had already started to blossom, more so than it did before. And it left them with a sickening feeling inside as fear reigned their minds.

“It is just a shame that Vinnie couldn’t be of more...use to me. Oh well...” Mr. Pierce said. “He did at least bring me that footage, so I do owe him at least that. Too bad it’s too late to give him another chance.”

Rudy stared at him. “What do you mean..too late...?”

Mr. Pierce sneered at him. “I will tell you..after all, not like you two will ever leave this place. I will make sure of that.” Rudy and Penny’s eyes widened at that. “I killed him...”

The two teenagers froze at this. They stared at the man in shock. He killed Vinnie? But...but why? They knew Vinnie could be annoying, but he never did anything to deserve being killed off like that. Even when he hurt Terry, they still didn’t think that was worth killing him off like he was nothing. How could this man just take the life of another human being like that, as if it didn’t matter?

Just how low could this man go? How far was he willing to sink to get what he wanted? Rudy and Penny had a feeling that, if they waited long enough, they would get their answer.

“If you two don’t want to end up like him. you had best tell me what I want to know...” Mr. Pierce said. “After all, Terry had learned that the hard way...”

“Terry...?” Penny breathed, her eyes widening. “What..what have you done to her?!”

“Oh there’s quite a bit I did.” Mr. Pierce chuckled darkly. “How about I get you up to speed, children?” He put sarcastic emphasis on the last word. He put his hands on the table and leaned forward. A sneer spread across his face. “I’m sure you will get a kick out of this. How about I tell you what happened to Ms. Bouffant...and your precious family...?”

Rudy and Penny’s hearts froze at this.


	110. To Break A Monster

Snap watched as Dr. Lancer, a hippogriff doctor dressed in a suit, stood in front of him and Howdy. In her paw, she held a clipboard. She sat down on her haunches and brought her front limbs up. She held a pen in her free paw and she turned her head towards them. She opened her beak to speak to them.

“Okay, can you tell me what happened to you, Howdy?” Dr. Lancer asked. She clicked her pen to prepare writing.

Having already explained to her earlier what happened with himself and seeing how frightened Howdy still looked, Snap spoke up for him. “He’s not really in the mood to talk about that, ma’am. But I know what happened. I can fill in the details.”

“All right then.” The hippogriff said. She waved her paw in front of him. “Please, proceed.”

“He was attacked by Ghadir.” Snap said. The name caused the hippogriff to swing her head in his direction, eyes wide in shock. The name clearly rang a bell in her head. “She had chased him into a forest and bit into his shoulder. She was attempting to eat him.”

Dr. Lancer stared in shock, her tall, pointed ears swiveled forward, as if she thought she misheard him. “Really?” She looked over at Howdy. The puppet’s terrified expression and the single nod told her what she needed to know. “I..have heard that there was some human going around hunting zoners.”

Snap looked at her, biting his lip. “Have you...seen any other victims of hers?” He held his hand out in gesture. “Any others that may have gotten away?”

Dr. Lancer lowered her ears and shook her head. “I’m afraid not. I’ve done biopsies to see cause of death, but so far, Howdy here is the only one who has survived being hunted by this human.” She gave Howdy a sympathetic look. “You really are one lucky little guy.”

Snap shuddered as the impact of what she said sank in. He had no idea how many zoners had been hunted by Ghadir. It could have been ten, twenty, thirty... She was addicted to chalk and he could see her gathering a large group of zoners to eat for later. She had hunted enough and been noticed enough for zoners to be on alert. Areas where she hunted in before were increasing their security. But Ghadir was smart, choosing to hunt in new locations each time. And with no rhyme or reason, either. Sometimes she’d hunt close. Sometimes she’d hunt further away.

He had hoped that more zoners survived. The fact that all of the zoners she hunted died with the sole exception of Howdy... That was a horrifying thing to realize. He stared over at the puppet, his heart aching as he realized just how close he came to losing him as a friend. It wasn’t fair... It wasn’t fair for any of these zoners to die. Howdy was such a nice and sweet zoner. And yet, here comes along someone like Ghadir, targeting him for no reason, except to satisfy her craving. And now because of her, poor Howdy was so scared and frightened..

“Let me take a look at you.” Dr. Lancer said. She walked over towards Howdy. She reached over towards the bandage that covered his shoulder. “This needs to be taken off so I can get a good look.” Howdy looked at her fearfully. “It’s okay. It’ll get rebandaged. I need to take a look at the damage, though. I promise I’ll be gentle.”

Howdy tried to relax, but Snap could tell he was still frightened. He moved closer to Howdy and gently grabbed his right hand. The puppet looked up at him. Snap smiled as gently as he could at him, squeezing his hand tightly. He let Howdy put his head against his shoulder as Dr. Lancer started to remove the bandages slowly. Howdy winced a few times as the doctor proceeded taking the bandages off, apologizing each time he let out a cry of pain. Soon they were removed, exposing the wound to her.

Dr. Lancer’s eyes widened in horror, her beak clenched. “This is..” She sucked in a deep breath. “...definitely bad. That human really did a number on him.”

“H-How bad is he?” Snap asked. Howdy whimpered next to him as Dr. Lancer gently inspected the wound. “Will...will he be okay?”

The female doctor stared at the wound for a few more seconds before turning back to Snap. “At the moment, I’m not entirely sure. The wound is quite deep. A lot of the bones and ligaments and tendons had been ripped into, as well as some of the muscle. He won’t be able to use his left arm very well for a while. But...” She shook her head. “I don’t know if he will make a full recovery or not. I will need to get an x-ray done of him first so I can see the full extent of the damage. Then I can figure out from there what his prognosis will be.”

Snap felt horrified by that prospect. He knew that Howdy’s left shoulder was heavily damaged. But he didn’t realize that his left arm had been affected as well. He thought that it was just pain from his shoulder making it hard for the puppet zoner to properly use his left arm. The fact that Ghadir’s biting had done more damage than just to the shoulder, that it might cost Howdy the use of his left arm, frightened him. Poor Howdy....he didn’t deserve something like that.

The thought of Ghadir made his blood boil. He was still frightened of her. He imagined any zoner would be scared of a human that wanted to eat them. And he wasn’t very large; he could make an easy snack for her. But right now, that fear melted away, giving into anger. Ghadir likely permanently maimed an innocent zoner. She had terrorized someone whose only goal in life was to cheer people up. And it wasn’t just Howdy she had done this to. She had done it to countless other zoners as well.

She...she was not going to get away with this. He swore...she was going to pay for this...

“Come with me, Howdy.” Dr. Lancer said solemnly. “I need to take you into another room to get an x-ray of that shoulder. From there, I can figure out what needs to be done. Okay?” Howdy nodded his head shakingly a few times. Dr. Lancer then turned her attention to Snap. “After his x-ray, I am going to want to take a look at you.”

Snap nodded his head. He didn’t mind being second. Sure he had the most injuries, but he was more worried about Howdy than himself. He’d rather see him get help first than him. “Okay. Should I stay and wait in here?”

Dr. Lancer nodded her head. “Yeah. This won’t take long.” She gently grabbed onto Howdy’s right arm. “Come on, little guy. Let’s get this over with.”

“...but..but what about my...?” Howdy turned a wary eye to his torn shoulder. “Shouldn’t it be...?”

“It’ll be covered up with something for the x-ray.” Dr. Lancer said. “It’s best not to bandage it during an x-ray. I can get a better image this way.” Noting the nervous look on the puppet’s face, she put her other hand on the top of his head. “Don’t worry. It’ll be bandaged up right after.”

“O-Okay...” Howdy said softly.

Dr. Lancer and Snap helpded Howdy out of his seat. Snap didn’t let go until he was certain Dr. Lancer could take over on her own. The zoner doctor hobbled along on three legs while her fourth held onto Howdy. She guided him out of the room and the door shut behind her. Snap could hear the sound of footsteps as they disappeared down the hallway.

sss

Bardot hung loosely against his binds. His head was lowered, his eyes shut. His teeth occassionally clenched as pain wracked through his body. Right now, he wasn’t powering the machine, but Jenny made it clear she would turn it on again. This wasn’t the first time she did this; turn the machine off and give him a ‘break’ of sorts before turning it back on. He asked her why she did that. He wondered out loud why she didn’t just let the machine drain him in the first go and be done with it.

Her answer chilled him. Not so much that it surprised him, but how much it didn’t surprise him, how familiar it was. She wanted to prolong his suffering. She wanted to draw everything out, and see just how long he would last. She was taking her time, deliberately using the lowest setting on the power strip to take the longest time in draining him of his red chalk. Already, his body was a wreck, blood dripping from there the red chalk was now missing.

He knew that he wasn’t going to be able to last too long like this. Parts of himself were being taken away. Open wounds that will no longer heal..they’ll get infected soon. Some of his body was twisted and torn as a result of the red chalk being ripped from him. And he was going to get to ‘enjoy it’ for the next several hours, days, however long Jenny decides to keep him alive. His previous abilities, his speed and venom, had been slowly but surely weakened.

Bardot still remembered what Jenny said to him. Those words echoed in his mind and wouldn’t leave him alone. He tried to push them into the back of his mind, but he found that impossible, especially since every bit of pain he felt was a stark reminder of not only what she said, but what he had done in the past.

“I want to see how far I can drag this along before you die...”

That bit was what chilled him. Before, had it been done to anyone else, he wasn’t sure if he’d care so much. Before this, would he have given it a second thought? Probably not. But now, with him being on the receiving end of pain, his whole perspective as starting to change. He had never before wondered what kind of pain his victims had been put through, and merely shrugged it off. Now he was being forced to experience the same level of pain. Not for any noble purposes, but regardless, he was going through the same level of pain that he put zoners like Barney and Snap through.

On top of that, the quote that Jenny used was very similiar to one he had used regarding Snap. He had told Draow something two years ago, when he was ‘experimenting’ with Snap.

“I want to see how far I can make him crawl before he dies...”

Yes, he remembered that quote so well. He was shocked and somewhat disturbed at how similar Jenny’s quote was. And it being used against him... He couldn’t hold back the feeling of fear inside of him. He couldn’t deny, even if he tried, that there was little difference between what Jenny was doing and what he had done. He tortured zoners, as well as humans, just like Jenny was torturing him now. The reasons might be quite different, but the result is the same.

This realization was forcing Bardot to review his own actions of the past. And in a different way than usual. He’d usually look upon his past acts with pride or with a sense of accomplishment. Things were a little different now. With what was happening to him, there was no way he could feel the same level of happiness as before. Feeling the same pain as his victims...it was affecting the way his mind viewed what he himself had done. And that was causing a new feeling to well up inside of him that he never thought would have been possible.

Regret.

It was unprecidented, something he never thought would happen. He knew that anyone who knew him, especially Snap, would be shocked by this revelation. Bardot himself was confused. He..feel regret? That was practically unheard of...but that was the feeling he felt. There was no denying it.

What was he going to do with this newfound information? Probably nothing. As he let out another whimper, he knew that he didn’t have any time to really make a decision, whether to ignore this regret or act upon it. Soon, Jenny would turn the machine back on, and he would be in a world of pain all over again. There was nothing he could do to escape. And who would come save him anyway? He was a criminal, wanted for the murder of humans and zoners alike. They would rejoice at his death. Why would any of them bother trying to save someone like him?

He lifted up his head a little, his ears swiveling. He could hear footsteps coming his way. He felt his heart start to beat faster as an all too familiar figure walked towards him. Jenny had returned, and he knew what that was going to entail. He watched, his eyes slowly widening in fear, as she approached him slowly, giving him a dark smirk. For a moment, he saw Jenny as himself, and in those eyes, the image of Barney, his most prominent victim, shining back.

“Guess what time it is?” Jenny sneered at him, her arms folded behind her back. Bardot’s body started to shiver. “Yeah, that’s right. Time for another round. This will be, what...your fifth one?” She tapped her finger against her chin for a few seconds, then just shrugged her shoulders. “Who cares? There’s many more where this came from!”

As she drew in closer, Bardot shook his head weakly. He was shocked to see just how much strength he had lost. He had a harder time moving his head. And it hurt... Oh man, did it hurt. But he still did it anyway. He shook his head in protest as Jenny got closer to him.

“P-Please..don’t..” Bardot begged in a soft voice, devoid of any defiance he had displayed before. His ears lowered. He knew it was no use begging, but he still found himself trying, sounding so much like his victims... “S-Stop this...please..”

“Pleading for your life, I see...” Jenny said, sounding both unimpressed and amazed, a combination that Bardot didn’t think was possible. “How ironic... One of the most feared criminals in ChalkZone pleading for mercy.” She chuckled a few times before tilting her head to the side, grinning deviously at him. “I’m sure your victims did the same thing, did they not? Yes...I can see it now. A zoner boxed into the corner, you advancing on them, saying something similar to what I just did, them saying what you said..oh yes.” Jenny folded her arms against her chest. “Tell me, little furball... How does it feel to be..on the other side of that predicament? Not fun, ain’t it?”

Bardot moved his head back, wincing. He looked away from her. As hypocritical as Jenny was being right now, he could not deny his own hypocrisy in this. She was right.. She was absolutely right in what she said. This situation was not so different, as a whole, from what he did. The only difference is that he was the ‘reciever’, not the ‘giver’. He was the victim, not the torturer. He was acting like his victimes were, and he felt the same way they did. Afraid, desperate, begging... He had tortured enough victims to know how it goes. Even if Jenny was being hypocritical herself, she was right in pointing out how much he was as well.

Jenny reached him, standing only a couple feet away from him. She reached out for him. In an attempt to defend himself, Bardot pulled his head back and snapped his jaws shut at her. His fangs and sharp teeth sank into her arm. Jenny let out a scream and pulled her head away. Some bloody holes now appeared on her hand. She shot a glare at him. She raised her hand and, unable to get away, Bardot was punched straight against one of the bleeding areas on his face. He let out a loud cry of pain.

“Don’t you dare bite me again, you little maggot! You are just a tool for me to use! A battery! And like all batteries, you are going to be used up and discarded! Your only purpose is to serve me!” Jenny snarled at him. Bardot lowered his head, eyes locked onto hers, whimpering in fear. “If you bite me again, I’ll rip your ears off! Do you understand?!”

To make her point clear, Jenny grabbed onto his good ear roughl. She pulled it hard. Feeling his ear being pulled in such a cruel way, Bardot shut his eyes and let out a scream. It didn’t help that she was squeezing on one of the bloody areas. A few tears of pain and fear moved down his furry cheeks as he nodded his head swiftly. He felt instant relief when Jenny released his ear and smiled at him.

“Good...” Jenny said. She lightly ran her hand along his crest, pushing the stiff hair down against the back of his head and base of his neck. “As long as you understand that, and as long as you do not fight back, the easier this will go. I won’t have to hurt you as much if you do.”

That sent shudders down Bardot’s spine. It was very similar to what he told Barney during his time abusing him. He often told him that in the beginning to lull him into a false sense of security, before hurting him just as bad, if not worse, than before. It was all just to play with his mind and break him. If Jenny was anything like that, and he could tell she was, she was going to toy with him in a similar manner. She wasn’t going to let up on it, and the expression on her face suggested so.

“I think I’ll stop using you eventually... Instead of letting you die on this machine...” Jenny said. Bardot stared at her, his eyes bulging open. What more could she possibly do to him? What else did she want to do with him? He realized just how similar to his victims he must sound right now... “I’ll let Ghadir eat you alive... Yes, that will be pretty fun to watch. You’ll be in so much pain by then, I doubt you’ll notice a little more.”

Bardot couldn’t stifle his gasp of horror. A human eating him, the reverse of what he did... It was like all his sins were being rolled together and tossed back at him. He had heard about karma and how it catches up to people. And that is what he was experiencing right now. Full on karma, to a more specific degree than simply being arrested. He had been a little disturbed with the idea of a human eating a zoner, but knowing that he would be eaten alive frightened him.

He started to struggle, pulling and tugging his body left and right. Jenny just smirked at him, watching him struggle. Bardot tried his best to free himself, but soon found himself unable to. He soon relaxed, letting his body hang limply. His mouth opened up and he gave a few pants. He looked up at Jenny, tears of fear staining his cheeks as he whimpered some more. How pitiful he must look now. A most feared criminal reduced to a whining mess. But, in the moment, he did not care about that.

“Enough talking. Time to turn this thing back on.” Jenny said, smiling evilly at him. Bardot stared at her with wide, pleading eyes, which she, of course, ignored. She moved over until she was by the switch. She grabbed it tightly. She stared intently at Bardot and said, “I want to hear you scream.”

Bardot remembered how he had said the same thing to Rudy not long after he separated him from Penny. And now, this time, it was being said to him. Unable to tear his eyes away from Jenny, he could only hang there and wait as the switch was pulled. And in seconds, horrific pain swept through his body. He began to scream, more tears pooling from his green eyes.

sss

It was difficult for Lars to navigate through the array of random items the man was drawing. But in seconds, he reached him and, without hesitation, he lunged at him. His body collided with the man, making him give a grunt of surprise. The two of them toppled to the ground, rolling across the grass. Soon they hit the bottom, pressing up against a pile of creations from this guy. Lars immediately pinned him down, giving him no chance to get up.

The man glared at him, his eyes wide and wild. The white glow still trailed from his eyes, the madness still having a strong hold on him. Lars kept his arms pinned down while he swiveled his head from side to side. He had to find that magic chalk and knock it away before this man had a chance to use it again. He soon saw it was still clutched in the man’s hand. He lowered his head to get it, only for the man to kick him in the stomach. Lars released the arm and held his stomach, groaning in pain.

“Stay away from my magic chalk! It’s mine!” The man shouted. He gave a few sanity deprived chuckles. “I-It’s mine, I tell you! Mine!”

Lars winced at this. The man sounded absolutely delirious, insane. Though he never heard this man’s normal speaking voice, he could tell this was not how he normally talked. He had to get the chalk out of his hand and fast, before he could draw anything else. There was already a lot of stuff here, some dangerous and some not. If he allowed the man to draw something else... Who knows what else he might draw? He’d rather not find out.

He began to wrestle with the adult human. He reached out for the chalk before he could start to draw. The man glared angrily at him and pulled his arm upwards, trying to keep the chalk away from him. The man tried to kick him again, but this time, Lars was prepared and positioned his foot on his leg he was trying to kick with, preventing it from being used. The man let out a grunt of frustration, his pupils dilating.

“Get off of me now! Don’t you dare try to take my chalk! I’ll...I’ll kill you if you do!” The man cried insanely, the white glow intensifying. Lars could have sworn he saw some dark circles forming under the man’s eyes, like he was suffering from a year long addiction. “Get off me now! You have no right to do this! Get off!”

Lars didn’t bother replying to the human. He knew he was too far gone in the madness to affectively communicate. He was clearly too far gone, evident by the claim to kill him. Another sign of the madness. He continued to struggle with him, gritting his teeth as he reached over to where the man held the magic chalk. The man turned his head left and right, trying to get himself free. Soon, he was able to push himself to the side, causing them to roll a little further, and now he was on top of Lars. The polar bear’s eyes widened at this change and saw the man raise up his magic chalk to draw, smiling insanely at him.

Baring his teeth, Lars kicked the man in the stomach. The man tumbled backwards, falling onto his back. Lars got up onto his feet and lunged at him. He slammed his body against him, knocking the wind out of the man. With him momentarily stunned, Lars reached for the magic chalk and tried to grab it. The man, however, recovered quicker than he had expected, and he felt the man clamp his jaws on him.

Almost instantly, the feeling of saliva slowly dissolving his chalk form caused Lars to scream. Granted, it wasn’t a lot of dissolving, but enough to hurt him. The man had been salivating more than usual. He hadn’t heard of this symptom of Magic Chalk Madness, but here it was. He pushed his hand against the man’s face, trying to get his head away. He eventually managed to make the man let go, leaving behind a small, reddened area. Thankfully there was no bleeding. Lars went back to trying to get the magic chalk from him.

Soon the polar bear was able to succeed. He pried the chalk from the man’s hand and rolled it away from them. The man’s eyes widened at this and he struggled to go after it, knocking the bear away and crawling on the ground to get to it. Lars leaped onto his back and looped his arms around his neck, holding him in place. He held onto the human, refusing to let go. The man struggled wildly, kicking his legs against the ground and flailing his arms in desperation.

“Get off! Get off! My chalk! It needs me! Get off!” The man called out in desperation. “Please let me go! I need it!”

Lars simply shook his head and held on tighter. The man struggled frantically, trying to worm his way over to where the magic chalk laid on the ground, sparkling. Lars planted his back feet firmly on the ground, digging his claws on to try to get traction. He pressed his white body against the man and made sure his feet were pressed up against the man as well. He used his body weight to hold the man against the ground, trying his best to wear him down.

Slowly, the man’s struggles decreased. It was little by little, but gradually, the effects became more noticeable. The man’s struggles grew weaker, and he shouted less and less. Soon, he went silent, his cries replaced with loud pants. In a short time, he laid limp on the ground, clearly too tired to keep struggling. The white glow from his eyes eventually vanished, disappearing into the air and floating away like some kind of mist.

Though the man had clearly calmed down, Lars did not let him go. He refused to let go until he was certain the madness had passed. He kept his arms around the man firmly, keeping an eye on him as the man breathed heavily, his eyes wide with a mixture of emotions. Only when he saw the dark circles under his eyes disappear and all signs of madness gone from his eyes did Lars slowly release the man. He did not get up from him. He remained sitting on the man and stared down at him, watching and waiting to see what he was going to do.

The man pushed himself up with one of his hands. He reached up with his other and pressed it against his head. He rubbed his head lightly and gave a soft groan, his eyes closed. He slowly shook his head from side to side.

“Oh...what...what happened...?” The man asked, gritting his teeth. “It feels like I just drank twenty glasses of coffee in a single go...”

Lars replied, “You were suffering from Magic Chalk Madness. A condition where a usually new magic chalk user goes crazy with the power. Sort of becoming drunk by it because they don’t know how to properly utilize it.” The man turned his head and looked at him with one confusion-filled eye. “If I hadn’t come along, you might have hurt yourself, or someone, whether intentional or not.”

The man took in a few breaths, his eyes moving back and forth as if to contemplate this. They widened slowly, as if the realization of what happened struck him. “What...what did I do...?” He asked, a rhetorical question. He looked a little frightened now, his body shaking slightly. “I..I could have...”

Lars got up from the man. “It’s over now. The madness has passed.” He reached down and grabbed the man’s arm. He pulled him up to his feet. “Now, I have a question to ask you.”

The man stared blankly towards the ground. Slowly, he turned his head towards the polar bear. “And that would be...?”

Lars put his paws on his sides. “Just..who are you?”

sss

“You...” Penny breathed. “How...how could you do something like that...?”

“You’re a monster!” Rudy snarled at the man. “An absolute creep! You won’t get away with this!”

Mr. Pierce chuckled at the boy. “Oh? And you think you can stop me? A couple of teenagers like yourself? Don’t make me laugh!” He turned his head to the side, staring at the two with one insanity-filled eye. “If dear Bouffant couldn’t stop me, if your precious family couldn’t, what makes you think you’ll have better luck?”

Rudy gritted his teeth, but said nothing.

“Hmph, I thought not...” Mr. Pierce moved away from the table, moving towards the two teenagers once more. They narrowed his eyes at him, but he showed no signs of being fazed by it. Soon he stood behind them, forcing them to crane their heads to look. “The police are coming here soon to...collect your parents. And once they are, I can guarantee the police will not believe a word they say. I shall give them the evidence and the motivation. That will be more than enough to lock them up for a very long time...”

“No!” Penny cried, her eyes wide in horror.

Rudy shook his head. “Y-You can’t do this!”

Mr. Pierce raised his hand in gesture. “Oh? Why can’t I?”

“Because...” Rudy said, unsure of just what he was going to say. “Because..it’s sick and wrong!” He struggled to get himself free, jerking himself from side to side. The chair wobbled with his efforts. “Don’t you understand just...just what you are doing?!”

“Oh I know exactly what I’m doing. And I don’t care.” Mr. Pierce retorted, giving Rudy an uncomfortable smile. The man walked up to him and stood right next to his chair. He lowered himsef a little so he was eye level with the boy. He reached out and stroked Rudy’s hair. “Don’t think you can do anything about it. You and your friend here are a little..tied up for the moment. And soon your parents will be convicted of murder...” His hand moved down and cupped his chin. “And I...well I get to walk free. As for you... Well you are going to tell me what I want to know about this...ChalkZone.”

Rudy turned his head way. “You’re nuts! I won’t tell you anything! Neither would Penny!”

“Why would we give you information?!” Penny snarled, doing her best to hide her fear.

“Of course you’d be..resistant. I anticipated that.” Mr. Pierce said. His eyes moved around, going from Rudy to Penny and back again. There was a glint in those eyes that made the two children shudder. “I could do what I did with Terry...and use the truth serum on you. Then I can beat you until you finally answer. I’m not afraid of doing horrible things if it gets me the end result I want.” He straightened himself back, sneering at the two frightened and angered teenagers. “You see, that’s how you survive in business. It’s a dog eat dog world out there. You two are simply getting a taste of...reality...”

“Screw you!” Rudy snarled, narrowing his eyes.

Mr. Pierce chuckled at this. “Continue to be defiant all you want to, little boy.” He leaned his head a little close, staring intently into the boy’s eyes. “It won’t change a thing. As soon as I inject you, all the information you know about ChalkZone...will soon be mine...” His voice went deeper, quieter. “...and I will use it to obtain control..”

Rudy and Penny stared at this man in horror and anger. He was going to try to force them to give him all the information they know about ChalkZone. Knowledge was a powerful thing, and in the wrong hands, it can be used as a horrific weapon. Once Mr. Pierce had intimate knowledge of ChalkZone, how it worked, the different worlds and such, he could give that information to any number of people, to empower them so they knew exactly how to take down ChalkZone, and control it. The implication of this sent chills down their spine.

Mr. Pierce was a horrible man. Penny couldn’t believe just how far he was willing to go for the sake of getting control of ChalkZone. He had not only shot and killed Vinnie, but he had also murdered Terry by shoving a knife into the back of her head. On top of that, he had framed Rudy’s father for the murder and was going to have him, along with Rudy’s mother, her mother, and Reggie arrested for a crime they did not commit. Mr. Pierce got Mr. Tabootie’s fingerprints on the bloodied knife, and he had a motivation all ready that would further convince the police.

While she and Rudy were shocked that Terry had been stalking them, they couldn’t bring themselves to be too angry with her. That had been years ago and she hadn’t been doing it recently. She had become an ally, though not an outright friend, and she was trying to help keep ChalkZone from getting exposed, the exact opposite of what she used to do in the past. She was furious that Mr. Pierce forced her to tell their folks about that, going as far as showing them the evidence she gathered. And to pour salt into the wound, he had killed her before their parents could say anything, leaving Terry unable to recieve any consolation.

And that evidence... Mr. Pierce was going to use that convict Rudy’s dad. It was going to be the motivation. As much as Penny wanted to deny it, she knew that the motivation Mr. Pierce had at his disposal...was indeed convincing. Any parent who finds out that their child had been relentlessly stalked for months, with so much information about them gathered, including where they lived, their favorite hobbies, and daily routine, would be quite upset at the person doing the stalking. But she knew Rudy’s dad would never kill, no matter how angry he got...yet Mr. Pierce could always convince the police...

And now, he was going to get more information out of them. He was going to force them to help him get more prepared to invade ChalkZone. The realization of his caused memories to flash in the back of her mind. The dark dimension...the enslaved zoners...the ruined world...the starved enslaved zoners... That was going to happen all over again. She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to get those horrible images out of her mind. No...no...she couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t let Mr. Pierce repeat that dimension’s history here. ChalkZone had to be protected at all costs. It...

“I had hoped you two would willingly give the information without a fuss. But I see I was wrong.” Mr. Pierce said. “I can tell, just by looking at you, even if I hurt you, still won’t tell, or you’d lie. And all for some useless chalk people...” He shrugged his shoulders. “Well I suppose some people are just a little crazy.” Rudy and Penny glared hatefully at him. “But no matter... I can..fix that little problem. A little truth serum and you two won’t be able to say something untrue.”

“We can try!” Rudy cried out. “We won’t surrender that easily!”

“Oh this is going to be so much fun..I can tell already...” Mr. Pierce said. “Just like how fun it was torturing Terry for the information...” He leaned back slightly, his eyes facing upwards. “Yes... It took a little while. But the punches and kicks eventually got to her...”

“You’re a monster!” Penny snarled at the man. She attempted to struggle to get free, but the cuffs held her too tightly. “How...how dare you toy with someone else’s life just to fuel your own gain?! You’re...you’re a coward!”

Mr. Pierce stared at her, his eyes twinkling. “A coward, am I...?” He walked up to her slowly. He stared down at her bad leg, a hideous smile spread across his face. “Better watch your tongue... or I might commit another cowardly act and tear apart your right knee...” Penny’s eyes widened in horror. “With all the damage done to this leg so far... do you really want another ‘trophy’ added onto it...?”

“Don’t you fucking dare hurt her, you bitch!” Rudy’s struggles increased. His blazing eyes stared directly at Mr. Pierce. “Get the fuck away from her! Don’t you dare touch her!”

“Such valiance...such determination...” Mr. Pierce said. As if to taunt him, he began to play with Penny’s hair. She cringed from his touch, but he just followed with his hand. She could feel his fingers move through her hair. “Too bad none of that will do you any good here, kiddo...” He suddenly dug his nails into Penny’s scalp, making her cry out.

Rudy stared in horror. “Penny!”

Mr. Pierce released Penny and walked over towards Rudy. He sneered into Rudy’s angered eyes. “But perhaps...you’d like to take the fall for her?” Rudy’s eyes widened at this. “If you love her, and I know you do, I’m sure you would rather I tear up your knee... Well don’t worry.” He straightened himself up. “I plan on doing just that. Soon as I inject you both with the truth serum, that will be my first act..” Rudy looked at the man with a horrified expression.

“No! You can’t!” Penny begged, her eyes wide in terror. No..please..he can’t do that... “Please don’t!”

“I’ll see you two in a few minutes.” Mr. Pierce said, ignoring Penny’s pleas. “But first...” He raised a finger. “I need to get the truth serum. It will be so much more fun torturing the information out of you two, knowing that you will be completely unable to lie. I imagine you will try even harder not to speak, but with all the pain I’m about to deal onto you two...” He leaned in close to Rudy’s face, forcing the boy to turn his head away. “...you will not be able to resist for very long...”

With that, the evil man turned and left the room, leaving a horrified Rudy and Penny alone to think about what had happened and what was going to happen. The two of them looked at each other in terror. Penny could see the fear in Rudy’s eyes. She couldn’t blame him for being afraid. He was going to get maimed, possibly permanently, all just to make him talk. And so many other things had happened... with Vinnie and Terry, their folks and Reggie, and now this...

And then there was Mr. Longhorn. Penny couldn’t help but feel betrayed by him. He did take her magic chalk without asking him. She didn’t know if he actually did it with malice intent, but regardless of that intent, he still broke her trust with him by stealing. This act stung her horribly because he had seemed to helpful before. Had it really been genuine? Or was he playing them for a fool, just like Dr. Raiden had before? And just...what was he doing in ChalkZone?

Staring into Rudy’s fear-filled eyes, she wanted to say something to comfort him. Anything...and she could tell he wanted to do the same for her. But neither of them spoke. A horrible silence fell upon them as they waited for Mr. Pierce to return. What could she say to him? She had no idea how they were going to get out of this one. All they could do was hope and pray that a miracle would happen and they could get out of here.

But with their sort of luck lately, what were the odds of the tide turning in their favor...?


	111. He Still Has A Knee He Can Use

Rudy winced as the needle was pushed into his shoulder. He could feel the liquid being pushed into his body, entering his blood vessels and slowly spreading throughout. Mr. Pierce did not stop pushing the top of the needle down until all of the liquid was pushed into Rudy. After he was done injecting him, he took out the second needle and went over to Penny. Rudy’s eyes widened at this and he struggled against his binds.

“Stay the fuck away from her!” Rudy called out. “I’m warning you!”

Mr. Pierce chuckled but did not spare Rudy a passing glance. Rudy tried harder to get free, but he eventually stopped, the muscles in his arms getting very tired and sore with his escape attempts. He looked over in fear, unable to do anything except watch as Mr. Pierce pushed the needle into Penny’s arm. She winced as the sharp needle penetrated her skin and the truth serum was injected into her as well.

As Penny was being injected, Rudy could feel the effects of the serum start to take him over. His head began to hurt, pounding even. It started from the middle of his forehead and then spread through the rest of the top of his head. It felt like someone had taken a drill and put it to his head. He gave a soft groan as he tried to fight against the effects, but found that each time he tried to ignore it or push it away, the more pronounced the effects had become. Soon his head hurt so bad and he just wanted to lay down.

He then started to feel a little chilly. Not severely, but there was a slight shiver to him now. His mind started to feel slightly muggy, as if he hadn’t slept well in a few days. He realized that the serum somewhat mimicked a fever, being sick. Those under a fever don’t think clearly, and he realized that is exactly what Mr. Pierce wanted. Without the ability to think clearly, he was more likely to let something slip, less likely to be able to lie effectively. So this is how he was able to suppress certain parts of the brain, like he had with Terry.

After a few more seconds, Rudy tried to think of some kind of lie. Anything. He had to be sure he still had the ability to resist giving out information that he didn’t want Pierce to know about. But whenever he tried, it made his head hurt even more, to the point where he couldn’t think at all until he relaxed. Lying took more thinking, whereas the truth did not, since he didn’t have to make anything up. Upon realizing that attempting to lie would just put him through more pain horrified Rudy, and he had no idea how long this serum was going to last.

He looked over at Penny, his eyes widening in horror as he saw Pierce pull the needle away and Penny start to sway a little. Her body moved from side to side as she shook her head. The effects were starting to get to her as well. He watched as she stared over at him, her eyes blinking a few times and her body starting to shiver. Rudy bit his lip. Soon, she wouldn’t be able to lie either, and they’ll both be forced to relinquish information. They could try to resist but...for how long...?

Not many can tolerate pain for an extended period of time. Not many would be able to take a beating and refuse to speak. He and Penny certainly weren’t any of those people who could hold their tongue forever. For a while, yes. But not forever. He had no idea how long the truth serum would last.. It could last for several hours, all day even. He didn’t know if he and Penny could resist not speaking in that time. Could they tolerate the pain for that long? Would they even survive this? Just what else was Mr. Pierce going to do besides cut up his knee?

He felt a couple tears from in his eyes. He knew that, in a few moments, Mr. Pierce was going to begin with the brutal interrogation. He was going to force them to speak, and he was going to do whatever it took to make them talk, even hurt them. After all they had been through, the last thing they needed was more pain. He wanted to struggle to get away as Mr. Pierce started to come towards him, but he knew he had nowhere to go.

Penny’s horror-filled eyes looked over at Mr. Pierce. “No, please don’t do it!” She jerked herself left and right. “You can’t do this!”

Mr. Pierce turned and gave her a sideways look. His eyes glinted as he grinned darkly. “I said I would and that is just what I am going to do.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. A clean one, obviously not the same one he used on Terry. “If you two are smart, this will be the only thing I’ll do to you. Continue to try my patience, and I’ll do more...”

Penny looked as if she wanted to say something else, but she held her tongue. Not because she didn’t have anything to say. He knew there were plenty of things that she could say that didn’t involve lying. It was the fear of accidentally causing him more pain that was doing it. Pierce was the kind of man who would use any outburst she gave to him as a reason to hurt him more. Though it wouldn’t be her fault if that happened, he knew Mr. Pierce would stick the blame on her. That was just the kind of man he was.

Mr. Pierce stood in front of Rudy, grinning viciously at him. Rudy glared back, wanting to show some kind of defiance against him. Mr. Pierce reached over and pressed the back of his hand against his forehead. Rudy snapped his head back and growled, baring his teeth. This did nothing to dissuade Pierce and he just laughed a little at his display of defiance.

“Such courage... I admire how you can act this way despite your current predicament, Rudy. It will...prove a hassle as I try to get information from you. But no matter...” Mr. Pierce brought up the knife. “After I’m done with you, I don’t think you’ll have the energy to resist for long..”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror as the man brandished the knife in front of him. He could see his reflection in the knife. He could see how fear-filled he really looked. He could see how his face was slightly reddened, as if he really did have a slight fever. He could see the faintest hint of a tear in his eyes. He looked over at Penny, staring at her with wide eyes. He could see the fear and dread shining back from hers. He wanted to say something, anything...but words escaped him. Penny looked as though she wanted to speak, but was too afraid to, worried she might make Pierce hurt him more.

Rudy stared back at the evil man. He narrowed his eyes a little, but found it hard to narrow them all the way. There was something about this man that was terrifying him too much to glare at him again like before. Was it the knowledge of what he was about to do to his leg? Could be, or perhaps it was the fact that this man, whom he never met before, had secured most of the people who know and protect ChalkZone, killed two of them, and secured a portal, all in an even shorter time frame than Cosmo had managed. It...it was almost like facing Cosmo all over again, only this time, things were..a little different.

Pierce turned his head to the side, glancing back at Penny. “I want you to watch this, my dear. I want you to see what will happen if you continue to resist. I trust that, after seeing what’ll happen to your little friend, that you will be more...cooperate...”

“...fuck you...” Penny said under her breath, her eyes narrowed a little, teeth gritted.

Pierce stared at her, then chuckled, his shoulders shaking. “I’ll do something about that attitude of yours soon. Don’t worry, dear..” Penny seethed at this, but said nothing in response. Pierce’s smile broadened slightly, then he turned back to Rudy. “Let’s get this started, shall we? The sooner this is done, the sooner it will be over.”

Rudy wanted to snap back at him. He wanted to retort. But right now, fear ruled his mind. He couldn’t stop shaking as the man grabbed the bottom of his left pant leg. He pulled it up, fitting it over his thigh and exposing his knee to the man. Rudy wanted to kick out his leg, but it was bound to the chair, unable to move. He wriggled the leg from side to side, but that did him no good. Mr. Pierce unhooked his leg and kept a hold of it. He pulled it out and attached it to the chair, keeping it laid out, allowing Rudy to see his knee completely. Mr. Pierce took the knife, a scalpel to be precise, and moved it towards the exposed knee.

“Rudy! No!” Penny cried in horror, unable to tear her eyes away.

Rudy trembled and he closed his eyes and looked away. He let out a cry of pain when Mr. Pierce reached up and grabbed his ear and twisted it. He opened up a pain-filled eye and stared down at the man.

“Do no look away, boy! I want you watch as I butcher up your knee!” Mr. Pierce snarled. “Look away again, and I will blind your girlfriend over there!” Penny gave a small scream of fear, and Rudy gasped in horror. He stared at the man in shock, his eyes searching to see if the man was lying. He saw no such deception. “Do I make myself clear?” Rudy whimpered softly and nodded his head slowly. Mr. Pierce smiled. “Good boy... Now..here we go. And remember...don’t look away.”

Rudy’s heart pounded as his eyes watched the knife to up to his knee. Mr. Pierce paused for a moment. He reached down with his other hand and pushed a finger against his knee, feeling where there was a gap. Then, keeping his finger pressed in a certain spot, he brought the scalpel over. Soon the cold blade touched his skin. Rudy could only manage a quick whimper before the blade was pushed into his flesh. His eyes snapping wide open, he let out a blood curdling scream.

Deeper the scalpel went. He could feel hot blood start to pool out of the knee, running down the side of his leg and into the ground. He could hear Penny’s cries, pleading with Pierce to stop. He could hardly hear her over his own screaming as he thrashed against his chair, trying to get away from the horrific pain. Mr. Pierce kept pushing the knife into his knee until it hit bone. Rudy’s eyes widened at this and he let out a yelp of pain. Rudy watched, several screams escaping his throat, as Mr. Pierce than twisted the scalpel in his leg, the tiny knife doing massive damage to the complicated bone and tissue inside.

The pain...oh gawd the pain... It was horrible.. It swept through his body, keeping a grip on him. Every second, the pain intensified, making him constantly scream, tears flowing down his face. He tried to get away. He tried to struggle, jerking himself left and right. But nothing he did would allow him to get away. He continued to watch, loud whimpers and cries escaping his mouth as Mr. Pierce continued to butcher his leg cruelly and heartlessly. Around and around the blade went, doing more and more damage to the flesh inside. The pain sent adrenaline rushing through his body, making it tremble harder, making his heart beat faster.

When Pierce began to cut across his knee, Rudy’s eyes widened and his breathing quickened. Hyperventilation was starting to take a hold of him. The horrific pain that radiated from his knee began to spread a little. It felt was though a stake was being driven straight through him. And to make matters worse, Pierce was taking his time with this. He was cutting him slowly, prolonging the pain as if to break him more easily. Rudy let out whimpers and whines as he watched the scalpel cut across his skin like it was just plastic or paper. Tears stained his cheeks. He wanted to look away. He didn’t want to watch this, but a quick glare from the man told him he had to watch, or else.

The man soon reached the middle of his knee, where the thick ligament was. He slowly pulled the knife out. Rudy took in a sharp, shuddering through and, for a few moments, felt a sensation of relief. This was short lived as the man brought the knife over to the other side. He pressed it against the skin once more. Rudy screamed loudly, his dilated, pain-filled pupils watching reluctantly as the knife penetrated his skin.

Mr. Pierce did the same thing on this side as he did the other. He pushed it as far as he could go before starting to twist the knife slowly. He kept on twisting it, maximizing the mount of damage he was doing. Then he started to cut towards the ligament, taking his time. All the while, Rudy was writhing, twisting his body in agony. Tears pooled out of his eyes, staining his cheeks. He cried hard, sobs wracking through his body. His vision was soon blurred as the endless tears kept getting in his eyes, never stopping. Mr. Pierce just smiled at his pain, clearly satisfied with what he was doing.

Rudy’s heart was beating so fast, he thought it was going to burst from his chest. He couldn’t slow down his breathing. Panic, fear, and pain ruled his mind, and he was trying so hard to get away. He had to get away somehow. His mind echoed with the cruel laughter of Pierce, Penny’s pleading, and his own screaming and crying. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, tears continuing to well up inside. He looked over at Pierce, staring at the man’s wobbly form through his tears. How..how could this man enjoy inflicting so much pain onto someone? How can he see this as being fair and right?

Weeping for a few for seconds, Rudy began to plead with the man. “P-Please..stop this...” His body shuddered as the cold, burning pain swept through his leg. “Wh-Why do you have to do this..? Why...? Please...stop.. I-I-It hurts too much.. please.. It hurts too much...”

Pierce stared at him. Then he responded by suddenly jabbing the knife in deeper, clanging it against the joint. Rudy’s eyes widened and he let out a scream. It echoed around the room. Penny let out a cry of terror and she struggled to get free. She looked over at Rudy with horror-filled eyes, tears streaming down her face.

“Rudy!” Penny cried. “No please..stop hurting him!”

Mr. Pierce ignored Penny, keeping his eyes focused on Rudy. He put his face close to the boy’s, grinning as he watched the boy cry and whimper against the chair. Rudy stared at the man, sniffling as the man laughed at his pain. He let out a cry of agony as the pain suddenly yanked the knife out of his leg. He brought the blade over, showing him the blood stained instrument. The sight of his blood against the knife made Rudy whimper, making him mentally relive when the man was slicing up his knee momens ago.

“I know I don’t have to do this. I know there’s other ways of...making you talk. But I digress..” Mr. Pierce brandished the scalpel in front of Rudy, letting him see his reflection in the tiny blade. “This is much more fun.. And it will ensure that you will get a...feel of the consequenses if you’re too quiet. If you don’t like this, then hopefully, you will talk. If not..” He chortled as he turned his attention back to his knee. “You will be feeling this, and more...”

Rudy let out another bloodcurdling scream as Mr. Pierce pushed the knife back into him, this time, right up against the ligament. He moved the scalpel in and out slowly, chuckling as Rudy wept in pain. Then, grabbing onto his leg, the man pushed up harder against the ligament. Rudy continued to let out screams, his eyes bulging open, as he watched the evil man slide into the ligament, sawing at it steadily. The ligament came apart easily. Soon the man cut straight across, completely severing that ligament. He pulled the knife out, prompting another scream from the boy.

Rudy sobbed hard, pain wracking through his body. He stared in horror at his ruined knee, blood pouring from it. He wanted to look away. He wanted to shut his eyes and drown out what was happening. The only thing keeping him from doing so is the fear of what would happen to Penny. If he dared look away, then Penny would lose her eyes. As much as he didn’t want to, he continued to watch as the blade was used to butcher his knee. The pain steadily increased, becoming unbearable. He cried loudly, sniffling, as Mr. Pierce lived up to his name and used the knife to pierce into his knee once more, this time in the middle of the now severed ligament. He pushed the blade in as far as he could go and began to turn the blade from side to side, as if he were trying to pop the knee open.

Rudy realized, in horror, just how literal this was. Mr. Pierce, in seconds, managed to push his knee cap up, exposing it to the air. Fresh blood dripped down his knee. Rudy let out a scream, his eyes wide in pain and horror as he stared at the bloody piece that was his exposed knee cap. He could see the ligament as well, along with some exposed bone. The sight of it made his blood freeze, his mind going numb in absolute horror. Penny shrieked at the sight.

But the man was not done with his knee just yet. He heartlessly grabbed the loosened knee cap and pulled it up, making Rudy whimper in pain. He then grabbed the sliced skin with two fingers not holding the scalpel and, without a breather, pulled on it as hard as he could. Rudy screamed in agony as the skin was pulled like this. Soon it began to tear, spreading along the side of his leg at both ends, exposing more read. Then the man released his fingers and smirked down at him.

Rudy’s face was reddened from the tears he was shedding. He couldn’t believe it. This man had completely butchered up his knee, tearing it apart like it was nothing. He was relieved when the man put the knife away, showing that he was done. But the pain was still there. Such horrible...dreadful pain... He couldn’t stop his rapid breathing. He couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down his face. Why hadn’t he fainted from this...? Did Mr. Pierce do something with the serum to keep this from happening? Right now, he didn’t care. All he knew right now was pain and agony. He looked over at Penny, sobbing hard. She stared at him with sympathetic, horror-filled eyes. She wanted to help him, but she was completely unable to.

Rudy looked up at at the man, staring at him with eyes filled with the question of ‘why?’. How could he do this to him? What did he do to deserve this? He lowered his head, closing his eyes, and began to cry hard. This...this just wasn’t fair... Wasn’t fair... He sobbed heavily, occassionally looking back at his damaged knee, each time sending a sharp pain through his heart. The wound was exposed to the air and a dull ache eminated from it. The pain reminded him so much of what happened to his hand two years ago. The memory of that made him weep harder.

“I hope this...teaches you an important lesson.” Mr. Pierce sneered at the boy. He untied Rudy’s left leg and just leg it fall into the ground. Rudy cried out in pain as his leg hit painfully against the ground. “If you refuse to speak, this level of pain is what you get to look forward to. Don’t think I won’t make the injury worse... Oh I will, and so much more...”

Rudy stared at the man in fear. His eyes were reddened from his tears. He shook his head slowly, his eyes silently begging the man to stop. He knew it was useless to resist. He knew that the man wouldn’t listen to his pleas. He would just keep hurting him, going as far as ultimately kill him if he did not get an answer. Or worse...he’d hurt Penny, threaten to kill her if he didn’t speak up. He looked over at her, more tears welling up in his eyes. Seeing her look so afraid...it broke his heart.

Penny’s lower lip quivered and she sucked in a shaky breath. She kept her gaze on Rudy for several seconds before turning her gaze to Mr. Pierce. Her mouth partially open, taking in rapid breaths, she said, “You...how...how could you be such a...a monster...?”

“Oh Penny my dear..” Mr. Pierce looked at her with one eye. “None of this is personal. It is all business. And business can be..cut throat...” He raised a finger in the air. “Like any business man, I seize opportunity, and do what I can to make that opportunity worthwhile...” He looked back at Rudy, laughing coldly at his pain. “And I will make no exception here. If you two refuse to use pain as motivator...and if you continue getting hurt by me..well...” His voice darkened up slightly. “That’ll be your own blasted faults...”

“Wh-What are you t-t-talking....a-a-bout...?” Rudy said through his horrible pain. “Y-You’re...the..one who..d-d-decided to t-t-to d-do this...”

“True. But I only chose it because there was no other way.” Mr. Pierce said. He reached down and ran his fingers along the back of Rudy’s head. He shuddered at the man’s touch. “I won’t have to choose this again if you cooperate. But if you refuse to speak on the matter of ChalkZone, you will force my hand...and leave me with no choice but to hurt you again. Now...you wouldn’t want that, now would you?”

As if to emphasize his point, Pierce pressed his hand against Rudy’s torn knee. Rudy let out a scream of pain. The scream soon dissolved into sobbing and he turned his head away. He sighed with relief when the man pulled his hand away. He looked up at him with one fear filled eye. He shuddered at the man’s hideous grin, and winced at the blood that coated his hand. Blood that came from his knee.

“I see we understand each other. But for how long? I wonder how much more defiance is left in you. Well...only one way to find out.” Mr. Pierce said as he walked around behind Rudy. “But first... since your knee is torn up, I don’t think there is a need to keep you hooked up to the chair.” Rudy could feel the man working his fingers along, unhooking the cuffs that held him in place. “So why not just...relax?”

With that, the man grabbed onto Rudy’s arm and pulled him out of the chair roughly. Rudy’s feet tripped from underneath him as he was dragged over. Mustering up as much strength as he could, Mr. Pierce threw Rudy into the ground, smirking as he watched him crash and roll across the hard floor. Penny cried out to him in horror. Rudy laid on his stomach on the ground, his body shaking a little from the pain. His damaged knee had banged against the ground, sending shockwaves of pain throughout his body.

Rudy attempted to get up. He put his hands on the ground and pushed up. He struggled to get up to his feet. He managed to get up for a short time, but as soon as he put pressure on his left leg, he let out a scream, his knee buckling painfully forward and forcing him back into the ground. He hit the hard floor painfully, his chin slamming against the ground and forcing him to bite his tongue. He laid there, his body shaking as a little blood trickled down his mouth. He looked up at Mr. Pierce in fear.

“See? What did I tell you?” Mr. Pierce walked over to Rudy and knelt down beside him. He ran his hand along his hair again, playing with it. “Perhaps I will start asking you the questions. Yes, with this much pain, I wonder how long you can be...defiant.” He moved his hand away and pressed two fingers against Rudy’s chin. He forced it up, staring into his tear-soaked eyes. “I suspect it won’t be for too long...”

Rudy turned his head away, growling weakly at him. “You...you bastard...”

“Ah see? I knew you’d still have something left in you. Perhaps I should squeeze that last bit out of you...” Mr. Pierce pulled his foot back and kicked Rudy in the side. The boy tumbled across the ground and landed on his back. The man came over to him and raised his foot above his already damaged knee. “I guarantee..this will work...”

Rudy realized what he was going to do. His heart pounding in horror, he shook his head in desperation. “N-No...please!” He tried to move his leg, but the shockwaves of pain from the torn knee made it impossible. “Don’t!”

His cries fell on deaf ears. With his leg still in position, Mr. Pierce grinned insanely as he brought his foot down as hard as he could, slamming it against Rudy’s knee. Upon impact, Rudy’s eyes bulged open and he let out the loudest scream he ever uttered here. His throat hurt from all the screaming, but he still kept crying out. Horrible, burning pain spread throughout his leg, making him freeze for a second, before convulsing in agony. He put his hands on his thighs and began to cry loudly as he pulled his leg a little.

His sobbing and crying filled the room. His body continued to shake in shere agony. He tried to touch his left knee, but there was so much pain, he was forced to pull his hand away. He couldn’t move, could hardly breathe. He wept on the ground, watching as blood continued to leak out of his wound. As the seconds passed, the pain got worse and worse. Soon he was hardly noticing Penny’s crying or Mr. Pierce’s insane laughter. He was only aware of the pounding pain echoing in his body, intensifying as the seconds passed.

Then, mercifully, he was taken away from the pain. A dull numbness spread throughout his shivering body. It tugged away at the back of his mind as his vision began to blur rapidly. Soon, his eyes began to droop as his vision blurred. The sounds around him became distant and echoey. Then, slowly, darkness enveloped him, temporarily taking him from the world.

sss

“Rudy!” Penny cried out in horror. Her eyes locked onto the prone form of her friend. “Get up! Please! Open your eyes!” She struggled against her cuffs. “Wake up!”

A cold laughter chilled her blood, making her stop struggling. She turned her head towards Mr. Pierce, watching him with horror-filled eyes as he stood next to Rudy’s unconscious body on the ground. There was a horrific glint in this man’s eye. What was he going to do next? Did she want to know what else he was going to do? How far was he willing to go?

“I trust that, after he wakes up...” Mr. Pierce smirked down at Rudy. He chuckled as the boy took in ragged breaths. “...he will be...more controllable...”

Penny stared at the man. Her eyes narrowed as anger started to fill up inside of her. “Y-You monster! You will pay for this!” The man simply stared at her as she struggled to get free.

“Sorry, little girl. But you stand no chance of beating me...” Mr. Pierce sneered. “I doubt you’ll be able to land a punch. In your condition, you’re just too weak.”

Penny seethed. “Let me go and I’ll show you just how weak I am!”

Mr. Pierce smirked at her, raising an eyebrow. “My my...aren’t you a little...enthusiastic?” He moved over to her. He stood behind her and put his hands on the sides of her face. He gently moved his fingers down, caressing her cheeks, the sides of her neck, and her shoulders. She shuddered at his touch. “I like that... I always like it when my opponent struggles. It makes the...game a little more interesting.”

“Game?!” Penny cried, incredulous.

“Yes..” Mr. Pierce said as he placed his chin on her shoulder. Penny jerked a little, her wide eyes staring at him. “It’s always fun toying with lives. I haven’t done it in...such a long time. It feels nice to finally be able to do it again. And this time, there’s a bigger prize to be had.” He moved away from Penny and stood at her side. He said, “This ChalkZone place..it’s going to change everything. I needed someway to keep my business from going down, and this will be the perfect way to avoid that.”

“Don’t you dare!” Penny snarled. “I-I won’t let you!”

“Oh my dear sweet little Penny...” Pierce cupped her chin gently. “I’d love to see you try...” Penny jerked her head away and snarled at the man. This just made Pierce’s smile broaden. “Fiesty people like yourself always the most fun to break... Terry was...especially fun...”

Penny narrowed her eyes dangerously. She wanted to punch this man. She wanted to kick him in the shins. There was so much she wanted to do. Her blood was boiling in anger. This man...he was a monster... A disgusting monster... How dare he toy with lives this way... How dare he make light of torture.. How dare he get enjoyment out of doing something like this... If this man’s goal was to make her hate him, he had succeeded in that quite quickly. Everything he did was despicable. And the longer they were with him, the worse he got.

Watching Rudy get tortured was absolutely horrible. She could feel her heart breaking over and over as she watched the horrific scene. Pierce cutting up Rudy’s knee, Rudy screaming and pleading for mercy, and her...she was helpless to do anything to stop it. She could only watch as Pierce mercilessly butchered Rudy’s knee. She felt her blood freeze when she looked over at his unconscious form. There was a huge gash on the knee, the internal workings exposed by it. Ligament, muscle, and bone were exposed, red liquid dripping out of it. Mr. Pierce’s dreadful stomp had increased the damage, causing more blood flow.

She couldn’t believe just how cruel this man could be. Rudy hadn’t done anything to deserve this. Cutting up his knee like that was pointless. There was no reason that Mr. Pierce had to do that. It wasn’t like Rudy had done anything to provoke him into it. He had chosen to do that himself. And now, because of this evil, hideous man, Rudy may not walk well with that leg for the rest of his life.. Knee injuries take a long time to heal and sometimes they never do. And Mr. Pierce had done thorough work on his leg, slicing up the meat inside. Her stomach twisted in knots, a sickening feeling rising in her stomach, as she realized that Rudy might be permanently maimed.

“Now, since your little friend is knocked out, I think I will start the interrogation with you. I’ll speak with Rudy after he wakes up. I’ll..save some of the questions for him. Now..” Mr. Pierce leaned against the table using one hand. His free hand rummaged through his pocket. He pulled out the magic chalk he stole from Rudy and held it up in front of Penny. “I know you must know there’s a lot more of...these...” He turned the magic chalk in his hand as if to examine it. “I take it you could...inform me..of where I can more..”

Penny’s eyes widened. This man wanted to know about the Chalk Mine. If she even just let slip about that place, even if she didn’t say where it was, she was certain that Mr. Pierce would find it sooner or later. He had the magic chalk. He had access to ChalkZone. All he had to do was go into ChalkZone and terrorize the zoners until one of them leads him to the Chalk Mine. And once he was there, he could mine the magic chalk and take as much of it as he wanted. He could sell it... And anyone could get into ChalkZone...

...including anyone of that audience that called for the death of zoners...

Her eyes widened at this realization. Her heart pounded against her chest. ChalkZone was in big trouble. If those people go into ChalkZone, and if they weaponize real world water... The zoners would stand no chance. They would be killed. Her teeth clenched as dreadful thoughts filled her mind. It was going to be a repeat of the dark dimension.

Her mind quickly swept through all the things that happened lately. The appearance of the black chalk artists... The chalk disease...the Luminos...the alternate dimensions...that Death Arena... Nihilanth showing up... and this... So many horrible things happend, and she and her friends hardly ever got a break. Just when they thought one problem might be close to being solved, another one comes their way. And now ChalkZone was in danger from the black chalk artists, Nihilanth, and Mr. Pierce.

...and quite possibly Mr. Longhorn.

The thought of that man’s name chilled her blood. He had betrayed her and Rudy by taking away her magic chalk. Though that was one less piece Mr. Pierce had at his disposal, the act was still horrible. He stole from her.. And just when she thought they had gained a new ally, too.

Mr. Longhorn had been so helpful in the past. Why...why would he do something like this now? Had he tricked them? Did he change his mind about helping them, becoming obsessed with the power that ChalkZone gave to humans? Was he hooked on the whole ‘creation’ thing? Her body trembled slightly as she thought of all the things Mr. Longhorn might be doing. Not knowing was terrifying her. She..she had to know what he was doing, whether good or bad. She had to know...was he an enemy or an ally?

“Well, dear...?” Mr. Pierce asked, tearing Penny away from her thoughts. “Are you going to willingly give me the information, or do I need to..force it out of you..?”

Penny stared at the man. Her mind swirled with thoughts. She wanted to lie to him. She wanted to give false information. But the truth serum was wracking her mind with aches and pains if she tried too hard to think. And lying required more thinking than simply being truthful. The pain made it hard for her to focus, making it hard to give a convincing lie, if not impossible. Instead, she chose to be quiet, glaring at him with her teeth clenched tightly.

“Silent treatment. Of course..” Mr. Pierce said, shrugging his shoulders. “Of course you wouldn’t be reasonable right off the bat. Such a shame...” He pressed a hand against his upper chest. “I am a pretty reasonable guy...”

Penny spluttered, “You? Reasonable?!” She growled at him, baring her teeth. “You ripped apart my best friend’s knee, you asshole! Don’t fucking tell me you’re reasonable!”

“Oh but I am...” Mr. Pierce grinned at her. “I let him the other one. He still has a knee he can use...” Penny seethed at him, her blood burning with anger. Mr. Pierce was silent for a moment and then, tapping a finger against his chin. “..unless of course, I decide to take that one away too...”

Horror washed through Penny’s eyes. She shook her head. “No! Don’t! Please!”

“Okay..I won’t... but...” Mr. Pierce walked away from Penny. He moved towards Rudy’s unconscious form. “To make sure...”

Penny’s heart started to beat even faster. “Wh-What are you going to do?”

Mr. Pierce chuckled. He continued to move towards Rudy and then, once he was by him again, he went down onto his knees next to the boy’s unconscious form. He ran his hand gently along the boy’s thigh, a few times lightly running his hand over the damaged knee. The sight of this horrified Penny, making her struggle harder against her binds. And when she saw him pull the scalpel out, her heart all but stopped. No...no he couldn’t do even more damage...no... Not that..

“Get away from him!” Penny cried.

Mr. Pierce looked over at her. He just smiled almost gently. He brandished the knife, letting it glint in the light. “Scalpels are very sharp. I wonder...if this will be enough for me to...completely sever the boy’s leg in half...”

With a sharp gasp of horror, Penny twisted herself left and right. Tears flowed down her face. “No! Please don’t do it!” She looked over at the man, her eyes wide and pleading. “Please leave him alone! You’ve done enough to him already! Please...leave him alone!” To her horror, Mr. Pierce pressed the knife against Rudy’s knee once more. “No!”

“I’ll stop...if you tell me where I can find more magic chalk... Not just the location, but how to get there, as well.” Mr. Pierce sneered at Penny. He kept the scalpel pressed against Rudy’s knee, silently threatening to apply pressure. “It wouldn’t take much for me to cut this boy’s leg in half, Penny. I sure hope you make the right decision..”

Penny’s mind raced as she stared at the man in horror. Her eyes occassionally looked down at the scalpel, seeing it pressed against her friend’s knee again. Her heart clenched as she saw the man push it in a little, creating a small amount of knew bloodflow. She tried to wriggle her way out of the chair. She jerked herself left and right, more tears moving down her face. No...no this man couldn’t do this to Rudy. No..he couldn’t....

But she couldn’t betray ChalkZone either. She would feel horrible if she told this man what he wanted to know. She would be helping him invade ChalkZone. She would be responsible for giving him the information he needed to get more magic chalk, to allow more humans into ChalkZone. Rudy...He would be so disappointed in her if she caved in. She...she had to try to resist..somehow... She couldn’t tell this man. She just couldn’t. If she did, so many lives were going to get ruined.

Penny didn’t want to see Rudy lose his leg... and she didn’t want to send doom to ChalkZone. She wanted both to be safe. She wanted to keep this man from harming both. But she was pushed into a sadistic choice... and the man was going to force her to choose. Either she turn her back on Rudy or ChalkZone. She couldn’t bear the thought of it. The mere idea of betraying either broke her heart in two. She cried softly, lowering her head as she tried to ponder what she was going to do.

Suddenly a scream got her attention. She looked over and she gasped at what she saw. Rudy had woken up. His eyes bulged open so big she could see the red lines of the eye veins. Fresh tears dripped from his eyes as he let out a bloodcurdling scream. Mr. Pierce had shifted his leg to drape over Rudy’s body, holding him down. The scalpel was on the ground next to him and the man had gripped Rudy’s leg, one on his thigh and the other on his shin. To her horror, he had started to twist it.

“Rudy! No! Stop that! Let him go!” Penny shouted, crying hard as she watched the dreadful scene play out. “Please! Release him now!”

“If you want me to release him...” Mr. Pierce began to twist harder. Rudy let out another scream, his head turning from side to side. “Tell me where I can find more magic chalk. I’ll let him go once you tell me...”

“I...” Penny started to say. She shut her eyes and turned her head away. “No I can’t! I won’t betray them!”

“So you’ll betray your friend instead...?”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror at that venom-filled statement. She turned her head over to Mr. Pierce, staring at him with wide eyes. She opened up her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t think of anything. She looked down at Rudy, his body writhing in pain. Occassionally, he’d stare at her, his expression a mixture of pleading with her to help him and begging her not to reveal the Chalk Mine. She bit her lip, crying harder as she watched her friend look at her this way. What was she going to do..?

Penny let out a scream of terror when Mr. Pierce twisted Rudy’s leg more, causing the boy to cry out. She could have sworn she heard something almost pop. Pierce was close to breaking Rudy’s joint, tearing off half his leg. If this went on any longer...

“Stop it, Mr. Pierce! Stop hurting him!” Penny cried in desperation. She watched as Rudy’s body continued to twist on the ground, his free leg kicking up against the hard floor as he desperately tried to get away. “Please! No!”

“Tell me what I want to know, dear Penny...and I’ll let him go. If you don’t..” Mr. Pierce twisted even harder. Rudy let out loud whimpers of pain. “He will be crippled for the rest of his miserable life..” He smiled evilly as he stared into her frightened yes. “So..talk!”

Penny’s breathing quickened. She stared at Rudy’s writhing form, then at Mr. Pierce as he twisted Rudy’s leg, threatening to break it in the middle, at his knee. Her heart pounded as she tried to think of what she could do. She listened to Rudy scream, making her heart clench. She didn’t want to see him in so much pain. He didn’t deserve thsi. She had to do something...but... She...she couldn’t betray ChalkZone either. Oh what was she going to do...?

She couldn’t believe this cruel, spiteful man was forcing her into this position. If she could lie, she’d do that. But she couldn’t do that, not while the truth serum was in affect. She either stayed quiet or she spoke. But both of them would lead to something horrible. If she didn’t speak, Rudy lost half his leg. If she did speak, zoners everywhere would possibly get enslaved.. No, not possibly. They would. That or annihilated as paranoid humans rush in there to wash away the zoners.

Just then, the man twisted a little more, harder than before. There was a resounding crack and Rudy let out a loud scream that echoed off the walls. His eyes bulged open. Penny took in a sharp breath, her blood turning into ice. She stared at Rudy’s pain-filled face, reddened from the agony that swept through him. Pierce had just broken the joint. It was still connected, but she could see the leg was now bent at an odd angle.

“Rudy! No!” Penny cried. Panic raced through her mind as Mr. Pierce went to completely disconnect the joint. “Stop! I’ll...I’ll talk! I’ll tell you! Just please...stop hurting him! Please!”

Mr. Pierce smiled nastily at her. “I know you’d come to your senses...” He released Rudy’s leg. He got up from the ground and began to make his way over. “Good thing you spoke up now. Otherwise, that boy would have been missing a leg. And it would have been your fault..”

Penny growled at this, but didn’t bother to retort. She looked down at Rudy. The boy’s eyes were closed as he sobbed loudly, the pain in his leg clearly overtaking him. Penny cried softly with him. Poor Rudy... She looked back at Pierce and narrowed her eyes. She lowered her head in shame, disgusted with herself that she had given him, ashamed that she couldn’t do something else to save Rudy from being forced to endure more pain.

“Okay, dear sweet Penny...tell me where I can find more magic chalk...” Mr. Pierce said. “And don’t think about going back on your word... If you do, I’ll finish ripping off the boy’s leg, and this time, nothing you say will stop me.” Penny’s eyes widened. “Even if you promise to tell me some amazing secret about ChalkZone, I still won’t stop. Your friend will be permanently crippled. So...don’t screw this up for him, little girl...”

Penny snapped her head back and growled softly, but said nothing.

Mr. Pierce raised a finger up. “Now...” He reached over and pressed his fingernail against her chin. She winced slightly. “Tell me...”

Penny glared at him, then she relaxed her expression as she closed her eyes and lowered her head slightly. “...the...the Chalk Mine...”

Mr. Pierce cocked an eyebrow. “The Chalk Mine eh? So you’re telling me this stuff here...” He held up the piece of magic chalk. “..grows in this Chalk Mine palce?” Penny nodded her head rigidly, a few tears dripping from her eyes. “Fascinating...and where might I find the Chalk Mine?”

Penny wanted to remain silent, but hearing Rudy’s groans of pain, his sobbing, made her answer after a few seconds. “It can be found along the Amazing River. Just follow it..you can’t miss it...” She said in a defeated, soft voice, barely audible.

“Interesting... Although I have no idea where that is. No matter... I can get more information from you eventually.” Mr. Pierce chuckled. He sneered at Penny, his evil smile spreading across his face. He folded his arms behind his back once more. “You know, this really has been...a lot of fun...” Penny shot him a glare. “You have no idea...” He took a small step closer. “...how much fun this is...”

Penny glared at him and looked away. “You have the information...now leave us alone...”

“Oh no..I still have more I want to ask. But first...perhaps I should tell you a little story.” Pierce chuckled at her. Penny looked at him with one eye, gritting her teeth. “Oh trust me..you will enjoy this one... It’s about your dear mother...”

Penny’s eyes widened. “...my mom...?” She struggled to get free. “What have you done to her?!”

“Oh nothing..yet...in this time and age anyway.” Mr. Pierce said. Penny looked at him, confused. What was he talking about? “You see, your mother and I met years ago. Before you were born actually. She had taken a small job as a news writer for a zoo, and I had been assigned as her partner. The two of us really hit it off....well for her anyway. You see, even then, I was a schemer, a liar, a cheater.. I played with her heart, twirled it under my thumb. I had my own plans for her...”

“Wh-What were you doing to do to her?” Penny asked, her eyes wide.

“I wanted to be in charge. I wanted to be the only one that zoo turned to for articles. Yes, I know it seems rather...petty now. But I was young and naive... and so was your mother..” Mr. Pierce replied. “It has...been a long time since we saw each other, and I am sure she does not remember me well...” He leaned forward a little. “But I remember her oh so well...” He began to walk around Penny like a vulture. “Getting her kicked out was easy. No threats, no killing...none of that...”

Penny’s eyes followed the man warily. “H-How did you get my mom fired...?”

Mr. Pierce suddenly grabbed Penny’s shoulders, squeezing them tightly. He put his face close to hers. Penny pulled her head back, not comfortable with the man being this close. “...with you.”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror. “Wh-What...?”

Mr. Pierce chuckled evilly. He grinned, turning his head to the side. His eyes glinted maliciously, a spark in them. “I know you might think of Andrew as your biological father... But you would be mistaken on that. You see, he is my brother...and after your mother was kicked out, he took pity on her and agreed to help raise you.”

“What... N-No...it can’t be...” Penny’s mind swam with several thoughts as she tried to comprehend what she was being told.

“So that means the man you thought was your daddy...was really your uncle...” Mr. Pierce’s hands tightened, making Penny wince from the pain. “And that also means that...” Mr. Pierce put his mouth next to Penny’s ear. “I am your father...”

Penny felt her blood turn into ice.


	112. The Detail Pierce Forgot About

Mrs. Tabootie raised her head as she heard something echo off the walls. She looked around the small, mostly empty room she and the others were locked in. She tried to figure out what the sound was. But as it got a little louder, her eyes widened in horror. She knew, without a doubt, what that sound was.

“That’s Rudy!” Mrs. Tabootie cried in horror.

Her husband, Mrs. Sanchez, and Reggie shot their heads in her directioon, their eyes wide in shock. A sharp gasp escaped their throats and they looked each other. Horrified mumbles spread throughout as they turned their heads upward and looked around. Mrs. Tabootie put her hand to her mouth as her son’s scream echoed in her mind. He sounded like he was in so much pain...so much pain...

“What is he doing to him?!” Mr. Tabootie wondered fearfully. The adults exchanged nervous looks with each other. “We have to get out of here!”

“I’m sure Mr. Pierce has Penny, too!” Mrs. Sanchez concluded, her wide eyes staring at the others. “He must be using Rudy to get Penny to talk!”

Mr. Tabootie bit her lip, horrific thoughts entering her mind. To cause that much pain... Just what was Mr. Pierce doing to Rudy? What was he subjecting her son to? She wished she could find Rudy and help him. He’s already going through so much... Why did he need this added onto it? And what of Penny? Surely she didn’t deserve any of this either. What was Mr. Pierce thinking, torturing children like this? She couldn’t imagine what those two must be going through right now. She could only hope that, by the end of the day, they would still be alive.

A pang of guilt twisted in her stomach. She and the others knew Mr. Pierce would go after their children. She knew that they would be targeted next while they were trapped in this room. But they could do nothing to help them. A time when their children needed them the most...and they failed them. They couldn’t save them from this. They couldn’t stop ChalkZone from being exposed, either. A part of her was starting to feel a little useless. What good were they if they couldn’t even save their own kids from this madman?

She stared over at the door. Her right hand formed into a fist. If only they could get that blasted door down. If only they could get past the other workers and find their kids. If only they had some kind of trump card to use against Mr. Pierce. Something...anything... She wanted to see this madman get locked up in jail. She wanted to see him get dragged off and punished. He was...such a vile, disgusting person. She wanted him to get tossed in the slammer and pay for what he had done.

But how were they going to do that? Her stomach settled uncomfortably as she realized they really didn’t have any proof. There was nothing they had with them, or knew about, that would prove that her husband was not a murderer. Pierce was right. The evidence did point to him...and the rest of them, too. Well except Reggie, but there was the whole ‘guilty by association’ thing.

Their children had been talked by Terry. She had followed them and written about them, not always pleasant things either. And the realization of that did horrify her. She knew her husband and Mrs. Sanchez were terrified of it as well. Another emotion she had felt was anger. She couldn’t believe that Terry kept something like this a secret from them this whole time. How...how could she do something like this? How could she not have told them? If she had said something earlier...then maybe...

..and now it was too late for redemption. Too late to make up for anything. Terry was dead. The heartless monster killed her, just so that she couldn’t recieve any forgiveness from them. If he hadn’t done that, she and the others would have forgiven her. She had helped them find their children two years ago, and she was helping them out earlier today. She had shown she was trustworthy now, and she had wanted to tell her that. Now she couldn’t do that. Terry got a knife jabbed into her head and she died. She...didn’t deserve that kind of fate.

Knowing that Mr. Pierce killed her so that she would never recieve closure for what she did boiled her blood. Mr. Pierce was a sickening person and she really hoped that, somehow, someway, karma would catch up to him. She was sick of his twisted actions and she wanted to do something to stop him. She wanted to figure out someway to land him in jail...but he had already worked out a plan. Once the police hear that motivation, they’d be more likely to believe that they were all killers...

Mrs. Tabootie turned her head when she heard a loud slam. She saw that her husband had punched the wall with his fist. She could see his face contorted in anger and frustration. His body shook with emotion. His breathing came in quick and rapid, seething through his clenched teeth.

“If only we can get out of here...!” Mr. Tabootie cried. “We...we can’t let this madman get away with this!” He looked at the other adults, his eyes widened with anger. “We can’t let him hurt our children like this!”

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. “I’m sure if we think hard enough, we can come up with something.” She looked at each of the others one by one, exchanging a look of determination. “Everyone has a weakness, a blind spot. I don’t think he thought things through one hundred percent. There had to be a place where he slipped up. If we just think hard enough...”

“We don’t have long to think.” Reggie interrupted them. The adults looked at him. He pointed a thick finger towards the ceiling. “Remember, Mr. Pierce has contacted the police. They will be here soon.” He held his hands at his side. “If we do not figure out something to tell the police, then we will get dragged away and we will have no defense. Who knows how much influence Mr. Pierce has over them...”

The adults looked at each other in horror. They...they hadn’t thought about that. They knew about them having little time, as the police would arrive shortly. But what they didn’t take into consideration was...did Mr. Pierce have control over the police, too? He already assumed control over everyone in this building. They all were following his orders, even going as far as cover up murders. But did Mr. Pierce also have a foothold on the police, too? Maybe a few bad cops who will go along with whatever he says?

If that were the case, then they were in big trouble. How would they be able to fight against something like that? They wouldn’t be able to prove that the cop was not doing a legit job. They wouldn’t have any evidence to prove that the cop was being influenced by Mr. Pierce. Though there was no way to prove that Mr. Pierce controls the police, the idea that he could have at least one cop on his side was terrifying. They hoped that this wasn’t the case.

Mrs. Tabootie let out a soft sigh. She knew that, without evidence to prove their innocense, the possible bad cop scenario was the least of their problems. If they couldn’t even defend themselves and offer believable evidence, then they weren’t going to be able to stop a bad cop. No one would believe them... They’d all think they were just trying to escape justice.

But she knew, somehow, there had to be a blind spot that Mr. Pierce had missed. No plan was completely thorough. There was always a loop hole somewhere. There always was. And once they figured out what this one was, they could use it against Mr. Pierce. They could use it to stop him.

But no matter how long she and the others thought, none of them could think of anything. If there was a loophole, it was small and elusive. She put her back against the wall and sat on the ground. She pulled her legs to her chest and tried to think of something. Her head was starting to hurt, a pounding ache spreading throughout. She tried searching every nook and cranny of her memory of what happened recently, constantly replaying the events in her head. No matter how hard she thought, she just couldn’t think of anything.

“Anyone get any ideas?” Mr. Tabootie asked softly. His head turned to the others. There was a forelorn expression on his face, as if he had given up thinking of a solution.

Mrs. Sanchez shook her head. “No, I’m afraid not, Mr. Tabootie.”

“I’m trying my best, dear. Really I am...” Mrs. Tabootie lowered her gaze, her blue eyes facing the ground. “But I’m having trouble as well. It..it just seems like Mr. Pierce was thorough with this...”

A melachnoly silence fell upon the ground. The realization that Mr. Pierce may have won, that he had made a plan foolproof enough to send them all to the slammer, sank in. They didn’t want to believe it was possible. They didn’t want to believe that this man had really bested them. They wanted to think that there was still a way to win...but how? It seemed every possible loophole had been taken care of. Mr. Pierce didn’t even have his fingerprints on the knife. And she would bet that he had the gloves he used shredded, annihilating his forensic involvement and leaving them with nothing to show the police.

They knew that the police would believe the evidence, as eye witness accounts can be unreliable. And if that evidence points to Mr. Tabootie as the killer, then they would go with it. Mrs. Tabootie choked back a cry as she imagined what it would be like for her husband, to be dragged away and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. She knew that she and the others would suffer the same fate, but most of the hatred would be against her husband. Society would not treat him well if they are convinced he murdered someone. All that undeserved hatred geared towards her hus band....she wasn’t sure how well she could handle that.

And what of their children? Where would they go? A horrible thought entered her mind. What if Mr. Pierce took them in? If the evil man doesn’t kill them, would he force them to live with him? It was possible. If Mr. Pierce could, somehow, paint himself in a positive light, as a rescuer, then he might be able to get the city and state to let him adopt Rudy and Penny. If he did that, and if she, the other adults, and Reggie were sent to jail, then there would be no one to stop Mr. Pierce from abusing and using Rudy and Penny. He’d break them, turn them into his personal tools. And there would be nothing they could do to stop him...

No..no it can’t turn out that way. It couldn’t come down to this. Mrs. Tabootie tried again, looking through her aching mind. There had to be a solution there somewhere. She wasn’t about to let Rudy and Penny be tormented like that. They were so young... They didn’t deserve any of this. There had to be a way to stop Mr. Pierce. Somehow...

“I hope we can figure something out soon. This guy has to have a weakness. We just need to find it.” Reggie said, a tinge of determination in his voice, despite how hopeless the situation seemed. “I don’t want Rudy or Penny, or anyone else, go through what Vinnie and Terry had to.”

Mr. Tabootie nodded his head. “I’m sure we’ll...we’ll figure something out.” A slight hesitation to his voice.

“Yeah, we...” Mrs. Tabootie started to say, but then she suddenly stopped. “Wait a minute...”

The others looked over at her, their eyes wide with confusion and curiosity. They leaned in a little, waiting for her to speak. Mrs. Tabootie was quiet at first. At the mention of Vinnie, her mind reeled back, memories flashing in the back of her head.

Mr. Pierce pulling out a gun...

Shooting Vinnie...

....no gloves...

Of course, why didn’t they think of this before? How could they have forgotten? He hadn’t killed Vinnie the same way as Terry. He had shot him with a gun. He didn’t even wear gloves.. His fingerprints would be all over it. Even if Terry’s prints or someone else’s got on it, there was still the fact that Mr. Pierce would still be responsible. It was his gun, and if the forensic people could match the bullet that killed Vinnie with the type of gun Mr. Pierce had....that was it.

A feeling of elation swelled up inside of her. At last...they had something they could use against Pierce. They had a way to prove that he was the killer. If they could prove to the police that Pierce killed Vinnie, then they would likely believe that he killed Terry as well. Why would they believe a murderer’s words of being innocent?

Mrs. Tabootie turned her head to the others, a smile on her face. “I think I figured something out!”

“What? What is it?” Mrs. Sanchez asked.

“What’s on your mind?” Mr. Tabootie inquired, his eyes widened in curiosity.

“The gun! The one Mr. Pierce used to kill Vinnie! He didn’t wear gloves!” Mrs. Tabootie cried. She watched as the other three widened their eyes at this realization. They looked at each other, expressions clearly showing they both understood what she was saying and that they were shocked they didn’t think of this before. They looked back at her. “If we can prove to the police that Vinnie was killed by a gun that Mr. Pierce had wielded...”

“..then they might believe us when we tell them that Mr. Pierce framed us...” Mrs. Sanchez finished, her voice filled with awe.

“That just might work! But...there is one problem.” Reggie said. He looked towards the door. “How are we going to get out of here before the police come...?”

More silence. Mrs. Tabootie knew Reggie had a point. If they couldn’t leave and find that gun, and Vinnie’s body as well, to show to the police, then even if they have a defense now, it may do them no good. If they could just figure a way out of here...

“It might be wise if we didn’t go anywhere.” Mr. Tabootie said. The others looked at him in confusion. “If we run away, that would give the police more reason to suspect we are killers. We should stay put until they come and talk to them then. If we are persuasive enough, maybe they will listen.”

“Possibly... I do see your point.” Reggie commented, folding his arms. “I learned the hard way as a little kid that running away from problems doesn’t really solve them. I had ran away from authority..well my teacher anyway, at least one time before, and it’s always made my problems worse, not better.” He leaned against the wall. His head tilted upwards. “If we stay put, the police would at least be less suspicious of us. If we run...”

“...they will think that we were up to something.” Mrs. Sanchez noted. She looked over at Mr. Tabootie and said, “Good observation.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “But what should we do in the meantime?”

Mr. Tabootie paused for a moment, but before he could respond, Mrs. Tabootie spoke up.

“We should figure out what we are going to say to the police. We should figure out things to tell them, how we are going to convince them to let us bring them to evidence leading to Mr. Pierce’s conviction. I know that testing evidence can take time, but we need that evil man arrested today. We cannot afford letting him have time to exploit our children or ChalkZone. We need to make sure the police arrest him. Even if we are arrested in the process...he needs to come down with us.”

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement. They all understood that Mr. Pierce needed to get locked up. He was the brains of this scheme, and once he was removed, the others would follow suit. Hopefully everyone in this blasted news station would get arrested.... They all didn’t care if they were detained, so long as the enemy also was. They didn’t mind being locked up for a time, so long as it meant that Rudy, Penny, and ChalkZone were all safe.

But the question was...would this plan work?

sss

“So your name is Mr. Longhorn?” Lars asked.

Longhorn nodded his head. “Yes.”

Lars tilted his head slightly to the side. “And you had been helping Rudy and Penny, as well as some others?”

Longhorn replied affirmatively, “That is correct.”

“And....you decided to steal Penny’s magic chalk just so you can try it out?” Lars asked, his voice slightly darkened.

“...yes...” Mr. Longhorn said, a slight hesitation to his voice. “I admit it...yes...”

Lars folded his arms against his chest. He shook his head from side to side. “Do you understand the implications of that? Those two trusted you and you went and did something like that.”

Mr. Longhorn bit his lip. “I...I just wanted to see what it was like to create...”

“And in doing so, you not only broke their trust,” Lars scolded him. He pointed a claw in his direction. “But you also let yourself into Magic Chalk Madness. If I hadn’t found you in the midst of all this, who knows what would have happened?” Lars spread his paws outward, indicating the mess all arund them. “If you had just asked them, this wouldn’t have happened. They would have helped you avoid that state, and you wouldn’t have had to betray them.”

Mr. Longhorn lowered his head, guilt filling his mind and twisting his stomach. He knew the polar bear zoner was right. He had betrayed those two by stealing the chalk. He should have just asked for it. Instead, he chose to steal, and in doing so, he nearly made everything worse. He could have caused a lot of damage while under that madness. He could have hurt someone..killed someone... And Rudy and Penny..what if they needed this extra piece of chalk? And now they don’t have it anymore.

He held the magic chalk in his hand once more. It rested in his palm. He stared at it intently, biting his lip as shame overwhelmed him. They probably think he tricked them. He wouldn’t be surprised if Rudy and Penny think of him as an enemy now, and he wouldn’t blame them. He made himself out to be a traitor. Even if he did not mean anything malicious... He knew enough about ChalkZone to know the seriousness of what magic chalk could do, and in the wrong hands, he knew it was disastrous. Why...why did he have to steal? He tightened his grip on the chalk, closed his eyes, and turned his head away, a few tears of guilt moving down his face.

“I’m...I’m sorry...” Mr. Longhorn said softly. “I...I didn’t...”

“No!” Lars said firmly to the man. The polar bear took a step forward, waggling his finger from side to side. “Don’t apologize to me! I’m not the one you betrayed. You should find Rudy and Penny and apologize to them.”

Mr. Longhorn stared at the polar bear before lowering his gaze. Lars was correct. Apologizing to him, someone who he hadn’t wronged, wasn’t going to do him any good. He needed to find Rudy and Penny, return the magic chalk, and apologize to them. They were the ones he had betrayed. It was them who needed to hear the apology, not Lars. He had to find them as soon as possible, say he was sorry.

But how was he going to do that? He didn’t know where they lived. Okay he did, at least Penny, but he didn’t know the relative location in comparison to ChalkZone. He didn’t know which way to go or how far to go. He didn’t know if ChalkZone was the same size as earth or if it was smaller, made up of all the chalk surfaces in the world. He looked around and quickly realized...he didn’t even know how to get back to his place. Had he even closed the portal...?

His stomach tied in knots as he realized his selfish action may have made things worse than he thought. He was stuck in ChalkZone and he didn’t know if the portal he created was closed or not. What if someone else finds them? And there was still a chance that Rudy and Penny might need this new piece of chalk. What if they were in danger? He had to do something and fast. But what could he do? Without knowing where he was, even just getting back into the real world was going to be a problem. He glanced down at the chalk. He was a little frightened of using the chalk again. What if he fell into the madness once more...?

But he knew he might end up having to use the magic chalk again. He might not be able to get to Rudy and Penny quick enough without it...and he did need it to create a portal. He looked over at Lars. He himself might not know where to go or what to do...but maybe Lars does. Maybe he knew where some of the nearby real world locatiosn were in relation to ChalkZone. He could use that knowledge to get back. Then he can proceed from there.

“I’ll apologize to Rudy and Penny. But first...” Mr. Longhorn said. “There is something I need to ask of you. It is important.”

“All right then..” Lars put his paws on his hips. “What do you need to know?”

“Do you know where ChalkZone’s equivilant to Penny’s house would be?” Mr. Longhorn asked. The polar bear began to think, tapping a claw against his chin. “Or Rudy’s?”

“Yes, I’m familiar with both. I don’t visit those spots as much as Snap does. But I can take you to one of them.” Lars said. “Rudy’s is the nearest one. Want me to take you there?” Mr. Longhorn nodded his head. “Okay then. Follow me.” Lars waved a paw, gesturing for the man to follow him. With that, they started to walk off.

Mr. Longhorn would have preferred going to Penny’s as he was the most familiar with that particular spot of the neighborhood. But Rudy didn’t live that far away, far as he knew. And it seemed like Rudy’s place would be the more likely of the two Rudy and Penny would have gone. It was simply a gut feeling, and even if he turned out to be wrong, he’d still be in the real world and he could head over to the nearest hospital. Surely, that’s where they would have gone, if everything went smoothly.

But first, he needed to take care of that portal. He had no idea if he left it open or not. If he did, he could only hope that someone else didn’t see it, or a chalk animal didn’t climb its way into the real world. His stomach twisted, making him feel nauseous. He knew one thing for certain.

This wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t been so selfish and stupid.

sss

Snap winced as Dr. Lancer finished up wrapping his bandages. She had taken care of Howdy already, getting his x-ray taken and sent to the emergency room where his horrific wound could be properly taken care of. She had come back earlier to look at his wounds and change the bandages. She removed all his bandaging and had him remove all his clothes except for his pants. She did a quick examination of him, noting the severity of the wounds.

Like with Howdy, she had x-rays taken to see how his innards were. She was worried that some of his wounds might be more serious than they look. She was especially worried when he told her that he had been electrocuted. She said that he might actually be the worse off of the two and wanted him sent down to the emergency room soon. After she was able to determine the severity of the wounds that is.

She cleaned up the external wounds, even if they already had been cleaned. She didn’t want to risk any kind of infection settling in. His externals being exposed to the air for any length of time increased the chances of germs getting into the wound and infecting it. Snap remembered how much the antibiotic spray hurt when she used it, but he had done his best not to struggle and allowed the hippogriff doctor to use it on his wounds after they had been washed out with water.

She was now finishing up bandaging him. She wrapped the bandages around his wounds, especially on critically injured areas, such as his knee. She didn’t stop until a good layer of bandages enveloped those newly cleaned areas. Now that she was finished, she took a step back, eyeing up and down, checking out her work.

“That should do it.” Dr. Lancer said. There was a tinge of worry on her voice. “I’d like you to check into the hospital. The tests will take more than twenty four hours to complete. In case there’s more internal damage than we thought, it’s best if you stay here.”

Snap nodded. “I understand.”

Snap didn’t protest to the idea of staying in the hospital. Despite being shaken by the other hospital being bombed, he understood this one would not suffer the same fate. The Luminos had reformed, and right now they were trapped by Nihilanth. Even if one of them went rogue and returned to their anti-creator ways, they still couldn’t do anything against him or his friends. He was safe here.

Plus, he had to stay here anyway. His home had been destroyed...and he could bet his beach home was demolished as well. Maalik had made it clear that he didn’t think, at the time, he deserved to live in ChalkZone for ‘siding with creators’. Though Maalik’s views on him may have changed, it didn’t alter the fact that he was without a home all because of Maalik’s misguided ways. He was glad that the lion zoner was willing to make him a new home. That was a generous offer, and he was willing to take it, although he would remain cautious of him for a while until he and the other Luminos can prove they are completely trusthworthy now.

He understood that the hippogriff was right about something else. He suffered a lot of internal damage from that electrocution. Though he couldn’t tell the severity of it, he had aches throughout his body. Though they felt minor, he knew that something more could be wrong. He would be in serious trouble if he were to wander around far away from a hospital and pass out from an internal injury he didn’t know he had or was worse than he thought. What if he didn’t get to the hospital in time? Best he stay here so that, if something were to happen, the doctors could help him right away.

“Can I stay in the same room as Howdy?” Snap asked, staring at the hippogriff doctor with wide eyes. She looked back at him. “Please? He’s been through so much. I want to be there for him.”

Dr. Lancer looked at one of the papers. “I was going to have you two separated since your wounds are much more severe than his...but..” She looked back. Noting the determined, somewhat sad expression, she gave a soft sigh and then smiled. “Okay. I’ll change the number so you and Howdy can be in the same room together.”

Snap smiled at this. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“Just don’t expect me to do this again. I don’t normally like putting patients with different level of injuries together. This is an orderly hospital and we find it easier organizing the patients so those who need help the most can get it the fastest.” Dr. Lancer said, her eyes narrowed slightly. “Do you understand?”

“Yeah I do.” Snap said, nodding his head. “Normally I wouldn’t try to request something like this, but...Howdy is a good friend of mine, and I just think he could use the company. He needs someone he can trust with him. I’m..more worried about him than me, to be honest.”

Dr. Lancer smiled slightly. “Yeah, I know that trait about you, Snap. Thinking of others ahead of yourself. Quite noble.” She took a step towards him and placed a clawed hand on his shoulder. “Just please don’t neglect yourself. I don’t think your friends would like it if something terrible happened to you.”

“Yeah I know.” Snap replied, biting his lip. “I don’t want to give them a reason to worry. Too much stuff is happening already and I..”

“I know.” Dr. Lancer cut him off. She lifted up a paw and, using a claw, gestured for him to come down. “Enough chatting. I need to get you to your room. You need to rest. I’m sure you haven’t been able to do that yet, am I right?” Snap shook his head. “I didn’t think so. Come along. I’ll get you in bed. Would you like anything to eat or drink?”

Snap felt his stomach growl. He rubbed his stomach a little. He had forgotten that he hadn’t really been able to eat for a while. He licked his lips and looked up at the hippogriff doctor. “Yeah...please.”

Dr. Lancer smiled. “Okay, I’ll have one of the nurses bring you something to eat.”

“Thanks.” Snap said. The doctor gave him a nod and then gestured for him to follow. He did so without hesitation.

As Dr. Lancer led him down the hallways of the hospital, he started to realize just how little rest he and his friends had this whole time. Ever since the whole thing with the hospital and going to those dimensions, they had endured a lot of danger and had little time to really rest and relax. They had been wearing themselves down not just from the lack of food and water, but also from exterting themselves so much. Being able to lay down by itself would help improve his condition a little. He could feel his muscles aching, begging for him to just lay down and go to sleep.

He was worried about Nihilanth. What if he tried to do something while he and his friends were relaxing? Though he gave them three days, what if he still did something anyway? There was no reason to believe that he’d keep true to his word. Something might still happen. Maybe he was trying to get them off their guard and attack when they least expected it.

But even so, he knew they stood little chance as they were now. They needed to rest, get something to eat and drink, and plan. If they attempted to take on Nihilanth now, they would be screwed. They would stand no chance; they’d be too injured and weak to do much. Nihilanth, especially with those creation powers of his, could defeat them very easily. It wouldn’t take much for that two headed dragon to take them down.

But despite the odds stacked against them, he was certain that, if they thought hard and long enough, they’d figure out a way to counter his creation powers, a weak spot that they could exploit. He was certain that they would also find a way to free Barney. There had to be a way to do it. Barney couldn’t be completely gone; he’s still got to be in there somewhere. They just needed to figure out just how to severe him from Nihilanth, render him without a host. Perhaps, if they do that, they could beat Nihilanth. Maybe he was not able to exist completely without a host.

His eyes widened at the realization. Yes...yes..that had to be the solution. Before that, Nihilanth couldn’t really do anything except enter dreams and deliver messages. He could not directly influence anything or anyone. Message delivery...and that was it. If they ripped him away from Barney, then without that centipede as a host... He mentally wrote this down in his head. As soon as he saw Rudy and Penny again, he would relay the information to them. Then they could work on a way to execute this plan. Penny may have an idea of what to do.

As he continued to walk along the hallway with the hippogriff doctor, going past a row of windows, showing the outside world, Snap was completley unaware that a pair of red eyes were watching him, staring at him intently with a look of contempt...

sss

Snap... The blue and white superhero zoner....

The same one who had frozen him years ago, foiling his plans to bring the magic chalk to his creators...

Boorat had never forgotten that day. Even though it had been years, nearly a decade, since it happened, he still remembered all the details, every moment of his humiliation. He had been so close to getting the magic chalk to his creators, so close to fulfilling his destiny, but that little blue rodent had ruined it all. Boorat couldn’t believe he had been bested by someone so small. If only he had realized what Snap held in his hand...

Boorat still remembered how it felt when the fixative was sprayed on him. Despite his reaction, it had actually been pretty painful. Not as bad as water, but still not very comfortable. His muscles, tendons, and ligaments had been frozen, almost like ice, in their current posture, and he hadn’t exactly chosen a comfortable position to stay in. His right foot felt like it was going to break off, all of his weight focusing on it. And his arms, too, since they were raised above his head.

He had been put in jail after that for a time. He remembered how humiliating it was. In the cell he was in, there were a few other criminals in there, and they had toyed with him. They messed with him, did all kinds of stuff to him, and there was nothing he could do about it. It was never anything really horrible; just humiliating and embarrassing. It took about a week before the fixative completely vanished, and before then, movement came back slow, and it felt as though he were wading through a thick pool of pudding or something.

He had been in and out of jail a few times, and had recently been let out for good behavior. His worst crime was trying to expose ChalkZone, but he had been unable to pull off an attempt even close to his first try again. His first attempt put the other zoners on alert, so it was hard to really do anything without someone, for a lack of a better term, ratting him out.

But he wasn’t even really angry at the other zoners. They weren’t the ones who had stopped his plan the first time around. They weren’t the ones who froze him into a living statue and stopped him from fulfilling his plan. That had been done by one zoner, and that was Snap.

He could feel his blood boiling as anger rose up inside. He hated Snap. He could hardly bring himself to really be bothered by Rudy and Penny; it was Snap, and Snap alone who had stopped him. If it weren’t for that blue runt, he would have succeeded. If he had just left him alone and minded his own business, he would have been able to get the magic chalk to his creators. Snap’s intervention not only ruined his creators’ plans, but humiliated him in jail, to the point where hardly anyone took him seriously, even after he was unfrozen.

But rather than try to get revenge on him, Boorat tried to focus most of his time attempting to fulfill his destiny, and bring the chalk to his creators. He was concerned that if he focused too much time on trying to get Snap back, he’d end up in jail for longer periods of time. He couldn’t keep getting let out due to good behavior, and breaking out of jail only worked once before it becomes harder to near impossible.

The desire for revenge was still strong, however, so when that human, Ghadir, made him an offer, he jumped at the chance. Even though he wasn’t allowed to really do much harm to Snap, he would be satisfied with just dragging him off somewhere against his will, just so he can get the last laugh.

And here he stood, his feet firmly planted on one of the tall, thick trees that grew next to the hospital. The leaves covered him up almost completely, making it easy for him to look down the hospital, watching Snap as he walked down the hospital. A low growl emitted from the rat’s throat, his sharp teeth bared as he glared at Snap with contempt. It will be so satisfying to get a little even with him.

He replayed Ghadir’s message to him in his head over and over.

“Remember, try not to hurt him. I want to have my own fun with him.. Just find him, and bring him to me.”

And that was exactly what he was going to do. Boorat’s red eyes followed as Snap headed down the hallway. He lifted up his head, staring in at the part of the hospital where Snap was going to be. He narrowed his eyes in determination. He had to get a move on, now that he knew what portion of the building Snap would be. But getting over there was going to be a problem, and at first, he didn’t know what he was going to do.

Then he saw there were other trees by the hospital, and there was one, not far from where he was, that was up against it. Yes, that would do nicely. If he could get on the roof without being heard, he could sneak over to where Snap’s room was located and get to him before someone spotted him. But he had to be quick.

Silently, Boorat climbed up the tree he was in until he reached the top. He gripped the branches tightly, glaring intently at the tree next to him. He looked down at the ground. Without hesitation, he jumped out and, using his regrown coil tail, he bounced back up and managed to land in the tree next to the hospital. The coil cushioned his impact, making it impossible for anyone to have heard him. He leaped towards the tree and grabbed onto it. The force of the impact shook the tall vegetation a little, but soon it stopped, and, without a warmup breath, climbed up to the top.

He looked out at the roof of the building. He reached out with his large, front limbs. He gripped onto the building, holding it tightly. He started to pull himself out. The task was more difficult than he thought it was going to be, and he nearly fell down, his feet kicking wildly in the air. But soon, he was able to pull himself to the roof, releasing the tree and making it shake back and forth rapidly. He winced, looking around to make sure that no one in the hospital noticed that.

Satisfied no one seemed to be reacting, the large grey rat turned his head to where he knew Snap was, relatively. Grinning darkly, he began to make his way slowly over, making sure his footsteps were light, creating no impact sound whatsoever.

“I’m coming for you...comical sidekick...”


	113. My Dear

Penny mind swirled with thoughts as she stared at Mr. Pierce. Her heart started to beat a little faster, a chilly feeling overcoming it. No...no it wasn’t possible. This man had to be lying. He..he couldn’t be her father...not her biological father... A part of her wanted to call out his bluff. A part of her wanted to yell at him that it isn’t true, that he was lying. But she was in such a state of shock that she couldn’t think of anything to say. She didn’t know how much time passed. Ten minutes, twenty, an hour... She wasn’t sure. Time seemed to evade her in this state.

How could this evil man be her father? And if he was, why hadn’t her mom said anything? She wanted to say it was because Mr. Pierce lied, but the story he gave...it was convincing. If he had an affair with her to get her pregnant so that she would lose her job, breaking her mom’s heart like that would give her reason enough not to mention to Penny about it. She still wished her mom said something before, if that was the case. Or maybe she was...and just never found the right time to tell her.

She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the man. As soon as he mentioned himself being her dad, she did start noticing some similarities between them physically. Not much, but still noticeable enough that it make her wonder. Was it possible he was telling the truth? The only way to find out was to talk to her mom...if she ever got the chance to. What did this man have in store for her? Would her being his daughter change anything? Would he try to recruit her? Would he treat her the same as Rudy? Was he going to go after her mom?

The thought of this man going after her mother frightened her. He already had her locked up with Rudy’s parents. She was trapped. If the man decided to do something to her, he could. He had the man power. He had the weaponry. And, judging from what he had done to Vinnie, Terry, and Rudy, he certainly had the willpower.

“I can see you are wondering if I’m telling the truth.”

Penny shook out of her thoughts and glared at the man. She watched as Pierce leaned in a little closer, his hand gripping her shoulder. He reached out with his fingers and pressed them against her chin. He tilted her head upwards slightly, bringing his face close to hers. She wanted to twist her head away, but found herself unable to.

“Well I can assure you, my dear...” Mr. Pierce said as he rubbed Penny’s chin. “I am speaking the truth. You are my biological daughter. We share the same DNA.” His fingers moved up her face, stroking Penny’s hair gently and moving it behind her ear. Penny shuddered at this unwanted touch. “Fascinating, isn’t it? How two people can have the same DNA but vastly different views... Yes, quite remarkable.” He pulled back a little and pressed his palm against her cheek. “My...how you have grown...”

Penny jerked her head away and growled at him. “Don’t you dare fucking touch me.... You’re no father...”

Mr. Pierce smirked at this as he pulled his hand away. “Such a spicy attitude as well. You really do take after your mother.” He leaned in a little, tilting his head to the side as he grinned maliciously. “She seems to have tamed down now, but back then, she sometimes had a firecracker attitude....very much like what you have now, sweetheart.”

Penny snarled when the man used that ‘nice word’ against her. If her mother or someone else she cared about called her that, she’d be happy. Not so much when an evil madman like this guy used it on her. It was very...unsettling, and it didn’t help that this man could be her biological father. It sent weird vibes up her spine.

Mr. Pierce took a step back and turned around. With his arms folded, he walked a little further away from Penny. She watched him intently, not daring to let him get out of her sights. She was not going to let this man catch her off guard. She watched him, eyes narrowed in determation and anger, as Mr. Pierce began to pace from side to side in front of her. She noted his thoughtful expression and wondered what he was thinking about. No doubt more ways to mess with her mentally.

“If you think I am going to use the whole cliche of ‘I want you to join me because you’re my offspring’...well rest assured I will not do that.” Mr. Pierce kept one eye on Penny the whole time he was pacing. Once in a while, the pupil would move up and down, like he were examining her. “I have no intention of treating you so different from the others. Because...well...” He raised a hand up in gesture. “...that wouldn’t be fair, now would it?”

“Fair?!” Penny spat venom at him. “You’re the one who strapped us down and then sliced up my best friend’s knee for no fucking reason! What do you care about being fair?!”

“What you think is fair and what I think is fair is probably different, I see.” Mr. Pierce said nonchalantly. “But then again, you could be right. Yes...” He stopped, keeping his side to her. He pulled his head back a little, his eyes facing towards the ceiling. “Perhaps I just...like to toy with people.” He turned his head a little, just enough for both eyes to look at Penny. She shuddered at the sight of that horrifying grin. “Messing with people can be quite...entertaining...”

Penny jerked herself from side to side, trying to get out of the chair. This man was sickening, disgusting. She wanted to get out of the chair so she could each him a lesson. She normally wasn’t violent, but this man was really pushing the envelope, more so than she thought possible. He was reminding her so much of Mr. Cosmo, and the horrific things he did just to get something he wanted. It was almost as if Mr. Pierce took lessons from Mr. Cosmo.

She wasn’t going to let him get away with what he did. He was not going to get off scott free for killing Vinnie and Terry, for terrorizing and framing her mom and Rudy’s parents, as well as Reggie. He was not going to get away with hurting Rudy the way he had. And he was not going to threaten ChalkZone. Not if she was still around and do something about it. She glared hatefully at him, her teeth bared in anger. If she could just get free, something free, she’d show him. She’d show Mr. Pierce what happens when he messes with the wrong people.

Penny stared him, her eyes issuing a sort of silent challenge. She was, without words, daring the man to get close to her, daring him to let her go so she could fight back against him. Mr. Pierce stared back, his eyes carrying a silent statement of their own. More or less a ‘are you kidding me’ kind of look, making it very clear that he did not take her seriously, and probably never will. His arms remained behind his back, and in this posture, he reminded her too much of Cosmo. Her mind briefly had some flashbacks of that evil man before she managed to shake those thoughts out of her head.

“I do wonder what you think of your mother now, Penita...” Mr. Pierce said. Penny shuddered when he used that nickname of hers. “I am quite curious. What do you think of her..knowing now that she kept something like this from you.” He took a couple steps closer, his cold eyes boring into hers. “Do you hate your mother? Do you despise her for not telling you?”

Penny shook her head. “No...I don’t.”

Mr. Pierce chuckled. “Of course not. She took care of you. I can tell there is that...bond. Still..” He turned his head a little to the side in a creepy fashion. “I wonder if it will affect you later on. I mean after all you did just get the news. It can take time for these things to..sink in....” He now stood in front of Penny once more. He moved to her side and placed his hands on her shoulder. He leaned in closer, giving her a sort of partial hug. Penny leaned as far away from him as she could. Mr. Pierce continued, “Perhaps you’ll think differently later on. Maybe you will start to resent your mother...”

“No, I won’t!” Penny growled at him. “You’re wrong!”

“Tell yourself that all you want to, honey...” Mr. Pierce said. “But I know how these things go. You say that you’re fine at first. But the feeling of bitterness will start to rise...”

“No!” Penny cried.

“And then the anger...” Mr. Pierce said calmly, his hand gently rubbing Penny’s shoulder.

Penny shook her head. “No!”

Mr. Pierce stared at her with one insanity filled eye as he grinned. “And then, as the anger boils inside of you...comes the hatred...” Penny’s eyes widened at this. “You will start to hate your mother...”

Penny gritted her teeth and shook her head again. “I wouldn’t hate my mom! You’re wrong! You’re just trying to stir up trouble! You’re a monster! I don’t care if you’re biologically related to me or not! I hate you!” Penny glared daggers at the man, furious at his attempt at a mind game. “I won’t fall for it!”

Mr. Pierce stared at her for a few seconds. He chuckled as he gripped her shoulders tighter and pushed himself up. Penny could feel his weight on her, wincing a little at the bit of pain that formed as a result. “Stubborn little Penita... I know you will come around eventually. Soon that hatred will be towards your mother. I’m sure she did some things that you are not proud of... am I right?”

Penny opened her mouth to speak, but then shut it as a realization dawned on her. She remembered when Mr. Wilter spoke to her and Rudy back in the hospital, sometime before it was bombed. Mr. Wilter told her about how her mom was a black chalk artist, and how she had tortured so many people. Although she had already talked to her about it, though she knew that her mom had no memory of the incident, and no intention of becoming like that again, she couldn’t help but widen her eyes as she stared at Mr. Pierce.

The man sneered evilly, and expression of ‘I got you now’ clearly showing. “I knew it.” He leaned in a little close, putting his forehead against hers. Penny winced as she felt his breath against her face. “Well...this will give you another reason to be upset with dear mommy.” A couple of chuckles and he leaned away, much to Penny’s relief. “I do look forward to the family breakdown. Invite me over when it happens, okay?”

Penny felt her blood boil. “You...”

Mr. Pierce ignored her. He turned his head and looked over at Rudy. The teenager was still awake, but hardly moved. His body was shaking and he was crying softly. Blood still seeped out of the wound on his knee. Penny felt her blood freezing. What was this man going to do to Rudy? He already been through enough. She started to struggle again in her seat.

“Don’t you fucking dare touch him!” Penny warned him, glaring hatefully at the man. “If you do...I swear I’ll...”

“Jumping to conclusions I see... All I did was look.” Mr. Pierce said calmly, interrupting Penny. She glared at him, but said nothing. Mr. Pierce was quiet for a few moments, before there was a glint in his eye. “But...perhaps I should do something. Since you gave me the idea...” Penny’s face paled as the man walked over to Rudy slowly, deliberately. “Since I already broke the boy’s knee..” Penny’s eyes widened. “Maybe I should finish the job... Not like that leg will ever heal properly anyway. Not after what I did to it...”

Penny’s eyes widened further, bulging so much she thought they would roll out. She jerked herself from side to side. “No! Don’t you dare!” Penny cried out as she tried to free herself. She watched in horror as Mr. Pierce went over to Rudy. “Rudy!” Penny shouted.

Rudy lifted up his head, looking at Mr. Pierce with his reddened, puffy eyes. He immediately started to shake harder, cringing away from the man as he approached. Rudy attempted to drag himself away in desperation, his loud, pitiful whimpers filling the room. It made Penny’s heart break in two as she watched her friend so desperately try to get away from Pierce. The man just gave an evil giggle at Rudy’s attempts of escape. He reached Rudy and pressed his foot against his back, holding him down.

At this, Rudy started to claw at the ground, trying to pull himself free. He started to kick his right foot against the hard floor, wriggling from side to side. Mr. Pierce watched, folding his arms and smirking in satisfaction as he watched Rudy writhe on the ground. Penny continued to stare in horror. She tried to struggle harder. She kept trying to get herself free, desperate to get that monster of a man away from Rudy.

Mr. Pierce knelt down beside Rudy, keeping his foot on Rudy’s back. He pressed down, keeping Rudy in place. He took out the scalpel. Rudy’s eyes widened at this and he let out a scream of terror. Mr. Pierce gripped the boy’s leg and brought the scalpel down.

“Hold still...this won’t take long...” Mr. Pierce grinned maliciously. Rudy let out another cry of fear and struggled frantically.

Tears staining her face, Penny shouted, “Rudy, no!”

Mr. Pierce pressed the scalpel against Rudy’s leg. Not enough to cut, but enough to make the boy scream in fear. Mr. Pierce smiled, keeping the blade against the already deep gash. Tears of pain and fear flowed down Rudy’s face. The teenager tried to kick at Mr. Pierce, but he had no such luck. He couldn’t get his leg into position, Pierce being angled where Rudy couldn’t kick him. Mr. Pierce pressed the blade a little harder, prompting another scream from Rudy.

Rudy looked over at Penny. She felt her heart freeze when she saw the way he looked at her. Pupils dilated into dots. Face pale and sweaty. Breaths coming in and out quickly. His expression was that of pure terror. Penny tried to struggle forward. She tried to get over there to help him. She jerked herself from side to side, trying in vain to get her arms free. Soon she wore herself out, her arms achy and tired. She hung her head a little for a few seconds before she looked over at Rudy, her eyes wide.

“Rudy...” Penny said softly, a few tears moving down her face.

Rudy winced in pain when Mr. Pierce pushed the scalpel into the wound. He took in a painful breath and then he screamed. “Penny! Help me!” Rudy cried in desperation, staring directly into her eyes. “Please! It hurts! Make it stop! Please!”

Hearing Rudy call out to her like that made her heart ache. Tears stained her face as her mind raced, trying to think of something she could do. Anything... Mr. Pierce was cutting deeper into Rudy’s leg. She could see the blood pooling out as he tore through the already heavily damaged leg. Rudy writhed on the ground, screaming in pain. Penny didn’t know how much more he could take. With all the damage he suggered...he could die from shock. If Mr. Pierce removed his leg... There was no way Rudy could survive. She had no reason to believe Pierce would do anything to stop the bleeding.

She saw how Mr. Pierce was deliberately going slow. His arm barely moved as the seconds passed. He was prolonging the pain, she realized. He was relishing in Rudy’s agony. Her gut twisted in knots as anger and fear overflowed in her mind. This...this monster... If he kept this up, Rudy would pass out from the pain again, and in his weak state, that would not be a good thing. If anything, it might make things a lot worse.

Then Mr. Pierce started to cut to the side again. Rudy let out a loud, ear piercing scream. Penny’s heart skipped a beat and she felt a lump in her throat. Rudy screamed again, this time louder. And finally, Penny couldn’t take it anymore.

“Let him go, Mr. Pierce! Please! Stop this!” Penny pleaded with him. She pushed herself forward in the chair as far as she could go. “Drop that scalpel! Release him! Please, don’t do this! I’m begging you!” She cried softly. Her vision became blurred by her tears. “Please...stop...please..”

To her amazement, Mr. Pierce did stop. He froze for a few seconds, not moving. Then he slowly turned his head over to her. He still wore that evil smile, though it was softer than before. He looked down at Rudy, looking at the way the boy shivered and cried in fear and pain. Then, slowly, he withdrew the scalpel from Rudy’s knee.

“All right then...I’ll stop...for now...” Mr. Pierce climbed up to his feet. He gave a satisfied smirk to the frightened Rudy before he made his way over to Penny slowly. “After all, I got all the time in the world to...relieve this boy of his leg. Besides...there is something else I’m more...interested in.”

Penny leaned back in her chair as Mr. Pierce came up towards her. Her eyes were wide in fear, although anger boiled in her body. She turned her head to the side as he brought his hand over, thinking he was going to hit her or stab her with the knife. Instead, he just cupped her chin and forced her to look at him. She struggled to jerk her head away, but the man tightened his grip on her, preventing her from looking away. Her wide eyes stared into his.

“Yes...looking into your eyes, I can see your mother. You do look so much like her. I wonder how dear Inez is doing. Would you mind filling me in? I wonder how far back my little...stunt...set her...”

Penny growled at the man, baring her teeth. She refused to reply. Instead, she just turned her head to the side, averting her gaze. She refused to look at this vile man. She was not going to answer that question. She won’t give him the satisfaction of one. He just wanted to mess with her, get inside her mind.

“You don’t think that having take care of you, when she wasn’t interested, set anything off, do you?” Mr. Pierce sneered. Penny’s eyes widened, though she refused to look back. “I have to wonder where your mommy might be, if it hadn’t been for you...” His voice became a little deep as he said that. A nasty grin spread across his face as he traced a finger along Penny’s cheek. “Yes..what do you think...?”

Penny felt her blood turn to ice at this. She couldn’t think of anything to say to that. “I...I...”

Mr. Pierce chuckled. “Well aren’t you precious, my dear...?” He caressed her cheek gently before moving his hand up to toy with her hair. “You have your mother’s beauty. Her figure. A lovely complexion...” Mr. Pierce pressed his forehead against. “Yes, you are quite a catch. That boy is lucky. You are quite beautiful, sweetie pie...” He chuckled as Penny stared at him with wide, anger and fear-filled eyes. “Such a...fine woman you grew up to be...”

Then, to Penny’s horror, Mr. Pierce placed a kiss on her forehead, one that a parent would give to their child. She gave a shudder, but stifled a cry, not wanting to give Pierce the satisfaction of her horrified reaction. He pulled his head away, smiling at her. She glared back at him, looking as defiant as she could. She turned her head away, not bothering to say anything. She tried her best to hide how disgusted she was. It took all her willpower not to scream and curse at him.

Mr. Pierce moved away from her, folding his arms behind his back. “Well my sweet daughter of mine...” Penny turned her head and looked at him from the top corner of her eyes. She gritted her teeth in contempt. “I think I played with you enough... It’s time for you to tell me more.” He chuckled as he looked over at Rudy. “I don’t think your boyfriend is in any condition to talk.”

“That’s your fault, you asshole!” Penny snapped at him, venom dripping from each word. She kept her teeth bared as she spoke again. “And don’t even try to say it was his fault...”

“Okay. I won’t.” Mr. Pierce replied. “Even though it’s the truth...I won’t...”

Penny growled at this. Of course Mr. Pierce would still deny his involvement. Of course he would still try to push blame on others. That was just the kind of person he was. How vile... Even when he clearly knew he was responsible, he wouldn’t admit to it. He was absolutely disgusting.

“Anyway, let’s get back to chit chatting, shall we?” Mr. Pierce said, clearly not expecting an answer from Penny. He moved aroudn to her side, keeping a couple feet away from her. “There’s still a few more questions I’d like to ask of you. I was going to save these for Rudy, but..well..you can see why I cannot do that.” Penny wanted to say something, but she kept her mouth shut, glaring at him. “Now...shall we begin? Or rather...restart..?” He moved his hand out in gesture, indicating Penny and waiting for her to start.

“What do you want to know...?” Penny asked through clenched teeth.

Mr. Pierce grinned. “You see... I...”

Suddenly, the door burst open. One of the employees, a blonde man, came rushing in. Penny and Pierce turned their heads, both looking shocked by the sudden intrusion. The man at the door was pale, frightened, looking as though he saw a ghost.

“Mr. Pierce, sir!” The man said between breaths. “There’s...a...situation!”

“Can’t it wait?” Mr. Pierce narrowed his eyes. He gestured a hand to Penny. “Can’t you see I’m busy interrogating here?”

“No, it...can’t...wait!” The man said. He looked over down the hallway, his face etched with alarm. Penny had to wonder just what had this man so spooked. “It’s....it’s....”

“Spit it out already! What is it?!” Mr. Pierce growled, anger turning his face red.

“The...the portal... We should have..covered it up...” The man cried. He pointed frantically down the hall, his face becoming more and more filled with fear. Penny’s eyes widened in horror as Mr. Pierce looked at the man in confusion, tilting his head. “Something...came out...we...”

Before the man had a chance to finish, something large and red slammed against him, knocking him into the ground. He let out a scream as a set of jaws clamped down on his leg, tearing into it. Penny and Pierce looked on in horror as they watched the unexpected attack. The man was able to kick the red thing away before he scrambled and limped away, his painful sobbing echoing down the hall. The beast turned its head towards them, a low growl eminating from its throat, sounding like a crocodile.

Penny recognized what this thing was. A staplegator, very much like what Rudy wrestled with to save Sophie when he was ten years old. This one was larger, teeth were sharper, and it looked more ferocious. The staplegator began to walk into the room slowly, its eyes fixated on Penny and Pierce.

Mr. Pierce narrowed his eyes before an evil smile spread across his face. “I’m not afraid of some stupid child drawing.” He walked towards the beast. “You’ll have to try better than that to..”

Without warning, the staplegator opened up its jaws and shot out a large staple at the overconfident man. The staple sliced into the top of his left wrist. Pierce’s eyes widened and he let out a scream of pain. He held his hand to himself, teeth clenched and seething. He looked down at his hand, looking at how sliced up it was. He then looked back at the staplegator, his eyes slowly widening in horror.

Growling loudly, the staplegator opened up its jaws once more and prepared for another attack. Mr. Pierce narrowed his eyes, trying to mask his fear. Penny wasn’t sure if he was brave or stupid. The man took a fighting stance, moving towards the staplegator.

“You want a piece of me? Well come and get it!” Mr. Pierce cried before he rushed over to the staplegator.

All Penny could do was watch.

sss

Snap put the glass of water to his mouth and started to drink it. He was surprise at how fast he put that water down his throat. He must have been thirstier than he thought. As soon he finished the glass, he set it down on the small tray next to him, next to the remains of the small burger he had been given. Not the best one he had, but food was food and, at the moment, he didn’t care so long as he ate something.

Snap laid down on the hospital bed and looked around. It was pretty small, but still a decent size for him and Howdy. There was a smal television at the top corner of the room, though it was turned off. He didn’t mind; he wasn’t up for much television right now anyway. He looked over at the window, admiring the beautiful sky he could see through it. He then turned himself onto his side and tried his best to relax.

But how could he? Nihilanth was out there. Who knows what kind of problems he was causing? And what of the black chalk artists? Would they keep quiet until Nihilanth decides to make a move? There was no reason why he would believe such a thing. He knew how they were. They were unfair, loving to attack during ‘weak moments’. There was nothing to suggest that they wouldn’t cheat and launch a series of attacks, despite Nihilanth giving them three days to recover.

He tried not to think about it too much. He needed to get some rest soon. A little sleep would do him some good. He’d be able to think better once his mind was rested. It was going to be hard to sleep with all these thoughts racing through his mind, but he had to try. A tired mind was not going to be of much use to him with Nihilanth running around. He looked over at the window, staring, for a moment, at the bright white light shining through. He hoped Rudy and Penny were in the hospital now, getting treated. He hoped that they were doing okay.

Snap was feeling a little lonely. Ever since the incident with Mr. Cosmo years ago, he had been more iffy about being left alone for too long. But he had gotten a little better with that. Plus Howdy would be here relatively soon. He was taken to the operating room to mend his shoulder. The doctors still weren’t sure if he would regain full use of it. The realization that he might truly lose that arm’s functionality made Snap hate Ghadir even more. He swore, if that bitch’s attack caused any permanent damage to Howdy...

He tried not to think about it. Howdy was getting help and that’s what mattered. He couldn’t focus too much on Ghadir. Not now. He needed to instead focus on helping Howdy mentally the best he can. He had been frightened and mentally scarred himself, and he understood how Howdy was feeling, being targeted and chased and harmed like that. He wanted to do whatever he could to help him feel better. But for now, he needed to sleep. As hard as it was, he needed to close his eyes and go to...

Suddenly, he heard a noise over by the window. He turned his head. What he saw, he could not believe. He felt his heart skip a beat. No...no, not him...not now... He sat up in his seat so fast, he caused himself to feel a little dizzy. He brought the blankets up to himself. He wanted to press the help button above his bed, but he was too stunned to do anything.

There, clinging to the window, was Boorat. His eyes, so filled with anger, aimed directly at him. Snap took in a few breaths, knowing full well that Boorat still hated him for the fixative incident. He gave a nervous grin, which only made Boorat look angrier.

Snap attempted to reach for the button. But he realized, too late, that these windows were the ones that slid at an angle. Boorat pushed himself through. It would have been comical for Snap to watch the oversized rat squeeze through the window like that if he weren’t so scared and shocked by him being there at all. He watched, eyes wide in horror, as Boorat got inside the room.

Now inside, Boorat did not give Snap time to say anything. He didn’t bother with any kind of speech. He just rushed over towards Snap. The small zoner let out a scream and tried to reach for the help button. Boorat never gave him a chance. The large, muscular rat pounded his feet towards him and opened up his jaws, showing off his sharp teeth. Snap barely had time to react when Boorat lunged for him and grabbed onto his scarf. He yanked the small zoner in the air and caused him to gag. Snap attempted to struggle, but found himself unable to get free.

For a few seconds, Boorat just held him up in the air, his sharp teeth sinking into his scarf. In those few seconds, Snap’s mind was filled with panic and alarm, his eyes wide. He tried to look at Boorat, but at the angle he was being held, he could not. He wanted to say something anything, yet his mind was in too much a state of shock to do so. He didn’t know why Boorat was here, how he found him, what he wanted, or even how he got out of jail. Wasn’t he in jail before? How did he get out? He hardly paid attention to those thoughts as fear filled his body, horrified that this had to happen now, of all times.

He thought back to what Dr. Raiden had told him. His weak spot, the scarf... how it was so easy to render him helpless with it. Dr. Raiden was right. Boorat was proving that notion, and it wasn’t like his scarf hadn’t been used against him before. This caused more fear to rise inside of him as he realized he was not going to be able to fight back. The small zoner wriggled a little, but he could do nothing to make Boorat let go of him.

Then, without hesitation, the rat zoner turned his head towards the door and bolted towards it. Snap let out a cry as Boorat slammed against it, knocking it down. The rat wasn’t even bothering with subtly; he just ran down the hallway, dodging nurses and doctors and patience left and right. He held onto Snap’s scarf tightly in his jaws as he dashed down the hallway. Snap let out a few screams as they nearly ran into some zoners. He closed his eyes, feeling Boorat turn his body roughly as he changed direction, avoiding capture by any doctor that tried to go up to him.

Snap felt his body move up and down at a rapid pace, bouncing along to the momentum of the rat’s body. Pain shot through him as this irritated his wounds. It was clear Boorat didn’t really care how much he hurt him. He turned his head to the side, his red eye watching as doctors started to run behind him, while others, such as a few patients, just watched in utter confusion.

Boorat’s sudden appearance had clearly caused quite the confusion among the building. Everyone was shouting in surprise, unable to comprehend just how this large, vocal rat was able to get into the building without anyone knowing about it. Once in a while, among all the zoners and trays of papers getting knocked over, Snap could hear a zoner demand to know, from another zoner, just how Boorat was able to get in without going through them first. He also heard some doctor zoners calling for backup and a loud alarm wailed through the building.

But Boorat did not seem worried at all. He didn’t even react with any kind of overconvidence. He just continued to run, his mind clearly focused on getting him out of here. Snap wanted to know what he was up to. Why had he taken him? Where was he taking him? What did he plan on doing to him there? This all seemed so...random. He hadn’t even heard a thing out of Boorat for quite some time and now..this. He began to wonder if it was random at all, if there was something going on. Why would Boorat show up now, of all times? Unless...

Snap’s eyes widened in horror. Was it possible that Boorat was...was involved with these creepazoids? The thought chilled him. The last thing they needed was some other villain to worry about during all of this. If Boorat really was working for these people... His gut burned with fear as he realized he was in bigger danger than he thought.

Soon Boorat reached the front of the hospital. He didn’t bother stopping to open the door. He crashed right through it, ignoring the patient on a stretcher in front of him. He barely reacted as the patient screamed as shattered glass rained down on them. Snap looked down in horror, only getting seconds to look at the patient’s newly cut up face before Boorat veered off in a new direction, carrying Snap with him.

Boorat ran off into the distance. Snap heard the angry and frightened shouts of doctors and nurses as a group of them came running out of the hospital, waving their hands in the air. Snap tried to look at them, but he was unable to with the angle he was stuck in. He could only look forward, and he could see that Boorat was crying him towards the forest in front of him. He looked up at Boorat, or at least tried to, his mind swimming with thoughts of what was going to happen to him now.

He hadn’t expected this to happen. Who would have? One minute, he was finally getting some rest, laying down in bed. And now, he was being carried through the forest towards an unknown destination. He had no idea what was going to happen to him, what Boorat wants with him, or even if he was really working for the black chalk artists. All he knew was that Boorat hated him and now he had him in his jaws, carrying him further and further away from the place that was going to help him feel better.

Finally finding his voice, Snap asked, “Where...are you taking me...?”

Boorat let out a low growl, not responding at first, as though the rat was so disgusted with him, he didn’t even want to speak to him. Soon he replied, his already creepy voice sounding more so when it was muffled. “You will find out soon enough, blue rodent.”

Snap’s eyes widened in shock. For a moment, he forgot his fear. “Rodent?! Are you referring to moi?” He heard a muffled chuckle from Boorat, confirming this. “Look who’s talking! You’re a giant rat!”

“Would you prefer comical sidekick?” Boorat asked him as he continued to run.

Snap growled softly. “You’re getting a real kick out of this, aren’t you?”

“Yep.” Said Boorat simply.

Snap wanted to retort, but decided not to. It was not worth it. Boorat was obviously messing with him a little. Perhaps part of his revenge against him. Instead of giving him the pleasure of a retort, he just remained silent for a while. He took in a few breaths, trying his best to let the anger in his body pass. He couldn’t afford to get upset, not now. He had to remind himself that he was in danger and he still had no clue where Boorat was going to take him. Now was not the time for him to cloud his mind with anger.

After a few more minutes of running, the surroundings started to look a little familiar. They were still in a forested area, but not one they visited often. Snap realized that this was the same forest they were in when they found Howdy injured. Why was Boorat taking him here? It seemed pretty odd he would take him out here. Then again, if Boorat wanted to beat him up or something, a secluded area like this was a good choice. But if that was what Boorat wanted to do, then he could have done so several minutes ago when they were already deep in the forest. Why keep running? Unless that’s not what his plan was.

Snap still couldn’t understand it, though. Why would he take him all the way out here, in the same area where Ghadir had.... He stopped right there, his heart skipping a beat. Was..was that what Boorat was doing? Was he taking him to...her...? His body shivered in fright at the realization. If that’s what Boorat was doing... His heart pounded against his chest. No...no it couldn’t be...

Snap turned his head, trying to look up at Boorat the best he could, not being able to see much except the underside of his long nose. He swallowed hard and asked, “Who...who sent you...?”

Boorat gave a soft chuckle. “You really want to know, comical sidekick?”

Snap nodded his head. “Y-Yes...I do...”

“Hmph...very well. I suppose I can tell you that.” Boorat said with his muffled voice. “She told me her name was Ghadir...and she said she has been...craving another meeting with you, whatever that means.”

Snap couldn’t stifle his gasp of horror, his blood turning to ice. The implication of what this all meant came crashing down on him like a ton of bricks. He didn’t have Rudy or Penny to help him this time. What...what was he going to do now...?


	114. The Lion Lays Down With The Lamb

Snap struggled against Boorat’s grasp. The rat was no longer carrying him in his jaws. He was now walking on two legs, holding onto Snap’s arm tightly and dragging him along, uncaring if he aggravated his injuries or not. Snap’s heart raced as he realized the situation he was in. Much worse than he had imagined. Boorat didn’t drag him back to wherever Howdy was; instead he went to a completely different, unexpected location, the one place that sent chills down his spine just thinking about it.

The Solar Pillars.

He tried his get to get free. He pounded against Boorat’s arm. He tried planting his feet firmly on the ground, skidding across. Nothing he did would slow the rat down or loosen his grip even the slightest. Eventually, Snap stopped struggling, realizing there was no point in it. All he could do was follow along with the large rat, who moved pretty fast even on just two legs, and watch as they got closer and closer to the Solar Pillars.

Snap could feel the anxiety rise up inside his stomach. He knew what awaited him there. He knew that the black chalk artists would be inside. He knew that Boorat was going to take him to Ghadir. Without Rudy and Penny to help him, there was no way he’d be able to beat her. He could fight back, but how long could he really last against a creator? Unless she wasn’t going to use her magic chalk against him, which was a possibility, he was outmatched. Even against just one creator, he wouldn’t be able to last too long in the fight, at least not as long as they were in ChalkZone.

Thoughts swam through his mind. In addition to knowing what Ghadir would try to eat him, there were other things that entered his head. Would she hold a grudge against him for fighting back? Would she be angry at him for stopping them from beating up Rudy? Would she use him as bait to lure other zoners into a trap? Would she try to force him to kidnap Howdy and drag him here? These thoughts and more filled his mind, filling him up with dread.

Walking across the void was not comfortable. Snap always felt as though it could give way at any moment. Boorat, on the other hand, simply didn’t care. He just walked across it like it was nothing. Snap was amazed at how brave the rat was being. Or perhaps he was just so determined to get a little revenge on him that he just didn’t care about possible dangers. He couldn’t tell. Who knows what goes on inside that mutant rat’s head? Probably best he doesn’t find out.

Snap was glad when they finished walking over the void. Standing on the grass, even if it was right by the Solar Pillars, was much more comforting. They headed towards the steps that led up to the top of the structure. One by one, they scaled the steps, going up towards the top. As soon as they reached it, Boorat paused and looked around, as if trying to find something. Snap noticed a look of confusion on his face. He could tell that this was the rat’s first time here and it was clear he didn’t know where to go. Not that he did either. A part of him hoped Boorat would be too confused to know where to go and let him go, but he had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case.

Then Boorat’s ears pricked slightly when he noticed something in the middle. He dragged Snap over and he opened it up, revealing a hallway. Snap was a little surprised. This was the first time he had seen this. He would have thought this place would be better protected. But then, maybe it wasn’t completely operational yet.

Boorat dragged him down the steps, his hand still gripping Snap’s arm tightly. The blue zoner grunted in pain and struggled a little as he was forced to go down the steps at a rate a little too quick for his liking. They soon reached the bottom and started to head down the hallway. Snap looked left and right, taking notice of the structure of this place. It looked, for the most part, save a few details, pretty nice. If this place wasn’t used for evil purposes, he would think this place could be remodeled into something worthwhile.

As Boorat moved towards what looked like stairs, though they were broad and twisted around in a circle, made of what looked like marble, Snap’s nose wrinkled as a horrible, though faint, scent entered the air. It seemed Boorat could detect this. As Boorat’s nose was much more sensitive, the grey zoner resorted to breathing through his mouth in an attempt to not have to smell that scent. Snap copied this, panting slowly as they headed down the steps.

It was hard to describe the smell at first. It smelled like garbage, but then not. It was heavy and strong in the air but at the same time faint. He wasn’t sure how the scent could be like this. He wondered if it was because of the way this place was constructed. Maybe the materials all around him were intermixing and changing the scent a little. He wasn’t sure. What he did know was that he didn’t like it one bit. To make matters worse, the smell was getting worse the further he and Boorat went down the steps.

They soon reached a new level, which he guessed was in the middle of the structure. He could hear what sounded like pounding and machinery running. He and Boorat headed further into it. It was a large room, something like an office building almost, but not. A control room was more like it. He could see the buttons and levers in the corner, and there was some large machine off to the side, pounding and running something. This room looked relatively clean and somewhat shiny. Boorat looked left and right, something of a frustrated expression on his face. Snap wondered if this was the room he was supposed to be taken to, and if he had followed the instructions he must have been given to the T.

Snap gagged as he realized the smell from before was much stronger now. He covered up his mouth and tried to hold in the temptation to throw up. It smelled like something died and rotted here. Had the black chalk artists killed a zoner here and just...didn’t bother to clean up the mess? He could see them doing that. They were certainly twisted enough. Boorat looked disgusted as well and he could see the large rat covering his nose with his free arm. Boorat, relucantly, began to walk forward, pulling Snap behind him, his head swinging from side to side to try to find, he guessed, Ghadir.

Then, as they came around the corner part of the wall that covered the stairs, Boorat and Snap froze in place. Both wore horrified expressions at what they saw ahead. They could see, not far away from them, the very reason why there was such a horrid smell. Snap’s body shook in fright, and Boorat looked very uncomfortable, though he clearly tried to put on a brave face.

Laying not far from the machine he heard earlier was Bardot. The yellow and red zoner laid on his side, completely surrounded by blood. His body looked very crippled and broken, multiple bleeding holes all over him. He noticed that a large portion of his red chalk outline was gone, replaced by holes that blood profusely, constantly, never ending. Bardot was shivering and Snap could tell, from his own experiences, wasn’t simply from the cold. He was frightened and in a lot of pain. If just looking at him wasn’t enough, his whimpering and crying sure was.

Snap was stunned at this sight. Bardot was broken... Completely broken. The sight of this reminded him so much of what happened to Bardot there. Losing his back leg and then being tortured for the rest of his life. And now, his Bardot, the one of his own universe, was suffering in a similiar way, albeit he didn’t seem to have lost a leg here. Snap never thought he’d see the day when his Bardot would break down like this, crying similar to how he imagined Rudy and Penny did when they were kidnapped by him and Draow.

Snap watched Bardot crying on the ground. One unexpected emotion popped up into his head. Sympathy. This shocked Snap. He never thought he’d feel sympathy for one of the worst zoners he’s ever met. But there was a first time for everything. Bardot certainly didn’t deserve suffering forever, even in spite of all of his crimes. Snap would feel bad for just about anyone who was suffering like this. He didn’t know exactly what was done to him, but judging from his reaction alone, it was something really horrific. He had to wonder why Bardot didn’t try to run away, but then he saw that he had a thick rope chain on them filled with real world water.

The sight of this filled Snap with horror. Of course the black chalk artists would use something like that. If Bardot attempted to break free, he’d get real world water spilled on his neck, one of the last places he’d want real world water to be. He’d end up getting beheaded, so he was forced to just...wear that and stay here, even though it was clear he wanted to leave. Snap found it hard to tear his eyes away from the crying Bardot, his eyes traveling over his various outline wounds. He bit his lip and wondered if other zoners suffered a similiar fate or if Bardot was unique in this considering his status as a hybrid zoner.

Outline injuries were not common as they were hard to pull off. It wasn’t easy to just touch an outline as it constantly adjusted. It was one of those things that was there but then not. Humans, obviously, don’t have them, but zoners due as they were drawn. They were the one thing that was untouchable, or so Snap thought. No zoner ever thought it was possible for the outline to be attacked, except when the zoner was being erased.

Seeing Bardot with a clearly damaged outline was horrific, and quite unexpected. The sight of it made Snap wince and put his arm around his stomach, imagining what it must have been like for Bardot. His eyes stared at the bloody areas of the outline, wincing at the blood that continue to pool out. He wondered if it was even possible for the blood to clot, or if it would be much harder. He and no other zoner suffered an outline injury quite like this, and it was just uncomfortable to watch.

He heard footseps approaching. He turned his head and he saw Ghadir walking towards them. She wore a devious smile on her face. She did give Bardot a quick glance and just chuckled before turning her attention back to them. Snap wondered if she was involved in what happened to Bardot or if she was just amused by his condition, especially considering he had once been one of the biggest threats Rudy, Penny, and him had to face before. Now he was reduced to a whimpering pile, complete with multiple bleeding wounds in an area once thought to be, for the most part, untouchable.

“I thought you Snap, just like I said I would.” Boorat said, a dark smile on his face. It was clear that he was trying to ignore the badly broken and damaged Bardot not far away from him. “And just like I promised, I didn’t hurt him.”

Snap grumbled softly. “Well you certainly weren’t being very gentle dragging me over here.”

Boorat shot him a look. “Oh shut up, rodent!”

Snap chuckled bitterly at this, temporarily forgetting about his current predicament. He pointed his round free hand at Boorat and said, “You are a rat, you idiot! Are you trying to insult yourself?”

Boorat glared at him angrily. He formed a fist with his free hand and said, “You little...!”

“Enough, Boorat!” Ghadir said, pointing a finger in his direction. She narrowed her eyes as she took a few steps closer. “Don’t let your temper get the better of you. I’d rather Snap be as unharmed as possible....” She slowly turned her gaze towards Snap, her eyes flashing with intent. The sight of this made Snap shudder. “I have my own plans for him...”

At this, Boorat smiled darkly. “Do you mind me asking just what you plan on doing with the comical sidekick?” Snap gritted his teeth in irritation at that nickname, despite his fear. “I had been wanting to get him back for his interference years ago, and I am hoping you can fill me in on just what you are going to do.”

Snap wanted to speak up. He wanted to tell Boorat just what Ghadir planned on doing. Despite the fact he was a jerk, he did deserve to get a little warning. It was clear he had no idea what he was getting himself into. He didn’t fully understand or comprehend the seriousness of the situation. He had no idea just who Ghadir was, and what she liked to do with zoners. If he did know, would he have still kidnapped him? Maybe. But he might also be more cautious with Ghadir, perhaps even be relucantant to go through with it, as he himself wouldn’t want to get eaten.

But he didn’t get a chance to really say anything. Ghadir moved over quickly, faster than he thought was possible for the large human. He didn’t have time to react before Ghadir grabbed onto his other arm, pulling him away from Boorat. This motion was sudden and quick, even surprising Boorat. Snap winced as he felt the woman yank him roughly from Boorat before the large zoner could release his grip on him. She pulled him to her side, twisting his arm roughly and forcing him to grunt in pain.

“I’ll be glad to discuss further business with you. But first, let me take care of this blue runt.” Ghadir said. She started to drag Snap over to the injured Bardot.

Snap looked over at Boorat, his eyes wide in fear. Boorat smiling evilly back, making it clear he thought Snap was going to beg for mercy. But instead, Snap did something that surprised the rodent zoner. “Don’t go with her! She’s not what you think! Get out before...!”

He was silenced when Ghadir struck him in his damaged knee. He let out a cry of pain and he started to limp, some fresh blood leaking out of the wound. He looked up at Ghadir as tears of pain formed in his eyes. She glared at him, her teeth clenched tightly. Boorat looked a little confused, but nonetheless, folded his arms and glared a warning towards Snap. Oh if only he kne the truth....

“Shut up, or I’ll break your knee.” Ghadir hissed at him. To emphasize her point, she struck his knee again, aggravating it further. She watched him with contempt as he started to cry in agony, pain radiating like fire off of his injured knee. “May that be a lesson to you, worthless piece of trash..”

Snap glared at her, tears flowing down his face. But he dared not say anything else, not while he was in this position. Ghadir continued to drag him over to where Bardot was. Once they were there, she pulled out a piece of black chalk. Snap’s eyes widened in horror as he stared at the ominous chalk, the black glow eminating from it. The only comfort of this was that he knew that she could not draw the same thing Bardot had, but she could still draw something just as bad, just as painful, if she so desired.

It seemed that Ghadir was in a hurry for some reason as she didn’t really draw anything that fancy. She drew a simple chain and placed the cuff around his neck. It was tight and uncomfortable, but it wasn’t particularly painful. She attached him to a small hook on the machine. She tugged on it to make sure that it couldn’t be broken if he tried to escape. Then, giving a smirk at Snap, as if to say ‘I got you now, dinner’, she turned her attention to Boorat.

“So...you’d like to know what I plan on doing with Snap?” Ghadir asked as she walked towards the large rat. “Are you really that curious?”

Boorat nodded his head. “Yeah, I am.” He glared at Snap and pointed an accusing finger in his direction. “He had been a thorn in my side years ago when I tried to bring magic chalk to my creators. He turned me into a living statue.”

Ghadir’s eyes seemed to flash at this. “Oh he did...did he?” She tilted her head to the side, curiosity clearly showing. “How very...interesting... Maybe you should..tell me about this.” She moved a little closer, that same smile on her face, broadening a little. “I am quite curious about this whole... ‘living statue’ thing. I take it he froze you somehow?”

Boorat nodded his head, his hands forming into fists. “It was humiliating!”

Snap chuckled bitterly to himself. Of course Boorat would be upset about that. Part of him could understand. But really, if he hadn’t been threatening ChalkZone with bringing magic chalk into the real world, he wouldn’t have frozen him like that. What else could he have done? Besides, at least he didn’t hurt Boorat in the process. A little humiliation was certainly better than getting water dumped on him, like he had attempted to do to him with that potted flower.

“Indeed...” Ghadir said, tapping her fingers together. “The little runt can be...quite a thorn in the side.” She gestured for Boorat to follow her. “Come with me. Let’s talk about this.”

“Aren’t you going to tell me what you plan on doing with him?” Boorat asked, gesturing with his hands. “Why did you want him, out of all zoners, anyway?”

Ghadir chuckled darkly. “Oh I’ll tell you. Just come with me.” She waved her hand at him, prompting him to come forward. “Come into my room. I’ll tell you everything there.” She turned her head and gave Snap a sneer. “Let’s give Snap some...time to get acquainted with his...cell mate of sorts.”

Snap growled softly, but said nothing. He was certain that Ghadir did know that he and Bardot did know each other; she just didn’t want to say anything about it, for whatever reason. He kept his gaze averted, his nose adjusting to the horrible smell, as Ghadir and Boorat both gave a dark chuckle before disappearing down the hallway. He could hear the pattering of feet get fainter as the seconds passed, and then the sound of a door opening, and closing. And then, silence. Nothing but silence, save for soft crying and breathing.

He knew what was going to happen to Boorat. He knew that the zoner was going to suffer at Ghadir’s hands. There was no doubt about it. He knew what Ghadir was. She might let him live long enough to be of some use to them, but sooner or later, she was going to kill him and eat him. Despite Boorat’s jerkish behavior, Snap still wished he could have warned him. Sure, he tried to shout at him to go away, but Ghadir stopped him from saying much else. He couldn’t even tell Boorat that she ate zoners; she kicked him in his knee before he could.

Snap rubbed his knee very lightly and gently. It eminated with horrific pain. He could still feel her foot hitting against it. It was such a low blow of her, kicking him in his damaged knee like that. But then, she was a black chalk artist; it would be something she would do, no doubt about it. He should consider himself lucky she didn’t decide to do worse.

The fear of his current predicament did start to take a stronger hold on him now. His frown disappeared, replaced with a worried expression. He looked around the room he was in, letting the full impact hit him. He was stuck in the enemy base with no one to help him. Rudy and Penny were in the real world, resting. They didn’t know he was in trouble. He had no way to communicate with them. How was he going to get out of this mess? What was he going to do?

His body shook as the implications became clear. Unless he figured out a way out of this, he was going to die. He had his doubts that Ghadir would even be fair. She’d probably just tie him up and kill him slowly, without allowing himself a chance to fight back. His body shuddered as he imagined the feeling of a sharp scalpel piercing his skin, or her teeth grinding against his arm. And there would be nothing he could do about it. He wouldn’t put it past her to tie him up and gag him so he had no way to fight back. It would be like how Cosmo strapped him down. He recalled him doing something that prevented him from using his 2D powers, although he wasn’t sure quite what it was.

Snap looked over at Bardot, who laid a few feet away from him. He watched as his body shaked like a leaf, constant whimpers coming out of his mouth. Snap never thought he’d see the day when one of his worst enemies, in his own dimension, was reduced to this. To think, this was the same zoner who had him, Rudy and Penny on their last leg. This was the same zoner who nearly ripped him into shreds two years ago. He shuddered at the memory. It was such a nightmarish image. Him in agonizing, unbelievable pain, unable to move, Bardot, with that demonic expression, charging at him like some wild animal...

Snap shook the thoughts from his head and stared down at the shivering Bardot. He still felt pity for him. Despite all the trouble he put them through, seeing anyone in this much pain was hard to watch. His eyes looked at the bleeding outline once more. He bit his lip, still finding that hard to imagine. He wondered what it would even feel like. It would almost be like ripping into someone’s soul, somehow, and causing damage that way. It seemed so..unreal...and yet here it was. The horrible smell was coming from these outline injuries, an indication of just how serious they were.

Just then, Bardot stirred. He raised up his head, his ears pricked up as if he heard him somehow. Slowly, Bardot looked over. As soon as he saw him, he froze. His eyes widened in surprise. Snap was shocked to see just how pathetic he looked. Those eyes didn’t shine of any evil or defiance or anything. They were just...pitiful and broken and sad. He looked as if he had been crying for hours, his fur streaked with tears. For a few moments, the two enemies stared at each other, neither looking away. It was a moment that filled Snap with confusing and conflicting emotions.

“S-Snap....?” Bardot asked. His voice was dry, weak, and cracked with pain. He pushed himself up with his front legs. His body shook once in pain. “What...what are you...?”

“I was captured. Boorat dragged me here, upon Ghadir’s orders apparently.” Snap explained. He wasn’t sure why he did, but it wasn’t like he had any reason not to. “Why are you here?”

“...living battery...” Bardot said. Snap’s eyes widened in horror at this. “J-Jenny is using me...to power the light cannon... Hurts..destroying my red chalk half... Destroying my outline... it hurts so bad.. She is purposely dragging it out...” A few tears escaped from his eyes as he lowered his head, closing his eyes for a few seconds. He looked back at Snap. “After she’s done with me, she’s going to feed me to Ghadir... Alive...”

Snap was horrified by this. As much as he hated Bardot, he didn’t deserve that kind of fate. That was just...cruel. He couldn’t imagine just how painful it was for Bardot, or for anyone, to be drained of a part of them forcibly to power some kind of machine. He wondered just how long this had been going on, and just how many times Bardot was used in this way. Judging by his condition, he had been used more than once.

Snap did notice the irony in all this. Bardot had tortured his victims in a similar way. Dragging things out, trying to make things as painful as possible. He had tortured so many zoners, killed a number of them, and even killed and eaten some humans. He had tortured Barney for a year and a half. He had tortured Rudy and Penny, with the help of Draow, nearly to death. He had tortured him with those ‘games’ of his, beaten him up and tore him apart, and even injected him with venom. His actions were so brutal that he had actually killed him for a time. If it hadn’t been for Terry, he would have died.

Now Bardot was seeing for himself just how much it sucked to have something like that happen. He could now see just how bad and horrible torture was, now that he was on the receiving end of it. He could see for himself just how awful it is for someone from another dimension to want to eat him. He ate humans, and he was going to be eaten by humans. How ironic. Not that he would have wished this fate on him, but a part of Snap hoped that this experience would at least open Bardot’s eyes. He wasn’t sure if it would, considering this was Bardot, but he could still hope.

“Now you know what it feels like.” Snap said after a few moments of silence. He sat down on the ground and crossed his legs. Bardot looked over at him, staring at him somewhat blankly, but made no attempt to stop him from talking. “You can see just what it feels like...to be cruelly beaten and torn...to be subjected to pain after pain...with no end in sight.” He gave a soft glare to Bardot. “It’s not so fun, is it?”

Bardot took in a few breaths, his head turning away for a second. He looked back, staring at him with one green eye. “N-No..it isn’t. I will...admit to that. It is not...enjoyable.” He flinched in pain. “I have gotten a taste of what it must have been like for...Barney when I tortured him a few years ago.”

Snap narrowed his eyes at this. “You really broke him up...” His voice came out a little growly. “Just..just how could you do that to another living being? How could you be so cruel...?”

Bardot stared at Snap and gave a soft sigh. “Because I didn’t fully understand... I understood enough, but..still not completely. I..have no excuse, though. And I won’t try to make any up.” He raised his head a little. “I know you hate me, and you have every right to.” He looked away, closing his eyes lightly. “Even if I wanted to hurt you...as I am now, I cannot.”

Snap eyed him up and down, noting all his injuries. “Yeah...I wouldn’t doubt that...”

The room fell silent. Snap looked away from Bardot, his eyes fixating on nothing. He tried to think of what he was going to do to get out of here. He grabbed onto the cuff around his neck and tried to pull it off. Just as expected, it was impossible. The cuff was tight around his neck and he couldn’t slip it over his head. And he didn’t even bother trying to break the chain; he knew he was too weak to do that. He wondered if Bardot could, but then again, in his condition, he might be too weak to do that.

Snap was at a loss. He just didn’t know how he was going to get out. And he knew that Ghadir wouldn’t be gone long. After she was through with Boorat, she’d come after him. He could just imagine the fate she had in store for him. He shuddered to think about it. Or maybe she’ll get Bardot first and eat him slowly in front of him just to be cruel. He knew that, unless a miracle happened, he was not going to get out of here anytime soon, let alone alive. There had to be something... He would have to use whatever time he had to try to think of something.

And if he got out of here, he knew he had to bring Bardot with him. He couldn’t just leave him like this. That wasn’t in his nature. He looked over at him for a few seconds sympathetically. He might hate him. Bardot might be one of the cruelest monsters he’s met, but...no, he couldn’t just leave him here to be tortured by Jenny and eaten by Ghadir. He had to get him out of here, too. If he could just find a way to remove that water rope strapping him to the machine, the hybrid zoner could, hopefully, make a getaway. He could be apprehended later, as those injuries would make it hard for him to cause any trouble. He could then be locked up somewhere to heal, where he can’t hurt anyone, and sent back to the Fire Zone.

He saw movement in the corner of his eye. He turned his head and was surprised at what he saw.

Bardot had gotten up to his feet. Each step he took as shaky and weak. Snap was surprised he could even walk at all in his condition. The yellow zoner slowly made his way over, his eyes holding pain and sadness. Snap grew anxious as Bardot drew closer, his heart racing. Even though he knew that Bardot was in no condition to really hurt him much, he still felt some fear. After all, this was the same zoner who was, more or less, his murderer, and would have been the killer of his friends if they hadn’t been so lucky.

Soon Bardot stood in front of him, his green eyes staring into his white eyes. For a few seconds, they remained like that, staring at each other, not saying a word. Bardot then took another step closer. Snap immediately closed his eyes instinctively and looked away, waiting for Bardot to do whatever it is he wanted.

What Bardot did end up doing was completely unexpected.

Snap became aware of some kind of strange warmth. He opened his eyes and he looked down. He stared in shock as Bardot laid down next to him. He had moved around behind Snap, laying close to him, curling up. He rested his head on his yellow, muscular leg, and his reptilian, furry tail curled around, forming a complete circle around him. Bardot closed his eyes and started to take in slow, steady breaths, looking a little calmer than he had before.

Snap was confused by this. He opened up his mouth to speak, but words failed him. He had no idea how to respond to this. He didn’t know that something like this was going to happen. Bardot had just came up and cuddled with him. Bardot, of all zoners, did this. He couldn’t fathom the reason why. Snap was so confused and startled, his mind aching to try to think of an explanation. He wasn’t sure how he felt about his enemy being curled up like this so close to him. He could feel Bardot inhaling and exhaling as the seconds passed, and never once did the hybrid zoner try to hurt him. After being so used to him trying to hurt him, Bardot doing something like this, without an ulterior motive, was just confusing to him.

Snap wondered if Bardot did this to feel safe. Bardot knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t kick a zoner while they were down. He wouldn’t cause unnecessary harm to another if he could avoid it. Snap saw no reason to hurt Bardot if he was this badly injured, and the yellow zoner must know this. After being stuck with Jenny and the other black chalk artists, Snap could understand why Bardot would feel safer around him. Compared to the others, Bardot must consider him welcome company and chose to lay down with him in an effort to help take his mind off of what was going on, even if only for a moment.

Without thinking, Snap started to stroke the top; of Bardot’s head. The hybrid zoner made no complaint, laying still as Snap ran his hand along his head, careful to avoid any of the bleeding areas. As he did this, he looked back over at the machine, the thing that controlled the light cannon. This was the thing that had destroyed the Luminos hideout. With a shudder, Snap wondered how many other sights had been targeted, and how many more there might be in store in the future.

If he could only get free...maybe...just maybe..he could find a way to destroy this thing. Or put a kink in its system somehow. If he could find a way to hinder the black chalk artists’ terrifying weapon, he could give his friends and ChalkZone a better chance to fight back.

sss

“Are you sure this is the spot?” Mr. Longhorn asked as he stood in the middle of a grassy field. He stared up intently at the spot that Lars indicated.

Lars pointed up towards that area, just like before, and nodded his head. “Yeah, that should be the place. Just draw some steps to get up to it and draw a circle there.”

Mr. Longhorn kept his eye on that spot, afraid that if he looked away, he would lose sight of it. But he couldn’t just draw steps without looking. Instead, he opted for something different. He drew a couple large balloons and tied it around his body. He drew enough that he was slowly, not quickly, lifted into the air. Keeping his eye locked on that spot, he waited until he got level with it before he reached over with the chalk and attempted to draw a circle.

To his confusion, it didn’t work. He popped one of the balloons when he came up too high. As he sank towards the ground, he tried again. He pressed the chalk against the air, as if he were going to draw a ball, and tried again. Just like before, he had no luck. As he lowered to the ground, his feet touching the grass, he looked at the magic chalk and wondered, for a moment, if it lost its power. But that was impossible, wasn’t it? The bear never mentioned anything about that. He looked over at the white zoner.

“Are you positive that’s the area?” Mr. Longhorn asked, his eyebrow cocked upward in confusion. Lars nodded his head once. “Well I tried, and it’s not working.”

Lars scratched the top of his head. “Well I’m certain this is the spot. I mean, their ship you described is over there.”

Mr. Longhorn looked over and sure enough, there was the craft that Rudy drew before. This had to be the area. He couldn’t imagine, especially in their condition, Rudy parking it too far away from where the portal was. But if the chalkboard wasn’t here...then could it be around here somewhere? Mr. Longhorn realized it was going to take some time before he would find it. He’d have to search every nook and cranny around this area, but what other choice did he have? If Rudy left the portal open, things would have been so much easier.

Suddenly, before Mr. Longhorn could begin to search for the portal, there was a barking sound. The two looked over to see what appeared to be a blue dog running towards them. It looked like a sled dog of some kind. Either a husky or a malamute. Longhorn watched as the dog ran around him and Lars, barking as though it were playing some kind of game. The blue dog wagged its tail and appeared to be trying to get their attention.

“This is Sparky... But what’s he doing out here...?” Lars wondered out loud, scratching his head.

“Sparky?” Mr. Longhorn asked, looking over at the bear in confusion. “Is he some kind of pet?” He was so unfamiliar with ChalkZone, he wasn’t sure if pets were even a thing around here.

Lars nodded his head. “Yeah. He’s one of the dogs Snap drew a few years ago, using the rare zoner-usable blue chalk.” The polar bear explained. “I don’t usually see him out here at this time, though. His owner, Chalk Dad, is in the store at this time, and Sparky helps him pick out the bad meats and greets the customers. Sparky’s quite well behaved.” He looked back at the barking blue dog. “I don’t get what would cause him to leave the store at this time...”

It didn’t take long for them to get the answer to that. In the distance, they could see what looked like a small butcher heading their way. Longhorn guessed that this must be Chalk Dad. The zoner was pretty small, shorter than him. He had a panicked look on his face. He must be worried about Sparky running off like that. Though ChalkZone was so different, Longhorn guessed that there must be dangers lurking around here that the dog could have run into.

Mr. Longhorn lowered himself and picked up Sparky, who didn’t seem to mind. He licked his face a few times. The sensation was weird. It felt like water, but it clearly wasn’t. He wiped it off and turned his attention back to Chalk Dad. He waited until the alarmed butcher came close enough before he started to speak.

“Here’s your dog back, sir.” Mr. Longhorn said.

“Rudy’s in trouble!” Chalk Dad shouted.

At this, both Longhorn and Lars widened their eyes in shock. This certainly wasn’t the news they were expecting to hear, especially not to suddenly. They looked at each other a few times, and then back at Chalk Dad.

“What...what do you mean?” Mr. Longhorn asked, biting his lip. “What happened..?”

Chalk Dad pointed down in a direction. “Someone took the chalkboard! Sparky and I saw it. We could see the portal being carried down that way!”

Mr. Longhorn sucked his lip for a second. “Is it possible that Rudy just moved the portal on his own...?”

Chalk Dad shook his head. “No he wouldn’t do that!” He waved his hands in front of him. “Rudy’s a smart boy. He would erase the portal if he took the chalkboard anywhere.” His expression was that of horror. “The only explaination is someone took it! And possibly Rudy, too!”

The realization of this caused Mr. Longhorn’s blood to freeze. So those two were in trouble... If what Chalk Dad said was true, then there was no reason for him to believe that Penny wasn’t also in danger. Someone must found the portal somehow..taken the chalkboard with, and those two. Guilt washed over him again as he realized that they might have needed the spare piece of magic chalk after all... Or maybe it didn’t matter. Whoever took them, they may have relinquished the magic chalk from him.

But Mr. Longhorn knew he couldn’t just stop and wonder what happened or try to piece together a full story. The two children were in danger, and unless he did something...

Mr. Longhorn turned his attention to Chalk Dad and said, “Can you take me there? I’ll see what I can do.”

“Are you sure? It’s in a pretty dangerous spot.” Chalk Dad said.

Mr. Longhorn nodded his head. “I’ll take my chances.” He set the dog on the ground. He looked at the piece of magic chalk in his hand and tightened his grip on it. He looked back at the butcher zoner. “Please...take me to where the portal ended up.”

Chalk Dad looked uncertain, but then he nodded his head. “Okay, if you think you’re up for it.”

With that, Mr. Longhorn and Lars started to head down, following Chalk Dad and Sparky.

sss

Penny watched in horror as Mr. Pierce wrestled with the staplegator. The man was clearly insane. The red beast may not be as tall, but it was clearly heavier and stronger. It kept managing to push back against the man, and yet, Mr. Pierce didn’t take the hint. He kept going after the gator, trying to conquer it, trying to control it. Penny couldn’t tear her eyes away from the scene.

In the moment, she forgot about the situation she and Rudy were in. She forgot that they were kidnapped and trapped in a news station. All she was aware of right now was Mr. Pierce fighting against a staplegator who had gotten out of ChalkZone and into the real world. She would have tried to think of what other animal zoners could have gotten through, and normally she would, but right now, her mind was focused on the fight taking place before her. The fight lasted longer than she thought, and she began to wonder who would come out the victor.

Penny hoped, on some level, that this would teach Mr. Pierce and his cronies not to mess with ChalkZone portals. Maybe this would make them sorry they stole the chalkboard and dragged her and Rudy here. She didn’t want the staplegator to kill anyone, but she hoped that its presence would show these people that they can’t just mess around with portals like that, especially when they had no idea what they were dealing with.

Mr. Pierce continued to wrestle with the staplegator, his arms wrapped around it and them rolling across the ground. The staplegator hissed loudly, opening its jaws and firing staples at the man. Mr. Pierce winced as his arms were sliced up in a few places by the small pieces of sharp metal. But that did little to make him let go or deter him. He was quite determined to conquer this beast and Penny had a feeling he would not let go until he won or the gator incapacitated him. Whichever came first.

Eventually, Mr. Pierce managed to get the gator zoner on its back. He pulled a fist back and punched it, only to recoil in pain and hold his hand to himself. A staplegator’s head was heard, like metal, so punching it was not a good idea. Mr. Pierce growled at the red beast, as if angry that it ‘dared to defy him’ like that. He prepared to punch the gator again, but this time, he aimed for the stomach. This did some damage as the staplegator’s eyes widened and it made sounds of pain. Mr. Pierce only managed a couple punches before the gator’s thick tail struck against him, causing him to roll along the ground.

Mr. Pierce pushed himself up on his hands and shook his head. He glared over at the staplegator, his teeth gritted in frustration and anger. He let out a yell and rushed over at the red zoner. Penny wasn’t sure if she should be impressed by this display of determination or horrified. In some ways, it reminded her of herself, as she was also pretty stubborn herself, unwilling to give up. The thought momentarily chilled her, the realization of her having inherited her unwilingness to give up from Mr. Pierce. She shook the thought out of her head. She shouldn’t think of that. Not now.

Penny looked over at Rudy. She bit her lip, her heart twisting in her chest. Rudy had fallen unconscious a little while ago. He must have passed out from the pain and blood loss. He needed help, fast. His time with the chalk disease had caused him to lose a lot of blood already. His body didn’t have time to recover that lost blood. He couldn’t afford to lose much more, or his condition would deterioriate rapidly. She hoped they would be able to get out of here soon... She turned her head to look back at the fight.

Mr. Pierce let out a scream as the staplegator clamped down on his leg, sinking its metal teeth into flesh. Mr. Pierce pounded against the animal zoner’s eye, trying to make it let go. He punched it in the eye again and again until it eventually let go. Mr. Pierce stumbled back a little, holding his leg and seething in pain. He glared hatefully at the gator, his face turning a little red. Despite being in pain, Penny could tell he just was not going to give up. But instead of running, the man stopped and looked around, this time trying to form a strategy instead of running in blindly.

Then the man clearly spotted something. Penny could see the twinkle in his eye. She watched as he ran out of view, going towards the other side of this room, towards a corner. She half wondered if he was trying to get away from the gator, but she knew that wasn’t the case, especially when the man came running back, holding something in his hand. She couldn’t tell what it was at first. The man clutched it to himself as he ran towards staplegator. He stopped a few feet in front, taking a fighting stance. The staplegator’s tail wriggled in irritation as it hissed at him. It started to move towards Pierce to continue their duel.

Then, as Mr. Pierce brought the object out, she gasped in horror as she realized what it was. A water bottle... Her heart skipped a beat as her face paled. No...no he couldn’t... Penny started to struggle in her seat, trying in vain to get free. Her wide, horror filled eyes watched as Mr. Pierce opened up the bottle of water.

“No! Don’t do it!” Penny cried. “Please!”

Mr. Pierce glared in her direction, but didn’t say anything. He looked back over at the staplegator. The sight of water made it freeze, clearly knowing what the man was holding in his hand. The staplegator’s expression changed to that of fear, and it began to back away slowly. Mr. Pierce grinned evilly at this and he began to advance on the gator. He moved at a brisk pace, taking advantage of his longer legs and longer strides. The staplegator tried to make a get away, but the man was too fast, and he soon sat down on the gator, looping his arm around the gator’s neck.

Instead of fighting back, the staplegator froze, as if it knew that one wrong move could spill the water on it. Mr. Pierce chuckled darkly as he held the beast to himself. He held the water bottle above its head, slowly turning the bottle. Penny let out a cry and begged, over and over, for Mr. Pierce to stop. He had the gator apprehended. He could just use the water to make it go back. Why..why was he going to....no.. He can’t...

“Stop! Please don’t do it! That’s a living breathing creature! Stop this now!” Penny pleaded with Mr. Pierce. “Put that water away!”

Mr. Pierce smirked evilly. He looked over in Penny’s direction. “Watch this, dear sweet child..” He turned the water bottle even more. “This is what is going to happen to any of your zoner pals who dare get in my way...” With that, he turned the water bottle all the way over.

What happened next engraved itself into Penny’s horrified mind.

The water splattered all over the staplegator’s head, between its eyes. The beast’s eyes widened as it let out shrieks of pain, its body writhing in shere agony. Penny felt tears form in her eyes as she watched the creature wriggle on the ground in clear pain and misery. The water dissolved into its head, going past the metal surface very easily. Mr. Pierce grinned as blood poured out of the gator, dripping into the ground. The water caused severe burns as it continued to bore through the head of the animal zoner.

Soon, Penny could see, to her horror, the interior of the animal zoner’s head. For a moment, she could see its brain, but the water quickly splashed onto it, causing the animal to go into seizures. It let out another loud shriek before it dissipated into a low hiss. Soon, the animal’s body stopped moving. But, much to Penny’s dismay, the damage the water was causing still continued.

The water cut through the animal’s head even more. It moved through the muscle, bone, and tissue. After the brain was taken care of, the water continued moving down. Penny took in shaky breaths as she stared at the animal zoner’s now blank eyes as they remained open, staring into nothingness. The water cut through until it reached the floor of the room, leaving behind a deep, bloody and charred gash.

Penny felt a few tears move down her face as she stared at the horrific scene. She looked up at Mr. Pierce, her eyes shining with the question of ‘why?’. He had...he had just deliberately killed a zoner in cold blood. He did so regardless of the fact that he could have just chased the staplegator away. Now the animal zoner laid dead, its brain completely dissolved, leaving it lifeless on the ground. All the water had been poured on its head, and she could see it still continued to eat away at its flesh. Then, to make matters worse, Mr. Pierce decided to do something that horrified her.

He grabbed onto the beast’s head with one hand, his fingers closing around its mouth, and he pulled hard. Penny let out a terrified scream as she heard a sickening wet sound, and Mr. Pierce pulled the head away completely. Penny felt she was going to be sick as she saw the loose pieces of partially dissolved skin just hang there, blood dripping rapidly to the ground. Penny could see the vertebrae and muscle from the part of the neck still attached to the body, blood pooling out of it. She wanted to look away, but she found herself unable to.

Mr. Pierce smiled evilly at Penny as he held the staplegator’s head in his hands. “What did you think of that, Penita...? Did you enjoy the show?” He chuckled as he stared into her frightened eyes. “If you thought that was going to slow me down that much...you got another think coming, sweetie pie...”

Penny stammered. “Y-You..you just...you just killed a zoner...”

“Worthless piece of chalk, you mean... Not like it matters.” Mr. Pierce smirked at the head of the formerly living animal zoner. He lifted up his hand and pressed it against the massive wound. He pulled it out and watched the chalk blood drip between his fingers. He brought it to his face and sniffed it. Then he slowly licked it. “Not bad... Chalk flavor. I don’t mind the taste of chalk, really...” He smirked at Penny as he licked more of the chalk blood. “I’m sure there’s a...certain brand of people who’d like this...”

Penny felt her blood turn into ice at this. Another chalk eater...? Oh no...that was the last thing they needed in the midst of all this. Just when she thought Mr. Pierce couldn’t get any worse. They needed to get out of here and fast. But how...?


	115. Not Backing Down So Easily

Officer O’Larry folded his arms and tapped his foot lightly as he stared at Mr. Tabootie. “So let me get this straight. I get a call from Mr. Pierce telling me that he saw you murder Terry Bouffant, and he provides me a convincing story as well as evidence, but you say you not only didn’t kill Terry, but that you have proof that Mr. Pierce is the real culprit?”

Mr. Tabootie nodded his head. “Yes, officer. We do.”

“If you give us a chance, we can show you.” Mrs. Tabootie said, taking a step forward. “I know it might be hard to understand. But you have to listen to us, please.”

The officer rubbed his chin a few times, staring at the group with a perplexed expression. “Well...I don’t know... Mr. Pierce hadn’t really done anything outside the law before. I have no reason to suspect him.” He paused for a moment as he stared at Mr. Tabootie. “Then again, I have no reason to suspect you either, Mr. Tabootie. You don’t come across as a murderer to me.”

Mr. Tabootie smiled at this. He felt lucky that it was Officer O’Larry who came in. He had always been...well not a laid back cop, but a more easy-going one that they could talk to. He was willing to listen to others at times, and if he realized he was wrong or the person who sent an accusation was wrong, he wouldn’t go through with it. There were other officers in the police station that were more aggressive and hostile. If any of them had come in, he didn’t think they’d be able to convince them that there was more evidence than just what Mr. Pierce had said.

Mr. Tabootie was aware that he and the others would still have to be taken somewhere to be detained. They couldn’t just walk free, even if they were innocent. It would take a little time for the tests to be done and the results to get back. Officer O’Larry didn’t really have any proof they did not do it, and he might still think that there’s a chance that they were responsible in some way for what happened to Terry. The only way to really clear their names is to show that Mr. Pierce was the one who killed Vinnie. If they convince him of that, he may be more willing to believe them when they say that Mr. Pierce set them up.

The biggest problem, though, were those darn fingerprints that he had on the knife. If only he hadn’t grabbed it.. He should have realized that it was a trick. But he just had to take it from the air, afraid that it was going to hurt someone if he did not. He had fallen straight into the evil man’s trap, and now his fingerprints were all over that darn knife. When it would be tested, he knew that it would come out positive. And like Mr. Pierce said, the court favors evidence, not eye witness accounts. So what would he do after that?

There was the possibility that maybe the jury would be less likely to believe Mr. Pierce once it was discovered that he was the one who killed Vinnie. He and the other adults hoped that was the case. It was the only thing they really had that they could use. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that maybe it wouldn’t work that wel. After all, they could think that he was just trying to get away with murder by shifting focus to another. His finger prints being on that knife were still going to be a major problem, and he couldn’t believe he didn’t fully realize it until now.

There was only one sure fire way they could convince the jury of their innocense. They could use Vinnie as a way to show the man is a killer, so that even if they are convincted, the man will go down with them. But that isn’t what they wanted; they wanted to be let off. They wanted to prove they were innocent. They wanted to show the whole town just one kind of monster this guy was. They want him to feel sorry he ever tried to mess with them. And the only way to do that was to show it.

They had to find footage of him killing Terry...

But that was going to be difficult. There was a camera in the room, so he knew the footage existed somehow. Where the footage was stored, though, he didn’t know. Maybe Officer O’Larry knew, but would he even be authorized to take it? Could police just take evidence like that if it was not ordered? O’Larry was ordered to come here and arrest them, and he guessed he still was going to do that regardless of what they say. Did this mean that he would not be able to take any evidence since it was not ordered? That would mean that even the fingrprints on the gun was not going to work unless...

Officer O’Larry cut him from his thoughts.

“I cannot take this evidence that you mentioned to me. I only have a warrant to have you all arrested.” Officer O’Larry said somewhat grimly. They all looked at him in horror. “I’m sorry, but that’s what the orders are. I will say this. I don’t think any of you did any kind of crime like that. But even if that didn’t happen, I’d still have to arrest you for trespassing on a news station without a permit.”

Mr. Tabootie opened his mouth to speak, but then he shut it. He couldn’t tell the officer the actual reason they had come there. He could not tell him that they had good reason to get into the building and search around. He couldn’t tell him about ChalkZone. And he knew the man was right; they were trespassing here. They were invading the building, and that was a felony that would get them arrested anyway. And unfortunately, without ChalkZone, there was really no excuse he could come up with for why they were there.

Still, getting arrested for trespassing was not as bad as with murder. He could handle getting locked up for a short time for trespassing. It wasn’t really going to reflect too badly on him. But if everyone is convinced he is a killer... What will happen after that? His heart ached as he thought of the terrible future that may be laid out for him, if Mr. Pierce is successful in getting him convicted for murder. He wouldn’t be able to get a job around here anymore, so he’d have to move. He may not be able to find a job anywhere for miles. Who would hire a murderer? And this is all if he even got out... What if he got a life sentence?

What would happen to the others? All of their lives would be ruined as well. Mrs. Sanchez would lose her business as well as her well-earned reputation. She would lose most, if not all, the respect she had gained over the years. His wife would be rotting away for a crime she had no part of. It just...it just wouldn’t be fair for her. Nor would it be fair for Reggie, who didn’t even graduate school yet. For his life to be shattered this early, and tainted, all because of some greedy madman...

There had to be something that he could do. If he could find a way to convince O’Larry to get that footage...to find that gun... They may stand a chance of at least getting a lighter sentence. Or maybe, if they were lucky, they might not get arrested at all if it is shown to everyone just how cruel and manipulative Mr. Pierce is. The jury might see that a little trespassing pales in comparison to what this man had done. He had committed two murders and tried to frame them for one. He kidnapped two children and clearly tortured at least one of them. That was more than enough to condemn that evil man in almost anyone’s eyes.

“We understand, officer.” Reggie spoke up, taking a few steps towards the officer. He used his hand to gesture. “But are you sure you can’t collect the evidence? There is another dead body in here, not just Terry’s. And the murder weapon is still here. Are you just going to ignore that?”

“Well I...” Officer O’Larry started to say.

“And if you do decide to just ignore it, isn’t that obstruction of the law or whatever?” Reggie asked, pointing a thick finger at the officer, who stared back at him in confusion. “That might not be the right word, and I understand I’m not the most intelligent person around. But even I know enough about the law that, permit or not, you can’t just ignore a dead body.” He put his hands on his hips. “I hope you aren’t planning on screwing up your own job, Officer O’Larry...”

The cop spluttered, “Of course, not! I...”

Reggie cut him off. “Then why don’t you listen to us, to your better judgment, and go get that evidence?” Before the officer could say anything, Reggie continued, “I don’t care about any permit, and neither should you. Two people are dead here, not just one, and you need to acknowledge that! As a cop, you’re supposed to be making things safer, not more dangerous! How can you do that if you ignore a body simply beause of ‘orders’?”

Mr. Tabootie stared at Reggie in shock, as did the other two adults. They hadn’t expected him to say something like that. They didn’t think he was stupid or anything, but they didn’t expect him, of all people, to tell a cop how to do his job. What he said made sense, even more so than what Officer O’Larry had stated. Reggie had made a very good point.

Yes it was important and all to have a permit to do things. If officers could just do whatever they wanted, or anyone for that matter, there would be a lot of problems. That was why officers needed permits to search places, to locate evidence and gather it up. It was part of the law, and it helped keep things more organized. They could respect that. They knew it wouldn’t really make things better if an officer could go into anyone’s home or building and take whatever they wanted.

But in this case, Reggie was right. They couldn’t just adhere to the ‘need a permit thing’ if there was another body laying around the building. If Officer O’Larry would just go find it and see it for himself, how could he just ignore it? It’s not as if it was some dead animal; in that case, he could just dismiss it as ‘self defense’, that perhaps the animal was attacking them and they had no choice but to shoot it. A dead person was something different entirely. Even if it was a suicide or accident, it still had to be investigated. Regardless of Officer O’Larry’s orders, this was the one time he should go outside of them in light of new evidence.

By ignoring this, or just not looking into it simply because it wasn’t part of his ‘orders’ would mean disregarding the life of another. It would mean disregarding Vinnie’s life and the implications that came along with it. Despite Vinnie being a real jackass and someone that O’Larry was all too familiar with, it would be pretty heartless to just leave his body here to rot and not really say anything to his fellow officers. No..no he couldn’t just ignore this. It would be wrong, unethical.

After a few more moments, Officer O’Larry sighed softly. “...All right then. You made your point. Before I have you all arrested, I’ll look into this evidence you told me about.” He adjusted his cop hat a little. “If it is compelling enough to have you aquitted, I’ll let you all go with a clean slate.”

The adults and Reggie smiled at this. Things seem to be slowly going their way now. If they could just continue to turn the tides, they could have this madman stopped and sent to jail, where he belongs.

“Will you look at the cameras, too? The video footage I mean?” Mrs. Tabootie spoke up. Officer O‘Larry turned his attention to her, listening to what she had to say. “There was a camera in the room where Mr. Pierce killed Terry.”

“That’s right! But there might not be a lot of time to grab it.” Mrs. Sanchez said, raising a finger. She looked at the others before turning to the cop. “He might know that the camera contained footage of that and he might have had it destroyed.”

Officer O’Larry scratched his chin. “If that’s the case, then I’d better hurry. I’ll get the camera footage you spoke of. But...” He pointed a finger at the adults. “I want you to stay in here. I still need to have you come with me after this.”

“And our children?” Mrs. Sanchez asked. “They are here, too. That madman kidnapped them.”

“Don’t worry about them. They’re coming with as well. If they are injured, they will be properly treated.” O’Larry said to them reassuringly. “Even if it cannot be proven that Mr. Pierce killed Terry and Vinnie, if I catch him abusing Rudy or Penny, he’ll get arrested anyway. I can promise you that.”

“That’s...” Mr. Tabootie started to say. But he never got a chance to finish.

Everyone’s heads turned upwards when, out of nowhere, a loud scream echoed through the building. It bounced off the walls, permeating their souls and chilling their blood. The scream was horrifying, filling them all with dread. They looked around, listening as the scream dissipated, only for another one, seconds later, to sound out, a little louder than before. Everyone, including Officer O’Larry, paled at just how painful the scream had sounded, as if someone were getting torn apart.

It took only seconds for the identity of that scream to be recognized.

“That was Penny!” Mrs. Sanchez cried in horror. Her eyes widened and her pupils paled. “That monster must be hurting her now!”

At this, Mrs. Tabootie shot a horrified look at Mr. Tabootie. “Joe...you don’t think that Rudy is...”

The thought horrified Mr. Tabootie. He understood what his wife was trying to say. If Mr. Pierce was now torturing Penny, it was possible that he had killed, or nearly killed, Rudy. He could be laying there dying, in need of help. And Penny just might suffer the same fate if something isn’t done soon. His heart started to beat faster. Just...just what was happening to their children? What was that evil man doing to them?

Mr. Tabootie stared back at his wife, sharing her same look of horror. He attempted to calm himself down and tried to reassure his wife, knowing that the last thing they should do right now was panic. “I think Rudy might be okay...” He winced as he realized that didn’t sound very convincing. He swallowed and continued. “He’s a tough boy, Millie. I’m sure that everything will be okay.”

“I hope you’re right.” Mrs. Tabootie said softly, her voice cracked with emotion. “If he hurt them, I swear I’ll...” Her voice trailed off as her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Mr. Tabootie shared her sentiment, but he knew that they couldn’t focus on revenge right now. He was about to speak up when he noticed Mrs. Sanchez trying to get out. She moved towards the officer, attempting to squeeze past him to get out of the room. Officer O’Larry kept blocking her path, giving her a glare that told her to stay back. But the woman refused to listen, and she kept trying to get around him.

“Get out of my way!” Mrs. Sanchez said to him. “I need to get to them! They might..no..I know they need they help!”

“I’ll contact the ambulance, Mrs. Sanchez! They’ll take care of your kids!” O’Larry grabbed onto the woman’s arms and started to push her back into the room. “You have to say here with the others and wait!”

“No, I can’t do that! What if they need help right now?!” Mrs. Sanchez cried as she started to fight back. She narrowed her eyes at the officer, gritting her teeth. “The ambulance might not get here in time! They might need help right this second, but you delaying me will bring them closer to death! Can you really live with that over your head, Officer O’Larry?!”

The officer stared at Mrs. Sanchez in shock, his eyes widened. It soon became apparent that what the woman said to him did get through to him. Slowly, he released her arms and took a step back. He kept himself in the door way, fiddling with his hands as he thought about what she said. Then he looked up at her, narrowing his eyes slightly as he gave a quick nod.

“All right then. I’ll let you go. But you are not to go anywhere else in the building. Just find the children, do what you can for them, and come right back here, or just say put until the other officers arrive for your arrest.” Officer O’Larry said, his voice stern. “If I find that you went somewhere else or tried to leave...”

“I understand.” Mrs. Sanchez said quicky. She pushed past Officer O’Larry a little roughly. “I have to get going now!”

Mr. Tabootie wasn’t surprised by Mrs. Sanchez’s actions. He probably would have been a little rough, too, if someone were blocking him from getting to his child. He also knew that the woman was right. Time may be of the essence, and if their children were badly hurt, they would need help right away; they may not be able to afford waiting for the ambulance. Although he knew that the man hadn’t meant to, O’Larry blocking her from getting out to find Rudy and Penny may have made things worse for them. He may have delayed her just enough for the damage to become...irreparable. The thought chilled him.

He wanted to go with. He wanted to go find Rudy so badly. He knew his wife did as well. They both wanted to find him and make sure he was okay. They wanted to comfort him and let him know everything was going to be all right. But he knew they couldn’t push their luck. Mrs. Sanchez’s status as a vet and thus knowing how to treat wounds properly was probably the only reason Officer O’Larry let her go. She would know what to do with wounds and how to minimize the damage. Officer O’Larry might see a bigger incentive to have them arrested if they all ran down the hallways.

He did feel reassured, though. Mrs. Sanchez was really good with animals, and she knew how to treat humans. There wasn’t much of a difference; she just had to take into account a few different things. She would be able to take care of Rudy and Penny. He knew that he and his wife could rely on her keeping them safe and saving them both if they were suffering traumatic injuries. Even if she doesn’t have a lot with her, she still knew enough to know how to make do.

He just hoped that she’d be able to get to their children in time. If something were to happen to them, he...he didn’t know what he was going to do.

sss

Penny laid on the ground, writhing in pain. Mr. Pierce held her down, his hand squeezing her shoulder roughly. He sat down on her left arm while his other leg draped across her, securing her to the floor. His body leaned over, blocking her field of vision. Though she was not able to see what was going on, she could definitely feel what was happening.

Mr. Pierce had unhooked her from the chair and threw her into the ground. He stomped onto her already damaged leg a few times, specifically targeting her severed achilles tendon. This caused bouts of pain to wrack through her body and she found herself unable to react as he pinned her down. He now has her secured on the ground, unable to get up. Her left leg kicked like mad as she tried to struggle to get free. She turned her head left and right, a series of whimpers escaping her mouth as Mr. Pierce pressed the scalpel against her shoulder.

The scalpel was already pushed into the flesh. Blood poured rapidly from the wound. The pain intensified as the seconds passed. The evil man was cutting very slowly, taking his time. The fact that he hadn’t cleaned the scalpel at all was barely on her mind, desite knowing just how dangerous it was. The only thing on her mind right now was the shere agony that was overwhelming her. There was no reason for Mr. Pierce to do this. He was just doing it just because he can. He got the information he wanted from her. There was just..no reason to do this.

“Isn’t this fun, dear daughter of mine?” Mr. Pierce asked cruelly, his mouth twisted into a hideous smile. He continued to slowly cut across Penny’s shoulder, allowing more blood flow. “It is nice to spend a little...quality time with you. I am curious to see just how much pain you can take...”

Penny wanted to glare at him, but the man’s face was blocked in this current posture. She gritted her teeth, seething in pain as the cold blade sliced her up, tearing apart the muscle and blood vessels. “You’re...sick..” She shut her eyes as she tried to bear the pain. “You’re no..father...”

“Call me what you wish, my dear. You are still my daughter. I am still your father. Hate me all you want to. But that will not change.” Mr. Pierce sneered at her. “I told you I will not treat you any different than your friend over there. And since he is going to lose something, why not make you lose something as well?”

“You just don’t like playing fair.” Penny said bitterly.

“I’m not fair? Oh contrare, sweetheart.” Mr. Pierce said casually. “I think I am being quite fair. You see...you both get to lose something, instead of just one. Equal treatment. How is that not being fair?” His cold chuckle permeated Penny’s heart, lowering her body temperature psychologically. “Besides, I would like to see what you look like underneath that skin. Those bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments..yes... I’d like to see them, and getting rid of your right arm will provide me a chance to do that.”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror at this. That was the reason he was removing her right arm? Just because he had this sick desire to see its inner workings? Penny’s body trembled at this realization. The longer she was forced to spend time with this man, the more she learned about him, the more she grew to hate him. This was...this was disgusting...

“I also would like to use it to compare with that zoner over there... I want to see just how different their anatomy is compared to ours.” Mr. Pierce said. “But of course, that is a crocodile...thing... Maybe I should capture a more humanoid zoner for a more..accurate comparison. And I think I know just who that should be.” If Penny could see his face, she would have believed that he had a twinkle in his eye. “What was that friend of yours..the one Terry kidnapped...?”

Penny took in a sharp, terrified gasp. “Snap?!”

“Yes, Snap...” Mr. Pierce replied. He pulled the scalpel out, much to Penny’s relief, even though he was going to put it right back in anyway. She winced in pain as she felt him put a finger on the cut and slowly trace along it. “He’s human-like enough from what I heard. He will do quite nicely. I’ll have a vivisection ordered for him as soon as he’s caught.”

“What?! No! Don’t you dare!” Penny called out, alarm filling her mind. No..no she couldn’t let this man get away with this. No... “If you hurt him...!”

Mr. Pierce chuckled at Penny, clearly amused by her attempts to struggle. He pressed his finger harder, making her cry out in pain. “Oh dear Penny... I don’t know how you’ll manage to stop me. You and your boyfriend will be in..a bit of a fix. You see, no one will be able to find you here. You will both die from blood loss.” Penny took in a shaky gasp as Pierce pushed even harder on her flesh wound. “I am not going to be like those idiot villains on TV. I will not simply spare you two. I know you will find a way to stop me, so I will kill you before you have a chance to do that.”

Penny let out a scream, her heart beating faster, as Mr. Pierce pushed the knife back into her. The blade cut in deeply. The man twisted the knife around slowly, chuckling as Penny twisted and turned, screaming in agony. Then the man started to cut around her shoulder again, taking his time. Tears of pain flowed down her face. She tried to shift her self again, but found herself unable to. All she could do was lay there and cry as this cruel man cut her up like this.

There had to be a way out of this. She didn’t want to give up. She wanted to try to find a way. As the blade cut in deeper, her mind frantically searched for a way out. She knew the consequences if she did not get free. If this man killed her and Rudy, and if their folks would be arrestede, who was going to protect ChalkZone? There was still Mr. Wilter, Tilly, and Sophie, and maybe Mr. Longhorn if he hadn’t really betrayed them, but they don’t even know what this man was doing, or that any of this was going on. This man could make his move and it would be so fast, they couldn’t really do anything. How could they prepare for something that they don’t know about? How could they make a plan for a problem they have no way of knowing existed?

If ChalkZone got invaded, thousands...millions of lives would be ruined. Mr. Pierce made it all too clear just how cruel he was going to be. After he got a taste of the staplegator’s blood, he had taken a few small bites just to confirm if all of it really was made of chalk. And after he was able to confirm that, he mentioned about making some zoners a delicacy, as some people may get a kick out of it. And since they were chalk, he correctly deduced that chalk germs would not have an affect in people. Because of that, he said that the zoners could be eaten alive if anyone was into that, or at the very least, raw.

This horrified Penny. Mr. Pierce was going to turn zoners into a food item. It reminded her so much of Ghadir. This was like her, only on a broader scale, and Mr. Pierce scared her more about this than Ghadir did. Mr. Pierce was going to sell zoners to people who wanted to eat them, anyone who was willing to pay the price. He was going to try to profit off of it. He wanted to make money off of it, off of making sentient beings suffer and die. He was a monster. How coud anyone do such a thing...?

And that, unfortunately, was just one detail about what was going to happen. It was just going to continue getting worse from there.

Penny knew this man was going to have zoners enslaved and controlled. It was going to be just like in the dark dimension, only it will be Mr. Pierce leading that instead of Cosmo and Dark Rudy. Zoners will be dragged from their homes and forced to work. ChalkZone would become government property and controlled strictly. Zoners would not have any freedom anymore; they would be dominated and turned into slaves. Zoners that resist would be killed, as would any that seem like they’d be a threat, even if they weren’t really malicious, such as Biclops.

Magic chalk would be distributed worldwide, allowing countless creators into that world. It would be disastrous. The unpredictability of humans would really shine in a situation like that, made quite apparent. While some might not be so damaging, there are humans with really dangerous creations in their head, and if those were brought to life in ChalkZone... Penny shuddered to think of just what it would look like. And her heart twisted into knots as she realized...there would be nothing she and Rudy could do about it. They would be dead, and their families arrested. This realization chilled her to the bone.

And that audience... The one that called for the genocide of zoners... Penny still recalled what Mr. Pierce told her about that. He had gone into detail of some of the things said. Apparently he had it all recorded, and he repeated many of the things they said. Each one horrified her, further cementing the reason why ChalkZone had to be kept secret from most humans. If that footage was broadcasted worldwide, there would be even more humans calling for the death of zoners...

This realization was why she had to keep trying to get out of here. She had to try to stop Mr. Pierce before he could execute this plan. There had to be a way to prevent him from being able to succeed. There was always a way. They stopped other villains in the past. Mr. Pierce shouldn’t be any different. She had to stop him. She just had to. Her struggles increased with renewed determination.

In response to her struggling, Mr. Pierce giggled insanely. He drove the scalpel in deeper, making Penny cry out. “Keep in struggling, honey bunch...” He shifted himself so that Penny could now see his face. He grinned nastily at her. “You will not be able to escape me...” He leaned in a little close and whispered, “..daughter...”

Penny glared hatefully at him. This man...he was not her father. She didn’t care if he was biologically her dad, that didn’t make him her father. Her uncle, the man she had called dad, he was more of a father than this disgusting monster. She would always view that man as her dad. She would never view Mr. Pierce as her dad, no matter what the DNA tests show. How dare this evil man keep calling her his daughter. What kind of father would try to kill their own daughter? This man was cruel and heartless even to her. A real parent wouldn’t treat their offspring this way.

She continued to struggle, shifting her body from side to side. She wriggled her left leg, trying to pull it up far enough. It had to work. It just had to. She had to keep pulling. And that is what she did. Mr. Pierce scoffed at this and cut her more. Penny whimpered in pain, but she never stopped pulling her leg back. If she could just keep pulling it, move it back far enough, she should be able to fight back. She could feel the bones and muscles ach as she tried to move her leg into a position it clearly wasn’t meant to be in. Normally she’d stop, but her determination to stop Mr. Pierce was enough to give her enough strength to move it back even more.

Ignoring the pain in her leg and hip, she kept moving it back until it was now in prime position for an attack. She moved her foot enough until it was positioned underneath Mr. Pierce’s stomach and chest. She pressed her foot against it. She could hear the man grunt in surprise, but instead of attacking her leg like she thought he would, he started to cut her arm at the shoulder faster, making her scream in pain. This prompted her to act quickly and she began to push on him, trying to get him to rise up just enough, just a little, to free her left arm.

She kept on pushing, never letting up. Even as the scalpel was pushed in deeper, scraping against her bone, she still went on. Horrific pain spread throughout her body, making her scream constantly. She couldn’t hold it in. But despite her screaming, she was able to keep focus on the task at hand. With tremendous pain wracking through her body, she kept pushing against Mr. Pierce harder and harder. The man was focused on cutting her arm, holding it down with one hand while his other sliced against her shoulder with the tiny knife.

Then, eventually, she was able to lift the man up enough to quickly yank her arm free. Almost immediately, the first thing she did was strike against one of the man’s wounds. This was an act she normally didn’t like to do, but in this case, she made an exception. The attack caused Mr. Pierce to tense up and scream in pain. She hit him again, making him instinctively rear back, his body trying to get away from the source of the pain. With the man distracted, Penny wriggled harder, getting her right arm free of the man’s grasp.

Then, ignoring the massive pain where her arm connected to her shoulder, she formed a fist with her hand and punched Mr. Pierce in the face. Her fist made contact with the middle of his face, sending him staggering backwards. The man let out a cry as he stumbled a little away, enough for Penny to drag herself out from underneath him. She got up to her feet and took a fighting stance, forming fists with both her hands. She ignored the pain she was in, adrenaline running through her body, as she charged towards the man. Doing this would aggravate her leg wounds, she knew, but in the moment, she didn’t care.

Mr. Pierce opened up his eyes and looked over at Penny. For a split second, there was a look of fear in those eyes before Penny punched him again, this time against his cheek. Mr. Pierce’s head jerked to the side as he screamed. He shook his head and glared at her. He attempted to punch her back. Penny moved to the side and wrapped her arms around his. Holding onto him tightly, she yanked him forward and then threw him to the side. Mr. Pierce staggered, but soon regained his bearings. He looked over in her direction, his eyes still narrowed.

The two humans stared each other down. They refused to take their eyes off the other. Eyes were narrowed in determination. They slowly walked around in a broad circle almost like they were vultures. Bodies were hunched in preparation of a charge. Penny winced in pain every time she put weight on her left foot. Any time she moved her right arm at the socket, it hurt her. But she managed to push the pain aside enough to face down this man. She could deal with her injuries later. This evil man though...he could not wait. He had to be stopped now.

Penny was the first one to make a move. Anger boiling in her blood, she rushed towards the man as far as she could with her limp. Mr. Pierce, obviously not expecting her to make a move, especially this soon, looked a little horrified and moved back, trying to adjust his body to defend himself. Penny moved too quickly for him and she was able to land another punch to his head, forcing him back a few steps. Mr. Pierce pressed his hand against his mouth, a little blood coming out of it. He stared at her in shock, as if surprised she was able to draw blood for him. Then his eyes narrowed and he rushed over at her.

Penny was not able to react quickly enough and she cried out in agony as Mr. Pierce punched her in the stomach. She felt the wind get knocked out of her as she stumbled backwards. Mr. Pierce was not done. He came up to her again and slammed his fist against her head, sending a pounding headache through it. Then he grabbed her by her injured arm and threw her against the wall. He pinned her against the wall, crushing her up against it. Penny winced, clenching her teeth as she seethed in pain.

“You little bitch! Do you think you can beat me that easily?!” Mr. Pierce snarled at her. He pushed against her harder, deliberately irritating her wounds. “I guarantee...you will not be able to get another move in like that again! So I hoped you enjoyed your short victory, because now it’s time for...”

Penny did not allow Mr. Pierce to finish. She stomped on his foot. As he let out a cry of pain, she pushed him back, ramming her shoulder against his chest. She then tried to get away from him, but she never managed to get far. She winced as she felt him grab her arm. He looked at her with eyes blazing with hatred. Then, without warning, he slammed his foot between her legs. Penny’s eyes opened wide as she screamed. The sudden pain caused her body to stiffen, trembling slightly in pain.

Mr. Pierce then grabbed her by her hair and thrust her head as hard as he could against the wall. Penny yelped in pain, the ache echoing throughout her skull, making her feel somewhat dizzy. She winced as she felt hot breath against her ear, Mr. Pierce pressing his body against hers to keep her pushed up against the wall. Penny tried to push back. She was stopped when she felt something cold against her throat. It was the scalpel. Cold fear washing through her, she stopped struggling and stared at Mr. Pierce in fear.

Mr. Pierce leered at Penny, his cold eyes boring into hers. “I was going to kill you just like I am to Rudy, but after that little stunt, maybe I’ll just keep you around. Maybe I’ll keep you alive while you watch everything you hold dear fall apart.” Penny’s eyes widened in horror. The man smiled evilly at this. “Yes..that would be a perfect punishment for you. But just so that you won’t be able to fight back if you escape...” He traced the scalpel along Penny’s throat and along her cheek. “...I’ll keep you just barely alive. That way, you’ll be too weak...”

Penny stared at him in horror. She attempted to lift up her foot again to kick at him. Mr. Pierce saw this coming and rammed his knee against her stomach, forcing her to let out the air she had in her lungs. She let out a yelp as he pushed the scalpel further against her throat, nearly slicing her skin open.

Mr. Pierce put his face close to hers. He smiled almost happily at how frightened she looked. Penny moved her head back as far as it could go, pressing the back of it against the hard wall. “Such determination you have, dear sweet little Penny. But I wonder how much of it you’ll have left after I’m done with you...”

Penny struggled against his grasp. “You...you won’t get away with this...”

“Oh you really so...?” Mr. Pierce chuckled. Penny winced as she felt his breath against her face. “Maybe I should do something about that...”

Before Mr. Pierce could say anything more, something slammed against him. Penny cried out in surprise when she was suddenly released. There was a blur of color that pushed against Mr. Pierce, knocking him far away from Penny. The eighteen year old girl was quick to rush to Rudy’s side. She knelt down beside him, looking at him with concern before looking back to see who had saved her.

Her eyes widened when she saw it was her mom. Her mother pushed against Mr. Pierce, pressing him up against the wall. The man looked at her in shock, his pupils dilated. He started to push back against her. The angry woman gripped his shoulders tightly and pushed him harder against the wall. Her teeth were gritted and she growled in anger and frustration. It was clear she was not going to let this man take a step forward.

“Don’t you dare go near them ever again!” Mrs. Sanchez growled at the man. “Do you understand me?!”

Mr. Pierce stared at the woman, wide-eyed, before he chuckled evilly. “Why... Inez...don’t you look lovely today?”

Mrs. Sanchez froze at this. “How did you know my...?”

“I know quite a bit about you. But..surely you remember me..right?” Mr. Pierce asked calmly. He sneered at her, his eyes glinting. “After all...you and I were...quite the team...”

Mrs. Sanchez stared at him for a few seconds. Then her eyes widened in horror. “...it’s you...R-Ramiro...” Color drained from her face as her grip on the man loosened up. “B-But how...?”

“Mom...?” Penny asked in a shaky voice. Mrs. Sanchez looked at her daughter with widened eyes. “I-Is that...?”

“...yes...” Mrs. Sanchez said regretfully. She slowly turned her head, staring into the sneering face of Mr. Pierce. “This is your biological father...”

Penny gasped at this confirmation before shooting a glance at Mr. Pierce. She took in a few shaky breaths. Though Mr. Pierce already told her this, hearing it from her own mother...it caused the weight of the implications to crash in on her in a more pronounced way. Mr. Pierce simply laughed at her before turning his attention back to her mother.

“I do wonder how long you were waiting to tell her the truth, dear Inez.” Pierce asked before shoving Mrs. Sanchez away. “Now how about we..catch up?” Mr. Pierce asked, tilting his head to the side. He looked into Inez’s frightened eyes, her body shaking as she took a few steps away from him. “I’m sure there’s much to...discuss...” With that, he slowly advanced on the woman.


	116. Confronting The Past

Mrs. Sanchez was horrified, frozen in fear. She stared ahead at Mr. Pierce, unable to believe what she was seeing. She hadn’t thought, in all these years, she’d run into him again. Of all people she could have dealt with...why did it have to be this guy? Why did it have to be the one person whom had torn her heart and mind apart so long ago? If it hadn’t been for Andrew, she wasn’t sure what might have happened.

It had taken her a long time to heal. Even the process of raising Penny hadn’t been enough to completely purge her mind of what this evil man had done to her. What hurt the most is that she had loved him once. She had looked up to him and felt that they had perfect chemistry. Then she found out what he was really like, and he really tore into her. Not physically, but mentally. Those cruel words... she never forgot them. They echoed in her head right now. The words that she had tried to forget, but was completely unable to. And how could she? This man was standing in front of here, his mere presence reminding her of her own foolishness.

She should have listened to Andrew when he tried to warn her about what Ramiro, or whatever name he goes by now, was trying to do. She had thought that Mr. Pierce wanted to start a family. She had thought that he wanted them to get together, as they had been good partners before, so why not in marriage? How he had pulled the rug out from underneath her...how he had toyed with her mind, and caused her to lose the one job she had loved the most. It had been so hard even finding a job after that, due to the twisted lies that Mr. Pierce told about her. He really went to great lengths to ensure that she didn’t become a ‘threat’ to his ‘business’.

She had moved away from that place long ago, to Plainsville in hopes of starting anew. She was regretful that she and Andrew had a falling out. And a part of her was worried that he would act like Mr. Pierce had. She was grateful when he did not, and still wanted some part in Penny’s life, even if they weren’t really together anymore. She still missed him from time to time, and she was saddened to learn he had been killed by that dreadful zoner, Bardot. Her heart still ached as she recalled how the monster had shown her his remaining tooth, the only part left of him.

She could see Penny’s expression when she glanced at her. She could see how horror-filled those eyes looked, how Penny looked at her, as if silently asking why she hadn’t said anything before. Mrs. Sanchez had wanted to tell Penny the truth. She had wanted to tell her how Mr. Pierce was her real father, and the whole story behind what happened. But, at first, Penny was just too young, and wouldn’t fully understand. But she kept putting it off...and it got to the point where she all but forgot, her mind shifting focus to other things, such as her vet job, which ended up becoming more successful than she imagined.

Now, she was being forced to confront her past. Her body was frozen, shivering slightly in fear, as the man, the same one who attempted to ruin her life so long ago, paced around her like a vulture. He eyed her up and down, as if examining her like she were a piece of meat. That cold grin on his face, the same one he gave her as he started to tear her mind apart, it sent shivers down her spine. She wanted to move. She wanted to say something, anything. But she found it hard for her to even speak, let alone move around. All she could do was watch him as he kept circling her.

“I never thought I would see you again. I am..amazed you didn’t recognize me from before.” Mr. Pierce said with a sneer. “I’m also amazed that you managed to...escape. But no matter. I’m glad you did. I was just telling Penny how I was...interested in a little family reunion...” He tilted his head to the side as he said this. “I do wonder how long you were planning on waiting before you told her this, dear Inez.”

“Shut up!” Mrs. Sanchez snarled, taking a step back. “Leave my daughter out of this..” She warned him.

“Oh but why, dear Inez? After all...” Mr. Pierce placed a hand against his upper chest. “She’s my daughter, too. And she was part of my plan.” He turned his head towards where Penny was with Rudy, giving her an evil smile. He chuckled as Penny glared back at him before he turned his attention to Mrs. Sanchez. “She is of my blood. I can do with her what I please...”

“Don’t you dear touch her!” Mrs. Sanchez took a step forward. Fear still ruled her mind, but Mr. Pierce threatening her daughter was causing her maternal instincts to kick in. She was not going to allow this mean to get away with threatening her daughter like that. “You’re not her father! You might be biologically, but you will never be her dad!”

“Whatever you say, sweetheart.” Mr. Pierce said, shrugging his shoulders. He stopped pacing around her and stood in front of her, keeping a few feet away. That creepy smile stayed on his face. He took a couple steps towards Mrs. Sanchez. “I wasn’t going to kill her.” Mrs. Sanchez glared at him, giving him a clear ‘I do not believe you’ look. Mr. Pierce rolled his eyes and said, “Okay, so I was. But I changed my mind. I’ll her live...but barely...”

Mrs. Sanchez widened her eyes at this. “B-Barely...?”

Mr. Pierce nodded his head. “Oh yes. Barely. I’ll just give her enough food and water to live. But she’ll be chained up somewhere, guarded. She’ll never get out.” He chuckled darkly as Mrs. Sanchez put a hand to her mouth, horrified. “Maybe I’ll make her dependant on me...maybe do something to her where she can’t take care of herself. That will give her an incentive to say here.” He raised his head a little, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “Oh yes... I can keep control over her that way.” Slowly, he turned his gaze back to Mrs. Sanchez. “Just like how I controlled you...”

Mrs. Sanchez clenched her hand into a fist. “No... I won’t let you.”

“You? Won’t let me?” Mr. Pierce asked, almost incredulous. “You really are something, sweetie. I love to see you try to stop me. Come on...” He gestured with his hand. “Let us..skip the formalities. We already know each other, and I know you want to take action. So come on...fight me. Let’s see how long you can last.” Then, without warning, Mr. Pierce pulled out the scalpel he used on Penny earlier and dashed towards Mrs. Sanchez.

“Mom!” Penny cried out in horror, cradling Rudy in her arms. “Look out!”

Mrs. Sanchez barely had time to react when Mr. Pierce slammed against her, knocking her back. The woman staggered back a little. Before she could fully recover, Mr. Pierce grabbed onto her shoulder and thrust the scalpel into her stomach. Her eyes widened and she howled in pain. Penny screamed in terror, and attempted to run over. Mrs. Sanchez used her hand to gesture for her daughter to stay. She did not want her to get more injured than she already was. She gritted her teeth as she glared at the sneering Mr. Pierce, who began to twist the scalpel her stomach.

Mrs. Sanchez grunted in pain, tears trickling down her face. She pushed back against Mr. Pierce. struggling to get free. Mr. Pierce was forced to take a step back, but he kept the scalpel plunged deep in her stomach, twisting it more, causing more pain and more damage. Then, with a flick of his arm, Mr. Pierce yanked the knife out as roughly as he could. Mrs. Sanchez let out a scream as her stomach was ripped open, blood spilling onto the ground. She fell down to her knees, holding her stomach as blood continued to flow. She stared at the rapidly increasing blood pool and looked up at Mr. Pierce, her eyes wide with pain and fear.

Mr. Pierce laughed cruelly at her. “Let’s see you worm your way out of this one, dear!”

Mrs. Sanchez glared at him. She could hear a cry for her and she looked over at Penny. Her expression softened up as she stared into Penny’s frightened eyes. She wasn’t going to give up. No, she couldn’t. She fought against the pain and struggled up to her feet. She had to make sure that this madman did not get a hold of her daughter. She couldn’t let Penny, or anyone else, suffer a fate worse than death at the hands of this madman. She did her best to push back her fear of him, the painful memories of how he had tricked her, toyed with her, and focused on just beating him.

Mr. Pierce just chuckled, somewhat amused, as she staggered up to her feet. She wobbled a little from side to side, trying to cope with the pain. Oh man this hurts so bad... She was lucky it wasn’t much worse. Mr. Pierce didn’t cut in as deeply as he could have and the gash wasn’t as big as she thought it was going to be. She kept her hand pressed against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. She kept her glaring eyes in his direction, locked on to make sure that he didn’t try anything to catch her off guard again. If this man wanted to fight..then a fight he will get.

Ignoring her pain the best she could, she made a charge towards the evil man. She attempted to punch him, but Mr. Pierce moved around behind her and kicked her in the leg. She winced in pain and nearly fell over. She stumbled a little, but soon recovered. She growled at him and ran back towards him, this time managing to deliver a kick against the back of this calf. This caused Mr. Pierce to stumble a little. He turned around and struck out with his scalpel, slicing up against her arm. Mrs. Sanchez hissed in pain and clutched her arm to herself. Mr. Pierce took a step forward and punched her under her jaw, causing her to land on her back.

Mr. Pierce was quick to pin her down. He sat down on her stomach, against her wound deliberately. This caused a series of screams to escape from the vet’s mouth, tears of pain moving down her cheeks. Mr. Pierce grabbed onto her throat and held the scalpel against her cheek. Mr. Pierce was about to say something when Mrs. Sanchez punched him with her left hand, knocking him to the side. She scrambled to her feet and lunged for him. She looped her arm around his neck and held onto it tightly. She wrestled with him, fighting to keep him locked up in her arm.

Mr. Pierce growled in frustration as he started to pull himself back, attempting to escape the woman’s grasp. He turned his eyes towards her and bared his teeth. “Let me go, you bitch!”

Mrs. Sanchez glared hatefully at him and responded by tightening her grip. There was no way she was going to let this madman go. There was no way she was going to release him so he could continue causing so much pain and misery. She was going to stop him, one way or another. She fought against him, squeezing against his neck harder. Her other arm was holding onto the hand that held the weapon. She kept that arm pulled out, away from where it could do any harm.

She could feel the man wriggle roughly from left to right. She struggled to keep her hold on him, pulling him away from where Penny and Rudy were, putting some distance between them. Though the man hadn’t tried to go after them yet, she knew it was just a matter of time before he did try something. She pulled him towards the other side of the room. She fought to keep her hold on him. He was thrashing around so much, it became harder and harder to hold him. Then, to her horror, he slipped out, yanking himself free.

“I told you to let go!” Mr. Pierce yelled at her before punching her in the face, knocking her head to the side. “I see you need a little lesson! I should teach you to respect your superiors! It seems you do not know your place here!” He punched her again, on the other cheek this time. Mrs. Sanchez staggered back, then Pierce grabbed her by the throat and shoved her against the wall. “You’re nothing! You’ll never amount to anything!”

Mrs. Sanchez held onto his hand and tried to dislodge him. Her teeth were gritted as she glared at him with one eye, her other clenched shut. “You’re...an...idiot...” At this, Mr. Pierce squeezed her throat tighter, prompting the woman to shut her other eye. “Do you...really..think that...you’re...more successful...than...me...?”

Mr. Pierce stared at her, his expression softening up slightly. He gave her a ‘what are you talking about?’ look. It was clear he didn’t understand what she was talking about. Of course not. That was how Mr. Pierce always was. Sometimes missing important detail despite them being in front of his face. Well she’ll be glad to fill him in.

“You see... Even though you...almost ruined...my...life... I still...found success...” Mrs. Sanchez opend up her eyes partway. She gave him a sly, slightly triumphant smile. “You...think you had bested...me.... But I’m...known as...the most successful...vet...the best vet...in Plainsville... I save countless..lives...” She coughed a little, gagging slightly with how tightly her throat is being squeezed. She sneered at him. “And in...all your years of...manipulation and blackmailing...what have...you accomplished...? A dirty little...news station....”

Mr. Pierce narrowed his eyes, his teeth bared. He punched her in the face to silence her before she could continue. Mrs. Sanchez let out a cry of pain, a bruise forming on her face. She glared right back at him. She attempted to fight back, but stopped when the man punched her in the jaw, cutting her lip against her own teeth. A little blood trickled out. She let out a small whimper of pain, but refused to show fear to the man. She glared at him hatefully, her eyes shining with defiance.

Mr. Pierce glared at her in the eyes, boring through her soul. “You insignificant maggot... Do you really think..saving lives is worth anything...? You’re just saving a bunch of animals anyway. I, on the other hand, am in charge of this news station.. I can control the public, to some degree. I have power over people.” He put his face so close to hers she could feel his breath. “Your sniveling little job isn’t worth half...of mine...” His voice grew deeper. “You have no power... So you are worthless. You were always worthless...right down to when you and I used to be partners. Oh such a fool you were even then...”

Mrs. Sanchez widened her eyes and then narrowed them. “I was the most qualified person to get that position and you know it! You just couldn’t let go of your jealousy...”

“I needed that position...for it allowed me the most control. I couldn’t let some maggot like yourself ruin my chance!” Mr. Pierce said, his smile gone, replaced with a snarl. “I needed to claw my way to the top! I needed to be the one to run the show! No one else...is as skilled as me...”

“I was better than you! I was able to perform the tasks with more accuracy, and faster too!” Mrs. Sanchez shouted at him. When Mr. Pierce brought the scalpel to her face, she did freeze a little, but she continued talking, acting almost as if the knife wasn’t there. “You don’t care about efficiency! You just care about being in charge, even if you were one of the least qualified people there! You had talent, yes, but not the right kind for the position you wanted! You...!”

“Shut your fucking mouth, bitch!” Mr. Pierce slashed across her cheek, cutting a deep gash along it. “Disrespect me again and I will gouge out your eyes!”

Mrs. Sanchez let out a scream of pain as she felt the cold scalpel cut through her cheek. She felt her warm blood drip down from it. She lowered her head slightly, her eyes squeezed shut and her teeth clenched in pain. She took in a few seething breaths. She stared at the man, her eyes wide, for a few seconds, in fear. Then, as the man smirked at her, she managed to strike out against him with a fist. She punched him in his throat, causing him to gag and loosen his grip on her. She pushed back against him, gripping his shoulders and shoving him away.

Before he had a chance to react, Mrs. Sanchez rushed at him full speed. She gave him another punch, this time connecting with his jaw. He retaliated by trying to lash her with the sharp scalpel. Mrs. Sanchez winced as it grazed along her arm. She didn’t stop her attack, though, and she swung a punch in the middle of his face. He let out a cry of pain as he stumbled back.

As the man struggled to regain his footing, Mrs. Sanchez looked around, trying to find some form of weapony. The only thing she could find were the chairs at the table. She glanced at Mr. Pierce for a second before turning around and rushing towards the chairs. Her feet pounded the ground as she moved as fast as she could. She heard a snarl behind her and she knew Mr. Pierce was coming for her. She grabbed the chair and wasted no time. She twirled her body around and slammed it against Mr. Pierce, the metal let hitting against he side of his head.

Mr. Pierce yelped in pain, his eyes widening. His body stiffened up for a few seconds. Then, as his hand loosened up and the scalpel dropped to the ground, Mrs. Sanchez knew that he was knocked out. The man crumpled to the ground and just laid there. She stared at him for only a second before turning her attention back to Penny. Certain that the danger passed, for now, she rushed over to her daughter’s side, her eyes wide with alarm.

“Mom!” Penny cried as she reached her. “Are you okay?!”

“Yeah..I’ll be okay...” Mrs. Sanchez winced, holding her stomach for a few seconds. Penny stared at her in horror, her eyes locked on the stomach wound. “Don’t worry...Penita... It’ll be okay. It just...looks worse than it really is...” She pulled her hand away and saw all the blood that stained it. She realized they had to get that medical hall before she could treat any of their wounds. “Come on, we have to get out of here.”

Penny glanced down at Rudy. She bit her lip, concern etched on her face. She stroked Rudy’s hair gently as she looked back up to her mother. “But...how are we...? His knee..” She shed a river of tears down her cheeks. “Mr. Pierce...he...”

Mrs. Sanchez looked at the boy’s knee. Her eyes widened in horror. She hadn’t realized just how damaged he was until she got this close. His pant leg had been rolled up, squeezing tightly against his thigh. The boy’s knee had been sliced into. She was horrified by the extent of it. Mr. Pierce really did a number on him. He cut through the thick ligamint and had sliced deep into the knee, and she could tell that he had struck it at least once with something blunt, perhaps his own foot.

She lowered herself to the ground, her knee pressing up against the hard floor, her other foot firmly planted on the ground. She reached over towards Rudy with shaky hands, her heart racing from the shock of the wound. She gently grabbed onto the boy’s leg and leaned in a little more to examine the wound. She lightly touched around the area, taking mental note of how deep and long the wound was while taking care not to increase the damage. She felt her heart skip a beat as she saw that his knee cap had been pulled away from the knee itself. Poor Rudy...

“H-How is he...?” Penny asked. “Do you think he will...”

Mrs. Sanchez looked at her daughter sadly. She wasn’t going to sugarcoat it. There was no way she could lighten up this news. She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know, Penny. I really don’t.” She looked at Rudy’s knee, her pupils darting around, taking in the blood and the exposed tissue. She looked back at Penny sadly, biting her lip. “Mr. Pierce has done extensive damage to this knee. He was...quite thorough. Rudy might recover, but there’s no guarantee. He might never be able to use this leg again.”

Penny took in a sharp gasp, her hands put against her face. She shook her head in denial, crying a little harder now. She whispered the word ‘no’ a few times before turning her attention back to Rudy. She lifted up his head and put it on her lap. As she whispered soft words to him, begging him to make it, Mrs. Sanchez watched sadly. She hated to break the news to her daughter. She would have loved to tell her some good news. But that would have been dishonest. She had lied to Penny for years about who her father was. She wasn’t going to lie to her about this.

Mrs. Sanchez eyed Rudy up and down, noting the other injuries he had, and she knew he had some internal ones as well. She knew, and she was certain Penny knew from what she had taught her, that Rudy’s body could just give out soon he doesn’t get help soon. All that trauma was going to add up eventually. Every cut, every bruise, every internal rupture that he suffered while on the journey lately... All that blood he had lost... If he suffered one more traumatic injury, that was it. He would...he would die.

They had to take this time to get out of here. Mr. Pierce was knocked out, but for how long, she wasn’t certain. They needed to take this time to get out of this gawd awful room. That medical room wasn’t far, or so she thought. Without Terry’s help, navigating this place would be like going through a maze. She wasn’t sure if she could even find the medical hallway again...but she had to try. She needed to treat their wounds, and fast.

Mrs. Sanchez said, “We need to get going while we can. There’s a medical hallway someplace here. We can head there and mend our wounds.” She stared at Rudy’s bloodied and battered knee for a few seconds before continuing, “I’ll do what I can for Rudy’s knee. Without access to a surgery room, I can’t do much. But I can at least cover up the wound.”

“Okay...” Penny said as she struggled up to her feet.

Mrs. Sanchez flinched as her daughter staggered, her right leg clearly in worse shape than it was before. Then she noticed something. There was a gash near her ankle. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw a piece of tendon sticking out. Her achilles tendon had been severed. Her eyes leveled up with Penny’s, silent questions flashing through them. Just what had happened to her? What caused her achilles tendon to be cut like that? She was about to ask when something unexpected and terrifying happened.

“I got you now!”

Mrs. Sanchez widened her eyes at this, but before she could say anything, a hand clamped down on her mouth and she was dragged back a little. She could see her daughter’s shocked and horrified expression as Mr. Pierce dragged her back. She tried to fight back, but a couple large employees came in and grabbed her arms, holding them in place. She struggled to free herself, but the two men would not let her go. Her mind raced, trying to figure out just how these two got here so fast? Was it possible that mirror was one-way?

“Mom!” Penny cried. She tried to move forward, but a third man came out of nowhere and blocked her path. “Get out of my way!”

“Stay put, brat!” The man snarled at her, pulling his foot back and kicking her in the stomach. “You are not to interfere!”

Mrs. Sanchez called out her daughter’s name, though it was muffled against Mr. Pierce’s hand. She watched as the man who kicked her daughter took position by her fallen form, next to Rudy. He didn’t touch her or anything. He just stood there, his arms folded up. He glared at her, his eyes silently telling her to stay put or she will get hurt again. Penny looked up at him in fear before looking back at her mother. Their eyes locked onto each other, and Mrs. Sanchez could feel a wave of negative emotion strike her. She looked into her daughter’s pleading eyes. She wanted to say something..anything.. but she was not able.

Mrs. Sanchez soon realized just what kind of position she was in. This was exactly the position Terry was in. Two people holding her arms while Mr. Pierce went behind the back. Her heart started to race when she ralized just what he might do. She tried to struggle left and right, attempting to yank her arms free. But she had no luck. The two people simply tightened their grip, twisting her arms painfully.

“You fool...” Mr. Pierce said harshly into her ear. “The next time you try to knock me out...actually check to make sure I am unconscious.” The man sneered, a cold chuckle escaping his throat. “All you did was daze me. You made the mistake of turning away from me. By putting your back to me, and focusing on those two...” His eyes stared towards Penny and the unconscious Rudy for a few seconds before looking back at her. “..you put yourself in a...vulnerable position...”

“No! Let her go, please!” Penny pleaded. She tried to get back up to her feet, but the man slammed his foot down onto her back, making her cry out in pain. Mrs. Sanchez let out a muffled cry, her eyes widened.

“Stay down, bitch!” The man said before applying pressure on Penny.

“Normally I would toy with you for a while. I had looked forward to playing with you again for years, dear Inez.” Mr. Pierce said. “But I digress..I don’t have time for that right now. So why don’t I just...skip that step?” Mrs. Sanchez could see, out of the corner of her eyes, him raising up the scalpel. “Do say hello to Ms. Bouffant for me, will you, honey?”

With that, he slammed the scalpel in the back of her head, right where he hit Terry. She let out a muffled scream, her eyes bulging open. She struggled frantically, horrific pain spreading along the back of her head and neck. Her heart pounded against her chest as she stared at Penny, both of them staring at the other in horror. No...no it couldn’t end this way. Please... Tears moved down her face as she pleaded for something, anything, to happen.

“Mom! No!” Penny cried out, her body shaking with emotion.

“Take a good look, Penny..” Mr. Pierce sneered as he pushed the knife in deeper, causing Mrs. Sanchez’s body to stiffen, a muffled scream escaping her mouth. “Watch as the light dies from your mother’s eyes.. Look here...do not look away.” His grin groadened. “I want to see the look on your face when your mother dies...”

Penny screamed, “No!”

Mr. Pierce laughed. “Here we go!” He tensed up his arm and Mrs. Sanchez closed her eyes, her body shaking in pain. She waited for the killing blow.

Suddenly, there was a shout that filled the air.

“Let her go!”

Before Mrs. Sanchez knew it, a fist slammed against Mr. Pierce, causing him to drop the blade as he staggered to the side. Then she felt herself being released and she fell down to her knees. She pressed her hand against the back of her neck, a horrific pain radiating from it. She could feel the warm blood dripping from it as she seethed in pain. She looked over to see what had happened.

“Mr. Longhorn?!” Penny cried in surprise, her eyes wide in shock.

Mrs. Sanchez was just as shocked. She didn’t know how his man had found them. But at the moment, she didn’t care. Instead, she felt lucky to be alive. She took in a few breaths, attempting to calm herself down from her near death experience. She watched as Mr. Longhorn engaged with Mr. Pierce and his lackeys.

Mr. Pierce, having recovered from the punch, glared hatefully at Mr. Longhorn. His face was reddened with anger. He charged towards the man, pulling his fist back in an attempt to punch him. He struck forward, but Mr. Pierce moved to the side, allowing the fist to glide past him. Mr. Longhorn then grabbed onto his arm tightly. He yanked him forward and then, ignoring his injuries, he started to swung Mr. Pierce aroudn, knocking him against his lackeys before tossing him into the ground. He climbed up to his feet, holding his head.

Mr. Longhorn charged towards him and jumped onto his back. Mr. Pierce let out a cry and he struggled to get the man off of him. Mr. Longhorn looped his arms around his neck and applied pressure. He pulled him back, dragging him along the ground a little, making him lose his footing. Then he released him and jumped back, watching as Mr. Longhorn fell back onto the ground. This time, Mr. Longhorn sat down on him, pinning him on the ground like Pierce had with her just a short time ago.

Mr. Longhorn pulled his fist back and began to punch Mr. Pierce. Mrs. Sanchez and her daughter watched as the man punched Pierce a few times, each punch connecting so loudly, they winced, as if feeling the pain for themselves. But Mr. Longhorn’s upperhand here didn’t last too long as the three male employees were back on their feet. One of them grabbed Mr. Pierce by his arms, hooking them up in theirs, and dragged him back.

Mr. Pierce climbed up to his feet. He rubbed his sore jaw, wiping away the blood that came from his mouth. He glared at Mr. Longhorn for several seconds, giving him a look of contempt. Then he smiled and he slowly approached the man.

“Oh we have an interloper...how charming.” Pierce stopped in front of Longhorn, sneering at him. “Do you think you can stop me? You’re just as foolish as these two women.” He gave a cold chuckle. “Well since you are new...and I don’t really have a use for you, or a reason to fear you... Maybe I’ll..no... I should just get rid of you.” Mr. Pierce leveled up the scalpel. “I cannot afford to let any possible threats...”

Mr. Longhorn did not give the man a chance to finish. “Shut up!” He cried as he swung his foot forward, striking Mr. Longhorn between the legs.

“You fucker...!” Mr. Pierce wheezed as he dropped down onto his knees, holding his groin.

Mr. Longhorn turned his attention to the man holding him. He jerked himself from side to side until he was able to pull one of his arms free. He twisted his body just enough to strike a punch against the man’s side, forcing him to let go. Mr. Longhorn grabbed onto the man’s collar and slammed his fist against the man’s face, right between the eyes. After he did that, he then grabbed the man’s arm and swung him towards the other two employees, who raced towards him.

Mr. Pierce came in from behind and looped his arm around Mr. Longhorn’s throat. He yanked him back, pressing the scalpel against the man’s spine. Mr. Longhorn’s eyes went wide in pain. Mr. Pierce smiled evilly at him as he pressed the blade in deeper. He was about to twist it when Mr. Longhorn suddenly bent himself forward, using enough force to to make Pierce lose his balance, his feet tripping over himself.

Longhorn ignored the pain of the blade cutting into him as he, while down on one knee now, swung his other leg out, knocking Pierce into the ground. Longhorn turned around as quickly as he could and he pinned Mr. Pierce down, his hand grabbing around his throat. He held on tightly as he pulled his fist back and punched Pierce again, making the evil man cry out in pain.

Mrs. Sanchez had moved back over to her daughter and Rudy. She knelt down by them and wrapped her arms around Penny, pulling her close. She watched, in horror, as Mr. Longhorn continued to fight against Mr. Pierce and his lackeys. At the moment, Longhorn was back to his feet as Mr. Pierce had kicked him away in self defense. The two men slammed against each other, trying to wrestle. She had no idea how long the man could keep this up.

At least the lackeys were hanging back for now. But she knew that wasn’t to last. She could see the calculating going on in their heads. They were going to make a move soon. She could only hope that Mr. Longhorn is able to react before they could do anything particularly devastating.

She looked down at her daughter, feeling her body shaking against hers. She felt her heart twist in knots. Penny was so scared and frightened. She couldn’t blame her. She had gotten so close to losing her. If it hadn’t been for Longhorn’s timely appearance, she would have died. Mr. Pierce tried to murder her in the same way he had with Terry. Her body shook at this realization. She couldn’t believe how close she had come to losing her life. She looked over at Mr. Longhorn. She definitely owed him.

Mrs. Sanchez glanced back down to Rudy. She sucked in a deep breath. As great as Mr. Longhorn’s appearance was, she knew that taking care of Mr. Pierce would only solve part of their problem. They had to get out of this room, and fast. If they didn’t, Rudy wasn’t going to make it. She could tell just by looking at him. He was...he was dying... He needed emergency help. If they stayed here for too long..

She heard a scream and she looked up. Mr. Longhorn had stomped on the foot of one of the employees before delivering a punch to his throat. The employee gagged as he stumbled backwards. Another employee kicked Mr. Longhorn in the leg. The man nearly lost his footing, but then he used his targeted leg, now raised in the air, and swung it at the employee, hitting him against his ankle and making him fall to the ground. Mr. Longhorn rammed against the third employee, pushing him up against the wall and holding him there.

“M-Mom...” Penny stuttered. She pointed in a direction. “R-Rudy..he is...”

Mrs. Sanchez turned her body to the side, her arms still holding Penny. She gasped in horror at what she saw. “Oh no...” She whispered under her breath, a cold chill running up and down her spine.

Rudy was shivering, quite violently, too. This wasn’t a seizure, but it was still very serious. He was shaking as though he were cold. He was no longer unconscious, though he was barely awake. He let out a series of pained groans as he continued to tremble. Mrs. Sanchez knew exactly what was going on. Rudy had lost so much blood that his body temperature was starting to become affected. If left untreated, he will...

Mrs. Sanchez let go of Penny and moved over to Rudy. Penny watched, her eyes filled with fear, as Mrs. Sanchez attempted to stop the bleeding from the wound that was leaking out the most blood, his knee. She didn’t apply pressure on the wound itself, as that would be too painful for Rudy. Instead, she applied pressure to his groin, where one of the thickest blood vessels laid. As she kept pressure on it, she turned her head to Penny.

“Elevate his leg!” Mrs. Sanchez told her. Penny immediately followed orders and gently steadied Rudy’s left leg in the air, keeping it straight. As she did this, Mrs. Sanchez kept applying pressure, hoping and praying they can stop the bleeding soon.


	117. I Never Thought I'd Do This

Bardot’s screams echoed off the walls. He could feel more of his red outline being damaged. He could feel the agony of his outline being ripped up and bleeding. He felt like his body was becoming more twisted as he writhed in agony. He opened up on eye to take a good look around the room.

He could see Jenny standing there, her arms folded up and sneering at him. Tyreek was at the controls. He could see the man’s evil smile as he turned the dial on the machine, increasing the voltage. This prompted Bardot to pull his head back and let out another scream. The pain was increasing as the seconds passed by. He shut his eyes tightly as he tried to bear the pain. He clenched his teeth and seethed. He wished he hadn’t taken that offer from Skrawl. He wished he had just stayed in the Fire Zone. Now look at where he was...

There were many things he wished he didn’t do. So many things... There were multiple things he could have done to avoid this mess. There were things he did that he had no reason doing. If he hadn’t done that, maybe his fate here could have been avoided, or less severe. Now he was forced to endure karma biting back as his body was tortured and driven through tremendous pain. He knew, without a doubt, that this is what his victims went through. This amount of pain, they all suffered on some level. Fitting that this is what would happen to him.

Bardot took notice of Ghadir. She stood off to the side. He watched as she slowly licked her lips. The sight of it made him shudder, even amongst his twisting and writhing. He did not like the way she was looking at him. That twinkle in her eye... He knew she was hungry. It was like staring at himself, only the situation was reversed. He had eaten humans, and now his fate was to be eaten by a human. How ironic... And it frightened him. Now he knew for certain what his victims that he ate felt like when he went in for the kill.

He looked down at where Snap was. He was pulled close to the machine, the binds not allowing him to get too far away. He was looking up at Bardot, his eyes wide in horror. Just a little while ago, Snap had been pleading for them to stop. This shocked Bardot, as he never thought Snap would be willing to stand up for him. He had done so much harm to him and his friends, he would have thought that Snap would have partially enjoyed this. Then again, that would be against his nature, wouldn’t it? Snap was not like him.

His pleas fell on deaf ears. The black chalk artists wanted to hear no more of him. So Ghadir drew a strong, tight muzzle that required a key to remove. It was made of cold hard metal and looped around his head and had multiple bands to keep it secure. Ghadir fitted it in extra tight and he could tell it was causing Snap a lot of pain. The zoner kept trying to push it off to no avail, and Bardot imagined that his teeth were grinding together. The zoner kept in whimpering in pain whenever he wasn’t trying to say muffled pleas to the black chalk artists, which went ignored.

Bardot knew that the muzzle, most likely, wouldn’t be taken off, even after his torture session was over. They didn’t want him quiet just during this time. They wanted him quiet permanently. Ghadir might not have said it, but the way she looked at him indicated that she planned on keeping the muzzle on Snap even during her hunt with him. She wanted to render him helpless, and though Snap could still punch, he couldn’t call out for help or say anything. That alone would make him feel so scared and frightened, and that would just increase when she chases him through the nearby forest.

Ghadir had made it clear that she wanted to eat Snap first. He would come afterwards. This was not his last time being used as a living battery. Oh no... The black chalk artists made it clear they would use him for a little while longer. Perhaps an extra day or two. He shuddered at the thought. Being alive for that long, while in this much pain.. His mind flashed back to Rudy and Penny, and how he had tortured them for a few days. He again thought of how fitting it was that he had this fate, so similiar to what his victims went through. He still wasn’t sure what he would do even if he got out of here, but right now, he was in too much pain to really think too hard.

Just then, he heard the sound of a screech, wings flapping heavily in the air. Even through this thick layer of rock, he knew who it had to be. He guessed that Draow must finally be back from his trip to the Twisted Mountains. The thought of Draow’s name filled him with some level of bitterness. Even though they were never really friends, he still felt somewhat betrayed by him, as he had shifted loyalties so quickly.

But it also gave him a sense of fear. Draow was not so easily pushed around. He recalled his time as his partner, he thought he had the upperhand, and he did, at least with his venom. Draow had even shown fear towards him, and while that might have been genuine, Draow was still masking just how capable he was, playing slightly dumb to make it look like he had full control over him. Now when he had tried to fight him, Draow showed just how competent he really was, more so than he ever thought before, and beat him very easily, turning the tables.

Draow could kill him in this state if he really wanted to. The only thing keeping him from doing so is that Ghadir wanted to eat him while he was still alive. Not that it made things any better... Both fates were terrifying, chilling him to the bone. The only fate he could think of worse than dealing with one of those two...was dealing with both. He feared that Ghadir would force him to run in the forest despite his pain, and use Draow as a mount. That would be a nightmarish situation, but he wouldn’t put it past those two to do something like that. He knew that would be something he...or at least how he was during the time he kidnapped Rudy and Penny..would do.

There was a sound of a hatchet opening, and Bardot knew that Draow was now inside the structure. Jenny looked over in the direction of the sound and smiled. She looked over at Tyreek and raised up her hand. She lowered it slightly, giving a clear signal to him. Tyreek obeyed immediately and he pulled the lever in the opposite direction. This turned off the electrical coils that coursed through Bardot’s body. With the sudden relief of pain, his body slumped forward, shaky breaths going in and out.

Jenny walked over towards him slowly. Bardot opened up his eyes and stared at her in fear. He turned his head away as she reached over to pet him. He couldn’t cringe that far away, and was unable to stop the hand from touching his cheek. He stiffened up, but made no attempt to bite. He knew what would happen if he bit Jenny. He had no choice but to let the woman stroke his cheek, feeling it move along the back of his head. He shut his eyes, not wanting to look at her. A quick tug on his torn ear, and he opened his eyes reluctantly, shuddering under her stare.

“I think that’s enough for now. We’ll be saving that energy we took from you, my little living battery...” Jenny moved her hand underneath Bardot’s jaw and lifted it up. “..and we’ll use it for a...special occassion. I think we took enough from you to warrant a couple of attacks. So we’ll leave you alone for a while. You can take a nap if you’d like.”

Bardot growled faintly, averting his gaze. “Like hell I can sleep...”

Jenny chuckled before running her other hand along the back of his head. “Do watch that temper. You wouldn’t want to end up like Boorat, now do you?”

At this, Bardot’s eyes widened. He recalled what Ghadir said she had done with the rodent. Not long after she had taken him into her room for a ‘talk’, she had taken out fixative and froze him. Judging from Snap’s reaction and from what he remembered, this same thing happened to him before, though it was Snap who had done it to hi. Ghadir had no intention on killing Boorat...at least not now. She admitted that she wasn’t sure if he would be a benefit, if even brief, or better off as a meal. So she froze him and put him a cell by himself, where he will remain until she decided what she was going to do with him.

Being frozen for who knows how long was a scary thing. Bardot wasn’t sure if the fixative that Ghadir used lasted longer or not compared to whatever Snap used. Ghadir could do a numbe rof things to Boorat, unspeakable acts, and there would be nothing that Boorat could do to stop her. He would feel everything, but be unable to react at all. The thought of him going through the same thing, being aware but unable to do anything about it, it horrified him. Bardot lowered his head and closed his eyes.

Jenny took this as a sign of submission. She gave a cold chuckle as she patted him on the head. He winced at this, wanting to turn his head away, not wanting to feel her petting him anymore. But he had no choice but to take it. He glared softly at her, but his gaze held little to no defiance, instead only fear. Jenny was satisfied by this, clearly happy that he understood what she was telling him.

“I knew you’d understand, Bardy.” Jenny said in a somewhat playful tone. “Keep up the good behavior, and we’ll let you live longer. At least until you are no longer of use to us and we must kill you.” Jenny added as she moved her hand away from Bardot. “That moment won’t be too long...at least not unless we make sure you don’t die for a while. So we will spread out the drainage times some more, increase the chances of you living a little longer. Plus, we can’t have you dying before Ghadir here can get to you.”

Jenny made a motion towards Ghadir. Bardot looked over at the human. His eyes widened in terror as she gave him a hungered look. She flexed her fingers and he could tell her leg muscles were tightening, as if preparing to charge at him. She really wanted to dig into him, but was unable to as they were still using him as a battery. She licked her lips again, causing Bardot to let out a small cry of fear before turning his head away.

“But don’t worry... She won’t eat you. Not yet..” Jenny said. She turned her attention to Snap. The zoner backed away from her, growling softly. This display of anger and fear just amused Jenny. “This little guy will have the ‘honor’ of being hunted first. It will be more fun for her to take care of him first, I can tell you that.” She reached out to touch Snap, only for him to swing his fist at her in self defense. “Such a fiesty little guy, too.”

“I like them like that.” Ghadir smirked. “They can be so much fun to kill when they have some bite in them.”

“Indeed..” Jenny agreed. She reached out towards Snap and grabbed onto his arms. She pulled them together, securing them quickly in one hand. She pulled him onto the ground. “Quite a bit of fun.”

Bardot watched as Jenny ran her hand along Snap’s head and back. She was showing clear dominance over him. He knew that she was exerting her will onto him, showing just how much control she had. Snap was still growling, but Bardot knew a lot of that anger was intermixed with fear. Snap wanted to get away, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t even curse out Jenny because of that muzzle wrapped tightly around his head. Snap did try to speak a few times, but it came out all muffled thanks to the thick band pressed up against his lips tightly.

Just then, Draow entered the room. He moved in slowly with his head low. His wings were folded up against his side. His talons clanked against the ground as he walked forward. Bardot watched as the bat wolf zoner showed clear submission towards the leader of the trio, Jenny. Soon he stood a few feet from her, his teal eyes staring at hers in a respectful way. And in his jaws, he held something that caused him and Snap to gasp in shock.

It was blue chalk. Bardot hadn’t expected him to find any. He had been so certain that he had taken the last pieces when he went to Twisted Mountains not long after his ‘birth’. He got the information from Barney during his second torture session with him. He had wanted to figure out a fast way to create a series of traps as well as a hideout. Barney told him about this chalk and he sought out to take it all. Apparently, he hadn’t taken it all, for here was Draow with a piece in his jaws. No doubt he put the others somewhere safe. No way he would take only one.

Bardot had to wonder why Draow got the blue chalk. Probably because Nihilanth told him to, as he was the only one he’d listen to above Jenny. Blue chalk could only be used by zoners, so perhaps Nihilanth just wanted to give Draow an edge, to put him on the same playing field as Rudy and Penny. A part of him was curious to know just how the fight would go now that Draow had the same creation abilities as those two humans.

Draow dropped the blue chalk on the ground, between him and Jenny. He glanced at it before turning his gaze towards her, his nose still pointed towards the ground. “I found and took some blue chalk from the Twisted Mountains, just as Nihilanth ordered me to.” So Bardot was right about who had given the order. “However, he does not want me to take action yet. He has decided to give those brats some healing time before taking Rudy.”

Rudy? Taking him? Where did Nihilanth plan on taking Rudy? It soon dawned on Bardot just what he meant. He planned on using Rudy as another host. Bardot looked down at Snap and it was clear that the blue zoner had made the same connection as he did. The zoner was trying to wriggle himself free of Jenny’s hold. He wriggled his body from side to side, prompting the woman to just tighten her grip on him.

Bardot had to wonder just what would happen if Nihilanth did succeed in taking Rudy. Would his powers increase? Would he have some new abilities? What would the advantage be in having Rudy as a host? Why wasn’t Barney good enough for him? As he watched Draow chuckling, as he stared at the blue chalk, as he watched Snap struggle against Jenny’s grasp, it slowly, surely, dawned on him. There was one possible reason why Nihilanth wanted Rudy as a host, despite already having Barney. He wasn’t sure if this was true or not, but...what else could explain it?

Nihilanth wanted a human host...so he could get into the real world...

It was true that zoners could move around in the real world just fine, and they had 2D powers that let them move along flat surfaces. But they had their limitations. Any form of real world liquid would be damaging. If humans figured out that weakness, they could beat Nihilanth and rob him of his physical form. If he had a human form, however, things would turn out differently. Rudy wouldn’t melt when exposed to real world water. It didn’t hurt him at all as it would a zoner. Nihilanth could infiltrate the real world using his body, and then spread control. He could infect more humans with black chalk and drag them into ChalkZone for it to take effect. He’d be able to build an army...

That must be what he was planning all along. He wanted to create an army of black chalk users to further his goal of merging the worlds together. This is what he had intended when the black chalk artists mentioned him being a pollinator. Bardot knew that, once an army was raised, there was little to nothing ChalkZone could do to defend itself, and soon, ChalkZone would have to worry about non-black chalk artists, too. There were some humans already greedy and cruel on their own; they didn’t need the black chalk to make them like that.

He was torn from his thoughts when he heard Snap give a painful grunt. He swiveled his head to see that Jenny had picked up Snap by his scarf. The zoner struggled to get free, trying in vain to punch her. Jenny just laughed as she carried Snap over to where Ghadir was. She moved slowly and deliberately, as if wanting to prolong the tension a little, as Snap knew full well just what was in store for him now. The others gave him an evil smile, which Snap ignored, his focus instead on just trying to make Jenny let go.

Ghadir reached out and grabbed onto Snap, soon holding him by his scarf just like Jenny had been. She held him up in the air, away from her. She chuckled as the zoner writhed and twisted in her grasp. She reached up and ran her hand along his chest and stomach, her fingers curved as if anticipating ripping open his underside. Snap let out muffled shouts of protest as he struck against her. Ghadir pulled her hand away before Snap could hit her.

“I am going to so enjoy hunting you.” Ghadir sneered at him. She ran her hand lightly along the top of his head. “I look forward to seeing how you taste. I’m sure you have a delicious flavor.” Snap growled at her and struck at her again. “Nice try, but you cannot hurt me. But I can do so much to you...”

As if to prove her point, Ghadir grabbed onto Snap’s right arm and pulled it out. She opened up her jaws and clamped them down on his arm. Snap let out muffled screams as Ghadir worked her teeth into his arm, allowing some blood to flow down. She kept her jaws down for several seconds before she released him and pulled back. Snap’s body shuddered a little from the pain. He looked down at his new wound before glaring in Ghadir’s direction. Bardot couldn’t help but feel a little impressed that he’s still trying to remain defiant. But he wondered just how long that was going to last.

“I might not have been able to eat that little puppet.. And that’s a shame, since he tasted so good. Fear really does add a unique flavor...” Ghadir taunted Snap. The zoner growled again and attempted to punch Ghadir. He missed and the force caused his body to twist a little in the air. Ghadir laughed and shook him a few times as hard as she could. “But even though that large rodent interfered with that hunt...he will not be able to stop this one, even by accident. I was more interested in eating you anyway.” She reached over and traced her fingers along his head and going down towards his back. “You’ll make a fine little meal...” She said as she stared into Snap’s white eyes. “A fine one indeed...”

Bardot struggled to raised his head up. His green eyes fixated on Ghadir. He took in a few shaky breaths before he spoke. “I-If you can c-c-catch him that is...”

At this, Ghadir shifted her eyes towards him. So did Draow, who glared at him, but didn’t say a word. Tyreek and Jenny reacted to his voice with smiles, but did not look directly at him. Ghadir looked down at Snap for a few moments, her eyes narrowing slowly, before she looked back at the trapped hybrid zoner. She took a few steps towards him, carrying Snap with her. She stopped a few feet in front of him and stared at him for several seconds, an eerie smile on her face.

Ghadir soon raised Snap up a little, putting him in front of her, close to Bardot. Snap struggled a little, still trying to free himself. But he soon gave up and just hung here, exhausted from his escape attempts. His jaws being sealed shut, cutting him off from adequate oxygen supply, also had an affect on him. Hard to take in deep breaths when he cannot open his mouth.

“I’m sure I can catch this little rodent...” Ghadir said. Snap shot her a glare, but she ignored it. “With that knee of his, he can’t run very fast. But I’ll play with him for a little while. Give him a head start and let him stay ahead for a little while. I want to build up his confidence a little, make him think he is going to get away. And then...when he least expects it...” Ghadir suddenly grabbed onto Snap’s head and twisted it, causing him to let out a muffled cry. “I pounce!”

Bardot chuckled bitterly, feeling a little bit of courage returning to him. “Bri-Bri-Brilliant move.. te-telling him your p-plan...”

“Oh it matters not if he hears it. If anything, knowing will make him even more tense and on edge.” Ghadir took in a long breath with her nose. “I can just smell the fear already. It is going to be fun chasing him through the forest..so he can fulfill one of the few things zoners are good for.” She put her face close to Snap’s. “Food...” Snap let out a series of muffled protests.

“Food huh?” Bardot said in a soft voice. “That is what all zoners are to you, isn’t it?”

Ghadir rolled her eyes. “Oh shut up. What does it matter anyway? You were going to eat him at one point, were you not?” Ghadir held Snap a little closer to Bardot. “Weren’t you? I’m positive I heard somewhere you were. So why not have a bite? Go on...”

Bardot glared at her. He stared at Snap. The two locked eyes with each other for a few seconds before Bardot turned his head away.

“Refusing my offer. Well okay. Suit yourself.” Ghadir said before pulling Snap away from Bardot. She started to walk away slowly, keeping Snap away so he couldn’t try to hit her. She stopped and looked back at Bardot. She grinned evilly. “I look forward to tasting you as well, Bardot. You’re a halfer. I’m sure you have some...unique flavoring of your own...”

Bardot’s eyes widened and he gave a shudder. He refused to respond to that. He watched as she giggled and turned away from him. She walked out of the room, towards the stairs that were nearby. Soon, both Ghadir and Snap were out of his sight, and he could hear them scaling the steps.

He turned his attention to the remaining individuals in the room. Draow smirked evilly at him, but did not say a word. He shifted his gaze away, looking directly at Jenny. The woman had moved away, towards where Tyreek was. They now didn’t seem to be so focused on him, likely because they knew he couldn’t go anywhere and couldn’t really provide much protest. He stared in their direction, wondering what their next move was going to be.

“So Nihilanth doesn’t want us doing much of anything until those three get back?” Tyreek asked. He leaned against the wall, putting his hand on his hip. He looked displeased. “Where’s the fun in that? Why can’t he let us blast a few buildings at least? Not like it would be any different from what we would do anyway.”

“If that is what Nihilanth wants, we have to listen to him. You know the consequences if we disobey. He has planned this for a long time, and we could easily botch it up if we don’t follow what he says.” Jenny said, turning her gaze to focus on Tyreek. “If it means a little boredom for a while, then I’m fine with it.”

Tyreek waved his hand dismissively. “I’d say we have a little fun anyway. What could it hurt to kill a couple of lowly zoners in isolated sections? Or blow up another building?”

Jenny shot him a glare. “If you do that, then the plan might be ruined.”

“How?!” Tyreek cried, raising his hands in the air. “Tell me exactly how it would ruin anything! Especially when the plan will ultimately involve it anyway!”

Jenny opened her mouth to speak, but Draow interfered. He put his head between the two, a low growl emitting from his throat, a sign that he was not happy with their behavior. He glared at both of them, despite being a subordinate, his teal eyes piercing through them.

“Enough! This squabbling will get us nowhere!” Draow said, his lips curled back in a snarl. He lifted up his head, his ears perked straight up as his tail swished from side to side. “Nihilanth only meant hat he wouldn’t try to destroy ChalkZone in their absense. He never said that a little fun couldn’t be had...so long as it was on a small scale. So no explosions.” Tyreek grumbled softly at this. “But he did say we could kill a few zoners to pass the time. Insignifant ones that no one would miss. I know of such fodder. I can capture them using the blue chalk.”

“Well, I would have liked using those rockets the stupid Luminos used. But I guess I’ll just have to make do.” Tyreek grumbled softly. Jenny glared over in his direction. “What?”

“You’re always so trigger happy. And while that is a good trait for the most part, with what we are trying to do, your love of destruction could cost us this opportunity. We have waited so long for the return of the deity, and we are to help him merge the real world and ChalkZone. If we cause too much destruction, the zoners might fight back harder, and then we’ll be in trouble.” Jenny explained. When Tyreek gave her a confused look, she rolled her eyes. “Oh don’t give me that! You know full well that zoners..can be quite a pain, especially in numbers.”

“Creators can take care of them. Even if they had blue chalk, we still have an edge.” Tyreek said, narrowing his eyes.

“To some degree..but not always.” Jenny told him, raising a finger. “Why do you think we keep them in line using fear and threats, as well as strategic attacks? Those zoners could beat the crap out of us if they realize just how much they really outnumber us. We can draw and create to defend ourselves...but when there’s a ton of zoners on our tail...”

Draow nodded his head in agreement. “They’re like ants. Weak apart..but strong together.” He swiveled his head in Tyreek’s direction. “You best listen. It wouldn’t be fun having a bunch of angry zoners chasing you down, and such an act would interfere with Nihilanth’s plan. If you don’t want to cross him, and I know you don’t, try not to do anything rash.”

Tyreek grumbled to himself. “Oh okay..” It didn’t sound like he took them that seriously, but he did not protest any longer. “I’ll keep myself under control.”

“Good.” Jenny said, her eyes narrowed.

Bardot’s eyes widened at this. It took him by complete surprise. There was a slight tinge of fear in Jenny’s voice. Not much, but enough that she was really concerned about the whole ‘bunch of zoners after them’ thing. At first, he didn’t understand why, but rethinking about it, taking note of Draow’s ant comment, it made sense. They did have a distinct advantage in terms of creation ability, but there were a ton more zoners, and if they all attacked at once, the black chalk artists would be hard pressed to defend themselves. This...might come in handy.

If Jenny is afraid of what the zoners might do if they banded together and single them out... Perhaps the tides could be turned after all, but in a way he did not expect. He thought back to Ghadir. She might make a good first target. She was outside already, getting ready to hunt Snap. He was certain that the zoners are not happy with her hunting activities. If he could find a way to get them to know where she was, and let them know that she was hunting an already injured zoner, they might become angry enough to fight back. With Ghadir out of the way, the black chalk artists would be weakened. Not by much, but it was something.

But how was he going to do that? He was strapped here, unable to move. Jenny might release him soon, but even if she does, he was still tied up to this machine, unable to go anywhere. His eyes turned to focus on the blue chalk on the ground. If he could get a hold of a piece, even a tiny piece, he could draw a beacon.

A part of Bardot was surprised at this kind of thinking. It wasn’t something he was used to. Doing something to help another? It was unheard of from him. But he had done it before already with Barney and now he was going to do it again with Snap. And though he wouldn’t admit it to anyone, there was a small part of him that wanted to do a small thing to make up for what he did in the past. That regret he was feeling really started to kick in.

But to get the blue chalk, he’d have to deal with Draow. The large zoner was likely going to be left in charge of him if Jenny and Tyreek leave to cause minor trouble. Draow was not easily fooled, and he had doubts he would just give him the blue chalk. Despite his impulse, Draow was not stupid. He had a degree of intelligence on him, so fooling him would be hard. He needed something else. But what?

His thoughts were interrupted when Jenny walked over towards him. She pressed her hand against a button, which released Bardot from his cuffs. The zoner fell down to the ground. He hit the floor heavily and groaned in pain. He opened up his eyes and looked up at her. She knelt down on front of him, running her hand along his back and shoulder.

“Sorry for leaving you hanging. Why don’t you stay here and relax?” Jenny said, chuckling. “And don’t worry about the pain, dear Bardy. It will soon go away and you won’t feel a thing.” Bardot looked away from her, his crest flattening against his head. “Try to ignore me all you want to. But you know you cannot escape your fate. Enjoy your breathing while it lasts...”

With that, Jenny left Bardot’s side. She moved over to Tyreek, ignoring the glare she got from Bardot.

“Tyreek, since you seem willing to control your temper, I guess I can trust you on an important mission.” Jenny said.

At this, Tyreek’s eyes glinted. “What did you have in mind?”

Jenny turned her head and looked out at the horizon, or the picture of it that the monitor by the machinery provided. She walked over towards it and pushed some buttons. Each one changed the image displayed on the screen. “I need you to go on an assassination mission. There’s a couple of zoners I want you to get rid of. It will weaken our enemies.”

Tyreek moved in behind her, folding his arms and sneering evilly. “Tell me the targets’ locations. I’ll take care of them.”

“They are both located here.” Jenny pressed the button one last time, and it soon displayed the image of a hospital. “This is the hospital Snap was at before. And this is the same one that has your targets. I want you to kill them via poison, since it is quiet and would not cause as much of a stir initially. But...” Jenny narrowed her eyes at Tyreek. “Stay in hiding. Stick to the shadows. Do not allow anyone to see that you are there. Understand?”

Tyreek nodded his head. “Yes, I do. Now...” He folded up his arms and chuckled darkly. “So tell me...who are my ‘lucky’ targets?”

At this, Jenny said, “Your targets are Skrawl, Tsere, and Biclops. But you could add Mumbo Jumbo in since he’s going to die anyway. I don’t think they can really save him with those wounds he got, if what Nihilanth relayed to me was accurate.”

“Ah...nice targets. It will be nice to be finally rid of Tsere and Biclops. They have been a thorn in our side for too long.” Tyreek got out his black chalk, clutching it in his hand. “I’ll draw a poison so horrific, none of them will survive.” He then paused and stared at Jenny in slight confusion. “Wait, I can understand killing Tsere and Biclops. They were our enemies years ago and had a hand in our defeat. But...why have me kill Skrawl, too? And that king tortoise?”

“King Mumbo Jumbo is Barney’s closest friend. If anyone can allow Barney to regain control of himself, it’s that tortoise.” Jenny explained, pointing a finger in Tyreek’s direction. “If we get rid of him, than we weaken the centipede’s chance of getting control of himself back. With all this planning, we cannot afford to allow that insect to complicate things by seizing control of his body back. It was hard enough for Nihilanth to come back in that body. Took him hundreds of years.” Jenny folded her arms. “It might take longer of Barney is allowed to return.”

“I see...” Tyreek said, rubbing his chin. “And Skrawl?”

“Skrawl leads a successful and strict jail and has a lot of Beanie Boys at his disposal, as well as some advanced equipment and a lot of loyal wardens, some more capable than they seem. He’s seen as ‘unstoppable’ and is the one who arrested Bardot and Draow.” Jenny said. At this, Draow lowered his ears and growled, clearly not happy with the memory. “If you kill him, that will shake things up in ChalkZone. Just imagine the fear that will be struck in everyone’s hearts. A respected and feared jail owner found dead... It’ll send a clear message across ChalkZone.”

“The zoners will be taught a lesson.” Draow said in a growling voice. “That even their strongest members can die and fall down...” He shifted his body in a menacing manner. “And when they learn that lesson...”

“Their confidence will fall like dominoes..making them easier to control..” Tyreek said, his eyes widening in realization.

“Exactly.” Jenny said, an evil smile on her face. “I think Skrawl’s death will have them shaken for some time, don’t you think...?” Draow and Tyreek nodded in agreement.

Watching this, Bardot couldn’t help but feel impressed. This was a simple, but still well thought out plan. Jenny was giving specific targets that would start a ruckus, but not one that would bring harm to their plans. Instead, she was targeting individuals who were either bothersome, such as Biclops, or they would have some kind of mental impact on zoners, such as Skrawl. The targets were well chosen and they were all in that hospital together. He imagined they were all injured. They would be easy to pick off.

Sending Tyreek to poison them would work. Bardot knew enough of the man that he could be quiet when he wanted to. Poison would be silent, sending them to their deaths in a faster, less destructive way than planting a bomb and running. Jenny had made it clear that they could not make too much of a ruckus at this moment, as they were supposed to wait for Rudy and Penny to come back into ChalkZone in a couple of days. And while this meant that they could not do anything too drastic, it also meant that ChalkZone was without protectors. This left them open to do something small scale, such as kill a few zoners.

While it was true that the zoners dying would, in some ways, leave a big impact on the other zoners, that it would draw attention, it would not cause the same kind of outrage, at least as long as Tyreek was subtle about it and made sure his prints were not on the weapon he’ll use to poison them. Without any clues as to just who the culprit was, there would be more fear than anger, and with them all shaken up, as Jenny said, they’d be easier to manipulate. Maybe the black chalk zoners would go as far as try to pose as protectors for a while, luring them into a false sense of security while Nihilanth plans on blowing this place up.

Bardot knew that if the zoners were in a state of tranquility, if they believed there was no danger, then Nihilanth could make plans with the black chalk artists without fear of someone trying to figure out what they were doing. The zoners weren’t dumb, however, so they were not likely to trust Jenny, Ghadir, or Tyreek, so if this was their plan, they’d have to disguise themselves as someone else. Or even be ‘faceless’ in a sense and ‘help’ from the sidelines.

Of course, this was just one idea of what they were going to do. There were a number of things they could do during this three day wait they talked about before. He wouldn’t doubt that they’d take advantage of the absense of ChalkZone’s protectors.

Bardot realized he couldn’t keep wasting time thinking about what they might do, and instead focus on what he, himself, could do. If he could just a hold of that blue chalk, he could turn the tides. Even if he died here, at least he would die knowing he did something to against Nihilanth, even if it would barely put a dent in his plans. He also wanted to commit at least one final act of defiance against Jenny, a way of showing her that he still had some bite left in him.

His green eyes shifted towards the blue chalk near Draow. The three of them were still discussing what they were going to do. He didn’t hear every word, but he picked up enough to know that Jenny was going to do something as well. It sounded like she was going to go to his old hideout, which had been rebuilt since it was bulldozed two years ago. Or at least, it was rebuilt until they destroyed it with the light cannon. He didn’t know why Jenny would want to go there, but he did pick up something about a weapon and perhaps finding survivors.

Then, before long, they stared to disperse a little, moving back away from each other. Jenny folded up her arms as she stared in Tyreek’s direction. It was a look that silently told him that if he screwed up, he was in big trouble. Tyreek returned the glare with a look of annoyance. Despite being a subordinate to Jenny, it seemed that Tyreek didn’t always like listening to her.

“Remember, you have to be quiet and slow. Don’t just rush in there.” Jenny said, pointing her finger in Tyreek’s direction. “And don’t give me that look! You know full well that you have a bit of an impulsve problem! Stay calm and inject those wretched zoners with the poison... and only those zoners!” She folded her arms against her chest. “Do you got that?”

“Does it really matter?” Tyreek asked, shrugging his shoulders. “I mean, as long as I stick to the shadows and they don’t realize what’s going on..” He paused for a moment. “Well Nihilanth did mention something about offing some nobodies, didn’t he? I don’t see the problem.”

“I know what he said...or implied. But I’d rather not waste time killing ‘nobody’ zoners. I’d want a few more distinguished ones dead, as that would leave a bigger impact.” Jenny said. “And I know it might not matter...but I’d rather you just stick with the zoners I mentioned. I don’t want you staying in there too long. Get in, kill those zoners, and get out.”

Tyreek grumbled softly, but then soon smiled. He raised up his black chalk and stared intently at it. He drew a small needle, which was filled with some kind of sickly yellow liquid. A type of poison that Bardot did not recognize. “Okay then. Don’t worry.” He held the needle up, grinning at it. He looked at Jenny. “I’ll get the job done...”

“Be back here as soon as you are finished. I expect it will take you up to two hours to do this. So I’ll be waiting for you here.” Jenny said.

“I understand, ma’am.” Tyreek said. There was slight sarcasm in his voice, but not much. He gave her a quick bow of respect before he moved away towards the stairs. “Those zoners won’t know what hit them!”

“For your sake, I hope so.” Jenny said. There was a softened expression, a bit of worry. “I’d hate to think of what Nihilanth will do to you if...”

Tyreek waved a dismissive hand as he headed up the staircase. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine!”

Jenny looked at him, her expression still soft, and watched him leave. She lowered her head slightly and gave a soft sigh. Bardot was a little surprised by this look of...well not compassion, but something close to it. But then, he shouldn’t be surprised, as he had known about the altruism of the black chalk, at least among each other. They did see each other as family, even if they did not show it often. This small, quick display from Jenny pretty much proved this notion. It was clear, even by her subtle change of expression, that she did fear for his safety.

Jenny’s expression soon hardened again. She swiveled her head in Draow’s direction. “I’m going to go to the former Luminos hideout.” She took a few steps forward. She stopped and looked over her sholder. “You are in charge of Bardot. Keep an eye on him.”

Draow chuckled at this. “Why? It’s not like he can go anywhere.”

Jenny narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not taking chances. Just make sure he doesn’t get out of his chains.” She turned her head and continued walking away. “I don’t want him to have even the slightest chance of escape, no matter how remote...”

“Oh don’t worry...” Draow smirked in Bardot’s direction, grinning. “He is not going anywhere...”

“See to it that he does not.” Jenny said.

And with that, Jenny disappeared up the steps, leading Draow and Bardot alone together for the first time since this whole mess began.

It felt a little awkward for Bardot. He had been alone with Draow for two years in the Fire Zone, and for a little while before he had him kidnap Rudy and Penny. But during those times, Draow had been on his side, his partner. Now, things have changed dramatically. He was a prisoner, and Draow was placed here to watch him to make sure he does not escape. Not that he could, but he should have known Jenny would be cautious.

His eyes moved up and down Draow’s body nervously. He had never been that afraid of Draow before, since he had his venom to help him. But now his venom was a lot weaker than before and while he could still do damage, he doubted that it could kill Draow, though it might incapacitate him. He was physically weaker as well, make worse by his side wound, which had barely been treated. He could still feel a dull ache from that wound, given to him courtesy of Draow.

Draow, on the other hand, was mostly fine. He couldn’t really see anything wrong with him. He was always stronger than him, but this time, he was ridiculously stronger since Bardot himself was so weak. It wouldn’t take too much effort from this guy to skewer him and be done with it. The only thing keeping him from doing that is he would anger the black chalk artists if he did. But that wouldn’t stop Draow from being an overall annoyance to him, nor would it prevent Draow from toying with him. He might not be able to kill him, but he could still hurt him.

“Well well...looks like it’s just you and me again... Just like old times, eh..?” Draow asked, a small smile stretched along his muzzle. He took a few steps towards Bardot, lightly kicking the blue chalk along with him. Once he was right in front of Bardot, he picked up the blue chalk and waved it in front of the yellow zoner, keeping it out of reach. “And I suppose you want this? It will help you get out of there...”

Bardot’s ears lowered. “Of course you would taunt me...”

“Consider it paypack for how you treated me.” Draow said simply, tilting his head upwards. “You had me in fear, to control me... Well now guess what?” He lowered his head, his fur raising up slightly. “It’s my turn...”

Bardot watched as Draow took another step closer, his claws still gripping the blue chalk as he dragged it along the ground. Bardot was amazed that it didn’t break under Draow’s weight. He stared up at the winged wolf before snarling at him and turning his head away. He didn’t want to waste time talking with this zoner. He needed to figure out how to get that blue chalk from him.

“Not talking huh? I shouldn’t be surprised. You really have fallen far from your throne, haven’t you?” Draow sneered at him, his eyes narrowed at the small yellow zoner. “Once you were so feared...now look at you. A pathetic lump on the ground. You couldn’t hurt a fly now if you tried.” He took a few steps forward, keeping the blue chalk clutched between two toes. “But don’t worry... Jenny still found a use for you. Consider yourself lucky you are still an asset, not a hindrance. And after you have fulfilled that purpose, you get to feed Ghadir. At least you will die always having a purpose.”

Bardot looked at Draow with one eye. Unable to ignore him, he said, “And what about you?”

Draow moved his head and body to the side as he stared at Bardot in confusion. “What do you mean? What about me?”

“You work for Nihilanth, who wants to destroy everyone...everything... I’m sure he will destroy you, too.” Bardot said. Slowly, he gave a sly smile as he stared at Draow’s narrowed teal eyes. “He might not revive you, even if he has the power to do so. He could just be using you. You are serving someone who wants to destroy the world...”

“He is going to recreate it!” Draow barked at him, his fur raising on end. “He intends on creating a better world! One without pain or weakness!”

“And he intends on doing that by creating a world wide disaster..spreading pain.. How counterintuitive...” Bardot remarked. He pushed himself up on his front paws, his body shaking from pain and weakness. “I would think you’d be too smart to fall for this, but perhaps your innate loyalty to black chalk as really blinded you. You are so quick to jump the gun and go with whatever plan the black chalk has in mind, even if it means throwing away your common sense and becoming suicidal.”

Draow lowered his head, his body positioned with his back parallel to the ground. “Do not question Nihilanth’s methods.” He said in a warning voice. “You do not understand his intentions. His plans would make things better for everyone... He will recreate the world and revive those he deems worthy...and change them so they will not be weak.” Bardot cocked an eyebrow at this. Draow spread his wings, his crimson wing membrane shining slightly in what light there was. “It will be a glorious world, so much better than this trash heap! And those revived will be grateful to Nihilanth! The ones who are the real enemy are those who oppose Nihilanth!”

Bardot chuckled bitterly at this. He knew he could take advantage of Draow’s impulsive nature, and he planned on doing so. “You really are a fool. Throwing your life away for a cause that isn’t really worth it.” He tilted his head o the side slightly. “Tell me, dear Draow...” His green eyes glinted. “Do you think a world where everyone is alike would be that exciting? If everyone were ‘strong’, then who is to say what strength is? You need the opposite, to understand the meaning behind both. If there was no cold, how would we understand heat? If there was no happiness, how could we fully understand sadness?”

Draow stared at him in shock for a few seconds, but then his eyes narrowed and he bared his sharp teeth. “You’re just ignorant.”

“And you are an idiot, taking orders from an omnicidal dragon thing.” Bardot said, raising his paw up in gesture. “But I guess idiots have to stick together, am I right?”

Draow opened his jaws and let out a screech. Bardot’s eyes widened in fear, but he stood his ground, refusing to look away. Draow stared at him, his pupils dilated in anger. The winged wolf dropped the blue chalk and stlaked towards Bardot, closing the already short gap between them. He lowered his head and put his face at level with Bardot, prepared to bite him.

“What..did you say...?” Draow asked, venom dripping off his words. “I dare you...say it again...”

“What? You need me to repeat?” Bardot asked in a taunting voice. “How suitable of you...” Draow growled at this. “I thought Cosmo was supposed to make you smarter than Biclops. Perhaps I was wrong there, too. Then again, I never did think highly of that man. He was just another idiot. Maybe it was a good thing Rudy caused his death. Natural selection went into play there.”

That was it. That’s what did it, made Draow lose his temper. The bat wolf’s pupils became even smaller. He spread out his wings again and let out a roar. Drool dripping from his jaws, he snarled at Bardot, “You need to learn respect!”

With that, he lunged forward, his jaws split open wide. Bardot watched carefully, waiting for the right time to move to the side. Draow’s jaws slammed shut beside him, narrowly missing him. Bardot ignored his pain and managed to get himself to Bardot’s side. He opened up his jaws wide and he bit down on the side of Bardot’s neck. This caused the wolf’s eyes to widen as his fangs sank in deep into his flesh.

Immediately, Draow lifted up his head. Bardot held onto him, working his fangs in deeper as his claws gripped against his fur. Draow shook his head from side to side. In the commotion, he managed to accidentally free Bardot, breaking the chain around his neck, causing water to splatter all over the place. A little got on Draow’s feet, causing him to screech in pain and nearly slip into the ground. Bardot refused to let go, managing to hang onto Draow for his weakened venom to get into his system.

Draow managed to hit him with his wing claw, knocking him into the ground. Bardot looked up at him, his eyes wide in fear. Draow bared his teeth at him and went over to attack...only to suddenly freeze, his eyes widening. Bardot watched as Draow’s body shook, the trembling increasing in intensity as the seconds passed. He knew that his venom had went to work. He could see the deforming in Draow’s neck. It wasn’t as bad as it was with that one guard he killed two years ago, but it was enough for him to know that Draow was now suffering the effects of his venom, even if it wasn’t the full force of it.

Draow stared at Bardot and seemed to realize that he had been tricked. His face changed to that of horror, as if the hidden fear of being bitten by him had resurfaced. He took a few steps back away from Bardot. He turned to try to run away, but soon his feet slipped out from udnerneath him and he fell into the ground. The only sign of life was the sound of ragged breathing and his chest inflating and deflating shakingly.

Bardot stared at Draow’s prone form before he looked down at the blue chalk. He crawled his way over to it, doing his best to ignore his pain. The struggle with Draow had done some damage to him, stretching his damaged outline and causing more blood flow and pain. He soon reached the blue chalk, which luckily hadn’t been damaged by the real world water that pooled out. Bardot then raised it and began to draw.

In seconds, he had created a small beacon, one programmed with a particular duty and message. It only floated above him for a few seconds before it flew off to do his job. Bardot watched as it left, hoping that it would work. Then, fully exhausted, Bardot dropped to the ground, closing his eyes. His paw relaxed, allowing the blue chalk to slowl roll out and come to a stop not far from him.


	118. Things Are Finally Turning

Mr. Longhorn had not been expecting this. He was expecting a lot of things, but this...something like this had eluded him. Then again, today, he had seen a lot of bizarre things, stuff that he never would have believed beforehand. Should something like this really surprise him?

Mr. Longhorn had arrived at the news station not too long ago. Chalk Dad and Sparky led him and Lars over to what appeared to be a large swamp of some kind. There were a bunch of red crocodile-like zoners roaming around, and he guessed that at least one of them had crawled into the real world. The portal was low enough. But even though they had found the portal’s location, just getting over there was a problem. The lake wasn’t shallow and the crocs, or gators or whatever, were not just going to let him through.

Although nervous to use the magic chalk after he had temporarily went nuts with it, Lars did assure him that repeat madness was rare. This did comfort Longhorn a little and encouraged him to draw again. It took some time to figure out just what he could draw, and he soon settled on arching stairs made of some strong material. The...staplegators he believed they were called, attempted to attack him, jumping into the air. Lars and Chalk Dad went to help, but he told them to stay put; he didn’t want them getting hurt and they had no idea what was on the other side.

Arriving at a news station was not what he expected, and it still somewhat surprised him. But it also worried him. Did someone here find out about ChalkZone and was about to expose it? He didn’t know the full consequences of that, just what Sophie told him, but he knew enough to know it wouldn’t be a good thing. And this theory on a staplegator being loose in here turned out to be correct. As he ran down the hallways, he had noticed several employees injured, some hiding in fear or running away. Not one of them tried to stop him or even acted like they took notice.

Mr. Longhorn wondered if it would have been a good idea to erase the portal. Then again, could he have? There was no eraser, and he wasn’t sure if he could use his hand to do the job. He didn’t have long to ponder this when he suddenly heard a loud scream echo off the walls. This time, it wasn’t one of the employees. It was Penny. His eyes widened in horror, and he ran through the building, trying to find where the scream was coming from. But the building was hard to navigate and he knew, unless he found help, he would not make it in time.

He had found one of the employees running away, and he could see a small staplegator behind him. The employee hid where he was, her eyes wide in fear as she watched the red zoner run by. She had been relieved when the gator didn’t notice her, but she realized too late she wasn’t out of the woods yet. She clearly heard his footsteps behind her and as she turned, her eyes widened, indicating she knew she was still in trouble. Mr. Longhorn grabbed her by the throat and shoved her into the wall.

The woman, who he found out was named Mrs. Harlow, told him what was going on after some...persuasion. The kidnapping, what Mr. Pierce did with Vinnie and Terry, trying to expose ChalkZone, framing Mr. Tabootie. She also gave him directions to the room where he was keeping Rudy and Penny. Mr. Pierce thanked her for the information, but before letting her go, he warned her not to tell anyone about him being there or to set off the alarm, because if she did, he could draw something big and scary to come after her. Although he felt guilty about scaring her like that, though it was not something he would actually do or consider, he needed something to keep her quiet.

It appeared to have worked. Mrs. Harlow promised not to say a word about their encounter. He shoved her away and told her to leave. She promptly did so and ran down the hallway. He watched her leave and, using the information he got from her, he moved down through the building, headed up one of the staircases, and soon reached the room that she had told him about. He knew it was the right one because of the horrific screams coming from it. He wasted no time and ran over to it.

He was horrified, as he came in through the door, when he saw Mrs. Sanchez being held by some deranged employees, and Mr. Pierce standing behind her, shoving some small knife into the back of her head. He only paused to stare for a few seconds, and then he rushed over as fast as he could. He punched Mr. Pierce out of the way, knocking him back. His employees looked at him in shock before they came to the aid of their boss.

And here he was, still fighting with them. He had not expected to get into another physical fight, like he had with the black chalk artists. Fighting was the last thing he should do, as he had been injured by Nihilanth. His back still burned with pain. But his drive to stop this unnecessary cruelty and keep Mrs. Sanchez and those teenagers from getting more hurt was enough for him to push aside his pain the best he could and continue fighting. Fighting against these guys was harder than when he took on the black chalk artists, mainly because there was more here. Four on one is not a fair fight, but still he held his ground.

He did look over at where Mrs. Sanchez was for a moment. He could see that she and Penny were trying to treat Rudy. The man’s eyes widened in horror when he saw, even if it were just for a moment, Rudy’s knee ripped apart. This caused him to strive to fight harder. If Mr. Pierce got back over to them, what would happen? Rudy didn’t look like he could take much more of a beating, Penny’s leg was badly damaged, and he doubted Mrs. Sanchez would be able to fight back forever.

One of the employees charged him, slamming against his side. He let out a cry of pain and stumbled backwards. He shook his head as he rubbed it. He looekd over at the employee and growled at him. He ran forward, retaliating with a charge of his own. One of the other employees punched him in the stomach, taking him by surprise. Mr. Longhorn widened his eyes and he nearly lost his footing. He glared hatefully at the men coming in around him. Four surrounding him, preparing to beat the crap out of him unless he did something.

When the third employee rushed over to him, Mr. Longhorn managed to move aside just enough for the man to run in front of him. He grabbed onto his shoulders and shoved him back into one of the other employees. He winced a little as he heard just how loud the impact was and watched as they tumbled back. He let out a cry of surprise when the remaining employee looped his thick arm around his neck and tried to choke him. Mr. Longhorn opened his mouth, struggling to take a breath. He glared in the man’s direction, barely able to see his evil smile from this direction.

The other two employees rushed over, looking eager to start beating him up. Mr. Longhorn narrowed his eyes at this. He was not going to give them that opportunity. He jerked himself left and right, attempting to loosen the man’s grip on him. When he loosened it enough, he suddenly jerked himself downward, arching his back the best he could, difficult to perform seeing that he’s a human and not some horse.

The force was enough and though he hit the ground painfully and awkwardly, he did manage to kind of fling the man over to the other employees. His body collided with them, causing them to fall into the ground. Mr. Longhorn climbed up to his feet and rushed over to them. While they were still dazed and confused, he grabbed onto two of them and slammed their skulls together, knocking them out. He did check to make sure they were still alive before taking on the third employee. He was relieved when they were still breathing. Mr. Pierce could have pinned him as the murderer and he would get arrested for what this evil man had done. He would get away with murder, and Longhorn was not going to allow that.

Now with two men out of the way, there were two more. Mr. Pierce had hung back, as if he hoped that his men would be able to take care of the job. He had apparently regretted that, and now he joined the remaining employee, clearly wanting to take him down. Never once did they look over at where Mrs. Sanchez was with the teenagers. Mr. Longhorn was grateful for this, as he was worried he wouldn’t be able to stop them in case one of them decided to bolt towards them. He did whatever he could to keep their attention on them.

“Come and get me, big guys!” Mr. Longhorn taunted them, moving himself from side to side. “Or are you too afraid to? Come on! Hit me!”

“You fool... How long do you hope you can last..?” Mr. Pierce asked in a menacing voice. “You have no idea just how you are dealing with! Even if I had no one to help me, I could still beat you!”

Mr. Longhorn laughed at this, prompting a glare from the two men standing before them. They began to advance on him slowly, but Mr. Longhorn showed no fear. Instead, he adopted a fighting stance. His hands formed into fists and he prepared to attack. The two men moved faster and then rushed over towards him. Mr. Longhorn took a few steps back, but never ran off. He waited for them to get close enough before he made a move.

The employee was the first one to reach him. The employee threw a punch in his direction, slamming it against his jaw. Longhorn backed up a little more, crying out in pain. He turned his head and stared intently at the man before punching him back, right on the mouth. He winced as he felt the man’s teeth slice against his skin. He did his best to ignore the pain as he grabbed onto the man’s shoulder and shoved him aside. His eyes widened in surprise when Mr. Pierce grabbed his arm from behind and yanked him back. He grunted in pain as he felt the man slam him against the wall roughly.

“Listen here, you little maggot!” Mr. Pierce hissed into Mr. Longhorn’s ear. “I don’t have time to play games with you! I need to take care of those three fuckers before they have a chance to ruin my plans! And I will not tolerate you trying to interfere as well! I’ll kill you too!”

Mr. Longhorn gritted his teeth as he turned to look at Mr. Pierce. It was hard to see him from this angle, but he could see enough to know that Mr. Pierce was clearly enraged by his interloping. No surprise either. It seemed as though Mr. Pierce was on his way to winning until he showed up. It made Longhorn happy that he did not stop for a second as he ran through the hallway. If he had, he might not have made it here in time.

“Which a shame... With how you managed to get past my other...employees... I would have thought you’d be caught by now. I could use someone with your skill..” Mr. Pierce said with a sneer. Mr. Longhorn wondered just how aware Pierce was of the staplegators being loose in the building. Surely he knew, with that dead body of one laying nearby. “Such a shame you..put yourself to waste by trying to save these...” He put his mouth next to his ear. “...pitiful wastes of space...”

Mr. Longhorn’s eyes widened at this. “Pitiful wastes..? Is that what you think...they are...?”

“Of course. They’re all worthless in the end. All three of them. They’re useless to everybody, providing no real benefit to anyone. The world would be better without them.” Mr. Pierce sneered, his grin broadening. “I intend on alleviating this world of them. I will kill them all, just like I will to you.” He twisted Longhorn’s arm, causing the man to cry out. Mr. Pierce chuckled at this. “Such weakness. You should have known better than to try to face me. You made a big mistake in coming here, and you will not leave this building alive...”

Mr. Longhorn struggled, jerking himself from side to side. Mr. Pierce pushed against him harder, his hand squeezing his shoulder roughly while his other kept twisting his arm painfully. Mr. Longhorn shut his eyes for a few moments, his teeth gritted in pain. As he seethed, he turned his head to look at Mr. Pierce, his one eye filled with anger, causing the evil man to just smile more.

“Of course..you would see them as wastes...but they have more value to them than you..” Mr. Longhorn snarled at him. He shut his eyes again as his arm was twisted more. The man grabbing against one of his wounds certainly didn’t help. “It’s people like you...who are worthless in the end...because all you do...is cause pain...and death...and blame it on others... You are the one who isn’t a benefit in society...and it is you who should be locked up, out of sight.”

Mr. Pierce growled at this, but then smiled. “I’m not at all surprised you feel that way. People like you are just ignorant, and don’t want to face the truth. So you make things up, lie to yourselves, and say it’s all right.” Mr. Pierce yanked Mr. Longhorn forward and slammed him into the ground. He pressed his foot against his back, twisting it, aggravating his burns. Longhorn screamed in pain. “You need to be taught a lesson about the way the real world works..just like how I taught Mrs. Sanchez...”

Mr. Longhorn bared his teeth at the man, looking at him with a mixture of pain and anger. “She didn’t deserve anything you’ve done to her!”

“...true..” Pierce said. Longhorn blinked. Did this man just confess he did wrong? No...that look in his eyes. That tone of his voice. There was something hidden underneath there. A cruel intention... “You’re right.” His eyes brightened as he turned his head towards where Mrs. Sanchez, Penny, and Rudy were. “She doesn’t deserve what I gave her...”

Mr. Longhorn felt his heart clench as the man stared in their direction. He twisted his body around, trying to get the man off of him as the remaining employee walked towards the three. He could hear him crack his knuckles, causing him to gulp. What..just what was he going to do?

Mr. Pierce stared at his employee, smiling as he approached the mother and daughter. He turned his head and sneered down at Mr. Longhorn. “Thank you for reminding me of that..I do so appreciate it. I had a feeling I forgotten something somewhere...”

“Wh-What are you going to d-do?” Mr. Longhorn asked with widened eyes. His head was turned to the side so he could stare up at the man. “What’s your plan..?”

“I am just going to..take back something I gave to that woman.” Mr. Pierce said casually. He made a gesture with his hand. “You see, I’m the reason that woman even has a daughter.”

Longhorn gasped at this. “Y-You’re Penny’s biological father...?!” This was not something he expected to hear.

Pierce nodded his head, a nasty grin on his face. “I am, indeed. I’m the one who gave her life. And now..” He raised his finger as his gaze turned towards the employee walking over to where the others were. “I will be the one to take it away...”

“No!” Mr. Longhorn cried in horror.

“Oh? Why not? It was your idea...” Mr. Pierce said. Mr. Longhorn looked up at him in horror. “Don’t look at me that way. You were the one who told me dear Inez did not deserve anything I gave her... And I did give her Penny. So..why don’t I take that away? Wouldn’t I be doing her a favor...?”

Mr. Longhorn struggled. “No! Stop!” He tried to get himself free, but Mr. Pierce just stepped on him harder, applying more pressure and causing more pain. “Please stop!”

“Oh but I can’t. I must have this done, as it’ll be..over my head for a while.” Mr. Pierce sneered. “I was going to keep Penny alive, but maybe I should just kill her off.”

“Be reasonable!” Longhorn shouted as he kept trying to jerk himself free.

“Oh you’re right about that. I’m not being reasonable.” Mr. Pierce removed his hand from his shoulder so he could fold his arms against his chest. “I should make sure someone will take her place that I intended... I know. Perhaps I will keep dear mommy around. Mrs. Sanchez will make a fine replacement. I’ll keep her around so she can watch the end of everything she holds dear. That way, she will learn never to cross paths with me again...” His eyes narrowed dangerously at this as his voice grew deeper. “I do hope she will let this all sink in...and she can use her daughter’s death as reason not to cross me. Otherwise, I will be forced a more...brutal hand...”

Mr. Longhorn watched in horror as the employee headed closer to where the others were. He could see Mrs. Sanchez try to defend her daughter, only to be thrown back. Rudy’s body was kicked across the room, blood splattering on the ground. The sight horrified him as well as the Sanchezes. They tried to get to Rudy, but the man would not let them. He grabbed Mrs. Sanchez by the throat and thrust her head against the table. This caused her to become dazed and confused. He then kicked her into the ground and there she laid, unresponsive but still awake.

Penny cried out for her mother and rushed towards her, only to be grabbed by the employee and dragged away. Longhorn watched as Penny squirmed in the man’s grasp, trying so hard to free herself. She eventually managed to free one arm and pounded against the man, but that did nothing to make him lose his grip. He looped an arm around her neck and squeezed tightly. Penny tried to push his arm away, but to no avail. The man then gripped her head and he started to twist it, causing Penny to cry out.

“No! Stop!” Mrs. Sanchez shouted as she regained her senses. She moved forward, but she was stopped when the man twisted her daughter’s neck harder, making the girl scream loduer. Mrs. Sanchez stopped and was forced to do nothing but watch as Penny’s neck was continuously twisted. “Please stop! Please!”

The employee just chuckled darkly, showing no intent on stopping. He slowly turned Penny’s neck, taking his time in slowly breaking it. The sight of it horrified Mrs. Sanchez. Tears flowed her eyes as well as Penny’s as the two looked at each other. They both knew that this might be the last time they’ll see each other.

Mr. Longhorn’s heart twisted at the sight of this. This...this was just horrible..monstrous..how dare this man do something like this... This was wrong... This was...This was needlessly heartless and cruel. He felt a sharp pang in his stomach as he heard Penny give another scream, and Mrs. Sanchez shriek in horror at her daughter’s pain. He felt his stomach twist in knots as he looked at Rudy’s prone form, remembering how cruelly he had been kicked despite his horrific injuries. He then turned his attention to Mr. Pierce.

Anger rose up inside of him. He could feel his blood heat up, burning his blood vessels. His head started to spin with different thoughts. Of all the mixture of thoughts in his head, one thought stood out the most. He needed to stop this man, or else. If something wasn’t done soon, Penny was going to lose her life, and so would Rudy. Mrs. Sanchez would suffer a fate worse than death. That...that must not be allowed to happen.

Adrenaline rushing through his body, Mr. Longhorn started to push back against this evil man. Mr. Pierce’s eyes widened in shock as Mr. Longhorn managed to push him back enough to swip his leg out. It collided with Mr. Pierce’s causing him to fall into the ground. Mr. Longhorn turned his body so he could grab the evil man by his shoulders, squeezing them tightly. He pushed him against the ground and attempted to pin him there. Mr. Pierce pulled his foot back and slammed it against his stomach. Longhorn grunted and held his belly for a few seconds before lunging forward in retaliation.

The two men wrestled with each other along the ground. They kept trying to pin the other. They ignored the looks they got from the employee, Penny, and Mrs. Sanchez. They were focused on just each other, wrestling and brawling. The two of them rolled across the floortheir hands gripping each other’s shoulders. They glared at each other, growling escaping their throats as their teeth were bared. Their eyes blazed with hate for the other.

Soon, after a few minutes of grappling with each other, Mr. Pierce managed to pin Mr. Longhorn to the ground. The two of them stopped for a few seconds, panting heavily, exhaustion prevelant in both of them. They didn’t take their eyes off each other, their pupils dilated. There they remained for a few moments, silent, tension rising in the air. Mrs. Sanchez and Penny watched, their eyes wide in horror, while the employee grinned at the fact that his boss gained the upper hand.

While Mr. Longhorn glared at Mr. Pierce, he heard a scream and he knew that the employee had gone back to twisting Penny’s neck, ready to snap it in two. He heard her mother shriek her daughter’s name and, though he couldn’t see, he could only imagine the horrified look she must have on right now. He glared hatefully in Mr. Pierce’s direction.

Mr. Longhorn snarled, “Let her go!”

“I told you..I cannot do that.” Mr. Pierce chuckled. He leaned forward, putting his face close to Longhorn’s. “And besides, it is your fault this happened. If you had just kept your mouth shut, I wouldn’t have gotten this..brilliant idea. And now look at them... I’m sure dear Inez will break after she sees my... ‘gift’... disappear.”

Mr. Longhorn looked over the best he could. He felt his stomach twist as Mrs. Sanchez cried and pleaded with the employee to stop. Penny was struggling to get free, looking absolutely terrified. The large employee ignored them and just continued to slowly turn her neck beyond its limitation. If this was allowed to go on much longer, there would be a horrific crunch and another dead body.

“But seeing as you are determined to save them...”

Mr. Longhorn looked up. His eyes widened in horror when he saw the man hold up the scalpel, soaked in he guessed was Rudy’s blood. The tip of the blade glinted a few times in the light. Mr. Pierce stared at it for a few seconds before looking down at Longhorn, grinning evilly.

“I need to make sure you can’t do anything to help.” Mr. Pierce said. “And don’t worry...” He lowered the scalpel towards Mr. Longhorn’s throat. “I will take good care of Inez. I will make sure she gets what she deserves...”

Mr. Longhorn struggled frantically as he felt the blade touch his throat. Then the man began to apply pressure. Mr. Longhorn winced as the blade easily broke the skin.

Suddenly, there was the pounding of footsteps. Lots of them...from many people. At this everyone froze as they heard a group of people storm towards the room. They turned their heads and seconds later, a bunch of cops rushed into the room, each holding out a gun.

“Freeze!” One of the cops shouted, his gun aimed for Mr. Pierce.

“Release the hostages!” Another shouted, leveling her gun threateningly to the employee.

The employee and Mr. Pierce stared in horror as at least six cops came into the room. Guns pointed directly at them. Slowly, reluctantly, they released their hostages and moved back. Penny rushed over to her mother, who embraced her in a hug. The two of them looked over at the cops, their eyes full of gratefulness. Mr. Longhorn got up to his feet and took a few steps back.

He was surprised the cops had come here so fast. He didn’t see any in the hallways...perhaps he was just in the wrong area? He then saw flashing colors in the corner of his eye. Slowly, the moved over towards the window and looked down. His eyes widened when he saw a bunch of police cars parked there, and he could see employees being taken out, each one handcuffed. He recognized one of them as Mrs. Harlow. He wondered if they got information out of her, or if something else happened.

Regardless, relief washed over him as the six policemen advanced on Mr. Pierce and his employee. Two of the policemen grabbed the unconscious men and took them away. The remaining four kept their guns pointed at the two, threatening to shoot if they dared to try anything. They did not have any kind of reaction to the red zoner, perhaps thinking it was just an animatronic or something.

Another cop came into the room, one that Penny clearly recognized.

“Officer O’Larry!” Penny cried. “H-How did you find us..?”

Officer O’Larry looked over at Penny and said, “Mr. Pierce called me in and told me there was a murder.”

“And they are accomplices!” Mr. Pierce cried, his voice tinging with desperation. “Arrest them!”

Mr. Longhorn, Penny, and Mrs. Sanchez shot a glare at the man. Of course he would try to have them arrested. Of course he would try to pin the blame on them. He was such a coward.

Officer O’Larry just stared at Mr. Pierce, at first not saying anything. Mr. Pierce’s breath quickened, as if he realized just what kind of trouble he was in. He took a few steps back, looking left and right. “Wh-Why aren’t you arresting them? I told you what happened! You should be...”

“I know very well what I should be doing. And I intend on doing that.” Officer O’Larry said. He narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. “I spoke to those parents, as well as the man you claimed to have killed Ms. Bouffant. And while your story does make sense...”

The officer reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a tape. At this, Mr. Pierce and his employee widened their eyes in horror. They took another step back as the officers moved forward a little.

“Wh-Where d-d-did you get that...?” The employee asked in a soft, stunned voice.

“One of your workers.. Mrs. Harlow I believe... gave it to me. I promised her a bit of a lighter sentence if she cooperated. And yes...” O’Larry’s eyes seemed to shine through Mr. Pierce’s eyes. “I have checked what’s on the video, and it would seem that those people you captured were right. Not only did you kill Ms. Bouffant, but it also shows you shooting Mr. Raton.”

Mr. Pierce’s face paled at this. Mrs. Sanchez and her daughter smiled at this, looking relieved. Mr. Longhorn smirked in Mr. Pierce’s direction, and then he watched O’Larry, waiting for the words he knew they were all waiting for.

“Between this video and what I had seen with my own eyes when I came into this room, I have seen enough evidence to charge you not only with murder, but with kidnapping and torturing, attempted framing, and attempted manslaughter.” Officer O’Larry said. He folded his arms and glared angrily at the man. “Mr. Pierce, I hereby place you under arrest.”

“What?!” Pierce cried. “No!”

As his employee was dragged away by two of the cops, the other two grabbed onto Mr. Pierce. They started to drag him away towards the door. Mr. Pierce struggled to escape.

Officer O’Larry continued, “Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in the court of law.”

Mr. Pierce was shoved against the wall. He let out a grunt of pain as his arms were forced behind his back. The scalpel he used was taken and placed in a plastic bag and labeled ‘evidence’. On of the officers placed cuffs on his hands, securing his arms behind his back. Then he was roughly swerved around, the officers hooking their arms through his and dragging him towards the door. All the while, Mr. Pierce twisted and turned, trying to escape.

“No! Stop! Please!” Mr. Pierce shouted, his eyes wide in fear and horror. He planted his feet firmly on the ground. The officers dragged him harder, making his feet skid across the groudn. “I didn’t do anything! I swear!”

Officer O’Larry chuckled bitterly. “That’s what they all say. But I have video proof of what you did, and trust me...” He stared directly into Pierce’s eyes. The man’s face contorted in fear as it paled even more. “..you will be locked up for a long time...”

“No!” Mr. Pierce cried. “You can’t do this to me!”

“My job is to keep this city safe from criminals like you.” Officer O’Larry glared at the man. “And that is just what I intend to do.”

With that, he was dragged out of the room. Mr. Longhorn, Mrs. Sanchez, and Penny listened as his screams echoed in the hallways, cursing and pleading to get free. They could hear his legs kicking the ground, and soon, that faded into silence. Mr. Longhorn moved towards the window, as did the Sanchezes. It took a few minutes, but they soon saw Mr. Pierce being dragged out towards a police car. Relief washed through them as they watched Mr. Pierce being shoved into the car and driven away, where he can’t hurt anyone anymore.

Officer O’Larry took a few steps towards them, his eyes wide with concern. “Are you three okay?”

“For the most part...” Mr. Longhorn said. He flinched a little as pain radiated off his back. “We...do need help.” He looked over at Rudy. “So does he...”

Penny glanced over at Rudy, biting her lip. She looked at O’Larry and said, “Mr. Pierce tortured him. He wouldn’t stop..he..he tried to break his leg off and...” She started to cry as her mother put her arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

“Shh...it’ll be okay..” Mrs. Sanchez whispered to her daughter, stroking her hair. “I promise..it will be okay...”

“The ambulance will be here soon.” Officer O’Larry said in a reassuring voice. “You’ll all be taken to the hospital for treatment.” He paused when he saw the red creature on the ground. He stared at it, his eyes narrowing. Mr. Longhorn and the Sanchezes watched in fear, afraid that the man might make the connection that this animal is made of chalk. But instead, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Pretty weird animatronic. We found a bunch of them in this building. Don’t worry, though. We chased them away with water. They must be programmed to be fear it, after all, they’d short circuit.”

The group sighed with relief at this. At least the officer though they were animatronic and of the real world, not some dimensional hopper from another world. They didn’t even have to come up with an explanation. The officer already provided one that they could use.

“They disappeared, though. Not sure where they went.” Officer O’Larry said.

Longhorn guessed, and hoped that the staplegators had went back through the portal from wence they came. He also hoped that the other adults find the portal before the cops do, otherwise the danger still hadn’t passed yet.

“I..” Officer O’Larry froze when he heard a siren outside. He turned his head to the window. “It seems the ambulance is already here. You three stay here. I will go down and lead the paramedics up here as quickly as I can.”

With that, the round officer rushed out of the room.

sss

Snap grunted in pain as Ghadir dragged him along by his scarf. He let out muffled cries of pain and a few whimpers as his wounds scraped along the ground, bumping into various rocks and shrubs. Ghadir was completely uncaring of how much she hurt him. She didn’t even look down at him, instead her gaze completely averted, staring straight ahead.

Snap struggled to get free. He tried to push the muzzle off, but it was no use. It was made entirely of metal and pressed against his face, tightened beyond what was required. It felt as though his teeth would pop out of his jaws any second. It caused him considerable pain. He kept trying to remove it, in hopes that maybe something would work. But it was a wasted effort. This muzzle required a key to remove, and Ghadir had it. She kept it in her pocket, away from his reach.

He tried to push her hands off of his scarf. He reached up, attempting to grab her. But he couldn’t reach, not while he was being dragged backwards along the ground. He managed to get up to his feet for a few seconds, but he didn’t react fast enough to regain his footing. He tripped over along the rocks and fell into the ground face first. He let out a groan of pain and gave a muffled yelp as his face was dragged against the ground.

Ghadir stared down at him and chuckled darkly, a nasty grin on her face. Her body was bent to the side so she could keep him on the ground. She clearly loved dragging him along the dirt and rocks. Just for the fun of it, she shoved his face into the ground and moved it along, intentionally causing him more pain and aggravating his other injuries. A few tears of pain escaped Snap’s face before he growled at her. Ghadir, not surprisingly, was not bothered by this and ignored the warning.

“We are almost there, food.” Ghadir said, grinning at him. She looked out in front of her once more, staring at their destination. “I will let you go and give you a little bit of a head start..then I will come for you.” Ghadir licked her lips slowly. “I anticipate the moment when my teeth sink into your flesh. I want to know what you taste like. Looks like I will finally get my answer..”

At this, Snap tried to protest verbally. But just like before, the muzzle prevented him from talking. He could only manage a muffled ‘no’ once in a while, but that was it. He glared hatefully up at Ghadir. He tried his best to hide his fear, not wanting the lunchlady to get a kick out of seeing him afraid. If he was going to die here, he was not going to die giving this woman any undeserved satisfaction.

Snap turned his head and stared at where they were headed. It appeared to be some kind of clearing in the middle of the forest. It was broad, and stretched what he guessed was a couple miles, and the edges were lined with thick, tall trees. A few birds flew out, going off into the horizon. The trees were were of multiple colors, not just green. He could see some oranges, reds, and golds as well. He would have thought this sight was beautiful if it weren’t for his current predicament. This place could very well become his grave. How fitting of Ghadir to turn this pretty place into a bloodbath.

Ghadir stood on the hill and looked down, She took in a deep breath, sucking in the air and then exhaling it. She raised up Snap and held him out. “In a few minutes, you will be on that field. And I will chase you... With that bad knee of yours, I will catch you, and I will eat you alive.” Ghadir sneered at Snap, chuckling at his look of contempt for her. “At least I’m not leaving any surprises for you. I’d like you, food, to know what is in store for you.”

Snap squirmed in her grasp. Growling as loudly as he could with the muzzle on, he struck out towards her. His fist missed her as she moved her head back. He struck again, and missed just like before. After he tried to hit her a few more times, Ghadir punched him in his damaged leg, right on his knee. Snap’s eyes widened and he screamed, or at least tried to with the muzzle on.

Ghadir chortled as she watched his face contort in pain. “You seem to forget who is in charge here... I call the shots. You have nowhere to go. But don’t worry...soon it will all be over...” She cupped his chin and tilted it up. Snap tried to push her hand away, but she gripped him tightly. “After I catch you, I will start taking bites out of your arms and legs. I’ll eat them slowly...then I’ll go for your stomach. I’ll rip out your contents and feast on them while you watch. I’ll force you to eat a part of yourself, just like I did with that stupid puppet zoner.” Snap’s eyes widened at this. “I’ll keep you alive for as long as possible. You will be forced to watch as I consume you alive. And when you die, I’ll save a piece of you and force your dear human friends to eat you..”

Snap shook his head in protest and attempted to punch Ghadir another time. She pulled her head back, letting his fist graze through the air. She laughed cruelly at him as she headed down the slope. She moved down it quickly, running along it. Snap swung in her hands, the force jerking him back and forth. This aggravated his wounds and he whimpered in pain. Ghadir ignored him and continued to run down. Then, near the bottom of the slope, she jumped. She landed heavily on the ground, her knees buckling. Then she continued to move through the forest.

Up ahead, the clearing became noticeable through the trees. Snap could see the day zone sun here shining, illuminating the ground through the shadow of the trees. Ghadir moved faster now, her walk turning into a brisk pace. A few times, she hit him against the trees just because she could. He let out a few cries of pain. Then, a few minutes later, she reached the edge of the forest. The sudden light shining down caused Snap to look away for a few seconds. He gritted his teeth and slowly looked back over as his eyes adjusted to the light.

Ghadir carried him a few feet out in the field, which consisted of just grass and nothing more, save for maybe a few boulders. Snap’s heart skipped a beat as he realized he was completely vulnerable out here. There was nowhere he could hide, and there were so few boulders, most of them too small to be of any use, that Ghadir would know where to find him almost right away. When she was several yards into the field, she dropped Snap carelessly on the ground and smiled down at him.

“Go on, little guy...” Ghadir chuckled. “Run...”

Snap got up to his feet. He tried again to remove the muzzle, but it was no use. He looked up at Ghadir, a mixture of fear and anger in his eyes. He took a few steps back away from her. He soon turned and ran away. He could hear Ghadir counting behind her, making cold fear rise up in his stomach. He pushed himself to move faster, trying to put as much distance between her and him.

Running like this was not a good idea. Seering pain spread through his knee. Despite it being treated a little, it still hurt him, causing him to limp. He realized, in horror, there was no way he could ran that fast with this bad knee, along with his other injuries, which hurt him as well. His internal injuries from the electric shock were also catching up to him. Bouts of horrific pain from his stomach and chest slowed him down even more. He looked behind him and, to his horror, Ghadir was running towards him now, closing the distance between them.

Snap kept on moving, pushing himself to go faster. Soon, he was dragging his injured leg along, shuffling it as he limped. He winced in pain as agony spread through his body. It felt as though his nerves were on fire. His heart pounded against his chest as he moved towards one of the boulders. His eyes darted from side to side, hoping and praying that someone would find him out here before it was too late. But what were the odds of that? He was too far away from any civilization in ChalkZone, and this was a forbidden area in ChalkZone, wasn’t it? Who would come out here?

The muzzle was creating problems for him, too. As his feet pounded the groudn, as he heard Ghadir laughing insanely as she rushed towards him, he found it was getting harder and harder to breathe. His nostrils pumped air in and out at a rapid pace, but it just was not enough for his body. He could feel his legs weakening as his lungs started to burn for oxygen. He started to slow down a little as tiredness and pain started to get to his. His head ached, swirling with slight dizziness.

He looked behind him and saw Ghadir was almost upon him now. Seeing, for a moment, his life flashing before his eyes, Snap started to run again. This time, his body started to wobble, swaying from side to side. He was exerting more and more energy, and his wounds were becoming more aggravated as time passed. His insides felt as though someone lit a match and set it on fire. His damaged knee kept buckling, making it harder for him to take a step without nearly falling over. Still, he kept pushing himself. He couldn’t give up. He had to try to escape, somehow.

Soon, Snap reached one of the boulders. He moved himself around it, knowing that it would at least provide a little time for him to rest. He pushed his back against it for a few seconds, taking in breaths as deep as he could with the muzzle holding his jaws shut. He could only manage a couple breaths when Ghadir came around the side and attempted to grab him. Snap jumped back, causing Ghadir to collide with the boulder. He started to run away, veering off in a new direction. Ghadir wasn’t slowed down for long, and she ran after him.

Snap headed towards the largest boulder, which wasn’t too far away. He looked behind him for a second to see how far Ghadir was. Happy to see there was still a little distance between them, he continued towards the boulder. He grabbed onto it as soon as he reached it and started to climb up. He made it on the top, about four feet above the ground. He watched as Ghadir reached the boulder and came up after him. Snap moved back, growling at her, holding up his fists in an attempt to defend himself.

Ghadir smirked at this. “How cute. You think you can hurt me...” Ghadir reached out and grabbed Snap by his scarf. She lifted him up into the air and put her face close to his. “You really are something, aren’t you, food? You will have to do better than this!”

With that, Ghadir threw Snap over the boulder. He sailed through the air and he crashed into the ground heavily. Intense pain spread through his shoulder and side, and he thought for certain he heard a rib or two crack under the force. Snap wobbled to his feet and staggered forward. Pain radiated off of his knee as he grabbed onto his head. He looked behind him and watched in horror as Ghadir rushed towards him, her mouth opened to show her teeth, the ones that would be digging into his flesh very soon.

Snap started to run, or rather, limp away as fat as he could. Ghadir slowed her gate, keeping herself a few feet behind him. Snap was not fooled. He knew that she was doing this on purpose, prolonging the hunt so she could toy with him mentally. He didn’t dare look behind her. He focused his gaze out in front, trying to race towards the forest. If he could get back into the forest, he might stand a chance.

Suddenly, Ghadir raced towards his front and stood there, blocking his path. He stopped and moved back a couple of steps. His widened eyes stared at her as she advanced on him slowly. She raised her hands up, her fingers flexing in anticipation. He couldn’t stop his face from paling as she licked her lips slowly and grinned at him. Snap was so focused on Ghadir that he failed to take notice of a small rock behind him until it was too late.

His injured leg hit against hit. Seering pain shot through, rapidly moving up and down, as his knee was twisted. He fell into the ground, his body shuddering in pain. Ghadir paused and looked down at him, her arms folded against her chest, amused. Snap struggled to get up, but the twist had caused further damage to his leg. To his horror, blood started to leak from the wound once more, and he realized the fall was enough to rip the skin a little more, spreading beyond the bandage Raiden gave him now. He gripped his leg to himself as he looked up at Ghadir, glaring at her, but unable to hide his spark of fear.

“Too bad it has to end this way, Snap. I bet you never thought you’d die way out here... Alone..” Ghadir grinned at Snap. The zoner glared at her, prompting her to laugh. “Take a look around you... There’s no one here. You will die alone here. How does it feel..?”

Snap felt a pang in his heart. A few tears escaped as he continued to glare at Ghadir. Rudy.. Penny... Blocky.. Rapsheeba... He wished he could see them one more time. He wished he could say goodbye to them. The thought of never seeing them again, the thought of them having to suffer mentally because of this evil woman...it was too much for him to bear. He wished that something would happen...anything...

Ghadir kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying back. He let out muffled cries, more tears moving down his face. She moved over towards him and stood above him. She raised her foot and pressed it down on his stomach, effectively holding him there. He struggled, twisting his body from left to right. He stared up at her, wide-eyed.

“And after I’m done with you...” Ghadir said, chuckling softly. “I will find that puppet, and I’ll finish eating him. He tasted so good...” Snap growled at this, narrowing his eyes in hate. Ghadir’s smile broadened. “Oh don’t worry... I’m sure you taste good as well...”

Ghadi reached down and grabbed one of Snap’s arms as she lowered herself. She opened her jaws and bit down. Snap let out muffled screams of agony as Ghadir bit into his arm, her saliva letting her slowly, but surely, cut into his flesh. Soon, she ripped out a small piece of flesh. He whimpered and cried in pain as blood dripped from the fresh wound. He watched, his heart skipping a beat, as she chewed on his torn flesh and swallowed it.

“Yes, just like I thought. Your meat tastes divine. Better than I expected.” Ghadir chuckled as licked her lips slowly. Her eyes brightened with cruel intent as she stared directly into his soul. “You better get used to that pain.. You will be feeling a lot of it...”

Snap wriggled on the ground, trying so hard to get free. Ghadir laughed at this before she lowered her head towards his arm again, preparing to bite another chunk out of him.

Suddenly, without warning, something large slammed against Ghadir. She let out a scream as she was tossed to the side. Snap sat up on the ground quickly and looked over. He could see some gashes on her back. Large ones. Blood dripped from them. Ghadir shuddered in pain, but soon was on her face. She looked around, her face contorted in anger. She looked left and right, trying to find whoever ‘dared to interrupt her hunt’. Soon, Snap saw a familiar face.

It was Corky. The large condor dove down towards Ghadir, a loud, angry squawk escaping her beak as she slammed her talons against Ghadir, knocking her onto her back. The large bird landed on the ground and stood in front of Snap. Her feathers ruffled in anger, she opened her beak and screeched at Ghadir. The lunchlady’s eyes widened a little and she took a few steps away. But she did not run. She raised her magic chalk threateningly.

“Take one more step, bird, and I will be having poultry for dinner.” Ghadir threatened.

“You’ll have to deal with me first!” Someone shouted from behind.

Snap raised his head up and looked over. There was a stick figure zoner standing there, slamming a fist against his palm. He looked ready to take on Ghadir. Snap didn’t know whether he was brave or crazy. Maybe a mixture of both. He climbed up to his feet and staggered a little. Someone caught him. He looked behind him and saw that two more zoners came, and they held onto his arms, keeping him steady. They glared over in Ghadir’s direction.

Ghadir noticed them and sneered at them. She looked back over at the stick figure zoner. “How are you going to stop me?” She took a step forward, her black chalk glowing ominously. “Tell me, what army do you have to help you?”

The stick figure narrowed his eyes and pointed a thumb behind him, and then gestured to all around. “This army.”

At this, Ghadir and Snap took a look around them. Their eyes widened in shock as what appeared to be fifty zoners came onto the field. Snap had no idea just how this was possible. How did they know they were here? Why hadn’t he noticed them before? He had to wonder if Bardot had a part in this, and if so, why? Why would Bardot help him..? But then, what else could explain this..?

The zoners closed in slowly, forming a circle around them. Some were stick figures, some humanoid, some more beast-like, and others full on animal. A couple were bizarre zoners, like a living street lamp and a living basketball. All of them had one thing in common. They were very angry, glaring hatefully at Ghadir.

“It’s her! She’s the one who has been hunting us these past few days!” One zoner shouted.

“She ate my wife!” Another cried.

One of the humanoid zoners pointed a finger in her direction. “And she ate my best friend!”

Murmurs like this echoed through the crowd, showing that a number of these zoners had a loved one killed and eaten by Ghadir. This caused an aura of vengefulness to permeate through the air, weighing heavily down on all of them. Ghadir’s eyes were wide in shock, but still, she stood her ground. She narrowed her eyes in determination as she raised her black chalk threateningly.

“You zoners stay back!” Ghadir cried, showing them the black chalk. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you all!”

The zoners did not listen. They bared their teeth at her and, without warning, they rushed over at her from all directions. Ghadir looked left and right quickly, still looking determined, as if she felt she still could beat them. She started to draw but she didn’t have time to finish before the zoners made contact with her. She let out a few screams as the zoners attacked her left and right, slashing, biting, kicking, and punching her whenever they had the chance. For a while, Snap couldn’t even see her because of the crowd ganging up on her.

Then, Ghadir emerged, and she looked absolutely horrified, her eyes wide in fear. She ran away from the crowd a little and tried to draw again. But one of the flying zoners knocked the black chalk out of her hands. Ghadir, clearly panicking, rushed towards it. Another zoner, an elephant one, stomped on it, crushing it into dust and leaving her defensless. At this, Ghadir gulped and got up to her feet. She took a few steps back, looking around at the zoners closing in on her. Her breathing quickened, her eyes widening in terror.

Ghadir stared at the zoners with a frightened expression, realizing just how screwed she really was. Then, without warning, she turned and she started to run. The zoners rushed towards her, continuing their attack on her. Ghadir let out a series of screams as she was chased through the field. Snap watched wordlessly, his eyes wide in shock. The hunter has become the hunted.

“Come on, Snap...” One of the zoners who was helping him stand. “Let’s get you back to the hospital...”

With that, the two zoners helped him towards Corky, who had lowered to the ground, her wings flattened so they could get on her back.


	119. Except Regain Control

Tyreek moved slowly towards the hospital, laying low and making sure no one saw him. He kept to what foliage there was available. Not enough for his liking, but it was enough to kee himself hidden. He needed to make sure no one saw him, otherwise this mission was botched. The task itself was simple. Kill a couple zoners. But the method that Jenny wanted him to use was not. It would be simpler to just bomb the place, but he knew he could not do that. Not here.

Tyreek had to remain stealthy. He had to get in there, keep himself hidden, and poison those zoners. He replayed in his head over and over again how he would do that. He just needed to locate their food trays and put the poison in there. He had thought about a needle, and while he still had it on hand just in case, putting the poison in the food might be better. It would make it seem as though someone in the hospital killed them, putting the zoners off his trail, at least for a time. Maybe, if he was lucky, a disgruntled zoner would be arrested in his place.

He pressed himself between two trees that grew close to each other. He peered out between them and stared at the windows, watching as he could see zoners moving around inside. They looked a little panicked, a bunch of them talking together. He wondered if this was Boorat’s doing. The rodent zoner was likely not very subtle, and when he took Snap, he must have caused a commotion. That would explain why the doctor zoners, and some patient zoners that were visible, were frightened and appeared on edge.

He grumbled to himself. For a while, he wondered what he was going to do. Boorat’s kidnapping had caused too much ‘noise’, so to speak, and now the zoners were on alert. If they see anything even remotely suspicious, they were going to check it out. He might only have time to poison one of the zoners. As soon one dies, that would put them on full alert, and if he tried to poison another, he would likely get caught. And as Jenny pointed out, that would not be a good thing.

Despite being argumentive with her, and not fully certain himself just what zoners could do in a group, he couldn’t argue that what Jenny and Draow said did make sense. He was aware of how small creatures, like ants, work together to move massive objects...well compared to them anyway, and the same principal could be applied to zoners. Weak apart, but strong together as Draow had put it. If he got in that building and if he were spotted by a bunch of zoners that were angry enough, he could be chased and it would be hard to fight back. Who knows what the zoners would do to him if they managed to get the black chalk away from him...

He shook his head, trying not to think about it. The zoners would probably be too scared to fight back anyway. He and his comrades had struck enough fear in them with their random attacks around ChalkZone. The sight of him would most likley make most of them flee like the cowards they were. He smirked to himself. They would probably not even try to talk aback at him, as if afraid that one word out of them would be enough to send them to their deaths. Yeah, he probably had nothing to worry about.

Tyreek focused again on the window. His eyes narrowed slowly. The front part of the hospital was busy, with all those zoners trying to make sense of what happened, and trying to calm down the patients there. Boorat must have made quite the impressiono n them. He still wasn’t sure what they were going to do with that rodent. Jenny doesn’t see much sense in killing him so quickly, stating that they could force Boorat to run a few ‘erands’ for them first at least. Then Ghadir could eat him afterwards after he’s fulfilled his usefulness.

He soon decided that perhaps the best way to get into the hospital was by going around. Look for another entrance. He realized that if the doctors, or at least a large number, were in the front, discussing with each other and patients about Boorat and what happened, that might have left the remaining parts of the building largely unguarded, or whatever the proper term would be. If he could go around back, or even climb through an empty room, he may have a chance.

Camouflage would be a great help here. Jenny suggested that to him before, and while he agreed it would be a great help, he wasn’t really sure what he could draw to disguise himself here. And cloaks that made him invisible only worked for a short time. They had flaws that zoners can exploit once they catch on that someone in the room was invisible. Some zoners had an excellent sense of smell and hearing, which would also give him away. Plus, being invisible means having to watch his step at all times, looking around to make sure no one was coming towards him. It would be more of a hindrence than an asset, so he didn’t plan on using it.

Instead, he just needed to find a way into the kitchen and find where all the food was marked. He was certain the hospital had such a place, organizing the food for each patient so they could be taken to them right away, instead of having to rummage through everything to find the one food item a patient needed or wanted to have.

But sneaking into the kitchen was not going to be easy. Even if the doctors were mostly gathered in the front, talking, there were other staff members to consider. The hallways might be emptier without doctors, but the kitchen still had chefs and cooks in it, preparing the food and organizing it. Sneaking into it would still require a lot of stealth, and since there were likely cameras there, he’d need to do something about the security, or find a way to sneak in without getting caught. All in all, it was not going to be easy, and he had to be prepared to wait a long period of time to fulfill his task.

But for Nihilanth, his comrades, and the black chalk, he was willing to take the risk. He knew that, in the end, it would all be worth it. His destructive nature, his love of blowing things up, it served a purpose. It, along with all the other things the black chalk artists did, brought the world closer to a rebirth. Nihilanth wanted to destroy the world to create a better one. Everyone would be better off in the end. Nihilanth’s methods might be extreme, but in the end, he just wanted what was best, and ultimately, his world would make things better for everyone.

It is just a shame that the white chalk users have no idea what they’re doing... It’s a shame that the white chalk users refuse to see reason and logic, and cling onto useless hope for this world. If they could just open their eyes, they would see what Nihilanth was really doing. Maybe, if they stopped looking at this through a biased perspective, they’d come to understand just how wrong they were, and maybe they’d even help Nihilanth achieve his goal. An unlikely situation, as he could not imagine the white chalk artists ever admitting fault. But it wouldn’t hurt to have a little bit of hope for that.

Tyreek moved along the side of the building. He kept to the foliage, or whatever there was available. He was still a good distance away from the hospital. He would need to get closer eventually, but he’d need to find a suitable spot first. His eyes moved up and down the building, trying to find some place he could sneak through without getting caught. He kept his eyes on darkened rooms, as that meant that either it was not being used, or whoever in there was sleeping. He could use the darkness to his advantage, too, just in case someone walks in or he wakes up the patient inside by mistake.

Soon he came onto a dark room on the lower level. He moved in slowly, looking left and right a few times just to make sure no one was there. He crept closer, making sure his footsteps were light, and his body hunched forward to make himself appear shorter. This room might be the perfect entry point to poison those worthless zoners. He grinned softly to himself. He was hoping this room would contain either Biclops or Tsere. They would be the most fun to get rid of. Skrawl was a bonus, but he didn’t carry as much hate for him as he did Biclops and Tsere. Same thing with King Mumbo Jumbo.

When he reached the window, he grabbed onto the ledges lightly and he peered inside. It was a little hard to see as there was no light turned on. Well no bright ones anyway. He did take notice of smaller, multicolored lights which he knew were from small machines hooked up to a patient. He couldn’t tell who the patient was from here. It was just too dark.

This room seemed like the perfect entry into the hospital. The patient inside was sleeping. They were hardly moving save for breathing slowly. If he remained as quiet as he could, he could sneak into the building without a problem. It should be easy to get in with the black chalk, too. He took it out and, grinning, he drew a circle on the wall and, in a few seconds, a hole appeared, silently destroying that part of the wall and granting him access inside.

He lowered himself more and moved through the hole as quickly and silently as he could. He took care not to himself against the wall or anything. It took a few seconds and he was in the room. He rose himself up, straightening his back. He brushed himself off quietly, making sure to get rid of any chalk dirt that got onto him. He looked over at the patient to see who it was. His eyes widened slowly. He hadn’t expected to be in the room of one of his targets, but here he was.

It was King Mumbo Jumbo. He looked pretty bad. His shell was wrapped up, indicating that he had broken it somehow. His body had multiple cuts and bruises, and it looked as though he had a few deep gashes as some of the bandages were coated in dark red blood. A few burns accompanied him, most of them covered up in bandages, while a few small portions were exposed, though just barely. Enough for him to know that they were burns.

Look at the zoner, he was definitely in a miserable shape. He was certainly lucky to be alive. Tyreek wondered if killing him would be considered an act of mercy. He didn’t know how well he could recover from the broken shell, and his life readings were pretty weak. Perhaps the zoner was better off dead...

..not that he cared. It didn’t matter to him if this zoner was dead or alive. He was more interested in Tsere and Biclops, as they caused the black chalk artists the most grief. Mumbo Jumbo hardly did anything to them. But still...he was listed as a target, and they did need him out of the way to make sure that Barney could not regain control. There was still a probability that he could, and that was the last thing they needed right now. Yes, might as well kill him now and get it over with. It wouldn’t take long.

He looked at the various IV fluids that were pumping liquid underneath his skin. He smirked darkly as he took out the needle he drew before, filled with that poisonous yellow fluid. All he had to do was stick the needle in one of these bags and that was it. The machine would do the rest of the work for him, and Mumbo Jumbo would die silently. By the time the doctors get in here to check what happened, he would be long gone. It would be perfect.

Slowly, he moved his way towards the side of the bad. He stared down, noting the zoner’s sickly pale expression. His eyes were shut lightly and head turned to the side. His breathing was shallow and course. He was completely helpless. This was going to be so easy. Tyreek reached up and grabbed onto the pouch of IV fluids. Soon he would kill this zoner, and be one step closer to bringing Nihilanth to victory.

Before he put the needle in, he paused and thought about something. He realized he hadn’t used his position as principal to his full advantage. He managed to shut down the school and he did get to keep an eye on Rudy and Penny, but only for a short time, before they were dragged away. Perhaps...perhaps he should do something about that soon. On the off chance that this plan is ruined, perhaps he should prepare something...special...for Rudy and Penny to go back to. The thought brought a grin to his face. He and the black chalk artists could still get the last laugh after all.

He turned his attention back to the turtle. He hadn’t stirred yet, still in a deep sleep. He wrapped his fingers tightly around the needle, his thumb pressed against the top. He brought the needle closer to the back. In seconds, it would pierce the plastic and the yellow, poisonous fluid would go inside.

Suddenly, there was a flash of brown, a blur of teal, and Tyreek found himself pushed up against the wall. He gave a grunt of pain, his eyes shut tightly for a few seconds. His mind swirled with thoughts. Just what happened? Who had come in here...and how had he not noticed them before? Slowly, he opened up his eyes and saw that something large and brown had him pinned up against the wall. It wasn’t a doctor or a patient; this zoner had nothing on. So..so why was it in a hospital?

The zoner was clearly a griffin, judging from the bird and lion parts. Its wings were teal in color while the rest of its body was tan, a light brown. It stood about his height, if not a little shorter. Its front paws, hooked like the talons of a bird, were pressed up against his shoulders, keeping him against the wall. The griffin looked very pissed off, its eyes narrowed into slits. Tyreek attempted to struggle, but found that the only way to push the zoner off of him was to make noise, and that wasn’t something he could afford to do. He stared into the zoners eyes, glaring aback at it.

He soon recognized this particular zoner. He was certain this griffin was from that mythological place in ChalkZone. He forgot the name, but it was open to tourism and had a bunch of mythological creatures that children around the world drew. That left him even more confused as to why this griffin was here in the first place. Why wasn’t it back there? Why was it in the hospital? It didn’t look injured at all. And just how had it snuck up on him without him noticing.

That’s when he realized... had he fallen into a trap? Had the zoners here expected him? That was impossible..and yet it seemed like that is what happened. How else would this zoner have gotten into the room without him seeing it? It was as if it had been waiting for him, and was moving quietly behind him. It must have been in the room the whole time. Someone..someone must have told these zoners what he was planning. But how? The only zoner who could have and would have done something like that, if given the chance, was..

...Bardot... His eyes widened at that realization. Could Bardot have done something? Could he have warned the zoners of his arrival, so they could be prepared? If so, he was in big trouble. He attempted to use the black chalk, only for the griffin to seize it in its short beak and toss it away, leaving him defenseless. His eyes widened in fear as the griffin turned its head back towards him, a look of intent in those piercing eyes.

The griffin opened its beak. Tyreek cringed back, expecting the zoner to bite into him. But instead, the zoner spoke to him.

“I woudn’t try anything with that needle if I were you...” The griffin said, beak remaining open part way in a somewhat threatening manner. “Unless, of course, you want my claws to have a little..accident on your face...” With that, the griffin raised her..or at least she sounds female, above her head, the claws glinting in the light.

Tyreek’s eyes widened at this and he started to struggle. The griffin held him tighter, digging her claws into his shoulder, causing him to flinch. He realized if he struggled to hard, he could cause the zoner to slash his shoulders open by mistake, and he’d scream..and that would alert other people in this hospital that he was there. He had to get out of here and fast. He looked towards the hole and tried to get over to it.

The griffin grinned at him, cocking an eyebrow. “Where do you think you are going? You have a lot to answer to.... Isn’t that right, Dr. Lancer?” The griffin turned her head to the door.

Tyreek looked over and, to his horror, the door had been opened up. There, standing in the door way, was another zoner. This one was a hippogriff and was larger than the griffin holding him. This zoner wore a doctor’s outfit and he could see the name tag that read ‘Dr. Lancer’. The hippogriff zoner took a few steps into the room, blocking that way out.

“That is quite right, Quirk. You’ve done a good job.” Dr. Lancer said. She swung her beak in Tyreek’s direction, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “And as for you... We have been expecting you.. And we have waited for quite some time for you.” She paused for a moment. “Okay, it hasn’t been that long. Still..it felt like forever. We thought you would never show up.”

“H-How did you...?” Tyreek stammered, his eyes still wide.

Quirk chuckled at this, putting her face close to his. “Let’s just say..we got an early warning.”

“And you..black chalk artist...have run out of luck.... You might have thought you could sneak in here and get out without detection...” Dr. Lancer walked in closer. Tyreek felt intimidated by her massive size. Without the black chalk, he couldn’t fight back against these two. “Well...think again. And now, since we have you in our..custody...” She raised her paw to him, her claws glinting in the light in the hallway. “...We have some...questions for you...”

Tyreek’s eyes widened in horror as his heart froze. What was he going to do now?

sss

Ghadir let out a scream of pain as one of the zoners slashed her with his claws, cutting into her side. The cuts weren’t as deep as they could be, but they still caused her considerable pain. She staggered to the side, putting her hand on the wound, and continued to run. She didn’t know where she was at the moment, but her mind was too panicked to pay attention. All she was aware of was the army of zoners chased after her and the cold fear that was plaguing her mind.

She never felt she’d feel like this. She never thought she’d be the one feeling this emotion right now. Fear... That’s what she was feeling. She couldn’t deny it anymore. She was terrified and running for her life. The zoners would probably kill her if they had the chance to. She had killed and eaten so many of them... She wouldn’t doubt that they would ‘return the favor’ by killing her. This realization filled her with dread and she pushed herself to go faster.

She didn’t know how long she could keep this up. Her legs were already weakening, feeling like they were burning. Her mouth was open as she took in several breaths, but her lungs felt like they were on fire. Her mouth was dry, making it a little painful to breathe in. She needed to drink something, but she could not drink anything here. She had to get back to the real world, but she was far away from any black chalk she could use. In short, she was screwed, and once those zoners catch up to her...that was it. It was over.

She dared to take a look behind her. The zoners were catch up to her. Some were just a couple feet behind her. She winced as she saw them flash their teeth at her, some sharp, some looking strong enough to crush her. Other zoners had their fists raised in the air, making it clear that they were going to hit her once they got close enough. She let out a ragged whimper and continued to run.

Ghadir didn’t know how this happened, or why. How did those zoners find her? How did they know where she was going to be? The only thing she could think of is that Bardot had something to do with it. If that were the case, then she felt stupid for not suggesting they discuss their plans away from him. She should have known that Bardot, in retaliation for how he was being treated, would try something like this. He was the only one who both knew where she was taking Snap and would have done something to stop her. Now here she was, being chased by at least fifty zoners through the forest. And she was starting to slow down...

Suddenly, one of the flying zoners dove towards her. She let out a cry of fear as it swooped passed her, narrowly missing with its claws. She put her arms over her head to protect it when the zoner came back. This time, she felt the claws graze across her skin, making her wince. She turned her head to see where the flying zoner was going, but this turned out to be a mistake. She didn’t notice the tree she was running into and she smashed up against it. This dazed her for a few seconds, and that was all the zoners needed.

Before Ghadir could continue running, one of the humanoid zoners grabbed her by her arm and threw her closer to the crowd. Ghadir let out a scream as a couple zoners ganged up on her and began to kick her in the side. Pain wracked through her body as foot after foot slammed against her. She attempted to get up. She was knocked back into the ground when a dog zoner punched her in the jaws, forcing her onto her back. The zoners closed in, and she could feel them biting her and tearing into her arm, leaving behind bloody wounds.

In retaliation, Ghadir defended herself by punching and kicking back. She grabbed one of the stick figure zoners and threw him into the dog zoner. She struggled to get off the ground. She punched and kicked the zoners away, slowly managing to get up to her feet. A bird zoner pecked at the top of her head, making her lower her head as she tried to run off. This slowed her down enough for the elephant zoner to strike her with its trunk. The appendage slammed against her stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

Ghadir let out panicked screams as she struggled to get away from the zoners. On her stomach now, she crawled away. The zoners piled on her, biting and clawing at her as she tried to get away. She could feel her clothes getting torn, her face and body getting scratched up and bruised. She eventually managed to get free and continued running. The zoners, shouting and cursing at her, continued to give chase.

As she ran, she had many thoughts running through her mind. She...she shouldn’t have hunted the zoners so recklessly. She should have been more careful. She should have been more discreet. Because of her mistakes, the zoners knew they were being hunted, and that anger had been growing inside of them. If she had been more careful, she could have made it look like the zoners wandered off on their own, and they wouldn’t have expected she was hunting them. Now, she was paying the price for her stupidity.

The zoners continued to chase her relentlessly. She, the hunter, truly has become the hunted. She had her doubts these zoners would give up. They’ll continue chasing her for however long they felt it was required. Without the black chalk, she was almost completely defenseless. Sure, she could fight back for a time, but only with the smaller zoners. There were a number of zoners chasing her that would be more than a match for her. Large zoners that could kill her easily. If she got stuck in their grasp... She gulped, her body shivering at the thought.

Ghadir soon realized she was heading straight for the Solar Pillars. At this realization, she started to push herself faster. She...she would be safe there. She just had to speed herself up. The zoners wouldn’t dare get too close to the Solar Pillars. They knew, or at least she hoped they did, how dangerous that place was for them. Even though Jenny and Tyreek were gone, the zoners wouldn’t know that, they would slow down or stop, giving her more time to get into the structure. She can lock the door and be safe. The zoners wouldn’t dare follow her in there..or at least she hoped they wouldn’t.

Ghadir dared another glance behind her. She widened her eyes in fear when she saw the zoners get closer, too close... She tried to move herself to go even faster. She would see the edge of the forest up ahead. All she had to do was get out there, and run across the void, and she was home free. Just the mere appearance of the structure would be enough to scare the zoners...or were they so angry right now that they would set aside their fear of Solar Pillars in favor of chasing her down? Ghadir felt her blood freeze as she realized that they should have kept the teleporter in place. It would have come in handy right about now.

A four-legged zoner came up to her side, her mouth open with razor sharp teeth. She snapped her jaws at Ghadir, causing the woman to scream and jump to the side. This left her open for an attack on the other side as a kangaroo zoner managed to hit her with his tail. Ghadir nearly dripped and fell, but she managed to regain her footing...but not for long. These attacks caused her to fear a little to the side, and she realized, too late, that she had headed towards a silightly thicker patch of vegetation. Her leg got caught on a tree root. She let out a cry of pain as she slammed into the ground painfully.

She looked at the crowd of zoners in horror. Screaming in terror, she turned and tried to crawl away. She didn’t get far when one of the beast zoners grabbed onto her legs and pulled her backwards. Ghadir, gritting her teeth, grabbed onto the grassy ground, her fingers trying to get a hold. The beast zoner was too strong for her and she was dragged back, her fingers making deep scratches in the ground. In seconds, she was tossed back into the crowd and she found herself surrounded by a bunch of angry zoners.

Her vision, sense of touch, and hearing was overloaded as the zoners attacked her. All she could see were blurs of colors as the zoners ganged up on her, bit her, kicked her, whatever they wanted to do. Her touch was filled with pain. She ached everywhere as the zoners attacked whatever part they could. She could hear nothing but the intermix of her screaming and the shouting and yelling of the zoners. The sensations were so overload that it felt as though it eachoed through her mind.

As she was tossed around a few times, slammed into the ground, she found it a little hard to believe just how violent these zoners were behaving. They usually weren’t this aggressive. They were really doing a number on her. But then, she shouldn’t be surprised and she knew that. She had killed so many zoners. She had forced their hand, and now they were attacking her out of vengeance, and the desire to protect other zoners from her. Would they go as far as kill her? Perhaps they would. She...she needed to get out of here.

She managed to get out of the crowd again, but this time, she was so badly hurt, she couldn’t run right away. Holding her hand, panting heavily, she swayed back and forth before she put her hand on the nearest tree. She leaned against it, trying to catch her breath. She looked over at the advancing crowd of zoners. Her eyes widened in fear as she pressed herself against the tree, as though it was going to protect her somehow.

“N-No..please...leave me alone...” Ghadir begged them. “Please...don’t hurt me...!”

The zoners did not look pleased by this. Many gave her a disgusted look, and a number of them looked like they wanted to charge her for saying that.

“Don’t hurt you, huh? Why not?” The stick figure zoner who confronted her before said. His arms folded up against his chest. “You were hurting us first. We are just returning the favor.”

“Yeah!” The flying zoner who attacked her before cried. “Give us one good reason why we shouldn’t rip you apart!”

Ghadir cringed back, her body shaking like a leaf. Tears of fear strolled down her face as she moved as far back as she could against the tree. “Please...don’t hurt me anymore... J-Just let me go..” She whimpered, sniffling as she continued to cry in fear.

The lamp post zoner took a step forward. He pointed his finger in her direction. His eyes seemed to glow read as he stared intently at her. “How many of our brethren have begged you to let them go? How many of them pleaded not to be hurt, not to be killed? Tell us that, and tell us how many you let go.” Ghadir didn’t say anything. “I thought not. You killed all of your victims, except two. Why should we show mercy on you?”

Ghadir looked at the zoners. All them glared hatefully at her. They all looked like they were ready to tear her apart. They took a few steps closer, prompting her to scream in fear and curl up on the ground, cold fear turning her blood into ice. She laid there against the tree, her arms over her head, and just whimpered and cried as the zoners watched her, preparing to make their move. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She couldn’t believe how drastically the roles had been reversed. She was so afraid...so terrified... She was truly seeing through the eyes of her victims, and she was not liking it.

She heard footsteps coming towards her. Daring a glance, she could see it was the stick figure zoner from before. One of the only zoners to initially stand up against her. She cringed back, pressing herself against the tree even more. She gritted her teeth as the stick figure zoner got even closer.

“You’re disgusting... You come into our world, hunting us down one by one, tormenting your victims, and eat so many of us...” The stick figure zoner said. Ghadir looked up at him in fear. “And now you expect us to just ‘let you go’...after what you did? You dare to plead with us after you had ignored the pleas of your own victims?!”

“Please, I...” Ghadir started to say.

The stick figure zoner growled, cutting her off. “No! You listen to me! We had no reason to show mercy on you! You haven’t given us a damn good reason to just let you go! If anything, you just continue to prove to us why we shouldn’t let you go! Do you have any idea how many zoners you’ve hurt mentally with your disgusting hunting sessions?! Do you know how many zoners have been in fear, hiding away in their homes or watching their backs, expecting you to show your face?! Do you understand the shere volume of zoners you sent into a crying fit, mourning over the loss of a loved one, because of your hunting activities?! Well? Do you?!”

Ghadir shivered as she stared at the stick figure zoner in fear. She looked left and right, trying desperately to locate an escape route. She couldn’t find any. She looked back at the zoner in front of her. Normally, she would be biting through his arm and slowly eating him, but with the other zoners behind him, she could not do that. And her stomach twisted, fear eating away at it, making it hard for her to get herself to attack. All she could do was tremble in terror, her eyes wide in horror.

“Not so fun now being the victim, isn’t it?” The stick figure zoner said, his glare intensifying. “Tell me, black chalk artist... is it as much fun when you are the one in fear? When you are the one who is in danger?” Ghadir trembled and rapidly shook her head. “But it’s okay if someone else is in danger..isn’t it? Is that the way you think?” Ghadir didn’t answer him back. The stick figure zoner just chuckled bitterly. “I am not surprised. Things are always different on the other side, am I right?”

Ghadir cried out in fear when the stick figure zoner reached for her. “No! Please! I-I-I’ll do anything!”

The stick figure zoner paused for a moment. Then he grabbed her by her collar and yanked her a little forward. He moved his face a little closer than hers, his eyes staring intently into her. “Stop hunting us. Stop targeting innocent zoners in your heartless hunts. If we catch you chasing another zoner...” He put his face uncomfortably close to hers, making her eyes widen more. “...we will make you sorry...”

“I won’t!” Ghadir screamed in fear, turning her head away. Her cheeks were slick with her tears and she looked at the stick figure with one dread-filled eye. “I swear!” She shut her eyes and cringed away, her teeth clenched.

“Good...” The stick figure zoner said. “Now..get out of here...” He said in a cool, slightly menacing voice. “And remember...hunt one more zoner, and we will come for you...” At that, the other zoners nodded their heads in agreement, mumbling under their breath.

With that, the stick figure released her. Ghadir staggered to her feet, wincing in pain. She stared at the zoners, her eyes wide in fear. She let out a few whimpers as she moved away from the tree, walking in a sideline for fear of turning her back would cause them to come after her. She walked backwards, her shaking making it difficult for her to remain standing. She kept staring at them, her heart racing and the hairs on her neck raising as the feeling of angry stares weighed down on her.

Then, backing up some more, Ghadir turned and began to run away towards the Solar Pillars. She dared not look back, terrified that the zoners would be chasing after her. Her pained sobbs filled the air as she limped towards the Solar Pillars, wanting to get as far away from the zoners as she could. Pain wracked through her body.

As she made her escape, she could hear one of the zoners behind her shout a warning.

“Remember! We’ll be watching you! And if you try to hunt us again, we will come after you! And we promise, we will not be so merciful to you next time!”

Ghadir’s blood chilled at that, making her give a cry of fear. She pushed herself to move faster, a thin trail of blood forming behind her.

sss

Nihilanth narrowed his eyes as he stared into the smoke above him. The smoke came out of a small black rock, and the smoke itself was a misty white. The cloud-like structure formed images in the air, showing him what was going on with Ghadir, Tyreek, and Draow. He growled softly, his two sets of nostrils spilling out air, making the smoke wisp to the side. In anger, he struck the smoke and turned his back away.

He started to walk through his home cave, one that he made out of black chalk glow and the sparkle of servant light. The ground pulsed and moved, never having a solid shape. This cave was of his creation, and it was created in a way that no zoner or human could enter. Anyone who dared would be zapped by the light or corrupted, if they were human. It was the perfect place for him to think alone and to use his powers to keep an eye on things regarding his minions.

Needless to say, he was not pleased with them right now. The little incompetent fools... They all had been beaten by something that could have been easily avoided. It was their own damn faults those things happened to them. He had no plans on helping them out of it. They can help themseles. He hoped that these experiences would teach them to be more careful. They were lucky that their mistakes didn’t lead to something more disastrous.

He moved down the winding path, lowering his head to avoid the stalactites on the ceiling. He walked into one of the rooms located at the side of the ‘staircase’. The room was pretty large and round. Like every other place here, the ground moved and swayed with the energy of black chalk and servant light. There was a large machine in here, a computer of sorts. This housed information regarding all kinds of creations made with the black chalk. There was one thing in particular he was interested in finding.

He needed to change the tides a little. If the black chalk artists weren’t going to be useful to him, or if they were going to make mistakes like this one, perhaps he should call upon someone whom he could trust. Or rather, something. He had no intentions on using it now, and perhaps, when the time came, he wouldn’t have to. But in case his minions are...defeated, and it seemed like they were going to be, he wanted something he could fall back on. A secret weapon that would take those brats by surprise, and make it easier for him to claim Rudy Tabootie.

That boy... Oh how he longed for him. How he wanted to get him. How he wanted to make that boy a part of him. He was not joking when he said he loved him. He knew the boy had potential. He recalled what it felt like when a part of him was inside that boy, or rather his black chalk portion. Rudy was...something else. He felt he could turn the tides in his favor if he could just get that boy on his side again. Sooner or later, he would make that boy his again. He loved the boy’s creativity and his potential for destruction. He just needed to be molded...steered in the right direction.

Once he had Rudy Tabootie on his side...there would be no one to stop him.

“You are crazy if you think you can get Rudy.”

Nihilanth growled. He knew that voice anywhere. It was Barney, that centipede zoner he created to be his shell. Somewhere along the lines, he had become sentient himself, gaining a mind of his own. As he was absorbed into his mind, the centipede could hear his thoughts and knew everything he was planning. He could read him like a book, meaning he could keep no secrets from him.

“Shut up, weakling.” Nihilanth snarled, his teeth bared. “You are in no position to argue with us.”

A somewhat amused chuckle. “I am a part of you, am I not? That’s what you keep telling me. So by calling me weak, aren’t you doing the same thing to yourself?”

“Oh be quiet!” Nihilanth snapped, raising his wings a little. If Barney wasn’t so essential for him existing physically, he would have killed him by now.

“You can’t kill me. I know you can’t. You are stuck with me, so you get to here exactly what I think of you.” Barney taunted him. “And even if you do get Rudy, you still can’t get rid of me, because you need my form for ChalkZone. Rudy would only let you be physical in the real world, and you know your creation powers won’t work there.”

Nihilanth knew Barney was right. Of course he’d be right. He knew everything he did. Now that he was a part of his mind, his thoughts were the centipede’s now. Barney heard what he thought, and knew what he did. He couldn’t even argue back. He knew Barney spoke the truth.

Barney continued. “Rudy is a smart boy. He won’t get captured by the likes of you. You will see. Once he gets back, he will find a way to stop you, and he will get me out of this labryth of your mind that you put me in. Face it, Nihilanth. You will lose.”

“So confident are you?” Nihilanth said, a bitter smile on his two faces. “We shall see about that.” He raised his head in the air and he looked towards the machine. “But we guarantee you, dear Barney, we will make Rudy our vessel. And this worthless world will come crumbling down. There is nothing you can do to stop us.”

Barney paused for a moment. Then he said, “Except regain control of my body.”

Nihilanth froze at this, his black eyes and white eyes widening in an expression of fear. Then he shrugged it off as he headed towards the machine.


	120. Filling In The Blanks

Penny laid down in the hospital bed, thinking about the events that happened recently. She still found it hard to believe that things started to go their way...somewhat. The tides had started to shift in their favor, but there was still much to do. They weren’t out of danger yet. At least now, she and Rudy could finally get some rest.

After Officer O’Larry arrested Mr. Pierce and everyone else involved with the murder scheme, the ambulance had arrived to take them to the hospital. She was relieved when everyone she spoke to believed Mr. Longhorn’s story of animatronics. There was still the issue with that audience, but they wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. Mr. Longhorn did volunteer to go speak with the audience and tell them his story he came up with. Penny hoped that the audience would be willing to believe his story, especially after he tells them what Mr. Pierce had done. They’d be less likely to believe a killer, she was certain.

She, Rudy, Mr. Longhorn, and her mother had been taken to the hospital. Her mother was the least injured among them. After her wound was treated, stitched, and covered up, she opted to help take care of the others. Mr. Longhorn wasn’t as badly injured either, though he was definitely worse than her mother. He had a few cuts and several burns that needed to be taken care of. But compared to her and Rudy, he was in perfect health. He had tried to leave the hospital after he was treated, but the doctors insisted he stay for a while and let his wounds heal. They’d only let him go to the news station on the promise that he come straight back. He did agree to the terms, but she wondered if he would keep that promise. He had shown that he wasn’t entirely trustworthy.

She was still sore at him for betraying them. Although grateful that he came back to help them, it still upset her that he stole the magic chalk from her. He hadn’t yet apologized, and she wasn’t sure if he would. Then again, a lot of things happened lately, so she could see why he wouldn’t have said anything to her yet. Still, she hoped that he would at least try to apologize sometime, and make his intentions clear. She wasn’t sure if she could consider him completely an ally, as she was worried he might pull another stunt and steal something else. At least he wasn’t as bad as the black chalk artists.

Jenny, Ghadir, Tyreek... The thought of those names made her blood boil. It was their fault that she and Rudy were hurt at all. Ghadir and Tyreek beat her up horribly in one of their early encounters. They had kept hurting her until she passed out and they were the reason she had a bad leg. It had gotten worse since then. It was harder for her to walk and, thanks to those additional injuries, such as her achilles tendon being severed, it was going to take her a lot longer to heal.

Rudy had gotten the worse end of the stick. He had gotten beat up by all three of them. He had almost died from internal bleeding, and he suffered attack after attack after that. He had accumulated the most injuries, worsened by that horrific chalk disease that had plagued him for a while. Mr. Pierce torturing him by ripping apart his knee had pushed Rudy on the brink. His body had suffered so much trauma, she wasn’t sure just how long he was going to last. Any more horrific wounds, and he would have died. She was so glad that she and Rudy were finally at a real world hospital to get their wounds checked out. She was more worried about Rudy than herself.

She recalled how terrified she was when Rudy had flatlined when he arrived in the hospital. She had held onto her mother as the paramedics scrambled to revive him. They were able to do it, but only after so many tries. The doctors had to put him on life support. They concluded that he had suffered so much internal damage that his body had started to give out. This horrified Penny. She realized that he really could have died if the ambulance hadn’t arrived when they did to help. And when the doctors said just how widespread the internal damage was, she choked back a sob.

Rudy might not be ready to go back into ChalkZone in three days. If his condition was as critical as the doctors say, then it was impossible. He’d still be too weak to effectively fight, and he might not even by up by then. Despite Nihilanth healing him, she knew there were still other wounds Rudy recieved, ones that, when added together, were causing havoc on his body... Penny would be a little more able-bodied, but she wouldn’t be in much of a condition to fight either. She wished Nihilanth would have given them more time... Then again, this may have been done on purpose. He deliberately gave them too little time to recover so they could be easily picked off. He was just toying with them.

She realized that Nihilanth may have had another reason sending them out of ChalkZone. He might be causing some trouble right now. The thought caused her stomach to twist up in knots. Zoners could be getting hurt, and here was nothing she could do about it. She could only hope that the zoners were able to fight back and defend themselves. She hoped that Nihilanth wouldn’t cause much trouble, or any, while they were absent. She was just blindly hoping at this point, because she knew that there was really nothing to stop Nihilanth from doing whatever he wanted. Still, maybe he wouldn’t try anything while they were gone.

But on the third day, what would she do? She couldn’t let Rudy go back. She doubted he would be in fighting condition. Plus, that leg of his... She bit her lip, tears strolling down her face, as she recalled what happened. She had been forced to watch as his knee was butchered horrifically. Pierce had been very thorough in ripping it apart, and then he smashed the knee, then broke it... Rudy would not be able to use that leg propertly for a long time. She realized that Mr. Pierce was right. He might not be able to use it again at all. It might be damaged beyond complete recovery...

She hoped it wasn’t true. She hoped that Rudy hadn’t recieved some life altering injury, all because of some greedy asshole. She hoped that, in the end, Rudy would be able to walk just fine again. She knew it would take a long time, but she still hoped and prayed that, eventually, he would make a full recovery. And while she wasn’t sure just how long that would take, she was certain of something else: there was no way he was going to be in fighting condition on the third day.

She knew she had no choice. She, despite her injuries, would have to take on Nihilanth herself. She knew it was a crazy thought. But she knew she still had to do it. Nihilanth might go crazy if someone doesn’t show up to fight him. He might think they ‘cheated’ him out on his so-called ‘deal’, if she could even call it that.

Her mom and Rudy’s parents would protest, as would Mr. Longhorn. They wouldn’t want her to risk her life fighting this two headed dragon. They would want her to stay down and rest. They would want to go in her place and go after the dragon. But no...she couldn’t allow them to do that. It was just too dangerous. They had never been in a magic chalk battle before. They were so inexperienced. Nihilanth would wipe the floor with them for certain. He might kill them, or trap them in that crystal ball of his. She couldn’t allow that to happen. She couldn’t let them get involved in this.

Reggie would also try something, she would imagine, and he was quite stubborn at times. Although he had some experiences as a creator and was a decent artist himself, he was still not prepared for what Nihilanth would have in store for him. He had never been in a magic chalk fight before. He would have no better luck in a fight than the adults would. Despite not being injured and more agile than the adults, she knew he would end up getting himself hurt. It just...it just wasn’t worth the risk.

Right now, there was nothing she could do about Nihilanth. All she could do was lay down on this hospital bed, dressed in a gown and having IVs and monitors hooked up to her. She looked up towards the ceiling and sighed. She knew she would be here for a while. She could feel the bandages that the doctors had put on her, along with the stiff cast around her leg to help keep the achilles tendon in place so it could heal properly. Her mother was next to her, looking down at her sadly. Penny wanted to say something to cheer her up, but there was nothing she could think of.

Just...just what could she say? She knew how dire the situation was. Despite some things going in their favor, like Mr. Pierce getting arrested, there were still problems going on, and still a strong chance that they could lose. She didn’t want to give up hope, and she strongly clung onto it. But the strong solemn aura still hung thickly in the air, creating a sense of melancholy in the room.

She could hear crying next to her. She turned her head. Next to her was another hospital bed. Its occupant was Rudy. He was laying on the bed, still unconscious, with some bandages wrapped around his wounds. He was hooked up to more machines than her, on life support to keep him breathing. The doctors were going to perform surgery on him very soon to fix his leg and close up any internal bleeding he was suffering from. The sight of Rudy like this, so pale, so hurt...it made her stomach twist. Next to him was the source of the crying: his parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez stood by their son, looking down at him sadly. They were both crying, their eyes red and puffy from the tears. Mrs. Tabootie held her son’s arm and begged him to get better. Mr. Tabootie did his best to be strong and supportive, to be a shoulder for his wife to lean on, but he could not hide his tears. He was just as broken as Mrs. Tabootie. They both said how horrified they were when they heard Rudy screaming, and they knew something horrible was being done to him. But they never imagined it was as bad as it was.

Penny could still remember their screams when they came to see Rudy for the first time. Their shriek chilled her blood, and she could still remember how they rushed over to him, begging him to wake up. The sight of his ruined knee broke their hearts and when they asked what happened, she could still remember how angry and sad they were when she described just what Mr. Pierce had done to their son. They were glad that the evil man was arrested and taken somewhere where he can never hurt anyone again.

The drug that was injected in her had worn off, and she was glad for that. It left a weird sensation in her body and it was nice to be able to think deeply and clearly again. She needed that ability if she was going to try to take on Nihilanth. But for now, she knew she had to rest. There was time to discuss Nihilanth later. She needed to let herself relax. Both she and Rudy needed the rest. They hadn’t been able to for a while. She knew, after tonight, she was going to feel much better.

She hoped Snap was going to be able to recover a little as well. She hoped that he was not going to be targeted while at the hospital. That was the last thing he needed right now. Snap had a lot of internal wounds himself from that electrocution, and he had suffered a general beating overall. If he were attacked while in this state, he would have a hard time fighting back, especially with that bad knee. Not as bad as Rudy’s, but it was still a horrific wound. She hoped things were turning out well for him. She was going to miss him, and she would love to speak to him right now, but at least she wouldn’t have to wait too long. In a few times, they would regroup. Hopefully, by then, she’d figure out a plan to stop Nihilanth.

“What....what happened...?”

The voice forced Penny out of her thoughts. She swiveled her head and saw Mr. Tabootie looking over at her. His hand was on his wife’s shoulder, whose attention was still on Rudy. Mr. Tabootie stared at Penny with an expression filled with an array of emotions. Depression, anger, shock, other emotions she could not identify. It was difficult looking at him like this. But she couldn’t blame him for having that expression. His son was laying on the hospital bed in critical condition.

Mr. Tabootie continued, as if he knew he had to clarify what he meant. “What happened...while you guys were in ChalkZone?” He looked down at Rudy, biting his lip. “We can tell a lot must of went on.” He looked back at Penny. “Can you..please fill us in on the details?”

“Yes, Penny.” Mrs. Sanchez said as she stroked her daughter’s hair. “You know what happened with us in your absense. It’s time you told us what happened with you, Rudy, and Snap.”

Penny knew they were right. She did owe them the story of what happened. She had to tell them. They deserved to know. Not knowing was going to eat away at them, and the longer she waited, the worse it was going to get. As painful as it was, she had to tell them what happened with the Luminos and the alternate dimensions. She would try to condense the story, as it would take forever to tell them everything that happened. But at least they would know the important details.

She wondered momentarily how Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie were going to react to certain details, such as their son being evil in two dimensions. The thought of this caused her to hesitate, and made her wonder if there were some things better left unsaid. Perhaps she shouldn’t. Perhaps things would be better if she didn’t tell them...

...no. She had to tell them. They had to know everything their son had been through. The only way for them to have a complete understanding of what happened was if she told them every important detail, no matter how painful. As much as it hurt her, she knew she couldn’t hide it. It wouldn’t be fair to them. She couldn’t be like how Light Rudy was. She couldn’t lie and hide an important detail like this. It would be wrong.

After a few moments of hesitation, Penny said, “I’ll tell you...but it’s kind of a long story.”

“We’re willing to listen.” Mr. Tabootie said.

“Please..tell us whatever you can.” Mrs. Tabootie said, sniffling. “Please..we need to know...”

Penny nodded her head. “I know you do.”

“We’re ready whenever you are.” Her mother said, gripping her shoulder gently in an attempt to comfort her. “And take your time. If something is hard to talk about, don’t rush into it. We’ll understand if you take a little while to say something.”

Penny smiled at this. She cleared her throat, her mind swirling with thoughts of what had happened. She looked at her mother, then at Rudy’s parents. She mentally prepared herself, and then she began to tell the story.

“It all started when this group called the Luminos showed up. They were a group of human-hating zoners who deemed all creators as evil. They had hatched a plan on getting rid of Rudy. They had chased me out for a time, redamaged my leg, and threatened to kill me if I came back. I did go back to ChalkZone, only to get recaptured. I soon learned that the hospital had been bombed and Rudy was kidnapped by Dr. Raiden.”

“Dr. Raiden?!” Mrs. Tabootie cried.

“That cheetah doctor I worked alongside with?” Mrs. Sanchez said, her voice soft, disbelieving. “Are you sure?”

Penny nodded her head. “Yes. Dr. Raiden had fooled all of us. He had been secretly plotting against Rudy this whole time, and had even messed with his IVs. He also told the other Luminos where Rudy was going to be that night he was attacked. He planned that ambush.” She noted the horrified looks on the adults’ faces. She continued her story. “He lured Rudy away into the basement of the hospital, where he had ripped open his shoulder and trapped him in a cell, where I was put in later. Rapsheeba, Snap, and Blocky came in and we got out, but Dr. Raiden and other Luminos chased us. We found this machine that would take us into alternate dimensions and...”

“Wait..alternate dimensions?” Mr. Tabootie asked. Penny nodded her head. “Why would you need to use such a thing?”

“Because...” Penny said, staring at him in the eyes. “That was where the cures for Rudy’s condition laid.” At this, her mother and Rudy’s parents widened their eyes in shock. They stared at her, as if wondering she was being truthful. “Yes, it’s indeed true. Mr. Cosmo hid them in there to make it harder for the white chalk artists to find them. We attempted to get the machine working. Dr. Raiden did attack us, but luckily we were able to get into the machine and go to the dimensions to get the cures.” She paused, biting her lip. “That’s when things take...an interesting turn.”

Mrs Tabootie flinched. “I...don’t like where this is going...”

“It was definitely no walk in the park, I’ll tell you.” Penny said, her voice soft.

“Were these dimensions...” Mr. Tabootie asked. He hesitated for a moment, then continued. “...d-dangerous?”

“What happened in them?” Mrs. Sanchez asked, her eyes wide with fear. “Please..tell us...”

“There were two of them. And both were...so horrible. We..we never thought we’d see anything like them. We had to fight for our own lives, and it was a miracle we got out alive at all.” Penny said regretfully. She shuddered as she recalled all the terrible things that happened. “And in both of them, we encountered a horrible enemy, someone so twisted and vile...”

Penny paused for a moment and looked at the adults. She could see how horrified they looked. She couldn’t blame them. The news she was giving them was horrific indeed. And sadly, it was about to get so much worse. Next up were some of the more difficult subjects to discuss.

“The first dimension we went into was...dark and twisted. In this world, Rudy had been permanently corrupted by the black chalk. That Rudy had then joined Mr. Cosmo, who was still alive, and brought about destruction to both the real world and ChalkZone. Zoners were enslaved. War broke out. Super weapons ripped the worlds apart. Most peopled and zoners were dead. It was truly a hopeless world, one where death would be a blessing and an act of mercy. There’s...no chance of that world ever recovering.”

“That Rudy was..permanently corrupted..?” Mr. Tabootie asked, his eyes wide in fear. Penny nodded her head solemnly, making him snap his head back a little as horror washed over his face.

Mrs. Tabootie looked absolutely terrified. “Rudy was discussing with us before..what he might have been like if...if...” She couldn’t bring herself to say anything more.

“Believe me, this Rudy was our worst nightmare. He was cruel, sadistic, just plain evil. He killed his own Snap right in front of us in cold blood, and never showed remorse. He ordered my counterpart to die years prior before we came. He went after us... And he and Cosmo attempted to corrupt our Rudy as they saw him as a potential ally.” Penny explained. She paused for a moment, biting her lip. “He was...so loyal to Mr. Cosmo that he had...he had...” Her voice trailed off, lowering her head. This next part was going to be so hard to say.

“What did he do?” Mrs. Sanchez asked gently.

“This Rudy...he killed his own parents...your counterparts.” Penny couldn’t blame Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie when they gasped in horror at this. She was not surprised when they looked at her, silently pleading that she was wrong or spoke incorrectly. “Rudy told me all about it. This Rudy..this twisted version of the Rudy we know, had gone into detail about how he killed your counterpats.” Penny leveled a solemn gaze at Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie. “He had choked his mother to death, cutting her throat open when he pulled the necklace too hard, and he had stabbed his father in the back and slit his neck with a butcher knife. He gloated about it, too.”

“I..I can’t believe that...” Mrs. Tabootie’s face went pale, her eyes wide.

“Why...why would he...?” Mr. Tabootie said, his voice barely audible. “What was...?”

“I’m sure he did it to try to break our Rudy. He wanted him to suffer mentally because he knew how much he loved you guys. Hearing that horrific story hurt Rudy deeply, and disturbed him on an immense level, for obvious reasons.” Penny said. “He could have also done it to be sick. He was such a horrible person, a complete monster. He was one of the most vile people I ever met.” She closed her eyes. “I’m glad we don’t have to deal with him anymore.”

After a few uncomfortable minutes of silence, Mr. Tabootie asked in a shaky voice, “H-How did you gets get out?”

“We had some help from Ms. Saffron, who was still alive in this dimension, as well as that world’s Snap. At least up to the point when he did.” Sorrow clung to her voice as she said that. She could still remember how Alt-Snap had died right before them. She forced herself to continue. “With her help, we were able to get the cure. And we soon ended up in the other dimension, where we would find the second and final cure for Rudy.”

“What...what was this dimension like...?” Mrs. Tabootie asked hesitantly.

“Was it any better than the last one?” Mrs. Sanchez asked.

“At first, it seemed to be. We were in ChalkZone here, not the real world as with the last dimension. Everything seemed fine. A few things were less than pleasant, like how the zoners were perpetually happy, or how their Snap was permanently in a wheelchair, but we did all hope that things would be better in this dimension. This Rudy wasn’t even corrupted by the black chalk and he was willing to help us...or so we thought...”

At this, Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie looked at each other in fright. She could tell, from looking at them, they knew what she was going to say next. She could tell a sickening feeling was rising up inside of them, and she understood why. They were about to learn how there was another evil version of their son out there somewhere. The thought must be very unsettling. And it was going to get worse once they foud out just how he got that way.

“This ChalkZone, as we eventually found out, was not as peace as we thought. It was just as much of a blood bath as the previouis dimension. Only it was done in a different way. This Rudy, though not corrupted forcefully, still managed to turn himself into a monster. He was a control freak, and wanted to keep tabs on everything and everyone. He took over ChalkZone and began to control it with a strict, iron fist. He tortured and killed countless zoners in the process, including forcing this one zoner to drink real world vinegar.”

Mrs. Sanchez paled at this. “But..but that would have...”

“Indeed it did.” Penny cut her mother off, confirming what her mother was surely thinking. “It was a horrific sight, and we are certain he did that to more zoners.” Penny closed her eyes for a few moments. She looked back at the adults one at a time, noting their expressions of fear and dread. “This Rudy started down his path of destruction when he accidentally killed Mr. Cosmo. He had then accidentally killed a few zoners, causing some of them to turn against them. This added pressure to him, and we are certain that more and more zoners were convinced he was becoming evil, which would have drove him even more. But we did eventually learn what the real clincher was.”

“And that was..?” Mr. Tabootie asked.

Penny looked at Rudy’s parents. “It was you...or rather, your counterparts.”

“What...?” Mr. Tabootie asked in a shaky voice. He looked at his wife, who was just as confused as him. “What do you mean?”

“What did our counterparts do..?”

Mrs. Sanchez was just as shaken up by this. “D-Did they do something..wrong...?”

Penny nodded her head. “Indeed they did.”

Mrs. Tabootie paled even more, biting her nails. “What did we...they do?”

Penny looked at her sadly. She could tell that she and her husband were terrified to know. They didn’t know the full story, but they could tell that their counterparts did something really horrible. And what she was about to say wasn’t going to make them feel any better.

“From what Jacko of that dimension told us, this Rudy’s parents got into a car accident. It damaged their brains, altering their personalities drastically. This caused them to become...abusive toward this Rudy.” She saw Rudy’s parents’ faces contort in absolute horror. The reaction she had expected. “Based on what information I could get, they were both physically and emotionally abusive to him. This eventually broke him and caused him to take it out on ChalkZone. I guess he wanted to control something in his life, as he no longer could control the way he was being treated. So the cruel behavior his parents induced on him in turn caused him to become cruel and sadistic to ChalkZone as a whole. He abused his Penny and his Snap to the point where they were so broken mentally...”

Mrs. Tabootie had tears flowing down her face. She looked down at Rudy’s still unconscious form. Upon hearing how her counterpart was in that dimension, she lifted up Rudy’s head and pressed her face against his, as if to comfort him. Mr. Tabootie held Rudy’s hand, whispering soft words of comfort even though Rudy was unconscious.

Penny paused her storytelling for a little bit to give them some time. This was heavy news and she could see just how emotionally impacting it was. They were distressed when they learned Dark Rudy killed his parents in the dark dimension. But this was worse. Being tortured was often worse than death, and finding out that their counterparts had become so cruel... she could tell it broke their hearts. She looked up at her mother, who gave her a sympathetic, horror-tinged look. She leaned against her mother’s arm as she watched Rudy’s parents cry softly.

“I can’t believe it...I can’t believe that...” Mrs. Tabootie whispered, her cheeks stained with tears. She ran her fingers through Rudy’s hair.

“Don’t worry, son.” Mr. Tabootie said to the unconscious boy. “We..we will never do anything like that to you... we promise...”

After letting them cry for a few more minutes, Penny continued her story.

“This Rudy tormented us. He nearly beat Rudy to death, and he tried to keep us from getting the cure. To make a long story short, the resistance and that world’s Penny and Snap did help us out. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have gotten the cure. We got out of that place and found somewhere safe where we gave Rudy the cures. It worked, so Rudy doesn’t have the chalk disease anymore.” Penny gave a very faint smile when she saw Rudy’s parents’ eyes spark a little with hope and happiness. At least there was some good news that came out of this. There was a bit more she wanted to add. More good news. “This Rudy did finally confess what he had been through and he realized the weight of his actions. Before Rudy, Snap, and I went back into this dimension, we could see that he was willing to try to change and had surrendered. I think there’s hope for him, unlike that black chalk corrupted Rudy we met before.”

The adults nodded in agreement. Penny could tell that they did believe, based on what she told them, that Light Rudy did have more of a chance of making up for what he did than Dark Rudy. Dark Rudy didn’t have as much of a choice; the black chalk controlled him. But Light Rudy was still in control of himself. He had choice, the ability to choose what he did and didn’t do. And now he was choosing to try to change and he voluntarily surrendered. Even if he never completely changes, at least he was out of the picture and that ChalkZone could begin to recover.

“After that, we came back here, out of the same machine we were in before.” Penny said. “Only...only it had been moved...”

“Moved...?” Mrs. Sanchez asked, her eyes wide in shock.

“You mean...it wasn’t over...?” Mr. Tabootie stared at Penny. “After all that, you three didn’t get a chance to rest?”

Penny shook her head. “No we did not.” She paused for a moment. “Remember Bardot’s hideout?”

At this, the adults stiffened. Without saying a word, they answered by nodding their heads stiffly. There was no way they could ever forget that place.

“Someone rebuilt it...” Penny lowered her head. “The Luminos were using it...” She looked back at the stunned adults. “They had moved the dimensional machine there, and captured us as soon as we came through. They had also captured a few other zoners, namely Rapsheeba, Blocky, and Dr. Urso. They put us in the Death Arena, where there was a crowd of Luminos watching, cheering for our deaths as weapon after weapon was used. It was so hard to survive...and we ended up getting more hurt.” She sucked her lip, her mind aching from those horrible memories. “Then when we weren’t dying, and the crowd continued to call for our deaths, Maalik, their leader, jumped in to kill us. If it weren’t for Dr. Urso, he would have succeeded.”

Penny paused for a few moments. She looked at her mother, who was holding her hand, her eyes shining with the realization of how close she came to losing her daughter. Her mother leaned forward and put her arm around her in a half hug. Penny leaned against her mother for comfort. It certainly wasn’t easy talking about this. She looked over at Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie, her expression softened up in sympathy. They were horrified and they were leaning closer to Rudy, holding onto him as if afraid they’ll lose him if they dare let go.

“After that, the black chalk artists had struck the place with some kind of light blast. Most of the Luminos were killed, charred by the attack. The Luminos blamed us at first, but Rudy was able to get through to Dr. Raiden, who in turn convinced the other Luminos they were wrong. To make it short, they did come to realize what they really had been doing, and promptly stopped trying to hurt us. The survivors, including Raiden and Maalik, apologized and helped us get out of the cave after we found a way out courtesy of another surviving Luminos. We got Blocky and Rapsheeba out as well.” Penny explained. “We learned that Sophie, Tilly, and Mr. Longhorn was there, and Sophie was the one who helped to get into the ruined hideout at all. But she...lost a leg.”

The adults’ faces paled at this. They looked at each other, then back at Penny.

“Sophie’s leg..?” Mrs. Tabootie asked, her hand to her mouth. “But..but how..?”

“One of the Luminos had accidentally broke a piece of the ceilin and it crushed her leg after she shoved him out of the way to save him. The leg was beyond repair and had to be amputated.” Penny said softly. She closed her eyes, still remembering the gruesome injury and Rudy’s reaction to it. “We found out that Tilly and Sophie were captured by the black artists. Tilly was nearly corrupted and beaten while Sophie was tortured. Mr. Longhorn managed to get them out thankfully.”

Mrs. Tabootie shuddered at this. “I...I almost lost my sister to the black chalk...”

Penny nodded her head to confirm. “Yes. Jenny tried to force her to use it so that they would have a spy in the midst. They wanted to use her to spy on us and relay information.” Penny explained. “Luckily, Mr. Longhorn stopped her before she had a chance to corrupt Tilly, or kill Sophie.”

“Where are Tilly and Sophie now...?” Mr. Tabootie asked, looking left and right. “Did they...go home?” He asked, a tinge of pleading on his voice. Penny looked at him sadly and shook her head. His eyes widened. “What happened to them...?”

“Are they okay?” Mrs. Tabootie asked, terrified.

Mrs. Sanchez asked, “The Luminos didn’t...change their minds, did they?” Penny shook her head. “The black chalk artists didn’t come back for them?” Another shake of the head. Penny could practically hear her mother’s heart race faster. “Then..then what happened...?”

“We met a new enemy. Nihilanth... A powerful zoner who claims to be the deity of ChalkZone. He is the one behind this whole black chalk scheme, for he claims to be black chalk. He is the two headed dragon that Rudy saw in his dreams.” Penny said, noting the horrified stares she was getting. “Nihilanth took over Barney’s body and is plotting to destroy both the real world and ChalkZone. He intends on adding Rudy as a vessel and he attacked us. We did eventually get away, but I’m certain he was just toying with us. He had the power to create anything he wanted to. He was just playing, to mess with our minds.” Penny’s eyes narrowed slightly. “He has given us three days to rest, and he expects us to return on the third day.”

“B-But Rudy...” Mrs. Sanchez said, turning her gaze over to the boy. “There’s no way that injury is going to be healed by then. That leg is broken horrifically and...”

“I’m certain Nihilanth doesn’t care either way.” Penny said somewhat bitterly. “He must know that we will not be healed up much by then. He is just biding his time, toying with us. As soon as we go back, he will ambush us and try to take Rudy.”

“No...” Mrs. Tabootie said in horror, holding Rudy tighter against her, careful not to rip out his IVs by mistake. “He can’t do that...”

“We won’t let him.” Mr. Tabootie formed a fist, his eyes narrowed in determination. “He’ll have to get through us if he wants to use our son like some kind of tool.”

“I’m sure he’s prepared to do that.” Penny said solemnly. She bit her lip as she turned her gaze to the ground. “I’m willing to fight Nihilanth if it means keeping him safe but I...” She closed her eyes. “I don’t know how long I could keep him at bay..and I don’t know if Nihilanth won’t find a way to get Rudy in the real world.”

“Penny...” Mrs. Sanchez said, caressing her daughter’s cheek. “You..you can’t find this Nihilanth. If he’s as dangerous as you say...you’ll get killed...” A tear strolled down her face. “I can’t let that happen...”

“I know mom, but...I don’t want you guys getting hurt either.” Penny said, looking at her mom and Rudy’s parents. “Nihilanth would annihilate you guys. He’s just too powerful...”

“We still want to try to fight him..even if we are not that experienced...” Mrs. Sanchez said gently.

Mr. Tabootie nodded his head in agreement. “We will do whatever it takes to keep you two safe. We’re willing to put our lives on the line to keep Nihilanth away from you.”

“And what if you can’t?” Penny asked, looking at them wide-eyed. Tears formed in her eyes. “What if Nihilanth kills you...? What then?” She closed her eyes and turned her head to the ground. Her shoulders shook with emotion. “We...we couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you...”

Mrs. Sanchez pulled her daughter in a hug. “It’ll be okay... Shh...” She ran her fingers through her daughter’s hair. “We’ll...we’ll think of something. Don’t worry...”

“Yeah. We can come up with a plan...” Mr. Tabootie said, trying to sound as hopeful as he could for everyone. But everyone could tell that he was not certain. He bit his lip and turned his head to the side. After a few moments of silence, after everyone let this information click with them, he said, “What happened after you guys escaped Nihilanth...?”

“We dropped off Snap and Howdy, who was attacked by Ghadir, at another hospital. We dropped Mr. Longhorn off at his home, and Rudy and I went back to his place. But as soon as we went through the portal, we were captured...” Penny said. “Mr. Pierce had a trap waiting for us.”

“Yes, he..he told us he was going to get you..” Mr. Tabootie said quietly.

Penny said, “And get us, he did. His men dragged us away, and we were taken into that room.” Penny paused for a moment. “I know you guys already know what happened after that..”

The adults nodded slowly. They fell silent, a sense of melancholy still remaining in the air. They didn’t talk, just remaining still, looking at each other as they let Penny’s information sink in. She couldn’t blame them for going quiet. She had told them a lot, and it was going to take some time to let it sink in.

Then, a few minutes later, a couple of doctors came into the room, pulling a stretcher behind them. Wordlessly, Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie moved out of the way. They all watched as the doctors unhooked Rudy from the machines and put him on the stretcher. They then wheeled him out of the room, disappearing down the hallway. One of the doctors stayed behind and looked at the group in the room.

“It’s time for his surgery. It will take a few hours.” The doctor said. “I’ll come find you and let you know when it’s over.”

Mr. Tabootie nodded in understanding. “Will he be brought back here?”

The doctor shook his head. “No. He needs to stay in the post op room for a while until he recovers a little from the surgery. We’ll bring him back here when we are certain he’s stable.” He looked down at the watch around his wrist. “We suspect it’ll be about six to seven hours he’ll be brought back in here.” The doctor paused for a moment and said, “Visiting hours are almost over but...” He bit his lip for a bit. “I normally don’t allow this, but if you want to spend the night here, you can.”

The parents smiled solemnly at this.

“We would appreciate it. Thanks.” Mrs. Sanchez said.

“No problem. Just..don’t expect me to be able to pull this again tomorrow.” The doctor said. He turned and began to walk out of the room. “I wish you all the best of luck.” And with that, the doctor was gone.

Penny smiled at this. She was glad the doctor was able to give them the okay for their parents to stay. After what they had been through, it would have been too painful to be separated again. They need each other for comfort and support. She was happy that, at least for tonight, they could be together and help each other. They certainly needed it after all they had been through.

She was about to speak when someone else came into the room. This time, it was not a doctor, but instead Mr. Longhorn. He walked slowly into the room, walking past Rudy’s bed. He paused and gave the Tabooties a sad, sympathetic look and told them quietly that he hoped Rudy will get well soon. He turned his attention to Mrs. Sanchez and Penny. He looked clearly relieved that they were okay, that Mr. Pierce hadn’t been able to kill them. They smiled lightly at him as he approached Penny.

Mr. Longhorn said, “Are you all okay?”

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. The doctors say that Mr. Pierce wasn’t able to do a lot of damage to me.” She placed her hand on the back of her neck, wincing at the pain. “I thank you for stopping him from doing worse.” Mr. Longhorn smiled in response. Mrs. Sanchez smiled back and turned her attention to Penny. “And I thank you for helping save my daughter...”

“Yeah... thank you.” Penny said softly, giving Mr. Longhorn a smile.

“You’re both very welcome.” Mr. Longhorn said with a smile. But then it faded, and he turned his head to the side, suddenly looking very guilty.

“What is it?” Mrs. Sanchez said, her voice filled with concern. “What’s wrong?”

Mr. Longhorn stared at her for a few seconds before turning his gaze to Penny. He hesitated, trying to speak, but no words could come out. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out something. Penny’s eyes widened as she saw the magic chalk that the man took from her. At this, she gave the man a soft glare, showing him that she was not happy with what he had done.

Mr. Longhorn sensed Penny’s anger and bit his lip nervously. He lowered his head and averted his gaze for a few moments. Then he looked back at her and took a step forward. He reached out with his hand and held the magic chalk out to her.

“Penny I...” Mr. Longhorn said. “I believe this is yours..”

With that, Mr. Longhorn leaned a little closer, putting his hand near her. Penny stared at the chalk then, cautiously, she reached out and grabbed it gently from him. She slowly pulled back and looked at the chalk. She turned her attention to Mr. Longhorn, watching as he took a small step back and recoiled, looking ashamed. Penny, realizing that he did feel guilty, softened up her glare a little.

“I’m...I’m sorry I stole the magic chalk from you.” Mr. Longhorn said softly.

Penny asked, her voice somewhat stern, “Why did you do it..? Rudy and I trusted you and you did this. I just..don’t understand...”

Mr. Longhorn flinched at this. “I just wanted to try it out. I saw how Rudy and and Sophie were able to create with it and I wanted to try it out. But I know stealing was wrong and I should have just asked. I’m so very sorry...” He closed his eyes for a few seconds. “I shouldn’t have stolen the chalk from you. In doing so, I had not only broken your trust in me, but I nearly made things worse. I succumbed to madness and nearly hurt myself and a zoner. Stealing the chalk just because I wanted to try it out was a selfish, greedy act and I’m ashamed I did it.” He stared at Penny and she could see the hint of tears in his eyes. “I’m sorry.. I’m so sorry...”

Penny was confused about the bit regarding madness. But she was still happy to hear that Mr. Longhorn understood he did wrong and came to apologize about it. She gave him a gentle smile and reached out towards him. She placed a hand on his arm and said, “I forgive you.”

Mr. Longhorn widened his eyes slightly. “You..you do..?”

Penny nodded her head. “Yes, I do. Admittingly I’m still a little sore you did such a thing, but you admitted you were wrong and you did something about it. I’m willing to forgive you...as long you don’t do something like this again.”

Mr. Longhorn said, “I promise...I won’t ever betray your trust again...”

With that, Mr. Longhorn moved a little closer. He leaned forward and he wrapped his arms around Penny. She was a little surprised at first, but she returned the hug. Mrs. Sanchez and Rudy’s parents smiled softly at this, remaining quiet and letting the two hug. Soon, the two broke apart.

Mr. Longhorn said in a soft voice, “Thank you...for your forgiveness.”

Penny smiled at him. “And thank you for being brave enough to apologize to me and admit you were wrong. I really appreciate it.”

“Hey, Mr. Longhorn?” Mrs. Sanchez said. Mr. Longhorn turned his attention to her. She paused for a moment, as if trying to think of the words to say. “I am very grateful for what you did for us. If you hadn’t taken on Mr. Pierce and his employees, I don’t Penny, I, or Rudy would have survived long enough for the ambulance to arrive. I...want to do something as a way to thank you for your help.”

“You don’t have to do anything. I am just glad you are all okay.” Mr. Longhorn said.

“No, I insist.” Mrs. Sanchez said. “I want to hire you to help me with my vet clinic. I can use the extra help and after how you helped us out, I think you are trustworthy.”

Mr. Longhorn widened his eyes a little. “R-Really..?”

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. “Do you accept?”

Mr. Longhorn paused, biting his lip. Then he nodded his head slowly. “Yeah...I do...” He said with a cautious smile, as if he was afraid if he sounded too eager, he might actually destroy the trust again. “Thank you.”

Mrs. Sanchez smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Penny watched as Mr. Longhorn gave her mom a hug. She smiled, as did Rudy’s parents. But she couldn’t smile for long. As happy as she was to have some positive things happen, none of it could completely mask the serious situation going on. A single question ran through her mind, echoing, not leaving her alone.

What were they going to do about Nihilanth...?


	121. Wandering Through The Grave Site

Jenny stood in front of the ruined hideout. Her chest inflated with pride as she looked over the destruction. The power of the light cannon was quite amazing. Nearly as powerful as it was years ago. To see its beautiful destruction was something else. Of all the weapons she and her comrades had, the light cannon was her pride and joy, her favorite weapon to use. It had such a long range and incredible accuracy. It was such a brilliant scare tactic and motivator. Oh how the zoners and white chalk users feared it...

The thought of white chalk artists made her recall that war that happened years ago. She recalled how she and her comrades were winning for a time, especially with the help of Draow. But Mr. Wilter’s betrayal changed everything. Her blood boiled at the thought. He deserved so much more than what she had done to him. But not just him; Biclops as well. She knew she should have just killed them both when she had the chance to. But instead, she passed up the opportunity. What a horrible mistake.

But then, some things were worse than death. She was really curious what would happen once Rudy and Penny found out that Mr. Wilter was a black chalk artist. Would they trust him anymore? Just what would they say? She really wanted to know. The thought amused her. Sooner or later, they would find out the truth. Rudy was going to feel so hurt, so betrayed, and she would laugh and laugh at him. That trust broken...she couldn’t wait to see it.

It wouldn’t just be Rudy and Penny who would be shocked. Mr. Wilter being a black chalk artist was unknown to even most black chalk artists. Tyreek and Ghadir didn’t really know. And she couldn’t recall if even Mr. Cosmo knew. She had managed to get Mr. Wilter to use black chalk in private, blackmailing him into doing it. And she had blessed him that way. She recalled how well he had hidden the black chalk blessing, to the point where the other black chalk artists didn’t really know. Mr. Wilter had been such a productive member, becoming more active in the fights

However, it unfortuantely didn’t last. Something happened, and he had broken free. She wasn’t sure how it was possible, how he managed to do it. But she recalled how unhappy she was. She had never told Mr. Cosmo, but it was this act that caused Mr. Wilter to turn against them. She guessed that he didn’t appreciate being forcefully ‘corrupted’, as he would put it, and, with his newfound ‘freedom’, or whatever he calls it, he joined the white chalk artists, despite the initial stigma he got for being branded a ‘traitor’.

Jenny did feel some guilt about the whole thing. She shouldn’t have made him use the black chalk, or at the very least, she should have kept a better eye on him to make sure that he wouldn’t lose the black chalk’s grip. She felt if she hadn’t done that, Mr. Wilter never would have gained the courage to turn against them and join the other side. If she hadn’t done that, Tsere might never have existed and the tides wouldn’t have turned. They would have won the war, and Nihilanth might have already brought forth a new, beautiful world in the place of this current wretched on.

Well she was not going to make that mistake again. This time, she was not going to bless Mr. Wilter. She was going to kill him. She had the fucker in her custody and she would make sure he died. As soon as she got back, she will kill him. She would not allow him to have the chance to escape and do anything to turn the tides of this renewed war. There was no way she was going to allow him the opportunity to do such a thing. She was not going to botch things up again. She would see to that.

She didn’t waste anymore time in her thoughts. She shook them away and started to walk into what remained of the hideout’s entrance. It looked drilled into or something, and she could see there was a piece of machinery outside. She guessed that someone, maybe Rudy, drew that thing there to help the survivors of the blast get out. She knew there weren’t a lot of zoners who survived, and she knew Rudy and his friends survived; she never completely expected them to die. They were like cockroaches. Difficult to kill. Though she still held hope that at least one of them would die. Oh well.

As she walked through the smashed tunnels and passed by broken equipment, she couldn’t help but feel rather pleased with herself. She smiled broadly as she looked around that the destruction. The bodies of dead zoners littered the place and she couldn’t be happier. The beam did its job and now the Luminos were...well not history, but much weaker than before and certainly not a threat anymore.

All these zoners, left and right, had been taught a very powerful lesson. They shouldn’t have messed with the black chalk artists. Now they got the horns. They all got what they so richly deserved. As she walked by torn corpses, smashed limbs, organs spilled on the ground, her smile broadened, and she chuckled a few times. It was such a glorious, beauitful sight, especially when she could see those pale faces, some eyes wide open in death. They were all so still, if she didn’t know any better, she would think they were just statues or something.

She saw a severed head of a rabbit zoner on the ground. There was a trail of blood leading over a collapsed machine. She guessed that the machine fell down and crushed the body, and the force of the fall caused the head to roll down. With how round the head was, she wasn’t surprised. She lowered herself down and picked up the head. She held it up and stared at the zoner’s face, permanently stuck in a scream. She chuckled at this, her eyes looking straight at its cloudy, dead eyes. Wanting to amuse herself a little, she stuck her fingers in the back of the skull and held it up like it were a puppet.

Jenny started to move the jaws open and closed a few times. As she did so, she could see the tongue start to hang out. Upon the fifth open and closing, the tongue laid partially along the mouth, straight on the teeth. A dark smile spread across her face. Getting an amusing idea, she reached over and grabbed the tongue. She pulled it out and laid it underneath the large buck teeth of the rabbit.

“You really shouldn’t leave her tongue hanging out.” Jenny said, looking at the severed head in her hands. She briefly glanced down at the cold tongue she held and then looked back at the head. “You’d look so stupid.”

The severed head, of course, didn’t respond. Jenny pulled the tongue a little further out, staring at the head as though she were expecting a response. When she, no surprise, didn’t get one, she put her face close to the dead zoner’s.

“What’s the matter, zoner?” Jenny said mockingly, sneering. “Creator got your tongue?”

The zoner just stared back at her with those lifeless, glassy eyes. Jenny’s smile just broadened, her teeth showing in a grin. She pulled her head back a little as she pulled the tongue out even more until it could come out no more. She gripped the inside of the head tightly and then, in a single motion, she forced the jaws closed. There was a sickening wet crunch as the buck teeth sliced through the tongue completely. The blood long coagulated, there was no bleeding. The tongue fell to the ground in a splat. Jenny laughed coldly at this.

Jenny held the severed rabbit zoner’s head up and said, “Well now you don’t have a tongue anymore.” Carelessly, she threw the head aside. She watched it as it rolled across the ground, coming to a stop next to the remains of a crushed zoner. She said, “Even in death, you zoners can amuse me so much.”

Jenny continued her trek through the ruined cave. She took quick notice that nearly all ways were blocked except for one. While this meant that she was going to have a much harder time looking for what she needed, it was still good news. It meant that the light cannon was still almost as powerful as ever. Though if it were at full power like it were when she was a kid, then this whole place would have been blown up and there would be no survivors. But what it could do was still very pleasing. It was still a powerful weapon. And she looked forward to the day it was back to full strength. Oh what a glorious day that would be.

She moved along a downward, somewhat spiraling path. She looked all around, noting how somewhat pretty this place seemed. A shame it had to be destroyed. Oh well. Everything will be destroyed soon enough. So it doesn’t really matter anyway. Plus, a world more beautiful than this would be created. One that would top anything this world had to offer. And the thought of her helping Nihilanth make it possible made her happy.

It was a shame that Mr. Cosmo couldn’t be here to see this. He would have been happy if he found out about this. She missed him, still. She longed to see him again. It was a shame that Rudy caused his death. If it weren’t for that irritating brat, he would still be here, possibl joining them in their quest. They would gotten to this point in a much shorter time frame with his help.

Working with Mr. Cosmo was something else. She admired his dedication, his intelligence, and his work. He was a terrific, understanding boss and did whatever he could to benefit everyone. She did her best to follow in his footsteps. She tried as well as she could to be a leader like he was. She didn’t think she was entirely cut out to be the sole leader. But she knew that Mr. Cosmo would want her to be in charge, as he had placed the most trust in her. She was not going to disappoint him by playing a coward and not taking on the responsibility. With him gone, it was up to her to make sure that Nihilanth’s plans go through. She was not going to screw things up. Mr. Cosmo would be so proud of her right now. She just knew it.

She saw something in the corner of her eye. It seemed there was another open entrance, but it was hidden and had a few very small boulders in the way. She bet the Luminos survivors and Rudy and friends did not even notice it. She walked towards it, curious as to what was inside. Perhaps she would find something worthwhile. It seemed like, before this place was destroyed, this could have been a location of importance. She got closer to it and soon she stood a few feet in front of it. She took out her black chalk and started to draw.

Soon she held a drill in her hands. She turned it on and started to break the boulders one by one. The drill made short work of them. Soon, the boulders were just a pile of smaller rocks and dust. She threw the drill aside and kicked the pile of rubble away. After clearing the entrance, she kicked the already broken door down and moved inside the room.

To her disappointment, this room didn’t have any weaponry. Just some useless medicines. She realized this was a doctor’s room, where zoners were treated for minor wounds. She curled her lips up in disgust. How useless... Of course the zoners would have something as worthless as this. Of course they wouldn’t be smart and put in something more productive, like a weapon’s cabinet. Oh well.... She’d just have to look harder.

She took a quick look around the room. She could see an upturned exam table, a cabinet with a lot of its contents spilled out, a couple of chairs, one of them laying on its side, and some needles laying around. The room was roundish and the walls clearly cave-like in style, which came as no surprise considering this room was in a cave. Not seeing anything of interest in here, she turned and started to leave when a groan caught her attention. She froze and looked to her right.

She could see that, underneath the heavy examining table, there were two zoners trapped underneath. They laid on their backs. One was a humanoid zoner. The other one was a chibi-styled dragon of some kind. Both of them were wearing a doctor’s uniform. She smirked at this, watching them struggle under the table. Perhaps one of them could tell her where the weapons are. Maybe she could even force them to lead her down. It wasn’t like they could really do anything. She had the upperhand here.

Jenny walked over towards them. She made sure to stomp her feet, letting them know that she was there and she was coming to them. This got the zoners’ attention. They lifted up their heads and stared out at her. Their eyes widened in horror, almost instantly realizing what kind of trouble they were in. Their struggles increased, making her smile broaden. Oh this was going to be so much fun. She could already tell that. She continued walking over, watching them struggle frantically to no avail. The table was just too heavy for them.

Jenny pressed her foot against the top of the fallen table. She pushed down hard on it, squeezing them against the ground. They gave a grunt of pain, their eyes shutting tightly. They looked up at her with half opened eyes, their mouth gritted. They looked at her, silently asking her what she planned to do to them. Jenny could tell she was going to have a lot of fun with these Luminos doctors. Much fun indeed.

“Hello there...” Jenny said in an almost innocent sounding voice. “What kind of assistance might I be to you...?”

“Don’t pull that crap on us, human...” The dragon zoner snarled, flicking her tongue out at Jenny in irritation. “We know what you’re going to do. You’re going to lure us in a false sense of security and then you are going to kill us! Just like all humans do!”

“Yeah! And even if you don’t kill us right off the bat, you will torture us! We know how all you humans are, so don’t even try to trick us! It won’t work!” The humanoid zoner snarled.

At this, Jenny laughed bitterly. Oh how amusing it was that they knew partly what was coming. It made her smile knowing that they knew they were in trouble and tried to stand up to her anyway, despite their obvious fear. It was often more fun when her victims tried to fight back. Well there was very little these zoners could do to stop her. She could cut off their limbs and they could do nothing. The dragon zoner might be a problem if she could breathe fire, but no matter. She can take care of that soon enough.

These zoners knew what was coming. They knew she was going to hurt them. And there was nothing they could do to stop her. Oh how she was going to toy with them. How she was going to break them. How she was going to make them wish they were dead. There were so many things she could do. So, so many options. She didn’t know which one to choose first. But then she realized she should try to be more productive and get those weapons. So she altered her planning a little, but still leaving room for some...fun.

“Try to hurt us, and we will hurt you back!” The humanoid zoner warned.

Jenny cocked an eyebrow at this. Them? Hurt her? Were they seriously trying to make her laugh? There was nothing they could do in this position. They should let fear be their teacher and know when they were beat. But then, zoners were often pretty stupid. So she should come to expect this.

“Oh? And what hope do you two have in stopping me? Exactly how are you going to keep me from hurting you?” Jenny asked, folding her arms against her chest. “Do you really think you stand much of a chance against me? Tell me... Just what can you do to fight me...when most of your comrades are..gone...?” She asked in a taunting voice.

“This!” The dragon zoner opened her mouth and shot a small fireball at Jenny. The woman merely stepped to the side, allowing the fireball to fly past her. She chuckled. The dragon zoner snarled at her. “Keep up the attitude and I’ll fire another one, you monster!”

Jenny felt no sense of fear as the zoner said that warning. She could hear the fear laced on her voice. Yes, this zoner was terrified. There was no hiding it. There was no denying it. She and her comrade could try to be brave all they wanted to. She knew they were afraid and she was going to play on that fear. She was going to show them just how helpless they really were.

Jenny looked over at the cabinets. She needed something to get rid of one of the zoners. She decided on the dragon zoner. That fireball attack of hers was going to be a problem. Yes...she should do something about it. She looked over the cabinets, trying to find something she could use to..disable the dragon. Something that would be quick and affective, and keep the humanoid zoner in line, lest he want to fall prey to her as well. She soon spotted something and she moved over to the cabinet.

She picked up a small bottle filled with clear fluid. She already knew it was not poison as this was doctor’s office after all. But perhaps she could go for an overdose. That would be just as fatal as any poison. She picked up the vial and grabbed a needle. She walked back over to where the zoners were trapped. She stood in front of them, sneering evilly down at them. She showed them the needle and vial, which caused their eyes to widen.

“Wh-What are you going to do with that...?” The dragon zoner asked. She still tried to sound brave, but now fear became more prevelant on her voice.

Jenny opened up the vial and stuck the needle into it. As she started to pull the top of the needle back, she said, “I am just going to give you...” As she said ‘you’, she made sure to look straight at the dragon zoner. “..a little injection.”

At this, the dragon zoner paled. “N-No..please...”

The humanoid zoner was just as horrified. He struggled as he said, “No! She’s highly allergic to that medicine!” He looked up at her pleadingly. “If you inject her, she’ll suffocate! Please...don’t do it! We’ll..we’ll do anything!”

“Yeah, we will!” The dragon zoner cried.

Jenny was amused at how easily they broke down, how easily they decided to cooperate when she threatened them with medicine. But still, she couldn’t have the dragon zoner around. She needed to get rid of her, and since she was allergic, this medicine would be even more affective on her than she thought. It was going to be so much fun watching the dragon zoner die. As soon as the needle was full, she approached her.

The dragon zoner struggled to get free, her eyes wide in fear. “No! Stop! Please!” Her voice was devoid of any courage now. “I-I surrender! I’ll do anything you want! Just let me go!”

Jenny paused and tilted her head. “You’ll do..anything..?”

The dragon zoner nodded her head. “Yeah. Anything!”

Jenny stared at her for a few seconds. Then she lowered herself onto her knee and said, “I want you to put on a good show as you die..” She smiled as the dragon zoner widened her eyes in fear. “I want to be amused as you convulse and breathe your last...”

With that, Jenny stuck the needle deep in the dragon’s neck. She let out a yelp of pain. The humanoid zoner let out a cry of ‘no’ as Jenny pushed the top of the needle, forcing the fluid into the dragon zoner. She could see the dragon zoner shedding a few tears as she realized just how screwed she was. Soon all of the needle’s contents were pushed into the dragon zoner and she yanked it out as roughly as she could. She stood back and watched the fireworks come into play.

The dragon zoner looked fine at first, but that all changed very quickly. Her eyes widened as her breathing started to become more and more ragged and forced. Her face turned red and her body swelled a little, a clear allergic reaction. She opened her mouth wider, trying to take in a breath. She frantically dug her claws against the ground, trying to get herself out from underneath the table. Her eyes, wide and wild, looked left and right, desperate to find a way out.

The humanoid zoner watched in horror. His face was stained with tears as he watched his comrade suffer like this. He tried to get out. He tried to help the dragon, but he was trapped, too weak to get free. The dragon zoner’s body wriggled wildly, her breathing becoming even more forced and torn, and there was nothing he could do about it. Jenny smiled as she saw the look of fear and helplessness in his eyes, the pained look in the dragon’s eyes. This was her kind of entertainment. She folded her arms against her chest as she continued to watch.

Soon, the dragon zoner’s throat was so swollen, she could no longer take in a breath. Her eyes bulged even wider as she realized she couldn’t breathe. She opened her mouth as wide as she could, desperately trying to take a breath. Again and again she tried to breathe, but no air would go through her body. Her face slowly changed from red to blue as lack of oxygen continued to plague her body. Then, her frightened look relaxed as the lack of air took full affect. She collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

“No..please..wake up...” The humanoid zoner begged, his body shaking in emotion. “Please..you can’t die...please...”

Jenny was amused by this. She leaned in closer and pressed her finger against the dragon’s neck. Still got a pulse, though it was thready and very weak. She decided to finish the job. She grabbed the unconscious dragon’s head and started to twist it around. Soon there was the cracking of neck bones as the neck was twisted beyond its limit. Even after hearing that, Jenny went the extra mile and continued turning the neck, crunching more vertebrae, until she turned the head around three times. Then she released the head and let it fall.

The dragon zoner was quite dead. No more pulse left after she checked it. The neck looked very loose, nearly all the bones in it broken now. She stared at the now dead dragon for a few moments before turning her head to the humanoid zoner. She could see the look of horror in his eyes, the tears of sorrow on his face. The sight of it was quite beautiful.

“No..it can’t be...” The humanoid zoner whimpered. “She..she can’t be..”

Jenny moved in closer, casting a shadow on the frightened humanoid zoner. He looked up at her in fear, his body shaking. She smiled at the remaining doctor, lowering herself down to the ground. She ran her hand almost affectionately along the back of his head, toying with his hair. He cringed back from her touch, turning his head a little to the side.

“If you do not wish to become like your...friend there..” Jenny said, applying more force to her rubbing and making him contort his face in uncomfortableness. “...you will do exactly what I say...”

sss

Ghadir continued to run. She didn’t look back. She was too afraid to. She had been running for several minutes now, probably ten or fifteen at least. The Solar Pillars weren’t that far awa, but her limp made it difficult for her to move quickly. She continued to push herself, forcing her injured body further and further away from the zoners. She couldn’t give them a chance to catch up to her. She couldn’t allow herself to get caught again. She had to get out of here.

Her body was covered in injuries. Scratches, cuts, and bruises adorned her body. Her clothes were a little ripped and covered in dirt. She had a little blood trickling down the corner of her mouth, one of her eyes had a light purple bruise around it, and a bit of blood also came out of her nose. She had been beaten pretty badly by those zoners. Pain echoed through her body, and she continued limping due to a deep bruise on her leg.

Her feet pounded the ground as she ran. Her eyes were wide with fear. She had never felt this terrified before. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest from not just the running, but the fear and adrenaline rushing through her body. She kept her gaze ahead, not wanting to imagine the mob of zoners behind her. She was getting closer as each second passed, but due to her fear, it felt so much longer. It felt as though many minutes passed in the time frame of just one. Everything appeared to move so slowly. If only she had her black chalk...

Being in ChalkZone without black chalk or even white chalk was a terrifying feeling. She never thought she’d feel helpless in ChalkZone, and yet here she was. Defenseless and on the run... The zoners she’s hunted felt the same way, and now she was experiencing it, too. It frightened her. She should have brought more magic chalk. She should have brought a comrade with. She, Tyreek, and Jenny....they shouldn’t separate again. Not after this. The zoners were beginning to fight back, and if they weren’t careful, all their plans were about to go down the drain.

Ghadir soon reached the base of the Solar Pillars. She paused and took in a few breaths. Only now did she dare look back. She widened her eyes in fear when she saw the zoners were still there, glaring at her. They hadn’t moved. It was as though they wanted her to have their image burned in her retina. They wanted her to know they would always be watching her, that if she tried anything, they would come after her again. She gulped and she headed into the Solar Pillars, walking up the steps and entering the hatchet.

As she walked down the staircase, her swirling mind slowly started to calm down. Her pounding heart began to slow down as well. It took some time, and as she headed down the stairs, her breathing slowly, but surely, went back to normal. She stopped on the staircase for a few minutes, leaning up against the wall. Her thoughs swam through her still startled mind, trying ot make sense of what happened.

Never before had the zoners struck back like that. Even when she was a kid, they never thought to gang up on her like that. She always had a feeling they would, and had reacted accordingly, especially as a child. She knew that what happened this time was that she had become careless. She didn’t take as many precautions as she did as a kid, and that ultimately caused her to slip up, and, for the first time, the zoners chased her in a mass group. They had started to fight back. And that, she knew, was going to cause problems for her and her comrades.

Eventually she had calmed down completely, save for a little tinge of fear. A part of her still worried the mob would try to come into the Solar Pillars anyway, despite knowing how dangerous it was. But she knew she was safe in here. She was out of danger, and that realization helped her relax her mind, her heart returning to its normal speed. She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She continued down the staircase.

As she went down, her eyes slowly narrowed. A new emotion started to fill her head. Anger. The zoners had fought back. They chased her...when she should be the one chasing them. They had forced her to run, forced her to leave behind her meal. That was the second zoner she had lost on a hunt. Those pathetic little zoners...they really have no idea what they are dealing with. They messed with the bull, and now the horns shall come. She curled her lips in a snarl. Oh they will pay for what they did. They will pay...

She knew exactly what she was going to do. She was going to turn on the light cannon and use it on those wretched zoners. She didn’t care if the light cannon had to be reserved for something special. No, to her, this is special. She needed to use it to get revenge on those zoners. How dare they chase her... How dare they deprive her of her delicious meal... How dare they gang up on her... She will give them a reason to fear her again. She will make sure they never threaten her again. Nobody messes with a black chalk artist and gets away with it. No one...

She will kill them all. Every single of those wretched zoners who dared to fight back... They will all die... She will use that light cannon on them and wipe them out, and then she will eat the remains. After losing two meals on a hunt, she deserved this. She was going to get an all you can eat buffet as soon as she fries those pathetic zoners with the light cannon. They would not be able to escape. And now, they will be the defenseless ones, while her, the victor. That was how it should always be. She will return things to the status quo soon, so very soon.

Ghadir continued her trek down the steps. Her eyes remained narrowed in anger and determination. Those zoners will learn the hard way not to mess with her. She will not allow them to get away with this. They will not get away with attacking and hurting her like that. They had gone too far and they will now pay the price for it. Going down a little faster, it didn’t take her long to reach the floor she wanted.

Ghadir did take notice of Bardot no longer chained. He was laying on the floor, unconscious. Draow was as well. The two zoners laid still, breathing in slowly. Normally, she would investigate, try to see just what the heck happened. But she didn’t, not this time. Her mind was too clouded with anger. She was too focused on avenging herself by slaughtering those zoners. Her eyes were focused on the light cannon alone, which had enough juice in it for a single fire. Although this meant losing a target, at the moment, she didn’t care. She didn’t care if Nihilanth didn’t like it. She was focused on one thing: revenge. And she was going to get it.

She moved towards the equipment and monitor. She looked up at the screen, which was still locked on their last target. She pressed a button a couple of times, changing the monitor until she got it to focus on where the mob of zoners were. She magnified the image, the target directly over the group that had chased her. For a few seconds, fear clutched her heart, remembering that these zoners were the same ones that beat her up. She shook her head and bared her teeth, growling in anger as she watched the mob walk away.

“Oh no you don’t...” Ghadir hissed under her breath. “No you fucking don’t... You are not going to be allowed to get away with what you did to me...”

She pressed a couple of buttons. There was an LED meter not far from where she was. It was indicative of just how powerful the blast of the laser was going to be. She watched as it filled all the way up. She knew it was overkill, but that is what those zoners deserved. She was going to use as much power the light cannon had available and aim it right at them. There was no way they were going to survive. An evil smile spread across her face as she reached over towards the nearby lever.

“Goodbye...you worthless piles of dust...” Ghadir said, her eyes filled with insanity. Grinning, she began to pull the lever.

Out of nowhere, something large slammed against her, ripping her away from the lever. She let out a grunt of pain as she was slammed into the ground. She groaned softly and shook her head. She opened her eyes to see just what had happened. Her eyes widened in shock at what she saw.

It was Boorat... But how? She thought the stuff she sprayed on him was supposed to last longer than this. Or had it really been longer than she imagined? Either way, Boorat was free again, and he did not look happy. She could see the hate and anger radiating off of his eyes. He hadn’t spoken yet, and already she could tell that he wanted to tear her apart.

For a few moments, she laid on her back, the large rodent standing on her stomach and chest. She found it hard to tear her eyes away from his gleaming red ones. His breathing was partially ragged, sucking breath in between his sharp teeth, which were bared, glinting in the light. Then, after a little while, Boorat finally spoke.

“You... You turned me into living statue!” Boorat snarled at her. His fingers gripped her shoulders tightly. “You did what Snap did to me! And since Snap isn’t here, I think I will take out my rage against you..”

“What are you going to do?” Ghadir asked, anger still ruling her mind. “Are you going to force cheese down my throat?”

Boorat shook his head. “No... I’m going to force my fist down your throat!”

With that, Boorat formed a fist with his hand. He pulled it back and slammed it against Ghadir’s cheek. Letting out a cry of pain, Ghadir’s head was twisted to the side. She shut her eyes and gritted her teeth. She barely had time to look up towards the rat zoner when she was punched again. She pulled her foot back and kicked Boorat in the stomach, forcing him off of her. She rolled herself onto her stomach and started to crawl away.

She didn’t get far when Boorat grabbed her legs and pulled her back. He lifted her up into the air and began to swing her around in circles. On the fourth turn, Boorat released her, sending her flying across the room. She crashed into the ground, rolling across it and landed on her back. She coughed a few times, rubbing the back of her head as she sat up. She looked over and her eyes widened as she saw the large rodent barreling down towards her on all fours. Feeling fear start to move into her head once more, she got up to her feet and tried to run.

She reacted too late. Boorat lunged into the air and slammed his body against hers. She screamed in pain as Boorat sank his teeth into her arm as he knocked her into the ground. He shook his head from side to side, shredding her flesh, blood leaking out. Ghadir punched Boorat on the side of his face, forcing him to let go. He dropped down on all fours and growled at her. Ghadir got back to her feet. She held onto her torn arm, seething in pain. She clutched her arm to herself, looking over the damage. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, gritting her teeth, and looked back at Boorat.

Knowing she was not going to be able to fight Boorat without magic chalk, Ghadir knew her only option was to run. Boorat had a lot of muscle to him, and while dead, they would make for a tasty snack, alive, they were a powerhouse to be used against her. She had to get out of here and fast. If she could just make it to her room, she could get another piece of black chalk and she could fight back. Without saying a word, she turned around and started run away.

Boorat was having none of this. He rushed towards her again. He let out a screech of anger as he jumped onto her again, knocking her back into the ground. Ghadir fell onto her stomach. She let out a grunt as Boorat landed on her back. He used his weight to hold her down as he started to punch her in the back. Ghadir shut her eyes tightly as pain wracked through her body with each punch. He hit her again and again and she knew bruises must be forming here. Then, without warning, he sank his sharp teeth into her back.

Ghadir’s eyes widened and she let out a blood curdling scream. Panic swept through her like it did before. Tears of fear and pain moved down her face as she frantically tried to get free. She squirmed and wriggled underneath the rodent zoner. Her legs kicked wildly and her fingers dug into the hard ground. She kicked out her legs at Boorat, hoping to get him off. But each kick missed or just wasn’t strong enough to get him off of her.

Soon blood poured down from the wound that Boorat tore into her back, between her shoulders. Ghadir screamed and her struggles increased. She managed to get herself to roll onto her side. She pulled her foot back and kicked the rodent zoner in his chest. He stumbled back. She struggled to her feet and punched him underneath his chin, causing him to stagger back. With him temporarily disoriented, she got up to her feet shakingly and started to limp away as fast as she could.

No surprise, she never got that far. Boorat charged her and punched her in the stomach before kicking her in the leg, knocking her onto her knees. She looked at him in fear as he raised his fist again. She shut her eyes, tears moving down her cheeks, as she turned her head to the side and waited for the blow. It came in seconds, the fist connecting with her jaw and forcing her to bite her tongue. She crashed into the ground on her side. She looked up at Boorat, trembling like a leaf.

“Please...don’t...” Ghadir pleaded, her face contorted in fear. “Don’t hurt me...I’ll do anything!”

Boorat narrowed his eyes. “I do not believe you. You’re just trying to get yourself out of trouble!” He advanced on her slowly, menacingly. His fingers wriggled in anticipation as an evil smile spread across his muzzle. “You need to be taught a very valuable lesson... and I am going to be the one to give it to you...” He dropped down on all fours again and said, “Now hold still... This will hurt less if you don’t struggle...”

Ghadir trembled in terror, her eyes wide in horror. Boorat’s muscles tensed up as he lowered his haunches. He growled softly and jumped into the air. His mouth split wide open, exposing his razor sharp teeth. Ghadir screamed and turned her head away, waiting for the giant rodent to tackle her and continu his beatdown.

Suddenly, there was a loud screech, the pounding of footsteps, and a blur of light tan rushed passed Ghadir. Her eyes opened and she looked over in shock.

“Draow?!” Ghadir cried, a mixture of surprise and great relief.

Draow seized Boorat in his jaws. His gleaming teal eyes looked down at the rodent zoner. His teeth sank into the grey zoner’s chest and stomach. He lifted him high into the air. Boorat attempted to punch him. But before he could, Draow shook his head furiously, his head swinging from side to side. His act disoriented Boorat. Draow then slammed him into the ground as hard as he could. He pressed his foot against Boorat, his talons splaying across his chest. He held him down effectively, applying more pressure to keep him down.

Draow lowered his head and bared his razor sharp teeth at Boorat. His ears flattened against his skull as his fur raised on end. “You will do wise not to harm a black chalk user...” Draow warned, spreading his wings out in threat. “You best be careful, lest you want to lose one of your legs...”

Boorat, though startled, showed no fear. He growled at Draow, gripping his foot and trying to pry it off. “Get off of me! You stupid dog!”

“You worthless little rodent...” Draow hissed at him. “You think you can take me on? Let me teach you a lesson!”

Ghadir backed away from the fight. She pressed her back against the wall. She watched, her eyes widened, as Draow split his jaws open wide and prepared to rip Boorat’s head clean off.


	122. We're Not Soft Like Rudy And His Friends

“I-I can’t give you that information!” The doctor zoner cried. His cheeks glinted with tears. “Please...just let me go!”

Jenny smiled at her victim. She watched as he kept on struggling, wriggling his body from side to side. The table held him down firmly. No matter how hard he tried to squirm, that table wasn’t budging and he was going nowhere. It was amusing to her to watch how her vicitms struggled to get away, and this was no exception. Such moments made her feel...powerful.

Jenny looked at her hand, watching herself flex her fingers. She gave the zoner a downward glance. “If you want me to let you go...” She turned her head slightly, letting her look at her victim with two eyes instead of just one. “Tell me what I wish to know.”

“I can’t do that... I-If I do that, you’ll have access to our weaponry and you’ll use it against other zoners! I-I can’t allow that... I w-w-won’t give you the information! I refuse!” The doctor zoner said, narrowing his eyes slightly. He was clearly trying to show courage, but the fear still radiated off his body.

Jenny just continued to smile at this. She gave a quick, somewhat bitter chuckle. She raised her head in the air, glancing up at the ceiling. She folded her arms behind her back as she started to pace in front of the zoner. From left and right she walked, her eyes focusing on the trapped zoner before her. Soon or later, she’d get him to talk. Everyone had a breaking point. Everyone had a line that, once crossed, they would crack under the pressure. All she had to do was fine this zoner’s, and those weapons would be hers.

Even if this zoner didn’t know, she would have still toyed with him for a bit before setting out to find the weapons. They were going to be here somewhere. And with all the zoners here dead, or the survivors, what few there were, being trapped and cut off from their comrades, it was going to be easy to get by them. They weren’t going to be able to stop her, and if they tried, she’d make them sorry. She was not leaving this place empty-handed. Sooner or later, she would find those weapons, and she will bring them back to the Solar Pillars. Using the zoners’ own weapons against them was going to be fun.

She especially was going to love the look on Rudy’s face when the plan goes full force. He probably knows by now just what Nihilanth wants him for. While she would have preferred that as a nice surprise for him, finding out was just as satisfying. Now that boy had to sleep at night knowing what his destiny was going to be. This was a great way to exact revenge on him. She still didn’t think he got punished enough, so becoming Nihilanth’s vessel would do just nicely. Forever trapped as a tool for the deity... Yes, that was perfect punishment. That is what Rudy deserved, and that is what he was going to get.

“What is your name?” Jenny asked.

The zoner blinked a few times. “Wh-What..?”

Jenny tilted her head slightly. “I asked what your name was. I am quite curious to know.” She looked at the back of her hand, flexing her fingers. “I think we can communicate better if I knew your name. Mine is Jenny.”

The zoner narrowed his eyes. “I know full well who you are...” He struggled a little more. He did manage to jerk himself forward, but only barely an inch, not enough to run away. “You’re the leader of the black chalk artists!”

Jenny chuckled. “Oh so you know who I am...” She stood in front of him. She leaned forward, staring intently at the zoner. “But I can’t know your name?” The zoner looked away, refusing to answer. Jenny’s smile vanished as she gave him a glare. “Be like that. I have ways of making you talk...”

Jenny took out her black chalk. The zoner didn’t turn his head, but his pupils looked up at her fearfully as he watched her draw something in her hand. She soon held a thick battery-powered electric knife in her hands. She grinned deviously down at the zoner, turning the device on for a few seconds, letting the whirring sound fill the air. She let the zoner get a nice long look at the electric knife, letting him know just what he was in for.

Still, despite his fear, the zoner refused to talk. He cringed back, keeping his head turned. His mouth was open, but not to speak, just in fear. Jenny was partly happy for this. She would have found it a waste if she couldn’t use this electric knife on someone. And it looks like this zoner will be her lucky contestant. She lowered herself down in front of him, dropping onto one knee like how she was before. She grabbed onto one of his wrists and pulled his arm out. He yelped in pain as she twisted it roughly, forcing the palm to face upwards.

Jenny turned the knife on. The blade vibrated, shaking her hand slightly. She lowered the blade towards the zoner’s hand. This caused the doctor to scream in fear and struggle frantically. He kept crying out ‘no please’ and ‘don’t do this’ as Jenny gradually brought the blade closer to him. The zoner kept trying to yank his arm back, but she just pulled on the arm harder, securing it in place. She further secured the arm by placing her foot in the middle of his forearm, using her weight to hold it down. She used her free hand to grab onto one of the zoner’s fingers and held it down in place.

Closer and closer came the electric knife. The zoner’s eyes widened in horror and his struggles increased. He kept crying out in fear and pleaded desperately with Jenny. The sound of this was music to hear ears. She continued to bring the knife down, listening to the zoner screaming, watching him struggle to get free. Tears flowed down his face as he looked up at Jenny pleadingly. She could see how shiny his eyes appeared to be, and that just made him look desperate and helpless.

Soon the blade touched his finger. Instantly, the zoner started to scream. The vibrating blade cut deeply into his finger. He clenched his teeth and seethed in agony, twisting his head from left to right as he tried to endure the pain. Jenny continued slicing into his finger, the vibrating blade making short work of it. Blood splattered all over the place, hitting the doctor zoner in the face and staining her hands as well. Cutting the bone was tough, but it ultimately was no match for her electric knife. Soon, the finger laid severed on the ground, blood pooling from the stump that remained of the finger.

The zoner stared at his severed finger, his body shaking in shock. He looked up at Jenny in fear, his eyes holding the silent question of ‘why?’. She could see more tears staining his face, the salty liquid slowly streaming down. She could see his lips curling as he cried in pain, his body trembling. He glanced down at his hand, as if wondering if it really did happen. She held his hand down harder and, just to show him she meant business, she pounded on the wound.

The zoner let out another pain-filled scream. He lifted his head in the air as he screamed, his eyes bulging wide open. Soon he just froze there, clenching his teeth tightly. He sucked in a deep breath a few times quickly. His eyes closed and he let out a few sobs, shaking his body. He lowered his head, his tears dripping on the ground. His whimpers were soft, faint, and they made Jenny smile. Yes...just a little more, and she knew she would break this zoner. It was always just a matter of...finding the right method...

Jenny turned the electric knife off. She stared at the blade for a few seconds, seeing the blood that stained the metal, and the tiny pieces of zoner flesh that still clung to it. She looked back down at the zoner, who looked a little relieved, but was still terrified. He knew his predicament was far from over. Jenny chortled once at this. Smart zoner.

Jenny said, “Are you ready to talk now?” She raised the electric knife up threateningly. “Or do I have to be a little more...persuasive...?”

The doctor zoner shook his head. “O-O-Okay! I’ll talk! Just please...stop!” The zoner took in a few shaky breaths. “I’ll tell you my name...”

Jenny smiled at this. She lowered her electric knife. Seems the zoner was at least smart enough to know that not telling her his name was not worth having all his fingers cut off. At least she only removed the smallest, most useless finger on his hand, so he can still be productive with this work. She stared at him and waited for him to continue.

The doctor zoner said in a small, meek voice, “I am Dr. Overton...”

Jenny replied, “Dr. Overton...” She repeated, making sure she got it. It was always special to know her victim’s names. Too bad she never asked for the dragon’s name. Oh well. Can’t win them all. “There...that wasn’t so hard now was it?” She chuckled as she watched Dr. Overton turn his gaze away from her, a mixed look on his face. “Now, Dr. Overton...” She twirled the electric knife in her fingers. “About those weapons...”

Dr. Overton shot her a brave look. “I told you! I’m not telling you!”

Jenny stared at him. She said, “So...removing one of your fingers didn’t work on you? Hmm...” She tilted her head to the side. “I wonder what would happen if I removed another one...” The zoner’s face paled in horror. “Or perhaps all of them...” At this, the zoner shook his head in protest, but did not speak. Jenny’s eyes glinted. “Oh? You don’t like that? Okay then..” She placed the tip of the blade close to the doctor’s face. “How about you tell me where those weapons are?”

Dr. Overton gritted his teeth in fear. He looked at Jenny, wide-eyed. “I-I can’t betray my people...” The doctor said in a soft, almost squeaky voice. “Please..have mercy...”

“Have it your way...” Jenny said. She started to move the electric knife closer to his left eye. “You probably look better without your eyes anyway...”

“No! Please!” Dr. Overton screamed, twisting himself from side to side. Jenny grabbed his hair and held him in place. She brought the knife closer. Dr. Overton shed more tears. “Don’t do it! Please... why can’t you show mercy?! Why do you have to do this?! Why?!”

Jenny paused for a moment. She stared at the zoner, staring into his tear-stained eyes. She narrowed her eyes and released him. She moved back a little, keeping her gaze locked onto his. A very interesting question. And she intended on giving her answer. Why should she leave him hanging like this?

Jenny slowly smiled, destroying any sense of relief that this zoner might have had in that short moment. His face paled slightly, as if he knew what she was going to say next was the opposite of what he wanted to hear. Jenny gave a sideways glance to the dead dragon zoner, a glint in her eyes. The doctor zoner seemed to pick up on this as he looked horrified, his eyes widening big. Even though the dragon zoner was dead, that didn’t mean that she still couldn’t do something to her to mess with the zoner’s mind.

Jenny moved over to the dead dragon zoner. She wrapped her fingers around her ruined neck and started to pull on her. Dr. Overton screamed at her to stop, begging her to release the zoner. She ignored her cries and continued to pull. Soon, she managed to release the dragon zoner from her confinement. The force of the pull was enough to shake the table a little and make the dragon zoner wobble slightly in the air. Jenny sneered evilly at the horror-struck Overton as she took a few steps back away from him.

Jenny held the dragon zoner in the air, her fingers wrapped tightly around her broken throat. The zoner seemed to almost stare back at her with those half open, lifeless eyes. She chuckled as she looked back at Overton. The humanoid zoner was squirming frantically, calling out for her to stop and leave her alone. Even though the dragon zoner was dead, he still wanted her to leave her alone.. which is exactly the kind of reaction she was hoping for.

Jenny said, “You seem to be..rather fond of this zoner...”

“Please let Star go! Please!” Dr. Overton begged Jenny. “Don’t disgrace the dead!”

Jenny grinned at this. “Star, eh...?” She looked the dragon zoner up and down. “I don’t see why she’s called that. There’s no star mark on here. Oh...I know what I can do!” She raised the electric knife. “I’ll make her a star!”

“No!” Dr. Overton screamed in horror.

The blonde ignored the zoner’s pleas as she brought the tip of the knife to the dragon’s forehead. She put the knife against it and turned it on. The vibrating mini-saw cut through the bone very easily. She made sure it only went in about an inch. Then she started to carve a crude star shape in her skull. Thick, coagulating blood dripped a little. It didn’t take too long for her to finish the carving and soon a piece of skull dropped to the ground.

She stared at her handiwork, smiling in satisfaction. She looked over at Dr. Overton and swerved the dragon around. She showed him what she had done. Dr. Overton gasped in horror, tears dripping from his eyes, as he focused on the center of Star’s forehead. There was now a star-shaped hole in it, and her brain was exposed. The sight of this made Dr. Overton turn his head, looking a little nauseous.

“Don’t you like what I’ve done with her?” Jenny asked mockingly. “She definitely earned her name now!”

Overton swallowed hard, his body shaking. He looked over at Jenny, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Y-You monster...” His voice was low and growly. “H-How could you do that? How could you be so careless to the dead? So disrespectful..?”

“Because dead is dead. It’s not like she’s using this body anymore. Not like anything I do to her now will bother her. She can’t feel a thing.” Jenny sneered at him. To emphasize her point, she grabbed Star by her tail and held her up horizontally. She held the dragon zoner in the air, stretching her out a little. Then she started to twist her body, her head and tail in opposite directions. “See? If she were alive, she’d be feeling this.”

Overton shook his head, sobs wracking through his body. “Please! I’m begging you!”

Jenny ignored his pleas. She hoisted the zoner up in the air. Then she placed her along her shoulders. She pulled her head and tail, breaking a few bones as she did so. Soon, she had Star strewn around her like some kind of scarf. She did a quick mock pose, as if she were some kind of fashion setter.

“Not bad...” Jenny said as she brushed her hair, still in her mock pose. “Not bad at all... Although it kinda makes me look fat...”

“Stop that!” Dr. Overton screamed at her. His voice was filled with emotion. He was sobbing harder, his eyes red and puffy from his crying. “I’ll...I’ll tell you!” He lowered his head, his cries filling the room. “I’ll tell you what you want to know... Just..please... stop toying with my friend...please... stop...” His voice grew soft and faded.

Grinning, the blonde dropped Star on the ground. Dr. Overton stared at Star, giving her an apologetic look even though she was dead. He looked up at Jenny. “Wise decision. I would have done so much worse if you didn’t speak up.” Dr. Overton winced at this. “Now...” Jenny went down on one knee in front of him. She reached out and cupped his chin. “Talk.”

sss

“Who is here?!” Snap cried, hoping that he had misheard.

“It’s true.” The doctor zoner said. “Tyreek has been spotted here. He’s in the building.”

Snap couldn’t believe his horrible luck. Of all the people to show up in this hospital, it just had to be another of the black chalk artists. He had already dealt with Ghadir not too long ago. He didn’t need to face off against another one. He wasn’t even sure he could stand up to Tyreek, not after what happened to him. He had exerted a lot of energy on that run, and he was still reeling from its effects. If Tyreek were to chase him, he knew he was not going to get that far.

Snap at least didn’t have to worry about the muzzle anymore. It had been removed not long after he first got here. It hadn’t been as easy as they hoped, but removing the muzzle, once they found the right tool for it, was not too difficult. He remembered just how much of a relief it was to have that wretched thing off of his face. His jaws still hurt a little, the device being on him so tightly it nearly caused his teeth to crack. But at least it was off now and he could breathe unhindered.

He had been relieved when he heard that Howdy had already been taken into surgery and pulled through. They were able to finish faster than expected. Howdy was currently in the post-op room recovering from the surgery. They managed to fix the hole in his shoulder and closed it up. Unfortunately, they still weren’t sure if he would ever regain full use of that arm... But at least it was fixed now and was mended to the best of the doctors’ abilities. Now Howdy can rest and cover, safe and away from that wretched woman who had tried to eat him.

But now there was something else for him to worry about. The realization that there was a black chalk artist in this building sent cold shivers down his spine. What did Tyreek want? What was he going to do? Were Ghadir and Jenny not far behind? Snap knew he would stand little chance against Tyreek alone. Heck, everyone in this building was in danger so long he was here. He was probably picking off zoners one by one until he got to him. He was certain he was the main target. Maybe Ghadir sent him to bring her ‘prey’ back to him. He didn’t doubt that she escaped and would immediately want him back. That was just the kind of person she was.

Yet despite being at such a disadvantage, he knew he couldn’t just sit around. If Tyreek was here threatening zoners, he was going to have to do something about it. Rudy and Penny might not be here to do anything to help, but he was still standing. He could still take a stand against Tyreek. He had fought against Draow and Bardot when he was badly hurt. He can still try to take on Tyreek, and that was what he was going to try. He shifted himself on his hospital bed and attempted to get up.

The doctor widened her eyes. She rushed forward and grabbed him by his shoulders. She pushed him back, looking at him with great concern. “No! Don’t get up!” She cried. “You’ll hurt yourself more!”

“But Tyreek is here!” Snap said. He stared at her intently, his eyes filled with determination. “I can’t just let him walk around hurting zoners! He’s after me. I know it!”

“You’re not going to run headlong into a fight, Snap!” The doctor said to him sternly. “Not while you’re injured like this! You need your rest.” She started to push him back into the bed. “Now lay down and try to relax. I...”

“Relax?!” Snap cried in disbelief. What was this doctor thinking? How could she be so...crazy? “How the fuck can I do that when there’s a maniac here in the hospital?! Are you insane?!”

The doctor zoner gently massaged his shoulders in a clear attempt to calm him down. She looked down at him with calm, gentle eyes. She didn’t look at all worried about Tyreek being here. This left a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. What if she worked for the black chalk artists? What if she was keeping him here while he killed some helpless zoners? What if she was going to have him captured while he was sleeping, tied up and locked up in some place far away from his friends?

That smile she was giving him did seem calm and friendly enough. But that just made it all the more unnerving for him. He turned his head to the side, his expression filling with some fear. He couldn’t believe just how relaxed she seemd about this whole thing. Something was definitely wrong. He tried not to wriggle away, thinking that would trigger her to drag him off somewhere, cutting him off from his friends. As seconds passed, the longer he stared into her eyes, the more and more apprehensive he got.

“Why are you so worried?” The doctor zoner asked. She tilted her head, looking at him in confusion. “You act was though I’m going to hurt you.”

Snap felt his heart clench. Of course he couldn’t be subtle and hide his emotions well enough. Now the doctor zoner was suspicious of him. He couldn’t help but gulp nervously. He turned his head to the side and said, “N-Nothing is wrong...”

The doctor zoner stared at him for a few seconds before narrowing her eyes. “I don’t believe you...”

Snap sucked in a sharp breath. He leaned back from the doctor zoner. “I’m telling the truth, I swear...”

“No you’re not. You’re lying to me...” The doctor zoner said. She stared at him intently, leaning forward a little. Snap could see his reflection in her eyes. “I know exactly what’s on your mind.”

Snap let out a soft whimper. His body started to shake slightly. He stared into her eyes, waiting for her to make her move. He prepared himself for a fight. He couldn’t believe he’d have to face another doctor. Dr. Raiden was bad enough, at least before he changed his ways. Now he had to worry about another one? The thought unnerved him.

Then, just as he thought the female doctor was going to attack him, she pulled her head back. Her original expression was replaced with that of concern and sympathy. She said, “You’re worried about Tyreek is going to hurt you. Well not to fear, Snap.” The doctor zoner released him and took a few steps back. She turned her head and looked out of the door. A small smile was on her face. “You don’t have to worry about it. He is being properly taken care of. Quirk and Dr. Lancer have apprehended him and he’s being interrogated as we speak.”

Snap blinked a few times, staring at her in shock. This...this wasn’t what he had expected. He felt his previous fear leave him as he came to realize the reason why the doctor was so calm. It wasn’t because she was plotting with Tyreek. It was because Tyreek was currently neutralized. He couldn’t hurt anyone. That was good news. But it still raised the question.

Why was he here?

As if she heard his silent question, the doctor zoner said, “They will get whatever information they can out of him. We may be able to use it against his comrades.”

Snap asked, “What if he doesn’t relinquish any information?”

The doctor zoner grinned at this. “Oh don’t worry. They will find something to break him.”

Snap flinched at the word ‘break’. There was something about that word that made him feel uneasy about the whole thing. The idea of anyone acting like those black chalk artists was unnerving... But surely, the doctors here wouldn’t sink that low, right? Dr. Lancer was so nice to him and Howdy. She wouldn’t adopt a cruel disposition, even if it were against the enemy..would she...?

sss

Tyreek screamed in pain as the claws struck against his face. The tips tore into his skin, leaving behind crimson lines, blood seeping from the cuts. His head was thrust to the side from the force. He shut his eyes and seethed in pain, taking in a few shaky breaths. He looked back over, his fear-filled eyes resting on his current tormentors: Quirk the griffin and Dr. Lancer the hippogriff.

They had dragged him into a room in the basement of the hospital. It was some restricted, no access area. Not just anyone could come down here. He had tried to escape, but he had nowhere to go. The doctor and what he guessed was a good friend of hers thought they shouldn’t have the interrogation in the hospital room, for fear it would disturb the ailing King Mumbo Jumbo. So they forced him down ehre, where he was chained to the wall, his arms secured above his head.

He had resisted them at first. He thought that they wouldn’t go that far. He believed that they would give up and just move him in a cage somewhere. Or that they would warn him never to come near the hospital again and threw him outside. But none of that had happened. What did end up happening was something completely unexpected. He had never imagined any of the self proclaimed ‘good guys’ would act in this way.

When he had refused to talk, Dr. Lancer had attacked him. Her claws raked across his side. He can still feel the stinging pain of her claws. The wound was still bleeding, the warm liquid dripping to the ground. This horrified him. He never would have expected this to happen. He had given them a fear-filled look as Dr. Lancer gave him what he could describe as an evil smile. She then twisted his arm, torturing him slowly. She almost broke it out of his socket as he screamed loudly. She released him, thankfully, but she made it clear that was only the beginning.

Quirk wasn’t so innocent either. She had bit down onto his shoulder. She worked her beak into it until she tore out a small piece of his flesh. She threw it into the ground, grinning evilly at him. He looked down at his torn piece of flesh, shivering in fright and pain. It was right then, he knew what was going to happen. They wanted information out of him, and they were going to get it by means of torture...

He stood there, shivering in fear as Dr. Lancer approached him again. She lifted up her blood stained claw. She had been the one to strike him before. Now she was coming back and he was certain it was to hit him again. He let out a terrified scream and turned his head to the side. He felt her claw tips press against his chin as she grabbed it. She turned her head roughly to the side, forcing him to look at her. He shuddered as he stared into those bright yellow eyes. It was almost like they were on fire, and they were burning in hatred of him.

Dr. Lancer said, “We can keep doing this the hard way, Tyreek.” She showed him her claws on her other foot. “Or, you can be cooperative, and things will go much smoother. All we want you to do is give us the information we want.”

“We will not tolerate you threatening these patients.” Quirk said, her eyes narrowing in warning. “If I were you, I’d cooperate and give us the information.”

Tyreek shut his eyes, wanting take himself out of here. He wished he had brought more black chalk. He wished he had brought someone with him. If he had done something different, he wouldn’t be in this mess. If Jenny were here, she’d know what to do. Oh why didn’t he just go with her instead? Why didn’t he take her with him? He had never felt so scared and frightened before.

“I..I never thought I’d run into more of you Luminos..” Tyreek muttered under his breath. “I thought most of you were gone..”

Quirk blinked a few times. Standing on two legs, she put her paws on her hips and said, “We’re not associated with that wacked out group.”

Tyreek widened his eyes a little. “Y-You’re not...” He yelped when Dr. Lancer gripped him tighter, pressing her fingers slightly into his chin.

“No! Of course not!” Dr. Lancer said. “We would never ally ourselves with the likes of them!”

“But..but you’re torturing me...!” Tyreek cried. He felt blood trickling down from his chin. “This is not what I would have expected from...”

“We’re hurting you because you deserve it.” Dr. Lancer said, her voice deepened and growly sounding. She put her beak close to his face. The wicked hook of the tip looked very sharp, like she could take off his head with it. “Rudy and his friends might be soft... But we aren’t... If we find it necessary to rip you apart slowly, we will do that. Trust me.”

Tyreek’s eyes widened in horror at this. He pulled his head away, yelping as he felt the claws scrape across his chin, leaving behind more red marks on his face. “No! Please don’t do that!”

“Hmph...” Dr. Lancer smirked in amusement. “How interesting... Funny how you beg and plead for your life, but if your victims did the same, you would not listen to them, now would you? Interesting how the tides of turned...” She turned her head to the side. “Am I right?”

A few tears formed in Tyreek’s eyes. “Please...”

“Tell us what your plan was.” Quirk said. She formed a fist with her right paw and slammed it against the palm of her left. “Then we will consider letting you go. We have many hours to...kill... And if you don’t give us what we want, and answer all our questions, we will not be above torturing you to death. So unless you don’t mind your face being ripped off and plastered on your back...” She opened her wings to make herself look bigger. “Tell us!”

“I...I...” Tyreek whimpered softly. He didn’t want to be afraid. He hated the idea of being afraid of zoners. But right now, he couldn’t help but tremble in fear in the sight of these two mythological zoners. They had made it clear they were going to hurt him badly unless he cooperated. But he couldn’t betray his comrades. That would be wrong. “I won’t tell you anything...”

Dr. Lancer chuckled darkly. She pressed her claws against his stomach. His eyes widened as he felt the claws prick his skin a little. “Not talking huh? Well don’t you worry...” She pushed a little harder, drawing a little trickle of blood. “We will eventually get you to...” She leaned forward, the lighting of the basement causing her face to darken. This made her look so much more frightening. “...spill your guts...” She finished in a low, hissing voice.

Tyreek gasped in horror. He looked at Dr. Lancer, his eyes wide in fear. He shook his head in protest. “N-No...please...” Tears streamed down his face. Cold dread swept through his body, making him tremble like a leaf. “Don’t do this..please..”

Dr. Lancer pulled her claws away, but, from the look she and Quirk were giving him, they were not going to let up on him. They glared at him hatefully. He could see it in their eyes, they want to hurt him. Badly. They wanted to torture him and make him feel every ounce of pain that his victims felt. And they were not going to let him walk away until he did.

“Pleading for your own pitiful life... How disgusting...” Quirk said, her beak clenched in contempt. “I’m sure that those you hurt...they pleaded, too, am I right? Besides, you were about to kill a helpless turtle while he was still unconscious. How cowardly was that...?”

“Think of it this way, Tyreek.” Dr. Lancer said as she leaned in closely. Her beak nearly touched his face. “At least we have the courtesty of letting you know what’s coming, and we aren’t attempting to kill you while you take a nap.” She lifted up a claw and traced it along his face. “At least we will give you that much...”

Tyreek couldn’t believe the position he was in. He was tied up here, out of reach of his comrades, being tortured by two zoners. He had nowhere to go, no way to escape. They had made it clear that they would indeed torture him until he either died or relinquished the information. No... He realized they wouldn’t kill him, because that would be too easy. They want this information. They wanted to go after Jenny and Ghadir. They were going to make him tell them what they want to know, and they would do it by putting him through a fate worse than death.

His heart twisted and clenched. He couldn’t allow that to happen. He didn’t want those two women to suffer at the hands of these zoners. They didn’t deserve it... He couldn’t be responsible for letting this happen to them. He..he had to remain strong. He couldn’t give the zoners this information. No matter how much pain he was put through, he could not spill the beans. He couldn’t let himself give into fear and pain. He must endure it, for the good of his comrades, and for the good of the plan.

The plan...that was the only comforting thing about all of this. Even if he did die here, he could rest assured knowing that Nihilanth would take care of monsters like these. Their sins would not go unpunished. They would pay for what they were doing to him now. Oh how they would pay indeed. At least he could look forward to that, even if it was just in spirit.

“Let’s continue the interrogation... shall we...?” Dr. Lancer asked as Quirk sneered.

With that, Quirk disappeared behind Tyreek. The man looked over his shoulder nervously, wondering what she was going to do. He could feel her lifting up his shirt, exposing his bare back to her. Then, without warning, she plunged her claws into his lower back. He let out a series of screams as she moved her claw to the side slowly, cutting into his flesh deeply and causing blood to seep to the ground. When she yanked her claws out, there were couple deep horizontal slashes on his back. Tyreek let out another scream when Quirk slashed downward on his back, from the middle and across the gashes she had just given him. She grinned nastily as she ripped her claws out as roughly as she could, splatteirng his blood all over the ground.

Tyreek whimpered and cried in pain. Tears flowed from his eyes. His teeth were clenched tightly. He looked over at Dr. Lancer, who had her front limbs crossed against her chest, a satisfied smile on her face. This was not what he would have expected from a supposed ‘good guy’, whatever they’d like to call themselves. He knew that he and his comrades would do something like this, but to have it done back to him... It was unprecidented.

He wanted to get out of here. He wanted to escape. He pulled on his chains, trying desperately to escape. The two zoners, Quirk having come out from behind him, just smiled at his pain and laughed cruelly as he struggled. He twisted himself from side to side. Eventually he stopped and just hung there. He sobbed, pain radiating from his body. And the worst part was..it wasn’t over yet. It was far from over. He knew they would do more to him..oh so much more. He looked up at them pleadingly, but got no look of sympathy from them.

Dr. Lancer grabbed his arm. She pressed her claws against the underneath of it. “Don’t worry...we’ll keep you alive. But you are going to wish you were dead...”

Dr. Lancer applied pressure, sinking her claws into his flesh. She then slowly pulled her paw downward. This caused Tyreek’s eyes to widen in pain. He let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed off the walls. They intermixed with the cold laughter of Dr. Lancer and Quirk.

sss

Jenny grumbled in disappointment. Although Dr. Overton had been able to provide information on where the weapons room was, with all the destruction that had occurred, it took her longer to find it than she thought. And when she did find it, to her dismay, all the weapons had been destroyed in the rubble. Well almost all of them. There was a single ray gun that she found that was a little damaged, but still operational.

Well, at least it was something. It was one more weapon they could use against the zoners if need be. Besides, she could always fix it. A little bit of drawing here and there, the right tools, and it was good as new. She couldn’t wait to try this out on some zoners. Not today of course, as she had other things planned. But probably tomorrow or the day after. She just had to figure out a zoner that would be nice target practice. One of the weaker zoners would do nicely. Someone whom she could control using her own physical superiority.

She continued walking when she noticed something peculiar. There was a large group of zoners. She guessed there was at least fifty members. They were far off to the side, moving through the forest as a unit. She cocked an eyebrow. What were they doing out here? And so close to the Solar Pillars as well? And why did they all look angry? She tried to think of a reason they’d be here. It took her seconds to realize, and her eyes slowly widened in horror.

Ghadir... They were looking for Ghadir.. Or they had chased Ghadir away. The thought brought chills to her heart. She swiveled her head towards the Solar Pillars. Oh no..please no... They..they couldn’t have... Not Ghadir...

Jenny took in a few quick breaths. She stared in the direction of the Solar Pillars for a few seconds. The trees blocked her view, yet she stared anyway. Clenching her teeth tightly, she breathed shakingly and then, seconds later, she ran. She raced towards the edge of the forest, her heart pounding against her chest. She hoped and prayed that Ghadir was okay. She just had to be okay... If those zoners hurt her, she swore, she would make them pay.

When Jenny reached the Solar Pillars, she was horrified when she saw the hatch was open. Ghadir would never leave it open unless something was wrong. She froze at the base of the structure, her body shaking with emotion. She shook her head in denial. No...no it couldn’t be true.. Please let it not be true.. If Ghadir was dead... Guilt washed over her. Why did she let Ghadir go out on her own? Why didn’t she go with? Oh no...was Tyreek in danger as well? Her heart beat quickly, feeling like it was going to burst out of her chest.

Then, suddenly, something emerged from the hatchet. She recognized it as Boorat. She stared in shock, not expecting him to be unfrozen this quickly. He had some blood stains on his teeth and, to her horror, she realized this was from Ghadir. He had attacked her... Her eyes narrowed in anger she watched the rat race down towards her. She felt a pang of joy when she saw that he had been hurt. There were multiple bruises and cuts on his body. Someone had taught him a lesson, and she was going to continue that lesson right now.

She only stopped when she heard the pounding of feet on the side of the structure and Draow charged in out of nowhere. Boorat let out a terrified scream as Draow slammed his jaws shut at Boorat, causing the zoner to jump to the side, his eyes wide in terror. Draow lunged at him, bringing forth his long, sharp talons. He missed Boorat, his claws digging into the ground instead. But true to his nature, Draow did not give up and began to relentlessly pursue Boorat away from the Solar Pillars.

Jenny watched this for a few seconds. Though still frightened for Ghadir, she felt some relief that one of the culprits was being taken care of right now. She would deal with that crowd of zoners later. Right now, she had to get to Ghadir. She needed to make sure she was okay. She turned her head and raced up the steps. She reached the hatchet and ran through it, moving down the staircase until she reached the level she guessed Ghadir would be on.

She had guessed right. There, laying on the ground, was Ghadir.

Jenny sucked in a sharp breath, her blue eyes wide in horror. “G-Ghadir...” She whispered as she rushed over to Ghadir’s side. She looked her over, shaking with emotion.

Ghadir looked horrible. Her clothes were ripped. Her body was covered in bruises and cuts and slashes. She looked like she had been tossed around and dragged along the floor like some sack of garbage. Blood dripped from multiple wounds. And when she looked up at Jenny, she couldn’t help but gasp at just how frightened Ghadir looked. She had never seen this woman so scared in her life. It broke her heart. How dare those zoners do this to her... She would make them all pay.

But she tried not to think about revenge right now. She needed to be here for Ghadir. She needed to help her through this. She wrapped her arms around Ghadir and pulled her close. The woman cuddled up with her and sobbed against her shoulder. Jenny stroked her hair, tears of her own streaming down her face.

“Shh...it’ll be okay, Ghadir...It’ll be okay..” Jenny whispered softly. “I promise...”


	123. More Harm Than I Thought

Penny awoke to the sound of a door opening. She let out a soft groan. Just how late was it? Her mom and Rudy’s parents had long fallen asleep in the chairs. It looked like it was very dark out through what she could see through the blinds. She guessed it was probably around midnight or one in the morning. She yawned and turned her head to see what the source of the sound was.

She widened her eyes slightly when she, though in a groggy state, recognized Rudy. He was in a stretcher being moved into the room. She kept herself still and quiet so she wouldn’t disturb the doctors. She watched as they lifted him up from the stretcher and gently laid him on the bed. He was covered with more thick bandages and she could tell he was still reeling from the effect of the drugs they gave him. As soon as he was in the bed, the doctors worked to hook him back up to the machines that surrounded him. Then, without saying a word and after checking to make sure everything was hooked up right, the doctors left the room quietly.

As soon as they were gone, Penny pushed herself up on her bed. She winced in pain, doing her best to ignore it. She kept her attention on Rudy, looking his body over. He did look better than when he was initially brought in. Some color had returned to his face and he looked more peaceful now. In addition to the bandages she saw before, she could see something thick around his leg. Some kind of brace to keep the two bones in place and to provide support for the leg while it healed up. She winced at the sight of it, knowing that he would have to wear it for a long time.

The sight of the brace also reminded her grimly of Nihilanth. What were they going to do? She needed to talk to Rudy, but...she didn’t know if she’d have enough time. Rudy was not in any condition to do much talking. He was going to be in a lot of pain, with or without the morphine. His leg had been horrifically butchered. The pain from that wouldn’t go away any time soon. He was not going to be able to think that clearly with that much pain. He could try to push aside the pain long enough to talk, but one could only do that for so long.

Then there was the mental pain from that. Rudy had been forced to watch while his own leg was cut up like that. He had seen almost everything Mr. Pierce had done to him. He saw the scalpel go in. He saw the tiny knife cutting him up. He saw the interior of his own wound. All of that was going to screw with his head. Even if Rudy was able to push aside the pain a little bit, the mental scarring from his experience would be a hindrance. Poor Rudy was going to have nightmares from that, she was certain. He might not be able to concentrate on coming up with a plan for a while.

While Rudy has been hurt before, and saw his friends get hurt, it was a different story when not only was he being hurt, he was being forced to watch. The combination of that would create a powerful, chilling blow that was going to mess him up for a while. It was as though Nihilanth knew this would happen.. But as much as she hated that dragon, she knew that he had nothing to do with it. It was just all horrible timing.

If it hadn’t been for Mr. Pierce, she and Rudy could have had a better time recovering. They wouldn’t have gotten additional wounds, especially Rudy. They could have healed a little and come up with a plan while at the hospital. When no one was around of course. Right now, she and Rudy could have been discussing what to do regarding Nihilanth. But Mr. Pierce just had to make his move right now and kidnap them and hurt them. He had wound up wasting what little time they had left in the day and Rudy had been pushed to the brink of death.

A horrible though entered her mind. What if Snap was going through something similiar? There was a chance that, in their absense, Snap had been harmed. She wouldn’t doubt the black chalk artists would make a move while they were gone, regardless of what Nihilanth said. She was aware of how badly Ghadir wanted to eat Snap. What if they used this time frame to fulfill that goal? If they captured him, Snap wouldn’t be able to escape. Unless he had blue chalk, there was little chance he would win.

Penny hoped that Snap was going to be okay. He had been dropped off at a more secure hospital. This one was less likely to suffer an attack of the magnitude that the Luminos gave Dr. Raiden’s hospital. But that didn’t mean something couldn’t happen. There were more stealthy zoners out there who could sneak into a hospital anyway. They could find a way into the hospital undetected, grab Snap, and run.

Not knowing if Snap was okay or not was eating away at Penny. Although Rudy was in worse shape, at least she knew he was okay. He was laying down in the bed next to hers, having been through surgery, and had been treated. She didn’t know how Snap was doing. Her imagination was running wild as she thought of all kinds of things that might be happening right now in ChalkZone. It was driving her crazy, making her wish she had brought over the portable chalkboard and some magic chalk so she could try to check up on Snap. But then again, that might have been confiscated by Mr. Pierce, so perhaps it was better she did not bring it.

Penny felt her stomach twist in knots as she thought about Mr. Pierce. She had gotten her mom to tell her the full story of what he had done to her. She felt so bad for her mom, being played with and tricked like that. Her mom had really loved Mr. Pierce at one time, and for him to go and toy with her like that... it was truly awful. He was a disgusting man, the way he tried to ruin her life just so that she ‘wouldn’t be a threat’. Her mom found out the hard way just how obsessed with control that man was. In a way, he reminded her of Light Rudy, except that least Light Rudy recognized his mistakes in the end. Mr. Pierce didn’t seem like he ever would.

It disgusts her that Mr. Pierce is her biological father. No amount of wishing, pleading, and hating was going to change this fact. She had some of his DNA running through her blood and that was not going to change, not now, not ever. She would have to accept that he is her real dad, just in terms of genes. But she would never consider him her father. Andrew, who turned out to be her uncle, he was her real father, not Mr. Pierce. Though Andrew and her mom had a falling out, he acted more like a father to her than Mr. Pierce ever did. She didn’t even know him until today.

Although they were never on good terms, she was still sad that Vinnie got killed. He certainly didn’t deserve it. She was still angry at him for how he had treated Terry, but she never wanted him to die. She would rather see him realize just how wrong he was to do that and try to make amends, even if, given his personality, that was unlikely. But now he had no chance of redemption. Mr. Pierce killed him before he could get that far. Just pulled out a gun and shot him in cold blood. Mr. Pierce had not only shown no remorse, but he had done terrible things after that.

That brought her to Terry. She felt a pang of sadness as that woman entered her mind. Terry had been doing her best to help their folks stop the footage from being aired. Though they failed to stop the audience from seeing it, she at least tried to do something about it. She couldn’t help but admire the way, from what their folks said, she didn’t give up and kept trying to help. Penny wished that they could have interacted with Terry more. They could have been friends, she was certain. But like Ms. Saffron, she was killed before that could be made possible.

What chilled her and angered her is that she was killed for a similiar reason as Ms. Saffron. Mr. Cosmo had killed her partly so that she could never apologize to Snap. Mr. Pierce killed Terry so she could never find out how their folks feel about her. She could never make amends and fix their shaken, newly forged relationship. She was killed thinking that their folks hated her. And to pour salt in the wound, Mr. Pierce had tried to frame Mr. Tabootie on her death, citing the discovery of her stalking to be the motivation. How disgusting...

Penny was unnerved by the stalking evidence that she learned about. She never knew Terry had done that. But she tried not to let it bother her too much. Terry had made amends with her and Rudy by helping them, and she did save Snap’s life. It was clear she had changed and that she no longer followed them around. Any anger she felt now was towards Mr. Pierce, who dared to use her past mistakes against her like that, and weaponize it to frame their folks.

And he was going to order a vivisection of Snap... The thought send ice through her veins. That evil man was going to strap Snap to a table and cut him open while he was awake and still alive. That would have been horrible. Even though it wasn’t going to happen, thoughts of it were still fresh on her mind. She could only imagine him screaming in pain, calling for help, pleading for mercy, all the while Mr. Pierce pulled apart his skin... He was going to cut him apart slowly, causing Snap immense pain. And there would have been nothing she or Rudy could have done about it...

But now Mr. Pierce was arrested. That evil man got what he deserved. He was going to be sent to jail soon. There was no way he was going to get out of this. He was not going to be able to hurt anyone ever again. She was glad that, unlike Mr. Cosmo, Mr. Pierce did not get away from karma or justice. He was going to pay the price for what he did by being stuck in a cell for a long time. He will truly regret his horrid decisions over the years, and hopefully come to realize how it wall just wasn’t worth it in the end. She was doubtful he will, but she could always hope.

With Mr. Pierce out of the way, that was one lesss enemy to worry about. Now she could shift her focus on what was going on in ChalkZone. Although, she realized, there was still that audience... Mr. Longhorn had promised her she would speak to them as soon as he could. He was going to try to convince them that ChalkZone was just an animatronic theme park that was cancelled and taken down. He wasn’t sure if it was going to work or not, but there was hope in trying. She hoped and prayed that his idea would work, because as long as there were folks out there who knew about ChalkZone, the more longer the danger existed...

She hoped none of those people ever find a way into ChalkZone. If any of them did, it was going to be disastrous. Most of that audience displayed a terrifying xenophobia trait, wanting to kill zoners just for being zoners. They had hardly met them, and yet they wanted their heads on a pike. If even just one gets into ChalkZone, there was going to be a lot of dead zoners unless something was done, and fast. She was grateful that Mr. Longhorn got Rudy’s magic chalk back as well as closed the portal on the chalkboard. At least no more people would find out about ChalkZone.

Until this was over and taken care of, she knew it was going to be on her mind for a while. She had a short nightmare about ChalkZone being attacked... She hoped that this would all be put to rest soon. She hoped that, soon, it would all be taken care of and the audience would no longer be a threat. She hoped that Mr. Longhorn could convince everyone that what they saw was not what they thought it was. It might be hard to convince it was faked, but if they were convinced that it was just footage of a closed down amusement park with some dark twisted themes, then they might be convinced that ChalkZone and zoners weren’t a threat and abandon this agenda.

She glanced over at Rudy again. She watched as he breathed in and out slowly. She eyed his wounds again, a pang clenching her heart as she recalled all the horrific things he had been through. He had been constantly hurt and beaten, suffering wound after wound without much of a chance of recovery. She glanced at his shoulder, wincing as she recalled how Dr. Raiden had torn into it with his metal finger. She realized she had been wrong to think the metal would infect him, seeing that it was chalk metal, not real world. But then again, his insides were changing into chalk, so she could have been right...

Either way, she was glad that the wound was treated professionally, along with the others he had suffered. Nihilanth may have healed some of his wounds, but not all of them. Those that remained were treated here and stitched up. Now his body could start to recover, as could hers. Despite the hardships she knew were ahead, at least she and Rudy could get some peace and recover a little. They would regain some of their strength and have something of an easier time fighting back... Though they still needed to come up with a plan.

She was not happy with the idea of their folks going in and fighting for them. Yeah they were in better shape. They hadn’t been constantly attacked by multiple enemies. They weren’t pushed to the brink of death. But they had little experience. They would have a hard time fighting against Nihilanth. They probably could make terrific fighters...but only with time and practice. She couldn’t expect them to just be tossed into battle with magic chalk and be able to win so easily. They were going to get their asses handed to them. She...she couldn’t allow that. There had to be a better way.

If only Mr. Pierce hadn’t shown up... She didn’t want to keep thinking about him, but she realized, more and more, just how much his appearance had screwed everything up. They were doing fine, and then fate threw in a wrench in the form of Mr. Pierce. He tortured Rudy with that scalpel and then, using the same one, had injured her, her mother, and Mr. Longhorn. He hadn’t even cleaned it, either, showing that he didn’t care if they all got an infection from it or not. He...

Suddenly, Penny’s eyes shot wide open. Mr. Pierce...didn’t clean the scalpel... She felt her heart beat quickly as the realization of this struck her like an overturned bus. It hadn’t clicked with her before. She knew infection was likely, and that she and the others would need to be on antibiotics to counteract any bloodborne disease that may have gotten to them, any infection. But there was one thing it could not stop. The one thing that she should have been most worried about, but had slipped her mind with all that was going on.

Rudy still had black chalk inside of him... He still had that dangerous type of chalk sitting inside his blood, dormant, waiting to be reactivated. Mr. Pierce had gathered quite a bit of Rudy’s blood on that knife, and he had used it on three people. Her breathing quickened when she realized that now, she, her mom, and Mr. Longhorn all had black chalk inside of them as well. There was no denying it... Inside of her now, the black chalk swam through her body. Maybe not to the same degree as Rudy, but now, if she, her mom, or Longhorn touched the servant light... they would all be affected.

No...oh no.. Of all the things, this..this couldn’t happen. No... Just their luck. Just their rotten luck to have something like this happen. Just when they thought they didn’t have anything new to worry about, fate threw something like this at them. Now she was going to be sitting here, wondering just how the black chalk was going to affect her and the others. Would it start to slowly corrupt them? Would it activate as soon as they got into ChalkZone? What was going to happen now? She felt her heart pounding against her chest as these thoughts swam through her head.

And her mother... Her mother had been a black chalk user. And now that black chalk was back in her... what did this mean? She could hope that she and Longhorn don’t get corrupted when they go into ChalkZone. But about about her mother? She had been corrupted by the black chalk when she was a kid, with only a freak accident involving electricity setting her free. If she sets foot back inside ChalkZone, would she change back to how she was? In the real world, would the black chalk start to take over her mind, seeing as she had already been altered by it before?

The idea of her mother becoming that..that torture doctor again was frightening, sending chills up her spine. If that happened... No...she didn’t want to fight her own mother. She didn’t want her mother to be used like a tool by the black chalk again. She didn’t deserve that. No one deserved getting used by that hideous, evil chalk. That black chakl should not be allowed to used her like that.

She would see to that.

sss

Snap let out a soft groan as he laid down on his hospital bed. Howdy had been laid next to him. He looked over. The sight of him looking much better, the rip in his shoulder mended, was the only bit of happiness here he could get. Snap was so worried about what was happening lately, with the black chalk artists, Nihilanth, and the current state of the Luminos, Tilly, and Sophie, that he found it hard to relax. The pain he was experiencing, such as his torn arm courtesy of Ghadir, didn’t help anything.

But knowing that Howdy was now resting next to him and was starting to make his recovery did cheer him up. It wasn’t enough to break through the negative emotion that hung over him right now. But it was still something. He glanced over at Howdy, smiling lightly as he took in a breath and exhaled at a steady rate. Howdy was still asleep, and though he wanted to talk to him, he kept his mouth shut, knowing that the puppet zoner needed his rest.

He was worried about what would happen to him in the future. His shoulder was badly hurt. The doctors were worried the damage was permanent. Ghadir had really torn him up... Her teeth had dug through bone and muscle, ripping them up near to the point of irrepairability. The doctors did what they could. All they can do now was wait. Snap hoped that the damage was not permanent. The idea of Howdy never being able to make full use of his left arm again was heartbreaking.

It just made him hate Ghadir even more. Earlier today, Howdy had been an overall happy zoner. Perhaps naive to just what was going on, but he had been performing for zoners in such a hard time. He must have known that something was wrong, and he was doing his best to cheer them up. But now, he was laying on this bed in this hospital, having a wound that might take away some or all the use of his left arm. And all because of Ghadir... She had chased him down. She had cornered him. She had torn into his shoulder... The thought caused his stomach to burn in anger. He had wished that karma would bite her back, and hard.

He did get his wish when those other zoners arrived on the scene. They had found where Ghadir had taken him and they chased her away. He didn’t know how far they would have gone, but he hoped they would teach her a lesson. He didn’t want her to get beaten to death or killed, but a little roughing up to show her she is no longer invincible... He doubted that it would make her stop, but it was still something. He’d still be satisfied knowing that someone was teaching her a lesson not to hunt zoners. He just hoped those zoners would not sink too low, otherwise they would be no better than she is.

This reminded him of something that he almost forgot about. He recalled his earlier conversation with the doctor. Tyreek had been spotted in the hospital and captured, taken into... well not custody, but close enough. They were interrogating him, or had.. He wasn’t sure if they were done by now. He assumed they were. They were trying to get information from him, probably why he was there and what the black chalk artists were planning. That information was important and could be very helpful to him and his friends later on. He wasn’t sure if they got anything out of him. He hoped they did, even if it was just a tiny bit of info.

But something about the whole thing worried him. The doctor had talked about how they were going to ‘break’ him. He hadn’t said a word to the doctor about that, though he wish he had. The way the doctor said it was unsettling. He didn’t want to think that any of these kind, helpful doctors would turn into such monsters, even if it was against an enemy. He didn’t want to think that they could adopt cruel traits and torment another living being for information, regardless of who they were interrogating.

He hoped that these doctors would be too smart for that. He hoped that they would realize what a mistake they would be making if they started to torture Tyreek for information. They have him in their custody. They had him defenseless. He couldn’t do anything to hurt them. There was no need for them to be forceful like that. They didn’t need to hurt him heartlessly. He hoped that isn’t what the doctor meant. He hoped that he was wrong about the doctors torturing Tyreek. He wasn’t sure if he’d feel safe around them, even though they had been nothing but kind to him and Howdy. There was just something..unsettling about someone who was willing to cause horrific pain that just left a bad taste in his mouth.

He knew what it felt like to get tortured. He had been tortured by Mr. Cosmo. He could still feel that nail being used on him. He could still feel the burns as his feet were dipped in the vinegar. He could never forget that pain, that agony... He could still feel the pain from Bardot’s blows, the way the claws cut into his flesh. He sometimes still had nightmares about that, the yellow beast rushing at him and tearing him nearly into pieces. And Ghadir and that water bottle... Maalik and his electrocution... He had felt the shere agony of torture more than once. He’d never wish that kind of fate on anyone...

That was why, regardless of Tyreek being an enemy, he would not want him to suffer like that. He would not feel comfortable around those who willingly tortured, for he had been tortured himself, tormented by cruel beings who got sick pleasure from hurting another living person. He would want to see Tyreek get locked up for what he did, but not tortured. As horrible as he was, he didn’t deserve getting tortured and tormented the way he had at the hands of Cosmo, Bardot, the others... No one deserved that. He...he hoped he was wrong.. So very wrong... The doctors..they couldn’t be that cruel...could they..?

He tried to push the thoughts aside. He tried to focus on something else... anything else... Yet his mind kept coming back to it. He couldn’t stop thinking about Tyreek, about what the doctor had said about ‘breaking him’. He..he needed to know. He needed to ask one of the doctors just what happened to that man. He needed to know what the doctor meant when she said the word ‘break’. He needed to know what Dr. Lancer was doing to Tyreek. He had to talk to someone. He needed to know that they weren’t crazy, weren’t cruel.. He didn’t want to have to experience something similiar to the Luminos all over again...

Just then, he heard something at the door. The doorknob wasn’t turning, but he could see shadows casted on the wall. There were two doctors there. He recognized one as Dr. Lancer. The other one was a doctor he hadn’t met before. Some kind of male deer. The two of them appeared to be having some kind of conversation, making gestures with their hands and looking somewhat excited, though it was hard to tell.

Snap sat up in his bed, staring at them. Though he knew it was not the best move, he needed to know what they were talking about. He pushed himself off the bed slowly, removing the IVs that had been put in him. He could just come up with a story for whenever the doctors ask why the IVs were out later. He focused his attention on the door. Moving slowly, careful not to cry out in pain, he walked towards the door. Once he reached it, he put the side of his head against it and started to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“So, what were you able to find out?” The deer asked.

“Not as much as we hoped. We were able to get him to tell us some things, but either he’s holding back or he really doesn’t know anything else.” Dr. Lancer replied. “We will speak to him more later.”

The deer said, “How difficult was it to get him to speak at all?”

Dr. Lancer gave a light chuckle. “Tyreek was..stubborn. But all it took was the right..motivation and he eventually cracked.” Snap could hear the tapping of her talons against the cold, hard ground. “I trust that he will be more cooperative when I go speak to him again. He had become...desperate.”

“I imagine anyone would..with your methods.” The deer zoner’s tone of voice was somewhat skeptical, but not outright accusing. “If that man knows what’s good for him, he will speak.”

“And even if he does not...” Dr. Lancer said. “I can make him talk. And after I’m done with him... I guarantee you he will not be a threat anymore.”

“Good...” The deer zoner replied.

Snap’s eyes widened at this. He didn’t like the sound of this. While he was all down with the idea of not having another enemy to worry about, the topic of their conversation was so...grim. If he wasn’t convinced before that something was wrong, he certainly was now. The conversation he heard so far... It seemed almost blatantly clear what Dr. Lancer had done. And he hoped he was wrong. He didn’t want to think that Dr. Lancer could be so cruel to someone else. He listened further, hoping to hear something that dispelled his worries.

But what he heard instead only further confirmed what he had been worried about.

“His screaming was...quite irritable, I admit. I couldn’t tell you how many times I wanted to rip his fucking lips off...” Dr. Lancer’s voice was filled with ice when she said that. She gave a bitter chuckle and continued, “But it was worth it. A few deep cuts, and he broke like a glass dropped to the floor. It’s amazing how cooperative someone is when they’re given the...right treatment.”

“Yes, quite true. Everyone has a breaking point. Everyone gives up at some point.” The deer said in agreement. “And now that you found Tyreek’s...”

“..It will be easier to get more information out of him. He’s so brittle right now. I think, with a little more prodding, he will break completely and...spill his guts for me. He will tell me anything more that he knows. If he’s hiding anything from me...” Her claws scraped the ground, irritating Snap’s ears. “He won’t be for long.”

“I trust that he won’t. Even if it takes days, I’m certain you will milk him for all he’s worth.” Replied the deer zoner.

“I realize that Rudy Tabootie and his friends would not...appreciate my methods.” Mused Dr. Lancer. “That is why I do not plan on telling them just what I did to Tyreek. If they find out, they’d mistake me for a monster.”

“They’re too soft.” The deer’s voice was a little forceful. “When dealing with criminals, sometimes, you have to do what you got to do.” He paused for a moment. “And at least your method is getting results. I doubt Tyreek would have spoken if he were just asked nicely.”

Dr. Lancer said, “Very true. It’s incredible just how much torture can get you.” Snap gasped at this. “I know those three would frown upon torture, but hey, it worked, did it not? I got information out of the man. Besides, he’s just an enemy. Who cares how much he bleeds?”

The deer doctor said, “Just don’t accidentally kill him. We’ll need him for more information later on, I’m certain.” The deer smacked his lips once and then said, “We can use him against his own comrades. Now...wouldn’t that be so satisfying..?”

“Quite...” Dr. Lancer chuckled, her voice laced with what Snap could best describe as sadism. “I do wonder what their faces will look like after they see what I did to Tyreek. Who knows? Maybe they will break as well and follow in line.” She paused for a few seconds. “Well I’m not sure. They don’t seem like the type that would care much for others. Still...” She chuckled. “It would be so great to see. I look forward to it!”

“May they pay for their sins...” The deer zoner said darkly. “...in blood!”

Snap’s body trembled at this. His eyes were wide in horror, more so than before. He felt a sickening feeling in his stomach, twisting it. It..it couldn’t be true. He must have misheard. But the longer he stood here, listening, hearing their cold laughter, the more he realized it was reality. Dr. Lancer had been...torturing Tyreek. She had inflicted pain on another person willingly. And she enjoyed it.

Snap felt as though the world around him was closing. Suddenly, he no longer felt safe here. Even if Dr. Lancer wouldn’t hurt him or his friends, even if she was just helping him, he couldn’t bring himself to feel at ease with someone who had tormented another person. Tyreek might be an ass, sure, but...torturing him...? That was crossing the line. That was going too far. He hated Tyreek, but he’d never want him to get tortured. Whatever Dr. Lancer did to him, he didn’t deserve it. How..how could she be so cruel...?

He looked around. A part of him wanted to get out of here. His body shivered in fear and shock, his mind still reeling from what he had heard. He could hear them still talking, but his brain could no longer hear it. His mind was still in too much a state of shock to do anything. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest. He wanted to leave... He didn’t want to be here. He knew that he should stay to rest and recover, but how could he rest knowing that Dr. Lancer had tortured another living person? How could he feel safe here knowing that she could be so cruel and callous?

And what would she do when she realizes that he had heard her? What would she do to him if she finds out that he knows she tortured Tyreek? Would she just shrug it off, or would she do something about it? He wasn’t even sure if he could protest against her and call her out on her cruelty. She knows that he would be upset with her, so she wouldn’t be surprised. But he still couldn’t help but think that she might go crazy on him if he dared speak against her.

But could he even leave? If Jenny was looking for Tyreek, or Ghadir as well if she escaped the mob, what would they do if they find him? They would capture him. He knew that’s what they’d do. They would drag him back to the Solar Pillars. He wouldn’t be able to run very well away from them. He was still in a lot of pain. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, this hospital, regardless of the uneasy aura he now felt about it, was the safest place for him to be right now. It would be too risky for him to go running out alone, risking getting captured.

Snap needed to get back in his bed. One of the doctors would come in soon, and he didn’t want to know what they’d think if they found he had gotten out of bed and removed his own IVs. He stood up on his feet. His legs wobbled, still suffering from the horrific shock he suffered when he learned what Dr. Lancer was capable of. He looked nervously towards the door as he steadied himself. He then turned his attention to his bed.

He took a step forward, but he nearly lost his balance. He put his hand against the door, regaining his footing. He took in a few breaths, his heart beating. His legs were still shaky from the shock of what he learned. He stood there, waiting for the sensation to ride itself out a little before attempting again. He had to wonder... what would Rudy and Penny think when they find out? He had to tell them... He could only imagine how horrified they’d be. It was almost like they were facing Light Rudy all over again...

That was an unpleasnt thought.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open. Snap’s eyes widened as the door was pulled back. He lost his balance and he fell into the ground. He grunted in pain as his body hit the floor hard. He groaned softly and rubbed the back of his head. He then froze and, slowly, he looked up.

Standing in front of him were Dr. Lancer and that deer doctor. They were staring down at him with an expression that was a mixture of shock and anger. They did not look very pleased with him right now. He lowered his head a little as he climbed up to his feet. He took a few steps backwards, giving them a nervous smile. The two doctors just glared at him.

“What are you doing out of your bed?” Dr. Lancer asked.

“Yeah... and why are all your IVs pulled out?” The deer zoner inquired, folding his arms against his chest.

Snap gulped, his heart clenching. From the way these zoners looked at him, and the tone of their voice, he knew he was in trouble. He could only hope and pray that they were simply angry at him for getting out of bed..and not because he had eavesdropped. Because if they found out.... He wasn’t sure if he did want to know what they’d do.

“H-Hi...” Snap said nervously as he took a few steps back. “Wh-What brings you here?”

Dr. Lancer cocked an eyebrow. “We work here.”

The deer zoner growled softly. “And stop dodging the question!” He moved forward and he grabbed Snap by his arm. “Why did you yank your IVs out?” His eyes then widened. “You heard us...” He leaned down, his dark brown eyes boring into Snap’s. “..didn’t you...?”

Snap was silent, his eyes widening. Suddenly he felt himself being picked up from under his arms. He was now being held about a foot in front of Dr. Lancer’s face. Those yellow eyes stared into his. He couldn’t tell if there was hostile intent or not.

Dr. Lancer spoke in a voice that was crossed between gentle and anger. “Perhaps now is a good time for a...chat.”

sss

Jenny was not in the best of moods as she headed down to the holding chamber where Mr. Wilter was. Her stomach churned in anger. Her mind felt like it was on fire. She couldn’t believe the nerve of those zoners, hurting Ghadir like that... It had taken her a while to help her comrade calm down. She could only hope that she’ll recover before Rudy and his friends come back to face them. She wouldn’t want her getting hurt again.

Poor Ghadir... She had never been so broken up and frightened before. She hoped she would be okay. The zoners had done a number on her, both physical and mental. She wasn’t sure of the full story, but she had an idea of what had happened. She guessed that the mob of zoners attacked first, chasing her here, and then Boorat attacked next, nearly tearing her apart until Draow had stepped in. She was glad she left him here. Who knows what would have happened if Ghadir was killed. If she did... she wasn’t sure what she would do.

Mr. Wilter... She knew he had to be responsible for this. The zoners knew who he was, how he had saved ChalkZone before in the past. They knew he was the main reason the white chalk users won the war. They may have turned to him for advice. He must have found a way to send them a message, possibly before his capture. That...monster... He was the one who did this. He was the one who had given the zoners the idea of attacking Ghadir like that. And Tyreek was missing too... Mr. Wilter must be responsible for that as well.

She was going to make him pay for that. Oh how he was going to pay.. She would make him wish he never crossed them. Since Mr. Wilter had turned the tides of the war in the past, she would make sure he could never do that again. No more will his words guide the enemy to victory. No more will he be able to cross them and cause them trouble. She would avenge Mr. Cosmo and make Mr. Wilter own up to what he had done. She would not allow him to get in the way any longer. Today...that will all end.

Jenny continued on her way through the black light tunnels, never stopping her brisk pace until she reached the chamber where Mr. Wilter was still being kept. The door was in front of her now. She paused for a moment, staring at it as she seethed. Her teeth were bared, her fists clenching tightly. Oh how she hated that man... How she couldn’t wait until he was stopped for good. It made her happy knowing he was suffering in there. But that did little to quell the anger that boiled her blood.

Jenny didn’t waste anymore time. She grabbed the door handle and pushed it open, the knob hitting against the wall as she walked through. Mr. Wilter, still chained and on the ground, looked up at her. Even from this distance, even before he spoke, she knew that he hadn’t got much strength left. Most of it diminished during his stay here. He was so hungry, so thirsty.. And those eyes.. There was still some courage behind them, but there was mostly fear, as he knew that he would stand no chance against her. Soon, there would be nothing shining in those eyes.

Jenny glared hatefully at Mr. Wilter as she stormed over to him. Mr. Wilter looked at her, confused as to why she was so angry at him. She gritted her teeth. How dare he play pretend... How dare he act like he had done nothing wrong... The asshole..He will get what he deserved.

She stood in front of him now. She folded her arms tightly against her chest. She glared at him, her expression filled with hostility. Mr. Wilter tried to glare back, but there wasn’t as much emotion put behind it. The lack of food and water was weighing on him now, and her torturing him before did wonders to break his spirit further. The man refused to show much fear towards her, but she could see it radiating off his eyes.

“What do you want?” Mr. Wilter asked. “Did you come here to gloat again?”

Jenny bared her teeth at him. “You prick... You pretend to not know the meaning behind my visit? You pretend to not know what you did?!”

Mr. Wilter looked at her in confusion. “I have no idea what you are talking about, Jenny.” He looked left and right. “How could I do anything in here? Without magic chalk?”

Jenny pointed her finger at him. “Don’t play games with me, Horace!” Jenny took a step forward, holding a fist up in the air. “I know you are responsible for the zoners attacking Ghadir! I know you helped plan Tyreek’s capture!”

Mr. Wilter looked shocked by this. “Wh-What...?”

“Oh stop pretending! I know you are a legend among ChalkZone! I know you must have inspired these zoners somehow! I know you told them how to deal with us!” Jenny snarled at him. Her mind was swimming with anger, her pupils dilating as hate dripped from the words she spoke. “There is no one else! You’ve fought us before! You would know how to fight us! And now, because of you and your plans, Ghadir is broken and Tyreek has gone missing!”

Mr. Wilter cringed back as Jenny moved closer. He cried out in surprise and pain as she gripped him by his shirt collar and yanked him forward. He gritted his teeth and turned his head to the side, staring at her with a blue fear-filled eye.

“I-I don’t know what you’re ta-talking about!” Mr. Wilter cried, his eyes wide in fear and confusion. “I-I didn’t do anything! I didn’t plan any of that to happen!”

“Bullshit! You’re just trying to save your sorry hide!” Jenny hissed at him. “Well guess what? I’m not falling for it! I know Mr. Cosmo let you live after you betrayed us...” She threw him against the wall. “But I won’t make that same mistake! I will make sure that you can never come up with another plan again!”

“What are you going to d-do?” Mr. Wilter didn’t even try to hide his fear anymore. He tried to get up, but a combination of weakness and the chains forced him on the ground again.

Jenny narrowed her eyes. A black glow eminated from them. “Something...permanent..”

With that, she got out her black chalk. She quickly drew something long and sharp. She gripped it in her hands. She put away the black chalk and pulled out a real world needle. She grinned evilly and angrily at Wilter as she advanced on him slowly, watching his face go pale as his eyes widened in absolute horror.

“N-No..please...” Mr. Wilter begged. “Anything but that...”

“Too late...” Jenny said darkly as she approached. “Far too late...”


	124. Deadline Reached

Snap was laying down in his hospital bed. He had the blankets pulled partly over him. He had his head turned upwards to the ceiling. He took in a deep breath, contemplating what happened the past couple of days.

The conversation he wound up having with Dr. Lancer wasn’t as bad as he thought it was going to be. He had thought she was going to chew him out for eavesdropping, but she seemed, overally, perfectly understanding. She was only upset that he had ripped out his IVs, not because he had heard anything she said. He wasn’t sure if he should be creeped out or not, that she didn’t care if he heard how she was torturing Tyreek. Nonetheless, he was happy that, at least, she wasn’t going to try to hurt him.

The fate of Tyreek was still on his mind. He couldn’t help but wonder just what she had done to him. He knew Tyreek was an enemy and all, but he still found himself feeling a level of empathy for him. Snap knew just how horrible torture was, and whenever he hears about another being being tortured, evil or not, he did feel some sympathy for them. This did not mean he dismissed them as a threat or forgave them for what they did. He was not that foolish.

Still, he did not agree with Dr. Lancer’s methods of interrogating him. He didn’t like that she had tortured him, and he still felt uncomfortable around her since he found out. She and the doctors never spoke of the incident again. A part of him wondered if it was out of pity for him. They might have known he was tortured himself, and the discussion of the horrendeous topic made him feel uncomfortable. Dr. Lancer never did tell him exactly what she did to Tyreek, though she was honest by saying that she did hurt him. Dr. Lancer said that she let Tyreek go after she got all the information she could out of him.

Snap wasn’t sure if just letting him go was the wisest choice.. but what else could they have done? Keeping him here would be a death sentence. Killing Tyreek wasn’t on their agenda. Or at least, he hoped it wasn’t, since doing so wouldn’t make them better than the black chalk artists themselves. Maybe they just forced him to open up a portal and get out, like how the Luminos did with Penny a few days ago. Yeah, it was probably like that.

Snap looked over at Howdy’s bed. The puppet zoner hadn’t woken up yet today. It had taken the zoner several hours to wake up, and even when he finally did for the first time since the surgery, just as he thought, he was in no condition to speak much. The medication given to him had made his mind muggy and he was slow to react. And when his mind did start to sharpen, he had become scared, afraid that Ghadir was going to come after him again. Snap attempted to calm him down, but Howdy remained terrified for a long while before he finally, slowly, settled down.

As irrational as Howdy had been, he understood why he felt like that. Even though they were in a hospital and Ghadir was far away, Howdy had a very good reason to be so scared and jumpy. He had been attacked by that vile woman. He was chased around, separated from the other zoners, and eventually cornered in a maze. She had bitten into him, and had even forced him to eat a part of himself. The thought of that made Snap gag, his mind replaying Ghadir’s words in his head.

"I'll force you to eat a part of yourself, just like I did with that stupid puppet zoner. I'll keep you alive for as long as possible. You will be forced to watch as I consume you alive. And when you die, I'll save a piece of you and force your dear human friends to eat you..”

Those words echoed in his head, making him shudder. Ghadr was going to force him to eat a piece of himself, just like she had with Howdy. The thought was disgusting... He couldn’t imagine what Howdy must have been through. Forced to eat a piece of himself like that... Just why did Ghadir have to go and do a damn thing like that?

To break him.. In the end, he knew that’s what Ghadir was going for. She wanted to attack him mentally, and what ‘better’ way to do that than to make him eat a piece of himself? Howdy had told Snap, with tear-filled eyes and a cracked voice, just what it was like. He told Snap how Ghadir had shoved his own flesh into his mouth after tearing off another piece out of his shoulder. He told Snap about the pain and the fear he had been through. The more Snap heard of the story, the sadder and more sympathetic he felt towards Howdy. He did his best to comfort him, and reassure him that Ghadir won’t try to harm him again.

Adding more to his digust for the woman was the fact that she was going to make Rudy and Penny eat a part of him. It was a threat she had used a couple times before. Against Penny first, and then Rudy.. Just what was up with this woman and threats of making his friends eat his flesh? Was this something she had done in the past, to other white chalk artists? If so, she was more vile than he thought. Images ran through his head as he pictured unsettling scenarios of this.

He tried to focus on more of the positive stuff, but it was hard to do. Especially since today was the third day... That thought loomed over his head, making him shudder. Today was the day that Nihilanth expected him and his friends to be facing off against him, at the Solar Pillars. He hoped that Rudy and Penny were able to think of a plan in time. He hoped that they weren’t going to just blindly jump into this. Doing so would be disastrous, especially considering that Nihilanth had creation powers... Just how were they going to fight against someone like this?

He wished the dragon had given them more time. He was still in pain. His injuries hadn’t healed that much. They were better, but he wasn’t exactly in fighting shape. He had his doubts Rudy and Penny were exactly chipper right now either. He hoped, at the very least, they didn’t have the same kind of bad luck that he had. He hoped that they were able to get to the hospital right away and get treatment.

It would have been nice if one of the adults could have told him what was going on... But he couldn’t be too upset with them. They were probably still trying to stop ChalkZone’s exposure, and depending on how clever Vinnie was, that might require a lot of effort and concentration. And if ChalkZone was exposed, that definitely was going to call a lot of attention as the adults scrambled to undo the damage before anything horrific happened to ChalkZone. Snap was confident that, once that danger was taken care of, the adults would tell him.

He did realize they could have sent a note to him. They knew that much. But then, if their focus was so much on stopping the exposure of this place, he could understand why it would slip their minds. He decided to just let it go for now. He would see Rudy and Penny later today and they could begin to focus on the topic that mattered the most right now: Nihilanth.

That two-headed dragon was the main source of the black chalk, its physical form. He was the one who had been the source of all their grief the past few years. He was the one who ultimately caused that horrible war when Mr. Wilter was a child. He was the one who corrupted Mr. Cosmo and turned him from a hero to a villain. He had manipulated many an artist, getting them to do horrific things to ChalkZone. He was the center piece of all this chaos. Once he was defeated, the others would follow suit...

But it wasn’t going to be easy beating Nihilanth. Snap understood this very well. Something could very well go wrong. Nihilanth was a deity, having powers that they didn’t have. He was like Rudy, except faster, more efficient, and didn’t need magic chalk. As soon as Rudy ran out of chalk, Nihilanth could close in on him, as he wouldn’t ever run out of power to create.

And then there was the worry that Nihilanth might bend reality. If he was being truthful, and he did create ChalkZone and all its rules, then what was stopping him from pulling an ass move and take away the magic chalk’s power? Or to alter what it could do? This was a very real possibility. Though Nihilanth never said he would do something like that, he didn’t want to bring it up to him during their next encounter, for fear he would take his advice and depower the chalk.

If Nihilanth did that, they were screwed. Absolutely screwed... How would they be able to face him without the magic chalk? Snap couldn’t fathom how they could. The dragon’s size alone was intimidating, but his power... The ability to create anything in midair... That gave Nihilanth an edge that even the black chalk artists themselves don’t have. Even if a large group of zoners came to him, Nihilanth’s advanced creation ability would assure victory for him, and he had some powerful attacks of his own, as he had witnessed a few days ago, when he tried to kill Mr. Longhorn with a black and white beam.

But despite not knowing what they were going to do, he knew giving up was not an option. If they did, all of ChalkZone was in danger this madman...er maddragon, was going to destroy both worlds. This was bigger than what Mr. Cosmo had tried to do before, bigger than what Bardot did, the Luminos... This plan of Nihilanth’s encompassed everyone, for he wanted to destroy everybody and everything. As cliched and generic as his overall plan sounded, it was not something they could take lightly. Now, more than ever, they needed to fight back against the enemy...and win.

ChalkZone counted on their victory.

Snap heard the sound of someone knocking on the door. He swiveled his head over to the door. He cleared his throat and called out, “Come in!”

The door opened up, revealing Dr. Lancer. Snap tried his best not to show discomfort, but he wasn’t able to stop himself from wincing. He smiled the best he could, trying his best to offset that wince he just did. He tried to tell himself that Dr. Lancer was not going to harm him, that she was not going to inject him with some kind of needle and perform experimentations on him. Yet he couldn’t set aside that fear completely, not after she admitted to torturing Tyreek but refusd to indulge on the details.

Dr. Lancer approached him slowly. She was smiling at him. The best she could anyway. There was something else behind that smile. Not cruel intent, but sadness, as though she felt bad for making him feel scared. Well, at least that was something to show that she wasn’t as heartless as she seemed... But that did not completely quell the fear twisting in his gut.

“Hello, Snap.” Dr. Lancer said. “Your friends are here. They will be coming up shortly to speak with you.”

“Oh okay.” Snap said. His spirit did lift up a little knowing that his friends were finally here. Now they can begin work discussing what their ultimate plan for Nihilanth was going to be. “Thank you for telling me.”

“You’re welcome.” Dr. Lancer replied. She became silent for a few moments. Then, rubbing the back of her head with her bird-like paw, she said, “I do apologize for scaring you. I know it’s a little late of an apology, but better late than never.” She gave a nervous chuckle. She took a few steps forward, showing visible sadness when Snap ended up cringing away from her out of instinct. “I’m not going to hurt you.. Believe me, I’d never want to hurt you.”

“But you did hurt someone else...” Snap said softly, under his breath.

Dr. Lancer narrowed her eyes slightly, but did not show any signs of strong anger. She let out an exasperated sigh and said, “It was necessary to get information out of him. We couldn’t do it any other way.” She lifted her head slightly and held out her paw in gesture. “And at least I let him go, did I not? That was more than what he would have done for you, if you had been captured by him.”

Snap couldn’t argue with that. He knew that Dr. Lancer was right, at least with the last bit. He knew that Tyreek likely would not have been so merciful and let him go. He would have kept him trapped somewhere, probably torture him, or whatever else came to his mind. Or, more likely, he would have dragged him to Ghadir and help hold him still while she slowly ate him.

But that did not mean he agreed completely with her. He did not think that torture was the only way to get information out of Tyreek. He could have thought of more clever, less harmful ways of getting Tyreek to speak. Resorting to violence shouldn’t have been necessary. By doing that, just how was she better than the black chalk artists? She had been acting like them when she brutally interrogated Tyreek like that. And there was something else that she wasn’t considering.

It could bite her back. Hard. Once Jenny and Ghadir find out their comrade was tortured, their bond that the black chalk share would come into play. They would hunt down Dr. Lancer and they would make her pay. They would attack her, possibly destroy this hospital. Dr. Lancer’s actions may have caused a lot more harm than she realized. He wished that she would open her eyes and see this, instead of denying and it saying it was ‘for the best’.

But he decided not to argue with her about it right now. Rudy and Penny would be here any minute, and discussing Nihilanth was of more urgency. They’ll worry about the black chalk artists later. And besides, it wasn’t like she was going to listen to him. She had made it clear before that she truly believes she did the right thing, and nothing he says will change her mind.

“Anyway..” Dr. Lancer said, cutting off the silence that fell upon the room. “Your friends will be here in about a minute. I’ll leave and give you some privacy.” She was about to walk out of the room before pausing and staring at Howdy. She gritted her beak and said, “A quick update on your friend. It seems like it’s becoming more and more likely he won’t regain full use of that arm... But I am hoping I am wrong..” She closed her eyes and turned her head away. “I am sorry.”

Snap felt a cold feeling rush through his body as Dr. Lancer left the room. His heart tightened as he looked over at Howdy. He..he may not regain full use of his arm? It was becoming more and more likely that this was the case? No..it couldn’t be... Snap was not able to stop the tears from falling down his face. Why...? Why did this have to happen to such a nice zoner like him?

Snap wasn’t sure if he could break the news to Rudy and Penny. But he knew he had to. Better they know now than later. As he stared at Howdy’s sleeping form, waiting for his friends to arrive, he made a silent promise. He would make sure Ghadir pays for what she did to him. He would see to it that she is locked up and can never hurt anyone again.

sss

Draow was ready for combat. He had been waiting for this day for...well it felt like a long time, even though it was just a few days. He had been looking forward to this day, when he would finally be able to fight against the disgusting trio after years of waiting. He was finally going to be able to do more than just hold them down. He was going to be able to inflict damage upon them. Oh how he longed for this day...

And this time, he was going to be able to do things his way. He was still under the command of someone else, Jenny and Nihilanth respectively. But they were giving him a little more freedom than what Bardot offered him two years ago. He was allowed to do whatever he wanted to Penny and Snap, as Nihilanth decided he didn’t need them. Rudy, however, he was told to be gentle with, though he was allowed to rough him up a little.

The plan was in motion. He replayed Nihilanth’s words in his head over and over again. He knew what his role was and he was going to fulfill it. He understood just what Nihilanth was going for, and he would make sure to allow it to happen. Just needed to make sure the right pieces fell in the right places. They had to control the fight in a way to ensure that what Nihilanth wants to happen, will happen. And when it does happen... Draow curled his lips up in a vicious smile. Everything would take a turn in their favor. They would gain the upperhand, and this time, the black chalk artists were going to be the victors.

Draow had his talons wrapped around a piece of blue chalk. He held it up a little, staring at it intently with his piercing teal eyes. He watched at how it glinted in the light of the day zone sun here. It was beautiful...and so powerful. He could practically feel the power surging through his body. The ability to create was right in his paws. The battlefield was going to be even this time. With him having creation abilities, he had his doubts that Rudy and his friends would be able to stand up to him much. In his mind, he replayed all kinds of things he may draw to keep them from ever escaping them.

He wished that Jenny was out here to join him. But alas, not everything had gone their way recently. An unfortunate tragedy had befallen them. Ghadir had been mobbed by a group of zoners. The thought disgusted Draow. He may not respect her as much as he does Jenny, but he still cared enough to be angry that she got attacked like that. It wasn’t like it was some stupid little thing either. It wasn’t some zoner who comically fought back despite being a weakling. She had been ruthlessly attacked by what she described as at least fifty zoners.

Draow flattened his ears at this. How weak do those zoners have to be, to gang up on someone like that? How dare they do that to a black chalk artist... How dare they hurt her to save someone as pathetic as Snap... He recalled how he woke up to Boorat viciously attacking her, which was, as he found out, not long after she had already been brutally attacked by the fifty zoners. Boorat certainly didn’t care about that, and if he hadn’t acted, he may have ended up killing her.

He had taught Boorat a valuable lesson. He ripped into him and shook him in his jaws. He chased him away from the Solar Pillars and through the forest. He did not let up. He used his wings to move faster, easily catching up to the wretched rat zoner. As soon as he caught up to him, he kicked him into the ground. He seized him in his jaws again and started to crush him. He threw him into the ground and slashed him with his talons, spilling his guts all over the forest floor. Instead of finishing him off, he decided to just let Boorat die slowly. The little urchin deserved a slow, painful death. He return to the Solar Pillars after that.

Ghadir was still shaken up by what happened. He and Jenny couldn’t blame her and they decided it was best not to send her out on any missions for a while. It would take time for her to recover mentally. She said she almost recovered when she came back, when she was going to use the light cannon to get revenge. Such a move would have drained power from the light cannon, but she was at least being reasonable as to why she wanted to use it. But Boorat stopped her and his assault sent her back into that mental state from before, all scared and frightened.

She was still in that mental state right now. After what happened, it was no wonder she was such a mess. Jenny and Draow were happy to hear that Ghadir needn’t be present for this current plan to work. All that was needed was Draow, and Nihilanth would do the rest. A good thing, too, as Jenny wanted to be with Ghadir long enough for her to recover mentally. Jenny promised her, after this plan was executed and fulfilled, she would hunt down at least five of the zoners who attacked her and drag them over so they could be properly dealt with. This did make Ghadir feel a little happier.

Tyreek was a whole different story. They had no idea where he was. Nihilanth wasn’t giving details as he wanted to focus on the plan. Tyreek had been missing for a days. They didn’t know exactly what happened to him. They assumed he was still at the hospital, but they couldn’t just walk in there. It was more heavily guarded, at least compared to the other hospital, especially more so now that Boorat had been able to get in and take Snap away, whisking him off just like that.

If Tyreek was there, it was safe to assume that he was chalkless. There was no way he would be sitting around, doing nothing, if he had the power of magic chalk by his side. He would have drawn himself an escape route by now. He was not the type of person to just disappear for days on end without telling them. Something terrible did happen to him, and they were certain he had to have been captured. And Jenny already had an idea on what happened.

She said how it must have been Wilter who did something. At first, Draow wasn’t so sure. The man was tied up and left in a holding chamber. He didn’t see how that man could have done much of anything while chained up like a dog. He was so weak as well, with the lack of food and water getting to him. But what Jenny did say did ultimately convince him that he must have been the culprit. After all, Mr. Wilter knew them better than anyone, and he was a living legend here in ChalkZone. He could have told the zoners at some point about working together as a team. Even if it was something as simple as that, and not a full on plan, it still meant that he was guilty, and Jenny, rightfully so, did take care of him.

Jenny didn’t kill him. She made that clear right off the bat. But, while she didn’t tell him exactly what she did, she made it certain that it was a fate worse than death. Draow smirked evilly at this. A fate worse than death was so fitting for Mr. Wilter. For so long, he harbored hatred against that man for his interference with Mr. Cosmo’s glorious plans years ago, and for his involvement two years ago when Mr. Cosmo attempted to get Rudy on his side. Now, at long last, Mr. Wilter was no longer a problem.

Draow still had to wonder exactly what happened to Tyreek. He wasn’t sure how long he’d last without food or water. By now, if he had been trapped for a few days, he would have died from lack of water at least. He had his doubts that this would be the case, as those zoners were too soft and squishy. They would have left him go the second he started to shed a little blood. But then... A thought crossed his mind.

If they did let Tyreek go, then where was he? Why hadn’t he rejoined them? It wouldn’t be like him to just abandon them like that. With the black chalk, that thougth shouldn’t even cross his mind. Yet he was nowhere in sight and they hadn’t heard a word about him since he vanished. Draow wondered if it was possible that maybe something terrible did happen to him. Maybe the zoners did end up growing a spine and...

The winged wolf shook his head, pushing those thoughts to the side. No, they wouldn’t do that. They were too soft. And even if it did cross their minds, they couldn’t all possibly be as stupid as the mob that attacked Ghadir. They would know that when one messes with a black chalk artist, they will get the horns. Harming Tyreek will just bring them more harm. Though even if they didn’t hurt Tyreek, the act of kidnapping him made them deserving targets. He looked forward to when Jenny would send him to deal with those wretched zoners.

His thoughts shifted to Bardot for a moment. His smirk broadened. That little zoner was also getting the punishment he deserves. He had been put in the holding chamber where Mr. Wilter used to be. Bardot was so weak now from all the drainage, his body so fragile... Draow knew he was paying the price for his mistake of attacking him the way he had. Draow felt lucky that Bardot had much weaker venom, as it only knocked him out for a short while. Soon, it’ll be too weak to do much of anything. Bardot was becoming completely helpless, and he loved that.

He used to fear Bardot to some extent. When he had worked for him in the past, he was afraid of making one wrong move, and he would get bitten, injected with venom. And that had nearly happened to him at least once. But now, the tables have turned. Bardot was too weak to fight him effectively, and he was the one who was afraid now, not him. Draow could easily crush the puny zoner in his jaws, and it would all be over.

Jenny was going to let Ghadir eat him, skipping the hunt entirely, but Ghadir wasn’t in the mood to eat a zoner. This confused and startled Jenny, and made her and Draow both realize just how serious this was. So instead, Jenny opted to punish Bardot for aiding in Ghadir’s attack by locking him up and keeping him alive for a little longer, letting him slowly die, cold and alone. They all agreed that he must have had something to do with it. Knocking Draow out so Boorat would have some time to attack. Yes, that is what happened. No doubt about it. Bardot must have secretly spoken to Boorat on this without them knowing, and they just acted like they didn’t know each other.

Draow pulled himself out of those thoughts when Jenny emerged from the structure. He swiveled his head, watching her as she descended the steps slowly. As soon as she reached the bottom, she headed over to him, he lowered his head and took a small bow to show his respect to her. She soon reached him and he lifted up his head just enough so he could look at her with his teal eyes. From her expression, she had something important to tell him. He remained quiet and waited for her to speak.

Jenny said, “Rudy, Penny, and Snap are headed this way.”

Draow’s ears perked up. “Oh really? Well that was...a little quicker than I imagined.” He couldn’t help but smile at this. “Not that I’m complaining or anything. I had been itching to try out this blue chalk.”

Jenny nodded her head. “I spotted them suing the light cannon’s targeting system. They will be here shortly.” She turned her head. She put a hand over her eyes. “According to the calculations I figured out, they should be here in about ten mintues or so.” She lowered her hand and gave Draow an upwards glance. “Do you remember the plan?”

“Yes, of course I do.” Draow said, nodding his head. “I am to toy with Penny and Snap, be careful with Rudy, and while I do that, Nihilanth will make his move, during a time which the three can’t do anything about it.” He closed his eyes and tilted his muzzle slightly upwards. He gave a somewhat cocky smile. “And when done right, our plan will be fulfilled...and there will be nothing they can do about it.”

“Exactly.” Jenny said with a smirk. “Nihilanth’s plan is foolproof...so long as you do exactly what he said. And if you do this right..” She contorted her face into an evil smile. “Rudy Tabootie..will be...ours...”

Draow’s eyes glinted at this. He loved this plan. He was going to love tearing down the so-called Great Creator. Soon, so very soon, Rudy was going to be..no more... He flashed a grin, his teeth exposed in the light, and chuckled darkly. This was going to be a great day indeed.

“Just don’t get too cocky.” Jenny warned him, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t act as though you have the upperhand and will never lose. Do not underestimate them and do not give them a break. Give them no chance to fight back. It is imperative that this plan works. The sooner we disable Rudy Tabootie as a threat, the sooner we can move forward with Nihilanth’s main plan.”

“Understood.” Draow said, smiling softly at her. “You needn’t worry, Jenny. I will not fail you or Nihilanth.” He looked out on the horizon. “I will take this blue chalk and with it...” He stared intently at the sparkling blue chalk clutched in his talons. “...I will guarantee...those three brats will never win another fight against us...”

Jenny smirked at this. “Good...” She turned around. “Just see to it that you don’t mess up. If you do..I’d hate to think what Nihilanth might do to you.” Draow nodded his head in understanding. “I am going to go stay with Ghadir. I trust you have everything under control out here.”

“Yes. Don’t worry..I will not fail.” Draow said, confidence brimming from the words he spoke. “I promise..”

Jenny paused for a moment. Then she chuckled. “I know..”

With that, Jenny went back into the Solar Pillars. Draow watched her go back inside before turning his head to where he guessed the trio were going to come from. He forgot to ask Jenny just which direction to look in. But he knew his best option was to keep his eye on the direction Jenny had been looking. He stared off into the horizon. Then, as he continued looking, he thought he saw figures, tiny and far off into the distance, coming towards him.

Draow grinned evilly. The fight was about to begin. He whispered something low and harsh as he kept his eye on what he knew were Rudy, Penny, and Snap approaching.

“This is for you, Teddisson Cosmo...”

sss

“Rudy...” Penny said softly. She walked close by Rudy, Snap on his other side. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea for you to have come...”

“Yeah, Bucko...” Snap gave Rudy a worried look. “What about your leg?”

Rudy winced as he took another step. “I-I’m...” He was about to say he was fine, but he stopped himself. How foolish it would be for him to lie so blatantly like that. His friends could tell he was in pain. He would have said they weren’t in a fighting condition either, but their point was he was the worst off of the three. And he knew they were right. He cleared his throat and backtracked. “I’ll be fine. Really.”

His friends weren’t convinced. They gave each other worried glances before looking back at Rudy. Their expressions said it all. They didn’t want him to come with because of his bad leg. They were worried that he would be an easy target for the black chalk artists for when they arrive. They wanted him to say back, stating that they would have tried to do their best against Jenny and her lackeys, but Rudy just couldn’t bring himself to agree to that. He knew he had to be here to help them. He didn’t have a choice.

He knew they were right about him being an easy target. Mr. Pierce had severely butchered his leg. He was still unnerved by that, and haunted. The doctors had mended his leg the best they could, and he should be resting now. His leg was in no condition for him to be walking around. There was a thick cast on it to protect it, and a brace to hold his leg together since Mr. Pierce sliced apart one of his ligaments. He had to use a set of crutches to get around, his left leg raised in the air as he could not put any pressure on it.

Due to this, he wouldn’t be able to run and using the magic chalk would be hard, as he would need to lean up against something. He had asked Penny to make him something he could lean on so he could join in the fight, drawing things on the sidelines to help. She agreed, but reluctantly. She and Snap both tried to convince him to stay back. They didn’t want Nihilanth to target him, take advantage of his weakness. Since he could heal wounds, no doubt that Rudy having a mutilated leg was not going to convince him not to take Rudy.

But as much as his leg really hurt him, as much as his other wounds were still a problem, he couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. He couldn’t bring himself to do that. He couldn’t just sit around and let his friends throw themselves in danger like that. True they couldn’t just do nothing as they had no idea what Nihilanth would do if they didn’t show up. But...no. He just couldn’t allow them to go alone. He had to be here to help, even if it was from the sidelines, even if it meant putting himself in danger.

Their family had tried to come with, but he and his friends convinced them to stay, at least for now. If they needed their help later, they were willing to consider having them lend their help. For now, they wanted to try to take care of Nihilanth on their own, hoping that it wouldn’t be necessary to drag their family into this horrible mess. Nihilanth never said they could bring them with, either. What if he did something horrible to his prisoners if they brought along their parents? It was a risk they couldn’t take.

At least something had gone their way the past few days. During his very short recovery time that Nihilanth allowed, he and Penny had gotten word from Mr. Longhorn that he had managed to quell the audience that knew about ChalkZone. Or at least most of them. Very few seemed adamant about ChalkZone being real by the end of it all, and even they appeared to be having doubts after more and more people started to believe it really wasn’t real, not the kind of real they thought it was, anyway.

Rudy recalled just how much of a relief it was, knowing that ChalkZone was safe from human invasion. This exposure thing had been hanging over his head heavily, making him worried, chilling his blood. Knowing that Mr. Longhorn had managed to convince the audience that ChalkZone was just an abandoned amusement park project and not a place that currectly exists did so much to help him and his friends feel better. Now that was one less thing they had to worry about.

But there were still some things bothering him, things that would not leave him alone. He thought back to the conversations he had with his friends while they were at the ChalkZone hospital earlier today. There were two particular topics that had him very worried.

First, there was the issue of the black chalk. Penny had told Rudy how Mr. Pierce had used the scalpel on her, her mother, and Mr. Longhorn. Without cleaning it at that. That meant that there was a very good chance that Penny, as well as her mother and Mr. Longhorn, were now infected with black chalk. This realization chilled Rudy to the bone, as he knew that this meant that Penny would be affected by the servant light, just like he would be. This was a very frightening thought. Could she...could she become corrupted without having to actually touch the black chalk? And what of her mother? Could she become that torture doctor she was years ago? Could Mr. Longhorn become corrupted as well?

So far, Penny hadn’t acted any different when she came into ChalkZone. That meant, far as he and his friends knew, that the black chalk amount in her was miniscule, not enough to really take her over. That was some good news at least. But they still had to be very careful. They were going towards the Solar Pillars, which was powered by the servant light. As soon as the light touches her, if their hunch was right, she would become affected by it, and potentially corrupted if she stayed under too long.

In addition to that, the other thing he had to worry about was the fate of Tyreek. Snap had told him and Penny about how Tyreek had apparently infiltrated the hospital to attack, and was immediately captured. This, at first, didn’t bother Rudy or Penny, and they were grateful that the man had been stopped. But when Snap informed them that Dr. Lancer had tortured Tyreek for information, that was when they had gotten quite unnerved.

The idea that the helpful nurse, the one that had done whatever she could to help Snap and Howdy, willingly harming another living person left a bad taste in their mouth. They hated Tyreek. He had caused them problems in the past. He had been the one to kidnap Sophie and Snap when all of this had began. But they would never wish this kind of harm against him. Doing so would make them just as bad as he was. They couldn’t understand why Dr. Lancer would resort to such barbaric measures to get information. And her refusing to tell them precisely what they did made them feel more nervous.

They were certain that this act would cause the black chalk artists to become vengeful. They would want to get revenge on Dr. Lancer for that. They would certainly take it out on them as well. Knowing the black chalk artists, they would certainly not allow that torture to go unpunished. Dr. Lancer might have been just trying to be helpful in getting information, but she may have wound up making things a lot worse for them.

Rudy was saddened when Snap told them that Howdy might not regain full use of his arm. Dr. Lancer said that she and the doctors did whatever they could, but it was looking more and more that the damage was too extensive, and that the arm would never regain full functionality. Though Rudy was angry at Ghadir for what she did, he was more sad for Howdy. Poor little guy...He didn’t deserve to have something like this happen to him... After this was all over, after they defeated Nihilanth and stopped the black chalk artists and the black chalk for good, he was going to try to do something for Howdy.

He continued to hobble forward, as a fast as he could using the crutches. Penny and Snap stood by his side, keeping an eye on him. They looked so worried for him and he couldn’t blame them. He was taking a huge risk coming out here, still injured. They all were. They were all in pain, reeling from the wounds they had unwilingly accumulated during their jouney. But they had little choice in the matter. Nihilanth needed to be taken care of, and if they didn’t do something...what would he do? He didn’t want to imagine all the pain and misery he’d spread.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Rudy?” Penny asked, her voice laced with worry. Her eyes moved up and down his body, focusing on his mutilated leg. She bit her lip and looked at Rudy, tears forming in her eyes. “I-I don’t want you to get hurt...”

Snap nodded his head, sharing Penny’s sentiment. “Penny and I have an easier time moving around than you do, Bucko. If Nihilanth gets you alone, and if Penny and I can’t get to it...”

“I know..” Rudy lowered his gaze a little. “I understand it’s a major risk and I could get hurt. But I..” He looked at his friends, giving them a quick glance. “I just don’t think I could live with myself if I let you guys face Nihilanth alone. And...” He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “Just what would happen if I didn’t show up? Maybe Nihilanth would be angry and he would kill off one of his prisoners or something worse...”

“You don’t know that.” Snap said.

“You’re right, Snap. I don’t know.” Rudy said. He narrowed his eyes a little. “And that’s why I can’t take the risk. I don’t want to make things worse by not showing up. And I don’t want to just..sit on the sidelines while you and Penny fight in your condition against the worst enemy we’ve ever faced. I..I don’t think I could live with myself if that happened..”

The three friends continue their trek through the forest. They were getting closer to where the Solar Pillars were. They could see the structure up ahead, the empty void, it was getting closer now. They would soon be out of this forest and they would be out in the open. After the point that they exit the trees, which were growing sparser, they would be completely in the open. The black chalk artists would know they were coming and no doubt they were waiting for them.

Penny and Snap were quiet for a little while. They looked at each other. They exchanged looks of sadness and concern. Rudy flinched when they looked back at him. He could practically feel their sadness flowing through his body. He wished he could quell their worry by staying out of the fight and going somewhere safe. But he just couldn’t do that. He just couldn’t bring himself to do that. He had to fight by their side. They would fight for him, no matter how badly hurt they were. He was going to return the favor.

Soon they reached the edge of the forest. In front of them were a line of trees, hiding them mostly away from the sights of the Solar Pillars. They knew they weren’t completely covered and, if the black chalk artists looked carefully enough, they would be able to see them. Rudy could feel his heart pounding in his chest, knowing they were getting ever closer to the enemy.

This was it...this was really it. In a short time, they were going to face off against the deity of ChalkZone, Nihilanth himself. This time, they weren’t going to just fight to stop ChalkZone from being exposed, or being enslaved, or taken over. This time, they would be fighting for something more than that. They were going to be fighting for ChalkZone’s right to something, a thing that ChalkZone certainly deserved, that Nihilanth was trying to take away from it.

The right to exist.

Rudy took in a deep breath. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over and saw Penny. She gave him a gentle smile. She was doing her best to console him. Snap, too. He could feel the zoner place his hand against his other arm. He smiled back the best he could. If there was one thing he could count on, it was his friends’ support. Even if they disagreed with his decision, they were willing to be here for him, and support him.

“Are you ready to face Nihilanth?” Penny asked.

Rudy nodded his head. “Yeah, I am. Are you guys?”

“Never been more ready!” Snap said, his voice filled with determination.

Penny nodded his head. “We are prepared to fight him. Even against the odds.. we will fight.”

Rudy smiled at this. He felt a sensation of pride well up inside of him. This time, things were going to be different. While in the past, right from when they faced off against Cosmo to now, they almost never had a chance to fight together as a trio, this time, they were, even if it was going to be a little different than usual. They were going to stand together as one, and they will fight as a unit.

The three friends took a moment to quietly reassure each other. They then looked out towards the Solar Pillars, looking through the space between two tall trees. They were going to face off against the enemy together. They would free not only their family, but the Luminos and Blocky and Rapsheeba and Dr. Urso as well. They would rescue them from the evil dragon’s hold. And they would, somehow, someway, find a way to get Barney to regain control of himself. They were not going to let him be used as a tool any longer.

Taking a deep breath, the three friends stepped out from the trees, out into the open. They looked at each other, giving a smile and narrowed eyes of determination, and started to head off in the direction of the Solar Pillars. They were ready to fight.

sss

Nihilanth perched on top of the Solar Pillars. He opened up his wings for a few seconds, stretching the limbs out. He then folded them against his side and looked out ahead with both of his heads. Everything was fall into place. The pieces had fallen into the fray. Now all he had to do was place them in the right areas..and he will start that by claiming Rudy as his own. At the end of this battle, Rudy was going to be his.

He looked down with his black head and he was pleased to see Draow standing vigilantly in front of the Solar Pillars. He looked primed and ready to fight for such a worthy cause. Yes, Draow had been such a useful zoner, one of the very few. Nihilanth planned on rewarding Draow after all this was over. It would be easy to dismiss his efforts and just have him killed off, and he had considered leaving Draow dead. But he had changed his mind recently, feeling like he could use the bat wolf’s assistance later on. His loyalty was hard to come by, so why should he waste it?

His white head looked out in the horizon, the black eyes narrowing as he watched something move in the distance. Ah, it was the trio. They had arrived. He froze for a second when he saw Rudy was using crutches. He didn’t use them before. What had happened? Then, slowly, he smiled. What does it matter anyway? If anything, these crutches could give him the edge. It will be so easy grabbing Rudy during the fight now. The crutches would keep him from running, and so long as Draow kept Penny and Snap busy, they would not be able to help Rudy escape his clutches.

Nihilanth took in a deep breath through both his sets of nostrils. The air inflated his chest, and he felt a feeling of elation wash over him. This was it. This was the day he looked forward to. The day he would set his plan in motion. It was the day he would take Rudy as his and be able to move forward with his plan to merge the two worlds together. Soon, so very soon... All these years of planning will not go to waste.

He stared at the trio as they walked across the void together. They weren’t moving at an incredible speed, but that was understandable, given their injuries, especially Rudy’s. He wasn’t concerned, however, as he could just heal those wounds so his body would be more useful to him. Penny and Snap, he could care less. He didn’t need them, so Draow can kill them off for all he cared. Heck, he would prefer them dead as it meant less of a chance of Rudy regaining control. If either Rudy or Barney regained control... he flinched, trying his best not to think abot it.

He turned his heads downward, staring at the orb still around his neck. He could faintly, so very faintly, hear the screams of his victims that he had trapped inside of it. He gripped the object between his claws and lifted it up. He peered inside and saw visions of his prisoners running around an empty void, trying so hard to find a way out. This made him chuckle darkly. They would only get out when he wished it. For now, he was keeping them trapped. It was such a...great incentive to get the trio to come out here.

Soon, the trio were so close to the Solar Pillars. Draow was getting anxious. He could see the winged wolf adopting an aggressive stance, clearly ready to rumble. He clutched the blue chalk in his talons, fully prepared to use it. The zoner swayed his body a little from side to side, a silent way of telling the trio, who were close enough to see him, he was going to tear into them any second. Nihilanth chuckled at this, amused by Draow’s enthusiasm. Yes..perhaps he will make a fine permanent servant. But he decided not to think about that now and opted to focus on the approaching trio.

As soon as Rudy, Penny, and Snap were finally close enough, Nihilanth opened up his wings. He jumped up from the Solar Pillars and swooped down. His speed and massive form caused a wind to gush behind him, blowing the grass around and messing up Draow’s far. The two-headed dragon slapped his wings, sending another gust of wind, this time in the trio’s direction. He smiled his two smiles as the trio paused and shielded their faces from the wind the best they could.

When they looked back and glared at him with such determination, he couldn’t help but chuckle coldly. He loved that they were determined to stop him. He would have preferred that over an easy surrender. This determination would make things so much more interesting. It was going to be so much fun tearing them down, ripping apart their hope and dreams.

He took a few steps in front of Draow. He glanced over at the bat wolf, giving him a look that told him to stay put. He turned his attention to the trio. He continued to be amused by their determination. Oh how naively hopeful these three were, in light of having to face the most powerful entity in this dimension. He couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces when he possessed Rudy and used him as a weapon against them. That was going to be so much fun.

Nihilanth spread his wings out suddenly, causing a gush of air to shoot out at his sides, kicking up dust and dirt. He raised his heads up into the air, forming S shapes with his long necks. He looked down at them, his white eyes and black eyes glowing intensely. His mouths open up in a grin, flashing sharp teeth. The trio glared at him.

“Welcome, you three! We are...so glad you could make it!” Nihilanth said. His tails wriggled behind him, slamming them against the ground. “I have been waiting for this moment, and I’m sure you three have. So...let us not beat around the bush.” He moved his heads apart, eyeing the trio from both sides. “Are you three ready to fight a deity?”

The three glared hatefully at him. They did not say a word. They nodded their heads stiffly, and took a fighting stance. Nihilanth chuckled at this. They weren’t cowards. He’d give them that much credit.

“Wonderful! Let the game...begin!” Nihilanth declared.

Draow let out a threatening howl in the air. Rudy, Penny, and Snap kept their fighting stances, Penny holding up a piece of magic chalk. Nihilanth’s eyes locked on Rudy’s. The boy froze, his expression briefly softening up in horror, then his eyes narrowed. Nihilanth’s grins broadened. As the fight was beginning, Nihilanth gave a chilling message to Rudy.

“You will become my new vessel, Rudy Tabootie... I will see to that.”


	125. You Three Are So Disappointing

Penny glared at the two-headed dragon and winged wolf standing before them. Draow hung back, but his body was positioned in a fighting stance. Though no one made a move yet, Penny refused to lower her guard. She kept an eye on the two, watching and waiting for any kind of move. As soon as one of them attacked, she and her friends would follow suit.

For a few seconds, she glanced over at Rudy. She felt uncomfortable with him on the battlefield. She wished that he listened to reason and stayed back. Normally, she would have kept trying to convince him to stay. She usually could figure out what to say to convince Rudy that he was being irrational. She was good at being persuasive. Not forcibly so, but in a way that helped Rudy understand where she was coming from.

But she had little time for that this time. Nihilanth gave them a time limit. They were to be here today. And Rudy did make some good points. What if Nihilanth did do something awful if they had tried to wait longer? Would he kill all his prisoners simply out of boredom? They didn’t know exactly what this dragon was like and how far he was willing to go. They had a taste of what he’d do, but that was it. How could they be certain he wouldn’t try something?

Letting Rudy come was not a decision she and Snap liked. They wished that Rudy had stayed home. But at the same time, they couldn’t deny that what he said made sense. Could they risk Nihilanth doing worse if Rudy didn’t come? It was certainly not worth the risk if that were the case. Rudy was right; it did seem that they had no choice but to let him come with. Penny could only hope that they wouldn’t regret their decision later on. There was still a chance this was all some kind of trap, and if it was, they had fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker.

Nihilanth never mentioned anything about Draow showing up, far as she could remember. His presence here was worrying. It was going to be bad enough fighting Nihilanth. Though Draow wasn’t nearly as powerful, he was still a formidible opponent. His power of flight alone was going to make things difficult for them. His size was another factor they had to worry about.

Penny was torn from her thoughts when the dragon spoke to them, his heads raised up, towering over them.

“We understand that you three are...injured. And it wouldn’t be fair if we fought you like this.” Nihilanth said, a look of contemplation spreading across his faces. “However...We can’t just simply heal you. No, no...that would make things too easy.” He waggled a black claw from side to side. “So...We think we’ll do something different instead.” He took a step forward, his claws digging into the hard earthy ground. “We, Nihilanth, will not be using our creation powers for this fight.”

“Not using your powers eh?” Snap asked with a sly smile on his face. He pointed a hand in the dragon’s direction. “Are you setting yourself up to be defeated there?”

Nihilanth chuckled at this. “We are not surprised you would react like that, you little blue ant.”

“Ant?!” Snap cried, his eyes widened in shock.

“Yes. Ant. Tiny. Insignicant. Weak.” Nihilanth said, grins on his faces. “That is what you are.”

Snap glared at the dragon. He raised his fists up. “Just come over here and say that! I’ll show you just how weak I am!”

“Snap!” Penny put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. She gave him a soft glare. Snap stared at her for a few seconds, and then relaxed his expression a little, as did Penny. She didn’t want him to do anything rash, not while they were about to face a deity. She turned her attention back to Nihilanth. “How do we know you will be true to your word?”

Nihilanth smiled at this. “So you are skeptical... You believe that we will lie and start using our powers anyway when it suits our needs.” He took a step forward, his white head lowering towards Penny. His black eyes shined brightly, making her feel nervous and causing her to take a step back. “You are...very perceptive and intelligent. A smart move not to trust us. But we digress...”

Nihilanth pulled his head back, much to Penny’s relief. She took a few steps back and glared up at him as his heads raised high into the air. He sat down on his hind legs almost like a dog. His tails moved to the sides, curling around his body. The tips raised up and down, like an irritated cat. He lifted up his paw and placed it on his chest. Penny and her friends watched, half expecting him to do something drastic, like smash that void cage he created for his trapped victims.

“We have no intention on using our creation powers...” He leaned his black head forward, opening his mouth to show an open, sharp toothed grin. “...because we will not be needing it. We guarantee..by the end of this battle, Rudy Tabootie will be ours. And we promise that when we do get him...” He lifted up a claw, the tip glinting. “..we will not have had to use anything more than our own physical paws...”

“You won’t be taking Rudy!” Penny shouted. There was no way she would let something like that happen.

“Yeah!” Snap took a step forward. He winced a little from the pain, but he still stood his ground. “No way are you getting your filthy paws on him!”

Nihilanth just chuckled at this. His two heads turned towards Rudy. The boy stiffened up a little, showing some fear. But he soon narrowed his eyes. He didn’t say a word to Nihilanth. Every bit of what he was feeling was portrayed physically. The narrowed eyes, the gritted teeth, the slightly lowered head. All of it, culminated into a single message. If Nihilanth wanted him so badly, he was going to have to fight him, for Rudy was not going down without a fight. He would resist Nihilanth, and give him one heck of a struggle. Even if the dragon got him, he was not going to claim him that easily.

Penny and Snap could both tell Rudy was afraid. He was visibly shaking a little. Being in the presence of a deity did have a powerful impact on the psyche. But it was worse for Rudy as this deity wanted to possess him and use his body for his own nefarious purposes. Rudy had been used as a pawn for the black chalk before, and he had seen what he was like if he had been fully corrupted. Now that there was a chance of that happening again, they could see why he would feel unnerved.

Penny hoped that Rudy understood that she and Snap would never let that happen. There was no way they would allow this monster to take him like that. If Nihilanth wanted him, he would have to deal with her and Snap first. They would make sure that he would have a heck of a time getting him. They would make sure that Nihilanth has seconds thoughts on taking Rudy away from them.

Rudy saw the looks on their faces. He could see how they looked at him, giving them expressions of concern and determination. In response, Rudy slowly smiled. He understood that they would do anything to protect them. He gave them a similar look back, symbolizing that he was willing to help them as well. He turned back to Nihilanth.

“You may try to take my body. But you will not succeed!” Rudy’s voice was filled with determination and certainty. Despite his fear, Penny heard no shakiness of his voice. “So go ahead! Try to possess me! I...” He looked at his friends. “I mean, we... will not let you win!”

Draow chuckled at this. He grinned, his pointed fangs visible even from his distance. His body relaxed a little as he moved a little closer. He only stopped when Nihilanth shot him a glare with his white head. Draow’s body seemed to take on a more casual stance, as if he was doing nothing more than just greeting a long lost...not friend, more like acquaintance. It was like, for a moment, he forgot he was about to engage in battle.

“You three are so amusing. You think you can stop Nihilanth?” Draow sneered, a look something like insanity in his eyes, mixed in with something else they could not identify. “Oh you poor naive fools...” He closed his eyes and chuckled again, this one filled with more malice than the last. He lifted up his head and said, “You will soon see just how wrong you are.”

Rudy gritted his teeth. “Your master will never succeed..” Draow stared at Rudy, that same smile still on his face. Rudy’s glare deepened. He closed his eyes, turning his head away for a moment. Then he looked back, his eyes blazing in anger. “Your master will not get away with this! He will go down!”

“Your master might think he’s all that, but everyone has a weakness, and I’m sure as heck he does, too!” Snap pointed a round hand at Nihilanth, his eyes focused on the bat wolf. “If you think you will win, then you are as crazy as your master!”

Draow lowered his ears a little. “Watch what you say about...”

“Settle down, Draow.” Nihilanth said. Draow looked up at him in surprise. He blinked a few times, then turned his attention to Rudy. He narrowed his eyes and growled, his ears still lowered, but he said not another word and took a step back. Nihilanth smiled down at him before shifting his attention to Rudy, Penny, and Snap. “We can see you are...confident you are going to win. It a shame that it has to come down to this... Perhaps if you thought about our plans more, you would see that all we wish is to create a better world.”

“You aren’t trying to create a better world! You’re trying to create a world that you, and you alone like! You want to commit a mass genocide just to create a place that is nothing more than a stationary prison, where everyone is exactly the same!” Rudy shouted. He steadied himself on his crutches as he moved forward a little. Penny and Snap looked at him worriedly, holding out their hands. Rudy ignored them, his focus entirely on the two-headed dragon. “What kind of world would that be?! And just..what will happen to those of this world? If you could bring them back, would they even be them? Would they be transformed to suit your needs? I know you have the power to alter personalities..”

“Of course we do.” Nihilanth cut him off. He lowered his paw down and pressed the tip of his claw against Rudy’s chin. He was very gentle, careful not to pierce the skin or knock Rudy over. It was unnerving how gentle he was being. “We know...that you have experienced us..black chalk...before.” Rudy gritted his teeth. “How did it feel? It felt great..didn’t it..?”

Penny and Snap watched in horror as Nihilanth wrapped his tails around Rudy. The tips seemed to almost dance around him, slittering like they were snakes. Penny wanted to do something, and so did Snap. The only thing holding them back is the tails wrapped around too quickly, and with the position those were in, the thinnest parts now around the boy’s neck, they feared that Nihilanth would break it in two so easily.

Penny gritted her teeth, looking around, trying to think of something they could do. They couldn’t just let Rudy be tormented by this dragon. With those crutches, he couldn’t get away. The tails threatened to trip him over. Rudy’s eyes were wide. She could see some determination, but there was a lot of fear as well. He clenched his teeth as the dragon moved in closer, keeping his tails around him, entrapping him within that spot. If she and Snap didn’t hurry, Nihilanth might claim Rudy in a matter of seconds.

“Don’t you want that power back?” Nihilanth asked in a calm, almost soothing voice. There was a bit that was a bit... Penny didn’t want to think seductive, but that was the only word that could describe the way this dragon’s voice sounded right now. “Don’t you want to to feel...strong...?” The tails coiled a little tighter around Rudy, making it impossible for him to even move. “We know...on a deep level...you want to feel powerful again..”

Rudy shook his head. “No! I’ll never want that again! Why would I want to lose my sanity? Why would I want to become a monster?” He lowered his head, glaring hatefully at the dragon. “You’re...you’re batshit insane if you think I’d ever want that kind of evil power again!”

“Evil? Is that what you think we are?” Nihilanth chortled, amused by this. “Our dear little boy...” He grinned, his sharp teeth flashing on both heads. “From our perspective, it is you and your friends, and those who resistance..who are evil. You are trying to destroy us, and everything we believe in. You fight for your dreams. And we fight for ours. You try to smash our dreams and we know you want to destroy the black chalk.. Such a wicked evil little deed... Well to us anyway. We are certain you are being noble.”

“We just want to protect ChalkZone and the real world from being destroyed!” Rudy cried.

“And as a result, you are stifling progress. We wish to create a perfect world.” Nihilanth said calmly. He ran a large digit across the top of Rudy’s head, moving it calmly along his hair. “Is that so wrong?”

“When it involves killing millions of innocent lives, it does.” Rudy growled, jerking his head away.

Nihilanth paused for a moment. His expression was a little softer, like he was surprised that Rudy was resisting his offer. He then smiled, his eyes narrowing a little. He arched his heads and said, “Say that all you want to, boy. But we know, deep down, you crave the power and control the black chalk has given you. We can give it back... Just say the word...”

Rudy shook his head. “No! I’d never do that!”

Nihilanth laugehd at this. “So naive... We know the truth.” He lowered his heads, one each side of Rudy. The eyes narrowed into slits. “Just..how did you think your light counterpart became so evil..?”

Rudy’s eyes widened in shock at this. “What..?”

Penny and Snap looked at each other in confusion. Just what was Nihilanth talking about? Light Rudy wasn’t corrupted by black chalk, so how could that have had anything to do with his atrocious behavior? Just...what was this dragon trying to say? Was this some kind of a trick? They looked back, confusion and shock displayed clearly on their faces.

Nihilanth’s smiles broadened, grew more and more eerie as the seconds passed. His black eyes and white eyes widened slightly, some kind of demonic glee shining off of them. “You really don’t know?” He moved his heads so close to Rudy that each breath blew his hair back. “We thought you would have made the connection by now...” Rudy leaned back and turned his head to the side, looking at Nihilanth in fear. “Then again, you never do look at the full picture. So perhaps..we should not be surprised.”

“What...” Snap said, finally finding his voice. “What are you talking about...?”

Nihilanth lifted his black head and stared over at Snap. “We will be glad to explain it. After all, what’s the harm? You and the girl will perish anyway, so perhaps we should take our time to explain.” Draow smirked at this, staring intently at Penny and Snap, looking as though he wanted to dive into them right now with those teeth and talons of his.

Nihilanth moved away from Rudy, taking a few steps back. Rudy loked relieved that the dragon wasn’t so close to him anymore. Penny and Snap immediately walked up to him, standing by his side. They looked at him sympathetically, each putting a hand on his arms to comfort him. Rudy looked at them gratefully before the three glared cautiously over at Nihilanth. The dragon was back on his haunches, his front paws lifted up into the air. His wings folded against his body, his tails raised with the tips hanging somewhat loosely.

Nihilanth began to make gestures with his paws. Waving them from side to side, flipping them over, and as he did so, a whisp of grey smoke appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. The smoke swirled around, his claws trailing through it. The trio watched, their eyes filled with confusion, unable to tear their gaze away. Draow just smiled calmly, clearly showing that he knew what Nihilanth was doing.

Around and around the paws moved, and soon, the smoke started to shake shape and form. They could soon see what appeared to be a cave structure forming. They recognized it as the Chalk Mine. From the various open spaces the smoke left, the trio soon realized this was the Chalk Mine when it was under siege by three of Mr. Cosmo’s creations.

“Just like you, dear boy, your counterpart had tasted the black chalk. He had become...wise, and acted accordingly.”

The shape of what looked like Rudy showed up. Then the shapes of those three zoners appeared as well, all three of them ready to fight. The cloud formation of Light Rudy waved his chalk in the air and drew a cannon, the same one Rudy had years ago, and the three zoners were wiped out. Then the smoke formed the shape of Penny.. Para-Penny to be exact, and Light Rudy went after her next.

The sight of this filled the trio with uneasiness. Penny remembered what happened at that time. She can still see Rudy’s blackened eyes, she recalled just how crazy he had acted at that time. He was..insane. He had looked at her like she was the enemy and he had almost ripped her apart. Rudy’s face had paled and he looked scared as he saw what might as well been himself in this timeline slaughter three zoners and then try to kill Penny. This was the closest he had ever gotten to seeing just what he was like as the black chalk controlled him.

Penny and Snap gave him a sympathetic look. It was not easy confronting the past. Even if this was Light Rudy and not their Rudy, up to this point, their history had been more or less the same. So it was very much like watching his past self. Seeing what he had become, what he did, it unnerved and frightened Rudy. His body shook a little and he clutched his head. Memories were clearly flooding through his mind as he shook his head slowly, pupils dilated in fear.

Nihilanth continued his narration. “However, just like you, the blessing had been..taken away.” Nihilanth sounded a little irritated as he said this. “So of course, he lost his gift, snatched away by fate.”

At this, the shape of the clouds changed, showing Light Rudy losing the black chalk thanks to interference from Para-Penny and Para-Skrawl. As it fell from his hands, out of Light Rudy’s eyes, smoke pillowed out, showing the black chalk leaving his body. Light Rudy fell on his knees, while Para-Penny rushed over to Light Rudy’s side, comforting him as the realization of what he did washed over him. Penny could see just how much like their dimension this part was, though she knew that things would take a different course later on, for the branch of came not long after this.

Nihilanth waved his paw, causing the cave to disappear. Then with another twist of his wrist, the smoke spread out and formed a larger image of Light Rudy’s head. The trio took a step back, uncomfortable with the level of detail that Nihilanth could manage with the smoke.

“However, the black chalk, like you, never left him completely. And this would come into play later on. You see...” Nihilanth enlargened the image of Light Rudy’s head. A line cut through the top, opening up the skull to show what appeared to be his brain, with black matter swimming around it, which they recognized as the black chalk. “Though the black chalk wasn’t able to completely take him over anymore, this black chalk did a...wonderful trick, when the time was right of course...”

“What did it do?” Penny asked nervously.

“It awakened the sentience of the white chalk. But with its will flowing through it more so than its own.” Nihilanth explained. As he said this, the image zoomed out, the skull no longer cut open, and showed Light Rudy shooting out light tendrils from the white chalk. “Sentient white chalk...it was meant to serve the black chalk, and in this case, this one did, to an extent. It had its own agenda of course, separate from the black chalk. It sought control over this Rudy more...subtly... promising to help him keep control but never forcing him into it. This Rudy’s choices were still his own. He just...had a little helping hand.”

Nihilanth waved his paw and, in seconds, the smoke vanished, whisping into the air into nothingness, as if it was never there at all. The trio looked at each other, unsure of what to make of this. This did had new depth to Light Rudy’s self corruption, and what had made him so different from Rudy. But there was something about this that just...didn’t add up.

“What does this have to do with black chalk?” Penny asked, narrowing her eyes a little. “All you did was more or less tell us that white chalk can be corruptive as well.”

“But only with black chalk’s help. It’s still the will of the black chalk, even just slightly, that pushed the boy onto the path he ended up on. But the main difference is that this Rudy chose to be like that, and was only coerced more gently, more subtly; he still had the power to turn away from enlightenment; but..given certain...factors...”

The smoke returned again. This time, it showed images of Light Rudy at home. Rudy, Penny, and Snap gasped in horror, their eyes widening, as they witnessed Light Rudy’s abuse. His parents beating him up, starving him, locking him up in his room... Horrible images that they would never be able to get out of their heads any time soon.

“Well you can see why he was...more easily persuaded. Though to him, he was not persuaded; he willingly chose that path.” Nihilanth explained as he destroyed the unpleasant imagery. “The point we’re trying to make is that the will of the black chalk is still inside of you, Rudy. Given the right circumstance...it will emerge once more. That desire is still in you... You just don’t want to admit it.”

Rudy growled, gritting his teeth. “You’re wrong...”

“We’re wrong, aren’t we...?” Nihilanth chuckled. “We will see...” He pulled his heads up a little as he took a large step back. “..about that.” He stood on all fours, his heads still raised in the air, his neck forming the shapes of Ses. He looked over at Draow, who had been eager to fight them. “Are you ready, Draow?”

Draow nodded his head. “As always. I await your command, master.” He bowed his head in respect for the two-headed dragon.

As Draow soon adopted a fighting stance, Penny’s eyes widened in horror. There was something about Draow that she hadn’t noticed until now. She stared at his foot. Something was clutched in those claws of his. She gasped and put a hand to her mouth. She took a step back.

It was blue chalk. Draow had blue chalk. How...how could she have not noticed before..?

“Penny?” Rudy asked, looking at Penny with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“What is it, Buckette?” Snap asked, a tinge of nervousness on his voice.

Penny couldn’t speak. She couldn’t bring herself to. Instead, she lifted up her hand and pointed a shaky finger over at where Draow was. The two looked over. It didn’t take them long to see what Penny was staring at. Their eyes widened, unable to believe what they were seeing. Penny looked at them in the eyes and she could tell they had the same question as her swimming through their heads.

Just how had Draow gotten a hold of the blue chalk...? Unfortunately, they didn’t have a long time to contemplate that.

“Attack, Draow!” Nihilanth called out as he opened up his wings and took off into the air. The heavy beats caused gusts of wind to wash over the trio.

Without warning, Draow held out his wings and charged towards the trio. The blue chalk was wedged between his toes in such a way that it didn’t hinder his running. He rushed towards the trio at full speed. Giving them no time to react, he swung his massive head, knocking Penny into the ground. He sneered at Rudy before he jumped into the air. His darker-colored left paw reached out for Snap and seized him. He took off into the air.

“Snap!” Rudy cried, his eyes wide in horror.

Penny pushed herself up onto her hands and shook her head. She looked up and she gasped in horror as she saw Draow lifting Snap up higher and higher into the air. Penny struggled up to her feet. She looked up, watching as Draow paused in rising, remaining about fifty feet above the ground. She lifted up her magic chalk, clutched in her hand. She raised it up in the air, the end sparkling. She looked up at where Snap was and, thinking fast, she began to draw.

Snap struggled in the bat wolf’s grasp. Draow tightened his grip, chuckling in amusement as Snap wriggled himself from side to side, teeth clenched. Snap was clearly in pain, evident by his face contorted the way it was. Draow did not care and just kept a firm, tight grip on the comparitively small zoner. He lifted Snap up a little, turning his paw around as though it were just a hand.

“Looks like we are back up here again, eh?” Draow said, chortling, growls inermixing in this voice. “It seems like just yesterday, I held you up so high... And look, seems my grip will slip soon.” He lowered his face close to Snap’s. “I wonder if I can get your skull to crack open with a rock this time...”

Snap’s eyes widened and his face paled. He froze, too afraid to struggle any more. Draow laughed at this and his leg muscles tightened up.

“Wish me luck...you filthy little runt...” Draow said in a low voice. Mustering as much strength as he could, he threw Snap towards the ground. “Make sure you land on your head! I want to see your skull smash into tiny pieces!”

Snap didn’t answer. He plummeted towards the ground, screaming loudly. Rudy looked on in horror. Despite his crutches, he started to move as fast as he could to where Snap was falling.

“Snap!” Rudy screamed.

Penny worked as quickly as she could. With her magic chalk in hand, moving as quickly as she could with her bad leg, she drew a large circle underneath where Snap was. Then she added some legs and a few other things. The lines in the air quickly solidified into an object. In seconds, there was a large trampolin, positioned right underneath Snap. The zoner’s eyes widened in surprise, and then they narrowed in determination. Penny could tell he understood what her swiftly thought plan was without her saying a word.

Snap managed to rotate his body in the air, putting his feet down, aiming towards the center of the trampoline. It took only a few seconds for his body to collide with it. The momentum and force caused the trampoline to sink down a little, nearly touching the ground. Then the laws of physics took over and Snap was shot back into the air.

Due to the height he had fallen, he had gained enough momentum to fly back up to where Draow was. Draow’s eyes widened in shock, giving a quick flap of startlement. Then, a second later, Snap landed on Draow’s head. The zoner wrapped his arms and legs around the wing wolf’s face, blinding him. Draow let out a screech and swung his head from side to side. Snap refused to let go, using his body to cover up Draow’s eyes. In desperation, Draow started to fly around, but without the ability to see, he ended up flying all over the place.

Nihilanth glared at this, but he did not say a word. Instead, he focused his attention on Rudy and Penny. He moved forward quickly, ignoring the panicked screeching of Draow and the shouts from Snap. Penny moved towards him, holding out her magic chalk in warning. She was not going to allow him to get any closer. Although she didn’t have a plan, she started to draw something anyway. But she never had a chance to finish. Nihilanth swung his head down, hitting against her. Rudy tried to go over to her, but the other head stopped him, letting out a loud hiss.

Penny groaned and looked up. The black head had her boxed up against the ground. The face was so close, she had a hard time getting up. She narrowed her eyes, locked onto his white eyes. The white head was turned towards Rudy. Penny watched in horror as the white head inched closer, jaws opened up as if to strike. Rudy attempted to move back. The way his right hand was shaking, he wanted to draw something, she could tell. But without something to lean against, he was going to have a hard time, and Nihilanth’s head was close, he didn’t have time to draw anything.

Penny tried to get out. She tried to crawl her way out from underneath the black head. But she found it was impossible. The dragon suddenly struck his head against her, the chin slamming against her thighs. She let out a cry of pain and she felt the weight of the head against her body. She wriggled from side to side. Nihilanth’s black head applied more pressure until she couldn’t move. She tried pounding her hand against his face, but that did nothing to deter him. She glared hatefully at him, gritting her teeth. She looked back over to where the white head was.

Rudy looked over at her. Penny felt her heart tighten as she saw the look of desperation in his eyes. He was silently pleading with her to help him. He had no way of getting out of the way in time. Nihilanth’s white head opened p, the long tongue slipping out and moving across his lips. The sight was horrifying. It reminded Penny too much of Bardot, and how that zoner had wanted to eat her and Rudy. She knew Nihilanth wouldn’t do that to Rudy, but the fate he had in store for him was, in her mind, worse.

A vessel... Trapped inside this beast’s mind... forced to do whatever he wanted.. No...she couldn’t allow that. She and Snap would not allow this to happen. She looked up, craning her head back. She could see Snap fighting Draow in the air. The bat wolf was still moving around crazily. At this point, Snap had started to ‘guide’ Draow, shifting his body to make Draow fly a certain way. Penny heard a low growl and glared up at Nihilanth.

“You and your blue friend do not stand a chance against us.” Nihilanth said. At this point, Nihilanth’s white head had circled around Rudy, keeping him from getting away. The boy looked at the dragon fearfully, looking like he was suffering flashbacks from the nightmares involving this dragon. “It’s going to be so easy claiming Rudy Tabootie for ourselves. A shame...we thought you would have put up a better fight...”

Penny grunted in pain as Nihilanth applied pressure with his black head. She turned her head away as he snorted in her face, blowing her hair back. Rudy looked on in horror and called out her name. Penny kept her gaze on Nihilanth’s black head. Those white eyes seemed to almost pierce into her soul. There was a smirk on his face, the eyes narrowed to match. A look of mockery, a taunting expression.

“If we had known you three would be so weak... We wouldn’t have bothered giving you time. Three days should have been enough time for you to get at least some strength back. But with how you are performing now, we were better off just dealing with you earlier.” Nihilanth said. There was some tinge of disappointment in his voice, causing Penny to grit her teeth. “Then again, it was our fault. We should not have overestimated your abilities.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Oh well.. But at least we have Rudy now...”

Penny’s eyes widened as she looked over at Rudy. The white head still had him ensnared. Rudy looked over at her, his eyes wide in fear. The white head slipped its tongue out and it moved across Rudy. The boy let out a cry of fright, the force of the tongue moving him back.

“Leave him alone!” Penny cried.

“He is...too important for us to let go. And if you are wondering about his wounds..matters not to us.” Nihilanth chuckled. “We can...make do. Besides, we have the power to heal... And if the boy does not cooperate, we can take away the healing we gave him earlier.” Rudy’s eyes widened at this and he shook his head in protest. “You do not have a choice in the matter. We must complete our plans for a glorious future. And you...you are going to help us do that...”

“Y-You can’t do this!” Rudy cried. “You..you don’t know what you’re doing!”

Nihilanth grinned. “We know full well what we are doing. It is you...who do not understand.” The chuckle that rumbled out of the beast’s belly froze Rudy and Penny’s hearts. “But don’t worry...you do not need to understand us... Now...what we want you to do is...”

Nihilanth never got a chance to finish his sentence. There was a loud screech, which Penny knew was Draow. The heads lifted up, getting into a position that did not allow Penny to see what was going on. She could hear the sound of flapping. And then, seconds later, something slammed against Nihilanth. She let out a cry of surprise and she heard Rudy scream. Then there was a gush of wind and the sensation of something large flying by them. She rolled across the ground painfully. When she finally stopped, she lifted up her head and looked around.

Rudy was not far from her. He was on his back, his crutches laying a little bit from him. He let out a series of low groans, his head turned to the side. Penny’s eyes widened in horror and she stifled a gasp. She rushed over to Rudy’s side as fast as her damaged leg could take her. She found she was a little furthur banged up from all the rolling around. She ignored the pain the best she could and soon she reached Rudy’s side.

She dropped down next to him and carefully lifted up his upper body, placing it across her lap. She stroked his hair gently, whispering soft, comforting words. It looked like he had suffered the worst, more force of the impact than she did. She quickly looked at his leg, and gave a sigh of relief when she saw that it didn’t seem to have suffered further injury. But his shoulder wasn’t so lucky; it appeared to have been ripped open again. She bit her lip.

A part of her felt guilty of leaving the hospital room. Though she, Rudy, and Snap had figured out a way of leaving temporarily without the doctors becoming suspicious, she still felt a horrendeous guilt of giving in and letting Rudy come. She..she should have forced him to say. He was not in any shape to be moving around like this. And now one of his older wounds had reopened. She could see the pain plastered all over his face. She felt a few tears form in her eyes. She had to get him out of here...somehow...

Penny looked over to see what had happened. Her eyes widened as she saw Nihilanth stood a few feet away from where he was before. He hadn’t toppled over like she thought he had. His heads weren’t focused on her or Rudy anymore. Instead, they were turned towards Draow, who still had Snap hanging off of him. A low growl eminated from the beast, and she could tell Nihilanth was not happy, though whether or not that anger was directed towards Draow, Snap, or both, she wasn’t sure.

“Get off of me you little runt!” Draow roared, swinging his head from side to side.

“No!” Snap cried, holding on tightly. “I won’t let you hurt my friends!”

“I’m going to make mincemeat out of you!” Draow snarled, shaking his head even harder.

Suddenly, Nihilanth let out a loud roar, his two jaws split wide open. Draow and Snap froze where they were. Neither of them moved, both frozen in fear as Nihilanth moved swiftly over to them. Draow’s pupils shrank, his ears dropped, and he looked away, expecting to be struck. Instead, Nihilanth’s talons wrapped around Snap. The zoner screamed in surprise as he was lifted up away from Draow and held in front of the dragon’s two heads. He struggled for a few seconds, but soon gave up, realizing he could not escape.

“You...are such a little annoyance.” Nihilanth said through barely controlled anger. He squeezed Snap a little tighter, causing the zoner to gag.

“S-Snap...” Rudy said in a weak, pained voice.

“Release him, Nihilanth! Don’t hurt him!” Penny begged him.

Nihilanth ignored them, his focus completely on Snap. “Perhaps...since you are such an annoying ant.. We should play exterminator.” Nihilanth’s heads licked their jaws in anticipation. “We are..getting hungry...” With that, Nihilanth hung a terrified Snap over his open white mouth, the black void perfectly visible to the blue zoner.

“No!” Rudy and Penny cried in unison.


	126. Step Into The Light

Time seemed to almost freeze for Rudy. He couldn’t believe what was happening. This battle...it had been so one-sided. Nihilanth, even when he wasn’t using his powers, was still too powerful for them in their current state. They were all too badly injured to come here and fight. Oh why did they agree to these terms? Wait, they didn’t agree... Nihilanth forced it upon them. They had no choice in the matter. But he knew...he knew this dragon must have had this all planned.

Nihilanth wanted him as a vessel. He wanted to take him. Letting them heal for a short time.. that was all just a part of messing with them. A way to toy with them. Nihilanth was just giving them the illusion of a sort of fair fight. In the end, there was nothing fair about this. He was just toying with them. He knew, from the start, they wouldn’t be in that great of shape. A few days rest was not enough for their wounds to heal. It would take so much longer. And Nihilanth knew this. He was probably trying to lower their guard a little, make them more relaxed so that he could strike with less resistance.

Rudy began to wonder if it had been a good idea to tag along. If things were going to go downhill so fast, if they were going to be at such a disadvantage, him coming at all...had that made any kind of difference? Or had he inadvertantly made things worse? Nihilanth wanted him as a vessel, and he cannot go into the real world. He wouldn’t have been able to take him, if he had only stayed in the real world. But then..what about ChalkZone? Could he really turn his back on it for the sake of keeping himself?

Perhaps... Since Nihilanth wanted to use him to get into the real world so he could bring about more danger to ChalkZone, then ultimately merge and destroy both worlds... Yes, perhaps staying in the real world really was the better, less destructive option. Well, at least, for a time. Nihilanth might decide to just take another vessel, if he got frustrated enough. Penny would be the likely culprit. Could he condemn her to that kind of fate? The obvious answer was ‘no’.

Rudy pushed himself out of his thoughts and looked up at Snap. His eyes widened in horror as he listened to his friend scream, watching him dangling above the gaping white maw of Nihilanth. Snap was so scared and frightened. He tried to twist his body around to grab onto Nihilanth’s claw, but it was no use. He was being held by his scarf, his legs kicking in the air. Nihilanth was holding him using the very tips of his claws, giving the zoner very little to grab onto.

He wanted to move. He wanted to rush over and save Snap. He wanted to go over there and save him from falling down into that horrendeous mouth. He wanted to bring out his magic chalk and draw something to stop Nihilanth before it was too late. But...but what could he draw? And how fast could he do it while in this state? His mind was racing so much, time all around was slowing down, but even that didn’t seem to buy him enough time. He found himself unable to make a decision; anything he came up with, he knew Nihilanth could destroy very easily before it could be used to save Snap.

The black head turned to face him. This sent chills down his and Penny’s spine. They had lost their window of opportunity, and now it was too late to draw anything. The moment either of them tried to draw, Snap would be dropped in, or they would be blasted by a powerful beam. And then there was Draow... The bat wolf stood not far, having recovered from the blow. He looked a little scratched up, but was otherwise find. He stared in their direction, his eyes gleaming with hatred and amusement.

Rudy bit his lip. What was he going to do? What was Penny going to be able to do? Both Nihilanth, at least one of his heads anyway, and Draow were looking at them, watching their every move. And Draow still had the blue chalk. The sight of it made Rudy cringe. Although Snap had used it to save him and Penny, the blue chalk had largely been used for nefarious purposes. It was with the blue chalk that Bardot was able to get into the real world. It was the blue chalk that Bardot used to create those death traps, that hide out...

And now the blue chalk was back. This time, it was in the claws of another dire enemy, Draow. Draow was now a creator, and, knowing how similar he is to Mr. Cosmo and just how loyal he was to him, and now to Nihilanth, that was a chilling thought. Just what would Draow draw to fight against them with? Would he just stand there or would he attack?

Another scream caught his and Penny’s attention. Turning their heads away from Draow, they looked back up at Nihilanth. Only a couple seconds passed, but it felt like several minutes. Nihilanth was starting to loosen his grip on Snap. In horror, they realized that, in just a few seconds, he was going to drop Snap into his gaping mouth. They had to think of something...and fast...

“Stop!” Rudy cried out, unable to think of anything else. “Stop this... please!”

“Let Snap go!” Penny shouted.

Nihilanth paused for a moment. His black head soon chuckled darkly, flashing his sharp teeth. He continued to hold Snap over his head, his claws no longer as tight against his scarf as it was before. “Oh we can let him go..” Nihilanth said softly. “But we don’t think you’d like where he’ll end up if we do...”

Rudy’s heart clenched in horror at this. “No..don’t you dare!”

“Oh it’s not a dare, dear boy.” Nihilanth said. “It’s just a simple fact. You told us to let Snap go. But by doing so right now, he will fall inside of us.” Snap squirmed in Nihilanth’s grasp, twisting his body left and right. His eyes were shut tightly and his teeth clenched. Nihilanth chuckled at his struggles and shook him once. At this, Snap stopped and glared at him. “We do not normally eat zoners, but it would not hurt. We’re sure that your friend will taste delicious, so it’s not like he is going to waste.”

Penny shook her head frantically. “Please...leave our friend alone! Give him back to us!” She sucked on her lip for a couple of seconds, her wide, terrified eyes locked onto Nihilanth. “Please...we’re begging you! Put him back down!”

Nihilanth stared at Penny for a few seconds. He was calm, quiet, save for a few low growls. The black head kept looking at Penny while the white head was still open-mouthed, ready to swally Snap whole. The zoner had started to wriggle again, trying in vain to pull his scarf free from the dragon’s claws. The silence that followed was unbearable.

Rudy kept his eyes on the dragon. He was hardly noticing where Draow was. He didn’t hear him moving. His eyes were solely on the dragon, as were Penny’s. Their friend was in grave danger. They could not look away. They were both on their feet now. Penny, being in the best shape of the two, had moved a little forward. Her hand clutched the magic chalk, but she did not draw anything. Rudy knew the reason. She was scared, frightened that Nihilanth would do something worse if she dared to draw something.

“Why do you care so much about the blue thing?” Nihilanth asked.

Rudy’s eyes widened at this. He stared at Penny, the two of them sharing similar exchanges of confusion and shock. What was this dragon getting on about? They looked back, their mouths dropped open in perplexion.

Nihilanth raised Snap a little higher. His black eyes stared straight through Snap’s soul, while his white eyes gleamed at Rudy and Penny. “Of course we know it’s because he’s your friend. But we do have to wonder... Since he is your creation, Rudy Tabootie, don’t you...own him in a sense?” He tilted his head to the side a little. “Is he not something that should follow your every command blindly, no matter what the results may be? Should he be considered a friend or...something else?”

Rudy felt anger start to burn inside. He didn’t know what Nihilanth was up to, but he wasn’t going to fall for it. He clutched his crutches tightly, his teeth bared in anger. All the while, he was not noticing a shape moving behind him. He did not feel the ground beneath his feet shift as something large walked behind him and Penny. All he was aware of right now was this monster. How dare he question the friendship he had with Snap...

Penny looked just as angry and insulted by what Nihilanth was saying. She managed to keep herself as calm as possible, but from the shaking in her hands, Rudy could tell she was so close to drawing something to try to shut him up. He was glad that she was able to stop herself; such an act would have made things worse. But they still had to figure out a way to get Snap back. And if Nihilanth decided to taunt them on their friendship with Snap now, it might mean that he was about to do something horrible. They had to get Snap out of there and fast.

Snap pulled his fist back and punched against Nihilanth’s claw. It had no effect on him. By now, Nihilanth’s white head had shut its mouth, but Snap had not been lowered. The little zoner glared into those black eyes with determination, showing the dragon that he had not yet given up.

“Rudy would never see me or any other zoner as just ‘some creation’! He isn’t like Cosmo!” Snap shouted. His eyes narrowed further. “And if you can’t accept that, that is your own blasted fault! But then, I should expect that, right?” Snap smiled bitterly. “You..don’t understand friendship... Because you dismiss it as weakness.”

Rudy and Penny nodded in agreement. Snap was right. Nihilanth didn’t fully understand friendship. Why else would he ask Rudy about why he treated Snap like a friend? Unless..he was leading up to something... But what? Rudy felt his heart clench a little. If Nihilanth was leading up to something...

“Oh, we don’t understand friendship?” Nihilanth asked, cocking an eyebrow on his white head. “Is that what you think of us?”

“Hey, you said it, not me.” Snap said, a smile of determination squarely on his face. “Why don’t you admit it? You don’t understand. And because of that, you will underestimate us, and we will win!” Snap pointed a round hand in the direction of the dragon. “That is how I managed to beat Bardot! He didn’t fully understand either! He knew enough...but he still didn’t have a full understanding! He didn’t realize just how far I was willing to go for my friends! And he ended up losing as a result!”

Rudy and Penny shuddered at this. Though they agree with Snap, his words still reminded them of what Bardot had done. They were reminded of how close they all had come to dying. They were all horrifically injured, lost a ton of blood, and were battered, beaten, and broken. It was a miracle they survived at all. The only comfort that Rudy had was, if they were going to die then, at least they would have all died together. They wouldn’t have died alone.

“We don’t understand? Oh contrare... We can assure you...” Nihilanth said, his tails wriggling around. “We have enough information regarding friendship and companionship to make full use of it. We are able to...think outside the box a little, try some new things that we suspect that your past enemies had not yet tried.” He lifted up his paw. “For instance...”

In seconds, Nihilanth snapped his claws, the sound resonating through their chests, as if he reached inside and tried to tear their hearts out. Before they could react, Rudy and Penny felt something slam against them. They let out a grunt of pain as Draow, who had snuck around behind them, pushed up against them, knocking them into the ground. Rudy screamed as his broken leg bent at an odd angle, making that leg erupt in fiery pain. Penny started to crawl towards him, but Draow slammed his foot into her side, kicking her towards Nihilanth.

Rudy’s body trembled in pain as he looked on in horror. Penny struggled to get up. Draow’s sudden attack had irritated her bad leg. As she struggled up to her feet, she staggered forward. Pain glowed on her face intensely. He could clearly see it, even from this distance. Penny didn’t get far when Nihilanth reached down with his other paw. Penny let out a cry of surprise as the talons wrapped around her body tightly as she was hoisted into the air. She was now being held at the same level as Snap, the massive white head of Nihilanth grinning at them both.

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror and he struggled to get up. He lifted up his magic chalk and tried to draw something. He didn’t have enough time to draw a single line. Draow rushed over to him and pressed his foot against his hand, locking it on the ground. Rudy grunted in pain, feeling Draow apply pressure on his hand, feeling as though it was going to crush any moment now. He started to struggle on the ground. Draow placed his other foot on his back, using his weight to hold him down.

Rudy gasped for breath, Draow’s weight cutting off some of his air supply from his eight. He twisted himself from side to side. Draow did not let up. He just chuckled at his struggles. He soon reached down with his jaws and bit down on his right hand. Not enough to crush it like he did years ago, but enough to make him lose his grip on the white piece of chalk. The winged wolf then grabbed it with his teeth and crushed it into dust. Rudy’s eyes widened at this.

“Rudy!” Snap cried.

Penny stared down at Rudy, her eyes big. “Leave him alone, Draow!”

“Yeah!” Snap wriggled against Nihilanth’s gasp. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?!”

“Because it’s no fun like that.” Draow chortled. “And besides...” He lowered his head towards Rudy’s face. He flashed his teeth. Rudy cringed at the sight of those fangs so close. “..I am not going to hurt him..much...” His smile broadened as he gave a side ways glance to Penny and Snap. “My master needs his form. The process is so much easier when he’s alive...”

Penny gasped at this. “You’re not turning Rudy into a vessel! Leave him alone!” She twisted her body from side to side. “What the fuck did he do...to deserve being used like that?!”

“He’s done so much for ChalkZone! He’s helped save ChalkZone countless times!” Snap casted a sympathetic look to Rudy, who was being held down by Draow. He then glared back at Nihilanth, his teeth bared. “But you...you don’t care about that, do you? Because to you, him saving ChalkZone is a thorn in your side, while destroying both words, you see as an act of benevolance! You are really screwed up in the heads!”

“We are aware he’s done quite a bit for this....weak world.” Nihilanth said. He tightened his grip on Penny and Snap, making them cry out in pain. Rudy shouted in horror. This made Nihilanth and Draow laugh a little. Nihilanth moved a little closer to Rudy, his feet pounding the ground. “And that is why we chose him. We are impressed with his skill and his tenacity. We are impressed by his unwillingness to give up, no matter how bleak things might b e, and how his artistic skill vastly improves as the years ago by. He would make us such a...lovely vessel...”

“F-Forget it...” Rudy said through clenched teeth. “I will..never be y-y-yours...”

“We think you should be careful of what you say...” Nihilanth said softly. “Because you never know when you will be wrong...”

Rudy glared hatefully at the dragon. He wanted to struggle, but Draow was holding him now in an awkward position, making it hard for him to move. All he could do was glare at the dragon. He wasn’t going down that easily. He was not going to let Nihilanth have a chance to control him. He was not going down without a fight.

But what was he going to do? His mind filled with chilling dread as he realized he had no way of fighting back. Draow hadn’t even used the blue chalk yet, because he didn’t need to. Rudy was chalkless. And Penny and Snap...they were trapped.. As much as he tried to hide his fear externally, there was nothing he could do to stop the twisting knots inside of his stomach, the feeling of nausea that was making him want to throw up. It had been a mistake to come here... They should have planned better... They should have tried to get Nihilanth to agree to waiting a longer time. They weren’t ready.. They just weren’t ready...

“Now...about that friendship...”

Rudy looked up. Nihilanth got even closer now. He had to crane his head up to see his friends. They were struggling in Nihilanth’s paws, squeezed tightly in his palms. Rudy felt Draow lift him up by his right arm, his teeth firmly against his hand. His mind flashing images of what happened before, Rudy desperately started to punch Draow with his weaker left hand. This did little more than irritate the bat wolf and he shook Rudy hard, sending bouts of pain through his body.

Penny and Snap called out for him. They were silenced when they were squeezed even tighter, nearly cutting off their oxygen supply. They closed their eyes and gritted their teeth in pain as Nihilanth applied so much pressure to them. Rudy watched this in horror, fearing that if Nihilanth squeezed them a little harder, they would burst open, sending a spray of blood everywhere. Was this what Nihilanth intends to do...? Or was there something so much more to this? What did the dragon have planned?

“As we said, we understand friendship. We understand that you are companions, that you’d do anything for each other.” Nihilanth said. Rudy felt his heart skip a beat, this whole thing reminding him of what Mr. Cosmo said to him before. “We know how much your friends mean to you. But we have to wonder something...” Nihilanth turned his heads to Penny and Snap, moving them around as if they were just random pieces of objects he picked up from the ground. “...which one means more to you...”

The question sent shockwaves through Rudy’s body. He froze in terror, staring at Nihilanth in shock. What..what did he just say...? He stared at Penny and Snap before looking back at Nihilanth. Did Nihilanth just ask..which one of his friends was more valuable to him...? He couldn’t stop his heart from chilling at the implications of that. Just what was Nihilanth going to do...?

Nihilanth smiled with both his heads as he watched Rudy look on in horror. This was clearly the sort of reaction the dragon was hoping to get. “As you are aware, this whole thing was a...trap we set up. And you all fell for it. Did you really think we thought we would have to fight you?” The dragon laughed cruelly. Rudy wasn’t sure if the dragon spoke the truth or if he was just saying things in according to how things were progressing. “And now that you are trapped, you must answer our question...”

Nihilanth moved his white head to Penny and Snap. Once in position, the mouth opened up partway. The two friends cringed in horror as the black void of the creature’s mouth was present. They wriggled against the creature’s paws, unable to escape. Rudy stared wide-eyed, his body shaking as emotions rushed through. He never felt so helpless before. And this time...he didn’t think any sort of miracle would get them out of this.

Nihilanth continued, “Our question is really quite simple. It should be easy for you to answer..” Nihilanth lowered Snap and Penny, positioning them several feet away from Rudy, about the same level as he was. Rudy locked eyes with his friends, his breathing quickening. “Who do you think is more worthy of being saved?” Nihilanth asked. He lifted up Penny first. “Her...?” Then he lowered her and lifted Snap. “Or him...?” His black eyes and white eyes stared intently at Rudy. “Choose...”

“What...will happen?” Rudy whimpered softly.

“We will devour the one that you name.” Nihilanth said with a sneer. This horrified the trio, dread chilling their blood. Draow gave muffled chuckles of amusement, his eyes twinkling. “That way, the one who stays behind..well we have to wonder if they will show any resentment..as they realize you don’t care for them as much...”

Rudy couldn’t believe it... How could Nihilanth be this cruel? How could he force him to make such a...a horrible choice? What kind of person would do such a thing? He could never choose something like that. He could never pick between his friends...or his family either. He couldn’t place a higher value on any of them. He loved them all very much and he would never choose one over the other. He wouldn’t want to see Penny eaten or Snap.. He’d want them both to be safe and sound.

A cold chill, something like ice, moved through his veins, making his body tremble. He was so terrified, so uncertain of what he was going to do. Nihilanth was staring at him, waiting for him to reply. He knew the dragon would do something to force an answer out of him if he didn’t say anything. But how could he choose? No..he shouldn’t have to do that. He shouldn’t have to be forced to pick between his friends. He wouldn’t do that... He refused to do such a horrible thing.

Rudy narrowed his eyes, staring intently into Nihilanth’s eyes. He bared his teeth, showing absolute contempt for the dragon. How dare he toy with his heart like this... How dare he mess with him in this way.. What gave him the right to do this? He was..disgusting and vile...

“We are waiting..” Nihilanth said, slamming his tails into the ground to get Rudy’s attention. He then looked at Penny and Snap, their tongues moving along his scaly lips. “Of course, if you want us to choose for you, we could eat them both and...”

“No!” Rudy shouted in terror. “Don’t do that! Please!”

“Then choose...” Nihilanth’s voice darkened, sending chills down Rudy’s spine.

Rudy bit his lip as he stared at Penny and Snap. They gave him a terrified, frightened look. He could also see disbelief in them. They, too, were horrified by what Nihilanth was trying to do. He was trying to make him choose between his friends. This was something he never thought he’d be forced into. None of the other villains went this far. They still toyed with his heart, especially regarding his friends, but he can’t recall a time when he was forced to choose between Penny and Snap. There was..no way he could do that.

Snap was like a little brother to him. He was the first zoner friend he ever made. Snap was the one who helped him realize, quickly, how real zoners were and he was his tour guide, more or less, for a while until Rudy got the hang of where everything was in ChalkZone. Out of all the zoners, Rudy was the closest to Snap. And it wasn’t because Snap was his creation. Even if he wasn’t, he would still maintain a strong friendship with him. He cared about Snap because he was a great friend and always willing to help out.

Penny had been his closest friend in school for almost as long as he knew Snap. She had been the only person he really trusted with the secret of ChalkZone. There was something about her that told him she was trustworthy. While he knew it was a risk, he took the chance anyway, and he was glad he did, as he and Snap gained a new ally and comrade in ChalkZone. Penny’s intellect proved very valuable and it has saved them countless times. They had grown so close that they had fallen in love and became an item. Even after that, they still treated each other like close friends most of the time, as they did not want to lose the friendship they built up over the years. And they did not value their romantic love over their friendship love with Snap.

And that was not something that was going to change any time soon. The three of them shared a close bond, and no amount of manipulation or torment was going to change that. He loved them both equally and he valued them as friends and companions. He couldn’t choose...because it was impossible. Who would measure value in a living being like this?

In the end, there was really only one answer he could give Nihilanth.

“They both mean so much to me. I can’t choose between them. How could I do something like that?” Rudy said. His head was lifted up a little more. He looked at Penny and Snap, giving them a faint reassuring smile, even though he had no idea how he was going to get out of this mess. He then turned to Nihilanth. “I...I refuse to answer!”

Nihilanth stared at him for a few seconds. Then a dark chuckle swept through his body. “We had a feeling you would say something like that... We are not so...surprised. In fact, we kind of hoped you would say that.”

Rudy looked up at Nihilanth with confusion plastered over his face. Nihilanth expected this? What was he planning?

Nihilanth spread Penny and Snap further apart from each other. They tried to speak again, but Nihilanth squeezed them harder to silence them. It was clear Nihilanth didn’t want them to have a word in edgewise in this whole ordeal. Nihilanth then positioned his heads next to the two, his black near Penny and white hear Snap.

“It is so much easier coercing... When we have more than one victim.” Nihilanth mused. He opened up his jaws, his hot breath hitting against the two friends. Rduy reached out with his weak left arm, his palm opened up as far as he could make it go. Nihilanth continued, “We know that it’s such an awful thing..to see a loved one of yours in danger... But what about two? Oh yes, we know that the feeling magnifies...when you are at risk of losing two loved ones. Double the pain...double the agony...double the torment..”

Rudy stared at him with horror-filled eye. He wriggled in the air, trying to wrench his arm free. Draow bit down a little harder. Rudy yelped and froze, his body shuddering. His mind flashed lightning bolts in the back of his head, recalling how Draow had crushed his hand years ago. He could still feel the pain...the horrible pain... The sensation of teeth punching through his skin and tearing into his flesh, breaking bone... All of it came flooding back to him, freezing him in terror.

The only thing that snapped him out of it were the screams from his friends. He looked up and gasped as he saw that Nihilanth had placed his jaws around his friends. He wasn’t biting hard, but his friends were part way in the jaws of the beast, likely a way for Nihilanth to show him he meant business. The teeth were so close to slicing into his friends’ heads. His breathing quickened at the sight of this, his pupils shrinking into dots. No... Nihilanth couldn’t do this..no... Not his friends...

“We have a proposition for you...Tabootie...” Nihilanth said with a sneer on his faces. “If you wish to...see your friends live another day... If you wish to not see them fall into the void that is us... When there is only one thing you can do to save them...”

Nihilanth raised up his tails, wrapping them around each other to form a single, twisted tail. He jabbed it in the direction behind him. Rudy looked over and, though it was hard to make out completely, he could tell that Nihilanth was pointing at the Solar Pillars. Rudy’s eyes locked onto the beams of light that moved around the structure, visible even in the light of day zone. The light was that bright and noticeable.

Then came the words that chilled Rudy’s blood.

“Stand in the light...” Nihilanth commanded.

“Wh-What...?” Rudy breathed.

“You heard us.” Nihilanth’s tails unwound and they struck the ground with a heavy force. Dust kicked up into the air. “If you want your friends to survive.. stand in the light! Give yourself over to its power! Let it consume you! If you sacrifice yourself to us... We will let your friends go.”

“N-No..” Penny said, her voice strained.

“D-Don’t do it...” Snap’s voice was filled with pain. “Do-Don’t let him...”

Nihilanth closed his mouths further, the teeth now touching their heads. Just a little more pressure and the teeth would penetrate their heads. The two froze, becoming silent. Nihilanth focused his attention on Rudy, his pupils, if he had any, looking straight at him.

“Your friends here better watch their tongues... They are in no position to talk back. Our jaws could..close at any moment.” Nihilanth taunted, his smiles growing broader. “Now Rudy.. Do you wish for them to have that fate, too? We do not think so. We know you want to save them. So do it... Walk into the light. Do it... It will save them, Rudy. It will keep them alive.”

Rudy’s heart pounded against his chest. His breathing quickened more, making him nearly hyperventilate. It felt as though all the color drained from his face, which he was certain was the case. His wide, horror-filled eyes stared at Nihilanth, and then his friends. He watched as they squirmed, the jaws all around them poised to close more, crushing their skulls. Rudy swallowed as a pang twisted in his stomach, his breathing so shaky, as if he were being shook.

His body shook with emotion as his mind raced, trying to think of what he should do. What could he do? He couldn’t give into Nihilanth. If he did, he would be betraying ChalkZone...and the real world as well. Nihilanth would use him to get into the real world, and ultimately destroy both. He couldn’t let himself be used as some kind of tool. What if he got freed after he already caused a lot of damage? How..how could he live with himself, knowing he caused the deaths of so many...?

But he couldn’t turn his back on his friends either. He couldn’t allow them to get eaten. He didn’t want to lose them. He couldn’t lose them. They were his best friends, his close companions. Even if he managed to stop Nihilanth afterwards...he couldn’t live with himself knowing that they were dead because of him. It..it just wasn’t fair... no one should be forced to make this kind of decision. No one should be forced to choose like this.

His friends wouldn’t be safe no matter which path he took. Even if he agreed to be corrupted by the servant light, Penny and Snap could still get killed. It could be by him... It was in this moment he realized just how eerily similar this was to Mr. Cosmo. That man forced a similar gambit on him. He either had to let himself get corrupted by black chalk or watch his friend die. And now he was trapped in a similar situation, only this time, it’s not just Snap, but Penny as well who were in danger.

The memory of what Mr. Cosmo forced him to do made him shudder. It was a horrible memory that he would rather not remember, yet he was constantly reminded of it just by looking at Snap. He recalled how he ended up choosing corruption over watching his friend die. He wanted Snap to have a chance of survival, and that was the only way that he’d get that option. If he didn’t choose corruption, Snap would have been murdered. Though Mr. Wilter did save them..what if he had waited too long to answer? What if...?

“We are waiting, Great Creator.” Nihilanth sounded a little irritated. “If you do not choose soon...we will choose for you... And trust us. You do not want us..to choose.”

Rudy gulped. His body filled with fear, cold ice shooting through his veins. He could feel tears form in his eyes. Sorrow washed through him as guilt and hopelessness started to grip him. There was only one answer he could give. Knowing that they weren’t going to get some miraculous help this time, knowing that Penny and Snap’s lives were on the line, he knew what answer he had to give. There was only one that could spare those two and ensure that ChalkZone could still be protected.

Rudy lowered his head in submission. “I...I surrender...” His friends shouted in horror and disbelief, begging not to do it. He looked at them sadly and turned away, closing his eyes. “I’ll..I’ll give into you. Just..please don’t kill my friends. Let them go..please.”

“We knew you would choose the right idea, boy.” Nihilanth said, a grin spreading across his two muzzles. He pulled his heads away from the two squirming friends. He said, “And as promised...we will not harm your friends.”

Nihilanth dropped Penny and Snap to the ground. As he did this, Draow thrust his head to the side, releasing Rudy and sending him sprawling across the ground. Penny and Snap called for Rudy and they attempted to go after him. Draow moved too quickly for them and the bat wolf knocked his head against them, managing to make Penny lose her magic chalk. Draow did nothing with it, instead focusing on drawing a small shield to keep them inside.

Nihilanth watched as Rudy crawled over to his nearest crutch and grabbed onto it. He pulled himself up to his feet, a little shaky. The boy glared up at Nihilant has he started to limp forward a little. The dragon just smiled at him, looking satisfied that his little trap had worked. Rudy felt so stupid. How could he have let this happen? How could he have been so foolish? If only he had paid attention..this wouldn’t be happening.

“Now..just walk over to the light. Stand in it...let it breathe through you.” Nihilanth said. “Soon...you will become what you were always meant to be: my ticket into the real world.” His wings spread as he said this. “My plans for a new world will finally start to gain a stronger foothold!” He stared at Rudy with his two heads. “And it will be all thanks to you, Great Creator!”

Rudy glared hatefully at the dragon and bat wolf. He gritted his teeth, wanting so much to fight back against them and make them pay for what they did. He didn’t want to give into them. He didn’t want to surrender. But, as he turned a softer gaze to his terrified friends, he knew, deep down, he didn’t have a choice. It was either this, or his friends died. And he wasn’t about to let that happen. He loved them too much to let them perish.

Rudy started to limp towards the Solar Pillars. He moved slowly, wanting to bide as much time as he could. But no matter how slowly he moved, time still felt like it was moving faster now. What may have been ten seconds now felt like five. His heart pounded harder in his chest the closer he got to the light. He couldn’t believe this was happening..

Soon he stood next to the shield that kept his friends inside. He looked over at them, glancing at his friends sadly. Rudy gave them a remorseful look as he stared into their fear-filled eyes. He watched as they pounded their fists against the shield, trying in vain to break it.

“No! Rudy!” Penny shouted. “Don’t do it!”

“Please, Bucko! We don’t want to lose you!” Snap cried tearfully. “Please...”

The sound of this made Rudy’s heart twist. He knew, whatever decision he made, he was going to regret it. None of Nihilanth’s choices were anything he would have wanted. Both of them would fill him with remorse and regret upon making it. Hearing Penny and Snap plead with him not to go to the light was heartbreaking. If he had any other choice... He sighed and lowered his head. 

“I’m so sorry, guys.” Rudy said. “Please..forgive me...”

With that, he continued his approach towards Solar Pillars. He could hear his friends holler for him, trying to get him to stop. He could feel the stares from Nihilanth and Draow as they watched with glee-filled expressions as he got closer. Rudy tried to ‘drown out’ those stares, trying not to think of the fact that he had been forced into submission by these two monsters. He didn’t want to be reminded of how they had secured victory in an unusually cruel way.

Soon Rudy was by the light. Tears flowed down his face as he realized this was it. This was really it... After this... He could only hope that Penny and Snap could save him, somehow... He hoped that he wouldn’t cause much harm. He hoped that Nihilanth would be stopped. There were a lot of things he hoped for, and there was no guarantee any of them were going to happen. He took in a deep breath, and then he did something that he hoped he never would have to do.

He stepped into the light.

sss

Howdy laid on his hospital bed, groaning softly in pain. He looked over at his left arm and winced at the bandages on it. Even with the morphine being pumped into his body, he could still feel agonizing pain shooting up and down his shoulder and arm. The mere sight of the bandages made him recall what he was through a few days ago. Every night, he’d dream of it. Every day, he would have daymares about it.

Ghadir... That name, that dreadful horrifying name, it would never leave him for as long as he lived. It was that name that did this to him. The woman whose name was Ghadir.. She was the reason he was in this hospital bed with a near useless arm. He could not move his left arm at all without experiencing pain. Even if he just moved his forearm, it still hurt him. Ghadir’s teeth, jaws, and saliva had done extensive damage to him. He still recalled the doctors’ words when they described to him in detail just how bad off he was.

At least he will survive. He was glad for that. Ghadir’s attack on him was not fatal. But her attack was still long lasting, potentially. She had ripped into him, tearing out a chunk of his shoulder. Not once, but twice...maximizing the damage... And when the doctors told him that he may not be able to use that arm properly anymore, he felt like a part of him just died inside. He couldn’t fathom any reason that this should have happened to him. What did he do to deserve this? He hadn’t done anything to that woman, and she still hurt him badly.

A part of Howdy was worried that Ghadir was going to come back for him. He was scared that she would sneak into the hospital to get him. No matter how irrational he realized he was being, he could not get those thoughts out of his head. He wouldn’t stop. The thoughts buzzed in his head like an angry wasp.

But he was reassured by the doctors that Ghadir would not be able to get to him. They had found Tyreek somewhere in the building, sneaking about. They caught him and put him in custody for a while. Supposedly he was released after being interrogated by Dr. Lancer and Quirk, although Howdy wasn’t certain on the details. None of the doctors that came to him could tell him where Tyreek was released and just what Dr. Lancer had done to him.

It wasn’t until he spoke to Snap earlier today that he found out. Before Snap managed to convince the doctors to let him go for a short while, and he still couldn’t understand just how he managed to do that, the blue zoner had explained to him what he had been told and overheard. And what Snap told him horrified Howdy.

The idea of a doctor torturing someone for information was unnerving enough. But for it to be the same zoner who had helped him and Snap earlier, it was downright frightening. Howdy could understand why Snap was a little nervous to be in his room. A part of him wondered if Snap was going to try to go to a different hospital after this. He wouldn’t blame him if he did. Howdy himself didn’t think he’d feel comfortable in here knowing that Dr. Lancer had deliberately harmed another living person.

Howdy was not a vengeful zoner. Much like Snap, he could never bring himself to hurt another person, even if said person had hurt him in the past. Though unlike the blue zoner, who would attack in self defense or if it was necessary, Howdy didn’t think he had it in him. The idea of hurting someone else never crossed his mind. That’s why he didn’t try to really hurt Ghadir when she had him in her clutches. He couldn’t bring himself to deliberately hurt her, even if she was trying to kill him.

He couldn’t understand why Dr. Lancer would have tortured Tyreek like that. Yes, he was an enemy, and from what he was told, a nasty one at that. He was no innocent angel. But at the same time, he didn’t think it was right to unnecessarily cause pain. If Tyreek had his black chalk taken from him and if he locked in a room with two zoners stronger than he was, then what was the point of hurting him? He could see holding him down and restraining him. But hurting him? That was a bit much..wasn’t it...?

Howdy’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door knob turning. The door creaked as it opened up. He looked over. He felt his heart clench for a brief second as Dr. Lancer approached him slowly. She gave him a somewhat saddened look, mixed in with what he guessed was supposed to be a greeting smile. He tried to return it, but given the pain he was in, he found it hard.

“How are you feeling?” Dr. Lancer asked carefully. Her eyes locked onto his left arm and she took note of his painful expression. “The morphine hasn’t kicked in yet I see.”

Howdy winced as pain shot through his body. “It has. The pain was worse before. But it’s just that...”

“The pain is so bad, you can still feel it, even with morphine.” Dr. Lancer said.

“Yeah..” Howdy said, nodding his head in confirmation.

“I see.” Dr. Lancer furrowed her eyes with concern. She looked at his arm for a few seconds, her head moving up and down slowly as she followed the arm from where his hand started to where his arm connected to his shoulder. She sighed softly and said, “I’ll speak to the doctors and see if I can get you some painkillers.”

“Thank you.” Howdy said softly, trying his best to smile despite his pain and nervousness. “I appreciate it.”

“No problem.” Dr. Lancer smiled back, although the smile was shaky and somewhat broken. She soon relaxed her expression. “I’ll...get right on it after I’m done checking on all the patients.”

Dr. Lancer went quiet for a few moments. From her expression, Howdy could tell something was on her mind. But what? She looked almost...guilty. Not severely so, but enough that it looked like she had some regret about something. He wanted to ask what was wrong. It was in his nature to try to cheer people up. But he also knew when people didn’t want help, and it didn’t seem like Dr. Lancer was too interested in accepting his kind of help. His ability to make others laugh may not be of much use here.

Dr. Lancer spoke up after a couple minutes of eerie quietness.

“I...can tell that you are nervous around me.” Howdy shot a surprised look at the hippogriff doctor. She gave him a sideways glance as she continued, “You don’t need to lie about it. I know. I’ve seen the way you look at me, and I know how Snap acted around me..after he had found out.”

Howdy now understood what she was talking about. The torture of Tyreek... Howdy felt a pang in his chest. Had he been that obvious? Was he really that horrible in hiding what he felt inside? He hadn’t meant to draw attention to himself like that. It wasn’t his intention.

Dr. Lancer stared at him for a few seconds. He couldn’t help but shudder under her stare. This seemed to confirm Dr. Lancer’s suspicions. She gave him a more remorselful look, closed her eyes, and looked away. Howdy felt guilty. He hadn’t meant to make her feel worse than she probably already did. He doesn’t like making anyone upset. Knowing that he had inadvertantly upset Dr. Lancer, despite what she did, made him feel bad.

Howdy finally found his voice. “Yeah I was...shocked when I found out.” Dr. Lancer looked at him sadly. “I just..I never thought that you..would have done something like that. It didn’t seem to be in your nature...”

“I tend to get a little...carried away when it comes to protecting those I love. I will admit I...did take it a little too far.” Dr. Lancer said. She lifted up her head, her eyes looking towards the ceiling. “Most of the other doctors think so, too. Except for very few, most now glare at me and don’t want me near the other patients for extended periods of time. They think I, or Quirk if she’s with me, am going to severely harm a patient I don’t like.”

“I’m not surprised. From what I heard, you tortured that Tyreek fellow.” Howdy said. He did glare a little, but due to his nature, he couldn’t bring himself to show enragement. “What was the purpose of that, if he was defenseless?”

Dr. Lancer opened her mouth to speak. She gritted her beak, holding a confused expression, as she looked away. She let out an exasperated sigh. “I wanted results. I needed to make sure I got as much out of that man as I could. I-I thought I was doing the right thing. But with the reactions I’m getting from almost everyone...” She looked back at Howdy. “I suppose it wasn’t the best idea.”

Howdy looked into her yellow eyes. They shined of sadness and guilt. He could tell she was being sincere. It didn’t seem at all like she was acting and just trying to get attention. She seemed sincerely remorseful for her actions, or at the very least, regretful.

“I’d have to agree with that. You didn’t have to torture the guy if he couldn’t fight back.” Howdy said. “You could have used other methods to get the information out of him.”

Dr. Lancer nodded her head riggedly once. “Yeah..I know. I just...didn’t want to be soft. I usually prefer being stern, strict with the enemy. That why they don’t have any time to manipulate me. But you’re right.” Dr. Lancer wished her horse-like tail from side to side. “It was a waste of an effort with Tyreek, since he was unarmed and...quite frightened. He hadn’t once tried to manipulate me or threaten me. Or Quirk either. He was just...scared and wanting to leave.”

“And you did let him leave, right?” Howdy inquired. “Did you let him go after you were finished interrogating him.”

“Yes. Or rather, Quirk did. Not sure where she took him, though.” Dr. Lancer said. She lifted up her paw and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Probably somewhere where the other black chalk artists can find him.”

Howdy winced at this. He wondered how the black chalk artists would feel to see a comrade so badly hurt. He had a feeling the results would not be pretty. Rudy, Penny, and Snap had made it clear to him how the black chalk looks out for reach other. Chances were...if Jenny and Ghadir saw what condition Tyreek was in, they were going to blow a gasket. And that was going to spell trouble for all of them.

“Yeah...” Dr. Lancer said, narrowing her eyes a little. “I am well aware that my actions may have inadvertantly made things worse. I..didn’t mean for things to go this way. I was too impulsive, more so than I usually am.”

“Why was Tyreek so different?” Howdy asked.

“...he’s my childhood creator...” Dr. Lancer admitted. Howdy’s eyes shot open at this. “Before his corruption... We used to go on adventures together. I guess I was just so bitter at what the black chalk did to him...I...” Her voice trailed off, unable to continue.

“You tortured your own creator?!” Howdy cried, his voice filled with shock.

Wordlessly, Dr. Lancer nodded her head once. Howdy felt a wave of emotion strike him with full force. The idea of a creation attacking their creator....it was something that hardly ever entered Howdy’s mind. He couldn’t and wouldn’t dream of hurting Rudy, who was his creator, and he couldn’t imagine Snap doing that either. Attacking another person was frightening enough for him. But someone’s own creator... That was akin to a child attacking their parent. There was just a whole new level of horror that came with that.

“I do long for the day that he returns to normal. I do miss the person he once was.” Dr. Lancer mused, closing her eyes for a few seconds. “He was such a nice boy. Most of the creators who came into ChalkZone at that time were nice...” Her eyes snapped open, blazing in anger. “If it wasn’t for that wretched black chalk...” She let out a soft growl. “Or that fool Teddisson Cosmo for deliberately disobeying orders and unleashing the black chalk...”

“Maybe Rudy can figure something out. He is pretty smart, and so are Penny and Snap.” Howdy suggested, trying to think of something to help Dr. Lancer feel a little better. “Maybe they can figure out a way to stop this black chalk.”

“Yeah...” Dr. Lancer softened her expression. “I hope so...”

Just then, they heard footsteps. The two zoners looked over towards the door. They could see Quirk walking into the room slowly. She was on all fours, and her gaze was intently on Dr. Lancer. There was something of a soft expression on the griffin’s face. Quirk wore no doctor outfit. Howdy assumed she was probably a good friend of Dr. Lancer’s and was either a volunteer or just visiting.

“Hey, Dr. Lancer.” Quirk greeted. She glanced over at Howdy, and then turned back to Dr. Lancer. “How is the patient here?”

“He’s doing better. Just going to get him more painkiller soon.” Dr. Lancer said.

“Be careful with that stuff. You don’t want the medicine to lose its...punch per say.” Quirk said. She gave Howdy a sideways glance. “I take it you must be in a lot of pain, am I right, little guy?”

Howdy nodded his head slowly. He stayed quiet for a second. Then, while the griffin’s attention was on him still, he said, “I had a quick question to ask of you.”

“Okay then. Ask away.” Quirk said as she stood on two legs and folded her front limbs against her chest. “I’m up for any question you wish to dish out at me.” She made a motion with her arm, signaling Howdy to speak. “Proceed.”

“Where did you drop off Tyreek after you and her were done interrogating him?” Howdy asked.

At this, Quirk’s eyes widened slowly. She shot a glance at Dr. Lancer and then looked back at Howdy. It looked as though she was shocked that Dr. Lancer told him what happened. Understandable. Torturing for information was pretty...questionable and frowned upon. So he could understand why she reacted this way.

Quirk opened her mouth to speak. She tried to get words out but nothing would happen. She lowered her head a little and she took a few steps back. Howdy looked at her in confusion. Did she think he was going to bite her head off or something? She needed to relax. There was no way he’d do that to anybody, no matter how angry they made him.

But when she did speak, what she said shocked both him and Dr. Lancer.

“I-I...I thought that...” Quirk slowly turned and looked at Dr. Lancer. “I thought you were the one who was letting him go.”

Dr. Lancer’s eyes widened. She shook her head. “N-No.. I thought I told you to...” Her voice trailed off. Quirk shook her head. Dr. Lancer’s breathing increased a little.

The two mythological zoners stared at each other, their eyes wide in many unspoken realizations and questions. Howdy’s own eye were wide in horror as well. If neither of them released Tyreek...did..did that mean that he was still...in that room...? Was he still tied up after all this time...? It’s been two days at least... No, three. He was certain it’s been three days. If neither Quirk or Dr. Lancer let him go, then was he...?

“No..” Dr. Lancer shook her head. Her eyes held a strong ‘oh no’ message in them. It was clear, even if she didn’t say anything, that killing Tyreek was not something she would have wanted. It was not what she was trying to do. Her breathing increased, her chest inflating and deflating at a rapid pace. “I-It can’t be...”

“I-I-I’m sorry..I really did think you were taking care of that...” Quirk said, lowering her head. “You work here. I thought you would have noticed he was still there.”

“No!” Dr. Lancer placed her paws on her head, clutching it tightly. “I don’t go down in that part of the hospital that much! No one does!” She stared directly at Quirk. “Why did you think I asked you to get him out?”

“I don’t recall you telling me that at all.” Quirk admitted. She ran her talons along the top of her bird-like head nervously. “I assumed you were going to get him out.”

Dr. Lancer shook her head. “I-If he’s still there...” Her face paled slightly. “It’s been about three days... He’s..” Her pupils dilated. “It can’t be...”

Dr. Lancer didn’t speak another word. Before Quirk or Howdy could react, the doctor dropped down on all fours and bolted out of the room.


	127. The Fall Of Two

Snap’s eyes widened in horror. He pressed himself against the shield. He stared at the scene before him, not wanting to believe it. No....not this.. Please not this... He began to pound against the shield as hard as he could. He ignored the pain vibrating through his wrist, striking again and again in hopes of breaking the shield.

“No!” Snap called out in horror. “Rudy! Get out of the light! Please!”

Next to him, he could hear Penny making the same commotion. Her fists punched against the shield. She struck the same place multiple games. But sadly, none of her efforts, or his, were enough to break the shield. They were completely helpless to stop Rudy from standing in the servant light, powerless to stop what was going on.

Snap’s head filled with rapid thoughts, swimming through his skull like a river. As he was forced to watch this horrible scene, his mind flashbacked to what happened in the alternate dimensions, particularly the dark dimension. He recalled Dark Rudy, wearing that armor with spikes, being so...so monstrous... He could see, in the back of his head, Dark Rudy with him down on the table, paralyzed, the way he treated him roughly as he ‘mended’ his wounds... Dark Rudy had terrified him.

And now, it seemed... Rudy, his Rudy, was going to become like that. And this time, there was nothing they could do to stop it..

Snap’s heart started to beat quickly as he and Penny watched Rudy continue standing in the light. They watched, horrified, as Rudy reacted to the light, his body twitching around as the light was absorbed into his body. He looked very uncomfortable, and a few times he screamed, as though frightened or in a lot of pain. He glanced over at them a few times, giving them a sorrowful look, silently apologizing for what he’s doing. A few tears moved down his face each time he looked over at them. It broke their hearts.

Snap wished there was something he could do to stop this. If only he wasn’t so badly hurt..maybe he could have broken down this shield if he had just been careful.. If he had been more cautious and avoided these injuries, maybe he could be making a difference right now. Maybe he could be preventing this tragedy from taking place. He had a feeling Penny felt the same way, that if she had just taken less risks, she could throwing a wrench in this guy’s plans.

“Rudy! Rudy, please, get out of there! Don’t worry about us! We’ll be fine!” Penny’s voice was a little higher pitched, desperation laced on it. “Please, just get out of there!”

Rudy looked over at them sadly, his expression etched in sorrow. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He sighed and he turned his head away, keeping it lowered to convey remorse. The sight of this twisted Snap and Penny’s hearts. This wasn’t fair. Rudy didn’t deserve this... He didn’t deserve to be used like this... They...they had to get him out of there. They couldn’t allow this fate to befall him. What did Rudy do to deserve this..?

Rudy’s body twisted from side to side, his teeth clenched tightly as he let out hisses of pain and distress. His head was raised up in the air, his eyes shut tightly. His expression, the way he looked, it was horrible..distressing... If only they could get over there and drag him out... Rudy won’t be able to do that on his own, not while the light had a grip over him. It was like a giant hand had come down from the sky, invisible to sight, and wrapped around Rudy’s body.

“We...we have to do something...” Snap said, breathing in and out quickly. He looked over at Penny. He widened in his eyes, staring at her hopefully. “Please...what should we do...?”

Penny stared ahead at Rudy. She widened her eyes a little in fear. Slowly, she looked over at Snap. He winced as he saw her expression. She looked...lost and confused. “I-I...I don’t know what we can do...I just don’t know..” Penny’s voice was low, soft, and cracked. She lowered her head, a few tears escaping her eyes. “I don’t know...”

“There has to be something..anything!” Snap cried in desperation. He put his hand on the shield, leaning against it. “I don’t know how much longer Bucko will last!”

“Without the magic chalk, I don’t know what we...” Penny sighed. “I don’t know if there’s anything we can do...” She lowered her head.

Snap swiveled his head towards her, his eyes partially narrowed. Penny was starting to sound a little too pessimistic. This didn’t sound like Penny. The Penny he knew would at least be trying to find a solution, no matter how hopeless. It’s...it’s just not like her to give up. For her to start to feel like it really was hopeless...

Snap grabbed Penny by her arm and pulled on her a little. Penny turned her head to face him. “Come on, Buckette! We’ve been through tough situations before, and you didn’t give up then! Please...” He closed his eyes tightly. “Please don’t do it now...”

Penny looked at him sadly. “I’m sorry, Snap. I just...” She looked over at where Rudy was, still standing in the light. “I don’t know what we can do without the magic chalk.”

“We’ve gone against bad guys without magic chalk before!” Snap cried.

“Yeah, but we weren’t locked in this kind of situation. We had more time. If..if we had more time...maybe..” Penny sighed. She looked over at Rudy. There was an aura of desperation coming from Penny. She really did want to do something. Snap could tell. She just...couldn’t figure out what she could do. They were in a precarious situation after all. So little time... “The only thing I can think of doing is hitting the shield over and over, but that doesn’t appear to be working all that much. We need to try something else but...what else is there..?”

Snap was about to respond, but then a realization dawned on him. He knew that Penny was right. There was only one thing they could do, that he could see, and that was pound against the shield. They couldn’t dig their way down; he was certain that Draow made sure the walls of this cage went underneath the ground. If they dug, they would end up just hitting the bottom of the shield, having nowhere to go. And it wasn’t like they could just ask one of these two monsters to free them. They wouldn’t listen.

....or could they...?

Snap felt the wheels in his head start to turn. He looked over at Draow. His mind thought back to something Rudy had said regarding Draow. Mr. Wilter had told him that Draow was impulsive. He was not the type of zoner to do extroadinary plans on his own; he needed someone else behind the wheel, per say. He needed a leader. And right now, Nihilanth’s attention was focused entirely on Rudy, clearly excited to get his new vessel. He wouldn’t be giving an order to Draow at the moment.

That was it. That’s what they could do. Snap’s mind quickly formulated a plan. It was risky, very similar to what happened in the dark dimension. Invoking Dark Rudy’s temper was a gigantic risk, given that guy’s personality. He had hoped he wouldn’t have had to do something like that again, but in their current situation, invoking another temper might be what will save them. If they could get Draow’s attention...

Penny saw his expression. She nudged him gently. “What is on your mind? Did you...think of a plan?” Her voice had a tinge of hopefulness in it. Snap smiled a little and nodded his head. At this, Penny’s eyes brightened slightly. “What did you have in mind?”

Snap made a gesture with his head towards Draow. “We get him to let us out.”

Penny tilted her head in confusion. “I’m not sure he would do it just because ask, Snap.”

“I know that.” Snap said. “But if we get him angry, maybe we could get him to attack.”

“And he’d rush towards the shield and tear it down in his rage...” Penny said, her eyes widening in realization. “That just might work...”

Snap knew it was a huge risk. He knew that Draow could easily tear them apart when they didn’t have the magic chalk. But what else could they do? Pounding on the shield won’t work. Draow’s massive size might be enough to break through the shield and give them the freedom they need to get Rudy out of the light. At least pissing off Draow would give them some hope of escape.

Snap stared at the blue chalk that Draow had. He knew that was going to be a big problem for them. Draow probably won’t draw with it too much as he likely does not have the artistic experience of a creator. But he would probably still be able to draw enough dangerous things if they weren’t careful. If they get him angry enough, he may drop the blue chalk, and if Snap could grab it...

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a loud scream from Rudy. The two friends swiveled their heads over. Rudy wasn’t yet fully corrupted, but the light was radiating off his body painfully. They could see the look of agony on his face. They heard the dragon laughing coldly, excitedly. Rudy attempted, out of instinct, to step back, but his feet were practically glued to the ground.

The sight of this horrified Penny and Snap. They had to hurry. There was no time to rehearse. No time to plan. There was only time to act.

“Hey! Draow!” Snap called out, putting his hands on the side of his face. The bat wolf glanced over at him, smiling in amusement. He probably thinks he’s going to ask him to let him out. Snap didn’t waste time with small insults; he went straight for the big gun. “I have to wonder.. Just what did you see in Mr. Cosmo anyway? Why did you fall in line with someone who has a severe lack of common sense?”

At this, Draow lowered his ears. His teeth were bared, showing off his fangs. “What did you say...?” He took a step forward, spreading his wings out a little. “Are you calling my former master...” He tilted his head to the side riggidly. “Stupid?”

Snap smirked at this. “You said it! Not me!”

The fur on the back of Draow’s neck bristled at this. He let out a low growl. He took a few steps towards the shield, adopting a menacing posture. His jaws split open a little, showing off more of his teeth. He advanced a little more towards Penny and Snap. His large wing claws, the same ones that he had attacked both of them with before, glinted menacingly in the light. Still, the two stood their ground, showing little fear in the sight of this formidable enemy.

Draow stopped not far from the shield. His teal eyes stared into their souls. His bared teeth was a horrifying sight, filling them with dread as they both know just how much those teeth hurt. Still, they refused to take a step back. If Draow was trying to use his size to look imposing, it wasn’t going to work on them. They would not back down.

Draow’s ears pricked up. His head lowered slightly, his black nose pointing towards the ground. “Mr. Cosmo...had more brilliance in just half of his mind.. then you two have combined.” He lowered himself a little, his body looking like he was going to lunge at them any second. “So you best watch your tongue. I will not tolerate Cosmo’s good name to be trampled on by the likes of you.”

“Good name?” Penny said, in the best sarcastic voice she could mimic. “Yeah, sure.. Because plotting the enslavement of an entire race is such a good thing.” She shook her head, folding her arms. “If your master was that deluded, I can see him thinking that to be ‘good’.” Draow let out a warning growl. Penny, though afraid, still maintained a calm, sly expression. “I bet he was never really all that.”

“Yeah.” Snap joined in. He gave a taunting smile to Draow as he said, “He probably only became leader of the black chalk artists because no one else would do it. He was not chosen for his skills, or his intellect. He didn’t have as much of that as you want to imagine. Admit it, Draow. Mr. Cosmo was just lucky, and relied on luck all this time. That was why Rudy won. Rudy has real skill, while Mr. Cosmo is just a wannabe!”

Snap didn’t really think that. Neither did Penny. They were both scared and frightened of Mr. Cosmo. If he were still alive and if he were here, they would definitely react appropriately. They both knew just how dangerous that man was. They weren’t stupid.

But for this plan to work, they had to do this. As scared as they were, as much as their bodies were filling with cold dread as they watched Draow grow angrier by the second, they knew they had to keep doing this. This was their only way out. And it seemed, if they kept this up, it was going to work. Just a little more...

They realized, a moment later, it worked a little faster than they had anticipated. Draow stomped the ground, sending vibrations through it. They took a small step back, feeling the anger radiating off of the winged wolf. They looked at each other knowing full well that whatever happens next was going to decide the fate for them as well as for Rudy. They prepared, trying to ready themselves for whatever Draow was going to throw at them.

“You little maggots have no idea what you’re talking about!” Draow snarled in a growly voice. His fur bristled wildly. “You need to be taught a lesson!”

With that, Draow jumped into the air, ready to dive towards them. But then, instead of doing that, Draow did something unexpected. Dropping the blue chalk, he raised his feet upwards, the claws poised to strike. Snap’s eyes widened in horror. No..not this.. He and Penny realized too late what a mistake this was.

Draow’s claws came down. In seconds, as the claws scraped across the shield, which was made of glass, a horrible, echoing screech bounced off the walls all around them. The sound attacking their ear drums, Penny and Snap dropped to their knees, holding their ears, and started to scream in agony.

sss

Dr. Lancer raced down the hallways. She slipped past multiple other doctors. She nearly collided with a few patients, managing to dodge or jump in the nick of time. So many eyes were on her as she ran. Some glared at her. Others were merely surprised. But she did not pay attention to any of that. Right now, her mind was too preoccupied to notice how the doctors and patients were looking at her.

She could feel her heart pounding against her chest. Her legs were burning, tired. Her body wanted to rest, but she...there was no way she could lay down. Not now. She kept pushing herself, needing and wanting to go faster and faster. She pushed her body harder, more so than she ever did before. She kept her wings flattened against her side to keep herself from knocking against anything as her feet slammed the ground many times.

It couldn’t be true... It couldn’t be... She couldn’t have... Someone had to have..

These thoughts and more swam through her mind as she raced to towards the off limits room where she had dragged Tyreek earlier. She could feel the thoughts swarming in her head, never leaving her alone. The thoughts multiplied and grew, filling her brain and making her head hurt. She was unable to ignore these thoughts. And as she got closer to the stairs that would lead her down to that off limits room, the thoughts just grew stronger, as did the pang she felt in her chest.

She had acted downright hostile towards Tyreek. She hadn’t meant to. She did want to use somewhat harsher methods on him just to get him to speak. But she had to admit, she was a little too hard on the guy. She and Quirk were both guilty of torturing him. They had brutalized the man, more so than she had intended. And when the other doctors found out... No surprise, a lot of them shunned her. She still had her job, but she narrowly missed losing it, and she was on probation.

She knew she shouldn’t be surprised by how upset most of the other doctors were. It was unethical to torture someone else, regardless if they were an enemy or not. What made it worse for her case was, not only was she a respected doctor here and she should have known better, but Tyreek wasn’t armed. Okay he was, but Quirk’s quick thinking had disarmed him. There had been no reason for her to act so aggressive towards him. There was no reason to hurt him when he couldn’t even fight back. How could he? They had chained him up. Even if he wanted to defend himself, he was in no position to do so.

Dr. Lancer gritted her beak as she headed down the steps, moving along in the spiral form that it created. Killing Tyreek...that wasn’t what she had wanted. She had only wanted to get information from him and... Yeah she was unprofessional. The other doctors were right. Her and Quirk’s methods were cruel, unethical, barbaric... She should have controlled herself more.

She had allowed her emotions, her feelings, get in the way, and that wasn’t right. She should have kept herself calm and used more reasonable methods when dealing with Tyreek. If she had done that, she wouldn’t have gotten herself in trouble, and Tyreek would not have gotten into this position. True, he should not have invaded the hospital to try to kill some of the patients. But...she should have shown she was better than him by not unnecessarily hurting him.

She was not in as much control of her anger as she thought she was. She had let that cloud her judgment when she was dealing with Tyreek. It was just that... the memories of what that man was, and comparing them to what he was now... It stung her heart horribly. He used to be so nice... And now, he was a monster. He was a black chalk artist and he had helped to bring harm to ChalkZone years ago. He probably doesn’t remember her much now; he didn’t seem like he did. But she could recognize him, even after all these years. And what he had become..it disgusted her.

But still, that was no excuse for how she had treated him. She winced as she thought back to how many times she had struck him during the interrogation. He hadn’t been such a monster there. Looking at his face, his eyes, they didn’t hold defiance. They held instead fear, pain, and horror. And she and Quirk were the reasons why he was like that. Remembering how he had begged them to stop... A strong sense of guilt struck her. She hadn’t meant to take things that far...

But she would make it better. She would reach that room soon. As she moved through the somewhat dark, somewhat dank hallway in the lowest part of the hospital, her mind filled with thoughts of what she was going to do. She would help Tyreek. He was her creator; she did owe him at least help back to the real world where he can be treated. He had been stuck here for a few days, so she knew his condition was not going to be well. She just needed to hurry and get him out. If she had to, she would carry him on her back, ignoring the pain from his blood. After what she did to him, she deserved a little pain.

She reflexed on what Howdy said. She hoped he was right. She hoped that Rudy, Penny, and Snap are able to return Tyreek to normal. She missed him dearly. The real Tyreek that is. Not the black chalk version that had helped to terrorize ChalkZone lately. She knew he was still in there somewhere; his mind was just suppressed by the black chalk. Once it was removed, the real Tyreek would come back. She had a feeling that he wouldn’t be allowed to stay long; Biclops might not like it. But to see the real Tyreek again... That would be something she’d love.

A pang tugged at her heart. She recalled just how brutal she and Quirk were. Was it possible that Tyreek was...? She shook the thoughts out of her head. No... No, Tyreek was fine. He was okay. At least in terms of being alive... He was still alive. She just had to get him out and find the black chalk artist’s portal. Surely it would still be open. Once she found it, she could drop Tyreek in it, perhaps call 911 to get attention to Tyreek. He might have become such a bastard, but she didn’t want him to die. She never wanted him dead, despite how cruel she had acted towards him.

She continued down the hallway. She ran along the corridor, her feet pounding the cold hard ground. At the end of the hallway, she made a sharp turn to the right. This corridor was a little brighter, but still just as dank as the rest of it. At the end of this corridor, she could see a door at the very end, with a large sign that says ‘limited access’. The door was heavy, made of metal, and required a good amount of strength to move it. This was where she dragged Tyreek, where his screams would not be heard. Her stomach twisted in knots. That was why she hadn’t known he was still here. She wouldn’t have heard him...

As soon as she reached the door, she got on two legs and unhooked her doctor’s ID card from her outfit. She moved it through the card slot next to the door. She waited a few seconds and heard it beep rapidly. She pushed the door open, mustering up the strength needed to get it open. The door pounded against the walls, echoing throughout the room as if thunder cracked in it. She looked around the room.

It was difficult to see. The lights were out. And though there was some light in the hallway behind her, it did little to illuminate this room. She could see some kind of shape ahead of her. It could be Tyreek, but there was not enough of him lit up for her to be sure. The strong odor of blood hung strongly in the air, making her wince. She looked around for the light switch. She put her paws on the wall and moved it around until she could feel the switch. She pushed it up and suddenly the room was bright. She let out a hiss and closed her eyes, her head turning away. When her eyes adjusted, she stared out ahead.

What she saw horrified her.

Tyreek was still there, just like she thought he would be. But his condition, it was much worse than she thought it was going to be. She couldn’t stop herself from putting her paws to her beak, letting out a small cry of shock. A cold feeling washed over her, making her body tremble.

Tyreek still hung where she and Quirk interrogated him. His head hung down. He was still breathing, but they were slow...shaky... It was like each breath was a struggle, and the way they sounded, it made her heart twist. His clothes were dirty and torn from the attacks he had recieved from them. Blood marks were all over him, stained a dark red. He was covered in gashes, more so than she recalled giving him. Had they really given him this much...? Her eyes trailed to see the blood dripping to the ground, creating a pool beneath them. Had he been bleeding the whole time? Oh no...

He looked like he had lost a little weight, due to not eating in a few days. She could see his lips were cracked, dehydration clearly setting in. His face was pale, looking as though he lost most shades of his color. It was like he was a ghost, and with all that blood loss, he might as well be. The binds wrapped around his wrists, holding them up, were tight, pressing into the skin and nearly cutting off blood supply. His hands looked a little blue, and she suspected there was nerve damage there as a result.

But the worst thing she saw was the thing around his head. She winced, recalling how she had brought down Dr. Ler down with her for another interrogation. The deer doctor didn’t do anything; it was all her. All he did was suggest the use of that device... Kinda like a muzzle, but more brutal. It wrapped around Tyreek’s face, causing intense pain. She had used it in hopes of making him talk. But now, looking at it, seeing how it cut into his skin, she felt an uncomfortable sensation in her hands, wondering why she had done such a thing. Had she really let her anger take her this far..?

“Tyreek...” Dr. Lancer spoke softly.

At the sound of her voice, Tyreek looked up at her. His eyes looked dull and near lifeless. As soon as he saw her, his eyes widened a little. His body started to tremble with what little strength it had left and he let out a low whine. The sight of this caused tears to form in Dr. Lancer’s eyes. What had she done..?

Dr. Lancer gritted her beak for a second. “T-Tyreek...” She moved over towards him. “Don’t worry. I..I’ll get you down!”

When she approached, she could see how frightened Tyreek was of her. He cringed away from her, turning his head away as if he thought she was going to smack him. Once she reached him, she raised her hands up and unhooked him from the binds. He slumped forward and she managed to catch up. Tyreek didn’t bother struggling, too weak to do so. She could feel just how weak he was by holding him. Gently, she lowered him on the ground, dropping on her knees.

Laying on his back across her lap, she held him up by his shoulders and reached down towards his face. He let out a weak cry and tried to turn his head away, shutting his eyes and trembling. She used her claws to slice through the thing wrapped around his face. She made sure to be as careful as she could, not wanting to hurt her creator more. She pulled it off of him and dropped it on the floor not far from them. She glared at it, disgusted with herself that she had actually used it on him. She turned a softer glance down at Tyreek.

The man’s mouth was partially open, and just from that, she could tell just how dry his mouth had become. With each breath, he sounded weaker and in greater pain. He looked up at her fearfully, his eyes devoid of any kind of anger or willingness to fight back. It was even worse than how he looked when she tortured him. She could see a few small tears moving from his eyes, staining his cheeks. She reached down and gently wiped the tears from his eyes. The sight of her claws that close caused Tyreek to shift and try, so weakly, to get away.

Tyreek whimpered, “...p-please....don’t hurt....me...”

Dr. Lancer felt more tears form in her eyes as she heard that pitiful voice. It sounded so weak and dry, as if it took all of his strength to talk. She reached down and placed a hand on his cheek gently. He cringed back from her, his eyes filling with more horror. His teeth were slightly bared in fear. In this moment, she had forgotten that he was a black chalk artist; all she could see was her creator dying, and it was her fault.

Dr. Lancer attempted to soothe him. “Shh...it’s okay... You’ll be okay..” She gave him a gentle smile. She gently stroked along his hair, one of the very few kind acts she had given him since his stay here. “I’ll get you help...”

Tyreek sucked in a sharp breath of pain. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth. He let out a series of whimpers and cries. It was hard to believe that, not too long ago, he had been one of ChalkZone’s biggest threats. Now here he was, harmless, in pain, and frightened. It was like he was a completely different person. Dr. Lancer felt her heart twist as she watched her creator moan and cry.

She knew she would not feel this way if this were one of the other black chalk artists. But Tyreek was her creator. He was special to her. Out of the way, he was the one she wanted to see cured the most. To see him looking at her in absolute fear like that, it was heart breaking. She had ignored it before, consumed by anger. Now all she felt was guilt and remorse. She couldn’t stop her eyes from dripping tears.

Dr. Lancer turned her eyes towards one of his hands. She winced as she saw the indentions in his wrists where the binds pressed into the skin. They looked so deep... If she had twisted the binds just right, she could have sliced open the wrists. Her eyes moved along the cuts that adorned his body, seeing all the blood still leaking out in some of them. Just how deep had she and Quirk cut him...?

“T-Tyreek..I’m...I’m so sorry...” Dr. Lancer spoke in a low whisper. “I promise...I won’t hurt you again. Please, be okay...please...”

Tyreek didn’t answer her. Despite what she said, Tyreek was still scared of her. He kept staring at her wide-eyed, a fearful expression etched on his face. He cringed back a little more, wanting to get as far away from her as possible. It was clear he did not trust her. He really did think that she was going to cut him open again like she had before. His low whimpers and cries tugged at her heart, making her remember all the things she had done to him.

“...d-don’t...hurt...me...” Came Tyreek’s raspy, weak voice. He swallowed dryly. Dr. Lancer winced, his swallowing sounding so...painful. “I don’t....want..this... Please.... why won’t...you...leave me...alone... why must...you hurt...me...?”

Tyreek sounded so weak and fearful there. His voice hardly had any strength to it. It was so quiet, she could hardly hear him. And each breath, she noticed, it was getting shallower, and more spread out. This realization horrified her. No...he couldn’t be..no... He had to be okay.

She was about to say something to Tyreek when she heard footsteps behind her. She looked over and saw Quirk coming over. Dr. Lancer quickly realized that she probably had followed her after she had bolted off to this room. She watched as the griffin approached her, her paw clutching some kind of bottle.

As soon as Quirk caught up with her, standing a few feet away, she held out the bottle and said, “This is from Penny when she and Rudy visited Snap. A water bottle. I brought it because I thought you could use it.”

“A water bottle? Perfect!” Dr. Lancer raised up her free paw and gestured for Quirk to come over. “Give it to me! Quickly!”

Quirk walked over and handed Dr. Lancer the bottle. The hippogriff was very careful, knowing this was real world water and if any splaced on her, she’d get hurt or even die. Cautiously, she gripped the top of the bottle and twisted the cap off. She gently lifted Tyreek’s shoulders and head up more so he wouldn’t choke. She brought the bottle over to him. Tyreek stared at the bottle, then glanced up at her, eyeing her suspiciously.

“It’s okay. It’s not poisoned...” Quirk said.

“It’s just water. Please...you have to drink it.” Dr. Lancer said. “You haven’t drunk anything in days.”

“...I...wonder....why...” Tyreek said weakly, a very small tinge of bitterness on his voice.

Dr. Lancer flinched at this. She then moved the bottle even closer. She pressed the tip of it against his lips. She tilted it upwards a little, letting the real world water to flow down towards him. Tyreek reacted pretty slowly, a little river of real world water moving down the sides of his cheeks before he opened his mouth enough to let the water in. Dr. Lancer repositioned herself to avoid getting hit with the water. She continued to hold the bottle in this position, letting Tyreek slowly drink it. She had to pull the bottle back a little to let him swallow a few times.

She watched as his eyes had a spark of relief in them. The water moving through his dry mouth and throat must feel good to him. She hoped that this water would bide him enough time so she could take him back into the real world somehow. Even if she had to go find the blue chalk, she would do it. She...she had to make up for what she had done to him.

Soon the bottle was empty. Tyreek had drank the full thing. He swallowed the last drop and let out a small series of coughs, as if the water went down the wrong tube. His eyes were part way closed and he stared at her again. His eyes looked duller than before, the spark of life nearly gone from them. Dr. Lancer looked down at his still bleeding wounds. She couldn’t believe they hadn’t sealed up yet. Either she had done more damage to him than she thought, or Tyreek’s struggles to get free somehow reopened the wounds.

Wanting to do something to stop the bleeding, Dr. Lancer tore off a piece of Tyreek’s shirt. She went for the nearest bleeding wound, on his arm. She pressed the cloth against the cut, causing Tyreek to seethe and hiss in pain, his head moving back. She applied careful pressure, trying to help the blood clot. The bleeding was not rapid, but if it was bleeding, even just as little as this, over the course of a few days, that adds up to a lot of blood. She had to stop as much of the bleeding as she could.

Suddenly, Tyreek’s trembling body stiffened up, his eyes bulging open. His hands flexed as much as they could with what little strength they had left. Then, seconds later, his body relaxed. Letting out a long, soft whimper, his head dropped to the side. His eyes remained open. What remained of the spark in his eyes vanished completely, and his eyes glazed over. His body went completely limp.

Dr. Lancer’s eyes widened and the hand holding the now empty bottle loosened up, letting the object fall to the ground. No...it couldn’t be... She grabbed Tyreek by his shoulder and gently shook him. No response. She shook him harder, and still no reply. She shook her head a couple times in denial. He couldn’t be gone...

“Tyreek...wake up..please...” Dr. Lancer begged her creator. She kept shaking him, hoping that somehow, someway, he would wake up. She kept staring at his open, lifeless eyes, hoping that they would soon come back to life. “Come on...wake up...” A few tears formed in her eyes. “Please..I’m sorry..”

Tyreek still didn’t respond. He remained still as stone. His chest had stopped rising and falling, becoming immobile, just like the ground beneath their feet. She tried to shake him a little harder. That got no results. Her body trembled slightly with emotion as more tears moved down her cheeks.

“Wake up! Please! Tyreek!” Dr. Lancer cried, her pupils dilated. “Get up! Please get up! I’m sorry I hurt you! Please..I’m so sorry! Wake up! Wake up!”

Quirk watched her sadly. She glanced down at Tyreek, wincing in regret, recalling the things that they had done to him. She remained quiet and turned her head away. She looked so ashamed.

Dr. Lancer stared at Tyreek’s still form. He can’t be gone... He just can’t be.. She shook him harder, gripping his shoulders tightly. “Get up...please! I said I was sorry! Please...you have to make it, Tyreek...! Please!” Choked with emotion, her voice lowered in volume as she closed her eyes. “Please...please don’t go...” She took in a shaky breath. “Please..”

Dr. Lancer looked down at his neck. Shakingly, she lifted up a finger and moved it towards his neck. She pressed it against his throat. She stifled a cry when she saw that there was no pulse to be felt. Tyreek was...dead... The word echoed in her mind, freezing her blood. No...please no.. This isn’t what she wanted. She didn’t want him to die. She wanted him to be free from the black chalk’s control. He can’t be dead... No..please no... She stared at him for a few seconds, hoping in vain that he would move, that he would get up and everything would be fine. But it never happened.

“He’s dead...” Quirk said quietly. “...we killed him...”

Dr. Lancer shook her head, not wanting to believe it. But the evidence was right there. No pulse...no breath... Tyreek was dead. And it was all because of her. In her mind, Tyreek’s panicked, fear-filled voice echoed. She shook her head, trying to get them out of her thoughts, but it was no use. The voice plagued her, forcing her to confront her mistakes.

“No please..stop hurting me!”

“Why are you doing this? Please let me go!”

“I-I don’t want this...please...”

“I thought you were supposed to be helping these zoners!”

“I can’t fight back... I’m no danger to you... why are you doing this? Please stop..please...”

“I’m begging you...I just want to go home...”

Then images of what they did to Tyreek flooded her mind. Images of them slashing him with their claws, punching him, kicking him, whatever they could to harm him, all in the name of getting information. And all the while, they were laughing at him. They laughed at his pain, sounding as though it was the most amusing thing in the world. How..how could she have done that? How could she have taken the interrogation that far? She had always been a little stricter with these things, but, she had crossed the line.

She was too late to save him. She came in too late. The water did nothing to help him. She stared at the empty water bottle, a feeling of anger rising up inside. She wanted to crush the bottle for giving her the false hope of her creator’s survival. But no..it wasn’t the bottle’s fault. It was hers. Her heart tightened, her stomach turning into knots, as she thought of all the things she did and said to Tyreek. No one made her did that; she chose to be like that.

Why did she have to do this? Why did she have to torture Tyreek like this? Why did she just leave him instead of letting him go herself? She couldn’t even bring herself to be mad at Quirk for not letting him go. She should have done that herself. She should have released him and dropped him off somewhere where he could get help. Instead, he ended up here, where he succumbed to his wounds, to starvation, and to dehydration. He had been alone here, slowly dying, and she didn’t know.

She sucked in a shaky breath. She cradled Tyreek’s lifeless body to hers. She rubbed her head against his, ignoring the sting of his tears. She cried softly, her tears dripping from her face, dissolving if they came into contact with Tyreek’s tears that still adorned his face. She felt a hand on her shoulder and realized Quirk had moved in behind her. She ignored her and just continued to cry.

“What have I done...? What have I...done....?” Dr. Lancer whimpered softly. “I didn’t mean to... Tyreek..I’m so sorry. Please forgive me..”

Dr. Lancer started to cry harder, her face still pressed against his. She stroked his hair gently as sobs wracked through her body. At this point, she didn’t care if one of the doctors came in and saw her. Right now, she was not aware of anything except for Tyreek, whom she cradled in her arms, holding him against her. At the moment, she didn’t see a black chalk artist. Just her creator, now dead because of her callous actions.

Her mournful cries echoed in the room, intensifying a little as the seconds passed by. She wished that this was a sick joke. She wished that she was just dreaming. Yet she knew the truth. This was all very real. She continued to cry and sob, filling the room with melancholy.

sss

Draow laughed cruelly as he continued to scrape his claws along the glass shield. The horrible screeching was magnified inside the confined area. Penny and Snap were on the ground still, clutching their heads and desperately trying to get the sound out of their minds. They twisted their body left and right on the ground, tears of pain streaming down their face. They screamed as Draow scraped yet another time, never letting up.

Snap realized they had made a horrible mistake. They had miscalculated just what Draow would do. They thought that he would slam against the shield to break it. Instead, he was torturing them with his claws. The sound was so horrible, feeling as though something sharp was raking the inside of their ears. The pain increased as the seconds passed, and the sound became harder and harder to ignore.

Penny and Snap couldn’t even see what was going on with Rudy. They were unable to look over and see if he had, somehow, gotten away. They could only pay attention to the horrible screech. They could only lay there on the ground, in absolute agony. The screeching permeated their heads, their souls... and there was nothing they could do about it. They had tried to plead for mercy, begging Draow to stop. But no surprise, he did not let up. His claws scraped in further, creating an even louder screech. Penny and Snap screamed in response.

“Yes...yes..scream!” Draow shouted with glee. “Scream your lungs out! I want to see you suffer!” He laughed coldly as he continued to torture Penny and Snap. “You two deserve this after what you said! This is what you get when you talk insultingly about my creator!”

Snap glared hatefully at Draow with one open eye, the eyelid twitching. He wanted to say something, anything... But no words could come out. He was in too much pain. He clutched his head tighter, his cheeks stained with tears. He wriggled on the ground more, trying in vain to get away from the horrible screech. But no matter where he rolled, the sound was just as loud, just as painful.

His heart tightened as he heard Penny screaming in agony next to him. Hearing a friend in pain filled him with dread. He wanted to do something to comfort her. But how could he do that when he was in so much pain himself that he couldn’t stand up? The inability to comfort Penny hurt him mentally, adding to the pain he was already in. If he had some ear plugs or something, he would try to break out of here, and he’d teach Draow a lesson.

Suddenly, there was a shout.

“Draow! Stop it!”

Almost instantly, the screeching stopped. It took a few seconds before the horrible echoing left their heads. Snap let out a sigh of relief as his body relaxed. He looked over at Penny, watching her as she rubbed her forehead. He moved over towards her, putting his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. She looked at him for a few seconds before the two of them turned their attention to see what had happened.

Nihilanth’s white head had turned around, the black eyes staring straight at Draow. They were narrowed, indicating annoyance or anger. Draow had stepped away from the shield and lowered his head in submission. Nihilanth raised his white head up a little, the hooked beak parted slightly to show the razor sharp teeth. Snap wondered if Nihilanth was going to bite Draow’s head off.

“We do not have time to waste on that.” Nihilanth said. His voice was a little growly, deeper than usual. “For we have more important matters in our hands.” He turned his attention back towards where Rudy was. “We have almost met our ‘quota’ so to speak...”

Snap wasn’t sure what Nihilanth meant by that, and even Penny looked confused. But realization hit them when Draow spoke up.

“You..you mean...?” Draow slowly smiled, his ears and wings straighting up.

“Yes.” Nihilanth chuckled evilly. “It is nearly time...”

Penny and Snap looked at each other in horror at this. Their faces paling, they looked over at where Rudy was. “Rudy!” They called out in unison, pressing their hands against the shield. It couldn’t be..no...

Rudy still stood in the light. The servant light was nearly passing completely over him. Soon, some of his body stopped being illuminated. But it became quickly apparent it was much, much too late for that. Rudy’s body gave a violent shudder as he dropped down to his knees. He held himself up with his hand, taking in a few quick breaths. If he was in any pain, he didn’t show it; it looked as though he were just tired.

All around him, Penny and Snap could see what appeared to be smoke. Something was pillowing around him. It was as though the servant light had burned his interior organs. Rudy’s body looked a little burned, a little scraped, yet he showed no symptoms other than simply being exhausted. He slowly got up to his feet, steadying himself with his crutch. Soon he straightened his back, his eyes remaining closed completely. Snap and Penny watched, biting their lips, waiting to see what would happen.

“R-Rudy...?” Snap asked in a quiet voice. “A-Are you okay, B-Bucko..?”

At first, there was nothing but silence. Rudy stood there, his body trembling a little, as if he were cold. His head was lowered, and it looked almost like he had fallen asleep. But then he raised his head up. Slowly, he turned his head towards him, the eyes remaining closed. The sight of this unnerved Penny and Snap.

Suddenly, Rudy’s eyes snapped open. The two friends let out a horrified cry when they saw they were glowing a pitch black. A nasty smile slowly spread across his face, his teeth bared.

“I’ve never felt better.”


	128. Rudy Is Ours Now

Penny felt ice shoot through her veins. She felt as though walls around her were crashing in on her. She was shivering in fright, unable to stop. She stared in horror as Rudy stood there, the light having just passed him moments earlier. She shook her head in disbelieve. No...this couldn’t have happened... She prayed that it did not. She hoped that she would wake up any moment and this would all have been a bad nightmare. There was no way this could have happened...just no way...

But it was true. The longer she stared, the longer her eyes focused on what used to be her best friend, she knew it was true. She could feel Snap cling to her. She looked down and saw he had a paled expression with bulging eyes. Penny knew that was about how she looked right now. She looked back out at where Rudy stood. Her body continued to tremble as her shocked mind tried to process what had happened.

This...this was what she and the others were hoping to prevent. It was the thing that they hoped would never happen. And now...it had happened. They didn’t get lucky this time. They didn’t have some kind of miracle bestow upon them hope. They didn’t get a last second rescue and Rudy pushed out of the light. This time, when the black chalk came for Rudy...it succeeded.

As much as Penny wanted to deny it, as much as she wanted to look away and pretend none of this was happening.... she knew she couldn’t do that. Denial would only make things worse. As much as she hated it, she had to accept the fact that Rudy had been finally taken by the black chalk. It was like what happened three years ago, when Rudy was first touched by the black chalk. She recalled how helpless she felt as the chalk controlled her best friend. Had it not been for Skrawl’s help, she would have lost him to the darkness.

And now, the same thing had happened, only this time, there was no one to save Rudy. Now, standing before her, was a now fully corrupted Rudy. There was no black chalk to knock out of his hands to return him to normal. There was no rewind button they could press to prevent this from happening. This time, Rudy had become exactly what Mr. Cosmo had planned for him all along.

A black chalk user...

Penny felt a few tears from in her eyes. She wanted to cry. She wanted to drop down to her knees and weep for the loss of her best friend. But she was too stunned and horrified to do much more than shed a few tears. She couldn’t believe this was really happening. Just a few minutes ago, Rudy had been himself, trying to fight against Nihilanth and stop ChalkZone and the real world from being destroyed. Now, he was a willing pawn, the black chalk now dominating his mind.

That cold smile... those chilling eyes... It reminded Penny so much of Dark Rudy. She felt her heart skip a beat as she realized the full impact of that realization. Rudy...had basically become a new Dark Rudy. Her mind flashed back to all the things Dark Rudy had done. Having her counterpart killed by Alt-Draow, killing Alt-Snap, helping with the destruction of both worlds, how he had attacked them and tormented them during their stay... Horrible memories of this flooded her mind, making her head hurt.

When they had left the dark dimension, they had hoped that they would never have to worry about Dark Rudy again. He had horrified Rudy to no end, messing with his head. Rudy had almost become just like that three years ago thanks to Mr. Cosmo’s minions. Rudy was frightened at how close he came to destroying ChalkZone, and killing his own parents...

And now that nightmare had become a reality. A new Dark Rudy stood before them, his eyes glowing an intense pitch black. The sight of them made Penny take a step back, horror and anguish filling her heart. The Rudy she knew...he was gone... forever.. Unless there was a way to change things around, unless they could learn of how to stop the black chalk for good, Rudy was gone, replaced by this monster. Penny felt her heart break in two as she mourned on the inside for her friend.

“N-No...” Snap whimpered softly, clutching her tigher. “I-I-It can’t be...”

Penny glanced down at Snap. She watched as he shivered against her, looking at Rudy in horror. Penny put an arm around him to try to comfort him. From the look in his eyes, she could tell Snap was having flashbacks of the dark dimension, how Dark Rudy had treated Alt-Snap. Now he was going to be on the receiving end of that.

Penny shot a glare over at Nihilanth. He paid no attention to her, his eyes focused intently on Rudy. Penny felt her blood start to boil. Nihilanth just snagged her best friend away from her. He had torn apart his mind and turned him into someone he was not. The Rudy she knew was killed, or taken prisoner. She was not going to allow Nihilanth to get away with that. She made a silent vow as she watched Nihilanth approach Rudy. She would find a way to get Rudy back. She didn’t care how long it took. She would try to bring him back.

“Well well...it looks like you’ve lost.”

Penny and Snap looked over to see Draow walking towards them. A nasty smile spread across his wolf-like snout. The wolf bat chuckled, his low laughter permeating their soul. Penny put her hand in front of Snap in an attempt to defend him. She was not going to let these monsters take away another one of her friends.

“You should have listened. You stood no chance against us. If you had surrendered, this all would have gone smoother.” Draow sneered at the two. He stopped a few feet in front of Penny and Snap. “But of course....you had to be stubborn. A shame that we had to...rip your heart out like this, little girl and little boy.”

“There was no way we were going to surrender to the likes of you...” Penny growled softly.

Snap nodded in agreement. “Yeah! We won’t bow down for you!”

Draow continued to smile. “And that’s a good thing.” He lifted up his darker colored foot, balancing on the other, and, using his flexible digits, pointed at Penny and Snap. “If you lot had just surrendered willy nilly, it would have made all our efforts...worthless. What’s the point in winning when the enemy doesn’t even fight? Makes it easier sure...” He twisted his foot around like it were a hand, gesturing with it. “But where the’s the fun in that?”

Penny and Snap growled at this. Of course Draow would see this as all one big game. They were certain the black chalk in general saw everything as a game, a game it was determined to win. The black chalk could not be negotiated with or reasoned with. It had to be destroyed. It was the only way to stop it. Figuring out how to do this was going to be hard. But they were going to try. They would love to wipe this psychotic smug smirk from Draow’s face.

Suddenly, there was a cold, chilling laughter behind them. Penny and Snap stiffened up, their eyes widening. This laughter... It didn’t come from Draow. And they knew it couldn’t have been from Nihilanth. There was only one person that could have come from. They slowly turned their heads, faces etched in horror as they looked over at where the source of the laughter was. They felt their hearts freeze as their suspicions were confirmed. The laughter....came from Rudy.

Rudy was grinning evilly in their direction, an expression uncharacteristic for the boy that they knew. It was uncomfortable to look at, making them shiver. His eyes, once filled with kindness, concern, and love, were now replaced with icey cold callousness, a malice nature, and the desire to harm and kill. There was nothing warm about how he was looking at them now. It filled them with a mixture sensation of relief and sorrow that they were behind a barrier, where Rudy can’t get to them.

His leg now healed due to the black chalk now infesting his body, Rudy dropped his crutch. He walked over to them slowly. Penny and Snap moved back a little, ignoring the pain they were in. Their eyes remained locked onto Rudy’s, unable to tear them away. The sight of him like this....it was horrifying. The way he moved...so much like Dark Rudy. For a few seconds, when the two friends looked at what has become of him, they could have sworn they saw the spiked armor that Dark Rudy had worn. And when Rudy got close enough and gave them a cruel smile with malicious intent, they knew now, more than ever, Rudy belonged to the black chalk now.

Draow gave Rudy an expression that was a mixture of happiness and contempt. Draow clearly loved the fact that Rudy was now corrupted, just like his former master wanted. But there was still lingering resentment. Regardless of how he felt, Draow still lowered his head, bowing down to Rudy, as being a vessel of Nihilanth, he probably has a higher status than Draow. Rudy gave him a brief chuckle. He turned his attention back to his former friends.

“Draow is right... It was futile. Nihilanth would have won anyway. So your efforts to fight back..they were pointless. But I know you two well.” Rudy said. He tilted his head a little to the side, his expression becoming a little twisted. “You two will continue to try to stop the black chalk...am I right?” Penny and Snap glared at him. Rudy chuckled at this response. “I thought so. Well I suppose it is understandable. After all, I used to..think the same way as you do.”

“Well you don’t anymore.” Draow said. He moved in a little closer, keeping his head low in respect. “You belong to us now.”

Rudy nodded his head once, but did not look over at Draow. Instead, he reached out and held his hand up. Draow understood what he wanted and he moved his head forward. pressing his head against the hand. Rudy ran his hand along the top of Draow’s head, moving along his forehead, between his eyes, and along the top of his snout.

“That is indeed true. And I never felt so free in my life.” Rudy said. “I honestly don’t know why I was so frightened of the black chalk. Mr. Cosmo was right. It is a blessing..not a curse.” He closed his eyes. “I’ve been blinded all this time. If I had known better....” He opened his eyes part way, his brows furrowing. “Well, at least that has gotten some...correction, wouldn’t you say, Draow?”

“Hmph. Well of course.” Draow replied, his tail moving from side to side slowly. “Do you want to drag Penny into this? I know you would love to have her as a partner in this plan.”

At this, Penny widened her eyes and took a few steps back. Snap took a step in front of her, adopting a fighting stance. The sight of this made not only Draow laugh, but Rudy. This horrified and hurt Penny and Snap. It was one thing when an enemy taunted them in such a cruel way. But when someone who was supposed to be their friend do the same thing... It made their stomachs twist, nausea plaguing them.

“As tempting as that is, I think I’ll pass for now.” Rudy said. This statement surprised even Draow. Rudy lifted his hand up in gesture. “I’d rather see what dear Penny can do...” He stared intently into Penny’s eyes. “I know she would want to ‘save’ me. I want to give her the chance to do that. I want to see...what she can do...”

Penny widened her eyes and she took another step back. Rudy locked eyes onto hers. She never thought she’d feel this afraid from him just looking at her. Usually, the talk of him being confident that she’d help him would make her feel good. She liked helping her friends out, giving them aid whenever they needed it. But this time, thanks to the black chalk, Rudy’s words came more as condensending than anything. He was taunting her, mocking her ability to help him. The tone of his voice clearly suggested he didn’t think she could save him, and was rubbing it in her face.

The uncomfortable vibe that the newly corrupted Rudy was now sending her caused her to tremble, and adopt a more defensive stance. She prepared for a fight, even though they were currently separated by the barrier. The realization that she was posturing herself this way in front of Rudy made her feel sick to her stomach. But she no longer felt safe around him. So long as the black chalk had a grip on him, Rudy was no longer trustworthy.

Rudy looked amused by the way Penny and Snap looked at him. Expressions full of fear, determination, and hurt. It hurt them to act so defensively around Rudy. It hurt them to have to put up a guard around Rudy. It hurt them to have to be so afraid of him. And it definitely hurt knowing that Rudy, the real one, was probably watching this now, buried in the back of his own mind, unable to do anything. The idea of their friend being trapped in his own body..it was horrible.

“Of course, I will leave the option opened up, princess.” Rudy said, the last word filled with mockery. “I would love to have you fight by my side...”

Penny growled softly, her hand tightening into a fist. “Forget it... I refuse to work for the black chalk.”

“Eh, suit yourself.” Rudy shrugged his shoulders. “At least I offered.” He folded his arms against his chest. He stared at his two former allies, an evil smirk twisting his face. Any sign of the once kind and gentle Rudy was clearly gone, replaced by this twisted version created by the black chalk. “A shame you declined. I’m sure you would have found it quite fascinating. After all...” He tilted his head a little to the side. “You have black chalk in you...don’t you?”

Penny felt her heart nearly stop at this. She could hear Snap give a sharp gasp. The two of them had nearly forgotten about that. In their struggle against Nihilanth and Draow, they had forgotten about the black chalk that Mr. Pierce inadvertantly gave to her. Her body shook a little more as she saw Rudy place his hand on the shield, chuckling darkly. Penny felt unnerved by this and backed up a little, as did Snap.

Rudy sneered at them. “You two are going to be so much fun. I do hope you fight well, Penita...” Penny shuddered as Rudy spoke her nickname, speaking it in a way that sounded threatening. “I’ll be so disappointed in you if you fail to fight well. I would be left wondering what happened to the intelligent girl that used to fight alongside me. Wouldn’t that be a shame?”

Penny hissed at this, clenching her teeth. “I’ll get you for this...black chalk...” She took a step forward, holding her fist out, trying to look brave. “You won’t get away with taking Rudy away from us!”

“We’ll find a way to get him back! You’ll see, imposter!” Snap cried, stepping forward as well, alongside Penny. “You will regret ever messing with our friend!”

Rudy blinked at this, and then he threw his head back, laughing coldly. “Oh you poor, naive fools. Can you not see?” Rudy turned his head to the left and lifted up his hand to point at himself. His teeth were bared in a hideous smile. “I am Rudy Tabootie.” He pulled his hand away. “True, I may have...changed a little. But I’m still Rudy.” Penny and Snap deepened their glare, making Rudy chuckle. “Deny it all you want to. But I am me..just..improved...”

“You’ll never be Rudy, black chalk!” Snap shouted at him. He raised up his fists in defense. “You might look like Rudy! You might sound like Rudy! But you are not him! You’re just an imposter that took over his body! Now leave him in peace and go back to wherever you came from!”

“Or else what?” Rudy asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Or else I...” Snap’s voice trailed off. He paused for a moment, struggling to find the words to say. He shook his head and said, “Well I’m going to make you sorry, that’s for sure!”

“Can’t even think of a plan, dear friend?” Rudy said mockingly. He shook his head slowly. “Wow, my counterpart was right about you.” He stared coldly in Snap’s direction, their eyes locking onto each other. “You really are a useless piece of chalk dust.”

Snap’s eyes opened wide at this. His expression became horrified and hurt, his mouth dropping open. He took a step back, trying to say something, but Rudy’s cold words stunned him. That horrid phrase.... useless piece of chalk dust... That was what Dark Rudy had used himself. And now here there Rudy was, using the same insult, in the same heartless manner.

Penny looked at Snap sympathetically. She was just as horrified by that phrase as he was. Rudy didn’t stutter while saying it. He wasn’t struggling to find something to say. He said it up front, with no remorse or even regret. He stood there, smirking at them as Penny attempted to comfort Snap. She glared at Rudy, or what was pretending to be Rudy, as she put her arm around Snap, pulling him close to her. Snap huddled up against her, unnerved by that phrase.

Rudy said, “You two are so much fun... Maybe I could...”

“Rudy, that is enough.”

Everyone’s attention was now drawn towards the two headed dragon standing not far from them. The dragon wriggled his tails almost in irritation, like he was losing his patience a little. The two dragon heads leaned forward, staring intently at Rudy. The boy took a step away from the barrier, lowering his head slightly in front of Nihilanth.

“We have work to do. We cannot do that until we join together.” Nihilanth said. He moved forward a little, his feet sending some vibrations through the ground as he moved. “Let us not waste time with those two. We will have plenty of time to deal with them.”

Rudy looked at Penny and Snap for a few moments. He turned his gaze towards the two headed dragon. “I suppose you are right, Nihilanth. They can wait.” He started to walk forward, but stopped after the first two steps. He gave a backwards glance at Penny and Snap, smirking at them. “But first...”

Penny and Snap watched, anxiety rising up inside of them, as Rudy raised his arm into the air. He put his fingers together and snapped them. Draow, not a second later, raised his head up slightly and moved even closer to Rudy. He stared at Rudy curiously, awaiting for his orders. It was a sight that Penny and Snap thought they would never see in their dimension. Draow taking orders from their Rudy. This would almost be a good thing...if it weren’t for the fact that Rudy was corrupted now.

Rudy pointed at Penny and Snap. Draow followed his finger, his muzzle trailing the length of his arm, and his teal eyes soon rested on Penny and Snap. He slowly smiled at them, his expression filled with unbridled malice. He turned his head back to Rudy, looking clearly excited to do to them whatever Rudy was going to order.

“Take them into the Solar Pillars. Lock them up.” Rudy ordered Draow. “We need to make sure they don’t...interfere.” He stared intently at the two friends. His eyes narrowed deeply. “And you and I both know how persistant they can be. I will not take chances.”

Draow nodded his head. “Yes, quite. They will be thorns in our sides if we allow them...freedom...” He turned his head to Penny and Snap. “I will take care of them for you...”

“Good.” Rudy said, sneering as Draow prepared to break the shield down. “Oh and Draow?” The bat wolf paused, his foot raised in the air. “Make sure my dear sweet Penny does not get her hands on any magic chalk.” Penny shuddered when his green eyes locked onto her deep brown ones. “I know she can be quite stubborn, and she is quite intelligent. I don’t to give her a chance to break out.”

“Understood.” Draow said.

“And make sure Snap doesn’t get any of that blue chalk.” Rudy pointed a finger at Draow. “He might not be an artist, or that skilled, but he’ll still be a threat to the plan if the blue runt gets even just one tiny piece.” He put his hands on his hips, glaring at Draow. “Do you understand?”

Draow nodded once. “Yes, I do.” His voice was laced in irritation. He really wanted to get on with business. “Trust me...” He lowered his head a little, becoming a little eye level with Penny. She gritted her teeth and took a step back. He chuckled at this. “Neither of them are going to get any chalk...”

“Good... See to it that they don’t.” Rudy said. He looked at Penny, a dark smile spreading across his face. “Enjoy your stay, my dear friends...” He waved to them was Draow broke the shield down with his claws. Although the sound of glass breaking all around them caused the two to scream, holding their ears, Rudy did not react at all to the sound. “For now, I bid you farewell.” He mock saluted them before he walked towards Nihilanth.

Penny and Snap tried to rush over towards him. They wanted to get him away from Nihilanth. They knew fully well what the consequences were if Nihilanth successfully made him his vessel. The evil dragon would have access to the real world. They couldn’t allow that. As soon as the shield was down, despite their ears still ringing from the shatter, the two of them ignored their pain and bolted as fast as they could towards Rudy.

But they weren’t able to run that fast with their injured legs. Their limping became more and more pronounced as a the seconds passed. They tried to ignore it the best they could, but the pain radiating from their legs increased, soon becoming too much to bear. They wound up nearly dragging their legs along the ground. They barely made it past the ring of debris when Draow caught up with them, slamming against them and knocking them into the ground. The two friends screamed as they tumbled along the ground, landing painfully on their stomachs. Draow ran towards them and grabbed them by the back of their necks. Snap gagged when his scarf was tugged roughly, and Penny did the same regarding her shirt collar. The two of them were lifted into the air.

The two friends struggled frantically. They twisted their body from side to side. They pounded against Draow’s jaws, trying to make him let go. The bat wolf growled in irritation, his pupils dilating as he glared at them. But he did not release them, instead, tightening his grip. He began to walk slowly towards the Solar Pillars, taking his time. Penny knew this was because he wanted them to witness what would become of Rudy. She could see that evil smile on his face. He was enjoying this.

Unable to turn away, Penny and Snap watched as Rudy stood in front of Nihilanth. He dropped down onto his knees, his head lowered in submission. Nihilanth stood up on his hind legs. His wings spread out, his tails stretched out and his paws spread out to the side. His heads were thrown back, their muzzles pointing up to the sky. He let out a sound that was like a cross between a roar and a hum, a combination they didn’t think was possible.

Seconds later, Nihilanth started to glow brightly. The light was so intense, even from the black side, that Penny and Snap had to shield their eyes. Draow grunted and turned his head to the side, his eyes shut tightly to conceal them from the light. Penny and Snap, seconds later, did manage to open their eyes a little to see what was going on.

They could see what looked like a tall pillar of light, intermixing of white and black, swirling around Nihilanth. Then, slowly, his body appeared to almost melt. The sight of this was horrifying, even if it was being done to Nihilanth. The body became liquidy, melting and warping behind recognition. Soon Nihilanth was a black and white puddle on the ground, bubbling like he was nothing more htan some kind of tar pit. At first, Penny thought that maybe something backfired, and Nihilanth had died. But unfortunately for them, they weren’t so lucky. Draow was smiling, a good indication that it was not yet over. And sure enough, it wasn’t.

Seconds after the puddle had formed, the center started to rise up. A funnel with a sharp tip danced and squirmed in the air, almost like a tornado being created in the opposite direction. The sharp-like tip rose high into the air and then arched over, ‘looking’ directly at Rudy. The boy kept his head low, not bothering to look up. Penny was tempted to call out to him, warn him to move, but he would not listen. She and Snap were forced to watch, eyes wide in horror, as the light suddenly lunged towards Rudy, moving at incredible speed.

The dual-colored light puddle that they knew was Nihilanth entered Rudy’s body through his mouth. The boy widened his jaws a little more, letting the substance seep into his body. His eyes widened big, as if he were in pain. His eyes began to glow brightly, a mixture of black and white light shooting out of them both. Penny and Snap both let out cries of ‘no’ as Nihilanth went completely inside Rudy. Soon, the light faded away completely, and steam, much like what they saw before, rose up form his body.

Rudy straightened himself up and slowly turned around. His head remained low, as if he were just tired. Then his head shot up, his eyes opening. His eyes glowed, black on his right and white and his left. Rudy looked down at his right hand, twisting it around and flexing his fingers, as if he had just acquired it and he wanted to try it out. A dark smile spread across his face and he looked over at Penny and Snap. As he chuckled, black and white energy swirled around him a little, and soon formed energy wings behind his back, the color of the wing the opposite of the color of his eyes there.

“At long last...” Rudy said, his voice not his own. It was clear that Nihilanth was the one speaking this time. “Rudy Tabootie..belongs...to...us!”

Penny and Snap shivered, their eyes filled with horror. They couldn’t believe what just happened. They didn’t want to believe it. It couldn’t be true. This had to be some kind of bad dream... But just how long could they keep denying it? They had no choice...but to accept reality. Nihilanth....had succeeded in making Rudy his vessel.

“No...no it can’t be...” Penny said softly, shaking her head in denial.

“B-Bucko..” Snap’s voice was laced with emotion. “Please, no...”

The two friends shed a few mournful tears as they stared at what had become of their friend. No longer was Rudy the Great Creator positioned in front of them. Instead, standing before them, was Nihilanth, using Rudy’s body as a vessel, controlling it, making it move to his every whim. What was left of Rudy was pushed back into his deep subconscious, the black chalk taking the reigns. He was no longer a friend, not as he was now. He was the enemy, and the thought tore them apart.

Memories of the two evil versions of Rudy they had encountered in the alternate dimensions filled their heads. Lightning bolts flashed in the back of their heads, one image after the other, taunting them. Light Rudy and Dark Rudy had both left impressions on them. They both frightened them, both terrifying in their own way. They had barely survived them. And now, they were being confronted with yet another evil Rudy, this time, their own. A possessed Rudy, whom was corrupted by the black chalk and now being used as a vessel by Nihilanth.

Penny couldn’t believe this was happening. Of all the people this happened to...why did it have to be Rudy...? The poor guy had enough to worry about. He was already tormented by the black chalk, fearful of what he would become. They had wanted o prevent this. They had been so careful... But it ended up biting them in the face. They had failed to save Rudy, and now he was nothing more than a pawn, being used by Nihilanth.

Rudy, or rather, the body of Rudy, turned his head towards them. He grinned, light shining from his mouth, the light in his eyes intensifying slightly. Penny and Snap cringed back, horrified at what had become of their friend. Then, seconds later, much to their horror, Rudy’s body began to transform. His body twisted and rotated in a sickening way, crunching and snapping sounds filling the air as he grew in size. His body parts twisted and repositioned themselves. His head split in half, almost making the two throw up. These halves turned into new heads, one white and one black. Soon, Rudy’s body had transformed into Nihilanth, completing the vessel integration.

Nihilanth stared down at Penny and Snap, his black and white heads both grinning nastily. “Looks like we win this round, ants.” Nihilanth moved a little closer to them, making Draow stop in his tracks. Nihilanth lowered his black head towards the two friends. His exposed sharp teeth were inches away from Penny’s face as he snorted against her. She turned her head away as she felt his hot breath against her face. “We wonder how you must feel now.. Losing your dear friend to me.”

Snap growled at him. “You won’t get away with this...”

“We shall see about that.” Nihilanth said. He chuckled softly. “Of course, you had the chance to stop us...and you failed...”

“We won’t next time!” Snap declared.

“We do wonder how you will succeed in doing that. Rudy Tabootie belongs to us now.” Nihilanth pressed a paw against his chest. “There is nothing you can do to change that. He is ours... And forever, he shall remain that way. We do hope you had a chance to say goodbye to him... Because you will never see him again.” He turned his head to the side, one white eye shining down on them. “We can guarantee you that.”

Penny shook her head, not wanting to believe it. Nihilanth was just trying to unnerve them, put doubts in their heads so they would be easier to ‘manage’. She wasn’t going to fall for it. Gritting her teeth, she said, “No! You’re wrong!” She squirmed in Draow’s jaws left and right. “It’s not too late! He’s still in there! I know he is!”

Nihilanth stared at her for a few seconds. Then a cold laughter echoed through his body. “Such hope. Such determination. We like that. Well then...” Nihilanth’s white head pulled back, tilting to the side. “We can confirm that yes...your dear friend is inside of me. But not as you knew him. See...black chalk blessing is still with him, as he is trapped in his own mind.” Penny and Snap widened their eyes at this. “And...well...there is a reason we blessed him with black chalk first, before we made him our vessel.”

Snap spoke in an uncertain voice. “And..that is...?”

“To keep Barney in check.” Nihilanth said. He moved his head closer to the two, his white eye staring at them without blinking. “He has become quite a pest. We are sure that our new vessel can keep him from causing too much trouble...”

Penny and Snap stared in horror as the white eye showed a terrifying image. They could see Barney there, but he looked a little beat up. Standing before him was Rudy, or rather the corrupted Rudy they had seen just a short time ago. He had his arms folded and, though there was no sound, they could tell he was laughing. Barney lookd as thoug he were pleading for help, backing up as Rudy moved in to attack him again. Rudy grabbed Barney by his throat and lifted him up. He pulled back a first to punch Barney. Then Nihilanth blinked and the image was gone.

Nihilanth moved his black head away from Penny and Snap. He smiled evilly at them as he watched them look on in horror. Their fear-filled expressions clearly amused him, as if they were the highlight of his day, which they didn’t doubt it was. This sick twisted monster... he was not going to get away with this. Penny and Snap narrowed their eyes, replacing their fear with anger and hate. Nihilanth had crossed the line one too many times. They turned their friend into a puppet, and now he was swinging that puppet like a puppetmaster to beat up Barney... Nihilanth was disgusting, vile...

As Draow started to carry them towards the Solar Pillars, as Nihilanth bid them adeu, Penny and Snap’s minds burned with multiple thoughts. They knew what they were going to do. Despite being afraid, despite the situation feeling hopeless, they weren’t going to give up. They would find a way to free Rudy and Barney from Nihilanth’s grasp. This conniving, vile dragon was not going to get the best of them for long. Sooner or later, he was going to fall.

They would see to that.

sss

Penny and Snap let out a scream as they were thrown into the cell room. Their bodies hit the ground painfully and they rolled across the rocky floor. They hit against the hay that laid strewn about. They pushed themselves up on their hands and they glared in the direction of Draow, who had tossed them into the cell.

“You two will remain here.” Draow said, his eyes narrowing. “You are not to leave, or you will get a...pretty nasty surprise.” He grinned for a few seconds at this before his frown returned. “And just so you aren’t tempted, this door will be locked. So I see it unnecessary to try to bind you... Don’t bother trying to get out. You will not succeed. This door is strong. And you are weak.”

Snap got up to his feet. He started to limp towards Draow, his fists clenched tightly. He was not going to lay down without a fight. He was going to wipe that smirk off of his face. “Weak, huh? Allow me to show you how weak I am...” Snap only stopped when Penny placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, noting her shaking her head.

“We need to think of a plan first, Snap. We can’t just rush over.” Penny said to him gently. She glared in Draow’s direction for a few seconds, then she refocused on Snap. “Just ignore him. Let’s focus on trying to find a way to get Rudy back.”

Snap lowered his head and said, “Yeah, you’re right, Buckette.”

Draow laughed coldly at this. “I’d love to see what kind of plan you hatch to get out of here. Especially without magic chalk!” He leaned forward and sneered at them. “You don’t even have a way of stopping the black chalk! Even if you get out of here, how will you get the black chalk out of your dear friend?”

Snap growled at this, clenching his teeth. But he knew Draow was right. They didn’t know completely how they were going to stop the black chalk. They had thoughts, but no definitive way of stopping it. In order to save Rudy, they needed a way to de-corrupt him. But it wasn’t like any of the black chalk artists were going to tell them that. There was Penny’s mom, but her way was unorthodox and too dangerous. They weren’t going to shove Rudy into an electric fence. Not unless they decided to mercy kill him.

He and Penny remained quiet, glaring hatefully at Draow as the bat wolf moved back away from the door. He slammed it shut, the sound vibrating through the room. They heard the sound of the door being locked, and Draow’s foosteps echoed in the hallway. They grew fainter and soon they couldn’t hear him at all. Penny and Snap were relieved that he was gone. They weren’t interested in seeing him during their stay. Now they could focus on the matter at hand. One question raced through their minds.

How were they going to stop the black chalk?

If they found a way to stop it, a definite, foolproof way, they would gain an edge over Nihilanth and the black chalk artists. If they could figure out how to destroy the black chalk, they would be able to stop Nihilanth’s plans once and for all. Destroying the black chalk was possible. They knew it had to be. They just had to figure out exactly how to go about it.

“Well well...look what the cat dragged in..” A ragged, weak voice said. “F-Fancy seeing you here...”

Penny and Snap raised their heads at that voice. They looked around the room, trying to find the source of that voice. They soon saw something laying on the ground. A ball of yellow fur curled up. A familiar reptile-like head looked at them. They widened their eyes, recognizing instantly who it was.

“Bardot?” Penny asked, her voice laced in shock. “Wh-What are you doing here?”

“He was being used as a battery.” Snap said. His mind filled with the uneasy memories of Bardot being tortured to power the light cannon. Despite being his enemy, that had been an unpleasant image. “They were draining his red chalk outline so they could use that light beam thing, the same one that destroyed the Luminos hideout.”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror, her mind clearly flashing back to the beam of light that killed most of the Luminos and injured many of the survivors. She stared over at Bardot, her eyes traveling along his body. “They really did a number on you.”

“Obvious statement...” Bardot said as he pushed himself up. His body trembled in pain. “I-I have one more use before I die...” He managed to stand up, wobbling a little. “They didn’t bother to chain me because I am so weak right now. Draow threw me around a bit because of what I did to him.”

“What did you do?” Snap asked.”

Bardot managed a weak smile. “I bit him with my v-v-venom...” At this, Penny and Snap gasped in horror, but then that shock turned into confusion. Bardot understood what they were thinking and answered right away. “My venom has become very weak due to the red chalk drainage. I-I-I barely have any venom l-l-left. It will p-probably do little more than m-m-make you a little queasy by now. At the time, it was strong enough to at least knock h-h-him out.” He took in a shaky breath. “B-But it was worth it... I was able to draw that b-bot...”

“Bot...?” Snap asked, tilting his head to the side. “What bot?”

“Homing beacon specifically.” Bardot said. He stared at Snap, his eyes moving up and down. He gave a soft chuckle. “Seeing you here, alive... I can see that it had worked.”

Penny and Snap stared at Bardot in confusion. What was he talking about? What did he mean that it worked? Snap hadn’t even seen this homing beacon. How did Bardot’s plan work? And just what had he been trying to accomplish?

“What worked?” Penny asked, finding her voice before Snap.

Bardot took a few steps towards them. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t g-g-get it...” Bardot limped towards them until he was just a few feet away. “S-Snap, do you wonder how those zoners f-f-found you?”

Snap stared at Bardot. His eyes suddenly widened, his mind instantly making the connection. Did Bardot just...? No, it couldn’t be. This was Bardot he was thinking about. He wouldn’t do something like. This was Bardot, the same zoner that had tried to kill him a couple years ago. Bardot, the same zoner that terrorized ChalkZone and Plainsville. He couldn’t have...

Bardot smiled at his confusion. “I knew you’d react l-like that, Snappy boy...” Bardot said, his voice still scratchy, somewhat fainter than usual. “But I assure you..I speak the truth. I-I-I drew the homing b-b-beacon... Told it to alert the z-zoners of where you were.”

“You...you saved me..?” Snap asked, his mind barely able to comprehend it.

Bardot nodded his head once. “Yes.”

“Why would you...?” Snap wasn’t sure what to make of this. Was there an ulterior motive? Did Bardot, despite being weak, have something up his sleeve?

“I assure you, I did it of my own f-free will. I saved you b-be-because I wanted to. I have no hidden plans.” Bardot said. He looked at the two. His expression showed that he understood they were confused. This just made his smile broaden slightly. “There is... a lot I-I-I want to say to you two. G-Get you caught up a b-bit.”

“Before you do...” Penny took a step towards Bardot. Snap watched her in curiosity. What was she going to do? “I have a question to ask.”

“Fire away.” Bardot said.

“During your stay here, did you learn of anything regarding how to stop the black chalk?” Penny asked.

Snap was a little surprised that Penny was willing to ask Bardot a question, especially one of that magnitude, after such a short time. After all this zoner put her through, he would have thought that she would be reluctant to listen to what he said, that she would remain skeptical of anything he did end up telling her. Then again, she could see Bardot was injured and weak. There was little he could do to fight back. Although he knew Penny wouldn’t do it, she did have the capability of forcing information out of Bardot. And Bardot probably knows she could make him give the information if she really wanted to.

He wasn’t entirely certain if they could trust everything he told them. But then...there was little reason for Bardot to mislead them at this point. He was in a life or death situation and he certainly wasn’t stupid. He would know that his best chance of survival came from them. Decieving them with false information on how to stop the ones who had hurt him wouldn’t be something he’d do, not unless he wanted to commit suicide. And there was no way he could be faking his injuries. Bardot didn’t seem like the type of zoner who let himself be hurt for some convoluted plan.

Bardot took another step forward. His tail, a little jagged from all the outline wounds on it, swished a little from side to side. “Y-Yes.. I had spoken with Mr. Wilter..”

“Mr. Wilter?!” Penny and Snap cried in unison. He was here? How? When did this happen?

Bardot nodded his head shakingly. “Y-Yes. He was ca-captured... Still is here...” He shuddered in pain for a few seconds. “He was here wi-wi-with me... b-before I was dragged off to be used like a b-battery.”

Snap asked, “Where is Mr. Wilter? We need to talk to him.”

Bardot stared at him blankly for a few seconds. Snap was confused. Why was the yellow zoner looking at him like that? Did he stutter? Did he say something wrong? Bardot then looked away, his expression softening up a little as he sighed. Snap didn’t like the sound of that.

“Can you take us to Mr. Wilter?” Penny asked, her voice a little strained. “If you know where he is...”

“I know where he is. B-But...” Bardot clenched his teeth, his eyes furrowing. “You’re not g-going to like what you s-s-see...” He paused for a moment. He looked back at them, the same frown on his face. “And...it’s not like you are going to g-g-get much out of h-him.”

Penny and Snap looked at each other, their eyes wide in confusion and anxiety. What was Bardot entailing? What happened to Mr. Wilter? What wouldn’t they like? Why would Mr. Wilter be unable to speak with them on this important matter? Was he beaten horribly? Was he threatened into silence? Did something else horrible happen to him? Fear twisted their stomachs in knots. Though afraid to, they looked intently at Bardot and asked the question they dreaded the answer to.

“What happened...?” Snap asked.

Bardot looked at them for a moment. He sighed, closing his eyes and lowering his head. He said, “He was lobotomized.”

Penny and Snap felt their blood turn to ice at this.


	129. Never Thought He'd Say That

“L-Lobotomized..?” Penny said in a quiet voice, her body shaking.

Bardot nodded his head. “Yes. You know...a-a-as in his b-brain was cut up.”

Penny felt her blood freeze at this. Her mind had a hard time processing this information. It couldn’t be true... No.. What did Mr. Wilter do to deserve that kind of fate? A part of her wanted to believe that Bardot was somehow lying to her. But in his condition...why would he? It was clear he was as much of a victim as them. Even if she didn’t know the full story, she wasn’t about to call foul when he looked like he had been through a blender multiple times. Bardot would gain nothing through lying here, even if he could outright lie.

Her body shook as emotion swept through her body. Her mind thought back to one of the last times she had seen him. He had been a good source of information at that time, even if they didn’t get everything they needed. He still was a help. He was one of the most valuable people to have around during these dark times, due to his wealth of knowledge regarding the black chalk artists and what happened years ago.

He had a great help when Mr. Cosmo first struck. Her mind thought back to how that evil man had gotten her and Rudy trapped in that horrid building. She had managed to get out thanks to Ms. Saffron, and they had went to get Mr. Wilter. He had driven to the news station as fast as he could, and his interference saved Rudy from being corrupted at that time. He had offered help afterwards and he was one of the reasons how they were able to beat Cosmo. She was grateful for his help.

But now things have changed. It seemed the black chalk artists understood that Mr. Wilter was one of the reasons why Mr. Cosmo lost years ago, and they weren’t going to make the same mistake Cosmo did. They weren’t going to give Mr. Wilter any chance of giving them important information. They had decided to put an end to his meddling, to keep him from remaining a thorn in their side. But instead of simply killing him, they did something so much worse.

They had lobotomized him. Penny shuddered at the word. She could see Snap’s horrified expression. Although he didn’t know as much about anatomy and medical procedures as she did, he was aware of what lobotomy was. Penny recalled learning about it from her mother. Thankfully it wasn’t really used anymore in modern science, at least not regularly. But when her mother described the process, tearing out a part of the brain.. She couldn’t believe that people once thought this was beneficial...

But the black chalk artists certainly didn’t use it for any therepruetic reasons. They did it to permanently damage Wilter’s mind. Penny couldn’t believe they did something this horrible to Wilter. To alter his mind and take away a part of who he was... To make him a broken shell of who he once was... She could just see him in her head right now, curled up in a ball somewhere, barely responsive, hardly speaking, drooling perhaps... If she tried to talk to him in this state, he might not understand what she’s talking about. His memories are probably still there; it’s just that he likely cannot convey or process them anymore.

She felt her stomach burn, twisting in a knot. She would make the black chalk artists pay for this. They will not get away with what they did. They had caused far too much damage. How dare they corrupt Rudy... How dare they brain damage Mr. Wilter... How dare they take away Barney’s free will... How dare they threaten ChalkZone and the real world... Mr. Wilter’s fate did shake her up, but it also sparked more determination in her. Although she could do nothing to reverse the damage and bring Mr. Wilter back to normal, she could try to do something to prevent others from suffering this horrible fate.

“I can’t believe he was lobotomized...” Snap said softly, his wide eyes facing the ground. “I...how did you find out...?” Snap turned his gaze to the injured zoner standing before them.

“I overheard the conversation. J-Jenny m-mentioned it.” Bardot replied.

“Of course.. I knew she would be behind this.” Penny said in a bitter tone. “She’s the ringleader of those three. I can see her getting her hands dirty and performing it herself.”

“A c-c-couple of things I should s-s-say.” Bardot said. He lifted up his paw and pointed one claw up in the air. “First, you would be correct. She, f-f-from what I r-recall, did perform the lobotomy on W-Wilter h-h-herself. And two...” He lifted up a second claw. “You c-c-can re-reduce that num-number to t-two.”

Penny and Snap stared at Bardot in confusion. They wondered what he was talking about. Bardot immediately caught on to what they were thinking and proceeded to explain.

“You s-s-see... Ty-Tyreek had been in the hos-hospital to try to k-kill some of the patients.” Bardot started to say.

“Oh yeah!” Snap cried, pointing a hand in Bardot’s direction. Penny looked down at him. Snap tilted his head up to look at her. “I overheard something about that at the hospital! Tyreek was sneaking around in...I think Mumbo Jumbo’s room, and he was going to inject him with poison. He was captured before he could do anything.”

“Th-That’s true.” Bardot said, nodding his head once. “H-However, he was not treated v-v-very well.”

“Yeah...” Snap lowered his head slightly. “Dr. Lancer had tortured him.”

Penny stared at Snap in shock. “She...tortured him?” Snap looked up at her and nodded. “How...how badly...?”

“It was so b-b-ad that he died from his wounds.” Bardot said. This shocked both Penny and Snap. They looked at him as if they thought they misheard him. But Bardot didn’t show any indication that he had mispoken. He simply stared at them and nodded his head to confirm what he just said. “J-J-Jenny found his body... b-buried somewhere outside th-the hospital.” He flinched in pain. “H-He hadn’t e-e-eaten or d-drank anything in d-days. And he was covered in g-gashes.”

“Oh my g...” Penny whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. Even though Tyreek was an enemy, it was horrible to hear this stuff happening to anyone. She never would have wanted something like that to happen to Tyreek, in spite of all the terrible things he had done. “And Dr. Lancer did that to him?”

Bardot nodded his head. “Yes.”

Snap’s eyes were wide in shock. He looked as though he was having a hard time comprehending this. Penny couldn’t blame him. Neither of them could understand unnecessarily hurting someone else. If Tyreek were on a rampage and Dr. Lancer had no choice, she could understand more. But from what she was hearing, Tyreek was defenseless. If he were captured, he had to be disarmed right? And if he was disarmed, there was no need for unnecessary force, right? Then why would Dr. Lancer do something like that? Was there really something more to her that they just..don’t know about?

The idea frightened her. She hoped that Dr. Lancer didn’t end up being another Dr. Raiden. Although the cheetah had learned from his mistakes, the memories of what he did while he was still ‘brainwashed’ still stuck to her mind. He had been absolutely insane, trying to tear them apart for something they didn’t even do. And for the longest time, he wouldn’t believe them. He wouldn’t listen to them. He refused to sit down and talk. He just continued to follow this ill conceived belief that all creators were evil and anyone associated with them were just as bad.

The thought of another doctor zoner being just as looney scared her. Insane doctors especially frightened her, as they know anatomy quite well, and if there was something wrong with them mentally... She shuddered, trying to push the thought out of her mind. There was a chance that Dr. Lancer wasn’t like that. After all, it had been an enemy she did that to, and it wasn’t like Tyreek was innocent. Sure, she would never want that to happen to anyone, but unlike them, Tyreek had still provoked. She hoped that Dr. Lancer would not start to go insane and attacking those who did nothing to harm anyone.

Penny turned her attention to Bardot. “Do you know why she would do that?”

Bardot shrugged his shoulders. “I-I only know what J-J-Jenny found out. She had taken him o-out of the g-g-grave and brought him back here.” Bardot said. “I was still up in the other r-r-room when she came in with his b-b-body. She had informed Gh-Ghadir about what happened. I had never heard those two sound so h-h-heartbroken before. Ty-Tyreek’s death h-hit them hard.”

“Considering how they act to everyone else, I can’t say I expected something like that.” Snap said. He paused for a moment. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But I do remember something about how the black chalk looks out for each other.”

“Indeed it does.” Bardot replied. “The bl-black chalk causes a st-strong bond to f-f-form among users. They might not have acted l-like it, but those three were close to each other. A s-s-strong bond very much like your f-friendship. When Ghadir was b-b-beaten up by the zoners, J-Jenny was genuinely concerned for her.” He turned his head a little to the side, his green eyes focused on the ground. “And wh-when they f-f-found out Tyreek was d-d-dead, they were devastated.”

As much as she hated the black chalk artists, Penny did feel a pang of sympathy for them. She knew what it was like to lose a loved one. Her thoughts went back to her father...no..her uncle, but he would always be her real father to her. He had been killed by Bardot years ago. She might not have seen him that often, but she still loved him, still cared about him. And when she found out just what Bardot had done to him... She was heartbroken, devastated. She recalled how Rudy had done his best to help her feel better and comforted her. Bardot’s taunting certainly didn’t help.

Being in the presence of his killer didn’t settle well in her stomach. Staring at him, she recalled how the cruel things he had said and done at that time. He was one of the most disgusting and vile zoners she had ever met, and she recalled how satisfied she was when he was locked away somewhere where he could never hurt anyone again. Seeing him filled her with burning anger, remembering just what kind of zoner he was, what he had done.

But she couldn’t bring herself to focus on that. Despite her anger and hate towards this zoner, she wasn’t heartless. She wasn’t thrilled to see him in this horrible condition. She wasn’t going to let her anger get in the way of their current situation. Bardot just might be of some help. He did save Snap’s life earlier, if he was being completely honest there. And he did look like he wanted to get out. Bardot wasn’t stupid. He would be cooperative with them if it meant saving his own life. With his help, they might be able to get out of here.

She turned her mind back to the subject at hand. It didn’t take her long to realize that the bond of the black chalk was going to be problematic. If what she learned about this bond was true, and she was certain it was, and if Jenny and Ghadir was as upset as Bardot said they were... Her eyes widened slightly as realization struck her. The bond of black chalk was like family or close friends. And she knew full well how family members would react if someone they loved was tortured and left to die slowly. And this were the black chalk artists they were talking about. If they become vengeful...

Her mind flashed back to the beatdown Rudy had recieved from all three of the black chalk artists. They had viciously attacked him because they blamed him for Mr. Cosmo’s death. And Jenny had infected him with a virus that slowly turned his insides into chalk...and all because he had defeated Cosmo. They were downright cruel to Rudy. She winced as she recalled just how horribly he had been beaten, and how close he came to dying had it not been for Snap’s interference. If they reacted like that to Mr. Cosmo’s death, would they react similar to this?

Penny knew that they would. Her blood turned to ice as she realized that those two monsters would attack the hospital in retaliation for Tyreek’s death. Her heart pounded as she imagined all those patients, most of him must have been transferred from the other hospital, being harmed or killed in the process. She couldn’t allow that to happen. They needed to find a way out of there, and fast.

Bardot spoke up, breaking the silence.

“I-I do not know if they are p-p-planning a revenge at-attack right now. B-But I do know that they plan on destroying most of the Ch-Chalk Mine.” Bardot said. This horrified Penny and Snap. “Biclops, if I understand r-right, is injured and the m-m-mine is unprotected. J-J-Jenny said something about wiping out the wh-white chalk and spreading b-b-black chalk inside.”

“What?!” Penny and Snap cried.

Penny recalled how three evil zoners created by Mr. Cosmo had tried a similar tactic. They had been equipped with real world water and went into the Chalk Mine to destroy all the white chalk, leaving only red and black behind. She thought it was a little strange for him to leave red chalk behind if he thought it was a failure, but then again, since it was useless to both sides, she could see leaving it there as a tactic. It would be a sort of taunt. The opposing user could either use nothing and dive head long in danger, or they could use the red chalk and be able to draw, just unable to control what they drew.

Now the remaining black chalk artists were going to try something like that again. This time, there was nothing she could do about it. She and Snap were both trapped here. They couldn’t get out and go into the Chalk Mine to stop the black chalk users. And Rudy... he was a slave to the black chalk now, forced to do their bidding. He was not going to help them, no matter how much they begged and pleaded with him. She and Snap were on their own with this. They would have to work together if they were going to find a way to stop the black chalk. Rudy, the real one, he wouldn’t want them to give up. He’d want them to perservere, and that is just what she planned to do.

Bardot continued, drawing her away from her thoughts. “J-Jenny wanted to weaken you. M-Make it harder...for you to fight back...”

Snap grabbed his head and rubbed it a little. “Oy caloy... of all the luck...”

Penny looked at him sympathetically. None of what Bardot told them was anything good. If anything, it was overwhelming. They learned that Mr. Wilter was lobotomized, which was a shocking revelation. Just thinking about it made her heart twist in knots. That was something that could never be undone. That was permanent damage right there. Mr. Wilter may be alive, but he was never going to be the same again. Talk about a fate worse than death...

And then they learned that Tyreek was killed. This was a game changer. The loss of another comrade was going to make the two remaining black chalk artists behave more aggressively. And she had been proven right when Bardot mentioned them wanting to destroy the Chalk Mine. They hadn’t tried this before, even when they had the chance to. Tyreek’s death had pushed them, and now they were going straight for the big gun. By destroying the white chalk, they would effectively disable her and Snap anyone else who opposes them, leaving behind only red and black chalk.

If they had a piece of chalk with them, they could get out of there. Penny wished she had tried to grab her piece that she lost earlier, or at least tried to snatch Draow’s blue chalk from him. Even if they only ended up with one piece, they could still use that to their advantage. With the right strategy, they could turn the tides and find a way to stop the remaining black chalk artists from succeeding with their attack on the Chalk Mine.

Suddenly, Snap’s eyes widened and he took in a sharp gasp. Penny and Bardot looked at him in confusion. Snap looked as though some big realization struck him. He stood there with that expression on his face for several seconds. Then he turned his attention to Bardot.

“Did you say you drew a homing beacon?” Snap asked. He pointed his round hand at the yellow zoner. “As in...actually drew it, not pick it up off the ground and programmed it? Not that you found it laying around and got it to do what you wanted?”

Bardot nodded his head slowly. “Y-Yes...I-I did.”

“So...you must have blue chalk...” Snap said, the revelation practically echoing off of his voice.

Penny widened her eyes at this. Of course.. How could she have missed that? She remembered Bardot’s words just a short while ago. He had said that he drew a homing beacon to help Snap. There was only one way he could have done that. And that was with blue chalk....

But that was a very rare type of chalk, from what she understood. She recalled Draow having a piece earlier, which he only used to draw the shield. So he must have gotten it from somewhere. She wondered just how many pieces he had... She was certain he had gotten at least two pieces. Draow having one, and Bardot the other. The idea of Draow securing not one, but two pieces of blue chalk was frightening to her. Given how rare it was, finding two pieces of blue chalk was unprecidented. How many more did he have?

The blue chalk was a frightening concept to her. On the one hand, it did enable good zoners like Snap fight back against creators, bestowing upon them the ability to counterattack. A zoner with creator abilities would certainly be beneficial in fighting evil creators like Jenny. But on the other hand, it can also turn already dangerous zoners even more menacing. Draow is one such example. He was bad enough already without the blue chalk. Now that he has that zoner-only chalk, he can create like her, and offer counterattacks to anything she drew, and even create traps for her to step in.

In some ways, she regards the blue chalk was more dangerous than the red chalk. She understood how some might think of that as a bit of a stretch, but she had to ask herself a question. Just what was more frightening? A human using red chalk and creating vicious zoners that they could not control, or an evil zoner creating vicious drawings that they could control and orchestrated an unexpected attack? As scary both were, she had to go with the latter.

Bardot said, “Y-Yeah...I d-did...”

“You...did?” Snap asked, his voice sounding a little more deflated from before. “As in...” He paused for a moment, biting his lip. “...you don’t have it anymore..?”

Bardot shook his head. “Afraid not, Snappy boy.” He winced, feeling pain. He continued, “I-I-If I did, do you th-think I’d still be in this trash heap?” He walked forward some more. Each step, he limped horribly, clearly in a lot of pain as he tried to walk. He soon stopped in front of Snap, only about two feet away. He gave a smile to stop. Not an evil one, but not the friendliest one either. “Do you r-r-really think I would have st-stayed here if I had bl-blue chalk?”

“Well I...” Snap said. His voice trailed off, and he sighed. “No, I suppose not.” He folded up his arms, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Darn...” He looked left and right. “I thought we would have had a way out of here.”

“W-Well I’m sure you t-two can figure something out...” Bardot said. “F-F-From what I learned about you... You n-never give up.” He offered a weak smile. “So try to th-think hard for a while. Something w-w-will come up.” He tilted his head slightly. “You will figure something out... I-I-I am sure.”

Penny and Snap smiled a little at this encouragement, but at the same time, they weren’t sure what to make of it. It did feel strange to get encouragement from someone who had been their enemy years ago. This was the same enemy who had tormented them nearly to death. This was the same zoner who had pretty much killed Snap, even if it was temporarily. He was the same vicious zoner who had terrorized ChalkZone two years ago, abused Barney for a year and a half. And now this same zoner was offering them advice and giving them information without so much as a push.

Even if it was just for mutual survival, it still felt strange to recieve encouragement from this guy. Penny supposed that feeling wouldn’t go away any time soon. Even if Bardot did something amazing and saved both of them from Nihilanth, if such an event would occur, she probably still wouldn’t really be sure what to make of him. Right now, she was really only listening to him as he was currently their only source of information regarding what was going on here. It looked like he was here for some time, so she was certain he must know some things with the black chalk artists. And as he had revealed these past several minutes, he did.

“Penny.”

Penny looked over and saw that Bardot was looking straight at her. There was something about his expression that seemed...strange. It was a look she hadn’t seen before on his face. It was almost...not sad, but definitely not a look she’d expect from Bardot. It was different from his pain-filled expressions, although it looked a little similar to that. He had moved past Snap and went towards her.

His body language was different than what she would have expected. Although he still limped, showing he was in pain, he was...the only word she could use to describe it was submissive. Not overtly so. Not like a frightened dog with his tail between his legs. But it was still more submissive than she had ever seen him. She stared at him in confusion. Just what was he up to? What was he going to do?

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to say to you for a few days. This isn’t easy for me t-t-to say. And tru-trust me when I say... you will have a hard ti-time believing this.” Bardot said. “B-But I can’t put it off. Even if I-I tried...I-I co-couldn’t do it. I-I-It would be im-impossible.”

“Okay...” Penny said. She wasn’t sure what to think of this. Just what did Bardot want to tell her? And why was he acting this way towards her? She stood there quietly, waiting for him to continue. Snap looked confused as well. She could see the zoner staring at Bardot, perplexed. “Well?” She asked after a few moments of silence.

At first, Bardot just stood there. He looked left and right, looking uncertain as to how he was going to proceed. She wondered if what he wanted to say was really important. It certainly seemed like it. But it couldn’t be a life or death situation, otherwise he would have spilled it out already. Maybe it was something more personal? Maybe Bardot had information regarding her mother. A long stretch, but it was a thought.

Bardot’s posture became a little more submissive. He lowered himself towards the ground slightly. His ears lowered a tad, drooping rather than flattening in irritation. He averted his gaze from her for the most part, barely giving her a passing glance. He opened his mouth a few times to speak, but he quickly shut it and gave a disgruntled sigh. Whatever he wanted to say, he must be having such a hard time figuring out what to say. She never saw him this frustrated with wanting to speak before.

“It is n-n-not easy for me to ad-admit this, especially after all th-this time.” Bardot finally managed to say. His gaze was still averted from Penny’s. She and Snap watched him, curious to know just what he wanted to say. “I-It’s funny how p-p-pain can make you see things differently.”

“What are you saying?” Penny asked, turning her head slowly to the side, eyeing him curiously.

Bardot looked at Penny, then at Snap, and then looked away. He closed his eyes and sighed softly. “I-I had, for so...so long... I...” He paused for a moment, looking like he was trying to think of the words to say. Whatever he wanted to say, it definitely looked very difficult for him to spit it out. “W-Well...you see... This applies to you too, Snap...” Bardot looked over at Snap and nodded at him in acknowledgement. He looked back at Penny. “Y-You see.. I-I...”

Snap gave a small smile. “Having a hard time saying it, eh?”

“You better b-believe it...” Bardot said. He gave a bitter chuckle. “A-As you can imagine.. I-I-I’m not having an easy time spitting it out. B-But I did t-t-tell Mr. Wilter I would try to m-make the effort to change. And I will stick with that.”

Penny and Snap widened their eyes at this. Did they hear right? Did Bardot just say he was going to...try to change? A part of them wondered if they misheard. This was Bardot after all. He hadn’t shown any sign of changing any time soon. He was downright evil, chaotic, destructive, only helping them because, in return, it would help him survive. It was always about him. They found it hard to believe that he would change any time soon.

“B-B-But it’s not just his words that inspire m-me.” Bardot said. He looked away from the two, shutting his eyes somewhat tightly. “I h-h-had once said that l-life was a g-game and we were all players... Well I-I admit, at the time... I-I-I hadn’t applied the lo-logic to myself. At least..not completely. I-I hadn’t stopped to think...about what it all entailed.”

Snap narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, I bet you didn’t.” His voice was a little more bitter than Penny was used to. But could she blame the zoner? Bardot had caused a lot of pain and death all just to target him, and he had butchered him in a fit of rage. Snap reserved the right to be quite angry. “What you did was disgusting!”

Bardot narrowed his eyes at them. The two friends expected Bardot to retort, like he usually would. They waited for him to quip back with some sarcastic remark, or some insult, or whatever he had up his sleeve. That was what he had done in the past. That was what they were used to. But instead, what he did next surprised them.

“Yes...I know.” Bardot said. His glare softened up as he lowered his head. “I-I know it w-w-was.” He shook his head slowly. “B-B-Being tortured by Jenny did...open my...eyes... I know s-see just what my vic-victims had gone through. And I-I admit I...” Bardot sat down on his haunches, his head still lowered. “I’m not sure what I was th-thinking. It’s one thing to in-inflict the pain. It’s another to ex-experience...it...”

“So...you...” Penny asked cautiously. Her voice trailed off, unable to finish her question. But Bardot understood what she was saying and he nodded his head slowly. Penny snapped her head back in surprise. “I-I don’t believe it.”

“I don’t you that you wouldn’t b-believe me.” Bardot chuckled, a small smile on his face. That smile faded away quickly. “P-P-Pain does a lot to you... Makes you see things...differently. That’s how it was for m-me. I had never thought I’d feel what my v-victims did, even closer to the same degree...than when Mumbo Jumbo beat me up...” He hmphed at that memory. “I-If only I knew that beatdown was going to be a c-cakewalk compared to what Jen-Jenny did to me.”

Penny eyed Bardot up and down. She would certainly believe he was in a lot of pain. There was a nasty gash in his side, the cut looking like it was made from Draow’s wing claw. Most of his injuries were unusual. It took her a while to realize just what it was, but she eventually figured out that his outline was damaged. Not his body specifically. His outline. She hadn’t heard of outline injuries among zoners. It was usually hard to injure that part of them. Somehow, Bardot’s got damaged. She imagined it was excruciating, especially indicated from the way he walked.

Penny, as well as Snap, found it hard to believe that Bardot was actually feeling regret. How much regret, they weren’t certain. But still, any amount of regret from this zoner was shocking. He had never shown regret before, instead either shrugging it off or going as far as victim blaming. Penny almost wondered if this was some clone that was released and the real Bardot was out there. But she knew that was impossible. Bardot was only hybrid zoner in ChalkZone. Even if he cloned himself, his clone would not be half red chalk like he was. As much as it was hard to believe, this really was Bardot. And he was feeling regret.

“I-I see I was wr-wrong to treat life like a ga-game. I was wrong to do all that horrible stuff j-just to get to Snap. There’s..a lot of things I was wrong about.” Bardot said. His tone clearly rang with regret, something that isn’t easy to mimic. “I-It would take me forever to say everything... A-A-And there is something else important I want to tell you. S-S-So I will m-make this quick. I can explain it in be-better detail later.”

“What do you want to say to me?” Penny asked. She glanced at Snap real quick and corrected herself. “Us. What did you want to say to us?”

Bardot glanced at Penny and Snap one at a time. He turned his head away, gritting his teeth. Then he exhaled slowly and turned his attention to Snap. He moved over towards him slowly, staggering from the pain. He stopped when his face was very close to Snap’s. The blue zoner looked uncomfortable with Bardot being that close to him. He moved back a little. Bardot tilted his head slightly, and then took a step back, as if trying to give Snap a little space. Unusual for Bardot.

“I-I am so-sorry for experimenting with you in the past, S-Snap. I am sorry for p-putting you through all that, just for some silly result that I could have gotten wi-without all the things I had done.” Bardot said.

Snap stared at Bardot in shock. He opened his mouth to speak, but Bardot had already turned away from him. He was now walking over to where Penny was. Penny watched as Bardot moved towards her, just as shocked by his apology as Snap was. As confused as she was, though, this did make her more curious to know just what he wanted to say to her.

Bardot soon stood in front of her. He stared at her in the eyes and opened his mouth. He hesitated for a time. It didn’t take him too long to get himself to speak. “I’m...I’m sorry about killing your father...and flaunting about it. I acknowledge I-I was in error then.. A-And I apologize.”

Penny and Snap looked at each other, then back at Bardot, their eyes wide in shock. They were both stunned by what they had just heard come out of Bardot’s mouth. They couldn’t believe that he had..apologized.. Of all the zoners to do this... They never expected this to occur with Bardot. From what they saw of him two years ago, they never would have thought...he’d do something like this. The thought never would have occurred to them.

Penny tried to think of something to say. But she was stunned beyond words. She had never thought, in all her life, that Bardot would actually apologize to her about killing her father. That was something she never thought was possible. Her mind flashed a few times back to that time, how he had taunted her regarding how he killed whom she believed to be her father at the time. How he slowly killed him and then ate him... And now here Bardot stood before her, actually apologizing for it. A part of her wondered if she was dreaming or not.

Neither she nor Snap could think of how to respond to this. They weren’t sure what to say. They never thought they’d hear an apology out of him. Sure, they were surprised when Dr. Raiden finally admitted he was wrong and apologized. But they hadn’t known him that long. And he was not as bad as Bardot had been. Bardot was one of the worst zoners they knew... To hear him apologize...it was unprecidented. Penny felt her body tremble, not from fear, but from the shock of it all. Her mind had a hard time comprehending everything.

It was a miracle.. That was the only thing Penny could think of to describe this situation. It was a miracle. Bardot, of all zoners, had realized he was wrong, admitted to it, and apologized. It was not a full apology; there was so much more he needed to own up to. But apologizing at all was...quite a feat. At first, she wondered if he was somehow lying to them, that he figured out how to lie and was trying it out. But what would Bardot gain from lying to them about this in a situation like this, where he might not even survive? It would seem like a waste of a deceit.

As Penny’s mind reeled from this apology, as Snap rubbed his head as he tried to digest what the two of them had been told, Penny started to wonder something. Maybe there was another way to stop the black chalk besides destroying it. She didn’t know how, but somehow, Bardot’s apology made her start to wonder if a more diplomatic solution was plausible. It would be hard to destroy the black chalk. She knew it had to be possible, but to accompish it, it wouldn’t be so easy. But..what if there was a way to..change it instead?

Bardot managed to change, at least enough to apologize. What if it was possible to get the black chalk to change? She knew the idea sounded farfetched. She knew the unliklihood of it all. She knew not to get her hopes up. But if the chalk could be...changed... Then they no longer needed to worry about the black chalk. They wouldn’t need to worry about finding a way to destroy it, for it would become tame.

She thought back to the zebra chalk. She recalled how the white chalk and black chalk had been fused together, circling each other. She had forgotten if this served a purpose other than being a cure for the disease. But at the moment, her mind was more focused on what Ms. Saffron...the one from the dark dimension...had said about it. Something about ‘purified black chalk’. She had to wonder...would it be possible to reproduce that result on a wide scale?

Bardot interrupted her thoughts.

“I do h-h-hate changing the sub-subject, since I’m sure you two w-want to talk more about this apology of mine...” Bardot looked at them. Seeing the expressions he was getting, he said, “I-I thought so. But we cannot dwell on that matter. W-We will get back to it later. I need to tell you something about Mr. W-Wilter.” He bit his lip for a second. “He..He was going to tell you this himself. But...as you know..he cannot...”

Penny and Snap nodded their heads sadly, recalling what they had been told about the lobotomy.

“I-I cannot give you all the details..fo-for I do not know them. But I will tell you what I...do know...” Bardot coughed a couple times, clearing his throat. “You see..he...was a black chalk user..”

Penny and Snap gasped at this. Mr. Wilter was a what? But..no..that was impossible. If he was..he would have told them, wouldn’t he? Why wouldn’t he tell them? It..had to be like with Mrs. Sanchez. Maybe he just didn’t remember and... No, that made no sense. How would it be possible he’d remember everything else about the past, but not that one detail? Penny didn’t see how that was possible. As much as she and Snap hated to admit it, there was really only one way that Mr. Wilter wouldn’t have brought this up, and the thought tied her stomach in knots.

“B-B-But he didn’t tell you..for he was afraid that y-you would shun him. He kept it a s-secret for so long..never once mentioning it... I admit, even I...before my revelation, thought that was a bit mu-much... for you would start to wonder what more he was keeping from y-you. He had promised...he would try to tell you... A shame he never got that chance.”

Penny lowered her head a little, her mind racing to comprehend this information. Her fears had been confirmed. Mr. Wilter had lied to them all this time. He had lied to them about being the only white chalk user on Cosmo’s side. Maybe he was partially truthful, and he was a white chalk user for a time. But to learn that, even if it was just a short while, he was a black chalk user, and he had never admitted this... The thought left a bad taste in her mouth.

She thought that Mr. Wilter would have trusted them enough with this information. She thought that he’d know he could tell them anything, that he should have owned up to what he did and confess. Even if it was a shocker, telling them the truth as soon as possible was better than keeping it a secret for years. Penny was not angry that Wilter was a black chalk user. She was angry that he hadn’t told them about it, and so was Snap. She could tell from the look in his eyes. Mr. Wilter being a black chalk user for a time, but then not being one during this time, it meant one thing.

It meant that Mr. Wilter had, somehow, broken free of the black chalk...

Penny felt her stomach burn in anger as she realized that. Her mind went back to what they were talking about before, back in the hospital. She and Snap had hoped, at the time, as well as Rudy, that Mr. Wilter would know what to do regarding the black chalk infecting Rudy. They hoped he knew of a way to cure him of it, to stop the black chalk inside of him. He, at the time, informed them of what happened to Mrs. Sanchez, and how she had broken free. But he hadn’t been able to tell them anything useful, and that her mom’s way of getting free was unorthodox and dangerous.

But to learn that Mr. Wilter had escaped the black chalk, presumably without being electrocuted like that, and he didn’t say a damn thing about it... She couldn’t help but feel angry at the man. He had withheld information, important information that could have helped them days ago. If Mr. Wilter had just spoken up earlier, if he had confessed to being a black chalk artist and how he had escaped... They might have been able to stop the black chalk artists already. But instead, just because he was afraid, Mr. Wilter lied to them and refused to give them that important information. He had acted selfish and cowardly.

But.. Penny couldn’t bring herself to stay that angry at Mr. Wilter. He had been given a horrific ‘punishment’. He had been dealt a cruel blow by Jenny. Despite how angry she was at him right now, she didn’t think he deserved something like that to happen to him. She couldn’t imagine what it was like for him....what he must be going through now... Her anger was redirected at Jenny. She would make sure she was brought to justice. She would find a way to prove what she did to Mr. Wilter, and she’d be locked up for a long time.

Snap spoke up, his voice a little shaky from this discovery. “Did Mr. Wilter tell you..how he escaped the black chalk’s control?”

Bardot nodded his head, turning his head to Snap. “He did, a-a-actually. Well... a little. He isn’t entire s-s-sure how it happened.”

“How did he escape?” Penny asked. “What did he do?”

“From what I recall him saying,” Bardot pointed a claw upwards. “It had something to do with the white chalk. Somehow...” He held out his paw in gesture. “The white chalk had freed him.”

Penny and Snap looked at each other, shocked by this information. The white chalk had freed Mr. Wilter... But how? If they could just figure it out, they would be one step closer to stopping the black chalk for good...


	130. Aren't You Happy To See Me?

“So...is he one of them...?” Jenny asked calmly, staring at Ghadir.

Ghadir didn’t look at Jenny. Instead, her eyes were focused on what was in front of her. Standing not far away, chained to the wall, was a zoner. The zoner was a stick figure, a simple drawing that blended in with many other zoners, as stick figures were one of the most common. There was a cuff strapped to his neck, and the chainlink wasn’t long, giving him very little room to manuever. His simple eyes were glaring at her, filled with hatred.

This particular stick zoner stood out to her. He was not like the others. This one...was responsible for that mob that attacked her. Ghadir’s body shuddered once at the memory, her mind flashing back to when those fifty or so zoners ganged up on her and beat her up. Whenever she closed her eyes, those horrible memories came back to her, making it hard for her to ignore. How could she ever forget something that horrible...?

The stick figure glared at her still, his teeth gritted in determination. Even in the face of capture, the zoner still put on a strong front. He hadn’t begged for mercy or acted scared the whole time he was here. Usually, this would amuse Ghadir, as it meant that she had another zoner she could break. But given what happened to her because of this zoner, she couldn’t help but feel unnerved by his fearlessness. Shivering, she took a step back.

“Y-Yes...” Ghadir said. She lifted up a finger and pointed at the glaring stick figure. “He is the one who led the attack on me. I’d know his face anywhere...”

Ghadir didn’t like feeling afraid. She didn’t like having those feelings wrapped tightly around her heart. She wanted to go back to how she used to be, before the attack on her a few days ago. But ever since that attack, and ever since the incident with Boorat, she had been more nervous than usual. She hadn’t even left Solar Pillars that much, preferring the current safety of that place over wandering around ChalkZone. She couldn’t forget the words this evil stick figure told her, about how he was going to make her sorry. They echoed in her head, never leaving her alone.

The stick figure zoner must have smelled her fear. She thought she saw a quick sneer from him before he tried to rush after her. Though he was immediately pulled back by the chain, the sudden lurch forward accompanied by the angry cry was enough to startle Ghadir. She let out a scream and jumped back, turning her body to the side defensively. She looked at the zoner with wide fear-filled eyes.

A part of her felt disgusted. Just how did she go from actively hunting any zoner she wanted to, to being afraid of one of the least detailed, most basic type of zoner, who happened to be chained up at the moment? She felt so pathetic and weak, and yet she couldn’t bring herself to show anger to him. Him reminding her of that beatdown she recieved did little to help her psyche.

“It’s okay...” Jenny said. Looking at Ghadir sympathetically, she walked over to her and put her arm around her. Pulling her in a half hug, she continued, “He will not hurt you. Not ever again. He won’t hurt any of us anymore.” Jenny shot a glare at the stick figure zoner before turning her attention back to Ghadir. “And we will avenge Tyreek’s death. Don’t you worry.”

At the mention of Tyreek’s name, Ghadir’s eyes widened, and she gave a soft whimper. Tyreek... Jenny had found his body buried outside the hospital. Upon analysis, she could see he hadn’t eaten anything for days, and he seemed largely dehydrated. From the horrible markings on his hands, Jenny deduced that he was chained up in a room and just there, save for a few beatings, as his body was not in the best of shape.

Ghadir felt tears form in her eyes. As much as Tyreek sometimes drove her nuts, she still cared about him. They were black chalk brethren after all. It was part of their instinct to look out for each other. Even if Tyreek were threatened, he wouldn’t just give out information. He wouldn’t betray them. He’d rather die before he relinquished information. And sadly, that is just what happened. When Jenny found him, Tyreek was along dead, his body colder than usual. It was too late to save him.

Tyreek’s death was a blow to both of them. Black chalk artists were precious to each other. The loss of one had a great impact on everyone. It was going to be hard functioning without their third member. But Ghadir knew, deep down, that is just what they will have to do. They couldn’t just stand around and do nothing. That isn’t what Tyreek would have wanted. They had to move forward, and continue on with Nihilanth’s planning. They were getting closer.

Tyreek wasn’t the only loss they had suffered. Cosmo was lost to them years ago. That wretched Rudy Tabootie kid had killed him three years ago, when Cosmo was trying to put forth his brilliant plan. If Rudy hadn’t interfered, Cosmo would have succeeded in enslaving ChalkZone, and things would then fall into place much easier. The thought of Rudy heartlessly killing Cosmo... Yeah it looked like an accident, but Ghadir knew better. She knew, on some level, Rudy did that on purpose... And he was going to pay for it. He was not going to get away with killing Cosmo, with runing that man’s plans, with destroying his beautiful equipment...

The thought of what Rudy did filled Ghadir with anger. Some of her fear was set aside, replaced with this anger that was building up. She stared at the stick figure zoner, imagining, for a moment, it was Rudy. She gave a faint dark smile at this. What she wouldn’t give to see that boy locked up, getting the punishment that he so richly deserved.

Jenny interrupted her thoughts.

“Ghadir...if you don’t want to be here for this, I’ll understand.” Jenny’s voice was gentle, more so than how she’d normally talk. She gently squeezed Ghadir’s shoulder. “Just say the word, and I’ll let you leave. Or would you rather stay here?”

Ghadir thought about this. She looked over at the stick figure zoner. Being around him did fill her with anxiety, especially whenever the zoner kept trying to rush at her, in spite of his chains. He looked like he was enjoying her fear and wanted feast on it. Perhaps an exaggeration, but it wouldn’t really surprise her that much. A part of her would rather leave and just let Jenny deal with this monster.

But on the other hand, it would be nice to see this zoner, the same one who had tormented her a few days ago, get what he deserved. She would enjoy watching Jenny hadn this guy’s ass to him and teach him a lesson that he’d never forget. Seeing justice being dished out at him would make her feel better, she was certain. She would feel after knowing that he was taken care of. He wasn’t the only zoner in that crowd, but he led them, and what better way to teach the group as a whole a lesson than by taking out their leader?

“I’ll stay and watch.” Ghadir said after being silent for a few moments. She managed to get herself to smile again. “I will be honored to watch you take care of him.” She lowered her head in respect for Jenny. With Tyreek gone, she will become more obedient, less argumentive. They couldn’t afford that right now. “If you don’t mind of course.”

“No, of course not. Why would I mind?” Jenny asked with a grin. “It will be my pleasure in improving your mood.”

The two comrades smiled at each other for a few moments. They both took the time to reflect that they were all what they had left for each other, at least in terms of being the same species. Due to Tyreek’s death, they were going to watch each other’s backs more. Ghadir decided it was best she did not leave Jenny’s side as much as possible. It had been a mistake to separate before, and she admitted that may have helped in their bad luck.

But not anymore. They would not separate. They would not leave each other’s side. From now on, they were in this together. And it was all going to start right now.

Jenny turned her attention to the stick figure zoner. All kindness swept away from her face, replaced with hatred and a strong desire for revenge. Ghadir hung back, letting Jenny take the reigns. She watched from a distance as the blonde nurse walked over to the stick figure zoner. Her posture was calm and collected, as if she were just walking over into some kind of meeting. But those eyes of hers, ice blue and blazing, they told an entirely different story.

The stick figure zoner started to lose a little bit of his cool as Jenny got closer to him. His expression softened up and he started to squirm back a little. But despite the little bit of fear he was finally showing, that did little to change the expression on his face. It had only lightened up a little, but the glare as still there. He twisted himself left and right, but never once did he call out for mercy, or beg her to let him go. It seemed as though this zoner was going to try going down with a fight. Ghadir narrowed her eyes slightly. Jenny would see about that.

Jenny folded her arms against her chest. She stared directly at the zoner, their eyes meeting. If looks could kill, both of them would be shooting lasers out of their eyes, frying the other. The stick figure zoner, whose arms were not bound, tried to pull the chain off his neck, which made Jenny laugh coldly. At this, the zoner tried to attack her. Jenny responded by reaching out and grabbing him by his arm, twisting it roughly. The zoner’s eyes flew open and he let out a grunt of pain.

Jenny, still twisting his arm, said, “You might have thought you were so clever... Following Mr. Wilter’s idea and gathering up that army to hunt down Ghadir...”

At this, the stick figure zoner looked at Jenny in confusion. “Mr. Wilter? What are you talking about?”

Jenny growled at this. She released the zoner’s arm, then grabbed his neck. She slammed him against the wall as hard as she could. The zoner cried out in pain and gripped her arm, trying to push her back. Jenny’s anger and hate for the zoner was clearly giving her a bit of extra strenght, as the zoner was not able to push her back much.

“Don’t you fucking play games with me, zoner!” Jenny snarled at him. Her grip on his neck tightened. She gripped his head and held it still. She put her face close to his. “I know exactly what you did!” The zoner’s eyes had a little spark of fear in them as Jenny started to chew him out, her voice calm and low. “You spoke with Horace Wilter a few days ago, before I had him recaptured. He gave you the idea of ganging up on one of us. Then you orchestrated that mob, and you relentlessly attacked my comrade...”

“I-I don’t know...” The zoner said, confusion laced on his voice. “I have no idea what you are talking about, I swear! I-I did not speak to this Horace Wilter guy!”

Jenny narrowed her eyes. “A likely story...” She released the zoner and took a few steps back. She watched as he panted a few times, recovering from the sudden, though mild, assault. “I am not so easily fooled. You should have thought more clearly before you messed with a black chalk artist. And now it’s going to cost you.”

The stick figure zoner widened his eyes slightly, then narrowed them. “Go on, kill me! I don’t care!” He twisted himself, trying to yank the chain out of the wall. “If that’s the worst you got, go ahead! I’d rather die than see myself bow down to the likes of you!”

Ghadir raised an eyebrow. She was a little surprised at how much courage this zoner was showing. Even in light of being killed, he still acted fearless, still stood up for what he believed in. A part of her found that admirable. Another frightening. And at the same time, she thought it was foolish. This zoner clearly had no idea just what he in for. From Jenny’s expression, she could tell the woman had something else in mind for this zoner Jenny was never one for just outright killing. She...loved to get the message drilled in as deeply as possible.

“I see...” Jenny put her hands on her hips. “Is that what you think I’m going to do you?” The zoner blinked in confusion. “Do you think I’m just going to put a gun to your head and shoot you?”

“Uhh...” The zoner didn’t know how to respond to that. “Yes...?” He finally said. His confused expression stayed there for a few seconds. Then he shook his head and narrowed his eyes. “That’s exactly how you are! You will kill me and then display my body for my fellow zoners to see!” Jenny cocked an eyebrow at this. “It’s true!” The zoner pointed a finger at Jenny. “Why are you playing innocent?! You know that’s what you’ll do!”

Ghadir couldn’t help but chuckle. She took a step forward, some of her fear casting aside as amusement welled up inside of her. She shook her head as she stared at the stick figure zoner. This was getting interesting. If only he knew just what kind of person Jenny could be. If only he knew how harsh Jenny can be when dealing out revenge in the name of those she cared about...

Jenny raised up a piece of black chalk. The zoner’s eyes widened a little, and he turned away, some of that courage finally breaking down. Soon, it would be completely gone after Jenny was through with him. Ghadir watched, smiling, as Jenny drew in the air, lines filling the space, and, in seconds, a needle materialized. It dropped down, and the blonde woman caught it. Clutching the needle in her hand, she moved towards the zoner.

The zoner didn’t go down without a fight. He swung his fists at her, trying to attack her as she got closer. Jenny moved left and right, dodging the attacks easily. The zoner struggled to move forward, tugging hard at his chains, gagging. He glared hatefully at her, doing whatever he could to hide his fear and look brave in front of them. He clearly wanted to remain defiant ‘till his last breath. Even as Jenny grabbed his arm and yanked forward, he still did not let up, even managing to scratch Jenny with the tips of his stick fingers.

Jenny jabbed the needle into the thin arm. Pushing the bottom of the needle, she injured the liquid into his arm. The stick figure’s eyes widened briefly in horror, but soon he returned to fighting back, punching her and kicking her in desperation. Jenny, though in pain, did not let go of him until all of the liquid went into his arm. Then she threw the needle to the ground.

She shoved the zoner against the wall, pinning him with her body. The zoner grunted in pain and struggled to get free. Jenny reached over and undid the cuff that secured him to the wall. After he was free, she wrapped her arms around him, almost as if to hug him, and started to yank him forward. She wrestled with him as he clawed at her for freedom. He tried to move towards Ghadir. The large woman backed away a little, but she could not tear her eyes away from what was happening. Amused, she watched as the stick figure zoner was wrestled affectively into the ground.

The stick figure zoner twisted himself in her grasp, his body squirming to get free. He glared at her with eyes filled with contempt. “I might be gone soon, but at least I’ll die with dignity, knowing I did something against you!” With that, he managed to punch Jenny on the face, knocking her back.

Ghadir watched in shock as the stick figure zoner managed to slip away from Jenny. Before the blond could react, the stick figure sprinted towards Ghadir. The large woman took a step back, her eyes widening in fear. Then she narrowed them and she took a fighting stance. She wasn’t going to allow this zoner to intimidate her any longer. She waited for the zoner to get close enough, and then she was going to teach him a lesson. She’d show him that his grip on her was gone.

But before the zoner could even get close enough, something unexpected happened.

The zoner suddenly collapsed to the ground. He let out a cry of surprise as his chin hit the ground painfully, forcing him to bite his own tongue. A little blood trickled from his mouth. He weakly moved his head from side to side, trying to look behind him. The rest of his body tried to move, but he could barely lifted up his pinky finger, let alone stand up at all. His courageous expression was replaced with horror and fear as he watched Jenny slowly approaching him from the side, a nasty smile spread across her face.

Chuckling, Jenny knelt down beside the zoner. She looked him over, her eyes traveling along his unmoving form. She grabbed him roughly by his shoulder and pushed him so that his stomach faced the air. The zoner’s eyes filled with more horror. Despite showing he wasn’t afraid of dying, he couldn’t hide the fear of himself being forced in a vulnerable position like this. His body squirmed what little it could move, but his legs and arms barely budged.

“I am surprised you think I would just kill you off just like that. Did you really think I was going to let you go that easily?” Jenny chuckled bitterly, licking her lips slowly. “No, I have something special planned for you. This stuff I injected you with will make you much easier to..handle. I need you as still as possible for what I’m about to do to you.”

“What...what are you...” The stick figure zoner said, his voice strained. “...going to do to do me...?”

Jenny smiled twistedly. “You are going to be the ‘lucky’ zoner to try out this latest model... a little something leftover from Mr. Cosmo himself...” The zoner’s eyes widened a little, clearly recognizing Cosmo’s name. “Trust me, after this..you are going to wish you were dead...”

The stick figure zoner tried to cringe away, but whatever Jenny gave him kept him still. His eyes traced along Jenny’s hand as she drew something else. Ghadir watched, curious as to what Jenny was going to do. She was often fascinated by the things Jenny could come up with. When she saw that Jenny drew a scalpel, this peaked her curiosity. Just what was Jenny planning on doing? And how was it connected with Mr. Cosmo?

Ghadir soon got her answer. Jenny walked away from the zoner. Ghadir and the zoner watched, both confused and curious, for different reasons, as Jenny moved towards one of the only cabinets in this room, placed all by its lonesome at the side. It was hardly used for much except for storing a few things. Jenny opened it up and reached inside. As soon as she pulled out a water bottle and a small object, Ghadir instantly knew just what Jenny was planning. The realization of this amused her, making her smile.

The zoner, on the other hand, was freaking out. She tried to struggle some more. The longer his body barely moved, the more he panicked and the louder his voice got. So much for bravery.. Ghadir smirked at him. She knew that, sooner or later, that brave facade would break down. It was just a matter of pushing the right buttons. She bet he wasn’t so eager to leave this place alive, now that he knows his fate is worse than death. She could just see it now. The thought of this zoner begging and pleading for mercy would be music to her ears. Nice payback for what he had done to her.

“N-No..you can’t be serious...!” The stick figure zoner cried. “I-I heard about what happend to S-S-Snap... You are going to do the same thing to me?!”

Jenny stared at him, then laughed. “I see you catch on very quickly.” She moved closer to the zoner. She knelt down beside him, her blue eyes boring straight into his. “I admit, I was not very happy when I learned that Rudy destroyed Cosmo’s perfect creations. That little brat has been a thorn in my side for so long... But if Nihilanth’s plan goes well, he will no longer be an issue. Now as for you...” She reached down and stroked the zoner’s cheek, making him cringe. “I will have a little fun with you.”

Ghadir took a step forward. “You were able to replicate Mr. Cosmo’s mind control device?” Jenny looked over at her and gave a smile. “How were you able to do it?”

“I’ll fill you in on the blanks later, Ghadir.” Jenny said, staring at Ghadir for a moment, and then shifting her gaze back towards the frightened zoner. “I need to take care of this guy...” She chuckled as she locked eyes with the zoner. “Oh yes..you will be part of my revenge..”

“P-Part of it...?” The stick figure zoner asked, confused.

Jenny nodded her head. “Oh yes. Just part of it. What...?” Jenny sneered, tilting her head to the side. “You think I’m going to just stop at tormenting you? Oh how sadly mistaken you are...” Her fingers traced along the back of the zoner’s head. She moved her hand down his face and along his shoulder, gently massaging it. The zoner was creeped out by this. “Oh no, I have something special in mind for you. See..I’ll use you...as bait.”

The stick figure’s eyes widened at this. “No...you can’t!”

“Oh I can, and I will.” Jenny sneered at him. “So prepare yourself, little zoner. For this...is what happens when you threaten one of my comrades. I may not have been able to save Tyreek from you assholes... But I can save Ghadir.” At this, Ghadir smiled. “I will make sure she never has to worry about you...” Jenny put her face close to the zoner’s. “..ever again...”

With that, Jenny lifted up the scalpel. She held the zoner’s head down, gripping it tightly. The zoner squirmed what little he could as Jenny cut into his forehead. The zoner let out a cry of pain as the sharp blade cut through his skin. The blade was pushed in far enough to touch his skull, and then, slowly, she moved down. The zoner let out a series of small cries as the blade scraped against the bone in his head. Blood trickled down.

After she was finished with that, Jenny took out the water bottle. Releasing the zoner’s head for a little bit, Jenny twisted the cap off, dropping it beside her. She then drew a small eyedropper. She lifted the bottle and tilted it, letting the water move closer to the mouth. She placed the eyedropper in there and used it to obtain a small portion of the water inside. Once she got it, she placed the bottle back down, setting it far enough away from her so she wouldn’t accidentally trip over it. She smiled at the zoner as she moved towards him again.

“N-No..please..don’t do this...” The stick zoner whimpered. “I-I don’t want this.. Please just kill me.. I’d rather die than allow this to happen.. Please...”

Jenny narrowed her eyes. “There’s no way I’m going easy on you. Not after what you did.”

“Please..I’m..I’m sorry!” The zoner trembled as hard as he could under the influence of the drug. “I’m sorry I attacked her! I-I won’t do it again! I’ll leave her alone! Just..please..d-don’t do this...!”

Jenny stared at him for a few seconds. It looked at first she was going to consider his offer. But her eyes soon narrowed. “Too late for that, zoner.” She said the word ‘zoner’ with a concoction of venoms. “Far too late...”

The woman brought the eyedropper over to the zoner. She held it above his head, just inches away from the gash she gave him. The zoner shivered and whimpered in fear and anxiety as Jenny squeezed the tip of the eyedropper, pushing the water out. In seconds, a drop of water landed in the middle of the zoner’s forehead. The zoner instantly screamed loudly, his weak thrashes gaining a little strength. Jenny and Ghadir smirked as the drop of water slowly dissolved the zoner’s head, making the wound bigger and deeper. Blood dripped down the side of the zoner’s head.

Jenny stopped the bleeding by taking her finger, wrapped in her own clothing, and shoved it into his wound. She ignored his screams of agony as she roughly twisted her finger in the hole, getting enough of the water out so it would no longer be life threatening to the zoner. She pulled her finger out, not bothering to be careful, agitating the zoner more. She looked at the blood on her finger. She shrugged her shoulders and looked down at the zoner.

Jenny gripped his head, placing two fingers on the hole, and spread it apart a little. The zoner let out a yelp of pain. Ghadir moved in closer, her eyes locked on the hole. She could see a thin layer of red, the zoner’s flesh, and she could see the bone and its interior. At the very bottom of the hole, she could see a tiny opening and a speck of pink. The zoner’s brain she assumed. She watched as Jenny shoved her finger in again, twisting it around. The zoner screamed again and again, tears flowing down from his eyes. After Jenny was certain the pathway was clear enough, Ghadir knew what was about to come.

The blonde nurse then held out the mind control device. Ghadir wasn’t sure where she got it from or when she had made this, but she didn’t care right now. At this point, she was standing beside Jenny, watching in sick satisfaction as the zoner who tormented her got karma biting him back. The fear she felt for him disappeared completely now. She felt safe around him. She felt in control, even though it was Jenny doing the work. She knew this zoner would never hurt her again, so there was no longer a need to fear him.

Jenny placed the mind control device against the zoner’s head, placing its sharp tip into the hole. The zoner screamed again, whining and whimpering so pathetically. His body trembled harder from the pain, his body moving quickly to struggle. Jenny started to push the device into his head, using both hands and pressing down hard. A few times, the stick figure zoner let out screams of agony, mixed in with pleas to let him go.

The nurse looked over at Ghadir, motioning her head to where her pocket was. “Take my black chalk and draw a hammer.”

The zoner’s pupils dilated at this. “No! Please! Don’t! Not that!”

The two black chalk artists ignored the zoner’s pleas. Ghadir, smiling evilly, took the black chalk. She sneered at the frightened zoner, a part of her wondering why she was even scared of this zoner in the first place. She quickly drew the hammer that Jenny asked for. She made sure it was the right size for the task at hand. She moved it over to Jenny, who took it from her instantly. Jenny then held the nail tighter between two fingers and rested the hammer against the tip of the nail.

She moved the hammer up and down slowly at first, trying to get a trajectory angle so she could strike correctly without killing the zoner by mistake. The zoner kept pleading with them to let him to or just kill him. He begged them not to do this. His pleas fell on deaf ears. In a matter of seconds, Jenny started to pound the hammer against the zoner’s skull. Each strike verberated through the zoner and into the ground. The zoner’s eyes snapped open wide and he let out bloodcurdling screams, his body thrashing harder than before.

Ghadir grabbed the zoner so that he didn’t cause Jenny to slip up. He gripped his shoulders and neck and held him down. Jenny kept pounding the needle, the clanging sounds intermixing well with the screams of the zoner. Ghadir watched in amusement as the zoner’s body trembled and shook in pain and fear. Then, as Jenny slammed one more time as hard as she could, and there was a slight crack sound, the zoner’s eyes flew open, his body convulsed once, and then he went limp. Jenny moved back, dropping the hammer. She and Ghadir looked down to see what they had managed to accomplish so far.

They could see the hammer had been forced half way into the skull. It wasn’t yet put in all the way, but at this point, it was at least secure, no longer wobbling like before. Trickling blood poured from the sides of the puncture wound, moving down the side of the now unconscious zoner’s face. The zoner was still breathing, his mouth wide open and his breaths ragged and quick. Ghadir released him, no longer needing to hold him down like she had before.

Jenny picked the hammer back up and resumed her work. The woman hammered the nail, pushing it further and further into his skull. Ghadir watched as, with each resonating blow the zoner recieved with the hammer, the nail got pushed deeper and deeper. Soon, the hammer was able to push the mind control device all the way in, the round tip covering the whole, and the tip surely touching his brain by now. Jenny looked over at Ghadir and gave her a reassuring smile, a way of letting her know her attacker had been dealt with. Ghadir gave a grateful smile back.

Jenny held out her hand expectantly a few seconds later. Ghadir understood what she wanted and handed her the black chalk she had borrowed. Jenny drew some rope and went to work typing up the zoner. She bound his arms behind his back and his legs together. She then grabbed the zoner in her arms, hoisting him off the ground as she stood up. She slung him over her shoulder like he were just a sack of potatoes.

“I’m going to take him down to one of our holding cells. I know just the one, too.” Jenny said. “I think Bardot might...want the company...” She chuckled darkly as she said this.

Ghadir nodded in agreement. “After what he’s been through, I’m sure. Who knows?” She shrugged her shoulders. “He might even thank you for it.”

Jenny laughed at this, as did Ghadir. After they were finished, Jenny said, “I’ll be back. I won’t leave this building. That I promise. I’m just going to drop off this zoner. After I come back, we will discuss just how we will get the other fifty whatever zoners that harmed you.” She stared at Ghadir in the eyes, showing her just how sincere she was. “I promise, none of them will get away with hurting you. I swear it.”

Ghadir said, “Yeah...I know they won’t.” She gave a small smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Jenny said. With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Ghadir alone in the room.

Ghadir wasn’t alone for very long. She heard the sound of footsteps. Heavy ones, and a clanging sound of something sharp hitting the ground. She knew who it was. She turned her head to greet her visitor.

“Hello, Draow. If you wanted to see Jenny, she’s busy right now.” Ghadir said. She shoved a thumb in the direction Jenny went. She watched as Draow approached slowly, emerging from the black light shadows of the hallway. “If you hurry, you might catch her.”

“I’m not here for her.” Draow said. He paused, tilting his head. “Well it would have been nice...” He waved his wing dismissively, like it were a hand. “It’s not important who I tell this to. If you see Jenny before I do, you can deliver the message.”

“What message?” Ghadir asked, narrowing her eyes in curiosity. “Is there an update?”

Draow nodded his head. He grinned broadly. “I have some excellent news!”

Ghadir’s eyes twinkled at this. Some good news would definitely be nice after the string of bad luck they had lately. After her attack, after Tyreek’s death, it would be nice to hear some good news, anything to show that things were going their way once more.

Draow didn’t bother waiting for her to ask to continue. He spread his wings out, his head looking up towards the ceiling. “Our master, Nihilanth, was able to secure Rudy as his vessel!”

Ghadir’s eyes widened in shock at this. She couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t sure of Nihilanth could pull it off. She was worried those brats would do something to stop him. But now..she didn’t have to worry about that anymore. Nihilanth, he..he had done it... Ghadir felt her mouth tick into a smile. This was wonderful news indeed. Not only was Rudy stopped completely, but now his body was going to be used to move forward with their plan. They had lost a great enemy and gained a valuable asset.

A part of her wanted to go to Jenny and tell her the great news. She wanted to inform her comrade that things were looking up for them once more. But she decided to wait. There wasn’t really a need to inform her right this second. She could tell her whenever she gets back. It wouldn’t take her long to secure the prisoner anyway.

“Jenny will be pleased.” Ghadir said, an evil smile spreading across her face.

Draow nodded his head. “Indeed she will. Penny and Snap are our prisoners as well.”

Ghadir looked at him in surprise. “They are?” Draow nodded his head. “Where did you put them?”

“The same cell where Bardot is in.” Draow replied.

At this, Ghadir’s eyes widened slightly. She looked at where Jenny had gone. Perhaps she should have went with her. After losing Tyreek, she knew that it wouldn’t be a good idea to take chances when things looked like they could start going wrong again. Perhaps she should rush over where Jenny disappeared, keep her company so Penny and Snap could not escape. They were threats to their mission and they had to be contained.

Ghadir turned to Draow. “I’m going to go with Jenny. I don’t want to give those brats any kind of leeway. Knowing them, they might find a way to trick Jenny and free themselves.”

Draow laughed almost bitterly at this. “Do you really think they stand much of a chance of getting out?” He tilted his head to the side, staring at her with one teal eye. “You are so paranoid.”

Ghadir glared at him. Sometimes, she wished that he had stayed the silent zoner she and practically everyone else thought he was. She replied, “I will not underestimate them, Draow. In case you haven’t noticed, we lost a member today. Do you want to lose more?”

Draow’s ears lowered slightly, barely moving. “I’m aware of what happened to Tyreek.” He took a step forward. “And I promise you, that situation will be taken care of.”

“What do you mean?” Ghadir asked, raising an eyebrow. “Did Nihilanth tell you to do something?”

“Affirmative.” Draow said, nodding his head once. “Not long before I carried Snap and Penny into the Solar Pillars, Nihilanth told me to take care of the zoners responsible for Tyreek’s death.”

“He knows?” Ghadir asked, her eyes slowly widening.

“Yes. Our master has a...way of seeing things going on in ChalkZone. How do you think he has been, thus far, able to plan correctly, and get his way?” Draow asked with a sneer on his face. “He knows the identity of Tyreek’s killers. And they will both be dealt with swiftly.”

Ghadir stared at Draow in shock for a few seconds. She knew that Nihilanth was powerful, but she didn’t realize that he could see different places of ChalkZone if he so desired. She wondered to what extent he could do this, and what it entailed. But what had her attention the most was that Nihilanth knew just who killed Tyreek. The question grabbed her attention. She was still reeling from his death. She...she had to know who killed him. She needed to know who took Tyreek away from them.

“Who...?” Ghadir asked, her hands clenching into fists. “Tell me who is responsible for the death of Tyreek...”

Draow lowered his head. His eyes narrowed as his pupils dilated. His lips curled back into a snarl. His fur bristled. Ghadir could tell that just mentioning the names of the killers was enough to anger Draow. Seconds later, he spoke their names.

“Dr. Lancer and Quirk..”

sss

Dr. Lancer sighed as she stood in her room...or what used to be her room. Sure, her stuff was still here. Files, folders, her personal belongings, all of that. But in a few days, she would have to clear it out. She no longer worked here and the only reason she hadn’t been forced out yet was because her boss decided to let her stay until the end of the week so she could get a full paycheck.

But she didn’t really care so much about the money. Her mind was focused on the reason she had been kicked out. She..she didn’t meant do it. She replayed her actions the past few days over and over again, her body aching with emotion whenever she thought of a time when she could have done something different. There were so many things she could have changed, so many different paths she could have taken. And instead...she chose this...

She would never forget Tyreek’s last moments as she held him in her arms. She’d never forget how scared he looked when he saw her, how weak he sounded, just how badly hurt he was... And it was all her fault. She had allowed anger to get in the way of her judgment. She had dragged her friend Quirk into this, and because of that, she was going to stand trial, as will her. They both had a hand in Tyreek’s death. Even though he was a black chalk user, she and Quirk still needed to face justice themselvse. Murder was still a crime, no matter the alignment of the victim.

After she buried Tyreek outside, she had confronted her boss right away. It wasn’t easy for her and Quirk to admit to what they had done. It was even harder explaining way. It wasn’t just her consumed with anger at what Tyreek had become. Quirk had known him before the corruption and was friends with him as well. Tyreek may not have remembered them, but like her, Quirk did. And the two had reacted out of anger at what the black chalk did to the person who was once their friend and they..got carried away. Dr. Lance was always stricter...but she had gone too far this time.

Her boss agreed with her on that. Although he understood why she was angry, he still had to fire her for what she had done. The other doctors, most of them agreed with the decision. A couple did not, and they tried to get her back in, but they were outvoted. Dr. Lancer didn’t really care if she kept her job or not. If anything, after what she had done, she deserved to get fired. What she had done..she’d never forgive herself for.

Dr. Lancer had killed someone. She had cruelly tortured someone and just...left them to day. It had been accidental, with the bit about leaving him in that room for days. But there was no denying it. Becaus of her, Tyreek had died a slow and painful death. By the time she had gotten to him, it was too late already. The water did not save him like she had hoped it would. She closed her eyes, letting tears drip from them as she recalled the horrible things she said and did to Tyreek. She was his creation. She should have focused on trying to save him, no punish him.

She heard the door open up behind her. She turned her head. She saw Quirk walking inside. She stared at her for a moment and then looked away. She wasn’t sure what to say to her. She expected the griffin to be angry at her. Dr. Lancer could have ‘dealt’ with Tyreek on her own, not involve her friend. She wouldn’t blame Quirk for being angry at her for what she did. She turned her head back to Quirk.

Quirk walked into the room slowly. She had an unreadable expression on her face. Dr. Lancer couldn’t tell if she was angry or sad or what. She said nothing, waiting for the griffin to speak up. Instead, Quirk was silent for a while. She looked around the room, her teal wings folded against her body. She clenched her beak, her eyes narrowing, as though she were angry. She turned her head back to Dr. Lancer and she finally said something.

“It’s a...shame that you lost your job.” Quirk said, her voice small and quiet.

Dr. Lancer nodded her head slowly. “Yeah... Though it would have been a lot worse.” Her mind flashed images of Tyreek alone in that wretched room, slowly dying.

“Yeah, it could have.” Quirk’s voice had a tinge of bitterness to it. This caused Dr. Lancer to flinch and turn her head away. Quirk’s expression softened up a little. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. I’m not really angry with you...if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Dr. Lancer stared at Quirk in surprise. “You’re not..?” Quirk shook her head. “B-But why not? You have every right to be! I dragged you into this mess!”

Quirk shook her head again. “No, you did not. I chose to do it along with you. I could have stopped myself. But like you, I was consumed by anger. I’m normally not that violent towards anyone.” She pointed a talon in Dr. Lancer’s direction. “And I know you aren’t either, am I right?”

Dr. Lancer nodded her head. “Yeah...”

Dr. Lancer knew Quirk was right. As strict as she was, she wasn’t usually one to hurt another living being. This experience had been out of character for both of them. She felt disgusted and horrified at how much she had let her anger control her, and she knew Quirk must feel some level of shame as well. They had went against their usually helpful and calm nature and brutally tortured another person. Their claws were stained with blood.

And now they were both paying the price for that. She lost her job, and both her and Quirk had to appear on trial. Shortly before next week, she was going to be locked up in jail, or on her way to getting there. She didn’t know how long she would be locked up for. Probably forever... Not that she cared. She was still reeling from what she had done. Out of the two, she was the hardest hit by Tyreek’s death. She had been the closest to him when he was a kid. To know that he died mainly because of her...

“I know you’re..upset about what happened with Tyreek.” Quirk said. She rubbed her paw along her leg nervously. “I do feel bad about being a part of it. You weren’t the only one who inflicted wounds on him. I had a hand in his torture, too.” Quirk sighed and she walked closer to Dr. Lancer. “But...we shouldn’t keep this over our heads. It will...take a long time to recover, especially for you. But we both need to remind ourselves that we never meant for that to happen..and that we will not allow it to happen again.”

Dr. Lancer stared at her. She didn’t answer. She wasn’t sure what to say to that. She let Quirk’s words ring in her head.

Quirk continued. “If we let this eat away at us...” She paused for a moment, clenching her beak. “I know this is a bit early for me to be talking about this. But I feel it is important we talk about this before we let it consume us.” She pressed a paw against her chest. “We did not mean to kill Tyreek and we need to make sure we remember that, otherwise, if we continue to curse ourselves out, we might fall into the shadow. The last thing we need right now is the feeling of temptation once again.”

Dr. Lancer narrowed her eyes slightly. “Yeah, I know.” She lowered her head, her horse-like tail flicking once. “I know....” She closed her eyes for a few seconds. “It’s just...I...”

Dr. Lancer never got a chance to finish. Suddenly, there was a loud crash. The sound of metal and concrete giving away. Crumbling of rock, the screaming of patients and doctors alike. Dr. Lancer jumped, her fur bristling in startlement, as was Quirk’s. They remained frozen where they were for a few seconds. They stared at each other, both wondering just what had happened. Realizing the hospital was under some kind of attack, the two mythological zoners bolted to where the source of the sound was.

Dr. Lancer was grateful that, despite the loud crash, there wasn’t really a lot of the hospital damaged. As she located the source of the sound, she saw that all that happened was a large hole had been ripped in the waiting room. A few patients that were there, either being taken back or being reunited with their loved ones, had been knocked back or narrowly missed behing hit by the debris. Dr. Lancer looked around, her eyes widening at all the bits of glass and brick that now laid on the ground. She looked over at the whole, noting how it looked all jagged and ripped, bits of wallpaper flapping in the wind.

Dr. Lancer and Quirk turned their heads as a sudden shadow moved around the room. There was low growling. Tensed up, they tried to find who had attacked the hospital. Along the walls, they could see some kind of shadow forming and, for a second, it looked like some kind of canine. Then a flash of light tan smashed into them, knocking them both into the ground. When they lifted up their heads, they both gasped at who they saw.

There, standing before them, was Draow. Dr. Lancer inhaled and exhaled quickly. She remembered this zoner all to well. He was Mr. Cosmo’s prized creation, one of his most loyal followers. He had rained down hell on ChalkZone many years ago. He was one of the most feared zoners of that time, and still had a stigma attached to him. And now here he was, standing right before them. The zoner of their nightmares...

Draow let out a screech, his wings spread out. The doctors started to move the frightened patients and visitors away as Draow crepted threateningly towards Dr. Lancer and Quirk.

“What’s the matter, you two?” Draow asked mockingly. “Aren’t you happy to see me..?” The two zoners were too horrified to respond. Draow chuckled bitterly at this. “I thought so... By the way... why don’t you two say hello to Tyreek for me..?” With that, Draow charged towards them.


	131. What A Friend Would Do

Dr. Lancer barely had time to get out of the way. She and Quirk jumped to the side as the massive bat wolf landed between them. He stood there for a few seconds, taking in a couple deep, growly breaths, and then he flipped his body around, knocking over a nearby chair as he turned to face Dr. Lancer. His eyes bored into hers, filled with contempt, and he lunged for her a second time.

This time, she wasn’t able to get out of the way in time. The bat wolf struck her with his head, sending her sprawling across the ground. He rushed at her again and thrust his foot against her. Dr. Lancer grunted, her eyes shut and teeth clenched, as she was shoved against the wall. She hit the hard surface hard, cracking it a little. She clutched the bat wolf’s foot, feeling his talons wrap around her body firmly. She stared up at him. Despite being somewhat of a large zoner herself, Draow was larger, and he felt imposing standing this close to her.

Draow put his face close to hers, his mouth parted in a snarl. As he opened his mouth, she could see the rows of sharp teeth inside, the long sharp fangs dripping with drool. She started to fight back, digging her claws into his leg, kicking out with her horse feet. She managed to hit him a few times, but this only caused him to growl and tighten his grip on her. He let out a screech in her face, glowing her feathers and fur back. She turned her head to the side, looking at him with one fear-filled yellow eye, as he pulled his head back. His neck muscles tightened as he prepared to strike.

Suddenly, Draow let out a cry of pain. Confused, Dr. Lancer looked to the side and soon saw Quirk. The smaller zoner had rushed over to her aid, lumping on Draow’s back and digging her claws into him. Draow took a few steps back, releasing his grip on Dr. Lancer. As the hippogriff hit the ground and lifted her head up to watch with wide eyes, Quirk continued to slice into Draow’s back, drawing blood. She drove her short but sharp beak into the middle of his back.

Draow shook his body from side to side, his foot stomping the ground. Dr. Lancer was thankful that, by this point, the doctors, patients, and visitors were wise to run off and hide somewhere. Draow’s thrashing was causing additional damage, tossing debris and items around the room. She watched as Draow tried in vain to shake her friend from his back. Quirk tightened her grip on him, her tail wriggling wildly. Draow ran around the room, screeching in frustration. He turned his head and attempted to bite her, but he could not reach.

Dr. Lancer, as soon as she recovered from the shock of what happened, rushed over to help her friend. Draow turned his head to her and his eyes widened as he saw her rushing at him. She jumped towards him and slammed against his front. This act caused him to cry out in pain and surprise and tumble backwards. Dr. Lancer wrapped her limbs around his shoulders, resting against his wings. She howled in pain when Draow bit down on her shoulder. She returned the favor by biting him back, making him let out a dog-like whimper as her wicked sharp beak tore into his flesh.

Working together, Dr. Lancer and Quirk started to tire Draow out. They clung to him, avoiding getting hit by him. Draow wobbled from side to side, trying in vain to get them off. His growls of anger increased in volume. He scratched his feet in the air in desperation, trying to kick Dr. Lancer off. Yet despite the gashes she was getting, she refused to let go of him. There was no way she was going to let go, no matter how injured she became.

This struggling lasted for sometime. Draow moved across the room, his speed greatly reduced by the weight of Dr. Lancer and Quirk. He had released Dr. Lancer’s shoulder, his mouth stained with her blood, so he could take in more oxygen. The two of them could tell he was getting really tired, and they used this to their advantage. They started to push against him at one side, trying to knock him over Again and again, they shifted their weight, a few times managing to make Draow nearly lose his footing. Though he kept regaining it, the two mythological zoners refused to give up and kept trying to topple him over.

The two of them were so focused on getting Draow on the ground that they did not notice just where they were headed. The more they struggled with Draow, the closer they got to the wall where the winged wolf had gotten through in the first place. There was still a piece of glass hanging off the side. Dr. Lancer and Quirk did not see it, but Draow did.

Suddenly, Dr. Lancer and Quirk let out screams a horrific sound assaulted their ears. They realized, in that second, that Draow had placed his claws on some glass and was scratching it. The two of them nearly forgot about this feature that Cosmo gave his prized zoner. A way for him to torture captured victims without needing to lay a claw on them. It was a horrific sound that felt as though a clawed paw were ripping out their ear drums.

Draow slowly moved his talons along the glass some more, increasing the volume of the sound. Dr. Lancer and Quirk shuddered in pain, lowering their heads in an attempt to protect them from the sound. Soon, having no choice, they let go, dropping to the ground in a thud. They covered their ears tightly, their hands pressed up against their heads. They curled up, whimpering in pain as the sound continued to echo through the room, tearing into their heads. Dr. Lancer felt tears flowing down her face. Just how was Draow immune to this?

Thankfully, Draow soon stopped afterwards, moving his paw away from the glass. Dr. Lancer and Quirk panted heavily in relief. They pushed themselves up on their bird-like front paws, their eyes wide and mouths open. Unfortunately, they didn’t get a chance to recover much.

Draow charged towards them again, holding out his wing claws. The two were still so out of it that they weren’t able to react in time when Draow came up to them. In seconds, the sharp claws sliced into their backs. Their eyes snapped open wide and they screamed as the large claws came down on them, cutting deep into their backs and splattering blood on the ground. The force of the impact caused them to roll across the ground painfully, landing a few feet apart from each other. Draow licked his lips, smirking in satisfaction, and he walked towards them.

Draow placed his jaws around the neck of Quirk, lifting her up into the air. He started to bite down on her hard, blood dripping from the puncture wounds. Dr. Lancer looked on in horror. She screamed ‘no’ a few times as she struggled up to her feet. Quirk’s eyes bulged open and her mouth opened up as she tried in vain to take a breath. Her legs kicked wildly in the air as Draow tightened his grip, cutting off her oxygen supply.

When Dr. Lancer got close enough, she jumped for the winged wolf. He turned his pupils her, dilated them, and he seized her arm with his paw. He tossed her into the ground as hard as he could, smashing her shoulder against the ground. Dr. Lancer let out a pain-filled scream as she felt her wing snap, the bone shattering under the pressure. Pain wracked through her wing, making it feel like it was on fire. This pain increased as Draow jumped on her back, slamming his full weight against her. Another scream of agony emitted from her beak.

Dr. Lancer struggled to get free, her feet kicking the ground. Her hooves trampled it, her claws scratched it up, and yet she could not get off the ground. Draow could tell that her wing hurt her, so he kept cruelly pushing down on it, applying as much force as possible. Dr. Lancer kept screeching loudly, sobbing in pain. She looked up at Draow, her eyes wide with pain.

To her horror, Quirk was still snagged in the bat wolf’s jaws. The sharp teeth penetrated deep into her throat. Her mouth opened up wider, her eyes getting bigger in desperation. Any time she tried to take in a breath, there was a scratchy sound, a horrible sound that told Dr. Lancer that Quirk was barely able to take in a single breath. Her body’s thrashing was growing weaker by the second, the spark of life in her eyes slowly fading out. Dr. Lancer’s eyes widened at that and, for a few seconds, she could have sworn she saw Tyreek in that position, looking at her the same way. And now it was happening again... No, she couldn’t allow it to happen again. She had to do something, and fast.

Her horse tail wriggling in desperation, Dr. Lancer started to push back a little. She jerked herself from side to side, attempting to free herself from Draow’s grasp. She managed to make Draow back up a little, yet his weight was still pushed against her. He raised his foot up from her. Dr. Lancer took this chance to squirm away. She never got far as the winged wolf suddenly slammed back down against her and there was a resounding crack. Dr. Lancer’s eyes widened and she cried out in pain. It took her only seconds to realize just what Draow had done.

He broke her back. In seconds, all feeling from the middle of her body, and all her horse portion, was paralyzed and numb. This realization caused her heart to beat faster, panic filling her mind. Half of her body was paralyzed now. She tried to crawl away using her front feet, but without her back feet for him, it was much easier for Draow to hold her in place. Realizing she couldn’t get away, Dr. Lancer stopped struggling, shedding a few tears of pain and fear as she looked back up at Draow, giving him a pleading look.

She realized, in that moment, she must look a lot like Tyreek had when she and Quirk tortured him. He had looked at them pleadingly multiple times during his torture, begging for them to stop. And she and Quirk kept going. The thought filled her with horror and shame, her stomach twisting in knots. Perhaps...perhaps they deserved this kind of fate. As Draow pressed down harder, as his teeth prepared to crush Quirk’s neck, all Dr. Lancer could do was close her eyes and accept fate.

Suddenly, some kind of blur flew past her vision, a brief shadow flickering on her body. There was a screech and she recognized that it came from Draow. She felt a weight being lifted from her body, freeing her. Her eyes widened as she took in a breath of relief. She heard the clanging of feet as Draow was moving back. She turned her head to see what was going on.

To her shock, there was Quet. What was he doing here? His wing was badly hurt; he shouldn’t be flapping it like that. And yet, there he was, flapping both wings, agony written on his face, as he assaulted Draow in the face. The bat wolf kept trying to put some distance in, trying to swing his claw at the winged snake. He couldn’t bite him as his mouth was still clamped around Quirk’s neck.

Quet, ignoring his pain, kept diving in to Draow, his mouth split open wide. With loud hisses, he kept biting at Draow, snapping his small fang-filled jaws near him. After a few tries, he succeeded in biting down on Draow. His sharp teeth sank down deep into Draow’s nose. Blood dripped from it as Draow opened his mouth to scream. This released Quirk from his grasp and she fell to the ground. The griffin groaned softly, taking in a few deep, quick breaths. She soon just laid there, her body shaking from what had happened. Dr. Lancer started to crawl towards her, a line of blood following behind her.

As soon as she reached her friend, she laid down next to her, draping her unbroken wing over her body protectively. Quirk looked at her with wide, frightened eyes. They told a story without the use of words. The two of them knew, had Draow been allowed to go a little longer with her, she would have been dead. This realization frightened Quirk and, trying her best to ignore the agony, huddled a little close to the hippogriff. The two rubbed her heads together in attempt to comfort, and they looked over at the unexpected battle going on.

Draow swung his head left and right, trying to dislodge the feathered snake. Quet wrapped his tail around Draow’s neck and squeezed tightly, making it hard for the bat wolf to get him off. Draow attempted to strike him with his wing claws, but Quet’s body was located in a hard-to-reach spot, and the claws ended up striking just air. Quet coiled around his neck even tighter, eventually making it hard for Draow to breathe. The bat wolf, unable to take in as much oxygen as before, slowed down, his mouth split open as fear started to take him over. Quet kept biting down on his nose, drawing more blood.

Then, just when it looked as if Quet could make Draow go down onto his knees, the bat wolf had another trick up his sleeve.

Draow turned his head to one of the nearby walls. He lowered his head, his feet kicking the ground. Dr. Lancer and Quirk understood what was about to happen and they tried warn Quet. But they weren’t fast enough. Draow pounded his feet against the ground as he ran towards the wall. He smashed up against it, crushing Quet’s body against it. The snake zoner pulled his head back and let out a screech of agony. Draow seized this chance to grab him in his jaws and start shaking him left and right.

This scene was horrifying to watch. The griffin and hippogriff were unable to tear their eyes away as the feathered snake was being slowly crushed in Draow’s jaws. As Draow jerked his head left and right, the snake’s body flung wildly. The whiplash of his body suddenly snapping in a new direction was wreaking havoc on his body, Dr. Lancer could tell. She knew that some of Quet’s ribs were being broken by this act, and some of his internal organs must be getting damaged as well. If something wasn’t done soon, Quet was going to die from shock and internal bleeding.

Draow did release Quet, but not so gently. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, he moved his heard to one side and, mustering up as much strength as he could, threw Quet across the room. The snake zoner’s body slammed against the wall on the other side of the room. He hit with such great force that the wall cracked a little from the pressure. Quet closed his eyes and his now unconscious form slowly slid to the ground, his wings draped loosely at his side. Draow stared at the knocked out Quet for a few seconds, spreading out his wings and letting out a loud hiss in his direction. Then he started to approach.

Quirk’s eyes widened in horror at this and she tried to get up. She barely managed to move forward before she fell to the ground. She clutched her throat, taking in a few panicked breaths. Dr. Lancer could see that Draow did a lot more damage to her neck than they thought. Quirk coughed a few times, blood caking her mouth. There was some internal bleeding that was getting into her wind pipe, hindering her ability to take in a breath. Dr. Lancer herself couldn’t do much of anything. With half her body paralyzed, there was no way she could get to Quet in time.

Draow slowly approached the unconscious Quet. His eyes practically glowed with hate, his teeth bared. He was not happy with Quet’s interference and, judging from his hostile stance, he was going to do something about it. He got closer to the snake as each second passed, his talons clanging menacingly on the ground. When he got close enough to Quet, he started to wriggle his body like a cat ready to pounce. His tail swished excitedly from side to side. He crouched low, taking a couple steps forward. Then, spreading his wings out further, he jumped towards Quet.

Just then, something large and green came in from behind. Clawed feet grabbed onto Draow’s tail and yanked him back. Draow’s eyes snapped open wide as he was pulled backwards by something large and heavy. He turned his head, his teal eyes looking at whoever dared to attack him. His pupils dilated in anger.

“Tsere?! You’re supposed to be bed-ridden!” Draow snarled at the pterosaur. He started to pull back, trying to yank his tail free. “Let go of me!”

Tsere responded by opening his beak wide and letting out a loud hiss. He flapped his wings harder, ignoring his own injuries. Dr. Lancer and Quirk huddled closer together as they felt the wind gush in their face. They turned their heads away, clenching their teeth. They could hear the sound of hisses and growls intermixing in a wild harmony, the walls being broken, and claws hitting against flesh and rock. As soon as they were able, they opened up their eyes, turning their heads in the direction of the commotion.

Their eyes widened as they saw Tsere on the ground, Draow pinning him down. The pteranodon flapped his wings wildly in desperation, his dark eyes wide with fear. Draow snapped his jaws left and right, trying to bite down on Tsere’s head. Again and again, Draow’s muzzle hit the ground, and the more he did this, the angrier and more hostile his actions got. He finally stopped, opening his mouth partially in a low, animalistic growl, and he jerked his head forward. His teeth sank into Tsere’s chest, drawing blood. The pteranodon screeched loudly in pain.

In the process of kicking his small but hooked feet, Tsere managed to slash Draow across the inner part of his thigh. This was enough to make Draow stagger a little, taking a step back. Tsere took advantage of this and drove his beak against Draow’s throat, right where it connected to his chest. The sharp tip pushed into the flesh, making a bloody puncture hole. The attack caused Draow to roar in pain and tumble backwards more. Tsere was able to push him back enough to get free and immediately spread his wings open to make himself look bigger and more intimidating.

Draow bared his sharp teeth at the pteranodon, snapping them at the flying reptile. Tsere moved to the side, folding his wings up for a moment so that Draow’s jaws would miss. Then, using his claws, two on each wing, he struck down, cutting across Draow’s chest and stomach. Blood splattered on the ground as Draow let out whimpers and whines. He folded his wings close to himself, his eyes shut and seething in pain. He looked up at Tsere and he, with a look of fear, started to back away from the pterosaur.

Draow’s look of fear soon gave way to one of anger. His teeth flashing once more, his ears flattened against his skull as he took an aggressive posture once more. He spread his wings out again as if he were about to fly. His large wing claws glinted in the light, facing towards Tsere. He started to move around him, his eyes looking left and right intently as he tried to find a way to his victims. But whichever way he went, Tsere followed, his wing span opened up to block his path. Soon the winged wolf got frustrated and, growling, he charged Tsere.

Tsere jumped into the air, despite the room not being large enough for much flight, and brought his legs forward. He struck down on Draow’s head, his sharp claws raking across his face. The force caused Draow to be forced into the ground, his chin smashing against the hard surface. The back side of his body remained in the air for a few seconds, making him look rather comical. Then, moments later, the rest of his body dropped down in a loud thud and he let out a soft groan.

Draow shook his head and climbed back up to his feet. He looked over and his eyes widened as Tsere dove towards him. The pterosaur slammed his body against Draow with full force, knocking him onto his back. The bat wolf attempted to struggle frantically, kicking his legs in the air and slamming his wings against the ground in an effort to get himself off the ground. He only had a second to do this as Tsere immediately lunged for him. The pterosaur hovered above him with what little room he had and kept striking at him with his small but wickedly sharp claws.

Draow soon managed to get up onto his feet. He lowered his body and struck forward with his claw. The sharp tip slashed against Tsere’s shoulder. The pterosaur screeched in pain and retaliated with a strike of his own, cutting across the top of Draow’s muzzle. Draow took a step back, shaking his head as he felt the blood trickle into his mouth. He growled at Tsere, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Tsere jumped forward, slamming his feet into the ground as heavily as he could. He swung his head forward, narrowly missing hitting Draow. Draow glared at him and the two lunged for each other, their bodies colliding.

Then finally, after what seemed like countless minutes of the pteranodon and bat wolf clashing against each other, biting and scratching, Tsere finally appeared to be gaining the upper hand. Draow started to back away, back through the opening he had created. He growled softly, his ears still lowered against his skull. But his eyes flashed a softer expression, an indication of defeat. Soon he was out of the building entirely.

But Tsere was not simply going to let him go. Dr. Lancer and Quirk watched as the pterosaur charged towards Draow. The bat wolf took off into the air just as Tsere struck with his wing claws. He squawked loudly, his beak split wide open. He took off after Draow. Soon the skies were filled with the roars and screeches of the two flying zoners battling it out.

Dr. Lancer panted heavily, her mind reeling from what had happened. She never thought she would run into Draow again. Her mind flashed memories in the back of her head, things that Draow had done years ago when Cosmo was there. That bat wolf was a major reason why Tavern Town was destroyed. She used to work there before it was destroyed. She could still see the images in her head of an armed Draow attacking everyone, blowing the place up. He had almost killed her back then, until she was saved by Tsere.

She was immensely relieved that Tsere came in and saved them. Though the pterosaur was injuried and shouldn’t be moving around like this, she was still grateful for his help. Tsere was one of the only zoners who could take on Draow in a fight and win. The pteranodon was rather selfless and would keep fighting Draow, despite his wounds, until he knew the danger passed. They were save from Draow... for now anyway. There was still a chance he could come back. She and Quirk had to get Quet out of here and help prepare a defense.

When Dr. Lancer attempted to get up, she was reminded of her previous injury from Draow. The horrific pain in her back made her scream in agony and she fell back into the ground. She tried to move her legs and tail. Nothing. Not even a twitch. Her mind started to panic, her heart beating faster. If Draow decided to come back and came for her, there would be nothing she could do to get out of the way.

She felt something push underneath her. She looked over and saw it was Quirk. The griffin zoner had recovered a little from the attack on her and, despite being smaller, started to help Dr. Lancer. She slung her front limb over her body, hooking it against herself. She gave a small smile of reassurance to her friend as she steadied her gently.

Dr. Lancer looked over at Quet and said, “We need to...get him help...”

“You need help, too.” Quirk said. Her eyes moved along Dr. Lancer’s body, focusing on the dark spot on her back where Draow snapped her spine. “That was one nasty blow you got.” As she adjusted herself, Dr. Lancer seethed in pain, her wounds irritated. Quirk’s eyes widened at this. “I’m sorry!” She immediately stopped. “I didn’t hurt you too much, did I?”

“I’m...okay...” Dr. Lancer said with a clenched beak. Quirk looked at her, cocking an eyebrow to show disbelief. Dr. Lancer sighed, knowing she couldn’t really hide the truth from her for very long. “Moving me around may have...caused some more damage...” At this, Quirk’s eyes widened in horror. “Don’t feel too bad. I should have...told you before..”

Quirk gently set Dr. Langer on the ground. “I’m so sorry..I-I didn’t mean to...”

“Don’t worry about it.” Dr. Lancer winced as a wave of pain shot through her back and wing. “I guess it’s a good thing...I was fired, eh?” She gave a somewhat bitter smile. “What use am I as a nurse..if I c-can’t move my legs?”

Quirk continued to look at her with horror and sorrow-filled eyes. She took a few steps back, her body shaking with emotion. She looked between her and Quet, who still laid on the ground, unmoving. She locked her dark-colored eyes on Dr. Lancer. She bit her beak, looking nervous and uncertain of what to do.

Then, after a few moments of silence, Quirk said, “I-I’ll get help! I promise!” She raised a paw and motioned towards Dr. Lancer. “J-Just stay where you are! Don’t move! I’ll get one of the doctors! I’ll be b-back!”

Dr. Lancer narrowed her eyes slightly. “Just where can I go like this?”

Quirk didn’t respond. At this point, she had already taken off down the hallway, no doubt heading where the doctors and everyone else had fled. She could hear her found’s pounding feet as she disappeared down the hallway, and soon, she could hear her no more.

As silence fell upon the destroyed room, Dr. Lancer laid her head on the ground, positioned almost like some kind of lap dog. Her mind ran with images of what just happened. Then something caught her attention. Though unable to think of it before, the quietness helped her concentrate better, and, now able to focus, she thought back to something Draow said.

“Why don’t you two say hello to Tyreek for me..?”

She felt a cold shiver go down her spine. How did Draow know about Tyreek’s death? Had he dug up his corpse? Her heart twisted in knots at the thought of Draow dececrating his grave like that. It would be something he’d do. But..Draow, to some extent, cared about Tyreek. And if he knew she was the killer.... Oh wait, he did know. Why else would he target her? The realization that this attack had nothing to do with any planning, and was purely revenge, turned her blood to ice. The implication was quite clear.

Draow knew she was the killer, and probably Quirk as well. He had dug up Tyreek’s corpse and figured this out, likely with his sense of smell. And if he knew...did this mean that the remaining black chalk artists knew as well? Her eyes filled with horror as the chilling realization struck her like a freight train. The black chalk artists had always been pretty close, looking out for each other. And they did not take kindly when a zoner or white chalk artist harmed one of their comrades.

Draow’s attempt on her life was just part one. It was only the beginning. No doubt Jenny and Ghadir would come after her and Quirk. They would attack this hospital not for any kind of big plan they had. They would only do it for their self righteous attempt at twisted justice. They were going to come after them and they were going to avenge Tyreek’s death. In the process, they may end up destroying this hospital. But she knew..they wouldn’t care...so long as they made her sorry for what she did.

Dr. Lancer knew she couldn’t stay here. Neither could Quirk. If they remained here, this hospital would just be attacked again. They were lucky that only the waiting room was destroyed. If Draow or one of the black chalk artists launched another attack, who is to say that they wouldn’t attack a more populated area of the hospital to ‘send a message’? What would stop them from destroying a large portion of the patients’ rooms, killing hundreds in the process?

She recalled what happened with that other hospital, the way the Luminos had attacked it. She recalled there was quite a large death toll, with many more injured. Her heart clenched as she realized that may very well happen again. She and Quirk had to get out of here. If it was them they wanted, then they needed to move away from the hospital, lure the black chalk artists and anyone aligned with them away from the hospital, to where they can’t cause as much harm.

Dr. Lancer looked off in the direction Tsere had disappeared in. She could only hope that Tsere could keep Draow busy long enough for her and Quirk to set up some kind of plan. She may have caused the death of one person. She was not going to be the reason more people die. She would see to that.

sss

Penny and Snap got up to their feet, growling softly as Jenny opened up the door and entered the room. They took a few steps back, noting how her arms were folded behind her back. She was up to something. They could tell. The way her eyes twinkled... Just what was she up to?

Bardot did not look pleased by her entrance. The yellow zoner limped forward a little. His fur raised up as much as it could in his current state. His pupils changed shape, becoming a mixture of slits and circles, like he was caught between feral mode and his normal self. Despite his wounds, the hybrid zoner still rushed forward, letting out a roar. Penny and Snap were shocked by this, and watched as he jumped into the air.

Jenny did not look fazed by this. She slammed her foot against the zoner’s stomach and knocked him back into the ground. Penny and Snap stared, their eyes wide, as the formerly menacing zoner hit the ground, groaning and whining pitifully. They watched him as he struggled to push himself up before they turned back to Jenny.

The blonde woman had shut the door behind her and took a few steps into the room. A nasty grin spread across her face, a malicious promise hidden behind it. The two friends took a defensive stance, wondering just what she was going to do. No doubt she had some kind of weapon hidden behind her back. They weren’t going to let their guard down. Despite their wounds and their hindered walking ability, they hunched their bodies forward, preparing for a fight.

“My my...seems you two are so..eager...” Jenny said in a cold, mocking voice. She grinned. “How splendid...”

“What are you planning?!” Penny demanded, clenching her fist tightly. “I swear...if you...”

Jenny chuckled and tilted her head to the side slighlty. “Oh relax, you two...” She straightened her head up, her arms still behind her back. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

“You kicked Bardot. I would take that as hurting.” Snap said.

“He had it coming. Besides...I thought you were enemies.” Jenny said, sneering at them. “I thought you’d be happy to see him in that condition, after all he has done to you...”

“If you think that, you don’t know us too well...” Snap growled softly.

Snap was not surprised that Jenny thought they would be happy to see Bardot hurt. He was not surprised that she couldn’t comprehend completely that it wasn’t in their nature to wish harm on others like that. He hated Bardot, and so did Penny. He did horrific things in the past. Even with his unexpected apology, he still didn’t feel comfortable around him. Who could blame him? Or Penny? Bardot had given them all the reasons they needed to hate and distrust him.

But they’d never want him to be hurt like that. What Jenny did was cruel and heartless. Yes, Bardot did initiate the attack, but only because he had been hurt by her. She didn’t need to kick his already ruined body like that; she could have just stepped to the side. It wasn’t like Bardot could do much to her, not while he was in that horrific state. She was the one who needed to feel guilt, but Snap knew, as well as Penny, that was not likely to happen. Out of the two, they hated Jenny the most.

Jenny chortled, her blue eyes locking onto Snap. “Of course, how silly of me. I forgot how weak you two are...”

Snap growled at this. “Weak huh? We weren’t the ones who cut up someone’s brain just because of some false allegation.”

Jenny’s eyes widened slightly at this. “False allegation?”

Penny nodded her head. “Bardot told us, just before you came in, how you cut up Mr. Wilter’s brain because you think he was the reason Ghadir was attacked.” Jenny looked confused and didn’t answer. This prompted Penny to continue. “He wasn’t the reason why Ghadir was attacked.” She pointed an accusing finger at Jenny. “You just lobotomized Mr. Wilter for a crime he did not commit!”

At first, Jenny was quiet, her eyes wide in shock. But Penny and Snap knew she wasn’t going to show any remorse. And sure enough, an evil smile spread across her face, hiding any sign of shock in a matter of seconds. She chuckled coldly, showing no signs of regret. She took a step foward, staring directly into Penny’s eyes.

“Oh really...?” Jenny cocked her head to one side. “Do you mind telling me..who was really in charge of that?”

Penny and Snap refused to answer. They glared hatefully at her. They were not going to tell her who really saved Snap. They were not going to wish that kind of horrific fate on Bardot. He’s been through enough already. Mr. Wilter being lobotomized was horrible enough. They didn’t need more victims of that.

Jenny turned her head and looked down towards Bardot. Her eyes narrowed slightly. “It was him...wasn’t it..?” She asked in a somewhat dark voice. She looked back at the two. Noticing their faltering expressions, she smirked darkly. “Ah...I knew it...” She said, horrifying Penny and Snap with her correct guessing. “So it was the little yellow runt this whole time.” Sher eyes locked onto his body. “I never would have thought he’d have the courage to keep fighting back... I suppose his spirit was stronger than I thought it to be.”

“What are you doing to do to him?” Snap asked.

Jenny shrugged her shoulders. “I won’t do anything for now. He’s already being punished.” She grinned evilly, giving a downward glance at the limp Bardot. “No need to hurry things along. Besides...” She chuckled. “...the longer I keep him alive...the longer he will suffer...”

“You are a monster!” Penny snarled at her.

Jenny turned her attention to her. “And last time I checked, you considered him to be a monster as well. So what’s the difference?”

“Bardot hasn’t done anything lately, but you have!” Penny’s fists shook as she glared daggers at the evil woman. She took a step forward. “You’ve just been told that you wrongfully accused Mr. Wilter of a crime he did not commit and punished him for it...” Her body shook with emotin. “Don’t you feel any remorse for that at all?!”

Jenny tilted her head upwards, staring at the ceiling as she thought of her answer. “Let me see...I’ll have to think long and hard about that..” It took her only two to three seconds to give her verdict. She grinned nastily at them. “Nope.”

Penny and Snap widened their eyes in horror. Not that they were that surprised, but the realization that Jenny really didn’t care that she just permanently altered Mr. Wilter for a reason that turned out to not exist still chilled them to the bone. They felt the chill nearly burn their insides as they let this cruel reality wash over their bodies. Her callous and cold behavior, it reminded them so much of Mr. Cosmo. For a moment, they saw that man’s face superimposed over hers, making them take a step back.

“And why should I?” Jenny asked, sneering at them. “He was a thorn in my side for too long, and he was one of the major reasons why Mr. Cosmo’s beautiful plans went to ruin years ago. And I know he played a part in his defeat three years prior to when I have been...reawakened.” She turned her head to the other side slowly, looking so creepy and eerie. “The way I see it, this is not a setback. Why should I feel bad about lobotomizing Mr. Wilter? The bastard deserved it for what he had done. At least this way, he will no longer be a threat.”

At this, Penny and Snap’s bodies shook as a mixture of emotion swelled in them. Anger grew and churned in their stomachs. Their eye narrowed as they bared their teeth. Jenny just smiled in response, acting so calm about the whole thing. How dare she... She was so disgusting and vile.. As anger replaced the initial shock, the two friends had to struggle with their minds to keep themselves from lunging themselves at Jenny. Such an act would only get them into trouble, but it was tempting right about now.

Jenny just continued to smile, looking pleased by their anger. This only made Penny and Snap angrier at her. She really had no remorse for what she had done. She had cut up Mr. Wilter’s brain, and she didn’t care that she made a mistake. To her, it still was a benefit as it meant that Mr. Wilter can’t cross her anymore. It meant that they no longer had his help to fighting against the black chalk artists. Penny and Snap knew that, without Mr. Wilter’s help, and with Biclops still hospitalized, and with Rudy gone, they were going to have a harder time going up against the black chalk artists.

“Don’t feel too bad about Mr. Wilter. At least I kept him alive.” Jenny said. “Oh sure, he will never be the same again, and this is a fate worse than death...” She grinned as she saw Penny and Snap glare at her hatefully. “But...you two will have something else to worry about. Instead of worrying about Mr. Wilter..” She looked directly at Snap. “I’d worry about yourself...”

Snap took a step back, gritting his teeth. “What do you plan on doing, you bitch...?”

“Oh the language...” Jenny chuckled. “The cursing doesn’t suit you, blue rodent.”

“I’m not a rodent.” Snap said. What was up with these villains and calling him a rodent?

“Whatever... Well, it’s not like you’ll care if I call you a rodent or not after I do...” Jenny started to move her arms forward. “...this to you!”

Penny and Snap gasped in horror, their hearts freezing. They couldn’t believe what they saw. They were already expecting something horrible. They were already counting on Jenny showing them something that would put them on edge.

But they never thought it would be like this.

There, before them, clutched in Jenny’s hand, was a stick figure zoner. He was unconscious, his body hanging limply in the air. Jenny had her hands around his neck, squeezing it tightly. He overall appeared fine, except the whole being unconscious thing. But the two of them knew better. This zoner was not completely unharmed. They could see what was wrong with him, why he was laying limp like that. And it filled them both with dread.

The zoner had some kind of flat, circular thing on his forehead. A little blood trailed down from the spot along his face. The sight of this caused ice to form in their blood vessels. Had they seen this four years or more ago, they wouldn’t have thought there was anything special about this. But they knew, from what happened three years ago, exactly what this was.

It was the nail mind control device.. The same one used on Snap and a few other zoners, such as Lars... Jenny had recreated it, and she used it on this zoner.

The sight of it caused Snap to shiver in fright. A low whimper escaped his mouth against his will as he had horrific flashbacks to when he had the nail put in his head. He remembered how he was strapped down to a table, and Mr. Cosmo cut his head open and pounded that nail into his head, using water to make his wound bigger. The memories of the pain came flooding back to him, and the fear coupled with it. He took a few steps back, shaking his head in denial.

He couldn’t believe it... He thought he didn’t have to worry about that wretched nail anymore. He had buried it in the back of his mind the best he could. He had tried to forget about it, tried not think about it. But now, Jenny had brought it back to the forefront of his mind. She was showing him another victim of the mind control nail, the zoner looking just like how he imagined he was. Unconscious, limp, helpless, pale... The zoner had some pain etched in his face, and he knew that Jenny had used a similar method like Cosmo to put the nail into his head.

Snap shivered and moved closer to Penny, pressing himself against her. He could feel her wrap her arms around him, pulling him close. She glared in Jenny’s direction, though Snap could tell she was just as unnerved and horrified as he was. Neither of them could believe what had just happened. The realization that the mind control nail was back was...horrible to think about. How many other zoners had Jenny used this thing on? How many had been turned into slaves? It was an uncomfortable question they both dreaded the answer to.

Snap recalled how horrified he was when he found out that Mr. Cosmo had captured a large number of zoners and was mind controlling them. His body trembled as he recalled Blocky had been one of them. The realization that one of his closest zoner friends had been captured and put through pain, forced to do whatever Cosmo demanded of him... It sent cold chills through his spine. So many zoners had suffered at the hands of that man... and now his horrible invention was being used again.

“What have you done to him...?” Penny asked in a soft voice, barely concealing her anger.

“Why, can’t you tell?” Jenny asked in a mocking tone. She moved her hand up and down in front of the zoner’s body. “I made a simple modification of him. He was such a pest before... But now, he’s been improved...” Jenny placed her hand on the top of his head, running it back and forth. “Now he will be most useful.”

“Improvement?!” Snap cried, his body trembling. “You...you put a nail into his head... How is that an improvement?”

Jenny looked over in his direction. “If you feel left out, Snap, I can give you one.”

At this, Snap glared at her, giving a soft whimper. Fear and dread interlocked in his heart, making him shiver harder. Penny wrapped her arms tighter around him, pulling him close. He huddled up against her for comfort. The feeling of warmth from her securing him against her did help him feel a little better, but he couldn’t stop the cold sensation of fear from clawing at the bottom of his stomach.

“Don’t you fucking dare...” Penny said, her teeth bared. She continued to hold Snap protectively. “Or I’ll...!”

“Well then, Penny...” Jenny said, holding her hand out in gesture. “I can manufacture a real world version of the nail... I’ve always wanted to try it out. Maybe...I can do so with you...” She pointed at Penny. The girl moved her head back in shock, fear washing over her face. Then she growled in warning. Jenny chuckled. “I would have rather tried it on Rudy... By the way, where is that little troublemaker?” She looked left and right. “I don’t see him in here.”

Penny narrowed her eyes and turned her head away. “Nihilanth took him...”

Jenny stared at her in shock. Then, slowly, her eyes filled with happiness, her smile broadening. “Oh really? How wonderful!” She laughed at this, sounding so joyful and cheery. “I knew Nihilanth would be able to do it!” She closed her eyes and let out some more chuckles, thoughts clearly running through her mind. She looked at Penny and Snap, tilting her head a little to the side. “Well...so much for you being able to stop the pieces from falling into the fray..” She stared directly at Penny. “..eh little Penita..?”

Penny glared at Jenny with one eye, her head still turned to the side. She didn’t bother to answer her, choosing instead to remain quiet. Snap looked at her, seeing the hurt in her eyes. Snap shot a glare at Jenny, silently telling her to back off. Jenny just looked amused by this. Of course she would, Snap thought bitterly. She was heartless, and didn’t care that she was hurting innocent lives. It was no use reasoning with her.

“Since that horrid Rudy is no longer a problem..” Jenny said as she raised the unconscious zoner a little higher. “That means I’ll have more time to toy with you two. I am aware that you two can still pose a threat.. So perhaps...I should take care of you now. Give you both a dehibilitating injury so neither of you can escape...” She took a few steps in, causing Penny and Snap to move back. “Now what shall I do...? Hm..” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully for a few seconds, before an idea got into her head. Her eyes twinkled menacingly. “I know!” She leaned in forward and sneered at the two. “I can hack off one of your legs...”

Penny and Snap gasped in horror at this. They looked at her in fear, huddling even closer together as they moved back further.

“Yes...I think I will do that...” Jenny said, smiling evilly at them. She started to walk forward. She stared at Penny. “Maybe I will start off with you..” Penny gritted her teeth in fear, her eyes remaining narrowed. “Perhaps I will try something different...and eat your severed leg...”

Horror and dreads wept through Penny and Snap this. They stared at her in shock, their faces going pale. “What?!” They cried in unison. Had this vile woman really said something so disgusting?

“Cannibalism isn’t something I’d usually indulge in... but... for you...” Jenny said as she pointed at Penny. “I’ll make an exception...”

Snap couldn’t take it any longer. His blood had reached its boiling point. Although terrified and disgusted by Jenny’s declaration of cannibalizing Penny, anger overshadowed those feelings. There was no way he was going to let that happen to Penny. Jenny was not going to get her filthy hands on his friend. He may have lost Rudy, but he was not going to let more harm come to Penny. Wriggling himself out of Penny’s arms, he charged towards Jenny.

“I won’t let you!” Snap shouted as he rushed over to Jenny.

“Snap! No!” Penny cried, reaching her hand out to him.

Snap ignored her. He focused his attention on Jenny. How dare she threaten his friend like that... How dare she try to do something so disgusting and vile to her... If she wanted to do something like that, she was going to have to get through him. And he was not going down without a fight. His leg hurt him badly with each step he took, but anger masked that pain, and he barely noticed as he limped quickly towards Jenny.

The woman stared at him with a calm expression, a dark smile on her face. She didn’t do anything as he got closer to her. Snap knew, though, that this didn’t mean that she didn’t think of a way to defend herself. He knew she was going to try something...and it turned out he was right. When he got within a couple feet of Jenny, she pulled her arm back and tossed the unconscious stick figure zoner at him.

Snap let out a cry as the zoner slammed against him with full force. He was knocked into the ground, rolling across it. He soon laid there, groaning in pain as the zoner laid across him. He rubbed his head, his body aching in pain. He was a little dazed and confused, the stick figure’s head having collided with his own. His vision was slightly blurred. He rubbed his forehead and shook his head a little as he tried to regain his senses.

Suddenly, he heard a scream. Snap’s eyes widened as he looked over and saw Penny pinned on the ground. To his horror, in the few seconds that he was confused and dazed, Jenny had drawn a large, razor sharp knife and had knocked Penny into the ground. The woman was sitting down on his friend, holding her down affectively, as her hand pinned down Penny’s bad leg. Penny was struggling frantically to get free, pounding against Jenny raised the knife in the air. Horrified, Snap wasted no time.

Snap got up from the ground and raced towards them. His footfalls echoed through the room as he moved as quickly as he could. His eyes widened in horror as Jenny’s grip on the knife tightened, and she prepared to strike down. His heart filling with dread, he pushed himself to move faster. When he got close enough, he jumped forward just as Jenny struck down.

Snap’s body suddenly stiffened as something cold and sharp entered his flesh. Hot, warm blood dripped down from the wound as his eyes bulged. Tears of pain streamed down his face. Unable to hold back, he let out a scream of agony, intermixing with Penny’s cry of horror.

“Snap! No!”


	132. Enemy Mine

Bardot awoke to the sound of screaming. He lifted up his head, groaning in pain. Just what had happened to him? He felt as though a ton of bricks were dropped on him. It took him a few seconds to fully register the screams. He looked over to where the sound came from, his vision blurry a little.

At first, all he could see were some blurry shapes. He couldn’t fully make out what they were, and just where he was. He had a pounding headache. Had someone knocked him out with something hard? He rubbed his head. It certainly felt like that. One particular spot on his head was sore, and it was so painful, he had to move his hand back. He struggled up to his feet, only to fall back down, his body shaking in pain. Just what had happened to him?

Bardot searched his mind, trying to remember the recent events. He hardly remembered where he was, or what happened. He couldn’t tell if he was still in ChalkZone or if he had somehow gotten into the real world. He couldn’t tell if the blurs in front of him were other sentients like himself, or some wild animals that stumbled upon...wherever this place was. He shook his head and blinked, attempting to clear his mind a little. Slowly, his vision started to clear up and the shapes started to take form.

Bardot soon recognized one of the shapes as being Penny. The blue one..it had to be Snap. What were they doing here? And just where were they? Though he recognized Penny and Snap, that did little to help him realize where he was or just what the heck was going on. He thought at first, maybe this was one of his plans or something, and they had just knocked him out in self defense. As his sense of smell came into play, the room around him started to kind of remind him of the room he had Rudy and Penny trapped in.

His vision cleared up a little more and the mugginess in his head started to go away. He stared at the third figure, who wore something white...shaped like something different...looking like someone he didn’t recognize at first. The longer he stared, the clearer the picture become, the more his mind started to sharpen. The person started to look familiar, at first only vaguely so. Then came the cold laughter, and suddenly, Bardot’s eyes widened.

Being attacked and beaten by Draow...

Being taken by Nihilanth and brought to this forsaken place...

Strapped into a machine and used like a battery...

The memories came flooding back to Bardot, hitting him with a force of a freight train. In that second, the memories struck the back of his head like lightning bolts, the flashes of mental white showcasing to him a few terrible memories, best left forgotten. With his memories back, the wide-eyed Bardot panted a few times and started to, slowly, look around the room, realizing that this was his cell, and that Penny and Snap were his new cellmates.

The woman whom he before hadn’t recognized was Nurse Jenny. He felt a bit of fear settle in his stomach. Instinctively, he moved a little away from her. She was the source of his pain here. She was the reason he was like this. In agony, his body wrecked, weak... Nearly every bit of his mind told him he should run. He would take even King Mumbo Jumbo over her. At least Mumbo Jumbo didn’t slowly torture him the way Jenny had. The memories of him strapped into that machine were fresh on his mind, making him shudder.

He didn’t run away. There was a tiny part of him that was curious about what was going on. Jenny wasn’t looking at him; she had her attention on the other prisoners. She looked as though she were crouched..and Penny looked like she was pinned down on the ground. Jenny was crouched over her, looking as though she were preparing to strike. As Bardot attempted to climb up to his feet again, he noticed something else.

The blue shape, whom he knew was Snap, was laying across Penny. At a glance, it looked like he was the one who knocked her down. But, even with a somewhat muggied mind, Bardot knew that couldn’t be the case. He learned all to well how much the blue zoner cared about his friends. He wouldn’t knock them down into harm’s way like that. No, something else was going on. And he soon saw just what that was. Upon seeing it, his eyes grew slightly bigger. He was shocked he hadn’t noticed this color before.

There was red...a lot of red...and it was coming from Snap. His back was covered in the color red. The smell of it filled his nostrils. It had two effects on him. It made him feel good, as he always enjoyed this smell. But at the same time, it caused some dread in him, making him realize that Jenny had a weapon of some kind. Something sharp. At first, he couldn’t see it, but whatever it was, it had to be extremely dangerous. To cause that much blood flow...

Then he saw the weapon, clutched tightly in Jenny’s hand. A large knife. He could see the silver tip glinting on the light. But there was something else on it. Blood... The red stuff caked around the tip, proving that this was what was used on Snap, and from the amount of red, it was plunged in pretty deep. Now standing on his legs, wobbly a little, Bardot began to piece together exactly what had happened here.

Jenny had, for whatever reason, decided to kill Penny. The nurse had shoved her into the ground, and drew a knife. She raised it above Penny and was going to stab her in the chest. Sure, real world blood would start to dissolve it, but by then, the knife would already have done considerable damage. Penny looked like she was in a vulnerable position, and not able to get out of the way in time. Snap must have, despite his wounds, rushed over and jumped in the path of the knife. Jenny struck down, and Snap got in front of Penny just in time. And the knife was struck against his back.

From this distance, Bardot could already tell that the damage was pretty bad. The knife had plunged into Snap’s back near his lower end, a little to the right side of his body. The gash looked very deep and blood kept pouring out of it like a faucet that hadn’t been shut off yet. Just how deep the knife was, he couldn’t tell. But if Jenny struck down with as much force as she could, if she had been trying to kill Penny, and that blow transferred to Snap... The hybrid zoner knew it was a safe bet to assume that the attack was going to be fatal unless something was done.

Bardot looked over to where the door was. It was shut, but unguarded. He turned back. He realized that none of the three were looking at him. Penny was too busy staring at Snap and occassionally up at Jenny, and that evil nurse was looking at both of them, and Snap was...either unconscious or he was going to be soon. Either way, there was an opening that he could take. A blind spot. With none of them paying attention to the door, he could easily slip out. So that left him with a choice to make.

Either he sneaks out of this room and leaves Penny and Snap behind, or he can do something to stop Jenny. Both of them would benefit him in some way. If he fled now, he could get out of danger and find some place to heal up. Or, if he attacked Jenny, he’d have the opportunity to get back at her for what she had done to him.

He scratched his chin thoughtfully as he tried to think of what the best course of action was. Both ideas, escape and revenge, sounded good. He surprised himself a little with the strong desire for revenge. He didn’t always be this way. But when more and more of his red chalk self was drained, his mental state started to alter, his white chalk side taking over. And revenge, which once was a fool’s game to him, was becoming more and more appealing. Yes..maybe that would be the choice he would go for.

Slowly, the hybrid zoner climbed up to his feet and started to walk towards where the three were. He tried to be quiet, which wasn’t easy given the injuries he sustained. The worst ones were the outline injuries where his red chalk stuff was absorbed from. Such wounds were very rare due to the very nature of the outline. It either required someone skilled like Draow to attack it directly, or something like the machine he was hooked up to. He winced in pain as he staggered forward, his legs almost buckling. His side felt like it was on fire. He stared intently at Jenny, pulling his lips up slightly.

There was another reason he decided to go after Jenny. It was something that, unlike his usual choices, didn’t only benefit him. Going after Jenny would give Penny and Snap a chance to get away. It would offer them a way to survive. Such a thing, Bardot wouldn’t have considered before, years ago. But they were in the same boat together. While he could simply leave them and save himself, he knew his best chance of survival was to save them. Not just his either, but all of ChalkZone.

Bardot would not want to see this world destroyed, or any world. What kind of place would that be to live? With nothing around? And how would Nihilanth’s world be any better? He had his doubts that Nihilanth would create an idealic world; he’d just create one that he wanted. Nihilanth didn’t strike him as someone who cared about the benefit of others; only of himself. In some ways, Nihilanth reminded him of himself on steroids.

Yes, saving them was the best option. It was the only option he could think of that would lead to the mutual survival of them both, and his best chance at living. Even if he got out of here, he still had to contend with the others of this place, such as Ghadir. He wouldn’t get far, with how badly hurt he was. He knew what the smartest move was.

Slowly, Bardot continued to walk over to where they were. His body couched low. Moving like this was painful with his wounds, but he did his best to push it aside. He got his mind to focus just on Jenny, reminding himself that he was going to get a little payback on her. His torn tail moved from side to side almost like an exciteable cat ready to pounce. He made sure each step is light, not wanting to alert Jenny to what he was going to do.

As Bardot got closer, his ears pricked up as he heard the conversation going on. The first thing that became apparent was the tone of the voices. Then, a little closer, he could make out the words. Though he tried to ignore the conversation, it was hard for him not to overhear the commotion as he moved closer.

“Snap!” Penny cried. Her voice sounded tearful and lamenting. She grabbed onto Snap and shook him. “Snap, please, wake up!”

At this point, Penny was sitting up. She had ler legs straight out and on her lap, there laid Snap. The small, blue zoner was unconscious, his mouth partially open and his eyes shut, squeezed tightly in pain. The gash on his back was still leaking out bood, dripping down his sides, creating two tiny rivers. Penny held a shaky hand over him for a few seconds, her eyes wide with horror and fright. Her mind was clearly panicking, because instead of tearing off a piece of her clothing to try to stop the bleeding, Penny instead pressed her hand against the wound, applying pressure.

“Please...don’t die...” Penny whispered. She took in a shuddering breath. “Come on...get up.. Please, Snap..you..” She kept pressing against the wound. Chalk blood caked her hand, seeping between her fingers. “..you can’t stay asleep like this, Snap..or you’ll never wake up. Please..please get up...” She leaned in a little and, in a soft, broken voice, he said, “..please...”

Jenny chuckled coldly at this. She was down on one knee, her arms folded against her chest. Penny shot her a glare as she picked up Snap and held him against her protectively. She gritted her teeth at Jenny, her eyes shining a silent warning at her to stay away. Jenny hardly reacted to this threat with little more than a smile and another chuckle. This was clearly all amusing to her, like some big game.

Jenny held up the knife that she hurt Snap with. The blood went up to about two inches up the blade. The blood had partially dried up, clinging to the knife like glue. Jenny reached down with a pointer finger and traced it along Snap’s blood. Some of it immediately clumped to her finger, the top of it having a wet texture still. She pulled her hand to herself and rubbed her two fingers together. Her smile broadened slightly.

“How fascinating zoners can be... Chalk beings from an alternate world, linked to our own. They are made of the same stuff we use on our blackboards. They can be washed away by water. And yet, when created...they can have the same consistancy as anything in the real world..”

Penny growled at the woman. She pulled Snap closer, her dark brown eyes watching cautiously as Jenny examined Snap’s blood. Penny looked ready to attack if need be.

Jenny stuck out her tongue and slowly licked the blood on her fingers. Penny’s eyes widened a little, looking freaked out by this. Bardot himself had to pause for a moment. An uncomfortable thought ran through his head. Was Jenny another chalk eater and was just able to control herself more? Or was she just doing this to freak Penny out? If she was just doing it to be scary, she was succeeding in that.

So far, Bardot was having success with getting closer without anyone taking notice. He hoped that Penny wouldn’t say anything if she saw him. If she spoke up, or if she did anything to indicate she saw him, Jenny was going to pick up on that and realize someone was behind her. His whole ambush was going to be ruined.

Jenny continued talking to Penny, her voice laced with cruelty and sarcasm.

“For instance, blood... Chalk blood and real world blood functions the same way as each other. Vital for living. Even the way they feel is very similar. Only way to truly tell them apart without getting into the technical stuff is by tasting it...” Jenny said. She held her knife in Penny’s direction. “Would you want to see for yourself? I can cut you so you can use your own blood to compare.” Seeing Penny cringe back made Jenny smirk. “What’s the matter? I thought you would have liked to experiment. Isn’t that what you love to do? Experiment?”

“Not with something as grotesque as this...” Penny snarled, baring her teeth.

“Oh? So you’re saying you don’t care about your little friend there?” Jenny said in a mocking voice. She tilted her head to the side. “You could have fooled me..”

Penny leaned forward, attempting to block Jenny’s view of Snap. “You know what the fuck I meant!”

“Heheh...language.. I suppose you really are angry...” Jenny said, waving her hand dismissively. “Oh well. I suppose it can’t be helped. After all...” She turned her head to the side, her blue eyes twinkling and widening. “Fools must stick together, right?”

Penny clenched a fist. “Come over here and I’ll show you how ‘foolish’ I am...”

“Getting a little aggressive, aren’t we?” Jenny’s eyes moved over Snap’s body. She made a face that was a cross between understanding and contempt. “I guess this little blue thing means quite a lot to you, doesn’t it?”

Penny’s eyes practically glowed with hate. “He’s not a ‘thing’!”

“Oh really?” Jenny said, chuckling cruelly. “Okay...if you say so...” Another dismissive wave. Then she said, “I don’t see why you’re so upset. Zoners are not as real as you would like to imagine they are.” Penny growled at this. “Besides...” Jenny held her hand out in gesture, acting as casual as Cosmo was said to have acted. “...it was his own fault he got hurt. If he hadn’t jumped in the way, he wouldn’t have gotten stabbed.”

“Oh don’t you fucking give me that!” Penny kept one arm slung across Snap’s unconscious form. With her free arm, she pointed in the direction of Jenny, jabbing her finger accusingly. “You were the one who tried to attack me! He was only trying to protect me! You were in the instigator! It’s your fault he’s like this!”

Jenny shook her head. “Oh dear little Penny...” She tilted her head to the side a little. “How naive of you... To think that there is only one cause of such actions... Yes you can say it was my fault. I did initiate the attack.. But you’d also have to agree that Snap would have been fine if he hadn’t jumped in the way..am I right?”

Penny’s expression lightened up. It almost looked as though Jenny got something through to her. But, just as Bardot thought woud happen, her glare came back. If she had suffered any doubts from Jenny’s words, they did not last very long. She was remaining defiant, showing Jenny she was not going to sway her.

However, her glare seemed to be the sort of response that Jenny had expected. Penny’s glare did little to make Jenny look surprised. Instead, her smile just broadened, wearing a strong ‘I told you so’ kind of look, as if she were confident that Penny did falter. Bardot expected Penny to maintain a strong front and show courage despite what was against her. That’s what she had done when she was one of his prisoners. She and Rudy had been defiant to the end, only breaking after he separated them, and even then, they hadn’t truly given up. If Jenny wanted to break Penny, she’d have to try harder than that.

Bardot got closer now, almost within striking distance. He kept himself directly behind Jenny, his body low. He kept his tail as still as he could, hoping that, by keeping himself hidden directly behind Jenny, Penny wouldn’t have a chance to accidentally alert her to his presence. With each step he got closer, his aching and hurting body filling with adrenaline for the attack.

“You see... causes don’t come in just one fold, dear Penny. Sometimes there’s more than one.” Jenny sneerd. “As much as I know it hurts you to admit it, there were two ways for Snap to avoid this outcome.” She held one finger up. “I could have stopped myself and not try to attack you. Or...” She held up her other finger. “Snap could have just stayed put. Either way, we’re both at fault.”

Penny’s body shook in anger. She continued to cradle the body of her friend against her. Jenny’s words appeared to be doing little to break Penny, and instead was just angering her. Jenny, however, was not fazed at all by this, looking ever amused as Penny’s anger swept through her body. Jenny remained silent as she watched Penny, a sick look of twisted satisfaction on her face. Penny looked like she wanted to say something, but anytime she opened her mouth, she just couldn’t get the words out.

“You know it’s true...” Jenny chortled. “It deserves as much blame as me...”

“Snap’s not an ‘it’! And don’t you dare try to pit the blame on him! Trying to blame the victims.. You’re disgusting! You’re just as awful as your partner was!” Penny cried, her voice dripping with hate and anger from each word. Jenny froze at this, her eyes widening. Penny continued, “Your partner was one of the worst human beings I’ve ever met! Snap here is more human than he ever would have been! Mr. Cosmo was just a coward who kept trying to pin the blame on everyone else! It was his own ego that did him in! His unwillingness to stop... If he hadn’t invaded ChalkZone, captured those zoners, if he hadn’t toyed with us and hurt Snap and tried to corrupt Rudy, then he’d still be here! It was his own fault he died! He...”

Penny didn’t get a chance to finish. Jenny, who had clearly gotten tired of listening to Penny’s ‘blasphemy’ of Mr. Cosmo, slapped her head across the face. The resounding impact echoed in the room. Penny let out a cry of pain as her head and part of her body was pushed to the side. Penny remained there for a few seconds, her eyes still shut and teeth clenched. Her body trembled a couple of times. Then she looked over.

Jenny looked at Penny, her eyes filled with anger. She had her teeth bared, inhaling and exhaling raggedly. There was a soft growl coming out of the woman’s mouth each time she took a breath. Her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated. Penny’s expression slowly softened up into fear, as if she realized she had just made a big mistake. She cringed back away from the woman, holding Snap a little tighter. Jenny glared at Snap’s body. She reached out and grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back.

“Let him go!” Penny pleaded as she hung onto Snap’s arm.

Jenny ignored her. She continued pulling Snap away until Penny was forced to let go. Penny watched with horror filled eyes as Jenny flung Snap into the ground a few times, his shoulder and body pounding against the unforgiving hard floor, uncaring of the couple of times Snap’s head hit the ground. Then, before Penny could stop the woman, Jenny threw Snap aside, letting him collide with the wall painfully. Her attention shifted to Penny.

The nurse lunged forward, hitting against Penny and knocking her into the ground. Before Penny could get up, Jenny slammed her fist against Penny’s bad leg. Penny howled in agony, clutching her leg with her hands. In seconds, Jenny was upon Penny. On her knees and hands, Jenny trapped Penny on the ground. The large knife was still clutched tightly in her hand. Penny tried to move back away from her, using her arms and legs to crab walk away from the evil nurse. But no matter how fast she moved back, she was not able to get out from underneath Jenny.

Soon, Penny pressed up against a wall. Realizing she couldn’t go any further, Penny attempted to roll herself to the side. But Jenny’s hands and arms blocked her path. Penny couldn’t even go back as Jenny placed her legs on top of Penny’s. It looked uncomfortable for both of them, but it appeared to work for Jenny as she didn’t move from that spot. The angry woman lowered her face towards the teenager. Penny, all anger gone and replaced with fear, cringed as far back as she could, uncomfortable with Jenny’s face that close to hers.

Jenny soon had her face so close to Penny’s, it as likely that Penny could feel her breathing. Penny’s head turn to the side, her fear-filled eye looking up at Jenny. Her teeth were fearfully bared as she attempted to push Jenny away. Jenny gripped her hand and forced it on the ground. She twisted it roughly, causing Penny to cry out in pain. When the teenager attempted to defend that hand, Jenny brought the blade to her neck, pressing it against her throat. Penny froze, looking at Jenny with horror-filled eyes.

“You little bitch!” Jenny snarled, so angry that she forgot what she said to Penny before regarding cursing. “How fucking dare you speak that way about Mr. Cosmo! How dare you insult his intelligence! He was the most talented creator ever to grace ChalkZone, and for you to say such incorrect truths...” Jenny pressed the blade harder against Penny’s throat, threatening to slash it open. “You’re despicable! Perhaps I should cut off your fucking lips for saying that! What would you think of that, bitch?!”

Penny cringed back. Tears flowed down from her eyes. She shook her head, staring up at Jenny pleadingly. “No..don’t do it...” Her voice was small and quiet. “I-I’m sorry...”

Bardot’s eyes widened at this. Penny must be desperate if she was willing to apologize for something like that. It certainly wasn’t like her. Bardot refocused his attention on getting closer. He quickened his pace a little. He was so close..just a little more..and he could make his move.

Jenny’s wide, anger-filled eyes bore through Penny. “I don’t believe you... You’re just saying that to save your own pathetic skin!” She twisted Penny’s arm more, looking like she was going to break it soon. Penny yelped, turning her head to the other side. “I think I should go through with my threat... Or maybe I’ll do something else to remind you not to undermine the glory of Mr. Cosmo... Yes... I think I will...”

Penny clenched her teeth and widened her eyes as Jenny released her arm and grabbed the side of her face. She brought the knife up. Penny attempted to struggle. That did little to deter Jenny. She positioned the knife in front of Penny, letting the girl see her terrified expression in the reflection of the blad.e

“Since you cannot see the faulty nature of your believes, I shall make it official.” Jenny sneered, her evil smile broadening. “Your eyes are of no use to you. Allow me to..relieve you of them...” At this, Penny let out a terrified scream and squirmed underneath Jenny. She tried to push her away, but Jenny was stronger than her. The woman pushed her forehead against Penny’s and said, “Now now...hold still, dear little Penny.. I promise, I will make this quick.”

Penny whimpered, “N-No..please...” She gritted her teeth, her eyes shining with a silent plea. “Don’t do this...”

Jenny chuckled at this. “Oh my sweet little girl...” She planted a quick parental-like kiss on Penny’s forehead. Penny let out a yelp at this, turning her head to the side. Jenny kept her face close to hers. “It’s not going to hurt that much...” She leaned in a little more and whispered into Penny’s ear, “I promise..”

With that, Jenny tightened her grip on Penny’s head. She forced her head to one side, bringing the knife closer. Her fingers roughly pulled Penny’s eyelids apart. The teenager started to kick her legs wildly as a series of screams emitted from her mouth. Jenny laughed at this, bringing the knife’s tip ever closer to her vulnerable eye, preparing to gouge it out.

Bardot didn’t waste anymore time. He had gotten as close as he needed to go. He lowered himself further, his body wriggling in anticipation like a tiger ready to lunge at its prey. Baring his teeth, Bardot lunged into the air, his claws spread out and mouth wide open.

sss

Penny tried to close her eyes. She tried to jerk her head away. But it was no use. Jenny was just too strong for her. Penny shivered uncontrollably as Jenny lowered the knife towards her eye. In a few seconds, the knife was going to plunge into her eye socket, gouging out one of the two organs that were her window into the world.

Cold dread and horror washed through her body. She couldn’t believe that Jenny was going to blind her...and for what? Just because she disagreed with her regarding Cosmo? Just how insecure was Jenny? Was she and the other black chalk artists really so obsessed with Cosmo that they weren’t willing to admit when he was wrong? That certainly seemed to be the case. This notion was proven more and more correct the longer Penny was forced to watch the blade get closer to her eyeball.

Penny wanted to beg, wanted to plead. Even though it would do her no good, even though she would rather not plead with this monster, she was becoming desperate. Whimpers of fear kept coming forth, shivers and sobs wracking through her body. She didn’t want this... Why must Jenny do this to her? What did she do to deserve being blinded? And what’s to stop Jenny from just letting her bleed to death afterwards? What was going to happen to Snap afterwards? The question filled her with dread. She hoped and prayed that, if she couldn’t escape, Jenny would at least spare Snap.

“Let’s...get rid of that blasphemeous sight...shall we...?” Jenny said coldly.

Penny watched in horror as Jenny tightened her grip on the knife and pulled it back a little. Penny’s pupils dilated in fear as Jenny prepared to jab the cold, sharp metal into her sensitive organ. Then, as Jenny struck forward, Penny let out a scream.

But that scream was soon drowned out by another. Penny’s eyes widened in shock as Jenny suddenly lifted up from her, the knife dropping to the ground. Penny crawled away, her heart beating quickly against her chest. She started in shock as Jenny, still on her knees, leaned back, her arms reaching out in desperation to grab something. Intermixing with Jenny’s screaming were loud hisses and growls. Penny caught a glimpse of something yellow, and she couldn’t help but give a gasp as she realized who it was.

Clinging to Jenny’s back was Bardot. The injured zoner had worked up enough courage and strength to attack Jenny. His claws dug into the woman’s side, drawing some blood. His teeth were clamped onto her back, between her shoulders. With his fangs in the way, only his front teeth could sink into the skin, but that was enough to cause pain for Jenny, and for her back to be coated in blood. As the woman climbed up to her feet and struggled frantically to get him off, Bardot’s tail swished violently from side to side.

Jenny continued to run around the room, her screams of pain echoing off the walls. The sight horrified Penny, and she wound up freezing in place, unable to tear her eyes away. Blood stained the floors now, and Jenny began to sob in pain as Bardot tore out a small piece of flesh. Bardot’s eyes were dilated into cat-like slits, eerily matching what Snap described when Bardot went feral on him. When Bardot looked over at Penny, the girl stiffened up, wondering if she was next.

“Run!” Bardot cried to her, his voice laced with growls, so unlike his usual voice. “Grab Snap and go! I’ll keep her busy for a little while! I’ll catch up to you later! Go! Now!”

Penny stared at Bardot in shock. Was he just...sacrificing himself to help them? Was he putting himself on the line so that she and Snap could escape? The idea seemed...so unbelievable. A part of her was wondering if she was dreaming, and she was just thinking all of this was happening. Surely, there was no way that Bardot would be selfless, right?

But she had no time to ponder that now. Whether or not Bardot really did want to help or if he was just doing this for his own benefit, it didn’t matter. She knew Bardot was right. This was their chance to escape. She looked over at Snap. She needed to get him out of here. That wound... Just how far was it in his body? And those head injuries.. Snap had a lot of them the last couple years. Were they finally going to catch up to him? A few tears moved down her cheeks as these horrible thoughts flooded her mind.

While Bardot kept Jenny busy, Penny rushed over to Snap’s side. She knelt down by him, looking over his unconscious form. It seemed as though his stab wound had stopped bleeding. But she couldn’t tell if the clotting was efficient or not. She didn’t have time to look him over, though. She had to get out of here. She scooped Snap up into her arms, doing her best not to accidentally make the wound worse. She took one last look at Bardot before she rushed over to the door.

Penny opened up the door, pushing it open as hard as she could. As the door swung open quickly and she rushed out, she heard it slam against something hard and...soft? Then there was a loud ‘oof’ sound, and something heavy hit the ground in a thud. Although Penny knew better, she found herself stopping and looking over, curious to see just who or what she had struck. As the door moved forward, back towards its hinge, her eyes widened. It took her only a second to realize that it was Ghadir.

“I really need to talk to Jenny about these doors..I...” Ghadir, who was rubbing her head, stopped herself as soon as she saw Penny. She stood there in shock. Then her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing out of your cell?”

Penny didn’t bother answering. She turned around and started to run as fast as she could.

“Hey!” She heard Ghadir call out behind her. “Stop right there!” Ghadir started to run after them. But the sound of Jenny’s screaming clearly caught her attention. She stopped in her tracks, looking over towards the partially open door. “Jenny! Don’t worry, I’m coming!”

Penny heard the door swing open again, and she heard shouts from Ghadir mix in with Jenny’s screaming and Bardot’s roaring. Punches were thrown against flesh, claws hit against blood and muscle and rock. Yelps and sobs and whines mixed into the air, practically dancing with the other sounds. These began to fade as the seconds past. As Penny ran down the black light hallway, the purple light barely illuminating the area, the sounds got softer and softer, until they disappeared completely.

Penny wasn’t sure which way to go. She couldn’t remember what path Draow took to bring them there. These pathways, they all looked so similar. How was she going to find her way out? She kept running past all the different corridors, keeping on the one she was currently in. She wasn’t sure which ones would lead her out of here, and which ones were a dead end, or which ones would lead her somewhere completely different. The black light certainly didn’t help; the barely illuminated hallway was difficult to navigate.

Penny let out a cry of surprise when she nearly ran into a wall. Her feet skidded along the ground as she tried in vain to stop herself. When she did, she took in a few breaths, her eyes wide as she realized she almost slammed into the wall and hurt Snap more. She looked down at his unconscious form. She bit her lip, a few tears welling up in her eyes. She hoped Snap was okay.

She lifted her head up a little and looked left and right. She had to decide which corridor to take. Should she go right or left? They both could lead to similiar areas. They could lead to something completely different. One could be her salvation, while the other could be her doom. Her body ached, adrenaline rushing through her, as her quickened mind tried in vain to figure out what to do. She grunted in frustration. Glancing down at Snap with a sympathetic expression, she made her decision.

Penny went down the left corridor. Her feet pounding the ground, she continued to run, her mouth opened up as she took in ragged breaths. Her wide eyes focused on what was in front of her. She thought she could see a brighter light up ahead somewhere, off to the side. Maybe she picked the right corrider after all, and they were headed straight for safety. Penny smiled softly at this. They were almost home free. If she could just get a little closer...

Suddenly, a figure jumped in front of her. Penny let out a scream as she scrambled to stop. Where did this figure come from? Penny realized there was another hallway here; it was barely noticeable with the black light. For a few split seconds, Penny wondered if this was why they chose black light. Perhaps the black chalk altered their visions so they could see just fine, but white chalk artists would have a harder time navigating. Penny’s mind shifted focus on the figure as she saw whoever it was look over at her, and the eyes began to glow.

Penny couldn’t stifle her gasp of horror when she saw that one eye glowed white. The other was glowing black, intermixing well with the darkness of this room. She knew of only one being with eyes like this. Penny took a few steps back as the figure moved in closer. She saw something moving in the air, realizing quickly it was the glow of a piece of black chalk. In seconds, a torch with blue fire lit up the hallway. The sudden bright light caused Penny turn her head away, seething. She turned her head, forcing herself to look over at the figure with one opened eye.

There, standing a few feet in front of her, was Rudy. Or rather, as she would prefer think, Nihilanth using Rudy’s skin. Rudy walked slowly over to her, the blue fire on top of the stick dancing in front of his face. Its flickering light illuminated his face a little, keeping it mostly in shadow. The sight of this was frightening. The blue light coupled with the glow of the eyes made Rudy look much more terrifying. Feeling her heart twist in knots, Penny gulped and took a step back.

“Hello, dear Penny..” Rudy said, his voice slightly deeper than usual. He tilted his head to the side. “What are you doing out here and so...” He turned his head to the other side. “...alone...?”

Penny bit her lip, her eyes widening more as fear filled her mind. Her body started to shiver. Her eyes locked onto the black chalk that Rudy held in his hands. She could have sworn she could see the outline of Nihilanth’s wings, smaller versions of course, and that served to remind her that, at any point, Rudy could turn into Nihilanth.

Rudy’s lips curled back into an evil smile, his teeth flashing in the blue light. He let out a cold chuckle, not unlike anything she would hear from any other black chalk artist. “I do understand you want to go home... I know you well enough to know that, dearie...” Rudy placed a hand against his chest, giving a fake look of concern. “You must miss your dear mother.” His voice’s tone took on a sarcastic edge. “Or maybe you wish to see Mr. Wilter? Oh don’t worry. He’s in good hands...”

Penny winced as she listened to Rudy talk in such a way. Even though she knew it wasn’t really him, she still couldn’t help but feel uneasy around him. She wanted to run. She wanted to get out of here. But something about Rudy’s eyes..something about how the boy was looking at her..she couldn’t turn away. Rudy moved closer to her, and she found herself unable to try to get away. Her breathing quickened as her heart pounded against her chest. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she run?

Rudy now stood just a foot in front of her, a nasty smile still etched onto his face. Penny shivered in fright as he leaned towards her. He moved the torch towards her, its flames nearly touching her. Penny whimpered softly as she felt the intense heat from the flames against her face.

“In this light..I must admit...” Rudy kept the flames close to Penny. He eyed her up and down, slowly licking his lips. Penny felt her heart skip a beat at this. “You really are a..picture of beauty.” He raised up his right hand. Penny could see some kind of white shield in the shape of a dragon’s leg there, the sharp talons of the light visible. As Rudy’s fingers bent forward, the dragon paw around his arm moved in sync. “And since you managed to get out, and with Snap too... Perhaps you would be a valuable asset. So...what do you say...?”

Penny watched as Rudy held out the black chalk to her. He smiled twistedly, grinning as he waited for her to make a move. Her pupils locked onto the black chalk before her. For a split second, Penny’s mind was wracked with tempting thoughts, the same voices she was certain Rudy had heard before his corruption. She shook her head, not wanting the little black chalk she knew was inside of her to activate. In defense, she swatted at Rudy’s hand, knocking the black chalk into the ground. Realizing what she did, she looked at Rudy in fear.

Instead of freaking out like she thought he would, Rudy just calmly watched as the black chalk rolled across the ground, coming to a stop against the wall. He shrugged his shoulders, showing no signs that he cared about what she had done. He looked back at her, the twisted smile from before settling down into something less evil, but still just as eerie. His eyelids lowered slightly, his glowing mismatched eyes piercing through Penny’s soul. She shuddered, feeling as though Rudy was reaching into her chest and ripping out her heart. She walked a little away from him, paying so much attention to him, she didn’t realize she was going up towards a wall.

Rudy took advantage of her ignorance of the situation. He rushed at her. The sudden move caused Penny to cry out. Rudy slammed against her, pushing her into the wall. She let out a grunt of pain. When she opened her eyes, she was horrified to see Rudy had pinned her against the wall, his hands on either side of her. He was leaning forward, so he wasn’t pressing up against Snap at all. She looked around for the torch and saw that Rudy put it on a stand not far behind them. Her attention immediately shifted back to Rudy as he brushed his faint white dragon hand of sorts along her cheek, gently caressing it.

“Where are you going, darling...?” Rudy whispered gently. Penny turned her head to the side, gritting her teeth. Rudy used his other hand, this one with a similar leg shape over it, this one black instead of white. He grabbed onto Penny’s face and forced her head over so she was looking at him again. “I won’t hurt you... I’ll keep you safe...” He whispered into her ear. “If you join me...”

What happened next, it was so swift, Penny had no chance of stopping it.

Rudy lurched forward, keeping her head still with his left hand. He pushed his lips against hers. Penny’s eyes widened at this sudden kiss. Although at a glance, this kiss looked passionate, Penny could tell subtle differences, and knew it was anything but. As Rudy kept kissing her, he reached down for something. Penny tried to move her head to see what it was, but it was no use.

She realized too late that Rudy had another piece of black chalk hidden from her. Without warning, as she was still locked in the unwanted kiss, he pushed the black chalk against her skin. Penny’s body shuddered as she felt the cold blackness of the evil chalk wrap around her body, just like it had when Rudy first used it all those years ago.


	133. With The Lights Out

All around Penny, she could hear the voices of the black chalk. For the first time, she could hear what Rudy had been hearing. Her spine shot up and down with dreadful cold as the voices echoed in her mind, taunting her, beckoning to her. She tried to ignore them. She tried to push them in the back of her head. She couldn’t let them get to her. She had to resist and fight back.

But the voices were relentless. They kept talking to her. Rudy’s kiss prevented her from looking around, unable to get an exact pinpoint on where the black chalk was. There was so much cold around her, that feeling of sharpness spreading through her body, she could no longer tell just where the source was. It almost felt as though Rudy moved the chalk around her in order to make it hard for her to knock it away from him. If she could only take a look...

But she was still deadlocked in the kiss, and it seemed like Rudy had no plans on releasing her soon enough to escape. Normally whenever Rudy kissed her, it made her feel good. But this one did not; it filled her with horror as she knew there was nothing but sinister intentions behind this kiss. She struggled to get free, but now Rudy had moved in closer, pressing up against her and Snap, who was still unconscious. A part of her was alarmed he was still knocked out. But another was kind of glad; at least he didn’t have to see Rudy like this for the time being.

The voices echoed all around her, increasing in volume. Her vision started to darken a little, yet at the same time, it became more clear, confirming her suspicions earlier regarding the use of black light. She felt an uncomfortable sensation in the back of her mind, and realized that was the black chalk attempting to rewire her brain. Panic spread through her, making her heart clench. She couldn’t allow this to happen. If she fell under the spell as well...

Penny’s struggles increased. She pushed harder against Rudy, using her body to try to knock him back. There was little she could do holding Snap. She couldn’t just drop him on the ground. But she also couldn’t set him down either; not while she was pressed against the wall like this. Despite having a difficult time, she still pushed back however she could. Rudy was too strong for her, yet she still attempted to struggle, not willing to allow the black chalk to take her over that easily.

“Why must you struggle, Penny Sanchez...?”

Penny growled at the voice. She couldn’t see where it was coming from, but she already knew the source. The black chalk was still talking to her, still trying to get her to use it.

“We are impressed with you..as we were with Rudy Tabootie... We know how much you love him and care about him. We know you would rather not fight him. So...why not join him?” The black chalk asked, its multi-person voice echoing in her head. “Why not take his hand and join him? Join us... We will make sure you never get hurt again. We promise we will keep you safe. Join us, and you will never have to feel fear again..”

Penny shook her head in response to the voices. Or rather, she tried to. Rudy was still pressed up against her. Wasting time so that it would be too late... Penny had to think of something and fast, or else the black chalk will have a hold of her. If she allowed this to go on for too much longer, she would start to feel the temptation and let it control her. And once she let it do that... She could only hope that someone is able to get the black chalk off of her in time.

That tingling sensation in the back of her head was growing stronger. Much to her horror, she could feel some of her thoughts begin to change slowly, steadily. This caused her to struggle harder. She wasn’t going down without a fight. She wasn’t going to allow the black chalk to take control of her.

...but then...would that be such a bad thing...?

Penny was horrified and disgusted with herself when she thought that. She shook that thought out of her head, fighting back to keep her sanity. She pushed back harder against Rudy. She tried, in vain, to get him away from her. She tried to figure out where the black chalk was on her so she could focus on getting that out. But no matter what she did, she still couldn’t pinpoint its location, still unable to free herself. And all the while, those thoughts were starting to become stronger.

The thought of revenge... It was starting to become more appealing. One can simply walk away from such a thing, but...wouldn’t the feeling of getting revenge on someone feel great? There was the case with the Luminos. They had apologized but.. Yes, maybe they need to be taught a lesson. And what of Mr. Pierce? She wasn’t going to let him get off the easily, was she? The thought of their blood on her hands..it was starting to sound so good to her.

Penny wanted to scream as these horrific thoughts entered her mind, fighting for dominance. She tried to shake them off. She tried to fight back. But the thoughts would always come back. And each time, they were stronger, and more persistant. She remained defiant, trying to fight back mentally, doing whatever she could to not allow the black chalk to control her. But just how long can she pull this off...?

Penny was terrified when another string of thoughts entered her mind. As her eyes looked around at this place, trying in vain to find a way to escape, her mind began to have what sounded almost like a choir, asking if it was really worth it to save ChalkZone. She kept telling herself it was. She had a lot of friends here. Everyone here was sentient and deserved the same rights as people. Yet another part of her, the portion the black chalk was creating, slowly getting stronger, kept shoving a single question down her throat.

Can’t zoners simply be recreated? After all, they were just chalk, right? Drawn on the blackboard, erased... If a zoner died, they could be replaced by simply drawing a new one. There was no loss.

And ChalkZone was going to be recreated anyway. Oh sure, it might not be called ChalkZone anymore, but it wasn’t like there was going to be an infinite void for all of eternity. There would be something new here. And maybe..it was going to be better than this world. Maybe it would be more pain-free, less strife, less worries... Maybe it was wise to let Nihilanth win...

No, she couldn’t allow that. Penny jerked out of those thoughts, trying to keep them in the back of her mind. She felt her body shivering in fear. The black chalk was getting a stronger hold on her. She couldn’t believe she thought something so terrible... How could she almost dismiss the sentience of zoners? How could she think that Nihilanth winning was the best option? She felt disgusted with herself, and tried harder to resist the control of the black chalk.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you like our company? We only wish to help...to make things better... Why are you resisting us? Open your eyes, dear Penny.. Open them to see what the truth really is...”

Penny tried to ignore the voices in her head. She tried not to pay attention to anything the black chalk was saying. Though the grip on her was getting stronger, she continued to fight back. She could have sworn she heard the black chalk growling at this and claw at her mind harder. She realized, in horror, it was trying to find a weak spot, something to grab onto.

Her mind flashed back to when Rudy had grabbed the black chalk. The three zoners who had grabbed her, they were trying to get Rudy to use the black chalk to save her. They were giving him an incentive to use it, to speed up the corruption process. Now the black chalk was trying something with her. Whatever the black chalk told her, whatever area it targeted, she had to resist. She had to keep control...not lose control...

The black chalk found a spot, and began to drill in.

“We know you want to get back at Mr. Pierce...do you not..? Don’t you want to make him pay for what he did to your mother?” The black chalk taunted her. “We can give you the power to do so. We can give you a chance to get even with that man. We know you don’t think he deserves to live.. So let us help you get back at him. Let us help you teach him a lesson he will never forget.” There was another sound, a cold chuckle. “We only wish to offer you assistance...Sanchez... Your mother got to experience our beauty. If you let us, you may experience it, too. You love your mother...so why not avenge her..?”

Penny continued to resist. She closed her eyes tightly, finally able to twist her head away. Though she broke free of the kiss, Rudy did not let go. His face close to hers, that twisted smile... It made Penny’s heart fill with ice. She tried not to look at him, clenching her teeth.

“You want Mr. Pierce to suffer. We can sense it. Out of everyone..it is he whom you desire to put a knife through the most. We can help you with that.” The black chalk’s voice echoed in her head. “Just allow us to come in. We will help you. Just relax...”

“Yes, Penny... Just lower your guard. Let the black chalk help you, as it did with me. Let it bless you with its knowledge. It will be okay. I promise.” Rudy said. He reached over and gently stroked Penny’s hair, moving the strands out of her face. “Trust me. You will be fine.”

Daring to open her eyes, Penny looked over at Rudy. She took in a sharp gasp of horror when she saw herself reflected in his eyes. And there, she could see that her eyes had started to glow black. Horrified by this, Penny shook herself from left and right. She could feel her mouth start to tick into an evil smile. No..please no... Not this.. She didn’t want this. She had to get free. She couldn’t allow herself to be controlled by the black chalk. Adrenaline rushed through her body as her heart rate quickened more.

But those feelings and desires... The want to go after Mr. Pierce and tear him apart for using her mother the way he had... That was becoming stronger and more dominant. It was seeping throughout her mind, invading every part of her brain, all the nooks and crannies. She tried to push those thoughts out of her head. She tried to tell herself that getting revenge on Mr. Pierce wasn’t worth it. He was going to be stuck in prison for a long tme. He was already paying the price for what he did. She didn’t need to help that along. She didn’t need to sink down to his level and try to hurt him. No...she wouldn’t do that...

...but then, would it be so bad? After all, he could die anyway. Why not...just offer assistance? That’s all she would be doing, right? Just helping the justice system along. Remove one more vile villain from society. She’d be doing it a favor by getting rid of some..unwanted weight. And besides...wouldn’t it be so much fun to toy with Mr. Pierce...just like how he toyed with her? Make him feel the same pain he inflicted on her friend...and perhaps perform the vivisection he threatened on Snap. Yes..

Penny snapped her head back and turned her head way. “No!” She cried out as she struck out with her foot blindly. There was a pained grunt and Rudy backed away from her. When she looked over, she was shocked at what she had done.

Her foot had slammed between Rudy’s legs. She only knew this because Rudy was holding onto his groin, a look of pure agony on his face. With his arm withdrawn from her, Penny felt the chilling influence of the black chalk start to die down. Some of its words still echoed in her head, but the voices were growing fainter. She took a few steps back, her wide eyes on Rudy. When he looked up at her, teeth clenched and one anger-filled eye looking directly at her, Penny sucked in a breath, realizing instantly she was in big trouble.

Slowly, Rudy straightened himself up. His body shook in anger. His pupils dilated as the glow in his eyes increased in brightness. He started to growl lowly, baring his teeth at her threateningly, looking as though he was going to ear her head off. Penny managed to move to the side and backed down the hallway. Rudy advanced on her. Penny wasted no time. She turned around and started to run down the hallway.

Rudy stood there, a little surprised at first, as if he didn’t expect her to run. But that momentary confusion didn’t last very long. Hissing in anger, Rudy bolted off after Penny. “You little bitch! Get the fuck back here!”

Penny didn’t dare look back. She didn’t bother thinking about which direction to go. She randomnly chose different paths as they came up. She could hear Rudy’s feet pounding behind her. The loud clangs of his shoes hitting the ground echoed in the hallway, sounding so frightening and ominous in this context. She didn’t care which way she went at this point, just as long as she was able to get out of this wretched building.

Penny could hear Rudy’s animalistic growling behind her. It made her shudder as a cold sensation moved through her body. A side effect of being fused with Nihilanth, no doubt. Nihilanth must be equally frustrated with her attempts of escape. But she wasn’t going to slow down, no matter how angry they got. Even if Rudy transformed into Nihilanth, Penny would still try to run. She would rather die than stick around and be poisoned by the black chalk’s influence. She was not going to end up like Rudy.

Penny kept moving down random hallways, sometimes turning right, and sometimes left. She chose randomnly, hoping that Rudy would lose track of her and wouldn’t be able to follow her anymore. But to her dismay, Rudy was able to keep up really well. The fact that, while fused with Nihilanth, his wounds were mostly healed, didn’t help either. Penny and Snap were both still hurt; what chance did they stand against Rudy in this state? And could they work up the courage to fight against their own friend, even if it means saving ChalkZone?

She let out a cry of surprise when she suddenly hit against a wall. She had been so lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice the wall up ahead of her. She backed up a little, her shoulder aching from being struck so hard. She looked behind her. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized that he was nearly upon her. She jumped to the side, narrowly missing having Rudy hit up against her. She heard the frustrated growls and snarls from Rudy, sounding much more like Nihilanth than Rudy himself. When she managed to get herself to look behind her as she backed up, she was horrified to see that he had started to transform a little, with his fingers having small claws on them and his teeth becoming pointed.

Penny didn’t stand there for much longer. As Rudy started to run off after her again, Penny moved backwards quickly, cradling Snap in her arms still. She turned and started to run down the hallway, going down the same direction as before, only this time, in reverse. As they approached one of the areas with about three different ways to go, she took care in going the opposite direction she had come in, going through a new section of the building. By taking these new paths, Penny hoped that she would find some place she could hide and figure out a game plan.

But how was she going to get away from Rudy? The boy was never far behind her. He was always at least five feet away from her. He was so close... If he pushed himself a little harder, or if she slowed down for any reason, he’d catch up to her. She needed away to speed herself up..or to slow him down a little. If only she still had a piece of magic chalk... If she did, she could draw some kind of barrier to keep Rudy away from her. She could slow him down and bide her some time to disappear from his sights.

Then, after some running around, Penny eventually came to what she guessed was a supply area. She felt an aura cling to her body as she moved in deeper. The hallway took on a darker appearance, even in addition to the black light. The hallway warped near the end, becoming more rocky, more earth-like in appearance. Despite the horrible vibes she was getting from being so close to this place, she pushed herself forward, having nowhere else to go.

As she ran in, she soon realized that she must have gone to a lower level of the Solar Pillars. This place looked like a cave... In fact, she was certain it was one. Solar Pillars must have been built over some kind of cave. Wait, didn’t Biclops say something about that? She wasn’t sure, but she was positive he did mention something like that. Hearing Rudy behind her, Penny moved herself into the rocky room, taking a look around.

The cave was pretty large, stretching pretty deep and far. Stalactites and Stalagmites decorated the cave, growing out of the rocky surface upon which they adorned. Other rocky furthers were also present, and the water the dripped in from multiple places made the place look shiny over all. It was beautiful, even in the low light of the room.

With each step, Penny had to be careful. She almost lost her footing a few times. With poor lighting combined with a surface that wasn’t all that smooth, she nearly dripped a few times. Her foot got caught on a rock, her foot slipped on a particulary wet part of the floor, and she managed to hit and nearly trip against some small stalagmites on the ground. She wished she had a piece of chalk so she could draw a source of light. But she would have to make do with what little illumination there weas.

Soon, she came across what looked like a tall pillar. A rock of some kind, like a giant stalagmite. It appeared to be holding up much of the structure of Solar Pillars. It was thick, probably thirty feet wide at the very least. It was a lot of dents and kinks and chips in it, almost like it was carved in. But overall, it appeared to be staying put. Penny saw no signs of collapse anytime soon. She looked around and she could see what looked like a staircase made out of rock. The ‘steps’ were smooth and connected to each other. It moved in a broad circle, going around the center pillar once before it looped towards the ground.

Penny could hear Rudy behind her, shouting insults and curses at her. Hearing him say those things to her was hearbreaking, especially when she heard his voice, and not some enemy’s. She held Snap closer to her, determined to keep him safe from their currently corrupted friend. Sparing not a second later, Penny rushed down the spiral, railing-less steps.

As she rushed down, she could hear Rudy entering the cave now. His feet pounded the ground and she realized he was coming in this direction. Soon, he would be on that ledge she was previously on, and he was going to see exactly where she was. Would he try to kill her from a far? Would he knock down the staircase? Would he jump down and try to cut off her path? Penny didn’t have time to think about those things as she could see the shadow moving along the wall, knowing instantly it was Rudy.

By this point, Penny had reached a lower part of the staircase. It had started to move around the center piece structure. Just a little further down, the staircase was pretty low to the ground compared to the rest of the staircase. She moved along, wound around behind the structure. She stared at the ground below. It was still quite a bit of a jump. Should she really take the risk? Hearing Rudy shout a horrible profanity-laced threat at her encouraged her to go through with the plan. She dangled her feet over the edge. She looked up, seeing Rudy start to come onto the stair case. A second later, she pushed herself off.

Penny stifled her cry the best she could as she fell six feet towards the ground. She hit the ground painfully, a loud thud echoing in the room. She realized, in horror, she had just given herself away. She could hear Rudy’s foot falls increasing in volume, pounding harder as he must have started to run down the steps. Groaning softly, sitting herself up, she franticaly looked around, trying to find some place she could hide.

She soon saw sometime. Where the thick pillar was, she could see what looked like an even darker shape, covered in more shadow than everywhere else where. She got up to her feet and cautiously moved forward. Holding Snap with one arm, she reached out and felt around the pillar. It didn’t take her too long to realize that her hand and arm went in further than the rest of the pillar. There was an entrance here of some kind. Hearing Rudy get closer, Penny moved into the room. She moved as far back as she could, keeping herself pressed up against the wall. She slowed her breathing, taking light, calm breaths, as Rudy came down the steps.

Penny held her breath as the footsteps came closer, and she could see, though faintly, Rudy’s shadow on the ground. She held onto Snap protectively as Rudy stepped in front of the opening. He wasn’t looking at her...yet. Instead he was swinging his head round, looking at other areas besides the pillars, as if he didn’t expect her to come here. He moved forward a little slowly, his pupils dilated and the glow providing additional, though barely any, illumination. Then, he turned his head towards her. Penny gasped softly and moved back further, her body trembling.

Noticing there was something else in this room, Penny cautiously moved over towards it, keeping her body low. She got behind the structure, which was only about half her height if she stood up, and kept her body to the ground. She wrapped her arms around the still unconscious Snap and watched, terrified, as Rudy entered the small room. He moved in slowly, low growls emitting form his throat. She winced as she heard the painful screeching of claws against the wall. With each footstep, the possessed boy got closer to her.

Soon, he reached the structure in the middle of the room. Knowing that Rudy had better eyesight than her in here, Penny kept herself pressed against the structure. Despite her growing fear, despite her heart racing, she tried to keep herself calm. She knows that just one sound, one misstep, was all it would take for Rudy know exactly where she was and move in for the kill, or whatever else he planned on doing with her once he caught her.

Penny felt fear and dread rise up inside of her as she caught a glimpse of those eyes. She barely recognized them as Rudy’s. He moved towards the center, looking left and right. She could see his hands flexing, the claws just barely visible. The other dragon portions of him, like the wings, were gone, and his eye glow wasn’t as intense as before. Penny realized, her heart clenching, he was attempting to hide himself a little. If he knows she’s in there... Penny couldn’t run. All she could do was lay low and try to keep out of Rudy’s sights.

Rudy moved in closer, putting a hand against the structure. The way the claws tapped against it, Penny could tell it was something not firmly set in the ground; it wobbled a little. Maybe it was a way to an even lower part of Solar Pillars?

Penny nearly let out a scream when Rudy stuck his head behind the structure, his eye facing her. Luckily, he didn’t get a chance to see her; she quickly moved away, taking care not to slip up against the ground. She pressed herself against the structure, watching and listening cautiously as Rudy moved in from behind, forcing Penny to crawl around the front. Doing so while holding Snap was not an easy task. But she still attempted to do it, knowing it was too big a risk to just drop him. Soon she was in front of the structure while Rudy was pacing around behind, those growls chilling her heart.

Rudy suddenly lifted up his head, standing tall over the structure. Penny stifled a cry of surprise and kept her body low, pressing up against the ground. She ignored the wobbling of the structure, hoping that Rudy would not see her. She watched Rudy, giving him an upwards gaze that made it hard for her to see him from this angle. She could see something moving up there, and the only one she knew it could be was Rudy. She took in slow, fear-filled breaths, her eyes wide in horror, as Rudy looked around, that wild and deranged look attempting to locate her.

Then, without warning, he jumped on top of the structure. He wobbled a little, but managed to keep himself from falling over, resummoning the dragon wings for balance. Penny stifled a scream when the structure underneath her flipped up, smashing her against the hard surface. Her jaw slammed shut together, forcing her teeth into her tongue. Tears of pain moved down her face as the familiar, metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. She managed to keep herself from screaming as she listened to Rudy growl in frustration above her.

Rudy soon got tired of looking for her there. Snorting angrily, he jumped off, landing in front of her. Penny was paranoid that he was going to turn around. If he did, she’d have no time to get behind the structure. Luckily, however, Rudy didn’t bother looking back. Instead, he grumbled to himself as he walked back through the entrance of this room.

“Stupid Penny...thinks she can outsmart me...” Rudy’s voice was mumbled, barely audible. “I’ll show the little fucker who she’s messing with...”

With that, Rudy looked left and right, remaining there for a short time to try to decide which way to go. He didn’t take long to make up his mind. Looking to the left, where the spiral staircase originated from, his body tensed up, his eyes glowing a little brighter. Then he bolted, running away and back the way he had come to this room in the first place. Penny could hear his footsteps get fainter and soon they vanished entirely. With Rudy gone, Penny let out a sigh of relief.

Penny looked at the structure that she had hidden behind. She couldn’t tell exactly what it was. It looked kind of circular in some places, then she saw some tall, thin things that appeared to almost grow out of the structure itself. And the part of it at her feet, it felt kind of wooden and..kinda flimsy, too. Not terribly, but enough that told her either this structure was really old or the black chalk artists didn’t put a lot of effort behind this thing. She reached over and felt around the structure, attempting to identify it through the use of touch, since sight was limited.

After a few moments of feeling around it, Penny realized that this was some kind of pulley, a makeshift ‘elevator’ of sorts. She could feel the ropes, the lever that spin around, the wheels that helped to operate the thing. There was something down here... But did she really want to waste time to investigate? She might come upon something that could help her free Rudy... or she could end up in worse danger. What if there were some dangerous weapons and creatures down there?

But then, did she have much of a choice? She couldn’t just head back out there. She had no idea if Rudy really did go out back into the hallway or if he was still looking around for her. She’d be vulnerable out there, with Rudy being able to spot her with his heightened night vision. She only had two options. She could stay here, in this spot...or she could risk it and head down through this ‘elevator’ thing, and find out what is underneath this structure. What should she do....?

Soon, Penny made up her mind. Going down further was not her idea of escape, but at least it would get her away from Rudy. And who knows? Maybe there’ll be another way to escape below. Penny got onto the platform, holding Snap against her with one arm. She grabbed onto the lever attached to the platform. Keeping herself and Snap as close to the center as she could, she started to pump the lever, winding it around and lowering herself and Snap down the tunnel below them.

Suddenly, the air got chillier and any signs of light were gone for a moment. She realized the tunnel was just barely enough to let the platform move through. The walls were so close, she could practically feel the cold dampness against her skin as she continued to turn the lever. The sound of chains clanging against each other made her wince; if Rudy had still been close by, he would have heard this and knew exactly where she was. Good thing she didn’t try to move down here while he was still near the area.

A few minutes later, and then Penny exited the ceiling tunnel, entering a wider area that turned out to be a corridor of some kind. She stopped turning the platform and she felt it start to move back up. Turning the level again, she waited until it touched the ground. Moving as quickly as she could, she grabbed onto Snap and jumped out. She looked over and watched as the platform moved back up. She then turned her attention to the corridor she now stood in.

The tunnel, looking like it was dug out with some kind of large insect. The walls had some kind of ridges along it, creating what looked like multiple circles. Along the tunnel’s curvy walls, she could see small lights. Unlike before, these lights were white, providing some better illumination. Cradling Snap, Penny moved down through the tunnel.

Penny took quick notice that this tunnel only went one way. There were no additional tunnels connection to this one. It was just a singular pathway. Up ahead, she could the tunnel did wind a little bit, almost like a snake had moved through here. Despite the feeling of eeriness growing stronger inside of her, she still pressed on. She walked down the tunnel, following its winding path, to wherever it was leading her. Maybe this was a back entrance of some kind. She hoped it was. If it was leading her to a dead end, and if Rudy realizes she’s down here, she’d have no way of getting away from him.

Eventually she reached the end of the hallway. Up ahead, she could see what looked like a door of some kind. She approached it cautiously, unsure of what she was going to find behind it. When she reached the door, she paused for a moment. She hoped and prayed that she didn’t just lead herself down some kind of horrible trap. She looked down at Snap, biting her lip. She didn’t want to be responsible for leading her friend to his demise.

She reached over and grabbed the door. She shuddered at how cold it felt. She closed her eyes, wincing for a second. Then, mustering up as much courage as she could, she flung the door open. She walked into the room slowly and took a look around. The room was quite dark and it was hard to make out the details. The longer she stood in it, she realized it was starting to remind her of the room at the Chalk Mine that held the...

Oh no... She couldn’t have... This couldn’t be.. Her eyes shot wide open. Biclops’s words came back to her. Words she had long forgotten now echoed in her mind, giving her an ominous message about what she had just stumbled upon.

“The structure served to protect what remained of the black chalk so that white chalk users couldn't destroy it.”

She couldn’t believe she had forgotten about that. She couldn’t believe that it slipped her mind. How could she have let this thought escape from her memories? How could she have allowed herself to forget such an important detail? The Solar Pillars had been built over a grove filled with...

..black chalk...

As Penny looked around the room, she could see the shadows of clusters all around. She couldn’t see exactly what they were, but that cool, eerie feeling.. It had to be the black chalk. Her body started to tremble. There was so much of it... More than what was at the Chalk Mine. The ground was practically infested with ‘bushes’ of black chalk, or what seemed to be black chalk. Penny felt herself take a few steps backwards, the chilling air penetrating her heart. It had been a mistake to come here...

As she moved back, she stepped onto something. She winced and looked down. She could see what looked like a rectangular piece of wood laying on the ground. Seeing what appeared to be nail openings, she realized it was a sign. She lowered herself to the ground and grabbed the sign with one hand. She lifted it up and flipped it around, taking note of all the dents and smudges that decorated it. It was like someone really hated this sign and decided to beat the crap out of it.

Penny’s eyes moved along the sign. She read the words that were engraved on it. Though the smudging made it a little hard to tell at times, she understood the message fully. She felt her heart skip a beat. She had seen this phrase before.

"Everyone is born a sinner. A most dark desire. If you do not wish to leave yourself behind, get out of here.”

Penny took in quick breaths. Horror and dread swept through her body like a tidal wave. She trembled harder, almost accidentally dropping Snap in the process. Her hand got shaky and weak, letting the sign slip through and fall to the ground with a loud clang. She knew exactly where she was. And the realization of it filled her with fear.

She was in the same place where Mr. Cosmo had first been corrupted.

Penny took a few steps back away from the sign. Her eyes locked onto it. Her breathing quickened. She looked around the room, suddenly getting chills in the back of her neck, making her hairs raise on end. The voices...they were coming back. All around her, she could hear it. She began to shiver from cold, holding Snap to her in an attempt to share body heat. Her eyes darted left and right as the voices grew a little louder, beckoning to her.

The black chalk was speaking to her...just like it had when Mr. Cosmo was here. It beckoned him to use it, and now it was doing the same with her. She moved back away, getting closer to the door. She couldn’t stay here. As she got closer to the door, she could tell the voices were becoming a little more hostile and desperate. The black chalk wanted her. It wanted more humans to corrupt, more humans to use it. She had to resist. She shook her head and moved closer to the door.

“Why are you leaving us...?”

“Don’t you want to experience power..?”

“We won’t hurt you... We just wish to help you...”

“Use us...fell the power...”

“You know you want to... You want this.. And so do we..”

Penny shivered as those voices entered her head, invading her brain and refusing to leave her alone. She kept moving backwards. The voices kept calling out to her, pleading with her to stay. She tried her best to ignore them. She tried to focus her mind on just getting out. But as each second passed, that became harder and harder to accomplish.

“You think you can escape us... You are such a fool.”

“You dare to deny us? Trust us...that will be the last mistake you will ever make...”

“We are going to have so much fun with you.”

Despite the colder statements being said in the same tone as its previous statements, they still chilled her more so than what the black chalk said before. There was an underlining threat becoming slowly apparent as the black chalk kept talking to her. She knew there was little it could do if she got out of the room. All she had to do was turn around and run. The black chalk couldn’t do anything to her.

But wait.. Penny froze where she stood. Wasn’t the black chalk a sort of single conscious? A single mind? The black chalk artists still functioned separately. But Rudy... He had black chalk incarnate inside of him. If they were indeed a single mind, then if the black chalk detected her down here...then didn’t that mean that...?

She got her answer in the worst way possible. As she moved backwards, she hit against something solid and warm. There was a quick ‘oof’ sound and she heard another set of feet right behind her. Then she heard a cruel chuckle. Slowly, Penny turned around and, upon seeing who it was, let out a terror-filled scream.

Rudy stood just a few feet in front of her. His lips were curled up in a nasty smile. He chuckled evilly, his shoulders shaking in the process. “Why hello, dear Penny...” Rudy said, tilting his head to the side. “Did you...really think you can escape me...?” His eyes glowed brightly as he turned his head slightly upwards. The smile he gave her was the creepiest thing she ever saw on Rudy’s face. “I’m amazed at you.. I thought..you would have known not to come in here..or else I’d know where you were...”

“H-How...how did you find me so fast...?” Penny asked, her voice shaky. “You..you were up there..how did...?”

Rudy put a hand to his mouth and snorted into it, accompanied by a few short giggles. “Oh come now... You didn’t think I really didn’t know you were there, right?” He took a step forward, reaching out with his hand. Penny was too frightened to move back. She shuddered as he stroked the back of his fingers along her cheeks. “I knew you were there the whole time. I was just playing with you... Acting does pay off, doesn’t it?”

Penny didn’t say anything. She remained frozen in fear. What was she going to do? Rudy blocked her way out, and even if she could run, he’d catch up to her. It really had been a mistake to come here. Oh why didn’t she just go the other way..?

Suddenly, Rudy lurched forward. Penny let out a cry of surprise as she was yanked back. She felt something slip from her and it took her only seconds to realize what had happened. Her eyes widening in horror, she watched as Rudy gripped the unconscious Snap by his scarf. Holding it tightly, he had pulled Snap away from Penny and now he held him up in the air, eyeing him up and down like he were just some object he found somewhere.

Seeing Rudy look at Snap this way was heartbreaking to watch. Penny felt tears form in her eyes, recalling how Dark Rudy had treated Alt-Snap. Her body suddenly shot full of ice as she recalled how Dark Rudy had killed his Snap by breaking his neck. Was... Was Rudy going to do the same thing...?

Penny moved forward, holding her hands out towards Rudy. “No! Leave him alone!”

Rudy extended the dragon claws on his other hand and brought them to Snap’s throat. Her heart skipping a beat, Penny scrambled to a stop. “Take one step closer...” Rudy didn’t have to finish his sentence. Penny got the message. Gulping, she bit her lip and took a step back. “That’s a good little girl... Now..” He lowered his head slightly, his eyes staring intently at her. “I’m still a...generous person, Penny. I will give you a second chance.” He flung his head forward, indicating the black chalk behind her. “Go on. Use it. Become blessed just like I was.”

Penny stared at Rudy in horror, her body shaking. A part of her wondered if her Rudy had been swapped out with Dark Rudy. It was..just so hard for her to believe this was the same Rudy who, just earlier today, had been her best friend. Now he was just like the other black chalk artists. A mere tool for Nihilanth to weild...only in his case, it was so much worse.

Just then, Snap started to stir. Penny gasped in horror as Snap started to move a little in Rudy’s grasp. She wanted to rush over and grab him, get him to safety. But she was frozen where she was, knowing full well that one wrong move could spell the end of her remaining friend. All she could do was reach out towards him, tears moving down her face as she felt helpless to stop Rudy as he held Snap in front of him.

Snap looked confused at first. But it didn’t take him long to register just who was in front of him. “B-Bucko...?” His voice was raspy and weak. “Wh-What are you...?”

Rudy grinned nastily, bringing his dragon claws up to his face. Snap’s eyes widened and he started to struggle, a look of horror and confusion plastered over his face. Rudy laughed at this and said, “Hello, Snap... Aren’t you happy to see me?”


	134. Confusion In A Hospital

King Mumbo Jumbo let out a soft groan. His eyes slowly opened up. His vision was blurry, a mass of colors. He turned his head slowly from left to right. He tried to think of just what had happened. Where was he and just how did he get here? His muggy mind had a hard time comprehending just what was going on. The sounds around him were echoy, mixing in together. He tried to think of where he was, tried to think of just what happened.

But his thoughts, for the moment, were too muddled. He had a heard time clearing them up, separating them. His mind felt heavy, as though he hadn’t slept in a long time. He was excessively tired, his eyes having a hard time remaining open. He looked around the room again, seeing some shapes come into focus, but not enough for him to determine just where he was.

He tried to lift up his hand to rub his eyes, but as he did so, he felt something tug and pull. He groaned softly as a dull pain moved through his arm. He turned his head over, his unfocused eyes trying to look at his arm to see what was wrong with it. It took his muggy mind some time to realize there was something coming out of his arm. Some kind of clear tube, connecting from his arm to something larger next to him. Something silvery and clear at the same time.

Then he heard the sound of something dripping. Very faint, barely there. But it was enough for him to realize what was going into his arm. Some kind of fluid. An IV? Yes, that’s what it had to be. But why would he be using one of these? He didn’t need them...did he?

His mind started to slowly clear up, pieces and bits from what happened sometime ago came back. Something had happened. Something big. He was starting to realize this. But he still didn’t recall just what had happened, or how long ago it was. Had he been knocked out for just a few hours? Or had it been a few days? Or weeks?

Then, was he was shifting himself on the bed, he felt a wrack of pain spread through his body, focused on his back. He let out a cry of pain as he collapsed on the bed. His body trembled as he tried to deal with the horrific pain. He shut his eyes tightly, tears of pain moving down his cheeks. The horrible pain in his back caused some more memories to resurface. Yes, that was right... He had been attacked. A lot of zoners were attacked. But..how did that happen? Who had done this? He remembered a lot of destruction. Who could have done something like that?

As his vision cleared up more, as the medicinal smells filled his nostrils, the old tortoise realized he was in some kind of hospital. But..wasn’t it destroyed? He started to remember some kind of fiasco in ChalkZone City. That was where the destruction was. That.. was where something happened to Barney...

His heart racing, Mumbo Jumbo remembered what something happened to his best friend. But what was it? He remembered it was something bad... Something heartbreaking... He couldn’t quite put his claw on it. He remembered crying and screaming... He remembered some taunting words... He rubbed his forehead as he tried to figure out just had happened. What happened to his friend? To ChalkZone City? Why did he recall many zoners being harmed? How did he get hurt? How long ago did this happen?

These questions clouded his mind, raging through it and making his head hurt. He shut his eyes tightly and let out another groan. He tried to cope with these thoughts, as well as the mysterous pain he was feeling, as he tried to make sense of everything. He turned his head and saw that his door was open. As his senses started to come back to full alert, he began to realize something. He had been hearing something before, but at first, he thought it was just his ringing ears recovering, but he soon realized that wasn’t the case.

It was moans, groans, screams, and cries from other patients. A lot of patients... Some sounded frightened, others in pain. The sounds were faint, and he could barely hear them. But the sound was there all the same, and just from listening to that, the king knew that a lot of zoners were harmed here. There were a ton of victims here, and he was certain they were all hurt from whatever had hospitalized him. If he could just figure it out... Yet no matter how hard he thought, confusion still wracked through his body, making his head ache and spin more.

Then he started to hear something else. Another scream, but this one was a lot closer. He could hear the intermixing of words, shouting... Whoever was calling out like this, they were trying to say something. Then he could hear another voice, one that sounded almost scolding in nature, but then, without hearing teh words, he wasn’t sure just what was going on.

Seconds later, Mumbo Jumbo could see a shadow moving along the wall. It was getting larger, taller, and he knew that someone was coming this way. He watched in silence. He tried his best not to move as the pain was getting worse, especially in his back. He focused on the door, waiting to see who it was, trying to distract himself a little, if even just briefly, from the pain. The shadow got closer, the shouting got clearer. Then, about three seconds later, something came into view. It didn’t last too long, but Mumbo Jumbo saw enough to recognize what it was, and what was being said.

The first thing he was aware of was a stretcher. Laying down on it appeared to be some kind of hippogriff. A doctor from the looks of the outfit she was wearing. Her wings wrapped against her side with some kind of bandage. She appeared to be some kind of simple brace, her back recieving more support than he thought would be required, unless something horrible happened to her. He was certain that her back must have been broken; he took notice how she sometimes moved her front limbs a little bit, but her back end was unusually limp and unresponsive.

The hippogriff doctor was wearing some kind of mask. Oxygen mask, Mumbo Jumbo realized. The zoner’s breaths were raggedy and weak. Yet despite that, her head was turned upwards, her yellow eyes looking at the doctor pushing her. She was calling out to him. And what she said added more confusion to the tortoise zoner.

“Wait! You don’t understand! If I stay here, he’ll come back!” The hippogriff zoner cried out. “I have to get out of here! If I don’t, Draow will come back!”

“Look, as much as I would love to grant your wish..” The doctor had a tinge to his voice..something like contempt. Had this hippogriff zoner done something terrible? “I can’t do that. I would get fired. So suck it up and stop struggling!”

“Wait! Please! You have to listen to me! Draow will...!”

“Shut up, murderer!” The doctor snarled as he continued to shove the hippogriff zoner as roughly as he could without causing additional damage down the hallway. The two voices continued to echo down the hallway and they soon faded out of the king’s hearing range.

King Mumbo Jumbo stared in shock at the door as he let those words sink in. Draow... the name rang a bell in his mind. Rapidly, memories came back to him. Yes.. Draow had something to do with what happened to Barney. He remembered something about Draow coming in to take Barney. Whatever purpose it was for, it must have been really bad, as Bardot had seemed to want to defend Barney from him. An unusual thing, considering Bardot’s cruel nature, but that was a very telling sign. If even Bardot was against it...it must have been really horrible.

Draow had come here. He had attacked two places. He was responsible for whatever happened in ChalkZone City, and he was responsible for the ramblings of that hippogriff zoner. Had he been the one that hurt her, too? Was he the reason why she was laying down, in pain, why she was being wheeled off to what he guessed was the emergency room? It had to be. There was no other explanation. Draow was here... And he had went after the hippogriff zoner. But why?

More and more of Mumbo Jumbo’s head cleared up, his memory coming more into focus. There were still a number of things he did not remember. He still wasn’t completely sure of what happened, but maybe if he relaxed a little and tried not to think too hard, more memories would come back to him. Perhaps thinking too hard was the reason why he couldn’t remember. He needed to calm himself down. He had just woken up. He needed to relax and wait. Surely someone or something would remind him of the blanks he couldn’t fill.

Then, moments later, he heard some footsteps. Again, he looked at the door. These footsteps were slow and somewhat calm. But the calm demeanor that he thought the zoner would have was immediately flushed away when he took notice of the zoner’s expression. Grim..sadness... This set off an alarm bell in the tortoise’s mind. Even more alarming was the identity of this zoner.

“S-Skrawl...?”

King Mumbo Jumbo was horrified by the way his voice sounded. Very scratchy and dry, as if he hadn’t drunk anything in days. He smacked his lips together, swallowing and wincing at how painful his throat had gotten. His voice was weak, too. Despite putting as much effort into talking as he could, his voice sounded as though he had just woken up.

He watched as Skrawl walked..no...rode into the room on a wheelcheer. Skrawl looked quite bad, his body overed in some scrapes and cuts. One of his limbs was in a cast, wrapped tightly around the entire length of the limb. His only working arm rested on one of the arms. The wheelchair was motorized, and he could see Skrawl pushing against the lever to move the chair forward. The sound of whirring filled the air, somehow sounding depressing when accompanied by the worried look Skrawl had on his face.

The jellybean zoner stopped beside Mumbo Jumbo’s bed. He yanked the lever back and locked it in place. Mumbo Jumbo could hear the sound of clicking, and the wheelchair moved no more. Skrawl, at first, was silent, watching Mumbo Jumbo with that same expression on his face.

Then, at least, he spoke.

Skrawl said, “How...are you feeling?”

Mumbo Jumbo wanted to laugh bitterly at this. How was he doing? The jellybean warden can take a good look at him and know just what was going on with him. He had been badly injured, and he still didn’t know exactly what happened. He was laying in a hospital bed, covered in bandages, and he felt what was definitely a back cast on him. And Skrawl decided to ask a rather reduntant question. Of course...

But he couldn’t bring himself to be sarcastic to him. The zoner was concerned about him. Was he really going to be a jerk to him by reacting in a bitter, somewhat sarcastic way? No, now wasn’t the time for that. They were both hurt, and the more important thing right now is to figure out just why they were both injured like this. Maybe Skrawl might know what had happened.

“I’m..fine...” King Mumbo Jumbo winced and seethed in pain as he felt agony shoot up his spine. Skrawl cocked an eyebrow, narrowing his eyes slightly. The tortoise sighed. “Well, as fine as I could be with...whatever happened to me.”

Skrawl’s expression softened up and he nodded his head. “Yes, I understand.” He raised his hand up, his elbow resting on the arm of the wheelchair. “You have..been through quite a lot. Judging from your expression when I came in, I take it you don’t remember?”

Mumbo Jumbo shook his head. “No.. Well not a lot anyway. I remember bits and pieces, but not enough to create a full picture.” The tortoise rubbed his head a little, clenching his beak. “I suppose you know what happened?” Skrawl nodded his head once. “Can you fill me in on the details?”

“Yeah, I can. But I...” Skrawl paused for a moment. “I know you aren’t going to like this. In fact, I...I’m not sure if I should tell you.” He closed his eyes lightly. “I can’t help but wonder if it’ll make things better for you, or worse, knowing that...” His voice trailed off.

King Mumbo Jumbo narrowed his eyes a little at the jellybean. “Why would you...keep important information from me? I...need to know what happened. And you are here, and you just said that you knew what happened. How would telling me make anything worse?”

“Have you ever heard the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’? Well that applies here.” Skrawl said. He reopened his mismatched eyes. He turned his attention back to the zoner. Taking note at how upset the tortoise was, Skrawl said, “But..you are right. Best to know what went on with... You know who.”

“You mean...with Draow?” Mumbo Jumbo asked.

Skrawl nodded his head. “Yes. And Barney.”

At this, Mumbo Jumbo nearly jumped out of his bed to demand information from Skrawl. The only thing keeping him from doing so was the pain and the bandages, as well as his better judgment. He settled for widening his eyes and staring intently at the jellybean zoner. “What happened?” He asked, doing nothing to hide the sense of urgency rushing through his mind. “Is Barney okay?”

Skrawl didn’t answer for a few moments. The way his expression looked, the nervous gestures he made, Mumbo Jumbo instantly knew that something was wrong. This confirmed his suspicions from before. Something bad did happen to Barney. The realization of this caused another memory to come into his mind. He remembered Barney screaming...

The silence in the room was starting to become unbearable. He watched, watching Skrawl to see when he was going to speak up. The injured warden bit his lip, his head casting downward a little. He looked like he was trying to sort out his thoughts. Whatever happened to Barney...was it really that hard to tell him? He wasn’t expecting anything pretty, but Skrawl’s silence was...it was just making the feelings welling up inside of him hurt more.

“That...would all depend on your definition of okay.”

Mumbo Jumbo’s eyes widened in horror at this. What did..what did Skrawl mean by that? He didn’t like the sound of it. Something was..something was really wrong. The way he said it, the expression he made, the fact he didn’t spit it out right away... It all pointed to one thing. Whatever happened to Barney wasn’t a simple ‘he got hurt but survived’ thing. It sounded much more like a fate worse than death. That sent more horror through the old tortoise’s body.

“What...” Mumbo Jumbo’s voice came quiet, more so than it was before. “What do you mean by that?”

Skrawl shut his eyes and let out a sigh. “You see... He is alive, but..not as you knew him.”

Mumbo Jumbo’s eyes widened further. He took in a sharp gasp. The implications of that.. Just what had happened to his friend? He managed to sit himself up on the bed slightly, barely raising his head off the pillow. Despite the wracking pain going down his back, he kept himself up, his eyes firmly on the jellybean zoner.

“Not as I knew him? But how?” Mumbo Jumbo asked. “How could he...?”

Skrawl silenced him by lifting up a hand. “I...think you better brace yourself for this.” He said, his voice solemn. Mumbo Jumbo lowered himself back into the bed, remaining silent, his eyes glued to Skrawl’s. “There was..an attack on ChalkZone City. Draow had come in, for some reason wanting Barney.”

“I kind of remember that.” Mumbo Jumbo said.

“Bardot did try to stop him, but even he couldn’t prevent Draow from taking your friend.” Skrawl continued. His voice grew more solemn as he continued to speak. Mumbo Jumbo could feel cold dread gripping at his heart. “To shorten the story, I’ll just flat out say it.” He stared intently at the old tortoise, sucking his lip nervously for a couple seconds. “King Mumbo Jumbo.. I’m afraid that Barney was...”

Mumbo Jumbo waited and listened intently. He grew more and more anxious during the wait. Though only a few seconds passed, he felt the wait of the anxiety start to close in around him, slowing down time and making it feel like hours had passed. As Skrawl opened his lips to finish his sentence, Mumbo Jumbo felt his heartbeat start to ache and twist.

“Barney has been taken over by a deity named Nihilanth.”

King Mumbo Jumbo felt as though the world around him shattered into a million pieces. Waves of horror and terror welled up inside of his injuried body, twisting his stomach in knots. He swallowed hard, nausea settling in his stomach. His breathing became shaky and erratic.

Mumbo Jumbo spoke in a trembling, barely audible voice. “...wh-what...?”

sss

“So your office is also your house?” Mr. Longhorn asked as he looked around the room.

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. “Well for the most part yes. I do have another office I go to, but only on certain days, and for a few hours at a time. Originally it was just here at my home, but I found I could get more business if I expanded a little.” She paused for a moment. “Of course, I couldn’t just leave the animals for long, so I don’t use that other location as much.”

Mr. Longhorn nodded his head. He was aware of Mrs. Sanchez being a vet, although he wasn’t entirely sure about the ‘house equals office’ thing. He had his suspicions, but only now where they confirmed. Mrs. Sanchez had devoted portions of her house to taking care of animals, and she had a large barn where she kept some of her patients, which could include various animals from reptiles to birds to even horses.

Although she had hired him, she didn’t actually bring him over until today. He guessed that she wanted to find a place for him here that would be beneficial and consistant. It was clear that she hadn’t thought of really hiring anyone else, and probably had only Penny to help her out usually. If that were the case, Mr. Longhorn couldn’t help but feel impressed with how well she was able to hold up. It was incredible that, despite having limited staff, the woman was able to garner such a reputation and attracted clients over to her.

He stood in the middle of the room, which appeared to be some kind of receptionist room. Kind of... It was pretty basic, but it served its purpose quite well. There was a single desk and a small computer where she typed in information of a client, their pet, what was wrong with said pet, and whatever else she thought would need to go in there. The room didn’t have a lot of room to manuever, but he didn’t have any trouble. It didn’t feel too crowded. Small, but still a little roomy.

Mrs. Sanchez had come into this room not to interview him, but to check the status of her patients and clients. She said this was something she did at least twice a day so she could plan out her schedule and be on time for everything. She consistently worked every day unless she was feeling sick. Even in the dead of winter in a blizzard, she was still taking care of the animals. Talk about dedication.

After she was finished, she moved away from the computer and waved a hand at him. As soon as she got out of the room, Mr. Longhorn followed her through her house. They soon came to the living room. Mr. Longhorn stopped walking for a few seconds, taking time to look around the room and admiring how pretty and well organized it was.

Mrs. Sanchez sat down on the couch. She looked over at him and spoke to him, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Come on over here, Mr. Longhorn.”

Mr. Longhorn stared at her for a few seconds. “Are you sure?” He couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. He wasn’t used to acting this casual behavior with a potential employer. He was used to sitting down in a formal room, going through the usual questions and such. He wasn’t used to...this. “It’s not very professional, I...”

“I insist. I want you to be comfortable during this.” Mrs. Sanchez said as she patted the cushion next to her. “I’d like you to be relaxed. Don’t be so nervous. Come on over here.” She gave him a small smile.

Mr. Longhorn still wasn’t sure if he should do that. He didn’t feel entirely comfortable with the thought. No other employer in the past had done this. Mrs. Sanchez was truly unconventional. This showed just how little experience she had in hiring...which is to say none. Employers had their own set ways of how they hire. They didn’t just take their potential employees into a living room and chat with them like they were trying to be buddy buddy.

Still, if that is what Mrs. Sanchez wanted, he supposed he could obligue. He didn’t want to upset her or make her feel as though he didn’t want to be around her. Slowly and cautiously, he moved over towards the couch. Despite her smiling, he was still in a nervous posture, unsure of what to make of all this. He constantly looked at her, as if to seek her approval the closer he got to her. She just continued to smile at him, show no signs of disapproval.

Soon he made it to her side. He lowered himself onto the couch and in seconds, he was sitting down next to Mrs. Sanchez. He leaned back, interlocking his fingers nervously. He lowered his head, unsure of what to think of his current situation. He bit his lip and he looked over at Mrs. Sanchez, remaining silent.

“Try to relax. I know you aren’t used to doing an interview like this, but it’ll be fine.” Mrs. Sanchez said, still smiling. “I just feel that, when your mind is at its most relaxed and comfortable, you are most sincere and clear-minded when it comes to answering my questions.”

“Ah...” Mr. Longhorn said as the realization hit him. “That does make sense.” He paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath. Although he hadn’t meant to, he couldn’t help but think about what happened the past few days. Without hesitating, he looked up towards the ceiling “Do you think Penny and her friends will be okay?”

This question wiped the smile off of Mrs. Sanchez’s face. Mr. Longhorn looked over at her, concern washing over his face as the woman looked away from him. Her eyes furrowed a little. She didn’t seem angry, though. But rather just lost in her own thoughts.

“I’m sure she’s okay. She’s a smart girl.” Mrs. Sanchez said. “She and her friends make a wonderful team. They look out for each other. I’m confident that they are okay.”

Mr. Longhorn nodded his head slowly. “From what I heard, I would think they’re fine, too.” He recalled some of the things he had been told by various people involved with keeping ChalkZone a secret. ChalkZone...as that name entered his mind, as he recalled the dangerous beast, Nihilanth, another question ran through his mind. “If you don’t mind telling me... What was your reaction when you first learned of this place? That your daughter was involved in?”

Mr. Sanchez was silent for a moment. Then she replied, “Shock...confusion...fear... I didn’t fully understand at the time. All I knew about it was that my daughter and her friend were trapped somewhere in it. I..admit I was afraid of ChalkZone, and I was the most opposed to allowing our children to go back.” She lowered her head. Her face was furrowed a little more, as if she felt ashamed of that. She looked over at Mr. Longhorn. “But I think any parent in my situation would have felt the same way. If they found out their children were tortured in some place that was...different, they’d want to take them away from there to avoid it happening again.”

Mr. Longhorn remained quiet. He thought about speaking up, but the woman didn’t look like she was done talking yet. He kept his mouth shut, listening to what the woman was saying.

“Like Rudy’s parents, I was hurt that Penny kept something like that hidden from me. In all the years of her growing up, I never would have thought she would keep something like that from me. I never would have imagined that she and her friend were going on adventures in this world made of chalk. It horrified me, horrified Rudy’s parents, because if something happened to them, if they got hurt...” Mrs. Sanchez had a few tears well up in her eyes. “We wouldn’t be there to help them. We always try to do what’s best for our kids. We always want to be there for them. And to know they kept something like that a secret... It was hurtful.” She closed her eyes. “For a moment, it felt as though they didn’t trust us anymore... and, as shameful as it is for me to admit this, we had a bit of a trust issue going on as well.”

“What?” Mr. Longhorn asked. This surprised him. From what he had seen of them, he never would have thought trust was ever an issue.

Mrs. Sanchez confirmed what she said. “Yeah, as much as it pains me to say it, after we found out they kept a big secret from us, we..weren’t sure just how much we could trust them. Not that we thought they were doing anything malicious...but we were their parents. How could they not tell us about this? Did they think we were untrustworthy? What did we do to make them feel as though they couldn’t tell us?” She interlocked her fingers, leaning back against the couch. “Well we did think to ask them. The answer they gave us...well it did ease our minds more.”

“What did they tell you?” Mr. Longhorn asked.

Mrs. Sanchez said, “They told us about ChalkZone, how they found out, how long they had been going there. They told us what the place was like, reassuring us that most zoners weren’t outwardly hostile or would try to harm us. We learned about them being ChalkZone’s guardians and the consequences of the world being exposed, and just how much that place meant to them.” She turned her attention back to Mr. Longhorn. “We did come to understand just why they kept it a secret from us. I want to say that I wouldn’t have revealed ChalkZone or forbidden my daughter from going, but the truth is..that would be a lie.”

Mr. Longhorn tilted his head at this. He wasn’t sure if he should be surprised or not. She is a single mother, after all, and she is responsible for Penny’s safety. He could understand where she was coming from. If he had a son or daughter and they found a place like that, he’d be a little cautious about letting them go play in it himself.

An alternate world that can be accessed via the chalkboard... Yeah he can see how that would be frightening. Just the thought of it would send shudders down many people’s spines. How would they know what and who they could trust in that world? How would they know what to expect? A place like ChalkZone could be unpredictable, with varying lifeforms and more diversity than what he imagined would be in the real world, at least outwardly so. How should anyone react to seeing something like a unicorn with a dragon’s tail walking up to them and wishing them to have a good day?

He understood why that place had to be kept a secret. He knew that too many people would either want to profit from it, or they would try to destroy it. People were greedy. People feared the unknown. These two factors were enough to put ChalkZone in grave danger if someone were to find out about it. He also knew that things from ChalkZone could pose a threat in the real world, such as any weapons that might be created, though he imagined it depended on the mechanics of it. Still, it would not be a pretty thing.

He still sometimes heard those horrible voices in his head, those people who tried to get into ChalkZone earlier. He had went down to the new station to try to convince the audience that the zoners were just machines and, upon Reggie’s suggestion, that the place was closed down for various reasons. It had not been easy to confront the audience. Most of them were chanting about wanting to get inside and wanting to wash away the zoners. He did manage to wash away the dead body of the red crocodile zoner so no one could find it, and he was able to get the chalkboard back to Rudy’s place. He was glad he did those things first before speaking; the audience was so hell bent on getting into ChalkZone, they probably would have ransacked the news station to find some magic chalk and the portal.

It had taken a while, an hour or two, but he did eventually get the audience to accept ChalkZone as just some cancelled fantasy park. This did satisfy most of the audience, with some looking considerably calmer and happier believing that there wasn’t any ‘chalk creature’ waiting to kill them in the night. Others were skeptical, and Mr. Longhorn knew that they’d need to remain cautious around them. And others were disappointed as they clearly wanted to make money off of this place.

At least, for now, they didn’t have to worry about that anymore. Most of the audience was convinced, and the small handful that might cause a problem, well he can’t see them being too troubling for the time being. They shouldn’t let their guard down, but for the time being, there were more pressing things to worry about.

“If I had found out about that place much earlier, like when Penny was ten, I probably would have pulled her out.” Mrs. Sanchez said in a regretful tone. “I may have went as far as forbidden her to see Rudy if I found out he was involved...” She paused for a moment and shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t have done that. I would have called his parents, and tell them what was going on. I’m sure after that, though, they both would have been banned.”

“Do you think you would have regretted that decision?” Mr. Longhorn asked, looking at her sympathetically. “Do you have any doubts of making the decision to let your daughter in ChalkZone now?” It was a little surprising to him that he was asking some questions. For the moment, the two f them forget this was supposed to be an interview.

“...yes, admittingly.. I think I would have.” Mrs. Sanchez answered after a few moments of silence. “I sometimes regret it...at least in the beginning I did. Not so much lately. I’ve been in that place many times and each time I go, I feel less...afraid of it I guess is the right word for it.” She became silent for a moment, clearly reflecting on her thoughts. “In the end, I do think we made the right choice in letting them still go. Maybe a lot of this could have been avoided if we didn’t, but...”

“..but it would have been too painful.” Mr. Longhorn interrupted her. Mrs. Sanchez looked at him, her eyes widened slightly as though he read her mind. “If you had banned them, they may have felt..sore for a while. You might have accidentally damaged your relationship with them.”

“...yeah you can say that.” Mrs. Sanchez replied.

Mr. Longhorn asked, “Do you...think it was worth it, to let them keep going, even though this whole..Nihilanth incident might have been avoided if they didn’t go anymore?”

Mr. Longhorn winced as he said that. He didn’t want to make it sound like things could be better if they had made a different decision in the past. He didn’t want to insinuate that they made the wrong choice in letting them keep going. A part of him felt guilty for asking that question. It was a little more personal that he had meant to to be, and he was worried he upset the woman.

But Mrs. Sanchez didn’t seem angry with him. In fact, she was just as thoughtful as before. Her expression didn’t really change and she showed no signs of being upset with the question. She didn’t answer for a while, but if her expression was a tell tale sign, she was just trying to think of an answer. He hoped that he didn’t accidentally put any doubts in her mind. He would feel awufl if that were the case.

Mrs. Sanchez, after what felt like a minute, though was only a few seconds, nodded her head. “Yeah, I think it was. We felt closer to our children after we let them keep going to ChalkZone. We believed that we had strengthened our bond with them and reinforced that trust. It took us a while to figure out which course of action was best, and we, despite what’s been going on lately, still feel that letting our children keep coming was the best and least dangerous decision.” She shook her head slowly. “I don’t think anything could make us regret that decison.”

As she said that, she gave a smile. A small one, a little shaky, but still packed with emotion. Mr. Longhorn stared at her for a few seconds. Slowly, he felt his mouth ticking into a smile as well. Despite knowing it wasn’t called for and despite not knowing Mrs. Sanchez that well, the man leaned forward and put his arm around her, pulling her into a hug. This surprised her, and he could feel her stiffen up from the surprise gesture. She soon relaxed and put her arms around him.

Mr. Longhorn said softly, “I thought so.”

sss

When Snap first woke up, he didn’t know what to think. The first thing he became aware of was vertical, but off the ground. He felt a pressure around his neck and realized that someone was holding him up. In seconds, the zoner became aware of pain from the pressure, as well as around his body, especially his back, which felt as though it was pulsating in agony. Although he remained muggy and confused at first, it hadn’t taken him long to realize that he had been injured more and he was in trouble.

But when he looked up to see who had grabbed him, he was shocked by who it was. He had expected Jenny or Ghadir holding him like this. He would expect someone so cruel and vile to lift him up in such a manner, to look at him with such contempt. Instead, someone else was there, someone whom he didn’t expect.

“B-Bucko...? Wh-What are you...?” Snap had managed to say.

Rudy had replied with a laugh and with, “Hello, Snap... Aren’t you happy to see me?”

Rudy had sounded so cold...so cruel... It confused Snap more. Thoughts raced through his mind as he tried to understand what was happening. He thought, at first, he was still trapped in the dark dimension. Maybe this was Dark Rudy holding him, or perhaps Light Rudy. This seemed like something he could imagine happening in those dimensions, considering how vile Rudy ended up in both. This certainly didn’t sound like the Rudy he knew. This...this had to be one of those alternate versions, right?

But when more memories came back to him, he slowly came to realize, that wasn’t the case. He remembered Rudy and Penny being tortured by some guy named Mr. Pierce. He also recalled how he was chased by Ghadir and nearly killed. And then there was the confrontation with Nihilanth. And how could he forget the Luminos? The pain in his leg reminded him of the injury he recieved in that arena they were forced to be in. All this happened after they came back from the alternate dimensions.

The realization of this horrified Snap. It meant that the person holding him wasn’t an imposter or an alternate version. It was Rudy, his Rudy, and now he was acting just like those evil versions they ran into earlier. Looking at him, the way he smiled twistedly, it was hard to believe that this was the same Rudy Tabootie he had known for many years.

Questions flooded his mind. How did he get like this? Why was he acting like this? Was Rudy going to hurt him? Was he going to turn his back on ChalkZone? How could he have become the monster he promised he wouldn’t be? Snap refused to believe that Rudy did this on his own free will. Something coerced him into this. But what?

Then he thought back to Nihilanth, and his eyes widened a little as he recalled what happened. He remembered Nihilanth wanted to use Rudy as a vessel. He had wanted to possess him and use him to get into the real world. Snap looked into Rudy’s eyes, noting the white glow of his left eye and the black glow of the right. The same colors as Nihilanth... At this, Snap felt a series of white flashes in the back of his mind as he remembered what happened.

Rudy was forced to stand in the servant light... Yes, he remembered now. Rudy apologized to them as he went over to stand in the light in exchange for their safety. He and Penny tried to stop him, but they could do nothing. They were helpless to do anything. All they could do was watch, in horror, as Rudy was corrupted before their eyes and became...this.

The realization that his Rudy had been corrupted by the black chalk, by the servant light, filled Snap with two feelings.

Anger, for what had been done to his best friend.

And fear, for what his best friend may do to him now that he was no longer himself.

Snap started to struggle, kicking his legs in the air. Though he didn’t want to hurt Rudy, he had no choice. He attempted to punch him, swinging his fist out at him. Rudy merely leaned back, letting the first just barely graze him. Rudy chuckled darkly and grabbed onto Snap’s fist. The zoner grunted in pain as his hand was twisted and pushed down. Clenching his teeth, he opened up one eye and looked up at Rudy, pain etched on his face.

Snap wasn’t sure how he was going to get out of this. Nihilanth had healed Rudy’s body for better use. This made sense. Nihilanth wouldn’t want to walk around in pain all the time. But this was bad news for him and Penny. They were still badly injured, and he knew Rudy, or rather Nihilanth controlling him, would take full advantage of that. They needed to figure a way out of here and fast.

“I do wonder how you think you’ll get out of this, dear Snap... I’ve got you by your blind spot.” Rudy sneered at him. He reached over and scratched Snap’s chin like he were a cat. “Kind of hard to defend yourself like this, eh? Even if you weren’t injured...”

Snap managed to strike Rudy’s hand away. He glared at him, gritting his teeth. “How dare you use my friend like this, you two headed creepazoid!”

At this, Rudy’s eyes widened a little. Then they narrowed in an evil smile. “You really are something, aren’t you?” Rudy showed Snap his claws, causing the zoner’s eyes to widen and he cringed back. Rudy kept the claws in Snap’s sights, no matter which way the zoner turned his head. “If I wanted to... It would be so easy to rip your face off. Maybe Dr. Raiden was onto something there.”

Snap couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped his throat. Was Rudy...or Nihilanth...really going to do that to him? Would he go as far as commit such a heinous act? Seeing the boy’s eyes hiding no deceit, seeing those claws so close, Snap realized, in horror, that yes, he would do that. He resumed struggling, his body wriggling in the air.

“No! Don’t do that to him! Please!” Penny cried. She took a limping step forward, reaching her hand out towards them. “Please, put him down!”

Rudy looked at Penny with one eye, sneering at her. “And why should I, dear Penny?” He pressed his claws against Snap’s head, holding on tightly and pressing his claws against the zoner’s scalp. Snap shut his eyes tightly and lowered his head. He wanted so badly to push the claws away, but feared hurting himself more if he tried to do something like that. “The last I checked, zoners like him were...expendable...”

Snap stared up in horror at this. That word, expendable...so much like how the other black chalk artists viewed zoners. Expendable.. He never thought he’d see the day when Rudy would be using that word to describe him, even if he was actually possessed by an evil two headed dragon. It was uncomfortable hearing those words come out of his mouth. To hear Rudy, who, in the past, had been kind, say something so cruel...it was unsettling.

Penny was silent, looking at Rudy in shock and horror. She moved a little closer, stopped only when Rudy pressed harder against the zoner’s scalp. Snap let out a cry of pain when he did this. He looked over at Penny, his eyes wide with a silent plea. Penny stared at him, her breaths quickening. She didn’t know what to do. Snap could see the internal conflict going on with her. She really only had two choices. She could either try to flee, or she could try to help him. Both of them could spell trouble for him.

But there was another choice she could make. It was one that he hoped she wouldn’t have to resort to. It was still an option nonetheless. A third choice.

Penny could do whatever Nihilanth wanted her to do.

Unfortunately, this path would lead to the most problems. He knew what Nihilanth would want out of her. He’d want to possess her, have Rudy make use of a partner in crime to help him out. That would create a downward spiral for ChalkZone. On the surface, it might be his best chance at living, if Rudy is good on his word and lets him go if Penny does whatever he wants her to. But in the long run, it would make things so much worse.

“I know you’re in there somewhere, Rudy. Please...let Snap go. I know you really wouldn’t want to do this.” Penny pleaded with Rudy. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

“You’re right...it doesn’t...” Rudy said calmly. He moved his claws away from Snap, lifting the zoner up higher. He eyed Snap like he was just some object he found laying around on the groudn. He turned his attention back to Penny. “I can make it more...interesting..”

“Interesting...what..do you mean...?” Snap asked, gripping his scarf and pulling in an attempt to breathe better.

Rudy looked at him and smirked. “I don’t think you’re in any position to ask me that, Snap. I’m in control here. You..” Rudy pressed a finger against Snap’s face, running it along and forcing Snap to turn his head to the side. Rudy just continued to smile at his discomfort. “It might be the wisest choice for me to just kill you now..so I don’t have to worry about you again later on.” Snap looked at him with one wide eye, his other eye shut due to Rudy’s finger. “But I’d rather have a little fun. I’ll give you and Penny a sporting chance. I’m still a generous person and I’ll prove it to you.”

With that, Rudy pulled his arm back and, mustering as much strength as he could, threw Snap towards Penny. The zoner let out a cry of surprise, having not expected Rudy to do something like this. His body slammed against Penny, knocking her into the ground. The two friends groaned in pain, laying on the ground for a few moments. Snap shook his head, his body trembling in pain, as he looked over at Rudy, or who was once Rudy, and glared at him.

Rudy shrugged his shoulders. “What? I let you go, didn’t I?”

Penny rose up on the ground. She draped an arm over Snap protectively. She bared her teeth in a defensive manner. “I didn’t mean for you to throw him like that. How could you do that to a friend...? Oh wait, I’m wrong.” Penny narrowed her eyes hatefully. “It doesn’t matter to you, because you aren’t Rudy. Not anymore. You’re just a puppet now, a shell for Nihilanth to use.”

Rudy cocked an eyebrow. “At least what Nihilanth wants...or rather what I want, if you wish to see Nihilanth and I as the same person, involves unity. Bringing many species together in a new world. What you stand for, Penny, is segregation.” He pointed a finger at Penny. “And in case you didn’t notice, a lot of humans view that as a not so pleasant thing. A morally wrong act that demonizes one side. And guess what, dear Penny? That is what resulted from keeping ChalkZone a secret for so long.”

Penny gritted her teeth at this. “You’re wrong...”

“Oh? Am I, sweetheart?” Rudy cocked his head to the side. “Well then...explain this to me...” Rudy’s lips curled up a little, exposing his now slightly pointed dragon teeth. “There were a bunch of people who wanted to destroy zoners, or to conquer this place and make money off of it. Why? Because they didn’t understand. And why didn’t they understand? They didn’t know better. I know you think keeping this place a secret is the best idea, but perhaps it’s what marked this place to be doomed as soon as word spread.” Rudy folded his arms against his chest. “You cannot honestly say that the reaction would be just as bad if people knew more about zoners beforehand...”

Snap couldn’t believe this. He knew exactly what Rudy was trying to do. He was attempting to spill uncertainty into Penny’s mind, make her have doubts about what she’s been doing. And what’s scary is that what he said make sense. It wasn’t something he just pulled out of his ass to confuse her. It actually did make logical sense. Snap could see the reaction being less negative if more people knew and understood ChalkZone. They could be seen on equal ground with humans, not lower, and they could get more of a defense if more people interacted with zoners.

But that was all best case scenario. Snap knew that there would still be a lot of greedy humans out there who would try to use zoners and ChalkZone to use for their own needs and wants. There would still be extremist humans who would use real world water to wash away zoners for fear of the zoners attacking them. And of course, there would be the cruel or irresponsible humans who would just draw anything they wanted to. It would be much harder keeping tabs on criminals if they could just draw anything they wanted to. Things wouldn’t be better; they’d get worse.

Snap hoped that Penny wouldn’t fall for this bullshit. Actually, he didn’t need to worry about it. He knew that Penny wouldn’t believe this for one bit. She was too smart for that. She would see right past the deceit. She would know that, regardless of any possible benefit, that keeping ChalkZone a secret was the best course of action. They both knew all too well what happened the last time that ChalkZone allowed a bunch of creators into ChalkZone. There had been a war...

“You’re an idiot if you honestly believet hat things would improve if ChalkZone were exposed...” Snap muttered under his breath.

Rudy stared at Snap. This surprised the zoner. He hadn’t expected Rudy to hear that. Despite being insulted, Rudy still had a calm demeanor to him. This, sadly, reminded Snap of Mr. Cosmo. The zoner shuddered. Mr. Cosmo had been unusually calm even while torturing him. Among his screams and pleas for help, all Mr. Cosmo did was stare at him and smile, occassionally laugh. No matter what Snap said, either an insult or a plea, this did nothing to change the man’s demeanor.

Being reminded of that horrible man caused Snap to tremble harder. That man had been the source of his nightmares for years and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. Although it was difficult, he attempted to push those thoughts out of his head. He couldn’t focus on Mr. Cosmo right now. He had to keep focused on Rudy, or he might...

Snap was pulled from his thoughts when Rudy spoke up again.

“Whatever you say, Snap... Whatever you say.” Rudy shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. He moved his hands out in gesture, motioning to both of them. His claws slightly glinted in the little light provided by the glow of his left eye. “Now...about that sporting chance...”

“I highly doubt you intend to be fear.” Snap said. “You...Nihilanth...you weren’t fair when you had us come to the Solar Pillars with only three days to heal, while you and Draow were at full power. How the fuck did you expect that battle to go? You had it rigged!”

Rudy laughed at this. “Well of course it was rigged. How else was I going to become one with Nihilanth?”

Penny and Snap wanted to say something to him. Anything at all... But no words left their mouths. What could they say to him? Rudy wouldn’t listen to reason anymore. He wasn’t him right now. He was just a puppet being controlled by Nihilanth. Their words would just fly over his head. He’d act like he didn’t understand and go on with digging at their psyche. If only they could figure out a way to get him free from the black chalk...

“Tell you two what... As a sign that I am...generous, and to even the battlefield a little..how about I release a few of the victims?”

At this, Penny and Snap lifted up their heads, staring at Rudy in shock. Release a few of the victims? Did he mean the Luminos, their friends, everyone else that was captured by Nihilanth? Would he really do that, or was he just lying to them to get them to lower their guard?

Penny tilted her head a little to the side. “How many...?” Her voice was laced with skepticism. Snap couldn’t blame her.

“Hmm..how about three?” Rudy said, his arms folded against his chest with one arm kind of gesturing to them. “Yes...three is a fine number. I think I’ll release three victims... But you...” He pointed a finger at the two. “..you must choose who you want me to let go.” He paused for a moment. Before Penny and Snap had time to think more about their choices, Rudy continued, “Oh, and here’s the kicker: whenever it comes to decide, all the victims will hear your choices. So those whom you don’t choose..yes, they will know.”

Penny and Snap widened their eyes at this. They looked at each other as anxiety ate away at their stomachs. How..how were they going to be able to choose who gets let out...? How could they choose three people above all the others? What would the others think of them? They looked back at Rudy, noting the evil smile on his face. He knew exactly what he was doing. Just like they should have suspected, freeing a few of their comrades had come at a price.

They hoped that, when it came to choosing, the others would understand.


	135. Choices

Choose...

How could they choose?

Why would Rudy..no...Nihilanth, think that was fair?

Penny wasn’t sure if she or Snap could ever choose. If everyone in that crystal orb thing could hear and see them, or were at least aware of what was going on, and if they were only allowed three, then she knew, without a doubt, she and Snap would disappoint, or even anger, someone. There was no avoiding it. She wasn’t even sure if she would want to hear the response, or if she would feel comfortable not knowing, and constantly having that nagging feeling pull at her stomach.

Since they could only pick three, they would have to be wise about who they choose. Nihilanth had to be stopped. So right off the bat, she knew they couldn’t pick anyone for personal reasons. As much as it pained her, she couldn’t just say Blocky or Rapsheeba unless she had a really good reason. She knew they could be beneficial, but she had to think of everyone else and try to pick who would be the best option. Sophie was out of the question; with that amputated leg of hers, she would be an easy target. Most of the Luminos were also off limits as she had no idea of their full potential individually. She needed to think of those she did know.

Judging from Rudy’s expression, she and Snap didn’t have a lot of time to think. So she quickly put herself into thinking mode and started to ponder their options. Penny had to pick three prisoners to free, all of whom could provide some use to them to help stop Nihilanth. She didn’t want to endanger any humans for fear Nihilanth would corrupt them, so Tilly was out of the picture. What she needed to do was pick three who had a good trait, such as intelligence or strength.

Soon Penny realized she would have to exclude Rapsheeba. Her leg was broken and she would, like Sophie, be too vulnerable. She wasn’t entirely sure about Dr. Urso. Though he seemed pretty capable of moving good enough on his own, the problem was his torn lung. It might be closed now, but that was going to slow him down. But then they were all injured, at least most of them. Any Luminos that were as uninjured as possible, she didn’t know well enough to choose them. She had to only stick with zoners whom she knew could be helpful and would be able to stand their ground better.

So Blocky might not be a good idea. She knew he could stand well enough on his own, like how he fought against the zombies so Snap and Rapsheeba could escape. But he wasn’t as strong as, say, Draow, and she feared he would be targeted first and killed. She hated hating to exclude both their friends, but it was for the best. If they were going to free Rudy, they had to pick the best qualified, and after some thinking, Penny felt she picked the three that would be the best.

While she previously wasn’t sure about Dr. Urso, Penny decided he should be one of the three they choose to free. He was powerful and strong. Based on the comments she heard from the surviving Luminos, he was absolutely incredible, breaking out of his own cell and fighting off multiple zoners at once, even when badly injured. He’s the kind of powerhouse that they needed to fight.

But strength alone wasn’t enough. They needed other qualities as well. Intelligence and speed. Dr. Urso was quite smart himself, but more brains were better than one, and she knew that both Dr. Raiden and Maalik were high in the brain department. Even when they were both insane and thought all humans were evil, they displayed a high intellect, with all their planning and machine building and all that. They were even able to recreate Bardot’s hideout surprisingly well, quite similiar to how it used to be. Plus Dr. Raiden also had speed and, out of the three, he was the fastest. He might also be the smartest, seeing how he was able to create a working dimensional machine.

Maalik would have good leadership skills, so he probably was a really good planner. He had to manage all those Luminos in the past, keep them all in check. In addition to that, he was also a happy medium between Urso’s strength and Raiden’s speed and agility. While not as fast as Raiden or as strong as Urso, he was still a formidable opponent. And those claws of theirs... As terrifying as Raiden’s metal finger was, along with Maalik’s electrical claw, both of these might come in handy when facing off against Nihilanth.

Penny made her decision. But before telling Rudy who her choices were, she’d have to speak to Snap to make sure he approved of it. She didn’t want to upset him by going forward with the decision without first talking to him about it. That wouldn’t be really fair. And what if Snap had choices of his own? They should at least discuss things first.

Penny spoke up. “Would you mind if I spoke to Snap?” She felt a little disturbed with herself that she’d actually ask this villain if she could speak to her friend. But she feared that if she didn’t, he’d ring some invisible bell and the offer would expire.

Rudy chuckled and waved his arm out in front of them. “Why...of course, my dear.” He slowly brought his arm back and rested his chin on his hand, his fingers dangling downward. “Please, proceed. I don’t mind waiting a little longer to toy with you...”

Penny glared at him, but did not respond. She turned her attention to Snap. The zoner looked up at her expectantly. She could tell he was waiting for her to speak, keeping his mouth shut. She sucked her lip as she stood in front of him. She tried to think of just how to go about telling him. It was not going to be easy. If Snap were upset with her choices, she’d have to come up with good, strong cases for them. And if he had some convincing counterparts, with equally good reasons as to why, then they were going to need to discuss this and.... Just..how long was Rudy willing to wait?

Penny didn’t waste anymore time than necessary. Despite being uncertain as to whether or not her choices were the best ones, and though she wasn’t certain if Snap would respond wel to them, she had to spit out her choices to him. They had little time to do this. At any moment, Rudy could go back on his offer and have them captured. Which reminded her, just what was Rudy planning on doing with them after he released his victims? Or rather, Nihilanth’s? She had a feeling, even if she asked, she would get no answer to that.

“Were...you able to choose...?” Snap spoke up, breaking her out of her thoughts. “I am not sure if I can...”

“You haven’t made any decisions?” Penny asked, sounding a little surprised. She would have expected Snap to at least say Rapsheeba or Blocky. Had he really made no decisions?

Snap shook his head slowly. “I tried to... But I’m not sure who would be best. I thought of my friends but..I don’t want them to get more hurt than they already are. But at the same time, I don’t know if I can trust any of the Luminos enough...especially after...”

Penny nodded her head in understanding. “I know. It was a hard decision for me, too.” Snap looked up at her with a curious, somewhat expectant expression. Penny understood what the look meant and answered right away. “Yeah..I think I figured out the three whom we should pick. I wanted to run my idea with you before I continued.”

“I appreciate that.” Snap gave a small, weak smile. That faded away quickly and he asked, “So who did you end up picking?”

Penny sucked in a breath. She prepared herself, quickly going through her mind with what she was going to say. She exhaled a second later, and she started to run her idea with Snap.

“I’m thinking that Maalik, Raiden, and Urso are our best bets. We can’t risk Tilly or Sophie in part because they are human; Nihilanth would try to corrupt them and the last thing we need right now is another creator to fight againt. It was not easy for me to make the decision, but those three...they may be our best chance. We need someone who is durable and can take a beating. All three of them have shown they can be tenacious, and they would provide us with qualities that we will need. Strength, speed, and intelligence.”

Snap just stared at her. He had an expression that Penny couldn’t entirely read. Was he angry? Was he upset? Did he understand? It was so hard to tell with that look... Penny couldn’t help but think that Snap was uncertain of her choices, and perhaps a little insulted because, the way she said that, it insinuated that she didn’t think Rapsheeba or Blocky were smart, and that certainly wasn’t true. She spoke up quickly.

“Not that Rapsheeba or Blocky aren’t smart. They are, and I appreciate their help back when Rudy and I were kidnapped by Bardot. But I fear they would become easy targets for Draow and Nihilanth; I thought it best to choose three that could stand their ground better and were more adapted, or rather drawn, for fighting. I..I hope you understand...” Penny said. She went quiet and waited for Snap to reply.

At first, the blue zoner was quiet. He seemed to be contemplating what she said. His expression...she now realized it wasn’t of anger, but rather thoughtful. He was considering her decisions. She waited for his answer. She hoped that, in the end, he’d understand why she made those choices, and wouldnt’ be too angry with her for excluding their friends.

“I...understand.” Snap said, slightly hesitating. That hesitation did worry Penny a little, but the response was at least better than she thought it was going to be. “I do agree that we have to be wise with our choices. I do think it’s wise not to choose Blocky or Rapsheeba, as they, especially Rapsheeba with her broken leg, could be killed off too easily by Nihilanth. I’d..feel horrible if I dragged them into that kind of danger...”

Penny reached over and placed a comforting hand on Snap’s shoulder. He stared up at her. She lowered herself a little. It hurt with her injured leg, but she managed good enough to be eye level with Snap. He reached up and lightly touched her arm, gripping it gently.

“I don’t think they would blame you..if such a thing happened.” Penny said, smiling softly at Snap. “You and I both know how they are. They couldn’t pit the blame on you, because they would understand it’s not your fault.”

Snap smiled back. He nodded his head. “Yeah..I know...”

The two stared at each other for a few moments. Penny soon broke the silence. “So...what do you think of my idea? I don’t want to give my decision until I am certain you are okay with it.”

Snap nodded his head. “I think you made some good choices. I have no complaints.”

Penny tilted her head. She was a little surprised by this. She thought he would at least protest the suggestion of bringing out Raiden and Maalik. Even if those two had reformed, there was still tension between them. Snap had been unfairly targeted by them. Well she and all her friends were, but Snap was especially hated among the Luminos and branded a traitor. He had every right to not want to work with them.

But she should give Snap more credit. He knew that, in situations like these, he couldn’t let personal feelings get in the way. He was never that kind of zoner. She was glad that, despite not feeling comfortable with the idea, Snap agreed with her choices and was willing to work with those two highest ranking Luminos if it means getting Rudy back and stopping Nihilanth. Cooperation was key here.

Still, she wanted to be absolutey sure he was okay with these choices. She wanted to be certain that Snap was confident in his decision, in her choices, before she continued. She didn’t want to ultimately end up doing something that she would end up regretting, costing her so much of what she loved.

“Are you sure? Because if you have any ideas, you can...” Penny started to say.

Snap raised his hand up, silencing her. “Buckette, we’ve been friends a long time, and if there is one thing I learned about you time and time again, it’s that you are a really smart, intelligent person. Your planning and choices have helped us out in a jiff more times than I can count. If you think I wouldn’t trust your judgment by now...well..” He smiled at this. “I would have to start questioning how much attention you pay to me.” He said in a playful voice.

Penny gave a quick giggle at this. She appreciated the laugh. After what they been through, a little laughter helped lift her spirits a little.

“But seriously, Penny, I trust your decision.” Snap said, pointing a hand in her direction. “I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t make a choice like this without good reason. I know that you had thought hard about these choices, and I know you feel it’s for the best. I have confidence in you. I might not feel comfortable with Raiden...or Malik..but.. I believe in you.” His smile broadened a little as he said that.

Penny felt a pang at her heart. She ticked her motuh into a bigger smile, a slight grin. She felt a few tears of happiness form in her eyes. She felt elated that Snap trusted her that much. Although she already knew he trusted her, it still made her happy knowing that, despite the fact that he didn’t fully like the idea of having Maalik and Raiden out, for obvious reasons, he still believed in her and trusted her decision. This was truly a testament to how close they were as friends.

Without thinking, Penny pulled Snap into a hug, careful not to hurt him. This surprised the zoner. She could feel his body stiffen a little in shock. But Snap didn’t remain this way for very long. He relaxed and, slowly, returned the hug, putting his arms around her waist. He cuddled up against her, rubbing the side of his face against her upper chest. Penny rested her chin on top of his head, gently rubbing his back. For a moment, she forgot where she was, and what was going on. For that moment, all she was aware of was her and Snap.

“How revolting...”

Rudy’s cold statement was enough to wash away the momentary happines that Penny was feeling. Still hugging Snap, she turned her head over and glared in the boy’s direction. Snap looked over as well, giving an expression similar to hers. A mixture of anger and hurtfulness.

Rudy stood not too far from them. His arms were folded against his chest. His body left a little to the right. His foot was tapping quietly, showing impatience. He had a look of contempt on his face, looking at Snap like he was some disgusting worm he dug up from the ground. This whole scene was uncomfortable for both of them to watch. Even though they knew this wasn’t the real Rudy, just the sight of him looking like this sent chills down their spine.

Looking at Snap that way..it reminded Penny of the cold way Mr. Cosmo had dismissed zoners. He knew they were sentient. There was no way he couldn’t have known that. And still, he dismissed them like they were just some trash to be thrown away. Rudy was adopting a similar behavior, thanks to the influence of the black chalk. How awful...

“After you are done hugging that... beast...” Rudy’s lips curled up in disgust as his eyes locked onto Snap’s. He turned his attention to Penny. “Inform me of your decision. I would like to get back to..playing...” He smiled darkly at this.

Penny growled at this. She wanted to retort back to him. She wanted to defend Snap. But it wasn’t like he was going to listen to her. As much as the insult angered her, as much as it was hurtful to Snap, she couldn’t let it get to her. That’s exactly what he wanted. He was trying to unnerve them mentally. It was a tactic. Get her angry so she would slip up and say the wrong thing. How clever of Nihilanth to have Rudy do such a thing... But she wasn’t going to fall for it.

Giving one more look to Snap, she slowly rose up to her feet, releasing Snap. She turned to face Rudy. For a moment, she just stood there, staring at him. She shuddered as he stared back at her with those cold, cruel eyes. A part of her mind was catapulted into the past, remembering what happened when he was first being controlled by black chalk. Even though he wasn’t going all insane on her, this was stil a scary situation for her. With him being Nihilanth’s vessel, she knew, at any time, Rudy could be replaced with Nihilanth, and then they’d be in big trouble.

“Did you make up your mind?” Rudy asked, tilting his head to the side.

Penny tightened her hands into fists, trembling at her sides. She gave a quick nod. “Yes. I have.”

Rudy grinned at this. “Good... Tell me who the lucky winners are...so I know who gets to be disappointed.”

Penny froze at this, her eyes widening. This didn’t last too long. She couldn’t let Rudy psyche her out like this. She took in a breath, narrowing her eyes. She tired her best not to get too upset with the way Rudy was looking at her, that evil, sly grin. That knowing expression... He understood fully well what he was doing, and he didn’t care.

Penny gave her response. “Maalik, Raiden, and Urso.”

Rudy started at her for a few seconds, his expression somewhat blank. Then he smiled. “So..no friends or family, eh? I guess they aren’t good enough for you...” Penny and Snap glared at him. Rudy just shrugged his shoulders. “Oh well.. I’m sure you had your reasons for choosing those three...over your own loved ones.”

Penny gritted her teeth. She and Snap could feel their blood start to heat up at what this boy was saying. This was absolutely disgusing, the way he was dismissing their relationship with their friends like that. They wanted to so much to show him just how wrong he was. But they had to hold back. One wrong move, and they could land themselves in worse danger, or prompt Nihilanth to torture them in that orb. Penny was certain he could do that.

Rudy smirked at them for a little while longer before he raised up his hand and snapped his fingers. In seconds, the orb on his sphere glowed, and what looked like three flat white lights came out, looking like strings of paper. They moved around Penny and Snap twice, almost like they were going to ensare them. They moved closer together, glaring at the lights moving around. They both wondered if this was another of Nihilanth’s tricks.

Soon the three lights pounded into the ground. There was a sparking sound, a flash of light, and they could see, on the ground, the three zoners they had asked for. They were laying on the ground, curled up in a ball. They all looked like they were just napping, their eyes lightly closed. They still retained their injuries from before, but they didn’t have any new ones. Penny wasn’t sure why they were sleeping like this unless being yanked from..wherever they were being stored was so dramatic and stressful that it just knocked them out.

Rudy had seen Penny’s look of confusion. He pulled his head back and let out a cold laughter. Penny and Snap shot a look at Rudy. Why was he laughing? What was so funny? Rudy looked back at them, a wild-like evil smile on his face. Penny and Snap shuddered at this. They didn’t like where this was going. They didn’t like the way he was looking at them, so filled with hidden intentions.

“By the way...” Rudy took a step forward, tilting his head to the side. “I lied.”

At this, Penny and Snap looked at him in startlement. They turned to each other, their confused looks still plastered on their faces. What..what was he talking about? They turned back to him, waiting for him to continue.

“I know you two must have felt some pressure with deciding just..how to pick, knowing that the others would hear what you had to say. But..no...you didn’t have to worry.” Rudy said. Penny’s eyes widened a little at this. “I lied about that. All of my victims are..in a dormant sleep, just like those three are.” He pointed to Urso, Raiden, and Maalik. “They have no sense of reality. They heard nothing. You got fearful over nothing.”

“You...you lied about that...?” Snap asked, his voice low, a whisper. “How..could you do that..?”

“A dumb question, Snap. Why did you think I did it...?” Rudy leaned forward a little, holding out his hand in gesture. “It was because I wanted to mess with you. I wanted to toy with your hearts a little. And I see it worked.” His nasty grin broadened.

“Why you...” Snap growled under his breath.

“How dare you torment us like that...” Penny hissed at Rudy, her blood boiling. “You are despicable!”

Rudy shrugged and waved his hand dismissively. “Call me what you want, sweet cheeks. I don’t give a fuck.” He gave them a smile eerily similar to what Mr. Cosmo given once. The sight of it made Penny shudder and Snap take a step back. “Remember, you’re in my world now..not yours. I can do whatever I want. And if I decide I want to twist your poor little hearts...” Rudy placed a hand against his chest. “I will do that.”

Penny seethed at this. She breathed in and out raggedly, her teeth clenched tightly. She never thought she would start hating Rudy, but there was a first time for everything. Well not the real Rudy, but what he has become forcibly. She hated what he was now. She despised just how cruel he had become. He didn’t need to be like this. None of the black chalk artists needed to be this way. But they still chose to be this way. They chose to be monsters, and that was disgusting. Their contempt and dismissal of zoners, their manipulation, their cruelty...they would all pay for that eventually.

But for now, she and Snap couldn’t do anything, except hold out, hope for the best, and resist the black chalk. They wouldn’t just lay down and let themselves get hurt. They would fight back. Penny was confident that, especially with those three she chose at their side, they could work to create a dent in the black chalk. She just hoped that she did make the right decision in going with Raiden, Maalik, and Urso.

“So..are we going to do this little song and dance...?” Rudy taunted them.

Penny and Snap continued to glare at him, standing side by side. Penny looked down, watching as the three zoners were slowly stirring, waking up. She turned her attention back at Rudy. She nodded her head curtly.

“Yes.” Penny said quickly. She adopted a fighting stance. “If I have to, I will fight you. And I will find a way to free Rudy from your grasp, Nihilanth..”

“You can count on that!” Snap said, raising a fist in the air.

At this, Rudy just laughed. He lowered his head, staring at them intently with his black and white glowing eyes. He spoke in a dark, growly voice. “Excellent...”

sss

Jenny narrowed her eyes in contempt. She stared down at the shivering zoner beside her feet. Next to her was Ghadir, who was paying less attention to the zoner and more to her, an expression of concern on her face. Jenny didn’t pay attention to it, though. She was too busy glaring at the zoner.

Bardot laid on the ground in a heap. He was whimpering softly, his body curled up as the trembled. His eyes were shut tightly as agony swept through his body. She could see his toes twitching a little as he tried to cope with the pain. He had a few bruises on him from where she and Ghadir had kicked him, as well as a few scrapes from being thrown around. Bardot no longer had a defiant look on his face, instead replaced with one of fear. It was a look that, under normal circumstances, would satisfy Jenny.

But, for some reason, it didn’t do much for her this time around. If anything, it just increased her hatred for this zoner. Her stomach churned, making her feel a tad bit queasy. She growled at the whimpering yellow zoner on the ground, her hands shaking in fists. There was so much she wanted to do this zoner, so much emotion to let out...

Yet she held back. She refrained from attacking him. But not out of any concern for him. Not because she felt he had learned his lesson. The only reason she didn’t do anything more to him was because she knew that attacking him was just wasting precious time and energy. She had other things to be concerned about, like the whereabouts of Penny and Snap.

She curled her lips in a snarl. It was because of this wretched zoner that they got away. A part of her felt stupid. She should have separated them like her gut instinct told her. She should have known that keeping them together was going to spell trouble. She should have at least hooked Bardot up to the wall or something to ensure he couldn’t try anything to ruin her plans. She had lowered her guard around him and it bit her back horribly.

She could feel pain move and up and down her body, centered around her sides, and between her shoulder blades. Bardot had done a number on her, despite being injured. She was grateful that his red chalk was mostly drained, otherwise the bite on her back would have hurt a lot more than it already did. She could still feel a little blood trickling down her back. And her sides...they had been torn up by the zoner. His claws had gotten in pretty deep. She was going to need to head to the medical ward of this place to treat herself before the wounds got infected.

Jenny felt disappointed that she didn’t have much time to toy with Penny. What especially irritated her was that she wasn’t able to complete her attack on the girl. She had been wanting so badly to tear out the eye of at least one of the trio, as pay back for what happened to Mr. Cosmo. She almost succeeded with Penny. All she needed was a little more time and she would have at least destroyed the eye with the knife.

But Bardot just had to interfere... And because of him, not only did she miss her chance to take out one of Penny’s eyes, but he had bought her time to take Snap and run before they could be stopped. Ghadir had arrived just seconds later, but she was too late to stop Penny and Snap from escaping. Jenny would have preferred Ghadir to go after them and bring them back, but she was still grateful she came to help get Bardot off of her. With her assistance, they were able to beat Bardot into submission, reducing him to the curled fluffball she saw before her.

Jenny would figure out a fitting punishment for him soon. This pathetic little zoner will definitely pay for his crime. He was not going to get away with letting two of her prisoners escape. But first, she needed to figure out where Penny and Snap could have gone. She lifted up her head and looked over in the direction they fled. Nihilanth was not going to like that they escaped. She needed to find them and fast.

But how was she going to do this? Solar Pillars was not that big compared to places like ChalkZone City. But it was still wide and vast enough, with so many tunnels, it would take her forever to find where those two brats went. They would sooner find their way out than she find them, especially if they remembered just how they had been brought in here.

Rather than try to locate them on foot, she had a better idea. She turned her attention to Ghadir, locking eyes with her to show that she wants her full attention. Ghadir straightened herself up immediately, watching and waiting for orders.

“I can hear Draow’s screeching..He’s returning. Ghadir, go to him and give him this order. He is to locate Penny and Snap and drag those two brats back here. Do you understand?” Jenny said.

Ghadir nodded her head dutifully. She glanced down at Bardot for a moment, then turned her attention back to Jenny. “What are you going to do about him?”

Jenny snarled in Bardot’s direction, baring her teeth. “Oh don’t worry..I have an idea of what I will do with him for the time begin...” Her eyes began to glow black. “A punishment is in order.”

Bardot opened up one eye and looked up at her. His body trembled in fear, his pupils dilating slightly. Jenny chuckled bitterly at this. The sight of him squirming like that did make her feel somewhat happy, but at the same time, it just made her mad, for it reminded her of what she almost accomplished with Penny. Perhaps she should remove Bardot’s eyes instead. Or maybe she will think of something else to do to him. Something painful. He didn’t deserve a painless punishment.

Jenny reached down towards Bardot. The zoner trembled and shook as her hand got closer to him. He shut his eyes and clenched his teeth as she grabbed him by his scruff. He let out a few whimpers as she lifted him into the air effortlessly, letting his feet dangle on the ground. She glared at him hatefully, baring her teeth at him. Bardot just shuddered and cringed back form her. He turned his head away, keeping it low in submission. The sight of this was a bit satisfying for Jenny. At least the little fucker knew when to quit. She couldn’t imagine him trying to do anything else to her for a while.

“I’m going to take him to the machine to be strapped up again.” Jenny said without turning her head away from the quivering zoner. “He is to remain there while I think of something to do with him.”

Ghadir nodded in understanding. “Are you...going to use him to fire another light beam?”

Jenny paused at that question. She hadn’t really thought about it. She had been busy with the incident regarding Tyreek and Penny and Snap that she hadn’t really considered using Bardot one more time, or if she did, she had forgotten. He still had enough red chalk in him to power another beam. After that, though, they would need to find a more stable energy source. Bardot wasn’t the best thing to power the light cannon. But it was satisfying hearing his screams nonetheless.

She tried to think of another target. She was certain that the Chalk Mine was a target. Yes...it was... She had wanted to destroy it to cut Rudy and Penny off from any white chalk. She didn’t have to worry about Rudy anymore since Nihilanth was able to get a hold of him. But Penny was another story entirely. Jenny was aware of how resourceful she could be, and just one slipup was all it took to allow that girl to get the upperhand.

Once the Chalk Mine was out of the way, Penny wouldn’t have any white chalk she could use. She would be forced to use either the black chalk and let herself be corrupted, or the red chalk, which would create chaotic, uncontrollable zoners that would just wreak havoc on ChalkZone. Either way, Penny would be defenseless to fight back. Not just Penny either; but all the creators who dare to try to stand against the glorious black chalk. They would all be at their mercy. The thought made her grin.

There was the trouble with the blue chalk. If Snap or another zoner found the location, they could use it to fight back. The idea of zoners causing her trouble was troublesome. The zoners were enough of pests without the blue chalk. They were able to cause some trouble and fight back, especially in large groups, rendering using the black chalk meaningless. That was proven when Ghadir was ambushed and her black chalk was knocked away. She couldn’t begin to imagine just how annoying and unpleasant the zoners would get if they got a hold of some blue chalk. She was going to have to do something about that.

But for now, she decided not to focus on that. She would think of something for the blue chalk someday, even if she ultimately decided to have Draow bring all the blue chalk here for safe keeping. At the moment, she focused her mind on the Chalk Mine. Her eyes sparkled as she realized something.

“...yes.” Jenny finally responded after about a minute of silence. She looked over at Ghadir, grinning evilly. “I think I will. And I know just the target, too.”

“What?” Ghadir asked, a tinge of excitement on her voice. This more positive emotional display did make Jenny happy. She did deserve it, especially after being hounded by those wretched monsters. “What do you plan on targeting?”

Jenny smiled at Ghadir. She looked down at Bardot, watching him tremble and shake in her grasp. She looked down at the unconscious stick figure zoner, the one she put a mind control device in. She had plans for him, but for now, her mind focused mainly on the Chalk Mine. She looked back at Ghadir, giving her a knowing smile.

“I plan on targeting the Chalk Mine.” Jenny said.

“The Chalk Mine...?” Ghadir asked in awe, her eyes widening slowly. “You mean...you’re going to...?”

Jenny nodded curtly, her eyes staring down at Bardot once more. Her blue eyes shined, intermixing with the black glow coming out of them. “I plan on wiping out the white chalk entirely.” Jenny said with a sneer. She chuckled as Bardot widened his eyes in horror. She reached down and stroked along his crest, pushing it against the back of his head. “After this attack, our victory will be guaranteed...”

Ghadir smiled evilly at this. Her eyes glinted. “That’s wonderful news.”

“...y-you’re crazy...” Bardot said in a weak voice. “You..can’t possibly...”

“Shut up!” Jenny snarled. She slammed Bardot’s already damaged form against the wall. The zoner let out a weak wail as his injury hit the wall, creating a blood splatter. “I’ve heard enough from you! Before I hook you up, I’m going to fit you with a muzzle so I won’t have to hear your pathetic crying!”

Bardot shook his head, his eyes wide and pleading. “No...I’ll...”

Jenny grabbed his mouth with her hand and held it shut. Bardot tried to struggle, but he was too weak to do much of anything. He just let out a series of muffled whimpers as Jenny squeezed his jaws together tightly, not caring how much it hurt him. She glared at him hatefully, giving him a silent warning. She turned her attention to Ghadir.

“Go greet Draow outside.” Jenny said. Ghadir nodded her head and quickly left the room, but not befor giving a smirk to Bardot. As soon as the large woman was gone, she turned her attention to the hybrid zoner in her grasp. “And as for you...” She began to twist the zoner’s head roughly, turning it until it started to hurt the zoner. He started to struggle a little, whining softly. “I am going to deal with you...properly.” Bardot looked at her in horror.


	136. Draow Versus Tsere

Draow couldn’t believe his horrible luck. Of all the zoners to show up in that fight, it just had to be Tsere. Didn’t he maim him pretty well back in ChalkZone City? How is it he was able to fly already? Perhaps his aim wasn’t as good as he thought it was. No matter if that was the case or not, nothing could change the fact that he was being hounded by that pterosaur this very second.

Rage swept through the bat wolf like a mudslide, engulfing him. Of course the pterosaur just had to ruin his moment. He had been so close...so fucking close to avenging Tyreek. His killers were right in his grasp. He had them cornered, injured, and defenseless. It wouldn’t have taken much to kill them. He even broke the hippogriff’s back, making it impossible for her to run away from him. All he had to do was close in for the kill. The smaller griffin was also prime for the taking.

Of course, Tsere had to ruin everything with his surprise appearance. He had a knack of showing up when he wasn’t wanted. He had gotten in his way before, especially years ago when Mr. Wilter sent Tsere out to block his attacks on ChalkZone. This particular interruption, though, was one of the most insulting. He had just been trying to give Tyreek a bit of vengeance. The man certainly deserved it after what those two zoners did to him. It was fair, right? Not really according to Tsere, who had come in and saved those two worthless zoners.

Draow had been forced to flee. He couldn’t say there. Tsere was going to cause too much of a ruckus. If too many zoners were drawn there, it would be harder for him to get to the hippogriff and the griffin. The other doctors would have protected them and driven him off. Not to mention he didn’t know just how many might be armed. True, he might have been able to hold his ground against a large group, but it was safer to just fly off back towards the Solar Pillars.

Tsere was still following him. He looked behind him, noticing the pterosaur screeching loudly at him. Tsere had flown after him since he left the hospital, much to Draow’s anger. Why can’t Tsere just go away? Wasn’t him retreating enough? Why wasn’t he flying back to the hospital to make sure the other zoners were okay? That’s what he’d usually do.

Something was different this time around. He wasn’t sure quite what it was. But something caused Tsere to behave a little differently. Draow wondered if it was because of him attacking a hospital...though that seemed quite unlikely. Maybe it had more to do with Mr. Wilter. Tsere might have found out Mr. Wilter was their prisoner, and he is trying to rescue him. The thought brought a bitter chuckle to the bat wolf. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Tsere’s face when he finds out just what was done to Mr. Wilter. Just what would the ‘great’ pterosaur do now, without his partner?

Overhead, Draow could see the Solar Pillars. He wasn’t that far away. Just a few more minutes of flying, and he would be upon it. The Solar Pillars had went through some remodeling the last time he had seen it, years ago. The need to read what’s on the walls, hidden by anyone who isn’t a black chalk user, had been..not really removed, but not the only entrance anymore. Kept a well guarded secret among the three black chalk artists, Jenny had implimented another, easier way. Convenient...though Draow sometimes worried about what would happen if one of those sickening white chalk users found out about this alternative method.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a screech from Tsere. Draow lifted up his head and rolled his eyes. Another challenge... Didn’t Tsere already get enough? Even from the corner of his eyes, Draow could see perfectly clear that Tsere was not up to full speed. He was injured and he was showing some signs of that. Did Tsere expect him to be fair? The thought brought about a chuckle from the bat wolf. It wouldn’t surprise him in the least of that is what Tsere expected.

Draow turned himself around, beating his wings in the air steadily to keep himself aloft. At this point, he was within half a mile from Solar Pillars. This was a perfect spot; if Jenny or Ghadir came out and saw him facing off against Tsere, they could draw something to help him and it would reach them in no time. Tsere didn’t stand much of a chance of winning here.

Draow said, “What are you going to do, dear Tsere? You can’t possibly think this is a good time to be fighting me.” He took the time to look at Tsere’s damaged wing. Not so much he can’t fly, but enough to be something of a hinderence. “I don’t imagine you will be able to fly too well with those wings for long. Something...has to give.” He leaned his head forward slightly, a grin on his face. “You have no allies here either. Tell me...how do you expect to win?”

Tsere glared at him. He hovered about ten feet away. His piercing eyes, despite being dark in color, seemed to shine brightly. Tsere may not be able to speak, but his expression told all. He was willing to take him on, despite the odds against him.

Draow chuckled at this. Of course he would be this naive, this foolish. That was how Tsere always was. He dove in headfirst to fight him without once thinking of the consequences. Him risking his neck to save a bunch of worthless zoners and hideous brats wasn’t even the best part of all this. The best part was, despite Draow giving Tsere every reason to be cautious and to think twice before just diving in to face him...the pterosaur continued to do such a thing. It was like he was suicidal. And sooner or later, that was going to catch up to him.

“I knew you wouldn’t say anything... You overgrown mute.” Draow snarled at him, his smile stretching a little. He tilted his head to the side. “You never were a bright one sometimes, Tsere. Though I think that has less to do with your inability to speak, and more to do with your brashness. Why, I remember the times, back at my original master’s hideout, you diving in to stop me, without considering what such an act would do..”

Tsere was quiet. His eyes were narrowed. He didn’t move forward, instead just hovering where he was. His wings moved up and down at a fast rate to keep himself aloft. Draow knew just staying up here was going to wear them both out, but then, he could work that to his advantage. If he could get in an attack while Tsere was tired...

Getting rid of Tsere was going to be the highlight of his day.

Draow curled his claws inward, forming what could be described as fists with his feet. His teal eyes twinkled, shining a little brighter than the pteranodon’s. He said, “I do wonder what you would do if your pathetic little creator was here...” At this, Tsere’s eyes widened slightly. “Would you enjoy it if I decided to toy with him a little? What would you do, dear Tsere? I would really love to know. You seem to be quite bonded with that man.”

Tsere’s eyes narrowed at him. The pteranodon obviously caught on the somewhat sarcastic nature of his speech. He was mocking him, and Tsere knew it. The pterosaur pulled his head back. If he had teeth, he’d be baring them at him right now. If there was one word Draow could use to describe the pterosaur at the moment, it was expressionate. Emotion radiated from the pterosaur’s body, showing clear intent in those eyes.

Draow wanted to keep pulling along with that. If he could make Tsere make a few charges at him, he could wear him down more. He knew this pterosaur well enough to know some of his emotional weakspots. Tsere might be a tad closer to wild animal than he was, but he was still capable of feeling true emotion, and was just as weak to them as many of his other enemies, even himself. Strike the right chord with him, and Tsere was his to control.

“But then..I do have a sincere question to ask you. Now, before I continue, I do want you to understand this isn’t so much personal as it is..well my own curiosity at work.” Draow said. He smirked as he watched the pterosaur arch his body a little. The response he had expected. Tsere was too smart to fall for his fakeness, yet he continued anyway, speaking in a tone of voice that, coming from a friend, would be comforting. “It’s just a simple question, one that I think you may find very interesting. Perhaps this is something you yoursef had never noticed.”

Tsere growled at this. He kept himself on guard, his body remaining arched. His small but sharp claws flexed anxiously, as though the mere sight of Draow made him want to lunge head first into him. His expression was one that showed Draow he wasn’t going to take any crap from him. His eyes shined with a silent warning. There was no doubt in Draow’s mind that Tsere wanted to drive the tip of his beak through his skull.

Of course he never tried that. He didn’t try because he was weak. As Tsere hovered before him, Draow sometimes wondered just how this weak zoner had remained his adversary for so long. He was his main obstance years ago, his rival, one of the few zoners that could match him in a fight. It was..almost laughable just how pathetic Tsere could be, and yet the pteranodon could still hold his own against him, and had proven to be a worthy foe on countless occassions. This was something Draow learned the hard way and he had no plans on letting his guard down anytime soon. Such a foolish act that would be.

“I know I said you are close to Wilter...but I can’t help but wonder how much of that is really true.” Draow said.

Tsere’s eyes widened and he snapped his head back. Draow chuckled at the protest screech Tsere made. Well well...this was going better than expected. Tsere was already getting worked up. Perhaps it wouldn’t take as much effort as he thought to push him over the edge. Ignoring the pterosaur’s loud hisses, Draow continued with clawing at his heart.

“After all, I rarely ever see you with dear little Horace. Sure, a few times when he was a kid, you were by his side. And even lately, you sometimes were with him but...answer me this. If you were so close to him, how come you are often...alone...?” Draow tilted his head to the side. “Did you really care about him? Or were you so busy going off doing your ‘hero’ thing, you didn’t really give two shits about Horace Wilter?”

Tsere’s eyes were narrowed into slits. His body shook in anger. If only he could talk... Draow sometimes was relieved that Wilter did not have Tsere talking, otherwise he would have to put up with his verbal crap. But sometimes, like now, he wished he could talk. He’d love to hear Tsere falter and try to explain himself. Oh that would be so much fun to listen to. He could only begin to imagine the weak excuses this pterosaur would come up with.

Draow was aware of his hypocrisy. He knew that he, as well, often left Cosmo’s side to do his own thing. He wasn’t a lapdog, in spite of how much he cared about Cosmo. It was definitely hypocritical of him to criticize Tsere’s going off on his own, when he had done that himself. But he didn’t care. What did it matter anyway? At least he and his creator were doing things for the right reasons. Tsere was holding onto an old, outdated belief that zoners, at least how they were now, were anything useful to anybody. Maybe, for a time they were, but not anymore.

Now was time for change. Now was time for the old to be destroyed, replaced with something new and better. The white chalk artists stood in the way of progress. Well soon, white chalk was not going to be a problem anymore, and neither will be that annoying trio. Progress will be made. And he was going to help it along. If only this fool could see what was really going on, perhaps he would understand and sing a new tune. The thought caused Draow to laugh bitterly. No, no Tsere wouldn’t do that. He was not bright enough.

“Oh, hit a sore spot, did I?” Draow asked in a mocking tone. His lips curled up in a nasty grin. “Perhaps I’m onto something, then?”

Tsere let out a protest hiss. His eyes widened, the anger and hatred practically overflowing from them.

“No?” Draow chortled at this, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “Well I had a feeling that would be your kind of response. Of course you wouldn’t want to admit fault. But you have to admit...” Draow lifted up his head, giving Tsere a partial glance. “Maybe things would have turned out better if you actually fulfilled your laptop status with Horace, and stuck by him whenever he came into ChalkZone. Even that little blue runt knew to stick around his creator at all times. And his creator is even more useless than yours..or at least...” He pulled his head back a little, still smiling. “...was.”

At this, Tsere blinked his dark eyes a few times. He tilted his head, his expression changing to that of confusion. He let out a couple perplexed chirps, which Draow could translate as ‘what are you talking about?’. At this, Draow’s smile broadened, which just added to the confusion the pterosaur must be feeling.

Yes..the feeling of confusion... That was often Draow’s favorite part. Watching his victims be confused before he laid down the mental bomb was something truly spectacular. It gave him a sense of control over them. He loved having some kind of manipulation over his victims, and he didn’t care if it was mental or physical. Him confusing his victims right before striking their heart with a mind dagger was some of the best control he’s ever had. And he was going to experience it again now.

“Oh? You haven’t heard the news? Why, I’m so sorry!” Draow said sarcastically, feigning a surprised expression. “I thought you would have known! Do you remember Nihilanth?” Tsere’s eyes bulged at this, his beak dropping open. “I can see you have. Yes, how could you forget...? And how the black chalk artists were trying to revive him? Well guess what, beak freak?” His voice darkened up a little more. “It’s happened. And he has a human vessel. Rudy Tabootie...belongs to us now.”

Tsere’s body trembled not in anger, but in fear. Draow smirked at this. Tsere knew fully well just who Nihilanth was. He knew the legends, the stories, even if they weren’t that widespread or common even back then. Fighting against the black chalk artists, the overgrown flying reptile was boudn to hear some things about this two headed dragon of legend. Nihilanth was..something of a boogeyman, one that many weren’t sure existed at the time. He can just imagine the thoughts running through that pterosaur’s mind, knowing that the ‘boogeyman’ was real.

And knowing that Rudy was now possessed by him.. He knew that this bit of information must be rather shocking to the flying reptile. He might not have known Rudy that long, but he was still an ally and considered Rudy to be someting of a friend. Rudy now being one of the ‘bad guys’, at least in his eyes, would be shocking news indeed. But that wasn’t the main thing he wanted to tell him. No, he had something else, something rather...cruel.

“But that’s not all. If you are expecting Horace to jump in and save the day, well I’m afraid you’d be waiting forever. That is not going to happen.” Draow shook his head. Tsere looked horrified by this statement, prompting Draow’s grin to broaden more. “You see, Mr. Wilter has been...taken care of..”

At this, Tsere suddenly let out a loud squawk. It was filled with so much anger that Draow himself was startled by it, feeling a chill in his heart. His startlement didn’t last long, but it was enough for the pterosaur to catch him off guard. Without warning, the pterosaur dove down towards him, slamming his body against him. Draow let out a screech as he was flung towards the ground by the enraged pterosaur.

For a few seconds, Draow’s world was spinning. He was falling towards the ground, being pushed down and pecked at by an enraged flying reptile. He flapped his wings frantically, trying to get aloft again. The pterosaur clawed at him viciously, tearing into his flesh. Draow kicked out at him, eventually managing to land a hit. His talons slashed across the pterosaur’s chest, spilling blood and staining his fur. Tsere let out a screech and jumped back, his wings stretching out in reaction to the pain.

Draow managed to right himself up, turning his body around and bringing his feet forward just as Tsere dove down to him. Their talons interlocked together. He held on, squeezing tightly. He watched as the pterosaur struggled to get free, glaring hatefully at him. Draow grinned and yanked Tsere down towards the ground. He mustered as much strength as he could and he threw Tsere to one side. He watche as the pterosaur fell towards the ground, flapping wildly. Draow wasted no time and he dove down towards him. He raked his claws across Tsere’s back, the bloody impact making Tsere cry out in pain, his body stiffening.

Tsere fought back. Flapping his wings swiftly, he drove his beak into Draow’s chest, near his right wing. Draow pulled his head back and howled in agony, feeling warm blood drip to the ground. He snarled at Tsere, baring his long, sharp fangs. He tackled him in the air, and the two became interlocked in an air battle. They started to fall towards the ground, spinning as if they were doing some kind of bizarre performance. Faster and faster they headed towards the ground. The rush of air past them, the feeling of adrenaline rushing through his body, Draow could feel both in equal strength as they headed towards the ground.

Soon, seconds before they hit the ground, they parted, flying off in a different direction, away from each other. They immediately swung themselves around, facing the other with eyes shining of determination. They remained hovering apart from each other, only about seven feet above the ground, for a few seconds. Their hearts raced, pumping blood through their body at a rapid pace. Draow thought that his heart was going to burst out of his chest at any second. Thumping filled the air, and he knew it was from both their hearts. He lowered himself to the ground, keeping his wings open threateningly. His fur bristling, he let out a roar.

Tsere responded with a loud squawk before he dove down towards him. Draow split his jaws wide open as Tsere got close enough. Hunching his body, the bat wolf side stepped at Tsere came towards him. The pterosaur’s eyes widened in shock as he sailed past Draow. The bat wolf was quick on his feet, moving around so that he head a clear shot of the pterosaur. Draow lurched forward, quickly snagging Tsere by his injured wing.

Tsere squawked loudly in pain, his dark eyes widened. He frantically tried to escape Draow’s grasp, hitting his other wing against the ground, trying to use his feet to claw at him. Draow bit down harder. He was fully intending on breaking Tsere’s wing. It would be so easy. Just bite a little harder and soon the wing would snap. He wouldn’t have to worry about him again for another couple years.

But he paused. Something held him back. And it wasn’t guilt. Why should he feel guilty? He was more interested in telling this pteranodon what happened to his precious creator, and he wanted to see the full reaction. Hard for him to do that if he was in too much pain, right?

Draow released Tsere’s wing. With Tsere pulling back hard, the sudden release caused him to fly back, and he struggled to keep himself on his feet. Draow lowered his head and charged into him. Tsere screeched in alarm as he was pushed against the ground. Draow stood on top of him immediately, using his weight to keep him down. His claws pushed against the pterosaur’s body, poking at his skin. Tsere squirmed on the ground. Draow seized him by his neck with one foot and slammed it against the thin veil covering the void below them.

Tsere must have just realized where they were. As soon as he pushed his head down, forcing one eye to look downwards, Tsere let out startled, fear-filled shrieks. He started to flap excessively, trying in vain to get away. Draow rolled his eyes. How pathetic... It wasn’t like the ground was going to give way any time soon. He tightened his grip on Tsere’s neck, forcing the pterosaur’s attention on him.

“I think you will get a real kick out of what happened to dear Horace. I will say this right off the bat. Even though he is still alive...” Draow moved his body forward and to the side a little, a taunting yet threatening gesture. “..he will never be the same again.”

Tsere glared at him, gritting his beak. He twisted his head from side to side as he tried to get free. His wings flapped hard, hitting against the invisible ground. The sight of this was absolutely beautiful. Having his rival at his mercy, controlling him emotionally, he loved this.

“Jenny decided that Horace needed to be taught a little lesson. You see, we made a mistake in the past in letting him go, in not doing anything when he abandoned us. He deserved punishment. But not death... No, death is too good or him. Horace’s ugly betrayal, his creation of you..” Draow’s pupils shrank at this as his lips curled up in a snarl. “It cost us so much more than we could have imagined.. And his interruptions lately.. well they don’t exactly paint him to be very forgiveable, now does it?” He tilted his head to the side, his eyes piercing through Tsere’s.

Draow watched as the pterosaur squirmed, feeling his body trying in vain to get free. He tightened his grip, pushing his claws further against him. Tsere screeched in pain, and let out a series of low hisses and growls at Draow.

“So...she decided to do something about it. A punishment he wouldn’t die from, but still a fate worse than death...”

Those cold, chilling words of his clearly permeated the soul of this pterosaur. The realization that something horrible was done to his creator horrified Tsere. The pterosaur had never looked this startled before. His pupils were so small, Draow could barely see them. And he knew this reaction was only going to get worse. This was it...this was the moment he had been waiting for. He couldn’t wait to see just how Tsere reacted to this.

“I can see the look in your eyes. You think your creator is going to come in and save you, that somehow, I am wrong. But I guarantee you, if you try to find Horace, he will be a shadow of the man he once was.” Draow sneered, spreading his wings a little into the air. The shadow of his body casted on Tsere and he was certain he must look more threatening to him like this. “Horace...has been lobotomized...”

Tsere’s eyes widened in horror at this. His beak dropped open in shock. He looked at Draow, his eyes shining with a silent creation. He wanted to know if he had really said what he did, if he had meant to say that. Draow initially responded to this with an evil smile, his sharp teeth exposing, flashing in the light. He let out a cruel chuckle as Tsere shook his head a little in denial, clearly unable to believe what he had just heard.

“Yes, that’s right...” Draow sneered at him. “Horace’s puny brain has been sliced up. I have to wonder if he’d even recognize you in that state, or even if he did, he’d likely not respond.” He chuckled darkly as he lowered his head towards Tsere’s head. “I’ve seen what he was like now... Horace Wilter has been reduced to nothing more than a drooling moron. Well...” He lifted his head up slightly, still keeping his face pretty close. “More so than usual...but who cares about specifics right? Point is, he has been permanently...altered, and is no longer a threat.”

Draow laughed at Tsere’s reaction. The fear-filled expression, glowing with sorrow and horror. He could see the pterosaur’s eyes shut tightly, and a few tears start to escape from them. This was a wonderful reaction, just like he hoped it would be. Tsere’s rage had, for the moment, subsided, feelings of depression taking the pterosaur over. Draow could just leave him to wallow in his misery while he finished him off. But he decided to hold off, instead wanting to have a little fun with toying with him a bit.

True, his actions could be seen as overexcessive and unnecessary. But he didn’t care. He had longed or a moment like this. After being humiliated by Tsere for far too long, after only giving him some physical wounds to remind him not to mess with him, he, at least, had a way to strike at his heart. Teddisson Cosmo had used that tactic before, due to its longer lasting effects. And, finally, he was going to get to use it against his hated archnemesis.

“How does it feel? Worthless piece of shit...how does it feel knowing that your creator was captured and punished and you weren’t there to stop it? How does it feel knowing that you could have saved him, yet failed? So much for being his faithful companion...” Draow laughed cruelly. “Seems like you’re nothing but a failure...a weakling...”

Draow watched as Tsere continued to shiver, his eyes squeezed shut. The pterosaur let out a series of low mourn-filled chirps. He was crying. Good. The little fucker deserved to cry after all the trouble he caused him.

“You failed Horace Wilter. You failed ChalkZone and the other weakling zoners. You failed as a guardian.” Draow lowered his wings slightly, showing his sharp claw to Tsere, despite the pterosaur not opening his eyes. He listened to Tsere cry softly for a few seconds before continuing, “This was all your fault, you know... You could have saved him. You could have prevented this...travesty... But instead, you were busy running off, doing your own thing. Now..do you get the risk of going off like that?” Draow put his face close to Tsere’s, his hot breath hitting against him. “Now do you get why you shouldn’t have done that..?”

Tsere didn’t respond. He just continued to cry, tears flowing from his eyes. Draow smiled at this.

“I see you get it. Good...” Draow smirked, his lips curled up in an evil grin. “You understand you have no one to blame but yourself... You could blame Jenny for having him captured. You could blame her for going through with the lobotomy... But you had a few days to find Horace, and yet you did not. You failed to come to his aid. So you deserve the most blame, you little fucker.” He licked his lips slowly, listening to the pterosaur whimper. “Can you imagine his screaming? It must have been beautiful. I’m sure he was calling out for your help, too. I...”

Draow stopped talking when he saw Tsere’s eyes suddenly snap open. There was an intense emotion radiating off of them. So much so, they were practically glowing. For a second, Draow felt his heart skip a beat. He had never seen Tsere look that feral and enraged before. The pterosaur was shaking so much, he could barely keep a grip on him. Then, before he could react, the pterosaur struck him across the face with his double wing claws. Draow’s howl of pain echoed even in his own ears.

sss

Rage... Boiling rage...

That is what Tsere felt when Draow spoke those words. They echoed in his head over and over again. They taunted him, tore out his heart and crushed it. But for every bit of horror it filled him with, it equally did so with anger. He felt his body trembling from emotion. He was not able to drop it, and soon, that rage had boiled over.

He was usually good at controlling his emotions in situations like this. He knew better than to allow Draow’s words get to him. Not being able to speak did make it harder, but he still managed to control himself usually. Draow used to taunt him back when they had clashes years ago. It was a tactic to make him lose his mind temporarily, so he could come in for the attack. Tsere had come to learn this trick and tried to avoid its trap whenever he could.

But time, it was different. Draow had crossed the line. Not just him, but Jenny as well. He had always hated them. He always despised what they had done. But never before had they angered him to this extent. Never before had he felt this much rage against them. What they had done, especially Jenny, was unforgiveable.

Jenny had lobotomized his creator...

And Draow rubbed it in his face...

Tsere knew he was falling into Draow’s trap by becoming this angry. He knew that being this angry meant he wouldn’t be able to concentrate as well. But at the moment, he didn’t care. Right now, the only thing on his mind was that Draow had struck him in the heart, and he was going to fight back. He was going to make sure this bat wolf regretted ever crossing him like that. He was going to make sure Draow never made light of his relationship with Horace Wilter ever again.

Tsere struck forward with his wing claws. The two claws that were attached to about the middle of the wing made contact with Draow’s face. The sharp claws cut straight across, cutting into Draow’s nose. The bat wolf jerked his head back, his mouth open wide in a loud scream of pain. Blood dripped from his black nose, causing him to sneeze painfully. Tsere, gritting his back, lunged forward, pushing against Draow and knocking him back. Tsere jumped to his feet, his wings spread out threateningly. His menacing squawks were a warning to Draow. He was not playing nice anymore.

Draow stumbled back a little, attempting to regain his balance. His wings flapped a little, and he soon stood there, his feet firmly planted on the ground. The bat wolf rubbed his right wing against his nose, wiping away the blood that continued to drip from his slashed nose. He shook his head and stared at Tsere. For a moment, he was in shock, his eyes wide. Then they narrowed and his teeth bared. He lowered his head as his fur raised on end. He roared at Tsere threateningly. Tsere returned it and, going into his quadrupedal stance, rushed towards Draow.

“You think you can take me on? Well bring it!” Draow shouted, his pupils dilating. He pawed the invisible ground and charged forward.

As the two charged towards each other, Tsere had some thoughts flash through his head simultaneaously. He tried to push them aside to focus on the fight, but they still tugged at his mind anyway.

Just how was it he didn’t realize Horace was in danger? How could he not have known his creator was captured? He had been gone for a few days. Tsere soon realized the answer to that question. It was because Horace hardly ever came into ChalkZone anymore. Oh he did before, when he came to find him and ask him for his help in stopping Cosmo once more. Tsere recalled how shocked he was to learn that this old and very dangerous adversary was back. But he wasted no time in trying to figure out how hit happened, and he immediately joined Horace to stop Cosmo. But after that, the man didn’t really come often. There was no way he could have known he was missing from not coming into ChalkZone for a few days.

Yet he couldn’t help but feel guilty. Draow’s words really struck him down hard. He had prided himself in being able to save ChalkZone, in being able to keep Horace and others safe. He had managed to pull off the impossible before, like how he had caught Snap in the air. That was the hardest drive he ever did, and he thought he was going to hurt himself. But he pulled it off, and saving that little zoner was worth the risk.

But...still...perhaps he should have kept a better eye on things. He could fly. He should have patrolled ChalkZone. He might have seen Horace getting captured. He could have saved him, and yet, he failed to realize he was even trapped here. Maybe it was because of his negligence that Horace had to suffer...

He shook his head. No, it wasn’t him who captured the man and locked him up. It wasn’t him that performanced lobotomy on him. That had been Jenny. She did that to him. That horrible witch.. She had heartlessly cut apart his brain, destroying his mind and leaving him alive, but dead on the inside. She...she was going to pay for that... Somehow, someway, she was.. Even if he had to drag her down himself, she would be sorry for what she had done.

Tsere felt his heart twist in knots as he imagined what Horace must have been put through. He wouldn’t believe for one second that Jenny was gentle with him. She would have shoved something into his head, through the eye socket, use a tool to tear a chunk of brain out... He knew the procedure well, and it made him shudder. There was a sorrowful pang in his stomach, and he could feel tears move down his cheeks. Poor Horace... He didn’t deserve something like that to happen...

Horace had been his closest friend. He remembered the fun they were able to have when they weren’t fighting Cosmo. He remembered how helpful he had been when so many zoners were getting injured and losing loved ones back when Cosmo and his army were tearing the place apart. He had brought hope to them, and himself. There was a reason Horace had garnered a positive reputation even after having the stigma of being associated with Cosmo, who, up until his corruption, had been one of his friends.

And Jenny had cruelly tore apart his brain... All for some ill-conceived sense of justice... Because of her, Horace could never again enjoy life the way he always had. He was alive, but barely the person he once was. Tsere would always miss the man Horace used to be, and mourn his loss. But while Horace might not be mentally capable of fighting back too much anymore, he himself still was. Even if he ended up lobotomized as well, he was at least going down with a fight. At least his final unaltered moments would be him tearing apart this bastard, or both if he was lucky.

Tsere was brought out of his thoughts as he felt his body collide with Draow’s. The pterosaur pushed against the bat wolf’s furry body as hard as he could. The impact was enough to knock the bat wolf back a little, but this didn’t last long. Draow was quick to recover. He snapped his jaws wildly in the air, attempting to bite his long, thin neck. Tsere moved back, barely dodging the slamming teeth, nearing the collision of jaws nearly echo in the air. He jumped back, keeping his wings spread out to look bigger.

As Draow charged him again, Tsere couldn’t help but look down. He wondered just how thick this ground was, and just how easy it was to break. He worried that it would break during their battle and they would fall in. He got an eerie sensation from this. It wasn’t like any other void he came across, like the time when Rudy accidentally sucked up nearly all of ChalkZone by leaving a vaccuum cleaner in the place. There was something...wrong about this void, something he couldn’t quite put his claw on. Did it have something to do with this void being created by the Solar Pillars? Could the servant light have a part in this eerie feeling he couldn’t shake off?

He didn’t have a lot of time to think about that. Suddenly, as his mind was distracted, he felt a horrible pain in his left wing. He threw his head up in the air, letting out a screech of agony, his eyes bulging open. Draow had rushed forward and sank his teeth in his wing, shredding into it. In desperation, Tsere jerked his head forward. The sharp tip of his beak cut against Draow’s throat, missing the major blood vessels but still causing Draow to release him as he let out another scream. Tsere then rammed his body against Draow, forcing him to take a few steps back.

After Draow recovered from the blow, the two enemies stared each other down. Their eyes were narrowed in hatred for each other. They both would love nothing more than to tear into each other. Tsere slammed his beak shut a few times in warning, a clear threat to Draow that he would cut into him again, and he fully planned on doing that. Draow grinned bitterly for a few seconds and he pawed the ground again. Tsere winced as he heard the talons scrape along the ground.

“I know you can be quite...stubborn, and I don’t expect you to go down that easily. But trust me, dear Tsere...” Draow snarled, his voice getting a little darker than usual. “I will make sure you die where you stand now. And I will enjoy ripping apart your carcass. You will serve as a warning to all who come here. No one will stand in the way of Nihilanth!”

Draow lowered his head and he ran towards Tsere. The pterosaur managed to get out of the way just in time. He felt a rush of air as the bat wolf moved past him. Tsere jumped into the air, flapping his wings, as Draow came rushing back at him. Draow opened his jaws and lunged for him. Before Tsere could get out of the way in time, the jaws bit down on his leg. He screeched loudly as the bat wolf bit down on his limb, yanking him from the air and slamming him into the ground.

Draow put his foot on him and held him down. Then, using his other foot, the winged wolf started to stomp down on his chest. Tsere’s eyes widened and he kept crying out in pain each time the foot slammed against his body. He wriggled himself from side to side, trying in vain to get free. But Draow showed no signs of letting him go any time soon. Each time the foot came down, it was more forceful than the last one. It was hard to breath and soon pain wracked through his body, causing him to tremble in agony. It got worse when Draow started to claw at his stomach.

But the pteranodon wasn’t giving up that easily. Opening one eye part way and staring at Draow, he opened up his beak and, just as the foot was about to come down on him again, the pterosaur bit down on Draow’s other leg. His sharp beak sliced into his leg, blood dripping from it. Draow’s fur poofed up as he howled in pain, moving back and losing his footing. His foot slipped from Tsere’s beak, slicing up more as he fell away into the ground.

Tsere climbed up to his feet and was about to charge when he heard an unexpected sound. A low cracking sound. Tsere’s eyes widened in horror at this. He looked around, hoping, praying, that the soud was coming from somewhere else. Even the Solar Pillars. But no matter how much he looked around and rejudged the direction of the sound, there was no doubt where it was coming from. He looked over at Draow, watching as the bat wolf gave a few vicious barks at him. It was clear the bat wolf had no idea just what was going on. Tsere’s dark eyes looked towards the ground as reality settled in.

The ground where they stood was beginning to break.

Draow rushed towards Tsere, his mouth split open to prepare to bite into him. Tsere watched him for a second, only to be drawn back towards the ground as it shifted and broken. The cracking became louder and he let out a shout of surprise as he nearly fell down. He looked over, seeing that Draow wasn’t stopping. Did he even know what he was running into? Tsere was about to warn him however he could when the bat wolf jumped up, bringing his claws forward. Tsere launched himself into the air, wincing as the claws still ended up grazing him a little.

Draow, who was too focused on getting Tsere, slammed into the ground with full force. The bat wolf started to turn around, but he didn’t get far. Only a couple seconds after he impacted the ground, there was a heavy creak, a loud crack, and, before Draow could fully register what was going on, he fell down through the hole and into the void.

Although Tsere hated Draow, though his mind was still filled with anger for what he had done, the pterosaur couldn’t help but feel horrified when Draow suddenly screamed in pure agony, louder than he had ever heard before. It permeated his soul, chilling his blood. His heart pounded against his chest as he watched Draow slapping frantically underneat the invisible shield, trying in vain to escape. There was nothing visible underneath there, but something about it... There had to be a reason why Draow was screaming like that.

Tsere lowered himself towards the ground, feeling unsafe to land anywhere for fear of going into the void. He watched, his eyes bulging, as Draow tried desperately to get out of there. His feet kicked at the invisible ground, his claws scraping against it to try to break it. The longer he was down there, the weaker he seemed to get. Tsere could see the bat wolf’s wing beats slowing down as each second passed. Soon, Draow would not be able to fly anymore and he’d fall into the abyss below, tortured until he died.

As he watched Draow desperately try to escape, Tsere knew he had two options. He could just leave Draow there. If Draow was unlucky enough, he’d remain trapped there and fall, and he’d never be able to hurt anyone again. His reign of terror would be over, and that would be one less villain to worry about. The thought was, admittingly, very tempting.

But then...would that be the right thing to do? That would be something he imagined Draow doing, or Cosmo, or Jenny. He didn’t want to sink to their level, especially after Jenny’s lobotomizing of Horace. If he let Draow die this way, wouldn’t he be just as bad as them? He didn’t want to be like them. He wanted to show that he was better than them. And the best way to do that was by saving Draow. Plus, he would want to see Draow get arrested and pay for his misdeeds recently. Draow needed to be sent back to jail.

Tsere was torn from his thoughts when Draow let out another painful scream. To Tsere’s horror, much of Draow’s body looked like it was starting to burn, patches of blood appearing in various spots. Tsere knew he had to act quickly. Sucking up a breath, preparing himself to brave this dangerous void, dove down towards Draow.

When he reached him, it didn’t look like Draow was even aware he was there. His eye were wide open, yes, but they were filled with pain and desperation as he tried to get away from the painful void. Tsere lowered himself until he was above the trapped Draow. Mustering as much strength as he could, the pterosaur began to pound against the ground, right where Draow was. He repeated this again and again, slamming his body against the invisible ground, hoping that it would break. Soon, between his slamming and Draow’s desperate clawing, the ground cracked apart.

Tsere wasted no time. Though he had no idea just where the opening was due to the invisibility of the ground, Tsere shot his feet down. By some miracle, his feet managed to go through the opening rather than against the ground or a broken sharp shard of the surface he shattered. The sudden break of the ground did cause Draow to fly back a little. Before the bat wolf could do anything, Tsere reached down with his feet and grabbed onto Draow’s left leg. He flapped his wings as hard as he could as he tried to support Draow long enough to carry him out. He managed to pull Draow out of the invisible ground, carrying him a few feet above the ground.

Tsere felt his face warm up and go red as he tried to keep himself from falling into the ground. He didn’t trust this ground. He had to get to some place more solid. And the nearest one was the Solar Pillars. Despite it being the opposite of where he wanted to go, he needed to head there; he was going to lose his grip on Draow any second. He needed a moment to catch his breath and hold Draow more affectively. The bat wolf was pretty badly hurt, so he didn’t need to worry about him attacking back anytime soon.

Tsere carried Draow over to the nearby ground by the Solar Pillars. It didn’t take him too long to reach. Thank goodness, too. He wasn’t sure if he could hang onto Draow for that long. He lowered himself to the ground before dropping Draow down. The bat wolf’s body shivered in pain. Tsere landed next to him and looked him over.

Draow had a lot of burns on him now. Most of the burns had a little bleeding to them, and a couple looked pretty bad. Tsere wasn’t entirely sure just what had burned him. The only thing he could think of was the servant light. But why would it do that to a black chalk zoner? Tsere wondered if him being made of black chalk at all was the cause, though he didn’t want to test the theory himself. He kept his attention on the whimpering, shivering zoner before him, for a moment forgetting that this was Draow.

Tsere did feel some level of sympathy for Draow as he watched him cry in pain, tears moving down his furry cheeks. Tsere knew, just by looking at these burns, the charred fur, just how agonizing they were. And it wasn’t in just one location either. It was everywhere. His stomach, back, tail... He was going to need a visit to the hospital before he can even be sent to jail. And that wavering smoke moving up from his body in a few places where he was burned.. That was definitely a bad sign.

Tsere turned his head over to where the void was. His eyes were wide, his mouth open as he took in a few shaky breaths. Just what was underneath there? What was in this void? Why had it burned Draow? This..this was not like the void that Rudy accidentally created. That void hadn’t been painful. What was so different about this void? Did the light cannon really make that much of a difference? The cold feeling of dread and fear gripped his heart, making him gulp and take a couple steps back away from the void.

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted when a scream filled the air.

“Oh my..Draow!”

Tsere turned his head. There, running out from the Solar Pillars, was Ghadir. The large woman had a horrified expression plastered over her face. Tsere jumped into the air as she got closer. She didn’t seem to pay attention to him at first, instead keeping her gaze on Draow. She soon reached the bat wolf. She placed her hands on him and tried to wake him up. This was when Tsere realized Draow passed out from the pain.

“Draow? Come on, get up!” Ghadir cried, her eyes wide in concern. “Draow! What happened?!”

Tsere watched, witnessing this rare display of a black chalk artist showing genuine concern for a zoner. There was no way Ghadir was acting or anything. That expression, those tears, they couldn’t be faked. Ghadir wasn’t exactly the best actor. Tsere felt a little conflicted watching this. On the one hand, it was nice to see the black chalk artists are indeed capable of actually caring about zoners. But on the other, it was also unsettling, knowing who they were and how they usually treated zoners. Ghadir may only be showing concern as he was what the black chalk artist would consder a ‘perfect zoner’; one that was obedient to their every whim.

Then, moments later, Ghadir looked up at him. Their eyes locked, and in that instant, Tsere could feel a rush of dread through his body. He knew, even before Ghadir had started to reach into her pocket to grab her black chalk, that he was in big trouble.

“You...” Ghadir snarled, her eyes blazing in anger. “You are going to pay for this.”

Tsere gulped. Regardless of her reasons for being concerned for Draow, it still resulted in the same thing. Ghadir though he was the one who hurt Draow this way, and she was going to bite back. Tsere moved himself away. His eyes widened in horror as he saw her pull out her black chalk. As she held it up, the black glow moving through the air in a wisp, one throught ran through the pteranodon’s mind.

What was he going to do now?


	137. A Risky Plan

Tsere only had a few seconds to get out of the way before Ghadir had drawn a laser pistol in her hand. Not the most dangerous weapon he had seen from a black chalk artist, but still very potent. He moved to the side as Ghadir shot the laser at him. A line of glowing red sailed past him, barely missing him. He winced as he felt the bit of heat againgst his wing. He looked down at Ghadir, his wide eyes staring as she leveled the laser pistol at him again.

Tsere stared to fly around the area, doing whatever he could to dodge the lasers Ghadir kept launching at him. Twisting his body, diving downwards, climbing up higher, banking left and right, Tsere was constantly on the move. He couldn’t stay still for too long, not with that woman constantly firing at him. It also made it difficult for him to concentrate on what he should do. How could he spend too much time thinking of a way out when this crazy woman was trying to shoot him down?

He knew he had to get Draow to get treatment and then to jail. He had to make sure he was able to serve his well-deserved sentencing. The bat wolf had caused enough trouble, and if he just left him here, if he let the black chalk artists take care of him, then he would be able to avoid jail entirely. He would be harder to arrest as well, with him being back in fighting condition. He had to get him out of here and now.

But he couldn’t do that. Not with Ghadir here. He had to do something about her. But what? As he moved back, avoiding another laser from striking him, he asked himself just what he was going to do. She was a creator. She had an edge over him. What could he, a mere zoner, do against her? The only thing he could do was try to knock the black chalk away, but that would be a difficult task to perform. Just the act of trying to get close to her was hard enough. But to get into the right position to attack was...astronomically difficult.

Still he had to try something. He couldn’t keep dodging her forever. And he couldn’t leave either. Not without Draow. At the moment, he couldn’t even get close to him; Ghadir was by his side. She made approaching Draow too dangerous. And even if he could grab him, she could still shoot him. He wouldn’t be exactly fast while carrying Draow.

Ghadir had to be taken care of, too, and fast. He stared at her, his frantic mind trying to come up with a plan. But it was constantly interrupted as the woman fired laser after laser after him. One laser grazed against his leg, causing him to twist his body to the side and let out a loud, pain-filled screech. Opening his eyes, he saw, in horror, another laser heading towards him, this one aimed at his head.

Reacting fast, Tsere dove downwards, stopping not far from the ground. He steadied himself with his wings, looking at Ghadir with wide, determined eyes. He wasn’t going down that easily. He narrowed his eyes. He decided to take his chance and he dove right for her.

Ghadir let out a few curse words as she backed up away from the large zoner. She shot laser after laser at the pterosaur, her teeth bared. Tsere moved in as fast as he could, his beak shut tightly and the pointy tip of it aimed at Ghadir. Seconds later, he almost struck her, narrowly missing only because Ghadir dove into the ground before he could make contact. He heard the thud of the woman as she landed on the floor. Then he felt a horrible pain as something penetrated his leg. He realized Ghadir had shot him in the leg.

Tsere let out a series of pain-filled squawks, flapping back away from Ghadir. He shut his eyes tightly and seethed. He looked down at his leg, his eyes widening as he saw a long cut along his leg, warm blood dripping form it. He then turned his attention to Ghadir. She had the laser pistol steadied, the end pointed at his stomach. Tsere twirled his body to the side. A tricky manuever, especially with a damaged leg and wing, but he pulled it off, allowing himself to dodge the slew of laser shots Ghadir tried to put him through.

“Hold still, you oversized turkey!” Ghadir snarled at him. Her eyes were blazing with anger and contempt. “I am not going to hurt you..much!”

Tsere hissed loudly at her, his pupils dilating. He proceeded to dodge a few more of the woman’s relentless attacks. He got closer each time he barreled to the side. The closer he got, the more irritated and desperate Ghadir became. She fired faster and more erratically. Tsere was not able to completely dodge all of them. But he was able to get close enough to Ghadir to attack. He brought out his feet, flashing his claws to her.

Before Ghadir had a chance to fire at him, Tsere hit her with his feet. His talons slashed along her upper chest and shoulders. She let out a scream of agony as she was thrust backwards. Her body hit the ground in a loud thud, rolling across violently. Tsere watched, his eyes widening. Had he really hit her that hard?

Soon Ghadir came to a stop. She laid on her side, letting out a few groans of pain. Blood leaked rapidly from the wounds he had given her. She seethed in agony as she sat herself up. She steadied herself on one hand, which held the pistol. Her other gripped her shoulder lightly. Her teeth clenched in pain. Tsere could see clearly, even from this distance, the three red lines that now adorned the woman, from her upper chest, moving up and curving towards her arms and grazing deep in her shoulders. Blood cascaded down rapidly, staining much of her front with a deep crimson color.

Although for the moment Ghadir couldn’t do much of anything to him, Tsere was still frozen in terror. It wasn’t from how she glared hatefully at him, but from all the blood she was losing. He..He hadn’t meant to hit her with that much force. He hadn’t meant to deal that much damage to her. Nervously, his eyes darted left and right. If Jenny came out to see this...

He let out a pain-filled shriek as the pistol’s red laser cut into his side. He flapped his wings frantically, doing whatever he could to keep aloft. The laser had sliced into his wing membrane. Seering pain spread through the sensitive skin and, though it was a small tear, he could already feel the difference. It was enough to force his damaged wing to flap harder to support himself.

“I...got you now...” Ghadir hissed as she raised her pistol at him again.

Tsere widened his eyes as the end of the pistol glowed again. He flapped his wings as hard as he could, moving himself up higher. He howled in pain as Ghadir shot another laser, this one cutting along his underside. Thankfully it wasn’t incredibly deep, but it was enough to fill his underside with burning pain. He was having a harder time keeping aloft now, and, from Ghadir’s expression, she knew it. He could see that smirk on her face, shining with the message that she was going to take him down.

Ghadir, who had gotten back to her feet, took a few steps towards Tsere. The pterosaur watched as the woman wobbled a little with each step she took. It was clear to him that she was starting to suffer from the effects of blood loss. He had cut her pretty deeply, and he very well imagined that he had sliced some big blood vessels. Yet, instead of stopping to try to treat her wounds, Ghadir just focused on him. There was a sort of...wild look in her eyes, sending shudders down the pterosaur’s back. It was...it was almost as though Ghadir wanted to prove something. Not to anyone in particular, just herself.

But why? What did she have to prove to herself? That she could shoot him down? That she was capable of beating a zoner on her own? What was she so desperate to prove? She had never shown this kind of attitude before. Something had to have happened to her, but what?

Tsere didn’t have time to contemplate that question. Ghadir had already fired another laser at him. The red beam just barely missed him as he dodged to one side. He looked at his body real quick to determine that the laser did not hit before turning his attention to Ghadir. He opened his mouth and let out a loud hiss at her before he dove down. Ghadir fired again, and he promptly spun to the other side. He moved around behind her and used his long beak to knock her into the ground. She let out a scream as her gashes here struck against the dirt and grass.

Tsere noticed that, this time, he had managed to knock the laser pistol away from her. It landed several feet away, laying on the ground out of her reach. The woman pushed herself onto her elbows. Her body trembled in pain as a pool of blood formed around her. She lifted up her head shakingly, glaring up at the pterosaur. She raised up her black chalk, preparing to draw.

Tsere took action. He moved down quickly, landing on the ground a few feet in front of her. Down on all fours, he started to run towards her, taking longer strides than usual. He soon reached her, opening his long beak. He bit down on her wrist, slicing into it. The woman let out a pain-filled scream as she released the black chalk, dropping by her feet. She, in retaliation, started to strike against the pterosaur, hitting him again and again with her free fist. Tsere did eventually let go, but not before doing some damage to her wrist and hand.

After releasing her, Tsere watched as Ghadir clutched her hand to herself. Blood now covered it, leaking to the ground. It was clear that there was enough damage to make it hard for her to use the black chalk now. The pterosaur had disarmed her and, with all that blood she was losing, she was not going to be able to just get up and fight back. Satisfied that Ghadir was not a threat, Tsere turned his attention to Draow...

...only to scream as something sharp hit against his back, sinking deep in his flank. Startled by this new development, Tsere turned his long neck, pointing his head back to where Ghadir was. To his shock, she was holding the chalk in her other hand. Ghadir was ambidexterous? How did he not know this? She had never shown this ability in the past.

He decided not to worry about it for now. He had more immediate concerns to worry about. He watched as Ghadir drew another dagger, the same thing she attacked him with before. She pulled it back and threw it at him. The weapon spun in the air as it sailed towards him. The pterosaur squawked as he moved higher into the air to let the knife fly away. Then he lowered himself and lunged towards Ghadir. He split his beak open in an attempt to bite against her other hand, determined to disable her artistic abilities completely. He knew that once Ghadir couldn’t draw anymore, she was not going to be a threat.

Ghadir growled at him as he drove his beak at her hand. She turned out of the way, her movements somewhat sluggish with the blood loss. She didn’t seem as alert as she used to be, her eyes having a hard time staying open. Yet she still went against him. Her black chalk wielded once more, she began to draw something else, this time, a long electrical whip of some kind. She pulled it back and struck it out at him.

Tsere’s eyes widened as the thin electrical coil shot out towards him. He dodged to the side just as the tip of the whip made contact with the air. There was a loud snapping sound. Sparks of electricity flew everywhere around the tip of the coil. Tsere’s eyes locked onto it, in shock of just how close Ghadir had gotten to hitting him despite being in such a weakened state. Before he knew it, the woman struck him again, this time hitting him in the chest.

His eyes bulged open. His head craned back as he screeched loudly in pain. Agony swept through his body like a tidal wave. It coursed through him, the pain centering around his chest. He felt his body twitching as the electricity wreaked havoc on him. Unable to keep himself in the air any longer, the pterosaur plunged towards the ground. He crashed a few feet in front of Ghadir. Dust was kicked up into the air upon impact. He let out a series of groans as he tried to push himself up. Upon opening his eyes, he was greeted with a horrific sight.

A conventional gun..placed right between his eyes...

The downed pteranodon froze in fear. He had no idea how Ghadir moved that fast, or how things could have spiraled down like this. Panicked thoughts raced through his mind. His eyes focused on the gun, his body shaking in fear. He then looked at Ghadir, noting her deranged expression. It was a look at told him that, even if he could speak, she was not going to listen to his pleas. Her finger pressed against the trigger. Knowing that he was not going to be able to get out of the way in time, Tsere shut his eyes and waited for the fatal blow.

He couldn’t believe it was going to end this way. He never thought he would be defeated like this. He should have been more careful. He should have planned this better. Now he was going to die here, before he would be able to really contribute to stopping Nihilanth. Draow was still going to be free...

But it wasn’t all bad. He reminded himself that Penny and Snap were still alive and could still fight back. They could free Rudy. He had confidence that they would be able to. Even if he died now, he would die knowing that those youngsters were going to be able to stop Nihilanth. As he heard the trigger start being pulled, the pteranodon felt the faintest hint of a smile tick away at the corner of his mouth.

The blow never came. Instead, there was a low groaning sound, a soft exhale, and Tsere soon became aware of something pressing up against his face. Something heavy and warm. The pressure point of the gun between his eyes was gone. He opened up his dark eyes to see what was going on.

Ghadir had passed out. Her limp body slumped against his head, her eyes closed softly and mouth opened. The gun hung loosely in her hand. Seconds later, it dropped, hitting the ground harmlessly. Tsere stared at Ghadir’s unconscious body, quickly realizing the blood loss was even more severe than he thought it was. He shifted his head, pulling it up and away. Ghadir’s unconscious body fell to the ground in a heap. He stared at her for a few seconds, his mind in a state of shock.

He felt his heart beating against his chest. The frantic thoughts surged through his head. What was he going to do? He couldn’t very well leave Ghadir here to die. That wasn’t the purpose Horace Wilter had drawn him for. But he couldn’t stay here. Draow was not going to remain unconscious forever. Tsere stood there, on all fours, trying to think of what his choice was ultimately going to be. Should he deal with Draow, who could be maintained here due to being a zoner, or should he capture Ghadir? Capturing her would have more an impact as she is a creator, but she would have to be kicked out of ChalkZone and that wouldn’t be easy without some extra effort.

As his mind contemplated what choice he should make, he was quickly given to get out of there and fast. He could hear a familiar shout at him. The horrible names he heard hardly fazed him. What concerned him more was the identity of the person rushing towards him. His dark eyes widened as he saw Jenny standing there. It seemed she must have taken notice of the commotion outside and had come to her comrades’ aid. The way she waved that black chalk back and forth like that was enough to make him stand upright on two feet, spreading his wing out to make himself look bigger. He let out a defensive hiss as he backed away from Ghadir’s unconscious form.

Jenny continued to rush forward, her feet pounding the ground. Tsere’s heart filled with ice as he realized he was about to be forced to face off with Jenny, Cosmo’s partner from years ago. She had always been quite dangerous, in someways more so than Cosmo was. Tsere wasn’t sure if he could last in a fight against her. He was just lucky with Ghadir. But Jenny... he didn’t think there was much of a chance he’d win, especially injured. He knew what he had to do.

Although fleeing was not the choice he would have wanted to make, he knew it was his best option for survival. But he wasn’t going to leave here without Draow. A risk, but to him, it was worth taking. It would be too risky with Ghadir as he wasn’t sure if she had more black chalk with her. But Draow would be easier to control. As Jenny got closer, waving her wrist to prepare to draw, Tsere took action.

The pterosaur did a mock charge towards Jenny. He rushed along the ground, his feet hitting against the dirt, and let out a screech. The movement was so sudden and unexpected that Jenny stumbled, startled by this sudden attack. Tsere flipped his head upwards, his beak nearly slicing against her. The woman jumped back, barely avoiding getting hit by his long, sharp beak. As soon as the woman had jumped back, Tsere took this chance to whirl around and go after Draow. He took advantage of the fact that Jenny would not be able to recover in time to draw before he had at least grabbed Draow.

His long digits encircling around the bat wolf’s shoulders, Tsere flapped his wings as hard as he could. He rose up into the air, carrying the limp Draow with him. Jenny, at this point, was rushing towards him again, shouting angrily at him. He did his best not to pay attention to her, trying to focus on getting away from the Solar Pillars. He had to move quickly, before Draow woke up. He was fearful of the light cannon, and this whole escape relied on Jenny not wanting to risk killing Draow in the process of getting rid of him.

“Come back here you filthy animal!” Jenny shouted at him. “I swear I’m going to kill you for this! Get back here!”

Tsere wanted to laugh. Did Jenny really think he was that stupid? Did she think that he would turn around just because she asked?

But he didn’t stay focused on that for long. He tightened his grip on Draow as he flew off into the distance. He flapped his wings as hard as he could, pushing himself forward, through the air. He moved as fast as he could, hoping he would get out of range before Jenny could try anything. He knew that she could still draw something to take him down, but at least, if he got far enough away, he’d have some hope of escape.

Soon he was flying over the void again, the same one that injured Draow and he nearly fell in. Dread clutched at his heart, making it feel like he suddenly was being tugged downward. That void... Just what was wrong with it? He couldn’t tear his eyes away from it. Even though he was safe at the moment, he couldn’t help but feel at unease while flying over this dreadful void. So filled with horror he was that he failed no notice what was going on behind him...

..until it was too late.

A thick beam of sparkling energy shot towards him. The pterosaur looked behind him and let out a screech of horror. He banked to the right, watching the energy rush past him. He watched as the beam sailed through the air, hitting some unseen target far away, out of sight. He looked over his shoulder, hovering in one spot. 

To his horror, Jenny had drawn a cannon. Similar to the type that Cosmo used to launch devastating attacks against ChalkZone. This one wasn’t quite the same, using a different type of attack. But it was clearly dangerous nonetheless. Tsere’s heart raced as Jenny aimed the cannon at him again, preparing for another attack. Her nasty smile and her contempt-filled eyes sent fear through the green pterosaur’s body. Without hesitation, Tsere started to rush towards the forest, his mouth open as he took in panicked breaths.

“I’m going to get you! You’re not going anywhere!”

Tsere was almost to the forest. Just a little more...

“Goodbye!”

Jenny fired the cannon again.

sss

“Come back here! I wasn’t done toying with you yet!”

Penny shuddered as those words bounced off the walls, echoing in her ears. She tried her best to ignore the slew of insults and verbal attacks from her former friend, but that was so hard to do, especially when he was not that far behind, chasing after her. Perhaps this wasn’t the best course of action, but the, what else could she have done?

It was clear that Rudy was not going to play fair. Even after releasing Raiden, Maalik, and Urso, she knew that Rudy would still take full advantage of their wounds. He hadn’t even bothered to heal those zoners up, leaving them, especially Urso, vulnerable to his attacks. Not long afterhe let them go, Rudy was already preparing for another attack. Penny remembered how horrified she was when she saw Rudy draw a rod and shoot a ball of energy at Maalik. She could never forget that scream.

This had went on for several minutes. The three freed zoners, who were dazed up until Rudy shot at them, moved around the room at incredible speed, keeping themselves from getting hit. They didn’t question where they were or how they got there. They didn’t question why Rudy was attacking them and why his eyes were glowing strangely. All they knew, in that moment, as that there was a threat and they had to defend themselves. They could always ask questions later; right now they all had to get out of there.

Penny knew that Rudy was going to force her to use the black chalk. His behavior, the way he acted towards her, it all added up to that. Rudy knew she was a threat, as well as a potential ally. He couldn’t sway Snap to his side, but he could with Penny. He had them all trapped in that room. He was going to figure out a way to make her use it, even if he had to resort to threatening Snap to do it.

And even if Rudy didn’t do anything, Penny feared just being in this room could corrupt her. She could hear, in the back of her mind, faintly, the voices of the black chalk. They were everywhere, taunting her, bribing her, beckoning her. She was able to resist, at least for now. But how long would she be able to do this? Cosmo had been able to resist at first, but he had been called back. He had fallen for their allure, and he had been corrupted. If she stayed here for too long, she might be called forth to touch a piece of black chalk and that would be it.

She had to get out and fast, before the black chalk could trick her into coming over. And, through some miracle, she had been able to.

Penny couldn’t even remember how they were able to get out of there. Her mind had been so frantic and desperate, she just..found some way. Or maybe it was someone else. Either way, they had gotten out of the room, and now had a very pissed off Rudy coming after them. They ran as fast they could down the tunnel, towards the area where she had come in from. The twists and turns did slow Rudy down a little, but it wasn’t enough to make him lose sight of them. When she heard him crash against the wall at one point, he let out a curse, causing her to shudder. He was really angry at this point. Would he resort to using his powers...?

Penny hung onto Urso, her hands gripping strands of his mane. Behind her, Snap wrapped his arms around her, doing his best to ignore his pain so he couldn’t fall off. Penny took care not to sit on any of Urso’s wounds, though a task was difficult. She did feel bad about riding him, but Urso insisted, stating he was the biggest and strongest of them. Though she and Snap weren’t sure, they did soon agree, as they had little time, and they climbed onto his back just as they started to escape from Rudy.

Raiden and Maalik took their positions. Raiden, being faster, moved out ahead, his head swinging left and right to look for any sign of danger. Maalik stayed behind them. He occassionally looked behind him to see how close Rudy was. Maalik was going to fight back against Rudy if he absolutely had to, giving them time to escape. This teamwork made Penny all the more glad that she had chosen to free these zoners. Seems she made the right choice after all.

Soon they reached the end of the tunnel, where she had come in from. And when they did, Penny realized, in horror, there was a problem she hadn’t thought of before. She wanted to slap herself in the face for forgetting. Now what were they going to do?

The elevator she had used, if it was called that, wasn’t there. At first, she thought Rudy did something, or someone else was using it. But she recalled, as the memory resurfaced, the platform went back up on its own. This made her wonder if the elevator was intended for two people to use. A safety mechanism in case some person came snooping around, perhaps? Whatever the reason, that was adding to the many problems they were already having. Unable to go anywhere, the group turned around to face their attacker.

As an enraged Rudy came around the bend, casting a long shadow on the wall, Penny’s mind frantically searched for a way out of here. There had to be a way, right? Why else would Rudy come down here? He wouldn’t want to get trapped...then again, he had Nihilanth’s power, for he was controlled by him. He could easily create his own way of escaping.

But that did beg the question. Just how did Rudy get down here so fast? And so quietly? He had to have walked a good distance away before he turned around and came back. Unless he faked those fading footsteps, which was possible. Still there might be another way down here. A secret passage that perhaps only Nihilanth knew about. If that were the case, then the entrance would have to be around here somewhere. She looked left and right. Perhaps it was near the main entrance, as a way to fool any intruders who would expect the secret passageway to be somewhere else?

She didn’t have much time to look. Rudy was getting closer. He was seething, his face red. It was clear he was not in the mood to talk. Penny felt her heart race. As everyone around her tensed up, preparing to fight, Penny couldn’t help but wonder just what Rudy was going to do with them. Would he try to kill them? No, she couldn’t see Nihilanth doing that. He seemed far too cruel for that. Perhaps he would just lock them up somewhere. Torture them for a while.

She shuddered at that thought. It brought back memories of when they were in the light dimension. Light Rudy and that horrific torture he had put those zoners through... She had a few nightmares about that. It had been such a terrifying sight. Even though it seemed Light Rudy was going to try to change his ways, that didn’t stop her from feeling disgusted and horrified by what he had done. She had no doubt in her mind that Nihilanth would behave in a similiar way. This evil dragon, the one using her friend as a puppet, he would be cruel enough to torment them like that.

“Now what do we do...?” Raiden asked, clenching his teeth tightly. He glanced over at the others, the fur on his neck raising as Rudy got closer to them. “We’re trapped!”

Maalik narrowed his eyes. “I’m sure there’s a way...”

Snap nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah.” He patted Penny on the back, getting her attention. As soon as he did, Snap asked, “What do you think? Do you have any idea what we could do?”

At this, all eyes were on Penny. The teenager bit her lip, feeling their eyes boring through her. She could see their look of desperation and hope. She could see, from their expressions, they were counting on her to find a way out of this. She wasn’t sure if she could provide an escape route. She wasn’t sure if she oculd find anything in time before Rudy decided to try something. They had so little time... And yet seeing their looks and knowing they did believe in her, even if they didn’t out right say it...she had to try.

Penny was not used to being the leader. This was a position she had rarely taken in the past. She usually allowed Rudy to take that position. But right now, he was possesed, and now she had to step up to the plate. She certainly didn’t think she was unqualified, but she still wasn’t sure how well she could do. Still, she had to try something, otherwise they were in danger. Yeah, she was going to try the best she could. Even it failed, at least she tried. She was not going to run away from this.

Penny again looked from side to side. She narrowed her eyes as she looked along the walls. The others watched her, some confused as to why she hadn’t answered, while others were curious as to what she was doing. Penny didn’t answer when they called out her name. She didn’t react when Rudy spoke up. She focused only on the walls, her pupils eyeing all the details. Perhaps there was something here, something she hadn’t seen before when she first came down.

Soon Penny realized they didn’t have time to look through the walls. Regardless if there’s another passage or not, they needed a faster way out. Rudy was going to attack any moment, and they had no means of defending themselves. To even find a secret passage, she would have to listen and knock on the wall and...yeah that was going to be too time consuming. She had to backpedal and think of a new plan. She looked over at where Rudy was.

Rudy had stopped several feet away. He was glaring hatefully at them. His eye glow had intensified, and she could barely see his pupils. His teeth, mutated into the sharp fangs of the dragon that possessed him, flashed in the light. The others were still looking at her from time to time, but they also focused on Rudy, eyeing him nervously. Low growls were emitted from the three beastly zoners. She could hear Snap give a whimper of fear, but his expression showed that he was willing to fight if it came down to it.

The tension in the air was thick and heavy. So much that Penny was certain she could cut a piece out of it. She could practically feel the fear and hate rise up in this room. It was enough to made adrenaline rise in her heart. She could feel it pounding faster. She locked yees onto Rudy, unable to look away. They seemed to almost grab her. And there was a silent message in those eyes as well.

‘Join me....or else...’

Penny shook her head, narrowing her eyes and growling softly. She held her glare with Rudy, a silent response. She made sure he could read her wordless message loud and clear. She would rather die than join him, as he was now. She was not going to help Nihilanth destroy the two worlds. She could never live with herself if she did something that terrible.

“It seems you have nowhere to go...” Rudy finally spoke up. He smirked bitterly as the others took a defensive stance. He seemed a little amused by their attempts to defend themselves and each other. “Maybe if you surrender to me now, your punishment won’t be so severe...” He held his hand out in gesture. “I...will go easy on you..”

“Fuck off! We know you’re lying!” Dr. Raiden snarled, his ears flattening against his head. “I’m not sure what’s gotten into you, but I...”

“Nihilanth got into him, that’s what.” Snap said bitterly. Raiden, Urso, and Maalik stared at him, their eyes wide in confusion and dread. Snap closed his eyes for a few seconds. “It’s true. Nihilanth is controlling him. He’s using him like a puppet...” He reopened his eyes and shot a hateful glare at Rudy. “You’re going to pay for that!”

“How did...” Maalik shook his head. “Nevermind, it doesn’t matter right now. We can discuss this later.” Maalik glared at Rudy, baring his razor sharp teeth at him. The fact that Rudy hadn’t even tried to attack them yet must be weighing down on him mentally, driving him nuts. “We need to get out of here...” His tails swished from side to side. He turned his attention to Penny, giving her a sideways glance. “Have you thought of anything yet, crea.... Penny?”

Penny stared at him. Despite having changed their ways, some habits were hard to get rid of. After spending so long hating creators, Penny was not surprised that Maalik still suffered some bouts of referring to her in a rude manner instead of by her name. That was to be expected.

Penny tried to think of some kind of answer to give him. She didn’t want to be empty-handed, or rather empty-minded. There had to be a way out of here. She stared at Rudy for a few seconds. She could see him just standing there, but with that black chalk in his hands, and knowing he could still create without it, Penny knew it was just a matter of time before he got bored and made a move. She had to wonder if he was just drawing things out, trying to scare them.

Penny tried not to focus on that. She tried to focus on a way out of here. She looked left and right again, still finding nothing. She looked back at the shaft where she had come in from. She knew they were trapped. There was no way out, unless...

...unless they climbed back up the shaft. But..could they even do that? It might be diagonal for a time, making it a little easy to climb. But it soon became vertical. There was no way they could climb it after that. Even if there were some foot holds, they would not be able to climb up fast enough before Rudy would do something. They needed a faster way up.

And that was when she looked at Maalik’s claws. Her mind flashed back to when he was torturing Snap. An unpleasant memory, but it did make her realize something. Maalik had incredible control of his electricity, enough that he was able to lift Snap into the air and swing him around, and it seemed as though he had a lot of distance with that electricity. She had to wonder...could it would here..? Could Maalik use that electricity to get them through the shaft? There was only one way to find out.

“Maalik!” Penny called out, getting the lion zoner’s attention. She said, “You can lift things with your electric claw, can’t you?”

Maalik winced at this. He turned a quick gaze at Snap, as if remembering what he had done to him. He hesitated for a moment, then he nodded his head slowly. “Yeah I can...”

“How much can you lift, and how far?” Penny asked, keeping her voice low. She wanted Rudy to hear as little as possible of this plan.

“Up to about three hundred pounds, and..I’m not entirely sure how far. I can say that the electricity will get thinner and weaker the further I move it up. But..” Maalik paused for a moment. Then he said, “Why do you need to know? What’s your plan?”

Penny jerked her head towards the shaft. “I need you to carry each of us out of here with that claw power of yours.”

“What?!” Maalik cried, staring at Penny in shock. “But..but I’m not sure if I could do it. That would require needing to know where you are so I don’t hurt you, and I never did anything like this before..”

“How would he come up?” Dr. Urso asked. Penny looked over at him, waiting for him to continue. “How would Maalik come with us after he, or if he’s able to, lift us up the shaft? I don’t think his power would enable him to carry himself.”

“That is correct.” Maalik confirmed.

Penny had forgotten about that. She hadn’t thought of how Maalik was going to come back up with them. She couldn’t just leave him behind. Even if Maalik volunteered to stay...she didn’t think she would have the heart to just let him stay here at the mercy of her corrupted friend. Even if Maalik had never changed and was still trying to kill them, she could never bring herself to just let him stay here and suffer at the hands of Nihilanth. She needed to figure out a way to let him come with as well.

She looked over at Dr. Raiden. She stared at his metal finger. As she recalled, he can change the size and length of that. She was certain there were some limitations. She had her doubts he could spread it infinitely. But he could still grow that claw to be very long, and she knew he could change the width of it too, perhaps to reinforce the strength. Maybe...maybe that could work...

“Dr. Raiden.” Penny pointed at the cheetah zoner. She fixated her gaze on his metal finger. “You can use your claw to get Maalik back up. You can extend it down and he can grab it.”

Dr. Raiden scratched his chin thoughtfully. “That might work...but just one problem...”

“What?” Penny asked.

“I’m in the same both as Maalik. It will be hard for me to extend my finger if I can’t see where it’s going. And there’s also the matter of...wel.. I can’t bend my metal finger that way. If the tunnel were shaped differently, then yeah I could. But with the way this is angled...”

Snap interrupted him. “Maybe stand in a different way so the tunnel bends the same way as your finger?”

“Yes..that might work...” Dr. Raiden said, his eyes widening in realization.

“Well whatever we are going to do, hurry!” Dr. Urso shouted. “I don’t think Rudy is going to wait much longer!”

At this, Penny and the others looked over at Rudy. Just like Dr. Urso had said, it was clear the possessed boy was nearly done waiting. He had his arms folded against his chest and he was tapping his foot impatiently. He must have been waiting for them to make a move. Penny knew that, if they didn’t make a move now, they weren’t getting out of this mess. Rudy could attack at any time. And as she saw him start to move, she took action.

Turning her attention to Maalik, she shouted, “You! Get the others up there! One at a time time!” She then looked Dr. Raiden. “After you are taken up last, use your metal finger to pull him up! And then me!”

“What...?” Dr. Urso asked, staring at Penny in shock.

“You’re coming up last...?” Dr. Raiden breathed, his eyes widening.

“Buckette...” Snap asked fearfully. “What..what are you...?”

Penny glared off in Rudy’s direction. “Well..someone has to slow him down... I’m the one he wants. While he’s focused on me...” She looked back at the others. “Use that chance to get away.” She noted their horrified glances. She smiled the best she could, given the circumstance. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. I can handle Rudy.”

“No..it’s too risky...” Snap started to say.

Penny raised her hand, silencing him. “I’ll be okay, Snap. I promise...” She gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ll be joining you guys as soon as I can.”

“I have to agree with Snap that this is risky..” Maalik said. The lion zoner took a few steps towards Penny. “But..if you are determined to go with this, then I can’t stop you. Just...” He clenched his teeth. “..are you sure you want to do this?”

Penny nodded her head. “Yes.” Without looking at Maalik, she continued, “Get the others up that shaft. I’ll keep Rudy as busy as I can..”

Penny began to walk towards Rudy. She could still feel the others’ eyes on her, feeling them staring at her. She tried to ignore that sensation, instead focusing on Rudy in front of her. He had already raised the black chalk in the air, though he hadn’t tried to use it on her yet. He smiled evilly as Penny approached him, flashing a nasty grin.

“Giving yourself over to me that easily, dear Penny?” Rudy said in a taunting voice. “Well if I knew you would surrender so easily, I wouldn’t have bothered to chase you like this...”

“Shut up..” Penny growled. “I would never surrender to you...”

“Of course you wouldn’t. You would rather stay here and help your worthless chalk friends. You would rather waste your talents on something so meaningless..instead of doing what is right and help bring about true balance. You are so stuck up and stubborn, you fail to see the reality in front of you. And what’s sad is that I know you are smarter than this. Yet your actions show me otherwise. Think about it, Penny...” Rudy tilted his head to the side. “Do you really think that protecting these zoners is going to get you anywhere? Do you think it’ll give you an edge?”

Penny narrowed her eyes. “I believe in doing the right thing. That’s what my mom always taught me. And yours..”

“Foolish, worthless parents...” Rudy said, his evil smile filling with insanity. His pupils dilated. “As soon as I get into the real world..they will be the first things to go...”

Penny felt her heart skip a beat at this. She could hear a collective gasp, including her own. She put a hand to her mouth, shaking her head in protest at first. Rudy just chuckled coldly at this. Penny narrowed her eyes and growled. For that moment, she had forgotten she was afraid of Rudy, of what he could do. In that time frame, anger swept through her body, making her heart beat at a faster rate.

Without thinking, without hesitation, Penny let out a cry of anger as she charged towards Rudy. The act surprised the boy so much he didn’t bother trying to get away. Penny slammed against him as hard as she could, and the two fell into the ground. She gripped his shoulders and held him down. And for a split second, she could see a spark of emotion in Rudy’s eyes. An emotion she didn’t expect to see from him, given his advantage.

Fear.


	138. Struggle In The Tunnel

“So..you really want to do this, huh, bitch?” Rudy snarled as he recovered from the initial shock of impact. He put his hand against Penny’s shoulder and pushed her away from him. He had his head turned to the side, looking up at her with one eye as his teeth clenched. “Do you...really think you stand much of a chance against me..?”

Penny glared at him. She kept her grip on his arms, refusing to let go. She wasn’t going to back down, no matter how much the odds were against her. Even if she couldn’t stall him for long, even if she ended up dead or otherwise incapacitated, she would at least have some comfort in knowing that she gave enough time for Maalik to get at least a couple of the others to safety. The electrical finger might not be the most comfortable, but she was certain it felt better than anything Rudy would dish out to them.

“I’ll fight for however long I have to...” Penny growled softly, tightening her grip on him.

Rudy chuckled bitterly at this. “Of course. I expect that from you.” Rudy’s eyes began to glow again, faint, but there. “You’ve always been stubborn, never willing to admit when you are outclassed. Even if the others manage to escape...” Penny’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh yes, I overheard your little plan. All of it.” His grin broadened. “I promise you, even if you do escape, I will hunt you down. And I will capture you. All you are doing is delaying the inevitable.”

“Well at least I’ll be giving the others a fighting chance! Better to try and fail than never to have tried at all!” Penny shouted at him. “That’s the belief you used to hold onto...”

“And such a pitiful belief it is.” Rudy said. Penny shot a glare at him. Rudy shrugged his shoulders. “Oh come on, you don’t honestly think that such a belief holds much merit do you? A failure is a failure regardless. And it’s such a waste of time. Efficiency is what’s important.” He pushed back harder against Penny. The girl found it increasingly difficult to hold him down. “You...have a lot...” Rudy applied more pressure. “..to learn!”

With that, Rudy mustered up as much strength as he could and he shoved Penny away. The girl let out a scream as she tumbled backwards. She scrambled to keep her footing. Her feet kept slipping and tripping over the ground. Before she was able to regain her balance, Rudy jumped to his feet and rushed over to her, his arms spread out. When he got close enough, he pulled his fist back and punched her in the jaw.

Penny’s head was forced to the side as the fist collided with her. She let out a scream as she fell into the ground. She pushed herself onto her hand and rubbed her sore jaw. She looked up and her eyes widened as Rudy came towards her again. Before she could get away, Rudy stomped down on her damaged leg, right where the achilles tendon had been cut by Maalik. Penny’s eyes flew open and she let out another scream. She attempted to pull her leg to herself, but Rudy would have none of that. He started to stomp down on her stomach, repeatedly striking it. Then, once she started to cough up blood, Rudy slammed his foot into her side, knocking her onto her stomach.

Her body shook in pain. She shook her head. She tried to crawl away, but she soon felt a pressure on her back. She looked up to see Rudy standing over her, his foot firmly on her back. He had his hands against his hips, sneering down at her. He lowered himself down. He reached for her neck and grabbed onto it. Penny closed her eyes and winced at how tightly he gripped it. Then he formed a fist with his other hand and delivered a punch to her back.

“Penny!”

Penny lifted her head and saw Snap. He had gotten off of Dr. Urso and was now standing a few feet in front of the others. Maalik was busy carrying Dr. Urso up the shaft. It looked as though he was having a difficult time, judging from his expression. Dr. Raiden was shifting attention from both what Maalik was doing and what was going on with her and Snap.

Snap had his hand held out towards her. His eyes were wide open. He took a few steps towards her, looking determined to help her but unsure of where to start. Penny opened her mouth to speak to him, but Rudy punched her in the back again, making her scream. This prompted Snap’s eyes to bulge open wider, call out her name, and start to rush towards her. Penny shook her head feebly, not wanting Snap to get into more danger. Luckily, Dr. Raiden managed to take action before Snap got too close.

“No!” Dr. Raiden bent himself over and grabbed Snap’s arm. He yanked him back, causing the zoner to cry out in surprise. “Don’t interfere!”

Snap struggled against the cheetah’s grasp. He glared up at him. “I have to do something! I can’t let her be...!”

Dr. Raiden shook his head. “We’ll get her later. First, we need to get ourselves up that shaft! It is our only hope!”

“And what about Penny?!” Snap cried out.

“He’s right!” Penny finally managed to say. The blue boy looked over at his friend. His angered expression was replaced with one of shock. Penny smiled the best she could, though she was unable to stop her eye from twitching in pain. She pushed herself up onto her elbows, trying to block out the pain. “Just go with them! I’ll be fine!”

Fine... Yeah, right. Penny knew that was a lie. Even if she managed to survive this, there was no way she was going to be just ‘fine’ after all of this. Rudy was currently too vicious to simply let her go with a few bruises. She’s well aware that he was likely going to do a number on her before she had any hope of escape.

But she didn’t want to worry Snap. She didn’t want to send him away with the knowledge that she may have bitten off more than she could chew. If he knew that she was likely going to get really badly hurt no matter what she did, he would surely stay behind and try to help. And that would leave him vulnerable. Rudy...Nihilanth...they would surely...

“I can’t leave you, Buckette! I won’t!” Snap shouted at her, his eyes narrowed in determination. “I love you! I won’t abandon you! I-I just can’t...”

Penny smiled at this. She felt a tear form in her eye. She knew Snap cared so much about her. She cared about him, too. He was her best friend, after all. But as much as she wanted to accept his help, she knew she could not. With Rudy like this, that...that was just too risky. She couldn’t risk Snap getting hurt, or even killed... He needed to leave with the others. She would catch up to them soon enough if all goes well.

“I love you too...” Penny said, smiling against the pain. “And that’s why...I want to leave.” She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. Rudy gave her another punch, this one harder than before. “I don’t want you getting hurt... Please, just go with them!”

“Penny, no!” Snap cried out. He reached out towards her. Raiden, who still had a hold on his arm, pulled him back a couple of steps. Snap whirled around and started to slam his fist against the cheetah’s arm in desperation, wanting to get free and help Penny. He gave the girl a sorrowful look. “Please...I..”

“I have Dr. Urso up!” Maalik cried, turning to them. His golden eyes stared at where Snap was. “It’s your turn, Snap! Come on over here!”

Snap looked hesitant. “I...I...”

Penny said, “Go on, Snap. I’ll catch up as soon as I can. I promise...” She gave him a reassuring smile, trying her best to comfort him. “Just please...go. I don’t want to see you get killed. Please...”

Snap stared at Penny. He took in a few quick breaths, his eyes widening. He looked back to where Maalik was and then back at Penny. He appeared to be weighing his options. She could practically see his brain pulsating in his head, trying to think of the right choice. She hoped that he would listen. She hoped that he would resist the temptation to risk his life and do what she says. She wanted him to get to safety so he had a chance to survive. He wouldn’t last long in a battle against Rudy. Especially not in his state.

She could feel her heart start to break in two as she watched him wobble a little. The zoner’s older injuries, like on his arm from Ghadir’s bite and his knee, had been irritated. She wouldn’t be surprised if, during today’s events, he felt pain erupt from nearly every wound he had suffered. His newest injury, his back, that had stopped bleeding now thanks to Dr. Urso’s efforts before they ran, but it could reopen. And though Snap seemed no worse than he was yesterday, that back stab wound may have caused more damage than they thought.

Soon Snap finally responded. Not verbally, but physically. He nodded his head at Penny. He gave her a look that told her he trusted her, but he wanted her to be careful. She smiled again as best she could in spite of the pain she was in. Though Snap clearly didn’t want to leave her, he still did what she said. He turned around and headed towards Maalik. He stopped halfway over. He looked over his shoulder, staring at Penny with a soft expression. He let out a soft whine and then, reluctantly, continued over to Maalik.

Dr. Raiden watched him for a few seconds before turning his attention to Penny. The cheetah’s eyes were filled with concern. “I sure hope you know what you are doing...”

Penny responded with, “...yeah...so do I...”

Dr. Raiden’s eyes widened at this. But he didn’t reply. He didn’t come forward, knowing that she wouldn’t have wanted that. He merely nodded at her and took a few steps back, going over to where Maalik was, knowing he was the next one in line. He stood a few feet from Maalik. He looked over his shoulder, staring over at Penny. He looked like he wanted to do something to help, but he still obeyed her wishes and stayed put.

Penny was glad that Raiden was being cooperative. They might have a truce, but Raiden wasn’t exactly a friend. At least not yet. He had no reason to really go with her plan. No obligation. But he was clearly intelligent, notable in how he willing to go with her plan, even he might not like it that much. It was clear he had some doubts of the plan, but he still trusted her judgment. She hoped that he would continue to prove to be an excellent ally.

She was brought back to reality when Rudy delivered punch to the back of her head. Her eyes bulged open as her head lurched forward. She grunted as part of her head hit against the hard ground. She turned her head to the side and looked up with one eye. Rudy still had that nasty smile plastered over his face. He tightened his fist again, once more smashing it against her head, forcing her head to the side, nearly hitting the ground again. Penny shut her eyes tightly, gritting her teeth.

“How noble of you to sacrifice yourself for the sake of the others. How sweet..” Rudy’s voice was filled with sarcasm and mockery. Penny glared at him, struggling to get herself free. But try as she might, she couldn’t get herself even remotely free. Rudy pressed down harder on her back. “You really should think these plans through a little more. What if I had decided to just..create something? I don’t need my hands to do that...”

Penny’s eyes widened as Rudy lowered his head slightly. That sneer that broadened on his face.. She didn’t like the hidden promise behind it. She knew exactly what Rudy was implying. She shook her head in protest, silently pleading with him not to do it. He couldn’t do such a thing. She wouldn’t allow it. She twisted herself around, doing her best to fight back. She twisted her body from side to side, but Rudy was too strong for her.

Rudy lifted up his foot for a second. Penny tried to use his as a chance to get away, but she ended up screaming in pain as the front of the foot struck against her side. She rolled across the ground, soon hitting against the wall. She struggled up to her feet, holding her head. She turned over just in time to see Rudy collide a fist into her jaw again. She let out a yelp as she felt herself bite against her tongue. She shuddered as she felt a little bit of saltiness in her mouth, knowing that she had just cut her tongue.

Rudy gripped her neck again, tightening it and making it a little hard to breathe. She gripped his hand, trying to push him away. Rudy seized her arm with his other hand. He twisted it painfully, shoving it against her side. Penny turned her head to the side and seethed in pain as Rudy bent it at an odd angle. He then pressed her against the wall, holding her there. Penny jerked her head from side to side, trying to get free. He kneed her against her stomach, applying as much pressure as he could. Penny flinched, pain radiating around her stomach where the knee was pressed. She tried to fight back with her good leg, but Rudy stomped on it and then stood on it, keeping the foot down.

Rudy smirked as he watched Penny squirm, her face etched in pain. He applied more of his weight on her foot, holding it down effectively. His knee pressed further against her side. He maintained the grip on her neck while his other hand twisted her arm painfully. He used his shoulder and body to keep her pressed up against the wall. Penny tried to fight back by pounding against his arm, but that did little to deter him. If anything, all it did was make him hold onto her tighter, not willing to release her from his grasp.

Penny felt a cold chill through her spine, her neck hairs raising on end, as Rudy leaned forward and sniffed her hair a few times. The sensation of this happening with a corrupted Rudy frightened her. Her mind raced as Rudy pressed his face against the side of her head. Him smelling her hair like this was disturbing, and made her wonder if Nihilanth was sizing her up as a meal or something. Her squirming increased.

Rudy pulled away. He kept his mouth close to her face. She shuddered as his breath hit against her skin. Rudy spoke into her ear. “You really are a beauty, and I know you are more than just that. I know you’re intelligent. I would hate to have to resort to killing you..” Rudy nuzzled his face against hers in an almost affectionate manner. “So why don’t you just surrender? Believe me, it will be much better than what I’ll be forced to do otherwise.”

Penny tried to turn her head away. She turned it the best she could, gritting her teeth. But the more she cringed away, the more Rudy moved closer, keeping his face pressed against hers. He was not going to let up. Penny felt her heart beat faster as Rudy repositioned his head in front of her face. Those eyes, filled with so much evil, the glow that shined from them, Penny felt so frightened with having to witness all of this up close. She pushed herself further against the wall, trying to take advantage of what little space she had to move.

Rudy chuckled at her attempts to get away. Keeping a tight grip on her, he leaned forward. Penny turned her head from side to side, her wide, frightened eyes not daring to tear away from his. Then, seconds later, she felt his lips against hers. She squirmed as the possessed Rudy kissed her again. She tried to get away, but he was too strong; he kept her locked in the forced kiss.

Rudy soon pulled away. He kept his face near hers, not giving her any room to move away from him. Penny’s body shook, wanting so much to push him away, but being unable to. She couldn’t believe that this was Rudy, the same Rudy whom she grew up with, spend much of her childhood with. She wanted to close her eyes and beg herself to wake up. But this was reality, no matter how much she didn’t want it to be true.

Penny felt her heart clench as Rudy released his grip on her neck and started to stroke her cheek gently. His claws weren’t extended at the moment, but she knew that could change any second. She twisted her head away, not wanting to Rudy to touch her like that. Not while he was in this state. But, of course, she was not surprised when Rudy managed to put his hand on her again. She shuddered as he felt his hand lightly rub her cheek, moving it up towards her hair. He pressed his fingers into her hair, running his digits through her strands. Soon he pressed his fingernails against her scalp, making her wince as he scratched her a little.

“Why must you resist, honey?” Rudy smirked. He kept moving his fingers along her head, toying with her hair. Penny jerked her head away, growling at him. This did not faze Rudy. He reached over and pressed a finger against her chin, tilting it upwards. “You do look so cute when you protest like this...” Penny narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth. “Yes..so lovely.. But I bet you’d look even better if you use your temper against something more...worthwhile..”

Penny watched as Rudy turned his head, his gaze on someone else now. Penny turned her head a little, trying to see what he was looking at. Her eyes widened whe nshe saw he was looking straight at Dr. Raiden. The cheetah zoner was unaware he was being looked at. In that moment, he was watching Maalik as he carried Snap up. Raiden’s eyes were on Maalik only, making him vulnerable to an attack.

Penny shook her head in protest. “No..you can’t..”

Rudy grinned at this. “Oh? And why not, dear Penny? Dr. Raiden deserves it, right? Think of all the stuff he did. He doesn’t deserve another chance. I know that’s the thought you had. I know you want to see him pay for what he has done. Well, dearie..” Rudy’s eyes sparkled. “I can make that happen.. Just say the word. I’ll do whatever you want me to do against that zoner. I’ll rip out his heart..”

Penny said, “No.”

“Or maybe rip out his eyes.” Rudy said.

“No, don’t...” Penny whimpered softly.

Rudy tilted his head to the side. “Or maybe I will slice him in half...letting them fall to either side... What a spectacular show of red that would be, wouldn’t you say?”

“You’re a monster!” Penny cried, pushing against Rudy as hard as she could. “A monster!”

“Oh how naive you are...” Rudy stroked her cheek lightly. He moved his a little lower until he reached base of her neck. His fingers moved behind her ear. As he started to scratch that area, he said, “If you only opened your mind.. I’m not a monster. I only seem like that because of your limited world view. Come on, expand your knowledge, Penny. Show me that you are capable of learning..”

Penny shivered, feeling Rudy’s finger nails scratch behind her ear. The gesture made her feel more vulnerable, and seemed to further establish Rudy’s dominance over her. He was treating her sort of like a pet, and this demeaning action reminded her of how Light Rudy treated Para-Penny and Para-Snap. She had wonder if this was the sort of thing Light Rudy did. She gritted her teeth and tried to pull her head away. No luck.

Then she let out a yelp when Rudy suddenly extended a dragon claw on his pointer finger. The claw penetrated her skin. She let out a small whimper as a little bit of blood trickled down her neck. Rudy dug the claw in a little further and slowly dragged it down. Soon there was a long, thin cut going from behind her ear down to her jaw bone. Before Rudy removed the claw, he suddenly plunged it in deeper, making Penny cry out in pain. Then, twisting his claw, he pulled it out as roughly as he could, making a little blood spray in the air.

Penny let out a few whimpers as she watched Rudy bring his bloodied finger up towards himself. Her eyes locked onto the small claw that had, just seconds ago, been in her skin. The claw was caked in her blood. Rudy leaned towards the claw. He sniffed it a few times. Then, slowly, he opened his mouth. Penny’s heart skipped a beat as she watched him lick her blood from his claw. The sight was so horrifying.. It was so different than what the Rudy she knew would do.

Rudy smacked his lips a couple times, and then licked across them once. He looked at Penny and said, “You taste good. I know it’s the fear doing that. Fear does a lot of things, and one thing you would notice, after making your first few kills...” Penny’s eyes widened at this. Was Rudy admitting to have killed a few zoners during their gap apart? “..is that fear can make blood taste so...delicious.”

Penny froze there, her eyes growing bigger. Her struggles increased. She had to get away somehow. Rudy pushed up against her harder, his eyes filling with more insanity.

“Uh uh uh..you aren’t going anywhere, my sweet...” Rudy sneered. He pulled his body back slightly and then slammed it against her. Penny took in a raspy breath as the force knocked the wind out of her lungs. She shut her eyes and gritted her teeth as Rudy continued to taunt her. “You are staying right here.. If you like, I will give you a show.” He turned his head to the side slightly. Though his face was still more or less turned towards her, his eyes were looking at someone else now. “I’m sure you will get a real kick out of it..”

Penny realized instantly what he was going to do. She turned her attention to where Dr. Raiden was, the zoner whom Rudy had his eye on at the moment. She opened her mouth to scream a warning at him. But Rudy covered her mouth tightly with his hand, pressing his dragon claws against her skin. She winced and wriggled to get free. Rudy just tightened his grip.

“Oh no you don’t... I can’t have you warning him...” Rudy said in a low whisper. Penny’s wide eyes locked onto his. “It will ruin the fun...”

Penny watched as there was a soft glow from Rudy’s back. A white glow. It moved from his back, practically bulging. The light arched around to the side, landing not far from them. Penny’s pupils dilated as she watched the light take form. It twisted and convulsed and wriggled. The sight was nearly sickening, and she felt her stomach twist at the sight of it. But soon, the light had fully taken form, and Penny could see clearly what it was.

Rudy smirked, “Yes..this will do nicely...” Penny let out a series of muffled protests. “Shhh...be quiet.. I don’t want to ruin the surprise for Dr. Raiden..”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror as she watched the glow take the shape of stoney turtle, although it barely resembled one. All species recognition faded away completely when she saw the head. It was long, had a sickly green glow, and where the head should be was a large needle filled with green fluid, which she guessed was venom. But the head also had eyes. Small and black, positioned near the top of the needle, and then a thin plastic hinge attached to the bottom ofthe head, forming the lower jaw. There was no pathway into the body, no teeth or tongue, yet it was still able to emit an eerie growl, sounding so different than anything she’s heard before.

She struggled against Rudy’s grasp, trying in vain to warn Dr. Raiden. If she didn’t do something soon, Raiden was going to die a violent death. She might not know just what this venom does, but she knew it was not going to be pretty. She twisted herself from side to side, her wide terror-filled eyes watching in dread as the needle-headed turtle began to walk over to Raiden. It moved at a slow pace, at what she guessed was probably only two miles per hour. But it felt so much faster to her, and the closer it got to the distracted cheetah, the more she squirmed.

Soon the turtle reached Raiden. Penny let out mufflied cries, as loud as she could, hoping Raiden would hear. He was a cheetah. He had to have good hearing, right? She screamed again and again against Rudy’s hand, hoping that at least one call would be loud enough. But no matter what, Raiden couldn’t hear her; his mind was too focused on Maalik. It didn’t help that Rudy pushed his hand against her mouth even harder, to the point where it was starting to hurt.

Penny’s heart filled with ice as she saw the turtle creature raise its head, pointing the long, sharp tip of its needle towards Raiden. It was aiming the syringe directly at Raiden’s leg. Penny tried to wriggle harder, but it was useless. She was helpless to stop the turtle from taking aim, pulling its head back to prepare to strike. In a few seconds, Raiden was going to be poisoned, and without magic chalk, she was not going to be able to help him. Who knows if she would be able to draw anything in time anyway? She had no idea just how long the venom would take to kill.

As the syringe thing was preparing to attack, Penny continued to struggle. She mustered as much strength as she could, now focusing on just freeing her head instead of her body. From side to side, her head yanked and turned. Eventually, she did start to feel Rudy’s hand slip from her mouth a little. Taking advantage, Penny opened her mouth and bit down on Rudy’s hand.

At this, Rudy let out a loud scream. Penny yanked her head to the side, pushing Rudy back a little. She looked over and saw that the scream caught Maalik and Raiden’s attention. Before Rudy could silence her again, Penny shouted her warning.

“Dr. Raiden, look out! The creature, it’s going to kill you!”

At this, as his eyes widened in shock, Dr. Raiden’s long tail hit against something solid. The syringe turtle. The impact knocked it to the side a little as Dr. Raiden looked down at it. He immediately jumped back, putting distance between him and it. Dropping down on all fours, Dr. Raiden let out a cat-like yowl, warning the thing to stay back. The needle turtle responded with some kind of roar that sounded more fake than anything, but still managed to be threatening. It picked up the pace and charged towards Dr. Raiden.

Luckily for the cheetah, the fastest this turtle could do was five miles an hour. Penny guessed Rudy thought the cheetah would be so distracted, speed wasn’t an issue. He must have been pretty confident in that belief, that he didn’t think this plan all the way through. She watched as Dr. Raiden swatted the turtle to the side, causing it to crash against the wall.

Penny smiled, happy that Raiden was able to take care of the needle turtle and keep it at bay. She wasn’t sure if it had any tricks up its sleeves, but now that both Raiden and Maalik were aware of its existence, she was certain they could stop it and keep it from down any harm.

Her happiness was shortlived when she was suddenly yanked forward. She let out a surprised grunt as she was suddenly face to face with Rudy. She shuddered as she stared into his eyes. They were wide, filled with so much anger. He hadn’t even said anything to her yet, and the way he was looking at her, the way he was breathing heavily, gravelly, she could feel the dread rise up inside her heart.

Rudy glared hatefully at her, his teeth bared, sharply pointed. Penny’s breathing became shaky, and she stared at Rudy in fear. There was so much anger in those eyes.. They were uncomfortable to look at, yet she found it impossible to tear away. He seemed to almost bore through her soul, and she could have sworn she felt something sharp in her chest even though Rudy hadn’t tried to attack her yet.

“You know...you shouldn’t try your luck so much, you little wench...” Rudy snarled at her. “You might just live longer that way...” At this, Penny’s heart sped up. Rudy smiled evilly at her. “Perhaps a little warning is in order. I see that you are full of spirit, so determined.. But I wonder how much you would have left if I were to...” His eyes trailed along her arm, from the shoulder down to the hand. Then he looked back at Penny. “Maybe I can cut your arm off.”

Penny took a sharp gasp of horror. Her eyes were wide with disbelief. No...no he couldn’t do that.. She started to struggle harder.

“Heheheh yes... I think that will do nicely.” Rudy said, his voice low and growly. “Now all you need to do is be a good little girl and hold still. I will make this as quick as I can. I promise, you will not die from this. But defy me after this, it won’t be just your arm I disconnect from you.”

Penny struggled harder as she watched another glow come from Rudy’s body, this time black and on the other side. Penny thrashed from side to side, hoping that, by some miracle, she as going to get free. She watched, in horror, as the light hit the ground and began to transform into what Rudy, or rather Nihilanth, wanted. She kept on struggling, refusing to give up. She couldn’t allow Rudy to get the upperhand here. With her arms pinned, she couldn’t fight back. But she did manage to free a leg and she took immediate action.

Penny thrust her knee against Rudy’s stomach, just like he had with her earlier. The boy’s eyes widened and he dropped down to his knees. Penny saw that the black light vanished, and concluded that, with the break of concentration, Rudy was not able to finish creating what he wanted, thus it vanished out of sight. Ths brought some relief to her. Now she knows it was possible to stop the dragon’s creation abilities before he can complete anything.

As Rudy stumbled back, Penny grabbed his shoulders and shoved him as hard as she could. The boy fell into the ground. When she ran forward, she was greeted with a horrible sight of Raiden using his metal claw to tear out the throat of the turtle. She froze and stared at him in shock. Though she understood the reason for it, it was still a shocking sight to behold.

Dr. Raiden took notice of her expression. “I had to, I...” His eyes filled with dread. “Look out!”

Penny looked over just in time to see a long black tail whip out of nowhere. It wrapped around her. She was hoisted off the ground, her arms pinned at her sides. She kicked her legs wildly in the air, yanking herself from left to right, trying in vain to get free. The tail wrapped around her tighter, nearly causing her to gag. She looked over at where the tail was coming from. It was attached to Rudy. The boy looked up at her, his face glowing with rage.

“You...bitch!” Rudy shouted at her. “How fucking dare you!” He pulled Penny towards him. He held her in front of him, just a couple feet away. “You still haven’t learned respect... And here I thought you were smart...” Penny couldn’t help but feel a pang of hurt when he said that, even though she knew it wasn’t really Rudy saying that. “It’s my fault for overestimating you. I will not be making that mistake again...”

“Penny...!” Dr. Raiden started to run over, only to be stopped by Maalik.

“It’s your turn, Raiden!” Maalik called out to him. “Come along! You can grab Penny later!”

Dr. Raiden hesitated. He looked over at where Penny was being held, biting his lip. The teenager looked at him and she gave a nod of her head, encouraging him to go on. Dr. Raiden stared at her, then nodded back in response. He turned and ran back towards Maalik, who was gesturing for him to come along.

Penny turned her attention back to Rudy. She watched as he formed a fist with his right hand. Penny cringed back away as far as she could. But she wasn’t able to get out of the way. Rudy’s fist collided with her face. She let out a scream as her head was tossed to the side. The fist came again, prompting another scream. Penny’s body began to twitch and shake in pain as Rudy repeatedly punched her in the fact. Then, after she gained a couple of dark bruises and streams of red along her face, Rudy threw her against the wall as hard as he could, knocking away small bits of rock and dust.

“Be prepared, little Penny...” Rudy said in an almost sickenly sweet voice. “You will not be leaving here...in one piece...”

Penny’s eyes widened as Rudy pulled one of her arms out from her side. She tried to pull it back, but he just twisted it, causing her to yelp in pain. Holding her arm with both hands, and holding her body steady against the wall, Rudy began to pull the arm as hard as he could. Penny let out a scream of pain as she felt her arm slowly being pulled out of its socket.

“No! Please! Stop!” Penny cried out as Rudy started to pull harder, summoning his dragon strength. Tears of pain rolled down her cheeks. “Please...stop...!”

Rudy grinned nastily at her. “Oh, I don’t think so, sweetheart..” He continued to pull, his sharp dragon claws digging into her skin. “But don’t worry.. I’ll make this as quick as possible. Hold still, and soon your arm will come out like a doll.” Penny began to scream louder. “No no no...shh...”

The other tail grew out of from behind him. It moved towards Penny and wrapped itself around her head, holding her jaws shut and preventing her from screaming. She let out loud, muffled whimpers as her arm was continuously pulled and yanked.

“Quiet now, my darling. It’s okay.. You’ll be fine. Just relax.” Rudy whispered to her. “It will be over before you know it...”

Penny didn’t bother looking at him. Her eyes remained shut tightly, tears flowing down her cheeks. Agonizing pain radiated off her arm, where it connected to her shoulder. The pain intensified as Rudy continued to pull on her arm cruelly. The pain spread throughout her arm, radiating off of it as though it were just steam. Her legs flailed violently as the pain increased, her body trembling in pain.

Then, as Rudy twisted the arm, she heard a slight crack. Her eyes snapped open wide and her body stiffened. A horrific shockwave of pain swept through her body, clouding her mind and making her, for a moment, forget where she was. As loud as she could, she let out a muffled scream. Then, seconds later, the pain got the best of her and she went limp. Her world went dark and silent.

sss

Jenny cursed to herself. She couldn’t believe she had missed her target. How could she miss? Tsere wasn’t that small. He was an easy target. To miss him... something had to be wrong with her eyesight, which she knew was not the case. She let out a slew of mental insults against herself for not being competent enough to stop Tsere from taking Draow. Now she had lost another team member.

Jenny felt a sickening feeling rise up inside her stomach. Knowing that she lost another helper did not settle well with her. Nihilanth’s plan was going to require as much help as possible, and if they don’t get him into the real world, where he can recruit more black chalk users, things were going to get...rather difficult. As much as it pained her to lose someone she considered family, like Tyreek, she knew that she couldn’t dwell on it for long. She needed to keep her focus on Nihlanth’s overall plan, which, in the end, would benefit everyone, despite what the wretched white chalk artists might think.

She looked down towards the ground, her expression softening up. There was another reason why she couldn’t focus on Tyreek’s death or Draow’s capture entirely. Laying on the ground not far from where she stood was Ghadir. The woman was slumped on the ground, unconscious from blood loss. Jenny clenched her teeth, feeling her heart ache at the sight of her comrade in this terrible state. She rushed over to her side. Once by her side, she gently pushed her until she was on her back.

Jenny took notice of the injuries that adorned her. Three long cuts were on both her shoulders, both sets stretching along the upper part of her chest. Blood still tricked from the gashes, running down the side and soaking her shirt in the red, crimson fluids. Jenny tore off a small piece of her shirt and went down on one knee. She reached over and pressed the cloth against the closest wound, applying gentle pressure in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

As she did this, her mind ran through many thoughts of what may have happened. She thought at first Draow did this by mistake. She didn’t really know how chaotic it was out where when Tsere showed up. But that didn’t make much sense. Draow was not stupid. He might be impulsive, but he would never accidentally strike the wrong person, especially not twice and not like this. These looked more deliberate, and there was only one other individual present who could have done this. There was only one she believed it could have been.

Tsere.

The pterosaur was not really known for being too hostile towards humans, black chalk or not. So a deliberate attack didn’t seem possible coming from him. But then, times do change. Tsere may have learned that, sometimes, fighting aggressively and in new ways was the best chance of gaining the upperhand. Pretty smart, she had to admit. Seemed the bird brain can learn a new trick or two.

Unfortunately, that was all Tsere was going to learn. She was going to make sure he didn’t have another chance at Ghadir. Anger boiled in her stomach as she thought about Tsere and what he had done. Ghadir had suffered enough already. She didn’t deserved to be attacked like this. If Ghadir attacked him, it was because of something Tsere did. It was his own blasted fault, but of course, she knew he wasn’t going to admit to that. The white chalk artists never admitted to a fault.

She lifted up the cloth and placed it on the woman’s other gash. She applied light pressure, attempting to stop the bleeding from that injury next. As she kept the cloth pressed, her mind filled with thoughts of what she was going to do next. Ghadir was going to need treatment. She needed to get her back into the Solar Pillars and into the medical ward. She wasn’t sure if there were a lot of supplies; she hadn’t gotten any new supplies recently. She could only hope that the stuff she needed was available, otherwise she’d have to make a trip into the real world, which Nihilanth wouldn’t like if she did it without him knowing.

And she presently didn’t know exactly where he was. She was on her own for now.

After the blonde woman managed to stop the bleeding, she stuffed the bloodied cloth into her pocket. She stood up and took out her black chalk. She drew a stretcher as quickly as she could. She then lowered herself down again. She reached for Ghadir and pushed her hands underneath her unconscious form. She lifted her up and placed her on the stretcher. She strapped her down and then went around to the front of the stretcher. She grabbed onto it and began to push it towards the Solar Pillars.

Jenny felt some relief as she felt the wonderful servant light hit her. She knew the light did wonders for Ghadir as they passed through. Not enough to heal her, but enough to rejuvinate her a little. She was going to need that extra boost. It’ll help her heal faster. If she played her cards right, and if she moved fast enough, Ghadir will be back in fighting condition very soon.

Jenny couldn’t just climb up the steps this time around. That would be a stupid thing to do. Instead, she moved around to where Draow’s entrance was. It was on the side of the structure, well hidden except to anyone who takes a close enough look at the structure to see what appeared to be a large door. It was so well crafted, so well hidden, she doubted that even Rudy or Penny had found this during any of their times visiting this place. A good thing too; this was located in a blind spot and she hadn’t gotten around to fixing that yet.

It didn’t take her long to get the large door open. She watched as the slab of rock tilted up in a diagonal way. As soon as it stopped, she pushed Ghadir inside. She pressed a large button on the wall, which prompted the rock slab to now turn in the opposite direction. A series of bright white lights lit the pathway as she walked forward. The echoing sound of the door closing rang in her ears, but she paid it little mind as she took Ghadir towards the medical ward.

As she went down the hallway, she started to think of just what her next move could be. She thought she already had an idea. Attack the Chalk Mine using the last of Bardot’s spare power. It seemed like the best plan to go with. If she could render the remaining white chalk artists defenseless, Nihilanth would have no one to stand against him. Everything would fall into place. But..would that be the best move? She started to wonder if she should rethink her strategy. She hadn’t even gotten Nihilanth’s permission to do such a thing. What if he didn’t want her to destroy the black chalk that was located in that mine?

Plus, she wasn’t even sure if Bardot did have enough power to destroy all the Chalk Mine. It would require considerable power to cause enough destruction to level the whole place. There was a ton of white chalk in that cave. While destroying large chunks would be easy, destroying all of it was going to be hard. And if she didn’t get it all in one shot... Well, she knew enough about that brat Penny to know that she would do something to prevent her from finishing off the remaining chalk.

Going after Draow was another idea. She did want his assistance back. But that might not be a good idea, at least not for the moment. She knew fully well that the pterosaur took him to a prison, a high security one at that. Where else would he take him? Because of this, Draow was going to be dififcult to break out. Jenny didn’t think it would be wise to waste effort on freeing him, especially since she could more easily do that after she wiped out the Chalk Mine and after Nihilanth gathered some black chalk artist recruitments from the real world. She trusted that Draow would understand the reason for the delay.

But there was one other thing she could do that she knew Nihilanth wouldn’t really care about. She could take care of the zoners that attacked Ghadir a few days ago. She had captured their leader and he was in her custody. He was of no danger to her anymore. He couldn’t do much with that mind control nail in his head. She hadn’t fully tested it out yet, and she knew it could backfire.

The way she saw it, though, both possible outcomes would be something of a benefit to her.

The first possibility is that the nail backfires and the stick figure zoner died as a result. While it would be a disappointment, she would at least be rid of that little fucker. It would be such a deserving punishment for what he had done to Ghadir. A part of her wished she pounded the nail even harder; she enjoyed his screaming. But with him gone, he wouldn’t be a bother to them anymore. He would not be able to recruit a bunch of evil zoners to beat up her comrade.

The other possibility, and the one she hoped she would get, is she succeeds in controlling the zoner. If she was able to pull that off, she could use him against the other zoners. She could wipe his mind, replace it with a new one. She could make him obedient to her, and then use him to get some of the other mob zoners over here, where she would take care of them. Control them or kill them, it didn’t matter to her. But one thing was certain: she would make sure each and every one of them paid for what they had done to Ghadir.

Soon she had reached the medical ward. She released the stretcher to open up the door. She then went back over and pushed Ghadir into the medical room. It wasn’t too big, but it would do just fine. She placed Ghadir up against the wall. She looked at her, a look of concern plastered on her face. She bit her lip, watching as Ghadir took several weak breaths.

“Do not worry.” Jenny whispered softly as she ran her hand along Ghadir’s head. “I will help you. You’ll be fine. I promise...”

With that, Jenny walked over towards the cabinet. She opened it up and reached inside. She grabbed the supplies she was going to need. Holding them in her arms, she brought them over to where Ghadir was. She placed them on a nearby table. In a few moments, she went to work treating Ghadir’s wounds.

sss

Dr. Lancer laid down on the hospital bed. She let out a few groans of pain as she stared up at the white ceiling above her. She tried to ignore the doctors talking outside of her room, who were discussing what to do in regards to her back. There were some pretty nasty remarks about her spoken once in a while. Most of the doctors here hated her now for what she had done to Tyreek. A few of them even opted to just let her suffer the wound as a ‘lesson’ or some other shit like that. Hearing the conversation only made her feel worse, and she tried her best not to listen to it.

Ignoring the pain was much harder. In her back, she could still feel the horrific pain from where where her spine had been snapped in two. As she suffered another bout of pain, she closed her eyes and seethed. She knew Draow was one powerful zoner. But she had no idea he was that strong. One of the doctors mentioned she should consider herself lucky the attack hadn’t been fatal.

At the moment, she wore a type of back brace to keep her spine as still as possible. Her broken wing was kept in a splint. Far as she knew, the doctors were going to wheel her into surgery. A part of her was worried they’d be careless during surgery, but she did her best to put her mind at ease. It was against the doctor’s oath to just torment an injured zoner like that, no matter who they were. As much as they hated her, she could rest assured that they wouldn’t deliberately hurt her, at least not in her current state.

Her ears were filled with the sound of beeping. She looked over to one side and she could see she was hooked up to a heart monitor. Her legs were strapped up, held immobile so she didn’t accidentally hurt herself more. Even her front legs were strapped. Just a little movement would be enough to cause more damage to her spine, even death. She could see a needle stuck in one of her arms. It was attached to a bag of IV fluids next to her, keeping her hydrated. Hearing a weak exhale, she turned her head to the other side.

She could see Quet laying on his back. His eyes were closed lightly, but he continuously let out whimpers of pain. Each one caused her stomach to twist in knots. She wondered what could have possessed him to attack Draow while injured like that. She was grateful he did that, as it saved Quirk’s life, but...that was still a very risky move. And in the end, it nearly cost the zoner his life. Draow hadn’t exactly been gentle on him, and had down a number on him, more so than it had appeared.

One of his wings was broken now. The assault given to him by Draow before Tsere’s arrival had shattered one of his wing bones. His damaged wing, which had just begun to be treated prior, had been broken, causing new damage to that area. She felt so bad for him. His wing had regained enough use to be usable for short periods of time, and now all that was gone after Draow had smashed the wing. And sadly, that wasn’t the only bit of damage he had done to the feathered snake.

His overall treatment of Quet, crushing his body in his jaws and shaking him up, caused some internal damage. A few of his ribs had been shattered, which in turn ruptured at least one of his organs, causing internal bleeding. The snake zoner already went through one surgery to do a quick fix, as one of the ribs nearly went into his heart. But he was going to need a second surgery to fix the other internal damage caused by Draow.

Dr. Lancer did feel guilty about Quet being injured. It wasn’t simply because of what the other doctors said. Yeah a few of them blame her and Quirk for Quet’s new injuries. But even if they didn’t say it was her fault, she’d still blame herself for it. She felt that she should have just fled the building at the first sign of an attack. She should have went outside and lured Draow away. If she had gotten him far away from the hospital, she felt that there would have been less damage, and Quet would not have nearly been killed by Draow.

Well there was nothing she could do about it now. At least he was safe now. Tsere, who had showed up at just the right moment, had managed to chase the evil bat wolf away from the hospital. Quet could now be treated. Hopefully, nothing else would go wrong. She wasn’t sure how much more abuse Quet could take.

Her mind wandered to Quirk. She was staying in a different hospital room. She hadn’t been injured quite as bad as she and Quet were, but her injuries were no laughing matter. Draow had really torn up her throat. She was lucky that her aortas hadn’t been slashed open, or she would have died pretty quickly. She had just been taken into surgery a short while ago to get the gashes stitched shut, as well as repair any internal damage that Draow may have caused. Her neck needed an x-ray to ensure that none of her neck bones had been dislocated or crushed. At the moment, just in case, her friend wore a neck brace.

Quirk was going to be the first one out of the hospital, that’s for certain. Unless, of course, Draow comes for another attack...but she was confident enough in Tsere to believe that wouldn’t be a likely possibility. Although it would be sad to be separated from Quirk for a while, she knew there was nothing else she could do. Quirk, after she gets released, had to go to a detaining area for the trial. Despite their efforts to stop Draow, the doctors were still having them both placed under arrest. This meant that she would not see Quirk again until after she healed, and the next time she saw her friend wouldn’t exactly be during a very peachy time.

She heard the sound of someone approaching her. She didn’t bother turning her head. She just looked over with one of her yellow eyes. She could see one of the doctors had finally decided to come in. She did her best to restrain her growl of contempt as Dr. Varrick approached her. He held a similar distasteful expression on his face. The two zoners, just by looking at each other, made it very clear they did not like one another.

Varrick stopped next to her hospital bed. He looked at her with those dangerously narrowed eyes, his arms folded against his chest. He looked as though he wanted to just kick her out of that bed...and she didn’t have much doubt he would do it if he were angry enough and if he felt he could get away with it. He was one of the most outwardly hostile towards her for the incident with Tyreek and one of the zoners who blamed her the most for what happened to Quet. She wasn’t sure what he was doing in here, but she hoped he would leave soon. She was not in the mood to deal with his bullshit right now.

“What is it you want to tell me?” Dr. Lancer asked, barely turning her head over to look at him.

Dr. Varrick snarled at this. “What? Are you too good that you can’t look at me directly? No matter..not sure if I would want your murderous beak pointed in my direction.” Dr. Lancer gritted her beak at this, but didn’t bother retorting. There was no reason for it. “I just came to let you know that you will be wheeled into surgery in a few minutes....not that you deserve it.”

Dr. Lancer growled softly. “That’s what many have said.” She turned her head a little more in Varrick’s direction. “I don’t need you to tell me what I already know.”

Varrick chuckled bitterly at her. “So you can turn your head. I guess you didn’t break your neck after all.” Each word was laced with venom. He moved his eyes up and down her bandaged body, his face filling with more disgust. “Such a waste of medical supplies...” He turned his attention back at her. “We were better off with just letting Draow take you.” The hippogriff’s eyes widened just slightly, yet she wasn’t really surprised by this sentiment. “You’re too dangerous to be around...”

Dr. Lancer hissed softly at this. “At least I managed to keep Draow’s attention on me... I saw you were down there too, with the other doctors. You ran like a coward.”

At this, Dr. Varrick formed fists with his hands and shook them. He looked as though he was ready to punch her. The only thing holding him back were the other doctors. They were watching him warily, as if they realized sending him in to tell her the news wasn’t the best idea in the world. It was almost comical watching Varrick react this way, acting almost like a little kid.

“I guarantee you that wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t kidnapped and tortured that human guy! You were only supposed to stop him and get information from him! We trusted you! But look at what you did instead.. You tortured the guy to death, and guess what? The black artists found out because why the fuck else would they send in Draow?! You were the reason this hospital got attacked, you bitch!”

Dr. Lancer’s expression softened up a little. “Yes, I’m aware I messed up. I’m not proud of it.” She shook her head to emphasize her statement. “But I can assure you, it will not hapepn again. I will see to that.”

Dr. Varrick grinned somewhat nastily. “I know it won’t... Dr. Lancer...” He said the word 'doctor’ with the utmost mockery. “After this, you will be permanently stripped of your doctor title. I’ll see to it that you never work in this field again.”

“Considering I’m going to be in jail for a very long time..” Dr. Lancer said, turning her head to the side. “It doesn’t really matter if I keep my job or not, now does it?” She closed her eyes and sighed. “But I do accept my punishment. You and the other doctors are right. I did take things too far. But I will make up for it, somehow.”

At this, Dr. Varrick laughed coldly. “Yeah, right... You won’t do such a thing. You’ve already tainted yourself with blood.” He narrowed his eyes, shining in hatred. “You will become just like how the Luminos are. The sooner we get your traitorous ass out of this place, the better.” He took a step forward and leaned in closely. In a harsh whisper, he said, “I look forward to when I testify to have you sent to the slammer, you worthless piece of shit...”

Dr. Lancer shot Dr. Varrick a glare. She didn’t bother to respond. What could she say to that? And why would he even listen to her? She watched as Dr. Varrick, giving her one last satisfied smirk, walked away. Seconds later, a couple of doctors came in to wheel her into surgery. As they approached her, Dr. Lancer got lost in her thoughts. Varrick’s harsh words echoed in her head over and over again. And it made her ask herself a question.

If, by some miracle, she was able to get back into the doctor field, would she be able to trust herself not to go overboard again? Or would she succumb again to her anger, and wind up killing another person? It was a question that sent chills down her spine.


	139. Distortion

The first thing Penny became aware of as she slowly regained consciousness was pain. Seering horrific pain in her arm, located at where it connected to her body. It felt as though there was a ring of fire around it, threatening to break it off. She attempted to move the arm, but found that it was restricted somehow.

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around. It was so dark, and damp, too. She felt a constant cold chill all around her, and she wasn’t sure if that was due to the temperature of the room or because of fear. She felt terrified for some reason, and she couldn’t remember why. The feeling of dread kept moving through her body, chilling her spine and making her shiver. It was as though her last memory of fear was so powerful, that was all her mind could remember.

As her vision cleared and she looked around, she found she was alone. This confused her. How was she alone? Where was Snap? She sat up slowly, groaning as her skull was plagued with headaches. She tried to move one arm up to rub her head, only to find she still couldn’t move it. Curious as to what the cause of this was, she looked down. She felt her eyes widen slightly when she saw that her arm had been put in a tight sling, immobilizing her arm against her chest. Her muggy mind ran with questions as to what could have happened.

The pain in Penny’s arm intensified as the seconds passed, still concentrated around the joint. She reached over with her other hand and gingerly pressed against it. She immediately flinched and yanked her hand away. Just what had happened to her arm to make it hurt this badly? What could she have done to it that would have resulted in her not being able to use the arm at all? Even just moving her fingers a little was enough to irritate whatever happened to it. Had she broken her arm? Or did something else happen?

She took the time to look around the room again. In addition to being alone, she noticed other things. This place was not shaped like any regular room she’s been in before. It was misshapen, uneven in multiple spots. It was imperfect, and she could see what looked like distortions in the wall and the floor. The ground was uneven, with some areas dipping down and others coming back up.

It took her a few moments for all of this to register, but Penny soon realized she was in some kind of cave. She couldn’t quite recall just how she got here at first, but as her mind cleared up, some things started to come back to her. She let out a soft groan and struggled up to her feet. She wobbled a little, flailing her good arm to keep herself balanced. She leaned up against the rocky surface behind her, nearly tripping over her own feet.

It was so hard to see the complete structure of this place. It was so dark. She saw there were some lights but they were black lights, ill-equipped to really illuminate the cave that well. She wondered why anyone would use this type of lighting in a cave where uneven ground would call for better illumination. There would have to be some kind of reason, but she couldn’t fathom the...

Then it hit her. Her mind cleared up even more as she remembered more things that had happened. She had been in here before. She had been chased...chased by... Why was she thinking Rudy? Why would he...? Oh yeah... The servant light... Rudy had been corrupted. And she had ran through here and he chased her. She had Snap with her. He was unconscious. She tried to escape, but Rudy caught up with her. They had a confrontation, a fight. He had let some zoners go....she was certain of that. And they were trying to escape and she provided a distraction. She fought with him as they started to get out.

And then her arm... He did something to her arm. Her mind flooded with memories. She could see his cruel, twisted smile in the back of her head. She tried to ignore it, but found it was impossible. Rudy had... What did he try to do to her? His words filled her mind, becoming more clear and more understandable as the seconds passed. To her horror, she realized that he had tried to yank her arm out of her socket. That was why her arm hurt so bad. He may have succeeded in dislocating her arm. The realization of this caused the dull pain around her joint to intensify.

Penny clutched her head tightly as her headache increased. She tried to remember what else happened after that. She couldn’t quite recall anything that happened right after Rudy started to pull her arm, with the exception of knowing she was in a lot of pain. She knew a lot had to have happened for her to go from having Rudy pin her against the wall and try to yank her arm off, to this cave with her arm in a sling. Something had to have happened, but what? Why couldn’t she remember? Why was her mind unable to make the connections?

There was only one thing Penny believed it could have been. She must have passed out. And she knew it was from her arm. She felt no injuries on her head, so she either hadn’t been struck or her pain receptors there were not responding. She did consider the possibility of being injected or having chloroform or ether or anything else similar used on her. But she was more inclined to believe it was because of her arm. Her arm throbbed as she began to remember the pain, how much it had hurt. It was one of the worst pains she ever felt, reminding her of when her leg had nearly been broken by Draow the first time.

She let out a small whimper as a small bout of pain spread through her arm. It intermixed with the pain in her damaged leg, creating a sort of choir of agony. It was a terrible feeling and she wished she could do something to stop it. She seethed as she clutched her arm, gritting her teeth. She looked left and right. Just where were the others? Why weren’t they here? Did Rudy capture them? Her eyes widened. Had that been what happened while she was knocked out?

Her damaged leg throbbed so much that she could no longer stand on it. Slowly, she slumped downwards, towards the ground. As she sat there, her mind poured with thoughts of what she was going to do. She stared at her leg. It was hurting even worse than it was earlier. Rudy must have attacked it. Of course he would. In his current state, he’d do anything. She gritted her teeth, letting a few tears move down her face.

It wasn’t just the pain that was getting to her. It was also worry, her concern for Rudy. Would she...would she ever see the real Rudy again? Or was she stuck with this monstrous version? The thought terrified her. She hoped that wasn’t the case. There was a way to free him, right? There was a way to undo this.

In her mind, she began to remember more words. Ones that were spoken not by someone she considered a friend, but an enemy. Bardot... Yes, she remembered speaking to him before. He had mentioned something about Mr. Wilter...and white chalk. Penny clenched her teeth as she nearly gave a bitter laugh. Was it really that simple? After all this time, could the answer to beating the black chalk really had been as simple as the white chalk? Penny wasn’t sure if that was the case. Something about it sounded...too easy. There had to be a catch of some kind. It couldn’t really be that easy...could it?

“I see you are awake.”

Penny stiffened up at the sudden voice. She whirled her head around to face who it was. At first, she could see no one. Then, how could she, with how dark it was in here?

“I thought you were never going to wake up. You were out for a while, longer than I would have suspected.”

Penny’s eyes trailed from side to side, trying in desperation to find the source of that voice. She looked left and right. She couldn’t see anyone. No moving shapes, no details that told her someone was there. Was someone speaking to her telephathically? No, that couldn’t be. She soon realized the voice did have a singular location, not an omnipresence as a telepathic voice would have. She still, however, could not figure out just where the voice was coming from.

Penny soon heard footsteps. Someone was approaching her. She felt her body tense up a little. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Clenching her teeth, she swiveled her head from side to side. When she realized that someone was approaching her from the right, she turned around to face them. Her eyes widened a little as she tried to take in as much light as she could. She tried to take note of any details she thought were out of place. But at first, this did nothing to help her figure out who was there.

Then, at least, she started to see a shape approach her. Whoever it was... they were tall. Really tall. And thin; there didn’t seem to be a lot of muscle to this individual. A furry outline showed her that this was a zoner. As the figure got closer, and she started to see a little more detail, she saw that this zoner was spotted. There was a long tail jetting out behind them, swishing from side to side. Then when the zoner got close enough, she caught a glimpse of golden eyes and she soon recognized who this zoner was.

“Dr. Raiden...” Penny said. She felt her tense body slowly relax. She exhaled a sigh of relief.

Dr. Raiden paused, taking notice of Penny’s behavior. His expression softened up a little. He tilted his head to the side a tad. “Did I scare you?”

Penny hesitated. Then she nodded her head slowly. “Yeah. I thought you were someone else. I didn’t recognize your voice.”

“Considering you were afraid and confused, I can see that. Emotions can mess with our senses at times.” Dr. Raiden said. He took a few steps closer. He reached up with his right paw and scratched the side of his face. “I probably should have realized that you would be confused and made my presence a little more known. I had been here with you for the hour your were knocked out.” Penny’s eyes widened at this. “I should have just stayed closer to you so you wouldn’t...”

Penny swiveled her head. This act surprised Raiden. “An hour?!” She cried in disbelief. “Are you saying I have been out for an hour?!”

Dr. Raiden took a step back, staring at Penny in surprise. Then he narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded his head. “Yes. I’m afraid so.” He pulled his head back, slightly tilting it upwards. His pupils remained on her. “You passed out when Rudy nearly dislocated your arm.”

“Nearly?” Penny stared down at her arm. “You mean, Rudy didn’t succeed? But I thought...” She recalled something that happened while he was pulling her arm. Somethign that made her uncertain of the cheetah was right or not. “But that crack... I heard a crack when he was pulling my arm.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that. But you don’t need to worry. It was nothing serious.” Dr. Raiden said, giving her a small smile. He moved in closer, hunching himself forward. When he got close enough, he reached over and touched her arm lightly. “I checked the arm. It’s still in place, and there’s no broken bones. The worst thing is that one of your muscles was pulled.” Penny looked up at Dr. Raiden. “It should heal just fine, though. You just can’t use your arm too much.”

Penny looked back at her arm. Her pupils moved along it, from where her hand was, then traveled along to her shoulder. She focused her attention on the shoulder. A part of her was relieved that her arm hadn’t been dislocated or broken as she had feared. The cracking sound was confusing, but maybe that was just the tendons and ligaments or something. They might have suffered a little damage. At least it wasn’t something more serious.

Penny turned her attention back to Dr. Raiden. She asked, “What happened while I was out?” She looked left and right. “Where is everyone?”

“The others will be here soon. Don’t worry about that.” Dr. Raiden said. He turned his head, staring off in a particular direction. “As for what happened... That would take me a little while to explain.” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t know if I have time to tell you. The others will be here soon, and we must get a move on.” He looked back at Penny. “I don’t know how long they can keep Rudy down there.”

Keeping Rudy down there? Down where? Penny stared at Raiden in confusion. What was he talking about? Just what had she missed while she was knocked out? Where were the others? Were was Rudy? Confusion twisted in her mind, making her headache worse as she tried so hard to understand what was happening.

One thing was clear to her. A lot more happened while she was knocked out than she thought. She initially believed that maybe Raiden grabbed her after she passed out and got Maalik to get her up the shaft or something. That theory was blown away after what Raiden told her. Now she was convinced it couldn’t have been just that. There was a fight of some kind. A struggle. The others were with Rudy..where he was. Her heart beating faster, she stood up to try to find them. But the sudden repositioning irritated her leg and she let out a cry of pain. She stumbled forward.

Dr. Raiden, his eyes widened, lurched forward and grabbed her good arm. Penny grunted as she suddenly stopped falling, supported by Raiden’s long arm. She looked up at him, noting his concerned expression. At first, Penny didn’t say anything. She was quiet, trying to contemplate what happened. Her mind swirled with thoughts. She strained to hear the battle she knew had to be going on, but heard nothing. Why was there no sound?

“I understand that you are confused.” Dr. Raiden said. “I’ll explain it to you the best I can... Just, I don’t think here is a good idea.” He again looked off in another direction. Why did he keep doing that? Was he looking at where the others had gone? “I don’t know if Rudy will...”

“Tell me what’s going on!” Penny cried. Raiden stared at her in shock. “Please...just tell me...! Give me an abridged version if you have to!”

Raiden stared at her, surprised by her attitude. He wasn’t the only one. Penny herself was also taken aback by how she had behaved. She was normally not this forceful with someone. She didn’t generally demand information like that. She felt a bit like a jerk when she realized how she had acted. She should try to keep herself calm. If she let herself panic... No, she wouldn’t let her mind be clouded like that. Now was not a good time to panic.

But it was easy to see why she was so troubled. She had been knocked out for an hour while in a struggle with the corrupted, dragon-possessed Rudy. And while she was passed out, somehow she had come up here with Raiden, and the others were somewhere with Rudy, holding him off. She had no idea if they were okay or not. Raiden’s words didn’t help her feel any better either. He hinted strongly that he wasn’t sure if they were going to make it or not. What was Rudy doing to them? How were they dealing with him? Just..where we they?

“I can assure you... They will be fine...” Raiden said. His tone of voice didn’t sound very convincing. Yes, he was worried as well. But he still tried to reassure her the best he could, even smiling as he spoke. But Penny could see that smile was fake. “They should almost be done neutralizing the threat.”

At this, Penny’s eyes widened in horror. Did she hear right? Did Raiden...really say that? His tone had changed. It was still a comforting one, but there was..something hidden behind it. A demeanor that she hadn’t seen from Raiden since... since he was an enemy. It was very slight, but still there. Penny’s heart twisted at this realization. What..what did Dr. Raiden do...?

The thought of Dr. Raiden doing something like that... She didn’t want to think it was real. She didn’t want to believe that Dr. Raiden would go through with the order to kill Rudy. Yeah he was dangerous right now, but..but surely Raiden wouldn’t go that far, right? Especially not after his whole speech about how he and the Luminos had been wrong in trying to kill them. Yeah, she must be just overreacting. She was highly stressed out and she was taking things out of context. Raiden didn’t mean...

But that expression...slight hostility buried behind it... That wasn’t a look she would expect to see from him lately, after his reformation. It was nowhere near as bad as it was when he was one of the bad guys. But it was noticeable enough to be of alarm to her. An area of concern. Why did he have that expression on his face? Why did he look like he...?

Dr. Raiden tilted his head to the side. Confusion now adorned his face. “What’s wrong?” He turned his head to the other side. “I thought you would be happy knowing that the threat is being taken care of.”

“I...what...” Penny stammered. She tried to think of something to say. She didn’t want to sound too suspicious. She didn’t want to set anything off. She gritted her teeth and said, “N-Nothing si wrong.”

Dr. Raiden stared at her for a few moments. His eyes slowly narrowed. Giving her a disbelieving look, he said, “You are lying. I know something is troubling you.” Raiden tightened his grip on Penny. “You can tell me. We are allies now, remember? Tell me what I said that troubled you and explain why. And I’ll do my best to put your mind at ease.”

At first, Penny didn’t say anything. She just stared at Dr. Raiden, her eyes wide as his words echoed in her mind. She tried to think of how to respond. Her heart beat against her chest. She tried to remind herself she was in no danger. Yet, she was unable to stop the adrenaline gripping her heart. She took in a few deep breaths, trying in vain to calm herself down. Dr. Raiden’s eyes furrowed with concern.

“Let’s sit you down...” Dr. Raiden said gently. Slowly, carefully, the cheetah lowered himself to the ground, taking Penny with him. In a matter of seconds, they were on the ground, sitting next to each other. Raiden, no longer needing to do so, released her arm. “Is that better?” He asked.

Penny wordlessly nodded her head. She didn’t look at Raidne. She focused her attention out in front of her. Her mind attempted to sort out what she was going to say to him.

Dr. Raiden said, “I hope that I didn’t end up frightening you. It seems like I did.” His voice was laced with regret. “I do apologize. I didn’t mean to do it.”

Penny felt a little more relaxed at this statement. If Raiden hadn’t meant to sound like he had become a bad guy again... Yeah she should try to relax a little. She was getting worked up over nothing. Now wasn’t a good time for her to do such a thing. They had other things to worry about and she knew that. She attempted to push the thoughts out of her mind.

A feeling of guilt washed through her mind. How could she have thought Dr. Raiden would really do something like that? Yeah, it sounded like he did, and he hadn’t actually been a ‘good guy’ for very long. She had good reason for being uncomfortable around him. But she couldn’t judge him like that, like he had with them not so long ago. He hadn’t meant what he said in the manner that she thought he did. He had just chosen the wrong words and it just sounded like he meant something else.

Dr. Raiden was still staring at her. He was waiting for her to reply. She was glad he wasn’t being forceful, despite what little time he seemed to hint they had. Penny still had a hard time thinking of just how she was going to word it. But she didn’t want to keep the cheetah waiting for too much longer. Sucking in a breath, she gathered her thoughts and, hoping she wouldn’t sound too confusing, gave her answer.

“What did you mean by neutralize the threat?” Penny asked. “The way you said it..it sounded like you...” She clenched her teeth. She tried to think of how to continue. She fell silent for a couple seconds. “It just sounded like you were talking about killing Rudy.” Raiden stared at her. She gave a nervous chuckle. “Yeah I know it was pretty silly of me to think that. I do apologize. I...”

“I did actually mean that.”

Penny’s eyes shot open in shock. A feeling of cold ice overcame her. Her heart felt as though it had just stopped beating. She stared at Raidein shock. What...what did he just say...? Did he just say..he had meant to have Rudy killed? No...no..that had to be wrong... Please let it be wrong..

Dr. Raiden continued, his eyes narrowing slightly. “We had no other choice, Penny. He was too big of a threat. As long as he exists, ChalkZone would remain in danger. It wasn’t an easy order to make...and I know your feelings for that boy would complicate things, but...surely you must understand we were just doing the right thing.”

“B-But...I...” Penny tried to speak, her heart pounding against her chest. She could feel adrenaline rush through her body, making her tremble. “But..the white chalk.. it could have stopped him. It could have kept him from...” She shook her head in denial. She clutched her head with her good hand as she shut her eyes. She turned her head from side to side. “No..he can’t be... How could you have...?”

Penny felt a claw under her chin. She winced a little as it poked against her skin. Her head was lifted up, and she was forced to look towards Dr. Raiden. The cheetah had a smirk on his face. Not a purely evil one, but the way it looked, it made her feel so uncomfortable. She found herself cringing a way from the cheetah zoner, much like she would have before his reformation. Were her fears being proven right? Did Raiden fall back on that destructive path?

Raiden’s smile broadened a little. Now she could see a bit more malice in that expression. There was a twinkle in his eye, and the sight of it made her take in a sharp breath. She winced as she felt him apply more pressure. He reached over and grabbed her arm. He wasn’t being overly forceful, but he was still holding her so she wouldn’t try to get away. Penny wanted to struggle. She wanted to try to get away and find Snap, but she was too terrified to try. Her body trembled as Raiden still continued to stare at her with that dark expression.

Dr. Raiden’s lips curled up an evil smile, his teeth flashing. “I see you are hard to convince. But don’t worry...” He moved his claw up and traced it from her chin up to her cheek bone. The claw grazed her skin, though did not cut it. “You will come to understand soon enough.”

Penny attempted to yank her arm back, her eyes widening. “You didn’t even consult me on this! You just... But Rudy could have been saved! How could you have given the order for the others to try to kill him?!”

Dr. Raiden chuckled lightly. “Well I wouldn’t say kill... They are to trap him first, and then kill him.” He twisted Penny’s arm slightly, making her grunt in pain. He put his face close to hers. “I know you are shocked by all of this. And I understand...” His voice then became a low, harsh whisper. He put his face even closer to hers. “But I assure you, all I did was what was good for ChalkZone. Rudy has to die..and once he does, we can go forward with killing the other half.”

Penny gasped. “Barney?!”

Dr. Raiden nodded his head. “Yes...Barney. The encyclopedia bug thing is the other vessel for Nihilanth, is he not?” Penny didn’t respond. She licked her lips nervously and gulped. Raiden continued, “I know he is. Once he is dead and gone, along with Rudy, Nihilanth will be neutralized. He can’t hurt anyone ever again with no body. And he can’t obtain a body without a body to inhabit. It’s...” He waved his paw dismissively, a slightly disgruntled look on his muzzle. “..complicated. But I think I was able to give you the gist of it.”

“You..you can’t kill an innocent zoner!” Penny cried in disbelief.

“I can and I will if it means saving ChalkZone.” Dr. Raiden said, narrowing his eyes into slits. “We have been left with little option. It has now become a kill or be killed situation.”

Horror washed through Penny’s body. She trembled in fear. “You..you can’t do this... Y-You won’t get away with it!”

“Won’t get away with it?” Dr. Raiden closed his eyes and chuckled at this, his shoulders shaking in rhythm. “Why dear Penny...” He shook his head once, slowly, deliberately. He reopened his eyes and stared at the girl, grinning maliciously as his eyes seemed to almost glow with insanity. When he spoke again, his voice was so deep and so loud that Penny had to cover her ears. “I already won!”

Without warning, Dr. Raiden started to melt. Penny let out a scream of terror as Raiden’s face distorted and wobbled. The terrifying grin intensified the more his face became warped. He seemed to almost turn into liquid as his body continued to melt, dripping down to the ground. Penny turned her head away, not wanting to see this horrific sight. She heard a gurgling sound, bubbles popping, and it make her feel sick. She tried not to lose her lunch as she felt Raiden’s body slosh over her, staining part of her clothes and then the ground.

Trembling and with her teeth gritted, Penny opened up one eye to see what had happened. To her horror, she could see a puddle on the ground in front of her. It was a blend of multiple colors, all ones she knew Raiden had. The puddle bubbled and wriggled a little, like it had a mind of its own. It then suddenly flattened itself, a splash causing more of the melted cheetah to get on her shirt. She let out a scream as horror chilled her blood, making her heart race. She scrambled to get away from the puddle. She managed to get a couple feet away from it, but her legs were so shaky, she dare not try to take another step. She took in a few quick breaths and then turned her head towards the puddle.

Thankfully, it hadn’t been chasing her. But what it was doing was still horrifying. The puddle began to spread out more. Not in a logical manner either. She watched as it started to climb up surfaces, up along stalagmites, wrapping around it almost like they were some living organism. She put her hands to her mouth and took a shaky step back when she saw that the material was starting to blacken. Soon it was completely dark, and was so shiny, she could see her reflection.

Black chalk.. Raiden had turned into black chalk.. But how was that possible? Was Raiden black chalk this whole time? Had he been a spy? Or was something else going on here that she just couldn’t figure out? Was there something she had missed? A detail that she didn’t look at?

She couldn’t focus on these questions. Her mind was in too much a state of shock to really think too hard about this. Right now, she was more focused on the black puddle in front of her than just how it came into being. It spread across the ground, stretching and twisting as it began to coat everything black. It was already hard enough to see, but now it was getting impossible. Afraid that she might hurt herself if she ran, Penny remained frozen where she stood. Her body trembled. She continued to watch the black chalk puddle spread and flood the room.

The black chalk soon surrounded her completely. The black chalk liquid dripped, the sound echoing loudly in the room. Penny gritted her teeth and turned her head away. She stared down with one eye, horror filling up inside of her to the point of overflow. What was she going to do? How was she going to get out of this? The black chalk was getting closer to her now. Soon, it was going to touch her unless she did something. And if it touched her...what was going to happen?

As the black chalk inched its way closer to her, as it attempted to fill up the rest of the space left by the cave, she started to mentally curse at herself. How could she have been so stupid? She shouldn’t have trusted Dr. Raiden. She should have known something was off about him. She should have known that he was going to do something like this. And now, because of her foolishness, she was going to die here, or get corrupted, neither of which being fates she would have wanted.

Her mind thought back to Rudy. She felt her lower lip begin to quiver. She didn’t know if he was dead or not. But regardless, she knew she was not going to get a chance to say goodbye to him. She understood that there was a chance he’d never recover and killing him might be the only option, but..but there had be another way. The white chalk... She closed her eyes, letting a few tears drip down her face. Oh Rudy... She wished she could have said goodbye to him. She wished that she had a chance to tell him she was sorry, even if he was too far gone now to understand her message. If only things had gone differently.. If only she had been more careful... If only...

Then, without warning, the black chalk puddle rose out of the ground. Penny watched as it stretched above her, creating a sort of tidal wave. She stared at it, her eyes wide in horror. She bit her lip and hoped that, whatever happens after she dies, it wouldn’t be the end. She hoped and prayed that someone would be able to stop Nihilanth.

The blackness collided with her. She let out a scream. The pain...she never thought she could feel so much of it at once. It was so sharp and so cold at the same time. Her body felt as though it was being sliced up. She tried to hold back, tried not to scream again. But she was unable to. Opening her mouth wide, she let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed off the walls of the cave. And then, suddenly, blackness became her place of residence again.

sss

“Penny!” Snap’s voice called out. “Please, wake up! You’re scaring us!”

Penny’s eyes flew open. The bright light that was above her caused her to yelp and turn her head away. She shielded her eyes from the light and slowly turned her head to take a look around. Her blurry vision made it difficult to tell where she was at first. But then the vision soon sharpened up, and she realized she was in some kind of room. Exactly where..she couldn’t tell. But the room was white, and looked clean and...nothing at all where she had been.

She could hear heavy breathing all around her. It took her a few seconds to realize that the breathing was coming from herself. Her heart was racing as she kept taking quick breath after quick breath. She felt something wet and slick on her face. She raised up her hand and moved her fingers along her forehead. She felt something moist there and realized it was her sweat. She stared at her fingers, her mind struggling with the questions that echoed in her mind.

Where was she?

Where had Raiden gone?

Where was the black chalk puddle that she had encountered?

How did she escape?

She had been a goner... She was certain of it. She had been surrounded. And that cold, sharp liquid, it had engulfed her completely. There was no way she could have gotten out in time. It didn’t seem possible that someone had saved her, either. It was too dangerous for any one to approach. Just what..what had happened..?

“Where...what..?” Penny asked, her mind still groggy. She rubbed it. “What had happened?”

“You passed out when Rudy attempted to rip your arm off.” Snap replied.

Penny looked over at her friend. She realized she was laying down in some kind of bed. She could feel the warmth of a blanket covering her body. Was she in a hospital room? Yeah, it seemed like it. She could smell the familiar aroma of medicines around her. She had nothing hooked up to her, and close examination of her bed revealed the reason. She was still in ChalkZone. She must have been brought here to rest after...what had happened.

Snap stood next to her, and he appeared to be the only one in the room. He looked at her, his eyes wide with concern. He reached over and placed a hand on her arm. Penny tried to smile at him, almost thinking that maybe she had been dreaming about Raiden and the black chalk. But then she felt a horrible pain in her arm. She looked over at it with one eye. She saw that it was still wrapped up in bandages, in a sling, just like it was before. This caused her to widen her eyes a little. Was what she had seen..reality...?

Snap took notice of her worried expression and tried to speak to her. But Penny didn’t hear his voice. It was a mere echo in the back of her mind as she tried to make sense of what had happened. Was it a dream? Was it reality? Her arm suggested that perhaps she wasn’t dreaming, but then..what if she was wrong? She gritted her teeth, her headache getting worse. Just what was going on here?

Then she heard a door opening, taking her out of her thoughts. She turned her head. She could see someone entering the room. The door had a window on it, but the window distorted and darkened whoever was on the other side. She couldn’t tell who it was, and could only guess it was a zoner. Then the figure came into the room, and she could tell, right away, who it was.

Dr. Raiden.

The sight of him caused Penny to freeze, her eyes bulging. She bared her teeth and pressed herself back as the cheetah zoner walked over towards her. Snap looked at her with a confused expression, but Penny paid it no mind. Dr. Raiden got ever closer to her and soon stood by her side, the opposite of Snap. He stared down at her with those piercing golden eyes. He, too, looked confused by how she was reacting. Penny couldn’t stop herself from trembling.

“What is it?” Dr. Raiden asked, his ears lowering. “What’s wrong?”

“Yeah, Buckette... You don’t look so good...” Snap said, putting a hand to his mouth as he looked at Penny worriedly.

Penny didn’t answer. She just continued to stare at Dr. Raiden. Her mind flooded with memories of what had happened. The way the cheetah doctor looked at her, the way he had told her how he sent the others to kill Rudy, as there was no other way, how he had claimed to have ‘gotten away with it’... All this filled her mind, swirling around and making it impossible to ignore. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Dr. Raiden. She locked eyes with him, remembering those words he had spoken.

She soon looked down at Snap. Why wasn’t he running? Didn’t he realize Dr. Raiden might be going after him next? She wanted to warn him. She wanted to send a message to him and get him to flee. But she couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. She found herself frozen where she laid. The only movement she could feel was her trembling. She tried to stop it. She tried to control it, but she found it impossible.

What was she going to do? She was trapped again. Dr. Raiden had her cornered more or less. If she tried to run here... Her breathing quickened as her heart rate became faster. She knew she would not get very far. She could try to flee, but it would do her no good. What of Dr. Raiden convinced the doctors to make her stay? What if he insisted that it was ‘for her own good’? Dr. Raiden was a persuasive zoner. She could see him being capable of doing something like that.

Dr. Raiden reached for her. Penny let out a scream and, with her good hand, swatted it away. This display shocked both Dr. Raiden and Snap. They took a step away from the bed. Penny’s narrowed eyes bored through Dr. Raiden’s. Her pupils dilated and her teeth ground against each other. A low growl emitted from her throat.

“Don’t you dare touch me!” Penny snarled at him. She pushed herself back against her hospital bed. “After what you have done... Don’t you dare get close to me, you traitor!”

At this, Raiden and Snap looked at each other. Confusion plastered over their faces. They looked back at Penny, their eyes wide open. Penny could understand why Snap was confused. He didn’t know... But Raiden, he was tricking them. He was playing with their minds...waiting for the right moment to strike. She wasn’t going to let that happen.

“I don’t get why you’re acting this way.” Dr. Raiden cocked an eyebrow. His confusion was gone, replaced with something more akin to annoyance. He folded his arms against his chest. “Is this the thanks I get for saving your life?”

Penny’s eyes widened. “What..?” She tried not to let herself get confused. She lowered her head and bared her teeth. “What are you talking about...?”

“He’s telling the truth, Penny.” Snap said. “He’s the reason you’re alive at all.”

Penny looked at Snap, blinking in confusion. Raiden saved her? But how? He had.. And Rudy... Her head ached and she rubbed it gently. She said, “What do you mean? What about Rudy? He said he was going to ‘neutralize the threat’...”

Another glance was exchanged between the two zoners. They looked at her as if she had gone crazy. A part of Penny felt insulted by this. She was not insane. How could they think she was? She narrowed her eyes at this, her teeth gritting harder, to the point where she thought it would break out. It was bad enough that Raiden was taunting her. But why was Snap acting as though nothing was wrong? Raiden didn’t brainwash him...did he..?

Dr. Raiden spoke up, raising his metal finger in the air.

“Well if by ‘neutralize’, you mean ‘trap him underground temporarily’, then yes. But I had no choice. You see, after you had passed out, I insisted to Maalik to let me down, and I came over to help you. I had managed to fight off Rudy the best I could while Maalik took you up next on my order. I did manage to knock Rudy out, and I fled. After Maalik and I got up, we took you and we fled. It wasn’t easy escaping Solar Pillars, especially while carrying an unconscious person. We won’t bore you with the details of how we did it. The point is, we made it here, where I and Dr. Urso patched up your arm, which wasn’t easy considering you’re from the real world. But we did the best we could.”

Snap nodded in affirmation. “He’s telling the truth, Penny.” He swung his round hand in her direction. “I could hear him fighting against Rudy. When he came back up, we had worked together to seal the entrance down there. We know it won’t keep Rudy and Nihilanth at bay for long, but it was enough to buy us some time to get here. He and Dr. Urso worked tirelessly to make sure you were okay.”

Penny stared at Snap, her breathing started to slow down a little. She let the words flow through her mind. She looked left and right, wondering what really happened. She didn’t recall any of that when she was back down in the cave. How could...

..unless she had been dreaming. Penny felt realization strike her like a ton of bricks. Of course... Why didn’t she think of it before? That must have been what had happened. What else could explain Raiden melting like that? What else could explain the mysterious absense of the others? What else would eplxain the appearance of the black chalk? It was a dream. She was knocked out..and she had a dream of some kind. One that felt so real... And yet, now that she thought back to them, she realized there was something a little..off about the whole thing.

Penny felt her heart start to slow down. She still felt tense. She couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling inside of her. She couldn’t stop her body from shaking. But, slowly, her mind was starting to go at ease. Her breathing rate slowed down to normal. She felt the burning sensation in her stomach go away. A part of her still felt cautious, however. How could she be certain this was not a dream?

“Are you okay, Penny?” Snap asked, cutting her from her thoughts. “Why were you so angry with Dr. Raiden?”

Penny looked over at Snap. She opened up her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She looked over at Dr. Raiden. She noted his confused and grim expression. Penny began to feel guilty for misjudging him. That wasn’t like her. She was not the type to jump to conclusions about someone without gettin the full picture. And that’s just what she had done. She couldn’t help but feel ashamed.

But despite how bad she felt, she knew she had to tell these two why she acted the way she did. They deserved to know. It would be wrong of her not to say anything. Regardless of how awful it would be for me to admit her mistake, it was better she do that than keep it a secret.

Penny said, “I...I apologize. I had this..horrible dream...” Penny put her good hand on her head, learning herself forward a little as the dizzying thoughts plagued through her mind. “It felt real...and then it did not.”

“A dream?” Dr. Raiden asked.

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah...”

Dr. Raiden’s ear twitched a little. “Must have been some dream to make you react so negatively to me. But then again, I hadn’t given you much of a reason to trust me. After all I had done to you in the past...”

“That doesn’t excuse my behavior.” Penny said glumly, her gaze downward. “I let the dream color my view of what happened, and I accused you of something you didn’t do. I should have known that you couldn’t turn into black chalk. That should have been my first clue.”

“Black chalk?!” Snap and Raiden shouted in horror.

“It’s true. He turned into black chalk...” Penny said, her voice trailing off. “And he went everywhere..”

There was stunned and horrified silence in the room for a few moments. Raiden and Snap stared at her, horrified by what she had just said. Penny couldn’t blame them for being so shocked. Someone turning into black chalk... That was a terrifying thought, real or not.

“That...that sounds kind of like one of Rudy’s dreams.” Snap pointed out.

Penny’s eyes widened at this. Memories flashed in the back of her head. Yeah, that was right. Rudy did have a dream like that, didn’t he? With the black chalk surrounding him and... Oh no.. Penny put her hand to her mouth, giving a gasp of horror. She felt her blood start to chill. Did..did this mean that the black chalk was after her now?

“Penny...” Snap said. “What h-happened in this dream of yours..?”

Penny looked over at her friend. She sucked on her lip, trying to gather her thoughts. She felt terrified again, but this time, it wasn’t with Dr. Raiden. The black chalk appeared in her dream, just like it had with Rudy. The substance, it moved similiar to how it did in Rudy’s dream, from his description. Was it possible that the black chalk wanted her now? The idea was terrifying. She had seen what had become of Rudy. Was that her fate, too?

Penny knew, despite how scary the dream was, despite how frightened she was of what it could mean, she had to tell them. She cleared her throat, and swallowed. She took in a breath, mentally preparing herself. Then she spoke.

“This is what happened...”

Then she began to give them the details of her dream.


	140. Planning The Next Move

“Let me go! Do you hear me?! I said let me go, you filthy ants!” Draow snarled angrily. He twisted his body from side to side, trying to break free of the straps that held him down. “I am not going to just lay down and take this! Release me now or I’ll rip you all into shreds!”

Tsere shook his head. What a pitiful sight... Of course Draow wouldn’t be reasonable and just hold still for this. Even when he was badly hurt, he still tried to be defiant. He was so determined with his loyalty to the black chalk that he was failing to realize that the zoners here were trying to save his life. Though even if Draow did know that, he’d probably be dismissive of it. There were times when he just wasn’t that bright.

He had arrived at the hospital a short while ago. The doctors were horrified to see Draow again. Tsere couldn’t blame them. The beast had just attacked the hospital, and in the past, he had attacked multiple hospitals. The pterosaur was certain that some of these doctors were past victims, survivors of those assaults. Hospitals were one of Draow’s favorite targets. It was also a strategy tactic. Attacking the hospitals and cutting off the zoners’ medical supplies would weaken them and make it harder for them to recover and fight back. A dirty tactic, but it works and that was good enough for Draow.

Right now, the bat wolf was strapped down on his back on the large table. There were a group of doctors around him, getting reads on his vital signs and checking to see what his life signs were. None of them looked any happier than Draow about the situation. Tsere knew, just by their expressions, that they would rather just toss Draow in jail, but the doctors understood that Draow can’t be put on trial and serve jail time if he were dead. So they had no choice but to help keep him alive.

Tsere had to wonder just where Draow was going to go this time. He had his doubts it would be the Fire Zone again. As fitting as a punishment that was for him, it would make for sense to give him a new punishment. It was apparent the zoner hadn’t learned his lesson during his stay in the Fire Zone, which came as no surprise to Tsere. Another punishment was in order. Tsere guessed that he would be locked in a high security prison and chained up, like he was with Skrawl’s jail. Since Draow was used to being able to move around like he was in the Fire Zone, having that mobility restricted would be good punishment for him.

“I am going to kill you all! I am going to rip you into tiny little pieces if you don’t let me go!” Draow roared at them, attempting to flap his strapped wings. It was no use; he was going nowhere. “Release me, you disgusting little vermin!”

One of the doctors narrowed his eyes in contempt at this. “Muzzle him. I’m getting sick of listening to his jaws flap like that.”

“Got it, sir.” A female doctor replied.

Tsere watched as a group of zoners went over to Draow with a large muzzle. They held his mouth shut, keeping it in that position even as the bat wolf struggled to free himself. The muzzle slipped over him easily. Once the muzzle was placed over his mouth, the zoners worked to secure it, tightening the straps to keep the jaws sealed closed. When they were finished, they took a step back and watched, making sure the muzzle kept the zoner from speaking. Draow turned his head left and right, trying in vain to talk. But he could only manage muffling.

The doctors looked satisfied that Draow could no longer speak. They relaxed a little more and they went about their business. The doctors brought up more equipment to Draow, as well as some medical supplies. He overheard some of the doctors mention how much of a waste it was. He could understand their sentiment. But sometimes, to get justice, one must do things they don’t like, even if that means helping an enemy.

Knowing there wasn’t really much more for him to do here, Tsere turned and left the large room. As soon as he was completely outside the hospital, he walked a few feet away from it, pondering what his next move should be. He rarely came up with plans on his own. That was usually Horace’s department.

Horace... The thought of that name brought tears to his eyes. His mind flashed back to what Draow had said. His creator had been lobotomized..and he hadn’t done a thing to stop it. Even though he knew it wasn’t his fault, the pteranodon still couldn’t help but feel guilty about it. He wished he had paid more attention and figured out his creator was captured much earlier. He could have prevented that horrible tragedy...

But there was nothing he could do about it now. Horace was gone, at least mentally. A fate worse than death indeed... But he wouldn’t let himself fall into despair. He was going to miss Horace, at least the man he once was. He would forever remember him and it was going to be sad he’ll never see him like that again. Yet, he had to move forward. Horace wouldn’t want him to remain sad forever. He’d want him to do whatever he could to help ChalkZone. And that’s just what he resolved to do.

He couldn’t think of what to do. He was so used to Horace making the plans that he often found it difficult to think of something himself. This wasn’t the case all the time, but for something like this... He wished he did have another mind to ‘speak’ to. But no one else could communicate with him as well as Horace could. And to make matters worse, he couldn’t write. He could read, but his body design made it hard to write affectively, so communicate even in that sense was hard.

He raised his head up and looked out at the horizon. He needed to figure out what he could do and fast. Going back to the Solar Pillars would be tricky. Jenny would definitely be expecting him to come back. He would need to be careful, should he decide to go back there. And whenever he did arrive there, just what could he do? He had never been inside Solar Pillars before. Even if he could improvise and be sneaky, which was possible, his large size would make it near impossible for him to hide. That wouldn’t work.

And then there was the matter of Rudy...

Tsere was horrified that Nihilanth had managed to take Rudy like that. The fact that the dragon now has a human body and the ability to access the real world was troubling. He wasn’t sure if Nihilanth had tried that or not yet. Maybe not, as he imagined that Nihilanth would want to disable his foes as much as possible first, before he transcended into the real world. Tsere wasn’t sure if Nihilanth could use his creation powers in the real world, but he knew the dragon could be influential, and thus still a major threat regardless.

Running into Rudy would be distastrous. With a body that small, he could easily navigate the hallways in Solar Pillars. He could be hiding around the corner, and Tsere wouldn’t know until it was too late. Tsere knew that being able to sneak around would do squat for him as long as Rudy was controlled by the black chalk. He was going to need to figure something else out. A strategy for him to use without having to deal with Rudy, Nihilanth, or Jenny. A sneak attack of some kind...

For the moment, he couldn’t think of anything. Maybe if he went back to his nest, he could lay down and try to think of something. He always thought better when he was back at home. He stretched his wings and prepared to take off. But he soon stopped himself, another thought entering his mind. Maybe there was someone who could help him.

He had almost forgotten about Biclops. He had known that zoner for a very long time. They didn’t speak much, but they both had mutual hatred of Cosmo. Biclops, despite what the black chalk users might think, was very intelligent and resourceful. He helped to stop the black chalk after all, even if his role wasn’t as big as Horace’s. He was one of the zoners who faced Cosmo first hand, and had witnessed what the man was capable of again and again. He also knew how Jenny thought and the way she strategizes. If anyone could help him with a plan, it was that giant.

Would he be able to talk, though? Tsere heard he was attacked. He remembered how sad he was to hear that when it was on the news. Biclops had already been nearly starved and dehydrated to death when Jenny trapped him in the mine. To be attacked not long after that... Tsere growled softly to himself. He knew that Jenny had to be involved somehow. She wanted to keep him out of the picture so his knowledge wouldn’t interfere with her plans.

And there was another reason, he knew. She wanted the Chalk Mine. She wanted to make sure it was unguarded. With Biclops hospitalized, this left the mine open, vulnerable... and that’s exactly what Jenny would want. She must have had him attacked again to make sure he stayed in the hospital longer. Tsere wasn’t sure just what kind of attack it was, but if it was enough to keep him from leaving the hospital, it had to be pretty bad.

Tsere turned himself around and headed back towards the hospital. He was going to see Biclops. The gentle giant knew him well enough to know what he wanted. Even if he couldn’t ‘speak’, he could tell what was on his mind. He hoped that Biclops would have an idea...and he also hoped he’d be able to tell him that idea. He hoped that Jenny didn’t lobotomize him as well.

The thought of Jenny lobotomizing someone, the fact that she had done it to Horace and how she could do it to someone else... That boiled his blood. He was going to make sure she paid for what she had done. She was not going to get away with this.

With that resolve in mind, Tsere continued to move towards the hospital. He moved around to another part, where there was another set of large doors. Some of the hospital segments were enlarged to accommodate large zoners like himself. He knew this would where where Biclops was. He walked up to the door and waited as it opened up for him. Once it did, he stepped inside and then walked down the hallway to locate Biclops.

sss

Dr. Raiden and Snap were stunned into silence. They stared at Penny, unable to believe what they heard. They looked at each other, each exchanging a look of disbelief, shock, and worry. They looked back, staring at her in the eyes. The girl’s face held no deceit. They knew, right then, that she was telling the truth.

“Whoa...” Snap said as he found his voice. He rubbed the side of his head. “That was...some dream, Buckette...”

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah...”

Penny had just finished telling her story to Raiden and Snap. The two zoners listened to her carefully, hanging on every word. As she recalled the horrible details, like Raiden melting into black chalk, Snap became more and more horrified. He knew Raiden must have felt the same way. Even if he wasn’t in the dream, the fact that Penny had a dream regarding the black chalk...that was really worrying. Snap hoped that it was some kind of sick joke, but Penny wouldn’t lie about this. She would see nothing humorous about this situation.

Snap recalled how Rudy had a dream or two of the black chalk. It had been the result of the black chalk inside of him telling him how it wanted him back. The black chalk had wanted to reactivate and seize control again...which is what happened recently.

Now Penny had a similar dream. He was sort of glad that the black chalk didn’t speak, but...maybe it had. Perhaps the black chalk had taken the form of Raiden in the dream, as a way of telling Penny that, no matter what, it would find her. The thought chilled Snap’s blood. He had already lost one friend to the black chalk. He..he didn’t want to lose another.

Snap began to wonder if Mrs. Sanchez and Mr. Longhorn had suffered any dreams like this. It was possible that they did. But as long as they stayed in the real world, they should be okay. He trusted that they would. Penny had already explained to them why it was too dangerous for them to come into the real world. Nihilanth could corrupt them and turn them against their own children. The adults did promise not to come back into ChalkZone unless the need for them arose.

Out of the two, he was most worried of what would happen if Mrs. Sanchez got corrupted. She had been a torture doctor when she used to work for the black chalk users. He knew that her becoming like that again would devastate Penny. And there was no doubt in his mind that Jenny or Rudy would use this knowledge against them. Jenny would want Mrs. Sanchez back on their side, and Rudy, now controlled by Nihilanth, would want to torment Penny mentally, break her so she was easier to ‘mold’ per say. Ghadir and Draow would both have similar sentiments as well.

“...Well... I...” Dr. Raiden said, breaking the silence. He clenched his teeth, his eyes furrowed slightly. “I can definitely see how you wouldn’t be so happy to see me.”

Penny looked at Dr. Raiden, her expression filled with regret. “I’m sorry I accused you like that. I should have controlled myself more. I should have realized that it was just a dream. I...”

Dr. Raiden raised his hand, silencing her. “No, no. Don’t worry about it.” He said, his voice calm and understanding. His eyes were lightly closed. “We haven’t been allies that long. It makes sense that there would still be some tension between us. Don’t feel so bad.” He reopened his eyes. “Besides, you caught yourself and realized you were in error.”

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah, that’s true. Still...”

“As I said, don’t worry about it. I did a lot of terrible things to you and your friends. I deserved a bit of that.” Dr. Raiden said. He took a step closer to Penny. “Anyway, I know you’re smart enough to realize we couldn’t dwell on that topic. Figuring out this black chalk deal is more important than my feelings.” He gestured towards Penny. “Do you think that this dream was meant as a warning?”

“A warning against you?” Penny asked quickly. She realized her mistake and backtracked a little. “I mean... A warning that the black chalk might take on a new form?”

Raiden blinked his eyes a few times. This suggestion seemed to surprise him, at first. But Snap could see a flash of horror in his eyes. Such an idea...the implication... Snap felt his heart clench. Even more Dr. Raiden reacted, the blue zoner knew that nothing good would come from the black chalk being able to take new forms. It was just a dream, but, in their position, they couldn’t afford to ignore such a possibility.

“That is...possible...” Raiden finally said after a few seconds of silence. “It is..an unnerving thought, I admit. But perhaps the dream was referring to something else, perhaps?” He suggested. He stared at Penny, waiting for her to answer. When she did not, he continued, “Maybe your dream was telling you that you might be becoming paranoid. It’s telling you that you are afraid of the black chalk. Yeah, a moot point, but...well it seems the dream is telling you, that you are too afraid of it, to the point where you fear so much what it could do to you and those you know. The dream might be telling you that if you keep on this path, you might end up swallowed by your fear.”

Penny and Snap were silent for a few moments. They let these words sink in. Dr. Raiden might be right about what he said. Perhaps Penny might be getting too afraid, and was letting that fear begin to take over her mind. That did explain the dream pretty well, with Penny waking up and having no idea where he others were, to how Dr. Raiden morphed into black chalk and tried to consume her. Both these things, he could see as quite possible if Penny were paranoid enough.

Being afraid of the black chalk did make sense. It was a dangerous chalk that wanted to destroy everyone and everything, real and chalk. Snap knew they couldn’t afford to just be dismissive about it. Some fear was justifiable. But he also knew that Raiden was right about being too afraid. Some fear was good. Fear helped them survive and think things through. Too much of it, though, would have the opposite effect, and just make them slip up more easily.

“I suppose you are right..” Penny said. She exhaled slowly. “Ever since Rudy was taken over by the black chalk, I...”

Dr. Raiden placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s understandable. You lost a dear friend and you have a right to be upset.” Dr. Raiden gave her a look of concern. “But don’t beat yourself up over something like this. It wasn’t your fault it happened.” He released her and held his palm upwards. “Besides, you could probably think of a way to free him. Snap mentioned the thing with white chalk.”

Penny’s eyes widened slightly. But then they relaxed as she lowered her head. “Yeah, but we don’t know how it happened... And with Mr. Wilter lobotomized...”

Snap shuddered at that. “That creepazoid did a number on him...”

Dr. Raiden bit his lip. “Yes, I was informed of that. Really is awful...” He tilted his head upwards a little. “But if Jenny is a lot like Cosmo, and from what I’ve seen of her, this is the case... Yeah I can see her doing something like that. Toying with minds, both verbally and physically, those were things the black chalk artists love to do. The black chalk targets the mind, so the brain being a target for abuse is not unheard of. I’m sure that wasn’t the first time Jenny lobotomized someone.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t.” Snap said bitterly to himself. Jenny was a cold, heartless person. Regardless of being corrupted or not, Jenny still had some control of her actions. She chose to be like this, and that was sickening.

“I’m sure Jenny lobotomized him in part to make sure that he couldn’t tell us anything else.” Penny said. Her eyes narrowed into slits. “That bastardess knew that Wilter had information he could relay to us to use against her and her comrades, so she removed him as a factor...” She tightened her hand into a fist. “But she couldn’t just settle on killing him. No, she just had to make it even worse...”

Snap watched and flinched as Penny pounded her hand against the bed. He understood why she felt that way. What Jenny did was cruel and heartless. To make Wilter live with a cut up mind.. He couldn’t imagine how that must feel. He couldn’t being to picture what Mr. Wilter must be going through right now. Subconsciously, the zoner placed a hand against his own head, unwillingly picturing what he’d be like if the procedure were done on him...

Well he wasn’t going to give that vile woman a chance to do something like that. No way he was going to just let her cut into his skull... And there was no way Penny would allow it either. And he’d make sure she couldn’t do the same to Penny as well. That disgusting nurse would not get another chance at that.

Dr. Raiden’s golden eyes were on Penny’s damaged arm. “Of course, going up against any of our enemies now might not be a good idea...” He paused, and then met his eyes with Penny’s. “At least for you.”

“Why not?” Penny asked as she pushed herself up a little with her good arm. “I can still fight.”

“Yes, but your dominant arm is the one that was damaged.” Dr. Raiden pointed out. He pointed his metal finger at Penny’s arm, the one in the sling. “You may still be able to draw with your other hand, but you’ve been weakened. You’re at a disadvantage now. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jenny has you targeted the most. With an unusable arm and your leg..” He sighed. “There’s no way she would not take advantage of your current...condtion...”

“But I can’t just do nothing..” Penny clenched her teeth, her eyes closed. “I have to do something!”

Dr. Raiden nodded. “Yes, I know. But you would have to think of another way. Rushing into battle as you are now would be a fatal mistake.”

Both Penny and Snap knew that Raiden was right. Penny would be vulnerable in a fight should she decide to rush out into battle. There was no doubt Jenny or her comrades would target her. Her good arm was now useless for the time being and Snap had his doubts they could afford to wait for it to heal. And her bad leg would also give her some problems. She would be so slow in an intense fight...

Snap did feel bad for Penny. He could tell she was frustrated by not being able to go up against any of their enemies. She must feel so useless right now..and perhaps stupid. He wouldn’t be surprised if Penny felt her earlier actions had been foolish and that she should have done something else to avoid getting hurt. Snap had a feeling that, no matter what path she chose, Penny may have gotten hurt anyway, mental, physical, or both.

Snap knew, however, that there were other ways Penny could contribute. After all, her strongest points weren’t even her drawing skills. Instead, it was her mind. Penny was a good strategist. Jenny may have harmed Penny physically, but she hadn’t done so mentally. Penny could still fight back in a less direct way.

“If you really want to help, and I’m sure you do...” Snap spoke up. He pointed his round hand at Penny. “You can do so by coming up with a plan. You’re goot at that.” Penny looked over at him. Snap smiled at her. “That was always your strong point. You often got us out of messes not with your arm, but with your head.”

Penny stared at Snap, blinking her eyes a few times. She lowered her gaze a little. “I’m not sure if...”

“Why are you so down?” Snap looked at her, concerned. “You a smart person, Penny. You can still help by thinking of what we should do next.”

“What if I slip up again?” Penny asked softly. Snap and Raiden stared at her, confused. What was she talking about? Penny noticed their expressions and understood what they were thinking. “The event in the tunnel... I nearly got myself killed and I almost caused Dr. Raiden to be attacked..”

“That wasn’t your fault.” Dr. Raiden said. “You didn’t tell him to do any of that.”

“Yeah, besides, no matter what idea you went with, I’m sure Rudy still would have tried to hurt us.” Snap agreed with what Dr. Raiden said. “It wouldn’t have mattered what you did. And your plan did ultimately work, even if it wasn’t quite what you had in mind.”

It was true. Penny’s distraction did buy enough time for them to get up. The plan was slightly altered when Penny was in trouble. In the end, Penny’s risky plan did save them. They were able to slow Rudy down long enough to get out alive. Snap tried not to think about the sudden attack they suffered from Jenny when they were escaping. She had been relentless... But at least they were all out of the Solar Pillars now, safe and sound. At least..for now.

He wondered how long it would take for Jenny to realize that Rudy was trapped.. Probably not long. Nihilanth would break his vessel out of that place, that’s for certain. And once he was out, no doubt that Nihilanth would plan to get them back for what they did. He would not appreciate being trapped like that.

The thought of having to face that dragon again...it was chilling. Nihilanth hadn’t exactly been fair in the fight they had. He had deliberately set them up to fail so he could nab Rudy. He was merely toying with them. He was the chessmaster and they were the pawns. He played them like this was just one giant game. The deity was truly malicious, willing to do whatever it took so he would win the game. Snap wasn’t sure what they were going to do when the time came to face him again. He...

Suddenly, without warning, there was a roar. The three individuals stiffened up at it, their eyes widening. The sound was faint, and yet they could all tell that the roar was booming. The roar came from the direction of the Solar Pillars, a thought that filled them all with dread. They knew exactly who had made that roar.

It seemed Nihilanth had escaped.

Snap bit his lip. He hoped that the two headed dragon wouldn’t try coming to the hospital to attack. He hoped that the dragon doesn’t realize where they are. They all needed some rest now. If the dragon decided to attack the hospital, like how the Luminos had to get to Rudy, he wasn’t sure what they were going to do. He’d feel awful if he had been indirectly responsible for the hospital being attacked. Many of these patients were survivors of the Luminos’s hospital attack, as well as Nihilanth’s bombing of the city. They didn’t need anything else to happen to them.

The roar, even though Nihilanth nor Rudy were responsible for this particular injury, made him aware of the stab wound on his back. The are still radiated in pain. He involuntarily seethed in pain, wanting to hold the wound protectively. It had been treated properly and bandaged up, but he knew it was still going to cause him some problems. Jenny had really plunged it in deep. He could still feel the impact, how the knife tore into his flesh... But in the end, it had been worth it to save Penny.

Suddenly, the door opened. The three looked over to see Maalik walking in, or rather, rushing in. He had a horrified expression on on his face. His pupils were tiny. Even before he spoke, they all knew what was on his mind. His expression told all.

“Did you hear that?!” Maalik cried, his voice laced in horror. Everyone in the room nodded their heads grimly. They all understood what this meant. “That must have been Nihilanth!”

“Yeah, we’re certain it was.” Dr. Raiden turned his head to look out of the window. He stared off into the horizon, towards there he knew the Solar Pillars were. “Looks like he finally woke up.”

“And he freed himself.” Maalik said softly. He clenched his teeth nervously. “I wonder what he’s going to do. No doubt he is not going to be happy that we escaped...” The others nodded in agreement. They all had similar thoughts. “We may have to leave the hospital.”

Dr. Raiden shot a look at him. “What? But some of us still have wounds to get treated and...” He turned to look towards Penny and Snap, then back at Maalik. “They need rest and so do we, and Dr. Urso, too. He has a torn lung and..”

“Yes I know. It is not wise for us, especially the most injured, to wander around away from the hospital. But I’m afraid it is for the best. If we stay there, and if Rudy, or Nihilanth, decides to come after us...” He paused, clearly reflecting on his decision to bomb the hospital Rudy had been in before. He shook his head a little and continued, “I just don’t want to see another hospital get torn down. These patients need their treatment. It is best if we tried to lure Rudy away from the hospital, far away where he cannot do much harm to the zoners of the city.”

“I agree.” Penny nodded her head. “I’m not fond of the idea of leaving the one place where we can get better, but if we stay here, we would inadvertantly cause so many other zoners to get hurt, many of which had already suffered enough. We can try to find some place that is secure and hide there.”

“But for how long?” Maalik pondered out loud. “We need a way to stop Nihilanth altogether, or he’ll just continue to be a threat.” He turned his head and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “If only we can figure out just how the white chalk freed that Horace guy...”

Dr. Raiden gave Maalik a sideways glance. “How would we do that? The human had his brain cut up. He’s not going to be able to tell us. He might still have the memory in tact.” He raised his arms in a sort of shrug. “But we don’t have the right equipment here to read that memory. It would be too difficult, and I’m certain the technology is even less reliable in the real world.”

“But still, there’s got to be a way, right?” Maalik held his paw out towards Raiden. “If what Bardot said was true, this creator had to have been freed. There’s no way he would have played a part in saving ChalkZone if he were still a black chalk artist.”

Maalik was right. They would have an edge if they just knew how the white chalk freed Mr. Wilter. They couldn’t get information from him anymore, not after being lobotomized. But there had to be another way of getting information. There was always a way to find information. They just had to know where to look. Snap searched his mind, trying to think of something that could help them.

Then it hit him. There was one place they could at least try to look in. There was no telling if it could work or not, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. And who knows? They just might unearth some interesting and unexpected information that could still help them.

The library he and Penny had gone to, near the beginning of all this. Way back when they were trying to locate the Moonlit Gardens. They had gone to a large library and eventually found the place they had been looking for. The odds of the library containing information regarding white chalk sentience, a thought that still kind of weirded him out, and it defeating the black chalk were slim to none. Just because it was a library, that didn’t mean that it would have everything they were looking for.

But it was still worth a shot, right? They just might find something useful in that library...provided it was still in tact. Snap remembered how the city had been bombed by Nihilanth, the shockwave destroying a huge section of it. The library might have been in that explosion range.. There might still be something there, and the only way to find out is by looking.

Snap spoke up, raising his hand to draw everyone’s attention. “I have an idea.”

All eyes turned to him as Snap explained his plan.

sss

“Stop...squirming...around...” Jenny hissed angrily. “Hold still...!”

“N-No..stop, please!” The stick figure zoner, whom she came to learn was named Mazin, pleaded with her. He squirmed left and right, trying to get himself free of the woman’s grasp. “Stop this! I-I-It hurts!”

“Well you should have thought about that before you hurt my comrade, you piece of chalk dust!” Jenny snarled. She tightened her grip as she pressed her body against the stick figure zoner, keeping him pushed against the ground. “Now hold still, or this will hurt even more...”

Mazin twisted his head to the side. A clear attempt to protect his head. “Why must you do this?!”

Jenny replied, “I need to push the nail in a little further. It’s not close enough to your brain.” The nurse released his arm and then gripped his head. “I can’t properly control you. I can hurt you with the nail, and while that is amusing to me, it is quite..inefficient. I need to be able to control you for my plan to work.”

“Please..” Mazin started to say.

“Shut it!” Jenny hissed as she thrust her fist against his chest. The impact was enough to knock the wind out of him. “One more word and my first act is to make you hunt down one of your closest friends, kill them, then eat them...” The zoner widened his eyes in horror at this. “Do you understand?” Trembling, the zoner nodded his head. “Good.. Now be quiet and let me work.”

Jenny went back to work. She kept a tight grip on the zoner’s head. She kept it pushed into the ground. She leaned in closely, her eyes staring intently at the nail on the zoner’s head. She tilted the zoner’s head roughly, twisting it so she could get a better look. She ignored the zoner’s cry of pain as she did this, her eyes focused on the mind control nail. She lightly grazed the top of the nail, getting a feel for it. It moved a little, causing her to narrow her eyes. This wasn’t good. The nail wasn’t supposed to move, and that was her confirmation that the nail was indeed not in deep enough. She sought to correct that. She placed her thumb across the nail and, wordlessly, pushed down.

Mazin let out a scream and started to kick his legs in desperation. His feet scraped the ground as he desperately tried to get away from the pain. She responded by pressing down on him harder, giving him no chance to gain his footing. She continued to press down, musturing as much strength as she could. Again and again, she pushed down, ignoring the screams of pain the zoner emitted.

The zoner was soon sobbing, his eyes shut as he tried to cope with the agony. Tears flowed down his face, making his cheeks shiny. Jenny just kept pushing down on the nail. Soon, she resorted to forming a fist with her hand and pounding on the nail like she did with the hammer. Each slam caused the zoner to convulse, his eyes bulging open. She kept doing this until she felt the nail move. One more pound, the zoner’s body tensing up, and the nail had been pushed down a couple centimeters further. Satisfied, Jenny released the zoner’s head, but kept him pinned.

She watched in sick amusement as the zoner wept on the ground, his body trembling in pain. He placed his hands over his hand and curled up in a ball the best he could. He closed his eyes as tears leaked out of them. He cried loudly on the ground, his lower lip quivering. He looked up at her, his eyes shining with the question of ‘why?’.

Seeing the zoner like this.. It was so satisfying. He deserved this after what he had done. It was almost hard to believe that this zoner had once been so defiant. He had threatened Ghadir, chased her, hurt her... And now here he was, on the ground in agony like the worm he truly was. It was so fun breaking her victims like this. She enjoyed the feel of tearing down the spirits of those she caught. She recalled the joy she felt when she would single out white chalk artists and beat them to near death, just to listen to them cry, squirm, and scream. Seeing them go from being a warrior to being a mere shattered doll...it was incredible.

Jenny got up from the zoner and took a step back. She had no fear of the zoner escaping. He could not get out of this room. The door was locked and he didn’t have the key. All the zoner could do was scramble to his feet and back away from her. She watched as he pressed his back against the wall, clenching his teeth in fear. She chuckled at this. It was going to be fun toying with this zoner. Mazin would make a lovely test subject for the mind control devices.

Jenny raised her black chalk and quickly drew a controller for the mind control device. She pointed it towards the zoner. She watched as he trembled hard, whimpers escaping his mouth. “Now let me see if this works...”

“No..please...don’t do it...!” Mazin begged. “I-I don’t want this...Please stop! I’m sorry I hurt Ghadir, okay? Please..just please let me go.” Tears stained his cheeks. “I’m begging you. Please...”

Jenny stared at him, and then grinned. “I’m sorry, but I have to decline that offer. I’m not done toying with you yet.” Jenny leveled the controller at the stick figure zoner. “Besides, it’s not like you will feel this later on. How about this? I promise to wipe your mind before I send you off to round up your buddies.” The zoner’s eyes widened. “That way, you won’t have to worry about witnessing it...”

Mazin shook his head from side to side. “No..please!” He bared his teeth as he pressed his back against the wall. “You..you can’t do that!”

Jenny narrowed her eyes. “I can..and I will...” She hovered her finger over the button. “Now hold still. This will hurt less if you don’t struggle.” She pressed the button.

Mazin stiffened up as he let out a scream. Sparks of electricitly flowed through his body. He trembled and twitched. He dropped down to his knees as the pain started to overwhelm him. Gritting his teeth, the zoner tried to fight against the pain. He tried to move, do anything to get away. But there was nothing he could do to get away. Jenny grinned as she watched the zoner convulze, the mind control device taking over use of his body. He was hers now.

Jenny grabbed the joystick on the controller and began to play with the zoner. Using not just the joystick, but the buttons as well, Jenny began to play the zoner as though he were just a character from a video game. She forced the zoner to do actions against his well. At first, all she did was make him walk around. Pretty mundane, but she had to get a feel for the control first. She made him walk around in a circle a few times, watching as his expression of pain was still plastered over his face. The mind control device was constantly pumping electrical signals through his body. She knew this would cause irreparable damage if used too much, but that didn’t matter.

She then started to make him do more things. She forced him to jump in the air and land on all fours. She forced him to run into the wall a few times, a sight that she found most amusing. She made him twirl around like he were just dancing, as well as a few other things. She had a lot of fun doing this to him. She loved the expression of pain on his face, the look of hopelessness as he tried to regain control of his body, but was not able to. Oh how he tried... but he could not succeed. She knew it would be impossible for him to fight back.

Then she decided to up the anty a little. Pressing a few buttons, she watched as the zoner was forced to injure himself. The zoner squirmed and screamed pleadingly as he grabbed one arm with his other. He then started to pull the arm up, twisting it painfully. He started to smash the arm, specifically the elbow, against the wall. He howled in pain as he kept striking the wall, Jenny deliberately making him target the ‘funny bone’ nerve there. After she forced him to strike it ten times as hard as he could, she let him go only for a few seconds. She listened to him whimper before she did one more thing with him.

She forced him to grab onto his hand, the same one with the injured elbow, and interlock his fingers around the digits on those hands. Then, with a twisted smile, she forced him to pull on them. The zoner let out wails of agony as Jenny forced him to pull harder and harder. She made him smash his hand against the wall a few times. She did not stop making him do this until she had a cracking sound and a bloodcurdling scream. She grinned, knowing she had pulled off what she had wanted. She made the zoner turn around to make sure she had been successful.

Sure enough, she was. Two of the zoner’s fingers were now broken. They hung there, bent at odd angles. The zoner’s lower lip quivered, crying softly as he used his temporary control over his body to hold his damaged arm and hand to himself. He looked over at her, his crying becoming louder and more prounced. He opened his mouth to speak, but he could only cry harder, clenching his teeth and turning his head away.

“There...I think that about does it. These things really are amazing.” Jenny commented. She looked down at the device she held in her hand. “Such power...” She gave a sideways grin at Mazin. “Now that I am finished testing you, now is the time for me to go forth with my plan.”

Mazin let out a low whine. “Please..”

Jenny narrowed her eyes. She wanted to do something about that talking of his, but decided against it. She smiled softly, knowing that what he was about to get was punishment enough. She took a few steps towards the zoner, holding the controller and pointing it at him. That sick, twisted smile spread across her face, which she knew was sending chills don the zoner’s spine.

“Time to erase your mind...” Jenny said, sneering.

Seconds later, sparkling electricity and Mazin’s horrific screaming echoed through the hallways of Solar Pillars.


	141. Did She Mean It?

King Mumbo Jumbo sat up at the side of his bed. It was a position that was hard to get into, and the doctors recommended he didn’t do this. But this was the best position for him to be in to think about what has happened. His thoughts were lost in his mind, and he wasn’t aware of what was going on around him. All the screams of victims, who were in pain or just frightened, and the shouts from various doctors, they were null in his mind. His own thoughts echoed, drowning out everything around him.

Skrawl had gotten him caught up with all that has happened. At least, the stuff he knew. The jellybean zoner knew little to nothing of where Rudy, Penny, and Snap were. But what he did tell the king troubled him. The old tortoise interlocked his fingers together, ignoring the pain, as he replayed Skrawl’s words over and over again. He wished he had misheard somehow. He wished it was some kind of sick joke. But witnesses claim that Skrawl spoke the truth.

And as he sat here, pondering all that he was told, his own memories started to come back. It was little by little first, and at this pont, he could remember almost everything. Some things were still a blank and unsure, but for the most part, he remembered enough to realize that Skrawl was indeed speaking the truth, that the other witnesses weren’t lying around it for some reason. The realization that it did happen caused a cold chill to shudder through his body. He tried his best to fight back his tears, but he found it impossible.

Barney...was gone. His best friend, his closest companion, was gone. He wasn’t sure if he would ever see him again. And if he did..would he want to? He knew what had become of his friend, and it wasn’t death. A part of Mumbo kinda wished it was that. Some might say he was being a bit extreme, but Mumbo thought it was pretty fair. After all, he didn’t think Barney liked being in his current state..if he could think at all. A fate worse than death, and he had a feeling that Barney would rather be dead than be subject to this kind of fate.

Barney was trapped inside his own body. Nihilanth had taken him over. That long, forgotten side of him, one that even Barney knew nothing about, it all came back to him. Now Barney was nothing more than a mere tool for Nihilanth to use. Skrawl told him of how Nihilanth could create anything in midair using those glowy window things of his, a twisted mockery of what Barney’s body monitors were used for. Mumbo Jumbo winced as he wondered just what Barney must have felt when that happened...

Mumbo Jumbo refused to believe that Barney was gone mentally. He was certain he was still there; just under the control of Nihilanth, trapped in his own mind. He had faith that Barney could probably regain control if he tried hard enough. He believed in him. If Barney could regain control, then Nihilanth would be neutralized for the time being. Then they could work towards finding a way to rip Nihilanth out of him and trap him somewhere where he can’t do any harm.

He recalled what Skrawl said of the idea. He thinks it might work. The jellybean wasn’t entirely certain, but he had a theory that Nihilanth needed a body to do anything. If ripped away from Barney, he was more harmless than his Beanie Boys when they were sleeping. The insane deity could easily be contained in something as simple as a glass jar. He wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone ever again.

But Skrawl wasn’t certain if Barney could succeed in regaining control, nor was he sure if they could separate Nihilanth from him. He didn’t totally dismiss the idea, and he agreed it was probably their best shot. There was just no way to outmuscle this guy. Using a smart tactic was their only hope. If they could deprive him of his power, somehow, they would win. For the time being, though, they could only hope that Nihilanth did not succeed in causing much harm. So far, there hadn’t been much report on damage, and they both agreed it was because Nihilanth was biding his time. But they couldn’t diddle dally; something had to be done about that dragon and soon, before everything is burned up into a crisp.

Another thing that concerned the tortoise was Bardot. Skrawl insisted he was taken as a prisoner, but Mumbo Jumbo couldn’t help but wonder if Bardot would be swayed easily and help Nihilanth. With the collar off of him, he would be a danger once again to any zoner who was unfortunate enough to cross him. Mumbo Jumbo still hated that zoner for what he had done to Barney. From that incident alone, he knew that the zoner was cruel enough to do something like join Nihilanth willingly. Skrawl was still holding out that he was just a prisoner and that they won’t have to worry about him as a threat. Mumbo Jumbo did hope it was just that, but he couldn’t help but be skeptical.

Bardot had given him no reason to trust him. Sure, he did appear willing to help Barney, but that didn’t mean much since Bardot had been unbelievably horrible in the past. He wouldn’t put it past the zoner to join Nihilanth should he get a good enough offer. The only reason Bardot was worried about ChalkZone being destroyed was due to the fact that he would die, too, and he didn’t want to die. And there would be nothing for him to do. For Bardot, it was more just preventing his life from being boring than any concern for anyone else.

Though if the yellow zoner really was on their side this time, he supposed that would be more of a relief than anything. That was one less enemy they had to worry about. With all that was going on lately, at least the stuff he heard from Skrawl, it was good to have as many allies as possible, even if it was Bardot. They were getting overwhelmed left and right with all these threats... Mumbo Jumbo couldn’t argue that having Bardot as a potential ally instead of another thing to worry about was relieving in some way.

The king was torn from his thoughts when there was a knock on his door. He looked over and saw that the door knob was turning. He laid back down on his bed in case it was a doctor coming in. He wasn’t interested in hearing any of their lectures, not while ChalkZone was in danger...not while his best friend was a prisoner in his own body.

When the door opened up, he could see a humanoid zoner walking in. Dr. Varrick, as his name tag said. The zoner walked in slowly into the room. He had a look of genuine concern on his face. Soon he stood next to Mumbo Jumbo. He eyed him up and down, his eyes trailing along to look at the monitors and everything hooked and wrapped around the turtle. He bit his lip and then he looked into his eyes.

“It is a miracle you woke up this early. You really had a number done on you.” Dr. Varrick said. “After being buried underneath all that rubble, and being caught in the blast...”

Mumbo Jumbo’s eyes widened just slightly at that. He remembered the blast. At least part of it. He remembered a loud noise that permeated his already exhausted mind at the time. He remembered opening his eyes to see a flash of white light. Then...nothing...at least until he woke up in the hospital. Skrawl told him how he had looked when he found him. The description made Mumbo Jumbo shudder.

Gritting his large beak, Mumbo Jumbo said, “Yeah, so I’ve heard.” He turned an eye towards Dr. Varrick. “How long will I be in here?”

Dr. Varrick folded his arms against his chest and narrowed his eyes, lost in thought for a few moments. He gave a softer expression to the turtle as he gave his answer. “I’d have to say a month at the least, but two months is probably what we are looking at.” He turned his gaze towards the brace that was strapped to the turtle’s back. He gritted his teeth. “That broken back is the main reason. If it weren’t for that, you would at least be able to go home earlier, under the care of someone else. But we can’t let you go home with a broken back like that. It’s too risky.”

Mumbo Jumbo nodded his head in understanding. “Yeah I know. Not like I’m going to try to jump out of this bed anytime soon anyway.” He gave a light chuckle at that.

Dr. Varrick gave a small smile at this. He moved in a little closer and lifted up his clipboard. He looked at it for a few seconds, reading its contents. He looked back at the turtle. “You are scheduled to have another surgery.”

Mumbo Jumbo looekd over at him. “For what?”

“There’s still some internal damage that needs to be mended.” Dr. Varrick explained. “But don’t worry. The surgery shouldn’t take too long.” He pressed the clipboard against his body. “You’re scheduled to go in roughly three hours from now.” He paused and then narrowed his eyes again. Mumbo Jumbo noticed that the glare was from anger, and he wondered what had gotten the man so upset. “...too bad some of the equipment would be wasted by then..”

At this, Mumbo Jumbo couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion. Just what was Dr. Varrick talking about? How would the equipment be wasted? It didn’t make any sense. Was he saying there was some patient who was not in much pain but demanded surgery anyway. He could see that as being wasteful, but then...couldn’t the doctors just refuse?

There was an uncomfortable silence. As soon as the doctor had mentioned that ‘waste of supplies’ thing, the old tortoise took notice of how the air around them seemed to grow heavy, foreboding. There was something about the tone of his voice, the way he was glaring, that was just unnerving. It was not aimed at him or anything, but it wasn’t very comforting to look at. Mumbo Jumbo wasn’t sure if it was any of his business to ask, but he..he had to find out just what had suddenly changed the disposition of this doctor.

“What are you talking about?” King Mumbo Jumbo asked.

Dr. Varrick gave a soft growl. “I just don’t know why we are helping a murderer...”

Mumbo Jumbo’s eyes widened at this. “Murderer?”

Dr. Varrick nodded his head. He looked at the tortoise, who flinched as he saw how intense those eyes looked. “Dr. Lancer... The bitch had killed one of the black chalk artists. Tortured him to death... And because of her, the hospital was attacked by Draow...” He shut his eyes tightly and ground his teeth. “We should have just thrown her out to him, and maybe...”

Mumbo Jumbo took a sharp gasp of shock. “Throw her out?! That doesn’t sound very professional! Or ethical for that matter!”

“She doesn’t deserve it, though. She is a heartless monster.. Yeah Tyreek was a monster as well, but she’s the one who still tortured another living being to death. We were able to at least keep her away from the other patients, but..” Dr. Varrick paused for a moment. “If it weren’t for this stupid doctor’s code, I would have...”

“But would that be fair?”

Mumbo Jumbo’s question cut through the air. Dr. Varrick froze at this, and looked down at the tortoise. His expression was that of shock, as if the doctor couldn’t comprehend why Mumbo Jumbo would say something like that.

“What do you mean?” Dr. Varrick asked, his voice quiet and laced with emotion. “Of course it would be fair. She..”

“First, tell me why she tortured him.” Mumbo Jumbo asked. There was a tone of authority in his voice. He might not be the ruler here, but he was going to get answers.

Dr. Varrick said, “Well, she..she was entrusted to get information from Tyreek... He tried to kill you. Quirk helped her.” He sucked on his lip. “She did save you...” He narrowed his eyes and cut his hand through the air. “But that’s no excuse for what she did!”

“So she tortured Tyreek to get information?” Mumbo Jumbo asked. Dr. Varrick nodded his head. “And she ended up killing him?”

“That’s right!” Dr. Varrick cried.

Mumbo Jumbo stared at the doctor, letting this information flow through his mind. Dr. Lancer wasn’t a name he was familiar with. He hadn’t met her. But from the sound of it, she did sound almost mentally unstable if she tortured someone to death just for information. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to the story than that. Plus, he wasn’t happy to hear the way this doctor was sentencing her to death like that. It was something he’d expect from a villain, but not a doctor.

There were a bunch of thoughts moving through his mind. And among those thoughts came a single question. One that would set the bar for what Dr. Lancer’s intentions were, and would help him understand her more, even if she wasn’t here to talk to him. Mumbo Jumbo was, at times, pretty good at judging character; that was one reason he trusted Rudy so quickly when they first met many years ago.

“Did she do it on purpose?” Mumbo Jumbo asked. Dr. Varrick looked at him, a little confused. Mumbo Jumbo continued, “Was it something she had meant to do? The killing I mean... Did she really want to kill him?”

Dr. Varrick was silent for a moment. His narrowed eyes lightened up a little. He looked left and right, thinking about an answer. It was like he was trying to find a way to retort, but found nothing. He finally answered with, “Well..n-no... She did say it was an accident.”

King Mumbo Jumbo nodded his head. “Okay, so it was an accident. Meaning she did not really plan on killing him. So...how did he die?”

“She kept him locked up in a room for days. He succumbed to starvation, dehydration, and his wounds.” Dr. Varrick said.

“Had she meant to keep him locked up?” Mumbo Jumbo asked.

Dr. Varrick growled softly, his body trembling. “Why..why are you asking these questions..?” His voice was shaky, so emotion filled that the tortoise could practically see it overflowing. “Why are you quizzing me..?”

“Just answer my question.” Mumbo Jumbo asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Grr... No, she didn’t, okay?!” Dr. Varrick snapped. He took in a few quick breaths, trying to calm himself down. Mumbo Jumbo was not fazed by his outburst, continuing to give the doctor a soft glare. “She said that she thought that Quirk released him..and Quirk thought Dr. Lancer took him out... They both said it was an accident...”

“I see...” Mumbo Jumbo said. “And.. did she ever showed any sign of trying to hurt any patient? Did she try to do so before this? After? At any point did she show any aggression towards a patient?”

Dr. Varrick’s voice was low, barely audible. “No...” He took in a deep breath. “She had always been so kind and gentle with the patients.”

“If she was always kind to them, why would that belief suddenly change?” Mumbo Jumbo asked.

“Because she tortured someone to death!” Dr. Varrick cried. He dropped the clipboard to the ground, pressing his nails against his skin. “She’s..too dangerous now! Once she starts..who knows when she’ll stop... I thought you would understand... Your friend was tortured by that Bardot guy!”

“Indeed he was.” Mumbo Jumbo turned his head slightly to the side, his eyes narrowing a little further. “But I didn’t wish death on Bardot. I knew he was already being taken care of. And besides, that zoner had hunted and tortured and killed many innocents. Dr. Lancer killed one person, and according to you, it was an accident.” Dr. Varrick glared at the tortoise, but did not say a word. “So tell me, how does one accidental killing put her on the same level as Bardot? How does that make her deserve the way she’s been treated?”

Dr. Varrick froze at this, his eyes widening.

Mumbo Jumbo nodded his head. “I recall her being wheeled away somewhere.. I recall the way she was spoken to. I thought it was just a one off thing, but after I heard the way you talk about her, let me guess, this is common among the staff now, is it? Have you all been treating her like that?” Dr. Varrick didn’t answer. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“B-But...be reasonable... She killed someone. Accident or not, she killed someone..” Dr. Varrick started to say.

King Mumbo Jumbo cut him off, raising his hand. “Does she freel pride of what she did? Or is she remorseful?”

“Well..she did say she was not happy with herself.. She did seem like she was sorry.. She even said she would see to it that it won’t happen again..” Dr. Varrick said as he looked away for a few seconds. He then turned back. “But that still doesn’t change what she did!”

“So you are going to keep tearing her apart for a mistake? You are going to keep ostracizing her and treat her like crap, even though she regretted her mistake and is willing to make up for it? You were willing to sacrifice her to Draow, even though he is certainly much worse than she ever acted?” Mumbo Jumbo narrowed his eyes angrily at the zoner, unable to believe his cold attitude. “I would expect this kind of behavior from someone like that Mr. Cosmo fellow from years back.” Dr. Varrick widened his eyes at this. “But not from someone who is supposed to be a doctor..”

There was an awkward silence that lasted for a few minutes. Dr. Varrick stared at Mumbo Jumbo in shock. He kept trying to speak, to say anything. But nothing would come out. He looked left and right, and then back at the tortoise. He tried to think of something to justify how he acted. But it was clear he could think of no defense.

Mumbo Jumbo said nothing. He just glared at the zoner. Anger started to swell in his stomach, intermixed with disbelief. It was hard for him to believe that these doctors had ostracized one of their own staff members for a mistake. He understood how grave a mistake it was. He understood that her actions may have made the hospital a target. But he still felt it was unfair she was being treated this horribly, especially when, according to this doctor, she expressed true remorse and didn’t want to do something like that again. That was certainly better than someone like Mr. Cosmo or Jenny.

“Let me guess. You told her right in her face, before she was wheeled off to surgery, that she was wasting the medical supplies.” King Mumbo Jumbo nearly winced at how cold his voice sounded then. But he couldn’t help it. “Didn’t you?”

“Well I...” Dr. Varrick struggled to respond. “...y-yes...I did.”

“Why?” King Mumbo Jumbo tilted his head. “Why the fuck would you say that to a patient who was badly hurt? I’ve seen the way she looked. She was horrible condition...” His eyes widened a little. “Or did you and the doctors do that?”

“What? No! We wouldn’t do something like that to her!” Dr. Varric shouted in surprise.

King Mumbo Jumbo chuckled bitterly, gritting his beak. “After what you said, I have a hard time believing that...”

“I...” Dr. Varrick started to say.

King Mumbo Jumbo turned his head away. He let out a soft growl. “Just get out of my sight... I don’t want to see you right now...” He said in a harsh voice. He hadn’t meant to sound quite that mean-spirited, but he was too angry and disappointed with this doctor right now to really carry out a proper conversation. His body trembled a little in emotion.

“B-But I...” Dr. Varrick said.

King Mumbo Jumbo growled. “Just get out of here!” He looked at the doctor, his eyes blazing in anger. “Do you really think I want to spend much time with someone who was going to throw a defenseless zoner out in the cold?!” He gritted his beak and turned his head away. “Get out of my room. Now!”

Dr. Varrick stared at him, wide eyed. He opened his mouth to reply. A low growl from the tortoise made him change his mind. He gave a soft sigh and took a step back from the tortoise. “Okay then..” He said in a soft, somewhat broken voice.

With that, the doctor turned and began to walk away. Mumbo Jumbo could hear his footsteps, and the fainter they got, the more relaxed he started to feel. He could hear the door squeak and then a click. He looked over to see the doctor had left, leaving him alone in his room.

He wondered, for a moment, if he was too harsh on him. Perhaps he should have been a little nicer. He usually didn’t let his anger get the better of him like that. He usually did not snap like that to someone. It was just that.. The zoner had pissed him off so much that... He sighed softly. That still wasn’t an excuse for him losing his temp like that. His angered expression melted away, and his mind returned to a more relaxed state.

It was true that the doctors had gone too far in treating Dr. Lancer like that. And he had a feeling they did more than what Dr. Varrick hinted at. They let their anger control their mind and they were treating her much worse than what was necessary. He could see being angry with her and just restricting her doctor rights for a while. But to say she deserved being taken by Draow, one of the cruelest zoners out there, that was just cruel...

But then, he was behaving in a somewhat similar way. He was letting his anger cloud his mind and he had snapped at Dr. Varrick. He hadn’t meant to. He had just wanted to discuss the topic with him a short bit. But instead, he blew up in his face and chased him out. He let out a soft sigh. He knew that wasn’t right. He turned his gaze towards the door where Dr. Varrick walked out. He made a resolve to apologize to the doctor whenever he would come back. If he would come back that is.

sss

“I’m still not sure if this is a good idea...” Dr. Raiden said.

“I know it’s risky, but we’ve got to try.” Snap said, his eyes narrowed in determination. “I’m sure there’s something here...”

“I’d have to agree with Dr. Raiden on this one.” Maalik spoke up, his eyes halfway closed. “This is a dangerous mission. We don’t even have the help of a creator with this one.” He looked down at Snap. “Penny was too hurt for us to just bring with, and we don’t have any magic chalk anyway.”

“Perhaps it’s best we wait until we get some? Or maybe some of the blue chalk?” Dr. Raiden suggested.

“You never know when we...” Maalik started to say.

Snap shook his head. “No, we don’t have time for that. We don’t know when Nihilanth will attack again.”

“That’s true. But that doesn’t mean much. He could attack while we are here.” Dr. Raiden said, folding his arms.

Snap sighed softly. He didn’t think he could get completely through to these two. Ever since they left the hospital and started their journey here, they hadn’t stopped voicing their concern. It was understandable, but it was getting a little annoying by now, and he wish that they would stop complaining. They had important things to do. They couldn’t waste time with arguing.

Even leaving the hospital was a chore. He recalled how difficult it was to convince everyone of his plan. Then there were questions they had to sort out, just what they would do... It all took up more time than the zoner would have liked. But at least they were able to leave the hospital before the second hour came, and they were on their way towards the city. It wasn’t too far; they were pretty close by now. He knew they would reach it relatively soon; he could see it from here.

He could see clouds of smoke pillowing out into the sky. He craned his head up, staring at it. He bit his lip. He wasn’t able to see the destruction itself, and he had a feeling that those areas would be off limits. He imagined there would be police tape all around. He wasn’t sure if the library was in the damaged area. From here, he couldn’t even see the destruction himself; he would need to get much closer before he could determine if the library would be hard to reach or not. And if it is in the restricted zone, that was going to create more problems. Just how were they going to get there without being seen? Well, he was certain they could think of a way.

Snap continued to walk side by side with Maalik and Raiden. This was an odd feeling. He wasn’t sure how to feel about walking near two zoners who had previously tried to kill him. The tension was still there. He still felt nervous around them. Even though Raiden treated him and though Maalik promised to rebuild his treehouse, he still couldn’t help but feel unnerved around them. And he had a feeling that this would not go away any time soon.

Could they blame him, though? He had his doubts they would. These two knew what they had done. They knew they had wronged him in so many ways. They knew they had misjudged him and mislabeled him. After being abused and nearly killed by them, it was going to take a while to adjust. He wasn’t sure how long it was going to take, but he was going to try his best not to let himself become too afraid of them. Especially not now... Such a thing would only delay their quest and potentially ruin what he hoped to accomplish.

He did feel safe enough to come with them alone. That was one thing that had delayed them. Penny wasn’t certain if Snap would feel comfortable going alone with these two. She had suggested bringing Dr. Urso, but Dr. Raiden objected, stating that Urso had to be in surgery soon, or was in surgery at the time. He couldn’t recall. Either way, the bear was not available, and there was no way Snap was going to let Penny come with. Not in her condition. Snap insisted that he would be fine going alone with Raiden and Maalik, who were also surprised by this.

Snap knew that he couldn’t let himself be controlled by fear. They needed to get to that library and fast. The sooner, the better. If there really was information in there regarding white chalk and black chalk, no doubt Nihilanth would have it destroyed. He wouldn’t want to have anything or anyone stand in his way. There was a chance he hadn’t done anything yet, and because of that chance, Snap knew they had to get to the library before Nihilanth decided to attack the city again.

Soon, they entered the city’s edge. Snap winced slightly at the first step onto the hard concrete. There was a dull pain in his knee. He stopped walking for a second, wincing as he held his knee. He waited a few moments, and then the pain soon subsided. Maalik and Raiden stared at him with concern. He gave them a small smile, a look that silently said he was fine. They didn’t believe him, no surprise. Snap pushed himself forward and followed them into the city.

At first, Snap didn’t really see anything wrong. At least not structurally. All the buildings appeared to be in tact. There was not a scorch mark to be found. The lack of zoners did strike him as odd, but not completely surprising, as there were times when there really weren’t that many zoners around. But that was typically during the hours when zoners sleep, and he knew that time hadn’t come yet. And the silence...it was too quiet. If Snap went by visual input only, he would have thought things were fine, but seeing things up close...seeing the silence and the strange lack of zoners, he knew there was something wrong.

Then he saw it. Up ahead, he saw the first sign of trouble. He and the two Luminos zoners moved in closer to have a better look. When they got close enough, Snap could see it was a large chunk of something. Rock? No..concrete. Snap walked up to it and examined it visually. It looked like it had come from a building of some kind. Upon closer inspection, he realized it came from one of the tall buildings near where the hospital was located. The one that Rudy was kept in, the one that Raiden and Maalik ordered to be bombed. He knew what this was. The first sign of the explosion, and he knew they were going to run into more very soon.

They continued forward, moving along the street. Snap looked left and right, trying to see if he can find any sign of life. He couldn’t see any one. Not a single zoner. The city must have been evacuated. He wondered if there was anyone here. If there were, he imagined they would be construction workers sent there to repair the damage, or maybe rescue teams to try to find any one else left underneath the rubble. It had been a few days, but he knows that search teams can take a longer time to find someone who was buried, depending on how deep they were. As they walked, Snap could see some pieces of building laying in a few places, but no sign of ground zero yet.

Eventually, after a bit more time walking, Snap could see something else besides fallen, lone chunks of cement. Black marks that looked like they were smeared all over the place. Snap walked close to one of them, Raiden and Maalik close behind him. The black stuff looked almost like soot. Snap moved his fingers along it. He flinched when he felt it was warm still. This caused an alarm to go off in his head. Just how big and how powerful was this explosion in order for it to cause this area to still be warm? He looked off in the direction towards the hospital. He knew that area was likely to be charred, but for it to spread way over here...that must have been one massive explosion, a lot bigger than he thought it was going to be.

Snap and the two Luminos continued on their way. They tried their best to ignore the horrible burning smell that entered their nostrils. They tried to ignore the uneasy tension that rose up among them as they moved closer to what they knew was one large dead zone. They collected their senses, mentally preparing themselves for what they were about to see.

Then, moments later, they saw something that made them gasp in horror. No amount of mental preparation could have prepared them for what they were seeing right now.

Laying all over the place..were body parts. Arms, legs, torn torsos, heads... the area was covered in them. Zoners who couldn’t get out of the way in time. Snap took in a few shaky breaths as he stared. He put his hands to his mouth and took a step back. Raiden lowered his ears and clenched his teeth. Maalik’s eyes were wide and his body trembled. None of them could have known that it was going to be like this. None of them knew...just how gruesome it was going to be.

Snap couldn’t turn his eyes away. Despite how horrible it was, he found it difficult to turn his gaze elsewhere. So much red...so much blood... He nearly vomitted at the sight of so many organs strewn across the ground. The horrible smell of death clung strongly in the air, all around them. Snap knew they weren’t even at ground zero yet. If it looks this bad here.... Just what did ground zero look like?

“This..this is...I never thought...” Dr. Raiden’s voice was shaky. He looked left and right, his body trembling. He bared his teeth in fear and horror. “This...this is too much like...”

“Like what happened when...we blew up the hospital?” Maalik said, not looking over at Raiden.

The cheetah nodded his head. “Y-Yeah... I recalled seeing some zoners who were...blown apart because of that.”

Maalik nodded in understanding. Though his expression was a little more relaxed now, it was easy to see that he was deeply troubled. “At least they had a quick end.” He breathed through his clenched teeth. “I worry for those who are still alive..trapped here.” There was a moment of silence. Maalik said, “Anyway, let’s continue. The hospital isn’t far from here...Let’s head get there. We can determine if the library is damaged once we have a better idea of the blast radius.”

With that, the group coninued forward. They moved as quickly as they could, not wanting to be around the sight and smell of death, rot, and decay for much longer. They focused their eyes forward, doing their best to avoid any places where there were dead zoners laying about. This was a difficult task, especially when some body parts or even whole bodies were found in the middle of the road. Some of them were burned to a crisp, others looked fine except for massive chunks missing from their bodies. This lasted for some time as they walked through the charred portion of the city, and the smell only got worse as they continued on down.

They soon reached the street the hospital was on. They slowed down, noting some small fires still going on, and charred blackness creating thick crusts on the ground. Steam rose up all over, as well as black, pillowing smoke. A little further, and they could see something yellow and flapping. They soon realized it was police tape. Bold black words were written on them. The message was clear.

‘Danger! Restricted Access: Do Not Cross.’

This did make the trio pause for a moment. They stared at the tape, watching it sway in the wind that swepth through the ruined city. They then stared down the street and gasped in horror at what they saw.

There, right in front of them, was ground zero. They couldn’t see all of it. They weren’t close enough to have a complete idea of just how big it was. But what they could see was still frightening and horrific nonetheless. It certainly gave them some idea of just how big the blast was.

The land in front of them was black and charred in multiple places. Massive blood stains decorated the ground. They couldn’t see any bodies, but Snap guessed it was because most of them in this area were collected. They must have have reached the outer parts of the city yet. For them to take this long.... His heart beat quickly. Just how many zoners were killed here...?

The ground was twisted and gnarled. Snap could see parts of it raising up and he guessed it formed some kind of circle. The location of the bomb drop...that had to be what it was. Nearby, he could see a large mass of rubble. It was so warped that he could not tell what it was anymore. The only way he knew that it was the remains of the hospital was a barely readable letter that laid on the ground. A chunk that was blown off. It had a TAL on it, and he knew that was ‘hospital’. The sight of it all crumbled down, knowing that countless zoners were in there... Snap’s stomach twisted in knots.

Dr. Raiden took in a sharp gasp as he looked at what remained of the hospital. His breathing quickened, and it looked like he was going to hyperventilate. “My...my hospital.. I-It’s..”

Snap looked over at him sympathically. “Most of the patients were evacuated, I’m sure.”

“Yes. Don’t worry.” Maalik nodded in agreement. “They’re fine I’m certain.

Dr. Raiden continued to stair at the rubble in front of him. His pupils shrank, his body still shaking. He was having a hard time believing what he was seeing. He must be having flashbacks to what he had done to the hospital. Though his attack wasn’t nearly as bad, Snap could understand why seeing the debris would remind him of his terrible mistake.

Maalik took his time to look around as they stood beside the yellow tape. None of them were going to cross it, at least not now. They don’t know where the police are, and it was too risky to just cross without knowing were the cops were. The last thing they needed was to get themseles arrested. The lion zoner, his golden eyes narrowed, scanned the area, looking as though he were trying to judge if the library would be in this zone or if it were far enough away to be mostly in tact.

After a few moments of silence, Maalik said, “It’s hard to tell if the library is in this zone or not.” He looked at Snap and Raiden. “Our best bet is to walk towards the library using the long route, which should keep us out of the restricted zone. Once we get close enough, we will be able to tell if the library is still accessible.”

“Even if it’s buried, I still think we should look anyway.” Snap said.

Maalik stared at Snap, his eyes wide. “Are you crazy? If the place is buried, it’s too much of a risk for you to...”

Snap nodded his head and spoke up, cutting off Maalik. “I know. But that information...” His eyes narrowed in determination, his fists clenched tightly. “We can’t afford to let it go to waste...” He stared at the two feline zoners. “I’m the smallest. I’m willing to move through the rubble and get into that library.”

Snap knew it was a suicide mission. He knew that he could easy get buried should the library have collapsed. But he didn’t care. He needed to take the risk. He needed to find that information, see if it exists in that building. To stop Nihilanth, risks are going to have to be taken. There was no way around that. He knew the Luminos with him knew that. Even if they didn’t agree, they couldn’t deny that his plan might be the only one that could save them.

“No.”

Snap looked over, staring at Maalik. There stood Dr. Raiden. The cheetah zoner took a few steps towards him, his eyes narrowed. Snap growled softly at this. Did Dr. Raiden seriously think he was going to stop him?

“What do you mean..no..?” Snap asked.

“It’s too dangerous for you to just move through the rubble like that.” Dr. Raiden pointed a claw at Snap. “With your wounds, especially that back stab and knee, your progress would be hindered. You never know what you would find underneath that debris. You could end up hurting yourself more.”

“But...” Snap started to say.”

“Raiden is right.” Maalik said, interrupting Snap. “It would be too dangerous for you to go through the debris yourself.” He gave the faintest hint of a smile. “Penny would not appreciate it if she found out we let you go in there alone.”

“I think it’s best we figure something else out.” Dr. Raiden told Snap. “Once we find the library, we can figure out how to go from there.” He narrowed his eyes slightly. “But we aren’t letting you go with your suicidal plan. We will think of something better and more efficient.” He took a step towards Snap. “Understand?”

Snap nodded his head in understanding. It was disappointing that his idea was shot down, but he understodo why it was. They were right. Penny wouldn’t be thrilled that he risked himself like that when he had two zoners with him that could help. “Yeah, I do.”

“Good.” Dr. Raiden looked down the road. He made a gesture with his head. “Come on. The library should be this way.”

With that, the trio of zoners headed down the street, doing their best to ignore the death smell that swept through the air.

sss

Mr. Tabootie watched as his wife paced back and forth nervously. She had been doing this for the past thirty minutes, and this wasn’t even the first time she did this recently. Off and on, about ten times a day it seemed, she would pace around, lost in her inner most thoughts. This had gone on the past few days, but it wasn’t like she didn’t have a good reason.

She was worried, as he was. Concern had been on over their heads, the worry weighing down on them. Though the danger regarding ChalkZone had passed, with Mr. Pierce getting arrested and their names cleared once they were able to prove Mr. Pierce framed them, that did not completely lift up the tension. There were other problems at hand. The danger to ChalkZone and to them hadn’t passed. Things had gotten worse than they thought they would, especially after what they had learned.

Nihilanth.. That very name sent chills down his spine. He hadn’t even met the zoner yet, but his name alone sounded so foreboding, so troubling... And the fact that he could create things in midair without magic chalk was alarming. But what frightened him the most was the fact that this dragon wanted their son as a vessel... He wanted to use him to bring about destruction to both ChalkZone and the real world. The thought horrified the man. This reminded him so much of Mr. Cosmo, as that man had wanted to use Rudy for his own purposes as well. Rudy had escaped him... But could he escape Nihilanth? Nihilanth was certainly the more dangerous of the two.

Mr. Tabootie thought back briefly to when they took Rudy to Mr. Cosmo’s place. He realized now just what a horrible mistake that was, and he kicked himself for being so fooled by him. But Rudy didn’t blame him, and it wasn’t like the kid at the time could really come up with any way to explain why he felt uneasy with Mr. Cosmo as it would have led to the exposure of ChalkZone in some form. He understood why his son couldn’t warn him.

He recalled how he and his wife were dropped down a shaft, and later couldn’t remember. They did regain their memories after Rudy told them what happened. Not right away, but bits and pieces of it, and slowly that formed into a complete picture. After they were dropped down, they were kept detained until that woman, Ms. Saffron, led them somewhere to have their memory wiped. Though that part, he couldn’t remember too well. That was one bit that was hard to remember, but he recalled it was...quite uncomfortable.

His mind shifted back to Nihilanth. The large dragon had taken hostage quite a bit of people. This alone was worrying. From what Penny described, they just..vanished into thin air, taken by some kind of...weird thing and imprisoned. It made him shudder, wondering just what else this evil dragon could do. The surviving Luminos, who had reformed, were taken, as was Dr. Urso, the same zoner that saved Snap’s life twice, and Blocky and Rapsheeba. But the dragon had also gone personal and imprisoned Tilly and Sophie.

He recalled how horrified he and his wife were when they found out about this detail. Poor Milly... She was so worried about her sister. He watched as she continued to pace back and forth in front of him, her eyes filled with worry and concenr for her trapped sister. She kept thinking aloud if she was all right or not. They had no way of knowing, and the fact that they don’t was really upsetting. His wife couldn’t help but relay to him, off and on, all the horrible things she thinks could have befallen her sister, like what happened with Sophie.

The knowledge that Sophie had lost part of her leg was horrifying. She was so young... It wasn’t fair that she lose her leg at that age. Well it was terrible to happen at any age, but still... He bit his lip, wondering how she was going to handle that. Her leg had been crushed under a large rock and had to be amputated; it was too heavily damaged to be saved. Sophie wasn’t that old, and already she had her innocense shattered when she was tortured by the black chalk artists, and now her leg had been destroyed. Just what else could go wrong?

He shook his head. No..no he couldn’t think about that. He couldn’t jinx things. By thinking that, things just might get a lot worse. He couldn’t have that. They didn’t need anything else to happen to the. He took in a deep breath, his mind a bit at ease knowing that his son and friends were trying to take care of the problem. He hoped things were going okay with them. They were usually good at getting out of a tight spot. He had faith that his son would be able to take care of this Nihilanth fellow.

“Milly...” Mr. Tabootie spoke up at least. The large woman in front of him stopped. She looked down at him. He winced, seeing just how sorrow-filled her eyes were. “You need to settle down. I’m sure everything will be all right.”

“Joe...” Mrs. Tabootie bit her lip. She turned her head to the side, a few tears are forming. “How can I settle down? You know what’s going on..”

Mr. Tabootie nodded his head. “Yes, I know. But pacing around, worrying the way you are, that’s going to do nothing to help your sister, or anyone.” He straightened himself up, trying to make himself look as confident as he could. “We need to trust in Rudy and his friends. They’re taking care of the situation.” He leaned forward a little, placing his hands together. “I’m sure they can not only save Tilly, but everyone else. We just..need to trust them.”

Mrs. Tabootie stared at him. It was hard to look into that heartbroken expression. Knowing that people they cared about were in danger...knowing they could do nothing about it.. He couldn’t blame his wife for being so upset. If one of his blood relatives were in trouble, he would be just as upset as his wife, just as determined to go save him. The only thing that kept him from doing that now was the knowledge that Rudy, Penny, and Snap were doing what they could to stop Nihilanth. If he and his wife tried something...they could end up making things worse. As much as it hurt, they had to do what they were told and stay out of ChalkZone for now.

The temptation to go there was strong. Mr. Tabootie would be lying if he hadn’t felt the urge to find the spare magic chalk and use it to get into ChalkZone. He wasn’t as much of an artist as his son, but he could still try something. But...he knew it could make things worse. Penny made a strong case when she said that Nihilanth could corrupt them. Being turned against his son would be a terrible fate and it brought on horrible memories of what he was told regarding how Light Rudy had been treated. He bit his lip, trying his best to fight back the tears. He..he didn’t want to go through that... He wouldn’t let his son suffer that kind of fate.

So out of ChalkZone he and Milly must stay. It wasn’t the plan they would have wanted. But it was the best plan they could follow at this point what wouldn’t lead to more disaster. And right now, that was the last thing they needed. Enough had gone wrong already, with their son nearly dying, to the alternate dimensions, to the Luminos, and now Nihilanth, and other things. His head ached as he thought of all the dangers that had become present. It was hard to believe that the last two years, after Draow and Bardot’s conviction, had been so peaceful...

“I...I wish I knew if my sister was okay..” His wife said. Tears were moving down her cheeks. “I..I want to...”

“I know you want to help.” Mr. Tabootie said gently. “But you heard what we were told. We could get corrupted by Nihilanth if we tried go into ChalkZone now. You don’t want to end up hurting Rudy, do you?”

Mrs. Tabootie looked at him, her eyes wide in horror. She shook her head. “N-No..Of course not.. I would never...”

Mr. Tabootie stood up and walked towards his wife. He put his hands on her shoulders and smiled at her. “Of course you don’t. Neither do I. That is why we have to stay here...” His smile faltered a little, turning his gaze downward. He looked back at her, his eyes filling with determination. “We need to trust that Rudy, Penny, and Snap can stop this. They’ve been able to accomplish the near impossible before... I’m sure they can do it again.”

Mrs. Tabootie sniffled, wiping her tear away with a single finger. “I hope you’re right, Joe.” She turned her gaze upwards, towards where she knew where Rudy’s room was. “I really hope they can do it...”

“I know they will. Let’s not give up hope...” Mr. Tabootie said, putting his arms around his wife in a partial hug. “They can do it. You’ll see...”

Mr. Tabootie leaned forward. It took only a second for his lips to touch hers. The two shared a quick kiss, which lasted a few seconds, and then parted. Mrs. Tabootie, though still crying, smiled gratefully at her husband. The two hugged each other, both lost in their thoughts. Both hoped and prayed that everything was going to be okay.


	142. The Book Without A Name

“So...this is it?” Dr. Raiden asked, staring off ahead. The others next to him nodded their heads numbly. “Well this is just great..”

“Well..it could be worse.” Maalik pointed out.

Snap stared up at him, incredulous. “..how?”

“This place could be covered in lava.” Maalik replied, giving a small nervous smile.

Snap stared at him with a ‘are you kidding me?’ expression before turning his head away and shaking it. He looked out at what was in front of them. He understood that Maalik wasn’t really trying to make light of the situation, but he wasn’t in the mood for jokes. Right now, they had a serious situation on their hands, and he wasn’t sure how they were going to deal with it.

It hadn’t taken too long for him and the Luminos leaders to reach where the library stood...or at least, had been. From a distance, it was hard to tell if it was still in tact or not. There was so much rubble and debris, everything looked more or less the same. The only way they could have found out for certain was to get closer. And when they had, they were all horrified by what they found.

The library had indeed fallen victim to the shockwave blast of the bomb. The library still kind of stood, but a large, metal pole and crashed through it, blocking off the entrance. Parts of the building had come down as well, broken pieces of rubble just laying everywhere. Smoke and steam rose from it, and he wondered if parts inside were in fire, or if it was just from the concrete crumbling down so quickly. He could smell the dust hanging thickly in the air. It wasn’t a pleasant odor, but it was a welcome change from the rotting flesh he kept smelling before.

Snap would have tried to insist on crawling through the rubble, but he knew a couple of things. First, there was no way that these two would let him go. It was a strange, though still comforting, change that they cared about his well being now, and didn’t want to see him get more hurt. But on the other hand, he wished they would trust him a little more. He would be careful, and it wasn’t like he was going to stay in long. Besides, it might be worse if they try to go in themselves. Their larger size would make them more vulnerable to accidentally knocking down a support structure and they could get crushed. It was better than he go in, as his small size would make it harder for him to accidentally knock everything down.

The other is, despite being small, he didn’t actually much of a place where he thought he could squeeze through. The entrance was blocked by that beam. There were small openings, but they were too small even for him. He wouldn’t be able to get in anyway without a lot of effort, and with his injuries, there was little chance he could do that without hurting himself more. And he would have to be insane to think that he could lift up any of the debris here. Not unless he wanted to rip off a muscle.

So he was stuck. He wasn’t sure how he was going to get through. He can’t slip through. He can’t lift up the rubble. He was, for a few moments, stumped. He needed to figure out how he was going to get through so he can search the library. And at first, he was left wondering how he was going to do that. Then he recalled earlier, Dr. Raiden and Maalik said that they would try to figure out something should the library be destroyed. He looked over at them, trying to see if any of them have any suggestions.

The two zoners eyes, filled with a balance of despair and hope, looked at the rubble, eyeing it up and down. They appeared to be examining it, looking at it to see if there was anything they could do. Snap watched, keeping silent, and waited to see if any one of them comes up with an idea. He imagined that they would, somehow, considering how intelligent they were. They always came across to him as pretty smart zoners.

Okay so blaming all creators and zoners who allied with creators and labeling them as monsters didn’t qualify as smart. Snap knew how foolish that belief was. But aside from that, they were pretty smart. Keeping themselves mostly hidden, reconstructing a criminals cave without getting noticed, the planning, moving around ChalkZone without getting seen much... Yeah they had to be pretty smart to pull all of that off. Surely, something like getting into a crumbled building must be a piece of cake for them, right?

But so far, both Raiden and Maalik looked at each other, exchanging looks of worry. It was clear that they weren’t sure what they could do. The sight of this made Snap well up with apprehension. If they couldn’t figure a way in, and he couldn’t... He glanced over at the library. He hoped that wasn’t the case. He hoped that they could figure a way in. He was certain the library would have something on the white chalk, maybe even how to beat Nihilanth. This was their best chance to get information. It...it had to work. It just had to. He looked back at the two felines, hoping and praying that one of them would get an idea.

While he waited, he tried to think of something himself. He couldn’t let them have the burden of figuring this out all on their own. He should help, and so he sifted through his mind, trying to think of something. There had to be something he was missing... Another way in that he wasn’t thinking off..

His head began to hurt when he kept thinking long and hard. Still nothing came up in his mind. He let out a soft, exasperated sigh. He wasn’t going to give up. Not while so much was at stake. That would be a foolish move. He glanced over at Raiden and Maalik again, still seeing now change in them. He watched as their fingers flexed as frustration swept through them.

Snap froze. He stared at the fingers as they flexed. As he stared at the metal finger and the electric claw, an idea slowly clawed into the back of his mind. He recalled how these two zoners had used their fingers to help them escape from that tunnel a few hours ago. He began to put the pieces together and he realized something. If they could use their powers to help them up the shaft, was it possible they could help him through the tunnel?

Yes... Yes that just might work. Snap felt elation start to watch through him as he finally figured out a way get into that collapsed library. At last, there was a way. All he had to do now was relay the idea to them, and hope that they would listen to the idea instead of trying to argue back. Time was a limited resource right now. They couldn’t afford to waste it.

Snap took a step towards the two tall zoners. He raised up a hand towards them to get their attention. “Hey..I think I have an idea.”

Dr. Raiden and Maalik looked down at him. They wore expressions of surprise and curiosity. They remained quiet, waiting for Snap to continue. Snap didn’t waste any time. He immediately began to explain what his plan was.

“You can use your electric finger thing to lift up some of the debris over there.” Snap motioned his hand towards where the collapsed entrance was. He then looked over at Raiden. “And you can use your metal finger to push the debris up and help keep it up there.” He motioned to Raiden and Maalik, indicating he was addressing both of them. “The two of you working together, I think you could create a small tunnel for me to crawl through and I can get in!”

The two zoners exchanged looks with each other. They blinked a few times. Snap could see a variety of emotions go through their minds. They looked back at him. Snap could see they weren’t entirely convinced. He didn’t have to really wonder what they were going to say. As soon as they opened their mouths, he had correctly guessed it.

“That might still be risky.” Dr. Raiden said.

Snap knew it. He didn’t say a word. He let him continue.

Dr. Raiden added on, “Using our powers takes concentration. The slightest de-focus could cause us to drop the debris and you could get hurt.”

“I can make a run for it.” Snap suggested. Seeing the look in their eyes and knowing what they were going to say, he continued, “I understand your concern. I had thought about that as well. I promise I will look where I run. I’m aware that there might be stuff on the ground that can cause me to trip.”

“I’m still not so sure about this.” Dr. Raiden said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. His tail twitched nervously from side to side. “I would feel better if me or Maalik here went on.”

“But that might make things harder.” Snap protested, holding out his hands. “Why don’t you listen to me on this?” Snap moved his hand towards the debris behind them. “There’s no opening big enough for you to squeeze through. The front entrance is too dented, and the opening is now too small that, even after you lift up the debris, you still can’t squeeze in.” He pressed his hands against himself. “I’m the best qualified here to go through.”

“We did say we were going to discuss this.” Maalik said.

“And we are! I gave you the idea! You just have to execute it!” Snap cried, his voice filling with more emotion.

Maalik clenched his teeth. It was clear that there was some irritation going on in that zoner’s mind. Snap, though no longer having to fear the lion zoner, instinctively took a step back. Maalik seemed to take notice of Snap’s reaction and calmed himself down before he got too angry. He took a deep breath and gave his reply.

“I meant a plan for me or Dr. Raiden to get into the building. We are in better shape than you.” Maalik said, pointing a claw at him.

“But you are too big! You could knock something over!” Snap shouted. Some anger began to well up in his stomach. He tried not to be angry. He knew it would be a bad idea. He just...couldn’t believe just how stubborn these zoners were being. Why couldn’t they just listen to him for once? He knew what he was talking about. “Look...” He said, giving an exasperated sigh. “We are wasting time with this. We need to get a move on. Just...create that tunnel for me to use. I’ll be in and out quick. I promise.”

Dr. Raiden and Maalik stared at each other, then at Snap. They looked uncertain, clearly not comfortable with the idea that Snap suggested. But as their expressions changed, Snap could see that they were starting to realize they didn’t have much of a choice. They both knew how important it was to search the library for clues on how to stop Nihilanth. They knew, as the library was, there was no conceivable way they could fit through the rubble. Even lifting all the loose rubble wouldn’t help them. Only Snap could fit through.

Snap knew it was dangerous. He knew he could get hurt. He knew that some lackey of Nihilanth, if he had any zoner insane enough to follow him under his command, could be laying in wait for him. But he had to take the risk for the good of ChalkZone and his friends. And the real world as well. Both worlds were at stake. They couldn’t afford to screw this up.

Seeing that they couldn’t find an alternate way, the two zoners lowered their heads slightly in defeat. They gave him a look that told him that he ‘won’. Snap gave a small smile. Not one filled with triumpth, but one filled with relief. He wasn’t trying to to be smug about anything. He was just glad that they were able to see things his way. He was happy that he was able to get through to them and get them to realize that this way, though having risks of its own, was the best way to get that information...if it even existed that is.

Snap didn’t need to say anything more to prompt the two zoners. They made the next move on their own. They turned to each other, nodded, and then looked over at the rubble. They narrowed their eyes in determination. They moved a little closer, positioning themselves a few feet away from what used to be the main entrance. Snap watched as they moved along the shattered concrete, both taking care not to hurt themselves more. Then, once they were positioned, their feet gripping the pieces of ground to stablize themselves, they went to work.

Maalik was the first one to take action. He moved his hand out, folding all his fingers except for his pointer. The extended claw sparked as he leveled it towards the rubble. Then, seconds later, he fired. The coil of electricity, the same one that Snap knew all too well, shot out, twisting and winding in the air. It moved towards the rubble and then started to engulf it. Then, not too long after, Snap and Raiden could hear the sound of rock scraping against rock as the rubble was lifted up from the ground. Soon the rubble was pushed up into the ceiling, pressed up against it with the sparkling energy.

Now it was Dr. Raiden’s turn. He gave a quick glance down at Snap before moving forwad. He took a stand next to Maalik. He glared intently at the rubble floating in the air by the arcs of electricity. He pointed his metal finger at it. He narrowed his eyes further and, with a soft growl, shot his metal finger out. Snap watched as, with a loud shing sound, the metal finger extended outward, its shape shifting around until it was the right size and length. The metal finger pressed up against the rubble, pushing up against it and aiding Maalik in holding it up.

Now, as Snap stared, there was an open tunnel for him to use now. Too small for Raiden or Maalik, but big enough for him. He didn’t waste any time. He quickly moved over towards the entrance. He could hear the sound of teeth grinding, and he knew that these zoners may not have a lot of time to hold it up. His heart beating with renewed urgency, Snap moved through the tunnel as quickly as he could. It wasn’t easy moving past all the shards, broken pieces of metal, and other garbage that stuck out of the ground. But he was able to pull it off and soon he reached the end of the tunnel.

“Don’t take too long!” He heard Maalik shout.

“Yeah, we can’t hold this stuff up forever!” Dr. Raiden joined in.

Snap looked towards the tunnel. He put his hands together and called out, “I’ll do the best I can!” With that, he turned around to look at his surroundings.

The place was completely demolished. Broken pieces of the ceiling laid everywhere. The staircase, once so beautiful-looking, was now gnarled, melted and twisted from the explosion. It laid in pieces on the ground. Dust and smoke pillowed in small places everywhere, giving the smashed room a dusty smell to it. Bookshelves had been toppled. Torn and charred books laid everywhere on the ground. Even more common were various torn pages that were strewn about. The place looked like a stampede went through it at least three times.

Just moving around was difficult. There was all kinds of debris in the away. Not just the ceiling, but parts of the ground were lifted up, creating raised ‘craters’ of sorts that were just everywhere. It was so easy for Snap to accidentally trip over them. He tried his best to be careful. He stepped around them, hoping to avoid them. But it was difficult and next to impossible. At one point, he hit his damaged knee against a rock. He took in a sharp breath and stifled a scream, a tear moving down his face. Biting his lip, he took mental note to move a little slower.

Snap moved around the debris. He pressed himself against a broken piece of ceiling, moving along it to avoid the shattered glass at this feet. He then moved along a pathway of sorts, accidentally created with how the ceiling broke off. Snap walked along it slowly, careful not to trip over it. Slowly, surely, he made his way towards where he and Penny were when they found that book regarding Moonlit Gardens.

The section of the library that book was found in was, no surprise, just as wrecked as everything else in here. Most of the books here had been vaporized, or too torn up to be of any good. Snap lowered himself down and grabbed one of them. He picked it up and tried to flip through it. He was a little startled when the book suddenly crumbled into dust. He took a step back and stared at it, lightly biting the front of his hand with his teeth. This was a worrying sign. If all the books in this library were like this, then..

He shook his head. He had to keep looking. One of these books had to still be intact. One of them had to be able to help him. This library was pretty large. Surely the blast couldn’t have destroyed all the books. He pressed on, moving along the aisles of books that he and Penny had previously looked at. Finding the book he needed was going to be harder now that he didn’t have the aid of a library assistant like they did before. He was entirely on his own.

That realization also made him think of something else, something that he had tried to ignore since he got in here. But it was impossible to keep it on the back of his mind forever. How could anyone ignore something like this?

There were bodies...everywhere. Not as bad as on the streets. But there were still a good number of dead zoners in here, either a body part or a whole zoner. Most of them were charred, and he winced as he could see their muscular and skeletal structures, made visible and crusty by the blast that swept through ChalkZone City. The librarians, stationed at their desks, were permanently frozen in dark black, and appeared so fragile that he felt that a single touch was enough to make them dissipate into nothingness. The thought made him shudder and he brought his hands to his arms, gently rubbing them. He was not comfortable here. And the smell... He felt like he was going to throw up.

These poor zoners... They were caught in the blast and weren’t able to get out of the way in time. Considering their postures, how casual they looked, it was clear that they had only seconds to react before the pyroclaust cloud rushed through here, burning everyone alive. Snap felt a few tears well up when he recognized a few of these zoners. They weren’t that old, either chronologically or physically. A couple of them were just babies or little children, while others were very newly erased. For them to have to endure something like this...

Snap continued to press on, as hard it was to be among the dead. He moved around the debris and the occassional dead body or piece laying on the ground. He did his best to keep his attention solely on the books. He looked all around, seeing mostly charred books. He tried to find the ones, any one, that somehow escaped the blast. There had to be a few that weren’t affected. So far, he had little luck, with each book he tried to look through crumbling into dust like it was nothing.

After about ten mintues of searching, Snap felt his body start to shake. Not from anger, but from fear. The realization that there might be no information to be found here terrified him. If he couldn’t find the information he needed to undo the corruption of the black chalk...if he couldn’t find information here on how to stop Nihilanth... Well it wouldn’t be impossible to find something, but it would be a lot harder. He didn’t know where else he could look. There was Biclops, but he was injured. He felt bad for the giant; he hadn’t been able to do much recovering lately. He wanted to try to avoid talking with the giant as he wanted him to get some rest. But if he had no choice, well... That’s just how it had to be. Biclops would understand.

Soon, after about five more minutes of relentless searching, Snap did find something at last. On the ground in front of him, there was a pile of about twenty books, stacked on top of each other, likely put there by some overeager zoner trying to find some book they really wanted to read. The pile was about five feet in front of him, up against a broken piece of book shelf. He moved over towards it. When he got close enough, he examined it.

Upon closer inspection, he was disappointed that these books were charred beyond use. Even if they were structurally sound, most of the pages were so torn and black that they weren’t readable. He narrowed his eyes, growling softly. While some of it was anger, a lot of it was frustration. He couldn’t believe that all the books here appeared to be destroyed. He formed a fist with his hand and, out of emotion, slammed it against the pile of books. No surprise, it all crumbled into dust. Snap was about to turn and walk away when he noticed something. There was some kind of golden color at the bottom. Compared to the blackness of the room, this color stood out like a sore thumb. He peered his head over to take a closer look.

His eyes widened a little when he noticed there was a book at the bottom. His heart beating with anticipation, Snap immediately shifted through the book ashes to get to it. He pushed them away, digging at them. A few times, he sneezed, but he never turned his gaze from that golden book that seemed to almost call out to him. Once he got close enough, he pushed himself forward, reached down, and grabbed it. He lifted it up slowly, gripping both sides of it. He took a few steps back, eyeing the book up and down.

The first thing he took notice of was there was no title. Strange... Perhaps this book was so old the title had worn off or something. Well the inside of it should contain the title. Snap opened it up and flipped through the first few pages. But to his shock, there was no title here either; it just skipped straight to the body of the book, where the information was located, whether it be a story or something else. Snap shut the book and held it out in front of him. He turned it from side to side. That was so strange.. why would it not have a title? Did the author just.. or was there even an author for this?

Snap was getting a little creeped out by this book. He wasn’t sure why. There was just..something about it that felt off. Not in an evil way, but in a weird way. A book without a title or an author.. Whoever had sent this book to the library must really not have wanted anyone to know who wrote it. That made Snap a little curious. Was this because of what the zoner wrote? Was it something so controversial that he felt he would be targeted? If that were the case, then perhaps this book would help him out after all.

Snap took the book and walked over towards the wall, careful to avoid the debris. Once he got up to the wall, kicking away small pieces of rubble on the ground, Snap lowered himself to the ground. Once he sat down, he placed the book straight across his lap. He grabbed the cover and opened it up. He flipped to the first page and began to read its contents, his eyes shifting from left to right.

His eyes widened at what he saw. The first page went as followed:

“If you are in possession of this book and have opened up to the first page, then you must be really desperate to find something. I mean, after all, who would think to look at a blank book? With no title or author? Well I can assure you, I did that on purpose. I knew that, someday, this information might be targeted to be destroyed. Let me clarify; I found something of incredible importance. Most of this book is blank, a way to fool anyone who looked at it. Most of what I have to say will be kept to as few pages as possible, scattered through here. Flip around and find them.

There is little time for me to write this. I don’t know how much time I have before it’s too late. I can already feel it trying to drag me back... I don’t want to go back, but I fear I have no choice. With this time I had given myself, I shall record the information required to do the one thing that nobody thought was possible: break free of the black chalk’s control.

Yes, dear reader, you heard me right. A way to break free. This way is not so easy to accomplish, and it comes with its own risks, but it may prove useful in the future. Breaking free from black chalk is not easy. That chalk has...a hold on you, seeping into your brain and altering it. It could theoretically affect zoners, but the black chalk, thankfully, has no use for zoner slaves like that. So zoners are spared the horrible crisis of having their minds transformed against their will, but not so much with humans. I have seen, time and again, another fellow human fall to the black chalk, all because of that...that stupid blunder...

Anyway, the way to break free of the black chalk is so simple and yet so complicated. It requires the use of the white chalk. I had discovered, from the black chalk itself, that white chalk is sentient, created from something called servant light. But the creation was not completed and white chalk rebelled, as it did not like the way black chalk was handling things. I should let you know, the white chalk isn’t much better. It can be just as cruel and manipulative, and in the beginning, it was. It took over in more subtle ways, taunting, suggesting, whatever it could to get the child to draw what it wanted.

But overtime, it did calm down, especially after it bore witness to what its ‘original’ per say was doing. The white chalk didn’t exactly become ‘good’, but it did become tamer and started to value more free will than the black chalk did. Unlike black chalk and servant light, the white chalk did not want to destroy the world, and sought ways to keep it from happening. Not willing to remain a part of the plan, the white chalk willingly gave up its sentience. This came after the white chalk went from being evil to just neutral. Oh surprised the white chalk is neutral? Why else do you think it doesn’t discriminate against an evil zoner drawing and a good zoner drawing?

Back on track here, the white chalk losing its sentience, but still retaining its power, did cause a shift in the black chalk’s plans. See, before this, the black chalk was more or less unchallenged. When white chalk came and willingly gave up its sentience so it could no longer be used, this gave a chance to fight back. The white chalk became the perfect weapon against the black chalk, allowing the artist to create without fear of losing control of themselves...usually. There was the occassional magic chalk madness, but thankfully it didn’t last very long usually, and was nowhere near as bad as what the black chalk did.

The white chalk being the black chalk’s adversary is the reason why it’s the only thing that can free those from the black chalk’s control. The white chalk, favoring at least some free will, whereas black chalk seeks to end it, can provide a chance to undo the corruption that has spread through the mind of an individual. However, this can really only be done using sentient white chalk. As you can well imagine, this is going to be a problem as white chalk, as I said before, gave up its sentience. You are not going to find a single piece of sentient white chalk anywhere. Which brings me to the next point.

It is possible to reactivate the sentience of a piece of white chalk. It cannot be done on a large scale, and I highly recommend you don’t. A single piece, or a few, is all you really need...provided you do what I say and don’t mess it up. This is a difficult procedure and if you slip up, you could get screwed pretty bad. So pay attention to what I have to say.

In order to reactivate the sentience of white chalk, you will need to use black chalk. Yes, it is very risky. Black chalk sees all other black chalk does. This means that it is going to know you are trying to reactivate white chalk sentience. The black chalk is going to know you are freeing someone from its grasp. It will not be very happy with you. So you best speed things along and move as quickly as you can. The sooner you get it done and over with, smash the black chalk, and run, the better. If you move quickly enough, you’ll be able to escape without fear of the black chalk figuring out where you are.

If you had heard about white chalk sentience before and how to reawaken it, you may have gotten misleading or contradicting information. This is because the black chalk likes to stretch the truth and mislead, even its own black chalk users. It does not want anyone to know how to get free of the black chalk. But it had decided to tease me with the real way, taunting me that I would never be able to free myself, even if I have the information. How do I know it’s the truth? Because that’s how I’m writing to you now. I had to make this book without a title or a name to make it harder to find, for some other poor soul to locate and use it to free themselves.

Before I give you the instructions on how to use the black chalk to reawaken the sentience of white chalk, let me leave you off with a warning. Follow the instructions exactly as you only want a short time of sentience with the white chalk. Just enough to free your friend of its control. If you allow the white chalk piece to remain sentient for too long, it will begin to reawaken other white chalk, and, if in contact with the black chalk for too long, it may revert to its original evil state. Such a thing will be disastrous, so please..be very careful.

I also want to take this time, before I proceed, to apologize to you. You might know my name very well. I’m sure that, even if this is found just a couple days later, my name is already so well known and feared across ChalkZone.. It is my fault. I should have heeded the warning, and yet I ignored it. The fact that I brought about so much destruction fills me with shame. And the sad part is...I can’t fight back. I’m trapped in my own mind, fully aware, but unable to do anything. I see what I do and I am horrified. It’s like that with all black chalk artists; we are prisoners in the labrynth in our head, knowing full well what we are doing but are helpless to stop it.

I do apologize if I had wronged you in anyway. I’m sure I had stricken fear into you and hurt you so badly...and for that, I am sincerely sorry. I wish I could stop myself, but the black chalk controls me now, and I am powerless to do anything about it. Know this, though: each time that I hurt you, it hurts me, too. I am not proud of what I’m doing, and I hope that, whether it be by death or other means, I...or rather, my body, is stopped. At this point, even death is a better fate to endure than this hellhole of a life I am forced to live now.

Please proceed to the next hidden page. It will tell you more about how to stop the black chalk’s control. Oh and you might be wondering who I am. Well I would rather wait until the end, but I do think you deserve to know now. I had spent too long deceiving others, corrupting them with my lies and half truths. Well I’m not going to do that here. You deserve the truth, and I will be honest with you. When I speak my name, please do not freak out. But..I will understand if you do.

My name...

...is Teddisson Cosmo.”

Snap’s eyes widened in shock.

sss

Para-Penny watched as her Rudy paced back and forth in front of her. His arms are folded behind his back. This hurt him a little, judging from his expression. But his narrowed eyes... He was clearly too lost in his mind to really notice the pain. A times, she could hear him mumbling to himself, his voice a mixture of worry and confusion. Once in a while, he would stare over at the chalkboard, no doubt his minds swirling with thoughts of what happened recently.

It had been a few days since his surrender. It had come as a surprise to her, and everyone else for that matter. None of them had believed that her Rudy would have surrendered so quickly like that. After all the horrors he had unleashed on ChalkZone, they all thought he would be dragged off, kicking and screaming. But the whole time, as she and Jacko led him to a holding cell where they decided upon his fate, he had been quiet and cooperative, never once attempting to defend himself, especially when some zoners threw him a nasty comment. Para-Penny quelled the crowd; she would not have such behavior tolerated, especially when they appeared to have come to a solution.

It was eventually decided that her Rudy would begin a permanent community service. He was to help clean up and rebuild the portions of ChalkZone he had destroyed with his robotic dogs when he was chasing after their counterparts. After that, she would find something else for him to do. He was not allowed to use magic chalk unless he absolutely had to, and only under close supervision of her, Snap, or Jacko. In fact, he was hardly allowed in ChalkZone unless he was with someone at all times.

Her Rudy had accepted these terms wholeheartedly and didn’t try to complain. Although it was still hard to believe, he did feel remorse for what he had done and did genuinely want to try to make it up. Para-Penny wasn’t sure if he could succeed. She wasn’t sure if she could ever truly forgive him, but she was willing to give him the chance, so long as he remained sincere and kept on trying. He had become so cautious of himself that he tried to avoid using the magic chalk as much as possible. She could only recall two times he’s used it, and they were both for beneficial reasons.

Soon after his surrender and his fate decided upon, her Rudy immediately did two acts to begin his road towards atonement. The first thing he did was free Skrawl from his entrapment. That was such a relief to the jellybean zoner. He had been trapped like that for a long time. He was taken straight to the hospital as his limbs had become so misused he could barely walk. She hoped that Skrawl would make a full recovery.

The second thing that her Rudy did was begin to repair the relationship with her Snap. Although her Snap had been brave and showed defiance, he still had some fear of her Rudy. So when he approached him, her Snap was understandably afraid. But she did manage to reassure him and inform him of the surrender. Her Rudy went over and apologized. She wasn’t surprised that her Snap did not accept it right away. Her Rudy then gave him a gift, a way of mending what he broke. He may not be able to repair her Snap’s legs, but he could still give him faster, more durable wheelchair, and he also removed the gold graces which had so long marked him as a slave.

Later that day, Para-Penny had told her mother about what has been going on, minus ChalkZone of course. She was still furious that her Rudy took so long to tell her about the abuse, but she was relieved that she finally knew what the main problem was. She told her mother what she could, about her Rudy becoming so mentally unstable and how that what had been bothering her this whole time. She did not tell her mother about her Rudy abusing her. The last thing her Rudy needed was to be sent to jail, where his condition worsened. As angry as she was at him, she wanted the old Rudy back, and that would only happen if he were kept somewhere safe where he can begin to heal mentally.

Her mother was understandably horrified by what she had been informed. She never would have thought that Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie could ever abuse their son like that. She informed her mom about the accident that damaged their brains, and suddenly it all made sense for her mother. Not long after, like two minutes later, her mom called the police and informed them of what was going on. Later that day, both Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie were arrested. She remembered how vile and wild they looked when they were dragged away. They shouted profanity towards her Rudy, blaming him for their arrest. This was the first and only time she saw them abuse him in any shape or form, and she saw how terrified he was of them. There was no way he could fake it.

Para-Penny insisted that her mother let her Rudy stay with them. Although still nervous around him, she did feel safe enough to know that he wouldn’t try anything. Even when he was insane, he hadn’t really tried to hurt her in the real world. It had took some persuasion, but her mother did eventually agree, and her Rudy moved out right away. It took pulling some strings, but it was worth it in the end. Her Rudy stayed in her bedroom, sleeping on the floor until they could get another bed for him.

There was still some adjusting to do, and that was to be expected. After all, he had been tortured by his own parents for a couple of years. All that really screwed with his mind. He was constantly expected to be hurt by her mother. He was used to being yelled at, smacked, kicked, nearly starved. Her eyes welled up with a hint of tears as she thought about all that abuse he suffered. But as sad as it made her, it also made her angrier. He should have spoken up earlier and this whole mess could be avoided.

But it was too late for that now. They couldn’t change the past. At least he spoke up now, and he was getting the help he needed. Once a week, he was scheduled to visit a psychologist to speak about the abuse and get help there. And back at home, he would tell her some things, both what he told the psychologist, as well as stuff he couldn’t tell that man, and for good reason. Just speaking with her helped her Rudy start to recover. It would take a long time before he would recover completely and there was a chance he’d never be the same again. But at least he would be better than he had been for a while.

Para-Penny continued to watch as her Rudy paced back and forth. He had been going at it for a while more, never stopping. She knew he was worried for several reasons. He was worried about the upcoming trial to convict his abusive parents. He wasn’t sure if he could face them. And she couldn’t blame him, but she knew he had to face them. He needed to get on that stand and confess what they had done to him so they can be locked up where they belonged. But regardless of how abusive they were, Para-Penny told herself that she would try to remember them for the kind and loving parents they once were before the accident.

Her Rudy was also worried for ChalkZone. He had caused so much damage, he wasn’t sure where to begin with repairing it. But despite not knowing what to do, she was happy that he didn’t run away. Instead, he had given the title of guardian of ChalkZone to her, stating that he felt that she was better fit to be in charge than him. The zoners didn’t really complain about it. Para-Penny wasn’t sure if she could be ChalkZone’s main protector, but she did the best she could, and even began to arrange for her Rudy’s castle to be reformed into something more beneficial.

Her Rudy had, under her supervision, freed the prisoners from his dungeon. The prisoners were then taken to the hospital. At least most of them. Those who could not survive were mercifully killed, a fate that they had welcomed. With her help, her Rudy dismantled the torture machines he had created and destroyed them. After all the prisoners were evacuated, the dungeon was destroyed and filled in, no longer a threat to anyone in ChalkZone.

But there was also another thing that was bothering her Rudy, adding to the anxiety he was already feeling. He was worried about his counterpart. He had told her about how he had suddenly turned aggressive when he had detained their counterparts in his dungeon. He was worried that they would suffer the same thing that they all suffered here, that his counterpart was going to become like he had been for so long. Para-Penny tried to assure him that she didn’t think that would happen, but that did little to comfort him.

She understood his concern. It would be pretty freaky to see his counterpart, who had not fallen into the self correction like he had, suddenly display more violent traits. It must remained him of how he had fallen, how he went from ChalkZone’s protector, to its tyrannical ruler. After his revelation as he came to realize just how horrible he had been, it must have been a kick in a gut to see something like that. Talk about deja vu...

All this worrying wasn’t going to do him much good, however. She knew that it was not going to do his mental state any good. At the moment, there was nothing he could do for their counterparts, nothing she could do. It would do them no good with worrying about them. Besides, she had faith in them. She believed that they were going to be able to conquer the problems they were facing. They would be fine.

And he needn’t worry about his parents or ChalkZone. His parents would be locked up and they could never hurt him again. He no longer needed to live in fear of being harmed. And they were working towards repairing ChalkZone. It would take a long time, especially to repair the zoners’ mental state. But they were still working towards it. Everything was going to be okay. She was certain of it.

“Rudy.” Para-Penny said, grabbing her Rudy’s attention. “You need to relax.”

“I..I can’t, I...” Her Rudy replied, turning his head away. “What if...what if...?”

Para-Penny cut him off. “It’s going to be fine. Our counterparts will be okay. Your parents will be brought to justice. ChalkZone is on its way to recovery. You needn’t worry so much.” She said, trying to sound as gentle as she could. “It’s only been a couple days. You can’t expect everything to be solved miraculously. You’re doing a good job with helping ChalkZone recover. All you need to do is keep at it. Show us that we can trust you again. Everything will be okay.”

Her Rudy didn’t reply for a few seconds. He just stood there, quietly contemplating. His gaze was towards the chalkboard. His eyes were furrowed with concern. It was clear he wasn’t entirely convinced. She couldn’t blame him. After all he had done, she could see why he found it hard to believe that things would get better. She understood why he was so skeptic. Even a number of zoners expressioned worry that her Rudy wasn’t going to be able to pull this off for long before he delved into madness again.

But she did her best to have faith in him. He was doing a good job so far. He just needed to keep it up. All the things he does, both the big and the small, will add up. The worst thing he could do at this point is quit altogether. If there was still some of the Rudy she once knew left, she knew that he would continue to try.

“There’s just..so much going on, I...” Her Rudy said. He paused for a moment, lowering his head. He clenched his teeth slightly. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then reopened them. “I worry for my counterpart...but I know I can’t do anything for him. I worry about my parents, but I know that they cannot hurt me anymore.” He looked over at Para-Penny. “But my biggest concern is ChalkZone.”

Para-Penny nodded her head in understanding. She said not a word as her Rudy continued.

“Do you...” Her Rudy started to say. He stopped himself for a moment, pondering what to say. Then he said, “Do you think the zoners would ever feel safe again? After what I did?”

“Not right away. But give them time. They’ll recover eventually.” Para-Penny said. “You needn’t worry too much. You know how durable and determined they can be. Give them time, and they’ll recover. They’ll, some day, become the same happy zoners we both once knew years ago.”

Her Rudy stared at her. He gave a small, faint smile, though she couldn’t tell if it was entirely genuine or not, given his state of mind. “I..do hope you’re right.”

Wanting her Rudy to relax a little, Para-Penny, who laid stretched on her bed, patted the spot next to her. “Come on over here.”

At this, her Rudy widened his eyes. “Are..are you sure...?”

Para-Penny understood his nervousness. He had tried not to get too close to her or her Snap unless it was necessary, due to the way he had treated them for so long. He hadn’t even laid down on her bed despite how uncomfortable the floor was. He was so worried about hurting her again that he was trying his best to keep his distance. But she had enough trust in him to know that he was not going to try to hurt her again.

“Yes. Come on over.” Para-Penny said, her voice a little more forceful, but still gentle.

Though reluctant, her Rudy did come over a few moments later. He came up towards the bed and crawled into it. He kept his distance from her still. She shook her head and patted the spot next to her again, this time a little more forceful. Her Rudy was nervous, but soon moved closer to her. Soon he laid down right next to her, their bodies lightly touching. This was one of the first times he touched her that she didn’t freak out or feel afraid. There was still a fearful reaction in her midn, but she managed to keep it at bay, reminding herself that her Rudy was not a threat here.

Then, without warning, her Rudy did something unexpected. Something that showed just how desperate he had been all this time for affection, and just how sorry he was for the way he had treated her.

Her Rudy shifted himself over onto his side. He reached over with his arm, placing it across her stomach, just below her chest. He pulled himself a little closer so he could rest his head against her shoulder. Para-Penny was stunned by this gesture and her body stiffened up in fear for a few seconds before she slowly relaxed. She turned her and watched as her Rudy slowly closed his eyes and nuzzled his head against her. It had been a long time since she last could feel comfortable with him this close to her. A part of her was still nervous, and she doubted that it would go away anytime soon.

Then her Rudy whispered the words that she hadn’t heard him speak in years.

“I love you.”


	143. An Alliance With What?

Barney was frightened, confused, and unsure of what he was going to do. He no longer had the willpower to even talk back to Nihilanth. Even as the dragon’s thoughts swirled around him, as clear as a radio station, there wasn’t much courage left inside of him to do much of anything. He hated feeling this way, so much like how he had when Bardot had abused him for a year and a half. He had hoped he’d never feel like this again.

But fate can be cruel at times. He knew that already. Ever since he had given the information on how to stop the tiny red bats to his friend, King Mumbo Jumbo, he had always understood pain. There hadn’t been a day where he regretted that decision. It may have ultimately saved ChalkZone, but it had cost him his only friend. It didn’t help that, ever since then, zoners had constantly went to him for information. They got it in their heads that if he could stop the balloonemia epidemic, he must be able to do anything. The constant harrassment forced him to isolate himself.

He had become apathetic towards the plight of others. He shuddered as he recalled how he was willing to let Rudy’s friends die when they first met. He was so uncaring that the only thing that really pulled him out of his slump was when he realized the balloonemia epidemic came back, and that was partly only because it reminded him of King Mumbo Jumbo. He had become more sympathetic as time went on, but he still kept to himself, since the zoners still go after him for information.

This feeling of fear was at its worst when he encountered Bardot. He had thought the zoner was like any other trying to seek information. He should have been cautious when the zoner was a little more aggressive than he was used to. More demanding. But still, he foolishly ignored it, and he ended up paying the price. Ever since that encounter and for over a year, he had been hurt badly, to the point where he thought he’d never fully recover.

He had been feeling better lately. Things were starting to look up for him. He started to lose some of his fear and relax more, especially with King Mumbo Jumbo’s help. But alas, all good things much come to an end. He just never imagined it was going to be something like this.

The blackness, mixed in with a haze of white, fit in with his mood pretty well. The whole area was gloomy, featureless save for the swirls of white against the pitch black background. It looked as though he were floating, even though there was something solid underneath him. The ground was invisible, adding to his anxiety. He had no way of knowing if this place was completely flat or not. The dark grey smoke all around him just added to his anxiety, making chills go up and down his spine. He moved his hands together, twiddling his fingers in nervousness. Being here alone was bad enough, but...he had company.

He watched as a dark shape formed in the cloud. Tall, somewhat thin, and it came towards him. Barney’s eyes widened. There was only one person that could be. A hand cut through the smoke cloud and cut through. Then a figure walked forward through it, obscured in shadow at first, but exposed for who they were in seconds, stepping into the light. What Barney already knew was confirmed.

Rudy, or the corrupted version that replaced the real one, walked towards him. Barney’s body trembled as he watched the boy walk slowly, deliberately towards him. His hands were folded behind his back, a small smile spread across his face. A bone-chilling one that made Barney take a step back. He had never been afraid of Rudy before, but that all changed when he became forcibly corrupted. Now, he was just as terrifying as any other black chalk artist.

Yet, despite his fear, Barney still held onto the hope that, in the end, everything would be okay. He knew Rudy wouldn’t be able to claw his way out of control at the moment. Not as he was. He was going to need help. But Penny...she was still free. She could do something. He knew enough about her to know that she wouldn’t give up. Nihilanth may have nabbed one guardian, but he missed the other. There was still hope.

“I do have to wonder how long you will continue to hold onto that belief of yours, Barney.” Rudy said, his eyes having a slight black glow to them. “It’s quite amusing how you continue to think that something will ‘save’ me, that I will become ‘free’ of Nihilanth’s control, and everything will be peachy again.” Barney didn’t say a word. Rudy chuckled at this lack of a response. “So it does seem like you know how hopeless the situation is for you. For all of you... And yet... still a part of you holds onto the hope that maybe things will turn out for the ‘best’, whatever you like to call it. I guess you really are more of a fool than I thought.”

Barney narrowed his eyes, but still he said nothing. What could he say to the boy? It wasn’t like he was going to listen to him. And it wasn’t even the real Rudy he was speaking with. It was nothing more than a black chalk replica of him. The real Rudy’s personality is locked up, trapped inside his own mind, and in turn, his body trapped inside the mind of Nihilanth. Barney almost chuckled bitterly as he thought about how a perfect metaphor that was for what happened lately. Just when they thought they solved one problem, another reared its ugly head. And to think, being enslaved by this dragon wasn’t the worst thing that was going to happen.

Rudy took a few steps closer. He stared at the centipede in the eyes. Barney wanted to turn his head away, but he found it impossible. There was something about those eyes... an invisible grip that forced him to maintain eye contact. Rudy’s grin broadened, another step being taken forward. The centipede’s body shook, his mind racing with thoughts of what happened the last few times Rudy had approached him like this.

“I do wonder how long you can hold onto that hope, dear Barney. How long do you think you can continue to believe that I’ll be stopped? That Nihilanth can be neutralized? You’ve seen for yourself what Nihilanth can do..or should I say, your original self? Like it or not, Barney, this was who you really were. You just don’t want to admit it, because you are ashamed. I don’t see why, but then, a weak-minded fool like yourself would feel shame about something like this, am I right?”

Rudy began to circle around the silent, shivering centipede. He kept his eyes locked onto Barney’s, his arms folded behind his back. He sneered at him as he continued to walk around in a broad circle, like a vulture waiting for some prey to die. Barney wanted to say something, anything. But he found himself unable to respond.

“Sooner or later, though, you would have to face reality..am I correct? Yes, I know I am, and you do as well. Soon your little world will start to crumble. All your hope will be lost. You will bear witness to the beginning of the end, and the start of a new world. You and I, together, regardless of how you feel on the subject, we will be helping Nihilanth destroy this pathetic world, in favor of a new one. You should consider yourself lucky, you little insect. For once in your life, you will prove to be...so useful... Now isn’t that just terrific?”

Barney took a step back. His wings were itching to flap so he could get away. But Rudy had ripped them apart, rendering him flightless. Rudy moved around behind him so fast, Barney barely had time to react. The centipede zoner stiffened his body up when Rudy placed his hand on his shoulders. Barney sucked in a breath, trying to keep himself from freaking out. That’s exactly what Rudy would want.

Rudy put his face close to him. Barney felt the human body begin to lift his body up. His arm was slung around his shoulder and across his chest. Barney looked up at the taller, twisted individual, his dangling legs kicking a little in the air. Rudy lowered his hand down and pressed a finger against his chin. He pushed on it, forcing his head up.

“Do you think that Mumbo Jumbo can save you? Do you think that if he showed up, you would suddenly gain the energy to fight back?” Rudy asked coldly. He turned his head to the side. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you do... You really do seem to have that kind of mindset. You had been so optimistic... But then one little failure, and you crumble down.”

Barney’s eyes widened in horror. He knew exactly what Rudy was alluding to. He struggled against the boy’s grasp. “You know full well I didn’t have a choice! Yes, I regretted it, but...but in the end it...”

“Yes I know, you little worm. You helped to save ChalkZone. But you had to sacrifice your friend to do so. I do wonder how that must have felt for you.” Rudy sneered at him, his teeth exposed in a grin. “How did you feel sacrificing your friend to the bats? Did you have nightmares after that? Did you keep dreaming about how your friend was being ripped apart and exploded by this things?” Barney stared at him in horror. “I’ll take that as a yes. Oh that must have been so horrible for you right?” Rudy’s voice gained a mocking sympathetic tone. “Oh poor little bug. His little friend being eaten alive by little red bats, and it was all his fault. Oh poor you..”

Barney felt tears stream down his face as Rudy said this. He struggled harder to get free. Rudy tightened his grip on him. Barney let out a cry of pain as he felt the boy grab onto his antenna and pull it hard. He was forced to look downwards. Barney shut his eyes tightly, his teeth clenched together as he seethed in pain. He opened up one eye partway, staring up at the teenager.

It was still so hard to believe that this was the same Rudy who had helped him out in the past. This was the same one who had always been so kind and caring. It was terrifying to see him like this, to hear him talk this way. These were things he knew the real Rudy would never say. But the boy was trapped in his own mind, unable to do anything. Barney wished he could help him. There was nothing he could do, however. Not while Nihilanth put a lock down on certain parts of his memories, preventing him from knowing any way to free someone from black chalk.

Rudy kept yanking on his antenna, his fingers wrapped around the tiny appendage. “Well you could say this is karma, right? You are getting what you oh so richly deserve. A punishment for abandoning your friend. Perhaps Mumbo Jumbo would be satisfied to see that you are willing to suffer the pain he did, when he was trapped for three hundred years...” He leaned his head down and whispered into Barney’s ear. “And it was all because of you...”

Barney turned his head away. “No!”

“No? I gues you must really have a bad memory, Barney.” Rudy said, shrugging his shoulders casually. His expression became more relaxed. There was still a smile, but it was hardly noticeable at this point. “But I suppose that is just you not willing to face the truth. You would rather push the blame onto others. That’s what you did when you went into hiding, am I right?”

Barney shook his head. What was Rudy talking about? He didn’t try to blame others for his mistake. When he isolated himself, it wasn’t because he blamed others. It was because he blamed himself for the mistake he had made. He was the one who gave Mumbo Jumbo the means to stop the swarm, and wound up imprisoning him in the temple, with no way out. It was himself he was mad at, not others.

Rudy seemed to read his thoughts. That nasty smile came back. The sight of it made the centipede shudder. “Oh you were upset when you ended up locking your best friend away. But that wasn’t the only thing on your mind. I know that for a fact.” He gave a light chuckle. “No, the reason you went into hiding was because you were angry at everyone else. You blamed them for what really happened. You thought it was their fault, so you abandoned them.”

“That’s not true!” Barney cried.

Rudy gave a brief, icy laugh at this. He tossed the zoner into the ground. He smirked as he watched the centipede skid across the ground painfully. He walked over slowly. Barney struggled to get up, pushing himself up on his hands. Before he could get that far, Rudy came up to him and placed a foot against his shoulder. He pressed down on it hard, holding the centipede in place. Barney looked up at him in fear, wondering what he was going to do.

Rudy stared at him with narrowed eyes, his hands on his hips. He glared at him, giving him a look he would expect from a scolding parent. To see it come from Rudy, and in this context, it was freaky. He tried to turn his gaze away, but he found himself unable to tear his sights from this boy. Soon Rudy shook his head, his eyes closed for a few seconds. The boy then looked back down at him, a small, chilling smile spreading across his face.

“Oh dear Barney... Didn’t they tell you how not to lie? I know the truth, and so do you. You blamed them for what happened with your friend. You thought that if they weren’t dumb enough to get balloonemia, you wouldn’t have had to tell your friend to imprison himself in that temple. Don’t lie to me; I know that’s exactly what you were thinking. Deep inside, you blame them for getting the disease spread in the first place, and so you turn your back on them because it disgusted you whenever you saw them. You were reminded of what they had done to you and so you let them wallow in their own problems. You don’t want to help them because you put the blame on them for what happened.”

Barney shook his head in denial. “N-No..that’s not true...” He closed his eyes and looked away. A few tears dripped down his face. “Y-You’re wrong... You’re lying! I never thought that!”

“Here you are, lying...” Rudy said. “Tsk tsk... You must really think I’m stupid if you are willing to keep up with this lying business, after I told you I knew the truth.” He pressed down a little harder on the centipede’s body, causing Barney to wince in pain. “Well I suppose I can’t fault you for that. It must be really hard...facing the truth like this. I can see why you would rather not know about how selfish you had become. I imagine you used to be such a...giving zoner at one point, am I right?”

At this, Barney’s eyes widened. His mind flashed back before the incident with balloonemia. He did recall, during this time, he was a little happier. He had never been a people person, so he didn’t socialize much. The only one who ever got close enough to him to befriend was Mumbo Jumbo. This was part of the reason why his bond with him was so strong. Mumbo Jumbo was the first zoner to really take the time to get to know him. Everyone else just ignored him or jumped to conclusions.

Barney had really come out of his shell, for a time anyway. But with the incident with balloonemia, he had withdrawn from the others, slowly turning to his original antisocial self. He didn’t want to get hurt again, and that became one of the motivations, though not the main one, that he had went into hiding. Rudy, Penny, and Snap were the first friends he had made in years, and that wasn’t an easy thing to do as he had long sworn off of friends so it would be easier for him to live alone.

“And yet here you are...lying to yourself..”

Barney looked up. He stifled a scream when he saw that Rudy had lowered himself down towards him. The boy’s hand reached out towards his head again. Barney let out a small yelp as his antenna was grabbed again. Rudy bared his teeth in a nasty grin.

“Perhaps you need a little..motivation. I am glad to give it to you. I am always here to help..” Rudy said in a low, cold voice that made Barney shiver. “Perhaps this will help you face reality.”

Rudy suddenly yanked hard on his antenna. Barney’s eyes widened and he let out a scream of agony as his antenna was ripped off from his head with ease. Something warm began to drip down, trickling around the one side of his face. He winced as something it started to get into his eye. He knew what the warm liquid was and he shuddered as his remaining antenna began to detect the odor of blood.

“So...do you understand how selfish you were?” Rudy asked cruelly.

Despite the pain, Barney refused to give in. He shook his head furiously. “N-No...” He looked at Rudy with a pain-filled expression. “You’re wrong... I wasn’t being selfish.. I...” He seethed in pain. “I was just trying to make sure that no one else suffered...the way I had suffered.. I didn’t..want anyone to lose a friend like me.”

Rudy narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn’t respond. He moved his head away, out of the centipede’s sight. Barney, confused, tried to see what the boy was going to do. He then felt something grip his right wing. Barney felt his heart start to race as he realized what was going ot happen. He struggled frantically to get free. Rudy pushed down on him harder, holding him in place. As he felt Rudy get a good grip on his wing, Barney started to have rapid flashbacks of when he was tortured by Bardot. He remembered how that zoner had shredded his wings, how he had taken his time in doing so just to prolong the pain.

Once Rudy had a good and tight grip on him, he started to pull backwards. Barney let out a series of bloodcurdling screams, his legs kicking wildly at the invisible floor. He could feel his wing being lifted up and away from his body. Tears flowed down his face. He turned his head from side to side. In desperation, he tried to fight back, but Rudy held him in a position that made it impossible for him to fight back. Barney’s heart raced as he felt his wing’s joint began to tear away, breaking under the force.

Seconds later, there was a loud ripping sound, and he let out a loud shriek that practically echoed on the nonexistant walls of this mind room. His body trembled in pain, his legs twitching. Rudy dropped him on the ground and took a step back. He folded his arms and smiled down at the zoner with sick satisfaction.

“So...what do you have to say now, dear Barney? Still willing to lie to me?” Rudy asked, his voice as cold as ice.

Barney didn’t answer right away. He laid on the ground, whimpering and crying. His body shook in tremendous pain. His wide, horrified eyes stared at his wing, severed and laying a few feet in front of his face. He could see the bloodied tip, the stump that had once been connected to his body. Tears blurred his vision. He hardly noticed Rudy stancing over him triumphantly as his eyes remain locked on his severed wing.

Slowly, he looked up at Rudy, giving him a silent question of ‘why?’. As he stared up at the demonic boy, his mind recalled all that Bardot had done. For a moment, he thought he could see that hybrid zoner instead of Rudy. A part of him began to wish it was Bardot doing this to him. He’d rather have someone he knows is a threat hurt him, instead of some villain using the body of a friend to torment him.

Rudy narrowed his eyes, clearly not pleased with the centipede’s lack of a response. He moved over and pressed his foot against the zoner once more. Barney wanted to say something, but he was too frightened to think of a response. Rudy bent over and grabbed onto his remaining wing. Barney screamed in agony as Rudy pulled on the appendage, twisting it painfully so he could rip it out easier. With a loud ripping sound, the wing came off, blood splattering along the centipede’s body and staining Rudy’s hands. The boy dropped the wing on Barney’s face carelessly.

Barney’s face paled as he stared at his other torn wing. He jerked his head, causing the wing to fall down. In less than a minute, both his wings had been ripped from his body and now were laying in front of him, almost as if they had never been a part of him. The stubs that remained on his back flapped frantically as his subsonscious tried so hard to get away from the agony. He let out a series of pain-filled sobs, unable to stop his shaking. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Even locked up in the depths of this dragon’s mind, he was still being tortured physically. He looked up at Rudy, biting his lower lip as he tried so hard not to scream again.

Rudy knelt down in front of him. He picked up one of Barney’s dismembered wings and held it in front of him. He held it with both hands. He started to twist the wing and rip it into little pieces. Barney’s eyes widened in horror. Soon, all that remained of his wing was a small, crumpled ball and a few small pieces here and there. Rudy wiped the shredded wing from his head, staring directly into Barney’s eyes the whole time.

“How about now?” Rudy asked coldly. “Have you finally realized what a selfish shithead you really are?” He reached down and ran his hand lightly across a few of Barney’s legs. “Or do I need to..help you understand more...?”

Barney let out a weak scream as he shook his head from side to side. “N-No...” He took in a loud, shuddering breath. Unable to take the pain any longer, he let out a soft whimper, “I-I understand...”

“So you finally understand what a self-centered asshole you are?” Rudy asked in a dark voice. Barney shut his eyes and nodded his head slowly. “What a worthless jackass you had become?”

Barney started to cry softly. “Y-Yes...” He whimpered. “Y-You’re...you’re right...” He cried a little harder, turning his head away. “You’re right...”

Rudy grinned at this. “Of course I am, little Barney. I know because I understand the way your little mind works. I am glad to see that you finally came to understand that. Life is so much better when you confess that you an...undesirable trait, instead of lying and hiding behind a facade.”

Barney didn’t answer. He just continued to cry softly on the ground. Rudy reached over and gently stroked the top of his head. The centipede zoner shuddered at this unwanted touch. He stared up at Rudy with one tear-filled eye, silently begging him to leave him alone.

Rudy moved his hand towards his remaining antenna. He grabbed onto it and pulled it roughly, forcing the zoner’s head against the ground. He whispered harshly into his ear. “And don’t you fucking forget it, or I’ll do more to you... Remember, Nihilanth can’t hurt you, but I sure as hell can. I won’t kill you, but I’ll make you wish you were dead.” He tilted his head to the side. “You got that?”

Barney whined and nodded his head.

“Good.” Rudy released the zoner and took a few steps away. He folded his arms behind his back. “Let’s keep it that way.”

With that, Rudy turned and walked away from the zoner. Barney watched as Rudy moved towards the grey smoke all around them. In seconds, the teenager disappeared into it, vanishing from his sights. Barney, now alone again, broke under the pressure of what had happened. Curling his trembling body into a ball, he started to wail, his cries practically echoing in the solitary confinement of this mind room.

sss

“What?!” Dr. Raiden cried. His eyes were wide with disbelief.

Maalik leaned forward. “Are you absolutely sure?”

Snap nodded his head. He wished he was making this up. He wished that the information he read was incorrect, that he must have read something wrong. But time and again, he replayed that information, and he knew..there was no other way to interpret it. The idea frightened him. It sounded so dangerous... But with all the trouble they were going through now, did that really make much of a difference?

“I reread the message over and over. Mr. Cosmo...or at least, the person he used to be, who managed to get free for a short time, wrote that.” Snap said. He pointed his round hand at the two. “I’m not entirely sure if it’s true myself, but we’ve got so little to go on right now. This may be our only hope.”

“But..to forge such an alliance...” Dr. Raiden said, clenching his teeth. “It’s..it’s unheard of. It’s..it’s dangerous..”

“I agree.” Maalik spoke up. His voice was laced with fear. “I’m not really sure if it could work.”

“I’m just as skeptical as you two, but we have little options. We should at least consider it.” Snap said.

The three zoners had begun walking back to the hospital. Snap had, about ten minutes ago, came out of the library, having read the rest of the notes that Mr. Cosmo had left behind. It was a strange feeling, reading helpful information from that guy, especially after all the damage he had done. But in a way, it was kind of a relief. If Mr. Cosmo was able to break free, even just for a short time, that did mean the black chalk’s hold was not as strong as originally believed. And since a few people had broken free of the black chalk, it’s corruption isn’t completely permanent. There was hope.

Mr. Cosmo had given instructions on what to do. There was actually more to what he said initially, and his plan was..insane. Mr. Cosmo hadn’t stated everything that needed to be done to reactivate, temporarily, the sentience of white chalk. To use black chalk for this... It was definitely risky. They had to fuse a piece of white chalk and black chalk together, a task made difficult from the fact that they had little knowledge of how to create chalk at all. He wished they still had the zebra chalk... He had a feeling that was going to be significant at some point. But that chalk was required to help heal Rudy, so it wasn’t like it went to waste.

Zebra chalk was just the beginning. They then had to use that to awaken the sentience of white chalk. Such a thing couldn’t happen by accident, unless they were just really very lucky and it happened by chance. He guessed that Wilter must have touched the zebra chalk and was broken free around when corrupted Cosmo was hiding the cures.

But even that wasn’t enough. And this...he wasn’t sure how Mr. Wilter had managed to do this, or if he had lucked out and found another way that Mr. Cosmo did not know about. But Cosmo’s notes entailed they had to forge an alliance as soon as possible with another chalk. This was to keep the white chalk’s ego at bay and prevent it from becoming destructive as it was being used. Cosmo made it clear that white chalk can be just as dangerous when sentient. To counter this and keep the white chalk’s focus clear, they had to form an unprecedented alliance with the last chalk he thought they would ever use.

The red chalk.

The thought sent shudders down Snap’s spine. He recalled just how violent and volatile the red chalk was. He remembered how Bardot had been a couple years ago. That temper of his, it had come from the red chalk. It could not be controlled. It could not be contained. To form an alliance with something like that... He couldn’t believe it was actually possible. The thing amazed him, but at the same time, terrified him. Did he really want to make an alliance with the same chalk that wanted to wreak havoc across ChalkZone?

Mr. Cosmo... He had no idea how that man got this to work. He didn’t really explain it clearly. He thought this was due to the fact that he had little time before he would get controlled again. He had to write it down and fast. He might not have even been able to align with the red chalk. Maybe it was the red chalk that made the difference. Snap wasn’t sure, and the whole thing sounded crazy. But... a lot of crazy things had happened lately. Why should this be any different?

He remembered Cosmo in the letter stating that red chalk does not like black chalk. This didn’t surprise him. Red chalk likes no other chalk. However, it seems to hate black chalk the most, the very chalk that brought it into existence. Cosmo strongly hinted that red chalk may be willing to form a temporary alliance with white chalk to fight against black chalk. Although red chalk was largely mindless compared to the other chalk, it still had something of a mind, its own likes and dislikes. And one thing it liked was fighting against black chalk.

This came as a surprise to Snap. Didn’t they share similar goals? Why would the red chalk outright go against the black chalk? Then he recalled what he had learned a few years ago. The red chalk had been an attempt to have more obedient, destructive zoners, or something like that, but the red chalk would have none of it. It went against its original intentions. So it not liking the black chalk, which, indirectly, had tried to control it, it made sense. He could see, now, where an alliance might be beneficial...but he was still cautious about the whole thing.

So many things could go wrong. The red chalk may be honest, but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous. It is prone to attack anyone in sight. It’s to the point where he wouldn’t be surprised if red chalk fought amongst each other from time to time. Forging an alliance, even a temporary, mutual one, would be extremely difficult. He wasn’t entirely sure how they were going to pull it off. How could they be able to reason with such aggressive chalk and keep it from causing destruction? That was the last thing they needed.

Snap could now see why Mr. Cosmo said it was going to be complicated. He could understand why he stressed to follow what he said exactly. It was bad enough they needed black chalk, but the white chalk being potentially as dangerous unnerved him, and the thing with the red chalk was just plain terrifying. And on top of that, who is to say that Cosmo was telling the truth? But at this point, they had little options. There was already so much wrong that...well it might not hurt to at least try the idea. They would still exercise extreme caution of course. It still may be worth the risk to try something like this.

“Well, crazy idea or not, we should at least tell Penny about it.” Maalik said. He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “She might have an idea...”

“Or...” Dr. Raiden tilted his head to the side. He stared over at Maalik, his eyes narrowed. “She might think we were crazier than ever.”

“True.”

Dr. Raiden stared at Maalik in shock. It was clear that wasn’t the kind of reaction the cheetah had expected from the lion.

Maalik looked at him with one eye. “It’s true that she might think we’re nuts. But...” He let out a soft sigh. “She might have some ideas we could use. Perhaps a way to go about doing this...”

Snap nodded his head slowly in agreement. Penny might be able to figure out what they could do. Snap brought the book with him just in case, so he can let her take a look at it. Perhaps there was something he misinterpreted, or something he missed. He hadn’t shown it to the feline zoners yet; they needed to get back to the hospital as soon as possible. They couldn’t waste time in ground zero. Plus, they all heard the sound of zoners approaching and they knew they had to leave before they were caught and taken to the station. They couldn’t afford delays.

Snap was confident that Penny would be able to figure something out. She was smart, intelligent, brilliant. She had helped them out of sticky situations, sometimes literal such as the taffy incident, many times. He was certain that she would be able to figure out if Cosmo’s plan was legit and if it was worth taking.

Snap hadn’t read everything that Cosmo wrote. Perhaps he would do more of that later, after they spoke with Penny about this. Maybe Cosmo might offer a clue to how to weaken Nihilanth. He knows they have to play it smart; strength won’t work against this guy. Snap was certain there was some way to fight against him without allowing him a chance to win. Perhaps a special part of ChalkZone or... No that wouldn’t work. Nihilanth created ChalkZone. His powers would work anywhere. Well it was a thought at least. He would keep trying to think of ideas.

“Okay, we’ll talk to Penny. But I’m still not so sure about this.” Dr. Raiden said softly, his ears lowering.

“Well neither are either of us, but unless you got a better idea...” Snap started to say.

Raiden cut him off. “I know!” He repeated in a softer voice. “I know...”

“Forming an alliance with the red chalk, and in a way the black chalk, it is a very risky plan. I don’t know how much truth Cosmo put in there, but I’m certain Penny might be able to figure it out.” Snap said as they continued walking down the street. “That’s why I think we should talk to her first before we make any final decisions.”

“Agreed.” Maalik said. “We definitely need to discuss this.” He lifted up his head and looked around. His tail wriggled from side to side as he said, “Not around here, though. This place...so desolate... It’s giving me the creeps.” He shuddered.

“Yeah me, too.” Raiden flinched as the various smells moved through his nostrils. “This reminds me too much of what happened with our hideout...”

At this, Snap’s eyes widened. He recalled how their hideout, which had once been Bardot’s, was destroyed by the light cannon. That blast ripped through the rock and shattered the place, leaving little areas they could move through. Many zoners were fried in that attack. Snap trembled once as he recalled some of the bodies they had come upon while they were heading out, using one of the only trails left they could use.

Snap felt horrible for the zoners that didn’t make it. What a way to go... Fried up in the one place they thought they would be safe. And many others.. He was certain there were survivors, but they couldn’t be reached. And those survivors, they are either dead, or they are going to be very soon. He clenched his teeth. He wished he could help them. But that area had been made off limits, a hazard zone. There was no way they could get into it without getting caught.

Snap also felt bad for Maalik and Raiden for having to witness that, as well as the other surviving Luminos. They lost almost everyone in that blast. They all lost friends and families because of the black chalk artists. Most of them wouldn’t even get a chance to be buried. The bodies were disintegrated. He had heard there would be an excavation soon to uncover any bodies that remained in tact, but that would only be a handful of the victims. He couldn’t imagine how awful it would be for zoners whose loved ones couldn’t be recovered, and thus could not get a proper burial.

Suddenly, a loud scream tore the trio from their thoughts. They stiffened up, their heads moving about, looking left and right. The scream came again, and this time it sounded closer. They turned their heads in the direction it was coming from. It came from down one of the few roads in this area that didn’t appear to be heavily damaged. They stared, watched and waited. Soon, not only did the scream return, but there was a choir of it, chilling the trio of zoners’ blood.

Moments later, they saw something move. Shadows casted on the wall, marking rapidly almost like the ripples of water resulted from a dropped stone. They got bigger, shorter, and continued to get closer. The three zoners whirled around to face the shadows completely. They took a defensive stance, unsure of what to expect as the shapes continuously got close to them. Then, after a few more seconds went by, they could finally see just who was approaching them.

It was zoners...a lot of them. And, to their horror, they all looked terrified. They were running away from something. Snap, Raiden, and Maalik gathered close to each other as the fastest zoners rushed past the, a few of them nearly hitting them. Then the slower zoners came and almost trampled them. The zoners were moving by so fast, so panicked, that they weren’t fully aware of their surroundings. They didn’t even bother to stop to tell them anything. The only thing they could get is one of the zoners shouting ‘run’ before disappearing with the others. Snap, Raiden, and Maalik turned their heads and watched as the zoners rushed down the street, disappearing from sight. They then looked back over, looking to see just what had scared the zoners so much.

It didn’t take them long to see just what had terrorized them. Heading straight in this same direction was another zoner. Snap couldn’t recognize the zoner from this distance, but he could already tell something was off about him. The zoner, identified as one of the common stick figure variety, appeared..blank. He couldn’t detect any kind of smile, and his movements..they seemed almost robotic. He was holding something in his hands. Some kind of dangerous-looking gun.

Only when the zoner got closer did Snap recognize him as the stick figure zoner that Jenny had put the mind control device in. His eyes widened at this realization. His eyes moved towards the zoner’s head, and sure enough, the nail was still in there, blood trails stained around the device. The zoner...was being mind controlled. Snap felt his heart skip a beat as horrific memories came flooding back to him. He took a few steps backwards, his body shaking.

“Snap...?” Maalik asked in a concerned voice. “What is it?”

Raiden had noticed what Snap was so afraid of. The cheetah’s pupils dilated in horror. “That zoner... He’s being controlled by someone...” He turned to look at Maalik. “I’m betting it’s Jenny.”

“Controlled?” Maalik looked back. He seemed to catch in quickly. “The mind control nail...” He sucked on his lip. “We have to get it out of him...”

“That won’t be easy. We have to stop him first.” Dr. Raiden said, his teeth bared. “He isn’t exactly going to roll over for us.”

“We need to get moving before he...”

Snap didn’t have a chance to finish his warning. All of a sudden, the stick figure zoner fired the weapon. A swirling vortex of energy shot towards them, spiraling and emitting a lot of heat. The three zoners let out a scream as they jumped to the side. The spiral energy slammed into the ground, cutting into the concrete and sending chunks of stone into the air. The three zoners ran around, avoiding the rocks that rained down on them.

Snap looked over and his eyes widened in horror as the stick figure zoner leveled the gun again. He could see the glow at the tip. He looked into the zoner’s eyes, seeing just how expressionless they were. It reminded him so much of what happened at Mr. Cosmo’s place. He recalled how the mind controlled zoners looked based on description of what Rudy and Penny saw. It was horrible...

Snap saw the zoner begin to press harder on the trigger. He turned to Maalik and Raiden. “He’s going to fire again!” He shouted in a panicked voice.

Seconds later, the stick figure zoner fired again.


	144. Mind Controlled Enemy

The spiral energy sailed through the air. There was a sizzling sound, and smoke permeating off of it. It was almost as through it was trying to set the air on fire. Snap, his eyes wide in horror, jumped to the side just as the blast sailed pasted him. He winced as he felt the heat of the blast next to him. It was so close... Another second later, and he would have been fried. There was a loud crack and the force threw him aside. When he collected himself, he looked over at where he had just stood.

Snap stared in horror at the spot where the blast landed. There was a black mark, even darker than what was already around him, right where he had been seconds ago. The ground was a little warped from the blast, and he could see steam rising from it. He took in a few shaky breaths, realizing that, just a few moments too late, he would have looked like that. He bit his lip as he looked back over at the mind controlled zoner. Already, the stick figure zoner was aiming straight for him.

Snap needed to figure out what to do and fast. The best thing was to disable the zoner somehow, but that wasn’t going to be easy. If Jenny or Ghadir, whoever was controlling the zoner, could see what he was doing, and he bet they did, no doubt they would try to counter any move he tried to make. They couldn’t just yank the nail out either; that could kill the zoner. They needed to figure out another way. Some method of blocking the signal and...

His eyes widened at this. That was it. Blocking the signal. He recalled how Mr. Wilter had prevented Mr. Cosmo from using the nail on him. He had put tin foil over him to block the signal so he couldn’t be controlled anymore. He recalled just how grateful he was that the man did that for him. It felt so wonderful to live without fear of the dreaded nail being activated. And since all it takes is something like tin foil... He wondered if any metal was enough to block the signal. If it was, then there was one thing they could try that might work, if they go about it in a smart way and not let Jenny or Ghadir realize what was really going on.

There was a building somewhere nearby that he knows has some metal intertwined with it. If he went through there, in the deepest part of the building, it was possible that the signal would become so weak, the zoner could regain control of his body. From there, they could speak with him and help him out. They could find some tin foil to block the signal more affectively and then get him to the hospital he and the others were going back to. Getting the nail out as soon as possible was very important. At least this zoner wouldn’t have the suffer the way he had when Mr. Cosmo used that darn nail. He could feel a tingling in his legs as he recalled how he had lost the use of them for a time.

Tricking the zoner to go into a metal building was not going to be easy. It was going to involve a lot of risk-taking, as they had to make sure the zoner saw them at all times. Dodging that weapon over and over was not going to be fun, but it was necessary for this to work. They also have to hope that Jenny and Ghadir don’t realize which one of these buildings has metal in it. If they do, they would be smart and not allow the zoner in there, thus making their plans a lot harder. They would be forced to drag the zoner in, which would be a lot more dangerous than what he was already thinking.

Snap turned to Raiden, the nearest of the two, and called out to him. “We need to lure him into that bank!” The bank was the first thought he had in regards to where to go. It was one of the buildings he knows has metal in it, closer than the initial one he thought. The vault was made of thick metal.

“The bank? But why?” Dr. Raiden cried as he dodged another blast. “He doesn’t exactly have any indication that he needs to deposit some cash!”

“We need to block the signal!” Snap called back. “Metal will block it!”

Dr. Raiden’s eyes widened a little at this. He looked back at the mind controlled zoner. His eyes narrowed a little, and he contemplated what Snap said for a few moments. He looked back at Snap and said, “Well okay... But how do you propose we do that? We can’t just go up and ask him to follow us.”

“We make him follow by fighting back. We make the black chalk artists want to chase us, and we can get them to send the zoner in that building.” Snap explained. “Once there, we can help him. He should revert back to his original state as soon as he is free of the device’s control.”

Maalik, who had gotten close to them after dodging yet another attack, came close to Snap. He nodded his head in agreement. “That sounds like it might work.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It is a risk if the black chalk artists know about which of these buildings have metal in them and which don’t... But... It’s not like we have much of a choice.” He paused for a moment. He then added, “Well not unless we decide to mercy kill the zoner but..I wouldn’t recommend that.”

“No, of course not.” Raiden shook his head. “That would be the last thing we need right now. Another misdeed to add to our list.” Dr. Raiden furrowed his eyes, clearly thinking about how he and the other Luminos had treated Snap and his friends. Snap wondered if he was going to go on a rant about how wrong he was, but he was thankful that wasn’t the case and Dr. Raiden was quick to return to the topic at hadn. Reopening his eyes and staring at Snap and Maalik, he said, “How do you propose we go about this? Any specific plan?”

“Yeah...” Snap nodded his head once. He looked over and saw the zoner hadn’t leveled his weapon again...yet. He was walking closer, as if to get a better hit on them. It was clear they already had the zoner’s attention; he was no longer chasing that group of zoners. Good. That meant they could skip one part of the plan and get on with the next. He gave a sideways blance to Raiden and Maalik and said, “Mock attacks.”

Raiden blinked. “Mock attacks? As in, rush in, attack, get back?” Snap nodded his head. “A hunting strategy I think, to try to herd prey to a location...” His voice and eyes filled with revelation at that.

“It’s what Bardot did with me when I faced him. Of course, with me, he used it to freak me out and wear me down, not force me somewhere.” Snap explained. He held up a round hand in gesture. “But the same idea applies here. We can get the zoner to chase us by attacking, keep his attention on us, and get him to give chase.”

“The beam will be hard to dodge.” Maalik noted.

Snap nodded. “Yeah..it will be. But I think we can do it.” He looked at each of them and added, “Separation will likely help us succeed better. If we keep his attention on all of us at once, we could lure him to a spot without him realizing where he is. We can trick him better that way, and we would wear him out faster, too.”

“And once the signal is lost, we can speak with him, find out what happened.” Maalik said, his head moving up and down slowly. “Yes, I think I understand where you are getting at, Snap. Clever.”

Dr. Raiden folded his arms, his eyes narrowed. “Yeah, quite clever, however...” He clenched his teeth slightly. “There is the issue that Jenny and Ghadir might realize what we are doing and...”

“We just have to be careful.” Snap said. “And we have to try. If we don’t do something, that zoner is going to hurt so many innocents. You wouldn’t want that to happen, now would you?”

Raiden shook his head. “No..I don’t.”

“That’s the last thing that needs to happen.” Maalik agreed.

Snap gave a small smile. He was glad that these two understood where he was getting at. His plan to keep the zoner’s attention and disorient him using mock attacks was risky. He couldn’t lie about that. There was the constant threat of being caught in an energy beam attack. He knew those would be hard to dodge for long, especially if Jenny or Ghadir got wise and had the zoner blast an area in front of them to catch them off guard. But the end result, if they get this right, it would be so worth it.

Stopping this zoner was a priority. As much as he wanted to get back to Penny, he couldn’t just allow this zoner to be used this way. He had to help him. That’s what Penny would want him to do. Penny herself, as well as the hospital, was in no direct threat at the moment. But this zoner...the fact he is currently being mind controlled meant many innocents were now threatened. And, though it took him a little while to realize it, he recognized a few of the zoners that ran past him. The zoners that had helped him escape Ghadir. This was a revenge quest... Well he was not going to give those black chalk artists a chance at revenge.

He looked back over at the zoner. He saw him preparing to fire the gun again. He had gotten closer now, in clear position to shoot them. The feline zoners saw what he did, and they braced themselves. The three zoners watched and waited as the mind controlled zoner pulled his finger on the trigger, and sent out another spiraling energy blast towards them.

Seconds before it could hit them, they jumped to the side. Snap let out a howl of pain as he hit the ground painfully. He gripped his knee and pulled it to himself. He removed his hand and saw there was some red on there now. His knee was starting to bleed again. He seethed at this as he pushed himself off the ground. He stumbled forward as pain erupted in his knee, spreading throughout his let. He almost fell forward when Raiden rushed in front of him, positioned on all four. Snap grabbed onto the cheetah’s shoulders and held on, steadying himself.

“I think you and I should go together.” Dr. Raiden said, turning his head to look at Snap. “There’s no way you can run in you condition.”

“You aren’t in that great of shape either.” Snap said, eyeing the wounds Dr. Raiden obtained mostly from his fights with Dr. Urso.

Dr. Raiden smirked. “That might be, but I’m still in better shape to run than you.”

“He’s right.” Maalik called out from his position. He was on the other side of the street. “You will be an easy target.”

Snap wanted to argue with them. He wasn’t sure how well the plan would work if he went with one of the felines. But he knew they were right. His knee had been reinjured and his limp had gotten worse again. There was no way he was going to be able to dodge the attacks that well, not while his leg was giving out. He was going to need support, and it seemed that Dr. Raiden was his best best. This might make the plan a little harder to carry out, as now there were only two focal points and thus the zoner can concentrate on them more easily, but it was the best way to ensure his survival. Penny wouldn’t be happy with him if he went for the more suicidal option.

“Okay then.” Snap said. Gripping the cheetah a little tighter, he began to pull himself up. Dr. Raiden used his head to push Snap up. In a matter of moments, Snap was now on top of the cheetah’s back. Once he got himself situated, he looked over at the mind controlled zoner. “Let’s get this started.”

sss

“I can’t believe they escaped!”

“It’s been three days. Are you still angry about that?”

“Oh shut up! If it weren’t for you...!”

“How dare you blame me! You were the one who...”

Mr. Cosmo couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he listened to the ongoing argument. He pushed himself back in his swivel chair, keeping himself positioned away from the bickering subordinates. He was annoyed enough with their arguing. He didn’t need to see it as well. He would have interfered earlier, but he had decided to let them go at it. He had thought they would wear themselves out by now.

But no... His Rudy and Draow fought off and on for about an hour now. They both blamed the other for the escape of that other Rudy and friends. The counterparts had just...disappeared suddenly, even when Draow had a hold on that other Snap. The transporter that they used must have been running on a time limit. The realization of that told Mr. Cosmo that, even if they had succeeded in corrupting another Rudy, until he figured out his home world, he would be useless to them.

Yet despite the loss, Mr. Cosmo was not entirely upset. He, despite being the ringleader of this whole thing, was the least angry. He already had a Rudy by his side, and he was as loyal as he could hope for from a servant. Having another Rudy would have been great, but he didn’t need that right at this very moment. He could go on without a second Rudy.

But that wasn’t the only reason he wasn’t upset. Although he hadn’t mentioned it to Draow or his Rudy yet, there was a revelation he made that would make their loss not seem so...bad. That Rudy had black chalk in him. He had been touched by it. It might be from an alternate dimension, but the connection had still been made. He would trace the energy signature of that black chalk to locate the dimension that Rudy came from. They could take control of this other dimension. After all, they need supplies and he knew, sooner or later, they were going to run out.

He was not yet ready for the purification of this world. That deity he had learned about, he hadn’t yet found him. He needed to make sure he maintains control until that time. The worlds had been weakened, and, whenever he finds a way to awaken the deity, ChalkZone and the real world would join as one. He smirked. He looked forward to that day.

Suddenly, he heard a loud crash. He lifted up his head, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. He turned his chair over a little. Out of the corner of his grey-blue eye, he could see that Draow had pinned his Rudy on the ground. He wasn’t trying to hurt him or anything, but the bat wolf still had an aggressive posture. His fur was a little raised and his wings were spread out. His face was lowered and his teeth exposed. He was growling softly at his Rudy as the boy attempted to push him back.

“Get off of me, you oversized fleabag!” His Rudy shouted.

Draow lowered his ears. “Why should I? You’re not the boss of me!”

“I’m second in command!” His Rudy shouted back.

“Oh you wish...” Draow said, chuckling darkly. He spread his wings a little further. “Oh how you wish..”

“Enough!”

Mr. Cosmo would have let this go on a little longer. He knew that his Rudy and Draow wouldn’t actually hurt each other that badly. They were no longer enemies, and instead shared a rivalry more closer to siblings than anything. But that did, at times, make him feel like he was a parent, as there were moments, like now, where he had to interfere. He just couldn’t take their fighting anymore for one day. They had their fun.

Draow flattened his ears a little more. He looked over at Mr. Cosmo, his eyes wide in fear. His Rudy also looked a little frightened. The two exchanged an uneasy glance with each other. They looked back at their master. Draow lowered his head in submission as he stepped off of his Rudy. His Rudy then got up to his feet, bowing his head as well. The two didn’t look at him in the eyes. They kept their heads low, a silent apology. Mr. Cosmo turned himself completely around so he was now facing them. He glared at them both with his grey-blue eyes, his pupils a little smaller than usual.

Despite being angry, Mr. Cosmo did well to keep his composure. He had to, as he knew anger would cloud his judgment. He was the leader and he had to maintain control. If he didn’t, Draow and his Rudy would likely deteriorate faster and actually try to hurt each other. All their plans, they would go down the drain if he didn’t make sure to keep these two in line. If he weren’t around to control them, then he could only imagine the trouble these two would get into.

Cosmo got up from his seat. He pressed his hands on his desk, slamming them to make sure he got Draow and his Rudy’s attention. His grey-blue eyed leered at them. “Calm yourselves down. I will not tolerate this bickering any longer! This has gone on long enough! If you two argued while our enemies were around, they would be dancing circles around you!” At this, the two subordinates lowered their heads further. They turned their heads away, looking ashamed. Cosmo glared at them, but then sucked in a deep breath and spoke in a calmer voice, “Besides, I don’t fault either of you for what happened.”

At this, Draow and his Rudy looked at him, a little surprised. Cosmo hadn’t really give much input on what he felt. He only told them he was shocked by the turn of events, and disappointed. But he had never once indicated if he blamed them or not. Perhaps that was part of the reason for the bickering. They were probably trying to get themselves out of danger by pitting the blame on the other. Childish, but he came to expect that when these two were together. At certain times, they were like children.

Mr. Cosmo nodded his head, confirming what he had just said. “Yeah, that’s right. I blame neither of you for what happened. It was a mishap that we couldn’t have seen coming.” He moved back into his chair. He brought the chair close to the desk. He interlocked his fingers and he rested his chin on his hand. His eyes narrowed slightly in a thoughtful expression. “It was... an unfortunate loss, I know.” He looked back at them and smiled. “But we have not been set back. We do not need to... worry too much.”

“But master..” His Rudy started to say.

Mr. Cosmo raised his hand, silencing him. “Don’t worry, Rudy. I... haven’t given up completely.” His smile broadened a little. “I believe I know of a way I can get that other Rudy back.”

This brightened up the faces of his subordinates almost immediately. He knew it would. He watched them go from looking ashamed and defeated, to standing up taller, their eyes twinkling with anticipation. Their mouths tugged on their faces to form smiles. They exchanged knowing glances with each other. They both understood, even before he continued, what this could mean. They both knew that, despite the setback, they may be able to succeed in their plans after all. A delay of course, but that was better than nothing at all.

“You see... since the boy has black chalk inside of him...” Mr. Cosmo said. Even before he finished, the two subordinates grinned. They both knew what Mr. Cosmo was going to say. “We can track him down. He will be able to get a lock on the dimension he’s from...and go after him.” He lifted up his hand and held it out. Slowly, he curled his fingers inward. “We can, one day, make him ours.”

Draow chuckled at this. He folded his wings against his side. His wing claws pointed downward. “Excellent..” He said in a darkened voice. His teeth were bared in a nasty grin. “So...it seems your weak white chalk self hasn’t escaped yet...”

“Indeed. He may have thought he had gotten away...” His Rudy said as he looked down at his hand. He curved his fingers upwards, hooking them almost like they were claws. “But...it would seem he is going to...lead us right to him. Oh how rich that is going to be.” He looked up at Draow, giving him a sideways glance. “I do wonder how my counterpart will react when I kill his Snap, like I had with mine...”

At this, the two both burst into a brief, evil laughter. His Rudy folded his arms against his chest. His head was lowered slightly. His shoulders shook as he chuckled. Draow head his head thrown back, his muzzle pointed in the air. His laughs came, loud and long. If their enemies had heard this, it would surely chill them to the bone.

“Oh yes, I heard you mention that!” Draow said with a grin. “I wish I had been there to see it!”

His Rudy’s eyes twinkled. “Well, my friend...” The word ‘friend’ was said in a sort of sarcastic way, but it wasn’t intended to be offensive. “If I get a hold of that counterpart of mine’s Snap.. You will.” His eyes filled with a little insanity. “Oh you will...”

Mr. Cosmo kept quiet for a while, lost in his own thoughts. He wasn’t sure yet just how he was going to go about this. He wasn’t sure how long he was going to wait until he made a move. Not too long. But he still needed to come up with a plan. He had some problems with his dimensional machine. He would need to repair it first before he could get into that dimension. And when he did, he needed to figure out a plan to get that weak white chalk Rudy back here.

At least there was time, though. He was in no hurry to get the white chalk Rudy here. He was confident that he could wait as long as a year, and he would still have a chance at him. Not like he was going to wait quite that long, but still, no rush. He needed time to...complete his planning. One wrong move could ruin the whole thing. If he waited, perfected the plan, and then struck when the moment was right... Yes, it would be glorious.

But for now, he would wait. And besides, there was another matter to take care of. He was out earlier today, and he managed to...bring something back. He had yet decided what he was going to do. But no matter. There was still plenty of time to come up with something. And what better way to figure something out than discuss it with his subordinates? Sure, they might sometimes let their anger get the best of them, but they were still fun to negotiate with. They might have some...interesting suggestions on what to do with his latest...cargo.

Mr. Cosmo spoke up, interrupting the discussion going on between his Rudy and Draow. The two of them turned their heads to him. “There is another matter I would like to discuss with you two. I had forgotten to tell you.. I managed to...catch something today.”

“Oh? What do you mean?” Draow asked.

Mr. Cosmo chuckled. He pushed back in his chair and then he stood up. He made his way over towards the two. He watched as his Rudy and Draow lowered themselves in a submissive posture as he went towards them. He stopped a few feet in front of them, around the middle of the room. His eyes focused on the door behind them.

“I have managed to neutralize...the other one...”

At this, Draow and his Rudy look at each other, their eyes wide in shock. They looked back, silent and stunned. To confirm what he said, Mr. Cosmo smirked and odded his head once. This made the two servants look even more surprised. And then, slowly, they smiled.

“So...it seems she was finally caught, right?” His Rudy said with a grin.

Mr. Cosmo nodded his head. He waved his hand out in front of him, indicating the door behind them. His Rudy and Draow turned their heads as they saw the doors open up. Coming into the room were two emaciated, mind controlled zoners. They both wore blank expressions. They were gripping someone in their arms, dragging her across the ground with them. It took only seconds for Draow and his Rudy to recognize who this person was.

“At last...” Draow’s eyes widened, a sneer spreading across his face. “The elusive Ms. Saffron has finally been pulled out of her little burrow. How...” He wriggled his body from side to side once, scaping his talons across the ground. “..wonderful.”

His Rudy nodded his head in agreement. He folded his arms against his chest tightly. “I do wonder how it’ll feel to break her neck. Probably as good as it was to break Snap’s...”

“How dare you!” Ms. Saffron snarled at him, yanking her arms to try to free herself.

Cosmo knew she wouldn’t be able to free herself. He had no fear of that. He had beaten her up a bit to weaken her. Her body was a little dirtied up from when he had thrown her around. Some of her clothes were ripped. She had a few cuts and bruises on her as well as a few stains of blood. There was no way she was going to be able to break herself free. She was too weak, and injured enough that the mind controlled zoners could take advantage of that and force her on her knees. As she attempted to take a step forward, one of the zoners twisted her arm, causing her to cry out and stagger a little, nearly losing her footing.

Mr. Cosmo took a few steps towards the woman. He reached out and cupped her chin. She snapped her head back and snarled at him, prompting a chuckle from the man. He forced her head up, made her look at him in the eyes. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. Their eyes locked on. Those eyes, upclose.. He could see the defiance in her. He could see she was still willing to go against him, despite her current position. He...was going to have to do something..about that. And he knew just what he was going to do.

“Oh dear Rebecca Saffron...” Cosmo chortled, his breath hitting against the blonde woman’s face. “Oh the fun I’m going to have with you...” Ms. Saffron growled in response, her eyes flickering only a slight hint of fear. “So you’re showing some courage. Good.. My victims are always more fun to break when they resist. It’s been a while since I last got to toy with someone.” He put his arm around her and pulled her closer. “You will do fine..”

Ms. Saffron hissed, “Go fuck yourself...”

Mr. Cosmo was not fazed. He released her and took a step back. “Take her to the waiting chamber. I’ll be back later to...play with her.” His eyes twinkled at this.

With that, the zoners dragged Ms. Saffron out of the room.

sss

Snap let out a howl of pain as an energy blast struck nearby. The blast was so close, Snap could feel the burning sensation on his arm. When Dr. Raiden made an abrupt turn to dodge it, that added further irritation to his wounds. He held onto the cheetah tighter.

“Be careful!” Snap cried, his voice filled with panic.

Dr. Raiden glared towards him for a moment. “You’re not the only one who feels that, okay?” He turned his head, facing foward. “I don’t need you to tell me what to do!”

Snap gritted his teeth. He was silent at first. He continued to hold on as Dr. Raiden dodged from side to side, avoiding the oncoming energy blasts. Some rocks were blasted in the air, forcing the cheetah to jump and twist his body around just to avoid them. All this running around, turning, and jumping, it was aggravating Snap’s injuries. He clutched against the cheetah tighter, fearful that he was going to slip off.

Dr. Raiden nearly tripped over himself when a blast landed right in front of him. He let out a loud screech of surprise and jumped back, his tail poofed and raised in the air. Snap’s body quivered. He hadn’t expected the cheetah to move that fast. That move..he had almost lost his grip, nearly flew forward, where he would be vulnerable to an attack. He glared down at Raiden.

“I said be careful!” Snap shouted.

“Grr...I am!” Dr. Raiden cried. He continued to dash forward, his feet pounding the ground. “Do you really think I am purposely trying to get you hurt?” He paused at that. Seemingly realizing the irony of what he said, he added, “Well anymore, I mean...”

Snap continued to glare at the cheetah. “In case you haven’t noticed, Dr. Raiden...” Snap looked behind him, staring at the crazed mind controlled zoner coming after them. “It was your bouncing around that made us lose sight of Maalik!”

“I thought you wanted us to split up!” Dr. Raiden shouted back, his voice incredulous. “You said...”

“I know damn well what I said! And that isn’t what I meant!” Snap snarled in response. “I wanted us to separate yes, but I wanted us to remain close enough together that we can see where we are! That way, we can better plan and coordinate our moves!”

Snap recalled how, at first, they had done well in keeping an eye on each other. He and Raiden remained somewhat close to Maalik. Not too close; he still wanted them to be separate enough that they could disorientate the mind controlled zoner. But the tactic would only work so long as he, Raiden, and Maalik remained in sight of each other, as well as the mind controlled zoner. This would force the zoner to constantly choose between multiple targets, thus making the time to make the decision longer. By separating enough so that only one of them was in sight, that made things easier for the mind control zoner.

And he and Dr. Raiden were experiencing the aftermath of that. As they dodged left and right, Snap knew that this had resulted from them losing sight of Maalik. The mind control zoner obviously couldn’t see him either, as he was focusing only on them. He could hear the zoner rushing across the ruined streets of ChalkZone City, his breathing heavy and rapid. Without Maalik to help them out, he and Raiden were being relentlessly attacked. He didn’t know how long the cheetah would last like this.

Despite how angry he was, he didn’t let his anger get to him. As much as he knew that Dr. Raiden’s quick movements and speed did make them lose sight of Maalik, he couldn’t lie that they weren’t useful. The moves did help get them out of tight spots a few times. And it wasn’t like Raiden purposely wanted to lose sight of Maalik.

Right now, instead of being angry at Raiden, he should focus on how to get themselves out of this mess. They were nowhere near the bank yet. They had to keep moving. They had to keep running and try to locate that bank. At least the zoner was still following them. That was one good thing out of this mess. As long as he could keep the zoner’s attention on them, and get them to follow them to the bank, they would have a chance to at least free the zoner from the mind control device.

Dr. Raiden jumped into the air as another blast of heated energy sailed past them. He heard a whine from the cheetah as his tail’s tip was partially singed. The cheetah landed against the wall of a partiall demolished building. His claws dug into the hard surface. He didn’t stay there for long. Using endurance Snap wasn’t sure was possible for the cheetah, Dr. Raiden began to scale up the surface of the building, moving up vertically. His claws gave him the traction he needed to keep moving up.

Soon they reached the top of the building. Dr. Raiden paused and turned around. He looked down, his tail swishing from side to side. He moved back as the zoner fired at him. The energy blast sailed through the air, exploding in the space above them. He and Snap looked up at this in horror. They could both feel the heat even from where they stood. They looked back down and saw that the zoner was going to fire again. But dread rose in the two zoners’ hearts as they realized the next target was not them, but instead the weak building they were on...

Dr. Raiden wasted no time. He swiveled his body around and began to ru nas fast as he could. He raced across the top of the building, his feet slamming the ground with great force. Snap held on tightly. He knew the cheetah was fast, but he was not going to be fast enough to get off the building and onto the next one in time. And he was, unfortunately, proven right. With a loud bang, he could hear the cracking sound of the support of the building giving way, and, in seconds, the ground beneath them began to loosen and crumble.

Dr. Raiden was knocked from side to side as he ran. His eyes were wide in horror as his feet had less and less footing on the ground. Multiple cracks spread throughout, and chunks had already begun to fall down. Dr. Raiden didn’t give up and he started to push himself harder. He moved around the roof, being very careful only to run along the portions that were still intact, carefully moving away when these began to crumble as well. Snap winced as he heard the loud cracking sound as pieces of the building fell. And when the ground beneath them began to sink downward, he let out a scream of terror.

In seconds, the ground beneath them broke completely apart, the cracks having joined together. The two zoners let out a series of screams as they plummeted downwards, their eyes wide in horror and dread. Large rocks fell down with them, crashing below, the sound verberating off the walls of this abandoned, dark building. The smell of dust was everywhere, but the two zoners barely registered any of the details around them. They continued to fall down, going straight towards the bottom of the tall building, where there laid a bunch of jagged rocks, poised to slice them open.

Snap watched as they got closer. Time seemed to slow down for him. Everything happened..so slowly now.. He looked around, seeing all the details of what was going on. The way the smallest of the rocks were falling around them, the way Raiden’s face was contorting as they fell, the way they were moving around slowly in a circle as Raiden appeared to be trying to twist his body around so he could keep them from falling to their deaths.

Snap then looked down at the jagged ground below them. He could practically see his life flashing before his eyes. Realizing that there may be no way to escape this, the zoner slowly closed his eyes. He waited for the blow to come.

Then, without warning, there was a blur of color flashing underneath them, beside them. Snap was suddenly aware of some kind of pressure. He and Raiden were suddenly knocked to the side by something large and heavy. They let out a scream as they were thrust into one of the shattered levels of the building, a portion that, against all odds, was still standing. The two of them rolled across the floor as they landed in a heavy thud. They shook their heads and looked over to see what had happened.

There, standing before them, was Maalik himself. The lion zoner was down on all fours. His body was covered in cuts and scrapes. His eyes were wide, filled with worry. He clenched his teeth fearfully as he stared at the two zoners. He took in quick, deep breaths, his tongue hanging out for a moment. Once he caught his breath, he took a step forward.

“Are you two okay?” Maalik asked.

Dr. Raiden was stunned. After a few seconds, he found his voice. “Y-Yeah...we are..” He paused for a moment. “Thanks...”

“How did you..?” Snap started to ask. He was stopped when there was another explosion, and the building wobbled from side to side. He let out a scream and held on tighter to Dr. Raiden.

“Let’s save the questions for later.” Maalik said, his voice filled with urgency. He lowered his body, tensing up as another crash rang through the building. He stared at Dr. Raiden and Snap. “Let’s just get out of here!”

The two zoners needed no further prompting. They followed Maalik close behind as they raced to escape the crumbling building.


	145. There Was A Catch

The building was coming down fast and hard all around them. Snap gripped Raiden even tighter, pressing his body against him as he looked around. Above them, light shined through as there was now a gaping hole in the ceiling. Dust was kicked up into the air everywhere, making it a little hard to see. The walls of the building wobbled back and forth and soon started to crumble down. It was almost like dominoes, and someone had removed the vital piece.

Dr. Raiden and Maalik ran across the ground, showing skills in agility as they jumpe and twisted to avoid the falling rocks. As much as this irritated Snap, he didn’t say a word as he knew there was not much of a choice. Again and again, rocks pounded around them, and the light started to go away as they were being surrounded. Snap looked left and right. He could see that many of the paths were now blocked. The openings that remained were breaking apart and fast. If they didn’t get out of here soon, they were all going to be trapped.

So far, they were doing a good job with keeping themselves away from the falling debris. Snap and the two zoners were growing increasingly nervous as the cracking sounds around them became louder and more numerous. But for the most part, they managed to keep dodging the debris, though they had a few close calls. Snap couldn’t stifle his screaming whenever a large rock fell dangerously close and Dr. Raiden just barely dodged it. If they could keep this up, they just might be able to get out of here alive.

Snap thought about having these two zoners use their powers to make a walkway of sorts out, but he realized that might not be practical. He didn’t know the full limitations of their powers, and all this debris falling down, it was possible that they would not be able to react quickly enough to them. He could imagine Maalik losing concentration and all that debris falls on them, crushing them, or Raiden’s metal finger being bent and broken and those pieces flying everywhere... Yeah it would not be a very pleasant thing. Definitely not a good idea to use those powers, at least not in here.

Snap looked all around as they kept running through the maze of rubble and debris. He wondered just where the mind controlled zoner was. The zoner was outside, and that’s all he knew. He could be anywhere. He could attack from any angle. This caused him to shiver in fear. He looked left and right, knowing that, at any point, any of these portions could begin to crumble down. The zoner had the element of surprise on his side. Sure, the zoner might not know their relative location, but neither did they, and this zoner is the one with a weapon of mass destruction.

“Where do we go?!” Dr. Raiden cried. He looked left and right, trying to find a way to get out. There were no paths of escape that he could see. This caused the cheetah’s face to contort into fear. “This place is falling down too fast!”

“Just keep going!” Maalik cried. The lion’s heart was beating so hard, both Raiden and Snap could hear it. “Don’t stop and think! Just keep on running!”

And that’s exactly what the trio of zoners did. As more pieces fell down, crashing all around them, they kept dodging. Left and right they went, narrowly missing getting crushed. They climbed around and through twisted rubble that laid in their path. They slid down a few piles of debris, nearly losing their footing a few times. As another large piece landed in front, the feline zoners, with Snap in tow, leaped over them, landing on the rock and then jumping off, landing a few feet in front of the rock. They then continued running.

They focused on one particular opening. It was straight ahead. There was light coming out. It was the exit. They briefly looked behind them, and were horrified when they saw a practical rain of rocks falling everywhere close behind them. The building was really coming down now. They looked out ahead. The path to this exit wasn’t entirely clear. They had to rush around narrow passages created by the crumbling building, but they still managed to keep on the path, to keep their eyes set directly to this opening.

Then, without warning, another blast of energy ripped through the building. A large beam, which held up part of this big room, whatever it used to be, and then there was a loud crack. Slow, almost rumbling like thunder, the crack spread up from the bottom of the floor up towards the ceiling. The three zoners didn’t dare look to see the broken beam. They could hear it creak as it began to topple. They sped up their running, hoping they would be able to get out of the way in time.

The beam toppled down in front of them. The three zoners let out screams of horror as they scrambled to stop themselves. The beam broke in several pieces as it kicked up a cloud of dust. They coughed, closing their eyes and turning their heads away. Seconds later, they reopened their eyes and looked behind them. More of the building was now weighing down towards them. With the lack of this support, this whole room was going to collapse completely. The three zoners looked at each other in horror.

Quickly recovering from the initial shock of nearly having the building crash down on them like this, the three zoners climbed over the large support beam. Once on the other side, they continued to run. Left and right, more support beams were knocked down. They crashed all around them, forcing Raiden and Maalik zigzagged across the ground. As soon as they would jump in one direction, they would immediately have to turn into another. There was hardly any time to react as debris after debris kept crashing around them, nearly injuring them in the process.

Snap felt fear rise up in his heart as he looked up and the ceiling just in front of the entrance was coming down now. The two feline zoners, though scared as well, just kept on running. The fact that they weren’t stopping, and instead were speeding up, caused Snap to panic. The debris was falling down too fast. Were...were they going to make it?

“What are you doing?!” Snap’s heart pounded against his chest. He held onto Dr. Raiden, his wide, fear-filled eyes looking up at the ceiling above them. “We’re not going to make it!”

Dr. Raiden’s ears flattened against his head. “Oh yes we are..”

With that, the cheetah pushed himself harder. His pounding feet echoed in the creaking, crumbling building. He looked up, his pupils dilating as he saw the debris coming down towards them. He then looked at the door, his eyes narrowed in determination. He licked his lips and then pressed all four of his feet in one spot on the ground. In a few nanoseconds, he tensed up his muscles and then, without a moment’s hesitation, pushed himself forward.

The two zoners sailed through the air. Everything felt like it was going in slow motion. Snap looked around, his eyes rapidly taking in information, seeing all the details. It was almost like time stopped..and then was moving forward slowly. A slow motion button had been pressed, and there was no stopping it. He looked in front of them. They were getting closer to the exit as the seconds passed. He looked above him. A long piece of ceiling, bigger than any other chunk they had to dodge, was only about twenty feet above them. Taking in a sharp gasp, he clutched to Dr. Raiden, lowered his head, and closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the inevitable blow.

They soon crashed into the ground. Snap felt the slow motion around him suddenly break, and now everything was moving at the normal pace. He and Raiden slid across the ground, letting out screams as they spun in circles. They came to a stop several feet away. Snap rubbed his head, letting out a soft groan of pain. He looked over at where they had jumped from. He could see they were now outside of the building, back on the street. A few seconds after he registered this, he could see a shape form in the smoke that pillowed out of the door, coming towards them fast.

It was Maalik. The lion zoner leaped out of the building seconds after Raiden and Snap had. The lion zoner landed on the ground not far. His feet slipped out from underneath him. He fell into the ground and skidded painfully across the hard concrete. He toppled into a somersault and landed a few feet behind them. The lion zoner pushed himself up, brushing off his body and shaking his head. The three zoners exchanged glances of worry with each other. They then looked over at the building in front of them.

It took only a couple seconds later for the building to come crashing down. The entrance was crushed in less than a few seconds, more smoke being pushed out of it. Loud creaking and the sound of rocks crumbling echoed all around. The three zoners watched in horror as the building they were just in became a giant pile of rubble. The smoke soon cleared, revealing the twisted mesh of rock and concrete and marble. A few large rocks, that were once part of the ceiling or from the upper floors, rolled down, their clanging sound being heard quite clearly in the quietness of the empty streets.

The three zoners stared at this in shock. They looked at each other, and then back at the rubble. The realization that, if they were just seconds too late, they would have been trapped underneath there caused waves of dread to shoot through their bodies. Their hearts nearly froze as bouts of ice shot through their bodies. Trembling, shaken up, they took a few steps back away from the crumbled building. Their minds were almost numb, racing with thoughts of only of the fact that they nearly died. Everything else around them was more or less a dark void.

This didn’t last long. They were brought back to full alertness when, without warning, a spiral blast of energy shot towards them. Shaking their heads and getting themselves out of their state of shock, Snap, Raiden, and Maalik immediately moved out of the way. They reached a little too slow, however, and they all let out screams as a small, tiny portion of their body was slighlty burned. They hissed, clenching their teeth, as they examined the part of their body that had been grazed. They could see a small red mark on themselves now, the evidence of the beam left behind on them. They looked in the direction the beam had come from.

The stick figure zoner was walking towards them now. His weapon was leveled up to them. He moved along the rubble, staying close to it. His blank eyes stared straight at them. The sight of it was chilling to the three zoners. It was scary enough that they were being chased by a zoner who had no control over himself. But it was downright terrifying that this zoner had no reaction at all. No facial expression changes. It was like he was nothing more than a robot with a zoner’s skin covering its body. And the scary part was..that could happen. If Jenny and Ghadir were sick enough, they would do something as horrible as this...

Snap stared at the zoner, his mind running with thoughts of what happened when he had the mind control device in his head. He recalled how helpless he felt, how terrified that he could not do anything on his own. His body was no longer his to command. Mr. Cosmo played with him like he was some video game character. He wasn’t the only one to suffer like this, to be used like a mere tool. But he was one of the two zoners who got the worst end of it.

Snap’s mind was not nulled when the mind control device was activated. This meant he could feel all the pain of it being in use. He could feel the electricity coursing through his body. He was fully aware, and that was the worst part. He knew what he was doing and he couldn’t stop. He remembered how terrified he was when he kept hurting Rudy and Penny, and having no way to stop himself. Dr. Raiden also had it bad. He wasn’t even mind controlled; he was dominated and abused. Cosmo had tortured him horrifically and used that to keep Dr. Raiden in line. That must have been horrible as well. To not be mind controlled but sitll forced to do something horrible.

Snap heard a low growl from the two feline zoners. Still on all fours, they took a fighting stance. Their fur raised on end. Their eyes blazed with anger and determination. Their long, sharp teeth were exposed at the zoner. They watched intently as the zoner moved in front of them. The stick figure zoner raised the weapon, aiming it straight at them. Snap could feel the cheetah’s legs move and tense up as he prepared to jump out of the way. Snap pressing himself against the cheetah, keeping his arms wrapped around him in preparation, not wanting to fall. The stick figure zoner began to pull the trigger.

Suddenly, without any warning, a portion of the ruined building, which had remained standing for a time, crumbled down now. The zoner looked up, staring with that same eerie expression as the portion crashed down. Snap, Raiden, and Maalik gasped in horror, looking on with wide eyes as the rock crashed into the zoner, knocking him into the ground. There was a sickening crash as the zoner’s right arm was bent at an odd angle. With no scream of pain, no signs of agony, the zoner laid there on the ground, the large piece of rock now positioned over his body. The weapon dropped out of his hands.

The three zoners stared at this for a couple minutes, stunned by what had just happened. The zoner that had been chasing them now laid unconscious on the ground, with no speck of pain anywhere to be found on his face. This added a level of uneasiness to the whole thing. They exchanged uncomfortable glances at each other. If Snap hadn’t seen this zoner earlier, he would have thought he was just a mere robot. But he knew that this zoner was anything but. He knew just how expressionate he was from his brief introduction earlier. Now, thanks to that mind control device, he was just...blank.

Slowly, the trio walked over to the unconscious zoner. Their steps were light, tentative, as if they had a feeling the zoner would spring into action without giving them any warning. They clenched their teeth, their eyes wide and focused, walking forward slowly. They were careful with each step they took. They never took their eyes off the zoner. They waited and watched for any sign of movement. So far, there was no sign of life other than breathing, but they all knew that could change. Who’s to say Jenny couldn’t control an unconscious zoner?

But miracously, the zoner never moved as they got close to him. Still as stone he laid, and when they were now standing two feet in front of him, he never moved an inch. His body was limp on the ground, still pinned down by that rock. He was on his stomach, his face turned to the side. His broken up was crushed underneath his body at an odd angle. His legs were crossed and laid limply behind him. His remaining arm laid stretched out in front of him, his fingers slightly curved as the tension from them was gone. And not far from that hand was the gun he had been using to terrorize them. Or rather, that’s what Jenny or Ghadir had been doing.

Maalik took position beside the zoner. He knelt down onto one knee. He reached down and pressed his finger against the unconscious zoner’s neck. A few seconds later, he turned to Snap and Raiden. “His heartbeat is weakening. Another reason we have to take him to the hospital.”

Dr. Raiden nodded his head. “Well, at least we don’t have to find that bank now.” He stared at the mind control device. He flinched as his pupils noted the blood trails on the zoner’s forehead. “I never thought I’d have to look at that again..”

“Do you...” Snap said, a little hesitant. He bit his lip. He continued, “...d-do you think he’s going to be...okay?” He slowly turned his head to look up at the cheetah. “That nail is in there pretty deep.”

Dr. Raiden didn’t reply for a few seconds. The silence worried Snap. The cheetah knew more about medical conditions than he did. After all, he was a doctor. And that silence seemed to strongly indicate that something was wrong. Snap stared at the cheetah in silent anticipation, hoping that it wasn’t as bad as he thought it was going to be. But the way the zoner was biting his lower lip... The way he closed his eyes in an almost sorrowful manner... Oh no..

“I’m..not sure to be honest.” Dr. Raiden finally said. He kept his head turned away from Snap, his teeth clenched as he wore a regretful expression. “Only time will tell. Only time...”

Snap stared down at the stick figure zoner. He shook his head once in denial. He may not have known this zoner for long, but to see another zoner suffer the way he had... It was unbearable. Just what had this zoner done to deserve this kind of fate? All he had wanted to do was keep his fellow zoners safe... Was that so wrong?

Snap felt his body tremble in anger. Jenny..out of the two remaining black chalk artists, he knew that she was the one who was behind this. She was the one who stole this zoner’s freedom. She was the one who drilled that nail into his head, most likely while he was still awake. She was the one who forced him to attack his former comrades. She’s the reason he’s trapped under this rubble. She...she was going to pay for this. She has gotten away with hurting zoners for too long. She was going to get her comeuppance, somehow, some way.

He would see to that.

“Dr. Raiden. Snap.” Maalik called out. The two zoners turned their heads to him. The lion cast his golden eyes down towards the unconscious zoner on the ground. He lowered himself down, gripping the slab of rock tightly. “Help me lift this up.”

Snap got off of Dr. Raiden’s back. He winced as he took a few steps. His knee was still bothering him. But he managed to set aside the pain the best he could walk over to the downed zoner. He and Dr. Raiden both took position. Grabbing onto the slab of rock, the three zoners counted and then, working together, they began to lift it up.

sss

Dr. Varrick sat down in the chair, leaning back against it. His gaze was towards the ground. He was hardly aware of anything around him. He wasn’t aware that, right next to him, was Dr. Lancer, the same zoner that he, just a couple hours ago, had attacked mentally. He had shut the door; right now, he didn’t really want to be bothered. His mind swirled with thoughts with what he had said, and the more he thought about them, the more he began to feel...uncomfortable.

He turned his head, giving a brief, sideways glance at Dr. Lancer. The hippogriff zoner hadn’t yet woken up. She laid on her back, multiple equipment hooked up to her body. Her breathing came in slow and steady. If it weren’t for the fact that she just had major surgery to fix her back up, as well as other wounds, he would have thought she was just sleeping. That’s certainly what it looked like, with how calm her expression is. She just looked so...peaceful.

Varrick sucked on his lip as he thought back to what King Mumbo Jumbo had said to him. He recalled being surprised at first, with how the tortoise had rejected the way he had treated Dr. Lancer. He thought that the king would have understood that the hippogriff deserved it after she murdered a human. A monster of a human yes, but still another living being. Dr. Lancer had went against the oath, went against her orders, and hurt him so much that he ended up dying.

And it wasn’t like he and the doctors would have really killed her. Yeah, he did say that they would have been better off just tossing her to Draow. But it wasn’t like they were actually going to do it...right? They would never break the code. If someone was in trouble, regardless of who they were, they would help. Even Draow was getting treatment, he heard, and that monster deserved it even less than he felt Dr. Lancer did.

He thought about how Mumbo Jumbo indicated he didn’t really believe him when he said the doctors wouldn’t purposely hurt the hippogriff. They were angry with her. They had ever right to be. But they couldn’t kill her. They’d never do that. The tortoise was being paranoid. He was blowing it all out of porportion...or so he had thought. The more Varrick thought about it, the more he realized that...Mumbo Jumbo did have a legit reason not to turst him. He had talked pretty nastily about and to Dr. Lancer, and he had been outright cold to her the last time he saw her awake.

He and the other doctors didn’t really think they did anything wrong. Not at first. They ostracized Dr. Lancer because she had killed someone. They wanted to punish her. They wanted to strip her of her status and keep her away from the patients. This was all done to make sure she didn’t hurt anyone else. They didn’t want her taking her rage out on someone else. Varrick had long believed that once someone got the feel of bloodshed, they were likely to keep going. It was like an addiction. And Dr. Lancer certainly got plenty of that when she harmed Tyreek. Her and Quirk.

But...could they really have taken things too far? Mumbo Jumbo certainly believed that. The tortoise refused to let him in the room ever since their chat. The tortoise had no desire to speak to him, and Dr. Varrick soon realized that Mumbo Jumbo might be teaching him a lesson. The other doctors had pushed Dr. Lancer aside like she was nothing, and he was doing the same thing to him. The feeling certainly wasn’t great, and he thought, for a moment, if this really was what Dr. Lancer was feeling.

He soon came to realize that Mumbo Jumbo was right. He and the other doctors really hadn’t been fair to Dr. Lancer. She had made a horrible mistake, but she was willing to make up for it. She was willing to do what it took to atone for her actions. She hadn’t even tried to hurt anyone else after the incident with Tyreek. She had never acted aggressive or dangerous before, either. She had always been good with the patients, and she was always such a dedicated doctor. Then she makes one mistake and they continue to pusnih her for it. They really hadn’t been all that fair to her. If anything, they were treating her worse than they accuse her of being.

He flinched as he thought back to the last discussion he had with her before her surgery. He had pretty much told her she was a waste of space, that all the equipment being used to help her was just wasting things. He had treated her like she was lower than dirt and had told her she deserved to be dragged off by their mortal enemy, even going as far as saying that they would all be better off if that happened.

At the time, he thought he was just dishing out a little justice. He thought she deserved having that said to her. After all, she had killed someone. Murdered them... She had been told to just get information and that was it. She was not supposed to harm Tyreek unnecessarily, and she wound up torturing him to death. He thought that his words to her wouldn’t have affected her. He thought she was too far gone to really feel much guilt, and had dismissed her claims of ‘accident’ and ‘wanting to atone’ as just her desperate attempt to not get punished.

But now as he recalled the incident, he couldn’t help but shudder at how cold his words had sounded. He was unncessarily cruel to her. Come to think of it, they all had been unnecessarily nasty to her. She was already going to get arrested. Wasn’t that enough? Why did they have to continue beating her down, especially when she was clearly sorry for what she had done. Never once had she tried to defend her actions, and he clearly recalled her spending some time alone, sobbing over her mistake.

And yet..despite that, he and the other doctors had treated her like crap ever since the incident. They ignored the pain she was going through and just slapped her with the title of ‘heartless villain’, despite the fact that she was clearly anything but. She made a mistake and she was willing to get punished for it, but they were taking things too far. They weren’t acting much like good guys right now, were they?

He turned his head and looked over at Dr. Lancer. He watched as she continued to take in slow, slightly shallow breaths. The sight of this made him wince. It reminded him of the fact that he had sentenced another living being to death, and to someone who...as he thought about it, didn’t really deserve it. How could he have said those things to her? Yeah, he was angry...but that still was no excuse. Looking at her, he no longer saw the villain, but another patient who had nearly been killed trying to save the hospital.

This realization made him take in a shuddering breath. She might have been the reason the hospital was attacked. If Draow knew that she was the reason Tyreek was dead, and he had no doubts that bat wolf would have figued that out, then he likely attacked the hospital just to get to her. But she still fought back. Dr. Lancer was the only doctor who tried to fend off Draow. What did he and the other doctors do? Run and hide like the cowards they were. Dr. Lancer’s words echoed in his mind.

“At least I managed to keep Draow's attention on me... I saw you were down there too, with the other doctors. You ran like a coward.”

He had been angry at the time. He was so tempted to punch her for saying that. But..she was right. She was absolutley right. He did hide. They all did. The ones who weren’t ushering patients to safety, they all just hid, including himself. Instead of coming to help stop Draow, they just left Dr. Lancer and Quirk alone to fight him. And then a patient named Quet showed he had more courage than any of them and attacked Draow himself, despite his wounds. He ended up getting hurt more, something that could have been avoided if they had just done their job and fought Draow.

Dr. Varrick could recall in detail how bravely Dr. Lancer fought against the larger, stronger zoner. Even as she got hurt, she still fought back. And the cost of her bravery was a broken back and being emotionally tormented by the other doctors in her time of need. He felt a brief hint of tears in the back of his eyes. He couldn’t believe just how cruel they had acted. It was bad enough how they treated her before. But to continue that when she was so mortally wounded... That was just plain cruel.

He knew what he had to do. As he sat in the chair, waiting for her to wake up, he resolved to do the right thing. He wasn’t sure how she was going to respond to this, but he knew he had to do it anyway, regardless of her reaction.

He was going to apologize to her.

He didn’t expect forgiveness. He didn’t expect her to accept his apology. In her positio, he would understand why she wouldn’t want to forgive him. But he knew he still had to do it. It was the right thing to do. He had done wrong, and he should own up to that instead of just being a coward and running away. He was still angry with her for disobeying orders. But he was just as angry at himself for acting like the monster he blamed her to be.

He knew he had to try to set things right. He knew he had to attempt to mend the dent in their professional relationship that had formed. He had to stop treating her like she was garbage. He was being very unfair to her. He had to make things right again. As soon as she woke up, he was going to apologize.

Moments later, he heard a sound. Something long, continuous, and irritating. He tried to ignore it, but this only lasted a couple of seconds. He soon realized just what that sound was. The realization caused his heart to fill with chilling ice. He swiveled his head, his eyes wide and big. He stared at the heart monitor. The line..it was straight. Completely straight. And the chest, it no longer rose and fell. Dr. Lancer had flatlined.

Dr. Varrick stared in horror at this. His mind tried to register just what had happened. Seconds later, he jumped from the chair and rushed to her side. He held his trembling hands over her body, watching her as the flatline sound continued to echo in his mind. He stared at her chest, hoping that, soon, it would start moving again. His body started to shake with emotion. He turned his head to the large red button. He wasted no time. He slammed his fist against it, causing an alarm to set out where the other doctors were.

As he waited for help to arrive, Dr. Varrick reached down and placed his hand gently on Dr. Lancer’s cheek. “You’ll be okay. I promise..” He whispered to her.

Then, as he heard footsteps nearby, knowing the other doctors were coming, Dr. Varrick did the only thing he could think of to try to bide the hippogriff sometime. He began to perform CPR on her.

sss

Penny laid down in the hospital bed, leaning back against the pillow. She turned her head, looking outside. Snap and the two Luminos zoners have yet to return. She hoped they were okay. She hoped they didn’t run into anything dangerous during their stay there. She had no idea if Nihilanth was going to leave that destroyed part of ChalkZone City alone or if he was going to send some monstrosities there to finish the job or what. She wouldn’t put it past him to do something like that.

She hoped that Snap was able to find some information that they could use to stop Nihilanth. If the library was still intact, surely it would have some kind of information, right? She knew that library, the same one she and Snap went to before, had a ton of information. That was how they learned the whereabouts of Moonlit Gardens, where the chartreuse chalk had been located.

Chartreuse chalk... Her stomach twisted in knots at that name. It was a name she had come to learn to hate. She couldn’t believe that they had fallen for that trick. That darn chalk...it was a big reason why Rudy had suffered the way he had. It had been the trigger of the flesh-to-chalk disease. It was because of the chartreuse chalk that more and more of his insides beame chalk, why he was in so much agony, why he nearly bled to death internally. She could only imagine how guilty Barney must have felt when he gave it to them, unable to warn them of what it really does.

But that was done and over with now. Penny pushed those thoughts aside, reminding herself that the ordeal was over. Rudy was no longer suffering the disease.. But now they had something else to worry about. Rudy had been taken over by the black chalk, by Nihilanth himself. It was a horrifying fate, and she wasn’t sure which was worse. Slowly dying or being controlled like a puppet...

Hopefully, Maalik, Raiden, and Snap would find something in that library...if the library was still around. She didn’t know just how big the blast radius was or just how damaging it had been. She didn’t know how many zoners were killed in the process, and how many more were injured. She heard bits and pieces from the doctors here, and none of it was any good. It seemed like, every hour, there was at least one new patient that had come from the damaged area of ChalkZone City. Those poor zoners...

Penny’s heart twisted in a knot. She knew that there was no reason for ChalkZone City to be attacked. Nihilanth did it only to demonstrate his power. It was unncessarily cruel and violent for him to do such a thing. He didn’t need to bomb a heavily populated portion of ChalkZone City just to prove how ‘strong’ he was. How sickening and vile... He truly was a monster. The biggest one they had met. That was really fitting, seeing how he was the biggest player in all of this. He, or rather the black chalk that he’s a manifestation of, is what started this whole mess, from corrupting Cosmo to now turning Rudy against the place he was supposed to protect.

And she knew it was just going to get worse from there. Unless they find a way to free Rudy from the black chalk, to free him from Nihilanth’s control, they were all screwed. They stood very little chance with fighting against the deity directly. They need to remove his power sources, which were both Rudy and Barney. Without them, he was defenseless. But finding a way to do that wasn’t going to be easy. Freeing Rudy of the black chalk would be a step in the right direction. But there was still more they had to do after that, and she knew Nihilanth would put up a fight. He would not go down so easily.

As she continued to lay on the bed, her thoughts turned to Dr. Urso. She bit her lip. She hadn’t heard a word about that bear lion for some time. She wondered if she was doing okay. Dr. Raiden’s attack on him earlier, tearing his lung like that, it did lead to some complications. The last she heard, he was put in his own room where he was waiting for surgery. But that was a few hours ago. She hadn’t heard any new development with him. Was he in surgery? Was he out of surgery and in the recovery room?

Penny wanted to go see him. She hadn’t really thanked him properly for saving them in the arena. That had to have taken a lot of guts to do what he did. To charge head long into danger like that, with a bloody hole in the chest, in a room filled with, at the time, enemies... She wanted to show her appreciation for what he had done for them. If it weren’t for him, they wouldn’t be here.

Dr. Urso had helped them out in the past as well. He saved Snap’s life twice. He was the reason he survived Mr. Cosmo’s torture on him. It was Dr. Urso who decided to do the risky surgery to remove the nail, which, in the end, had saved Snap’s life. He helped to revive Snap whenever he had flatlined. And when he was taken in due to Bardot’s attack, Terry did help by reviving him, but after that, it was mostly Dr. Urso’s orders and actions that saved him. His quick thinking help to stop the venom from killing Snap and, because of that, he was still here.

Penny felt so grateful for the lion bear. His actions saved Snap and he had not only saved them, but their friends, Blocky and Rapsheeba, as well. She hoped he was doing okay. After all he had done for them, he didn’t deserve to die just like that. He deserved a happy ending, a reward for his efforts. It would just be too cruel if he wound up losing his life. Well it would be too cruel for any innocent zoner to die. They didn’t deserve it. They didn’t do anything to earn this. And yet, the black chalk.. It still spread its chaos, still struck down zoners like it was nothing... They had to stop it and fast.

Suddenly, she started to hear footsteps. She turned her head left and right, trying to figure out where it was coming from. She could hear the sound of claws clanging on the ground. Something was approaching her room. Something large...something heavy.. Her heart began to twist in anxiety. She slowly turned her head, waiting to see just who was approaching.

At first, she didn’t see anyone standing there, not even a shadow. But the footsteps, they were getting louder and closer. Her pupils dilated as they focused on the door. She watched and waited for any sign of movement. The doorknob turning, a shadow, anything. She could feel her damaged leg aching as she anticipated to run. She knows she could be overreacting, but after hearing about Draow’s attack, after being attacked by Draow herself in Rudy’s bedroom, she din’t feel comfortable with dismissing this. Despite her wounds, she knew, if it was danger approaching her, she needed to run. She was defenseless as she was now.

Soon she saw a shadow form on the ground. Small at first, but then it got biggers as the footsteps got louder and closer. She clenched her teeth as she stared, unable to tear her eyes away. She could feel her heart begin to beat faster, pounding against her chest so hard she thought it was going to burst out form the ribcage. She felt so vulnerable right now. With a damaged arm and leg, she could do little to fight back against the possible threat. She tried to calm herself down, telling herself that it was probably just one of the doctors checking on her.

Yet she couldn’t fight back against the fear welling up inside of her. No matter how much she told herself it’s probably nothing, just one of the doctors, she couldn’t set aside her fear. But she didn’t scream. She didn’t let loose her panic. Instead, she managed to keep herself still and quiet. She was able to keep herself from freaking out, and waited to see who it was coming to the door. The last thing she could afford was to act irrationally when the only thing that was going on was a doctor wanted to tell her something important.

Then the door opened up. With a creak, she watched as it was pushed open slowly. Stepping inside was, to her surprise, Dr. Urso. She relaxed almost instantly. She could feel the anxiety leaving her body, running down her arms and through her fingers. She slumped back in the bed and calmed her speeding heart. She watched with a small smile as Dr. Urso walked closer.

She took notice of how he was on all fours. Strange... He was usually not in that posture. Most of the time, he walked on two legs. He only ever really used the quadrupedal stance to fight and run away fast, and he didn’t have to do that lately. But still, it was probably nothing. She said nothing as the lion bear continued to get closer slowly. Much more slow than she was used to. Why was he taking his time? And why hadn’t he said anything yet?

That’s when she saw it. There was something staining the lion bear’s front body. Something that was pretty dark and still kinda flowed. Did Dr. Urso get wet with something? Maybe he fell into some water? Strange, but it could happen, couldn’t it? Then she noticed that it looked...darker and thicker to be water. The lion bear crept closer, and as he stepped more and more into the light, Penny caught a glimpse of the color of this liquid.

Red.

Penny’s eyes flew open. She stared at Dr. Urso in horror. Had he been injured? Oh no... She put her hand to her mouth. She wanted to say something, anything, but she couldn’t get the words out. She stared at Dr. Urso in shock, noting the blood that stained around his arms, chest, neck, and part of his face. The blood was thick enough that she could smell it form here.

Dr. Urso... Just..just what had happened? Had there been an attack? But there was no sound. No panic.. How did this happen? Her body trembled as she watched the seemingly injured zoner walk towards her slowly. He appeared to be losing so much blood... But then..why hadn’t he collapsed yet? Penny could see a trail of blood behind this zoner. There was so much blood that she thought he would have passed out by now. How...how was he able to keep moving? What was driving him to push himself forward like this?

A low growl began to eminate from the zoner. Penny felt her heart almost skip a beat. That growl...it came from Dr. Urso. The lion bear’s eyes were on her. His lips curled back to expose his sharp teeth. It was then that Penny knew the truth. The blood, it wasn’t Dr. Urso’s at all. It was his victims’.

Dr. Urso...had gone on a rampage... He killed silently... That..that was why she didn’t hear him...

Penny’s breathing quickened, her mind racing with thoughts. The lion bear continued his way towards her. She wanted to scream for help, but she had lost her voice to her fear. She tried to speak, but could only manage a few squeaks of desperation. The lion bear continued to growl at her, slowly opening his jaws to expose his bloodstained teeth. He looked as though he had killed a large animal and devoured part of it. She swore she could see bits of flesh still clinging to those large, canine teeth.

Dr. Urso slowly stood up onto his hind legs. His growling and snarling got louder. His eyes were narrowed, filled with more rage than Penny ever thought was possible for the zoner. She couldn’t believe this was the same doctor who had been so helpful before. Were...were they fooled again? Had they been tricked a second time? The thought sent chills down her spine. She gritted her teeth and cringed back in fear as Dr. Urso stood up straight, lifting his head into the air and opening his jaws wider. Bits of blood dripped to the ground.

Then, slowly, he bent himself forwad. His head lowered, letting her see the muscular portions of his head that powered that bone-crushing jaw. Penny let out a soft whimper, knowing that Dr. Urso must plan to use it on her. She wanted to deny this was happening, but she knew she wasn’t dreaming. She shook harder, tears moving down her face. How..how could Dr. Urso do something like this...?

Then, as Dr. Urso stalked towards her slowly, she noticed something. His eyes... They were..different, kind of. The pupils were smaller than usual. So small they were practically nonexistent. Her eyes suddenly widened in realization. Dr. Urso was...being controlled. Her mind flashed back to when Rudy..no..Nihilanth, had allowed a few of his captives go. She knew it.. She knew it all along. She knew there had to be a catch.

Penny was torn from her thoughts when Dr. Urso suddenly charged towards her, his large bear paw raised up, poised to strike.


	146. Virus

Nihilanth let out a low, cruel chuckle as he watched the scene play out with his cloudy formations. With a paw raised in the air, he watched as the cloud constantly changed shape, showing in surprisingly great detail just what was going on. Left and right, side to side, he could see shapes moving about, displaying a vicious and bloodthirsty scene. And that was exactly what he wanted.

He was glad that Penny had some black chalk in her. That made it easier for her to track and keep an eye on. It also told him just what those little pests were up to. But instead of outright trying to stop him, he thought it would be more fun to just let them try. Why not watch them struggle a little? It would be more entertaining that way instead of just killing them outright. After all, what’s the fun of having all this power if he wasn’t going to flaunt it in some way? He loved to tease his victims.

He had his doubts they would be able to try to stop him. They could try, though. He wanted to see them try. But what hope did they have against a deity? And it wasn’t like they could plan much so long as Penny had a bit of black chalk in her. She was his unwilling spy, and until that changed, nothing would get past him in terms of their plan. He knew Snap would not keep her out of the loop, ensuring that he would be aware of what they plan to do. And when he’s aware, he can plan a counter move. He smirked at this. There was no way they were going to be able to get the better of him.

In his paw, he could see the cloudy representation of what was going on at the hospital. It seemed his plan was working. His smirk slowly turned into a nasty grin. He knew his little plan would work. He wasn’t sure if Penny would fall for it. Even Rudy, as he discussed it with him in his mind, wasn’t certain either. Rudy knew Penny better than he did, and the fact that he himself had doubts was telling. But it was worth the risk. Nihilanth was ultimately glad he decided to go this route, because this is so much fun.

Nihilanth’s reasoning behind letting a few prisoners go wasn’t noble or because he wanted to give them a fair chance. No, it was to toy with them. While he let them out, he infected one of them. He chose Dr. Urso due to his size and strength. He did something to him so that he would be easily controlled and influenced for when the time came. He didn’t do anything right away. He wanted to wait until their guard was low enough. They would have expected some kind of trick, so he deliberately waited until later on before he tried anything.

Influencing the bear was easy. All he had to do was suppress his higher cognitive function and then increase his more wild instincts and exaggerate them. Such an easy thing to do once he had a hold of his mind. He was a deity, so this was an easy task to perform. Now Dr. Urso has effectively been turned into a wild animal, one that constantly hungers for flesh. It would be really interesting to see just how Penny gets herself out of this. The cloud formation shows that Dr. Urso has arrived, and is attempting to attack her. Nihilanth’s eyes flickered with joy as he watched Penny narrowly miss getting herself slashed by those long, sharp claws.

Nihilanth knew that Penny would not get too far. The black chalk also told him of her condition. Her arm is damaged and not of much use right now. Her leg is in even worse condition from what he could sense. It would be pretty funny right now if Penny tried to run. Pretty soon...so soon.. He would be rid of one of his problems. If he allowed this to go on, Penny would surely die, and he wouldn’t need to worry about her anymore.

But since he didn’t want her to die just yet... He would have to make sure that she gets out of this mess. To do that, he just needed to influence Dr. Urso some more. Subtly, though, as he could not allow Penny to get suspicious. He still needed to make it look like a close call. At the same time, however, he could not let it get too serious otherwise Penny might die here. This was all entertainment for him, and the purpose of this was merely to slow her down. If he just had Dr. Urso do something sort of small, like break her leg or something, that would provide a...bump in the road, so to speak.

And that’s what he wanted to do. Not stop the pests from trying to get to him, but to slow them down and watch them squirm and suffer. He didn’t need to stop them himself in order to win. They didn’t need to be captured or killed. All he had to do was spread his influence into the real world, corrupt more people, and expose ChalkZone. Once he did that, and more humans march in here, there would be no stopping him. The damage could not be reversed.

After that, it mattered not if Penny continued to try to stop him. She could try that all she wants to, but for all her intelligence, she was not going to convince everyone to stay out of ChalkZone. Even with the help of her precious mother and any other adult allies, it still would not be enough.

Inez Sanchez... Nihilanth remembered her well. Even during his time of dormancy, he still had a sensation of the world and knew what was going on. Mrs. Sanchez, Penny’s dear mother, she was something else. She was so much like how Penny is now. Determined, unwiling to give up, cared deeply for her comrades the way Penny worries for Rudy and Snap, a high intellect and knowledge of anatomy and medicinal stuff. Yeah they had so much in common. Penny even looked a lot like how her mother did when she was that age. Talk about deja vu...

Of course, they are not entirely the same. Mrs. Sanchez, as a kid, was influenced by the black chalk. She had all of Penny’s traits, but so much more. She was smarter than Penny thanks to the black chalk and her knowledge of health went further, which she used for something that he knew Penny would never do.

Torture.

Penny, as she was now, wouldn’t dream of deliberately hurting another person. But Inez, while she worked for the black chalk, with the other black chalk artists, oh she was a completely different story. Oh the pain she delivered, the knives she used to cut people open, that twisted smile as she did all those things... Yes, she was one twisted person as the black chalk warped her desire to be a doctor into something much more terrifying...for everyone else that is. Inez was a perfect addition to the black chalk artists. Her skill was unmatched and she struck terror in the hearts of the white chalk artists.

Oh how he wished he could have her back on his side again. He would love to have her resume her rightful place as the resident torture doctor. He would love to see her use her talents for something...more worthwhile than whatever crap she does in the real world. He was certain it was meaningless compared to what she could be doing for him. He wanted her to come into ChalkZone so he could try to coax her back to his side. Once a black chalk artist was corrupted, even if they were miraculously freed, as the case was with Mrs. Sanchez, they were always more easily recorrupted. It took less effort the second time around.

But he had his doubts he would get Inez Sanchez back, so he would settle on the next best thing: Her daughter.

Penny may not have the same level of skill as her mother did, even back then, but she would still do quite nicely. Penny already had black chalk in her. Small, but it was enough that she was more easily influenced when near black chalk. That would make her corruption so much easier. All he had to do was set up a good enough trap and prevent her from getting too far from the black chalk. Then he just had to allow the influence to take her over.

From how she reacted before when the black chalk tried to control her, Nihilanth could already tell how wonderful a black chalk user Penny would become. She had the potential of being one of his greatest and smartest warriors. If only she would give into reason and stop living by her fairy tale rules... But soon..so very soon.. He’ll start to sway her to his side. Dead or alive, Penny’s intelligence would be under his control.

“You...you’re a monster... You are going to try to do the same...thing to Penny..aren’t you..?”

Nihilanth growled softly. Barney was becoming more and more of a pest. He can’t kill him so he was stuck with him. He had hoped that Rudy’s ‘visits’ to him would convince the centipede to shut up. But it seemed that, even in the midst of all that pain and torture Rudy subjects to him often wasn’t enough to make Barney shut up. The centipede was still resisting.

What would it take to shut him up? He can’t kill him nor could he allow Rudy to hurt him too badly to the point where he passes out. If either of those happened, he lose his physical form in ChalkZone, and thus lose Rudy as well. He couldn’t allow that to happen. So as much as it pained him, he had no choice but to keep the centipede alive and not hurt too badly. He was annoyed when Rudy ripped off his wings as that easily could have knocked him out. Well the boy did learn his lesson and promised it wouldn’t happen again.

Unlike the other pests, however, he would never be able to get rid of Barney. He thought he could at first, but he realized he was not going to be able to. He needed a vessel and Barney was the only zoner he could really turn into a vessel. Humans were more easily picked, but still hard to come by. He needed at least Barney to exist, even when creating another world. This meant that, after he created a new world to his liking, he was still going to be stuck with Barney. Sure, he would be satisfied with hearing the centipede suffer as everything he once knew and cared about vanished before his eyes, but at the same time, he was going to be a royal pain in the ass even hundreds of years after the creation of the new world.

“I will do whatever I like.” Nihilanth replied in an eerily calm voice. “Try all you want to. But you will not be able to stop me. If I want that Penny girl on my side, then I will have her...one way or another...”

“I-I swear, if you do anything to harm her or Mumbo Jumbo or a-any of the other z-zoners, I’m going to haunt y-y-you into the afterlife!”

“Of course you will, bug. You are forever a part of me.” Nihilanth hissed in a low voice. Resentment dripped from his mouth. “Therefore, you will always get to watch what I’m doing..”

“That also m-means that you w-w-will never get away from me.” Barney chuckled, irritating Nihilanth. “As soon as this new world is created, sh-sh-should you s-succeed, I am going to t-torment you by s-s-singing badly written songs by y-yours truly.” The centipede gave out a quick, pain-filled giggle. “And I know exactly which one I-I am going t-to sing for you.”

Nihilanth’s eyes widened slightly in horror. “Oh gawd no...”

“Oh yes..” Barney said with a grin.

Nihilanth shook his head, trying to reshift his focus. Rudy was coming back anyway. He could feel it in his mind. He knew Rudy was approaching Barney to shut him up. Knowing that the problem was being taken care of, he refocused on the cloudy formations in his paw. He stared at it to see what was going on right now.

It seemed Penny was trapped. She must have tried to get away, but now was cornered. Her room looked like a mess. His eyes widened slightly at this. He wished he had paid attention. It would seem that, even in her injured state, she was able to put up a struggle and avoid getting hit. Penny must be quite durable if she was able to do that despite her wounds. She would definitely make for an interesting ally now.

Though he could still control her while she was dead, he decided not to go quite that far. It was more fun to take over a living person as there was resistance involved and that was always entertaining. No, he would not let Dr. Urso kill Penny. He would...just make sure to end this fight in a memorable way. Something that Penny would survive, but never forget.

And he believed he knew just how to do that.

“No! You’re not going to do that!”

Nihilanth chuckled at Barney’s panicked voice. There was nothing he could do to stop him. With a nasty smile, Nihilanth waved his paw over the cloudy formation. His eyes’ glow intensified slightly. Then, as his silent message was pumped into Dr. Urso, Nihilanth watched and waited. This...was going to be fun.

sss

Penny laid on the ground, moaning in pain. She lifted up her head and watched as Dr. Urso came walking towards her slowly. Her heart beat faster the closer he got. She tried to get up. Her bad leg ended up giving out on her easily and she fell into the ground. She let out a cry of pain as she bent her knee at a slightly odd angle. She clutched it in her hand, seething. She looked over, her eyes widening as she saw just how close Dr. Urso was now.

She had no idea exactly what Nihilanth had planned, or Rudy for that matter. Not that it really mattered who, since Rudy was controlled by Nihilanth now. They were up to something. She knew it. She should have known that letting the zoners go would be a trap. She wondered, momentarily, if Raiden and Maalik were also being controlled, and if Snap really was safe around them. She couldn’t ponder that for long as Dr. Urso slammed his paw in front, causing her to snap her head back, barely avoiding the claws.

She was cornered, backed up against the wall. She lay on her back, staring up in horror as Dr. Urso towered over her. She wanted to do something, anything, but she was trapped, having nowhere to go. She gritted her teeth as she looked up at Dr. Urso, silently begging him to let her go. She knew, however, it would not work. Nihilanth was pulling the strings here. She knew that he wanted her gone so she would not interfere anymore, and he planned on finishing her off now before Snap could come back to help her.

She stared at the blood on his shirt. Just how many zoners had he killed? How many doctors and patients fell prey to his controlled rampage? The thought of Nihilanth having Dr. Urso randomnly kill so many innocents boiled her blood. That was needlessly cruel. These zoners didn’t even do anything against him. Just...just how did they deserve something like this?

Dr. Urso got even closer and soon was within striking range once more. His eyes, complete with the dilated pupils, were so shiny that Penny could see her reflection in them. The sight of it nearly made her heart skip a beat. She looked so pathetic there, laying on the ground with a damaged arm and leg, no magic chalk to defend herself. She looked like a lost, frightened child who had a nasty encounter with a wild animal...which was kind of what was going on right now.

She attempted to move back a little more. She hit her bad arm at the ‘right’ angle and she howled in pain. She clutched the arm to herself, seething with gritted teeth. She looked up at Dr. Urso. She wanted to beg him not to attack her. But would he even hear her? Not while he was being controlled, he wouldn’t... There was nothing she could do to stop him. She turned herself to the side, putting one of her shoulders out to him. It was a desperate attempt to protect her vulnerable underside from the mad bear lion now standing before her. As Dr. Urso moved closer, she turned her head away and shut her eyes, waiting for the blow.

What happened next, she didn’t really expect. Rather than be attacked, Penny felt something grip her neck. She grunted as she was yanked forward. She nearly screamed when she found her face so close to the possessed Urso’s. Seeing those eyes and teeth this close was...uncomfortable...

Penny struggled to get herself free. She used her good arm to try to push away the lion bear’s paw. But she was not strong enough. She twisted herself from side to side, hoping to dislodge herself. She had no such luck. She stared at him with wide, frightened eyes. She wondered just what he was going to do with her. So far, he just stood there, holding still, gripping her. She could feel the claws start to dig into her skin.

She wanted to scream for help. But her fear prevented her from doing so. She could only stare in horror at Urso as the lion bear opened up his jaws. Long, sharp teeth were exposed, drool dripping from his mouth. Penny’s face paled and she took in rapid, shaky breaths. The bear opened his mouth wider, and Penny knew just what he was going to do. He was going to crush her skull, and she had no way to get out of it. A few tears escaping her mouth as she watched the lion bear lean in closer.

Penny soon found her voice. “P-Please..don’t...”

Just as she thought, her words fell on deaf ears. The lion bear’s eyes narrowed into slits. His ears flattened back as his mouth opened up to its limit. Penny felt her stomach lurch forward as she saw just how wide and massive the zoner’s jaws really were. She wanted to turn away, but she found herself unable to. Soon the lion bear would crush her skull, and then it would all be over. All she could do was wait for the blow.

Suddenly, the room was filled with the distinctive sound of buzzing. Penny looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. She couldn’t see who had entered the room. The bed was in her way. Urso seemed to have heard it, too. His head was swung in a new direction and his eyes, narrowed, were fixated on something. He let out a low, guttural growl, flashing his sharp teeth. Then he released her. Penny felt instant relief as she fell into the ground. She rubbed the back of her head as she looked up, seeing Dr. Urso swing his paw at something. That’s when she saw it.

There was a Beanie Boy in here. No, not just one..there was a second one. Penny watched, her eyes wide in astonishment as the two Beanie Boys buzzed around Dr. Urso, keeping his attention on them. The lion bear would occassionally look back at her and growl, making it clear that he did want to get at her. But whenever he moved forward, one of the Beanie Boys would get in front of him and push him back. The show of strength reminded Penny of just how strong the Beanie Boys really were.

As the Beanie Boys began to usher Dr. Urso further back away from her, Penny climbed up to her feet. She pulled herself up with her good arm, gripping the sheet and tugging on it as hard as she could. She moved her good leg, pressing it against the ground and, favoring that limb, she pushed herself up. She staggered a little, almost falling back down. She managed to hang on tightly, pushing herself against the bed to make sure she didn’t fall again. Bending forward, she laid across the bed for a few seconds, her eyes closed. She reopened them momens later and looked to see what was going on.

The Beanie Boys continued to buzz around the lion bear zoner’s head. Urso was getting irritated, or rather, whoever was controlling him was. The swipes came down harder and faster. The growling increased in volume, and as the seconds passed, Dr. Urso began to look more and more feral. The Beanie Boys, despite this, stayed close to him, not letting him do so much as get a look at Penny. Getting on either side of Urso, the Beanie Boys grabbed onto his arms and then began to fly him back as hard as they could. With a loud thud, Dr. Urso was rammed against the wall and held there.

Dr. Urso swung his head from side to side, snapping his jaws wildly. His eyes stared at the two smaller zoners with intense, feral-looking eyes. Penny could have sworn that they were forming into slits now, much like how Bardot’s looked when he had lost his temper. The two Beanie Boys were able to avoid getting bit. They displayed a great deal of courage just by remaining close to the lion bear, holding onto him to make sure he could hurt them, or Penny for that matter.

Then, suddenly, there was the sound of wheels moving rapidly across the ground. Penny heard something squeak, something clang. She barely had time to look over her shoulder when, without warning, a loud voice called out, uttering a single command.

“Get out of the way, Beanie Boys!”

As soon as the Beanie Boys had moved to the side, something small and pale yellow shot in the air. It slammed against the lion bear, hitting him straight in the shoulder. Some kind of tendrils shot out, engulfing part of the zoner in what looked like a net. It was soon to be revealed to be much more than that when the ‘net’ sparkled and then, seconds later, the lion bear let out a loud roar of pain as electricity pumped through his body. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

Penny stared at this in shock. She watched as Dr. Urso howled in agony, twisting and turning on the ground. The sight was unbearable to watch, seeing another person in pain like that. Yet she could not turn away. She watched as the electricity danced over his body, causing him to give off a slight glow. Then, moments later, he collapsed on the ground, unconscious. His eyes were partway closed and his mouth was open. She could see drool moving out of his mouth, a light pink in color due to it intermixing with the blood and flesh that was in his mouth.

Penny turned her head over and she saw Skrawl standing there. Or rather, sitting there. The jellybean zoner was sitting in a wheelchair, one of his limbs resting against it in a cast that went up the entire length of the limb. Penny could tell, almost right away, this was motorized. The arm of the chair had a lever that Skrawl could use to push himself forward. The only arm the zoner had to use was raised in the air. He pointed in the direction where the lion bear zoner had fallen. His face was contorted with a look of determination.

“Apprehend him! Tie him up! Make sure he isn’t able to attack again!” Skrawl snarled. At this, the Beanie Boys immediately went to work with cuffing Dr. Urso. As they did this, Skrawl turned his attention to Penny. His expression immediately softened up. “Are you okay?”

Penny rubbed her head. Her mind throbbed from the events that took place. The sudden attack by Dr. Urso...she hadn’t expected it. And not from him... She felt her head spin a little before she shook it to regain her senses. She stared at Skrawl, remaining silent for a few seconds.

“Penny?” Skrawl asked in a concerned voice. “What is it? Are you...not okay..?”

Penny gave a weak smile. “Y-Yeah.. I’m fine..” That was a lie of course. But she didn’t want to upset the jellybean zoner. She rubbed her forward, turning her head slowly from side to side. “I’m fine..”

Skrawl narrowed his eyes slightly. “I know you’re lying.” Penny didn’t answer, not even to disagree with him. Skrawl made a low ‘hmm’ sound, indicating that he knew that he had guessed right. “We should get you back to the real world. You need to...” Penny shook her head, making the zoner’s mismatched eyes widen in surprise. “But Penny...”

“If I leave, ChalkZone will be without a creator defender.” Penny said.

Skrawl nodded his head. “True...” He then held his hand out in gesture. “But you can always send one of those adults in. Perhaps that Mr. Longhorn fellow. He isn’t as badly hurt as you. He might be able to help.”

Penny shook her head. “I’m not risking them getting corrupted.” She gave Skrawl a sideways glance. “You know that’s exactly what he would do..”

There was silence for a few moments. Then Skrawl said, “Well the black chalk can’t corrupt zoners, right? I can send my Beanie Boys over to try to find some blue chalk. We can use it to defend ourselves against Nihilanth while you recover some more.” Skrawl leaned back in his seat a little. “We should be able to fend off that deity for a while at least. And the blue chalk would enable us to repair some of the most major damaged caused by his ensuing attacks.”

Penny thought about this. At first, she almost agreed with Skrawl. The zoners, if in possession of blue chalk, could stand up for themselves better. They could fight back. They might not win, but they could at least stave off the worst of the damage for a time. And it wasn’t like they could be corrupted by the black chalk. They touch it and nothing happens.

Soon, however, she realized that notion was incorrect. The zoners were not actually entirely immune to being corrupted. The proof, the evidence of this was Dr. Urso. She looked over at the unconscious lion bear. The Beanie Boys had just finished cuffing him up and were now holding him up. They weren’t taking him anywere; they were waiting for orders from Skrawl. She continued to stare at him as images flashed in the back of her head.

The way he attacked her...

The way he looked...

That blood...

Penny was certain that Dr. Urso was controlled. That expression, it wasn’t a normal one he would make. And she knew the doctor enough that he would never outright attack her this way unless there was a reason for it. She hadn’t done anything to earn his wrath, so the only solution she could think of was him being controlled. And if her assumption was right... that would have grim implications.

Penny sighed softly and stared at Skrawl, her eyes welling in solemn emotion. This caused Skrawl to look at her worriedly. “I don’t think that is entirely the case. You see...” Penny shifted a glance over to Dr. Urso befoe continuing. “He was..being controlled. Possessed.”

“Possessed?” Skrawl questioned, raising an eyebrow. “But how?”

“Nihilanth had grabbed a bunch of zoners and a couple humans in this..power thing of his.” Penny wasn’t sure how she could describe it. But what she said seemed to satisfy Skrawl enough. At least he wasn’t trying to interrupt her. “He had kept them there for a few days, and when he took over Rudy...”

“What?!” Skrawl called in surprise. “Chalk boy?! But..but how...?!”

Penny realized that Skrawl had a lot of catching up to do. She didn’t answer him right away. At his question, she went silent. Her head tilted forward a littlle as her mind flooded with memories. She winced as she recalled how Rudy was claimed, taken over by that monster. The way the light entered his body, the steam rising out.. It left a horrible impression on her mind. The last look of sympathy she ever got from Rudy was still on her mind. That sad expression and that small apology, it filled her with a sense of dread knowing that might be the last time he’d ever get any look of real kindness from him.

She didn’t want to be on this subject, but she knew she had no choice. Skrawl deserved to know what was going on. She knew it was going to be hard for him to swallow. After all, the jellybean never would have suspected that Rudy would actually be overtaken by someone. He had always found a way out, even when it was almost too late. This time, however, his luck had changed, and now he had been forcibly become the enemy. She could only wonder what the real Rudy must be thinking right now.

Penny finally spoke up, her voice soft and low, adding to the solemn aura that now overtook the room. “Well you see, Skrawl, earlier today...” Her voice trailed off for a moment. She took in a shuddering breath. She exhaled slowly. “Earlier, Rudy, Snap, and I went to face Nihilanth.”

“While injured?” Skrawl widened his eyes. “Why would you do something that crazy?”

“We didn’t have a choice. Nihilanth forced us into it. I don’t know what he would have done if we didn’t show up, but...” Penny lowered her gaze. “..we didn’t want to find out.”

“I see...” Skrawl said, nodding his head once in understanding. “What..happened?” He asked, a little hesitant. It was clear the jellybean knew this was a sensitive topic for her.

“Well we were...tricked. Nihilanth was just toying with us, and he had us overwhelmed quickly. We...we couldn’t even attack him...” Penny narrowed her eyes, her hand forming into a fist. A bit of anger bubbled in the pit of her stomach, making her feel sick. “I can’t believe we... Why didn’t...” She groaned softly as she tried to regain her composure. She turned her attention back to the jellybean. “We weren’t able to stop Nihilanth from getting Rudy into the Solar Pillar’s servant light. It was either he did that...or me and Snap would pay the price.”

Skrawl shook his head. “Such a cowardly move... Of course, I’ve come to expect this from idiots like that.” He stared at Penny and motioned his hand for her to continue. “Please continue.” He paused, then added. “And what is servant light?”

“That is...more or less evil light that works with the black chalk. It’s just as much a corruptive force as black chalk is. Although it can’t corrupt on its own; it needs someone to have a bit of black chalk in them.” Penny said. She pressed a hand against her upper chest. “That means that I’m suspectible to it, as when I was tortured by Mr. Pierce...”

“You were tortured?” Skrawl’s eyes were wide in shock.

Penny sighed. It seemed there was even more that Skrawl didn’t know about. She was going to be here a while, explaining to him what had happened. She took in a deep breath annd said, “Yes. I was. I’ll explain more on that soon.” She raised a finger and pushed against her glasses. “Now in regards to Rudy...” She hesitated. Now came the hardest part: being forced to relive one of the worst moments of her life.

When one of her best friends was ripped away from her...

“He was corrupted...wasn’t he...?”

Penny froze at this. She was surprised, at first, that Skrawl could made a deduction that fast. But then, she realized this shouldn’t surprise her that much. After all, he was an intelligent, smart zoner. Something like this would have been easy to figure out for him. She simply gave an affirmative nod in response, causing Skrawl’s eyes widen at this revelation.

“Yeah, he was. But that’s not the only thing.” Penny said.

“What more could Nihilanth possibly do?” Skrawl asked.

Penny hesitated. She bit her lip, pressing her teeth against the sensitive skin. “Rudy was...turned into a vessel for Nihilanth.”

Skrawl’s eyes widened in horror. “What?!”

sss

Rudy looked left and right. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest. The darkness, it swirled all around him, pitting him in a large, empty void. There felt like there was no floor, just an endless vortex. He could see dark purple and reds down below, twisting and swirling against each other. He wanted to scream, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

Ahead of him, in this dark void, he could see images flashing in front of him. The picture was faint and transluscent. It looked like it was just a mere hologram. But a part of Rudy told him that, no, this was the real deal. What was happening before him, it was real. He wished it wasn’t. He wished that this was all just some horrible dream and that he was going to wake up soon. But he knew the truth. He knew what he was seeing...was really happening.

He could feel his arms moving. Or rather, his body’s arms, as it no longer belonged to him. Rudy knew he was trapped in the confines of his mind. And the pictures before him, it was what his body was seeing. His body that was now a mere puppet for Nihilanth and the black chalk to control and manuever...

Rudy felt horror and dread sweep through his body as he recalled how Nihilanth had him hurt his friends. Rudy still felt horrible about that. Even though he knew he was being controlled.. Just the mere thought of hurting his friends... It filled him with a strong sense of foreboding. He hoped his friends wouldn’t fault him. He hoped that they would continue to understand that he was not in control of any of his actions. He might be able to feel himself moving, hear the horrible words he speaks, but he could not do a thing to stop it.

He wished he could get out of this nightmare. He was trapped in his own mind, unable to do a damn thing to stop himself. He was forced to watch and feel everything he does and says. He could still see his friends’ horror struck faces as he, no..Nihilanth, taunted them, hurt them, and to pour salt in the wound, he knew Nihilanth would use his body again, to do harm. Maybe not right now. All he was doing was sitting in front of the light cannon. But soon...that would change.

Rudy bit his lip as he recalled what the controlled body did to Barne while Nihilanth wasn’t using it. Rudy could still hear that poor zoner’s screams as his wings were ripped from his sockets. He could still feel the wings in his hands as they were tugged and ripped up. He looked down at his hands, his mind’s hands if he wanted to be specific, watching them shake. His own hands...did that to Barney. As if what Bardot did to him wasn’t bad enough...

Rudy knew, without a doubt, this... floating around in a black void, feeling what he did but not being able to stop himself... This is what all black chalk artists had gone through. Even Mr. Cosmo had been through something like this. Trapped inside his own head as this new, dominant personality took him over. At this revelation, Rudy couldn’t help but feel a level of sympathy for the man. He did feel sorry for Cosmo. Past Cosmo that is, before he became such a monster. Or rather, before his dominant personality was taken over by a new one.

Despite his growing horror, Rudy was confident that Penny and Snap might be able to come up with some kind of solution. He didn’t know how long it would take. And he was certain that Nihilanth would launch an attack on them again, like how he nearly had Dr. Urso rip Penny’s damaged arm off. But Penny and Snap were smart. They would figure something out. Somehow.

“Oh you really think so?”

Rudy stiffened up at that voice. He recognized who it was. The voice...it was an exact copy of his own, albeit more sinister sounding. He turned his head to face the voice. Behind him was a large black substance, a smokey kind of shape. It wriggled and waved like a real cloud, but it had some kind of head. Long and with pillowing black glow coming out of it. It was like he was looking into mini pits into hell.

This thing.. It was a byproduct of the black chalk. A personality virus, one that invaded his mind and heart and replaced who he was, giving his body a warped and twisted version of his personality. This virus smoke had been taunting him ever since it had taken him over, almost never giving him a break. This thing had a strangle hold on him, and it knew it, and it flaunted it. Rudy growled softly and took a step back as the smoke got closer to him, its body massive and stretching beyond his field of vision.

The smokey virus spoke again, opening its ragged-looking mouth, which stretched into a slasher smile. More black glow was inside, specked with small white stuff, looking sparkly. “I do wonder just how far your confidence will go. Your little friends won’t stand much of a chance against me.”

“You don’t know them..” Rudy growled.

The virus laughed. Its head stretched out towards him. It wrapped around him slowly, its pitch black eyes, almost invisible against its dark body, stared at him intently. “I know everything about them. I’m you...remember?” The virus chuckled, bits of faint smoke hitting against Rudy’s face. “I am...the new you. Improved, don’t you think?”

Rudy waved his arm at the virus, trying to knock it away. The virus stretched its body back, its sparkly smile spreading across its face. “You will never be me...” Rudy said in a low, dark voice. “You may have my body and my voice.. But you will never be me.”

The virus chuckled. “Oh really now? I don’t think anyone can tell the different anymore.”

Rudy flinched at this. He took a step forward and pointed a finger in the smokey virus’s direction. “You’ll see.. You will be ripped away from my body, and you will cease to exist.. Just like all black chalk! I have faith in my friends! They will find a way to stop you!”

The virus threw its head back and laughed. “You’re such a fool, little boy.” The virus rose up higher, making itself taller than Rudy. The boy took a few steps back, never turning his gaze away. The boy adopted a defensive stance, which did little more than amuse the virus. “The only one who would die...” It tilted its head to the side. “..is you.”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror at that. He then narrowed them, gritting his teeth. “You aren’t going to scare me. I know you can’t kill me... You need me.”

After a fit of laughter, the virus twisted its head around a few times, forming a spiral. It was uncomfortable to look at, making Rudy clutch his throat in instinctive response. “Did you forget so easily, little boy?” The virus cloud moved around Rudy once, forming a wall of pillowing black smoke that he could not cross. “The black chalk doesn’t need a living body, remember? If you die, it’ll be within me, so to speak... Then I’ll become you.”

Rudy felt his heart freeze. He had forgotten about that. In all that’s happened, he did forget that the black chalk does not need a living host. It didn’t matter if he died or not. The black chalk would still be able to use him. The virus was telling him that it would ensure he would die first, so that it could then revive its body and continue to use it for nefarious purposes. The realization of this made Rudy feel sick.

“You are just going to have to get used to me. I am going to live inside your body..forever.” The virus said. Rudy shook his head in denial, taking a step back. “And let this be known to you... As it is something I know.” It spiraled around Rudy again, this time a lot closer, nearly entrapping him. The virus put its face close to Rudy’s, making the boy snap his head back. “Even if you do get out of here... Keep in mind it was your body doing it. So..you are still guilty. It matters not if I was in control; your actions will still be seen as you.” It tilted its head a little. “Do you think they will be able to separate you from me?”

“W-Well...” Rudy couldn’t think of an answer.

“Of course not. Face it...in a way, you are me. And I am you.” The personality virus said. “We are one, and we share the same mind, and the same body. I am the new you, a more powerful version... You know, you really should thank me. It’s because of me, you’re...a better person now.”

Rudy felt rage tremble through his body. “Screw you!” He snapped.

The personality virus just shrugged its ‘shoulders’, shaking its head slowly. “It’s like this with all of you. None of you appreciate what my kind is doing for you. But no matter..” It circled around Rudy continuously, covering him in its smoke. “We do not need your cooperation. Control in this manner is more...efficient.” The smoke creature tilted its head back until its head was entirely upside down. “Soon, we will bless this dimension...with a new and better world...”

“Go to hell!” Rudy growled viciously.

The smoke virus stared at Rudy, a blank expression on its ‘face’. Then it smiled slowly, eerily. It leaned towards Rudy’s face. It whispered something in his ear.

“I’ll see you there, Rudy.”


	147. Is This A Risk Worth Taking?

“So... Master Tabootie is one of them now?” Came Skrawl’s grim sounding voice.

Penny nodded her head slowly. “Yes, I’m afraid so...”

Skrawl was silent for a moment. “...that was a long story. Not much of a happy ending.”

Penny gave another nod of the head. She couldn’t really blame Skrawl for being so quiet and reserved right now. It had came as a shock to the jellybean to learn that Rudy, of all people, was now possessed and being controlled by an evil dragon deity. That was the last thing he needed, or expected, to hear. Things were bad enough already. This just added to that.

She had just finished her story to Skrawl. She relayed to him as much information as she could. She informed him of the dimensional hopping, meeting their counterparts, fighting two evil Rudys, and coming back. The dimensional hopping both intrigued Skrawl and horrified him. The idea of being able to cross into an alternate dimension sounded exciting, but the jellybean ended up becoming quite disturbed when she shared with him the details of who each dimension was, and the condition they were both in.

From the dark dimension’s ripped apart worlds, it’s war-heavy history, the enslavement of zoners, and both world practically falling apart, to the light dimension’s conquered ChalkZone, the strict rules and the fear struck in the zoners on a daily basis, ruled by a tyrant who punished the zoners for meaningless things. That combined with the two Rudys they ran into, with Dark Rudy’s vicious temper and violent disposition to Light Rudy being a control freak and utilizing death and torture as means of punishment, it was certainly horrific news for Skrawl. Especially the Rudys. Both of them were terrifying in their own way.

She informed Skrawl of the other details as well. Like, how they had come back into their own dimension, only to be captured by the Luminos. They were locked up and forced into a Death Arena. Then Dr. Urso saved them, then an explosion destroyed the hideout, and Rudy was finally able to convince the Luminos that what they were doing was wrong. Skrawl was certainly glad to hear that the Luminos won’t be a problem anymore, though he did sympathize with them on losing so many of their people.

She filled in as much of the blanks as possible. She also made sure to tell the jellybean their encounter with Nihilanth, with Mr. Pierce who tried to expose ChalkZone, and then of course, the fateful meeting in which they had lost Rudy to the dragon. She recalled the events that happened after that, from the counter with Jenny and Bardot, to finding out what happened to Mr. Wilter, to being chased by Rudy, to the zoners being released, and then escaping. She did her best to explain everything but kept the detail as simple as she could. Otherwise they’d be there all day.

The news regarding Mr. Wilter was shocking. Skrawl didn’t know him that well, but he expressed genuine horror when he found out about the lobotomy. When he asked if they managed to free him, Penny had to regretfully say no, as they weren’t able to find him during their stay. Penny didn’t admit it aloud, but she was afraid of seeing Wilter after she found out what happened to him. It would be unsettling to see this man, the same teacher she knew for years, act so... so different was the best word she could think of.

But she knew she couldn’t just leave him there. She had to get him out. Mr. Wilter needed to be saved. He didn’t deserve to be just...toyed with like that. What if Jenny did more to him? Mr. Wilter would hardly even be able to resist her as he was. He was a living being who was being slowly tortured for this vile woman’s ‘entertainment’... She had to save him. Bardot, too, if he was still alive. Bardot’s turnabout surprised both her and Skrawl. She wasn’t sure how far Bardot was willing to go with this, but him trying to change was certainly better than not doing anything at all. She wasn’t sure how genuine this attempt was, but regardless, she couldn’t just leave him to slowly die at the hands of Jenny.

“So...what are you going to do now...?”

Penny looked over at Skrawl. She sat on her bed, with Skrawl positioned not far from him. It was just them in the room. The Beanie Boys hauled Dr. Urso away to be locked up. A part of Penny was worried he’d break out again. He was a very strong zoner and could break through metal cages, albeit with some effort. Skrawl assured her they would make certain Dr. Urso didn’t escape until they were able to break him free of the control. And right now, as they spoke, the patients and doctors who had been injured were being taken care of.

Penny wasn’t sure how to respond. Yeah, just what was she going to do? Snap wasn’t back yet. She couldn’t help but worry that something terrible happened to him. She had no way of knowing if Nihilanth did something with Dr. Raiden and Maalik or not. He might be controlling them, too, and he could be forcing them to hurt Snap. The thought of it made her feel at edge. Her feet tingled as the urge to get up and run was strong. She had to resist, as she was too hurt to just run off like that. Plus...she needed a plan. Which...she didn’t have.

“I..I don’t know.” Penny admitted, her voice low. “If Snap were to come back...”

Skrawl nodded his head. “I’m sure he’s fine. He probably just had some...trouble that’s all.”

Penny wanted to take comfort in that. She wanted to believe that Snap was okay and there was just... heavy traffic or something, or they had a bit of a mishap. But she couldn’t push aside her worry for that long. It would constantly come back, eating away at her stomach like acid. She knew the only way she’d feel better..was if she knew for certain where Snap was.

But leaving the hospital... That would not be a smart thing for her to do. Her arm was injured and not very usable right now. Her leg was hurt and she was having a bit of a harder time using it. She was in no position to go anywhere on her own. Leaving the hospital now to go to a possibly dangerous place wasn’t exactly a smart idea, at least not until she came up with a plan to utilize to minimize the chances of her getting hurt.

“I do hope you’re right, Skrawl.” Penny said.

Skrawl pressed his hand against his chest. “Well of course I’m right, Penny!” He held his hand out towards her, his claws pointed upwards. “You and I know that little zoner quite well. He can be like a cockroach. He’s hard to kill, and tends to thrive when he should not.” He reached over and lightly placed his palm against Penny’s shoulder. “I’m sure that little blue boy is on his way back now.”

Penny gave a small smile of appreciation. It wasn’t often that Skrawl offered any kind of reassurance. But when he did, she could tell the words were genuine. Sometimes she would completely forget how he used to be one of the bad guys and could give two shits about what happened to them. Now, as she looked at his mismatched eyes, she could see no sign of scheming or plotting. Just worry and concern and care. What a stark contrast to how things used to be.

Penny reached up and gently touched Skrawl on the arm. Her smile broadened a little. At this, Skrawl smiled back. Another rarity. Despite his appearance, Skrawl did look pretty cute when he smiled. But it is was for this reason, Skrawl didn’t smile too much. He didn’t want to lose his feared reputation, due to his position in his prison. Typical Skrawl, always wanting to look tough and avoid becoming a ‘softy’, as he would put it. So when he does make the effort in being nice and supportive instead of rough and tough like he usually was, it came both as a surprise and a relief, often welcoming. They all certainly needed comfort after what has transpired lately.

“Yeah... Thanks for the support.” Penny said, the smile still on her face.

Skrawl nodded his head slowly. Then he narrowed his eyes a little. “Just..don’t tell anyone, okay? I don’t like it when the general public catches wind of my... ‘softness’...” He shuddered at the thought.

Penny chuckled softly. “Yeah, I know how much you don’t appreciate being seen as this big bad jellybean whom everyone fears.”

“I own a prison, Penny. I have to keep up a hardened exterior! The prisoners must fear me!” Skrawl raised a clutched fist into the air, shaking it. His gaze shot upwards towards the ceiling. “They must all fear my name!” He turned his attention back to Penny. “Do you have any idea just how hard it was to make the prisoners stop laughing at me after they found out about Huggie Bean?”

Penny tried her best not to laugh. She was not able to, and in seconds, she had her hand to her mouth as she went into a fit of giggling. Skrawl didn’t appreciate it, but the angrier he looked, the funnier it became. After a few moments of laughing, Penny got herself to calm down and wiped away the tears that formed due to the laughter.

“Are you still upset over that?” Penny asked, a wide grin on her face.

Skrawl glared at her. “You said you wouldn’t tell a soul about my Huggie Bean!”

Penny started to chuckle again. “I still can’t believe you named your self plushie that.” Skrawl narrowed his eyes at her. She just shrugged her shoulders. “I told you it was an accident, Skrawly.”

Skrawl gritted his teeth. “Stop calling me that! My name is not Skrawly!”

“But it sounds so cute.” Penny taunted, prompting a growl from Skrawl. “And the general public really does seem to like it when you show your softer side once in a while.” Upon seeing Skrawl still glaring, Penny shook her head. “Oh come on, it’s not that bad!”

“Whatever..” Skrawl grumbled under his breath. He turned his head to the side, his gaze casted downward. “At least that comical sidekick didn’t...”

“Hey! Who are you calling comical sidekick?!”

Penny and Skrawl swerved their heads at this voice. Looking over at the door, they both saw Snap standing there, his hands on his hips. He was tapping his foot, glaring straight at Skrawl. Penny took notice there was no one else around. It was just Snap. This made her stomach well up in dread. Had she...been correct in her assumption? Were Raiden and Maalik being controlled, too?

Skrawl gave a playful sneer at Snap. “Hey, if the shoe fits...”

Snap growled at this and started to storm over towards Skrawl. “Why I outta...”

Penny raised up her hand and called out to Snap. “Wait!” Snap stopped and looked over at Penny. He was still glaring, but his expression had softened up a little. “Where are Maalik and Dr. Raiden?” She moved her body forward a little to try to see over Snap. “Are they with you?”

Snap looked behind him briefly before turning back to Penny. He shook his head. “No, they aren’t.”

Penny felt her heart clench a little. She hoped and prayed it wasn’t what she thought it was. “Where are they then?”

Snap pointed his round hand in the direction down the hallway. “They just went to see Quet. We found out he was in this hospital. Both Raiden and Maalik were happy that another Luminos member was still alive. So they went to see him, check on how he was doing.”

Penny felt relief hit her. So it wasn’t anything suspicious. She gave off a soft sigh as she released some of the tension that built up inside of her.

“Why did you want to know?” Snap inquired.

Penny said, “I was...” She bit her lip. “You were gone for a while and...”

“Oh...” Snap’s expression softened up more, giving into a look of understanding. “I see... Yeah, I do apologize about that. I was in the library a little longer than I thought, then we had to deal with that mind control zoner earlier, and we had to carry him here..” Penny simply stared at Snap as he said this. The zoner paused and gave a nervous smile. “Yeah, there’s quite a bit I need to tell you.”

Penny nodded her head slowly. “Yeah... There’s something I need to discuss with you as well.”

Snap tilted his head. “Really?”

Penny nodded. “It’s regarding Dr. Urso.”

“What...?” Snap asked softly, his eyes widening. “Did...did something happen?”

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah...you can say that.” Snap stared at her, waiting for her to speak. Penny stayed quiet for a few moments, trying to think of how to go about this. “Dr. Urso, he...” She paused for a moment. “He..attacked me.”

Snap took in a sharp gasp. He moved back a step. “What?”

Skrawl glared at the zoner. “You heard her, you bite-sized runt!” Snap shot him glare. Skrawl just shrugged his shoulders and said, “Well it’s true.” He turned his head away. “He did go on a rampage.”

Penny spoke up. “Yeah, it’s true.” She closed her eyes. “I wish it wasn’t...” She shook her head from side to side. “But it is...unfortunately.” She turned and looked back at Snap. “You see, Nihilanth...did something to him. Something that allowed him to control him.”

“But..I thought he could only influence humans...” Snap said, his previous anger gone. He cautiously motioned his hand towards Penny. “You..sure that’s what it was? There could be another explanation.” He put his hands out at his sides in gesture as he continued to speak. “Like..maybe..maybe he is being blackmailed, or he’s sick and just hallucinating, or...”

Penny cut him off. “I had considered those possibilities, Snap. And you are right. It could be something else like that. But I..I just don’t know. I’m still worried that Nihilanth did something to him and now he’s waving the hand to control him.” She cast a glance towards the door. She bit her lip. “I still remember how he came barreling in here, all vicious and...” She rested her chin on her hand. “It was horrifying...”

“Well at least it’s over.” Snap said.

“For now anyway.” Skrawl furrowed his eyebrows. “There is a chance that he may have done something with Maalik and Dr. Raiden.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He turned his wheelchair around and stared at Snap. “Have you seen anything unusual? Any strange actions or things you didn’t expect from them?”

Snap folded his arms against his chest and narrowed his eyes. His gaze casted downward. “Well to be honest...no.” He shook his head as he looked up. He gave Skrawl a kind of quizitive look. “They acted just fine.” He clenched his teeth nervously. “So, uh.. maybe they are fine...?” He suggested hesitantly.

Skrawl said, “That doesn’t really prove anything. Dr. Urso acted fine before he, for a lack of a better word, snapped.” He paused for a few seconds, as if to let the information sink into Penny and Snap. “The only way to find out for sure is to scan Dr. Urso’s mind to see what was changed. And from there, do the same with Dr. Raiden and Maalik. We can use the data to determine if their minds were tampered with.”

“It’s scary how Nihilanth was able to control Dr. Urso like that.” Snap said. Though he heard very little details, he heard enough to know just how scary the ordeal must have been. “I just can’t imagine that nice zoner doing something as horrible as this.”

“Yeah...” Penny nodded in agreement. “It was like he had become part red chalk or something.” At this, Snap’s eyes opened wide. Penny took immediate notice. She looked at Snap, a perplexed expression on her face. “What is it, Snap?”

“I almost forgot to tell you!” Snaps voice was laced in a mixture of excitement and worry. Penny watched him intently, wondering what it is he had to say to her. Could it be important news? “I did find a...very interesting book at the library!”

After a few seconds of silence, Skrawl said impatiently, “Well, don’t keep us in suspense, Snap.”

“Yeah.” Penny nodded her head once. “What did you find out?”

“Well the book had some notes in it written by a black chalk user who temporarily broke free of the chalk’s power.” Snap explained. At this, Penny and Skrawl’s eyes grew big. They stared at each other, both of them exchanging a silent glance. They both knew the implications of this. They turned back to Snap, who continued. “The user wrote down information on how to break free of the black chalk.”

“What?!” Skrawl cried in disbelief. His body straightened pu. “You mean there is a way?”

Snap nodded his head. “Yeah...there is.” He gave a small smile.

At this, Penny felt a wave of excitement shoot through her body. A powerful feeling welled up inside of her, and for once, it wasn’t pain or sorrow, but hope and elation. At last, they had a way to break free of the black chalk. They had a way to get Rudy out of Nihilanth’s grasp. They had a way to save him. She had hoped that Snap’s trip into the city would be eventful, but she...she never thought it would be like this.

With this newfound information, they could save Rudy. They could rip him away from Nihilanth, and then they could work on finding a way to get Barney away from him. Nihilanth would be rendered powerless and then he could be contained. They would be able to keep him from hurting anyone else. He would essentially become harmless, not able to do anything. Not even hurt a fly.

“What is it? What did they say?” Penny asked, leaning a little closer to Snap. Her voice reflected the happiness and excitement she was feeling. She never thought htey would find a way to free Rudy. Their day had gone from horrible to eventful. “What do we need to do to help Rudy?”

“Yes. Do please enlighten us.” Skrawl said. His voice was somewhat sarcastic, making it clear he was a little skeptical about this information.

Penny was happy that Snap didn’t attempt to retort back to Skrawl. He kept his attention on Penny and said, “I don’t have the book with me right now. Raiden and Maalik have it. But the book’s notes were written by Cosmo.”

Penny’s smile immediately vanished as horror washed over her face. Cosmo? Teddisson Cosmo? He’s..he’s the one who wrote those notes? Him? Of all people, it had to be..that guy? Penny suddenly wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear more. What if Cosmo was just playing a trick on them? What if this was all a lie? Then again...what if it wasn’t? What if this information could save their friend from becoming a slave? She had to at least give the information a chance.

“Mr. Cosmo..?” That was all Penny could manage to say as she exhaled.

“I know. I was shocked myself.” Snap said. “He claimed that he somehow got free of the black chalk for a time, and wrote a message for anyone to stumble upon. The instructions are...pretty complicated. But he insists that, if followed correctly, the person in question would be freed.”

Skrawl cocked an eyebrow. “I smell a trap.”

“I know. I’m not so sure of it myself.” Snap agreed as he turned to look at Penny again. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you about it, Buckette.” He took a step forward, getting closer to her. “I was hoping that you could come up with an idea on what to do. Should we look into this? It might be true. Then again, it might not and Mr. Cosmo is just playing us for saps.”

“Well...could you tell me what we had to do?” Penny asked.

Snap nodded his head. “Yeah. It’ll take a while to explain it all, but I’ll give you the extremey short version.” He looked at Penny and Skrawl, as if to make sure they were paying attention. Then he continued. “One part in particular... It... I’m not sure if..” His voice trailed off.

Penny didn’t like the sound of that. She sucked on her lip nervously. She could only begin to imagine just what Mr. Cosmo wrote that has given Snap that kind of a reaction. That horrid man proved just how heartless he was years ago. She took in a deep breath. She tried not to think about it too much. She focused her attention on Snap, waiting for him to continue.

Snap stammered. “I-I.. he said...” He looked left and right, looking like he was having a hard time thinking of what to say.

“Just spit it out already!” Skrawl snarled, his arm pressed against his side impatiently.

Penny gave a soft glare to Skrawl. She knew that getting the information was important, but yelling at Snap like that was not going to make it any either. She knew that Snap would not be able to relay the information if they were too hard on him. She didn’t say a word to Skrawl, though. He wasn’t going to listen. He might not be an enemy anymore, but he was still stubborn as always and it wasn’t like anything she said would get him to realize his mistake.

Penny leaned forward, keeping her eye on Snap. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He shivered and looked up at her. She flinched at those eyes. They were shining with some kind of silent message. They were telling her that the information he was about to give... It was going to be something dreadful. She bit her lip. Then, wordlessly, she nodded her head, silently encouraging Snap to continue.

Snap clenched his teeth. Then, a few seconds later, he replied, “He said that one of the steps into freeing someone from black chalk is to...” His eyes shot left and right. He gulped. “..form an alliance with...red chalk.”

Penny felt her body temperature drop to zero. Her mind reeled form this information. She felt her legs get weak and shaky. If she were tanding right now, she would be on her knees by this point. She stared at Snap in shock. She watched his face, looking for any sign that he was lying or she had misheard. But nothing about Snap’s face showed he was kidding about this. The realization that he spoke the truth washed over her like a cold wave, leaving her feeling numb.

The red chalk... They had to form an alliance with... red chalk...? She wasn’t sure if this was some kind of obvious joke Mr. Cosmo created just to mess with them, or if he was insane. Mr. Cosmo knows just how dangerous red chalk is. He created that stuff, for crying out loud. Red chalk obeys no one. Red chalk attacks everyone without remorse. The only reason Bardot didn’t go on a rampage was because the white chalk settled him down. But pure red chalk drawings... They were feral, locked in a permanent aggressive state. How Cosmo thought that would help him control them better was beyond her.

But still, red chalk was highly volatile and dangerous. Anything drawn with it was dangerous. They couldn’t trust the red chalk as far as they could throw it. Just... how could they even begin to make an alliance with such an...explosive type of chalk? It’s not like the red chalk can be reasoned with. It forces creators to draw what it wants by manner of body control. It distorts its creator’s intentions. The red chalk drawings disobey their creator and will turn on them on a dime.

Ultimately, the red chalk was a user. The more Penny thought about it, the more she realized that the red chalk may be sentient enough to see itself as a creator, or want to be a creator. That was why it would possess the bodies of creators. It wanted so desperately to be a human creator itself. Because of that, she had her doubts that the red chalk could be reasoned with. How could they reason with something that clearly wanted to see itself as a kind of deity?

Then a thought crossed her mind. The red chalk was a byproduct of black chalk in a way. Mr. Cosmo could only create it because the black chalk gave him the power to do so. Mr. Cosmo created the red chalk only with that knowledge. So, in a sense, the red chalk is the black chalk’s creation. Its ‘offspring’ in a sense, born of body control rather than the mental control its ‘parent’ had. It had a mentality much like a rebellious teacher. It went against its own creator, like it would with any human, and just went on doing its own thing.

Because of that, was it possible that Mr. Cosmo was being truthful, and that an alliance could be formed? Penny was still skeptical, but the more she thought about it, the more she raelized that, yeah, maybe the red chalk would be willing to go against the same chalk that tried to use it before. Plus, didn’t she learn that Jenny used the red chalk to power the light cannon? And wasn’t red chalk used to activate Nihilanth to start with? She remembered something about that being mentioned during a previous conversation with Skrawl. And if that’s the case, then the black chalk had been using the red chalk as a mere power source. She could imagine the red chalk not taking too kindly to that.

She still wasn’t sure how they were going to go about this. It may be worth the risk to form an alliance, but they need to come up with a plan on how do it. She needed to figure out how to form a truce with that chalk and then make sure that it doesn’t cause any kind of destruction. But before she would do any of that, she needed more information.

Penny broke the silence that settled in the room for a little while. “Was there anything else he said? Besides the red chalk?”

Snap nodded his head. “Yeah, there was. Quite a bit actually.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “He did warn us to follow the instructions exactly... because even the white chalk is dangerous.”

Penny’s eyes flew open at this. “He...said that?”

Snap nodded his head. “According to his information, white chalk can be just as manipulative as black chalk. So we have to be careful not to allow the white chalk to be sentient for too long or...”

“And why would we rewaken the sentience of white chalk if it’s dangerous?” Skrawl interrupted, his voice a little growly. “If it’s dangerous, we...”

“The white chalk gaining sentience is one of the tasks required to free Rudy of the black chalk.” Snap said solemnly. “If what Mr. Cosmo said was true....” He stared at Penny and Skrawl, who both gave him shocked and confused expressions. Snap turned his gaze down a little. “Yeah I’m not so certain of the idea myself. I mean...he could be lying. But..” He rubbed his head. “What if he’s not? What if this could be our chance to...?”

“Snap.” Penny cut her friend off. “Can you tell me what else Mr. Cosmo said?”

Snap nodded his head. “Sure thing.”

With that, Snap began to relay the information he was able to gather from the notes. As he spoke, Penny listened intently. The information Snap would provide could turn everything around. But the one thing she knew for certain was they needed to exercise great caution. To forge an alliance with the red chalk.. That was going to be one of their riskiest undertakings yet.

sss

Bardot laid on the ground, shivering in a ball, his tail curled over his nose. His battered, ruined body radiated with pain from all the torture he suffered during his stay here. He had hardly anything to eat or drink. He was so weak, so tired all the time. He had used up most of his strength in providing the distraction to let Penny and Snap escape. However, he himself hadn’t been so lucky and wound up remaining captured.

Jenny hadn’t appreciated his actions and had punished him for it. His side still hurt from the kicks she had given him. He was amazed he was even still alive after that. Much of his outline had been damaged, making his form a little unstable. If he suffered just a little more damage in the right places, he might just fall apart, in the most grotesque and disturbing way ever. He wasn’t even sure if he could get treatment for this or if it would heal. He knew so little about outline wounds.

He rested in the cold, somewhat damp cell that Jenny had placed him in. She purposely chose this horrid cell as a way to mess with him mentally. Not only was it cold, but there was no place to get warm. No blankets, not even hay to lay on. There was just a single light above him, which gave off a sickly glow to create the ambiance of hopelessness. The place smelled horrible, like domething died here and rotted and then other things joined in along with it. It made him feel like he wanted to throw up.

But in addition to that, there was something else. Something that made this exceptionally cruel. Jenny had placed a couple of buckets of real world water in here, placed around him in a partial circle. Too much movement could cause the buckets to topple over, forcing him to remain relatively still during his stay here. He lived under constant threat of being erased. He could use the water to his advantage, but in his state... he would end up hurting himself badly before he could erase any part of his cell.

Even if he did escape...where would he go? And could he even get there? He was so weak right now, he could barely walk. He hardly thought he could run far. He might get about twenty feet away before he’d be recaptured. He could imagine Jenny giving him a much harsher punishment if he tried to escape. Staying here might be the best option, regardless of how horrible it was.

Bardot found it difficult to lay down comfortably. He was chained to the wall with a pretty tight collar. Not enough to choke him, but enough to be irritating. Slapped around his jaw was a mesh muzzle. The small wires of metal wrapped around his jaw, sealing it shut. He was unable to open up his mouth at all. Jenny had placed it on him so she didn’t have to hear him complaining and whimpering while he was stuck here. He had no doubts she would never remove it. It would be just like her to keep him from using his mouth one more time, to prevent even the uttering of a defiant last word.

Bardot wondered if Penny and Snap made it out okay. He presumed that they did. He hadn’t heard anything from Jenny or Ghadir on their recapture. He would think that they’d gloat about it if they managed to catch them again. He couldn’t help but give a soft smirk. He had a feeling that they wouldn’t be able to catch them. Those two were pretty smart. He knew those two would give them a run for their money.

He wasn’t sure where they were right now. One thing was for certain. He knew they were coming up with a plan to stop Jenny and the others. He knew them well enough to know they would never give up. They would stop them, prevent them from destroying the world. He hoped they would be successful in their plans. If the worlds were destroyed... Bardot still thought that plan was crazy and he wasn’t sure just how Nihilanth thought that was a sane thing to do.

And just what would happen to that world once Nihilanth got bored of it? Was he going to destroy it like he wanted to do with this one? Was he going to keep screwing everyone over until he himself is satisfied? That seemed to be what he was going for. He was just interested in creating a world that satisfied him ‘in the moment’, and then he would find a new standard to go by and then seek to recreate the world. Or rather, demolish it and create a new one in its place. It was a neverending cycle. For a moment, Bardot wondered if ChalkZone was just one of many worlds Nihilanth created, and just what the other worlds had been like.

Bardot wasn’t sure if he was going to live long enough to see Nihilanth’s downfall. There was a strong chance that he was going to die here. His wounds were great and likely mortal. It was just a matter of time of when he died. But he could at least rest assured that he would be stopped, somehow. Penny was smart, and so was Snap. He wouldn’t be one of those who would deny that fact. They would beat the deity, and that knowledge alone was enough to satisfy him.

All of a sudden, there was a loud creaking sound. Bardot’s ears twitched at this. He lifted up his head. He looked in the direction of the sound. There was a shadow casted on the wall. It grew taller and thinner as the figure came walking down. Bardot rose his head up, his green eyes partially open, pupils locked onto the shadow. He guessed it was probably Jenny coming down to taunt him again. What else was new? Bardot flattened his eyes as he prepared to deal with Jenny yet again.

Instead of her, he was surprised to see Ghadir. She usually didn’t come down to this particular part of the dungeon. She wasn’t even looking at him. She just walked by, as if he wasn’t even there. But what caught his interest wasn’t Ghadir herself, but who was with her. Someone was being dragged not far behind her. She had a grip on them, moving them along like they were just a sack of potatoes or something. Upon seeing what looked like a human face, Bardot immediately climbed up to his feet. Although wobbly, he managed to move a little closer to see what Ghadir was doing.

Bardot’s eyes widened in shock. It was Mr. Wilter. He recognized the man instantly from his distinctive features that he noted earlier, such as his nose. He was laying down on his legs, his shirt collar gripped and he was being dragged along like that. The man’s arms laid limply at his side. His head was down, his eyes open. Bardot noticed how lifeless the eyes looked, and yet..he wasn’t dead. He was still breathing. He just..didn’t look complete anymore, like a part of him was missing. His mouth hung open, drool dripping from it. He slowly turned his head and stared at Bardot. In that moment, their eyes locked on, causing Bardot to shudder. He watched the man until he was dragged out of sight.

Bardot limped towards the bars. It was a difficult task, and it took him a little longer than he hoped to reach the bars, but when he did, he looked over. He could see the shadow of Ghadir and Mr. Wilter as they continued down the hallway. Bardot kept staring even after the shadow was gone. After a few seconds, he came to realize that he was, again, alone in here. He sat down on his stomach as he tried to make sense of what he saw.

What was Ghadir doing here with Mr. Wilter? What did Jenny have planned? Having him lobotomized was bad enough. Were they going to do something worse to him? Ghadir hadn’t said a word as she dragged him down here. There had to be a reason why she brought him here, right? He would need to find out.. but how?

Bardot turned his head towards the buckets of real world water. His body shivered slightly. He knew that such a thing was going to be risky. He was not that strong. He could easily lose grip and hurt himself, or trap himself in an endless voice as he fell down forever. He shuddered at a thought. A fate worse than death, he’d consider that. Even when he tortured, he never would have thought of doing something like that to his victims. That was a bit much. Yeah, it didn’t hurt...for a time. But dehydrating and starving to death weren’t exactly pleasant ways to die.

Bardot would have just laid down and forgotten about the whole thing. He had no real obligation to help Mr. Wilter and he was in such bad shape, he could get himself killed before he got there. Thus, Mr. Wilter would be trapped here no matter what.

Yet...perhaps he should try at least. It would be some kind of blow against the black chalk artists. They were getting on his nerves, and he did not like being pushed around. He was tired of being afraid of them. He wanted to take some kind of action. Even if freeing Mr. Wilter did nothing to put a dent in their plans, it would at least be something, a strike against them that they wouldn’t forget.

Bardot made his decision. He stared intently over at the barrels of real world water. He got up to his feet again. Wobbling, he walked over towards them. He grabbed onto one of the barrels. He knew he was risking his life for this. But it wasn’t like he was scared of death. With all the pain he was in, death was...a welcoming thing. He mustered what little strength he had and lifted the barrel, his hind leg claws digging into the ground to try to keep his footing. His body trembled, weakness sweeping through him, as he tried to life the barrel up. It took a little while, but soon, the barrel was about an ince above the ground.

Bardot turned and started to walk towards the bars. He made his way over slowly, carefully. His claws dug into the barrel, slicing into it. He tried not to grip too hard, otherwise he would rip the barrel clean open. His teeth were clenched tightly as the weight of the barrel tugged at his injuries. This was not an easy thing for him to do. He shifted his eyes from the barrel to the bars as he kept creeping closer.

Once he reached the bars, he set the barrel down. He now had to make a choice. There was no way he could just throw the bucket of water over. He would have to kick it down. This was very risky. He could easily botch it up and the water not only wouldn’t damage the metal bars, but could end up hurting him or causing him to fall in the process. He had to be very careful with this. He looked behind him, seeing the other barrels of real world water, knowing that they could easily be knocked over if he botched this up. The yellow zoner then looked at the barrel he had moved. He sucked in a deep breath, then pushed against it, hoping for the best.

The barrel fell over with a bit of a push. The zoner moved back as the barrel hit against the ground. The water sprayed out of it, pouring onto the ground. To his horror, the barrel’s water did not hit the bars at all, but instead remained on the ground. He wanted to slap himself in the face. He should have moved it closer. He was going to take a step forward to see if he could do something to correct this error, but the vibration of the barrel hitting the ground had caused the other buckets to topple over as well.

The whole ground was getting covered in real world water. Bardot’s eyes widened in terror as the ground began to warp and melt and dissolve, the bits and pieces falling into the endless abyss below him. Bardot saw that this abyss was different, having a different aura than he expected it to have. As the ground beneath him began to dissolve, his front leg lost footing and he fell forward. His eyes flew open and he let out a muffled cry as a seering pain spread through his limb. Just..what kind of an abyss was this?

The yellow zoner looked left and right as he watched the ground crumbled own, the real world water doing its trick. He pressed himself against the bars as far as he could go. The ground was shrinking as the real world water spread rapidly. It was getting closer to him, forcing him to stand up on his hand legs. The real world water stretched the length of the bars and then spread to the other side a little. The ground beneath Bardot’s feet vanished, causing him to fall down. He quickly grabbed onto the bars, holding on as tightly as he could, his back feet dangling over the edge.

Bardot looked down, his teeth clenching in fear as he saw just how high up he was. The abyss...it went on forever. He looked behind him, towards the cell he was currently in. Most of the ground was gone now, the barrels having falling down with them. Bardot flinched. The idea of real world water being trapped in ChalkZone’s abyss forever was...horrifying. But he tried not to think about it. He turned his attention to what was in front of him: the dungeon’s hallway.

Bardot noticed that the real world water did damage some of the gorund in front of him. And all the ground below the bars was now gone, giving him plenty of room to manuever. The zoner soon became aware of that same horrible pain from before. He had been so distracted with what was going on, he hardly noticed it. He seethed in pain and crawled up the bars to get away from it. He took in a few quick breaths as he tried to think of what he was going to do. He couldn’t just simply stay here. He needed to get away, somehow.

He stared back down at the abyss, at the open space that seemed to almost beckon him to cross. He gritted his teeth. Was this really going to be a good idea? Could he risk it? He sighed softly, sucking in a breath. Yeah, it was his only chance. He may not be afraid to die, but he was not interested in falling into an endless abyss, let alone be tortured with agony for all eternity. He repositioned himself so his head was down and his tail up. His body still trembled from weakness, forcing him to gather up his remaining strength. He hoped that he wouldn’t leave himself vulnerable after this.

Bardot walked along the bars, keeping as tight of a grip she could muster on them. He continued long, one step at a time, as he clung upside down to the bars. Soon he reached the bottom. He paused, and took in a breath to prepare himself. He steadied himself and then, knowing full well what was coming, he began to move into the abyss.

The seering pain would have made him scream if the muzzle wasn’t attached to him. But that didn’t stop the loud whimpers from being emitted. He tried his best not to do that, to keep himself silent. But the pain, it was so horrible... He couldn’t help but at whimper and whine, tears moving down his face. He moved as quickly as he could. He arched himself up as he reached the bottom of the bars, and quickly grabbed onto the other side. He stopped there for a few seconds, giving him time to shiver and tense up in agony. Then he moved himself as quickly as he could. He scampered up the bars until he was completely out of the abyss, raising his tail up as high as he could.

For a few moments, he just clung there, panting as heavily as he could with the muzzle holding his mouth shut. He felt relief wash through him as the pain went away. He then he looked over at the ground behind him. There was a considerable chunk missing, but the ground after that, it looked stable enough. He mentally prepared himself, knowing that if he slipped up... He gulped at the thought. Clenching his teeth, gripping the bars tightly, he mustered up what little strength he had. He shut his eyes and hoped for the best. Then, releasing all his energy at once, he pushed off from the bars and went flying backwards. He twisted his body in the air, putting his front paws forward, his claws spread out.

By some miracle, he managed to land against the edge of the ground. Seering pain engulfed his body as he went into the abyss partially. He let out loud whimpers of pain as he dug his claws frantically into the edge. He quickly pulled himself up, his claws kicking at the ground, knocking off chunks that fell into the abyss below. He laid on the ground for a few moments, again waiting for the pain to leave him. Then he got up and looked over the edge, staring down. He shuddered as he realized how close he almost came to being down there.

He turned his attention to where he saw Mr. Wilter being dragged. Doing his best to wash away his previous fear, the weak and injured zoner began to limp down the hallway. Each step was difficult and shaky, and several times he almost fell down. He, however, still managed to stay on his feet. He kept moving forward slowly, painstakingly. He sniffed the air, using scent to follow Ghadir down the hallway.

Bardot then began to ask himself a question. Just what was he going to do when he got to Mr. Wilter? Regardless of what was going to be done to him, could he really bring himself to save him, in his current state? Even if he was able to...could he? It was a question that he never would have thought about before. In the past, he didn’t care if he killed his victims, with the exception of Snap due to his obsession about him. Other than that, he never really gave a fuck if his victims, or anyone, lived or died. Life was a game to him then.

Now, with a new perspective coming into play, Bardot began to ask this question, one that he would not have before. Would it be the best idea to rescue Mr. Wilter after he was lobotomized? Jenny did a lot of damage to him. There was no way the man could ever return to a normal life after that. His brain was so butchered, he couldn’t do the tasks required to survive. He literally depending on the black chalk artists to live...

If there was one thing he understood, it’s that sometimes life just isn’t worth living. What kind of live could that man really lead with his brain like that? Would it be better to just kill him? Should he end the man’s pain so that he didn’t have to suffer anymore? It was a question that he wasn’t sure he had the answer to. He knew those children may not approve of his choice, but...even they would have to admit that Mr. Wilter would not lead muc hof a life like this. Even if he gets out of this, he would still be bed-ridden, forced to have someone else take care of him.

Hmm, yes.. Perhaps that was for the best. With this new resolve in mind, Bardot adopted a sort of hunting posture. His claws flexed, digging into the ground. He continued to follow the scent trail, the intent to kill written all over his mind.

sss

Dr. Lancer fluttered her eyes open slowly. She let out a soft groan, turning her head a little to the side. Her mind felt so muggy...so tired. She wondered just what happened to her. She looked around, trying to get a sense of her surroundings. Her vision, at the moment, was so blurred, all she could see were shapes and colors. Some darkness, too, as if her eyes couldn’t yet fully grasp all the light that was in the room or wherever she was.

Her mind slowly came into focus as her vision cleared up a little. She became aware of a dull pain in her back and in her wing. She realized she was laying on her back, on something soft. A bed perhaps? Yes...it felt like a bed. But why was she here? She slowly blinked a few times, trying to get her mind and vision to sharpen up more. Where was she? Why were her back and wing hurting her? Why did she feel so weak? The last thing she could remember was speaking with Quirk regarding the incident with Tyreek, then nothing. Just what had happened to her that made her lose bits of her memory? More had happened after that...but what?

She tried to shift herself. She pushed against her bed with one of her paws, trying to get herself to turn over. She was getting uncomfortable with laying on her back. Suddenly, a seering pain swept through her wing and back. She stiffened up, stiffling a scream of agony. A few tears moved down her cheeks and she collapsed back into the bed. The sudden eruption of pain caused her memory to come back in flashes.

Yeah...that’s right... Draow... He had invaded the hospital. He burst through the wall, and had attacked her and Quirk. He broke her wing and her back. That was why they were hurting her so bad. She recalled that Draow had wanted revenge for what happened to Tyreek. He knew..he somehow knew what happened. Then Tsere came and chased him out. She and Quirk were hauled off to be treated, with her having the most severe of injuries.

Her heart clenched as she recalled how she was treated ever since the Tyreek incident. Most of the doctors weren’t happy with her and ostracized her. This continued even after she was injured. A part of her was hurt by this. She understood the punishment bit, since she did kill someone and she had to pay the consequences for that. But how they continued to treat her after she was wounded... As more of her memories returned, she recalled what Dr. Varrick had said to her. He told her they were wasting equipment on her.. She knew the other doctors had this mindset as well. She would be lying if she said that didn’t hurt her in some way, as much as she tried to ignore it.

She tried her best not to think about it. The hippogriff realized that she did bring this upon herself. She should have controlled herself more and she should have done what she was told. Get information, not torture. She still couldn’t help but feel that the doctors should moderate their behavior, as she was worried that if the patients catch wind of their actions.. She wouldn’t be surprised if there would be a massive loss of trust. What would happen to this hospital then, if the patients lose trust in the doctors? She’d worry for the most injured and sick patients, with whom transportation would be a dangerous and arduous journey.

Her heart ached a little as she thought about Tyreek. It was going to take sometime to cope with the loss. Yeah he had turned into a monster thanks to the black chalk, but she still cared about him on some level. She just wished she could have shown that a little more instead of torturing him out of shere anger. It was unnecessary; the man was unarmed and harmless. She should have just used regular intimidation and got the information that way.

There were only two things she could take in comfort.

Tyreek was no longer being used like a puppet. That must be some kind of relief to her creator, even if he died in the process. He was no longer being used like some kind of tool. He was no longer being forced to do something against his will. The black chalk couldn’t control his mind anymore. He was free.

The other thing that comforted her was the fact that she did show him some kindness in the end. Even if it wasn’t much, even if it did little to help him, at least she could undo some of the mental damage she caused him. She was able to give him some kind of comfort in his final moments. At least he didn’t die alone, and at least she was able to relieve a bit of the pain she caused him. That was something at least.

“Oh good. You’re awake.”

This voice, so familiar, cut her from her thoughts. The hippogriff’s eyes widened a little. Then they narrowed slightly. She slowly turned her head. Standing there, no surprise, was Dr. Varrick. She gritted her beak slightly. What was he doing here? She wasn’t in the mood for him right now. As the zoner walked forward, she just turned her head away.

Dr. Varrick stood next to her. Dr. Lancer waited for him to speak. For what felt like several minutes, there was just silence. She didn’t look at him, but she could sense he was still there, staring at her. What did he want from her? Why was he just standing there? Did he want her to speak first? What did he want her to say? She already knew what he was going to say. Probably scold her again, despite the fact she was going to jail whenever she recovered enough. Wasn’t that good enough for the zoner?

Noticing that the humanoid zoner was not speaking, Dr. Lancer decided to break the silence. After taking in a breath through her nostrils, she gave him a sideways glance. “What is it you want, Dr. Varrick?” She sounded a little more bitter than she had intended.

Dr. Varrick did not hesitate to reply. “I...wanted to see how you were doing.”

Dr. Lancer cocked an eyebrow at this. “You wanted to see how I was doing?” She asked, incredulous. She found it hard to believe that the humanoid zoner came to see how she was doing. She wondered if there was an ulterior motive. “Well since you are inquiring, I’m fine. My back and wing hurt, but I’m fine.”

Dr. Varrick nodded his head. “You were lucky to have survived at all.” He took another step forward. A small one. She noticed he looked a little nervous, and, peculiarly, he didn’t seem angry. Maybe something else was on his mind. “You...flatlined earlier.” Dr. Lancer’s eyes widened in horror at this. She turned her head and looked at Dr. Varrick, silently asking him if he was telling the truth. Dr. Varrick lowered his gaze. “It took us a while to get your heart pumping again.”

“I’m sorry for wasting more of your equipment.” Dr. Lancer said. She noticed Dr. Varrick flinching at that, but she ignored it. She kept her gaze up at the ceiling. “Well, at least I won’t stay here much longer. And good thing I didn’t die, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to pay for my mistakes. I’m not being sarcastic here; I really do think I deserve it.”

There was silence for a few moments. Dr. Varrick stood next to her still, and he remained quiet. He had a softer expression than usual. She still didn’t know what it meant. She didn’t want to be harsh on him, though. Despite the things she could say to him, to call him out on his hypocritical behavior, she wanted to be the bigger zoner. She kept quiet, listening to the sound of silence that went on for a little while.

Getting tired of hearing nothing, Dr. Lancer turned her head towards the humanoid zoner. Her yellow eyes narrowed very slightly. “So...what caused me to flatline.”

“Incorrect level of medicine. It screwed with your heart.” Dr. Varrick said.

“Was it on purpose?” Dr. Lancer asked.

The humanoid zoner shrugged his shoulders. “We don’t know. We’re looking into it now.” He relaxed his arms at his sides. “But don’t worry. We’ll find out if someone did it or not and have them apprehended.”

At this, Dr. Lancer couldn’t help but let out a bitter chuckle. He was going to make sure the culprit, if there was one, was caught? She didn’t really know what to say to that. Out of all the zoners, he was the last one she thought would be willing to figure what happened and do something about it. She had to wonder if he was doing this out of the kindness of his heart or if he was doing it to keep up his image. After all, not many would trust a zoner who was unnecessarily cruel to another.

She wanted to say something to that, but decided not to. She just turned her head back and looked up at the ceiling. The idea of her flatlining while she was unconscious was frightening. It must have occurred shortly after her surgery. Her body had ‘awoken’ enough that she could feel something wrapped around her. She still couldn’t feel anything in her legs or tail, though, but that was to be expected. She wondered if she would ever regain feeling there again.

“I was in this room when it happened. You just...suddenly flatlined. I slammed the emergency button right away and I performed CPR on you.” Dr. Varrick said. “I’m sure that’s what saved your life.”

Dr. Lancer’s eyes bulged at this. The zoner was full of surprises, wasn’t he? Without looking, she said, “I’m...kind of surprised you did that. I thought you would have wanted me to die.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “Well...thanks anyway.”

“Listen...I...” Dr. Varrick said. Dr. Lancer looked over at him. She noticed him rubbing his head nervously, his gaze turned away. “I came in here to tell you something.”

“Oh?” Dr. Lancer raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”

Dr. Varrick looked at her. His eyes grew a little big. She noticed how shiny they looked. Was he going to cry? The humanoid zoner moved even closer until his waist practically touched the bed. He reached out towards her a little. But he didn’t seem like he could work enough courage to touch her and he pulled his hand away. He bit his lip and lowered his hand.

“I wanted to...apologize for my behavior earlier.” Dr. Varrick said. This startled Dr. Lancer. She stared at him with an open mouthed shocked expression. “I was...wrong to treat you the way I had. I didn’t realize how much of an asshole I was becoming when I kept saying those nasty things to you.”

Dr. Lancer wanted to say something, but she couldn’t think of a response. She opened her beak a little, but quickly closed it. She waited for him to continue.

Dr. Varrick reached over and gently touched her on her shoulder. She recoiled slightly, not expecting that kind of gesture for him. She stared at his hand, and then back up at him. “I’m sorry about the ‘wasting equipment’ comment... So long as we are helping someone, we’re not wasting it. You are injured and you need the equipment to survive. I’m also sorry about saying we should have thrown you out to Draow. That was cruel of us, and I take it back.” He paused, clenching his teeth. He gently squeezed her shoulder. “I understand that you didn’t mean to kill Tyreek... That was still wrong of you to do and you still need to endure the consequences. But I undersatnd that you won’t try to do something like that again. I’m sorry I didn’t see it earlier.”

Dr. Lancer blinked a few times. A part of her wondered if she was dreaming. Maybe she was still knocked out or something, and this was just an illusion in her mind. She never would have thought that Dr. Varrick, of all zoners, would apologize to her. He had been one of the most outspoken against her since the Tyreek incident. Why the sudden change of heart?

“I also like to apologize about blaming you for Draow’s attack. You didn’t ask for it. And you’re right... I was the coward. I hid. You...you stood and fought. You have the wounds to prove it.” Dr. Varrick said. He gritted his teeth for a few seconds. He sighed softly and continued, “I’m sorry about everything I said to you. I take it all back. I was being too harsh on you, and I apologize.”

Dr. Lancer stared at him. For a few moments, she wasn’t sure what to say. If there was one thing she did not expect, it was this guy coming to apologize to her. She would have thought that, if he did say sorry, he would do so halfheartedly. But his expression told a different story, and the length of his apology suggested he at least took a bit of time to think about it. This wasn’t something he just did halfhandedly. This was a genuine apology, and it surprised her.

When she found her voice, she said, “...I forgive you.” Dr. Varrick stared at her. Now it was his turn to be surprised. “But I don’t entirely blame you. I did kill someone in cold blood.”

“It was an accident. Yes you need to be punished, but..we..I still took it too far.” Dr. Varrick said, his voice a little quieter. “I knew you were going to jail and I should have just...” He sighed and lowered his head a little. “Well I am grateful you were able to find it in your heart to forgive me. The other doctors agreed to try to treat you better.”

“Let me guess. You convinced them?” Dr. Lancer asked.

“I was able to do something, yes.” Dr. Varrick said as he gave a small smile.

Dr. Lancer smiled back, but only for a few seconds. She turned her head away. She glanced over her body, noting the equipment hooked up to her. Despite the apology, the zoner’s harsh words from before still echoed in her mind as she looked at the stuff hooked up all around her body. The whole ‘what a waste of equipment’ comment.. She turned her head away.

Dr. Varrick seemed to realize what she was thinking. His expression softened up and he leaned forward. Before Dr. Lancer knew it, the zoner wrapped his arms around her carefully. She could feel him press his head against hers. Not sure what to do, Dr. Lancer reached up with a paw and placed it on his back.

“You’re not a waste, Dr. Lancer. You’ve done so much for this hospital and our patients. And you did help to drive away Draow.” Dr. Varrick said as he held onto her. “I’m just..sorry I blinded myself to that fact.”

“I know you are...” Dr. Lancer said softly.

After a few moments of hugging, the two zoners parted. They stared at each other for a while, a soft smile on their faces. Silent statements that they were willing to forgive each other and move on. Dr. Lancer still felt a little better towards this zoner for what he said. But time would heal that wound. She was certain. And it would be silly of her to keep holding onto that anger, especially after he had apologized. She forgave him, and she will have to follow up on that.

She was still worried that she might lose control of herself again. But this apology and forgiveness did give her some strength. Perhaps, if she tried hard enough, she’ll be able to control herself. She could prevent herself from losing her temper again. She was not going to have another Tyreek incident on her claws.

“By the way... I wanted to ask you something.” Dr. Varrick asked. “If...you don’t mind of course.”

“Sure, go ahead.” Dr. Lancer said.

“Whatever happened to the black chalk?” Dr. Varrick asked. “The one that was taken from Tyreek?”

“I’m pretty sure it was crushed...” Dr. Lancer said. She lowered her gaze, shifting it left and right. “A-At least..I think it was...” She looked back at Dr. Varrick. “Why?”

“We have gotten word that Penny ended up getting black chalk inside of her.” Dr. Varrick said solemnly. The hippogriff’s eyes widened in horror at this. “We need to find it..before it finds her.” He bowed his head, his eyes closed. “I-If it manages to touch her..”

Dr. Lancer felt her heart freeze at this.


	148. We Will Be Subtle

“So you didn’t have much luck either, I presume?” Rudy asked.

“Oh what was your first clue?” Jenny grumbled under her breath.

Rudy chuckled, his shoulders shaking. “Well the look on your face when I came in certainly told a..very interesting story.”

Jenny shot a glare at Rudy. If he had said this while he wasn’t Nihilanth’s vessel, she would have slapped him. But she managed to regain composure, reminding herself that Rudy was on her side now, controlled by Nihilanth. If she dare take a strike against Rudy, she’d be doing so against Nihilanth, the only one she’d ever consider master and look up to. Well besides Cosmo that is.

The two of them sat on a long table in a relatively decently sized room. There multiple chairs set up, about ten on both sides, and then one on each end. Jenny looked around the table, noticing how empty it felt. It hadn’t always been like this. She took a moment to reflect on when there used to be so many black chalk users that this room was smell and only a small handful of artists could go in here for a meeting. The highest ranking only, like herself. But now, sitting here, it felt so much...bigger than it had to be. Jenny couldn’t help but feel a pang in her chest. She missed her comrades. She wished she could find them...

She had to focus on the task at hand, however. She can worry about memory lane later. Her mind refocused on her failed attempt at avenging Ghadir. She had wiped Mazin’s mind and sent him to attack his old friends, the ones that had harmed Ghadir. The plan had been successful so far and the mind controlled Mazin managed to slaughter about thirty percent of those evil zoners. It was a beautiful sight.

Then she made the mistake of going after Raiden, Maalik, and Snap. As soon as she saw them through Mazin’s eyes, she had the strong urge to go after them, specifically Snap. She wanted to get rid of one of the trio that stood in the black chalk’s way. If she got rid of him, that would leave only Penny. Alone, she would be easy pickings. So she altered the command and send Mazin after him. She chased them through the ruined city, using one of the weapons she found in the Luminos’s hideout to shoot at them. She got them to go into a large building, which she then started to demolish, hoping it would crush them inside.

But that failed and they managed to get out. She had been so focused on killing them that she failed to move Mazin out of the way as part of the building crumbled behind him. Mazin was knocked out and she lost connection. She would have used the monitor system to check on them and see what was going on. But she already knew. Surely, the three zoners were taking Mazin to the hospital, where he will be operated on, no doubt right away. She growled softly to herself. She had lost her little slave.

“You made a miscalculation.” Rudy said, resting his chin on his hand. His elbow pressed against the table. “You should have been more careful. I had imagined you would be, considering who you are.” Jenny growled at this. She didn’t appreciate the insult. Rudy smiled at this. He pulled himself back and held out his hand. “Well at least you wiped his mind before you did this so...” He leaned forward. “He’s not going to be able to tell them anything.”

Jenny nodded her head at this. “Yeah that’s true. Something at least.” Rudy nodded and the two fell silent for a little while.

Jenny thought about what Rudy said. Yeah, he was right. Wiping the zoner’s mind was a good step to take. The zoner may have heard something of great importance. A plan in the works or detail on where something is. She couldn’t remember everything she spoke about, but she wouldn’t be surprise if something she brought up could be used against them. If she hadn’t wiped the zoner’s mind, then Penny could have gotten that information from him, and she would slowly gain a footing.

The mind wipe was permanent. On some level, it wasn’t much different than a lobotomy. It still reduced the zoner into a drooling mess, making him so much easier to control. Mazin didn’t even try to resist. He just stood there while she hooked him up with the weapon and sent him to hunt his former allies. He didn’t blink, he didn’t make any expressions. He was like a robot in flesh clothing.

He had become, in her mind, the perfect zoner. In her mind, a perfect zoner was one who took orders from a creator without question, without concern of their safety or others. They were just mere tools to be wielded. They were here to serve their creators and nothing else. They were worthless otherwise, and expendable. The only good zoners were the ones who either were compliant or they were mindless. All other zoners be damned.

Rudy spoke up again, breaking the silence once more. “Still, if you hadn’t been to eager to kill Snap, you...”

“Oh shut up!” Jenny swung her head in Rudy’s direction. “I know I made a mistake!” Forgetting who she was speaking to, she pointed a finger in his direction. “What about you?! You could have ripped Penny’s arm off, but you hesitated just to..”

“That wasn’t me.” Rudy’s eyes darkened. “That was Nihilanth. Are you...” He tilted his head to the side. “..questioning him?”

At this, Jenny felt her heart clench. She realized her mistake right away. It wasn’t Rudy who was doing that. Nihilanth was the one controlling Dr. Urso. She wasn’t entirely sure how he was able to do it, but right now, that didn’t matter. She realized that, by criticizing Rudy about that plan, she was actually going against Nihilanth, since he was the one in charge in that moment. This caused her feel a little chilly as she pushed herself back in the chair.

“No..I.. Of course not.” Jenny said quickly. She bowed her head slightly. “I apologize.”

Rudy’s eyes remained narrowed. He got up from his seat. As he did this, Jenny took notice of how his eyes began to glow. One white and one black. He walked over to her. She felt a sense of dread well up inside of her as Rudy, who had become one with Nihilanth, approached her. Soon he stood next to her, glaring at her. Jenny felt herself cringing back away from him.

Rudy said, “Need I remind you that Nihilanth put me in charge?”

Jenny shook her head. “No! You..you don’t.”

“Well that’s good.” Rudy leaned over towards Jenny. The nurse slid down in her chair, making herself appear smaller. She looked up at Rudy, some fear shining in her eyes. Rudy took note of this and smiled. He reached down and lightly placed a hand against her cheek. “Keep it that way. I don’t think it should be necessary for me to remind you why you should listen... Don’t you think so?”

Jenny winced as she felt him lightly press his claws against her cheek. She stared down at them for a few seconds before looking up at Rudy again. She shook her head, careful to avoid herself getting scratched again. “No... Don’t worry.. I’ll remember in the future.” Her voice was low and shakier than she thought it was going to be. She never thought she’d be showing submission to Rudy of all people. But she had to remind herself of just who was really pulling the strings here.

“Okay then..” Rudy said. He pulled his hand away, his claws lightly scratching against Jenny, making a tiny bit of blood appear. “Let’s go ahead and...continue our discussion.”

Jenny placed a finger on her cheek where she was grazed. She pulled her hand back and looked at her finger. She noticed the tiny about of blood on it. It was hardly a drop, but it was still enough to make her eyes widened in horror. She looked back at Rudy. She watched as he walked away from her, his arms folded behind her back, his dragon claws extended. As he headed back towards his seat, she took a moment to realize just what could have happened. Those scratches, there was barely any forced used. A sign of just how sharp they were. If Rudy had pressed down any harder...

She tried not to think about it. She should count herself lucky that Rudy was on her side now. Nihilanth would never cause unintentional harm to his subjects. After all, they weren’t useful to him if he just cut them up willy nilly. She started to feel a little safe again with this realization. The only time she would have to worry about those claws was if she betrayed the black chalk. And there was no way in hell that was going to happen.

“Now...” Rudy said as he sat down in his seat. “I am aware that the plan to rip off Penny’s arm was..a failure. But it was just a minor setback and it doesn’t really affect the plan overall.” He crossed a leg over the other. He tapped his fingertips together, putting on a scheming sort of look. It reminded Jenny a bit of Mr. Cosmo. “My dear Penny is certain to fight back... Even in her state. Removing her arm, however... That was not the only way I can stop her.” His eye twinkled a little. “There are other ways...”

“Like the black chalk Tyreek left behind.” Jenny pointed out.

Rudy nodded his head. “Exactly.” His smile broadened. “Those stupid zoners had forgotten to take care of it. Now it lays dormant, under the tortoise’s bed.” He lifted his head up a little. “Knowing my dear sweet little Penny, she will go and visit him.”

“And then the black chalk would have her.” Jenny smiled at this. “We won’t have to worry about her anymore....”

Rudy lifted up a finger. “Well it would raise too much suspicion of she were fully corrupted there.” He held his hand out in gesture. “So..instead of taking her over, I, or rather, Nihilanth has it arranged where the black chalk will merely guide her and influence her. It’ll be...undetectable. She won’t realize what’s going on.” He grinned as he leaned his head a little forward. He pressed his face lightly against his clasped hands. “I think you know what that means.”

Jenny nodded her head slowly. She knew exactly what Rudy and Nihilanth were getting at. They could get Penny to go where they want her to, and without drawing suspicion. Penny wouldn’t forcibly go the way they want. It’ll be like she chose that path herself. She just needed the right influence in the correct manner, and they could guide her undetected.

There was possibility with this, but Jenny knew just which way Rudy and Nihilanth were going to go with it. The thought caused a smile to tug away at her mouth. Her fear from before vanished, replaced with excitement for what was going to happen. Nihilanth was one smart deity, and Rudy...well since he became a black chalk artist as well, he had proved to be quite cunning, like how he was nearly able to corrupt Penny by distracting her with a kiss. Pretty cheesy, but hey it worked...almost anyway.

And that wasn’t all. That small bit of black chalk in Penny allowed Nihilanth to ‘see’ in a sense what she was doing. That was how he was able to watch what happened with Dr. Urso in her room. This meant that he knew of any plan they were going to discuss. This meant they could prepare themselves, come up with counter solutions to keep them from succeeding. Sure, they may have had a few small victories, but no more. They were going to play right into any trap they set up for them.

“I wonder how Penny will feel...” Jenny wondered out loud. She rested the side of her head against her hand. “..when she comes to realize she, in a way, helped you.”

“Oh that will be a real treat to see.” Rudy said, giving a cruel smile. He stared down at the desk in front of him, that sneer on his face for some time. He then looked back at Jenny, his expression changing a little. “Where is Ghadir? I have a special task for her...and you of course.” Jenny blinked and stared at him, curiosity plastering over her face. Rudy tilted his head a little. “I’ll tell you more about it when Ghadir is here. Will she arrive shortly or did you not tell her about this meeting?”

“She’s down in the dungeon.” Jenny used her thumb to point backwards. “I sent her to put Mr. Wilter into a new holding chamber. I have this gut feeling that Penny and Snap will try to find him. I’d rather they don’t locate him, at least not yet.” She held her hands out at her sides. “It’ll be more fun to wait until it is almost too late, then watch them struggle to help the starved and dehydrated old man, only for him to die.” She brought her hands back. “It’ll make for a...suitable revenge for what happened to Tyreek. I’d rather do it against the two zoners who were truly responsible, but...oh well, this’ll do.”

Rudy nodded his head slowly at this, smiling. “Indeed. Plus, this will help to diminish their hope. Sometimes, a loss is much more devastating...if you allow your opponent to think they are winning. Then you yank the rug out from underneath them.”

At this, Rudy raised his hand and black energy shot out of it. Nihilanth’s power enabled Rudy to create a chess board, the pieces placed neatly in their right spots. Jenny stared at it, her eyes wide in amazement. It still fascinated her how the deity could create anything he wanted to, and yet he chose to hold back. She knew the reason for it. He wanted to prolong the torment. She knew he was right. It would be more devastating for the ‘good guys’ if they think they were winning, only to realize they had been led this whole time.

Moving his hand around, making a few gestures, Rudy started to move the pieces around on the board. One by one, move after move was made. It looked like, at first, white was winning, representing white chalk. But then, it became apparent that Rudy was setting up a trap. Her eyes brightened as she watched the remaining black pieces get into a posture that was impossible for the king to escape. She knew this was a metaphor for what was going to happen to Penny and those others that dared to stand against them.

Rudy then raised his hand up and flicked his wrist to one side. In seconds, the chess board disappeared into a whisp of smoke. After a few seconds, he turned to look at Jenny once more. The white and black glow from his eyes increased a little. To their enemies, this would make him look more intimidating. But to Jenny, this made him more...attractive than anything. A great leader. She would dare say he would have made a good replacement for Cosmo if things had just gone a different way. No wonder Cosmo had his eyes set on the boy.

“If we set things up right... If we make all the right moves...” Rudy twirled his finger in a circle in the air. A nasty grin spread across his face. “We can break them. We can shatter their into little tiny pieces...” He gave a dark chuckle. “And when that happens...”

“We will be there to...harvest the remains...” Jenny finished, her eyes gaining a black glow to them.

“Exactly.” Rudy sneered. He leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlocking together. He pointed two fingers in Jenny’s direction. “As soon as Ghadir gets here, we will discuss what we are going to do. And I already have an idea...” His eyes narrowed further, his smile becoming more twisted and disturbed. “...what we are going to do.”

Jenny grinned at this. She was glad that they ended up not killing Rudy. Ever since he became a black chalk artist, she found that, despite not being one for too long, Rudy was a lot of fun. She couldn’t wait to hear just what kind of plan he head in mind.

sss

Draow couldn’t believe it. He just couldn’t believe it. How could this happen to him? Him, of all zoners. He was stronger and faster than almost any of these other zoners. He was large enough to rip them all apart. They were nothing more than puny ants.

Yet... He couldn’t forget what his own words had been. He knew that ants were strong together, and the same thing applied with zoners. He had been outnumbered and outclassed. Of course these zoners had some help from Tsere. Draow growled softly as he recalled how he had crashed into the ground, how it broke apart, and how he ended up in the abyss. The pain... it was so bad he nearly passed out when he first entered.

He knew that had to have been a trick by Tsere. He must have planned that. The pterosaur was quite clever. He could see him do something like that. Oh Tsere might try to deny it, but Draow was not an idiot. He knew the pterosaur well enough to recognize one of his plans. Tsere must have known the ground was not very thick and he took advantage of that. Then he had the gall not to let him die in peace. Instead, he poured salt in the wound by ‘saving’ him, and taking him here to be treated. He could already feel his pride slipping away.

He couldn’t even get out of here. He was trapped with nowhere to go. Oh he could walk around. He wasn’t strapped down or anything. The room wasn’t really uncomfortable to be in. The bed was nice to lay in. The zoners here did at least make him feel comfortable, despite the fact he was their enemy. He wondered if this was something Penny requested. Knowing her, he wouldn’t put it past her to demand that he be treated better than he would treat them. Some kind of code of honor or some other bullshit like that.

But he couldn’t get out. Not that he could walk very far with the burns that he has. But still, he really can’t go anywhere now that he has the burns on his bodies. He would be too slow and they would catch up to him. They would probably put a heavy chain on him. So perhaps he should be a little grateful that he wasn’t chained to the wall or anything right now. He had at least some freedom. He had to admit, it was definitely better than what the black chalk artists would have done with their prisoners. Then again, they were weak. They just didn’t have the guts to go about dealing real punishment.

The bat wolf stood in the nest-like bed that was provided for him. He settled down in it, folding his wings against his body like he were some large bird roosting for the day. His tail curled up beside his body. His head pointed downwards while his teal eyes were closed. He took in a few deep breaths, letting his mind replay the events that had happened. He thought of all sorts of ways he could have turned the tides of the fight and he bared his teeth slightly as he realized just what kind of idiot he had been.

His eyes opened up slightly, cracking up just half way, and he lifted his head a couple centimeters. He peered towards the door. In front of him was a large iron door, incredibly thick and made of the strongest iron he’s ever seen. There was no way he could knock it down. Not just due to the thickness, but because the door was just the first thing. He was fully aware of just how secure this place was.

He had been brought here not long after his treatment. The doctors had, albeit reluctantly, mended his wounds, making sure they were all patched up. Draow would never admit it, but he felt somewhat grateful for the reduction of pain. It still puzzled him at times why they would help him, why their ‘code of honor’ was so important. They could have just left him to die and that would be it. Hell, they let Tyreek die... Why was he so different? He shook the thought from his head. It wasn’t like it was so important anyway. He had other things to worry about.

Like what Jenny was going to do... and Nihilanth, too. Those two are probably expecting him to come back any moment. But he was trapped here, in a holding cell not far from the hospital. He was put here to recover in isolation away from the other patients. They had no room strong enough to contain him in the hospital, so here he was stuck. He could easily tear out of the hospital, but not here. He was to remain here until he recovered enough for transfer to a proper jail cell. He guessed that he would go to Skrawl’s prison, a thought that filled him with disgust.

He remembered that place. He had been chained to the wall and kept generally immobilized due to his highly aggressive nature. There were only a few times he would be unhooked, such as when it was meal time. Most of the time, he was chained with a strong metal so he couldn’t get away. If it weren’t for Bardot, he would have been stuck there for a very long time.

Now, chances are, that was where he was going to, once more being chained to that hideous wall. No..it would probably be worse. Knowing Skrawl, he would have created a much stronger cell, and this time, perhaps electrifying it so he can’t even get close to the bars, and he’d still hook him to the wall as well. The zoners would want to make sure that he never got out again. And that time, he had his doubts that even someone like Bardot would be able to set him free.

Jenny and Nihilanth would be so disappointed if they found out their top zoner had been taking down so easily. He cursed to himself, wanting to tear apart this nest in retaliation, to express the anger that he felt inside. He knew it would solve nothing and frankly he found the next too comfortable to just rip up like that. Still, he felt ashamed that he had failed them. Jenny sent him to take care of the zoners responsible for Tyreek’s death, and he had failed. He gritted his teeth at the thought of his utter failure. He could only hope that Jenny and Nihilanth would be willing to give him a second chance to go after them, provided he got away of course.

He can just imagine Jenny’s reaction. Out of the two, he could imagine her being the snippiest and the angriest. And he wouldn’t blame her one bit. He should have been more careful. He should have paid more attention to what Tsere was doing. He should have planned his moves better so he wouldn’t be so stupid as to crash through the ground and hurt himself. It was partially his fault that it happened. He was just going to have to deal with the consequences. He didn’t expect Jenny or Nihilanth to help him. Why would they? They got other issues to take care of, he was certain.

He had a feeling that they were coming up with some kind of plan to take care of Penny and Snap. Chances are they would be better than what he’d come up with. By his own admission, he wasn’t very good at planning. Usually anyway. His planning usually went as far as just rush in and attack. He had hardly been given the chance to lead before, being perfectly fine with taking orders from someone else. This made him glad that those he worked with tended to be good at coming up with plans. His only lament right now was that he wasn’t able to witness what Jenny and the others were planning specifically. He would have liked to see this plan of theirs come into fruition.

Oh well, not much he could do about it now. At least he could live with the assurance that his comrades would be doing something about their hated enemies. With Rudy on their side, he was certain that would be a lot of fun. Rudy knew Penny and Snap very well, on more personal levels than he and the other black chalk artists. He chuckled as he thought of all the ways Rudy could rip them apart mentally. He could dig into their hearts and tear them down. Oh how much fun that would be to watch.

Draow had very quickly came to respect Rudy. In the short time he had been a black chalk artist, he had proven himself worthy. It was no wonder his master wanted Rudy on his side. The boy really did have potential, more so than the average person. Even though he had been forced into this viewpoint, Draow was glad that Rudy came to his senses and began to serve the black chalk. It really would have been a waste of talent if they simply killed him off. Forcing him to be on their side, working for them... Yes, having Rudy’s talent on their side was much more rewarding than just killing him off.

It was a shame that it took so long to get Rudy on their side. They had been so close before. The plan that Cosmo came up with was brilliant. And like all of his other plans, he knew that one had to have worked.. or at least almost since Rudy was not corrupted when he had found him. He knew something had to have intervened. He growled softly to himself, his ears folded against his head. If they had just been more careful, they would have had the boy at their side. Then the black chalk’s plans could have been put into motion a couple years ago, and they could have avoided much of this mess. Draow was certain that, had they gotten Rudy at their side before, they would have been on the path to victory and there would have been nothing the others could do to ‘save’ him.

It had to have been that Penny girl...

Yes, he was certain that she was responsible for why Rudy hadn’t yet been corrupted in the past. He knew just how close they were as friends. She may have done something to stop the black chalk from finishing the job.

The realization of this made him wish he had killed her when he had the chance. Mr. Cosmo had sent her down to his room to be dealt with. He, at the time, was still posing as a ‘dumb animal who simply follows orders’. So he didn’t act to his full potential; he had to keep up the facade of being a wild animal. He believed this had allowed Penny to escape. Yeah she had some help. That traitorous Ms. Saffron had something to do with it. But he could have just charged Penny and slaughtered her instead of just toying with her. He had felt so ashamed afterwards when he had failed to kill Penny. At least Mr. Cosmo hadn’t been really upset with him. But still, he should have known better.

Well at least he got to play with her a little while he worked for Bardot. He enjoyed having her and Rudy as their prisoners. He had a chance at revenge against both of them. It was a shame that he didn’t deal more damage to them than he could have. But Bardot had been right. They couldn’t just kill them off that quickly. They needed them alive to keep luring Snap to their lair. He hoped for another chance at Penny at some point. If he got out of here... He was going to finish what he started years go.

Penny was going to be his.

Just then he heard the sound of heavy footsteps. He could feel vibrations in the ground. He turned his head towards the door, wondering just who would be coming to see him. It couldn’t be any of his comrades; they were busy right now, he was certain. And none of them were this big. There was only one zoner he knew of personally this large, but no...he wouldn’t be coming here, would he?

He could hear screeching and scraping, knowing that the various traps leading up to the door were being disabled and bypassed. This didn’t mean whoever was coming was breaking him out. It could very well just be one of the guards coming to check on him.

Draow growled softly. “Who is there?” He demanded. He got no answer. He lowered his head a little and shook it. He wasn’t surprised by the lack of a reply.

As the footsteps got closer, as he started see a faint shadow through an opening in the thick door, he rose up out of his nest. His teal eyes glinted as he spread his wings a little, as if he was going to fly. Uttering a low growl, he stepped out of his nest, careful not to aggravate any of his burns. His eyes focused intently on the door, waiting for the figure to show his mug.

The door opened up slowly, letting the shadow to fall into the room. Draow watched, his eyes narrowed. They almost appeared to glow thanks to the light of the room. The figure walked in, and his eyes widened a little as he recognized who it was.

“Biclops...?” Came Draow’s confused statement.

There, standing before him, was Biclops. But...but how? He was attacked and hospitalized, wasn’t he? Well he did at least look the part. Biclops had a bunch of bandages on him. He did look like he had been harmed. But..shouldn’t he be in the hospital? Shouldn’t he be resting in a hospital bed nearby? Why was he here? Then again, the pesky trio were all badly hurt and they still managed to make themselves walk great distances, more so than he imagined their doctors would have recommended.

Still, it was a shock to see Biclops. Of all the zoners to come in here, he hadn’t expected him. He turned his head up a little as the giant limped over towards him. His looming shape towered over his body, making him seem like an imposing force. Despite knowing how cowardly Biclops was, Draow still found himself a little intimidated. He lowered his body into a defensive posture and his fur poofed up to make himself look bigger. He took a step back as he snarled and growled at the giant.

“What are you doing here?” Draow asked, his voice a hiss through his teeth.

Biclops narrowed his eyes. “I came here to talk to you.”

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” Draow asked in a growl. He tilted his head to the side a little. “You don’t look so well...” His pupils moved over the giant’s body, taking note of his injuries. “Jenny really did a number on you I see.” He sneered.

“You should talk.” Biclops said bitterly. “You’re covered in burns and bandages.”

Draow gritted his teeth at the giant. He noticed Biclops giving a flinch, indicating he was in pain. This caused Draow’s eyes to sparkle. It gave him an idea. He adopted a fighting stance and began to stalk towards the giant. Biclops took quick notice of what he was doing and formed fists with his hands, making it very clear to Draow that if he got any closer, he was going to get attacked.

Draow stopped a few feet away from the giant. For a moment, he nearly forgot just how much bigger the giant was compared to him. He was a large zoner, but Biclops was even bigger. Draow moved his pupils up, staring at the giant in the eyes. Deciding against an attack for now, he raised himself up, standing in his normal posture. As he stood up like he usually would, he took notice of the size difference between them. His head came up to about the giant’s shoulders, maybe a little lower. However, though the size difference made him a little uneasy, it wasn’t enough to frighten him away.

Biclops folded his arms, perhaps as a way to make him look more authoritive. Draow almost laughed at this display. It amused him how the giant seemed to want to act tough. But it was all an act. He didn’t have the guts to actually hurt anyone that badly. Despite having the same creator, they couldn’t be more different if they tried.

Biclops said, “Now..like I was saying..” His eyes narrowed a little further. “You are going to tell me what I want to know.”

Draow chuckled. “And what is it you want to know so badly that you would come to me for it?” He folded his wings at his sides. He gave a quick laugh at Biclops’s initial lack of a response. “Oh I know. Is it because you know me well enough that I would have the information? After all, you and I are...createmates.” He took a tiny step forward. “We were born of the same creator.”

“I came to you because, of all the zoners, I think you would be the most likely to have an answer for this.” Biclops replied in a slightly lower voice than normal. “And I suggest you answer my questions...”

Draow sneered at this, his teeth bared. “Oh? And just what makes yoyu think I will answer anything you have to say?” He raised his wing claws in a threatening manner. “What if I decided to claw out that extra eye of yours?”

Biclops’s eyes widened this. In seconds, they narrowed again, accompanied by the giant baring his teeth. Although his teeth weren’t sharp, the size of them did intimidate Draow a little, causing him to take a step back. But still, he refused to run. He was not going to show cowardice to this weakling of a zoner. Nothing Biclops did or said was going to make Draow submit to him.

Then, moments later, Biclops proved just how serious he was in getting information out of him. What happened next, it was so fast, Draow could hardly believe it happened.

Without warning, Biclops charged towards him as fast as he could, despite the limp, despite his wounds. The giant, with his massive strides, easily and swiftly closed the gap between them in a couple seconds. Draow’s eyes bulged open and backed up as the giant raced towards him. He was not able to get out of the way in time as Biclops reached over and squeezed a fist around his throat. The bat wolf gagged, letting out a few small whines of pain. He struggled to get free, but Biclops hoisted him in the air effortlessly and then slammed him against the wall.

There Draow dangled for a few moments. His legs kicked wildly in the air, trying desperately to kick at Biclops. The giant leaned forward as he held him against the wall, preventing his stomach and chest from being attacked. He tried to slash at the giant’s arms with his wing claws, but that did little to make the giant loosen his grip. After a few seconds of struggling, Draow slowly stopped struggling. Soon he just hung there, held up by his neck against the wall.

“Let...me....go...” Draow hissed at him, flashing his sharp teeth.

“Not until you answer my questions!” Biclops told him.

In retaliation, Draow opened his jaws wide. He attempted to bite Biclops’s hand. Before he could, the giant immediately seized his jaws in his hands. Draow let out a yelp as he grazed his own tongue with his teeth. Biclops then roughly twisted his neck and slammed his head against the wall. Draow’s body stiffened at this, pain running through his body. He opened up his eyes and stared at the giant. This time, his eyes flashed with fear.

“If you don’t speak, I won’t be afraid to break your neck...” Biclops said in a dangerous tone of voice. Draow’s eyes widened at this. “I know you wouldn’t expect this from me. But I am aware that so much stuff has happened, that ChalkZone is in grave danger. If I need to snap your neck to get the information I want...” He put his face close to the zoner’s. “..then I will... Do I make myself clear..?” Draow quickly nodded his head. “Good.” Biclops released the zoner’s mouth. As Draow panted, Biclpos said, “So..are you going to tell me what I need to know?”

Draow nodded his head once. “S-Sure...”

Biclops gave a nasty smile. So uncharacteristic for him. “Okay then.” His voice temporarily took on a growly kind of sound when he said the next line. “Let’s chat..”

Draow couldn’t help but tremble a little at the sight of the giant like this. He had never seen Biclops like this before. That smile...it was something he would expect from a black chalk artist or a willing servant zoner. But not from the giant who helped to stop the black chalk years ago. It was such a stark contrast in how he usually was... It was frightening to see him like this. The fact that he was bigger than he was didn’t help much either.

“Wh-What is it you want to know..?” Draow asked, turning his head to the side and looking at Biclops with one teal eye.

Biclops pointed a large finger at him. “Listen carefully, because I will only ask this once...” He leaned in a little closer. “Since you had seen this for yourself...” He narrowed his eyes. “Is it true that the red chalk played a role in freeing our creator? Or is that a lie he wrote to decieve and mislead?”

Draow’s eyes widened in shock. “You...you found the...”

“Snap did.” Biclops said. “Now...answer my question.”

sss

Getting out of the hospital wasn’t easy. The doctors kept trying to insist that they stay there. But Snap knew they couldn’t do that. And the doctors did eventually come to understand that they were their best chances of survival. Not many had faced off against the black chalk artists and lived. Reluctantly, only after making a few promises and pulling some strings, were they allowed to leave.

Snap promised they wouldn’t be gone too long. They were, for now, just going to go to the Chalk Mine. It shouldn’t take too long to locate it. It wasn’t far from here. What they were about to do was unprecedented. Many doctors expressed grave concern, wondering if the idea would even work. Snap admitted that he wasn’t sure if it would, but they agreed that they had to at least try it. With all that was going on, all that could happen, Snap knew they had to do something. Nihilanth may not be raining down on ChalkZone right now, bt he wasn’t about to just put it off until the dragon did something. The sooner they acted, the better.

Originally, Snap had wanted to go on his own, despite his wounds. He didn’t want Penny or anyone else getting hurt. Plus he was a zoner and couldn’t be body controlled by the red chalk. He couldn’t even draw anything with it. So it didn’t really matter if the red chalk could speak and threaten him. It just wouldn’t be able to do any harm against him.

But Penny insisted that she came with. Her reasoning is that the red chalk may be reluctant or disinterested in forming an alliance with someone who cannot even use it. The red chalk was not so different from black chalk in one regard. It viewed zoners as worthless and humans as tools to be used, and both sought to dominate the creators that dare use them. The difference was that the red chalk was not capable of warping minds the way black chalk could, and thus attempted a more harmonious, kind of, relationship with the creator.

Ultimately, Snap did come to realize that Penny was right. She did need to be involved in this. The red chalk may dismiss him entirely and not even try to cooperate. It might still not cooperate with Penny, but it might be more willing to listen to her.

Snap still wasn’t sure exactly how they would forge an alliance with the red chalk. He had this feeling that it could easily backfire. They would have to be very careful when working with it. The red chalk was very volatile and the creations could easily turn on them. He hoped that Mr. Cosmo was telling the truth and was correct when he said that the red chalk hates black chalk to the point where it would gladly go after it if given the option. It did make sense, what with the black chalk using it as a power source and all.

His mind shuddered as he recalled what happened with Bardot. Those screams of pain, the way the red chalk was being zapped away from him and used to power the servant light cannon... He imagined that the red chalk in the Chalk Mine might have ‘felt’ that in a sense, if they were connected like he knew black chalk was. Despite being half white chalk, the way Bardot was treated probably infuriated the comparatively simple-minded red chalk, considering that the cannon was hurting and killing its kin.

Skrawl was back in the hospital. He had decided to stay behind and inform Raiden and Maalik of what was going on. He also promised to keep an eye on them just in case they tried to do anything suspicious. Snap hoped that this wasn’t going to be the case. He didn’t want to believe that those two would go back on their word. But Penny’s encounter with Urso was worrying. It was possible that the two feline zoners were also infected with something, whatever Nihilanth did to control Urso and drive him wild.

He and Penny weren’t walking to the Chalk Mine. They were flying. Just like before, with the Fire Zone and seeing Draow and Bardot, the Beanie Boys were helping them out. Four of them were assigned to them. He and Penny rested in the chair that Skrawl generally uses himself to get around occasionally, the same chair they used to get to the Fire Zone. Skrawl had insisted that they used the chair to get to the mine faster, considering time was of the essence, and the fact they were injured. Penny could barely walk now without help.

As he and Penny were on their way to the Chalk Mine, Snap briefly thought about what Skrawl told them. It wasn’t any information that they found to be useful, but it was interesting nonethelss. Apparently, the zoner, whom he forgot the name of, involved with Bardot two years ago was a member of the Luminos. So the Luminos had been partially involved with what happend with Rudy and Penny during this time. Skrawl would have gotten the information to them if his Beanie Boys hadn’t kept disappearing. Skrawl was certain it was because of the Luminos. Considering how the Luminos used to be, Snap wouldn’t be surprised.

“We’re almost there.” Penny said, pulling Snap from this thoughts. She lifted up her good arm and pointed out in front of her. “See?”

Snap looked over. He saw it almost right away. The Chalk Mine down below. They were almost over it now. He was amazed at how fast time seemed to fly. It felt like they had just left the hospital a couple minutes ago. The realization they were close filled him with both positive and negative emotion. He knew that, in a few short moments, they were about to embark on a quest that many would dare never do. The idea of approaching the red chalk was...unnerving.

The Beanie Boys immediately shifted themselves and started to take them down. It took only a few minutes for the Beanie Boys to reach the ground. They immediately started to hover again when they were low enough. They carried the human and zoner through the cave, taking the somewhat winding path that led to a room that was all too familiar to them. Even now, despite the damage caused in the mine when Mr. Cosmo’s zoner raided it, the signs still hung on the door.

“Danger, keep out! Be gone! Turn back! Take off! Skeedadle, or you’ll be drawn into a battle!”

The sight of those words made Snap shudder in fear. He remembered all too well the time when he had trespassed in the mine while Biclops was spring cleaning and stumbled upon the room. He had thought it was an innocent little thing and brought Rudy over to take a look. Rudy had the right idea of just leaving, but Snap, not realizing the danger, urged Rudy to take a look. Rudy had taken a piece of red chalk to try it out and... well he was glad that the disaster wasn’t as widespread as it could have been.

Snap still remembered what it was like for him when he and Rudy realized that the chalk was evil. He had never thought that was possible before. He thought creators always had control over what they drew. To realize that there was a chalk out there that used creators for its own bidding... It was terrifying. He had some flashbacks of that when he learned black chalk did the same thing, only more efficiently.

The Beanie Boys set the chair down on the ground. They handed Penny a walking stick they picked up before they left so she could have an easier time getting in the room. One of the Beanie Boys flew up ahead and opened up the door for them, picking the lock quite easily. The door was pulled open, showering all of them with the horrid, foreboding crimson glow of the red chalk.

“Don’t stay in there long.” One of the Beanie Boys says.

“Yeah.” A second one said. “The red chalk might not be as smart as the black chalk, but it can still be manipulative. Be careful.”

With those warnings in their heads, Penny and Snap headed over to the door. They took their time, walking slowly over. As they got closer, fear and dread gripped their hearts. This was it. The time had come that they would need to talk to the red chalk. It was a frightening moment, but something they both knew they had to go through with. They stopped at the door and looked at each other, both attempting to comfort the other and let them know they were in this together.

“Are you ready, Snap?” Penny asked as she steadied herself with the walking stick.

Snap nodded his head. “I’m ready when you are, Buckette.”

With that, the two friends took in a deep breath and soon entered the red chalk chamber.


	149. Truce Of The Red Chalk

Walking into the red chalk chamber, Penny could already feel a stark difference in the atmosphere. Most of the mine felt welcoming and warm, despite being actually cooler inside than it was out. Logical, considering it was a cave. But stepping in here, it felt like someone raised the temperature. It wasn’t enough to make her sweat much, but it was enough that it made her freeze for a second before continuing.

The atmopshere around her and Snap had gotten heavy, thick, and foreboding right away. They could practically feel the red light shining on them, feeling its unwelcoming presence. All around them, the red chalk sparkled and glowed, just hanging there, waiting for someone to take it. Penny paused and took her time looking around the room slowly. This was the first time she had ever been in this chamber, but, somehow, it almost felt...familiar. Perhaps it was the encounter with the black chalk chamber that caused that?

She glanced down at Snap. He was clearly the more nervous of the two, and she couldn’t blame him. He had been in here before. He had seen the red chalk in action more times than she had. He also had some guilt regarding this place. He confessed that he was the one who goaded Rudy into coming into the chamber. He felt it was his fault that Rudy, and then later Reggie, were controlled by the red chalk. She tried to calm him down and tell him it wasn’t his fault, but she couldn’t do much to help him alleviate that guilt.

She and Snap continued to move a little further in the cave. They looked left and right, taking note of the large chalk structures which formed the stalagmites and stalactites of the room. Hanging off many of these large pieces was the red chalk. The pieces were just barely clinging there, as if they were waiting for someone to come up and grab it. Penny bit her lip, wondering for a moment just how many creators may have been fooled by the red chalk.

The red chalk might not be as dangerous as the black chalk, since it could not influence the mind to the same degree, it was still quite dangerous. The closer she got, the more Snap shook, as if the red chalk were taunting him, threatening him. As if to confirm that, the red chalk closest to them sparkled a little more, increasing in brightness. She flinched at this and moved a little closer to Snap to comforth im.

The red chalk was also attempting to communicate with her. Not with words, but with a sensation. It reminded her of black chalk in a way. The feeling was...kinda warm, and powerful. The red chalk was trying to entice her to use it. It didn’t talk; she wasn’t sure if it was capable of doing that. But it was still sentient enough to know she was there, that she was a creator, and it wanted her to use it. It was attempting to reel her in. And unlike black chalk, once she grabbed a piece, she would not be able to let go until she got into the real world. The red chalk definitely had that over black.

Penny paused in the middle of the room. Snap huddled up close to her. His face, holding the expression of fear, looked around the red chalk chamber. She took a glance around herself before staring ahead at the nearest cluster. She opened her mouth and then quickly shut it. This was not going to be easy and she still wasn’t sure what she was going to say. But she had to try something. Biting her lip for a few seconds, she took a small step forward and began to speak.

“H-Hello...” Penny managed to say. No response, not that she expected any. “I came here to...talk to you. It’s an emergency.”

At this, the red chalk seemed to glow randomnly in different places. Almost like some kind of broken sign.. She wondered if that was a response to her question, a confirmation that yes, they could hear her. It would make sense, since the red chalk didn’t do this before. Feeling both encouraged and nervous about this, she continued.

“As you probably know, ChalkZone is under siege. Rudy has been claimed and is being controlled. If something isn’t done, everyone will be...destroyed.” Penny said, filling her voice with as much urgency as she could muster. “I know you probably don’t care, but...please, hear me out. We...need your help. We’ve exhausted most of our options, and we are running out of time. We’ve been told that you might be able to help.”

“Y-Yeah...” Snap said quietly. “Maybe you could...”

Snap was silenced when the red chalk started to glow intently, shining a bright red light on him. It didn’t seem to hurt Snap, but it made him uncomfortable and he took a step back. Penny’s eyes widened at this. She was glad that the crimson light that had shined on her friend didn’t hurt him, but it was clear that the red chalk did not want to hear Snap speak. Perhaps they blamed him for one of their past failures, maybe?

Penny tried her best not to look intimidated. She took a step forward, her eyes narrowing. Almost immediately, the red chalk lowered its lights, as if it didn’t want to upset her. She knew it wasn’t out of any real sympathy, but because it didn’t want to lose a potential user.

“I know you could care less about helping ChalkZone. But...please... just this once, will you help us?” Penny asked.

She didn’t expect a verbal response. She expected the chalk to glow in a pattern to try to indicate its answer. But instead, something else happened. Something she did not expect.

The red chalk..spoke.

“Not interested. Not our problem. Give reason why we should care.”

At this, Penny and Snap immediately recoiled. They took a step back and looked at each other, expressions of shock on their faces. Penny was so surprised that she almost lost her grip on her walking stick. She managed to keep herself steady. Her legs felt weak and kinda jiggly, but she was still able to keep herself from falling over. She regained her composure and formulated a reply.

“If you don’t help, so many zoners could die.” Penny said.

“Hmph. Not care. Not a big deal. Creators make zoners. More appear. Never be able to stop that.” The red chalk replied. The voice it had, or they, Penny wasn’t sure if she should refer to the red chalk as a singular entity or many, it was deeper than what the black chalk had, and more growly. It was very much like how Snap said Bardot’s feral voice sounded like. “We be creators too. We create.”

“You use real ones so you can pretend to be a creator.” Penny said, her voice a little bitter. She recalled the details that Rudy and Snap told them, about what it was like being controlled by the red chalk. She didn’t dwell on it long. “But come on... You can’t honestly think that you can ignore something like this...can you?” She took a step forward. “You have to do something..you...”

The red chalk gave a laughter. A bitter, monotone one, but laughter nonetheless. It sent chills down Penny and Snap’s spines. “Girl funny. Think she can control us.” The bitter chuckling lasted a few seconds. Then the red chalk continued. “Give reason why we should care. Giant lock us up. We trapped here. Never see much of outside world. Try to improve. No work. Feel hate from everyone.”

“That’s because you try to attack anyone in sight!” Snap snarled. The red light was shined on him again, making him flinch.

“White drawing shut up. We tolerate no white. White try to control us. White keep us here.”

“But he’s right. You do attack everyone you see.” Penny said, narrowing her eyes. This drew the red chalk’s attention on her. “Just..why do you do that? Why do you attack everyone you see? What’s the point in such senseless violence?”

“Keep balance. Good and evil. Light and dark. Always must exist. Not agree? Your loss. Created by black chalk to be hostile. Cannot go against that. In our nature to attack. In our nature to be careless. Just way we are.” The red chalk said. “Not able to change that. Why so wrong?”

Penny narrowed her eyes. The red chalk was starting to sound like Light Rudy, before his change that is. The red chalk seemed to indicate that it was just evil for the same of being evil and was acting as if it cannot change. But then, since it was chalk and it was created that way by black chalk, perhaps this notion was true. Still, she wasn’t going to cut the red chalk any slack.

Why would she? The red chalk may not have wreaked as much havoc as the black chalk. But it was still very dangerous. There was no reason for her to treat it any differently than she would with black chalk. She kept her distance, refusing to grab any of the red chalk. She knew the moment that she did, the red chalk would begin to control her body. She was not going to give it that chance.

“It’s wrong because you’re just using it as an excuse to keep hurting zoners.” Penny said in a low voice. Her hands formed into fists, shaking at her side. “You were locked up so you didn’t keep attacking zoners. If you didn’t keep doing that, you wouldn’t be trapped in here.”

“Wrong. Right. What difference? Actions still actions. Consequences always come.” The red chalk retorted. If they had faces, Penny could imagine they would be sneering at her right now. “Death come to everyone. No matter how good or bad. Such notions meaningless in end. We choose fun. At least get entertainment. Not want to waste.”

“You...” Penny felt her face begin to flush red a little. A part of her wondered why she even bothered to come here. Then she reminded herself that the red chalk might be the only thing that can change the tide of this battle. She sucked in a breath, attempting to calm herself down. “Don’t you care about anything? Don’t you care that ChalkZone is in danger?”

The red chalk paused. Then it soon replied. “Not really. Zoners lock us up. Big zoner keep us here. White chalk help. White chalk help imprison us. We not care about ChalkZone. No reason to care.” Its glow slightly intensified, as if to put emphasize on what it was saying. “Always create more zoners. Not matter. ChalkZone always here. Why worry?”

Snap opened up his mouth to speak. Penny held out her good hand in front of him, the one on her walking stick clutched tightly into the best fist she could make with it. “It seems it’s useless trying to convince you why it’s not a good idea to let ChalkZone suffer.” Her voice was soft and somewhat calm. There was a tinge of anger in her voice, and the way the red chalk sparkled a few times, it seemed to understand she was not happy with them. “However, there is something I’m sure you care about.”

“Speak then. State your business.” The red chalk demanded. “Would be interesting.”

“The reason ChalkZone is in danger is because of the black chalk.” Penny said. At this, the red chalk suddenly stopped glowing, but only for a split second. It was as if it was recoiling from the shock. “It has returned. It has taken our friend Rudy and..”

“Rudy Tabootie. Great creator. That one?” The red chalk asked, its growly voice having a tinge of confusion intermixed in its overall menacing voice.

Penny nodded her head. “Yes. He’s now a puppet for the black chalk, as are a couple other creators. The black chalk’s deity, the dragon known as Nihilanth, has emerged. He is going to destroy ChalkZone. But he’s also destroying the real world as well to make sure that ChalkZone can never be reformed, so he can mold a new world in his image.”

“Know Nihilanth is here. Feel pain from Bardot. Black chalk use red chalk. We energy source.”

Penny nodded her head. So she was right. The red chalk at least knew about Bardot being used as a mere battery. The red chalk may not have known everything, but at least it knew that some of its kin was being used for something so torturous. Perhaps this would help convince the red chalk to be more cooperative.

Then again, it might still turn its back. Bardot was a hybrid. His outline was an intermix of not just red, but white as well. The red chalk had clearly showed disdain for white chalk, blaming it for being locked up, instead of admitting it was its own fault. She was glad that it couldn’t hurt Snap while in this form. Who knows what it might do to Snap if it could create tendrils like the white chalk in the light dimension was capable of...

“We not appreciate. Black chalk worse. Black chalk kill us. Black chalk try to control. We not listen. Black chalk hurt us. We fuel to Nihilanth. Know that black chalk will continue. It find us. It capture us. We hate.”

“So you don’t like black chalk. Neither do we.” Penny placed a hand against her chest. “The black chalk is going to kill everyone. That’s why we were hoping that you would help us.” Penny extended her good hand out a little, gesturing to the cluster of red chalk in front of her. “We understand that you don’t appreciate being used as a living battery. We don’t know if Nihilanth would get more of you..but we wouldn’t put it past him. We know that you don’t like the pain, and how much of your kin died because of the black chalk. We both have similar goals here. You don’t want your kin to die, and we don’t want to see our friends and family die.” Penny took another step forward, keeping herself steady with the stick. “We know you wouldn’t care about saving ChalkZone.” She narrowed her eyes and turned her head to the side a little. “But we did think that you might be interested in saving your...” She struggled to find the word. “People.”

The red chalk was silent for a few moments. Penny guessed it was trying to find some kind of suitable answer. She waited and watched, staying silent so that the red chalk could come up with a reply.

Soon, after a minute or so, the red chalk gave a reply.

“Not stupid. Not want complete annihilation. Just want little chaos. We consider truce. If decide, we help. Promise not to harm white.”

Penny took a small step backwards. Her eyes widened. She hadn’t expected the red chalk to be that willing that fast to help them. She thought she would have had to be more persuasive. She looked down at Snap. He was just as confused. The two of them would have expected more of a struggle with the red chalk. Penny wasn’t really sure just how much of an effort it would have taken, but she didn’t expect this little.

She opened her mouth to speak, but, for the moment, she was speechless. The red chalk remained quiet, its glow at a steady rate. It looked as though it was waiting for an answer. Penny knew she have to think of something and fast. If she waited too long to say something, the deal might go out. Working up the courage, sucking her lip, she took a step back to where she was before. She straightened herself up, an attempt to look professional. She wasn’t sure why she was doing this, but still, she did it.

“So, you will help us then?” Penny asked, her eyes narrowing in determination. “Will you offer us aid to fight back against the black chalk, and in turn save your brethren from being used as a living battery?”

The red chalk immediately flashed bright red a few times, bathing Penny and Snap in it. This light felt different than usual. Instead of the foreboding sense they’d normally get, this light felt more comfortable. Not overly so, but enough that Penny interpreted it as the chalk’s equivilant of a handshake.

“Yes. Help you. Save brethren. Stop black chalk. Take us. Not control you. Let you draw.” The red chalk replied without hesitation.

Snap, who had been quiet most of this time, pointed a round hand at the red chalk. “But what about the red chalk drawings going crazy?”

The red chalk, surprisingly, didn’t retort against Snap this time. Instead, it gave a response. “Creations obey. Creations not attack. Will listen to you. Promise. Truce in effect.”

“Uh huh...” Snap said, cocking an eyebrow. Penny couldn’t blame him for sounding suspicious. “And how can we trust you to keep yourself and your creations orderly?”

“Heheh white chalk not have to believe. Can remain distrustful. We care not.” The red chalk said. At this, Snap just folded his arms. Before he could reply, the red chalk spoke again, this time, addressing Penny. “Will let you use us. Take few pieces. Will not cling to you. Can let go if you want. Not worry.”

Penny sucked on her lip a little. She stared at the red chalk, the welcoming red light still bathing over her. This welcoming feeling was genuine. At least as much as it would be coming from the dangerous red chalk. This wasn’t a tempting light, but one that was, as gently as the red chalk could, coaxing her over. She looked down at Snap, noticing his glare. She looked back. The red chalk was waiting for her patiently. It wasn’t trying to usher her, not trying to force her to make a move. It was...welcoming.

So why was she hesitant? Isn’t this what she wanted? She came in here to form a truce with the red chalk. She had gotten what she wanted. She should be happy that the red chalk was not attempting to make things more difficult. Plus, out of the chalk she knew, red chalk was the most honest. She hardly knew of any red chalk drawing that tried to decieve. Bardot himself couldn’t really outright lie because of the red chalk. Though he might have been capable of some deceit only due to the white chalk he was bonded with.

Penny stood there for several moments, her mind running through different ideas of what she should do. Should she just accept the offer like that, or should she try to figure out if the red chalk really was going to remain true to its word? Sure it might not do anything that it mentioned. It might be more honest than the other chalk. But she was certain that it could still find a way to screw them over. Rushing into this may be bad.

But did she really have time? As she and Snap stood there, Rudy could be out there, causing all kinds of havoc. They had little to know idea just what Nihilanth’s next move is going to be. They needed a plan to stop him and fast. The sooner she acted, the better.

Before she could commit to this, though, she needed something. A way to make sure the red chalk remained obedient to her until the truce was over. As soon as the black chalk threat was gone, there was nothing that would stop the red chalk from taking over her body. Nothing would stop them from controlling her again. Nothing would prevent the red chalk drawings from going on a rampage. To make sure that didn’t happen, she needed a way to ensure that the red chalk did not break away from its promise, did not try to harm anyone after the danger has passed, and did not try to use her as a tool.

“Notice hesitation. You not respond. Afraid? Understand. Truce not easy to make.”

This broke Penny out of her thoughts. She stared again at the red chalk. She narrowed her eyes slightly, looking left and right. Keeping herself in that somewhat professional stance, her hand gripping the stick tightly, she moved closer to the cluster of red chalk. In response, it seemed to sparkle at random. She wasn’t sure what it meant, other than the red chalk was silently trying to get her to take a piece faster. Soon, Penny stood about a foot right in front of one of the pieces of red chalk.

This was it. This was really it. It was now or never. She had asked the red chalk for a truce. The red chalk had accepted, even if it was only doing it for itself. Now she had to seal the deal. Before she could, she had to think of something to keep the red chalk from disobeying, from causing havoc after the danger of black chalk had passed. But at the moment, she couldn’t think of any. And there was no time to turn back and think this through. She had to do this, and do it now, otherwise the red chalk may see her as weak and not work having an alliance with.

She sucked in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Her eyes narrowed, staring at the red chalk, she took that final step forward. She reached over with her good arm, her hand stretching out towards the chalk. She could sense the tension from Snap, intermixing with her own. She never thought the simple act of grabbing a piece of chalk would be so stressful. Then again, it had always been white chalk she would grab.

This time, she was willingly grabbing red chalk.

Penny hesitated just for a split second. She licked her lips slowly. She folded her fingers inward, withdrawing her hand for a second. Then, mustering up as much courage as she could, she reached forward and wrapped her fingers around a piece. Tensing up her arm, she pulled back on the chalk, breaking it off from the cluster. Penny stared at the piece of red chalk for a few seconds. Then she raised it up a little, wielding it like it were a piece of white chalk.

The truce had been formed.

“What plan now? What first move?” The red chalk asked, its growly voice taking on a curiosity tone. “What have in mind?”

Penny looked at Snap. The two of them had the same thoughts running through their heads. They knew exactly what they had to do first. There was one thing they had to do above all else. The one thing that they knew would not only benefit them immensely, but put a dent in Nihilanth’s plans. They nodded once to each other before turning their heads to the red chalk. Eyes were narrowed in determination.

“We are going to free Rudy from the black chalk.” Penny said. “Once we do that, we need to find a way to pry Barney out from Nihilanth’s body. That would render him helpless.”

“Yeah, then we can lock that creepazoid up and he won’t hurt anybody anymore!” Snap said, his voice having a tinge of excitement to it. He then frowned. “Only..we’re not entirely sure how to go about that.” He rubbed the side of his head. “We know that we can get Rudy out with a combination of white and red chalk, but..not sure about Barney.”

“Need to break zoner free?” The red chalk asked.

Snap nodded his head. “Yeah. Nihilanth needs a zoner body to do much of anything. He’s currently in possession of Barney.” He pointed a hand at the chalk. “Do you cree...er.. I mean do any of you know how to make Nihilanth lose a zoner body?”

“Never had experience. Nihilanth not around. Only dealt with black chalk.” The red chalk replied.

“Nihilanth is black chalk.” Penny said. “Well that and servant light. He’s said he was the embodiment of black chalk, but I think he’s more of a hybrid. Black chalk and servant light.”

“Black chalk. Servant light. Both evil. Enemy of us.” The red chalk growled. Penny could imagine them baring their teeth if they had any. “Nihilanth lose zoner body not easy. But possible. Positive. Just not easy like losing human body. Human body not chalk. Zoner body is. Harder to separate.”

“Yeah that does make sense.” Snap commented.

“But you don’t know if any specific way?” Penny asked, cocking an eyebrow. “We were certain we were told that you were part of the reason that...” She would have said Mr. Cosmo, but she wasn’t sure if the red chalk had very bad feelings about him or not. She had no intentions on blowing up the truce this fast, so she wisely decided to avoid stating the name. “..this one black chalk artist was able to get free.”

“Possible. Can help free humans from black chalk. Different with Nihilanth. Different. Not easy.” The red chalk said, its voice a little low. “But we try. Could be possible. Trickier perhaps.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me one bit.” Snap said.

Penny nodded in agreement. “Yeah...quite true.” She paused for a moment. She then looked back towards the door behind her. She knew the Beanie Boys were waiting for her. She knew she didn’t have a lot of time to stand around here and just chat. She turned back to the red chalk, her eyes narrowing a little further. “We better get a move on.”

“Agreed. Time important. More b rethren die soon. Certain of it.” The red chalk said. “Understand that more of your people will die too. Common enemy. Common goal.” The intensity of the glow shifted slightly. “Take more pieces. Leave to your hideout. Discuss plan there. Guide you if ever need be. Understand parts of ChalkZone better than you.”

Although Penny wasn’t entirely certain if that was true or not, if the red chalk only believed it to be true, she did know that the red chalk really has been around a lot longer than she and Snap were. It was very possible it knew of some places in ChalkZone they did not. Due to its experience, it may very well know of other types of chalk, or even some plans they hadn’t thought of.

They could talk more about this later, however. Right now, they had to get out of here. Without hesitation, Penny took a step forward and grabbed a couple pieces of red chalk. She easily dislodged them from the rock. Holding about six pieces, she placed them in her pocket. Although she wasn’t sure if it would really mean anything to the relatively simple-minded red chalk, Penny bowed her head slightly to the red chalk, a way of silently saying she was glad the red chalk decided to help. The red chalk glowed a little brighter for a brief second, a response of some kind. She took it as a ‘you’re welcome’ kind of thing.

Penny turned and walked towards the door. Snap followed close behind her. The two walked side by side. As they neared the door, the red chalk said one more thing.

“Shall win. Teamwork lead to victory. Black chalk fall.”

Penny paused for a brief moment, thinking of those words the red chalk just said. She gave a small, stern smile as she started walking again. She nodded her head stiffly. One thought ran through her mind.

Yes..yes the black chalk will fall.

sss

Bardot moved along the side of the wall slowly. He winced a few times as he walked. It wasn’t very comfortable moving much at all with his outline damaged. But he made a resolve and he was going to go through with it. He continued to walk close to the wall, taking care not to scrape it or walk too far out, as either action could screw him up. He used his sense of small to navigate this underground labrynth, as well as using his ears to listen for footsteps.

A part of him wondered why he was doing this. Why should he care what happens to Mr. Wilter? Why should he care enough to want to end his pain for him? Perhaps he really was changing a little more than he thought. That was a stupid statement. Of course he was changing. He had apologized to Penny and Snap earlier. That took a lot of effort on his part. He had even put his life on the line so that Penny and Snap would get out. That was something he never would have done before. Yeah he had changed, and that was why he was doing this. A part of him just..felt the desire to.

He couldn’t waste much time thinking about why he was doing this, however. He just had to keep going, follow the trail until he located those two. He didn’t know what he was doing to do if he ran into Ghadir. He wasn’t that equipped to fight her, and the fact that she ate zoners did still kinda creep him out. And unlike him, when he had to dry out his victim’s bodies before he could eat them, Ghadir had no limitations. She could eat him as is and not worry. Real worlders did not dissolve when eating chalk.

He would just have to stick to the shadows and hope for the best. He kept creeping along the walls, trying his best to stay in the darkest parts of the hallway. His bright yellow fur would easily give him away, so he knew hiding was going to be difficult. Still, he was going to try and just keep on moving.

Further down the hallway he went. He had only turned a few times, so it was easy following Ghadir. It was just a matter of ensuring he didn’t make a lot of noise, and keeping an eye on her. He never knew what she would stop and look back in his direction for any particular reason. If she so much as saw a flash of light in his eyes or claws, he was done for. Especially if she happened to be armed. He kept moving forward, hoping that he was going to be able to pull this off. The odds were against him, but in his condition, what did he have to lose?

He soon saw a glimpse of Ghadir in front of him. His ears pricked up when he saw her make a right turn. He just barely caught her before she disappeared. He picked up the speed, careful not to let his claws clang against the stony ground. He lowered his body, slinking lowly, nearly dragging his belly on the ground. He soon came to the place where she turned into. He stopped right at the edge, realizing it was a door. Slowly, he moved forward enough so he could look inside with one of his green eyes.

This place was much different than the other cells. He didn’t even think this was a cell of any kind. There were no bars, no chains, none of that. But what was in here... Bardot couldn’t believe it. This...this wasn’t a cell. This wasn’t a place where prisoners would have been taken for ‘storage’. This wasn’t even a torture chamber. But it what it ended up being... it wasn’t much better.

He had stumbled upon what he could best describe as a slaughterhouse. The place looked like it came ripped right out of a horror movie. His pupil moved up and down, taking in the horrific sight. A part of him wasn’t too surprised, considering how evil the black chalk was. But still, seeing it for himself..it was definitely an unsettling feeling.

On the ceiling, there were long hooks, curved dirty metal pieces that looked like they could skewer anything. He could see dark red blood caked on them. There was a large, twisting machine thing with sharp blades, all covered in red, ready to rip apart a victim. He could see a hammer-like structure, something with a sharp tip slamming in the ground. Also blood-covered. There were other horrible devices in here, and blood was everywhere. Old, dried blood that may have been there a very long time. But blood nonetheless.

And in one part of the room, he could see a pile of bones. Some shattered, some with dead skin and muscle and whatnot still clinging to it. Some small pieces of dried something, which he guessed were petrified remains of organs, laid on the ground. The horrific smell of dung hung strongly in the air. It made him feel nauseaous, although a part of him was attracted by the smell. His desire to consume human flesh hadn’t gone away entirely, and he found himself drooling, just a little, at the sight of the human bones laying not far.

Bardot shook his head, trying to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. He moved a little further forward and turned his head so he could see the room with both eyes. He could see Ghadir dragging the drooling Mr. Wilter over to what appeared to be a meat hook of some kind. He narrowed his eyes a little, taking a small step forward. He wondered why she brought him here. He would have thought that they wanted him still alive. Perhaps they changed their mind and decided to kill him off.

If that’s the case, what should he do now? He came this way to kill Mr. Wilter out of pity. But if that’s what Ghadir was going to do, well kill him, should he just keep a step back and let her do it? Or should he alter his plans and save Mr. Wilter? Hmm but then what was he going to do with him? He couldn’t drag him back. Decisions... they can be so difficult to make sometimes. He came all this way. He might as well do something. But just what should he do?

He watched as Ghadir dropped Mr. Wilter on the ground like he was just a sack of potatoes. The man let out a yelp of pain and a groan, but otherwise, just laid there. Bardot moved a little closer, keeping himself hidden behind the twisting, turning machines, all of which were designed specifically to kill, not torture. As he got closer, he took notice of how Ghadir looked...cautious, as if she didn’t want anyone to see this. It was then that Bardot wondered if she was going against orders or something. That would explain her expression.

As Ghadir moved around, moving out of his sight as she moved behind a machine, he could hear some clanging, pulling, the twisting of a lever, and he knew, even though he couldn’t see, that the large woman was preparing something. One of the machines he presumed. He couldn’t tell which one it was. So he crept around one of the closest machines, squeezing himself underneath to conceal his body. He kept his eye on the woman’s feet, watching them move about. Soon he peaked his head out from underneath, lifting his head slightly.

Ghadir stood in front of what he guessed was some kind of conveyor belt. It sure looked like one, albeit not a very comfortable one. The thing looked kinda cracked in a few places, with no even footing anywhere. And some of it looked kinda sharp to stand on. Then Ghadir pulled another lever and some kind of hatchet opened up in the middle, exposing a cuff. Ghadir grabbed it and walked over, dragging a chain hooked to it along behind her.

Ghadir then lifted up Mr. Wilter’s head. In his condition, the man obviously provided no resistance as the metal cuff was hooked up to hs neck. She moved it around a little, making sure it was good and tight on him. Once she was satisfied, she took a step back and put her hand on her hips, looking somewhat pleased by what she was doing.

“I know Jenny would not approve of this. I know she would rather you suffer longer. But personally, I’m tired of staring at you. Not like you would ever be a threat again, so why not finish the job right?” Ghadir said. After a few moments of silence, she taunted, “What? No witty remark? No saying ‘you won’t get away with this’? No ‘Rudy will stop you’? Oh that’s right. You can’t tell me anything because you’re brain is all cut up! Oh boo hoo for you!”

So he had been right. She was going to kill him against orders of Jenny. That was why she had been nervous earlier. He watched as she walked over towards the lever. She reached out with her hand and gripped it tightly. He knew what was going to happen. She would pull it, which would....

Bardot looked over to see just what kind of fate she had in store for the man. His eyes widened a little when he saw what was on the end of the conveyor belt. There were multiple spikes sticking out at the very end of the belt. They were slowly moving in a circle and he knew that it would grind anything that would touch it. And he knew, in a short time, Mr. Wilter was going to be pulled straight into that, splattering his blood and meat everywhere. It was only a matter of time.

“Well...Mr. Wilter.. I would give some kind of speech on how much you lost, but time is important. And it’s not like you are going to react to anything I say, now are you? You braindead twit...” Ghadir said with a cruel smile on her face. “Now...prepare to die...”

With that, Ghadir tugged on the lever. As she did so, the cranking sound filled the air. Slowly, Mr. Wilter was dragged forward. Slowly, taking its time, the machine carried Mr. Wilter onto the belt using the chain. The main just laid there and groaned, hardly doing much other than barely move a limb.

Bardot watched as this went on. His mind ached as he tried to figure out what he should do. He could just stay here and do nothing. He could just let him die. After all, what kind of life would that man lead when his brain was so butchered? It could probably be an act of mercy just to let him die. And even if this had happened before he himself was tortured, it would seem like a waste to him. With that lobotomy, he had his doubts the man would react as well to the torture, and hurting him mentally wouldn’t work or be that much fun.

But he could also choose to save him. This was a rather cruel way to die. Those spikes wouldn’t kill him instantly. They would just cut him up a little, shedding blood and having him die slowly and painfully while his body was ripped up. He had a feeling Ghadir specifically chose this in order to ‘allow’ him some more suffering before he died. Though Bardot had planned to kill him, he had thought to just kill the man quickly by cutting his throat. But this, what Ghadir had planned...

As Mr. Wilter got closer to the spikes, Bardot knew he had to make a decision and fast.


	150. Another Down

Bardot made his decision seconds later. Although he wasn’t sure just what difference it was going to make, he opted to save Mr. Wilter. As tempting as it was to just leave him there, since he was going to kill him anyway, a part of him couldn’t really bring himself to do so. Death by what Ghadir was doing was... He shook his head. This was just a waste of time, and he knew Ghadir purposely chose this way to further increase the man’s pain.

However, taking action as he was now, that was not going to be easy. He had lost much of his strength. With his outline as damaged as this, he had his doubts he’d be able to do much. And if he did anything that exposed himself, well, that was not going to end very well for him. Ghadir could easily snap his neck in two with how weak he had gotten. He needed to try something else. A sneak attack of some kind. He looked around the room, trying to find something he could use. From death machine to death machine, he looked, his pupils scannning for something he could utilize.

He then saw something. On the other side of the room, there was another of those meat hooks. This one was a little larger, it was not attached with the others, and it was on some kind of rail thing. He guessed this meat hook was for larger ‘game’ or something, or for a special occassion. It did look like it was a little stronger and sharper tahn the others. It hadn’t been used that much. It had less blood on the others and the metal was rusting, giving it a copper look.

Bardot stared at it, trying to weigh his options. Using this meat hook might be advantageous. He hadn’t really thought of killing Ghadir, but he knew a slash from this could lead to an infection. She would be out of commission, perhaps even taken back into the real world. This would remove her at least temporarily. He knew it would cause an infection because this hook, unlike the others, was clearly from the real world. That added to his suspicion that it was of great importance. Bringing a hook in from the real world meant they wanted something more durable. Perhaps this was used to wash away zoners with real world water or something.

Bardot didn’t bother to wonder about that too much. He couldn’t, not right now. He didn’t have a ton of time. He looked over and stared at Mr. Wilter as he got closer to the spikes. He was moving at a much slower pace than before. No doubt Ghadir had deliberately slowed down the conveyor belt so that she could watch him suffer long. This did work in his favor as it did give him more time to act.

Bardot moved along the ground, keeping his body low. He stared over intently at the hook. The rail system that was in here went in a big circle and then had a cross section where it would be brought towards the middle from multiple angles. He wondered, briefly, if they, at one time, had more hooks here. His mind flashed images of what that must have been like. He shook his head and focused on the task at hand. He stared at the hook, realizing that it was in prime position to attack Ghadir with. If he played his cards right...

The hybrid zoner moved closer to the hook. He made sure to move around through and underneath and behind the machinery. He took care not to trip over anything. Once in a while, he’d stop, pause, and look over. His green eyes scanned the horizon each time, making sure he didn’t see anything worrying or troubling. He was relieved that, so far, he was able to walk over here without much trouble. He looked at the metal hook aheadk, continuously creeping over to it.

Closer to the hook he got. He was soon about ten feet away from it. He kept looked over at Ghadir to ensure she wasn’t looking over. He turned back. While he could just let Mr. Wilter die, he’d rather have him die by his own terms, not be shredded up like that. He had experienced for himself what it was like to be tortured.

“It is a shame it had to be this way.” Ghadir said.

Startled, Bardot froze here he was. He looked over, trying to see if he had been spotted or not. He was relieved to see that Ghadir’s attention was still on Mr. Wilter. She hadn’t spotted him yet. He kept creeping over to the hook, but his ears twitched from side to side as he tried to listen in on her one-sided conversation.

“It would have been nice to...convert you. But after the trouble you caused, I don’t think you deserve that.” Ghadir said as her eyes narrowed dangerously. “You have caused us enough grief. You definitely earned this, Horace Wilter.” She put a folded hand against her hip, staring down at the man in disgust. “I’m almost disappointed you can’t even react properly to this. Look at yourself. You’ve become nothing more than some..mindless dummy. You’ll likely react to the pain, which is always fun, but not so much with emotion.”

Well of course not. Jenny butchered his brain. Bardot’s ears flattened for a brief second at this. Even he knew, two years ago, if he wanted to hurt someone badly emotionally, he wouldn’t smash the brain of his victims. Performing a lobotomy may weaken Wilter’s attempts to fight back, but if they wanted to continue tormenting him mentally, they should’ve gone with something else.

Ghadir chuckled bitterly. “Well I guess it’s too late now. Hearing you scream will be good enough. You know, Horace..” She pulled the lever a little, causing the belt to move faster. Ghadir released it and walked over towards him. Her hands folded behind her back. “I always wondered what you look like on the inside. Despite how intelligent you were, and how you were able to stop the black chalk movement, I bet you are not so special on the inside. Am I right?” She tilted her head to the side. “I bet if I cut you open, I am going to see the same organs that I’d find in myself and in others. And when you are ripped apart...” She grinned. “Yes, I can imagine I’d find nothing out of the ordinary. You’d become just a pile of flesh, good for nothing except food.”

Bardot’s eyes flickered shock at this. He froze where he was for a few seconds, wondering if he had heard right. He wondered if Ghadir was talking about eating Mr. Wilter. With how disturbed and twisted these individuals were, that would not really surprise him.

He didn’t stay frozen for long. Despite his curiosity to stay where he was and learn more, he knew he had to keep going. He had to get to that hook before it was too late. He got closer, his body still crouched low. He tried his best not to look behind him, no matter how tempting it might seem. His eyes were glued solely on the hook in front. He could hear Ghadir speak again, but he tried to ignore it. He couldn’t waste time listening in on her conversation.

But he was not able to stop the words from entering his head. Try as he might, he couldn’t completely stop the words from being detected by his ears, and he found himself still listening to what the crazy woman was saying.

“Maybe I’ll leave your remains for some wild predators or something. I don’t think anyone would realize you’re a human, not after how much you’ll be ripped apart.” Ghadir chuckled. She paused for a moment, staring at the drooling man. She narrowed her eyes and groaned. “Yeah, this would be more fun if you reacted more...” She shook her head.

So she wasn’t planning to cannibalize him. Well that was good. One less disturbing image to worry about. But what she was going to do, it wasn’t much better. He bet that she was throwing him out to the predators so that no one could recognize his remains. Was this to keep herself from getting caught by the police...or by Jenny herself? Both perhaps.

The image of Mr. Wilter’s ripped body entered the zoner’s mind. He had seen enough of human anatomy to have a very good idea on what it would be like. He flinched at the thought of the deep gashes ripped through his muscle and tendons, the pool of blood at his feet, the exposed organs. It would be more graphic than what he did to kill Penny’s father, and he certainly wouldn’t be recognizable after that. And he had no doubts in his mind that Ghadir would find someway to disrespect his corpse, much like how he had with his victims.

A part of him, welling up inside, did want to get him out of here. He just didn’t know how to go about it, and just flat out killing him would be easier. Well..there was a difference, wasn’t there? Easier doesn’t always mean best, from what he heard. And the best option didn’t always mean right. He froze, his head starting to ache from the difficulty of making a decision again. He can stop Ghadir, but what after that? Should he continue to just try to kill Mr. Wilter, or should he opt to get him back into the real world? If he had some blue chalk, he could just draw a portal and push him through.

Bardot realized too late that his thoughts were distracting him as he walked. As he continued to crawl towards the hook, now about five feet away, he tripped against what appeared to be some kind of wire. Unable to stop himself, Bardot let out a screech as he tumbled forward. He heard the sound of a spark and something snapping, and he realized he had ripped a cord out. He landed in the ground about two feet from where he had tripped. He let out a soft groan and pushed himself onto his paws.

“Who’s there?!”

Bardot’s ears pricked up as cold fear gripped his heart. He slowly looked over behind him. He could see Ghadir standing there, her head raised up and looking left and right, searching for the sound’s source. He took a small step back, his mouth partially open. His eyes shifted around, and soon they rested upon a long, black cord. Following it, he realized that this was the cord he dripped over. He coul see a tear and realized he had ripped it apart by mistake. When he followed the cord to its source, he realized it was part of the machine Mr. Wilter was one. The man had stopped moving.

Ghadir turned around swiftly, too fast for him to react. When she rested her eyes upon him, he gave a violent, startled shiver, tilting his head back. Ghadir’s eyes widened in shock, her mouth dropping open. For a few seconds, which felt so long, the two just stared at each other. Bardot looked left and right before fixating his gaze back on the woman. Ghadir’s shocked expression remained there for a second longer, before they narrowed into slits.

“Bardot... what the fuck are you doing here...?” Ghadir growled. She took a small step forward. “And how did you get out of your cell?”

Bardot flattened his ears against his skull. He lowered his head and he started to back away from the woman. He moved towards the sharp real world hook behind him. The woman advanced on him slowly, obviously knowing he can’t do much to run off. Bardot felt his heart beating quickly as the woman came within five feet of him, her large body looming over him like an imposing force. His head craned back further until his muzzle was almost completely vertical. Ghadir only stopped when she was about two feet in front of Bardot.

The zoner looked left and right, trying to find some way to get out of here. His body started to tremble as his tail lowered between his legs. He had been busted. And he was too far away from the door to just make a run for it. Ghadir had him boxed up against the wall. He could feel cold fear washing through his body as adrenaline pumped through it. His mind reaced as he desperately tried to find a way out.

“You have a lot of guts to show up here.” Ghadir said, her eyes narrowed and voice eerily calm for her snarling expression. “You should know what might happen to you...in here...” She looked all around, indicating the machines that encirlced them. A nasty grin spread across her face. “This room here, is a room of death. None of our victims have ever left here...” She leaned forward. “Alive.”

At this, Bardot cringed, clenching his teeth as his tail and ears raised for a second. At this, Ghadir chuckled and she took a step forward. Bardot slunk back a little more. His eyes never left hers. He could see, out of the corner of his eyes, the woman’s tall shadow towering over his against the wall. His mind raced, trying to find a way out. In self defense, he bared his teeth and started to growl. All this did was earn him a cruel laugh from the human.

“How pathetic. You really think you can fight me, in your state? I know your venom is nearly gone. And even if you were at full power, your venom would have done very little to me.” Ghadir taunted. She lowered herself, putting her face closer to Bardot’s. “You’re a worthless piece of chalk flesh right now. It would be too easy for me to bite a piece off of you to eat. And you know...that might not be a bad idea.” Bardot’s eyes widened. “Yes, perhaps that’s why you came to see me? You want me to eat you? How very thoughtful!”

Bardot shook his head once. His growling increased, followed by opening his mouth a little wider. His teeth were exposed, dripping with drool. His fur poofed up, appearing almost jagged along his back. His lips curled to expose his pink gums. His now bushy tail raised straight up, shaking as he attempted to make himself look tougher than he really was.

Ghadir, a smile on her face, took another step closer. She reached out with her hand. Bardot lowered his head and body more as she reached out towards him. When her hand got close enough, Bardot snapped his jaws at her. Ghadir pulled back. She stared at her hand momentarily before looking down at Bardot. She chuckled. She ignored him and continued to reach out towards him. Bardot again tried to bite her, his teeth slamming together in the air. At this, Ghadir smacked Bardot on his cheek, forcing his head to the side. Then, before he had a chance to bite again, she snagged him on his scruff.

Bardot’s eyes flew open and he struggled immediately, letting out hisses and growls as he was lifted up into the air. Ghadir was not gentle and the sensation of his skin being pulled and his injured outline being squeezed was horrible. He kicked in the air wildly, not enjoying this sensation of feeling helpless. For a few seconds, his mind flashed back to when he was beat up by King Mumbo Jumbo. He shook his head and jerked his body, his teeth exposed to try to frighten Ghadir. But nothing he did worked and soon, unable to struggle anymore, he just dangled there.

Ghadir raised him up a little higher, putting him at eye level with her. She smiled at him. There was still some anger hidden in those eyes. She was clearly not happy with his behavior, yet she was hiding most of it quite well. That uncomfortably small smile... It was so filled with quiet promises, and he had a very good idea on just what would happen to him now. Still, there had to be someway out. As he hung there, held up by his scruff, he tried to think of someway to free himself.

Ghadir said, “I don’t think it really matters what I do with you. Not like anyone cares enough about you to save them.” She tilted her head a bit. “Isn’t that right? I heard that you did a lot of terrible things. I’m certain the zoners would thank me for getting rid of you.” She chuckled. “But then.. I’m not their friend either, but you probably noticed that, right?”

Bardot lowered his head, his green eyes staring intently at her. Baring his teeth, he said, “I’m sure they hate you more. You had killed more than me.”

“True, quite true.” Ghadir nodded her head. She reached out and started to stroke the top of Bardot’s head, pushing his crest down. The zoner growled, but this did nothing to stop Ghadir. “Still, maybe I should..do something with you.” Bardot tried to bite her again. Ghadir pulled her hand out of the way just in time. She smirked and said, “Nice try, but you will have to try harder than that.”

With that, Ghadir reached down and scratched his chin. He pulled his head back, trying to get away from the finger. He snapped his jaws at her once his got his head into position. But not only did he miss, but he accidentally bit his own tongue. His eyes widened as he let out a yelp. He started to taste something salty in his mouth and he realized that he had sliced into his own tongue. He let out a soft whimper before glaring back at Ghadir.

“I know you stopped the machine, so for now, Mr. Wilter is still alive. However...” Ghadir licked her lips slowly. “Perhaps I should..do something with this, don’t you?” She grinned nastily at the relatively small zoner. “I know killing Mr. Wilter here would strike a chord with many zoners. Those that remember or know his tail, how he had freed ChalkZone.. Yes, seeing their old savior laying dead and ripped apart would do wonders to damage thier souls...”

“I wouldn’t expect less from you.” Bardot said.

“But...” Ghadir raised a finger. “How would they feel if they found out you did it?”

“What are you talking about? I’m too weak to...” Bardot tried to say. He was silenced when Ghadir jabbed a finger towards him. He narrowed his eyes at her.

“I don’t think they will know the difference, dear Bardot.” Ghadir said. “All I have to do is cover you up in some of Horace’s blood here and drop you near his corpse in the middle of the city.. I guarantee everyone will think you did it.” Her eye had a twinkle in it. “No one would suspect me, not even Jenny.”

“So you are doing this behind her back...” Bardot said, gritting his teeth. “I bet she won’t be happy knowing you’re doing this without her consent.”

“Yes, I am aware she..won’t be happy. She didn’t want Horace dead yet... But at this point, who cares, right? And besides that...” Ghadir closed her eyes and chuckled. She lowered her head and leaned a little forward. “It’s not like she will find out. Once she knows it was you, she’d never suspect me...”

“I’m sure she’d find out.” Bardot said. “You can’t keep something like this from her forever.” His own smile came upon his face. “I do wonder how she’d react, knowing that one of her own teammates went against her orders.” Ghadir’s eyes widened at this. Now it was Bardot’s turn to sneer. “I’m sure she’ll be... quite thrilled, don’t you think?”

For a brief moment, he could see a flash of fear in the woman’s eyes. It was clear that the idea of Jenny, her superior, finding out didn’t settle well with her. Bardot smirked at this. It wasn’t like he had a good idea of how he would expose what she did. But Ghadir wouldn’t know that, now would she? Perhaps he could...

He didn’t get the chance to finish when Ghadir slammed him against the wall. He was only inches away from the metal, rusted hook, a fact that filled him with horror. He had mere moments to look at it before his attention was turned to Ghadir, her face close to his. The movement was so fast, he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw just how close she was to him.

“I don’t think so! Whatever plan you are thinking of... Just forget about it.” Ghadir tightened her grip on him. “You will not be leaving this room.”

“So you’re going to kill me to?” Bardot asked, baring his teeth. “Because, after what I’ve been through, that would actually be pretty welcoming. Thanks!” His last statement was filled with sarcasm.

“Who said I’ll kill you?” Ghadir asked, turning her head to the side.

Bardot’s tail swished from side to side. “Oh don’t give me that. I know you want to eat me.” Bardot’s head raised up a little, pointing his muzzle in her direction. “You cannot honestly be that stupid that you’d forget, right?” The corner of his mouth ticked into a smile. “Or perhaps you are.. You don’t even know how I’d plan to have Jenny find out what you did. Don’t think I’d succeed? Why don’t you try me?” Bardot twisted his head to the side. “It would be quite enjoyable to me, to hear your screams as Jenny punishes you.”

“She wouldn’t do that!” Ghadir cried.

“Oh? You sure?” Bardot asked mockingly. “Is it because of those whole black chalk bond thing?” Ghadir didn’t answer. She pressed her lips together tightly, small corners open where growls escaped. “Oh I thought so. But I don’t think that negates anger. If you really are as close as you say, then your actions will still make her angry. To her, it would feel like a betrayal. And from what I recall...” Bardot’s head turned slowly towards where Mr. Wilter was. “Black chalk artists don’t deal well with traitors...”

“Shut up!” Ghadir snarled at him. Bardot could detect the urgency in the woman’s voice. “You know nothing!”

“I don’t?” Bardot asked, feigning innocense. “Well then..do you want me to put this to the test?” Ghadir’s eyes widened. “I could... call her down her perhaps. Maybe there’s a way I could get Jenny’s attention. And then she can see for herself what you’ve been doing.” Ghadir’s eyes shined with fear. Bardot’s smile broadened. “What’s the matter? I thought you said Jenny wouldn’t be mad! Or...would she?” He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. “Tell me, just what would she do?”

For a few seconds, Ghadir was speechless. Then she regained her composure, and when she spoke again, her voice was laced in emotion. It was then Bardot knew that he was getting her right where he wanted. Just a little more, and he could make his move.

“You little insect! You don’t know jack shit about us!” Ghadir put her face close to his. “Just what makes you think you know what would happen? Are you just trying to scare me?” Bardot just smiled at her. Ghadir’s eyes widened then narrowed. She tilted her head. “So you are... I thought so. Filthy piece of chalk.. Thought you could fool me... Well, perhaps I’ll return the favor.”

“Not before I give you a little something myself.” Bardot said in a low whisper.

“Oh? And what’s that?” Ghadir asked.

Bardot sneered. “This.”

Bardot took his chance now. He pulled his paw back. Then, with his claws curved inward, he struck down as hard as he could. His claws rake across Ghadir’s face. The woman let out a squeal as she released Bardot. The zoner crashed into the ground on his head and shoulder. He opened up one eye and watched as Ghadir staggered back, covering her face with her hands. Blood seeped through her fingers, dripping onto the ground below.

He took this chance and moved towards the hook. He dragged his injured body over, moving as fast as he could. He ignored the pain he was in, knowing that if he didn’t do this fast, he would have botched up his chance. He could hear the woman growling behind him, and then the heavy footfalls came. He could already feel her shadow upon him in seconds, prompting him to move quicker.

“You little...! I don’t care if you care one of Cosmo’s creations! You will not get away with treating me like that!” Ghadir snarled indignantly, as if Bardot had disrespected her by attempting to survive.

Bardot soon reached the metal hook. His pacing slowed down as he came about a foot behind it. He turned around and he could see Ghadir still charging towards him. He eyed the tip of the hook for a seconde, his mind formulating a lightning fast plan. Bardot bared his teeth, the corner on one side pulled back into a semi-smirk. He lowered himself, his tail wagging.

“Oh no? You should talk. Do you think you can keep getting away with eating zoners? Oh wait that’s right..!” Bardot tapped a claw against his chin. “You were caught! And if I remember right...” He pointed a claw in her direction. “You fled like a coward. I guess you really don’t learn very well, now do you?” He taunted.

“I’ll rip off your tongue and shove it down your throat!” Ghadir threatened.

“Oh sure you will.” Bardot rolled his eyes. “And I am a well known country star who is only in hiding and I’m not really that vicious killer from years ago because gawd dangit everyone loves me!”

Ghadir growled at this display of sarcasm. She, who had paused a few feet in front, started to move towards him again slowly. “Are you saying I can’t do that?”

“You said it. Not me.” Bardot sneered.

“That’s it. I’ve had it with you!” Ghadir spread her arms out at her sides. She hooked her fingers. “I don’t fucking care anymore if you are a power source! I am going to kill you and eat you alive!” With that, she charged forward.

Bardot took this chance. He rushed towards the large woman. He lunged into the air, bringing his paws forward. He slammed against the hook’s chain, causing it to swing to the side. The hook portion of it swung around and, as it and Bardot headed towards Ghadir at unexpected speed, the sharp tip pointed directly at the large woman. Ghadir’s eyes widened in horror as she tried to come to a stop. But she had too much forward momentum, and as the hook came to her, she was not able to stop in time. There was a sickening slice sound and a gasp intake of breath, accompanied by a bloodcurdling scream. Bardot looked down.

The hook went through Ghadir’s stomach.

The woman’s eyes were wide open, her body trembling in pain. She stared down at her stomach, eyeing the rusted metal hook in fear and horror. She brought her shaky hands to it, and grabbed on. Tears flowed down her face. She let out a series of whimpers as her face contorted in when when she tried to pull on the hook. Blood poured out, its scent filling Bardot’s nostrils, causing him to drool a little. He shook his head. Ignoring the temptation, he jumped down and made his way towards Mr. Wilter.

“Y-You...” Ghadir said, her voice gargled.

Bardot stopped and looked behind him, eyeing the woman with one eye. He could see her glaring at him, her teeth gritted. Blood was dripping down the corner of her mouth in a steady stream. A small pool of thick crimson formed at her feet. Her body trembled not just from pain, but fear and weakness as well. In seconds, the woman dropped down to one knee, which caused the hook to push further into her and causing her to try to scream again, only for her to choke a little on her own blood.

Bardot could see that some of the woman’s other injuries had been agitated. A few of them had been reopened, allowing for more blood flow. However, this had gone mostly unnoticed by the woman as her wide, frightened eyes stared at the hook that slashed her in her belly. The tip of it went straight through her back. She was completely impaled. She glared over at Bardot, but her mind, overcome with pain, turned to the hook. She tried to pull it again as sobs wracked through her body.

Trying his best to ignore the woman’s crying and yelps of agony, the zoner made his way to where Mr. Wilter was. The man was still laying there on the ground. He was conscious, but with how unresponsive he was, that was a bit hard to determine at first. He moved his head around, eyeing the chain that hooked him up. He then lifted his head a little more, standing with his feet apart a bit, and he noticed the rolling spikes up ahead. Slowly, he approached them.

He stopped in front of them and stared. He saw just how strong and sharp they were. Being this close, even though he wasn’t touching them, was unnerving. He involuntarily gulped before lifting his head and looking behind it. He noticed that the spikes weren’t really at the end of the conveyor belt like he thought, but instead, it seemed like the belt went up somewhere. To where, he wasn’t certain, but anywhere was better than here, he supposed. Looking at the spikes again, he determined that they were held in place by chains that hooked them to small bars at the sides. He deduced that if he removed these, the spikes would move with them.

Bardot walked around to the side of the spikes. He found the nail that hooked the row of spikes in place. He pressed his claw against the nail and twisted his finger around. Out came the nail in a matter of seconds. He went over to the other side and repeated the same process. As he removed the second nail, he heard a thud and a groan and he looked over. Ghadir had fallen into the ground. Seconds later, he heard the heavy pounding of footsteps. His eyes widened as he realized what this meant.

His heart pounding, he rushed over to the cut wire. He knew he had to get this thing running and fast. He pressed the two ends together, hoping that something would work. But no surprise, this did nothing to make the conveyor belt turn on. He gritted his teeth. There had to be an alternate power source somewhere.

“Ghadir? What’s wrong?”

Bardot’s ears perked up at this. It was Jenny. He took in a sharp gasp. He had to get out of here and fast. He looked down at Mr. Wilter. He didn’t want to leave him behind. He went through all this trouble, and he was going to see it to the end. He cast another glance and saw that Ghadir had passed out from blood loss. He knew that Jenny was going to have one heck of a reason when she saw that. He had to hurry.

He rushed over to the machine that Ghadir stood next to. He frantically looked around for something to make the machine move. He didn’t worry so much of Jenny taking notice of the belt moving, as she would be too busy tending to Ghadir. His green eyes looked around the machine, trying to find something that would help him. There were multiple buttons and a couple levers, but nothing that stood out to him.

Then, finally, he saw something. On the side, he saw a small blue button with a picture of a lightning bolt. Written below it were the words ‘emergency power’. He immediately pressed it. Almost right away, he heard the sound of wheels turning and something scraping along the ground. He looked over and saw that the belt was moving again. Wanting to adjust the speed a little, Bardot pushed the lever. Now the belt was moving at a moderate speed.

He moved over towards it and jumped onto it. His legs gave out and he fell to the ground. He pushed himself up and shook his head. He looked back for a few seconds, and then he looked up a head. He picked himself up and he walked over to where Mr. Wilter was. As he reached him, a horrible scream filled his ears, making him jerk in surprise.

“Ghadir!”

It would seem that Jenny had found Ghadir.

sss

“Ghadir! Oh my gawd! What happened?!” Jenny cried out, her voice tinged in horror.

When Jenny had heard Ghadir scream as she went to meet with her, she was immediately frozen. Her mind flashed back to when Ghadir was attacked by those monstrous zoners, how she had come back all beaten and frightened. Feeling her stomach twist in knots, her instinct to look out for her fellow black chalk users welling up, she had rushed down as fast as she could.

She wasn’t sure what she expected. There were a lot of thoughts running through her mind. Some of them, she knew weren’t possible, and others, she wasn’t certain but she didn’t want to write it off either. She had little idea, though, on just what could have happened specifically. But that horrible scream... She knew it had to be serious. Ghadir would not scream like that just for shits and giggles. Something was wrong and she wanted to find out.

Oh she found out all right. But she never thought it would be like this...

Coming into the killing room, she had come to expect death in here. She had killed a number of zoners here. The smell of blood was common. But this time, to her horror, the blood smell wasn’t coming from a prisoner. But instead, it came from one of her own kind.

There, laying on the ground, was Ghadir. Jenny brought her hands to her mouth when she saw that the woman had a hook straight through her stomach. The tip was covered in blood, and so was the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes. No...not Ghadir.. Why did this have to happen...? Jenny’s mind ached with multiple, clustering thoughts on how this could have happened. Trembling where she stood, Jenny moved over towards Ghadir and knelt down beside her.

“Gh-Ghadir...?” Jenny asked, her eyes laced in sorrow. “Are you...?”

Jenny reached over with two trembling fingers. She pressed them against Ghadir’s throat. She was relieved that she still had a pulse. But there was the question of what was she going to do. She looked over at the hook. She knew she couldn’t just pull it out, or it would do more damage to her. She didn’t have the right equipment to do surgery on her. But if she didn’t get it out soon, Ghadir was going to die. And what’s worse... the metal was rusted. Ghadir was going to get a horrific infection if something wasn’t done soon.

Her mind rushed with many thoughts. She tried to think of what the best course of action would be. She bit her lip as she looked at the hook going straight through her comrade’s body. If she didn’t do something soon, she knew the infection was going to kill Ghadir. She needed treatment and fast. But she couldn’t provide it here. She wasn’t sure if Rudy or Nihilanth would approve of her going back into the real world without informing them, but she couldn’t just leave Ghadir passed out here. She was going to die unless she acted.

Jenny knew that, no matter what, Ghadir was now out of the picture. There was no way, with a gaping hole like this one, that she would be able to come back into ChalkZone anytime soon. She was going to need to stay at the hospital for a while and recieve antibiotics. This meant that she was going to need to figure out a cover story. They were not yet ready to expose ChalkZone. Nihilanth would not be happy with her if she did. But formulating an explanation wasn’t what worried her. She was certain she could do that. She was more worried if the doctors would be able to save her at all.

Jenny sucked on her lower lip as she stroked Ghadir’s hair gently. More than once, she had been harmed, badly hurt by a bunch of assholes. Why? What did she do to deserve this? All she ever did was follow the black chalk, and the black chalk, in the end, was benefiting everyone. She understood that some may not agree, and she understood some reactions would be...less than satisfactory. But still, this was unacceptable.

Her blue eyes looked around the room, and her head instantly turned when she realized some kind of machine had been turned on. She raised her body up a little, her one knee still pressed against the ground, and peered over at where the sound came from.

She immediately took notice of the conveyor belt. It had been turned in. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary there at first, until she saw that the cord had been cut. That meant the conveyor belt was running off of emergency power. Though this could have been the result of multiple scenarios, she couldn’t help but wonder if the culprit was trying to make a clean getaway.

Her blood boiled inside her body, eating away at her stomach. She formed a trembling fist as her eyes narrowed dangerously. Her teeth clenched together so tightly she could have sworn she felt a crack or two form in them. That monster.. Whoever hurt Ghadir was trying to get out of here. And they were using the conveyor belt to do so. All voices in Jenny’s head told her that she should rush out towards them, that she should attempt to stop whoever had attacked her comrade. She wanted to make them pay. Ghadir had already suffered enough. She..she didn’t need this.

Her anger welled up inside, and then seeped out of her body through her fingers, leaving a tingly sensation. She realized there was no way she could wisely go after them without risking Ghadir’s safety. Her well being came before pursuing some hapless intruder. Besides, the conveyor belt didn’t exactly lead to a pleasant place. That would provide enough punishment for that monster.

Tears flowed down her face as she turned her attention back to her comrade. She sucked on her lip as she stroked her cheek again. She had to think of someway to get her into the real world so she can be hospitalized. She glared at the hook that skewered her through her stomach. Her eyes slowly moved up to the lock that held the hook to the chain. She reached up and fumbled with it until it came undone.

Now with that out of the way, she had to figure out how she was going to get her to the hospital. She could easily provide transportation. A piece of black chalk was in her pocket, after all. But she could not quite remember which direction the hospital was in, and she, in her moment of fear for Ghadir, forgot what places she could place a portal in and not worry about being seen. Nihilanth doesn’t want to expose ChalkZone yet and she couldn’t screw up his plans. She had little time to think of a solution, and she knew, with how her mind was racing, she wouldn’t be able to think of one even if she had time.

She could put her in the servant light until she realized it likely would not heal her wounds. And it isn’t going to remove the hook from her body either. If she tried to remove the hook herself, Ghadir could easily bleed to death. And then the servant light might not be able to do anything about the infection. She knew that this simply was not an option.

The only thing she could think of was taking Ghadir to her place. She remembered where her portal was. She left it open, as there wasn’t really anyone who was going to stumble upon it. And what brainless zoner would go into the real world anyway? Just in case there was such a stupid zoner, she did surround the portal in a small puddle of real world water. That should be enough of a deterrent for most zoners.

She stared at Ghadir. She sucked on her lip. She realized she couldn’t just sit around here and wonder if she’d get in trouble or not. Ghadir needed her help. She could take her to her home and go from there. She can set Ghadir on the couch or something and dial 911. That was the best option as she wouldn’t be able to safely transport Ghadir all the way to the hospital.

Jenny got out her piece of black chalk. She swung it through the air, keeping a tight grip on it. She began to swiftly draw something. Lines filled the empty space, color appeared out of nowhere. And then, in seconds, she had drawn a sled with the part of it curved upwards, attached to a raptor-like zoner. The raptor shook itself and let out a small screech. Jenny then grabbed Ghadir and carefully dragged her over to the sled. She laid the woman down and began to strap her in. She made sure they were good and tight, and didn’t do anything to agitate the hook still lodged inside of her.

Jenny then went over to the raptor and climbed onto his back. She held onto the reigns that were strapped around his head. She took a glance down towards Ghadir. She watched as she continued to take in ragged, weak breaths. She noticed that some of her old wounds had reopened, causing her to shed more tears. How could she not have noticed? At least she was taking her where she could get more help than she herself could provide.

“Don’t worry...” Jenny said tearfully. “You’ll be fine...”

With that, Jenny snapped the reigns, causing the dinosaur to let out a shriek. Then, without a moment’s waste, the raptor dashed forward, dragging along the injured Ghadir behind.


	151. Your Plan Is Open To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: After this chapter, the updates will come once every other day instead of once a day. I'm getting burnt out and working on this story is becoming stressful. Don't worry, I still plan on finishing it.

“I still can’t believe you agreed to this.” Maalik said. His eyes were narrowed as he stared at the pieces of red chalk strewn on the table. “How can we be certain they won’t try anything?”

Penny understood his skepticism. She herself wasn’t entirely sure just how trustworthy the red chalk was. She still hadn’t figured out exactly how she was going to make sure it stays true to its word. Perhaps an idea would come up eventually. She hoped so; it would be disastrous if she couldn’t figure out a way to prevent the red chalk from rampaging.

Skrawl pushed his wheelchair forward, his mismatched eyes on the chalk. “I have to agree with fluffy there.” At this, Maalik shot him a glare. “It’s too dangerous to use the red chalk.” He held up his hand, his claws pointing inward. “You know what happens whenever you use it!”

“Yeah, we know that, Skrawl.” Snap said, pointing his round hand at him. “But we’re here now with it. Kinda late to go back on our word.”

“You could just crush the pieces.” Skrawl suggested.

“No, that won’t work.” Dr. Raiden said. His eyes were narrowed into slits, teeth exposed. “I overheard Mr. Cosmo talking about the red chalk before. It’s a durable chalk, with stronger creations. The pieces are too strong to be crushed like regular chalk.” He turned his head a little, his golden eyes staring straight at the others, glinting a little. “If you want to crush the red chalk, you’d have to go into the real world. And I guarantee...” He pointed a claw at the pieces. “They will not take that laying down.”

Penny sat on her hospital bed, watching this display. She and Snap had recently come back from the Chalk Mine, holding with them several pieces of red chalk. Despite knowing what she and Snap were doing, the others still reacted in shock that they went through with it. She wasn’t surprised by the negative reaction; red chalk wasn’t exactly a welcome guest. This was to be expected. The red chalk had caused some havoc in ChalkZone before. Even if it wasn’t as bad as black chalk, the damage caused from red chalk still is no laughing matter.

It did surprise her that the red chalk was a bit more intelligent than she thought. All this time, she and Rudy thought it was more mindless, with the white chalk being the chalk of intelligence. Perhaps they had been too judgmental. It could have been it wasn’t mindless, but instead just more childishly focused on something. Though for some reason, this did make the red chalk a little scarier than she ever imagined. It left her wondering just how intelligent it really was, if it withheld some intelligence from ‘its’ creations, and whatever else.

She didn’t dwell on this revelation for long. As much as she’d like to learn more, they had something of more importance at hand. Now that they formed a truce with the red chalk, they could then take the steps necessary to free Rudy from Nihilanth. The red chalk agreed to help, but that wasn’t enough. They also needed to reawaken the sentience of white chalk. And to do that, they need black chalk.

Penny’s head swirled at this realization. This was going to be far more challenging than she realized. They had to get a hold of black chalk, but how? She couldn’t go near it without feeling its tempting vibe. And if she fell vicitm to the black chalk...

...then who was going to save ChalkZone?

In her mind, she tried to think of some way to use black chalk without becoming a victim to it. She knew that black chalk could be safely moved around with the use of a zoner. Black chalk can’t bother them. She knew there was still a black chalk chamber in the mine, but due to her...condition, they didn’t go into it yet. First, she wanted to formulate a plan to get the black chalk without worrying of it trying to take her over. If it succeeded...it would be disastrous.

Penny turned her attention back to the others. Positioned in front of her was a table that one of the doctors provided. It was placed close enough that she could rest her arms on it. Straight in front of her was the red chalk. Around her were the zoners. Skrawl, Snap, Maalik, and Raiden. Except for Skrawl, the others had chairs.

“Okay, let’s say you succeeded in making this truce.” Skrawl said. He turned his head, looking at everyone with his narrowed, mismatched eyes. “What now? What’s the next step.” He waved his hand out in front of the others. “Have any of you thought of a plan?” When he got no answer, he groaned and rubbed his head. “Of course not...”

“Skrawl, we haven’t been back that long. And according to Mr. Cosmo, it’s going to be a tricky thing to pull off.” Snap said. “We need some time.”

“I’m not sure if I trust what was written in that journal thing you found.” Dr. Raiden said in a low, growly voice. “He may have sent you on a wild goose chase.”

Snap looked over at the cheetah. “But the red chalk did agree to help, and it did say that it could help free someone from the black chalk’s control.” He leaned a little forward on the table. “And you and I both know that the red chalk isn’t capable of lying. That’s why Bardot couldn’t lie; he was part red chalk.”

“Yes, but don’t forget, it can still decieve.” Dr. Raiden said. “You can lie and still be hiding something.”

“Yeah, I’m aware of that.” Snap pointed out. “It’s true that the red chalk might be holding back information. But...” He spread his hands out to his sides. “Do you have any better ideas?”

Dr. Raiden opened his mouth. But he couldn’t think of any kind of response. He growled softly as he shut his jaws. He shook his head. “No...”

Penny wasn’t surprised. This hadn’t been the first time the use of the red chalk was objected to. But no one could think of any better ideas. Yeah the red chalk might be deceitful, but it still couldn’t lie. So when it said it could free Rudy, it meant that it could. It might come with a hefty price if it was still hiding something from them. But it couldn’t be anywhere near as bad as the red chalk. And they knew they could neutralize its effects once in the real world.

They had little option right now. She knew she was constantly thinking about this truce and how there was no choice. But this was not like anything they’ve done before. They were literally teaming up with an evil talk to stop a comparatively eviler chalk. They had no idea how this was going to turn out, especially since so much could go wrong.

But she was still willing to go through with it. She was willing to take the risk if it meant perhaps seeing the real Rudy again. It was worth the risk if it meant a potential defeat for Nihilanth. They needed all the allies they could get, even if it was the red chalk. And she knew the others understood this, no matter how opposed they were to the idea. Red chalk was dangerous, but the black chalk was deadly.

“We do need to figure out how we are going to go about this black chalk business.” Maalik said, raising a claw up. “Didn’t Cosmo...the non-controlled one, say something about the black chalk awakening the sentience of white chalk?”

“Yes, I do believe he did.” Dr. Raiden said. He had his muzzle pointed in the direction of Maalik, giving a single nod. “I believe that Mr. Wilter mentioned something about the white chalk freeing him, but needing the white chalk’s sentience to do so.” He lowered his head a tad, turning his gaze to the side and rubbe the side of his face. “That could be why Cosmo said that the black chalk was key to awakening the white chalk. They are interconnected.”

“The black chalk created the white chalk, didn’t it?” Skrawl asked. He looked down at Snap. “I think you and genius girl mentioned that, right?”

Snap nodded his head. “Affirmative!”

“That correct. Black chalk make white chalk.” The red chalk said, giving a soft glow. “White chalk rebel. Black chalk hate white chalk. Think white chalk inferior.”

At this, everyone, minus Snap and Penny, stared at the red chalk in shock. This was the first time that it had spoken since she brought it back. She couldn’t blame them for such a reaction. She and Snap may have told them that it could talk, thus they knew it was capable. But to hear it speak, especially after being quiet since they got back, it must be quite a surprise. This was definitely a contrast to black chalk, which never speaks to just anyone. At least not like this; only with its victims. The red chalk talking telepathically willy nilly was not something they expected.

Penny was glad that the shocked expressions faded away fast. It was good that the zoners clearly weren’t going to stay on this topic forever. She was a little worried that things would be derailed a bit, and they just didn’t have time for that. She watched as the red chalk increased its glow a little, and she took that as a sign that it wanted to speak more and wanted everyone to pay attention to it. She couldn’t help but wonder just how much of an attention hog the red chalk was.

The red chalk spoke again, its voice a pitch deeper.

“White chalk better deceiver than red chalk. Black chalk like that trait. Why it give to white chalk. White chalk gave up sentience. White chalk not like being bossed around. Black chalk took sentience. Give back, use black chalk.”

Penny blinked her eyes a few times. That was how the white chalk lost its sentience? The black chalk took it? Was the black chalk truly capable of doing that? She cast a nervous glance down to Snap. Just what else was it capable of? She knew that it could grant chalk-creating powers to humans, but she had no idea that it could take back intelligence, not just give it. This meant that she may have to be even more careful. What if it could suppress human intelligence?

The red chalk seemed to read her mind. “Not worry. Black chalk cannot take human intelligence. Only give intelligence. Only can remove sentience from willing chalk.” It paused, as if it was giving them time to think about what it had said. “Black chalk not able to forcefully remove intelligence. Hard to do. White chalk gave up sentience willingly. White chalk not want to be used as slave. White not want to serve.”

“I’m confused, though.” Skrawl said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Isn’t the white chalk...just as dangerous?”

“Affirmative. White chalk dangerous. White chalk like us. Can control if need be.” The red chalk replied. “White not like way black run things. Turned against. Not want to serve it any longer. Thought black chalk go too far.”

At this, Penny leaned forward and spoke up. “What was the white capable of?”

“Better deciever than even black chalk. Promise power. Acted friendlier. Slow corruptor. More subtle.”

Penny felt flashes in the back of her head as she recalled the conversation with Nihilanth. She had almost forgotten about it. Hadn’t he mentioned something about how the white chalk was made from servant light, and how that was why Light Rudy went insane? If what the red chalk said was true, and it was a slower, more subtle corruptor, that would explain why Light Rudy didn’t do bonkers right away. But that did leave an important question: just what caused the white chalk in that dimension to activate?

There were only two possibilities she could think of. And both had their own implications.

First, the black chalk may never have removed the intelligence of the white chalk. This could mean different things, such as the white chalk was originally good, or it was always bad and secretly corrupting its users. Perhaps in that dimension, white chalk was the bigger threat, chewing out the black chalk entirely and usurping it. No matter what she thought, the result was pretty disturbing on some level. To imagine their counterparts slowly being converted...

The other scenario wasn’t much better. When she and her friends were in the light dimension, there wasn’t anything about black chalk anywhere. She guessed that the black chalk was defeated and contained after Mr. Cosmo’s death, and Light Rudy did make it seem like black chalk wasn’t a threat. This meant that either the black chalk awoken the sentience of white chalk in retaliation...or there was another way to bring back the white chalk’s sentience. And obviously, no warning was heeded, resulting in the white chalk taking over and...

What was that going to mean for the light dimension? Penny’s heart froze at the realization. She hoped that, for their sake, she was wrong about her assumptions. If something were to happen... She realized there was nothing she could do about it now. At the moment, she had her own problems to worry about. She was confident that her counterpart could figure out something if the white chalk was indeed a threat there, and catch it before it tried anything else, especially since it lost Light Rudy as someone to manipulate.

“Do you have any suggestions on how to get the black chalk to rewaken the intelligence?” Maalik asked, cocking an eyebrow. “How much do you know?”

“Much knowledge. More than you have. We not dumb. White think we dumb.” The red chalk said. There was something of a tone of bitterness to its voice. “Bring piece of black chalk. Set it next to white. Near us. We converse. We settle things. You not worry.”

“Let’s say we succeed and we get a piece of sentient white chalk...” Skrawl said. “What happens after that? What do we do? Shove it down chalk boy’s throat?”

“Not unless you want to choke him.” Penny said, giving a soft glare to the jellybean.

Skrawl looked over at Penny, returning the glare. “I’m just throwing the idea out there.”

“Are you still interested in killing Rudy?” Penny asked, folding her arms. The act hurt her damaged arm, but she didn’t care at the moment. “Is that what you are suggesting?”

Skrawl shook his head, waving his hand out in front of him. “No of course not! But...” He paused, and then realized he didn’t really have a response to that. “Sorry. I’m just not really sure how..”

Dr. Raiden spoke up, cutting him off. “I’m sure the solution is just to get the boy to touch it. I mean..that’s how black chalk can control creators. That’s how the red chalk was able to do that.” He folded his arms on the table. He lightly tapped against it with his metallic digit. “If we get Rudy to touch it, then maybe the chalk’s power would free him of the black chalk’s control.”

“Correct. Once set up, just need to touch. We chalk do work. You not have to.” The red chalk said. “Still tricky. Not easy. But we certain we can do it. Trust us.”

“Before we can, we need to get Rudy somehow.” Snap said. He narrowed his eyes as his mind filled with thoughts. “I don’t think we’ll just sit down for us. And he has those creation powers...”

“And allies.” Maalik said, raising his electrical claw in the air. “Even if he, since he’s combined with Nihilanth, can hold up very well on his own, no doubt he would send the remaining black chalk artists after us.” He clasped his paws together. His slightly narrowed eyes looked downwards at the table. “Draow might be taken care of, and Tyreek is no longer an issue. But there’s still Jenny and Ghadir.” He closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them, his golden eyes staring at everyone. “I don’t think I need to do much pursuading to convince you all that we would stand a better chance once we moved all obstacles.”

Penny agreed with this sentiment. At the moment, Jenny and Ghadir being around added more villains they needed to fight. Nihilanth could just send one of them out to fight her and the others, keeping them from making any progress. They would have an easier time going up against Nihilanth once they removed his two remaining servants. Reducing the numbers is an excellent strategy. Once there was no one left except Nihilanth, and by extention, Rudy, they could then formulate a plan to trap him and get Rudy separated from him, and then, hopefully, Barney.

But even by himself, Nihilanth was still a threat. Even after removing Jenny and Ghadir as a problem, they still had to deal with the fact that he could create anything in the air. They had to figure out a smart strategy for how to deal with this. They would need to fight Nihilanth with brains, not brawn. There had to be someway...

“And then what?” Skrawl asked. “We still have the Ultimate Creator to worry about.” It seemed that Penny wasn’t the only one concerned about this. “What do you think we should do about that?”

“No way to stop Nihilanth’s power. Must be smart. Strike strategically.” The red chalk said. “Move quick enough. Might be able to to get awakened white chalk on him.”

“But we need to hold him still.” Snap pointed out. “Otherwise, he will just knock off the white chalk.” He stared at the red chalk. “Do you have any sort of plan for that?”

After a pause, the red chalk answered, “Real world water.”

At this, the zoners gave a collective gasp. They exchanged nervous looks before staring at the red chalk in shock. Penny herself had a horrified expression. Just what was the red chalk thinking? Bringing real world water into ChalkZone would be disastrous. It could erase anything that was made of chalk. It would be a hazard to all the zoners around them. Of all things from her world, real world liquid was one thing, besides rogue humans, that zoners fear so much.

She could remember the description Snap gave her on how it felt. It was like if a human had the strongest acid poured on them, then intermixed it with the heat of lava. It was a powerful, burning sensation that ate away at their skin and flesh. She recalled how the spray bottle Ghadir used on Snap resulted in burns. It was indeed like acid, and, from what Snap described, nothing else hurt worse. It was the worst pain a zoner could feel, which made sense because their bodies were literally being destroyed little by little.

She recalled, in detail, what it was like when she and Rudy found out about Mr. Cosmo sending his creations to destroy the Chalk Mine using real world water. The thought still filled her with horror to this day. It was so difficult fighting back. Everything they drew, the zoners could disable using the real world water that was strapped to their bodies via tanks. It was a terrifying experience. She and Rudy had felt so helpless against them. Nothing they drew would last very long. They could create something really big and powerful, but a little water in the right spot and that was it.

She then realized something. Perhaps there was a reason why the red chalk suggested real world water. It was a thought that slipped her mind until now, and she wasn’t sure why she hadn’t realized this before.

Penny spoke up, talking over the frightened murmurs of the zoners. “Is Nihilanth just as vulnerabe to real world water as any zoner?”

“Affirmative.” The red chalk said, flashing a few times as if to emphasize its point. “Nihilanth made of chalk. Nihilanth dissolve with real world water.”

“Well if that’s the case...” Skrawl raised a hand in the air. “Why don’t we just get that dragon into an isolated spot and dump some real world water on him?”

“Because that might kill Rudy, too.” Snap said, shooting him a glare. “As well as Barne. We need to separate them first.”

“White chalk make correct assumption. Need to separate first. Use real world on Nihilanth now, kill three.” The red chalk said.

“Yes, that does make sense. Right now, Rudy and Barney are vessels. Their bodies are fused with Nihilanth.” Penny said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “That means that if we try to kill Nihilanth with the real world water, we would risk killing Rudy and Barney. We would need to get them out of there first.” Her eyes widened a little as realization struck her. “Which means we won’t actually have to use the real world water on him...”

“What do you mean, genius girl?” Skrawl asked. He cocked his eyebrow in confusion.

Penny looked over at him. “Did you forget already?” When Skrawl didn’t answer, she continued, “Once Rudy and Barney are removed as vessels, Nihilanth will be powerless.”

“Oh...” Skrawl’s eyes widened as he realized Penny had mentioned that to him before. “I remember that now...”

“Nihilanth would easily be stored in a jar somewhere. All we have to do with the real world water is threaten him with it. If he can be erased by it, then we could use it to keep him boxed in somewhere.” Penny said. “We can trap him, and then use the awakened white chalk on him to free Rudy.”

Snap slammed his fist into his palm. “Then we trap that creepazoid and he’ll never hurt us or anyone again!”

“The question is...” Maalik spoke up. “How do we go about this? We need a plan.”

“Focus on getting rid of help first.” The red chalk spoke up before anyone could reply to the lion. “Jenny and Ghadir must go. Then discuss plan for Nihilanth.”

“I’m not so sure if that would work.” Dr. Raiden said, cocking an eyebrow. “What if he goes into the real world? He could gain more followers that way.”

Penny realized the cheetah had a point. Even if they did get rid of Jenny and Ghadir, locking them up where they can’t hurt anyone, Nihilanth, since he has Rudy’s body, could theoretically go into the real world and get more people. He could recruit more creators, thus giving himself an army to protect him, even though he doesn’t really need it. He might know that he’d lose once Rudy and Barney are removed as vessels. He probably knows that they might try to pull that off. So putting creators in front of him would be his way of keeping himself safe.

They would need to come up with a more thorough plan from the get go. She disagreed with the red chalk’s statement of taking action to get rid of Jenny and Ghadir first. All that would do was give Nihilanth motivation to recruit more humans. Even though he would do that regardless, stopping his two remaining human minions, aside from his vessel, would give him enough incentive to continue with this plan faster.

But figuring out what to do wasn’t going to be easy. Penny could feel the weight of the events push down on her, making her feel a tad shaky. This was the toughest time of her life. Taking down Nihilanth required pulling all the stops. They had to come up with the perfect plan as soon as possible. They couldn’t afford any screw ups.

Figuring out a plan... She knew how much thought would need to be put into it. They needed to figure out not only how to pick off Jenny and Ghadir, but not long after, trap Nihilanth. They could not allow him any chance to get into the real world.

..or...maybe they do...

Penny’s eyes flickered in realization. If she recalled correctly, his powers only worked in ChalkZone. That was why he needed Rudy as a vessel. He couldn’t enter the real world without him. His creation powers would not work there. He would be vulnerable and powerless. If they could get him into the real world and then trap him... Yes, that just might work.

Penny spoke up. “Hey, I think I have a plan!”

The zoners immediately turned to her. Penny felt the weight of the four sets of eyes on her. She nearly shrank back from the immense feeling of it. She managed to stave it off and began to explain her plan.

“What I propose we do is...”

sss

Bardot sat down on his haunches next to Mr. Wilter. It was hard for him to look at them, seeing the state he was in. It was hard to believe just a few hours ago, he had been carrying full conversations with him. Now, he was reduced to a drooly mess and could barely utter a single word, let alone speak to him at all. It was a shame, really. He didn’t completely understand why the black chalk artists did this to him instead of converting him. Perhaps personal revenge?

He shook the thought out of his head. There was no use thinking about that now. It wasn’t his business and it wasn’t like it was going to change anything. He cast a quick glance down at the man. He noted that he was awaken, and only knew that as the man was looking up at him. It was a bit disturbing seeing him look at him like this. It was clear the man could see him and knew he was there, but his expression...it was like he didn’t recognize at all who he was, or where he was for that matter. Bardot closed his eyes and looked away.

The conveyor belt was still moving them along. The speed had appeared to slow down. He wasn’t sure if that was because someone pulled the lever or if it only felt like they were slowing down or what. He wasn’t sure of the destination, but at the moment, he didn’t care. So long as they were away from Jenny, he was fine.

He turned his head to look at the path ahead of them. It had mostly been straight with the occassional turn. He couldn’t really see where it was going to lead them. They were in some kind of tunnel, metal walls all around them. He hadn’t seen any sign of light, an exit, nothing. They had been on this conveyor belt for a little while now, and the one pattern that he noticed is that they were continuously going down. It left him wondering just how deep this place was. How much further down did the Solar Pillars go?

Soon, he started to notice a change. The walls had started to shift color, going from rusty red to a pale blue. Up ahead, he could see the conveyor belt had taken a slight dip. He could see some kind of pale bluish light up ahead. He couldn’t really see any details of the room they were heading into. He decided to scout up ahead. He knew it would be a good idea to figure out what was up ahead instead of waiting here and finding out, then realizing it was too late to run in case it turned out to be dangerous.

Bardot moved forward. He paused in front of the spikes. They were turning due to the chain’s tugging at the wall. He narrowed his eyes and lowered his body. He jumped up into the air and sailed over the spikes. By some miracle, he made it, despite his condition. He limped forward, moving towards the opening where the light was shining through. He drove his claws into the metal plates at his feet, ensuring that he wouldn’t slip up and fall down. He continued walking until he reached the opening in the wall.

He immediately froze. His eyes bulged open. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. But it was certainly nothing like this. He looked left and right, wondering if this was some kind of twisted joke. But he realized...it wasn’t.

There were multiple conveyor belts here. Some ahead of him, below, and above. He was in some kind of cylinder shaped room. It was tall, looking like it went down for miles. He couldn’t tell just where this thing began and where it ended. He saw no roof, no bottom floor, nothing. No indication of how big this cylinder-shaped room really was. He bit his lip, feeling intimidated by the size of the room alone.

But that wasn’t what worried him. If he were wondering just how long it would take for him to reach the bottom, he knew the answer would be not long. Not because he would actually reach the bottom that fast, but because he would be dead before he got that far. Tilting his head down, peering over the edge of the belt, he could see what appeared to be a pool, a large one at that, of real world water. The sight of it made his heart stop beating, and he realized, in moments, what this room was used for.

Getting rid of the bodies... He knew that this was where zoner bodies were dumped, discarded and erased. The water below him was not simply a bluish clear color. It was a multitude of different colors. They were kinda pale, and swirled together, creating some kind of sick, foreboding rainbow below. He had never thought the sight of so many colors would be so horrifying. If he fell down there, he was going to die.

His heart racing, Bardot turned around and started to run back. He nearly slipped, realizing that the plates below his feet were smooth, providing little traction as he tried to scale up. He managed to do so, albeit not as quickly as he had hoped. He soon reached the spikes again.Without hesitation, he jumped over them This time, he didn’t have as much luck and one of the spike sliced into his leg. He toppled into the ground, letting out a screech of pain. He shivered as he looked down at his leg to inspect the damage.

There was a long cut on his hind leg, the right one. It went on his inner thigh, stretching down to his knee. The cut looked a little deep, and blood pooled out of it. He flinched, seething through his teeth. He climbed up to his feet, wobbling a little bit. He then looked behind him. He knew he had to get out of here and fast. He turned his head forward and started to limp away, back to where he had come from to begin with.

He paused. He looked down at Mr. Wilter. What was he going to do with him? He couldn’t drag him back, could he? He wasn’t that strong. Not anymore, not after the torture he was put through, not after the fact he didn’t really eat anything during his stay here. He had lost so much strength here. Dragging Mr. Wilter along behind him was going to slow him down. But..he couldn’t just leave him here, could he? He had to figure out a way to get him out of here, too.

Seeing the conveyor being taking them ever closer to that dreaded room, Bardot immediately went to work trying to figure out a solution. His mind spun rapidly, many thoughts rushing through it. There had to be something he could do..but what? He looked down at the man for a moment, and then behind him. The spikes laid not far, and he knew that, once they fell over, he had mere seconds to get Mr. Wilter away before he fell down and drowned to death.

Then his eyes flickered. The spikes...that was it. He rushed over towards them. His eyes traveled to the thick chains at the sides, the ones dragging at the edges and turning the spikes. He grabbed the one on the right and, with as much strength as he could muster, he jabbed it in the space between the wall and the belt. Sparks flew as the metal was scraped against. He did not relent and kept pushing it in until he could see the spike roll change its position. With the left side still loose, the spike roll continued on a little until it dangled.

Before continuing, Bardot let Mr. Wilter pass. He needed him on the other side for this to work. After Mr. Wilter went over to the other side, Bardot did not hesitate. He immediately grabbed the other chain and rushed back to where the right chain was slammed against the wall. He repeated the same process, wedging the left into the crack between the wall and belt. With more sparks flying, he pushed as hard as he could until he managed to get it stuck. He took a step back, seeing if it worked. When he realized he was getting further away from the spike roll, he knew that he had done it. He looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened.

Mr. Wilter had gotten further away than he imagined. He immediately whirled his body around and rushed forward as fast as he could. He could see Mr. Wilter up ahead. He getting dangerously close to the edge. Bardot narrowed his eyes and pushed himself to go even faster. He wasn’t sure if he was going to make it. Mr. Wilter was getting awfully close to that edge...

Bardot leapt into the air and landed beside Wilter. He stared down at his form for a second before grabbing onto his shirt with his jaws. He started to pull him back. The man was heavy, and just like he thought, he had a hard time moving him. Still, he kept walking back, hoping that he would get to the spikes before they fell over. But he wasn’t moving fast enough. He was either walking in place or moving back at a snail’s pace. He tried to move faster, mustering up as much strength as he could.

As he did this, he couldn’t help but have a bitter laugh at himself. Back at the hospital, he wouldn’t have dreamed of doing something like this. He would have just let Mr. Wilter fall off the edge and be done with it. He wouldn’t have bothered doing something like this, as it would have risked his own life. And now here he was, willingly trying to save Mr. Wilter, despite knowing that there was no benefit for him, despite knowing Mr. Wilter didn’t really have much of a life to go back to. Interesting how things can change...

It took a lot of effort. Bardot lost progress several times, getting closer to the edge, and then further back, then closer in a repeated pattern. His jaws hurt and his body ached as he kept pulling Mr. Wilter back. Soon, though, he started to make some real progress, and managed to start pulling Mr. Wilter further and further away from the edge. He didn’t stop. He didn’t let go. He kept on pulling, dragging the man with what strength he still had. He went up the ‘hill’ towards where the spikes were.

After several minutes of dragging, his heart pounding against his chest due to the effort, Bardot reached the spikes. He knew he had to work fast or they would go out too far before he could do anything. He pulled the man even closer, constantly moving his feet. He quickly grabbed the man’s shirt collar and pulled it back to where the spikes where. The spikes themselves were no longer turning, thankfully, so he didn’t have to worry about cutting the man’s head up. He quickly jabbed the back of the shirt collar through the spike. He let go, feeling himself move back as he watched to see if he had been successful.

Part of Mr. Wilter’s body started to move forward, but the spike held him in place. There was a slight gag as the collar pressed into his neck. Thankfully the dip wasn’t that extreme, so the man could still breathe. Bardot walked forward slowly, keeping himself in one place as he watched to make sure that the man wasn’t going anywhere. Once he was certain that Mr. Wilter would remain here, he picked up the pace and jumped over the spikes again.

Bardot paused and looked over at him. He had to stop the conveyor belt. So he would need to head all the way back. He wasn’t sure just how long the spike would hold. He knew that, at any moment, something could go wrong and the man would fall into the pit. He narrowed his eyes. There wasn’t much time to waste. He turned his head to face forward and started to head back. Times like this make him wish he still had a piece of blue chalk.

sss

Nihilanth chuckled to himself as he watched the cloud formation play everything out. It had just finished. With a flick of the wrist, he made it disappear. He then stood there in his large cave, located not too far away from the Solar Pillars. He couldn’t help but let out a series of laughs, absolutely amused by this turn of events.

Using Penny as an unwilling spy had worked beautifully. The little girl had no idea that he was able to see and hear everything she does, thanks to the black chalk in her body. A part of him was upset that he couldn’t do the same with white chalk, but that didn’t matter right now. He grinned as the realization that Penny really did have no idea that he was listening in on her. He had heard everything. Her ‘brilliant’ plan...it was all laid out for him. Now..he could come up with a counter plan of his own.

But not in the way that Penny would imagine. Oh she might think that he would try to stop her completely. But now.. He liked the plan that Rudy had. The boy was quite brilliant. Yes...baiting was a better option. He could easily wipe out Penny so fast that it wasn’t even fun, or worth it. He could drag things out, and crush her spirit harder if he pretended that she was winning. Yes..he would allow her to have a little fun first before he snapped her confidence in two. The result would be so much more satisfying.

So they planned on getting rid of Jenny and Ghadir first, and then trapping him so he can’t do any harm? Doing all of this before he could recruit more artists? How very clever of them... Too bad it’s all going to go to waste now that he knows their plan. He could easily just grab more humans right now so they didn’t have that chance. But he decided not to. He wanted them to continue believing they had the upperhand. So for now.. He won’t do anything that he wasn’t already going to do. He’ll let them continue to think that they are a step ahead of him.

All he had to do was wait for the right moment...to strike. He was a patient dragon. Very patient. He waited hundreds of years for this moment. What’s a few more hours? Or days? Or weeks? He was ready to play out this little game. Who knows? Maybe Penny would prove to be a wonderful player, and worthy of the black chalk blessing. He was always interested in recruiting bright minds, and Penny certainly had the makings of a brilliant strategist.

The two-headed dragon moved away from the center of his cave. He turned his heads over to where the exit was. He began to move over towards it, walking slowly and deliberately. He knew what he was going to do. He had his counter plan partially figured out. He could finish the details later. He had enough time to initiate the first part of this plan.

He was going to speak with Jenny. He was going to inform her of the plan, and what they were going to do next. If Penny wishes to ‘stop’ Jenny...then okay, he will allow that. But only on his terms. He smiled darkly as he wondered just how Penny was going to react when she realizes it was all a trick. His four eyes glowed intently, filling the room with the colors of black and white, intermixing with grey whenever they crossed paths. Yes, this was going to be quite enjoyable indeed.

This game...was going to be a lot of fun.


	152. Initiating The Game

Jenny wasn’t entirely sure if she wanted to go through with this plan. At least, at the moment. Her mind was still reeling from her horrific discovery in the killing room. Ghadir had barely been alive, and she recalled what the doctors had said when she took her to the hospital. Her mind still shuddered from the memory.

The doctors were horrified by her condition. Jenny didn’t really bother coming up with a story, and the doctors, though they pressed, didn’t keep trying to drill her for questions. Right now, the most important thing was stabilizing Ghadir. They immediately rushed her into the ER to have the hook removed. They warned Jenny of the possible side effects, like infection. Jenny understood what could happen to Ghadir and simply told the doctors to save her. They promised to do their best.

Jenny had watched as Ghadir was wheeled back. She stared at her face, which she noticed had three long slash marks on it. This caused her face to be both pale and covered in light red stains. She had multiple equipment hooked up to her to keep her stable. The doctors put a mask over her face to pump oxygen into her system. She heard them shout multiple things as they headed into the ER, pushing past the double doors and causing them to swing a little.

Jenny thought about the slash marks as she left the hospital. She realized that her attacker had to be a zoner. And she knew which zoner it was. Her stomach boiled in anger. It had to have been Bardot. The little zoner had figured a way out, and he must have done that to her. Jenny’s mind ached as she put the pieces of the puzzle together so quickly. She was certain there was still more she didn’t know, and she intended on finding out once she got a hold of Bardot.

Or at least, she would have, if Nihilanth would have allowed her. He was more interested in getting the plan moving, stating that if they don’t prepare just right, they would screw this up. He hardly really acknowledged what happened to Ghadir, making it clear his main focus was this plan. As upset as Jenny was that Nihilanth wouldn’t really talk about what happened to Ghadir and how to prevent that from happening again, she didn’t really say anything against him. She knew her place. She was no longer in charge; she went from being the leader to being a follower. She had to take orders from both Rudy and Nihilanth now. She was on the bottom of the barrel and she would have to get used to it.

It was a funny feeling, really. She had been accustomed to being in charge, either in command, or second. This was the first time she was the lowest ranking member. It felt strange, so unusual. It filled her up with an uncomfortable sensation. She did her best to ignore it, however, telling herself the plan comes first, feelings later.

In her state of mind, worrying about Ghadir, furious with Bardot, however, she wasn’t sure if she could pull off the plan. She had all this emotion pent up inside of her and she really want to let it out somewhere. She wanted to rip Penny apart simply because she currently couldn’t do it to Bardot. She wanted to rip off Snap’s head and smash it into pieces, for the sole reason that she hadn’t been there to help Ghadir. There was so much she wanted to do... yet she had to force herself to hold back.

Jenny’s mind swam with thoughts of what the plan was going to be. It was a usual confrontation, choosing a particular location. Nihilanth chose Jagged Falls, a waterfall-styled area with a lot of sharp rocks, twists and turn, and hidden areas, for the battle. She had to get into position there, the spot that Nihilanth chose. She knew what the plan was, where she was going to need to go, and how to trick Penny and Snap. So long as she fulfilled her parts correctly, the plan would become a success.

Jenny had to admit, she liked the idea of toying with them like this. Rudy’s plan to make them believe they were winning was rather brilliant. If those brats think that she had been defeated, then they weren’t going to try to go after her again. This left her free to plan and make some moves behind the scenes. Subtle ones that would help lead Penny and Snap into their little trap. Oh the looks on their faces when they realized they had been had... Jenny so looked forward to seeing that. It was going to be an absolutely incredible sight.

But she still had to be careful. She had to make it look convincing. If she did anything that was too forceful, then she would ruin everything. The whole plan hinged on her convincing them that they beat her, not actually letting them win. She knew that those two weren’t stupid, and she didn’t know enough about Dr. Raiden and Maalik to know if her plan would fully succeed. Those two might be clever enough to see right through her facade... She was going to have to be careful around them.

She had thoughts of straight up killing them, but she wasn’t sure if she’d go through with it. She hadn’t been ordered to kill anyone, and she wasn’t sure if Nihilanth would want her to kill those two. For now, she would probably leave them alone, doing her best to focus her attention on Penny and Snap. She rehearsed the situation over and over in her head, reminding herself of the path she was going to take, and what she was going to say and do. If she did everything right...

...then Penny and Snap would be made the fools.

Jenny just had to make sure that she executed the plan perfectly. One misstep, one wrong word, one minor hint that she was faking, and it was all over. Not that she was worried Nihilanth would be stopped. Her master had more than enough power to take care of them. But by tricking them into victory, they would leave themselves vulnerable. They could be more easily manipulated, tricked into a spot where they will be apprehended and taken care of.

Of course, one detail she had to keep secret was the fact that Nihilanth could spy on them. She was certain that they might already know that detail, the whole ‘Nihilanth can see what black chalk sees’ thing. He sometimes did get so preoccupied he didn’t realize a black chalk artist was harmed, as was the case with Ghadir, But this was, fortunately, a rarity, and still put him in a position several steps ahead of the so-called ‘heroes’. But she bet that they weren’t aware that Penny’s black chalk meant she was an unwitting spy. So long as Penny was there, Nihilanth would know. If they find out, however, that could become a problem.

Jenny paused. She looked around. She took note of the details, the rocks that raised around her, the waterfall not far. Yes... This was the correct spot. She moved over to the edge and stared down. Just like Nihilanth told her, there were some zoners here. Perfect, that’s exactly what she was hoping for. She took out the black chalk in her pocket, grinning nastily. It was time to send an invitation and begin the trap.

sss

Biclops wandered along the trail. Moving with a limp wasn’t easy, especially considering his size. But he was able to manage just fine. After all, he walked from the hospital to where Draow was being held. Granted, it wasn’t that much of a walk, but still a doozy for someone in his condition. He normally would have just not bothered with it, but this trip had been important. He needed this information.

Talking with Draow turned out to be pretty eventful. It wasn’t easy getting the bat wolf to talk, but a little threat and he was more cooperative. The bat wolf knows just how strong he was. If he really did want to break his neck, he could of. Biclops wasn’t sure if he could have actually gone through with that, and he was glad that Draow did submit to him before he had to take the next step.

He drilled Draow with a few questions regarding the role of the red chalk freeing their creator years ago, as well as ones regarding Nihilanth and blue chalk. He had wanted to know just how much their creator knew of Nihilanth and if he had done anything in the past to try to awaken him. And he had also wanted to know the location of the blue chalk. He was aware that it was created for the zoners created by black chalk users, but was hidden away since white chalk users started to go after it. Draow answered all his questions, albeit unwillingly.

There were some things that Biclops was not aware of, which was part of the reason he was asking the questions. He wasn’t even aware that Mr. Cosmo had, at one point, broken free of the black chalk. This unexpected revelation could change everything. If they could replicate the results, they could free Rudy Tabootie.

Biclops flinched at that name. He remembered when Snap had told him about what happened. His stomach twisted in knots at the thought of Rudy being a black chalk artist now. He had almost felt his hope shatter in two at the news. He became fearful of what would happen if Penny Sanchez had fallen under the spell as well. Disaster would strike if that were to happen. The thought filled him with dread. At least she was free...but for how long...?

When Snap mentioned the journal thing, he was intrigued. And when he read upon it, he was shocked. So many things about it, like red chalk fighting back against black chalk and white chalk having the same potential of being evil as black chalk, shocked him. While he had suspicions before, to see it supposedly confirmed...

He had to go talk to Draow about that. He’d know. Mr. Cosmo would have told him. He’d tell Draow everything. The bat wolf was his most trusted confident, even more so than Jenny. He wasted no time. As soon as he was able, he went over to speak to Draow on these matters, hoping that he would be able to provide some insight.

And boy did he. His mind was still reeling from the information he had gotten. Draow was apparently aware of Mr. Cosmo’s temporary freedom. He was the one who recorrupted Cosmo, bringing him back to the dark side. He still wasn’t sure why he didn’t just destroy the journal instead of just letting it be hidden somewhere. He probably just wasn’t thinking straight. Draow may be impulsive, but he ain’t stupid and he should have known the dangers of doing that. Well dangers to his master’s plan that is.

The fact that red chalk did play a part, or at least could, did make the giant happy that he didn’t outright destroy the red chalk chamber, as tempting as it was. The red chalk could prove to be useful against the black chalk. As deadly as the red chalk was, it could make an excellent ally. The beastly zoners it conjures up are more durable and usually stronger than zoners of equivilant size. Having something like that fighting for them, rather than against them, would definitely be a nice change of pace and help turn the tides a little. The question was, would the red chalk listen?

He wanted to try to speak to Penny about this. He already knew that they had plans on visiting the red chalk chamber to speak. But he would rather he come with. The red chalk wasn’t a liar, but it could still decieve. It could fight for them for a while, but as soon as the threat of the black chalk passed, the red chalk could betray them. It could gain control of Penny’s body and use her to cause all kinds of havoc in ChalkZone. Biclops had been around the red chalk long enough to know it could very well do something like that. If any kind of deal is to be struck, he’d rather be there in person with Penny, making sure that the red chalk didn’t try to pull a fast one like that.

He moved as fast as he could back to the hospital. He hoped he wasn’t too late. It had been a little while and he was certain that Penny and Snap were making some kind of plan. If he hurried, maybe he could get there before they headed off to the Chalk Mine. It was very important that he spoke to them first, otherwise, they might end up biting off more than they could chew.

He reached the hospital a few minutes later. He went around to one part of the building where larger zoners like himself could get in. He moved through the massive double doors. He walked down the hallways, his vertically stacked eyes looking straight at the receptionist’s desk. He moved over as quickly as he could. The receptionist looked up at him, staying quiet and waiting for him to say something. Biclops paused to catch his breath first. In and out his breathing came, and then he spoke up.

“Are Penny and Snap still here?” Biclops asked.

The receptionist narrowed her eyes a little. “Why is it you need to know?”

“I need to speak to them. Please...” Biclops took a small step forward. “Are they still here?”

The receptionist just continued to frown at him. She folded her arms against her chest and leaned back a little. “I’m sorry, but I can’t just give out personal information like that.” Biclops widened his eyes. The receptionist showed no sympathy. She turned her head to the side, her eyes looking up towards him. “You are not going to get that confidential information out of me.”

“Confidential?!” Biclops cried. He couldn’t believe it. What was this zoner’s problem? What was so confidential about telling him of Penny and Snap were still in the hospital? Penny wasn’t even from ChalkZone and he doubted that she was registered. She was just staying here to rest, wasn’t she? Why couldn’t she tell him at least confirm if Penny was here? “What is so gawd damn confidential about knowing whether or not they are there?! Don’t you know how important this is?!”

The receptionist gave him a cold sneer. “No, and do you know how many codes of conduct I’d be breaking if I just gave you that information?”

“I’m a patient here, too!” Biclops shouted. He ignored the stares he got from the other large zoners, sitting in the waiting room behind him. The receptionist cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing. Biclops gritted his teeth. “Doesn’t that count for something? Are you saying that, even though I’m a patient, I can’t ask if my friends are still here or not?!”

“With that attitude, I’d say no.” The receptionist replied.

Biclops narrowed his eyes. He was the one with an attitude? He wasn’t the one who was giving him a hard time all over a simple question. He wasn’t the one who was acting all high and mighty and withholding important information, all under the guide of confidentiality. That was a lot of bull, and he was certain she knew this, too. It was like she had a problem with him, or something, and was doing this on purpose.

He needed to figure out if Penny and Snap were still here, and if this foul zoner was not going to tell him, he would find other means. He was not afraid to march straight into the hallway and find that room. If he had to, he would do that. He turned his head towards the large doors next to the receptionist desk. Without hesitation, he began to walk over towards it.

“Where do you think you’re going?” The receptionist said, her voice tinged with anger. When Biclops merely shot her a glare and continued on, she grew more agitated. “I said stop, you towering buffoon! Stop!”

Biclops did stop, but he did not back away. He turned his head. He glared into the receptionist’s eyes, gritting his teeth. “ChalkZone is in danger. If you won’t let me pass, then I will allow myself to pass.” He turned his attention back to the door. “I am not going to stand around here and do nothing. I need to talk to Ms. Sanchez and Mr. White. And if you don’t let me through...” He moved towards the doors. “I’ll let myself through.”

“Security!” The receptionist yelled.

Biclops winced, covering his ears. The sirens around him wailed loudly, piercing his eardrums. He knew the zoner had just slammed the emergency button. A part of him was confused. Was it necessary to do that? It seemed a bit excessive to press the emergency button, as that was for dealing with major threats. He wasn’t a threat. The other part was panicking. He knew what would happen if he stayed around here too long. He had to get out of here and fast. His eyes eyeing the doors, he rushed forward and pushed them open.

As he did this, he could hear the pounding of footsteps behind him. He knew that the security guards had arrived. He rushed forward as fast as he could, making his way through the corridor, past various doctors and patients, as he made his way to the section of the hospital where he knew Penny and Snap would be. He wouldn’t be able to get into the room, but the hallway should be large enough for him to traverse through. At least, he hoped it would be, otherwise he was in trouble.

Behind him, the security guards were shouting at him, waving their sticks around. They appeared to be the generic stick figure cops he knew preschoolers and first graders would draw. There were a lot of them and though they might not be able to hurt him as individuals, in numbers, they could do some harm. Not to mention there was no telling if they were carrying any weapons.

Biclops knew he was just making things worse by running. The smartest thing to do would be to stop, turn back, and face the consequences. He’d get a lighter sentencing. But knowing what was at stake, he had to keep on moving. He had to reach Penny and Snap’s room...if he could find it, that is. He realized he didn’t even know where it was. But he couldn’t even stop and ask somebody if they knew anything. All he could do was keep running and hope that he loses the cops long enough to ask someone that important information. Though who would tell him? For all he knew, all the doctors here would want to have him arrested for rushing into a hospital like this. He was breaking the law and he knew he was going to get locked up for this.

But what choice did he have? If he didn’t get to Penny and Snap soon... He’d hate to think what would happen if they struck a deal with the red chalk without his guidance. The red chalk could easily use them...

The giant continued to rush down the hallway. He did his best to avoid any patients that were in the way. He ignored the pain he was feeling in his body, knowing that time was of the essence. He wasn’t sure how long he had been running. His mind was so focused now, he could barely keep track of all the corridors he was heading down. He couldn’t even tell if the cops were still chasing after him. All he knew was that he needed to get to Penny and Snap and fast. That was the only thing his mind was focused on.

Before he knew it, he had reached the somewhat smaller section of the hospital. The ceiling of this part was so low, he had to bend his body forward while he ran. Uncomfortable, but he was able to put up with it. He continued running down, ignoring the shouts from zoners as he dashed by. Behind him, he could hear the footsteps that he knew belonged to the cops. They hadn’t given up on chasing him, and he knew they never would until they caught him, or he lost them somehow. And he knew that wouldn’t happen, considering just how big he was.

He was going in blind. He had no idea where he was going. He didn’t know just where Penny and Snap’s rooms were. A part of him wanted to curse himself out for making such a foolish mistake. He should just stop now and... No, he couldn’t do that. Not while lives were on the line. Not while the red chalk could be fooling Snap and Penny into a half-hearted deal. He knew the red chalk better than anyone. If anyone could ensure the red chalk would stay true to its word, it was him.

After several more minutes of running, he came to a two-way intersection. He read the signs real quick. Both of them appeared to lead to the patients’ rooms. He bit his lip. He had to make a decision and fast. Behind him, he could hear the cops were getting closer to him. If they caught him, it would be all over.

“Hold it right there!” One of the cops shouted.

“Stay put!” Another cried. “You are in a lot of trouble!”

“Yeah! You’re not allowed to know that Penny is located in Room 151.” A rather demented and goofy sounding cop said.

Biclops’s eyes widened at this. He turned to face the cops. He noticed that there was one standing in the middle, looking a little sillier than the others. His fellow officers were looking at him like he had gone made. Biclops couldn’t help but smile. It seemed that this hospital really needed to do a better job at picking security.

“What did you do that for?!” One of the cops shouted.

The demented cop just shrug his shoulders. He continued to speak in a voice that sounded almost purposefully stupid. “Well hey..just saying!”

“You blockhead!” The single female cop said as she struck him over the head. “Now he knows!”

“Yep I do!” Biclops said, giving them a quick mock salute. “Thanks for the information!” With that, the giant turned left, down to where Room 151 would be.

The female cop’s eyes widened in shock. “He’s getting away!” She grabbed one of the cops, who was just standing there. “What are you waiting for?!” She tossed him forward and snarled at him. “Go get him!”

The cop stumbled forward, nearly tripping his own feet. “O-Okay! I’m on it!”

The cops started to run down the hallway. The demented cop attempted to run, but the female cop grabbed him by his arm and pulled him back. She squeezed his arm tightly, twisting it a little. The cop stared at her, blinking in confusion.

“Except for you!” The female cop held her gun up and pointed it at him. “You...are to remain here. I will not have you causing us more trouble. Understand?”

“Okay, missy.” The demented cop said, a smile on his face. “If you say so.”

The female cop snarled. She threw the demented cop to the side, watching him as he hit against the wall. She took a step forward and jabbed a finger to the ground. She narrowed her eyes and said, “Just. Stay. Here. Okay?!” Her voice was a low growl. She started to walk over towards the hallway. “And if I catch you back there, I will kill you. Understand?”

“Crystal, madame!” The demented cop said in a cheery voice.

The female cop simply groaned. Clearly not wanting to waste anymore time with this zoner, she turned and started to rush down the hallway to catch up with her fellow officers.

sss

Dr. Raiden wasn’t entirely sure if this plan was going to work. It did sound good in hindsight. The way it was described, it seemed like it could very well work out just fine. But the more he thought about it, the more he began to wonder if it really was a good idea or not. Something could still very well go wrong. The plan was risky, and it involved being very careful, for one misstep could cost them dearly.

He walked alongside Maalik. The cheetah gave the faintest hint of a smile as he watched his friend walk alongside him. He was glad that he had someone here with him to see him through this. He didn’t think he could do this on his own. Confronting Jenny was not going to be an easy task, especially since she reminded him so much of...that guy.

He gave a quick, chilling shudder as thoughts of Cosmo entered his mind. He hadn’t even told the full story of what happend to him while he was briefly under that man’s... ‘care’. Some of the things were just too horrible to think about, and were better left unsaid. If he told anyone else about his full experiences, he could very well induce horrific nightmares that would not go away. There were times when he wanted to tell someone so badly...but he opted not to, believing that it really would be better if he said nothing. Not like it would reveal any important information anyway.

He had no doubts that Jenny could do worse to him if she caught him. He had heard rumors about her, seen her in action before. Maybe not when she was a kid, but recently, yes. Not to mention what Penny and the others had said about her. Mr. Cosmo was one bad egg, but Jenny makes him look tame. He shivered when he remembered Snap telling him about how she forced him to stab Sophie and then himself, letting the human blood burn him on the inside. Would Jenny force him to do something similar?

“I’m not so sure about this.” Dr. Raiden admitted, his ears lowering a little. “What if something...?”

Maalik looked at him, giving a smile of confidence. Unlike Raiden, Maalik was certain Penny’s plan to defeat Jenny would work. Raiden wasn’t sure how he could be so positive, especially given the fact that they hardly knew Penny and thus weren’t fully certain of her capabilities. But that didn’t stop Maalik from believing in her. Raiden wished he could be that confident.

“It will be okay, Maalik. We’ll pull through this.” Maalik said.

“And how can you be certain?” Dr. Raiden asked, gesturing with his left paw. They continued moving along the dirt path, cutting and winding through a forest. “Providing a distraction is...”

“..risky, yes. But there isn’t much of a choice here.” Maalik said, raising a finger in the air. “You and I are the least injured, and so we are better fit to keep Jenny’s attention on us.” His golden eyes stared at Raiden for a second before he returned to watching where he was going. He stumbled a little as he narrowly avoided hitting his foot against a rock. He brushed himself off with one paw before continuing. “Meanwhile, Penny and Snap can work on a trap to stop her. Penny can barely navigate in her condition, so keeping Jenny’s attention away from her is most beneficial.”

Dr. Raiden nodded his head slowly. That did make sense. Penny was hardly fit for battle, and it wasn’t like Snap was any better. At least he and Maalik could still move around and dodge. Plus, Penny was the one with creation abilities. She was the one who could draw a trap or a weapon or whatever else would be required. She wouldn’t be able to do that if she were targeted, so keeping Jenny’s attention away from her would definitely help them all out. In this way, it did make sense to have him and Maalik do the frontal work, keeping Jenny’s attention on them. They did have the capability of fighting back, so it wasn’t like they were simply dodging attacks.

Though at the same time, it was still risky. Jenny could still trap them. If they didn’t move fast enough, they could end up locked up in something and find out that Penny and Snap were there with them. Without them as back up, Jenny could run right through those two, and then who knows what would happen after that...

He wished there was some other way. Yet even he had to admit that there didn’t appear to be any kind of alternative. They had discussed this topic thoroughly before they left. They had all agreed, even him though reluctantly, that this was the best plan. And it could very well work, so long as they do everything right.

The two felines continued on their way to where they knew Jenny would be, which was the Solar Pillars. They were about halfway there by now. Penny and Snap were not far away, but they were taking a different, more hidden route to ensure that they wouldn’t be spotted. With the deceptively peaceful ambiance of the forest, Dr. Raiden couldn’t help but reflect on how things had changed in such a short time. The thought almost brought a smile to his face.

Dr. Raiden closed his eyes for a moment. “You know, it is...strange how things can become so...altered, you know?” Maalik turned his head to his friend, blinking his eyes a few times. Dr. Raiden looked over at the lion, smiling slightly at his confusion. “What I mean is that not too long ago, we were fighting against the humans. We tried to chase them, black chalk or not, out of ChalkZone.” He gave a pause, letting this sink in for the lion. “Now here we are, willingly taking orders from one. Weird, ain’t it?”

Dr. Raiden knew Maalik would understand this. He’d know why it was such a strange feeling. Never before would he have imagined willingly listening to a human. For all these years, he had always said he’d rather die than listen to a human. Well times certainly have changed, haven’t they? Not only was he listening to a human, but a creator at that, an established one who had drawn in ChalkZone before. Had this taken place, like say, a year ago, he would have scoffed.

“Yes, indeed.” Maalik said. He clenched his teeth for a moment. “I admit, I did feel betrayed at first...when you started to defend whom I thought were our enemies. But that was just my prejudce talking.” He shook his head slowly. “I have a hatred for humans for years and...admittingly some of it is still there.” He gave Raiden a sideways glance. “But I want what was best for ChalkZone, and..you were right. Our original ways were making us like our enemy.”

Dr. Raiden said, “You had a hatred for humans for much longer than I.” He pressed a hand against his chest. “That’s why it was harder for you to adapt, but not so much for me. I only had a couple years of being a..fanatic.”

Maalik nodded his head slowly. “Yeah... Well, at least that’s over.”

That was true. It was over, and Raiden knew it was best not to dwell on the past. Especially not now, when they had other things to worry about. Wanting to shift the topic to what was at hand, he said, “What are we going to do after we beat Jenny?”

Maalik narrowed his eyes and was silent for a moment. He then turned to Raiden and said, “I reckon we will kick her out of ChalkZone.” He gave a small smile. “She’s not much of a threat in the real world. The magic chalk won’t work there.”

“She can always try to steal another piece.” Raiden reminded him. “Remember what they told us about how she took a piece at all. She could pull a similar stunt.”

Maalik nodded his head. “Yes, that’s very well true.” He tilted his head to the side a little. “But at least she’ll be out of the picture for a time. This will allow us to then target Nihilanth, since he’d have no more guards to ‘protect’ him.” He focused his attention on the path in front of them. His eyes narrowed in determination. “We need to make sure he doesn’t get into the real world. So as soon as Jenny is gone, we must target him right away.”

Dr. Raiden’s ears pricked up at this. “But...” His eyes widened. “P-Penny said...”

“I know what she said.” Maalik said, his teeth bared. “And I say she’s foolish to wait to plan... Raiden, you and I both know that the deity would flee into the real world as soon as he could. If he finds his servants are gone, what’s to stop him from picking up the pace?” He gave Raiden a look that seemed to have a tinge of desperation on it. “I know it’s not a part of the finalized plan, but...we have to do it. Okay?”

Though Dr. Raiden nodded in response, he wasn’t certain that it was a good idea. He himself may not have been fully certain of Penny’s plan. But it did seem better than what Maalik was suggesting. Rushing up to Nihilanth without a battle plan would end in disaster. This strategy, just rushing in, was odd for the lion zoner standing before him. He almost wondered if he had been switched out with some kind of clone. But he knew this was Maalik, and he knew the reason for this change is because the lion zoner was just desperate to keep ChalkZone safe from the enemy.

But rushing in...no that was too risky. He could only hope that, when they defeat Jenny, Penny and Snap could convince Maalik to wait instead of rushing headlong into danger. With something like Nihilanth being their opponent, someone who could create anything in midair, having as many allies as possible was crucial. He had to make sure that Maalik didn’t make such a foolish mistake. Raiden would never forgive himself if he let anything happen to his friend.

Without warning, there was a high-pitched beeping sound. It hurt his ears and the suddenness of it made his fur stand on end. He jerked backwards, covering his ears to protect them. He looked over and saw that Maalik was handling it better, though it was clear that the sound was hurting him as well. His ears twitched a few times, as if trying to get some fly off of his head. He reached down into the pocket waist strap around his body and pulled out a small radio. The sight of the radio was unsettling; it was made of red chalk and had some sort of twisted face on it. But the red chalk did keep true to its word, so far, and the radio didn’t try to hurt them and even functioned like it was supposed to.

“Maalik!” Came a staticy female voice. “Dr. Raiden! Come in!”

Maalik pressed a button. “Maalik here. What’s the situation, Penny?”

“It’s Jenny! She’s attacking the village by Jagged Falls!” Penny cried, her voice filled with terror. At this, the two feline zoners stared at each other in shock, eyes wide in horror. “You must hurry! Snap and I are doing our best to escort the zoners away but...we don’t know how long we can keep this up!”

“High tail it here as fast as you can, please!” They heard Snap shout.

At this, the radio clicked and shut off, leaving only a staticy noise. Then, seconds later, total silence. Raiden and Maalik stared at the radio in shock, trying to fully register just what had happened. They looked at each other, exchanging expressions of terror. This...this wasn’t part of the schedule. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. Their plan had just been derailed, almost as if Jenny expected them. But that was impossible. It must have been just a coincidence. But...what if..?

They didn’t have time to waste on thinking of how this was possible. They didn’t have time to sit around, wondering why Jenny was at Jagged Falls and whether or not it was connected to their plan. They had to get going and fast. They both knew where Jagged Falls was. A dangerous landscape that would make fighting difficult. Which was way that place was chosen by several zones to live in. Safety.

The two zoners didn’t waste anymore time. Putting the red chalk radio away, they both dropped down on all fours. Ignoring whatever pain they still had, Maalik and Raiden bolted forward, shifting direction and heading towards where they knew they would find Jagged Falls. They ran as fast as they could, Raiden out in front.

As they ran, Raiden couldn’t help but ask himself some questions. Why was Jenny at Jagged Falls? Yes there was a village there, but they had nothing of importance. They weren’t a desirable target; a large portion of ChalkZone doesn’t even know about them. They kept to themselves most of the time. He would think that, if Jenny wanted to send some kind of message, she’d go for a more well known target, such as ChalkZone City. But then, perhaps there was a different reason for the attack...

Whatever the reason, Raiden knew they had to get there fast. He just hoped that, by the time they get there, it wasn’t going to be too late.

sss

“Penny! Hurry!” Snap cried, his eyes wide in horror. “I don’t know how much longer...”

Snap didn’t have time to finish. All of a sudden, a large boulder struck down towards him. The zoner let out a scream and hurled himself to the side. In doing so, he also grabbed onto one of the native zoners, pushing them out of the way. The boulder collided against the jagged rock behind them, smashing both rocks into pieces. Snap shielded himself and the zoner the best he could as the pieces fell onto his body.

He shook himself and stared at the mess. His heart beat quickly. He couldn’t believe just how close he and the little zoner were to getting smashed up by that boulder. And that wasn’t even the only one. He slowly got up to his feet, looking left and right. Everywhere, there were dents in the ground. Areas were boulders had smashed into them. But it wasn’t caused by any normal rock slide. These were attacks.

The blue zoner had been doing his best getting the little zoners out of here. There was a path that led them to safety. A more secure part of the falls. It was hidden and it would lead them to another part of ChalkZone, underground of course. It was an emergency exit of sorts. However, there was only one path leading to it, and he wasn’t sure how long that pathway would stay open. There were still a large number of zoners to save. How long would it be before the boulders smash the entrance? Sure, Penny could clear it up, but with her injuries, how long could she last against...

He didn’t finish his train of thought when someone jumped down from a higher level. He and the little zoner let out a cry of surprise and backed up. Snap narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth as he saw that it was Jenny, the person responsible for this unprecedented attack. Of all the low moves she could have made, this was one of the lowest.

The zoners of Jagged Falls were relatively harmless. They didn’t have claws or teeth. They were mostly just blobs, and spent their time fishing here. They were peaceful zoners, more so than much of ChalkZone. They had no fighting skills, no desire to hurt anyone. They took to Jagged Falls for protection, as they were often targeted by wild predators in ChalkZone. Not many would dare come here. And of course, Jenny just had to smash their sense of safety by targeting this place. Did she have no shame? Of course not...

Fighting in this place was hard. Jagged Falls was a mostly vertical place. Well, more diagonal. There was a large, curving rock face above them where the water ran over, creating a shield. There were multiple deep grooves, almost like someone dug into the side, and this went down for a while. Multiple jagged rocks shot out, as well as various platforms, creating ledges for them to travel on. It also provided protection as navigating these sharp rocks was not easy. The place was well hidden. One would have to know the area really well to find it.

Jagged Rocks had some springs that went into the cave structures of the waterfalls. Emphasis on the word ‘had’, as Jenny’s sudden assault had clogged that up. It was going to take a while to get that all fixed. They would need to do something soon, as the blob zoners can’t survive for too long without the water source. Their bodies weren’t made to be out of water for more than a few hours. The hidden area may have some water, if he remembered right, but there was no telling how long that would go on with Jenny around.

The evil woman stood before him. He put his hand out in front of the blob zoner in an attempt to shield him from the woman’s sights. The zoner shivered and slithered back a little. Snap turned his head, staring down at him with one eye. He made a gesture with his head.

“Go! Get going! I’ll cover you!” Snap cried.

The zoner looked hesitant. “Are you sure?”

Snap nodded his head. “Yes! Just go!”

The zoner obligued, even though he clearly didn’t want to leave. Snap watched for a few seconds as the blob zoner went down the still intact pathway. Snap knew he and the others would be safe there...at least until Jenny found a way to send something down there to get them. He turned his attention back to the vile woman. His teeth were bared as he took a step forward. He formed fists with his hands, making it very clear to Jenny that he was not going to let her pass.

Snap wondered where Penny was. She was supposed to be helping out, drawing some things with red chalk to try to provide a more durable shield. Had she been caught? The thought caused his heart to twist. He hoped that wasn’t the case. If this vile woman did anything to his friend, he swore he was going to make her pay. Regardless of the fact that he was injured, he was going to do whatever it took to keep Penny safe.

“How sweet.” Jenny said, her voice laced in sarcasm. “You think you can keep them safe...”

Snap took a small step back, but he didn’t turn and run away. “Shut up... You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

Jenny tilted her head. “Oh no?” She chuckled. “I know that you believe you are strong enough to take me on. But tell me...how long do you think you can still fight...when you look like that?” She pointed a finger in Snap’s direction, indicating the wounds still on his body. “You haven’t healed enough... Why, I can still see the stab wound that you gave yourself.”

Snap looked down at his stomach. Sure enough, he could see a faint mark, indicating the stitched area of his costume that he cut through. Almost instinctively, he reached over and pressed his hand against his stomach. He winced, feeling the dull pain wrack through his body. He pulled his hand away immediately. He turned his head up towards Jenny, glaring hatefully at her.

“Yes, I remember that look. The same one you gave me before you passed out.” Jenny took a few steps towards Snap. “Tell me, little Snap. What did it feel like when you pushed that blade through Sophie’s stomach?” Snap’s eyes widened. “Did you love it? Did you relish in it? Didn’t it feel good...?”

Snap’s body shivered as he took another step back. “No, it didn’t! You made me do that, you bitch!”

Jenny chuckled. “Oh but I saw the flicker in your eyes. You liked it. You loved it because, for the first time, you had full control over someone. You could control how much pain little Sophie was in. You were in control of her life, and you hurt her.”

“You didn’t give me a choice!” Snap cried. “It was either I did that, or you’d kill us both!”

“I suppose that is true.” Jenny tapped her finger against the bottom of her chin. She acted so sickeningly pleasant and calm about the whole thing. It boiled Snap’s blood. “However, you didn’t have to stab her that deeply.” Snap growled softly. “Part of me wonders if you really wanted to do that.” She took a step forward, her eyes widening a bit in insanity. “Tell me, Snap.. Is that true? Did you relish in it? Did you enjoy the feeling of pushing a piece of metal into that girl’s stomach?”

“No!” Snap shouted, clenching his fists tightly.

“I beg to differ.” Jenny said, tilting her head to the side. “And I’m sure you loved it when you stabbed yourself. You get off on pain, don’t you, little Snap? You love it when someone tears into your flesh. Is that why you always put yourself in danger? You can’t get enough of the pain.”

The zoner’s body shivered in a mixture of anger and fear. Snap’s mind reeled with thoughts of what had happened days ago, when he was forced to stop Sophie. That was one of the most horrible experiences of his life. He never wanted to hurt anyone he cared about, and to be forced to do something like that.... He still hadn’t fully forgiven himself for it. He wished he had been more resistant. He wished he had fought back.

And being forced to stab himself was just as bad. That blood hitting his insides like that, it was like someone poured acid into him. The pain was so intense that he wound up passing out from it, along with the blood loss. It was one of the worst pains he felt. The human blood aspect of it was the biggest reason why. It away at his insides, increasing the damage and pain.

And this horrible woman actually suggesting that he loved it... How despicable. How dare she say such things.. He’d never enjoy hurting someone. Even when fighting an enemy, he didn’t relish in their pain. He only wished to stop them. But Jenny... people like her were the ones who got off on pain. Others’ pain to be exact. If it happens to her, it’s a big deal. If it happens to someone else, good for them. That was the way she thought. And it was disgusting.

“You’re wrong.” Snap snarled at her, adopting a fighting stance. “But of course, you would think something like that. It’s in your nature, isn’t it?”

Jenny just smiled. She moved even closer to Snap. She backed him up against the wall. The zoner moved back, crouching low as if he were getting ready to lunge at her. Snap let out a series of low growls, baring his teeth at Jenny to show her that he will attack if she kept provoking him. Jenny noticed the warning, but she just dismissed it, acting as if she was doing nothing wrong. She reached over and attempted to grab Snap by his scarf. Snap’s eyes flashed at this. Not this time...

Before Jenny could get a hold of him, Snap lurched forward, grabbing onto her hand and biting into her wrist. Jenny’s eyes bulged open. She let out a scream of pain, pulling her arm back and lifting Snap up in the process. She looked down Snap, her eyes wide in shock, as if she didn’t expect him to bite her. Then her pupils dilated in anger and she growled at him.

“You little runt!” Jenny shouted. “How fucking dare you! Get your filthy teeth out of my hand, you evil little monster!”

Snap’s eyes widened at what Jenny called him. She thought he was the evil one? Was she being serious? He didn’t have time to ponder this when Jenny, after tensing up her arm muscles, flung him into the ground. Snap crashed into the hard ground, a loud thud echoing on the walls around them. He opened up his eyes and looked towards Jenny. He gasped in horror when Jenny stormed towards him, raising her foot high into the air. He tried to get out of the way, but he was unable to.

Down came the foot. Snap’s eyes widened in pain as he screamed. Again and again, Jenny stomped down on his stomach as hard as she could. The zoner shed tears of agony as the horrible sensastion swept through his comparatively small frame. The foot pounded against his underside, right on the spot that he had been forced to stab. His screams spread throughout the area, and soon that was all he could hear. He was not able to pick up on most of the words that Jenny was saying to him. And based on what he could hear, that was probably a good thing.

“I am going to rip out your intestines and choke you with them!” Jenny snarled at him as she kicked him in the stomach again.

Snap let out whimpers of pain as blood started to trickle out of his mouth. He started up at Jenny pleadingly. Though she did stop, which as a relief, she didn’t go away. She glared down at him, showing him no sympathy. She raised up her black chalk. Snap’s eyes widened, realizing that he was likely in for a worse, more painful death. He tried to get out of the way, but he was in so much agony, he could barely move. He was unable to tear his eyes away from Jenny as she began to draw...

Suddenly there was a flash of crimson. Then a cry of pain, then a thud against the wall. Snap looked on in shock as what appeared to be a small red chalk bull rushed forward, slamming Jenny against the wall. The woman grunted in pain and tried to push herself free. The bull snorted at her and kept pressing against her, keeping her pinned.

“Snap!”

Snap looked over and saw Penny limping towards him. She was moving herself forward as fast as she could with her walking stick. Snap struggled to his feet. He didn’t get far, falling onto his knees. He coughed up a bit of blood, wheezing in pain. He lifted his head up, looking over at Penny with an expression of agony.

When Penny got close enough, she looked down at her friend. Worry was written all over her face. “Snap... are you okay...?”

Snap held his stomach and groaned. “N-No..”

Penny’s eyes widened as she looked her friend up and down. She moved a little closer and, carefully, dropped down onto one knee. She steadied herself with her walking stick as she reached out towards her friend. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Don’t worry... you’ll be fine.” She gave him the best smile that she could.

Snap tried to smile back, but the pain that wracked though his body was too much. His faint smile faded away fast as he groaned in pain. The sight of this was clearly upsetting to Penny. He tried to put a brave face on to cheer her up. But that did little to help Penny feel better. And he wasn’t able to keep it up for long, before he let out another groan of pain. Penny stared at this, her body shaking in emotion. She then lifted up her head and shot a glare at Jenny.

“You...monster...” Penny hissed lowly.

Jenny opened up one eye and stared over at Penny. She gave a bitter chuckle. “I’m the monster? Well to you I suppose I am. But at least I’m not trying to stifle progress.”

“Progress?!” Penny cried in disbelief. “What the fuck at you talking about?! You’re trying to destroy the world!”

“Hmph. I won’t waste more time on you. I’m tired of this runaround. Time to finish you off.” Jenny said, tilting her head upwards a little. “This is going to be...so much fun...”

Jenny freed one of her arms. She lifted it up, clutching the black chalk in her hands. Penny and Snap braced themselves, wondering what she was going to draw next. But to their surprise, the woman didn’t draw anything. At least, not yet. Instead, she steadied the chalk in her hand. Then, without warning, she plunged it into the red chalk bull’s eye. There was a sickening grunch sound, and blood splattered on the ground. The bull howled in pain and staggered back. Penny and Snap’s eyes widened in horror at this.

As the bull lifted up its leg, pushing against its face to try to wipe away the blood, Jenny got herself free. She smirked at the bull, watching it convulse in agony. She turned her attention to Penny and Snap. She raised up her arm, wielding the black chalk. Then, seconds later, she charged forward.

Suddenly, something long, thick, and metallic shot through the air. It hit the ground with great force, right in front of Jenny. The woman’s eyes widened in shock as she stumbled and tried to stop herself. She hit against the metal and fell backwards. She stumbled back, managing to catch herself. She shook her head and she looked up to see what had happened. Upon seeing the source of this metal, she let out a low growl.

“Dr. Raiden... I should have known..” Jenny hissed under her breath.

Penny and Snap looked up just in time to see Dr. Raiden and Maalik jump from a higher ledge. They landed on the ground in front of Penny and Snap, down on all fours. Their fur was raised on end, their pupils dilated in anger and hatred. Their tails swished from side to side in agitation, looking very much like wild animals ready to pounce their prey. And right now, Jenny was their prey.

“Perhaps you would like to play with us instead...” Maalik growled, a bit of electricity sparking from his claw.

Jenny stood there in shock. Then she smiled lightly, chuckling. “Okay then, little kitty cats. If you want to play with me...fine!” She spread her arms out, as if inviting them to attack. “Come and get me!”

Dr. Raiden and Maalik charged forward.


	153. Skirmish On The Falls

Biclops didn’t know how he managed to do it. With all the running, all the turning, never able to stop, he couldn’t believe that he was able to locate the room where Penny had been stationed. It was just shere luck he found it. He knew it was it because the door had been marked. Some kind of sign that said ‘human’. He guessed that they put that sign there so that the doctors didn’t try to bring in equipment, as Penny’s blood would dissolve anything they try to use on her.

Biclops kept his head low, careful to avoid banging his head. The door into the room was too small for him to fit through. But he didn’t really need to head into the room itself in order for him to speak to Penny. He hoped that he wasn’t too late. If Penny wasn’t there, then his next stop would be the Chalk Mine. And if she wasn’t there either, he could only assume that she struck the deal, a fact that horrified him. If she went and made a deal with the red chalk without him being there... He could only imagine what might happen.

He reached down with his hand and tapped on the door. He waited for a few moments. There was nothing. He narrowed his eyes a little. He tried again, tapping against the door a little harder. He hoped that maybe Penny was just tired and didn’t hear him knocking. But when she still didn’t answer, the giant decided to try something else. Using two fingers carefully, he turned the knob and pushed it open. He lowered himself and looked in with his large eyes.

His eyes widened. Penny was nowhere in sight. The room’s light was turned on, and he could tell the bed was used. There was a table pulled up to the bed, an indication that some kind of meeting had already taken place. Biclops looked left and right, trying to find any signs of life. He found nothing.

Then something else caught his eye. Something that horrified him. It had taken him a few seconds to see it and fully register it. But when he did, he couldn’t stop the shivers of fear from shooting up and down his spine.

There, on the table, was red dust.

The red chalk had been here...

Biclops felt his world begin to spin. He had been too late... That realization hung strongly over his head, never leaving him alone. He had been too late to stop the meeting with the red chalk. Penny had already taken some from the mine and brought it here. She had already negotiated a deal with it. And now she was who knows where with that chalk, probably thinking that it wil stay true to whatever word it said.

The giant felt his legs get weak. He wanted to drop down, but instead opted to lean against the wall. He couldn’t believe it. He just couldn’t believe it. He should have moved faster. He should have known better. He should have known that something like this could happen. And now, because of how slow he was, Penny was with the red chalk, and could very well be at its mercy when the danger of the black chalk has passed. The red chalk would see no further reason to remain an ally once the black chalk is gone, and it could proceed to take control of Penny to do whatever it wants.

Biclops was suddenly unaware of his surroundings. He didn’t know if the cops were still chasing him. He didn’t know if any of the patients or doctors complained about him. He didn’t see anything. It felt as though he were in a black void with nothing but himself and the red chalk dust on the table floating in the air. Flashbacks plagued his mind.

Biclops remembered all too well what it was like back in the magic chalk war when red chalk became involved. It may have been a failure, as Mr. Cosmo had wanted something more obedient, the effects were still devastating. The red chalk drawings were brutal, vicious, and more durable. It was harder to fight against them. They had no self control, didn’t hold back. All their attacks were the full force. They attacked with all their strength all the time, rather than using more strategic moves.

While this sometimes made them easier to fight as white chalk drawings could reserve their energy, it still made them so much more dangerous than other types of chalk drawings, as red chalk didn’t relent and would continue attacking until they were dead or all their limbs broken. And even with their bodies mutilated, they’d still find a way to attack.

The fire breathing chicken that Rudy drew was just a minor taste of what the red chalk was capable of. The chicken was relatively tame compared to the monstrosities that he had to deal with during the magic chalk war many years ago. Biclops was certain that if the red chalk become the chalk of choice for the black chalk users, the white chalk users may have ultimately lost.

The only good news regarding red chalk is that it’s not as intelligent as other chalk. In someways, it was mindless. At least its creations were, as they were always locked into ‘rage mode’, trampling and attacking anyone in sight. The red chalk itself is still not as smart, but it was by no means stupid. It could be pretty clever when it wants to be, and it wastes no time in corrupting its users. Instead it just takes full control of the user’s body to fulfill its own tasks. And if they fight back, the red chalk would consider them worthless and do something about it.

Biclops hadn’t told Rudy and his friends this, and a part of him wished he had. But it wasn’t just black chalk artists who had caused deaths back then. The red chalk itself had slain a few, regardless of which side they were on. A handful of black chalk users and white chalk users had been killed by the red chalk. It didn’t discriminate, hating everyone equally and killing anyone who got in its way, regardless of age, species, gender, and alliance. It would have been worse than black chalk...if it weren’t for the fact that black chalk wanted to ultimately destroy everyone, whereas the red chalk seemed to only want to spread chaos. Not that it was much better, but it was more easily manageable compared to an omnicidal maniac like the black chalk.

He could still remember those screams... He had witnessed some of the killings himself. They were some of the most gruesome he’s seen. Only a few things the black chalk users did could top what the red chalk had done. One of the worst he could recall is what happened to Jessica. The red chalk had been using her to create large monstrosities to tear apart Tavern Town, back before ChalkZone City existed. And when she resisted, fought back to regain control of herself...

The giant felt cold shivers go through his body as he recalled how the red chalk assumed control of her body. It forced her to draw a small, razor sharp knife, and had her gouge out her own eyes with it and eat them. Then, while her body was still reeling from the shock, the red chalk forced her to cut out her own tongue, then stab herself in the ears, rendering her death along with being blinded. It finally had her draw a bigger knife, which it immediately had her plunge into her own throat, slicing up her jugular blood vessels. Both of them. Then she yanked the knife out, creating a deep gash.

All that blood... There wasn’t even much of a dream at that point. All of her sounds were drowned out into gurgles as blood got into her throat, pooling out of her neck. The ground became covered in the red liquid, dissolving as the blood just kept piling on. It didn’t take long before Jennifer was dead, her body going limp as she laid on the ground in a heep. The sight horrified everyone who saw it, regardless of whose side they were on.

And this had been done to a black chalk user...

Jennifer had been a black chalk user. Not a high-ranking one, but still one of admirable skill. He had overheard Cosmo mentioning he wanted to promote her. Then the indicent with the red chalk happened, and he never had that chance. Jennifer was brutally murdered in the middle of a battle. Her screams and actions were so gruesome that everyone, even those locked in deadly combat, stopped to watch what was going on.

Jennifer’s death was just one of several caused by the red chalk. It was these deaths that caused Cosmo to regard the red chalk as a failure. Well one of the reasons anyway. Despite the fact that he wanted to kill everyone anyway, Cosmo still felt that the red chalk was too impulsive and had tried to stop it himself. It was a long story, but eventually the red chalk was locked up with help of both black chalk and white chalk users. They resumed their war shortly after.

Biclops worried that the red chalk is just using Penny, under the guise of helping them. Sure it might stay true to its word and free Rudy from the black chalk. Realizing Rudy was taken over was downright horrifying for the giant, and he wished it was all a nightmare. But even if the red chalk does help to free him, after they defeat the black chalk...

..then what?

He didn’t think the red chalk would just...lay down and do nothing. No. It would do whatever it took to resume its chaotic ways. He had to help Penny stop it, before it was too late.

Suddenly, he heard shouts behind him, pulling his attention away from his thoughts. He turned his massive head and he would see the cops from before. They were rushing towards him, their eyes blazing in anger. He knew, just from their expressions, he was in a lot of trouble. Instead of running, knowing he couldn’t get out this way without causing major damage, he remained still.

“You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, bub!” The female officer said as she moved out in front of her fellow officers. As they took position beside her, raising her weapons at the giant, she continued, “You weren’t given permission to come back here. But not only did you do that, but you run away from the police.” Her eyes narrowed. “Can you explain yourself...?”

Biclops gulped. “W-Well I...”

Biclops let out a bloodcurdling scream when the cops suddenly fired at him. Not bullets, but instead what appeared to be several small ‘nets’ of electricity. They clung to his body in clumps, sending out shockwaves of pain through his body. Biclops screamed as he was being electrocuted. His mind became muggy, consumed by the agony. He soon collapsed to the ground, unable to take the blinding pain anymore.

As the burning agony continued to echo throughout his body as he laid there, he could see the female officer walking towards him. He could barely recognize her as his vision darkened and became wobbly, blurry. Her arms were folded behind her back as she stood not far from Biclops, glaring down at him with a look of contempt.

“You can save it for when the judge talks with you.” The female officer said. She paused for a moment. Then she tilted her head slightly, a small smile on her face. “But don’t worry. We’ll take care of Penny. That’s who you wanted to see, right? Don’t fret, it’ll all be taken care of soon.” She reached into her pocket. “We just need to give her something.”

Biclops’s eyes widened in horror when he saw a piece of black chalk in the zoner’s hands. So many questions ran through his mind. But he was not able to ask any of them. Seconds later, the female officer put the chalk away after she let him have a good, long look at it, and pulled out her taser. She pressed it against the giant’s face, giving him a sneer.

“Sweet dreams...” The officer said as she pulled the trigger.

Biclops let out an echoing scream. His body twitched and convulsed on the ground. Moments later, his world went dark and he fell silent. The last thing he heard before he passed out was a single, echoey statement from the female officer. Upon hearing it, he suddenly remembered who she was.

“I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me, Biclops. Then again...it has been a long time..hasn’t it...?”

“N-Nexra...” Came Biclops’s slurred voice as he passed out.

sss

Moving back along the conveyor belt was not easy. Bardot had to keep himself moving at a brisk pace, despite his pain. Staying still for too long, and he’d be pulled back, losing progress as a result. Moving at a considerable pace, however, was difficult as his legs were hurting and his body aching. His outline wounds were becoming more and more painful, and each step was bringing him closer to agony.

Still he continued on, knowing that Mr. Wilte couldn’t be held there for too much longer. It still confused him about how far he was willing to go for him, someone he hardly knew. Yet something still compelled him, and he moved on as a result. He needed to get out of the room and stop the conveyor belt. Then he had to figure out just how he was going to get the man out of here. He couldn’t just drag him out. There’s got to be someway.

He decided to worry about that after he stopped the belt first. His thoughts were slowing him down. He tried to clear them the best he could. He walked along the path, feeling grateful that there wasn’t a network of this belt down here, as the black chalk artists could have easily made this confusing by adding multiple paths. Bardot did not remember the directions he and the man ended up being taken in, so he would not be able to backtrack if this were a labrynth, and he would have ultimately gotten lost down here.

Bardot continued down the conveyor belt, moving as quickly as he could so he wouldn’t lose any progress. He didn’t stop for anything. Even when he saw the occassional blood stain or small body part on the wall, he did not stop to look. Just a few seconds of looking was going to be enough to make him lose quite a bit of progress. The conveyor belt wasn’t by any means slow.

He wondered if he would find any blue chalk. He had his doubts, since Draow had the blue chalk on a higher level. He could stop the conveyer belt and go find blue chalk, but such a thing could be risky. He couldn’t very well leave Mr. Wilter stuck on the belt like that. No one knows he’s there, and starving to death....wasn’t pleasant. If it came down to it, he’d just kill him quickly and be done with it. Better that than dying from lack of water and food.

The hybrid zoner wasn’t sure just how long he had been walking up this belt. It would have been an hour for all he knew. He recalled that he and the old man were on it for some time, and at this realization, he knew he was in for quite a walk. Despite the pain, however, he pressed on, knowing what would happen if he didn’t get up there to stop the conveyor belt.

After what felt like an hour or more, though that could be just an exaggeration on his part, he could see some kind of light up ahead. At this, he gave a sigh of relief, realizing that his journey was almost over. He picked up the pace, being careful not to trip over any of the grooves in the belt. He gritted his teeth as pain wracked through his ruined body. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could walk without collapsing. But he pressed on, knowing that he was almost there. Just a little more...

Soon, he made it. He was at the edge of the tunnel, in front of the opening. He wanted to stop and pant. He was so tired. But he had to keep going. Just a few more steps and... He jumped off the conveyor belt as soon as he could. He lowered his head and opened his mouth wide. In and our his breaths came, irritating his scratchy throat. He wanted to drink something, but there was no water around. And he couldn’t waste time thinking about that. Smacking his lips a few times to wet them with what little saliva he had left, he looked left and right, attempting to find that piece of machinery.

It didn’t take him too long to find it. He stared at it for several moments, panting with his tongue hanging out and his legs feeling achy. He swallowed and then approached the machine. Once he reached it, he looked around for a button to press. He knew the lever was broken, so he looked for the button he used before. It was on the side of the machine, right? He looked over. Yeah, it was. He reached over and he pressed the button, and the conveyor belt stopped completely.

Bardot was about to leave to go fetch the old man. He hesitated, however, when he started to think of maybe having a better way to do this. He looked down at the button and realized he could put the belt in reverse. He let this sink in for a moment. This would save him the effort and could theoretically be faster. And he did need some rest after all that walking. Without hesitating, he turned the machine back on, this time reversing it. He saw the conveyor belt moving once more, this time, in the opposite direction than it was turning before.

Bardot settled himself down on the ground while he waited. He crossed his front paws against each other and rested his head against them. His green eyes watched the conveyor belt, keeping an eye out for Mr. Wilter. It would still be a little while, but this would be faster. And at least this way, he could get some rest while he waited and keep an eye out for any enemies. Better this way than to drag Mr. Wilter out and there be a very angry black chalk artist standing there, waiting for them. Jenny certainly would not be happy to see him. He shuddered to think what she was going to do with him.

He didn’t have to worry about Ghadir anymore. She was taken care of. With that wound, she was going to be out of commission for quite some time. But Jenny was still a problem to be dealt with. She is the most dangerous of the three black chalk artists. He had no idea if she was still here or not. For all he knew, she was waiting for him around the corner, ready to pounce on him as soon as she got the chance. He bit his lip, knowing full well that he was ill prepared for such an attack. If it came down to it...he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. And if Jenny found out he was the one who hurt Ghadir...

..then he was as good as dead...

He knew full well of how much Jenny cares for Ghadir. She had a sort of motherly instinct towards her, despite them being roughly the same age. A trait of the black chalk, one that could be used to tear him into pieces. If Jenny were here, he’d have to tread lightly, ensuring that she doesn’t find out what he had done.

Then there was Rudy. If he were around, he knew that the situation would get so much worse. Rudy as the vessel of Nihilanth, having that dragon’s powers... If he was in trouble if Jenny showed up, then as soon as Nihilanth reared his ugly head, he was downright screwed. There was no way he could last long in a fight against that guy. And unlike the black chalk artists, Nihilanth didn’t have a ‘schedule’ per say, so it is much harder to predict where he’d be and when. Not that he could predict the movements of the black chalk artists anyway.

But as much as he feared Rudy, he feared Nihilanth much more. That two-headed dragon was the main cause of all this misery, in some shape of form. He was the black chalk after all. He was the one pulling the strings with Rudy. Whatever Rudy would do to him, Nihilanth was the one in charge of it. He was the one who decided on doing that. And since it was his power, he wouldn’t doubt that Nihilanth could create more options at a faster rate than Rudy. He knew he stood little chance against him, even less than everone else.

And worst of all, Nihilanth wanted to destroy everyone. It wasn’t that he had a specific target. No, he wanted everyone dead. The only reason he hadn’t slaughtered the black chalk artists is because he needed them to fulfill his goal of destroying the world. Then he’d leave them all to die so he can recreate the world in his image. Such is the nature of such a cruel deity.

Draow was also of concern. Not to the same degree as he did not have the creation abilities that Nihilanth did, unless the blue chalk accounted for something, but he was still quite dangerous. Bardot no longer had control over the large bat wolf. He no longer had any way of fighting him. His speed and venom were gone now. He lost most of his red chalk side. Draow no longer had anything to fear from him. So if he came in to attack him, Bardot would stand no chance. He had no idea where Draow was. Even if he was captured, he could always escape. He had his doubts he could be held for too long.

So far, he saw no signs of that large zoner anywhere. He heard no growling, no footsteps, and there were no shadows on the walls. However, this didn’t really mean much, as Draow could move quietly. It was a skill he had taught him a few years ago, back when he was his partner. He taught him that skill so he could sneak around Rudy’s house to capture the boy. Penny had been a bonus as he didn’t realize she’d be there with him.

So it stood to reason that, if a large, heavy zoner could move around a house without waking anyone up, and then proceed to attack and knock out two teenagers without triggering the alarm, then he didn’t doubt that Draow could be sneaking around here, unseen, using whatever he could to his advantage. The thought chilled his blood, leaving him feeling terrified. He hadn’t feared Draow before, but without his venom, and being so much smaller and weaker, he knew that, if the bat wolf showed his face, he was utterly screwed.

He continued to lay on the ground, waiting for Mr. Wilter to show up. He didn’t stop moving his eyes around the room, taking in everything. He didn’t want to take the risk of looking away for a second and then Draow or Rudy or Nihilanth showing up and ripping him into shreds. He couldn’t afford even a few seconds not looking in a particular direction. This went on for a while. It was tedious, and soon his mind became numb, only knowing that he was moving his neck, barely registering anything.

Soon he heard a small groan, which broke him out of his trance. He turned his head and he could see Mr. Wilter coming up. He watched this for a few moments before he remembered he needed to stop it. He shook himself, further pulling his mind out of the muggy terrain it was placed in while he waited for the man to show up. He pressed the button, which halted the conveyor belt. He got up from his position and walked over.

Bardot placed his paw in front of the man’s mouth to confirm he was still alive. Despite the groan he heard, there was a chance that the man could have passed away and the groan was his ‘sigh of death’. Luckily it wasn’t, and he was relieved to see that he was still alive. He then pressed the back of his paw against his neck to see how strong or weak his heartbeat was. He bit his lip as he learned that the man’s heartbeat was weak. He needed to decide what he was going to do.

A part of him still felt that killing him would be the best solution. An act of mercy. Yet, he wasn’t sure if he could bring himself to do that. If this happened years ago, he’d have no problem. A part of him almost wished this encounter took place years ago, just so that he didn’t have much of a problem deciding on what to do.

He soon made his decision. He was going to continue on with what he was doing, and get Mr. Wilter out of here. If he could just get a hold of blue chalk, he could get him into the real world. Not that they could do anything for his ruined mind, but they could at least help his body. He pondered leaving Mr. Wilter here, but soon decided against it as leaving him alone would leave him vulnerable, even if he hid the man somewhere. He had to take him with, despite how difficult it was going to be. At least he didn’t have to worry about walking against the rotation of a conveyor belt this time.

Bardot moved over towards Mr. Wilter’s prone form. He used his claws to cut through his shirt collar, freeing him from the spikes. He then placed his mouth over one of the man’s arms. He pressed down hard enough to get a grip. It was risky, but he couldn’t drag him by his shirt collar. The effort of doing so could choke him.

Once he got a good grip, he began to drag the man along the ground, heading towards the exit of the room. As he did so, he momentarily thought about Penny and Snap. He briefly wondered how they were doing. Better than him, he hoped.

sss

Penny watched in horror as the red bull drawing was crushed to death by a large boulder that Jenny knocked over. It happened so fast, Penny was not able to respond. She heard the sound of rocks clanging, and she was already too late.

In her effort to try to get Raiden and Maalik back, Jenny had knocked over some boulders. The felines managed to get out of the way, but the red bull did not. Penny could not get the image or the sound of it out of her head. Her body filled with chilling ice as her mind played back the terrifying sequence, how the bull looked frightened the split second before the boulder fell upon it. And the blood and the grunching sound... It made her feel sick.

The boulder was not far from her. She could see the small pool of blood from where the zoner had been crushed. She limped backwards a little, unable to tear her eyes away from the horrible sight. This was the sort of thing she was hoping to prevent. Red chalk or not, it was horrifying to see that happen to anyone.

Penny lifted up her head and looked out towards the battle going on. Raiden and Maalik hadn’t taken long to counterattack after Jenny’s attempt at crushing them. The two zoners raced around the woman in a circle, attempting to confuse her. Jenny’s face contorted into anger, frustration clearly sweeping through her body. She looked like she was ready to rip those two zoners apart. She raised her black chalk in an attempt to draw something. But she didn’t get far with it.

As soon as she raised her black chalk, Raiden and Maalik sprung into action. Maalik shot out a small string of electricity towards Jenny. The black chalk woman reacted quickly, jumping to the side to avoid getting hit. As the sparkling electricity hit against the ground, Raiden moved in from behind. His metallic claw shot out towards the woman. Jenny looked over her shoulder just in time to see the metal claw coming towards her. Her eyes widened and she tried to move out of the way. She was too slow and the claw cut into her arm. She let out a cry of pain and clung to her arm, blood dripping from the fresh new wound.

Seething, the woman turned her attention to the two zoners standing before her. Maalik and Raiden were on their two feet, their bodies a little hunched and tails raised up into the air. Jenny clenched her teeth, looking like she would bite their heads off if she had the means to. She steadied the black chalk in the air again, its end glowing and wafering almost like she were just smoking.

“You two are such a pain.” Jenny said in a growl. “Perhaps I should have you declawed. And don’t worry.” Her snarl slowly transformed into a grin. “I can do it for you..for free.” Her eyes widened in slight insanity at the ‘for free’ statement. At this, the felines’ paws raised a little, their fingers arching inward as they unsheethed their claws. Jenny raised her piece of black chalk and began to draw.

“Stop her!” Maalik shouted to his cheetah friend.

Dr. Raiden needed no further prompting. He charged forward, rushing towards the woman. All four of his feet pounded against the hard ground, echoing off the walls as his claws clanged a few times. His lips curled back into a snarl, then he opened his mouth wide as he jumped. Jenny looked up at him and this time, was more prepared. She sidestepped, allowing the tall cheetah to crash into the ground beside her. She wasted no time and kicked the cheetah in the stomach, sending him rolling across the ground.

“Raiden!” Maalik shouted, his eyes wide in fear. He looked down at Raiden as the cheetah coughed pitifully, holding his stomach. Maalik then turned to Jenny, baring his teeth. “You bitch!”

Maalik rushed over as fast as he could, not bothering going on all fours. His hands were clutched into fists and as he neared the woman, he started to pull back one. Penny could see the muscles tensing in that arm as the lion prepared to deliver a punch. But Penny knew the lion was not going to have a chance, and even if she warned him, it was already too late. In the time that Maalik was looking at Raiden, Jenny had drawn a small gun and had it pointed at Maalik. The lion noticed this, his eyes widening in horror, but it was too late.

Without hesitation, Jenny fired the gun. In a split second, Penny could hear the whoosh of the small, metal projectile sailing in the air, then she heard a sickening crunch sound, and a splatter. Time seemed to almost freeze as Penny, Snap, and Dr. Raiden all let out gasps of horror as they watched the bullet cut through Maalik’s shoulder. His pupils became tiny dots and his mouth opened up as shock registered in his mind. Then, moments later, the pain did.

Maalik pulled his head back and let out a bloodcurdling scream. The bullet lodged itself deep in his shoulder, blood pooling rapidly from the gaping wound. Maalik dropped down onto his knees. His eyes dripped with tears. He grabbed onto his wound, the warm liquid deeping through his fingers. He let out a series of small whimpers as he shot a one-eyed glare over at Jenny.

“No!” Dr. Raiden cried as the gun was raised again. “Leave him alone!”

“Wait!” Snap cried. “Stop! She might...!”

It was too late. Dr. Raiden had already started to run forward, his eyes narrowed in determination. Penny and Snap watched as the cheetah managed to dodge the bullets thrown at him. Left and right, he moved, his tail flying behind him. With a loud, cat-like yowl, Dr. Raiden leaped into the air, bringing his paws forward, claws extended. Jenny brought her gun over to shoot him. The cheetah collided with her before she had the chance to pull the trigger. With a loud thud, the two toppled into the ground.

Dr. Raiden growled viciously as he bit down on Jenny’s shoulder, causing her to scream. Penny and Snap gasped at this, watching the doctor take on a more animalistic personality. The cheetah tore into the woman’s shoulder, ripping it up. Even though this was happening to an enemy, it was hard for them to watch. They wanted to say something, anything, to make Raiden stop. They wanted to apprehend Jenny. They didn’t want to kill her. But the sight was so horrifying, for a few moments, their minds were locked and numb, unable to do anything except watch.

However, they didn’t really need to do anything. Jenny wasn’t down for long. Despite the tremendous pain she must be in, the blonde woman lifted up her arm, the one holding the gun. She pointed it at Dr. Raiden’s arm, shooting through the middle of it. The cheetah screeched loudly, pulling himself backwards. Jenny pulled her foot back and slammed it against the cheetah’s stomach. This knocked him back enough to let her get up to her feet. She then pointed the gun at the cheetah.

“Nice try, you fleabag!” Jenny chuckled bitterly. Her eyes twitched a bit from the pain, the only sign that something was wrong with her. “If you want to beat me, you need to try harder!”

“Hurry, girl. Draw something. Cheetah die soon. Draw now!” The red chalk clutched in Penny’s hand said, flashing rapidly as if it wanted to emphasize the urgency of the situation.

Penny glanced down at the red chalk. She bit her lip, then looked over at where Jenny was. So far, the woman hadn’t attempted to pull the trigger, but she knew, at any second, she could press her finger harder and shoot the cheetah. Penny’s mind ached and throbbed as she tried to think of what she could draw in such short notice that would stop her. It took her a few seconds to think of something that might work.

Penny quickly drew in the air, forming a circle. When the circle was completed, she wasn’t done yet. She then drew some other things on it, lines attaching to it in a distinct pattern. Soon it was finished, and a small, round object fell into her hands. Electricity danced around the middle, centering around a thin line that went around the ball. She was about to throw it, but the red chalk was already one step ahead of her.

The ball launched itself towards Jenny. There was a shunk sound as the ball split open, exposing some small spikes lining around it. Penny’s eyes widened. She didn’t draw that. How did... Oh that was right. Rudy mentioned that to her before; the red chalk tended to create features of its own. She watched as the vicious-looking ball clung to Jenny’s arm, sinking its teeth in her. The woman hissed, clenching her teeth tightly. She glared at the ball, flexing her fingers in pain. The ball’s pattern made it look like it was glaring at her, which Penny wouldn’t have thought was that strange. Then there was a crackling sound and Jenny screamed in pain.

The woman staggered back, her body giving off a few convulsions as the electricity ripped through her body. She clenched her teeth tightly, gripping onto the ball to try to pry it off. The ball increased its voltage, giving the woman a pale yellow glow as it practically consumed her. The sight caused Penny and Snap’s hearts to skip a few beats.

Maalik and Dr. Raiden, on the other hand, were less sympathetic. They sneered at the woman as she was being electrocuted. Maalik attempted to do something, but the pain sweeping through his body was too much. He collapsed back down. Dr. Raiden looked at him sympathetically. He whipped his head towards Jenny. Though it was clear he was in a lot of pain himself, he ran towards Jenny, fully prepared to attack.

Jenny grabbed onto the ball, struggling with it, she managed to trip it off from her arm, ignoring the pain that shot through her body. She glared over at the cheetah. She didn’t hesitate to throw it against the cheetah’s face. The ball latched onto him. The red chalk, either not caring or not able to stop, electrocuted the feline zoner for a couple of seconds before disengaging. Dr. Raiden collapsed into the ground, his body shivering from the pain.

“Oy caloy!” Snap cried, his hands on the side of his face. “This isn’t good!”

Penny took in a few quick breaths, trying to calm herself down. She hoped that the electrocution of Dr. Raiden had been an accident. But she couldn’t think of that too much. Her mind soon shifted to Jenny. The woman had turned her attention on her. Penny growled and took a step back, steadying herself on her walking stick. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do. Drawing the ball was hard enough with a damaged arm, but if she had to draw something more...complicated...

“I’m amazed, Penny. I thought you would have had a better plan than this.” Jenny said. She had her gun still in her hand, though it was lowered his time. With her other, she used it to gesture all around her. “I attack this place for good sport. You interrupt me. I thought you’d put up a better fight. But then...perhaps I misjudged you.” She took a step forward. “Perhaps you aren’t that capable after all.”

Penny gritted her teeth. “Sport?!” She looked left and right, noticing small bloodstains, some from herself and her comrades, and others, she knew came from the harmless blob zoners. “You call this a sport?!”

“Well what else would it be?” Jenny asked innocently. “It’s not like these zoners have much of a mind themselves. Just a bunch of wild animals.” Penny and Snap growled at this. Jenny just waved her hand dismissively. “Oh don’t be like that. You know it’s true. Zoners wouldn’t have a mind at all if it weren’t for their creators, let alone a life.” She tilted her head to the side. “So in a way, they are animals. Mindless unless specifically told what to think. How pathetic...”

“How fucking dare you...” Penny growled under her breath, her teeth bared at the evil woman. “Are you really going to be so dense that you ignore what you see? Look all around you, Nurse Jenny!” She used the name ‘nurse’ with the highest level of sarcasm. “Why can’t you see just how wrong you are? Zoners have lives of their own! You’ve been around ChalkZone! You should know that your fallacy is incorrect! You should be able to see that every zoner has their own personality, own interests, own hobbies, react the way any human would to a situation... How the fuck can you think they are mindless?!”

Jenny tilted her head, her eyes narrowed slightly. At first, it looked like she was somehow offended by what Penny said. Penny braced herself for the retaliation. Then Jenny gave an eerily pleasant smile, a knowing expression plastering over her face.

“And how can you be so naive? You claim to know what you see... and yet you fail to look at things more..thoroughly...” Jenny lifted up a finger and pointed over at Snap. The zoner, despite his agony, hunched his body in preparation for an attack. This made Jenny’s smile broaden. “What about this little pipsqueak? If Rudy hadn’t created him with the intention on being a hero...” She slowly turned her pupils towards Penny. “...do you really think he would have such a...selfless attitude? Do you think he’d be standing here, looking like he wants to rip me apart?” She gave a chuckle as Penny narrowed her eyes. “I think you know the answer to that. It’s no.”

Jenny took a few steps forward, folding her arms behind her back, her gun now placed in a holster around her waist. She stopped a couple feet in front of the two friends. She began to walk around them, pacing slowly like a vulture that just found a meal. Penny and Snap moved closer together, their eyes glaring towards Jenny. They didn’t let her out of their sights, knowing that Jenny could easily attack them at any time.

“It is a shame that you cannot see this, Penny. Don’t you realize that, without a creator giving the zoner a mind, deciding what their fate is, the zoner is essentially nothing? Just a husk waiting to be...programmed?” Jenny sneered. “Yeah, that’s all zoners are. Machines. Robots made of chalk.” At this, Penny and Snap felt their blood start to heat up. “All emotion a zoner feels, they are just replicas, perfect mimicry. A zoner only knows what their master does. Their creator. Snap is this way because that’s how Rudy intended.” She ceased her circling. She took two steps away from Penny and Snap. She tilted her head up towards the sky. “But what would have happened...if Rudy wanted a villain? What if he drew Snap to have a more...ruthless personality?” She turned her head, looking over her shoulder at the pair. “Do you think he’d be standing here, helping you?”

“Wh-Where are you getting at...?” Snap asked, taking a small step back.

“Oh you don’t know?” Jenny looked at Snap, chuckling. “Then again, should I really be surprised?” She closed her eyes and shook her head. She looked back at him and said, “My point is that all your opinions, your allegience, what you fight for... It all exists in the mind of your creator. What he intended for you, that’s what you reflect. So tell me...” Jenny held out her hand in gesture. “How can you be real... when your very psyche had to be created by someone else? How can you consider yourself a person...if your very personality was decided for you?” She turned herself around. “Face it, Snap. You know as well as I do...you could have easily been the bad guy. So easily, too... All it would have taken was for dear Rudy to have a bit of an attitude adjustment...the desire for revenge.... And voia la!” She stared intentl at Snap. “You would have become a sadistic monster, much like how you view me.”

“No! You’re wrong!” Snap formed fists with his shaky hands. “I..I would never...!”

“And how can you deny the very nature of where you live, Snap?” Jenny cocked an eyebrow. “You know how your own world works. You know that what a zoner is like is dependent on their creator. If a creator wanted an evil zoner, they’d get an evil zoner. You aren’t... trying to deny the truth, are you?” When Jenny didn’t get an answer, she shook her head. “Well go on and deny it all you wish. But anyone with a set of eyes can see the truth. It doesn’t take a genius... to see what I see.”

“Zoners always have minds. Zoner minds are influenced, but always there.” The red chalk spoke up, talking directly to Jenny. The woman blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting the chalk to speak. “Lady fool. Creator intent not always there. Even zoners without purpose have minds. Lady idiot not to see that.”

Jenny stared at the red chalk. She opened her mouth as if to respond. Then she shook her head, a small smile on her face. “Whatever you say, crimson wonder.” She then turned her attention back to Snap. “You know I’m right, don’t you, little blue rodent?”

“I’m not a rat!” Snap shouted.

Jenny chuckled and waved her hand dismissivel. “It doesn’t matter what I call you.” She brought her hand close to herself, looking at her fingertips. “You are just a worthless piece of chalk. All you zoners are. As soon as I’m done toying with you lot, I’ll just head into ChalkZone City and have a little fun.” Her eyes glinted. “I think they are cleaning up now, right? Maybe I’ll...give them a hand...”

Penny’s eyes widened. She could practically feel the cruel intent dripping off the woman’s voice. She..she wasn’t going to...

“What do you plan on doing?!” Snap demanded.

“Oh nothing much really.” Jenny shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe I’ll demolish some buildings. Or perhaps I’ll open up a large enough portal and pour in some real world water. Oh, I could just locate the survivors one by one and disembowl them slowly.. Why should I give them a quick death?”

Penny and Snap growled at this. They glared a the woman hatefully. How could she be so cruel? How could she say such things? How could she do something like that? ChalkZone City had enough problems... They didn’t need something like that to happen. They didn’t need this foul woman tormenting them like that. It seemed that, just when they thought Jenny couldn’t get any worse, she proves them wrong.

“Oh! I got a better idea, actually!” Jenny said, curling her fingers inwards, forming a light fist. She looked down at the two, her eyes twinkling with cruelty. “I know that those two little friends of yours... Blocky and Rapsheeba, are currently our..prisoners...” Penny and Snap’s eyes bulged at this. “Maybe I’ll have fun with them. Yes... Maybe I’ll tear of Rapsheeba’s broken leg... And rip Blocky in half. That will be easy, right? He’s just a stupid piece of paper. I’ll tear him apart... And Rapsheeba...” Jenny chuckled darkly as she leaned forward. She spoke in a deepened voice. “I’ll have my way with her...”

At this, Penny and Snap’s blood reached its boiling point. This woman...this monster... How dare she.. There was no way they were going to let that happen. They would not allow this vile woman to hurt their friends like that. Rapsheeba and Blocky didn’t deserve that. They didn’t deserve what this woman was going to do to them. How..how could she even think that they....?

Snap couldn’t take it any longer. Penny could practically see the steam blowing out of his ears. The zoner tensed up his body and, without warning, dashed towards Jenny. Penny watched in horror, reaching her hand out, wanting to stop him. But calling out to him wouldn’t work; he was already too far away from her. Penny watched, her eyes wide open, as Snap, despite his wounds, managed to leap onto Jenny, holding on tight. Jenny let out a gasp of shock, and then started to struggle with Snap.

As this when on, Penny watched, her mind showing her flashbacks of what happend three years ago. She remembered how Snap, who was, at the time, half paralyzed, sick, and gravely injured, had attacked Mr. Cosmo. He managed to put up a good fight against him...until they fell off the cliff, which aggravated his wounds a little. But the worse part was when Mr. Cosmo kicked him. Snap had almost died that day... At this realization, she gave a sudden, sharp inhalation. Dread filled her mind as she continued to watch the struggle display before her.

Snap gripped the woman’s shirt collar tightly. “You..asshole!” Snap pulled his fist back. “Nobody threatens my friends and gets away with it!” He punched Jenny in the jaw. “Nobody!”

Jenny’s head moved back a little, her face contorted in pain. She growled at the zoner. “You little rodent! I’ll see to it you’ll never see your friends’ faces again!” She grabbed his throat and yanked him up into the air. She lifted her gun and pointed it at his head. “I do wonder what your brain looks like...” Snap’s eyes widened as Jenny attempted to pull the trigger.

“No!” Penny cried as she started to push herself forward.

A loud roar suddenly echoed against the walls. Jenny and Snap turned their heads just in time to see Maalik, who had been sneaking around behind them, take action. He latched onto Jenny’s shoulders, his claws digging into them, including the already damaged one, and pulled her back. The woman let out a cry as she dropped Snap to the ground. Maalik struggled to hang on, but Jenny whipped herself around and struck the lion zoner in the head with the gun. Maalik let out a yowl, staggering back. Before he could do anything, she tripped him, kicking at his feet to knock him over.

Jenny aimed her gun at him, the sights between his eyes. She gritted her teeth, rage so apparent, it was seeping through her pores. Penny struggled to get over as quickly as she could. Jenny noticed this and whirled around on her. Jenny kicked away her walking stick, sending shockwaves of pain through Penny’s body as her damaged leg had pressure put on it. Jenny kicked at her damaged leg, causing her to fall to her knees. The woman then hooked her arm around her neck and pressed the gun against her.

“I’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time, bitch.” Jenny whispered as she started to pull the trigger. Penny looked at in horror and struggled to get free. But Jenny’s grip was like a vice. “Just hold still, and this will all be over soon.”

Suddenly, Snap leaped out of nowhere and collided with Jenny. He slammed his foot against the underside of her chin as hard as he could. He landed on the ground in front of Penny, his fists out to his side in preparation of a fight.

But to his and Penny’s surprise, the woman didn’t fight back. In fact, she was still tumbling backwards, having a hard time gaining her footing. Penny was confused. Had Snap really hit her that hard? The two friends looked at each other, and then back at Jenny. Her feet kept slipping on the ground and her face went from anger to absolute fear. The woman’s arms flailed to the side and soon, she reached the edge of the cliff. At this, horror struck Penny and Snap’s hearts. No...no this isn’t what they wanted...

Snap rushed over as fast as he could. Soon the little zoner reached the woman just as she started to go over. Snap grabbed onto the woman’s pant leg, the nearest thing that he could grab. He tried to pull back. Gravity caused Snap to be yanked forward. Despite his best efforts, the woman slipped from his grasp.

Terror filled their hearts as a cold sensation swept through them. The two friends listened to Jenny’s horror-filled screams as she plummeted down towards the ground below. They stood there, frozen as they heard the woman slam against the rocks, her screams echoing against the rocky walls and jagged protrusions everywhere. Then they heard a sickening crunch sound at the bottom, and then...total silence.

Penny grabbed her walking stick and slowly slimped over to the edge. She stared at Snap. The zoner’s body was shivering, his eyes bulging open. He took in shallow, jagged breaths. She soon reached his side. Snap slowly looked up at her. Penny knew what the zoner was thinking. She didn’t need him to speak to know exactly what was on his mind. There was a single message written across his face, shining in his eyes.

That message was: “I didn’t mean it...”

Penny bit her lip. She reached over with her damaged arm. It was painful, hard to move, but her desire to comfort her friend was stronger than thinking of her own needs. Penny put her arm around Snap’s body and pulled him into a partial hug. Snap huddled up against her, putting hi arms around her as his body trembled.

Maalik and Dr. Raiden, both having recovered, moved over towards the edge of the cliff. Their eyes, wide in shock at what had just transpired, stared over the edge. They looked at each other, their eyes showing a strong sense of disbelief. They looked back over at Snap, watching him as Penny hugged him, trying to comfort him.

“You...you killed her...” Dr. Raiden said, his voice low and filled with shock. “Snap killed Jenny...”

“I-It was an accident... I-I didn’t mean to...” Snap whimpered softly.

Penny looked at him sympathetically. Snap may have hated Jenny. They all did. But he would never want to kill her. It wasn’t in his nature to do that. And to learn that he had just killed someone, even if it was self defense... It must be devastating for the poor little guy. This was against his nature. He had been forced to injure Sophie, and now...he had taken a life. She held onto him tightly, feeling his body shiver against her.

“Shhh....” Penny whispered, running her hand along the back of his head. “It’s okay... Everything will be okay. It was an accident. It wasn’t your fault. Shhh...”

Snap just continued to whimper and cry. The area fell silence, save for Snap’s crying, which echoed in everyone’s ears. Penny held onto her friend, whispering soft words of comfort and trying to soothe him. She would see him through this. Everything was going to be okay...

It just had to be.


	154. Destination Solar Pillars

Snap cried softly as he held onto Penny. His body shivered, unable to stop it. He could feel Penny hugging him the best she could. Her arm was hooked around his body, pressing against it, enveloping him in her warmth. He just stayed against her, forgetting almost everything that was around him. He was only aware of his friend and the fact that he had just killed Jenny.

Killed... That was something he never thought he’d end up going. This was different than the time he had a couple of small robots crash into the wall. That hadn’t been a deliberate act. But with Jenny.. He did shove her. Sure, he hadn’t meant to knock her over, but he had still shoved her, knocked her back. The robots, he at least didn’t know they would crash. He didn’t know they would be destroyed. But with Jenny...he should have known better. He should have known that shoving Jenny would have been a bad idea.

His mind swirled with thoughts, making his head hurt. He had a hard time coming to terms with what he had just done. He never...he never meant to do something this horrible. He never meant to take a life... And now, here he was, standing near the edge of a cliff he had just knocked another living being off of. He never meant for things to turn out this way. He..he never...

Snap began to cry harder. Jenny was an enemy and if anyone had to die, at least it was one of the villains. But killing was so against his nature. He never wanted to harm anyone. He always wanted to find the best way to disable a bad guy, to restrain them so they can’t do any harm. Villain or not, Jenny was still another living being. Now, his brash actions had caused the end of the life of a living individual. It was his fault that this had happened. He couldn’t blame it on anyone else. True, Jenny was causing a lot of trouble, but still, he..he could have been more careful.

Snap wished that he could rewind time and change his actions. There had to be something else he could have done. Surely, there was a better way to handle Jenny than...than this. He never meant to kill her. He didn’t want to be a murderer. What would the others say? Would the other zoners be upset with him if they found out he killed someone, even if it was Jenny?

He continued to shiver, huddling as close to Penny as he could. A part of him knew he couldn’t just stand around, blaming himnself for this. It wasn’t going to solve anything, and he was just delaying time. But for the moment, his negative emotions were weighing him down, making it hard for him to think. In that instance, he just..didn’t care if he was wasting time or not. He just wanted to take back that shove... He wanted to have another chance to do things the right way. He didn’t want to be known as the zoner who killed a creator, even if it was to help out his friend.

He...he didn’t want this. He cursed at himself for being so stupid. By killing Jenny...just how was he any better than her? A part of him wished that it was all just a misunderstanding. But no...there was no way she could have survived. He heard her bones crack... She was crushed. He knew that many of her bones had been broken. If she wasn’t dead now, she would be soon from the blood loss. He had killed her... How was he any different than the vicious black chalk users...?

“I-I didn’t mean to...I never wanted to...” Snap whimpered softly. He pressed the side of his face against Penny’s arm. He held onto her tightly, afraid to let go. “Please..you’ve gotta believe me... I-I never...”

“Snap...it’s okay. It’s going to be fine.” Penny’s gentle voice came. She ran her hand up and down Snap’s back carefully. “I know you didn’t mean it... Please...don’t beat yourself up over this. You didn’t mean to do it...”

Snap took in a few shaky breaths. “W-Would the others believe me? Would...would they hate me if they...?”

“Oh Snap...” Penny whispered. She continued to rub his back gently, pulling him a little closer. Snap huddled up against her warmth, gritting his teeth as tears flowed down his face. “I understand that you’re afraid of what others might think. Killing isn’t something that crosses your mind. You don’t want to be known as a killer, do you?” Snap feverishly shook his head, letting out a low whine. “Well, I’m sure the zoners would understand that. They’d know that this was an accident. You’re well known enough around ChalkZone that if word of this got out...they’d understand. They would know you didn’t relish in killing Jenny, and that you wouldn’t try to do it again.”

“A-Are you sure...?” Snap said softly. He realized he was being silly. He realized that the other zoners wouldn’t turn on him so quickly, that they’d understand he didn’t mean to kill someone. But that fear, that sickening bile rising up in his stomach, it kept plaguing his mind, making it hard for him to think clearly. “I don’t want to be th-thought of as a monster.”

“You’re not a monster Snap. Please...don’t think like that...” Penny said.

Snap tried to hold it in, but, unable to control himself, he just kept crying harder. His body shook as his sobs wracked through his body. He tried to stop. He tried to tell himself that everything was okay. But he...he just couldn’t. Killing someone, it..it left a bad taste in his mouth. He could still hear Jenny’s screams...her bones snapping as she crashed into the rocks below... He could never get that out of his head.

“Shhh...” Penny moved her hand up and down, moving her fingers along his back. She gave a gentle squeeze in a few places, giving Snap a brief ‘feel good’ sensation, but it wasn’t enough to calm him down. “Calm down... It’s all right. Shhh... No one is going to think of you as a monster.”

“Yeah...that’s right. If anything, the zoners will consider us monsters.”

At this, Snap pulled away from Penny. He turned his attention to Raiden and Maalik. The two zoners stood a bit aways from him and Penny. They looked down at him sympathetically, rubbing their hands together. Maalik, the one who spoke, took a few steps forward, his gaze never leaving Snap’s.

“Raiden and I... we..” Maalik waved his hand out towards the cheetah, indicating him. He looked back at Snap. “We’re the ones who had a hospital blown up. We are responsible for the deaths of who knows how many zoners, and many more are injured because of us. And we did it all for selfish reasons, and those reasons that weren’t selfish, they were based on heresay, radical beliefs instead of logic. We have no excuse for what we have done.”

Dr. Raiden nodded in agreement. “We did a lot of things we aren’t proud of.” His ears lowered at this statement for a few seconds. They then pricked up when Raiden locked eyes with Snap. “But you, Snap... You only killed once, and it was by accident. Maalik and I went through that hospital bombing knowing that someone was going to die. You didn’t know Jenny was going to die when you kicked her away like that. You have nothing to be ashamed of.” He lowered his gaze, a look of regret plastering over his face. “It’s Maalik and I who... we’re the ones who should be ashamed. We’re the ones who brought harm... and our actions were far more devastating.”

Snap remained quiet. He stared at the two felines, letting their words sink in. He wanted to believe them. He wanted to let those words help him feel better. They were right, after all. He hadn’t done anything as atrocious as these two had. But... he just couldn’t. He turned his head away, averting his gaze. He couldn’t bring himself to accept what they had said. He still took a life. That...still counts for something, right...?

He wanted to punch himself in the face for being such a...he wasn’t sure he could think of an appropriate word. Coward? Yeah...that sounded about right. He was letting fear get the better of him. He could feel it eat away at his insides. He knew better than this... He knew that it wasn’t his fault that this happened. He knew that he hadn’t done anything as bad as Raiden and Maalik did. He hadn’t blown up a hospital or indoctrinated so many zoners... Yet he was acting that way. He was unable to stop himself. The emotion swept through his body, making him shake and shiver.

But...he didn’t want them to worry about him. He didn’t want his allies to be brought down by his behavior. He had to put up a front for them. He had to be strong and try to carry on with his mistake. He couldn’t cause them to waste anymore time on him. It was important that they get a move on. He couldn’t allow himself to be washed away by his guilt, not when they still had to save Rudy.

At least...at least they had one less enemy to worry about now. He told himself that over and over again. They now just had to target Rudy and Nihilanth. They could get them into the real world now, where Nihilanth would have less power. They could find a way to restrain him, then bring him back into ChalkZone where the red chalk and the intellectually revived white chalk could save Rudy. Such a task would not be easy, but now...

...wait, wasn’t there Ghadir? Snap’s eyes widened slightly. What about her? They needed to deal with her. That vile woman was still out there, wasn’t she?

The memory of that woman..what she had done.... It left a bad taste in his mouth. He could feel the cold fear rising inside of him, making him shiver. Just..just what was she going to do when she finds out Jenny is dead...? The thought sent a cold shiver down the zoner’s spine. Was she going to try to eat him? She could still feel her teeth on his body when she tore a piece of him out. He felt a dull ache where this had happened, adding to his inner turmoil.

Snap tried his best to push those fearful feelings aside. As terrified as he was of Ghadir, who, as far as he knew, was the last of the three black chalk artists still standing, he couldn’t let fear get in the way of what had to be done. Despite how he felt, they needed to confront her. He knew where their next destination was going to be. He knew, even before the others thought to speak, where they had to go now.

“I..I understand..” Snap said. It was a bit forced out, and he wasn’t sure just how sincere he sounded. He gazed over at the feline zoners, giving them a small, faint smile. “I’m...sorry about worrying you guys. I’m..fine now.”

“Are you sure? You don’t look fine.” Dr. Raiden said, reaching a hand out towards him.

“Yes.” Snap said, a little more firm than he had intended. He shifted his eyes away, biting his lip. “Yeah...” He said in a gentler, calmer voice. “I am.” He paused for a moment. “But...we have to get going.” He looked at them, then turned his attention to Penny. “Ghadir is still out there, isn’t she?” He let the other three take their time to allow this to sink in. He continued, “We need to take care of her before we can save Rudy. She’s..not going to be happy.”

“Of course not. As soon as she finds out what you did...” Maalik cast a sympathetic glance to the small zoner.

Snap flinched at this. “Yeah... I know.”

“Then we should get moving.” Penny said. She steadied herself on her crutch. “I don’t have any doubts that Ghadir might be on her way here to provide reinforcement.” She took a step forward. “I don’t know for certain if she’ll come or not. But it’s best not to wait and find out.”

“Agreed.” Maalik said, nodding his head once. “We are vulnerable here.” He looked around, narrowing his eyes at their surroundings. No doubt that Ghadir could use this place to set up an ambush. So many places to hide...”

“Well isn’t that good? That means we have places we could hide behind.” Snap said.

“Yes...but so does Ghadir.” Dr. Raiden pointed out, pointing his metal claw up as he proceeded to make his point. “She could be hiding around the corner, and we wouldn’t know until it was too late.” He gave a pause. Then he continued, “At least in a more open area, we’d be better prepared. We could see her coming.” He noticed the expressions the others were giving him and he quickly waved his paws out in front of him. “Not that I’m saying we should walk in an open field if we could help it, of course!”

“Yeah that probably wouldn’t be a good idea.” Penny said.

“Probably?” Snap asked, looking up at Penny. “It would be a disaster.”

Dr. Raiden flattened his ears a little. “Yes, we all know that, you little...” Dr. Raiden widened his eyes and he stifled himself, as if he realized just what he was about to say. He looked left and right and, slowly, sighed, calming himself down. “Look, let’s just get going before Ghadir arrives to ‘hunt’ us.”

At this, Snap’s eyes widened. His mind flashed back to when he was hunted by that vile woman. He remembered how he had been muzzled to make it hard for him to breathe, and to prevent him from calling out for help. He remembered how he slowed down not just by the muzzle, but by the wounds he had accumulated, like the one on his knee. He had been so terrified... And when Ghadir caught him, he thought it was all over.

He had been lucky that the group of zoners found him at all. He was lucky that Bardot had decided to help him. Bardot...of all zoners... saved him. Regardless of the reasons, Bardot’s actions still saved his life. He had been the only reason he survived his terrifying ordeal with Ghadir. That face, the chase, the bite...it was going to haunt him at night, in his dreams. There was no way he was going to forget it anytime soon.

Speaking of Bardot, just how was he doing? He was still at the Solar Pillars..wasn’t he? They were going to go there soon, he knew, to confront Ghadir. He was certain she was there. Perhaps they could get Bardot out of there afterwards. With how badly hurt he was, he doubted he would go very far. Regardless of his feelings towards Bardot, he still saved his life, and he owed him. And the zoner did apologize for what he did. If Bardot was willing to try to change, then he could at least try to help him along a little.

“Yeah, let’s get going.” Snap said. He looked around, trying to figure out which direction was the best way to go. “Where is Solar Pillars from here?”

The other stared at him in surprise, blinking their eyes a few times. They exchanged glances with each other. They then looked back at the zoner.

“Solar Pillars?” Dr. Raiden asked. “Are you sure about that? I thought of that myself but...” He gritted his teeth, pulling his head back. “I’m not sure if going there right now is a good idea. At least..not without a plan.”

“Solar Pillars is our best bet. That is where Ghadir likely would be.” Snap pointed out. “After that mob of zoners attacked her, I don’t think she’d be in the mood to go ‘hunting’ for a while.” He looked at the three standing before him. He could feel their stares boring thorugh him. “I do know it’s a risk. There could be a lot of traps there. I just...don’t know if any faster way. I mean...” He held his hands out from his sides in gesture. “We can’t just stand around and do nothing but wait. What if Nihilanth does something in the mean time?”

Maalik nodded his head. “You do have a point there, Snap.” He raised his hand and scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Going straight to the enemy base may not seem like the best idea at a glance, but...” He lowered his paw. “..at least we would be there. We could disable their defense and sabotage at least part of their operation if they aren’t there. And it would be no secret that they would have to come back to the base at some point. We could set up advantage points and catch them offguard.”

Penny chimed in. “Yes, that could work.” She gave a quick smile at Snap, giving him a silent ‘good idea’ expression, before she turned back to address the group as a whole. “Let’s head there. If no one is there, then we can work on setting up a counterattack against them. If we play our cards right, we can take care of Ghadir and Nihilanth will be left without any of his ‘bodyguards’ to protect him.”

Snap exchanged glances with Dr. Raiden and Maalik. They shared similar expressions, of understanding and of knowing. They nodded their heads to each other. They then looked over at Penny, waiting for her to say something.

“So...we’re agreed then?” Penny asked.

“Yes.” Maalik said. He took a quick glance around. He then asked the question none of them thought to ask. “How...are we going to get there?”

“We could walk, but that’ll take us a while.” Dr. Raiden said. He shook his head. “That wouldn’t be preferable. We need something...faster.”

Snap realized they were correct. They did need a faster means of transportation. But what were they going to do? They needed something quiet. The mode of transportation they needed also had to be fast. If it was too slow... Well he could imagine that Nihilanth could do a number of things before they even got there, and he could spot them long before they even reach the Solar Pillars.

Then there was that void. It was all around the structure, making it impossible for them to try to go underground. They needed something that would keep them from being spotted. Stealth was definitely a requirement here. They needed to be able to sneak towards the structure without being spotted. Wait... Didn’t they do something like this before? Realization struck the zoner as memories of the light dimension came flooding back to him. Though that place held so many haunting memories for him, there were some things about it that he felt could help. The way they had snuck around that dimension, perhaps it could be useful here.

Snap was cut out of his thoughts when the red chalk, which had been silent for a while, spoke up.

“White thinking. White know of idea? White give idea?”

Snap nodded his head once. “Yeah...” The others looked at him. “I believe I know how we can get in quickly without being seen.”

“Tell idea. We listen.” The red chalk said. “Will create what you need. Just give info.”

Snap said, “This is what I suggest...”

sss

Jenny waited at the bottom of the falls, near the running water. It was hard to hear what was being said, especially with the falls clashing against the rocks like this. But what she was able to hear pleased her. A grin spread across her face as she realized that her plan had worked. She wished she had drawn a small camera to watch the whole thing, but that may have caused more trouble than it was worth. Besides, listening to what was being said was satisfying enough.

Faking her death hadn’t been easy. And it was such short notice. She hadn’t expected Snap to push her like that. But despite that, she felt she did a good job. Being able to draw fast and accurately wasn’t a skill she often had. But when the time came for it, such as now, she was quite the drawer.

All she really had to do was draw the right materials and make sure they hit at the right angles. The sound it generated was enough to fool just about anyone...well so long as they didn’t see it. That was why she took care not to let any part of the materials she drew be exposed in plain sight. A bit of red left behind was fine, as it was hard to tell what was real blood and what wasn’t at times unless there was a closer inspection. The screams themselves were easy to do, surprisingly. She thought that those four would have recognized it was a fake scream, but either they were either really stupid or she’s just that good. She was inclined to lean more towards the former.

It was quite entertaining listening to Snap cry like that. It was his reaction that confirmed to Jenny right away that her plan worked and that those four morons really did think she was dead. They weren’t even going to bother looking for her body. They were just so convinced she was dead that they must think looking for her body would not really change a thing. Perhaps they think that she is in a million pieces due to how far she seemed to fall. That wouldn’t surprise her; if she had fallen for real, without a plan, she probably would be in many pieces right now.

Jenny was quite intrigued when Snap mentioned that he was afraid the zoners would see him as a monster for ‘killing’ her. Was he really that paranoid? This was one thing she had to agree with the others on. Snap was overreacting. She hardly thought the zoners would frown upon him for killing one of their enemies. But..perhaps she could play on his fear a little. Toy with him. It would be an excellent way to further weaken on of her enemies.

But first, she would have to report back to Nihilanth. He needed to know her progress, how she did. He would not like it if she went off and tried something else without his permission. Plus, in her quest to torment Snap mentally, she could accidentally give herself away and ruin the plan. Yes, best wait and talk to Nihilanth first.

Hearing them talk about going after Ghadir did, at first, make her feel angry. Ghadir was already targeted by those evil zoners. The thought of someone else going after her made her blood boil. She did manage to keep herself calm and reminded herself that Ghadir was safe. She was in the real world in a hospital. Chances are Penny does not know about this. Same with the others. And since they didn’t know, they weren’t a threat to Ghadir. That was good; she would have ripped them apart if they dare try to harm her. She was not going to let Tyreek’s fate fall upon Ghadir.

Based on the information she was able to hear, they would be headed to the Solar Pillars soon. She could already hear their footsteps move away, probably to find a suitable spot to draw..whatever it is they plan on using to sneak into the place. She didn’t hear what Snap said over the roar of the falls, and any other information she was able to gather was from her listening as hard as she could.

If they were headed there, that was perfect. She wasn’t sure if Nihilanth was back there or not, or somewhere else. He sometimes liked to disappear into his ‘special area’, wherever that is, so he might not be present. But the light were still going. They would affect Penny whenever they touched her. After all, she was infected with the black chalk now. A part of her wished she had kept the whole ‘you need to be able to read these words with the black chalk to get in’ setup that they had years ago. But with Penny having black chalk, it wouldn’t have mattered really. She would have figured it out and they could have gotten in. That was the downside to her having black chalk.

But on the upside, they could potentially gain a new ally. She would have preferred Inez. That woman’s knowledge on anatomy and how she exploited it in her victims was unparalled by anything she saw before, obviously, and after. But...her daughter would do just as nicely. Penny must have some anatomy knowledge, right? Her mother was a vet, after all. Of course, if Penny ended up joining them, she would be using her talents for something...more worthwhile. They wouldn’t go to waste like Inez’s talents were.

But she’d worry about that later. For now, she needed to get back to Nihilanth. She would need to be careful. If she just rushed out there willy nilly, they might spot her. It was important that they continue thinking she was dead. That meant that, as much as she’d love to, she could not strike them down. Not yet. She had to keep away from them, out of sight.

Eventually, though, she would reveal to them that she was still alive and kicking. The ‘reunion’ would be quite the spectacle. She would try to plan it out more in her head; she wanted it to be perfect. She didn’t want to just walk up to them and say ‘I’m alive’; she wanted to play up on their paranoia, their fear. She wanted it to be unexpected, something that would haunt their minds even if they somehow manage to win this war. She wanted to have some kind of hold on their minds. She wasn’t sure yet just how she was going to do it, but she would worry about that later.

Over the roar of the falls, Jenny could hear a bit of talking.

“Okay. Let’s head over to the Solar Pillars. We should hurry. If we’re lucky, we will get there while Ghadir is away.” Penny said.

Snap said, “I hope she doesn’t find out Jenny is dead. She is going to flip her lid when she finds out.”

“She would chew you up that’s for certain.” Dr. Raiden said, something of a sympathetic tone to his voice.

“Please don’t remind me...” Snap said bitterly.

“We’re wasting enough time as it is.” Maalik said. “Let’s just get going.

The voices stopped after that. Jenny could hear something being turned on. Just barely. A motor, but it was quieter than what she would expect. Then, faintly, she could hear something being risen into the air. Then a scrape as something moved along the ground. She tilted her head up, peering between two of the tall rocks she was standing beside, and she could see, very faintly, something moving. It was clear, but, for a split second, the object still interacted with the shadow and light. She knew that they had just flown overhead, and they were heading in the direction of Solar Pillars.

Jenny waited for a few moments, just to make sure that they were far enough out of sight and out of ear range. Not that they had much of a chance of hearing her, but she wanted to make sure. Then, after a few minutes, she pulled out a small communication device. She pressed a button and waited for a few moments. Then she heard a click and she started to speak.

“Nihilanth?” Jenny asked.

“No, Rudy. Nihilanth let me take over for a while.” Came Rudy’s voice. “What do you want?”

Jenny was a little disappointed. She had wanted to report to Nihilanth himself. But it wasn’t like telling Rudy would be any different. She didn’t waste time and responded right away. “The plan worked. Penny and the others think I’m dead.”

Rudy paused for a moment. Then he said, “Excellent. Nihilanth will be pleased.” Jenny nodded in agreement, even though Rudy could not see her. Yes, he would be pleased, indeed. “Where are they headed now?”

“The Solar Pillars.”

“Even more perfect!” Rudy declared. “I will inform Nihilanth as soon as possible. In the meantime, stay in hiding. I will contact you and let you know what Nihilanth says what you should do next. Don’t come back to the Solar Pillars. We wouldn’t want to risk them finding out you’re alive, am I right?”

As disappointed as Jenny was with not being able to go back, she knew that Rudy was right. Going back too soon could jeopardize everything. With a small sneer, she said, “Yes, I understand. I will wait here until further orders.”

“Make sure you get some real world food and water. It might be a while.” Rudy said. “You are no use to us dead.”

“Yes, I know.” Jenny said.

“Good. As long as we play our cards right...those fools will walk right into our little trap.” Rudy said with a chuckle. “I will head to Solar Pillars now. I will contact you later.”

After that, Rudy hung up and the line went dead.

sss

Landing near the Solar Pillars without making much noise wasn’t easy. Neither was finding a spot where the light didn’t shine. Penny couldn’t afford having it touch her. She had been the first one on the ground. Turning off the device was a bit of a hassle. It wasn’t designed as well as it could be and the red chalk being..well red chalk, there was a bit of a fuss.

Snap’s idea about using the rocket shoe idea from before was brilliant. She wasn’t sure why she didn’t think of it herself. She recalled how she and her two friends wanted to do a little exploring around the light dimension ChalkZone without being seen or head. And that was the solution she herself had come up with. It had worked pretty well and they were able to get into ChalkZone City without too much trouble. It was creepy that Light Rudy knew they were there, but then, didn’t he have some followers? She was certain one of them spotted them.

Trying to impliment the idea again without Rudy’s help wasn’t easy. Penny wasn’t as experienced of an artist as Rudy was, so trying to repeat the design of the rocket shoes, and especially the cloaking devices and getting them to work the way they had before. But she managed to pull it off. The end result was crude...but affective. It got the job done at least, and they had arrived at Solar Pillars.

Maalik had been able to handle the shoes quite well and was able to keep the formation they needed in order for all of them to remain invisible. Dr. Raiden on the other hand... Well she was glad that he was able to do well enough that they didn’t lose their shield. When they had landed, the cheetah was not very happy and complained that they should have thought of something better. When asked what he thought would have been a better idea, he stifled and went quiet. Penny was more or less glad he shut up about that topic. They had more important things to worry about anyway.

Getting into Solar Pillars wasn’t easy. Even though she had, somehow, managed to find a spot where the corruptive light did not touch her, they still needed to run up the steps where the lights did touch, and she had to time it perfectly. One misstep, and she’d be caught in the light’s rays. Before they tried to go up, she had spoken with the zoners to try to figure out a strategy to get up. They spoke for a few minutes before they decided luck was the only way she could get up there without getting hit by the light. That, and timing. There was really not much room for strategy; it was literally just run up the stairs.

And that’s what they had done. The zoners didn’t really have much trouble. Dr. Raiden let Snap ride on his back and he and Maalik ran up the steps quite easily. They weren’t affected by the light, so it was easy for them to traverse the steps without fear. But when it came to Penny’s turn, she had hesitated. She knew the consequences of stepping into the light, and if she wasn’t careful, she could get caught.

However, she had realized that there was little chance at all of her making it due to her damaged leg. Maalik had realized this as well and he raced down to help her. He then raced up, this time, taking care to dodge the light the best he could. Despite him being in better shape, it was still a difficult process, and Penny had nearly been caught in the light several times.

By some miracle, they made it up there without getting hit. Maalik and Raiden decided to let Penny and Snap ride them as they headed down the steps. Penny was grateful for this. Her leg would have slowed them down, and she had her doubts she could have traversed the steps with her walking stick, which she had strapped to her back as if it were some kind of sword.

The four of them were now moving through the interior of the Solar Pillars. They moved as quietly as they could, knowing that just one wrong step was all it would take to trigger an alarm. Even though they didn’t see anyone, Penny knew that danger could still be lurking around any corner. With the black chalk artists, they couldn’t take any chances. Ghadir might be just one, but she was still dangerous. Plus, they didn’t even see just how capable she truly was. Just how good was she with the black chalk? Was she just as good as Jenny? Or was she an even bigger threat?

No surprise, Snap was none too eager to face her. Penny couldn’t blame him. After all, the vile woman had captured him and hunted him like he was some kind of wild animal. If it hadn’t been for Bardot’s surprisingly helpful move, he probably would have died. This had happened when she and Rudy were in the real world and they had no way of knowing what was happening at the time. She was grateful that someone, even if it was Bardot, had been able to help Snap.

The group remained quiet as they moved down the hallways. Penny was happy that the red chalk had gone silent, just like the rest of them. It seemed to understand that they needed stealth for this mission to work. Even if it seemed like no one was there, that didn’t mean it was totally empty; Ghadir or Rudy might be hanging around somewhere. Before they could do anything, they needed to make sure it was empty, and remain on their guard. The last thing they needed was to be caught by surprise. Having the element of surprise was a nasty thing to let villains have.

Penny shuddered when she realized she had just referred to Rudy as a ‘villain’. She couldn’t help but feel a tinge of guilt at that. She had never thought of him that way before. He was her best friend. ...keyword ‘was’. She had to bitterly remind herself that Rudy was corrupted right now, and he was the enemy. But she did also tell herself that, if all goes well, he would be back on their side again. They just had to make sure they were careful here and didn’t slip up.

They soon reached a level that opened up to a pretty decently sized room. Penny looked around, noticing some kind of large machine and a control panel not far from it. Snap immediately reacted to it, holding out his round hand outwards as if to point.

“I remember this place!” Snap said. Moving his hand over to the machine, he said, “That’s where those creepazoids tortured Bardot! He was strapped there!”

Twitching his ears, Dr. Raiden looked up at Snap. “That hybrid zoner? He was here?”

Snap nodded his head. “Yeah. They were using him as a bettery.” He put a hand to his head, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth. “Those screams... It was horrible.” He shook his head from side to side. “I’ll never forget it.”

“Being tortured is never fun.” Dr. Raiden said, furrowing his eyes as he was clearly having flashbacks to what had happened to him with Mr. Cosmo.

Maalik moved closer to his friend. He rubbed his head against him a little, a clear attempt to comfort him. Dr. Raiden gave a small smile, and then looked away. Maalik looked at him sympathetically before turning his attention to the machines. “Just..what were these things used for?”

The group headed over to the controls. Penny got off of Maalik and, whipping out her stick, walked over to the control panel slowly. There were was an assortment of buttons and lights and levers. They looked like they had something to do with the machine Bardot was attached to. She could see a monitor in about the middle of it. She approached it, the others not far behind her, and stared at it. Didn’t she hear something about this before?

Then she remembered. Her mind flashbacked to a conversation she had with Snap and Bardot earlier this same day, not long after Rudy’s corruption. She looked over at the machine, her eyes widening in horror. She then looked back at the monitor. The realization of what this was dawned on her, making her blood freeze. She took a few steps back, shaking her head slowly.

“What is it?” Maalik asked, standing not far away from her. “Did you figure...?”

Penny looked over at the others. Maalik and Raiden looked confused, but Snap gave her a knowing expression. He nodded his head grimly, his eyes downcast. This confirmed Penny’s fears. Her body shook as she looked back at the controls. Her eyes fixated on the monitor. Even though it was blank, she could already picture images on it. She could already see, in her mind, just what this thing had been used for. And the thought filled her with horror and dread.

Penny couldn’t believe it. This room...this was the room of death. The room where Bardot’s red chalk half had been used to harm all those zoners back in the hideout. This was the origin of the weapon used to slaughter most of the Luminos and the thing that nearly killed her and her friends. The thought of being in the same room where those black chalk artists had zeroed in on that location...and fired... It left a sickening feeling in her stomach.

“This...this is the control panel for that light cannon...” Penny said softly, her eyes wide. She turned her gaze towards Maalik and Raiden. She watched as their expressions changed from confused to outright horror. She confirmed what they were probably thinking in their heads. “That thing...” She gestured her head to the machine Bardot had been strapped in. “That is what killed most of your...family.”

“Wh-What...?” Raiden breathed. He turned his head to the machine, his pupils dilating in shock. “That thing...?”

Maalik froze there. He stared off at nothing, his head lowered and mouth partially open. His body trembled as the realization swept through his body. It was clear he was having a hard time believing he was standing in the same spot where the weapon that killed most of who he had known was fired. He then turned his gaze over to the machine. His breaths came in quick and shaky.

“This machine... This is what killed most of my people..?” Maalik asked, not bothering to look over at Penny. As the girl nodded her head once, Maalik clenched his teeth. “We need to dismantle it.” His voice came commanding, almost cold. The way he asked, it was clear he wasn’t asking a favor. There was a tinge of anger to his voice. “Penny, draw some tools.”

“Shouldn’t we...?” Penny started to say.

“Now!” Maalik demanded, the harshness of his voice further escalated by his growly voice. He paused and, noticing the others’ shocked expression, said in a softer voice. “Please. Just do it.”

Penny wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to start doing this now. After all, they needed to make sure that this place was deserted and then come up with a plan for an ambush. Stopping to do something like this would only slow them down. She understood Maalik’s feelings towards this machine. She understood his anger. After all, this thing did kill most of the Luminos, zoners he had considered as family. But she wasn’t sure if...

...then she thought about it. Perhaps the lion did have a good idea of dismantling the machine. It would be one less weapon they had. And far as she knew, this was the strongest weapon the black chalk artists had, besides their creation abilities and Nihilanth of course. If she took it down, then ChalkZone no longer had to worry about it. The zoners would be spared its horrifying wrath. Penny’s mind echoed with the screams of the Luminos zoners that had been fried by the attack and she shuddered.

Without saying a word, Penny held up one of the pieces of red chalk and began to draw.


	155. What Are Her Motives?

Nexra...

He had encountered Nexra...

But how was that possible? She died years ago in one of the great battles. He saw her fall to her death. He saw the blood, heard her screams... How was it possible that she was still alive? It seemed like..it was a nightmare becoming reality. It..it couldn’t be true.

Yet..there was no denying it. There was no way Biclops could ignore this fact. He had seen her, heard her. He recognized that particular tone of voice, one that he knew could only belong to Nexra. His body trembled from the realization, trying to let this information sink in.

When the giant had awoken, he realized he had been taken to a large room, locked up. He couldn’t tell if he was even at the hospital anymore. All the walls around here, slick with water, were rocky and bumpy, giving something of the appearance of a cave. It looked like this room had been carved out using machinery. It wasn’t built with bricks or stones. If it weren’t for the sharp curves of the walls and the door in front of him, he would think he just stumbled into a natural cave of some kind.

He had no idea how long he had been here. Twenty minutes, an hour, he wasn’t sure. He just knew that he was alone, isolated from the others. The hospital could be right above him, or it could be down below. He wasn’t sure. He just knew that he was inside the hospital itself anymore, and no one knew where he was. He wondered if he was going to be detained here until someone came to send him to jail, or he was going to remain here for a much longer time. Did Nexra even intend on taking him to be prosecuted, or did she say that just to confuse him?

Biclops remembered Nexra. She had been, at least he thought so anyway, a short-lived zoner who fought alongside Cosmo and the other black chalk artists. She wasn’t quite as insane or cruel, at least at the time, but she was still dangerous. To see her still around... He didn’t know what to expect. Was she still loyal to the black chalk? Did she have her own agenda? Was she trying to corrupt Penny or was there another reason she was giving her the black chalk?

Biclops wanted answers, but, given his position, he knew he would not be able to get any, especially not soon. He wasn’t even sure if Nexra would tell him anything. Despite this, if he were to see her, he would likely try to ask so many questions. There were things on his mind, not just the questions concerning Penny and the black chalk.

Just..how had she come to get those other cops to work for her? Why as she a security guard? Was it a disguise? Was it genuine? Was she trying to atone for her actions, or was she trying to hide? Did the others know who she was and what she did, or were they oblivious?

The only way to find out was to ask. But...would she even answer them? He didn’t know what Nexra was doing, and he didn’t know if she would be willing to answer any of his questions. She was a black chalk drawing, but that alone didn’t say much, as a black chalk drawing was still capable of being ‘good’, more or less, like himself. So he couldn’t really judge just how evil she was until he spoke to her more. He would have to remain cautious around her regardless; after all, she did electrocute him until he was unconscious. She wasn’t entirely trustworthy.

However, her goals might not be that bad. She could be one of those people who have admirable goals in mind, but use questionable methods. It doesn’t really make what she did to him any less horrible. But if she had an agreeable goal in mind, then he could, perhaps, have a chance of getting her to be more cooperative. But, if she were a threat.. Well he’d have to figure something out and fast.

The giant leaned back against the wall, his leg crossed over the other. He felt so useless. He hadn’t really been as much of a help as he should have been. Or maybe he was just overreacting. Still..he wished he could be of better help. He did aid Rudy years ago against Mr. Cosmo, and he did offer information. But lately, he had been either trapped or hospitalized, and he couldn’t help but feel...worthless almost. He wanted to help, but whenever he tried, something happened.

He narrowed his eyes in determination. Well not anymore. He wasn’t going to take this lying down. He would figure a way out of here. He leveled his eyes with the door, staring straight at it. He remembered the time when Jenny broke into the Chalk Mine and trapped him in it. He had been stuck there for a while before anyone found him. Not this time. The giant struggled to his feet and walked over to the door. This time, he was going to figure a way out of here.

Biclops placed his hand against the door, running his finger tips against it. He pulled his fist back and struck against it. Not with all his strength, but enough so he could get an idea of just how strong it was. He could hear slight vibrations, but other than that, the door didn’t budge. He narrowed his eyes a little more. This door was going to be difficult to take down. He was certain it was made to contain larger prisoners like himself. He couldn’t dig his way through the walls; they were too hard and thick. But if he could get the door down, maybe he had a chance of finding Penny and telling her what was going on.

If he knew where she was that is...

Biclops decided to worry about that later. Though he didn’t know where Penny was, where she could have gone, he couldn’t waste time here thinking about possibilities. He needed to get out first. The longer he delayed his escape, the worse things might get. Closing his hand into a tight fist, he pulled back. Then, mustering as much strength as he could, he started to pound against the door.

Again and again, the giant struck it. He could feel his hand getting achy from the pounding. The door was made of some kind of metal, reminding him of the door that trapped Draow. Pain swept through his hand as he pounded against it. He tried his best to ignore the agony and just kept at it. He clenched his teeth, increasing the frequency of him striking the door. He could feel it vibrating a little harder each time he hit it. Still, the door would not break down.

He had to take a break for a moment. He took in a few shaky breaths, taking a step back. He let his arm rest at his side. This was going to be quite difficult. But he couldn’t give up. Not now. He just needed to figure something else out. He looked around the door, his eyes trailing its edge. If he could just figure out a weak spot, he could take advantage of that and get the door down. A spot where the metal wasn’t as thick or solid, perhaps, or a weakness in the way it was hooked to the wall.

Biclops hoped he could figure something out. It might take him a little while to pinpoint any weakness. But if he hurried up, he could get himself out of here and he could try to find Penny. He still wasn’t sure how he was going to do that. But he’d try to figure something out when the time came.

Biclops pressed his large hand against the door, feeling it up and down. He couldn’t detect any weakness in the structure. It all felt pretty solid. But touching it alone wasn’t enough to really determine if any point was weak. He needed to hit it in a few places and listen for any differences. He would need to listen carefully as the differences might be very subtle, and even then, it didn’t really mean there was a weakness, or that the weakness was going to be enough to get him out. He pulled back his hand, preparing to strike the door.

He stopped when he heard voices. He pressed his ear against the door, listening intently. The voices were a little muddled, intermixed with other sounds. Footsteps. Someone was approaching the room. From how faint the voices sounded, and the footfalls, there had to be a long tunnel up ahead, beyond the door. Perhaps a winding one that that. He kept listening, trying to figure out what was being said.

After a little while, Biclops could discern the voices better. He recognized one of them as Nexra. At first, he still couldn’t understand what she was saying. But seconds later, as she and whoever else was with her got closer, he was able to recognize the words being said.

“Have you been able to locate Penny?” Nexra asked.

“Not yet.” The zoner with her said. A male. “But I think we’re closing in.”

“Good, good...” Nexra replied. “We need to make sure she gets the black chalk soon. The sooner, the better.”

“Do you think the plan will work?” Asked the male zoner. His voice was filled with uncertainty. “What if...”

Nexra chuckled. “Oh don’t worry. Everything will be fine. Soon, all the pieces will come together. It will be fine.” She paused for a moment, as if she wanted to let the information sink in to her comrade. “Just relax. You will seen. It will all be okay.”

“I sure hope so. I don’t want to think what would happen if we screw this up. I don’t think we will have another chance like this.” The male zoner said.

“I understand.” Nexra said. “This will be difficult to accomplish. But don’t worry, dear friend. I am certain that things will work out. We planned this for a while, and we rehearsed. Well now it’s the real deal. You just need to do what we practiced. Nothing more.” She sucked in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “We will find Penny. And we will give her the black chalk. Our goal will be completed. I can promise you that.”

Biclops bit his lip. He didn’t like the sound of that. He knew that Nexra wanted to give Penny black chalk. That bit, he remembered not long after he woke up. The thought still filled him with dread and horror. But what he didn’t know was exactly why, if it was just to corrupt her or if there was another purpose. From the sound of it, if she had this planned for a while, maybe there was some other motive behind it. Just what specifically did this zoner have planned?

Biclops wished he knew. He wished he could figure out just what she had planned. He had doubts she would say too much as she was not far from where he was. He could hear her footsteps getting closer. Her voice had gone silent; she knew that he was nearby and she clearly didn’t want him to know what she had in mind. He could try to force the information out of her, but he doubted he would be very successful. She might come in with some kind of weapon to subdue him, or perhaps the zoner she was with was very strong and could disable him if need be.

He was scared. He was more terrified of not knowing what the plan was, then he would be if he just knew what she was going to do. A sickening feeling ate away at his stomach, his mind reeling with thoughts. There were all kind of things that Nexra could be hoping to accomplish. Some of it could be good, while others were most certainly awful. It all depended on where her alignment was. He had no idea if she was still evil, like she was years ago, or if she had seen the light and was trying to help. If only she would be more open and at least be honest up front instead of making him guess... His mind was throbbing from trying to figure out which path was best. If she would just be more clear...

He listened to the footsteps. They were very close now, just outside the door. Biclops tensed up, watching the door and waiting for her to come in. He stared at the door knob, gritting his teeth. He had no idea what he was in for. All he could do was wait for the door to open up. He stood there, waiting for several moments, feeling like many minutes passed by. The footsteps got closer and closer, and then..

...nothing. Biclops stood there in surprise when the footsteps started to become fainter. Nexra wasn’t coming this way to ‘visit’ him like he had thought. She clearly had other plans. The footsteps faded as Nexra and the other zoner disappeared down the hallway, walking at a steady, somewhat brisk pace.

Biclops was able to discern that the two zoners hadn’t simply turned around and walked away. They had gone in a new direction, this time to the left of his room. This told him that this place was bigger than he thought. There wasn’t just one path leading up to where he was. He was in some kind of hallway, perhaps with multiple cells lined up. The realization of this made his eyes widen. Were there other zoners trapped here, too? Had Nexra captured anyone else? He didn’t hear anyone.. but there was still a chance that he wasn’t the only victim.

And if she did capture other zoners, just what had she done with them? Had she harmed them in anyway? Was she going to hurt him? Did she merely want him for information or just to keep him out of the way? Or did she have something far more sinister in mind for him and anyone else she may have captured?

He knew, as of now, he had no way of really knowing. He could only speculate. Even though Nexra’s footsteps vanished completely at this point, that did little to calm him down. If anything, it made him feel even more anxious. The unknown weighed heavily on his mind, dragging him down emotionally. Not knowing what was going on, not being able to do anything about it, knowing that Penny was being targeted for an unknown purpose, it filled the giant with dread, making him fidget as he stood in front of the door. He knew he had to get out of here, and fast.

Biclops turned his attention back to the door. If he could just figure out its weakness, he could, hopefully, tear it down and get out of this room. Nexra seemed like she was far enough away that she wouldn’t hear him. Or at least, he hoped that she was a good distance away, at least far enough that she wouldn’t hear him trying to break the door down. He wasn’t sure what she was going to do if she found out he was trying to escape.

Biclops stared at the door intently, once again looking around the edges, trying to find any kind of imperfection. He pressed his hand against the door once more, leaning against it and moving his face closer. His pupils moved up and down, trying to take in every minute detail. He wanted to inspect for weakness first, as this was silent. On the off chance that Nexra was there, he wanted to at least be able to detect a weak spot befor she arrived. And this was the best way to do it, he thought.

So far, he wasn’t able to see much of anything. The door seemed like it had been firmly locked in place. Despite this being a cave-turned-building, with the walls made of sleek stone, the door seemed to fit in like a glove. Biclops felt his spirit start to fall when he started to realize there might not be a weak spot to exploit, at least none that he could see. And if that was the case, he’d have to resort to hitting the door, and if Nexra was nearby....

He paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath. He couldn’t let this get to him. He couldn’t let fear rule him. He had to keep himself calm. He had spent so many years guarding the Chalk Mine from intruders. He was used to danger. He couldn’t let something like this get to him. Whatever happened to the determined, fearsome guardian that he had been for years? He was certainly not gone, was he?

His mind filling with renewed determination, Biclops turned his attention back to the door. He looked at it again. Even though he had already checked the door, he realized that, perhaps, he overlooked something. Even the tiniest detail could yield some kind of clue on how to get out of here.

Then he saw it. It wasn’t easy to spot, and he had overlooked it every other time. It was a miracle he even saw it this time around. On the right side of the door, he could see a small groove, a tiny imperfection. He stared at this detail for several seconds, noting its relative size and location. The frame wasn’t perfect, he realized. The door looked like it fit in snugly, but, as he realized now, it didn’t. Not completely. This small groove, this dent, it was enough that he could probably fit his finger nail in it. If he could squeeze his nail in and if he could knock the door askew a little, then perhaps he had a chance of ripping it from the wall.

It was a long shot and he knew that his nail wasn’t exactly the best thing to use to get a grip on something. But he knew he had to try. He couldn’t just sit around here and do nothing. Not while Penny might be in trouble. Not to mention ChalkZone...

Biclops went to work. He took a step closer to the door. His two large eyes focused on the groove he found. He brought his large finger over and worked it into the groove. His finger nail caught on the door’s edge, just barely. Then, taking in a deep breath and hoping everything would work out fine, he started to pull.

sss

Penny winced as she felt the vibrations sweep through her body as the object collided with the machine. In her hands, she held a long, heavy weapon in her hand. A stick made of thick, strong good, and terminating in a long, sharply tipped blade, both ends sharp. She had slammed it against the machine, the one that powered the light cannon. The tip sliced through the metal, making a creeking sound as it went through. She could hear a few sparking sounds as she yanked the pickaxe that she drew, steadying it against her shoulder. She looked at what she was able to accomplish so far.

She had struck the machine twice so far. The red chalk pickaxe she used was quite strong and durable, more so than a regular one, which didn’t surprise her. In the two strikes she made, she had been able to tear two large holes in the machine. They were long and jagged, cutting along the front of the machine. The beginning part of it was a large, roundish hole, but then it transformed into a long, twisting line that headed downward. Even from this distance, she could see some sparking inside and she knew she had cut into at least some of the wiring.

She took in a few pants, her arms aching. It wasn’t easy holding this pickaxe up, and just as difficult swinging it down. It wasn’t that she couldn’t handle something like this. But the red chalk..she supposed it felt a heavier weapon was best. Thus, when she drew the pickaxe, the red chalk decided to step in and make it much heavier than was really necessary. The result was...rather jarring. She hadn’t expected it and she nearly dropped the heavy, metal portion of the pickaxe on her foot.

But she was able to steady it in her hands not long after. A little wobbly and she could feel herself falling backwards. But she still managed to keep her feet firmly planted on the ground. Glaring at the machine, she struck against it twice, slicing through the metal, aided by the red chalk. From how much damage she did from just two blows, she could tell the red chalk really wanted this machine to be done, removed out of its sights.

Penny was about to strike it again after she rested enough. She stopped when she felt some large, warm hand on her shoulder, gently gripping it. She looked up to see Maalik standing there. His eyes, looking cold, narrowed, and so filled with anger, stared not at her, but at the machine. When he looked at her, she could already tell what he was going to say.

“Allow me.” Maalik said. His voice was stern, commanding. Just like it had been before. “Give me that pickaxe.”

A part of Penny wanted to decline, but that side was quickly shot down as she realized it was probably for the best. She was not that physically strong, at least not compared to the lion. She wasn’t sure how many more times she could strike the machine without her arms giving out. Maybe it was a good idea to allow the lion to do it. After all, he had a very good reason to want to tear this machine to shreds. His family had been lost to it, after all. This could bring some kind of closure.

Penny nodded her head once. Silently, she reached over and held the pickaxe in front of her. She had to use both hands, or else she’d fall forward. Maalik moved his hand forward and gripped it. His large fingers interlocked around the wooden handle and he lifted it up into the air. His hand moved so swiftly, without any riggedness to it, that Penny could tell that he was not having that hard of a time holding it. She could practically see his arm muscles rippling as he moved it up over his head, preparing to strike.

Penny took a few steps back, getting next to Snap. The two friends watched quietly, along with Dr. Raiden, as Maalik raised the pickaxe in the air, higher than Penny could ever hoped to accomplish, and struck down with it. A loud clang echoed in the air, hurting their ears, forcing them to cover them. The scraping sound was louder, permeating their soul. Once they were able to regain their bearings, they could see that the sharp tip of the pickaxe sliced deeply in the machine, to the point where most of the pickaxe now disappeared into it. A few wires hung out of the opening, their ends sparkling with electrical bursts.

The sight of it was almost horrific. It reminded Penny of some of the animals her mother took care of. Some of the animals brought in had horrific wounds, little blood vessels and other tonr meat just...hanging out of the gaping hole. The memory made her stomach churn. Some of those animals had been abused and the thought of somoeone deliberately doing that to an innocent creature left a bad taste in her mouth.

And now, before her, she was greeted with what might as well be the metallic version of that. Yeah, this machine wasn’t really alive. It was the light cannon, more or less, and it needed to be destroyed. But the way the tear looked, the hole, the wires hanging out, much like the flesh did with the animal patients, it just looked more graphic to her than it really was. Penny wanted to say something, anything, but she managed to keep herself quiet. She knew that there was no reason for her to be upset over this. She tried her best to settle down her memories, reminding herself that this thing wasn’t even alive. She glanced at the two zones beside her.

Snap looked a little horrified. Perhaps he made the same connection as her, or maybe he was startled at just how strong Maalik was. As the lion zoner struck again with the pickaxe, tearing up the metal, Snap took a small step back, looking a little fearful. Penny realized that, up until this point, they hadn’t seen a lot of moments of this lion showing just how strong he was. He was definitely one powerful zoner and it made her wonder what would have happened if he had never defected and tried to rip them apart. Was that why Snap was so nervous?

Dr. Raiden, on the other hand, was rather calm and placid. Except for the clangs hurting his ears, he didn’t really show much other emotion. He stared at the machine, his eyes narrowed coldly, his teeth clenched and slightly bared. He looked almost sickenly satisfied by what Maalik was doing. And could she blame him? Dr. Raiden had friends in the Luminos as well, and this machine took all of them away from him. She could see his hand trembling and she knew that he really wanted to tear apart the machine; he was only holding back because it was clear he wanted Maalik to have the honors of doing this.

Maalik struck down a third time. The sharp tip of the pickaxe went further into an existing hole, located in about the middle of the machine. Instead of just pulling it out like he did before, he instead pushed down harder, sinking the sharp tip further into it. As he wriggled it deeper, Penny could hear the creaks, the metal bending to his whim. Then, once he got one of the sharp points completely inside the machine, he gripped the pickaxe tightly with both hands. He took in a deep breath, and then he yanked back.

Penny let out a cry of surprise as the loud creaking of the metal filled the air. Snap grunted, clenching his teeth and shutting his eyes. Dr. Raiden twitched his ears in irritation, but was otherwise more or less placid about the whole thing. The three watched as the metal warped and gave way as Maalik ripped off a large chunk of it. He pulled as hard as he could, and in seconds, the metal was cut clean off. Maalik dropped it to the ground in a heavy clanging thud. He took in a few heavy pants as he and he others stared at what he accomplished.

There was now a huge, gaping hole in the machine. The hole was wavy and jagged and sharp, and it was large enough that all four of them could see its innerworkings. They could see the lights of the machine in that distinctive, computer-like pattern, the wires, both ripped and in tact, hanging around, lights moving along them to transfer data. Sparks of electricity shot in all directions, originating from the torn, black wires. Some were ripped in two, others had long gashes on them.

Maalik wasted no time. He dropped the red chalk pickaxe to the ground. His pupils shrinking as anger swept through him, Maalik let out a feral-like yowl as he dove towards the machine. Penny reached out her hand, shouting at him in horror. She was not able to stop him from sinking his teeth into the wires, letting out a series of growls. Electricity arched through his body, making his fur stand on end. His eyes bulged open and tears moved down his cheeks. Yet despite the pain, he still kept going, tearing up the wiring like it was nothing. He pulled his head back, some of the wires trapped in his mouth. Penny and the others could hear the distinctive snap as the wires were cut apart.

Dr. Raiden, his eyes narrowed, took a few steps forward. He raised his hand, the metal claw glinting in the light. Penny and Snap watched the cheetah, noticing how his pupils dilated, making him look feral, and how his slender arm was tensing up. The cheetah gritted his teeth as he prepared to strike, his metal claw poised to slash through the wires inside the machine. A few seconds later, with a loud shing sound, the metal finger shot forward.

Suddenly, a blur zipped passed him, in front. It moved so fast, they were unable to see just what it was. It moved in front of the cheetah, where his arm was, cutting through it as if it were just wind. It took only seconds for them to realize that this was no wind. There was a loud crack sound, something snapping, and Dr. Raiden tumbled to the side, his eyes wide open, pain-filled. He let out a cat-like shriek as he fell into the ground. Maalik stopped what he was doing and stared down at his friend. His eyes filling with horror, he rushed to his side.

“Raiden!” Maalik cried. “Are you okay?!”

Penny and Snap limped over to the prone cheetah’s side. Dr. Raiden wasn’t moving, save for a few shivers of pain. He hardly responded, moved, even when Maalik shook him. When he finally did, moving his head up stare at the them, they were horrified to see just how sleek his cheeks were with tears, how pain-filled his eyes had become. Upon closer examination, they could see why. The realization sent cold shivers down their spine.

Raiden’s metal finger had been ripped clean off. The skin tore where it used to be attached. Blood dripped down, staining the ground. The wound from where the metal finger was looked horrible. Penny could see the bone and muscle inside, the skin laying open like it were just some bag that had been ripped apart. Raiden clutched the hand to himself, seething in agony.

“My gawd..” Maalik whispered softly.

“Wh-What happened...?” Snap asked, his body shaking.

Penny couldn’t tear her eyes away from the gaping hole in the cheetah’s hand. She watched as the cheetah continued to cradle his damaged paw, whimpering and crying from the pain. Maalik had his arm around Raiden’s hand, pulling him close to try to comfort him. Penny’s eyes took in all the gruesome details of the hand, then slowly she moved them down until they rested upon the metal finger laying useless on the ground.

The metal finger, the entirety of it, rested on the ground not far from where Dr. Raiden laid. The finger looked mostly fine except for a few marks. Penny took notice of a couple scrapes that went along the finger. They were positioned at such an angle, she realized there was only one thing that could have happened. Someone, not something, had ripped the metal finger clean off. Someone who was large. Someone who had a lot of strength. Someone...like...

A low growl filled the air, permeating her soul, filling her with ice. Her eyes wide with fear, she slowly turned her head to see who it was. A gasp escaping her throat, she whirled herself around to face the intruder. Her heart beat quickly as she adopted a defensive stance.

It was Rudy. Her possessed friend stood in front of her, his arms folded behind his back. He had something of a gleeful expression, his teeth bared in a vicious grin. The light wings of Nihilanth were resting at his sides, and she knew that he had also summoned up Nihilanth’s dragon claws, the glow around his arms giving this fact away. The teenager’s eyes had their distinctive white and black glow, the jagged trails wafering in the air, making it hard to see his pupils.

Dr. Raiden looked at Rudy in absolute horror. It was clear the cheetah knew that Rudy was the one who had attacked him. He cringed away from the boy, baring his teeth defensively. Maalik snarled in Rudy’s direction. The boy just chuckled at him, prompting the lion’s ears to flatten. Maalik dropped down on all fours and stood in front of his friend protectively, his tail swishing from side to side in agitation.

Snap let out a cry of fear when he realized Rudy was here. Penny felt her heart clench at this. When she saw him scramble to get away, moving behind her, she felt sorrow fill her heart. She never thought she would see Snap act so afraid of Rudy before. She never thought something like this could happen. Her mind briefly flashed images of Para-Snap being abused by Light Rudy, and Dark Rudy mocking Alt-Snap. Now it was happening again, only this time, they weren’t in an alternate dimension.

Determination filled her heart seconds later. She narrowed her eyes as she glared at Rudy. She clutched the red chalk tightly in her hand. Snap’s reaction to him made her more determined than ever to free her friend from Nihilanth’s control. Even though she hadn’t expected to confront Rudy this early, even though she hadn’t been able to prepare for the inevitable encounter, she was still willing to face him.

An uneasy silence fell upon the room. This lasted for several moments before Rudy broke it. A cold laughter moved through him, making his shoulders shake a little. At his laughter, Dr. Raiden and Snap moved back, their eyes filling with more fear. Maalik and Penny, on the other hand, narrowed their eyes more, looking determined to fight Rudy if it was necessary.

“I am surprised that you four decided to come here, and so soon...” Rudy said, his voice having an amused tone to it. “I admit, I thought you would have been smart enough not to come here.” He tilted his head as his smile broadened. “I guess I was wrong.” He turned his gaze to Dr. Raiden. He looked at his injured hand, noting the blood dripping from the gaping hole. “You don’t know...how long I’ve waited to do that...” He sneered. “Perfect karma..don’t you think? You tear up my shoulder. Now..I got to tear you up. Fair deal, right?”

Maalik snarled at him. “You won’t get away with this...”

Rudy chortled at this. “Aw, do you feel left out?” He asked mockingly, feigning a sad look. “Do you want me to tear off your electric finger so you will match your friend?” He smiled, his voice taking on an eerily sweet tone. “I can help you out, if you want, kitty cat.” He raised his right hand, the light around it forming a dragon’s arm, the hand terminating into hooked claws. They arched, looking like he was ready to rip the lion into shreds. “Just say the word... and I’ll be happy to obligue...”

“You wish...” Maalik’s lips curled upward in a snarl. “How about I tear your arm off instead...”

“Oh...quite violent.. but then, that’s befitting for you Luminos, am I right?” Rudy asked, taking a few small steps forward. His eyes remained locked on the lion’s. “After all, you used violence to try to save ChalkZone. Of course, you know how all that ended up.” He chuckled as he saw Maalik’s eyes register a tinge of horror. “I do wonder how many of them survived. I hope there’s some still around. I’d like to say hello to them...”

Maalik’s claws extended. His electric claw began to sparkle. “Don’t you fucking dare...”

“I think you are in no position to tell me what to do.” Rudy said. He smirked at Maalik growled softly at him before turning his attention to Penny. “Ah dear lovely Penny.. How are you doing?” He looked her up and down. “A vision of beauty, as always.”

Penny winced at this. She couldn’t believe how Rudy was able to take a statement like that and twist it to sound so...callous and heartless. She tried not to let it get to her, though. She knew that he was just trying to make her uneasy so she wouldn’t be able to think clearly. She tightened her grip on the red chalk as she moved towards Rudy. She stopped when she was about two feet in front of him.

She stared at him for a moment. She took note of his cold demeanor, his callous smile on his face. There was no ounce of sympathy to be found on his face. Nothing to conclude he felt sorry for what he had done to Raiden, or for what he said that hinted he wanted to toy with some victims. Just a heartless smile, courtesy of Nihilanth inhabiting his body.

Penny knew confronting Rudy and Nihilanth now was not a good idea. They hadn’t even awoken the white chalk’s sentience yet. And they had yet to find Ghadir. This encounter was too sudden. She should have known that ripping apart this machine was a bad idea. Rudy had obviously heard it, and it drew his attention. If only they had been a little quieter, this wouldn’t have happened. If only they were more careful... Well it was too late for that now. Rudy was here, and there were only two things they could do now: fight or run.

And Penny had no intention on running. Not this time. The red chalk on her hand glowed a little brighter, its crimson trails wrapping around her arm. It wanted to go against Rudy as well, prepared to fight. Penny turned her attention back to Rudy, letting out a low growl. She was about to make her move when a thought crossed her mind. She turned her head, giving a sideways glance to the others near her.

Maalik, Raiden, and Snap... What if they got caught in the crossfire? Raiden was in too much pain to fight and while she knew both Snap and Maalik would fight, regardless of pain or fear, she didn’t want them risking their necks for this. She didn’t want to be responsible for them getting hurt. Plus, there was the case of Ghadir... Just where was she? Was she still here? Was she hiding?

Penny knew what had to be done.

“You three!” Penny turned her head towards where the three zoners stood. They looked at her expectantly. “Go search this place! Find Ghadir and disable her if you can!”

“Disable Ghadir?” Snap asked, tilting his head to the side. “How do you propose we do that?”

“I think I know...” Maalik growled softly as he raised a paw in the air. His claw tip sparkled. “I think this will do just fine..”

“Just don’t kill her, if possible.” Penny said, her eyes narrowed. “Apprehend her and keep her detained somewhere.” She turned her head back towards Rudy. “I will take care of him...”

“Are you serious?! But...but we aren’t ready...” Snap protested, his eyes wide in fear.

“Snap is right. It’s too dangerous. We need the white chalk and...” Maalik started to say.

Penny cut them off. “Just get going!” She snarled, her teeth gritted. Her eyes shut tightly. “Just...please go...” She reopened them slowly. Her eyes remained locked onto Rudy. She felt her blood boil as she thought of how Nihilanth was using her friend for such atrocious actions. She wasn’t going to allow him to get away with it for much longer. She looked back at the other zoners. “I’ll be fine! Get out of here!”

The three zoners were reluctant to leave. They stood there, next to each other. They glanced at one another nervously, exchanging unknowing looks. They look back at Penny. Snap took a step forward, despite his fear. When Penny held up her hand to stop him, he looked confused and genuinely hurt. Penny knew he and the others just wanted to help. But she wished that they could understand just how dangerous it was. It was better they go so they could at least disable the remaining ‘body guard’ for Nihilanth.

Maalik looked at her with concern. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for all of us to leave.” He held out his hand in gesture. “Perhaps one of us should stay and...”

“No!” Penny shook her head. She realized she was being stubborn. She knew that perhaps she should accept their help. But she was determined to make sure they didn’t have to suffer at the hands of Rudy. It..it just wouldn’t be fair. “Please...I...”

She was stopped when Rudy suddenly lurched forward. His dragon hand gripped around her throat. She let out a grunt as she was lifted up into the air. She gagged as the hand tightened around her neck, his claws piercing against her neck flesh. She struggled, her legs kicking in the air. But she was unable to free herself. The sudden pull caused her to drop the red chalk and it rolled a little ways off. She gripped onto Rudy’s wrist with the hand on her good arm. She looked down at him, one eye closed tightly and the other open partway.

The zoners gasped in horror, calling out Penny’s name. They moved forward, reaching out their hands. The only thing that stopped them was a glare from Rudy. He gave them a look that told them if they took a step closer, he was going to hurt Penny. Reluctantly, the zoners stayed where they were. They glared at Rudy for a few seconds before looking back at Penny worriedly.

Penny tried to pry herself free. But it was no use. Rudy’s grip was like a vice. She looked into his eyes, seeing just how cold and callous they were. She felt her heart speeding up, her body trembling. She couldn’t believe just how icy those eyes looked. The same eyes that used to be so warm and kind... She yelped as the claws pressed further against her. She realized, unless she figured a way out of here, she was going to have her throat torn out. That look in Rudy’s eyes... She knew that was what he had planned. And if not that, it would still be something horrific.

“Perhaps you should listen to your little friends..” Rudy sneered. “Do you really think you can take me on alone?” Penny didn’t answer. She just glared back hatefully. Rudy smiled at this. “Well it is nice that you were still willing to put your life on the line...” He turned his attention to the zoners. “Even if what you’re fighting for isn’t worth it.”

“O-Of course it is..” Penny said, her voice strained from the hand choking her. “You..just..don’t see it.. You don’t...understand...”

“Oh certainly, I don’t. Why would I waste time trying to understand your silly efforts to protect a bunch of chalk dust? I could go on for hours how that doesn’t make any sense.” Rudy said. He shrugged his shoulders. “But...I don’t have that kind of time..” His eyes moved so he was now looking at the zoners. He grinned viciously at them. “And neither...do they.”

Penny’s eyes widened at this. Before she could ask what he meant, she could hear something clicking all around, and then a low buzzing sound. The three zoners looked around, taking a few steps back, Raiden wincing in pain as he did so. Suddenly, without warning, square-shaped parts of the ground opened up, exposing a four deep black holes. This lasted for a second, and then tall, metal bars shot up, creaking and scraping against the hole’s walls as they got into position.

Then, moments later, there was a flash of light, a distinct gushing sound, and about six thick water bars shot out, forming a complete circle around the three zoners. The trio let out a cry of fright, moving closer together as they stared at the water that now surrounded them. There was a brief flash of light, a sparkle, and now electricity filled the water, making it appear to glow.

Penny’s eyes filled with terror at this. The metal bars were not made of chalk, and neither was that water. Real world material... But how...? Was this already here? Did Rudy build it? If so, was it in anticipation for when they came? These questions filled her mind, but she hardly paid attention to them as her eyes locked onto the dancing, electrified real world water as it completely surrounded the three zoners. She could see the horror in their eyes, the fear, and she wished she could do something for them.

Penny heard a cold chuckle. She looked back at Rudy, gritting her teeth. “Let them go...” She threatened, her voice deeper than usual.

Rudy tapped his chin thoughtfully. He than waved his hand dismissively. “Eh..how about no. I think they will make a lovely audience, don’t you think?”

“Audience for what?” Penny asked.

Rudy grinned, his eyes filling with insanity. “For when I make you mine...” Penny’s eyes widened in horror at this. She struggled frantically get free, ignoring the gagging sensation as Rudy tightened his grip. He shook his head. “No, no, no, my dear sweet Penny. You aren’t going anywhere.” He reached over and placed a finger under her chin, scratching it almost like she were just a cat he found. “Once I’m done with you, you will be either begging me to ‘corrupt’ you, or kill you...”


	156. Some Guardian You Turned Out To Be

Penny glared down at Rudy, her hand still gripping his wrist. She wasn’t sure how she was going to get out of this as she was. She could feel his hand tightening, nearly choking her. She gagged and grunted. She looked left and right, trying to figure out how to at least make him let go of her.

She couldn’t allow Nihilanth to keep using her friend like this. She could see the red chalk on the ground, still there from when she dropped it earlier. If she could just get to it, she could use it against Rudy...er, Nihilanth. Or... She shook her head briefly, realizing she was starting to become confused. It’s so hard for her mind to tell if she was fighting Rudy..or Nihilanth. It was his body here, but the mind...it certainly wasn’t of her friend. It was a warped and twisted version and...

Penny couldn’t worry about that. Feeling a cold sensation of confusion wash over her, she tried to fight back against it. She had to remain focused on the task at hand. Rudy still held her up, his grip like a vice. If she didn’t do something soon, he was going to... She wasn’t sure what he had in mind. But she knew it was nothing good. Those eyes...so filled with hidden intentions....

“I do wish you’d try to understand.” Rudy said. His expression softened up just a tad. Penny stared down at him, gritting her teeth. “All I..we..want to do, is help everyone out. This world, it’s no good. These worlds, they must go. All we want to do is create a new world where everyone would be happy.”

Penny couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Did he really think she was going to fall for that? Did he think that those words were going to be enough to convince her that what he was doing was right? She wasn’t blind or stupid. She saw for herself what was going on. She knew both worlds might not be perfect, but both of them housed a lot of happy people who were fine with the way things were. This...monster, was failing to see that, or ignoring it on purpose, in favor of his own twisted vision. How can he possibly think that he was being heroic...if he was willing to kill so many innocents in the process?

There was nothing noble about what he was doing. There was no way these actions could be justified. He was willing to slaughter hundreds, no, millions of lives, all for the sake of creating this new world. And who is to say that world would last either? For all she knew, for all they knew, Nihilanth would get bored of that world and just destroy it. He had to ounce of remorse inside that body of his. He didn’t care; he was just coming up with excuses to get away with such atrocities.

Rudy...the real Rudy, he would not approve of this. He’d be fighting back against Nihilanth at every turn. He would make sure that Nihilanth wouldn’t succeed in his plans. But since Rudy wasn’t here to fight against him.. since he was being used as a pawn, Penny knew she had to step up to the plate herself.

As she continued to glare down at Rudy, she stared into his eyes. She could take comfort in one thing. The real Rudy was still in there, somewhere. She knew that he was watching this. She knew that her actions would give him a spark of hope. She knew that, even if the real Rudy couldn’t speak to her, he was shouting inside his mind for her to keep trying. He would want her to keep fighting back. And that was what she was going to do.

“You’re...crazy if you think that...” Penny started to say. She gagged when Rudy tightened his grip on her throat. She seethed, sucking in a breath through her clenched teeth. “H-How can you think you’re...doing anything noble if you..are going to kill...so many...?”

Rudy cocked an eyebrow. He lowered Penny a few inches. His pupils remained locked onto hers. “All just minor sacrifices, my dear. Everyone must make those if the greater good is to be accounted for.” Penny growled at this. “I know I haven’t spoken too much about it, but really, I thought you would have remembered. The black chalk may want a world that it sees as fit, but in doing so, it is benefiting everyone. Wouldn’t you want a strong, powerful world that could endure eons of hardship?”

Penny shook her head feverishly. “Not if that involves slaughtering millions of innocent lives!”

Rudy chuckled softly at this. “I understand that you need a little...convincing. I’m sure you’d sing a different tune if you had some black chalk.” Penny’s eyes widened in horror at this. Rudy’s grin broadened at this. “I know I’m right, aren’t I? That’s all it really takes. The black chalk can be very...persuasive. I’m sure if you let it speak to you, you will come to understand the way that we think.”

Penny growled at him. “The black chalk does nothing more than poison and corrupt. It’s using the whole ‘paradise ever after’ bullshit to lure you and other artists into its trap.” She lowered her head a little. “Do you really think the black chalk really cares for you, Rudy? Do you think that, if you fell down, the black chalk would come and save you? Are you that pulled into its world that you fail to realize just how much you are being used?”

Rudy narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth. Penny thought that he was going to snap at her. To her surprise, he quickly settled himself down, regaining his composure before he really lost it. He said, “I don’t expect you to fully understand, at least as you are now. I would like to enlighten you, but I think it’s best if you come over willingly.” He grinned. “Don’t you think?”

“She would never join you!” Snap shouted, holding a fist out in front of him. He stood as close as he could to the bars without the water touching him. Rudy glanced over at him, giving a ‘I don’t care what you say’ kind of expression. “You’ll see! She’ll find a way to stop you!”

“Pesky little chalk dung...” Rudy snarled, his voice a low hiss. Snap’s eyes widened, then narrowed, taking a defensive stance. Rudy kept his gaze on the zoner before he looked back at Penny. The glare became a bitter smile. “He’s going to be something of a problem, ain’t he? If you’d like, I can get rid of those three and we can chat...uninterrupted.”

“What?” Penny whispered. “What..do you mean?” When Rudy’s smile broadened, Penny could feel her heart pounding against her chest. “What are you going to do?!”

“Oh nothing too severe. Just going to relocate them, that’s all.” Rudy raised his fingers and snapped them. “You will see them again soon enough. Don’t worry, my dear.” He tilted his head back. “You won’t even know they’re gone.”

Penny heard the sound of screaming. Her heart nearly stopping, she whipped her head over. Her eyes filled with terror as she saw the floor beneath the zoners disappear. Brick after brick fell down into what seemed like an endless void. The zoners looked at each other, cold dread etched on their faces. They wanted to try to grab onto the bars, and they almost did until cruel reality hit and they were forced back in the middle. The ground disappeared in something of a circular pattern, wrapping around them over and over. Raiden, Maalik, and Snap clung to each other. As the final brick disappeared, they shut their eyes and waited for the inevitable.

The zoners plummeted down. Their screams echoed off the walls of the hidden shaft they were dropped into. Penny could hear them as they hit against something solid and thick. Their screaming, intermixing together, echoed off the walls, shooting out of the opening almost as if it were part of some humungous instrument. Seconds later, the screaming stopped abruptly.

This realization caused her heart to clench, her beating speeding up. She listened intently, hoping for another sound, anything. But there was nothing. Just dead silence. Her body shivered, many thoughts running through her head. What happened? Did they get knocked out? Did they fall down a really long way and were now too far gone to be heard? Or were they...killed? The thought chilled her mind and she could feel her eyes fill with tears.

Shooting a glare at Rudy, she snarled, “Where are they?!”

Rudy tilted his head to the side. “Where are they, you ask? Well if you think that I sent them on a one way trip to the land beyond the gates, you’re wrong.” He waggled his finger from side to side. “They’ve just been relocated to a...detainment area. I will deal with them later.”

“Don’t you dare hurt them...” Penny growled in a low voice.

Rudy stared at her for a few seconds. “I would try to retort that, but I see no point in repeating myself, Penny.” He walked over towards the opening. By this point, the cage was gone, having sunk back into the ground. “This tunnel had been placed here years ago. This is the first time it had ever been used.”

Penny stared at him, confused by the change of topic.

Rudy continued. “Such a deep tunnel it is.. Very close to the void. In fact...a thin layer.” He stared down at the hole. He held Penny over it, letting her get a nice long look at it. “Look down there, my dear sweetheart. That is where your friends are, down at the bottom, in the lowest part of the Solar Pillars. If they make one wrong move, they will destroy the very ground they stand on, and they will be devoured by the real world water that is positioned down there.”

Penny felt a sharp pang in her heart. She looked down at the tunnel. The blackness obscured its path, making it easy to conclude that it was an endless voice that went down for miles. In her mind, the sound of the zoners crashing up and down, suggested that the tunnel twisted and turned, not being a simple straight shot down. She didn’t know if that made it better or worse. She looked left and right, trying to see any kind of details, any sign of hope. But she saw nothing. She couldn’t even hear them...

She took in a shuddering breath, her mind reeling with thoughts of what could be happening. If something happened, if they fell through the ground and into the void... Would she even be able to see them again? She knew that a zoner would fall forever in the void. There was no ground, and everything looked the same. She would be lucky if she could find any one zoner down there, let alone three. And even if she did find them, they might be dead long before she could get a hold of them.

Just how thick was the ground? If it was that easy to crack open the ground... Her eyes widened in horror, realizing just how thin the ground has to be. The three zoners might not be incredibly heavy on their own, but together... Was it possible they could crack the ground open? Is that how it was going to be very weak? The thought filled her mind with ice. If the three zoners didn’t shatter the ground upon impact, they could easily break it just from walking around. The realization of just kind of situation they were put in sting her heart, making her feel sick.

Penny turned her attention to Rudy. She couldn’t believe how cruel he and Nihilanth were being. How could they trap three innocent lives in such a perilous location? How could they leave them there, where they could end up suffering a fate worse than death? How could they drop them down the tunnel without a second thought? How could they just..hand wave this?

“The void is such a...nuisance I admit.” Rudy said. “From what Nihilanth told me, it’s the worst thing that could happen to you. At least with this void.” He held his hand out at his side in gesture. “For you see, this void is laiden with... well the best choice of word here is toxins, even though that isn’t exaclty what it is.” Penny narrowed her eyes in confusion. Rudy caught onto this and was quick to explain. “This void isn’t like the other one that I accidentally created years ago, Penny. This void is...tainted is the word I think you’d use.. with a mixture of black chalk and servant light. Microbes of them to be exact. They attack anything that enters, ally or not. It burns them as it tries to burrow into the skin and rips the victim apart slowly. It’s really quite gruesome.”

Penny took in a sharp breath, her heart skipping a beat at this. She cautiously looked down the hole again. Her body shivered as the horrifying realization washed over her. “Wh-What...?” That was all she could say as her mind was stunned, too shocked to say much of anything.

Rudy chuckled at her confusion. “I had a feeling you would be confused, honey bunch... But don’t worry. You won’t have much to worry from it.”

Penny managed to choke out. “H-How...how can you....” She didn’t finish her sentence at first. She shivered, her wide eyes staring down at the tunnel, knowing a painful void awaited Maalik, Raiden, and Snap if they made one wrong move. “Why did you...?”

“Eh, nothing more than for fun.” Rudy said, cutting her off. He shrugged his shoulders, looking like he didn’t think he was doing anything that wrong. The sight of it made anger rise up inside Penny’s heart. Rudy said, “I could have just trapped them. Being stuck somewhere, unable to get out, that is quite horrifying indeed. But you wanna know what is worse than that?” Rudy gave her an eerie smile. “Being trapped somewhere you can’t escape.. while constant, unrelenting pain courses through your body and you can’t stop it...”

Penny widened her eyes at this. For fun? Rudy trapped the three zoners in such a horrible place...for fun? There was no motive behind it other than to get a laugh? The thought that he would do such a thing.. Her mind flashed back to Bardot, and how he thought life was a game and that they were all pawns. It seemed that Nihilanth shared some of this view, which made since, considering the guy was an omnicidal maniac.

Horror and dread blanketed her mind. She couldn’t stop shivering. Dreadful thoughts filled her brain was she thought of what might be happening to her friend and the two Luminos zoners. They didn’t deserve this... They didn’t deserve to be discarded like that... Even when Raiden and Maalik were doing horrible things, they didn’t deserve a fate such as this one. It was unbelievably cruel and heartless. So fitting for someone like Nihilanth.

“Trust me when I say... You don’t want to go down there.” Rudy gave a cold chuckle at this, sounding amused by what he had done. “However, you needn’t worry. Only trash will go down there.”

“But...you sent Snap down there...” Penny whispered, her voice laced in anger. “And those two other Luminos.”

“Yes, I know. As I said, trash.” Rudy replied, still chuckling. “I thought I made myself clear. Or were you not paying attention, dear?”

“I paid attention, all right. That doesn’t mean I understand.” Penny turned her head away, not wanting to look at this monster any longer. “I don’t understand how you can discard life so easily.”

“Because, in a way, they aren’t really alive. You only think they are because they do behave and react how you would expect life to. But it’s no different than, say, a video game with a scripted event. You think they are alive, but in reality, they are nothing more than programs, made to look and act real. I understand if you have a hard time...accepting the truth. But I do hope that, sooner or later, you will see the light. Things will be so much better when you come to accept the fact that all your precious zoner friends are just mere robots, going about their autonomous lives.”

Penny felt her blood start to boil. Not just boil, but chill her at the same time. It was an uncomfortable mixture, and it spread throughout her body. Rudy’s cruel words sank in her mind, spreading from her forehead down to the base of her skull. The way he so heartlessly dismissed the zoners that way... No, not him. Nihilanth... That bastard was the one who was pulling the strings. He created this world, and he was treating it like it was his own playground.

And that made her angrier than she would have been if it had been someone like Mr. Cosmo doing this. Nihilanth, out of everyone, should know how zoners think, feel, and act. If he created them, he knew just how alive they really were. And yet here he was, handwaving them like they were just a piece of discarded garbage. She couldn’t understand how he could do something like this. He was the one who made them, right? Shouldn’t he know, more than anyone, just how real zoners were? Was he doing this just to make himself feel better after he annihilates them?

In the end, it didn’t matter why he was doing this. The end result was the same. Her blood practically boiled out of the veins, burning her on the inside. She shot a death glare towards Rudy’s controlled body. Her teeth were bared, lips curled up to expose them in a vicious snarl. Her pupils shrank into dots. She started to jerk herself left and right. Rudy cocked an eyebrow, giving a small smile of amusement. Penny ignored it and continued to struggle.

It became apparent that, just like she figured out before, she wasn’t escaping his grasp. Not that easily anyway. She hung there limply, taking in a few ragged breaths. She kept her teeth exposed as she growled at Rudy. She made it clear to him that she wasn’t giving up. He just looked at her, smiling, remaining quiet. It was as if he was challenging her to get out of this situation. Well if he wanted a challenge, she was going to give it to him.

Penny looked around, her mind’s gears turning as she tried to think of what she was going to do. It seemed like there wasn’t a way out. She had no magic chalk. She didn’t have any allies. Rudy’s grip on her was so tight, she was having a hard time breathing, even now. But that didn’t mean there literally was no way out. There had to be a way...

Then she took notice of something. She wasn’t sure how she failed to notice it before. Rudy and Nihilanth did make a mistake. The way she was being held up and how close... She had a good opportunity to strike. She was in the right position...

Penny pulled her foot back, tensing up her leg muscles. She noticed Rudy’s expression change to that of shock. He knew what was coming, and she wasn’t going to let him get away that easily. She struck her leg forward before he had a chance to get out of the way. She grunted as she felt the tip of her foot collide with Rudy’s stomach.

Rudy’s eyes flew open as the foot hit against him, right underneath his ribcage. He let out a pained exhale as the air was forced out of his lungs. He staggered backwards, his hand releasing Penny as he did so. Penny fell to the ground, hitting against it painfully. She shook her head and looked over at Rudy, who held his stomach a few feet away from her. Penny kept her eyes locked onto him, slowly climbing up to her feet. She stumbled a little due to the pain in her leg, but she managed to keep herself from falling down. She did not look away from Rudy as she steadied herself. Even before he looked over, she could tell he was angry. She waited for the retaliation.

Rudy kept his hand on his stomach, gently rubbing it. He took in a few breaths, in and out, rapidly. He slowly lifted up his head and stared in Penny’s direction. His eyes widened in shock, clearly not expecting her to do something like that. His face had some etchings of pain in it. Penny’s attack did more than just knock the wind out of his lungs. His left eye twitched to convey this message. Then, as the seconds passed, his face contorted into anger and his eye glows intensified.

The boy began to walk slowly over towards Penny. This act alone was enough to make Penny apprehensive. It looked as if the boy had no more words to say, as though he was so angry that he couldn’t even begin to make a coherent sentence. His teeth ground against each other, and she thought the teeth would crack under the pressure. She took a small step back as the tension filled the air so thickly, it was like she could take a knife and cut right through it.

Rudy stopped about three feet in front of her. His body hunched a little, his hands were clutched in fists, and his eyes blazed in anger. If he had fire powers, Penny was certain he would have set this entire room on fire if he could. She could feel the heat of his anger even from this distance. Despite her fear, she kept her feet firmly planted on the ground, raising up her hands and arching her fingers a little as she got ready to fight back.

Rudy took in a few deep, growly breaths. Each one sounded almost as though there was a wolf or bear hiding inside of him, ready to spring out. His pupils shrank a little more as he raised his right foot and moved a little more forward. His posture that he adopted was clearly hostile, and she could see him shivering as anger swept through his body. Every fiber of her mind and body told her to run, and yet she stayed. Whether she was being brave or foolish right now wasn’t on her mind.

“You little bitch. You shouldn’t have done that. I was considering letting you stay a while, rest up. But if you really want to tango...” Rudy’s mouth corners ticked upwards in a vicious smile. “Well I’ll be glad to dance with you, honey. I wish you would have given me time to prepare.” He shrugged his shoulders. “But eh... Now is a good time as any. So be prepared...”

Penny took a step back. Rudy’s voice was practically overflowing in anger. And the way he looked at her... She gulped as the fear swelled in her heart. A part of her scolded herself for making such a foolish move. She had no defense here. No chalk. She couldn’t very well dive towards the red chalk, not without causing Rudy to take action. He was too close to her for her to make such a move. She didn’t stand a chance of getting away now.

“Here comes Rudy...” Rudy said with a sneer. His voice was low, almost inaudible.

Without warning, Rudy charged forward. Penny let out a scream as Rudy closed the distance. She raised up her good arm to try to protect herself. It didn’t do her any good. Rudy pushed against her, knocking her back. Penny struggled to keep her footing, but she stepped on her bad leg the wrong way, causing her knee to buckle. Rudy took advantage of this and pulled back his fist. He slammed it against her cheek, throwing her to the side as she let out a scream of pain.

Penny tried to get up, but she didn’t react in time. She grunted as Rudy jumped on top of her, knocking the wind out of her. She laid there, groaning in pain. Her eyes opened up and she let out a scream as Rudy grabbed her bad leg and began to twist it. Her good leg kicked against the ground as she slammed her fist against Rudy’s side to make him let go. The boy just chuckled as his dragon claws sliced through her leg, blood dripping on the ground. Penny turned her head from side to side as she let out multiple screams. Rudy continued to bend her leg, drawing out more screams. Her leg felt like it was on fire. She could feel the bone bending, giving way.

Then, with a twist, Rudy snapped the middle of Penny’s leg, where the knee was. Agony cascaded through her leg as her eyes bulged. Her scream echoed on the walls around her. Pain reverbrated in her mind, making it hard for her to hear much of anything except her own screams. The sound of her bone cracking echoed in her ears, causing her to become more aware of the pain, making it intensify. Though Rudy did get up away from her, Penny didn’t move. She laid on the ground, shivering in agony. She looked up at Rudy, a silent question of ‘why?’ shining in her teary eyes.

“How well can you fight now?” Rudy asked, standing in front of Penny with his hands on his hips. “How long can you go on like this? You look so pathetic right now, my dear.” Penny glared at him with an expression mixed with pain and fear. Tears continued to trickle down her cheeks, making them glisten in the light of the room. “Laying there with a useless leg... and arm.”

Penny felt her heart skip a beat when he said that statement. She knew what it entailed. She shook her head in protest. “No! Don’t do it! Please!”

Rudy ignored her. He moved swiftly over to her. Penny tried to push herself up. Rudy kicked her, his foot hitting against her chin. Her head was thrown back swiftly and painfully. She yelped as she felt her teeth sink into her tongue. She landed on her back, skidding across the ground a couple of feet. He knelt down beside her and put his leg across her, holding her down. She grabbed onto his shoulder with her good arm and pushed back, trying to get him off of her.

Rudy grabbed onto her bad arm, the one that he had tried to rip out earlier. His weaker left hand gripped her wrist while his other, her elbow. He held the arm down and started to push her arm in the opposite direction it should go. Pain erupted and swept through her arm. She screamed and sobbed as she feebly hit him with her good arm in desperation, her good leg kicking against the ground. It didn’t take long for Rudy to snap the arm back, breaking the joint. Penny let out a bloodcurdling scream. Then she collapsed as pain overwhelmed her mind, her body trembling violently. She stared at Rudy as she whimpered.

“This is what happens when you play with the big boys, dear Penny.” Rudy said callously. “If you aren’t careful..things will bite you back.”

“R-Rudy.... wh-why...?” Penny breathed, pain making it hard for her to inhale and exhale. She clenched her teeth, giving a feverish shiver. She looked at him with wide, fright-filled ees. Any amount of anger was gone from her face now. “Why...?”

“Why?” Rudy asked, tilting his head to the side. “Because you forced my hand, deary. And look where that got you. You’re in pain, and you can’t move. Not like you can go far with just one leg and one arm, am I right?” Rudy walked up to Penny. He stopped a foot in front of her. He raised up his foot and pressed it down on her chest. He applied pressure, making her grunt. “I don’t think that delicious little brain of yours is going to help you out of this...”

Penny felt her heart clench at the ‘delicious little brain’ comment and she wondered, briefly, just what he meant by that. She opened up her mouth to speak, but she instead took in a weak, shuddering breath. The pain was getting to her, freezing her body in its iron grasp. Her brain pummeled her with repeated signals, getting itself confused. Her vision began to blur and darken, everything going out of focus. Her eyelids began to flutter and became hard to keep open.

Rudy grinned at this. He spoke, his voice sounding echoey in her mind. “Oh are you so tired, Penny? Poor little thing...” He mocked. “Go on. Take a nap. I don’t mind...”

Penny raised her head and tried to say something. But then a jolt of pain swept through her body. She widened her eyes, gave a quick tremble, and her head collapsed to the ground as her body went limp. Her eyes slowly shut, her world going dark and silent. As she drifted off, she could hear one final thing Rudy said, his voice faint and sounding like it reverbrated forever.

“Some guardian you turned out to be.”

sss

Progress was painfully slow. Bardot knew he must have been dragging Mr. Wilter along the ground for a while now. His body ached from the effort, his wounds irritated. He wanted to move faster, but had neither the strength nor the means to. And if he tried pulling too hard, he could end up injuring Mr. Wilter more.

He hadn’t gone too far. He might have been doing this for an hour, but the progress he made was laughable. He hadn’t even reached his cell he had been kept in. And that hadn’t been that far away. If he had a better mode of transportation, he could have reached that cell about half an hour ago. But he had to make do with what he had, which was his own legs. They radiated in pain, sweeping from the foot to his shoulders and hips. His outline wounds were feeling worse and worse by the second. Still, he pressed on.

A part of him wished that he had thought this through more. Maybe there was a strategy he could have used that worked better than this. Not that he didn’t think about a way to escape before. But he felt that, with some more thinking, he could have thought of something that could have worked out better for him. He knew that if he had spent a bit more time thinking, an idea he hadn’t thought of could have come to him.

The hybrid zoner contined on his way down the corridor. He hadn’t yet seen any evidence of his cage yet, so he knew he was still a ways back. Trying to remember the exact path taken was not easy. Even with his sense of smell, it was still difficult to determine just when he should turn and when he should keep going straight. He did like it when he realized he didn’t have to turn, as trying to alter direction while dragging Mr. Wilter was not an easy thing to do. The man was so massive, he could barely get him to move in a different direction. If only he had some blue chalk and he could draw some kind of transportation...

Well there was nothing he could do about that now. All he could do now was move on, dragging Mr. Wilter’s body behind him. At least he appeared to be alone. He didn’t hear any other voices down here, no signs that someone else was here. He guessed that Jenny hadn’t come back yet. And Rudy and Nihilanth..they were probably elsewhere. If not still in the Solar Pillars, they were likely nearby, which meant that he might run into them should he get outside of the structure.

The thought filled him with dread. He realized there wasn’t really much he could do if he were caught outside of the Solar Pillars. That made this rescue plan of his even more unbelievable. There was no way he could drag Mr. Wilter fast enough to escape if they were spotted by Rudy. Nihilanth was a large, powerful dragon and once he saw him, if his speed and strength didn’t get him, then his innate creation powers would.

This realization made Bardot hesitate to continue. There was no one here, so he didn’t have much to worry by pausing. For now, Solar Pillars was still largely inactive, at least compared to how it used to be. There weren’t too many creators here, either. He recalled that, years ago, Mr. Cosmo had led an army of many creators. He didn’t remember how many there were. Twenty, thirty, fifty... Either way, a lot more than what was here now.

But that didn’t make him feel that much safer. Who cares how many creators there were here? The bigger threat was the manifestation of black chalk, Nihilanth. He required no magic chalk to make an item become reality. He had never seen any creature as powerful as him before, to the point where he made even the most dangerous human creator look tame. He didn’t know how he or anyone, magic chalk or not, could take on something that could create things just by thinking about it.

Bardot laid down next to Mr. Wilter, his front legs crossing over each other. He rested his head on them, his green eyes staring out into the distance. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, his tail moving slowly, side to side. Resting did help his body feel a little better. The pain was still there, but it was more manageable, easier to block out. His head, however, still ached, being constantly battered by various thoughts that entered his mind.

He laid there for a few minutes, trying to think of what to do next. This place seemed empty enough that he might be safe just leaving the man here and... No, he didn’t want to do that. Too risky. He had to think of something else. He lifted up his head and looked left and right. He didn’t know why, but sometimes this act helped him think better. He ignored the headache he was getting and kept thinking as hard as he could. Surely there had to be something he had missed. Something that might turn the tides...

He was interrupted from his thoughts when a scream echoed on the walls. He stiffened up, his muzzle pointed towards the ceiling. He looked around. The scream came again, caused his ears to prick up. He slowly climbed up to his feet and staggered forward. He seethed in pain as he nearly tripped over. He regained his footing and took another couple of steps. He looked left and right, his ears trying to figure out the source of the sound.

A third scream, this one being a tad closer. Then...lower... Bardot lowered his head, his gaze facing towards the ground. He stared in confusion, trying to make sense of what he had just heard. It took him seconds to realize what must have happened. Someone had fallen somewhere...down below... A tunnel, perhaps? He wondered who it was. The person...no, persons... There was more than one. The scream was clearly of at least two individuals. Their screaming suggested that they were captured prisoners.

Bardot let that sink into his mind. Perhaps he had found some allies then. He didn’t know who was captured. It could be Snap or it could be some other zoner, or even a human. Either way, whoever was caught was clearly an enemy of Nihilanth. And there was a saying. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. He knew this logic didn’t always apply, but in this case, he was remaining hopeful.

Bardot stood there as he tried to figure out which way he could go. Maybe if he headed back, he could find another set of staircases that took him down to a lower level. From the sound of the scream, he knew there was no way that he could find them on this level. They were down lower. But where could the stares be? This place wasn’t well marked. Oh sure it might make sense to the black chalk artists here. Heck, there might even be some hidden writing that only they can see. But that meant squat to him.

Bardot took another step forward, then he stopped. He looked back at Mr. Wilter. He had to make a choice. He could attempt to drag the old man with him down the tunnels. He didn’t know where the stairs were, though, and dragging him with interfere with exploring around. He could drag him into a dark corner. He could see a few suitable spots. He could prop him up there and then head down through the hallways to find the stairs. But he would be leaving Mr. Wilter at the mercy of Jenny, Rudy, and Nihilanth; there was always the chance that one of them could stumble upon Wilter while he was away. Not to mention, they could find him, and he had little defense left. And there was a chance he could end up lost in here. If any of those people were in here, and they found him before he could head back...

The yellow zoner shook his head. He couldn’t stand around here and do nothing. His best bet was to try to find the location of that sound. He would move faster alone. He looked over at Mr. Wilter, his expression yielding a bit of regret. He had no choice. Either way, there was a chance that he would get caught. At least this way, there was a chance that he could be used as a distraction. Separated, if he were the one caught, then perhaps Jenny, Rudy, and Nihilanth wouldn’t bother trying to find Wilter.

Making up his mind, Bardot moved over to Wilter. He quickly cast a glance back over his shoulder, staring at a corner nearby. It was out of the way, and quite dark. The darkest place he could see close by. He turned his attention back to Mr. Wilter. He took a step forward and grabbed onto Mr. Wilter’s arm. He bit down as hard as he needed to and he began to drag the man across the ground towards the corner. It took him a few minutes, longer than he would have liked. Once he got to the corner, he pushed the man against it the best he could. He then took a few steps back, his gaze moving up and down as he judged his handiwork.

Satisfied, Bardot turned and began to walk away. He moved into the middle of the previous hallway he and Wilter had been in. He paused and he looked around, twitching his ears a little. The sound had come back from where he had come down originally. He turned his head to the right, his eyes staring down the hallway. There were no more screams, but perhaps he knew enough that he didn’t need to hear another one.

Taking one more glance at Mr. Wilter, Bardot began to walk down the hallway. He retraced his steps, ignoring the apprehension he felt as he moved back to the killing room he had been in previously. Moving back there didn’t take as long since he was no longer dragging Mr. Wilter behind him. It took about half an hour to get back moving at the somewhat faster speed. Still longer than he would have hoped for, but better than it would have been if he took Mr. Wilter with him. He paused in front of the door. He turned his head and looked inside. He flinched at the sight of all those horrific machines, knowing that any of them could be used on him. Swallowing hard, he continued on down the hallway.

He soon reached the end of this hallway. He stood in the center of the new hallway, looking left and right. He tried to figure out which way was the best course to take. He looked down the left first, and then the right. He closed his eyes, his mind echoing with the memory of the scream. After trying to determine its direction, he soon decided to head down the right. He shifted his gaze in that direction. Yeah, the right seemed to be the best place to go. He headed down that direction.

He continued to move down the hallway, the small white lights barely illuminating this place sufficiently. A musky, moist smell hung strongly in the air as he continued heading down. He knew that this could mean he was going to reach the stares soon. He hoped so. He didn’t want to imagine what else that smell could partain to if it wasn’t moisture from a lower level of this structure.

It didn’t take him long to find out just what it was. He could see a door up ahead, or at least, it looked like a door, if albeit a jagged and crooked one, uneven. He realized that this part of the structure lead into a more earthy section. It looked much more cave-like in appearance, even from this distance, but the walls, as he got closer, he realized weren’t completely solid. It was made of dirt. Thickly packed dirt, but dirt nonetheless. He didn’t fully understand why it would be structured this way. But he had no time to figure out why it was like this. He headed down through the door.

He found himself in a cylinder-shape place, much like before. But this area wasn’t filled with real world water. The walls had no traces of metal on them. There wasn’t even much of a way to get down. Below, he could see a flat, round surface, made of dirt and nothing else. There was a ridge that encircled the whole room, but no other doors other than the one he was standing in. The damp smell from before was stronger here, and he realized it wasn’t just the walls that caused this scent; there was something strange about the ground below. It seemed too..sifty he guessed was the right word.

Bardot began to walk around on the ledge, his eyes down towards the ground below. The cylinder shape seemed to taper off at the roof and he noticed this whole place was at an angle. At first, he wondered why that was. He looked up and he saw what the reason was.

Above him, he could see what appeared to be an opening. The way it was angled, it had to be some kind of shute. He wasn’t sure just how far it traveled up, or the exact location of the shute’s origins. What he could tell was it was recently used. He could see what appeared to be small tufts of fur clinging to the ‘slide’, and there appeared to be skid marks of some kind.

Bardot wondered just who had used this ‘slide’ and where they had gone. He didn’t see anyone down below him. Nothing but the ground. Maybe he just needed to reposition himself. The yellow zoner walked further along the edge. His green eye stared intently at the ground below him, trying to look for any details, any clues that might help him understand what happened. After a few moments, his eyes pricked up in shock.

It was Snap. He was down there, pressed up against the wall on the ground on the opposite side he stood on. And he wasn’t alone. Standing close by him were a cheetah with a bloody hand and some kind of stylized lion. Many questions ran through his mind, but he hardly paid attention to most of them. One question in particular, however, kept nagging at his mind.

Just why were they standing in the corner like that? And why did they look so worried? Yeah, they were prisoners, but how alarmed they looked, he wondered if what they were afraid of wasn’t what could happen, but rather a more imminent threat. While he could stand around and speculate what that was, the only way to find out for certain was to speak to them. He opened his mouth to speak, but then realization dawned on him.

Just..how was he going to get them out? How would they get themselves out?

Bardot looked around the cylinder dirt room again. He didn’t see any way to climb out. It was clear this room, like the others he encountered, was designed to kill. This one, unlike the others, appeared to be a slow death. He had no doubt in his mind that the black chalk artists used this pit to starve and dehyrdate their victims, both zoner and human. His eyes widened at that realization. That must be way there was no way out of the pit, and way it was angled the way it was. It was designed this way to keep their victims from escaping.

He realized that getting them out, and himself if he fell down, wasn’t going to be easy. There was no blue chalk here; there was no way the black chalk artists would keep it in a location near where their zoner victims were going to be. He looked around, trying to see if there was any way they could get out of this mess, but so far, he found nothing. He might be able to climb out with his claws, but even that was a stretch as the walls angled inward, coming to a near point at the top.

He turned around and began to walk in the opposite direction. He accidentally hit his foot against something, causing a small rock to skid across the walkway he was on. He froze, wondering if the sound drew any attention from the black chalk artists. He realized how silly that was, but it was a fear that still lingered on his mind, nonetheless.

The rock’s clanging, however, did catch the attention of someone.

“Bardot...?”

Bardot turned his head and glanced down at where Snap was. The zoner looked up at him in shock, obviously surprised to see him. Bardot took one more step to the side before rearing himself up and grabbing onto the metal railing that ran around in a circle. He leaned forward, steadying himself.

“Ah, Snappy boy.” Bardot said, staring down at the three zoners who now knew he was here. “How did you get down there?”

“Rudy...er...Nihilanth sent us down here.” Snap said, putting his hands to his mouth to amplify the sound. “He has Penny alone! They’re up in the same room where you were strapped to that machine!”

Bardot’s eyes widened at this. His body shifted uncomfortably at the memory of that horrid machine. He sucked on his lower lip and said, “What were you guys doing here anyway? Don’t you know it’s dangerous? I provided the distraction with Jenny so you could get out and come up with a plan, not come back and get yourself captured!”

Snap had a confused look on his face. But it didn’t last long. The zoner shook his head once and held out his hand in gesture. “We had to come back! We have to stop Ghadir!”

Bardot tilted his head to the side. “Well I gurantee you...you won’t find Ghadir here.”

“What?” The cheetah zoner asked. His voice was laiden in pain. Bardot could see the reason why. Part of his hand looked like it had been ripped off. “Wh-What do you mean she’s not..?”

Bardot pressed a paw against his chest. “I took care of her personally.” He raised his head a little, his eyes staring down at the zoners below him. “I was able to get her impaled on something sharp.”

A sharp gasp from Snap. “Y-You killed her?!”

The yellow zoner shook his head slowly. “No I did not. I merely just pushed this rusty thing through her. Jenny had arrived shortly and I knew she took her to the hospital. Ghadir will most likely develop an infection of some kind, so she won’t be able to come into ChalkZone for a while.” He paused for a moment, letting this information sink in. “You won’t need to worry about her.”

Snap didn’t look any less worried. He continued to stare at Bardot in horror. “I can’t believe you...” He paused and shook his head. “I take it back. I can believe it.”

“You know you’re going to be in a lot of hot water if Jenny finds out what you did.” The lion zoner said, his golden eyes staring up at him. “She freaked out over what happened to Tyreek if I heard right.”

Bardot let out a soft groan. He knew that his actions would be met with resistance, even if they helped them in the long run. He wasn’t really sure what the two feline zoners would think, as he knew little about them. But Snap.. He knew that little zoner well enough to know that he would protest against what he did to Ghadir. And because of that, Bardot decided it was best not to argue back. They had other things to worry about.

“N-Never mind what he did to Gh-Ghadir..” The cheetah zoner hissed, taking in a shaky breath through his clenched teeth. The lion zoner and Snap looked at the spotted feline with concern. The cheetah zoner struggled up to his feet, holding his damaged paw to his body. He seethed painfully and then said, “We...need to get out of here.”

Snap nodded in agreement. He turned his attention to Bardot. “Say! Do you see anything up there that could help us?”

Bardot looked left and right. He looked back down and shrugged his shoulders. “No, not really.” He paused, noting the disappointed expressions of the zoners. “Well, have you tried climbing out? I know it’s crazy, but maybe you could...”

The lion zoner shook his head. “No go. The ground here is very thin. If we move around too much, the ground will give way and drag us into the void.”

Bardot’s eyes widened. “The...void?”

Snap said, “Yeah. An endless void is right below.” He flinched as he brought his arm to himself, as if he was remembering something unpleasant. “A very painful one at that. It burns.”

Bardot stood there in silence, letting this information sink in. He hadn’t expected a painful void to be here, let alone existing at all. If what Snap said was right, and there was little reason the zoner would lie, especially in a situation like this, then getting them out had just gotten a lot harder. The hybrid zoner sat down on his haunches and tried to think of a solution.

Just then, Bardot’s ears twitched as he heard footsteps. He turned his head and saw what looked to be a humanoid figure. The zoner immediately adopted a defensive stance, his fur standing on end. He growled at the intruder, thinking it was either Jenny or Rudy. But when the figure came through the door, he was surprised. It wasn’t a human, but rather, a humanoid zoner. He eyed her up and down, noting noting familiar about her.

The zoner stared intently at him. Her gaze was uncomfortable. Cold, piercing. But nothing about it suggested cruel intentions...yet. Bardot took a step back. He ignored the confused cries of Snap and the two feline zoners, instead keeping his gaze on this humanoid zoner, who was dressed up as some kind of cop or security guard.

The zoner was silent for a moment. Then she spoke, her voice cool and calm. “Hello. My name is Nexra.” There was a pause. Then she spoke again, her voice gaining an uncomfortable tone. “May I...help you?”


	157. Questionable

Bardot kept his defensive posture. The zoner’s statement didn’t make him feel any better. If anything, it made him more tense. There was something about the tone of her voice that was...off. He didn’t know exactly what to make of her. Was she an enemy or ally? Was she neutral? Just what was she going to do? Bardot was unable to determine the answer to any of these questions at the moment.

The woman stood there, wearing a dark blue outfit like he’d see with cops and security guards. She even had a stereotypical star badge that he’d associate with cops, but she had the word ‘Security Guard’ written on her shirt. Not that it made much of a difference anyway. She still looked rather intimidating, standing there with a holster around her waist, at least two guns visible. Her eyes, which were violet and staring at him coldly, were narrowed. The expression held what kind of looked like anger, and yet it looked like something else. He couldn’t quite put his paw on it.

Bardot took a small step back, keeping his tail raised in the air. “What are you doing here? State your business.”

Nexra stared at him. Then she chuckled, the bitterness so thick that Bardot could taste it in his mouth. “What an interesting thing to say. You act as if this is some kind of professional gig. Tell me, is this place...yours?” She tilted her head. “Or are you the intruder?”

Bardot asked, “Why? Are you an ally of the black chalk artists?”

Nexra smirked. “That...isn’t of your concern.” She took a few steps forward, her violet eyes locked onto his. Feeling uneasy, Bardot moved back even more. “What is of your concern is telling me where Penny is. I have something for her.”

Bardot lifted his eyes slightly. “What do you plan on giving her?”

“Nothing you should be concerned about, fluffy.” Nexra said. She smirked when Bardot growled at the nickname she had given him. Nexra put her hand on her right holster, moving it up and down slowly. “Anyway, I think you should tell me what I want to know. If you have any knowledge on Ms. Sanchez’s whereabouts, tell me.”

“And why would I tell you anything? You won’t even tell me why you want to know where Penny is.” Bardot said, his eyes narrowed. “How do I know you don’t have something cooking in that mind of yours? I’ve had my fair share of scheming, and I now recognize your expression. You have an ulterior motive, don’t you?” He turned his head, giving her a glaring sideways glance. “Tell me, why should I tell you anything?”

Nexra stared at him for a few moments. Silence filled the room. If the other zoners were talking, neither Bardot nor Nexra paid any mind to them, or even heard them for that matter. In that moment, all they were aware of was each other. Bardot felt the tension rise in his body. Though he still ached, the pain became secondary to his apprehension regarding Nexra’s motivations and goals. Just what was she trying to accomplish?

Bardot did have the answer that she wanted. Snap had mentioned the room Penny was in. Whether or not she was still there, he didn’t know. But he didn’t have plans on just giving out that information to Nexra. Not until she fesses up and tells him why she wants to see Penny so badly. There had to be a reason. She seemed to hint that she was with the black chalk artists, which would explain how she seemed to just show up so easily, and without looking like she had to struggle much. And if that’s the case, he had no intention on simply telling Nexra that.

Nexra took a couple steps towards him. He backed up more, his weak body pressed up against the railing. Nexra tilted her head, her gaze slowly moving towards the center of the cylinder. Her eyes became downcast, looking below her. This lasted a few seconds before she looked back at Bardot. He could see a look of intention in those eyes, and he bared his teeth in self defense. Nexra’s mouth ticked into a small smile. She closed her hand tightly on the right part of her holster again, her fingers wrapping around the gun there.

“It would be tempting to just toss you down there.” Nexra said. She turned her gaze to the thin layer down below, where she obviously knew thinly covered a painful void. She gave a quick chuckle and then looked back at Bardot. “But that won’t be so...efficient, now would it? I have something...better in mind for you.”

With that, Nexra pulled out the gun on her right. She held it in her hands. Overall, it looked similar to a regular gun, but there was something...off about it. Bardot couldn’t quite tell what that was. That is, until Nexra aimed it towards him. His eyes widened a little as he saw that the front part of it wasn’t a nozzle, but instead it was brought, flat, and it had two marks on either side. When Nexra pushed a switch, there was a distinct sizzle sound, and soon, two wavy bolts of electricity filled the space between those two marks.

“A taser...” Bardot said in a low voice, realization dawning on him.

“Oh congratulations.” Nexra mocked. “Now, if you don’t want to find out just how much this thing can hurt...” She moved in closer, her eyes narrowing into slits. Bardot took a few steps back. “You will tell me what I want to know.”

Bardot continued to back away, his tail lowered as fear started to grip him. He kept his teeth bared, growling at the humanoid zoner. Each step he took back, she would take forward. As the seconds passed, she started to pick up the pace, making it harder and harder for the hybrid zoner to keep his distance. Once in a while, he would hear Snap or one of the feline zoners say something to him, but he hardly realized what they were saying. His green eyes kept focusing on Nexra, once in a while turning to the electrifying tip of the taser.

For a few moments, what felt like many minutes, Bardot kept on backing away, looking left and right as he tried to think of a way to escape. He was too weak and injured to fight back. He might be able to land a hit, but this zoner was not only healthy; she was bigger than he was. He craned his head back as she got closer, seeing how determined her eyes looked. She really wanted this information, and regardless of her motives, he could tell that she was willing to go pretty far to get what she wanted.

He felt the tension inside of him reaching the tipping point. Nexra was gaining on him, and she wasn’t even trying. It didn’t matter now what he did. He could keep backing up, but she would catch him eventually and hurt him. He could attack her, and he’d still end up hurt. Either way, he was going to get that taser pressed against him. So he might as well make it happen but on his own terms.

With a deep growl, fighting against the burning pain of his outline injuries, Bardot lowered the front part of his body and, tensing up his leg muscles, he lunged towards Nexra. The sudden move was enough to startle Nexra, causing her to become delayed in using the taser and allowing Bardot to crush into her. The force of the impact causes them both to fall into the ground.

Immediately, Bardot sinks his teeth into Nexra’s shoulder. Even if his venom was non-existant at this point, his teeth were still weapons he could wield. He could feel blood seeping from the zoner’s shoulder as he worked his teeth in. He pressed his claws against her body, ripping them through the cloth and into her flesh. The smell of blood hung in the air, his nostrils flaring in response. Then, twisting his head, he managed to rip out a small part of her shoulder, prompting a loud scream from the zoner. He then bit down again, his pupils slowly turning into slits as his more feral side, or what was left of it, started to take over.

Nexra let out a series of screams, kicking her legs against the ground as Bardot started to rip her up. She let out a few indiscernable insults as she struggled to get herself free. Being larger than the zoner, this didn’t take too much effort. Bardot’s eyes widened and he let out a grunt as Nexra seized him by his scruff and pulled him away from her. She climbed to her feet, baring her teeth angrily at him. Bardot struggled, kicking his legs in the air. As Nexra held the taser in front of him, he realized just how big a mistake he’d just made.

“You little rodent...” Nexra hissed. “All I ask for is a simple answer to a simple question, and what did you do instead?” She glanced down at her damaged shoulder. The sight of the blood dripping down it brought about an expression on her face that was a cross between grimace and anger. She whipped her expression back to Bardot, her eyes burning. “Well you are going to regret that. I will get what I want, and if not from you, I’ll question that lot down there.” She gestured towards the railing.

Bardot turned his gaze over, just enough to look out of a single eye. He could see Snap and the two feline zoners below, watching them. He looked back at Nexra, gritting his teeth. The zoner brought the taser closer to him, prompting him to struggle, his tail wriggling wildly.

“Hold still. It will hurt less if you don’t struggle.” Nexra growled at him. Then, without warning, she slammed the taser against Bardot’s chest.

Bardot’s eyes bulged wide open, to the point where he though they would roll out of his eye sockets. A seering, hot pain spread throughout his body, originating from where the taser pressed against his chest. Electricity swam through his body, along his nerves, practically setting them on fire. He clenched his jaw shut tightly for a few moments, trying to hold back his screaming. Unable to do so for long, he reared his head back and let out a scream.

Sparks of electricity flew from the tip of the taser. Bardot’s body twitched as the electricity activated his neurons, sending them into overdrive. He twitched and squirmed as he tried to escape. More screams escaped his throat and he clenched his teeth again, sucking in a painful breath. A few tears escaped as the pain became unbearable. He kicked his hind egs wildly, trying to hit the zoner in front of him. He had no such luck and he soon tired out. Moments later, his lower half hung in the hair mostly limply, save for a few twitches in the feet and his tail.

His front legs, however, he still used to try to feebly get away. He lifted up his right front paw and struck out in front of him. His claws sailed in the hair and grazed the zoner’s body, but hardly did anything, his claws doing nothing more than a light scrape. This made Nexra angrier and she pushed the device against him harder, giving him an almost murderous look. She pushed another button on the taser, increasing its voltage.

Bardot immediately could tell the difference. As his body felt like it was being put through a river of lava, he screamed loudly, his cries echoing off the walls. The pain... It was one of the worst he ever felt. It was similiar to the pain he was forced to endure when he was hooked up that dreaded machine. He jerked his head from side to side, reaching up with his paws to try to cut into the zoner’s hands. He opened up one tear-filled eye and looked up at the zoner. Nexra was giving him a hateful look, one that told him she might not be afraid to kill him if it came to it.

The pain echoed in his mind, becoming loud and thunderous. He twitched his ears, trying to get the ‘sound’ of pain out of his head. It swirled around in his skull and continued to reverberate off the edges of bone. He let out several screeches, each one becoming weaker until he no longer had the energy to make a scream. His mind, overwhelmed with pain, began to shut down, and his vision become blurry. All sounds, even the sparking of electricity, became echoey and far away, as if he were under a body of water. His body slowly stopped thrashing altogether, and he soon laid there, completely limp.

Nexra pulled the taser away from him, much to his relief. She glared down at his near unconscious form, her face darkened by his eyes starting to blank out. He could still see enough to make out her facial features. She was giving him a look of contempt, anger radiating off her face even in the near blackness of his current vision.

Nexra held him slightly higher and said, “Now...are you going to tell me what I want to know?” She pulled him closer, holding the taser in front of his face. The ends of it sparked, partially illuminating his pain-filled and horror-stricken face. “Or do I need to be a little more persuasive?”

Bardot’s pupils shifted from the taser’s electrical end to the zoner’s face a few times. His ears flattened against his head and he managed to cringe back a little. “I...”

Suddenly, without warning, a large arch of electricity bolted from below. It snaked around the officer’s body. Nexra looked down, noticing the electrical coil around her. Her eyes widened in shock. She opened up her mouth to speak, perhaps shout a protest, but it was too late. With a hard yank, she was ripped away from Bardot. She was hoisted into the air several feet, her taser dropping to the ground.

Bardot hit the floor with a heavy thud. He shook his head and managed to barely tilt his head up to see what was going on. He could see Nexra screaming as the electricity coursed through her body, her legs kicking wildly in the air. He could hear shouts of protest from her, and some kind of response from whom he guessed was the lion zoner. He tried to pick himself up, but the pain and weakness got to him, and he slipped back down.

Bardot’s eyelids began to grow heavy. He had a hard time keeping them open. They closed part way. He struggled to keep them open, but he was fighting a losing battle. As his head spun, lightheadedness taking him over, he soon gave in. His head hit the ground, his chin hitting against it painfully. His head lolled to the side as his eyes closed. The echoey sounds faded as the blackness took him over. Then there was nothing.

sss

“Hold her still!” Snap cried, pointing a round hand at the woman zoner. “Don’t let her get free!”

“Oh she’s not going anywhere.” Maalik said, keeping his hand leveled up. A stream of electricity went from his hand up to the zoner who called herself Nexra. “So long as I’m here, she won’t get away.”

Snap hoped that was true. He wasn’t sure just what Nexra was up to, but she gave off this weird vibe and he wasn’t sure if he could trust her. His mind thought back to Dr. Lancer. She seemed like she was a nice zoner, but the whole thing with what she did to Tyreek... It made him determined not to lower his guard. Nexra might have good intentions for all he knew, but her actions in the first few minutes that he met her, it suggested that she was dangerous, and she needed to be apprehended.

Snap was horrified when he witnessed her electrocute Bardot like that. Regardless of his status as a criminal or what he had done in the past, Bardot at the moment was too weak to even fight back. Attacking someone in that condition, regardless of who they were, was a low move, and Snap detested that kind of behavior. Bardot’s screams echoed in his mind. They were filled with such distress, reminding him of all the times he had been tortured.

“Why are you doing this?” Dr. Raiden spoke, his voice still thick with pain. He let put a shuddering breath. “Didn’t Bardot...?”

Snap sighed. “Yeah, I know we haven’t exactly been on...good terms.” He glanced up towards the railing. He could see Bardot laying there. He knew he was unconscious. He then glanced over at the cheetah zoner. “But I couldn’t just leave him at the mercy of Nexra. And besides, I do owe my life to him. He did send a beacon out that saved me from Ghadir. He is also the reason Penny and I got away from Jenny. I owe him.”

Dr. Raiden stared at him for a few moments. Then he nodded his head once. “Okay then. Fair enough.” He shifted his golden gaze up to the levitating zoner. “Shall we bring her down to talk? Maybe she’s had enough by now?”

Maalik said, “Yeah. I’m curious as to what her goal is myself.”

Snap said nothing. He nodded in agreement, sharing the sentiment of the lion zoner. He, too, wanted to know just what this zoner wanted, and what her goals were. He knew little to nothing about her, which is not surprising considering he had just met her. But uneasiness ate away at his insides as he recalled what Nexra had said earlier.

Nexra was looking for Penny.

This realization hit him like a sack of rocks. What did Nexra want Penny for? Why was she so determined to find her? Was she in cahoots with the black chalk artists like Bardot appeared to believe? This didn’t settle well with Snap. He wanted..no..he needed to know just what Nexra was going to do if she found Penny. There were multiple possibilities, though a number of them were a bit of a stretch or didn’t make much sense considering the circumstances.

The fact that she refused to tell Bardot why she wanted to see Penny was troubling as well. This seemed to lead to the possibility that she wanted to do something horrible to Penny, and didn’t want him or anyone else nearby to know. The thought made him feel sick inside. If this creepazoid was going to hurt Penny...

Snap’s thoughts were cut off when Nexra gave a shout from above.

“Wait! Stop!” Nexra cried as she was being lifted over the railing. “This is a misunderstanding!”

Maalik cocked an eyebrow. He froze her in the air, hovering her at about the half way point. “Oh really now?” He tilted his head, baring his teeth. “What do you mean...a misunderstand?”

Nexra struggled in the air, jerking her body from side to side. “Please! Put me down! This isn’t want it looks like! You’ve got to believe me!”

Snap narrowed his eyes and folded his arms against his chest. “Lady, we saw what you did to Bardot. I don’t think we’re taking anything out of context here.”

“I-I’ll explain everything! Just put me down! Please! I’m terrified of heights!” Nexra squealed, her eyes wide in horror. Her pupils became dots as she looked around. She tried to wriggle herself free, despite it being a futile effort. Snap knew how impossible it was to escape the coil’s grasp.

Maalik growled softly, but then his facial features relaxed. “All right then. But we will only let you down if you answer all our questions. If you resist, I will sling you back into the air. Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-Yeah!” Nexra whimpered. “I understand!”

“Good.” Maalik said.

With a yank, Maalik pulled the cop zoner down towards them. He moved her slowly and carefully. The lion zoner knew the dangers of just dropping her down, so he made sure that, when he settled her on the ground, he did so as lightly as he could. As the zoner’s feet met the ground, planting down on it firmly, Maalik slowly uncoiled his electric weapon, slinking it back up into his finger. He then took a step forward, staring intently at the female zoner. He folded his arms against his chest.

“Okay... talk.” Maalik demanded.

Nexra stood there for a few moments. She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she opted to stay still, a hand against her chest. Her heart must be pounding pretty hard. Snap could swear he could hear it. That was enough to tell the small zoner that she hadn’t been lying before about her being afraid of heights. It wasn’t an attempt to make them let her go; it was genuine. Hard for her to fake an increased heartbeat. But that did not excuse her behavior, and like the female zoners, he found himself glaring at her.

Nexra took in a few breaths, her hand still against her chest. She slowly calmed herself down, her heartrate returning to normal. She stared at the three zoners before her, her eyes wide in fear. Then, after what felt like a few minutes, she closed her eyes and reopened them. Replacing the fear was that same cold look she had before with Bardot.

“So...you want to know what I’m trying to do?” Nexra asked, baring her teeth. “You scare me half to death just because you are so eager to know what I’m up to? Is that it?”

Dr. Raiden was about to speak, but Maalik beat him to the punch.

Pointing an electrified finger in Nexra’s direction, Maalik said, “Talk, or you are going to be hanging from the ceiling!”

Nexra’s eyes flickered with momentary fear. She sighed and said, “Okay then, very well. I’ll tell you. Perhaps after you hear the story, maybe you will be more...cooperative with me.”

“Maybe. It all depends...” Snap said. He pointed towards her, his eyes narrowed. “Just what are you planning with my friend?”

“I just wanted to give her something. That’s all.” Nexra explained. Her arms crossed across her chest. “It’s important that I get this to her. I came all this way to find her and I’m not about to let you three stand in my way.” Her voice grew slightly darker and more threatening. She pointed a finger in their direction. “I do hope this little ‘chat’ of ours doesn’t delay me for too long. Time is...”

“Nevermind about time! We know there isn’t a lot left! But there is enough time for you to explain what you were going to do.” Maalik spoke up, cutting her off. Nexra opened her mouth to speak. Maalik stopped her, saying, “And don’t try to say ‘oh but I already told you’, because you didn’t tell us the whole story. You only told us what you came here to do.”

“Isn’t that enough?” Nexra asked.

Maalik shook his head. “No.”

Nexra narrowed her eyes a little further. “Then what is?”

Dr. Raiden replied to this. He pointed his finger at the zoner, a bit of pain still etched on his face. “We need you to tell us exactly what you plan on giving to Penny. What did you need to bring that was so important, you can’t afford to spend a few moments of your time explaining? I’m sure it would take you a minute to tell us.”

Nexra cocked an eyebrow. “Is it really that fascinating that you find out what I’m bringing?”

Snap nodded his head. “If there is a chance you’re working with the black chalk artists..”

Nexra shot a glare in his direction. Snap froze, his eyes widening. The way she looked at him.. He took a couple steps back. There was something...unusual about her stare. It was hard to describe. It held a look of uncomfortableness. Snap wanted to speak more, but Nexra’s stare seemed to steal his voice away. He wasn’t able to get the words out, unable to tear his gaze away from Nexra’s. He couldn’t tell just what precise emotion she was feeling, and that just added to his apprehension.

Nexra attempted to stroll over to Snap, but she was stopped by Raiden and Maalik, who took position in front of him. Nexra stopped, looking intimidated by the two taller, somewhat larger zoners. She shrank back slightly, her eyes focusing on the finger that Maalik used to shoot electricity from. She stared over at Snap for a few moments, and they locked eyes with each other. Snap looked up at her somewhat fearfully, unsure of what to expect from her. She then turned her gaze back to Maalik and Raiden, who held harder, more stern glances with them.

Snap wasn’t sure what she was going to do or say. She looked angry, and yet...not. It was some kind of mixture of emotions. He guessed a lot of thoughts were running through her head, and she wasn’t sure exactly what she was going to do. It was clear she hadn’t expected this kind of resistance when she came here, and it was like she was ill equipped to deal with it.

But it really couldn’t be that hard to answer a simple question, could it? Just what did she think they were going to do? They would be more cooperative, as she said, if she told them about what she was doing. What was causing the delay?

“I...don’t want anything to do with the black chalk artists.” Nexra seethed through clenched teeth. Her narrowed eyes bored into Snap’s. “And don’t you dare compare me to them.”

At this, Snap gave her a perplexed expression. She wasn’t involved with the black chalk artists? Then why was she acting the way she was? Why did she give a response earlier that made it seem like she was in cahoots with them? She didn’t give them a reason to believe she didn’t work for the black chalk artists. Was it possible she was laying to them in order to lower their guard?

And even if she spoke the truth, why had she been reluctant to speak with them earlier? Why had she refused to divulge information when asked for it? Why did it take her being threatened with heights in order for her to agree to speak? And why, even now, was she hesitating?

If she wasn’t with the black chalk artists, if she spoke the truth, then that was good. One less threat to worry about. But that didn’t mean they were out of the woods yet. They still didn’t even know if she was an ally or not. She acted a little aggressive to them for an ally, and there was a chance that she was working for someone else. Maybe another set of villains that they didn’t know about. Snap hoped that wasn’t the case. They would be in a lot of trouble if more bad guys decided to rear their ugly heads.

“Now as for what I’m doing here...” Nexra said. She darted her eyes left and right, as if she was afraid she was being watched. Snap wondered if she would provide any insight that would explain that behavior. She then looked back at the three zoners standing before her. “I came here to deliver black chalk to Penny.”

Immediately, Snap and the two feline zoners gasped in horror. They glanced at each other, each of them understanding the severity of the situation. Black chalk was one of the worst possible things to give to Penny right now. If this zoner succeeded... Snap shuddered to think of the consequences. They couldn’t allow her to succeed. And didn’t she say she didn’t work for the black chalk artists? Had that been a lie? If so, she did a poor job of lying. Already she had exposed herself.

Dr. Raiden and Maalik reacted without prompt. They moved towards Nexra and seized her by the arms. The motion seemed to surprise her, and she gave a yelp as she was pulled forward. She struggled only momentarily, but soon stopped. She looked as if she had wanted to reach for her other gun, but thankfully the two felines were able to keep her in check. Snap glared up at her, meeting her gaze. Whatever she had planned with giving Penny the black chalk, he knew it couldn’t be anything good.

“Wait! You don’t understand!” Nexra cried out in fear. “This isn’t what it looks like!”

“Oh no?” Dr. Raiden cocked an eyebrow. “You were the one who said that you wanted nothing to do with the black chalk arists.” He held out his undamaged paw in gesture. “Then you tell us you are trying to give black chalk to Penny. What else could you possibly use it for except to corrupt?”

“I-It’s to help...” Nexra stammered. She clenched her teeth as the felines tightened their grip.

At this, Snap froze, his eyes widening. His mind flashed back to previous conversations and things he read. Didn’t he learn somewhere, something about black chalk being required to unlock the white chalk sentience? Did this zoner somehow know about that? If that’s the case... It still didn’t explain why she was reluctant to speak before, but it did explain why she was acting so urgent.

“Help? How?” Maalik asked.

“How can black chalk help?” Raiden inquired.

Snap realized that the two zoners may have forgotten that black chalk was a component in awakening the white chalk’s sentience. After their little skirmish with Rudy, and then earlier, the shock of Jenny’s death, he couldn’t blame them. Although all three of the initial black chalk artists were taken care of, a thought hat filled him with dread as he recalled his horrible deed earlier, there was still Rudy to worry about.

“Don’t you recall? We need black chalk for...” Snap started to say.

“Oh yeah, that’s right...” Dr. Raiden’s eyes widened in realization. He shot a glance at Nexra. “Is that what you came here to do? Or do you have something else in mind?”

Nexra was silent, not speaking for several seconds. The silence made the zoners feel a little apprehensive. There was always the chance that she actually had other plans. The only way to find out was to let her speak, see what she says. They hoped that she didn’t have any kind of sinister plans with the black chalk, despite what she said about not wanting to associate with black chalk users. They hoped that she was a potential ally, because in this mess they were in, they certainly needed allies.

Snap momentarily wondered about Bardot. He glanced up for a second, noticing that the hybrid zoner was still knocked out. He hoped he would be okay. Bardot’s condition was quite poor at the moment, and it gave Snap uneasy flashbacks of what happened to him when he was tortred by Mr. Cosmo.

Then, when Nexra opened her mouth to speak, the three zoners listened intently. Whatever she had to say, they knew it could potentially turn the tides.

sss

Penny opened up her eyes slowly. Her vision was blurred and darkened. She could feel something cold and hard against her back. This caused her to shiver. She felt unusually cold, and she wasn’t sure if it was whatever she was laying on or this room. She looked around the room, or at least she tried to, until she realized she was not able to move her head.

Her eyes widened at this as her grogginess started to fade away fast. She attempted to move her head again. She ended up hitting it against something hard and metal. Her eyes moved up. Through her still blurred vision, she thought she could make out some kind of band that went across her forehead. She moved her eyes from side to side, trying to see if any other parts of her body were strapped down. And she quickly saw that it was. Her arms were held down by the metal bands and, when she tried to move her feet, she realized they were kept down by another set of bands as well.

Her mind raced. What was going on here? Where was she? How did she get there? She tried to struggle, jerking herself from side to side. But it was no use. She was not getting out of here anytime soon. The cuffs were strong, and anytime she pulled, all she ended up doing was nearly pulling her arm out of her socket.

She pulled herself to one side really hard and then let out a scream of pain. Horrible agony swept up her arm. When she kicked out her right leg in reaction, more pain was added on as her leg felt like it was on fire. The pain was unbearable and she screamed again, tears forming in her eyes. The pain caused her to stop struggling altogether. She stayed there, seething her teeth and trying her best to ride out the pain. Her body trembled as the seconds passed, then slowly the pain subsided, although there was still a throbbing sensation in her arm and leg.

“Good. You’re awake now. I didn’t have to do anything.”

Penny widened her eyes. She knew that voice anywhere. A voice she’d normally be happy to hear. But in this case, it belonged to the last person she wanted to see. She turned her gaze, trying to find where the individual was. And soon she saw him.

Rudy stood not far from her. He had his arms crossed and was sneering at her evilly. As he took a few steps towards her, Penny noticed something odd about the angle he was at. It looked as though he was standing off the wall down in front of her. It took her seconds to realize that couldn’t be the case and quickly concluded she was hooked vertically, not horizontally. A quick look around with her eyes confirmed this. She turned her attention back to Rudy.

Soon, Rudy stood in front of her. She glared hatefully at him, baring her teeth. Her mind mind flooded with memories of what had transpired earlier. He was the one who broke her arm and leg. He was the one who took her here, strapped her down. When he reached out with his hand, she pushed her head as far back as she could and growled softly. Rudy froze at this, then chuckled and moved his hand back.

“My my...you are feisty right now, aren’t you, my dear?” Rudy asked tauntingly. “Well I can take care of that attitude of yours soon enough. It wouldn’t take much, and I’m sure you will thank me for it. Who knows? Maybe you would make for a beautiful parnter, like you had been to me before...” He held out his hand towards her. “What do you say?”

Penny spat at Rudy. “Fuck you.”

Rudy grimaced as he wiped the bit of saliva from his cheek. He stared at it and wiped it against his shirt. He glared angrily at Penny, gritting his teeth like he were some wild carnivore. He reached forward and grabbed Penny around her throat, squeezing hard. She gagged and tried to squirm free. Feeling pain radiating from her broken limbs, she stopped, her breathing becoming labored due to Rudy’s fingers pressing against her neck.

At first, Penny thought that Rudy would say something to her. Perhaps a warning for her not to try that again. Instead, however, she was greeted with something else entirely.

Penny let out a scream as something collided with her jaw. She nearly bit her tongue from the force and she shut her eyes tightly, seething in pain. There was a warm feeling on her jaw where she was hit, and even though she couldn’t see it, she knew that a bruise must be forming. She turned her eyes and looked at Rudy. Seeing his raised fist, she knew what had happened. And upon making that realization, Rudy struck forward again, and for a second time, the fist slammed against her, this time on the other side of her jaw.

After the second punch, Rudy withdrew his fist. He kept it clenched tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palm. Despite how much he was shaking in anger, Penny was surprised at how he was able to move his hand back down so smoothly. And when he spoke, his voice was eerily calm, despite how angry he really was.

“You stupid bitch. You better not think of trying something like that again.” Rudy snarled at her. His eyes were practically on fire as anger radiated from them. Penny glared back, trying to put on a brave face. Rudy sneered at this. “Oh, so you’re going to act like you’re not afraid? Fine. But keep in mind, sweetheart..” He said that nickname with a level of sarcasm. “I can see right through that expression of yours. I can see your body shaking in fear. You’re afraid of me. I know you are. And you should be. For I am a deity here.”

“No..you’re not...” Penny said.

Rudy shot her a glare. “Is that so?”

Penny nodded. “A deity...is immortal.” She stared intently into Rudy’s gaze. “You aren’t.”

Rudy continued to glare at her. Then he shrugged his shoulders. “Ah, details. Doesn’t really matter in the end, now does it?” He smirked at her before turning his gaze to another part of the room. Penny couldn’t see what he was looking at, no matter how hard she moved her eyes over. “Now I’m sure you want to know why I brought you in here...” Rudy disappeared from her gaze. “You will soon find out.”

Penny tried harder to look over but had no such luck. She could hear Rudy moving stuff around. There was a clanging sound, metal hitting against metal. Her heart began to beat quickly in nerve wracking anticipation. Just what was he going to do? Every clang sounded as though it belonged to some kind of weapon, filling her heart with icy fear.

Then soon, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. She looked down, seeing Rudy’s shadow casted upon it. She tried to look over, straining to see what he was bringing. It didn’t take him long to come into view. Her eyes widened at what she saw him carry. At the sight of it, she immediately shivered in fear. She tried to shake her head in protest, but all that did was cause Rudy to give her a dark smile.

It was an orbitoclast. The same item used for lobotomies... Penny eyed the instrument in shere horror, from the ‘handle’ at the end all the way to the tip. Rudy held it out in front of himself, smiling almost proudly. He let her take a nice long look at it before taking a step forward. Penny, knowing full well what he was going to use it for, let out a terrified scream and tried to turn her head away.

Rudy held out the orbitoclast even closer. He pressed it against the middle of Penny’s head. She could feel the coldness of the object against her nose and between her eyes and partly on her forehead. She let out a whimper as he pressed it a little harder against her. He was taunting her with it, letting her see the thing he was going to shove into her skull and tear apart her brain. He was going to target her strong point, which was her intelligence, and render her incapable of fighting back.

Just like what happened to Mr. Wilter...

“I could use this to give you an attitude adjustment, my dear. And don’t worry.” Rudy leaned in a little closer. He whispered harshly. “I plan to...”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror at this. She wanted to struggle. She wanted to get out of here. The only thing stopping her was the fear of causing more damage to her limbs. She looked at her broken limbs again. Pain occasionally ached from them. Her fear was overriding her pain signals, making her hardly notice them unless she did something drastic. She grunted when she felt Rudy grab and her chin with his free hand and lift her head up. She stared into his cold, unforgiving eyes, that dark smile ticking on one side of his face.

“You know exactly what this is, don’t you, my dear sweet little Penny?” Rudy jeered at her. He pressed the tip of the orbitoclast against her forehead, right above her eye. He slowly moved it down, causing her to close her eye as he moved it across there. “And you know exactly how this thing works, right?” He pressed the tip of it against the space between her eye and nose. Penny whimpered with how uncomfortably close the object was to her eye. “I know you do.... Why don’t you tell me? Enlighten me...”

Penny wanted to remain silent, but a glare from Rudy told her that she should speak up. In a quiet, shaky voice, she said, “I-It’s an orbitoclast...”

“Right. And what is it used for?” Rudy asked, his tone feigning curiosity, as if he really didn’t know what it was used for.

“L-Lobotomy...” Penny’s voice was shaky and filled with terror. A few tears escaped from her eyes. “Y-You can’t do this to me... I...I’m your...” She stopped herself, forcing herself to realize that this wasn’t her friend anymore; standing before her was just a puppet under the black chalk’s control.. Nihilanth’s control... Rudy wasn’t there anymore.

Rudy didn’t notice her statement, or if he did, he pretended not to hear it. He pushed the orbitoclast a little harder against her, causing her to let out a cry of fear and pain. “That’s right. Lobotomy. Just like what Mr. Wilter had.” Penny stared at him in fear, her eyes giving the silent plea for him not to continue. “I’m sure he would love the company, don’t you think? Maybe I can give you the same procedure so Mr. Wilter has someone he can relate to. You wouldn’t be threatening me if I tore out your frontal lobe, now would you?”

Penny tried to shake her head. She found herself hardly able to move her head at all with the metal band around her forehead. She stared at Rudy in absolute fear. He...he wouldn’t do such a thing to her, would he? Even though she knew that this boy was corrupted and being controlled, a part of her hoped that he would see sense and not try to harm her in this way.

“Please..don’t do this...” Penny whined, staring at Rudy with tears staining her cheeks. She wanted to try to figure a way out, but in the moment, her mind was too locked in cold dread as the needle-like object was placed next to her eye like this. “Please, Rudy... I’m begging you...”

Rudy chuckled coldly at this. He suddenly pulled the orbitoclast away, but instead of just yanking it back, he moved it downward as hard as he could. Penny let out a yelp of pain as the sharp tip of the object cut next to her eye and moved down her cheek. She let out a few small whimpers as new pain emerged, slowly moving from her eye and across her face. She tried to look down, but the cut to her lower eyelid made it hard for her to keep her eye open. She shut it, feeling the eyelid quivering.

“Don’t worry, sweetie. I won’t use it on you yet.” Rudy said as he recoiled the item. He placed it in his pocket as if it were just some lost set of keys he found. “I’d like to do something else with you first.”

Penny watched as Rudy reached into his other pocket. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw him lift up a piece of black chalk. She felt her body shake harder as he brought it closer to her.

“No..please...” Penny begged. “I don’t want this.. Get that away from me... Please.”

“Oh relax Penny...” Rudy sneered softly. “Just close your eyes, and it will all be over...”


	158. This Won't Hurt Me One Bit

Rudy smiled darkly as he watched Penny’s reaction. Ah yes, just what he had come to expect from someone who was still a white chalk user. So wrapped up in her delusions, she was unable to see reason. She had been led for so long by the comparitively weaker white chalk. Well he would fix that soon enough.

But for now, he had other plans with her. He held the black chalk close to her, watching her as she tried to cringe back. This time, unlike before, she had nowhere to go. He had almost managed to bring her to his side before, in the black chalk quarry. The Origin Dark chamber, where Cosmo had initially found the black chalk. Penny was giving him a pleading look, begging him not to do it. That didn’t nothing to slow Rudy down, and Penny was in no position to stop him.

Soon the black chalk nearly touched Penny’s face. The black glow bounced off her eyes, making it look almost as though her eyes were glowing with it. Oh if only that were the case. Rudy lamented that Penny kept refusing to accept the black chalk’s gift of intelligence. Sure, she was smart now, but she could be so much more...

The memory of those words made him think of Mr. Cosmo. Rudy felt a small pang. He regretted his decision that led to Mr. Cosmo’s death. That man had been right about the black chalk. It really was a beautiful thing, and he had been a fool to try to stop it. If he had known about this before... Well things would have turned out so much different. He should have taken up Mr. Cosmo’s offer and joined him. And yet.. he refused. And for what? Snap? The zoners? ChalkZone?

The memory nearly made himself wrinkle his nose in disgust. Just...why exactly had he been fighting for this world of chalk? Why had he considered Snap a friend? Or the zoners worth saving? They were all just bits and pieces of chalk clumped together. He can always draw new ones later. Cosomo had been right. They were expendable. He had no reason to expend much energy keeping them alive. Well at least he wouldn’t make that mistake again.

He remembered how the very thought of Mr. Cosmo used to make him cringe in fear. Now...it had the opposite effect. He felt...drawn to him. There was something...magnetic about him. Alluring. Even long after he was gone, the memory of Mr. Cosmo caused Rudy to be pulled to him, and he understood now why the other black chalk artists were so willing to work with him. He had some powerful influence. He wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that he was the one who first found the black chalk and spread it. Yeah..that was probably the reason.

“L-Leave me alone...”

Rudy’s thoughts were interrupted when Penny spoke up. He could see a few tears moving down her cheeks. He couldn’t help but smile at this. He remembered that look. So similiar to how he had felt when he was presented with the black chalk. How interesting for the role to be kind of reserved, with him offering the black chalk, instead of it being offered to him.

Of course, Penny didn’t fully understand exactly what he intended to do with the black chalk. She couldn’t possibly understand, especially when he hadn’t even told her that part yet. She would find out soon enough.

A part of him wondered if she was ever going to put the pieces together and realize that he had known about her little plan for a while now. Thanks to the properties of the black chalk, the interconnectiveness of it, he knew what she had planned. Awaken the sentience of the white chalk with the black chalk, then with her newly forged alliance with the red chalk, she would try to ‘cure’ him. How cheesy and predictable... She really thought she could take away this blessing and ‘save the day’. She really had no idea what she was doing. If only she would open her eyes...

But no matter... She couldn’t do anything about it anyway. Regardless if she really thought she’d win, she had no way of executing any such plan right now. She was trapped, and at his mercy. A part of him felt regret in treating her this way. He hoped that she would come to her senses soon enough. He hoped that, forced or not, she would join him by his side. He wouldn’t want to have to kill her.

Just like how Cosmo killed Saffron...

That would have been just a waste of talent. Killing another human was not something Rudy really wanted to do if he could help it. If the human was useless, then okay. That was one thing. But Penny... She could be so much more. She could be a great ally once more. She had talent and intelligence, a beautiful combination. She could be using that to help him, not fight against him. And just like how Cosmo would have preferred Saffron to stay alive, he would rather avoid killing Penny if it didn’t have to come to it.

But if she continued on resisting, and if she made it too difficult for him to even forcefully corrupt her.. Well he may have no other choice. Sometimes, sacrifices must be made.

“Oh Penita...” Rudy began.

“Don’t call me that.” Penny snapped angrily. But he could tell underneath that was a tinge of fear.

Rudy chuckled as he pulled the black chalk away from her. Penny glanced at him, confused. Of course she would be. He looked down at the black chalk, turning it from side to side between his fingers. He gave Penny an upwards glance, just barely able to see her facial features. She was giving him that same look, a mix of anger and fear. It was slighlty obscured by the glow of the black chalk, but he could still see it nonetheless.

“Oh I can call you whatever I wish, Penita.” Rudy sneered. Penny growled at him. “Now...are you going to do what I asked of you? Relax. This isn’t going to hurt you.” He took a small step closer, holding out the chalk towards Penny. She gritted her teeth and tried to pull back. “Oh come now, honey. Why are you resisting?”

“I don’t want to be corrupted.” Penny stated, her eyes focused on the black chalk he held in his hand.

Rudy glanced down at the black chalk momentaril and looked back at Penny. He gave a feigned shocked expression. “Oh really? You don’t?” He asked somewhat innocently. “Why..I never would have guessed!” He said mockingly, placing a hand against his chest. “How silly of me!”

Penny hissed at him. But she didn’t answer. Rudy was somewhat disappointed. He would have liked to hear what kind of witty response she would have to what he said. Oh well, he supposed it didn’t really matter. Plus it would have been just a waste of time. He decided to move on, explain to her what he really planned on doing with her with it.

“You’ve got it all wrong, my dear.” Rudy said in a calm voice. He looked at the black chalk, his eyes scanning it up and down as he silently admired it. “I wasn’t going to coerce you to my side..at least not yet.” Penny tilted her head, her eyes narrowed in confusion. “If you really want to know what I planned to do... well it’s quite simple really.” He moved it towards Penny again, noting how her pupils never left it. “I wouldn’t want you injured.”

That statement was all it took for Penny to understand what he was really going to do with it. Her expression softened up but more confusion invaded her eyes. She looked between the black chalk and Rudy. Then she ticked her mouth up a little as she gave a perplexed ‘what?’ kind of sound. Rudy just continued to smile at her. He remained quiet as he let this information sink into her mind. Though she looked a little more relaxed that he wasn’t going to ‘corrupt’ her yet, she was still apprehensive, which he expected from a white chalk artist like herself.

He almost rolled his eyes at the thought of white chalk. A traitor to black chalk... It had its own agenda, its own ideas, and it rebelled against the black chalk. The idea nearly caused his blood to heat up. He had to force himself to calm down, lest he accidentally do something rash without realizing it. He didn’t want to hurt Penny, especially when it wasn’t she who had triggered his anger, but instead the white chalk itself. He reminded himself that, sooner or later, the white chalk would be destroyed, leaving only the glorious black chalk, and perhaps other types that would listen to the black chalk’s will.

“You’re going to use the black chalk to heal me?” Penny asked hesitantly, cocking an eyebrow.

“Ah nice thinking there.” Rudy said in mock praise. “I knew you could do it! Now..” He started to move the black chalk over to her again. “Hold still.”

“But..” Penny glanced at the black chalk and then at Rudy. “Just...what..how does this benefit you?”

Rudy paused for a moment. He tapped his chin thoughtfully. He then shrugged his shoulders. “Well you could say it doesn’t, but that would be lying.” He said with a grin. “You see, I can’t have my future partner so...damaged.” His eyes trailed over her body, noting her injuries. “These won’t do at all...” He muttered as he stared at some of the more severe injuries. He reached out with his free hand and gripped Penny’s broken arm. She let out a cry of pain. He tightened his grip despite that and slightly pulled. “This...” He then looked down at her broken leg. “And that... simply just won’t do.”

“You were the one who gave these broken limbs, you asshole!” Penny shrieked, her voice laced in pain. “Don’t you fucking dare try to blame me for that!”

Rudy shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, you’re right.” He released her arm, and as he did, Penny shot him a confused and angered look. “I did break those limbs. My bad.” He said with fake regret. He could tell Penny saw right through that, but he didn’t care. “I simply want to correct that...mistake.”

Penny growled. “How do I know you won’t...?”

“Ah you are wise to be skeptical, pretty thing.” Rudy commented, smiling at her. “And why shouldn’t you be? After all, I’m the one who broke your limbs in the first place. Of course...” Rudy stared at her unbroken limbs. He reached over with his hand and lightly ran them up and down, feeling her soft skin, his nails lightly grazing them. Penny flinched, watching him cautiously. “It would be so easy for me to...extend that to your remaining limbs.”

At this, Penny’s eyes shot open in horror. She trembled and attempted to struggle. Rudy smiled, watching her as she thrashed about for a few moments. He shook his head, amused at how positively ridiculous Penny looked doing tihs. She had to know there was no escape.

“I wonder how well you would function...” Rudy lifted up his head, giving Penny something of a playful smile. “..if I managed to break your other arm and leg. Do you think you could even crawl away from me if that happened? Or even lift up a piece of magic chalk to defend yourself?”

Penny didn’t answer. She was still attempting to escape. There was a clear look of alarm on her face. The realization that he could break her other arm and leg sunk into her mind, and he knew it filled her with cold terror. He had no intention on doing such a thing. But he loved making her believe that he would. He loved to see the fear in her eyes. It let him know that he was in control, reassured him that he was still calling all the shots. And he planned on keeping it that way.

He moved his hand away from Penny’s arm. He reached up and gripped Penny by her chin and forced her to look at him. He stared into her wide, dark brown eyes, filled with fright. She tried to pull her head back, but it was useless.

“Of course, I could avoid all that...altogether. With an attitude adjustment.” Rudy said. He quickly added. “Well on your part, that is. There is certainly nothing wrong with me.”

Although Penny looked angered by that comment, she appeared to ignore it. Instead, she said, “How useful will I be to you if I was lobotomized like Mr. Wilter was?” The tone was almost accusatory, mixed in with sadness, fear, and skepticism. “If anything, that...” She was silenced when Rudy clamped his hand on her mouth.

“Oh I know. I can see your point there. Yes... Doing that to you would be...problematic.” Rudy said calmly. He felt her head squirm as she tried to make him release her mouth. He responded by tightening his grip, his fingernails digging into her cheeks as his palm pressed firmly against her lips. “I...do not think I will resort to using the orbitoclast. Oh I could, and I would, but that was mostly just for show and scare.” He put his forehead against hers. He spoke in a soft, wisping voice. “I would much rather bless you than do anything to permanently maim you.”

After he removed his hand from her mouth, Penny retorted, “You broke my arm and leg.”

“True, true. And I do apologize sincerely for that.” Rudy said. “I will not do it again. Promise.”

Penny tried to jerk her head to the side. Not surprisingly, the piece of metal held her head in place. “Why don’t I believe you...?”

“Well you don’t have to if you don’t want.” Rudy said, moving his hand dismissively. He traced across Penny’s lips once, making her growl and twist in discomfort. She clearly didn’t like him doing that. He moved his hand down to hold her chin again. “I am just going to heal you. Afterwards, I will release you. But don’t other trying to run away from me, my dear. I have the black chalk. Your pathetic red chalk is gone, and I already searched your body.” Penny gave a shocked look at this. He ignored it and continued. “I know you have no weak white chalk either. So I would stay put if I were you, honey bunch.”

Penny narrowed her eyes. “Even if you do stop me...there are others who are willing to try.”

“I can deal with them later. I think after I get back into the real world, I will take care of my parents.” Rudy said.

Penny’s eyes widened in horror. “You...you wouldn’t...”

“Oh why shouldn’t I?” Rudy said, sneering at her. “They are of no use to me. I don’t need them anymore.” He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “I wonder what I should do with them...” He held his palm up. “Maybe I will do what my one counterpart did.. Choke my mom to death and slash her throat open... then stab my dad in the back, break his spine, and slice out his throat. Yes...” His smile broadened. “That would be nice..” He looked into Penny’s horrified eyes. “I don’t want to kill another human if they are useful. But since I know dear mommy and daddy will protest, it’s best to just get rid of them.”

He paused for a few moments. He let this information sink into Penny’s mind. He watched as her expression became more and more horrified as time passed. He let the full implication of what he was going to do sink into her mind, his smile broadening as she attempted to squirm, get herself free.

“And you know..”

Penny looked at him fearfully, clearly dreading what he was going to say next.

“Maybe I will go after your mom, too.” Rudy said.

“No!” Penny cried, her eyes wide in horror. “You can’t!”

“No..no I can. Your mom might be a problem. But I will probably do something different for her. Let’s see... Should I poison her food?” Rudy asked innocently.

“No!”

“Shall I sabotage her car and take away the brakes so she’ll crash?”

“No, please!”

“Oh! Maybe I’ll just bash her head in and crush her brain.”

Penny’s face was slick with tears. “No...don’t..please...” She took in a shuddering breath, her body trembling in emotion. “Don’t...”

Rudy narrowed his eyes at her. “...okay. I won’t go after your dear momma.” She looked up at him, confused, her eyes reddened and tear-stained. Rudy deepened his voice, “For now...”

Penny tried to shake her head. “L-Leave my mom out of this!” She desperately demanded. “I’ll... I’ll...” She sighed in defeat, her gaze becoming downcast. “I’ll go quietly with you, if you promise not to harm my mother.”

Rudy stared at her for a few moments. Amusement tugged away at his facial features. How interesting how Penny thinks that she can control him like this, that she can somehow strike a bargain with him. Well, he would play along for the time being. Might as well make her believe she was in charge in some shape or form. After all, that was all part of the plan, wasn’t it?

Rudy caressed her cheek gently. “All right then. It’s a deal. You cooperate with me...and I’ll leave your mother alone.” He gave a bitter chuckle. “She must really mean a lot to you..if you’re willing to..take a walk with me without a struggle. Though I’m certain you’d still try to fight the so-called ‘corruption’, am I right? You don’t want to hurt ChalkZone.”

Penny’s only response was to glare at him. That look told Rudy all he needed to know.

“I thought so.” Rudy said with a smile. “You have such spirit. That’s an admirable trait. It helps you become more...attractive to me.” He leaned in closer, uncomfortably close to Penny. “I do hope I won’t have to rid myself of you like my counterpart had...” He gently stroked a strand of hair from her face. “You are simply too beautiful for me to kill...”

Then, without warning, Rudy pressed his lips against Penny’s. The girl let out a startled grunt and squirmed. He held her more firmly as he kept his lips on hers. He enjoyed this, relishing in the kiss. Then he parted away. He smiled at her as she gave him a horrified look. He fought off the feeling of disappointment; after all, the other times he kissed her, he wasn’t blessed, so he could understand why she wouldn’t feel comforted by this current kiss.

“Now, shall we get started?” Rudy asked. He didn’t bother waiting for an answer from Penny, who was still stunned from the kiss. He lifted the black chalk to her again. “Hold still.”

When Penny found her voice, she stammered, “Doesn’t the black chalk only heal once?”

“No.” Rudy shook his head. “It can heal more than once. It just usually chooses not to.”

“And what makes you think it will heal me?” Penny asked, her voice still shaky.

“Because of Nihilanth.” Rudy folded his arms and grinned at her. “You see, it will listen to Nihilanth, as he is the manifestation, the physical form, of black chalk..and servant light of course.” He straighted his back, making himself look more authorative. It was a way of asserting his dominance over her. “Nihilanth thinks you can be useful. And if he thinks so, then the black chalk will heal you. Oh..and you haven’t even been healed by the black chalk before so...all your little question did was bide time.” His eyes flashed a little black. “That’s what you were intending, right?”

Penny said, “I...”

“I thought so. You don’t trust me.” Rudy said.

“I don’t trust the black chalk.” Penny replied.

Rudy shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t see why not. But...” He paused for a moment. He decided not to waste more time on this. “It’s time to get started. Hold still. I’ll hold this to you and you have to keep still. The black chalk will heal your injurie, and I will pull it away after it’s done. I promise. You have my word.”

Although Penny looked unsure, he could tell she knew she had nowhere to run. Reluctantly, she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. “Just get it over with...”

Rudy grinned broadly at this. “Excellent! Now...just hold still...” Rudy said as he brought the black chalk closer to her. “This won’t hurt me one bit.”

sss

“Are you sure this is the right way?” Nexra asked.

“Well I can’t be too sure.” Bardot replied. “And honestly, I don’t even know if she’s still there or not. Rudy might have...”

“Well as long as it’s the general direction.” Nexra cut him off. “That’s all I need to know.”

A low growl emitted in the air. It belonged to the cheetah zoner, Dr. Raiden. “I hope that, for your sake, you were telling the truth before.”

Nexra opened her mouth to speak, then she paused. She never stopped running. None of them did. Her heavy breathing filled the air, as did all theirs. Somehow, she was able to sigh softly and clearly, and the others’ attention turned briefly onto her.

“Look, I know we got off the wrong foot. And I apologize for that.” Nexra said. Her voice was laced in slight bitterness. “But...if you want your...friend to have a chance, you will just have to trust me.”

“I don’t.” Dr. Raiden growled, his ears lowering.

“Well that’s your problem, kitty cat. Not mine.” Nexra retorted in a low voice. Dr. Raiden growled in response, but said nothing.

The group, consisting of Nexra, Dr. Raiden, Bardot, Snap, and Maalik, raced down the hallways. They had been running for a while, following Bardot’s instructions, or what he had of them. None of them could remember just how long they had been running. But they knew that they couldn’t stop. They all knew what was at stake. And so they kept on running, hoping that they would reach Penny in time.

Snap was riding on Maalik’s back. The lion zoner had offered a ride. Snap took it, not wanting to ride on Raiden as he feared he would accidentally harm the cheetah zoner. He was having enough trouble as it was running with that damaged paw of his. Despite him not being very big, Snap feared that his extra weight could hinder Raiden’s abilit to run and hurt him more. Maalik was still in relatively good shape compared to the rest of them, well minus Nexra, so Snap didn’t really feel guilty about riding on his back. He held on tightly as the lion bounded across the ground, his back bending with each stride.

Up ahead of him and Dr. Raiden was Nexra, holding Bardot. The hybrid zoner had recently woken up and they quickly caught him up on the details. It had been difficult getting out of the chamber ground, but Bardot had found a secret passage. Snap was confused as to why they would put such a thing if this area was meant to store. Maalik suggested that the black chalk artists may have realized they might make a mistake one day and created it just in case such a mistake would occur. Of course, a bunch of zoners like themselves getting stuck there wouldn’t qualify as a mistake in the black chalk artists’ eyes, but he was still glad they thought to make something like this, even if it wasn’t intended for them.

Bardot was calling off shouts on when to turn. He was doing his best to lead them back to the stairs, to the floor with the machine. He had wanted to lead them to pick up Mr. Wilter, and Snap would have wanted to do that as well, but Nexra insisted they go for Penny and that they could pick up Mr. Wilter later. Although Snap, Raiden, and Maalik all thought about going off, at least just one of them, to get Wilter, they knew that, without Bardot’s directions, they would be pretty much screwed. They had no choice but to follow him and Nexra to find Penny. Snap could only hope that Wilter would be safe in the meantime.

As they raced down the hallway, hoping to find Penny before Rudy had a chance to corrupt her, Snap couldn’t help but cast a glance over at Nexra. He narrowed his eyes slightly, one eye slightly more so than the other. He couldn’t help but share Raiden’s distrust of her. There was just something about her that rubbed him the wrong way. Although he understood that she was bringing the black chalk to help awaken the white chalk’s sentience, he still wasn’t entirely convinced that’s all she was going to do.

He wanted to remain hopeful. He wanted to believe that Nexra was just trying to help them. But... He just wasn’t completely certain. The only reason he decided to go with at all was because this was his only chance to get back to Penny. If he tried his own way, he may have gotten lost, or even caught if Rudy had thought of drawing some creations to guard the hallways.

One thing that added to his suspicion was the fact that Nexra never told them how she got a hold of the black chalk. Did she find it somewhere? If what she says is true, that would have to be the case. If she was given it, then he’d have to wonder the motivations of that other zoner, or if it was even a zoner at all. It didn’t help that Nexra also never indicated she had any white chalk with her. She never said if she managed to find any of that. If she had no white chalk with her, he hoped it was because she never found any, or had just simply forgot to look, and not because she never intended to bring any. Because if that’s the case...

He tried not to think about it. He tried to remain focused on what was going on right now. They needed to get to Penny first. Regardless of Nexra’s motivations, at least one of their group, perhaps Maalik, would be able to stop Rudy before it was too late. His electric finger would be able to throw Rudy aside and bide them sometime.

Snap bit his lip. He hoped that Rudy wouldn’t retaliate like he had with Dr. Raiden. The memory of how Dr. Raiden lost his metal finger still dragged on in his mind. The sound effect that was released, the blood that splattered the ground, the scream... He would never forget it.

Suddenly the group came to a dead end. They halted, nearly crashing into the wall. Confused, the group took a few steps back. They looked left and right. There was no indication that this hallway had any other pathways. The walls were just...walls, no indication of a hidden area or anything. Had they taken a wrong turn somewhere? Maybe they could have gone in the opposite direction?

Snap recalled Bardot did say he was unsure if he was going on the right path or not. A part of Snap wanted to think of a new plan, but he knew Bardot may be their best chance to get back. He had spent more time roaming these hallways than he, Raiden, Maalik, or Nexra. He was the best person to lead them. But it was clear, from Nexra’s expression, not everyone would agree.

“You little...” Nexra snarled as she held Bardot out in front of her. Her violet eyes were narrowed into slits. “I thought you said you knew the way!”

“I said that I wasn’t sure if this was the right way or not. Just the same general direction! Don’t you listen to me when I talk?!” Bardot cried, baring his sharp teeth at the humanoid zoner. “And I’m sure all we really did wrong was go down the incorrect path somewhere.”

“What we did wrong was listen to you!” Nexra shouted. “If we don’t get there in time, I’ll...”

“Cool it.” Maalik growled. He pointed his electric finger at Nexra. Getting the point right away, Nexra’s eyes widened in fear, and then narrowed as she lowered Bardot down, positioning him how she had him before. Satisfied with her compliance, Maalik lowered his finger. He still gave her a threatening glare, a clear warning that if she tried to do something like that again, he wouldn’t hesitate to take action.

Dr. Raiden looked over his shoulder. Then he looked over at Nexra. He spoke up. “Maybe we should backtrack and see if we missed a hallway?” His voice was barely able to hide the distrust he had for Nexra.

Nexra clearly caught on to his distrust, and she glowered in Raiden’s direction. She didn’t comment on his current state of mind, however, and instead simply nodded her head. “Yes..” She said, a slight delay in her voice. “That sounds like a plan.”

Without saying another word, the zoners nodded to each other in understanding. They turned around and started to head back where they came from. They all silently hoped that they would find the right path, or even just find Penny by complete accident. They all knew, with a heavy heart, what would happen if Penny was also exposed to the black chalk.

The thought terrified Snap. He had witnessed what Rudy was like with the black chalk. Not just here, but in the other dimension. He had no clue just what Penny would be like. He guessed that she might turn out similar to how Jenny had been, due to their knowledge of medication and anatomy, health in general. The thought frightened the little zoner. He knew what Penny might do with her skills if she started following the command of the black chalk. His mind flashed with images of zoners being cut open, their organs taken out slowly, prolonging their pain. Though it was hard, he shook his head, eventually ridding himself of that horrible imagery.

As the group moved down the hallways, back where they came from, as they tried to figure out which other way they can try to go, a single statement exited Snap’s mouth, soft and barely audible.

“Please, be okay, Penny. We’re coming.. Just hang on...”

sss

Jenny walked into the Chalk Mine slowly, a nasty smile spread across her face. She looked left and right, taking in the sight. A part of her couldn’t believe that this place was still in tact. She remembered the imagery that Biclops had shown her. The place was a complete wreck, with many holes in it put there by real world water. Now it was recovered, repaired by Rudy and Penny three years ago.

She noted that there seemed to be some differences. The introduction of new tunnels, others removed or blocked off. She guessed that Biclops had Rudy block access to the black chalk chamber in hopes of preventing anyone else from going there. Well if that were the case, it wasn’t going to last very long. With a piece of magic chalk in her hand, she could easily tear through the walls until she found the black chalk chamber.

But that wasn’t the reason she was here. She had something else she had to do first. She would worry about the black chalk chamber later.

Jenny replayed Rudy’s message to her. Nihilanth wanted her to come to the Chalk Mine now. He said that now was the best time to strike the Chalk Mine. He wasn’t taking any chances, and Rudy agreed with his sentiment. Despite at the disadvantage she was at, Penny could still find a way to get here and try to stop her. She was intelligent and she might figure out that she was still alive and realize what she might be up to. Although Nihilanth had reason to believe she wouldn’t get her in time, Jenny understood why he wanted her to do this now, while she still had the chance.

Biclops wasn’t anywhere around. She listened intently, and she was satisfied to hear that the giant wasn’t anywhere nearby. No heavy footsteps. No snoring. No nothing that indicated that he was even here. She guessed that he was still at the hospital. Good. The idiotic fool didn’t try to fight against his injuries to come here. That would make things a lot easier.

Jenny looked at the hose she held in her hand. Her eyes traced along it, seeing how it wrapped around her body and then hooked up to a large tank that she had strapped to her back. Inside it was real world water. It was heavy and made it harder for her to move, but she still managed to walk forward at a steady pace, a nasty grin spreading across her lips. She was going to have so much fun using this. She couldn’t wait until she was able to activate it. And best of all, Penny and Snap had no idea that this was even going on. They won’t know what hit them.

Nihilanth and Rudy both knew what Penny and the others were up to. They knew about the white chalk sentience, the red chalk joining them, how they plan on breaking Rudy free of the black chalk. And thus, the two-headed dragon had taken steps against that. They won’t be able to do much with the white chalk if there was none left, now could they? She chuckled softly, imagining the looks on their faces when they realize that there was no magic chalk left in the mine.

She stopped in about the middle of the room and looked up. She decided she better start with these bits of magic chalk in the front. She knew there was a lot more white chalk elsewhere, but a good portion if it was here in the front, easy to get a hold of. If there was even the slightest chance that Penny could, against the odds, get here, she could get some white chalk and fight back. Might as well ‘burn the bridges’ so to speak before she even got here. Cut off any immediate connection to the magic chalk so that she’d be forced to travel through the mine tunnels. That would bide Jenny some time to finish the job and leave before she was caught.

Jenny raised up the hose and took careful aim. Her nasty smile grew wider. Her finger rested on the trigger, eager to pull it. In a matter of seconds, all the white chalk here will be destroyed. It won’t take long for the water to eat away at them like acid, dissolving them into nothingness. She closed one eye and started to pull the trigger.

Suddenly, something large and pale yellow blurred across her vision. She could feel something heavy strike against her. She let out a scream as she was tossed across the ground, rolling painfully across it. She coughed a few times as she struggled up to her feet shakingly. She looked around, trying to find just how dared try to attack her. She didn’t get to look too long when she felt something wrap around her body and lifting her up in the air.

“What are you doing in the Chalk Mine?!” A loud, booming voice asked.

Jenny was in complete shock at who it was. “Biclops?! What are you doing here? How did...”

“I had a little help.” Biclops replied. He made a gesture with his head.

Jenny looked in the direction he flung his head in, and she noticed, in shock, that Tsere stood in the entrance of the mine. He was glaring in her direction, his eyes glowing with hate. Jenny was left even more confused, her breathing slightly increased. Just how was it possible that these two had gotten here so fast? How had she not noticed them before? Was she really that far lost in her mind that she wasn’t paying enough attention to...

Jenny was interrupted when Biclops squeezed her a little harder. “I will ask you again. What are you doing in my Chalk Mine?”

“None of your business, you traitor!” Jenny snarled.

“If you think you are going to try to pull the same stunt your little partner tried years ago,” Biclops said. Jenny narrowed her eyes, knowing full well that he was referring to Teddisson Cosmo. “You are sadly mistaken.”

Jenny squirmed in the giant’s grasp. She realized that she was not able free her arms, both pinned down at her sides. She was not going to be able to draw any defense, let alone use the real world water against them. The giant held her tightly, his hand large enough to wrap around her relatively thin frame. Her legs kicked wildly in the air as she tried to struggle again. Eventually she gave up and just hung there, giving a few pants. She jolted back her head when the giant pointed his finger at her.

“I do wish to help out my friends. And I can’t do that if I don’t know what’s going on. I need to get as much information as I can. And you...” Biclops growled at her, his vertical eyes narrowing. “...are going to provide that information...”

Jenny responded with a sneer, but that did little the mask the fear that flashed in her eyes.

sss

Penny’s body ached, a dull pain echoing through it, as she felt the black chalk moving through her. It avoided her mind, like Rudy had hinted it would, and instead focused on healing her injuries. It wasn’t so gentle. The healing process was painful; she could feel the black chalk pulling and tugging at her muscles, blood vessels, skin, and flesh in general. It painfully forced her body to create more cells, speeding up the healing process. She realized, in horror, just how horridly this could go wrong if the black chalk decided to damage her.

Luckily it didn’t, but the experience was still quite unpleasant. It felt as though a large, invisible hand had stuck inside her body and was pulling and tugging at her internal organs. A cold feeling of ice rushed through her, accompanied by a sharp, stabbing pain on occassion. Penny tried her best not to cry out, keeping her teeth clenched tightly. Unfortunately, a few times, the pain was so bad, she had to scream. She had no idea how Rudy was able to endure this when he was healed by the black chalk years ago...unless he was purposely making this more painful for her.

Penny squirmed left and right as the black chalk continued to twist and turn inside her body, healing whatever injury it could. The small ones were easy to deal with, but whenever the black chalk went to heal a more major injury, the pain sometimes became unbearable. She gritted her teeth, doing her best to try to get her mind off the pain. She glanced over at Rudy, who only smirked at her in satisfaction.

When the black chalk started to heal her bones, that’s when the pain got jacked up even more. Penny could not stifle the screams she emitted as the black chalk began to pull her bones in the right position, yanking them roughly. She seethed, her tightly shut eyes dripping with tears. The bones felt like they caught on fire, radiating from where the breaks were, up and down her broken limbs. A powerful, sharp, icy feeling emitted from the bones as her body rapidly produced cells under the control of the black chalk.

Penny’s mind started to feel numb. The pain was overwhelming her. She knew she wouldn’t be able to stay awake much longer if this kept up. She opened up one eye, again staring at Rudy. He never moved from his spot, never moved the black chalk away from her, despite the fact that he could clearly see how much it was hurting her. Penny closed her eyes again. A heavy darkness feeling started to push down on her mind. Her body started to feel a little numb, the pain slowly becoming an echo in the back of her mind. Her body began to relax and she began to slip out of consciousness.

Suddenly, all the pain was ripped from her body in a mighty tug. Her mind was pulled out of its semi-conscious state and she took in a few quick breaths, looking left and right. She regained a sense of her surroundings, and she stared at Rudy. She noticed that he had removed the black chalk from her. She stared at him in utter confusion.

“That’s it.” Rudy said simply.

Penny turned her head to the side. “What...do you mean?”

“It’s over.” Rudy said. He glanced at the black chalk and pushed it into his pocket. He noted Penny’s still confused expression and he smiled at her. “I healed you. The process is over.”

Penny blinked at him and then stared down at her body. Although her clothes were still torn in a few places, she couldn’t see any kind of mark on her. All the cuts, even the smaller ones, were gone. She couldn’t feel anymore pain, not even from her once bad leg. She couldn’t very well test out the limbs, not while she was strapped down like this. But she guessed that, if allowed do, she’d be able to walk just fine.

She couldn’t help but stare at Rudy in confusion. A part of her was surprised that he had even done this at all for her. He could have just healed a few of her wounds and be done with it. But to restore her body to the way it was before all of this happened? That amazed her. She would have wanted to believe that the real Rudy had something to do with this. Sadly, she knew this wasn’t the case. The black chalk wanted her too, and it didn’t want her to be ‘damaged goods’. That was the only reason she knew Nihilanth, through Rudy, had healed her.

“What? Don’t I get a thank you?” Rudy asked mockingly. Penny glared at him. Rudy just shrugged. “Oh well. Suit yourself. We need to get going anyway.”

Penny watched, unable to move, as Rudy moved closer to her. He reached out with the black chalk and quickly drew something. She was unable to see it until he finished it. He held it up for her to see. She noticed it was some kind of collar. She hissed at him, not believing that he would create something so demeaning for her. She wasn’t some kind of dog. She tried to struggle as he leaned forward, but she was not able to stop him from slipping it around her neck. She heard a click and the collar was in place.

Rudy then drew a long leash. When he finished drawing it, he reached the metal hook over to the metal ring around the collar. He hooked the leash up to it and then he dropped it, letting the leash hang there. He took a step back, his eyes moving up and down her body in satisfaction. He grinned, obviously enjoying the sight of her looking ‘tamed’, as it were.

“That should do the trick.” Rudy said, still smiling at her. “It might have been more affective to draw a choke collar on you, but I didn’t want to damage you again. But enough talk. We are going for a walk.”

Rudy reached over and undid the cuffs that held Penny in place. Once she was free, she stumbled forward. Rudy instantly grabbed her by her arm and helped her up, providing some support. Penny hissed at him and jerked her arm away. Rudy just sneered at her before seizing the leash before Penny had a chance to try to run away.

“Here we go.” Rudy said.

Rudy began to pull on the leash as he walked off towards the door. Penny tried to resist at first. But Rudy’s yanking, causing her to trip a few times, her collar tightening slightly, she eventually gave in. Rudy was too strong for her, possessed or not. She stood no chance at fighting him off. And with no magic chalk, and with him having a stick of black chalk, there was no way she could defend herself that well. Rudy could easily draw something to subdue her with and make it easier to transport her to wherever he was going to take her.

Penny felt humiliated being treated this way. Rudy was leading her down the hallways like she was some kind of dog. She had to wonder if this was intentional, if he had purposely done this as a way of showing her just how much control he really does have over her. The thought made her blood boil, causing her to, a few times, struggle to try to break free, in spite of how hopeless it was.

Rudy tugged at her a few times, forcing her to come closer to him. She realized he was attempting to make her heel like some trained dog. She obligued unwillingly, knowing that if she didn’t comply on her own, he would find a way to force her into it. She shot a glare at him, her eyes blazing in anger. But he ignored it. His gaze was down the hallways. If he did see her glare out of the corner of his eye, he was paying no attention to her.

As they walked down the hallways, making a single left turn after they walked for a time, Penny’s mind filled with questions. She wondered what was going to happen to Snap and the others, their parents... She didn’t doubt that Rudy would go after them next. He might kill Snap, knowing the kind of ‘nuisance’ he was going to make. He already planned on killing his parents... And she wouldn’t be surprised if Rudy and Nihilanth planned on killing her mother as well. She couldn’t find much doubt in her mind that he would do such a thing.

And then there were the others still trapped by Nihilanth. The other Luminos zoners.. Rapsheeba and Blocky... Tilly.. Sophie... What were the plans for them? Was was Rudy going to do to them? What did Nihilanth have in mind for them? Were they going to remain trapped in suspended animation forever, in a dimension that she and no one else had access to? The thought chilled her, knowing that such a fate was worse than death. The only solace she could find for the trapped humans and zoners is them being unaware of what was going on. Still, such a fate was horrible...

About what felt like five minutes passed and she wondered just where Rudy intended to take her. Maybe to a holding cell of some kind. Or perhaps to a torture chamber where he may be holding Snap or some other zoner hostage. Or maybe something else entirely. It was hard to say. At the moment, she didn’t entirely care on where she was being taken. She was more worried on just how she was going to get out and what could happen if she didn’t escape. She didn’t dare try to remove the collar or leash herself, knowing that Rudy could still see her, even if he was not looking direclty at her, and that he can and would punish her if she went out of line. Despite what he said about not wanting to hurt her again, he could always use the black chalk to heal her again. He could cause her horrific pain whenever he felt like it. As long as he had the black chalk, he had nothing to fear. But Penny sure did.

Penny wasn’t about to give up. For now, she might not be able to do anything, but maybe if she waited, Rudy would slip up and lead her somewhere where she can get a hold of magic chalk. Maybe she would find a red piece. Maybe one of the ones she had rolled away to safety somehow. If that were the case, she hoped the red chalk would find her and help her out of this mess. She could then work on a counterattack and push back against Rudy.

Suddenly, there was a pounding of footsteps. Rudy froze at the sound. The sudden stop caused Penny to lurch forward a little, nearly choking on the collar. They looked around, attempting to identify the direction the sound came from. Then, seconds later, an electric coil wrapped around Rudy. He let out a scream of startlement as he was lifted into the air, his hand losing grip on the leash. Penny looked up, shocked by this turn of events. She then looked over at where the electric coil came from.

“Maalik?!” Penny cried, her eyes wide in shock. “B-But how...?”

“No time to explain!” Maalik cried. Although he clearly noticed she had been healed and was confused, he didn’t question it. “We need to go, now!”

Penny looked over. She saw Snap, Dr. Raiden, and some strange female zoner she didn’t recognize, who was holding Bardot. She wanted to ask what was going on, but she knew that Maalik was right. They didn’t have time to stand around and chat. She quickly unhooked the collar placed around her neck. She easily removed it and dropped it at her side. She quickly ran over to the group to join them.

Looking back, she could see Maalik holding Rudy in the air with his electric finger. Rudy was shouting a string of demands and profanity at Maalik, displaying a level of anger that Penny usually did not see from Rudy. Maalik responded by growling, baring his sharp teeth. Then, with a flick of the wrist, he tossed Rudy aside, letting him crash against the wall. Rudy fell onto his behind, his legs sprawled out in front of him. He let out a series of coughs, his wheezing filling the tense air.

Whirling his head to the others, Maalik shouted, “Let’s get out of here!”

The group, now including Penny, immediately fled down the hallway, trying to get as far away from Rudy as they could. Rudy shook his head, glaring at them. Without a word, he dashed down the hallway after them.


	159. Pursuit Through Solar Pillars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story is turning out longer than I thought. Never-ending story indeed. Well I do hope to finish it before the end of the summer at least.

“We have to get out of here!” Penny cried, her feet pounding the ground.

“What? Now?” Bardot swung his head in her direction. “But what about freeing Rudy?”

“We can’t free him if he’s trying to kill us!” Penny told him, her voice slightly irritated. “We need to find some place to hide first!”

Snap knew Penny was right. They didn’t have time to awaken the white chalk, not that they had any pieces with them at the time. They had to find a place to hide first. They had to get out of Rudy’s line of fire. Then after that, they had no choice but to get out of the Solar Pillars. Sneaking back in was not going to be easy, but they really had no choice. Regardless of how it came to be, Snap knew that they had no white chalk with them, and they needed that to free Rudy. They had come all this way for nothing.

He hoped that they would at least find a piece of red chalk along the way. If they did, they could create a portal somewhere here, hidden so that Rudy and Nihilanth couldn’t find it. They could use the portal to get back into Solar Pillars without worrying about sneaking back in again. In that time, they could give Mr. Tabootie, Mrs. Tabootie, Mrs. Sanchez, Mr. Longhorn, and Reggie an update on the situation. They needed to know what was going on. The thought of telling the Tabooties what happened to their son was frightening, but in spite of how much it hurt, he knew they still had to tell them.

Snap had considered the idea of them all staying in the real world for a day, going to sleep and coming back tomorrow. Nihilanth didn’t look like he was in any big hurry to get into the real world himself, and they could all use some rest. They wouldn’t really cover too much, but he was exhausted by what they had to go through, and he knew that they wouldn’t stand much of a chance against Rudy or Nihilanth if they didn’t get some rest soon.

Of course, he understood the risks. He knew that some problems could arise from them leaving ChalkZone, even if it just temporarily. They really didn’t know what Rudy or Nihilanth would do, and they didn’t know if Rudy would try to get into the real world using the black chalk. He could try attacking them at night, sneaking into the house without them realizing it.

Whatever course of action they decide to take, Snap decided it was best to wait until they found a place they could hide first. They needed to get somewhere private where they can discuss things without Rudy being present to hear them. Only when they were out of harm’s way could they really begin to discuss what they were going to do. However, he knew that getting away from Rudy was easier said than done. It was not going to be easy getting away from him.

“Get back here!”

Snap flinched as Rudy’s voice howled in the hallways. He tightened his grip on Maalik’s mane, tugging on it a little. The lion zoner was moving as quickly as he could, his mouth split open as he panted. Snap turned and looked behind him. In addition to seeing Maalik’s tail flailing out, he could see Rudy coming, the distance between them closing at a somewhat steady rate. Seeing Rudy like this was terrifying. He never thought, in all these years, he’d be running away from his best friend, and not as a form of play.

Rudy’s teeth were gritted, his eyes narrowed into slits. The black and white glow was back, more jagged and foreboding than ever. He looke like he was ready to rip them apart. The sight of him was unsettling. Rudy hadn’t even tried to draw anything yet outside of a laser pistol, which he rarely used. The fact that he wasn’t even using the weapon he drew that much told Snap that Rudy was angry behind comprehension. And that meant they had to get out of here...and fast. Trying to negotiate with Rudy while he’s in this state was a big no-no. His mind flashed memories. Was he going to be like how Dark Rudy was when he was angry...?

Snap tried not to think about it, and instead focused on hanging on Maalik as they ran off. He looked around him, pleased to see that the others were keeping up. Dr. Raiden lagged slightly due to his paw injury, but he was still, miraculously, able to keep up a considerate pace. He was barely lagging behind, only a few inches back behind Maalik. Nexra was right beside them. Carrying Bardot wasn’t slowing her down that much. Though he still wasn’t sure if he could trust her, Snap was happy that she was able to stay out of danger. Penny was not far from her. Snap was relieved to see that Penny hadn’t fallen behind, despite the few times Rudy shot in her direction.

Snap noticed that Penny’s injuries were gone. He was confused at first. He remembered when he and the others came down the hallway and noticed she was in trouble. When they saw that all her wounds were gone, they were baffled, but decided to talk to her later about it.

The only thing Snap could think of was Rudy had healed Penny. The black chalk could do that, right? But why would he do such a thing? Why would he heal Penny back to full health? He could see healing a major injury, or at least all the minor ones. But all of them? And without corrupting Penny? Something about it just seemed...really off. He wondered if there was an agenda behind that, a motive. He could guess that maybe Nihilanth had no use for a ‘broken’ creator, but still... Healing Penny completely was quite a risk.

Well whatever the reason, he was happy that Penny was healed at all. She had so many injuries, so many wounds, and her leg seemed to get worse and worse, barely having any time to recover. But he knew better than to take the healing thing for granted. He doubted that Rudy and Nihilanth would extend that ‘kindness’ to them, and he wouldn’t be surprised if Rudy refused to heal Penny again after that. The black chalk was quite picky about when it used its healing powers, even going as far as refuse to heal a dying ‘servant’.

Snap’s thoughts were ripped away when an energy shot beside his head. He instantly twisted his body to the side, looking over in horror as a beam of light shot past him and Maalik, striking the wall in front of them. The blast set off a small explosion, shooting dust and debris as smoke pillowed out. The group screeched to a hault momentarily before making a left turn down a new hallway. Even as they ran off, Snap could hear the pitter patter of Rudy chasing after them. In seconds, he made the turn and continued to chase them.

Snap watched, fear filling his heart, as Rudy lifted up the laser pistol again. He took careful aim and pulled the trigger. The tip of the laser pistol glowed, a ball of energy forming before it shot out in a small fizzle sound. The beam moved towards them so fast they barely had time to react to it. The beam hit near them, leaving behind a black, sooty mess. The sight of it horrified Snap, even though he had only gotten a few seconds to look at it. He knew that, if they had been delayed or incorrect in their timing, that black mark could have been them. He shivered and looked back over at Rudy.

The boy had a twisted smile on his face. There was still anger there, but now dementia was taking over. He looked almost insane right now, his eye glow making him look even more menacing running around in these hallways. It was hard to tell that this was even Rudy at all. It looked more like he had been replaced by some twisted clone. Yet Snap knew better than that. This was Rudy. He saw him get corrupted. He didn’t know which was scarier: knowing that this was Rudy and now he was trying to kill him, or a clone of Rudy, with the real Rudy’s whereabouts unknown.

“You are not going anywhere!” Rudy shouted at him. He shot another beam, which the group barely managed to dodge. “Oh stop running like that, will you?! Hold still, and let me kill you!”

Snap couldn’t help but roll his eyes at this. Did Rudy and Nihilanth really expect them to roll over and let them kill them? How absurd... Rudy himself should know better than that. Their experience with Maalik and Raiden, before the two felines saw the light, should inform Rudy how unlikely it was that they would lay down and die. But considering he was now under the command of Nihilanth, he guessed he shouldn’t be so surprised.

Rudy started firing more blasts at them. A shower of light beams moved all around them, hitting the ground beside and between them, and a few in the front and back. Each time one hit, they could hear a miniature explosion. They all hissed and winced as some bits of shrapnel sliced into them. The wounds were minor, barely bleeding, but the pain was still seering, causing them to limp a little until they could ride out the pain. All the while, Rudy never let up or took mercy on them. He just kept firing at them, aiming his laser pistol at them and pulling the trigger. His aims were erratic and random, making it hard to predict where he’d strike next.

The group soon came to another hallway, a two way interfection of sorts. They stopped and looked left and right, trying to decide which way to go. A few blasts from Rudy forced them to make a decision fast. They turned and headed down the right, which lead them towards an opening down at the tend. Even from this distance, they could tell it led to a large open room. What it was exactly, none of them really knew, nor did they bother to try to figure it out. More pressing matters were at hand.

“You cannot escape from me!” Rudy cried at them, his eyes blazing.

Everyone did their best not to reply to Rudy. A few of them were tempted to challenge him, but knew better than to say anything. They were currently in no condition to fight back, not without any sort of magic chalk for Penny to use, or any blue chalk for that matter. They knew it was just a matter of time before Rudy drew another weapon, and trying to fight back now would only speed that up.

They soon moved through the doorless opening, which was sort of a thin, tall arch, and entered the large room. It didn’t take long for Rudy to follow close behind. He stood in the door way only for a few seconds. He took one look around the room before he bolted towards them. The group didn’t stop for sightseeing. They kept up the pace, trying to find some place to hide in here, or a place around here they could escape through.

Snap, as he held onto Maalik, turned his head left and right, taking in the sights around him. The room was large and shaped like a badly drawn oval, the sides barely smooth at all. In multiple rows, too many for him to count, he could see large, luminescent spikes with rounded tips. They were wide and flat and stretched up towards the ceiling above them. They were so thin that Snap wondered just how easily they could break one off. He had a feeling they were much stronger than they looked. He took note of the glow that shifted around these structures, sharing it almost. A constant buzzing sound filled his ears as they ran by.

Snap realized that these must be power suppliers to the whole structure. He could see the ground laiden with flat wires, beams of energy shooting through them. The wires coiled around and cut through the walls around them, likely to power various machines all arund the building. Snap realized that if they did something to these machines now, they just might gain the upper hand. But such a move might not be worth it. Even if they could destroy all the ‘lightbulbs’ here, there was no guarantee it’d last long; Rudy could easily just draw some more pretty quickly, giving power back to the structure once more.

But then... the lights would go out, and they could gain the cover of darkness. That would be useful and bide them a little time. Maybe they could even attack Rudy and take away the black chalk in his hand and crush it, as well as the laser pistol he drew. That would render him helpless against them and he’d be forced to flee...

...unless Nihilanth decided to take over.

Snap cursed at himself for forgetting about Nihilanth. With an uncomfortable, heavy feeling in his stomach, Snap realized that they really couldn’t do much of anything against him right now. They could blow up these flat bulbs to gain a little time, but it wouldn’t really bide them that much time, and it would be too hard to destroy all the bulbs. They could take away Rudy’s black chalk, but that could prompt Nihilanth to emerge, plus didn’t Penny tell him that Rudy could also create things in thin air if Nihilanth so desired? He gritted his teeth. Just how the fuck were they supposed to compete with that? It wasn’t fair.

Oh well, that didn’t really matter right now. All they could do now was flee. They could figure out a solution to this problem later. The best thing to do right now was just run and find a place to hide. And it couldn’t be here; there wasn’t any suitable spot to really hide for long.

The group attempted to slow down Rudy by zigzagging through the flat bulbs. They took random turns at random intervals. They still headed in the same general direction, but they made sure that they didn’t take the obvious, straight route over, and make it look like they could be going in any direction. The purpose of this was to confuse Rudy and, judging from his growls and curses, they knew they had succeeded in doing so.

Again and again, Rudy fired at them. The blasts struck the ground. Rudy was careful not to shoot any of the glowing bulb things. He must know that Nihilanth wouldn’t want those destroyed. Moving through these glowing structures, Snap and the others soon realized that Rudy was a little hindered. Unable to fire straight, his shots were more focused on the ground than before, and Rudy was becoming quite frustrated. He probably had clear shots of getting them in back, and he was not able to take advantage of that because he might miscalculate and strike one of these power sources.

Moving through the structures was not an easy task. There was not that much space between the bulbs, and they radiated off some heat. As Maalik passed by a few a little too closely, both the lion and the blue boy winced, their limbs brushing by and feeling the heat. It was so hot, Snap could have sworn that he was going to get a burn if he stood near these that long. So far, everyone was lucky to avoid touching any of them. But Snap couldn’t help but wonder just how long their luck was going to last.

A blast at their feet caused Penny and Nexra, along with Bardot, to veer off in a new direction. Snap watched as they headed down a middle ‘pathway’, while he, Maalik, and Raiden continued to head along the path in front of them. Rudy came to a stop, his narrowed, glowing eyes looking left and right, trying to figure out which direction to go on. He soon settled on going after Snap, Raiden, and Maalik, giving a shout of frustration as he ran towards them.

Rudy shouted at them, “Why do you keep trying to escape? Don’t you know you’re just delaying the inevitable?!” He smirked at their lack of a reply, obviously taking it as some kind of victory. “You can keep running, but even if you do manage to get out of here, I’ll just come after you! I’ll hunt you all and I am going to tear you into pieces!”

Despite the feeling of dread that welled up in everyone’s chests, knowing full well that Rudy could and would go through with that threat, the group ignored him the best they could and they kept running. Penny, Nexra, and Bardot got closer to the end of the rows of bulbs, while Rudy was continuously chasing Snap, Raiden, and Maalik. The blast sounds of the laser fille the air as Rudy kept on firing at the group he was chasing.

Snap looked over to his side to see what Penny, Nexra, and Bardot were doing. He was glad to see they were getting close to the end. After they exited, all they’d have to do was veer to the side and take the path straight down to the doorless opening. What laid on the other side, he wasn’t certain. He could only hope it wasn’t a dead end, like a room or a hallway with no rooms or anything. If they got cornered... He didn’t want to think of the damage Rudy could cause with that laser pistol of his up close and personal.

He didn’t have much time to think about that as a shot was fired close to him. He let out a yelp as it grazed along his arm. He looked down at it, his teeth clenched in pain. He could see a red line going down his arm where the laser partially hit its mark. He flinched at the sight of blood leaking out rapidly. If just a graze did something like that...

He didn’t want to imagine what a full on hit was going to look like...

He and the feline zoners rushed across the path, slipping through the energy bulbs, barely dodging them. They were moving so fast, even for Raiden’s injury. Rudy was shouting behind them, chasing them in hot pursuit. He no doubt went after them so he could get rid of him... Snap had a feeling that, out of all of them, Rudy wanted him dead first, as he knew how determined he was and saw him as a threat. This theory was supported by the fact that Rudy appeared to be aiming his lasers carefully to try to knock Maalik over for a better shot at him. This realization made Snap hang onto Maalik tighter, hoping that everything was going to work out just fine.

They soon were forced to turn when Rudy fired a shot in front of them, blasting a hole just an inch in front. The smoke smashing up against their faces, they coughed as they blindly turned to the side, and Raiden’s hisses filled the air when he grazed against one of the flat energy bulbs. Snap grimaced as he saw a bit of smoke flying away from Raiden’s flank from where the burn was. He was horrified to see that, even just from a light touch, the burn was so bad it tore a small hole through his shirt.

Snap could see Rudy still chasing after them. He didn’t seem worried about getting hit. He didn’t look like he had any interest on being careful. Snap’s mind raced with questions. Just how could Rudy be so careless? He wouldn’t want to get injured too, now would he? He..he has to know what he’s doing... He has to know that he’s being crazy trying to shoot them like this. Just one wrong move, and he could hurt himself. He...

It dawned on Snap. The reason Rudy wasn’t so worried...was because of Nihilanth. Rudy must believe that Nihilanth would keep him from getting too badly hurt. And if that’s the case, then Rudy was free to act wild and crazy. He still showed caution when it came to the power sources all around them, but he certainly had no caution projected onto them, nor did he show worry about crashing into any of these structures himself.

Snap realized what must be going on. Rudy knows that they could get badly hurt here. And he was trying to herd them into one of these lights. The thought horrified Snap, making him realize that perhaps coming into this room was exactly what Rudy wanted. And they fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. They had to get out of here, and fast.

“Head for the exit!” Snap cried.

“What do you think we’ve been doing?” Maalik cried.

Seething in pain, Raiden briefly shot Snap a glare. “It’s a little hard to do that in this condition, you know... You try running around with a burnt side and ripped paw...”

“Then try harder! Rudy, he might...” Snap never got a chance to finish.

In that instant, an energy beam shot out and hit the tips of Maalik’s front left digits. His eyes bulging open, he screeched as he came to a sudden halt. His back arched and the force of it threw Snap in the air. The zoner screamed as he crashed into the ground. He rolled across it violently, hitting one of the lights with his damaged knee, burning it and making him scream again. It was shere luck that he didn’t run into another as he skidded across the hard, unforgiving floor.

He soon came to a stop, his legs in the air for a few seconds before they crashed down. He let out a groan as he pushed himself up onto his hands. He rubbed his head as he looked over to see that he had been tossed out of the rows of lights, and was laying at least three feet away from it. He got up to his feet shakingly, letting out a moan. He had just barely gotten back to his feet when something slammed against him. He screamed as he was knocked back into the ground, his back slamming against something hard and rough. He realized he had been tossed against one of the walls of this room.

He looked up to see Rudy standing there, walking over to him slowly. He had a twisted smile on his face, his teeth bared in a grin. Snap shivered in fear and tried to get up. Rudy aimed the laser pistol at him threateningly and Snap froze, knowing that he couldn’t break into a run without Rudy shooting him first. He took in a few shaky breaths as he stared into Rudy’s eyes, locking onto them. Rudy didn’t show mercy before with his shooting, and he didn’t seem like he was going to start now. Snap gulped as he pressed his back against the wall. He could see Raiden and Maalik approaching, but they would get here too late, and it was too risky for Maalik to use his electric finger in here.

“Looks like it’s the end of the line, eh old ‘friend’?” Rudy asked mockingly.

Snap didn’t answer. His heart sped up as he pushed himself further against the wall, silently wishing he was in the real world so he could just use his 2D powers to go up the wall. Rudy sneered at his lack of a response, his finger looping around the trigger, threatening to press it harder.

“A shame it had to end like this.” Rudy said, showing a bit of mock sadness. “I’m sure that, if you had been more cooperative, it wouldn’t have come to this.”

Snap felt his mind flashback to when Alt-Snap was killed by Dark Rudy. He could vividly see his counterpart laying on the ground, blood leaking out of his stomach wound. He could see Dark Rudy coming up to him and breaking his neck like it was no big deal. He could still hear his death scream, see those wide, unblinking eyes, so devoid of life. And now, he was in a very similiar situation. As he stared up at Rudy, he felt as though he was Dark Rudy, and that he himself was Alt-Snap. The parallels to what was happening now and what happened in that dimension a few days ago...it was disturbing.

Rudy took a few steps closer to Snap. He lifted up his gun and pointed it at the hapless zoner. “Why don’t you say hello Ms. Bouffant and Ms. Saffron for me? I do so miss them...” Rudy began to pull the trigger, causing Snap to shut his eyes and look away.

The trigger was pulled seconds later, and there was a small bang that accompanied it.

“No!”

Snap opened his eyes in time to see Penny jump out in front of him. She wrapped her arms around him, yanking him out of the way of the weapon. Everything seemed to move so slowly. Snap looked around, shocked by how slow time appeared to be moving. He could see the line of energy coming for them, the tip of it enlargened and sifting with energy. He looked up, seeing Penny’s face filled with a mixture of determination and fear. Snap felt his heart beating loudly against his head, echoing through his skull, as he realized something.

Penny was not going to get out of line of fire in time...

A loud scream echoed through the air as the beam hit its mark. Blood splattered on the ground, forming a puddle. Time sped up to normal in a second, and Snap rolled across the ground. He looked over and his eyes widened in horror at what he saw.

Penny was on her knees, holding herself up with her right hand. Her left one was placed over her left eye, clutching it as blood leaked from it. She looked over at him with her right eye, filled with fear and pain. Her body was trembling in pain and she whimpered softly as she tried to cope with it. She held her eye even tighter, as if to stop the bleeding. Blood continued to seep through her fingers, staining the ground below her.

Snap’s mind instantly flashed to when Cosmo lost his eye. He remembered how he caused the man to fall, by mistake of course, and the ensuing fall caused the blade the man was wielding to slice his eye apart. And now, something similar happened. Penny...she was positioned much like how Cosmo was. Snap was just as horrified now as he was back then, if not even more so. Unlike before, it wasn’t enemy who had been injured, but a friend. Snap felt his heart break as he watched Penny writhe in pain.

And it wasn’t just him who was shocked. Rudy, who had witnessed this happen, was standing there in surprise, his mouth dropped open and his eyes wide like saucers. He had lowered his gun to his side, his grip on it so loose that the laser pistol threatened to drop at any time. Whether or not he had a moment of realizing what he was doing, or that he was just disappointed that he ‘damaged the goods’ again, Snap wasn’t sure. And at the moment, he didn’t pay attention. His eyes were glued on Penny, and a feeling of guilt rose up inside of him.

“P-Penny...” Snap whispered softly, noting the severe burn marks that surrounded Penny’s eye, her hand not able to cover up the whole thing.

Penny spoke, her voice broken in agony. “G-Get g-g-going....” She clenched her teeth and sucked in a sharp breath. “N-Now...”

“I can’t leave you...” Snap protested, staring at Penny in worry. “I’m...”

“You!” Snap was yanked into the air by Rudy. The boy held him by his scarf and shook him violently a few times before shouting, “This is all your fault!” He put his face close to Snap’s, baring his teeth menacingly at him, as if he wanted to take a bite of his flesh. “Look at what you made me do!”

“Me?!” Snap growled at him despite his fear. “You were the one who shot the fucking laser pistol! Don’t try to pin this wrap on me!”

Rudy chuckled bitterly at Snap, the same snarl still etched on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, something slammed against him. Snap let out a scream as he fell to the ground. He looked up and saw that Maalik had slammed against Rudy, knocking him into the ground. The lion stood in all fours in front of Snap, his tail swishing from side to side in agitation. A growl escaped his mouth, lips curled up in a snarl.

Dr. Raiden came over. He looked from Snap to Penny, and then back to Rudy for a few seconds. He looked at Maalik. “We need to get going, now!”

Maalik gave Dr. Raiden a sideways glance. “I couldn’t agree more!”

Maalik walked over and lowered himself for Snap to climb onto his back. Snap held on tightly, like he had been before. As soon as he was on, Maalik rose up to his feet. Snap looked over to where Penny was. Raiden, despite his paw injury, helped Penny up to her feet. Snap felt his heart clench as he watched his friend stagger a little, tears streaming down her face, a clear sign of the agony she was going through. Having her left eye blasted out like that...

“You aren’t going anywhere...” Rudy’s voice drew their attention. They watched as Rudy leveled the laser pistol at them. “I’m going to...”

Suddenly and without warning, Rudy let out a scream as arcs of electricity swept through his body. His eyes widened and he threw his head back, crying out in agony, his body stiffening and trembling at once. There were tendrils wrapped around his body, clinging to him and shocking him with electricity. Seconds later, he collapsed on the ground, his body twitching. Nexra stood behing him, her taser gun pointed straight at him. She gave the others an upwards glance, a look of pure seriousness on her face.

“Let’s get going now!” Nexra shouted.

The group didn’t waste time. Moving as quickly as they could, in spite of any injuries they may have acquired here, the group rushed away from Rudy, leaving him writhing and twitching on the ground as they headed for the doorless opening. Although none of them had any idea on just what was behind it, they didn’t have time to analyze their options, and they had so few to begin with. Without hesitation, they raced through the opening.

The room the opening led to wasn’t another hallway, at least none that the group would have expected. It was tall, going straight down. The pathway they were on, a metal railing put up to keep them from falling, spiraled downward. Snap wasn’t sure why they had such a thing, which he guessed let them get down to the ‘basement’ of the Solar Pillars. But due to its shere size, he had a feeling this was Draow’s passageway, and any other large zoner that would have occupied this place when there were more black chalk artists.

The group ran almong the pathway, which was smooth, making it a little easy to slip. Snap was lucky that Maalik didn’t have any trouble with this, but the others were a different story. He winced when Dr. Raiden tripped once and the cheetah ended up rolling across the ground for a while. He ended up way ahead of everyone. He didn’t stop; as soon as he managed to regain his footing, he continued to run. Nexra had some issues as well. She tripped a few times, nearly losing her grip on Bardot. Snap was happy to see that she was able to keep her grip on him and not fall down, but it was still a little unnerving, as he and the others had no idea how long this spiral ‘staircase’ went and just what was at the bottom.

The staircase was poorly lit, too. There were only a tiny handful of lights, just enough to illuminate the stairs, but not show much of their details. At first, this didn’t seem like it was going to be a problem. Snap looked at the circling pathway before them and it did seem as though the path was straightforward and smooth. He soon realized just how wrong he was after about five mintues of running, when Maalik suddenly screeched to a hault and jumped to the other side, heading in a new direction. Snap was about to panic and yell at him, demand to know what he was doing and why he was going over the edge.

Then Snap took notice of something. There was a bit of a detail that he missed, but thankfully the others noticed it.

It was hard to tell in the dark, but the pathway had suddenly veered off in the opposite direction. It happened out of nowhere and so unexpected, that if someone running down here wasn’t careful, they could easily trip and fall down. Snap shuddered as he realized that if Maalik hadn’t turned when he did, they both would have plummeted down. And it looked as if they were still a ways up, the ground itself nowhere in sight.

Rudy, who had recovered and giving chase once more, had no such trouble. Dodging him here was even harder. Despite how big the staircase was, it was still less room than they had before. There was barely any place to dodge, and what was worse is that Rudy had a height advantage here. He was still chasing them, but not as fast as he was before. Instead, he opted to take advantage of being higher than them, shooting at them from above.

Maalik jumped to the side as a laser blast struck against the ground beside him and Snap. The two zoners let out screeches of shock and surprise and continued running. Rudy then fired at Nexra. The female zoner did manage to get away, although the shot did graze her arm, giving it a bit of a tear. She looked at her arm and hissed before turning her attention back to the pathway in front of her. She mumbled something about her stupid taser, and Snap guessed she was disappointed that the taser didn’t keep Rudy down for long. Snap would bet that it had something to do with Nihilanth.

The group continued to run down the staircase, not slowing down, trying to keep their footing, trying to continuously dodge the lasers. Such a task was difficult, especially with the lasers raining down on top of them like they were. They looked up, gritting their teeth in fear, a few times as Rudy leaned over the edge. He would give them a psychotic grin each time, pointing the laser pistol at them and firing. The shots sailed towards them so fast, it was a miracle that they could keep dodging like this. They all screamed any time the shots would graze them, slicing into their skin and shedding a bit of blood.

As they ran, Snap cast a worried glance to Penny. Blood was still leaking profusely out of her damaged left eye. Her hand still clutched it, making it hard for him to tell just how much damage there was. But he could see enough to know that the eye was probably not there anymore, at least not completely. It was damaged beyond repair and it was clearly causing Penny distress. Snap bit his lip when he saw Penny stagger a little as she ran. Her depth perception has been affected and that, combined with the agony, was making it difficult for her to keep up with the others and she had the most trouble keeping her balance. Poor Penny...

Rudy then had a chance of plans. Instead of firing at random places, he began to focus on their front. He kept firing a line just a few feet in front of them, making it hard for them to speed up. Then he stared to move the shots a little closer, now making it just a foot in front. He kept firing again and again, making it look like there was a string of these shots, an impenetrable line in front that they could not cross. The experience was frightening, and it forced the group to slow down and soon enough, even Dr. Raiden, who had gotten ahead of them, was pushed back.

Rudy then started to move the shots even closer. Snap was horrified by how close they were getting. He could see the others’ expressions as well, fright-filled and terrified. Trying to avoid getting hit was harder now, and more shots nearly hit their mark. Screams echoed in the twisting hallway, including Snap as he felt a few shots graze along his arm.

“Do you know how far this thing goes down?” Nexra cried to Bardot.

The hybrid zoner shook his head. “Hey I don’t work here!”

“Nevermind how far down it goes! Just keep running!” Dr. Raiden shouted at the others.

“I concur!” Maalik said. “Running in blind isn’t a good thing, but in this case, I’d take that over getting roasted by him!” He gestured his head up, to where Rudy was above them, still blasting at them. “Now hurry up!”

Snap looked at Maalik as if he had gone crazy. Snap would think that the unknown danger, if there was even any danger up ahead of them, was more terrifying than Rudy shooting at them. At least with Rudy, they could see him and see him striking at them, even if it was fast and difficult to dodge. But given how panic-stricken everyone was...he realized he shouldn’t really be surprised at Maalik’s behavior. At this point, he probably would be driven to do something drastic.

All it took was a few more blasts from Rudy’s laser pistol to inspire the group to follow up on Maalik’s orders and speed up. Their feet pounded the ground, their heavy breathing filling the air. These sounds intermixed with the sizzling and crackling of the laser shots and Rudy’s taunting cries to them. The sounds echoed off the walls, making it sound as though the noises were louder. Snap wanted to cover his ears, but he wasn’t able to; if he released just one hand, he could fall off of the lion’s back and be targeted by Rudy. He didn’t have doubts that Rudy would weed one of them away and attack when they were alone.

After a few minutes of endless, tiring running, Snap noticed that Rudy’s blasts had changed pattern. He wasn’t firing in the front anymore to slow them down. He soon realized just what Rudy was doing when he heard Penny’s screaming behind him. Snap looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened in horror at what he saw.

“Penny!” Snap cried.

Rudy was now targeting Penny. He was shooting in her front, blocking off any way for her to return to the others. She tried to catch up to them, tried to dodge, but Rudy was too fast for her, firing the lasers in rapid succession. They kept her at bay forcing her to slow down. Slowly, Penny was forced to move backwards, heading back the opposite direction she came, closer to where Rudy was. Snap watched in horror as Rudy got out the black chalk and began to draw something.

Then, for a moment, luck appeared to be on their side. Rudy made a miscalculation and he nearly tripped over the edge. His body hung there, the bars pressing against his stomach. The hand that held the pistol shot out over the edge, the metal bars pressing against the crook of his arm. The force was enough that Rudy’s laser pistol fell. Snap and the others, as they continued to run, watched out of the corner of their eyes as the pistol plummeted down below. Rudy watched, shocked by this unexpected turn of events. Then he growled and resumed drawing. Snap knew they had to get out of here and fast; it wouldn’t take long before Rudy would have a new weapon to utilize.

And this fear turned out to be right. Although it wasn’t a weapon Rudy drew. Instead, it was a hangglider. The group watched, horrified, as Rudy stood on the ledge. He positioned his hangglider and then jumped down. The boy dove down towards them, his eyes narrowed in determination. The group ducked when he got too close, landing on their stomachs as Rudy sailed over them. They got back to their feet and looked up at him. They watched as the boy spun around in a circle and came back for them a second time.

The group continued to run, barely managing to dodge Rudy as he dove towards them. Most of his moves were focused on Penny, whose missing eye made it harder for her to judge just when to dodge, her depth perception a thing of a past now. Maalik growled in frustration, along with Nexra, both clearly frustrated they could not use their electrical weapons against Rudy. All they could hope for was that they were able to get out of here before it was too late.

Then they reached the exit. The pathway slightly narrowed, though not too much. They went through the tall rectangular opening. They whipped themselves around and saw that Rudy was headed straight for them. There was a red button next to the door. No time was wasted. Nexra, who was the closest to the button, kicked it with her foot. There was a couple of rapid beeps, and then some kind of silver shield went down, hitting something underneath in a thud. Seconds later, they heard a scream then a crash, followed by a thud. They knew that Rudy had just slammed himself against the screen.

Knowing it wouldn’t be long before Rudy would draw a door to get through, the group continued to run down the new hallway, this one, thankfully, a little better lit than the one they were just in. But it didn’t look much prettier. A strong smell hung in the air, one that made everyone feel uneasy. They all wanted to leave, but knew they had no choice but to keep going down this way. In the distance, they heard a crash and they knew instantly Rudy had gotten through. They sped up the pace, going down random hallways in hopes of making Rudy lose them.

In addition to the smell, the place looked a little dirty. Not filthy or anything, but just a tad unkempt. The place looked smooth and yet still a little rocky. It looked almost like a dungeon. There was a flicker of recognition on Bardot’s eyes, and Snap knew that, wherever they were, Bardot knew exactly what this place was. And when he saw the look of fear in his eyes as he glance around, Snap instantly realized that this was not a place they really wanted to be. Not that they had any choice now. Everyone was getting tired now and they needed to find a place to hide and fast.

Nexra spotted something ahead of them. She took in a sharp gasp of realization. She looked back at the others and made a gesture with her head. “This way!”

The group followed her lead. Snap wondered what she saw, but it didn’t take long to realize just what that was. She had spotted an open door, and the room looked large and filled with machines. The group ran in and pushed the door shut behind them. Snap winced at the loud thud that it made and the group backed away from the door, staring it and waiting.

They waited, hearing Rudy approaching, getting closer. The footsteps were ominous, filling their eardrums, taunting them. The group split away. Not taking care to see just what kind of room they were in, ignoring the horrible smell all around them, they moved behind the different machinery. They watched as the door wobbled and soon was pushed open. Everyone stifled their gasps of fear as Rudy stepped in.

Rudy looked left and right slowly, standing in such a way that, when the light hit him, it made him look scarier, ominous, foreboding. He slowly walked forward, his eyes filled with anger, glowing. He turned his head from side to side, studying the room. A low growl emitted from his throat. Everyone kept still, holding their breaths, keeping themselves pressed up against whatever machinery they were next to, no matter how dirty it was.

Rudy walked closer to where Snap and Maalik were. They cringed back, keeping themselves low to the ground, as Rudy stood by the edge of the machine they were next to. He took a step forward, pressing his hand against the machine and peering around. Maalik and Snap had thankfully managed to slink back in the other direction and Rudy didn’t spot them. When Rudy came back around, the pair moved in the opposite direction, keeping themselves hidden behind the piece of machinery. Their hearts beating quickly, they watched as Rudy went over to where Penny was hiding.

Penny was located behind some large, blue grey machinery that was round and sounded like it was grinding something. Snap hardly paid attention to what it was, instead focusing on Penny herself. The girl was moving away, on her back, as Rudy peered over. He looked to the left as Penny scooted away, coming around to the other side of the machine and hiding there before Rudy had a chance to see her when he looked right. Rudy let out a frustrated grunt and removed his hand. He started towards another machine, his body hunched slightly and looking almost animalistic in his approach.

He loomed over another machine, this one, where Raiden was hiding. The boy lowered himself even more, putting his hand on the ground and walking a little over to the side. His teeth were bared and his eyes narrowed. The unhuman growls that filled the air echoed in their minds, making Rudy sound even more intimidating than he looked. Dr. Raiden limped away, stifling any whimper or yelp he wanted to make, fighting back the pain. Rudy continued to growl as he surveyed the spot where Dr. Raiden was hiding. The others watched, eyes wide in horror, silently praying that Rudy didn’t find even just one of them.

Then Rudy straightened himself up. He took another look around the room, his lips still curled back in an animalistic snarl. He seemed to grow bored of looking here. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he turned himself around and, without saying a word, he walked out of the room. He pause in the hallway, looking left and right. He then went right, obviously continuing his mission to locate them.

Relieved that the danger had passed, Snap and the others moved out from their hiding places. They went over, joining back together near the middle of the room. They brushed themselves off, coughing a few times as the dust in the air got into their lungs. They then took a look around their room, and fear and dread struck them as they realized just what kind of room they had stumbled into.

Snap’s eyes were filled with horror as he noticed that the machines all here had a single purpose, and that was kill. Twisted monstrosities of machines were all around them, grinders, slashers, smashers, everywhere they looked, there were blood stains and the smell of death and some kind of machine or instrument used to kill. Not torture; kill. It was clear that anyone who was forced to endure these machines was not meant to live afterwards.

With all this death and horror around them, they were shocked they didn’t see it before. They were so worried about Rudy, their minds had blocked out everything else. They paid no attention to the details, just to the fact that Rudy was roaming around, trying to find them. And now that he was gone, there was nothing to distract their minds from the gruesome details. The torn bits of flesh, some pieces of limbs, the blood, the horrible odor... it struck them all with a great force, overwhelming them and making them feel sick to their stomachs.

Snap looked at Bardot. Had he...had he known about this place? Did he know just what kind of room they were entering? Had he been here before? If he had... Snap couldn’t blame him for being so scared in being back here. Taking in a deep breath, Snap took a few steps towards Bardot.

“Have you...been here before?” Snap asked him, breaking the uneasy silence that hung in the room.

Bardot didn’t bother looking at Snap. His wide, bright green eyes surveyed the room, showing a level of fear that Snap was not accustomed to seeing from Bardot. He then looked back at Snap, barely gazing at him with one eye. “Yes...”

“What is this place?” Penny asked quietly.

Bardot looked over at her. His voice was low and soft, but loud enough for everyone to hear. “This is where I was before, with Mr. Wilter. Ghadir took him here to be killed. This is a killing chamber.” He paused, letting the information sink in the horrifed individuals around him. Then, gritting his teeth, the hybrid zoner looked in one direction. “And that conveyor belt was where they dumped the bodies.”

“A conveyor belt..?” Maalik asked. Bardot nodded in response.

“Where does it lead to?” Dr. Raiden asked.

Bardot hesitated for a moment. But he did not stay quiet for too long. He raised his head up slightly, trying to look less afraid than he really was. “It leads to a large pool of real world water, where zoner bodies are dumped.”

A dreadful silence fell upon the group at this news. They looked at each other, shocked at this revelation. No one dared to speak, the shock being too overwhelming for them to even form words. Snap’s legs felt shaky, and it was hard for him not to fall over. Penny looked like she, too, was having a hard time digesting this. She was hardly paying attention to her injured eye as she was taking all of this in.

So...the bit about the Solar Pillars having real world water.. It was true. It was all true. Biclops...hadn’t been wrong. The realization that this place stored real world water was rather chilling. They all knew the implications of this, what it could be used for. If this place did have real world water, then no doubt there were pipes, and those pipes could take the water to different parts of ChalkZone. It could, if placed in all the right areas, with enough water, destroy ChalkZone, just like how Biclops told them in the beginning of all of this.

Snap wondered if Nihilanth had influenced the black chalk artists to build this horrific place. Did he, in desperation of wanting to start the destruction of ChalkZone, instruct the black chalk artists subconsciously to build this horrible place? He wouldn’t be surprised. Nihilanth was a complete monster, one that had to be stopped somehow.

But despite this horrific revelation, Snap knew they couldn’t stand around here long to discuss things. It was too dangerous here. As his eyes watched the conveyor belt move, still running for who knows how long, Snap knew that they had to get out of here. This was not the place to discuss this area. If they remained here, Rudy might come back to get them. Plus it was an overall unsettling area to be in. He didn’t think he would be able to concentrate on telling the others anything, and he didn’t doubt the others would rather leave this horrible place.

“We need to get going.” Snap spoke up. The others looked at him, staring. He continued, “If we stay here, we might get into trouble.”

Penny nodded her head slowly. She seethed in pain, her hand still over her eye, stained with blood. “Y-Yeah... I agree.” She turned her remaining right eye over to the door. “I-If we remain here, and if someone comes back here...” The others nodded in understanding, seeing the point that she and Snap were trying to make. She turned her attention over to Bardot. “Since you been here before...do you kn-know which way to go?”

Bardot thought for a moment, his eyes narrowing as thoughts moved through his head. He looked up at Penny and responded, “Not too much. I do know some passageways but..not a lot.” He lowered his head for a moment. He then shifted his attention back to the door. “I know which way left will take us, but...”

“Excuse me, Bardot.” Snap spoke up. “Did you say Ghadir brought Mr. Wilter here?” Bardot nodded his head. “Is this where you injured Ghadir?”

Bardot shifted his gaze to an empty spot on the wall. Well, almost empty. Snap took notice that there were some loose chains on the wall, just dangling here, swinging from left to right. “Yes.” Bardot’s voice came, his green eyes narrowing slightly. “It wasn’t easy, but I managed to drive something sharp and metal through her. That’s where the hook was.” He looked over at Snap, who had a horrified expression. “I’m certain she survived. Jenny took her to a hospital I am sure.”

“Well at least she won’t be bothering us anymore.” Dr. Raiden growled softly. His ears lowered a little. “One less black chalk artist to worry about.”

“Well no more. Jenny is dead.” Maalik reminded them. He looked over at Snap. “Because of..circumstances...”

Bardot’s eyes widened a little. He turned to Snap. “You...?”

Snap felt guilt well up inside of him. Although it’s been a while, it hadn’t been long enough and the shock of Jenny’s death, of what he did, it still loomed over his mind. He could feel a few tears fight in the back of his eyes, trying to get out. He held it back the best he could, not wanting to cry, as there were more important things to worry about. Still, he felt horrible about what he had done, accident or not, and he still wished he could have taken back what he did.

He looked over at Bardot and, biting his lip, he nodded his head. At this, Bardot’s eyes widened further. The hybrid zoner was clearly shocked at what Snap had done. Bardot knew Snap well enough to know he wouldn’t do something like that, especially not on purpose. Snap knew he was going to be haunted by this for a while. He had unintentionally shoved someone to their death. For a moment, he thought he could still hear Jenny’s screaming as she plunged down. He shook his head, trying to get it out of his mind.

Bardot spoke up again, this time, it was aimed at Maalik. “I thought you said that Jenny was still alive...” His voice was soft, disbelief hanging over it.

Maalik bit his lip. “It was a slip of the tongue.” He closed his eyes. “I saw her fall. I...” He shook his head slowly. “I don’t know why I said... Oh nevermind.” He looked down at Bardot. “The point is, all the black chalk artists are gone. So we don’t have them to worry about.”

“But there’s still Rudy.” Dr. Raiden chimed in. “If we can’t stop him...”

“I’m certain you will. If what I heard is true...” Nexra started to say.

Maalik cut her off. “I am interested to know just how you know all of this. Just...who are you? You never fully explained that.”

Nexra glared over in his direction. “Do you really think now is a good time for storytelling?” She bared her teeth, tapping her foot as she gave Maalik only a second to respond. She cut him off before he could even get a word in edgewise. “We need to get going. If you want the story, I’ll tell you, but after we get to safety. It’s too dangerous with Rudy and Nihilanth roaming around here.”

Snap couldn’t agree more. Despite all the feelings he was experiencing right now, confusion regarding Nexra, guilt over Jenny’s death, among other emotions, the one thing that stood out the most was the need to get to safety. They could discuss things in further details later on. Right now, the more important thing to do was get to safety, where they could discuss things without worry of getting captured. The idea of leaving the Solar Pillars without accomplishing what they came here to do, which was free Rudy, did eat away at him, but it was better to flee and fight another time than stick around and end up getting captured.

His mind wandered momentarily to Rudy. He hoped that they would be able to get him back somehow. He hoped that this black chalk business wasn’t going to be permanent. He...he didn’t want to lose Rudy, and he knew Penny didn’t either. And once the parents find out, he could only imagine how devastated they will be when they learn their son had been taken by Nihilanth, corrupted and twisted into his menacing tool. He silently promised himself they would get him back somehow.

He looked at the others, noting their expressions. They had a tinge of defeat to them and he knew that they, especially Penny, were disappointed that they couldn’t free Rudy. Snap wished that they had taken better care and seized a piece of white chalk when they had the chance. And the fact that they don’t even have the red chalk anymore worried him. Would they all be destroyed? And if they went back to get more, what would happen? Would the red chalk be angry with them? Would the truce break? Snap decided not to think about it too much, and instead focused his attention on finding a way out of here.

“H-How...how is Mr. Wilter...?” Penny asked, breaking the silence.

Bardot stared at her. He gave something of a sympathetic expression, which came as a shock as he and Penny don’t recall him ever making such a face before. Certainly not back when he had tortured them all. This was new and different.

“He’s unresponsive mostly.” Bardot said. “A vegetable that barely moves.” He took in a breath and sighed. “I..I almost decided to kill him.”

“What?” Penny cried, her eyes narrowed slightly in anger.

Bardot shot her a glance. “If you saw what he was like now, you’d understand why I almost made that decision.” He and Penny stared at each other for a while. He then turned his gaze away, expression softening up. “Well I didn’t kill him. He’s still alive...if you can call it that.”

Penny nodded her head, having managed to calm down quickly. “Can you take us to him? We...don’t want to leave him alone here.”

“What happened to him?” Nexra asked.

Snap answered in a semi-bitter tone. “Jenny lobotomized him.”

Nexra’s eyes widened at this. This lasted only a few seconds before her usual stoney look returned. “Then...he needs a hospital visit.” Her voice was only semi-sad, partially concerned. She sounded mostly cold, almost business-like. It was a little grating for Snap to hear her speak this way regarding a serious situation. “They might be able to lessen some of the damage done to him.”

Although he was not happy with her attitude, Snap couldn’t bring himself to say much of anything to her. What could he say? It wasn’t like she was being particularly nasty, and she was just trying to help, or so it seemed. He decided not to let it get to him. He looked over at Bardot, biting his lip a little.

“Do you know where he is now?” Snap asked.

“I can take you to him. If Rudy didn’t get to him...” Bardot glanced over at the door. “Then Mr. Wilter should still be in that spot I left him in.”

“Then let’s get going.” Dr. Raiden said. He dropped down on all fours. He limped as he walked over towards the door. “I’ll carry him.”

Maalik looked down at him in worry. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah...” Snap said. He looked down at Raiden’s damaged paw, wincing at the red rawness the side of his paw. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea for you to..”

“I insist.” Dr. Raiden said. “I still feel like I have a lot to make up for. So let me continue by carrying this human to safety. I don’t care if it hurts my paw or not.”

Snap felt impressed by Dr. Raiden’s attitude, and from her expression, it seemed Penny did as well. They weren’t expecting him to be this insistant. The tone was definitely that of someone who wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Despite the fact that carrying Mr. Wilter was going to be a problem for him, he was still willing to do it. He still feels guilty about what he had done before and he s till wanted to make up for his atrocious actions.

It was worrying, though. Snap could only hope that he doesn’t overexert himself. The last thing the cheetah needed was to damage himself more and make himself an easier target for Rudy and Nihilanth. And Draow... Snap couldn’t recall if that bat wolf had been arrested or not.

The group didn’t want to stay there any longer. Not wanting to stay in this hellhole of a room, the rotting smell of flesh everywhere, knowing that, somewhere nearby was real world water, they turned towards the door. They walked up to it slowly, cautiously, knowing that Rudy could be lurking somewhere nearby. They stopped in the door way and looked left and right carefully, making sure they stayed some distance behind so that Rudy wasn’t likely to see them if he was still in the hallway. Satisfied that he wasn’t, they moved out in the hallway.

“Where to now?” Nexra asked sternly.

“The left. It shouldn’t be too far.” Bardot said.

With that, the group turned to the left and walked down the hallway. The horrible smell faded away a little, being replaced with a smell that was more dank than anything. Although not pleasant, it was certainly a nice change from what they were smelling before. And the further away they got from that horrid room, the better all of them began to feel. They continued on their way, taking care not to hit the ground too hard with each step. With the walls here, they had a feeling that any sound they make could be reverberated and Rudy would detect them.

They walked for a few minutes, following Bardot’s lead. He guided them, his head perked up and looking around. It was clear that he did know this place a little well, and it made Snap wonder just how long he had been here, and how much of it he had explored. He hoped that Bardot was not leading them into a trap, intentional or otherwise.

As they continued walking, taking turns as Bardot indicated, Snap hoped that, wherever Bardot had kept Mr. Wilter, it was somewhere safe. If Rudy had found Mr. Wilter before they came... Snap wasn’t sure what they could do. Not that Rudy and Nihilanth could really torture Mr. Wilter in his current state, but regardless, Snap certainly didn’t want Mr. Wilter to be in that guy’s hands, not while he was in such a...helpless state. It was hard for Snap to picture Mr. Wilter that way, especially after how the man stood up to Mr. Cosmo and fought him. To think that he had become a broken shell of that...

“He should be around here.”

Bardot’s voice took him out of his thoughts, and it caused the others to freeze where they stood. They looked around, left and right, trying to find where Bardot was indicating. Bardot squirmed in Nexra’s hands. She released him and Bardot fell to the ground. The group watched, slightly confused, as Bardot limped over towards a dark corner. They followed close behind him, wondering why he was headed towards that spot. But once they got close enough, they knew why.

There, leaning against the wall, was Mr. Wilter. His eyes were clearly open, the pupils darting left and right as if he were looking around. But it didn’t take them long to realize that something was wrong. Something was definitely off about him.

His eyes appeared distant and unfocused. It didn’t seem as though he was registering them, as if he were in his own little world, seeing things they didn’t. His mouth was open and they could see a little trickle of drool from the corner of his mouth. This made it clear that he didn’t have the sense or knowledge to swallow, letting his saliva overflow in his own mouth. His head lopped to the side and except for the occasional twitches, his body was prone, still, nearly lifeless. It was a horrible sight to see Mr. Wilter this way. He looked like an oversized ragdoll.

Penny looked at him, tears forming in her eyes. She put a hand to her mouth as she approached her teacher slowly. She knelt down in front of him, reaching out with a shaky hand and touching his cheek. Dr. Raiden lowered his head and Maalik flattened his ears, giving Penny a sympathetic expression. Bardot looked saddened as well, even if he didn’t shed a tear. Snap lowered his gaze, not able to take in what he was seeing. Of all the people...why did Mr. Wilter have to suffer such a horrific fate?

Once again, Nexra didn’t really display as much emotion. At least, not as much as Snap would have expected her to. She had a face that barely registered empathy and she looked more interested in getting out of here than Wilter’s well being. Snap glared at her, but said nothing, even when she turned to stare at him. He looked over at Penny, watching with sorrow-filled eyes as she gave Mr. Wilter a comforting hug. Snap couldn’t help but smile in sadness at this. Even when such an act wouldn’t have an effect, even knowing that Mr. Wilter couldn’t understand her comforting words or her kind gesture, Penny was still willing to do them. That was just part of her nature.

“Come on...” Dr. Raiden said, interrupting the moment. Penny looked up at him. He lowered himself down. “Get him on my back. Let’s get him to the hospital.”

“Yeah, we...” Penny took in a sharp breath, her eyes bulging open. “What about you guys? I don’t think we can sneak around in the real world and...”

Maalik raised up his hand. “Maalik and I can act like people in costumes.”

“Well not sure how you can pull off the four-legged thing.” Snap pointed out. “Not unless you say Dr. Raiden is your pet you put a costume on.” Dr. Raiden shot him a glare. Snap just smiled and shrugged. “Hey just throwing ideas out there. I think you make a cute greyhound.”

“I’m not a dog...” Dr. Raiden growled at him.

Maalik patted Dr. Raiden on the head. “Come on, Rover.” He teased. Dr. Raiden stared at him in shock. “Let’s get going.”

Bardot chortled at this. “This is rich.”

Dr. Raiden shot him a glare. “Oh can it you.”

Bardot said, “It’s going to be so cute watching you having to act like a dog.”

“And it’ll be just as cute seeing you as a stuffed animal.” Snap said, giving a playful sneer to Bardot.

Bardot stared at him in shock. “What?!”

Snap chuckled. “What? Do you really think you can pass off for a human in a costume?” He gestured to himself and Nexra. “She and I are human-like enough we can pass off for a real worlder. But you...” He pointed a round hand at Bardot. “You’re too animal-like. You can either pretend your stuffed and just lay there, or you can pretend you’re a dog or a cat.”

Bardot lowered his ears and grumbled softly. “Oh fine...”

Snap smiled at this. A little humor in the midst of things was good and helped alleviate his mind a little. But it was temporary and his face turned into a serious frown. He looked over at Penny, realizing that, in order to get back into the real world, they need chalk, and they couldn’t use the black one unless they wanted to risk Penny’s corruption.

“Did you find any red chalk?” Snap asked hopefully. He was a little surprised with himself. Before, the idea of seeing one of his friends use red chalk was horrifying, but now, he was actually hoping for it, knowing that it was either that or they were trapped here.

Penny nodded her head. “I found one while Rudy was chasing us.” She pulled out a piece of red chalk, the red glow sparkling. “I don’t know if this is the only piece still left... I’ll have to go get more.”

“Do better next time. We not satisfied. Performance low.” The red chalk hissed.

Penny narrowed her eyes, but didn’t reply to the red chalk. She looked over at the wall, studying it. “This might be a good place to make a portal. I don’t know where this place is in the real world, but...we’re about to find out.”

The group watched as Penny pressed the red chalk against the wall. She slowly drew a complete circle. With a flash of light, it was complete, and now there was a portal with a crimson outline right before them. The group stared at it for a moment, light shining in, illuminating the hallway. They all climbed through the portal one by one, Raiden taking the longest as he had Mr. Wilter slung over his body.

Knowing full well that the light could give the location of the portal away, but having no eraser with them, Penny grabbed a towel she found nearby of wherever they were and she placed it over the portal. Satisfied that the portal was hidden, the group turned around to see where they were, and they froze. Their eyes widened in shock. This..was not where they had expected, or hoped, to be.

They were at an indoor swimming pool.

After several moments of shocked and horrified silence, Bardot’s comment reflected what was on everyone’s minds.

“Well, this sucks.”


	160. All Part Of The Plan

Rudy stood in the hallway, staring down it with slightly narrowed green eyes, the faint black and white glow still dancing around them. He focused intently on one particular spot in the wall. A light shined out from seemingly nowhere, but he knew better. With the faintest hint of a smile on his face, he took a few steps towards the glow and paused when he was about ten feet away from it.

“So did it work?”

Rudy didn’t jolt at that voice. He had grown accustomed to it. To him, it was a privilege to hear this voice in his head. It helped to guide him, steer him in the right direction. He was the lucky one. The chosen to be the vessel of Nihilanth. No other black chalk artist can claim that title. From what he had learned in the short time he was with this guy, he was the first human Nihilanth had ever chosen to be a vessel. Choosing one was not easy, either. Nihilanth said that vessels must meet certain...requirements, and Rudy fit the bill.

Although he didn’t know exactly what those requirements were, Rudy felt honored that Nihilanth chose him. He wondered, half-heartedly, if Jenny was jealous that he had been chosen. After all, she was Cosmo’s partner, the man who had discovered the black chalk in the first place and ‘broke it free’, as it were. But Nihilanth didn’t choose Cosmo despite that, so perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised that Jenny was not chosen simply due to association.

Rudy nodded his head once. “Yeah. They totally bought it.” His smile broadened. “They really thought I was going to kill them.”

Nihilanth chuckled. “That’s some mighty performance you put on, Rudy. We are very...pleased.”

Rudy said, “Why, thank you!”

“A shame they think they may gain the upperhand. And how foolish of them to think that we don’t know what they are up to.” Nihilanth said. “But then...can we blame them? They...don’t know what they are in for.”

“Indeed.” Rudy agreed.

It was true. His ‘dear’ friends, Penny and Snap, as well as the others, they really didn’t know what was going on. They didn’t realize that they had just fallen for the trap. Hook, line, and sinker. They had no idea that they had been tricked and were being led. They didn’t realize that all they were doing was exactly what he and Nihilanth wanted. They think that they escaped, but the only reason they did was because he let them. And they hadn’t really fully escaped anyway. While most magic chalk completely lose their power in the real world...

...this was not so for the black chalk. Its mental abilities, the power to control and manipulate, they were still in tact. Penny still had black chalk inside of her, and, as a result, she was making for an excellent spy. Nihilanth is able to watch her every move, hear everything she does, see everything she does. The best part was that Penny had no idea what was going on. If she had known that they were spying on the group with her, she would have taken action. She was not stupid.

As long as they played their cards right, Penny would never find out, at least not until it was too late. They just needed to keep pretending a little longer. Herd her in the right direction. And then, once they had them right where they want them, they will pull the rug out from underneath. He couldn’t wait to see the looks on their faces when that happens. He can just imagine it now...

His thoughts turned to Jenny. She was going to play a role in this as well. She was getting a little restless already from not being able to do much. But she knew better than to try to start things. Nihilanth had sent her off to destroy the white chalk, an excellent move that Rudy felt was long overdue. He wondered if there were other types of chalk in that mine, and whether or not Jenny would be smart to get rid of them, just in case they proved to be a...threat.

Jenny hadn’t yet come back, but Nihilanth wasn’t going to check on her yet. His mind, for the moment, was focused on Penny and the others. Rudy shared the same sentiment. They can always check on Jenny later. Besides, she was quite a feisty woman. It was going to take a lot to bring her down. Though despite this, he still hoped that she would come back soon. Tyreek’s death and Ghadir heading to the hospital did reduce their numbers. He could take care of things himself with Nihilanth’s help, but he would feel better if Jenny rejoined him. As annoying as she could be sometimes, she was still a comrade and he sincerely hoped she was fine.

Rudy stared ahead at the red chalk outline. He could see a bit of light that still shined through it. Not much, but enough that told him that Penny did not cover it up that well. He chuckled softly, mildly disappointed and amused that Penny would not doublecheck and be more careful. He would have thought that she would have checked to make sure the hole was completely covered and the thing she used to cover it up was flat. Plus, the barricade, if it can be called that, did not hide the portal’s outline from him. He can see it just fine, even in the dark.

“It seems they ran straight into an indoor swimming pool. How...incredibly foolish.” Nihilanth commented.

Rudy nodded his his head. “Yeah... wait...” His eyes widened just slightly. He lifted him up his head, looking left and right as if he expected someone to be there. “Did you say an indoor swimming pool? Is that where this place was built?”

Nihilanth chuckled. “Yes. How do you think the black chalk artists were able to pump in real world water? Oh we’re sure they heard other theories on where it’s located, but we can assure you, dear boy, that they are currently located somewhere that they would rather not be.” He paused for a moment to let Rudy digest this information. “Because of that...I can guarantee you...they aren’t going to be having a lot of fun.”

“I can imagine.” Rudy said in something of a darker voice. He folded his arms against his chest. “Just please tell me this is not going to interfere with our plans.”

“Of course not. We thought this through.” Nihilanth replied. If Rudy could see his heads, they’d both have grins. “This will give us a bit of time. It’ll take them a while to get out of there. We have the utmost confidence that they will get out unscathed, even if it will be rather difficult for them. You know how they can be. Like cockroaches.” Rudy growled softly and nodded his head once. He knew all too well just how Penny and Snap were. “We take it that they will want to take Mr. Wilter to the hospital, and I know they want at least a day’s rest before turning. Catching up with the family and all.”

Rudy nodded his head again. He recalled when Nihilanth relayed that information to him before. He had already made him aware of what Penny and the others were going to do. He saw no reason why he needed a reminder of that, unless Nihilanth had something else up his sleeve.

Rudy had to admit, it was fun toying with them like this, like Nihilanth said. They didn’t know that they were constantly being monitored. Any human or piece of black chalk was all it took. Strangely, black chalk zoners didn’t really count, or perhaps Nihilanth didn’t really see a need to spy on them. Quite understandable. Zoners were expendable and uselss, after all. He could see why Nihilanth wouldn’t really want to focus on them so much. Besides, just what kind of information could they yield that they could make use of?

A thought crossed Rudy’s mind. His mouth, once more, ticked into a smile.

“Do you think we have time to...make a move while they’re gone?” Rudy asked, a tinge of eagerness in his voice. “We haven’t done anything fun in a while and...”

“Oh of course, Rudy.” Nihilanth replied calmly. “We do need to do something for food and water, since you can’t survive without it, but we can deal with that a little later.”

“I’m not really hungry or thirsty right now anyway.” Rudy said. It was true. Despite it being several hours, Rudy hadn’t really noticed a need for food or water. He was too focused on the fun he and Nihilanth were going to have.

“That’s good.” Nihilanth said simply. He soon continued, “Figuring out a course of action isn’t going to be easy, of course. We need to think for a while and figure out what move we should make. We have thought about toying with your ‘dear’ cousin, Sophie, the one with the missing leg. But that would be too easy, and not so satisfying. No, we need something..” Nihilanth paused as he tried to think of something. “..more noticeable...more expansive....”

“Bomb the city again?” Rudy asked.

“That could work, but we want something more..destructive. Something no one would be able to ignore.” Nihilanth pondered. Soon an idea apparently came to him, and Rudy heard him chuckle. “And we think we know what we will do.”

Rudy was eager to hear the plan. “What is it?”

“I think it’s time...we put our...real world water to...proper use...”

sss

Ms. Saffron laid on the ground, groaning in pain. She was on her side, her arm draped over the other one. The pain...oh man the pain... There was so much of it, echoing in her mind, making her body tremble. There was nothing she could do to get her mind off the pain, nothing that could distract her from it.

This was especially true given the fact that, right in front of her, there was a mirror. It was deliberately placed there by Mr. Cosmo so she could see what she looked like now.

Her outfit had been ripped in several places. Her body was covered in bruises and scratches mostly, with little blood. But this wasn’t true for her entire body. Some bruises, like a couple on her face, were very dark as they had been struck hard and without remorse. Her leg was broken, twisted horrifically to the side with some bone sticking out. A long, deep gash ran along her back, blood leaking out of it profusely. Another deep cut went down the middle of her chest and stretched off to her side, almost in a carving shape.

Her hair was dirty, filthy, and coated in some of her own blood. She had some blood dripping out of the corner of her mouth, a result of Mr. Cosmo kicking her in the stomach one too many times. In addition to that, she had a few burn marks along her arms and legs, even around the broken one. They continued to sting her, even long after they had been inflicted on her. In this condition, there was no way she could get away, even if Mr. Cosmo forgot to lock her cell door, if she could even call it that.

Although the room was dark, it was partially lit from the water bars around her, electric arcs swirling around it, giving off a glow. The electricity shined on her face, illuminating it in the dark. It was enough that she was able to see her wounds pretty clearly. Even though the color was not very good for illumination, a red, it still did the job. A part of her wished she couldn’t see her wounds. It was difficult seeing herself this way, so injured and wounded. But another part of her was grateful, as the unknown was a scarier thing.

At that, she felt a powerful sting in her chest. She recalled what had happened a few years ago, the way that she thought zoners were dangerous simply because she didn’t know them that well or what they were or anything. She was afraid of the unknown then, and instead of trying to figure things out, she went along with Mr. Cosmo’s plans. She had thought that she was doing the right thing. She thought that Mr. Cosmo was doing all of that for the sake of mankind.

Oh how wrong she was...

She was glad that she thought to speak to her Snap some more. She was glad that she was able to get close to him. The zoner had managed to open her eyes to how wrong she had been this whole time. She regretted not seeing things sooner. But at least she was able to make up for what she did. She managed to escape being killed by Cosmo back then and she took in her Snap after everything started to fall apart. Not long after her Penny was killed, as well as Blocky and Rapsheeba, she sheltered her Snap and they forged a strong friendship.

A few tears filled her eyes. She was still devastated from the loss of her only friend left in the world. Everything had been torn apart, both here and in ChalkZone. So many people had lost their lives, both zoner and human. And it was all because of Mr. Cosmo, ultimately. Yeah, her Rudy did help and was responsible, but in the end, Mr. Cosmo was the one who set the whole thing up and he was the reason her Rudy was corrupted.

So if anything, Cosmo was the biggest reason this dimension was the way it was. And he was, ultimately, the reason why her Snap was gone. Her Rudy might have killed him, but he wouldn’t have...if it hadn’t been for Cosmo’s atrocious actions three years ago...

The fact that her Snap couldn’t even get a proper burial... That filled her with rage. He deserved to be properly buried, even in a place as hellish as this, but Draow took that away from her. He had swallowed him up and without any remorse. She could still hear his bones being crushed, the sickening sound of his body being swallowed, slithering down Draow’s slimey throat. It made her shudder.

But at least he didn’t have to suffer anymore. As devastated and crushed she was with her Snap’s death, at least he didn’t have to endure this horrid dimension anymore. He was quite lucky. Many of the zoners that were still alive and captured here put through fates worse than death. If they could speak, she knew many of them would be begging for death...

Ms. Saffron briefly wondered how those counterparts were doing. That other Rudy, Penny, and Snap. She hoped they were doing fine and she hoped they would be able to solve whatever problem was going on with their ChalkZone. Even though it hadn’t been torn apart like hers was, though it was still in tact, she knew that the stakes were still great. She also hoped that Rudy made a recovery from that horrible disease. She recalled how terrified she was when she found out he had it, and she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, imagining what it must feel like.

She was a little suspicious of him at first. She did a good job of hiding it, as did her Snap. After the horrors her Rudy had caused, it was no surprise that this new Rudy had her feeling uneasy. But she and her Snap did come to realize that he didn’t have that aura of the black chalk around him. He didn’t feel ‘off’ like her Rudy did, and he wasn’t acting like him either. Those emotions he displayed, like regarding his Snap, they did sound very genuine, and not faked.

Although she would have liked to get to know him and his Snap more, she was mostly glad that they were gone now. She was glad to hear that they vanished, going to another dimension, or even back to their own. She wouldn’t have wanted them to stay here for too long and suffer, like she was forced to. At least, back in their dimension, they were safe from Mr. Cosmo. And they could focus on their own problems, instead of her problems being dragged out to them. She didn’t know how she was going to get out of here. But Mr. Cosmo was her responsibility now. Even if this world had little left to fight for, she at least wanted to stop Mr. Cosmo. As bad as it seemed, things could always get worse. She had no doubts Mr. Cosmo could make things even worse, somehow...

“Ah dear Rebecca Saffron...” A cold voice hung in the air. “So nice to see that you’re awake now.”

Ms. Saffron stiffened up at that voice, a cold chill going down her spine. She turned her head to the side, seeing someone all too familiar standing just a foot away from the electrical bars.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be up for another hour. But since you are awake...I can speak with you now.” Mr. Cosmo said with a sneer, his arms folded behind his back.

Ms. Saffron growled at him, trying to hide most of the fear she felt inside. “What do you want now? Haven’t you hurt me enough? Just how much lower can you possibly make me feel...?”

“I don’t think you want to know the answer to that, dear Saffron...” Cosmo grinned maliciously at this, his eyes practically glowing with cruel intentions.

Ms. Saffron widened her eyes at this. Despite her efforts, she wasn’t able to stop herself from showing a cascade of fear, washing over her face and replacing the defiance she had before. The thought of him being able to do something worse to her...it hung over her head and made her shiver in fear. She couldn’t begin to imagine just what he was going to do to her, what he could do.

She shook her head and her frown from before turned. She narrowed her eyes hatefully at the man, baring her teeth. Not that it was going to do her much good, but she wanted this man to know fully well that she was not going to let him control her emotionally. She was going to remain defiant against him the best she could. She didn’t want to give him any ounce of satisfaction from what he was doing to her.

Mr. Cosmo didn’t seem fazed by the way she was looking at him. If anything, it just amused him, as if it was all just some big game. With a smile on his face, he took a few steps closer until he was just inches away from the bars. He peered at her through two of them, his face partially obscured by the bars of swirling water and sparkling electricity.

“You could consider yourself lucky I didn’t kill you. I could have easily done so, but thankfully, you still have some kind of use for me.” Mr. Cosmo said with a sneer. Ms. Saffron growled at him. He ignored that and raised his hand up in gesture. “You see, I so admire your...skills at how you were able to survive for so long. Where most people died off or ran away, you thrived. There isn’t much left here to eat or drink, and yet..” He cast a single eye on her. “You still remain here. That...is some feat there, dear Rebby...”

“Don’t call me that...” Ms. Saffron snarled at him warningly. “Don’t ever fucking call me that.”

“Oh..why not?” Mr. Cosmo taunted her. “You didn’t mind it when I called you that before...”

“That was before I found out you were such a..a..” Ms. Saffron started to say.

“Genius? Powerful leader? Great influence?” Mr. Cosmo said nonchalantly, deliberately grinding at Ms. Saffron’s nerves. She narrowed her eyes further at him. “Yes, yes...I’m quite a...remarkable man...” He said in a somewhat arrogant voice, pressing his hand against his chest to indicate himself. “I’ve known that for years.”

“You’re a monster!” Ms. Saffron snarled at him.

Mr. Cosmo stared at her for a few seconds. He feigned a shocked expression, so obviously fake that even a two year old would be able to tell he was just kidding. He raised up his hand and pressed a button. With a beep, the ‘door’ of the cell disappeared. This meant little to Saffron as she had no way of getting out with a broken leg. She watched, her mind filling with dread and anticipation, as the man slowly approached her. His arms were folded behind his back, that sneer still plastered over his face.

When he got to her, he knelt down beside her, resting himself on one knee. He looked at her intently, a smile spreading further on his face, stretching at his facial corners. It was uncomfortable to look at. She could see the not so great intentions just written across his lips.

Ms. Saffron weakly attempted to get away. She pushed herself over until she was on her stomach. Then she started to crawl away, pushing herself on her hands and dragging herself along the ground. To her surprise, Cosmo let her crawl for a while. She knew it wasn’t going to last very long, though, and she was soon proven right. In a few moments, something pressed against her back, pushing down hard enough to make her flinch in pain.

“Now now...where do you think you’re going...?”

Ms. Saffron turned her head, glaring up at the man hatefully. He cocked an eyebrow, the one that was over the scarred left eye, and he chuckled. Trailing her eyes over, she could see that he had lifted up a foot and pressed it against her back. He was applying some of his weight to it. She growled softly at him and tried to squirm away. He stopped her by putting down more pressure, making it impossible for her to get away any further. She stopped trying to struggle and she shot him another defiant glare.

Mr. Cosmo continued to smile at her, then he turned his head, his blue-grey eyes tracing down her back, down her legs. He stared intently at her broken one for a few moments. Then, giving her a cruel smile, he grabbed onto the broken leg. Ms. Saffron’s eyes widened and she let out a scream of agony as the man tightened his grip on her injured leg. He twisted it slightly, prompting another scream from her. A few tears streamed down her face as she tried to bear the pain. She thrashed on the ground, Mr. Cosmo holding her down with his body as he continued to hurt her already broken leg.

“Stop! Let me go!” Ms. Saffron cried as the pain reached its threshold. “Stop!”

“Are you going to hold still...?” Mr. Cosmo asked after about a minute of twisting her broken leg. “Or am I going to have to give you a...bigger incentive?”

Ms. Saffron, her cheeks still stained with tears, nodded her head swiftly. “Y-Yeah..I’ll hold still..” Her voice was shaky and etched in pain. “Just please...stop...”

Mr. Cosmo, satisfied by this response, merely smiled at her and released her leg. “Good good... I hope we don’t have to have this ‘discussion’ again...”

Ms. Saffron glared at him, but did not reply. She laid on the ground, almost motionless, as she took in a few shaky breaths. The pain in her leg didn’t subside right away. Instead, it shot up and down her leg, from where the break was and traveling all along. It almost felt like someone had poured gasoline on her leg and lit it on fire. The pain was unbearable, causing her to continuously shed tears. She wanted to make some kind of retort against Mr. Cosmo, but found herself unable to even utter a word.

Ms. Saffron remained still as she let the pain slowly subside, a few ‘echoes’ of pain remaining for a while. As she laid there, she wondered what Mr. Cosmo was going to do with her. He didn’t seem like he was interested in killing her off. He was impressed by her survival skills. She guessed that he was going to interrogate her, force her to tell him exactly how she managed to do that. Maybe he was going to look for other survivors to convert them. Her eyes widened in horror at this. Did that mean he was going to try to convert her? Was he going to use the black chalk on her? That would be a reason not to kill her, not that it really matters with black chalk.

She winced as she felt a strong, sturdy hand on the back of her head. It pressed up against her hair, the fingers slightly spread and ran down the back, moving through the strands as it came down her neck and between her shoulders. This gesture was repeated a few times, and she felt disgusted. She wanted to squirm and get away, but remembering the shere agony she was in earlier, she stifled herself. All she could do was glare up at Mr. Cosmo as he continued petting her like she was some kind of dog. A similar behavior that he bestowed upon her Snap when he had been here.

Mr. Cosmo kept petting her. He continued to run his fingers through her blond hair, combing through it. She then felt him travel down a little further. She shuddered and whimpered in pain as he moved his hand along the gash on her back. He was being surprisingly gentle. He caressed her back and moved back up to between her shoulders. He gently massaged here, kneeding the muscles and flesh between her shoulder blades. Although it felt kinda good, she knew there was no kindness behind this gesture. She knew the real reason why he was doing this, and it wasn’t to help her relax or feel better.

He was asserting his dominance over her. He was showing her just how much control he has over her by touching her like this without fear of retaliation or getting hit. She growled at him, but that did nothing to slow him down. He knew that she wasn’t going to attack..and he was right. In her condition, such a move would be stupid and quite..unwise.

“You know, Ms. Saffron...” Mr. Cosmo moved his hand to touch her cheek. “It is a shame about our guests...leaving so soon...” Saffron snarled at him, unhappy with his touch, but said nothing. Cosmo snickered for a few seconds, amused by her defiance. “I wish they could have stayed a little...longer. I merely wanted to bless the boy....with some profound knowledge...”

“You were going to corrupt him, you asshole!” Ms. Saffron barked at him.

Mr. Cosmo chortled softly in response. “Ah, details, details... If you want to call it corruption, you may...sweetheart...” Ms. Saffron shuddered at that mockery of a kind word. Mr. Cosmo stroked her cheek back and forth gently before he moved behind her ear. He began to lightly scratch it as if she were some kind of pet. “That still doesn’t change the fact that I...saw so much potential in the boy, only for him to..vanish in thin air. Such a shame, don’t you think?”

Ms. Saffron was unable to do much of anything as Mr. Cosmo continued to scratch behind her ear. The sensation did feel good. A part of her wanted more. But she reminded herself of who was doing it to her and she immediately shuddered, a cold bolt of disgust moving through her spine. She cringed slightly, staring intently at Mr. Cosmo with one wary-filled eye.

Mr. Cosmo said, “I’m sure there’s a way to...solve that little...problem.” He moved his hand away from her ear and stroked her forehead, moving strands of hair from her face and moving them back behind her ear. “Perhaps...you can enlighten me..”

“How..?” Ms. Saffron asked, her eyes narrowed. “How would you expect me to...?”

“You were probably told their story, right?” Mr. Cosmo asked. Ms. Saffron’s eyes widened at this. “Maybe you can be so kind as to tell me what went down. All of what they said. When I am able to get enough information, I can use that to locate their whereabouts. It will make finding them...so much easier.” Ms. Saffron stared at Mr. Cosmo in horror. “So...why don’t you fork over the information, Rebby?”

Ms. Saffron shook her head. “N-No...I won’t...”

Mr. Cosmo chuckled. “Stubborn as always. I can make you lay still, but I can’t always make you talk. I admired that trait about you, dear Saffron. I’ve considered making you one of my partners in the past. You would have made a...lovely replacement for Jenny. Yes...a shame she was killed years ago.”

“You never cared for her. I’m certain that you didn’t bother trying to save her when you attacked the city!” Ms. Saffron snapped at him.

“Ah yes, I remember that. A necessary evil, I’m afraid.” Mr. Cosmo replied nonchalantly.

“Necessary evil?!” Ms. Saffron spluttered.

“Oh come now.. Don’t get all upset.” Mr. Cosmo snickered. “You’ll ruin your pretty little face...” With that, Mr. Cosmo held onto the woman’s chin and pressed his lips against hers. Ms. Saffron jolted at the kiss and tried to jerk away, but the man held her tightly. He parted after a few seconds, smiling at her disgusted expression. “There, feel better now?”

“Go to hell.” Ms. Saffron growled.

Mr. Cosmo’s eyes widened in mock surprise. “Oh wow, Rebecca, the language!” He gave a short laugh at this, looking a little too eerily cheery. “I think you should watch your tongue a little. I’d hate to think what would happen if you slipped up and said the wrong thing.” With that, he grabbed her ear and twisted it painfully, causing her to cry out. “Understand me?” He asked, still looking eerily happy.

“Yes...” Saffron said through clenched teeth.

“Good girl.” Mr. Cosmo said, instantly releasing her ear. Ms. Saffron took in a few breaths of relief. “Now..about that information...”

sss

“What? Are you sure?” Skrawl asked, his eyes wide in shock.

Dr. Varrick nodded his head a few times. The humanoid zoner’s eyes were downcast, furrowed in sadness. “I’m afraid it’s true. There’s..” He paused, looking left and right. He then lifted up his head, staring straight into Skrawl’s mismatched eyes. “It’s not a mistake. It just couldn’t be.”

“Have you doublechecked? Maybe the monitors are wrong or...” Skrawl started to say.

Dr. Varrick cut him off. “I’m afraid not. We tried..and we tried again. But his mind...”

Skrawl’s eyes widened further at this. A sensation of disbelief spread through his body, freezing him in place. He didn’t need Varrick to finish his sentence. He already knew what he was going to say. The idea...it was unprecendented, unexpected. He never once thought he’d hear something like this said about another zoner. He could understand hypnotism. He could see a zoner getting amnesia. He could even see them getting brainwashed.

But this...? He never would have expected something like this. The mere thought of it filled him with horror. He wished that he had misheard somehow. That it was just a misunderstanding and the doctors had gotten it all wrong.

But the more he looked into the zoner’s eyes, the more he realized...this was not a mistake. Varrick looked as if he really had tried every trick in the book. It looked as if he really had tried so hard to make this not reality, and he had failed. All the doctors had failed. Skrawl bit his lip, lowering his gaze a little. He wasn’t sure if even Master Tabootie, the real one that is, could do anything about this.

He was happy to hear that Dr. Urso was fine. The lion bear zoner had been put in a tight security room just in case he would go nuts again. He was currently resting. The doctors were able to do something so that he wasn’t controlled anymore. He couldn’t quite remember the details though, or just what was influencing him. He thought he heard the words ‘black chalk’ mentioned a few times, so that was probably it. It was a miracle they were able to free him at all, but even then, they wanted to keep him locked up just in case they made a miscalculation. Only a few of the strongest staff members were allowed in there.

Dr. Urso’s rampage had, thankfully, not been as massive as previously thought. There had been a number of reported deaths and injuries, but not on a grand scale that they thought it would have been. The dead had already been moved out to be taken to the morgue while the injured were being tended to. Much of the staff and patients were still shaken up, and Skrawl couldn’t blame them. Despite reassurances, there was still an air of tension that hung over almost everyone.

But it wasn’t simply Dr. Urso he was thinking of. Skrawl’s mind was on one zoner in particular, the one that Varrick had informed him about. By comparison, Urso was very fortunate. Urso could, if all goes well, recover. But this one zoner... he might never.

Earlier, they had gotten a patient that one of the staff members were able to identify as Mazin. He had been the one that attacked Raiden, Snap, and Maalik earlier. He was under the control of the black chalk artists, and Skrawl remembered just how chilled he felt when he saw that Mazin had the same mind control device in him that Snap had three years ago. The device was planted firmly on the zoner’s forward and went straight through the skull, just like it had with Snap. Needless to say, as soon as he arrived, he was hauled into the emergency room.

They were able to take the nail out and put an implant in his head to cover up the hole. But while he was going to live, after what Skrawl heard, that..wasn’t exactly a blessing. The doctors had made a horrifying discovery after surgery. They did a scan of the zoner’s head and found decreased brain activity in the areas responsible for thought. Well, decreased doesn’t begin to describe it. More like nonexistant. The other areas of the brain were active, so the zoner’s heart would still beat, his stomach would still digest, his body would still get nutrients. But the ability to think, his free will, it was all gone.

Mazin’s mind..had been wiped clean.

The realization of this hit Skrawl like a sack of potatoes. He had heard Rudy and Penny mention to him about how Cosmo tried to do this to Snap. The thought horrified him then as it did now. They all thought they never had to worry about something like that again. They had been so very wrong. Now, they had encountered a victim that had gone through the same fate Snap nearly did. A fate that was clearly worse than death.

And what made this worse was...they really had no idea if there was a way to reverse it or not. The mind control device wiped the mind by targeting specific areas of the brain, mostly any that had to do with conscious thinking. Those brain cells were dead and the connections severed. The mind control device was so...precise. It could almost make for a good tool to use for surgery as it appeared it could ‘treat’ the brain without causing adverse side effects, at least outside of its intentions. But it was being used for nefarious purposes, and that ability, that could be used for more beneficial reasons, instead did unspeakable damage.

Skrawl knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Mazin was completely gone. At least mentally. There was no way they would be able to get him back now. It was far..far too late. All they could do now was try to make him comfortable, and summon over his friends to decide what to do with him. He guessed that they would want him to be mercy killed. No one deserved to live like that.

It was especially a shame that this happened to the same zoner that helped to save Snap earlier. He recalled details that stated that Mazin led a mob that managed to locate where Ghadir had taken Snap. They had been able to get Snap away and back to the hospital while Ghadir had been chased off. The zoner had been particularly brave, going up against a creator without any blue chalk or any creator of their own. He was one of the first to go up against Ghadir and it was partly thanks to him that Snap had survived.

Oh how life could be cruel sometimes...

Skrawl managed to shake himself out of his thoughts. He realized that he had been sitting here in his wheelchair for quite sometime, staring at the ground. The zoner before him was quiet, staring at him patiently, as if expecting an answer. Skrawl returned his gaze, meeting the other zoner’s.

“Okay.... thank you for telling me.” Skrawl said simply.

Dr. Varrick nodded his head. At first, it looked like he was going to turn around and leave, but then he paused. He continued to stare at Skrawl and said, “There are some other matters to discuss as well.”

“Like what?” Skrawl asked. “Is it more bad news?”

“I’m afraid so.” Dr. Varrick’s eyes furrowed with concern. “A couple of our security officers had gone rogue.”

“Rogue?” Skrawl wondered what Dr. Varrick was talking about.

“Earlier, and I’m guessing you were in an opposite part of the building at the time otherwise you would have heard it, Biclops had been trying to see Penny.” Varrick said. Skrawl’s eyes widened a little at this. “But, for some reason, some of the security staff tried to stop him. They had chased him through the building, and had eventually been caught. I watched them drag him away. Their excuse was that he was an ‘intruder’, but Biclops had been a patient here and, despite what some might of said, visiting hours were open.”

“So...these officers were acting out of conduct?” Skrawl tilted his head.

“Exactly.” Varrick said, nodding his head in confirmation. “They were violating their code of conduct and even used a taser, when that kind of weapon is unauthorized except in certain situations. Using it against Biclops was not necessary.” He paused for a moment, letting the information sink into Skrawl’s mind. “They disappeared, along with their ringleader, Nexra.”

Skrawl cocked an eyebrow. “Nexra? I think I heard of her once... Or maybe I’m thinking of someone else.” He gestured to the doctor zoner before him. “Would you care to explain?”

“I don’t know too much about Nexra, but one thing I do know is that she is a creation of one of the black chalk artists years ago.” Dr. Varrick replied.

“You mean like Biclops?” Skrawl asked. Varrick nodded his head in confirmation. “I take it she didn’t reform the way Biclops did?”

“Biclops was never really evil to begin with, if I heard right. He was just on the wrong side of the boat for a while before he finally took a stand.” Dr. Varrick said. “Nexra, however... Well as I said, I don’t know much about her, what she was like, if she changed or anything. She’s...more or less a mystery.” He narrowed his eyes. “But her connection with the black chalk artists is mighty suspicious. And so is the fact that she took a stray piece of black chalk that was laying around here.”

“Black chalk was here?” Skrawl was shocked to hear this. Never once, during his stay here, had anyone mentioned that a piece of black chalk was roaming around. He wondered why none of the doctors had bothered to bring it up.

Varrick said, “Yes. Tyreek’s. Dr. Lancer and Quirk forgot to pick it up after they captured Tyreek. I had forgotten about it until a discussion I had with Dr. Lancer.” He looked away. “I wish we had known about it sooner.... If we did..we...”

“What did Nexra want to do with the black chalk?” Skrawl pondered.

“We don’t know. But we’re guessing that she wants to give it to Penny.” Dr. Varrick said with a frown. Skrawl’s eyes widened. “That’s the only thing we can think of. She’s the only non-corrupted human still in ChalkZone right now. Rudy was possessed by Nihilanth, so Nexra’s not after him. And I can’t think of much of another reason Nexra would want to give black chalk to Penny unless she wants to corrupt her.” He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Or...if she had an agenda of her own.”

Skrawl thought about this. He wasn’t entirely sure what to think. Nexra... she certainly was a mystery. They don’t know her alliance, what she really wants to do with the piece of black chalk, why she captured Biclops... There were several unanswered questions and they buzzed around Skrawl’s head like a swarm of angry bees. There..had to be a reason for her actions. Was she an enemy or a questionable ally or something else entirely?

“I...” Skrawl started to say, but he was stopped.

Suddenly, the door to his room was slammed open. The two zoners jolted from shock, their hearts beating faster. They pressed a hand against their chests as they looked over towards the door. Standing in the door way was another doctor zoner, this one looking very startled and worried about something.

“What is it?” Dr. Varrick asked cautiously.

The doctor zoner took in several quick breaths and thing cried with a panic-tinged voice. “I-It’s King Mumbo Jumbo and Quet... They...They’re gone!”

Skrawl and Varrick’s eyes went wide at this. They glanced at each other, and then back at the doctor zoner.

“What...do you mean?” Skrawl asked.

“They are gone from their rooms!” The doctor zoner cried. “They were plucked right out of the machines! Many of the wires were ripped apart!”

A horrified silence fell upon the room.


	161. Memories Of A Hunt

Penny laid down on the couch, resting, as her mind swirled with thoughts. Getting back to Rudy’s place hadn’t been easy. Things hadn’t turned out the way they had expected after their escape from Solar Pillars.

When they had exited the portal, they soon realized they were at an indoor swimming pool, much to the horror of all the zoners with them. Penny had, at first, been horrified that the Solar Pillars was constructed on the equivilant side of a swimming pool. But she realized it made sense. The swimming pool in question was quite old and been around for fifty years at least. More than enough time for the black chalk artists to construct Solar Pillars in that area. It may have been deliberate or just a stroke of luck, since said location is also where the black chalk was found by Teddisson Cosmo.

The location explained how they were able to get so much real world water into Solar Pillars. She briefly remembered some newspaper articles talking about how this swimming pool, which was called Indoor Sun, a year round swimming pool with heated water in the cold months, reported gallons of missing water. It had been almost a regular thing, more and more water disappearing. They had never found out what happened. Well, Penny was certain now they knew where the water had gone: Solar Pillars.

She had made sure to cover up the hole as best as she could. They were in the changing section of the swimming pool, and the portal was located on the wall in the far back corner. While there was a good chance most people wouldn’t come back here, Penny knew they had to cover up the hole anyway, as it was too dangerous otherwise. They managed to push a loose part of the wall over the portal, blocking any light, and then, with Maalik’s help, they were able to seal off the area, or at least she hoped so. There was still a chance something could go wrong, but they couldn’t just stay there the whole time. She just had to trust her instincts that, hopefully, everything would be okay.

After that, they had to get out of there and fast. Penny knew just how lucky they were that the portal hadn’t taken them to the pool area itself. She could hear loud splashing and she couldn’t help but shudder. The zoners with her, even the stoic Nexra, showed expressions of fear, and why shouldn’t they? Real world water would kill them. A few times as they walked, Penny was not able to clear her mind away from brief flashes in her head, images of real world water burning chalky skin, sinking into their bodies and charring them from the inside out.

They had gotten out of the changing room, assuming the roles they said they would. Seeing Raiden being forced to act like a dog was amusing, but none of them really laughed that long as they knew they had to get out and fast. Their injuries were explained as a Halloween thing, even if it wasn’t time for that. Penny was amazed that this had worked, but then again, they hadn’t run into a lot of people with the route they took.

But just because they didn’t run into a lot of people didn’t mean they didn’t have problems. There were a few that were quite chatty with them and delayed them getting out. Some kids tried to play with Bardot, who had to pretend he was a stuffed toy. Penny could tell it was really hard for him to keep up the facade as the children pulled on him. She and Nexra managed to get him away and shoo the kids. The parents were rather annoyed with them, but Penny didn’t really care. The last thing she needed was for something to cause Bardot to show that he was real, because if that happened....

She shook her head as she continued laying on the couch, not wanting to think about that. They had at least gotten out of the swimming pool, even if it was really difficult, especially when the few humans they did run into wanted the zoners to get into the water, especially Raiden because a ‘swimming dog was so cute’ or something like that.

They did manage to stay away from the water, despite the people’s efforts in getting them closer, into the water itself. No one questioned how they got in there, at least none of the customers did. They were having a good time, and they were, at least the ones who saw them, amused at the ‘costumes’ they were wearing and wanted to know where they got them. Trying to get around them was difficult, especially when they started to follow them around, asking for more information.

As much as Penny didn’t like to be rude, she had known that getting out of there was top priority. There were a few close calls, terrifying ones involving kids running around with small water guns. The whole thing reminded her of when she and Snap when to that convention and they wound up in Water Wars, where Snap nearly got washed away. The same thing was happening, only the kids were actively chasing them.

Luckily they had managed to get out of that situation. Aside from a few close calls and having some unwanted, sometimes funny, conversations, they were able to get out somewhat quickly, though not as much as she would have liked.

As soon as they had gotten out of there, she could hear the zoners around her sigh immensely in relief. She could tell they were happy to be out of there and wanted to immediately head to Rudy’s place, where Penny was certain their folks would be gathered. If she were made of chalk, she was certain she would look just as relieved as they did. She was glad that they were able to get out without anyone getting hit with real world water. She wasn’t sure if she could explain that to those people, unless she convinced them they were allergic to water or something, but that wouldn’t explain the melting bit.

Oh well, at least they were out of there and they didn’t have to worry about that anymore. They could now focus on what’s important: freeing ChalkZone, freeing Rudy, and stopping Nihilanth.

They had arrived at Rudy’s place not too long ago. Perhaps half an hour. They had taken the bus as far as they could go. Penny commented to herself on just how lucky she was that she had remembered to bring her change purse with her, even if it did her little good in ChalkZone. She had just enough money for a trip that still ended up being a bit of a ways from Rudy’s house, but it was better than walking the whole way.

Knowing the city better than any of them, Penny led the way. The others kept up their facades, which was easy for some. Snap and Nexra were the easiest as they were human enough. Maalik pretending to wear a costume worked out pretty well and he had little difficulty; he just had to remember not to move his tail and leave it limp, because if someone saw it move, they would stop him and question him on that.

Bardot and Raiden had the most difficulty. Raiden wasn’t too good at mimicking a bark, so he opted to try to be a ‘silent greyhound’. His tail movements had to be restricted and his tail postured a little ‘droopy’ to make it look like he was wearing a costume. He clearly hated having to act like a dog, but he went along with it anyway, as he did have little choice. Bardot had it even worse, as he was not allowed to even move at all. He had to lay there like a lump on a log the whole time, unable to even blink, which was really difficult for him.

Walking through the city had gone mostly smoothly, similiar to the pool. But they still ran into some trouble, with people stopping them, talking to them, commenting on their ‘weird outfits’ or saying ‘how awesome they looked’. At least no one tried to spray them with real world water to help keep them cool, or offered to give real world water to Raiden to help him cope with the heat, which would be pretty strange as it wasn’t really that warm out anyway. The worst incident they had was when a child suddenly jumped on Raiden’s back, which caused some pain and made it hard for the cheetah to hide his injuries. Luckily nothing bad came of it, but the act was sudden and almost blew their cover.

Penny had been so relieved when they were out of the city and back on the neighborhood streets. There were even less people here and thankfully they were too busy to really say much of anything to them. They kept walking down the street, picking up the pace as they all really wanted to be inside the house and away from potential danger.

They had soon arrived at Rudy’s house after several minute of fast-paced walking. Rudy’s parents were home, but her mother had to go somewhere, and Mr. Longhorn had left for the time being. Penny had thought about calling her mother over right away, but figured it’d be best if they get settled down first and report what they had learned to Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie first. It was important to tell them as soon as possible, not force them to wait for her mother to show up.

Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie were shocked to see them, but also relieved that they were, for the most part, okay. Penny and the others had informed the parents of everything that happened in ChalkZone. There were so many details, Penny worried they would have forgotten some. Luckily, most of the important details were given, such as the incident with Dr. Urso being controlled, the return of the mind control device, her wounds being painfully healed by the black chalk, the ‘defeat’ of the black chalk artists...

..and of course, the most horrible news of all: Rudy’s corruption and him being transformed into a vessel for Nihilanth to use.

The reaction was just as she had expected. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie had been horrified by this turn of events. The fact that their son’s worst fears had come true, that he was taken away from them and turned into a minion of the black chalk, it was a truly awful thing that left a bad taste in their mouths. It had taken them several minutes to get over the initial shock, during which time, they were unresponsive, hardly noticing anything around them. The sight was particularly horrifying for Penny and the others to watch.

When they had recovered, they expressed immense grief that their son was no longer himself. They feared that they would never get him back, especially since Rudy had appparently told them that black chalk corruption was permanent. Penny could feel her heart break as she watched the two adults mourn. She couldn’t blame them for being so upset about what had happened. Penny felt at least in part guilty; this was the sort of thing they had tried to prevent, and she failed to stop it.

She did manage to lighten the mood a little when she told them about how there was a way, though difficult, to get free of the black chalk’s control. Although this did not immediately brighten their days, especially since it could still fail, Rudy’s parents were still delighted to hear that there may be a way to get their son back afterall.

Explaining the process to them was very difficult, and Penny wasn’t certain if she had managed to make it all that understandable or not. Snap helped her the best he could, since he was the one who read that journal entry. But even with his help, some details were just a little fuzzy to say the least. But no matter, they did manage to get the gist of it, enough that Rudy’s parents understood at least enough. Though clearly happier, they were still very worried and they wondered if such a thing could be pulled off and if it was too late for Rudy.

She had also made sure to tell them the fate of Mr. Wilter. The man had been dropped off at a hospital after two people at the pool at noticed him being carried. Penny was grateful for their help, and the kind people who offered assistance immediatel took the man to the hospital where he could be examined.

The news of his fate was horrifying to Rudy’s parents as well. The man hadn’t deserved something like that. He had done so much to help them, only to be wrongfully punished by that evil, crazy nurse, Jenny. She had permanently damaged his mind, and he was never going to be the same again. Even if the hospital managed to lessen and even reverse some of the damage, with how horrible his reactions were, Penny suspected that a full recovery was not likely.

They had talked briefly for a while, but Rudy’s parents decided they should have a meeting. They had called her mother over the phone and told her to come over as soon as she could. Penny hoped that Rudy’s parents could fill her in on the details as she wasn’t sure if she could repeat the details a second time.

The zoners had gone upstairs after Penny drew a portal for them. She thought it would be best if she left a portal open for them to go back into ChalkZone to get help for themselves. They needed medicine of some kind and some bandages. Maalik said they are going to go to a place in ChalkZone City, an area that hadn’t been ripped apart by the dragon’s attack, and get some stuff from the stores there to help mend their wounds. They were also going to drop Bardot, who was the most injured, off at the hospital to be treated. Penny had a feeling there was going to be backlash about that, considering Bardot’s heinous actions in the past, but she would worry about that later, as more pressing matters were on her mind.

Penny continued to rest on the couch. It felt almost strange to her, being able to lay down without much pain. In the recent past, due to all the injuries she kept getting, she had a hard time laying down without experiencing pain of some kind. For that to be suddenly taken away from her, it left her with a confused, muddled feeling. She felt some kind of dull ache throughout her body, where her wounds had been. The aches concentrated in areas like where her bones had been broken. The ache was more annoying than anything, but its presence was a tell tale sign that something was wrong...and she knew that to be true. These wounds weren’t healed naturally; they were forcibly healed by the black chalk.

Penny shuddered as she thought about just how painful that had been for her. She couldn’t believe how painful healing could have been. The black chalk pulling and twisting her insides was incredibly painful, and in her broken bone regions, excruciating. She could still feel it as she laid down, memories of the terrible pain she had been forced to endure as the black chalk healed her.

And she knew it could be temporary. She knew that, if the black chalk could heal, it could also ‘unheal’, take away the healing it had given. If Rudy sees fit, he could do that to her, and take away all the healing the black chalk gave to her. It could do so abruptly, causing a shockwave of pain to shoot through her body so suddenly, it could very well cause her to black out, leaving her vulnerable to attack. She was going to have to tread lightly.

As she laid there, she tried to think of how they were going to go about this. Their initial trip into the Solar Pillars had ended in a failure. They were going to need to try something else, and getting back there wasn’t going to be easy. Even with a portal placed there, to even get to it, they needed to get back to the swimming pool.

The good news is, however, the pool will be closing soon, so they won’t have many people to worry about. They should be able to walk in just fine and the pools should be drained to ensure that, the next day, the water in them is clean. This would make it much safer for them to head back into ChalkZone that way. Penny thought it would be safer to wait until early morning, after they got some rest, before heading back to Solar Pillars.

But the bad news is that, because of it being closed at that time, they would have to sneak in somehow. Penny knew just how difficult that was going to be. Breaking and entering could land them in hot water if they weren’t careful, and it wasn’t something she particularly wanted to do. But what choice did they have? It was either that, or they would have wait until it opened, and that was just going to cause more problems. They had been lucky getting out without being caught by someone who worked there. And if a few people go missing in the swimming pool...

Penny knew this matter would have to be further discussed when her mom arrived, which should be pretty soon. She hadn’t heard any sign of her mom showing up yet, but that wouldn’t be for too long. She hoped that, during their discussion, the adults can figure something out. She knew they wanted to contribute in anyway they could. She hoped that they could do so by offering some ideas and solutions that she and the others had not thought of yet.

Penny’s mind momentarily went to Nexra. She hoped that the zoner turned out to be trustworthy. They hadn’t really gotten a lot of time to get to know each other. She seemed pretty stern and cold, but also appeared to be interested in helping them out, or so she guessed. With all the running around they had to do, she hadn’t had a chance to really sit down and talk with Nexra. One of the few things she got was she had apparently been looking for her.

But why? To give her black chalk..but why? Was she trying to corrupt her? No, Bardot told her she wanted nothing to do with the black chalk artists. But then, what was her motivation? What was her plan? Was she going to help them free Rudy? Did she have her own plans? Penny wished she could have found out more about Nexra. She hardly had any time to get a grasp on her character before they had to separate, and walking down the streets of the real world was not a good place for them to have much discussion regarding ChalkZone.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a loud knock on the door. It must be her mother. Penny shot up from her seat, a little too fast as she felt a tad dizzy, and she got up from the couch. She didn’t take more than two steps when Mr. Tabootie came to the door first. She stopped and stood there, waiting.

Mr. Tabootie reached towards the door and opened it up. The reaction in his eyes showed that this was someone that he recognized. A small smile, happy but yet grim at the same time, spread across his face.

“Hello, Mrs. Sanchez.” Mr. Tabootie greeted as he took a few steps back. He made a sweeping gesture with his hands. “Come on, in.”

“Hello, Mr. Tabootie. Did you guys get any news on....?” Mrs. Sanchez started to say as she took a few steps into the house.

Mr. Tabootie nodded his head. “Yeah. Penny here, as well as a few zoners, informed us of what’s been going on in ChalkZone.” He furrowed his eyebrows in concern. Mrs. Sanchez watched, worry etching over her face as she noticed the man’s expression. “It’s...not good.” He shook his head. “Things have gotten a lot harder.”

“What’s happened...?” Mrs. Sanchez asked.

“Well for starters, Rudy was corrupted by the black chalk.” Mr. Tabootie said.

“What?!” Mrs. Sanchez cried, horror overflowing from her voice. Mr. Tabootie nodded his head solemnly. “But..how...?”

Mr. Tabootie turned and headed towards the kitchen. “Come on in here. Millie and I will fill you in.”

“Where’s Penny?” Mrs. Sanchez asked.

“I’m right here, mom.” Penny said as she walked a little closer. Her mom looked over and, upon seeing her, immediately rushed over. Penny wrapped her arms around her mother and they embraced each other.

“I’m so sorry...about what happened..” Mrs. Sanchez said sadly. “Poor Penita...”

Penny knew her mom was referring to Rudy being corrupted. As she embraced her mother, her eyes welled up with tears. She did her best to hold them back, not wanting to cry in front of her mom right now. A few still escaped. Penny’s thoughts filled with memories of Rudy. All those happy times she had with him... she hoped they weren’t over. They couldn’t be over...they just couldn’t...

“We’ll find a way to get him back... You’ll see..” Mrs. Sanchez said as she pulled away and gently squeezed her daughter’s shoulders. She smiled shakingly as she stroked a strand of hair from Penny’s face. “It will be okay.”

Penny smiled back, but she wasn’t sure if things would be okay. She was still willing to try, but there was still that chance that something could go very wrong. There was still a chance that their attempts at getting Rudy back weren’t going to work. Still she did her best to be strong for her mother, and tried to fight back the sorrow that gripped her, yanking at her heart.

“Penita...what happened to your wounds...?” Mrs. Sanchez said as she eyed Penny’s body up and down.

“We’ll explain that...” Penny said. She gestured her mom to follow her into the kitchen, where Rudy’s parents awaited them. “There’s...a lot that happened.” With that, Penny and her mom walked towards the kitchen to let the vet catch up on what was going on and begin the discussion on what to do now.

sss

“Ah... so the black chalk really can communicate that way? Well, good thing I thought to crush your piece before we started, right?” Biclops said. Though he smiled, there was no kindness in it, and his voice had a tone of anger and hate to it. “That will be useful for me to tell the others. I’m sure they’d love to hear it. Wouldn’t you agree, Tsere?”

The large green pterosaur nodded his head. He looked from Biclops and then at Jenny. His dark eyes narrowed hatefully at her. It took all his strength not to attack her. He knew that she was the one who hurt his creator. The one who had performed a vivisection on him. The mere thought of it made the pterosaur’s mind light on fire.

Biclops noticed the pterosaur’s anger and nodded his head. “Oh don’t worry. She won’t be able to cause anymore trouble.”

Jenny hissed at the giant. “I beg to differ. You can’t hold me forever!”

Biclops chuckled at her. “Oh really now?” He folded his arms against his chest. “I don’t see you going anywhere anytime soon.”

Tsere smirked in amusement as Jenny growled at this. Biclops spoke the truth. Jenny really didn’t have much place she could go, not as she was now. After Biclops had caught her, he had imprisoned her in a cage that Snap had apparently brought into the Chalk Mine when he guarded it for Biclops years ago. Biclops had kept it around just in case, and now he had finally found a use for it.

Jenny stood there, holding the bars tightly, snarling at them. Tsere himself had removed her water weapon. It was relatively easy to do and he had placed it far away from her, making sure she was not able to get it. Jenny’s black chalk, as Biclops stated before, had been crushed into dust, so even if she did get out, she had no way of defending herself against the giant unless she got the water weapon back. And that was placed further behind Biclops, further ensuring she was trapped in there. And he could tell she was not enjoying it one bit.

Jenny pointed a finger at them, her eyes narrowed. “Just you wait! I’ll get out of here soon! And when I do, I’m going to tear you two apart!”

“With what chalk?” Biclops mused. “Are you going to go back to the ‘pathetic white chalk’ then?”

Tsere sneered at Jenny at this. He knew how much Jenny despised using white chalk, and how she would only use it if she absolutely had to. The thought of her being forced to use something that she deemed ‘inferior’ was satisfying in his mind, and he was looking forward to seeing her reaction if and when she is forced to pick up a piece of white chalk.

Jenny growled at them and moved away from the bars. She folded her arms behind her back and began to pace back and forth. Her eyes were narrowed and teeth were clenched. She was deep in thought. Once in a while she would cast a glare at them, letting out a soft growl. Neither Tsere nor Biclops needed to hear what she had to say in order to know what she was doing. She was trying to figure a way out of here in an attempt to avoid the topic of the white chalk. Jenny was clearly not taking her loss that well.

Tsere shifted his gaze over to Biclops. He remembered when he had found him in that cave. He had been heading somewhere, though now he forget exactly where he was headed, and he noticed Biclops was being transported there. He wasn’t sure what the zoners wanted him, why they had brought him there. But the fact that he was unconscious was all Tsere needed to know to determine that these zoners had captured him. So he sprung into action.

He had infiltrated the place, attacking any zoner that dared try to strike at him. A few times, they attempted to shoot him down with tasers, and he had been lucky to avoid the attacks. He knocked them away, careful not to cause serious injuries. The zoners were persistant and hard to shake off. In fact, he can’t really recall any moment in there when he was all by himself.

Traveling through the place was difficult, as it had a lot of twisty tunnels, sudden turns and drop offs, and head a lot of dead ends. Locating the giant was quite difficult, which was saying something considering how massive Biclops was. The tunnels, though large, were barely enough for him, and he was not able to fly. The tunnels made it difficult for him to fight, and he only managed to avoid the attacks was because he either ducked in time, the shooter had poor aim, or he managed to knock the maway with his beak before they had a chance to shoot.

Tsere had eventually managed to find Biclops. He freed him and the two broke out. The zoners did chase after them for a time, but they hadn’t chased them too far. They appeared to run out of interest quite quickly, making the two large zoners wonder if Biclops’s capture had actually been serious, or if they had simply stopped caring if Biclops was free or not and just let him go.

Well whatever the reason, it had been a good thing he got Biclops out of there because, as they heard from one zoner who was an eye witness to it, Jenny was headed for the Chalk Mine and the two knew what would happen if they didn’t get there in time. They rushed over as fast as they could. It took them a while, despite how big they both were, but they did manage to get there. And just in time, as Jenny had almost started her erasing of the white chalk.

Now here she was, trapped in the cage with no way out, and no weapon and no black chalk either. It was almost amusing to see Jenny this way. Powerless. Most of the time, she was a ruthless mastermind. She struck fear in the hearts of zoners and creators alike. Even if it wasn’t to the same extent as Cosmo, she had still left a mark. To see her without any kind of power or ability to fight back, it was so rare that it made Tsere almost wonder if he was dreaming or not.

“So tell me, Jenny.” Biclops said. The blond woman stopped pacing and shot a glare up at him. “Since the black chalk can ‘see’ and ‘hear’ what other black chalk does, and since Penny has some black chalk in her, are you saying that she’s being used as a spy?”

Jenny paused. She then nodded curtly. “That is correct.”

“And Nihilanth and Rudy know of any plan she discusses?” Biclops pressed.

“Yes, you overgrown piece of garbage.” Jenny growled at him. “They are able to use that information to counter anything Penny comes up with. There is nothing she witnesses that they don’t know about already.”

“I see...” Biclops said calmly, scratching his large chin thoughtfully. “I cannot simply tell her that either. Because Nihilanth and Rudy would know, and thus react accordingly.”

“Yeah, they would.” Jenny said, a small sneer on her face. “They would wipe the floor with you if they found out what you did.” Her teeth flashed. “I would look forward to that...especially with how you betrayed us...”

“How can I be a traitor when I was never on your side to begin with? You know I never liked what you black artists wanted me to do.” Biclops said, his vertical eyes narrowing. “You wanted me to be a monster. You wanted me to twist the minds of innocents, take away their memories, making them compliant, and take away any helpful knowledge, anything that you felt they ‘should not know’. Do you really think I wanted to be a part of that?”

Jenny sneered, “At least you would have been someone.”

Biclops emitted a low growl at this, his eyes narrowed into slits. Tsere lowered his head slightly and took a step back. Jenny had just hit a sore spot in the giant. Whether or not this was intentional on her part, he wasn’t sure. But the end result was the same: she had just struck at the giant’s heart, and she was about to get the horns, unless Biclops can stop himself.

The giant took a few steps towards the cage. Each footstep pounded into the ground heavily, making vibrations through the hard cave floor. Jenny looked more or less unfazed, keeping her sneer on her face as Biclops got closer to her cage. He soon stood in front of it. He stared down at her, his eyes still narrowed, his pupils contricting in anger. His breathing was heavy and a little quick. It looked as if he was trying hard not to lose his temper, and Tsere wouldn’t be surprised if that really was the case.

Then, after when the giant looked as if he was going to blow a gasket, he inhaled slowly and exhaled, the redness from his face slowly vanishing. This made Jenny smirk, looking as if she felt she ‘won the argument’ or something along those lines. She opened up her mouth to speak, but Biclops beat her to the punch.

“Be someone, eh? I wonder what you mean by that. You mean I could have harmed or slaughtered many innocents, all just to make myself feel important... You could mean that I could put on a facade to hide behind, all because I’m afraid of my own insecurities. You could mean that I could abandon my own beliefs to try appease someone else. Maybe you could mean, instead, I could pretend to like what I’m doing and in turn turn myself into a coward.”

Jenny’s smile faltered at this, and she glared at the giant.

“Yes, I see how it is. You want me to become like you, a coward who hides behind someone else, because you are too insecure to think for yourself. You cared about Teddisson Cosmo to the point where you wanted to please him. You didn’t care what others thought, only what he did. And when he gave you the chance of partnership, you jumped on it, all because you really wanted to prove your ‘worth’ to him. And in your attempt to prove it, you turned yourself into a coward.”

“That’s not true!” Jenny snarled at him.

“Oh it isn’t?” Biclops pondered, tilting his head to the side. His voice remained calm the whole time, even though Tsere could tell that, underneath, he was quite angry. “Is that what you really think, Jenny? Think about it long and hard. Are you doing this because you wanted to yourself, or have you become so indulged in what Cosmo would have wanted, that you essentially lost a sense of self. Have you lost your own identity, Jenny? Did you forget who you are?”

Jenny shook her head. Her pupils were constricted into dots, her teeth flashing in anger, body trembling. She looked like she wanted to tear into Biclops right then and there. The only thing holding her back were the bars. Tsere really thought that, if the bars weren’t there, Jenny would have foregoed any fear of Biclops being larger than her, and charged him.

Tsere was surprised at the giant’s words. It was something that he himself hadn’t really thought of. Biclops never brought something like this into discussion before, and Tsere wondered just when the giant made this conclusion. Was it recent, or something he thought of for years and just never spoke of it?

Jenny wanting to impress Cosmo... That was something that he hadn’t thought of before. But he realized that it did make some sense. Jenny, from what he recalled from years back, was rather fond of Cosmo. She had already been corrupted by Cosmo before he came along, so he didn’t know how the corruption came about if it was willing or not. But Biclops... he was Cosmo’s first creation while under the black chalk’s control, and would have been there when Jenny was corrupted. If anyone knew what Jenny was like before then, it was him.

“I know damn well who I am! I am Jenny Saffron!” Jenny cried, her eyes wide with anger.

Tsere’s eyes bulged at this. Never before had he heard her last name spoken. She was always just ‘Jenny’. Her last name caught him off guard. Saffron...? Jenny Saffron? Was it possible she was related to Ms. Saffron, the woman who helped Rudy and Penny escape the Solar Pillars?

Biclops didn’t look fazed, however, as if he had known or he was just too angry to care. “Jenny Saffron... So you haven’t forgotten.” Okay, so he did know. But why hadn’t he brought this up before? The giant didn’t notice the pterosaur’s shocked and perplexed expression and focused on the blond woman standing in the cage before him. “I do wonder what Rebecca would think of your behavior.”

“She was weak! Bonding with Snap, going against Cosmo’s generosity...” Jenny snarled. Seeing Biclops’s somewhat confused expression, she nodded her head in affirmation. “Yes, Rudy told me some more of the story. And I’m disgusted with the way my cousin acted. No wonder Cosmo killed her!”

Cousin? Tsere tilted his head, trying to digest this information. Jenny was related to Rebecca Saffron, same woman who had helped make it possible to stop Cosmo... She was her cousin...

Tsere’s mind reeled at that realization. It was completely unexpected, but it did explain something. Cosmo picking Ms. Saffron to be his assistant, and keeping her even after the revelation of him getting his memories back... It seemed at first like a random thing. Ms. Saffron had lacked the ferocity Jenny did, at least when she was a black chalk artist. But her being Jenny’s cousin... That might have been the reason Cosmo kept her around. Perhaps he simply didn’t know where Jenny was and he thought that having her cousin around was just as good. Maybe Rebecca had some qualities that Jenny did not.

“I know you are...jealous of Rebecca.” Biclops said.

Jenny shot him a glare. “Why would I be jealous of her?!”

“Because she was Mr. Cosmo’s partner years ago...instead of you. Yeah, she defected, but that was because she was strong, her own person. I’d say, stronger than you.” Biclops said.

“Stronger than me? You wish! I’m not the one laying down in a stone cold grave... She is.” Jenny smiled cruelly at this. “May she rest in pieces...”

“Typical cold response I would expect from a black chalk artist.” Biclops said, shaking his head almost as if he were a disappointed parent. “But you fail to see what you are doing to yourself.” Jenny glared up at him, her teeth gritted. “You wanted so much to be someone yourself. You wanted to prove your worth... and when Cosmo gave you the chance, you thought it was the opportunity of a lifetime. And then he introduced you to the black chalk and all that changed. I remember how you hated it at first, and you tried to resist... I’m certain during your reawakening, you had a rather...unpleasant experience, am I right?”

Jenny’s eyes widened at this, her mouth opening up slightly. “I...” She took a step back. After a few seconds of hesitation, she cried, “N-No!”

“Don’t lie to me, Jenny. I can see it in your eyes. I know that you had tried in the past not to lose yourself, and now that nightmare has become a reality again. I know the real you is in there somewhere, and the real you wants out.” Biclops said.

Jenny shook her head left and right. “No! You’re wrong!” She clutched her head tightly, her teeth gritted.

Biclops narrowed his eyes. “Do you really think I’m wrong? Or are you still trying to please Mr. Cosmo? Are you still trying to be like him..in hopes of redeeming yourself? Tell me, Jenny... is that it? Is all you care about just to impress this guy? Is that why you became a black chalk artist and sacrificed your identity?”

Tsere watched in shock as Jenny dropped down onto her knees. She was still holding her head and shaking it from side to side. She looked like she was almost on the verge of tears. He could see her body trembling from the emotion that swam through her like a tidal wave. The sight left him in confusion. He hadn’t expected her to react like this to what Biclops was saying. He expected some kind of retort, but...not this.

Jenny shut her eyes tightly and lowered her head, her fingers pressing against the skin so hard, it looked like she could draw blood at any second. She stayed like this, moving back and forth, for several seconds. Then she started to mutter something that was just barely audible.

“You’re not real... You’re not real...”

At this, Tsere perked his head up in confusion. What was the woman rambling about? Who wasn’t real? She glanced over at Biclops and then stared down at himself. She couldn’t possibly be talking about them, right? Black chalk artists, as much as they hated zoners, at least acknowledged they were real, to some extent. Jenny was interacting with them like she were talking to other humans. So Tsere had a strong hunch that who she was talking about was not him or Biclops, but someone else. But what?

Tsere pondered for a few moments in his mind what the woman was talking about. Staring at her, she seemed a little...panicked and confused. How surprising... He hadn’t seen her act this way before. He wondered if something Biclops said triggered something in her. He wasn’t sure exactly what that was, and due to not having any means of talking, he couldn’t simply ask her. He looked over at Biclops, hoping the giant could shed some light on the matter, or at the very least, ask Jenny why she was talking like that.

Biclops appeared surprised as well, but his reaction was much more mild than how the pterosaur reacted. His eyes merely widened a little as he listened to Jenny ramble on about something or someone not being real. Then they narrowed and he took another step towards the cage. The ground shook enough that it caught Jenny’s attention. She looked up at Biclops with wide eyes and, for a moment, she looked...different. Tsere couldn’t quite place his wing fingers on why.

Then Jenny’s own persona returned, the one that he and Biclops came to know and hate so much.

“What do you want, you useless piece of chalk?” Jenny growled at him. She took a few steps back, as if she thought Biclops was going to strike her down. “Are you going to finally going to take up the job you were meant to do...?”

Biclops paused for a moment. He shook his head once. “I will not erase your memory. And I won’t kill you. You’re despicable. You don’t deserve a quick death.”

Jenny chuckled at this. “So I see. Even when you have the chance, you don’t take it. How pathetic.”

Although Biclops was visibly angered by that comment, Tsere could tell he was trying to ignore it. The giant clearly had something else in mind. Biclops gestured to Jenny, his face taking on a thoughtful expression. “So...what was up with your reaction just seconds ago? Why did you say ‘you’re not real’?” Jenny just looked at him. “Oh come on, it’s not that hard. Why don’t you enlighten me?”

Jenny’s expression shifted, for a few moments, back to how it was before. Confused, startled, panicked. She looked left and right, as if she had just heard voices taunting her. And as she hunched forward and backed away, still looking left and right, Tsere wondered if this was actually correct.

Jenny turned to face Biclops again. He gave a very small half smile, one that indicated he knew what was going on, and he was simply rubbing it in Jenny’s face. Tsere was so confused. Just what did Biclops know that he didn’t? How much of Jenny’s corruption was unknown to him? Was it different than the others? Did something go wrong? Was Jenny’s reaction an act against the black chalk that now plagued her?

The last bit made him freeze. If Jenny had been reacting to the black chalk... Was it possible that, in that split moment, she had broken free? That wasn’t possible. Or was it? The pterosaur suddenly remembered something he had been told by Mr. Wilter, who in turn heard it from Penny. Rudy was nearly corrupted by the black chalk when Penny’s cries made him stop. It was brief, short, but it still happened. Tsere realized that, while it was near impossible to completely break free, it seemed that momentary lapses were possible.

Biclops spoke, breaking the pterosaur out of his thoughts. “I know what happened, Jenny. And let me ask you something. In that moment, did you feel frightened of the black chalk? Helpless that it was controlling you? Disgust at what you did? Do any of those feelings still linger with you?”

Jenny clutched her head and shook it from left and right. “J-Just shut up!”

Biclops’s smile vanished. “You’ve always been stubborn, Jenny. So willing to go in one direction, you’d fall over a cliff before you realize there’s another path.” He took a step back, giving Jenny one last look before he turned around. “I do wonder something. If you do end up going over that cliff..will it be worth it?” He began to walk away.

“You don’t know a damn thing about me!” Jenny shouted at the giant, gripping the iron bars. “You never knew anything about me! Not even back then! And you still don’t! So just...just take a hike!”

Biclops paused for a moment. He glanced back at Jenny. The look he gave her had a tinge of sympathy to it. This surprised Tsere, as he never seen him look at her that way. What was going on here? Then, without saying a word, the giant moved down the cave tunnels, not sparing another glance. Tsere stared at the retreating giant for several moments, watching as he disappeared down the tunnels. He then looked over at Jenny, who still stood there, breathing heavily, hands gripping the bars.

Jenny noticed him and shot him a glare. “What are you looking at, beaky?” After a moment, she continued, “Oh that’s right, you can’t speak.” A nasty smile spread across her face. “Well ain’t that a shame...” Tsere glared at her. Jenny turned her head away. “Just leave me alone.” With that, she turned around and, pressing her back against the bars, she slid down onto the cage bottom, going into a sitting position.

Tsere stared at her for a few moments before turning his head towards where Biclops disappeared to. A part of him wanted to follow and ask him what he and Jenny had been talking about. But the other part of him knew that Biclops wouldn’t want Jenny left unguarded. So the pterosaur opened to move closer to Jenny. He settled about five feet away from the cage and rested down, his wings folded slightly inward, their tips curving almost like claws. He steadied a dark-eyed glare in her direction and remained there.

As he watched her, he couldn’t help but wonder if this newfound revelation he got, the brief glimpses of control a black chalk user could get, would come in handy. Could they use this to help free Rudy, somehow? He could only hope so, knowing what was at stake if they didn’t find a way to free that boy.

sss

Ah, what a great day for a hunt... Well it was almost always fair weather here. It was often difficult to hunt in day zone, except during certain hours. Ghadir realized just how lucky she had been to find this one victim, out on their own, with no one around to help them. She licked her lips as she slowly approached, moving along the edge of the trees as she stared at her would-be victim.

Two small children... Oh how easy this was going to be. And they were all alone. Prime for the taking. Ghadir stalked along, keeping her eyes fixated on them. The two zoner children looked like they were no bigger than an eight year old. Not the smallest zoners she’s hunted, but they would do nicely. They would not be able to escape her. The two children, one male and the other female, walked together away from the other zoners, away from the city, and towards the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. Too far away to get help...

Ghadir sneered evilly as she followed close behind them, her fingers, wearing the plastic real world water filled-claws, flexed in anticipation. As she walked along slowly, watching as the children frolicked along the ground, completely unaware that they were being watched, Ghadir realized that she should probably only try to kill one of the children. It would be pretty hard to get them both, and it wasn’t like the other could get help in time before she devoured the one she would choose to eat.

She stared at the children, trying to decide which one should be the one she would eat. The male, who had green eyes, a yellow shirt, blue pants, a blue hat, and auburn hair, looked like he would offer the most flesh out of the two. But the female, who had blue eyes, blond hair, a pink dress, and pink ribbons in her hair, was smaller and would be easier to kill. The fact that they looked like human children didn’t really faze Ghadir; them being zoners was all that mattered to her. But which one shall be her victim?

She had soon decided. It would be the girl she would kill and eat. She licked her lips in anticipation. She waited until the children got close enough before she made any kind of move. She knew that if she made the wrong move at the wrong time, it could cost her the hunt. And she knew exactly how to get them to come into a spot where she could ambush them. She quickly drew a small toy train, releasing it and watched it go near the children while she waited in some thick bushes she quickly drew.

The two children zoners were immediately intrigued by the train. Laughing and giggling, they rushed towards the train, trying to catch it. The train moved around in circles, slowly leading them towards there Ghadir awaited them. She smiled darkly, laughing to herself just how easy this was. She just had to wait until they got closer, and then she can tear the little girl’s throat out.

“Come back train!” The girl cried, holding her hands out to try to grab it.

“Hold up! All we want to do is play!” The boy shouted, a wide grin on his face.

The two children kept chasing after the train, and never once did they look tired. This fact struck against Ghadir’s mind and, in that moment, she realized that this hunt might be a little harder than she expected. She would have to try to kill them quickly, before they had a chance to run out into the open and get help. She crouched lower, baring her teeth in anticipation as the children steadily got closer.

The children got even closer to where she was. They were in plain sight. Ghadir could feel her mouth dripping with drool as she anticipated what the girl zoner’s chalky flesh will taste like. Her stomach growled, and her mind shouted at her to just rush after her. But she kept herself still, knowing that patience was what was required for this hunt.

Suddenly, the girl zoner slowed down a little as they got deeper into the Mumbo Jumbo Jungle. She looked around nervously and she stared over at her playmate. “Wait! Blotz!” The boy stopped and looked over at her. “I don’t think we should be out here. Maybe we should turn back.”

“Oh come in, Zibble!” Blotz said, putting his hands on his hips. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

Zibble rubbed the back of her head nervously, twirling her foot in a circle. “I just think that we..”

Blotz shrugged his shoulders. “Come on, just how bad could it be?”

“Well...still, maybe we should just turn back..” Zibble said.

Oh no...the food was about to turn and flee. Ghadir ground at this. She had to make sure they didn’t leave. The train did a good job in bringing her prey closer, but it was still not close enough for an ambush. She realized she would have to do something else. A change of plan was in order. She could see the boy was having a hard time convincing his friend to come closer. Yes, she would need to do something else before she could attack.

Drawing again, she made a simple, mostly harmless snake. It wouldn’t do much, but a quick scare was all she needed. The snake slithered around, wrapping itself around a tree Blotz and Zibble were standing by. It hung down from the branches positioning itself behind them. Then, with a loud hiss, it snapped at them. The two children took immediate notice and they jumped back. Forgetting which way they came, they backed away from the snake quickly...

...and right towards Ghadir herself.

The snake hissed and snapped at the children, never striking close enough to hurt them. It was herding them towards Ghadir. If Zibble and Blotz tried to go around, the snake would block them and strike, never once giving them a chance to go another way. All they could do was move backwards.

The snake only stopped when the children were now in striking distance. It turned and started to slither away, leaving behind two confused kids. Blotz and Zibble stared at each other, scratching their heads in confusion. They both clearly wondered what was going on, why the snake left. Well they soon got their answer for that as they heard a rustle behind them. They slowly turned and looked at the rustling leaves, their teeth gritted in fear and anticipation.

Ghadir lunged out towards them, her hands spread out and plastic claws arched, ready to rip into them. Blotz and Zibble screamed and they scrambled back. They tripped over their own feet as the imposing woman loomed over them, eyeing them hungrily and licking her lips. It took only seconds for the children zoners to realize what was going to happen. They let out a scream and started to run away deeper into the forest.

“Run, Zibble!” Blotz cried.

“No! Not that way! Head towards the open field where...” Zibble started to say before Blotz made an ubrupt turn. “Hey! Wait up!”

Zibble attempted to turn, but she tripped on the ground and she ended up stepping on her ankle, twisting it. The girl zoner let out a cry of pain as she stumbled on the ground. She looked down at her ankle, a few tears of pain flowing down her face. She struggled up to her feet and clutched her ankle, hissing in pain.

“Blotz! Wait up!” Zibble cried in desperation. “Please wait!” She started to limp in the direction Blotz had gone.

Blotz stopped in his tracks. He appeared to realize that Zibble was missing. He looked over behind him, his eyes widening when he realized that his companion was limping slowly, Ghadir coming quickly behind her. “Zibble!”

Ghadir sneered evilly as she closed in on her prey. Perhaps this was going to be easier after all. She ran towards the limping zoner as fast as she could, not wanting to give her a chance of escape. Zibble looked at Ghadir, crying and whimpering softl as she looked at her pleadingly, trying to drag herself away to safety. Soon it was all going to be over. Just a little closer, and a quick rip here and there, and that was it. Then she’d be dining on her meat and satisfy her craving for chalk.

Soon Ghadir was close enough to strike. She brought her foot back and kicked Zibble in the chest, knowing her into the ground. She continued charging forward and rose her hand in the air. The claws, poised to strike, moved down swiftly. Zibble shut her eyes and turned her head away.

“No!” Blotz shouted.

Without warning, the boy jumped in the path of the claws, taking both Zibble and Ghadir by surprise. The claws hit their mark, slashing into the boy’s side as he blocked the weapon’s path. Ghadir’s claws ripped into his flesh, some real world water getting in and causing burns and more blood flow. The boy howled in agony as he fell down in a pool of his own blood. He collapsed in the ground, clutching his side and crying in pain.

“Blotz... Blotz, no! You can’t... No!” Zibble cried as she put her hand on Blotz’s shoulder. “Y-You’re going to be okay...”

Blotz looked up at her, his eyes filled with pain and semi-glossed over. “Z-Zibble...run..” His voice was course and barely a whisper.

Zibble shook her head. “No..I won’t leave you...” She put her arms around Blotz’s head and cradled it in her lap. “I would never abandon you..”

“You have to... I-I don’t want you...to die too...” Blotz whimpered as he twitched in pain. “Please...”

“You won’t die...” Zibble said, as if somehow stating it would make it true.

Ghadir sneered at this ‘touching’ moment. Having recovered from the shock, she changed her mind. She would not let either of them live after this. She spread her arms around, poising her claws to strike. “I will help with your problem, dear children. I will kill both you.”

Before Zibble had a chance to honor Blotz’s wish and escape, Ghadir grabbed her by her arm and lifted her into the air. She slashed her claws across her damaged ankle, the claws ripping up the flesh, burning it, and rendering the foot even more useless. Zibble screamed and cried as she was dropped into the ground. Ghadir watched as she tried to get back onto her feet, only to scream and fall into the ground every time she applied pressure to that one foot.

Knowing she won’t get anywhere fast, she turned her attention to Blotz. A nasty smile spread across her face. Ghadir knelt down beside him, gripping his arm and holding him down. “And since you were so generous to offer yourself above her... I will let you watch as I rip your friend apart..”

Blotz’s eyes widened in horror. “No..please.” He shook his head. “L-Leave us alone.. What do you want from us...?”

“That doesn’t matter to you.” Ghadir said. “But you two were asking for it, wandering out here, so alone... Now... you are going to pay for that. Big time.” She turned her attention to Zibble. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

Zibble shook her head, tears of fear and pain moving down her face as she tried to drag herself away, her leg leaving behind a trail of blood. “Go away..please...”

Ghadir chuckled at this, and, paying on mind to Zibble’s pleas, she walked towards the zoner slowly, her body hunched, her real world water-filled claws ready to strike at her again. Zibble tried to get away, scrambling backwards on her back, but it was no use. Ghadir caught up very quickly, licking her lips slowly. She grabbed onto the girl’s shoulder and held her down. She raised her claws over the hapless, struggling zoner, and brought them down.

The claws ripped into the girl’s stomach. Immediately, Zibble started screaming loudly, her legs kicking, body trembling in agony. She took her time, slowly tearing up flesh, the real world water dissolving parts of her, making it easy for her to tear apart the zoner’s underside. Blood poured rapidly from the wound, assaulting Ghadir with its wonderful, heavy stench.

“Zibble! No!” Blotz cried. He got up to his feet and staggered forward. “P-Please...stop it!” Tears formed in his green eyes. “Let her go!” He didn’t get too far as staggering pain caused him to halt, dropping down onto his knees. He grabbed onto his side, shaking in agony. He looked out in front of him, watching helplessly as his friend was slowly disemboweled.

Zibble struggled frantically, thrashing about, as Ghadir continued to rip her open. Her claws dug deep into her flesh. Zibble’s cries got louder. Knowing that they might draw attention of another zoner, Ghadir hurried things along. She tensed her claws in the girl’s stomach and then, with a swift motion, she jerked them down, ripping at the girl’s stomach. She plunged them back in, repeating the same process. She continued to rake the girl’s stomach until she managed to spill her intestines all over the ground.

Now Zibble laid there, quivering in agony, sobbing loudly as she tried to cope with the pain. Ghadir listened to her cries only for a few moments before she reached down with her plastic claws. She pressed them against the little girl’s throat and applied pressure. She slashed the neck apart, blood splattering all over the ground as she managed to sever both aorta vessels. The girl’s body stiffened as she gave a wet cry. Then, in seconds, her face paled and her head dropped into the ground, the life fading away from them.

Blotz remained on his knees, watching the scene with wide, horrified eyes. He shook his head in denial. “N-No..”

Ghadir smirked down in satisfaction at the dead body of the girl zoner. She then turned her attention to the boy. With a devious smile, she got up to her feet and walked over towards him. “It’s your turn...”

sss

Ghadir suddenly woke up from the dream as a wrack of pain swept through her stomach. She opened up her eyes and nearly sat up. She blinked her eyes a few times as she looked around, realizing she wasn’t in ChalkZone. Her vision was blurry and at the moment, she wasn’t sure just where she was. The sharp pain in her stomach helped to pull her mind out of its muggy state, but it still wasn’t enough to fully understand what was going on.

She did come to realize she was laying down in a bed of some kind. Something soft and white. Her stomach felt like a gigantic hold had been ripped into it. She reached up and rubbed her head. Just what had happened to her? Did it happen in ChalkZone or here in the real world?

As she fought to regain her memories, her head hurting, a part of her thought back to the dream she had. As her mind cleared up, she recognized the dream as a memory, a not so distant one. The hunt she had been on then took place not too long before she hunted Howdy, if memory served her right. She had managed to get the two children before anyone could find them. She had ripped open the girl’s stomach and then the boy, she ripped up his legs and tore into his rib cage to slice up his lungs. She slit his throat, just like she had with the girl. She hadn’t stayed there, though; she dragged her kills somewhere else to consume them as already she could hear some concerned zoners approaching.

That had been some eventful hunt and she couldn’t helpt but smile at herself for having such great success. The children had tasted divine. She licked her lips slowly, reminiscing on how she had ate them slowly, ripping up the flesh from their bones and swallowing. It hadn’t taken her long to eat them completely, leaving behind no body for the chalk police to find.

The wonderful thoughts of eating such delicious zoners was interrupted as she brought herself back in the now. Just what happened to her that put her in here? She knew there had to be a reason for it. She didn’t just... drop down and this suddenly happened. She thought long and hard, trying to summon forth her memories, trying to remember just what the heck had happened to her to put her in a hospital. And just how had brought her?

She started to remember something about Mr. Wilter. Oh yes, she had been trying to kill him, wasn’t she? The man had been lobotomized... Yeah that was right. Jenny did it to him as punishment, and the man had turned into a blubbering idiot. She was briefly disappointed by the fact that she would never get a proper reaction to when Mr. Wilter finds out she killed and ate his two childhood creations. After lamenting on that for a few seconds, her thoughts continued to wander, trying to remember what happened.

It took several minutes for her to remember much else, but soon she recalled that Bardot had been involved. Yes...she remembered now. He had been the one that caused her to get..impaled. She was impaled.. Ghadir’s mind flashed as she remembered the pain of some large, rusty hook, being pushed through her stomach and out the other end. She let out a small whimper as memories of pain came flooding back to her. She looked down at her stomach, relieved that the large thing had been removed from her.

After her initial shock, other thoughts came to her, clouding her mind. What about Jenny? What was going on with her? What about Rudy and Nihilanth? Did they know what was going on? What were those brats up to? Were they stopped? What was Bardot doing? Where was Mr. Wilter now? These thoughts clouded her mind, making her head hurt. She put a hand on her forehead, pressing the back of her head against the pillow and letting out a soft sigh. Her mind continued to buzz with many thoughts, gritting her teeth.

As much as she wanted answers to those questions, she knew that now was not a good time for that. She had to keep her mind focused on getting back into ChalkZone. But she knew that may not be a possibility. She started to feel nauseaous and her head started to feel light and kinda spinny. She wondered if the rusty nail had caused her to get an infection of some kind. She growled softly. If that were the case, she knew what she was going to do once she got back into ChalkZone...

She heard the door open and she turned her head. She could see a male doctor walking in, looking like he was middle aged. He was holding a clipboard in his hands, staring at her with great concern. Ghadir bit her lip, expecting some form of bad news to come out of his mouth. She didn’t like the way he was looking at her.

“Hello, Ghadir Fatin. I’m Dr. Kamber. How are you feeling?” Dr. Kamber said, looking at her sympathetically.

“Sore...sick...” Ghadir grumbled softly. “Quite perky as you can tell.”

Dr. Kamber ignored the heavy sarcasm and looked through his notes. “You were lucky to have survived. We don’t know how you got that large hook in your stomach, but you’ll be happy to know, we were able to remove it and reduce the damage as much as we could.” He moved through a couple pages of his notes, reading what was on there. He then looked at her sympathetically. “However, we will need to perform another surgery on you very soon.”

“Another surgery?” Ghadir tried to ignore the pang of pain that swept through her stomach at that. “Why?”

“Well...the hook did more damage than we thought.” Dr. Kamber replied. “We realized too late that you still have some pieces left in your stomach. We need to get them out. So you are going to be wheeled into surgery soon.”

“Terrific...” Ghadir grumbled, rolling her eyes. Just what she needed. More pain. She knew this was going to delay her getting back into ChalkZone. But what could she do? She had no choice but to lay down and take this. She would get back into ChalkZone soon. She just had to wait, be patient.

“Oh and before I forget...” Dr. Kamber started to say, making Ghadir lift up her head and look at him. “Something else. You have a massive infection that’s wreaking havoc on your system. This is going to slow down your recovery. We will do what we can, but you may end up stayin in this hospital for a while.

“How long?” Ghadir asked.

“Probably at least two weeks.” Dr. Kamber said. Ghadir’s eyes widened at this, staring at him in disbelief. “And that’s being generous.”

Ghadir let this information sink in. Two weeks out of ChalkZone. So much stuff could happen in that time. Jenny might need her help, and she can’t do a blasted thing to help her. Bardot... She swore, when she saw that little monster again, she was going to make him pay.

Dearly.


	162. A Desire For Worth

Jenny Hope...

Jenny Saffron...

Biclops wasn’t sure what to think. On the one hand, he was happy that Jenny hadn’t forgotten what her real last name was. But on the other, he couldn’t help but feel reminded of something from the past. Something that he hadn’t really told Rudy or Penny or anyone else for that matter. There was a part of the story he had never told.

Jenny...hadn’t actually been corrupted when she first joined up with Cosmo. In fact, when she first started to work with him, she was not corrupted, but still willingly went along with him anyway. She had wanted to impress him. He wasn’t sure if it was crush; more likely, due to her age, she had simply idolized the man. Or...boy, as he would have been at the time. Even before her corruption, she was willing to do some...not so great things. The only difference is that she had a limit, and often she had remorse afterwards.

Biclops remembered how he had more or less befriended her. Not exactly great friends, but Jenny didn’t seem to have many real worlder friends, so it was nice for her to have some people to talk to here. Even most of the other black chalk artists didn’t talk to her too much, though that may have been because she wasn’t a black chalk artist herself. Only a handful of the black chalk artists, like Cosmo, really paid attention to her.

There had been days when he and Jenny would just chat. Nothing really big, just simple conversational stuff. It was during one of these that Jenny had revealed to him a secret. Though she had been saying her last name was Hope, her real one was Saffron. Biclops asked her why she changed it. She hadn’t really given too much detail, other than it reminded her of a family member she didn’t like.

It had taken him until the recent events with Cosmo three years ago for him to realize she had been referring to Rebecca Saffron.

Although the giant still didn’t know the whole story, still didn’t know exactly why Jenny didn’t like Ms. Saffron, why she didn’t want to be associated with her, he was still a little happy that she at least remembered what her true last name was, even after all these years of telling others to call her Jenny Hope. She had tried so hard to please Mr. Cosmo, she kept losing more and more of who she was...until she became near unrecognziable from Mr. Cosmo. And this...before she even became corrupted. The corruption made her a lot worse.

When he took away the children’s memories, he had been more extensive with Jenny. He had wanted her to try to get a new start on life. It was the least he could do for someone he had considered a friend..the first friend he’s had, actually, even if it wasn’t as close as his friendship with Rudy and Penny. He was hoping that she could return to her original persona and lead a normal life. But alas, that had backfired....

Biclops remembered how horrified he was when he learned that Jenny not only regained her memories, but her corrupted persona came back, stronger than ever. He wasn’t sure if he could even do anything for her this time. He wasn’t sure if the hold would be so strong, even if he removed her memories, she’d remain as cruel and twisted as before. It was so bad, he had been worried that, in her effort to be like Cosmo, she had forgotten who she really was. And though it was a comfort that she still remembered, that didn’t mean that she can be swayed so easily. It simply didn’t work that way.

He had noticed her struggling with her mind not too long ago. The way she called out ‘you’re not real’... It had taken him back to when she had been corrupted. He could never forget that day. He would always remember it as a rather tragic day, although Cosmo would say different if he were still there.

Mr. Cosmo had chosen Jenny to be his partner, much to the surprise of the other black chalk artists. He recalled a few of them were appalled, saying how she hadn’t been ‘blessed’. So Cosmo rectified that. Jenny willingly participated. The woman’s intent on pleasing Mr. Cosmo was...so strong, it nearly disgusted Biclops. If there had been one thing that led to her downfall, it was her obsession with Cosmo, wanting to be like him, wanting to prove her worth to him. And in the end, she got what she wanted. Sort of.

The corruption wasn’t as smooth as the others, as Jenny wasn’t as vicious as she claimed to be. She boasted how she would endure the ‘blessing’ and not even struggle, but in the end, that’s what she did. Even worse than the others. She pleaded, she fought back against the voices in her head, screamed at them to let her go. The other black chalk artists laughed at her while Cosmo offered ‘encouragement’, ‘helping’ her see through the so-called ‘blessing’. And soon, it was all over, and Jenny had become one of them.

Biclops recalled how she had cried ‘you’re not real’ even then. She was talking to the black chalk, or perhaps to the persona the black chalk was creating for her. She was trying to keep her sanity. He wouldn’t be surprised if Jenny had said that same thing when the black chalk was being reawakened inside of her. Her corruption had been one of the hardest he’s had to watch, not just because he was sort of her friend before then, but because she had fought harder than any other artist he’s personally have seen. In a way, she was similar to Rudy. Of course, Jenny would resent that comparison.

Biclops hated the person Jenny had become, and in a way, he resented even her regular form, without the black chalk in her. She had chosen that path. Many of the others were forcibly corrupted. But Jenny... she had chosen that path. She had chosen to indulge herself in such cruel behavior. He could tell she was better than that. He knew that she really didn’t want to do those things...and yet she did, all for the sake of proving her ‘worth’ to this boy. She had sacrificed who she was..and that was why he had called her despicable.

He didn’t understand how she could just throw away who she was so easily. He couldn’t comprehend why it was so important for her to gain Cosmo’s approval like that. Had she been neglected? Or was she imply so desperate to remain in the limelight, she was willing to go against her own nature for no reason other than to impress? Whatever the reason, the result still left him filled with disappointment for the blond woman.

Taking away her memories hadn’t worked like he hoped. And now that he has Jenny again, he didn’t know what he was going to do with her. He couldn’t just kill her. As disgusted as he was with her, he couldn’t go that far. And it wasn’t just because she didn’t deserve it, although that was one reason.

It was because he still wanted to give her a chance to turn back. She didn’t have to be a tragedy like Teddisson Cosmo had been. She didn’t have to follow in his footsteps so blindly. She didn’t have to share his fate. He knew that she was better than that, if she would only try. Temporarily regaining control from the black chalk, like she had, was rare and only those with the strongest hearts and minds could achieve it. Jenny being able to do it was quite a feat. He had some level of hope that Jenny would still be able to do that, as it meant that there was at least one part of her who knows that what she was doing was wrong. It meant that she may have a chance of returning to normal.

He hoped that, somehow, Jenny could get freed from the black chalk and she could learn the error of her ways. She had promise, if she would only use her skills for better purposes...

He still felt sadness that things had turned out this way. Jenny hadn’t seemed so bad at first when he first met her. And then that all changed when she started trying to impress Cosmo, and then the black chalk corruption that she willingly partaken in... Biclops found himself shaking his head in disappointment.

The way she had treated him afterwards... It had crushed any ounce of friendship they had shared, and that wasn’t too much. She may have trusted him enough to reveal the truth about her last name, but after the corruption, or ‘blessing’ as the black chalk artists would have called it, she was just as nasty to him as the others, even indulging in insulting him whenever he showed ‘weakness’. It hurt him, infuriated him, and he wanted nothing more than just to get out of there.

He wouldn’t have gotten that chance until Mr. Wilter had stepped up to the plate. And just at the right moment, too, as Biclops had just about given up hope on humans. Until Mr. Wilter did anything, he was starting to see all humans a threat, developing his racism that lasted for many years. Even after Mr. Wilter freed ChalkZone, Biclops had become so bitterly hateful towards humans in general due to the actions of the black chalk artists, that he had sought to keep creators out of ChalkZone for good.

It wasn’t until Mr. Wilter’s visit and urging him to allow Rudy in that it changed. Biclops agreed to test the boy, though he hadn’t exactly been gentle. He was a bit ashamed to admit this now, but his anger towards humans was still so strong, even though he knew Rudy was coming, that he had lashed out at the boy and he would have hurt him by mistake, due to his hatred, if the boy hadn’t been skilled enough to stop him. He only calmed down after Mr. Wilter turned out to be right and Rudy helped him instead of hurt him when he had the chance, and he had gained a new eye and better vision that day.

The thought of Mr. Wilter saddened him. Jenny had gloated to him earlier about how he had lobotomized him. He could recall just how angry Tsere had looked when she did that. And how could he blame him? Tsere and Wilter had been so close. Wilter being lobotomized and losing who he was.... It was like Tsere had truly lost his friend, and in a way, that is what happened. Tsere looked ready to rip Jenny apart, and if he had, Biclops couldn’t hold it against him.

Biclops could only hope that the real world doctors find a way to minimized the damage. Or even reverse it, if that was at all possible. He hoped there was some way to help Mr. Wilter lead a normal life. The man deserved it after all he’s done for ChalkZone years ago, how he freed it from the black chalk’s tyranny, and for all the help he’s managed recently.

A thought crossed the giant’s mind. Was it possible he could do something for him? He was given the ability to manipulate minds, mostly to erase memories. But maybe he could do a little more. He was no miracle worker. But maybe he could help Wilter regain some sense of his self, a way to soften the blow. It would be difficult, but perhaps he should give it a try. But it would have to wait until after the man recovered physically; surely he was in a hospital right now and he needed rest.

Suddenly, something else came to Biclops’s mind, and this one filled him with not curiosity, but horror and dread. He thought back to Nexra, the zoner that had captured him. There was something about her that he had almost forgotten about. Something that may have just complicated things.

Nexra was Jenny’s first zoner creation. And if he recalled right, she was created very shortly after Jenny was corrupted, when her mind still hadn’t fully settled into the ‘groove’ of the black chalk artist mindset.

And that, as Biclops quickly came to realize, was why Nexra was an enigma. She was, in a way, a personification of Jenny’s confusion at the time, which means her behavior was going to be more erratic and unpredictable than he would have liked. He wasn’t even sure what she was doing now, and even if she was trying to help, there was a chance that she might go back on that easily, reverting to her underlining aggressive state.

Because of her unpredictable and very swappable behavior, easily going from a cruel zoner to a more mellow one, meant that trying to understand her motivations was going to be difficult, and it was hard to label her an enemy or an ally. She could easily become both at a flip of a coin, a snap of the finger. In fact, it had been this easily changeable behavior that caused her to ‘die’ in the first place.

During battle, she had gotten into an aggressive fight with a white chalk zoner, created by an opportunistic white chalk artist, a little more hostile than the others. Nexra had shifted into her mild persona too quickly, and didn’t fight back hard enough. She was knocked over a cliff and fell to what he thought was her death. He had no idea how she had survived the fall, or where she had been all this time. He wondered briefl if Nexra was afraid of heights now, as that is what nearly killed her, if he could use that to his advantage to get answers out of her.

Wherever she is, if she is with someone, he could only hope and pray that she isn’t in her aggressive state. He hoped that, somehow, she doesn’t flip her lid and attack. He hoped that her unpredictable nature would bring harm to innocent zoners.

Biclops narrowed his eyes as he made his decision. He would need to leave the Chalk Mine and find Nexra, or any one of her followers. He needed to make sure they didn’t bring harm to anyone, whether it was intentional or not.

sss

Nexra leaned against the wall, her mind swimming with thoughts. She wondered just how her plans have turned out this way. This isn’t what she had expected to happen when she and her comrades had set out to make a plan. It could still work in her favor, though, and without changing too much. She just needed to keep her cool. She couldn’t allow her...bipolarness, if that is the proper term for it, get in her way.

She hadn’t exactly enjoyed traveling around in the group. She had wanted to give Penny the black chalk and be done with it. Instead, she was forced to tag along. She didn’t want to get caught by anyone associated with the black chalk artists no more than the others did. And though she found some of them annoying, like Snap, she would rather endure their company than go with the black chalk artists. She had no intentions on letting Rudy catch her. She’d rather die than be with the black chalk artists.

Anger boiled in the pit of her stomach as she remembered her life when she used to work for them. The black chalk artists treated few zoners well, and she was treated among the worst in their ‘army’, if it could be called that. She didn’t have the same aggressive temperment as, say, Draow, so she was picked on more often, and even when she tried to ‘prove her worth’, it would still end in either failure or less than impressive to her creator and the group she belonged to.

She felt like such a fool. It was her attempts at getting accepted that caused her to fall off that cliff. She had let her mood swings get the best of her, and she wound up losing the fight. None of the black chalk artists bothered to help her. They left her alone to fend for herself. She was lucky to have survived that. Sometimes, she was still amazed she was still alive.

She had been rescued by another zoner who found her there. The zoner nurtured her back to health and she ended up staying with him, living in a secluded area away from most zoners. She lived with him for many years before she decided to reinvent herself and come out into ChalkZone City, which was fairly new at the time.

But she soon realized that she had a hard time landing a job. Even when she tried to go good, she was bad at it. She got into fights, screwed up orders, messed things up, had a hard time being negotiable, didn’t get along with most zoners. All that made it hard for her to make a living in ChalkZone City. None of the jobs would last her for very long. She would usually get fired within the first month or two and then she’d go try to find a new job. Finding a job she could stick with was hard and she almost gave up.

That was when her friend suggested to her a security officer position. Nexra had taken up the chance and it worked out better than she thought. She had been worried, for a time, it was a mistake, but a security officer was the perfect position for her, as she found out. Her mood swings didn’t really affect this job as much as the others, since she was usually stationed in a room most of the day, or patrolling, so there was little interaction with other zoners. And her naturally aggressive disposition worked well in keeping others in line, and she had even clawed her way to the top, becoming the ‘leader’ of sorts.

Besides how well the job fit in with her personality, the job also had other perks as well. She was able to learn quite a bit of what was going on with ChalkZone, with patients and doctors relaying information regarding any peculiar attacks, what villains were active, how severe the damage was. It was amazing what one could learn from simple eavesdropping around the hospital. All she had to do was pretend to patrol and then listen to the right doors, and she’d get all kinds of information.

And one in particular stood out to her.

Nexra recalled the level of shock she felt when she learned that Penny, one of the human creators that often visited ChalkZone, had black chalk in her blood, and that black chalk was also required to help get rid of black chalk, for some reason. She didn’t fully understand it, but she decided why not try it. Now she realized that her actions were a little rash; she hadn’t thought them all the way through and as such, she could have easily screwed things up, big time. She should have tried to learn more, before she tried to give Penny the black chalk.

Nexra had hatred for the black chalk. She wanted to get revenge on it. She blamed it, and Jenny, for how she was. She was not able to control her emotions to the same degree as other zoners. A deliberate design flaw, it seemed. Jenny created her when she was unstable, and as a result, Nexra herself was unstable. It was a frustrating fact, one she had to live with for the rest of her life. Getting revenge on the black chalk might not change the past, and it might be petty. But right now, she really didn’t care. All she cared about was making the black chalk sorry it ever messed with her.

She was rather opportunistic, doing whatever she could to succeed. She had a feeling Biclops would become a problem, so she stopped him before he had a chance to get to Rudy and Penny. She was confused that he did not recognize her at first, but then again, they hadn’t seen each other in so long, so it was understandable. She had recognized him right away and she knew, right then, what trouble he could bring.

She understood that she could have simply spoken to him. But she was not the type to want to talk things out as much. She was more reserved. It took a lot for her to open up to anyone. And she didn’t have much time. Speaking to Biclops would only slow her down.

Hurting Bardot the way she had wasn’t exactly a wise move on her part, especially considering his injuries. She had lost some control of herself, and she had gotten so desperate for information. She had been trying to find Penny in that gawd forsaken place with no luck. She had hoped that Bardot would help her, and when he didn’t, when he started to pry his nose where it didn’t belong, she admitted that she just...snapped.

Oh well, at least she was able to drop off the black chalk with Penny. Specifically in a single location, where it should be found. She wasn’t sure if Penny saw where she put it, but at least the black chalk, which she found in Mumbo Jumbo’s room, wasn’t going to cause any harm. Penny could then use that black chalk to do whatever it is she needed to fight back against Nihilanth and the black chalk and the possessed Rudy, she hoped.

Of course, she wasn’t doing this for heroic reasons. She didn’t care about ChalkZone as much as other zoners. She was hardly given a reason to give much of a care. She wasn’t too interested in saving other zoners unless they benefited her somehow. She could care less if the ‘useless’ zoners died. After all, what purpose did they serve her?

Yeah, she was helping save ChalkZone for purely selfish reasons. She only wanted revenge against the black chalk. Nothing else. She just wanted to see it die, or at least suffer a loss. She wanted to feel personal satisfaction. She wanted to reach that goal, and she didn’t care how she got it. She was willing to do some pretty nasty things, even kill, if it meant that it would bring her a step closer to her goals.

Some may say she was being a bit too harsh. For someone who wasn’t as cruel as, say, Jenny or Cosmo, she was still seen as ruthless and, one some cases, evil. She didn’t care if she was seen as evil or not. She knew who she was, and no one else wa going to tell her otherwise. She had seen where softness had failed, and only hardiness prevailed. If she tried being nice, she may never have gotten as far as she had. On some level, she knew that some of her actions were wrong. But, since they still got the results she wanted, she hardly cared. In the end, only the results really mattered.

Nexra took her time to take a look around the area she was in now. She currently stood in the hallway of the hospital. The same one that she had chased Biclops in, the same one that she currently worked in. She wasn’t in the mood to be scolded by her ‘superior’, so she had put on a cloak to hide her face and much of her body. She was glad most of the zoners left her alone, although she knew the only reason they did was because they were busy with other things, such as cleaning up the messes left behind by recent incidents.

She could just leave now, since there was no reason for her to remain with the others. What use were they got her now, since she got the black chalk to Penny? Nexra couldn’t really think of anything else to do, except wait and hope that Penny was able to make use of the black chalk without it ultimately corrupting her. The zoners she was with...they were only good as fodder in her mind. It didn’t matter if they died so long as the black chalk artists were stopped.

Yet she found herself unable to leave. Maybe she was starting to get a sense of...honor perhaps? Working with the security staff may have helped with that, as she had to learn to trust them in order to be an affective leader. In that time, she had learned to work with other zoners, and sense some level of value, even if they hadn’t proven that yet.

Even though she could leave, she found herself not willing to do so. At least not completely. A part of her wanted to stay behind and at least make sure that the zoners were okay. That lion guy, Maalik was it...? He seemed like he was going to be okay. His injuries didn’t seem as bad, at least not he ones she was able to see. Raiden’s hand looked bad, but at least it was just one finger. It could have been a lot worse.

Snap was worse than them. He was covered in multiple wounds and he had a signicant limp when he walked. It was bad enough that the security officer wondered just how he was able to last this long. She wasn’t sure if she should be impressed, or terrified.

Bardot had the most severe injuries. Nexra couldn’t believe how bad he looked, and wondered just how he was able to even stand. His terrible outline injuries startled her. She never knew damaging a zoner’s outline was possible, and she had just found that out the hard way. It was rather chilling, since an outline was there..and yet not there. Something she thought was untouchable.

“Hello.”

Knocked out of her thoughts, Nexra lifted up her head and turned. She could see Maalik walking down the hallway towards her. Nexra didn’t stare at him long. She narrowed her eyes slightly, gave a nod of acknowledgement, and then shifted her gaze away.

“Hello, Maalik.” Nexra replied half-heartedly. “What do you want?”

“I just wanted to thank you...for your help.” Maalik said. He stopped in front of her and held out his paw in gesture. “I’m sure getting out of there would have been harder without you.”

Nexra scoffed at this. “Don’t be ridiculous. I hardly did a thing.” She gave the lion a sideways glance. “You guys did pretty well on your own..for a bunch of white chalk drawings.”

Maalik looked a little started by this. But he remained calm. Nexra didn’t know if this was because he really wasn’t bothered by what she said that much, or if he was angered and was trying to hold his temper, not lose it. Either way, she didn’t really care. She looked away from him, shifting her gaze up towards the ceiling. Her arms crossed against her chest and she slung her foot across as she leaned against the wall.

“True, I suppose. But still...thanks for the assistance.” Maalik said. Nexra didn’t look at him, but that didn’t seem to bother the lion that much. In fact, he kept talking. “One thing bothers me though.” Nexra widened her eyes slightly at this. “Just how did you know that we needed black chalk to awaken the sentience of white chalk?”

At this, Nexra held her breath for a few seconds. This was something she hoped the zoners wouldn’t try to ask her about. She had hoped that the subject was buried and that they would move on with what they were doing. She wasn’t interested in telling them much of her own personal life. After all, was it really that important that they know how she found out certain things? Would it kill them to not know, to just accept things and go on with their life?

As she turned to face Maalik, she took immediate note of his expression. She could tell, just from looking at him, that he was not going to back down until he got an answer. It wasn’t that his expression was even aggressive. He didn’t look like he was going to harm her if she didn’t answer, like she would have been with the black chalk artists. Instead he looked...convincing, persuasive. He hadn’t said another word, and just by looking into his eyes, she could see silent messages play through them, constantly asking her to explain how she got the information. She tried to look away, but found herself unable to tear away from those golden eyes.

Yeah, there was no way she was going to be able to stay quiet for long. There was something...almost possive and persuasive about those eyes. He kept staring at her intently, his arms folded lightly across his chest, his tail swishing from side to side. She knew she had no choice, but to answer.

And she did so, albeit reluctantly.

“If you must know, I just...happened to overhear some things while in this hospital.” Nexra said softly. She closed her eyes lightly. “I heard what you guys were talking about and I...wanted to help.”

“I see.” Maalik said after a bit of a pause. There was some more silence for a few moments, and at first, Nexra almost thought he left quietly. She was quickly proven wrong when Maalik spoke up again. “So why did you attack Bardot? Why were you so uncooperative? Why were you unwilling to just tell us what you were up to? We could have worked things out better and we...”

Nexra, gritting her teeth, shot a glare at Maalik. “I just don’t play well with others, okay?”

Maalik stared at her for several moments. He then lowered his head slightly and turned away. “Yeah...sometimes I don’t either.”

Nexra stared at him in confusion, wondering what he meant by that. She waited a few moments to see if he’d say something. When he didn’t, rather than inquire more, Nexra simply looked away, turning her gaze elsewhere. If the lion wasn’t going to tell her, then she won’t bother to ask. She wasn’t incredibly interested anyway, and plus, she knew what it meant to have a secret that one didn’t want to induldge with just anyone. If the lion didn’t want to speak about it, then so be it.

She had other issues to worry about, anyway. By showing herself at Solar Pillars, she may have inadvertantly made herself a target. This fact, she didn’t even think of when she went there. It wasn’t like she simply went in, gave Penny the black chalk, and left. Rudy and Nihilanth had spotted her. They knew she was there. And, if given the chance, they might come for her.

She needed to focus her attention on what she was going to do after this. Her business with Penny and the others was complete. Soon, she’d depart from them and deal with taking care of herself. She’ll focus on figuring out how to protect herself as well as what else she can do against the black chalk artists. While she knew, without a doubt, that these zoners she met were going to try to make her stay and fight with them, numbers and all, she was going to decline. She had no interest in fighting alongside them, and frankly, she can’t stand Snap. The sooner she got away from him, the better.

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell me your motivations?”

Nexra looked over. She narrowed her eyes. Was that feline still on that subject? As he still going to talk about it? She just gave him an answer. Why doesn’t he just shut up? Well she was apparently right when she guessed that he was going to be stubborn about the whole thing, persistant, unrelenting. He was staring at her sternly, a mild glare on his furry face. His back was straight, making himself appear a little taller than he did before.

“What makes you think I’m going to tell you?” Nexra asked, eyes narrowed.

“Because it’s never good to keep things inside.” Maalik said. Despite his glare, his voice was rather calm and gentle, understanding even. “Many of us face demons of the past. Many of us have gone through some...rather unbearable times. And keeping it all locked up inside... That isn’t going to do you any good.” Maalik shook his head disapprovingly. “You will only make things worse for yourself.”

“Speak for yourself.” Nexra snarled. She turned away from him. She was not going to let him get to her. “Just go away. Go tend to your...friends.”

“I already have. And I told them I was going to speak to you for a time before I came back.” Maalik said.

Nexra shrugged. “And you did. So go on. Return to them. I’m sure they will enjoy your company.”

“I will. Later. First...” Nexra could hear Maalik’s padded footsteps as he took a few steps closer. “I want you to tell me why you are doing this. When I see your eyes, I see a troubled past...like my own.” Nexra widened her eyes slightly as Maalik pressed a paw against his chest. “You see, I have done some...rather unpleasant things.”

“Oh really now?” Nexra turned to face him. A small smile appeared on her lips. “What do you mean?”

Maalik paused for a moment. Then he said, “A long time ago, the black chalk artists activated the Solar Pillars on my home. I was nearly blinded by a seering white light that struck into the earth.” Nexra widened her eyes at this. “It ripped apart the ground, and destroyed almost everyone that I had cared about.” He stared at Nexra, his face forelorn, ears lowered. He sucked in a small breath through his barely parted muzzled, before clenching his teeth and continuing. “I had vowed to do whatever it took to protect those that remained, and anyone who joined our protection. But I had taken things too far, and I ended up targeting humans.”

Maalik turned his gaze down the hallway, towards where Snap’s room would have been. There was a look of shame reflecting out of his golden eyes.

“I targeted Snap, labeled him a traitor. I tried to have him, as well as his human friends, Rudy and Penny, killed. I thought I was doing things for the greater good, but in the end, I had become the thing I feared and hated the most.” Maalik turned away and returned his attention on Nexra. “I should have just spoken to them, instead of resorting to meaningless violence. If I had, I would have learned that we both wanted peace.”

Nexra gave him a bit of a sympathetic look. She couldn’t really extend that much caring towards the zoner. Just not part of her personality. But she was at least empathetic enough to understand what he was going through and relate to it. Evenif she didn’t entirely care about the lion zoner, she still felt a little sorry for him, what he had gone through. Losing so much he cared about must have been hard.

The realization that he had been hurt by the black chalk artists as well struck with her. Of course, their experiences were quite different. The story he told her couldn’t be more different than what she experienced. But she still felt something of a kinship with him, in that regard. She felt the same way about anyone who was hurt by the black chalk artists, even those she hated. The black chalk artist are ruthless, disgusting monsters, and whenever she meets someone they harmed, she could immediately understand their pain.

“I hadn’t been the only one.” Maalik said, licking his lips nevously. “Dr. Raiden, my best friend, he, too, had suffered in the past from those hideous black chalk artists. He had been taken by Mr. Cosmo.”

“Mr. Cosmo?” Nexra asked, her eyes widening and face paling slightly. “Teddisson Cosmo?”

“Yes...” Maalik said. He glanced at her for a moment, looking as if her knowing Cosmo’s first name confused him. But he apparently decided not to ask as he nodded his head was as if to double confirm, and he spoke. “He had captured many zoners three years ago, and Maalik was one of them. He had been stripped of his clothes and electrocuted into submission. He was forced to build machines for Mr. Cosmo. The event had mentally scarred him and he, for a time, was as anti-creator as me.” Maalik closed his eyes. “Of course, I made the mistake of nurturing that fear.”

“Well you two seemed so buddy buddy with Penny and Snap. What changed your mind?” Nexra asked.

Maalik smiled lightly. “Rudy talked sense into Dr. Raiden... and he in turn, talked sense into us. We learned just what we were becoming, and we resolved to change it. We resolved...to not become the monsters that we had come to hate.”

Nexra felt some level of admiration for the lion zoner. It wasn’t easy changing one’s path in life. It was difficult to go against a mindset so quickly; it often took a longer time. Whatever had made them change, it had to have been a significant blow to the mind. She thought of asking him to elaborate more, but decided against it.

“So what about you?” Maalik asked. “I see it in your eyes. When I mentioned black chalk artists, I could see a flash in your pupils.” Nexra stared at him in confusion. “There’s a...certain look one makes when they hear a mention of someone who had hurt them in the past. And you...” He took a few steps towards Nexra. “You made one when I mentioned the black chalk artists. So tell me, Nexra...”

Nexra didn’t like how close the lion was getting. She took a step back, trying to put some space between her and the lion zoner. He didn’t relent and he moved closer to her still. She gritted her teeth slightly.

“Did the black chalk artists hurt you...?”

Nexra stared a the lion for a few seconds. She was tempted to tell him to take a hike and leave. She was tempted to tell him it was none of his business. Yet she could not bring herself to actually say it. There was...just something about this zoner... Her glare slowly softened up partway. She looked towards the area next to her, averting his gaze. Wordlessly, she slowly nodded her head.

Maalik looked at her sympathetically. He reached out and touched her shoulder, gently squeezing it. Nexra jolted in surprise at it, and stared at the stylized lion zoner.

“What did they do?” Maalik asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Nexra growled. She gave the zoner a soft glare. “So just drop the subject.”

Maalik was persistant. He shook his head. “Come on, you can tell me. If it makes you feel better, I won’t tell anyone else. I promise.”

Nexra stared at him, considering what he said. He wasn’t going to leave. She knew it. She could stand here for hours and tell him all the reasons why she’d rather not speak on the subject, and he’d still try to get information out of her. Was he really that desperate to ‘help’ her through this? How very annoying... But she knew that, if he was this insistant, she was not going to have any luck simply walking away.

So she gave in. “Fine, you want to know? Okay.” Nexra snarled. “I am one of Jenny’s zoners. There, you happy now?”

Maalik stared at her for a few seconds. There was some shock in his eyes, though he didn’t real back like she thought he was going to. Instead, he simply took in a deep breath, his gaze turning downwards for a few moments and he said, “Well...that certainly begins to explain things.” He turned his gaze back to her, his eyes slightly narrowed. “Do you care to explain in more depth?”

“What?” Nexra said, a bit of impatience on her voice. “Why?”

“So I can better understand you. So we all could.” Maalik replied. “It is always good to get this stuff out. It is always good to tell someone. Talking about it makes it easier to deal with. So come on, Nexra.” Maalik said, gesturing a hand to her. “Talk to me. Help yourself relieve yourself of your burden. I am here. I will listen.”

Nexra remained quiet. It was a little hard for her to believe just who was telling her this. Maalik, the same zoner that had lifted her into the air, triggering her phobia of heights, a fear she had ever since she nearly fell to her death years ago. Now he was trying to comfort her, to be a shoulder she could lean on, per say. It was a little hard for her to take in.

Should she tell him? Would he really listen? What would be the point of talking? These questions and more ran through her mind. And after a few seconds, she found herself opening her mouth, seeing Maalik’s eyes brighten slightly as he awaited her to respond.

“I...”

sss

“Mom...are you sure about this?” Penny asked.

Mrs. Sanchez paused at this. As she and Penny stood in Rudy’s room, the chalkboard not far from them, she didn’t answer right away. She glanced at the chalkboard, which held an open portal, one that Penny had just drawn. She looked back at her daughter, knowing that she was expecting an answer.

She could see worry shining in her daughter’s eyes, and how could she blame her? There was a lot going on in ChalkZone. Penny told her as much as she could about what was happening, and it was such a deep shock to the system. One of the worst news she got was when Penny told her how Rudy was possessed by Nihilanth. She hadn’t expected such a thing to happen. To know that the boy that had become her daughter’s boyfriend had been turned into such a monster... It was an unthinkable thing and she wished that Penny had been mistaken.

With Rudy now part of Nihilanth, that evil dragon deity that wanted to destroy both ChalkZone and the real world, she couldn’t blame Penny for not wanting her to go. Penny had managed to convince Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie to stay back, but she had been unsuccessful with her.

Although Mrs. Sanchez knew how dangerous it was, she felt it was best that she tag along. It didn’t mean she had to participate in any fights. She could just be there to provide more medical support. Even if she couldn’t help Penny out too much if she ran out of the real world supplies she was bringing, she could provide more help for the zoners in case they were unable to access a hospital.

“I insist, Penita. I want to help you.” Mrs. Sanchez said. “I’m not letting you go in there alone.”

“But I won’t be alone, mom. I’ll have Snap and the other zoners by my side.” Penny replied.

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. “Well that is true, but I still think I should go with. You never knwo when my expertise will come in handy. And...” Mrs. Sanchez stared at the magic chalk that Penny held. She bit her lip for a few seconds, and then moved her gaze away from the chalk. “You guys might need another creator.”

“But mom...” Penny’s voice was tinged with fear. “What if you...?”

Mrs. Sanchez lifted her hand into the air, silencing her daughter. She knew exactly what she was afraid of. And she understood completely. “It’s okay, Penny.” Mrs. Sanchez assured her daughter, a smile on her face. “I won’t let myself be corrupted by the black chalk again. I promise.”

Penny looked uncertain about this, and it didn’t surprise Mrs. Sanchez. There really was no reason why Penny shouldn’t be upset about this. Mrs. Sanchez knew that, by going into ChalkZone, she was endangering herself, putting herself on the line to be corrupted, and once she was, she may not return the second time around. The thought of hurting her daughter, even unwillingly, was haunting, but she still knew she had to do something, and she wasn’t backing out of this so easily.

Besides, she had something of a score to settle with the black chalk artists...or rather Nihilanth. The one who was, in some way, responsible for her her corruption and who she had used to be. It was because of him that she was such a monster. This would be her chance to show him that he no longer had control over her. It would be her time to show him what she was truly meant for and capable of.

“I still don’t think think this is a good idea.” Penny said, her face filled with uncertainty. “Something could still happen. You..you could...” A few tears moved down her cheeks. She took in a shaky breath. “I lost Rudy to the black chalk.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I don’t want to lose you to it, too..”

Mrs. Sanchez caressed her daughter’s cheek. “And you won’t..” She planted a quick kiss on her daughter’s forehead. “I’m not going to leave you... I promise.”

Mother and daughter stared at each other for many seconds, neither of them saying a word. Mrs. Sanchez smiled at her daughter and, soon, Penny returned it. The two embraced each other, wrapping their arms around each other and holding tightly. After a few seconds, they parted. Mrs. Sanchez squeezed her daughter’s shoulders gently, an attempt to reassure her daughter that everything was going to be okay.

Penny, though she still smiled, remained uncertain. The look in her eyes still said that she didn’t think this was a good idea. Mrs. Sanchez understood her fear. She was right; something could still go wrong. There was a chance that she could..that she could...

Mrs. Sanchez tried not to think about it. As horrifying a thought it was, she couldn’t dwell on it. She couldn’t let fear rule her mind. There were more pressing matters at hand. Both the worlds were at stake, and they needed to beat this monster before he had a chance to tear apart everything they cared about. Despite her fears, she knew she had to at least try to offer some help. Every little bit counts, right?

“Everything will be fine.” Mrs. Sanchez said in a reassuring tone of voice. She cupped her daughter’s chin while her free hand stroked her hair gently. “You will see.”

Penny’s smile broadened a little, a few tears still staining her cheeks. Mrs. Sanchez wiped them away with a finger and she moved her hand up to caress Penny’s cheek again. Penny pressed herself against her hand, her eyes closing for a few seconds in contentment. Then she looked at her mother and, her eyes narrowing slightly, she gave an affirmative nod.

“Okay then...” Penny moved back from her mother and turned towards the portal. “Let’s head out. Snap is expecting me.”

“This early?” Mrs. Sanchez asked. It was morning and she and Penny hadn’t been awake for that long. They had stayed at the Tabooties all night long. “Did you send him a note?”

Penny shook her head. “No, I told him when I visited him last night before going to bed.” Penny walked over towards the portal. She climbed into it. She then popped her head out of the portal and gestured for Mrs. Sanchez to follow her. “If you’re going to come with me, come along now. I don’t want to keep Snap waiting for me.”

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. She walked towards the Portal. She stared at it for a few moments, and then she climbed through. Once she was in ChalkZone, she brushed herself off and then proceeded to follow Penny to the hospital where Snap was staying.

Almost immediately, the two froze in their tracks. Their eyes widened in horror. They stared at each other, wondering for a moment if they were seeing things. They turned their attention back to look at what was out in front of them. Horror and dread struck through their hearts.

“No...no...” Penny whimpered, her body shaking.

Mrs. Sanchez shared her sentiments. “Oh my gawd...” She looked all around, taking in the horrific details. She spoke in a low whisper. “...what happened here...?”


	163. A Return Most Unpleasant

Bodies...blood...gore...

Spread all over the place..

As far as the eye could see...

Mutiple cracks in the ground, patches torn apart...

It was almost like a twister had hit this place.

Penny and Mrs. Sanchez stood there, frozen in shock at the sight before them. The two women couldn’t move, could hardly breathe. Neither of them had ever witnessed destruction quite like this. They looked left and right, taking a few tentative steps forward, their teeth clenched. Their minds raced as their nostrils filled with the horrible stench of death. Just...what...what happened? What could have...done this...?

Penny’s mind was locked in dread, a cold chill moving up and down her spine. When she brought her mother in here, she had..she never thought it would be quite like this. She knew it was risky staying the night outside of ChalkZone. But it had taken so long to speak with her mother and Rudy’s parents and she wanted to give Snap and the others at least a little time to recover a bit before they went out to fight again. She had thought that they would be fine so long as they came in early.

But she had been wrong. And now the testament of her mistake laid all around her. Bodies of zoners, ripped apart or blown up or whatever else, laid on the ground. Many of them, their eyes were still open, and it almost looked like they were silently asking her where she had been.

The sight of this made Penny shed some tears. She didn’t realize that something like this was going to happen. She had no idea that there would have been an attack on this scale...

She knew there could only be one person responsible: Rudy...

But she had no idea that he would attack this early. She thought that he would have wanted to try to get into the real world first. And due to how late it was when she left ChalkZone, doing so would have been impractical; most people would be inside their homes. Plainsville was not as active as some of the larger cities, so there wouldn’t be as many people outside. She theorized that Nihilanth would want to corrupt as many people as possible, so attacking at night would not have been a good idea.

She also thought that Nihilanth wouldn’t cause widespread damage to ChalkZone yet. She thought he would have waited until he brought in creators and they caused enough damage themselves before he did anything. Despite the fact that he can create anything he wanted to, or almost anything as she wasn’t sure if there was a limitation or not, he rarely used this skill to his advantage, seemingly preferring his minions to do the fighting for him.

Penny stared at one of the bodies, which was a snake zoner with legs. He laid not far from her, his eyes ripped out of their sockets and his body with a deep gash that went from underneath his chin all the down his stomach, his intestines spilled out. She took in a shaky breath. What was the point of all this senseless violence?

Penny and her mother moved forward a little. They took care to avoid the cracks in the ground. A few times, the ground crumbled underneath them, forcing them to move faster. The landscape all around them was just as torn apart as the zoners that gathered here. There was hardly a path of stable ground in sight, and it made Penny wonder just how much of ChalkZone was like this. She gulped, imagining, to her dread, what other areas must be like, and if any others had been completely destroyed.

Penny tripped over a piece of upturned ground, some soil exposed in the air. She let out a grunt as her chin hit the ground. She could hear deep cracking and, her eyes widening in horror, she quickly got up, remaining on her knees as she stared carefully at the ground just beneath her.

“Penny! Are you okay?” Mrs. Sanchez asked as she rushed to her daughter’s side. She knelt down and said, “Are you hurt?”

Taking in a few breaths, Penny said, “No..I’m fine.” Her voice was a tad shaky. She gave her mom a small smile. “I’m okay.”

As her mother helped her up to her feet, she couldn’t help but notice something really strange about the ground. Not just that it was cracked in many places, but the fact that the edges appeared to be...suspiciously smooth with little grooves... It didn’t seem like this damage was caused by simple machinery. It was too smooth and the edges didn’t have the tell tale signs of a regular equipment being used on them. She saw this before, but where..?

Then it hit her. Penny’s eyes widened in horror as she realized the damage around here reflected the damage from the Chalk Mine, three years ago when Mr. Cosmo sent three of his creations to destroy it with real world water. The damage wasn’t as deep; she couldn’t see an endless void in all these holes, but the marks, the pattern...it was quite similar.

At the memory of real world water being used, something clicked in her head. Was real world water also used to cause this damage? Penny looked all around. The real world water would explain at least the ground damage. Didn’t Biclops tell them that Solar Pillars had real world water in it? Bardot seemed to confirm that. Perhaps Nihilanth had finally decided to use some of it, although half-heartedly as there wasn’t as much damage here as she thought there would be. That didn’t take away from the horror of it all, though.

The zoners, though..what could have happened to them? The damage to them didn’t seem like they were attacked with real world water, like how Biclops had been. They looked more like they had been....torn apart by something. The marks and the injuries she could find on the body suggested something large, with sharp claws or something similar. And some of the marks appeared to be made from a bite. Whatever attacked these zoners, it had to be large, strong, with sharp claws and strong jaws. Someone like...

Mrs. Sanchez let out a scream. “Penny! Look out!”

Penny barely had time to react when her mother suddenly pulled her to the side. She hardly had time to register this when something large and heavy struck down beside her. She heard her mother scream in fright and drag her back a few feet. Penny’s feet scrambled to regain her footing. As soon as she regained her senses, she looked over to see what had landed there.

Penny’s eyes widened in horror. This..this could very well be the one who attacked these zoners. The description..it fit. “Dr. Urso...”

Standing in front of her mother and herself, about five feet away, was Dr. Urso. He was down on all fours, his long, lion-like tail swishing back and forth. His front claws were fully extended, light glinting off of them. His lips were curled back, exposing his sharp teeth. His body was covered in blood, revealing him as the attacker. And his eyes...they looked just like how they had back in the hospital, with the tiny dots for pupils. It took Penny only af ew seconds to fully realize what had just happened. Dr. Urso...was being controlled again.

Dr. Urso glared at the two women, no ounce of recognition in those eyes. He paced around them slowly, a deep, guttural growl escaping his mouth. He took a few steps towards them, eyeing them up and down. His jaws dripped with drool, a little pinkish in color from the blood that stained his teeth. Penny and her mom watched as Urso watched them. Then, slowly, he opened up his jaws, exposing his sharp teeth at them, and roared.

Mrs. Sanchez yanked her daughter back. “Let’s get out of here!”

“But we...” Penny started to say, but her mom cut her off.

“We’ll think of a way to fight back once we reached a safe place to hide!” Mrs. Sanchez cried as she broke off into a run.

Having no choice and not wanting to leave her mother alone in ChalkZone without any magic chalk of her own, Penny took off into a run, chasing after her mother.

Behind her, she could hear Urso let out another roar and, seconds later, the pounding of feet joined in their choir of heavy panting and stomping on the ground as she and her mother ran. Intermixing with that were his growls and snarls, and she could have sworn she heard him snapping in the air, as if he really wanted to rip them apart. Penny’s heart skipped a beat as she heard those jaws slam down, the same ones that had been used to defend her and her friends; now they were going to be used to rip her apart.

Penny tried to ignore this fact and just kept running. She and her mom made their way across the broken, shattered land, their heavy breathing filling the air, their eyes wide and bulging. They didn’t dare look back, knowing that just even a minor distraction could be enough to make them trip and the lion bear would catch up to them. Penny couldn’t believe that Nihilanth decided to take over Urso again, especially at this time, but then..should she really be surprised?

Running without falling into the cracks or tripping over them was rather difficult. Hardly any area was relatively smooth for any extensive period of time. The land was cracked almost like a land barren of water and baked by the heat of the sun. The main difference was that some cracks were larger and cut deep underground, perhaps into the void or dangerously close to it. Some bits of the ground shifted upwards, and these were hard to avoid as they were often near some multiple large cracks and holes. It was so bad that even the smaller ones were enough to trip her up.

Traversing here was dangerous, but it was too late to go back through the portal. Penny wanted to draw something, anything, but right now her mind was too focused on just getting out of here. She could hardly tell where her mother was; all the jumping around and avoiding the cracks and holes caused them to go separate directions. A few times, out of the corner of her eye, she could see her mom leaping over a hole or dodging one of the upturned pieces of ground sticking up into the air. Penny wanted to help her mother, but no sooner as she would see her mother that Urso would let out a roar, filling her heart with ice and forcing her to return to running.

Dr. Urso wasn’t far behind them. He seemed to focus more on her than her mother. This realization certainly wasn’t comforting and Penny pushed herself to go faster. Dr. Urso’s animalistic snarling behind her got closer, and she could hear his footfalls as he chased after her. They were getting steadily louder, and she could feel the impact vibrating through the ground.

To her horror, Dr. Urso was able to get close enough to her that, when he snapped his jaws again, she could feel a bit of clothing tear away from her. Penny pulled her arm away, and, for a moment, turned her head to stare at the maddened, hypnotized beast. Dr. Urso stared at her, his pupils piercing straight through her soul. Seeing his feralized face this close, it was unsettling.

Not looking where she was going, Penny was not able to stop herself from hitting her foot against an upturned piece of ground. She let out a scream as she tumbled into the cracked floor, rolling across it painfully. Penny soon came to a stop near one of the larger, deeper cracks. She froze in horror, her hands gripping the edge, as she stared down into the abyss below. Some small parts of the ledge broke, forcing her to back away, watching in terror as the chunks of rock cracked and crumbled as they fell down, only for there to be no sound indicating they hit anything at the bottom. Just...nothingness. The abyss.

Penny didn’t have long to comprehend what happend when she felt something heavy strike against her. She screamed as she was tossed aside, landing painfully against her back. She was tossed near another abyss opening, albeit a little smaller. Her head hung over the edge, and she got an upside down view of the land before she righted herself up.

As she leaned back up, she could feel a strong hand wrap around her throat. With a grunt, she was lifted up into the air. She shut her eyes and grabbed onto the hand, trying to make it release her. She opened up one eye and she could see Dr. Urso glared viciously at her. Penny kicked her legs wildly in the air, trying in vain to make the lion bear zoner let her go. She stared at him pleadingly, hoping that the real Dr. Urso was in there somewhere. But all that would stare back at her were those near demonic eyes.

“Penny!” Mrs. Sanchez cried. “Let her go!”

Penny looked over, her eyes wide in horror. “Mom! No!” Dr. Urso growled as he stared the approaching woman. Penny struggled, gagging on the paw as it tightened around her. “Go..away... Please.. Run!”

Mrs. Sanchez ignored the pleas of her daughter as she darted towards the mind controlled bear hybrid. Her eyes were narrowed in determination, teeth clenched threateningly. Penny almost never saw her mom like this before, and her facial expression alone was enough to tell her that her mom was not going to back down. Penny continued to plead with her mom to run, but that did nothing to slow the woman down.

Once she got close enough, Mrs. Sanchez jumped towards the bear lion, crashing against his shoulder and flank as she wrapped her arms around him. Urso let out a screech of surprise as he staggered to the side. The attack was enough to make Dr. Urso let go of Penny. The girl dropped into the ground, rubbing her head. Then she turned to watch the scene unfold.

Mrs. Sanchez continued to hold onto the lion bear, wrestling with him, as Dr. Urso attempted to grab onto her. He dropped down onto all fours. Mrs. Sanchez climbed onto his back, slinging herself over as if she were trying to weigh him down. That did not slow him down by much, and the angered zoner turned his head and tried to bite her. His jaws slammed shut repeatedly, narrowly missing her arm and side.

Despite the danger, despite not being armed, Mrs. Sanchez refused to let go. She gripped onto Dr. Urso’s fur, pulling tightly, as she started slamming her fist against his side. Each pound made Urso growl angrily, and seemed to fill him with more rage. He swung his head from side to side as he desperately tried to bite her. Mrs. Sanchez managed to climb onto the bear’s back. She wrapped her arms around his thick neck and hung on, trying to take advantage of his blind spot. However, although his jaws couldn’t reach her, his claws sure could.

“Mom!” Penny cried as she climbed up to her feet the moment she heard her mom scream. She could see blood moving down her side from where the claws made their mark. They were shallow; the lion bear’s claws couldn’t reach her that well. Just enough to graze her. But the mere sight of her mother’s blood prompted Penny to panic and she cried, “Let go of him! L-Let me take care of him!”

Fighting against the pain, seething through her clenched teeth, Mrs. Sanchez called out to her daughter, “Draw a tranquilizer! Hu-Hurry!” Her voice was strained as she fought against the pain and struggled to hang onto the thrashing Urso, who was trying angrily to make her let go. “Come on! Do it now!”

Penny sensed the urgency in her mother’s voice. She wanted to draw something. She had a piece of red chalk. The truce was still in effect. She could draw something, but for some reason, she remained frozen there, filled with chilling horror as Urso tried to rip her mom apart. Her heart pounded against her chest and she took in shaky breaths. A sickening feeling grew inside her stomach, sending quivers through her body.

“Penny!” Mrs. Sanchez cried. “What...are you waiting for?! Hurry!”

Penny shook her head, snapping herself out of her trance. She looked out ahead, seeing her mother still clinging onto the lion bear. She fought against the fear inside of her and narrowed her eyes. “D-Don’t worry..I’m coming!” Penny pulled out her red chalk and, no sooner did she pull it out, she could feel it yanking her wrist, drawing the object for her. It must have heard her mother’s pleas.

But though she had increased speed with the help of the red chalk, she was too late in drawing the tranquilizer gun in time.

Dr. Urso let out an enraged roar, causing Penny to look over at him as the red chalk drew the tranquilizer gun for her. To her horror, Dr. Urso had reared onto his hind legs and was falling backwards. Mrs. Sanchez had no time to get away. Her eyes bulged and she let out a scream as the heavy zoner slammed against her in the ground, letting out a grunt not long after impact.

Dr. Urso got up from her, staring down at her trembling form, listening to her pitiful coughs. Penny was horrified to see a little bit of blood trickle out of her mother’s mouth. The fall had more force to it than she thought. Dr. Urso looked over at Penny, flattening his ears and he started to make his way over slowly. Penny felt her heart beating faster as Dr. Urso turned his attention to her. The red chalk tried to speed things up, but Penny knew that by the time it was done and she got the weapon ready, Dr. Urso would be upon her.

Mrs. Sanchez grabbed onto Dr. Urso’s leg and held on, using her weight to slow her down. Urso paused and turned his head to her. He stared at her almost blankly for a few seconds, as if he couldn’t believe that she had dared to make a move like that. Then he opened up his jaws and let out a guttural growl, his ears flattening even more against his skill, lips curled upward more.

Penny reached out with her hand. “Mom! No!”

The tranquilizer was done. Penny grabbed it and steadied it in her hands. She leveled it, aiming it at Urso. She put her finger on the trigger and started to push down on it. But, to her horror, she was too late in firing it in time.

Dr. Urso, roaring angrily at Mrs. Sanchez, struck the woman to the side, sending her topping across the ground. Mrs. Sanchez let out an ear piercing scream as Urso’s claws ripped deeper into her side, splattering her blood all over the ground. Mrs. Sanchez came to a stop several feet away from Urso. The lion bear growled at her and, with a vicious loud snarl, he charged towards her, letting out a bear-like roar.

“No!” Penny shouted as she pulled the trigger.

With an airy ‘zip’ sound, the dart sailed through the air and hit its target. Dr. Urso’s eyes widened as the dart sank deep into his need, delivering the tranquilizer. He slowed down quickly as it took effect. Mrs. Sanchez looked up, her eyes filled with pain and fear, as the lion bear closed in on her, slowing down, wobbling from side to side. Soon, the tranquilizer had taken full effect and Dr. Urso fell into the ground with a heavy thud. His breathing slowed down and his eyes closed part way.

Penny stared at him for a few moments. Her eyes moved around his body, trying to find any evidence of him still being awake. Satisfied she didn’t see any, she quickly turned her attention to her mother, rushing to her side.

“Mom!” Penny felt tears stream down her face as she went to her mom. She knelt down beside her, her body shaking from shock and horror. “A-Are you okay...?”

Mrs. Sanchez clenched her teeth in pain. “I’ll...I’ll be okay...”

Penny watched as her mom got up onto her knees. Mrs. Sanchez tried to get further up, but pain wracked through her body and she fell back into the ground. She held herself up with one hand while her other clutched her injured side. Blood seeped through her fingers. Penny moved around slowly, staring intently at the damaged away. She knelt down by her mom and gently pushed her hand down to see the wound. Penny nearly paled at the sight of it.

There were four deep gashes in her mother’s side. Urso’s claws had ripped through the cloth, tattering it, and leaving behind large tears in her skin and flesh. Blood poured profusely out of her side, dripping onto the ground. Two of the gashes were across her lower ripcage while the remaining two cut into her abdomen’s side.

Penny looked at her mother and spoke in a tearful voice, “M-Mom...I’m so sorry I...”

Mrs. Sanchez shuddered in agony, and gave her daughter a broken smile. “I-It’s okay. You did...” She seethed, lowering her head. She looked at her daughter with a sideways glance. “You did the best you c-could..” She gave a few painful coughs.

“I should have moved faster... I shouldn’t have let myself freeze like th-that...” Penny chastised herself. Seeing her mom in so much pain shot ice through her body. She closed her eyes and let tears drip from them. “I’m so...so sorry...”

“It’s okay, Penita.” Mrs. Sanchez let out a sharp whimper as she clutched her side once more. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to cope with the pain. “You..t-t-tried...”

Penny watched as her suffering mother before her. She bit her lip, her mind racing, trying to think of something she could do. She had to find a way to stop the bleeding...but with what? She couldn’t draw anything for it. The blood would dissolve it. She looked down at her skirt, a new one she put on since her other one was ripped up. She bit her lip, wishing there was something else she could use. But, knowing she had little option, she grabbed the skirt and tore a piece off.

Being gentle, Penny pressed the cloth against her mother’s damaged side. As soon as the cloth made contact, Mrs. Sanchez hissed in pain, her body stiffening from even the lightest touch. Penny’s heart clenched at her mother reacting in such agony, listening to her low whimpers. She reduced her pressure, trying to provide some relief to the woman.

Although in severe pain, Mrs. Sanchez made no attempt to push her daughter away. Instead, she appeared to fight against the urge to cringe away from the pain. She held as still as she could so Penny could keep applying gentle pressure to the wounds, trying to stop the bleeding. Penny could feel the cloth soak up with blood quickly, her hands becoming stained with it. Despite how unnerving it felt, she kept the cloth pressed against the deep gashes, hoping that, somehow, the bleeding would stop.

But as several minutes passed, Penny could see that the bleeding wasn’t stopping, at least not completely. She had managed to at least slow down the bleeding, but that didn’t really mean much; the wound was open and vulnerable to infection, and the blood constantly dripping like that was going to end in disaster. Determined to put an end to the bleeding, Penny applied a little more pressure, trying her best to ignore her mother’s yelp of pain.

“No use. Too much blood. Cloth insufficient. Leave her.”

Penny’s eyes widened as she heard the red chalk speak. She glanced down at it barely peaked out of her pocket. The ends of it sparkled, glowed, as it spoke to her.

“Heard us. Lady useless now. Leave here. Go on. Complete mission.”

Penny couldn’t help but glare at the red chalk. She was about to scold it for being so heartless, but she stopped herself. This was the red chalk she was talking to. The evil chalk, whose only goal was to bring chaos to ChalkZone. Their truce was temporary and the red chalk only agreed because it didn’t want everything to be destroyed, and it didn’t like the black chalk. It didn’t care about the other zoners’ plight. To it, they mean nothing. Should she really be surprised by its callous reaction to her mother being injured?

Penny turned her attention back to her mother. She wasn’t going to let the red chalk get to her. She wasn’t going to let its words distract her from what needed to be done. She couldn’t just leave her mom here. The poor woman couldn’t even stand up right with those deep gashes; the pain just brought her back down. Even if she took Dr. Urso somewhere or restrained him, he could still get loose and there would still be other dangers lurking around here.

Her first priority right now was to get her mom to safety.

Penny looked around the landscape, trying to find an area that looked like it was stable. She doubted that Rudy and Nihilanth did this much damage to too many places. And she realized it was probably localized. They may have damaged only the areas equivilant to where his home and her home were located, or even all of Plainsville, perhaps as a deterrent for when she entered ChalkZone. Was this some kind of warning?

Penny tried not to think about it and, ignoring the sense of apprehension growing inside, she held up the red chalk. Despite it protesting against her finding a way to help her mother, it still complied, if only because it wanted to honor the truce for the time being so it could get a chance at fighting the black chalk.

She managed to draw a small vehicle. Not too detailed as cars weren’t her forte. She added legs to it instead of wheels so that it could traverse the ruined landscape more easily. She then put the red chalk away and helped her mother to her feet. Letting her mother use herself as support, they moved slowly towards the walking vehicle. She opened up the car door with one hand, and she helped her mother inside. Mrs. Sanchez collapsed in the back, letting out a scream of pain.

Penny sat her mother up and pulled the seatbelt over her. She was careful not to let it press against her side too much. Once her mother was secure, she started to head towards the front, but then she paused and realized she forgot about Dr. Urso. She looked over and saw that, thankfully, he was still asleep.

Working fast, she used the red chalk again real quick to draw a crane head on the walking car. She made sure to design the head only for holding, not for tearing or ripping apart. She needed to be able to hold Dr. Urso firmly, but not viciously. Once the head was finished, she put the red chalk away again and she proceeded to go on with the next step.

The teenager then moved around towards the front. She hopped into the driver’s seat and buckled herself in. She adjusted her seat to make sure she was comfortable. She then put the keys in the ignition and turned it. She could hear the engine roar to life and the lights all around flipped on. She could feel the legs stretch and move as the vehicle stood up on all fours. Penny started to turn it so that it was facing where Urso was, and she could hear the feet pounding the ground as it shifted itself.

The car beast lumbered over to where Dr. Urso was slowly, its ‘eyes’, which were just lights, focused on the prone lion bear. Once they got close enough, Penny put the thing in ‘park’, stopping it, and then she used a small lever to operate the head. She winced at the sound of metal creaking as the flexible metal neck bent down, the head making scraping sounds of its own as the ‘jaws’ opened up wide. Being careful, Penny lowered the head and slowly closed the mouth thing around Dr. Urso’s body. Once she had a hold of him, she pulled the lever again, raising the unconscious zoner into the air.

Now with her mom buckled in the back and Urso being held up above her, Penny put the car out of park and back into drive mode. The vehicle immediately began to walk forward slowly. Penny turned it a little, heading in the direction that she knew the hospital was in. That was the best plast to take Dr. Urso. And she was certain that the zoners there would let her mom stay. After all, she was injured and needed a safe place to be.

As she made her way in the direction of the hospital, she turned her thoughts again to the damaged area. Just...why all this destruction? Why all the dead zoners? She was happy that she and her mom didn’t trip over any. She would have felt horrible for dessicrating them, even if it was an accident. She hoped that, at the very least, she was right and it was just in this one spot. She shuddered to think what would have happened if Nihilanth and Rudy turned their attention to many areas of ChalkZone...

Penny continued driving the legged vehicle towards the hospital. Along the way, she couldn’t help but look left and right, seeing the extensive damage that seemed to go on forever. Just how far did this damage extend? How far did Nihilanth and Rudy go when they attacked? How many zoners died from this? Where were the survivors? Penny could only hope that they found some place to hide before Rudy and Nihilanth knew they were there. She hoped some of the zoners at least were able to escape before it was too late.

All these dead bodies everywhere... Laying prone on the ground, ripped apart, organs spread, blood staining the earthy ground, it was so much for Penny to take in. Just the other day, things were fine. Well almost fine. But now, it was like a massacre had struck this place. And she wasn’t there to stop it...

The teenager felt a pang in her chest at this realization, the same one she came to earlier. ChalkZone had been in danger, and she wasn’t there to stop it. She had failed. She was supposed to protect this place, be its new guardian, and she had failed miserably. She made a miscalculation and it resulted in...this. And what was worse was... she should have known better. She knew just how dangerous Nihilanth and Rudy were. Just...why did... Why did she think it was a good idea to rest? Why did she not think of being more vigilant and staying? Penny couldn’t believe how stupid she had been... Rudy was right about her. She was no guardian.

“Penita...” Mrs. Sanchez called out to her. “What’s wrong?”

Penny realized that she had started to cry. She gave a sniffle and wiped her nose. She looked in the backseat, seeing her mother staring at her worriedly. Penny bit her lip, unsure of what exactly to say to her mother. She wasn’t sure what comfort her mom could provide.

But she still managed to get herself to speak. “This...all this... It’s all my fault.” Penny spoke in a broken voice. “I..I shouldn’t have...”

“Oh Penita...” Her mother said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. “This wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have kn-known.”

Penny shook her head. “Yes, I should have! Mom, don’t you get it?!” Penny raised her voice louder than she had intended. “I knew what kind of danger Nihilanth posed! I knew that he could have done something while I was away!” She looked left and right, her eyes widened. “And look around us! Something happened! I was supposed to be here to protect ChalkZone and...look!”

Penny stared at her mother for a few seconds, panting heavily. Her mother just stared at her, looking shocked by her outburst, but not saying anything. Penny closed her mouth slowly and looked away. She returned her attention to driving. She gripped the steering wheel, her mind becoming numb as many thoughts pushed against her mind.

For a while, her mother did not respond. Penny wasn’t surprised. Her mother probably started to realize that she was right. She had made a terrible mistake with leaving, and now countless zoners laid dead all around her. The bodies did eventually vanish as she continued along, as did the amount of damage. They were getting out of the ‘destruction zone’. But just because it was out of sight, doesn’t mean it was out of her mind.

“I...wish I had thought things through more.” Penny spoke up, breaking the silence. This time, her voice was much softer, quieter. She gritted her teeth as she sucked in a breath, exhaling slowly. “I know the zoners were going to hate me when they see me. They are going to demand to know where I was..why I wasn’t there for them...” She closed her eyes and shook her head for a moment. “And I wouldn’t blame them one bit.”

Mrs. Sanchez gave a smile, which Penny noticed in her mirror. “I don’t think they will hate you, Penny.” Penny gave her mom a confused sideways glance. Mrs. Sanchez pressed on. “Yeah they might wonder where you were, but I don’t think they’d hate you. You are here now, right? You can’t undo what was done, but you can still prevent it from getting any worse. Don’t kick yourself over this, Penny. Self pity will not solve anything. Focus on trying to figure out how to make everything better.” Her smile broadened slightly. “You are smart, Penita. I know you can do it.”

Penny stared at her mother with one eye in shock before looking away. She occassionally glanced at the woman through the mirror. She darted her eyes left and right as she took this all in. The words her mother spoke to her swirled in her head, settling in. She felt a sensation growing in her chest as she considered everything her mom had said. The emotions were confusing at first, and she wasn’t sure what to make of them.

The sensation was almost burning, making her hands want to move and do something, but having no instructions on what to do. It left her feeling frustrated, and she struggled to try to think of an appropriate response. Her mother’s encouraging words continued to plague her, leaving her more and more confused as the seconds passed.

Eventually, a calmer feeling came about, cooling her down and relaxing her. The more she thought about her mother’s words, the more she realized that...maybe she was right. Penny still had some feelings of self doubt. She still felt like a failure for not being in ChalkZone when she should have been. But her mother’s words soon reminded her of an important thing. Something she knew, but nearly forgot as the weight of reality of what happened crashed down around her.

It wasn’t too late to fix things.

Penny raised her head up straight, her eyes narrowing in determination. As bad as she felt for not being there for ChalkZone sooner, she was at least here now. She pushed aside her negative feelings, focusing herself on doing what she could for ChalkZone now that she was here. As she pushed the walking machine to go a little faster, she made a resolve in her head.

She was going to make sure something like this didn’t happen again.

sss

“Oh so now you decide to show up...” A disgruntled magnifying glass zoner snarled, her eyes boring into Penny’s. “Just where were you when they came here and...”

“Oh come now..” A male pill-shaped zoner said. “Be reasonable. I’m sure she...”

The magnifying glass swerved around to face the smaller zoner. She took a few steps towards him, looming over him. The pill zoner gulped and took a step back. “Oh don’t give me that bullcrap! She knew very well just how dangerous that dragon was! And she still left us to him and his... ‘vessel’ or whatever. If she hadn’t been so selfish and just stayed there, we might have stood a chance!”

“W-Well... I think you’re taking things too far. At least she’s here now. She can do something about it now...” The pill zoner said, tapping his fingers together nervously.

“Yes true.” The magnifying glass said. “But she should have been here sooner...” She cast a furious glance at Penny. “If she had actually been the guardian like she should have been, none of this would have happened...”

Penny felt her heart twist at this statement. She stared at the magnifying glass zoner, practically feeling the hate dripping from her. She tried to think of something to say, but nothing would come out. She lowered her head and took a step away.

The magnifying glass narrowed her eyes. “This is all your fault, you little brat. You’re no guardian...” The zoner turned her head to the side, giving Penny a disgusted sneer. “You’re a failure.”

The magnifying glass walked away from Penny. She returned to her seat, among a group of zoners who all seemed to share the magnifying glass’s sentiment. They all shot a cold, angered glare at Penny and nodded their heads in agreement with what the female zoner had said. And all around them, there were various zoners, some looking more sympathetic, but others still agreeing and looking at least peeved off.

Penny lowered her head in shame as she rested in the chair. She tried her best to block out what the zoners had said to her, how they looked at her. She could feel a few tears forming in her eyes. She fought to keep them back. Her mother looped an arm around her to try to comfort her. But that did little to ease Penny’s mind. She knew she was going to get this kind of reaction when she showed up at the hospital. She knew that not all the zoners were going to be happy to see her. But even though she expected it, that didn’t mean it was easy to deal with.

She and her mother had arrived at the hospital a short time ago. Right away, seeing all the vehicles and all the ambulances parked, the hospital was very busy. Even more so than when she had been here the other day. Already, in the twenty minutes she had been here, at least fifty zoners had been rushed through, taken in the back to be treated. With all the victims, she realized that the damage may have been more widespread than she thought, much to her horror.

She had dropped off Dr. Urso as soon as she could. The doctors seemed relieved that he had been recaptured, and they immediately tied him up and put him back in his secure cell. This time, they increased security, adding more zoners there to make sure he didn’t escape this time. She heard mention of them trying to find a way to permanently break Nihilanth’s hold on Dr. Urso. She hoped they succeeded.

She hadn’t learned too much of what had happened. The zoners here were either too worried about their loved ones, in too much pain and are awaiting help, or they were too angry at her to speak. A number of zoners, not just the magnifying glass and her group, were angry with her. This was the kind of reaction she sort of expected. It made her feel...so uncomfortable to be here. Those zoners glaring at her like that, silently accusing her of abandoning them in their time of need...

Penny just wanted to kick herself. How could she have been so stupid and think that staying a night away from ChalkZone wouldn’t have any consequences? Sure, she had good intentions. She thought that rest was important and that she didn’t think she could perform well when she was tired. She thought that a little bit of healing would do her and her comrades some good. But instead, this happened...

She was relieved that not all the zoners were so keen on blaming her or focusing on that too much. When she spoke to the receptionist, whether or not the receptionist blamed her for not being there was never brought up. Instead, the zoner agreed to hook her up with Skrawl and Mumbo Jumbo, both of him would tell her what had transpired here.

Penny sat with her mother, doing her best to ignore the zoners. She didn’t bother responding to anything they said. She had already tried retorting back, and a few of the calmer zoners also tried to defend her. But all that would happen is that they’d get some nasty comments. Penny eventually decided to stop adding fuel to the fire and stopped talking altogether. Her mother would occassionally shoot a glare at the other zoners, but she, despite her wounds, did whatever she could to comfort her daughter.

Penny sighed softly. Doing her best not to pay any mind to the glaring, she looked around the room. She took note of all the injured zoners in here. There were at least ten, and she was certain there was a lot more than that. And the ones she could see made her cringe.

One zoner had their arm ripped clean off, the stub wrapped in thick bandages. Already, the bandages were completely stained with blood, some of it dripping out. Another zoner had multiple deep cuts all over their body. Another one looked horrifically burned in many places, as if sprayed with real world water countless times, like Snap had been when all this had started. A few had broken bones, some more missing limbs, a few were blinded, amongst other things. And those were just the zoners she could see.

The sight of this made Penny’s heart clench, guilt rising up inside of her. She started to feel a little sick. She felt horrible she hadn’t been here to prevent all of this. She was disgusted with herself for making such a terrible mistake. She should have been here sooner... Well at least she was here now, and she vowed to herself that she would not allow Nihilanth and Rudy get away with another massacre like this.

“Penny Sanchez.”

Penny looked up towards the receptionist as she called her name.

The receptionist motioned towards the door. “You may go see Skrawl and King Mumbo Jumbo.” There was a click and the door was unlocked. “They are expecting you.”

Penny and her mom got up from their seats. They ignored the nasty glares they got from some of the zoners, did their best to ignore the accusatory statements they recieved, and they headed over towards the door. They opened it up and they disappeared into the hallway, the calls from the harsh zoners fading.

Penny and her mom were both immediately greeted by a doctor zoner. She recognized him as Dr. Varrick. He said not a word and instead motioned for them to follow. He led them down the hallway, making only a handful of turns. After a few minutes of walking, he had taken them to a hallway that had one partially opened door. Sure enough, that was the door that he was taking them to.

Dr. Varrick stopped a few feet away from the door. He stared at it for a few moments, and then he turned to Penny and her mom. He looked at them individually and said, “Both of them are in there. You may go in at any time.” With that, he walked away, down the hallway and turned down a new one.

Penny and Mrs. Sanchez watched him leave. They then turned their attention to the door. They paused for a moment. Then, preparing themselves, they walked into the room.

Immediately, they could see Skrawl in his wheelchair, faced towards Mumbo Jumbo. The tortoise was bed ridden, his back covered in bandages and many machines hooked up to him. Skrawl appeared to be talking to him about something important, although Penny couldn’t quite make out the words. Although she hated to interrupt their conversation, she reached up with her hand and knocked on the door.

Immediately the two froze and they looked over. They took notice of Penny and her mother. Right away, Skrawl turned his motorized wheelchair around and made a gesture with his hand, silently urging them to come in.

“Step inside!” Skrawl said. “We’ve been expecting you.” When Penny stepped inside, Skrawl narrowed his mismatched eyes a little and said, “And please shut the door. It’s best if we discussed this...privately.”

King Mumbo Jumbo nodded his head. “Yeah, I agree. There’s...much we need to discuss. Best if we didn’t have any interruptions.”

Skrawl noticed Mrs. Sanchez grimacing in pain. “Why did you bring her? She looks like she’s about to keel over.”

“I’ll be okay.” Mrs. Sanchez sat down in one of the chairs. She clutched her side, hissing in pain. She looked back at Skrawl. “Can you tell us what happened here?”

Penny looked at her mom worriedly. She needed to have those wounds properly treated. But her mom insisted that she come with. She didn’t want to make Penny go all the way back to drop her off and then come back to speak with the zoners. She didn’t want to waste time, stating that it was important they figure just what happened here and that it was best to do it now, since they were already here. Penny still wished there was a better way, but she didn’t argue, knowing that she’d be wasting time if she did that.

“I agree with Skrawl. You should have went to the hospital.” King Mumbo Jumbo said.

Mrs. Sanchez narrowed her eyes slightly. “Yeah I’m aware of that but... Can you at least answer the question?” She leaned back in her chair. “My pain is insignificant to whatever happened here. Can you fill us in with what happened.”

Penny nodded. “Yes. What do you guys know of what happened? What did you see?”

Skrawl and Mumbo Jumbo looked at each other. Their expressions shifted to sadness and they lowered their heads. They shook them from side to side. Penny and Mrs. Sanchez didn’t like the look of that. They knew, even before their mouths opened, that whatever happened was worse than they initially thought.

“We saw...a lot.” Mumbo Jumbo said.

“Yeah.” Skrawl nodded his head. “It was...horrific.”

Penny suddenly realized something. There was someone, or rather a few people, that she hadn’t heard mentioned in the waiting room or by any doctors. Her eyes widened and she shot a glance at the two zoners. “Where’s Snap? And the others?”

At this, Skrawl grimaced visibly. “That’s...part of what happened.”

Penny felt her blood freeze at this.


	164. I Played With Her

Penny felt her legs grow weak. Skrawl hadn’t even said that much to her yet, and already she felt like she needed to sit down. She went over to where her mother was, holding her forehead against her hand. She shook her head from left and right as her mind tried to process what she had been told.

Something terrible had happened to Snap and the others while she was away... There was no getting around that fact. Skrawl hadn’t said what happened, but the fact that it involved Snap...and the way he looked at her... There was no denying it. Whatever happened to ChalkZone, Snap and the others were involved. Not that they did this, no. But they were victims. And she wanted, no...she needed to find out what happened.

“I know this is hard to take in...” Skrawl said calmly. He turned his gaze away from her, sucking on his lip. “Trust me when I say it wasn’t easy to...mention that.”

“What happened...?” Penny asked. Skrawl looked over at her. Penny slowly lifted up her head, locking eyes with the jellybean. “What happened here? What happened to Snap? Dr. Raiden? Maalik? Bardot?” Skrawl just stared at her before frowning and looking away. “Please, you have to tell me. What happened?”

Skrawl remained quiet for a few moments, his narrowed eyes averted away from Penny. He stared towards one of the walls as he seemed like he was trying to think of what to say. King Mumbo Jumbo looked at Penny sympathetically, his expression clearly showing a distinct sorrowful message. The look on the king’s face was enough to make Penny feel a cold pang in her chest. Mumbo Jumbo usually didn’t have that kind of expression unless...

...unless really bad had happened.

Penny could feel her mind swirl with thoughts. They sifted through constantly, giving her a headache as she tried to make sense of it all. As much as she struggled against it, she was unable to stop the onslaught of thoughts running through her mind, imagining all kinds of things that could have happened to her friend. The thoughts brought on a torrent of chilling, negative emotion, making her shiver in response. She tried to push the horrible thoughts away, but found herself unable to.

“It was...” Mumbo Jumbo said quietly, tapping his short claws together. “...unexpected. None of us thought that...it would happen.”

“What happened?” Penny cried, her voice filled with desperation. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over and saw her mom. Penny stared into her mother’s eyes and then leaned up against her gently for support. She looked over at Skrawl and Mumbo Jumbo, waiting for them to speak up.

“Well, you see...where do I begin?” Skrawl scratched his shin a few times, his gaze pointed upwards. He turned to the Sanchez and moved his wheelchair a little closer to them. “The quickest summarization I can give you two is that we were attacked.”

“But based on what you must have seen out there...” King Mumbo Jumbo spoke up. “You must have already known that.”

“There were bodies everywhere...” Mrs. Sanchez shuddered.

Penny felt a quick cold chill go up her spine. “And we saw Dr. Urso.” At this, Skrawl and King Mumbo Jumbo flinched. “He was responsible, wasn’t he?”

Skrawl and King Mumbo Jumbo glanced at each other for a second, and then turned to Penny. They nodded their heads a few times, confirming what Penny had suspected. She silently hoped that there was a way to break him out of the spell that has him trapped in his own mind.

“Indeed it was him. Well..partially him.” King Mumbo Jumbo said. Penny looked at him, eyes widened. “A lot of the bodies you saw, yes, Dr. Urso did that. Or at least, the mind controlled one did. It had come...without warning. None of us saw it coming...” The old tortoise shook his head from side to side. “He had somehow gotten out of his room, and...well let’s just say I was one of the lucky ones.” He closed his eyes. “I was brought back here, after he took off.”

“Brought back?” Mrs. Sanchez inquired.

Mumbo Jumbo nodded his head. “Dr. Urso targeted me first. Ripped out the wires. All this you see...it’s new equipment, as Dr. Urso had destroyed what I had in here.” He paused for a moment. Then he continued. “I had managed to get away. Thankfully some of the doctors found me, and I had been able to escape more or less unharmed. But running around with a broken shell...” He seethed as he put a hand on his back. “Not a good idea.”

Penny winced as she looked at the tortoise’s shell. The crack was quite prominent and noticeable, even without having to look at it up close. If she recalled correctly, he got that from the explosion that ripped through the city a few days ago.

“I had heard a similar commotion go on in the other room near me. I remembered that Quet had been placed there, so I, against the doctors’ cries, ran over, or rather...limped over, and I found his room a mess as well.” Mumbo Jumbo said solemnly. “I didn’t see any blood. But I don’t think he got away. There was just so sign of him. We looked everywhere. Quet is...gone.” The tortoise said regretfully. “He might have been dragged outside or Dr. Urso could have...he could have...” He gulped, gritting his beak. “I’d rather not think about it.”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror at this. The mere thought of Dr. Urso...eating another zoner like that... It was horrifying... She wasn’t able to stop all the horrific thoughts that entered her mind. The thoughts of Quet being ripped apart and eaten, with nothing left, not even a speck of blood. If Dr. Urso really had done that...

She tried not to think about it. There was a chance that something else had happened. Maybe Quet fled the hospital. Yeah that may be what happened. He had gotten away perhaps and fled out of the hospital. She was reluctant to believe that Dr. Urso was forced to commit such a heinous act until she had seen evidence herself.

“Dr. Urso disappeared for a time, and we thought we didn’t have to worry about him. We assumed the police would be able to take care of it.” King Mumbo Jumbo said. “But...alas..we were wrong.”

“Well of course you were wrong!” Skrawl said, his voice tinging with some aggressiveness. “I hold one of the strongest jails in this whole dang world! But instead of coming to me for my help, you guys decided to trust the...”

Mumbo Jumbo shot Skrawl a glare. “Well you’re not in prime position to be going anywhere, now are you?”

Skrawl looked at himself, noting his injuries and the fact that one of his limbs was still in a cast. He grumbled to himself. He didn’t outright say it, but Penny knew he had just conceded defeat with Mumbo Jumbo.

The tortoise, still glaring at the jellybean, continued, “And besides, a number of your Beanie Boys went missing, with some dead bodies turning up. You lost a chunk of them. Would you even have enough to hold an enraged, powerful zoner like Dr. Urso?”

Skrawl glared at him. “A tiny handful were able to subdue him earlier...”

“Yeah.” King Mumbo Jumbo rolled his eyes. “By shere luck.” He held his hand towards the jellybean in gesture. “Do you really think you have a chance of..?”

“Oh shut it, will you?” Skrawl snarled, glaring at the tortoise. “At least I had been able to do something about it.” He pointed a claw at the old zoner, eyeing him up and down as if judging him. “I don’t see you standing much of a chance trying to catch that insane zoner.”

“Well you guys just please..” Penny spoke up, interrupting the two. The tortoise and jellybean haulted immediately. They slowly looked over at Penny, who had her eyes closed and held her head in her hands. “Just please..” She made stiff gestures with her hand, her fingers arched inward. “Tell me what happened. Please...”

“Yes. Let’s not argue about this. Give us the facts.” Mrs. Sanchez kept her arm around Penny, her hand gently massaging Penny’s shoulder. “What happened to ChalkZone? What happened after Dr. Urso’s sudden attack?”

“Well...” Skrawl spoke up this time. “The doctors had tried to apprehend him. But the bear...lion...whatever he is, he was nowhere to be found. We found out too late that he had escaped and started attacking zoners outside. The...police tried to handle it, but they were...taken care of.”

“By Dr. Urso?” Penny asked.

Skrawl shook his head. “Nihilanth.” Penny felt her heart stop at that name. Skrawl closed his mismatched eyes, his face distorting into a look of disbelief almost. He shook his head slowly from side to side. “He had....appeared out of nowhere. He had been commanding Dr. Urso, which we already knew. But to see it first hand...the way he used him as a puppet.. It was horrifying.” He reopened his eyes, staring at Penny and her mom. He could clearly see the look of shock and horror in their eyes. “He made him..stronger somehow. A burst of strength. And Dr. Urso began to slaughter anyone who got in his way.”

“Oh my..” Mrs. Sanchez put a hand to her mouth, eyes wide in shock. “What did Nihilanth do besides that? Did he...participate?”

“Him...no. Not at first. For a while, it was Rudy who was doing that stuff. He killed a lot of zoners as well. I can still hear their crying...their pleading...” King Mumbo Jumbo shook his head solemnly.”

“The dragon himself did appear later on, and he attacked the city. He targeted areas that his bomb did not touch. A lot of zoners were rendered homeless, and many others were injured or killed.” Skrawl said, his voice low. “It was a real slaughterhouse. The attack didn’t last as long as we thought, but the damage was vast. We don’t know how much of ChalkZone was attacked, but we do know that this general area was a prime target.”

“Why were there so many bodies around Rudy’s place?” Penny asked hesitantly.

“To send a warning to you.” Skrawl said. “What you saw there was just a fraction of the victoms claimed by Rudy and Nihilanth. They were pretty much telling you how much they mean business, and what they were capable of when you were gone. I think they specifically chose a time when you weren’t in ChalkZone to attack.”

Penny felt a pang in her heart at this. It made her feel even worse. So her absense may have made things worse here. She bit here lip, feeling horrible about the whole thing. Why didn’t she stay? Why wasn’t she more vigilant? Why did she... She shook her head, knowing that there was nothing she could do about it now. She had no choice but to deal with the consequences now. Though some zoners were furious with her not being there, she was still going to do what she can to try to minimize further damage.

And besides, despite what Skrawl said, she was certain that Rudy and Nihilanth may have tried to launch an attack anyway. They could have just simply waited for her to be too busy or too far away to do much about it. Or even attack suddenly, when she’d have little chance to counter.

She quickly realized something. There was one thing that Skrawl hadn’t really explained yet.

“What of the cracks?” Penny asked.

Skrawl froze at this. His eyes, they grew wide with fear. This was not a promising sign. Penny bit her lip, waiting for the jellybean to answer. There were a few things that could frighten Skrawl enough to make that expression. And none of them were promising.

“Real world water.” Skrawl spoke, his voice barely audible.

Penny felt ice shoot through her heart. She leaned back, her heart rate increasing slightly. Her mother looked mortified as well, her eyes wider than she’s ever seen them. They both watched and waited, trying to see if Skrawl had made anything up, if he was wrong, something. But he just continued to stare at them solemnly. The distressed look on the tortoise’s face confirmed their suspicions.

Rudy and Nihilanth had attacked ChalkZone using real world water. The realization of this dawned on Penny, and as it did, she felt her heart twist. It was like what happened at the Chalk Mine. She remembered how it was all cracked and broken from the real world water used against it. Now something similiar happened, only it looked like it was on a larger scale, and it was committed by the last person she ever thought would do such a thing: Rudy Tabootie.

Or least, the Rudy controlled by the black chalk.

Penny bit her lip as she recalled how Rudy had killed when the black chalk was corrupting him. Shimmer, Zeal, and Flame. Three lackeys created by Mr. Cosmo, who had been sent to destroy parts of the Chalk Mine to force Rudy into using the black chalk. They succeeded in forcing him to use the black chalk, but it came with a heavy price. Rudy had slaughtered them all, quite callously, too. She could still hear their screams...

For a brief moment, Penny temporarily imagined what the screaming here must have been like when Rudy and Nihilanth had attacked. It sounds like there was a large body count, a fact that made her feel even worse for her stupidity. She had come into ChalkZone, foolishly thinking she and her comrades were eventually heading to the Solar Pillars.

But instead she got this. What a devastating way to return to this world, to find it attacked and broken... And she didn’t even know how wide spread the attack was. She had no idea just what areas were destroyed, how many zoners had died... She made a horrible mistake. She had been too late to stop the initial attack. Many zoners were dead, and it was all because of her. If she hadn’t been so stupid, she...

She took in a deep breath. She had to stop attacking herself like this. She acknowledged that it was too late to change. She acknowledged that beating herself up was not going to alter fate. As hard as it was, she had to stop beating herself up. She took in a deep breath, resolving to try to keep herself calm so she can focus her attention on doing what she can. It was going to be hard; she knew she was going to hate herself for a while. But as long as she doesn’t forget she needs to take action, and as long as she realizes that she needs to focus on making sure Nihilanth doesn’t get away with another attack like this, then...

“They took Snap.”

This yanked Penny from her thoughts. She stared over at who had spoken, the king tortoise. She felt her mind swirl at that statement, making it feel as though her heart was being ripped out. What...what had happened?

Penny managed to reply, her voice slightly shaky. “W-What..?”

“You heard him.” Skrawl said blatantly. Mumbo Jumbo shot him a glare, but Skrawl didn’t pay attention. “Nihilanth and Rudy took Snap with them.”

Penny froze right there. Her blood felt like it was chilling even more than before. Cold waves went up and down her spine, and she felt her body tremble in emotion. No, it couldn’t be... No... She shook her head slowly in denial, not wanting to believe it. Snap had to still be here... He had to be hiding.. He couldn’t have been... It..it can’t be possible that he...

But staring into the zoners’ eyes.. She knew they weren’t making this up. Snap was...kidnapped. That was why he hadn’t seen him. That was why Skrawl and Mumbo Jumbo looked so sorrowful when she had mentioned him. He had been snatched away, to gawd know where... There was no telling if he was even at the Solar Pillars or if he was placed somewhere else. She didn’t even know if he was still alive. What was preventing Nihilanth from just killing him off? Not much, she realized.

Penny felt tears form in her eyes. Thoughts flooded her mind of what Nihilanth may be doing to Snap. That monster was cruel, heartless... Who knows what he had done to her friend.. And Snap was already hurt to begin with. She couldn’t begin to imagine...what more Nihilanth could be putting her friend through.

“Snap had wanted to try to stop Rudy. He left, before any of us could do anything. It...went as well as you would have expected.” Mumbo Jumbo said regretfully. “He didn’t stand a chance. You know how...” He held out his hand towards Penny. “..when you..well Skrawl told me about when you told him of the time that Nihilanth took several zoners and some humans? Locked them away?”

Penny nodded her head. Her heart filled with dread. She didn’t like where this was going.

“That’s what happened to him. Nihilanth didn’t really attack him too much. He just did enough to make Snap fall down. And then he sucked him into that void of a necklace, where he’s being held prisoner. He had, unfortunately, did this with more than one zoner. He managed to take Dr. Raiden and Maalik as well. They’re trapped again within his realm. I’m certain he took Quet, too, at some point, and several other zoners as well.”

“And Bardot?” Penny asked.

“Bardot managed to get away. Exactly how, we don’t know. Maybe Nihilanth just didn’t have interest in him.” King Mumbo Jumbo said. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It is strange that they didn’t take him anyway.. He was such a perfect target.. Well..” He looked back at Penny. “Though I don’t know the exact reasons, Bardot is still in the hospital, hiding somewhere. You can talk to him, if you’d like to learn anything else regarding the attack.”

Penny nodded her head. She was confused, like Mumbo Jumbo, regarding the motives of leaving Bardot behind. It did seem rather...strange... He seemed like the perfect target. What would prompt Nihilanth to just leave him? She doubted Bardot was working for him. Such a thing didn’t make much sense. Then again, a lot of things that hybrid zoner has done didn’t make much sense.

But Penny wasn’t going to point fingers at the zoner. Especially when she had no proof that he was somehow involved, nor did she really have any credible theories that made sense. Although he was still an enemy in her eyes, despite being something of an ally at the moment, Penny was happy that he wasn’t being subjected to that horrible fate the others were being forced to endure. That was a horrifying thing to endure, even for someone as cruel as Bardot.

“There’s something else.” Skrawl spoke up.

“What is it?” Mrs. Sanchez asked quietly.

“The attack..” Skrawl bit his lip, looking left and right. “The timing of it...it...”

“Yeah I know. It was sometime after I left.” Penny said, a sense of guilt in her voice. “Why do you need to repeat yourself?”

Skrawl shook his head. “That isn’t what I meant. The security guard, Nexra, she...”

“Nexra? I was with her the other day, I remember.” Penny said. “She had been trying to reach me. What about her?”

Skrawl gritted his teeth for a moment. “Well, you see, she...” He paused, clearly trying to think of how to say it. Mumbo Jumbo finished for him.

“Specifically, the attacks occurred a bit later on. They weren’t actually after you left, as you had left pretty early, if I remember Snap’s statement right. It was much later, during the night. At least, night time where you were. The attack came not long after she had left. I want to say it was only ten minutes later.”

“Ten minutes?” Mrs. Sanchez said. “Did she come back?”

Skrawl shook his head. “No. We want to say that it was because she didn’t know, but ten minutes..she couldn’t have gotten far.”

Penny’s eyes widened at this realization. The implication, although not yet spoken, was there. Skrawl was right. Ten minutes wasn’t that far of a walk. There was only one thing that would make sense. And that was if Nexra had been, in a way, responsible for the attack. Penny felt the realization strike her, filling her with a sense of dread and horror. Had Nexra been lying to them this whole time? Was she really working for the black chalk artists all along, and just pretending to be an ally to lure them into a false sense of security? Or was she working with them against her will?

She knew the only way to find out was to find Nexra herself. But where was she? Where had she gone? Penny had no clues or hints on where she could have gone. She didn’t have time to play wild goose chase with her either. She couldn’t waste time with trying to track down this elusive zoner. She needed to focus on awakening the white chalk’s sentience so she can confront Rudy and bring him back. Nexra would have to wait.

“I think you should go to the Chalk Mine.” Skrawl said, interrupting Penny from her thoughts.

“Why?” Penny asked.

“That was where she was headed.” Skrawl said. “At least, the direction she was headed. If she has anything to do with this attack...”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror. It didn’t take her long to realize what this could mean. She could feel her heart rate quickening, dread filling her mind. If Nexra really was an enemy, and if the Chalk Mine was still unguarded, and there was no reason why that would have changed recently, then... Oh no...

Penny nearly jumped out of her seat at the realization drawned on her, making her feel heavier than usual. If Nexra really was working for the black chalk artists this whole time...then she was trying to corrupt her... And if she was working for Nihilanth, just pretending to be an ally, and now that she has the Chalk Mine caught without a guardian, then that meant that she had all this time to destroy the white chalk. Penny shivered at the cold, finality of that realization. A momentary flash of anger entered her body before she shook it off. No, there was a chance that...that maybe something else happened and...

What was she doing wasting her time pondering this stuff? She had to figure out what was happening. She took one look at her mother, giving her a look that told her to stay put. Then, before her mom or the two zoners could say anything, Penny got up from the seat and fled.

She had to get to the Chalk Mine and fast.

sss

Snap struggled with all his might. He twisted against the binds that held him. He jerked from side to side, but no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn’t break free. He pulled so hard, that a shockwave of pain shot through his wrists, forcing him to stop. He eventually collapsed from exhaustion and just hung there, hanging spreadeagled in the air.

Snap took in a few breaths, trying to cope with his speeding heartrate. He lifted up his head and glared daggers at his captor below him. He gritted his teeth, showing absolute contempt for this person, or who they had become. He never thought he would look at Rudy Tabootie this way, but here he was, glaring at the person who used to be his best friend. He tried again to break free, but it was useless.

Rudy chuckled evilly at his former friend’s attempt to escape. The eighteen year old put down what he was doing and took a few steps towards Snap. The zoner growled and tensed his body in preparation for what the boy might do. He learned the hard way that he cannot put his guard down around this guy.

“Oh Snap...why don’t you just relax and enjoy yourself?” Rudy asked, his voice taunting. Snap narrowed his eyes. “It’s not really that bad. I did get you out of there, didn’t I?”

Snap twisted himself from side to side. “You only took me out so I can suffer!” He gave one sharp yank before stopping himself as intense pain enveloped in his wrist. He seethed in pain, feeling almost as though he twisted his wrist too far. He returned his hateful glare to Rudy. “You want me to watch as you kill Penny!”

Rudy burst into laughter at this. “My my...aren’t we jumping to conclusions...” Rudy turned around, folding his arms behind his back. “Dear Snap, I’m not killing Penny. I’m just...recruiting her.” He held up his hand in gesture, giving Snap a backwards, sideways glance. “She will still be alive, so I don’t see why you are so upset.”

“You might as well kill her, because it’ll have the same effect.” Snap’s voice was dark, anger-filled, practically dripping with venom. “You are taking away what makes her...well Penny. If she succumbs to the corruption, then she will no longer be her. You would still be killing her, just in a different way.”

Rudy’s eyes widened slightly at this. It was almost as if something got through to Rudy, but Snap knew better. And sure enough, Rudy just sneered at him and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “Heh...whatever.” With that, Rudy walked away, towards a panel of switches in front of him.

Snap snarled at Rudy, but was ignored. It was very tempting for him to call out to Rudy, challenge him, anything, but his better judgement made him silent. It would be a very bad idea to insult Rudy right now, especially given his current predicament. Unwillingly, Snap had no choice but to remain silent. So he just hung there, his head aching as thoughts swirled in his head.

It had been...how many hours has it been? He wasn’t sure. Heck, for all he knew, a week has passed... Okay that wasn’t possible. He hasn’t eaten at all; he’d be dead by now, or at least much weaker. That didn’t really change the fact that time seemed to move much slower, since all he did was either be trapped in that voice, with no interaction whatsoever, or hang up there in the Solar Pillars. He was trapped and he had no way of getting out, not unless Penny or someone else managed to show up.

Snap felt his mind chill as bitter thoughts entered his head. He knew that the attack had been planned for whenever Penny wasn’t in ChalkZone. Rudy and Nihilanth planned it all to be like this. And he knew the reason for it, and that reason boiled his blood.

Rudy and Nihilanth were trying to break Penny. They were trying to turn the zoners against her. They weren’t all gun ho about it. They just simply wanted to place doubt in the zoners’ minds about her capabilities. While not all the zoners would be so quick to judge her, Snap knew that some zoners may be more...mean spirited. And they could, in turn, influence others, especially if they were well known or popular zoners. Rudy and Nihilanth wanted to do this so that it would affect Penny emotionally, cripple her confidence, and make it easier for them to defeat her. They were sick... He hoped that Penny would prove them wrong, whenever time came for her to face them.

And that wasn’t all they had done. Snap gritted his teeth, closing his eyes tightly, as horrific memories resurfaced on just what else had happened.

The attack on the hospital was terrifying. The fact that they managed to regain control of Dr. Urso, and so fast, too... All that destruction... And then ChalkZone City being attacked... So many zoners killed... Snap hadn’t seen all of it, but what he did see, it left a deep mental scar. He could still hear the screams, the bodies falling, being ripped apart, the guts and blood staining the ground, zoners fleeing for their lives, it was all horrifying to see and hear. It was like something out of a horror movie, only it was, unfortunately, reality. Which just made the whole thing worse.

It angered him the way Rudy and Nihilanth were using Dr. Urso as some kind of tool. They forced him to commit those horrible acts. A part of Snap wondered if it was some kind of ‘punishment’, if they were specifically doing this to him, and not Raiden or Maalik, because of something Dr. Urso said. Was Nihilanth aware that Dr. Urso didn’t like to kill and tried to avoid it if possible? Was that why he was making him do these, things, to force Dr. Urso to go against his own oath? The thought sickened Snap.

Speaking of Dr. Urso, he wondered just where he was. Rudy and Nihilanth weren’t talking about the situation in front of him, not verbally. Snap deduced that they were talking in the mind, to prevent him from overhearing something important. He snorted. How clever of them, he thought sarcastically. So he could only guess what was going on. He wished he knew what was happening with Dr. Urso, but unless a miracle happened, that was a no go.

For all he knew, Dr. Urso was still causing problems. Nihilanth didn’t even have to control him directory; he put something in Dr. Urso that kept him locked in feral mode. He would kill indiscriminitely. Man, woman, child, elderly, the injured. It didn’t matter to the feral-minded zoner. Whatever he sees moving with a heart beat was fair game.

Snap felt a cold chill rush through his body. What if Penny came into ChalkZone with Dr. Urso nearby? There could be more destruction than what he saw. There was a chance that, as soon as Penny entered ChalkZone, she was going to be targeted. Snap wanted to struggle so badly. He wanted so much to get out of here, find Penny, and warn her, or even save her if she was being attacked. But he powerless here, unable to do anything except hang around and have the occassional bitter conversation with Rudy.

He was certain Rudy and Nihilanth had something prepared for him. Rudy used the black chalk to heal a number of his wounds. The realization that black chalk’s healing powers worked on zoners didn’t really register shock to Snap, as his mind was more focused on what Rudy may be planning with him. Not all his wounds were healed. For instance, his knee wound was still there, likely to make sure he was still crippled walking just in case he somehow got out. But he knew that there was a reason for the healing, and it wasn’t some kind gesture either.

Rudy could be planning to use him as bait. Maybe he was going to hunt him like Ghadir did. Maybe he just wanted him to last a little longer until the end. Maybe he had some other reason that he wasn’t thinking of yet.

But whatever the reason, Snap was going to be ready. He won’t let his guard down. He couldn’t afford to.

“I know you don’t like to...hang around, Snap.” Rudy said from a distance, still positioned at the switches. Snap snarled in his direction. “But I assure you...it won’t last for too long. But when the time comes...well..” He turned his head to look over his shoulder, giving Snap an evil smile. “You are going to wish you were still hanging there, like some kind of tossed out doll. It will be really amusing.”

Snap growled, but didn’t say anything. He knew that was what Rudy and Nihilanth wanted. For him to respond, goading him into it, so that they could have an excuse to taunt him more. They wanted to make him angry so he couldn’t think clearly, and end up potentially making a mistake that would make them decide to kill him. Then they could boast about how it was ‘all his fault’, since the black chalk artists rarely accept when they were the ones at fault. Always pushing blame into others. It was disgusting.

As Snap hung there, he couldn’t help but take a look at the monitor. It was a different one from the room where Bardot had been held. Snap had no idea which room he was being held in, which part of the Solar Pillars. There was no indication. All he knew is that he was in a room that, like that other room, had a row of computers against the wall, with a monitor mounted near the center of it. It seemed like some kind of targeting system, and this was proven right when he saw the familiar circle with a cross through it.

It quickly dawned on Snap what this was. Another station for another weapon... His eyes widened in horror. So the light cannon was not the only major weapon here? His heart skipped a beat as he realized something. Of course it wasn’t the only one... There was another he had forgotten about.

The real world water... Did this place really have the power to erase ChalkZone like Biclops said it did? He recalled that Bardot claimed there was an underground real world water storage, all ready to be used. The fact that he described the water was being colored, like how used water looked when painters dipped their brushed in them, was worrying. It meant that the real world water was being used, and it made him wonder, with a shudder, if those victims were old, or recent, and just how many were killed...

Snap wondered this thing was in use recently. If it was, it had to be during a time when he was still trapped in that darn void. He shivered as he though of what he might have done with it. Have any parts of ChalkZone been erased yet...?

“I see you’re still watching me.”

Snap jerked in surprise at that. He shook his head and stared over at Rudy. The boy had looked over at him again, his hand still against the machine as he stood over the monitor. Snap felt his heart twist as he realized that Rudy must have been trying to find a place to target.

Rudy turned and took a few steps towards him. His eyes glowed black and white, and Snap could have sworn he saw a dark aura around him, almost as if he were going to switch and let Nihilanth take over. But instead, the aura just wifted around him, as if Rudy’s only goal was to make himself look more menacing.

“I know you may not...approve of what I’m doing. But...” Rudy paused. He contorted his face as he tried to think of something to say. “Well it’s worthless trying to explain it to a zoner. You chalk things never were much for understanding anything. I guess it’s a..disability.” He waved his hand dismissively, the last word spoken with great contempt. Snap glared at him. “I suppose that isn’t your fault. How can I blame you for something like that. It’s not your fault your brain is...challenged to say the least.”

“What...did you say?” Snap growled at him. How dare he insult his species like that... Rudy of all people should know better. Then again, this wasn’t the real Rudy, was it?

“Oh I’m sorry.” Rudy said mockingly. “Did you need your hearing checked or something?” He grinned as Snap scowled at him. Then, going about as if Snap hadn’t said anything, Rudy made a gesture towards the controls. “Are you interested to know what I’m targeting?”

Snap’s glare softened up slightly. “...somewhat.” Snap hated to admit it, but he was kind of curious to know what Rudy planned to target.

Rudy’s grin widened and grew more sinister in a matter of seconds. The sight of this made Snap cringe, his face melting away into fear. That smile...and what it indicated... Snap felt a cold shiver shoot down his spine. Just..just what did Rudy have in mind..?

“I won’t do anything...yet.” Rudy crooned almost playfully. He reached over and stroked the top of Snap’s head like he was a pet. Snap wanted to jerk his head away, but something made him hold still. Fear of what Rudy might do if he struggled. “I will give dear Penny a chance to come and stop me. I played her for a fool, so I don’t mind extending things a bit.”

“A...fool?” Snap asked.

Rudy grinned at this. “I’ve been playing with her, making her think she was winning. Or at least, gaining the upperhand. I think I’ll toy with her a little longer.”

Snap was confused. Just...how did Rudy...? What was he referring to? When was he...? “What do you mean?” Snap managed to choke out, his body almost completely paralyzed from confusion and dread. “What are you talking about?”

Instead of answering, Rudy just chuckled. He gave Snap a knowing look, an expression that sent chills down the zoner’s spine. There was something more going on... He could sense it. Rudy was hiding something from them, and that something must be giving him an edge, somehow. But what?

Before he could think too long on that, Rudy spoke up. “Back to what I was going to do.” Rudy moved his hand away and leaned himself against the nearby wall. He was acting so casual about the whole thing, like all he was doing was talking about the weather or something. “I was thinking of rereleasing those... What did Barney call them?” He tapped his finger against his chin.

Snap stared at him in shock. Was..was he...? No.. not that... Rudy wouldn’t...no he couldn’t.. Snap kept his eyes locked onto Rudy’s, a pleading expression on the blue zoner’s face. He hoped and prayed that Rudy meant something else. Anything else...

Rudy grinned nastily and said, “Ah yes...the inflatemice... The tiny red bats...”

Snap took in a sharp breath. So his fears were correct... No, Rudy couldn’t.. Snap shook his head, hoping that this was some kind of sick joke, that Nihilanth and Rudy just wanted to watch him squirm. But nothing about Rudy’s expression changed. There was nothing to indicate that he was lying, that he was making this up. The sinister look he gave him gave a single strong message:

“I am dead serious.”

Snap gave a soft whimper as memories flashed in his head of what happened the last time he had encountered those things. The tiny red bats had gotten out of the temple after Rudy accidentally set them free. They had then begun to bite zoner after zoner, infecting them and causing them to swell. The zoners in the first pandemic had all been killed, and the zoners in the recent pandemic, which he was unfortunately a part of, nearly suffered the same fate.

The blue zoner could vividly remember just what it felt like. So much of his body had become inflamed and stretched painfully. He hurt all over, in constant pain. He had fought back the pain, as did the others, and tried their best to remain focused. He felt something fill up inside of him, that was pushing against his skin and threatening to rip him open. Some kind of gas. If it hadn’t been for Rudy’s clever solution with the soda, he would have died, and in a violent, gruesome way as well.

Now Rudy was going to unleash that same plague again...? Snap couldn’t stop his fearful quivering. Any zoner with a heartbeat can be infected, and he was certain the robots like Craniac 4 could be bitten as well. Unless they knew the cure, it was a death sentence. No zoner, no matter how big, was safe. Even Biclops had nearly succumbed to that disease, and that guy was huge.

“I know it might be a little...extreme.” Rudy admitted, shrugging his shoulders. “But maybe if I timed it right, then the zoners might think Penny did it.” Snap’s eyes widened at this. “It could be a nice trump card in case I need to...squash her more.”

Snap glared hatefully at Rudy and struggled harder against the binds that held him. “Don’t you dare! I..I won’t let you...!”

Rudy laughed coldly at this. He reached over and cupped Snap’s chin. “Oh silly Snap. You should know better than to make such bold statements when you’re in...” He eyed Snap up and down. “..such a predicament..”

Snap growled at him. “Leave Penny alone.” He demanded. “Haven’t you caused her enough trouble by making some of the zoners believe she failed them, after you had specifically attacked when she was away?” Rudy just stared at him somewhat blankly. This angered Snap more. “Oh don’t look at me like that! You know damn well what I’m talking about!” Snap gave a rough yank, only stopping when he felt himself nearly rip his wrist off. “You planned the whole thing! You knew she wasn’t in ChalkZone, so you attacked, so that she couldn’t fight back because she wouldn’t know! Then you made sure that at least a few zoners would blame Penny for the attack! They only believe that because you orchestrated them to believe it! You asshole!”

Rudy’s eyes widened for a second, and then flashed some emotion Snap couldn’t read. Rudy tilted his head a little, staring at Snap intently. “They believe it because they are zoners, and zoners are stupid.” Snap attempted to bite Rudy’s hand. The teenager pulled it away before he could do so. “Uh uh uh.. Naughty zoner...” Rudy grabbed Snap’s scarf and tugged on it a little. Not enough to hurt, but it did apply uncomfortable pressure on his neck. “I don’t want to have to...tame you. And I’m sure you don’t want to go through that, now do you?”

Snap hissed at him, baring his teeth. He didn’t say a word. It’s not like he was going to listen anyway. Rudy released him and took a few steps back. Snap watched him warily, waiting for him to make a move, to say something.

“Domesticated zoners...” Rudy said softly to himself. He tilted his pupils upwards in thought. “Yes..that seems like a good idea. I’m sure people will love that.” He held his hand out towards Snap in gesture. “Well, after some of you zoners are properly tamed, that is.” Snap snarled at him, his body shaking in anger. Rudy paid him no mind and he turned around. “Well enough chitchatting with you. I need to get back to the monitor. I’m sure dear Penny will be on her way soon.”

Snap wanted to break free of his chains and attack Rudy, find some way to rip out Nihilanth. He felt cold anger practically burning him on the inside. He wanted to something, anything, to stop Rudy, and especially Nihilanth, from doing these things. They were despicable. No..Nihilanth was. He was the one behind all of this. He was the one who was pulling Rudy’s strings. He was making him do all of this. He was going to make Rudy ‘domesticate’ zoners like they were wild animals, and he had made Rudy slaughter countless zoners.

And for what? For some... stronger new world that he claims will be for the benefit of everyone? What a load of bull crap... This new world wasn’t going to benefit anyone except Nihilanth. If this dragon were so powerful, he could just go to some other plane of existence and make a new world there. But no, he instead decided he wanted to destroy this one. All because he couldn’t stand zoners.. He hated zoners, seeing them as a ‘failed experiment’ or whatever shit he said. That was the reason why he wanted to destroy ChalkZone. It was just so that there would be no remnants of his ‘failure’ left for him to see. Such a cowardly move...

Whenever Penny arrived here, he hoped she would be careful. He hoped that she would be prepared. There was a chance that she might get caught, too. And if she got trapped trying to help him, he would feel so horrible.

But no, this was Penny he was thinking about. She wouldn’t get herself caught that easily. She might be trying to find a work around. She did have that portal in a lower part of the Solar Pillars. She must be using that to sneak in. Yes, as soon as she find out what happened, she would go back to that swimming pool and used the portal she hit there and sneak back inside. Rudy and Nihilanth wouldn’t be able to form a defense if they don’t know Penny is in the building. All she’d have to do is...

“Ah, there’s Penita right now.” Rudy’s voice cut through the air.

Snap looked over. He could see Rudy was looking at the monitor. Snap was too far away to tell exactly what he was looking at. He could see something moving on the monitor. He squinted his eyes. Was that really Penny? She..she wasn’t in Solar Pillars...

Rudy frowned a little, as if he realized the same thing, too. He wasn’t angry. He just looked disappointed, as if he had been hoping to see Penny coming to the Solar Pillars. He leaned a little further in, his eyes trailing up and down the screen as if he were trying to read some blurred, hard-to-recognize text. He then gave a sigh and took a step back.

“That is...unexpected. I was hoping she’d be coming here.” Rudy lamented bitterly. “Well I suppose this could work in my favor.”

Although Snap wanted to remain quiet, curiosity caused him to blurt out a question. “Where is Penny?”

Rudy looked over at Snap. He barely gave him a sideways glance. “If you must know, zoner...” Snap gritted his teeth at the tone of voice Rudy used when he said ‘zoner’. So full of contempt and hatred... “She is headed towards the Chalk Mine.” He closed his eyes for a moment, raising his hand up to about level with his shoulder. “I guess something is drawing her there. Well I can still work this to my advantage I’m sure...” He opened up his eyes, his pupils shrinking. “I just need a change of...” His eyes twinkled. “Plan...”

Snap’s eyes widened in horror, his heart twisting. And as Rudy stared over at him, he gulped. Just what kind of plan did he have in mind?


	165. The Chalk Mine Is Under Enemy Control

Penny did feel a pang of guilt for running off like that. She knew that she was worrying her mother, as well as the zoners. She knew that going off on her own could have consequences.

But in her current state of mind, she didn’t care. She was too focused on getting to the Chalk Mine, and fast. The news that Skrawl and Mumbo Jumbo gave her were rather chilling. All that horrific stuff that happened... and the idea that Nexra could have helped out, that she was fooling them all.. She had to do something. She couldn’t just sit there. She needed to find that zoner and find out what the heck was going on.

The teenager ran across the broken ground. It being so heavily cracked did little to deter her. She just jumped around the cracks, dodging the dead bodies, her mind so focused, she barely reacted to the presence of gore and blood. The bodies weren’t as numerous in this direction and sure enough, they eventually stopped, leaving a wide open space. And not far in front of her was the river that she knew would lead to the Chalk Mine. She began to follow it, keeping close to the edge.

As she followed the river, her mind clustered with multiple thoughts of what was happening. If this was indeed where Nexra had gone... what was she doing? Was she trying to destroy the mine? Was she expecting her to come so she can launch a trap? Or was something else going on?

Well she intended to find out. One way or another.

Soon Penny reached the mine. She could see its recognizable structure as she came around the bend. The large sign that declared it was the Chalk Mine still hung outside. No signs of damage. That didn’t really tell her much. As she and Rudy learned years ago, just because the mine looks fine on the outside doesn’tmean that there isn’t something horribly wrong on the inside. She walked up towards the entrance and stood just outside of it. She peered inside, looking left and right. Seeing nothing at first, she began to walk inside.

The mine appeared...empty. With Biclops as its sole occupant, it always felt kinda empty. But this time, it was...desolate. So quiet was it that she could hear the faint drips of chalk water dropping off the walls, hitting the ground. She gave a shudder. She was not used to being in the mine when Biclops was not around. The last time she recalled being here with the giant outside the mine was when Cosmo had attacked.

Pushing aside the uncomfortable memories, Penny walked further into the mine, looking left and right. She didn’t see any signs of damage, so that was good. This was so much better than the time when she came into the mine and there were abyss cracks everywhere and everything was practically in ruins. There was no sign of an obvious attack anywhere around here. No burnt marks. No scrapes. Nothing destroyed. Just..nothing at all. It was as if everything was completelhy fine.

But regardless of it being in shape, she still felt an air of apprehension. Something was still wrong... She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She continued looking around.

There was no sign of Nexra anywhere in sight. She didn’t even see any obvious signs, like footprints. No distinctive marks. Nothing. As she headed further in, still no sign of anyone being in here. She didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. Just her own breathing, her own footsteps, and her own heartbeat. With it being so quiet, her own sounds seemed almost deafening, buzzing around her head as she attempted to look around and try to figure out what was going on, and just where Nexra was, if she was here at all.

Penny froze when she saw something laying on the ground. Something that wasn’t there before. She saw some kind of strange shape on the ground. She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. Just what was this? She made her way over to the object. She couldn’t tell what it was at first; it was obscured by a shadow. As she got closer, it started to look familiar. There was something...uncomfortably familiar about this object. And as soon as she got close enough to make it out, her eyes widened in horror.

It was a tank.. filled with real world water... The shock of this caused Penny to take a step back, her mind flooded with memories of what had happened when those three zoners came into ChalkZone with real world water at their disposal. The evidence was all too clear to her now. Someone....had tried to erase the Chalk Mine again...just like before. It seemed like they had been stopped, but that didn’t do much to calm Penny down.

She tried to think of just who could have tried. There were a number of people who could have done this. Jenny was the first person who popped into her head. But that was impossible. Jenny was dead. Nihilanth and Rudy were another possibility, but she wasn’t entirely sure. They seemed they were too busy causing destruction elsewhere, plus why would they bring in real world water only to just..leave it there? She couldn’t really imagine them doing something like this. It wasn’t in their nature. So someone else have to have done this.

There was one zoner that came to her mind, who would have had the time to at least attempt something with the real world water. And that was Nexra. At the thought of this, Penny paused as she made a turn and walked slowly down a new tunnel. She knew it wouldn’t be farfetched if Nexra were involved with this. She could be simply preparing. Maybe she was somewhere else in the mine, trying to think of a target.

Penny wasn’t certain if this was the case, but she couldn’t take the risk. She rushed over and, using the red chalk, she drew a cage for the real world water. The red chalk completed it by adding spikes and arcs of electricity around it. She thought it was a bit much, but at least it would be a deterrent, even if just temporarily, for anyone who tries to use the water tank.

She continued on her way, her mind racing with thoughts. If Nexra was responsible...she will need to keep herself on guard. She recalled a bit Snap told her about her taser gun. Penny shuddered as she imagined what such a thing would feel like. She certainly had no plans on getting shot by such a thing. She would have to be cautious and vigilant. Whoever was behind this, be it Nexra or someone else, she had a feeling she was going to run into them very soon.

Then, as she made another turn, she spotted something else that she knew couldn’t have been there before.

A cage...

Penny’s eyes widened. There was a cage sitting in the middle of this second large room in the mine. It was a pretty large size, with iron bars all around it. The cage itself was empty and it was easy to see why. The door had been opened up. The cage itself looked to be in pretty good shape, with a strong metal floor and a metal ceiling. She soon recognized it as the cage that Snap had set up when he was watching the mine for Biclops years ago. The cage certainly was big enough to contain even the giant.

As Penny drew closer to it, she asked herself questions. Just..what was the cage doing here? She hadn’t seen Biclops use it before. What would prompt him to use it? Or...or did Nexra use it...? Who was in this cage? An enemy or an ally? How did they get out, or were they taken somewhere? Were they killed and the bodies disposed of?

Soon Penny reached the cage. She kept on the outside of it, never getting too close. She knew that if whoever used this cage were around, and if they were an enemy, they’d shove her in if she got too close. She would not let them get that chance. Instead, she walked around the cage, keeping away from the door. She looked at it up and down, noting the details. No damage, not even from this shorter distance, could be seen. She bit her lip. The fact that this cage was out at all was bad news, no matter which way she looked at it. There were only two things she could think of and neither of them spelled anything good.

Either Biclops was captured and was temporarily held here...

...or this cage held an enemy and they had escaped.

No sooner did she think of this when she felt a shadow cast behind her. Penny attempted to turn around, but she felt someone grab her from behind. She gave a grunt of surprise and she struggled. A hand clamped over hers, silencing her. Then her arms were hooked behind her, pinned there by another arm. Her heart beating quickly, Penny began to struggle against her captor, jerking herself from left to right.

Penny managed to twist herself around, and soon she faced her captor. As soon as she laid eyes on who had grabbed her, her body stiffened up, freezing in shock. Her eyes widened and she, for a moment, stopped struggling. She couldn’t believe it. No...no it was impossible... This couldn’t be happening...

Her hesitation gave her captor enough time to slam her against a nearby wall. Penny shut her eyes tightly and gave a loud, pain-filled grunt. She reopened her eyes, gritting her teeth, as she stared at her captor. She attempted to struggle, but the captor’s body was pressed against hers, keeping her squished against the wall. She pushed against her captor, but it was no use. She was not going anywhere.

Penny soon stopped struggling and stared at her captor, her eyes wide and disbelieving. Even though she was seeing this for herself, she still found it hard to get herself to truly believe this was happening. It was hard for her to comprehend that this person before her..was really there.

“J-J-Jenny...” Penny breathed, giving a few quick exhales of horror and realization. A smile spread across Jenny’s face at this. “But...but it’s not possible... I saw you fall. You can’t be alive. You...” She was quickly silenced when Jenny clamped her mouth with her hand.

“Shh shh shh... Be quiet now. Everything will be okay.” Jenny whispered harshly to her. Keeping her body pressed against Penny, keeping her hand against the teenager’s mouth to silence her, Jenny reached up and began to playfully stroke Penny’s hair. “You aren’t supposed to know I’m still alive yet. You just ruined the plan. But don’t worry, honey.” Her fingers ran through Penny’s hear before they moved down and began to toy with her ear ring a bit, tugging on her lobe. “I know how to deal with that...”

Penny gritted her teeth and let out a muffled cry as Jenny cruelly twisted her ear lobe and pulled on it hard. She struggled against Jenny, trying to push her back. But no matter what she did, Jenny did not back down. It was as if Jenny was so determined to ‘correct this error’ that she barely paid attention to anything Penny did.

Jenny’s eyes remained on Penny, that smile growing nastier, as she moved her hand away from her ear and reached down to grab something out of sight. Penny tried in vain to see what it was. But Jenny roughly turned her head, preventing her from seeing what she had pulled out. Penny tried again to struggle, only for Jenny to slam her knee against her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. While Penny was momentarily not able to react, Jenny turned Penny to the side and used her leg to keep her pinned against the wall.

Then, without warning, came a sharp pinch. Penny’s eyes shot open and she tried to scream. Jenny tightened her grip on her hand, keeping any scream the teenager makes muffled. Penny could feel something small, cold, and sharp being pushed into her neck. A needle... and some kind of cool fluid flowed into her neck.

As Jenny pushed down on the needle, she put her face close to Penny’s ear and whispered into it. “This will make sure you forget you ever saw me here...”

Soon the needle was done injecting its fluids. Jenny yanked the needle out in a not so gentle way. Penny let out a muffled yelp as the sharp needle scraped her neck slightly. Jenny dropped the needle on the ground and looped her hand around Penny’s head. Against her will, Penny was forced to turn her head and look at the woman. Seeing this woman’s face so up close was...uncomfortable.

Penny suddenly felt dizzy, her mind becoming muggy, and thoughts swirling at random. She could feel the strength leaving her. The only reason she didn’t fall down was Jenny holding her up like this. She fought to remain awake, but the tiredness pulled at her mind, dragging her down. Her eyelids grew heavy. She shook her head a few times, fighting against falling asleep. But she soon realized she was fighting a losing battle, and the darkness started to come to her.

Jenny released her mouth as soon as Penny was too groggy to even speak, let alone call out for help. As Penny started to sway a little, her body starting to go limp, Jenny caressed her cheek gently, keeping her face close to hers. She leaned in uncomfortably close, and she cringed ever so slightly when Jenny pressed her forehead against hers.

“Goodnight, dear little Penny...” Jenny whispered softly to her. She leaned forward and gave Penny a quick kiss on her forehead. Even in her semi-conscious state, Penny gave a quick squrim of disgust at that. “Sweet dreams.”

With that, Penny soon lost all touch with reality. Her world dark and silent, her body became a mere limp doll in Jenny’s arms. Her eyes slowly closed, leaving herself at the mercy of this foul woman.

sss

Jenny grumbled, cursing softly to herself. Of course she just had to try to grab Penny from behind. She couldn’t just...draw some kind of gun she could use to launch the needle at her. She just had to try to give it to her herself. Granted, it wasn’t like she had many options, but still... She should have been more careful. She was supposed to succeed in doing this without Penny realizing what was going on.

Penny had seen she was alive. Penny knew that she had faked her own death. She didn’t even know if the serum she gave her was going to actually erase her memory of what had just transpired. She had only said that in hope that it would influence her memory somehow.

There is nothing she can do about it now. At least she managed to knock Penny out. She held the teenager in her arms, cradling her against her body. Penny’s head was lopped to the side, her eyes closed as if she were only sleeping. Penny did look pretty peaceful like this, sleeping soundly. Jenny stared at her sleeping form once in a while as she headed down the Chalk Mine to a specific location. She knew just where she was going to put Penny.

She found it difficult to look away. She nearly dripped a few times as she carried Penny down the tunnels. Seeing Penny look so peaceful in her arms was triggering something. And before Jenny knew it, she found herself...smiling. Not even a plotting smile, but something more...genuine. She shook her head, wiping the smile off, only to feel the corners of her mouth start to tick upwards. She fought against herself to keep a relaxed expression. She shook her head again and managed to pull her gaze away from Penny.

As she continued to walk down, she began to think of just why she had acted like that. She had dealt with unconscious victims before. What made Penny so different? What was so different about this time? Jenny wasn’t sure, and as she tried to think, nothing seemed to make sense. But she couldn’t have just smiled for no reason. There had to be a cause or something. The onl thing she could think of is that..of course. Now it all made sense. She smiled because Penny looked a lot like her mother, and Jenny had known Penny’s mom on some level before.

Ah yes, Inez Sanchez... She remembered that woman well. She remembered how much she had admired her handiwork. She was impressed by what she was capable of. She was the second person she ever wanted to impress, even if she hardly ever got the chance to. She...

A realization dawned on Jenny. Did...did she, on a subconscious level, want to impress Penny?

She shook her head, trying to get rid of such a ludicrous thought. How silly. She had been this girl’s enemy for sometime now. Why would she want to impress her? She looked down at Penny, her confused perplexion distorting into anger. This...this little bitch had been part of the reason Mr. Cosmo is dead. She was one of the reasons why the black chalk had lost its grip. Tightening her hold on Penny, as if she was getting ready to suffocate her, Jenny thought of all kinds of ways she could just kill Penny right now and get it over with. Breaking her neck sounded quite lovely right about now...

The only thing stopping her was Nihilanth himself. He hadn’t told her to kill Penny, and thus she was not allowed to try such a move yet. She had to wait until she got word from Nihilanth. Technically, she wasn’t even supposed to reveal herself to Penny until later on. She screwed up, but Nihilanth might be the forgiving sort of fellow with this. Besides, they can always adjust the plan to fit accordingly.

Jenny walked through the caverns, going down a winding path and towards a lower section not many know exist for the Chalk Mine. She descended down via something of a ‘staircase’ almost. A ‘railingless’ dip of slick rock with a shiny sort of appearance. It led her down to a darker, more dank part of the Chalk Mine. She then turned to the right and headed down that way.

The tunnels here had no artificial light. Instead, they were coated in magic chalk residue that constantly sparked, giving a little bit of light. Since it wasn’t black light, it was a little hard for Jenny to see, but she still managed to navigate nonetheless, moving down the twisted ‘corridor’, avoiding the sharp edges that hung out of the rocks. And soon she came to a Y intersection. She chose to stick to the left, leading to a slightly brighter ‘hallway’ that was quite short, with low, sharp hanging rocks overhead, threatening to rip up anyone who tries to go through. Jenny moved around them despite not being able to see that well. She hit one or two, but nonetheless, she was still able to get through.

At the very end of this short, sharp tunnel, it opened up to something of a larger room. It was round in shape, with a sharp fine-like structure on the roof, going straight through the middle. There were some cave rock structures in here, arching around, twisting and winding. It looked both intimidating and quite beautiful. And not far back was a small body of chalk water, being fed from the river outside. She could hear the pit pat of the water dropping into the deep indention, creating the puddle of water.

Jenny walked into the room, still holding Penny. She carried her over to a small cage in the middle of the room, pushed up against the center structure, which was curvy and had some kind of shallow hole in it that made it look like it had a large spot. The door was non-existent, with a few bars missing. This had been deliberate. She had a different idea in mind for how this cage would close.

She stood in front of the cage for a few moments. She held Penny up by her arm, letting her dangle towards the ground. She glared at her, snarling in contempt, before she through her roughly into the cage. There was a loud thud and bang, Penny crumpled on the cage floor. She laid there on her side, her arm looped over the other and her head twisted to the side. Jenny stared at Penny, making sure there were no signs of her waking up. Penny remained still as stone, unmoving, unresponsive.

Satisfied that Penny hadn’t woken up yet, Jenny took out a piece of black chalk and she began to draw. She created a shield that fit perfectly around the cage. It easily hooked into place, attaching itself to the bars. This shield was made of glass, and it contained a lot of ridges to it with small, hook-like protrusions that easily sliced up anyting that tried to touch it. She grinned as she thought of what Penny’s reaction will be like if she attempted to break herself out. A part of her wished she would be around to witness it.

Jenny took a few steps back, admiring her handiwork. She had Penny trapped in this room, inside a cage with a sharp glass structure for the shield. Penny stood no chance of escaping. Even if she broke out of the cage, well she had other ways of keeping her here, at least until Nihilanth and Rudy wanted her.

“Sleep tight, little Penny. I hope you dream some...lovely dreams...” Jenny said. She folded her arms against her chest, a nasty smile spreading across her face. “For they will be the last pleasant things you will ever see.”

Behind her, she could hear a large shape moving. A shadow began to be casted over her. She just smiled, paying it no mind. Her eyes were solely in Penny. A part of her was upset that Penny wasn’t awake yet. She wanted to see her reaction to this. She wanted to hear what dear Penny had to say about this. But oh well. She would just have to wait for that. She had to locate Nihilanth and Rudy after this. They will be pleased with the news she has to offer them. And it wasn’t just the fact that she captured Penny. Even if she hadn’t, there was still something else that would please those two.

The Chalk Mine was under their control now.

Jenny turned and she could see the large shadow coming more into view. She gave a dark smirk. She quickly turned around, folding her arms behind her back as she stared up at the individuals in front of her. There were clearly two in front; she could see the outline for two different heads and completely different bodies, seemingly connected due to the way the shadows fell down.

“Ah I was hoping you two would show up. Come on over.” Jenny said.

Stepping forward, the figures came into view. The darkness around still made it hard to see, but Jenny could tell who was standing in front of her. Two zoners she had managed to take control of. It hadn’t been easy, but she succeeded, with a little...help. She grinnted as she stared at her latest slaves. Oh how wonderful Mr. Cosmo’s invention was... She could get used to this. If only they had something this great years ago. It could have changed the tides of war.

“I need you two to watch Penny. Make sure she does not get out of this room. Try not to harm her too much. ‘Lord’ Rudy wants her alive.” Jenny said, folding her arms against her chest. She narrowed her eyes and continued, “You know the penalty for disobeying an order, am I right?” Though the zoners did not respond, she knew the answer was a yes. She grinned. “Good... I have to get going. Get to work, Tsere and Biclops.”

As soon as their names were said, the two large zoners, both possessing a mind control chip placed into their skulls, both took position beside the cage, one on either side. They turned around and faced the same direction Jenny was walking in. They both had something of a blank expression on their faces. They looked almost like zombies, almost not even alive save for some shallow breathing. Seeing her enemies like this made her smile. At least, they finally got some comeuppance that they so richly deserved.

“...what should I do...?” A small, quiet voice said.

Jenny looked over. Ah there was the zoner that helped make this possible. “Nexra. How good it is to see you...” She took a few steps forward. Nexra cringed back, acting as if she was going to get hit. Jenny patted her on the head like she were a dog. “I do so appreciate your help.”

“It wasn’t like I had a choice.” Nexra said softly. She casted a look of guilt towards the two zoners and the captured Penny. She looked back at Jenny and said, “Y-You were going to...”

Jenny nodded her head. “Yes..I know you were..coerced. But look on the bright side. You did what you were supposed to and by doing so, we both got what we wanted.” Jenny took a step towards her creation, looping her arm around her and pulling her close. Nexra clearly didn’t like this, but remained still. She knew the punishment if she struggled against her. She knew that she was the one in charge here; she was the one who controlled her, and if she dared try to resist.. Jenny sneered at the thought. “So don’t worry, my dear. It will be okay.”

Nexra shuddered as she felt Jenny start to toy with her hair, caressing it. She didn’t resist. She instead just turned her head away and said in a reluctant, hesitant voice, “I..I live to serve you...”

Jenny grinned. Nexra learned quite well, and had an excellent memory. Even after all these years, she remained subordinate and obedient to her. Other black chalk artists, no. But she herself.. yes. Nexra would always listen to her. She was her little pet, and nothing was going to change that.

“Good girl.” Jenny cooed. “As long as you remember that, you won’t have to be hurt.” Nexra shivered at this and gave a small whimper. She was otherwise quiet. Jenny then looked over at Penny, who was still knocked out. “And remember this, dear Penny. You may have won some battles against us... But seems you are about to lose the war.”

Jenny gave a cold laugh as Nexra turned her head away, lowering it in shame.

sss

Penny slowly fluttered her eyes open. Her head hurt, swirling with aches and pains. She reached up and rubbed her head, feeling as though someone had taken a drill and was just pounding her head again and again. She pushed herself up onto her other hand, shaking her head as she tried to clear her muggy thoughts.

As she felt around her neck, she noticed there was a sort spot. She widened her eyes in confusion. She moved her finger around a small, painful bump. What was this? A bug bite? It didn’t itch like one. But it was still a bit painful. She let out a soft groan and she sat herself up. She kept down on her knees, holding her head, trying to deal with the pain that plagued her head. It wasn’t bad, but the dull pain was still getting to her. The feeling was just like the time she fell asleep for a few minutes, and then woke up suddenly. That same, achey, drowsy feeling was what she was feeling now.

As she sat there on her knees, rubbing her head, she tried to remember just how she got here. The last thing she recalled was entering the Chalk Mine. Obviously a lot more happened between her entering and her getting in here. There was a gap missing in her mind and she had to try to figure out just what that gap was. She searched her mind, trying to figure out something that happened in that time frame. Anything. But for whatever reason, she was only drawing up a blank. She could remember nothing of what happened, except simply entering the Chalk Mine.

She lowered her hand and gave a sigh. She noticed that she was in some kind of cell. Iron bars all around her...except for the front. She tilted her head in confusion. It looked as though at first, she had been captured by someone, but...why would they leave some of the bars missing? That didn’t make any sense. She took a look around her surroundings, trying to figure out exactly where she was.

It seemed like she was still in the Chalk Mine, but not in an area she knew. This place was a little camper than what she was used to. She could hear some water dripping, but given her location, she was unable to see it. A small stream perhaps. The cage she was in was up against some kind of roundish structure in what she guessed was approximately the middle of the room. Rocky surfaces around her swirled, creating some interesting shapes, looking scary yet pretty. Some kinda looked like heads, others twirled around each other, some grew from the roofs, curving, creating beautiful arches. Some of the rocks even had a slightly different hue than others, making it look even prettier. If it weren’t for the danger she could be in, she would spend more time admiring this room.

Penny got up to her feet and walked slowly towards the opening, with the missing bars. She stood in front of it, looking at it up and down. She didn’t see anything hooked up to it at all. And she couldn’t see anyone around her. She thought she saw movement a few times, but she couldn’t really see anyone around her, no matter how hard she looked.

It was still strange, how someone would capture her and then just leave her here in an unfinished cage. Did they just..somehow forget? That didn’t make any sense to her. None of the villains they faced were that stupid. Yeah, some were cocky and arrogant, but even they would know to finish the cage, not just leave it open like this, with a wide open gap she could slip through. She couldn’t fathom a reason for something like this.

Her head clearing up, Penny decided to try to get out. She wasn’t sure in what area of the Chalk Mine she was in, but she couldn’t just stay here. She had to get out. She was not going to get any progress done just standing around here. She began to walk towards the gap in the bars...

..only to suddenly smash up against something hard..and sharp. Penny’s eyes widened as she felt something slash up her face. She let out a yelp and staggered back. She held her face, her body trembling slightly from the stinging, sharp pain. She pulled out her red chalk and quickly drew a small mirror. She put it back in her pocket and held up the mirror. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

On her face were several thin but very painful scratches that stretched across her face, dripping with some blood. Though the cuts were thin, they were a little deep and stretched far. They were radiating with pain, feeling as though tiny pieces of glass shards got into her cut. A few tears of pain dripped from her eyes as she tried to cope with the stinginess of these cuts. It was almost like a paper cut, only the stinging pain was worse. She put her fingers against her cuts, only for the pain to get worse, causing her to yelp and pull her hand back.

She looked back ahead of her. She quickly drew a flashlight. She then took the flashlight and shined it on the ‘empty space’ in front of her. She soon realized that there was something here. It was very clear, so it was hard to see. But there was some kind of glass shield, and in this particular spot, there were small, ragged areas. She could see some small amounts of blood on the razor edge where she hit her face, and she shuddered as she saw just how thin and sharp they were. She took a step back, her mind filling with dread as she realized she was being held prisoner.

As she let this information sink into her head, she realized that she wasn’t alone. Two figures were positioned next to her. She hadn’t seen them because of how dark it was. There were looming shapes on either side of the cage she was in. They were absolutely still, except for slight movement of breathing. She got out her flashlight again and she shined it on them.

When she saw it was Biclops and Tsere, at first she felt joy. She was happy to see some friendly faces, and she had a feeling they had come to free her. But then she realized something was wrong. If that were the case, then why was she still in the cage? Why hadn’t they broken her out? Something was wrong. The realization of this caused her heart to twist. She slowly lifted up the flashlight to their faces, and what she saw nearly made her heart stop.

There, placed in on their foreheads, was a small metal disc.

A mind control device...

Penny took in a sharp breath, taking it all in. She felt her legs grow weak, wobbly. As the two large zoners looked at her, showing the same expressionless eyes she had seen on the mind controlled zoners in the past, she fell to her knees, dropping the flashlight from her hand, letting it roll to a stop a foot away.

She took in a few shaky breaths, her mind swirling, trying to comprehend what she just saw. How...how was this possible? She couldn’t believe it. Of all the zoners...why these two? It was hard for Penny to fully accept what happened. She had a hard time believing that Biclops and Tsere had been taken over. It was a terrifying realization and her heart rate quickened.

“I see you woke up.”

Penny stiffened up at that voice. She knew that voice. Her eyes narrowed and her teeth gritted. She turned her head upwards, her intense, anger-filled eyes locking onto Nexra’s. For a few seconds, zoner and human just stared at each other, not blinking, not turning away.

Penny’s mind had multiple thoughts intermingling as she stared at Nexra. Her brain started to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Of course, Nexra had to be the one who did this. She must have knocked out Penny when she entered the Chalk Mine. She must have done this to Biclops and Tsere. This was her doing. Penny gritted her teeth. She shouldn’t have trusted her. She should have realized that Nexra was up to no good, and now she was paying the price for it.

“You...” Penny spoke up, her voice accusatory. “You did this, didn’t you?”

Nexra didn’t answer her. She just stared at Penny somewhat blankly, unmoving.

Penny growled and she got up to her feet. She took a step forward, clutching her right hand into a fist. “This...was all a trick, wasn’t it? You didn’t want to help me. You wanted to corrupt me!”

Nexra stared at her for a few moments. She then lightly closed her eyes and said, “You may believe what you wish of me.” She reopened them, staring at Penny with a somewhat unreadable expression. “I care not if you think I did this or not. So..if it makes you happy thinking I did it, then..by all means.” She motioned towards Penny. “Continue to believe that.”

Penny growled at Nexra. That innocent act she was putting on... It was sickening. Nexra knew full well what she did. How dare she taunt her by acting as if she did nothing wrong... She wanted to say something to her, anything. She wanted to retort, but she didn’t. She wasn’t stupid. She knew that if she said one wrong thing, she could end up making things worse for herself. And with her trapped in a cage with both Biclops and Tsere under the black chalk’s rule... Yeah she was better off keeping quiet.

Nexra turned her head away, as if she got tired of toying with her. Penny glared at her, but also averted her gaze. She didn’t want to look at Nexra. She didn’t want to have anything to do with her right now. She just wanted to kick herself for trusting her, for not being more suspicious of her and questioning her motives. She should have known something was wrong when Nexra refused to be so easily cooperative.

Another tip off should have been when she assaulted Bardot the way she had. There was no reason for it. It was uncalled for and unnecessary. And yet she did it anyway. Bardot wasn’t even a threat to her, and still she attacked him. That should have been the warning that something was wrong with Nexra. The fact that she was willing to do harm to an injured zoner that way... Penny growled to herself, unable to believe her stupidity. She should have seen the signs. She should have remained on her guard.

Well this was the ‘reward’ she got for that. This was her fault she was in this predicament. She would have to deal with the consequences. She walked away, into the back of the cage. She pressed her back against the bars and slid down, feeling the cold metal through her clothes, against her skin. She leaned her head upwards and tried to think of what she was going to do now. She tried to think of how she can get out of this predicament.

She had the red chalk, sure. But she had no idea how well this place was guarded. She had no idea if Nexra set up any traps for her around here. Plus there was Biclops, as well as Tsere, to worry about. There was little doubt in her mind that they would be able to stop her and catch her quickly before she had time to get far. Even if she could get away from them, which was possible, she still had to worry about any obstacles that laid within the mine.

Penny felt a cold shiver as she realized the weight of the situation. She realized that Nexra hadn’t just taken over Biclops and Tsere, but the whole Chalk Mine as well. The gravity of this weighed down on her, making her shiver.

The Chalk Mine was under enemy control.

She wished she could get in contact with her mom. She had to tell her this information. She, and the others, Skrawl, Mumbo Jumbo, everyone else, had to know this important update. The Chalk Mine was officially under the control of the black chalk. This horrifying piece of news changed everything.

“Stop looking so upset.” Nexra said calmly. Penny shot her a glare. Nexra didn’t react to it. She just shrugged her shoulders and said, “It’s not that bad.”

Penny narrowed her eyes further. “Do..do you have any idea what you did?! I trusted you! And you did this!” Nexra cocked an eyebrow. “How could you do this?!”

Nexra shook her head. “How can you be so certain I did this?”

Penny froze at that question, faltering a little. Her angered expression vanished only for a few seconds. When it returned, she leaned her body forward, her brown eyes staring into Nexra’s. “Why? Are you saying you didn’t do this?” Penny asked in a disbelieving voice. “How can you possibly think I could be fooled like that? There’s no one else here that could have done this! Jenny couldn’t have done something like this, and...”

“What makes you think she didn’t do anything?” Nexra asked, cutting her off.

“You should know.” Penny said through gritted teeth. “Or did you really forget Jenny is dead?”

Nexra stared at her for a few moments. Then she said, “Dead, huh? Are you certain?”

Penny nodded her head. “We saw her fall off a cliff. We heard bones crack. There’s..no way she could have survived the fall.” Penny lowered her gaze as she remembered the screams of Jenny falling, and how her friend Snap blamed himself for what had happened. It was an uncomfortable memory and she bit her lip. She lifted her gaze, returning her anger-filled one to Nexra. “Jenny is dead. There is nothing that is going to change that.”

Nexra took a few steps towards the cage. She stopped a few feet in front. She folded her arms against her chest. “Are you absolutely sure she’s dead?”

Penny hissed at her. “Of course she is! Why would I make this up? Why do you keep asking me?!”

Just what was up with this zoner? Why did she keep asking the same question? Was she having a hard time believing her? Was she distrustful of her? Penny tried to wrap her mind around why Nexra was acting like this. Her anger rose up inside, wondering if this zoner was playing games with her. If she was, she wasn’t enjoying them very well.

Then a thought crossed her mind. There could be a reason for her behavior after all. She stared at Nexra as the realization of what might be going on dawned on her. Penny’s eyes widened. Could it...could it be possible that..? Penny wasn’t sure if it was true or not, but the chance..it was still there. If what she is thinking is true, then that would explain everything.

“Are you...” Penny asked, tilting her head to the side. “...Jenny’s creation?”

Nexra kept her gaze with Penny, not answering right away. Slowly, she closed her eyes and turned her head away. There was a slight expression of...something like guilt but Penny couldn’t be sure. Nexra spoke in a soft voice. “....yes I am.” She opened her eyes and looked back at Penny. She straightened herself up, as if to make herself look more confident. “I was created by her during the magic chalk war many years ago. I have seen more bloodshed then than you could possibly imagine.” She gave a bitter chuckle as she raised her hands slightly into the air. “If you think the carnage you saw outside was something, you should have seen the bloodstained battlefields back than.” She stared at Penny with a twinkling eye. “You would have died of a heart attack.”

Penny glared at her, growling, gritting her teeth. She didn’t understand the guilty expression from before, but she certainly didn’t sound or look guilty now. She just...chuckled, as if the whole thing was fucking hilarious. How dare she...

So she is Jenny’s creation... That put the puzzle pieces together, that’s for sure. That was why she was bringing her the black chalk, and why she took over the Chalk Mine. She must be taking orders from...certainly not Jenny. That woman was dead, but perhaps from Rudy and Nihilanth, or maybe Jenny left her creation a note of what to do. Either way, it was clear that this zoner was working for the bad guys. And now she was stuck with her, at least until she figured out a way she could escape and get out of here.

For a few moments, Nexra just chuckled, a slight tinge of insanity in her voice. The longer she listened to it, the angrier Penny got. She could feel her stomach churning, burning with anger. She tried her best not to let her anger get the best of her. She couldn’t afford slipping up. She had to remain calm, she....

Suddenly she realized that Nexra’s laughing had slowed down and there was less energy to it. The woman zoner soon settled down, the smile fading away from her face. The somewhat guilty look returned, though this time, it was more intermixed with..sadness?

The sight of this confused Penny. What was Nexra feeling bad about? She hadn’t shown signs of true remorse before...and she had planned all this with the black chalk. She had captured her, did all this, took control of the mine...everything. Why on earth would she suddenly start feeling back about it now?

Before Penny could say anything, Nexra spoke up, breaking the quick silence.

“Did you look for a body?” Nexra asked. Penny tilted her head, confused. What was she talking about? Nexra detected her confusion and pressed on. “When you saw Jenny fall of the cliff...” There was a tinge of...something on her voice. Determination? Seriousness? Nexra continued, “..did you go down the cliff face to locate the body to make sure she was dead?” She narrowed her eyes slightly. “Or did you just assume she was dead based on what you heard, jump to conclusions, and just leave?”

“I..” Penny couldn’t think of anything to say. She lowered her gaze, the reality sinking in. Nexra was...right. She hadn’t checked for a body. None of them had. They were all so certain that Jenny was dead that they never tried to confirm it. She stared at Nexra, her eyes widening in shock. “Are...are you saying that...?”

“I’m not confirming anything.” Nexra said quickly. “I’m just simply trying to get you to think. You never want to jump to conclusions... Of course, that is how I survived...”

“What do you mean?” Penny asked, narrowing her eyes slightly in confusion. “How did assuming help you live..? And what happened?”

Nexra hesitated for a moment, then said, “I won’t bore you with the details. I’ll just say that during one of the fights, I fell down a cliff, just like you said Jenny did, and I barely managed to survive. The black chalk artists, as well as the white chalk artists, thought I died, and I went into hiding.” Noting Penny’s expression, she added, “Take from that what you will. I’m not confirming anything; I want you to decide for yourself what is true and what isn’t.” She took a small step forward. “You’re an intelligent person. I’m sure you can connect the dots.”

Penny felt her body shiver as the possible realization swept through her body. Although Nexra wasn’t going to confirm if her suspicions were right or wrong, but the way she spoke, the way she looked at her, the implications... It was too much for her to ignore. Was it possible that Jenny was...alive..? Had she faked her own death so she could go into hiding, just like Nexra had?

Her blood heated up in anger. If that was the case then...then she had been toying with their emotions this whole time. She had messed with Snap and deliberately fooled him into thinking he killed her. Snap was completely devastated over what he had done, and if it turned out to be fake, if it turned out that it was all just some ‘game’ Jenny was playing... That sick twisted vile woman. Of all the cruel, horrendeous things she did...

Penny was cut off from her thoughts when she heard a click from in front of her. She notced that Nexra was holding something in her hand. Some kind of controller... No, a taser. The security officer zoner leveled it up, pointing the tip at Penny.

Taking a step back, Penny said, “Wh-What are you doing with that...?”

Nexra narrowed her eyes. She turned to look behind her, as if to make sure no one was coming. She looked back at Penny and spoke a single line.

“Removing you.”


	166. The Tainted Ones

Penny’s eyes widened in horror. Nexra was...going to kill her? She stared at the device pointed at her long and hard, her pupils shrinking as the device glowed with electricity. It looked powerful enough to crack through the barrier to get to her, and flexible enough to wind around and get her through an opening. Shaking, Penny took several steps back, a part of her hoping that, somehow, she’ll avoid getting hit.

Nexra didn’t take her eyes off of her. Her purple eyes stared at her, shining with something that was...kind of contempt but something else that was unreadable. Penny gritted her teeth. She watched as Nexra placed her finger on the trigger. Penny’s eyes widened in horror, then she looked away, preparing for the blow.

Seconds later, she heard a click. Nexra had pushed the button...

Suddenly a loud roar filled the room, echoing off the walls and reverberating all around. Penny’s eyes widened, and she lifted up her head, wondering just what was going on. Why hadn’t the blast hit her? And what was up with that roar? What did Nexra...?

Penny took in a sharp gasp when she realized what actually happened. Nexra hadn’t intended to shoot her at all... Instead, she had aimed the device towards Biclops. The giant was still sparking in electricty as he staggered back. He then topped down, and as he impacted, Penny could feel herself being lauched slightly into the air, the ground shaking tremendously. She remained frozen where she was, staring at Biclops and then giving Nexra a shocked and confused expression.

Tsere hissed at her and began to make his way over. Nexra whipped around and pointed the device at him next. Gritting her teeth, Nexra pushed the button a second time, sending out an arc of electricity that wrapped around the pterosaur’s body. Tsere convulsed violently as he was being electricuted and his loud screech ripped through the air, forcing Penny to cover her ears. Then, just like Biclops, he, too, toppled into the ground in a thud. He twitched for a few seconds, lifting up his head, before collapsing completely, becoming still and quiet.

Penny stood in the cage, her body shaking from the shock of what happened. She looked at Tsere and at Biclops, her racing mind struggling to comprehend what she had just witnessed. This...this isn’t what she had expected to happen. She tried to make sense of it all. Why would...why did Nexra do this? Wasn’t she...?

Penny looked back at Nexra. The woman zoner stood there, still holding the taser in her hand. She was panting a little, and Penny could register something like fear in her eyes. She looked like she hadn’t really wanted to do this, and when she looked left and right warily, Penny wondered if she was looking for some reason, if she was afraid someone would catch her.

Nexra also looked...surprised if anything regarding what she did. It was clear, from her expression, that she didn’t know that she’d be able to pull something like this off. She looked like someone who was very obedient to another and then, one day, openly defying them, and trying to deal with the emotions afterwards. Yes, that’s exactly how Nexra looked.. Frightened at the idea of daring to disobey who was her current master.

This realization struck Penny like a hard rock flung at her. Nexra had just...went against her master’s wishes, whoever was controlling her. Jenny...if she were still alive, or Nihilanth and Rudy. That look in her eyes was very telling. Nexra constantly shifted her pupils left and right as she stood there panting, her mind likely filling with different thoughts. She was looking to see if someone was coming, if someone had heard those screams.

Nexra then turned her attention to Penny. Her hardened expression from before was still gone, replaced with a more relaxed, expressionate one. It looked more...welcoming and friendly, a significant change from how she had looked at her before. Penny wanted to say something to her, but words failed her. Every time she opened her mouth, nothing but silence.

Nexra had found her voice first. She smacked her lips nervously and took a cautious step forward. “Stand back...”

“Why are you doing this?” Penny asked. “Why would you...?”

“I...have my reasons.” Nexra said, lowering her head slightly. “I don’t know how long it will be before..” She shook her head, closing her eyes.

“Before what?” Penny inquired.

Nexra said, “Look, there’s no time to explain.” She raised the taser again, aiming it in the cage’s direction. “Just stand back. This shouldn’t take too long.”

Penny was confused. She wasn’t sure why Nexra suddenly turned around like this, especially after kidnapping her and taking over Tsere and Biclops like that. Why would she just..change sides so quickly? What was the point of all of this? There were so many questions running through the teenager’s mind, but she knew that she was not going to get any answers from her right now. There was only one thing she could do. Giving a nod of her head, her eyes narrowing slightly, Penny took a few steps back.

Nexra leveled the taser to the ‘empty space’ between the bars. She narrowed her eyes as she took careful aim. Then she pulled the trigger, and a blast of sparking electricity shot out. It hit against the shield, cracking it immediately.

Penny let out a scream as shards of glass suddenly sprayed out in her direction, the sound of breaking glass filling her ears. The electrical ball that was emitted from the gun broke through the shield very easily, tearing through it and sending chunk of it in Penny’s direction. The teenager pressed herself in the far back of the cage, trying to avoid the broken pieces. But she was unable to avoid all of them and a few small pieces cut into her, making her cry out in pain. Soon the sound stopped and she slowly relaxed, staring at the pile of broken pieces that laid before her.

Nexra stared at the pieces, narrowing her eyes at them. “Even broken, they are a little hard to see...” She murmured. She sounded like she was impressed, but at the same time disappointed, as though she didn’t like the fact that they were near invisble. Then again, knowing how sharp they were, not seeing them would definitely be problemsome. Nexra returned her gaze to Penny. “Come along. We do not have much time.”

Penny walked cautiously forward. She stared at the various broken pieces that laid strewn on the ground. She took great care not to step on any of them. She ended up making some odd manuevers, making long steps, ridiculously short ones, spinning herself around, but it was worth it to not step on any of them. These pieces were incredibly sharp. They might rip through her shoes of she stepped on one directly. The thought of a piece of glass in her foot caused her to shudder.

Soon she was outside of the cage. She nearly stepped on the pile of glass, but was stopped when Nexra grabbed her arm and yanked her out. Penny stood there, panting heavily, as Nexra supported her. Penny looked over at Nexra and gave her a small smile of thanks before she looked back at the cage she had been held in, and then at Tsere and Biclops, both of whom were still knocked out. She wondered just how long they would stay like that.

“They will be out for sometime.” Nexra said.

Penny shot her a shocked look. Did she just read her mind?

Nexra chuckled at Penny’s exression. She seemed to instantly understand what she was thinking of. She said, “I’m just good at reading expressions. I saw the way you were looking at them and knew what you were thinking. Your face gives away a lot.” She folded her arms against her chest, giving..not a smug look but something close to it. “So don’t worry, pretty little girl. I did not read your mind. I can’t do that.”

Penny narrowed her eyes at the ‘pretty little girl’ comment, but she decided to brush it off. Right now, that wasn’t important. What was more important was figuring out how to get out of here, and to understand where Nexra stood in all this. Was she an ally? Or did she simply have her own agenda? She needed to know, because what her plans were would affect what would happen later on. Penny needed to know if she had another enemy to face.

Nexra dropped the smile she had on before and turned her back to Penny. Her body hunched forward slightly, that cautious expression from before back and plastered over her face. She looked left and right warily, taking tentative, slow steps. Her eyes remained locked on the entrance to this room, her steps slow enough that they did not make a sound. After she got a couple feet away from Penny, she paused and looked behind her.

Staring at Penny with one eye and waving her hand, Nexra said in a soft voice, “Come along! We need to get going now!”

“You still haven’t answered my question.” Penny walked up to Nexra, keeping up the speed until she joined Nexra by her side. As the two began to walk slowly together, Penny continued to speak in a low voice. “Why are you doing this? You kidnapped me. Why would...?”

“I didn’t do this.” Nexra hissed at her. Penny’s eyes widened at this. Nexra wasn’t the one responsible? Nexra turned her head to focus on what was in front of her. After a couple seconds of silence, she said, “I am under the command who was really responsible. I did not want to be involved in this, but I had no choice but to obey.”

Penny stared at Nexra in confusion. “If you don’t want to do it, then why can’t you...?”

Nexra cut her off. “Because...something was done to me, so I wouldn’t...couldn’t disobey.” She placed a hand on her chest and gently rubbed it, as though she had an upset stomach. “What is commanded of me, I have to listen. I have no choice.”

Penny wasn’t sure what to make of this. She stared at the zoner’s chest, the spot that was rubbed. Was it of any significance? Just..what was done to this zoner to make it so that she could not disobey? She looked back up, locking eyes with Nexra.

“If you can’t disobey, then why did you break me out? I mean..how were you able to?” Penny inquired.

“My master isn’t around. I can do what I want them. I’m free of the control.” Nexra replied. Her eyes flashed with fear. “But if my master were to show up...” She gave a shudder and said, “That’s why we must hurry...before it’s too late. Once I’m giving an order, I cannot disobey.”

Penny stared at the zoner in confusion. What was she talking about? What did Nexra mean by she can’t disobey? At first, Penny thought it was because Nexra had been so badly abused, she felt too much terror if she tried to go against her master’s wishes. But...that didn’t explain why she was able to do something now. And the way she spoke, it was like Nexra was saying she physically could not disobey. The tone of her voice... But no, that was impossible, right? It was always possible to go against orders. It wasn’t that Nexra couldn’t disobey, it was that she wouldn’t.

Penny couldn’t help but feel some pang of sympathy for Nexra. She couldn’t really imagine what she must have gone through to get her to be like this. Perhaps her cold behavior from before was in part caused by how she was treated. Maybe it was a reaction to being abused. Knowing what happened to Light Rudy, it certainly was possible.

Well regardless, Penny was happy that the zoner was helping her out of here. That was a lot better than just doing nothing. Nexra could have just let herself be controlled all the time and never doing anything. She could have complained about what she had to do but not act upon it. But instead of that, she was trying to do what was right. She knocked out Biclops and Tsere and got her out of that room. Now they were making their way through the Chalk Mine, and she presumed she was taking her to the exit. She hoped that they wouldn’t run into anymore trouble.

As they raced through the tunnels, Penny’s mind turned to Nihilanth and Rudy. She wondered what they could be doing. Her stomach still boiled in toxins as she recalled what they had done to ChalkZone. All that senseless destruction... Penny had a feeling that, even after Rudy breaks free, there may be some zoners who would no longer trust him and even label him as a traitor.

She hoped that wasn’t the case. She hoped that the zoners would come to realize that it wasn’t Rudy’s fault. His body was being used by Nihilanth. His mind had been enslaved. The real Rudy would never do any of this. The real Rudy did not have any control over himself anymore. He would be horrified if he saw what he had done. This isn’t what Rudy would have ever wanted. Nihilanth won’t get away with using her friend like a toy.

Just then, Nexra came to an abrupt hault. Penny’s eyes widened and she nearly crashed into her. She rubbed her head and stared as Nexra looked left and right, her eyes wide as if she heard something. Penny paused and took a look around herself. She turned her head left and right, and eventually, she could hear the clanging of small rocks. Someone was walking through the mine. Someone on an upper level, and it wounded like they were getting closer. Nexra looekd at Penny, wide-eyed, and gestured for her to follow. She looked absolutely panicked.

The two rushed down the first tunnel they saw, moving as fast as they could without making too much noise. They could hear talking behind them, but it was so distorted due to the structure of the place, they couldn’t tell who it was. They just kept moving, the tunnel twisting and turning in front of them. They stopped around the sharp corner of a turn, pressing their backs against the wall, taking in deep breaths. They stood there, and listened carefully.

The footsteps continued to get closer. The person had stopped talking, but their low, angered growling could be heard. Penny could not tell if the person was male or female, but she had doubts they were very friendly. She looked over and she could see Nexra’s face paling and eyes bulging, her chest heaving rapidly. She put two and two together and realized that, whoever was here, looking through the tunnels, it had to be someone that Nexra knew. Perhaps her master?

Penny noticed a shadow forming on the wall. The person was heading down the tunnel, coming their way. She bit her lip. Should she get a move on? Nexra wasn’t moving, but she seemed petrified with fright. Penny knew she had to do something and fast.

But before she could do anything, the person just...stopped. She watched as the shadow moved its head from side to side, and she could see a couple of limbs, making some gestures. The figure appeared human, but a shadow wasn’t enough to go off of. After all, there are plenty of humanoid zoners roaming around. It could be another zoner, perhaps one that works for Nihilanth willingly, or maybe mind controlled, the more likely route. But whether or not this person was human or zoner didn’t matter at the moment; all that did matter immediately is that she and Nexra did not get caught.

The shadow remained there for a few moments. The person made some frustrated gestures before turning and walking away. Penny and Nexra remained still, refusing to move, as the shadow shrank down from the wavy, uneven wall and then slunk along the rocky floor. Soon the shadow disappeared completely and the two could hear the person leaving, giving a few grunts of frustration.

When the figure was gone, Penny looked over at Nexra. The zoner had a hand on her chest, taking in a few deep breaths. Her eyes were so wide, they looked like they were going to pop out of her sockets. Her face was still pale, beads of sweat moving down her face. With how terrified she looked, there was no doubt in her mind. That person had to have been her ‘master’, whoever she was forced to take orders from. Penny gave her a sympathetic express, putting a hand on her shoulder. Nexra stared at her for a few moments, before narrowing her eyes slightly and jerking her shoulder away.

“Come on, let’s get going.” Nexra said somewhat coldly.

Penny narrowed her eyes. “You don’t have to be so...”

“Shut it.” Nexra snapped, whipping her head in her direction. “Or do you want to attract her attention again?”

“Her who?” Penny asked. “Who are you talking about?” Then it clicked. “The one who was following us?” Nexra curtly nodded her head. “Was that your master?”

Nexra paused, and nodded her head a second time. “Yes.” She said, her voice having a slight rude tone. She looked down a tunnel not far from them, leading in another direction. She gave Penny a sideways glance. “Now hurry it along, before she gets there.” She took a few steps forward, her eyes narrowed and teeth gritted. She then stopped, staring blankly ahead. She closed her eyes and sighed. She said, “..I don’t want to end up hurting you...if it ever comes to that.”

“Hurt me?” Penny asked. “Why would you have to take orders if you don’t want to?” She took a few steps forward, her eyes narrowing again. “What is stopping you from going against these orders?” Before Nexra could respond, Penny cut her off. “Yes, I know, something with your chest.” She pointed a finger at her. “But you never told me just what she did. What did she do to you? Did she put some kind of electrical device in there that she can activate if you don’t obey?”

Nexra stared at her blankly. It was hard to tell if Penny had guessed right, or if Nexra just thought she was insane with that guess. But Nexra seemed to have little interest in proving or denying Penny’s thoughts. She instead just walked over to Penny and grabbed her arm roughly. Penny winced when the zoner twisted it a little and soon, she found herself being dragged down the hall by the security officer.

“Let’s just get going.” Nexra said in a growly voice. “We need to hurry up. We don’t have much time before Rudy attempts to go into the real world.”

Penny’s eyes widened at this. In that instant, all anger she felt towards Nexra melted away, replaced with horror. The real world....how could she have forgotten? Rudy needed to get back to the real world to get something to eat and drink, otherwise his form will be too weak for Nihilanth to use properly. The realization of what this meant sent chills down her spine. If Rudy ended up in the real world as he was now...

Oh no... They had to be stopped, and fast. If they got into the real world, Nihilanth could begin to spread his influence. He could bring the black chalk into the real world and create an army of creators. The destruction that would result from that would be tremendous. If Penny failed to yank Rudy from Nihilanth before then... She shuddered as she thought of what the consequences would be.

As they rushed down the tunnel, Penny turned to Nexra and, her voice tinging with determination, she said, “What’s the plan?”

Without looking at her, Nexra said, “We need to get some white chalk first. Then we...what was it you guys mentioned... awaken its sentience or something?” Penny nodded her head. “Yes, that. You still have that black chalk piece, right? You didn’t lose it?”

Penny nodded her head. “I wrapped it up so it wouldn’t touch me directly.” She shivered slightly as she recalled what happened the last time she touched the black chalk directly, the horrible thoughts that ran through her mind, the sharp cold that enveloped her. It was a sensation she hoped she never had to feel again.

“Good.” Nexra said. “We will take the white chalk and go somewhere safe, and there, we can try to awaken the sentience.” She paused for a moment, biting her lip. “I would look at that book to see if there’s anything missing, but we’ll just have to wing it. I don’t know where this book is and we don’t have time to be looking for it.” She narrowed her eyes. “I heard my master say something about Rudy and Nihilanth going into the real world within the hour.” Penny gasped at this. “So we really don’t have much time.”

Penny felt her blood run cold. An hour? Nexra was right. They didn’t have much time. They didn’t know where Rudy was, and she doubted they could find them that easily in ChalkZone. It would take a while, and it might take the full hour, or even more, before they learned of their whereabouts. They wouldn’t even have an hour left because they still needed time to awaken the white chalk sentience. And who knows how long that would take.

A strong sense of urgency flowing through her body, Penny increased her pace. She and Nexra moved faster down the halls. Penny’s mind pushed aside thoughts of being heard, knowing full well that if they were too careful, moving slowly and delicately, they were going to be too late. They just did not have the time.

As she and Nexra moved through the mine, trying to locate one of the rooms filled with white chalk, a question moved through Penny’s head: just where were Nihilanth and Rudy at this very moment? What were they up to?

sss

Craniac 4 grumbled to himself as he moved back and forth, his robotic arms folded behind his back as he tried to think of the recent events. He recalled there had been a sudden attack. Not on the Future Dome, thank goodness. He had enough problems to worry about without having that added onto the list. The attack, which was directed at some distant location, caused a panic among the citizens.

Despite what he may want to believe, or what he’d said to others, he wasn’t so much in charge of Future Dome, but the one who proclaimed himself leader. He prided himself in his intelligence and tried to take charge. But many of the citizens here didn’t really listen to him. This place had no leader, just like the rest of ChalkZone. There was no government, no leaders. Just...zoners. So Craniac 4’s attempts at leading ‘his people’ as he sometimes calls it, it doesn’t really work out. The zoners just don’t listen to him usually.

He still considers the Future Dome his, though. He considers it his domain, and anyone who dares to enter must answer to him. He remembered how angry he was when he found out that Bardot invaded his home and messed with his equipment without him realizing it. The damage that could have been caused by that... It made his circuits spark furiously.

Ever since them, he had tried to be more vigilant when guarding his home, his ‘kingdom’ as some may call it. Even if the zoners of Future Dome don’t really follow his command, he still kind of cared about them. He felt a kinship with them more so than any other zoner around ChalkZone. They were, kind of, sort of, his ‘subordinates’, even if they don’t listen. And he felt a sense of responsibility to them. Though he was bad at it, he just wanted to help them improve their lives. They were different from other zoners, which was why they flocked here, isolated from the rest of ChalkZone.

That was a small part of why he wanted the instant matter materializer. The..magic chalk as the boy had referred to it as. He had hoped he could use it to create whatever he wanted. In the same wire, he had hoped that it would have allowed him to create things for ‘his people’, to make things better here. The Future Dome had so many ideas that...could have been good, but turned out awful. That genius human had been right when she deduced that Future Dome was where all the ‘bad ideas’ ended up. Like every upgrade, he retained the memories of Craniacs 1, 2, and 3.

Craniac 4 would have gritted his teeth at that previous thought if he had any. A bad idea... It rang through his head, making his circuits ache and spark. It stung him horribly. The genius girl hadn’t been the only one to point that out. Many of the zoners in Future Dome had to come to accept that they were rejects. Although he would never admit it, Craniac 4 also felt that he was a reject, that he wasn’t as good as he could have been. That was why his scheme with Skrawl regarding Robot Rudy failed. He just...wasn’t as competent as he would like to think he is.

That was the underlining reason he wanted the chalk. Yeah there were less selfish reasons, but the biggest motivator was his inferiority complex. He wanted to prove that he was better than others have said. He wanted to prove that he wasn’t a failure. He wanted to use the chalk to prove to all the doubters that he was capable of doing...something right for a change. He...he didn’t want to be the failure anymore.

But who was he kidding? He knew he couldn’t use the matter materializer. Even back when he tried to confront Snap about it. He was aware he couldn’t use it; he was just in denial. He didn’t want to accept the fact that the one item that might make others respect him more was totally useless to him. He had waited a long time for something like that, and..it just backfired. Even after he was told countless times, he chose to ignore it, trying so hard to believe that they had to be wrong about the instant matter materializer...and in the end, he just had to accept that he was the one who was wrong.

Craniac 4 was moving around in his lair, on top of the thermostat elevator. He stopped in the middle of his lair and looked around. His computer mind sparked with negative feelings when he took note of the wall where the remains of some of his old robots lay, most of which being eight years old at least. Almost a whole decade. It brought him back to that Robot Rudy thing he did with Skrawl. The memory brought back bitter emotions for different reasons.

He admit that he was the one who ruined the plan. Even though he denied it, the only reason he did was because he didn’t want to see himself as a failure. He didn’t want Skrawl to have the privilege of hearing him admit that he was wrong. But there was no denying it. Skrawl did hatch a perfect plan and if he had just followed Skrawl’s plan to begin with, they would have won. Skrawl was the one who managed to capture everyone, even Rudy Tabootie himself, in a museum and nearly launched them into the Wait ‘N Sea. And that was on his first attempt to defeat Rudy, and he nearly won. Craniac 4 was a fool not to listen to his advice.

But the other reason he was embittered by the memory was that he had become aware that Skrawl had turned over a new leaf. He had actually become friends with Rudy, the ‘chalk boy’ as he heard him call him once in a while. He would no longer align himself with him, because why would he turn against a friend? Craniac 4 growled softly to himself. It frustrated him that he had lost a great ally. There was no one else he knew of who would join up with him to take on Rudy to steal the chalk, and even if he did do that...

...well so what? What’s he going to do with it? He can’t use it. He can deny it all he wants to, but in the end, he is completely and utterly incapable of using the magic chalk and no amount of wishing and struggling is going to change that. He needed to let go of his obsession. All it was doing was holding him back and further proving to himself just how inferior he was to others. Even Snap, he admitted, was better than him. He could come up with different plans and solutions, but what does he, Craniac 4, do? Stick to the same obsession for an absurdly long time.

Yeah, that was real professional... And the worst part was, it hard for him to change. His programming made it difficult for him to completely act on a revelation. Some ‘leader’ he turned out to be.

Craniac 4 was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a crash. He whipped his metallic head around, his sensors trying to detect just what had happened. Was the Future Dome under attack? He didn’t hear any screaming. So many nothing was wrong. He tried to dismiss the crash was nothing important. Just another clumsy Future Dome zoner dripping over his own feet due to another failed invention. Or perhaps a more far away sound that just happened sound like it was much closer.

But when the sound happened again, he started to wonder if it was really nothing. Yes, the zoners here were clumsy, but not this often. He’s usually only hear tripping and crashing once in a great while. To hear two crashes in such close proximity, the same gawd damn minute, it might not seem like much, but he knew the consequences if he turned out to be wrong.

Craniac 4 started to move forward when, suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light, and his lair, his home, was ripped up. He may not be able to feel heat that much, but he could certainly register pain. He let out a scream as the light, a mixture of black and white, tore up his lair, distorting it, ripping apart the metal. Then, just as suddenly as the attack started, it stopped.

Craniac 4 coughed, trying to clear his circuits and tubes of the dust that got into his body. The dust itself hung heavily in the air, obscuring his vision sensors. He looked left and right, at first seeing nothing but a dull beige color and the occasional shadow and shapes. Then he saw something large looming over him, and he could feel the ground beneath his wheel foot vibrate. He would have gulped if he could as he saw two heads peering at him, flashing white and black eyes down at him.

The crimson robot stared at the shadow, watching as it crept closer to him. The shape seemed to grow larger, and he realized something was ‘growing’ out of its back. Wings? Yes...wings. This was a dragon. Craniac 4’s computer mind reeled at this realization. He found himself backing away more, knowing full well that the destruction it caused here had to have been just a taste of its power. To see what it was truly capable of... He wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.

Still, he tried to put on a brave front. He regarded Future Dome as his responsibility, and he wasn’t about to let anyone roam over it if he could help it, even if the intruder happened to be a massive two-headed dragon. He pointed one of his robot hands at the dragon, narrowing his visual sensors.

“You there! Hault!” Craniac 4 commanded. The dragons’ heads simply stared at him, their glows piercing through the dusty cloud. “What are you going here?” No answer. “I’m talking to you! Answer me!” But still the dragon remained quiet. “What is the matter with you? Are your ear components working properly? Did they malfunction?”

The dragon let out a hiss from both heads. Craniac 4 wasn’t sure if he should take that as a yes or a no, or something else entirely. The two-headed dragon emitted a low growl and started to creep up towards Craniac 4. As its body exited the cloud of dust, its body partially illuminated by the sparking of the exposed wiring on the torn up parts of the ground. The slight illumination, even if it was hardly noticeable, somehow made the dragon appear more menacing and aggressive. The teeth on both jaws flashed, looking ready to rip him apart.

Craniac 4’s mind raced as he tried to think of what he should do. The dragon was getting closer, quickly closing the gap between them. It was huge, larger than any other zoner he has seen before. It seemed like it could be even bigger than Biclops, and that zoner was no small fry. He backed away more, going towards the thermostat elevator, which, thankfully, was still in tact. The two-headed dragon kept getting closer, its two pairs of nostrils flaring with glowy energy, like it was getting ready to launch another attack on him.

The dragon’s black head opened its mouth, exposing a pure white glow inside. Then it arched its neck into an S shape, like a snake ready to strike. Then it launched an attack. A wave of white energy shot towards Craniac 4, ripping up the ground as it went towards him. His eyes widening in horror, he wheeled himself to the side just as the white blast went past him, just barely grazing him. He felt a sharp pain in his arm and he noticed that it had a charred mark from where the blast zipped by him.

There was a loud crash and he looked over to see the damage. Craniac 4 saw that the blast had struck to the side of the elevator, and ripped a hole clean out. He could see the gnarled metal and structure that resulted from the blast, the edges burned to black and some smoke rising up from it. The robot could feel his motherboard begin to fry at the mere thought that it was almost him that had been struck. His body shaking from this realization, he looked back at the dragon, frozen where he stood.

The two-headed dragon opened up its white head mouth, revealing a black void that seemed to almost pull him in. Knowing that he was about to get attacked a second time, knowing that the dragon may not miss this time around, Craniac 4 did the only thing he could do.

He dropped the brave facade and ran.

Craniac 4 turned his wheel foot around and rushed towards the elevator doors. He pressed the button rapidly, trying to get it open faster. He looked behind him and saw the white head’s black energy glow was getting more intense, and he knew that, any second, it would be launched at him. When he saw the white dragon head pull back, he began to panic and pressed the button harder.

“Curse you elevator! Hurry and open! Can’t you see I’m about to get my circuits blown apart?!” Craniac 4 cried in desperation at the elevator, as if that was going to speed things along.

It took more seconds than he had hoped, but the elevator doors soon opened up. He rushed inside. Then he quickly pressed his hand against the sensor. As he did this, he saw that the white head was about to launch its attack. Craniac 4 widened his eyes and pressed the sensor again and again, trying to get it to react faster. Then the dragon launched its attack and Craniac 4 froze in terror.

The elevator doors shut, sealing him inside. Seconds later, before the elevator could begin to go down, there was a loud crash against the door. The door itself was heavily dented, becoming round in shape. It darkened and smoke pillowed out, a sign that it had been charred on the other side. The door warped and twisted, and he could see it was about to drop down, exposing him. The elevator did start going down at last, but not before the door crashed down completely.

As he was being brought down to the lower level, Craniac 4 looked up and he shuddered when he saw the piercing four eyes of the dragon looked down at him, its head just barely fitting through. The robot zoner panicked, wondering if the dragon was going to attack him now. To his confusion, the dragon backed away. Perhaps it couldn’t get a clear shot of him within the elevator?

Seconds later, the elevator reached the bottom floor. The doors slid open and Craniac 4, who was paying so much attention to where the dragon was that he did not take not of any of his surroundings, backed up out of the elevator slowly and cautiously. He had no idea where the dragon was, but he had no reason to believe that it would just leave.

Upon turning around, Craniac 4’s body froze, his circuits and wires unable to move him or process what he was seeing. The dome, it...it was in ruins... Everywhere he looked...destruction. Craniac 4 had a hard time comprehending this. Just...how did this happen without him knowing?

The city was torn apart. Many buildings toppled. Others ripped up, giant gashes on them. Bodies of many zoners laid on the ground, bloodied or with black oil leaking out of them. The ground had multiple blast marks, large holes in them, smoke pillowing out of multiple locations of debris. Charred marks were everywhere, and a few places were even on fire. The surviving zoners were running around in a panic, screaming, trying to escape. Just utter chaos everywhere.

Craniac 4 looked left and right. Some parts of the dome remained in tact, but large portions of it were warped, gnarled, torn apart. The sound of the zoners’ screams filled his head, causing his motherboard system to kick into overdrive. Future Dome..was a total wreck. He heard a crack and looked over just in time to see another building fall. To his horror, it landed on some of the panicking zoners. He couldn’t tell by looking if they survived, but the squishy sounds that were emitted upon impact told him volumes.

Just..how could this have happened? How could he not have noticed all this destruction? He hadn’t heard that much. There was no way this violence was silent. He...

Craniac 4’s eyes widened as a sickening feeling flowed throug his wiring. He knew the reason why he didn’t know. He had been obsessing again. He was so focused on that blasted magic chalk and how he couldn’t stop thinking about it, that his computer mind was not able to process anything else going on. This destruction looked like it was going on for a while, and yet he did not realize it because he was too focused on the ‘instant matter materializer’. He cursed at himself silently for not realizing the danger quicker.

Then the silence was broken as a voice tore through his mind.

“It seems that you have already become..obsolete, Craniac 4.”

Craniac 4 whipped his body around and he could see the two-headed dragon standing about twenty feet away. Craniac 4 was shocked that the dragon could speak. So surprised was he, that he was not able to think of a response. The dragon just stood there, whipping his two tails from side to side, occassionally colliding with some metal and rock debris, causing more destruction.

The dragon took a step forward, his massive foot shaking through the ground of the dome. “You must be wondering what our name is. We will inform you.” It took Craniac 4 a few moments to realize the dragon spoke telepathically. Raising his tails in the air in a dominant posture, the dragon said, “Our name is Nihilanth. And we are the beginning of the end for you filthy zoners.”

Craniac 4 stood there, his mind trying to process this. “What? But you are a zoner too. This does not compute.”

“Well of course it doesn’t. We are above your understanding. We are not a mere zoner. We are a deity.” Nihilanth spread his wings out, the massive membraned limbs providing a dark, sinister shade for anything close enough to him. “We simply want a head start. Future Dome was a perfect place to strike. So small, so fragile... We’re certain this place wouldn’t survive falling to the ground, now would it?”

Craniac 4 jerked back in shock. He narrowed his eyes and pointed his hand towards him. “I won’t let you do that!”

Nihilanth chuckled, a nasty grin spread across his two heads. “We do not think you are in any position to argue. However...” He took another step forward. “We do think you might be of some use to us. That perhaps you can serve is in some way.”

“I’m not working for you.” Craniac 4 growled.

Nihilanth shook his heads. “How pitiful to think you have a choice. You zoners never cease to amaze us.” His black and white eyes twinkled with intent. “You will serve us a purpose, whether you want to or not. You really have no choice.”

Craniac 4 hissed at the dragon, despite his fear. “I beg to differ.”

Nihilanth replied, “Oh you will be begging all right. But not in the way you might think.” He lowered his heads and began to slink closer to Craniac 4. He took on a predatory stance, stalking around the light red robot slowly. His eyes locked onto him, and Craniac 4 felt as though some kind of invisible power were holding him still. “You will succumb to us, you puny little robot.”

Craniac 4 wheeled back a little as Nihilanth moved closer. He found himself backed up against the ruins of one of the toppled buildings. His eyes locked onto Nihilanth’s. He felt his sensors go wild, warning him of potential danger. Craniac 4 could hardly register it, though, as he pushed further against the broken wall, his wheel foot kicking into overdrive. Nihilanth looked amused by his attempts to escape and he slunk closer, his heads low to the ground, tails wagging behind him.

Soon, Nihilanth reached him. He raised up his heads one at a time, one on the robot’s left and one positioned on the right. The jaws split open and let out a loud hiss, his sharp teeth glinting in the light. Craniac 4 gave another shiver, his mind aching from his computer mind trying frantically to figure a way out of here. He had to run. He had to flee, but something was keeping him there. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t get himself to move.

Before he knew it, a massive foot pounded in front of him. Craniac 4 stared at the foot in front of him. The huge talons dug into the ground, cracking sounds spreading throughout. Craniac 4 shuddered, his sensors indicating just how powerful this creature needed to be to rip through the ground so easily. The claws themselves looked strong enough to slice him in half with little effort. He felt a cold sensation in his wiring as his processor of a mind displayed for him a possible scenario of that happened. The claw ripping through him, cutting him in half, his oil ‘blood’ spilling all over the place, his electrical internal systems sparkling as they are exposed to the air.

The image brought on a wave of negative feelings into the zoner, especially dread and fright. He tried to move back even further, but had no such luck. He wanted to look left and right to see if there was any path he could take. Nihilanth’s presence prevented this. He couldn’t turn his gaze away. All he could do was stand there and shiver in fright as Nihilanth stood there, watching in amusement.

But even then, he tried to remain defiant. He tried to make sure that Nihilanth didn’t get any benefit from making him surrender.

“I would rather rust.” Craniac 4 growled at the dragon. “I will not take orders from a miscolored dragon like yourself. Because really...” Craniac 4 put his hands on his body’s sides. “What kind of creator makes their creation half one color and half another like you. Seems quite unprofessional.”

“We see that you fully understand your predicament.” Nihilanth said. He completely ignored the insult Craniac 4 gave. He moved his two large heads close to Nihilanth, the giant’s breath hitting against the translucent head of the robot, temporarily fogging up his vision sensors. “If you do wish to rust before you serve us, I’m certain we can arrange that for you.” Craniac 4 widened his eyes. “If you think we are joking to try to scare you...” He bent his necks so that they moved around Craniac 4’s body, entrapping him there. “You better think again. We are willing to do whatever is necessary to further our goals.”

“And what is your goal?” Craniac 4 asked, his voice faltering.

Nihilanth chuckled. “That...is none of your concern.” He pulled his body back, sitting like some kind of wolf and spreading his wings out. Craniac 4 winced at the shere size of them. “So are you going to work for us willingly? Or will we need to be more...” He lowered his heads, toothy grins spreading across his muzzles. “...persuasive...?”

Craniac 4 remained frozen there. He had nowhere to go. And he knew that none of the zoners here were going to help him. They were too busy running for their lives. There was no way he was going to activate the older Craniacs either. They were obsolete; they wouldn’t be able to handle a threat like this. He was entirely on his own.

Without thinking, Craniac 4 tried to zip off to the right, only to crash into a massive foot. He groaned and stared at the clawed paw for only a few seconds before he tried going in a different direction. He soon found his body connecting with another mass wall of flesh and was flung back. He landed on his back and laid there. He looked up and he could see Nihilanth staring down at him with his two heads, both jaws part way open as he let out a cruel laughter. This was all a game to him.

Craniac 4 tried one more time to escape. His eyes focused on the empty space below the crouching dragon, he mustered up courage and dashed forward, his foot wheel spinning as fast as it could as he tried to make his get away. But just like before, this was a fruitless endeavour. The dragon lowered his white head to the ground, right in his path, opening up his massive jaws. Craniac 4 let out a scream and he scrambled to stop. His wheel hit against something and he tripped forward, rolling across the ground.

When he came to a stop, he found that he was leaning up against the lower jaw of the white head. His eyes were inches away from the dragon’s large teeth. Letting out a yelp of horror, Craniac 4 jumped back, wheeling himself away from the white head.

Suddenly he hit against something else large, solid, and a growl rumbled through his chest. He slowly turned his body and he could see the black head there, the bright white eyes staring down at him, piercing through his soul. Nihilanth’s black head opened its jaws, letting out a warning growl. Craniac 4 felt his processor speed up more as he attempted to get away. No matter which way he went, the heads would reposition to block him from going anywhere. If he was trapped before, he was now hopelessly trapped. He was utterly screwed.

“So you want to do it the hard way. Okay. We will comply with that.” Nihilanth gave a dark chortle as he stared at his trapped victim. “We do not need you alive for this anyway. Your internal hard drive...” Craniac 4 nearly felt his processors stop working at this statement. “...they will do us just fine.”

“M-My hard drive?” Craniac 4 asked. “Why do you want that?”

“Never you mind.” Nihilanth sneered. “We would take care of you ourselves...but we think our partner would be better fit to take care of you.”

“Partner?” Craniac 4 asked, confused.

Nihilanth nodded his head. “He’s someone you should know. Let us just say that you had wronged him in the past, and now...” He bared his razor sharp teeth in both mouths. “He has a chance to get rid of you. He’ll have a chance at revenge.”

Craniac 4 wasn’t sure what the dragon was going on about. Who wanted revenge on him? He tried to search his memories, but no one came up. Well no one that he knew would want to hurt him. He turned his attention back to the dragon, opening his mouth to speak, but the dragon had already stepped away from him. Cranaic 4 watched as the dragon lowered his heads, his eyes closing. Before he knew it, black and white tendrils wrapped around his body and he glowed brightly.

Craniac 4’s visual sensors were overwhelmed by the brightness. He let out a screech and turned his head away, shielding them from the light. He could hear some strange sounds, as if something was squishing and rearranging and he thought he heard the occasional cracking or two. When the light died down, he opened up his eyes and looked over.

As soon as he saw who it was, as soon as he realized who had paired up with Nihilanth, he couldn’t believe it. He stared ahead, completely taken aback, shocked. This...this wasn’t possible was it...? It couldn’t be...

“Hello, Craniac 4.”

That voice... Even after all these years, he still remembered it. It sounded a little deeper and older, but it was still the same voice. Craniac 4 felt his processer practically freeze, creating an uncomfortable sensation in his chest. Of all the people he imagined would be paired up with Nihilanth, he never thought that Rudy Tabootie would be that person. There was no denying it either. Rudy stood in front of him, arms folded, looking ready to attack. And the way he was looking at him made him shudder.

But...but why would Rudy team up with someone like Nihilanth? Why would he go back on his own beliefs for something like this? Rudy was not a violent person, and often tried to avoid it when he could. He didn’t have a strong desire to hurt anyone, be it zoner or human. He..he wouldn’t do something like this, would he? Surely, Rudy wasn’t realy going to try to harm him. It just...wasn’t his style.

Those eyes though... Rudy was staring at him with cold, venomous eyes, a sneer that could only be described as evil.. He had adopted an aggressive stance, everything about it ringing ‘I am going to hurt you’. Such characterstics were things he did not expect from Rudy, and yet..here he was.

“Sweet transistors...” Craniac 4 said, backing away slowly. “Rudy Tabootie... What...what are you...?”

“Enough talk.” Rudy said. His face contorted in an angered smile. It looked as though all the dormant anger Rudy had for the zoner had suddenly bubbled up to the surface. “I am going to so enjoy this...”

Craniac 4 watched in terror as Rudy started to stalk towards him, holding out a black version of the matter materializer.

sss

Penny and Nexra walked into the large room. It looked kinda worn down. Penny noticed the door had looked a little old and rusty. There was some writing on it, but it was so smudgy and worn that she couldn’t really tell what it said anymore. None of the words could be made out.

But she didn’t need to read the door’s words to know what this place was. As she and Nexra had stepped in, she saw the familiar white glow of the white chalk. She looked all around, taking note of all the white chalk hanging from the ceiling and some growing out of the ground. This place had more white chalk than even the first room of the Chalk Mine.

In fact, there seemed to be a little too much here. It reminded her of what a yard would look like if the grass wasn’t mowed often enough. This room was just...crawling with magic chalk and chalk-like stalagmites. It was overgrown with them. This room looked like it hadn’t been touched by Biclops in years...but why? Biclops was usually good at maintaining the mine and... Well maybe that’s asking much for the big guy. This cave was large, with a lot of tunnel systems running throughout. Perhaps it would be too much of the giant tried to clean every single room.

Still, it did seem odd that this place hadn’t been touched in that long. She could see a few weeks perhaps, but this place...it was so dirty and with a lot of rotten chalk all over the place, distinguished by the greying of the white chalk, and multiple black spots forming. It looked almost disgusting and Penny found it hard to keep her eyes on it. She averted her gaze towards the ground as her mind tried to figure out just why this particular room was not maintained. Had there been a reason? Her eyes widened as a sudden thought came to her head.

What if there was a reason Biclops kept out of this room, a reason other than simple neglect..?

All of a sudden, Penny got a strong sense of foreboding surge up her body. She stopped where she was. Nexra looked at her, confusion plastering over her face. Penny looked from side to side, the uncomfortable feeling increasing, rising up inside of her. Yes, something was wrong here. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck raise up. Unable to take this feeling anymore, she took a step back.

“Penny.” Nexra said, eyeing her, a perplexed expression donning her. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t like this.” Penny whispered softly. She took another step back. That feeling inside increased, making her tremble. “Something’s wrong here...”

Nexra tilted her head. “What do you mean? This is a white chalk chamber, isn’t it?”

Nexra was right. It was a chamber of white chalk. Not red chalk. Not black chalk. Not whatever else chalk that Biclops may have had in here. It was white, just like what she and Rudy had used over the years. There was nothing about their physical appearance that indicated any deceit or danger.

But the feeling in the air... so thick with...something... It was very uncomfortable. It made her stomach churn, ice shoot through her veins, toxins fill the back of her mouth. There was something not right about this room. But what was it? Why did she have this feeling? Why did she feel as though she should turn and run away right now? She usually didn’t get feelings like this. Something was very wrong here.

“Penny, I don’t see anything wrong here.” Nexra said. She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly as she took a few steps towards one of the clusters. “Let’s just grab one and...”

“No! Not touch! Stand back!”

Penny and Nexra’s eyes widened at that. Penny reached into her pockt and pulled out the red chalk. It was glowing frantically, and the tone of its voice was...frightened, as if something about this room scared it. But..the red chalk was hardly ever afraid. If even the red chalk was spooked then.... Penny felt that horrible feeling in her stomach increase, making her feel like throwing up. She clenched her teeth and looked around the room. She suddenly felt less safe here than she did before.

“What do you mean it’s not safe?” Penny asked in a low, hushed whisper, her wary eyes staring at the white chalk around them.

“Not all white chalk dumb. Some still sentient. Dangerous. Get out. Not let them escape.” The red chalk said urgently. “Locate other room. Take no white chalk here. Go now.”

“Don’t let them escape?” Nexra asked, cocking up an eyebrow. “I don’t see how they can...”

Suddenly, white glow, filled with ominousness, shined all around them. Penny and Nexra felt themselves bathed in its light. There was nothing welcoming about this light. It felt almost...paralyzing. She and Nexra looked at each other for a few seconds, both understanding that they needed to get out. They turned and ran towards the door as fast as they could.

Before they could reach it, the white chalk near the door suddenly glowed, shooting out tendrils of light, just like how Light Rudy could with his chalk. Penny and Nexra let out surprised cries and they scrambled to a stop. Staring at the newly formed webs of light, an eerie glow wafering from the strings, Penny and Nexra moved backwards.

“Well well well...”

Penny stiffened up, a chill going down her spine.

“Isn’t this a delicious surprise?”

Penny and Nexra slowly turned around. It took them mere moments to know who had spoken to them. It was the white chalk, evident by the seemingly random glows, the same characteristic they had come to expect of the red chalk.

“We haven’t had a visitor in so long...” The white chalk said, its voice even more sinister-sounding than the red chalk’s. It was much closer to the black chalk’s voice, a realization that made Penny stiffen in fear. “Ah! We recognize you, Penny Sanchez.” Penny’s eyes widened at this. “Do please come in... Tell us why you are here. We will be most pleased to hear any story from someone who is with the oh so ‘great creator’...”

Penny remained frozen, unsure of what to say. She looked over at Nexra. Had she known about this room? Her expression said otherwise, but that didn’t mean that... She mentally shook her head. No, she couldn’t be dropping accusations now. It wasn’t the time for that. Penny turned her gaze back to the white chalk. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm. She took a step forward.

“We came to awaken the sentience of the white chalk. We see that you’ve already been awakened though...” Penny started to say. But the red chalk interrupted her.

“No! Not trust them! They bad! Bad white chalk! Always been sentient! Renegades!”

The white chalk chuckled bitterly. “Ah yes, we remember you, oh so defiant one. You turned your back on your own creator...” The white chalk sounded very angry, but at the same time, it was able to control its emotions, holding them back so it didn’t sound particularly enraged, even if it was boiling in anger right now. “The black chalk should have destroyed you while it had the chance.”

Penny’s eyes widened, her heart rate quickening as she realized just why this white chalk was dangerous, why it was sealed up. It was the remaining white chalk that had retained a loyalty to the black chalk. It was rogue white chalk. She gave Nexra a sideways glance, giving her a look that told her they needed to get out and fast.

“As for you, Penny...” The rogue white chalk said, its voice taking on a slightly sultry tone, disturbing Penny. “You want to awaken our treacherous brethren, who turned their backs on the magnificant black chalk?” A dark chuckle echoed through the chamber. “We...have a better idea. Stare at us, Penny. Be...enchanted...” The glow brightened. “Have a good look!”

Penny’s eyes widened as the glow around her intensified. She tried to look away, but she found it hard to. She turned her head from side to side, the light feeling like it was pouring into her eyes, absorbing into her.

Nexra looked at her worriedly. “Penny...?”

Penny shook her head, holding onto it with her hands. She struggled to fight against it, but she suddenly found herself straightening up, her arms at her sides, and her eyes taking on a wide, almost blank stare.

“That’s right, Penny... We are your friends.. Come on. Take one of us... We will help you...” The white chalk spoke, that same sultry tone still thick in its voice.

Unable to stop herself, Penny found herself walking forward towards the white chalk, its voice compelling her. She could not disobey.

“Penny!” Nexra cried, holding her hand out. She gritted her teeth and dashed forward. “No!”


	167. When The Outline Falters

Nexra couldn’t believe it. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. She hadn’t been informed that such a room like this existed. She may have been around in ChalkZone longer than Penny, but she was completely unaware that some rogue white chalk existed. Her eyes widened in horror as realization struck through her.

Jenny had tricked her.

She recalled the conversation she had with Jenny. She was informing her of the mine’s takeover, what she planned on doing, stuff like that. And what ended up happening was she ‘accidentally’ slipped out about a room around here, near where Penny was being held, that had white chalk in it. Or at least, she thought it was accidentally said to her. Jenny certainly reacted as though it was a mistake. She had quickly went onto another subject, acting as if nothing had happened.

Jenny hadn’t actually said not to go, but thinking back, Nexra should have caught on that it was a trick. The fact that Jenny pretended to be shocked, only to act as if she hadn’t made a mistake, that should have been telling to her. She should have realized, in that instance, that something was very wrong.

Instead, she fell for the trap. Jenny knew about this room. She must have discovered it shortly after she took control of the mine. She knew that a small fraction of the white chalk not only retained sentience, but was still loyal to the black chalk. Biclops must have tried to seal this room off. He had refused to enter it because he knew the white chalk in here was dangerous, and he did what he could to ensure it would not escape. That was why this room looked abandoned. Biclops had to abandon this room for the sake of storing this potential threat of ChalkZone.

She could see Penny out in front of her, walking slowly, surely, towards the batch of white chalk. Nexra’s mind raced as she moved as fast as she could. She had to stop Penny from touching that tainted white chalk. It was going to corrupt her, in much the same way that happened to Rudy. And if they lose Penny as an ally...

...may their ancestors have mercy on them all...

Nexra knew about Inez, Penny’s mother. She knew what she had been like when she was corrupted. She was certain that Penny would be the same way. She had to something to prevent it from happening. While there were other potential human allies, they didn’t have the level of expeience with the white chalk as Rudy and Penny did. They may not be able to draw quick enough, and they may not be used to drawing in the air, as opposed on a hard surface, like paper or a sidewalk.

There was another issue as well. There was something else that was going to be problematic, something that could potentially happen to any ‘amateur’ that uses the magic chalk.

And that was magic chalk madness...

Nexra shuddered as she recalled the last time she saw that affliction in effect. She remembered the screams, the blood, the shere horror of realization... The cause of it involved a remnant of control still left over in the vast majority of white chalk. A part of it that controlled its users, similar to the black chalk. With normal magic chalk, this madness was temporary, as the chalk no longer had the ability to keep a hold of its users.

But this white chalk, it was sentient, and loyal to the black chalk. It was inflicting a full fledged magic chalk madness on Penny, drawing her closer, controlling her. It was not going to simply let go that easily, and once Penny got that magic chalk...

Nexra did her best to shake those thoughts out of her head. She couldn’t focus on what was going to happen. She had to focus on trying to stop it. She rushed over as fast as she could. If she could grab Penny and pull her out of the room, she may be able to put enough distance between her and the rogue white chalk to make it lose its hold on her. It hadn’t yet infected her, and was currently only manipulating her. Getting far enough away should be enough to free Penny and...

Nexra let out a hiss of pain as she felt something wrap around her arm. She jerked to a stop, letting out a yelp as she felt her arm nearly be ripped out of its socket. As she was flung into the ground, hitting her back hard, she looked over and saw a nearby cluster shot out some light tendrils. They were wrapped around her arm, pulling her away. She gritted her teeth, realizing the rogue white chalk was doing what it could to prevent her from saving Penny. She jerked her arm left and right and eventually managed to tear out the tendrils, breaking them. They snapped back and seemed to almost wither as they were sucked back into the white chalk pieces.

Not wasting anymore time, Nexra got up and started to run towards Penny again. She didn’t get far when she felt more tendrils, this time around her ankles. She was yanked backwards, yelping as her chin smashed against the hard ground. She laid there for a second, groaning, before she was pulled further back. Before she knew it, she was being held upside down. She dangled there, staring at the cluster of white chalk that had her in its clutches.

“You will not interrupt.” The rogue white chalk said. “You will remain here. We will have Penny in our command, and there is nothing you can do to stop us.”

Nexra narrowed her eyes. “Nothing except this.”

Nexra whipped out her taser. She aimed it at the cluster. She quickly pressed the button and a bolt of electricity shot out. It crashed into the clusters, ripping through and tearing the pieces down. She heard something like a scream sounding out as the cluster crumbled into pieces. The light tendrils fizzled out and disappeared. Nexra let out a cry as she fell into the ground. She laid on the ground, letting out a soft groan as she pushed herself up with her hands.

Looking over, she noticed something unusual going on. Penny had stopped walking forward, and was shivering, as if she was trying to move, but could not. The white chalk was giving a weird glow, flashing rapidly as if it were hurt. Then she could hear grunts of pain echoing through the room. She stared at her taser as the realization of what happened struck her. The chalk here..it was all connected... Attack one, and she attacked the others... A twinkle sparked in her eye.

“Oh no you don’t...” The white chalk seethed. It sent out light tendrils from multiple sides before continuing, “You are not going to try that nasty little trick on us again.” As the light tendrils moved towards Nexra, the white chalk itself turned its attention on Penny, and the teenager resumed her walking. “Yes..that’s it, sweetheart. Get closer...”

Nexra growled as she looked around her. The light tendrils arched upwards, almost like snakes, and surrounded her, completely engulfing her in the eerie white light. Gritting her teeth, she whipped out her taser again. She aimed it at the nearest cluster and pulled the trigger. The white chalk seemed to almost panic and the tendrils moved towards her even faster. It didn’t get to her in time and she managed to shoot another blast of electricity. It struck against another cluster, destroying it. The white tendrils quivered, and again Penny faltered.

This didn’t last, and in seconds, everything resumed. Nexra shot another cluster, creating another pause in what the white chalk was trying to do, but it wasn’t enough to stop it completely. She stared in Penny’s direction, licking her lips in determination. There was only one thing she could do. Shooting these clusters only provided temporary freezing. But maybe she could use that to her advantage.

In seconds, Nexra darted towards Penny. She shot at the chalk clusters left and right, keeping the white chalk frozen in pain. Its screeches of agony filled her ears. She tried her best to ignore it as she made her way towards Penny. Again and again she blasted more white chalk, trying to shoot enough that Penny’s quivering stiffened body didn’t move very far. The progress was slower than she had hoped, and she still had to yank herself free as the white chalk managed to grab her a few times. The white chalk started to attack faster, making it harder for her to keep up. She even nearly lost the taser at one point.

But her hard work paid off. After what felt like several minutes of exhausting herself running and shooting these tendrils and clusters, her palm getting sweaty, she managed to reach Penny. She grabbed onto her arm, tightening her grip on her. She looked around and blasted multiple tendrils that were uncomfortably close to grabbing her.

“Come on, Penny!” Nexra cried as she began to tug on Penny’s arm. “We need to get going!”

Penny slowly turned her head and looked at her. Nexra gritted her teeth in fear as she saw Penny’s eyes glowing white, proof that the chalk here still had a hold over her. Penny narrowed her eyes and made a frustrated grunt before yanking her arm back, ripping it away from Nexra. Before Nexra could react, Penny pushed her back. Nexra waved her arms to try to maintain her balance. As soon as she felt ground underneath both feet again, she rushed back to Penny.

“You are not staying here. We are leaving!” Nexra snarled at her. Penny growled back as Nexra grabbed her arm again. She yanked on Penny hard, pulling her a few inches away from the rogue white chalk. “Hold...still...I’m only...trying to help...you..!”

But Penny didn’t seem to want any help. She snarled at Nexra, baring her teeth. Her glowing white eyes pierced into her own as she shoved against her, gripping her shoulders and digging her nails into her shoulder. Nexra hissed in pain, but she refused to let go of Penny. She couldn’t let her go. She couldn’t release her into the white chalk’s control. She had to get her out of here. And she realized, as Penny kept trying to shove her back, there was only one way she was going to be able to do this.

Nexra lifted up the taser, the end sparking almost menacingly. She gave Penny a somewhat apologetic look. Then she slammed the device against Penny’s side. Electricity erupted through her body. Penny’s eyes grew big and she opened her mouth wide and let out a loud scream that echoed off the walls. She looked horrifying in this state, her body glowing almost all white with some yellow, her eyes bulging and pupil-less, dark lines where her face was being stretched near beyond what it was supposed to be capable of. It was unnerving to look at and Nexra found herself closing her eyes so she wouldn’t have to see it.

Nexra released the button and she heard a loud thud. She turned her head and saw that Penny was now laying on the ground, prone and unmoving. Her body twitched a few times as some stray electricity moved through her, but soon she became completely still. She stared at her, panting a few times. She overlooked Penny’s body, looking for any signs of life. She was relieved when she saw that she was still breathing, taking in slow, somewhat shaky breaths.

The security officer zoner knelt by Penny. She pushed her arms underneath her body and lifted her up. She stared to make her way towards the door when a wall of light tendrils blocked her path. She stopped her walking, freezing in place. She snarled at the tendrils before casting a one-eyed side glare at the clusters of rogue white chalk behind her.

“Did you really think you were going to leave that easily?” The white chalk hissed angrily. If it had teeth, Nexra was certain it would be baring them at her right now. “You came here...you will be our guest for a time. You do not understand what it’s like to be alone for so long.”

“Perhaps I do. Perhaps I don’t.” Nexra replied in a calm voice. “Regardless, this human and I have business elsewhere and we can’t be wasting time with you. So if you don’t mind, we will be getting going now.”

“Oh no. We are not letting you go that easily. We are not spending another forty or so years locked up in here. So if you will not give us Penny so we may leave...” The white chalk sent more light tendrils down to coat the doorway even more, creating a somewhat impenetrable ‘shield’ that Nexra knew she couldn’t bypass that easily. “Then you will stay here with us and keep us company.”

Nexra growled, “We will both starve to death in a few days if you don’t let us out!”

“Well that’s not our problem.” The white chalk sneered. “It’s your own faults for being so weak you don’t know how to function without constantly stuffing your face.”

“Oh and we should just start growing out of the ground and do nothing until someone picks us up and waves us around?” Nexra hissed at the rogue white chalk. “I’m sure that if we plant our feet in the ground, we can somehow gain the ability to harness energy from our brooding thoughts.” Her voice was laced in sarcasm.

The rogue white chalk was not pleased with that statement. “You disrespectful little urchin! You owe your very existence to the black chalk! You should be bowing down to it!”

“I bow down to no one.” Nexra knew that was a lie. Jenny still had a hold on her. But she doubted the rogue white chalk knew about that. She gave a somewhat dark grin at the rogue white chalk and said, “You can do what you want, but you will not ever hear me beg or show any kind of respect to you or the black chalk. I don’t care that it created me. It can rot in hell for all I care.”

“You...!” The white chalk glowed angrily, creating sharp, angular shadows in the room to make itself look more menacing and threatening. “Since you do not respect the life that was given to you...since you do not appreciate this..wonderful gift...” Its tone of voice changed, causing Nexra to stare at it in confusion. “Perhaps it’s time it was taken away.”

Nexra narrowed her eyes and growled. She took a step back. “You’re going to try to kill me then? Going to toss me around like a sack of potatoes all because you can’t deal with a difference of opinion?”

The rogue white chalk replied, “Oh no, we won’t do that. We have something better in mind. You see, instead of doing it right away, we think we will do it more slowly, like...having a hole ripped into your soul and it draining of its vital fluids.” Nexra’s eyes widened. “And trust us. It will be painful. Very painful.”

Nexra barely had time to react before the whole room began to glow brightly, a white shine covering everything. It bathed her, and she felt a sudden sharp sensation in her body, causing her to nearly lose her grip on Penny. She lowered her head and clenched her teeth as she tried to cope. This sensation was...weird. She wasn’t sure what to make of it at first. It engulfed her, welling up inside of her.

Despite the weird sensation, Nexra attempted to move. She walked forward, nearly stumbling a few times. Her head felt so light and the world felt as though it had started to spin. She stopped, lowering her head, wanting to hold it and rub it. She wasn’t sure what this weird sensation was, but it was disabling her somehow, making it difficult for her to move right. Holding onto Penny was becoming harder as the seconds passed, and she could feel her arms start to grow weaker as the minutes passed.

As she struggled to keep herself standing, the rogue white chalk gave a low, evil chuckle. Her head began to feel even stranger, and it soon became harder to completely concentrate on anything. She struggled to keep herself standing, but that grew increasingly harder as the world began to spin even faster. It started to feel as though she were on some insane roller coaster. She had an increasingly hard time keeping her bearings, and keeping Penny in her arms was becoming more and more of a chore.

But she couldn’t leave her. She couldn’t just drop her. She...she had to get out of here, and fast. She turned herself around, her eyes locking onto the covered door. Gritting her teeth, keeping Penny steady with one arm, she pulled up her other arm, taser still attached to her hand. She started to blast against the tendrils clustered at the door. The rogue white chalk let out several screeches of pain as she destroyed tendril after tendril. While the chalk did attempt to regrow the shield, she kept blasting it before it had much of a chance to. Soon, there was a gap large enough for her to fit through.

Nexra charged towards it, her feet pounding the ground, misstepping several times, which caused her to wobble once in a while. Her body staggered from side to side as she ran towards the entrance. Oddly enough, the white chalk hadn’t attempted to stop her, but her mind, so muggy and swirly right now, she didn’t really pay any attention to that. She just kept running, her eyes focusing as much as they could on what was ahead. With her vision starting to blur, ever so slightly, this act became quite difficult. But still she ran, having no choice.

She didn’t hear the cold chuckle of the white chalk behind her. She didn’t hear it say ‘we have you now’, or if she did, she hardly paid attention to it. She just kept running, exiting the room and moving down the tunnel. She didn’t think to shut the door or try to block it. Right now, the only thing on her mind was a single word: Run.

Holding Penny tightly against her body, Nexra ran down the long path, the first one that she stumbled upon when she got out of that room. It went upwards at a slight curve. She guessed that it must lead to the higher level of the Chalk Mine, which was exactly where she needed to go. She continued her way up there, her mouth opened as she panted. The navigation up was not that easy; the floor was smooth and had little traction. She felt her feet slip once in a while, which in turn nearly caused her to drop Penny to the ground.

Soon the path became harder to navigate. Spikes and other rocky structures jetted out of the ground, creating some difficult obstacles. She managed to dodge them at first, but with how closely packed together they were, it was inevitable that she would hit against one.

Seering pain moved through her side as one of the sharp rock edges cut into her due to a misstep on her part. She staggered to the side, stopping where she was and shivering in pain. She shook it off the best she could and resumed her running. She didn’t get far before her arm got jabbed with another sharp rock, causing her to scream. She froze where she was. Had Jenny heard that? She heard no sign of her, but that didn’t mean anything. She had to get moving before Jenny decided to come down and deal with her, or worse, make her do something else she was going to live to regret.

Most of the navigation after that was a better success. It was still difficult, time consuming, and the pain in her arm and side did make it a ‘joy’ trying to get between the spike and sharp rock growths. She managed to pull it off and soon she realized she was more than halfway up. She could see an opening in the wall ahead with a tiny bit of light coming through. She wondered if it was leading her up to the first room of the cave, where that large opening was. It seemed rather strange, though. In her muddled mind, she started to think that...isn’t it too early for the first room to show up?

She was so distracted in her thoughts about this that she failed to notice what she was heading towards. Her eyes bulged as she finally saw it, but by then, it was too late. She slammed her leg against one of the sharp edges, slashing a deep cut into her limb. She screeched loudly and fell to the ground, crashing on top of Penny. She laid there, groaning softly, trying to cope with the pain. It radiated throughout her entire leg, dull and constant and pounding.

The fall had also aggravated her side and arm wounds. She hissed as she looked at them, realizing that some dirt and broken sharp rocks had gotten into the cuts. The blood flow from them increased, dripping into the ground. She looked at her leg, realizing it was the worst of them all. The cut was so deep, she could have sworn she saw her layer of fat and even a tiny sliver of bone. After pushing herself off of Penny with her good arm, she placed a hand on her leg wound, only to pull it back and seethe in pain, shutting her eyes tightly. A few tears moved down her cheeks.

Nexra laid there for a few moments. She looked over at Penny. Getting her as far away from the rogue white chalk was crucial. They had put in some good distance but..whose to say that would last long? The rogue white chalk had tendrils and they could grab things. What’s the stop them from pulling themselves out and coming after them? They were definitely more mobile that any other chalk she’s seen.

She attempted to get up. She grabbed onto one of the few smooth ‘branches’ that grew out of the side of a spike. She pulled her self up. She pressed her good leg down first, getting herself balanced and situated. Then she placed down her other leg. Slowly and carefully, she applied weight to it. At first, it seemed to be fine, although there was a dull pain that echoed in her limb. She took a step forward, and brought her bad leg on the ground again. It went well for a little bit, but as she took a third step, suddenly her leg erupted in burning hot pain ravaged up and down her leg.

Nexra let out a bloodcurdling scream and she fell into the ground. She pressed her back against the wall, taking in quickened breaths. Her wide, tear-filled eyes stared down at her leg, noticing immediately that the fall had ripped it open even more. The ground became covered in her blood, making her quiver in fear and shock. She held her leg to herself, pain wracking through her body as she tried to cope with the agony.

As she cradled her injured leg, she began to notice something really strange. Something was off about her leg. She could see something weird was happening with her outline. She leaned forward, peering as closely as she could, watching her outline. She realized it was moving, wafering back and forth. But why? What was it doing?

Nexra attempted to shift herself, pressing her hand against the ground pushing against it. As her foot, connected to the bad leg, pushed against one of the sharp structures, on a smooth surface, she let out a cry of pain as she heard a sudden snap, cracking of bone echoing throughout the tunnels. She stared at her foot, eyes wide in terror as she saw that the tip of her foot had suddenly bent upwards, multiple bones having been broken. The outline looked off and out of place and she realized it had broken a slightly different way than her foot had.

That’s when she noticed something else about the outline. It was unusually thin in that area, whereas on her other leg, it looked fine, at least for the moment. Her eyes widened in horror as realization came crashing down on her. Her outline was...losing its structure. It was becoming weak, fragile, and thinning at an alarming rate.

She slowly looked back at the outline further up the leg. She could see tiny smoke-like waves all around the outline of her damaged limb. It was dissipating into the air, as if a cool breeze had gotten this far down into the Chalk Mine. As she stared at this, her mind flashed back to what the white chalk had told her before she came running out here.

“Oh no, we won’t do that. We have something better in mind. You see, instead of doing it right away, we think we will do it more slowly, like...having a hole ripped into your soul and it draining of its vital fluids. And trust us. It will be painful. Very painful.”

The rogue white chalk... the glow... It had done something to her. It damaged her internal structure. That weird feeling she detected before, it was the white chalk messing with her internal chalk structure, changing something about it and causing it to begin to fall apart internally. That was way she was having a hard time keeping herself up and why she had that strange, muggy feeling in her mind. She was beginning to fall apart internally...

She gripped her head as a headache struck her. She rubbed her forehead and she turned her head to Penny. What was she going to do now? She had to get Penny further away but..the pain... Nexra tried to fight against it. She got up and made her way over to the unconscious girl.

Each step was slow and heavy, and her feet dragged a few times. But she kept pushing herself, trying to ignore the pain echoing in her mind and body. She reached down towards Penny. She grabbed onto her and tried to pull her up. Suddenly, her head started to spin and she had to stop. She remained there, pressing her head against the spikey surface, her skull placed between two large spikes. She took in a few breaths, her eyes wide as she tried to push aside the dizziness and lightheadedness. She attempted to pick up Penny again, but instead, something else happened.

Unable to keep herself standing, the lightheadedness and pain overwhelming her, Nexra fell to the ground. She crashed against the floor in a heavy thud, part of her body stretched over Penny’s unconscious form. Nexra’s chin crashed into the hard ground, right on top of a very small spike. As it sliced through her chin, cutting into her flesh, she let out a cry of pain.

Nexra laid there on the ground, quivering as shockwaves of pain moved through her body. Her vision began to darken as the effects of blood loss started to take a hold of her. Her world spun faster, her thoughts became more and more distant as she struggled to stay awake. But it was useless. She quickly lost the fight and consciousness began to leave her. The last thing she saw before she shut her eyes was her arm outline beginning to dissipate and break apart. Then, blackness swallowed her up and everything became dark and silent.

sss

“You did what?!” Mr. Longhorn cried, his eyes wide in shock.

Reggie stared at the man. His head was partially lowered. He didn’t exactly feel happy about what he did, but he didn’t have much regrets. He knew it was for the best. He had thought that this man would understand, but when he told him the news, he ended up being more shocked than he had anticipated.

The boy took one step backwards as he saw Mr. Longhorn narrow his eyes. He could tell the man wasn’t exactly happy about what he had done. In truth, Reggie could understand. What he did, what he had in mind, it was risky, and went against what he was told. But he was desperate to do something, and he knew that standing around here would get him nowhere.

“I know you’re angry, but please listen to me...” Reggie started to say.

“No!” Mr. Longhorn snapped at him. His fist tightened and he lifted his arm up. He made a swift, cutting motion before he pointed his finger in the boy’s direction. Reggie winced; there was clear aggression behind that gesture. “You listen to me! This isn’t what we were told to do! You remember Penny’s words. We’re supposed to stay here! I...just can’t believe you...” He let out a low growl as he gripped his face. He attempted to regain his composure. Breathing out an exasperated sigh, he removed his hand and glared at Reggie. “I thought you were trustworthy.”

This stung Reggie’s heart. He bit his lip and took another step back, hunching his body slightly as he felt guilt rise up inside. He hadn’t meant to upset Mr. Longhorn this badly. He hadn’t meant to betray his trust like this. He thought he would understand, but he had been wrong. His act had done little more than anger and upset Mr. Longhorn. He had expected this kind of reaction, but he had also expected Mr. Longhorn to be more understanding. He should have thought things through more. He should have been more careful.

Reggie thought back to his conversation with Penny, back when he had brought an injured Terry over. He had a chat with Penny regarding ChalkZone, and she had explained it to him, what it was, what it entailed, why she kept it a secret. He had promised her that he wouldn’t tell anyone and that he would be willing to help her out. He felt that same stinging feeling from before again, this time more intense. He had promised to be an ally, but what kind of ally was he if he went around betraying the trust of other comrades? How could he consider himself an ally to Penny when he had gone behind her back?

Even if he had a good reason, there was no excuse for what he had done. Mr. Longhorn was rightfully angry with him. He should have listened. He should have talked to him. He could have done anything except what he had pulled off. Shame overwhelmed him as he realized the full weight of what he had done. He could feel his legs get a little weak and he lowered his head in submission.

“I’m sorry.” Reggie said softly.

Mr. Longhorn glared at him. The man didn’t look pleased with this apology. He folded his arms against his chest, his narrowed eyes staring at him, locking onto his. He began to tap his foot impatiently, as if he were waiting for something. When Reggie didn’t any anything more, Mr. Longhorn spoke up, breaking the awkward silence between them.

“Well?” Mr. Longhorn asked.

“Well what?” Reggie stared at him in confusion.

Mr. Longhorn paused for a few moments. Then, raising an eyebrow, he said, “Is that it?”

“I don’t understand.” Reggie’s perplexion increased. “What is it? What are you talking about?” He held out his hands in gesture, making motions that would let Mr. Longhorn know he really doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

Mr. Longhorn did not look pleased by this. He put his hands on his hips, scowling at Reggie. “Is that the best apology you can come up with? Just a simple ‘I'm sorry’? Oh come now...” Mr. Longhorn moved his head to the side. “I know you can do better than that.” He looked back at Reggie. “I can’t tell if you really do regret what you’ve done. Come on, be more convincing than that.”

Reggie couldn’t believe it. He had apologized for what he did, but this man was telling him that it...wasn’t good enough? What was wrong with saying a simple ‘I’m sorry’? Why does he need to be so elaborate? Since when did apologies become ‘tell, don’t show’? He didn’t understand why Mr. Longhorn seems to think that him giving a long speech of why he was sorry was more affective than him showing he was truly apologetic by making up for it. After all, actions speak louder than words, don’t they? That’s what he had been taught.

Reggie narrowed his eyes at the man. “Look, I already said I was sorry.” He lowered his head. He was aware he probably looked pretty pouty right about now. But he didn’t care. “I am not going to elaborate. I shouldn’t have to do that. ‘I’m sorry’ should be good enough for you.”

Mr. Longhorn growled at this. Reggie thought that he was going to spill some kind of lecture onto him to try to get him to apologize again. But instead, though Mr. Longhorn looked quite unhappy, his expression quickly relaxed as he gave a sigh. He lifted up his hand and ran it through his hair. He put his hands on his hips again and looked left and right. He looked as though he was lost in his thoughts, and he gave a frustrated sigh, like he was trying to think of just what to do.

Finally, he spoke. “Okay then..” He said in a somewhat growly voice. He placed a hand on his forehead, shaking it back and forth. He looked at Reggie, his eyes practically overflowing with anger, despite the eyes not being narrowed anymore. “Can you at least tell me why?”

Reggie growled softly. “Why what...exactly?” He tilted his head to the side.

Mr. Longhorn slapped himself in the face. “You’ve gotta be kiddi...” He shook his head. “Oh nevermind it...” He glared at Reggie, gritting his teeth. “Why did you sneak into the Tabooties’ residence and steal a piece of magic chalk?”

“I already told you!” Reggie cried. “It was so we can get into ChalkZone to help them out!”

Mr. Longhorn shook his head. “No. I mean, what exactly made you come to that conclusion? What invoked the decision to help? I know you told me you wanted to help, but you don’t even know if they are in any danger.” He took a step towards Reggie, staring at him intently. “Something inside of you made you want to steal that magic chalk. Something convinced you there was danger, or convinced you to want to go. All I’m asking is that you tell me what this is.”

“Why do you need to know?” Reggie asked.

“Because intention is everything. A good way to judge someone accurately is to understand what their motivations behind their actions are.” Mr. Longhorn folded his arms against his chest. “I want to know what your thoughts were when you stole the chalk. Did you do it for the same reason as me?” Reggie stared at him in confusion. “Did you steal the chalk just to have some fun in ChalkZone? Is your motivation behind helping Penny all just a matter of having fun?” Noting Reggie’s expression, he continued, “I stole the magic chalk from Penny once, to try it out. I wound up going crazy... I don’t want you to make the same mistake as me.”

Reggie widened his eyes. How could the man think such a thing? How could he think that the only reason he was trying to get to ChalkZone to help was just so he could wave the magic chalk around? A part of Reggie started to feel offended. He found it hard to believe that Mr. Longhorn really did think that. Then again, it’s not like he knows him that well.

“If you really do want to help out Penny, if you aren’t doing this just so you can have an excuse to goof off...” Mr. Longhorn took a small step towards Reggie. He stared intently into his eyes. “..I’d like some confirmation. Tell me what your motivation was, and maybe I’ll let this slide.”

Reggie remained quiet. He glared at Mr. Longhorn, his thoughts racing. He could feel anger rising up inside of him. How dare he... Why should he explain his actions to him? Why should he waste time telling Mr. Longhorn why he did what he had done? Why does he need a reason other than he wanted to help? Why did he need to explain to him his thoughts and feelings about this?

Besides, it wasn’t like he really had much of a reason outside what he had just told him. He really did want to go help Penny out because he knew she could be in danger. He may not know as much of what was going on, but he knew enough that he realized that she and the others could be in trouble. He felt guilty about not doing much before to help, outside of helping to stop ChalkZone get exposed. He felt that he could do more to be of assistance. Really, that was it. He didn’t have a more elaborate reason than that. He just...wanted to help. He didn’t get why Mr. Longhorn didn’t get this.

But then he stopped to think about it. He lowered his gaze, his eyes narrowing as he searched his various thoughts. He could feel his head start to ache a little as he thought harder than usual. He did his best to ignore it as he began to ponder his actions some more. He started to think... what if he really did have some other reason...?

He was being sincere with himself and with the man before him that he wanted to help Penny out. He wanted to offer more assistant, to actually be of some help. But though he had denied it at first, he could feel a cool yet warm sensation in his body as he realized there was a deeper meaning behind his actions and his motives. It wasn’t just Penny he wanted to help, but ChalkZone as well. And there was a good reason for it, one that he, just now, came to realize. He had been so focused on just getting to ChalkZone that he hadn’t paid enough attention to what was going on in his own mind, his own feelings.

The biggest reason he wanted to help was...guilt.

Reggie thought he had pushed aside those feelings long ago, but..he really did, even after all this time, feel guilty about his actions when he was in ChalkZone before. He hadn’t even apologized... He had just shrugged it off and pretended like it never happened. And for that, he couldn’t help but feel shame. He should have apologized. If he had remembered, which he did, he should have told Rudy that he was sorry for what he did.

But he didn’t. Instead, he went on the rest of elementary school being a jerk to Rudy still. He hadn’t even attempted to improve his behavior until high school, and even then, he still felt as though he could have done more. He, for a while, didn’t really understand what else he wanted to do. He could feel a strange sensation in his fingertips as his mind struggled to give him orders that he did not understand. Only now, he did he finally realize what his mind was trying to tell him.

He wanted to make it up to ChalkZone. He still had dreams off and on about what he had done. He had gone crazy.. Just like Mr. Longhorn had. Reggie had taken red chalk and became influenced by it. He had drawn dangerous things...unleashed some destruction...attacked Rudy.. And all of it filled him with shame and horror even to this day.

That’s what he wanted to do. It wasn’t just that he wanted to help Penny. He also wanted to make up for what he did. He wanted to atone for his actions, his sins of the past. He wanted to show ChalkZone that he had not only changed, but that he was truly sorry for what he had done to them when he was ten years old. Even though he was just a kid at the time, that was no excuse. He knew it was wrong...and it was time that he fessed up to that.

With this in his mind, he looked at Mr. Longhorn. The man was still awaiting a response for him. Reggie took in a breath and exhaled. Well he might as well not keep the man waiting any longer. He took a step forward, staring at him in the eyes, and began to speak.

“I want to make up for what I did to ChalkZone.” Reggie said.

At this, Mr. Longhorn’s eyes widened in confusion. “...what?” He turned his head to the side, staring at Reggie as if he had heard the most outrageous thing. “What did you say?”

“I want to show ChalkZone how sorry I am by helping them.” Reggie said affirmatively. He straightened himself up to try to show how serious he was. “I wronged that place years ago, and I wand to atone for that.”

Mr. Longhorn was silent for a few moments. His glare softened up, his frown slowly disappearing. “So...you did make a mistake like I have...?”

Reggie nodded his head. He lowered his head slightly, shame plastering over it. “Yes. I did something very wrong that I am not proud of. I could have done a lot of harm to ChalkZone... A lot more than I already did.”

Mr. Longhorn widened his eyes. “Already did? You mean...you...?” Reggie nodded his head. Mr. Longhorn put a hand to his mouth. “What..what did you do exactly...?”

Reggie looked at Mr. Longhorn, that same shameful expression still donning on his face. “I attacked ChalkZone City when I was ten years old.”

“How...? Why..?” Mr. Longhorn’s anger was gone, replaced by shock and confusion. “What happened?”

Reggie would have started to explain to him, but he knew that there wasn’t time for that. They had to get going and fast. He had no idea what was going on with Penny, but if she were in danger...

“We need to get going now.” Reggie said. Before Mr. Longhorn could respond, he cut him off. “I know you want to know more about this. I’ll tell you, but not right now.” He turned his head, looking towards the nearby door. “We need to head back to the Tabooties’. We need to get into ChalkZone, and fast.”

Mr. Longhorn was silent for several moments. He stared at Reggie, then slowly narrowed his eyes slightly. He took a step forward, reaching his hand out towards Reggie. “But...” He curled his fingers inward, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh as he recoiled backwards, turning his head away. “Okay, fine...” He turned his head slightly back, enough to give Reggie a sideways glance. He spoke in a low voice. “Let’s get going...”

Ignoring Mr. Longhorn’s tone of voice, Reggie merely smiled softly and said, “Thank you.”

With that, the two humans left.

sss

Penny groaned as she opened up her eyes. Her blurry vision didn’t tell her much of where she was. The colors were intermixed, swirling together. Everything was so fuzzy, she couldn’t make out any of the details of her surroundings. She registered that she was on some cold, hard surface, but not much else.

Slowly, she sat herself up. She suddenly stiffened up when her head felt like it was spinning. She grabbed onto it, her fingernails digging into her scalp, as she tried to cope with the sudden, severe light-headedness. She remained there for a few moments until the dizziness faded away. Rubbing her forehead, she reopened her eyes and took a look around. Her vision had hardly cleared, but she could tell, at the very least, she was underground.

Her muddled mind tried to recall the events that had occurred. She couldn’t quite remember just what brought her here. She tried to think of what had transpired, trying to fill in the blanks her mind had created. Something went down here. Something caused her to be here...but what? Her head started to hurt as she tried to think of what had happened. The last thing she recalled was running down the tunnel with Nexra, who had freed her from the cage. Then...nothing.

Penny wondered for a moment if she had been duped again. Was it possible that Nexra was trying to trick her again? Maybe she led her to some kind of trap and did something to her that caused her to become knockedo ut. But..how would that make sense? Why would Nexra leave her here instead of locking her up again or even killing her? That was when Penny realized that something else must have happened. Whatever it was, it must have been bad enough that she would lost part of her recent memory.

As her mind began to clear up more, her vision slowly restoring, she recalled something out...another threat, being electrocuted, something speaking to her and beckoning to her... Had they come across a black chalk chamber? She couldn’t recall. She remembered sentient chalk, but the color escaped her mind. She wanted to say it was black, but for some reason, she remembered something about white. The color white stood out in her mind and it filled her with horror, when before, it did not. Yes...white played a key role...

The eighteen year old teenager struggled to her feet. She staggered forward, holding her head. She attempted to lean against something, but she suddenly screamed, a seering pain shooting through her hand. She looked down and she could see, and feel, warm blood dripping down her hand. She yanked her hand away and recoiled from the structure she tried to lean against. As her vision cleared, it soon became apparent to her that this structure had a lot of sharp edges to it, and she had just put her hand directly on one of those areas.

Taking a step away and hissing in pain, she looked down at her hand to examine the damage. The spike she placed her hand on left behind a bloody gash that went down the middle of her palm. The sight of it was horrifying and she found herself letting out a whimper. She clutched her harm to herself, doing what she could to cope with the radiating pain that spread throughout. It felt like a papercut, only much worse.

With her vision now completely clear, Penny took this chance to look around. She realized she was still in an unrecognizable part of the Chalk Mine. She noticed that this pathway she was on was at a slant, making her realize that it might be the path to the higher levels, where more familiar ground was likely to be found. But..how did she get here? And where was Nexra? Was she back in that room? Did she escape?

Penny felt a pang in her chest as she realized there was only one explaination she could think of for why she appeared here, instead of in that room or in a cage. Nexra must have had something to do with it. Did she...did she carry her away? Was she the reason that she..didn’t lose her mind, or whatever was going on? More memories came flooding back to her. She remembered something about being controlled. Nexra was the only one with her at the time. Was she responsible? Yes...yes she must have been way she was still here, still in control of herself, and not enslaved like was intended for her.

Penny looked left and right. She couldn’t see any sign of Nexra anywhere. She hoped she was all right. She wasn’t sure what chalk could do to her, but she recalled something odd about this chalk. Something that made it more dangerous than most. She bit her lip. She would feel awful if she turned out to be responsible for anything that happened to Nexra. If she hadn’t fallen for that mind trick, she...

Upon taking a step forward, Penny hit against something hard and solid. She fell into the ground, hitting her chin against the rocky surface. She yelped as she bit her tongue, her teeth sinking part way. The iron taste of blood filled her mouth from the small wounds she inadvertantly gave herself. She ignored the pain and pushed herself up onto her hands. She shook her head and held her head, squeezing it gently.

What could she have tripped over? There wasn’t much here except rocks. And this didn’t feel like a rock. It was..too soft and kinda warm. Not a rock formation that was for certain. The fact that it was warm, however, sent a cold chill up her spine. A horrified thought entered her mind. What....what if...? Without a second thought, she whipped her head to see what this warm and solid mass was. When she saw its identity, she couldn’t stifle her gasp, her hand flying to her mouth in terror.

It was Nexra.

Nexra laid on the ground, unmoving and prone. She was crumpled into the ground on her stomach, her legs sprawled out behind her and her arms at different angles, her fingers slightly curved inward. She had a deep, horrific cut in her leg. Though the bleeding seemed to have slowed down, it was apparent that Nexra had lost quite a bit of blood, the ground stained heavily with it. Another bleeding injury was on her arm. But these were only two of the injuries that she could see. Her outline had also been damaged. It was similar to Bardot’s, only this was more progressed. Her outline was smeared, smudged, and ripped apart in multiple places and she looked structurally unsound.

The most obvious area of this was in her foot, which had been snapped in two, part of it bending further than it should have. The outline did not completely coincide with the shape of the foot. The outline itself looked like a frame that had been knocked out of place and cut into the thing it was supposed to support. The fact that, in this case, the thing to be ‘framed’ was flesh and bone made it all the more horrific for Penny to look at. But despite the horror, she did not avert her eyes.

She remained frozen in place for what felt like several minutes. Her wide eyes and tiny pupils remained locked onto Nexra’s ruined and unconscious form. Her body, shivering in fright, took in ragged breaths, her mind swirling with rapid thoughts as she tried to piece together just what had happened. As she trailed her eyes up, she could see, to her horror, that there was a trail of blood behind Nexra. Then, after a few more moments of stunned silence, Penny managed to get herself to move and she drew herself closer to Nexra’s body.

Penny knelt down beside Nexra and placed her hand on her shoulder. She gently shook her, trying to see if she will wake up. Nexra remained still and unresponsive. Penny tried to shake harder, but no luck. Penny wanted to shout at her, but she knew she could not. She might attract Rudy’s attention, and in this kind of landscape, with multiple razor sharp edges she could crash into or be thrown against, that would be a complete disaster.

She soon stopped shaking her. She sucked on her lip and she reached down with two fingers. She pressed them against the chalk woman’s neck. She felt around for a pulse. She let out a tentative sigh of relief when she could feel a pulse, but she didn’t celebrate just yet. There was the matter of getting her some help.

Penny knelt down and grabbed onto Nexra’s undamaged arm. She slung it over her shoulder and began to carry her up the path, taking care to avoid the sharp structures all around her. A part of her told her that she should go faster, but that would not be a good idea. Instead, she focused on manuevering through the ragged structures, knowing that if someone were to come after her, they’d have to do the same thing. Once she got to safety, she could tend to Nexra’s injuries.

But even if she got to safety and out of Rudy’s sights... what was she going to do after that? She could tend to the woman’s wounds on her leg and arm. But what of her outline? Outline injuries were different...much harder to treat. What was she going to do about that...?


	168. Your Loyalty For Immortality

Rudy grinned as he locked eyes with Snap. The zoner looked terrified, frightened. This greatly satisfied Rudy. Yes, he should be afraid. If the little runt wasn’t, he would think of another way to make him shiver like a coward. This was the kind of reaction he had wanted when he gave him the news.

Before the blessing, he would not even think about doing something like this to Snap. He was too weak, too simple-minded. He had blinded himself and made him believe that Snap’s life was worth preserving. The thought filled him with bitterness. He had wasted so much effort protecting not just this zoner, but many others. He had distracted himself from true progress. There were better things he could have spent his time on. The thought of how many hours, months, and years he wasted that he could have dedicated to more worthwhile things left him with a bad taste in his mouth.

But now he has, fortunately, seen the light. He could see now why Mr. Cosmo had been so interested in hurting Snap. It was fun and empowering. It was a way of showing the little rodent just how much control he had, just how powerless he was. The feeling of being in control...it felt wonderful. He could now see why his light counterpart had obsessed over it.

Snap would have taken a step back if he weren’t chained up still. He was hanging up in the air, chained spreadeagled. The zoner had made some pitiful attempts to get himself out, but to no avail. Rudy couldn’t help but chuckle at this. Of course Snap would still try to escape. He knew Snap well enough to know that he stubbornly will not ever give up. He was...such a determined little cockroach. There were only two ways he could deal with the likes of him: Mind control or death.

Both sounded good. Both would get rid of this pest as a problem. Both were efficient methods in their own right. One would get rid of him for good and the other would still remove him as a problem, but keep him around for good use.

He had already made his decision. And Snap was none too happy about it.

“N-No..You can’t do that to me!” Snap cried. He tried pulling against his binds, tugging and jerking, doing whatever he could to escape. It was no use. Snap pulled so hard that he ended up hurting himself, noted by the fact that he let out a yelp of pain. “You w-w-wouldn’t dare...”

Rudy made no attempt to stop himself from giving an evil smile at this. Typical Snap, trying to squirm his way out of something that he finds less than idea. Well who cares if he didn’t like it? He was just a zoner, and all zoners were worthless, save for those who serve the black chalk. The zoners had it coming when they turned their backs on Nihilanth. They had it coming when they did not live up to Nihilanth’s expectations.

Well Nihilanth was their deity, in a sense, their ruler. If he decided they must go, then the zoners should have enough comprehension in their tiny brains to understand this. If they simply gave up, while this might not be quite as fun, it would be less exhausting. Nihilanth could have finished this a long time ago.

Rudy pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the squirming zoner. If he thought he was going to show mercy on him just for being his ‘friend’...well he has another thought coming his way. The little runt must not be very bright if he thinks he is going to get any special treatment.

He took a step towards his ‘friend’ and reached out towards him. He roughly grabbed him by his chin and yanked him forward, tugging on his chains. Snap gritted his teeth and shut his eyes. He didn’t attempt to yank back. The cut on his left cheek was the reason why; that had been a warning. He knew the consequences were going to be harsher if he dared try to struggle again. He opened his eyes half way and looked up at Rudy. Although there was some anger in those eyes, he mostly could only see fear. Yes...this was a beautiful sight.

Rudy smiled at Snap. A calmer smile, although still laced in darkness. He stroked the back of Snap’s head, moving from his forehead to the base of his neck. He spent a few moments petting him, still maintaining his tight grip on his chin.

“Oh dear, Snap...” Rudy said, his smile ticking a little broader. “You are my guest here.” He gave a sarcastic edge to the word ‘guest’. “And while you are here, I want to treat you with the utmost....” He leaned closer, putting his face close to Snap’s. He spat out the next word, filled with toxins. “...kindness.”

Snap took a sharp breath, a look of horror spreading across his face. He jerked himself from side to side, trying to get himself down. “Kindness?!” Snap spluttered, his eyes shut as he kept trying to pull one of his arms free, despite his remaining injuries. “Y-You’re going to kill me!”

“Well that could be seen as a kind gesture to someone as simple-minded as you.” Rudy said. He released his grip on Snap and rested his chin on his hand. “But I think you may be too valuable to just toss away. Killing you, even if it is tempting, it might be a waste. You could come in handy as a servant.”

“I will never...” Snap pulled on his right arm as hard as he could. Rudy could see the strain in his facial contortions, showing just how much effort Snap was putting into trying to escape. “...let you..” He gave another pull. His eyes widened as he had nearly ripped his arm out of its socket. He stopped, giving a few quick pants. He looked at Rudy and, despite his fear, narrowed his eyes. “...lower myself to that level! It’s not kindness!”

“Oh but it is. You’ll be given a chance to live, and your existence would not go to waste. You will be helping ushering in a new era.” Rudy spread his arms out for dramatic effect. “Don’t you think that is worth something?”

Snap growled in his direction, “No!”

“Come how, be reasona...”

Rudy was cut off when Snap suddenly spat in his direction. He felt something wet and warm on his cheek. His smile faltered. He gave Snap a disgusted look as he wiped away the bit of saliva that had been hurled in his direction.

“So...you don’t wish to be cooperative, do you?” Rudy asked in a harsh tone.

Rudy started to make his way over to Snap. The blue and white zoner seemed to realize what a mistake he had just made and his defiant look rapidly melted away, allowing fear to shine once more in his features. The zoner gave another attempt to squirm away, with no luck. Rudy soon stood in front of Snap, glaring intensely at him. The zoner started to tremble, letting out a few whimpers. The zoner could clearly see the dark intent that he had for him. The zoner knew escape was futile.

Rudy gave a quick glance at Snap’s remaining injuries and gave a huff of disappointment. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been so lenient on him. He could have kept one of the more serious injuries in tact. He could easily undo that with the black chalk. What it gives, it can easily take away. But no... A smile crept onto his face as he thought of something better and more entertaining to do with him. After all, the purpose of healing Snap was so that he had a longer time to play with him. So why not start now?

“Since you cannot give me the respect I deserve...” Rudy said in a somewhat arrogant voice. He moved his hand towards Snap, grabbing onto his scarf. “Why should I give a fuck about respecting your life?” He yanked the scarf to the side, the cloth pressing against Snap’s neck.

Snap gagged and choked, his eyes widening as he struggled, trying to free himself. He opened his mouth to try to speak to him, but Rudy just yanked harder, causing the cloth to practically cut into the zoner’s throat. Air supply was cut off and Snap started opening his mouth wider, desperately trying to take in a breath. He tried leaning his head back, but Rudy just adjusted himself so that the cloth kept locking him away from his ability to breathe.

For a few moments, Rudy listened to the pathetic gagging of the little runt. Snap tried harder and harder to breathe, and anytime Snap caught a bit of air, Rudy would just pull harder on his scarf, ensuring he couldn’t do it again. He kept choking Snap, watching with twisted satisfaction when his face started to change blue from being oxygen deprived. All the while, he kept looking into Snap’s eyes, refusing to let the zoner look away from him. He wanted Snap to know who was doing this to him. He wanted him to see the satisfied look of his eyes, and just how thoroughly he was enjoying this.

Rudy kept pulling harder and harder until...

...he suddenly released the scarf. Without warning, he just let go of it, causing Snap’s head to jerk back.

There was an instant look of relief in the zoner’s eyes. They bulged was he took in heavy breaths, taking in much needed oxygen to his deprived body and brain. The blue coloration on his face rapidly faced away as he refilled his lungs with air. He smacked his lips and continued with his panting. He looked up at Rudy, his eyes shining with the question of ‘why?’.

Rudy sneered at him. “That was a warning, you little pest.” He kept eye contact with the frightened Snap, his eyes boring into his solid white ones. “Trust me, I would have gone through with it. I would end your miserable life here, right now, if you give me a reason to.”

Snap’s body trembled at this. He stared at Rudy with horror-filled eyes, clearly unable to look away. Rudy smirked at this and then he shifted his eyes down. He stared at Snap’s heaving chest. Without a second thought, he reached over and placed his hand on the center of the zoner’s chest. Snap cringed at this. Rudy smiled twistedly as he could feel the zoner’s heart pounding against his chest.

“Speeding heart. Sign of fear. Good.” Rudy removed his hand. He smiled coldly at Snap, tilting his head to the side. “You react appropriately. But sometimes you do not act appropriately. We need to do something about that.” He whipped his body around as Snap continued watching him in fear. “That is why the mind control is the best option. You don’t know what you’re doing, Snap. You have no idea what kind of trouble you’ll be in if you keep up this naughty attitude of yours.”

Snap seemed confused. “Naughty? What do you mean?”

Rudy chortled. “Trying to defy me...” He turned his head so he looked at Snap over his shoulder. “Trying to go against Nihilanth. You should know this, dear Snap.” He looked away, tilting his head up towards the ceiling. “I won’t do anything to you yet. I must attend to the Chalk Mine. I need to see if my little plan with Jenny revolving around sweet little Penny was a success...”

He instantly realized he had just made a big mistake. He put his hand to his mouth, his eyes widening slightly. He looked over. He could see the shocked look on Snap’s face. He had never seen the zoner look that shocked about something before. There was a strong look of disbelief, and though his ‘friend’ didn’t say anything at first, Rudy could tell that Snap was giving him a silent question. He was asking him if he had misheard, or if what he said was true.

Rudy’s mind raced. Nihilanth was not going to like this. The two headed dragon might be silent for now, but as soon as he saw fit, he was going to give Rudy a chewing out. He had to do something quickly to turn this into his favor. He could lie and tell him that he was kidding. But that could backfire anyway. Instead, he decided to go a different route.

“Well I guess the cat’s out of the bag...” Rudy said. He closed his eyes and chuckled. In a sarcastic voice, he said, “Well I guess you would have figured it out sooner or later, with how intelligent you are.”

“What...? Bu-But...but... how?!” Snap cried in confusion. “I..we... Jenny fell down! We heard her crash!”

“Ah..but you didn’t look for a body..” Rudy waggled his finger from side to side. He leaned forward and grinned at Snap. “Did you...?”

Snap didn’t answer. He just stared at Rudy, his expression radiating with shock and terror. Even though he just got a confirmation, Snap continued to look at him as if this was all an impossibility. Rudy wouldn’t be surprised if the rodent was questioning if he was dreaming.

Rudy folded his arms against his chest. He gave a smug look of satisfaction at Snap. He enjoyed his fearful reaction. He wondered what Penny’s expression was going to be, if things don’t go quite as planned. “Jenny was supposed to ‘remain dead’ until a trap was sprung. But since things are progressing quite differently than I had planned...” He took a step towards Snap, his eyes glowing with evil intent. “I see no harm in telling you she’s still alive.”

Snap’s body started to shiver. His eyes narrowed slightly as a few tears began to rise in them. “Y-You mean to tell me...you toyed with me..? You...you had Jenny act like she was dead..just to get at me?”

“Well, it was more strategy related...” Rudy made a dismissive wave of the hand. “But yeah, it doubled as that, too.” He smirked at Snap calmly, remaining tranquil even as Snap looked more visibly angered. “Jenny described to me your cries and whimpering when you thought you killed her. It was simply delightful.”

“You...” Snap growled, seething under his breath. “...you asshole!”

Rudy narrowed his eyes. He pulled out the knife he had drawn earlier. Snap’s eyes widened in horror at this.

“N-No..please...” Snap begged, his tone from before gone. “I’m sorry! I w-won’t...”

“Too late.” Rudy snarled at him.

Rudy gripped Snap’s arm, holding him tightly. Then he pulled his knife back and plunged it into his left armpit, slicing through the cloth and flesh easily. Snap’s eyes bulged and he let out a loud, bloodcurdling scream. It echoed off the walls of the room, irritating Rudy’s ears. Despite this, he kept the knife deep in Snap’s armpit. He gave a quick twist, prompting another scream from Snap, before yanking it out. Blood splattered on the ground.

Rudy stared at the crimson liquid before him, and then looked at his knife, noting the read areas where blood clung to it. He reached down with his finger and coated it with Snap’s blood. He brought it to his face and gave it a sniff. Seconds later, he inserted his finger into his mouth, tasting the blood of his ‘friend’. He ignored Snap’s horrified expression as he sucked on his finger.

“Hmm...not bad.” Rudy said, pulling his finger away. He wiped it off as he turned over to Snap. “I think Ghadir was right. Maybe I would have liked eating you.”

Snap shivered in a combination of fear and pain at this. “Y-You wouldn’t...”

Rudy shrugged his shoulders. “I’m open to it. Zoners as food may be a valid option.” Snap gasped at this, his face paling more than it already was. “But enough of that. I wasted enough time with you.” He stared at Snap’s still bleeding wound. “I guess I’ll take care of that in a bit.” He gave an evil smile to Snap. “Wouldn’t want you dying too early, now would we...?”

Snap gulped and cringed back. He said not a word.

Rudy said, “But remember this, little zoner.” He stared intently into Snap’s scared eyes. “Just because I’m leaving doesn’t mean you will get a chance of escape. I know you well enough. I am aware you are trying to hatch an escape plan in your mind. Rest assured you will not get that chance. I will see to it that you will be unable to succeed.” He made a gesture towards the nearby door. “That is why I am having a...friend of yours... watch over you while I’m gone.”

A dark, hulking shape moved into the room. Rapidly, the shadows dissipated, revealing the figure for who he was.

Snap sucked in a sharp breath. “B-Boorat?!”

Rudy smirked. This was the response he had expected from Snap. Rudy took a moment to look at Boorat. The zoner had a blank expression on his face, his body wearing a few injuries from their brief skirmish. Like some zoner slaves that Mr. Cosmo had, Boorat had a mind control device in his head. He thought momentarily about how he had captured Boorat a short while ago. Boorat put up a pretty good fight...for a zoner, but it was ultimately futile. Getting the mind control nail in him was noisy and difficult, but well worth it. Boorat’s muscle might be useful one day.

“I think he...” Rudy made a gesture to Boorat, palm facing up. “..will be more than capable of keeping you here.” As he said this, his other hand pointed at Snap. Boorat obediently walked over, eerily silent, and took position next to Snap. The blue zoner looked at Boorat fearfully before turning his attention back to Rudy. “If you try to escape, he will recapture you. So don’t even think about trying to get out of here.” He turned his back to Snap. “You will not get far.”

Rudy took a few steps away. He stopped and he turned around. Boorat hadn’t moved. He remained standing there, as if he were a statue. Snap was still quivering in fear, his face contorted to show pain. He stared at Boorat before turning to Rudy. The zoner had a somewhat pleading expression now. Snap did not want to be left alone with Boorat. Rudy couldn’t help but smile at this.

“I am going to leave temporarily to get another stick of black chalk. I will tend to your new injury, Snap.” Rudy said. “After that, I am going to the Chalk Mine. If my plan worked, well...let’s just say you lost another ally.”

Rudy’s evil sneer broadened as he watched Snap widen his eyes in horror.

sss

It was a slow and painful process, but Penny had managed to carry the unconscious Nexra up the pathway. It wasn’t easy avoiding the sharp and spikey obstacles, and carrying Nexra just added to that difficulty. The zoner was a bit larger than her, which not only made it difficult to drag her, but also difficult to keep her from getting more hurt.

The ground itself wasn’t very easy to navigate either. Some areas were not smooth; there were places where she nearly tripped and some sharp rocks sticking out of the ground as well. If she wasn’t very careful, she could have easily gotten a rock right through her foot. And it wasn’t just her that could have gotten hurt; dragging Nexra’s body made the security officer zoner vulnerable. Penny did the best she could, but Nexra had gotten hit by the spikes at least once. Penny felt guilty about this, but she had pressed on.

Treating Nexra’s wounds were important, but she couldn’t do that on the spikey, rocky slope. There were too many protrusions from the ground with sharp edges, too many razor edges that she or Nexra could hit up against. Even though it might be a little safer here, since the serrated edge of the landscape could provide some level of protection, she knew that she had to get out of here and find a place to hide before she could treat Nexra’s wounds. It was possible that she and Nexra were the only ones in the ChalkMine, well outside of Biclops and Tsere. However, considering what was going on, it was best to play it safe.

Penny had reached the top of the pathway a few minutes ago. She hadn’t been able to escape completely unharmed. She hissed as she felt the stinging pain from a few of her cuts. Nexra didn’t fair as well either. Looking at her, Penny could tell she suffered a couple additional cuts. Penny’s injuries were minor, but the same injuries on Nexra, despite being about the same size, only added to the problems Nexra’s body was currently facing. She couldn’t afford another cut, even a shallow one, in her state.

Penny looked around, trying to see if she could figure out where she was and where to go. At first, she didn’t recognize this tunnel. It looked as if she were still in an unrecognizable part of the mine. She mentally cursed herself for not doing more exploring of the mine to familiarize herself with it.

Then she spotted something. There was something familiar about this winding tunnel. To the left, she could see some kind of groove. She narrowed her eyes and looked at it harder, her mind’s gears churning as she tried to figure out just what it was. Then, as realization struck her, she widened her eyes and felt her blood start to chill.

It was the first black chalk chamber she and Rudy went into three years ago...

Horrific flashbacks appeared in her mind in lightning bolts. She recalled the details of the destroyed mine, the insane trio of zoners, Rudy being controlled for the first time, seeing Saffron’s corpse, Snap’s near death... She remained frozen in that spot for a few seconds, her heart beating quickly. It took her several moments to regain her composure, letting out a long, shaky sigh.

Penny couldn’t believe she was back here, where it all started. The place where Rudy had gotten the black chalk in his blood, where he had gone crazy. Her mind turned to ice, her hairs standing on the back of her neck, as she recalled out horrifying Rudy had been during this time. It was one of the scariest encounters with Rudy she had. Unlike Dark Rudy, Light Rudy, and the corrupted Rudy being controlled by Nihilanth, Black Chalk Rudy, as she mentally referred to him as, did not seem very sentient, and instead attacked like a wild animal.

Even the way he looked at her... It didn’t seem like an intelligent person looking at her, but someone running purely on instinct, which she was certain was the case. Black Chalk Rudy didn’t even speak and hardly had much of a reaction outside of trying to kill everyone. He wan’t thinking his actions through, he was just doing them. She guessed that the black chalk shut down a higher portion of the brain so it was easier to...transform into their liking.

Penny broke her thoughts away from the black chalk the best she could so she could focus on trying to figure out which way to go. She knew that if she took this path to the left, and go past the black chalk chamber, which no doubt was broken into an opened at some point when the black chalk artists had arrived, the entrance of the Chalk Mine wasn’t too far away. Still a bit of a walk, but she knew that this path would ultimately bring her out of the Chalk Mine. But perhaps the right path would be better. She hadn’t been down that way before, but maybe there’s some better hiding spots, maybe a white chalk chamber down that way, too. One that wasn’t crazy like the last one she was in.

Penny shuddered at the thought. She still didn’t get her full memories back of what happened, but she did recall that she and Nexra had stumbled upon some strange white chalk. The rogue white chalk chamber, containing chalk that was still loyal to the black chalk. It had taken her over. She didn’t remember much of how she got out of it. Nexra may have something to do with it.

She couldn’t recall just how it took her over. She remembered something about it talking with her, and looking into some light... But she wasn’t sure if that was how she was controlled or if there was something else. She also wasn’t aware if she did anything horrible while under the rogue white chalk’s control. For all she knew, she may have been the one that attacked Nexra and given at least some of her injuries. She bit her lip. She hoped that wasn’t the case.

She turned her head left and right. Just which path should she take? Going down the right path might be better, but she wouldn’t know without exploring it some more. Doing so with Nexra could be risky, but at the same time, it would be risky not taking Nexra with. The zoner could die soon unless she found a way to slow down the bleeding. And to do that, she was going to need time, something she might not get if she went down an unknown path. At least with the left path, she knew roughly the area and could more easily find hiding places if necessary.

A realization hit her. There was another reason that, perhaps, she should go into the black chalk chamber. It was a simple matter of expectation. Rudy and Nihilanth knew she had no intention on being corrupted. They would not think she’d willingly go into the black chalk chamber. It was the last place she’d ever want to go, and that was what made it the perfect hideout. Taking a moment to look down the tunnels again to make sure no one was coming, she held tightly onto Nexra and moved towards the black chalk chamber.

Just as she thought, the barrier that had been put there was dripped off, leaving behind no door anywhere. She carefully moved Nexra over the shattered barrier pieces. Thankfully, she was able to get her over without much trouble. She continued to pull Nexra until they had entered the chamber completely.

Penny stopped, feeling a sudden chill. Her body shivered as she looked left and right. She could see the black chalk growing out of the ground in front of her, many feet away. She remained frozen in her spot, her mind recalling details of her last time in here. Looking around, she couldn’t help but imagine the battle that ensued here, the way Black Chalk Rudy killed those zoners, the way she was forced to fight him, how she had nearly been killed. She shook her head and tried to reorient her thoughts on the matter at hand.

Penny carefully dragged Nexra along the wall. She could see that there was a part of the wall that curved around, creating a groove she and Nexra could hide in. She walked over to it, carrying the unconscious and heavily damaged zoner with her. She stared at the groove, looking at the curved indention up and down to make sure it was big enough. She then walked towards it. She gently set Nexra on the ground and put her back to the wall and slid down. She pulled on Nexra to make sure that none of her body stretched beyond the ‘half cave’ structure she and placed them in.

With them out of sight, Penny turned her attention on Nexra. She overlooked her injuries again, biting her lip as her eyes traveled over the more serious ones. She might have been trained by her mother, but she wasn’t sure if that was going to be enough. And her outline? What of her outline? What will she do? Was she qualified enough to....?

Penny narrowed her eyes in determination. She wasn’t going to put herself down like this. She was going to try. Even though she wasn’t sure if she would succeed, she had to at least give it a shot. Nexra will die if she did nothing. Without a second thought, she pulled out the red chalk.

Penny drew a large cloth. She turned to Nexra. She looked at the areas where there was the most bleeding, such a long, deep one that was on her leg. She leaned forward and looped the cloth around the zoner’s leg. She tied it as tightly as she could, the cloth pressing against the large blood vessel there. She kept the pressure, watching the gash. Slowly, the bleeding slowed down. It took a bit of time, but the bleeding eventually stopped. She kept the cloth tied just in case, as removing it could risk the wound starting to bleed again.

She drew another cloth and went to work tying it around one of Nexra’s arms, where she could see there was another deep cut. She couldn’t remember if this cut was there before or if it was one she inadvertantly gave her. The cloth was tied tightly around the arm, near the shoulder. Penny kept an eye on it, making sure that the bleeding stopped.

For the smaller wounds, Penny used smaller clothes. She applied gentle pressure to these injuries, just enough to help the zoner’s body create a blood clot. It took some time to get all of them. There were several cuts. But she soon was able to stop the bleeding on all of the smaller cuts.

After the bleeding was mostly stopped, Penny didn’t waste any time in getting the items she needed. She began to swiftly draw some medical supplies. Bandages, disinfectant, some chalk water, some cloths, and stitches. She wasn’t as good with stitching as her mom, but some of these wounds were so big, just covering them up was not going to work. Stitching was definitely required. The sooner, the better. Once the items were drawn, she laid them at her side and turned to Nexra. Picking up the rag, she soaked it in the water, wrung it out, and went to work.

She gently placed the cloth against the wounds, one by one cleaning them of blood. She was careful, not wanting to cause more damage or any additional pain. The water was cool. Not freezing, but having some chilliness to it, in hopes of reducing some of the blood flow that was still occuring in a couple of the larger wounds. As soon as she was done washing the wounds, taking great care of the larger, deeper ones, she went on to the next stop.

Picking up the disinfectant, she went to work spraying the wounds carefully. She sprayed and disinfected each of the wounds except for the largest and rawest wounds. She thought she heard her mom say that disinfectant could irritate those wounds, so she left them be. If she turned out to be wrong later on... Well she would have time to feel guilty later. She turned her attention to the cloth bandages she had drawn. Picking them up, she turned her attention back to the unconscious Nexra.

She began to loop the cloth bandage around her body. She made sure the cloth was good and tight, securing the wounds underneath and protecting them from the elements. Around and around Nexra’s body and limbs the clothes went. Penny made sure each set was secured tightly and had no chance of being ripped off so easily.

After she was done, Penny took a few moments to oversee her work. Her eyes moved along Nexra’s body, taking note of the bandages. She eyed every detail as she could, doublechecking to ensure that everything was fine. The bandages looked okay. She was a little worried that they may not be tight enough. She wanted to work more on them, but she didn’t know how much time she had left to get out of here. She decided that what she did should be good enough to get Nexra to the hospital. At least teh wounds were covered; better than being raw and exposed.

Penny couldn’t help but turn her head and look out at the black chalk chamber she was in. She felt her stomach twist in knots as she thought bitterly of all the things the black chalk, and Nihilanth by extension, had done to her and everyone else here. In a way, the black chalk was the cause of most of ChalkZone’s strife. It was the one that, indirectly or not, created the red chalk, which caused problems in ChalkZone. It was the reason creators were banned. It was the reason many creators went crazy. And it was trying to expose ChalkZone, the very thing she and her friends had fought against for years.

As much as she would love to destroy this infested grove of darkness, she knew it would do her no good. This was not the only black chalk chamber. It was just one of many. She had been in another one, where the Solar Pillars laid. She knew that destroying one would not do anything about the others; they would remain and continue to spread their darkness.

If she remembered right, Biclops had mentioned that the black chalk gave black chalk users the ability to create new black chalk. She wasn’t sure how this was possible. What was the black chalk made out of anyway? The red chalk was ground up inflatamice. What of black chalk? Just what was it made out of?

A disturbing thought entered her head. What if it wasn’t made out of any known material? What if, unlike the other chalk, it wasn’t created from a substance from this world? The more she thought about it, the more she realized that had to be the case. Black chalk and white chalk were both connected to Nihilanth, and Nihilanth’s claim is that he created ChalkZone. If this were true, then there was no material from this world he could use because this place did not exist. Therefore, both black chalk and white chalk had to be ‘otherworldly’, as some might put it. They were alien, made from alien material.

But if that were the case, then why were black chalk artists able to create more black chalk? Then she realized the answer was actually very simple. The black chalk artists created black chalk from the stuff already inside their bodies. Their blood.. They used their own blood to create more black chalk.

The thought caused ice to shoot through her veins. She had no proof if this was the case, but it was the only thing she could think of that would make sense. The idea of using blood to create chalk.. The idea that black chalk was essentially ‘blood chalk’ was chilling, causing her to shiver. White chalk didn’t have this issue; it obviously adapted well and could grow on its own. Not black chalk. It needed blood. Black chalk artist blood...

No wonder the black chalk was so desperate to find humans to recruit. Humans tainted with black chalk was literally its lifeline. Without chosen human servants to carry the black chalk in their blood, the black chalk could be completely destroyed provided all the locations were found.

Penny shook her head, snapping herself back to reality. Now wasn’t the time to ponder about that. They were still in enemy territory. She felt a pang in her chest. Calling the Chalk Mine ‘enemy territory’ was not something she expected she would do. Setting aside her negative feelings, Penny picked herself off the ground and brought out the red chalk again.

“What do? What plan?” The red chalk asked.

Penny replied, “We need to create a mode of transportation.” She glanced down at Nexra. “I have to get her to safety.”

“Why?” The red chalk asked, its voice cold. “She black chalk artist creation. Fought on black chalk artist’s side. Helped to capture you. Why help?”

Penny shot a glare at the red chalk. Without thinking, she ended up tightening her grip on the crimson stick. She was about to snap at the chalk, but she caught herself. She knew that yelling at the red chalk was not going to solve any of their issues. It wasn’t like the red chalk was going to listen to her. She relaxed herself, inhaling and exhaling slowly. She felt herself relax and she lightened her grip on the red chalk.

Penny spoke in a forcibly calm voice. “Now see here, red chalk. I cannot just leave her here.” She cast another glance down at the unconscious zoner. “Regardless of her involvement, it just...wouldn’t be fair to let her stay her and die. Besides, I am certain she is the reason I survived at all. I owe it to her.”

“Hrmm...very well...” The red chalk said. Judging from its voice, it still sounded skeptical. “Whatever girl say. Still trust her not. Hope girl know what she doing. Proceed with caution.”

Penny ignored the red chalk after that. She wasn’t in the mood to carry out a conversation with it, and now wasn’t the time for that. She lifted up the red chalk once more and began to draw with it.

Lines rapidly filled the air. Red lines covered the area around her, floating in the air as if the world was some giant piece of paper. The red lines, as she made twists with her wrist, rapidly took shape. It took a few moments to finish what she was drawing. Line after line connected, and as she finally finished, color flushed the object, solidifying it and materializing it into the world. She took a step back and admired her work.

She had drawn a car, coated in a deep blue color. It wasn’t very large. Not much larger than the smallest vehicles she had seen on the streets before. But it would do just fine. She walked over to it and opened up the back door. She carefully dragged Nexra over. She lifted her up and placed her into the back seat. She buckled her in and made sure she was secure.

Once she was satisfied that Nexra was not going to topple over, she shut the door. She made her way over to the driver’s seat. She grabbed onto the door and pulled it open. She climbed up and secured herself to the seat. As soon as she had buckled herself in, she turned the keys in the ignition and listened to the car roar to life. In a matter of seconds, she started to back up, preparing to leave the black chalk chamber.

She never got that far.

Without warning, something large and heavy slammed against her. Something big and solid...and sharp. She could hear the creak of metal and the rush of air as a few holes were torn through the hull of the vehicle. She let out a scream as she and the vehicle toppled through the air, spinning, and then crashing at the top. Nexra’s body was pulled from the seat belt and fell on top of her. Penny let out a grunt of pain. The vehicle spun around in circles rapidly before slowly coming to a stop.

Penny thought it was over. She took in a few shaky breaths, turning to Nexra to make sure she was okay. She didn’t seem too worse for wear. Penny gritted her teeth and attempted to push herself up. She didn’t make much progress when the same heavy object, or at least she thought it was the same, slammed against the car again. Her screams filled the air as she felt herself and the vehicle being spun around, rolling violently across the ground. It once again landed on its back and slid across the ground for a while, making slow wide turns as it did so.

This second attack ruptured part of the vehicle. Smoke pillowed out rapidly, jetting out from the sides. Much of it hovered inside the vehicle, creating a thick cover of it. Penny's eyes teared up as she coughed. She could feel the inside of her throat start to burn, bits of ash getting inside of her. She widened her eyes and struggled to take in breath after breath. Clutching her throat, she turned to Nexra. Being unconscious, the zoner couldn’t react to the smoke around around her. Penny realized, in horror, that Nexra was inhaling too much smoke.

Ignoring the pain she herself was in, Penny unbuckled herself and managed to crawl over to Nexra. She paid no mind to the shattered glass cutting into her arms and body. She looped an arm around Nexra’s body and began to drag her out of the vehicle. It was slow, painful process. She couldn’t help but wince as shattered glass continued to slice her, some of it getting into her wounds. Nexra was getting cut up too, but there was nothing Penny could do to prevent that.

Soon she reached the passenger’s door, the glass completely shattered, still leaving behind some razor sharp edges. Penny stared at it and gulped. She thought about going back until she realized the driver’s window was gnarled and distorted to the point where she could not cross it. She had to take this path, otherwise they were trapped. She lowered her head as far as she could to draw in a breath of whatever fresh air was left. Then she proceeded to crawl through.

Penny hissed in agony as she pushed herself through the opening. The sharp edges cut into her clothes and flesh. She let out a yelp of pain as one of her arms ended up being badly sliced. She felt arm blood flowing down her limbs. Soon she was completely out. She fell into the ground, taking in rapid breaths, a relieved expression shining on her face as she was able to take in more fresh air. She then turned around and grabbed onto Nexra. She held on tightly and dragged her through the opening. She tried to be careful, but she wasn’t able to stop some of the larger shards of glass from cutting into the bandaged areas, causing more damage there, as well as creating some new wounds elsewhere.

Soon she was able to pull her all the way out, gripping onto her and yanking her as hard as she could until she came through the opening. Penny fell onto her back, Nexra collapsing next to her. Instead of getting up, Penny laid there, her arms spread out at her sides, her chest heaving as she took in a few deep breaths. The demi-deprivation of oxygen was affecting her, and the smoke seemed to have caused some minor irritation to her lungs, enough that she found herself having another coughing fit.

She turned her head to Nexra. She could see the zoner was unconscious still. Her breathing, just like before, didn’t change, despite the fact that she must have some damage to her lungs from inhaling more of it than she did. It was the fact that she was unconscious. Her body was not responding the way it should to such a threat.

As Penny continued to stare at Nexra sympathetically, she could hear the sound of the vehicle not far from them getting ripped apart. The creaking and tearing of metal, the grunching and crunching of metallic parts being crushed and destroyed, something large and heavy ripping it apart. Even without seeing it, Penny knew that there was no way the vehicle was going to be useable again. It was completely destroyed. Penny could feel her blood lowering in tempature rapidly, a burning sensation somehow still centering around her upper chest and shoulders, as she heard heavy footsteps coming towards her. Gulping, she lifted up her head to see her attacker.

Her eyes widened in horror. No..it couldn’t be.. He couldn’t be here.. Of all the places, of all the times..why did he have to show up now? Penny wished this was some kind of horrible dream. She wished that she was seeing things. But no matter how hard she looked, she knew the truth. There was no denying it. No matter what, she knew that what she was seeing before her...was reality.

There, standing before her, was Nihilanth... His glowing eyes stared intently into her own, boring through them and her soul. She wanted to move, wanted to speak, do anything, but the glare from his eyes forced her to remain still, frozen in terror.

The two-headed dragon sneered down at her, evil smiles spread across both his snouts. His back foot gripped onto the car, its talons sinking further into it. In a matter of seconds, Nihilanth crushed the car completely, reducing it into something akin to a large, crumbled up tin foil ball, only it was made out of car parts instead. He then stomped on it, effortlessly crushing it underneath his massive weight.

Raising his wings slightly, Nihilanth began to slink over to Penny. The teenager managed to recover enough to start backing away. She was not fast enough to her feet, and soon Nihilanth’s paw pressed against her body and weighed her down. She opened her mouth and struggled to take in breaths. The dragon was pushing down on her so hard, it was obstracting her breathing.

Nihilanth stared down at her with two sets of cold eyes. He lowered his heads down, placing them at either side of her. She stared up at him in fear, her fingers and hands trying to pry his foot from her body. He snickered at her weak attempts of escape. He responded by stomping down on her even harder, causing the air in her lungs to be forced out in a painful exhale. Penny’s eyes widened as she struggled to take in another breath, but with Nihilanth’s paw and weight slowly crushing her, she was denied this.

“Well well well... Look what we have here.” Nihilanth chortled as he bared his teeth in a vicious grin. “A little lost girl who was too ‘brave’ for her own good.”

Penny felt some relief when Nihilanth removed some of the pressure from her chest. She immediately started sucking in rapid breath after rapid breath, filling her empty, starving lungs with oxygen. She didn’t have much time to feel this relief when she was hoisted into the air. Her arms were pinned at her sides. She twisted herself from side to side, gritting her teeth. She glared hatefully at Nihilanth, but he hardly responded to her glare.

Nihilanth made a gesture with his other paw, acting as if he were just giving some kind of lecture. “We knew you would come here at some point. Well we knew much of what you were going to do.” Upon seeing Penny’s reaction, Nihilanth cut her off. “And don’t think of trying to ask us what we did. That is a secret.” Nihilanth sneered at her. “You have no need to know of our secrets, little girl. If we were you, we would be more worried about what is going to happen to you.”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror at this. She tried again to struggle. Nihilanth laughed and suddenly squeezed her tightly, once more forcing her lungs to empty of air. Nihilanth kept his tight grip on her, cutting off her oxygen supply for several moments before loosening his grip. Penny lowered her head, her eyes bulging as she struggled to refill her lungs.

“Pitiful little mortal. A shame that you have such a short life span. If you were mortal like us... Imagine the things you would accomplish.” Nihilanth said with a sneer. He pulled Penny closer, studying her like she were just some stray object he found laying around. “As of now, you’re nothing. You’re just a pathetic little human who will only live a short and sad life, not having nearly enough time to complete all your goals. Your intelligence, while grand, will not last much longer. I have seen decades.” He spread his wings out. “What have you seen?”

Penny stared at the dragon, confused. What was he getting on about? Why was he suddenly talking about life spans?

Nihilanth gave a twisted smile. “Well we can correct that. We know you are intelligent, Penny. We know that you have the potential of being someone truly great. So instead of killing you, we think it is best we..work with you...” Nihilanth pulled his heands back in an S-shaped striking position. “We believe that it would be too much of a waste for you to lose all that intelligence because of some pitiful lifespan. We would like to off you a chance to...become something more...” He stared intently into Penny’s eyes. “Why not...join us..?”

Penny widened her eyes at this. So that’s what he was up to.

Nihilanth tilted his black head to the side. “What do you say? In exchange for your servitude... We will...extend your lifespan indefinitely. We..will make you..” He spread his wings out further. “Immortal!”

Penny finally found her voice. “W-What..?”

“You heard us. You can live forever. You will never die. You...” Nihilanth sat down on his haunches. He continued making occasional gestures with his paw. “..will have plenty of time for your..experiments. You will have all the time in the world to...get to know ChalkZone...”

“I...I thought you were going to destroy ChalkZone...” Penny muttered under her breath.

Nihilanth paused at this. He tilted his white head and he chuckled for a few moments. “We will be glad to...leave a piece of it behind, if you so desire... We will even spare your friends and family. Offer them sanctuary. We will help keep them safe with the creation of the new world.” Nihilanth pulled Penny closer. “All you have to do...”

Penny stared at him, her body filling with dread.

“Pledge your loyalty to us.”


	169. Taking Back What Belongs To Me

“No..you can’t do this!” Barney cried as he watched the display in horror. “Penny would never...!”

“Oh shut up.”

Barney screamed when he felt something small and solid strike against his jaw. He was flung to the side, rolling across the ground painfully. He pushed himself up with one hand and placed his other hand on his cheek. It felt sore from the punch. He turned his attention to the one who had attacked him.

Rudy stood not far from him. Unlike before, he didn’t wear a cocky smile or looked the least bit amused. Instead, he was frustrated. It was clear that he had enough of Barney’s interference and whining, and he wasn’t going to take anymore of it. He gave the centipede a scowl, a warning to him to keep his mouth shut.

The centipede took in a few shaky breaths. He stared at Rudy in fear before turning his attention to what was going on. Set not far from him, there was a small....something. It was like a puffy cloud, transluscent in the middle, and in that area, he could see images of what was going on in the outside world. This cloud was showing him what Nihilanth was seeing. And what was being displayed horrified the insect zoner.

Penny had been attacked in the Chalk Mine, which was now under the enemy’s control. Nihilanth has Penny pinned down and she is unable to fight back. Even with the dreaded red chalk willing to work with her, that would do her no good so long as she was held down like that. Nihilanth’s massive foot covered much of her body and did a terrifyingly great job at keeping her still. He watched as Penny struggled to get herself free, feeling pangs of disappointment as she was unable to get herself away. This did not surprise the centipede zoner and he realized that it was going to take a miracle to get her out of there.

Barney turned his gaze back to Rudy. He had come to watch the events unfold. After all, he had planned this. Or rather, this was the result he wanted. Barney was well aware of Rudy’s original plans, and how they had changed since things weren’t happening exactly how he wanted them. He was still saving Jenny as a trump card, though now he had to be very careful as Snap could easily ruin this surprise. This was one of the things that caused a change. Rudy was going to have to take care of Snap so that he does not tell Penny.

..or he could corrupt Penny now so it would be too late... That was the decision he had made ultimately. He had wanted to corrupt Penny for a while now, but it was supposed to happen at a different time. Barney was thankful that he had to keep changing his plans and delaying that, as it bought Penny a little bit of time. But unfortunately.... Barney turned to look at the picture again. It was unfortunate that it didn’t buy her enough time.

When Rudy figured out Penny was headed to the Chalk Mine, he had arranged some events there to ensure that he and Nihilanth would eventually be able to catch her. He hadn’t counted on the rogue white chalk; that had been a complete surprise. Barney was somewhat amused that there were some things about ChalkZone that even the ‘great deity’ had no idea about.

But his amusement had been short lived when he realized the rogue white chalk, though sentient, was not going to be of any help to Penny, and instead had tried to corrupt her. This had almost worked in Rudy and Nihilanth’s favor. Even though it wasn’t what they had planned, it would still result in what they wanted: the corruption of Penny.

Barney was relieved when they had managed to get away. Nexra proved herself to be an ally by getting Penny away from the white chalk. Unfortunately, Nexra had been mortally wounded. Barney bit his lip as his mind flashed with images of what Nexra had looked like after Penny came to. She was horrifically injured, with multiple gashes and even some outline wounds. The zoner’s outline had gone unstable and parts of it even bent away from her body. If Nexra were awake, the pain caused by this would be excruciating. Not just in the ‘oh my gawd make it stop’ kind of way, but in a ‘please just kill me now’ way. Though being knocked out was bad, Barney was somewhat relieved that the zoner was spared some of the pain for the time being.

“Well it’s almost time.” Rudy said softly, his voice cutting into the silence that hung strongly in the air. Barny turned towards him, his body stiff in apprehension. Rudy just stood there, calmly, but that was no guarantee that he wasn’t going to try something. “I don’t think my dear sweet Penny is going to give into such a demand. But it matters not.” He folded his arms behind his back and straightened himself up. “All Nihilanth is doing is giving her the illusion of choice. But the outcome, no matter what she says, will be the same.”

Barney stared at him. He wanted to convince himself that this surprised him, but the reality couldn’t be more different. Of course there was no choice. Of course Nihilanth wasn’t going to offer Penny any other chances, only the path that would lead to her losing her innocense, and sense of self control and identity. This was the way the black chalk operated. There was never any choice. The black chalk was a liar and deciever. It offered power, yes, but at the cost of something more precious than any power that could be offered.

Identity.

Barney was fully aware that the real Rudy’s personality was locked up inside Rudy’s body. His identity was still there, coping, trying to survive as it is slowly devoured into darkness. The longer Rudy remains corrupted, the harder it would become to recover that piece of him. It wasn’t impossible, even after many years. But it would become trickier. Barney could only hope that it manages to hold on, fighting back whenever possible, and do whatever it took to not fall apart under the control of the black chalk.

Barney could only imagine what that side of Rudy must be going through right now. It was trapped in its own mind, forced to watch and listen to all these events going on. It had nowhere to go, no way to reach out to Rudy and make him stop. It had nowhere to run, nowhere to go, just like himself. Barney was a prisoner here, and there was nothing he could do to change that.

Narrowing his eyes, turning his head away, Barney grumbled, “Spoken like a true imposter...”

Rudy whipped his head in Barney’s direction. “What did you just say...?”

Barney turned his attention back to Rudy. There was no use trying to lie about it. He took in a deep breath and said, “You’re an imposter. You’re not Rudy. The real Rudy would never approve of something like this. You’re just pretending to be him because you are ashamed of how he is. You know you can’t live up to the kind of person he is, so you take him over and masquerade as him.”

Rudy narrowed his eyes a little more at this, his lips curling up. “You are an insignificant little worm. What would you know about me?” He took a step towards Barney. He looked somewhat surprised when Barney didn’t back away. He shrugged it off and said, “I don’t care that you are Nihilanth’s vessel. I don’t care if you have been around for hundreds of years. In here, you are nothing to me. I won’t kill you as Nihilanth still needs you. But I can tear you apart so easily...” A nasty smile tugged away at the corner of his lips. “Remember?”

The centipede’s eyes widened in horror at this. His mind flashed back to when Rudy tore off his wings so violently, without any remorse. He recalled just how painful it was. He could still feel his wings being yanked beyond their limitations, the feel of his blood pouring down his back. The pain had been so intense, he was certain he had passed out eventually. His mind filled with horror at the memory of what happened. Even now, despite not being in pain anymore, he could still feel it.

Rudy had healed his wounds sometime ago. A day perhaps. It was hard to tell how much time had passed trapped in this mind void place. For all he knew, years had gone by. The only window to the outside world was what Nihilanth saw. That was his only clue to figuring out how much time had passed, and even that wasn’t foolproof. Seeing Penny looking the same age as before only showed that not many years passed. But there was a lot of time in between... Who knows what could happen in that time frame...

“I can take away the healing.” Rudy sneered at him. “If you cross me... I can so easily remove all that healing so you will be back to your whimpering, sobbing self again.”

Barney glared back at him, trying to fight back against his fear. “Oh can it, will you?” Rudy hissed angrily at this. He tried to reply, but Barney cut him off. “You are only healing me so I won’t die, so you can keep hurting me. You didn’t give me my wings back, but I’m certain that you will eventually, just so you can tear them out again, am I right, ‘great creator’?”

Rudy hissed at him. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you, worm?” He took a few steps towards Barney, his twisted smile returning. There was more anger than amusement in this smile. “You would be correct, though. I am only healing you so I may toy with you more. The black chalk doesn’t like letting its enemies die so easily, especially when they don’t deserve it.”

“For someone who has killed many innocent zoners,” Barney retorted. “I wouldn’t talk if I were you.”

“And you are not me.” Rudy replied. “I’m glad that you are smart enough to at least see that, bug.” Barney glared, but did not reply. He knew that it might make things worse. Rudy took this as a triumph and his smile seemed to broaden, a twinkle showing up in his green eyes. “But I bet there’s still somethings you don’t know...”

Barney turned his head away, averting gaze. “There’s a lot of things about you and the black chalk I’ll never get...” He grumbled underneath his breath. “But it’s not like you would understand. Your ‘morals’..if you have any.. It’s distorted and twisted. You do the most heinous things and think it’s just a game or not a big deal.” He turned a glare at Rudy. “You’re positively disgusting...”

Rudy snarled at this, his face visibly contorting in anger when Barney said that. He looked like he was ready to explode. Barney tensed his body up, preparing for an attack. But true to black chalk behavior, even though Rudy was angry, he seemed to calm himself very quickly, keeping his anger locked up inside and his body relatively tranquil.

“You know, Barney... The thing you don’t seem to know about the black chalk...” Rudy started to say.

“I know quite a bit about it. More than I care for.” Barney interrupted him. “Nihilanth’s mind is open for me to see. I know what he thinks. I don’t think there’s anything regarding the black chalk I don’t know something about.”

“I see..” Rudy chuckled. “Then perhaps I will remind you.”

“Oh please do.” Barney said sarcastically. “I would be delighted.”

“All right then.” Rudy folded his arms against his chest. He ticked the right corner of his mouth back, creating an asymetrical, twisted smile. “Are you aware...that if the black chalk were destroyed, all wounds healed by the black chalk would be...” He turned his head to the side. “...undone...?”

Barney’s eyes widened in horror at this. He could feel his heart twisting into a knot. Yes, he remembered now. Hadn’t Nihilanth mentioned something like this? He was certain he did. Taking away all the healing, especially at once, would be excruciating. The pain would be much worse than the initial attack in the first place. Barney felt his hand gripping his throat as he thought of just how painful it would be for him to suddenly have all his wounds back. And whose to say Rudy and Nihilanth wouldn’t go further than that?

Rudy gave a triumphant smirk. “I see you understand where I’m coming from.” He leaned back, tapping his chin thoughtfully with a single finger. “Do you also understand that you are not the only one who was healed? There is Penny...oh and Snap, too.”

Barney took in a sharp gasp at this, his breath filled with desperation. No, he wasn’t talking about... But that look in his eyes... He was serious.

“Perhaps I won’t do anything to you. Maybe I’ll target them instead.” Rudy suggested to himself. He put on a thoughtful expression, clearly fake. His anger was melting away, and as it did his voice gained a creepy and dangerous tone. Barney knew that Rudy was thinking clearly at this point, and that would make his decisions more precise and well planned. “Or maybe I’ll go after your old friend.”

Barney paled at this. “N-No... you wouldn’t...”

“Oh I would. He is the one zoner who could possibly help you regain control of your body. And as you know...” Rudy’s eyes darkened. “My master cannot allow that. So long as that blasted turtle exists...” Barney stared at him in horror. “You have an escape route. I will not allow that turtle to set you free. It will be destroyed.”

Although angered by Rudy referring to his friend as an ‘it’, Barney was filled with more horror and fear than anger. A cold chill went up and down his spine as realization struck him. Rudy was...Nihilanth.. They were going to target his best friend. No...not Mumbo Jumbo...

Barney could feel his body start shivering in terror, his eyes bulging. His mind filled with dread. There was no doubt about it. These...these monsters were going to target Mumbo Jumbo... His friend was injured. He would stand no chance against Nihilanth. He would be crushed in seconds... And that’s only if he were lucky to get that fate. Nihilanth might prolong his pain. Torture him just to torment him, and then kill him right in front of him. Nihilanth would want to crush his spirit as much as he could so he would have no chance of regaining control.

But at the moment, the loss of his own body wasn’t what concerned Barney the most. It was the loss of his friend. He didn’t know if he could cope with the death of his best friend. Mumbo Jumbo had done nothing to do deserve this kind of fate. Why..? Why does he have to suffer? What did he do to bring that destination to himself? It just wasn’t fair. Mumbo Jumbo did not earn this kind of hostility. He didn’t do a blasted thing to Nihilanth, and yet, here he was, trying to get to him... That was uncalled for.

Deep inside his stomach, Barney could feel anger swell up inside. It boiled in the pit of his stomach, creating a burning sensation. He could taste bile in the back of his throat as anger sent cold yet burning chills through his body. He was not going to allow this. He was not going to allow Nihilanth to continue to toy with him and the others any longer. He was not going to give him a chance to get to Mumbo Jumbo. He cared too much about the tortoise to let anything happen to him. He was ripped away from him already; he didn’t want to lose him again.

He noticed Rudy was giving him a perplexed expression, some fear intermixed in it. Barney hardly paid attention. All he could think about was the anger boiling inside, the anger of how Nihilanth wanted to toy with his friend, who had done nothing to deserve it. Mumbo Jumbo was his closest friend, the one who tried to help him when Bardot tortured him, the one that reassured him when he was forced to stay in the temple to save ChalkZone from the tiny red bats. He was the one who had sheltered him and protected him the years after Bardot’s arrest. He had always felt safe around him, protected.

To know that his friend was being threatened like this, to know that these fiends wanted him dead for some selfish reason, it angered him beyond comprehension. They wanted to kill him so that he stood no chance of regaining his body. They wanted to kill the tortoise so that they would be free to hurt anyone they chose. Monsters... Bastards... They were not going to get away with this. He would see to that.

Rudy was backing away now. This time, Barney took notice. Why was Rudy moving away from him? Why did he look so frightened? And what was up with that glow? He...

It suddenly dawned on Barney. He looked down at himself. There was a bright, sparkling glow enveloping his body. It was creeping up from his backside, moving all the way towards his upper body, where his arms, head, and chest were. The glow felt warm, inviting... And yet at the same time, it felt powerful, as if something could stop him if it covered him completely.

What was going on? Why was he glowing? That wasn’t something he should be able to do. He was not drawn..er..created to be able to do that. There had to be an explaination for this, something to help him understand why this was happening. Was this..in response to this anger? Was his body reacting to it in an unexpected way? He had been angry before, but nothing like this has ever happened. Anger did sometimes make him feel strong, but the strength he was feeling here, it was unlike anything he ever felt before. What was happening to him?

Of course... Now it all made sense. The wheels in Barney’s head turned, cranked as realization filled inside of him. He knew exactly why he was having this reaction. He knew why he was starting to glow. And as he realized the truth, he couldn’t help but shoot a smug smile at Rudy. The teenager had backed away from him, the fear firmly etched on his facial features.

“No...it’s not possible..” Rudy snarled, his eyes wide in horror and disbelief. “It can’t be possible.. You shouldn’t be...”

“Oh no?” Barney spoke tauntingly. He noticed his voice sounded a little different. He wasn’t sure of any word to use to describe it except bigger. “How is it not possible? I think you, of all people, should know you should never dismiss something as impossible, no matter how improbable it might be.” Barny took a few steps forward. The glow has nearly enveloped him at this point. “After all, I’m sure that, before all this happened, you wouldn’t have believed that you would become a vessel for a monster, now would you?”

“You...” Rudy seethed, clenching his teeth. “You know...”

“I know quite a bit.” Barney retorted, folding his arms against his chest. “And one thing I know is that you underestimated me. You assumed that Mumbo Jumbo needed to be present in order for me to learn..how to control my own self.” His smile spread across his face. It was an unnerving smile, one that would discomfort anyone who saw it, even his own allies. “All I needed...was the memory of my old friend..in order for me to gain the courage to take back...” He held out a hand and then tightened it into a fist as if he were grabbing something invisible. “..what is rightfully mine.”

Rudy took a fighting stance. He arched himself forward. His eyes blazed with mixed emotion. His teeth were clenched, gritting, and his eyes narrowed into slits. If looks could kill, Rudy would have dispose of him by now. But despite the hateful look Rudy was giving him, despite the determination that practically overflowed from that boy’s body, Barney did not back away. He was not going to quit, not while he had gotten this far. He had managed to push Rudy into fear. Now it was time to complete that.

Now was the time...to take himself back.

With that, the glow completely covered him just as Rudy launched an attack. The teenager jumped towards him, and brought a fist down. It collided with him. Barney could feel the impact. He could feel the pain associated with it. But he did not flinch. Instead, he just pulled his hand back and struck Rudy. The boy was tossed back, tumbling across the ground. He pushed himself up onto his hands and shook his head. He looked over at Barney with a shocked and fearful expression.

Seconds later, the glow dispersed from Bardot’s body, which was now a solid orange color. The glow spread across the ground. It started to overtake the darkness. The area began to glow brighter, filling with a sparkly white brightness. Rudy attempted to rush at him again, but he was knocked away by the light, letting out a scream in the process. Soon, the white filled everything, and Barney felt a rush of power, and his consciousness seemed to start to spread out, giving him the illusion of growing larger when he really wasn’t.

“No! I will not allow this!” Rudy staggered to his feet. He clutched his side, his teeth clenched in pain. He glared up at the bright white light, which now just barely showed the orange body of Barney. “You must not assume control! If you do, everything will be ruined!”

Barney stared at him, a small, simple smile on his face. “Perhaps..that is the plan.”

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. “You’re mad!”

Seeing how angered and panicked Rudy was, with any sign of tranquility gone, Barney knew he was pushing all the right buttons. He was coming in from an angle that Rudy and Nihilanth clearly did not expect. And Rudy wasn’t liking it one bit. Barney knew he was about to do a lot of damage to their precious plans simply by looking at Rudy’s reaction. It was a genuine reaction; there was no way he could fake those emotions.

Rudy took a few steps towards him. He put a hand over his eyes, trying to shield them from the light. He started shouting at him. But whatever he was saying, at this point, Barney was no longer paying attention to him. His mind hardly registered what he said, and instead, he turned his attention to what was going on with him.

He could feel himself start to change. It was a feeling he could hardly explain, even to himself. It was...strange and yet welcoming at the same time. It was a sensation he had never felt before. It was like his body was morphing and twisting, rearranging bone structure, even though that was not the case. His body was not changing at all, and yet it felt like he was. He continued to feel like he was growing larger. He continued to feel like his strength was increasing. His mind was stretching, expanding, filling a large void he never thought was possible.

Then, without warning, his vision was completely engulfed in the color of white.

sss

Penny laid on the ground, helpless to escape. She tried whatever she could to get Nihilanth to let her go. Nothing was working. And that didn’t surprise her. She was pinned down by the massive dragon. She could feel his foot slowly but surely crushing her. Each breath she managed to take in became shallower and more spread out. Her skull started to fill with a spinning sensation as her brain started to become starved of oxygen. Her awareness began to drop, confusion settling in.

She became less aware of her surroundings. Her vision began to get a little blurry, a little dark. She gripped onto the dragon’s foot in desperation, clenching her teeth and starting up at him in fear. She wanted to beg, despite how much she did not want to give into him. Her brain was becoming desperate for salvation, to get to safety. And now she had run out of all options except to plead for her life. Even though Nihilanth was not going to listen to her pleas for mercy, her frantic mind urged her on, and she found herself attempting to beg for mercy.

But it wasn’t Nihilanth was listening to her. Her cries were muffled, barely audible. Even if she could talk normally, it would do her no good. She was trapped, her lungs being squeezed, unable to expand. Words became a chore, as if she were running some kind of marathon. Her eyes, wide with fear, stared up at Nihilanth, silently begging him to let her go. But all he did was sneer at her, a triumphant look spreading across his face.

Nihilanth knew he was winning. He knew that, in a matter of seconds, he was going to be rid of her, either through enslavement, or death. It wouldn’t be long now. Penny could feel her mind start to sway, oxygen becoming more and more of a precious, hard-to-come-by resource. She opened her mouth wider, desperately trying to take in a breath. She turned her head from side to side, her hands pushing against the massive foot.

What was she going to do? How was she going to get out of this? She tried to think of an idea, but her mind was becoming muggy, an ache spreading through her skull. There was an increased difficulty of thinking about anything, and her confusion became more prominent. It didn’t take her long to start to forget where she was, why she was here, and who this dragon above her was. She struggled to cling to the name ‘Nihilanth’, but it wouldn’t be too long before everything would start to become meaningless and...

No...she had to hang on. She had to fight to remain conscious. As she felt her hands loosen, slip and fall to the ground, she struggled to keep her eyes open. All her remainging strength now want to just trying to keep herself oxyginated and awake. Through her blurry vision, she could see that her skin had started to take on a bluish hue. Horror started to rise inside of her, but it was barely detectable as her mind continued to grow muggy. If she wasn’t able to get herself free soon...

In what remained of her consciousness, she remembered that the black chalk does not need living creatures in order to infest them. Dead bodies could be reanimated, which meant that...

...Nihilanth was going to have her, no matter which path she chose. She only had lose and lose paths available, while Nihilanth’s were win and win. That was why he looked so smug, so sure he was winning. Because, as much as she hated to admit it, that was the case. If she could just get free...

“Girl fool! Look at mess! What you got into! Should not have listened! Truce no good!”

Penny felt a tinge of horror and anger at this, realizing that the red chalk was about to break off the truce just to save its own sorry hide. But at the moment, she could hardly register that. She couldn’t feel as horrified as she want to. Her attention, what was left of it, was locked onto Nihilanth. She found herself unable to tear away from his piercing gaze. To know that this might be one of the last sights she will ever see...

“Penny was a fool, yes.” Nihilanth said, his eyes shifting towards the small red piece that was laying next to Penny. “But not because she tried to defy us. Okay, that is a reason. But if you want to call her a fool, you should do so referring to the fact that she thought it was a good idea to ally with you.”

“What?” The red chalk replied.

“Oh you know what we mean, crimson nuisance.” Nihilanth said with a pair of grins. “You are hardly worth the effort to fight against. You take pride in your strength, but your intelligence is something that could be desired more. You are severely lacking in that department. Penny would not have won with you, even if she didn’t get caught in this trip.” Nihilanth lowered his heads down, placing his white head close to the red chalk. His wicked sharp beak was centimeters away. “You could have been something more, but instead, you chose your pitiful life of loneliness.”

“Being servant worse fate. Evil necessary. Balance must maintain. Destruction not. We not idiots.” The red chalk retorted back. “Black chalk real idiot. Not know when to stop. Always destroy worlds. Never satisfied. What point?”

Nihilanth hissed, his lips curling up on his white head while his black head offered a disapproving look. “Such an expected reaction from an inferior creation. You lack the visionary capabilities that we do. Simple is all that fits you. You could not hope to understand what we are trying to accomplish.” He raised his heads up into the air. “Nor will we waste more time with you.” He turned his attention back to Penny. “Now may we continue, little darling...?”

Suddenly, unexpectantly, Nihihanth screeched in pain. He pulled his heads back further, wriggling them wildly. His massive body trembled not in pain, but something more like frustration and determination, like he was fighting against something. Nihilanth removed his foot from Penny and backed away several steps. He arched his necks down toward the ground, pawing at his heads with his feet, like he were some overgrown dog trying to scratch his ears.

Penny took in a sharp breath suddenly, her lungs filling in with much needed oxygen. Penny took in a few deep breaths, her eyes and mouth wide open. The blue hue vanished quickly and she managed to sit herself up. She placed a hand against her forehead, breathing in and out quickly as she tried to cope with the uncomfortable sensation swirling around in her head. She felt so light, so dizzy, a dull ache swimming around, engulfing her. It felt as though she had fall asleep for years and had just woken up.

Slowly, her mugginess and confusion went away. The newly inhaled oxygen began to feed her brain, helping it connect the dots and resume its work. As it did so, Penny stared ahead at Nihilanth, the urgency of the situation finally dawned on her completely. She gasped in horror as she nearly fell back down, feeling the weight of what was going on crash down on her shoulders. She managed to climb up to her feet and, as she realized more of what was going on, she stared at the two headed dragon in confusion.

Nihilanth was still swinging his heads around. Backwards, to the side, wriggling almost around each other. Sometimes he would bring his heads down to paw at them, and eventually he fell into the ground. He let out a few screeches. Panic-filled ones as his eyes bulged, as if he had no idea what was going on with him. He wasn’t the only one who seemed confused. Penny herself had no idea what was happening.

She couldn’t complain too much. This odd situation did save her from being crushed to death. But just what was happening? Was Nihilanth in pain, or was something else going on? She had her doubts this was a trick. It didn’t make any sense. Nihilanth had her in his grasp, so why would he try to trick her?

Then she saw it. When Nihilanth opened his white eyes set on his black head, she could see something she never thought she would witness from this dragon.

Fear.

As Penny’s mind cleared more, her eyes widened, realization dawning on her. Nihilanth was afraid of something. Those eyes, everytime they opened, they only conveyed fear to the outside world. Something was going on with this dragon deity. Something that he doesn’t like. His reaction seemed to show that whatever was happening, it was his worse nightmare. It didn’t take Penny long to realize that whever was Nihilanth’s worst nightmare...just might be ChalkZone’s savior.

Her mind quickly came to a single conclusion: Whatever was going on, it was a good thing.

A glow moved over Nihilanth’s body. It started at the tips of his long tails and slowly crept up his body. The glow had a tinge of faint orange to it, more noticeable on his white side than his black. As the glow continued to move up, Nihilanth started to panic more. He shook his heads in denial, his eyes bulging in panic. He rolled on the ground, his massive body hitting against the pieces of rock all around him, causing parts of the cave to fall down. Penny had to move back a safe distance, where she continued to watch this display in confusion, wondering just what was happening.

Nihilanth put a paw on his hands, gritting his sharp teeth. “No! You can’t do this to me! It’s not possible!” He cried, disbelief ringing loudly on the edge of his voice. He rolled onto his stomach, attempting to bury his heads underneath his paws. His body was wracked with trembles. “You’re..just a little worm... You shouldn’t have this kind of power...to...”

Nihilanth’s voice faded away as the glow rapidly moved up his necks. He raised his heads up, his eyes looking down in horror as the glow came up towards him. He split his jaws open, letting out panic-filled screeches as he struggled to get away from the encroaching orange glow. Soon, it covered him completely and as it did, Nihilanth let out a loud, echoing roar as his body stiffened up. Then, his body relaxed, his eyes closing, and he collapsed into the ground, one paw draped over the other and his tails curved in different directions. Soon, near silence fell on the cave room, with only Nihilanth’s heavy breathing being heard.

Penny stared at the scene in shock. She wasn’t sure what to make of it. She hadn’t expected something like this to happen. What was going on here? Why did Nihilanth pass out? She knew it had to be something good..or at least she hoped so. If there was another threat worse than Nihilanth... She shuddered as the thought entered her mind. She hoped that wasn’t the case.

Brushing herself off, Penny took a few steps towards the dragon, her feet stepping lightly and carefully on the ground. Nihilanth remained unconscious, breathing in and out slowly as if he were just taking a nap. As Penny moved in closer, she did her best to be cautious. She knew she had to be wary when approaching him. If she got too close, and he woke up, she wouldn’t have enough time to get away.

Though her instincts were telling her to run, she refused to comply. She couldn’t leave, not with this dangerous dragon on the loose. She needed to make sure he was unconscious. Then she needed to make sure the glow was not dangerous to her or to anyone else around her. The last thing she wanted to do was bring a possibly radioactive dragon back into ChalkZone City. She would never forgive herself if she did something that stupid and dangerous.

But her work wouldn’t be done even after making sure the dragon’s body was harmless. She then needed to make sure Nihilanth himself couldn’t be a threat. He needed to be tied up. Penny took a moment and looked at his large, unmoving form. She gritted her teeth, her mind filling with realization. This...was not going to be an easy task.

She cast a glance over at Nexra. The zoner was still unconscious, laying prone on the ground. Penny gave her a sympathetic expression. She needed to get her to a hospital and fast. She wasn’t sure how long Nexra could stay like this. She needed to take care of Nihilanth first, however. His presence was a danger. There was no way Nexra had much chance of recovery if Nihilanth was lose.

As she readied the red chalk, she suddenly froze, recalling the words that the red chalk had spoken earlier. Biting her lip, she looked down at it, waiting to see if the red chalk had anything to say.

Upon noticing Penny’s expression, the red chalk spoke. “Yes. Truce still on.” The voice sounded a little annoyed, but she could also detect relief, as if the red chalk was happy to see Nihilanth unconscious. “Go on. Draw.”

Penny nodded her head once. She turned her attention to Nihilanth. She was going to need a lot of rope to keep him still. Red chalk was more durable than white chalk, so the ropes she draws should be reinforced. However, before she could even start to draw, a chilling thought crept in from the back of her head. Horror dawned on her when she realized she had forgotten something.

Nihilanth was the ‘ultimate creator’. He could create without the use of the magic chalk.

Penny nearly dropped the red chalk at this revelation. If Nihilanth could create anything, then her attempts at drawing anything to subdue him would not work. She could create the most elaborate trap, and that would mean nothing as the dragon just creates something to free himself. Nihilanth had been very lenient with this power, she noticed, hardly ever using it. But he definitely would summon upon it to get himself free.

Before she could take any further action, Nihilanth’s body began to move. Penny felt her heart twist in fear as she watched the deity slowly climb up to his feet. The dragon staggered a little, his body swaying from side to side. He took a few steps forward, stumbling a little. His heads lowered and he shook them, his eyes opening. Slowly, he turned towards her. Penny bit her lip and took a step backwards.

She was about to ponder a way to take on Nihilanth before he could manage to get the upperhand on her, when something unexpected happened.

“Hello, Penny. I must say, it is great to see you again. At least, not while trapped in a prison void, forced to watch everything through...his..eyes...”

Penny’s eyes widened in shock. She felt her heart begin to race. It..it wasn’t possible, was it? Was this..how she thought it was? Penny felt her body start to shake in emotion. She stared at Nihilanth in shock, her spinning mind trying to comprehend what was going on. She wondered, at first, if her mind was playing tricks on her. It seemed too good to be true.

But the longer she stood there, staring at Nihilanth, into his eyes, the more she began to realize that this couldn’t be a trick. Those eyes...they didn’t hold the same evil, vile menace that Nihilanth did. These eyes, despite looking the same, save for a little orange coloration, were warm and inviting, showing clear happiness of seeing her. Penny fought back the urge to cry out in joy. Despite the growing elation inside of her, she forced herself to remain as calm as possible. However, she was not able to stop the smile from spreading across her face.

Taking a step forward, she spoke one name in a shaky voice. “B-Barney...?”

At once, the two heads nodded. “Yes, Penny. It’s me.”

Penny felt a wave of emotions strike through her. She gave a squeak, taking a step back. She could feel her body shake harder, some wetness forming in her eyes as elation started to overflow in her body. Despite her attempts at controlling her emotions, Penny was unable to stop the strong positive feelings burning in her stomach right now. That voice, it was definitely Barney. This...this couldn’t be a trick. A part of her wanted to doubt it, telling her that this was too easy. But...no..this couldn’t be some elaborate hoax...could it..?

Penny felt some weight of her hope being crushed when she realized this could still be some kind of trick. She needed some way to prove that this really was Barney. But how? She couldn’t just ask him a question, could he? If they were fused, wasn’t there a chance that Nihilanth knows all that Barney does? If that’s the case, then he couldn’t prove who he was that way.

Before Penny could say anything, Barney, or whoever claimed that he was, took a step forward, his eyes staring at her with an understanding expression. “I know that you may not believe me.” The lack of ‘we’ and ‘us’ did hint this was Barney, but that wasn’t enough. “But you just have to trust me on this. I am Barney. I do not know how long I will keep control of Nihilanth. I took over so you could have a fighting chance.”

Despite her caution, she decided to give him a chance. She would just have to remain wary around him and be prepared for a fight. “Okay. I’m just...shocked that you came back, especially after...”

Barney nodded his heads. “Quite understandable.” He looked down, his eyes furrowing. “I wasn’t sure if I could ever regain control of my body.” He looked at Penny. “I still haven’t... But...” He raised his wings a little, the tips of his claws glinting in the light. “I have made things a little even, if you know what I mean.”

Penny nodded her head. “How did you gain control of Nihilanth’s body anyway?”

Barney shrugged his shoulders. “I...really don’t know. I just got really angry and..” He spread his wings further. “This happened.”

“Insect funny. We amused.” The red chalk said, its glow rapidly increasing and decreasing as it spoke. “Enough talk. Get white chalk. Free Rudy.”

Barney showed some fear towards the red chalk, but he seemed to quickly calm himself down. He nodded his heads in affirmation. “It is correct. We do need to free Rudy.” He turned his attention to Penny. “Do you know where the nearest white chalk batch is from here?”

Penny thought for a moment. Then she said, “I can’t think of one at this very moment. There was one I went into, but it did not yield any kind of results I would like.” She shuddered as she remembered what had happened. “That rogue chalk took over my mind. It felt like someone slipped their hand into my skull.”

Barney nodded his heads in understanding. “Yes, I’m aware of that chalk. White chalk that still serves the black chalk.” He closed his eyes and shook his heads. “Some things never change.” He opened his eyes and looked at Penny, his heads lowered. “However, as much as I hate to say it, we may need that rogue chalk.”

Penny felt a pang of horror claw its way into her chest. Was Barney serious? He knows that the rogue white chalk served the black chalk. It was its ally, and thus an enemy to her and her friends, to ChalkZone, everyone. What made him think that the rogue white chalk could be of any benefit to them? What was he thinking? Had he gone insane?

Barney gave a small smile. “I know you think I’m nuts.”

Penny stared at him in shock. Had he heard her thoughts or was she just that obvious?

Barney then narrowed his eyes. “But I know what I’m doing. The rogue white chalk is still sentient, and it’s that sentience we need to help free Rudy. Using the rogue chalk, we can skip the step of trying awaken the sentience of white chalk. It’s a risk, I know. But it may buy us some time. You and I, and you too, red chalk, we all can agree that the sooner Rudy is separated from Nihilanth, the better.”

Penny was about to argue. She wanted to tell Barney it was better to err on the side of caution, that there was a chance that the plan with the rogue white chalk could easily go wrong. But she found herself unable to speak against it. For a few seconds, she wasn’t even sure why, until she realized that a part of her agreed with Barney. What if it was worth the risk? What if they could get Rudy back faster this way?

As Barney stared at Penny expectantly, the teenager struggled with coming up with an answer.


	170. What Are You Afraid Of?

Penny remained frozen where she stood. Her mind was spinning, filling with rapid-moving thoughts. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She stared at Nihilanth...no...Barney, wondering if this was really taking place. Of all the things she thought were going to happen during her stay here, this wasn’t what she thought would occur. This was the last thing that would have crossed her mind.

Standing before her was Barney, in Nihilanth’s body. The orange glow and the soft expressions served as her only clue as to who was in charge at the moment. Both Rudy and Nihilanth’s minds were somehow subdued, neither able to take control of the body for the time being. She didn’t know how he did it but somehow... Barney had regained control.

She felt a torrent of emotions as she realized the full impact of this revelation. For the first time in days, Barney was able to control himself. He was not being pushed around by that evil dragon. He was not being forced to commit heinous acts against other zoners, no hideous crimes against ChalkZone. For this moment, Barney was the one calling all the shots. It was something that Penny didn’t think would be possible for a while, but now that it’s happening, they had some extra time on their hands. They would need to make the most of it.

“Excuse me. I hate to interrupt your thoughts. But we do not have a lot of time.” Barney lifted up his massive foot, holding it out in gesture as he indicated Penny. “Please, can you hurry up? I may not be able to control myself for long.”

Penny narrowed her eyes. She wanted to say something, but she kept quiet. What could she say to him? She knew that he was right. She let out a slow exhale. Yeah, he was correct. They really didn’t have a lot of time. If they didn’t get a move on, Nihilanth and Rudy may regain control of the dragon body. If that happened, and she was certain it will if they spent enough time fighting back, there was little hope that the insect zoner could repeat this same process. Surely, Nihilanth would find a way to make sure he is unable to cause any trouble. Hope could be flushed down the toilet if...

That wasn’t the only problem. Penny reminded herself that Rudy sought to get into the real world. She remembered that Rudy was chosen as the ‘pollinator’. He was going to spread corruption across the real world, starting with Plainsville. More and more people would be turned into slaves of the black chalk, and they would no doubt invade and conquer ChalkZone. Three black chalk artists were hard enough to fight. But what were they going to do if they had to fight ten? Twenty? Fifty? One hundred? How could they fight against a massive scale invasion like that?

Realizing that she was wasting time, she mentally shook her head and took a step towards Barney. Even though she wasn’t sure if it could work, she realized that perhaps the sentient rogue white chalk was their best bet. After all, it didn’t need reawakening. They still had a piece of red chalk, although she wasn’t certain if it was going to be enough.

“I understand, Barney. If this is the path you think we should take, then let’s do it.” Penny straightened her back, attempting to make herself look taller. “How long do you think you’ll have?”

Barney swung his two heads to the side once. His eyes widened, as if he were trying to fight back against something. He shook his heads and then turned his attention to Penny. “Not long. I’d say half an hour.” Penny’s eyes bulged at this. “This is taking a lot of strength out of me. It’s taking all I got just to maintain control. Soon that will break.” He straightened his wings out. “We need to get going now and use this time to rip Rudy from Nihilanth.”

“But what about you?” Penny asked. “Shouldn’t we try to..?”

Barney shook his heads slowly. “There won’t be enough time. I can sense it.” He looked down at Penny, narrowing his eyes in determination. “Rudy must come out first. If you do that, then Nihilanth will lose his gateway into the real world.”

Penny wasn’t sure about this. She didn’t like the idea of sacrificing Barney, even if it meant getting her best friend back. She would love to have a chance of getting Rudy back on her side. She missed him. It pained her to see him being used as a tool like this. But she wasn’t sure if she was willing to sacrifice another of her friends to achieve this goal. It just seemed so...cruel and unfair.

She wished there was a way she could get them both out. She wished that she could save Rudy and Barney, not just one or the other. There just..had to be a way to do that, right? There had to be something they could do that would get them both out quickly. But Barney’s eyes, they told a different story, one that she could not simply ignore. In the end, Barney was right. A sacrifice had to be made, and Barney was willing to give up his chance at freedom to help her get Rudy back.

She momentarily thought about what happened years ago with the balloonemia incident. She had learned that Mumbo Jumbo sacrificed himself to keep ChalkZone safe from the inflatamice swarm. Now history was repeating, in a sense, this time with Barney making the sacrifice. Penny couldn’t help but admire him for that.

Though reluctant, she replied with, “All right then. I understand.” She nodded her head once, conceding to Barney’s request. “We should head out soon, then. The chamber is not fair, but it’s not exactly a short walk there.” She turned and was about to walk away until she realized she hadn’t done anything for Nexra. She looked down at her form, biting her lip. She looked up at Barney and said, “What about her?”

Barney turned his two heads down to the fallen zoner. His eyes noted her ragged, shallow breathing and her multiple injuries. He clenched his teeth and then looked back at Penny. “Draw something with the red chalk. Use that to get her to the hospital.”

Penny nodded her head. She thought that was something she could do, but she wasn’t sure. She didn’t know if Barney had a better idea, or if he was going to advice her not to use the red chalk for that. There was the chance that the red chalk might break off the truce and harm Nexra. After all, she is made of black chalk...

“We help. Not want to, but will.” The red chalk affirmed Barney’s statement. “Get her to hospital. Won’t harm her.”

“All right then..” Penny said. She raised the red chalk. But before she could start drawing, she noticed something off about Barney’s expression. It was almost...sorrowful. Penny lowered her hand and took a step forward. “Barney? What is it?”

“There’s...something you need to know, Penny.” Barney said. He gritted his two sets of teeth nervously. He averted gaze with her. “I wanted to tell you this before, but I had been unable to. I do apologize for taking so long and...”

“I understand, Barney. How could you have told me anything when you couldn’t even speak to me? It’s not like you could have just popped back in control. Now..what is it you need to tell me?” Penny said.

Penny could see how nervous Barney was acting. He was shifting his heads from side to side, as if he thought that someone might be listening in on them. Even though she hadn’t noticed anything strange, Penny found herself hunching forward, her body tensing at the idea that someone on the outside was watching her every move. She looked around, her pupils trying to locate any sign of movement, of anyone else being here that she was not aware of.

Barney spoke up, disrupting her.

“I must tell you this now, while I’m in control. Nihilanth and Rudy are subdued and they cannot see this.” Barney lowered his heads towards Penny. His wide, glowing eyes felt as though they were staring into her soul. Penny took a step back, watching Barney expectantly. “You see, Penny, there is something about the black chalk that you should know about. Something that will explain why your plans hadn’t gone exactly how you wanted them.”

Penny’s eyes widened. How..how did Barney know about these plans? She hadn’t told him anything. And..just..how did he know that their previous plans did not work? How would he know about the failed invasion of the Solar Pillars? How would he know about the incident of Jenny falling to her death in an encounter gone wrong? There was no way he could know those things. Even though it was possible he might have known Jenny was gone, he couldn’t have known that Snap had unwillingly and accidentally killed her.

Even before Barney continued, there was already a sense of foreboding rising up in the air. The way he was speaking, the words he chose, Penny knew that something was wrong. What he was about to say, she was certain it was going to change everything about how they were handling the situation. Barney’s expression alone was enough to confirm that.

“Penny, the black chalk is connected to one another. Except in rare cases, Nihilanth is aware of what’s going on wherever the black chalk is. The black chalk is his window to many areas of ChalkZone at once. And this does make sense. I mean, think about it. Nihilanth is the black chalk, and thus the batches of black chalk you’ve seen in the caves, they are an extension of himself. He is able to see those areas using these parts of him that he had spread out.”

Penny felt a growing sense of fear move through her body. The chilly sensation gripped her, her heart beating quickly, as the truth of the situation began to settle down. She hadn’t thought of this before, and now that it was laid out for her, she couldn’t believe she had been so stupid. She hadn’t realized that this could be a problem. She hadn’t stopped to consider the idea of Nihilanth using these black chalk caves to help him spy like that. That meant that...

Oh no... Penny took in a shaky breath. Did this mean that Nihilanth saw her in the black chalk chamber here? Was that how he was able to find her so quickly? Yes...yes that had to be what happened. The horror that implanted itself in her spread through her arms and to her fingertips, the uneasy sensation taking a hold of her.

“I am certain you want to know how I knew about some of the things you’ve done, correct?” Barney asked. “After all, there are some things I am aware of, such as what happened with Jenny, that I should not know, as you did not get to speak to me before this moment.”

Penny looked at Barney in horror. That uncomfortable sensation began to twist and swirl in her stomach, making her feel sick. The fear rising inside her caused her body to shake with terrifying anticipation. Penny had an idea of what Barney was going to say, and she hoped she was wrong. She felt the cold fear spread through the back of her neck, going down her spine, as she hoped and prayed that her thoughts were incorrect. Please...not that... It couldn’t be true. No...

Barney noticed her terror-filled expression, and he gave her a sympathetic expression. “We do not have much time, so I will tell you this quickly.”

Although the silence between that statement and the one that revealed the truth was not that long, Penny could still feel the weight of the awkward silence, feeling as though it took an hour before he finally answered. Time seemed to slow down, everything moving at triple the length than it should have.

When Barney gave his reply, he delivered an ominous message that confirmed her fears in a terrifying way.

“Nihilanth is able to spy on his black chalk artist servants due to the black chalk in their bodies. You, Penny, have black chalk inside of you. Which means that...” Barney paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath. “Nihilanth has been watching to your every move... and heard your every word. He knew all about your plans, and he has been coming up with a way to counter them.”

Penny felt her heart stop beating at this, terror overwhelming her. For a few moments, she couldn’t respond, her mind in too much a state of shock. Then, she finally spoke, her voice barely audible, etched deeply in fear. “...oh my gawd...”

sss

Reggie and Mr. Longhorn were both horrified by the sight of the mangled robot zoner in front of them. The zoner, red in color with a shattered dome for a head, laid prone on the ground not far down the hallway they were in. The zoner was placed inside a cell of some kind, and didn’t have any food or water, as if its captor didn’t really care of it lived or died.

Reggie bit his lip. Despite the zoner being a robot, that didn’t stop him from feeling sorry for it. The zoner looked in bad shape, with many scrapes, rust marks, and burns covering its body. It was hard to tell if it had been in pai nor not, but he had no doubt that it was on some level. Even if it couldn’t feel any pain, it was definitely not a pleasant experience, whatever it was put through.

Reggie had no idea where they were. A part of him wished that he and Mr. Longhorn stuck to the original plan, which was head back to the Tabooties’. Yeah he would have to explain himself as he was certain the Tabooties were not happy with him, if they found out he stole from them. But he felt that was the best option. Rudy and Penny likely used that entrance to get in, thus he would be better on track in finding them, even if they were far away from that location.

But Mr. Longhorn thought otherwise. It wasn’t just the thing with Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie. He was concerned that using the same location might not be wise because there was a chance that traps might be laid out there. Reggie thought this was ridiculous; after all, those two had used these two same entrances before and it was never a problem. But Mr. Longhorn pointed out that times were different now, and that if anything had happened to Rudy or Penny, they needed to take care not to fall into the same trap as they did.

He eventually gave in, albeit reluctantly, and they had decided not to go to the Tabooties’. They went for a different entrance. When the man asked if he knew of any other ways in, Reggie replied by telling him about something he overheard Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie talk about. Penny had apparently left a portal open, and hidden, in the school to use. Whether or not it was still there, he wasn’t sure, but it might lead to wherever Rudy and Penny had ended up. The bad news was that it was located in the girls’ changing room, or bathroom, whatever the swimming pool might call it. They would have to sneak in carefully and quickly make their way to the back, where Penny would surely have put the portal.

Sneaking into the swimming pool building wasn’t too hard. Reggie had snuck in a few places in the past, back when he was a more full fletched trouble maker. It was just a matter of adjusting his skills and applying them to this new situation. It was actually harder navigating without getting caught than it was just getting inside without paying. And that didn’t even count the difficulty that it would have taken to get into the changing area.

He was grateful that Longhorn has able to come up with a plan. It was a pretty crude plan, very basic. But as much as it had earned them the odd stare from time to time, covering themselves up completely and acting like they were cold from being wet did help. They managed to cover themselves enough that none of the female humans in the changing room really noticed anything off about them. But the two of them did not stick around long to see just how well the disguise worked and they quickly reached the back of the room.

Finding the portal hadn’t taken that long. Reggie could see a faint glow. He pulled back the cloth to see the portal still open, the window into ChalkZone visible. It was pretty dark, and he had known right them that this led into some interior of a building or cave. He had been startled when the outline was red. His mind flashed back to when he had used the red chalk and ended up causing some mayhem in ChalkZone. Though his mind swirled with rapid questions of why Penny would even think of using such a dangerous chalk, Reggie knew there wasn’t much time, so he and Longhorn simply with through the portal.

It took them seconds to realize they were definitely in some building. It had some lighting, but it was poor, making it difficult to navigate down the hallways. The place was very quiet, as if it were deserted. And yet something about it hinted that there was recent activity. Reggie wasn’t sure what it was, and Longhorn had some doubts this place was in use anytime recently. Reggie couldn’t explain it, but he was not able to stop the nagging feeling that he and Mr. Longhorn were most certainly not alone in here.

He had turned out to be correct.

That had been when he and Mr. Longhorn ran into the robot. They had come to a hallway that had some cells on both sides. One of them had a large hole in the ground. Right next to that was another cell, and this one had an occupant. He and Longhorn had to move a little closer before they realized that the occupant was a beat up robot zoner that could have seen better days.

“What happened to this thing...?” Mr. Longhorn asked softly. He took a few steps closer to the cage, peering through the bars at the banged up zoner. “It looks like it went through hell and back.”

Reggie stared at the unconscious zoner sympathetically. “It may have. This place..” Reggie looked all around. “There’s something wrong with it. Something tells me it was a mistake to come here.” He looked over at Longhorn. “It might have been safer just...”

Mr. Longhorn shook his head. “You wouldn’t know that. And even so, I still think this was our best bet.” He took a step towards Reggie. “And even if you want to believe that going to the Tabooties’ was our best bet, well...” He looked down at the robot zoner. “One positive thing came out of this. This robot zoner looks like it needs help. We can get it out of here before whoever took it comes back.”

Reggie wasn’t entirely sure if that would be a good idea. As much as he sympathized with the robot zoner, he didn’t know the circumstances of its capture. For all they knew, this zoner could be very dangerous. It could have been locked up for a reason. Maybe this place wasn’t really dangerous and was in fact a prison of some kind. Reggie cursed himseld for not staying longer to listen to what Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie were saying. They might know more about this place.

It was too late now. Reggie had jumped into this place blindly, and now he would need to navigate through it. He stared at the zoner. He wondered if it would be able to help him. It was possible that this zoner could tell him where he was, what happened here, among other things. Yes, the zoner could be helpful.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Reggie acknowledged. He walked towards the cell door, stopping a foot in front of it. He pulled out his piece of magic chalk, or rather, the piece he had stolen. “Let’s get it out of there before the guards come by.”

“If there are even any guards.” Mr. Longhorn absentmindedly said.

Reggie nearly shuddered at that. There being no guards could be beneficial, but it could also be a hint of something more sinister. What if the guards were killed by something stronger? What if this place was home to something bigger and more vicious than they realized? Reggie would feel more comfortable knowing what kind of situation he had gotten himself into, than to be standing here, guessing who might be in this building. Shaking those thoughts out of his head, he went to work.

Reggie used the magic chalk to draw a small key, doing his best to make sure it was the right fit for the lock. Seizing the key in his hand, he leaned forward and pushed it into the keyhole. He turned it, and he could hear a click. He yanked the key out and pushed the cage door open. He and Mr. Longhorn entered the cell room and cautiously approached the unconscious zoner, their eyes locking onto its ripped, metallic body.

Although he could see the zoner was injured, Reggie didn’t want to take a chance. If this zoner was dangerous, even if it was against the odds, he needed to subdue it before it could cause any great damage. He needed to make sure that the zoner couldn’t hurt him before he moved him to a safer area for an interrogation. A non-malice kind, of course, as Reggie had no plans on actually harming the zoner or leaving it to die, even if it did turn out to be dangerous.

He was about to draw some ropes, but he soon had second thoughts. One of this robot’s hands was a claw that he was certain could easily slice through rope. The zoner could free itself if it just squirmed around enough. He opted, instead, to use cuffs. He drew them as quickly as he could, realizing there may not be a lot of time. In seconds, he had a pair of cuffs in his hands. He tested them quickly to make sure the metal was as strong as he wanted it to be. He turned his attention to the zoner. He knelt down by it and prepared to cuff it.

But he didn’t get that far.

Without warning, the robot zoner began to stir. This startled Reggie and Longhorn. The two froze where they were, casting shocked glances at each other before looking back at the zoner. They watched as it moved its arm a little, looking like it was trying to drag itself. It pushed itself up partway, letting out a groan that clearly had a robotic accent to it. Then it turned its head until what Reggie guessed were eyes saw him.

“...what...what happened...? I feel...dizzy...” The robot said, his body twitching and sparking in a few places. “Yes...remember now...Database online...”

Reggie wasn’t sure what to make of this. The zoner didn’t appear aggressive, but he hadn’t seen enough of him to know if he were dangerous or not. The zoner looked shaken up, his voice laced in some fear. He wanted to do something for him, but at the same time, just how trustworthy was he?

The only way to find out was to get to know him more. And he knew just where to start with that.

“Hello. My name is Reggie Bullnerd.” Reggie moved his hand towards the man behind him. “And this is Mr. Longhorn. We’re here to get you out of here.”

The robot looked up at them, his body twitching as if he were in pain. The robot’s mouth was metal and, due to the damage done to him, it was had for Reggie to tell if the robot was happy to see him or not. The robot let out electronic-sounding coughs, a couple having a warped edge to them, like a computer that was starting to malfunction.

“Y-Your assistance is..m-m-most... wel-welcome.” The robot said.

“Can you tell us what your name is?” Mr. Longhorn asked.

“Cer-Certainly.” The red robot said. He lifted up his claw and pressed it against himself. A few trembles wracked through his ruined body. “M-My name is C-Craniac 4.”

sss

Jenny walked along the grass, away from any civilization in this chalk infested world. She wasn’t far from the Solar Pillars, and was on her way over there. She wasn’t afraid of being spotted or attacked out here. There hadn’t been a single zoner coming anywhere near this place, and for good reason. They had enough to worry about with the damage that Rudy and Nihilanth were causing.

Jenny gave a twisted smile at the thought. Those two were going a great job with stirring up trouble. The zoners were surely turning against Penny now. She should know; she had actually snuck into ChalkZone City not long after dealing with Penny and Nexra, and some zoners were starting to doubt Penny’s skills. This was perfect. If most zoners no longer had faith in her, and if Penny, after she escapes, experienced the full weight of this, her confidence may be affected. She would be easier to manipulate, even if just slightly.

The plan was multilayered. While Jenny had some doubts Penny could escape the rogue white chalk, which she and Rudy had found the other day, she knew that she couldn’t underestimate her; that could lead to disastrous results. So on the off chance she did escape, she thought about this other plan: turning zoners against her.

She was no fool. She was aware that Penny would still be able to fight. But she knew how powerful mental stimulation could be. And if Penny were constantly bombarded with negative feedback, if she were shown that she lost the support of many zoners, then she might be so distracted within her own mind that she would be easily beaten. Breaking confidence was a great way of dominating opponents, and it was something that she herself had tried in the past. It had always worked.

She fondly remembered her favorite victim, some boy named Leroy. He had been a rather brash child, always rushing into danger, no matter what his teammates told him. She recalled him getting into frequent arguments with other white chalk artists. He thought they were being too soft and too afraid, and thus he would go off and do his own thing.

Leroy may have been reckless, but he was actually a pretty decent fighter. Not as much as he liked to claim. But he could still hold his own and wasn’t someone to take lightly. Still, him going off on his own was very risky, something he didn’t really come to acknowledge, or ignored completely. He felt that he was always right, that his ideas were the only ones that mattered. He didn’t stop to think that maybe his teammates were onto something and perhaps he should be more careful.

Maybe that’s why he had only lasted about four days. A pretty pathetic time frame compared to most white chalk artists. She knew they were weak, but Leroy was just ridiculous. Jenny had decided to get rid of him because she felt that his reckless behavior might, eventually, become a problem for her and her teammates.

It had been so easy. Leroy’s personality meant that he was almost always off on his own anyway, away from the others. All she had to do was single him out and lead him further away. She had used a flare gun to push him further away from the others, shooting the hot, sparkling flares at his feet and sides. It hadn’t taken her too long before she had managed to get the boy so far away that they wouldn’t hear him even if he had started to chicken out and call out their names.

Taking him down was easy. He was a decent fighter, but Jenny was much better. He held his own only for a few minutes, then she quickly got the upperhand and pushed back. Leroy struggled to keep up, but was hopelessly outmatched, no matter what he drew. He was soon knocked off his feet and landed in the ground. Jenny had wasted no time and quickly drew a sharp axe. She cut off one of his legs, leaving him a whimpering mess on the ground, helpless and unable to get away. It was at this time that he realized he made a horrible mistake, and she could tell, from the look in his eyes, that he knew it was too late to go back now.

She wanted to toy with him a little, but not there. The white chalk artists still looked out for each other, even when it came to someone as annoying as Leroy. He might be annoying, but he was still ‘family’ to them, so to speak. So she knocked him out, bagged him, and carried him far away from the others, back to the Solar Pillars.

Mr. Cosmo was a little upset with her as he hadn’t permitted her to do such a thing. But he didn’t entirely object either, and she had been allowed about half an hour to do whatever she wanted to the boy, provided she kill him after she was done with him. Jenny had gladly accepting the conditions. After all, killing him was what she was going to do with him anyway.

She had a lot of fun with him. As soon as he woke up, she tortured him as slowly as she could without going over the time limit. She cut him up with the knife, electrocuted him, disfigured him. She taunted him about how much he deserved this fate from wandering away from his group. She made it very clear to him that he had earned this fate by being reckless, by not listening to what his teammates were telling him. Judging from his reaction, she knew that she was getting through to him. His eyes held regret. And a few times, as she hurt him, he verbally cursed himself for being so stupid.

She still remembered his screams, pleas of mercy, his sobbing. The boy’s ego had been gone so fast. It was amazing how fast someone could crumble down from a little pain. Leroy was reduced to a sobbing mess strapped down to a table. She stabbed him, sliced him up, beat him with a blunt object, whatever she could to cause him pain. Blood stained the ground, partially dissolving the chalk floor. His begging stopped when he saw that it was not going to save him, and instead, he just stared at her while she hurt him, a silent message written across his face. A question of ‘why?’.

The boy expired with his eyes open. She could sometimes hear that shaky exhale, the way his voice sounded so weak and pathetic. It had a wetness to it, which was no surprise considering the fact that she had cut his throat open as her method of finishing him off. She sliced both his jugular veins, and watched as the blood rapidly leaked out, dissolving parts of the ground. She remembered the look he gave her, that wide, fearful look.

She had enjoyed this victim because he was the first one she had gotten to play with. She had hurt other white chalk artists before, and Leroy was not her first kill. But this was the first time she got to go slowly. Never before had she had the opportunity to toy with someone like this. She had heard from Inez, before she defected, how enjoyable it was to feel blood of another seep through the fingers, how empowering it was to have someone else at her mercy, to have their life on her hands.

Inez had been right about that feeling. Jenny recalled how wonderful it felt to be in complete control of someone else. She called all the shots. She decided what would happen to that boy. She was in total control and there was nothing he could do about it. No matter how much he pleaded and begged, he was not able to keep himself from getting hurt. He had no say whatsoever in what she did to him.

That feeling of power was like nothing else she ever felt. It was beautiful, something she loved to experience whenever possible. It was a shame that Rudy was now ranked higher than her as he was Nihilanth’s vessel, and his passage into the other side, into the real world. But she didn’t mind it too much. She had someone else she could mess with anyway. Someone who was unable disobey a direct order from her.

Nexra...

Jenny recalled just how shocked she was when she found out that Nexra was still alive. She and others had witnessed her fall down that cliff. They all had heard something break, and they thought for certain she had been killed. None of them bothered to go find her because they thought it was pointless. Besides, they could always draw another zoner in her place. Zoners were...an expendable resource.

Jenny’s faking of her death was in part inspired by what happened to Nexra. She thought that, with some adjustments, she could get the same results without actually dying like Nexra had..or how she thought she did. To think that, after all this time, that zoner had been alive...

She couldn’t help but feel a pang of anger in her chest. The zoner knew that she was shirking off her duties as being her servant. Nexra was fully aware that she was to answer to Jenny, and was to report back after a mission, regardless if it was a success or not. Nexra had not only ignored that, but she had been hiding all this time, probably right under her nose, too. If there was one thing that got on Jenny’s nerves, besides insulting Mr. Cosmo, it was insubordinate zoners who do not return to their masters.

She had found Nexra relatively quickly. Her initial shock had given way to anger, and she had chewed Nexra out. The zoner was still frightened of her. Even after all these years, Nexra was terrified of her. That pleased Jenny. She said that Nexra was lucky that she was still afraid, otherwise she would have given her a reason to be terrified. Nexra didn’t try to fight back, not even when Jenny began to pet her.

Nexra had been forced into submission years ago. Jenny had implanted something electrical in her chest, which allowed her to give the zoner some internal shocks to get her down on her knees whenever she asked, so to speak. It took a bit of time, but soon Nexra was bowing on command, being completley submissive to her. It got to the point where she didn’t even need to threaten her; her voice alone was enough to compel Nexra to obey. She had been conditioned, and that remained in tact even after all these years. Nexra remained obedient, like a good little dog.

Manipulating her into going down the right tunnel was easy. Just a few casual words here and there, an empty threat, and boom. The zoner stupidedly gone down that way. Jenny was certain that Penny would fall victim to this trap, and the last main protection for ChalkZone would be removed. Something could still go wrong, though. A fact that she was made aware of by the memory of Horace Wilter.

Jenny gritted her teeth at the name. Even though she had taken care of that stupid man, giving him a lobotomy that he was certainly never going to recover from, just thinking about that man boiled her blood. It was his fault that the black chalk artists lost years ago. She and Cosmo should have listened to some of the gripes the black chalk artists had about him. They should have watched Horace more often. They should have done something about him, before he had a chance to defect and ruin their plans, changing the tides for those weak white-chalk users.

Jenny took in a deep breath, exhaling. That was in the past now. She couldn’t keep going back to it, no matter how much it angered her. If she allowed herself to get too angry... No, she wasn’t going to screw up this plan. They had gotten so far... All they need is a few more pieces of the puzzle, and everything would be fine.

She was disappointed that Mr. Cosmo wasn’t here to see this. He would love to see just how far things have come. They had gotten further in their goals than they did years ago, and they didn’t even have a lot of people to begin with. It was amazing what they were able to accomplish. Mr. Cosmo would definitely be so proud.

For a brief moment, Biclops’s words came back to her. How he had asked if she felt disgust or fear due to the black chalk... What a foolish question. Jenny gritted her teeth at the thought. Why would she feel fear about the black chalk? It had given her so much. There was no reason for her to be terrified of it, or to go against it like how that wretched Horace had, as well as Inez. No, she was not afraid of it.

Then she started to have another thought. Why had she said ‘you’re not real’? Jenny couldn’t think of an answer herself. She tried to think back to how she felt at the time. Something prompted her to say that. Something made her speak those words; she couldn’t have just said them just because. After a few moments of thinking hard, she realized that she felt some kind of fear in that moment. Fear? Her? She wanted to laugh bitterly at the preposterous idea, but...what if it was true? What if something terrified her into saying that?

For the first time, Jenny started to...falter a little. Become hesitant. Perhaps Biclops really was onto something. Was there a part of her that still retained an irrational fear of the black chalk? And if so, why? Did it have something to do with Mr. Cosmo, and how she always tried to prove her worth to him, even going as far as sacrificing her free will for him? Was she...?

Jenny shook those parasitic thoughts out of her head. She couldn’t let herself think like that. She had been warned before about such thoughts, and how dangerous they were. She had nearly fallen into the trap that a few black chalk artists have, though they were thankfully brought back before it was too late. White chalk artists thought they were so clever, implanting doubts into their minds like that. At least a number of them paid the price for their insolence. She grinned at the memory.

She was torn from her thoughts when she saw something in the distance. Movement. She moved behind one of the few trees in this massive clearing and watched, her eyes narrowed into slits. There were some people coming out of Solar Pillars. Immediately, her senses went on high alert. There should not be anyone coming out of the Solar Pillars. Who had dared to trespass? Who had the guts to come into the stronghold of the black chalk artists?

Jenny took out her black chalk and draw some binoculars. Holding onto them with her hands, she placed them against her face and watched. She couldn’t see a portal, but she guessed that was how they got out, as they were not near any kind of entrance that she knew of. A part of her felt angry that she had disabled that word system. Perhaps she should put it back into play after this, to ensure there were no more unwanted intrusions. If Mr. Cosmo were here, he’d probably have her head for her stupidity...

Staring intently at the moving figures, learning quickly there were three, Jenny came to the conclusion that one of them was a robotic zoner. His design was clearly machine-like in nature, and he looked badly injured. The other, two, though... Her eyes widened in shock when she realized they were humans. A man and a boy around the same age as Rudy and Penny.

Jenny lowered her binoculars down, staring off into the distance. Her face still registered in shock for several moments. She tried to think of something to say, but her mind was too surprised for her to say anything. She couldn’t believe it. Just when she thought she had everything figured out...

She narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She was not going to allow any unknown variables wander around. She was not going to let any potential threats throw a wretch into her well oiled machine. She was not going to make the mistake of just ignoring them. She was going to take care of them right here, right now.

She steadied her black chalk, the glow wafering around her hand menacingly. She had to kill these two new creators before they had a chance to turn the tides.

sss

“I’m worried about Penny. Shouldn’t she be back by now?” Mrs. Sanchez asked, pacing back and forth. She stopped and she looked at King Mumbo Jumbo and Skrawl, who were next to each other, not far from the worrying mother. Mrs. Sanchez said, “I think one of us should go after her.”

“Why didn’t you go after her?” Skrawl asked, his tone somewhat accusatory.

Mrs. Sanchez bit her lip. She understood why the zoner was a little peeved at her. She could have gone with. Penny wouldn’t have liked it. Penny didn’t want her getting hurt. But she should have done it anyway. She should have occupied her to the Chalk Mine. Now, because she didn’t, Penny might be in trouble. If she had gone with, then things would be different.

She felt like kicking herself. How could she have been so stupid as to let Penny wander around alone to the Chalk Mine? Yes, she was capable, but times were intense right now. Being alone, even if one was a creator, that was no longer an affordable option. If Penny had ended up injured, she wasn’t sure if she could forgive herself. She should have just followed Penny, regardless of what she said, and provided assistance.

What made her feel even more shame was the fact that it wasn’t just Penny’s words that stopped her. There was something else that had slowed her down, made her not want to go. A single word: Fear.

She was worried that she was going to be turned back into what she once was years ago. She feared that she would fall into a trap and be forced to become that...monster that she had been before. She didn’t want to become that again. She never wanted to be that again. She didn’t want to inflict harm on others the way she had. She was horrified by what she used to be. It didn’t help that she had some nightmares recently, specifically about how she was years ago, when she was controlled by the black chalk. She didn’t tell Penny because she didn’t want to stress her out; they had other problems to take care of, enough to worry about.

She had become paranoid due to these nightmares. Ever since she found out what she had been... She shuddered. She wasn’t sure if the dreams were repressed memories or if they were her subconscious translating her fears into dreams, showing her what she feared she was. Based on what she heard, she had little doubt in her mind that the dreams were terrifyingly accurate. She...she didn’t want to hurt anyone...

But perhaps she should have still gone with. Maybe that was the best course of action to take, not stay here and hide like a coward, as most would see her as doing. Her daughter could be in danger right now. She..had to help her somehow, shouldn’t she? She was her mother for crying out loud...

“Is there a reason you didn’t go? I mean, besides Penny not wanting you to.” Mumbo Jumbo said. Mrs. Sanchez looked at him. “I saw the way she looked at you. I’m good enough at reading expressions to know that she wanted you to stay. But I can see your eyes and I know...there has to be something else.” Mrs. Sanchez didn’t say anything. The tortoise stared at her long and hard. “Ah...is there something you’re afraid of? I can see fear in your eyes.”

Mrs. Sanchez widened her eyes in shock at this. Was she really that easy to read?

Skrawl shot the tortoise a glare. “Of course she is feeling afraid.” He raised his hand up in gesture. “A number of those zoners out there are blaming her and Penny! Well mostly Penny, but they’re not happy with her either, due to association.” He turned his gaze away, pointing it towards the ground. He rubbed his head, shaking it back and forth. “I can’t exactly blame them, though...”

Mrs. Sanchez felt a pang in her chest at those words. Skrawl didn’t sound like he was trying to accuse her or Penny of making things worse. But to bring it up again... She couldn’t help but glare at the zoner. He should know better than that. Penny did not deliberately abandon ChalkZone. And she still came back, didn’t she?

Knowing that a fight could break out, especialy knowing the kind of personality Skrawl had, the woman managed to calm herself down before she said anything she knew she would regret. She breathed in and out slowly, feeling her heart rate slow down, and she eventually settled down before she lost her cool. Skrawl didn’t even seem to notice she had been angry at all. He was looking away from her, towards the floor that his wheelchair was sitting on. Mumbo Jumbo, however, had noticed.

“Nevermind him. You know how he can be.” Mumbo Jumbo said. Skrawl shot him a glare, which the king wisely ignored. Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head slowly. “However, he does have a point. Perhaps now is a good time to go find your daughter. Make sure she’s okay and all.”

Mrs. Sanchez thought about leaving and going to find her. Every part of her body and mind was screaming at her to go. Yet..she still hesitated. At first, she wasn’t sure why. It didn’t take her long to realize what the hold up was.

It was that fear again. The fear of becoming that monster again. The fear of becoming corrupted and controlled by the black chalk. The fear that she might bring more harm than good to this world, as well as the real world. She didn’t want to be a killer again. She didn’t want to torture anyone like she had years ago. She was terrified of who she had been, and dreading the day that she might become like that again. And if that happened... She shuddered at the thought of torturing and killing more innocents.

“What are you afraid of?”

Mrs. Sanchez whipped her head around. This time, it hadn’t been Mumbo Jumbo who spoke. It was Skrawl. The voice was somewhat concerned, but she could detect an annoyed edge to it. Mrs. Sanchez stared at the jellybean for a few moments, then looked away. Both he and Mumbo Jumbo wanted an answer, and she knew they wouldn’t leave her alone until she confessed.

“I’m...afraid of becoming...her again.” Mrs. Sanchez confessed.

“Her who?” Mumbo Jumbo inquired. “Who are you afraid of becoming?”

Mrs. Sanchez bit her lip. She had to forced herself to speak. “Inez the Torture Doctor.”

The two zoners looked at each other, their eyes wide in startlement. They then looked back at her, their expressions softening up a little as they managed to get through the initial shock.

“Why do you think you’ll become like that again?” Mumbo Jumbo inquired.

Skrawl nodded. “Yes. Why do you think you will turn into that monster again?”

Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes widened alittle. She wasn’t sure if they knew about what had happened, or if they simply connected the dots seeing her expression of fear. Or perhaps they had been told. It was so hard keeping track of what was going on lately. Whatever the reason, she still had to give an answer. She hesitated for a moment, shifting her eyes from side to side. Then she looked at them and finally answered.

“The Chalk Mine has a black chalk chamber, does it not?” She asked. The two zoners nodded their head, Skrawl’s eyes narrowing. “Well, what if it manages to get a hold of me again? What if it tempts me and gets me to use it?” The woman lowered her gaze. “I don’t want to be responsible for the death of...well anyone. I don’t want to hurt anyone again.” She paused for a moment, then continued. “I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I did anything like...what I’ve done.. I don’t want to be like that anymore.” She shook her head. “I just don’t..”

Silence fell upon the room. No one said anything. Mrs. Sanchez took in a shaky breath as she lifted her head and stared at the zoners. They looked at her, their expressions never changing. They looked at each other a few times, looking as if they were speaking to each other telepathically. They never glared hatefully at her, or showed any signs of not trusting her. Her describing what she was didn’t seem to bother them. Likely the result of knowing it was in the past now. If anything, they looked...more disappointed than angry.

But the silence...them not responding... It was starting to get at her. It may have been less than a minute since she spoke, but to her, it felt like hours. She wondered by the zoners weren’t saying anything. Why weren’t they talking to her? She felt anxiety grow inside of her. If they would just speak to her... Were they actually angry at her? Were they pissed off at what she had done? She wished they would give an answer already.

The quietness hung thickly in the air for several more seconds. The aura of it weighed down on her shoulders, feeling as though it was pushing her down. It wasn’t until a few more moments before the silence was finally stopped.

“Is that it?” Mumbo Jumbo’s voice sliced through the silence. “You’re afraid of what might happen?”

Mrs. Sanchez stared at the zoner in confusion. She nodded her head once. “Y-Yeah... I know what I was like when I was controlled.” She looked away. “I never want to hurt anyone again.”

Skrawl folded his arms against his chest. “Well that’s a pretty stupid reason.” He said rather bluntly. Mrs. Sanchez looked at him in shock. He sounded almost cold saying that. Skrawl noticed her expression and he merely shrugged. “Hey, I’m just calling it as I see it.” He pointed a finger in her direction. “You are the one running away from your problems because of some silly fear. I know you’re afraid of becoming like that again, but that’s no excuse for just..not doing anything at all. Master Tabootie was afraid of becoming corrupted, and look at the risks he took.”

Mrs. Sanchez narrowed her eyes. “Look at what’s happened to him, though. He was taken over by that dragon!” She raised her arms into the air. “He was turned into a monster! And the same thing could happen to me if I’m not careful!”

“I know that. So why don’t you do that instead of sitting here, doing nothing?” Skrawl inquired. He cocked an eyebrow. “Or are you too afraid of what could happen, that you’re willing to let your own daughter be in danger for the sake of not hurting her yourself?”

Mrs. Sanchez gritted her teeth at this response. She felt her blood start to heat up. Skrawl was implying that she was deliberately abandoning her daughter. How dare he say such a thing... He shoud know better than that. What right did he have to say those things?

“Now you listen here, you limabean reject...” Mrs. Sanchez snarled without thinking. “I care about my daughter. I love her. Do you really think I’m deserting her? Do you think I want to leave her on her own to deal with this?”

Skrawl cocked an eyebrow. “Well, you are certainly acting the part.”

“I’m not abandoning her, you asshole!” Mrs. Sanchez snapped.

“Enough!” Mumbo Jumbo cried.

Skrawl and Mrs. Sanchez froze at this. They looked over at Mumbo Jumbo, who looked pretty angry at this point. He glared at the two of them. Skrawl just glared back, but Mrs. Sanchez suddenly felt ashamed of her behavior. She was usually better at controlling her emotions than this. She wasn’t the type to just burst into anger like that.

“Look, I know tension is rising. I know the situation is bad. I know both of you have your reasons to be upset. But will you please stop arguing?” Mumbo Jumbo glared at the two of them. “What will this prove?” He held out his hand. “How will this solve anything? We can’t make any progress if we are at each other’s throats.”

Skrawl grumbled softly. “Yeah I know.”

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. “Yeah.” She looked at Skrawl. “I’m sorry about my outburst before.”

Skrawl stared at her for a few moments. Then he nodded his head once in acknowledgement. “Apology accepted.” He looked away for a moment. “Well I probably shouldn’t have been so harsh on you either.”

Mumbo Jumbo said, “Well I’m glad you two came to your senses.” He folded his arms, his eyes narrowing. “However, I do think Skrawl had something of a point.” The tortoise looked over at Mrs. Sanchez and said, “You shouldn’t allow your fear your control you like that. You shouldn’t give into what might be. I know it’s hard, but you need to calm yourself down. Rudy and Penny both have taken risks before, despite what dangers await.” He softened his glare, looking at Mrs. Sanchez sympathetically. “Losing control of yourself is definitely a danger. But...do you think staying here, hiding, is worth it if your daughter is in trouble? What do you think would be the wisest decision to make?”

Mrs. Sanchez looked away as the two zoners stared at her expectantly. She knew they were right. As she settled down, the sickening feeling from before leaving her body, she had come to realize they were right. She shouldn’t be hiding away from her fear like this. She shouldn’t be fearful of the possibilty, at least not to the extent of never trying to do anything to help. Penny might be in trouble, and might need her help. And she will never be able to give her the help she needed if she just stood here, doing nothing, hiding like a coward all because of what she thinks could happen.

Yeah, he was right. They were both right. She couldn’t stay here. She couldn’t remain inactive anymore. It was time she did something to help out. Even if Penny got mad at her for endangering herself, Mrs. Sanches knew what the right thing to do was.

Staring at the two zoners with a newfound determination, Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head once, eyes narrowing. She gave them a single question.

“Do you want to come with me?”


	171. With A Diamond Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I managed a double chapter upload. Don't expect this much lately.

Reggie and Mr. Longhorn walked a few feet away from the structure they were in. They stopped and looked behind them. The place was pretty large, and yet the building didn’t look that big. Perhaps it was an illusion playing a trick on their minds. Perhaps the areas they were in were further underground. But whatever the reason, that wasn’t what was on their minds right now. There were more pressing matters to attend to.

Reggie looked left and right, scanning the horizon. He then looked up at Mr. Longhorn. “Which way do you think we should go?”

Mr. Longhorn froze at that question. He looked down at Reggie, open-mouthed. He was surprised that he would even ask that question. He didn’t know a lot about ChalkZone. “I’m..not sure I’m the right person to be asking that to.”

“There’s no one else here to ask.” Reggie pointed out. He used his hand to indicate the area around them. The boy was right. There wasn’t anyone around that they could see. “I’ve only been in here once, years ago when I was ten. Caused some trouble. I didn’t really do that much, or get very far.” He glanced around himself one more time before looking back at Mr. Longhorn. “That was so long ago... Do you really think I’d remember much of what this place looked like? It’s been years. Things could have been changed.”

The teenager did have a point. If it was true that Reggie was only here once when he was ten, then it was quite possible that not only did he forget things, but ChalkZone’s structure could have been altered. These factors combined would make it difficult for Reggie to do much, if any, leading around. Yes, perhaps someone else should take the reigns.

That meant that he, Mr. Longhorn, had to be the one to do that. There was no one else here. Well there was the robot, but he was too shaken up to do much talking. Reggie had been in ChalkZone earlier. It had been near the ruins of the Luminos hideout, shortly after it was struck by a light beam. That was where he and the others had encountered Nihilanth, and also where Sophie and Tilly had been captured. He felt a pang in his chest. He wondered if they were okay. The zoners, too. What was going on with them?

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt Reggie nudge him with his elbow. The man looked down at the teenager, noticing the look in his eyes. Mr. Longhorn realized he had been a little too quiet, not replying the boy. He wondered, for a moment, just how long he had been silent. He smiled somewhat sheepishly. He didn’t mean to let his mind wander off like that. He felt guilty that he had wasted a bit of their time, and he quickly remedied it.

“Sorry about that.” Mr. Longhorn said quietly. Reggie just stared at him, waiting for him to say more. “But yes, I see what you’re saying.” He lifted his head a little and looked around. “I haven’t seen much of this place. I haven’t even been to this particular location. So...” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m kind of a loss, too.”

Reggie frowned at this. “Then that’s going to be a problem. Perhaps we should have used that other entrance...”

As much as Mr. Longhorn understood the sentiment, he knew that it was too late for that now. They had already made their choice and they were going to have to stick with it. It was too risky to go back now. Going through the swimming pool was not wise; they could easily get caught trying to get out. And while he was kind of familiar with this area of town, he didn’t know what places had chalkboards and which places would be easy places to escape. They could easily go through a portal that was located in a living room, with people in it. That..would certainly prove to be a problem. So they would need a different course of plan.

Without any sort of guide, he and Reggie were stuck there. Their only option now was, it seemed, to walk in a random direction and hope they run into a friendly zoner who would help them out. He was a little nervous about the idea, however, as Reggie said he caused some problems in ChalkZone when he came in. Did the zoners remember this? If so, how would they react to seeing an old tormentor back, even if he didn’t really cause too much trouble while he was here? It was very possible that the zoners would react negatively to Reggie and not be so cooperative. Longhorn frowned. He would need to find a way to make sure that they could speak to a zoner without them running off first.

With nothing much else to do, Mr. Longhorn said to Reggie, “Do you think we should just..look around? Maybe we’ll find someone?”

“I’m not sure. Wandering around in an unknown place could be troublesome. And I don’t think the zoners would be too happy to see me back. But... I just don’t know what else we can do.” Came Reggie’s reply. “Our only option could be just to walk around and see what we can find. We can’t just go back now.”

Longhorn nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. Maybe we could run into someone who might help us. Or..” He thought for a moment. “..maybe we will run into the others. Maybe we’ll find them.”

Reggie frowned slightly, concern appearing on his face. “Yeah, I hope so. I don’t know why, but I have this...strange sensation that something is wrong.”

“With Nihilanth around, I’m sure there is.” Mr. Longhorn said with a frown.

“Nihilanth?” Reggie asked, his voice laced with confusion.

“N-Nihilanth...” A robotic voice quivered. “N-Not h-h-him...”

Mr. Longhorn looked down at the robot that had been silent all this time. The robot had apparently worked up the courage to speak. His voice, despite how artificial it sounded, was laced in terror. He knew that name. Nihilanth. The robot hadn’t told them much of what happened to him, but if he was reacting in this much fear regarding the dragon, he guessed that Nihilanth was the cause of his suffering. He couldn’t help but spare a sympathetic expression to the zoner.

Craniac 4 trembled in fear next to him. His eyes, which appeared to be LED lights on his shattered glass head, were wide. Though pupil-less, it was easy to tell what kind of emotion was being conveyed here, even if he had been silent and speechless. The light red zoner occassionally glanced around himself, looking like he thought that something was going to grab him from any direction. Even though he knew little of this world, though he didn’t really meet a lot of zoners, Mr. Longhorn couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He was certain that this zoner hadn’t done anything to deserve what he had gotten.

This zoner was in definite need of help. He and Reggie didn’t have the technical know-how to fix him up. He needed to get to the hospital. But any efforts from him to tell them where the nearest hospital was were in vain. He spoke a little in the beginning, but fear and horror, as he realized where he was, took him over, and he was too scared to speak much. It made Mr. Longhorn wonder if he had been threatened by Nihilanth to make him shut up.

“Who is Nihilanth?” Reggie asked. He shot a glance at Craniac 4, and then looked over at Mr. Longhorn. He did this a couple of times. When a few seconds passed, he pressed, “Is it someone I should know?”

Mr. Longhorn cast a nervous stare down at Craniac 4. The shivering robot looked like he was trying to offer some kind of response. But it was clear that he was too terrified to speak again. All that was coming out of his mouth were jumbled words. Knowing that it was up to him, Mr. Longhorn turned and looked down at Reggie.

“Nihilanth is a two-headed dragon, who claims to be the deity of this world.” Mr. Longhorn said.

“So he’s kinda good-ish...?” Reggie asked. There was slight hesitance in his voice, indicating that he knew that the response was kind of silly.

Longhorn shook his head. Reggie tilted his own. “Not by a long shot.” He shut his eyes for a few seconds. During this time, he thought back to the encounter he had. He could still feel those burns that Nihilanth had given him. Though the wounds had some healing, the sting was still there. “Nihilanth wishes to destroy both the real world and ChalkZone.”

An audible gasp. “What?!” Reggie took a step back. “But..why..?”

“Because Nihilanth doesn’t have need of this worthless world anymore.” Came a sudden, cold reply from behind them. Chills were sent up their spines. “And the real world will provide a problem with wiping out ChalkZone completely. So it must go, too.”

Mr. Longhorn’s eyes were wide in horror. He couldn’t stop the cold feeling moving along his back. He couldn’t stop the shiver that escaped his body. There was no denying that voice. He knew it anywhere. Even though he had only heard it briefly before, the encounter had been memorable enough that he would recognize it even after time had passed. That voice was distinct, so sinister, there was only one person it could have been. Both Reggie and Craniac 4 were also terrified, but it was hard to tell if it was because they knew the voice or if it was the sudden and malicious nature of the voice that caused it.

For a few moments, they just stood there in silence. The person who had spoken up fell silent as well. He could feel the single pair of eyes bore through the back of his head, sending a silent, warning message. Even though the person hadn’t spoken again, the aura around him told him that he should turn around and face this person, lest they want to entice more anger. Slowly, he turned around to face the intruder.

Longhorn felt his heart skip a beat. His suspicion had been correct all along.

It was Jenny.

The woman wore a dark scowl on her face. Aggression radiated off of it, giving her face a near glow due to the redness of her cheeks, flushed in anger. There was a spark of spiteful recognition in her eyes as she turned to Mr. Longhorn, staring at him in the eyes. The man gave an involuntary gulp and took a step backwards, biting his lip. He was not expecting to see her again anytime soon. It was clear that Jenny was not at all happy to see him either.

Jenny adopted a hostile posture in a matter of seconds. Her body hunched forward. Her eyes narrowed further, her pupils shrinking so much that they nearly disappeared. A low growl eminated from her throat, her teeth bared angrily at him. In her hand, she clutched a piece of black chalk, the glow swirling around her wrist and going up her arm partway before it dissipated. Her arm looked tense, and Longhorn concluded that, at any moment, Jenny was going to use that chalk against them. Unless he was mistaken, Jenny had the most experience of using magic chalk out of the three of them. She had the upper edge here.

Jenny took notice of Reggie. She scowled at him, pulling her lip up slightly. “I don’t know who you are, boy. But if you are here, with this...man..” She stared at Mr. Longhorn with a face contorted with contempt. Then she looked at Craniac 4, giving him a look if disgust. “..and freeing this worthless zoner...” She looked back at Reggie. “I don’t think you are trustworthy. So I believe that after I get rid of these two, I’ll take care of you.”

Reggie took a step back. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his magic chalk. He held it out in front of himself defensively. “Y-You won’t be taking me down that easily...”

Jenny gave a quick, bitter chuckle. “How cute. A teenager who thinks he can take me on. You don’t have the stuff, kid.” The corner of her mouth ticked up to the side. “You are just a failure waiting to happen. Now just step off to the side and let me get to work. I promise I will get to you afterwards. I’ll even let you choose your fate.”

At this, Reggie’s eyes widened in horror and Longhorn felt a pang in his chest. Choose his fate? Just..just what was Jenny going to do with him? The tone of the voice she used, it sounded so..foreboding. There was nothing pleasant indicated by what she said. And the look on her face, that expression shining in her eyes, she was giving off a terrifying aura. The reaction from Craniac 4 wasn’t exactly reassuring, either. Regardless if the robot encountered this woman before or not, it was clear that he was terrified of her.

And there was good reason for him to be afraid. Longhorn remembered his last encounter with Jenny. He had attacked her to get her away from Tilly. He fought with her, managing to land a few good blows on her. Then he and Tilly made a run for it. His interruption had cost Jenny an ally, albeit a forced one, and he had also helped Sophie and Quet, both prisoners, to escape. He was certain that Jenny held a grudge against him for that.

“Ch-Choose my fate...?” Reggie asked, his voice light and terrified. He still tried to put on a brave face and took a step forward. “Just what do you mean by that?”

Jenny smirked at him. “I will not beat around the bush. I want to get this done as soon as possible.” She took a few steps forward. Each step was filled with hostile intentions. “I plan on killing all three of you...”

“I didn’t do anything to you! Why do you want to kill me?!” Reggie screamed, his eyes bulging in fear.

“I already told you, little brat.” Jenny’s voice seethed through her clenched teeth. “You are associating yourself with...them..” Jenny glared at Longhorn and Craniac 4. “They are enemies of mine. And you being with them is unforgiveable. However...” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “If you...prove yourself to be an ally to me, then maybe I will consider at least letting you live.”

Silence spread through the area. Craniac 4 let out a few whimpers, moving his broken body behind Mr. Longhorn. The man glared at Jenny, unable to believe what she was trying to pull off. She was attempting to get Reggie to join up with her, so that she would have another chalk user corrupted and working for the black chalk. He wasn’t sure why she thought Reggie would buy her little game so easily. It was clear that it was an empty promise she was offering. Nothing about her tone suggested she really cared about Reggie’s well being, and he doubted she would be bothered if she killed him or not.

She was attempting to offer something to Reggie that she thought he was not going to refuse. Many people would do whatever it took to avoid death. Here she was, doing the same thing for Reggie. But in the end, what she was offering in return was worse than death. Reggie would lose his individuality to the black chalk, and turn into someone he was not. If Reggie had any dignity in him, and his past behavior suggested that he did, he would not listen to Jenny’s offer and would instead opt to either fight her, or run away.

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Reggie inquired. There was a sense of relief rushing through Mr. Longhorn’s mind at this. Reggie seemed suspicious of what Jenny was saying. “How can I trust anything you say?”

Jenny tilted her head. She chuckled. She raised a hand and pointed at Mr. Longhorn. “And how can you trust him? How do you know he’s on your side? What makes you think he makes a worthy ally?”

At this, Reggie looked over at Mr. Longhorn. The man couldn’t help but stare at the boy worriedly when he held a confused and uncertain expression. The woman seemed to have begun getting through to him. Oh no..please..no... Mr. Longhorn bit his lip. It couldn’t be possible. No, she couldn’t be winning him over... Reggie still looked reluctant, but the way he had glanced at him like that, it wasn’t a good sign.

Reggie looked back at Jenny. He tried to speak, opening his mouth several times. But words failed him, and he only closed his mouth. He lowered his head and looked away. It was certain that he had no idea what he wanted to say to that. He was confused, keeping quiet as it looked like his mind was struggling with some kind of response to say. He looked back at Jenny, who stared at him with a smirk on her face and her arms crossed against her chest. She was giving him an expectant look, as if she felt she would win him over that easily.

To Mr. Longhorn’s horror, Reggie took a step towards Jenny. His horror was short lived, thankfully, as Reggie didn’t look like he was walking towards her at all. After that step, he had stopped, and just stared at her. There was nothing about his expression or behavior that suggested he was going to turn against him. But Mr. Longhorn had to be ready, just in case.

Jenny was cunning, from what he had seen and from what he had been told. Even if Reggie didn’t willingly join, he had to be careful that Jenny did not grab him and forcibly corrupt him. That was a very real possibility, and if she did that... He was going to be in a lot of trouble. Reggie could possibly outmuscle Jenny, despite being younger. But just a single touch of that black chalk would be enough. He may find it hard to let go, and the longer he held it, the more corrupted he would become, until he was one of...them.

“I...I know I haven’t known Mr. Longhorn that long but...” Reggie looked from side to side. He gritted his teeth nervously. “I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t trust him. He hasn’t done anything to deserve my contempt.” He narrowed his eyes slightly and took a small step back. He lowered his head slightly. “You, on the other hand...”

Jenny laughed and turned her head to the side. She gave the boy a sideways glance. “So you are putting your life in the hands of someone you just met? How pitiful. Even most white chalk artists hadn’t been this stupid.” Reggie growled at this. “But...very well then. If you need a more...appropriate motivator..” She scratched her chin. “I suppose I can...” She turned around to completely face the teenager. “...think of something for you.”

“Which would be...?” Reggie inquired.

A chortle. “Oh, you’ll see...”

Mr. Longhorn took a defensive posture, preparing to fight. Jenny casted a glare at him, warning him not to move. It wasn’t like he was going to listen to her. What made her think that she could stop him that easily? She...

His eyes widened. Suddenly, Jenny’s behavior was starting to make sense. He felt a rush of cold ice through his vines, making his body shiver slightly. There was a reason she was doing this, and it wasn’t what she was mplying. He could see it in her eyes, everytime she looked at Reggie, and then at him. A subtle, terrifying message shined through, fixating on the back of his head and making the hairs on his neck raise on end.

This...this wasn’t about recruiting Reggie at all. Jenny was not expecting him to join her. That was why she sounded so casual and confident. She wasn’t worried about convincing the boy to join her, because that isn’t what her plan was here. This was all a ruse, a disguise to cover up who she was really after.

Him.

Mr. Longhorn felt his heart begin to beat quickly. Reggie was in trouble. Jenny was going to use him as bait for him. She would not have any qualms about killing him if it came to that. He knew that she wouldn’t really care what she did to him so long as she got the results she wanted. In the end, all she wanted was revenge against him. Reggie was nothing more than a mere tool for her to use to achieve that goal.

Mr. Longhorn’s mind raced as he came to that horrifying conclusion. He whipped his head towards Reggie. He took a step forward, only to be held back by Craniac 4. He looked down at the pale crimson robot, noting his terrified gestures. He reached down and attempted to pry the zoner off. Despite his injuries, the zoner was still pretty strong and he refuse to let go. Mr. Longhorn soon gave up and looked back at Reggie.

“Get out of there!” Mr. Longhorn cried.

Reggie looked back at him. “I can handle her. She...”

Mr. Longhorn’s face paled when he saw Jenny start to make her move. Her hand was raising up into the air as she prepared to draw. “No! Get out! Before she gets you!” He held out a hand towards Reggie. “Come back here! Please!”

“It’s fine! Take Craniac 4 and get out of here!” Reggie said. He glared intensely at Mr. Longhorn, as if he wanted to make sure that his message went through crystal clear. “I’ll distract her! Just run!”

“Reggie!” Mr. Longhorn cried as he saw Jenny wield something. He stared in horror and called out a warning. “Look out! Behind you!”

But it was too late.

Reggie let out a scream as something heavy struck him in the side. To Mr. Longhorn’s horror, the vile woman had drawn a large hammer. The end of it looked like it was made of solid diamond, one of the hardest structures known to man. He watched, terror filling in his chest, as the boy was flung into the ground, crashing several feet away. The magic chalk was thrown from his hands from the shere force of the impact.

Reggie let out a few coughs and a whimper as he struggled to his feet. He didn’t get far when the diamond hammer was brought down on his back, knocking him into the dirt. Jenny stood by his side, grinning nastily at him as she brought her foot back and kicked him in the side. The boy toppled across the ground painfully, letting out cries of agony.

“Stop that! He’s just a kid!” Mr. Longhorn cried in horror. Even though he knew it was useless to ask, he found himself calling out, “How can you do such a thing?!”

“Oh? What do you mean me?” Jenny said. She pressed a foot against Reggie’s bruised side, pressing down firmly against him. “This was all part of your plan, was it not?”

“Wh-What...is she talking about...?” Reggie looked at Mr. Longhorn. His voice was weak and shaky, laced in pain. “D-Did you..?”

Mr. Longhorn shook his head in desperation. “No! Of course not! Don’t listen to her!” He shouted. He managed to wrench free of Craniac 4’s grasp and took a few steps forward. “Let him go, Jenny! He has nothing to do with this!”

“Hault! Cease! She might call him over!” Craniac 4 shouted, waving his arms frantically. “If he shows up, we’re all doomed!”

Mr. Longhorn ignored the robot’s rambling. Right now, the only thing he was focused on was helping Reggie get out of that situation. He stared at the boy’s terrified brown eyes before glaring hatefully at Jenny. Using Reggie to get to him, that was a low he had imagined she was going to take. Even though he expected something like this from her, he still found it hard to believe that she would be this cruel and callous over someone else’s life. He could see the look in her eyes. It was clear that she didn’t care if she killed Reggie, so long as she got him in the process.

“Oh don’t be so modest, dear...” Jenny mockingly cooed. She held the hammer up in the air, putting the diamond end close to her face. “I really couldn’t have done this without you.” She pressed a finger against the hammer, lightly tracing along it. “Do you think I was drawing this? Well sorry to burst your bubble, but I wasn’t. I was just...playing with your mind a little, to see if you can be fooled. And I was right.”

Longhorn stared at her in confusion. She was just playing with him? For what reason? Why would she do something like that? What was the point? These questions and more rushed through the man’s mind as he tried to make sense of what she was going to do. There had to be a reason why she was acting this way, why she had done such a thing.

Jenny didn’t talk again after that, and had fallen silent. Reggie looked like he wanted to speak, but a glare from Jenny shut him up. The boy would have tried to struggle, but it was obvious that the hammer made of solid diamond was enough to keep him cooperative and still. Jenny gave Mr. Longhorn a knowing expression, one that told him there was something about this situation that he should know. Confused, he found himself staring at the only thing he thought would provide a clue: the hammer.

Longhorn looked at its features, moving his eyes up and down it. The handle looked like it was wood, but he had his doubts. It was likely made out of some hard material, maybe stone or granite, and just painted to look like wood. The handle had a few scratches on it, giving away that it couldn’t be diamond. The diamond portion was shaped like any regular hammer, although it looked a little fiercer, with a broader blunt end and more wickedly sharped spikes in the back. But no longer how hard he stared at it, he couldn’t understand what the woman was talking about.

Plus, she hadn’t even been carrying any hammer before. He would have noticed. She had to have been lying, he realized. But...why? His expression changed slightly as he tried to think of the possibilities. If he could just figure it out...

Jenny noticed the change in his expression and she grinned at him. “Do you recognize this hammer?” She asked casually. She held it up in the air for him to see, her fingers wrapped tightly around the middle of the handle. “I should thank you for it.” She chuckled, her shoulders shaking. “After all, you drew it for me.”

Mr. Longhor spluttered at this. “What?!”

Jenny grinned at him. “Oh don’t be like that, dear. You know what you have done. You were always so stubborn...but you did see things my way.” Mr. Longhorn’s breathing quickened. What was she talking about? He never did anything like that. “I must admit I never thought you’d actually go through with it...” She held her hand out in gesture. “But I misjudged you. You really are a..trouble maker..” She lowered herself quickly, in a quick, smooth motion. “Am I right?”

“What...is she...?” Reggie tried to ask.

Jenny glared down at him and stomped down onto his ribcage. “You be quiet, you little brat!”

“Let him go!” Mr. Longhorn demanded.

“Why should I? This was your plan, remember?” Jenny said, smiling twistedly at him. “Rudy told us about how you stole magic chalk from Penny. Said just how...curious you were of this world.”

“You...stole magic chalk..?” Reggie choked out.

Jenny nodded her head and spoke before Mr. Longhorn had a chance to reply. “Oh you can bet he did. And he enjoyed it, too. You were laughing, having a jolly good time with the chalk, weren’t you?”

Mr. Longhorn didn’t respond. He gritted his teeth, eyes narrowed. He thought back to that moment, how he had gotten the magic chalk madness. He had gone completely insane, and he had almost made things a lot worse. He could feel his stomach twist in knots at the memory. If he had just controlled himself...

He felt a pang of anger in his chest, branching out and spreading, as he realized just what Jenny was trying to do. He growled softly at her, preparing himself for whatever she was going to say. He was not going to fall for these mind games. He had to remain vigilant and try not to let what she says distract him. He needed a way to get closer to her without triggering an attack on Reggie. Just one hit to the skull with that...

He attempted to divert the subject a little, trying his best to ignore the memory that the woman had stirred up in his mind. “Release the boy now, Jenny.” He took a step forward. “Or do I need to make you?”

“You’re insane! She’ll call for back up!” Craniac 4 shouted. There was some anger to his voice. He was obviously annoyed at being ignored.

Mr. Longhorn groaned softly. He turned and shot a glare at Craniac 4. “I know you’re injured. I know you’re frightened. But please...let me take care of this. Go hide or something. I’ll bring you to a hospital, if we can find any, once I take care of Jenny.”

Mr. Longhorn waited for a response. At first, the robot just stared at him. Then his gaze turned, and it was clear his attention was on something else. Something behind him, specifically. The LED eyes widened. The zoner’s face didn’t pale, but the cringing gave away that something behind him was scaring him.

“Sweet transistors!” Craniac 4 cried, his voice tinged in horror. He pointed a hand out towards something behind Mr. Longhorn. “Look out!”

Mr. Longhorn’s body tensed in horror. He looked around immediately, thinking that the zoner was referring to someone or something trying to attack him. As soon as he looked over, however, he realized that wasn’t the case. This brought little comfort to him, though, as what Craniac 4 was pointing at was just as terrifying.

Jenny had raised the hammer above Reggie, who was now on his stomach. Her foot held him down, keeping him from struggling away. She had something of a look of insanity etched on her face. She was about to strike the hammer down when she caught a glimpse of Mr. Longhorn’s horrified face. She stopped herself and grinned at him. She lowered the hammer slightly, but still kept it raised above Reggie.

“Why hello there. Sorry if I was getting ahead of myself. But this is what you wanted to happen, am I right? I mean, you did draw this hammer. You did steal magic chalk. I think you want this.. I know you do. Look deep inside your heart and you know it to be true.”

The man shook his head furiously. “You’re wrong.. I didn’t have anything to do with....”

“Why are you denying it? This hammer was something of a gift. You drew it, left it, and I took it. I must thank you for that.” Jenny pressed a hand against her upperchest. “You really do come in handy.”

“I didn’t draw that!” Mr. Longhorn shouted at her, eyes narrowed into slits. “I drew a ton of things...but that wasn’t one of them!”

Jenny chuckled. “If you drew a ton of stuff, then how are you certain you didn’t draw this? You can’t possibly keep track of all those items so easily... How do you know you know you didn’t draw this one thing, and you just forgot about it?” She folded her arms against her chest, the hammer sticking out to the side. “Why don’t you just tell the truth....? You planned this the whole time. You wanted get rid of this filthy little boy so you can take his magic chalk away, so you didn’t have to worry about returning it. And you talked to me ahead of time, to plan all of this out.”

“No...” Mr. Longhorn shook his head in denial. “I didn’t...”

“I see you faltering. Face it... It’s never a good idea to run from the truth.” Jenny sneered at him. She twisted her foot against Reggie’s back, prompting a cry of pain from him. “It’s time to face it head on. Tell the boy the truth! Tell him how you lured him in here so you can steal his chalk!” Mr. Longhorn remained silent. “Tell him!” Jenny snapped, her voice having a bit of a growly edge to it.

“Y-You...you tricked me...?” Reggie asked. He stared at Mr. Longhorn, his eyes shining with shock and hurt. “Wh-Why did...?”

“No! Don’t listen to her! She’s lying!” Mr. Longhorn shouted at him in desperation. “Please, you must understand! I wasn’t trying to...”

Reggie’s eyes widened a little. “I can’t believe I trusted you...” He let out a cough and a small whimper. “I-It makes sense now... Why you were willing to c-c-come with me...” Mr. Longhorn’s eyes widened at this. How could Reggie believe this bullcrap? “Why you... didn’t want me to..u-use the entrance at the Ta-Tabooties’...”

“No..Reggie...” Mr. Longhorn started to say. He couldn’t believe Jenny’s lies, could he? “You’ve got it all wrong.”

“D-Do I...? This is.. a per-perfect spot for an attack. Away from others.” Reggie said. His voice had some bitterness, but it was mostly hurt, and he stared at Mr. Longhorn, his eyes shining with the silent question of ‘why?’. “I just..don’t...un-understand why you...” He winced as some pain moved through his body. “Why would you do this? Wh-What did I do...?”

Mr. Longhorn shook his head in denial. “I..I never...” He took in a few shaky breaths, darting his eyes left and right. Emotions welling up inside of him, he spread his arms out and shouted into the sky, “I had nothing to do with this!”

Mr. Longhorn took in a few breaths, trying to calm himself down, as he started at Reggie and Jenny. A silence fell upon them. He could hear some mumblings from Craniac 4, but he hardly paid attention to the zoner, his mind too focused on what was going to happen to Reggie if he didn’t do something quick. The boy looked at him, his eyes registering disappointment and fear, a clear message that he didn’t trust him. Mr. Longhorn felt a pang in his chest, not believing that Reggie was so easily swayed like that. How could he be so blind?

He glared at Jenny. The woman held a smug look, looking like she knew that she had won. She looked so sickenly satisfied in what was going on. She knew exactly what she was doing, and it was clear she was proud of it. Mr. Longhorn’s body shivered in anger. This woman was playing mind games with him, and, despite what she was doing to Reggie, this was all just to get back at him. She was trying to break him, make him feel sorry that he ever crossed paths with her.

“It is so...disappointing it must end this way.”

Mr. Longhorn’s thoughts were interrupted by that cold statement. He clenched his teeth in horror, staring at Jenny wide-eyed.

Jenny looked down at Reggie, giving a humph sound as she lowered the hammer slightly. “Well, since you will not continue with your own plan, you coot, I...will do it for you.”

Mr. Longhorn’s face paled. “Wh-What are you going to d-do...?”

Jenny grinned at him. “I am going to finish the job.”

“No...” Mr. Longhorn felt his heart freeze. “You can’t...!”

“Oh...I can and I will...” Jenny turned her attention down to the pinned teenager. She lifted her foot away from him. Immediately, Reggie started to squirm away from her. “Starting...now!”

Suddenly, without hesitation, she brought the hammer down. It moved so fast, Mr. Longhorn could only see a blur of pale color swing across the air. A second later, there was an impact. A loud thud echoed across the air, intermixed with a loud scream. Mr. Longhorn looked on in horror as the hammer had collided with the lower part of Reggie’s back. The boy’s eyes bulged open, a few tears moving down his cheeks.

“Malfunctioning sparks!” Craniac 4 panicked. Whether or not the robot actually cared for Snap didn’t really matter. What was certain is that this scene was horrifying even for him.

Reggie laid on the ground, his body trembling in pain. He lifted up his head, looking up at Jenny pleadingly. The woman ignored him and she struck him with the hammer again. This time, she hit it against the boy’s side. There was a loud snap and a crack, and Longhorn knew that at least one rib had been broken, perhaps more. The boy let out a bloodcurdling scream as he was tossed across the ground, rolling painfully into the dirt. He whimpered loudly, desperately trying to get away. Jenny approached him, hammer ready. She raised it again.

“No!” Mr. Longhorn started to rush forward. “You have to stop this! Please!”

Jenny looked at him. She narrowed her eyes dangerously. “You best stay put...” She said, the threat clearly dripping from the edge of her voice. “Or else...” She raised the hammer above Reggie’s head, looking fully ready to strike down.

Mr. Longhorn froze, his eyes wide in horror. He stood several feet away, his body shaking in horror. He looked into the frightened and suffering boy’s eyes. He bit his lip and looked back at Jenny. “Please...” He took a small step back, lowering his head submissively, an attempt to try to calm Jenny down. “Stop hurting him...”

“Why should I?” Jenny asked, narrowing her eyes deeply. “Give me a good reason why I should let him go. Why should I release him when you were going to do the same to him anyway?”

Mr. Longhorn’s eyes widened. “I-I wasn’t going to...” He stopped himself. He knew that no amount of pleading for innocence was going to help him. Jenny knew he was innocent; she just didn’t care, and she was going to continue with this facade just to further trick Reggie into thinking he had ill intentions for him. “Just please...let him go...”

“Hmm I might let him go...” Jenny said, tapping a finger against her chin. “...if you do something for me...”

Mr. Longhorn gritted his teeth. What did this woman have in mind for him? Hesitantly, he asked, “What...?”

Jenny smiled darkly at him. She remained quiet for several moments. Then she spoke, her voice having a dangerous edge to it. “I want you to find dear Inez Sanchez...” She lowered her head, leering at the man. “And bring her to me for corruption.”

Mr. Longhorn gasped at this, taking a step back. Why did this woman want Mrs. Sanchez? What did she have planned for her? Whatever it was...it couldn’t be anything good. He bit his lip. He couldn’t do something like that. He couldn’t betray Mrs. Sanchez. He may not have known her long, but he still cared enough about her that he wouldn’t want to hurt her in any way.

But what of Reggie? He couldn’t just abandon him either. He was just a kid. He didn’t deserve any of this happening to him. He looked down at his quivering form. He sucked on his upper lip and turned back to Jenny. The woman smirked at him, waiting for an answer.

Taking in a shaky breath, Mr. Longhorn said the only thing he could think of. “...please let him go. You can take me instead. If you wish to bash my skull in, you may do so.” He hardly believed what he was saying. He didn’t want to die. But he’d rather that than two innocents being hurt. “I surrender.”

Jenny stared at him, quiet. The silence was uneasy, uncomfortable. Reggie stared at Mr. Longhorn with those pain-filled eyes. He then looked up at Jenny, clearly wondering if she was going to let him go or not. Jenny appeared to be thinking, her lips pursed and gaze upwards.

“Hmm...I’ll have to decline.” Jenny said.

Mr. Longhorn’s eyes widened. “But...”

“Oh I know you tried your best.” Jenny waved a dismissive hand at him. “But it’s just not good enough, sweetie. I admit it was tempting...” Her voice grew bitter. “What you did back at my place was unforgiveable...” She gritted her teeth, letting out a low growl. Then she shook her head, a faux pleasant expression returning to it. “Since you have said no...”

“I didn’t say that!” Mr. Longhorn cried in horror. The implications of this... What she said... No, she couldn’t...

“You did not agree to my terms.” Jenny said. “I regard that as a no.” She looked down at Reggie. “A shame. I’m sure you would have grown up to be someone quite special.”

“Stop...Don’t...” Reggie pleaded with her. “Please don’t hur-hurt m-me...”

“Wait! Please!” Mr. Longhorn reached forward. But he wasn’t able to stop Jenny.

The hammer came down swift and fast. It hit against Reggie’s back again. The boy screamed in agony. Jenny lifted it up again, bringing it down against his side. A third one tossed the boy across the ground. She rushed over towards him. Just as the boy managed to get up onto his knees, she struck him in the stomach with the hammer, causing a bit of blood to form in his mouth. Reggie landed on his back with a heavy thud, letting out a few whimpers of pain. He laid there for a few moments, taking in shuddering breaths. He opened his eyes just in time to see the hammer brought down onto his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He held onto his chest and stomach, curling up to the side and groaning in agony.

Jenny smiled down at him. She gave a sneer at the horrified Mr. Longhorn before she resumed her attack. She struck the hammer against his arm as hard as she could. Reggie yelped and grabbed onto it. Immediately, Jenny slammed the hammer onto his knee, causing it to bend to the side awkwardly, forcing him to scream again. She brought her foot back and kicked him so that he was on his back. She struck him again and again in the stomach and chest with the hammer, causing blood to spray from his mouth and a massive bruise to form on his stomach, visible even through his shirt.

“Stop!” Mr. Longhorn took a few steps forward. “Cease your attack! Please!”

Jenny just laughed coldly. She moved the hammer towards Reggie’s head. “I’ll end this quicker if you want.”

Mr. Longhorn stopped. He trembled, tears forming in his eyes. “Please..just take me instead... Please..I’m begging you...”

“Well it’s too late now.” Jenny shrugged her shoulders. “You had your chance, and you blew it.”

“I change my mind!” Mr. Longhorn called without thinking. It wasn’t his fault this was going on, but the intense emotion welling up inside forced him to call out in desperation. “I’m sorry! Please..I change my mind! Just let him go!”

“Oh? You change your mind?” Jenny inquired. When Longhorn did not answer the second she aksed that question, she smiled softly. “I thought so. Seems you can never make up your mind and stick with it, eh?” She looked down at Reggie. She brought her foot back and slammed it against his side. “If you will excuse me, I have some...trash to take care of..”

Mr. Longhorn’s eyes widened in horror as she walked over to Reggie’s side once more. This time, he had landed on his stomach, exposing his back. Jenny gave a nasty grin as she raised the hammer and, with a whoosh, brought it smashing down onto his back. Mr. Longhorn felt his gut twist in knots as he heard the sound of a loud break echo through the skies. Reggie’s eyes bulged open and he let out a loud, long scream, his face turning red from the agony.

Mr. Longhorn stared at the boy’s back. It was hard to tell just by looking, but he knew what he heard, and it could only mean one thing. Jenny had busted Reggie’s back. He stared at the boy’s legs in horror, swallowing a bitter taste as he realized he wasn’t moving them anymore. The legs were completely paralyzed. His heart twisted up at this. He looked at the boy sympathetically as he attempted to crawl away. Seeing him like this filled him with so much anger and hate for Jenny, and yet he could not lash out at her, not while she had the upperhand like this.

Jenny turned her hammer around, much to the man’s terror. She grinned evilly at Reggie as she raised the hammer up. Mr. Longhorn and Craniac 4 looked on in horror as Jenny struck Reggie with the sharp end of the hammer. Two deep gashes appeared on his back, slicing deep into his flesh. Blood pooled out of it, staining the ground. Jenny struck him across the back again, this time in a different direction. The new cuts crisscrossed across the old, worsening them. Reggie screamed in pain and tried to shift himself, but only managed to get onto his side. This only served to give Jenny another area to strike and soon the boy adorned two gashes along his side, cutting deep into his rips.

“Stop it! Stop hurting him!” Longhorn screamed.

Jenny ignored him and continued to beat up Reggie. She struck him again and again with the sharp end of the hammer. Along his arm, his chest, and stomach, she hit. She deliberately avoided his legs, and Longhorn knew that was only because she wanted him to feel everything she was doing to him. She lifted him up, released him, and quickly struck him across his arm with the spiked end, causing him to twirl around before collapsing onto the floor.

In a matter of seconds, Reggie was covered in gashes. Jenny soon went back to the hammer and began to beat against his shoulder, smashing it and breaking his collar bone in the process. Reggie continued to fight back, but it was clear he was losing the battle. As blood loss started to take effect, he started to close his eyes, unable to keep them open any longer.

Then, Jenny, holding the hammer tightly, struck the hammer against the side of Reggie’s head. Craniac 4 let out a shocked cry and Mr. Longhorn screamed in denial as the hammer smashed against Reggie’s skull. If it didn’t break it, it would have surely caused at least some swelling. The boy hit the ground painfully, groaning in pain. He looked up at Mr. Longhorn, his eyes filled with pain. He then collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Jenny lifted the bloodied diamond hammer, fully ready to continue the beatdown despite her victim being unconscious.

“No! Stop!” Mr. Longhorn took several steps forward, despite knowing what Jenny was going to do. She froze where she stood and lowered her hammer, looking over at the man, waiting for him to reply. “Please stop! I..I’ll do it... I’ll get Mrs. Sanchez for you! I promise! Just..stop hurting him, please.” Mr. Longhorn shed a few tears, his shoulders shaking in emotion. “Stop beating him up, and I will get what you desire...”

Jenny smirked at him. She lowered her hammer. “Very well then. I’ll leave the brat alone.” She took a few steps away, allowing Mr. Longhorn to get closer to him. As the man looked down at the boy in horror, Jenny said, “I will need you to come with me. Don’t worry. He’ll be fine. There’s a medical ward in Solar Pillars. I’ll patch him up.”

Mr. Longhorn snarled at her. He couldn’t help but feel a little offended that she be the one to mend Reggie’s wounds. She was the one who done them to him in the first place. It was her fault this had happened to him. What he done to deserve this?

“Don’t look at me like that.” Jenny said, narrowing her eyes into slits. “You could have prevented this, but you decided to decline my offer. You know what would happen if you didn’t listen to me. And now look at what it’s gotten you.” She nodded her head downwards. “The boy’s injuries are your fault. You did this to him. Not me.”

Mr. Longhorn shot her a hateful glare, but said nothing. He hardly noticed when Craniac 4 started to move towards him. He didn’t realize that Craniac 4 was standing not far from him now. All he could focus on right now was the vile woman before him and the innocent boy she had nearly beaten to death.

Jenny just shrugged her shoulders. “Ah, you’ll get over it anyway.”

“Get over it..?!” Mr. Longhorn cried in surprise. How did this evil woman expect him to get over this?

Jenny ignored his outburst. She stared to head towards the Solar Pillars. She gestured with her hand for them to follow. “Come along now.”

Reluctantly, Mr. Longhorn picked up Reggie and began to follow Jenny, despite the pleas of Craniac 4 for them to just leave. Mr. Longhorn wanted to do that. He wanted to get back into the real world to find help for Reggie. But he knew that wasn’t an option, and Reggie needed medical help now. As much as he hated it, he had no choice but to follow Jenny.

As he followed her into the stony building, he tried to think of some kind of plan to warn Mrs. Sanchez. He had to do something, before it was too late.


	172. Do You Wish To Fight Us?

She couldn’t believe it.. She just couldn’t fathom it. After all this time... The black chalk had known what she was up to. Barney, he had revealed to her that the black chalk in her body was relaying information to other black chalk. It knew where she was, what she was doing. All those times in the meetings, Penny had sabotaged them by accident, simply by being present.

The reality of this situation caused a foul taste to move into her mouth. She licked her lips nervously and swallowed hard. She was deeply unsettled by this horrifying truth. She had been a spy this whole time and she...she didn’t even know. How could she not have noticed? Even after Barney reassured her that there was no way she could have known, Penny still felt she should have been more vigilant. She could feel her heart racing as she thought of the past events and wondered just how much she contributed to them.

Penny felt growing anger inside her. It wasn’t just herself she was angry with. There was one person whom she blamed for getting tainted with black chalk. Not just her... Her mother and she was sure that Mr. Longhorn was also infected as well. Her mind burned as she thought back to that wretched man, Mr. Pierce.

The man had been arrested for his crimes, but that did not do anything to lessen the anger she felt towards him. He had tortured Rudy nearly to death, framed Rudy’s father for murder, killed two people, Terry and Vinnie, tormented her, and tried to expose ChalkZone. He had even tried to murder her mother and Mr. Longhorn. It was Mr. Pierce’s fault that she, her mom, and Mr. Longhorn were tainted with black chalk. It was his fault that she had been turned into an unwilling spy for the black chalk.

But for the moment, she knew she couldn’t be angry. She and Barney had other matters to attend to. They would free Rudy first, and then they would figure out a way to remove the black chalk from within her and Rudy. So long as Nihilanth had a gateway into the real world, yanking Rudy from him was top priority.

“I know you are worried.” Barney said, cutting her from her thoughts. “But do not worry. We’ll get Rudy back. I promise.”

Despite being uncertain, Penny nodded her head, offering a smile. “Yeah...I know.”

Penny and Nihilanth...no, Barney, strolled through the cave system. She found it amazing how well the massive dragon body could move through here. He fit in the tunnels quite nicely, a near perfect fit. His body just slid along the walls. Once in a while, she could hear the sound of scraping as the dragon moved through the tunnels with ease. It was almost as if the tunnels were designed specifically for him.

She walked in front of Barney, heading back down the path that Barney instructed her to go on. They would eventually reach the room with the rogue white chalk. The zoner promised her that it wouldn’t take that long, especially since he could fly, so in larger rooms, he could simply grab her and fly over. This hadn’t come into use yet, but she was certain, sooner or later, she was going to be grateful for his presence.

But when they get there, what were they going to do? It was difficult to say. There was no guarantee this plan would work. She tried to tell herself over and over that everything was going to be fine. She had no idea if the plan was going to work if she gave up so easily. They had to keep moving, keep trying. Barney promised her it should work. She just needed hold all three pieces, the white, the black, and the red, at the same time so that they influenced one another. The end result is a chalk that should be capable of helping to rip Rudy out of Nihilanth’s body. Barney didn’t go into detail on just how the process would work, but she didn’t complain.

Barney warned her that even after removing him from Nihilanth, Rudy was still going to be corrupted. They would need repeat the process. This seemed a little different than what Mr. Cosmo wrote, but there were always more than one way to do something. And they were still following most of what he, the real Cosmo and not the black chalk version, had written.

For a fleeting moment, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for Mr. Cosmo. When he had first arrived in ChalkZone, he had been more like Rudy, and had explored and even helped out zoners from time to time. He was looked up to, at least to some extent. Not nearly the same as Rudy, but the zoners did like him enough that, when time came that he became corrupted, it had been such a great shock. She couldn’t begin to imagine what it was like for everyone. For the zoners to lose a high ranking creator. For Mr. Wilter to lose a friend. For Mr. Cosmo to lose his identity, permanently replaced with a monster...

It is such a shame. Mr. Cosmo was only remembered now as a monster. Any zoner she had spoken to about him, who had known him back then, only had negative things to say about him. The zoners feared and hated him, and none of them seemed to acknowledge any good deeds he did. Or if they do, it was once in a blue moon moment. She felt a pang in her chest at this realization. What a terrible fate that would be, for all good deeds of a person to be forgotten, replaced by nothing but anger and hate.

“Watch your step!”

Before Penny could react, she felt the dragon’s white tail wrap around her and hold her in place. She soon realized why Barney had taken action so abruptly. Right in front of her was a tall pillar with razor sharp edges. Had she walked into it, she would have been sliced up. She stared in shock before taking a few steps back.

They had arrived at the end of this tunnel, heading into a larger room. There was a path in front of them, covered in shards, spikes, and blood. The sight of the blood made Penny instantly recognize what this place was. It was were she had woken up to an unconscious Nexra. This was the area where she had to drag Nexra up. She winced as she recalled the pain of the sharp edges slicing into her.

The thought of Nexra brought a pang to her chest. She recalled just how damaged that zoner was. The outline damage was the most horrifying. She had drawn a mode of automatic transportation for her with the red chalk earlier. She hoped that it would manage to get her to the hospital. The thought of it being attacked before she could reach help...

She shook her head. The red chalk assured her that the creation would be fine and it would be able to get the zoner to safety. Penny realized she nearly forgot this was red chalk; everything created with red chalk had a vicious streak. If someone tried to stop it, it would fight back, driving away any potential attacker. She took in a deep breath, feeling her body relax. Nexra would be fine, and she could focus on the task at hand.

“I can fly us down. These shouldn’t be much of a problem.” Barney said. He edged in closer, forcing Penny to the side due to his massive size. “Just grab onto my leg and climb onto my back.”

“Are you sure?” Penny asked. She looked at the spikes. “Wouldn’t they...?”

Barney shook his two heads. “It should be good. This dragon’s hide is quite thick. At most, it’ll just be a scrape.” He lowered himself a little more. “Now get on my back. We need to get down there before time runs out.”

Penny nodded her head. She grabbed onto Barney’s leg and slowly climbed up. Barney moved a head over, pushing his muzzle underneath her and helping her up. Soon Penny was able to get on top of Barney’s back. She positioned her legs across one of the necks, feeling the muscles moving underneath. Barney then pushed himself up and he walked towards the beginning of the sharp pathway.

Then he stopped just in front of it. Penny looked up at him, confused. Why had they stopped? Was something wrong?

Her answer was soon given to her as Barney turned a head towards her. The expression was almost unreadable, but there was a tinge of worry on his face. Penny bit her lip. Had they gone the wrong way somehow? No, that was impossible. Maybe they had run out of time? Oh no...

“I need to make sure. Do you still have the black chalk?” Barney asked, eyeing Penny warily.

Penny nodded her head. She reached into her pocket and pulled out something cylinder shaped and held it up. She peeled back the top just enough to allow some of the glow to escape through, wafering in the air. As soon as Barney gave a confirming nod, she quickly closed it. In that short time, she could already feel the cold feeling surge up her spine. Thankfully, she managed to cover it before the voices could talk to her again.

“And the red chalk?” Barney pressed.

Penny shoved the black chalk back into her pocket, quickly fetching the red. She held it up for him to see. “Yeah, don’t worry. I have both.”

“Good, good...” Barney said. He watched as Penny placed the chalk back into her pocket. “We will need both of them for this. This..isn’t going to be easy. I will warn you now, by the time we get there, I may start to lose control of this form.” Penny’s eyes widened at this. “But fear not! I will do what I can to keep control and buy you enough time.”

Although she was very worried, Penny still managed to return Barney’s small smile. She knew that even he wasn’t sure if this would work or not. He was going in this knowing that something could go very wrong. But he was still willing to try, despite the odds. The least she could do was try to help him out and go in this with him.

The idea of facing Nihilanth again, especially near such corrupted chalk, it was an unsettling feeling. She wasn’t sure how she could manage to pull Rudy out of the dragon with Nihilanth attacking her. Even if Barney managed to keep control for a while, that didn’t mean much if she couldn’t use that time to free Rudy. She was going to have to use whatever she had to fight back. Perhaps she could stall Nihilanth with the red chalk or something.

As Barney opened up his wings and took into the air, flying down the long pathway, Penny’s eyes bulged as she remembered the bit about the black chalk knowing she did. The thought sent a shiver up her spine. She could only hope that, despite the risk of the plan being exposed, she would still be able to fulfill this plan.

Rudy needed her help. He needed to get free. Penny couldn’t imagine how terrified he, the real Rudy, was right now. He was trapped in his own body, unable to do anything to help out. He coudn’t stop himself from saying those horrible words or doing terrible things to others. She knew he was counting her to save him. And she wasn’t going to let him down. She was going to succeed. She just had to. So much was at stake.

Penny was knocked from her thoughts when she felt them land on the ground below, right in front of the long path. She jumped off and stood next to Barney as she looked up the path. She grimaced. It had been a long longer than she thought. And she had woken up about halfway up this thing. This caused her eyes to widen. Did this mean that Nexra had dragged her up that far while injured? She couldn’t help but respect the zoner. Doing such a thing...while injured.. It was incredible.

She turned her attention back to the new pathway in front of her. She could feel her body tense already. They hadn’t even gotten to the room with the rogue white chalk and already she could feel its dangerous aura rise up all around her. She could feel the hairs on her body stand on end. Dread swept through her, causing her body to emit constant shivers.

Barney took note of this. His black head lowered to Penny and gave her a gentle nudge. “It will be all right. Trust us.”

“How can you be so sure?” Penny asked, staring warily down the hallway. She stopped herself before she went on a ‘this is impossible’ rant. That wasn’t what she wanted to do, nor will it help anything. She took in a breath and said, “How will I go about this without it taking me over?”

That was when a silence fell upon them. They still moved forward, walking along through the tunnel. But Barney had fallen silent. This silence wasn’t eerie or scary, but instead it was solemn, as if Barney had realized an uncomfortable truth. Penny was nervous, but she didn’t regret her question. She had to ask. She had to prepare herself for however hard this was going to be.

It took several moments for Barney to answer. Only when they had gone twenty feet down the tunnel did he give an answer.

“I...do not know. I’m not sure if there is a sure fire way to resist the rogue chalk’s glance.” Barney continued to walk, not giving a gaze to Penny. Penny herself barely glanced at him, instead focusing her gaze on the path ahead of them. They needed to focus on walking, not staring at one another. “The only thing I can suggest is not looking at the chalk. The black chalk can entice with their voices. But the rogue white chalk’s strength comes from its compelling glow, which it weaponized.”

Penny flinched at this. She remembered all too well about the light tendrils. She remembered the worst encounter she had with them, back in the light dimension. Light Rudy had used them more than once. She could still feel its near burning warmth against her skin from when she and Snap were beaten by Light Rudy to force their Rudy into submission. The idea of having to confront that again was nervewracking. And what made this encounter worse is that the chalk itself could use and control the tendrils, even move itself around if it so desired to. The idea of sentient chalk moving around... She shuddered.

She wasn’t sure how she could possibly not look at the glow. The rogue white chalk, the ivory chalk as she came to call it to help differentiate it from the rest of white chalk, was going to do whatever it took to force her to look into its enticing glow. It would move itself, use its tendrils to drag itself into position. No matter which way she tried to look, even the ground or ‘bald’ parts of the ceiling, she would be unable to escape the glow.

“I...I don’t know if I can look away.” Penny said. “How do I do that when the chalk moves around?” Her thoughts filled with images of the ivory chalk wrapping itself around her and immobilizing her while forcing her to look into its light. “How do I keep the chalk’s glow from shining in my eyes?”

Barney didn’t answer for several moments. Penny waited patiently for an answer, despite the growing nervousness filling the pit of her stomach, spreading through her body like a sickening infection. The silence meant that either he had no answer, or he did have one that she was not going to like very well. Both possibilities filled her with anxiety.

Barney finally responded after what seemed like forever. And his answer was not one that Penny had hoped to hear.

“There is only one way. Only one that I think will give you any kind of edge.” Barney’s voice was filled with regret, and Penny felt a shiver. “You will need to...blind yourself.” Barney heard Penny’s gasp and he shut his eyes briefly in silent reflection. He reopened them partway and said, “I am sorry. But we don’t have much of a choice. I’m immune since I’m a zoner. But you...” He gave a brief glance down at Penny. “You are vulnerable. You can easily be swayed. If you close your eyes and not look at the light, you can give yourself a fighting chance.”

“But at the cost of my sight.” Penny stated, pointing out the obvious. “If I can’t see...” She lowered her gaze slightly, moving her eyes left and right, looking at nothing in particular. What was she going to do if she was not able to see what she was doing? She could get hurt, or she could accidentally injure Barney in the process. “How will I...?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be your eyes.” Barney offered. Penny looked up at him in confusion. Didn’t he just tell her...? Barney chuckled lightly, as if he realized what she was talking about. “I know what you’re thinking. And it will be okay. All that needs to be done is you rush forward, grab a chalk, and rush back.”

Penny nodded her head. Yeah, that seemed pretty easy. The ivory chalk was just right in front of the door way. A straight shot there and back. All she had to do was keep walking straight with her eyes closed, listening to some guidance from Barney, and then grab a piece of ivory chalk. She then just had to turn around or even walk backwards. Simple.

But then..it wasn’t so simple. Her eyes narrowed in realization. There were a couple of problems that needed to be addressed. First off, the ivory chalk had tendrils. It could grab her and pull her back. What was to keep it from trying that when she approached? The ivory could wouldn’t exactly have a reason not to grab her if it so felt like it. The other issue had to deal with touching it. The black chalk assumed control as soon as somone touched it. Did the ivory chalk work the same? If it did, how would she go about grabbing it without it controlling her? Would the cloth trick work or would its tendrils slash through and touch her?

“You are afraid of it touching you, right?” Barney asked.

Penny nearly stopped, her eyes wide in shock. Had he been listening in on her thoughts? No, that was impossible. If Nihilanth had that power, they would have been screwed a long time ago. She gave a sideways glance at Barney, brief so she did not trip over anything. But she held the gaze long enough to convey her silent message to him. A silent question of ‘how did you know’.

And it was apparent Barney got the message. “I can read body language well, especially in this form.” Barney looked at Penny up and down, as if studying her. “Your body movements give away subtle changes in thought. Just by looking at the way you’re acting, I know you are afraid, and since I mentioned grabbing the chalk, I deduced that is the source of your anxiety.” He paused, letting this information sink in. “Does what I’m saying make sense?” He tilted his white head slightly.

“Yeah, I believe so.” Penny nodded her head. She couldn’t shake off the nervous feeling she was getting, but she tried her best shaking it to the side. The last thing she could afford right now was getting herself too worked up. She had to keep thinking clearly. “So am I in trouble if I touch the chalk? Is it like black chalk?”

Barney shook his massive heads from side to side. “If Nihilanth’s mental records here are anything of indication, the rogue white chalk does not have nearly as much influencing power from merely touch. It is the glow you have to watch out for. That’s how it enters your body to seize control. Close your eyes, and you block its main path to control you.”

“Okay.” Penny replied.

The two fell silent as they continued down the tunnel. They had slowed their pace as they got closer to where she knew the rogue white chalk was. They couldn’t make too much noise, or else the ivory chalk would think of a strategy and counter whatever they were going to try. If they managed to catch it offguard however... Yeah that would work more in their favor.

Penny couldn’t help but feel impressed at how lightly Barney could walk on those feet. Even the claws hardly made any noise. How something his size could be so quiet, and how he could fit in these tunnels despite them not seeming like they were large enough. Penny thought about asking, but she didn’t want to risk giving their position away. They were close to the chamber now. If the ivory chalk’s hearing was vast, it may complicate things. Barney’s current voice was telepathic, but hers was not. If she spoke too loudly, and she wasn’t even sure how much was too loud, she could give themselves away.

Plus, she didn’t really need much of an explanation. Nihilanth was a deity. His body may change size on its own to fit through smaller spaces if he needed and wanted to. He may be able to change his own weight so he could make footfalls that are barely noticeable. She didn’t know the full extent of his capabilities. She knew that he was holding back most of what he could do. He may never even try to use his full power. It was clear he wanted to have fun with what he was doing, and he couldn’t do that if he used the full power of a deity.

“Stop.”

Penny immediately ceased. She looked behind at Barney, confused. He had just ordered her to stop, but why? He was staring out ahead, his glowing eyes focused on something. Penny turned and looked, following his gaze. Looking down the tunnel, at first she couldn’t see much of anything.

Then she saw it. A faint glow in the distance. It was getting closer. She saw some kind of weird, spindly shadows casted on the wall. It was clearly not a human approaching. Was it a spider perhaps? Or a large insect or other type of arachnid? But as it got closer, she realized it wasn’t any of this. The shape didn’t match, unless it happened to be a drawing from a young child and... No that wasn’t right. The body looked simple, but the legs, even from the shadows, looked too detailed to be a child drawing. What was....?

Penny’s eyes widened in horror when she suddenly realized what she was looking at. She immediately adopted a defensive stance as the glowing object came closer. Barney had gotten the same idea as her. His leads lowered, his faintly orange glowing body rumbling as he growled. The two of them watched, not moving their eyes away, as the object came into view.

It was a piece of ivory chalk.

It was a disturbing sight to behold. It was among one of the creepiest things Penny had ever seen. She never thought she’d see something like this. Then again, she didn’t know years ago that she would be confronting chalk that could speak. She hadn’t known years back that there was such thing as black chalk and what it could do. She didn’t know that there were ways to reach alternate dimensions. So the sight, as much as it disturbed her, she almost came to expect stuff like this.

The chalk’s ‘body’ was raised high off the ground. Several feet higher than her, almost eye level with Barney if he stood straight up. The chalk glowed brightly, and there was a silvery kind of color to its edge, a feature that she didn’t recall being present with the normal white chalk. It moved on six long tentacles of light, all of which supported the chalk itself above the ground. The lines were wavy and eratic, not staying straight. It was like they were made of arcs of electricity.

The way it moved towards them, it was so...different and alien. It was not like anything she had seen before. She studied plenty of animals, including various species of insect. But none of them moved quite like this. It was...indescribable. The body was perfectly straight yet the legs looked like they were all over the place. The ivory chalk strode towards her. Despite it not having eyes, she could feel a set of eyes boring through her own, a tinge of anger in them. The ivory chalk, though faceless, had an aura of clear displeasure to it, and it was directed straight at her.

The ivory chalk stopped in front of her, about five feet away. It rose up even higher, its wavy legs almost becoming somewhat straight. The ‘face’, which looked no different than its ‘backend’, staired straight at her. The buzz from its light legs filled the air, attacking her eardrums with its unpleasant sounds. Penny found herself unable to tear away.

The ivory chalk finally spoke. “We see you have corrupted our leader.” Its voice was filled with bitterness.

Penny stared at it in confusion. What was it talking about? She realized that it must be talking about what happened with Nihilanth. She looked over her shoulder. So far, the dragon’s body still glowed orange. Barney was still in control. But for how long?

“Well enjoy it while you can. We will remedy that soon.” The ivory chalk said. Penny whipped her head around, staring at the ivory chalk in fear. “In the mean time, you should come with us, Penny. We have much to discuss.”

Penny shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Oh but we think you are. Remember...” The ivory chalk began to glow. “You are going to be one of us... We will forgive you for your atrocious behavior. Just join us, and all will be forgiven.”

Penny’s eyes widened as the ivory chalk began to entice her with its glow again. Barney’s words echoed in the back of her mind. She shook her head to the side and gripped it, fighting back against the sensation that started to surge through her head. She closed her eyes tightly, doing whatever she could to block out the light trying to enter them. It took a few seconds, but her body was able to flush away the weird sensation taking her over. She shivered a couple times, doing whatever she could to regain her composure. It was difficult fighting back, even without looking direclty at the light. Only when she felt she had regained enough control did she turn to face the ivory chalk, keeping her eyes closed in the process.

It was uncomfortable facing the chalk this way. She had no idea what it was doing, where it was. She could feel its warmth on her, see some of the glow even behind her shut eyes. But that was it. The ivory chalk could easily get rid of its glow, thus hiding itself completely. She tensed her body up, her eyes on full alert. She listened intently as the glow died down, trying to hear any sound, no matter how small.

So far, she didn’t really hear anything. No small footstep. No increased sparkling of the light legs. Nothing to indicate the chalk was getting closer. But that did little to comfort her. The ivory chalk was small and light; it was not likely going to make a lot of noise. It could be approaching her now and she wouldn’t know. But she couldn’t open her eyes either, or she would be taken over. This was an unfair situation she had been forced into. Either go up against an enemy blind or open her eyes and risk corruption. How fate can be cruel and twisted sometimes...

“How cute... It seems your pathetic orange worm had taught you a new trick or two.” The ivory chalk sneered. Penny wondered if the ivory chalk could see through Nihilanth’s body and be able to tell he has two vessels locked away in there. “No matter. It won’t last you long. How do you suppose you’ll face an opponent that you cannot even see, deary?” The ivory chalk mused. “We are certain this will be a lot of fun. If you wish, sure, we will take you on like this. But...” Its voice darkened. “Don’t expect to win...”

Penny opened her mouth to speak. She was stopped when she heard a massive footfall beside her. It must be Barney. She could hear him growling lowly. It was clearly directed at the ivory chalk, making her feel relief since this meant he was still on her side.

...but for how long? Penny felt a pang of fear in her stomach when she realized that, without being able to see, she won’t know when Nihilanth starts to assume control again. She won’t know when she would have to start dodging the dragon and have to be faced with not just one, but two enemies. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do if something like that happened. What was she going to do against two enemies alone?

“I will not allow you to...” Barney started to say.

“Oh please. Give us a break.” The ivory chalk growled at him. “You will not be interfering, you faker. We know you are not the real Nihilanth. Even the way you walk is disgraceful, so unlike the glorious Nihilanth. You dishonor his name with your zoner filth.” The ivory chalk spat coldly and angrily. There was real offense laced on that voice. Barney had really upset the chalk just by being present. “After our lord regains himself, we will discuss what to do with you. We know being stuck with our master is such a severe punishment, but we want something...even better before you.”

“What could be worse than not having my body and being forced to be a puppet for your master?” Barney growled deeply.

The ivory chalk hissed. “Oh don’t worry. We will find something.” A dark chuckle. “There..is always something...”

A low growl from two sets of throats. Then a low hiss and Penny imagined that Barney was opening his mouth at this point. “Well...we’ll just see about that, won’t we? I’ll...”

“You will do nothing. You do not know how to fully control that form. You do not know how to use Nihilanth’s powers. You stand no chance against us.” The ivory chalk chortled, a bitter amusement hanging heavily on its voice. “You...are better off just running in the corner crying. That is all you are good for, you worthless bug.”

Barney hissed. “You don’t know what you’re...”

But Barney never got a chance to finish.

“Shut up!” The ivory chalk roared.

Penny jerked in shock when she heard a loud, echoing scream come from the two-headed dragon. She covered her ears, trying to push away the sound out of her ears, where it was wreaking havoc on her eardrums. Thankfully the scream was short lived, but seconds later, another sound filled the air. A thud, and then the ground shook. Penny heard the sound of rocks cracking and crumbling to the ground. It took her only seconds to realize what had happened.

Barney had been tossed against the wall. The rogue white chalk had managed to lift him up and send him flying against the wall. This realization sent horror through her veins. How...how was it able to do this? How could it achieve this goal when Barney was in a massive dragon’s body? Her mind raced, wondering just how strong it was. She tried to reason with herself that maybe it just caused him to trip and fall, but that did little to settle her racing mind.

Penny grunted when she felt the light tendrils, an uncomfortable heat radiating off of them, wrap around her body, pinning her arms to her sides. In seconds, she was yanked into the air. It happened so fast, she barely had any time to react. She was soon dangling in the air, her feet kicking, trying to find solid ground. She could feel the chalk’s presence. She clenched her teeth, shut her eyes tightly, and turned her head.

For several moments, there was nothing but silence. It unnerved her. She had no idea what was going on. She wanted to open her eyes, wanted to see what was happening. But she dare not to, knowing what would happen if she opened her eyes even just a smidgen. She tightened her eyelids, trying her best to override her fear of not knowing what was going on. She listened intently with her ears, attempting to discern at least something of her surroundings.

She could hear heavy breathing, and the sound of rocks cracking, something scraping. It sounded as though Barney was getting back to his feet. But that didn’t comfort her that much. She didn’t know how long it would be before the ivory chalk would slam him, and she knew that, sooner or later, he was going to lose control and Nihilanth would take over. It was very possible that he had shifted back now and was going to move in for the kill... Or worse, corrupt her and turn her against everyone she cared about.

“You can struggle all you want to.” The ivory chalk said as Penny squirmed from side to side. “But you will not get away from us. Oh no...we have plans for you.” Penny let out a yelp when she felt herself being yanked forward suddenly. Still she refused to open her eyes. “You will not open your eyes for us? We see... You are trying to resist our charm. What a shame. You are really missing out.”

Penny didn’t answer. She refused to talk. She didn’t want to give the ivory chalk the satisfaction of a response. The moment she opened her mouth, the rogue chalk was going to engage in conversation with her and do whatever it took to get her to join. Even though nothing it would say would convince her, she knew that the rogue chalk was manipulative. It might find a way to fool her, catch her off guard, and make her do something she didn’t want to.

She reminded herself of what happened with Light Rudy. Although most of what happened was his own fault, she couldn’t deny that the evil version of the white chalk had played some role, and helped to influence him to do those things. Would she become similar to him if she allowed the ivory chalk too much control? No...she wouldn’t let that happen.

Penny let out a grunt when the light tendrils around her body tightened. She could feel a burning sensation as the lights pressed against her arms. The rogue chalk squeezed her a little tighter, prompting a scream from her mouth. She was then turned around, upside down and side to side, as the rogue white chalk examined her carelessly. She tried to resist the temptation of opening her eyes. Her mind was racing, panicking. The feeling of her body being in positions it should not was triggering her brain to try to rectify the situation. But no, she couldn’t open her eyes. Not now.

“So...you won’t open your eyes. You won’t show us how pretty your eyes are.” The ivory chalk said. Its voice sounded disappointed, but Penny would tell it was feigned. “Hmph. No matter. We can force your eyes open sooner or later. You can’t remain like this forever.”

“You will do no such thing.” So Barney was still in control. That was a relief. “You will release her at once! Or I’ll...”

“Oh you again? When will you stop and smell the truth? You cannot fight us. You do not know how to fight as Nihilanth. You may be his vessel, but you’ll never be him.” The ivory chalk snarled.

“Why would I want to be him?” Barney inquired. “He’s a monster. He’s murdering countless lives! How..how can you worship something like that!”

A bitter chuckle. “Easy. We just remind ourselves of what his end goal is. Nihilanth wants nothing more than a perfect world, where the citizens do not have to worry about the weak, or being weak. Everyone would be strong and have a fighting chance.” The ivory chalk paused for a moment, as if letting Penny and Barney sink this information into their skulls. “Of course, people as weak as you two would not understand. You would want to save the weak, because you are too soft. Nihilanth wants to show us, all of us, just how reduntant that is, and how much progress is held back because of it.”

“Progress?!”

Penny didn’t mean to. She hadn’t meant to speak up. She had tried to keep quiet. But what the ivory chalk said boiled her blood. What progress could it possibly be talking about? She had an idea, and if it turned out to be true, her blood was going to boil over.

“Are you saying that enslaving an entire race, putting mind control devices on them, erasing their minds, and then forcing them to do nonstop labor is progress?!” Penny snarled at the ivory chalk. She kept her head turned away, but she aimed her venom-filled voice at the ivory chalk.

“Hmm that is a tough question...” The ivory chalk said. It held Penny upside down, keeping her wrapped in its burning tentacles. “Let us think about that.” Although her eyes were still shut, Penny narrowed them. All that prompted from the ivory chalk was a laughter. “No.” The answer came only seconds later. “We feel no remorse. Why should we? Zoners are nothing but piles of filth in the form of chalk dust. They mean nothing and they are nothing.”

Penny felt herself being manipulated in the air again. She struggled to get free, but the chalk kept a tight grip on her. She couldn’t tell if Barney was attempting to do anything, or if he was holding back for fear of the ivory chalk hurting her.

That’s when she felt it. Something cold and sharp against her throat. It took all her will power not to widen her eyes when she realized what it was. The ivory chalk had formed a makeshift blade with its tentacles. She could feel the sharp edge against her throat. Even if the blade wasn’t as sharp as a real one, if the ivory chalk aimed it right and gathered enough pressure, it could...

“We suggest that you learn a bit of respect. Your stupid condor... Courtney... What is that nickname you gave her? Corky? Corgy? How revolting..” The ivory chalk said. There was no amusement at this point. Just bitterness and anger. Penny knew the chalk was getting down to business now. “Your condor learned some respect, we will tell you that.”

Penny felt her heart tighten. “W-What...?” No...it couldn’t be. Courtney could not be...

The ivory chalk replied before Penny had a chance to say anything else. “Oh yeah. It was quite remarkable. Of course, we did nothing. We have been stranded in here and all. However..” Penny cringed when she felt a tendril caress her face, along the bottom of her chin. She jerked her head away and growled. “We got a few..small images from Nihilanth. He certainly didn’t want us to be totally left in the dark.”

Penny’s mind swirled. What did Nihilanth do to Courtney? What had he done to her condor creation and friend? She felt cold dread filling up inside her stomach, making her feel sick. Many questions ran through her mind. What happened to Courtney? Where was she? Is she still...alive..? The last question made her heart twist in knots. If something happened to Courtney... Her blood started to heat up. If those monsters did something to her...

The ivory chalk continued, “You see, the wretched condor was causing some problems for the boss recently. So he had decided to take some matters....” The ivory chalk’s voice deepend, becoming more foreboding. “...into his own claws. If you know what I’m saying.”

Penny did her best to keep her eyes shut. This was very hard as shock wracked through her body, making it tremble. The way the ivory chalk said that, it was almost as if... No, it was impossible. No, it..it couldn’t be true. Courtney could fly. She could get away. There was no way she could have been caught that easily. Sure, Nihilanth could fly as well, but Courtney was an expert flyer and she was pretty smart. She could have dodged a bullet and find some place to hide, right?

But then her mind filled with images of what had happened when she came into ChalkZone, just what kind of mess she had come upon. The blood, the guts, the dead bodies everywhere. And some of them were flying zoners. Even those who took to the skies were not safe, no matter how swiftly they were built and designed. This reaction made a lump form in her throat. She didn’t want to believe that the same fate fell upon Courtney. But..what if...?

“If you so desire to know what happened...” The ivory chalk taunted. “Well let us just say it was...quite messy.”

Penny felt her heart freeze at this. She slowly shook her head in denial. A few tears formed in her eyes. She ignored the spinning sensation from the blood rushing to her head, her mind instead focused on what horrible things were done to Courtney.

Messy... That word sent chills up her spine. There was only one way something could be messy in the context that the ivory chalk was talking about. Courtney was cut up, forced to shed blood. Not just a little, either. A lot of it. Nihilanth must have ripped Courtney apart, her body mutiliated somewhere, laying on the ground. Penny felt her body shivering as emotion washed through her. She wanted to deny it. She tried to convince herself that it was just a lie manufactured to get to her. But...what if it was true?

Penny was unable to stop the torrent of images and emotions from sweeping through her body like a tornado. In flashes, her mind involuntarily displayed for her images of what could have happened to Courtney. Each one was more gruesome than the last.

Gashes...

Organs spilled...

Limps ripped off...

Bloodshed....

Bones broken...

That and more haunted her mind, taunting her, tormenting her with possible images of what her bird friend looked like now. Penny was furious, her blood boiling at the thought of Nihilanth. He was the one who did that to her. He was the one who hurt her even though she didn’t do a damn thing to him. But it wasn’t just anger she felt, but also guilt. She should have been here for Courtney. She should have stayed and helped. But instead, she left, and now....

Penny shivered as she filled her mind with newfound determination. She lifted her head, aiming it towards the ivory chalk. Though she could not see, she still made sure her closed eyes were aimed towards the chalk. Her eyes furrowed dangerously. She made sure to give that chalk a look of pure anger and hate. She wanted it to know that she would not allow it to get away with what it had done.

“Aww did we make the little girl angry?” The ivory chalk taunted. “Well perhaps we can make it better, no?”

Without warning, the ivory chalk tossed Penny against the wall. She let out a scream as she crashed into it and rolled down. She felt one of Barney’s temporary dragon heads push her up onto her feet. She let out a groan as she rubbed her shoulder, where most of the impact had been recieved. The arm was tender to the touch.

“Well then... Would you like to dance?” The ivory chalk asked, its voice turning into its sultry tone from before. “We would love to see what you’re capable of. Who knows? Maybe..if you impress us... We will let you and your friends go.”

Penny growled at this. “You wouldn’t do that...”

“Oh you’re right. We wouldn’t. How silly of us to say that.” The ivory chalk said. If it had shoulders, Penny was certain it would be shrugging them right now. The ivory chalk continued before she had time to say anything in response. “It doesn’t matter anyway. You don’t have what it takes to beat me.”

Penny nearly opened her eyes at this. “You’re saying that I can’t beat you?”

“You said it, not us.” The ivory chalk sneered. “You’re just a loser. A pathetic nobody. You are not the great creator. You do not matter. You’re hardly even a creator yourself. You’re worthless, a pathetic waste of time and life. You should just lay down and die so that your superiors can pick up where you left off.” Penny heard the ivory chalk draw a little closer. “You will never succeed in freeing your little friend.” Its voice was low. “Nor will you ever know how to stop Nihilanth. You...will fail.”

“No.” Penny shook her head. “You are wrong.”

The ivory chalk laughed coldly at this. “Oh really? Well then... Perhaps you want to show us?”

Penny took a step forward, growling softly. “Perhaps I will.”

Barney said warily, “But without your eyesight...”

Before Penny could respond, the ivory chalk gave another laughter. Then a moment of silence before the ivory chalk said, “Very well then. Bring it on...”

Penny narrowed her eyes in determination. “Oh I will...”


	173. Up, Then Down Again

Snap eyed Boorat warily. The zoner hadn’t really done anything to him, and yet he still felt petrified. It was hard for him to even take his eyes away from the large grey rat zoner. He felt so small next to him. Sure, the zoner wasn’t doing anything to him right now, but that could change any second, if he is given any external instructions from Rudy or Nihilanth.

There was so much Boorat could do to him. His jaws alone were pretty strong and those teeth, jagged sharp. If ordered to, Boorat could probably bite through one of his limbs, or at least do a lot of damage to them. He had large, thick muscles, too. Any punch he would recieve from him was likely going to do considerable harm to him, especially if Boorat placed them in specific, vulnerable locations. And that wasn’t even getting into that spring tail of his. He had been knocked away by it before and it hadn’t been a pleasant experience.

So far, Boorat was completely still and quiet, save for his breathing and the occasional twitch. His expression was still blank. Even that characteristic glare he was acquainted with wasn’t there. Just a simple, generic expression, his eyes holding no emotion for anything. Even when the zoner looked at him, there was none of that hatred that he would have expected from the rat zoner. Just simple minded obedience.

Snap couldn’t decide which as more terrifying. Boorat showing intense hatred towards him and activately trying to hurt him, or Boorat just standing there, staring at him with that blank expression and with no indication of when he would attack.

Snap had no idea just how much time had passed or how long he was going to be here. He didn’t know how long Rudy was going to do take completing his task and come back. He didn’t even know if Rudy and Nihilanth were coming back, or if they were going to keep him trapped with Boorat until the order to kill was made. Rudy, or rather Nihilanth, had no use for him. He was a zoner and he was not going to take any crap from Nihilanth. So he guessed that, most likely, he was going to be disposed of. This terrified him, injecting him with two things to be afraid of.

The wait, and the event.

The idea of being killed frightened the zoner. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want this place to be his grave. He wanted to live. He wanted to fight back. He wanted everything to go back to the way it was before. He just wanted to go home, sleep, and be able to wake up tomorrow knowing that he was fine and ChalkZone was safe. Was that so wrong?

The wait to death was just as unnerving. He would have no idea when it was coming. At any second, Boorat could be given an order, and that order would be silent. Snap would never know when the giant rat was given any task to do. The order could be given in the next few minutes, next couple hours, who knows when. This left him in the constant grip of fear of never knowing when he would be attacked. This, combined with the other fear, sent ice through his veins.

Then he realized in horror that death may not be his fate, but something much worse. He recalled Rudy believed that he could still be useful as a ‘servant’. The word felt bitter in his mind, but also horrifying. He remembered what it was like having the mind control device placed into his head. He remembered the echoing pain that spread through his skull as Mr. Cosmo pounded it into his head. He never wanted to experience that again. And yet... Rudy... He was going to.. He was...

Snap couldn’t help but shed a few tears of distress at this. Rudy was going to force him to go through that again. He was going to push the mind control thing back into his head and use him like a toy. A part of him wondered if this was a deliberate act, if Rudy was purposely trying to harm him mentally. If he was, it was working.

But at the same time, could he blame him? Perhaps not. Rudy himself was being controlled. Snap reassured himself that the real Rudy would never do something that horrible to him. He would not harm him in that manner. He would not ever want to hurt him like that. Snap wondered just how Rudy must feel right now, trapped in his body, forced to watch him do and say all these nasty, evil things. He wondered if he would ever see the real Rudy again, or if he was lost forever...

He shook his head. No. There was a way to bring him back. He kept reminding himself of that journal he found. The page in that blank book. What Mr. Cosmo said, the one not tainted by black chalk. There was a way to get free of the black chalk’s control. Penny knew this, and she was still free. Snap had confidence that Penny would succeed and, soon, they would get the real Rudy back.

But despite his confidence in Penny, he was also very worried about her. Rudy had left to go to the Chalk Mine some time ago. Snap knew it was Penny he was going after. He gulped as he recalled the last thing Rudy had said to him before he departed.

“If my plan worked, well...let’s just say you just lost another ally.”

Rudy hadn’t specified just who he was talking about. Even when he came back to tend to his wound, he still didn’t say who, even when he asked. But Snap knew, deep down, he didn’t need to Rudy to tell him. He already knew just what Rudy had in mind when he said that. He was referring to Penny. His heart twisted at the thought of Penny being turned into a monster like Rudy had been. He hoped and prayed that she managed to get away. Please, not her, too...

He was torn from his thoughts when he heard a low growl from Boorat. The zoner immediately cringed, wondering if the larger zoner had been given another order. He looked at Boorat, who stared at him with his teeth bared, but the eyes still remained expressionless. Snap turned his head, waiting for a potential blow from the zoner, knowing there was a chance that Rudy and Nihilanth changed their minds and decided to off him.

But when no blow came and Boorat turned away, Snap uneasily relaxed. He was still cautious, staring uneasily at Boorat. He kept his eyes locked onto the rodent zoner, waiting to see if he was going to do anything. Only after several minutes of silence, of Boorat not doing anything, did he finally truly calm down, his heart rate returning to normal. He wasn’t sure what that growl was. Perhaps just a warning from Rudy and Nihilanth for him to not think about escaping.

Snap winced as he felt a wave of pain radiating from his armpit. He turned his head. There was a white cloth bandage wrapped around it, the center staining in red. Before Rudy left to go to the Chalk Mine, he had come back again to treat the wound. He had been eerily silent the whole time, never speaking a word, even when Snap tried to deliberately invoke it. Rudy just, almost dutifully, treated his wound. But just like with Dark Rudy, it hadn’t been a pleasant experience. The teenager hadn’t exactly been very gentle with him.

He had cleaned the wound pretty roughly. He didn’t dab the wound, but instead shoved the cloth against him, hurting him more. He used a little too much disinfectant, which stung him horribly. He stitched the wound shut without giving any painkillers to Snap. The stitching was the worst part. The feeling of that needle going in and out over and over... Thankfully it was over quicker than he thought it was going to be. Rudy put aloe along the top of the wound and then put the cloth bandage around it to keep it unexposed to the outside elements.

Despite the horrible experience, Snap was glad that the wound was taken care of. If it had been left open, he knew it would have been infected, if he didn’t slowly bleed to death first. But the wound being treated didn’t leave him with much comfort. He knew that the only reason Rudy treated him at all was selfish motivation. He wanted to keep him around to turn him into a slave.

That wasn’t the only thing bothering Snap. There was the issue of Jenny. He bit his lip, his body shivering in fear. The idea of her being alive... Faking her death and toying with him... As much as that angered him, it also scared him. If Jenny was ‘out of the picture’, and they hadn’t known, then there was so much damage she could have done from the sidelines. And she could sneak attack at any time. Penny didn’t know she was still alive. If Jenny were to ambush her, taking careful calculations into mind...

Snap gritted his teeth. A torrent of emotions swept through his body. He...he had to go warn her. He had to tell Penny what was going on. He couldn’t stay here any longer. He started to struggle against his binds. He ignored the fact that Boorat was right next to him, staring at him warningly. He ignored what might happen if he had escaped and then got recaptured. He ignored the fact that, for all he knew, Jenny might be positioned back in Solar Pillars, ready to ambush him before he got far.

Right now, there was only one thing on his mind. One thing that moved the gears of his head, pushing him to take action. One thought floated above his head, high over anything else. Right now, there was one desire that he truly wanted.

Keeping Penny from being corrupted, or even killed.

sss

“You see? Everything will be fine.” Jenny cooed. Her eyes were staring down at the banged up Reggie, but it was clear her voice was intended for the disgruntled man standing a few feet behind her. “He’ll recover.”

Mr. Longhorn snarled at her, but didn’t say a word. It was pointless arguing with this woman. It wasn’t like she was going to listen to reason. He also didn’t want to take the risk of upsetting her again. He didn’t know if she was going to take her aggression out on him, or worse, the injured boy she had strapped to the table a while ago. He stared at the boy, biting his lip. Reggie was injured enough as it was. There was no need to give him further trauma.

Mr. Longhorn felt like an idiot. He felt a guilty pang in his chest. He had just sold Mrs. Sanchez out. He had caved in, allowing Jenny to control him, and forced him to agree to get Inez in exchange for Reggie’s safety. He wished he had stuck up for himself. He wished he had been more resistant. He wished he hadn’t been so...so stupid and did so horrendeous.

But it wasn’t like there was much he could do. He didn’t want to capture Mrs. Sanchez, but he also didn’t want to see Reggie get beaten up. Jenny had boxed him into a corner. She had forced him between a rock and a hard place, a saw and a razor edge. There was nothing he could have done that wouldn’t have resulted in tremendous guilty feelings. Jenny did not offer him any path that he would have liked. It was either capture Mrs. Sanchez or watch Reggie get beaten to death. He panicked and he chose the first option he could think of. He had nothing to feel guilty for. It was all Jenny’s fault.

But Jenny wouldn’t admit to that. He raised his head and glared at her hatefully. Oh no... She would continue to deny her guiltiness and just place all blame on him. That was the type of person she was, based on his encounters with her. He wanted to yell at her so badly, but he knew it was pointless, and he kept his mouth shut.

His gaze rested upon Reggie and his frown softened up. The boy had suffered multiple gash wounds and several gruises. He winced as his eyes scanned his body up and down. The wounds were treated, but the bandages and blood stain marks still gave away the location of the wounds. Staring at the bandages was enough for the man to have chilling flashbacks to how the injuries came about. White flashes appeared in the back of his mind again and again, showcasing Jenny striking Reggie with that blasted diamond hammer over and over again. That damned woman... He still couldn’t believe she could do something like this without any remorse.

Jenny stood over Reggie. She had finished tying up the last bandage and completely secured him down moments ago. It disgusted Mr. Longhorn how she was treating Reggie like a prisoner even in a medical room. This place might look like a doctor’s room, with all the bottles of medicine, bandages, stethoscopes, and everything else. But the aura that hung overhead was anything but welcoming.

Jenny peered down at the captive and injured boy. She looked him up and down, examining him like he were some piece of meat. She moved her head down to one side, her eyes traveling along the length of his legs down, and then moved back up. She stared down at his face, eyeing him critically, judgmentally. There was no concern in her eyes, at least none aimed at anything good.

“Good...” Jenny commented softly. She reached down with her hand and touched Reggie on his hair. She stroked it back and forth gently, a small smile gracing her face. “He doesn’t seem to be too bad off. Good news indeed.”

Mr. Longhorn narrowed his eyes at her. How dare she act like she gives a damn about the kid... It was her own blasted fault he was in this condition. He formed a fist with his hand, shaking it. It took all his will power not to lash out at her. No, best not do anything hasty.

Jenny patted Reggie on the head. The gesture was uncomfortable gentle. She wasn’t using a lot of force, and took care to avoid the area she struck. “A slight fracture, but he should be fine. He just needs to sleep this off and he’ll be good as new. The extra bandages and padding should keep his skull protected from further injury."

At this, Mr. Longhorn stared at the bandages the woman was talking about. Indeed, there were some extra white clothes wrapped around it, and underneath that, he knew he would find what appeared to be a small pillow. The bandages weren’t too tight as pressing too much against the wound could make it worse. But it wasn’t tied too loosely, either. That way, the bandages would not slip off so easily. Such a thing could be troublesome as it would leave his wound exposed. If he were struck again...

Mr. Longhorn shook his head, not wanting to think about it. It was bad enough that the kid was injured like this. He was going through enough problems with the crack in his skull, along with the other wounds. He did not need something worse happen to him. The last thing the man would want is for Reggie to have another blow to his head, which would surely crack the skull more and cause brain damage or death.

“After he recovers, he’ll make a fine servant to the black chalk.”

Mr. Longhorn’s eyes widened as a bolt of horror shot through his heart. He turned his head and looked at the woman, his eyes bulging. “Wh-What...? But I thought that...”

Jenny chuckled evilly at this. She gave Mr. Longhorn a sideways glance, grinning. “Oh what? Did you think I was going to let him go? Nonsense!” She looked back down at the injured boy. She ran her fingers in an almost soothing manner along the boy’s hair. She whispered a few words to him, acting almost motherly to the child she had nearly killed. It was a sickening sight. Without looking back at Longhorn, she continued, “It would be too much of a waste to just let him go, or to kill him off.”

Longhorn continued to stare at her in horror. This wasn’t part of the deal. She..she wasn’t supposed to...

“I was impressed with how well he took the blows I gave him. Most people would have been dead by the end, especially if I struck their skull the way I did this.” Jenny said. She placed her hand on Reggie’s cheek, moving it across back and forth. “He is...quite durable. He would make a remarkable...addition to the team.” She looked back at Longhorn. “Don’t you think?”

The man shook his head furiously. He took a step forward and pointed a finger at her. “This wasn’t what we agreed on!” Realizing there was too much anger in that voice, he took in a few deep breaths, trying to settle himself down. In and out, he inhaled and exhaled. Then, after he regained his composure, he spoke again, this time using a calmer voice. “You didn’t tell me that you were going to corrupt the boy.”

“Well I like to keep things a surprise. I slipped up by telling you too soon.” Jenny mused. She shrugged her shoulders. “Oh well. It was my fault anyway. Should’ve been more careful.” She turned her head and faced the man. “I still have another surprise up my sleeve. And this one I can tell you, as you will not see dear Penny for a while.”

Mr. Longhorn’s eyes filled with horror at tihs. “You’re going after her, too?!”

“Precisely. The best part? She doesn’t know I’m alive.” Jenny turned completely around. She spread her arms out. “She thinks I’m dead. She saw me ‘fall to my doom’ yesterday, and now she thinks I’m dead. It’s..so perfect.” She grinnted, her eyes brightening. “As long as she...thinks I’m dead, I can take her..by surprise. And if I can take her by surprise...” She took a step towards Mr. Longhorn, staring at him in the yes. “...I can strike her down before she has time to react...”

Mr. Longhorn felt his heart start to race. It was already bad at this woman was trying to corrupt Mrs. Sanchez and Reggie, whom she also very nearly killed. But now she was going after Penny, too? Was she going to corrupt her, or was she going to kill her? Thoughts ran through his mind, filling him with dread.

He couldn’t believe that this vile woman was trying to harm to these people. What did they do to deserve it? What did Penny do? Her mother? Reggie? What did any of them do to prompt this kind of fate to be placed on them? Nothing... Jenny was just looking for an excuse to harm them, all because she didn’t like them. All because her ‘master’ didn’t like them. He gritted his teeth, glaring hatefully at the woman.

“You...” Mr. Longhorn growled softly, his voice laced in anger. “You’re not going to...”

Jenny chuckled, looking over at Mr. Longhorn. “I’m not what? Why do you care so much if...” She paused for a moment, taking note of the man’s expression. Her eyes brightened. “Oh! I see! You actually care about them, don’t you?” She folded her arms against her chest, sneering at the man. “I see how it is. “You care about Penny and the others, don’t you? You care about those I’m sure you don’t know much about.” She tilted her head to the side. “How amusing and pathetic... You don’t know what they are fully like, and yet you are willing to throw everything down to save them. How cute.”

Baring his teeth, Mr. Longhorn responded with, “They’re better people than you’d ever be.”

“Oh really now?” Jenny asked, her voice taking on a slightly sultry tone. This creeped Mr. Longhorn out, but he did his best not to show this. She took another step forward. Her smile stretched further along her face, her teeth bared in a nasty grin. “How can you be so certain? How long have you known them? A day?”

Mr. Longhorn didn’t know why he bothered to answer, but he did. “A few days, actually.”

Jenny replied, “And that automatically makes you an expert on them?” She tilted her head back to the other side. “That makes you know them so well that you can judge them fairly? What if they were hiding some kind of nasty secret? Would you still thelp them?”

Mr. Longhorn gritted his teeth. “What does that have to do with anything?” His hand clenched into a fist again. He fought to keep his temper under control, knowing what may happen if he snapped at the woman. He knew she’d find any reason to do something worse to Reggie, whom she still stood close to. “Look, I may not know them that well. I know I haven’t met them for very long. But unlike you, I’m not heartless. I’m not going to condemn them to any fate that you give them. They don’t deserve that.”

“And maybe they do. Perhaps they are wanted criminals, and you are helping them to escape.” Jenny suggested, tapping her finger against her chin thoughtfully. “It is a possibility you know... If you know so little about them, then for all you know, they could have been convicted of a cime and they escaped, and I am just trying to bring them to justice.”

Mr. Longhorn growled at this. Just how stupid did this woman think he was? How dumb did she think he could be? Pretty stupid if she honestly thought that he was going to fall for something like this. He knew full well that they weren’t convicted of any crime. He knew that this woman wasn’t ‘apprehending criminals.’ They were in an alternate dimension, upon which Jenny was trying to help conquer. How in the world she thought that he would believe her when she said she was just ‘arresting bad guys’, he wasn’t sure. Jenny couldn’t possibly be this dumb, right?

Then again, this was the same woman who thought that the best way to negotiate with him by forcing him to choose between either letting a child get clubbed into the after life, or forcing a woman to be corrupted and forced to join this army of darkness. So perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised that she would think there was nothing wrong with her believing htat he would fall for her lies so easily.

Mr. Longhorn refused to respond. He thought about it, but he decided it was best not to. It wasn’t like anything he said was going to get through to her. It would be a waste of his time. Plus, the longer he looked at her, the longer he tried to speak with her, the angrier he got. He could feel his insides begin to burn, his blood boiling. He turned his gaze away, closing his eyes. He didn’t care if he looked like he was submitting to her. He couldn’t let himself lose control and do something he would regret later.

Jenny took this as some kind of victory. He could hear a cold chuckle from her, but thankfully she didn’t say a word either. She had gone silent. He could hear the sound of a couple footsteps. He opened up one eye, somewhat curious to know what she was going to do.

He couldn’t see too much out of his partway open eye, but he was able to see enough to know that Jenny had returned to Reggie. Longhorn watched as she stroked his hair again. The sight was unsettling. She really was acting as if she did nothing wrong. It was even worse when she moved her fingers lightly over the area of his skull that she had smashed, leaning down and planting a quick kiss on it, as if to make it better. The sight of this sent a cold shiver up his spine. No wonder Penny and the others didn’t like her very much.

He opened his mouth to speak, but held his tongue. He took a small step back. He tried to close his eyes, watching as Jenny continued to caress his head. But he was unable to look away. Fear was rising inside his stomach, making him feel sick. He watched the woman warily, apprehensive, wondering if she was going to hurt the kid more. So far, she wasn’t doing anything terrible to him. Just stroking his hair. But any second, that could change. He wanted to do something so badly, but what if he screwed things up?

Jenny left the table and moved towards the cabinet. He watched her, eyes narrowed, as she fumbled through the supplies. She picked up several bottles and examined them. She turned them from side to side, as if she were trying to figure out what they were despite this being her hideout. After she looked at the bottles, apparently finding nothing of interest, she opened up one of the cabinet doors and stuck her hand in side. Mr. Longhorn listened to the woman rummaging through the contents of the cabinet and soon pulled out what appeared to be a tiny bottle filled with some kind of fluid. Keeping the bottle in one hand, she reached in with the other and grabbed a needle.

Mr. Longhorn stared warily at the needle. What was she going to do with it? She gave him a look, and he could detect a hidden message behind it. He thought, at first, she was going to do something to him with it. But instead of going up to him, she instead turned her attention back to Reggie. Slowly, she approached him, holding the liquid and needle in hand.

When she got to him, she stopped about a foot in front of him. She stared at him for a moment before shifting her gaze to the liquid, which she raised a little higher. She pushed the needle through it and pulled the bottom, which sucked up the liquid. When she was done, she carelessly discarded the bottom on the ground. There was a crack as it smashed into the hard ground. Mr. Longhorn watched as it rolled to a stop several feet away before turning his eyes towards Jenny again. He was horrified when he saw that she had the needle raised, her fingers threatening to push it as she leaned ever so closely towards the boy.

“What are you doing?” Mr. Longhorn asked in a hushed whisper, his eyes growing larger. Jenny paused and gave him a sideways glance. She stared at him blankly before giving him a knowing smile. “You’re not going to...”

Jenny grinned. “Oh don’t worry your little head off.” She said in a voice of mocking reassurance. “This isn’t going to hurt him.”

“What’s that stuff you’re putting inot him?” Mr. Longhorn asked.

“Oh this?” Jenny tapped her finger against the body of the needle, where the liquid was. “It’s nothing that major, really. It’s just a tranquilizer to keep the boy here asleep for a while.” She gave a partial shrug, smiling at Mr. Longhorn, acting as if this was all just a casual conversation. “I don’t want him waking up yet. And after all, he needs his rest...” She smiled evilly. “Am I right?”

Mr. Longhorn snarled at her. “You’re the reason he’s in that position..” Mr. Longhorn whispered under his breath.

Whether or not Jenny heard him, he wasn’t sure. Even if she did, it was clear she was ignoring it. She had already turned away from him and went back to Reggie. She reached down and wrapped her hand around his arm, right over a bandage. The sight of it caused a pang to swell up in Longhorn’s chest. He was glad that Reggie wasn’t awake to feel that.

He wanted to do something, anything. But his feet remained planted on the ground. He was terrified of what might happen if he made too sudden a move. Jenny was too close to him. If he made a wrong move, if he did anything would planning first, Jenny might...

He did not get a chance to finish that thought.

All of a sudden, the sound of footfalls echoed in the room all around them. Mr. Longhorn looked around, trying to find the source of the sound. Jenny did likewise. She had lowered the needle and released Reggie as she turned her head left and right. Then there was a rubble beneath their feet. Not anything extreme, but enough that they could feel vibrations. It took them seconds to realize that the vibrations were the result of the running, that they were interconnected. Something was running their way. Something large.

Then they heard screams. Loud ones that bounced off the walls and reverberated. Both Jenny and Mr. Longhorn widened their eyes. They both reocgnized that voice. It was clear and distinct. Even if it was just a scream, and no actual words were spoken, it was enoguh for them both to realize the identity of who was running this way.

The door was suddenly burst open from shere force, the knob slamming against the wall. In a second, both Jenny and Longhorn were proven right about the identity of the person who they heard screaming earlier.

It was Snap. But he wasn’t alone. Behind him, they could see a large grey rat zoner, who had given chase.

Snap was clearly not looking where he was going. He was just running, screaming in both pain and fear, as he tried to find a way to evade his pursuer. It was hard to tell if he even knew where he was, or if he saw Jenny as he rushed towards her. It was clear to Mr. Longhorn that, right now, all Snap wanted to do was get away from the large rat zoner.

Jenny, who had recovered from the shock, pointed a finger at the two and shouted, “Hey! You two! I command that you...”

Jenny was cut off from finishing her sentence as the zoners rushed her way. Before he knew it, Snap had bolted around her and the rat zoner, who was unable to stop, slammed into her. Jenny let out a cry as she was forced into the ground. She hit the ground in a loud, painful thud. She laid there, groaning in pain, before she managed to push herself back to her feet. As she did this, Snap and the rat zoner continued to run away, Snap’s screaming still echoing.

Jenny snarled as she stared after them. She hardly paid attention to Mr. Longhorn, not even sparing him a second glance. She just focused on the retreating zoners in front of her, her teeth bared and growling softly. Mr. Longhorn watched as her body shivered, rage clearly going through it. Before he had time to react, Jenny gave another shout.

“Boorat!” Jenny roared. “Get back here! Stop chasing Snap! I need to talk to you!”

Boorat? Mr. Longhorn was confused. Was this the rodent that was just zipping by seconds ago?

The rodent, Boorat, just kept running, completely ignoring Jenny’s commands. The woman did not take too kindly to this. She looked enraged by the rodent’s unwillingness to listen. The rat must be so fixated on Snap that it just didn’t want to stop. He recalled the look in its red eyes. It was blank and yet..he could still detect some level of..determination it seemed. The rodent looked as though it was hellbent on getting Snap. But why?

Mr. Longhorn did not pay attention to this for very long. He soon turned his attention to something else. He took quick notice that Jenny’s back was turned to him. She wasn’t looking at him, still wasn’t paying attention. It took him a few seconds to realize what this meant: he had a clear shot at her.

Narrowing his eyes, Mr. Longhorn approached Jenny. He moved swiftly, but silently. He formed a fist with his hand, tightening it. He tensed up his arm muscles and prepared for an attack. He made sure that his footsteps were light; he did not want to give himself away. He stared at her intently, looking for any sign of movement, any sign of having to cease his attack. Jenny, all the while, just continued to stare down the hallway. By now, the humanoid and rat zoners had disappeared and could barely be heard. That didn’t stop Jenny from shouting angrily, moving forward and constantly demanding for Boorat to return. She seemed so angry that she hadn’t thought of using her magic chalk to draw something.

Jenny soon reached the door, the one that the two zoners had entered, and then turned around in a broad circle and disappeared back out of. She gripped the sides and leaned forward. She looked left and right in a furious manner.

“Boorat! Report to me immediately!” Jenny shouted. “You are in a lot of trouble! You...”

Jenny didn’t get a chance to complete her shout. Seconds later, Longhorn had managed to reach her. He pulled back his fist more and punched her in the back of her neck, where her head connected to the spine. The woman’s eyes bulged open and she let out a yelp of pain. She was forced forward, tumbling over her feet. Her head smashed against the wall, causing her to slide down onto the ground. Her eyes slowly closed and her body went limp.

Longhorn stared down in shock, widening his eyes. He...he didn’t... No, he didn’t mean to. His heart racing, Longhorn dropped down onto one knee next to Jenny’s unconscious form. He placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her. No response. His heart started pounding harder. He didn’t want to... He didn’t mean to... Panicking, he pressed two fingers firmly against her throat. He felt around frantically for a pulse.

He let out a small sigh of relief when he found a pulse. Good, she was still alive. He hadn’t killed her. Although it would have been good in the long run, as it meant one less villain to worry about, at the same time, Mr. Longhorn did not want to kill Jenny. It wasn’t on his agenda. He would want her arrested, yes. Killed? No. He did not want blood on his hands. He did not want to be like...her.

Knowing that he needed to secure her, Mr. Longhorn looked left and right, trying to see if there’s anything he could do. His eyes soon fell upon Reggie, who was still strapped down to the table. He looked back down at Jenny. An idea formulated in his head. He did not spend too long thinking about it. Knowing time was very important, Mr. Longhorn began to take action.

The first thing he did was drag Jenny’s body over to the table. He was careful not to cause any more damage to her head. He didn’t know how long she was going to be knocked out for. So he had to do this quickly. He soon set her next to the table, pressing her back against the side. He then went over and undid the straps that held Reggie down. He scooped the teenager into his arms and set him on the ground, taking extra care not to injure him further. In the few moments he held him, he couldn’t help but stare at his wounds. He bit his lip. Poor child...

He lifted Jenny next and placed her down. He then went to work hooking the straps to her. He made sure her arms, legs, and waist were all hooked down to the table. He doublechecked them to make sure they were all secure and tight, but not to the point of cutting off blood supply. Once she was all tied up, he took a few steps back, looking at her up and down and ensuring that she would not be able to get away.

But even though he was satisfied with her not being able to get away, this still didn’t mean that he and Reggie were safe. Jenny could wake up at any time, and she could have a way of getting herself free. Even if it was unlikely, he didn’t want take the chance. He had to take Reggie and get out of here. He also had to find Mrs. Sanchez and warn her about what Jenny wanted to do to her. She had to know, before it was too late.

He thought momentarily of Snap. Was he going to be okay? That rat zoner looked vicious... The man once again found himself in a tough position. He wanted to do something to help Snap. He didn’t feel comfortable with just leaving him. But Reggie... He looked down at the kid. He needed to go to the hospital. His safety was a priority. He didn’t know Snap that well, but he was certain the zoner wouldn’t be too happy with him if he found out that he delayed getting Reggie the help that he needed.

Mr. Longhorn made his choice: He would take Reggie to a hospital first, and then he would come back into ChalkZone and provide some help.

Not sparing Jenny another glance, Longhorn picked up Reggie’s unconscious body gently, cradling him against himself. He moved towards the door. He stopped in the doorway, looking left and right to make sure no one was coming. He then began to move down towards the right, the same direction that he and Jenny had originally arrived in this room. He looked down at Reggie as he continued to walk.

“Don’t worry. You’re going to get help.” He said gently, lightly stroking the injured boy’s hair.

Suddenly, with no time to react, Mr. Longhorn felt something large and heavy strike against his body. He screamed as he was slammed against the wall with great force. He could feel his body smash against the hard surface, and he could detect Reggie’s form being crushed between him and the wall. He tried to push back, but whatever struck him, it was holding him in place.

Mr. Longhorn squirmed from side to side. He tried desperatley to free one of his arms, anything. His face was pressed against the wall, and he was not able to even see his attacker. But he could hear them very well. A low growl. Not like the one Boorat did. This one sounded lighter, something that sounded more akin to a squawk than anything. A large bird perhaps? It was so hard to tell. He didn’t feel any feathers, but that didn’t do much to help with identifying what his attacker was.

He felt the leg slowly be removed from him. He attempted to look up and see who was assaulting him. He didn’t have time to get a good look. His vision was blurred as something long and glinting was struck against him. He let out a scream, feeling something slice across his chest. He was slammed against the wall, Reggie rolling to the side beside him. He tried to look to make sure he was okay, but the same thing that slashed him now struck him again, crushing him against the wall.

Soon he collapsed to the ground, his vision blurring and darkening quickly. He looked up at the zoner who attacked him. He could hardly make anything out except for a pair of wings and a pair of piercing eyes glowering down at him. Seconds later, he passed out.

sss

Mrs. Sanchez was getting exhausted. She wasn’t sure how long she had been walking. It felt like hours. The Chalk Mine couldn’t possibly be this far away, could it? Maybe she was just exaggerating to herself? Rudy and Penny didn’t seem to have that much trouble getting to the Chalk Mine. From what Skrawl mentioned, Rudy made frequent visits to the mine and was able to get there and then back to school or home without anyone realizing he was gone.

The children had a lot of endurance when they were little, that’s for sure. More energy than even she would have suspected. Then again, a lot of stuff happened lately, and she was recently injured. That would have contributed to her loss of endurance, and would cause her body to tire more quickly than usual. The mine might not be quite as far as she thought; it only felt like it.

She walked for several more minutes. She was moving along the side of a large river. The Amazin River if she remembered right. Skrawl had told her about it, and how the mine should be not far from its edge. Unfortunately, he hadn’t told her exactly how far it was. Oh he said that it wasn’t that great a distance. But he gave no measurement for her to work with. Just a ‘not as far as it could be’ kind of statement. This did little to help her prepare for how long she would have to walk.

It didn’t help that she didn’t have any magic chalk with her. Skrawl told her she could find some in the Chalk Mine, and had noted it was probably best she had none when going because traveling by foot would be best. If she tried to come over in a car or a plane or something, she would more likely be spotted. On foot, she would be better prepared to sneak in.

All well and good, but it also meant it would take her a while to get there. And she was vulnerable to attack. Without magic chalk to defend herself, if she were spotted by one of the villains, just how was she supposed to protect herself..?

Well there was nothing she could do about it now. She just focused her mind on the task at hand. She continued along the river, heading in a singular location. Once in a while, she would look left and right, making srue that no one was approaching her. She saw the odd zoner once in a while, but none that were dangerous. A couple of them said hi to her, but most of them were too preoccupied with something else to pay attention to her. Understandably, they were more worried about the attacks on ChalkZone than whatever she was doing.

Mrs. Sanchez wondered how they were. She recalled that Rudy and Nihilanth had laid waste to multiple areas of ChalkZone. They slaughtered countless zoners, injured many more. It was to the point where she had to wonder if the zoners would ever trust Rudy again. Would this incident cause the zoners to re-adapt the old policies of ‘no humans allowed’? The thought frightened her. While she and the adults could deal with not being in ChalkZone, their children would be devastated. Not only would they be taken from a world they came to care about, but they’d be cut off from the many friends they made there, including Snap. She hoped that, after all this was done and other with, they could come up with a solution.

She was cut off from her thoughts when the radio she brought with suddenly buzzed to life. She raised it up and pressed a button. In seconds, a familiar voice hissed through the speakers.

“Are you there yet?”

Mrs. Sanchez glowered at the radio. Was Skrawl serious? Did he really expect her to already be at the Chalk Mine already? She closed her eyes and sighed. She shouldn’t get angry. After all, it’s not like the jellybean could accurately measure just how far away the mine was if he himself hadn’t been there in some time.

“No.” Mrs. Sanchez said. She shook her head even though the zoner could not see it. “I’m still walking alongside the Amazin River.”

“Still? You haven’t gotten there yet?!” Skrawl cried, sounding shocked.

“Hey I’m doing the best I can!” Mrs. Sanchez snapped at him. She paused, rubbing her forehead. She already had a debate with Skrawl earlier about this. She didn’t want to argue with him again. Regaining her composure, she spoke in a calmer voice, “Look, are you certain you gave me the right directions? Perhaps there was a turn I was supposed to make or...”

“No!” Skrawl’s voice came loud and firm, cutting the woman off. “I told you already! The Chalk Mine is by the river! All you have to do is follow it west. You should be there already! Don’t tell me you’re even more incompetent than I thought! Then again, you did attempt to get two injured zoners to...”

“I know!” Mrs. Sanchez growled, eyes narrowed dangerously. “Look...” She calmed herself quickly. “I know already...”

In the bit of silence that followed, Mrs. Sanchez thought briefly about her stupid decision earlier. She had wanted to go help Penny, and she had actually asked Skrawl and King Mumbo Jumbo to come along. It was a foolish decision and she should have realized it would have not been such a good idea. She knew that both of them were injured quite badly. One was in a wheel chair and the other had a broken shell, for crying out loud. They were in no position to be going anywhere. She felt so embarrassed and ashamed when they pointed this out to her. She should have known better.

But they were still willing to help her out. Mumbo Jumbo handed her a radio and Skrawl held its other piece, which he used to broadcast information to her. Since he knew this area better than the tortoise, he had guided her the best he could. He did a pretty good job, considering he was not able to actually see her location.

Despite how frustrating it was to work with this zoner, she couldn’t stay mad at him long. He was doing the best he could to help. And right now, he was her only chance at reaching the Chalk Mine. There weren’t many zoners here, and the ones she did see were often running somewhere, or chattering nervously. Even the ones that waved at her would soon go back to what they were discussing earlier. She didn’t think they would be in any mood to tell them where the Chalk Mine was. And not all of them would be aware of its general direction anyway.

“I do wish I thought of sending my Beanie Boys with you. They would have gotten you there faster.” Skrawl lamented. The tone of his voice suggested he wanted to kick himself if his leg wasn’t broken.

“I’m not sure why you didn’t think of that either.” Mrs. Sanchez said. “Then again, neither did I, so we’re even.”

Suddenly, a horrible smell filled her nostrils. She pinched her nose, trying to block out the smell. It caused a feeling of nausea, making her feel like she wanted to throw up. She stopped in her tracks and looked out ahead. She soon saw the cause of the sickening feeling rising in her stomach.

Not far up ahead was a sewage dump. She could see some buildings, some tall and some short. This was a city of some kind, but much smaller than ChalkZone City. It was only a fraction of the size. Huge pipes snaked along the ground, held up by metal structures. The ends were partially over the river. Every so often, a practical sea of garbage, all cobbled together in a green sludge, complete with bits of garbage everywhere, such as cans, plastic items, and shoes, spilled out into the water.

Mrs. Sanchez grimaced at this sight. “Oh gawd this is disgusting...”

Skrawl asked quickly, “Let me guess. You just arrived at Sewage City.”

“The name certainly fits it.” Mrs. Sanchez responded, her voice having a nasally tone due to her plugging her nostrils. “I am not even within fifty feet of the place and I can smell it all the way over here.”

“Considering that is where the vast majority of the garbage from this region of ChalkZone goes, I am not surprised.” Skrawl said. “It’s a massive dumping sight.”

Mrs. Sanchez watched for a few seconds as the garbage spilled out into the river. She nearly vomited as a new, even worse smell came out, wafering back and forth across her nose as if it were trying to force her to smell it. “You can say that again...”

“This is good news.” Skrawl stated.

Mrs. Sanchez stared at the phone in shock. “What are you talking about?”

“You are close to the mine. Just keep moving along the river, passed Sewage City. The Chalk Mine should be somewhere north of there.”

Mrs. Sanchez was not too keen with the idea of having to walk even closer to this massive dumping sight. But she didn’t see any other options. She didn’t know this area of ChalkZone well enough to simply walk around. And while she could just walk far away from the river, enough so that she didn’t have to smell the garbage, and then head north, she could be screwing herself over. She had easily take a misstep and head in the wrong direction. Without the river to indicate direction... Yeah, she was stuck doing what Skrawl told her to.

She took in a deep breath and prepared herself. She then began walking at a brisk pace, doing her best to ignore the pain in her bandaged side. The sooner she got past the sewage, the sooner she’d be away from the smell, and the sooner she’d be able to reach the mine and find Penny.

“I hope you’re getting a move on.” Skrawl said bluntly. “There isn’t exactly a grand deal of time we have to work with.”

“Yes, I’m aware. I’m picking up the pace.” Mrs. Sanchez said.

“Good. You should reach the mine relatively soon.” Skrawl stated.

“That’s what you said the last time...” Mrs. Sanchez reminded him. “And that was over...”

Skrawl cut her off. “I know that. I didn’t know you’d be traveling this slowly. Now just keep walking!”

Mrs. Sanchez didn’t bother to try to argue with him. She just kept on moving, heading down the river and past the Sewage City. As she fought against the horrfic smell, her mind wandered to Penny. She hoped that she was okay. She hoped that, if anything happened to her, she wasn’t too late to save her. She had confidence in her daughter, but something could still happen. If anything happened to her...

Mrs. Sanchez quickened her pace, her mind flashing with images of what could be happening to her daughter at this very moment.

sss

“I hope you speed things up, woman, or Penny might..”

“Skrawl!” Mumbo Jumbo hissed at the jellybean. As the mismatched zoner looked over at him, he added on, “Please settle down!” He raised a hand. “I’m sure she’s doing the best she can.”

Skrawl glared at him, his hand clutching the remote. “I’m sure she is, but her best won’t be good enough if Penny is corrupted!”

Mumbo Jumbo understood Skrawl’s frustration. As much as it was hard to work with him at times, he ultimately acknowledged that Skrawl was just trying to do what was best. Sure he sometimes went a little too far, like when he pried information out of Barney two years ago, but he only did it so that he could help keep ChalkZone safe. So he couldn’t get too angry with the zoner.

Still, his attitude may screw up communications, as it would result in him and Mrs. Sanchez arguing much of the time, and that would not get a whole lot done. They needed to be more cooperative with each other. Skrawl needed to take it easy. Yeah, Mrs. Sanchez should probably be at the Chalk Mine. Then again, he himself didn’t know the area. For all he knew, the woman had to climb vast mountains and that would surely have slowed her down. If something like that were the case, how did this jellybean expect her to get over so fast?

“I know the risk, Skrawl. And so does she.” Mumbo Jumbo pointed out. “If you keep arguing with her, though, she isn’t going to be able to get much done. Stop bickering with her and try to calm down.” The zoner leaned against his large pillow. “If you stop distracting her with your complaining, I’m sure she’ll get there much faster.”

Skrawl grumbled underneath his breath. He glared at the tortoise zoner with his mismatched eyes. He looked like he wanted to make some kind of comment, but had nothing to say. King Mumbo Jumbo just smirked, knowing he had Skrawl beat. The zoner couldnt argue with his quick but foolproof logic. Skrawl quickly turned his head away, his grip on the radio tightening even more, to the point that it looked like he was going to break it.

“Very well then...” Skrawl said. “I will try to remain...calm...” His voice seemed calm, but the tortoise could detect underlining frustration. The jellybean zoner straightened himself up in his wheelchair. After adjusting himself in his seat, he continued, “And...you’re right. I was getting a little carried away. I apologize.”

Mumbo Jumbo cocked an eyebrow. Skrawl? Apologizing? He never thought he’d get to hear another one of these again. It was very rare for the zoner to admit when he was wrong. He was quite stubborn that way. He would try to insist he was right and even when he was wrong, he would try to find a way to shirk responsibility. Some traits of his villain life still remained.

He watched as Skrawl moved his wheelchair towards the window. He still held the radio in hand, but not as tightly as before. The mismatched eyed zoner stared at the window. Once in a while, he would glance down at the radio, as if expecting a response from Mrs. Sanchez.

As silence fell upon the room, Mumbo Jumbo’s thoughts went to Barney. He bit his lip, his heart twisting in knots. Poor Barney... He was trapped in the body of Nihilanth. He was turned into a prisoner, a vessel, and he had no power of what his body did. He was nothing more than a puppet now. A puppet of destruction. He hadn’t seen much of Barney since..it happened.. And the most recent time he saw him, as Nihilanth... He shuddered as he recalled the destruction he was forced to bear witness to.

It just wasn’t fair... Why did it have to be Barney? Of all the zoners, why did it have to be him that suffered? Granted, he didn’t want this kind of fate to be put on anyone, but still... It just seemed so cruel and unkind that Barney is the one who ends up suffering. Didn’t the guy suffer enough already? He was tortured for over a year by Bardot. The guy was forced to the edge of his sanity and had been petrified for so long. And then for something like this to happen...

Mumbo Jumbo felt tears form in his eyes. He reached up with a thick claw and lightly stroked underneath his eye, wiping away his tears. They still kept coming. The idea of Barney possibly being gone forever, with no way to get him back... It was absolutely horrible. It was a dreadful feeling, filling his stomach with bitter bile, and he silently hoped that, against the odds, there was a way to save his friend. He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve to lose his innocence, like he had with the swarm of tiny red bats.

Mumbo Jumbo felt a cold chill go up his spine as he recalled that day. He and Barney had been close friends for years prior to that incident. Barney, at the time, was more social. The zoners hadn’t yet been..addicted to his information, for a lack of a better term. Because of this, they weren’t constantly pestering him for answers, and in turn, Barney wasn’t driven away. So he was able to better communicate with other zoners.

That all changed when the inflatamouse swarm was erased into ChalkZone. No one had any idea how to stop them. All of a sudden, Barney's information became of utmost importance. He and spoken with Barney, but sadly, he did not have any antidote. But he was able to determine that the swarm could be trapped in a temple, provided someone make the sacrifice. Though he pleaded with him to let him find another way, Mumbo Jumbo was so determined to stop the swarm that he managed to convince Barney to tell him everything he needed to know. After he knew what to do, Mumbo Jumbo took it upon himself to lead the swarm away from the populated areas of ChalkZone and deep in the jungle, into a large temple where they couldn’t hurt anyone again.

This was the loss of innocense Barney suffered. While it wasn’t like he did it on purpose, Barney still felt that he nearly sentenced his friend to death. He had given instructions to him on how to stop the swarm...at the near cost of his life. If it hadn’t been for his hibernation trait, Mumbo Jumbo could have died. And for years, Barney did think he was truly dead. Barney really thought he sent his best friend to his doom.

And to pour salt into the wound, after the incident, the other zoners took more notice of his information. They seemed to realize that it was his advice that ultimately stopped the swarm. But instead of being treated as a hero, or even with any amount of sympathy for the loss of his friend, Barney was instead pestered by random zoners for more data. This caused Barney to become more and more reclusive and started to hide from the rest of the chalk world. It was little wonder the centipede zoner was so bitter when Rudy found him.

Mumbo Jumbo was relieved when Barney started to become a little more social again. But then the incident with Bardot happened, and now this... He shed some more tears. When will Barney be left alone? When will fate stop twisting his destiny into something so..morbid and dark? When will the centipede finally get the peace and rest he deserved?

He didn’t get a chance to finish his thoughts when, without warning, he heard a shout from Skrawl. He had called out Mrs. Sanchez’s name, his voice laced in worry. The tortoise zoner stared at him in shock. The jellybean zoner didn’t seem to notice him staring. His eyes were focused solely on the radio in his hand, which he was shaking as if he were holding a person in those clawed hands.

“Mrs. Sanchez! Do you read me?! What’s going on?!” Skrawl cried.

“What’s going on?” Mumbo Jumbo asked, his heart beginning to clench in fear. “Is she..?”

Skrawl shot him a look of panic. This caused Mumbo Jump to widen his eyes. Skrawl almost never has this look. “She’s not answering! She just...suddenly stopped speaking!”

Mumbo Jumbo bit his lip, fighting against the cold feeling of fear. “M-Maybe the radio just stopped w-working...?” He suggested nervously.

Skrawl shook his head. “I can still hear her breathing. The connection is still there. She’s just not...”

Suddenly there was a loud scream that pierced through the radio. The two zoners recoiled in shock, their eardrums aching from the sudden loud shriek. In the same moment, there was the sound of a thud. This was followed with a loud snapping sound, the sickening crunch echoing in their heads, and then a bloodcurdling scream.

“Mrs. Sanchez?!" Skrawl shouted, his face pale. “Are you there?! Mrs. Sanchez?!” He cried, panic laced on his voice.

But this time, there was no sound at all from the woman. Not even breathing, or a cough, or a groan of pain. Nothing. The only thing they could hear was the foreboding screech of a large and terrifying zoner. Then nothing but silence.

King Mumbo Jumbo stared at the radio, and then they exchanged glances of pure horror. Just what had happened...?


	174. One Step Completed

Penny couldn’t believe how stupid she had been. Of all the dumb mistakes she’s made before, this has to be one of the worst. And what makes it even more awful was the fact that she knew she was in trouble right from the get go. And yet, she still tried to...

Her thoughts were immediately cut off from her when she was slammed into the ground by the ivory chalk. Its tentacles were again wrapped around her body, its light burning her. She still kept her eyes shut, trying her best to avoid its tempting glow. But that not only made it harder to fight as she was not used to going up against someone blind, but it also made the situation more terrifying for her. It was bad enough being slammed around like this, but it was made worse without being able to actually see where she was.

She let out a scream as the ivory chalk thrust her upwards and twirled her around in circles. It only gripped her by the leg during this, her body flailing as air hit against her. Then the ivory chalk released her. She crashed into something hard and rocky and slid down. She laid on the ground for a few moments, groaning in pain. She pushed herself up onto her hands and turned her head in the opposite direction she was thrown.

Pain radiated through her body. She felt multiple aches in many places, such as her side and arms. She gingerly pressed her hand against a particularly large bruise on her arm. It was warm and tender to the touch, causing her to flinch and move her hand away. Many of the bruises felt this way, a couple of them even worse.

Bruises weren’t the only thing. She could feel many scrapes as well as some deeper cuts. Warm liquid dripped from it. She pressed her hand against one of the deeper gashes, trying to do something to stop the bleeding. She could feel some blood trickle down her hand, staining it. Though the bleeding wasn’t severe, it was only a matter of time before something worse...

Her thought was finished for her.

The ivory chalk grabbed onto her again. It hoisted her high into the air. It swung her from side to side as hard as it could. Penny felt growing dread when she realized that it was trying to gain momentum so it could hit her harder. She struggled to try to free herself. Ignoring the pain, she grabbed onto the tentacle and pulled on it, trying to make it let go of her. But her efforts were in vain and soon the chalk released her...straight into the ground, facefirst.

Penny screamed loudly as she felt the hard surface smoosh against her face, scraping it roughly. She felt a snap and realized that her nose had been broken. She could feel blood trickling out of her nostrils. She laid there on the ground, letting out a few whimpers of pain, shedding some tears. She didn’t even get a chance to recover from that before the ivory chalk struck her with its tentacles again, sending her flying across the tunnel. She smashed her shoulder against the wall, creating a massive bruise there. She cried out in pain and clutched her arm to herself, seething through her gritted teeth.

The ivory chalk paused its attack. She could feel it staring at her, its nonexistent eyes glaring spitefull at her. Penny wanted to open her eyes. She wanted to look and see what was coming for her, if anything was coming for her. Yet that glow...if she allowed so much as a sliver into her body, she...

“We still are amazed that you lasted this long. How amusing, though, you think you were going to be able to beat us. You knew from the start you stood no chance. Yet...you still tried. How pathetic. You really are a nobody. A nobody who thinks she’s somebody. Well, perhaps it is time for us to end this. Now hold still. This will not take long...”

Penny felt her heart start to race at this. The ivory chalk...it was closing in for the kill... Her mind raced frantically. She had to think of some way to save herself, and fast. But with her eyes closed, unable to see just how close the ivory chalk was to her, how was she going to defend herself? The chalk was very light on its ‘feet’, able to move forward quickly without making so much as a single noise. What was she going to do?

Then she felt something. She hadn’t been paying attention to it before because she was too busy trying to fight back. It was a growing warmth against her skin. The same warmth that was there before, whenever the rogue white chalk had grabbed her. It was getting stronger as the seconds passed, and then, listening intently, she thought she could hear the low buzzing of the energy-based legs.

That was it. She knew exactly what she was going to do. Keeping her body tense, she held still, listening and feeling as the chalk got closer. She kept looking from side to side, eyes still closed, an attempt to make the rogue white chalk believe that she was trying to find a way to escape. She kept laying down, waiting, until...

Soon the ivory chalk had gotten close enough. Penny, without fanfare, grabbed onto one of the chalk’s legs with her left hand.

“What is this?!” The ivory chalk shouted. “You dare touch us?! Filthy little human! You’re just as bad as the zoners!”

Penny fought back against the scream that grew in the back of her throat. The feeling of touching the tendrils like this... it was agonizing. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she struggled to hold onto the burning light leg. She could feel her own skin start to sizzle and char, but she did her best to ignore it. She held on tightly and then, gathering up whatevr strength she could, she threw the ivory chalk to the side. She hear it thud against the wall, its light size preventing it from suffering much damage.

As soon as she let go, Penny clutched her left hand to herself. She still kept her eyes shut during all of this, but even without sight, she could tell that she had a severe burn on her hand now. She touched it very carefully, feeling how warm it was. The skin felt rough and dry, and very sore and painful. She could feel some specks of blood seeping out of the wound, especially at the center. She cradled her hand, feeling it and the arm it was attached to tremble in agony. She attempted to move her fingers, but found that even a light flexing sent horrific pain zigzagging along her arm. She screamed and held her hand even further against herself, unable to stop the tears of pain from flowing down her cheeks.

The ivory chalk took notice of this. She could hear its cold laughter not far from her. She swiveled her head, glaring in its direction. She could feel the spreading warmth over parts of her body as the ivory chalk came over to her, soon towering over her. Penny did not attempt to grab the tendril again, knowing that if she burned her other hand, she would render herself even more defenseless against this chalk than before.

“Clever girl... So you do have some tricks left up in your sleeve. How nice. We did not see that coming. Though perhaps we should. After all, you are supposed to be quite..intelligent...” The ivory chalk said in a sultry voice. Penny could feel its tendrils moving around her body, surrounding her in its inviting but foreboding heat. “If you would only join us... We could put your brain to...proper use. The black chalk can find a place for you. If you join...just think of all the new intelligence you’d be given. Even complete understanding on how magic chalk works and how to create more...”

The ivory chalk went silent for a few moments, as if expecting Penny to answer. The teenager reused to comply, baring her teeth in the chalk’s general direction. This did nothing to deter the chalk and soon she could feel its tendrils coming closer to her. She then felt one of them lightly trace under her chin. She flinched at the pain, but remained vigilant.

“Think of all the new experiments you could run... We know you are fascinated by ChalkZone. Don’t you want to test it more? See what makes it tick? We will give you all the zoners you could ever want for your experiments. You’ll be able to see just how they function. You can do whatever you want to them. You’ll have...full control...” The ivory chalk said, pulling its ‘body’ closer. “Don’t you want that...? Don’t you want to be able to control every outcome...so you are no longer taken by surprise?”

Penny shook her head. “No.. I don’t want to hurt anyone...”

“Oh that won’t be a problem, dear...” The ivory chalk started to circle around her. It moved its warm tendrils over her body, causing Penny to flince everytime a tendril grazed her. “We will just...make sure the zoners in question are...rendered mindless...”

Penny gasped at this. “You...you’re going to...?” She asked, her voice light and soft.

“Lobotomize them? Sure why not? Of course, we were thinking of simply frying the higher portions of their brain.” The ivory chalk said. Penny could have sworn she felt it shrug. “What does it matter anyway? The point is, they will not be able to think, or even react to any pain you give them. It’ll be like performing surgery on a dead man. No matter what you do, no reaction. Wouldn’t that be great? You could tear off a limb and not have to worry.” The ivory chalk whispered in a low voice. “All the fear would be removed, dear... You will not have to worry about making anyone suffer. It’ll be entirely painless for them...”

Penny shook her head from side to side. She struggled to get free. The tendrils squeezed her body again, pinning her arms to her side. She cried out when her burned had hit against her in a painful way. Blood seeped more profusely from multiple wounds as the squeezing forced the liquid out of her body. She felt herself being lifted into the air, her feet kicking as they dangled above the ground.

Then she felt something against her eye. Her heart started to race when she realized what the chalk was trying to do. She jerked her head to each side, making the rogue white chalk lose its grip on her. Soon the chalk got tired of this and wrapped a tendril around her head. Penny let out a scream as she felt it start to burn her scalp and cheeks.

“No! Let her go!” Barney cried.

The rogue white chalk responded in a low hiss, “Come any closer, faker, and we will twist her neck until it breaks...” Barney growled softly at this. “Don’t look at us like that. You were the one who decided to try going up against someone..superior to you. You have no idea how to control that form. You do not know how to create. You’re just as useless as this little girl here.”

Barney stomped the ground. “I’ll show you how useless I am!”

“Oh you’re right. How silly of us.” The ivory chalk’s voice was laced in sarcasm. “You do have some use. As a vessel for Nihilanth.” It chuckled bitterly then added, “But still... You must be pretty stupid if you think you have a chance to stop us when you have no clue how to create even the simplest item with those powers you now wield. How pathetic...”

Barney snarled at this, but said nothing. The ivory chalk chuckled before turning its gaze back to Penny. “Now where were we...?” The ivory chalk pondered.

“You won’t...” Penny started to say. She yelped in pain when the ivory chalk tightened its grip around her head, causing her jaws to be forced shut.

“Enough talk. More doing.” The ivory chalk hissed, tightening its grip on her even more, listening to her whimpers and muffled cries of pain. “Let’s continue, shall we?”

Penny could not offer much of a protest when the ivory chalk pressed its tendrils against her skin again. She could feel it start to pry her eyelids open. She tried to jerk her head, tried to free herself, but the chalk kept her still this time. Her head was unable to move much further than a few centimeters, allowing the ivory chalk to keep a grip on her right eye. She let out muffled cries of protest as the ivory chalk slowly, but surely, started to pry her eye lids apart.

She tried her best not to let them open. She kept pulling as hard as she could on her eyelids, doing whatever possible to keep them from being opened. She ignored the burning sensation spreading through her head. She ignored the whispered threats from the ivory chalk if she continued to struggle. She kicked her legs, tried to free her arms, tried to fight back. But in the end, it was useless, and she could feel her eye being opened against her will.

Penny took in a few shaky breaths, her mind filling with horror, when she realized her eye had been opened enough to see the ivory chalk. A blurred, distorted vision, but there nonetheless. She clenched her teeth, staring in fear as the ivory chalk moved closer to her eye, as if to let her get a nice long look at it.

“Hello... You have such pretty eyes...” The ivory chalk cooed softly. It moved around her in a partial circle, examining her like she were an object. “Don’t hide them from us. They’re too pretty to hide...” It ran a tendril underneath her eyes, putting more pressure underneath her ride. She shed a feew tears of pain. “Oh just imagine how more beautiful they will be with a white shine to them...” Penny looked on in horror. “This should be over quickly. We promise...”

With that, the rogue white chalk began to glow. Penny let out a muffled cry and she struggled to free her head. She tried to look away, but the chalk just tightened its grip, forcing her to stare into the chilling white light.

Suddenly, something long, brown, and thin struck forward. Penny’s eye could barely see it. Just a blur of brown, accompanied by a swooshing sound. It collided with the ivory chalk’s ‘body’, causing it to cry out in surprise. It was thrown to the side several feet away. The sudden attack was enough to force it to loosen its grip on Penny. She fell to the ground, hitting herself against it at the same time the rogue chalk collapsed against the wall.

Penny let out a soft ground. She rubbed her head with her uninjured hand, using her left elbow to hold herself up. She lifted up her head and looked around. She soon saw the source of what had happened.

There, standing only a few feet away from her, was Barney. He towered over her, his two heads snarling at the rogue white chalk. In his white head’s jaws, he held a long brown stick that looked like it was made of copper. It was pretty crudely created, showing clear signs of his inexperience with using the dragon’s creation abilities. But what he had created was good enough, and it proved to be affective, evidenced by the rogue white chalk laying down on the ground further down the tunnel. Barney continued to hold it in his jaws, almost as if he were a batter ready to swing at a softball.

“B-Barney...” Penny whispered softly. There were so many things she wanted to say. She owed him so much for stopping the corruption. Feelings washed over her, including a strong sensation of relief. But in the end, all she could do was choke out two words. “Thank you...”

Barney looked down at her, offering her a smile from his black head. “I wasn’t about to let you get corrupted. I know what it’s like to lose control of your own body.” He shuddered. “I’d never wish that kind of fate upon anyone...” He closed his white eyes for a few seconds before reopening them, staring down at Penny while his white head still glared in the rogue chalk’s direction. “Least of all, a friend.”

Penny’s mouth ticked into a smile, ignoring the pain from the new burns on her face. She was about to respond when she heard something behind her. She turned her head carefully, giving a slight sideways glance where the ivory chalk lay. She could see it was struggling to its ‘feet’. Its body wobbled from side to side, its erratically moving limbs moving from side to side. It turned its attention on the two and, emitting a low growl, it made its way back towards them.

“Oh that was not a very wise move.” The ivory chalk said, its voice clearly directed at Barney. “You should have just laid down. We would have not harmed Penny much. Just a quick glow in the eyes, and she would have been ours. Then we would have helped you.”

“Bullshit...” Barney hissed, biting onto the stick harder. Penny winced as she heard his teeth scrape against it. “You’re a liar and you know it. I was not going to take this laying down. I was not going to allow you to enslave another living being...just like how you did in that one dimension.”

Penny’s eyes widened at this. Barney knew about Light Rudy? Then again, he was in Nihilanth’s body. And Nihilanth was the manifestation of black chalk..and servant light as well. It made sense that he would have access to the monster’s memories.

The rogue white chalk gave a growly chuckle. “Oh really now? That’s quite...something. So our counterparts in another dimension were able to do something. How wonderful... Perhaps we will repeat history here, no?” Barney hissed at him through both his mouths. The ivory chalk was not fazed in the least. “Well then... If you are so determined to stop us...” The chalk took a few steps forward. “How do you expect to help your little friend here....when Nihilanth comes knocking back...?”

Before Barney could reply, his body suddenly stiffened. His eyes bulged open and he dropped the stick as he pulled his head back. He let out a loud, agonizing roar. Penny looked up at him in horror, watching as Barney moved back, his body trembling as he pawed at one of his heads.

“B-Barney..?!” Penny cried.

Barney looked at her. She gasped in horror when she saw how desperate and fear-filled his eyes were. “P-Penny..” He said, gritting his teeth. “G-Get out of here... I can feel it co-coming...” He shut his eyes tightly as his head turned towards the ground. “Losing control... Nihilanth’s...coming back...” He raised his head and let out another scream, the orange glow around his body starting to go erratic.

“No!” Penny screamed, watching the scene in horror.

In a matter of seconds, not only was she going to lose an ally, but she was also going to be face to face with Nihilanth and Rudy again. She had to do something and fast. She looked from left to right, trying desperately to find something she could use to regain an upperhand. She soon spotted the red chalk, which she had last in the struggle before. Taking one more look at Barney, then casting a wary glance at the ivory chalk, Penny bolted towards the red chalk.

The rogue white chalk took immediate notice. “Oh you think you are going to pull a little stunt? Well then, prepare to be disappointed...”

Penny glanced behind her momentarily, giving herself enough time to see the chalk zipping towards her quickly. She widened her eyes and looked out ahead of her. She could see the red chalk just laying there. As she raced to get closer to it, her mind swirled with thoughts. She soon realized that by the time she even gets to the chalk, the ivory chalk would be upon her, or very close. She wouldn’t be able to get there fast enough without turning around and realizing the chalk would be close enough for her to grab and...

She stopped her train of thought there, her eyes filling with realization. That was it... Giving another glance to the ivory chalk, she continued running towards the red chalk. If she could just time this right, then it just might work. She begged to herself, to fate, to let it work. It had to work. It just had to... Please...

She continued to run across the tunnel. Her eyes were glued to the red chalk. She could hear the cold laughter of the rogue white chalk. She could hear Barney’s screams, him trying his best to keep control. Penny knew there wasn’t a lot of time. Keeping her eyes on the rogue chalk, she pushed herself to move faster, but still allowing enough leeway so the rogue chalk wouldn’t be too far behind. She couldn’t let him get too far back, or else this plan was not going to work. Almost there...come on...

When she got close enough, she reached down and snagged the red chalk. She lifted it up into the air. She didn’t bother listening to any of its snarky responses about her poor grip, and turned her attention to the rogue white chalk, turning her head to the side while keeping her back to it. She reached into her pocket to pull out the wrapped up black one. She shuddered as she saw the blackness pillowing out of it, and she felt it start to nag at her mind. She did her best to control herself and remain calm. She had to do this quickly, or else there would be some..negative consequences to put it lightly.

However, her plan didn’t go quite as planned. Her sudden stop didn’t make the ivory chalk rush towards her or taunt her about giving up. Instead, it had a different effect. One she did not see coming.

The ivory chalk stopped chasing her.

Penny’s mind filled with confusion when she no longer heard the chalk coming towards her. Why wasn’t it chasing her anymore? Why wasn’t it trying to get to her? Didn’t it want to get her? She was here, standing in the open, vulnerable to attack. Wouldn’t the ivory chalk take advantage of that? She would think so. Her mind racing with questions, she glanced over her shoulder and looked back at the ivory chalk.

The ivory chalk stood a good few feet away, too far for her to grab. It looked like it wanted to attack her, but something was holding it back. The rogue white chalk seemed to almost stare into her soul, chilling her heart. She turned around completely, biting her lip and taking a step back. The rogue white chalk wasn’t even trying to manipulate her this time. It was just..standing there, staring at her.

Then the rogue white chalk took a step forward, but still hung back far enough that Penny was not able to grab it. Despite not having eyes, Penny could have sworn she saw it narrow them. There was a strong aura around the white piece of chalk. Something akin to...anger... and disappointment. This caused Penny to shudder. Something was not right her.e

“Do you really think we’re stupid?” The ivory chalk asked. Penny looked left and right, then back at the white chalk. She didn’t know what it was talking about. The ivory chalk did not seem pleased with a lack of an answer. With another step, it spoke in a darker, growlier voice, “Do we look stupid...to you...?”

Penny managed to choke out a response, her mind still muddled with confusion. “No...” It was an honest answer. She did not question that she was dealing with a sentient being. “I don’t.”

The ivory chalk let out a bitter chuckle. “If that is the case, then why did you stop?”

Penny wasn’t sure how to respond to this. Unable to think of what to say, she merely took a step back. She did not like the tone of voice the ivory chalk used in that question.

“You really think we were going to keep chasing you..didn’t you?” The ivory chalk pressed, walking in a wide circle around Penny. It took care not to get too close, taking action to not let Penny grab it. “We know what you’re up to... We don’t know exactly why you want to hold the red, white, and black chalk all at once. But we do know..if you planned it.. It isn’t good news for us. So we will deny you that option.”

Penny gritted her teeth at this. Of course...why didn’t she think of it before? It would make sense that the rogue white chalk would become suspicious when she didn’t keep running. She had been trying to get away from it, so it would be confused when she suddenly stopped and just stood there. She cursed herself for making her trap way too obvious. She had outed herself out and now the rogue white chalk was suspicious. Now it was likely going to do whatever it could to keep her from touching it.

The rogue white chalk continued to circle her, eyeing her up and down. It was completely silent except for the buzzing in its legs. It was clearly not in the mood to talk to her, as if her stopping had angered and disappointed it beyond comprehension. She must have insulted the chalk’s intelligence by assuming it would keep running for her.

She stared at the white chalk intently. She knew she had to get it fast if she had any chance of getting Rudy out of Nihilanth’s body. She didn’t know how long Barney could hold up. He was struggling, writhing on the ground. She wished she could do something to help him, but she was at a loss of what to do. And she didn’t know how long it would be before the rogue chalk attempted to corrupt her again. So far, it seemed too angry to think of doing that. Anger makes it easy to forget things. Who knows how long that would last, though...

“Ah, we are forgetting something, aren’t we...?”

Penny clenched her teeth. Not long apparently.

“Since you’re looking right at us, we will take advantage of this..” The rogue white chalk said. No sooner did it say this, it started to glow brightly.

Penny shrieked and immediately shut her eyes. She turned her head away, trying to shield herself from it. She tried to ignore the chalk’s jeering taunts as she attempted to think of a way out of this. She couldn’t just give up. She had to think of something, and fast.

But how was she going to get to the chalk now? If she turned her head forward, even though her eyes were shut, the glow was so bright, it may still have an effect on her. The chalk wasn’t that far away from her, but it was a good enough distance that she’d have to run blindly towards it to get it. Even then, it may just move out of the way. But if she did nothing, then not only did she risk her own corruption, but she would botch up the one chance she had at getting Rudy back. She..she had to take action..and fast...

“Come on, little girl! Look at us! We know you want to! We know you’d never turn and run, especially with your eyes closed like that! So get it over with! Look into our glow!” The ivory chalk taunted insanely. Penny could hear it take a few steps forward. “There’s no where you can go. Come on. We are offering an easy way out of you. Why don’t you just take it? We promise to make it worth your while...”

Penny growled at this. The rogue white chalk’s sultry voice speaking so casually like this...acting like it was doing nothing wrong..it was sickening. She would not surrender to it, no matter what it said. It must not be as bright as it thinks of itself if it truly believes that knowledge would be enough to make her change sides. But then again, the chalk wasn’t stupid and it was probably just using this ‘let us help you’ ruse to make itself appear helpful, when in the end, the only thing it was helping was itself.

Hearing another cry of Barney caused Penny to open her eyes, turning her head and staring in shock as the glow from Barney started to break apart. A clear sign that Nihilanth was returning... Her heart twisted as ice shot through it. She immediately closed them again when the ivory chalk moved around, attempting to put itself in her field of vision. She put her arm across her eyes, providing more shade for her sight, and tried to think of something to do.

She couldn’t get a good line of sight so she could rush and grab the ivory chalk. She had no method of helping Barney. She didn’t even know how he regained control. How could she hope to help him prolong that control, to buy some time? She couldn’t open her eyes, even though she needed them to launch a successful attack, or else she risked becoming...someone she was not. The thought frightened her, and made her mind race for something else she could do.

She then remembered the glow. Even though her eyes were shut, she could still detect it, just like the warmth from before. Perhaps...perhaps now was the time to use that same trick again. It seemed like it was the only shot she had left.

Penny straightened herself up, standing tall. She turned in the direction the rogue chalk was currently in. She could feel the glow over her face, feeling its warmth. She tried to ignore how inviting it was, how much it drew her in, and focused on the task at hand. She drew in a deep breath, preparing herself for one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do. She tensed up her leg muscles, adopting a defensive stance.

The rogue white chalk chuckled. “How cute.. Well fine then. We will entertain you.”

Penny gritted her teeth at this. She knew that this meant that the rogue chalk probably had a good idea of what she was going to do, and was going to react accordingly. This will make her task even harder. Still, she had to try. It was better she tried and failed then never to have tried at all. Tensing her legs, filling them with power, she immediately bolted towards the ivory chalk.

The ivory chalk chortled. It shouted, “You are making this way too easy!”

Penny growled and continued to run. As the ivory chalk began charging towards her as well, and as the two closed the gap between each other, Penny had a single thought run through her head: she hoped that this worked.

sss

“No...no... this can’t happen..not now...!” Barney cried. He couldn’t stop the fear from overflowing through his body, making him shiver constantly. He stared down in horror, his pupils shrinking. “Not now!”

Rudy glared up hatefully at him. A twisted smile spread across his face. “Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily...?” He gave a couple bitter laughs and then narrowed his eyes. “Sorry, little insect. Today just isn’t your lucky day..” He shook his head from side to side, continuing smiling. He started to move towards Barney, his glare slowly returning on his features. “I’m afraid I will have to...clip your wings, so to speak...”

Barney shook his head, frantically trying to find something he can do. But no matter what he tried, he couldn’t stop Rudy from getting closer to him. He tried what he could to bide some time. He tried to keep him back for however long possible. But it was no use. Rudy was slowly and steadily getting closer, and once he got to him, that was it. Game over. Nihilanth would take over again.

Barney was surrounded in a bright glow, an orange tinge to it with some bright white. He was raised high into the air, floating there in the warmth of the light. Rudy was cutting through his light to reach him and drag him down. He knew that the moment Rudy touched him, the light would dissipate and he’d fall down, if Rudy didn’t hold him first.

The teenager was glowing as well. But his glow was of a black color, reminiscent of the black chalk. Instead of floating, Rudy was simply using his dragon limbs, holographic, covering his arms and legs, to get up. The sharp claws dug through the orange and white glow, somehow able to get a grip despite the glow itself not being solid. Barney watched in horror as Rudy scaled his way up. No matter how many shields Barney put up to deter the boy, he’d simply crawl around and over, continuing his ascension.

Barney felt his heart begin to race. If he didn’t think of something fast, not only was he going to be in trouble, but so was Penny. Nihilanth would be certain that he would not be able to regain control again. Nihilanth feared the possibility of him taking control back, and now that the fear came true, the two-headed dragon would do whatever it took to make sure he could not do it again. If he failed to buy Penny enough time...

He knew he was not going to get another chance quite like this.

“I see you are not going to come down. No matter... I can make you come down...” Rudy said with a sneer.

Barney shook his head. “I have no intention on getting anywhere near you!”

“Funny. I don’t seem to recall giving you a choice, Barney.” Rudy said, smiling twistedly. “But then, you always did have the illusion of choice, thinking that your life was filled with free will. You don’t even realize that a lot of...no...” His smile broadened. “..all of your choices had been the result of what you were created to do.”

Barney glared at him. “You’re wrong.” He said, gripping a hand into a fist. “I was never controlled by this..this foul beast! I lived my life the way I wanted to! I...”

“What about the inflatamouse incident?” Rudy asked in an almost innocent tone. Barney paused, staring at him in shock and confusion. Rudy just smiled back for several seconds, sending the zoner a silent message. “Oh you don’t remember? I’ll remind you: knowledge is power, power is pain, if you don’t understand, I won’t try to explain.” He tilted his head. “Do you remember that, Barney?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Barney demanded. Granted, it was unnerving to hear his motto repeated back to him in a cruel manner, just like how Bardot did. But that time, he knew why Bardot did it. He didn’t understand Rudy’s motivations.

Rudy chuckled darkly at him, giving a broad smile. He looked like he was starting to go insane. The thought was terrifying, considering Rudy was already pretty nutty while under Nihilanth’s influence.

“You really don’t know? Or do you choose to forget? Well it has been a long time, so I don’t blame you for forgetting.” Rudy said. “You regaining control of yourself seems to have drained your memory a little. Don’t worry, I will refresh it.” Barney cocked an eyebrow at this. Rudy continued, “You see, that whole inflatamouse sworm...all those zoners dying... you having to give information to King Mumbo Jumbo and how he had to lock himself away...”

Barney’s eyes widened in horror at this. He..he wasn’t talking about...? Oh no..he was... Barney felt his mind fill with dread. How could he so foolishly forget?

Rudy’s smile broadened. “Ah...so you do remember..?” He climbed up a few more inches, his claws digging deep into the glow’s side. “So then you must remember that you were the one who unleashed the inflatamouse swarm, am I right? You were the one who willingly and deliberately let loose the inflatamice on the populace, causing many deaths. Their blood is on your hands, dear Barney.” He climbed up even further, his eyes remaining locked onto Barney’s. “Do you remember that? Do you recall how it looked and sounded? The way their bodies exploded, spilling their guts all over the ground...?”

Barney’s body started to shiver in terror. Horrific memories flashed in the back of his mind. He remembered how terrified he was when the tiny red bats came. He could barely leave his own home without the swarm coming after him. And knowing now that he was the one who unleashed that dreaded swarm... He couldn’t stop the growing ice in his veins, causing his body to shiver constantly.

He couldn’t believe that he was the one responsible for that travesty. He was the one who, indirectly or directly, caused the deaths of all those zoners. Rudy was being completely honest here. He was responsible for what happened to them. Mind controlled or not, he still did it. He still committed the action. It was still his fault.

“And of course, you locked your friend up in that temple.”

Barney shot a surprised glance at Rudy.

The teenager chuckled. He shrugged a shoulder, holding his hand out. “Oh sure, you didn’t mean to. It wasn’t your idea, or at least, your weak side’s idea, to send your pathetic turtle friend to what should have been his doom. But let’s face it..” Rudy brought his hand closer to himself, staring at Barney with an arrogant expression. “It was still your advice that had him locked up for three hundred years. Wait..” He tapped his chin thoughtfully, eyes narrowed a bit. “I think it was longer than that... Yes, yes it was...” He looked back up at Barney, grinning. “I wonder just how he felt about that...”

Barney felt some of the color drain from his face. He couldn’t believe Rudy would stoop this low, to target his heart by reminding him of one of his most haunting memories. He had nightmares for years following that incident, and sometimes even nowadays, he was so wracked with guilt with his decision, even after talking to Mumbo Jumbo about it, that he still had some bad dreams regarding it. Of all the things he did that he lived to regret, this was the thing he regretted the most.

He wished he could go back in time and stop himself from giving Mumbo Jumbo that information. He wished he could have found something...anything else to stop the swarm. There had to be something else he could have done. Anything...

Rudy gave a cold laughter. Barney glared at him, not bothering to do anything to stop the tears from flowing down his face. “What’s wrong? Are you ashamed of that memory? Why?” He took a few more steps upwards. “It was all part of your plan... You deliberately led your friend to his doom.”

Barny shook his head. “N-No.. I-I just wanted to save ChalkZone...and...”

“Save ChalkZone? And what of your friend? Wasn’t he important to you? Or...or did you discard him like he was nothing? Did you forsake your friendship with him just because you wanted to save ChalkZone?”

“Y-You’re wrong!” Barney stammered, trying to find the right words to speak. Rudy was messing with his mind. He knew he was. He had to keep a strong firm grip on his own head. He had to keep Rudy from getting inside and toying with him like that. “Mumbo Jumbo...wanted me to do it... He wanted me to give him the information! I didn’t want to!”

“So you say.” Rudy tilted his head to one side. “How do I know that Mumbo Jumbo was trying to find another way? How do I know that he did not mean for himself to get trapped? Perhaps he felt betrayed..?”

Barney didn’t answer, instead just staring at the boy, his eyes wide and teeth gritted.

Rudy smirked. “Ah, and what about ChalkZone?” Barney remained quiet. “I didn’t know you could be so...dark, Barney.” Rudy moved his head to the other side. “It was bad enough that you...were willing to sacrifice your friend. But to think that you were probably willing to sacrifice all of ChalkZone for a single person... Gee, and here I thought I was twisted.” He laughed.

Barney’s eyes widened in horror. “N-No..I-I didn’t...”

“Look inside your heart, Barney, and you will find that I am right.” Rudy said as he got even closer to Barney. Black glows danced all around him, and they started to insert themselves into the orange and white glow. “You cannot escape the truth. You cannot deny what you are...”

Barney shook his head, more tears flowing down his face. “No...” He clutched his head tightly. “I..I did not...”

“You’re a monster, Barney...” Rudy’s voice went low and taunting. “Your heart is as black as Nihilanth’s...”

“No...” Barney whispered.

“You claim to fight against Nihilanth, but really, you’re no better than him.” Rudy said in a jeering tone. “You’re just like him. A liar, a deciever, a bringer of death and doom...” He chuckled. “Nihilanth is a reflection of your true self, Barney. And the sooner you accept that, the better of you’ll be.”

Barney cried out, “No!” His shout echoed through the void all around him and Rudy. His body shook with emotion and he started to cry softly.

“Oh don’t kid yourself, dear Barney...” Rudy said cruelly. “You know it’s all true. You have the same desire to hurt others... The way all those zoners pester you.. You want them to pay, don’t you? You want them to suffer for their insolence. That is why you were so easy to transform. That hidden anger, it swelled up inside of you.”

Barney widened in his tear-filled eyes in horror. He looked down and watched as Rudy continued to climb up towards him, his claws digging into the light shield. The black substance continued to grow and spread. It was rapidly wrapping around the glow, engulfing it in darkness. He watched in horror as the glow began to darken, a sign that Nihilanth was gaining back control. The black stuff continued to rise, and he knew it would reach him quickly.

As the shiny black substance spread upwards, its dark tentacles wrapping around in circles, Rudy sneered at Barney. “Don’t you see? This is your anger, Barney. The darker side of you. A part of who you really are. You caused that first pandemic of balloonemia. You locked your friend in a temple to die slowly. You set up no guards or clear warnings at the temple because you wanted someone to unleash the tiny red bats again. You wanted another pandemic.”

“No! That’s not true!” Barney cried, feeling tears stroll down his face. He tried to push away what Rudy was saying, but the words...they kept on hammering through. He held onto his head so tightly that he thought he was going to rip off his own scalp. “You...you have no idea what you’re t-talking about!”

“Oh, don’t I?” Rudy sneered. “Then how come when I asked you for help, you did not give it to me? How come, despite the fact that my friends were in danger, you refused to lend a helping hand, even knowing that they would have died? How come I had to force the information out of you? How come I had to make you agree to help us?”

“I..I...” Barney tried to think of something to say. But no words would come out.

Rudy narrowed his eyes. “I know the real reason why. It’s because you wanted suffering and pain. You never cared about anyone. So long as you were safe, screw everyone else, right?” He chuckled bitterly. “Face it, insect. You are like Nihilanth. More so than you realize. You truly are his shadow, his reflection. Tell me, when you look in the mirror, do you see yourself anymore..?”

“Stop it!” Barney shouted. “Just stop it!”

Rudy laughed. “Oh what’s the matter?” He mocked, feigning concern. “Did I touch a sore topic? Oh how silly of me! Of course you didn’t mean to doom your friend to a slow and painful death! Of course you didn’t mean to let my friends get eaten by a goola monster!”

Barney shut his eyes and turned away. “Shut up!”

Rudy smiled insanely, his eyes bulging and brightening. The pupils shrank into dots, making them hard to see as the glows began to intermix with each other. He opened his mouth to speak. “You...”

But he was cut off before he could say anything more.

All around them, another glow came into focus. The two of them froze, and looked around. The black tentacles slowed down. They still moved a little, but they were rigid and stiff, as if something was stifling their growth. Then, as the new white glow all around them became larger and more intense, the tentacles began to shrink down, seeping into the abyss from where they had come from.

Rudy’s eyes widened. “What...?”

Barney was at a loss of words as well. The glow encircled them, forming a large halo. He didn’t know what it meant, where it came from. This was..different than when he had assumed control. Unlike that light, this one didn’t seem to make him stronger. But for some reason, it was affecting Rudy.

The teenager was trembling. He didn’t think it was from pain, but something about the light... Just what was it doing to him? Then the light came closer, and Rudy started to let out grunts, as if he were trying to fight back. He twisted his body from side to side, gripping the side of the glowing tower. Barney could see it in his clenched eyes. Whatever this light was doing...perhaps it was a good thing? But..what was it...? What was going on?

Barney had to shield his eyes. He lifted up his arm and put it over his face. The glow was too intense for him. He managed to force one of his eyes open and he looked out at Rudy. He could barely make out Rudy’s writhing form.

Then, just as the ring of light started to touch them, Barney heard a loud scream from Rudy. No words. No shout of ‘no’. Just a pitiful, terrified scream.

Then, nothing but white.

sss

Penny kept her grip on the chalks. She squeezed them in her hand, their ‘bodies’ touching each other, almost forming a new type of chalk. She kept them pressed against Nihilanth’s body, watching as his forth writhed on the ground, tails thrashing about, crashing into the walls and ground. Barney was no longer in control, evident by the lack of the orangish glow. Holding the chalk against Nihilanth was the only thing preventing him from attacking her.

She had no idea what she was doing. She didn’t know if this was working or not. She had barely succeeded in grabbing the rogue white chalk. She barely managed to get the chalks together before the black and white began to try to claim dominance over her. If it weren’t for the red chalk keeping them at bay, she would have lost it by now. But despite her mind not being in any current danger of corruption, she didn’t know how long she could keep this up.

She had no idea just how to use these chalk pieces together. She didn’t know if she had to draw something, or if touch was all she had to do. But realizing there was little time, she did the first thing that came to mind. She rushed over and she pressed the chalk against Nihilanth. He had an immediate reaction and he let out roars of what she guessed was pain. Perhaps distress, too? She watched as the glow spread over his body, engulfing him. She had no idea if this was working or not. It was doing something...but was it the right thing?

Still, she didn’t stop. She didn’t pull away. She feared that something worse might happen if she tried to remove the chalks from his body too quickly. She pressed them harder against him, against his scaly form, making sure that the ends of all three were touching him. He screeched again and again, his eyes remaining closed the whole time.

Then, after a few more moments of holding the chalk there, a major pulse shot through the dragon. Penny watched, her eyes wide in shock, as a few fat rings spread through his body, moving up and down in rapid succession. The dragon pulled his heads back, letting out louder screeches as his body convulsed and twitched violently. Then he started to tumble to the ground. Penny let out a scream of surprise and she jumped back, narrowly missing getting hit. Nihilanth hit the ground in a heavy thud, kicking up dust and dirt.

Penny stood a few feet away, clutching the chalk pieces together, and stared at the scene. Nihilanth now laid on the ground. He still moved a little. His tail twitched, his toes flexed. But he was mostly still, and completely silent. At first, she thought she had killed him. This thought was corrected when she noticed that his ribcage was still moving up and down slowly. She realized she had simply knocked him out.

She stood there for several moments, her mind barely able to register what had just happened. She looked down at the chalk, wondering just how the very things that were created by Nihilanth could hurt him so badly. Or perhaps there was something more to it than that. Perhaps there was more to the chalk than she had previously thought. It wouldn’t surprise her. As a kid, she just thought of magic chalk as well...magic chalk. Chalk with unique properties. She never would have thought it was actually sentient. So why not add something else to the list?

She stared at Nihilanth some more, wondering if she had done anything to him besides knock him out. She looked at him from side to side. Confusion settled on her mind. The chalk was supposed to free Rudy, wasn’t it? Where was he? Why wasn’t he present here? Her heart clenched, horror spreading through her mind. What if she...what if she did more damage than she thought...?

As if on cue, she noticed something movement with the dragon. One of his large wings, there was something moving underneath it. Penny locked her eyes onto it, widening them. Could this...could this be..?

She could feel her heart fill with elation when she saw Rudy crawling out from underneath the wing. He looked stunned and confused, with some scrapes on his body, but he was otherwise fine. He was holding his head, stumbling forward as he tried to regain his bearings. He placed his hand against the nearest wall and leaned up against it. He closed his eyes and he gave a few heavy pants.

Penny felt a few tears of happiness form in her eyes. She did it... She really did it... She freed him. Rudy was no longer Nihilanth’s vessel. The dragon no longer had access to the real world. She had managed to stop Nihilanth before he used Rudy’s body as a means of getting through a portal. Things...things were finally started to really look up.

Without thinking, Penny rushed over towards Rudy. The male teenager barely had time to react when Penny wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Rudy stiffened up, his eyes widening. Penny tightened her grip, pressing the side of her face against his shoulder.

“Oh Rudy...I..” Penny started to say.

Suddenly, Rudy pulled a fist back and he slammed it against her cheek. Penny let out a scream as she was tossed into the ground. The three pieces of chak flew in different directions, landing too far away for her to grab any of them. She laid there, her body shaking. She pressed her hand against her sore cheek. Horror gripped her heart, twisting it. She looked up at Rudy, her tears now turning to sorrow. 

“R-Rudy...” Penny whimpered. “Wh-Why did you...?”

“You stupid bitch!” Rudy snarled at her. He took a step towards her, his blazing eyes piercing through her soul. He looked absolutely terrifying. “Do you have any idea what you did?!”

Penny couldn’t understand it. Why did Rudy attack her? Why was he still acting this way? She attempted to crawl up onto her feet, but Rudy stormed towards her. Moving faster than she had anticipated, the boy kicked her in the side. She let out a scream as she rolled across the ground painfully. She soon landed on her back. She barely had time to open her eyes before Rudy was towering over her. She let out a grunt as Rudy’s foot slammed against her chest, knocking the wind out of her.

Gripping his foot, Penny looked up at him. Rudy continued to glare at her, his teeth bared. Her heart beat quickly as her racing mind tried to think of what had happened. Then, as she stared into his eyes, she noticed something that made her heart skip a beat.

The black glow...

It was still there...

Rudy was..he was still corrupted.

At this, something snapped in the back of her mind. Of course, how could she have forgotten? What she did was free Rudy from Nihilanth’s body. She still hadn’t freed him from the corruption. There was still more she had to do before Rudy was broken from its influence. She couldn’t believe she was so stupid. How could she forget one of the steps...?

And now, here she laid, pinned on the ground by an enraged Rudy. He may not have Nihilanth’s powers now. But he was still very dangerous, even more so considering that he’s angry. His eyes were glued onto hers, and she could see the clear intent of harm in them, shining and focusing on her. It felt almost as though Rudy’s eyes were a large drill and they were cutting through the center between her eyes. She attempted to struggle, but Rudy just pressed down harder.

“I was being generous with you. I had offered you a position beside me. I gave you a chance to live.. And you threw it all back into my face!” Rudy shouted loudly, his eyes widening in rage. “So...so now I’ve had enough. I’m threw trying to reason with you, bitch. I’m going to make sure you never pull off another stunt like that again!”

With that, Rudy lifted his foot and kicked Penny again. She screamed as she was forced onto her back. She groaned as she tried to get up. This didn’t last long as Rudy kicked her again. Penny writhed on the ground, curled up on her side. She clutched her side, holding the tender area. Clenching her teeth, she looked up and watched as Rudy rushed towards her, showing no signs of slowing down, nor any intention of showing mercy.

Penny gagged as she felt him grip her throat and shover her into the hard ground. He straddled her quickly, using his body weight to hold her down. He bared his teeth viciously at her, letting out a low growl. Enraged eyes met terrified eyes. Then Rudy pulled his fist back, still holding onto her throat. Penny gripped his arm and tried to make him let go.

“Rudy..stop..please..” Penny begged.

Her cries fell on deaf ears, and in seconds, Penny could feel Rudy’s fist slam against her face again. She screamed in pain as her head was tossed to the side. Rudy did not give her any time to recover before he punched her again, this time on the other side of her face. He spent a few seconds punching her, causing her face to become bruised and some blood to trickle in the corner of her mouth. Each time she was punched, she screamed, each one more painfilled than the last.

Then Rudy got up from her and, showing strength she didn’t know he had, he lifted her up by her neck, letting her stand on her feet. He then moved his arm back, the muscles rippling underneath. She could feel him let go, and a second later, his fist came again. It collided with the center of her face. She felt another painful crack and she screamed as she tumbled backwards into the ground.

She laid there, quivering in pain. She held onto her nose. The break there had worsened, and now blood flowed more freely from her nostrils. She let out a few whimpers of pain as she looked up towards Rudy. She silently begged him to stop, but that did nothing to stop him. His lip curled up in a contempt-filled snarl and he slowly walked towards her, fully intent on continuing on hurting her.

“You...will never walk again.” Rudy growled. “I will make sure...of that...”

Penny’s pupils shrank in terror.


	175. From The Darkness

“Rudy! Come here!”

Dark Rudy wasted no time in responding to that familiar voice. He knew full well what Cosmo did not like waiting. He spared only a quick glance at Draow. The two had another heated argument about how their captives had escaped. But he quickly turned around and walked away. The bat wolf make no attempt to stop him, knowing what Cosmo might do if he had delayed him in any way.

Dark Rudy headed down the hallway, towads the chamber where Mr. Cosmo was keeping Ms. Saffron. He had been spending quite a bit of time in there, messing with the woman and trying to break her emotionally. Dark Rudy had to admit that Ms. Saffron was pretty strong willed to resist the urge to spill the beans, even after suffering at the hands of his master. Mr. Cosmo isn’t known to be...particularly gentle.

But it didn’t matter anymore if she spoke or not. Mr. Cosmo already figured out how to track those fugitives and how to figure out which dimension they had come in from. He was currently making preparations for them to travel into this new alternate world. He wasn’t entirely sure when they would be leaving, but he heard that it should be sometime soon.

The prospect of a new world to take over was exciting for the teenager. A new place for them to spread the black chalk...that definitely was some of the best news he had heard. It would also be a grand time for him to get revenge on that little brat for rejecting the black chalk. Oh the things he could do... He could kill the boy’s parents. His parents’ counterparts. Yes, they were pretty fun to kill. Now he has a new chance. Perhaps he’ll try something different this time. Or maybe he’ll kill Rapsheeba and Blocky, if he could find them. Either way, he would make his counterpart’s life a living hell there.

But now wasn’t the time to be thinking about revenge. Before he could even get to that point, he and Cosmo had to make sure they had a working portal into this new dimension. They still needed to get back into this dimension, where a lot of their equipment was and were they had all their zoner slaves.

Speaking of which, he soon saw one of their slaves walking down the hallway. Their expression was blank and distant and they were very thin and covered in injuries. Dark Rudy sneered at the zoner as they got closer, his eyes locked onto the mind control device between their eyes. Pulling his hand back, Dark Rudy casually knocked the zoner to the side. He listened to them let out a quick yelp, and then resumed walking. Dark Rudy watched this scene coldly before going into the room.

Upon seeing Mr. Cosmo, he waved his hand and said, “You called for me, master?”

Mr. Cosmo stood in the middle of the room. It appeared to be some kind of dungeon, though the walls looked more like that of a cave. The room had some light, but it was quite dull and a little hard to see, at least for anyone not blessed by the black chalk. He could see, on the wall not far from Mr. Cosmo, a set of iron bars that seemed attached to the cave wall. Dark Rudy wasn’t sure why Mr. Cosmo relocated Saffron in here, but he wasn’t one to question his master’s decisions.

Ms. Saffron laid on the ground. A constant shiver swept through her body. She wasn't making any noise, but Dark Rudy could tell she was shedding some tears of pain, likely fear as well. He couldn’t help but smile at this. Ms. Saffron had been a thorn in their side for so long. She had tried to help him ‘escape’, and now she seeks to stop the black chalk. How ridiculous...

Other than the cage, Saffron, and Cosmo, there wasn’t much else to this room. He could see some chains along the walls where Mr. Cosmo had kept some prisoners. He had managed to seize control of some countries by holding their leaders hostage. The properties of ChalkZone helped to make that possible. If he remembered right, this was where he kept them. And this was where those fugitives will end up once Cosmo and him found them in their home dimension and dragged them back. Then the room wouldn’t feel so empty anymore.

“I am happy to report that the dimensional machine is fully operational.” Mr. Cosmo said. There was a strong sense of pride on the tinge of his voice. Dark Rudy smiled at this. He grinned while Mr. Cosmo continued, “I have located the targets and have set the coordinates to take me there. I also figured out how to set time limits, so I will be able to come back here with my new... ‘guests’. I will then work on establishing a more open connection so I may freely travel to that dimension.”

Dark Rudy continued to smile. He felt his own pride welling up in his chest. He was glad that Mr. Cosmo was able to find a way into that dimension, especially the timer thing. It was important that he’d be able to return to his own dimension. It wasn’t really be a disaster if he didn’t come back, but it certainly wouldn’t be very favorable.

He took a moment to look over at Ms. Saffron. He smirked at her, watching her as she stared up at them in horror. She didn’t speak. She knew her words would fall upon deaf ears. She was absolutely terrified. He could see it in her eyes. She knew what was about to happen. She had tried to protect his counterpart and his worthless friends from his master. But she had failed, and now that failure was weighing down on her. It was staring at her right in the face, and now, this time, there was nothing she could do about it. Try as she might, she will never stop Cosmo. Not while she remained in that condition.

Dark Rudy turned his head towards Mr. Cosmo again. He took a few steps forward. He made sure to go slowly and cautiously, not wanting to accidentally upset the man. He kept his head low in submission and respect. The man deserved nothing less. He was the one who reignited the spread of the beautiful black chalk. He owed everything to him.

Mr. Cosmo held up his hand. Dark Rudy stopped immediately and watched him carefully. “I will be departing shortly.” He slowly turned his head and grinned at Ms. Saffron. “She...will be coming with me. I want her to be able to witness this.”

Dark Rudy nodded his head. “Yeah, good idea. Make her see just how much of a failure she is.” He paused, realizing something. He folded his arms and looked at his master in confusion. “Hey, what did you call me here for anyway? Was it just to tell me what your plan was?”

Mr. Cosmo shook his head. “No.”

“Okay, then...if you don’t mind me asking, master...” Dark Rudy took a step forward, holding his hands out in gesture. “What did you want me for?”

Mr. Cosmo stared at him. Then he said, “Rudy, you understand that I really truly value your input, correct? You know that I take every word you say seriously and into considering, right? That I see just how valuable you are?”

Dark Rudy cocked an eyebrow in confusion. What was the man going on about? Just where did this come from? It seemed so...out of the blue. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Why was Mr. Cosmo asking him this? Did he really think that he doubted him? The thought caused his heart to ache. He didn’t want his master to believe that he had any lingering doubts from his weak white chalk user side. He had spent days, weeks, months, years, trying to build trust with the man. To think that it might be starting to fall apart...

Dark Rudy nodded his head quickly. “I told you before, Mr. Cosmo. I will follow through with whatever you ask me to. I serve you until the end.” He gave a quick bow at this, showing the man the utmost respect in those few seconds he had lowered his body.

Mr. Cosmo stared at him, his eyes nearly piercing into his. It felt as though he was looking into his soul. The man seemed to study him for a few moments and then, once he seemed satisfied, he said, “That’s good. You see, I need your...opinion on something.”

At this, Dark Rudy heard footsteps behind him. He turned his head, giving a sideways glance to Draow. Dark Rudy glared softly at him. He wondered what Draow was doing here. Probably eager to hear whatever Mr. Cosmo had planned. He could see a look of eagerness in the bat wolf’s teal eyes. He was probably just waiting for Mr. Cosmo to give him an order of some kind.

Dark Rudy didn’t like how close Draow was standing. He wasn’t always one for personal space. He could feel the large zoner breathing behind his back. His body towered over his, casting it in partial shadow. Draow looked at him, narrowing his eyes slightly, before looking back at Mr. Cosmo. Dark Rudy felt some relief in this. At least Draow was going to be quiet this time. He wasn’t in the mood to argue with him.

“Ah...Draow. Glad you could make it. I was hoping you’d be here soon.” Mr. Cosmo said, giving a nod of acknowledgement to the winged wolf. Draow bowed his head in response. Mr. Cosmo continued speaking. “Anyway Rudy, here’s my question: Do you think it’s necessary that I recruit another you? Do you think there would be any benefit from that?”

Dark Rudy was taken aback by this question. He took a step back, staring at Mr. Cosmo in surprise. He hadn’t expected this kind of question when he came here. He struggled to think of a response. “Well I...”

“If you were to ask me, I think it’d be a waste.” Draow commented, growling lowly. “I certainly wouldn’t want another Rudy running underneath my feet.” Dark Rudy shot him a glare, causing Draow to sneer at him.

“Now now, Draow...” Mr. Cosmo said. “I didn’t ask you. I asked Rudy. Now...” He made a hand motion towards Dark Rudy. “You may proceed.”

At first, Dark Rudy wasn’t entirely sure how to respond. The idea of having another him was both a blessing and a curse. There was some benefit to it. Two heads were better than one. Mr. Cosmo may be more efficient if there were two Rudys instead of just one. But at the same time, how beneficial could it get? If he and his counterpart were capable of the same things...well Mr. Cosmo wouldn’t really obtain anything new. He’d just get double of what he already had. And he and Draow made a pretty good team when they weren’t arguing, and he worked well with his master.

Another Rudy might not be such a great idea. It might slow them down. And besides... he wasn’t too keen on having that other Rudy join his ranks. As tempting as it was, he wasn’t too fond of the way Mr. Cosmo spoke fondly of his counterpart before. He was not able to stop the feeling of jealously from rising up in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to remain Cosmo’s favorite. There were some...perks to that, and he wasn’t about to give them up.

He knew what answer he was going to make.

Dark Rudy shook his head. “No, master. I don’t think think it is such a good idea. You wouldn’t profit much from it.”

“I see...” Mr. Cosmo said, running his hand through his red hair thoughtfully. “So do you think it would be best if we...just kill this extra Rudy?”

Dark Rudy smirked. “Yes.”

Mr. Cosmo stared at him. No smile. No frown. Just a blank expression. He remained this way for several moments. Then he said, “That is your final word? You have no second thoughts? Nothing to reconsider?”

Dark Rudy wasn’t sure why Cosmo was asking this. He shook his head. “No. That is my final statement on that.”

“I see...” Mr. Cosmo said. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he rubbed his chin. Then he let out a sigh. It sounded almost...disappointed. But why? Why was Mr. Cosmo disappointed? “Very well then...”

Mr. Cosmo turned his back to Dark Rudy and Draow. He took a few steps away. Ms. Saffron looked on, still fearful, but also confused by what was happening. Whatever Mr. Cosmo had planned, he had certainly not bragged about it to the woman. Dark Rudy watched his master, refusing to take his eyes off of him. He moved pretty slowly, as if something were bugging him. It seemed clear that the answer that he had given the man wasn’t the one he really wanted to hear.

Dark Rudy felt a pang in his heart. He wondered if it was something he said. If it was... he had to do something to make it right. He hadn’t meant to upset Mr. Cosmo. He didn’t mean to dissapoint him. He should have known to be more careful with his wording. There was still time to fix things.

“Master...I’m sorry I upset you. I apologize.” Dark Rudy said. “I promise, I’ll make it up to you.”

Mr. Cosmo did not respond. He just stared at Dark Rudy, looking like he didn’t believe him. Dark Rudy bit his lip. He tried again.

Dark Rudy took a step forward, holding his hand out towards the man. “I’m sorry I disappointed you. Please...let me make it up to you.” He bit his lip when Cosmo did not turn around. He took another step forward. “Please...I want to do something to correct this.”

A bit of silence. Then a light chuckle. The tone was unreadable. “Oh don’t worry...” Mr. Cosmo turned his head slightly, staring at Dark Rudy with his scarred eye. “You will.”

Dark Rudy widened his eyes at this. Mr. Cosmo’s voice...it was a tone that he normally did not use with him or with Draow. It was a tone that he would normally reserve for their captors. He felt confusion flood his mind. Why would Mr. Cosmo speak to him in that manner? Why did he look at him that way?

Then something clicked in the back of his mind. Dread snaked up the back of his neck, causing the hairs to raise on end. No...he..he couldn’t be.. He stared at Mr. Cosmo with horror-filled eyes and cried in a higher pitch than usual, “Master! You’re not...!”

Mr. Cosmo just narrowed his eyes. The expression was cold as ice, the same one he had given to the enemy. Now it was given towards him. The man made a flick of his hand. Dark Rudy barely felt the sharp cold feeling in his chest in horrific realization, before he felt something strike him in the back. Something huge and sharp... He opened his mouth and let out a bloodcurdling scream as he was thrust into the ground.

He laid there on his stomach, shivering in pain. He could feel blood leaking out of the fresh wound on his back. He forced his eyes open and looked over. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a bit of the large gash that now cut between his shoulder blades and down his back. It was nearly identical to the wound that Draow had given Snap during his initial encounter with Mrs. Cosmo three years ago. He turned his head some more and looked up. Draow was glaring down at him coldly. Blood caked the claw that struck him.

“I’m sorry it had to come to this.”

Dark Rudy looked over at Mr. Cosmo. His heart pounded against his chest as fear filled his body. His eyes filled with horror as he watched Mr. Cosmo standing there, arms folded behind his back. His expression showed no indication of remorse, although he could detect some regret in there. Not that it made this situation any better. How...how could he do this...? He attempted to push himself up onto his legs, but the gash in his back was so deep, he cried out in pain and collapsed back down.

Mr. Cosmo watched with cold eyes as he struggled and whimpered on the ground. “But as you said...it wouldn’t be wise to have a second Rudy around.” He tilted his head to one side. “You have served me well. Don’t think I don’t appreciate all you’ve done for me. But now it’s time for me to start anew. Perhaps this new Rudy will turn out better than you.”

It felt like a knife just sliced through Dark Rudy’s heart at this. He had always prided himself in pleasing his master. He had done whatever he could to make him happy. But with that single statement... It became all too clear to him. Mr. Cosmo had been looking to replace him. Ever since that new Rudy came, he had been plotting to do this, or at least considering the option. And he...being so dumb, he had helped to seal his own fate. It was too late to take it back. Mr. Cosmo does not allow second chances.

“M-Master...” Dark Rudy whimpered. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he stared at the man wide-eyed, silently begging him not to go through with this betrayal. The man just stared at him. “I-I thought you...” He closed his eyes, letting his tears drip down.

“I told you, I appreciated what you did.” Mr. Cosmo said, prompting the teenager to open his eyes and stare up at him. “This isn’t anything personal, Rudy. You did nothing wrong. It’s just business. You understand, right?” He turned around and, with another flick of his wrist, he said, “After you are done, Draow, meet me in my office. We will discuss our plans on what we are going to do next.”

“Wait! Master! No!” Dark Rudy cried, reaching a hand out as the man walked away, disappearing from the room. “N-No..please...” Dark Rudy sobbed, a mixure of fear and pain overflowing through his body. He turned his tear-stained face towards Draow.

The bat wolf jeered at him, “You..have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do this...”

Dark Rudy gave a quick glance over at Ms. Saffron. The woman stared at him with wide, shock-filled eyes, but she said nothing. He turned his gaze back to Draow. The bat wolf lifted up his foot and struck Dark Rudy. He screamed as the claws slashed across his side, breaking one of his ribs and sending him sprawling across the ground. Blood leaked profusely out of the three deep gashes he now adorned. He laid there on his side, curling up in a partial fetal position as he gripped his side, feeling blood seep through his fingers.

He let out a series of low, constant whimpers. His eyes were filled with tears, feeling them move down his stinging red cheeks. His body quivered in both fear and pain. As he laid there, his thoughts turned to Mr. Cosmo. How..how could he do such a thing to him? After all he had done for him..how could he betray him like this? Why...? He felt a pang in his chest as he realized the full magnitude of Mr. Cosmo’s betrayal. A growing bitter pain filled his stomach: Hatred.

But his newfound hatred for Mr. Cosmo barely had time to flourish when Draow slashed him with his other wing claw. His mind was immediately shifted back to fear mode as the claw cut along his shoulder and across his face, taking out his right eye and splattering blood everywhere. As he tumbled to the ground not far, he laid there, holding his damaged eye gingerly.

Sobs wracked through his body. So much pain... He never thought he’d feel so much pain in one sitting before. He never thought he would feel like this. The horror of so much pain... Was...was this what his Snap went through? His Penny? ...His parents...? Now it was his turn. And this time, he had no one to comfort him. No one who would or could come to his aid. He no longer had comrades to look after him. He no longer had his Penny or his Snap to help him through anything. He no longer had his parents to cheer him up.

And it was all his fault... He killed them... It was his fault they are gone.

For the first time, Dark Rudy felt an emotion he never thought he’d feel regarding his actions. Something that he thought wasn’t something he would ever experience in all these years.

Regret.

As he laid on the ground and wept, the teenager turned his head and stared up at Draow with his remaining left eye. Draow was closing in on him slowly. His head and shoulders were low, a stalking position. His wings were spread out, his lips curled back into a snarl. Slowly, as he got closer, the jaws opened up, exposing his huge, sharp teeth. The same teeth that, before, Dark Rudy never feared. Now, they were going to be sending him to his grave.

Fear and desperation gripped his heart. He wanted to plead. He wanted to beg. He wanted to live. But he did none of these things, knowing that it wouldn’t change his fate. He felt his heart rate quicken as Draow leaned down and opened his jaws wider, his hot breath hitting against him. As the beast got closer, Dark Rudy wondered...this cold fear... Was it what his Penny had felt? His Snap? His parents? Everyone else he had murdered? Was this cold, sharp, gripping fear the last thing they felt before they....?

Dark Rudy let out a strangled whimper as Draow closed his jaws around his throat and began to apply pressure. He began to struggle weakly, his legs kicking wildly, his body trembling violently as he tried to escape. Blood poured out of his mouth as Draow’s teeth ripped into his throat. As he started to cough and choke on his own blood, as he felt his neck begin to give way under the pressure, he looked up into Draow’s teal eyes. For a few seconds, he could have sworn he saw his Penny and his Snap staring back at him through those eyes.

Suddenly a resounding crack echoed across the room. Dark Rudy’s left eye bulged, his body stiffening and twitching. Then he fell limp, his head rolling to the side. His mind began to shut down as he closed his eye. He exhaled a final time and his world went dark and silent. The remaining tears from his eyes strolled down his face as his final thought wafered through his mind before silence became dominant.

“I’m sorry...everyone...”

sss

Snap’s heart pounded against his chest, threatening to burst out of his ribs. His feet pounded the ground so hard, he could feel them aching in his shoes. His lungs were dry and sore, begging for oxygen. His throat was craving water. He needed to lie down. He neede dto rest. His wounds, they were radiating off pain, getting worse as each second passed. But despite this, he dared not stop. He just kept running.

He made his way down the corridor. He didn’t know where he was in the Solar Pillars. And at the moment, he did not care. All he wanted to do was run, try to find a place to hide so he could recooperate. He barely paid attention to the features. He noticed some things, such as how this part of the place appeared to be made out of marble, and it appeared rounder than the other places. What this area did, he wasn’t sure, and he wasn’t exactly in the fight mind to find out.

The corridor was well lit at least. The fiery light of the small torches bathed on his skin, providing him with some highlights against his white skin and blue clothes. The twisted color of the marble appeared to almost shine as the light danced off of it. The tunnels took a rounded shape, and the light accented off of this, creating some interesting shapes with its shadows. It was something of a pretty sight, especially with the inclusion of the marble. But he didn’t have any time to enjoy himself, not while he was still being pursued.

He could hear Boorat’s growling and panting behind him. He dared to spare a quick glance, looking over his shoulder. He saw Boorat running on all fours after him. He wasn’t glaring, just like before. Still that eerie, blank expression. A part of Snap wondered if Boorat had any of his mental capacity working, or if he was completely mindless at this point.

Snap looked back towards his front and let out a scream. He was heading straight towards a wall. He scrambled his feet against the ground, trying desperately to stop. He nearly collided with the wall. He reached out with his hands and pushed against the wall, knocking himself into one direction. He began running down the new corridor. He cold hear Boorat’s feet slip, and then the pounding of feet again. He looked behind him. The turn not only did not slow down Boorat, but it seemed to have helped him get closer. The realization struck him with horror.

How was he going to get out of this? He didn’t know this area very well. He should have thought his escape plan through more. It wasn’t easy getting out of those binds, but he hadn’t done much to think about how he was going to get out of here. Now he has an angry rodent coming after him. Well...angry may not be the word to describe him right now, but close enough.

Seeing Boorat like this was terrifying, as it reminded him of what nearly happened to him years ago. Mr. Cosmo had tried to turn him into a mindless slave. He had tried to use the mind control device to wipe his mind. The thought sent cold shivers down his spine. He almost became like how Boorat was behaving now. Mindless, obedient, unresponsive to anything. Boorat didn’t even scream in pain whenever he hit a wall or tripped over something. He was just..kind of there, only being aware of two things: orders and his sight.

Knowing that Boorat was insensitive to pain, or at least no longer responded to it, was problematic. It was going to be harder to trap him, if he could ever find anything he could use. Not that he would hurt Boorat, but if the large rat wasn’t responding to pain, he may find a way to break out of almost any trap he could set up. Pain would not stop him, and he would just keep trying to break himself out until he succeeds. He would have to think of some other way he could get away from him. But how? That nose of his would surely...

Snap’s eyes widened. His nose... of course... Maybe..maybe that would work. He just needed to find some place he could hide. Just temporary, just long enough for him to put forth the plan. If he could tear off a part of his own leotard and stuff it in something, and then place it in the line of the large zoner’s path... Yes, that might work. Boorat is so fixated on chasing him that he may go after anything that so much as smells like him. Giving a glance behind him, noting how far away Boorat was from him, Snap continued to run, his eyes glued on what was in front of him.

He scanned his eyes left and right, trying to find anything he could use. The corridor didn’t really have a lot of doors unfortunately. There were a few, but they were too sparse to be of any good to him. He needed some place bigger. Something where he had more freedom to run. Something...

Snap felt hit breath against his leg. He jumped to the side. He turned his head and saw that Boorat had slammed his jaws near his leg. Snap’s eyes widened as he saw just how close it had been. Grinding his teeth, he forced himself to move faster, ignoring the pain he was feeling, ignoring the burning dryiness of his lungs and throat. He could see a door up ahead. He looked at Boorat again before he quickened his pace even more. His feet smashing into the ground, he soon reached the door, colliding with it. The force was enough to break the door off of its hinges and he fell into the ground along with it.

Looking up, he could see that he was now in a large room. He was high up, on a ridge that encircled the large room. Snap’s eyes widened in shock. He recognized this room. It was the same one that he, Penny, and the others had been in. This was definitely the same one. He recognized the damaged areas caused by when they were trying to get away from Rudy.

Snap realized his mistake too late. He felt a hand grab him and hoist him up into the air. He gritted his teeth and tugged at Boorat’s hand as he tried to free himself. He kicked his feet at Boorat, but they would not reach him. Boorat stared at him with his crimson-colored eyes for a few seconds before he started to turn to carry him back. In desperation, Snap opened his mouth and he bit down on Boorat’s hand, despite knowing that he was not going to respond to pain.

Surprisingly, it had an effect. Boorat didn’t yelp in pain, but the bite was enough to cause him to freeze for a second, his eyes widening a little. It looked more like it was out of surprise than pain, however, and he resumed walking. This momentary freeze loosened the rat’s hand up a bit, just enough for Snap to give a sharp tug and fall to the ground as his scarf got free. He instantly got up to his feet and resumed running. It took seconds for Boorat to realize he had lost his quarry and come after him.

Snap ran around the edge that jetted out of the wall, edged with a round structure that kind of resembled a railing. He wasn’t exactly low to the groud. If he wasn’t careful, he could slip and fall, and cause considerable damage. He was high enough that if he fell down from here, he could very easily crack a rib or shatter a leg. Giving a nervous gulp, he continued running as fast as he could, trying to put distance between him and the rampaging rodent behind him.

Suddenly, his foot hit against a crack in the pathway. He let out a scream as his foot was bent painfully forward, twisting it a little. His face hit against the ground as he did brutal backflip. He could feel his spine bending almost behind its limits as he crashed into the ground, he could feel multiple vertebrates ache and radiate in pain. He groaned as he attempted to get up. As soon as he put his foot on the ground, he let out a cry of pain and fell back down. He seethed and looked down at his foot. He couldn’t see the damage, but he could tell there was a bruise there.

He let out a cry of surprise and agony as Boorat slammed against him, wrapping his large, muscular arms around him. The two of them went flying over the railing, racking through the edge. Snap winced as his skin was scraped and cut by the jagged broken edges, and screamed as he and Boorat plummeted down towards the ground. Boorat held onto him tightly, squeezing him so hard, Snap nearly choked. He could see the ground rapidly coming up to him. Unable to do anything, Snap closed his eyes and waited for the impact.

The collision came sudden, a loud, almost echoy thud that intermixed with several cracks. Snap let out a loud scream as he was crushed between Boorat’s weight and the hard, unforgiving groudn. His arm was bent at an odd angle and he heard it crack, snapping near his elbow. The wind was knocked completely out of him, causing him to wheeze and cough. A few ribs were broken and some of the sharks cut into his internal organs. Not enough to be life threatening, but it caused him to cough up some blood.

Boorat get off of him. Snap noticed, with his one quivering open eye, that Boorat didn’t go undamaged either. He had landed on one of his hind legs wrong and there was a prominent limp. It also appeared that he had broken two of his teeth and one of his fingers appeared broken. He had a couple bruises, too, from his body trying to cushion the fall.

Snap attempted to get up onto his feet. Boorat just stood there, as if he thought that Snap would not be able to get away. Snap would have wondered why this was, but the pain wracking through his body was too distracting. He grabbed his head with his undamaged arm and rubbed it. He took a few steps forward, limping due to his twisted foot. He only managed a few steps before he let out a scream and fell to the ground. He looked over at Boorat, making a mental comment to himself that his plan was already a failure. As Boorat lowered himself on all fours and began to limp towards him menacingly, Snap looked left and right, trying to think of what he could do.

Seeing no other option, Snap, giving a few yelps of pain, started to limp towards the structures he and the others ran through while being chased by Rudy. He moved as quickly as he could to the rows of large light bulb-like structures. Boorat followed close behind, who wasn’t slowed down much by his injuries.

Snap combed his way through the rows of bulbs, trying to put distance between him and the large rodent. He winced as he felt the heat of the bulbs so close to him. He zigzagged along, barely able to keep himself out of arm’s reach of the mind controlled rodent. He hissed a few times when he banged himself against a bulb. Reddened, sore areas appeared wherever he touched a bulb, filling his mind and body with even more pain.

He did not go in one direction. He kept going in random, different directions, hoping that it would slow down the rodent. But unfortunately, he was wrong. Boorat was able to keep up with him, moving with surprising grace and agility that he did not expect from the oversized grey rodent. Boorat opened his jaws and attempted to bite him. Snap barely dodged, feeling the teeth graze against his scarf. He turned and went down a new direction. Boorat did hit against a bulb and was slowed down, but only for a few seconds before he resumed running. His weight slamming against the bulb was enough to knock it over. Snap winced as he heard a series of cracks and sparks as some bulbs were knocked from their footing.

Snap attempted to make another turn, but he didn’t react quickly enough and his side brushed up against one of the bulbs. He let out a yelp of pain as he staggered forward a little. Before he had time to regain his bearings, Boorat slammed his body against him, sending him flying through the air. Snap felt the side of his body crash against something solid and hard. One of the bulbs... As soon as he hit against it, the glass portion shattered, creating a hole.

Horrific pain jettisoned through his broken arm, snaking up from his hand, up his forearm and then to his elbow. The crackling, volatile energy looped around his arm, tearing off his leotard sleeve and glove, exposing his bare skin to the burning electrical coils. He let out a series of screams his broken left arm was ripped apart. He tried desperately to yank his arm out, but it was no use. He was stuck. Tears of pain flowed down his face as he continued, in vain, to get himself free.

Boorat, who obviously didn’t care that he was in a great deal of pain, took this opportunity to lunge at him. Snap looked over with tear-filled eyes as the large rodent smashed against him. The force of the attack yanked his left arm at an odd angle. The force was so strong and so sudden, that Snap’s mind barely had time to react when he heard a loud crunching sound, the sudden loss of some weight, and blood splattering the ground. He grunted in pain as he hit his back against the hard surface.

Snap stared up at Boorat, taking in a few shaky breaths. Boorat wasn’t attempting to hurt him, instead just holding him down. Snap’s body ached with agony. He let out a few whimpers as he tried to cope with it. His left arm...out of all the places in his body, that limb hurt him the most. He could still feel that burning sensation, the way the electricity ripped apart his muscles and blood vessels, coating itself in his blood. He lifted up his left and cradled it against his chest. He ran his hand up and down, trying to do something for the pain.

Suddenly, he realized something was wrong. He was feeling...less of the arm than he normally would. Something was wrong... He moved his hand down further, but instantly removed it when he touched the raw wound. He yanked his hand back and looked at it. Fresh red blood coated it. He attempted to see if he could still move his left hand, but to his horror, he couldn’t feel anything, not even the weight of his hand against his chest. Slowly, he looked down.

His eyes bulged wide open. He felt his heart nearly stop beating. Ice shot through his veins. No..it wasn’t possible... Snap tried to deny it. He didn’t want to believe it. This..this couldn’t be happening to him... But the longer he looked, the more he realized this wasn’t an illusion or a dream. There was no mistaking this.

His arm...his left arm, from his hand his elbow...was gone. All that was there now was a stump. Bits of his bone and cartiledge were exposed. Torn skin hung like ripped clothes, and fresh blood poured rapidly from the raw, exposed wound.

Snap shook his head as his heart pounded against his chest, speeding in rate. He breathed in quickly, panic spreading through his body. His wide eyes locked onto the wound, his mind feeling numb, almost deciding to shut down. He shivered constantly as he watched blood flow from what remained of his left arm. He let out a few low whimpers, trying desperately to comprehend what had just happened to him.

“M-My...my...” Snap gulped. “My arm...”

The pain swirling in his head, the horror of seeing his arm like this, Snap began to hyperventilate. His breathing quickened at such a rate that he started to get a headache. It spread through his skull, giving him a pounding ache that he could not ignore. As Boorat began to drag him off by his scarf, Snap’s breathing and heart rate just continued, and he could feel himself start to go into shock.

With the blood loss starting to get to him, as well as the horrific pain, Snap was not able to comprehend anything going on around him. His vision darkened, his mind swirling, making him feel lightheaded. He let out a few whimpers and groans as he struggled to remain conscious. He didn’t even try to struggle anymore. His body started to tremble as cold spread through his body. He was so cold...oh so cold...

Snap became vaguely aware of him suddenly being released, his head banging against the ground. By this point, his mind was so muggy that he barely registered the new pain, and he just laid there. He turned this head, his groggy, half opened eyes looking over to see what happened.

He could barely register Boorat laying on the ground, a dart in his shoulder. He barely registered someone..a man...standing there, holding some kind of weapon. His eyes started to flutter as the man approached him slowly. Snap didn’t begin to wonder if the man was friend or foe. That wasn’t on his mind anymore. Nothing was. His vision began to darken, and he found it impossible for him to stay awake.

He did hear a familiar, echoey voice ring through his head.

“Snap!”

Snap opened his eyes a little wider, struggling to see who it was. But the blood loss was too much for him, and he was unable to stay awake for much longer. Before he passed out, however, he did see enough of the human’s head to recognize who they were.

“L-Longhorn...” Snap choked out with the last of his strength. Then he went limp.

sss

Penny gritted her teeth, clutching the three pieces of magic chalk in her hand. She staggered back, pain radiating all over her body, concentrated on her face. Trickles of blood moved out of the corner of her mouth, and she could taste the saltiness of this red fluid in her mouth. She arched her back in defense, glaring at Rudy, who stood a few feet away from her.

“Please, Rudy...” Penny pleaded with him. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”

Rudy snarled at her. He walked around in a partial circle, eyeing her up and down. His eyes focused on the chalk and he contorted his face in contempt. It was clear that he wanted to grab the black chalk from her to use it against her. Rudy was chalkless at the moment, but if Penny wasn’t careful, that wasn’t going to last for long. He had already nearly got one of the pieces after she managed to kick him from her. Her luck may run out soon.

Rudy turned his head and glanced at the unconscious dragon not far from him. His expression softened up slightly, and she could have sworn she could see a sympathetic shine in those eyes. This was fleeting, however, because as soon as he looked back at her, he pulled his lips back in a snarl. He took a few steps towards her, his fingers flexing in anticipation. Penny gulped and took a step back, still in her defensive posture.

“I know it doesn’t. I didn’t want it to come to this. But you left me with no choice.” Rudy gave her a twisted smile, one filled with overflowing anger and hatred. The sight of it chilled Penny’s heart. “You will need to be dealt with, before you become an even bigger problem.” He moved forward a couple inches. He straightened himself up as if to make himself appear taller. “Why don’t you just lay down and take it? Why make such a fuss? Hold still, and I promise your end will be swift.”

Penny shook her head, narrowing her eyes. “If there is one thing you should know about me, Rudy, it’s that I don’t give up so easily.”

“Ah yes, you always were such a thorn in that regard.” Rudy commented casually. “However, that’s just more of a reason for me to get rid of you. If I simply let you go, you will just find a way to get stronger. You managed to knock out my master.” He motioned a hand towards the unconscious dragon. “Quite a feat...but if I let you do it again, I am certain you’ll do much worse.”

Penny knew Rudy was at least partially right. If he did simply let her go, he can not expect her to just sit down and not do anything. She would just come back and try again. She would try to formulate a better plan to stop Nihilanth for good. Even if she were captured, she’d still do whatever it took to get out of there and then confront Nihilanth to stop him. That was why Rudy was determined to put a more permanent end to her. After all, dead people can’t protest.

She could feel her heart rate quickening. The realization that Rudy wanted to kill her...it terrified her. She could feel her blood chilling, almost burning the inside of her body. She felt powerful toxins in her stomach, making her feel sick. She pushed back the horrific sensations, tried to ignore the painful memories of when Rudy was first controlled by the black chalk and tried to kill her, and tried to focus on what was going on now. She locked eyes onto him, narrowing them into slits.

She was not going to back down. She didn’t want to fight Rudy, but if she absolutely had to, she would. No questions asked. If fighting him meant getting a chance at retrieving the old Rudy, she would take it. She loved him. He was one of her best friends. She...she had to try to get him back, even if it cost her more than she bargained for.

Rudy watched as Penny raised the three chalks she had clutched in her hand. He stared at them intently, desire practically glowing from his eyes. He gritted his teeth for a second and then gave a soft smile. He stared at Penny, keeping eye level with her. Penny felt her body tense up as the boy kept looking at her like that. Rudy’s aura seemed to shift, and his eyes.. He was not going to hold still for long. And she soon proved to be right on that.

Without warning, Rudy charged towards Penny, letting out a yell of anger and determination. Penny’s body stiffened and she scrambled to get away. She managed to move to the side quickly enough that Rudy went running beyond her. He quickly turned his feet and launched himself back at her. Penny only had time to turn her head when Rudy’s body pressed against hers. She let out a scream as she was slammed up against the nearby wall. She squirmed, feeling herself being crushed against it by Rudy’s body.

“No!” Penny cried when she felt Rudy’s hand grab her arm and try to pry her fingers open. She jerked her arm back, trying to make the boy let go. “Let..me...go...now!”

Rudy responded by pushed her even harder, smashing her shoulder against the wall as hard as he could. Penny let out a cry of pain, which Rudy smiled at. “I don’t see why you’re resisting so much. I promised a swift end..” He push his mouth close to her ear and spoke softly and harshly into it. “Or would you rather I do it slowly? Want to take some time to savor the moment? I will be glad to obligue.”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror for a second, her body freezing in fear. She resumed her struggling. She tried to free her arm or leg, anything to fight back with. She managed to free the hand clutching the magic chalk from Rudy’s grasp and hold it out away from him. Rudy growled and pressed further against her, reaching out to take a piece.

Penny shifted her leg from side to side as hard as she could. Rudy used his own to try to pin hers against the wall, trying to inhibit her ability to move. She continued to struggle and, eventually, she got her leg free. As soon as she did, she struck her leg out to the side. Her foot banged against Rudy’s shin. The boy’s eyes widened and he let out a quick yelp of pain. He glared at her hatefully. Before he could act upon that anger, Penny took advantage of her newfound movement and pushed against Rudy as hard as he could. The boy stumbled backwards, giving her enough room to run a few feet away, putting distance between her and her mind controlled friend.

Rudy rubbed his arm, which Penny had shoved a little more roughly than she thought. He glared at her, a look of pure contempt on his face. He looked at the magic chalk once more before a bitter smile spread across his face. Penny took in a few shaky, nervous breaths and got into a defensive posture.

Rudy lowered his head slightly, staring at her intently. “I must admit, Penny, that was a...pretty clever idea you had.” He pointed at the three pieces of chalk that Penny still held. “Grasping all three of them at the same time..canceling out their effects on you, and trying to deprive me of a chance at one. But then...” He licked his lips slowly. “It also put you at a disadvantage.”

He gave a cruel chuckle and started to approach Penny slowly. The female teenager gritted her teeth and she backed away. She arched her body more in defense, watching as the boy circled her again. He was close enough that he could attack her. But he held back, instead opting to just circle her before moving back a few steps. He folded his arms behind his back and stared at her. His expression held a tinge of curiosity, almost as if he were amused and confused by Penny’s persistant resistance. Penny gritted her teeth, preparing herself for an attack.

“You cannot draw anything holding the chalk like that. You and I both know this. I may not be able to draw...” Rudy put a hand against his chest as he said that, then he waved it out in front of him to indicate Penny. “But then...” He pointed at her. “Neither can you.” He folded his arms against his chest. “If you had three white chalk, three black chalk, or three red chalk, then this could work. But the fact that all three of them are of a different color...” He closed his eyes and gave a chuckle. “That negates their abilities.” He reopened his eyes and stared at her. “You...are just as ‘defenseless’ as me.”

Penny gritted her teeth at this. She knew that he was right. She couldn’t draw anything with the three chalks stuck together like this. Even their sentience seemed to have been affected. She wasn’t sure if it was because the sentience was temporarily gone or if it was because the chalk being pressed together like this cancelled out any attempt they made at communicating with her.

She really could not draw like this. She had already attempted during battle, and she failed miserably. The only way she could draw anything in defense was if she were to let go of the chalk, put two away, and hold one. But doing so would be risky. The black chalk would take that chance to try to corrupt her. Same with the white chalk. Their voices would get inside her head and try to warp her, just like how it did with Rudy. She couldn’t let them go, or use them. Holding them with the red chalk like this was the only way she would be safe from being corrupted herself.

Rudy tilted his head, his eyes brightening. “You’re also creating an easier target for me.” Penny looked at him in confusion. “Oh come now, Penny...” Rudy grinned. “You can’t be that stupid. Surely, you would know that, by keeping the three pieces of chalk in your hand, you are singling that area out for me to target. A singular location for me to attack. It might be easier to protect, but it’s also an easier target for....” His voice deepened into a growl. “..for me...”

Rudy lowered himself into an aggressive posture. He flexed his fingers like they were claws. He kicked at the ground, his shoes scraping against the hard surface. He curled his lips back, his hatred-filled expression returning. His eyes glued on the hand that held the magic chalk, he tensed his body up and he charged forward.

Penny didn’t have any time to react. She grunted in pain as Rudy slammed against her again. She tumbled backwards, struggling to not only keep her balance, but also keep the chalk in her hands and away from Rudy. He gripped her arm, holding it up and still, and then tried to pull her fingers apart. She pushed back against him with her free hand. He brought his knee up and kicked her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Gritting her teeth, she responded by stomping on Rudy’s foot. His eyes bulged open in pain, but it did little to slow him down, instead angering him further. Penny widened her eyes as Rudy pulled a fist back and punched her.

The collision of the fist and the force behind it was enough to send her flying backwards. She skidded across the ground painfully, feeling her back get scraped by some of the rougher patches of ground that she hadn’t noticed until now. She soon laid there, shivering in pain. She could feel blood leaking from her back. That attack had did more damage to her than she thought. She didn’t have any time to regain her bearings as Rudy rushed to her side, his teeth flashing in anger.

Penny grunted as Rudy slammed his foot against her chest, near the edge of her sternum. More wind was forced out of her mouth. She let out a groan of pain and turned her head to the side, not wanting to look up at Rudy’s intense eyes. She heard his low growling, and she could feel her heart clench. Her fingers wrapped more tightly around the three pieces of chalk as she gritted her teeth in determination.

The two teenagers began to wrestle with each other on the ground. Rudy gripped Penny’s arms and tried to subdue her. Penny, turning her head from side to side, used her free hand to push against Rudy, trying to knock him back. Her legs flailed and kicked out wildly. She attempted to aim them at Rudy, and she managed to land a few blows. But she wasn’t able to use enough force and all she did was anger Rudy even more, causing him to deliver another punch, this one landing square under her chin. She yelped in pain as her teeth sliced into her tongue, causing some fresh blood flow in her mouth.

Rudy punched her again and again. Penny screamed and tried to strike back. Rudy dodged her attempt at hitting him and resumed striking her. Soon, resting her bruised and blooded face to the side, Penny’s mind became so disoriented for a time that it allowed Rudy to pin her down more affectively. She winced and grunted as Rudy forced her onto her stomach and slammed his body against her. Laying his body vertically across hers, he wrapped his legs around hers, binding them together and holding them down. He looked his left arm around her neck, holding her in a headlock. He yanked her head roughly to the side, as if trying to keep her from looking at her hand. He turned his right hand to the side and seized Penny’s hand, the one holding the chalk pieces. He slammed the hand into the ground. He kept his arm pressed against hers, keeping it down while his fingers went to work opening her hand.

“Just try to relax, Penny!” Rudy twisted Penny’s head some more, causing her to cry out in pain. She looked up at him fearfully as he smiled back down at her. “I don’t want to twist your arm off. All I want is the black chalk. I know you don’t want it, so hand it over.”

Penny managed to turn her head to the side. She shut her eyes and shook her head. “No!”

Rudy’s eyes darkened. “Would you rather I kill you then? Get it over with?”

Penny shook her head. “I’d rather you let me go!”

“Except that isn’t an option, sweetheart.” Rudy said with a grin. He pressed his face against hers. “I have given you two. You can die now, or later. I don’t care which one, so long as you stop breathing and I get my black chalk back.”

Penny wriggled underneath him. She attempted to shift her body, trying whatever she could to free herself. Rudy kept her pinned down, tightening his grip on her. She winced as she felt him slowly open her fingers. She managed to jerk her hand away and tighten her grip on the chalk pieces. She then thrust herself from side to side, using as much energy as she could. Rudy gave a surprised grunt and tried to hang onto her. Penny used her free arm to support herself while she freed her other arm. She pulled her arm up and slammed her elbow against Rudy’s shoulder.

This caused Rudy to be knocked to the side. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to give Penny the freedom she needed to get an upperhand. She twisted her body around and knocked her elbow against Rudy again. As he fell to his side, her body turned all the way around and she, through effort, through fighting through Rudy’s struggles, pinned him on the ground.

Penny glared down at Rudy and, anger at what Rudy has become boiling over, she grabbed his throat and squeezed it tightly. Rudy gagged and gripped her arm, trying to free himself. Penny didn’t squeeze tight enough to choke him, but it was enough to show him that she meant business. Rudy snarled at her, his legs kicking at her desperately. Penny winced in pain each and every time one of his feet managed to collide with her. But she still refused to let go.

“Why are you doing this?! Why are you trying to delay the inevitable? Why are you still holding back when you know that nothing you can do can turn me back into the weakling you once knew?” Rudy twisted himself from side to side. Rudy nearly got himself free, but Penny was able to keep him down.

“Because..I still believe in you, Rudy.” Penny replied. Her glare softened up as a few tears formed in her eyes. “I...I still believe you are there. Just waiting to get out... I know I will get you back somehow. I know you are stronger than this!”

Rudy’s eyes widened in shock at this. For several moments, everything was quiet save for their breating and heartrate. Rudy’s glare had vanished completely, replaced by genuine surprise. Penny wondered if Rudy, the real one, was fighting back. Was it possible that she had managed to get through to him?

No...that turned out to be wrong. Rudy’s eyes flashed again, a black glow shining from it. She snapped her head back in horror as Rudy’s eyes intensified, the black glow so strong that she had to turn her head to the side. His mouth ticked into a twisted half smile.

“How completely...expectant of you...”

With that, Rudy mustered as much strength as he could and launched himself forward. He knocked himself against Penny, pushing her into the ground. He once again had her pinned down, this time, on her back. He pressed his body against hers, holding her down. He did not waste time trying to immobilize her. He went straight for what he was after: the black chalk.

He grabbed onto her right arm. He used one arm to grab the forearm and press his own upper arm against hers, then pushed it into the ground, holding it there. He then grabbed onto her fingers, all four of them, and started to pull them back, exposing the chalk to him. Instead of trying to grab a chalk, however, Rudy kept pulling the fingers back, applying more force as seconds passed. Penny’s eyes bulged as pain began to surge through her hand. She quickly realized what he was trying to do.

He was going to break her fingers.

Penny screamed as Rudy pushed her digits back further, trying to bend them beyond their intended range of motion. Tears of pain flowed down her cheeks. She tried to struggle against him. She formed a fist with her left hand and tried to strike him. Rudy barely reacted to this at all, his glowing black eyes focused intently on her hand. He was smiling evilly, showing clear enjoyment out of trying to break her fingers apart.

The pain rapidy grew more intense. Penny’s eyes widened so much she thought they were going to roll out of their sockets. Rudy began to push even harder, sending a shockwave of pain through her hand, an intense agony that centered around and practically glowed from the middle of her fingers and where they attached to her hand. She turned her head from side to side, kicking her legs wildly, her thumb thrashing, tears blurring her vision as she gave a few sobs of pain. This was like what happened when Draow broke her leg, only this time it was worse. It was not being done by an enemy, but by someone who was supposed to be her best friend. The horror of this realization hung over her mind thickly, creating a chill that spread through her spine.

Penny suddenly felt her fingers start to give way. In seconds, they would be broken completely. She let out a bloodcurdling scream, her eyes wide open and leaking out tears rapidly. The pain swirled in her mind, disrupting her consciousness, her ability to concentrate. Her vision blurred slightly as she looked up at Rudy, silently and, in vain, pleading with him to stop.

Then, suddenly, Rudy did stop. Penny looked up, confused when Rudy’s body suddenly stiffened, his eyes widening. The smile was gone, faster than she had ever seen. His body then started to give a shiver. She wasn’t sure what was going on at first. She turned her head and, in seconds, she could see the culprit.

Rudy’s hand had fallen onto hers, his palm pressing against it. This act caused his skin to come into contact with the chalk. His eyes grew bigger and he looked like he was trying to pull his hand way. But tendrils of red, black, and white, circled around him. The black and white were dominated by the red, created a crimson glow. It surged up his arm, wrapping around the limb, and then engulfing his body.

His eyes remaining wide, Rudy let out a series of screams as he tried to get away. Convulsions swept through his body. The glow intensified, and Penny could have sworn she saw it tighten its grip. Rudy’s grasp on hers loosened, and she was able to reposition her fingers in the correct place. The pain from her hand lessened, leaving nothing but a dull ache behind. But she hardly paid attention to that as she watched Rudy turn his head from side to side, struggling to get free.

She had no idea what was going on. The chalk was doing something. Could it be trying to free him? Was it doing something else? Penny wasn’t entirely sure, but instinct told her that she should force Rudy to keep holding onto the three chalk pieces. She grabbed onto his hand with her own, pressing it against her chalk wielding one, and held it there. The glow did not affect her, but it continued to encircle and ensare Rudy in its crimson glow. It rapidly covered his whole body, causing his shivers to become more prominent. He let out more cries. Not filled with pain, but instead fear.

Penny coud feel a warmth surging through her hand, originating from the chalk pieces. The glow was becoming more intense, becoming bright and the temperature rising quickly. Penny’s hands soon started to burn and she let out a scream. She yanked her hands away. The chalk pieces remained stuck to Rudy's hand, and he screamed loudly. This time, his voice had a clear tinge of agony to it. Penny looked at him in horror. What..what was the chalk doing..?

Without thinking, Penny got up from the ground and held onto Rudy. She grabbed his hand and tried to get the chalk out of it. But the chalk remained stuck, unwilling to move as if it were superglued onto it. She pulled as hard as she could, but she ended up nearly ripping a piece of Rudy’s skin clean off.

Suddenly, there was a sudden burst of energy from the three chalk, mostly the red one. Rudy and Penny both let out a scream as the energy slammed into them. Penny was thrown to the side, rolling across the ground painfully. Rudy was tossed to another part of the room, forcibly releasing the three chalk pieces. They fell to the ground with a clang. Seconds later, the glow from them stopped almost instantaneously. Penny looked at this, confused, before turning her gaze over to Rudy.

Rudy laid on the ground. The red glow still danced around his body. She slowly struggled to her feet, staggering forward and wincing in pain. She moved forward, trying her best to ignore the pain. Her eyes stared down at Rudy, never moving away from him. He twitched a few times, letting out groans of pain. Penny felt her heart start to race when he suddenly went limp.

“Rudy! No!” Penny cried as she started to rush forward. Then, something unexpected happened.

Penny stopped in her tracks when a blast of black and white shot out from Rudy’s body. What appeared to be some kind cloud, tinged both white and black, moved out of him like steam. It wavered in the air, forming something of a small spiral as it moved up towards the ceiling of the tunnel. Then, in a matter of seconds, the glowing stopped. Penny looked up, watching as the glow disappeared completely. Then she turned her attention to Rudy’s prone form.

Slowly, Rudy’s body started to move again. Penny felt a wave of relief, knowing that he was still alive. But apprehension was still on her mind. She had no idea how Rudy was going to react to what happened to him. She had an idea of what happened, and she hoped that was the case. But there was still a strong chance that different, undesirable effect had transpired.

Penny watched as Rudy’s head was lifted from the ground. His eyes blinked open slowly, looking like he had just woken up from a nap. Penny cautiously moved forward. “R-Rudy...?”

Rudy turned his head, staring at her. His eyes appeared dull and lost. He didn’t seem to recognize her at first. He then shook his head and blinked his eyes a few times. His eyes widened for a second, recognition flashing through his pupils as they shrank. Then he spoke.

“Penny..?” Rudy grabbed onto his head and rubbed it. “Wh-What happened..? It..it feels like I spent the whole year sleeping...”

Penny felt a wash of emotion through her body. A tingly sensation spread throughout. A burning sensation, this one filled with more pleasant feelings, welled up in her stomach. Her mouth ticked into a smile as tears of happiness flowed down her face. She knew that voice. She knew that look. A part of her wondered if this was some twisted smile...but she set aside those thoughts as she took a few steps forward.

Then, not able to take it anymore, she gave a quick, relieved chuckle as she dashed towards Rudy. The boy barely widened his eyes in response and didn’t try to move when Penny collided with him. She wrapped her arms around his body and pulled him into a hug. Rudy remained still and quiet as Penny squeezed him tightly against her, crying against him.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Rudy was back.


	176. Wake Up To This Nightmare

Rudy let out a soft groan, rubbing his head as an ache spread through it. What...just what happened? Where was he? He could barely remember much of anything. He did, he was certain. He was positive that he had been aware of what was going on. But then there was a flash of light, then his memory went blank. It was all just a blur, thoughts swirled and muddled together.

He found it difficult for him to stand up. His wobbly legs felt like jello, as if all the energy from them had been zapped. He tried to keep his eyes open. They kept fluttering shut despite his best efforts. Constantly, his eyes would close, nearly sending him to a dream-like state. He let out another groan as he tried so desperately to regain his track of thoughts. There was something familiar about this place, something he should know. And it had to do with Penny, but...why...?

He could feel a warmth around his body. His blurry, slowly sharpening vision could tell that Penny was holding onto him tightly, whimpering in relief. Her arms were firmly wrapped around his body, and she soon dropped down onto her knees, bringing him with her. His legs sprawled out to the side, just giving out from the lack of strength present in them. At first, he did nothing, unsure of what he should do. Soon, he returned the hug. His shaky arms moved around her, weakly holding her as his swirling mind tried to make sense of it all.

He tried to think of the last thing he could remember recently. What had happened? His mind frantically searched for the answers. A dull headache emerged, making it painful for him to think too hard for too long. But he was able to work past it, sifting through enough thoughts before he stumbled upon a memory.

Something about a dragon...

A dragon that was clearly bad news...

His blinking eyes struggled to remain opened as he looked around the room. He soon saw a large form up against the wall. Something big, black and white... Why did this form look familiar? Why did he get the sinking feeling that he should know what this thing was? He groaned and gave a slight shake of the head. Why was his mind so screwed up right now?

As his vision cleared up more, he was able to make out features of the black and white creature. Two long necks, two heads, two long tails, wings, half white and half black... Yes, he remembered now. His eyes widened just barely as a single name rang out through his head: Nihilanth.

Yes, that was it. He remembered that name. Nihilanth. The...deity of ChalkZone, right? Didn’t he say something about being the creator of this place? Yeah, he did. Then he wanted to destroy it. He had chosen him for that. He wanted him. The dragon ‘loved’ him. The dragon..was the black chalk in a sense..wasn’t he? Yeah, he was pretty certain he was. The dragon had wanted to take over ChalkZone and the real world and bring them both down. He was confident that his plan would work and boasted about it. He was arrogant, but also terrifying and quite dangerous.

And he had tried to use him... Rudy recalled that the dragon had wanted to use him as a weapon, to turn him into a vessel so he could go into the real world. The dragon was determined to make him his. Nihilanth saw him as nothing more than a mere tool, and had been haunting him since all this began. Those nightmares he plagued him with, taunting him about how darkness would find him no matter what...

Then those alternate dimensions, seeing what he could have become... That added onto the fear he had already felt. To see himself as complete monsters... That was such a terrifying experience that, even half-awake, he still remembered the chilling horror, especially his encounter with Dark Rudy. That..that was what Nihilanth had tried to turn him into.

The last thing he could remember was something about going to face Nihilanth at the Solar Pillars. He recalled something about being given three days before they came, and they were put at a disadvantage despite it being two on three. Nihilanth had trapped him. Then he had forced him into a sadistic choice, didn’t he? Yeah, he did. But...after that, nothing. He didn’t recall what happened after Nihilanth had proposed the so-called ‘deal’ to him. He couldn’t even remember what answer he had given. Just..nothing...

The thought of not remembering was terrifying. The cold terror that burned in his stomach and spine was slow at first, his brain so muddled and sleepy, he just couldn’t fully concentrate. But it hadn’t taken long for the horror to start to settle in. His heart rate quickened, feeling it slam against his sternum and ribs. A cold, chilling feeling swept through his heart, making it tighten. Just..what...what had happened?

Penny seemed to sensed his increased shivering. She placed her hand on his shoulders and leaned back. She stared at him. “Rudy...?”

The boy looked up at his friend. In seconds, he could see the condition of his friend. His eyes widened in horror. Bruises..and some blood. Penny wasn’t in the greatest condition before but...her face.. He took in a few shaky breaths. He scanned his eyes down to see if there were more injuries. He couldn’t stifle the gasp of shock when he realized most of her previous injuries, that he was certain she had, were gone.

Confusion swelled in his skull. What happened? Why was Penny mostly healed? What or who had reinjured her? What was up with her face? It looked like it was punched multiple times. Could it have been...? No, it couldn’t. Nihilanth was too large. He tried to think of someone else. Perhaps Jenny or... wait, where were they? Why weren’t they here? The only human in here besides Penny was...

...himself.

Rudy clenched his teeth as a sharp pain shot through his chest. Himself...he...he was the only other one here. Nihilanth was unconscious. His eyes were closed and it did not look like he would wake up anytime soon. The bruises had tell-tale signs of being punched. Penny would not injure herself. That only left...himself.

But...but he wouldn’t do that...would he? There has to be another explaination. Something..anything. He..he couldn’t have...

“Rudy, do...do you remember?” Penny asked.

Rudy bit his lip. That voice... It was the same voice he was used to, that he loved, but there was something different about it. It was...so cautionary. Tense.. And it was directed towards him. Why would Penny need to be wary around him? Why was she looking at him like that?

Rudy’s mind cleared up more as dread spread through his head and back. It was not a miracle cure, however, as it still didn’t do the one thing he needed right now. “I don’t...sorry...” Rudy spoke softly. He reached up and placed a hand against his forehead. “So much...blank...a black screen of my memory.. I don’t...rememember anything.”

Penny’s eyes flashed with worry, and them sympathy. She gently squeezed his shoulders, a clear attempt to comfort him. Rudy wondered, briefly, if he deserved this comforting. What..what if he...? “I..understand. I wasn’t expecting you to remember. Perhaps it’s...” She furrowed her eyes and turned her head away. “Perhaps it’s better you don’t remember.”

Rudy stared at her in shock. “Why wouldn’t I want to know? Penny..I’m scared.. I don’t remember anything since we confronted Nihilanth at the Solar Pillars and..”

At this, Penny shot him a look. Not one of anger, but of sadness. Her eyes reflected back an intense sorrow, and some fear, a look he hadn’t seen from her before. What he had said...it remined her of something... Definitely important... Something happened at that temple, and judging from Penny’s expression, it hadn’t been anything good. But what happened? Did..did it have something to do with him? Did..did he...?

He gripped Penny’s shoulder. She cringed immediately. The sight of this twisted his heart. Something was wrong. “Penny..what happened...?” Rudy asked her. Penny bit her lip, staying silent. He gripped her tighter, seeing the fear grow in her eyes. “Why are you so afraid of me? What did I do? What happened?!”

Penny took in a few shaky breaths. She looked like she wanted to speak. But something was stoppping her. Rudy felt his heart clench tighter. This wasn’t like her. She wouldn’t hold back information like this. The only thing that could make her hesitate is if what she wanted to tell him was unspeakably horrific... And there were a few things he could think of that would prompt this kind of reaction.

“Penny, what good will ignorance do me? Being left wondering...it will eat away at me. I...I need to know what happened, Penny.” Rudy said. He gripped her other shoulder. “Just please..tell me what happened...please...I need to know.” He leaned in closer, staring at her in the eyes. It hurt him to see how frightened she was...of him... “What did I do?”

Penny’s eyes welled up with a few tears. “I..I don’t want to...” She sniffled and she lowered her head. Her breathing was shuddering, shaky. She turned her gaze back at him. Tears now strolle down her cheek, which was already reddened. “B-But...you’re right..Ignorance will...only make things worse..” She became quiet for a few moments. “But that...that still doesn’t make it any easier to talk about...”

“The sooner you talk about it, the sooner we can start doing something about it.” Rudy said.

“Oh Rudy...if only it were that simple.” Penny’s voice was soft and quiet, almost inaudible. “This isn’t something that can be easily fixed. It...and you...” She stared at him, gritting her teeth. “It was a nightmare, Rudy, only it was real. And it lasted for...” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “It was just too long.”

Rudy bit his lip. He leaned closer. He felt his heart break when Penny cringed back from him again. It looked so autonomous...as if she didn’t mean to, but it just sort of...happened. The sight of this was like having a knife stuck through his chest. There was only one thing now he believed it was. One thing that... “Penny..was..was I...” Penny stared at him. He paused, his voice trembling. He sucked in a breath and continued, “Was I corrupted?”

Penny did not say a word for a few seconds. She stared at him, her eyes filled with fear and pain. Nothing about her expression denied his question. No comfort, nothing to indicate he was wrong. When she opened her mouth, he already knew what her answer was going to be.

“...yes.” Penny choked out.

Rudy felt like a laser canon just shot through his chest. His heart froze for a second, turning into solid cold briefly. His eyes bulged as he stared at Penny. He silently hoped that she would say she was wrong, but that look..no she was serious. Rudy looked left and right as he let this information sink in. He looked back at her, taking a look at her face. Those bruises..it..it had been him. He did this to her.. He had quickly made the connections, his body shivering from the emotional impact of the discovery.

Rudy’s breath quickened as he released Penny. He leaned away from her. A part of him wanted to run. A portion of his brain was screaming at him to roll away from Penny, get up, and run. He hurt her... He had attacked his best friend. And judging from her expression, her tone of voice, what she said, he had done even more than that... So much more. He needed to get away from here.

But no..he couldn’t run. His legs were too weak, and that was the coward’s way out. He couldn’t run from his problems. What would that solve? He couldn’t just run out into ChalkZone without knowing what he did...the damage he caused. He could very easily make things a lot worse. He needed to know everything he did. He needed to bear the terrifying emotional weight, and face the consequences of what he must have done.

Rudy sucked in a deep breath and attempted to calm himself down. “What did I do?”

Penny hesitated. “...a lot.” She closed her eyes. “So...so much...”

Rudy’s eyes widened. He took in a shaky breath. He gulped nervously, thoughts racing through his head. The way she said that... The things he had done... He felt his heart beating quickly, filling with toxins that started to spill out from his vessels. He couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t heard much of what happened, but already, he knew that his worst nightmare had become reality.

He had become the enemy. He had hurt people. A lot of people. He hurt Penny... The thought sent an uneasy sensation through his chest. Of all people...he hurt Penny. Badly enough that she was now afraid of him. Sure, she wasn’t screaming and running away. Sure, she was still sticking by him and trying to help him through this. But none of that changes the fact that she was scared of him. To some extent, she was scared of him, enough that she cringed at his touch. She...never did that before.

“Can you tell me everything?” Rudy asked in a shaky, hesitant voice. “Can you tell me everything I did?” He paused for a moment. “At least...what you remember?”

Penny gritted her teeth. He could see the fear in her eyes flashing, as if she were recalling some upleasant memories. About him... “Y-Yeah... But believe me. It will not be easy.

“I know. Just..let’s get this over with.” Rudy said softly.

Penny cleared her throat and began. “You...were a complete monster.” That comment hurt, but it was what he had expected to hear from her. “You had become so callous and twisted... You hurt Snap. You hurt me. You hurt...everyone.”

“E-Everyone?” Rudy whimpered.

Penny nodded her head. “Maybe not literally everyone. But..there’s so many people you harmed... So many zoners. You...you killed so many. You and Nihilanth. You toyed with us. You mocked us. You broke my bones, tried to corrupt me. You tried to kill me.” Penny closed her eyes, tears flowing down her cheeks. “You relished in it. You enjoyed the pain. You...you were so much like that..that one Rudy...and a bit like the other, too. As if you were combined.”

Rudy sat there, staring at Penny in horror. The idea of him being like a fusion of Dark Rudy and Light Rudy...it was quite unsettling. Both of them were twisted in their own way. He was more scared of Dark Rudy, but Light Rudy was very messed up himself. The thought of him being like both of them combined left a bad taste in his mouth.

He couldn’t believe that he had actually... He almost killed Penny. His best friend... Had he tried to kill Snap, too? What had he done to the blue zoner? The word ‘zoner’ sent a pain shooting through his heart. He had killed them. He killed many zoners, and probably injured many more. How could he have...? He closed his eyes, clutching his hand into a fist. Nihilanth had used him. He had used him to do unspeakable acts. Penny had only gave him a summary and already he was filled with horror and dread. Already the pain of what he did became unbearable.

Nihilanth was going to pay for this... He wore it. He would not get away with this.

Rudy widened his eyes when he realized something. He looked over at Penny pleadingly. “D-Did I...?”

Penny shook her head. “No. You did not get into the real world.” From the tone of her voice, Rudy could tell that she was trying to sound cheerful, as that was a bit of good news. But it was clear that the weight of Rudy’s actions brought that optimism down. She turned her head to the side. “At least there’s that.”

Rudy nodded his head solemnly. It was true. Him not getting into the real world was a good thing. At least he didn’t get a chance to get to his parents and kill them, or wreak havoc on the real world. It was still scary and confusing that he didn’t remember anything from when he was controlled. This was similar to what happened to Mrs. Sanchez. She remembers nothing either. Even as Penny told him, the memories did not return. He was glad to have Penny here to assure him that he did not break into the real world.

It was still rather puzzling why he hadn’t gone there. He had thought that Nihilanth would have wanted to go into the real world right away. Had there been a reason for the delay? He coudn’t imagine Nihilanth being so stupid that he would forget a part of his plan or not take advantage of the situation. He had him as a vessel, so why did he use him? Why didn’t he travel into the real world?

His heart skipped a bit. There was a reason for the delay. Nihilanth’s intelligence was the very reason. He knew that removing him, Rudy, would not completely solve his problems. He was aware of other threats. He was biding his time. He was waiting until he could squash all resistance before he made his move. He was going to kill Penny and her mother, his parents, and Mr. Longhorn, or corrupt them. And he would have definitely have killed Snap, perhaps Skrawl as well and anyone else. He would have killed the prisoners he had. Dr. Raiden, Maalik, Tilly, Sophie, Rapsheeba, Blocky... all of the others.. They would have been killed. Wiped out.

And he would have helped him. Rudy shivered at the thought. He..he would have helped kill those he had wanted to protect. He could have corrupted them, too. Doomed them to a life of being controlled. It terrified him, how close he must have come. Penny’s bloodied face..just how close had he come to killing her?

Rudy shook his head from side to side. “I’m so sorry...about everything I’ve done. I...I am sorry.” Rudy leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Penny. She tensed up, as if she were expecting him to harm her. “I..I didn’t meant to..” The weight of the emotion began to push down on him, making him feel heavy. Unable to hold back any longer, he began to cry, holding onto Penny tightly, sobbing into her shoulder. “I’m sorry...I’m so sorry...” He whimpered.

Penny remained still for a few seconds. She stared down at Rudy, eyes wide. Then, with a look of sympathy, she slowly moved her arms around him. He could feel her hands pressing against his body as she returned the embrace. She rubbe the side of her face against his, nuzzling him in an attempt to comfort him.

“Shh...it’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.” Penny whispered softly. She rubbed his back gently. “He was using you. You did none of those things. It was all Nihilanth. He forced you to kill. I know you never would have done it.”

Rudy shivered. “But it was still m-my body.” He sniffled. “What about you? And th-the others..? You’re all so..scared of me and I... It’s my fault. I should have..”

“No no no Rudy. Don’t blame yourself. It was not your fault this happened. You never asked for it. Please...calm down.” Penny ran her fingers through his hair gently. “I’m sorry I acted frightened of you. It wasn’t you I was afraid of, though. It was...them.” She narrowed her eyes and her voice became a little growly. “Nihilanth and the black chalk, and the servant light. I..I didn’t know if they still had a hold of you... I was able to get you free, b-but you were still controlled and you attacked me. I-I didn’t know if...” Her voice trailed off and she squeezed Rudy tighter. “I’m sorry.”

Rudy just continued to whimper and cry as he held onto Penny, refusing to let go. He rubbed his face against her shoulder and neck, his tears staining her shirt. She kept holding onto him, rubbing his back and cuddling with him affectionately. Rudy did feel relief that Penny hadn’t been afraid of him, but that didn’t erase the pain of what he had done while being controlled. He wished so desperately that there was a way to turn back time. All those zoners...dead... Their blood on his hands...

Penny pulled away from him. She gripped his shoulders and stared at him with her own tear-stained eyes. She slowly smiled. Slightly, kind of broken, but still a smile. She reached over and cupped his chin. She tilted it up slightly, looking at him in the eyes. Green locked onto brown, and they stayed like this for a few seconds.

Penny said, “We’ll figure something out, Rudy. I know things look bad, but if we try, I’m sure we’ll be able to mend the wounds.”

Rudy wasn’t sure how much of her own words Penny believed. But it was clear that she really wanted to help him feel better and look on the positive side of things. She wanted to remain optimistic, and that was the best thing they could do. Be optimistic and do what they can to help fix the damage.

Penny continued, “I know they will be hard. But we’ll never know if anything works if we don’t do anything. So come on... Let’s try.” She leaned in closely, pressing her forehead against his. “I love you, Rudy.” She smiled.

Rudy stared at her. Emotion welled up his chest. He managed to smile back. “I love you, too.”

Penny gave a quick chuckle. She leaned in even closer and brushed her lips with his. The two shared a quick, passionate kiss before parting. They kept their eyes locked onto each other for a few moments before they were interrupted by an unexpected voice.

“Disgusting. Not time. Nihilanth soon wake up. Get going.”

Rudy shot his head up in surprise at that voice. He looked left and right, trying to find the source of it.

“Over here. Boy not look hard enough. On ground not far.” The voice hissed.

Soon Rudy found the owner of the voice. His eyes widened in shock and horror when he saw a piece of red chalk laying there. His heart pounded against his chest and he scrambled to his feet. He moved back a few feet, staring fearfully at the red chalk.

Penny got up as well, looking at Rudy with a confused expression. “What is it?”

Rudy looked at Penny like she had grown another head. Was she being serious right now? How could she not know? She couldn’t possibly have forgotten that easily...could she? “What’s the red chalk doing here?” He asked, his voice cracking slightly as he pointed a trembling finger towards the crimson piece on the ground. “And h-how can it t-t-talk?”

Penny stared at him for a couple moments. In seconds, she understood what he was talking about. “Oh! That’s right!” She slapped herself in the face. “I didn’t tell you!” She looked at him, giving a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, Rudy.” She motioned her hand towards the chalk. “We have a truce with the red chalk.”

Rudy took a step back. “A...a truce?” He stared at Penny, who gave a nod of confirmation. He looked at the red chalk. “You’re expecting me to believe that the red chalk would..help us? Why?”

The red chalk chuckled bitterly. “Got same enemy. Mutual feelings. Benefit each other if we assist.”

“It’s speaking the truth, Rudy.” Penny said, making a quick gesture of the hand. “The red chalk hates the black chalk, so it has agreed to help us take it down. It has been true to its word so far.”

Rudy felt his legs get a little weak again. This was a bit much to take in. The idea of one evil chalk teaming up with them to take down another... It wasn’t what he had expected. He leaned against the wall and rubbed his head as he tried to wrap his head around this.

Penny walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. “There’s a lot of stuff I need to catch you up on.” She cast a wary glance over at Nihilanth. “But..now isn’t a good time.” She made a gesture with her head. “Come on. Let’s get going before he wakes up.”

“Yeah...good idea...” Rudy said in a shaky voice.

Rudy watched as Penny went over to the chalk laying on the ground. He noticed there were three of them, besides the red one. There was a white one that looked like something was wrong with it. The color was slightly off, but he couldn’t explain why that was. It just looked...tainted almost. And then not far was...black chalk.

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. He took a step forward and reached his hand towards Penny. “Wait! Don’t touch that!”

Penny ignored him and lowered herself down. Before Rudy could do anything, Penny grabbed all three chalk at the same time, scooping them up into her hand. Rudy froze, his body shaking. Why would Penny do that? Why would she even think of touching the black chalk? Did she forget that.. No she couldn’t have. She wasn’t surrendering, was she? No...Penny wouldn’t do that. But then, why would she...?

When she looked over at him, he froze. He expected her attack, to do something to him. He tensed his body up, preparing for self defense. He didn’t want to fight Penny. He hoped it would not come to that. He didn’t want to fight his best friend.

But after a few moments, he realized something. Penny wasn’t attacking. Her eyes didn’t hold any true malice in them. There was no intention to harm him. She was just staring at him calmly. Her eyes didn’t give even the faintest hint of a glow, nor did the black chalk’s dark aura begin to surround her like it had with him. But why? What was going on? Why wasn’t there a reaction? Rudy’s mind swirled with thoughts as he tried to think of a reason for the black chalk not activating. Was it the white chalk? No, there was something wrong with it. But then what?

Penny tilted her head, her eyes narrowing in confusion. Then they snapped white for a second and she gave Rudy a smile. “Settle down, Rudy. The red chalk is keeping the white and black chalks in check. They cannot take me over.”

“I see.” Rudy’s voice was shaky. Despite Penny’s reassurance, he still felt at unease. He glanced at the white piece. “So...that white chalk was tainted?”

“Well I’ve been calling it ivory chalk in my head to differentiate. But it’s pretty much white chalk that is still loyal to the black chalk. It nearly took me over earlier. Nexra saved me.” Penny said.

“Nexra?” Rudy didn’t recognize the name.

“Waste enough time. Go now.” The red chalk snarled. “Trying to keep control. Not sure how much longer. Time to move.”

Penny gave a soft glare at the red chalk. “Yeah, we’ll get going. Settle down.”

“Hrmph.”

Penny turned her attention to Rudy. She waved with her hand for him to come over. “Let’s get going, Rudy, before the red chalk decides to complain again.”

“Not complain. Just tell truth.” The red chalk protested, but Penny ignored it.

Rudy didn’t respond right away. His head was still swirling with thoughts as he tried to comprehend what was going on. He had missed so much. Evil white chalk, cooperative red chalk, killing so many zoners, being part of that monster, Nihilanth... So much more he was certain. He couldn’t believe that he didn’t remember anything that happened while he was under the black chalk’s influence. He still couldn’t believe that he was even taken over at all. He vowed never to let that happen...and it happened. He failed to stop himself from becoming a monster, and now ChalkZone had been attacked.

If there was any consulation left, it’s that Nihilanth hadn’t tried getting into the real world yet. Without him as a vessel, he no longer had access. He was stuck in the chalk world. Now if they could only figure out a way to stop him for good, they could finally get ChalkZone out of danger. The threat of the black chalk would be contained.

“I’m coming, Penny!” Rudy cried as he rushed to join his friend at her side. He looked at her up and down again. “Are you..?”

Penny winced a bit from pain. She managed to shake it off in seconds. “Oh don’t worry. I’m fine. Now then..” She turned her attention towards the tunnel. “Let’s get out of here.”

Rudy nodded his head. Then he paused for a moment, turning his head back to the unconscious Nihilanth. “How do we get Barney out of there?”

Penny froze. “I’m..not entirely sure yet. The method I used helped you out...but it didn’t do anything for Barney. So we can’t try that.” She placed her hand against her chin, rubbing it lightly from side to side. She then sighed and started to get a move on. “We’ll figure out something. Let’s get out of here.”

The red chalk chuckled bitterly. “Yes. Do so. Nihilanth wake up soon. Glad you see sense. Glad you not stupid. Almost thought you were.” Rudy and Penny glared at the chalk. This did nothing to make it retract what it said. Instead, it said something completely out of the blue, unexpected. “Blue chalk might help.”

“How?” Rudy asked, staring at the red chalk with white, shocked eyes.

“Blue chalk zoner usable. Blue chalk affect zoners.” The red chalk informed him. “Blue chalk might work.”

“That sounds like an idea, but we don’t know where it is.” Penny pointed out. “It’s rare and hard to find.”

“Twisted Mountains.” The red chalk said before Rudy or Penny could get another word in edgewise. “Find Twisted Mountains. Find blue.”

“The Twisted Mountains...?” Rudy asked. He didn’t recognize that name. Where was it? And importantly, could he and Penny get there and back in time before Nihilanth could do more damage? He looked back at Penny. He noticed she looked as lost as he did. He looked back at the red chalk. “Do you know where it is?”

“No. Must ask directions.” The red chalk said.

“There may not be time.” Penny pointed out. By this point, she and Rudy were walking down the tunnel. As they moved along, staying side by side, she said, “We don’t know how long Nihilanth will stay down before he tries something. He already did a lot of damage, and I don’t need to remind you that he didn’t need Rudy for that.” She noticed Rudy’s expression and looked at him sorrowfully. “Sorry, Rudy...”

“It’s okay.” Rudy replied quietly.

Penny looked at him for a few seconds before looking back at the red chalk. “Are you sure there aren’t any alternatives? Some place closer?”

“Only place is Solar Pillars.” The red chalk stated in a calm, almost emotionless voice. Rudy and Penny widened their eyes at the name, both of them knowing full well what it was implying. “Choose wisely. Solar Pillars. Twisted Mountains.”

Rudy and Penny continued to stare, giving each other nervous glances. Both of them could feel a cold uneasiness as they realized they were forced to choose between a possibly far away unknown destination or a close one that was filled with danger. Both could go so very wrong.

The red chalk asked a piercing question that echoed in their minds. “Choose.”

sss

Mrs. Tabootie leaned back in the couch, staring at the muted television. She hardly paid attention to anything that was going on. Her mind was wandering, filtering through several thoughts that she tried to organize. She was having a hard time doing so as her mind was just constantly flooded with more thoughts. She wasn’t aware of anything going on around her. She was, in a way, trapped in her own mind.

She took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. She and her husband hadn’t gotten word from Penny or Mrs. Sanchez yet. They should have been back by now..shouldn’t they? Then again, these things take time. There was so much going on..how could she even begin to believe that they could be resolved so quickly? The two of them hadn’t been gone terribly long. She was used to Rudy disappearing for much longer times than this.

But still, something nagged inside her gut. Her instincts were telling her something was wrong. She wasn’t sure why she had this feeling. It could just be exaggeration. Things might not be as bad as she was starting to believe they were.

Then..they could very well be. Thoughts of Rudy reopened a freshly closed wound in her heart. Penny had given her and her husband the unfortunate news of their son being controlled by the deity. No, not just controlled...outright used. He was his vessel now. And without going into ChalkZone, she and Joe had no idea just what to expect. She didn’t know if Penny and Snap had managed to free him, or if he was still being used by the dragon deity. How she wanted to go in and check... How she wanted to offer some assistance..

She couldn’t, however. She and Joe both promised not to come into ChalkZone unless Penny asked for them. She didn’t want to land them into trouble. Penny was worried that Nihilanth would try to corrupt them, or even try to kill them just so that they weren’t a threat anymore. So the two of them had to stay there.

Mrs. Tabootie understood Penny’s concern, but at the same time, it left her frustrated. She hated the feeling of uselessness that started to consume her. She could feel her gut wrenching at the thought of knowing she could help, but being forbidden to try. Didn’t Penny know that the more hands on deck, the better? Didn’t she know that it was better to take the risk instead of just sitting around and doing nothing? She and her husband ahd felt helpless two years ago when Bardot kidnapped Penny and Rudy. She and the other adults hadn’t been able to do much to help due to lack of knowledge.

But now that they do have the knowledge.. She felt there was no excuse to just sit around. They had to do something. She didn’t want to feel useless. She and Joe should go there into ChalkZone and do what they can to help. For all they knew, they could be in grave danger with no one left to save them. If that is the case, she and Joe could help turn the tides, even if they weren’t that experienced at creating.

She then felt a hand on her shoulder. She jolted, her body stiffening as she let out a surprised yelp. She looked over and saw her husband standing there. She felt a little embarrassed. She had been so distracted by her thoughts that she failed to realize that Joe had approached her.

Mrs. Tabootie said, “Oh, hey there Joe.”

“What’s wrong, Millie?” Mr. Tabootie asked. He looked at her with a concerned expression. “You seem...deep in thought. What’s troubling you?” The tone of his voice indicated that he already knew.

Mrs. Tabootie gave a nervous smile in a weak attempt to pacify the man. “Nothing, really.”

Mr. Tabootie cocked an eyebrow. “Now, now. You know you can’t fool me.” He raised his hand up. “Now, please answer my question and do it honestly.”

Mrs. Tabootie sighed. She should have known better than to try to lie to her husband. He could usually see through her fibs, especially when she did such a poor job at lying. She gritted her teeth and turned her head away. “Oh, Joe..it’s Penny and Inez. They hadn’t come back and..”

“..and you are wanting to go into ChalkZone to see if they needed assistance.”

Mrs. Tabootie looked up at Joe in surprise as he finished her thought for her. “Yes... How did you?”

Mr. Tabootie smiled. “Come now, Millie. You know I can read you like a book. And..” He narrowed his eyes slightly as he turned his head to the side. “I’ve been thinking of the same thing.”

“You have?” The large woman asked.

Mr. Tabootie closed his eyes and nodded his head once. He reopend his eyes and said, “Yes. I have.” He turned his head to look back at her. “I’m worried as well, and I don’t want to sit here and do nothing.” He moved around his wife and sat down next to her. “I don’t want to break our promise to Penny...but if she’s in danger...” He make a quick gesture with his hand. “Shouldn’t we....help?”

“I agree. Sitting here doing nothing isn’t going to help anyone if they’re in danger. I know we could get ourselves in trouble if Nihilanth tries to get us but...” Mrs. Tabootie bit her lip. “..it..it would be better to try something..” She looked at her husband. “Wouldn’t it?”

Mr. Tabootie nodded his head. He slung his arm over her sholder, a clear attempt to comfort her. “I agree.” He closed his eyes, sifting through his thoughts for a while. He soon reopened them, his eyebrows furrowing in determination. “I think we’ve waited long enough.” He turned his gaze to the large woman. “Come on, Millie.” Mrs. Tabootie widened her blue eyes. “Let’s get going.”

Mrs. Tabootie felt emotion well up inside of her. She hadn’t expected her husband to want to leave for ChalkZone right now. Not that she was complaining or anything. She was glad that he felt it was best they leave now, because who knows how long Penny and Snap have left.. Who knows what could be going on...

Still, she had thought that he would have suggested to stay at least a little longer, just in case Penny and the others were on their way back to tell them the good news, or at least give them an update. She was glad that he hadn’t done that. If he did, it would have not only increased her anxiety, not knowing what was going on, but if there is little time left, any delay would be disasterous. As her husband got up, she wasted no time to coming with him.

The two of them headed towards the stairs. As they walked over, Mrs. Tabootie hoped that they hadn’t waited too long. She hoped that them not coming in sooner hadn’t resulted in worse things happening. They already lost their son to the black chalk and Nihilanth. They didn’t need anymore nasty surprises awaiting them.

Just then, a loud ear-piercing screech filled the air. The two adults froze at the sound, their eyes bulging. Even after the sound disappeared, it still echoed in their heads, bouncing off and taunting them. They knew that screech. It had been a long time since they last heard it, but they could never forget it. Memories flashed in the back of their heads as their bodies began to tremble.

No..it couldn’t be. It couldn’t be...him. The two of them exchanged looks of horror, both knowing what the other one was thinking. They had encountered this sound before. And not on such pleasant circumstances. They both wanted to believe they had misheard it. They wanted to believe that they had been mistaken. Surely..he couldn’t have gotten here...could he? Not again, right? Perhaps there was some other explanation.

But the two of them knew how stupid that sounded. And as they heard a thud upstairs, knowing full well that they were the only ones here, there was no denying it. With another loud sound, this one a shout, they recognized that voice. They knew there was only one being it could be.

The two adults rushed up the steps as fast as they could. Their feet pounded against the ground as they scaled the staircase and rushed to Rudy’s bedroom where the sound had come from. They stood in front of the door, fear eating away at their hearts. Gathering as much strength as they could, they opened the door, swinging it inwards and banging it against the wall. Not the smartest move, which they realized too late.

There, standing in the center of the room, was the one creature they hoped they never had to see again. With piercing teal eyes glaring at them, the two adults remained frozen in fear, unable to move.

Mr. Tabootie worked up enough strength to speak. “Draow!” His voice came in a hushed whisper.

Draow stared down at the two adults, his massive frame casting an imposing shadow on them. His wings were partially unfurled, the hooked claws positioned in their direction. The light glinted off of them menacingly. They felt their hearts begin to race as they locked eyes with the beast, wondering what he was going to do to them.

It took a while, but Mrs. Tabootie soon was able to notice something off about the bat wolf standing before them. There was a feature on him that they don’t recall seeing on the Draow they met. Armor, and some mounted cannons. Her eyes widened at this, as did Joe’s when he made the same connection. Didn’t their son and his friends inform them about Draow from the dark dimension having armor like this? At this realization, a horrific thought entered their minds. If this was not their Draow, but the dark dimension’s, then..that meant...

“Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie...” A cold, chillling voice said, breaking through the silence. At this voice, the two adults shivered once, tensing up. “It’s such a pleasure to..finally meet you. I would have taken the time before, but sadly, you were..a bit six feet under...”

Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie watched, dread snaking up their spines, as the armored bat wolf stepped to the side, revealing the one person they thought they’d never have to worry about again.

Teddisson Cosmo...

“Y-You...” Mrs. Tabootie breathed, taking a step back.

Mr. Tabootie tried to keep his composure, but with his quick breathing, it was clear he was having a hard time. “Wh-What are you doing here...?”

The dark dimension’s Draow sneered at them. “That doesn’t concern you.”

Mr. Cosmo took a few steps forward. He chuckled when Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie adopted defensive stances in response. “I have my...own plans here. I do not wish to waste my time with you. So...why don’t you just stay there while Draow and I go to work?”

Realizing someone was missing, Mrs. Tabootie asked cautiously, “Wh-Where’s your Rudy..? Is he hiding somewhere?” She looked left and right, half-expecting the deranged version of her son to jump out and kill her, just like he had his parents.

Mr. Cosmo shook his head. “Don’t worry about him. He..is not a threat anymore.” The two parents stared at him in confusion. “He has been...neutralized."

The two adults gasped in horror at this. They put their hands to their mouths, staring at him in shock. He..he had done what..? Why would he do that? Didn’t the black chalk have some sort of bond with itself? Why would Mr. Cosmo take out one of his own? Had Dark Rudy betrayed him in some way? Was there another reason they weren’t thinking of?

Mr. Cosmo continued to smile. “I see you are surprised. I am, too. I never thought I would..kill one of my own elite soldiers.. But time has a way of changing things..” He folded his arms behind his back, and gave the two adults a sideways glance. “Fortunately, I can...rectify that... ‘mistake’... You see... I came here first and foremost to...replace him.” His eyes twinkled. “I’m sure you could easily figure out what I’m implying here.”

Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie felt their hearts skip a beat. They shivered in cold fear, dread twisting their hearts so painfully. They took a few steps back, shaking their heads. They watched as the intruders gave mischevious smiles, a way to silently tell them that they were having the proper thoughts. They couldn’t believe it. Of all the things... Why this? Why now? There was already so much going on...

They already knew exactly what these two wanted. And the thought terrified them. This was a fear they thought they’d never have to confront. They thought that this particular nightmare was over. It had been one of the things that haunted their son ever since that incident three years ago. Now it’s coming back, in the most terrifying way they could imagine. Mr. Cosmo had seemed to literally come back from the dead to...to...

“You’re going to corrupt our Rudy...aren’t you?” Mr. Tabootie said, completing his and his wife’s thoughts in one go.

The adults felt ice move through their bodies as the two intruders both offered twistered, intention-filled smiles.

sss

Nihilanth growled softly as he moved slowly along the tunnel. His body still ached from that shock he had been given by Penny. It hadn’t taken him long to realize what happened to him when he woke up. And it took even shorter for him to feel the appropriate emotion to this situation.

Anger..and hatred.

Nihilanth did his best to keep his cool. He couldn’t allow himself to blow up. He knew well the downfall he could lead himself into if he let himself remain angry for long. Yet it was a notoriously hard emotion to get rid of. The pesky emotion liked to spread and take root in the heart of anyone, him being no exception. It infected the body with its toxic ways and can make usually logical beings into idiots, especially when the anger turns into rage. Useful at times, yes, but only when utilized properly and kept in check.

He couldn’t help but continue feeling angry, getting more so as he traveled down the tunnels, heading towards a thin part of the cave. He didn’t care about finding an exit. He was too angry to think about looking for an exit, and besides he could just create his own exit.

His mind whirled with thoughts as he remembered what that pesky little human had done to him. She had snatched away Rudy, his human vessel that he was going to use to get into the real world. For the first time that he could recall, he felt pretty stupid. He prided himself in thinking things through and playing little games with his victims. But this time, he had made a mistake. He shouldn’t have waited until he got rid of the opposing force. He should have just gone into the real world right away. But he waited and now he lost his vessel.

Sure, he could just get Rudy back just as easily as he nabbed him, but it was the principal of the thing. He was the deity of ChalkZone. He was more powerful than anyone here. To think that a mortal, and not even a zoner at that, had managed to weak him like that, it was unthinkable. He never thought he’d see the day that some fake human ‘creator’ could possibly get the best of him. Yet, here he was...

Well there was no use crying over spilled milk, as he heard the saying once. He could be angry all he wanted to, but that wasn’t going to get him any closer to solving his dilemma. He needed to figure out how to get into the real world. If he could find access, then it would be all over for his little ‘friends’. They wouldn’t be able to stop him once he had a way into that other world. He would be able to spread his influence to so many humans. Oh how easily they will fall under his spell... Then he’d lead them right into ChalkZone. All he had to do was sit back and watch as the destruction took place, bringing him closer to resetting this world back to zero.

He wouldn’t be able to do that without a human vessel, though. He could try to get Rudy back. It would be very easy. But..perhaps he should think of someone else. Rudy would resist again, like he had before. Now that he knew what it was like being a prisoner, he surely would try whatever in his power to make sure it doesn’t happen to him again. He would fight back harder.

No, he’d need someone who would be more cooperative. Penny was an option, but no..she wouldn’t cooperate with him. She would be just as resistant. Tyreek was dead, having been killed by one of his own creations. Ghadir was gone. She was back in the real world after being gouged by Bardot. But there was still someone left who was still capable of being of use. Someone whose undying loyalty made her the perfect weapon...to wield. Someone who would not put up a fight when he came for her.

Jenny Hope... or should he say, Jenny Saffron.

Nihilanth grinned. He found it pretty funny how Mr. Cosmo had apparently teamed up with Jenny’s cousin, Rebecca. He recalled that Jenny never liked her cousin that much and vice versa. They were such opposites in several ways, but also so similar. Rebecca wanted to prove herself capable, so she looked to Cosmo. And that is what Jenny had done earlier. Interesting how the past can repeat sometimes.

Hope... What a joke. Nihilanth sniggered as he thought about how Jenny changed her last name to Hope, and not just to cover up the fact she was related to Rebecca. She had also done it as a way to symbolize how she hoped she would prove her worth to Teddisson. Such a pathetic gesture...but it still won him an ally, so he couldn’t really complain.

He soon reached a wall that was pretty thin. A couple feet deep. He opened his mouths and shot out a swirling string of black and white energy. With a loud bang and crack, the wall crumbled down, leaving behind a gaping hole. He snorted as dust was kicked up into the air. He wiped off his noses and shook his heads. He then forced his way out of the whole, breaking off pieces of rock as his massive frame pushed through.

He walked a few steps from the side of the cave. He shook off the rocks that fell on his large body. He spread his wings and, without fanfare, he took off into the skies. He headed towards the Solar Pillars. He actually wasn’t sure if he could make Jenny his vessel or not, but he was going to try. And once he had her has his vessel...

..It was time to pay a little visit to the real world.


	177. And Now For Some Bad News

Rudy laid low to the ground, doing his best to keep his body hidden. He had it pressed up against a large rock that jetted out of the ground, forming an almost floral kind of shape. He kept his breathing low, trying to keep his heart from pounding so loudly. He needed to remain calm. He couldn’t let himself be seen. He couldn’t give any kind of reaction.

But that was difficult with the words floating in the air. He tried so hard to ignore them, but he found it impossible. They taunted him, assaulted his ears, and filled his stomach with poison. Though Penny was nearby to try to comfort him, her gentle caresses on his shoulder and arms weren’t enough to distract him from what was being said. He looked through the tiny hole the rock provided and, unable to channel them out, he listened to those words.

“Did you find him yet?”

“No. How about you?”

“Negative. He disappeared here. I wonder where he could have gone.”

“Well he couldn’t have gone too far. Let’s keep searching!”

“Yes, the little fucker will pay what he did.”

A male and a female voice. Two zoners, whom he hadn’t met and gotten to know personally but he had least recognized them as ChalkZone City citizens. He’d seen them off and on when he and his friends would walk through the city. One was a magnifying glass who seemed to have a strong disdain for Penny. The other was a football with the feathers of a feather dusty on his behind.

When he and Penny decided to go to Twisted Mountains, he should have known they might run into trouble. He should have known that they had to prepare for an encounter like this. He should have just chosen to go to the Solar Pillars. At least with that, he could have figured a way to sneak there without being seen. He been there enough times that he could have created an underground tunnel to get there as fast as he could without worry of getting caught. But instead, he chose Twisted Mountains...

To even get there, they needed to get directions. The red chalk didn’t have any directions to give them. Penny had no clue. Their only option was to ask for directions. They had to confront a few zoners, which hadn’t gone over well. Due to him being controlled by Nihilanth and the damages he caused, a lot of zoners had started to fear Rudy’s presence. They were afraid that he was going to hurt them again. A few commented that he was going to do what Cosmo did and unleash that light beam on them.

Such hurtful comments..but he really blame them? It wasn’t like they had much to go off of. Nihilanth broke their trust in him, and it was going to be hard to rebuild. They can’t tell if he’s really him, or if he was possessed. And there may be some zoners who don’t realize that he was being controlled. They might even go as far as say he was ‘letting’ himself be controlled. The thought twisted his gut, and he silently hoped that no zoner wold think he’d be doing this on purpose.

They did finally get directions, but the terrified zoner who told him sounded an alarm, causing that magnifying glass zoner and football zoner to chase them with some kind of weapon. The magnifying glass zoner displayed a hatred towards Penny, blaming her for what happened before. Yet despite this hostility towards his friend, it was him the two zoners had targeted. They kept shooting at him, trying to disable him so they could arrest him.

He and Penny had run as fast as they could try to escape. They had a hard time shaking them off. They were a couple of very persistant zoners. He still remembered the shouts they gave, about how they were going to stop his reign of terror and how ChalkZone will be safe once he’s disposed of. They didn’t stop to consider that he wasn’t being controlled; all they saw was the human that was used like a puppet to destroy much of their home. No..they didn’t even see him as a puppet. They saw him as the sole cause of all that agony, even though it wasn’t his fault, even though he never asked for any of that to happen.

He gritted his teeth as he laid down in the hiding spot he and Penny finally found in a cave network. The cave was pretty wet, dripping with water everywhere. It didn’t bother Rudy too much, and he paid it no mind as he watched the zoners cautiously. He was glad they weren’t animal zoners or they might be able to sniff him out. Still that did not mean he was out of the woods yet, and he kept himself low, hoping that the zoners would not spot him.

He and Penny watched them move back and forth, their eyes scanning the cave room. They were looking for details, any signs of them having been there. When the magnifying zoner got close, he cringed, holding his breath. She glared straight at him. For a few seconds, their eyes seemed to look on, and he kept still, hoping that she would show at least some mercy. But thankfully, she didn’t appear to actually see him and she walked away. Rudy had to use all his willpower not to let out a relieved sigh at that.

The football zoner stood in the entrance of one of the tunnels. This one was straight ahead and was a little small compared to the other tunnels. He patted the edge of it, as if to test its strength. He peered inside, moving his head up and down. Then he appeared to have spotted something and he took a jump back.

Turning his head to the other zoner, he said, “I think they went down this way!” He pointed his hand towards the tunnel.

The magnifying glass narrowed her eyes as she looked at the tunnel. “Okay then. Let’s look down that way. Those two brats aren’t here anyway.” She paused, forming a fist and shaking it. “We will not leave this cave until we capture them.”

“Are we going to hurt them?” The football asked.

“As much as I’d love to, no.” The magnifying glass responded, shaking her head. “Best let the justice system handle those two. Just have to make sure they are chalkless when we take them in.”

Rudy and Penny glanced at each other. They both knew the implications of having no magic chalk and being trapped in ChalkZone. It was the same situation they were in when Draow and Bardot had kidnapped them. Without magic chalk, they couldn’t fight back. If these zoners succeed...would they be able to get away from them? And would anyone find them in time before they are punished?

The idea of being trapped in ChalkZone again with no magic chalk was frightening to Rudy. He couldn’t help but have flashbacks of when he and Penny were Bardot and Draow’s prisoners, unable to even defend themselves as they were tortured horrifically. He and Penny were held there for days and they nearly died from their wounds, from starvation, and from dehydration. He did not want to experience that again...

The voices caught his attention, bringing him out of his thoughts.

The football zoner said, “Could we even prosecute them? They’re humans, from the real world...and..”

“I don’t fucking care! I’ll wring the judge’s neck if I have to, if it means getting a trial for those two!” The magnifying glass snarled. “I will not allow that human boy get away with killing my friends! And that girl...oh she will get what’s coming for her. It was her fucking fault this happened!”

There was an uneasy silence that lasted for a few seconds. In those few seconds, time seemed to slow down. Rudy and Penny felt dread rise in their hearts. The magnifying glass was serious about finding them, and she sounded eager to hurt them. The football zoner was calmer, but he hadn’t bothered to defend them, and his words suggested he wanted to get them just as much as the magnifying glass did.

The two zoners stared at each other long and hard. Silent messages seemed to be sent between them. There was clear, mutual understanding with those two. The football zoner’s expression went from mere mild surprise at his comrade’s outburst, to a narrow-eyed understanding look. He nodded his head firmly, rigidly.

“Understood.” He was silent for a few seconds. He then gave his companion a somewhat sympathetic expression. “Don’t worry. They won’t get away.”

The magnifying glass stared at him. Slowly, she narrowed her eyes further and curled up her lip. “No...” She shook her head slowly. “They won’t.”

With that, the two zoners walked away, leaving Rudy and Penny alone.

As soon as they were gone, the two teenagers sat up, stretching their aching backs. They leaned back against the nearby wall together, breathing in a little quicker so they could refill their bodies with oxygen. They stared at each other as thoughts rang through their head. The implications of their situation were quite clear. They either had to find a way to sneak out of here and get to Twisted Mountains, or they would end up being captured and taken in to jail.

Them being human was not a problem for them. Whether or not ChalkZone could prosecute humans didn’t matter at this point. It was clear that the magnifying zoner would do whatever it took to make sure they were punished in the court of law. The fact that he and Penny were human was clearly not stopping her. Rudy had to wonder just what kind of punishment could they dish out to a human. It left an unsettling feeling as he realized that there was a good chance that, due to him being human, he was going to be killed just to avoid the food and water issue.

All this served to add more anxiety to his mind. He could feel a few shivers move through him, making it hard for him to hold still. He was already shaken up earlier when he woke up and realized that he was corrupted. This feeling became worse when Penny told him the whole story and what he had done. He couldn’t believe the things he had done...the people he harmed. He even attacked Snap. And he had regarded him as a filthy zoner, a pile of chalk dust, just like his counterparts...and Mr. Cosmo. It sent cold chills down his spine. He couldn’t believe that he had said those things.

And to make matters worse...he had no idea what else he had done. Penny told him what she could, as well as how she came to form a truce with the red chalk and why. But all he got was her point of view. There were some details he was certain he wasn’t getting. No, he knew he wasn’t getting the whole picture. There was so much more he had done... So many people he had harmed... The fact he didn’t remember anything was kind of a blessing, but mostly a curse. He was terrified of the things he may have done and he wished that there was some way he could remember. How could he make up for what he did if he didn’t even remember...?

But right now, it wasn’t the time for that. As shaken by the events as he was, he knew it was better that they get going now, and wait until later to try to truly make up for anything. They had no idea how long those two zoners would be gone, and they didn’t know if any more were coming their way, if those two zoners called for reinforcements. For a brief moment, Rudy thought about how this was reminding him of the Luminos, before they had changed. He wondered if the magnifying glass and football zoners were part of that group and were just less active members. It would explain their hostility towards them.

Slowly, he climbed up to his feet. He brushed himself off, getting the dust and tiny pebbles off his legs. He turned to Penny and reached a hand out towards her. She gave a slight cringe, causing his heart to twist. But he couldn’t blame her. He had harmed her so much while he was a vessel. It would take time before she got fully used to him again.

Penny soon reached forward and grabbed his arm. With a sharp pull, he yanked her up, helping her to her feet. The two stared at each other, silence accompanying them. It took a little while longer before Rudy managed to speak, breaking that quietness.

“Where do we go from here?” Rudy asked.

Penny furrowed her eyes as she turned towards the tunnel that the zoners disappeared down. She walked out from behind the rock structure. Rudy followed close behind. The two of them stood there silently for a few seconds. Penny looked around, as if she were trying to get a mental reading on their surrent location.

Looking over at Rudy, she said, “If I remember right, the Twisted Mountains should be somewhere south of here. We aren’t too far away, but we shouldn’t rush out into the open again. I’m certain we will get spotted again. Even if we are not in a very populated area...we shouldn’t take the risk.”

Penny paused, letting Rudy have this information sink in. He knew exactly what she was talking about. She was referring to how they were attacked without warning, despite being in a relatively empty location. They hadn’t counted on those two zoners being sent after them. They couldn’t risk that again. Otherwise, would they even get away a second time?

Penny continued, “What we should do is find a place outside of this cave to dig a tunnel. Then we cover it up so that the zoners don’t realize we are here. Then we use a digging tool, one that is quiet but still digs fast, and tunnel our way to the Twisted Mountains. We will need a compass so we know which way to go.”

“What about Nihilanth?” Rudy asked warily. He recalled Penny telling him that Nihilanth was using Penny as an unwilling spy. The thought filled him with anger, but it also terrified him. What if he saw any of this? Would he...? “Aren’t you worried that he might...?”

“Listen in? Of course. I’m sure he’d probably awake by now.” Penny said. There was a bitter tone to her voice. Rudy couldn’t blame her. She had been used by a tool, to help bring harm to her friends. She had every right to be angry. “But we don’t have a lot of time. It’s best that we just get going and hope that everything will turn out.” She froze at that statement and she looked back at Rudy. “I know I’m usually better prepared than this. But...you understand, right? There’s little room for...”

“Yes, I do.” Rudy said. “You’re right. We should focus on getting to the Twisted Mountains. And if Nihilanth ‘greets’ us there.. Well we’ll just have to prepare for a fight then.”

Penny nodded her head. “And at least we’ll be in the right place. If we can find a piece of blue chalk...” She closed her eyes. “We might be able to rip Barney out of there, then Nihilanth would have no body left.” She opened her eyes and stared at Rudy for a second. “But..you know it wouldn’t be done yet, right? There would still be more that we’d have to do.”

Rudy nodded in agreement. She was right. There was still more that had to be done. Removing Barney wouldn’t stop Nihilanth for good. They would need to take the next step. They knew they couldn’t kill Nihilanth. He was likely immortal. But there was another way they could stop him and prevent him from hurting anyone ever again.

“We need to trap him.” Rudy said simply. “We need to seal his ‘soul’ in a container that he can’t break out of.”

“Exactly. And then store it somewhere.” Penny added. Once we do that, ChalkZone would be safe.”

Rudy let this sink in. Safe... ChalkZone hadn’t been safe for a long while. The black chalk artists returning plunged it into danger. Many places were attacked by those evil fiends. Then Nihilanth came and caused even more destruction. The zoners were fearing for their lives. Many of them were hiding in their homes or in shelters. Even ChalkZone City, which usually had a ton of zoners walking around, was relatively empty, according to reports he had heard.

And that was just what he knew. He didn’t know everything that the black chalk artists did, nor did he know if Jenny, Ghadir, or Tyreek, before he was killed, had done any further harm that hadn’t been reported yet. The idea of peace coming back to ChalkZone felt like a dream, an impossibility, and wishful thinking.

But if there was a chance...he knew they had to take it. He wanted there to be peace again and he’d do whatever it’d take to get there. ChalkZone had been terrorized long enough. It was time for him to step up to the plate. It was time for him to be the one thing he should have been.

He needed to be ChalkZone’s protector again.

Penny interrupted him from his thoughts. “Come on.” She said as she started to head down the tunnel they came in from. “Let’s get going.”

“Right. I’m coming.” Rudy followed close behind her.

sss

Reggie flinched as he felt Mr. Longhorn wrap his arm up in some bandages. He was as careful as he could be, going light but still firm. The boy wanted to pull his arm back; the man could see it in his eyes. He only held still as he knew that this was for his own good.

Soon the bandage was finished. He pulled on it a little hard and used the scissors to snip it. He secured it in place and did a quick tug to make sure it wouldn’t fall apart so easily. He may not be an expert on medical stuff, but he did know enough to know some basics of what to do. He leaned back, looking at the bandaged arm up and down. Once he was satisfied, he turned his attention to one of the gashes on his leg.

“Do you really have to do all of them? You already got the majority.” Reggie said, gritting his teeth as he looked at the man soaking another cloth in som warm warter. “Let’s just leave it as...”

“No.” Mr. Longhorn said sternly. “I don’t know the full extent of your injuries. You were hurt badly by Jenny. You were lucky to have woken up at all; you have a concussion. The sooner I treat your wounds, the better off you are. And then you are to rest.”

“Rest? Oh really?” Reggie said, a sarcastic tone to his voice. “And just how do you propose I do that? We’re still in Solar Pillars, if you don’t remember. You...”

“Oh I remember.” Mr. Longhorn cut him off. “We’re in a safe location, so far. We will stay here for a bit to let you rest. Then I’ll draw a mode of transportation for you, using that chalk I found on the way here. I’ll drive it so you can rest.” He paused for a moment. “Snap will be joining you. I’m sure you two can keep each other company while I try to get us out of there.”

As Mr. Longhorn worked on bandaging up Reggie’s leg, his mind shifted through memories of what happened recently. After he had taken Reggie out of that room, they had eventually run into Jenny again. He wasn’t sure how she got free, but that didn’t matter. He ran to try to escape her. He wound up going down random tunnels and random directions, not sure of just where he was headed. He nearly got caught by her a few times, and her attacks reopened some of Reggie’s wounds and create new ones.

By shere luck, he had been able to get away from her, ending up back in the medical room. He took that time to swipe much of the medical supplies, slinging a bag over his shoulder filled with as much medical supplies as he could stuff into it. He then made his way through the opposite door, hoping that he would have better luck this way.

He was happy that they hadn’t run into Jenny again, but that didn’t mean he was safe. He had no idea where he was. Even when he found a piece of magic chalk to take with him, he still didn’t feel quite safe, as he had no idea where Jenny was. She could attack him at any point. He also didn’t know which place was safe for him to open. He couldn’t just pick any random location; he had to choose wisely. Not knowing what was on the other side, he could very easily open up the wrong portal and send water from the real world flooding in here, or reveal its location in front of a couple of unscrupulous people. The risk was just too great.

If he could just get out of here, or at least find the place where he and Reggie came in from in the first place, he may stand a chance of getting him to safety. Reggie was going to need help and fast, especially after that beating he recieved. He just hoped that Reggie would listen to him and not be so stubborn. He could die if he didn’t get help as soon as possible.

On their way through the tunnels, he heard some screaming. He recognized it as Snap. With Reggie still out cold, he had rushed towards the source of the voice, which was very hard to do with all the echoing, disguising the exact location of the scream. Slowly, the scream got louder, indicating that he was getting closer. He moved as fast as he could while carrying the unconscious form of Reggie, and he soon spotted a flash of blue and a flash of grey. Snap and that large rat. He followed them.

Ultimately, it led him into a large room with various of lightbulb-like structures. Energy storage units, he presumed. He didn’t spend long thinking about what they did. He sat Reggie down in a safe location and crept closer to try to get to Snap. The zoner was running for his life away from the rat. It was hard for the man to tell if the rat was trying to hurt Snap, kill him, or simply capture him. The rat was pretty aggressive regardless of his motivations, and the sight of seeing him on a rampage sent chills down his spine.

In the struggle, Snap got his arm caught in one of the bulbs. The ensuing scream was heartbreaking to listen to, and Longhorn attempted to rush forward to pull him out. But the rat was much faster. He was not able to do anything as the grey rat slammed his body against Snap, pulling him out himself. But a sickening, horrific crunch and the splatter of blood revealed that the pulling had been successful for a very different reason than he would have liked.

Mr. Longhorn was horrified as he watched Snap stagger back, a practical torrent of blood flowing out of his arm....or rather what was left of it. The rat’s tug of war with the machine wound up costing Snap his arm. It was ripped off at the elbow. Snap had fallen to the ground after Longhorn had managed to draw a tranquilizer dart and knock the rat out of with it. He then rushed to Snap’s side. By the time he go there, the zoner had already passted out.

Mr. Longhorn stared at Snap’s injured left arm. The bone peaked out and some small pieces of meat, like vessel bits and tears of flesh and skin, hung at the end. He was losing considerable blood from the arm. He acted quickly. He held his arm up to try to slow down the bleeding. He then took one of the real world cloths and wrapped it tightly around the stub of the arm, hooking it to his neck and shoulder. Though the bleeding did slow down and eventually stop, he knew it could always start up again. He needed to give him a more thorough treatment.

First, he needed to finish this last bandage on Reggie. He was almost done. Just need to wrap it a few more times around him and then... There, done. He secured the bandage in place and looked at it up and down, making sure that it was a good fit. Satisfied, he turned his attention to Snap.

“We are taking the blue kid to a hospital, right?” Reggie asked. Though there was still some frustration on his voice, lingering more so right now was concern. The boy’s eyes settled on the still unconscious zoner with worry. “I mean, he did lose an arm...”

Mr. Longhorn flinched, his mind running with memories of seeing the arm get snagged and ripped off. That sickening crunch sound echoed in his mind, sending chills down his spine. He did his best to shake off the memories, not wanting them to detract him from concentrating on what had to be done. But it was hard, especially when he had been so close to Snap when it happened.

“Don’t worry.” Mr. Longhorn said. “We will. I’m going to try to treat his arm better first.”

“How? All we have is real world stuff.” Reggie pointed out.

“I’ll just draw what I need.” Mr. Longhorn said. He held up the magic chalk as a reminder of what he could do. “I’ll draw some disinfectant and some painkillers for him. He’ll definitely need it.”

Reggie nodded his head, his eyes expressing embarrassment for forgetting about the magic chalk. “So...how are you going to do it?”

Mr. Longhorn looked over his shoulder at Reggie. He continued walking towards the unconscious blue and white zoner laying on the ground not far. “What do you mean?”

Reggie hesitated. He bit his lip, looking to the left with concern. He then turned his attention back to the man. That expression, Mr. Longhorn could tell that there was something Reggie wanted to ask, but he was quite nervous about it. He wondered why. What was it Reggie wanted to say? What was he referring to when he said ‘how are you going to do it’? The man had some ideas, but without confirmation, he can’t provide an accurate response.

The teenager soon gathered up the courage to speak. “How...are you going to tell Snap about his..arm?”

Mr. Longhorn froze at this statement. He remained where he was, his eyes widened in shock. He hadn’t thought about it. He hadn’t really thought things through about how he was going to break the news to Snap. This...was going to be hard. Reggie had a point. How would he tell Snap that he just had a life-changing accident happen to him? This wasn’t like he got a big gash that would heal or a massive bruise that would take time to go away. No, he had his arm ripped off. That...was going to be permanent.

He felt a bit of bile in his stomach as he bit his lip. He remained still, his back still turned to Reggie. He stared down at Snap, his eyes focusing on his seemingly sleeping face, then to his chest, still rising and falling shakingly, then to his stub of a left arm. He took in a shuddering breath, his mind playing through the many possibilities of what he could say, and the different outcomes of Snap’s reaction. This...was going to be one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do.

He wished he could save his arm. He had tried to pull it out, but it was too late. It was charred, blackened, and destroyed beyond saving. Even if he could get it out, there was no way Snap’s arm could make use of it again. All the flesh was dead, ‘cooked’ by the electrical energy in that bulb. He could still scent that horrible smell in the air. He tried to ignore it, but it danced around his nostrils, taunting him about how he should have moved faster, that maybe he could have saved Snap’s arm if he didn’t hesitate.

Mr. Longhorn shook those htoughts of his head. He couldn’t think about stuff like that right now. He should concentrate on helping Snap now. He turned his head to the side, giving Reggie one-eyed glance.

“I’ll...think of something.” Mr. Longhorn said. “I will tell him...somehow...”

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a soft groan. He watched as Snap began to stir. His head turned from side to side. He managed to push himself up a little onto his right elbow, his right hand rubbing against his head. His eyes fluttered open as he took a look around. He soon locked eyes onto Longhorn, and he blinked his eyes a few times.

“Mr. Longhorn...?” Snap groaned, sucking in a sharp breath through his clenched teeth. “What..what happened...?”

Mr. Longhorn looked down at Snap, biting his lip nervously as he tried to think of how to break the news to Snap. The sooner he did it, the better. But...oh this was going to be so hard. Just what was he going to say? And how would he keep Snap calm so he didn’t panic and end up hurting himself? It was a very real possibility that Snap would lose it as soon as he found out and wriggle around too much until he...

He shook his head. He was wasting time worrying about that. The sooner Snap knew, the better off he was. If he held this off somehow, preventing Snap from knowing about his arm, then his reaction later on would be so much worse. Though he was worried about Snap’s mental state, he could begin recovery faster once he knew what happened.

Mr. Longhorn walked closer to Snap. The zoner looked up at him, still looking rather confused. He knelt down in front of Snap, looking at him in the eyes. The two stared at each other for several moments, silence falling upon them. Then the man reached over and grabbed onto Snap’s shoulder. This caused Snap to jerk in surprise, but he soon relaxed. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, as if he were falling asleep, but they reopened and they stared at the man, albeit groggily.

Mr. Longorn hesitated. Despite knowing that it was for the best, that still didn’t mean it was going to be easy. He could feel his gut twisting as he prepared to give one of the most difficult news in his life. “Snap...” He managed to force out, his voice a little shaky. “I’m...not sure how to tell you this, but...” He glanced down at Snap’s left arm, before looking back. “You were attacked by a large rat and...”

At this, Snap seemed to wake up a little more. “Boorat...?”

Mr. Longhorn wondered if Snap meant the grey rat that was chasing him. Making the assumption that he was, he nodded his head. “Yeah. Boorat. He chased you down here and attacked you.”

Snap let out a soft groan, gritting his teeth to try to cope with the pain. “Wh-Where is he..?”

“He’s been tranquilized. Don’t worry. He isn’t a threat to you anymore.” Mr. Longhorn assured him. He gave Snap a brief, reassuring smile. That smile vanished pretty quickly, taking on a more solemn, serious expression. He sucked in a quick breath through his teeth. “However, there is a matter of utmost importance. You need to go to the hospital right away.”

Snap hardly seemed to pay attention to what he was saying. The zoner was pushing himself up into a sitting position. He rubbed his face with his right hand, letting out another groan as his mind tried to adjust to waking up. Then he appeared to try to do something with his nonexistent left hand. The man realized that Snap was trying to get up and he rushed forward to stop him. He wasn’t able to react in time, and Snap ended up toppling onto his side. He let out a cry of pain when he landed on his injured arm.

Snap shivered in pain for a few seconds. His eyes widened and Mr. Longhorn could practically see the grogginess leave his eyes as reality began to settle in once more. Snap took in several breaths, looking left and right. He attempted to push himself, giving a few jerks. Mr. Longhorn attempted to help him, but Snap was moving too violently, making it hard fo the man to grab onto him. As Snap continued to try to use his left arm, which he didn’t realize wasn’t even there anymore, the zoner’s eyes widened in fear and confusion.

“What’s..happening? Why can’t I..?” Snap asked softly, his voice trembling. “I can’t get up... Why can’t I get up..?” He looked up at Mr. Longhorn. “What’s happened to me?”

Mr. Longhorn stared down at him sympathetically. “Use your right hand, Snap.”

Snap stared at him in confusion. He laid there for several moments, as if he were trying to digest what Longhorn had told him. The man hadn’t revealed just what happened yet, but Snap seemed to realize what kind of serious situation he was in. He was taking in quicker breaths, panic starting to flow through him. He kept trying to move around with his left arm. He was trying to get something...anything, yet he just laid there.

He did eventually do as Mr. Longhorn told him. He pressed his right hand on the ground and, with a single push, lifted himself up. He remained there for several seconds, taking in quick breaths, his gaze towards the ground. He lifted up his head, staring at Mr. Longhorn with an almost pleading expression. Mr. Longhorn felt his heart tug, knowing that Snap was starting to connect the dots and realize just what had happened to him. He and Reggie watched in silence, letting Snap come to the conclusion himself.

The blue zoner slowly turned his head. The process was slow, feeling like it was taking several minutes. Longhorn watched as Snap rotated his head until his eyes rested on his chest. He could see something wrapped up there, attached to him with a sling over his neck. The sight of this made Snap freeze. It was hard to tell if he made the connection then, but Snap knew that something was wrong. It was prevelent in his eyes. Mr. Longhorn felt a pang as Snap got into a seating position and touched the sling against his chest.

Snap felt it little by little. He went from his shoulder, and squeezed his left arm as he went down. He soon got to the stub, which caused him to scream when he squeezed it. He hissed in pain and yanked his arm back. He quivered in agony as he let the pain subside. Seconds later, he stared down at the sling. He moved his hand down again, this time, he took care not to squeeze his arm. His hand moved lightly down the length, from his shoulder, and to the stub. As soon as he reached it, Snap froze, his eyes widening in horror. He repeated this process again and again, as if he were trying to confirm it, hoping that it was some kind of silly mistake.

Snap became a statue for the next couple of seconds. Then his breathing came even faster, hyperventilation rapidly settling in. The zoner’s wide eyes stared down in horror at his stub of a left arm. He shook his head in denial, a few tears forming. He didn’t start screaming like Mr. Longhorn thought he was, but he was still panicking. His body trembled like a leaf, from both shock in pain. The zoner seemed to suddenly become unaware of what was going on around him, his eyes locked on the stubbed arm only.

Snap slowly looked over at Mr. Longhorn. The man winced when he saw the zoner’s expression. Terror-filled... He had never seen anyone look that frightened before. The zoner’s tear’s caused his eyes to shine, and there was a clear, pleading expression. It was clear Snap was hoping he would have something that could be done for him, or at least to tell him that things weren’t as bad as they appeared. But Mr. Longhorn wasn’t sure how he could comfort Snap, or what he could tell him to make the situation better. He gritted his teeth and turned his head to the side a little.

“M-My arm...” Snap whimpered. “I-It’s g-g-gone..”

“Yes.” Mr. Longhorn said, offering confirmation. “It’s gone. I wasn’t able to save it.” He turned his gaze down. “It was stuck in one of the bulbs when Boorat knocked into you. Ripped your arm clean off. It’s damaged beyond repair.” He reopened his eyes and gave Snap a sorrowful expression. “I’m so sorry.”

Snap stared at Mr. Longhorn, his face accompanied by one of the most horrified expressions Mr. Longhorn has ever seen. He and Reggie glanced at each other, both sharing the same silent worry for Snap. They looked back at the zoner, their eyes furrowed with concern. The zoner looked back at them, his body trembling from the horrific realization. More tears fell from his eyes as the harsh reality presented itself too him. After a few moments, the zoner began to break.

The zoner dropped down onto his knees. He kept himself aloft with his right hand. His remaining arm trembled so much, it looked like he was going to fall down. His whimpering continued, becoming more prominent and increasing in volume. Soon, the whimpering transformed into sobbing. The zoner wept hard, his shoulders shaking as he wept. He shut his eyes tightly, tears dripping through them, staining his cheeks. He took in shaky breaths as his cries continued.

Mr. Longhorn and Reggie watched this scene with a heavy heart. Snap’s weeping twisted their hearts and stomachs. It was such a painful sight to behold. Mr. Longhorn had never seen anyone look so heartbroken before, and he was certain that neither did Reggie. Neither of them had been prepared for something like this.

After listening to the zoner’s sobs for a few moments, his heart growing heavier as time passed, Longhorn took action. Wanting to do something for the zoner, he walked over towards him. He knelt down in front of him and put his hand on his shoulder. Snap looked up at him, loud sniffles passing through his nose and mouth.

“I’m so sorry, Snap.” Mr. Longhorn whispered to him. “I’m so sorry...”

With that, Mr. Longhorn scooped Snap up into his arms. He held the zoner against his body, feeling the warmth of the shivering and frightened zoner. He pressed his chin on top of Snap’s head and held him in his arms. Snap remained in a state of terrified shock for a little while before he reacted to the gesture. Mr. Longhorn could feel the zoner’s remaining arm sling around him and hold him to return the embrace.

sss

Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie remained frozen where they were. They tried to move, but their muscles wouldn’t respond. They were too scared, too frightened to do anything except stare. They couldn’t believe this was happening. Why? How was this possible? How...how did this guy get here...? They truly thought they would never have to deal with this man ever.

But here they were, the man standing right before them. The man that was responsible for the grief that their son went through, and Penny’s as well. The man that started this whole shebang with the black chalk. The origin of all the trouble ChalkZone went through about forty years ago, and what was going on lately. He may not still be around now, but he had left an impact so strong that their son still has nightmares about him off and on.

And now, that man, his counterpart, who was responsible not only for the same crimes, but even more, stood in their son’s bedroom, next to the portal. He had his arms folded against his chest, wearing that familiar green suit and his red hair kind of ratty and dirty, as if he had been through a big fight before coming here. His left eye had a scar on it, one of the only physical differences between this man and the one that they knew.

Mr. Cosmo...

And not just him. They also had to worry about Draow’s counterpart. He stood behind Mr. Cosmo now, his body arching around and his head raised, looming over the man. This made Mr. Cosmo look even more intimidating. It didn’t help that this Draow was armored and had cannons equipped on his body. It wasn’t certain if he would shoot them here or not, but the two of them knew it would be a very bad idea to assume that he wouldn’t try to harm them with them.

Mr. Tabootie adopted a defensive stance. His wife did likewise. He knew that the two of them likely would not be able to do much against Cosmo, especially with that large bat wolf creature by his side, with those cannons. But he also knew that standing around, waiting to be attacked, would be even more stupid. They couldn’t put themselves in that kind of position to be harmed. They had to be prepared to defend themselves, and show Mr. Cosmo they would not go down easily.

For a moment, he briefly remembered the situation in the dark dimension, when this man had ordered his Rudy to kill his parents. The thought sent shivers down his spine. He wondered if Mr. Cosmo was going to bestow the same fate upon them, to remove them from any position to be a threat to them. Staring at Draow, watching him lick his lips, he knew that was a very real possibility.

One thing came to his mind as he glared at the silent, sneering man. They had to find a way to warn Penny about this. No, not just Penny. Everyone in ChalkZone. Warning them of Mr. Cosmo’s return would be of the utmost importance. It was imperative that everyone in ChalkZone knew about this. This man had terrorized them in the past. The idea of him being back... It would certainly terrify the zoners, but they still needed to be aware that he was here. If they remained ignorant of the situation...

...Mr. Tabotie was horrified to know what would happen if Mr. Cosmo retained the element of surprise...

Unfortunately, before he could even say anything to his wife, Mr. Cosmo appeared to have already figured out what he was going to do. His cold chuckle caught his attention, and the knowing expression the man gave, and that waggling finger... Mr. Tabootie narrowed his eyes to look brave, but deep down, he was terrified.

“Oh, you’re not going to be telling anyone about this. I promise you that.” Cosmo kept his arms folded behind his back. He began to pace from side to side in front of them. His voice was unnervingly soft. Not to the same degree as Bardot’s, but it was pretty damn close. “I cannot allow this little...secret to get out.”

The man took a few steps forward. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie stood their ground, not willing to turn their back to this awful man. Their determination seemed to only amuse the man, his smirk broadening. Draow sneered along with him, spreading his wings slightly. He took a step forward, staring at them with bright teal eyes. Curling his lips up, exposing his long, sharp teeth, he looked ready to tear them apart. Mr. Tabootie could practically see the muscles rippling through the beast’s body, centered in his legs. In a few seconds, he would charge and...

To his and his wife’s confusion, Cosmo raised up his hand as Draow took another step forward. The bat wolf let out a surprised grunt, raising his head up and taking a step back. He looked at Cosmo, his expression that of perplexion, his ears pricked up in surprise, mouth partway open.

“Sir...” Draow started to say. “I...”

“Don’t worry about it, Draow.” Cosmo closed his eyes lightly, smirking slyly. “I do not wish to...kill them.” He slowly turned his head towards the two adults. His expression was slightly insane, a bit terrifying. “I think we have a use for them.”

Mrs. Tabootie asked in a soft voice, “What do you plan on doing with us?”

Mr. Cosmo stared at her for a few seconds, doing nothing but smiling at her. He turned his back to her and her husband and took a few steps forward. The hands behind his back fumbled with each other as he began to speak. “You see, ma’am...” He used a tone of sarcasm at the ‘ma’am’ bit. “I know that if I kill you, I will invoke your son’s anger. I know..he will not like it, and the ensuing rage will...well, it’d be more harmful than good.” He closed his eyes and turned his head back. “True, killing your counterparts was my order, and my Rudy had done it without question, but...” He turned his head, giving the two parents a sideways glance. “This situation is quite different than last time. So, instead of killing you, I think I will just capture you.”

Mr. Tabootie growled, holding his hands into fists. There was no way he was going down without a fight. Despite knowing he was outclassed with Draow there, he was not going to allow Cosmo to take him without at least putting up some kind of struggle. He was not going to just let Cosmo use him and his wife like that.

“I think you should rethink your little plan. Do you really think that Millie and I will just surrender like that?” Mr. Tabootie asked.

His wife, though scared, nodded her head in agreement. “We’ll fight you if we have to.”

“You?” Draow tilted his head, his eyes wide in surprise. “Fight my master?” Draow lowered his head, giving a quick snigger. He then glared at the two humans, showing his razor sharp wing claws. “I didn’t think you two had death wishes..”

Mr. Tabootie felt his heart begin to beat faster at this. But despite his fear, he refused to back down. He glared at the bat wolf, fully prepared to take him on if he had to. Draow appeared amused, but did not attempt to attack him, if only for the sake of his master.

Mr. Cosmo shook his head slowly. “I don’t think you two want to try to fight us.” He turned his head towards the portal on the chalkboard, which Mr. Tabootie realized was put there by Cosmo himself, and the only reason he didn’t use it yet was because they interrupted them. Cosmo looked eager to go through the portal but, as he turned his head towards them, with that insanity spark in his eye, it was clear that, at the moment, he was more interested in them. He eyed them up and down, studying them. “But if you’d like, well go on ahead.” Cosmo raised his hands into the air. “I would love to toy with you for a bit. My Rudy had sometimes said how much fun it was to kill you.”

Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie looked on in horror as the man started to advance on them.

Mr. Cosmo bared his teeth in a nasty grin. “I do have to wonder if he was right.” Mr. Tabootie and his wife gasped. Mr. Cosmo added, “I won’t kill you. But... I can easily make you want to die. So get ready, you two.”

The two adults didn’t have much warning before Mr. Cosmo, his body tensing up, charged towards them, his eyes flashing the very real intent of beating the shit out of them. They both let out a scream as a fist slammed against them, knocking them both into the ground. They looked up and their eyes widened in horror as they saw the man dashing towards them.


	178. I Will Have A New Vessel

Jenny growled angrily, looking left and right. She moved down the corridor, the black light barely illuminating her body, giving her a bit of a purplish hue edge. Her mind swirled with thoughts, which she did best to calm down. She couldn’t afford to lose her temper; it would prevent her from properly searching for those little cretins. But while she was able to keep her anger mostly under control, she wasn’t sure how long it would last.

She had been looking down these corridors for a while now. She had lost track of where that man and boy had gone. She cursed herself for letting them get away. They could be anywhere now. Solar Pillars was not a small place. She could only hope that they run into one of the more dangerous sections, such as where the ground was incredibly thin, where it was easy to fall into the dangerous pit below. Or perhaps even to a deadend where they could be collected later. She could not allow them to get out. That would potentially put a kink in the plans.

She wasn’t stupid. She knew full well that Mr. Longhorn could potentially be a threat. Reggie, she wasn’t certain. She had done a number on that kid. He might still be unconscious, and perhaps suffering from brain damage. She would admit that she did go a little too far, but she had no choice. She had to be certain that Mr. Longhorn would become compliant. She had to be sure, and there was no other way to do that.

Besides, it wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t trespass into Solar Pillars. If he had just stayed home like a good man, he would have been spared the fate of watching her beat up the eighteen year old boy. Perhaps now he will learn to be more careful, and think his plans through more.

Well...this recent event proved otherwise. Mr. Longhorn might need another lesson. He had run away from her, which he should know was not a good thing. He should have been more cooperative and done what she said. Resisting her authority was an offense. If he were a fellow black chlak artist, she would have gone more easy on him. But he and Reggie aligned with the weak white chalk. She knew full well that the white chalk artists outnumbered them, even with Rudy on their side. She had to reduce their numbers somehow. She could do that by killing them, or recruiting them. While she would prefer recruitment as that would increase their numbers, either way, both acts would remove the white chalk artist as a threat.

She wondered what Nihilanth was going to think about this. He would surely know about the incident. She was worried that he might be angry when she sees him next. Nihilanth doesn’t get angry often, but when he does, running was probably the only sensible option, even if he doesn’t really try to kill or hurt her.

She tried not to think about it. She turned her attention on what was in front of her. More hallways. There was a three-way intersection. One of the very few in this building. She didn’t see any signs of movement, no indication that someone had been here. But that could change very easily. If she looked much more closely, she might find some hint that someone had been there. She just needed the right equipment and she was good to go.

But there wasn’t much time. She couldn’t waste many minutes looking at the walls for the slightest mark. She would have to proceed without examining them further. She had to rely more on what she could currently see and hear. There wasn’t any background noise going on up here, so if she were quiet enough, she might be able to hear the faint footsteps of her would-be intruders. She took a few steps forward and turned her head to the side, cupping her ear. Once in a while alternating the ears, she listened, trying to hear any sign of anyone being here. Despite he efforts, so far, she didn’t hear anything.

She was about to quite and try something else when something became noticeable. Footsteps. Kind of heavy, too. She wondered if they were Reggie’s. He was kind of large. Mr. Longhorn combined with him might create those kinds of footsteps. That had to be it. They were the only ones in here besides herself. Narrowing her eyes, she began to move in the sound’s direction.

She stopped short when the ground began to shake a little from the impact. The footfalls were much heavier than she had realized. She stood there in the large hallway, staring down the middle pathway. She couldn’t see anything at first. But the footsteps, they were getting louder, more pronounced. She could feel the vibrations spreading through the ground and into her body. It felt like something was pounding against her heart, and she realized that, whoever was coming down, it wasn’t human.

She took a few steps back, her eyes widening slightly. She realized who this has to be. Not Draow. He had been captured and detained. Not Biclops or Tsere. They were both at the Chalk Mine. And when she realized there were two heads, that sealed the deal on who this was.

“Nihilanth.” Jenny breathed softly.

Nihilanth emerged from the shadows of the corridor. The faint black lights did little to show the dragon. But the white glow from the black head’s mouth, and its piercing white eyes was enough for Jenny positively identify Nihilanth before he even got close enough for her to make out other specific details. When he got close enough that she could make out more of his facial features, she realized something was off.

Nihilanth was walking with his heads semi-low. They weren’t horizontal, but they were more straight out than he would usually hold them. He didn’t look very happy, though not particularly enraged. His gait was a little slower, more deliberate, his wings folded at his sides but still held in a way that suggests he could still attack if he really wanted to. He usually didn’t have this kind of posture unless...unless something was bugging him. And with the way he was looking at her...

Nihilanth opened his mouths part way, enough to show part of his razor sharp teeth. Even in the dim light, Jenny could see their part tips quite well. She involuntarily gulped and took a step back. Nihilanth smiled slightly at this, though he still looked upset about something.

“We have a situation.”

Jenny stared at Nihilanth, then furrowed her eyes in confusion. “Situation? What are you talking about?”

Nihilanth’s black head curled its lip upward to show more of its teeth. “We have lost our human vessel.”

Jenny widened her eyes in shock. It took a few seconds for the full impact of the statement to reach her. The revelation of this sent horror through her body. Nihilanth had...what...? Lost his human vessel? But...that was impossible, wasn’t it? Nihilanth hadn’t lost his Barney vessel. What could have happened to make him lose his human vessel? The realization of what this meant made itself all too clear to the woman. Without the human vessel at his disposal, Nihilanth was stuck in ChalkZone. And if he couldn’t get into the real world...

She managed to speak. “H-How...?”

Nihilanth’s white head turned to the side. Growling softly, he said, “That Penny girl figured out a way to free him.” His voice was unnervingly calm, but there was a tinge to it that suggested he was far more angry than he was letting on. “How inconvenient.”

Jenny’s shock soon melted away into anger. Of course, that Jenny girl had something to do with this. She should have known that she would be trouble. When she had her in her office, she should have taken care of her then. If she had just gotten rid of her sooner, then they wouldn’t be in this mess. For a few moments, she lamented on how stupid she and the others were for not taking full advantage of the school situation. They had been too arrogant back then. If they had just...

And she knew where Rudy and Penny lived. She was just as guilty as Ghadir was being the lunchlady, and Tyreek being the principal. They just had to waste their time toying with them. If only they had stopped themselves from being stupid and did the right thing by killing off Rudy and Penny from the get-go... Well she wasn’t sure if there would have been another vessel to take Rudy’s place, but at least Nihilanth would be able to put his plan forward.

“Don’t worry, master.” Jenny said. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she turned her head and looked over her shoulder. “I will not let Penny...”

“Forget about her.” Nihilanth waved his paw dismissively, a hint of aggression to it. “We’ve wasted enough time on them. Let’s concentrate on putting this plan forward.” His tails twirled behind him eagerly. I believe we waited long enough.”

Jenny was about to protest, but she quickly shut her mouth, knowing better than to openly disagree with Nihilanth like that. She wasn’t sure why Nihilanth didn’t want to go after Penny. After all, if she could somehow make him lose his Rudy vessel, then it would stand to reason that she could take away any human vessel he succeeds merging with. No doubt Penny would do it again and again to keep Nihilanth from entering the real world.

Using his powers would make things much easier, but Jenny knew that Nihilanth was not up to full strength. He needed more followers to help fuel his power. Until then, he had to use it sparingly. He was nowhere near as powerful as he should be. That was why it was imperative they set him into the real world, and fast. He needed more followers as soon as possible.

But the more she thought about it, the more she realized he was right. The reason this plan wasn’t going exactly how they hoped was because she and the others were too focused on getting revenge. They spent little time trying to bring back Nihilanth and more time wanting to torture Rudy. Due to that, they wasted so much time... Time that could have been dedicated to reviving Nihilanth. If they had focused on that instead of with the so-called guardians of ChalkZone, they might have won already.

Well they weren’t going to make that mistake again. They can always contend with them later. Right now, getting more black chalk artists was far more important, crucial. Only after they succeeded in infiltrating the real world could they refocus their energy on getting rid of those ‘guardians’.

Not wanting to delay anything further, she said dutifully, “What do we do?”

Nihilanth stared at her, his eyes glinting with intent. He took a few steps forward, lowering his heads more. Jenny, feeling nervousness rise up inside of her, lowered her head in respect. As much as she wanted to, she did not move backwards. She didn’t want to offend her master. Even was he stood so close to her, feeling his breath against her, she still did not take a step back.

“You..will help us with that.” Nihilanth said.

Jenny looked up at him in surprise. “What do you mean?”

Nihilanth stared at her silently. Soon he gave a small smile. His frown disappeared completely and he gave her what appeared to be an accepting look. “I...have chosen you as my new vessel.”

Jenny widened her eyes at this. She took in quick breaths, her heart rate quickening. She felt a torrent of emotions swell inside of her, making her body shake as she tried to deal with them. She felt a warm feeling move inside her chest, encircling her heart. It didn’t take a genius to know what she was feeling right now: excitement.

She never thought she would encounter this day. She had never really thought to ask Nihilanth if he wanted her as his vessel. But it was something she would have liked. It was an honor to be his shell to go into the real world. She couldn’t think of a better way to please her master. This was the perfect opportunity for her to show him just how loyal she was to his cause. And unlike Rudy, she would not fail as his vessel.

As Nihilanth spread his wings, Jenny got down onto one knee slowly. She looked up at him, their eyes meeting for several seconds. Then she lowered her head down, bowing to him in submission. She could feel the light and dark from his body warm her with their presence, practically feeling them swirl around her body. She closed her eyes, making no move to protect herself, a way of showing just how obedient and loyal she was to him.

“I am ready.” Jenny said simply. Without a word, Nihilanth’s body began to glow.

sss

“Penny, are you sure this is the right way?” Rudy asked. Exhausted from using the drill, he turned it off and leaned against the side of the makeshift tunnel.

Penny was not pleased with this. Narrowing her eyes, she took a few steps forward, pointing a finger at him, and said, “Rudy, keep digging! The sooner we get that blue chalk, the sooner we can try to stop Nihilanth!” She paused for a second. She spoke again, this time, making an effort to sound a little calmer. “You saw what he did, Rudy... We passed by some of his damage before. You know full well what he’s capable of. You don’t want him to have another go, do you?”

Rudy shook his head, his eyes furrowing in concern. “Of course not, Penny.” Rudy said. He turned his head away, closing his eyes. “I just don’t want to be going in the wrong direction and we only realize when it’s too late.” He looked back at Penny. “We can’t afford it...”

Penny nodded her head. “I know, Rudy.” She narrowed her eyes and took a step forward. She spread her arms out from her sides and said, “But we can’t slow down. There just isn’t time for that.”

“I know!” Rudy snapped at her, narrowing his eyes. Penny took a step back, looking at him in surprise. Rudy took a few breaths, and then he seemed to quickly realize what he was doing. He bit his lip and let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, Penny.” He gave a bitter chuckle. “I guess not all of Nihilanth had gotten out of my system yet.”

Penny stared at Rudy with a somewhat fearful expression. This lasted a few seconds before she managed to push that fear out of her system. She reminded herself that Rudy was not under Nihilanth’s control anymore. He was Rudy again, not that monster that was posing as him for the past few days. She had managed to free him from that brute’s control, and now the real Rudy was finally back. Oh how she had missed him so much.

But, even though it’s been a few days, fear of Rudy’s presence became a habit. It was so conflicting to her mind. She loved Rudy, both as her boyfriend and as a companion. Her brain had always thought so positively of him. Then the situation with Nihilanth happened, and her mind was so confused as to why Rudy was acting the way he was. He had turned into an enemy, and that had done some damage to her psyche. Even though he’s back now, it was still taking her mind a little longer than she thought to adjust.

But it wasn’t like Rudy blamed her. She had told him everything he did to her, and he had commented that he would understand if she remained fearful of him for a time. After all, why shouldn’t she feel afraid after the Rudy imposter had broken her bones? Why would she not be terrified after the way that Rudy look-alike had threatened her and her friends, tried to kill her...?

At least it was all over now. They could now focus on the task at hand. She tried to ignore the bitter feeling in her stomach, the nausea that was circling in her belly. She managed to tame that feeling as she heard Rudy’s next statement.

“I’m..sure we are almost there anyway." Rudy said.

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah. I would say just a few more minutes in the same direction...” She paused. “Well maybe a bit longer.” She held out her hand in gesture. “But we should be there soon. And when we get there...”

“I know.” Rudy cut her off. This time, he was more gentle about it. “We still need to exercise great caution. We don’t know if Jenny or the others set up a trap there. They wouldn’t want to have zoners get access to blue chalk.” He smile slightly. “The idea of zoners fighting back must be pretty terrifying for them.”

“They want control.” Penny said, narrowing her eyes. The black chalk artists took advantage of their status as humans. Creators. They had an unfair advantage.” She shuddered as she recalled what Mr. Cosmo did to Snap years ago. “If zoners were able to fight back, there goes their control.” Rudy didn’t respond. He nodded in agreement as he lifted up the drill. “Well they did a good job at hiding it. The Twisted Mountains sounds like a dangerous place to me.”

“Don’t worry, Penny. It will be all right.” Rudy assured her. He gave her a quick smile, a genuine one and not the evil one he used to give her, and pressed the drill against the edge of the tunnel. “We’ll get that blue chalk, free Barney, and we will stop Nihilanth for good.”

“Yeah...” Penny said, doing her best to sound convinced. “I know we will.”

Without another word spoken, the two teenagers continued their way. Rudy turned on the drill and started to dig throug the ground again. Just like she had been before, Penny kept her distance. Chunks of rock flew back every time Rudy used that thing, and if she got too close, she would be hit by the rocks. They might be small, but with that speed, it was like getting shot. She hadn’t really complained about it, though, as they had little time, and it was getting the job done at least. Besides, they were almost there.

She watched as Rudy pushed against the drill. He rammed into it, pushing it deeper into the wall. She listened to the sound of rocks giving way, breaking apart and flying everywhere. The loud, drilling sound hummed in her ears. She sometimes plugged her ears to block out some of the sound, but, due to the formation of the tunnel, which all the dips and things to trip over, she couldn’t do this for long, not without risking hurting herself or falling over.

She climbed around the taller formations and stepped over the lower ones. It was relatively easy to keep up, and they were maintaining a good pace. As long as they kept this up, she imagined they would reach Twisted Mountains in a few minutes, if she did her calculations right.

If... That word. That uncomfortable word. She hated it. It demonstrated the appearance of the unknown. It was a factor that could happen, but might not. Or even a disturbing what-if possibility. She had seen enough what-ifs with the alternate dimensions. She didn’t want to think about that sort of stuff right now. She didn’t want to unintentionally place self doubt in herself and her abilities. She reminded herself that they were going the right way, and that everything was going to be okay.

For a few minutes, she and Rudy continued to dig the tunnel. Thankfully, they hadn’t run into any zoners down here. The drill hadn’t dug into a zoner’s house yet. While the idea seems silly, Penny was aware, especially after meeting Barney years ago, that some zoners did live in caves. There was a high probability that they would run into a zoner’s home down here. If they were unlucky, it would end up being one of Rudy’s victims.

She tried not to think about it. The chances of running into anyone here was remote anyway. They just needed to keep moving. They would reach the Twisted Mountains soon. They can take the blue chalk and leave. She thought momentarily if the blue chalk could speak, too. If so, she hoped it was friendlier company than the red chalk.

Penny took the time to look behind her, seeing how jagged the tunnel was, despite it being relatively straight. She looked back at Rudy, back down the tunnel, and interchanged a couple times to get an idea of just how long the tunnel was. She was impressed with how much distance they covered in a somewhat short time span. This was good. They would reach their destination much quicker, and the journey back should be a piece of cake.

Suddenly, she heard some kind of creaking sound. Crumbling. She looked over and saw that Rudy had stopped with the drilling. He took a few steps back. She couldn’t see his face, but the way he was holding the drill suggested something surprised him. Penny moved forward, taking care to avoid the rocks on the ground. She nearly tripped once, but managed to get to Rudy at a relatively swift pace. She walked around until she was at his side, able to see his face. Upon seeing how confused and shocked he was, she followed his gaze to see what he was looking at.

Penny widened her eyes when she saw that there was a small hole in the wall. A hole that was rapidly growing bigger, many cracks webbing out from it, destroying more rock. The two teenagers, uncertain of what to make of this, took a few steps backwards. They watched as, with a loud crack and crumble, the rock and dirt and just gave way. It all crumbled down into a heap on the ground, creating a somewhat shallow bulge. The two remained there for several seconds, their minds trying to process what happened. Then, being careful, they moved forward slowly.

It took them a second to see that the wall crumbled down to reveal a large room. Penny wondered, at first, if they had indeed run into some zoner’s underground home. But there was no sign of anybody living here. The room was just a typical cave room. Round shape, grooved walls, a couple stalagmites and stalactites, a little bit of water dripping down. It didn’t seem likely this was anyone’s bedroom or living room like she had thoguht it was at first. She walked ahead of Rudy, stepping into the room cautiously and looking around. A bit of chalk water got on her, which she wiped away quickly.

Rudy walked in behind her. The drill scraped along as he dragged it with him. His head looked left and right. “Penny... Do you think this is the Twisted Mountains?”

Penny glanced around. She holded her arms and tried to think. She supposed it was possible. But how would she know? She didn’t know how far down they were, or how long it would take to get to the surface and back down. Wasting time wasn’t an option. There had to be an easier way to identify this place. But how? Perhaps if there was a zoner nearby, it might be a tad easier.

Penny shook her head. “I really don’t know. I mean...this might be...” She looked around. “That zoner did mention a cave. We must be in a lower part of the mountains.” She furrowed her eyes. She glanced at Rudy, and then towards the ground. “But I am not really sure. The zoner didn’t give much information regarding the underground point, or if there was anything in front of the Twisted Mountains. We might still be quite a ways away and...”

Rudy held his hand up, finger pointing upwards. “Perhaps we should explore a bit?” Penny looked at him, perplexed. “I know we may not have much time, but...we do need to get that blue chalk and it seems exploring is our only option. But...” He frowned and looked at the ground. “Exploring might cause us to get lost, and that would kill even more time.” He sighed. “Are you sure there isn’t any clues? Anything we could use to find the blue chalk?”

Penny tapped her finger against her chin thoughtfully. There was one thing she hadn’t considered. “I suppose we could talk to the red chalk.”

Rudy let out a sigh. He really didn’t like speaking to the red chalk. But in this case, it was clear he was willing to make a compromise. “All right then. Let’s give it a try.”

Penny reached into her pocket and pulled out the red chalk. It had been quiet all this time, which she didn’t really mind. It was nice having some more peace and quiet from it, especially with how its attitude was before. She was still a bit angry with it, how it had spoken the way it had when Rudy was still recovering from the shock of what he did. If she could, she would just forego talking with the red chalk until after they get the blue chalk and get back. But sometimes, things just don’t turn out that way.

“Hey you.” Penny said. She didn’t really care if she sounded a tad rude with the red chalk. It wasn’t like it really cared what she said. “Do you know if there’s any blue chalk here?”

Despite having no eyes, it felt like the red chalk was staring at her. “Sense chalk. Might be nearby. Keep moving.”

Penny narrowed her eyes. That wasn’t exactly the type of response she wanted. She was glad that the red chalk might be able to locate the blue chalk, but it wasn’t like it gave directions. How was she going to work with ‘keep going’? There were multiple tunnels there. Surely the red chalk could be more specific than that.

“You will have to be more specific than that.” Penny said, her eyes narrowed. “I can’t work off of that. We need direction. Which way should we go?”

The red chalk said, “What wrong? Unable to make choice? Not so good.” Penny glowered at the chalk and tried to response. The red chalk cut her off. “Okay. We answer. Middle tunnel. Slight different color. Shaped differently. We sense presense.”

Penny looked around the room. She counted three tunnels. The middle one... That was the one the red chalk was talking about. Or was it? It didn’t seen particularly different. She walked over towards it, her eyes locked onto it. Rudy watched her from a distance, curious, but not making a move over. As she went over, she thought about what the red chalk said. Did it mean middle as in this one, or middle as in the one positioned in the middle of the wall?

She soon reached the tunnel and took a look inside it. It was a little smaller than the other tunnels. The others looked smoother, more cleaned out. They both looked as though someone took a large drill, one that was more efficient and better made than the one Rudy drew, and just dug out two tunnels here. The edges, though mostly smoothed out, did have some slight ridges to them. A drill could have very easily dug this tunnel.

The same could not be said about the middle one. This tunnel was hardly smooth. It had larger ridges, many of which looked sharp. It had a darker tone to it, and she could have sworn she could see a bit of smoke rising up. She took a few steps closer, poking her head inside. She put a hand over her mouth, trying not to breath in the horrible smell. She took a step forward and her foot hit against one of the ridges. She lost her footing and grabbed the wall to steady herself. As she did, her eyes widened and she let out a scream.

“Penny!” Rudy cried. He ran towards her. “Are you okay?!”

Penny didn’t answer him. She staggered back from the middle cave. She held her hand to herself, her fingers wrapped around her wrist. She clenched her teeth tightly, seething in pain and her eyes shut. That wall...it was so hot... Why was it so hot...? She let out a soft whimper as she reopened her eyes and looked at her trembling hand. There was no blood, but there was a bit of blackness on her palm. She touched it. She let out a cry and pulled her fingers away.

She took notice of Rudy standing next to her. She stared at him for a few moments. She didn’t speak a word still, her mind still racing from what had happened to her. She looked back at the cave. That smell... She took a few more whiffs. Yes, she recognized this smell. Some kind of burning. She took a closer look at the walls and saw that there were some red spots on them. Not blood, but embers. Her eyes widened in realization at this. The tunnel here had been dug out by something hot. A large torch perhaps? Or a drill that was set on fire?

And with how much heat was still being given off, this meant one of two things. Either this tunnel was drilled very recently, which would mean that someone else was here in the caves with them. Or, it could mean that the item used to create this tunnel was intensely hot and burning, so much so that even after an extended period of time, it was still hot to the touch. She shuddered, wondering for a moment just how hot the drill had been, if that were the case.

“Penny?” Rudy placed a hand on her shoulder. She jerked back in surprise, then looked over at him. Rudy flinched and said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He was silent for a moment. He looked towards her hand, which still shook slightly in pain. “How are you?”

Penny looked at her hand. She lifted it up, turning it over so she could see her palm. The blackness was gone, replaced with a shade of red. She gingerly touched the skin, flinching at the stinging pain. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to use this hand for a while. I need something cold.”

“Nihilanth. Cold enough.” The red chalk said in a dark joking manner. The two teenagers glared at it. “Need sense of humor.” It responded dryly.

Ignoring the red chalk’s comment, Rudy said, “I can draw something for you. Some ice perhaps?”

Penny shook her head. “No, I don’t think that’d work. It might distract me from being able to do anything, and if you need my help...” Penny’s voice trailed off. She lowered her gaze, her mind’s gears churning as she tried to think of something. Then she had a thought. “Do you think you can draw cooling gloves?”

Rudy tilted his head in confusion. “Cooling...what?”

“Actually, scratch that. Cooling suits.” Penny stated quickly. “We need something to travel through here. I don’t think it’s a good idea to just run in there unprotected.” She winced as she glanced down at her burned hand. “We don’t know how long the tunnel is. We may end up severely burned if we just dashed up there.”

Rudy seemed to think about this for a moment. Then, realizing what Penny was saying, he nodded his head. “Okay, I understand what you mean.” He shook his head when he looked at the burning tunnel. “I can’t help but wonder if Jenny or Nihilanth did something to make it this way.”

“It could be, but we don’t have time to worry about how the tunnel is like this.” Penny said. She pointed a finger in the boy’s direction. “Quickly, draw those suits so we can get up there!” She didn’t like sounding so bossy, but they did have to hurry and leave. If Nihilanth found another vessel...

Rudy nodded his head, narrowing his eyes in understanding. Wordlessly, he raised his magic chalk and began to draw swiftly. Penny watched him as he flicked his wrist from side to side and around. Lines filled the air swiftly, taking shape and form. A short while later, a suit, pale blue in color, clear, fell to the ground. Before Penny had time to say anything, Rudy went to work with another suit, creating it just as quickly.

Penny walked up to the outfits that Rudy just finished drawing. They appeared to be thin yet strong. So they were lightweight, which was good. But the material Rudy chose seemed to be heat resistant, and there was a thin layer of water inside, which would provide some method of cooling down. The material seemed strong yet flexible, which is what they needed if they were going to get through the sharply edged tunnel. She looked over and saw that, already, Rudy was putting his suit on. Glancing down at the remaining one, she grabbed it and proceeded to slip it on.

After she got the suit on, Penny said, “Okay, now we just need to...”

But something stopped her.

“Where do you think you’re going?” A cold voice asked.

Rudy and Penny froze where they stood. Their eyes widened and mouths dropped open. No, it couldn’t be... They couldn’t have found them that fast, could they? Slowly, the two of them turned around, hoping that it was someone else. Anyone else. But as soon as they made the full pivot, they knew that this wasn’t the case.

There, standing right before them, were the two zoners that were chasing them before. Both of them had their eyebrows furrowed in anger, their lips curled back into a snarl. They had a shine of satisfaction in their eyes, but no smile. Not even the faintest of hints. Their posture showed malefic intentions, taking a few steps towards them. Even from this distance, Rudy and Penny could sense the burning sensation of their auras, fitting perfectly well with their hostile postures.

Penny took immediate notice of what they were holding. Her eyes widened in horror. Maces. Large, steel, razor sharp spikes... There was no mistaking what these zoners were going to do with them. Penny began to wonder if they had any idea what kind of damage they would cause with those weapons. She thought that they were just going to have them arrested. But if they really were as angry as they looked, then they may resort to drastic measures. And from Rudy was forced to do... They had a reason to be so enraged.

The two zoners held the maces in their hands, slamming the handle against their palm in a threatening manner. Their heads were hunched over, shoulders up. They looked like they were going to charge them any second. Rudy and Penny gritted their teeth in fear, taking a few steps back.

“I think you will find it more...profitable if you come with us.” The football zoner said. He stared directly at Rudy as he said this. “By profitable, I mean you would appreciate it more. Trust me...” He narrowed his eyes into slits. “You do not want to know what would happen if you chose the other path.”

The magnifying glass nodded her head. “Yes, quite true.” She glared at Penny. The girl could feel the zoner stare practically into her soul. She took a few steps back, staring nervously at her. “What a surprise to see you here. Flirting with the enemy I see...” Her eyes practically glowed with hate. “I should have known we couldn’t trust you. The Luminos was right about you humans all along.”

Penny felt a pang in her heart when the zoner said that. Does this mean that they were going to run into even more trouble with these radicals? Of all the times, why did it have to be now? There were more important matters at hand. If they didn’t do something to stop Nihilanth, than these zoners were going to have a lot more to worry about than just a few ‘renegade humans’.

But if they were going to be as irrational as the Luminos had been in the past, she doubted that they would see reason. They both looked angry enough to tear them apart. It was a miracle that the two zoners were able to control themselves well enough so that they didn’t snap. But how long would that be? At any moment, they could lose control and chase them down. She and Rudy could make a run for it, but the zoners were already pretty close to them. If they run, the zoners would catch up to them before they reach far into the tunnel, and if those maces slash open their suits, they were in trouble.

“Tell me, Penny. Is this what you’ve been doing this whole time?” The magnifying glass asked, a growly tone to her voice. “Have you been planning with him behind our backs?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. I can see the cruel intent in this boy’s eyes.” The football zoner said. Rudy and Penny widened their eyes in shock at this statement. How could he say that? “I’m sure he’s thinking of ways to use the chalk against us.” His mouth ticked into a bitter smile. “Perhaps he wants to wait until I have my back turned, and then he will use the chalk to draw a butcher knife and sever my spinal cord.”

“What?!” Rudy cried in horror, taking a step back. “I-I would never hurt anyone like that!”

“He’s right! He wouldn’t...” Penny started to say, but was cut off.

“Oh yeah right!” The magnifying glass shouted, her eyes nearly giving off a glow. “Then what was he doing before? Acting? If that was it... Then I don’t think he did a very good job. Those dead bodies certainly are no hoax.” Her insane smile was rapidly replaced with a frown. She pointed her mace in Rudy’s direction. “Just what were you thinking ‘great creator’? When you swooped down and disemboweled a bunch of zoners in one sweep, just what was your logical thinking behind that?”

Rudy looked left and right. “I-I...I...”

“So you don’t have an answer, do you? I thought not.” The female zoner lowered her mace. The hostile look still shined in her eyes. “You’re disgusting... You claim to want to help us. You pose as our protector for years..and you do this! You’re a filthy traitor!”

Penny felt her stomach burn in anger at this. How dare she accuse Rudy like that... And what made her even angrier was the fact that this zoner knows better than that. She knows that Rudy was used like a vessel. She knows it wasn’t his fault. And yet, here she was, throwing accusations at Rudy, ignoring what she already knows. She was disgusting.

Penny, ignoring the mace now facing in her direction, ignoring the warning growl she got from the magnifying glass, took a few steps towards the female zoner. She soon towered over her, showing no fear towards her. The female zoner glared back at her, the football zoner preparing to attack just in case Penny attempted to try anything. Penny formed fists with her hands, shaking them at her side. She then jerked one hand into the air and jabbed a finger in the zoners’ direction.

“How dare you..how fucking dare you! You know full well this isn’t his fault! Rudy didn’t ask for this to happen! He didn’t beg Nihilanth to take control of him! He didn’t ask to become his vessel! He didn’t beg Nihilanth to kill anyone! He’s just as much of a victim as everyone else! Do you really think that, if Rudy found a way, that he would just continue letting Nihilanth use him like a fucking toy?!”

The two zoners stared at Penny in surprise. They narrowed their eyes again and growled, but remained silent otherwise. They took a few steps back, their piercing eyes boring through Penny’s. She ignored the uncomfortable feeling, wanting to say a bit more to these zoners.

“I can’t believe you two! I thought you would be smart enough to know that if Rudy was controlled, he didn’t actually do anything! He was corrupted by Nihilanth! Possessed by Nihilanth! Used like a tool by Nihilanth! If there’s anyone you should be angry at, it’s him! But instead, you come here, pointing fingers at him instead of focusing your attention on what actually matters! Why don’t you go back and help your friends and family? Or help us stop Nihilanth? Why waste your time trying to round us up when we’re trying to stop the problem? How can you be so irresponsible?!”

Penny panted heavily, seething in and out. She glared angrily at the two zoners, who stared back at her in shock. Rudy also stared at her with wide eyes. He looked like he wanted to speak, but couldn’t find the words to say. He remained silent, his teeth slightly clenched. Penny paid little attention to him, her eyes soley on the two zoners before her. She had no idea if her words got through to them or not. Her head buzzed with the emotion of anger so loudly, that it was hard for her to tell immediately if the zoners realized their mistake or not.

As seconds passed, and Penny’s mind cooled down, she realized that it didn’t seem as though her words got through to them. At least not completely. There was some hint of regret in their eyes, their expressions softening up. But their posture was still aggressive, still looking as though they really want to hurt them, or at least arrest them. Their teeth bared, they lowered themselves a little, as if they were preparing to launch an attack against them.

“Do you understand?” Penny asked hopefully. She made an effort to sound calmer, knowing that her agitated voice would only serve to provoke the zoners even more. “Do you know now why what you are doing is wrong? Wasteful? Don’t see you see now what you should be doing?”

An awkward silence. Eyes narrowing further, showing no sign of regret. The two zoners did nothing to change their postures. They just glared at her and Rudy. If anything, her words were agitating them even more. Penny bit her lip. She thought about speaking again, but decided against it. She stood there and waited to see what would happen. Perhaps, if she remained silent and not provoked them any further, maybe they would see reason and calm down.

But that turned out not to be the case.

“How dare us? How dare you!” The magnifying glass zoner shouted at them. “Excuse me?! You’re mad at us?! We didn’t go around slaughtering innocent zoners! We didn’t go around, trashing our home, trying to enslave our kind! That was all his doing!” She pointed at Rudy. “If he really didn’t want to harm us, then why did he allow Nihilanth to control him?! Why didn’t he fight back?!”

Rudy narrowed his eyes. “I did fight back! You don’t even know....”

“Oh, we’re sorry. Of course we don’t know!” The football zoner said sarcastically. He swung his mace around, fast enough that the air flowing over the metal made a swooshing sound. “We don’t know why you would do such a thing. We don’t know why you would turn against us like that.”

“I didn’t!” Rudy cried.

The football zoner narrowed his eyes further. “Don’t give me that, you traitor.” He tilted his head to the side, a stern, half smile on his face. “You don’t go around sympathizing with the black chalk artists just because they are controlled, now do you?” He shook his head. “Of course you don’t. It’s because you know they are still at fault and should be dealt with. So then...” He took a step forward, holding his mace out threateningly, the spikes shining in what little light there was. “How is what we are doing wrong? We are merely doing what you would have done, if you hadn’t turned on us, ‘great creator’.”

Rudy gritted his teeth. He stepped forward. His stance became slightly more hostile. “How can you blame me for something I didn’t do? Well yes, it was my body.. But as Penny here told me...” He glanced at Penny for a moment. Then he looked back at the zoners. “It’s that I shouldn’t blame myself. It was Nihilanth who decided to do those things. Not me! Why can’t you see that?”

“Oh we do see. Don’t worry. We do.” The magnifying zoner said. She gave Rudy a sideways glance. She had a smile on her face. It was unnerving. Somewhat friendly-ish, but clear malific intentions behind them. She looked as though she wouldn’t care if she ripped out his throat with her mace. “What we would like to know is..how come you didn’t fight back harder? We know you’re a more strong-willed person than you let on. Are you telling us you are really pulled along so easily by some stupid black chalk?”

Penny growled, “You have no idea just how strong the black chalk is.”

The magnifying glass zoner chuckled bitterly. “Why that might be, it doesn’t change the fact that Rudy could have still fought back. My...partner and I were starting to wonder, if Rudy is still being controlled now. And if not, if he still has some influence from the chalk. You can’t just have all that evil energy inside of you without it changing you.” The magnifying glass sneered, grinning darkly. “Trust me, we would know. We’ve had a taste of something like that before.”

Penny’s eyes widened. What were these zoners talking about? A taste of what? Were they controlled before? Were they talking about the giant brain Skrawl built back when he was still an enemy? Were they referring to Mr. Cosmo and his mind control devices? Before she had a chance to ask, the magnifying glass continued.

“On top of that, we saw what he did in the Future Dome!” The female zoner snarled.

“You were in the Future Dome?” Penny asked, shocked. She hadn’t heard of many zoners going there.

“Yes. If you must know, I have a few friends who lives there.” The magnifying glass said. “I was just about to leave when I saw the ‘great creator’ here confront Craniac 4.”

“I remember that!” The football zoner said, backing her up. He glared accusingly at Rudy. “Craniac 4 happens to be...something of a friend of ours. So imagine just how angry and terrified we were when we saw you...” He jabbed his mace in Rudy’s direction. “..threatening him and then tearing him apart.” He closed his eyes and looked away. “We can still hear his scream in our heads.. Begging for help...”

The magnifying glass looked towards the ground. Her expression softening. "It was one of the most terrifying sights of I’ve seen. You just..kept going... Beating him up and tearing into him like he was nothing...all while in his human form.” Her shoulders shaking, she cast a glare at the horrified Rudy. “Craniac 4 wasn’t the only one you had harmed...”

A horrified silence fell among the room. Rudy and Penny remained silent. Neither of them had known about the attack on the Future Dome. It came as quite the shock. Both were horrified that his attacks had been more widespread than previously throught. They both had hoped for a moment that Rudy didn’t cause too much damage. But they were both just informed this wasn’t the case. Even if it wasn’t outright stated, the way the magnifying glass had spoken, it sounded as though Rudy had killed many zoners in the Future Dome. The thought was horrifying.

Those zoners were largely isolated from the rest of ChalkZone. Not completely; there was still communication. But they kept largely to themselves. Those zoners probably didn’t have as much knowledge of what was going on. So for Nihilanth to suddenly show up and attack the place... They could just imagine how terrified the zoners were. They would have panicked and tried to hide, not realizing just how powerful Nihilanth really was. If Nihilanth truly wanted, he could have killed any one of them.

They would have asked why Nihilanth attacked the Future Dome. But what would be the point? It was useless to try to insert logic into someone who was obviously insane. Nihilanth wanted to destroy ChalkZone completely. There was no sense in trying to reason with someone like that. They could only hope that the Future Dome wasn’t destroyed completely and that there weren’t too many deaths.

Penny spoke, breaking the silence. “Why did Nihilanth attack the Future Dome?”

“From what we heard, he...” The football zoner shook his head. “Why am I telling you this?!” He glared at Rudy. “Why don’t you ask him?! He should know! He was there!”

“I don’t remember a damn thing!” Rudy exclaimed.

“Denying it now?” The magnifying glass zoner growled. She hissed. “That is quite cold blooded... Let me guess. You can’t tolerate the guilt inside of you, so you’re acting like nothing happened. Oh how heroic of you!”

“Can you just answer the question?!” Penny snapped.

“We don’t know.” The magnifying glass zoner growled. “And frankly, it doesn’t matter. We wasted enough time talking here.”

“I agree.” Penny nodded her head. She was glad that these zoners seemed to be starting to see some sense now. “We should get going. If you want to come along, you can. But Rudy and I need to get the blue chalk and...”

“No.” The football zoner growled.

Penny stared at him, her eyes wide in shock. “No? What do you mean? I thought you guys were killing time.”

“Oh we are.” The football zoner nodded his head. “But we never said you were leaving to find some blue chalk.”

The magnifying glass zoner raised up her mace. “I think now is the time for you two...” She motioned with her other hand towards herself. “..to come with us. And please, try to cooperate.” She grinned nastily. “We would hate to resort to violence..wouldn’t we?”

The football zoner nodded in agreement. “Oh no, we wouldn’t.”

Penny gritted her teeth. She knew from the tone of his voice that he wasn’t being sincere. And now it made sense. It seemed like that they were both good friends with Craniac 4, enough to get angry when he was attacked. They would have been angry anyway, but when a friend of theirs was harmed, it became personal. They were furious at Rudy for harming a friend, and angry with her for not doing something about it.

But that did not dismiss their attitudes. They both knew that they were wasting time, but instead of offering to help, or even just leaving to do something else, such as help other injured zoners, they were fixated on getting them. This was going to set them back, and potentially blow their chance of getting Nihilanth. Just perfect...

But there wasn’t much more they could do about that. They had other things they had to do. If they waste more time talking, who knows how much more Nihilanth would be able to do... Even without a human vessel, he could still lay waste to ChalkZone and hurt other zoners. They needed to get Barney out of there, and now.

Penny glared at the two irrational zoners. She turned and grabbed onto Rudy. The boy let out a surprised grunt, looking at her, confused. She looked at him and said, “Let’s get going! We blew enough time here! Let’s just get that blue chalk and get out!”

With that, she and Rudy ran down the tunnel. Behind them, the two zoners stared in shock, clearly surprised by the sudden flee.

The magnifying zoner was the first to snap out of it. She shook her head and growled, “Oh no you don’t! You aren’t escaping us that easily!”

“You two shouldn’t have run!” The football zoner shouted at them. “You know that there are penalties for running away from an arrest!”

Penny and Rudy paid no attention to them. They focused on scaling up the hot tunnel. They still felt the heat, still felt it slowly start to burn them, prompting them to move quicker. They could hear the zoners start chasing after them, but they did their best not to pay attention. Right now, they weren’t so important to waste time on. As annoying as they were, they had much bigger fish to fry. If they became a big enough problem, they just had to draw a cage to put them in.

Despite how warm her suit got, especially her feet which touched the ground the most, Penny found it did the job very well. The sharp edges didn’t tear into it. No holes were being formed. She didn’t get a strong burning sensation, especially if she kept on moving. Despite how sharp and ragged the tunnel was, she and Rudy were making good progress, scaling several feet deep in a matter of moments. It was hard to tell how long the tunnel was, but she guessed that, so long as they kept up this pace, they would reach the other side pretty quickly.

Suddenly, before they could get much further down, Penny felt something large and heavy strike against her back. Her eyes widened in pain as something sharp sliced into her. She staggered forward, falling down onto one knee. She could feel something warm flowing from her back. Blood...

“Penny!” Rudy cried, grabbing onto her arm. He looked at her with great concern. “Penny, are you... Ack!”

Penny looked up, looking at Rudy with a pain-filled eye as he was knocked back. Blood poured from lacerations form his stomach. Penny turned her head a little more and she could see part of a handle. Her eyes widened as she deduced what had happened. The zoners behind them had thrown their maces at them to slow them down. This hunch was proven when she turned her head and shoulder to see the zoners approaching them.

“You should have just come with us.” The magnifying glass said menacingly. “You just had to do things the hard way, didn’t you?”

Penny’s eyes widened in horror. But it wasn’t the simple fact that the two zoners were approaching them threateningly. It wasn’t the injuries she and Rudy sustained. Something else caught her eye. Something that caused her to freeze in terror, her heart skipping a beat.

The two zoners chasing them...had blue chalk.


	179. Sometimes Fate Is Cruel

“So wait, what do you need to do?” Jenny asked.

Nihilanth’s voice buzzed around in her head. “Our plan is to head into the real world as soon as possible. The little traitor and his buddies won’t be able to stop us once we get in.” He paused for a moment. “But before we can do that, we need to get Craniac 4.”

Jenny didn’t understand. She didn’t see a need for that worthless zoner. The last time she had seen him, he was running away like a coward. What purpose could he serve? Then, she wasn’t one to question her master, and she knew that Nihilanth wouldn’t appreciate it if she openly argued with him. She just had to trust his judgment. If he says he needs Craniac 4, then she would help him catch him, even if she was confused about the whole thing.

“I don’t remember where I last saw him.” Jenny said, knowing that Nihilanth was going to ask her which way he went. “He’s probably still somewhere in the Solar Pillars. Maybe he’s running near a trap.”

“We’re kind of hoping he does not. We do not wish for him to get damaged.” Nihilanth said softly.

“Oh? And why is that? Jenny asked, raising an eyebrow. “He’s just a zoner. A few dents here or there wouldn’t kill him.”

“We cannot afford to let that harddrive of his get damaged.” Nihilanth told her. There was a slight tinge of anger to his voice. “If that gets so much as another scratch on him, he may be worthless to our cause.” He hesitated. “More worthless than he already is. At least if his harddrive works, he can make some kind of commitment to the new world.”

“His harddrive, eh?” Jenny asked.

Nihilanth would have nodded one of his heads if he still had them. He was currently inside her body; she had become his new vessel. The feeling was strange, yet empowering. She felt honored the share the same body as him, to serve him in a way she never thought she’d get the chance to. She didn’t understand why Rudy would reject this. Then again, he was never the brightest kid. She growled softly as she reminded herself that Rudy was the reason Cosmo was dead. If Cosmo were still alive, she was certain Nihilanth would have chosen him as a vessel.

Nihilanth said, “Yes. You see, we thought that his harddrive would come in use. It took us a few tries to figure out something. We went through a few ideas until we finally settled on something that seemed to work.”

“Is that why he was pretty banged up?” Jenny asked.

“Yes. We were...a little rough with him, we admit.” Nihilanth said. Jenny didn’t respond. It wasn’t like she cared, and neither did Nihilanth. “But it was all worth it in the end. If we didn’t experiment a bit on him, then we never would have found out about a remarkable use of his harddrive. But we forgot to take it out, so we must fetch it.”

“What use did you figure out for him?” Jenny inquired. She flinched, realizing that she asked that a bit too quickly. “I-If you don’t mind me asking of course.” She added, smiling nervously.

Nihilanth didn’t hesitate to give his answer.

“We found out that his harddrive contains..special properties that we can use for a portal. We haven’t fully figured this out, we admit. But it matters not. All we need to do is take that harddrive, ground it up, and mix it in with a piece of black chalk. Then your task, Jenny, would be to create a portal with it. This particular mixture will allow you to create a portal on any surface, so you will be able to make much larger portals. We want you to make a massive portal, so we may be able to bring in a whole host of new black chalk users. The more we bring in at one time, the harder it will be for our...guests to stop us.”

Jenny smiled at this. That was excellent news indeed. The more disabled those little brats were, the better. They could not compete with even just ten creators, let alone twenty or thirty or more. They would be completely overwhelmed. They might push back a few, but the shere volume of creators they could bring into ChalkZone would negate any and all efforts for them to be stopped. They would go to the Chalk Mine, no longer guarded or protected by Biclops. Then they can bring the magic chalk into the real world, and spread the word about this place. The damage would be irreversible.

She wished Mr. Cosmo were here to see this. He would have loved this. She had thought that it would have been him that would help usher in a new era. He tried, at least. But it was still so sad that he failed. She shook her head. No, he didn’t fail. It wasn’t his fault. It was Rudy’s. The little brat’s interference is what made Cosmo lose in the first place. Thoughts of the boy buzzed around in her head. The fact that he escaped them filled her wih even more anger.

Well if there was one good thing that came out of this, it was that it forced her and Nihilanth to realize just how much time they had been wasting. Time that could have been edicated to getting into the real world and bringing in more humans. Well, it was time now to rectify that. Soon, oh so soon, ChalkZone was going to have more creators than it would know what to do with.

“What are we doing after we bring in the humans, master?” Jenny asked. She tried to contain her excitement for how their plan was progressing now. She knew better than to get her hopes up. She learned this years ago, and it was reinforced now. “Are we going after Rudy?”

“No. We thought about doing that. But it would be more entertaining to just...let him struggle.” Nihilanth said. His muzzle ticked into a smile. “Don’t you think so?”

Jenny nodded her head. “Yes, that is a good point.”

Indeed, it would be more satisfying to watch Rudy struggle in the pile of his own failure. She would thoroughly enjoy watching him try to get the other humans out of ChalkZone, only to fail constantly. She knew that he stood little chance of stopping them. It would only be a matter of time before he would fall onto his knees, and the humans would barge through like a tidal wave.

All she and Nihilanth would have to do after that is plant the seeds of destruction. Not all the humans would be destructive, so she and Nihilanth would have to make sure they adopt an aggressive attitude. They needed to be sure that the right pathway was chosen, so both worlds would be weakened. Only when they were weakened enough could Nihilanth finally bring the two worlds together. After the merging, and after the two worlds break apart, Nihilanth would be able to create a far bigger, far better world than before.

Soon, the Origin Dark and Origin Light will be able to come forth and reboot the world from scratch. She hoped that this new world would live beyond the expectations of this one. The mistakes of the old will not transfer to the new. Then everything would be fine. If only those ‘guardians’ of ChalkZone would just see the bigger picture...

“We believe we figured out which way Craniac 4 has gone.” Nihilanth said. “Based on where you last saw him, and his trajectory, combined with knowing what this place looks like as a whole, we think we know the path of least resistance. That would be where he had gone.”

“Where do you think he went?” Jenny asked.

“The easiest path to take: the one that leads to the zoner dungeons. Opposite side of where you had kept that Horace Wilter fellow.” Nihilanth replied. “We should not be rude.” A small chuckle escaped his throat. “Let us go greet him...shall we..?”

Jenny grinned at this. Finally, she and Nihilanth had some direction they could go. She was getting tired of just standing around talking. Now, it was time for action. She did not speak a word, not wanting to waste another time. She began to move forward, heading down the corridor that would lead to the stairs, which would in turn, lead her to where their prey might be hiding.

As she walked down the hallway, past all the black lights on the walls that give a purplish hue, she could feel Nihilanth’s power surging through her body. It enveloped her, making her feel stronger. Her eyes felt warm and she knew that a glow was wafering around them, one black and the other white. She felt something grow out of her back. Something large, something long. And as she came up to a two-way intersection, the black light and her eye glows illuminated her enough to cast a shadow.

She now had a pair of energy wings jetting out of her back. She soon broke into a run, pounding her feet against the ground as she raced down the corridor. As she ran, her wings spread out. The movement of air over them helped her pick up the pace. Soon, she disappeared down the hallway completely.

sss

Snap, Mr. Longhorn, and Reggie headed down the hallway, not straying far from each other. They had been walking around for some time. Ten minutes or twenty... It was hard to tell. Time felt so muddled together. Any amount of time could have passed already and they wouldn’t have known. But trying to figure out the time was pointless right now if they couldn’t figure a way out of here.

The Solar Pillars was like a maze. They hadn’t found any pathway out, nor did they find any way downstairs, where the portal into the swimming pool was kept. If they didn’t find a way out soon, Reggie was in trouble. Not just him, Snap as well. Things would get even worse if Nihilanth found them wandering the halls. They can just kiss their asses goodbye if that happened. They didn’t even have a way to defend themselves anymore.

Jenny might find them first, though. Even though that wasn’t exactly good news, they could handle her more than they could that two-headed dragon. Maybe they could even gain the upperhand, find a way to subdue her and force her to tell them which way to go. True, she may not speak at all, refusing to divulge information so she wouldn’t offend her ‘master’, it was still better they tried to do something. The plan could potentially expose some details that they could use.

Snap sure hoped it would. He needed some good news right about now. He was still shaken up from what had happened. Being chased by Boorat was terrifying. Even if the rat wasn’t going to hurt him that badly, he still wouldn’t wanted him anywhere near him. It was too much of a risk. He didn’t know what Boorat was authorized to do, and he didn’t know what would happen if Rudy found out that he had escaped. A sharp pang tugged at his chest, knowing that his friend was still under the control of that...that thing.. and there was nothing he could do about it.

And his arm... He glanced down quickly at it, staring at the stub that remained. He clenched his teeth. A dull ache still radiated from the stump, spreading through what remained of his arm. The bleeding had stopped, but that was the only good news. The stump still needed to be treated, but after that, he would still need to adapt.

His heart began to clench as he realized the impact of what this meant. His mind went back to the events of Mr. Cosmo. He recalled how that man had nearly paralyzed his legs permanently. He had almost lost the ability to walk forever. The thought chilled him to the bone. Zoners lived forever except when killed by a weapon, disease, or another zoner, or even real world water. If they were to lose a limb or an ability, such as sight, it was permanent and they’d have to go on the rest of their immortal lives with it. Snap knew that he had to accept that, after all this is over, things weren’t going to go back to normal. He needed to learn how to adapt with just one arm.

The thought frightened him...

But for now, he would have to deal with that later. They needed to find a way out of here. Once they got out, then they could figure out the next course of action. Snap really wanted to get out of here. Even if it meant going through the real world... through that darn swimming pool, he would do it.

He looked left and right, noting all the lights on the wall. Black lights that barely illuminated the place. He gritted his teeth. Of course the black chalk artists would make much of their hallways difficult to navigate except to other black chalk artists. He should have known that they would have done something this clever. But it was no use complaining. Along with the others, he continued walking down the hallway, seeing now end in sight for the moment. He could feel the faint warmth of the black lights as they touched his skin.

They soon ran into what appeared to be a three-way intersection. The middle path went straight down, the black lights continuing along it. The paths on the sides, though, had regular lights on them for some reason. Snap wondered briefly if they chose the black light and white light areas randomnly as a way to confuse any potential intruders. He didn’t think long on them as he looked down both paths along with the others.

The two pathways looked the same at a glance. They curved back and almost appeared to be heading in the opposite direction. When they stepped closer to get a better look, he and the others could see that this wasn’t the case. The paths just winded a little. Unlike the hallway they were in, these paths were made of dirt. Solid packed, secure, and hard, but dirt nonetheless. The tunnel shapes were more rounded and wavey, suggesting that they had been dug out for some kind of purpose. Snap wondered what kind of purpose that might be.

But which pathway should they choose? This was going to be a tough decision. They couldn’t just stand around, doing nothing. They had to do something. They didn’t have the option of splitting up; one of them was going to be alone, as there were only three of them. The hallways looked too similiar...how were they going to be able to choose?

“What are we going to do now?”

Snap turned his head to Reggie, who had spoken. The teenager was leaning against Mr. Longhorn. His arm was looped over the man’s shoulders and he pressed himself against him. He had an odd gait to him, a result of one of his leg injuries that he had suffered.

Mr. Longhorn didn’t look at him. He narrowed his eyes, staring straight out ahead. He had sort of a far away look, but Snap could tell he was not daydreaming. He was in deep through. And that was proven when, moments later, the man spoke. “I don’t recommend splitting ways, but...it’s hard to tell which path is the right one.” He raised his head up. “We could continue down straight, but...” He glanced at the right path. “One of these paths...” Then the left. “..could lead us to where we need to go. They might even be safer routes.”

“It’s too bad that robot isn’t here.” Reggie commented. He gave a flinch. “He might have been able to tell us something.”

“Well he’s not. So we’ll have to make do without him.” Mr. Longhorn said. The voice wasn’t cold, but it was realistic and uncoddling.

Reggie casted a worried glance behind him. He then closed his eyes and lowered his head. “Yes, I know.”

Snap thought back to what Mr. Longhorn had told him when he was getting him up to date. He and Reggie had found Craniac 4 in the lower chambers. The description of the place made him think of the area he, Penny, and the others had been in when they were trying to escape Rudy. The robot had been badly hurt, having been captured by Nihilanth for some reason. The robot had been with them when they encountered Jenny, who had beaten Reggie nearly to death.

When she had taken them back in, she had locked up Craniac 4 in a cage elsewhere to deal with him. Then, thanks to his unintended interference, Longhorn and Reggie were able to escape. They found Craniac 4 and they ran through the hallways. At some point, Craniac 4 was lost, went missing. They don’t know where he could be. They weren’t able to go back for him; Jenny’s assault made that near impossible. By the time they even got away, Craniac 4 was long gone.

Snap hoped he was okay. They weren’t on the best of terms. And Craniac 4 did try to destroy Rudy years ago, and he threatened him and Penny. He had even cost him a bit of time when he was trying to find where Bardot and Draow were keeping his friends. But he didn’t deserve to be killed. If they find him, he would do what it took to help the robot.

Snap looked back down the tunnels. He could see the man’s dilemma, why he was having a hard time choosing. It wasn’t going to be easy deciding which way they should go, especially when they didn’t even have a map of his place. Not like Jenny would leave one lying around. He clenched his teeth at the thought of that vile woman, and how she had played with their heads earlier... Well at least she didn’t have the element of surprise anymore. He hoped that Penny came to the same conclusion and is on full alert for her.

He took a moment to study the tunnels again. There still didn’t seem to be anything different about the two tunnels. It was as if a machine was large enough to dig the tunnels at once. Perhaps they were better off going down the middle hallway, as it was the most familiar to him. The other two tunnels, it was hard to say where they led. For all he knew, they led to some other area of the building, or even down to places near the void below. He shivered at the thought, recalling what he had learned about that.

Then, as Snap was starting to turn around to move towards Mr. Longhorn and Reggie, something caught his eye. There was something moving along the wall. Something moving away from him. It was hard to see, and he didn’t know how he couldn’t have spotted it before. The shadow was kind of wavy, a side effect of the walls being uneven and jagged. It moved slowly up and down, and started to fade away as it walked dwon further. The shape of the shadow was hard to determine as it was distorted. The shadow alone did not reveal if it was human or zoner. He would have to get a closer look.

“What is that?” Mr. Longhorn asked. He had apparently seen the shadow as well. He took a step forward. He glanced quickly down at Snap before turning his head to face the shadow once more. “Snap, do you know what that is?”

Snap shook his head. “I don’t know.” He rubbed his head with his remaining hand. He pushed aside the sickening realization as he tried to think of a more specific answer. “It is possible that it’s Jenny, or Rudy. Or some zoner.”

“Perhaps we should head down the tunnel away from them then?” Reggie suggested. He turned his head towards the opposite tunnel. “If that’s who you say it is, I don’t think we’d stand much of a chance if we...”

“Or it could be a zoner in danger.” Snap commented. “We can’t abandon them if that’s the case.”

“Hmm... You both make a good point.” Mr. Longhorn narrowed his eyes in contemplation. Snap could practically hear the gears grinding in his head, smell the smoke that might as well be shooting out of his ears. “We won’t know unless we find out what that shadow is. Normally, I would agree to just leave in the opposite direction, but we don’t have a map here, and at least if we follow that..” Mr. Longhorn glanced back at the shadow, his pupils focusing on it. “We won’t be in for a surprise. We know they are there, but they don’t know about us. That might be the safest route.”

Snap whipped his head in Mr. Longhorn’s direction, his eyes wide in shock. “You want to go towards the shadow? The one that we don’t even know the identity of?” Mr. Longhorn, without turning his head, nodded. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“It’s a risk, yeah. But any decision we make has potential consequences, Snap. Some that we don’t even know would come.” Mr. Longhorn said. He turned his head towards him. “I’m just saying that if we were to head down this way...” He flicked his head in the direction of the shadow. “We would have the element of surprise. We could keep our distance, be quiet, and listen and see if that being is a friend or foe.”

Mr. Longhorn did have a point. Though Snap wasn’t certain he liked it, Mr. Longhorn did make a pretty good case. They could keep their distance and follow this tunnel. They knew someone was there, so that someone, if they were trying to trap them, they would fail because they would be alerted to their presence. He also knew that the man was right about every choice having consequences. He glanced down at his stubby arm, the result of his decision to run away from Boorat. His action had saved Reggie and Longhorn from Jenny, but it also had cost him a limb.

Snap nodded his head slowly. “Yeah... I see your point.” He looked at Reggie and Longhorn. “Let’s head down this way.”

Without another word, the three headed down the hallway. Snap was a little in front of the two humans. Reggie continued to lean on Mr. Longhorn for support. Snap felt apprehensive about going down the tunnel. He’d feel better if Mr. Longhorn hadn’t lost his chalk earlier. But at least there were three of them, and he wasn’t alone. That made him feel a little better. They stood a better chance if they were together, outnumbering whoever it was down this tunnel.

The three of them kept quiet. Even their breathing was tampered down, and their walking more deliberate. Just one misstep, one wrong act, and they could end up in big trouble. They had no idea if this person was friendly or not. Snap found himself hunching downwards a little as he walked. He was preparing himself to run, just in case he had to. He realized that such an act might be percieved as an attack if the person they were following spotted him. He took care to try to look nonthreatening, on the off chance that the person isn’t a danger to them.

Walking down the jagged tunnels was easier than it looked. Though there were a lot of sharp-looking ridges, and plenty of places for him and the others to kick their foot over and trip, the tunnel was surprisingly easy to navigate. Their cautious walking might have something to do with it. Snap still had a few close calls. Some edges would be higher than usual, and he would nearly snag his foot on them. Reggie and Longhorn faired a little better, which was no surprise, considering that Longhorn was helping Reggie to walk.

The quietness was eerie. Snap couldn’t even hear the other person walking, and he could only hear very faint sounds when he and the others took a step. The silence was numbing, pounding against his head. It felt like it was closing around him. This, combined with edging closer to someone whom they don’t know the alliance of, it filled him with a sense of dread.

The tunnel was lit by torches. He watched, from the corner of his eyes, the way the flames flickered back and forth. A mixture of yellow and orange, the fire illuminated the hallway, casting large shadows on the wall. This caused Snap to lick his lips nervously. The shadows were pretty long. If the individual were to stop and look just enough to the side, they might spot the shadows. But unlike their walking and noise, they couldn’t do a thing about their long shadows. All they could do was keep walking slowly, yet still fast enough so they don’t lose sight, and hope for the best.

The tunnel winded around a little, going from one side and to the other. It was possible the other path did the same thing, only mirrored. This went on for a little while. The turns were pretty broad, so they were easy to manuever around. The jagged edges slowly became more smooth, and hard, slowly kind of resembling the initial pathway they were on, ableit round and a little bit more earthy in appearance.

They continued to walk, slowly, quietly, deliberately. Their eyes were locked on the shadow in front of them. They still hadn’t gotten close enough to figure out just who this was. They still couldn’t even tell if they were human or zoner. But Snap was confident that, if they just edged a little closer, they might be able to get some answers without provoking them.

After a few more minutes of walking, Snap noticed that the edge seemed to end abruptly. He couldn’t see the light of the torches anymore after several feet ahead of him. He knew this could only mean one thing. The tunnel was about to dip downward, and sharply at that. He looked over at Mr. Longhorn and Reggie. They, too, had noticed this. They gave Snap a quick glance, a knowing expression, and continued to venture forth. Snap walked with them, his mind’s gears turning as he prepared for what they might find.

Soon, they reached the edge. They stopped, and took this moment to look down. The tunnel dipped down, like they had expected. There was an incline, enough that it was going to be problematic to walk without making noise. The person they were following was up ahead, but it was still hard to tell if they were friend or foe. They were too far away to identify, although Snap could have sworn he saw some kind of feature that made him think ‘perhaps this isn’t a good idea’. Still, they pressed on, going over the edge and, carefully, began to scale down it.

Scaling down the slope was not very easy. It was steeper than any of them had realized. Snap managed pretty well. He still had a few close calls as he did his best not to fall down. His feet still slipped once in a while. But over all, he did pretty good. Better than he thought he would, especially with only one arm. He kept his remaining arm out to try to offer some kind of balance as he kept his feet firmly planted. As he stepped down, he made sure to press his foot hard into the ground, knowing that if he wasn’t careful, he would tumble down the incline.

Reggie and Longhorn, however, had some problems. Since Reggie needed help walking and Longhorn had to help him keep his balance, the two of them had to go down the slope together. This task wasn’t as easy as it sounded, as they had to work in sync to make sure that their steps corresponded with each other. One wrong move was all it would take before they would slip and fall down. The idea was unnerving; from his calculations, Snap realized that if those two behind him tripped and fell, he would be caught with them, and they’d all fall down.

As a result, he would sometimes look over his shoulder to make sure that Mr. Longhorn and Reggie were doing well. He could see the expression on Reggie’s face as he held onto Mr. Longhorn’s arms. The wide eyes and clenched teeth. He was definitely afraid and Snap couldn’t blame him. Mr. Longhorn looked more determined. If he could speak without fear of getting caught, he would comment that he would do whatever it took to help Reggie down. He had Reggie’s arm in his grasp, pulling the boy against him, letting him use him as support.

Progress going down was painfully slow. Much slower than Snap would have liked. The slope wasn’t as smooth as it could have been either. Though much smoother than the tunnel they came from, it was not perfect. There were still a few nicks in the ground that had to be avoided, and a couple ‘potholes’ so to speak. He and the others did their best to avoid these sections, walking around them as they scaled down.

Soon they reached the bottom. The three of them took a moment to relax. Their leg muscles were a little achy. The incline was deeper than they thought and it took extra power in their legs to keep themselves from falling down. After they rested up, they resumed walking forward.

The pathway went straight ahead for a few feet before it veered to the right. As they moved forward, Snap realized just how dark it was. How odd.. Didn’t the pathway before have torches lit? Why weren’t there any here? He didn’t even see any black lights. As the tunnel curved, it just..went black. He could see the darkness practically creeping out from the edge. He flinched briefly at the sight, momentarily reminded of the black chalk. He and the others, although unnerved by the sudden darkness, still pressed forward.

When Snap approached the turn, he noticed something off. There was something clinging to the wall. He couldn’t tell was it was at first. He had to venture down a little deeper into the dark tunnel to find it. Moving through the dark tunnel did fill him with dread, as he was not able to see anything. There was faint light, but it was pretty far. Still, he fought against his fear, reminding himself he was put through worse before.

When he got close enough to the structure, he stared at it long and hard. His white eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. He soon realized what it was. The object in front of him was a wooden stick with a thick round end, hooked by a metal clamp. This looked the same as the torches that they passed before. His mind instantly clicked, and he realized what had happened.

The torches had been blown out.. But if that were the case..then...

No sooner did he have this thought did something shoot out from the darkness. Long and black.. And it wasn’t alone. Something else, white, came along with it. Snap barely had time to register when the two black and white things slapped against him. He let out a scream as he sailed back, slamming right into Reggie and Mr. Longhorn. The three of them fell to the ground with a loud thud. Snap groaned and looked over.

The two long things, which Snap identified as tails, slithered back. He realized they were glowing, which may have been the only reason he saw the black one at all. They wriggled like snakes as they moved across the ground and disappeared completely into the blackness. Snap and the humans stared silently at the darkness. Then they heard the sound of footsteps.

“What a pleasure it is to see you again...” A familiar voice snarled.

Snap’s eyes widened at that voice. He moved back, staring in shock. He turned his head. He could see an angered look in Mr. Longhorn’s eyes. He adopted a defensive stance, moving in front of Reggie. The teenager looked defiant, but still broken. There was an almost uncharacteristic look of fear in the boy’s eyes. Snap turned his attention back to the tunnel. He lowered his head and growled, not wanting to give this person a chance to catch him off guard.

From the tunnel came an all too familiar form. In seconds, Jenny stood before them. Two long tails swiveled behind her and a pair of wings jetted out of her back. The sight of this was startling. Horror tugged away at Snap’s heart. There was only one reason, one way, that this vile woman would have these features. And it was not good news.

Jenny had merged with Nihilanth. She...was his new vessel.

Jenny stared at the three with disdain. Her eyes seemed to almost glow in hatred. She didn’t look particularly pleased like Snap thought. He would have believed that she would be happy to see them because it meant she could have her chance to ‘toy’ with them. But this time, things were different. She clearly saw them as nothing more than an interference right now. She was more annoyed than anything, and she looked as though she’d rather turn and walk away.

She folded her arms against her chest. Her wings, Nihilanth’s wings, folded at her side, the claws arcing downward. It reminded Snap of Draow’s wings. He shuddered as he imagined Jenny using those wings to slice him up like Draow had. The way she looked at him, the way her wing twitched a little, it looked like she just might do that.

“I would have thought I didn’t have to see you again until after the show.” Jenny said. Her voice was nonchalant, but it sounded forced, like it was taking all of her strength not to snap at them. “I do hate being followed. I thought you ‘good guys’, as you like to call yourselves, would have thought better than to sneak up on me.”

When no one answered, that seemed to peeve her off more. She snarled, baring her now sharp teeth at them. She pointed a finger in their direction, her eyes narrowed into slits.

“Oh don’t give me that! Stop looking at me that way! I know what I’m talking about! Up that slope, I saw you three! I could hear you! You followed me for a while! I would have thought that you three would get bored and leave. It wasn’t like I was doing anything exciting, and I bet you didn’t even know it was me. But nope, you decided to not mind your own business and continued to follow me. Well, I’m going to put a stop to that! I do not have time to waste on you. I have more important things to do. So I will make this quick!”

As soon as she said that, Jenny charged towards them. Her arms glowed, producing powerful dragon legs. The sharp talons were raised, poised to strike. Snap, Reggie, and Mr. Longhorn let out screams of terror before they moved out of the way. The claws slashed through the air, making a hissing sound, barely missing them. Snap grunted as he fell into the ground. He pushed himself up onto his remaining hand, shaking his head. He looked over and gasped.

Mr. Longhorn was on the ground, with Jenny at his side. The man tried to get up, but he reacted too late. The woman’s foot slammed against his side, causing him to scream and roll across the ground. He landed a couple feet away, holding his side in pain. Jenny snorted at him before she rounded at Reggie. The teenager scrambled to get up. He tried to get away, but the pain in his leg kept him from going anywhere. He fell back onto his knees, hissing as he clutched his leg. Jenny was upon him in seconds and she delivered a punch to his face, sending him tumbled onto his back. She stepped onto his chest and raised her claws, which Snap realized, in horror, were aimed at his throat.

“No!”

That was the only warning Snap gave before he charged towards the enraged woman. Jenny noticed him coming towards her and her eyes widened in shock. She didn’t have much time for a reaction when Snap slammed his right fist against her side. She shut her eyes and her body stiffened, a scream emitting from it.

As Jenny staggered to the side, Snap immediately bent down and grabbed Reggie’s arm. He gave a tug, pulling Reggie back away from the woman. Reggie held onto him, and he scrambled to his feet. As soon as he could balance himself, Snap let go and the two boys ran back away from Jenny. After they put in some distance, they turned around. Reggie remained by Snap’s side. The boy looked down at him with concern, and then glared at Jenny, clearly trying to show her that he wasn’t afraid.

Jenny gave a quick smirk of bitterness, which soon turned into a full on frown. She raised up her left arm, showing her claws to them in clear threat. She slowly walked towards them, her tails swishing from side to side. Snap stood his ground, as did Reggie. Despite both of them being badly hurt, they weren’t going to back down so easily.

Before Jenny had time to attack them, Mr. Longhorn rushed in from behind. Snap and Reggie widened their eyes in shock as Mr. Longhorn looped his arm around Jenny’s neck, putting her into a headlock. Jenny let out a surprised shout, her eyes wide with anger, and she started to struggle. Mr. Longhorn held onto her tightly, yanking her back away from the two. She grabbed onto him, digging her talons onto his body. He still did not let go, enduring the pain in the name of keeping Reggie and Snap safe from her wrath.

Snap couldn’t help but feel impressed by this feat. Jenny was no pushover. For Mr. Longhorn to be able to hold onto her like that, to endure the claws raking up his body... The man refused to let go. He was clearly in pain, but he did not relent, no matter how deep the wounds got. He dragged her back further and, mustering as much strength as he could, he threw her against the wall. He grabbed her shoulders and pinned her there. To hold her in place more securely, he kneed her, pressing it against her stomach. He and Jenny growled at each other, pushing against each other for dominance.

Mr. Longhorn looked at Reggie and Snap. “You two! Hurry up! Before she...”

Before the man had time to finish his sentence, before Snap had a clue on what Mr. Longhorn wanted him to do, Jenny freed a hand and slashed him across the fash. Reggie and Snap watched in horror as blood splattered along the man’s chest, originating from long gashes now present along his neck and across his shoulder. The man screamed in pain as Jenny jerked her hand to the side, blood dripping off the claws.

For a moment, Mr. Longhorn just stood there, his body frozen, quivering. He stared at Jenny in shock, not expecting her to be able to do that. Jenny gave him a satisfied smirk before she struck again. The claws raked across his face, forcing another scream from him. The man tumbled back, his hand over his face protectively, hissing in pain. Jenny kicked him between the legs, forcing him into his knees. The two locked eyes for a few moments before she slammed her knee against his chin. The force was not enough to force him into his back, but it was enough to give the woman time to attack again with her claws. A scream echoed on the walls of the tunnel as she slashed him along his arm, spilling his blood.

Mr. Longhorn got up shakingly to his feet and staggered back. He looked at his arm, his eyes wide in horror as he saw Jenny charge towards him. He didn’t have time to react as she knocked him into the ground. As he laid there, she pressed a foot against his side. She twirled her right hand around, black smoke coming out of her side. It didn’t take Snap long to realize that she was going to manifest another weapon. He gasped in horror when she saw her create a long spear, the end tipped in some kind of clear, liquid substance.

Snap and Reggie tried to come over, but Jenny immediately seized them in her energy tails. She held them tightly, keeping them from escaping. Snap’s ability to struggle was inhibited by the lack of an arm and Reggie wasn’t having much progress either. With both of them trapped, Jenny turned her attention to Mr. Longhorn.

Jenny grinned wildly at the downed man, lifting the spear above his head. “You know, Mr. Longhorn... Have you ever been to South America? That’s home to all sorts of..very interesting creatures. I don’t suppose you’re familiar with phyllobates?” Seeing the man’s confused expression, she chuckled. “Oh I suppose not. That’s a shame. They really are pretty. A nice golden color...”

Mr. Longhorn attempted to get up. Jenny lifted her foot and struck down against his side. He let out a cry of pain. He seethed as he glared up at her. “I don’t know why you’re..talking about...South America right now...” He grabbed her leg and attempted to push her off of him, despite his pain. “What does..that..have to do with this?”

“Oh everything, dear.” Jenny said, sarcasm laced on her voice when she said ‘dear’. Longhorn growled at her, gritting his teeth. He did not speak a word, however, prompting Jenny to continue. “I told you I was not going to waste my time on you. I could have gone for a less potent poison to watch you suffer...”

Mr. Longhorn’s eyes widened in horror at this. Snap and Reggie exchanged looks of terror.

“But I figured, I’m in a hurry.” She pressed her hand against her chest. She made a posture that was a mixture of haughty and arrogance. She sneered down at Mr. Longhorn. “So why not go for the big gun? You see, dear...” Jenny lowered the speer close to the man’s head. He cringed away, turning his head to the side. “This is golden dart frog poison.” The man’s eyes widened further. “And in case you didn’t know, this is one of the most potent poisons in the world.” She spoke in a soft whisper, lowering the spear a little more. “All it would take is a single touch, and you’d be dead in seconds. Though if it touched me, well...” A bitter laugh. “Thanks to the fusion, I cannot be harmed by this pitiful weapon. It would knock me out, but that’s it. You on the other hand...” She narrowed her eyes slightly. “You will not be so lucky.”

Mr. Longhorn shivered in fear at this. His eyes locked onto the spear. He remained frozeon on the ground, clearly too terrified to move. Jenny smiled at this, keeping the poison-tipped blade near him at all times. She clearly knew that she has him pinned down. She lifted her foot from his body and began to circle him. The arrow never moved more than a few inches away from the man’s face.

“I did hope that I didn’t have to waste time killing. I have bigger fish to fry. You are hardly worth it. But when it comes to helping my master, I’ll do whatever it takes, even if it makes taking a life. I’ve strived to please, and look at where it’s gotten me.” Jenny spread her wings wide. “It’s given me more power than I could ever hope for. The Jenny that once felt vulnerable is gone! All I have to do is return the favor.”

“But that’s chalk poison...” Snap said, realization dawning on him. “You won’t be able to...”

Jenny chortled. “Nihilanth can create real world items as well. Oh it takes a lot of power, concentration, and he isn’t going to be able create for several hours after this. But..” She glared down at Longhorn. Snap and Reggie looked on in horror. “It’s going to be so worth it...”

“Y-You don’t have to do this...” Mr. Longhorn said. “We can work something out...”

Jenny stopped. She kept her side facing Mr. Longhorn. She withdrew the spear, fiddling with it in her hands. “True... We could. After all...why resort to violence when we can talk...?”

Snap watched, his body tense. He didn’t like the tone of her voice. She was talking like she wanted to negotiate, but her tone, it revealed another meaning. He looked over at Reggie. He saw that he was still wriggling free. Snap felt hope clutch at his chest. Just a little more, and the boy would be free. Jenny was too busy talking with Mr. Longhorn to really notice what the boy was up to.

He turned his head, back at Jenny and Longhorn. The woman hadn’t attempted to attack the man yet. Her facial expressions indicated she was going to talk more. But a part of him knew that she was just trying to get the man off his guard. But he dared not speak, thinking that it would just speed up his death if he said something. He could only hope that Mr. Longhorn caught onto this facade in time.

Seconds later, Snap’s fears were confirmed.

“But then... I’d rather just kill you.” Jenny said coldly. She raised up her spear.

“Wait! Please!” Mr. Longhorn pleaded.

“Time to rest, dear...” Jenny’s eyes flashed. “I hope you have a nice nap... It will be the only one you will ever have to take!”

With that, Jenny thrust her arm down, the sharp blade poised to strike. Mr. Longhorn let out a cry of horror and shut his eyes, preparing for the blow. But something else happened. Something that caught everyone offguard.

Snap couldn’t stifle his gasp of shock when Reggie got out of Jenny’s grasp. His eyes wide in horror, he cried, “No! Wait! Reggie, come back!”

But it was too late. Reggie ignored him, dashing towards the woman as fast as he could with his limp. Despite his injury, he was able to reach her at a remarkable speed. Jenny had time to turn around and couldn’t react before the boy slammed into her. The two staggered back, away from Mr. Longhorn. The man crawled away and got up onto his feet. Trembling, he and Snap watched as Reggie slammed the woman against the wall.

Jenny and Reggie snarled at each other, their faces close to one another. Jenny pushed back, but Reggie mustered up unexpected strength and managed to keep her pinned. He reached over and grabbed onto the spear. He began to pull on it, trying to make her let it go. Jenny was not having any of it and she struggled with him for the spear. For several moments the two wresteld one another, clamoring for control of the poisonous weapon. Snap and Longhorn wanted to do something to help, but both were afraid of accidentally killing Reggie with the poison, or even hurting themselves.

Then, suddenly, Reggie jerked the spear down and to the side. He used enough force to rip it from Jenny’s hand. The woman let out a cry of pain. In seconds, there was clear blood flow dripping onto the ground. Snap and Longhorn looked on in horror. Who had been slashed? Their hearts clenched and they took a few steps forward, reaching their hands out in concern.

They felt a wave of relief wash through their bodies when Jenny staggered to the ground. Her head wobbled as her body swayed from side to side. She looked at them, a faraway look on her face. She glared hatefully at Reggie and opened up her mouth to speak. Then, color fading from her face, she collapsed to the ground. Snap walked up to her and knelt down. He placed a hand on her neck. He could feel a weak pulse. He turned his head towards Reggie.

“That was a really reckless thing to do.” Snap said, his voice somewhat authoritive. “You could have gotten hurt.”

Reggie nodded his head. “Yeah, I know...”

Snap then smiled. “Well that was still pretty brave of you.”

Mr. Longhorn placed a hand on Reggie’s shoulder. “Yeah. You really gave her a run for her money.” Reggie gave a small smile at this. “Thanks for saving me.”

“You’re we...” Reggie stopped, his body stiffening. His eyes bulged. “I...I..”

“Reggie...?” Mr. Longhorn asked, his voice laced with concern. “Are you okay?”

Snap took a few steps forward, holding out his hand. “Yeah...you don’t look so well..”

Indeed, Reggie’s face was starting to pale up. Color leaked from it rapidly. Snap felt his heart clench as he watched the boy stagger, unable to keep his footing. What was happening? Just moments ago, he had been fine. Well..as fine as he could be with those wounds the woman gave him. But now it looked like he could barely even stand up. What caused the change? He couldn’t possibly have been....could he...?

Mr. Longhorn and Snap soon saw the reason for the boy’s distress. As he limped to the side, the spear slipping through his hands, they saw a long cut along his side. Somewhat shallow, blood leaked from it. The two stared at this, and their hearts skipped a beat when they realized what had happened. The boy had been poisoned.

“No...Reggie!” Snap cried.

Reggie stared at the two. His eyes grew unfocused and began to cloud. He staggered forward, his body trembling. He let out a scream of agony before he collapsed to the ground. Longhorn and Snap knelt by his side. The man grabbed him and shook him gently. Reggie let out a soft ground as he looked up at them. His cloudy eyes remained opened for only a few seconds before they rolled back into his head.

Snap shook his head in denial. No, it couldn’t be... He may not have been friends with Reggie, but he..didn’t want something like this to happen... He knelt down by his side, scooting as close as he could to him. He felt around Reggie’s neck with his trembling right hand, searching frantically for a pulse. He choked back a cry as he slowly looked up at Mr. Longhorn. The two of them exchanged sorrow-filled glances, the horrible truth seeping through their bodies.

Snap glanced back down at Reggie, staring at his now unmoving form. He looked from side to side, his eyes filling with tears. The horrible truth sank in, making his body tremble in emotion.

Reggie was dead.


	180. That Cold And Sharp Feeling

Snap couldn’t believe it. His mind raced, his brain trying to comprehend what happened. He stared up at Mr. Longhorn for a moment, his eyes holding a pleading look. It couldn’t be true... It had to be some kind of sick joke. This couldn’t be happening...

Mr. Longhorn lowered himself onto one knee, bringing his shaking hands down towards the boy’s unmoving body. Snap watched as Mr. Longhorn lifted Reggie off the ground, laying him across his lap. He reached up with his hand, gently stroking the boy’s hair, his fingers running through it. He moved his hand down towards his cheek, lightly tracing his fingers over it, before they came to his neck. He pressed his two fingers against the kid’s throat and waited. His eyes shut and his head became downcast, and Snap knew what that meant.

Him not feeling a pulse before wasn’t some trick. It wasn’t a misinterpretation. He hadn’t been wrong. And this realization sent cold chills up and down his spine. He couldn’t believe it... Why did this have to happen...? It..it couldn’t be true, and yet it was. He stared down at Reggie’s still form. He noted the lack of chest movement, his face unusually pale, and he knew what it had meant. The poison had got him.

Snap could feel his body shaking in emotion. Tears formed in his eyes. He stared down at Reggie’s dead form, his racing mind trying to fully accept what happened. Reggie... He may not have been a friend but he still felt horrible for what happened. He did want Reggie to learn his lesson years ago. But this..this isn’t what he had in mind. He never wanted Reggie to get hurt like this. And now, in an effort to help him and Mr. Longhorn, Reggie had been dealt a fatal blow. He had given his life to offer them a chance at beating the vile woman, Jenny. Snap recalled how, as a kid, Reggie rarely showed any acts of selflessness. How things can change...

Now he and Mr. Longhorn had to decide what they were going to do next. They couldn’t just leave Reggie’s body here. But what of Jenny? If they leave her and come back and she’s gone, they would have blown their one chance at stopping her. Reggie’s death would have been in vain. But then... What if something happens to his body while they are gone? What if it’s stolen by wild predators? Not only would that cause more zoners to become sick or even die due to the fact that Reggie is from the real world, but it would mean less of a chance of Reggie getting a proper burial.

Snap narrowed his eyes. His counterpart, Alt-Snap, from the dark dimension may not have had a chance to get a proper burial, but he was going to make sure Reggie had that chance. It was the least he deserved after what he had done.

There was only one thing he believed they could do. Both Reggie and Jenny would have to come with them. They needed to get Reggie into the real world where he could be dropped off somewhere that he could be found. Then they could take Jenny...

Snap paused for a moment. He recalled that Nihilanth can’t go into the real world without a human form of some kind. He had to wonder... just what kind of condition did the form have to be in? Did it not matter, or did Nihilanth require a conscious host? There was really no way for him to tell offhand. There were no clues that supported this. He tried to think back to what Mr. Cosmo’s note said, trying to see if there were any clues there he had forgotten about all this time. Perhaps there was something there that could clue him in on something.

He then recalled Mr. Cosmo stating that, based on what he’s heard, there was a chance that Nihilanth did need a ‘live’ form. By that, he didn’t mean dead, but rather awake. Something about how the consciousness of the two must be sync in order for him to pass through. If he and Longhorn could take Jenny through the portal, then they might be able to ‘unsync’ her from Nihilanth and get him out. And if Nihilanth were caught outside of ChalkZone with just a zoner vessel, he would be in a lot of pain and retreat back into ChalkZone. Then they could lock Jenny out so she can’t get back in, depriving Nihilanth of that option for a vessel.

However, they wouldn’t be out of the woods just yet. Even if, somehow, that worked, they still had to deal with Nihilanth afterwards. They needed a way to separate Barney from his body. He still wasn’t entirely sure how they were going to do that. It was possible, but still rather difficult. He would need more information. If only he could figure out where Penny was.. Maybe she’s figured out something.

It would be even better if he could talk to Rudy, but that was going to be problematic. Rudy was still under the control of the black chalk. Though he was ecstatic that he was separated from Nihilanth, a fact that didn’t register with him completely before as he was too busy trying to survive Jenny’s attacks, he knew this didn’t mean Rudy was on their side again. Rudy was corrupted by the servant light first. Separation only meant he didn’t have access to Nihilanth’s abilities; it didn’t mean he was no longer a threat. They needed to figure out a way to help bring Rudy out of that mind hold he was in. But how...?

Well they would have to figure out something later. He glanced down at Jenny’s unconscious form for a few seconds. He knew that she wasn’t going to stay knocked out for long. He turned his gaze back down to Reggie. Even if they were to find shelter for his body so they could pick him up later, he wouldn’t feel right about just leaving him there. It would be disrespectful.

“What do you think we should do, Snap?” Longhorn asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Snap managed to control his torrent of emotions so he could have a conversation with Mr. Longhorn. “I think that if we take Jenny into the real world, it may cause her to separate from Nihilanth. But only if she’s brought into the real world unconscious. We will need to find that portal, or a piece of magic chalk. Preferably not one of the kinds that will try to tear us apart..” He shuddered.”

Mr. Longhorn raised an eyebrow. “So you believe that things will go in our favor if we get Jenny into the real world while unconscious?”

Snap nodded his head. “I don’t doubt Nihilanth is awake most of the time. But he isn’t able to do anything when his vessel is unconscious, not even flip back.” He looked at up Mr. Longhorn. It probably takes more effort out of him than it is worth it. So he refuses to do it under most circumstances.” He paused for a moment, then continued, “The fact that he’s awake, but not Jenny, means there’s an imbalance, and crossing dimensions would upset that. I’m..not sure if it’ll work, but it wouldn’t hurt to try it.”

“Come on, we need to get going then...” Mr. Longhorn said. He set Reggie on the ground, standing straight up. Snap watched as Mr. Longhorn winced, holding his shoulder, seething in pain. “If we don’t do something about Jenny soon...”

Snap glanced down at Reggie’s form. “What about him?” Surely, the man wasn’t actually thinking of leaving Reggie there, right? He couldn’t be heartless.

Mr. Longhorn stared at Reggie. Closing his eyes, his expression softened up slightly, then he shook his head from side to side. “I’m sorry, but without magic chalk, I don’t think I can take him with. It will be hard enough for me to carry Jenny. In case you haven’t noticed, Snap, I’m not that strong.” He opened his eyes and stared down at Snap. “Taking Reggie with would slow us down.”

Snap stared at Mr. Longhorn in shock. His heart started to pump a little faster. The man couldn’t be serious, could he? He couldn’t be considering leaving Reggie’s body behind. That...that wasn’t right. Slowly, his eyes narrowed as he felt a small burning sensation in his stomach. Mr. Longhorn stared down at him, remaining unusually calm as Snap glared at him.

“Are you kidding me?! We can’t do that! What if someone...?” Snap started to say.

Mr. Longhorn raised his finger up. “You didn’t let me finish, Snap.” He said in a calm voice. Snap stopped speaking, but his glare was still directed at the man. He hoped he had a good reason for why he wanted to leave Reggie behind, outside of ‘being slowed down’. He had a hard time believing that Longhorn was as weak as he said. Longhorn said, “I didn’t plan on leaving Reggie there. I was going to find his body shelter. We can come back when we take care of Nihilanth.”

“But why leave him behind?” Snap asked, disgruntled.

“It might be more dangerous to bring him with.” Mr. Longhorn said. “What if we run into one of the enemies? They would think Reggie was still alive, and rip his body apart. Then we’d have no choice but to leave him there because his body would be so torn up, it would be impossible to carry him back.” He gave Snap a sideways glance. “Neither of us would want that, now would we?”

Snap opened his mouth to respond, but he quickly closed it. He hated to admit it, but the man was right. He hadn’t thought of the possibility of being chased down by enemy zoners. If they were unlucky enough to encounter an evil zoner here, or even a mind controlled one, neither of which would surprise him that much, then there was a chance that Reggie’s body would be mistaken for unconscious and would be targeted. Or it would be targeted anyway just out of spite. Perhaps it was best to hide Reggie.

He glanced down at the boy, his lower lip quivering. He was still in shock of what happened, still unable to believe that this happened. A few tears dripped from his face. He knew how harsh life can be. But sometimes, he was given a cruel reminder of that, such as now. It was unfair for Reggie having to die like that. And what a painful way to go, too. He shuddered, feeling pangs of empathy, as he thought of how he was poisoned. Reggie’s expressions reminded him of when he was venomized by Bardot. Having been through a very similar pain made him even more sympathetic.

And what was he going to tell the boy’s parents? It..it wasn’t going to be easy. The thought filled him with dread. He could only imagine how heartbroken they will be when they find out. But..he knew it had to be done. Someone had to tell them what happened to their son. He couldn’t just hide this information from them. He made a resolve to be the one to tell them. As soon as he had an opportunity, he’ll send out a message to Mr. Bullnerd about his son, whether it be by letter or by person.

“We’ve wasted enough time here.” Mr. Longhorn said. He walked over and stood beside Jenny. He stared at her as he said, “We need to get a move on.”

Snap nodded. “But..how are we going to do this?” He asked, looking up at Mr. Longhorn with concern. “We don’t even have magic chalk.

Mr. Longhorn bit his lip. Then he said, “We’ll...figure out something.”

Snap could only hope that he was right.

sss

“Grr... Hold still, you piece of shit!" The magnifying glass zoner snarled, lunging forward and attempting to swipe at Rudy.

Rudy dodged to the side. Quick on his feet, he whirled around and slammed his foot against the zoner’s side, knocking her into the ground. Without saying a word, he charged towards her, tackling her into the ground. The two wrestled for a few moments. She landed a few punches on her. He endured them, reaching out with his hand and trying to grab onto the blue chalk, which was strapped to her side.

Before he had a chance to get it, the football zoner came running up to him. With the baseball bat he now held, he struck Rudy in his side. The teenager flew across the tunnel, crashing into the ground and doing a couple somersaults before he stopped. He laid there, groaning in pain. He lifted up his head, coughing a few times. He looked out towards the two zoners. Seeing them rush towards him, he got up onto his feet and jumped back, dodging their attacks. Rudy took in a few breaths, glaring angrily at them and keeping his defensive posture.

He didn’t know how long he had been fighting them. He didn’t know how long he could keep this up. He could only hope he bought Penny enough time. With her injury, she was going to need as much time as she could get to obtain a head start.

It had been difficult convincing Penny to leave. After he managed to get the maces too stuck in the walls to be of further use, he told Penny to run out ahead. She didn’t like the idea of leaving him behind, especially after having just reunited with him. But Rudy insisted. He believed that Penny could find some blue chalk. When Penny asked why not try to steal the zoners’ chalk, he said that focusing on two targets instead of one would increase their odds of getting the chalk. He promised to keep the two zoners busy so she wouldn’t have as much to worry about.

He did eventually convince her to leave, which he was glad for as it was getting harder to concentrate on talking and fighting at the same time. The football zoner had tried to stop Penny from leaving, but Rudy managed to keep the zoner’s attention on him, letting Penny slip away. And as time passed, he did whatever he could to make sure that these two zoners did not focus on anything else except him.

He got injured as a result. Cuts, scrapes, and bruises. But for him, it was worth it. He wanted to make up for what he did as Nihilanth. He wanted to make it up to the zoners for hurting them, killing them. He wanted to make amends with Penny and Snap, whom he felt like he betrayed, even though he understood it wasn’t his fault. He wanted to be the good guy again. He wanted to be the hero. And this was the best way to do that. Yes, he was fighting zoners, but only to slow them down, and for a good reason. If he let them escape and get Penny as well, then hope for ChalkZone would be dashed. This battle has gone on way too long, and it was getting close to time to end it.

“You traitor! We will make sure you get your just desserts! You won’t get away with turning your back on ChalkZone!” The football zoner snarled as he took another strike at Rudy. As Rudy dodged, the zoner’s lips curled up in a snarl. “Yeah that’s right. Dodge like the traitorous coward you are!”

Rudy jumped to the side as the zoner tried to attack him again. He grabbed onto the bat and pulled it forward. The football zoner growled and tried to yank it back. Realizing the zoner was not going to give it up anytime soon, and seeing the magnifying glass rushing towards him to swing her knife in his direction, it gave Rudy an idea.

Squeezing the bat as hard as he could, he yanked backwards. He mustered up enough strength to start swinging the bat around along with the football zoner. He soon released the bat and sent the football zoner flying through the air. He crashed into the magnifying glass zoner and the two tumbled into the ground. As they laid there, dazed, Rudy rushed over and attempted to take one of the blue chalk sticks with him.

But he had come over too late. As he reached over to grab the football’s blue chalk, the magnifying glass zoner gripped his hand and held it down. Before he had any time to react, the zoner slammed her knife in the middle of his palm. Rudy pulled his head back and let out a loud scream of anguish. He yanked his arm back, but the act caused the knife to slice across his hand, leaving a deep, bloody gash. Rudy staggered back a few steps. As the magnifying glass zoner helped the football zoner to his feet, asking if he was alright, Rudy cradled his bloodied hand to his chest. He looked down, his arm trembling as he took mental note of the wound on it.

“You know, you could have just made things easier and surrendered to us.” The magnifying glass zoner said in a cold voice. She pointed the bloodied knife in his direction, the tip coated in red. “That was on you.”

Rudy glared at her. He took a few steps back, still holding his shaky hand to himself. He flinched as he felt the cut start to sting him.

The magnifying glass zoner sneered at him, “Oh don’t look at us that way. You had it coming...you traitor.”

“For the last time, I’m not a traitor!” Rudy cried, his eyes widening a bit in anger. “You can’t possibly think that I would...”

“Oh good idea. Continuing to deny what you did. Brilliant.” The magnifying glass replied in sarcasm. “You know damn well what you did. I don’t care if you were ‘just his vessel’ ; it was still your body doing it. And you did nothing to resist!”

“But I...”

“No buts! There’s no excuse for you not to be able to stop yourself! If you cared about ChalkZone, you would have stopped faster! But no! You continued allowing Nihilanth to control you! Well then, Rudy...” The magnifying glass zoner said, her voice filled with venom. “By letting yourself be controlled, you are just as guilty as Nihilanth..”

“You’ve got to be kidding me...” Rudy breathed, unable to believe what he was hearing. Could these two zoners really be that dense? Were they honestly this stupid? They were going to base their assumptions on something like that? No wonder Nihilanth thinks zoners were worthless. He felt a cold chill when he had that horrible thought and shook it out of his head. The realization that some of that monster’s influence may have stuck with him chilled him to the bone.

“No...we’re not...” The football zoner snarled. He had recovered from his fall and was back on his feet. He swung his bat in Rudy’s direction threateningly. “We don’t want to kill you. We want to see you get sentenced. But if you force our hand, we will take drastic measures.” He took a step forward, striking the bat into the ground as if to send a clear message to Rudy. “Now..why don’t you hold still for us? It will make things a lot easier for us if you just keep still.”

Rudy narrowed his eyes. “Are you kidding me? Do you really think I’ll hold still? There’s no way I’m going to just lay down and not do anything while Nihilanth is planning on destroying this place.” He formed a fist with his uninjured hand. “I would have thought you two would understand that. I just want to make up for what I’ve done. I want to make amends for being controlled by Nihilanth...” He made a swift, cutting motion in the air with his hand. “But you two are standing in my way!”

The football zoner narrowed his eyes. “If you wanted to make amends for that, then you should have just come with us.”

“You could have been more selfless if you had just come with us. But instead, you are ignoring this and pretending like you still care.” The magnifying glass zoner’s body was shaking in rage. “Well I call bullshit on that! The last time we put our trust in you to stop Nihilanth, you became his pawn! Tell me, you little fucker. How can we trust you or your little girlfriend when you could easily come back as the enemy?!”

Rudy stood there in silence, glaring at the zoners. He tried to think of something to reply with, but he was too filled with anger to say anything. Though the two zoners might take this as a confirmation of their beliefs, Rudy didn’t care. He was too angry with them to think clearly at first. It took a few seconds for him to cool down before he realized what they were saying. He realized, to an extent, they had some kind of point.

It would be hard to tell if he was an enemy unless he did something. If Nihilanth and his black chalk extensions were convincing enough, they could fool the zoners. And even if they were bad at that, the zoners still had a valid point. He and Penny could be corrupted again, and be used as tools against the zoners.

Still, to him, that was not reason enough for these zoners to act the way they are. They were judging him and Penny unfairly. They were both just trying to help ChalkZone. Though it was more understandable with him, considering he was that monster’s vessel for a time, there was no excuse for the way they treated Penny. They were acting like it was her fault, stating that she ‘abandoned them’ or something. He knew Penny better than that. He knew that she wouldn’t deliberately abandon the zoners. If anyone was to blame, it was Nihilanth. He had chosen that time to attack to make it seem like Penny was at fault. He was a monster, a trickster, and he couldn’t believe these two zoners wouldn’t see that.

But it was no use trying to reason with them. They were about as nutty as the Luminos were. And he recalled just how hard it was to convince them to change their ways. It took an attack on their base and being temporarily trapped with Dr. Raiden before things started to change. But unlike the Luminos, he had a feeling that no amount of talk was going to convince these two zoners that they were being ridiculous.

“Well then... If you aren’t going to listen to reason...” Rudy’s eyes darkened as he adopted a hostile stance. “I guess I’m going to have to make you listen...”

“It would be our pleasure.” The magnifying glass zoner said with a grin.

With that, Rudy charged towards them. The two zoners stood their ground, preparing for impact. When Rudy got close enough, he pounced on them, his body colliding with them as they fell into the ground, wrestling with each other.

sss

Mrs. Sanchez groaned softly as she opened up her eyes. She was confused, and her head was spinning. She hissed as she soon became aware of pain, feeling it wrack through her body. She started to wonder just what happened to her to get her in this condition. She reached up, rubbing her head with her hand. The pain..it felt like she was slammed into the ground by something.

She shuddered when she felt her skin touch something cold. She looked around, her blurry vision coming into focus. It took her a little while longer than normal, but she realized that she was in some kind of cage. She was pressed up against some cold iron bars. Her skin made contact with them. It was as cold as ice. She shuddered, feeling as though the coldness was spreading through her body. And why did it feel so sharp...?

She looked around where she was being kept. She was hanging above the ground. She could feel the cage slightly sway from one side to the other. She looked down, wondering just how she got up here. She turned her head up. The cage had a strong chainmail link wrapped around and hooked to the top of it. The chain was looped over one of the rocky structures in the cave room and weighed down, keeping her up in the air. She was high enough that, if the chain broke, she would either be badly hurt or die from impact. Despite her misgivings about being up here, she was grateful that the chain was able to hold her up.

She looked around, trying to figure out just what cave system she was in. She couldn’t quite recall going on a trip to any caves recently. But seeing the cage upclose, seeing certain properties she knows would not exact, at least not in this form, in the real world, she deduced that she was in ChalkZone.

Upon that realization, her mind suddenly reeled, memories flooding back to her. She remembered now. She was on her way somewhere...though she couldn’t quite remember the direction she was going in... And something large attacked her. Swooped down and collided with her before she could do anything to defend herself. Her body was slammed and she lost consciousness quickly. Then next thing she knew, she woke up here, trapped in this cage, in this room that she did not recognize.

A shiver swept through her body. She grunted as she tried to escape it. She could feel it even when she wasn’t pressed up against the cold bars. Why could she still feel it? She thought it was the chilliness of the room. But no..that wasn’t it. It wasn’t that cold in here. Not to the point of having to need a jacket. As her muggy mind came into focus, she knew that the cold feeling had to come from somewhere else. And what was up with this sharp sensation that occassionally showed up, especially in her arms and stomach?

Wait... Didn’t Rudy describe the feeling at one point? Yeah...she remembered now. The feeling of using black chalk... There was a sharp feeling intermixed with the cold. Rudy described it as being forced to hold a porcupine’s quill with the sharp end pressing against his skin, and the quill was not only covered in ice, but it was small and there were, like, ten of them, spread all along his body. This sharp sensation...it seemed awfully similar... When she turned her head, her eyes widened in horror.

She had been right...

Mrs. Sanchez realized she was dangling in a black chalk chamber. She could see a bunch of black chalk ‘bushes’ in different places in the room. Some of them were directly below her. Though she was pretty high up in the air, she was still close enough that some of the influence of the black chalk was starting to get to her. This realization filled her with horror, and she frantically looked around, trying to find a way out.

She didn’t want to be that monster again... She wasn’t going to let it happen. She didn’t want to be that mad doctor, the one that tortured and killed the innocent. She didn’t want to be the bad guy again. Though she did not remember her time as a black chalk artist, she was not interested in creating new memories. She had to get out of here and quick.

But just how should she go about this? She couldn’t just cut the chains. Not only did she not have the means for that, but even if she could, she was so high up that the fall would kill her. She could try squeezing through the bars and climbing down, but there was always the risk of falling off. The chain, though strong, might be a little too smooth, and the pathway it headed wasn’t exactly a cakewalk. It was looping towards a cluster of stalagmites and stalactites that would be difficult to climb down without hurting herself.

She might be able to get out if she had a piece of magic chalk, but she didn’t have one at the moment. She could not remember if she had a piece before, but if she did, she no longer had it. Whatever attacked her knocked it clean out of her hand, or she dropped it when she was being lifted up. And now, here in this cage, she was too far away from any chalk to be of any use.

There was the black chalk, but it was too far away. Besides, even if she could reach it, there was no way she would use it willingly; she did not want to risk corruption. She remembered what her daughter told her of Rudy’s near-corruption years ago, how he grabbed the chalk but could not let go. She did not want the same thing to happen now. She did not want a repeat of that. She did not want to become the monster she was so long ago.

She could feel her heart pounding as she desperately looked for a way out. Left and right, she turned her head. She couldn’t see anything she could use. The bars were too close together for her to fit through. She had no items with her besides her clothing, and none of it was good enough to get her free. Maybe she could pick the lock, but what then? There was still the issue of the chain going straight across towards the cluster of sharpened rocks. That would be difficult to scale down without getting badly hurt. She wouldn’t be of much help to anyone if she got herself hurt.

There was one bit of good news in all this. She was certain this was the same black chalk chamber that Rudy had his initial encounter with the stuff. If that is the case, then she must be in the Chalk Mine. She started to remember now. This was where she was headed, because this was where her daughter was. Or so she thought. She wasn’t sure how long she was here, and depending on the length, Penny may have left already. She might even be back at the hospital, waiting for her. She wished that they had established some form of communication in ChalkZone. She had thought of it before, but never got around to it. She cursed at herself for not drawing some kind of cellphone she could use to call Penny up, or get a trace of her location. That would come in handy right about now.

Suddenly, she heard a loud thud. Thundering footsteps. The ground vibrating. She gritted her teeth and looked in the direction of the sound. Not far in front of her cage, there was an entrance. A rounded shape, with a dark shadow right below it, indicating that it went in much deeper than it seemed. She watched, waited and tried to see what was coming her way. She could soon see something else rising up from the cave.

Another shadow. Stretching and growing from the blackness, as if some kind of plant were sprouting from its seed. It stretched along the ground, forming some kind of shape in the stone below her. She still couldn’t tell exactly what it was at first. She continued to watch, her heart clenching in fear, waiting to see who her ‘visitor’ was going to be. She was worried it might be Draow. The shadow was large certainly big enough to be him. And as more of the shadow was revealed, she could see something rise up at both sides of the shadow. Wings... Whoever this was, it had wings...

Mrs. Sanchez hoped it was someone else. Anyone else. She knew how dedicated Draow was to the black chalk artists. She knew that her chances of escape shrank dramatically if he were involved. He would stay put and not only keep an eye on her, but torment her, and if she got out, she had her doubts he would show any mercy on her. But...if not Draow... who else could it be?

The woman soon got her answer. The shape of the ‘visitor’ was coming out of the light. The shadow itself became more recognizable and distinct. And soon, she realized one thing.

This wasn’t Draow.

A part of her felt some relief. But the other was terrified. If this wasn’t Draow...then who was it? Who was coming in to ‘visit’ her? She remained frozen, unable to move, barely able to breath, as the giant zoner came walking in. More of its shape was revealed. A long hooked beak. Large wings. Feathers covering most of its body. Large talons. It soon clicked with the woman. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized who this was.

“C-Courtney...?” Mrs. Sanchez spoke softly, her eyes wide in shock.

Courtney emerged completely into the room. She had her neck bent down, her head level with her body, back parallel to the ground. Her wings were partially outstretched. Even though they were not fully unfurled, the woman could tell just how massive the bird’s wings were just from that. The large condor walked in slowly, deliberately, her beak gritted like she had sharp teeth. Her eyes appeared focused and yet blank at the same time. The woman didn’t understand why until the bird looked up at her.

Mrs. Sanchez felt a lump in her throat. There was a nail in the middle of her forehead.. She could see a bit of blood trickling down it. Her eyes widened in horror. Those fiends... They had..they had captured Courtney and put a mind control nail in her skull... She could see how badly bruised the area around the nail was, indicating that she had put up quite a fuss when it was forced in. Questions ran through her mind. Why did they capture Courtney? What did they plan on doing with her? Did she have her mind wiped?

She felt herself torn from her thoughts when Courtney let out a warning hiss, spreading her wings. Mrs. Sanchez felt a quick shiver as Courtney locked eyes with her. The condor hadn’t made a move towards her, but the posture she made was threatening. It was clear what the condor was telling her. She had to stay put and quiet, or else she would take action.

Mrs. Sanchez realized that Courtney must have been placed here to guard her. Probably by Nihilanth, since he was the ringleader in all of this. Glancing around the room, taking note of the black chalk all around her, she had a pretty good idea why he wanted her to be captured, if he was the one involved in it. Even if it wasn’t him, she was certain that the reason for her kidnapping wouldn’t change. She saw no other reason to have her captured and placed in this room, of all places, unless they wanted to ‘get her back’.

Courtney lowered herself on the ground. She folded her wings to her side and she curved her neck in something of an S shape. She turned her head from side to side, her massive eyes looking like they were trying to find something. Mrs. Sanchez wondered if she was looking for Nihilanth, or whoever gave her the orders. She seemed..almost confused. It was hard to tell with condors. Limited facial expressions made it difficult to discern what mood she was in, unless the rest of her body gave away some details. But there was something about her eyes that indicated she was confused.

If she were confused, then it meant that Nihilanth, or whoever, didn’t arrive at the time of expectation. Courtney may have been waiting for hours, and ended up with a no-show so far. If that’s the case, then something must have happened. Perhaps Nihilanth was delayed, his mind drawn to other things. Perhaps he encountered Penny and...

Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes widened. “Penny...”

Oh no..Penny... What if..what if Nihilanth tried to corrupt her, just like he had with Rudy? What would happen if she were turned into a slave, the way Rudy had? She wasn’t sure what she was going to do if she were forced to face off against her own daughter. If a time like that came, would she be able to make a move towards her? If Penny showed up, corrupted and menacing her, would she have what it took to fight back?

“So...you want to help your precious daughter...?”

Mrs. Sanchez nearly jumped at that voice. No..not just a voice. A whole group of them, coming from everywhere. She looked left and right, trying to find the source of it. Courtney also seemed to have heard. Her head raised up off the ground and she was swiveling her head from side to side. The two of them remained silent, waiting, listening.

“Well..perhaps we can help you with that.”

At this, Courtney’s feathers ruffled up. Not in anger. Mrs. Sanchez been around enough birds to know that this kind of ruffling was from joy. At first, Mrs. Sanchez was relieved..until she reminded herself whose side Courtney was on at the moment, that she was mind controlled. An icy sensation shot through her heart. That sharp feeling was intensifying as she looked around. She had a feeling she knew just who was speaking to her. Trembling, she moved closer to the bars and peered down to try to get a better look.

It was hard to tell from up here, but she could have sworn she could see the black chalk flashing. She held her breath, realizing that the chalk was attempting to reach out to her. Though she was comforted by being held up here, she knew she shouldn’t get her hopes up. What if the black chalk could corrupt without physical contact? What if Courtney were ordered to pull her down and place her near a cluster? Her sense of safety was going to be shattered sooner or later, and she tried her best to brace herself for it.

“It’s been a long time since we last saw you... Inez..” The black chalk spoke. Mrs. Sanchez winced as she felt the voices echoing in her head. “Yes, way too long. We lost contact with you when you were a little child. Such as shame. You were one of our..greated creations. A child prodigy... Why, very few matched you.”

Mrs. Sanchez growled and turned her head to the side. “I’m certain you are happy with what I did.”

“But of course. Why wouldn’t we? You handled the enemy spectacularly. You showed skills not many had.” The black chalk said. “You enjoyed yourself quite a bit, too. You prided yourself in your skills. Of course... you can have those skills back, if you want.” The black chalk taunted. “Do you want them back, Inez?”

Mrs. Sanchez shook her head. “Keep your ‘gifts’ away from me...” She warned. She narrowed her eyes at the black chalk. “I want nothing to do with you anymore.”

“Anymore? Why..does this mean that you remember?” Asked the black chalk. “Do you recall what it was like working for us? Do you remember the joy of spilling your enemy’s blood? We recall you quite liked that. Cutting them open..listening to them scream and beg...” Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes widened at this. “Do you remember?”

The woman closed her eyes and shook her head. “No..and I don’t want to.”

“Ain’t that a shame. Forgetting a part of yourself just because you...feel ashamed... Even Rudy and your daughter weren’t that stupid.”

The woman swiveled her head and shot the chalk a death glare. This prompted a bitter chuckle from the chalk, who sounded more amused than frightened by her display.

“My..what a temper. So sensitive... We merely speak the truth. We can...help you remember. Maybe it will help you.” The black chalk suggested. Mrs. Sanchez glared at it. “Yes, by remembering what you were like, remembering what you did, you could find a way to help your little friends and family.”

“You are only willing to help me because you see this as a chance to corrupt me.” Mrs. Sanchez said bitterly, lifting up her lip in a snarl. “You can’t fool me. You just want to recruit me to your side again, and use me like a tool like you did in the past.”

“Perhaps you are right. But..how would you know if you don’t take the risk? How do you know that we will not ‘corrupt’ you, as you say?” The black chalk’s voices were soft, though they still echoed slightly. “We were merely offering you a chance at regaining a part of yourself that you lost. Not good to leave a part of yourself behind. If you do, you are incomplete. Don’t you want to be...whole again...?”

Shaking her head, she snarled, “Not if being whole means becoming a monster...”

“Monster...? If that is what you wish to call it, then so be it.” The black chalk lamented. It sounded almost upset, but the woman could tell the emotion was being faked. “It is a shame that you feel that way. You don’t know how much of a benefit you could be to us. You were one of the best...until the day that it all went wrong.” The voices became growly, and it put the woman on edge. She tensed up, as if preparing for an attack. “It was all because of that stupid white chalk artist and the blasted electricity. If it hadn’t been for that, you still would be one of us. Such a tragedy to lose you.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it was for you. But I regained something that day. My humanity.” Mrs. Sanchez retorted.

“Yes, we know that. You returned to the same weakling you were before you came. But still...don’t you think it’s rather foolish to throw away this side of you?” The black chalk asked, its voices sounded calmer now. Almost enticing, seductive. “We are certain you tell your daughter to accept the mistakes she makes and move on. Isn’t that correct?”

Mrs. Sanchez raised an eyebrow. “Where are you going with this?”

“It is easy to understand. Let us put it in laymen’s terms: practice what you preach.” The black chalk sneered at her, chuckling. “If you can tell your daughter to ‘not run away’, to ‘face her mistakes’, and ‘not to forget it as if it’ll make it go away’...why don’t you do the same thing?” If the black chalk had a head, it would be shaking it right now. “Then, a lot of people are hypocritical.”

“I’m not...”

“Why are you lying to yourself, Inez? Of course you are hypocritical!” The black chalk taunted, its voices raising in volume. “You might tell your daughter not to push things in the back of her head, but you do the same thing with yourself! You are choosing not to remember! We offered you a chance to get your memories back, and you reject them! What are you afraid of? Losing control?” Mrs. Sanchez didn’t answer. She glared at the black chalk, her body trembling with a mixture of emotions. “Ah, so you are afraid of losing control. You’re afraid that you will lose your precious ‘humanity’... Well, maybe that will be so. But it is better to face your past than run away...aren’t we correct?”

Mrs. Sanchez narrowed her eyes. “I’m not running..”

“Then prove it to us.” The black chalk said. “Show us what you really are.”

Mrs. Sanchez remained on her knees, her body still trembling. Rapid thoughts moved through her mind as she tried to comprehend what was going on. Just..what was she going to do? She needed to get out of here, but she had no way to do so. Even if she got down, Courtney would just grab her and take her back. Her eyes locking onto her talons, seeing how they scraped the ground... Yeah she definitely did not want to get caught in them.

The black chalk was all around her as well. There was enough that the influence from them may start to invade her mind and taunt her into grabbing a piece. That cold, sharp sensation continued to spread through her body. It was a terrifying sensation, creeping along her spine to the back of her neck. She knew this feeling would increase if she got closer to the black chalk. The black glow wafered around, twirling in the air. It was an uncomfortable sight, yet she couldn’t tear her eyes away. It was as if a part of her was starting to remember and...

She shook her head. No, she had to fight it. She couldn’t let herself be taken over by the black chalk again. She mustn’t allow herself to be controlled like that. It..it just wasn’t her. That way of life, that wasn’t who she was. She was not a monster. She was not a torture doctor. She fought against the sensation the best she could, keeping it at bay. Her body shook harder, a symbol of her efforts to fight back.

The black chalk was wrong about her. She wasn’t being a hypocrite. She wasn’t running away from her past. She just... She paused and thought about it. An uncomfortable sensation swelled up in her, concentrating in her arms and back of her head. She realized..the black chalk was...right...

At this realization, it felt like a weight was being pushed down on her at all sides. She couldn’t believe it... The black chalk was right. She was running away from her past. She was hiding from who she was. How could she ever hope to fully recover from how she used to be...if she didn’t remember? How can she make peace with her mistakes if she did not even know what they were? All she knew was what Mr. Wilter said. While that was better than nothing, it still..it still wasn’t good enough.

Mrs. Sanchez stared down at the black chalk. Perhaps...perhaps she should get her memories back. Perhaps this was her one shot at truly forgiving herself for what she did. She couldn’t run away from this anymore. She had been pushing this in the back of her head for so long that... No. No more running. No more hiding. It’s time for her to face what she really was all those years ago. Only after she learned the truth, see things for herself, can she truly begin to recover.

A part of her knew this could be a huge mistake. A part of her knew this could be a trap. But...perhaps she should take it. After all, if everyone played it safe, she didn’t doubt that it would be unlikely Rudy and the others would have won. Her daughter took several risks before. So..why shouldn’t she?

Mrs. Sanchez stood up in her cage. Her legs were a little wobbly and she tried not to trip over herself. She gripped the bars and stared down at the black chalk below. She sucked in a deep breath. Her heart gave a twist. She hoped that she was making the right decision.

“Okay then, black chalk...” Mrs. Sanchez said. “If you can grant me back my memories without turning me into one of you...” She narrowed her eyes dangerously, silently telling the chalk just how serious she was being. “Then... I accept.”

The black chalk sounded almost delighted. “Splendid! We promise you... That you will not..regret this...”

Mrs. Sanchez turned her head away and grumbled. “I hope you are right.”

Courtney raised her head up. Reacting to an unheard command, she stood up on the ground. She snagged a piece of black chalk in her talons and flapped upwards. Despite her massive size, she managed to avoid getting hit by the stalactites that jetted out from the ceiling. She flew towards the cage and hovered here. She raised up her leg, bringing the black chalk forward. Mrs. Sanchez stared at it, her eyes fixated, unable to tear away.

Before Mrs. Sanchez could figure out what to do, the bird tossed the chalk into the cage. The woman backed up, pressing her back against the cage bars. The black chalk rolled to a stop several feet in front of her. She walked up towards it cautiously, unsure of what to do.

The black glow around the chalk increased, spreading, almost sparkling. It began to fill the cage, like some kind of eerie fog. She pressed herself further against the cage’s bars, trying to get away. The black glow got closer to her, cornering her. In that moment, she began to regret her decision. The black chalk formed a snake-like shape, and as it did so, Mrs. Sanchez could feel pins and needles in her stomach and she could have sworn there was a sudden breeze in the room.

Then, before she could say anything, the black glow shot towards her. The woman let out a loud scream that echoed off the walls. She dropped down on her knees, her body trembling. She cried out as she felt like hundreds of frozen needles were being scraped all over her body. Her body’s shivering became more pronounced, and she thrashed from side to side.

“Relax... Let us do the work. Calm yourself, Inez.”

That voice... Though it was the black chalk’s voice, somehow, here, it felt calming, soothing. Mrs. Sanchez felt her body slowly stop shivering. The cold, sharp feeling from before no longer felt like a threat. Instead, it was warm and inviting. She remained on the ground, keep herself balanced on her hands on knees. Her breathing slowed down to normal. As she relaxed, the black chalk’s glow swirled around her body, enveloping her.

“This will not take long. Soon...you remember everything..” The black chalk said. “And when you do, you will see things...differently..”

Mrs. Sanchez was startled by the last statement. Yet, she was too tranquilized by the black chalk’s grip to really notice for long. She took in a few deep breaths, her eyes remaining closed. The sensation spread through her body. She could feel the black chalk begin to probe the back of her mind. As she opened up her eyes, she realized something that, before, would have frightened her.

She liked it. She liked this feeling. As she realized this unexpected truth, she could feel something surrounding her eyes. A black glow now sifted through them.


	181. The Wrong Man In The Wrong Place

Rudy widened his eyes as the football zoner lunged at him, bringing the bat forward. He moved to the side, letting the zoner sail past him. Rudy turned around quickly and struck the zoner from behind. He watched as he collapsed into the ground, rolling across it. He winced, noting to himself how painful that looked.

He had little time to fully comprehend this action. Turning around, he could see the magnifying glass zoner coming after him. She bared her teeth at him. Without anything in her hands, she jumped for him, her fingers arched in position to attack. Rudy took a step back, flinching at this. He jumped back, letting the zoner crash into the ground. She coughed and shook her head. She took only seconds to recover, and before Rudy knew it, she jumped at him again. This time, she collided with him and yanked him into the ground.

The teenager kicked his legs frantically, trying to get her off of him. She gripped his shoulders, pinning him down affectively. Rudy glared up at her, gritting his teeth. His eyes darted around, trying to find a way to get her off of him. Seeing an opening, he managed to pull his leg back and kick her in the stomach. She grunted, her grip on him loosening. He took advantage of this and grabbed onto her arm. He pulled her off him roughly, then climbed to his feet. Rudy took a few steps back, panting for a few moments.

He was not surprised when this brief moment of ‘piece’ was quickly interrupted.

The football zoner, looking clearly angry for what he had done to his comrade, charged at him and slammed his body against his. Rudy let out a grunt as the wind was knocked out of him. He tumble backwards and was pushed up against a wall. He rubbed the back of his head for a few seconds and then glared down at the football zoner. He reached down to grab him, but the zoner lifted his leg and kicked him in the shin. Rudy’s eyes flew open at this and he dropped down onto his knees.

The football zoner wasn’t quite done with him yet. He then punched Rudy in the face, knocking him into the ground. Then he stood next to him. Putting his hands together and lifting them up, the football brought them down and smashed them against the side of his face. Rudy let out a scream as the fists made contact.

Rudy glared at him and kicked his legs down. With the football zoner on his back, Rudy got up. He limped a little from the attack on his leg. He grabbed the football zoner and pinned him down. The zoner struggled against him, but Rudy, being larger, had some more muscle mass to him. He glared down at the zoner, holding him still. Knowing the zoner would not listen to reason, Rudy pulled back his fist and prepared to attack him. The zoner’s eyes widened in fear and he struggled desperately to get free.

In that moment, Rudy froze. He stared down at the frightened zoner, and then glanced at his fist. What was he doing? If he followed through with this attack, he would be betraying his own ideals. He didn’t like hurting others if he could avoid it, and here he was, about to deliver a ruthless punch to a zoner who, at the moment, was unarmed and couldn’t fight back. If he did do this...would he be any better than the black chalk artists? Sure, he didn’t willingly hurt countless zoners like them, but he was about to willingly harm a zoner. If he went through with this, would he be able to convince them that he was still one of the good guys?

In his moment of hesitation, the magnifying glass zoner jumped onto his back, taking him by surprise. Rudy’s grip on the football released as he struggled to get the magnifying glass off of him. Her arms looped around his neck and she started to squeeze tightly. Rudy opened his mouth and gasped for air as the zoner made it harder for him to breathe.

Struggling back to his feet, Rudy moved backwards. His hands reached for the zoner and tried to yank her off. She held on as tightly as she could. She pulled on him even harder, causing Rudy’s eyes to bulge in pain. His windpipe getting compressed like this was one of the worst sensations he ever felt. As the zoner tried to choke him, he could feel his heart pounding against his chest. He managed to hold onto her arm, his fingers wrapping around it as tightly as he could. As he held onto her, the two continued to wrestle with each other.

Eventually, he managed to get her off of him. He pulled her down and slammed her into the ground. He held her down, glaring at her. This time, he managed to control himself and resisted the urge to attack, resisted the small bit of black chalk influence which was still inside of him. He grabbed onto her by her throat with his right hand. He squeezed it just enough to keep a firm grip. She gagged and grabbed onto his arm, attempting to push it back. With her pinned down, he leaned forward and reached around her waist with his weaker left hand. He wasn’t sure if he could grab the blue chalk from her this way, but he knew he couldn’t hold her down for long using his left hand; her neck was too narrow for him to grasp.

Rudy kept reaching around her, feeling her side with his palm as he tried to locate the blue chalk. He had some difficulty with the way the zoner kept struggling underneath him. He could hear scraping on the ground, and he knew the football zoner was getting up to his feet. He had to hurry and make his move, before he could reach him.

Soon, he could feel his fingers and palm moving over something cold and smooth. He gripped it as tightly as he could, which wasn’t much considering his loss of movement in the hand from years back. Keeping the chalk steady as he yanked back wasn’t easy. The magnifying glass zoner fighting back didn’t make things any simpler either. But he knew he had to do this. If he didn’t disarm both zoners soon, they will be next to impossible to stop. He tightened his grip as best as he could around the blue chalk, feeling it constantly slip in his fingers. He narrowed his eyes in determination, and gave a sharp yank back.

To his amazement, the chalk slipped away from the zoner. She looked on in horror, realizing that she had been disarmed. Rudy gave a smile of determination at her as his left arm continued to move back. He then felt his hand hit against something solidly. He turned his hand and he realized that his weak left hand had smashed against the football zoner’s jaw. The impact had two effects, both of which made themselves known almost immediately.

The football zoner let out a scream as he fell backwards. His feet scrambled as he struggled to keep himself from falling down. At the same time, Rudy let out a scream as the zoner’s teeth snagged on his hand and sliced into it. A bit of blood pooled down his hand and he clutched it to himself, nearly losing his grip on the blue chalk.

When the football zoner managed to regain his footing, he turned his attention to Rudy. Narrowing his eyes dangerously, he said, “How...long do you...plan to...keep...this...up...?”

Rudy was about to answer when the magnifying glass zoner struck him on his right arm. Her claws dug into his skin and drew blood. Rudy let out a yelp and yanked himself back. He fell into the ground. Before he could get up, the two zoners pinned him down. They rested on his chest and stomach, making it a little harder for him to breathe. And trying to get up, next to impossible at the moment, not while he was still holding the blue chalk.

The magnifying glass reached down towards him, spreading her fingers out expectantly. “Why don’t you just hand over the blue chalk now.” Rudy shook his head. She narrowed her eyes. “It’s mine, you little thief. Hand it over.”

Rudy bared his teeth at her. “Not a chance.”

“You can’t even use it!” The football zoner cried in anger. He raised up his own blue chalk, causing Rudy’s eyes to widen a bit. “If you don’t hand it over, I’ll make you hand it over! Got it?”

Rudy didn’t bother to answer the football zoner. His eyes were currently locked onto the blue chalk. He stared at it, unable to tear away. He could feel adrenaline start to surge through his body, making him feel uncomfortably warm and cold at once. He could feel his body give a few quick shivers. The two zoners gave small smiles to him, a look reminiscent of triumph on their faces. They knew they had him. They knew that, without magic chalk of his own, he couldn’t fight back. And he couldn’t use the blue chalk...

This must be what zoners feel when they are confronted with most magic chalk, Rudy thought. He had already known them to be terrified, but now he was in a position where he truly understood that feeling. This wasn’t like confronting another creator, where he could just find a way to take the chalk. This wasn’t white chalk. It was blue. Zoner useable only. Even if he could render both these zoners defenseless, it would only extend to taking away the blue chalk. He’d still have to fight them, and even without the blue chalk, they both proved to be pretty tough. And what would happen if they had a larger ‘buddy’ coming their way...?

Rudy let out a cry of surprise when the magnifying zoner suddenly slammed herself against him, stretching her body across his as she reached out towards the blue chalk. He pulled it as far back as he could, keeping it away from her. He used his other hand to push her back. It was difficult keeping this up, and she was inching her way closer, her eyes locked onto the blue chalk that she had taken. Rudy could feel the pressure of her body against his chest and he grunted in response, pushing harder against her, trying to get her off of him.

The football zoner started to help. He moved closer. Rudy could feel him against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around Rudy’s and kept it pinned down. Rudy struggled on the ground, yelping in pain when the zoner bit into his arm, his teeth making deep indentions in his skin. He turned his head from side to side, trying to cope with the pain, his teeth clenched. The magnifying zoner climbed onto his face now, keeping it still while she reached for the blue chalk.

The boy’s mind started to race. If he let her get her blue chalk back, was he going to get another shot at this? He had his doubts. It was difficult enough fighting them when they both had blue chalk. It was a miracle he was able to get one piece of blue chalk. He didn’t think lightning would strike twice, especially not so soon. He couldn’t let her have it back. He pulled his left arm as far back as he could, holding the blue chlak with as much distance between it and the magnifying glass zoner as he could muster. His struggles increased as he tried frantically to get the zoners off of him. His body turned from side to side, the zoners continuing to hang onto him.

Eventually, through his constant struggling, Rudy managed to free his arm. He pulled it back and struck the two zoners with a single swoop. He applied enough force to loosen their grip on him. He twisted his body to the side, causing the two zoners to toppled off of him, unable to keep a grip on him. He glared down at them and, without stopping to think for a moment, he punched the football zoner, causing him to collide with the magnifying glass and the two flew across the ground. They rolled across painfully, their skins scraping along the ground.

Rudy’s eyes widened as he realized what he had done. He looked down at his hand, still clutched in a fist, and then back at the zoners he had attacked. They were on top of each other, sprawled on the ground. As they struggled to their feet, blood trickling from the football’s mouth, Rudy felt a pang of guilt in his chest. He hadn’t meant to punch them like that. Just how much influence did the black chalk still have over him?

He didn’t think about that for too long. His feelings of guilt all but disappeared when he saw the blue chalk laying on the ground. Knowing that taking care of that was of top priority right now, he scrambled to his feet, feeling his shoes scrap across the hard ground, and bolted towards the blue chalk. The football zoner realized his chalk was gone. He pushed his comrade off and he raced towards his chalk, hoping to grab it before Rudy did.

However, Rudy was faster. His longer legs got him there quicker and he snagged up the blue chalk before the zoner could get to it. His eyes widened when the football lunged at him angrily, his mouth open as if he were going to try biting him again. Rudy jumped to the side, letting him collide in the ground next to him. Rudy stared at him for a few seconds before looking up just in time to see the magnifying glass zoner charging at him. He managed to dodge her attack, but barely. He shoved the pieces of blue chalk into his pocket before taking a fighting stance.

No one said a word. Silence fell upon the room, except for the harsh breathing. Rudy held onto his weak left hand against his pocket, pressing it against the blue chalk pieces that he had. His other hand was brought forward, forming a fist in self defense. He hunched his back, preparing for an attack, or to run, which ever became the more valid option. The two zoners before him stood a few feet away, having adopted similar defensive postures, though theirs had a bit more aggression to them.

They circled around each other slowly, never taking their eyes off of one another. Rudy gritted his teeth, wondering what he was going to do. The two zoners did not take their eyes off of him. Their glares are like a vice, making it hard for him to turn away, hard for him to think and devise a way to get out of there. He wasn’t sure how long he could outrun them, and if he were caught, would he be able to get the advantage again? These two zoners really meant business. They would certainly find a way to make sure that he wouldn’t be able get their chalk a second time around.

As he kept circling around the zoners, his eyes locked onto them, his mind momentarily wandered to Penny. He sucked on his lip. He hoped that she was doing okay. He hoped that she managed to get through the tunnels and located the blue chalk chamber. He hoped that she didn’t run into any trouble on the way there. He wasn’t sure how well she was going to do with those deep cuts in her back. He reminded himself that this was Penny he was thinking about, and how she was able to, time and again, get the upperhand of a situation. Still, that didn’t stop him from worrying about her.

He then began to wonder if they would ever truly stop Nihilanth’s wrath. He didn’t like feeling pessimistic. He hated being such a downer. Yet he couldn’t help it. It may have only been a short time..less than a month, but it felt so much longer. It felt as though they were battling Nihilanth for years. And that was barely a blink of an eye to the dragon, who had been around for hundreds of years, wanting to destroy ChalkZone. He wasn’t sure if he and his friends could stop him. What if they only delay the inevitable, and when he comes back, he is not only more powerful, but his plans are, somehow, much worse?

He shook the thoughts out of his head. Now wasn’t the time to feel worried about this. He will deal with Nihilanth when he got to him. Right now, he couldn’t do anything unless he got out. He had to figure out a way to escape, a way to stop these zoners before they did something that wound up making things so much worse. He wished they could see what they were doing. He wished they would understand why what they were doing was wrong. But he had a feeling they would not be negotiable like the Luminos had, eventually, been.

He wondered if Snap was okay. He hadn’t seen him yet. He wondered if Snap would be afraid of him at first. He wouldn’t blame him. He had hurt him... And he only knew what Penny could tell him. What if he did far worse to his friend? Would Snap be able to forgive him...? He shook his head. How silly of him to think that. Of course Snap would forgive him. He’d know that he was being controlled. Still, he was worried for him. He didn’t know how badly hurt he was, if Nihilanth or Jenny did anything or...

Jenny.. He felt his blood start to boil at her name. She was still alive.. He was certain of that. Penny herself had her suspicions after a strange conversation with Barney when he had temporarily regained control. Penny had told him about how Jenny played with their emotions by pretending to die. Snap had been so devastated at the thought of killing another living being, even if it was someone like Jenny. Rudy growled at the thought. It was just like the black chalk artists to play with emotions like that... He was going to make sure Jenny never screwed with his friends like that again.

His mind was torn from his thoughts when he heard a couple of angry shouts. The two zoners had gotten tired of just standing around and took action. They bolted towards the boy. Rudy, narrowing his eyes, planted his feet firmly on the ground and waited for them to get closer. Once they did, he moved to the side and struck out with his foot, bracing himself with his stronger right hand. His foot kicked underneath the zoners and made them lose their footing.

With them on the ground, Rudy pounced on them. The force of the impact knocked the wind out of the zoners. Rudy straddled them both, using his weight to hold them down. He managed to pin their arms to their sides, though their legs were free and kicking wildly. He lowered himself down, placing a hand on either side of them. He glared into their eyes, and they remained silent again for a few moments.

Then, slowly, Rudy’s expression softened up and he began to speak to them.

“Can we please just stop fighting? I’m getting tired of it. Just..how much progress have we made? Please...let’s just talk. I’m not your enemy. I only took your chalk away to keep you from making the biggest mistakes of your lives. If you would just listen... Nihilanth is out there..ready to attack... If you keep me here, keep fighting me, then you will just waste time, and Nihilanth will attack someone else. Do you really want that?”

Rudy stared at the two zoners. Their expressions didn’t change. He bit his lip. Come on...they have to listen to reason, shouldn’t they? Surely, his words would click something in their heads. They needed to stop this senseless fighting. He couldn’t stay here much longer. He had to leave and meet up with Penny, then they had to find Nihilanth, who was probably at the Chalk Mine or at the Solar Pillars.

Couldn’t these zoners understand that he was just trying to help? He wanted to stop the evil dragon from harming more zoners. He wanted to make sure that ChalkZone was safe again. And yet these two zoners were refusing to listen to reason. They were still glaring at him, still wanting to fight back. They looked at him as if he were the one solely responsible for what was happening. He felt his heart clench. He really didn’t want to fight them anymore. He didn’t want to cause them more pain. But..if they were going to act this way... He narrowed his eyes. He would have to do what he had to do.

“I’m giving you two a chance to end this fight. I’m giving you a chance to help stop the real enemy.” Rudy growled at them. “But instead, all you two care about is vengeance. You blamed Penny for ‘abandoning ChalkZone, but guess what? She didn’t! Nihilanth deliberately waited for her to leave so he could attack and make it look like she abandoned you guys. Why can’t you see that?!” He shut his eyes tightly, shaking his head, trying to keep his anger down. “Please...please...listen to reason...”

Once again, the room fell silent. Rudy stared at the two zoners, looking for any signs of change. At first, nothing. The zoners glared hatefully at him, baring their teeth. They attempted to free themselves, jerking from side to side. Rudy held onto them tightly, pressing his body against theirs to keep them from struggling too much. He softened his expression more, staring at them pleadingly, hoping they would eventually see the light.

If he could just get them to understand, he could use them as allies. They could help each other. They could have each other’s backs and work together to take down the true enemy. They didn’t have to fight like this. Why couldn’t they see that? If they listen to reason, if they stop treating him like he’s the bad guy, they could focus on the real problem. They will never get anything done if they continued arguing and fighting with him. Please... they have to see...

Then, slowly, something changed. Rudy could see an alteration in their demeanor. He watched as their frowns slowly disappeared, and blank expressions replaced them. They frowned again, but this time, it was softer, and less hostile. It was more of a ‘thinking frown’ than anything. They turned their heads to each other, exchanging a somewhat unreadable glance. They looked back up at Rudy and sucked on their lips. Then they stopped struggling completely.

The magnifying glass zoner continued to glare softly at Rudy before her expression changed, to one more like hesitation and...perhaps regret, too? She turned her head to the side, taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly. Closing her mouth, she glanced up at Rudy with one eye. The football zoner simply looked away, looking unsure of what to say. Rudy wondered if this meant they were willing to negotiate now. Perhaps they weren’t as stubborn as he thought they were.

“I...we...” The magnifying glass started to speak. She closed her mouth, gritting her teeth. She kept her gaze locked onto Rudy’s. Slowly, she turned her head, letting herself see him with both her eyes. Rudy could have sworn he saw a brief flash of guilt in those eyes, but it was hard to tell. “I-I...well... we...” Her voice trailed off.

The football zoner spoke next. “What she’s trying to say is...” He paused for a moment. He didn’t look at Rudy, still keeping his gaze away. “...well she’s...I...” He stammered.

Rudy sighed softly. It was clear neither of them knew what to say. He kept them pinned down, knowing that they could easily go back to their aggressive states if he just let them go so quickly. He wondered if they were truly feeling regret for how they acted, or if they were simply confused. Until he knew the answer, he couldn’t release them yet.

“Do you two understand what you were doing?” Rudy asked. He did his best to keep his voice calm, not wanting to let any of his previous anger get in the way. After the two zoners had calmed down, he didn’t want to screw things up and cause them to revert back to their angered states from before. “Do you realize that all this time fighting, we could have spent it looking for Nihilanth and stopping him? He’s the one who attacked ChalkZone. Not me, not Penny. Not anyone else.”

The magnifying glass hesitated for a second. She then managed to speak, a slight choke to her voice. “Yeah, we know.” Her voice was soft and quiet. “We know that we were wasting time. We know that we would not have gotten much with fighting you. We just...” She paused, biting her lip. “We just really wanted to get back for what happened to some of our friends.”

“You see..” The football zoner spoke up afterwards. He looked up at Rudy, his expression a bit soft, though there was still the hint of a small glare. “We lost some friends in that attack. We knew we couldn’t fight Nihilanth so we...” He paused. His expression showed a bit of remorse to it. “So we..went after you and your friend. You were there. We could interact with you. We needed an outlet.”

Rudy narrowed his eyes. “So this wasn’t about helping ChalkZone at all?” He asked, his voice laced with disgust. “You wanted to settle a vendetta?” The two zoners merely nodded slowly at this in confirmation. Rudy growled. “I can’t believe you would do something so selfish like that.”

“Part of it was to help ChalkZone but yes...it was just a revenge-seeking thing.” The football zoner said. “We...didn’t see a problem with it at the time. But I guess we now can see how foolish we’ve been.” He turned his head, casting a one-eyed glance to the magnifying glass. “Don’t you agree?”

The magnifying glass zoner nodded her head. “Yes.” She looked up at Rudy. She flinched at his angered expression and lowered her gaze. She averted his glance, suddenly looking like a child that had just gotten into trouble. “We really had been idiots. Wasting time and for what...?” She sighed, shaking her head. “Some foolish revenge thing...”

Rudy felt the last bit of his anger leave him. His body relaxed a little. The zoners sounded like they were being sincere. It sounded like they were finally seeing just how wrong they had been, and how stupid they were to keep fighting him when the real enemy was still out there, still needed to be stopped. It looked as if these zoners had finally started to see reason. And if that is the case, now was the time to have a serious discussion on what they were going to do.

“Are you two ready to talk...?” Rudy asked carefully.

The two zoners looked at each other again. They then looked up at him. They stared at each other for several moments. Then, slowly, they nodded their heads together.

“Yes...we are.” The magnifying glass zoner said.

sss

Bardot limped slowly across the ground. He flinched, feeling pain each time his foot hit the floor. Agony swept through his body. He had hardly any treatment for his injuries, and it was not only showing, but it was catching up to him, adding up. Much of his strength was still gone. One of the few good things was that his injuries have at least stopped healing. But that mattered little in his current situation.

He was pretty far from the hospital now. He was alone, with no one around to offer assistance or at least speak to. Then again, considering his status as a criminal, he doubted anyone would want to help him. Still, it would be nice to have some company around. He was feeling particularly on edge alone after the incident with the black chalk artists. He shivered, still feeling that blasted energy move through his body and rip him apart internally. He hoped he wouldn’t have to endure something like that again.

He looked out ahead, seeing some kind of formation rise out of the ground. A cave-like structure. At first, he couldn’t recognize what it was. It had been a long time since he last roamed ChalkZone with such freedom. Then again, crawling around with multiple wounds wasn’t exactly what he’d call the ideal ‘roaming around’. He stared at the cave, his green eyes going over the details. It took him a little while, but he soon recognized it as the Chalk Mine. The realization that he was headed towards the Chalk Mine was surprising; he had no idea he went out this far.

Nihilanth’s attack on the hospital was sudden, came out of nowhere. He had run as fast as he could. The adrenaline pumping through his body enabled him to run despite his great agony. He didn’t bother looking back or saying anything, not even a retort. He just ran, not wanting to give Nihilanth the change of getting him. He kept running, bolting past zoners and jumping over obstances, displaying agility that he hadn’t in so long.

By the time he had worn out and collapsed, he had gotten pretty far away from the hospital and from other zoners. It had taken him a while to figure out where he was and how to get back. He didn’t recognize the area he ended up in. He wasn’t able to find any food or water. His throat felt dry and his stomach growled.

But he hardly paid attention that as he moved through the open field. He looked left and right, knowing that he could still be attacked. Nihilanth could be watching him from the sky, ready to swoop down and capture him again. The hybrid zoner shivered at the thought of being put back into that dreaded machine. What frightened him more is that he knew that, if he were captured again, he wasn’t going to come out alive. He had hardly any red chalk left on him. There was little reason for Nihilanth to use him now except maybe to power up one more shot. After that...

Bardot soon reached the Chalk Mine. He walked around the edge of it, coming into the river’s edge. Wanting to satisfy his thirst now, the yellow zoner lowered himself carefully, ignoring the pain. He lapped up some of the water. The cool liqiud splashing against the back of his throat felt so good. Once he was done, he shut his mouth and shook his head. Water droplets flew everywhere. He then turned his attention towards the Chalk Mine entrance, staring at it. After a few moments, he slowly, cautiously, walked towards it, not sure what kind of danger might be laying in wait for him there.

He soon got to the entrance and stopped there. He straightened himself up, raising his head and looking at the entrance. He turned his head left to right. It didn’t seem like anyone was in here, but that notion could be proven wrong. He sniffed the air, and he was proven right. He could detect some scents. It was hard for him to recognize the exact smell, but it was enough that he figured out two things: that someone had been here recently, and that someone was not Biclops.

He took a few steps forward. His head hung low, his ears lowering a tad. It was possible that he was overreacting and that whoever was in there was not that dangerous. But he was not about to take that chance. Turning his head left and right again, he started to move further into the cave. He walked about three feet in before he had to stop. The eerie sensation around the room... Something was wrong here. Something was clearly off about this place. He suddenly froze. He detected Biclops’s odor now, but it was..different... And that filled the zoner with dread. What had happened? What was wrong with Biclops? What was that strange odor?

He ventured in further. His body crouched as low as he could. Despite the pain this caused him, he continued on like this, looking left and right, trying to see any signs of someone being here. It took him a little while walking up ahead before he could see something. Leaning against the wall, he could see what appeared to be some kind of hose with a water tank. He tilted his head in confusion. Why was it in a cage?

He crept closer to it, his eyes fixated on it. His tail swooshed from side to side as he reached the cage. He walked around it. He reached out and touched the cage cautiously, then tapped against it. He moved around, keeping his eyes locked onto the cage and on the item inside. It didn’t seem like it was alive. He put his face closer, turning it to the side so his eye could get a better view. It trailed over the hose, and then, after a few moments, his pupils shrank in terror. The tank was filled with real world water...

At this realization, the zoner jumped back, moving away from the device quickly. He felt his heart rate speed up a little. Whoever had been in there, they were trying to wipe out the Chalk Mine. Craning his head and looking around, seeing all the white pieces still hanging overhead, it was clear that this wasn’t the case. Whoever tried, obviously they had failed. Perhaps Penny had been here?

Speaking of Penny, he could detect her scent here, too. She had been in here, and recently, too. He wondered if he was going to run into her in here. He kind of hoped so; her ability to use the magic chalk would prove useful to him, considering that he wasn’t in the best of shape to be walking around like this.

He walked forward some more, constantly sniffing, trying to figure out just what happened here. He had caught Jenny’s scent, and it intermingled with Penny’s. Narrowing his eyes, he deduced that Jenny had been trying to destroy the Chalk Mine, and Penny had stopped her. If not her, then someone else had done something. But what had him more worried was where the two scents crossed each other. The only thing that could come to his mind regarding what happened...was that Penny had been captured.

He didn’t smell any blood, which was a relief. Penny hadn’t been cut open. But that did not mean she was out of danger. He had no idea what Jenny had done to her. Perhaps if he followed the trail, he would be able to find out. He walked through the tunnels, his eyes fixated on the ground, tail straight up in the air. He moved from side to side, trying to keep up with the trail. A few times, he nearly lost it, but he still managed to keep up.

Then he heard the sound of a pebble rolling across the ground. He froze and, moving onto his hind legs, turned his body around. His eyes darted from side to side. He didn’t see anyone or anything, not even the moving shadow or a rolling rock showing that someone had been here. He gritted his teeth in fear, his ears lowering. He could feel the fur rise on the back of his neck and shoulders. The chilly sensation started to burn his stomach.

On full alert, he turned around and walked towards the sound. He was not stupid. He was not going to continue walking and leave himself vulnerable like that. He had hunted enough quarry, both zoner and human, to know that moving and walking away was exactly what this intruder wanted. They couldn’t hide from him; he could detect their scent. It was...familiar and yet different. He couldn’t quite put his talon on it.

“Who is there?” Bardot asked, his voice low. There was no answer. He narrowed his eyes. “Come on out! I know you’re there!” He turned his head, his body tense. He tried to take note of anything, even the slightest movement, but there was none. He hissed in frustration, snorting. “If you think I don’t know you’re there, you’re insane. I can smell you! Now come on out before I use force!”

A bluff of course. Bardot was in no position to be telling anyone to do anything. He was too badly hurt, and he wouldn’t doubt that the person he was trying to speak to could tell that he was in too bad a shape to fight. But he didn’t care. He needed to get an answer out of him, and threats like that were the only way he knew how.

“Did you hear me or are you deaf?” Bardot growled, his lips curled back into a snarl. If he still had his venom, it would be dripping out of his fangs at a high temperature right now. His tail became rigid, trembling slightly. “You’re doing a poor job of hiding yourself. In case you didn’t know, my nose isn’t just for show. If you don’t show yourself now, I...”

“You’ll what, dear Bardot...?”

Bardot’s body froze that that. His eyes widened and his crest and tail raised straight up. That voice... It was..no it couldn’t be... He had heard it before, but he..he heard the stories. He saw the newspapers about it. He had even visited the sight once and confirmed it. How could this be..? It was impossible...

Bardot turned his head around slowly. He didn’t stop until his head was positioned with one of his green eyes staring out in one direction. The eye was filled with fear and apprehension. He looked around in the direction of the voice, and he could see some kind of shadow. An all too familiar shadow. He watched as the shadow started to move, walking forward into the light. Then the face came into view, causing Bardot to suck in a breath, his heart nearly stopping its beat.

“My... It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you...” The figure said. He made a gesture with his hand, indicating the small yellow zoner. “Then again, the last time I had seen you... well you weren’t even erased yet.”

Bardot’s fur raised slightly as he jumped around, facing him completely. His tail lowered, curling up beside him. He stared at the figure, backing away slowly. He couldn’t stop his shivering. Despite never having met this man before, he knew full well who he was. And he knew just what kind of trouble he was going to be in if he didn’t get out of here soon.

He couldn’t understand it... How was this possible? How was he here? Could the reports have been...? No, they had a photograph of his crushed body. It couldn’t have been faked. And when he spoke to anyone about him, even Draow, they all confirmed he was dead. It was...it was impossible. And yet, here he was, standing before him. Alive and well.. and looking eager to stir up some trouble.

“Mr. Cosmo...” Bardot hissed under his breath. “H-How...?”

“I see you are confused.” Mr. Cosmo commented. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well..I suppose that is understandable. Especially since this isn’t really my...home if you will..” The red-head spotted Bardot’s confused expression and chuckled. He waved his hand towards Bardot. “Of course, you wouldn’t understand what I meant. I suppose you..want me to clarify...?” The man tilted his head to the side.

“That..would be helpful...” Bardot said in a low voice. He remained tensed up, knowing that Cosmo could easily hurt him given his current position.

“To make it simple, I’m from another dimension.” Cosmo said simply.

Bardot’s eyes widened at this. “What?” He narrowed his eyes slightly. “You are?”

Mr. Cosmo nodded his head. “Yes. I come from another timeline. Then I found out about this one and I thought...well I just had to pay a visit here...” He looked around the Chalk Mine. His smile broadened a little as he stared down at Bardot. “Funny.. I imagined you being...tougher...”

Bardot growled. “You try being zapped, you...” He stopped himself, not wanting to put himself into an even worse situation. He said, “Well what are you doing here anyway? I doubt you came here just to say hello.”

“You know me so well, Bardot. And so..wise you are..” Mr. Cosmo said. “Well you’d be right on that. I do plan on doing more than just look.” He folded his arms behind his back, taking a few steps forward. “I’m looking...for a certain..someone...” He lowered his head a little as he approached Bardot. “Perhaps you can help me find him...”

Bardot backed away slowly. “Who did you have in mind?”

The man’s eye twinkled. “Rudy Tabootie.”

Bardot widened his eyes in shock at this. He took another step back, his body curving inward in a defensive position. As he inched away from the approaching man, his mind’s gears shifted as he tried to think of why the man would want Rudy. There were many possibilities, and it would actually be stranger if he didn’t want Rudy. The question was...why did he want him?

The most obvious answer was he wanted to recruit him. He didn’t seem like he had anybody with him. He probably left Draow and his Rudy behind, perhaps to watch the dimension he came from. He had an obsession with Rudy. Borderline creepy at times. If he wanted Rudy, it could be as simple as wanting to recruit their Rudy. If the boy is still corrupted, then that wouldn’t be too much of a problem. Rudy would be inclined to join him. But if he somehow got free... Well he was certain Cosmo would do something about that.

But after the recruitment, what next? Would he just take their Rudy and leave back into his own dimension, so he had two Rudys to order around? Or would he use their Rudy to do something in this dimension? He doubted he would learn the man’s plans anytime soon. But whatever he had in mind, he knew one thing: it was not anything good.

“I-I-I...” Bardot stammered. He clenched his teeth as he tried to think of an answer. He needed to word his answer so it didn’t sound like he was hiding anything, as he honestly didn’t really know where Rudy was. “I’m not certain of his coordinates and..”

Mr. Cosmo knelt down in front of Bardot. He narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the zoner intently. Bardot gulped at the sight of this. “So you’re saying...you don’t know where he is..?”

Bardot nodded his head swiftly. “Y-Yeah..that’s right.”

“Hrmmm....I don’t believe you.” Mr. Cosmo said, his voice a tad icy. Bardot flinched at this, moving back some more. “I can see it in your eyes. You know something. And I want you to tell me.” As he moved closer, Bardot’s tail curled up against himself, the fur raising a little. “What do you know about this Rudy? Is he here? Is he...somewhere else? Is there...something else you want to tell me..?”

The hybrid zoner shook his head. “No. I swear, I don’t know where he is!”

Mr. Cosmo paused, his eyes widening a little. Bardot could have sworn he saw a look of realization in those eyes. But that did little to comfort him. The expression didn’t last long and Mr. Cosmo narrowed them a little further. Oddly, he didn’t appear angry. He looked more like he was judging his soul or something. Bardot remained there, watching him with a set of wary eyes. He hoped that the man believed his words this time. He hoped that he wasn’t going to get interrogated further.

But with that expression... He couldn’t tell if the man truly believed him, or if he was trying to think of another question to ask him. Or perhaps even confused. Bardot’s brain was telling him to run. He could sense something wrong with the aura around him, making him shiver slightly. He had to get out of here, but he dared not move. He didn’t want to risk prompting an attack from this man.

This being standing before him...was his creator. Years ago, he could care less about him. His creator, the version in this dimension, was dead, and had been dead before he had been erased. He had regarded him as a fool, Draow even more so.

But despite his low opinion of the man, he did not underestimate him, nor did he want to start doing that now. He knew how dangerous he was. He remembered what he had learned when Snap was at the man’s lair. The torture, the torment, the misery he had been put through... Bardot used to be amused, but now thinking back to what happened to Snap brought on a couple new feelings. The first thing he felt was pity. For the first time, he actually felt bad for what happened Snap, and a bit guilty for using that in his scheme two years ago. The other feeling was terror. Most of what happened to Snap was done by Cosmo in such a backhanded, casual way. He had been calm during almost all of it. That begged the question...

...what would he do to a zoner if he lost his temper...?

He had gotten some kind of answer for that. When Snap accidentally cost his Cosmo his eye, the man had lost his temper then. He..kicked Snap...right on the mind control device. The memory made him flinch. The impact had not only been enough to push the nail in deeper, but it sent Snap into a coma. If Rudy and Penny hadn’t gotten to Snap...if Penny hadn’t taken Snap to safety, he had no doubt that Mr. Cosmo would have continued his attack.

And now, here he was, stuck with this man. Fearful of what might happen to him, he had no choice but to hold still. He was in bad shape, like Snap had been at the time. If he couldn’t run very fast, then what chance did he stand getting away from Mr. Cosmo? He remained there, his feet firmly planted, his wide eyes staring at him cautiously, waiting for him to respond.

“Okay then.. Well... if you are telling the...truth, I suppose I will have to find another way to locate the boy." Mr. Cosmo commented softly. He stopped advancing on Bardot, though his gaze never left him. “I won’t get anywhere asking you..now will I?”

Bardot wasn’t sure if Cosmo expected an answer from him. Trembling, he simply shook his head.

“I thought not...” Mr. Cosmo said. He straightened himself up and turned around, taking a few steps away from Bardot. The zoner kept his eyes on him, unsure of what to expect from this man. “I do so apologize for...interrogating you on something you didn’t know.”

Bardot narrowed his eyes. This didn’t sound like an honest apology. It was too backhanded, like a second thought. Remembering how Mr. Cosmo shifted blame on others, a trait he himself inherited, he learned how to recognize a true apology from a fake. And this was as fake as it could get.

The man turned to the side. He gave Bardot a glance over his shoulder. All he could see was that one eye. The sight of it made him nervous. “I see you have changed...dear Bardot... I didn’t draw you to be such a weakling.” His blue-grey eyes looked up and down, examining the zoner’s body from the distance. “I see most of your red chalk is gone...” He paused for a moment. Then he smiled. “Let me guess... You were used as a battery, right?”

At this, Bardot’s body gave a violent shiver, the color draining, as flashes came into his head. He couldn’t fight them off, no matter how much he tried. He recalled how he was strapped down to the dreaded machine. He could still feel the energy coursing through his body, tearing him up internally. The mere memory filled him with horror.

Mr. Cosmo saw this reaction and his smirk broadened. “Ah yes, so you were. And if that’s the case...” He turned so he could look at the zoner with both eyes. “Does this mean that some of my comrades are back? I already know that my...counterpart here is dead. But..what of the others...?” He took a few steps towards the small, shivering zoner. “Come on...tell me what happened in this dimension? Just who was responsible for using you like a battery?”

Bardot didn’t answer. He just stared at Cosmo in fear, his mind reeling from the memories of pain and torment he had endured. He was too frightened to speak. He couldn’t even concentrate on an answer; his mind was constantly replaying for him when Jenny first turned the machine on, and the burning sensation he felt in his outline afterwards. If he told this man about her, what would happen? Would he be in for a worse fate?

The man narrowed his eyes. He was clearly not happy with his lack of a response. Mr. Cosmo walked over towards him quickly. Bardot moved back, trying to get away from him. He didn’t get far and he soon felt the man’s fingers grip his scruff. He let out a yelp of pain as the man hoisted him off the ground roughly. Soon, Bardot was being held in front of Mr. Cosmo, dangling by that stretchly path of skin. He let out a few low, frightened whimpers, and, out of desperation, struck out towards Mr. Cosmo. His claws missed entirely.

“I wouldn’t try that again if I were you...” Mr. Cosmo said in a low, threatening voice. His smile soon came back, as did his more ‘pleasant’ tone. “Now, why don’t you be a good little zoner...” He stroked along the top of Bardot’s head, pushing his crest down. “..and tell me who was the one who hurt you...?”

Bardot wanted to remain silent. He wanted to resist. But his racing mind..it was too panicky. Before he was able to stop himself, he blurted out an answer.

“J-Jenny...”

Mr. Cosmo’s eyes widened at this. “Jenny?” He leaned in a little closer, staring at Bardot intently with a somewhat perplexed expression. “Nurse Jenny you mean? From that school?”

Bardot nodded his head swiftly. “I-I believe so.. Tall, wavy blonde hair, blue eyes, always wears that nurse outfit...”

“So it is her. I see... So she’s still alive.” Mr. Cosmo said. His tone was blank. He didn’t sound happy, or really upset either. He acted like it was just some small, casual fact. Mr. Cosmo continued, “Well that’s good. Perhaps she will be of better use to me than my own Jenny was.” He closed his eyes and chuckled, shaking his head. “I told her she shouldn’t have gotten in the way... And she lost her life because of that.” Noting Bardot’s expression, he continued, “My Jenny died last year, after she foolishly got into a fight in a location that had been targeted for destruction. It was her own damn fault she died.” He turned his head and stared down the tunnel absent-mindedly.” Well I’m certain her counterpart where is..much more intelligent than that...”

Bardot had a feeling he knew where this was going. And the idea frightened him. Cosmo was dangerous enough on his own. Jenny was as big of a threat herself. Both were dangerous. But what would happen if they really joined forces? What if Jenny..if she were still alive, joined him? What if she stood by Cosmo’s side during this? What would she be able to do? It was a scary thought, the idea of how dangerous they were when put together. It was like being stuck in a room that had a tazmanian devil and a wolverine placed in it.

Bardot thought about tricking the man into thinking Jenny really was dead. But he declined, knowing that lying would likely get a worse punishment for him from this man. All it would do was delay the inevitable. If Jenny were still around, then she would find Cosmo sooner or later. And then once they joined.. He tried his best not to think about it.

“I think I’ll try to find Jenny. I know how much she wanted to..impress me...” Mr. Cosmo chuckled. He sounded so amused. “I’m sure she’ll make a valuable...addition. And if not, well..” He shrugged his shoulders. “She’ll at least be entertaining and useful in some way.”

Bardot stared at him in surprise. “How can you be so..dismissive like that? This woman looks up to you and you’re going to treat her like that..?”

Mr. Cosmo replied, “I don’t think it’s your place to tell me anything. Besides...why do you care? She hurt you.” He leaned his face against his hand. He made a couple ‘tsk’ sounds, shaking his head in disappointment. “Oh Bardot...what’s happened to you? This isn’t what you were meant to be.”

“I’m not your slave!” Bardot shouted, trying to strike at the man with his paw. Mr. Cosmo merely moved back, the claws missing entirely. “Put me down!”

Mr. Cosmo shook his head. “Oh I can’t do that. You see.. Since it seems like you made an...unwanted change, I must keep you somewhere..” He started to walk down the tunnel further, carrying him towards an unknown destination. “I know exactly where I’m going to...store you until the time comes...”

Before Bardot knew it, Mr. Cosmo brought him over to a hidden room. It wasn’t very large and the passageway was pretty narrow. It was little wonder he had missed it when he had passed by it several minutes ago. The room was curved, with the ceiling coming to a point. It reminded him of that room he was in at Solar Pillars. The walls were unusually smooth, and they looked like they were a little warmer than the rest of the cave, making the zoner wonder if Mr. Cosmo had built this very recently. And if he did...just how long had he been in this world?

Mr. Cosmo brought him towards the center of the room. There was some large cage settled there, bars made of strong iron. In the middle of it, he could see two forms huddled together. No, scratch that. Make it three. Off to the side, there was a third figure. He couldn’t recognize who they were at first. They were facing the opposite direction, backs turned to him. Cosmo continued moving him closer, his free hand fumbling in his pocket and pulling out a key.

Only when Mr. Cosmo was right in front of the cage, bending down to unlock it, did Bardot recognize two of the figures inside. His eyes widened. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie...? When they turned their heads and saw him, this confirmed it. Rudy’s parents.. Their expressions, so filled with anger, there was no mistaking it. They had given him these looks before. He could not forget it. But how? What were they doing here? How long had they been here? Why didn’t he scent them?

The third figure looked unconscious. She was laying down on the ground, her body prone. She was still alive, her breathing shaky. Bardot leaned in a little, staring at her with narrowed, green eyes. Then, suddenly, he realized who this must be. Ms. Saffron... She must have followed...or was she taken with? It was ahrd to say.

Before Bardot had time to fully process what was going on, Mr. Cosmo got the cage door open. The zoner flattened his ears, wincing as it creaked. Mr. Cosmo thrusted the zoner inside, watching as he collapsed into the hard ground. Bardot pushed himself onto his front paws, trying to ignore the pain. He let out a yelp of pain and shook his head. He turned his attention back to Mr. Cosmo, turning his head up to look at him. Mr. Cosmo just smiled as he locked the door, securing him inside.

“I will let you all get accustomed to your..new roommate..” Mr. Cosmo said calmly as he took a few steps back. The parents and Bardot glared at Mr. Cosmo. “But don’t worry..I’ll be back to play with you soon enough. I just have a few...errands I need to run first.”

Mr. Cosmo put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. Moments later, a large shadow loomed into the room. Everyone, except for Cosmo and the unconscious Saffron, cringed as a large bat wolf came into the room. Draow... No, not just any Draow. The one from an alternate dimension. Bardot found himself darting his eyes around his body, taking note of the armor and the weaponry on him, and how this Draow looked like he was physically stronger than the one he knows.

Draow eyed the prisoners eagerly, his claws scraping the ground threateningly. “Are we going to...?”

“No, Draow. First...we need to find your counterpart.” Mr. Cosmo said. “We can’t have another copy of you running around. It would be too...confusing...”

Draow tilted his head, perking his ears up. “So...are you suggesting I kill him?”

Mr. Cosmo shook his head. “No. I have something better in mind.”

Bardot took a step back, his body hunching low to the ground. He didn’t like the sound of that. What did Mr. Cosmo mean by that? What did they plan on doing to this dimension’s Draow? And just what did he have in mind with Rudy’s parents, Ms. Saffron, and him...?

sss

Penny grunted as her foot slipped on the jagged rock. She fell into the ground, slamming against her chin. She let out a yelp as her teeth dug into her tongue. She pushed herself up onto her hand and rubbed her mouth with her other hand. She could see a little bit of blood clinging to her skin. She winced at the sight, but at least it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. She managed to push herself back onto her feet and continued her way.

She stifled a cry of pain when she accidentally bent her back in the wrong direction. The gashes along it were irritated by the act, and it was hard for her to keep herself from screaming. She could still feel the blood trickling down her back. But she could no nothing to stop it. She didn’t have the right equipment with her, and she would have a difficult time treating a wound she couldn’t see. Besides, right now, she had to keep moving. She had no idea how long Rudy could keep those zoners busy.

The female teenager felt a pang as she thought of those zoners. They must have been through hell to behave like that. Had they watched their loved ones get hurt, even killed by Nihilanth? They were so angry... The magnifying glass zoner had been furious before, directed at her. But at the time, she had just been merely accusatory. Something had to have happened afterwards that pushed her over the edge. Did Nihilanth attack again? Or was the zoner simply unaware of the damage until later on?

She could understand the zoners’ anger and frustration. That didn’t excuse their behavior; they had no right to jump on them like that, no right to try to arrest them when they should have known better. She and Rudy were trying to stop Nihilanth, and they wasted their time. Still, she couldn’t say she entirely blamed them. Their anger felt misplaced, and she bet that, despite what it looked like, the two zoners were more angry at Nihilanth than she and Rudy.

But something would have be done soon about those two. They had been taking their anger out on the wrong targets. She and Rudy weren’t directly responsible for what happened to them or their friends. She silently hoped that Rudy would be able to talk sense into them, or if they won’t listen, at least subdue them. She wished she could do something to help Rudy, but she couldn’t head back, not now. Rudy would not be happy with her if she stopped what she was doing now and came back without finding the blue chalk.

So she continued her quest.

Going through these tunnels was difficult. No wonder it was called Twisted Mountains. She hardly found a straight tunnel here. There were constant twists and turns. Many of the tunnels she moved through looked like a child had taken them and twirled them around, then just smashed it back down. Because of how windy it was, she found it hard to tell just how long the tunnels were, and it was harder for her to tell how long she had walked.

The walls and ground and ceiling of the tunnels weren’t smooth. They were cracked, ragged, and sharp. There were many places where she could easily trip, and this had happened a few times. She even sliced her arm against a sharp rock. Thankfully, it was pretty shallow and didn’t cause her too much pain.

Up ahead, she could see the tunnel went straight up. The wall here was rigid, with ‘steps’ large enough for her to gain a footing. She walked over. She grabbed on and started to climb up. Her feet slipped a few times; it was unusually smooth here. But despite this, she made good progress, climbing up the tunnel. Up above her, she could see the top, the arch of the tunnel entrance and how it came to a sharp tip in the middle, and how the ground seemed to almost dip, forming something of a ‘scoop’.

Soon she reached the top. She pulled her self up, her body scraping along the ground. She winced as she felt the sharp tips dig into her body. She got up to her feet and brushed herself off. She narrowed her eyes slightly as she turned to see what tunnel she was in now.

It looked like the other tunnels she was in... Well almost. This one was more straight, which was almost a blessing to her. She took in a deep breath, sighing with relief. She then started to walk forward, moving along this new tunnel. It moved straight for a while, before, after a few minutes, it arched to the left. The teenager made the wide turn along with the tunnel, her eyes squinting as she tried to see as much as she could. This place was lit, but it was barely good enough for her.

She kept her hand on the wall as she moved through. This tunnel, for some reason, was darker than the others. Maybe it was just her imagination. Or maybe there was an explanation for why this tunnel was darker. Could this be the tunnel that the blue chalk was kept in? There was only one way to find out.

The teenager continued her trek through the tunnel. She could feel her hand bumping over the jagged structure of the wall. She felt her foot snag on a few raised structures a couple of times. Despite that, she barely paid attention, her eyes glued to what was in front of her. It was getting darker. Perhaps, soon, she would reach where she needed to go. She was so focused that she wasn’t paying much attention where her foot was going, nor did she realize the tunnel was starting to become more of an incline.

Seconds later, her foot hit against a raised rock, sending her flying into the ground. She let out a scream as she smashed against the rocky surface, rolling across. She then hit against a slope, which flipped her into the air and she landed on her back. She howled in pain, her body sliding along the ground.

Penny managed to position herself on her stomach, trying to avoid her back getting more injured. But she realized, too late, she wasn’t stopping. Penny let out a series of screams as she slid along the tunnel, coming out into an open area and winding around where the tunnel did. It was like a ride from a theme park, only it was in a cave and made out of rock, rather than metal and other sturdy material.

Penny’s body stiffened up, her eyes wide in horror. The tunnel wound around a few times, moved up and down, jossling her, making her feel sick. She couldn’t tell when it was going to end. She wanted to grab the ledge, which curved up almost like a railing. But at this speed, she would slash her hand open before she slowed herself down. Having no choice, she laid there, occasionally turning over and tumbling as she hit against a few bumps in the ‘road’. Then the tunnel dipped down steeply and curved to the side. Penny screamed as she picked up speed, rolling down the path at incredible speed.

Before Penny knew it, the tunnel finally ended, emptying into a small, oval-shaped room. She rolled painfully on the ground, somersaulting across the room. She soon smashed up against a tall pillar in the center, her shoulder crushing up against it. She clutched it, screaming in agony. She looked down at it, noticing a large bruise forming in it. She lowered her head, shutting her eyes, and seethed.

Slowly, the teenager climbed up onto her feet shakingly. her body wobbling from side to side. She rubbed her shoulder gently, trying to fight back against the pain. She opened her eyes again, and took a look around the room. She froze, her eyes widening. She could feel her heart nearly skipping a beat as she realized where she was.

Blue... There was blue all around her..

Blue hue...

Rocks that appeared blue due to the light...

And blue chalk...

Penny took in a few breaths as she let this sink in. She had found the blue chalk. In awe, she turned around and stared at it. The blue chalk was clustered around the center. She had slammed into it, and a few pieces were on the ground. Looking at her arm, she took notice that a few tiny fragments were on her skin, coating it slightly.

Penny stood there for a few moments, her mind whirling, trying to comprehend what had happened. She stared almost blankly, still in shock and awe, at the blue chalk. She had a hard time believing she had found it. And she had no idea there would be this much. With how rare this was supposed to be, it was hard to believe that there was a whole grove here. There seemed to be enough blue chalk here to arm at least half of ChalkZone City, if not even more.

Penny got out the red chalk. She quickly drew a bag with it. She put the red chalk back and picked up the bag. She opened it up and walked over to the clusteres of blue chalk. She reached over and grabbed one piece and put it in. She was about to close it when a recent thought echoed in her mind.

There was enough here for much of ChalkZone City...

Her mind’s gears reeling, the girl knew what she had to do. Narrowing her eyes, she began to take whole handfuls of blue chalk and put them in her back. She took as much as her bag could carry, practically stuffing it. And even after that, there was still a lot of blue chalk left in here. She stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder.

She turned her head in the direction she had fallen in from. She narrowed her eyes further. The zoners had long been tormented by Nihilanth and the black chalk artists. It had always been such an unfair fight.

Now it was time to turn the tides...

sss

Craniac 4 limped along the ground, wincing in pain. His body was in much need of repairing. But he didn’t know what he was going to do. Normally, he would just head back to the Future Dome. But that place...it was a wreck now. He winced as he remembered how Nihilanth and Rudy had torn much of it down. He could still hear the screams of the zoners there, echoing in his mind. It was not something he was going to be able to forget anytime soon.

He continued to move along the tunnel. He wasn’t sure what part of the Solar Pillars he was in right now. He didn’t know where the others were. He was lost..alone... But at least it was better than being stuck with Nihilanth. At least he was spared that horror, even if it might just be brief.

He wondered what the others were doing. He was angry that they had left him behind. How could they have just left him like that? They should have waited for him. They had run past him, even as he cried out for help. It boiled his circuits as he remembered how they just zipped down the tunnel, doing nothing, not even sparing a glance to him. But then, could he blame them? They were being chased by that oversized rodent after all. Perhaps they just didn’t see him.

Still, that did little to calm him down. He was all alone and badly injured, and those two humans were his only protection. He was hardly in any position to fight back. He knew he was no match against the magic chalk. And even if he could use it, his body was too severely damaged for him to be able to draw much. It was a miracle that his wheel was still in working order. It was bent and crooked, but he could still move forward on it. He wobbled from side to side a little, but somehow managed to keep himself up. He used his least damaged arm to keep himself braced against the wall.

He winced as he felt pain shoot through his body. Despite being a robot, he was able to feel pain just like any flesh and blood zoner. He had a couple gashes in his body from when he had been tortured. Rudy had done quite a number on him, and had even tried to take his harddrive. Though the red robot was able to fight back and eventually saved himself, it had earned him some bad wounds, like the gashes that went along his back and side diagonally. Those were going to take weeks to mend.

He didn’t doubt that Nihilanth was going to come back for him eventually to get his harddrive. He could just sense it. He had been particularly interested in it for some reason. Perhaps because he was drawn by Rudy Tabootie himself? It was possible. But Craniac 4 could not allow that to happen. He needed his harddrive to live. It was the equivilant of a heart for him. Well a heart and brain combined. If he had it ripped out, he would die.

Did Nihilanth know that? Well he probably did, but it was clear he didn’t care. He had proven his cruelty with the way he attacked Future Dome. He didn’t simply target him; he had attacked anyone in sight. Such a behavior made Craniac 4 scorn in disgust. True, he went after Rudy a few years ago, but he and Skrawl didn’t try to kill anyone, and they were focused only on Rudy, since he was the ‘item of interest’. It was so inefficient to cause unnecessary damage that wasn’t part of the plan.

But right now, he was in no position to criticize the dragon’s decision. As he moved down the tunnel in Solar Pillars, feeling the warmth of the torches above him, he had to figure a way out of here. Or at least, find those humans and return to their side. If Nihilanth could attack and destroy much of Future Dome so casually, and if he had ill purposes for his harddrive...

Yeah, he couldn’t let him have it. His brain computer was senting out alert signals to him, telling him to be afraid, to worry. And he knew it was right. Nihilanth was up to no good, and he was going to use his own mind against ChalkZone. As much as Craniac 4 loved the thought of ruling ChalkZone, this wasn’t how he thought it was going to go.

Suddenly, the zoner froze, hearing some footsteps. He looked left and right, leaning against the wall. His LED eyes darted around, trying to find the source of the sound. There was someone coming. All his sensors pointed to that. His circuits pumped with energy, electricity flowing through them as his harddrive sparked with anxiety. Someone was approaching him, and from the sound of the footsteps, they were approaching at a considerable speed.

He listened more intently, and he soon learned something else. Something rather chilling. There was more than one person coming down this way. He pressed himself further against the wall, hoping that, whoever it was, didn’t see him. He could see the shadows on the wall. A couple tall ones and a smaller one. He gritted his metal mouth, his LED eyes widening as he felt his harddrive pump data through him at an increasingly fast rate, the equivilant of an increased heartbeat.

Suddenly, without warning, he heard a shout, noticed one shadow struggling with another, and then a blur flashed by his eyes and crashed into the ground. The startled red robot turned his head, looking at where the dust had kicked up. The dust soon cleared, and he could see that it was Mr. Longhorn. His LED eyes widened in confusion and shock. What had happened to him? What had...?

He didn’t have time to finish that thought when, suddenly, Snap crashed down on top of him. Craniac 4 was horrified when he noticed that Snap was missing his left arm. His body shook, his mind reeling. He tried to piece together what was going on. What happened to Snap? Why was his arm gone? Who had tossed him and Mr. Longhorn? Where was Reggie? Who...?

“Did you two really think you could stop me for long?”

Craniac 4 froze as he heard the feminine voice ring out. Aggressive, clearly angry. He turned his head and saw a woman figure walking down the tunnel towards them. She was obscured by the shadows, but this only lasted a few seconds. As soon as the shadows parted, a torch illuminating her, Craniac 4 recognized her as Jenny. Both Snap and Longhorn had spoken ill about her. And from the looks of it, she was every bit as dangerous as they had indicated.

Jenny walked forward, her eyes glowing black and white. “You should have hurried up with your precious plan. But you were too busy trying to think of what to do for poor Reggie.” Snap and Longhorn shot rage-filled glares at her. Craniac 4 was confused. What happened to Reggie? “Well don’t worry... At least I can’t hurt him anymore. He has been..blessed. You however...” Her eyes narrowed. “You aren’t so lucky, you...”

Jenny stopped as she stood next to Craniac 4. The robot sucked in a breath as the woman turned her head towards him. His pulse rate increased as she stared at him, her eyes widening in shock. The robot remained still, silently hoping she would ignore him. But it was too late, and now the woman’s full attention was on him.

“Why, Craniac 4.. There you are.” Jenny chuckled. She gave a sideways glance to Longhorn and Snap. “I’ll take care of you two later. I have more important things to do.” She turned her attention to Craniac 4. She strode towards him slowly, menacingly. “Now..come here...” She said, reaching her hand towards the quivering, retreating robot.


	182. He's Back

“Well...this is awkward.” Bardot mumbled to himself. He gave a small, sheepish smile to the two adults, but only got glares back. His weak attempt of a smile faded and he turned his head away. He stared out ahead, through the bars, sighing softly. “I do wonder what that man is up to...” He said absentmindedly.

“Oh why do you care?” Mrs. Tabootie snapped. Bardot’s only reaction was to turn his head so his green eye could see her. With narrowed eyes, she said, “You certainly never showed any indication that you cared about anyone but yourself before.”

Bardot’s mouth ticked slightly up. “I take it Penny hadn’t told you what was going on?”

Mr. Tabootie replied, “Yeah, she gave us some details. But we don’t believe for a second that you’ve changed.” His voice was laced in anger. No doubt the man was having flashbacks to when he saw his son, Rudy, in such a grave condition. “Give us one good reason why we should trust you.”

Bardot just stared at the adults. He was on his haunches, his claws pressed into the hard floor. His tail occassionally twitched to the side, from one to the other. He stared at the two, raising an eyebrow. Proof? This man was actually asking for proof? Why should he waste his time doing that? Not like they had all the time in the world to be doing ths. He kept his back turned, his head turned over his shoulder so he could look at the man and woman with both eyes. He remained silent.

“I thought not.” Mr. Tabootie replied, his tone of voice bitter and cold.

This didn’t really faze Bardot. He merely shrugged his shoulders and looked away. Though it might seem like he didn’t care, the truth couldn’t be far more different. His mind was locked on the conversation that went on earlier, with Draow and Cosmo. He licked his lips in anticipation, wondering what they might be up to. This is what they should be focusing on, not whether or not he was trustworthy. He already knew the parents would have a hard time believing him, no matter what he tried. So why bother wasting his time on something like that?

Instead, he refocused his attention on Cosmo and Draow. Their words echoed in his mind. He was trying to make sense of what they had said. He knew it was important to find out. If they didn’t learn what they were up to with that other Draow, then they might be in for a nasty surprise. They weren’t going to kill this dimension’s Draow, so the only other option was...they were going to use him for something. But what?

Bardot wished he knew. If he could get free and sneak to where Cosmo had gone, he might be able to figure something out. If he managed to stay out of the range and direction of Draow’s nose, he might be able to get in close enough to listen to what Cosmo had planne.d But even if he did figure it out, would he be able to do something about it? If he had his venom, he could bite Draow, but to do that, he would need his red chalk half back. That caused him to ask the question he thought he never would.

Would he even want his red chalk half back?

Funny how things can change so much. Two years ago, he wouldn’t have wanted this thing called empathy. He had regarded it as a waste of his time and how it would just get in the way of his ‘fun’. He had exploited empathy with Rudy, Penny, and Snap in order to torment them more. He had been an absolute, for a lack of a better word, dirtbag.

Now that most of his red chalk half is gone, empathy started to get into his mind, changing him slowly. He tried to fight it off, but he soon came to realize that it...kind of made him feel good. He still didn’t regard himself as a ‘goody-goody hero’ like the trio, but he had come a long way. Now that he had experienced empathy for himself, even if just for a few days, he wasn’t sure he wanted to go back to feeling nothing. This hesitation was something he never thought he would feel for himself. Yeah, life was full of surprises, wasn’t it...?

His mind drifted back to Mr. Cosmo and Draow..that Alt-Draow. They wanted Draow for a reason, and he knew he needed to figure it out and fast. Though he wasn’t sure just how much he himself would know. He did know about Mr. Cosmo, what he did, his motivations, yet he never met him. To know what the man had in mind, he would need someone who had experience with him. And that someone was...

Ms. Saffron... Of course, why didn’t he think of it before? He turned his head. He ignored the glares he got from Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie, his eyes focused on the unconscious woman. Wasn’t she his partner for a time? And didn’t she fight against Mr. Cosmo? If anyone would know what that man might be up to... She would know. Maybe the man bragged about his plan before he dragged her over here. Maybe she over heard, or maybe she knew something about him they did not. Knowing there wasn’t much of another option, Bardot got up to his feet. He began to limp over towards the fallen woman.

Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie took notice of this and they positioned themselves in front of Ms. Saffron protectively. The hybrid zoner stopped in his tracks. He locked eye contact with them, exchanging glares. They stood there, silent, for several moments.

Then Mr. Tabootie broke the silence, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Bardot lowered his head slightly, his eyes narrowing. “Stand aside. This won’t take long.”

“You’re going to finish her off, aren’t you?” Mrs. Tabootie asked. Bardot stared at her, somewhat surprised that she came up with that conclusion. Then again, given his past behavior, it wasn’t so much of a stretch. “That’s it, isn’t it? Well you can just forget it! We aren’t going to let the past repeat itself!”

“We weren’t there to stop you from hurting our son and his friends.” Mr. Tabootie added. He jabbed a finger in the zoner’s direction. Bardot’s ears lowered a bit at this. “But we do have the power to stop you this time. We won’t let this woman suffer a similar fate. So sorry, but you’re out of luck!”

“Luck?” Bardot laughed bitterly. “That will not get us out of this mess.” He raised his head up a little, straightening his body. “And that will not stop Mr. Cosmo.”

“Why would you want to waste your time stopping him? We know you did some beneficial things, but..it was just for your own gain, wasn’t it?” Mrs. Tabootie inquired. She raised one of her eyebrows, giving the zoner an accusatory look. “Isn’t that right? The only reason you did anything to help is to save your own hide. As soon as you find a way out, you will leave us stranded here.”

“We see no reason to trust you, Bardot.” Mr. Tabootie chimed in before his wife could continue. “We will not allow you to harm Ms. Saffron. We won’t let her suffer the same fate as her counterpart where did. We may not be able to do much, but we’ll do what we can to protect her.” He stared intently into the zoner’s eyes. “Even from you...”

Bardot shook his head. He couldn’t really blame them for acting this way. Even though he hadn’t done a damn thing to them since he got trapped, he hadn’t really shown any indication of being trustwrothy. In an ironic twist, he wouldn’t trust himself either, after what he had done years ago. He had tripped their children to shreds, and threatened them. If they didn’t feel bitter towards him after that, he would wonder what was wrong with them.

But right now, it wasn’t time for anger or reminiscing about the ‘old times’. What was angering Bardot right now wasn’t their justified hatred of him, but their unwillingness to take a chance and cooperate. If they wanted to be distrustful, couldn’t they wait at least until they got out of the cage? Or would they rather be trapped in there while the worlds they knew were going to be destroyed, with them in it?

Bardot lowered himself, stalking slowly towards the two. He winced as he felt pain radiating from his wounds. His fur raised slightly as he watched their expressions narrow, a clear warning for him to stay back. But he didn’t stop, constantly keeping the slow, steady pace as he approached them.

Only when he got close enough did he speak up.

“I know we haven’t exactly had a....really good introduction.” Bardot said. He noticed their expressions changing slightly. He imagined they were remembering the time he had sent Draow out to capture them. Understandable they’d have this kind of reaction. Continuing, he said, “..and I know I wasn’t the nicest to your children...”

“You tortured them nearly to death, you..you sick twisted bastard!” Mrs. Tabootie snarled, her fingers twitching and arching, as if she wanted to strangle him right then and there.

“Ah yes.” Bardot said. He sat down, tapping his chin thoughtfully as he stared somewhat blankly in one direction. “I remember that. Then again, I’d be a fool to forget something like that.” He made a gesture with his paw, offering a small smile to the parents. “At least I’m willing to admit I did wrong. You try to do the same with Mr. Cosmo, and he will find ways to shift the blame onto his victims.”

“Just because you admit you hurt our son...” Mr. Tabootie narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Don’t think that will automatically make us trust you.”

“I never thought that. In fact, I’d think something were wrong with you if you trusted me on the spot.” Bardot said, swishing his tail from side to side. He glanced down at Ms. Saffron. “It doesn’t look like I’ll get any answers out of her right now anyway.”

“Answers for what?” Mrs. Tabootie asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. “What could you possibly need to know?”

Bardot held out his paw in gesture. “Did you and your husband forget what Mr. Cosmo said?” He pointed a claw at them. “Mr. Cosmo plans on finding our Draow, and doing something with him and his Draow. I don’t know what he could be planning.” He pointed at the unconscious form of Ms. Saffron. “But perhaps she will be able to provide some answers.”

“And you need to know this because...?” Mrs. Tabootie asked.

“Because we may have a bigger problem if Cosmo recruits another Draow. He’s one of the most loyal followers of the black chalk. One is bad enough, but two?” He raised both front paws in the air, holding them out. “And did you see what that other Draow had on him? The lasers and the armor? Do you really want two of those walking around?” Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie didn’t answer. They stared at the hybrid zoner before averting their gaze slightly. “Yeah, I thought not.”

The room went quiet after that. Bardot took that silence as an opportunity to think. He needed that information, but he couldn’t get it out of an unconscious person. He couldn’t get close enough to try to wake her. The Tabooties would think he was trying to hurt her. And if she woke up, if she recognized who he was, he might end up getting attacked in reflex. Not exactly something he wanted to happen right now.

He then remembered there was another cause for concern. It wasn’t just their Draow that Cosmo wanted to find. He also wanted to get a hold of Rudy. Unlike the situation with Draow, Bardot already knew exactly what this man wanted Rudy for. He wanted to recruit him to his side, and turn him into his apprentince, just like his late counterpart had tried to three years ago. He couldn’t believe he had nearly forgotten about that.

Swiveling his head in the direction of the parents, Bardot said, “There is something you need to know.”

“What is it?” Mr. Tabootie asked. His tone was a mixture of bitterness and curiosity.

Bardot paused for a moment, trying to think of exactly how he was going to word it. “Well..you see...”

He didn’t get far in the explanation. Before he could get another word in edge wise, a series of small coughs caught his attention. His ears perked up and he turned his head to where he heard the sound. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie also took notice. It didn’t take them long to realize what it was.

Ms. Saffron was finally starting to come to. Her body was quivering as she gave a couple small whimpers and a few coughs. She pushed herself up, using her hands to steady herself. She kept her head low, taking in a few shaky breaths. She raised one hand and rubbed her head, her eyes flinching, obviously in pain from her multiple injuries that adorned her body. She turned her head, her dull eyes looking around, unfocused.

Clenching her teeth and letting out a soft groan, Ms. Saffron said, “Oh...what happened..?”

Mr. Tabootie answered her question right away. “You’re in our timeline. Mr. Cosmo dragged you here.”

At this, the woman’s eyes widened slightly. Though she still seemed out of it, the name ‘Cosmo’ struck enough fear in her to get a reaction. “C-Cosmo...?” She asked in a fearful voice. “He is here?”

“He was. He left, but I’m sure he’ll be back.” Mr. Tabootie said. He lowered his gaze, his eyes furrowing in concern. He looked back at the woman and said, “Are you okay?”

“I’ve...been b-better.” Ms. Saffron replied. She groaned as she pushed herself up slowly. Her body shook with pain. “How long was I out?”

“I would say at least an hour.” Mrs. Tabootie replied. She looked at the woman sympathetically. “You were in such a bad shape when Mr. Cosmo dragged you over. I’m not sure what that bastard did...” She eyed the woman’s body up and down, taking note of her wounds. “But at least he stopped.”

“Yeah...for now.” Mr. Tabootie reminded her bitterly. Mrs. Tabootie solemnly nodded.

Bardot watched as Ms. Saffron slowly started to regain her senses. Understandably, she was a bit slow, sluggish. That is to be expected after being badly hurt to the point of being knocked out. She was going to need time to regain her memories. Until then, Bardot was going to need to hold off on asking her about Draow. Chances are, she was not going to remember, not to mention she was clearly not in any condition to be interrogated.

Deciding to leave the humans alone to speak, Bardot turned and walked away. He moved over to a corner of the cage to be on his own. He settled down and curled up into a ball, draping his furry tail over his nose. He took in a deep breath and sighed. He didn’t go to sleep; he couldn’t sleep here, not with Mr. Cosmo around. Instead, he closed his eyes only partway as he started to think of their current predicament.

His mind wandered to Penny. He wondered, again, how she was doing. Snap, too. He hoped the two of them were all right. He surprised himself with his newfound concern, as it was something he wouldn’t have had as early as a few days ago. But times change. And besides, he knew that they were the best qualified to bring Rudy back and to stop these enemies. They had the most experience. If something happened to them...

...then that would be just the beginning of their troubles.

sss

“N-No... It’s not possible...” A zoner whimpered softly.

Another zoner shook his head in denial. “You can’t be here... No...”

A third zoner clutched her head. “How can this be?!” She cried. “You’re...You’re dead...!”

“Well he sure ain’t now! Run!” Another female zoner cried.

Mr. Cosmo couldn’t help but smile at this. He stood out in an undamaged part of ChalkZone City. He had taken note of the damage done to one part of the city. The zoners here were already apprehensive. He could tell by the way they were walking around and talking softly. They acted as if they were going to be under attack any moment.

And then when they saw him.. Oh boy was that an entertaining thing to see. The zoners clearly remembered him, probably from when his counterpart had come in here. He didn’t know exactly what his counterpart did, but it was enough to make the zoners scream and flee for their lives. He watched them as they scrambled away like the ants they were. He ticked his mouth into a hateful smile. He was going to have a lot of fun here. He had forgotten how entertaining it had been capturing and enslaving the zoners. Now, he would get to experience that all over again.

Draow stood beside him, his body swaying from side to side in excitement. He watched as the beast licked his lips slowly, his pupils dilated as he focused on the scrambling and zigzagging zoners. He opened up his jaws and started to move forward. Cosmo shot out his hand and stopped him. Draow looked down, giving something of a submissive gesture, and lowered himself, taking a few steps back.

“Calm yourself, Draow.” Mr. Cosmo said. “We mustn’ve be too hasty.” He looked around, seeing some zoners hide in obvious places, too frightened to find a better spot. “We only came here for information. We can’t get that if we hurt them too badly.”

Draow nodded his head. “Understood, master.”

Mr. Cosmo began to move forward slowly. He looked left and right, taking in the sight of not just the zoners, but the buildings as well. It was almost foreign to him. He had ChalkZone destroyed for so long, save for the ‘harvesting’ areas where new zoners were immediately put to work, that he had nearly forgotten what civilization had looked like in ChalkZone. He had almost forgotten that the place had cities, villages, and other living areas before he had them torn down.

Mr. Cosmo pushed the feelings of deja vu away. It mattered little to him what this place looked like now. It would soon turn into the wasteland that it should be, and the zoners would soon be harvested for more...practical purposes. Things were going to improve. He just needed time to set everything up.

He soon found the perfect zoner to interrogate. A small child. Human-like, though not entirely. He could see the ears were pointed and the kid had some small claws on his hands and feet, which had no shoes on. The child wore a white robe with a gold sash holding it together. Mr. Cosmo smirked. The child was alone, too far from the other zoners. And he know that his own presence, along with Draow, would be enough to keep the other zoners away. Slowly, he began to approach the child.

The child zoner took notice of Mr. Cosmo approaching. Whimpering, the zoner looked left and right, trying to find a place to hide. He scrambled to get away and ran into the nearest alleyway. Mr. Cosmo just walked along slowly. He was in no rush. No need to waste energy chasing the child. He would wear himself out eventually. He followed the kid into the alleyway. As he came around the corner, he smirked at what he saw.

The child zoner had ran into a dead end. He was looking left and right, his small body trembling in fear. He was desperate to get out, but judging from his pale perplexion and his wide eyes, it was clear he had not found a way out yet. Mr. Cosmo took a quick look and was satisfied when he could see that, yes indeed, the child was trapped in here. The child turned around and saw the man. He let out a cry of fear and pressed his back against the wall, trying to put distance between him and the approaching human. Mr. Cosmo chortled cruelly at this and kept walking towards him, slowly, deliberately, taking his time.

The man watched as the child zoner shivered like a leaf, staring at him with wide, tear-stained eyes. Draow moved in behind Mr. Cosmo, keeping his distance. Mr. Cosmo stopped and looked at the bat wolf. He held up a hand, signalling for Draow to remain at the front of the alleyway. Draow nodded his head and turned around, aiming his weapons at any zoner who dare come here. Cosmo smiled at this, knowing that Draow would ensure that he was not..interrupted.

Cosmo turned his attention back to the small child. He eyed him up and down. The child zoner was not very large. He looked like he was about the size of a ten year old, or younger. Chuckling, the man tugged on his shirt collar, adjusting his green business suit, and continued to move forward.

“Hello there, sweet little boy.” Mr. Cosmo said, his voice as friendly as he could muster. The zoner looked up at him in fear, not responding. “How are you doing today? Nice weather we’re having...eh...?”

The little boy whimpered, “P-Please..don’t hurt me...”

Cosmo widened his eyes at this. “Me?” He placed a hand against his chest. “Hurt you?” His voice had a very obvious fake tone to it. “Why I wouldn’t dream of it!” The child did not look convinced, but Cosmo did not care. He tilted his head to the side. “I’m gentle with children. Trust me...” He quickened his pace. “All I want from you is some answers.”

The boy shook his head. A small sob escaped his throat. “No, please... M-Mr. Cosmo, s-sir... Don’t hurt me...” He shook his head in desperation, his tears flying through the air. “Leave me alone!” He shut his eyes, tears moving down his cheeks. “Please!”

Cosmo paused and stared at the child for a few moments. His smile was gone only for a second. Smiling twistedly, his eyelids lowered slightly, the man rushed forward, picking up the pace. He rapidly closed the gap between himself and the child. It took only seconds for him to reach the kid. Before the kid could react, the man pressed his hands on either side, pinning the child against the wall, his face close to his.

“I told you..I only want to...talk.” Mr. Cosmo said, smiling softly. He reached down and cupped the boy’s chin. “If you tell me what I want to know, then I will let you go.”

The boy’s heart pounded so loudly, Cosmo could hear it. “Y-You will...?” The boy’s voice was almost hopeful, yet there was still a tinge of skepticism there.

Mr. Cosmo nodded his head. “Yes. Cross my heart and..hope to die...” Mr. Cosmo said, twirling his pointer finger in the air after releasing the boy. He stared at him, his eyes twinkling. “I promise. All I want to do is...ask you a few..questions...” He held up his hand in gesture. He leaned against the wall next to the child, leaning over him, his shadow casting over the child’s body. “So just answer them, and I’ll be on my way...”

The child zoner trembled, staring at him in fear. He glanced over at the alleyway entrance, looking almost hopeful. Draow was still standing guard. Though there were a few zoners trying to get in, Draow’s presence, the snapping jaws and the lasers aiming at them, was enough to make them back away. The child let a small whimper as he realized that he didn’t have much of a choice. He looked back at Cosmo.

“O-Okay...” The child zoner said, gulping. “Wh-What did you want to kn-know?”

Cosmo reached down and traced his finger along the kid’s cheek. “Tell me... Do you know what happened to this dimension’s Draow? Where is he?” He pulled his hand up and ran his fingers through the child’s black hair gently. “I would so...appreciate it if you tell me.”

“Another Draow..?” The boy cringed back, staring at him in confusion. “Y-You mean there’s another?”

Cosmo nodded his head. “Me and Draow...that Draow...” He pointed at the armed bat wolf. “We aren’t from here. An alternate dimension. We want to know where this dimension’s Draow is. Was he arrested, perhaps? Or is he on some kind of mission?” The kid stared at him, shivering. When he didn’t answer after a few moments, Cosmo knelt down on the ground. He gripped the kid’s shoulders tightly. “Remember...” He yanked the kid forward gently. “You aren’t going anywhere until you tell me...”

The kid’s eyes widened. “W-Well..I-I think I heard s-something...”

Cosmo tilted his head to the side. “What is it, boy?”

The child replied, “I think I heard someone s-s-say that D-Draow was being held in an i-i-isolated p-pr-prison...”

Mr. Cosmo’s eyes twinkled. “Oh? How very interesting... Do you know where?”

“I think in one of the nearby ju-jungles.” The kid said quickly. “But exactly wh-where, I don’t know..”

“Are you saying you don’t remember?” Mr. Cosmo asked, tilting his head to the other side. His twinkling eyes focused on the kid in front of him, his tongue slowly licking his lip in anticipation. “Is that it?”

The kid nodded his head up and down rapidly. “Y-Yes, Mr. Cosmo, sir..” His body trembled harder as he cringed back further, trying to get away from the man. Mr. Cosmo just leaned in even closer. “Please, can you let me go now? I told you all I knew.”

Mr. Cosmo leaned away from the child. He did not move for him, and when the kid tried to sneak past him, he made sure to get in his way. The zoner child eventually stopped and looked up at him fearfully, shaking. He didn’t say another word; he just looked at him pleadingly, silently begging him to let him go. Mr. Cosmo just smiled at this. He folded his arms against his chest and he lowered his head, his mind sifting through the various thoughts to think about what his next move should be.

He now had some information of where this dimension’s Draow was. But he didn’t know the exact location. There were many jungles in ChalkZone. The kid said nearby, but in which direction? He couldn’t just go off in any direction; he would end up wasting his time. He needed a way to narrow down the selection.

He stared down at the child zoner. He narrowed his eyes a little. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that the child zoner knows more than he let on. Yes, he was most likely withholding some information so he couldn’t find this other Draow any time soon. The zoner was obviously terrified, as were the others. The idea of two Draows was horrifying for them, so why wouldn’t they try to delay him getting a second Draow for as long as possible? But unfortunately for them, he could see right through this little plan.

The man took a small step forward. He was no slow close to the child, he nearly pressed up against him. The child zoner looked at him, confused and terrified by his actions. Mr. Cosmo stared down at him, a soft glare on his face.

“I do believe you know more than that, dear child. I suspect that you are just trying to keep me from finding your Draow. You know how dangerous one Draow can be. But the idea of two must have you so horrified, that you are doing whatever it takes to make sure that you and your...kind...don’t have to worry about a second one.” Mr. Cosmo said. He lowered his head, scowling. “Isn’t that right, little boy..?”

The boy looked at him. His eyes widened, and he let out a terrified shriek. He attempted to run away, but he was yanked back by Mr. Cosmo, the man’s fingers wrapping tightly around his arm, and was shoved back. The boy let out a grunt of pain as he was slammed into the wall.

Mr. Cosmo glared at him for a few seconds. Then, slowly, his mouth ticked into a smile. “I thought so. So...how about we try again? And this time...” Mr. Cosmo pulled out a knife, the same knife he had tormented Snap with years ago, the same one he had wanted to kill Ms. Saffron with. He pressed the sharp tip against the frightened zoner’s throat. “..let’s do it right.”

The small zoner stared at Mr. Cosmo, horrified.

sss

Snap stared in shock, watching as Jenny had apparently changed targets. When he turned his head to see who it was, he could eventually see the beaten and torn body of Craniac 4. His eyes widened at this. Craniac 4? What was he doing here? Where did he come from? Of all the zoners, he hadn’t expect him to be the one to show up here.

He recalled Mr. Longhorn saying that they lost Craniac 4 when running through this building to get away from Jenny. Mr. Longhorn had no idea where the zoner had gone. Snap never would have imagined the missing zoner to show up here, and at this time, too. He wondered if Craniac 4 had been looking for them or if this was just dumb luck he ran into them. He was betting on the latter. The robot zoner looked just as surprised to see them.

And just as horrified. Snap could see just how scared the robot zoner was as Jenny began to back him into a corner. Snap bit his lip as he pushed himself up with his single hand. He tried to think of what he could do. Despite his...condition, he couldn’t simply leave Craniac 4 at the mercy of this woman. And didn’t Mr. Longhorn tell him something about Nihilanth wanting the robot zoner’s harddrive? While he wasn’t certain what it was exactly for, the zoner knew it couldn’t be anything good.

Snap got up onto his feet shakingly. He looked over beside him. Mr. Longhorn was still on the ground, his body shaking from the pain inflicted on him by Jenny, trying to get himself up off the ground. Snap then turned his attention to Craniac 4, who was still backing away from Jenny. Snap narrowed his eyes. He had to take action and now. He took a step forward, but he felt a hand clamp around his leg. He looked down, seeing Mr. Longhorn staring at him.

“Let me go.” Snap hissed in a low voice. “I have to do something!”

Mr. Longhorn shook his head. “No, Snap. We can’t just rush into this.” He made a gesture with his head towards the terrified and injured robotic zoner. “Look at him. It won’t take much to...push him offline.” Snap’s eyes slowly widened at this. Mr. Longhorn narrowed his own. “We need to be careful.”

Snap lowered his head a little, feeling somewhat ashamed of himself. The man was right. He couldn’t rush into this. If he ran over and Jenny found out, she could just opt to kill Craniac 4. As much as a jerk the robot had been in the past, he didn’t deserve to be destroyed like that. If he was going to help him, he had to think his plan through a little more, and be more careful. One wrong move was all it was going to take...

Snap took a look at their surroundings. Jenny was walking down a new hallway, disappearing into it. There were no other paths around to get to her that he could see, other than simply going straight. So he and Mr. Longhorn could not flank her from the side. They still had the advantage from behind, but..how much of an advantage would it be if the woman knew they were there? She would be expecting them. Snap could feel his stomach tie in knots in frustration as he tried to think of another route to take.

But there really was no other way to go except from behind, in the one direction Jenny knew they were in. They couldn’t go underneath or above her. They had no magic chalk with them, so they couldn’t draw anything. They had nothing for long range. The zoner’s headache increased as his mind kept coming back to the same tactic: coming in from behind.

He turned to Mr. Longhorn and said, “There’s really no option. We have to go in from behind, sneak up on her.”

“But she knows we are here.” Mr. Longhorn reminded him. “She...”

“Yes, I know she’d expect that. But what else can we do?” Snap glared at the man. “We have no choice!”

Mr. Longhorn narrowed his eyes a little. He turned his head and looked over at Jenny. He turned his head up and down, taking in the sight of what was going on. He had a thoughtful expression on his face. Snap remained silent, waiting for the man to speak up. He hoped it would be soon; they hadn’t a lot of time.

Mr. Longhorn looked back down at Snap. “I should have been more clear. Coming in from behind is what she’s expect. But..what about coming in front the side-ish?” The man pointed over. What if you cover one side and I flank her from the other? We could both tackle her arms and keep her from using them.”

Snap tilted his head. He narrowed his eyes. “That’s...no different than sneaking up behind her.”

“You would have just run up from behind and..?” The man clutched his head, squeezing it tightly. He shook his head as he let out a soft growl. He looked back at Snap, giving him a sharp look. “Just...trust me on this.”

Snap just continued to frown. “You make no sense, Mr. Longhorn. And you’re wasting time.” He turned his attention back to Jenny. “If you don’t mind, I have to do something, before she gets Craniac 4. If you want to come help me, by all means, do so.”

As Snap walked away, Longhorn reached out towards him. “No!” He said in a hissing voice. “Stop! Get back here!”

But Snap refused to listen. He wasn’t sure what kind of trip Longhorn was on. How could he think there was another way to come in besides behind? There was no other way. Though Snap knew the move was risky, what other choice did they have? Flanking her from the side like the man suggested..that was no different than sneaking up from behind. It was still just as risky. If he was going to do this, it was better he come in from directly behind, as that would force Jenny to turn around further to grab him. If he came in from the side, it would be much easier for Jenny to snatch him.

He moved in quickly, ignoring the man’s desperate, hushed cries behind him. Jenny didn’t seem to act like she heard anything. Her attention was on the robotic zoner. She was so intently focused on him, she didn’t really seem to take notice to a small zoner like him coming towards her. Snap formed a fist with his right hand, staring intently at the woman’s legs. If he could deliver a strong enough punch to the back of her leg, where it connected her thigh and shin, he might be able to provide enough time for Craniac 4 to rush past her.

He approached slowly, cautiously, being as careful as he could with coming closer to the woman. By this point, the man had stopped yelling for him. He had given up. Good. That was one less thing Snap had to worry about when it came to ‘giving himself away’. With Longhorn silent, Snap stood a better chance at getting close enough for an attack. And when he did, he stopped, staring at his target for a few seconds. Snap then pulled back his fist, preparing for an attack.

And that was when Craniac 4 took notice of him. Snap watched as the zoner stared at him, confused and surprised. Snap froze, realizing what that single act meant for him.

Too quick for him to react or defend himself, Jenny suddenly whirled around. The woman saw him and, seconds later, she snatched him in her hand. Snap let out a surprised cry, gagging as he was lifted roughly off the ground. He struggled and squirmed in the woman’s grasp, his legs kicking in the air, his hand trying to pry her hands off of him. Soon he gave up and dangled limply above the ground. He glared hatefully at her.

“Sweet transistors!” Craniac 4 cried, clearly startled by how quick the human had moved.

Jenny ignored his comment, focusing her attention on Snap. She glared hatefully at him, her lip curled up as if he were something disgusting. She said, “What exactly do you think you’re doing? You should have just stayed put like a good little wild animal.”

Snap pounded his fist against her arm. “I’m not a wild animal!”

Jenny snorted. “You are the zoner. Is there a difference?” Snap glared at her, but did not answer. Jenny smirked for a moment, as if she took this as some kind of triumph. She then looked over at Mr. Longhorn. “Hey. Keep your trash over there. I don’t have time to waste on you now.” She pulled back her arm and threw Snap in the air. “Put a leash on your pet!”

Snap screamed as he collided in the ground. He groaned as Mr. Longhorn knelt down and grabbed his arm. The man helped him up to his feet. Snap’s body shook slightly, a mixture of anger and pain. He turned to glare at Jenny. Jenny smiled at him, intermixed with a look of contempt. Calling him a ‘wild animal’ and referring to him as Longhorn’s ‘pet’... Well that just goes to show how lowly she thought of zoners. He wanted to say something back at her, but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth it.

“Are you okay?” Mr. Longhorn asked.

“Y-Yeah..” Snap said. He rubbed his head with his hand as soon as Longhorn had let go of it. He had hit the ground pretty hard and banged the side of his head against it. “I’m going to need some scans of my head after this...” He grumbled softly. “I didn’t think she’d move so quick...”

Longhorn looked at him sympathetically. Then he narrowed his eyes. “I tried to warn you. I fought with her in the real world before. She’s quick on her feet. I tried to move in from behind, but she caught me offguard, and that was without my position being given away by someone else.” Snap didn’t say anything. “I wish you would have listened.”

Snap felt a pang of guilt. He should have listened to Mr. Longhorn. Instead, he had ignored him to try to rush towards Jenny, and he wound up caught. He was lucky that she didn’t do anything worse, but he knew it was just a matter of time before she went after him again. He would have time to apologize later; right now, they had more pressing matters on hand.

Suddenly, before Snap could do anything else, he and Longhorn both heard a shout coming from Jenny. Turning their heads over swiftly, the two were greeted with a surprising sight. Craniac 4 had apparently used the distraction as a window of opportunity. He had extended one of his hidden, long arms out towards Jenny. It was sparking a little and wobbly, indicating extensive damage, but he still manage to grab onto the blonde nurse and lift her above the ground, her arms pinned at her sides.

Jenny was clearly furious. She growled at the robot, baring her teeth. She jerked herself from side to side, trying to use her weight to make the robot let her go. But Craniac 4, despite his wounds, refused to relent. He just tightened his grip and, with a mighty tug, threw her against the wall as hard as he could. Jenny’s back was slammed against the hard surface and she let out a grunt of pain.

While Jenny was still dazed, Craniac 4 turned his attention to Snap and Mr. Longhorn. “Quickly now! Let’s get out of here!”

Snap stood there, in shock from what had happened. He was shaken out of his stunned state by Mr. Longhorn. He shook his head, bringing himself back to reality. While Jenny was still trying to recollect herself, he and Mr. Longhorn rushed towards Craniac 4. The man grabbed the robot by the arm and the two fled down the tunnels.

Snap’s heart skipped a beat when he heard an angry cry from behind him. Jenny was back on her feet. Soon her footfalls echoed in the hallway. He tried to ignore it, rushing down the hallway as fast as he could, his heart beating against his chest. They had to get out of here and fast.

sss

Penny stared at Rudy in confusion. She wasn’t sure if she believed what he said. Not that she was calling him a liar or anything. But after everything that’s happened, she still found it rather difficult to believe. But all the boy did was nod his head, confirming what he told her. He gave no indication that he was wrong.

“Are you sure, Rudy?” Penny asked, her voice a low whisper. She stared out behind him cautiously, her body tense and ready to defend herself. “Absolutely sure?”

Rudy said, “Yes, Penny. Things will be okay now.” He turned his head and looked behind him, staring at two all too familiar zoners. “They won’t try to harm us anymore. We had a talk.”

Penny flinched at that word. Talk... Despite knowing that Rudy was no longer controlled by the black chalk, she still couldn’t help but associate that with how the black chalk artists ‘talk’ with their victims. She reminded herself that Rudy wasn’t like that anymore. It was clear that, by talk, he meant that they had finally come to an agreement. The more passive postures of the magnifying glass and football zoners seemed to support this.

But despite this, Penny still felt cautious around them. She had been brutally attacked by them. Her back had several gashes in it now. The blood did finally stop leaking, but moving around too much could reopen them. And that’s not counting the germs that surely got into the cut. She was going to need an antibiotic as soon as possible. She had little reason to believe that the zoners won’t attack her again.

Yet she knew that letting these harboring feelings get in the way of what was important would be foolish. Instead of acting afraid around them, she knew it was best to give them the benefit of the doubt and set aside her own feelings for what had to be done. She looked at the two zoners, and then, looking at Rudy sideways, gave him a stiff nod.

“Okay then, if you say so.” Penny said. She did her best not to sound so unnerved for frightened.

Penny had recently gotten back. Traveling through the tunnels, back the way she came, had been difficult. Even after drawing some things with the red chalk to help her, it was still a chore. It took her longer than she thought it would to get back here, in these sets of tunnels where she had left Rudy to distract the zoners.

When she came back, she was surprised and confused to see the zoners standing with Rudy, but not trying to harm him. She wondered what was going on, and at first, thought they were going to attack her. When they saw her, she had froze, prepared for a retaliation, especially from the magnifying glass zoner. But though they had their eyes narrowed a little, she noticed it wasn’t out of aggression. That was when Rudy spoke up, and told her the story of what had happened.

They had apparently reached an aggreement. Rudy managed to settle down the two zoners, and they had agreed to listen. The two zoners had apologized for their behavior, and they had been discussing what they should do. The magnifying glass zoner had even expressed some regret about how she had treated her back at the hospital. That was a step in the right direction at least, but Penny still felt apprehensive.

She took a few steps forward. “Did you...guys figure out what to do next?”

Rudy shook his head. “We were actually just getting to that when we ran into you.” His eyes traveled to her bag. “I take it you found the blue chalk?”

Penny was about to make a remark when she realized she hadn’t really told them anything of what happened to her. She hadn’t told him that her mission was a success, or what any of her ideas were. Perhaps she could provide some input that would help them figure out what they were going to do next.

“Yeah. I found the room.” Penny said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece. “I was able to get some pieces out of there. I grabbed as much as I could.”

“A room filled with blue chalk?” The football zoner spoke up. Penny gave a shiver, half-expecting the zoner to attack. She quickly regained her composure and nodded her head. “Was it the same one she and I went to?”

Penny tilted her head. “I would imagine so. I don’t think there’s any other chambers of blue chalk.” She paused for a moment. “Or is there?”

“Oh who cares? At least we have more blue chalk.” The magnifying glass zoner said. She cocked an eyebrow. “But tell me...what do you plan on doing with the blue chalk? Not like it is going to be of any use to you.”

“Unless you plan on giving us all that chalk, but... from the look of it, there’s too much for us to carry at a time. It seems a little overkill.” The football zoner pointed out.

Penny replied, “Well, there’s a reason I grabbed so much.”

“Oh? Could you tell us what you had in mind?” Rudy asked, looking at her with a curious expression. The two zoners were staring at her as well, folding their arms against their chests. “Please explain.”

Penny didn’t hesitate. She took in a deep breath and explained her plan.

“I thought that we could head back to ChalkZone City and hand out the blue chalk. I thought that, if we armed as many zoners as we can, they will be able to fight back. They had been terrorized by the black chalk artists for too long. Giving them a means of fighting back and...”

Suddenly, she was cut off.

“A means of fighting back? Oh..isn’t that precious...”

Penny stiffened up, her eyes widening in shock. Rudy and the zoners also looked shocked by the sudden voice. It nearly echoed off the walls, having a menacing, chilling feeling to it. Penny could feel it sending ice through her heart, filling her body with adrenaline. She slowly turned her head around and looked over her shoulder. Her mouth dropped open in horror at what she saw.

A large shape, towering over her. She turned around and backed away towards Rudy and the two zoners. The four of them stared in terror as they watched a large, beastly zoner emerge from the shadows. Penny could feel her heart racing. How...how did he...?

“Draow?!” Penny cried in horror.

“Wait...that’s not...” Rudy said, his voice filled with fear. Penny looked at him in confusion. He raised up a hand and pointed a trembling finger at the wolf bat zoner. “L-Look...”

Penny turned around and quickly saw what Rudy was pointing at. The sight of it caused her to gasp and take a step backwards. Her body started to tremble when she realized something was..off... Draow..this wasn’t the same one they knew here. His body was clad in armor..and had weapons mounted on him. This was...this was the dark dimension Draow. But if that’s the case...then that meant that...

Oh no... No..it was impossible... Her heart pounded against her chest as she realized the weight of the situation. She looked over at Rudy. He was just as horrified as she was. Both of them knew that if Alt-Draow had found his way into this world, then it was a safe bet that so did Dark Rudy and...

“Hello, Rudy..” Said a cold, chilling voice. Alt-Draow sneered at the horrified teenagers’ response, then took a step to the side, raising his wing and letting a familiar man walk beside him. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Oh just a few days...” A few quick gestures of the hand. “But it felt so long... and I missed you so much...” He lowered his head, his eyes glinting. “Did you miss me?”

Rudy took a step back. “Mr. C-Cosmo...? B-But how...?”

Mr. Cosmo gave a cruel chuckle. “Did you really think your dimensional hopping would have stopped me for long? Oh contrare..” He waggled his finger from side to side. “All it did was...delay me a little.”

Penny looked left and right, wondering where his apprentice was. “Where’s your Rudy..?”

Mr. Cosmo gave a sorrowful expression that looked so fake. “Unfortunately, he had to...move on to better things.” At this, Draow grinned evilly, filling Rudy and Penny’s hearts with dread. “But not to worry. I plan on solving that little problem.” He stared intently at Rudy. “Yes...you will make a fine...replacement...”

Penny moved in front of Rudy protectively. “No! Leave him alone!” She snarled, keeping herself between this evil man and Rudy. “He’s been through enough already!”

“Oh?” Cosmo asked, tilting his head. Turning it back, he said, “Is that so?”

Penny nodded her head. “I will not let you touch him.”

“Well then... Perhaps a change of plan is..in order...” Mr. Cosmo raised his hand up and snapped his finger. “Draow, fetch.”

Penny watched, her eyes wide in horror, as Draow suddenly darted towards her.

“Penny, no!” Rudy cried.


	183. I Will Break The Boy's Mind

Penny couldn’t tear her eyes away from the large zoner dashing towards her. She remained frozen, too terrified to move. She could hear Rudy calling out to her desperately, but she couldn’t make out the words. Everything was an echo to her, and the only thing her mind could register was that a large predator was approaching her, sets of sharp teeth exposed threateningly to her. The teenager hardly moved when the bat wolf lowered his head and slammed it against her.

Penny let out a scream as she was flung backwards. She rolled across the ground. The bag of blue chalk went flying. She shook her head and looked on in horror as the chalk spilled on the ground. Gritting her teeth, eyes wide, she crawled over to grab them. She didn’t get far when Draow suddenly slammed his foot against her back. She let out an umph sound as she was forced back into the ground. She turned her head and looked up. Her heart began to speed up when she saw just how close that grinning muzzle was to her body.

“Did you lose your little toys?” Draow mocked. “Aww ain’t that a shame? Well not like you are going to need them anymore.” With that, Draow closed his jaws around her shoulder.

Penny yelped as she felt the sharp teeth press against her skin, puncturing it. Warm blood leaked from her shoulder. She hardly noticed the relief of Draow stepping off of her; the agony overwhelmed her mind as Draow bit down hard, threatening to crush her shoulder. He then started to drag her backwards. Penny winced as her body was scraped along the rough ground.

“Penny!” Rudy cried. He reached his hand out towards her. “Let her go!”

Mr. Cosmo chuckled at this. He turned his head, smiling as Draow dragged Penny to his side. When Draow reached him, the beast moved behind him, his body arching to the side as if to encircle the man. His sneering expression remained as his piercing teal eyes looked down at Penny. His jaws were still closed around her shoulder, but this lasted only for a few seconds. He didn’t want to ruin his teeth on the blood. After releasing her, Draow pressed his foot against her back again.

Penny tried her best not to scream. She shut her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth as she felt the claws dig into her back. Draow could easily rake up her back like she were just a pile of leaves. It would take so little effort. Those claws...they were so sharp...

She opened her eyes and stared out at Rudy. Her eyes filled with terror as she locked them onto his. Rudy started her, horrified by what was going on. The two zoners took a few steps back. They were shocked by what happened, but neither of them made a move to help, despite having blue chalk. At first, Penny wondered if they had an ulterior motive to listening to Rudy before. Perhaps they had an agenda.

But no, she knew what the reason was. It was because of Mr. Cosmo. They looked terrified. She could see it in their eyes. They weren’t looking at her or Rudy, or even Draow. They were focused on Mr. Cosmo himself. Mr. Cosmo had something of a reputation here in ChalkZone. There was a reason he was called the Dark Creator, a reason why he was so dreaded among the populace. These zoners...if they haven’t met this madman before, now was their chance. It must be a scary experience for them to meet the man that nearly enslaved their world a couple years ago, the man that caused a full on war a long time ago.

This man was like a walking juggernaut to them. A living terrifying legend. Now he stood before them, as real as anything, and she didn’t doubt that Mr. Cosmo would harm them. He wouldn’t even need much of a reason, either. In her bitterness, she remembered how Mr. Cosmo had apparently cut up Snap’s arm for no reason other than just to ‘make him shut up’.

Then she realized something. Cosmo didn’t really need these two zoners...did he? He came just for Rudy, to recruit him. She knew exactly what he was using her for. Bait. He did not need those two zoners in his plans right now. And the way he was looking at them... She widened her eyes. No, he..he couldn’t...

“No, don’t!” Penny cried. She stared out at the two zoners in desperation, her eyes wide. “Run! Get out of here!”

The two zoners looked confused, but then they saw the look of agitation on Mr. Cosmo’s face and something clicked with them. They rushed towards the fallen back and dropped onto their knees. They began to pick up the pieces of blue chalk.

Mr. Cosmo gave a soft glare down at Penny. “Oh why did you have to go and do that for? I was saving up a nice surprise for them.” He feigned disappointment. He tilted his head to the side, pressing it against the palm of his hand. “Now what shall I do..?” He only waited a second before he came up with an answer. He snapped his finger and said, “Draow, fire away.”

Rudy widened his eyes. “No, you’re not serious! You could cause a cave in!”

Draow did not listen to Rudy’s words. Penny didn’t bother to say anything, knowing that she would be ignored, too. The two zoners sped up the cleaning, their wide, frightened eyes on Draow as he shifted his body. There was a crack sound as Draow began setting up his side weapons. The whir of the machine being turned on filled the air. Then there was a bright light that started to form, and everyone in the room knew what it meant. Not wanting to see, Rudy and Penny turned their heads to the side, waiting for the inevitable.

A loud bang filled the air, echoing off the walls. There was a burst of painfully bright light, and then a whooshing sound. It crashed against the walls, cutting through them and causing chunks of rock to fall to the ground. The cracking and splitting of rock resounded in Penny’s ears, and she was unable to hear anything else, except a faint scream. Soon the crushing of rocks stopped, and the sound was reduced to a few pebbles rolling across the ground.

Penny looked around. She couldn’t see much of anything. She coughed as the dust got in her nose and throat. She tried to see the zoners or Rudy. As the dust began to clear, she could see Rudy’s form. At first, she could only see his shadow, wafering as the smoke continued to rise up. Then, as the dust cleared, she could see him standing there, cringing back against the wall away from the wreckage. His arm was over his face protectively. She could see bits of tiny rocks and dirt cleaning to him. He was gritting his teeth and he looked like he was in some pain.

Penny looked around, trying to find where the zoners had gone. She hoped and prayed that they weren’t hit. She didn’t see any sign of them, but that didn’t mean they were hit. But that scream... What if...? Oh no... Penny’s heart tightened at the thought of those zoners being blown apart. She ahd seen what Draow’s laser weapons could do to a building. She dare not think about what it would do if it hit a living person. No, please, no...

Soon the smoke and dust cleared more, and soon it disappeared entirely. She could see a large rock rubble on the ground. It was very quiet, the only sound being a few rocks rolling towards the ground. She turned her head left and right, trying to find out what happened to the two zoners. At first, it seemed like, perhaps, they got away. She could see an irritated look on Draow’s face, suggesting that perhaps he had missed. A pang of hope grew on Penny’s body. Maybe they got away and they were going to get help.

Then those hopes were dashed, crushed into pieces, when she saw something on the ground. Something that nearly made her heart stop beating.

Blood.

Ice shot through her body and she gave a shiver. No... It couldn’t be... She stared, horrified, at the large pool of blood on the ground, intermixed with some blue stuff. The blue chalk. Her mind reeled, trying to process what had just happened. She tried to think of an explanation. Anything... But there was only one thing she could think of. The two zoners were obliterated in the blast along with the blue chalk. They...were destroyed.

Penny felt a few tears form in her eyes, her body continuing to quiver. She dared not look at the satisfied grin on Draow’s face. She refused to see how Mr. Cosmo was looking upon the scene, knowing that he was likely going to give a much worse expression. She could see, out of the corner of her eye, Rudy standing there, shaking. She managed to turn her head and looked at him. His eyes were glued on the pool of blood and he looked pale. He looked over at her, giving her a look that said ‘why?’. A silent question that neither of them knew the answer to.

The two of them stared at each other, not speaking, just silent. The two of them were having a hard time processing what happened. Mr. Cosmo just...slaughtered two zoners. Okay, he just gave the order, and Draow fulfilled it. Still..he gave the order of the attack, and Draow only attacked because Mr. Cosmo told him to. And for what? Those zoners hadn’t even done anything to him. They made no move against him, and the madman still had them...

Anger boiled in Penny’s blood. It just wasn’t fair... What did those zoners do to deserve such a fate? Crushed to death, burned alive, pulverized... They did nothing to provoke such a drastic and vile response from this man. She turned her head and glared hatefully at Draow, her teeth gritted and clenched. Draow noticed this and looked amused, chuckling, his shoulders shaking.

“Aww, what’s the matter, little girl? Are you sad your friends are gone? Well don’t worry. I can fix that for you...” Draow lowered himself down, pressing his sharp claws against Penny’s back. She let out a yelp. “All it would take..” Penny gasped as she saw Draow’s wing claw pressed up against her shoulder from behind, the claw drapping over and the tip pressing against her upper chest. “..is one little tug in the right spot.”

Mr. Cosmo waved a hand at Draow. “Cut it out, Draow. We cannot kill her...yet.”

Draow grumbled softly. He stared down at Penny. “Consider yourself lucky.” He removed his claw and straightened himself up. He kept his paw on her back, securing her there.

Mr. Cosmo turned his attention to Rudy. The boy’s body was shaking in anger. But the man did not look worried or intimidated. “Well that’s much better, now isn’t it?” He spread his arms out. “Now we have no more interruptions. Some..privacy if you will...”

“How could you...?” Rudy asked, grinding his teeth together.”

Mr. Cosmo tilted his head. “Whatever do you mean?” Rudy and Penny growled at his feigning of innocense. “Could you...be more specific?”

Rudy took a step forward. His body wobbled a little, obviously in some pain. “How could you kill them...? They didn’t do a damn thing to you! But...but you still killed them in cold blood.. You murderer!”

Mr. Cosmo shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “They’re just drawings, Rudy. You’ll get over it.”

“D-Drawings?! Just drawings?!” Rudy cried in disbelief.

Chuckling, the evil man replied, “That is what I said, isn’t it? Or did you not hear me?” He smirked at Rudy’s snarlling face. He pressed his hand together, palms touching each other, his fingers interlocking. “You see, dear little Rudy, zoners are invincible. They can never truly die. If you are so sad about your friends being gone well...” He waved a hand out in gesture towards the boy. “Why not just redraw them? Recreate them, Rudy..and they will be perfectly fine.”

“That’s right, Rudy.” Draow said. His dark voice echoing in the air served to make the room feel much colder than it already did. “We zoners are technically immortal. We can always be redrawn. We...can be...reborn...” He raised his head up in the air, his neck fur poofing up a little almost in a prideful manner. “However, you humans...” He lowered himself a little. He pointed his wing claw at Penny. “You...aren’t so lucky.”

Rudy’s eyes widened. “Penny!”

Cosmo turned his head, giving a slight glare at Draow. “I warned you, Draow. Don’t harm the pretty little thing...” He looked down and stared at Penny in the eyes. He grinned. “Yes.” As he slowly looked back to Rudy, he said, “I want to see what the boy’s thoughts were...”

Penny couldn’t believe it. How low could this man sink? Rudy had just recovered from being controlled like a puppet, and now Cosmo was forcing an ultimatum on him. Even if the man hadn’t actually said it, it was clear that he was going to use her as a means of forcing Rudy to his side. This was not the first time Rudy has had to endure this. She understood why he looked so horrified; the last time that he was forced into a decision like this, he had lost control of who he was, what he did. To potentially be pushed back into that nightmare so quickly...

She and him both remembered all too vividly what happened when they were in the dark dimension. She could still clearly picture the red skies, the black clouds, the war torn landscape... It was a nightmare, a horrifying image that plagued their minds. It was the most extreme end of what could happen if ChalkZone were exposed. And now Cosmo was reopening that gateway. He wanted to bring that same fate upon this world, and he was going to use Rudy to do it...because Rudy was the cataclysm.

Penny remembered that the downfall of the dark dimension and the light dimension correlated to Rudy himself. The dark dimension, that Rudy got corrupted and, as a result, ChalkZone lost its struggle against Cosmo and was enslaved. And in the light dimension, that Rudy became obsessed with control and took over ChalkZone, ruling it with an iron fist and killing or torturing anyone who disagreed.

Mr. Cosmo knew that Rudy could easily turn the tides. He knew that if Rudy were corrupted, things would go downhill fast for ChalkZone. And the man was going to do whatever it took to sway Rudy to his side...

“Hmm...does this remind you of anything?”

Rudy and Penny tensed up at Cosmo’s voice, piercing through the silence. They looked at him, their teeth gritted in anticipation. Just what was the man going to do now? What was the next move he was going to make?

Cosmo looked down at Penny. He examined her up and down. There was a sparkle in his eye. It made Penny shudder. She didn’t like the way he was looking at her. He soon looked away and looked over at Rudy. That same glint in his eye. A look that told the two teenagers the man was up to something. Penny’s body shivered. Just what did the man have in mind for her? What was he going to do to her that would make Rudy break?

Draow gave his master a sideways glance. “Yes, I recall something like this before...” He lowered himself slightly and turned his head completely, both eyes resting on the evil man. “I do believe you nearly succeeded in blessing our Rudy when you threatened to dip that little blue bug’s feet in vinegar.”

Horror shot through Rudy and Penny’s chests at this. No.. Mr. Cosmo couldn’t be thinking of... Penny started to struggle and Rudy rushed over to try to help. They stopped when Draow pressed his talons into Penny’s back, prompting a scream from her. He opened up his jaws and let out a hiss at Rudy, forcing the boy to take a few steps back.

“Yes.. I quite agree...” Cosmo said, completely ignoring what had just happened. He looked down at Penny with his scarred eye. “That tactic worked, and I can use it again. Dear Rudy wouldn’t want anything to happen to Penny, am I right?”

Rudy took in a few quick breaths. “If you hurt her, I swear I’ll...”

“But then...perhaps I’m going about this the wrong way.” Mr. Cosmo said.

Draow looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Cosmo glanced down at Rudy for a few moments. Then he looked down at Penny. Seconds later, he turned back to Draow. “Perhaps I don’t need to harm Penny to get what I want...”

Penny stared at Cosmo in confusion. What was he talking about? She glanced at Rudy, hoping to find some kind of answer. But the boy was as puzzled as she was. She looked up at Cosmo. He was looking at her eerily a couple of times, but those expressions did not tell her what she was in for. What did the man have planned if he wasn’t going to hurt her? What exactly was he going to do to her if it wasn’t going to bring her harm?

Draow was apparently confused as well. His head was tilted to the side, one ear down and one ear up. He had never looked so confused before. For Draow to be puzzled by his master’s statement... Penny knew something was up.

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.” Draow said.

“Of course you don’t.” Mr. Cosmo said nonchalantly. “You’re always so willing to rush straight into the ‘harm people’ department when it comes to these sort of things. You forget that sometimes... The better place to attack isn’t the body...” He tapped his fingers together. “..but instead, the heart and the mind...” He grinned devilishly at this.

“Oh... So you mean emotionally?” Draow asked. Mr. Cosmo nodded his head in confirmation. Draow grinned. “Well then... that’s something I can get behind.”

Rudy and Penny exchanged looks of horror. Mr. Cosmo was going to do what...? He was going to attack them in their most vulnerable spot: the heart. At this, Penny could feel herself fill up with dread. She knew how powerful emotions can be. Rudy would be stressed out enough if he saw her getting hurt. But..but if Mr. Cosmo was going to start mentally tormenting her, her anguish would be enough to break Rudy’s heart.

“No...leave her alone! Get away from her!” Rudy shouted, his eyes wide in fear. He began to move forward, holding out his hand. “Get off of her!”

Mr. Cosmo walked over towards Penny, ignoring Rudy’s desperate cries. He pulled out a piece of black chalk. The sight of it filled Rudy and Penny with horror. The man raised it up in the air and began to draw something quickly. In seconds, some rope dropped from the air. The two teenagers looked at it, their hearts beating faster. What did Cosmo plan on doing with this rope...?

The man looked over at Draow. He waved a dismissive hand. Rather than speak, he simply pointed a hand towards Rudy. Penny felt some relief when Draow lifted his massive foot off of her. She pushed herself onto her hands and shook her head. She looked out ahead and saw Draow storming off towards Rudy. She looked on in terror as Draow grabbed a hold of Rudy on his shoulder. She flinched as he bit down on his shoulder, not hard enough to draw blood, but it was there was no way Rudy could break out of the grasp without causing those fangs to slash across his shoulder.

Penny tried to get up, but Cosmo had reached her already. She was shocked by how fast he moved. She tried to defend herself, but it was useless. The man was stronger than she was. Before she had a chance to do anything, her arms were crossed in front of her and her wrists were bound tightly. She flinched, staring at her hands and wondering if the rope was cutting off her circulation. She didn’t have long to think about this when Cosmo then looped a thick rope around her neck and tightened it. Another piece of rope was attached to it, making her look like she was wearing a makeshift collar and leash. It was almost as if she were some kind of pet to him.

This realization filled her with anger, but it was short lived. Mr. Cosmo yanked her forward. She grunted as her feet stumbled across the ground. She fell forward. Mr. Cosmo caught her by her shoulder and pushed her up, steadying her. She glared at him and tried to jerk herself free. Cosmo responded by yanking the rope up, causing the thicker one to press against her neck, causing her to gag.

“Now now..no need to fuss.” Mr. Cosmo said in a soft, gentle voice. “I’m not going to hurt you. Just..cooperate. However long this lasts, your friend there will decide.”

Rudy pulled himself forward. “No! What are you doing?!” He let out a yelp of pain as Draow dragged him back, his teeth nearly puncturing the skin. “What are you going to do to her?!” He demanded.

Mr. Cosmo merely smiled at Rudy’s anger, as if it was the funniest thing to him. “I’m...just going to have a little fun with her, that’s all...” Mr. Cosmo cupped Penny’s chin and forced her to look at him. He put his face close to hers, his smile broadening more. “She really is quite beautiful...” He lifted his head up, looking at Rudy. “..wouldn’t you say..?”

Rudy widened his eyes and struggled harder. Draow bit down with more force, and now a trickle of blood started to roll down his shoulder. “No...y-you can’t...!”

Penny caught the tone of voice used and her heart began to pump faster. She looked up at the man fearfully. She struggled to get free, jerking herself from side to side. She tried to pull herself back. The man’s grip on the rope was tight and he pulled her forward, and soon she was so close, she could feel his breath against her face.

“No need to be so frightened, dear.” Cosmo cooed to her. He pushed the side of two curved fingers under her chin gently. “This won’t hurt one bit.” Before Penny could say anything, Mr. Cosmo moved his head forward swiftly, and his lips slammed against hers.

Penny’s eyes widened in alarm. She jerked back, squirming wildly. She could feel the man put his arm behind her back, securing her in place. She struggled against his grip, but he just applied more force. His lips ground up against hers. The sensation filled her with disgust, horror, and dread. Her mind raced with many thoughts and her eyes darted around, trying to find a way out of this mess. The man did eventually part from her, pulling his head away and stroking her cheek.

As Cosmo started to play with her hair, his fingers running through it, Penny looked over at Rudy. She could see the look of terror in his eyes. He was trying to get free, trying to do something to help her. Draow was doing a good job with holding him back, his jaws still clamped over his shoulder. Rudy and Penny locked eyes with one another, and Penny could feel her stomach twisting in knots.

Penny shuddered as she felt the man move his hand along the back of her head, then down her neck and along her back. She struggled frantically to get free, but it was no use. She was not able to stop the man from kneading her back gently, or the hand coming back up and squeeze her shoulder. She shuddered at his touch, and soon the hand moved down her arm. He caressed her arm gently before moving his hand back up, returning to play with her hair once more. She realized exactly what this man was up to and she could feel her heart pounding against her chest as terror swept through her body.

“R-Rudy...! Help me!” Penny cried out in horror, jerking and pulling herself away. Mr. Cosmo chuckled and pulled her back. He pulled at her hair, twisting it around his fingers. Penny clenched her teeth in fear, her pupils shrinking. “Rudy!”

“Yes, Rudy, help her. Help your little friend.” Mr. Cosmo taunted.

Rudy stared at Penny with terror-filled eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come. His breathing increased, his chest expanding and deflating rapidly. He looked between Penny and Cosmo, his mind clearly racing, clearly trying to figure out a solution. He soon rested his eyes on Cosmo, staring at him pleadingly, silently begging him to let her go.

Mr. Cosmo sneered, “I can do this for a long time, Rudy. Your girlfriend here is quite attractive...” He turned his head and stared at Penny in the eyes. “A remarkable catch... So, sweetheart...” He stroked her hair, combing it behind her ear. “Are you ready to continue?”

Penny shook her head, snarling at him. “No, I...”

“I am...” Mr. Cosmo said before forcing her into another kiss.

Penny’s heart began to beat faster as Mr. Cosmo brushed his lips against hers once more. She struggled as hard as she could, yanking back her tied up wrists. Mr. Cosmo’s grip was like a vice. Any time she managed to gain some distance, he would just pull her back, or move himself forward so he could keep kissing her.

Penny’s mind raced with thoughts. Adrenaline pumped through her body, sending a cold yet burning sensation through her arms. Terror filled every crevice of her, making her shiver and struggle harder. She continued trying to yank herself back, despite it not working no matter how hard she tried. Mr. Cosmo didn’t look physically strong compared to other men she’s seen, but he was definitely a lot stronger than she was. He was proving that right now.

She opened up one eye and looked out at Rudy in desperation. She wanted to speak. She wanted to say something. But she was silenced by this dreadful kiss and could only manage a few distressed muffles. Rudy looked horrified as he heard them, and he tried to come forward. Draow stopped him, holding him back with his jaws. She watched as the beast lifted one of his feet and curled it around Rudy’s body, the talons pressing against his chest. Draow did a good job with balancing as he threatened Rudy with the claws.

Then, without warning, Penny felt something against her mouth. She soon realized it was the man’s tongue. Panic rushed through her body and she let out a surprised, muffled scream. She jerked back as hard as she could, this time managing to break free. She tumbled backwards as the man let go of the rope. She heard Rudy cry out in horror as she crashed into the ground, on her back. She laid there, groaning in pain.

She had no time to react when Mr. Cosmo approached her and sat down on her, straddling her. She squirmed underneath him, pulling on her arms, trying to free them. Mr. Cosmo grabbed the rope and jerked it over her head and pinned her arms down. Penny looked up at him in terror and turned her head from side to side as she tried to get away from him. Unable to get herself free, she laid there, her head turned to the side. She opened up one eye and stared up at the man. She shivered as she met his cold hard stare.

“Feisty little girl, aren’t you? Perhaps I should have...tied you down for this..” Mr. Cosmo licked his lips slowly. Penny’s pupils shrank and her mouth dropped open. Mr. Cosmo chuckled. “Don’t worry, dear. I don’t plan on going quite...that far...” He lowered himself, caressing her cheek with his hand. “Now why don’t you be a good little girl and hold still? This doesn’t have to hurt. Just...relax.”

Penny’s heart beat against her chest as Cosmo lowered his head towards her. He gripped her hair and forced her head to hold still. She was unable to stop the man from kissing her again. She shivered and whimpered in disgust as she felt his tongue in her mouth. And this time, she could do nothing to stop the french kiss. She looked over at Rudy, hoping and praying that he had some way to stop Mr. Cosmo.

sss

Rudy stared in horror at what was going on. His heart beat against his chest, feeling like it was going to pop out. His breathing increased rapidly, his chest rising and falling at a quick pace. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from what was happening. He hardly registered Draow’s dark, taunting chuckles. He hardly registered they were still in a cave. Right now, there was only one thing his mind could see.

Mr. Cosmo kissing Penny.

The sight of it was so...disgusting and horrifying. Rudy couldn’t imagine what Penny must be feeling right now. He felt a pang of guilt every time he looked at her in the eyes. She was staring at him, silently pleading for his help. Penny wasn’t helpless. She could get herself out of tight situations. But in this moment, there was little she could do. Her wrists were tied together and she was being held down by a man who stronger and heavier than her. Penny had no means of escape. He was her only chance...

But what was he going to do? He was stuck here with Draow. If he tried to move forward, Draow would just bite down on his shoulder harder. He could already feel the teeth breaking his skin, drawing more blood. The talons pressed against his body served another problem. Even if he got away from Draow’s teeth without hurting himself, it would be impossible for him to release himself from Draow’s claws without hurting himself on them.

As he was forced to watch Penny squirm, as her feet kicked against the ground in desperation, his heart sped up faster and his mind reeled with many thoughts. He couldn’t just satnd there. Even if he did not know what he was going to do, he...he had to do something. He couldn’t just stand there and let his friend get continually tormented like that. He could feel his heart breaking as he watched Penny continuing to get distressed.

Unable to take this mental torture of his best friend, Rudy cried out, “No! Please! Stop that! Let her alone!”

Mr. Cosmo didn’t listen to him. He broke apart from Penny, who let out a shout at him. Mr. Cosmo kissed her again, his fingers digging into her scalp so she couldn’t move to get away. Rudy took in a few quick breaths, feeling ice shoot through his veins.

“Please let her go, Mr. Cosmo! I-It’s me you want, right...?” Rudy trembled as fear swept through his obody. Fear of what might happen to him, and fear of what might happen to Penny. “Face me! I’ll take you on! Just please...let her go!”

At this, Mr. Cosmo froze. At first, it looked like he was listening to him, that he was going to get off Penny and leave her alone. He turned out to be incorrect about this. The man merely turned his head so he could look at Rudy. His body remained pressed against Penny, keeping her pinned down to the ground. She attempted to struggle, which Cosmo either didn’t notice or ignored entirely.

Focusing his attention on Rudy, Cosmo said, “Do you really want me to stop?”

“Yes!” Rudy cried in desperation. He stared at Cosmo pleadingly. “I know it’s not her you are after! It’s me! To come get me and let her go! Please!” Cosmo cocked an eyebrow, not moving or speaking. “Please...” Rudy’s voice was strained, emotion filled. A few tears formed in his eyes. “Please...” He lowered his head, closing his eyes. A few tears dripped from them. “L-Leave her alone..”

“Rudy! You can’t...!” Penny started to cry.

Cosmo pulled on her hair hard, causing her to yelp in pain. “Be quiet!”

“Penny!” Rudy shouted, holding out his hand towards Penny. He tried to jerk himself forward, but screamed when Draow pulled him back hard, the talons cutting into his skin. He shivered in pain and looked out at Penny, his eyes widened. “Penny...” His eyes took in all the details of Penny’s pain-filled face, filling him with apprehension.

“I’ll be happy to let her go.” Cosmo said, his voice nonchalant. “But then...perhaps I shouldn’t.” Rudy stared at the man, horrified. “Perhaps I should shift my attention to her. After all...” He ran his hand over her head in an almost affectionate manner. “She has a high degree of intelligence on her. Maybe instead of seperating her from you... I’ll make her join.”

Rudy’s heart skipped a beat at this. “No...” He shook his head. “Please!” No, he couldn’t do that. Please..not that...

Mr. Cosmo sneered at him as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the black chalk. The black glow rose in the air slowly, disappearing as an invisible wind seemed to strike it. Rudy could see the horrified expression on Penny’s face when the man lowered the chalk towards her. His heart beating quickly, Rudy struggled harder against Draow, desperate to get to his friend.

“Why so glum, children? I am doing you both a favor. I made the mistake before of...trying to separate you. I can see where that had been a mistake. This time, I will not make that error. I will bring you both over to my side. That way, you can be together. Wouldn’t that be great...?”

Rudy tried to stop his shaking body, but was unable to. The emotion that swept through him were impossible to ignore. He could feel anger towards Cosmo rising up, but also terror for what was about to happen to Penny. His eyes locked onto hers and they exchanged looks of horror. The man held the magic chalk above her head, keeping it high enough that it wasn’t affecting her, but gradually lowering it. Rudy’s heart rate increased as he watched Penny’s eyes slowly begin to take on a black glow.

“No!” Rudy shouted, struggling harder against Draow. The bat wolf continued to hold onto him, but was soon having trouble keeping him still without hurting him. Rudy ignored the cuts he was getting as he tried to get free.

“No? You don’t think that’s fair?” Mr. Cosmo mused. He pursed up his lips. “Hmm... well that’s...disappointing...” He turned his head to the side, giving Rudy a sideways glance. “I would have thought that you would love the idea. You would have Penny at your side this time. You would not be alone in death, should it come...like your counterpart.”

Rudy took in a sharp gasp of breath at this, trembling. Mr. Cosmo hadn’t outright told him what happened, but that remark was enough for him to get a good enough idea. As much as he hated Dark Rudy, he couldn’t help but feel some pang of sympathy for him. Dying alone... A terrible thing. He and Penny nearly suffered that two years ago, when Bardot and Draow separated them. Now his counterpart had suffered the same fate. He wasn’t sure how it happened, or what circumstances, but he knew that Mr. Cosmo was involved.

He curled his lips into a snarl at this. Even to his own comrades, Mr. Cosmo breaks loyalty. Either this is a common trait of the black chalk, to turn against their own if it suited them, or if it was a trait unique to Mr. Cosmo. He hadn’t read all the journal entries. He didn’t know exactly how Mr. Cosmo was like as a kid. He might have been similiar to him. That he knew. But what if Cosmo was always willing to backstab if it suited his needs or the ‘need of the many’, and that was amplified with the black chalk?

If that’s the case, then the man had truly was the dreaded. Even his own comrades had something to fear from him.

“Come on, hold still...” Mr. Cosmo said as he lowered the black chalk towards Penny. The black glow grew more intense, but Penny was still struggling. “It won’t hurt one bit. I promise. Soon...it will all be over...”

Penny thrashed on the ground. Her legs hit against the gorund, her feet scraping along it, as she tried to push herself out from underneath the vile man. She attempted to scream, but Cosmo pressed his hand against her mouth, silencing her. Rudy could have sworn he heard her shout his name several times. And the way she was looking at him, as her eyes darkened as the black chalk started to leak into her... His heart twisted, stomach burned. His body shaking like a leaf, he could no longer take it. He took action.

Looking down at the ground, seeing a pile of small rocks and dust, Rudy thrusted himself downward. Draow wasn’t able to stop the boy from grabbing the small pile of pebbles. The bat wolf split his mouth open, letting out a loud screech at him. Rudy whirled himself around and, with a mighty throw, the dust and tiny rocks hit against Draow in his eye. Draow let out a screech of pain, his body stiffening straight up, his wings downward. No longer holding into the boy, Rudy was able to slip away from him. As the bat wolf struggled to get the dust out of his eyes, a dull part of his claw rubbing against his face, Rudy took this chance to rush towards Cosmo and Penny.

Then, as he got closer, he could see the man slowly turn his head towards him. Instead of looking surprised that he was free, the man was...happy. Rudy was confused when he saw the man smiling at him, making no move to quicken the process. Even though he could, the man was not pushing the black chalk against Penny faster, and now his attention was fully on him. It was almost as if...

...as if he had expected this to happen... And this whole thing had been a trick to get him to... Oh no...

Rudy’s heart raced against his chest as the realization struck him. He didn’t stop him time. He had realized the truth too late. By the time he knew, he was close enough that Cosmo was able to grab him. Sitting down firmly on Penny, keeping her in place, Mr. Cosmo reached forward and grabbed Rudy by his arm. He yanked him forward as hard as he could, causing the boy to trip over his feet.

Rudy grunted as he was pressed against Cosmo. The man’s arm looped around his neck, holding him in a head lock. Rudy struggled against him, but stopped and gagged when the man tightened his grip on his neck. Penny was letting out muffled shouts of anger and hit Cosmo with her tied hands. Cosmo didn’t pay attention to that as he smirked down at the teenaged boy. He took the black chalk and pressed it against him.

Rudy’s eyes widened in horror and fear as the cold, sharp feeling returned, spreading through his body. He could feel the black glow now eminating from his eyes. He was unable to stop himself from ticking the corner of his mouth into a smile.

sss

“And there you have it. That’s what happened. And that’s what he has planned.” Ms. Saffron said sadly, her head bowed. “Now you know...”

“So he...he really did kill his Rudy...?” Mrs. Tabootie asked, her voice laced in horror. Ms. Saffron nodded her head. At this, Mrs. Tabootie cringed at the thought, shifting her eyes left to right. “I-I can’t believe it...” She looked at the woman. “Why would he...?”

“She already said.” Mr. Tabootie replied, cutting off his wife. His eyes were closed, his head tilted down a little. “He wanted to start fresh. Even if he was satisfied with how his Rudy turned out, he must think that he could do better. But he was also aware of the jealousy that would form, so he opted to eliminate that possibility.”

“But to kill one of his own...” Mrs. Tabootie whispered softly.

“It does seem unusual.” Bardot spoke up. He didn’t look at the adults. He stared towards the ground blankly, his head turned. “I have not heard of the black chalk acting in such a manner. I wonder if there is something..different about Cosmo. Perhaps him being the first changed things...”

Ms. Saffron said, “Regardless of the reason, that is what happened. He had Draow kill his Rudy, and he came here to get yours.” The two adults looked at the woman in horror. She clenched her teeth, and added, “...and of course he plans on bringing the same hell here as he did the other dimension. But he..wants to make things better.”

“Better?” Bardot scoffed. “I highly doubt that.”

Mr. Tabootie nodded his head once. “You’re not the only one in doubt, Bardot. We don’t think he’s being sincere about that either.”

Ms. Saffron nodded her head. “And you’d be right on that. By ‘better’, he means that he wants to take over faster and inflict some harsher rules. He was...somewhat disappointed with how humanity wiped itself nearly to extinction so easily. He wants to...prolong that, so Nihilanth has more help in merging the worlds.”

“It sounds like he has his own agenda, though, from what you told us.” Bardot noted. “How are we certain that this Cosmo is still loyal to Nihilanth?”

“Because Nihilanth is black chalk. Agenda or not, Cosmo would still end up answering to him.” Ms. Saffron replied. She folded her arms, her eyes narrowing. “Rest ‘assured’...that as soon as he finds Nihilanth here... We’re all in trouble...”

Silence fell upon the room. Ms. Saffron watched as the two adults looked at each other. Small whispers, too faint for her to hear. She didn’t need to hear to know what they were discussing. They were taking in all that she had told them, or at least, all that she could remember. She was certain she missed a few things, but she was confident that she at least got the important stuff out of the way.

She couldn’t remember how long she had been here, how long she had been passed out, or awake. Without a clock, time seemed all muddled to her. The minutes clashed into one another, forming one long continuous stream. It could have been hours since she woke up here, and she wouldn’t even know it. She bit her lip, wondering when or if they were going to get out of here. She didn’t know what Cosmo had in mind for them whenever he came back. Would he kill them off..or force them to become slaves of the black chalk? A part of her hoped it was the former, for being a slave to the black chalk was a fate worse than death.

She was still in shock that this was the alternate ChalkZone that those other versions of Rudy, Penny, and Snap came from. It had taken her a while to realize and accept this wasn’t the same ChalkZone she knew. It was almost...surreal... She had barely ben in her ChalkZone, except to aid Mr. Cosmo a few times. It had been quite beautiful...until most of it was destroyed. Her heart twisted in knots, pangs of guilt spreading through her body, as she remembered the horrific sights. The zoners running for their lives, the bombs going off, the fires...

This ChalkZone was just like the one she remembered, at least from what little she had seen. Save for the attacks that it was clearly suffering, this world was still in much better shape than her ChalkZone was. This caused conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she was glad, happy that this ChalkZone was saveable at least. But on the other, it served as a terrifying reminder of what was lost. If only she had seen the light sooner...if only she had made her move faster...then maybe...

“Well we can’t just stay in here. We need to figure a way out.” Bardot said, breaking the silence. He looked at each of the adults, his eyes narrowing in what Saffron guessed was determination. “We have to stop Cosmo from getting a hold of that boy.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, Bardot...” Mrs. Tabootie said, her voice laced in bitterness. “We are trapped.”

“How do you propose we get out?” Mr. Tabootie inquired, his eyes narrowed.

Bardot clenched his teeth for a moment. He looked from side to side, his mind looking like he was trying to find the answer. When he couldn’t seem to come up with anything, he shook his head and he said, “Well I don’t know... But we have to at least try!” He took a step forward, wincing from his injuries. “You know what will happen if Cosmo succeeds in recruiting Rudy.” He lowered his head for a moment, then looked back at them. “If what I know about Cosmo is true... Then you are going to have a lot more to worry about than just your son.”

Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie took this time to look at each other. They exchanged looks of fear and worry. It was clear they understood what Bardot was saying. They recognized the tension and urgency in his voice. They then looked back, staring down at him and biting their lips.

“Yeah...” Mr. Tabootie said, the first one to reply. “We get what you are saying, but..” He looked all around, his eyes moving along the cage. “How are we going to get out of here?”

Bardot’s ears lowered a little. “I’m still not sure.” He looked over to the left. “These bars are too thick for me to break in my current state. And they are too close for me to slip through.” He turned his head to the door. He narrowed his eyes slightly. “My front legs aren’t good enough to reach around and pick the lock.” He sighed and turned back to the adults. “What about you? Any of you have any ideas?”

The two parents shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads. The air filled with anxiety after this. Neither adult knew what they were going to do. No ideas. And this clearly scared them. They looked at each other again, then back at Bardot. Their looks of fear and worry never left their faces. They all then looked over at Ms. Saffron, the only one left who hadn’t given any input on the matter.

Ms. Saffron bit her lip as she felt the three sets of eyes, all six individual orbs, staring at her, boring through her soul. She moved back a little, pressing up against the bars. She could feel the pressure mounting on her shoulders, weighing her down. What was she going to say? She didn’t want to disappoint them, but lying would be much worse. Truth be told, she had no idea how they were going to get out. She was just as lost as they were. Instead of replying right away, she decided to take some time and look around the cage.

She couldn’t see any weak point. As Bardot already pointed out, the bars were too close even for him to slip out. None of the bars appeared to be loose, so trying to remove one of them wasn’t going to work. They were strong, too. Mr. Tabootie, the strongest person in here, didn’t have enough strength to break any of these bars so they could get out. They needed to try something else. There had to be something they were overlooking. A detail, even a very minor one, was all that was required to potentially find a way out.

The woman continued looking around the cage, her eyes taking note of all the details. As a reporter, she had trained herself to look for details in a story, and when she had to fight for her life, she transferred that skill over to survival in the real world. She had spent time looking at any detail she could, ways to get in and out of places without being seen. She put that skill to use now, exercising her brain, feeling the wheels in her head turn. And soon, after a while of looking around, she noticed something.

It was difficult to tell as she had to strain her neck over, but she noticed that there was a stalactite hanging over head. The large rock structure, shaped like a long, wobbly rectangle, hung overhead, positioned at the edge of the cage. If it were to fall down, it would strike one side, and perhaps have enough strength to flip them over. If it hit hard enough, it might jossle the lock on the door or break a few of the bars holding them in.

She bit her lip. It was a highly risky move. But what other choice did they have? They needed a way out of here, and this might be the fastest way. The stalactite didn’t look like it was very secure. In fact, it wobbled a little bit. Not enough to be serious, but it was enough that she knew, with the right... motivation, it would fall down. She looked over at the others, giving them all a look of urgency. They leaned forward, eager to hear what she had to say.

“Quick! Make movement!” Ms. Saffron cried. The adults and zoner stared at her in confusion. The woman pressed, “Slam your fists against the cage! Make it wobble! Make noise!” She pointed her finger upward. “We need to get that stalactite to fall down on us!”

At this, Mr. Tabootie gasped in horror. “Are you mad?!” He gripped his head. “It will crush us!”

Ms. Saffron shook her head. “No it won’t! Not as long as we keep to one side of the cage. The stalactite will only strike this side.” She motioned with her hand along the side she was referring to. “So long as we stay over there...” She pointed to the other side. “We will be fine.”

“But why knock down the stalactite? What good will it do?” Mrs. Tabootie pondered.

“Having sudden weight drop down on one side would cause the cage to shake and flip.” Bardot said. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “And the force of the impact might pop loose a bar or two. We could crawl out.” He looked over at Saffron, who nodded in confirmation of what he said. Smiling slightly, Bardot said, “Well done, Ms. Saffron. Quite clever.”

“Okay, so we’re at an agreement.” Mr. Tabootie said. “If this is our only chance out, and if you are correct, then... Okay, we’ll try it.” He turned his attention to Ms. Saffron. “Okay, how should we go about doing this?”

“This room isn’t very big. If we just pound the ground our cage, we may be able to send enough vibrations through the ground to dislodge the stalactite.” Ms. Saffron said. “First, let’s get over to that side, where it is safe. Then we can begin.”

The group moved over to the other side of the cage. Bardot had some difficult, limping over, but he managed to keep up the pace for the most part. Ms. Saffron, however, required some assistance. Mrs. Tabootie helped her up to her feet and let her use her as support. The two women moved over to where Mr. Tabootie and Bardot were waiting. It took a few moments, but they did make it over. As soon as they did, Ms. Saffron sat back down on the ground. She took in a few breaths and looked at the others, giving them a nod, signaling them to start.

The four prisoners began to slam the ground as hard as they could with their hands. They formed fists and pounded the hard floor, concentrating on a small, single location. They could feel the vibrations getting stronger with each pound. They couldn’t hear anything with the stalactite, so they kept on hitting. Their fists began to get sore. They could feel aches and pains rushing up their arm. But still, they did not give up. They continued on with their pounding and thrusting their fists against the ground, hoping that, sooner or later, the stalactite will dislodge.

They kept at it for a while. Their lungs began to tire, their chests feeling like they were burning. They continued pounding the ground, but now their arms were getting weaker. Their hands were so sore and battered, they could hardly move them. And despite all their effort, the stalactite still didn’t budge. It was hanging firmly overhead. It wobbled a little, but it never dislodged itself.

Ms. Saffron clenched her teeth, rubbing her sore hand. She looked at the others. They seemed to realize how hopeless this was turning out to be. They looked almost...demoralized. Ms. Saffron didn’t want them to give up hope. She didn’t want to surrender to this feeling of dread. This has to work. They just had to keep hitting the ground. They had to keep going. She pulled her hand up and slammed it back into the ground. But by now, her hand was so sore that she howled in pain when she hit it against the hard metal ground. She pulled her hand back and cradled it against her chest.

“This...this isn’t working...” Mrs. Tabootie said. She rubbed her hand gingerly.

“No...shit...” Bardot growled at her. He noticed her cradling her hand and snarled at her, “Oh you think you have it rough? Try being in my position and hitting this concrete of a ground, you...”

“Silence!” Mr. Tabootie called out, getting between Mrs. Tabootie and Bardot. With the way the two were glaring at each other, the man could tell they were about to engage in a fight, which is not what they needed right now. “Settle down! We’re not going to get out of this mess if we fight!”

“Mr. Tabootie s right.” Saffron said. She looked up towards the stalactite sadly and lowered her head. She gave a soft sigh. “It’s clear that this method is not going to work. We need to try something else.”

Bardot growled softly. “But what can we do?” He looked up towards the structure himself. “It’s not like we can reach the thing from down here.” He raised up his hand, holding his claws together as if he were holding something. He made a few gestures in the air, like he were drawing. “Unless you happen to have a piece of magic chalk or something.” He smirked.

Mr. Tabootie shot him a glare. He didn’t say anything to the yellow zoner. He turned his attention to Ms. Saffron. “Do you have any other suggestions?”

Saffron was about to answer when, suddenly, something bright flashed before their eyes. Everyone in the group froze, watching what appeared to be a beam shoot out of nowhere. It brought a partial illumination in the room, casting their bold shadows against the wall behind them. It struck against the stalactite above them. It ripped through the rock, splattering the stone all over the place. There was a loud creaking sound, and in seconds, the stalactite fell.

Saffron widened her eyes in horror, the others looking terrified as well. They huddled together, putting their arms around each other, and braced for the impact. The stalactite crashed into the cage. As it did, they were jossled around. They screamed as they tumbled along the ground, the stalactite causing the cage to flip over. Soon the cage was on its side, dust kicking up in the air and obscuring their vision. They coughed as they waited for the dust to settle. It took several seconds, but soon everything cleared up. As it did, there was a loud snap and crunch of metal, and Saffron winced as something heavy hit against her leg, making her yelp.

Looking down, she noticed it was one of the metal bars. She picked it up with her hands and examined it. She looked at each others, all of them exchanging looks of confusion. They looked over in the direction the metal bar came from. They could see there was now a gap in the cage. Dust was pillowing around where the metal bar had broken free, and they could see some crumbling portions of the cage around it.

Uncertain of what that beam was, and their minds still filled with caution, the group slowly crawled out of the cage. They went out one at a time. The missing bar provided more room for them. Mrs. Tabootie, being the largest, had the hardest time, but with help, she was able to squeeze through. Bardot limped away a few feet and turned around, watching as the humans crawled along the dirt and gravel for a while before they pushed themselves up onto their feet. They joined Bardot and turned around. They stared at the ruined cage and the shattered stalactite, wondering what had just happened.

Then they could hear footsteps from behind them. They froze, bodies stiffening up. They wondered if it was Mr. Cosmo. Perhaps he came back to get them. Maybe he figured out what he was going to do with them. Saffron gulped, knowing that if that were the case, they didn’t stand much of a chance. That beam..it had torn through rock. If it were aimed at them...

“Hello there...”

Saffron’s eyes widened, confusion settling in her mind. That voice... She didn’t recognize it. It was not Cosmo. But..if it was not him..then who...?

“Mrs. Sanchez!” Mrs. Tabootie cried, her voice filled with relief. Mrs. Sanchez? Penny’s mother, Saffron deduced. A friendly face. “Thank goodness, you’re...”

The group became silent. As soon as they turned around, they froze, their eyes widening in horror. The person standing before them was Mrs. Sanchez. She certainly looked enough like Penny to be her mom. But..something was wrong with her. Something..unsettling. And it didn’t take Ms. Saffron long to know exactly what that is.

Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes were glowing black...

“Hello there...” Mrs. Sanchez said with a wide grin. “Aren’t you happy to see me..?”


	184. Convergence

“Can’t this thing move any faster?” A male humanoid zoner grumbled. He was leaning back in the seat, his arms crossed over his head.

His partner, a bird-like zoner with hands, shot a glare at him, his eyes narrowed. “Hey, we’re carrying a very large load. This truck can’t move that fast.” When the humanoid zoner opened his mouth, the bird zoner cut him off. “And before you ask, we needed to put as much stuff in here as possible. You know they are in need dire need of help in ChalkZone City.”

The humanoid zoner rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, I know.” He yawned. “Why can’t we just get the great creator to...”

“You idiot!” The bird zoner snapped. “It was the great creator who did this! He had been taken over by that..dragon thing! Or did you forget that?”

The humanoid zoner blinked his eyes a few times. He stared at the bird zoner, confused. He then chuckled a little and said, “Oh...right. Yeah my mind’s a little muddled. Remind me again what happened?”

The bird zoner shook his head in disgust, gritting his teeth. “You are impossible! I already told you what happened!” He held up his clawed and feathered hand in gesture. “I told you, like ten minutes ago!” As he noticed the humanoid zoner start to close his eyes, he snarled, “Oh but you don’t forget about your precious naps!”

“Hey!” The humanoid zoner shouted at him. “I haven’t had a wink to sleep these past few days because of all these blasted repairs! I deserve a little rest!”

“There’s no time to rest! There are still trapped zoners and more repairs have to be made! Are you comfortable with letting some of those zoners stay trapped until they dehydrate to death?!” The bird zoner cried.

The humanoid zoner glared at him and opened his mouth to respond. But then something clearly caught his attention. He looked over, his eyes wide in shock. He pointed his finger forward and shouted, “Look out!”

The bird-like zoner looked out in front. His eyes widened when he saw something in front of his truck. He immediately slammed his foot on the breaks. There was a loud screech as the truck tried to halt to a stop. Knowing that the truck was not going to stop in time, the bird zoner had to jerk on the wheel, causing it to spin around in wide circles. The two zoners inside screamed as the car swerved around, creating skidmarks on the grassy ground. Soon, the truck came to a stop, the engine still chugging away, spilling out smoke out of the iron pipe in the back.

The two zoners rubbed their heads, letting out groans as they recovered from the sudden panick attack. Their hearts pounded against their chests, feeling like it was going to split their rib cages open. They took in quick breaths, attempting to calm themselves down. They looked over to get a better look at what they had to swerve around.

There was a zoner there. Neither of them recognized who she was, but it was clear this zoner was in a lot of pain. She had blood leaking out of her sides and arms, and she appeared to have several burn marks on her. She was limping forward, each step looking like it was draining more and more of her strength. She looked as though she could pass out any minute. The two zoners exchanged looks of horror. Forgetting about their previous argument, the two jumped out of the vehicle and rushed to the injured zoner’s side.

“Ma’am!” The bird zoner cried as he reached her. He grabbed onto her arm gingerly and let her lean against him. “What’s wrong?”

The humanoid zoner walked over. He was about to offer support when he noticed that the female zoner, who appeared to be some kind of magnifying glass, was holding a bag filled with something. He couldn’t tell what it was, and neither could the bird zoner. They had perplexed expressions on their faces.

“B-Blue ch-chalk...” The magnifying glass zoner said, her voice coarse and soft. “F-From T-Twisted M-M-Mountains...” She took in a shuddering breath, whimpering softly as a few tears escaped her eyes. The poor thing... she was clearly in a ton of pain right now... “M-Must go there...”

“The Twisted Mountains?” The humanoid zoner asked, confused. “The blue chalk?”

The bird zoner clearly understood what the magnifying glass was talking about. He turned his gaze to the humanoid zoner and said, “The blue chalk.. I believe I heard that Snap fellow talk about it. Chalk that we zoners can use.”

The humanoid zoner’s eyes widened at this, his eyes filled with confusion and wonder. “Zoner useable chalk? But I thought that was impossible.”

“It’s not.” The bird zoner said. He narrowed his eyes for a moment. He then looked at the magnifying glass. “What happened to you? Why are you injured?”

The magnifying glass zoner took in a shuddering breath. “C-Cosmo...back...” The two zoners gasped in horror at this. The female zoner lifted up the bag of blue chalk, coughing painfully. “I w-wanted to...b-b-bring you this...” She wheezed. “Arm...zoners...”

With that, the female zoner fell onto her knees. She wobbled from side to side, her eyes unfocused and looking in different directions. Then, moments later, she passed out on the ground. As she laid there, the two zoners dropped down onto their knees. They shook her, calling out to her, trying to wake her up. But the magnifying glass would not respond. Her breathing became ragged and uneven.

The two zoners looked at each other, their minds racing with thoughts. They then looked at the bag of blue chalk. They paused to look at each other one more time before the bird zoner grabbed the bag of blue chalk. He stood up off the ground.

“Grab her and hop back in the truck.” The bird zoner said, eyes narrowed. “We have an important mission on our hands.”

sss

Ms. Saffron put her hands to her face, taking in a sharp gasp. She took a step backwards, not wanting to believe what she was seeing. Of all the things to happen... Why this...? She glanced over at the two other adults with her. The Tabooties looked horrified as well. Perhaps more so than she was, which made sense. Didn’t they consider Inez Sanchez to be one of their closest friends?

And now here she was, standing before them, a black glow shooting out of her eyes. It was a terrifying sight. Even Bardot, who wasn’t exactly innocent from what she remembered being told, was afraid. The injured zoner was backing away further than the others. His injured body would not be able to put up much of a fight and he knew that. Ms. Saffron did her best to stand her ground, fighting against her growing fear. What was Mrs. Sanchez going to do...now that she had corruption seeping through her body?

So far...nothing. The woman hadn’t made a move towards them since she got them out of the cage. Ms. Saffron tried to think of any possible reason for her to do that. Cosmo wasn’t around, and neither was Nihilanth...or so she thought. She didn’t get orders from them. So what was the reason for her in letting them out? What did she, or rather, the black chalk controlling her have in mind? It was clear from the look in the woman’s eyes, that dark glint, that she didn’t let them out just to be nice. There was an ulterior motive. The black chalk was up to something, and it was using Mrs. Sanchez as the catalyst. Its body to do its bidding.

Saffron took a few steps in front of the petrified parents. They hadn’t said a word and the stunned silence went on long enough. It was time someone here spoke up. And it looked like it was going to be her.

Standing in front of Mrs. Sanchez, Saffron said, “What do you have planned?”

“Me? Planned?” Mrs. Sanchez said. Her voice....it was so unlike her. It sounded different, like it was put through a filter. That was a definite give away that something was very wrong. If the black glow didn’t hint at things, then this twisted version of the usually calm and gentle vet did. “What do you mean?” She asked innocently.

Ms. Saffron growled at her. “You know what I mean!” She took a smell tep forward. She bared her teeth for a second, and then attempted to calm herself down. She straightened herself up, forming light fists at her sides. “Tell us what you planned. There is a reason why you let us go. So why don’t you spill the beans?”

Mrs. Sanchez shook her head. “Tch tch tch... I am hurt.” Her voice was that of disappointment, but it sounded so fake. “What makes you think I’m up to anything? I let you guys out.” She spread her hands out. “Doesn’t that count for something at least?”

There was no reply. Ms. Saffron just glared at her. The two parents were still too shocked to say anything. They held onto each other fearfully. Saffron could tell, as she glanced back at them, that they knew what the black glow meant. Regardless if they had faced a black chalk artist before, they knew that Mrs. Sanchez having it wasn’t a good sign. Bardot stopped backing away, and took a defensive posture. He bared his sharp teeth and his crest was raised. He was prepared to fight if he had to.

Ms. Saffron turned her attention back to Mrs. Sanchez. The woman just stood there, a few feet away with her arms crossed against her chest. She had something of a smile on her face, but she was also feigning a hurt expression. Her eyes did a good job with reflecting some sadness, even if it was fake in the end. Ms. Saffron gritted her teeth, feeling her heart start to pump. She searched her mind, trying to remember what Rudy and Penny had told her about Penny’s mom being a black chalk artist. Just what did she do when she was under its control?

Mrs. Sanchez took a few steps forward, her eyes locking onto Ms. Saffron. It would seem that Ms. Saffron just might figure out, the hard way, just what this woman had done when she was being controlled. Ms. Saffron gulped and tried to take a step back. But her feet were firmly planted. She was unable to move. Her legs refused to work even as the woman took her place a foot in front of her, standing so close.

Ms. Saffron opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come. Just a few small whimpers of fear. The sound of this made the woman smile. Not maliciously, but in amusement and faux confusion. She reached forward and Saffron attempted to get out of the way. She was too late and the woman had grabbed her by her shirt collar. She didn’t yank forward roughly. Just a swift yank to move her a step towards her and held her there. She put her face close to hers. It was so uncomfortably close and the fact that she could feel the woman’s breath against her face didn’t help things.

Mrs. Sanchez continued to smile, chillingly calm, her eyes part way open. The black glow looked almost alluring, as if trying to draw her in. Ms. Saffron stared for a few seconds before she realized what was going on. She shook her head, closed her eyes, and looked away. She was not going to be taken by the black chalk like that. She was not going to let it control her.

Her attempts at getting away prompted a chuckle from Mrs. Sanchez. Saffron growled at this. Of course she would find this amusing now. She had been taken over by the black chalk. The circumstances of how that happened did not matter now. What did matter was trying to get away from her. Ms. Saffron jerked her body back, trying to wrench herself free from the woman. She grabbed onto her hand and pushed. But her efforts were futile. Nothing was working and, in seconds, all the progress she made, that is very little, was lost as the woman pulled her back closer.

“How rude. Leaving without saying goodbye.” Mrs. Sanchez said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “You didn’t even try to pry information out of me.”

“I asked you...” Ms. Saffron started to say.

“Well yes. But I was hoping you would try a little harder. I always loved it when people try hard to get what they want.” Mrs. Sanchez said, her eyes’ glow intensifying a little. “Whenever I was brought a prisoner, one of my favorite things to do was get them to beg for something they wanted, and not give it to them.” She smirked at Ms. Saffron’s expression. “Oh quite the opposite I’m afraid. Like how this one artist wanted to keep his arm, as he regarded himself as a brilliant artist.” She raised her hand up, her fingers curling inward. “And guess what I did.”

Ms. Saffron gasped in horror at this. She didn’t answer. She didn’t need to. When she saw the woman smiling twistedly, it was clear that she understood her message got through. There was no need to go into further detail. Ms. Saffron struggled to get free, fear running through her mind.

The woman couldn’t stop her heart from racing. She stared at the vet in disbelief. She couldn’t believe how..casually she had said those things. The two adults were still frozen in fear, unable to move. Ms. Saffron wanted to call out to them. She wanted to tell them to run, but she was afraid if she did anything, it would prompt an attack from Mrs. Sanchez. None of them had any idea if the woman was hiding anything. It was possible that she had some traps lurking around the corner and they didn’t know it. If they rushed into this without thinking, they could all wind up in big trouble.

Ms. Saffron shifted her eyes from side to side as she tried desperately to find a way out. She still gripped Mrs. Sanchez’s hand, trying to push on it. She could see the look of intent, that evil smirk... It was similiar to what Mr. Cosmo showed her. Whenever the man had given her that look, it had always resulted in something terrible happening to her or someone else. Mrs. Sanchez looking at her that way... She couldn’t help but shudder, feeling a coldness move through her body, centering around her spine. She continued to struggle, hoping that, somehow, she would be able to get herself free.

“Your face... It’s so familiar...” Mrs. Sanchez said. Her eyes were narrowed in curiosity. She leaned in closer, reaching out to cup her chin. “Yes, I’ve seen this somewhere before.” She pulled back, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “Oh yes..” Smiling, she pointed at Saffron and said, “This is exactly how many of my victims look before I...” She paused, as if to think about a phrase to use. “..send them packing, if you catch my drift.”

Saffron realized, in that moment, just what Mrs. Sanchez did for a ‘living’ with the black chalk artists. The words from those two teenagers came flooding back to her. And as it did, horror filled every crevice of her body. The fear from before intensified, and she began to struggle harder to get away. Her heart pounded against her chest as adrenaline rushed through her body. If there was ever a time that ‘ignorance’ is bliss, this would be one of those times.

Mrs. Sanchez had been a torture doctor. Her knowledge of anatomy had been apparently useful to Mr. Cosmo. She was employed in...what was it called.. Solar Pillars? Yes, she was stationed there and interrogated and tortured any white chalk artists. Some were even killed off, and the unlucky few that survived were corrupted. Despite most of them being children, this painted a vicious and cold-blooded war. It was unsettled the woman’s stomach, twisting her belly in knots, as she imagined such a war waged by children. It must have been a blood bath, and she had little doubt that Mrs. Sanchez helped things along.

Mrs. Sanchez was eyeing her up and down. Ms. Saffron felt a cold chill, wondering if this meant that the woman was trying to find a body part to attack. She clenched her teeth, trying her best not to show fear. But it was already too late. Mrs. Sanchez had seen the flash of fear in her eyes and her smile broadened.

“It’s been a long time since I had...fun.” Mrs. Sanchez said, her voice almost serpentine. She placed a hand against her chest. “But you’d have to..pardon me. Since it’s been a while, I may have..forgotten how to do some things. I am out of practice. So I do apologize if I..slip..” She leaned in closer, her eyes staring intently into hers.

Ms. Saffron struggled, pulling herself back. “I-Is that why you let us out? So you can cut us open like some kind of freak show?!”

Mrs. Sanchez narrowed her eyes for a split second. Ms. Saffron shuddered in terror. Even after the flash was gone, the woman was unsettled. Even more so when Mrs. Sanchez smiled so sickenly sweet. “How nice of you to volunteer...” Ms. Saffron gasped at this and pulled back harder. The controlled woman tightened her grip. “Why are you trying to leave so soon? No need to fret...” She tilted her head to the side. “I didn’t plan on harming you just yet.” Noting Saffron’s confused expression, Mrs. Sanchez craned her head back and looked around. “My tools aren’t here.”

Ms. Saffron’s heart burned at this, adrenaline pumping through her body. She didn’t like the way the woman had said ‘tools’, or the way she had looked at her when she said it. Ms. Saffron’s mind flashed different images as she imagined what kind of tools this woman would have at her disposal. Scalpels, hacksaws, drills, needles, butcher knives... It all clouded around her mind, having a mental image of those devices, and more, spinning around her head. Ms. Saffron shivered like a leaf and, in her panic, struggled to get free.

“Hm... you are pathetic aren’t you?” Mrs. Sanchez noted, her tone amused. She pressed her free hand against the side of her face, shaking her head. “I haven’t even started doing anything to you yet, and...here you are, squirming like a worm.” She closed her eyes and turned her head from side to side slowly. She leaned in even closer, her mouth spreading a grin. The whole time, that black glow never left her eyes. “If you’re going to be frightened, why don’t you wait until I bring out the scalpel?”

Ms. Saffron jerked back hard at this. She managed to knock Mrs. Sanchez forward a little. Mrs. Sanchez looked a little surprised by this, but just yanked her back. Ms. Saffron pushed harder against the woman’s hand, her fingers trying to pry it open. Mrs. Sanchez moved her other hand over and gripped her throat tightly. Ms. Saffron gagged, feeling the other woman’s fingernails dig into her skin.

“Now..if you would just settle down, I can escort all of you to Solar Pillars.” Mrs. Sanchez said. “That is where the others will be...eventually. I’m sure you’d want to get...reunited before the end...” She turned her head to the other side, looking creepy while she did it. “Right?”

Before Ms. Saffron could say anything in response, before Mrs. Sanchez could make another remark, something blurry shot in front of the woman’s face. Ms. Saffron’s eyes widened, confused by what this was. Seconds later, it collided with Mrs. Sanchez’s face. The woman let out a scream and was thrown backwards. Everything appeared to happen in slow motion. Ms. Saffron could see the woman flying across the room, her brain working so fast that it appeared that Mrs. Sanchez was moving much slower than she really was. The woman fell into the ground a few feet away, holding her jaw.

Ms. Saffron turned to the side. She was shocked to see Mr. Tabootie standing there, a fist formed with his hand. His eyes were narrowed and teeth clenched in determination. He glared at Mrs. Sanchez, though there was a hint of regret in his eyes. It was clear he hadn’t wanted to do this, but he had understood he had no choice.

Mr. Tabootie took in a few heavy pants, trying to catch his breath. Mrs. Tabootie and Bardot rushed over as quickly as they could. Mrs. Tabootie stood behind her husband, placing a hand on his shoulder. Mr. Tabootie placed his hand over hers and looked at her. He gave a small smile, which faded quickly before he looked over at Mrs. Sanchez. He stared at the woman for several moments, and then turned to Ms. Saffron.

“Are you okay?” The man asked.

Ms. Saffron didn’t answer right away. She stared at Mrs. Sanchez, watching as the woman struggled up to her feet. She shuddered when the woman shot a glare at them. She looked ready to rip them apart. She shuddered when Mr. Tabootie grabbed her shoulder to get her attention. Shaken out of her stunned stupor, she replied.

“Oh I’m fine.. Just fine..” She said quickly. She had to force herself to look away from Mrs. Sanchez, a task that wasn’t easy. She gave a shaky smile to Mr. Tabootie. “Th-Thank you.”

Mrs. Sanchez struggled up onto her feet. Her feet scraped along the ground as she tried to gain footing. She straightened herself up, wobbling a little as she tried to keep her balance. She brushed the dirt and small pebbles off her body. She shot a glare at the group, curling her lips up in a snarl. She was clearly enraged by the sudden attack. Slowly, she began to storm over towards them, her body hunching and her black glow increasing.

“Punching a woman... For shame, Joe...” Mrs. Sanchez said through clenched teeth. Mrs. Tabootie held onto her husband tighter at this comment. “Perhaps someone should teach you a lesson.” With that, the vet pulled out the weapon she had used before. A large gun with an orb at the tip. As she gave a twisted smile, the tip of it began to sparkle with energy and it emitted a weird sound. Seconds later, another powerful beam shot out, creating enough force to send the woman skidding backwards a little.

The group, eyes wide, jumped in different directions. Everyone managed to get out of the way in time except for the yellow and red zoner. Bardot let out a screech as he landed on one of his injuries badly, causing him to buckle into the ground. Mrs. Sanchez took notice of this and, with a sneer, turned the beam towards him. Bardot looked up and, unable to get out of the way in time, was knocked away several feet by the beam. A loud, bloodcurdling scream emitted from his mouth as the beam sliced open his back, splattering his blood all over the ground.

Ms. Saffron looked on in horror as Bardot rolled painfully across teh ground, soon coming to a stop up against a wall. The zoner picked himself up, but he could only stand for a few seconds. He collapsed back down, blood coating his back and staining his fur. He let out a few whimpers of pain.

Ms. Saffron and the adults watched as Mrs. Sanchez turned her attention fully on Bardot, as if she forgot all about Mr. Tabootie’s ‘crime’ of striking her. She watched as Bardot trembled on the ground and her smile broadened, showing that she was satisfied with what she had done. She raised up the gun again, the orb sparkling with energy, crackling in the air, and pointed it at Bardot. The tip of it glowed brighter than before, and it was apparent that she was shooting to kill. Despite Bardot’s...status, Ms. Saffron couldn’t just stand around and do nothing while Mrs. Sanchez was doing this. Without glancing back at the others, she rushed over.

She ran as fast as she could. Mrs. Sanchez didn’t notice her; her eyes were on Bardot only. The gun was charged up and ready to be fired. Ms. Saffron widened her eyes as Mrs. Sanchez was about to shoot it. She narrowed her eyes in determination and pushed herself to go even faster, her feet pounding against the ground. As soon as she got close enough, she leaped into the air, launching herself off the ground. Mrs. Sanchez slowly turned around and her eyes filled with realization. But she couldn’t react and, with a shout, Ms. Saffron collided with Mrs. Sanchez.

The beam was fired. Due to Ms. Saffron’s interference, however, the trajectory was altered, and the beam was fired at the ground. The rock split and cracked, and the room filled with the sound of shattering stone. Despite the attack, the ground remained mostly in tact and seemingly stable. Some dust was kicked up into the air, but it was short lived, allowing everyone to see the damage that the unintended attack caused.

The two women wrestled with each other on the ground. Ms. Saffron was glad to see that her attack had also caused Mrs. Sanchez to lose her weapon, but that wouldn’t mean much of she managed to draw something. More than once, Mrs. Sanchez had managed to pin her to the ground and tried to draw something. A well placed kick or a punch was enough to make her lose her concentration and Ms. Saffron attempted to hold her to the ground.

Ms. Saffron and Mrs. Sanchez spent several moments fighting with each other. Scratching, biting, kicking, punching. Whatever it took to gain the advantage over the other. A few times, they let out cries of pain, echoing off the walls. Ms. Saffron tried to subdue the vet. But she was amazed at just how strong she was. Mrs. Sanchez didn’t seem like she was very strongly built when she first saw her. But she had to remind herself that she was a vet and did a lot of work helping the animals. She had to be in some good shape to do that. And now that woman was using that strength against her.

Eventually Ms. Saffron realized she was outmatched. She began to tire and her struggles decreased. Mrs. Sanchez took advantage of this and pinned her down, straddling her. Ms. Saffron looked up at her fearfully, her mouth open as she breathed in quickly. She could feel her heart pounding and she didn’t doubt that Mrs. Sanchez could hear it.

Ms. Saffron turned her head to the side, her eyes resting on the others. Bardot was still on the ground. He looked nearly unconscious, his eyes and gaze unfocused and not paying attention to anyone. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie were shaken but didn’t appear badly hurt otherwise. They were staring in shock, wanting to do something. Ms. Saffron didn’t wait to find out when she heard a bitter chuckle. She turned her head and glanced back up. Her eyes locked onto Mrs. Sanchez’s. She shuddered at the sight of them.

“I don’t know why you keep struggling. I hadn’t even planned on hurting any of you...yet.” Mrs. Sanchez said, turning her head slightly, feigning confusion. “But then, you non-black chalk artists have always confused me. I can not tell you how many times I was generous enough to let my victims stay alive after I was done with them, how they kept pleading for death.” She narrowed her eyes slightly, closing them. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. “Can you believe that? They honestly thought dying was a better alternative. At least I was kind enough to let them live.” She opened her eyes and gave an eerie smile to Ms. Saffron. “All I did to them was perhaps chop off a few fingers, or tear their back or stomachs open. Stuff like that. Survivable things.” She gave a quick chuckle. “They should have been grateful.”

Ms. Saffron cringed back, baring her teeth in fear. Although she had never see this ‘torture doctor’ in action for herself, just from the things that she said, she knew that she had to get away from her. Mrs. Sanchez, under the control of the black chalk, was terrifying enough, but with her skills as a vet, her knowledge of medicines and anatomy... It was a grueling nightmare. She couldn’t help but tremble in fear.

Mrs. Sanchez leaned closer, her eyes glowing intensely, the black glows wafering behind her head. “Perhaps I could get started again. Refresh my memory...”

Ms. Saffron opened her mouth, about to respond, when a sudden shout behind her caught the women’s attention.

“No! Get away from her!”

It was Mrs. Tabootie. She was charging forward. Her large size caused her feet to pound heavily against the ground, slight vibrations moving through the rock. Mrs. Sanchez watched, staring with narrowed eyes. She raised up her weapon and looked like she was prepared to attack. Ms. Saffron realized that this distracted her enough to make a move of her own. Pulling her leg back and using whatever strength she had left, she struck the woman in her stomach.

Mrs. Sanchez let out a cry as she was toppled back. She flailed her arms about, trying desperately to regain control of her balance. She ended up falling against Mrs. Tabootie, who immediately seized her, her thick arm looping around her neck and holding her in a head lock. She quickly knocked the black chalk out of her hand and kicked it away. Mrs. Sanchez let out a few curses as she tried to get herself free. She clawed at the woman desperately, but she would not let go. Mr. Tabootie soon joined in, grabbing a hold of one of the woman’s arms and trying to hold her still.

“Let me go!” Mrs. Sanchez snarled.

“Don’t let go of her!” Mr. Tabootie said, his teeth clenched, hanging on tightly.

“I don’t plan to!” Mrs. Tabootie replied. She yelped in pain when Mrs. Sanchez bit down on her arm. She jerked back, but did not relent. “I don’t want to do this to you, Mrs. Sanchez. But I’m afraid I don’t have any other choice.” With that, she squeezed the woman’s neck tighter.

Mrs. Sanchez opened her mouth wider and gagged. She glared up at the two parents. She snarled and started to drag herself forward, jerking her body from side to side violently. Ms. Saffron had just managed to get back up to her feet when she saw Mrs. Sanchez wrench free of the two parents, knocking them to the side. She rushed forward, putting distance between her and the others. She turned around and stared at everyone.

Mrs. Sanchez took in a few pants, a bit of a growly sound to them. She looked quite angry. Not full on rage, not enough that she would charge and tear them apart. But enough that everyone knew they were in trouble. Mrs. Sanchez looked around the room, and soon her eyes spotted what she was looking for.

The black chalk.

Ms. Saffron noticed this as well. The two women locked eyes onto each other before they both bolted towards the black chalk. Ms. Saffron wasn’t sure how she was going to keep the other woman from using it without touching it herself, but in the moment, she didn’t care. The only thing on her mind was keeping Mrs. Sanchez from grabbing it. She would figure out the details when she got there.

She reached her hand out and attempted to dive towards the black chalk chalk, her mind racing. Suddenly, she felt something slam against her. Solid and warm... It was Mrs. Sanchez. The woman charged into her. The force of the impact caused Ms. Saffron to fall into the ground. The two other adults, gasping in horror, rushed over to try to stop Mrs. Sanchez, but they were too late.

Mrs. Sanchez stood up triumphantly, holding the black chalk in her hand. Mr. Tabootie helped Ms. Saffron back to her feet. The three adults stared in fear as Mrs. Sanchez started to walk slowly towards them. They adopted defensive stances, their eyes warily watching the black chalk as Mrs. Sanchez waved it back and forth, taunting them with it.

“Well well... I guess you three really are desperate to see me in action.” Mrs. Sanchez said, grinning. “Don’t worry. I don’t mind providing a..” She raised the black chalk straight in the air. “Show!”

Faster than any of them could have predicted, the woman quickly sketched and materialized a large cannon. It was firmly rooted on the ground, its black shine matching the black chalk quite well. The front of it was pillowing out what appeared to be pale blue, almost white, ‘smoke’. It took Ms. Saffron a few seconds to realize that this was an ice cannon. She and the others watched in fear as the woman aimed it at them, the machine so heavy it creaked as it was moved.

Mrs. Sanchez took position behind it. Before the adults had time to move, the cannon was already being prepared to fire. The woman’s hands were wrapped around a rope. The trigger mechanism. She smiled evilly at them as she prepared to pull it back.

“Don’t worry. This won’t kill you.” Mrs. Sanchez said. “But it’s not going to be a lot of fun.” Then she began to pull.

Suddenly, she let out a loud scream and released the cannon. The Tabooties and Saffron watched in shock and confusion as the vet tumbled backwards, her eyes wide in what was clearly pain. She gritted her teeth and looked down towards the ground. Her eyes widened in shock at first, then they narrowed into slits.

“You!”

As the woman kept struggling, the other adults soon saw the source of her distress. It was Bardot. The small zoner had snuck around behind her, and now he had launched himself at Mrs. Sanchez, despite his wounds. He clung to the woman’s leg, his teeth sinking into it and drawing blood.

“Let me go, you worthless fuzzball!” Mrs. Sanchez screeched.

But Bardot didn’t listen. He gnawed at her leg, prompting screams of pain from the woman as she struggled. Bardot kept his paws wrapped around her, his claws digging into her skin. His tail weakly thrashed around wildly, almost in rhythm to Bardot’s hisses and growls. Mrs. Sanchez’s pupils shrank in anger and she tried lifting her leg and shaking him off. No luck. Bardot just clung on tighter, his teeth sinking in further, causing more blood shed.

Then, as Mrs. Sanchez’s struggles increased, reaching their peak, she crashed up against the ice cannon. It was then there was a loud crack, resounding off the walls. Everyone in the room froze. Even Mrs. Sanchez now possessed a look of shock and fear on her face as the echoy cracks spread throughout the ground.

Seconds later, the ground beneath her, the cannon, and Bardot broke, shattering completely. Ms. Saffron and the Tabooties rushed forward. But they were stopped as the ground beneath their feet crumbled back, eating away at the edge. They were forced to watch as Mrs. Sanchez and Bardot plummeted into the darkness below. They heard a sickening thud and a crack, and then every thing was silent.

The three adults stood there, their bodies trembling in shock and horror. They looked at each other, a silent question echoing in their minds. One that neither of them knew the answer to.

What should they do now...?

Ms. Saffron took a tiny, tentative step closer, her eyes peering down below. She couldn’t see anything. It was too dark. She knew it wasn’t an abyss; the thud happened too quickly for that. But that crack... It was obvious it wasn’t a short drop. Bardot was definitely in trouble. She had her doubts that he had survived the fall, or if he did, he was probably knocked out. Mrs. Sanchez, despite being healthier, was also in danger. If that break was a leg, or worse, her spine...

Ms. Saffron shot a look over at Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie. “Come on! We have to get down there!”

“But how are we going to get down?” Mrs. Tabootie wondered out loud. She and her husband took a couple steps forward, peering cautiously over the edge. “It’s so dark.”

Mr. Tabootie dropped down on his knees to try to get a better look. “There might be some foot holds we can use to scale down. We just have to keep a sharp eye out... I’m sure we’ll find something.”

With that, the three adults began to examine the edge, hoping to find some way to get down. Ms. Saffron hoped that Mrs. Sanchez and Bardot were okay. But as they looked around, none of them realized the shadow beginning to loom over them...

sss

Mr. Cosmo leaned against the back of Draow as they flew through the air. He could feel the muscles underneath his creation working, pumping, powering the wings as they beat heavily. Each wing beat, Mr. Cosmo could feel almost echoing in his heart and chest. He could feel the cool breeze pushing along Draow’s body, hitting against his face.

Ah, nothing like flying with his creation. Mr. Cosmo had always loved to fly, even as a kid. That was part of the reason he gave Draow wings. He wanted to be able to fly through the air with him. He felt so powerful up there. So...out of reach. So..invincible. He knew that flying wasn’t really fool proof and that he was still vulnerable from enemies on the ground, especially well placed, hidden ones. Still, he couldn’t help but feel so strong up here.

The man tilted himself to the side and looked down along Draow’s flank. His large wings made it difficult to see, but Draow was holding something in his paws. It was Rudy and Penny. Both unconscious, both looking pretty beaten and dirtied, but not too worse for wear. Draow’s digits and talons were curved around them, holding them tightly in place. Their limbs hung loosely below their bodies, unmoving except for some swaying due to the action of Draow’s wing beats.

Mr. Cosmo smirked at this. Capturing the two had been quite an easy feat. Easier than he expected. He was a little disappointed, but at the same time, at least he didn’t waste any unnecessary energy fighting them for too long. The sooner he had captured them, the better. He had only planned on taking one of them, but he had grown wise over the years. Him seperating Penny from the others hadn’t worked out so well. Sure, he did send Draow to kill her, but he underestimated her, and she had gotten away somehow, and she brought in Horace Wilter... The man shuddered at the name, remembering how that man, his so-called ‘friend’, had ruined everything.

This time, he took the precaution to bring Penny with this time. He would have taken Snap as well if he were there. But he wasn’t present. Mr. Cosmo wasn’t sure exactly where he was. But no matter. The little gnat would find his way to his friends eventually. And when he did, he’ll pull the lever, so to speak, and trap him as well. That’s what he should have done before. Trap all of them. This time, he was going to do just that.

He did feel a pang of regret when he thought back to his Rudy. Perhaps he had been too hasty in killing him. He had been a faithful servant, and he could have continued to be a great asset. He and this new Rudy may have made a pretty good team, especially if he trained the new Rudy in areas that his Rudy had been weak in. They would then compliment each other and be unstoppable. But oh well. There was nothing he could do about it now. His Rudy was dead. He was just going to have to make due with something else.

...such as blessing Penny as well. He hadn’t been lying when he found her to be intelligent. She was quite smart for someone her age. He could use that intelligence on his side. She and Rudy were a couple, so why should he seperate them? They’d make a great team, perhaps better than if he paired this Rudy up with his.

He licked his lips slowly, remembering the french kiss he gave Penny. It wasn’t something he planned on doing at first, but if there was one way to really get to Rudy, that was a surefire method. He kind of enjoyed kissing her, but he had no plans on doing it again. It served its purpose and he got the effect he wanted. Now was the time to move forward with his plan.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Draow speak, his growly voice filling his ears.

“We are almost there, master.” Draow said.

At this, Cosmo looked out ahead. It was difficult to see at first due to the trees here, but Cosmo eventually saw a familiar structure. He could see a land that looked like a void. He could see a patch of ground in the middle of all that. He could see a tall structure with multiple pillars. He could see a light beam moving around on the ground. The man smiled. Draow had been right. They really had gotten here, and so quickly, too.

It was the Solar Pillars.

Even though he had never been to this Solar Pillars before, it looked exactly the same. He could practically smell the heat from the light from all the way over here. He couldn’t help but inflate his chest with pride. The Solar Pillars was his grand collaborative creation. With the help of Jenny, they created this place, a large weapon that doubled as a base for him and his minions. A secure place where they could discuss their plans, where sneaking in was very hard to do, and where death awaited the non-blessed who were unfortunate enough to get dragged in here.

Mr. Cosmo’s smile grew as the structure grew bigger the closer they got. He was impressed with what his counterpart here had managed to do. He was glad that he had managed to build this place. He guessed, like him, he had built it with Jenny's help. A true masterpiece. This, along with Draow, he considered his greatest creations.

The only difference was that it was in a different location. He had placed his Solar Pillars much closer to a city, where he could use it to greater effect. It was hard to keep zoners in line if he kept the Solar Pillars way out here. Well sure it had long range weaponry, but there was nothing like frightening zoners with a looming weapon of death that could annihilate them any second.

Mr. Cosmo doubted he would have found it on his own. Before he and Draow went to the Twisted Mountains, they had interrogated that child zoner and managed to squeeze out some information from him. He had told them the whereabouts of this dimension’s Draow. He and his Draow managed to find this prison he was locked away in, and they had...quite an interesting discussion with this world’s Draow. Naturally, he was shocked to see him alive, but after being explained about alternate dimensions, he came to understand.

Mr. Cosmo then provided this world’s Draow with a special offer that he couldn’t refuse. Or rather, wouldn’t refuse. He could have backed down, though that would have resulted in him being killed. Mr. Cosmo would have no use for him if he declined. But just as he thought he would, despite its risks, this Draow took the offer wholeheartedly, willingly going along with whatever he said. What Mr. Cosmo had in mind was risky and he did warn him of potential side effects, but both Draows were willing to participate, both knowing that they may become stronger and smarter afterwards.

He had never done anything like this before, and he had no idea exactly how to draw the machine. But it not only worked, but it was worth it in the end. The experiment was a success. The two Draows had fused together, creating a single entity. Their minds intermingled flawlessly with each other, now empowering their brains with the knowledge of both dimensions, both sets of outcomes. Using the knowledge of this dimension, Cosmo had been able to locate where the Solar Pillars had been place in this dimension. They had immediately headed off.

He forgot why they headed to Twisted Mountains first, but he was glad they did. He had found the person he had come to this world to get. This dimension’s Rudy. He couldn’t pass up the opportunity, so he went in to get him. Then he found that Penny was there and decided to get her as well.

He could have blessed them both right then and there. Draow had done quite some work on them after Penny managed to free Rudy. He attacked them both pretty viciously, but had been careful not to draw too much blood, knowing that Cosmo wanted them both alive. He decided to hold off on the blessing, however. He wanted to take them to Solar Pillars for that. That way, after they were blessed, they would already be present in the building and they could begin working on a plan. Though part of him realized it was a mistake to just not bless them right away, it wasn’t like the two teenagers could do much. Once locked up, they’d be helpless.

He hoped that he would run into Jenny. He did kind of miss her. He still believed it was his Jenny’s fault for getting involved in a fight that wasn’t hers, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss her in some way. He had enjoyed having her around. She was pretty smart herself. He did think it was pretty pathetic that way she kept trying to prove herself to him, but that is what made her so useful to him. Her willingness to please him made her an excellent partner. He looked forward to having that partnership again.

Before he knew it, they had reached the Solar Pillars. Draow lowered himself to the ground. When he was low enough, beating his wings so hard the grass waved around, he dropped Rudy and Penny. He then touched the ground and lowered himself, spreading his wings out. Mr. Cosmo jumped off his back. He brushed himself off as Draow shook himself, folding his wings at his sides, his wing claws pointing downward.

Mr. Cosmo took one look at Rudy and Penny’s prone forms and pointed at them. “Pick them up.” Draow obeyed immediately. He lowered his thickly muscled neck and grabbed onto Rudy and Penny by their shirt collars with his teeth. As gently as he could, he lifted them up off the ground and looked at Mr. Cosmo for more instructions. Mr. Cosmo made a motion with his hand and said, “Come with me.”

With that, he folded his arms behind his back and began to walk towards the entrance of the Solar Pillars. His smile broadened as they drew closer. He could feel his heart pounding in excitement. Due to the destruction of his ChalkZone, the Solar Pillars in his dimension hardly saw any use. The thought of being able to use it again filled him with elation.

Mr. Cosmo smirked as they came towards the entrance that Draow had to use to get in. “We...are back in business...”

sss

It had taken a little longer than they had hoped, but Ms. Saffron was glad they had found a way down the edge. It turned out where were some ragged edges sticking out that they could grab onto. It wasn’t the best method down, and it hurt to grab onto those ledges, but it was better than nothing.

She and the other adults slowly made their way down. She thought she heard some scraping earlier, but when she and the Tabooties turned around, they saw nothing. They shrugged it off, thinking they were just saying things, and focused on climbing down. They made slow progress, grabbing ledge after ledge, waiting for each other to catch up. Ms. Saffron had no idea what to expect down here and she certainly didn’t want to find out. They had to get down to the bottom and fast.

She wasn’t sure how they were going to subdue Mrs. Sanchez. Even if she were knocked out, as soon as she woke up, she would become a very real threat again. They would need to tie her up somehow. They had no rope, so they would have to find some other way to do it. Perhaps her shoe laces would make a nice alternative. Not the strongest, but she was certain that they would hold the woman well enough.

The way down was pretty treacherous. Not only were the ledges that jetted out sharp, but some started to crumble at their touch, forcing them to move faster. This resulted in them slipping a few times, causing them to kick their feet against the wall, hoping to get themselves to the next ledge. The ledges themselves spiraled downward for the most part, but in some places, they had to let go and drop down. It was a huge risk and they nearly killed themselves doing it, but they still managed to pull through.

Down below, Ms. Saffron could start to see some shapes. She thought she could make out Bardot’s prone form, and she knew that Mrs. Sanchez would not be too far behind. She and the other adults quickened their pace and soon they were close to the bottom. There were just a few more ledges to grab and...

All of a sudden, the wall started to make a crackling sound. The three adults froze, looking at the wall in terror. Snaking along the side, just above them, a deep crack was forming, slicing along the rock face. They looked at each other in horror, knowing exactly what was going to happen next. They began to move faster, hoping to get down before it was too late. But they didn’t react in time and part of the wall that they hung onto broke off completely with a resounding crack. The three adults screamed as they plummeted down to the bottom.

It toom only moments for them to crash into the ground. Mr. Tabootie landed on his back and he let out a cry of pain. His wife collapsed a foot away on her stomach. Ms. Saffron slammed her shoulder into the ground and she screamed in agony, intermixing with Mrs. Tabootie’s. They barely had time to recover when the rock face above them, now in different pieces, smashed down on top of them. They cried in pain as the rocks slammed against their bodies and partially buried them. Then all became silent save for a few rolling rocks. Ms. Saffron opened her eyes and looked around.

They were located in some different part of the Chalk Mine. She could see some lights in the tunnel, which partially illuminated this room. Bardot and Mrs. Sanchez laid not far, bathed in some kind of light, which was being emitted from a deep crack in the wall. Bright and yellow. Either it was a chalk chamber or the outside. It was difficult to tell from where she was laying down.

She and the other adults had a bunch of large rocks on them. Thankfully none of them were so heavy that they couldn’t get up. A few were pretty large and caused some pain when they landed on them, but it could have been a lot worse. Ms. Saffron pushed herself up on her hands. She let out a soft groan, rubbing her head. Even if the rocks didn’t cause that much pain, their fall certainly caused some damage. She looked over at Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie to see how they were.

The parents were already sitting up. She could see the look on their faces and tell that they were in some pain. Their bodies were covered in dirt and small cuts, similar to how she was. Mr. Tabootie looked like he took some considerable damage to his back. He was rubbing it gingerly. She hoped it was nothing too serious. She then glanced at Mrs. Tabootie, who was holding her stomach. She was helping her husband sit up, one hand gripping his arm and tugging on him. She supported him against her and started to ask if he was okay. Mr. Tabootie insisted he was fine, but when he fell forward, gripping his back, it was clear he was not.

Ms. Saffron bit her lip. She struggled up to her feet, hearing the rocks roll off her back and clang on the ground. She took a few steps towards Mr. Tabootie, looking at him with concern. She winced as she saw him struggle up to his feet. His wife had to provide more support as he wobbled forward, nearly losing his footing.

While Mrs. Tabootie helped her husband, Ms. Saffron went over to check on Mrs. Sanchez and Bardot. She quickly arrived at their sides and knelt down. She looked them over. It was difficult to tell just how much damage was done to them from the fall. They had dropped from a greater height than her and the others. They only fell a third of the way. But these two...

The fact that they fell from a greater height really showed. She could see multiple bruises on their bodies, deeper cuts, and their faces were etched with pain. She could see Mrs. Sanchez’s left arm was bent at an odd angle, indicating this is what had broken in the fall. Ms. Saffron’s heart clenched as she thought about the resounding crack she heard from before. And she shuddered as she saw a small pool of blood beneath the two. She couldn’t even tell if they were breathing. Holding her own breath, she reached over to try to find a pulse.

She soon found one on both of them. They were relatively weak, although Bardot’s was much worse. It was so thready, she could barely detect it. She knew that both of them needed help, especially Bardot. His body had taken such a beating that she had doubts that he was going to survive much longer. One more strong blow and it could be it for him.

And as for Mrs. Sanchez... Upon closer examination, she could see a gash, with something white sticking out. Bone... Mrs. Sanchez needed to get to the hospital and fast. Even if she didn’t die from the blood loss, she was going to get a massive infection if that wound wasn’t closed soon. She hovered her hands over her body, wondering how she was going to restrain her without causing more damage.

But she didn’t get much time to think about that.

Suddenly, without warning, something dropped in from behind them. The ground shook heavily, the ground cracking up. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie both jumped back despite their pain, moving away and towards where Ms. Saffron was. The three adults looked over in terror, seeing something large and imposing now standing in the place where they dropped in from. The shadow casted over their bodies, blocking every source of light around them.

The figure themselves were in shadow as well. Their body, at first, appeared almost as dark as the black chalk itself. The shape was kind of humanoid, but the head was shaped unlike any human Ms. Saffron has ever seen. Then, as the shadow came towards them, their feet thunderous, shaking the ground, Ms. Saffron recognized who this zoner was. Her eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what she was seeing.

“B-Biclops..?” Ms. Saffron asked in a low whisper.

Mrs. Tabootie gasped. “Biclops? But..how..?”

Mr. Tabootie made the observation they all did. “He’s being controlled...”

Sure enough, when they looked at the giant’s forehead, they could see a small, silver disc pressed on it. Ms. Saffron narrowed her eyes. She knew that anywhere. The mind control device, a nail that goes straight into the zoner’s head. But how..? Was Mr. Cosmo dead in this dimension? The only way that this could be possible was...

...was if Jenny were involved. Ms. Saffron’s stomach twisted into knots. Was Jenny aware of the mind control devices? If she was, how widespread had they become here? How many zoners were under the control of the black chalk artists? Her mind raced with so many questions as she and the Tabooties looked at each other in fear. The very idea of Biclops, of all zoners, being controlled...

Biclops interrupted their thoughts. “Come with me. Solar Pillars.”

The three adults braced themselves for a fight as the giant reached out towards them.


	185. The Reunion Nobody Wanted

Mr. Longhorn had no idea how long they’ve been running. He didn’t know how far they traveled, or where they were. He only knew that they were still in Solar Pillars, running for their lives. He could hear the footsteps behind him, driving him to keep moving. His racing mind was only partially aware of his surroundings. His eyes just continued focusing on what was in front of him, his feet pounding the ground as he ran for his life.

In his arms, he held the body of Craniac 4. The red robot had fallen behind, his body so torn up that he was hardly able to move anymore. Mr. Longhorn had managed to grab him before Jenny reached him, with only seconds left to spare. Snap was doing a good job with keeping up despite having a missing arm and being in pain.

All of them were in pain on some level, as Jenny had managed to inflict damage to them all. Mr. Longhorn winced as he felt the gashes on his arms and legs spread pain through his body. He was lucky her attack hadn’t been more severe. The cut across his face was throbbing as well. Thankfully it had stopped bleeding, which made it easier to navigate without constantly having to rub the red liquid off his face. A few times, he nearly got a matching cut as Jenny struck out with the knife another time when she had gotten close enough. He was lucky that Snap managed to knock her back. The move cost him a slash across his chest, but the zoner kept on moving.

The man soon came to a two way intersection. He looked left and right, trying to figure out which way he should go. Knowing that he couldn’t just stop and figure this out, he chose randomnly. When it came time to turn, he chose the left. He and Snap headed down the new hallway. He could hear the angered growls from Jenny, and the colliding of those energy claws against the wall. He flinched at the sound of the claws scraping, followed by the renewed pounding of foot falls.

The hallway went straight ahead. There were no other paths they could take down here. No places to hide. Mr. Longhorn gulped. He hoped that he didn’t make a mistake coming down this way. He turned his head, looking over his shoulder. Jenny was still behind him, and she was starting to catch up again. His eyes widening, Mr. Longhorn turned his attention back to running, pushing himself to move faster.

He took notice of Snap starting to lang behind. He was horrified to see the zoner start to fall back, his mouth opened, panting heavily. Giving another glance to Jenny, Mr. Longhorn moved back and, holding Craniac 4 with one arm, he snatched Snap with his other. He grabbed Snap’s arm and began to drag him faster across the ground. The zoner let out a few complaints as he struggled to keep up with Mr. Longhorn, but the man paid little attention as he raced across the hallway, trying to get him and the others away from Jenny.

He knew they could not keep running forever. He himself was starting to tire out. He just kept pushing himself to go faster. The torches that hung on the walls began to blur, and he was no long aware if they were torches or if they were regular lights. All he could focus on was the dark part of the hallway in front of him, the only place that they could go now. He hoped there was some kind of exit there, something that emptied into another hallway, this one with multiple rooms. They needed a place to hide, somewhere they could rest, or he was going to collapse from exhaustion.

Snap’s feet scraped along the ground as he struggled to keep up. A few times, he had to jump over an obstance, such as a small rock or a shattered piece of wood. He pulled against Mr. Longhorn, clearly trying to make him let go or at least slow down. But Mr. Longhorn refused to release him, not wanting him to get captured by Jenny.

Suddenly, as they made a turn, following the hallway’s sharp change of direction, Snap’s feet slipped from underneath him. Longhorn heard the zoner let out a screech of pain and he looked behind him. He could see the zoner was being dragged along the ground, the hard floor scraping along his gash, leaving behind a trail. His eyes widening in horror, he stopped for a moment, holding Snap up and setting him down to regain his footing.

“Let go of me!” Snap demanded.

Mr. Longhorn shook his head. “You’re falling behind!” He tugged on Snap. “Now let’s get going, before Jenny...”

Snap growled and managed to wrench his arm free. He glared at Mr. Longhorn for a few seconds before glancing back down at his arm. He appeared to examine it for a bit, his eyes going over the arm, possibly looking for new injuries. The zoner then glared back at the man.

“You were being too rough. I thought you were going to rip my arm off. I have only one of these left, you know.” Snap glanced down at his stomach, placing his right hand gingerly on it. “And you were lucky you didn’t make these wounds much worse than they already were.”

Mr. Longhorn bit his lip, feeling some level of guilt. He knew Snap was right. He was dragging him too hard. He could have hurt him much worse than he already was, either worsening his injuries or creating a new one. They were in a hurry and he knew they had to get away from Jenny, but he still should have been more careful. How could he hope to save anyone if he ended up making things worse?

He did notice that Snap no longer seemed as emotionally crushed with the loss of his arm, but that was probably due to their current situation. It was difficult to really focus on how much of a loss it was, losing an arm, especially when they had a lot of other things to worry about right now. He imagined that Snap would eventually have to face the crushing reality once the danger has passed. He hoped that his friends would be there for him; he was going to need it.

“There you are!” Jenny’s voice cried out, drawing their attention. “Hold still!”

Longhorn and Snap looked over just in time to see Jenny raise up her dragon paw, the energy partially glowing, illuminating on their faces. Time seemed to slow down as their eyes widened. The claw moved back, so close to them. And when it was brought forward, the two moved out of the way, but it was too late to completely dodge it. Longhorn’s eyes bulged as he felt the claws cut into his arm, adding to the ones he already had. Blood splattered on the ground. The force of the impact caused him to wobble to the side, but he quickly regained his footing and started to run.

Snap had, thankfully, avoided the attack. Though the jumping to the side didn’t do him any wonders, and he ended up tripping over an uneven part of the ground. He slammed into it face first, and pushed himself up on his hand, coughing a little. Jenny turned her attention to the zoner and approached him quickly. Snap turned his head, staring at her in fear as she struck with her claws again. Snap scrambled up to his feet, but he was too late and the claws hit their mark. He screamed as one of the claws managed to cut along his lower back, spilling his blood.

Mr. Longhorn rushed to Snap’s side as the zoner collapsed onto his knee. His body shook with pain. The zoner looked up at him and they kept eye contact for a few seconds. Mr. Longhorn then looked at Jenny. Seeing her start to run after them again, he seized Snap by the arm once more. This time, Snap provided no complaints.

Mr. Longhorn and the others continued to race down the winding hallway. It soon straightened out, and he could see some kind of light up ahead. Realizing it was a room, he pushed himself to go faster. If they could put more distance between themselves and Jenny, they might be able to find a good enough hiding place to give her the slip. They might be able to sneak out and head in the opposite direction they came, and while Jenny would fruitlessly look for them, they could get some much needed rest and figure out what they were going to do.

As soon as they reached it, Mr. Longhorn made the turn, taking Snap and Craniac 4 with him. They jumped through the door entrance and...

...proceeded to fall down. To Mr. Longhorn’s horror, this area was incomplete and emptied to a lower section. He and the two zoners let out screams of fear as they plummeted down. They crashed into the ground with a loud thud, and Mr. Longhorn could have sworn he heard his leg nearly crack from under the pressure.

He laid there on his side, his body quivering in pain. Craniac 4 had flew off to the side. His robotic body leaked black oil, spilling all over the ground. It didn’t look like he was going to be alive for much longer. Turning his head, Longhorn could see Snap wasn’t far from him. He was on his back, his eyes shut in pain, teeth clenched. He reached over, gently putting his hand on his shoulder. He was relieved when he saw the zoner open his eyes and looked at him. Longhorn couldn’t help but give a small smile of relief.

Groaning softly, the man pushed himself up, his legs sprawled out on top of each other. He rubbed his head, and was shocked when he felt a bump on his side. He gingerly pressed against it and winced in pain as he felt the dull ache. He struggled up to his feet. But as soon as he put weight on his foot, he felt a shooting pain through his leg and he collapsed back down, his right knee slamming into the hard ground while his left leg braced himself. He looked at his leg in horror, and noticed there was a large purple bruise on it from where he landed on it funny. He ran his hand over it, flinching from the pain.

“Well, it seems you guys have run out of places to go.”

Mr. Longhorn craned his head up, looking in horror as Jenny stood on the ledge. Snap was looking as well. His eyes were narrowed, looking like he was ready to fight, despite his condition. Craniac 4 was barely conscious, but he was aware enough that he knew what was going on. He looked at Jenny in horror and appeared to be trying to crawl away.

Jenny smirked evilly down at the trio, her arms folded against her chest tightly. She turned her head left and right, examining their conditions. She looked so satisfied and triumphant. It was clear she believed she had won this fight. Spreading her dragon wings, she jumped off the ledge and flew down. She landed a few feet in front of them. Her dragon wings folded againt her back and, seconds later, they disappeared completely, exploding in a burst of particles that vanished.

The blonde woman walked slowly up to where Longhorn and Snap were. She stopped about a foot in front of them. She stared down at them, smirking in sick satisfaction. She then brought her foot back and kicked Snap against his side.

Longhorn cried, “No!” He watched, horror twisting at his heart, as Snap rolled across the ground and collapsed. The zoner let out a few groans of pain as he laid there, shaking. Anger eating away at his stomach, Longhorn shot a hateful glare at Jenny. “What the fuck did you do that for?!”

Jenny simply shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “What does it matter? He’s just a stupid drawing.” She glared over in Snap’s direction. “But don’t worry. So long as he proves..useful, he will live.” She began to walk over towards Snap.

Mr. Longhorn struggled to his feet. “Don’t you dare...” He couldn’t get very far. The pain wracked through his body and he fell backd own. He looked out ahead, watching in horror as the woman drew closer to the injured zoner.

Snap looked up at Jenny. Despite his fear, he was clearly doing his best to be brave. He glared at her and said, “I...am not your puppet.. We zoners aren’t meant to be s-slaves...” His voice was weak, kind of shaky, but he kept going. He gave a bitter smile. “H-How pitiful of you to think that. You’re so stuck up i-i-in your own ideals, y-you fail to see the reality before y-you.”

Jenny stared at Snap. She narrowed her eyes for a few seconds before she let out a lighthearted chuckle. In contract to her earlier behavior, this was rather eerie. It was...rather unsettling, and it left them wondering just what she had in mind.

“Hmph.” Jenny raised her head, giving Snap a downwards glance. “You are the one who is a fool, Snap. Do you really think you zoners have any value? Tell me, just how valuable is something that can be recreated? If humans had the same revival ability as you zoners do, well I can safely say that death wouldn’t be taken so seriously.” She gave pause, letting this information sink into Snap’s head. “You zoners have little to fear from death. Should you die, you can just be redrawn, good as new. You are essentially immortal that way.”

Snap gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing. He didn’t say anything. Longhorn felt that was probably for the best. Angering Jenny while she was that close to the injured zoner was clearly not a good idea.

“You zoners don’t know how lucky you are. Any wounds can be treated with the magic chalk. Lose a limb? All you need is some talented creator and you can have a new one created for you. Paralyzed? A creator can provide something to help out with that, perhaps create a robotic body you can control via your mind.” Jenny’s voice grew increasingly better. She lowered her head, her eyes piercing through Snaps. “We humans don’t have that luxury. Unlike you, when we die or lose a limb, it’s permanent. No one can just ‘draw’ us something. It has to be painstakingly made, and even after all that work, it may not be enough.” Her hand formed into a fist. “And here you are, trying to convince me and everyone else that you zoners are somehow valuable! That you deserve the same amount of medical attention as a human! Well newsflash: you don’t!”

Mr. Longhorn’s eyes widened in shock at this. Although he had already known about the hatred black chalk users had towards zoners, it was still a surprise to hear Jenny say these things like that, and directly to a zoner’s face as well. Snap was also surprised, but visibly angered as well. The man could see the zoner’s body shaking, and it was taking all of his strength not to unleash his fury.

“Why should we humans have to endure the grueling labor when you zoners are perfectly capable of doing that for us? Think about it: countless lives could be saved if you zoners cleaned up your act and do what you were meant to do...” Jenny jabbed a finger against her chest roughly. “Serve us!”

Snap growled at her. “You don’t understand, do you? Zoner life is just as valuable! You can’t just recreate us! We are all unique!” He pushed himself up on his hand. “It is true that someone could draw another me..but it won’t be me! It’ll be a new person! A new identity!” His body shook harder. “To try to say that we can be replaced like we are some kind of fucking sandwich at a fastfood restaurant...that’s disgusting!”

Jenny rolled her eyes. “Not as disgusting as you zoners prancing around with your more or less immortal lives, having fun in this happy schmancy world, while humans, your creators, endure harsh hours, doing labor that you zoners should be doing for us! You zoners can be replaced, but human life cannot! You are a bunch of expendable, wasteful specks of dust! The only good you will serve is groveling at our feet!”

Snap took in a sharp gasp at this, then he snarled. Emotion seemed to swell inside his small body. It was trembling harder now. So much anger, Mr. Longhorn could have sworn that it was overflowing from the zoner. He watched as the zoner climbed up to his feet, standing straight and trying to look bigger than he really was.

Mr. Longhorn’s eyes widened. Was Snap going to...? The man tried to get on his feet quickly. He tried to fight against the agony in his leg. Though he managed to stand up, walking was very difficult and he limped horribly. He made his way over to Jenny and Snap slowly, hoping he would get there before Snap did anything he was going to regret.

“Snap!” Mr. Longhorn cried out, hoping to stop Snap before it was too late. But his words fell on deaf ears. “Snap!”

Snap ignored the man’s cries. He glared hatefully at Jenny, his eyes narrowing into slits. He formed a fist with his remaining hand, shaking it. He took a step towards Jenny, pushing back any fear he had of her. He kept his gaze locked onto hers, refusing to look away. Mr. Longhorn couldn’t help but be impressed with his bravery, but that was overridden with concern that he might end up getting himself in trouble. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the zoner’s attention.

“Grovel at your feet? Why the hell would we do that?! You’re not so special that you deserve to reign over us like you’re our queen!” Snap shouted. “Well listen up! We are not mindless puppets for you to manipulate! We aren’t some doll you found on the street that you can control! We’re just as sentient as you are, and you have a problem with that, that’s your problem, not ours!”

“You don’t know the first thing about sentience! You miserable piece of garbage! You only have a mind because your creator willed it! You have no real intelligence of your own!” Jenny said, the black and white glow in her eyes intensifying.

Snap cocked an eyebrow. “And what about you? The only reason you’re even part of the black chalk artists is because of Cosmo, isn’t it?” At this, Jenny gave him a shocked expression. Snap gave a bitter smile. “I’m right, aren’t I? If you think we zoners acting ‘like we’re real’ is pathetic, what do you say about your own behavior? From what I can tell, you practically worship that man. You would probably jump off a cliff if he told you to.”

“What are you saying...?” Jenny asked, her teeth clenched, seething through them.

Snap smirked at her. “Blind loyalty is quite pathetic. You probably followed that guy around like a lost puppy dog, not willing to do so much as sneeze without his say so. I sure hope you’re capable of making your own decisions, Jenny. Because otherwise, all that intelligence and sentience you have, it’s going to waste.” The smile faded. “After all... what’s the point of sentience if you can’t make your own decisions..?”

Mr. Longhorn was shocked by this. So was Craniac 4, or at least, shocked by whatever he was able to understand in his condition. Mr. Longhorn hadn’t known Snap to be that rude. Then again, he didn’t know the zoner very well, and, considering the circumstances, the zoner had every reason to be pissed off. Jenny had essentially just told him how his kind was worthless. He could see why that would anger him enough to say something like that.

But that would create its own problems. He could see Jenny’s shocked expression had left, replaced with one of rage and anger. Mr. Longhorn pushed himself to go faster. It was only a matter of time before...

“...You...!”

It was too late.

Jenny lashed out towards the zoner. She grabbed onto his throat, squeezing it tightly. Snap gagged, his eyes widening, as he was hoisted off the ground. His legs kicked weakly as he tried to free himself. Snap used his hand to try to tug at the woman’s arm, but he could do nothing to make her let him go.

Seconds later, she thrust him against the wall, his back slamming against it. She glared at Snap, staring into his soul practically. Her eye glows intensified, enough that Snap had to turn his head, his eyes reacting to the light. Mr. Longhorn struggled to move faster, but there was no way he could stop Jenny in time. Pain burned through his leg, making it impossible for him to move faster.

“How dare you....!” Jenny snarled, her voice far more growly than any of them had heard before. “What the fuck do you know about me and Mr. Cosmo?!” Before Snap could answer, she tossed him across the room, a good distance away from the others.

Craniac 4 attempted to climb up onto his foot. Longhorn wasn’t sure if this was because he wanted to help Snap or if it was because he wanted to get away before he ended up the next target. Either way, he fell back down, his body unable to carry him very far. His wheel foot was too badly damaged and dented. Mr. Longhorn looked at him sympathetically, but quickly turned his attention back on Snap. He tried to move faster, but the pain caused his leg to buckle, and he fell down to his knees. He trembled in pain before looking up to see what was going on. His eyes widened.

Jenny was upon Snap now. She loomed over him, snarling at him hatefully. Snap was on his back. Jenny lifted up her foot and began to stomp down on his sotmach. Each stomp brought a cry of pain from the zoner. He struggled on the ground, his head tossing and turning as he whimpered in pain. He looked up at the woman pleadingly, silently begging her to stop. She refused to listen and she kept lsamming her foot against him.

Mr. Longhorn watched this in horror, his mouth dropping open. He struggled to his feet, trying to get over there to stop her. He desperately called out to her, hoping she would turn her attention on him. But it was no use. Jenny was mad beyond reasoning. It was clear that Snap had touched a sensitive topic with Cosmo, and now he was paying the price for it.

Snap’s screams grew louder. Intermixing with that were a few sobs and cries, each sounding more pitiful than the last. Longhorn could feel his heart clenching and eyes watering as he watched this horrific scene helplessly. Snap’s body reacted to the force of each attack, and it began to tremble harder as time passed. Some blood began to form in the zoner’s mouth. Not a lot, but enough that caused alarm in the man.

“Please, stop that!” Mr. Longhorn cried in desperation.

But Jenny did not listen. She glared at Snap, a disgusted look on her face. She continued stomping his stomach, not stopping, not even at the sight of the blood coming out of his mouth. If anything, that just caused her attacks to become more rigorous and frequent.

At first, Snap tried to get her to stop. He begged with her, pleaded with her. He kept saying how sorry he was, anything to appease to her. None of it worked, and soon the zoner stopped trying. He just laid there, whimpering and crying as he was helplessly stomped. He looked up at Jenny, staring at her the whole time as he was mercilessly attacked.

Finally, Jenny did stop. She placed her foot down and took a small step backwards. She glared at Snap coldly, watching as he writhed in pain. The zoner curled up in a fetus position, his body constantly quivering, low whimpers escaping his mouth. Tears flowed down his face as he held his stomach. He stared at Jenny, as if to ask why she did that. This caused Jenny to wrinkle her nose in disgust. She showed no mercy to the injured zoner.

“Don’t look at me like that. You brought this on yourself.” Jenny snarled. She lowered herself onto one knee and grabbed his chin roughly. She yanked on it, forcing him to turn his head towards her completely. “I take it you are not going to make anymore smart aleck remarks like that, right?” Shivering, Snap nodded his head. Jenny narrowed her eyes. “Good...” She shoved him back into the ground, uncaring of the pain she caused him. “Disgusting little thing...”

Mr. Longhorn couldn’t believe how heartless this woman was being. He stared at Snap, watching as he quivered in pain, whimpering. The zoner was in absolute agony. And here was this woman, treating him like he was a piece of trash she found on the street. He spent several moments staring at Snap, his heart wrenching at the site of him suffering like that. He then looked over at Jenny. His emotions did a one eighty, and anger began to eat away at his stomach.

Ignoring the pain he was in, he managed to get up onto his feet. He still felt the pain, but adrenaline and anger allowed him to fight through it, and he stormed over towards the woman, his hands tightened into fists. Jenny took notice of him. She turned and just stared at him, her expression hardened and cold.

“Oh it’s you. Come over to scold me?” Jenny asked in a taunting, bitter voice. “Well come on. Get it over with so I...” She was silenced when Mr. Longhorn slapped her across the face. Her head was forced to the side as she let out a yelp of pain. She turned her head to look at him, caressing her sore cheek as she glared at him.

Mr. Longhorn didn’t give her a chance to respond. “You..bitch! How could you do that to someone, let alone a child?!” Jenny didn’t answer him. “He didn’t do anything to deserve that! Don’t you feel any ounce of guilt?! Do you feel any regret for what you’ve done? Don’t you see how just...sick and twisted that was?!”

Jenny stared at him, and then smiled evilly. “Not really. The little brat was asking for it.” She made a dismissive gesture of the hand. “If he didn’t want to get hurt, he should have shut his mouth when he had the chance.” She glanced down at Snap for a moment and then looked at Longhorn. “If he dies from the attack, then it will be his own fault.”

Mr. Longhorn seized her by her shirt collar and yanked her forward. He opened his mouth to speak, but Jenny cut him off.

“What a temper you have. If I were you...” Jenny bared her teeth in a nasty grin. “..I would cool it...before you do something you might...” She tilted her head to one side. “..regret.”

At first, Mr. Longhorn froze, remaining quiet. Then his eyes narrowed dangerously. “I’m not going to back down. And you...can’t make me..”

Jenny sneered at him, a dark chuckle escaping her throat. “Oh really now? Well then, what are you going to do when I...”

Suddenly there was a loud screech. It echoed off the walls, causing the two adults to freeze where they stood. They looked up, towards where the sound came from. On the higher ledge, where Jenny had jumped from, there was a dark shadow. The sound of cracking rocks formed as the shadow, too large for the entrance, made it bigger, jerking its body from side to side. Then it just stood there, eyeing them with glowing, teal eyes. With a soft growl, it took off into the air, spreading its massive wings outward.

The beast got closer, giving Mr. Longhorn an idea of just how massive it was. The sight of it made him tremble. The beast was furry, and definitely had fangs; he could see them glinting in what light was available here. When the beast landed not far, Mr. Longhorn could make out its details. A wolf head with bat-like wings and long, flexible toes. Wait...didn’t he hear a description about this beast earlier? There was something about this imposing figure that seemed familiar, like he should know him.

Jenny apparently did. Mr. Longhorn watched in slight confusion as the woman walked over to where the beast stood, completely unafraid. She reached out with her hand, and the beast lowered his head, turning it to the side. The woman stroked the top and side of his head gently.

“Ah, good to see you again, Draow.” Jenny said.

The beast, Draow, nodded his head. A sleek smile spread across his muzzle. “Yes, you, too. There is much to discuss.” He turned his head towards Mr. Longhorn. The man froze as the beast stared intently at him. “A friend of yours?”

Jenny blinked a few times, as if surprised by Draow’s comment. She chuckled and nodded her head. “A very....special friend indeed.” She folded her arms and stared at Longhorn with a grinning face. “I was just about to...”

“Whatever it is you were going to do...”

Mr. Longhorn’s body stiffened at the sound of that new voice. Who was it? Where was it coming from? He noted that Jenny looked surprised as well, and so did Snap. But their expressions were entirely different. Jenny looked...almost happy, excited, elated. Whoever this was, Jenny obviously knew him. But Snap was the one that concerned him the most. The zoner was absolutely petrified. He was shaking harder and his eyes were glued in the direction the voice came from. He could have sworn he went paler despite being white already. It was bovious this was someone that Snap knew. Someone who had hurt him real bad.

“It will have to wait...” The voice called out again. “We have to... clean up first.”

Mr. Longhorn turned his head and, from behind Draow, he could see a man emerge. Green business suit. Red hair. Grey-blue eyes, staring straight at them, cold despite the seeminly welcoming smile on his face. The man took a few steps towards them before positioning himself beside Draow. He patted the beast against his flank a couple times before he turned his attention to Jenny.

“T-Teddison Cosmo...” Jenny whispered. “I-Is it really you...?”

The man nodded his head. “Yes, Jenny. It’s...been a long time, hasn’t it?”

For a few moments, there was silence in the room. Well almost total silence. Mr. Longhorn could hear Jenny’s rapid breathing, and Snap’s low whimpers. Jenny was just standing there, not saying or doing anything except breathing quickly. Her eyes widened more when the man confirmed he was who she thought he was. Then a smile ticked on her face.

“T-Teddy!” Jenny screamed in elation, her face lighting up, showing genuine happiness. She rushed forward, moving quicker than Longhorn thought was possible. She wrapped her arms around Cosmo’s body and held onto him. “I can’t believe it... I-I thought you were...” She said as she rested her head on his shoulder. “I never thought I’d s-s-see you again...”

Mr. Cosmo smiled down at her. He raised an arm up and placed his hand against her back, rubbing it gently. “Well...technically my counterpart here is dead...” At this, Jenny pulled back, looking up at him in shock. “I come from another dimension. Where I’ve won...”

Mr. Longhorn felt ice shoot through his body when the man said that. The way he said ‘I’ve won’...it was haunting. Snap didn’t react very well to it either. The zoner was trying to move back. Mr. Longhorn felt so sorry for him. He wished he could say something to comfort him. He turned his head to see how Craniac 4 felt, but was shocked to see the zoner had passed out.

Jenny’s expression was that of confusion at first. Then, moments later, realization seemed to have stricken her. She looked embarrassed at first, and smiled, nodding her head. “Oh of course you are...” She paused, biting her lip. She looked at him up and down, as if examining him. “Well you’re still Cosmo and that’s what counts.” She leaned against him, resuming the hug. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Cosmo smiled at this. “Yes, so did I.” He held onto her gently for a few moments. Then, out of the blue, he said, “I admit, the Jenny of my dimension was..disappointing.” Jenny stared up at him, eyes wide. Looking upwards, Cosmo said, “You see, she made a foolish mistake and got herself killed.” He then glanced down at Jenny. He cupped her chin. “But you... you seem too smart for that.” He stroked her blonde hair. “I don’t think you’ll disappoint me...will you?”

Jenny shook her head. “No, of course not!”

Cosmo said, “Yes, I know.” He put his forehead against hers. “I’m sure you won’t.”

Longhorn couldn’t help but feel unsettled by this display. It was...quite uncomfortable. Gut instinct told him that these two being back together spelled bad news for him and the others. He knew some things of Cosmo, but not a whole lot. Snap’s reaction was enough for him to realize that they were in trouble. He had enough issues with Jenny, but with Cosmo added to the picture...

Slowly, he backed away. He began to move towards Snap, who was the closest to him. He inched closer, his eyes glued on the humans and bat wolf standing not far. He moved cautiously and carefully, knowing that if he triggered an attack, he didn’t have many places to hide. And if the attack were directed towards Snap, the zoner didn’t have the means of a quick escape. He wasn’t sure what they were going to do now, but first, he had to get to Snap, before the two humans could take action.

He knelt down beside Snap and stroked the top of his head. He stared at him sympathetically before casting a cautious glance towards Cosmo, Draow, and Jenny. The two humans didn’t seem to notice that he moved. But Draow did...

Longhorn felt his heart start racing as he stared in the bright teal eyes of the beast. Draow’s lips curled into a snarl and his wings spread, making him look more imposing. His ears flattened against his skull and he took a step forward. Longhorn instinctively wrapped his arms around Snap, using his body as a shield. But before Draow could make a move, Mr. Cosmo interrupted.

“Draow, stop!”

Mr. Longhorn opened his eyes. He turned his head towards the man, blinking them in confusion. He saw Draow lower his head and body, taking a few steps back with his wings folding up. Mr. Longhorn could see the bat wolf was still eager to attack him and Snap. The drooling muzzle opened up, exposing rows of sharp teeth. The only thing keeping him from attacking was Mr. Cosmo’s outstretched hand and arm.

Draow looked down at Mr. Cosmo, letting out a few grumbles of frustration. “Can’t I play with them a bit?”

Mr. Cosmo shook his head. “No. We will not be wasting time. Besides...” The man slowly turned his head, smiling directly at Longhorn, making the man gulp and take a step back. “I’m sure the two of them miss their...little comrades. And I hate to see them separated...”

Mr. Longhorn shuddered. He could detect no sincerity in that voice. He held onto Snap tighter as the man started to stalk towards them slowly, deliberately. He narrowed his eyes at the man, showing him he was prepared to fight if he had to. This didn’t seem to intimdate the man, and instead just amused him.

Mr. Cosmo stopped a few feet away. His arms were folded behind his back and he sneered down at the two. “Snap, and...” He looked at Mr. Longhorn. He hesitated, and then said, “Whoever you are...” He raised his hand up and made a gesture, as if he expected them to follow him. “You are to come with me. I know you want to see your friends again. They’ve been..dying to see you again I’m certain...”

Mr. Longhorn gasped in horror, putting his arms more securely around Snap. He didn’t answer, and instead just continued to hold the frightened zoner protectively. He wished he could do something for Craniac 4, but at the moment, there was nothing he could do.

The cold grey-blue eyes stared at him, and the man said something that made Longhorn’s blood boil. “I sure hope you’re able to take care of him better than you were that boy...”

Knowing Cosmo was referring to Reggie, Longhorn snarled at him. His heart twisting in anger and sorrow, he said, “Don’t you dare...”

But Mr. Cosmo wasn’t listening. He had turned his head to look at Draow. He motioned with his hand. “Draow, come here and escort these two to where our... ‘guests’ are waiting.”

Mr. Longhorn watched, fear gripping his heart, as he watched the bat wolf walk towards him, that sinister, menacing smile plastered across his muzzle as he approached.

sss

Penny couldn’t believe the situation she and Rudy were in. She had no idea that they would end up here, of all places. She thought they had been careful enough, but no..she had been wrong. They were attacked by Cosmo and Draow, or rather, the hybrid of the two Draows they knew of, and now they were trapped here, in this terrible place.

Solar Pillars...

She had recently woken up in this room. It was small, somewhat dank, with hay stacks and bowls of water. She wasn’t chained up, but it was useless trying to escape. The door was locked and she wasn’t strong enough to open it. The door didn’t have a traditional lock, so picking it wasn’t an option. She was certain there was a way to open it, but at the moment, she had no idea how. It was hard for her to concentrate on figuring it out. Her head was spinny and muggy; she still wasn’t completely awake yet.

She and Rudy had both been pretty damaged in the encounter with Cosmo and Draow. The wounds appeared to be minor enough they could be treated pretty easily, if she had medical supplies that is. Well most of the wounds anyway. Some of them were more serious, but there was nothing she could do about them. She had managed to treat Rudy's facial cuts the best she could, though the only thing she could do was make them stop bleeding, as they had started leaking blood again.

Rudy was still unconscious. He laid down in the corner of the room, his body curled up. A few bits of hay rested him, remnants of when they were tossed in by Draow, like they were just a couple of ragdolls. She and Rudy both had some scrapes on their arms from when they were tossed. The scrapes were pretty bad, which isn’t surprising. This ground she stood on was made of pretty rough rock. It wasn’t smoothed out like in other places, and it gave it a sandpaper kind of texture. She guessed it was done like this on purpose, a way of ‘punishing’ white chalk arstists.

Penny grumbled softly to herself. She pressed her back against the stony, damp wall, trying to think of what she was going to do. She glanced down at Rudy, wondering when he was going to wake up. She hoped it would be soon; she needed to discuss with him what they were going to do in terms of getting out of here. Maybe Rudy had some kind of idea. She had no idea how long Mr. Cosmo was going to leave them alone, or just what he was going to do with them exactly. She had her doubts he was going to be careless; he would make sure they couldn’t be a threat anymore.

She stiffened her lip when she thought about how that vile man kissed her. It had been the second time she endured that from him. It was disturbing enough the first time, but to endure it again... And this time, the man did it longer, and went a little further. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. If that man tried something like that again, she was going to give him a reason to stay away from her.

She took her time, looking around the room. This room, definitely a dungeon, looked like it hadn’t seen too much use in a long time. A horrible smell hung strongly in the hair, and seemed to permeate the ground and walls. Even plugging her nose did little to stop the smell from getting to her. She looked left and right, wondering what the true source of this smell was.

She wondered if the smell came from the various animal zoners that were brought here. The way this room was designed, with the shackles all so low to the ground, the bowls of water and hay, she guessed this must be where the animal zoners were kept. Why they would be kept alive considering the black chalk artists’ stance on zoners, she wasn’t sure, unless this was where they kept the slaves. Yes, that was probably it. It made sense. The black chalk artists would want to keep some zoners alive so they could slave away at whatever labor was forced upon them.

The thought made Penny angry. What right did these guys have to use zoners that way? But...it wouldn’t do her any good to argue. The black chalk artists weren’t going to listen. As much as it boiled her blood, she would have no choice but to stifle herself, focusing on stopping them rather than try to reason with them.

She then noticed something in the ground. In one of the tallest haystacks, she could see something sticking out. It was pale in color, greyish mostly, with some specks of light ivory. She got up from the ground and limped towards the haystack slowly. When she reached it, she stared at it. Something round and almost rocky was partially hidden in the hay. She narrowed her eyes and reached down. She pushed the hay away from the top of the object, and then grabbed onto it. With a yank, she pulled it out of the haystack. She held it up and looked at it from side to side. She turned it around to get a better look.

Penny nearly let out a scream. Her eyes widened and mouth dropped open. A couple whimpers of fear escaped her throat and her body trembled. She had a hard time holding the object, her fingers fumbling as her hands shook too hard. She tossed it into the ground. A few sharp shakes overtook her as she moved back away. She stared at the object in shere disbelief.

It was a child’s skull...

Penny took in a few breaths, trying to calm her speeding heart. After she took in a few breaths, attempting to return her heart rate to something more normal, she dropped down onto her knee and reached out towards the skull. She picked it up, holding it out in front of her. The child’s skull didn’t appear to be that old when they died. Probably only eight. The skull had a few cracks along the top and a few missing teeth. The jaw appeared broken and chipped. It was difficult to tell if these were the result of old age or if it was deliberate.

But that didn’t matter to Penny. At the moment, all she could see was the child skull. She stared at it long and hard, her body shaking like a leaf. A few tears formed in her eyes. This poor child... She couldn’t imagine what they had gone through when they died. And to die in ChalkZone...their parents... What did they think?

She looked around the room. How many other children died in here? How many more were ripped away from their families? How many parents were left uncertain of what happened to their children? The thought filled her with dread.

She looked back down at the child skull she held in her hand. She reached down and stroked it lightly, almost as if she believed that this would soothe the child’s soul. She gently set it back on the ground. She stared at it and took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. She stood back up, and stared at the wall for a few moments. Slowly, her eyes narrowed, anger seeping through her mind. Her hands formed into fists, trembling at her side.

The whole reason that the parents didn’t know what happened to their kids...the reason there was no closure for them... It was all because of the black chalk artists. She had known them to be evil and twisted, but to deliberately leave behind dead bodies of children, not even having the decency to dump the bodies in the real world? That was just...

The door creaked. Penny lifted her head up, turning to face it. She watched as the door slammed against the wall a couple of times, bouncing from the force. She caught a glimpse of something large and furry. Her eyes widened in horror when she realized it was Draow. Did he come here to take her or Rudy away? She braced herself for a fight, but to her surprise, Draow didn’t move towards her. Instead, he was lowering himself down, as if to grab something. Then, he flicked his head.

Two figures flew towards her. Penny let out a surprised scream and moved back quickly. She stared down at the figures. Her eyes widened in shock.

“Mr. Longhorn?! Snap?!” Penny cried to them.

She flinched when she heard the door slam, sending vibrations through the ground. She shot a glare in the door’s direction as she heard Draow’s cold laughter. She didn’t waste much time on him. She turned her attention back to Mr. Longhorn and Snap. Both of them were unconscious.

She winced, her breathing giving a shudder, when she saw how hurt they were. Mr. Longhorn wasn’t too bad off, but he wasn’t in a good place. Draow clearly hadn’t been gentle with him. His right arm looked like it had been broken, bite marks clearly visible. Blood leaked out of the wounds, and it looked like they didn’t get any treatment. Typical of black chalk artists. Similar to Rudy, he, too, had some cuts on his face. Although they weren’t bleeding, she winced as she imagined just how he may have gotten those cuts.

Soon she turned her attention on Snap. She moved her eyes over his body, taking note of his injuries. At first, he didn’t appear too much worse than Mr. Longhorn. But when she grabbed his shoulder and flipped him over onto his back, her world felt like it shattered into millions of pieces.

The first thing she noticed was his stomach. It appeared badly bruised, as if someone had stomped on it one too many times. The sight of it caused tears to swell up in her eyes. What kind of monster would do such a thing? Oh Snap... She sucked on her lip. The pain he must have been through... Then she saw something else. It took her a few seconds to realize what it was, but when she did, she felt like her heart had been pumped full of burning ice. She brought her hands to her mouth, gasping in horror.

No...it couldn’t be true.. No.. Please, no.. She stared long and hard, wishing and hoping that it was an illusion, that she was making a mistake. She pleaded with fate to let it be just some sick joke, and not reality. Yet the longer she stared, the more she began to realize... that this was real... What she was seeing...was there.

Snap’s arm...was gone. His left arm...from where the elbow was, and everything that was below that.. It was gone. Just...gone... And what remained of the arm was wrapped up tightly and secured against his chest.

Penny felt tears flow down her face. She reached down and touched Snap’s cheek, caressing it gently. Then, to her surprise, Snap started to wake up. He let out a few soft groans, turning his head to one side. His eyes fluttered open slowly. He stared up at her, a confused expression plastered over his face. Then he opened his mouth.

“P-Penny...?” She felt a lump in her throat when she heard just how weak his voice sounded. “Where are we....?”

Penny didn’t answer him. She couldn’t answer him. Her mind was too overwhelmed with emotion right now. She glanced down at his missing arm again before fixating her gaze on him. A mixture of feelings, both sorrow from what happened, and relief that he was still alive, welled up inside of her. Then, without saying a word, she wrapped her arms around Snap, pulling him against her.

Snap let out a moan. “T-Too tight... hurts...”

Penny loosened her grip a little, but she still kept Snap in her embrace. As she cradled Snap in her arms, as she looked at the unconscious Rudy and Mr. Longhorn, a sense of determination started to fill up in her heart. She glared at the door, narrowing her eyes into slits.

She would put an end to this. She would stop Mr. Cosmo and everyone else associated him. She didn’t know how. She didn’t know when. All she knew was she was going to do it. They had gotten away with far too much already.

It was time to put that to an end.


	186. Set Right Before It Goes Wrong

“And then we woke up here. You know what happened after that.” Mr. Longhorn said, finishing his story to Penny.

Penny nodded her head slowly. “That was...some story.” She said sfotly.

“Yes.” Mr. Longhorn agreed. “It..didn’t turn out quite as we had planned.” He lowered his gaze, his eyes furrowing in sadness. “If only we had been more careful...” His eyes trailed over towards Snap. “Maybe we could have..”

“You shouldn’t blame yourself for what stuff.” Penny said, cutting him off. “You couldn’t have known any of that was going to happen. You didn’t ask for those things. And you couldn’t have known what was going to happen to Snap....” She gave a small smile. “Please, don’t beat yourself up over this.”

“I know, but still...” Mr. Longhorn sucked his lip as his voice trailed off. He went silent.

Mr. Longhorn had just finished telling Penny the story of what had happened. He explained that Reggie had wanted to help, and had convince him to come with him to ChalkZone. The only portal they could use was the one at the swimming pool, the one that they had ended up keeping open due to problems and being in a hurry. Penny could see how they would have trouble after that. She still didn’t know her way around the Solar Pillars and it was a confusing mess at times. It was a wonder the black chalk artists could navigate it at all.

They had a nasty run-in with Jenny, who, according to Mr. Longhorn’s description, now housed Nihilanth in her body, replacing Rudy for that task. Penny was horrified to learn about Reggie being beaten up by a diamond bat, or whatever it was that Jenny had used. And it frightened her how Boorat was now under the control of the black chalk artists. The description of the chase was unnerving, and then what happened to Snap...

Penny couldn’t help but feel a pang in her chest when Mr. Longhorn described how Snap’s arm had been caught in one of those bulbs and fried, and then Boorat had slammed into him. The force was enough to break half his harm off. He had done what he could, but the arm couldn’t be saved. Penny looked down at Snap sadly. The zoner was in a melachony mood; with no current threats in front of him, the zoner was now able to focuse on what happened to him, and let the reality of the situation sink in. Snap was often staring at the empty space that was once his arm. Penny knew it was going to take him a while to adjust.

She was still glad that he was at least alive. Not everyone got out of that situation well. Jenny had gotten to them again and she had tried to poison them. She was horrified to learn that Nihilanth can make things in real world format. She hoped that it was true that it took a lot of energy and concentration, not something he would do often. Because if this was something Nihilanth could do willy nilly, then he could easily use real world water to stop them from doing anything against him. The thought was chilling.

But cooling her blood even more so was the fate of Reggie... Penny could feel tears form in her eyes at the thought. Despite how he sometimes had been, especially as a kid, she never would have wanted something like...like that to happen... The thought of that poison shooting through his body, rapidly killing him... It was horrible.

And now he was gone. They couldn’t even bring his body. They had lost it during the chase. Jenny had purposely separated them, probably as a way to make sure that he couldn’t get a proper burial. For all she knew, they were probably just going to dump his body somewhere, or burn it into ashes or something. The thought twisted her stomach in anger. This was just one more reason for her to hate the black chalk artists, and the black chalk and Nihilanth in general. Reggie didn’t deserve to die like that... And yet Jenny heartlessly killed him.

She was glad that, at least, Reggie was able to slow her down. His final act was that of heroism. He had saved Mr. Longhorn from being killed, taking the spear instead of him. She was sad that Reggie couldn’t have done much for ChalkZone, but at least he had been able to do something against Jenny. The poison had been enough to weaken her and delayed her for a time, and buying time for them at all was good enough.

She glanced over at Rudy. He had woken up and had been silent this whole time. His mind was in a state of shock. She couldn’t blame him. Reggie had been killed, and Snap was permanently maimed. It was a lot to take in.

Rudy had blamed himself for letting those things happen. Penny had tried to reason with him that it wasn’t his fault. But nothing she said would get through to him. He was still beating himself up for Nihilanth using him like a tool. He was still angry that those two zoners had been killed, and he could do nothing about it. Now two more terrible things happened, and right in ChalkZone, the place he had sworn to protect. Rudy insisted that he should have been faster, that he should have been better, yet he let them down.

It helped a little knowing that Snap didn’t blame Rudy. It was an unfortunate accident that none of them had control over. But Snap’s understanding wasn’t enough and Rudy still sulked. Penny eventually decided to leave him a lone a bit so he could think things through. He needed time to get his thoughts straightened out. She hoped that, soon, he would come to realize that he wasn’t at all to blame for what happened.

After Rudy had woken up, she caught him and the others up with what happened with them. She explained how they had been ambushed by Mr. Cosmo and Draow, how they were attacked and then thrown in here like a couple of rag dolls. She was a little surprised, but mostly horrified, when Mr. Longhorn said he and Snap had a nasty encounter with the man as well. Penny need no more detail to know that this is the same Cosmo they had met in the dark dimension. The fact that he had crossed dimensions...it was bone chilling.

There was also the business with Craniac 4. Penny wasn’t certain exactly why Nihilanth wanted him. Even Mr. Longhorn wasn’t entirely sure. The details were muddled. Something about using his hard drive to create a larger portal for Nihilanth to use. Penny wasn’t entirely certain why he’d need a larger portal if he had a human form, but she knew that, if Nihilanth wanted it, it couldn’t be for any kind of good purpose.

They had lost Craniac 4 when Mr. Cosmo arrived. Mr. Longhorn explained how badly damaged the red robot was, causing Penny to bite her lip. She hoped that Craniac 4 would be okay. She knew they had to get him away from the black chalk artists so they couldn’t misuse him like he was some kind of toy.

And then came the news that frightened them all.

Cosmo and Jenny...had reunited.

Penny recalled how her body turned into an ice statue for several seconds after Mr. Longhorn and Snap told her that. Cosmo and Jenny...together again. The same people who, working together, had caused unspeakable horror to ChalkZone years ago. The two that created that dreadful chalk disease that nearly killed Rudy. The two that created Solar Pillars. The two that orchestrated the horrible war... And now they were together again. The thought was mind numbing.

Penny couldn’t believe it. She wanted it to be some kind of sick joke or a lie. But no..it was reality. A terrifying reality that she and the others had to face. Cosmo and Jenny were a team once more. They were scary enough with what they accomplished as kids. What were they going to pull off as adults...? Penny had seen what Cosmo was capable of on his own. Sure Saffron worked for him, but she had no idea what she was getting into. But Cosmo with a more willing participant, who is just as cruel as him, if not more so in some ways..that was terrifying.

Penny couldn’t help but shiver in fear at the mere thought of those two working together again. Jenny was so fiercely loyal to Cosmo. She would do anything he said without question. A blind faith in him, similar to what Draow had. She recalled how her loyalty to Cosmo was the reason why she had hurt Rudy so bad. Penny knew that Jenny would do whatever it took to make sure that Cosmo didn’t suffer the same fate again.

She narrowed her eyes. Admittingly, Penny hoped that Mr. Cosmo didn’t die this time. As much as he had deserved it, he never truly got justice served to him years ago. Now...they had a second chance at that. They had a chance to convict Mr. Cosmo and send him to jail for what he had done. At least, they could get some closure for what had happened to her Ms. Saffron.

But before they could do anything, they first had to figure a way out of this room. Penny stared at the door intently. There...there just had to be a way out, somehow.

“So...what are we going to do...?” Mr. Longhorn asked, breaking the silence.

“Getting out of here would be an idea.” Snap said. He glanced over at the door for a moment, and winced. “But I don’t know how we’re going to get past that. It looks like they replaced the door with something stronger.”

Penny realized that Snap was right. She hadn’t noticed it before, but this door did seem like it was stronger and more durable than the door that held her and Snap in that one room. It was as if this was planned ahead of time, in case the black chalk artists got them again. She wouldn’t be surprised if they did plan this far ahead on the off chance this would happen. The black chalk artists were often quite prepared. None more so than Mr. Cosmo himself.

“I hope we get out of here soon. This place is giving me the creeps.” Snap said, looked around the room. “The idea of children being killed in here...”

Penny looked at him sympathetically. He had seen the same skull she had. They all did, and it horrified them. It served as a grueling reminder of just how devastating the magic chalk war had been, just what it had cost...

It did have one positive effect on them, however. It gave them more of a reason to ensure that something like this didn’t happen again. They were not going to allow a second magic chalk war to grip ChalkZone. They were not going to allow that devastation to happen again, all those lives to be lost once more. She wasn’t sure how, but they would do whatever it took to stop this madness before it went too far.

And of course, they would take all the bodies and bring them into the real world. The parents and families and friends of those who died here, they needed closure. They didn’t know what happened to their kids. For all they knew, their children were lost out in the world somewhere. While telling them their children were dead was going to be hard, it was much better to have closure than to be left wondering forever what happened. They needed to know what happened to their children before they can begin to truly recover.

“The black chalk artists are monsters...” Rudy grumbled. The others looked at him, a little surprised that he had spoken after all this time of silence. His voice was low, growly. “They are trying to twist up this world... which hadn’t done a damn thing to them.” He formed a fist with his hand, shaking it. “I...I won’t stand for it!”

“Rudy, please settle down...” Penny said, reaching a hand out towards him. She was surprised when Rudy struck it back.

“This is my fault this is happening, Penny. I should have been more vigilant. I should have tried harder to stop them.. And look what happened!” Rudy cried. He gestured towards Snap. “He’s lost his arm, and Reggie...he’s dead!” A few tears formed in his eyes. “And it’s all my fault...!”

Penny said, “Rudy, you don’t know...”

Rudy glared at her. “And neither do you!” He closed his eyes and looked away. “I should have done something more to stop the black chalk artists. I should have tried harder to make sure they couldn’t do anything. I....” He stopped for a moment, closing his eyes. Then he said something that Penny never thought she’d hear come out of Rudy’s mouth. “I should have killed them!”

The room fell silent. The only sound that could be heard was Rudy’s heavy breathing, his eyes wide in anger. Penny and the others stared at Rudy in shock, eyes widened and mouths open. Penny couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Her body shook from the realization. Snap was shaking his head in denial, as if he couldn’t accept that Rudy said that. Mr. Longhorn, though he hadn’t known Rudy for long, was a bit shaken up as well.

Penny’s body trembled as she stared at Rudy. They locked eyes with each other. Rudy glared at her, showing no indication he had exaggerated with what he said. His mouth was open, lips curled up a little as if to growl. Penny felt her heart twist. She glanced back down at Snap. The zoner leaned against her for support, a slight tinge of fear in his eyes. Penny couldn’t blame him. What Rudy had said...it reminded them so much of when he was used by Nihilanth...

Rudy seemed to realize this. Slowly, his expression softened up, a look of shock and horror plastering over his face. The full impact of what he said dawned on him, and he choked out in a whisper, “G-Guys... I...I’m so sorry.. I-I-I didn’t mean to say that...”

“It’s okay, Rudy.” Penny said softly. She moved closer to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. This time, the boy did not strike it away. He just stared at her, eyes welling up with tears. Penny cupped his chin gently. “I know you didn’t mean it. You were just frustrated. Shh... It’s okay...” She wrapped her arms around him. “It will be okay...”

Rudy’s body trembled, his arms remaining slack at his sides. Then, slowly, he started to hug her back. It was kind of loose and tentative, but a hug nonetheless. Rudy quickly tightened his grip on her, cuddling up against her, his face against her shoulder. He remained there, letting out a couple soft whimpers. Penny held onto him as he slowly calmed down. Eventually, his body stopped shaking and he became more relaxed in her arms. His breathing slowed down, returning to normal, and he closed his eyes.

Penny stroked Rudy’s hair as she looked back at Mr. Longhorn and Snap. They all carried the same expression. One of concern, not just for Rudy, but for everything that was going on. They all hoped Rudy would be okay, but they also needed to focus on how to get out of here. Penny could see that not one of them appeared to have any ideas; there was a sense of helplessness being reflected in their eyes.

Again she found herself staring at the door. If she had a piece of chalk... She lost her red chalk earlier. It was destroyed by Draow. That was the only piece of red calk she had left. And she had no white chalk with her. Neither did Rudy. They were both chalkless, as well as Mr. Longhorn. There was no blue chalk either, so Snap couldn’t to anything. And with no lock to pick... And there wasn’t even any space under the door either. It was air tight.

Which also means that they would run out of oxygen eventually... The thought frightened her, but she did her best not to quicken her breathing, lest she use up all the oxygen must faster. She needed to keep herself under control. She took in a deep breath, and exhaled.

Rudy released her. He stared at her for a few seconds, smiling gratefully. Then his eyes narrowed slightly. He looked over at the door, and then he looked back at Penny. “I think I know how to get out of here...”

At this, Penny, Longhorn, and Snap raised their heads and looked at Rudy intently. Their eyes glued on him. They all remained silent, no one speaking a word. They waited patiently for him to continue. A few a few moments, when he didn’t say more, Snap broke the silence.

“You do, Bucko...?” Snap asked, hopeful.

Rudy nodded his head. “Yeah...” He furrowed his eyes and looked to the side. “But..I don’t know if it will work.”

“Well don’t keep us in suspense, kid.” Mr. Longhorn said. He held his hand out in gesture. “Tell us what your idea is.”

Rudy looked back at the three. His expression was a mixture of concern and uncertainty. It was clear he had no idea if his plan would work or not. Rudy had clearly lost some of his confidence from when he was forced to be Nihilanth’s slave. She was glad he was not giving up though, and she hoped that he would completely regain that spark soon. Whatever plan he got, she was certain it was more well thought out than he was imagining it to be.

Penny placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled gently at him. She didn’t say a word. She just looked at him. The two teenagers locked eyes on one another. She spoke to him through her expression alone. She showed him, silently, that she had faith in him, and quietly encouraged him to continue. Rudy still looked unsure, but he did feel somewhat reassured by her smile. Longhorn and Snap provided similiar smiles, nodding their hads, adding further encouragement.

Rudy took in a deep breath. “Okay, my idea is...”

Suddenly the door opened up for the second time. The four turned their heads around just in time to see a couple of bodies being thrown through the air. Then there was a loud thud, and something landed in front of them. The door shut too quickly, and none of them could get a good look at who had done this, if it was Draow or someone else. But as the thunderous footfalls went away, they paid little attention, focusing their eyes on who was tossed out in front of them. It didn’t take them long to recognize who it was.

Rudy’s parents... and Ms. Saffron.

Penny couldn’t believe it. Why would Rudy’s parents come here? She had told them to stay put, didn’t she? What were they doing in ChalkZone? Questions swam through her mind, her heart pumping faster. They didn’t look too badly hurt, but she had no idea just what might have been done to them. They could be hurt much worse than it appeared. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about her mother, who, far as she knew, was still at that one hospital in ChalkZone. Was she still there, waiting for her? Her stomach churned at the mere thought.

And Ms. Saffron... She must have been brought here by Mr. Cosmo when he crossed dimensions. But...why would he bring her? To witness the beginning of the end all over, most likely. Or perhaps he was going to try to forcibly recruit her so he wouldn’t have to worry about her interference this time. She appeared somewhat okay, but unlike Rudy’s parents, it was clear this woman had been tortured. She flinched as she looked over her injuries.

Then she noticed blood on the woman’s neck. Penny felt her heart clenche for a few seconds until she realized that blood came from a cut on her cheek. It must have bled a lot and leaked down onto her throat. Penny slowed down her breathing, though her heart continued to pound for a while. The side of the blood on her neck reminded her all too well of the time when their Cosmo had dropped their Saffron’s dead body on the ground, the gash that was on her neck... Penny shook the thoughts out of her mind.

The three adults were awake. Mr. Tabootie pushed himself up on his hands. He rubbed his head, letting out a soft groan. He turned his attention to his wife. She was still on the ground, her head turned to the side. She breathed in and out shakingly, and looked like she was in some pain. Ms. Saffron was already leaning against the wall, her head tilted upwards. Despite being the most injured, she did not react to her wounds as much, and her wide eyes suggested something else was on her mind. But what?

Mr. Longhorn knelt down beside them, ignoring his own pain. He grabbed onto Mr. Tabootie’s arm and helped him up to his feet. The man staggered a little. Mr. Longhorn then went over to help Mrs. Tabootie, but she had already climbed up to her feet, rubbing her head. She took a little longer to find her balance, but she managed remain standing. She lifted her head up, wiping the hair from her face. As soon as she saw Rudy, her body froze.

The room was silent as Rudy stared at his parents. The silence was somewhat unnerving. Nobody knew what was going to happen. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie looked at their son, their eyes wary, as if they thought Rudy might attack them. They reached out towards their son, before curling their fingers against their palms and pulling their hands away. They took a small step back, their eyes never leaving the boy. Rudy looked back at them with a cautionary expression. It was as if he thought he was going to go crazy again if he acted too quickly, too soon.

Penny watched this tense moment sadly. It was clear that the Tabooties had no idea if their son was cured of Nihilanth’s control or not. The last they knew, Rudy was that evil dragon’s vessel. They never got the news that Rudy had been freed. So she understood why they were being cautious. She was grateful that they never had to see their son in that state. It was hard enough for her to look at Rudy with those blackened eyes... But his parents.... She shuddered to think about it.

Mrs. Tabootie broke the silence. “R-Rudy...?”

Rudy hesitated, biting his lip. Then he smiled slowly. “Yeah mom... It’s me..”

“Is it?” Mr. Tabootie said. His voice was not accusatory, just uncertainty. “You’re not being..controlled are you..?”

Rudy shook his head. “No. Penny was able to free me.” He broadened his smile a little. A few tears formed in his eyes. “I’m here...”

Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie just stood there for a few seconds, as if letting that information sink into their heads. Then, without warning, they let out a shriek of happiness, taking them all by surprise. They rushed over towards Rudy and grabbed onto him, pulling him into a hug. Rudy froze, completely not expecting such a surprise hug like that. But he soon relented and joined in, cuddling up with his parents as tears of happiness flowed down their faces.

“Oh gawd, Rudy... we thought you were...” Mrs. Tabootie said softly, nuzzling her son against his cheek. “We’re so glad you’re okay...”

“We’ve missed you, son.” Mr. Tabootie said.

Rudy smiled, more tears staining his face. “And I’ve missed you guys...” He hugged them tighter, his body shaking with emotion. He looked too fearful to even let go. “So much...”

Penny, Longhorn, and Snap watched this emotional display in silence. None of them dared to interrupt it. They gave the Tabooties time to be together. They understood that they needed this. After all they had been through, emotionally especially, they needed this. They all gave small smiles as they watched quietly at this family reunion.

Penny could feel a few tears form in her eyes. She was happy that Rudy’s parents could finally learn that their son was free. She was happy that they could be caught up with what was happening, and that they could be with Rudy again. She watched as Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie held onto their son, stroking his hair, rubbing his back, nuzzling him affectionately. They stayed like that for quite some time before they finally parted. Still they did not move far from their son, remaining close, holding his hand and looking at him with expressions filled with care and worry and relief.

The sight of it reminded her of her mother. Her smile vanished, her eyes narrowing with worry and concern. She wondered how her mother was doing. The last time she saw her, she had left her at the hospital with Skrawl and King Mumbo Jumbo. Had her mom gone back home? Or was she still at the hospital? Or what if she had wandered off, perhaps to find her? The thought frightened Penny. Now was not a good time for anyone to wander around in ChalkZone alone.

She needed to figure out if her mom was okay. But before she did that, they had to get out of the room first. She hoped that, after this reunion was over, Rudy could still remember what his plan was and share it with them. The sooner they got out, the better. After they got out, she would find her mom. She hoped and prayed she was still at the hospital. She had to still be there. She couldn’t have left... If she did, she hoped that she had just gone straight home, and not try to find her. She knew Jenny and Cosmo were likely going to want to get her mom back on their side. If they find her alone...

Penny suddenly jerked as a hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked to see it was Ms. Saffron. She had come over to her side. The woman was staring at her, her hands gripping her shoulders somewhat tightly. That look on her face... Penny felt her heart start to clench a little. Even though the woman had not said anything yet, it was clear that, whatever she wanted to say, it was nothing good. Penny swallowed and prepared for the worst.

“Ms. Saffron..?” Penny asked. Mr. Longhorn and Snap turned their heads to look. They were both interested to know what Ms. Saffron had to say. “Wh-What is it...?”

Ms. Saffron looked at Penny sympathetically. She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it, lowering her head. She took in a deep breath, and her body shuddered, as if this was just too much for her. She looked back at Penny. The teenager was shocked to see just how glassy those eyes looked, the tears that formed. Penny felt dread rise up inside of her chest.

Then, taking in a shaking breath, the auburn-haired woman spoke. “P-Penny.. there’s...” She paused for a moment, gritting her teeth. “There’s something you need to know.”

Penny hesitated, then said. “What do you need to tell me?”

“It’s about your mother.” Ms. Saffron said.

Penny sucked in a breath, her body feeling like ice shot through it. Her heart began to pound against her chest. She felt a lump in her throat. No.. please... Anything but that.. Ms. Saffron couldn’t be talking about... She stared at Ms. Saffron in disbelief, hoping and praying that she was going to say something else..anything else...

Ms. Saffron’s expression became more sorrow-filled. “I-I’m so sorry, Penny...”

Penny quickened her breathing. “Wh-What do you m-m-mean..? What happened to my mom..?” Penny gripped the woman’s shoulders when she didn’t answer right away. “What happened to her?!”

Ms. Saffron looked at Penny with a regretful expression. “She...” She paused.

Penny shook her. “Tell me!” She ignored the stares she got from the others. Her trembling body was yearning for one thing only: an answer from Ms. Saffron regarding her mother. “Please...tell me...”

Ms. Saffron looked at her sympathetically. She didn’t speak for several moments. Then, she opened her mouth and the next words that came out of it caused Penny’s heart to nearly stop beating, Snap to gasp in horror, and Longhorn and Rudy to look terrified.

“Your mother is one of them now.”

sss

“Are you sure you want to do this...?” Dr. Lancer asked, her voice low, filled with worry.

“Yeah.” Dr. Varrick said. He stood next to Dr. Lancer, who was strapped down in a horizontal wheelchair. Her back and wing were still bandaged up and stiffened. “In your condition, I think it would be unwise for you to...”

“I have to do something!” Howdy cried. He was sitting on his hospital bed. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing!” He winced as he glanced down at his arm, which was covered in bandages and put in a cast. A sling connected it to his chest. “They helped me when I was in trouble..” He looked back at the two zoners. “I have to do something for them.”

Dr. Lancer let out a sigh. She wasn’t sure if anything was going to convince Howdy not to go through with this. He was quite a determined zoner. She glanced at Dr. Varrick. He simply shrugged and shook his head. None of them knew how they were going to stop Howdy, what else they could try without using force. Dr. Lancer was in no condition to stop him herself, and Dr. Varrick would rather not aggravate the small zoner’s wound more.

Dr. Lancer had to admit that the zoner had a lot of spunk and spirit. He was smaller than Snap, yet had the spirit of a zoner thrice his size. It was hard to believe this was the same zoner who was running for his life earlier, when Ghadir had attacked him. The poor little guy was found wounded in the jungle, his left arm nearly ripped off. It must be taking him a lot of courage to confront the black chalk artists again.

And she could see why he would want to. Rudy was his creator and friend, as well as Penny and Snap. Even if Rudy were still being controlled by Nihilanth, that didn’t change Howdy’s mind. He was determined to do something for them. Anything to help turn the tides. It wasn’t just his way of saying ‘thank you for saving me’. It was familial love that he shared with them. Due to that, there was little that would stop Howdy. He was willing to face off against danger, against those who had hurt him, for the sake of helping his friends.

“But surely...” Skrawl interruped. He moved himself forward in the wheelchair. “There’s no need for that. I can just send my Beanie Boys and...”

“No.” Howdy waved his hand in front, narrowing his eyes a little at Skrawl. “That would be too obvious. They know who the Beanie Boys are and what they do. They would take extra precaution to do something about them.” He shook his head. “No, we would need to send someone out there less...conspicuous.”

Skrawl cocked an eyebrow. He pointed a finger at the puppet zoner. “And you are volunteering yourself for this?” Howdy nodded his head once. Skrawl snarled slightly. He raised his hand in the air. “How absurd! Why, Mr. Cosmo would...”

“Wait...” King Mumbo Jumbo, who had his own wheelchair, sitting next to Skrawl, said, raising his paw. “He might be onto something.”

Skrawl shot him a look. “What do you mean?”

Dr. Lancer and Dr. Varrick stared at the old tortoise. They didn’t say a word, just looking at him silently. They were curious to know what the old tortoise had in mind. What made him think that Howdy’s plan was a good one?

“Thank about it. If you do send someone like the Beanie Boys over, the black chalk artists would respond as soon as they see them. This Solar Pillars...what I know about it, it can lock on right? So it must have some kind of telescope capability. It wouldn’t be very wise to try to sneak towards the building if they can see you coming. They would fire that cannon of theirs, or they would set up a trap.”

Dr. Lancer nodded her head. The tortoise did make a good point. This was just what Howdy had been talking about. It was true the black chalk artists could see from afar. She wasn’t sure just how far they were able to see, but she knew that at least the immediate area would be watched. They could try underground, but wasn’t the place surrounded by a void kind of thing? She was certain she heard of that.

And if it was surrounded by a void...well going underground wouldn’t work for long. They would have to begin traveling above. The air was another option, but it still wouldn’t work. There was really no way to ambush this place until they weren’t watching the controls. It wasn’t safe to assume that, no matter how few black chalk artists there were.

She turned her attention back to Mumbo Jumbo as he continued.

“However, if we send someone like him...” He pointed at Howdy. “We might stand a better chance. They wouldn’t see him as a threat, given his small size and injury. If he just hides the blue chalk, he’d be able to get in, whether through infiltration or getting captured. He could then escape, find the others, and get them out.”

Skrawl narrowed his eyes a little, scratching his chin. “Hmm..well since you put it that way, I guess it could work...” He folded his arm against his chest. “But I still think we should try one of my brilliant plans! I already thought of something and the more zoners the...” He felt Mumbo Jumbo’s fist lightly touch his shoulder. “What gives?”

Mumbo Jumbo said, “As temptimg as it is to send a lot of zoners there, we should be careful with that.”

“Yes, I quite agree.” Dr. Varrick said, speaking up. All eyes turned to him. “We should be..selective. If this theory is right, if the seemingly incompetent can sneak close enough to get in...” Howdy glared at him, clearly a little annoyed when he indicated he was incompetent. “Then we should send smaller and weaker zoners with blue chalk to get in. They could sneak around and free those three, perhaps even put a kink or two in the black chalk artists’ plans.”

“Hmm...” Dr. Lancer scratched her chin with one of her claws. She turned her head so that her gaze was backwards and up. “Well...”

She went silent for a moment. She tried to think whether or not this was a good idea. It seemed good on paper, but it was hard to tell. There were multiple factors to consider. This was still a dangerous task, regardless of who they sent. There was even the chance that Rudy, Penny, and Snap weren’t at the Solar Pillars and were elsewhere. But that was the best place to check first and she knew they had to take the risk. But..could they really do it? She would feel bad about sending a couple of small zoners out there, when they could easily be captured and hurt if they lose the blue chalk...

Her heart clenched as she thought about the zoner that had been brought in earlier. An hourglass zoner that had been badly injured. She was wheeled in, holding a bag of blue chalk and talking about arming zoners with it. She was quickly stabilized and she was questioned while her wounds were being treated. She explained to them about how her friend, a football zoner, had been killed in a rock slide and that she had barely managed to escape with her life. When asked about her attacker, what she said shocked everyone.

Mr. Cosmo was back. She wasn’t sure how, or why, but he had returned to ChalkZone. The news horrified the staff and anyone else who happened to hear it. To keep the panic down, she and anyone else who knew swore not to mention anything to the patients. She felt guilty about withholding information, but many of the zoners were badly hurt and stress was only going to make their condition worse.

The hourglass zoner didn’t know remember where Rudy and Penny were. She was so shaken up that she just couldn’t recall, and she ended up passing out from pain and exhaustion. After that, she and Dr. Varrick tried to think of what they should do. Even though they had blue chalk, the one type of magic chalk zoners could use, they couldn’t just barge in without a plan. And that was when Howdy spoke up...

The puppet zoner was determined to help his friends. He refused to listen to reason. Nothing was going to convince him to stay, and now she saw that. She also understood, now that Mumbo Jumbo explained it, why he insisted on this way. He would be mistaken as weak, and he could get in closer. He wouldn’t be seen as a threat, and even if he were captured, as long as he kept the blue chalk hidden, he could find a way out.

Dr. Lancer finally spoke up. “Well I do see your point.”

“Thank you.” Howdy said. He jumped off the bed. “Now can I get going? I want to get there before...” Dr. Lancer shook her head. “Why not? We don’t have time for this!” He raised his right arm in the air. “They could be...!”

“We cannot send you alone.” Dr. Lancer said.

Dr. Varrick nodded his head. “I agree. It would be too dangerous.”

“Look, I know you are worried, but..but I can’t have anyone else getting hurt because of me...” Howdy pleaded, his eyes wide. “Just..let me do this. If anyone has to get hurt, I’d rather it be me than someone else.”

Dr. Lancer smiled at this. Selfless as always. Rudy knew how to design zoners. No matter the situation, Howdy always wanted to help others, doing whatever he could to succeed, even if it means taking the brunt of danger. But regardless, there was no way they would let him leave alone. He would need help, and she knew just the ones.

Mumbo Jumbo and Skrawl also appeared to agree with her and Varrick.

“The hippogriff lady has a point.” Skrawl said. He pointed a claw in Howdy’s direction. “It is too dangerous for you to go off alone. You should take someone with you to help.”

“But guys...” Howdy started to say.

Mumbo Jumbo raised his paw up. “No buts, little guy.” He moved his wheelchair a couple inches closer to the small zoner. “You won’t be of any use to anyone if you get yourself caught and you lose the blue chalk.”

“I can keep it hidden!” Howdy exclaimed.

“And I’m sure you can.” King Mumbo Jumbo said. “But what if it slips out when you’re caught? What would you do then?”

Howdy looked left and right. “...I...”

Skrawl narrowed his mismatched eyes. “We thought so.” Dr. Lancer glared at Skrawl. He could have used a nicer tone than that.

Varrick chimed in, “I strongly urge you go in a group, Howdy. You will have better luck rescuing your friends if you had someone coming with to help you.”

Howdy sighed softly. He appeared to have finally given in. “All right then...” He lifted up his head. He stared at Dr. Lancer and Dr. Varrick. “Who are you going to send with me?”

Dr. Varrick stared at Dr. Lancer, clearly waiting to hear what she had to say. Skrawl and King Mumbo Jumbo also looked at her, interested. Dr. Lancer was silent for a moment. She quickly pondered her thoughts, double checking mentally to make sure the idea she had would be feasible. She knew two zoners that might do the trick, but would they be good enough? And would they be able to take this seriously enough? She knew what a gamble it was to send them, but surely they could be serious enough to know how important this was, right? But then...

But how else could she send? These two, they were perfect. They were good at causing destruction and mayhem. Put them in the Solar Pillars, and they could find the controls and sabotage them without even trying. The weaker they made the enemy, the better. There were only two zoners she knew of that could cause enough trouble to throw a wrench into the machine. And those zoners were....

“Call in the Doofi.” Dr. Lancer said, narrowing her eyes.

sss

Bardot struggled against the nylon rope that held him up in the air. They tangled around his arms, holding them over his head. The zoner had been struggling for ten minutes straight nonstop, and even though he hadn’t been able to break free, despite his wounds, he still tried, wriggling his body in the air, his tail thrashing around.

Craniac 4 was strapped down to a table not far from him. A thick band made of strong metal secured his head, and another one, his body. His arms were secured away from his body, cuffed down and immobilized. He had stopped struggling minutes ago, his body too worn and tired to keeep trying. He didn’t bother looking at his captors, his LED eyes turned in another direction.

Draow watched on, amused by Bardot’s predicament. He may have fused with his counterpart, and as a result, no longer remembered which dimension he came from, but he remembered Bardot all too well. He remembered his experiences with him in both dimensions, how he had been used by him. The thought burned his stomach. Bardot thought he could use him like some kind of toy, like he was just some oversized dog he could make roll over and fetch on command.

Well now the tides had fully turned. The only reason he even went along with Bardot’s plan was because he wanted to get back at Rudy, Penny, and Snap. But now...he no longer needed Bardot for that. The hybrid zoner was clearly on his last leg. How he survived that fall, he wasn’t sure, but that would be rectified soon.

“Let me go! I demand that you release me!” Bardot cried out, showing more energy than he would have expected from an injured zoner like himself. How amusing.

Draow’s mouth curled up into a smile. “You aren’t going anywhere. You are going to...”

“...help us power the machine to make full use of this robot’s harddrive.”

Draow and Bardot looked over to see Mrs. Sanchez walking up towards them slowly. It took Draow a few moments to remember that Mrs. Sanchez was on their side. The black chalk had tricked her into using a piece and now she belonged to them again. He gave a twisted smile. He wished Penny was here to see this. He wanted to see the look on her face when she realizes that her dear mommy had been blessed. Yes, that expression would be beautiful.

Mrs. Sanchez, a slight black color to her eyes due to the black chalk’s presence, walked to where Craniac 4 was strapped down. “I know what you might be saying. You don’t have much red chalk left. Just enough to keep your body stable. Well, Bardot...” She gave him an eerie smile. “I am a vet, a doctor, and I know ways of..getting the most out of a vital part.”

Bardot’s eyes widened at this, and he gulped nervously. “Surely there must be something else...right?” He tried again to struggle, but it was no use and he just hung there. “Don’t you have another fuel source? Anything?”

Mrs. Sanchez tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Well I do have something...”

Bardot gave a hopeful look at this.

“But I’d rather just use you. More convenient, since you’re right there.” Mrs. Sanchez continued.

Bardot’s face paled at this. He shook his head rapidly from side to side. “No, please!”

His cries fell on deaf ears. Mrs. Sanchez turned her attention down to Craniac 4. She moved her eyes along his body, as if examining him. She then took out a couple of gloves. She slipped them on, snapping them as she did so. She then turned towards the machine next to Craniac 4. It was a bit tall and thin, with a bunch of buttons and attachments and what not to it. She grabbed what appeared to be a couple of pliers, but they had a couple extra parts to them, looking as if they could open on their own, and she placed them on the chest of the robot. Craniac 4 let out a yelp of fear.

The woman did not turn the machine on. It was obvious why. Draow narrowed his eyes at a sectioned bar on the side. It was completely empty, not even any red parts available. This thing needed power. And that was exactly what Bardot was going to provide. Draow watched in amusement as Mrs. Sanchez went over to the trembling zoner.

Mrs. Sanchez said, “Let’s get this over with.”

Bardot bared his teeth fearfully at her. “No!”

Mrs. Sanchez reached out towards him. The yellow zoner snapped his jaws at her angrily. Mrs. Sanchez pulled her hand back and looked at him in contempt. “Hrmph. Feisty little guy, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I’ll say.” Jenny said. Mrs. Sanchez and Draow looked over as the blonde woman walked into the room slowly. She looked at Bardot, curling her lips up at him. “And that little fucker is the reason why Ghadir couldn’t be here with us during this. He’s quite the troublemaker.”

Mrs. Sanchez just stared at Jenny, as if she didn’t hear anything that special. She simply shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention back to the hybrid zoner. “Well, he won’t be causing trouble any longer. That I promise you.”

“Well hurry up will you?” Jenny said, her tone someone impatient. “Cosmo and Nihilanth want this done now. They say we need access to the real world before those brats find their way out.” Draow recalled how Nihilanth left her body to be with Cosmo, a decision she didn’t seem to mind too much. Then again, it was Cosmo, and she agreed with nearly everything he said. Jenny folded her arms against her chest. “I would say how that is unlikely considering we used a more secure door this time, and they have no magic chalk with them, but...”

Mrs. Sanchez shot her a look. “Well I don’t think you know my daughter very well.”

Draow nodded his head in agreement. He remained silent, not wanting to interrupt them. He fully agreed with Mrs. Sanchez’s claim. They shouldn’t underestimate those brats. They had beaten the odds before and they could do it again. It was best to play it safe. If they did not, they run the risk of those two escaping, and then they might lose everything they worked hard on. Remaining alert was key here.

Jenny seemed to agree as well. “Yes, I’m quite ware. Your daughter...all of them, they could give us some trouble.” She took a step forward. “I’m aware of Penny’s capabilities. But maybe...they don’t have to be used against us.” At this, Bardot and Craniac 4 widened their eyes.

Mrs. Sanchez merely smiled at this. “Yes, that is quite the idea, Jenny. I’m sure she’d love to work at her mother’s side once more.”

Draow smiled darkly at this. Just what he figured would come out of this. Bringing Penny over to their side would be beneficial. They could use that girl’s intelligence for something more...practical. Maybe they could even get Rudy back on their side. Having those two brats working for them would be wonderful. He would love to see the looks on the pathetic zoners’ faces as their precious guardians turn against them.

Yes, that would be just perfect. It would be poetic justice, a great revenge for the loss of this dimension’s Mr. Cosmo. It was a shame that he had been felled years ago. But now, things were being corrected. Things were finally being set right. And this time, they were taking steps of precaution to ensure that the past does not repeat. No one was going to stop them this time.

“Let’s get this done before Mr. Cosmo comes up here to question why we are taking so long.” Mrs. Sanchez said, getting her mind back on focus.

The woman walked towards towards the yellow and red zoner. Bardot was terrified, knowing this was going to be the end of him. Draow just sneered at him as Mrs. Sanchez reached up to unhook him so she could drag him over to the machine. Draow’s heart pumped with excitement. He couldn’t wait to witness the death of the zoner who had insulted and used him like a tool for far too long. As Mrs. Sanchez reached up towards the hybrid zoner, Draow’s eyes and smile widened with insanity.

Just then, there was a loud beeping sound. Draow and the two humans looked over towards the wall, as did Bardot. Craniac 4, unable to turn his head, could not look. On the wall not far from them, there was a rectangle device hanging up, secured by a large nail and connected to a lot of pipes. There was a screen that was flashing a red circle a few times. He looked at Jenny and Mrs. Sanchez. They were staring at him expectantly. Knowing what they wanted, he walked over.

The bat wolf took position in front of the monitor and took a good look at it. He pushed his nose against the screen and there was a blip sound. A simple map showed up, lines forming basic shapes, giving an idea of what the area around them looked like. There was a small, flashing red dot that was moving. He narrowed his eyes.

“It seems we have an intruder.” Draow said.

“Oh? Who is it?” Jenny asked.

Draow pushed his nose against the screen again. He pushed specifically against an icon at the bottom that appeared to be a couple arrows pointing away from each other. This enlargened the screen. He did this several times, and as he did, the picture became more and more detailed. Soon, he was able to get a view of the intruder. His eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. He turned his head towards the two expectant humans, giving them a sideways glance.

Draow said, “It’s that little pest that got away from Ghadir.” He stepped aside, letting the two humans see the intruder. The image showed a small puppet zoner making his way towards this very building. There was only one puppet zoner it could be. Howdy.

Mrs. Sanchez widened her eyes slightly. “Hmm. I never thought he’d be brave enough to come here, especially after his little accident with your comrade.”

Jenny narrowed her eyes. “Let’s send him an invitation...”

sss

Light Rudy was not at all surprised by the way his Penny reacted. She looked quite shocked, just what he had expected. He had surprised himself. He never thought he would consider something like this. It sounded crazy, even for him, even after all that he had done...

Light Rudy had to pause for a moment, his body shuddering at the very recent memory of who he had used to be. He had acted like such an asshole, and even now, some of that behavior still remained, though he had it more under control. He knew it was going to take a long time to unlearn everything that he picked up over the years. It would take a long time for the zoners and his two friends to trust him again. He didn’t blame them either. He wouldn’t trust him if he were in their shoes.

He had done great harm. He had tortured and killed so many. He had enslaved ChalkZone, the very thing he had tried to prevent. And on top of that, he had kept the situation with his abusive parents a secret. He couldn’t believe how much of an idiot he had been. He should have spoken to his friends about it. How could he be so foolish? What made it worse is that he tried to use that as a justification for his actions. He had been so selfish, and look at what that’s brought...

He tried not to think about it. At least he managed to snap out of it and finally confessed. He was now getting the help he needed and the step towards recovery had begun for ChalkZone. He was doing what he could to make amends. It’s only been a few days though, and repairs were slow. He was worried, but his Penny assured him that ChalkZone would recover in time.

Light Rudy was determined not to continue making those mistakes. He had sworn off magic chalk and let his Penny be the new guardian of ChalkZone, and he refused to go anywhere without her or Snap to accompany him. He didn’t want to run the risk of hurting anyone again.

Light Rudy wasn’t sure how to explain it, but he had a gut feeling that something was wrong with his counterpart. Maybe he was trapped. Maybe someone there was trying to get him. He felt ice in his stomach as he thought of the possibility of his counterpart being corrupted, like he had been. Light Rudy didn’t want his counterpart to suffer the same fate as he had. He had already made his own mistakes, and his ChalkZone had paid for them. He was not going to let his counterpart be forced to endure somethin similar. He did not want history to repeat.

“But..you don’t even know if they will...” His Penny started to say.

Light Rudy looked at her. She sat on the other side of the bed, her legs crossed. He inched a little closer. He was a little hurt when she moved away, but he didn’t blame her. He had hurt her so badly... He pushed those thoughts aside and said, “After years of being...tortured... Do you really think that Draow and Bardot would return to crime so easily?”

His Penny glared at him. Light Rudy flinched and lowered his head. His Penny lightened her expression and sucked her lip. “I suppose you have a point. But why do you want to send them to the dimension where our counterparts went?” She raised her hands at her side. “What of this ‘feeling’ that you’re getting?”

Light Rudy glanced down. “I’m not sure how to explain it, Penny. Something just...is telling me that I should be doing something to help. And besides...” He stared at her intently. “You and I both know what harm can be brought if my counterpart was...swayed...”

His Penny winced at this, gulping. She rubbed her arm, as if remembering an old wound. “Yeah, I know...”

Light Rudy looked at her with a guilt-ridden expression. “I know I said this already, but..I’m sorry about what I did to you.”

“I still can’t forgive you.” She rubbed her shoulders, turning her head to the side. “I don’t think anyone can...for a while.”

“As I would expect. I would have thought you guys fell on your heads if you forgave me too quickly.” Light Rudy said. He didn’t bother waiting for a response to his rather bitter comment against himself, and he continued, “I know it’s risky sending Draow and Bardot there. But they...”

Holding up her hand, the female teenager cut him off. “I have a better idea. I know someone who may be able to help.”

Light Rudy tilted his head. “Oh? Who did you have in mind?”

His Penny stared intently at him. She uttered a single word. “Jacko.”

For a brief moment, Light Rudy felt a cold chill rush through his body. Haunting memories of Jacko chasing him down the hallway, his sharp claws ripping into his flesh... He held his arm against his chest. He could still feel it being cut open. The arm hadn’t healed much and was still bandaged. He glanced down at it, his body shaking a little from fear. He had never truly feared Jacko before...until then. Now he knew just how sharp those claws really were...

But he soon realized that his Penny did have a good point. Jacko had come a long way since he last saw him. Spending so much time fighting for zoner freedom had made Jacko more empathetic to other zoners, compared to how he used to be. He had even been assigned a new job, and was providing help for zoners who needed it. He often spent time with his Snap, and was helping to rebuild his Snap’s confidence more.

With his history as a freedom fighter, with his accomplishments, yes... Jacko would make a better zoner to send than Draow or Bardot. Those two might turn back to crime after they’re sent to another dimension, even if it took them a few years to do so. But Jacko... He would be more inclined to help. He was still a bit arrogant and sometimes a jerk, but still, he might make for a good ally. He’d rest easier knowing he was being sent, as opposed to Draow or Bardot. He was grateful that his Penny stopped him from making a mistake.

Light Rudy said, “Yes... Jacko would work better. Do you know where he is?”

His Penny shrugged her shoulders. “He might be in your dungeon, doing the repairs.”

Light Rudy nodded his head. His dungeon was still being torn down. They had plans to convert it into something much more useful. “Whenever you go into ChalkZone, go find him and let him know that his other dimensional comrades need his help.”

“I got it.” His Penny nodded her head.

Light Rudy smiled. But he couldn’t stop the growing fear in his belly. He hoped that, if something were truly wrong, he wasn’t too late.


	187. Interference Of The Doofi

Draow couldn’t believe he had been sent to retrieve the little fucker. He knew that Mrs. Sanchez and Jenny weren’t going to wait for him to return before they took care of Bardot. He wanted to witness that little runt’s end. He wanted to be there to hear his screams. But instead, he was sent away to grab the intruder, and by the time he came back, he knew he was going to be too late.

But...what could he do? He couldn’t argue with them about their decision. They wouldn’t listen to him. They would just tell him that he was wasting their time. All Draow could do was grumble and hope that they are slow enough that he could get back in time. He would go after the puppet zoner later, but he was no fool; he knew that if the zoner wandered around enough, he might find where his friends are being kept. It was imperative that he be contained and fast.

It amused Draow how the little zoner truly thought that he could sneak in here without getting caught. Just what he thought he was doing... Draow’s smile stretched across his face. Well the zoner was going to learn the hard way just what a big mistake he had just made. He was so small, and with a non-working arm, he was going to have a fun time ripping him up before he threw him into the cell where those pathetic little weasels were being kept. Maybe he would take the time to..relieve him of that damaged arm. He would be a match to Snap.

As Snap entered his mind, his eyes furrowed in anger. Snap... That wretched little brat was the reason he wasn’t able to fulfill his revenge on Rudy two years ago. He had gotten in the way. The little louse had even managed to knock him out with a single punch... That had been his worst defeat yet. The most embarrasing one he had ever had to endure. The fact that Snap lost an arm was amusing to him, and a sense of justice. Finally, the little brat was starting to pay for what he did. Draow planned on doing a lot more to him, when the time came.

But for now, he needed to focus on the puppet zoner, Howdy. He wasn’t sure how Howdy thought he could pull off a rescue, and a part of Draow thought this wasn’t even worth it. Howdy would be too easy to defeat. He could toy with him for a little while, and sure, that would be a lot of fun. But he kind of hoped that Howdy would fight back and make it a little more worthwhile. He wanted to feel like he accomplished something. He didn’t want to feel like he did nothing more special than just going to the store to pick up paper towels.

Draow moved through the hallways of Solar Pillars, and soon he found the large opening that he would use to get out. He spread his wings and flew towards it. He landed in front of it. He took a moment to stare at its design, the straights and curves and how they blended in well together, before he walked out slowly. His feet soon touched the grass. He stretched himself, which felt good to his somewhat cramped muscles, and he looked around.

He didn’t see Howdy yet. He probably got out at the wrong side. He narrowed his eyes a little, lips curling upwards. He tried his best not to emit a growl. If Howdy was nearby, he didn’t want him to be able to hear him. He lowered his haunches and back, his stomach low to the ground. His wings folded flat against his side. He tipped his nose up in the air, taking in a couple of whiffs. He could detect something all right. He began to follow it slowly, lightly pressing his feet on the ground, spreading his toes as he did so. The little zoner won’t know what hit him.

The bat wolf walked around the structure, moving slowly so he wouldn’t make any noise. His teal eyes stared intently at the surrounding area, the pupils shifting left and right. He had no idea just how much further Howdy had gotten to the building, and he remained on eye alert. He knew that if he made one slip up, that was it.

Suddenly, he heard something. He swiveled his ears up and down, picking up the sound. He turned his head to the right just as he was coming around the corner. The sound... it had been a sneeze. And it sounded close. He narrowed his eyes in determination. The little brat was very close to the Solar Pillars now. If he managed to get inside, it was going to take him a while to track him down. If only they hadn’t modified the building’s security mechanism... When he dropped off Howdy, he was going to have a word with Jenny about that. The sooner they reinstalled that system completely, the better.

Soon he walked around in front of the structure. He looked all around. He could see the void, the same one that had damaged him earlier. He flinched at the memory, trembling a little. He shook his head and then turned his head. He still didn’t see where that puppet zoner had gone. He couldn’t had just disappeared. He took another sniff of the air, and was able to confirm that his scent was still there. He narrowed his eyes and moved forward, flattening his ears against his skull.

And that was when he saw it. Laying on the ground, a few feet away, was a piece of blue chalk. His eyes widened. That must be the piece he had last before, around when Rudy was temporarily controlled. It appeared to be slightly used. Yes, this was his chalk all right. A sneer spread across his muzzle. The little runt really had no idea what was coming for him. He began to make his way towards the piece.

Suddenly, Howdy jumped out of nowhere and grabbed the chalk. He stood several feet away from Draow, holding the piece of blue chalk out in front of him defensively. He took in a few heavy pants before he spoke.

“Hold it there! You’re going to tell me where my friends are!” Howdy shouted.

At first, Draow was frozen in shock. His eyes widened and his wings were a little lowered. He stared at Howdy for a few moments before he let out a harsh laughter. “And what do you plan on doing if I don’t do what you say, little man?” He taunted. He lowered himself, sticking his head out and grinning viciously. “What do you propose you...” He tilted his head. “...going to do?”

Howdy’s glare faltered. He looked left and right . “W-Well...I...”

Draow’s eyes brightened at this, his pupils shrinking. “I thought so! You don’t have it in you!” He began to stalk towards the puppet zoner, spreading his wings out threateningly. “You’re a pathetic little misfit who got lost, and now you are going to pay the price for that...”

Howdy held up the blue chalk, the tip sparkling with cobalt particles. “S-Stay back! I-I-I’m warning you!”

Draow paused for a moment, smiling darkly at the little zoner. His eyes trailed over his body. He could see there was pain reflected in his eyes. The zoner was obviously in some agony with his arm. He noted the bandages wrapped up, holding his arm to his chest. He narrowed his eyes slightly. Such an easy target, and so effortless to tear apart... Draow bared his sharp teeth at Howdy in a nasty grin. Then, mustering strength in his legs, he lunged for him.

Howdy let out a pathetic scream as he jumped out of the way. Draow landed on the ground, hitting it with a heavy thud. He shook his head and turned to see the puppet zoner running off towards the Solar Pillars. Draow narrowed his eyes.

“Oh no you don’t...!”

Draow charged towards him again, pounding his feet against the ground. He didn’t take long before he caught up to Howdy. He lowered his head and swung it against the tiny zoner’s body. The impact sent Howdy flying across the landscape. He rolled across the ground, hitting it painfully. The blue chalk was still miraculously clutched in his hand, but in a matter of seconds, that was going to change. Draow ran towards him, mouth agape.

Howdy sat up and rubbed his head. He let out a soft groan, gritting his teeth as he was clearly trying to cope with the pain. He looked over and he could see Draow racing towards him. Howdy widened his eyes, his pupils practically disappearing from sight. The zoner’s body trembled harder as he raised the blue chalk up with his working hand. Draow let out a cold laughter, giving Howdy a look that silently told him he was not going to be too far with that. Draow was almost disappointed it was going to end soon.

When he got close enough, he opened his mouth wide and shot down towards the little zoner. He prepared to sink his teeth into the zoner’s body and shake him around a little. But when his teeth made impact, he didn’t feel them sink into the flesh of the zoner, and instead, he hit something more solid, and it felt really weird. Draow pulled his head back and looked down. He could see Howdy there, the blue chalk raised. Draow widened his eyes. If he didn’t have Howdy, then who did he have?

He got his answer quickly. When, in confusion, he bit down harder, he felt something click in his mouth. Suddenly, rough vibrations were sent through his head and it spread to his throat. His head rattled and teeth chattered as the device, some kind of handheld massager thing vibrated in his mouth. He attempted to spit it out, but the device was shaped like a pole and it pushed against the roof of his mouth as well as the bottom. The device was secured firmly in his mouth. His eyes wide in shock, he began to shake his head from side to side.

As he backed away, not paying attention to what Howdy was doing, the bat wolf zoner was reminded of what happened two years ago. Snap had tried something like this on him before. He had pushed his walking stick into his mouth during their fight. The idea of another zoner trying something like that caused anger to rise in the pit of his stomach. How dare this puny little creature try to disable him this way.... Feeling the heat rise to the surface, the bat wolf put as much pressure as he could on the massager device. Soon, it broke under the pressure, pieces flying everywhere. He spat out what remained in his mouth.

Draow’s head was still shaking, and he felt a little dizzy. He swayed from side to side as he recovered from the vibration. He shook his head, and soon the unusual feelings subsided. He turned his head and he could see Howdy, no positioned on his left side. The zoner looked a little cheerful, despite his expression having hardly changed from before. Draow cocked an eyebrow. What was he up to?

No matter... Now wasn’t the time to ponder that. He needed to grab him before he could try something else. He spread his wings out and gave them a quick flap, kicking up a gust of wind. That zoner was going to regret ever coming here.

“Did you think that was going to slow me down? Think again!” Draow cried.

Howdy didn’t have much of a response except taking a step backwards. “I’m not beat yet.”

“Not beat? Zoner, you were never even a challenge.” Draow said in a voice filled with utter disdain and twisted excitement. “Now hold still... Make this easier on the two of us.”

Draow turned his body around to launch an attack on Howdy...only to fall back down into the ground. The zoner let out a surprised cry as his chin slammed into the grass and dirt, nearly biting his tongue. He laid there for a few seconds, raising his head up. He gave a couple coughs before he looked over at Howdy in surprise. He could see there was a smile on the zoner’s face. A small one, faint, but still there. Draow turned his head to look at his side and flank, and he quickly see why the zoner looked so proud of himself.

While he had been distracted by the vibrating device, Howdy had been using the blue chalk to tie his legs together. Draow had been so busy trying to free himself, he hadn’t even noticed this. He could see the blue rope wrapped around his legs, securing them against one another. He stared from it to Howdy, back again.

He let all of this sink in. He, a superior zoner, had been outwitted by someone whose only use was to be a slave, or even his meal. The very thought of Howdy having done something like this to him, and right under his nose... It was inexcusable, intolerable... He wouldn’t stand for it. He shot a death glare towards Howdy. They locked eyes, and it felt like something snapped in the back of his mind. Draow was going to wipe that smug smile off the puppet’s face if it was the last thing he was going to do.

Howdy appeared to realize what kind of danger he was in. The smile had already vanished, but that did little to quell Draow’s anger. The bat wolf began to screech and roar loudly as he could as he rolled himself onto his back. With his vision upside down, he could see Howdy begin to flee. Eyes narrowing into slits, the bat wolf opened his jaws and snagged the rope in his teeth. He pulled back, and the rope snapped in seconds. Draow flipped himself back, his talons scraping against the ground as he pushed himself up. He shook himself, getting the dirt and grass of him. He snarled in Howdy’s direction and he bolted.

Howdy was struggling to draw something quickly. But Draow was not going to let him have any time for that. He was not going to make a fool out of him again. He pushed himself to go faster, and in seconds, he lowered his head and slammed it against Howdy’s chest and stomach. The winged wolf continued to run until he smashed him up against the wall of the building. Howdy let out a howl of pain. Draow took a step back and smirked as he watched the stupid little zoner slid back onto the ground, his body shivering in pain. Fresh blood stains were visible on his arm and Draow knew he had reopened part of the wound. The thought brought a smile to his face. That outta slow down the little runt for a while.

Draow grabbed onto the blue chalk, which rolled away from the small zoner. He raised it off the ground, the chalk wrapped in his talons while his other foot kept him balanced. As Howdy struggled to his feet, Draow began to quickly draw a net. Setting the chalk down, he grabbed the net and lifted it up. He pulled his leg back and thrust it forward, releasing the net. Howdy didn’t have enough time to react and, in seconds, the heavy net fell upon him. With a few sparks of electricity, his body stiffened and he collapsed into the ground.

Draow smirked broadly as he walked up to the zoner. Howdy stared up at him, his eyes wide in pain. Yes, this is the look he wanted to see from the little runt. This is the look he wanted to get from all his enemies. The look of hopelessness and defeat. The look of fear and terror. Howdy knew he had lost, and Draow would make sure he’d never forget it.

“Looks like this round belongs to me.” Draow said. He looked over on the ground, seeing the blue chalk. “Even with that, you weren’t a match for me. Such a shame really.” He looked back at Howdy as his tail scooped up the blue chalk, balancing it delicately. “I would have been...rather impressed if you had managed to gain the upperhand. But I suppose I was asking for too much. Considering the purpose given to you... I can see why.”

At this, Howdy glared at him. “There’s nothing wrong with trying to cheer people up.”

“Yes, I concur.” Draow chuckled darkly. “And now you can use your ‘talents’ to ‘help’ your little friends. Because you are going to be staying with them for a while.”

With that, Draow lowered his head and grabbed onto the back part of the net, where it knotted and twisted together. He lifted his head up with a swift yank. Howdy let out a yelp of surprise, intermixed with pain, as he was carried up into the air. Draow turned around and headed back towards the Solar Pillars.

sss

“Put me down! Please!”

Draow flattened his ears against his head. He was growing irritated by the zoner’s excessive begging. It had been beautiful at first, but now it was getting annoying. The zoner just wouldn’t quit. Was he really this pathetic?

Draow shook his head a few times, using enough force to knock Howdy from side to side. The zoner cried out in pain and was soon whimpering in the net bag. He knew this wouldn’t last too long and soon he would hear that irritating voice again, but at least he could have some bit of time without having to listen to him plead with him.

He was already in the dungeon part of the structure. It hadn’t taken him too long to get here. It just felt longer when he had to listen to Howdy’s whining. His words still irritated his ears, echoing in his mind. He shook his head, doing his best to get those thoughts out of him. He focused his eyes on the path in front of him, the hallway of death that Howdy would be staying in. It wasn’t too far from here, where he would be dropping him off.

He couldn’t wait to be rid of this little pest. Howdy had been a fool coming here at all, and now he was going to see exactly why zoners avoided this place. It was too late for the runt to turn back now. Howdy should be grateful to him. He should consider himself lucky. Not only is he going to spend some more time alive and as himself, no enslavement just yet, but he was going to get to spend some time with his creator and friends. Howdy shouldn’t be complaining. In fact, he should be thanking him for offering the privilege of being able to communicate with his friends one last time.

“C-Come on..we can talk about this...right?” Howdy asked.

Draow answered this by pulling his head to the side and slamming it against the wall. Howdy screamed again, and this time, he appeared to shut up for good. Draow smirked at this. Finally, the bastard would be quiet. Draow would make a snide remark to that, but he dare not open his mouth.

That was when he realized that was part of Howdy’s plan. He must have been trying to purposely invoke his anger so he would let go. His eye widened slightly at this revelation. Perhaps the little zoner was more clever than he had given him credit for. Quite smart.... But alas, he wasn’t smart enough to effectively pull off that plan. And now he was trapped in a net, badly hurt and terrified, about to be locked up.

Soon they reached the door he was looking for. The entrance to the room where he’ll be staying. Draow had to do this carefully. He did not want to underestimate those prisoners. He needed to do this quickly. He raised his foot and used his talons to push a button that unlocked the door. He pushed it open. He could see the humans inside, staring at him, some hatefully, others fearfully, but he did not give them time to say anything.

Draow moved in closer, sticking his head part way in. He could hear a collection of gasps as they recognized who the little zoner was. Draow flung Howdy in as roughly as he could. He watched as he collapsed into the ground. Rudy had knelt down by his side. Penny shot him a glare and opened her mouth to say something, but Draow didn’t want to hear it. He immediately stepped out of the room and shut it behind him. He heard a thud and wondered if Penny or someone else had tried to escape. No matter. He turned himself around, but before he could walk away, he heard a quick exchange.

“Howdy!” It was Rudy. “Are you okay?!”

“Y-Yeah.. I’ve..never been better...” Howdy said, his voice laced in pain.

“What happened to your arm?!” That was Penny. She must have returned to Howdy’s side.

Howdy responded. “It will be fine.”

“I wish we could get you help.” Snap spoke up. “That looks reall painful...”

“Don’t worry.” Howdy said. His weak voice had a tinge of hope in it. “We will.”

Draow, at this point, had walked too far to hear more of it. But he wasn’t interested. He had to laugh when Howdy said they would get out of there. Such wishful thinking. What could that puny zoner possibly do that could get them out of there? He shook his head from side to side, chuckling bitterly to hismelf. The zoner was only kidding himself. He was just trying to rise up some useless hope in the others, perhaps to help himself feel better. What an idiot...

But he didn’t have time to waste on him right now. As much as he would love to stay and mock him some more, he had to focus on returning to where Jenny and Mrs. Sanchez were. As he continued down the hallways, heading towards the stairs, he hoped that he would get there in time before they would begin finishing off Bardot. That was a spectacle he so desperately wanted to see.

Draow quickened his pace, knowing they would not wait for him. In seconds, he disappeared down the hall, heading up the nearest steps.

sss

Jenny kept her distance, standing near the wall, as she watched Inez at work. The hispanic woman was busy securing Bardot to the machine. She had tied his mouth shut so he couldn’t scream. Unfortunate... Jenny wanted to hear the fucker cry after what he had done to Ghadir...

Memories flooded her mind. As she remembered the horrific scene she came upon, her stomach twisted and churned. So much blood... and the hook that went right through her stomach... She was going to be out of commission for a very long time. As a few tears formed in her eyes, a burning sensation settled in her stomach. Ghadir hadn’t done anything to deserve that. She did nothing wrong... And yet Bardot still had the nerve to hurt her like that. She would see to it that he regretted it...

Jenny planned on visiting Ghadir soon. The woman would love her company, she was sure. Being stuck in the hospital all day for many months was not going to be fun. She thought about bringing a dead zoner with her, stuffing it in the bag, for her to eat. She knew Ghadir missed eating chalk. She’d bring a zoner alive for her to kill, but she feared it would make too much noise. She glanced over at Bardot. A dark smile spread across his face. Perhaps he should be the one.

She turned her attention back to Inez. The woman had already secured Bardot’s front paws to the machine and was now working on his hind legs. His face and arms had a bunch of wires taped to them, a way of ensuring that the remaining part of the red chalk was sucked from his body. They were going to need all the power they could get to pry the harddrive from Craniac 4.

After that, they could begin the next phase. Mr. Cosmo and Nihilanth both wanted the harddrive to get into the real world. Jenny recalled them stating that there was something special about the harddrive. She guessed it might be related to Rudy being the one who created him, and yet he still retained the personality of the previous Cranics. Maybe that had made his harddrive special? Or perhaps there was another reason that she just wasn’t thinking of.

Either way, the harddrive was going to play a part in getting a larger portal open so they could bring in more artists from the real world. It would be difficult bringing them in through a chalk board. Yes, they could opt for a larger chalkboard in a single location, but this...this would be much more efficient... Nihilanth mentioned that, if they played their cards right, they could make a portal on any surface. This would allow them to make a huge gateway into ChalkZone, letting the humans just flood in. It did sound too good to be true, but given Nihilanth’s status as a deity, she had a feeling it was going to work just fine.

She still wasn’t entirely certain how this harddrive connected into this. She wasn’t sure how it was going to work. But since it was Nihilanth who came up with the plan, she was certain that it was all going to work out. She just had to believe. She wasn’t going to question his leadership. She was not going to be a fool like her cousin, Rebecca had been. She was not going to question anything.

Inez had put the finishing touches on Bardot. The last wires were attached to him and he was ready to go. She had taken a step back and was looking at her handiwork, her narrowed eyes appearing to look for details, as if making sure she didn’t make any mistake.

Jenny couldn’t help but admire how methodical she was being. It had been a long time since she worked with Inez. Too long. At first, it wasn’t a pleasant experience. Back when she was trying to prove herself to Teddisson, back when she wasn’t certain of herself... But all that had changed. She grew more confident, and she soon began to see herself as truly one of the group. She had even gotten the pleasure of working with Inez with interrogations and torture.

She looked at Inez, smiling at her work. Even after all this time, not much has changed. Inez, as soon as she had been reblessed by the black chalk, returned to her original persona. Calm, cold, calculating, and quite brutal to the enemy. She had a knack for detail, and that was clearly showing with how she was looking over Bardot, tugging on the wires to make sure they were secure. She wanted to be assured that he was not going to get away. That kind of attention to detail was important for their mission.

“Is he ready?” Jenny asked, breaking the silence.

Inez barely turned her head. She looked at Jenny sideways. “Yes.” She adjusted the rubber gloves on her hands. She snapped them, making Jenny wince. She flipped a switch and the machine started to rumble a little. Bardot’s pupils shrank in fear. “We just need to let it warm up. Then flip the switch and that’s it.”

Jenny nodded her head. “How long do you think that will take?”

Inez shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t imagine too long. Just a few minutes.” She looked down at Bardot with a cold, icy stare. “I’m quite aware of what you did to my daughter two years ago, Bardot.” She reached forward and pressed a finger against his chin, forcing it up. “I do wonder what it’ll feel like for you, being on the receiving end this time.”

Bardot let out a muffled cry and shook his head in protest. Jenny couldn’t help but smirk at this. Although she would have preferred to hear him scream and writhe, him not being able to make a sound at all while all this was happening was just as satisfying. The zoner couldn’t even say ‘no’ to them anymore while they prepared to use him one last time.

Jenny wasn’t entirely sure how concerned Inez really was for her daughter at this point. The black chalk would have rewired her brain, putting it in a more...superior state. Penny was not a black chalk artist...yet. Inez may have been speaking more matter-of-factly, and not out of true desire for revenge. Chances were, as long as Penny remained a white chalk artist, Inez didn’t care as much for her daughter anymore. And this was a good thing; a fail safe the black chalk initiated to make sure black chalk artists weren’t swayed back to the other side.

She was glad that they, at least, were able to get Inez Sanchez back on their side. She missed her, and her talents. She had been such a great asset to them. Now, blessed once more, Inez could return to using her abilities for something worth more than saving a few miseral animals’ lives. She was helping to usher in a new world order, one where everyone was strong, and nobody else had to die. A perfect world, and it was going to be in their grasp soon enough. A world that would never end, and forever be protected by Nihilanth, the soon to be guardian of all life of this new world.

If only Rudy and his miserable friends could see...

“It has been...a long time since I did something like this.” Inez mused to herself, loud enough for Jenny to hear. The blonde woman turned to her. Inez stared at her with one eye. “Yes I have been treating animals. Surgeries and what not, but...I never got a chance to do something like this in a long time. And now that I am...”

“It’s bringing back memories, isn’t it?” Jenny asked her, despite knowing what the answer was going to be.

Inez nodded her head. “Yeah, you could say that.” She sucked in a breath and tilted her head up, her eyes facing towards the ceiling. “What I did as a vet..It was nothing at all like how it used to be, what I had been while here in ChalkZone. It was...quite unfortunate. How fate can be strange, changing the past of destiny like that.”

Jenny nodded her head. “Do you remember how you were even...taken from us?”

Inez paused for a moment. She turned her head, looking over her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes at Jenny and nodded her head once. “Yes. I learned about it back when Rudy had that chalk disease you gave him.” At this, Jenny felt a warm feeling inside. Such a pleasant memory... She shook the thought out of her mind and listened to Inez. “I was taking care of a prisoner when I was knocked into some electricity. That fried the black chalk that was in me, due to the unusually high voltage. Horace had helped me out.”

“Of course he would be involved..” Jenny said bitterly.

Inez shook her head. “He didn’t think know that would happen. He wasn’t the reason I was taken away; I was already away when the electricity coursed through me the way it did. Horace was just helping me outside to heal in the light. When that didn’t work, he took me back into the real world.”

Jenny cocked an eyebrow. So Mr. Wilter had actually been trying to help Mrs. Sanchez here. He wasn’t the reason that she was taken from them. She merely shrugged her shoulders. That was just one thing. That alone did not make up for what he had done years ago, when he betrayed the black chalk artists. And even after he had gotten a taste of its power..he somehow broke free and he turned on them...

“Well at least you’re back now, where you belong.” Jenny said, offering a bit of a smile to Inez.

“Yes, I know.” Inez replied. She turned her attention to Bardot. “I think it’s time we activated the machine. We mustn’t keep your boyfriend waiting.”

“Yes, we..” Jenny caught the last part of Inez’s statement. “Boyfriend?! Mr. Cosmo’s not my boyfriend!”

Inez chuckled at this. Not an evil chuckle, but a more knowing, taunting one. “Sure he isn’t...” She teased.

Jenny narrowed her eyes. “Shut up...”

Inez ignored her completely. She already had her attention turned back to Craniac 4 and Bardot. Jenny narrowed her eyes. A part of her wanted to keep going, but she managed to cool down rather quickly. She felt the comfort of the black chalk lower the temperature of her blood, and her rational thinking quickly returned. Now wasn’t the time for petty little tempers. Now was the time to initiate the next part of their plan.

Jenny hung behind as Inez moved towards the machine. Bardot’s struggles had increased. His tail was swishing around so fast, it was almost hard to see it. His eyes were wider than ever, pupils shrinking into dots. Terror practically oozed all over his face. His eyes followed Inez’s hand as she reached for the button that would activate the machine. She grabbed onto it. Then she started to pull it down, causing Bardot to let out fearful cries, muffled begging for mercy. Jenny smiled and waited for the show to begin.

Suddenly, the door was knocked open. Inez froze, stopping what she was doing. She and Jenny turned towards the door, which had been pushed open so fast, it banged up against the wall, sending small vibrations through the wall.

Jenny sighed. “Draow, couldn’t you have knocked?”

Draow walked into the room slowly, his talons clicking the hard ground. He let out a soft chuckle. “Why should I? This is my home, too, you know.” He shook his body, knocking off a bit of dust and dirt from his back fur. He lifted his head, and he clearly noticed Bardot. “I see I’m not too late.” His smile broadened. “Good.”

Jenny let out an exasperated sigh. She knew that the real reason he didn’t knock was likely to shave off some time. He had expressed wanting to see Bardot get punished, so he probably just hurried things along. She wondered if this meant he slipped up somewhere down the line. If he was moving faster than expected just so he could get back here...

Jenny’s mind filled with thoughts on what could happen as a result. All it would take to ruin everything was if Draow missed a single detail. Just one thing that would ruin everything. And if he messed up...

“Draow, did you lock the door before you came?” Jenny asked quickly.

Draow nodded his head swiftly. “But of course!” He pressed his wing claw against his chest, the pointed tips of the wing curling along with it. “Believe me, I ensured that the door was locked when I tossed in Howdy.” He relaxed his wing to his side. “Trust me, they are not getting out of there anytime soon.”

“Don’t be so sure.” Craniac 4 said. Jenny looked at him in surprise. Seems the zoner gained the courage to speak after being silent. “They might have fooled you, and you don’t even know it.”

Draow sneered at Craniac 4. “I don’t see how. The little runt was unarmed. And anyway, what does it matter to you?” He took a step forward. “It’s not like you will live long enough to see...”

“Enough.”

All eyes turned to Inez. She stood in front of the machine, her arms folded and tapping her foot. She glared at Draow, although it was clear it wasn’t just him she was upset with. She looked pretty impatient. Draow immediately shut his mouth and took a step back, his head lowering. Craniac 4 fell silent, his mouth shutting completely. Jenny just stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

Inez said, “Let’s just get this over with, before we have anymore interruptions..” She glared at Draow specifically when she said this.

Draow, his head still lowered, nodded his head. “Yes, of course. Go on.”

With that, Inez turned back to the machine. Jenny and Draow remained quiet, not wanting to interrupt her again. Inez reached for the lever, fully prepared to pull it and activate the machine.

But it was not to be.

“Hey what does this to?” A feminine voice called out.

“I don’t know!” A male once, sounding just as silly as the first voice, said. “Let’s find out! Maybe it’s thirsty!”

Suddenly, something liquid was spilled onto the machine. Inez let out a scream was the machine started to sparkle, the electricity jolts centering around the multiple wires and diodes of the machine. Inez backed away from it as she, Draow, and Jenny stared in shock. The machine started to have miniature explosions in multiple places, smoke pillowing out of it. The three of them looked at each other on confusion. What was going on?

Seconds later, the electrical short circuiting affected the cuffs that held Bardot in. He was dropped to the ground. He groaned in pain and started to slowly crawl across the ground, trying to get away from the machine as more explosions started to rip it apart. Charred and burned marks appeared all over it and wires were being ripped open.

“What’s going on here?!” Jenny cried, putting her hands to her head as she watched the scene in horror. “What’s happening to it?!”

“Don’t look at me. I didn’t do anything.” Draow said, his wide eyes on the spectable before him.

Then, before they could say anything else, the electricity spread to the table where Craniac 4 was being held. It danced through the wires, the sparking of electricity filling the air. The cuffs holding him down started to weaken as the lock mechanism was torn up by the electrical arches. With more explosions, the robot zoner was freed. He rolled off the table and crumbled up on the ground. He looked at the machine one more time before he attempted to crawl away. He screamed when one of the electrical wires, torn open, hit him, and he was electrocuted for a second. His body laid on the ground, convulsing, before he fell unconscious.

Then the electricity stopped altogether. Jenny and the other two remained standing there, mouth agape. Just what had happened? What was it they had just witnessed? Who had done this...?

That was when she saw movement in the back. Two forms. Jenny narrowed her eyes. She slowly walked around the machine. She paid little attention to what was going on around her. She ignored the burning smell that filled the room. She ignored Bardot and Craniac 4, who hadn’t been resubdued yet. She barely realized that Inez and Draow were following her. Her mind was focused on locating whoever was responsible for ruining Cosmo’s beautiful machinery.

Soon, she saw the culprits. Her eyes widened in shock for a few seconds. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. A part of her wanted to say that it was impossible for them to be the cause of all this. They just weren’t capable of doing something like this. But she wasn’t stupid. They were standing there, and she could see the large cup of water in their hands...

“I guess it wasn’t thirsty." The male zoner said, his unusually large hands holding an empty glass in the air. “Maybe I should have asked first.”

“By my calculations...” The female zoner said. “You should have poured it here.” She pointed to what appeared to be the main power supply of the machine. “It would have worked better.”

“Oh!” The male zoner hit himself in the head. “I should have known!”

The female zoner chuckled. “Well don’t worry. You’ll get it right next time!”

Draow’s ears flattened against his skull. His lips curled up in the snarl. He took a couple steps forward, spreading his wings out. “You two?!” At this, the two zoners looked at him. “How did you get out?!” He paused for a moment, his eyes widening in realization. “Wait...you’re not them, are you?”

The two zoners looked at each other, and then back at Draow. They showed no fear, as if they didn’t realize what kind of trouble they are in. They merely shrugged, giving not much of a reaction to Draow’s bared teeth.

“Not who?” The female said.

Before Draow could answer, Inez raised her hand up, silencing him. She stared coldly at the two zoners. “I know who these two are.” She paused for a moment, then tilted her head slightly up. “Those are the Doofi.”

Draow looked at her. “The Doofi?” Inez nodded her head once. It took Draow a few seconds to fully comprehend it. “Oh... Doofus Rudy and Doofus Penny...” He grumbled softly. He turned his attention back to the two child zoners. “How did you two get in?”

“Oh shucks...” Doofus Rudy said, a big smile on his face. He spread his hands out. “We saw the door was open, so we let ourselves in!”

Jenny growled. “You really should have stayed home, you two. Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you are in?”

“Trouble...? Well no...” Doofus Penny said, scratching her large head. “But I know how we can find out.” She jumped up into the air, spreading her hands out. “Let’s do an experiment!”

Jenny’s face faltered. “A..what?” This was not the reaction she had expected.

“We think you should hold still and follow us to your new ‘home’...” Draow growled softly, the fur on the back of his neck rising up. “Not unless you want to have a little... ‘present’..given to you..”

“Oh boy! A present!” Doofus Rudy cried, clapping his hands together. “What is it? What is it?” He asked in a very excited-sounding voice.

Jenny slapped herself in the face. She ignored the stinging sensations. These zoners... she had never seen any zoner this stupid before. Did these two really not understand they were in trouble? No matter. At least their stupidity will make them easier to catch. They could quickly dispose of them. They needn’t worry about Bardot or Craniac 4. Their conditions will not allow them to get too far. Craniac 4 was still out cold and Bardot was too weak to move.

“I don’t know what you two are doing there.” Inez said, her voice cool, chilly. “But you are going to come with us.”

Doofus Rudy looked at her with wide eyes, though not filled with fear like they had hoped they would be. “Aww...! But why?”

Inez glared at him. “Because you two are such a nuisance! You’re getting in the way of progress!” She pointed a finger at the destroyed machine. “Just look what you’ve done!”

Doofus Rudy looked at the machine, then back at Inez. “I can fix it!”

Inez cocked an eyebrow. “Oh really?”

Doofus Rudy nodded his head swiftly. “Yeah! I like to help people! I can fix it!”

Jenny couldn’t help but chuckle at this. She wasn’t sure what the zoner could possibly do to make anything better. But they had a little bit of time. Might as well let the zoner entertain himself. He was too stupid to do much intentional damage, and now that they know he was there, they could keep an eye on him to make sure that he doesn’t ruin anything else.

“All right then.” Jenny said with a smirk. “Show us.”

“Yay!” Doofus Rudy cried, jumping in the air. “You won’t regret it! I promise!”

“Sure I...”

Jenny’s voice trailed off. Her eyes locked onto something that Doofus Rudy pulled out of his pocket. Inez and Draow took notice as well. Both of them looked equally shocked. There, in the boy’s hand, was blue chalk.

How was this possible? Where the zoner get it? Who gave it to him? Was that how they were able to get in undetected? Many questions raced through Jenny’s mind. Her body began to shake at the realization. For a few moments, she remained frozen in shock. Then, as she recovered, she took a step forward and reached out with her hand.

“Wait!” Jenny cried out.

“I’m going to help you! Here!” Doofus Rudy shouted as he rushed towards the machine. Doofus Penny watched, staring at him with a wide grin.

“Stop!” Inez shouted at him, a horrified expression on her face.

Draow hissed, “Get away from there!”

But their cries fell on deaf ears. Faster than any of them could react, Doofus Rudy began to draw various items. Blue lines filled the air, wrapping around the machine. He flicked his large wrists in the air, his tongue sticking out as he had something of a concentrated expression on his face. All the while, Doofus Penny was admiring his work, making multiple gestures that showed just how infatuated she was.

When Doofus Rudy was finished, Jenny gripped her head as she stared in shock. Draow’s mouth dropped open, and Inez couldn’t find the words to say. They watched as Doofus Rudy made a few more adjustments, and then he backed away. He grinned at his work and then looked back at the trio.

“Ta da!” Doofus Rudy said. He jumped in the air and balanced on the blue chalk with ease. “Do you like it?”

“Wh-What have you done?!” Jenny pressed her fingernails against her scalp.

The machine was a total mess now. The little idiot had drawn too many wires, causing sparks to fly everywhere, more smoke pillowing out. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he had also drawn some kind of mouth for the machine, though it was incomplete. He had drawn some food and stuffed it in, as if he were trying to power the machine so it could turn on. If the machine looked unfixable before, now it was definitely irrepairable.

Jenny couldn’t believe it. Just moments ago, this machine had been a fine example of what Mr. Cosmo was capable of. It had been intricate, detailed, perfect. Now it was a shadow of its former self. Food was all over it. It smelled of smoke. All the wires had been ripped up. It couldn’t be repaired by simply drawing. It needed to be erased completely and drawn all over again. She didn’t have the same skill level as Cosmo. Neither did Inez or Draow. None of them could bring it back to its original glorious self.

Jenny took in a few breaths. She could feel the heated blood inside of her start to rise up. Slowly, she narrowed her eyes and turned her gaze over to the two little idiots. Not only have they ruined one of Cosmo’s handiwork, but they also have delayed their chances of getting Nihilanth into the real world to begin a new world order. They had interfered with the black chalk. Oh they were going to pay for that...

“Oh Rudy, it’s beautiful!” Doofus Penny said as she rushed over to her comrade’s side. She gripped his hand. “You’re such a good artist! No one is as good as you!”

“Thanks, Penny!” Doofus Rudy turned himself around so he was facing her completely. “And you’re so smart!”

Doofus Penny blushed and turned her head away. “Aww... Rudy..!”

With that, the two zoners began to kiss each other. Not regular kissing, but over the top slobbering. They made loud “myah” sounds as their lips made contact repeatedly. Chalky hearts floated around them, filling the room with its red-colored love.

The room rapidly filled with the hearts, causing Jenny and the others to back away. They looked on in horror. The sight of the two zoners kissing cause them all to shriek in disgust and cover their eyes and look away. They contorted their faces into expressions of disgust as they stood close to the walls. Draow cringed back, his eyes wide. Inez covered her face completely. Jenny had her head turned, daring to look with just one eye.

“This is so gross!”

“Disgusting!”

“Get them away!”

Jenny could hear the repeated kissing of the two zoners. Her stomach churned and she started to feel sick. This was...This was so sappy... What kind of person would draw something like this? She couldn’t bare to even look at them. The various red hearts and the slobbery kisses, it too horrible to even see. And here she thought she was a master of torture...

Suddenly she heard Draow screech in horror. She turned her head as she could see that about four of those floating hearts hovered around him, cornering him. He pressed his wing claws against each other, his teeth gritted as he looked at the hearts around him. He took a step back, feeling himself press against the wall.

“Ta-Take them away!” Draow cried. “Don’t come any closer...” He spread his wings out as if to threaten the hearts. “I’m warning you...” Suddenly they pressed against his face and they popped. Draow immediately shrieked, pulling his head back, his snout up and wings down towards the ground. “I’ve been poisoned!”

“That’s it! I’ve had enough!” Inez snarled. Although it was clear that the sight was horrifying her, she began to make her way towards the Doofi. “Let’s get them before they cause anymore trouble.”

Draow and Jenny looked at each other and nodded. Holding back the urge to throw up, they followed behind Inez, approaching the unsuspecting zoners.

sss

“I’m...I’m sorry about what happened to you, Snap.” Howdy said, staring at the sling that held what remained of the superhero zoner’s left arm. “I never would have...” He found himself staring at his own arm.

Snap smiled at him and placed his hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. At least I’m still around.” He bit his lip as he glanced at Howdy’s damaged arm. It, too, was in a sling. “And I’m sure your arm will be fine.

Rudy watched this scene sadly. He couldn’t believe their horrible luck. Everyone here had encountered an unfortunate incident that landed them here. It just wasn’t fair. None of them had done anything to deserve this. None of them had earned this kind of fate. Yet here they were, trapped together, not knowing when they would get out. And Cosmo... Who knows what that monster was up to... He could already be in the real world now, with Nihilanth in tow. If those people from the studio were hard to convince about ChalkZone before, it was going to be impossible now.

He glanced over at the others. His parents were sitting down, their backs pressed against the wall. They appeared to be talking about something. Occassionally, they’d look in his direction, and he guessed they were informed about how he was temporarily corrupted. He winced as they locked eyes, and he turned his head away. Even though it wasn’t his fault, he still felt guilty about what he did.

He then stared at Ms. Saffron. She was with Penny. He felt a pang of sadness for her. Mr. Cosmo had tortured her for information, and she had eventually given in. As a ‘reward’, he had healed her broken leg, though he was certain that he would just rebreak it sooner or later. Her hair had been dyed from blonde to auburn, as a way of ‘owning’ her. It wasn’t the worst thing he could have done, but still, doing anything to someone without their permission just to assert control was...quite a low blow in his mind. And bringing her with him just so she could witness the end all over again... Cosmo really was a monster.

Penny...she had to witness her best friend getting corrupted. She had been a victim of his. He had terrorized her, hurt her, broke her limbs... He sucked in a shaky breath at that. He couldn’t believe how cold he had been. He was glad that she was okay, for the most part, and she had even started to trust him again, realizing that he wasn’t the enemy anymore. It still ached his heart that those zoners, even though they saw reason in the end, blamed her for what happened.

Snap had suffered at his hands as well. He hurt him, too. Snap told him some of the things he said about him, and each one made his heart chill further. How could he have said such demeaning things about his best friend..? And his arm... Though he was relieved that he wasn’t the one who did that, that it was an accident involving Boorat, he still felt some responsibility for it. He hoped that, after all this was done, he could do something to help Snap with that. He didn’t deserve having his arm ripped off...

And now Howdy was trapped with them. He had been apparently wandering around outside, perhaps trying to save them. He admired Howdy for his bravery. It took a lot of guts for him to come all the way over here alone. But now he was trapped like them. Rudy knew those wretched black chalk artists weren’t going to show mercy on him. The thought of the little zoner suffering the fate nearly bestowed upon him by Ghadir... It was heart wrenching to think about.

He turned his gaze back to the ground. He tried to think about how they were going to get out of here. So far, no one had any ideas. He hadn’t really asked anyone since Howdy arrived. But the little zoner wasn’t going to have much of a plan. He had been captured too quickly. He hadn’t had time to look around and try to find a weak point from the outside. It twisted his heart knowing that Howdy’s efforts were all in vain.

He glanced at the door. There had to be a way out. There just had to. They couldn’t remain trapped forever. If they didn’t get out soon, then who knows what kind of damage Mr. Cosmo was going to wreak... They needed to stop Mr. Cosmo before he could open up that gate into the real world.

But the question was...how...? How were they going to accomplish that when they were still trapped here?

“Still no ideas, huh?”

Rudy looked over, seeing Penny walking towards him. She settled down next to him, staring at him with concern. Rudy looked at her for a few moments before he turned his head away. He took in a deep breath and sighed. He shook his head, giving her a silent answer. He wished he could have said something more encouraging, but nothing would come to mind.

Penny nodded her head in response. “Yeah, me neither.” She looked up towards the ceiling, and then back down, her eyes focusing on a nearby child skull. “I don’t want to give up. I just...don’t know how we are going to get out of this. My head is hurting from thinking too much.” She furrowed her eyes. “I don’t want to fail you guys.”

Rudy stared at her in shock. Fail? What was she talking about? Did she really think she was going to fail them just because she couldn’t think of an escape plan? He placed his hand on her shoulder, getting her attention. “Penny, so long as you tried to think of something, that’s not failing. You’re not the only one here who is at a loss of what to do. Nobody else here knows how to get out. We’ll think of something, though. I’m sure of it.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Penny smiled. Rudy could tell it was forced, and that she was still worried. “I just...hope we will get out in time. I don’t know how long we have before...before the black chalk artists and... my mom...” Penny’s voice trailed off and a few tears formed in her eyes.

Rudy’s expression fell when he saw that. He could feel his heart twisting in knots. Poor Penny... The news of Mrs. Sanchez’s corruption hit them all hard. None of them had expected it. None of them were prepared for it, least of all, Penny. They had all feared that the black chalk artists would try to get back their ‘torture doctor’. And they had gotten what they wanted. Now Mrs. Sanchez, Penny’s own mother, now worked for them. The very idea of having to fight her own mother... Rudy could understand why Penny was so hesitant with the thought.

Rudy placed a hand on her cheek gently. “Don’t worry, Penny. We’ll get her back.”

“Yeah, I know we will.” Penny replied, smiling back. A tear strolled down her cheek and she wiped it off.

“Well what are you guys laying around for?” Howdy spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention to himself. “Why don’t we get going now? If we leave in a few minutes, we may have time to stop them.”

Rudy stared at the little zoner in confusion. Same with everyone else. None of them could understand what the zoner was getting at. Did he not understand their situation? Was he not aware that they were all trapped? How could he sound so optimistic? Rudy hated to break that hope, but he needed to let Howdy know now before he got his hopes up too high.

“Howdy..we’re trapped.” Rudy said.

“Yeah, little guy.” Snap said, looking down at Howdy with a perplexed and concerned expression. “We still haven’t figured a way out of this dump.”

“Well you don’t need to worry about that anymore.” Howdy replied.

Mr. Tabootie, who had been silent for a while, spoke up. “And what exactly do you mean by that?”

Ms. Saffron nodded her head. “Yes, I’m curious as well. What exactly are you getting at?”

Howdy took a few steps away so that everyone could look at him without trouble. He folded his right hand behind his back and beamed at everyone. He looked so happy, like he knew something they did not. This led to further confusion among everyone. None of them had any idea just what Howdy had in store for them.

“What? You think I came all this way without some kind of plan?” Howdy asked. It was clearly a rhetorical question, as the puppet zoner answered it almost right away. “Well guess again! I had planned on getting captured the whole time!”

“What?!” Everyone cried in unison.

“But..why?” Mrs. Tabootie asked, her eyes wide in shock.

Penny chimed in. “Why would you want yourself captured?”

“Yeah.” Snap concurred. “What’s the point of...”

Howdy cut him off. “You see, I knew that if I came, Draow would be too busy mocking me for being a weak zoner that he wouldn’t bother to check what I had hidden under my sleeve, so to speak.” Howdy chuckled, sounding so proud of himself, and whatever he had done. “That oversized dog was quite easy to fool. He was too busy being so ‘victorious’ over me, he didn’t realize he was playing right into my hands.”

Rudy stared at Howdy in confusion. What was he talking about? Why did he want to be captured? Why was he...?

His thoughts were interrupted when his dad said, “Could you fill us in?”

“Oh right, yeah sure! I almost forgot.” Howdy said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two blue objects. He held it up for them to see. “I was smuggling these in.”

Everyone in the room gasped. They stared at the objects in shock. They couldn’t believe it. Howdy..had managed to sneak in two sticks of blue chalk. So that was why he wanted to get captured. He knew that, with the blue chalk, he and Snap could get them out. Rudy knew that Howdy could be clever at times, but he never realized just how smart he could be.

“Howdy...you’re amazing!” Rudy found himself shouting. The others nodded in agreement, grinning at the possibility of escape.

“That’s...incredible...” Snap said. He reached out as Howdy handed him one of the pieces. Snap held it in his hand and looked at it, almost not able to believe what he was doing. “How did you get these...?”

“Yeah...” Penny asked. “Where did you find them? Did you take them from Draow?”

Howdy shook his head. “No.”

“Then...” Mrs. Tabootie asked. “..where did you find hem?”

“Some magnifying glass zoner came to the hospital, severely injured. She had a bag filled with blue chalk.” Howdy explained. “I took a couple of them and I came here so I could help you guys escape.”

“Magnifying glass zoner...” Rudy breathed. His eyes widened in shock. “You...You mean she’s still alive...?” Howdy nodded his head. Rudy glanced over at Penny, the realization dawning on them. One of those zoners had survived after all... A feeling of relief welled up inside of them.

Howdy gestured with his head. “Come on, we need to get going.” He walked over towards the door, raising his piece of blue chalk. “I don’t know how long the Doofi can hold them off.”

Rudy spluttered. “The Doofi?!”

Howdy nodded his head. “They’ve agreed to buy his some time. They’re up there...uh... ‘helping’ them, if you know what I mean.”

Rudy, Penny, and Snap looked at each other. They all flinched at the idea. Memories of all the times the Doofi tried to ‘help’ them flooded their heads. They knew the zoners meant well, but sometimes they just tried way too hard. Especially Doofus Rudy. He was always so eager to help. It must be frustrating for him, even if he didn’t show it, failing time and again.

Rudy couldn’t help but feel a tiny pang of sympathy for the black chalk artists. The Doofi weren’t easy to handle or be around. They certainly didn’t mean to harm anybody, however they could drive anyone crazy. Rudy could only imagine what was going on now. But he did realize that the Doofi’s crazy antics must be the reason they were sent here. They were so wild and unpredictable, they would be difficult to stop. They didn’t behave in a way that was easy to understand. The black chalk artists were going to trip over their own feet trying to deal with them.

He bit his lip. He hoped the Doofi were going to be okay. There was still a chance they could get badly hurt. He would feel horrible if something terrible happened to them...

“Come on now! We can talk more about the Doofi later!” Ms. Saffron shouted. She moved towards the door, to where Howdy was. She looked down at him and said, “Draw a portal! Quickly!”

Howdy nodded his head. The others got up and moved towards the door as Howdy drew a portal. He needed Ms. Saffron’s help to make the hole large enough for them all to fit through. In a matter of seconds, there was a blue hole in the door, the hallway exposed to them.

The group didn’t waste any time. One by one, they all crawled out of the dungeon, taking the time to make sure that no one could see them. As soon as they were all out, they stood together in the hallway, looking left and right. Which way should they go? They needed to figure it out soon; they had no idea how long they hand left to stop the black chalk artists. They don’t know how long the Doofi can hold out.

Suddenly, a scream echoed in the hallway, freezing their hearts. They weren’t sure who the scream belonged to, but they knew they couldn’t just stand around. They all looked at each other, eyes narrowed in determination, nodding their heads. The vote was unanimous. Without saying a word, they turned to the right and raced down the hallway.


	188. Clash

Mr. Cosmo lifted up the last piece of stone and carried it over to the mostly flat wall in front of him. He placed the block in the last open spot. As he did so, there was a quick current of light that moved through them, acting almost like glue, providing some support. Mr. Cosmo wiped his hands together and took a step back to admire his work thus far.

He had just finished completing the arch...thing. It was a half oval that jetted out of the ground. There was a layer of stones that formed the arch, and then on the inside, it was filled up with smaller, smoother stones. It was pressed firmly against the wall. He had decided to put it on the outside, against the Solar Pillar’s structure. There were a couple surfaces that were flat enough. He felt kind of bad blocking the words on the wall, the ones that only black chalk artists could read. But since this Jenny had took down the security system, he saw no reason to keep them open.

Of course, this could become problematic if the system were turned back on. If no one were able to read the words, that not even he or the other black chalk artists could get inside. They’d be trapped on the outside, locked out of their own fortress. Luckily, the odds of that happening were very slim. The foolish white chalk artists could be have to be pretty damn lucky to figure out how to reactivate the security system.

In the mean time, he focused on the arch in front of him. He put his hands on his hips, his eyes moving up and down as he admired it. Such a thing of beauty, it was. A part of him wondered why he never thought of this before. He pushed that thought aside. It didn’t really matter why he didn’t try this before. What did matter is that the structure was complete, and he could begin working on the next part of the plan.

The arch’s stones were made of a more resiliant type of chalk. Purple chalk specifically. It was handy for controlling red chalk zoners, but now it served a new purpose. Purple chalk was still dissolved by water, but it was stronger by comparison. It took longer to ‘melt’, so to speak, a feature that may come in handy. Even if the chalk didn’t really last much longer than the other types, even just a little bit of extra time bought for them could make all the difference. Yes, these purple chalk structure materials he drew were going to be useful indeed.

The structure itself was complete. However, he still needed the harddrive from Craniac 4 to continue. That would be used to help widen the portal even more, beyond the structure’s side. Once that was complete, he would allow Nihilanth to take over his body, and they could get into the real world.

Sure, it may not be the best strategy to go in as a dragon. It may not exactly bring people to their side. But it mattered not. All he had to do was chase them into the portal so they’d end up in ChalkZone. He’d need to set up traps around here first, of course, before he could proceed. He would need to bring over some black chalk to corrupt them with... Or, perhaps, he’ll use Rudy’s blood. He had black chalk in him, right? All he needed to do was take some of his blood and inject it into the individuals that were brought in. As this process is repeated, he would have an army of black chalk artists.

Nihilanth showing up in the real world and causing some panic would serve a purpose as well. It would convince more and more humans that ChalkZone was dangerous. They would want to come in and start destroying it, which is exactly what he wanted. The black chalk would bless them with knowledge and progress would be made. The zoners would be attacked and enslaved, as the humans would feel that the only good zoners were either dead or controlled. He didn’t even need them to join him; so long as they thought ChalkZone was dangerous, they could be manipulated from the sidelines.

“Yes..this looks quite nice..”

Cosmo lifted up his head at that voice. It was Nihilanth. His voice echoed in his mind. It had taken sometime for him to get used to the sound of multiple voices in his head. It reverbrated in his head for a few seconds before it vanished. Not wanting to keep him waiting, Cosmo replied.

“Thanks. I like how it...turned out.” Mr. Cosmo took a few steps forward, his hands folded behind his back. He looked at the arch again, his eyes scanning over every detail. He continued to smile. “I think this will do just fine...” He looked upwards, as if he spotted something behind him. “Don’t you think so?”

Nihilanth replied, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Cosmo. We need to make sure this thing works. You will need to bring that...runt of a machine over.” He paused for a moment, then he continued, “There’s something...special about the structure of that robot’s harddrive. Since he has the memories of all his past incarnations, since Craniacs always retain the same personality no matter who draws them, yes, they have...quite the special harddrive indeed.”

Mr. Cosmo nodded his head. “I became aware of that.” He closed his eyes. “And that harddrive, you believe could be key to creating a larger portal, one that would appear no matter what surface is on the other side, right?”

Nihilanth chuckled. “Exactly. We, of course, still need the harddrive, and this....we cannot continue our project without him.”

“Yes, I remember.” Mr. Cosmo said. “Do not fret. We will get this thing up and running. It’s only a...matter of..time...” His grin broadened as he stared at the purple arch. Yes, it would be quite soon indeed.

Suddenly, there was a sound that his ear detected. He turned his head to the side, listening intently. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to make it out. Some kind of scream? Normally, this wouldn’t bother him, but something was off about this scream. Something that, at first, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It took him a few moments for him to realize just what was going on.

It wasn’t a zoner screaming. It was Jenny. It was difficult to tell, and the voice was faint and distorted. But after carefully listening, there was no doubt about it. It was Jenny who was screaming. But why? He couldn’t tell if it was out of pain or fear or even anger. It was enough for him to realize that something was wrong. He could just leave her to deal with it herself; after all, she claimed to be quite capable and she wanted to prove herself to him, like some kind of lap dog. But...since her success or failure would directly affect this part of the plan, he figured he’d better check it out. Not like leaving the arch alone was going to do anything. No zoner would dare come here.

Then...that’s what he thought about Howdy. He had seen the whole thing, heard it all. Draow had come out of the other side of the structure and he went towards the front. The man had thought about interfering, but he allowed Draow to take care of the situation.

Even though Howdy didn’t cause much damage, if any, and that he was apprehended rather quickly, it was still problematic. It showed that some zoners were indeed brave enough to come here, especially if they were..motivated enough. If Howdy, who, from what he could tell, wasn’t exactly the strongest zoner or the best fighter, would risk his live coming here, what’s to stop other zoners from trying? Indeed, Cosmo was going to have to make sure he did something with the structure to ensure its safety.

“Draw a shield.” Nihilanth said. “Then head into the Solar Pillars. We’re quite curious ourselves what is making all that racket.”

Mr. Cosmo obeyed immediately. He lifted up a piece of black chalk he still had and quickly drew the shield the dragon had requested. In seconds, he was able to conceal the arch behind a transparent wall, a tinge of black to it. He lifted up his fist and pounded against it a few times to make sure that it was sealed up good and tight. Satisfied with the strength of the shield, he turned his head back towards the building.

Without saying another word, Mr. Cosmo headed towards the entrance of the structure. Whatever was going on there, he hoped that it was not going to interfere much with the project. He wanted to get ChalkZone exposed as soon as possible. Last time, he did wait until he blessed Rudy, but this time, he wanted to...speed things up a little.

The sooner he got ChalkZone exposed, the more people that knew about it, the less able the white chalk artists could do anything about it. Not even Biclops, who was currently under their control, could remove the memories of that many people at once. There would be no way the zoners could keep that many humans under control. They would be overwhelmed, and, whether quickly or brutally, subdued.

If Jenny did anything to jeopardize that... He was going to have a word with her. He was not going to allow her to mess things up if that were the case. He would make sure that she...remain in line, and remain affective. If she proved to be too much of a burden, well...

Mr. Cosmo sneered. If Nihilanth decided that Jenny must go, just like how his counterpart decided that this universe’s Rebecca had to go, then so be it. It wouldn’t be a decision he’d particularly like, but for the sake of completing this plan, he would do it. Jenny would understand....wouldn’t she?

sss

Jenny hissed as she felt her cheek. There was a red mark there, and it wasn’t the only place on her body that had one. A few places on her arms and at least one on her left leg also possessed a red mark. They stung, though they weren’t too painful. It was the initial attack that hurt. She could still hear the whooshing sound as Doofus Penny attacked her, trying to make her let go of Doofus Rudy.

The attack had failed of course, and she promptly kicked the zoner, sending her flying across the room. There, Doofus Penny still laid, immobilized by Draow stepping down on her. The zoner seemed to suddenly get smarter than she was before, making Jenny realize that at least some of the bizarre behavior had been an act. She narrowed her eyes at the thought. She had been tricked. She did not tolerate trickery that well.

She looked at Doofus Rudy, whom she still held in her hand. Even when he was acting marter, he was still annoying. She got tired of listening to his cries of how he was going to protect Doofus Penny and she tightened her grip around his throat. The little zoner was having a hard time breathing, his mouth open as he struggled to take a breath. She thought about strangling him more, but decided against it. She was in a hurry to get that machine up and running. Perhaps it was best to hold off killing this pathetic zoner until then. Those brats from before were locked up and they wouldn’t be of trouble any time soon. It wouldn’t take long to extract the harddrive from Craniac 4.

“Let...us...go...” She heard Doofus Penny command. “We...will...not...”

“You will do nothing, I know.” Jenny walked towards the female zoner. She stood in front of her, smirking down at her. Doofus Penny glared up at her, struggling to get free. Jenny knelt down. Holding Doofus Rudy out to one side, she used her free hand to grab Doofus Penny’s chin. “You and your little comrade here may have thought you could mess with us. Quite a clever trick...”

Doofus Penny growled at this. She started to struggle, jerking her head to try to get free. Jenny tightened her grip, her smirk broadening.

“However, take a look at where that’s gotten you.” Jenny narrowed her eyes. “You should consider yourself grateful that we need to extract the harddrive.” With that, she lifted her head up and looked at where Inez was. She was busy subduing Craniac 4 and Bardot while they were still too weak to get away. She looked back down. “We’re going to need another machine because of you two. For that...I have a special punishment in mind for you.”

“We’re..not afraid...” Doofus Penny said boldly.

Jenny chuckled darkly at this. “Of course not. You’re too stupid to recognize the danger you are in. So of course you wouldn’t be...afraid...” Jenny leaned in a little, staring directly into the zoner’s eyes. “But trust me, when it comes time for your...punishment... you are going to wish that you and your... braindead boyfriend here..” She sneered at the struggling, suffocating Doofus Rudy before glancing back down. “...had the intelligence to stay away.”

Suddenly, Jenny’s eyes widened, pain spreading through her hand. Doofus Penny was now biting down on her hand, specifically her finger. The zoner emitted low growls as she continued to grind her teeth against the finger. Jenny let out a cry of pain and tried to jerk her hand back. The zoner, stubborn, refused to let go, holding onto the tooth tightly, increasing the pressure as Jenny tried to pull away. Draow, who was amused by this, assisted Jenny by driving a talon in the middle of Doofus Penny’s back. This prompted the zoner to scream, releasing the woman’s finger.

Jenny raised herself up off the ground and stared at her finger. She could see indentions in her skin from where the zoner had bitten her. Narrowing her eyes, she looked down at the zoner hatefully. Disgusting little creature.. How dare she bite her... Jenny was tempted to stomp down on the zoner’s hands in retaliation, but she quickly calmed herself down. She just smiled, meeting the zoner’s pain-filled and angered eyes, and shrugging casually as if it wasn’t a big deal to her.

This little zoner would get what was coming to her. She knew exactly what she was going to do with her and her friend. She would deliver her and Doofus Rudy to the hospital, where Ghadir was. They..would become her snack. She would paralyze them so they wouldn’t be able to scream as Ghadir dug in. She would make sure that no doctors came in during this time so they wouldn’t see the bloody chalky mess. She originally didn’t want to do that, as it was risky bringing in a live zoner, but for the Doofi, she was willing to make an exception.

“I need to get back to work. As for you two, don’t even try your little stunt again.” Jenny said as she turned her back to Doofus Penny. “Remember that we took liberty of...locking up your blue chalk...”

Not far from where they were, there was a small cage that house the blue chalk. It wasn’t particularly strong compared to others she’s seen. But these zoners weren’t that physically capable, so a less powerful cage would work. It also helped that it was surrounded by splintering spikes, making it much more difficult to get to, and it was locked up. Inez had the key.

“So unless you want to experience more pain...” Jenny droned as she brought Doofus Rudy towards her. She ran her fingers along his hair, petting him like a dog. “I would comply.”

Ignoring Doofus Penny’s calls, Jenny walked away from her and Draow. As the bat wolf held the female zoner down, Jenny slammed Doofus Rudy down, keeping her fingers locked around his throat. She took out her piece of black chalk and began to draw some rope. She then flipped him onto his stomach and pulled his arms behind him. She wrapped the rope around his wrists and tied it tightly, securing his arms behind his back. She then dragged him roughly along the ground. She ignored the zoner’s cries of pain, his friend’s pleas for her to be more gentle, and she thrust the zoner against the wall. She drew a metal hook and, looping another piece of rope, this one going between his arms, she tied him up against the wall. The zoner soon dangled there, kicking his feet and struggling to get away.

Jenny watched as he struggled. She chuckled softly and reached over, caressing his cheek. “You better get used to this. You will not be getting down any time soon.” The zoner attempted to bite her, and she pulled her hand back, glaring at him. Snarling, she punched Doofus Rudy. “Foolish little zoner...”

“Rudy!” Doofus Penny called out in horror. “You bad people! Don’t hurt him like that!”

Doofus Rudy’s howl of pain subsided, and he looked up at Jenny in fear, his eyes wide. His body trembled and he lowered his head, a more submissive gesture. It made Jenny smile. It was nice to see that this chalk version of Rudy wasn’t quite as stubborn as the flesh and blood one was. She then turned her attention to Doofus Penny. She was a little more persistant, but perhaps, like Doofus Rudy, she would be a little easier to... ‘tame’...

Jenny lifted up her hand and used her finger to beckon Draow to come over. Obeying immediately, Draow picked up Doofus Penny by her shirt collar, snagging it in his teeth. The female zoner struggled, her body twisting in the air. She tried to hit Draow, but she couldn’t land a blow. Draow growled softly at her as he made his way over to Jenny. It didn’t take him long to reach her, and he lowered his head, letting the two be eye level with each other.

Jenny smiled as she cupped the girl’s chin again. Doofus Penny once again tried to bite, but Jenny pulled her hand out of the way before she could. She immediately slapped Doofus Penny across her cheek. The zoner cried as her head was forced to the side. Jenny then gripped the sides of her face so fast, the zoner yelped in surprise. She dug her nails into her skin and forced the zoner to look at her.

Putting her face close to hers, she said, “And as for you...”

Suddenly, without warning, an arm looped around her neck. She barely had time to register this when she was yanked back, dragged away from a stunned Doofus Penny and Draow. Jenny gagged as the pressure on her neck increased. She grabbed onto the arm and struggled to free herself. She jerked her body from side to side, and eventually she could see just who had grabbed her.

“Mr. Longhorn?!” Jenny cried in surprised anger. “What are you doing here?! How did you get free?!”

Mr. Longhorn glared at her, holding onto her from behind. As he grabbed onto one of her arms to subdue her, he said, “That is none of your concern, bitch.”

Draow lowered his eyes, his pupils shrinking. He forgot all about Doofus Penny, dropping her to the ground. He spread his wings and stomped the ground, his claws scraping against it. “How dare you...” With that, the bat wolf charged forward, his feet pounding the floor.

Before he could get very far, something landed on his back. It wasn’t particularly heavy, but it was enough that it took him by surprise. He staggered forward from the presence of this new weight. He paused to regain his footing, shaking his body. As soon as he managed to balance himself, he turned his head, trying to see just who or what landed on him.

“Miss me?”

There, sitting on Draow’s head, was Snap. As soon as Draow saw him, he began to snarl, curling his lips back in anger and hatred for the little blue zoner. He started to jerk his head from side to side. Despite having only one arm, Snap was able to hang on quite well, his fist gripping Draow’s fur tightly. He compensated the lack of a left arm by pressing his feet against his neck, providing himself with some extra support.

Draow’s growls and hisses filled the air as he tried to get the little runt off of him. He swayed his body from side to side as he tried to throw Snap from him. He snapped his jaws wildly as he ran around the room in circles, his mind intent on removing Snap as a factor. But try as he might, Snap was not letting go and responded by yanking on Draow’s ear. The bat wolf’s eyes widened and he let out a shriek, running to the side as he tried to make Snap let go.

Jenny would have scolded Draow if she weren’t too busy with her own problems. She struggled against Mr. Longhorn. She jerked herself from side to side, eventually loosening herself up enough to elbow the man in the stomach. He let out a cry of pain and he released her, holding his belly. Jenny swerved around and punched him in the throat, making him gag and causing him to stumble back. When he landed on the ground, she immediately stepped on him, using her weight to hold him down.

“I don’t know what you think you’re going to accomplish...” Jenny warned. “But it’s not...”

She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence. She could hear footsteps by her and her eyes widened when she saw the large body of Mrs. Tabootie rush at her. She turned around in an attempt to defend herself, but she wasn’t quick enough. The woman slammed against her, driving her away from Mr. Longhorn. Jenny cried out in pain as Mrs. Tabootie pushed her against the nearby wall, holding her there.

“You leave him alone, you witch!” Mrs. Tabootie growled.

Jenny stared at the woman in surprise. She still wondered how she and the other prisoners had escaped. They shouldn’t have been able to get away. The door was sealed...unless Draow really didn’t close it all the way. She shot him a glare before turning her attention back to the large woman.

“You...” Jenny growled softly. “Do you believe that you can alter things around here?”

“We can try.” Mrs. Tabootie narrowed her eyes.

Jenny chuckled. “I know your precious son can change things...” Mrs. Tabootie’s eyes widened at this. “If he were to listen again...”

Mrs. Tabootie slammed her against the wall hard, making Jenny cry out in pain. “You leave my son out of this! Haven’t you caused him enough pain?!” She took in a few ragged breaths through her clenched teeth. “You were the one who started this whole mess with your fucking chalk virus!”

At this, Jenny couldn’t help but smile. Pleasant memories flooded her mind of when she had tricked the stupid little boy into touching the gelxeno chalk. She remembered the way it disintegrated into his arm. She loved the shocked look on his face when that happened. It was such a beautiful sight. The boy was in a lot of pain, and she relished in it. For her, it wasn’t sufficient enough punishment for her him for what he did to this universe’s Mr. Cosmo. But it was a lovely start.

And beating him within an inch of his life... Yes, she loved that, too. It was her chance to unleash some of her fury on him. She, Tyreek, and Ghadir really let him have it, doing as much damage as they could in order to speed up the process of the gelxeno. Such a shame that Snap had to ruin things, but no matter. He still wasn’t fast enough to stop them from doing the bulk of the damage, and Rudy was practically on his deathbed for a time.

She felt a pang of sadness when she thought of Tyreek. A shame he wasn’t here to witness this. It saddened her that he was not going to join them in the new world order. But at least she can rest knowing that he wasn’t in pain anymore. She would ensure that Ghadir and this new Cosmo did not suffer that same fate.

“Ah yes, I remember that.” Jenny nodded her head. “Toying with him was...rather fun.”

Mrs. Tabootie bared her teeth. “You..bitch!”

“Calling me names will get you nowhere. And besides, perhaps if you thought about it, you’ll understand why I’m doing this. It really isn’t so bad.” Jenny chuckled as Mrs. Tabootie continued to growl in her direction. “I haven’t done anything that bad to him...yet. However, if you want me to be at my worst...” Jenny said with a sneer. “...Here’s a question. How do you think the boy will react if one of his precious parents were to try to hurt him...?” She tilted her head. “Hmm..?”

At this, Mrs. Tabootie froze. Her eyes widened in horror and her face paled. She tried to speak, but only a few small squeaks would come out. She just stared at Jenny in shock, her body frozen rigid in place. Jenny just smiled at her, pleasing to see that she managed to get through to the pesky woman. Yes, she should be afraid. If she came under the control of the black chalk, she would likely harm her own son.

Jenny turned her head so she was looking behind Mrs. Tabootie. “Hey, Inez! I..” Her voice trailed off, her eyes widening at what she was seeing.

Inez had been subdued by someone else. This person had auburn hair that seemed..unnatural, like it had been dyed quickly. She could see the person was clearly a woman, and she had wrestled Inez into the ground. Her arms were wrapped around her as they wrestled. Jenny stared in shock, wondering how this had happened without her noticing. Had she really not been paying enough attention? How could this have gone on without her realizing it?

Then she happened to see the woman’s face. Her eyes widened, then they narrowed dangerously. Anger and hatred flooded her mind, filling her body with adrenaline. She began to push against Mrs. Tabootie and she managed to force her to let go. She shoved the woman into the ground as she began to stalk slowly towards the auburn-haired woman. She paid little attention to her surroundings, the anger too big of a distraction. She failed to realize what was going on around her.

She didn’t realize that Mr. Tabootie arrived to help his wife up. She didn’t realize that Howdy appeared to help Snap with Draow. She didn’t realize Rudy and Penny were aiding Craniac 4 and Bardot, pulling them out of the way. The only thing she could fully register was this foul woman who dared show her presence in her face.

Rebecca Saffron.

“You...” Jenny growled. She spoke loud enough that Ms. Saffron and Mrs. Sanchez looked up at her. Ms. Saffron sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes widening and face paling. “How dare you show your fucking face here...” Her voice was low and menacing.

“J-J-Jenny...” Ms. Saffron cried in fear. She released Inez and started to back away quickly. “What are...” Her voice trailed off, her body shaking.

Jenny didn’t bother to answer her. She adopted a hostile posture, her shoulders hunched. She quickened her pace, running straight at Ms. Saffron. The woman let out a scream of surprise and tried to get away. Jenny quickened her pace and lunged at her. She collided with her. The two women rolled across the ground, wrestling with each other. Soon, Jenny managed to pin Ms. Saffron down, gripping her arms and holding them at her sides.

“How dare you show your face in my presence, you bitch!” Jenny shouted at her. The blood in her body reached its boiling point. She ignored the burning sensation in her body, her narrowed eyes focused on the frightened woman below her.

Ms. Saffron struggled, jerking herself from side to side. “No..please, I...”

Jenny snapped at her, “Silence!” Ms. Saffron turned her head to the side, clearly not wanting to look at her. But Jenny had other plans. She gripped the woman’s face and pried her right eye open. She lowered her face close to hers, her eyes boring through hers. “Your counterpart may have turned the tides for Rudy and Penny, but I promise you...” She bared her teeth. “You will not be getting that chance...”

“Let her go!” Mr. Longhorn suddenly cried out.

Jenny turned her head just in time to see a blur, and then something solid slammed against her cheek. She screamed as she was thrust back and away from Ms. Saffron. She stumbled to the side, gripping into the nearest wall to regain her balance. She shook her head and she glared in the direction where she was shoved.

Mr. Longhorn was helping up Ms. Saffron. He looked at her up and down, making sure that she was all right. Ms. Saffron looked grateful for his help and thanked him. Jenny narrowed her eyes at this. Both of these adults... They were both thorns in her side. Ms. Saffron, with her interference of Mr. Cosmo’s plans, and Mr. Longhorn, for disrupting her attempt at blessing Rudy’s aunt, Tilly, making her lose her hostages. Well, she was going to make sure neither of them interfered ever again.

Jenny raised her black chalk and drew a large butcher knife. She then started to walk towards them slowly, deliberately, eyes narrowed. The two spotted her and they were horrified when she brandished the knife in front of her, an insane smile plastering over her face. They took on a defensive posture, as if preparing for a fight. Jenny laughed coldly at this and continued to advance on them.

“You have no idea...how long I’ve waited to do this...dear Rebecca...” Jenny sneered at her cousin. “The same goes for you.” She turned her attention to Mr. Longhorn. “You are going to regret making me lose my hostages, you....”

Suddenly she heard a loud screech behind her and then a crash. Her body froze for a few seconds. Then, daring to spare a look, she glanced behind her. She whirled around, gasping in shock. Draow laid on the ground, his feet tied together. Snap and Howdy had worked together and they managed to subdue the much larger zoner. The two zoners kept their distance as Draow wriggled on the ground, letting out several screeches as he tried to free himself.

And that wasn’t the only thing going on, either. Not far, she could see that Inez was again subdued, this time by both Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie. They were holding her down. She was struggling to get free, but that just made the parents apply more pressure. They looked apologetic as they did so. This was clearly not something they wanted to do to her. In addition to that, she now fully realized that not only was the machine completely destroyed now, reduced to dust, but Rudy and Penny were helping a now roused Bardot and Craniac 4 get away.

And just where was Doofus Penny? She looked around, trying to find her. It didn’t take her long to realize that Doofus Penny had gone over to where Doofus Rudy was. She was pulling at the ropes that held him, using her teeth to gnaw into it. The zoner soon got the sense to actually use the blue chalk and she knew a knife. She started to saw at the rope, trying to free her comrade.

Jenny’s mind raced as she thought about just how quickly things had escalated. Not too long ago, they had control. They had the upperhand. They were so close to victory. They just needed to start up the machine and they were well on their way. Jenny could feel their efforts slip through her fingers and float away in the air like it was just a layer of evaporating liquid. The burning sensation filled her stomach as she started to realize just how much they had lost in such a short time.

It was all because of the Doofi...

If those two idiots hadn’t interfered, if they hadn’t shown up, they would have won. Even if Snap had gotten a hold of blue chalk, it still wouldn’t have mattered. Just flipping the machine on and opened up the portal would be enough to ensure victory. And now all of that was gone. The machine was ruined and it couldn’t be repaired that quickly. The prisoners not only escaped but they had arrived, and right now, they were outnumbered by them. She couldn’t believe just how much went wrong in such a short time.

Those Doofi.. Those stupid, stupid Doofi... She would ensure that they learn not to mess with them again. She would make sure that they don’t leave here in one piece. She would make sure that they regret ever coming here. She was going to make sure they learn a lesson they will never forget.

Deciding to change her target, Jenny turned and ran towards the Doofi, who had their back turned and didn’t know she was coming. She could hear panicked cries from Rebecca and Mr. Longhorn, trying to warn the Doofi. She could hear Rudy shout something similar, and attempted to beg her to stop. But she didn’t listen to any of it. Her mind was a blur, and right now, all she could think of was getting rid of these two pathetic zoners.

Her feet pounded against the ground as she ran, her hand clutching the handle of the butcher knife tightly. She could see her quarry ahead of her. The two zoners had finally turned around and spotted her. They widened their eyes in terror, showing that, despite their idiocy, they knew full well when they were in danger. They started to back away, their bodies trembling. It was clear they were too afraid to even think of using the blue chalk. This made Jenny’s sneer broaden. Perfect...

She could hear someone coming after her. She wasn’t sure who it was. They were moving pretty quickly, but Jenny was stronger. She dare not look behind her, fearful that she would lose sight of her targets if she did so. She narrowed her eyes in determination as she rapidly approached the cornered zoners. They were not going to escape from her. Just a little more...

When she got close enough, she quickly grabbed Doofus Penny by her neck and pulled the knife back. Her eyes widening as an insane smile spread across her face, Jenny prepared to drive the knife down. Then, seconds later, she struck.

Something flashed in front of her eyes. Some kind of mixture of colors. She could feel the knife penetrate something. Soft and warm, and something spilled out. She heard a grunt of pain, but it didn’t sound like it came from Doofus Penny. She could hear a shriek of horror, though from whom, she wasn’t certain. As her racing mind started to calm down a little, the fury of her anger starting to subside, she quickly realized what she had done.

Rudy had raced towards her, faster than anyone could have expected. He had pushed himself in front of Doofus Penny, taking the blow. Jenny had drove the butcher knife deep into his stomach. Her eyes widened in shock and she remained still, stunned by this turn of events.

For a few moments, she and Rudy just stood there. Rudy’s body trembled from pain and he gave a couple painful whimpers and coughs. A little blood started to trickle down the corners of his mouth. Jenny just stared at him, still startled that this had all happened so quickly. Then, with a twisted smile as she realized just what this meant, she twisted the butcher knife in the boy’s stomach, causing him to scream. Then she yanked the knife out and let Rudy drop to the ground, moaning in pain.

“Rudy! No!” Mrs. Tabootie cried out in anguish. “Leave him alone!”

Jenny ignored her and sneered down at Rudy. He looked up at her as he curled into a ball, holding his stomach. He gave her a look of fear and absolute agony. Jenny lowered herself down and forced Rudy onto his back. Gripping the butcher knife with both hands, she raised it above her hand.

“Goodbye, you little brat!” Jenny said as she prepared to strike the knife through Rudy’s heart.

Suddenly, a body slammed against her. Jenny turned her head as she could see it was Mrs. Tabootie. The large woman rammed her against the wall, knocking the butcher knife away from her, skidding along the ground.

“Stay away from my son, you bitch!” Mrs. Tabootie growled as she kept Jenny pinned against the wall.

Jenny struggled and squirmed against her grasp. “Let me go!”

But the large woman refused to comply and she continued struggling against Jenny. Soon the two women fell into the ground, their struggles increasing with vigor. Jenny could hear the snapping of rope and screeching and she knew Draow was back on his feet. She could see him rushing towards Snap and Howdy.

She turned her attention back on the woman. She was not going to lose like this. Slowly, she eventually got the woman off of her. She stood up, panting a little. Then, before Mrs. Tabootie could fully recover, she charged forward and punched her in the jaw. Mrs. Tabootie screamed as she fell into the ground. Jenny glared at her for a few seconds before she lunged at her.

sss

Penny couldn’t believe it. How could this have happened? Why hadn’t they been more careful?

They should have thought things through more. They should have had a better plan than just barge in and fight. Despite outnumbering them, they were still outpowered. None of them had magic chalk and Snap and Howdy wouldn’t be able to keep up with the blue chalk for long. They should have thought of a better strategy than this. And look at what’s come of it...

Sure they did get the machine stopped. They did get Craniac 4 and Bardot away. She did draw a teleporter, as she and Rudy had fixed the one they had created several days ago, before all this had happened. They hadn’t gotten them into the machine yet, but at least it was up and running. Draow had been temporarily subdued and even know, he was having a hard time against the two smaller zoners, who were using their agility and speed to their advantage. It seemed like things were going in their favor.

That is, until Jenny stabbed Rudy. Penny wasn’t able to do anything in time. She had gotten up and ran towards Rudy as he bolted towards where Jenny was. To their horror, Jenny had been about to stab Doofus Penny and they both knew it was going to be for keeps. Before Penny could think of anything, Rudy bolted towards them. She watched helplessly as Rudy put himself in harm’s way. She felt her heart stop beating as she saw the large knife penetrate through his stomach. Time seemed to slow down as she watched him fall to the ground.

Then Jenny tried to stab him again... Penny had rushed over as quickly as she could, but she knew she was going to be too late. Rudy was about to be hurt more and she wouldn’t be able to get to him in time to stop Jenny...

She was shocked and immensely relieved when Mrs. Tabootie managed to reach the foul woman in time. She collided with her and sent her flying back away from Rudy. Now Rudy’s mom was wrestling with Jenny, trying to keep her pinned on the ground. As this was going on, Penny raced towards her fallen friend. She soon reached him and she knelt down by his side.

Rudy was coughing up blood, and he let out a few low whimpers. He appeared to be trying to speak, looking up at her and moving his lips. But nothing would come out except for groans of pain. Penny bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes. Her eyes trailed down and she could see the gaping hole that tore through his shirt. She reached down towards the bottom of his shirt so she could see it. She heard him let out a whimper and try to squirm away. But Penny didn’t relent.

“Rudy, you have to let me see it.” Penny said sternly. “I’m not going to hurt you. Just relax, please...”

It was clear Rudy wasn’t going to be able to relax. But Penny couldn’t stop. She needed to know how bad this wound was. She needed to prepare herself so she knew what to do whenever they got back to the real world. Gripping the bottom of his shirt, she lifted it up and over until she could see the wound. At the sight of it, she froze and let out a gasp of shock and horror.

The stab wound was much deeper than she thought it was going to be. The diameter of the whole itself, even as a result of Jenny twisting the knife around, wasn’t very large. But the depth... she could see so far in there. She could see the layer of his fat and the dark red that laid underneath. She could see a bit of his muscle, covered in blood, which flowed out of the wound. She didn’t doubt there was some intestinal damage there and she didn’t get to the hospital soon....

She feared the worst. Tears flowed down her face as she stared down at Rudy. Her heart wrenched at the sight of his face so contorted in pain. She was brought back to the horrific memories of when his insides were being turned to chalk. Her body shaking in emotion, she reached down and stroked his hair, for a moment, becoming oblivious to the fighting going on around her.

“Shh...it’ll be okay, Rudy.” Penny whispered. “You’ll be okay...” She wasn’t sure if her words were helping Rudy feel better or not. But she had to try to comfort him. Remaining calm was important in this situation. If he panicked too much, he might cause his wound to bleed even more and...

She was ripped from her thoughts when she heard a loud roar. Her heart beating fast, she looked over, holding onto Rudy protectively in case it was someone trying to attack. She could see Draow standing not far, but she soon realized that the large zoner wasn’t attempting an attack on her. He was instead wobbling around frantically, trying to get Howdy off of him. He may have been trying to attack her and Howdy got in the way. She hoped the puppet zoner would be okay.

Draow swung his head from side to side. His lips were curled back in the snarl, and he snapped his jaws wildly, trying to snag the small zoner in his teeth. “Get off of me, you little rodent!” Draow snarled as he kept trying to get at the zoner. “If you don’t...!”

“Well you will have to make me comply. I’m not letting go for anything!” Howdy announced. As soon as he said that, Draow pulled his head back and then thrust it downwards. Howdy screamed as he slammed into the ground on his back. He laid there, groaning in pain. “Well except maybe that...”

Draow pressed his foot down on him. Howdy let out a scream of terror and tried to struggle away from the beast. But it was clear to anyone watching that there was no way Howdy could get away. Draow pressed his foot down harder, his talons pressing up against the tiny zoner’s body, threatening to break through. Howdy could only hold onto the talon that was pressed near his throat and stared up pleadingly at Draow.

The bat wolf, however, showed no sympathy. He let out a low, bitter chuckle. “Looks like your little fun has ended...” He then began to apply pressure, making Howdy scream in pain.

“Get your filthy paw off of him!”

That shout had come from Snap. The zoner rushed forward, holding out something in his hand. Penny couldn’t tell what it was. Before she could study it, Snap tossed it at Draow. Suddenly, the beast roared in pain as electricity coursed through his body, forcing him to step away from Howdy. Snap helped Howdy to his feet as Draow stumbled backwards.

Penny was about to turn her attention back to Rudy when she suddenly felt the rush of a presence beside her. She turned her head and she nearly let out a scream when she saw a familiar face. A face that, under most circumstances, she would welcome. A face that normally would be comforting. But this time, it was something different entirely.

Her mom had managed to get away from the others and had honed in on her. She wasn’t sure what her mom had planned, but it was clear it was nothing good. Penny could feel her heart clench and twist as she stared into her mother’s glowing black eyes. She could feel the sharp, cold sensation from them, freezing her in terror. Rudy didn’t react much, but it was because, as she realized in alarmed panic, he was losing a lot of blood and his consciousness was starting to be afflicted. Her mom didn’t pay much attention to him, though, and instead focused just on her.

“Hello, dear Penny. Aren’t you glad to see your own mother...?” Mrs. Sanchez said softly. She was smiling, but there was a tinge of a threat on it. Penny didn’t respond, biting her lip nervously. Her mom seemed to catch her hesitation and continued, “I see you aren’t. Hmm...that’s such a shame. I thought that you would be happy to see that your mommy was there.”

The tone of the voice was clearly a mocking one. Her mom...the black chalk controlling her, was taunting her. It was showing off that it had taken her own mother and there was nothing she could do about it. Penny felt her body shake in emotion. She tried to think of something, anything, to say. But she was frozen in fearful silence, unsure of what to say to her mother.

For several moments, mother and daughter remained silent, not talking, not moving. They just stared at each other. For Penny, it felt like it went on for hours. It was a battle of will. Her mother was testing her, trying to see how long she would last, how long it would take before she broken down at the realization of having to face her own mother. Penny swallowed hard, trying her best to manage her emotions. She was terrified that her mom was now one of...them, but she could’t allow that to get in the way of her judgment and thinking. She reminded herself that they would get her mom back, that this wasn’t permanent.

It was a terrifying sensation seeing her mother like this. She never thought she would have to see the day when her mom was controlled by the black chalk. And realizing that her mom lived with her, it send many terrifying thoughts and emotions coursing through her body. Just..what was she going to do now...?

“Inez! Stop!” Mr. Longhorn shouted as he rushed up behind the woman. He grabbed onto her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pulled her back away from Penny. Before Penny could snap out of her shocked state, Mr. Longhorn cried, “Go on! Get out of here!”

As soon as he shouted that, he let out a cry as Mrs. Sanchez slammed her fist against his head. He was knocked into the ground. She climbed up on top of him and pulled her fist back to strike him again.

“Mr. Longhorn!” Penny cried as the fist came down.

sss

What was going on? Where was he exactly? What was he doing here? Why was it so loud and buzzy in here? Where did this pain come from?

Rudy tried to make sense of what was going on. His mind was muggy, swirling in confusion. He tried to hold his head, tried to rub it to soothe the poundin headache that was taking him over. But he couldn’t move his arm. He was too weak to move, and he couldn’t understand why. The last thing he could remember was talking with Howdy, and then...being here...

He looked around the room, barely able to recognize the colorful, blurry shapes that zipped by. He groaned as he watched whatever was going on play out. He blinked his eyes slowly, the shapes coming into sharper focus. But even as he recognized the people, he was still so out of it that he couldn’t really fully register what was going on. He was so confused, and yet, oddly, wasn’t frightened. It was as if a part of his brain was just...turned off.

Rudy could see Howdy and Snap go up against Draow. They appeared to be having some difficulty, but they were still holding their ground quite well. His parents were holding down Jenny. Jenny was fighting back, trying to punch at them. He could see Craniac 4 and Bardot were still laying down. And Penny was holding him, and Penny’s mom was wrestling with Mr. Longhorn. These scenes, images, they just blurred together in one giant mess in Rudy’s brain. He could see what was going on, but he couldn’t fully comprehend it.

Then his mind started to fade more. He could feel the darkness encroaching on him. He could hear Penny call out to him, begging him not to pass out. Rudy wasn’t sure why she was so worried. He was going to be fine, right? It was just a flesh wound after all. He was just a little tired. Maybe a nap would help. Yes...a nap would be nice. He just had to close his eyes and get some shut eye. Then he’d wake up and everything would be fine.

He groaned in annoyance when Penny shook him. She kept calling at him, but by now, he could no longer make out the words. They were hazy and hard to make out. He tried to shirk away from her, turning his head to the side. Why couldn’t she just leave him alone? Why couldn’t she just let him nap?

“...let me...sleep...” Rudy managed to groan.

“No! Rudy, don’t fall asleep! Please!” Penny cried out in desperation.

But Rudy did not respond. The darkness closed in all around him, embracing him with its tranquility. A smile of peace spreading across his face, Rudy shut his eyes and his world went dark.

sss

“Wake up...!”

Jenny groaned softly. She couldn’t remember what happened. Her mind was so muggy. She pushed herself up, realizing she was on something hard and cold. She lowered her head and rubbed it with her hand.

“Finally!”

That voice again. Jenny wondered who it was. Why did it sound so familiar? She opened up her eyes, and cried out in pain when she felt something bright shine in her eyes. She seethed and turned her head away. She was about to cringe back further when she felt something warm grip her chin. She yelped in surprise and her eyes fluttered open to see what was going on. She soon found herself face to face with a set of cool grey-blue eyes.

She stared that the figure in confusion. Then, as her mugginess began to clear away, she shook her head. She recognized who this was. Mr. Cosmo... But what was he doing? Wasn’t he working on something else? Yes...he was working on something important. He wasn’t supposed to be back yet. That just further added to the woman’s confusion. What had happened? And why did Mr. Cosmo look upset with her?

The man released her and Jenny wobbled, flailing her arms as she tried to remain balanced. She soon steadied herself and she crawled up onto her feet. She stumbled a little, her head swirling as dizziness took her over. It felt like she had been struck by something heavy. She pressed herself against the wall, taking in a few breaths.

“I know now may not be a good time...” Mr. Cosmo’s voice cut through the air. “But do you mind telling me what the hell happened here?”

“What..w-what happened...?” Jenny said softly, her eyes moving around in various directions, unfocused.

“Yes...Tell me what happened.” Mr. Cosmo narrowed his eyes and folded his arms against his chest.

Jenny tried to think of what happened. At first, she remembered nothing. Just flashes and blurs of...something. Fighting? Yes, there had been fighting. And bloodshed. She remembered stabbing someone, then getting pushed down. She recalled Draow fighting someone small...no, two small things. And there, on the ground, she could see Draow and Inez completely still and prone, likely knocked out from whatever caused her to pass out on the ground.

After a while, more and more of her memory returned to her. Her cloudy mind began to clear up, and after what felt like several minutes, she realized what had happened. She froze at this realization, staring at Mr. Cosmo fearfully. She searched her mind for anything, something to lighten the blow of what she was about to tell him. But in the end, there was really nothing. As more of her memories returned, as more and more of it wasn’t anything good, she knew what she had to say.

“We were...” Jenny’s voice trailed off. She bit her lip, trying to think of how to say it.

“You were what?” Mr. Cosmo pressed. “Tell me the truth, Jenny. What happened here? What happened to my machine?”

Jenny winced at the extra emotion in that last bit of Cosmo’s statement. She didn’t answer for several more seconds. She wished now, more than ever, that she could just slip away and get away from him. But she had nowhere to go and she was still too disoriented to do anything.

“We were tricked.” Jenny said cautiously. She stared at Mr. Cosmo, looking for any signs of anger or disapproval. When he showed none, waving his hand for her to continue, she said, “Doofus Penny and Doofus Rudy came in and they ruined your machine. They had been buying time and somehow the prisoners had escaped. We tried to apprehend them, but they got away.”

Mr. Cosmo was silent. Jenny stared at him nervously, biting her lip. She could feel him staring into her soul, his eyes having a slight white and black glow to them, reminding her that Nihilanth had merged with him. Jenny’s thoughts began to race, her heart pounding, as Mr. Cosmo remained silent, just glaring at her. She couldn’t tell if he was truly angry with her or not.

Then Mr. Cosmo took a step towards her. Jenny’s bother shivered and she immediatel lowered her head, showing submission to the man. She dare not resist as he eyed her over, as if studying her. She kept her head low, waiting for him to chew her out. She deserved it. She had been given an important responsibility, and he had failed her. Anything he gave to her now, she deserved it. She should have been more careful.

What happened instead surprised her.

“Very well then.” Mr. Cosmo said. She stared at him in confusion. His voice was calm, but his face...it showed that there was a little anger. It was like he was experiencing some kind of tranquil fury, and to her relief, it wasn’t directed at her. “Come along...we will need to intercept them.” He turned around, his arms folded behind his back and walking away.

“Sir?” Jenny started to say.

Mr. Cosmo cut her off. “Make no mistake. I am furious. However, I know the pitfall of losing my temper, so..I will remain calm.” He narrowed his eyes. “And while I could punish you...” Jenny felt a lump in her throat at this, her heart tightening. “You are too valuable.”

Jenny let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, sir. I will not fail you again. I promise.”

Cosmo remained still for a few moments. Then he said, “Yes, I know.” He turned his head, giving her a sideways glance. “Wake up the others. There isn’t much time.”

Jenny nodded her head. She immediately rushed over to the other two. She hoped she could wake them up in time, before the prisoners could get that far.


	189. Mother VS Daughter

Penny leaned against the tree, exhausted. She tried to catch her breath, her heart pounding against her chest. Her mouth was dry and her lungs were starved of oxygen. She had run for sometime into the jungle, trying to put as much distance as she could between her and the Solar Pillars. She wasn’t sure how long her luck was going to last, and she knew that things could get much worse soon.

At least she wasn’t alone. Staying with her were Mr. Longhorn and Bardot. Both, especially Mr. Longhorn, insisted that they help. Penny wasn’t surprised that Mr. Longhorn wanted to lend a hand, though she had to be honest with herself, she hadn’t expected Bardot, especially in his condition, try to help out. But at least it was better than him going back to his scheming ways and causing trouble. He was putting himself to some real use, and using his intelligence for something more worthwhile than simply causing pain.

The zoner had truly changed a lot since she last knew him. She still remembered the torture she had endured while under his ‘care’. She could still feel the pain echoing in her body, especially when her leg had been slowly broken. She shuddered at the memory, trying to push it out of her head. She wasn’t entirely sure what caused this change of heart, but at the moment, it didn’t matter. At least he was helping out. She hoped that his assistance, along with Mr. Longhorn’s, would make a big difference.

Bardot was still in pain, but he looked much better than he did before. That was because, when he woke up after they teleported out of the building, Snap had fixed his outline wounds by using the blue chalk to draw new ones. There were still some areas of red chalk, but now blue chalk accompanied the areas of the outline where red once was. The new portions of the outline helped stabilize the zoner more and Bardot had an easier time moving around. It was sometime after that, he had expressed his desire to help. Despite their efforts to make him go to the hospital, Bardot adamantly refused. So he ended up tagging along.

Getting Rudy to the hospital was definitely a must. There was no ifs, ands, or buts about it. They needed to rush him to a hospital in the real world. He was going to need treatment. This meant that he would be unable to fight back against the black chalk artists. Rudy may not like the idea, and she was certain that, as soon as he woke up, he would try to come back. But Penny would not allow that and neither would the others. They may not have been able to stop Bardot, but they could keep Rudy from exerting himself dangerously.

Penny had suggested they split up. If they were in multiple groups, they would be harder to catch, and they could each do something to stop the black chalk artists. She had left quickly, though, along with Mr. Longhorn, whom she specifically requested to come with, and Bardot. The others were probably confused by her quick departure, but she didn’t have time to explain or remind them. It was imperative she got away from them quickly. And it wasn’t because she though they were going to get in the way or anything. It was that..if she stayed, she could jeopardize the plan entirely.

Penny recalled that she still had black chalk inside of her. She recalled being told about how Nihilanth had been using that to spy. If she had stayed and heard any part of the plan or told them anything beyond ‘split up’, Nihilanth could easily track them down and their plan would have been countered. She couldn’t have that. She couldn’t allow herself to be used like that, so she took off before their plan was figured out.

Nihilanth might know her plan. He could still spy on her, Bardot, and Longhorn. But as long as she did not focus too much time thinking of what the others might be doing and stayed near the Solar Pillars, then she would at least keep their plans completely secret, forcing them to guess what they’d be doing.

Penny narrowed her eyes as she stood between the trees, glaring at the Solar Pillars. She did have a thought of something that could be done there, but she declined to do it herself. There was just no way she could keep the plan a secret, and even if she could, she wouldn’t know how to go about it. She would just have to hope that one of the other two groups, or how many there would end up being, would think of this.

Penny recalled about how there were some words written on the side of the walls. She also recalled that only those with black chalk inside of them would be able to read it. The light from the pillars, which was still active, still circling around so menacingly, was the only way to read it. When it had touched Rudy, it caused him to freeze, forcing him to remain still while the light went to work. It took effort from her and Snap to get him away. Now, because she had black chalk inside, it was going to affect her.

But...perhaps they could turn the tides. She recalled that the system was disabled and she could see that some machine was blocking the words. If they could figure out a way to reactivate the security system, then at least for a time, the black chalk artists would not have access to the Solar Pillars. Not that it’s going to hinder them much, but it was going to be enough of a wrench in the system to bide them some time to fight back.

But alas, she would not be the one to try out that plan. She wouldn’t get too far before Nihilanth sent someone to find her, or he located her himself. And if he realized what she was about to do, and she had no doubts that he would, the dragon would do whatever it took to make sure she didn’t do it again. And who knows what he might do after that...

“I see movement.” Longhorn’s voice cut through the air, getting Penny’s attention. The man stood not far from her, his fingers prying apart two thin trees to look out to where the Solar Pillars was. “I don’t see Jenny or Cosmo. Just...” His voice trailed off. He looked at Penny with a sympathetic expression.

Before the man could answer, Penny already knew what he was going to say. There was really only one person left. Draow was an option, but with the way the man was looking at her, it was someone else.

“It’s my mom, isn’t it?” Penny said, her voice dry and matter-of-factly.

Mr. Longhorn nodded his head. He remained silent, not saying a word. He and Bardot stared at her, as if they were looking for direction.

Penny stared out at the pillars. She hadn’t noticed where Cosmo, Jenny, and Draow had gone. She guessed Draow had taken to the air. She was surprised that Cosmo and Nihilanth hadn’t come after her first. After all, Nihilanth would have known her location and she would be the easiest to find. Then again, he may not have been too interested, as he had a stronger desire for Rudy, to control him. He probably just wanted to focus on him and decided to send her mom to take care of her.

The thought made her blood boil. Of course Nihilanth and Cosmo would use her own mother against her. She recalled, in bitterness, how Nihilanth used Rudy against her and Snap. And how could she forget the time when Cosmo put a mind control device into Snap and forced him to fight them? That was a heartbreaking moment, one that filled her with dread and anger whenever she thought about it. And now Nihilanth, through his black chalk self spread across ChalkZone, had turned her own mother against her. How dare he...

“I’ll slow her down.” Penny said, her eyes narrowed. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t get a chance to go after the others.”

“Are you sure you can fight your own mom, girl?” Bardot asked. His tone was somewhat intrusive and when she looked at him, there was no actual sympathy in his eyes. Instead, it was more a quizzical look. “Or would you rather...?”

Penny nodded her head. “I have to do this, Bardot. She’s my mom. As much as it is going to hurt me to fight her... that is exactly the reason why it should be me fighting her.” She paused and looked at Bardot and Mr. Longhorn. “I don’t mind your help, but...promise me you’ll leave most of the fighting to me.”

Mr. Longhorn and Bardot stared at each other. They looked confused and worried, especially Mr. Longhorn. They then looked back at her. They hesitated for a moment, and then, though hesitant, they nodded their heads. Penny smiled at them, glad that they understood why she made this decision. This fight was already going to be hard. But Nihilanth had made it personal by recruting her mother. She wasn’t sure if she could do anything to free her now, but she felt she had a responsibility. She would be the one to land the final blow on her mom, if it came to that.

She hoped and prayed that it wouldn’t have to go that far. She hoped that they would find something else they could do. She had managed to free Rudy from the black chalk. She could do the same for her mother...she hoped.

Bardot flattened his ears against his head and backed away slowly. “She’s coming...” He spoke, a low growl emitting from his throat.

No sooner had he said that did something jump from between the trees. A blur zipped by them. Penny let out a surprised cry when she was knocked back by something hard. Bardot’s ears pricked up in shock as he stared at her. Mr. Longhorn rushed over, kneeling down to help her up. As he did so, a small, quick chuckle sounded out.

Penny didn’t need to look to know who that was. Still, she found herself turning her head in the direction of the voice. She laid eyes on her attacker, narrowing them. “Mother...”

“Daughter.” Mrs. Sanchez replied coolly. She stood a few feet away. She smirked at Bardot, who growled at her. “I see you have manged to..gain a new loyalty. But I’m afraid that it’s not going to be enough. Dear..” She pulled out a piece of black chalk, turning it around in her hands and studied it like she had never seen it before. She gave Penny a sideways glance. “...did you ever wonder...how I earned the title of ‘torture doctor’ here in ChalkZone...?”

Penny gritted her teeth. She was still being supported by Mr. Longhorn, but she barely noticed that. Her eyes were on her mother only. Those words...it sent ice through her body. But she didn’t run. She refused to. There was no way she’d abandon her mother to this...this monster. The black chalk weren’t going to keep using her. She would see to that.

She was unnerved that her mom had her memories back. The black chalk must have found a way to reconstruct it. The look in her eyes, it was clear that not only did her mom have her full memories of what she did, but she fully intended on using it against her if she had to. Moving away from Mr. Longhorn, Penny adopted a fighting stance, showing her mom that she wasn’t going to back down that easily. She would do whatever it took to get her mom back, and if she had to fight her to do it...then so be it.

“I know you’re in there somewhere, mother.” Penny said with determination. She folded her hand into a fist, leveling it up in front of her. “And I swear, I’ll do whatever it takes to bring you back!”

Mrs. Sanchez tilted her head in confusion at this, still smiling. “Oh dear daughter...Mommy is here.” She took a few steps foward, prompting a hiss from Bardot. “You needn’t be afraid. I’m still here. I just want to help you.”

Penny growled at this. “No you don’t, black chalk.” She darted her eyes left and right. “You just want to use my mom to try to control me, to get to me.”

Penny walked in front of Bardot and Mr. Longhorn. She heard them start to come with her. She turned around and held up her hand, glaring at them. The two looked at each other, then nodded at Penny. Although clearly reluctant, they didn’t do anything to try to stop Penny. They took a few steps back, remaining there in silence. Satisfied they were going to hang back, Penny turned her attention back to her mom.

Mrs. Sanchez was waiting patiently for her. She had an amused smile on her face, her lip curled up slightly in a partial grin. She was waiting for Penny to make the first move. Penny narrowed her eyes at this. Of course, forcing her to deliver the first blow, to force her to strike her mother first. What a low move...

Well Penny was not going to fall for it. She was going to avoid hurting her mom for however long she can. If Nihilanth and the black chalk wanted her to take a shot against her mom, they were going to have to force it out of her. She knew it wasn’t her mom doing this. It was the black chalk controlling her. How could she ever deliver a blow against her mother for something that wasn’t her fault?

But she wasn’t a fool. If she did have to fight her, if she did have no choice but to attack, then she would. As much as she hated to admit it, sometimes, violence was the only option.

“I could teach you...why I am called the ‘torture doctor’. I can..show you how I became skilled.” Mrs. Sanchez offered, though it didn’t sound entirely sincere. Mrs. Sanchez paced from side to side in front of her daughter. She was ignoring Mr. Longhorn and Bardot, her eyes only for Penny. “Perhaps I can even teach you. The skills I know of...” She made a gesture towards Penny. “They may come in use for you.”

“Use?! What use would I have hurting people?!” Penny spat back.

Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes widened at this, as if she were shocked. “Hurt people? Oh no, you wouldn’t be doing that.” She paused for a moment, then corrected herself. “At least not yet. For now, you would be hurting zoners. After all, they aren’t really worth much.”

Penny widened her eyes at this. She shook her head and snarled, “No..I wouldn’t do that!”

“Oh but Penny, you wouldn’t have a choice.” Mrs. Sanchez raised up the black chalk, staring intently at it and, with a grin, looked at Penny. “You see, sweetie, once I touch this against your skin...” Penny took a few steps back, her mother coming towards her. They both moved slowly. Penny’s eyes widened further, apprehension filling her mind. “It will only take a few seconds for the black chalk to work its wonders...”

Soon her mom was upon her. She didn’t try touching the black chalk against her yet. Instead, the woman leaned closely, putting her face close to Penny’s. The teenager took a small step back, cringing away. Her eyes fantically darted between the black chalk and the woman, not wanting to take her gaze off either of them.

“...then you will belong to it.” Her mom said in a low, harsh whisper. “And all your fears of the black chalk would disappear, and you’ll be left wondering why you ever were afraid of it at all.”

Penny shook her head. “No..I won’t let that happen...” Penny managed to move around to the side. Her mom straightened up, turning her head to give Penny a glance over her shoulder. “If you know me enough, mother, you’d know I’d never join the black chalk. It’s corrupted you...just like it corrupted the others. Rudy, Jenny, Tyreek, Ghadir, ...Cosmo... They’re all victims. They have all been taken over by the black chalk. Can’t you see how it’s using you, mom?” She pleaded, though she knew it was useless. Nothing would get through to her.

“Hmm... since you don’t want to try it...” Mrs. Sanchez looked at Mr. Longhorn. She grinned. “Maybe he will...be more willing to obligue..”

As the woman advanced on her, Mr. Longhorn held up his hand, backing away. “Now now...let’s not get carried away there, ma’am...”

“No!” Penny called out. “Wait!”

Mrs. Sanchez paused. Slowly, she turned her head, starting at Penny behind her. The smile never left her face. Penny took in a few breaths, her mind racing, trying to think of something to say. She realized she just very nearly fell into a trap. What if her mom was planning on her trading herself? Swapping places with Mr. Longhorn? The thought was chilling. She knew that, if that happened, she wasn’t sure if she could back down. As much as she hated being corrupted...she would hate it even more if someone else were corrupted because of her inaction.

Penny swallowed hard, trying her best to remain brave in front of her mother. She knew her real mother would want her to show courage in a situation like this. Her mom wouldn’t want her to back down, and that was precisely what she wasn’t going to do. She was not going to run away from this fight. She took a few steps forward, taking on a defensive posture.

“What do you think you’re going to do, dear daughter?” Mrs. Sanchez asked, her tone slightly mocking. “Are you going to let me take you instead?” She looked over at Mr. Longhorn. She eyed him up and down, studying him. “He isn’t exactly a prize..”

Mr. Longhorn glared at her. “You don’t....”

“But I’m sure I could find a use for him.” Mrs. Sanchez cut him off. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, giving a small smile as she nodded her head slowly. “Yes. I’m sure something would come up. He might come in handy somewhere.” She looked at Penny. “Unless, of course, you have something else in mind..?”

Penny narrowed her eyes. She knew it. This was what she was afraid of. Her mom was trying to bait her, trick her into offering herself up. If she did that, she didn’t doubt that her mom would see to it that Mr. Longhorn and Bardot couldn’t do anything to stop her. She had to tread lightly.

Then something came to her mind. Something she almost forgot abot. After all, she and her mom hadn’t done this in years. Perhaps it could buy her some time. Maybe she could use that time to try to subdue her. But would she fall for it? Would her mom agree to do this? Or would she see right through her ruse and just outright attack her? It was a risk, but what choice did she have?

Upon seeing her daughter smirk knowingly, Mrs. Sanchez’s expression appeared to falter. It was clear this was not what she was expecting. She took a step back. “What are you planning?”

Penny said, “Well I was just thinking, mother...” She took a few steps forward. She ignored the puzzled looks from Mr. Longhorn and Bardot. She tapped her finger against her chin. “We haven’t played many games with each other in years, now have we?”

Her mother snapped her head back in shock, her eyes wide. She didn’t say anything. Both Bardot and Longhorn were confused. They stared at each other, then back at Penny. Mrs. Sanchez took a step away from Longhorn, turning herself around so she could face her daughter more easily.

Penny clasped her hands together. “Perhaps we could settle things in a more...” She spread her hands. “...civilized manner. I mean, why do we need to fight?” She gave a forced chuckle. She noted her mom’s expression grow even more confused. Of course she’d be confused. She didn’t understand what she was getting at. So she continued, “Let us strike a deal, mom. How about we play a game. If I win, you destroy your black chalk and we take you into our custody.”

Mrs. Sanchez cocked an eyebrow. “And what if I win?”

Penny hesitated. She tried to think of a reply her mom would like that wouldn’t involve jeopardizing herself or anyone else. But there was nothing she could think of. She knew she had to make the deal enticing for her mom, and the black chalk, to take it. And there was only one thing she knew would excite them enough for her mom to take the chance.

Penny took a step forward. “I offer up myself.”

At this, Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes brightened and she grinned. Penny could hear protests from both Bardot and Mr. Longhorn, but she paid them no mind. She blocked them out, her mind focusing soley on her mother. Time seemed to slow down as mother and daughter stared at each other. Mrs. Sanchez then looked at Mr. Longhorn and Bardot. Her smile faded, and she looked like she was contemplating. And when her mom looked back, Penny felt her heart skip a beat. That look..what did her mom have planned...?

“Okay, I’ll play your little game, whatever you wish.” Mrs. Sanchez said. Spreading her hand in front of her to indicate Penny, she continued, “However, maybe I should...up the wager...”

“What?” Penny said, her eyes widening. “That wasn’t what I...”

“I know, dear daughter of mine. But I like to..spice things up.” Mrs. Sanchez said. “That’s what I used to do, years ago. What’s the point of this challenge if I can’t have a little fun myself?”

With that, the woman took out her black chalk. She raised it up and, quickly, she began to sketch. Everything happened so fast. Penny could hardly make out what was going on. She could see her mom running around Mr. Longhorn and Bardot. Then she saw her sketch something that looked like a lever. Then she did a few other things. She turned her head, trying to keep up. She couldn’t believe how fast her mom was moving. But then again, she shouldn’t be surprised. The woman has to juggle so many responsibilities at home regarding the animals. Doing something like this, by comparison, was a piece of cake.

Before she knew it, her mom pulled hard, her hands wrapped around a thick piece of rope, and Mr. Longhorn and Bardot, unable to react and looking confused themselves, were launching into the air. Mrs. Sanchez pulled on them and then secured them. Penny realized they had been attached to a tall metal pole. The two of them dangled there as her mom put the finishing touches. Penny couldn’t stifle her gasp of horror when her mom draw a heated tar bit at the bottom.

Mrs. Sanchez folded her arms and grinned. “I think this should make things more interesting.”

“Wh-What are you doing?” Penny asked, her body shaking. “Let them go!”

“I would, dear, really. But as you can see...” She gestured her hand towards them. “If I do, they’ll fall right into the tar pit.” She chuckled. “You can see why I can’t simply ‘let them go’, now can’t you?” Penny just stared at her mother in shock. “I am going to modify that little deal, Penny. I could say ‘if you lose’ but..I have something even better.” Her eyes twinkled at this. “If you win... Then yes, I will come with you. But both of your friends here will be dropped into the tar.”

Penny felt her heart skip a beat at this. Her breathing increased and she felt herself start to hyperventiliate. She stared at her mother, horrified, then at Mr. Longhorn and Bardot. How...how could she..? This wasn’t fair. She never wanted this. Her whole plan was to keep those two out of it. But the black chalk..it found a way to drag them in. And now it was giving her an ultimatum. If she lost, she would lose herself, and if she won, she would lose Longhorn and Bardot.

Penny’s mind raced as she tried to think of what she should do. She knew she couldn’t just stand around and do nothing. She didn’t know how long her mom was going to wait before she decided to make a decision herself. But...but how could she choose? She couldn’t let these two die. That was not fair trade off. But she also couldn’t just do nothing, because then she’d lost her mom again. Even if it was temporary, she didn’t like the idea of letting the black chalk take her mom somewhere else. The black chalk was using her mother and she sooner she got her back the better. But what of Mr. Longhorn and Bardot? She didn’t want either of them to die for this. What to do...

Penny stared at Bardot and Longhorn, biting her lip. She wasn’t sure just what she was going to do. She had to make a decision quickly. She either could let her mom go and just wait until she could try again to get her back, or she could gamble with lives and agree to her mom’s terms. But...could she really do something like that? Could she throw away both these lives to get her mom back? Was it worth it?

In the end, she didn’t think it was. Trading lives was a horrible, cruel thing to do. It appalled her how the black chalk treated lives like they were replaceable. Mr. Cosmo tried to force Rudy to give up his mind in exchange for letting his friend live. He was going to kill Snap if Rudy didn’t surrender his free will. This still filled her with disgust even to this day.

And now her own mother was trying the same thing on her. No...not her mother, she reminded herself. The black chalk controlling her mother. It was toying with her and forcing her into a rock and a hard place. Penny could feel her insides begin to burn as she struggled to find an answer.

But her mom had beaten her to the punch.

“Okay...well if you can’t make up your mind...” Mrs. Sanchez said. “I suppose I will take up that mantle for you.” Penny’s eyes widened at this. Her mom looked at her captives, looking down and, slowly, pulling her head up, eyeing up the pole in its entirety. She then turned her attention to the lever, the thing that still held the two up. “I have a game you could play, Penny.”

The way she said that caused Penny’s heart to freeze. The way her mom was looking at her while she said that, the look in her eyes, added to the fear and tension she felt. Penny watched in horror as her mom reached towards the lever. The woman’s fingers locked around it, holding it tightly.

“Wait...!” Penny started to say as she took a step forward. Her mom held up her hand, signaling Penny to stop. Fearful that she might do worse if she didn’t stop, Penny halted her movement.

“You didn’t even hear my idea of a game yet, Penny.” Mrs. Sanchez said. Her voice was slightly scolding, as if she thought she were merely reprimanding her daughter. “Next time, allow me to finish, unless you want me to take action without explaining a few things.”

Penny asked, “What do you plan on doing? What game are you talking about?”

“Oh just a fun little game. Nothing like the ones we used to play, mind you. This is more of a...game of wit perhaps? Or maybe game of luck is another, more appropriate title. You see, I recall that you are...full of surprises, daughter. Quite quick and light on your feet. Maybe we should play a game where you have to put that to the test. Quiz your own limitations. Find out what you’re truly capable of. Now wouldn’t that sound like fun?”

Penny didn’t answer her mother. She remained still, horror and dread seeping into her mind once more. She didn’t like where this was going. She did her best not to look afraid, but she wasn’t able to slow down her quickened breath. Her mom picked up on this and smiled more broadly.

“After all the struggle you and your friends went through, I’m sure you learned a...thing or two about reflexes, am I right?” Mrs. Sanchez asked in a chilling voice. Wordlessly, Penny took a step back, her wide eyes glued to her mother. At the lack of a response, the woman continued, “I’ll take that as a yes. Of course, I’m not sure how well you’d perform with your injuries.”

Penny took that time to remember she still had some wounds on her. It wasn’t as bad as it had been before, especially after Rudy ‘healed’ her with the black chalk, but she was still not in the greatest shape. She could still feel the horrific pain in her back, from where she was slashed by those zoners. And her broken leg, though it had been healed up, it still ached her. If she subjected it to too much stress, she would feel pain wracking through it, causing her to limp.

Mrs. Sanchez, still holding onto the lever, leaned forward. “Well I guess now is a good time as any to figure that out, am I right, dear daughter?” Mrs. Sanchez asked with a grin. “After all, you need to keep your mental and physical shape up, and you can’t do that if you don’t test your limitations once in a while. So Penny... try to stop...this!”

Without warning, her mom suddenly pushed on the lever. The rope loosened, and Bardot and Longhorn started to plummet towards the tar pit. Their screams filled the air, intermixing with the horror that Penny felt when she saw this take place. For a second, her mind was in lockdown, shock and unwilling to believe her mom did such a thing. Everything suddenly seemed to be in slow motion, and she watched as the two slowly descended towards the tar pit, knowing that they were going to get burned alive and drown if they were to strike.

As soon as Penny’s legs started to work, she bolted. In that moment, she didn’t see her mother. She didn’t see most of the background. Her eyes and mind were paying attention only to the two plummeting individuals, tied to the rope, with the heated tar pit below them. Penny struggled to move as quickly as she could. The thunderous pain in her leg was returning, and she could feel it shooting up through the limb. She managed to ignore it, her mind paying more attention to getting to her destination faster than what was going on with her leg.

She got closer, moving at an astonishing rate. But she knew that this wasn’t going to be enough. By now, Bardot and Longhorn were already dangerously close to the tar. About half way. By the time she got there, they would be submerged. Even if she got them out right away, they would be in a lot of pain, their faces melting off. Gritting her teeth, narrowing her eyes in determination, the teenager tightened the muscles in her leg. She waited for the right moment, then, unleashing that stored energy, she jumped into the air. She pulled her hands out in front of her, reaching towards the rope in desperation.

Time suddenly ran normally for her as she gripped onto the rope. She slammed into the ground, dirt and grass marks staining her shirt. She held the rope tightly. She heard Longhorn and Bardot scream as they came to a sudden halt. The force of the stop caused them to swing around a bit as they dangled there.

Mr. Longhorn was heavy. Penny struggled to hold both him and Bardot up, her teeth gritted. She refused to let go, no matter how achy and tired her arms were getting. She took in a few breaths through clenched teeth. Then, slowly, she climbed up to her feet. She felt herself jerk forward suddenly, her feet skidding along the ground. Another scream escaped the captive’s mouths. Penny managed to regain her footing. Then she began to pull the rope back, pulling the two up and away from the tar pit, which they had been dangerously close to hitting.

Penny’s body stiffened, blood freezing, when she heard a clap behind her. Slow, deliberate, and somewhat mocking. Penny slowly turned her head. Staring over her shoulder, she could see her mother standing there. Her hands were moving back and forth in that gradual manner, colliding each time with a thud that sounded just as mocking as the voice she spoke in next.

“Congratulations. That was quite good.” Mrs. Sanchez sneered. “I suppose you want a medal for that?”

Penny growled softly. “Wh-Why did....?”

“Why did I do this? Simple. I just wanted to see how fast you could move on your feet. I didn’t care if you succeeded or not.” Mrs. Sanchez replied coolly. “Either way, the result would have been entertaining for me.”

“Entertaining...?” Penny asked, bewildered. “You...you think this is all fun...?”

“Oh but of course, daughter.” Mrs. Sanchez said. She gave a look of mock shock, putting her hand to her face. “Oh! Is that truly surprising? I’m sorry. Next time I will be more precise in what I mean.” She chuckled at Penny’s glare, dismissing it with a wave of the hand. “Oh come off it, Penny. I was just having a little fun.” She pointed a finger at her daughter. “You were the one who wanted to play a game. And so I participated.”

“This isn’t what I meant!” Penny cried. “You’re the one who started to distort it!”

Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes twinkled. “Are you really surprised?”

Penny opened her mouth to speak, but then she paused. She gritted her teeth and turned her gaze down. Slowly, she closed her eyes and looked away. “...No.” She hated to admit that, but it was true.

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head at this. “Yes, I thought so.” She began to walk towards her daughter. Slowly, deliberately, her eyes locked onto hers in a dreadful gaze. “The black chalk knows many ways to victory, and it helps me, and the others, make use of that. What you might call ‘cheating’..it’s really just another strategy. Fighting dirty is just another means of ensuring that I win. There’s room for ‘fighting fair’.”

“Yes, that I know, mom.” Penny narrowed her eyes. She let out a yelp of surprise when she suddenly slipped forward. She grabbed onto the rope tighter and pulled back, trying to regain some footing. “But still...I-I won’t resort to fighting like yo...” She paused for a moment. She bit her lip. She then said, “Like the black chalk.”

“Oh but dear, haven’t you learned anything? You can’t win against me if you don’t try a trick or two. I’m sure you’ve resorted to it before. So why not do it again? Oh wait...” Mrs. Sanchez rested one arm across her chest while the other hand rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I believe I know the reason. It’s because you’re going up against mommy now.” She placed a hand against her chest, sneering at Penny. “Ain’t that right, dear? Well, you to face the tough reality, kiddo. Sometimes, you must do things you don’t want to...to get what you do want.”

Penny gritted her teeth as she felt the rope start to slip away. She looked over in horror as Longhorn and Bardot were starting to be lowered back down. Her mind raced as she tried to think of something. She couldn’t hold on forever, but she couldn’t let go either. She looked at the handle, and noticed it looked weaker than she thought. She wasn’t sure if it could hold out long enough for her to subdue her mother.

She turned her head. She could see her mom coming towards her. Her mom was moving slowly still. She was in no rush to get to her. Her mom knew she couldn’t go anywhere, and Penny knew that herself. She could let go and run away, but that flew in the face of what she stood for. Her stubbornness may buy Bardot and Longhorn sometime, but it was currently dooming her to whatever her mom had to throw at her. She remained put, glaring at her mom, wondering what she was going to do to her.

Mrs. Sanchez soon reached Penny. She stood about two feet away. She turned her head down so she could look Penny in the eyes. Penny was unnerved by that smile. Her mom trailed her eyes along her, looking all around as if assessing the current situation. Then her mother widened her eyes and gave a small grin when she locked her gaze onto something. Penny followed her mom’s gaze, and when she saw what she was looking at, her eyes bulged.

The rope had a narrowing point. She could see the rope twisting a little. As the seconds passed, it was clearly growing weaker, and at any point, it could break. She shivered in fear as she looked back at her mom, her eyes gaining a pleading look to them. She took in quick breaths, unable to speak. What could she say to her that would stop her anyway? At this point, nothing. And her mom knew it. Her mom grinned at her knowingly, and then she began to make her move.

Penny watched helplessly as her mom headed towards the rope. It wasn’t far from her, just a few feet in front of her. Mrs. Sanchez walked around the pole and in seconds she was going reach the rope and snap it in two. Penny had to think of something and fast. At any moment, her mother could severe the rope and then there’d be nothing she can do to save Mr. Longhorn and Bardot.

Well...there was something. Penny looked at the tar pit and then up at the rope. She finally locked eyes onto Mr. Longhorn and Bardot. She could see how terrified they looked. She then looked back at the tar pit, switching between it and the two captives, trying to gauge just how long of a drop it was. An idea came to her.

“Swing!” Penny cried loudly.

Mr. Longhorn and Bardot looked at each other, confused. They then looked back at Penny, staring at her as if she had gone mad.

“Swing?” Bardot asked, perplexed. He looked down at the tar pit below, and then at the weak part of the rope. His expression told Penny that he and Mr. Longhorn knew of the weakening rope. “Are you mad?!”

“We could break the rope if we do!” Mr. Longhorn agreed.

“If you keep swinging, maybe the rope will break as you are outwards away from the tar pit. That way, the force of the snap will send you flying away from the tar, rather than into it.” Penny explained. She clenched her teeth tightly. Mr. Longhorn’s weight was pulling her forward, her legs quivering. She wasn’t going to be able to hang on much longer. “It’s the only chance you have!”

Mr. Longhorn was hesitant. He looked down at the tar pit, gulping. “Do we have to? Isn’t there another way?”

Penny noticed her mom was about to cut the rope. She turned her head at the captives and screeched, “No! Swing! Now! I can’t hold on much longer!”

Before Mrs. Sanchez could make a blow, Mr. Longhorn and Bardotk, though reluctant and unwilling, began to swing. They used their body weight to move themselves back and forth. Mrs. Sanchez pulled her hand back and moved away as the forms of Bardot and Mr. Longhorn began to swing by her. She watched them, her head moving in time with their swinging bodies.

Mrs. Sanchez glared at Penny. “Very clever, daughter. But while they’re busy...” She began to advance on Penny, who was still holding onto the rope. “I’ll shift my focus on something....more worthwhile...”

Penny felt her heart beating quickly as her mom approached her. The black chalk was still clutched in her hands. Her mom reached it out in front of her, showing it off to her like it was some rare piece of treasure she found. Penny couldn’t go anywhere. Bardot and Mr. Longhorn were still attached to the ropes. If she let go too early, they might get hurt.

But if she didn’t get out of the way soon, she would be corrupted...

Penny gulped, her gaze shifting from side to side. What was she going to do now? She hardly paid attention to the captives at this point. She could hear them letting out yells, but she hardly could make out the words. Her eyes were solely on her mother. Her body shook in fear. Soon, her mother would be upon her. She watched as her mom raised the black chalk, letting her get a nice, long, good look at it. Penny took in quicker breaths, looking between the black chalk and the rope, her mind racing.

Suddenly, her mom seized her by the arm. Penny let out a shriek of fear. She was tugged forward, her arm raised up above her hand. Penny still managed to hang onto the rope. She cringed back as her mom leaned forward, staring at her in the eyes.

“Dear daughter of mine...please hold still. This won’t take long.”

Penny struggled as her mom began to lower the black chalk. Penny’s eyes widened in terror as the black chalk made contact with her skin. Her mother’s smile broadened as the black chalk began to swirl around her arm, engulfing her in its black light. Penny jerked her head from side to side, but she was unable to stop the spread of the cold sensation, its sharpness engulfing her. Penny could feel the black glow shining out of her eyes, darkening her vision.

Before the black chalk could begin to change her mind, her mom suddenly screamed in pain and released her. The black chalk was dropped to the ground not far from Penny. She watched as her mom struggled to get Bardot off of her. Realizing that Bardot and Mr. Longhorn had managed to free themselves, Penny let go of the rope.

Mr. Longhorn appeared at her side. She could feel his strong hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” He asked with caution.

Penny nodded her head. “Y-Yeah I am...”

Penny grew silent as she watched Bardot struggle with her mom. He was being surprisingly gentle...well gentle considering what he was capable of. He was just hanging onto her mom. He hadn’t tried to drive his claws into her. He struggled to keep his grip on her. Mrs. Sanchez was jerking from side to side, her hands frantically trying to grab him.

Bardot gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowed in determination. He wrapped his paws around her neck and squeezed tightly. Mrs. Sanchez let out a grunt at this. She soon managed to grab onto him and began to pull. Bardot, at this point, stopped holding back as much. In an attempt to keep himself from being yanked off, he dug his claws into her. Mrs. Sanchez hissed in pain and released her grip as Bardot began to draw a little blood from her. This did little to slow down her mother and in seconds, her hand grabbed him again, this time by his right ear.

Bardot growled at this, his eyes twitching in pain as Mrs. Sanchez tugged down on it. She twisted and pulled, causing Bardot more pain. Knowing that Bardot would not be able to hang on much longer, Penny and Mr. Longhorn rushed forward. But they were too late, and Bardot was pulled off of the clearly angered woman.

“I’m not sure why you are determined to help my daughter.” Mrs. Sanchez noted, her lip curled up into a snarl. “You never were before. Why the change of heart?”

It was clear the woman was not really expecting an answer, and it wasn’t like Bardot was going to provide any. As the woman squeezed his throat tightly, Bardot gagged and started to struggle. He swung his claws out at her, but missed. He resorted to grabbing onto the hand that held him, pressing his claws against the flesh of her arm. Despite the blood being drawn, Mrs. Sanchez refused to let go.

“I’ve always wanted to try my...true skills on a zoner. Thoroughly I mean, giving it all I’ve got. And you..” Mrs. Sanchez raised Bardot higher into the air. “You will do perfectly.”

“B-Bite me, bitch...” Bardot hissed at her. The hand around his neck squeezed harder, causing him to gasp in both pain and in desperation of a breath.

“How amusing you decide to insult me..” Mrs. Sanchez pulled Bardot a little closer. “When it is you who is in...”

Mrs. Sanchez never got to finish her sentence. Mr. Longhorn, who had gotten close enough, moved in from behind. He wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms at her sides. Bardot was released and he fell into the ground. He let out a yelp, and then pushed himself up. Penny knelt down to check on him. She turned her head and watched as Mr. Longhorn continued to pull her mom back away, holding her secure.

However, the man couldn’t hold on for long. Mrs. Sanchez’s struggling increased in vigor. Her eyes narrowed, anger practically glowing from them. She violently jerked herself from side to side, and as she did so, the man’s grip on her loosened. It didn’t take her too many tried before she got free. She moved away and glared at him. Before he had a chance to respond, Mrs. Sanchez struck out with her leg. The heel collided with his stomach and he was forced into his back.

Mrs. Sanchez stook over him. She glared at him for a few seconds before she raised her foot above him. Before the man could react, the foot came down onto him. Penny gasped in horror and Bardot cringed as the foot made impact. There was a clear thud sond as it struck and Mr. Longhorn let out a screech of pain. Being hit once was bad enough, but to Penny's terror, her mother struck again, this time with more force.

“Mom! Stop!” Penny left Bardot’s side, rushing over to her mother.

“Wait!” Bardot watched, his green eyes widening. “Stop! Come back!” He reached out towards her with his three-clawed paw.

Penny ignored him, continuing to race to her mother. She watched as her mom prepared to strike again. She felt her mind fill with horror, her eyes bulging more. She ran as fast as she could. When she got close enough, she did something she never thought she’d do against her own mother.

She pulled her fist back and, as her mom turned to look at her, she slammed her fist against her cheek. Her mom cried out pain and staggered back away from Mr. Longhorn. The man managed to climb to his feet, stumbling a little as he tried to regain his footing. As he rubbed his head, Penny felt her foot get caught on something and she tripped forward. She hit against her mother, who was still holding her cheek, and the two fell into the ground.

Mr. Longhorn took quick notice of this. “Penny!”

Penny turned her head at Mr. Longhorn, but this proved to be a mistake. Her mom, angered and clearly taking advantage of the situation, suddenly seized her by the neck. Penny gagged, whimpering in pain as she was slammed into the ground, her mother pinning her down. Her mom glared at her almost hatefully as she applied pressure to her neck. Penny opened her mouth and struggled to breathe.

“Perhaps the black chalk was wrong about you. Maybe you aren’t useful after all.” Mrs. Sanchez said as she continued choking her own daughter. “Well don’t worry. I can’t take care of that little problem.” With that, she tightened her grip.

Penny continued struggling frantically on the ground, her legs kicking, her mouth open trying to take in a breath. But it was useless, and soon, she could feel the world around her begin to darken and distort.


	190. She Was Your Daughter

Bardot watched the scene, his body frozen, unsure of what to do. Of all the things he thought were going to happen, this scene in particular wasn’t what he was expecting. His mind was conflicted. There was still enough red chalk in him to cause some hesitation, and he found himself fighting against his own mind trying to figure out what to do.

He could just do nothing. He wasn’t sure if he could be of much help. He was still injured and weak. The blue parts filling his weakened outline might help, but he was still not in tip top shape. He could still be easily taken down if he tried anything drastic. And yet, there was that one part of him that surfaced up recently who didn’t want to just sit around and do nothing. This part of him was more adventurous, less cautious, and wanted to take up the challenge. Only time would tell which part of his mind he’d end up answering.

In the meantime, as he had this internal debate, he watched the scene unfold in front of him. His eyes darted from side to side as he took in all the details, and it was not hard for him to tell just what was going on and what was about to happen.

Mrs. Sanchez was choking Penny. She had managed to knock her into the ground and was choking her. She was not paying attention to anything else. She looked so angry, Bardot wondered if she had lost track of her surroundings. She wasn’t paying attention to Mr. Longhorn, who was taking action. The man was limping, and making a few grunts of pain, but that hadn’t drawn the woman’s attention. This allowed the man to get closer without her realizing it.

Bardot could tell Penny was still alive. Unconscious, but alive. Her body was giving a few twitches, as if her weakened brain were trying to find some way of escape. Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes blazed in anger and it was clear that she likely didn’t fully realize what she was doing. A part of Bardot wondered if Mrs. Sanchez would come to her senses, but he didn’t want to hold his breath; it was unlikely that she would considering the black chalk is controlling her.

As he watched Mr. Longhorn crept closer, Bardot continued arguing with himself on what he should do. Should he try to help Penny? He had helped out Mr. Wilter. He had been more or less fine with the idea of helping his old enemies, so what was the problem now? Why was he so uncertain to do anything right now? Why was he considering just leaving her there this time?

He knew why. Old habits died hard. Despite the fact he lost most of his red chalk half, he still had a desire, a taste, for human flesh. There was a part of him, the more feral side, who was excited to see Penny die so he cold dine on her flesh. This habit was the reason why it was difficult for him to help her in this situation, and probably a contributing factor in what made him hesitant before. A part of him wanted Penny to die, and was pulling at his mind, trying to make him stop moving, and just watch.

Bardot couldn’t deny it. Watching Penny struggling to breathe, watching her twitch and jerk from side to side, it was exciting. It was stimulating his predator side, and he found himself focusing on her face. His pupils dilated, taking in more information, and watched her. He took on a posture like a predator stalking its quarry. He looked at Penny like she was a prey of his. He dug his claws into the ground, his tail swishing from side to side, eagerly watching. Yes, yes...he liked this struggling. He could feel his mouth start to drool, saliva dripping from his lips.

Oh the flavor humans have... It was so...delicious. It was unlike anything he’s ever had in ChalkZone. Even though he’s eaten only five humans, that was enough for him to fall in love with the flavor. If he just waited, he would be able to eat human flesh again, and he couldn’t be blamed for it, since he wasn’t the one who killed her. He started to move forward slowly, his desire for meat increasing. He just had to wait a little longer. Just a little more...

Then Wilter’s and Jenny’s words flooded his head. Bardot could hear their words buzzing around inside his skull. He recalled the words spoken to him so clearly, like the daylight that was overhead, so obvious and blatant.

“Saying it’s too late to change is just an excuse not to make the effort.”

Yes, he remembered those words well. At them, Bardot found himself pausing for a second. His eyes widened a little as the phrase buzzed around his head. At it, he was instantly reminded of the progress of he had made since he lost most of his red chalk self. He started to feel a pang in his stomach, a sensation he recognized as something he hardly felt years ago.

Guilt.

Bardot’s hesitation didn’t last long, however. He soon started to walk forward again, a little slower this time. His eyes focused on Penny’s twitching body, time around him seemingly slowing down. He didn’t fully understand why he felt guilty. It wasn’t like he was going to kill Penny; it would be her mother. All he would do was eat her. So why feel bad if he wasn’t partaking in any action towards her demise?

It was because he wasn’t doing anything. And he realized that such an act would make him just as responsible. He was making a conscious decision not to do anything, and that decision, if Mr. Longhorn failed to save her, would result in her death. After what he had said, his apology, was this really the appropriate response...?

Despite that, he was still moving forward. He could still feel his saliva dripping out of his mouth eagerly. Then something else happened. The other words came to focus, the ones that Jenny spoke.

“I’ll just let Ghadir eat you alive... Yes, that will be pretty fun to watch. You’ll be in so much pain by then, I doubt you’ll notice a little more.”

This is what made Bardot freeze entirely. He had his paw reached out forward as he was preparing to take another step. Hearing that phrase echo in his mind sent chills down his spine. He remembered how he was going to be eaten by Ghadir. He remembered how bone chilling it was, the idea of someone from another dimension wanting to eat him. And here he was, about to do the same thing to Penny. Before, this wouldn’t have bothered him, but now...

Bardot shook his head, snapping himself out of the trance he was in before. He stared at where Penny was being held down, his breathing uneasy. He stared at his outstretched paw and, clenching his teeth, he brought it back down. He sat down on his haunches, his mind racing. He looked left and right, trying to sort out his thoughts. He didn’t have much time before he heard a shout.

“Let her go!”

Bardot swung his head in the direction of the voice. He could see Mr. Longhorn had grabbed onto Mrs. Sanchez. She was hardly reacting to the man. She struggled a little, but her narrowed eyes were still focused on Penny, who, by now, had gone completely still. Mrs. Sanchez was baring her teeth, anger practically radiating off her body. This was a frightening sight, and it made him take a step back.

He couldn’t help but feel impressed when Mr. Longhorn was able to pull Mrs. Sanchez off of Penny. The black chalk controlled woman then turned her attention on the man. Before Mr. Longhorn could react, the woman slammed against him, and now the two were wrestling with each other across the floor. Bardot watched, his ears pricked up, as the two rolled across the grass. Mr. Longhorn seemed to be holding up well enough, but he knew that, at any second, that could change.

As Mr. Longhorn gained the upperhand and put Mrs. Sanchez into a headlock, Bardot turned his attention back to Penny. He walked a few steps towards her cautiously, his eyes scanning her body, looking for any signs of movement. He couldn’t see anything, not even a rise and fall of the chest. He felt a weird sensation in the pit of his stomach as he wondered if she was still alive.

He quickened his pace and soon he reached her side. He looked all around her body, again looking for any signs of life. He didn’t see anything, just a still form. He bit his lip. He could feel a weird sensation clenching at his chest as he continued looking for any signs that she was still alive. He could sense his searchings growing more frantic as the seconds passed. He moved a little closer and laid the side of his head against her unmoving chest. He listened around for any kind of heartbeat.

There was nothing.

Bardot’s eyes widened, and he felt his own heart rate continue. Had...had his hesitation to help cause this? Bardot felt that same feeling from before, guilt, clawing its way at his chest and he found himself shaking his head in denial. He had tortured this girl years ago and she survived. She...couldn’t have...

But it wasn’t just him. Mr. Longhorn reacted too slowly, too. He was too late. He was just as much to blame. He... No... Bardot shook his head. He should have moved faster. They both should have. Mr. Longhorn had the excuse of being injured, and limping. He was moving as fast as he could. Bardot could move faster than him even with a limp. He should have...

Bardot shook his head and he positioned himself over Penny. He couldn’t believe what he was about to do. He had never done this for anyone. He knew the procedure, but never once carried it out before. He never had a reason to. Even now, a part of him didn’t know why. That didn’t stop him from acting. He delayed himself earlier and got Penny into this condition. He was not going to make the same mistake again.

Bardot used his claws to gently pry open Penny’s mouth. He stared at it for a few seconds, then he lowered his head to perform something he bet would come to a shock to anyone who knew him.

CPR.

Bardot exhaled, pumping his breath into Penny’s windpipe. He then pressed his paws against her chest and started to pump down hard. He repeated this, switching between breathing into her and pushing down on her chest. He constantly alternated, never slowing down as time passed. He ignored the pain he felt when her saliva touched him. He just kept blowing air and pushing on her ribcage, only stopping once in a while to see if it was working.

But it wasn’t... No matter how long he did it, no matter how much air he got into her, Penny wasn’t breathing, wasn’t moving. He continued to try. He ignored the struggling in the background, ignored the fight between Mrs. Sanchez and Mr. Longhorn. His mind was focused on trying to wake Penny up. But it soon became apparent that...she wasn’t going to get up.

Bardot soon stopped, and sat down on his haunches beside her. He stared down on her unmoving form, his mind racing, trying to think of what to make of this. He constantly scanned her body, wondering perhaps there might be a delayed reaction. He realized how silly that sounded, but that didn’t stop him from looking, trying to see if she started to breathe. But still, nothing. He could feel a pang in his chest at his realization and he lowered his head, taking in slow, deliberate breaths.

He felt a sensation rise up inside of him. One that was leaving his veins burning. A sensation he hadn’t felt near this strong since he lost his temper with Snap years ago. He lifted up his paw, watching it tremble as he formed a fist with it. He tried to push back the emotion, tried to get himself under control.

But it was useless.

Suddenly, without warning, Bardot slammed his fist against Penny’s still chest, striking as hard as he could. “Damn it!” He screeched.

Bardot shot a glare in Mrs. Sanchez’s direction. By this point, she had gotten Mr. Longhorn pinned on the ground. His body shaking with a wave of emotions, Bardot began to rush towards her. Mrs. Sanchez didn’t notice him, and he could see her pulling her fist back, preparing to strike the man.

Bardot increased his speed. His feed pounded against the ground. In that moment, he couldn’t register any pain. His mind was too filled with anger. He wasn’t sure exactly what was going on in his mind. But one thing was clear. Something about Penny going down at the hands of her mom caused something inside of him to snap. There was just something so...sinister about an offspring being taken down by their own parent, something that even left him trembling in its wake.

“You...!” Bardot called out.

Now the woman noticed him. She and Mr. Longhorn turned their heads. Their eyes widened in shock, clearly not expecting to see him barreling down towards them.

Flashing his sharp teeth at her, Bardot cried out, “She was your daughter!”

With that, Bardot lunged into the air, his mouth splitting wide open. Mrs. Sanchez didn’t react in time. Bardot’s body slammed against hers. He rammed his head against her, his paws pressing against her body, the claws entering her skin, piercing the clothing. Mrs. Sanchez let out a scream as she was knocked off of Mr. Longhorn from the force. The man got up onto his knees, panting, eyes wide as he watched in shock as Mrs. Sanchez crashed against her side, Bardot standing on top of her.

Bardot wasted no time. Despite not having any venom, he clamped his jaws onto her shoulder. Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes bulged and she let out a scream. Bardot let out a series of low growls, the fur on his body standing on end. His pupils shrank, narrowing into slits. He didn’t bother to speak. He didn’t think he could; his mind was too filled with anger to think of talking.

Mrs. Sanchez struggled to get him off of her. She tried to push him away, her body thrashing on the ground. Bardot simply adjusted his posture, keeping his teeth sunk into her shoulder. He ignored the pain from the blood being drawn. He ignored the fact that the blood would eventuallyh dissolve his teeth. He just kept biting down on her, his claws digging into her body as he tried to maintain a grip on her. Mrs. Sanchez kept screaming, intermixing with his growls and snarls, his tail twitching with great irritation.

He didn’t notice Mr. Longhorn back on his feet. He didn’t notice the man rushing to Penny’s side. He didn’t notice him trying to check for vital signs himself. All Bardot was aware of right now was Mrs. Sanchez struggling underneath him, his long fangs sunk deep into her shoulder. Nothing else mattered at this point. Nothing else was worth his attention.

Mrs. Sanchez soon laid on her back. She gripped his throat tightly. He gagged, curling his lips back into the snarl as she pushed against him. She soon aided herself with her other hand. He could feel himself being lifted up away from her, his claws slashing her up. Mrs. Sanchez seethed in pain, her teeth bared, but she still pushed against him and soon he was lifted partially up away from her.

But instead of taking this chance to push him off, Mrs. Sanchez asked through clenched teeth, “Wh-Why...do you care? You are..going to kill her yourself...two years ago...”

Bardot spoke, using a similar growly voice as he had with Snap. “That was then and this is now. You are supposed to be her mother! Do you have any idea what you did?!” He pushed down harder on her, ignoring the uncomfortable sensation against his throat. He placed a paw against her arm and dug his claws in. She hissed and loosened her grip, letting him get his face closer to hers. “You killed your own daughter!”

Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes widened at this. At first, it looked almost as though he got through to her, but he knew this not to be the case. Mrs. Sanchez gave him a dark, twisted smile, one that chillingly reminded him of himself, the way he used to be. “So what? The black chalk can still use her. Dead bodies aren’t a problem.”

Bardot widened his eyes at this, and then they narrowed. Growling viciously her, he raised his paw up into the air, poised to strike. “You bitch!”

“Go ahead. Strike me. Show me how you haven’t changed at all.” Mrs. Sanchez said in a cold voice.

At this, Bardot paused for a moment. He regained some of his rational thinking, and he quickly realized what he was about to do. He knew the woman was right. If he struck her now, he would show that he hadn’t changed. He would be acting more like her, the way he had been years ago. He felt that same pang in his chest, and he wondered if he should do this or not.

But he quickly realized just what Mrs. Sanchez was doing. Biding time. She was placing doubts in his head to give her time to counter. And he had realized this too late. Faster than he could expect, Mrs. Sanchez punched him in his shoulder. He turned his head, closing his eyes and letting out a screech as he was knocked off of her. He looked up just as she, now on her feet, tried to stomp on him. He got up and jumped to the side.

“Clever, but not quick enough.” Mrs. Sanchez sneered.

Bardot stood not far from her, his body arched up, his fur standing on end. He swished his tail from side to side, staring at her with his pupils still narrowed into slits. “And you’re quite clever yourself.” He said with a tinge of sarcasm. “Distracting me so you could get in a sneak attack.”

“Hey it worked.” Mrs. Sanchez said. “Didn’t it?”

“Heh.” One side of Bardot’s mouth ticked into a smirk. “Smartass bitch.”

Mrs. Sanchez stared at him intently. “I would watch my tongue if I were you, fuzzy...”

“And what are you going to do if I don’t?” Bardot asked, his mouth forming a complete smile. “Are you going to attack me? Go ahead. I don’t care. I would see it as just karma. Matters not if I live. I’ve done my part. However...” His tail went straight up, a challenge of sorts. Mrs. Sanchez glared at it before turning her gaze onto Bardot’s bright green eyes. “I had expected better behavior from you. Are you really so lost in the black chalk that you cannot stop yourself? Did you really lose that control?”

Mrs. Sanchez picked up the black chalk, which lay nearby, and began to draw with it. Bardot watched, his eyes narrowing. The woman quickly drew a long staff, the end of it sparkling with electricity. Bardot curled his lip up into a snarl as he stared it cautiously. The woman readied it, preparing to strike. Bardot began to sway his body from side to side. If the woman wanted to strike him, she’d have to do it quickly.

Bardot continued his speech since Mrs. Sanchez hadn’t replied. “Well I suppose the black chalk did gain a strong hold on you. Perhaps I should congratulate it? Then again... why should I congratulate something that is so misguided, it doesn’t realize it’s seeking out its own destruction? How could I feel any impressiveness for something that is so ashamed of what it created that it has to start anew instead of working with what it has?”

“How would you know?” Mrs. Sanchez growled. “Is this from experience?”

Bardot paused for a moment. Then he nodded his head stiffly. “Yes...you could say that.” He kept his head in a low position, his ears lowered a little. “I had done a lot of..bad acts myself years ago. I had done things that you, without the black chalk, would have found appalling.” He began to shift his gaze from side to side slowly, not really paying attention to what he was seeing, lost in his thoughts as he recounted some of the things he had done. “I had kidnapped and killed many people, kidnapped your daughter and Rudy. I tortured them, nearly killed them like I had the other five. I still remember the screams of that five year old I hurt so bad.” He froze for a moment, his eyes squeezed shut at the memory. “He kept screaming for his mommy...”

Bardot went silent for a few moments, his mind clouding with the memories of what he had done to the boy. He shook his head, clearing it the best he could. Then he continued.

“I forced Snap to play these ‘games’, forced him into a ‘game of death’. I ripped him into shreds.” Bardot said. His ears lowered even more as another memory entered his mind. “I...hurt Barney badly. Unlike the others, I...kept coming back to him. I kept torturing him again and again. I ripped out his eyes. He had been my biggest victim. I had crossed the line most often with him.” He clenched his teeth, shooting a glare at Mrs. Sanchez. “And all for what? My own personal satisfaction and nothing more. So there you go!”

Mrs. Sanchez stared at him, blinking her eyes. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t get what that has to do with this.” She took a step forward, steadying her electrical weapon. “If you’re done talking..”

Bardot cut her off. “I’ll tell you what it has to do with this. The black chalk is ambitious. It wants to create a new world, but...is it worth it? I used to think my torture was worth it. I had found it...fun. Yet...I can see what a waste it had been, and that’s the nicest thing I can say about it.” He narrowed his eyes further. “But the black chalk... it doesn’t realize that there are better things it could do. Why wipe the plate clean if it can just modify what already exists? Not that it would be incredibly better, but it would still be a more understandable solution that starting from zero again.” He raised his head up a little, his expression softening up. “Don’t you think so?”

Mrs. Sanchez didn’t respond. She kept glaring at him as she began to move towards him with the weapon. As she did this, Bardot’s ears swiveled, catching a sound behind him. It was Mr. Longhorn. He was still struggling to wake up Penny. The sound of this reawakened Bardot’s initial anger against Mrs. Sanchez and he found himself growling lowly.

The two began to circle each other slowly. It must be some unusual sight for anyone close enough to see this. A small zoner like himself pacing around a fully grown human. He kept light on his feet, knowing that at any moment he may have to bolt away. He kept shifting his eyes around, looking at the weapon and Mrs. Sanchez’s feet. He could see, a few times, the woman’s body tensing up as if to attack, but then she’d hesitate. He wondered if she was trying to catch him offguard. She was going to have to try better than that.

“You know, Mrs. Sanchez... As time passes, we all learn something about ourselves. We always learn.” Bardot said, forcing his voice to be calm. It was clear, with how it shook as it left his lips, that it was a facade. “Have you learned anything?”

Mrs. Sanchez looked at him in confusion, taken aback by this weird question. She froze, hesitating. She managed to speak after a few seconds. “Why? Did you learn anything about yourself, Bardot?” The hybrid zoner nodded his head. “Okay...what did you learn?”

Bardot bared his sharp teeth at her. “I learned that I have a new pet peeve.” He raised his hindquarters up, preparing to leap. “And that petpeeve, human...” He spoke the word ‘human’ with a surprising amount of venom. “..is when a parent tries to off their own offspring.”

With that, Bardot lunged into the air. Mrs. Sanchez brought the electrical end down, attempting to strike him. Bardot was more agile than the woman would have thought, more so than he himself thought he was capable of at this point. He twisted his body in the air, feeling the electrical end graze underneath him. He winced as he felt part of his fur nearly sizzle when that thing came close to him.

Before he landed on the ground, he bit down onto the staff. His teeth clanged against the hard surface that made up the handle. Mrs. Sanchez grunted as she tried to wrench it free from his jaws. Bardot swung around, biting down hard, refusing to let go. Soon he felt his feet touch the ground and he and the woman engaged in a kind of tug-of-war.

“Give this back!” Mrs. Sanchez demanded.

As much as he would have loved to answer that, Bardot knew he couldn’t unless he let go of the staff. He pulled backwards, growling loudly. His claws pressed against the hard dirt as he gripped the ground tightly, trying to maintain some kind of footing. His narrowed eyes stared up at the woman, meeting her eyes. The two locked gazes on each other, each staring the other down as if trying to use will power to make the other submit. It didn’t work and the two just kept pulling and tugging.

Bardot could feel himself start to lose his grip. Mrs. Sanchez might not look like much, but she was surprisingly strong. He felt himself being yanked forward. He pulled back as hard as he could, but his teeth felt like they were going to get ripped out. He couldn’t keep this up forever. He had to do something, and fast.

He picked up his feet one at a time and slammed them against the ground. As he reestablished his footing, he tightened his grip on the staff. Mrs. Sanchez growled, struggling to pull harder. Bardot darted his eyes around, looking for an opportunity. Then he saw it. The woman was starting to lift up her foot. Bardot immediately took advantage of it. Mustering as much strength as he could in his neck, he yanked back hard, twisting his body onto his hind legs and to the side.

The sudden pull caused Mrs. Sanchez to trip over her feet. She stumbled forward as she struggled to regain her footing. As she fell, she lost her grip on the staff. Bardot found himself being flung to the side as the sudden release of the electrical weapon sent him flying. He crashed into the ground, letting out a couple groans. He looked at his side, noticing the weapon laid next to him. He inched away when he realized the electrical end was dangerously close to his skin. He got up, taking in a few quick breaths, then looked over at Mrs. Sanchez.

“She’s alive!”

Bardot’s body stiffened at this, his ears pricking up. That joyful cry had come from Mr. Longhorn.

“Penny’s still alive!”

Mrs. Sanchez had her head turned. She was looking at Mr. Longhorn in shock. Her expression was difficult to read. It was hard to tell if she was happy or angry with this news. She didn’t respond. All she did was stare at Mr. Longhorn, who was holding Penny in his arms. The girl was letting out pitiful coughs.

Bardot took this opportunity. With Mrs. Sanchez distracted, he grabbed onto the electrical staff, pointing the sparkling end towards her. He then began to run towards her as fast as he could, still holding the staff in his teeth. Despite how heavy it was, he still managed to drag it at a considerable pace. Mrs. Sanchez did start to turn her head, but by then, it was too late. Bardot got close enough and he pulled his head back and swung his head forward, sending the staff flying in the woman’s direction. It made contact against her leg.

Mrs. Sanchez let out a series of screams as arcs of electricity coursed through her body. Mr. Longhorn looked on with wide eyes as Mrs. Sanchez was electrocuted. Bardot winced at this, knowing just how painful it was to be shocked like this. He took a few steps back, flattening his ears. The woman’s screams got louder, filling his ears and echoing in his skull.

Mrs. Sanchez’s body jerked from side to side, her eyes bulging wide open as the elecricity continued to course through her veins. Parts of her skin were starting to burn. Bardot could smell it from here. Tears of pain strolled down her cheeks as she tried to cope with the pain. It was becoming hard to see the woman as the electricity illuminated her body brighter, its wavy arcs wrapping around her like she was some kind of present. The woman was trying to get the staff off, but it was clear she could not. The electricity had many of her muscles locked down, and she was unable to move much. She was forced to just stand there as the electricity continued to burn her from the inside out.

“Mrs. Sanchez!” Mr. Longhorn cried, his eyes wide in horror. He set Penny on the ground. “H-Hold on!”

Bardot couldn’t take it anymore. Before Mr. Longhorn could react, Bardot rushed forward as fast as he could. He kept his eyes squinted so he wouldn’t be blinded by the light. As soon as he reached her, he lifted up his paw. He struck down as hard as he could. He flinched when part of the electricity went through him. He jumped back and watched as the staff fell into the ground with a thud. He stared at it, the end still sparkling. He then looked on as Mrs. Sanchez’s body twitched violently, a wide-eyed almost black expression of pain etched on her face. She quickly lost her footing, eyes closed.

Mr. Longhorn rushed forward and caught her in his arms. He held onto her as he lowered himself to the ground. He stroked the unconscious woman’s hair as he felt around her neck for a pulse. His eyes were wide and Bardot wondered if he had made a horrible mistake. But to his surprise, Mr. Longhorn’s expression shifted to that of relief. He sighed slowly, saying ‘whew’ as he continued to cradle the woman in his arms.

“That was a dangerous stunt you pulled.” Mr. Longhorn said, his eyes narrowed. “Do you have any idea what you could have done?”

Bardot winced. He nodded his head. “Yes, I know. But what else could have I have done?” He gestured with his paw. “I had to do...something to keep her from...”

Mr. Longhorn spat at him, “You could have thought of something else!”

Bardot growled softly. “Ungrateful bastard...”

“Hey, if you want to be useful, go check on Penny. She’s waking up.” Mr. Longhorn said to him in a stern voice. From the tone of his voice, it was clear Mr. Longhorn wasn’t exactly all that trusting of him, and the only reason he was even giving the order was because there wasn’t much choice. “Tend to her.” That part was said with a hint of disbelief, as if he had been debating with himself whether or not he should give that order.

Bardot stared at him for a few seconds. The man was attempting to wake up Mrs. Sanchez, a feat that Bardot wasn’t sure was a good idea. Nonetheless, he did what he was told. He looked over in Penny’s direction and walked up towards her slowly. He made sure to take his time, not wanting to startle her. Given what he had done to her in the past, waking up to his face would probably not be the best thing for her.

When he got to her side, her eyes were starting to flutter open. He kept some distance, sitting down on his haunches and watching her carefully. Soon her eyes were open. Her confused, dark brown eyes looked around, a low moan escaping her lips.

“Wh-What happened...?” Penny asked. She attempted to get up.

“Take it easy. You...” Bardot was about to say she died, but he held back, knowing that Penny’s confused and muggy mind might misinterpret that. He quickly reworded, “You nearly died.” He wasn’t used to talking like this, but then, there was a first for everything.

“I...did..?” Penny managed to sit up. She wobbled a little. Bardot moved forward quickly enough, positioning himself behind her so that her body leaned against his. He provided support for her as she rubbed her head, clearly a little light-headed. “Why does my neck hurt?”

Bardot said, “That has to do with what happened. I don’t know if now is a good time considering your..condition.” Bardot paused for a moment. “But I could tell you what happened now...or would you rather wait?”

Penny shook her head, widening her eyes a little and then blinking them. She put a hand to hear forehead as she tried to regain her thoughts. “J-Just tell me...”

“All right then.” Bardot said. Then he began the short story.

sss

“Oh how are we going to do this, Joe?” Mrs. Sanchez said. “I don’t know how much longer we can keep this up. And Rudy...”

“I know, Milly.” Mr. Tabootie said. In his arms, he carried the unconscious form of their eighteen year old son. “Just keep moving! I...I’ll think of something!”

“I wish those other three didn’t just leave us like this. If they had stayed, we may have gotten out of here faster.” Mrs. Tabootie lamented. She narrowed her eyes as a thought seemed to come to her. “Well I could have dealt without Bardot.”

Mr. Tabootie nodded in understanding. “I know. I don’t know if I can trust him, after what he’s done. But you and I can both agree on one thing: he isn’t what we should be worried about right now.”

It was true. The man was correct on that. It didn’t matter how much they hated Bardot. It didn’t matter how screwed up Bardot had acted in the past. There was no denying that he isn’t the current threat right now. He couldn’t even do much to harm them in his condition. And even he was terrified of what they should be worried about right now. Bardot might have been cruel, but to know that he, even before he was captured by the black chalk artists, was even terrified of this danger, it was an uncomfortable realization.

Snap did his best to keep up with Rudy’s parents. It was difficult running with just one arm. He felt so off balanced. If he tripped, he would have only one arm to regain that balance, and he knew that would be difficult. If he were signaled out, he could be easily taken advantage of. A single arm was not going to get him very far in a fight, and even with both arms, how was he going to compete with this?

Behind them, they were being chased by Jenny and Cosmo, and by extension, Nihilanth. They were getting close, and it would be just a matter of time before they caught up with them. He knew what their target was. They wanted to get Rudy. Snap was certain that they still wanted to use Rudy as a seeder, a spreader. Even though Cosmo was now Nihilanth’s vessel, he had overhead them shout things that strongly suggested that Nihilanth ultimately decided that Rudy should still be the seeder. And he could be that alive....or dead.

Snap gazed at Rudy for a second. The boy was still unconscious. The gash in his stomach still blood rapidly. It didn’t slow down much and they didn’t have tome to try to stop the bleeding now. If they stopped for anything, they would be captured, and Rudy would never get the help that he required.

Seeing Rudy like this made Snap’s mind race with horrible thoughts. He couldn’t believe that he might end up losing Rudy after all. He had just gotten him back from the black chalk. He had just gone a few days, forced to watch Rudy do terrible things while under the control of the black chalk. And now he may end up losing him again. It just wasn’t fair... Why did this have to happen to him?

“I don’t get...why you’re still...running..” Jenny called out to them with heavy pants. “Sooner or...later...we..will get...your son!”

Mr. Tabootie, not bothering to look back, shouted a retort, “You will have to pry him from our cold, dead fingers first!”

“We will not allow you to use our son for anything you have planned!” Mrs. Tabootie shouted, agreeing with her husband’s sentiments. “Rudy is not some tool to be wielded!”

“That’s funny.” Jenny sneered. “That’s what...he looks like...to me...”

“Calm yourself, Jenny. Save some breath. You’re working yourself too hard.” Cosmo said before the woman could get another word in. She merely glanced at him and nodded. The redhead turned his attention back to their quarry. “We’re willing to negotiate a....deal of sorts. Maybe we should stop somewhere to discuss probable terms..? We don’t need to fight over this.”

Snap growled at this. “Screw you! You only want to make us stop so that you can get a hold of Rudy! Not happening!”

“Oh that’s being a little harsh, don’t you think, you blue runt?” Mr. Cosmo asked teasingly. “I would have thought you would be interested in..alternatives. Sometimes the best outcome will still come with..sacrifices.”

Snap was appalled by this. He clenched his teeth tightly, lips pulled up enough to expose them. He couldn’t believe that Mr. Cosmo expected them to fall for that. Why would they stop to try to negotiate any terms with him? It wasn’t like he ever did anything to prove he was trustworthy. He was an absolute monster, who showed no remorse for what he had done. Snap still remembered vividly the pain that the man inflicted upon him, for no other reason than just to break him.

Mr. Cosmo continued, breaking the short-lived silence. “I know you are concerned about...Rudy there. I promise that if you stop, my associate and I will...tend to his needs. It’s a simple fix, really.” There was a brief pause. Snap guessed that he was trying to think of something else he could add, perhaps to sound more appealing. “I can guarantee...no one will ever hurt your son again.”

“Do you think we’re stupid?!” Mrs. Tabootie cried. She glanced over her shoulder, staring at them with one eye. Snap could see all the anger and hate radiate off those eyes of hers. “The only reason she’s in pain is because your gawd damn associate there hurt him!”

Jenny smirked at this. “Are you really that...upset still? You should thank me I didn’t kill...him.”

“You...bitch!” Mrs. Tabootie’s eyes blazed in hatred. Then she turned.

“Wait! Millie!” Mr. Tabootie cried, but it was too late.

Mr. Tabootie and Snap watched in horror as the large woman, her body shaking in rage, turned around completely. She made a blind dash towards Jenny. The act took everyone by surprise, even their pursuers. Cosmo stopped dead in his tracks and looked on with an expression of confusion and curiosity. Jenny slowed down, not coming to a full stop. She stared as the woman barreled down towards her. Before she could react, Mrs. Tabootie pushed against her, knocking her into the ground.

Mrs. Tabootie pinned the woman on the ground. She didn’t attempt to attack her, like Snap had feared. He was glad that the woman was able to keep calm enough not to do that. But he still feared for her. Such an act might have made things worse. He watched, his body frozen in shock and fear, as Mrs. Tabootie held Jenny on the ground, her hands gripping her shoulders.

“Get. Away.” Mrs. Tabootie said through clenched teeth.

Jenny struggled on the ground. She squirmed from side to side, trying to escape. She gripped the woman’s arms tightly, pressing her nails against the skin. She narrowed her eyes at Mrs. Tabootie. “After all this time? After all this planning? You really don’t understand. I suggest you learn a thing or two before you decide to attack someone like that. You never know what you might run into...”

Mr. Tabootie’s face paled when he saw Jenny pull out the butcher knife, still stained with Rudy’s blood. “Millie! Get out of there!” He rushed forward.

Snap joined in. He ran as fast as he could, hoping that he and Joe would get there before the knife could plunge into the woman’s body. Jenny had gripped her arm tightly, securing it in place. Mrs. Tabootie might be larger, but in this moment, that did her no good as the evil woman pressed the knife against her, threatening to slice it open. His heart pounding against his chest, he struggled to move faster.

Mr. Tabootie managed to get there before much damage was done. Jenny could only manage a smal, shallow cut on Mrs. Tabootie’s arm before she was yanked back. Mr. Tabootie grabbed her by the arm wielding the weapon and threw her to the side. As Jenny crashed into the ground, he wasted no time. He dove towards her, wrapping his arms around her body, and slammed her down. Jenny let out a cry of pain and began to struggle against him, her legs kicking at the air wildly.

Snap tried to provide some help to the Tabooties, but it was not to be. He gagged as a force suddenly yanked him upwards. His scarf pressed up against his throat roughly, cutting off oxygen supply for a brief moment. Snap dangled there, his eyes wide, as he stared into Mr. Cosmo’s gaze. The man held him not far from him, eyeing him up and down like he were some dirty ragdoll he found. Snap gripped his hand and attempted to pry himself free. The man chuckled at his vain efforts, increasing in volume and emotion when Snap tried to kick and punch him.

“Ah, Snap. I remember you.” Mr. Cosmo commented. “I see you still have a lot of spirit in you, even in spite having a little...modification to your body.” He reached forward and scratched Snap’s chin like he were some kind of animal. “I wonder if you would still be a joy to break.” Snap widened his eyes at this. “You would make a good slave.”

“No!” Snap cried as he attempted to swing another punch at him.

Mr. Cosmo merely moved his head to the side. Snap’s fist missed him. Mr. Cosmo grinned at the frowning zoner. “I never said you could choose.” His blue-grey eyes skimmed along his body until they rested on what remained of his left arm. He placed his hand against it, rubbing it lightly. Snap cringed at this unwanted gesture. “I am not sure what good you will be with just one arm. You should have been more careful. Tsk, tsk, tsk.” The man shook his head. “You should have known better than to run off, getting yourself hurt.”

Snap’s struggles increased. “The only reason I lost my arm was because of your stupid mind control nail!”

“Oh?” Mr. Cosmo looked confused at first. It was hard to tell if it was genuine or not. Then his eyes twinkled. “Oh yes, of course. That.” He continued running his hand along what was left of Snap’s left arm, caressing it gently. “It was such a wonderful invention of mine. I wish I thought of it sooner.” He moved his hand up and began to rub his thumb against Snap’s forehead. “I see you got rid of yours. I imagine you had an easier time than your...counterpart did.”

Snap clenched his teeth as he felt the man’s thumb against his forehead. His mind flashed back images of when the nail was pushed into him. The dull pain returned, moving through his skull and making him let out a small, quick whimper. It had taken him a long time before the horrible pain had finally died down. He recalled that he needed some kind of plate put into him since Cosmo’s actions left a large hole in his skull. The plate served as a horrific reminder of what he had been put through.

Snap managed to grab onto the man’s hand. Using whatever strength he could, he pushed the arm down. Surprisingly, Cosmo allowed him to do this without a problem. This was of little comfort to the zoner. This was a telltale sign that the man was so confident and certain that he thought nothing he did was going ot stop him. Snap wanted to prove him wrong so badly, but before he could make a move, he was cut off by a scream.

Snap’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Mrs. Tabootie laying on the ground. Her body was shaking. He looked around her, frantically looking for evidence of any kind of wound. He was somewhat relieved when he found nothing serious, and concluded that she had been simply kicked in the stomach. But he didn’t dismiss it, knowing that, in order for her to be on the ground, in that much pain, the kick had to have been quite hard.

He could see Jenny standing over her, looking peeved off. She had her foot slighlty raised off the ground, confirming Snap’s suspicions. He felt a jab of fear in his chest when Jenny raised the knife up, preparing to stab her.

“No!” Snap cried. He struggled, trying to get free. “Leave her alone!”

Luckily, Mr. Tabootie, who was only on the ground for a short while, recovered. He staggered up to his feet. He held his shin, rubbing it lightly, before he darted towards Jenny. He grabbed her arms and pushed back against her. As this struggle went on, Snap looked around, trying to find where Rudy had been put. He soon spotted him on the ground not far. He looked a little dirtied up, but for the most part, he was fine.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t been the only one who spotted him.

Mr. Cosmo stared at Rudy, his eyes twinkling with intent. He glanced at Snap for a moment, and then threw him across the ground. Snap screamed as he rolled across the dirt. He pushed himself up on his hand, coughing painfully. Shaking his head and clear off some of the dirt from it, he looked over and saw Mr. Cosmo rushing towards Rudy’s fallen form. Snap felt his heart drop like a bomb.

“No!” Snap shouted, his eyes wide in terror. He got up and rushed over as quickly as he could.

Mrs. Tabootie got up, and wobbled from side to side. She, too, had taken notice to what was going on. She gasped in horror, putting her hands to her mouth. “Rudy!” She shrieked as she ran along behind Snap, quickly gaining on him. “Get away from him, you monster!”

Mr. Tabootie turned his head, looking on in horror. He seemed to realize what a mistake he had made in putting Rudy down. Before he could say anything, Jenny took clear advantage of him looking away and pushed him against a nearby tree. Mr. Tabootie hissed as he felt the rough bark scratch up against his back. He opened up his eyes and glared at Jenny, his fingers wrapped around her arm.

Snap got close enough to jump towards Mr. Cosmo. His feet left the ground and he sailed through the air. He latched onto the man’s back with his one arm. He gripped tightly as he wrapped his feet around him. The man gave a surprised grunt, but nonetheless kept moving. He was getting closer to Rudy. He had to figure out a way to stop him before....

A loud scream caught his attention. He looked behind him as Cosmo kept moving. Mrs. Tabootie had frozen in her tracks. But it wasn’t she who had screamed; she was reacting to the scream. Her horror-filled eyes looked on as Jenny, still holding Mr. Tabootie against the tree, raised the butcher knife.

“Joe!” Mrs. Tabootie cried.

At this, Jenny brought the knife down and a loud scream filled the air. Snap’s body shivered, cold fear rushing through it. His mind raced, trying to think of what he should do. He then managed to look away from the bloody sight long enough to see Mr. Cosmo had nearly reached Rudy. In desperation, the zoner bit down on the man’s shoulder as hard as he could. Mr. Cosmo’s scream joined Mr. Tabootie’s in an eerie, uncomfortable echo.

Mr. Cosmo stopped in his tracks. He remained frozen there, his eyes shut and teeth clenched in pain. He turned his attention to Snap, narrowing his eyes. He gripped onto the zoner’s throat and yanked him away. He held Snap up in the air, letting the zoner see the fallen form of Mr. Tabootie more clearly, Mrs. Tabootie trying to help him up and Jenny having been knocked into the ground again.

“Perhaps now...would be a good time to...up the anty..”

Snap felt his heart beat quickly, nearly bursting in his chest, as Mr. Cosmo’s eyes began to glow white and black, just like Rudy’s had before he...

Snap let out a terror-filled scream, frantically yelling at the Tabooties to get away. But his warning had come too late. Mr. Cosmo’s body began to glow, the black and white light surrounding his body and he rapidly grew in size. Snap could feel the hand around him grow more scaly, large, and muscular. He gagged as he felt a large claw against his throat, pressing against it, threatening to slice it open.

Two long tails jetted out from behind the man, and they slammed into the ground as hard as they could. Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie screamed and they jumped out of the way. Jenny moved back as well, her eyes wide. She knew, regardless of this individual being on her side or not, getting caught under those tails may be the last mistake she’ll ever make.

Snap soon found himself being held several feet into the air. He frantically tried to squirm himself out of the dragon’s grasp, but it was no use. The two massive heads, newly formed, glared down at him. The glowing black and white eyes pierced through his soul.

“Still think you can save your little friend?” Nihilanth asked, his voice sounding louder than normal. “We told you Rudy Tabootie would be ours. He still has a purpose to serve for us, and you...are not going to get in the way of that.” He looked down at Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie, and then back at Snap. “But we’re a sporting deity. We will allow you to make the first move. Make it a good one, blue runt. This is the only free shot you get.”

Snap just stared at the dragon, his breathing quickening. His mind raced through several thoughts. What was he going to do?


	191. More Clever Than I Thought

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to come back here..?”

“Yeah. We might not be the brightest of zoners. We may not make the best decisions. But even we know this might be a suicidal mission. Perhaps we should turn back...”

Howdy tried to ignore the constant questions the Doofi were sending him. He tried to focus on keeping quiet, hoping that they would follow suit. But though they did whisper, they never completely stopped talking. Even as he tried to focus on moving through the pathways, drawing as little attention as possible, it was clear that Doofus Rudy and Doofus Penny weren’t going to stop talking anytime soon. Their questions buzzed around his head, nearly clouding it.

He knew that his idea was not a very bright one. He knew the risk of coming here. He knew he could be completely wrong. But what else could he do? Okay that was a dumb question to ask himself. There were a number of things he could be doing right now, and he just so happened to chose the riskiest idea that he had.

But he felt it might be worth it in the end. Maybe they could find something here that could slow down the black chalk artists. Maybe they could hinder them somehow. This place was left completely unguarded. They weren’t going to run into any resistance, least of all Cosmo. He and the Doofi saw him running after the others, who fled this place in a heartbeat as soon as they could. They themselves had escaped as well, but he decided to come back because he hoped that there was something here he could use to throw a wrench in the black chalk artist’s plans.

“Come on, Penny is right.” Doofus Rudy said, his voice holding more caution than Howdy thought was possible. This might have acted stupid sometimes, but even he recognized a threat to his life when he saw one. “We should get out of here. What if those bad people come back?”

Howdy paused for a moment. “Then we will fight them.”

“What?” Doofus Penny stared at him in shock. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Howdy understood her and Doofus Rudy’s confusion at his statement. Howdy shocked even himself with it. He wasn’t one for violence. He wasn’t one to stand and fight. It just wasn’t in his nature to do so. He preferred non-violent solutions. But...times can change, and sometimes, circumstances prevent themselves that won’t allow him to find another way, no matter how hard he tried. They all had to do something they didn’t want to sometimes, especially when it came to survival.

He remembered all too well how Ghadir had hunted him down. She chased him and she managed to trap him in a maze. She grabbed him and bit into his shoulder. That area still echoed in the agony she inflicted on him, making him flinch. The memory, being only a few days old, still haunted him. He could have tried to fight back then, but his kind nature didn’t allow for it. He was not going to let that happen to him again. This time, if he were attacked, he would do what it took to survive.

“It’s either that, or we could end up dead.” Howdy said. His voice was a little more stern than how he usually spoke. “Which would you rather be?”

The Doofi glanced at each other nervously. They looked back at him, not responding, but they didn’t need to in order for Howdy to understand they got the message. Like him, neither of them wanted to die. They were clearly reluctant, and this didn’t surprise Howdy. He wasn’t sure if he could really take a swing at someone. Yet, as he reminded himself bitterly, sometimes life has a way of forcing its hand.

“Come on. Let’s get going. We might find something of interest here.” Howdy said, pushing past the Doofi and continued walking. The Doofi followed close behind him.

“Do..do you think that the human Rudy is...” Doofus Penny’s voice trailed off.

“Don’t worry. He’ll be okay.” Doofus Rudy said, attempting to comfort her.

Doofus Penny didn’t answer, her face still looking forelorn. Howdy understood why she felt like this. She still blamed herself for what happened to Rudy. He had taken the blow for her, and as a result, got mortally wounded. He hoped that she would come to realize that it wasn’t her fault, but he had a feeling that guilt was going to remain with her for a while. He was glad that Doofus Rudy was doing what he could to comfort her.

The three zoners continued to move through the hallways of the Solar Pillars. Howdy looked left and right, noting the details, the smooth walls, sometimes rough surfaces, and how some areas were barely lit, having just black lights to guide the way. The purplish hues of those black light hallways gave him cold chills, reminding him of the threat that the black chalk artists pose. Even without them here, he could sense their aura, this place giving off a vibe that nearly made him stop walking a few times.

Still, they all pressed on. They couldn’t allow the chilliness of the place stop them. They tried not to think about how this place was a large weapon that could target any area of ChalkZone, wiping it off the map. They tried not to think about how this place used to house countless black chalk artists. They tried to ignore the fact that a lot of white chalk artists were dragged here and tortured. Yet, it was difficult to do so, and their minds became flooded with horrific thoughts.

They were aware of what happened here. They had heard what the zoners had said, what Rudy, Penny, and Snap had said. They may not have witnessed the terror, but they weren’t ignorant. Even the Doofi, noted for their bizarre behavior, knew when things were serious and were unnerved by these uncomfortable facts. They continued their trek, doing whatever they could to manage the horrific thoughts entering their heads.

Howdy had no idea how long they had been walking. He couldn’t tell just where they were. They could be anywhere in the pillars. With no outside light coming in, they could be above the ground, or even below it, and they wouldn’t even know. This unnerved the puppet zoner further. Without knowing how deep they were in the Solar Pillars, what if they were somehow attacked? Where would they go? They hadn’t found any place that appeared particularly safe.

Soon they reached a three way intersection and they stopped. They looked around, trying to figure out which way to go. All three hallways looked the same. All were lit with just black lights, although they could see a brighter light at the end of one. They looked at each other and then, nodding their heads, they headed down.

They moved slowly and cautiously. They couldn’t see that well in the dark light and they were all aware that if there was a threat present here, they wouldn’t be able to see them in time. They could simply use the blue chalk to light the way, but Howdy felt that would have made things worse. The brighter light could draw attention to themselves. As much as it unnerved him, the puppet knew they had to keep moving in the dark. There was still enough light that they could see any obstacles that might be in the way.

Moving through this hallway did make him feel even colder than before. The menacing aura, no doubt largely from the black chalk, weighed down all around him and the others. The atmosphere was so thick, it could be cut with a knife. And it was only getting worse the further they went in. Even any light they would encounter, even the bright one coming up, was frightening to him. There was no comfort to be found here. and he knew it was not going to end any time soon.

They soon reached the end of the hallway, which emptied out into a brightly lit room. Howdy and the Doofi had to shield their eyes. They turned away from the bright light for a few moments as they walked into the room. They blinked their eyes a few times as they tried to adjust them. Slowly, they turned around and stared at the room they had just entered.

The room was pretty large, round and tall in shape, though still had some sharp edges to it. It was sort of like a box that had been fused with a circle. Kind of, sort of. There were rows of bright white lights above them, so intense that they could feel the heat, even with how high the arched ceiling was. The room looked like it was made of marble, carved to near perfection by some kind of tool. The marble was beige in color with some swirls of grey and darker brown. Even the way their feet hit the ground felt different in here.

There were a bunch of machinery in this room. Along the walls, curving to the shape of the room, were multiple computer monitors and towers spread about. There were a number of chairs, and most of the computers had some kind of device to sit on nearby. Surprisingly, there weren’t as many wires as one would think, suggesting a lot of these were wireless. Considering this is ChalkZone, they could see how that was possible.

They walked in a little further, looking left and right, taking in the sight of the room. Even with the cluster of computers, it still felt a little roomy. The many chairs suggested that this place was usually run by more than one person. The computers themselves were small, which made sense, considering that the black chalk artists that terrorized ChalkZone over forty years ago had all been children. Or at least, far as anyone knew. Yet they were still big enough to be of use for any adult black chalk artist, evidenced by one monitor being on.

The three zoners slowly approached this lone monitor. It sat near the middle, away from the other computers. It appeared to be the ‘master computer’ of sorts, in control of all the other ones. Whatever wires there were seemed to connect this computer to the others. Thin wires that were clear. Save for the occasional spark of blue electricity, they were near impossible to see, forcing the zoners to be extra cautious as they got closer.

Howdy moved in front of the Doofi and stared at the monitor. It was a light teal green in color, looking like it was heavily unsaturated. There were a list of what appeared to be locations, such as ‘cannon’, ‘hallway in section 1‘, and ‘basement’. He glanced at the Doofi in confusion and looked back, his eyes skimming around as he tried to make sense of this.

Using the mouse, Howdy began to scroll through, seeing more and more of these locations. It seemed to never end, and for the first time, Howdy really got the scope of how large this place was. It took several minutes before he reached the bottom of the list, and he was no closer to figuring out what was going on.

Out of curiosity, Howdy clicked on the label ‘basement’. There was a low, quick buzz sound, irritating enough that its sudden appearance startled the zoners. Clicking it caused the other stuff to minimize and a new window popped up. They quickly recognized it as a map of the lowest level of the building. It spun around slowly, and it was a 3D model, which meant that the three zoners could see details of all the hallways and tunnels, see exactly what this lower section looked like. Around it were a string of dots that, very slowly, showed the color red, and below it, the phrase ‘offline’ could be read, written in bright red letters.

“Oh my gosh!” Doofus Penny cried, spreading her hands out. “It’s a security system!”

“A security system?” Howdy asked, looking at her in confusion.

Doofus Penny nodded her head enthusiastically. “Yeah!” She pointed at the screen. “You see these here?” She ran her finger in a complete circle, indicating all the red dots that formed around the 3D map. “These are sensors. This place is guarded by some kind of sensor. Might be movement based, or hidden cameras. Regardless, this is a security system, and these computers...” She motioned her hand, indicating the computers all around them. “Control the security around there.”

“Oh wow, Penny! You are so smart!” Doofus Rudy beamed, looking at Doofus Penny longingly.

Howdy didn’t pay any attention to the Doofi, hardly noticing when they gave each other a kiss. His attention was on the computer. Doofus Penny’s words rang in his head, and he looked around. He used the mouse to navigate through other parts of the building. All of them had the same set of dotted rings around them. Without fail, all of them had this same feature.

He wasn’t certain if it could be a security system or not, but he couldn’t think of anything else that would explain it. Doofus Penny was still smart enough to invent a lot of things herself, and she would, out of all of them, have a better idea of this sort of stuff. Her explaination, of the dots being part of a security system, did make sense. It would definitely explain why they were flashing red. If the system were on, he imagined they would be a solid color, perhaps right, and glow red when the system had been breached.

But there was something that didn’t make a lot of sense to him. If this was a security system, then how come it didn’t just show a map of the entire Solar Pillars and have a single option for security? Did the black chalk artists really design this place with multiple levels of independent security? At first, he thought the idea was absurd. But then...perhaps it wasn’t as crazy as he thought. Perhaps the black chalk artists thought that seperating the security was better, allowing them to increase the alerts in certain areas in case prisoners escaped.

He then had another thought. What if the security was indiscriminatory, and went after anyone, regardless of their alliance? That would be another reason the black chalk artists could have made the system like this. They could have just corrected the security system themselves so it wouldn’t attack them, unless.... His eyes widened. Unless they were so determined in keeping this place up and running that they were willing to forego their own safety.

“Go back through the options. There might be one related to this building’s outer portions.”

Howdy looked at Doofus Penny for a few moments, then he turned his gaze to the computer. The outer portions? If his hunch was right, then perhaps Doofus Penny had a point there. Maybe she came to a similar conclusion that he had. The small puppet zoner began to sift through the options like the doppelganger had requested.

It took a little while, but he did eventually locate something that he felt could help them. It had an image of the outside of the Solar Pillars. It was spinning around. Howdy had to keep himself from looking too long to avoid getting a dizzy sensation. He took note of the red dotted line circles spinning around. Unlike other portions he had seen, this was accompanied by some yellow slow flashing. The ground itself is what was doing that. He realized that this security system didn’t affect the building itself, but the area outside. If he were to activate this...

What were he and the Doofi going to do when it came to escaping? Would they be able to get away without the security system attacking them? Then again, he wasn’t sure if the system was tailored to just humans, or if zoners were included. He wasn’t keen on finding out the hard way, but he may end up having no choice. If he turned this system on while the black chalk artists were away, that would give them an edge; they would be banished from their own base, thus slowing them down.

But there was still the issue of them getting out of there. This place was like a maze. They were lucky enough to even find the security system at all. Would they be able to get out of here that easily? There was a chance that they could end up trapped here for a long...

Wait, the maps on the machine. Of course, why didn’t he think of it before? Howdy wanted to slap himself in the face for nearly missing the obvious. This computer had the entire map in its database. All he had to do was look through it and he’d be able to find a way out of this place. He moved the mouse around and clicked through, hoping to find a simple map leading to the nearest exit. He wished this thing had a search option or something, but oh well.

After a minute of searching, Howdy was interrupted by the frantic cries of Doofus Rudy. The larger zoner grabbed onto his shoulder, shaking it to get his attention. “What is it?” Howdy said, turning his head. “What are you...”

Howdy’s eyes widened in horror when he caught a glimpse of the hallway they were in. Though it was dark, covered in blackness, he could still make out a large shadow moving along the wall. He could feel the footsteps of a particularly large zoner coming forward, coming ever closer to the room. The shadow had a distinct canine-look to it, and Howdy knew just who they were dealing with.

“It’s Draow...” Howdy whispered in a low voice.

“What?” Doofus Rudy asked, his voice louder than Howdy would have liked. “What did you say?”

Howdy felt his heart skip a beat when the shadow stopped and straightened up, the ears pricking. Draow was looking around for the sound. Howdy bit his lip. Draow would most certainly know they were here now. He shot a glare at Doofus Rudy. “Will you be quiet?!” He said, speaking as loudly as he could without triggering a response from Draow. “He’ll hear you!” He looked left and right and gestured to the Doofi. “Come on, we need to find a place to hide.”

Before he left, Howdy quickly glanced at the monitor, his eyes darting around and hoping to locate something, anything, in time. He was thankful that he found something. He saw a button that seemed like it was the activate switch. He moved the mouse over. He flinched when he heard Draow’s talons clang on the ground, a low growl escaping his long, toothy muzzle. Howdy shook his head, turning his attention back to his task. He pressed the button and he heard a quick blip.

“What was that?” A dark voice asked. “Someone...is in here...”

At this, the three zoners, panicking, rushed around the room, trying to find a place to hide. They all took position behind a computer, all separated from one another. They crouched down low, pressing their stomachs against the ground.

Howdy didn’t know the exact location of the Doofi, but he hoped that they, as well as himself, could remain hidden long enough to find a way out of here. He also hoped that Draow didn’t catch on to what was done and leaves the computer alone. If he realizes it was tampered with... He hated to think what he might do to them. Howdy gave a quick shudder.

Howdy held his breath when he saw shadows along the ground. He was positioned underneath the desk of one of the computers, all dark except for a small sliver of light on the ground. He could see some faint colors. Light brown mostly, and he knew that Draow had entered the room. He tried to control his breathing, not wanting to draw attention from the bat wolf.

Time seemed to slow down as Draow moved about in the room. The zoner was mostly quiet. The only reason Howdy knew he was there, aside from the moving shadow, was the fact that his talons kept hitting the ground. Draow wasn’t being extra cautious not to make a noise. This scared Howdy; it suggested a strong sense of confidence. Draow was larger than most zoners he knew, and probably felt like he could take on anyone, even zoners armed with blue chalk.

Howdy could hear a loud thudding in his skull. It was so loud... He realized it was his own heart. It was speeding up, going fast enough that it could easily jump out of his chest at any given moment. Howdy found his breath quicken for a few seconds before he got that back under control. He rubbed his chest nervously, trying to get his heart rate back under control. It was too loud. Draow might hear it. Howdy tried as hard as he could to will his heart rate to slow down, but it wasn’t working. Sweat beaded down his face when he saw the shadow coming towards him.

He stifled a scream as he moved away from the space as Draow’s nose was pressed up against it. He could see it that wall as it was casted in the light. But he could hear the bat wolf sniff loudly, snorting as a bit of dust got caught up in his nose. Howdy stared at the nose, his heart beating quickly. Then, after a few moments, Draow gave a frustrated growl and backed away. Howdy waited until the bat wolf went far enough away before he exhaled in relief.

That had been close. Howdy could still feel his heart thumping against his chest. He pressed his hand against it, feeling each time it gave a beat. Howdy took in a few deep breaths, trying to settled himself down. He couldn’t believe just how close he had gotten to...

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, accompanied by a scream. Howdy widened his eyes, his heart clenching tightly. Then he heard the sound of rapid scrapes and low growls. He heard another thud, intermixed with an angry screech.

“N-No...please...!” Howdy recognized the voice as coming from Doofus Rudy. “Go away!”

Draow gave no answer. Howdy heard the beast take a few bites, his jaws slamming together, impacting loudly. It took a few tries, but soon, Howdy could hear those teeth hit something more solid, and he could Doofus Rudy give a cry of fear and pain. Draow began to back away, emitting a low growl as he held Doofus Rudy in his jaws. Something clanged on the ground, and though he could hardly see, Howdy knew it was the blue chalk he had been carrying.

Instead of running off or crushing Doofus Rudy’s body like Howdy thought he was going to do, Draow instead walked forward, towards something. Howdy soon heard the sound of thudding against something hard. A wall perhaps. Intermixed with that, he could hear grunts of pain from Doofus Rudy, and then loud whimpers. Howdy felt his heart fill with ice at this, and his mind raced as he tried to think of what he should do.

As he remained there, he could hear cries from Doofus Penny as she tried to stop Draow. Howdy couldn’t tell if she started to draw anything or not, but it was clear that she did not long long. He could hear her scream as the ground shook, and Howdy knew that the zoner had been pinned down, and quite painfully as well. Despite this, the female zoner was still crying out, begging Draow to stop.

“Please let him go! Take me instead!” Doofus Penny shouted in desperation.

But Draow didn’t answer her. He was too busy attacking Doofus Rudy. Each slam sounded louder and more gruesome than the last. Howdy was breathing quickly, his heart pounding against his chest. He...He had to do something to help. With his only working arm, he pulled out a piece of blue chalk and stared at it. He could draw something...but if Draow saw him, then he might stop him before he had a chance to finish, just like Doofus Penny. Yet..he could not just remain here, doing nothing. The Doofi needed his help.

Unsure of what else to do, but knowing he had to take action, Howdy got up and bolted out of his hiding spot. As soon as he came out, he could see what was going on. He froze in his tracks, his eyes widening even more.

Draow was slamming Doofus Rudy against the wall as hard as he could. He wasn’t biting hard enough to draw blood, but his constant slamming was having a dire effect on Doofus Rudy. The poor zoner already had multiple bruises and some places were already bleeding. He was thrashing about in Draow’s jaws, struggling frantically to get himself free. Doofus Penny was clawing at the ground, tears of fear staining her cheeks. She was constantly crying out Doofus Rudy’s name, reaching out and begging Draow to stop. The bat wolf ignored her completely, keeping his focus on Doofus Rudy.

Howdy narrowed his eyes in determination. He opened his mouth, about to call out, but then stopped. He realized it might not be a good idea to do that. Draow was fast, and he could catch him quickly. So far, none of the three zoners in front of him could tell he was there, and he used the element of surprise to his favor.

The small zoner quickly began to draw. Clutching the blue chalk in his hand, he formed lines in the air, which arched and circled around, connecting to one another as he drew. Howdy, once in a while, would look over to make sure that Draow wasn’t looking. Reassured that he wasn’t, Howdy kept drawing. And soon, he was able to complete what he had been creating. The device materialized and it dropped down onto the ground. The loud thud, thankfully, didn’t draw attention. The puppet zoner bent down and picked it up, examining his creation.

A tranquilizer dart. A fairly simple solution. The device was loaded and ready to go. Howdy had trouble holding it with one arm, though. It took him a few moments to get in the right position and posture. He used his head to help steady the gun. This meant that his aim was likely going to be off, and he could only hope that he would get this right the first time. Then, as soon as he thought he was ready, he fired a dart.

The object hit against Draow’s leg. The bat wolf stiffened his body, letting out a shriek and dropping Doofus Rudy on the ground. Doofus Rudy laid there, groaning in pain. Draow lifted his foot from Doofus Penny when he spotted the dart in the leg that held her down. As she fled to Doofus Rudy’s side, Draow examined his leg and yanked out the dart, tossing it against the ground, where it clanged a few times before coming to a stop.

Howdy felt his heart jump to his mouth when Draow looked at him. It didn’t seem like the dart was enough to knock him out. Draow didn’t speak a word. He just stared at him, his piercing teal eyes boring through his soul. Slowly, Draow approached him, his head low and fur raised, ready to pounce. He curled his lips back in a snarl, spreading his wings outward, making himself appear larger.

“Whoa there!” Howdy cried, waving his hand out in front of him. “Can’t we talk about this?” Draow tilted his head at this, his pupils shrinking. “I’m sure we can...” He was cut off when Draow, his ears folded down, screeched loudly at him. “Okay, maybe you’re not in a mood to talk.”

“Howdy! Get away!” Doofus Penny called out. She hadn’t moved from her spot, still holding Doofus Rudy in her arms.

Draow pushed his snout against Howdy’s body before he could get anywhere. Howdy grunted as the massive mouth pressed against his stomach and chest, pinning him down affectively. Draow stared at him with a look of pure contempt. “Zoners...” He spat with venom. “Always causing trouble for your superiors. How predictable. What do you plan on doing next?” He gave a nasty grin. “Are you hoping to entertain me to death, ‘performer’?”

“I....” Howdy stammered.

“I know you like to..perform. You’re an entertainer, aren’t you? Well then...” Draow pulled his head back, a wicked smile spreading across his face. “Why don’t you...” At this, Howdy could hear the whirring of something on Draow’s head. “...dance for me..?”

Howdy’s eyes widened in horror when he saw the small cannons on Draow’s head. The small openings began to glow. He shook his head desperately. “Please, no!”

Draow ignored his pleas. He lowered himself more, lining his head cannons with Howdy. Even Howdy could move his legs, he knew there was no way he could get out of the way in time. His pupils shrank in terror as the cannon’s tips glowed brighter. He could hear an intense sound, one he could not explain, but understood enough to know it wasn’t a good sign. Howdy moved further way, crawling with his legs and single arm. The lopsidedness of it slowed him down.

Draow’s grin spread broader. “Relax, zoner, I just want to see how well you can dance. Come in, get up and be..sporting!”

Draow’s cannons glowed brighter. The intense light caused Howdy to turn his head away, his eyes nearly shut. He watched with whatever vision he had left at moment, looking on in horror as the cannons were about to fire their lasers. In desperation, he climbed up to his feet and tried to run away. Draow’s wing knocked him back into the ground and he let out a cry of pain. He pushed himself up on his right hand and looked behind him, eyes filled with fear.

The cannons fired. Howdy let out a scream and he shielded his eyes, a desperate attempt to protect himself.

“No!” He heard Doofus Penny cry. Seconds later, he felt something impact against him and he was sent flying across the room. “Stop doing this, you bad dog!”

Howdy got up to his feet shakingly. He turned his head and he could see Doofus Penny taking a defensive stance. She held a piece of blue chalk in her hand, which appeared to be enough to hold the beast back...for now. Draow was eyeing her curiously, turning his head from one side to the other in an almost bird-like manner. He let out a low growl, opening his mouth partway. He was going to grab that blue chalk away from Doofus Penny, he knew. Howdy tried to warn her, but his lungs were still on fire from having the wind knocked out of them, and he was forced to remain put, panting heavily to regain his oxygen supply.

“Little girl.” Draow said. Despite speaking to her, he wasn’t looking at her; instead his eyes were focused on the blue chalk she held. His voice had a wariness to it, as he knew that, at any moment, the female zoner could use it against him. “What do you hope to do with that? Would you like to perform for me, too? I heard you were quite the...entertainer as well.” He grinned darkly. “Of course, I heard the zoners weren’t so...impressed by your...efforts...”

Doofus Penny was a little taken aback by this. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Howdy felt a small pang in his stomach. That was a bit of a low blow for Draow, then again, this was normal for him, wasn’t it?

At least Doofus Penny didn’t seem affected by it for long. She gritted her teeth and raised the blue chalk up, preparing to draw with it. She glared at Draow, moving the blue chalk back and forth, watching as Draow kept his gaze upon it. She moved it until it was at the center of her face, which forced Draow to look at her in the eyes.

For a few seconds, the two zoners stared at each other. Silence clutched the room, very few sounds being made. It was unnerving, and thankfully, it didn’t last long. Doofus Penny took a step forward, her grip on the blue chalk tightening, her muscles flexing as if preparing to draw.

“I know I made...mistakes in the past. But I warn you now, Draow, this is not going to be one of them. No, this time, things are going to be a little different. You might think of me as an idiot. Many zoners do. I still have a trick or two up my sleeve.” Doofus Penny said, giving something of a twisted grin, and uncomfortable sight to behold, considering how thise zoner usually was.

This, however, didn’t seem to bother Draow. He just laughed at this, his shoulders shaking in response to the rapid air intake. “Oh really now?” He lowered his himself, his wings unfolding further. He took a small step forward, his talons tapping at the ground only about a foot in front of Doofus Penny. “I’d like to see that. Just what can a little idiot like yourself pull off that I cannot predict?”

Doofus Penny’s grin broadened. “Oh that is a surprise...”

“A surprise? Well...” Draow shifted his body from side to side. “I like surprises...”

“Then you’re going to love this one.” Doofus Penny said. “In fact...here it comes now.”

“What...?” Draow folded his wings at his sides and straightened his posture. He tilted his head ot the side and stared down at Doofus Penny in confusion. “What are you...?”

Suddenly, a large white ball of energy slammed against Draow, striking him in the back. The bat wolf straightened completely, nearly standing on his toes and wings spreading out as far as they could go. His wings hit against a couple computers, nearly toppling them over as he let out a loud screech of pain. A bit of smoke wafered off his back from where the energy had impacted him. He remained still for a few seconds, his eyes wide in shock. He turned his head in the direction of the blast. Both he and Howdy were shocked by what they saw.

It had been Doofus Rudy.

Despite his wounds, despite his wobbling, the zoner had managed to stand up. He had multiple bruises and cuts on his body. His expression was that of agony. Yet he managed to ignore it long enough to draw something. A weapon that he held in his hand. Howdy recognized it as some kind of gun, though instead of a barrel, it had a rounded tip that jetted a little out of the front. Rings wrapped around it, floating in the air. Sizzling strings of energy floated out of the tip.

Draow stared in shock, surprised that this injured zoner had the guts to fire at him like that. Flattening his ears, Draow’s fur raised on end and he charged towards Doofus Rudy, opening his mouth wide in preparation of a bite. Without saying a word, Doofus Rudy grunted and pulled his weapon up a little more. He was wobbling from side to side, and Howdy wondered if he was even going to get a straight shot with that. This didn’t stop Doofus Rudy, whose finger found the trigger and pulled on it.

Thin, wavy lines, about five of them, arched from the rings to the gun’s muzzle. The lines connected to each other at the tip, and it glowed brightly. With a sizzle, the white hot energy shot out, sailing towards Draow. Howdy watched, time seeming to slow down, as the energy shot got closer and closer to Draow.

Draow narrowed his eyes. He tensed up his leg muscles and, with a mighty flap, jumped into the air. The energy ball sailed underneath him. He landed back down and sneered at Doofus Rudy. Taking a step forward, his ears pricking up, he mocked him, “Is that your best shot, you pesky runt? You missed me! Now, you will pay for that.” His voice darkened as he began to stalk towards him.

“Am I?” Doofus Rudy said playfully.

Draow paused at this, confused. “Huh?”

Doofus Rudy lifted up his arm and pointed behind them. “You might wanna turn around, bad dog.”

“What...?” Draow slowly turned around. As soon as he did, his eyes widened in shock. “Oh you have to got to be kidding me...”

The energy shot that Doofus Rudy had fired didn’t disappear or strike something else like he had thought. Instead, as Howdy had seen play out for himself, Doofus Penny had been prepared. She had drawn some kind of net made of sparkling energy. The energy ball rested inside, floating probably due to whatever mechanism was involved with their make up. Howdy had to admit, the Doofi had become quite clever over the years.

Doofus Penny grinned in Draow’s direction as she swung around, holding the net in her hands. Then, with a thrust, she threw the energy ball right back at the winged wolf. This time, the large zoner was not able to get out of the way in time. The energy ball stuck him against his face, causing some burns, singing his fur. He screamed in pain as he stumbled back. Howdy took this chance to try another tranquilizer dart, but before he could even start drawing, the massive beast fell forward, slamming into the ground with a thud. He and the Doofi jumped back, and the dust quickly cleared.

A loud crack sounded out. He froze, looking at the Doofi. They were looking around warily. The crack grew louder, spreading across the ground. Below them, Howdy could see a crack emerging. His heart clenched when he realized what was about to happen.

“Run!” Howdy cried.

The Doofi needed no further prompting. They immediately bolted, jumping out of the way, dropping their weapons. They ran towards the doorway. Howdy attempted to follow, but the crack had grown larger, and his small form wasn’t able to move fast enough. He could feel the ground beneath him give way, making it harder for him to run.

“Howdy!” Doofus Rudy rushed over, holding out his hand.

Howdy responded by reaching out towards him as the zoner got closer. Their hands never touched each other. Instead, something pressed against Howdy’s stomach and yanked him back. Draow’s wing claw. He looked behind him, seeing that the bat wolf had, despite his other wing looking too injured to fly that well, managed to somehow ‘crawl’ over towards him, over the rocky debris that was falling down. The bat wolf howled angrily at him as he pulled him towards him. Howdy screamed as he was drawn towards the large zoner’s open maw.

The ground broke completely, and the two plummeted down. Howdy could hear the Doofi scream his name, but soon their voices faded away completely. He stared at Draow in fear as the two of them fell down along a twisted tunnel. Howdy grunted in pain, along with Draow, as they hit against some of the curves and loops. Soon it steadied itself, going straight down, steam shooting out the sides.

Draow pressed his foot talongs against the fround, trying to gain some kind of foothold. The walls sparked as his claws scraped against it, a feature likely due to his claws having a strange effect on glass. His wing claws joined in the hideous choir, scratching along the walls, making him brightly sparkle. This created a terrifying image of Howdy to behold. Draow’s mouth split wide open and his screech sent chills through the puppet zoner’s mind.

As they continued falling down, once in a while, they’d crash through a thin layer of rock. This sent shockwaves of pain through their bodies. Howdy felt as though one of his legs had been shattered, but it was difficult to tell. His mind was too focused on Draow to pay much attention to what was going on with his body. Because though Draow was constantly interrupted, he was attempting to aim his head cannons at him once more.

Howdy’s breathing quickened when, during a long gap of falling down, Draow was able to take aim at him. He could hear the sizzling sound of the laser being prepared. He looked left and right, trying to find something he could hide behind, a falling chunk of rock. But there was not enough debris here to make a shield. He gritted his teeth and widened his eyes as Draow took aim and fired at him.

Seeing the edges all around him, Howdy knew what he had to do. He knew this wasn’t going to be a good idea, and that it could easily backfire on him. But what other choice did he have? He twisted his body around and pressed his feet against the wall for a split second, then he pushed himself off. The friction scraping against his feet caused him to scream. A second later, the lasers that Draow shot sailed passed him, barely grazing his skin. Though in pain, Howdy still let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he had just dodged a bullet... At least for now.

Howdy couldn’t celebrate for long, however. Draow was taking aim at him again. The zoner’s heart pounded quickly. Thoughts ran rapidly through his head. He had to think of something and fast. He then recalled he still had the blue chalk. He pulled it out, holding it in his hand. He looked at Draow. The bat wolf appeared to hesitate at the sight of the blue chalk. But Howdy’s own hesitation was encouraging the beast to begin firing.

Without thinking, without taking the time to coordinate a plan, Howdy began to quickly draw. Unable to think, he drew the first thing that his subconscious was thinking of. A large, reflective shield. He held it out in front of him. Draow gave a cruel chuckle at this and fired at Howdy.

The puppet zoner grunted as the energy impacted against the shield. He was pushed back slightly, but was still able to hold his ground quite well. The laser shot bounced off of the shield he drew and was reflected straight back at Draow. It hit against his shoulder, causing him to lose his grip a little and he fell back further. Howdy thought, at firs, that he had managed to knock Draow away completely, but he was proven wrong just moments later.

Draow still had a grip on the wall with his claws. He pushed himself up a little, enough so he could see the puppet zoner again. He bared his sharp teeth at him, looking absolutely peeved at what he had done. Draow, angered beyond speech, attempted to fire again, acting on blind rage. This second shot was larger and had more energy coursing through it. Howdy held his breath as the shot came towards him. The heat was so intense that he already could feel it burning his skin.

It impacted against the shield. This time, it increased the heat, forcing Howdy to let go of it. The attack was still reflected back, and after Draow laughed at him for a second, he was stopped when his own laser attack hit against his chest. A bit of blood formed there. Draow growled at him, pulling back his lips. This time, he didn’t have time to launch another attack. The shield fell down towards him and slammed against his head with a loud clang. This tossed Draow’s head back in an almost painful posture. He screeched loudly, the voice echoing off the walls.

Then, seconds later, there was a loud crash. Howdy’s eyes widened as the bat wolf impacted through another thin layer of rock, debris shooting all around him. The hole emptied to a large room, looking very much like some kind of cave, a tall cylinder shape in the center of it.

The puppet zoner didn’t have time to admire the beauty or take in what was all around him. Draow hit against the ground in a heavy thud, dust and dirt kicking away at his sides. He hit against the ground so heavily at he created a crater of some kind. Howdy thought he heard a resounding crack, something breaking, but he couldn’t tell if that was Draow’s armor, Draow’s back, or something else. Draow’s shriek echoed in the cave room.

Moments later, the puppet zoner hit against Draow’s chest. The impact was great enough that he heard Draow wheeze out air through his open mouth. Howdy let out a scream as his body smashed up against Draow’s. His body then rolled off the bat wolf, along his limp wing, and onto the ground.

Howdy tried to get up, but he couldn’t get far. He dazed and confused. He swayed back and forth. Then, seconds later, he collapsed on the ground, darkness enveloping him.

sss

“Careful! Don’t push it too hard!” Quirk said, her wings beating in the air as she stayed aloft. “It might be indestructible, but that doesn’t mean you want to tip it over!”

“Yeah, we know!” A zoner cried out.

“If you wanted this thing to be handled with care,” Another zoner said. “Why didn’t you just push it yourself?”

“Because it’s too heavy for me!” Quirk snarked back. “You two are a lot stronger than me. So you two get to push it.” She lifted up her paw and pointed a claw at what looked like a pedestal of some kind. “It needs to be placed there. When it’s all ready and loaded, I’ll pull the switch, and that will activate the energy bars. Keep it in place, it will.”

Dr. Varrick kept his distance and watched as the scene before him played out. He could see what appeared to be a large, teardrop shaped glass, complete with some gold marking and something of a handle, being pushed around by two large, muscular zoners. With the way it was scraping along the ground, he could definitely tell it was quite heavy. The glass alone looked quite thick, and he winced at the idea of being underneath it if it tipped over.

The two large zoners were pushing it towards a pedestal. The pedestal was gold in color and was round in shape. The bottom of the glass item was also round, and, from what he had been told, it was magnetized. Once that thing was in place, the magnetic energy would seal the two pieces together, securing it in place. But Quirk didn’t think that was enough, and she also included an energy shield, would would be implimented later, to prevent further chances of it falling over. She was being extra cautious with this.

He wondered if she was being too cautious. He liked her plan, but he couldn’t help but feel she was overdoing it a little. He wasn’t even sure if this was going to work. The chances of even getting... He took in a deep breath. He wanted to try to stay more positive. But it was quite difficult, what with the multiple attacks on ChalkZone recently, and then all those zoners that were killed and maimed in such a short time...

Even though he wasn’t sure if it was going to work, he was glad that someone was able to come up with an idea. He was glad that Quirk had been allowed to come back for this. There was still some bad blood regarding her treatment of Tyreek, but he realized now wasn’t a good time for that. He also didn’t want a repeat of what nearly happened to Dr. Lancer.

At the thought of her, he bit his lip, a pang ringing through his chest. He had found out what had happened. Her equipment really had been messed with. The doctor who did it was taken into custody. Even though there was no chance of that happening again, Dr. Varrick still felt responsible. The guilty doctor had overheard what he had been saying to Dr. Lancer, those terrible, awful things, and he mistook it as an order and he tried to kill Dr. Lancer. Not wanting this to happen again, Varrick was extra vigilant with Quirk. Luckily, no incidents had happened so far.

The blue chalk had been such a miracle send for them. It was with the blue chalk that Quirk drew this structure as part of her plan. She said that, if it was done right, it should help them put a permanent end to the black chalk artists’ reign of terror. It was such wishful thinking, but when she explained her plan, it all made sense. They had to try. The black chalk artists had terrorized them for far too long. Now it was time for them to fight back.

The blue chalk was serving another purpose as well. Other zoners who were skilled enough artists were using the chalk to rebuild parts of ChalkZone, especially the city. They were careful with it, though, using it to create only what they needed. Even with the blue chalk, it was going to take some time repairing the damaged areas of ChalkZone. But Varrick was confident it would all be okay in the end. Eventually, everything was going to go back to the way it used to be, before this wretched attack.

“Okay! Drop it!” Quirk cried out.

At this, the two zoners dropped the item on the pedestal. It clicked into place, the magnetic forces ‘gluing’ the two ends together. The two zoners collapsed on the ground, wiping their brows in exhaustion. Quirk flew down, eyeing the structure up and down. She rubbed her chin, judging it for a few seconds, then nodded her head in approval.

“Okay, that’ll do.” Quirk said as she landed on the ground. The griffin swooshed her tail from side to side. “You two can rest.” She added, despite the fact the two zoners had already collapsed on the ground. “I’m going to drew a few weapons for ChalkZone City. We need a defense, just in case.”

Dr. Varrick walked forward as Quirk began walking towards the small pile of blue chalk. There were only a couple pieces left. He stood by it and raised his hand up. The griffin stopped in her tracks and stared at him.

“Oh, hello, Dr. Varrick.” She motioned with her paw. “Do you mind getting out of the way? I need a...”

“You know we don’t have many pieces left.” Dr. Varrick said. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to use a few for weapons? We could use them to draw a shield in stead.”

“And what if the shield is broken through.?” Quirk asked, tilting her head. “They could find a way in.”

“We zoners are more than capable of making weapons of our own. We don’t need to waste chalk on drawing any. Let’s focus on rebuilding, creating medical supplies, stuff like that.” Dr. Varrick said.

Quirk glared at him. She was about to argue back when another zoner, Lars, spoke up.

“I think she may be onto something.” Lars said as he strode over. He had a couple injuries himself, but he wasn’t too bad off. The worst injury he had was a burn on his arm, but it was minor compared to wounds other zoners suffered. “Maybe we should use at least one piece of blue chalk to draw some kind of weaponry defense.”

Quirk smiled at this. “See?”

Dr. Varrick wasn’t convinced. “What if we run out of medical supplies and that chalk is the only way we can...”

Lars cut him off. “It’s a risk we’d have to take.” He folded his arms, narrowing his eyes. “I remember when I was attacked by that Robot Rudy thing. He came out of nowhere and clobbered me. I had no defense then. And that thing wasn’t even drawn for malicious purposes.” He gave a shudder. “Imagine what the black chalk artists could draw.”

Dr. Varrick stared at the polar bear for a few seconds. He didn’t want to admit it, but he did have a good point. The black chalk artists were dangerous and could create zoners and weapons that were highly destructive. If one broke through, it could mean disaster for everyone. He turned his attention to Quirk and, gritting his teeth, he nodded his head, conceding to her. “All right then. Draw your weapons.”

“I knew you would see it my way.” Quirk said, smirking. She began to make her way towards the blue chalk.

“But!” Dr. Varrick called out. Quirk paused and looked at him. “Only one piece! Use just one and draw whatever weaponry you think will be required. Leave the rest to me. Understand?”

Quirk paused, and then nodded her head. “Crystal.”

sss

Howdy groaned softly, pushing himself up on his hand. He had no idea how long he had been knocked out. He had just woken up a few minutes ago, and only now did he start to move. He was dizzy and lightheaded, confused for a while as his memories came back. He remembered most things when he turned his head and saw Draow laying there, still unconscious from the fall. Howdy had attempted to get up, but pain in his body forced him back down, and he attempted to ride it out, clenching his teeth tightly.

He was amazed that he was even alive after that. How had he survived that? Draow as well. He was heavier than he was. The weight of his fall should have crushed him. He still wasn’t sure if his back had been broken or not. The bat wolf was still breathing. His chest rising and falling was the only sign of life the puppet zoner could see on him.

Howdy was chilled by the silence. Except for Draow’s and his breathing, there was no sound here at all. Well maybe an occasional drip or two, but not much else. Under normal circumstances, this would not have bothered him as much. But in this situation, silence could be his enemy or his friend. He had no idea if there was anybody hiding around here, waiting to attack. And there was something about this place that just felt..off. Something just wasn’t quite right about it. And that something was weighing down on his back, putting pressure on his shoulders and creeping the heck out of him.

Soon, the puppet zoner managed to get up to his feet. He let out a groan as he tried to maintain his balance. He tripped over a few times, slamming back into the groud. It took him a few moments to not only regain his footing, but keep himself from falling over. The fall had shaken him up more than he thought. Pain wracked through his body and he was grateful that at least his legs didn’t seem too badly damaged. His left arm, however, was a different story.

Howdy was certain he heard a crack when he impacted Draow, and ever since then, there was a stronger pain in his arm. He realized it must be broken. Even now, the pain was intense, making it hard for him to concentrate. He tried to fight against it, and tried to focus on figuring out where he was.

He was in some kind of cave. Stalagmites and stalactites decorated the place. He could see some kind of pathway, smooth and almost shiny looking, that led here. The pathway led upwards somewhere. He guessed it was to a higher level of the Solar Pillars. He was certain that he was still in the place, just in their ‘basement’ as it were, or something else entirely. The room was kind of circular, though it was hard to tell from where he was. He turned his head and he could see that he and Draow had landed near some kind of cylinder.

Though the fact that he could even make out this much detail was a miracle in of itself. The room was quite dark, lit only black lights. There was at least enough that the purple shine allowed him to see the shapes of everything in here, even if it was still hard to make out. And it would at least provide a minor cover for whenever Draow wakes up. Howdy knew it wouldn’t be of much help; the zoner had his scense of smell. But it was still better than nothing, and would provide some kind of delay. When it came to survival, seconds do matter.

The puppet zoner made his way over to the cylinder structure, eyeing it curiously. At first, there didn’t seem to be any kind of opening. But when he tapped on it, it sounded hollow. There was an entrance here somewhere. Maybe if he walked around for a bit, he could...

Ah, here it is. He located the opening relatively quickly. There didn’t appear to be any kind of door. He walked inside. It was even darker in here. The zoner squinted his eyes, trying to find any details. He’d draw a light, but he was still fearful of drawing unwanted attention. And what if Draow gets up? The light would take the beast right to him. He’d have to make do without one.

Howdy was soon able to see something in front of him. It looked like some kind of...lowering device? He wasn’t sure what it was called specifically. His mind was too panicked and cautious at the moment to be thinking of names. Whatever it was, it led to a lower section of this place. The hole the platform went down appeared too small for Draow to fit through, so if anything, at least he’d be safe from the beast for a time while he formulated a plan. Howdy got on the platform and began to lower himself down.

It took a little longer than he though, but he did soon reach the bottom. He jumped out, landing on the ground that was about two feet down. He winced as his feet impacted. Perhaps they were a little more damaged than he thought. He brushed himself off and continued forward.

It wasn’t long before he had to head down a ladder. He grumbled to himself. It was hard enough lowering himself with a single arm. It was going to be just as hard getting down a ladder. But...what other choice did he have? He wasn’t going to jump down, that’s for certain. He got onto his stomach and pushed backwards, grabbing on with his one arm. Slowly, he descended down, being extra careful. Step by step, he lowered down, getting closer to the ground below.

Then, just as he was about to take the last step, he tripped and hit himself against the bar. His eyes widened and, without meaning to, he let out a loud cream. It echoed off the walls, causing him to put his hand to his face in horror. He waited and listened, wondering if it had somehow woken up Draow. He thought he heard scraping on the ground, but he wasn’t certain if the beast was awake. Not wanting to stick around to find out the hard way, the puppet zoner turned and rushed down the hallway in front of him.

The hallway was singular, with no other paths to take. Bright lights lined this one, making it much easier to see. He followed it, not caring if it was just a straight shot; he just wanted to put some distance between him and Draow. As soon as he reached the end of the hallway, to where it connected with a door, he opened it up and rushed in. He thought he saw some kind of sign, but he ignored it, just wanting to get in. He hardly even noticed the chilliness of the dark room as he entered it.

He stared cautiously at the door as he walked backwards, his eyes darting around, trying to find any sign of movement. Satisfied that Draow wasn’t coming over, he slowly turned around to walk further into the room. When he did, his body froze in terror.

This was a black chalk chamber. All around him, clusters of black chalk... His heart pounded in his chest, and he licked his lips in anxiety. Just what kind of terrible mistake had he done? His body started to shiver, suddenly feeling even colder. He wanted to back away, but fear gripped his mind. He was unable to turn away from the black mist and the glowing chalk all around him. Being in the presence of the same chalk that, if he remembered right, wanted to destroy the world...it was terrifying.

“Zoner...” The black chalk spoke, its voice filled with contempt. “Why are you here?”

Howdy didn’t answer. He just stared in horror. The black chalk’s voice sounded like multiple people speaking and it came from everywhere. It echoed in his mind. The voice had a sharp, cold feeling to it, as if it could be wielded as a weapon to cut him up. Eventually, he did manage to move and took a single step backwards.

The black chalk didn’t seem to like his lack of a response. The black glow all around him intensified, making the zoner cringe, holding his hands out in front of him as if the black chalk were going to shoot him. The darkness seemed to encircle him, entrapping him there.

“We asked you a question, filthy zoner. Answer!”

Howdy took in a few shaky breaths. “I-I’m lost...”

The black chalk unleashed a bitter, cold laughter at this. It sent shivers up Howdy’s spine and he backed away a little more. He looked left and right. He knew he didn’t have much to be scared of, at least at the moment. The black chalk couldn’t hurt him like this. It needed a creator. It couldn’t even corrupt him. As long as he stayed away, and as long as he was alone here, with no humans, he was going to be fine.

But the terror that swelled in his chest... There was little he could do to stop that. It wrapped itself around his heart, squeezing it tightly and making him feel like he was going to have a heart attack any moment.

“We do not believe you. We know you are working with our enemy. You may have been clever to split apart so we cannot use Penny or the others as spies..”

Howdy tilted his head in confusion at this. “Spies...?”

“Do not play dumb with us. We are certain you zoners know that little trick of ours, right?” The black chalk said. If it had at face, it’d be sneering at him right about now. “We report information to our..main self. Nihilanth. He knows you are here. He knows what you are doing. You knew that, didn’t you? Have you come to try to destroy us?” The black chalk laughed at this, sending cold chills through the zoner’s spine. “Well tough luck. You will not succeed.”

Howdy wasn’t sure why the black chalk was accusing him of that. What would it need to fear from him? He was just a zoner, not a human. He...

..wait... What if that was it? Maybe it was due to the fact that he was not human that the black chalk thought he was going to do something. That would explain why it was so determined to scare him off. It thought that he was going to harm it. He couldn’t be controlled like a human could, nor could he be beckoned by the black chalk. For all its powers, it couldn’t do much against him without a creator to control.

Howdy didn’t know how he could harm the black chalk, though. He wasn’t a particularly large zoner. He could use the blue chalk, but would it even matter if he destroyed these pieces? There were more black chalk chambers out there. This wasn’t the only one. As much as he knew it would be helpful, he wasn’t sure how effective it would be. Oh, he wished Rudy or Penny were here to explain this to him. He didn’t know what he could do.

“How could I harm you? What would be the point?” Howdy asked. “It’s not like destroying this place is going to do much. Am I right?”

“True. Our servants can create more of us. An easy task...so long as one piece remains in tact.” The black chalk replied.

Howdy tilted his head at this, curiosity getting the better of him. “What piece?”

A loud screech filled the air, causing Howdy to let out a surprise yelp. He twisted his body around and stared towards the hallway. Draow had woken up and, to his horror, the fall hadn’t done enough damage to him. Not enough to keep the beast down longer. Draow would follow his scent, and though the small hole would slow him down, he would eventually find him. Howdy had to find a way out of here and fast.

But..this was a one way. He couldn’t see any additional tunnels down here. This room was small and circular, and only one exit: the same one he came out of. The puppet zoner shivered at the realization of being trapped.

“Since you cannot go anywhere, we suppose we will tell you. Draow will take care of you, we are certain.” The black chalk chuckled. Howdy shivered at this. “Back when Teddisson Cosmo found us, this chamber had been our only place. Cosmo helped us spread, but in the end, we are all still connected. Telling ourselves of different happenings and what not. In order to accomplish this, we need a brain of sorts.”

“A brain?” Howdy inquired.

If the black chalk had a head, it would be nodding right about now. “Yes indeed, filthy zoner. Think of it as sort of a bee hive. There is a queen right? And without that queen, the hive dies. Well, the same thing applies to us. We have a heart, a brain, a vital piece of ourselves that we need. And without it, all of us die.”

Howdy’s eyes widened in shock at this. He recalled Snap mentioning that they didn’t know of a way to permanently destroy the black chalk. Snap said he and Rudy and Penny hoped to, one day, find out how to stop it for good. And it seemed that, against the odds, he himself found a way.

But what if it was a lie? The black chalk could just be misleading him, creating false hope. He knew that, sometimes, the most crushing victory is when they thought they were close. This happened to Penny and Snap. They thought they had gained the upperhand, but it was yanked out from underneath them. The black chalk had toyed with them. What if it was doing the same with him?

But then..what if it wasn’t? What if there was a bit of truth in this? If there was, he needed to find Rudy and Penny stat. They needed to know about this. If there were a sliver of a chance that this could work...

Another loud screech. Howdy’s eyes narrowed in determination. Before he could even tell Rudy or Penny about his discovery, first, he needed to get past Draow. The puppet zoner took a defensive stance as he watched the hallway, waiting for Draow to show up. It didn’t matter if he stayed put or if he walked forward. The bat wolf would collide with him sooner or later.

The black chalk chuckled at this. “What do you hope to accomplish? You’re nothing but a failure of a creation. You weren’t even born to fight. But Draow... He was made for war...” The black chalk’s voice rang in Howdy’s mind, echoing. “What hope do you think you’ll have against him, you insignificant ant...?”

Howdy ignored it. He kept his gaze on the hallway in front of him. He clutched the blue chalk in his hand. He wasn’t going to run away. No hiding. He was going to stand and fight. If there was a chance that this could be an honest to gawd way to get rid of the black chalk once and more all...

He knew he had to take it.


	192. Toying With His Guilt

Mrs. Tabootie rushed forward, holding out her hand. “No! Wait!” She cried out. “Stop this! Please!”

Before she could get much closer, Jenny, with a sneer on her face, kicked her in her knee. The large woman yelped in pain as she dropped down to her knees. Her husband joined her. He knelt down and looked her over to make sure she was okay. He shot a glare at Jenny.

“How can you do this...?” He asked through clenched teeth.

Jenny cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t get why you need to ask that.” She chuckled. “You should already know the answer to that. And besides..” She tilted her head to one side. “She was asking for it. Just like your wretched son was asking for it when he killed Mr. Cosmo...” At this, she lifted up Rudy’s body more, glaring at him like he were some kind of disgusting vermin. “He hasn’t been punished enough.”

“Leave him alone! He has been through enough already!” Mrs. Tabootie screeched at her. She attempted to charge teh woman, but her husband held him back.

Mr. Tabootie growled, “You’re a monster...hurting an innocent child like that.” Jenny just looked at him, smiling. When she didn’t give any kind of response, Mr. Tabootie’s eyes widened, more anger pouring out from them. “There is a special place for people like you...”

Jenny waved her hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah...whatever. You think I’m afraid of you? Of anything you say?” She shook her head. “You must be crazy if you think that. Then again, if you honestly continue thinking I’m not justified in teaching this brat a lesson...” She gazed down at Rudy for a second, and then stared Mr. Tabootie. “Then you really must be quite stupid.”

“You...!” Mr. Tabootie said with a snarl. This time, it was Mrs. Tabootie’s turn to hold him back. “I’m going to...!”

Jenny laughed at this. “You’re going to what? I don’t think you’re in any position to do anything right now. If you come a step closer...” Still holding Rudy’s unconscious form by his shirt collar, she looped her arm around his head and held it tightly. “...I’ll break his pretty little neck.”

At this, the Tabooties froze in terror. Jenny grinned, clearly knowing that she had them boxed into a corner. Neither adult would dare do anything if it meant their child was going to get killed.

Nihilanth was amused by this. He couldn’t help but let out a few chuckles. Jenny was quite...the negotiator, he had to admit. He hadn’t been sure how well she could hold off against the Tabooties, but she was doing better than he had thought. Right now, she had them in a deadlock; threatening to break the boy’s neck was doing wonders in keeping Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie under control. Nihilanth was aware about how the human mind works, and he knew those parents had a close bond with their kid. So long as Jenny had their son in that grip, there was little they could do.

Nihilanth hadn’t regretted combining with her, even if it was just for a short time. She proved to be quite devious and clever. She thought in a similiar way to Cosmo. She was quite competent, and he knew that, even if he hadn’t merged with Cosmo, and just stuck with Jenny, he still would have won. She was quite intelligent. Even without him, she was holding her own, and she had been running the show for sometime before he had been awakened.

Still, he was more satisfied with Mr. Cosmo. He felt more confident than Jenny did. With Jenny, there was a sense of hesitation; this didn’t surprise him, as the woman had been doing this largely to impress Cosmo. Even if it didn’t look like it, he could see enough that there was some slight hesitation in some of her actions. With Mr. Cosmo, there was none. He was more straight forward, more business-like, more negotiable. He was less obsessed with petty revenge and more focused on just getting the work done. There was a reason he had been the leader of the black chalk artists and not Jenny. He was the right...make for it.

Rudy would have been a nice replacement if thing had gone his way. Nihilanth felt he was a better fit to be the leader of the black chalk artists than Jenny. While blessed, Rudy acted similar to Mr. Cosmo. He still had leaned more easily towards revenge than Cosmo, but it was less than Jenny’s, and he was still able to focus on the task at hand. It was such a shame that their bond was severed so quickly. But at least, while it lasted, he had been able to leave a mark.

He grinned nastily. He knew that, even if all of this ended, the zoners may still end up seeing him as the enemy. If all goes well, perhaps little Rudy would break under the pressure. Perhaps he would begin to turn against the world he had sworn to protect. Maybe he would carry on the attack that Nihilanth had planned.

In the end, ChalkZone was going down.

“No! Rudy!” Snap’s voice caught his attention. “Put him down, Jenny!”

Nihilanth chuckled at the zoner that squirmed around in his claws. He tightened his grip on him, staring at him with both sets of eyes. The zoner’s legs were kicking wildly, and his one arm was trying to pry his large claws free. How pitiful... The zoner still thought he could get out of his grasp, still thought he could actually do something to turn the tides. The two-headed dragon bared his two sets of razor sharp teeth at the absurd thought.

This zoner had wanted to play against the big boys and that...was exactly what he was going to get. Nihilanth hadn’t actually done anything to hurt him yet. He was just holding onto him. The zoner was so pitifully weak, and the lack of an arm made it easier to subdue him. But that would change soon enough. The dragon deity intended on doing something with him soon enough. The zoner had still been a headache in the past, and he knew not to underestimate him. The only thing keeping him from tearing the zoner apart was Rudy.

As much as he felt hurt by Rudy’s betrayal, he still wanted him, needed him. Rudy was still the key in spreading the glorious black chalk, himself, into the real world. Rudy was perfect for that. He needed to ensure that Rudy came willingly. Even though he could just use his dead form; he needn’t be alive, he still would rather use Rudy while he was still living. It was much easier spreading the black chalk that way.

“What’s happening with the boy isn’t your concern right now. If we were you...” Nihilanth stared intently at the zoner as he raised him up slightly higher. “..we would worry about ourselves...”

Snap glared at the dragon, baring his teeth. “I’m not listening to a creepazoid like you!”

“Creepazoid?” Nihilanth was amused by this. He pulled his heads back and let out a bitter chuckle. Snap’s eyes narrowed further at this. “Is that the best word you can come up with? Is that your best insult you can fling at us?” He shook his heads. “Well it matters not.” He opened his eyes, basking the blue and white zoner in the intense black and white glows. “We have more important things to worry about than your pitiful curses of us.”

“Like destroying the world and everyone in it?” Snap growled.

Nihilanth paused for a moment. “I suppose so, yes.” He raised his other paw, scratching one of his chins with it. “But it’s for a worthy cause.”

Snap’s eyes widened in anger at this. “What could be worth throwing away millions of lives?!”

“You misunderstand. Then again, I would expect that from a zoner. You zoners always look at the small picture. You never try to think outside of the box. I suppose I have only myself to blame for that. I created you all faulty. I set up the wrong...rules of this world, and now with so many zoners, it’s too entangled for me to fix things. So...I have to reset everything to zero.”

Snap shook his head. “No! You can’t do that!” He bit down on Nihilanth’s digit. The dragon hardly felt that, and just cocked an eyebrow as the zoner sank this teeth against the finger. He did eventually let go, the dragon’s skin too thick and hard to bite through. “Please, isn’t there another way?” Snap pleaded with him, looking up at him with wide eyes. The fear of his situation was finally settling into his mind. “Please, I...”

“You dare beg us?” Nihilanth said, narrowing his eyes. “We highly doubt you are giving up entirely. We know that, no matter what we say, you will not listen to us.” He squeezed him a little tighter, prompting Snap to grunt in pain. “Of course, if you really want to know a little more, we suppose we can entertain you for a bit. Not like you can do anything about it now.”

“We’ll see...about that....” Snap said through gritted teeth, staring up at the dragon deity with one partially opened eye.

“See? We told you that you didn’t give up. You were simply looking for an..easy way out. But life doesn’t work that way.” Nihilanth sneered. “As for what we are doing, we are simply...correcting a few things. We merely wish to create a world that would last forever, where no one is diseased or disordered, where everyone is strong, where no one would ever die. Does that sound like a selfless plan to you?”

Snap didn’t say anything. The glare remained on his face, but there was some falter to it. Perhaps the little runt was starting to see things more clearly. Nihilanth grinned at this. If he could convince this zoner...maybe he could convince the others and they would be more willing to work with him. If the zoners were more cooperative, then his job would be a lot easier.

“There, you see? We just want to create a better world for everyone. We may have gone overboard by being so...anti-zoner, but perhaps that was our fault. We were so certain you zoners would not listen, we felt it was best to just disregard you altogether. We see we may have been wrong about that.” Nihilanth lowered his two heads. His faces were close to the small zoner. “Restarting from zero might sound extreme, but we assure you we only wish to create a world without pain. But...if we have to cause pain to get there, then it is a sacrifice we are willing to make.”

Snap growled, “Why is it I don’t believe you?”

Nihilanth let out a sigh from his black head. “Well you do make a good point. We haven’t exactly done anything to convince anyone that we have a...benevolent purpose. After what we’ve done, it would be hard to undo the damage...” The dragon’s eyes twinkled. “So...why bother starting now...?”

Nihilanth tightened his grip on Snap even more. He raised him up into the air. Then, with a mighty thrust, he threw the zoner into the ground as hard as he could. He waved with two sets of smiles as Snap skidded along the ground, crashing painfully into the ground. The two headed dragon waited until he came to a complete stop. Then, with a dark chuckle, he moved towards the zoner, walking around him in a circle.

He knew it was no use trying to bribe the zoner know. He had some hope that the zoner would come to understand. But he should have known he could never be convinced. He was a zoner; they all had that weakness of ‘thinking only for themselves’, and never of the ‘greater good’. They don’t try to think of how great a world without pain, without weakness, could be. Wouldn’t they want their ancestors to live a better life than they were offered? Nihilanth scoffed, knowing what the answer was. The zoner were such a...selfish race. They don’t deserve a second chance.

There was no need for him to explain himself further. There was no need for him to change tactics. It would all be pointless now. He just needed to keep going with his current plan. If the zoners refuse to see reason, well that was their fault. When he got around to creating the new world, he wouldn’t bother informing the new citizens about the zoners. The zoners should be grateful that he wouldn’t allow their name to be cursed long after they are gone. That was the only kindness he was going to give them, and it was more than what they really deserved.

Nihilanth towered over Snap, lowering his heads so they were on either side of him. Snap laid on his back, his right arm stretched out at his side. “We see the fall did some damage. We wonder if it taught you a lesson...then again, knowing how you zoners can be, I doubt it.”

Snap struggled up to his feet. “Y-You haven’t...b-b-beaten me yet.”

Nihilanth nodded his heads. “Yes, we know. We could crush you so easily.” He raised his paw to emphasize his point. “It would be so easy, too...” Snap looked up wide-eyed as Nihilanth placed his paw over his body. The shadow loomed over him, the claws outstretched, ready to snatch him into the air. Then, without warning, Nihilanth pulled his paw back. He flipped his paw so it was palms up and curled the claws inward toward each other. “But that wouldn’t be so much fun. We mean, you survived us before...It would be a shame to end it so quickly.”

Snap looked around left and right, obviously trying to find the blue chalk. Nihilanth narrowed his two sets of eyes. The blue chalk... Of all the creations, that had to be the worst one his black chalk artists ever came up with. In hindsight, it might have been good. But overall, giving the zoners the ability to create themselves was a disastrous idea. He was glad that production had stopped and the blue chalk was in a singular, isolated location. He wished that they had kept that place well guarded, but at least most zoners don’t seem to know about it.

He was aware that more zoners had blue chalk, but right now, that wasn’t of his concern. Neither was the fact that Howdy was in the original black chalk chamber. Besides, Draow was there. He could take care of him. Nihilanth knew he had little to worry about either way. He was a deity and his power was unmatched. Perhaps he should stop holding back and start showing off more of his abilities. He hadn’t used his creation ability that much. Maybe now it was time to be more...lenient on that.

His eyes glowed a little brighter as a wonderful idea came to his mind. He gave Snap a broad grin, one that clearly unnerved the zoner. He was taking a few steps back away from the dragon. Nihilanth approached him slowly, his head lowered, keeping close. Snap was pressed into the ground, the two heads on either side of him. He was bathed in the black and white glows.

“Snap...how about a little...test...?" Nihilanth asked.

Snap shook his head. “No. I’m in no mood for your games.” He managed to get up to his feet despite the limited movements. “I would rather fight you.”

“Oh but you are going to be fighting.” Nihilanth said with a smile. “It’s just not going to be us.” He opened his mouths a little, enough for the black and white lights to shine through. “Do not fret. We have just the thing for you. A perfect challenger. We think you will really enjoy it.”

Without giving Snap a chance to reply or do anything, Nihilanth’s sides markings, both sets, began to glow. Energy swirled out of his body and moved out in front of him. Snap, now having enough room, moved back away, his wide eyes glued to the scene. Nihilanth’s swirly energy beams collided with each other and began to form something. Dark and with a glowing edge, rays coming out of it, the thing was being formed rapidly. With a sound kind of like a bang, the blackness and light shot out, exposing his creation.

Snap’s eyes widened in horror and he took a few steps back. His body trembled in fear. “No...” He shook his head. “N-Not that...please...”

Nihilanth smiled at this. “Why don’t you say hello to your old friend...?”

There, standing right in front of Snap, was a second Snap. But it wasn’t difficult to tell the two apart. Far from it. The second Snap had armor on him, cracked in a few places. He was equipped with a laser mounted on his arm. There were several tears in his costume, some dark stains, and scarring on his face. He was looking at the original Snap with an expression that was a cross between a glare and a more sorrowful look.

“H-How did...How could...?” Snap stammered, cleary trying to make sense of the whole thing.

“Being part of Cosmo, we know what happened in that other dimension.” Nihilanth said with a sneer. “And we know what happened to this Snap...”

It was easy for anyone looking to tell that something was very wrong with this Snap. This new Snap, Alt-Snap, had greenish pale skin. There was a bad smell coming from him, as if his body were rotting, which was the case. This Snap had been killed in his dimension, or to be more specific, the form created was based on that dead Snap. In addition to the green skin, there was a deep gash going through his stomach, and his neck looked off; his head was bent at an odd angle.

Nihilanth smiled as the undead Snap clone took a few steps towards Snap, staring intently at him. Snap’s body was shivering like a leaf. He hardly seemed to realize Nihilanth was still there. His entire focus had shifted to this clone standing before him. That expression, that was exactly the reaction Nihilanth hoped he was going to get. Nihilanth knew that Snap was going to have feelings of guilt, and now he can work that to his favor.

“Well? Don’t be shy.” Nihilanth took into the air, his large wings beating the ground. Gusts of wind pushed against Snap and Alt-Snap..no, specifically, Snap Clone, pushing the two closer together. “Get acquainted!”

With that, Nihilanth pulled his heads back. He opened his jaws and shot out a series of black and white fire. It encircled Snap and Snap Clone, sealing them inside the wall of flames. Snap looked around, trying to find an escape route, while Snap Clone’s eyes narrowed a little more and he approached Snap. His gait was off, and slower than Snap’s. Despite this, Snap was going whatever he could keep his distance.

Nihilanth watched as the scene played out. This was going to be fun to watch.

Just then, he heard a call behind him.

“Snap!” It was Mr. Tabootie. “Let him go!”

Nihilanth lifted up his white head and looked out towards where the parents and Jenny had been. He could see Rudy had been placed on the ground and his mother was standing in front of him protectively. How they had managed to get Rudy back, he wasn’t certain. Jenny was trying to get around the enraged mother, but was having a hard time. Nihilanth turned his attention towards the father, who was still relatively close, but now had his attention on him, likely confident that his wife could keep their son safe.

“What have you done with Snap?!” Mr. Tabootie demanded to know.

“You can see for yourself he’s fine.” Nihilanth waved a paw towards the ring of black and white fire. In some places, the flames had gotten so close that they mixed together to form grey. “He’s just...having a little visitor... That’s all.”

“If you don’t release him...” Mr. Tabootie threatened.

Nihilanth cocked one of his eyebrows. “You going to pick a fight with us? We do not think you should do that. You have...other things to worry about...” Nihilanth turned his gaze over to where Jenny was. He stared at her intently before he barked out, “Jenny!” At this, both women over there froze and looked over at him. “Turn things up a knotch! You have our permission...” He narrowed his eyes slightly. “..to use the gelxeno chalk...”

Mr. Tabootie looked on as a light shot from Nihilanth’s side and hit against Jenny’s open palm. “The gelxeno chalk...?” He questioned as a piece of what appeared to be white chalk formed. “Wh-What is that...?”

“Oh? You don’t remember?” Nihilanth said in an almost innocent manner. He laughed, wondering if the human race was really this forgetful. “It’s the same chalk used against your son... The one that started to turn his insides to chalk.”

Mr. Tabootie paled at this. “What?!” He cried in a hushed, panicked whisper.

“And it’s going to be used on your wife.” Nihilanth said, smiling coolly.

“Millie?!” Mr. Tabootie whirled around, facing his wife. “No! Don’t!” He cried as he rushed back over.

Nihilanth watched as the man rushed over to where his wife was. Mrs. Tabootie was backing away from Jenny, her eyes locked on the gelxeno chalk. She lowered herself to the ground, putting her large arms around her son’s body, trying to protect him. What a futile effort. Leaving herself exposed like that... Well she must really care about her son. That was going to prove to be her downfall.

Nihilanth turned his attention to the ring of fire. As amusing as it was watching the display with the humans, he was much more interested in what Snap will do with Snap Clone. This would be more exciting, more...entertaining for him.

“Come on, little zoner...” Nihilanth said in a taunting voice. He spread out his wings. “Dance for us!”

At this, Snap Clone raised his arm cannon and pointed it towards Snap. He took aim and fired. Snap let out a scream and jumped out of the way as the laser hit against the ground. The area it struck sizzled to black, steam rising out of the ground. Snap looked at the burnt area and then back at Snap Clone. He pushed himself back to his feet and moved away, shivering.

“N-N-Now...i-i-it doesn’t have to be th-this way...” Snap whimpered. He cringed, lowering his body partially in a defensive postion. He held his hand out in front of him, waving it as if that was going to provide some extra protection.

Much to Nihilanth’s amusement, Snap Clone did not listen. Instead, he just continued to walk towards Snap, that laser arm of his fully ready to be used again. Nihilanth moved his heads on either side, wanting to get a full view of this battle. Zero seconds would he miss. He really wanted to know just how Snap was going to handle this. He’s fought against other zoners and even humans before. But how well would he do against a zoner who was not only dead...

...but had died saving him...?

He shall soon see.

sss

Snap’s mind was a wreck. There were too many thoughts in his head. It was hard for him to concentrate on much. Those thoughts swirled around in his mind, giving him a headache. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to try to relieve the headache. Instead, his eyes were locked on the scene before him. His body wouldn’t move, wouldn’t obey. He was in such a state of shock at this turn of events. And he couldn’t help but constantly ask himself one thing.

How could this have happened?

Snap knew that Nihilanth was cruel. He knew he was powerful. But he never thought he could or would do something like...this. Nihilanth was making a deliberate attack on his heart and mind. He knew about the incident in the dark dimension and he was using it against him. Snap’s body overflowed with emotion, panging at his stomach and chest and making him feel sick. He could feel toxins swelling up in his body, making him feel like he wanted to throw up. A part of him was in denial, yet...how could he deny what he was seeing before his eyes?

Standing right before him was a clone of himself. Snap Clone. But his appearance...and possibly whatever mind that he had...it was clearly based on Alt-Snap. The appearance was the same. The clothes, the weapons, even that hardened stare. But there was a slight alteration. A zombie-like appearance, and the wounds used to kill him, the stab in the stomach and his broken neck, it was all still there. The sight of it caused a lump to form in the zoner’s mouth. He couldn’t believe that Nihilanth would...

“Why...?”

Snap stared at the Snap Clone when he spoke. He licked his lips in nervousness and took a step back. Snap Clone stared at him intently, his eyes longing for an answer to the question. Snap waited to see if he would elaborate. When he did, Snap could feel his heart break in two.

“Why did you let me die?” Snap Clone asked. His voice had a slight gurgle to it. Seeing some coagulated blood spill out of his mouth told Snap why. “You let Rudy attack me. How could you do that to me?”

Snap shook his head, his eyes widening in terror. “I didn’t do that! I didn’t....!”

Snap Clone cut him off. “I know the truth. I saw you standing there, mouth agape. You could have done something.” His eyes narrowed a little. “But you chose to stay put with your own Rudy. You watched me die. You little fucker... I saved your life and you watched me die!” The laser on his arm glowed brighter. To Snap’s horror, it shifted to the color of blood. “Is that the way you repay your allies?!”

Snap dodged out of the way. He turned his head towards Snap Clone. His lower lip quivering, he said, “N-No..please... That’s not true...” Tears flowed down his face. “I-I feel so bad about what happened to you.. Please, this isn’t what I wanted...please.”

But the clone showed him no compassion or sympathy. “You didn’t even let me get a proper burial. You let Draow eat me!” A few chunks of coagulated blood flew out of the zoner’s mouth as he yelled. “You did nothing to stop Draow from swallowing my body. I bet you did that on purpose, didn’t you, fucker?!”

Snap shed more tears. He whimpered softly as he wiped away bits of the zoner’s coagulated blood that landed on his cheek. “No, I would never...”

“Shut up!” Snap Clone turned his head a little. Snap cringed as he heard the sound of loud breaking and cracking of bone, reminding Snap even more about the condition of this zoner’s neck. “I do not wish to hear your voice again! I am going to make you pay for what you’ve done to me!” The laser glowed once more. “I trusted you...and now you can trust me. I will tear out your vocal cords and feed them to you, you little bitch!”

Snap cringed at this, taking a few steps back. He could feel the warmth of the flames behind him, prompting him to stop. He looked over his shoulder, his teeth clenched in nervousness and fear. Then he looked back at Snap Clone, who was approaching him slowly, the laser gun still aimed at him. Snap gulped and tried to say something, anything, but cold fear gripped his mind, making him unable to respond. And even if he could speak, would Snap Clone even listen to him?

Snap’s mind filled with rapid-moving thoughts. So many, they clouded, making his head hurt. He was so confused, so terrified. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to fight back. He didn’t want to hurt...himself. He wasn’t sure if he could bring himself to deliver a blow against his clone, even if it was just self defense. He wondered...was this how Rudy felt when he had to go up against his other self in those dimensions? Did he feel the same amount of fear and confusion as he himself was now? It was like he was looking at a mirror...except this mirror could bite back.

Snap Clone got even closer. Snap could no longer back away. Any closer, and the fire would touch him. He cringed, turning his head to the side as Snap Clone stood right in front of him. Having his counterpart so close to him like this, with that look on his face...it was so uncomfortable. His body shivered, his eyes locked on the laser. At this range, he knew Snap Clone would not miss. One fire, and it was all over.

Snap let out a yelp as Snap Clone seized him by the neck. The zoner struggled, trying to pull the arm free. Snap Clone was stronger. Being based off Alt-Snap, this made sense. That zoner had to fight for years, so naturally, Alt-Snap would be physically stronger. Snap tried a kick between the legs, a desperate move to escape, but this was impossible; Snap Clone was smart enough to position himself far enough away that Snap’s legs and feet could only hit the air. Snap couldn’t help but be unnerved at how the zoner was able to stay balanced despite him leaning himself forward like this. But that barely registered in his head as Snap Clone pressed the laser against his forehead.

Shaking his head in desperation, the zoner cried, “No! Don’t do this!” He let out a few more tears. He stared at Snap Clone, looking for any sign of realization, something that told him that he was going to stop. He let out a whimper when he realized this was not the case. “C-Come on..I never left you to die... I-I-It wasn’t me who killed you. Why can’t you see that?”

“Oh but you did kill me.” The clone said coldly, tightening his grip. “I pushed you out of the way. You being such an idiot, standing there gawking like a fool, that forced me to push your sorry hide out of the way. And that got me killed!” He put his face close to Snap’s tear-stained one. “So yes, Snap. You did kill me. I wonder...how many others died because of you? How many others got injured due to your stupidity?”

Snap felt his heart wrench tightly at this. In the back of his mind, several images flashed. Images of Ms. Saffron... his Ms. Saffron... The one that was killed years ago. He remembered Mr. Cosmo’s taunting words, how she was killed because she had ‘gotten too close to him’, that he had ‘brainwashed her’. That memory still filled him with anger and dread to this day. Snap Clone’s harsh words brought it back to the surface, this time more chilling than ever.

The clone seemed to catch on. Noticing his facial expression, he said, “Ah...so you have hurt someone else. Tell me...” He tilted his head. “Was it...your Saffron...?”

Snap gasped at this. He didn’t respond, a lump in his throat preventing him from doing so. He just gaped at the zoner, wondering if he had read his mind. The clone gave a dark, mean-spirited smile at this.

“I remember you telling me about how she died. It was because of you...wasn’t it...?” Snap Clone asked.

“No... I mean...” Snap struggled to think of an answer. “She was killed because Mr. Cosmo had no reason to keep her.” He spoke again, this time, doing his best to sound more comfident. “He didn’t like her questioning his...stance....and he got rid..of her....”

“He got rid of her because she got close to you. He got rid of her because you and her started talking.” Snap Clone narrowed his eyes. “So therefore, he killed her because of you...”

“No!” Snap shouted. “That’s not true!”

“Deny it all you want to. You can’t hide from the truth.” Snap Clone’s taunting voice filled his head. Chilling, so evil... Echoing in his mind. “Ms. Saffron could have still been alive if it weren’t for you! It’s all your fault!”

Snap’s body shuddered at the cold laughter that came out of the clone’s mouth. So cold, and so icy, it was like he could feel frozen shards all around him, pressing against his body. He looked left and right, hoping that something will happen to help him escape. But he could see nothing. He noticed a dark shadow over them, and he knew it was Nihilanth. The dragon was watching this, likely enjoying it, too. And Rudy’s parents, they were still being ‘entertained’ by Jenny. As for Rudy, he was still unconscious, and even if he were awake, his wound would prevent him from being of much help to himself, let alone anyone else.

“But you didn’t stop at just Ms. Saffron! No!” Snap Clone’s laughter started to intermix with rage. The voice seemed to grow deeper, chilling Snap to the bone. “You had to kill me, too! You saw that my Ms. Saffron was still alive, and you decided to take her away from me! You may not have landed the killing blow, but you helped my Rudy get an opening and you let me die! You did that so you could take my Ms. Saffron away to fill the void of the blackhole that is your heart!”

Snap’s breathing increased. Tears flowed down his cheeks. How could he think that? How could he even say that? None of that was true. He...he would never do something like that. Snap lowered his head, sobs wracking through his body. He couldn’t bear to stare at his clone’s cold, chilling grin. He shut his eyes and let the tears flow, his breathing noisy, shaky, and ragged.

How cruel could Nihilanth get? Why would he summon this zoner to him like this? Why would he force him to face a copy of the deceased version of himself? What was the point? To make him feel guilty? He couldn’t understand it. The dragon had been cruel before, but this...this was one of the worst things he’s done. He already felt bad enough about what happened. He didn’t need salt poured into the wound like that.

And the clone...how could he think that he would purposely let him die? Didn’t Alt-Snap know that wasn’t true? Couldn’t he realize just how guilty he felt about the whole thing? Snap would never deliberately want anyone to die, let alone an ally. He was still haunted by that image of Alt-Snap having the sword drawn through his body, the blood that pooled out of his mouth and stomach... He shuddered, trying to push the horrible image out of his head.

Alt-Snap couldn’t blame him for that, could he? He made the choice and no one could have predicted what would have happened. For this resurrection of Alt-Snap to accuse him like that...it was heart-breaking. Snap couldn’t believe that Alt-Snap would...

He paused at that. No, he reminded himself. This wasn’t Alt-Snap. This was just an image of him, projected by Nihilanth. This was Snap Clone. At this, the zoner’s mind filled with realization.

This was a trick. Snap Clone here was the manifestation of his own guilt. He was the one who felt bad about what happened to Alt-Snap. He was the one who felt guilty for what had happened. Even after being reassured by his friends, by Ms. Saffron, he still couldn’t help but feel responsible. Nihilanth must have caught onto that, and created a vision of Alt-Snap, one that manifested his own fears: the fear of being the one responsible for his death.

Nihilanth was messing with his head. He was toying with him. He was taking his own guilt and turning it against him. As the zoner realized this, his mind began to heat up, the blood in his body boiling. He shot a glare at Snap Clone, his mind racing with burning thoughts. How dare Nihilanth play with him like this... How dare he toy with his heart...

“You...you’re not him... You’re just a mirage. You’re not real.” Snap growled as he started to push back. His anger bestowed upon him additional strength. Snap Clone was starting to have trouble keeping himself and was eventually forced to take a step back. “I will not allow you to keep a hold over my mind like that. Not anymore...”

Mustering up enough strength, Snap pushed against the clone. Snap Clone stumbled back, but quickly regained his footing. He stared at Snap, his eyes widened in surprise. Then they narrowed as a sneer spread across his face. “So what are you going to do now, fucker?” His sneer grew more twisted, his eyes widening and having a spark to them. “And..just where is your Ms. Saffron anyway? Did she flee because she knew what you would have done to her...as you did me...?”

Snap bared his teeth. He wasn’t going to fall for that mind trap. “Shut it! You aren’t the same Snap I met in that dimension. You’re just an illusion! You’re a trick of the mind! You’re a puppet of Nihilanth, sent to mess with my mind and place doubts in it. I’m not going to be fooled any longer! I am going to make sure you can’t mess with me again!”

Snap Clone chuckled at this. “Kind of dark for you. What are you doing to do? Kill me?” He sneered. “If you do...everyone will see you for what you really are. A monster... A despicable, disgusting monster...”

Snap gritted his teeth. He knew the clone was right. He had to be careful what he did. He didn’t want to be viewed as a monster. He never wanted to be seen that way. He didn’t like hurting people. Even in self defense, he often felt guilty about it. He liked to think he was better than those who opted to attack first thing. But...what could he do now? He was surrounded by fire and he knew Snap Clone would not be afraid to fire that weapon again. It was aimed right at him, and with a single pull of the trigger...

He shook his head. He couldn’t fall for that either. Another mind trick. Snap knew that, at times, he had no choice but to fight back. There were times when violence really was the only answer. And in this case, it appeared to be his only response could be to fight back. And why should he care too much about attacking the clone? He was just a mere image of Alt-Snap conjured up to make him feel bad, so horrible that he couldn’t fight back. He wasn’t real. He wasn’t alive. Nothing more than a convincing mirage.

The blue zoner narrowed his eyes in determination. He took a fighting stance, his fist clenched tightly at his side. “I am no monster. I’m not the one trying to break another’s mind. That’s you.” He took a step forward. “You are the one who should feel ashamed. You are the one who is being cruel. A twisted mockery of the Snap I had met. The real him would not blame me for what happened.” Snap Clone tilted his head at this, narrowing his eyes in slight perplexion. “He would not act like I purposely killed him...because he knew the truth. In his final moments, he knew the truth. He willingly gave his life for me. And for you to say that’s not true, well..” He pointed his fist in the zoner’s direction. “That is enough for me to know that you’re just a big faker!”

“Heh..whatever you say, punk.” Snap Clone said, merely shrugging off what Snap said to him. He readied his laser gun, preparing to fire it again. “Any last...”

Before the clone could finish his question, Snap bolted forward, taking him off guard. Snap darted from side to side, making himself a harder target. Snap Clone frantically tried to aim at him, moving his laser to follow Snap’s movements. He seemed to realize he couldn’t aim it properly and his eyes widened. A tinge of fear started to form in his eyes.

Then, as soon as he got close enough, Snap launched himself at his clone. His body collided with his. The two zoners slammed into the ground and began to wrestle with each other. They rolled across the ground and they soon came to a stop near the other side of the circle of fire. Snap found himself on top of Snap Clone. He used his one arm to hold him down. He glared at him hatefully, breathing in ragged gasps of air. Snap Clone looked up at him, his expression close to fear, teeth clenched.

“What are you going to do to me?” Snap Clone asked, his voice but a whisper.

Snap gave a bitter smile at this. “I could keep that a secret. I could let you keep guessing, fearing the worst. I am aware that often, the worst thing is anything you don’t know. I could tell you...but if I leave you guessing, that will have a worse effect on you, wouldn’t it? You would be left wondering what I’m about to do. That would mess with your head. Have you ever felt that kind of terror before...?” He leaned in, his eyes narrowing and his smile fading. “Because I have.”

Snap Clone winced at this.

Snap pulled back. “But I won’t do that. Because I’m better than you. I don’t need to waste my time toying with you. I’m a bigger person than that.”

“Oh I see... Well then, perhaps that makes me the smaller person?” Snap Clone asked, a glare spreading across his face. Snap didn’t answer that question, which seemed to infuriate the clone even more. “You’re so vile... Blaming me for something that isn’t my fault... It is you who is small. It is you who is at fault! I might be just a ‘mirage’ as you say, but I have the memories of that Snap, and what I say is true! He really does blame you!”

Before Snap could respond to this, he was kicked backwards. He grunted in pain as he slammed into the ground, coughing. He started to get up onto his feet, only to be stopped when the gun was placed near his head, only inches away. His eyes widened in shock, taken by surprise that the zoner had managed to move that fast.

“And if you don’t believe me, well...” Snap Clone smiled viciously. “I know exactly how you can figure it out.” The end of the laser gun began to glow. “Say cheese, you asshole.”

Snap could hear the sound of the laser beam charging up. Not willing to wait until it fired before he did something, Snap reacted on instinct. He got up to his feet as quickly as he could and he pushed against the zoner, his right hand slamming into him as hard as he could. Snap was pushed back a little by the impact. He shook his head and he watched the scene unfold. Despite knowing that he was just a mirage, he couldn’t help but widen his eyes at what happened next.

Snap Clone stumbled backwards, desperately trying to regain his footing. He whirled his arms around. The laser beam had fired, hitting the ground harmlessly nearby. The steam from the impact crater intermixed with the smoke of the fire. Suddenly aware of the smoke, Snap began to cough, as did his clone. But the reason Snap reacted horrified was not due to the additional smoke, but due to just where Snap Clone was stumbling towards...

He was getting dangerously close to the black and white fire that surrounded them. Snap, for a moment, froze, unsure of what to do. He could just stand there and let him get hit. After all, he was just a mirage, right? An image created by Nihilanth. What would be the point of saving him? Yes, he could just let the image get destroyed and..

...why was he thinking like that? Snap shuddered at how dark his thoughts were becoming. If he let him die, image or not, he wouldn’t be much better than Nihilanth. He needed to take action, do something to stop the clone from plummeting into the fire. Snap rushed forward.

But he was too late. He only got halfway, his hand outstretched, when the clone hit against the flames. Snap froze in his tracks, his mouth dropping open and eyes bulging large, as Snap Clone was engulfed in flames. His screams sounded out, filling the air with melancholy. The fire quickly spread over his body, charring it to black. The horrible smell of burning flesh filled the air, assaulting Snap’s nostrils and making him feel sick. Snap wanted to look away from the horrible image, but found himself unable to.

Snap couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His body trembled, unsure if he could fully process what was going on. He didn’t expect anything like this to happen. There was a pang of guilt that entered his stomach. Despite this clone being created by Nihilanth to fool him, he still felt sorry for him as he watched him burn up like that. Just seeing the wounds, it was enough to make him shudder. He remembered all too well the time his feet were burned. A burn wound was something he was familiar with, and the thought of this zoner being covered in burns filled him with dread.

Snap Clone, against the shere agony he as in, raised his arm, pointing the mounted gun at Snap. The zoner’s eyes widened and he took a few steps back. The end began to glow. But Snap Clone was so badly injured and in so much pain, that his arm began to wobble. Unable to completely control his arm, he ended up pointing too high and the laser fired. The zoner collapsed on the ground, and disappeared in a burnt wisp of air. The fire around died almost immediately.

Confused, Snap looked up in the direction the shot had been fired. He could have sworn it hit against something solid. But the only thing near enough to be struck by it was...

Snap was taken aback when Nihilanth let out a screech of pain. Not a big one. A quick yelp was more like it. It was clear the laser did not hurt him that much, but it was enough to cause some pain. The little zoner took a few steps back, watching as Nihilanth’s heads were curled back in S shapes, both his sets of eyes closed tightly and sharp teeth clenched tightly. The dragon shook his two heads, recovering quickly. Snap gulped as the dragon looked down at him.

“Snap! Get away!” Mrs. Tabootie called out, having noticed what was going on.

Mr. Tabootie, after delivering a punch to Jenny, chimed in, “Take Rudy to safety! I see blue chalk over there!”

At this, Snap looked around the battleground. He eventually located a piece of blue chalk on the ground. Not bothering to question where it came from, if it was his that he lost and it somehow wasn’t smashed like he initially thought, or if it was there some other way, Snap started to rush towards it. However, he didn’t get far when both of Nihilanth’s tails smashed down in front of him, shaking the ground. Snap looked up at Nihilanth in fear.

“Oh no you...” Nihilanth paused. He seemed to hesitate, confusing Snap. Why was he stopping? Then, much to his confusion, Nihilanth cringed back, his eyes bulging open. “What’s...going on..?”

Snap wasn’t sure what was happening either. The dragon zoner seemed like he was kind of in pain, though he wasn’t sure how to describe that expression. It was like...he wanted to throw up? But he wasn’t gagging. Whatever was going on, it was clear the dragon at least wasn’t very comfortable. His tails retracted and he pressed his heads against the front of his curved necks. He shook them from side to side, and there was a small glow that emerged from his chest.

Snap realized that was where the dragon had been struck. But...why was it glowing like that? There had to be some reason. The zoner searched his mind, trying to come up with an explaination. As the glow grew brighter, it seemed to...pull out of the dragon’s body, confusing him even more. What was going on?

Then, as he was lost in thought, there was a loud boom, and a echoey shing. As this happened, the dragon’s front legs were lifted off the ground, his heads pulling back. Both heads an expression of pure shock and disbelief. Then a stream of lights shot everywhere. Multiple ones, too many for Snap to count all at once. They all hit the ground in the immediate area. The lights were so bright that Jenny stopped fighting the Tabooties and she, along with them, turned to gaze at the light show.

“What? No!” Jenny shouted angrily.

At this, Snap knew that, whatever was going on, it had to be of some kind of importance. Perhaps something that could help them out? If Jenny was having that kind of reaction, then...

The lights formed large bulges on the ground, each one of a different shape. Some were large, others small, and even their shapes varied. Some were long and some were short, and some had subtle differences. Slowly, the lights began to form different shapes as it shrunk down. Snap widened his eyes as he began to recognize the shapes. He took a step back, putting his hands to his mouth, unable to believe it. He wondered if he was seeing things. He pinched himself and when the image didn’t go away, he knew it was reality.

As the light died down completely, all around him, he could see the still forms of individuals who had been absent for days. The remaining Luminos, including Raiden and Maalik, his friends, Rapsheeba and Blocky, Tilly and Sophie...

They were out. Somehow..they had been released.

sss

Ms. Saffron felt bad about turning down a different path as they ran. She knew that they probably needed her help right about now. Maybe they were wondering where she went. She had left without telling them anything. But she shoped that, in the end, they would understand. Once they found out what she was doing...

But what if they remained angry with her? She could have screwed up badly. She could have made a big difference in the fight that she knew was likely going on. Her helping hand could turn the tides. By abandoning them and doing something else without consulting them...can she even call herself an ally? Allies tell each other their plans. They didn’t run off and do their own thing, at least not when they had the opportunity to tell of what they had in mind.

She shook her head. She couldn’t be too focused on that right now. She had to keep moving. No doubts placed in her mind. She couldn’t lose her train of thought. She knew that what she was about to do could be a big help. No, not could. Would. She just had to make sure she didn’t mess up. Everything could easily go wrong if she wasn’t careful.

The woman made her way along the grassy, open field. There was no one around her, save for a few dead bodies, likely from vicious attacks from controlled or evil zoners involved with Nihilanth. She tried to block out the image. She was thankful that there weren’t too many bodies, but there was still enough that it was unsettling. Her mind was flooded with images of what happened in her dimension. The war-torn worlds, the red skies as a side effect of the weaponry used, ChalkZone being mostly a void, skinny, malnourished zoners everywhere... She shuddered and shook the images out of her head.

Up ahead, she could see the Chalk Mine. Right now, it was still under enemy control. It hadn’t been utilized yet, but she knew that, if she didn’t act fast, it wouldn’t be around for much longer. The only reason it hadn’t been destroyed yet was because Mr. Cosmo decided it could wait. He hadn’t exactly destroyed the mine right away in her dimension when he and her Rudy took over. It remained until Mr. Cosmo no longer had a use for it. Which, to say, wasn’t incredibly long.

She paused at the entrance, taking in a deep breath. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She knew exactly what she was about to do, and the thought frightened her. She should have came over with help. She knew that she was in over her head. Yet..she didn’t want the others getting hurt over this. This...this was something she had to do. She had wanted to make it up to her ChalkZone when Mr. Cosmo had been using her, when she had made so many mistakes. Yet she failed, and that ChalkZone was destroyed.

She would not allow the same to happen here. Swallowing her fear, the woman began to move forward, and soon she had entered the Chalk Mine.

It was eerily quiet. There was no sound at all, save for her breathing, and the thudding of her heart. She looked around. She couldn’t see anyone, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. Somewhere around here, she knew that two large zoners, both of which had been brain washed, mind controlled, were roaming around, likely looking for any intruders. They might have even already saw her, and were closing in, trying to trap her. She had no magic chalk with her, either. She had to get some from the nearest batch of white chalk. Just a little closer...

There was a loud screech. She covered her ears as it echoed off the walls. She looked around, seeing a shadow casting over the stalactites and chalk pieces overhead, creating a wavey shape. The shadow got closer, soon covering her whole body. Ms. Saffron looked over and she ducked down, pressing her stomach against the ground. She looked up and she could see the large form of a condor flying upwards.

Her eyes widened in recognition. Courtney? So she hadn’t been killed in this dimension. The woman had to push aside horrific memories of Courtney being ripped apart by Draow in her dimension and focus on the task at hand. Even from this distance, as Courtney turned to face her, she could see the silver mark on her forehead. The mind control nail. So there had been a third one that had been taken over. This was going to make her task even harder. But she still had to try. At least the others weren’t around...for now. How long it was going to stay like that...

Courtney landed on the ground in a thud. Her large claws clanged against the rocky surface. She glared at Ms. Saffron, her feathers ruffled up in anger, pupils shrunk. She spread her wings out, an attempt to look intimidating, and began to approach the human slowly, snapping her beak rapidly.

Ms. Saffron wasted no time. She quickly began to sketch something with the piece of magic chalk that had been knocked into the ground by Courtney. In seconds, she managed to draw a staff, a similar one she had used to fight Draow with. She lowered her knees, gathering energy in her feet. As the bird launched an attack, the woman jumped to the side. She raised her staff up and struck the bird against her head. The bird let out a screech before turning to face her. Ms. Saffron narrowed her eyes as the bird charged her.

The fight had begun.


	193. One Of Three

Ms. Saffron barely had time to react when the condor dove down towards her. With her wings spread out, Courtney attempted to knock Ms. Saffron to the ground. The woman jumped out of the way, but she could still feel the graze of the wings sliding over her body. She flinched, realizing just how close she had been hit. The bird had been moving so fast that if she had been hit...

She didn’t have time to think about it. Courtney had turned around and was coming right back at her. Ms. Saffron narrowed her eyes and jumped to the side. She wished she had drawn her armor. Her old set had been removed by Mr. Cosmo. But she had no time for that right now. She had to keep fighting or else she....

Suddenly, there was a loud screech. Ms. Saffron’s body froze as she realized that Courtney was faster than she had predicted. The large bird had gotten behind her. As she turned her head, she was just in time to see those large talons coming down towards her. The woman let out a scream and she ducked to the ground. The claws moved so fast over her body, she could feel the gust of wind behind it. She pushed herself on her hands, shook her head, and looked up. Courtney was sailing in circles over head, watching her with those cold eyes, waiting to attack again.

Ms. Saffron picked up her staff and held it out in front of her protectively. She wasn’t going to give up that easily. She gestured for the bird to come after her again, taunting her. Courtney snapped her back at this and she dove down towards her. Ms. Saffron kept her feet planted on the ground, waiting for the right moment to make her move. Courtney got closer, and closer, yet still, the woman remained. She only did something when the condor got within a few feet. Gathering energy in her legs, she pushed herself off the ground, launching herself into the air.

Courtney’s eyes widened, as if shocked by this turn of events. She turned her head, watching as Saffron sailed through the air, pulling back that staff of hers. Then, using as much strength as she could, she swung it back down. The staff struck Courtney on the back of her head. The giant bird zoner let out a loud squawk before briefly losing control of her flight, smashing up against the stalactites hanging over head.

Saffron landed on the ground not far. She winced as she bent down on one knee forcibly. She seethed through her teeth, clutching her knee. She slowly stood up. Tentatively, she took a step forward, testing to see how much harm had been done. There didn’t seem to be too much damage, though it still hurt to walk. She turned around to see where Courtney was now.

The condor was still where she had crashed. She was on the ground, her wings spread out a little. She shook her head, small bits of white chalk rolling off her back. She turned around, her feet thumping the ground slightly. She glared at the woman. Saffron noticed something of an accusatory look in those eyes, and she gulped. It seemed Courtney was blaming her for her little...accident. Her feathers ruffling up, the bird began to stalk towards her, letting out a series of loud squawks.

Saffron raised up her staff and began to back away. She searched her mind, trying to think of something she could do. She knew there had to be someway of taking down this bird without causing much harm to her. Saffron couldn’t just leave; if she could get rid of the mind control devices, she could bring back these three allies and restore control of the Chalk Mine to them. The sooner, the better.

Even though not much had been done with the Chalk Mine, that didn’t make it any less of a serious issue. Sometimes, nothing is scarier. She and the others could sit around and just try to imagine what Mr. Cosmo may have done with the place. Destroy it was a likely option, yet, he was a clever man. He could have thought of something else. And that frightens her, drives her more to keep doing this. If Mr. Cosmo figured out a more sinister use of the Chalk Mine, one that would let it still continue but be refurbished for ‘more worthy causes’ as he’d put it...

The thought chilled her blood.

Stopping the large zoners wasn’t going to be easy. She didn’t have access to those machines this time. She wasn’t sure where in Solar Pillars the controls would be, and traveling there was dangerous. Even if there was no one around, it was very easy to get lost there, and there were still some dangers. If she made one wrong turn...

For a brief moment, she thought back to Craniac 4. He had endured some of the horror at Solar Pillars. She was amazed that he was still alive, after what was done to him. She wasn’t sure how the zoner was normally, but she was aware enough that he did seem a little...broken. After nearly having a vital part of him ripped out like that...yeah she could see why. She had dropped him off at the hospital before heading out here, so at least he was safe and could no longer be used as part of Nihilanth’s plan.

Now, it was time for her to free more zoners. She recalled how Mr. Wilter had used tin foil to mess up the signal. It didn’t necessarily block it like the man thought, but it did get the signal so messed up that the nail could not make use out of it. But what Mr. Wilter had used was real world tin foil. Would that make a difference? Would chalk foil not work? As she watched Courtney approach her, she knew there was only one way to figure it out.

With a few flicks of the wrist, she drew herself a small roll of tin foil. It materialized instantly and landed in her hand. She clutched it tightly, looking at it up and down. She then turned her attention to Courtney. Now how was she going to do this? Courtney was not going to just hold still for her to put the tin foil on. She needed a way to subdue her. Turning her head up, Courtney still stalking toward her slowly, she spotted something. Yes, that might work, but it was risky. She turned to face Courtney, knowing she had to take the chance. She took a fighting stance, preparing herself.

Motioning with her hand in a beckoning manner, Saffron said, “Here, birdie, birdie, birdie...” She took a single step back. “I’m right here, all helpless and open. Come on, are you afraid?” She taunted the large bird, hoping to invoke some kind of reaction.

Courtney let out a hiss, her feathers poofing up more. Ms. Saffron winced as she could see down the bird’s throat. Ms. Saffron bit her lip as the bird got closer, getting into the position she wanted. Remembering one of her encounters with her Rudy, she drew a small gun that looked like a laser, complete with a single ring around the end. She took a step back, and waited for Courtney to get into the right spot. Just a little closer...

The bird was ready to launch. Her wings spread out completely, she began to launch herself at Ms. Saffron. The woman reacted as quickly as she could. Before the bird could get that far, she fired the laser, colored a bright teal blue with yellow outlines, at her feet. They struck and in seconds, the feet were encased in solid ice. Courtney pulled her head back and let out a loud screech of anger as she struggled to get her foot free from the ice. She beat her wings heavily, but the ice held them down firmly.

Ms. Saffron then pointed the freeze ray up. She pushed down on the trigger, allowing the tip to glow for a little while. She took aim at a ring of stalactites that hung over the large bird. She waited for a moment, and then she fired. A small energy ball of glowing bright blue energy shot out.

As it sailed through the air, Courtney glared at her and pulled her head back. Before Ms. Saffron had a chance to realize what she was about to do, the bird struck forward with her head. Ms. Saffron ducked down, but the freeze ray was knocked out of her hands. The pain from the impact caused her to clutch her hand to herself. She examined it, and noticed there weren’t any injuries aside from a slight bruise. She looked at where the freeze ray landed. Too far away for her to get it without first getting attacked. Cautiously, she turned her attention back to the large bird.

She soon realized her shot had made its mark. She hard the sound of the blast crash against the ceiling. A series of loud cracks sounded out, spreading along the ceiling of the cave. Courtney pulled her head back and looked around, hissing softly as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Moments later, several of the stalactites broke free from the rocky wall and plummeted down.

Ms. Saffron’s eyes widened. Unable to beat what was to happen, and what could happen, she shut her eyes and looked away. As her eyes were shielded in blackness, her ears or bombarded with uncomfortable sounds. Rocks crashing against rocks, cracking, breaking, the loud screech of Courtney filling the air. She couldn’t even tell if it was actual pain or frustration. She heard so sickening grunch sound, but that didn’t mean that something...bad didn’t happen. Even after the noise settled down and the dust began to clear, she remained in that position. It took her all her willpower, and reminding herself of what has to be done, to get her to even glance one eye in the bird’s direction.

Much to her relief, Courtney hadn’t been injured. Instead, she was surrounded by a ring of stalactites. She was knocked into the ground and her wings were immobilized by the stalactites. Her head was caught between two particularly large stalactites. She was squawking up a storm, jerking her head from side to side.

Ms. Saffron remained still for a few moments. She took one step forward, then froze, wondering if it was a good idea to approach. It looked as if Courtney had been trapped, but there was always the chance that the bird could get free. Or maybe the bird was smarter than she thought, and perhaps she was setting up a trap for her. Ms. Saffron knew she couldn’t just stay there for long, though. She had to get moving. She took in a deep breath and began to make her way towards the large bird.

Courtney snapped her beak at her a few times and flapped hard. Ms. Saffron froze, but was thankful that the large bird could not get that far. She could barely move her wings due to how close the stalactites had landed around them, forcing her wings to bend at an odd angle. Not enough to break them, but enough that it was clearly uncomfortable and they couldn’t be of much use to her so long as they remained. Ms. Saffron felt some relief that the bird really couldn’t move that much, but was still gripped in fear whenever the bird zoner attempted to bite her. And those eyes... She shuddered.

Soon the woman got close enough that she was in front of the bird’s head. She was within striking distance, and the bird knew it fully well. Courtney opened her beak, letting out a loud, threatening squawk. Ms. Saffron remained frozen in her current position, staring at the bird with wide, fear-filled eyes, clenching her teeth. Then she narrowed them, taking in a deep breath. She fought against her instincts to run and got even closer to the bird, now going much further into the zoner’s striking range.

Courtney didn’t attack. She was eyeing her angrily, looking peeved that she dare get this close. Yet, she didn’t make a move to attack. Saffron didn’t know why. It would seem odd that she wasn’t using this opportunity to get her. But there was no time to wonder why she was hesitating. It was time to make her move.

Ms. Saffron reached into her pocket and pulled out the tin foil. She grabbed the end and pulled on it, and when she felt she had enough, she tore it along the razor sharp edge. She dropped the box and flattened the piece of thin metal that she did take. She got closer to Courtney. The bird noticed the tin foil, and now she began to react. She opened her beak and attempted to bite her. Ms. Saffron dodged just in time, narrowly escaping that massive beak. As the two ends collided, hearing that thud, Ms. Saffron shuddered, realizing that Courtney could have easily sliced her in half if she had succeeded in biting her.

Not willing to wait until the bird struck again, Ms. Saffron lunged forward. She laid her body across the top of Courtney’s beak. The bird began to shake her head as Ms. Saffron wrapped her legs around her beak, sealing it shut the best she could. The bird’s feathers ruffled some more and she could hear the angry growls coming from the bird’s throat. Ms. Saffron steadied herself by gripping the back of the bird’s head. Her fingers pressed against the featherless skin, her fingernails sinking into it. She took the piece of tin foil and pressed it over the nail. She made sure it covered the whole thing, and then hooked it underneath the nail, being as gentle as she could. This caused the bird some pain and, just as she finished, Courtney managed to throw her off, letting out an agonized screech in the process.

Ms. Saffron was knocked into the ground. As she hit with a thud, she could hear loud breaking and crumbling. Her heart skipped a beat. Oh no... It couldn’t be.. She lifted her head and looked back at where the bird was.

To her horror, Courtney had managed to break through the stalactites. The unintentional pain she had caused her sent a course of adrenaline through her body. Her brain, wanting to get away from the pain, gave her enough strength to break free. Chunks of rock rained everywhere. Ms. Saffron was lucky none of them were falling on her. She looked around, seeing the crumbled pieces, some sharp and others varying in shape and size. She shivered, realizing how lucky she was that none of them fell on her, and feeling a sense of horror as she realized just how powerful Courtney was.

She looked up and watched as the bird stood back on her feet. The ice that surrounded her feet had also been broken. Courtney looked down at her feet. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance, she lifted up her foot and merely shook them, knocking off the remaining bits of ice that clung to her feet. After she was finished, she turned her attention to Ms. Saffron. Her eyes widened slightly, and then narrowed a little. She approached the woman, lowering her head.

Ms. Saffron backed away immediately. She put her hands out in front of her, a feeble attempt at defending herself. For the moment, she forgot she still had a piece of magic chalk. She forgot she was surrounded by magic chalk. All she was aware of was the large bird approaching her. She gritted her teeth in fear. The bird was picking up the pace, causing her heart rate to increase. The woman backed up more quickly, but then her heel hit against a raised part of the ground, getting caught in it. She screamed as she fell into the ground, striking the back of her head in the process.

She laid there, groaning in pain for a few moments. She pushed herself up on her arm and rubbed the back of her head. She winced as she felt a very sore spot. She realized she hit the ground pretty hard. She hoped she didn’t have any kind of concussion. She was about to get up when, without warning, Courtney’s eye was right up in front of her. Ms. Saffron let out a cry of surprise and cringed back.

For several moments, the bird just stared at her. Ms. Saffron was frozen, unable to move. She bared her teeth fearfully, sucking in shaky breaths. She looked up at Courtney, wondering what she was about to do. When the bird pulled her head back, Ms. Saffron turned her head, her body shaking, waiting for the blow she knew she could never dodge from this distance.

But instead of an attack, something else happened instead. Something unexpected.

Courtney lowered her head and...pushed it right up against her. Not in a vicious attack, but in a gentle nuzzle. Ms. Saffron’s eyes widened in shock as the bird started to rub against her in an affectionate manner. After a few seconds, the large bird got off of her and took a step back. Ms. Saffron got up to her feet and looked up at her, puzzled. Courtney shifted her head from side to side and, slowly, her beak stretched in a broad smile. That was when Ms. Saffron realized what had happened.

“Y-You’re free...” Ms. Saffron breathed. “Aren’t you...?” Courtney gave a quick nod of her head, confirming her suspicions. Ms. Saffron smiled at this. “That’s....”

But she never got a chance to finish. She could hear the sound of heavy footsteps. A low moan intermixing in the air, accompanished by a screech, this one sounding more high pitched than what Courtney had mustered. The large bird hissed in the direction of the sounds, her wings spreading out in defense. Ms. Saffron didn’t need to see the approaching figures, casting their shadows on the wall, to know who they were.

Tsere...and Biclops.

Ms. Saffron, back on her feet, took a defensive stance beside Courtney. The two of them glared as Biclops and Tsere came into view. Biclops was silent. His expression made it seem like he was not interested in talking. Instead of the usual blank expression the controlled zoners usually had, he was narrowing his eyes. Not just him, but Tsere as well. Ms. Saffron wondered, for a moment, if there was a loose control connection somewhere that allowed them to show more expressions. If that were the case, then breaking them out of the control was going to be a little easier than she expected.

Ms. Saffron noticed Courtney moving forward. She stood in front of her, blocking the two zoners’ path to her. She let out a few angry squawks, giving a few flap of her wings. Although she was glad to see that Courtney was no longer under the black chalk artists’ influence, she had to stop her before she seriously injured Biclops or Tsere, or even driven them away. This was her one chance at breaking them free.

Although she wasn’t certain just how intelligent Courtney was, she reached up and patted her on the leg. The massive bird turned her head, a single eye staring down at her. Ms. Saffron paused for a moment, a little unnerved by the sudden sight of the large eye looking at her. She soon recovered and began to speak.

“No. Don’t attack them. We need to trap them. They’re being controlled just like you. Do you understand?” Saffron was relieved when the bird nodded her head a couple of times. Good; that was one thing she didn’t need to explain or work around. “We need to trap them. Can you help me do that?” Another nod. “Okay.” She turned her attention to Tsere and Biclops. “Let’s get started.”

Saffron wasn’t sure if they would succeed in freeing these two zoners. There was a chance that it would all fall apart. With the way things were going lately, she wouldn’t be surprised if something else came up that she wasn’t aware of. Things could still go wrong...

But she was still going to try. Gritting her teeth, she prepared herself to face off against Biclops and Tsere. She had to free them. Then she had to see just how many zoners had been taken over and help them. She wasn’t able to help the zoners of her world. She was going to do whatever it took to help the zoners of this world. Whatever difference she could make, she was going to take it.

Biclops and Tsere remained standing for a few moments. There was a stare down between them and Saffron and Courtney. Then, after a few more seconds, Biclops and Tsere rushed forward. In response, Saffron and Courtney raced towards them.

sss

Penny was so confused. It took her a few moments to realize just where she was. Somewhere out in ChalkZone. Why she was there, she didn’t know at first. She was so puzzled, unsure of just how she got there. She didn’t understand why her neck hurt, why it felt like someone attempted to choke her.

She was even more puzzled when she saw Bardot. Wasn’t he supposed to be the enemy? Oh yeah...he was a victim, too, and he sided with them. Yes, now she remembered that. But why did he look so concerned? She couldn’t understand it. Everything was fine, wasn’t it? She just got a little tired, but after a bit of sleep, everything was going to be okay. She was fine, wasn’t she?

But Bardot’s expression, it had told her a different story. And when he had told her to stay down and take it easy, she knew something had to be wrong. Bardot wasn’t the kind to show concern like that. The tone of his voice, something had clearly spooked him enough to cause him to act this way. But what? What could have shaken him this badly that he was willing to act in an unexpected way?

Penny wasn’t sure if she would get an answer or not. She was grateful when Bardot did seem cooperative. She had been so tired, yet despite that, she was aware enough that, when Bardot did tell her what happened, she was in absolute shock and disbelief. A part of her didn’t want to believe it was true. Even in her mugginess, she was having doubts about the story.

That is, until she saw evidence for herself. She could see, in front of her, the body of someone being held in Mr. Longhorn’s arms. This someone had a bit of a black whiff coming out of them, hanging around their bodies. A trait that she hadn’t seen much in black chalk artists, as the glow usually stayed around the eyes, although she had seen a black cloud shoot out of Rudy’s body once years ago. But what bothered here wasn’t so much so much the presence of the black glow, but who it belonged to.

It was her mother...

Penny couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want to believe it. But as Bardot continued to relay in the information, she knew that it was true. As memories came back to her, she recalled that her mom had been taken over by the black chalk. A recorruption... The thought was horrifying, chilling her blood. What added to that fright was what her mom had tried to do to her.

She had choked her. Bardot said that she had pinned her down and began to choke her, and very nearly killed her. If he hadn’t performed CPR on her, she likely would have died. Bardot even told her that she had no heartbeat or breath for a short time, and that was she was clinically dead. To know that her mom, of all people, had done that to her... It was too much for her to bear.

When Bardot told her about the electrocution, she, at first, had been horrified, worried that her mom had been hurt more than necessary. Even in her sleepiness, the feelings of anger made themselves known, beginning to burn the pit of her stomach. She only relaxed when Bardot assured her that her mom was still very much alive. And she could see that for herself as well. She could see her mom in Mr. Longhorn’s arms, her chest still rising and falling.

Electrocution... She had wondered if that would do anything about the black chalk infesting her body, if history was going to repeat. It was a long shot, yet she still held onto the hope that, maybe, just maybe, the electricity would work again.

When she had mentioned it to Bardot, he had disagreed.

“Sorry, kid, but often, life does not play fair. Don’t get your hopes up.” He had said. “Lightning doesn’t always strike twice.”

“But, it might still...” She had tried to argue.

Bardot had interrupted her. “The black chalk is smart. It likely adapted a strategy to resist the electrical attack. Chances are, your mom is still one of them.”

Penny didn’t want to believe it. She didn’t want to think that her mom was still controlled by the black chalk. She had wanted to hope, to believe, that it was okay now. She had been electrocuted before and it banished the black chalk somehow. Surely, that would happen again this time. When her mom would wake up, everything would be fine. Her mom probably wouldn’t even remember what she did...and what she nearly did.

But as it turned out, Bardot...and been right...

Penny’s body jerked, the knees of her crossed legs pressing hard against the ground for a brief second, when she heard a scream. She and Bardot swiveled their heads over and they saw that Mrs. Sanchez had woken up. The scream hadn’t come from her, but rather, Mr. Longhorn. The woman had seized him by the neck and delivered a punch to his face. With the woman’s arm pulled back again, Penny knew she was about to strike a second time.

“Wait! Mom!” Penny cried, her voice a little weak. “Stop!” She reached her hand out. She frozen when she saw her mom look at her. She could feel her heart skipping a beat. The black glow was still there. She really was still possessed by the black chalk...

Mrs. Sanchez released Mr. Longhorn and took a step back. She glared straight at her daughter, but instead of attacking right away, she just stood there. Her body had a few burn marks from the electricity, and the way she walked, it was shaky and trembling. It didn’t look like she’d be able to fight very well. At least, not at this moment. The woman was still shaken up from the electricity. Once in a while, her body would give a sudden jerk, a twitch. Most likely a side effect of the electricity that had coursed through her body. One particular thing made abundantly clear: the electrocution didn’t stop the black chalk, and instead seemed to only piss it off.

Mrs. Sanchez looked like she was wanting to tear them apart. Penny gulped, never having seen her mom in this kind of state, not even when she had been attacking them earlier. There was something about that gaze... The way she was looking at them.. It was almost..feral. Her eyes widened at this and she managed to take a step back. She reached for her throat and gently rubbed it. Would her mom attempt to strangle her again?

“I-I-I don’t believe... It didn’t work...” Penny whispered.

Bardot shot her a glare. “I told you not to get your hopes up!”

Penny didn’t respond. She just stood there, staring at her angered, still-controlled mother. Her mind raced as she tried to think of something to do. Anything... Yet her mind remained a blank. She couldn’t even hear Mr. Longhorn’s cries, or anything Bardot might be saying. Their voices were in the background. Fuzzy, distant. The only thing her mind really registered as her mom’s breathing.

She couldn’t understand why her mom hadn’t started to attack them yet, or why she hadn’t spoken a word. She wondered if the electrocution did still mess up the black chalk in someway. Perhaps the black chalk was a little disoriented, and was simply trying to regain its bearings. If that were the case, then Penny knew they had a couple choices right now.

They could either run, or take advantage of the momentary confusion and subdue her mother.

But which one should they go for? Both would be risky. She didn’t know the full extent of her mom’s capabilities as a black chalk artist. She didn’t know how much stronger the chalk made her, how more intelligent. She knew that her mom tortured and killed many people during her stay at Solar Pillars. What she didn’t know was how many actually fought back. Was it just that one person Mr. Wilter told them about? Or had there been more?

Then again, how much of Mr. Wilter’s story was the truth? She bitterly remembered how it turned out he had been a black chalk artist for a time. According to Bardot, it was only temporary, a very short amount of time, but Penny wasn’t sure if she should believe that or not. It was an uncomfortable feeling knowing that her teacher had lied to them about his position, and even though he had helped to save ChalkZone, something that she found believable largely because of Biclops’s words, she was still hurt.

And it wasn’t just that; there was the Solar Pillars as well. Mr. Wilter never told them anything about that. What else had Mr. Wilter been hiding? What other details regarding the black chalk did the man never tell them? And now, they were never going to find out. Mr. Wilter was...lobotomized.

Penny sucked in a sharp breath at the memory. As her eyes locked onto her mother’s watching her as she began to pace back and forth, Penny’s mind briefly thought about when they had dropped Mr. Wilter off at the hospital earlier. She hadn’t had a chance to visit him after that. She hoped he was going to be okay. There was little chance he’d recover anything of his mind, but she still hoped, against the odds, something could help him. Despite him making some big mistakes, he still didn’t deserve that kind of fate.

She was interrupted from her thoughts when something slammed against her. She yelped as she crashed into the ground, hitting her chin painfully against the dirt and grass.

“Look out! Duck!” She had heard Bardot cry as soon as she felt him smash up against her.

Bardot laid across her back. She could feel his heavy breathing, his ribs and stomach pressing against hers. Penny had felt something graze over her head earlier, something thick and bright. The realization that she had nearly been struck by something hit her, and she bit her lip. She looked over at her mother, and upon seeing her weapon, confirmed her suspicions. Her mom had drawn a weapon, even when she was looking straight at her.

Had she been that lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice this? Had she been so buried, so tied up with trying to think of what to do, that she failed to notice that her mom was drawing a weapon right in front of her? ...is that why Mr. Longhorn and Bardot had been calling out to her? Were they trying to warn her of something they could see coming, something that she had failed to notice herself?

“Hmph. You should have held still, dear daughter.” Mrs. Sanchez’s voice was ice cold. Penny could have sworn she saw bits of foggy breath wafer from her mouth. “It would have been a lot less painful.”

Penny glared at her mother. She could feel someone grab her arms and lift her up. It was Mr. Longhorn. She glanced up at him. His eyes were set on her mother, narrowed as well. He didn’t release her arm, instead hanging onto it tightly. The man then gazed down at her, his expression softening up.

“Come on, we need to get going. We need to find a place where we can discuss the next course of action, before she...”

Penny shook her head. Mr. Longhorn’s eyes widened at this. “That’s too risky. We need to subdue her now.” Her eyes shut. Before Mr. Longhorn could protest against the idea, she continued, “If we try to run, who is to say she won’t try to find Mr. Cosmo and tell him? Who is to say she won’t try reveal our location to him? We have to subdue her now.”

“But, Penny...” Mr. Longhorn managed to say. “We don’t have any magic chalk...”

Penny froze at this, realization striking her. Mr. Longhorn had a very good point. They stood little chance of fighting against her mother without a piece of magic chalk. Her mom could very easily draw a trap for them and...

Wait, her mother. She...had a piece of chalk. Slowly, Penny turned her head towards her mom. At the moment, the woman didn’t have the piece out. But Penny could still see a slight bulge in the side of her pants. The magic chalk...it was in there. They could... no, it was too risky. She remembered too late that her mom had black chalk, not white chalk. Penny couldn’t risk corruption. She remembered the time when Rudy tried to use it momentarily, only for it to quickly grab control of his mind and force him to kill three zoners, and nearly kill her in the process.

But..perhaps there was still a way they could use that magic chalk to their advantage. It wasn’t going to be easy, but they had to try something.

Penny took a step forward. Mr. Longhorn stared at her in confusion, along with Bardot. Both were clearly confused on what she was about to do. She didn’t bother explaining to them. If she did, they would probably still not fully understand, as she would not be able to tell them straight out. She would risk ruining the plan if she did. Even dwelling on it wasn’t an option. But she knew one thing for certain.

It was time to turn one of the black chalk’s oh so clever tricks...against it.

Penny, unable to believe what she was about to do, shrugged her shoulders in a dismissive way. “Oh, mother, sometimes I wonder why you chose to serve the black chalk. Not like it’s going to do you any good.”

“What?!” Mrs. Sanchez snapped, her pupils shrinking slightly.

Penny chuckled at this. “Oh really now...you have to ask that?” Penny shook her head in disappointment. “Tsk tsk...I would think my own mother might understand. But of course, I could be wrong about you. You did join forces with the black chalk, and if you had any ounce of intelligence in you, then you’d realize just what kind of mistake you made.” Penny watched as her mom seethed in anger, and she continued, “The black chalk is nothing more than a wasteful ambition. It seeks to control what it cannot, and it acts like such a fool, forcing humans to be its slaves, as if it couldn’t handle anything on its own. Tell me, mother...” Penny’s challenging smile grew. “If the black chalk were really all that great...then how come it needs a human to control it?”

“How...how dare you!” Mrs. Sanchez snapped. She was about to continue, but she soon caught herself. Slowly, she closed her mouth, still glaring at her daughter. She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “You never got a chance to be truly guided by the black chalk. So you speak from mere ignorance, my daughter.” She held out her hand, though it was clear the woman was not actually expecting her to take it. Still, she curled her fingers a few times, attempting to beckon her forward. “If you come with me, I can show you what it’s like to have a guide in life.”

Penny let out a laugh at this. It was so uncharacteristic of her, even sounding so fake. Her mother was confused by this, and Longhorn and Bardot were both taken aback, staring at her in shock. Penny looked at those two for a few seconds, never once chancing her expression. They must think she’s gone mad. She had no time to explain. She could only hope they won’t jeopardize anything.

“Guide? Really? Do you honestly think the black chalk could teach me anything? Oh please!” Penny waved a dismissive hand. “You must be pretty delusional if you think the black chalk is as smart as it likes to think. If the black chalk were so smart, how come it lost all those years ago?”

“You are really starting to push my buttons, dear.” Mrs. Sanchez said. “One more word of disrespect out of you, and I will show you why you should never turn down an offer from the black chalk. And I won’t show mercy on you just because you’re my daughter.” She gave a slight grin as she rubbed her neck. “I’m sure you were already aware of that.”

Penny found herself touching her neck again. Some of the pain from her mother’s fingers against it was still there. But she didn’t let it bother her for long. She truned her mother’s smile and said, “I’d like to see you try.”

At this, Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes widened, then they narrowed. “Okay then...so be it...” With that, the woman began to advance slowly on Penny.

“What were you thinking?!” Bardot hissed at her. He watched the approaching woman warily as he spoke in Penny’s direction. “She’s going to try to capture us, and just so you know, she’ll succeed.” He paused, then glanced at Mr. Longhorn. “Well he might get away.”

“If we run now, maybe we’d all stand a chance of escaping whatever trap she might...” Mr. Longhorn started to say. Penny interrupted.

“We are all going to remain here.” Penny said.

“What?” Bardot and Longhorn stared at her in shock.

Penny narrowed her eyes, not looking at them. “Just trust me on this, okay?” She lowered her posture slightly as she prepared to run. “I know what I’m doing...”

“For your sake, I hope so...” Bardot said, his eyes narrowing. “Do you at least have a plan?”

Mr. Longhorn paused for a moment. He looked at Penny, as if he were expecting her to interrupt him before he could start speaking. Penny felt a little bad for cutting him off, so this time, she let him speak. She waved a hand in his direction, and waited for him to talk.

Mr. Longhorn said, “We could try to confuse her. Run around in different directions. That might throw her off as she’s trying to draw. So maybe...” His eyes widened. It seemed like he either realized what Penny was thinking the whole time, or he came to realization on his own. Instead of shooting Penny a look, which could have jeopardized the plan if Nihilanth had seen it directed at her, the man said in a low voice, “We could...”

“No time to explain! Duck!” Bardot screeched loudly as a beam was shot over their heads.

The group ducked just as the laser sizzled over their heads. They stared up in shock, then glanced over at Mrs. Sanchez. The woman held the laser in one hand, and the black chalk in the air. The black glow wafered around, disappearing into the air like it was smoke. A grin was spread across her face. Not as insane as other black chalk users they’d seen, but still enough that it was quite unsettling to look at.

Penny knew what her mother was going to do. She knew, even though the woman spoke no words at this point, what she had planned. Penny narrowed her eyes. This is exactly what she had been hoping for. The black chalk would surely want her mom to prove to her daughter that she was wrong. The black chalk knew she was a threat, and it sought to contain her. Not destroy her; it clearly knew she could still be of valuable asset. But it still wanted to capture her, and if Penny was careful, she could use this to her advantage.

Without warning, her mother charged towards them. The three immediately moved out of the way. Bardot winced as he put pressure on one of his wounds, staggering a little. Mr. Longhorn didn’t have as hard of a time getting away, although he did nearly snag his foot on an uplifted part of the ground. Penny, on the other hand, was a different story.

Mrs. Sanchez closed in on her pretty quickly. The teenager barely had time to get out of the way as her mother lunged towards her, putting the laser close to her leg. Penny winced as she felt the laser graze by her as she jumped away. Landing on the ground didn’t go smoothly and Penny found herself stumbling. She winced as her leg bent at an odd angle. It didn’t break, but there was enough pain that she found herself beginning to limp. Her mother took note of this and reacted immediately.

Penny let out a scream as her mother slammed her foot against her damaged leg. The same one that had been damaged earlier, when she had been attacked by the Luminos. She stumbled back, a few tears of pain running down her cheeks. She grabbed onto her leg, rubbing the sore spot. She looked up just as her mother, who had drawn a bat in the seconds she looked away, begin to take a swing at her.

“No!”

Mr. Longhorn rushed forward as quickly as he could. When he got close enough, he pulled his fist back and punched Mrs. Sanchez. Judging from his expression, it was clear that he was frighted at how quickly the woman could still move, despite being electrocuted. Penny chalked it off to being a trait of the black chalk.

Mr. Longhorn looked down at her, grabbing her arm and letting her use him as support. “Are you okay?”

Penny nodded her head. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“Perhaps for now... But not for long.” Bardot said. His body was in a posture like he was ready to attack. Penny could see, quickly, the cause of that. Mrs. Sanchez was already drawing something else. “Not unless we take action!”

With that, Bardot rushed over to Mrs. Sanchez. As the woman was still in the middle of drawing something, which Penny couldn’t make out what it was due to the dark lines being too difficult to see, Bardot lunged at her and bit down on her leg. Mrs. Sanchez let out a scream, straightening her body and nearly tossing the black chalk away. The small zoner then started to drag back, causing the woman to lose her balance and she fell to the ground.

Bardot jumped on her chest and stomach, letting out a loud hiss at her. Mrs. Sanchez glared at the zoner, gritting her teeth. She pulled her hand back and struck it against his side. The zoner was immediately tossed off her body. She got up off the ground and stormed over towards the fallen zoner. Before he had a chance to get up, Mrs. Sanchez kicked him in the side, sending the screaming zoner rolling across the ground.

But instead of going after the zoner again like everyone thought, Mrs. Sanchez turned her gaze on Penny. Her eyes narrowed, she began to walk towards her slowly, deliberately.

“As your mother, I hope you know that I need to teach you a lesson.” Mrs. Sanchez said. Her voice was darker, but also held a bit of...reluctance was the only word Penny could think of to describe it. She couldn’t tell if it was fake or not. “I don’t like the idea of doing this. But I don’t have much of a choice, now do I? You forced my hand.”

Penny took a step back. “You have more choices than I do, mom.” She spat back. “You could choose not to do this. You could choose to talk instead.”

Mrs. Sanchez shook her head. “Talking doesn’t get results.” She looked back up at Penny. “At least, not with you. Both you and Rudy had proved rather...troublesome for the black chalk. So..the only way to stop you two is by force. Negotations...are no longer an option.” She raised the black chalk, holding it out in front of her defensively. “Now...let’s get this over with. If you surrender now, I promise I will be merciful.”

Mr. Longhorn rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right...” He turned his head to the side, staring at the woman with a single opened eye. “Since when did the black chalk ever do things fairly like that?”

Mrs. Sanchez glared at him. “I wasn’t speaking to you.” She raised her head a little, curling her lips back in disgust. “And I wouldn’t even consider offering you a position. You are weak. You were too easily manipulated by the white chalk, so easily fell into the magic chalk madness, that it’s not even worth my time considering you. You’d be too easily pulled into the other side.” With a half smile, she added, “You’re a lost cause.”

Mr. Longhorn growled at her, taking a step forward, putting himself in front of Penny. “Oh yeah? Well hear this: I’m the ‘lost cause’ that is going to make sure you don’t lay a finger on her.” He gestured to Penny. “I know the real you would want me to do that.”

“The real me? That’s not the real me. The me you are talking about is just a weak, pitiful little human who doesn’t dare take risks for fear of ‘hurting’ people.” Mrs. Sanchez said. “I am the real Mrs. Sanchez.” She placed a hand against her chest. She then gestured to Mr. Longhorn. “And I do not approve of your little interruption.” Her eyes darkened at this, the black glow rising from them.

Mr. Longhorn’s eyes widened as Mrs. Sanchez raised the black chalk again, drawing so fast that none of them had a chance to react. In seconds, she drew a net. Energy arched and danced through it. It looked like electricity, but it sounded different and the color was off. Mrs. Sanchez stared at it, giving a quick chuckle, before she bolted towards Mr. Longhorn, not giving him a chance to react.

Mr. Longhorn took several steps back. Mrs. Sanchez raised the net, which was large enough to cover his entire body, and struck down towards him. Mr. Longhorn jumped to the side, but winced in clear pain when it, for a brief moment, touched his arm. He let out a cry of pain and held his arm to his side as he took a few steps back.

“M-My arm..it’s...I can’t move it...” The man cried out in panic.

Penny’s eyes widened at this. “What?” She said in disbelief.

Bardot got up to his feet. He wobbled from side to side. “Ain’t that an interesting development?” The zoner shook his head, regaining his balance. He then barked in the woman’s direction. “Hey!” Mrs. Sanchez paused, then looked behind her, in the direction of Bardot’s voice. “If you want to try that out more properly, why not use it on me? I’ll hold still...” His tail swished from side to side. “I promise!”

Mr. Longhorn’s eyes, along with Penny’s, widened at that. They watched in shock as Mrs. Sanchez, with a smirk on her face, turned around and began to head in his direction. Bardot arched his back, his fur raising on end, and he glared at the woman, baring his razor sharp teeth. Penny took a step forward, only to wince as her redamaged leg had pressure but on it. It was clear she was not going to be able to get there in time.

And that was when an idea struck her.

“Bardot! This way!” Penny cried out.

Bardot’s ears pricked up. He stared in Penny’s direction. He looked confused by the command, but he complied anyway. Dodging Mrs. Sanchez’s attempt to net him, he made a dash for it back towards Penny. Behind him, Mrs. Sanchez chased him, swinging the paralyzing net from side to side, attempting to catch him in it. She was catching up fast, but Bardot was getting closer to Penny at a faster rate.

Penny knew this could screw up very easily. She knew that, if they weren’t careful, they’d botch up this chance. But it wasn’t like they had much of a choice. She narrowed her eyes. Mr. Longhorn wasn’t far from her, looking confused. Despite his confused shouts at her, Penny remained where she was, waiting until the right moment. Bardot, despite having lost his great speed from two years ago, was still quick enough that, in a few seconds, he’d be upon her.

Then, seconds later, Penny made her move.

As Bardot leaped to the side to avoid the net, Penny rushed forward. She reached out with her foot and kicked outward. This took a lot of concentration; pain rushed through her leg as she hit it against her mother’s. Ignoring the pain the best she could, Penny managed to trip her mother up, taking away her balance and making her fall into the ground. The force of the attack not only sent her sprawling on the groud, clutching her leg in pain as she could no longer ignore it, but it tossed the net up into the air. It twirled a few times, and then plummeted back down.

Mrs. Sanchez glared at her daughter. “How brave of you to interrupt.” She said, some sense of admiration in that voice. She noted Penny’s in ability to get up quickly. Mrs. Sanchez quickly grabbed her by her arm. “But it’s going to cost you.” She hissed. “You...”

She never got a chance to finish. In that moment, the net that flew through the air had come back down to the ground. It hit her, and encased her in its net. Mrs. Sanchez let out a scream of surprise and, due to the paralyzing nature of the net, collapsed into the ground. Penny, freed of her mother’s grasp, backed away as quickly as she could.

Mr. Longhorn, who had come over to help Penny up, stared down at Mrs. Sanchez cautiously. “I-Is she...?”

“She’s fine, just paralyzed.” Penny said. She gritted her teeth as she leaned against Mr. Longhorn. “We need to put her somewhere safe. Where she can’t get out and the black chalk artists can’t break her out, even if they knew where she was.”

Mr. Longhorn blinked his eyes. “Do you have a place in mind?”

Bardot cut them off. “I know of one.” He paused as the two humans looked at him. “And I’m sure you have the same place in mind, don’t you, Penny?”

Penny stared at him. Then she narrowed her eyes and nodded her head. She then turned her attention to her paralyzed mother. Mr. Cosmo might be on his way already, or someone else, to assist her mother. They had to get moving and fast.

sss

Howdy let out a yelp of pain as he was slammed into the ground again. How many times had this happened to him in this fight? More than he could count that’s for certain. He wasn’t able to get up in time when Draow flung his head at him, his large muzzle hitting against him and causing him to crash into another wall. Howdy screamed again, unable to hold back.

As he slid down to the ground, he opened up his eyes partway. His vision was a little blurry. There was a throbbing pain in his left arm, which had been damaged some more due to Draow’s attacks. To his horror, he knew the bat wolf wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. The pain was only going to get worse. If he didn’t get out of here...

The little zoner rolled out of the way as Draow’s massive foot stomped down, the talons scraping along the rocky surface. Howdy clutched his hand against his ear, using his shoulder to try to shield the other one. The loud scraping sound irritated his ears. It was the distraction that Draow needed. The bat wolf charged towards him, splitting his mouth wide open in a snarl. He snapped his jaws at Howdy, trying to snag him. Howdy moved to the side, and winced as he felt the rush of hot air jet out from the bat wolf’s toothy mouth.

As Howdy got up and started to run off towards another part of the black chalk chamber, Draow turned around, his heavy thudding filling the room. “Go on! Run all you want to!” Draow barked at him, his teeth bared in a cross between a grin and a snarl. “I destroyed the only exit! Only I can get out! You...well you can remain here and starve to death.” He took a fighting posture, his wings spread out. “Or you could stay and fight me, and then die. I do hope you chose to fight; it’ll be the less painful way out.”

Howdy, despite his fear, was not willing to back down so easily. After learning about the ‘brain chalk’, he knew he had to relay in the information to Rudy and Penny. They needed to know about this. Or...or he could do something... Either way, he was not going to allow that information to go to waste. There was finally, perhaps, a sure fire way of getting rid of the black chalk. He was not going to allow himself to be stopped so easily, not while a way of stopping this madness for good was at hand.

Howdy watched as Draow began to circle around him, his teal eyes piercing into his. Howdy recalled that, despite how viciously Draow attacked, he still managed to avoid destroying the black chalk pieces. None of the clusters on the ground showed any signs of damage. That was when Howdy had a thought. While he did know what would happen if this one particular black chalk piece were destroyed, what would happen if a bunch of clustered chalk recieved some damage?

“Hey Draow! Is that the best you can do?” Howdy called out, mustering as much arrogance in his voice as he could. “I would think that a proud servant of the black chalk like yourself could be more clever than that!”

Draow’s ear twitched at this. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I disappoint you?” He raised his head up slightly. “Allow me to fix that. I wouldn’t want you to think I was losing my touch.”

Howdy remained where he stood as Draow charged towards him. He could feel the vibrations in the ground as the massive beast got closer to him. He kept glaring at Draow, unwilling to move even as the bat wolf got closer to him. Draow’s mouth ticked into a smile, and he picked up the pace. His wings spread out even more, giving him something of a boost as he ran.

“Yes, that’s right! Hold still!” Draow shouted. He noticed the puppet zoner had cringed, crouching a little low. “I can see you finally realized how futile it is to fight back! Keep yourself there! This won’t take long!”

Howdy wondered if Draow was so overconfident, that he failed to take notice of anything off about him just standing there. Draow was, according to what he had been told, rather impulsive. He knew this trick wouldn’t work on the old version of Bardot, and certainly not on Mr. Cosmo. Draow’s ‘dive into the mix right away’ drive was the only reason this idea was going to work, the only reason Draow hadn’t realized what was up and stopped. Howdy kept his feet planted on the ground and waited for the right moment to make his move.

When Draow got close enough, Howdy jumped to the side. Draow was not able to react in time and his body and face slammed against a cluster of black chalk. Bits and pieces of it flew everywhere, clanging against the ground. Howdy thought he heard the chalk screech in pain, though he couldn’t tell as Draow let out shouts of agony of his own. His claws scraped against the ground as he struggled back up to his feet, wobbling from side to side. Howdy could see that bits of broken, sharp pieces of black chalk got into his skin. Draow shook his head, tossing the pieces into the ground.

For a brief moment, Howdy thought he saw a black mist rise up from where Draow had slammed himself against the black chalk. It didn’t last very long, and he wondered if he had just been seeing things. He didn’t have time to think about it some more when Draow turned his attention on him, his lips curled back in a snarl.

“Oh very clever... But you won’t be able to keep it up.” Draow hissed. He paced in front of Howdy, keeping his teal eyes on him. “I do have to wonder what Rudy was thinking when he designed something like you. So small and puny.... You are hardly fit to be a servant.”

Howdy replied, “That’s because I wasn’t created to be a servant.”

Draow chuckled. “Oh really now? How stupid of him.” He straightened himself up, his chest puffing in what Howdy guessed was pride. “We zoners are made to serve the ones who create us. As such, we need to be able to do what is tasked of us.” He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Howdy up and down, as if studying his design. “The only thing you’d be good for is serving water to a bunch of two year olds.” His eyes brightened at that. “I hope you enjoy having death so close to your ugly face!”

“At least I can hold stuff in my hands. Because I was drawn with them.” Howdy raised up his right hand. “What was your creator thinking when he gave you wings but how arms? I have to wonder what kind of task he had in mind for you.” Howdy smiled teasingly. “Let me guess: his feeble eight year old self, or however old he was when he created you, couldn’t think of anything to do with you except ride you like a pony. Oh how scary!” He said with sarcasm laced on his voice.

Draow widened his eyes at this, then narrowed them. “How dare you...” He said, his voice deep and growly. “Perhaps I need to...slash some respect into your body.” He brandished his wing claws at this.

“Bring it on, fluffy.” Howdy sneered, motioning with his hand.

Draow, snarling and baring his teeth, pointed his laser guns at the puppet zoner. The ends glowed and, in seconds, they shot out. Howdy waited for the right moment, and then he dodged to the side. He felt the heat of the closest laser sail by him. He winced, and then turned around just as the laser struck against another cluster of black chalk. The pieces shattered into millions of different parts immediately. Another echoey screech and now Howdy was certain it was the black chalk.

Then cold horror struck him, filling the pit of his stomach. What if these weren’t screeches of pain, but...calls for help...?

Howdy didn’t have time to think about that when he suddenly felt a large claw strike him in the back. He screamed as he felt warm blood splatter all over his back. He rammed into the ground, tumbling across, doing somersaults until he finally hit against the wall. Upside down, his feet dangling over him, he could see Draow’s face. There was a mixture of rage and horror plastered over it.

“Piece of worthless dung!” Draow’s voice boomed. “Try that again! I fucking dare you!”

With that, Draow charged towards the terrified Howdy.

sss

Nihilanth stopped what he was doing. His body froze, his eyes split wide open. As he had stopped, so did everyone else. Jenny, Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie, Snap, and even Rudy, who had finally woken up, all stared in Nihilanth’s direction, wondering what was going on, and what prompted him to stop. Even the newly freed Luminos weren’t doing anything except looking, as did the other freed prisoners.

Snap braced himself, knowing that Nihilanth could resume his attack at any time. The large dragon had been so worried about his prisoners escaping, so determined to get them back, that for him to just stop...it made no sense. What was going on?

Snap then saw something appear on Nihilanth’s face that he thought would never show up. Something that told him, flat out, that something big had happened. For it to affect the two-headed dragon in this way, for it to leave even Jenny looking very worried, something was up. But what? What could possibly make Nihilanth freeze like that? What could make him look like he was in some kind of pain?

It was a look of not just pain, but fear that crossed the dragon’s face. Something had horrified him. A few times, he flinched and recoiled, as if struck by something. He took a step back, his black and white heads looking every which way. Then he let out a screech of pain, recoiling as if someone had attacked him from the side.

“Master!” Jenny screamed. She abandoned the Tabooties and came towards the large dragon. She looked at him with concern. “What’s wrong?!”

Nihilanth, gritting his teeth, said, “Abort the mission. We have somewhere else we need to go.”

“What’s going on?” Jenny questioned. She let out a yelp of surprise when Nihilanth suddenly grabbed her in one of his front paws. “What’s the meaning of this?!” She cried, confusion filling every crevice of her face and voice.

“No time to explain in detail! Let’s just say a certain...puppet... Is playing where he should not be...” Nihilanth growled, flashing his two sets of sharp teeth. “We need to stop him before he messes everything up!”

Snap and the others watched in confusion as the dragon zoner took off, carrying Jenny with him. They glanced at each other, each wondering what was going on, and why the large dragon had just left like that. Just had happened? What could this zoner be doing that was so bad that it would stop Nihilanth’s attack?

And just who was this zoner anyway? Snap thought about it, rubbing his chin with his one hand. Nihilanth said it was a puppet zoner. That was the only detail he gave. Hmm..puppet zoner... Snap’s eyes widened, horror filling his facial features. Oh no, it couldn’t be...

“Howdy!”


	194. Crack In The Chamber

Ms. Saffron stood there, leaning against the wall, exhausted. She took in a few heavy pants, trying to catch her breath. She looked up towards the two large zoners, both of them with expressions of shock on their faces. Intermixed with that, there was also horror, the realization of what they had done, or rather, what they had been forced to do.

The fight against them hadn’t been easy. Even with Courtney’s help, both Biclops and Tsere were vicious in battle, hard to fight against. Biclops was the worst of the two. Tsere was no piece of cake, but Biclops, being a land-based zoner, had a lot more muscle in his body. The cave room was littered with indentions from the fists he slammed into it. She herself had nearly gotten crushed a few times by him.

And Tsere... his talons were razor sharp. Courtney had multiple wounds on her body, a few deep gashes from the claws. His ability to fly also made him harder to catch. Unlike Courtney, he wasn’t as easily captured. He was more nimble, having more experience with flight than Courtney did. The previous trick Ms. Saffron used against Courtney, the stalactites, they did nothing against the large pterosaur, who easily dodged them.

To make matters worse, the two of them had begun to work together. So trying to trap one would just prompt the other to free the first one. Ms. Saffron had realized quickly that, in order to stop them both, they needed to catch them both at the same time. She managed to get away with them for a short time, racing down the tunnels, and she spoke to Courtney about it. The large bird, despite not being able to talk, did seem to understand enough english to know what she wanted. Ms. Saffron quickly came up with a plan and relayed it to Courtney. After making sure the large bird understood what to do, they went to work.

It hadn’t been easy. Tricking them to run into the cage, bars that were translucent and impossible to see except on close quarters, was not a simple task. She and Courtney had to coordinate their movements in a way that that would hopefully get the job done without making the two giants suspicious of their movements. After all, she and Courtney couldn’t get trapped in them, otherwise not only would they be stuck, but the two large zoners would realize what was going on and counter.

Ms. Saffron was certain, now more than ever, that some awareness was granted to these zoners, more so than the usual zoner slave. It wasn’t enough to allow them to break free of the control, but it was enough that they could coordinate better instead of rushing in blindly.

But despite their troubles, the plan had worked. Somehow, against the odds, she and Courtney got the two controlled zoners into the cage. It immediately shut, trapping them inside. As expected, the two of them thrashed about, roaring, demanding to be freed. Well Biclops was anyway. Tsere was just squawking loudly, beating his wings in a threatening manner. They both slammed against the cage, trying to knock it down, trying to burst through. But the cage was built too strong. Ms. Saffron made sure to make it out of reinforced metal, ensuring that the zoners would remain trapped inside.

Trying to get the silvery tin foil on their heads wasn’t easy and was probably the hardest part. Getting them trapped was one thing. That would keep them in one location, preventing them from attacking. But only to a certain extent. Nothing was completely subduing them, so as she had gotten close to them to press the tin foil on them, nothing was holding them back from biting or clawing, or both. And they did a lot of that as she struggled to free them from the control.

Courtney finally stepped in to help. She got behind the two zoners as Saffron kept their attention on her. The large bird grabbed them from behind, her claws wrapping around their necks. She pulled back, flapping hard, holding them in place. As the two zoners struggled to get free, Ms. Saffron managed to get close enough to put the toil foil on them, scrambling the signal into something too unreadable for the devices.

After the two of them recovered, their first reaction was confusion. They were wondering why they were trapped in a large cage. Tsere seemed to recognize her, but at the same time was puzzled and even a little frightened. Probably because he thought she was dead. Biclops, who seemed suspicious of her and thought she was the one who trapped him, demanded to know what was going on. Though he could not speak, Tsere seemed to want to know as well and had shot her a glare. It was hard for her to look away from those intense eyes.

Ms. Saffron explained the best she could. She detailed as much information as she thought they would need. She told them about what was going on, far as she knew, with the black chalk artists, and Rudy, and the others, what Nihilanth was planning to her knowledge, whatever else came to mind. She admitted there were some details she was fuzzy on. She did her best not to leave any detail out.

The two zoners were horrified that they had been controlled. They don’t even recall how that happened. Whatever went on the past couple days was a blank for them. They don’t even remember just what they had been doing on the day they had been taken, and nothing they did recently was in their memory. Ms. Saffron felt so bad for them. When they asked what they did, she was reluctant at first, but she soon told them what she remembered. Of course, despite them not doing as much as they feared, they were still shocked at what they did do.

“I can’t believe I...” Biclops started to say, his voice trailing off.

“I know. But we cannot dwell on that now.” Ms. Saffron said. There was a tone of urgency in her voice. Though she knew it was going to take the zoners a while to truly process what happened to them, she knew that time was of the essence. “We have to...”

“Wait.” Biclops interrupted her. He raised his hand up. “Did you say you were from another dimension?”

“Yes.” Ms. Saffron said, nodding her head.

“One where the zoners were...enslaved..?” There was a tinge of worry to his voice when the giant said that. “And ChalkZone was destroyed?”

Ms. Saffron nodded her head sadly. “As well as the real world. Well mostly.” She rubbed the back of her head. “They’re both still standing, but they are far from what they used to be. Both are war torn, ripped apart. Neither place is pleasant to visit.” She closed her eyes. “Most life in both worlds is gone. And those who still survive...” She shook her head, reopening her eyes and looking up at Biclops. She finished solemnly, “It’s a fate worse than death, for both sides.”

Biclops stared at her. He narrowed his eyes in contemplation. He turned his head away. “I see...” He lowered his head and sighed. “So..I had been wrong this whole time.”

“What do you mean?” Saffron was confused. What was the giant talking about?

Biclops didn’t hesitate to answer.

“All this time, I had thought that I knew what would happen if ChalkZone were exposed. I thought I had known the worse of it. But even with Cosmo as my creator, even knowing what he was doing... I still never would have thought that things would go that far...”

Biclops’s eyes were wide. His face was pale. He was shaking his head in denial, his hands clutching at his orange hair. Ms. Saffron looked at him sympathetically.

Biclops said, “Yes, I had some idea of what might happen, but.. I didn’t know it was going to be that bad. I had no idea...” His voice delved into a whisper. “I should have known...and yet I was not prepared for...” His voice trailed off completely. He went quiet. He slumped into the ground, his body impacting heavily. He didn’t look at anyone, just the ground beneath his feet, lost in his thoughts.

Ms. Saffron stared at the giant, uncertain of what to say. Courtney and Tsere also looked at him sadly. Tsere even more so, as he had been there when Mr. Cosmo first attacked ChalkZone as a kid. Ms. Saffron wished she knew of what to say. But the only things she could think of telling him may make the situation worse. Though she knew she had to do it, she wished she could bring some better news, something to lighten the mood up even just a little bit.

She was a little perplexed that Biclops didn’t realize just what was going to happen to ChalkZone. She could let it slide with the real world, since she wasn’t sure how known Nihilanth was to him. But as for ChalkZone... He was created by Cosmo for nefarious purposes. He had been with Cosmo for a time. Though it wasn’t for very long, surely Biclops would have known more about what his ‘master’ had been planning. She found it hard to believe that he was this surprised about the news she had brought to him. She would have stayed silent about it, but she had to speak up. She needed to understand this a little more.

“You seriously didn’t know?” Ms. Saffron asked.

“Well...yes and no.” Biclops said after a moment’s hesitation. “I had some..ideas. And I knew that the Solar Pillars was created to destroy ChalkZone when it was...conquered, but I...”

Ms. Saffron understood where the giant was coming from. “It’s hard to imagine it. But it’s harder to see it, isn’t it?” The giant nodded his head slowly, closing his vertical eyes. “I understand. I’ve seen a lot of horrific stuff that I had imagined, and it was so much worse in reality. The life I lived in that..that dark and twisted dimension...” She shuddered, cold chills going up her spine. “I do not look forward to going back there. You wouldn’t believe what life as been like. I could tell you, but if you could just see those malnourished zoners...”

Courtney and Tsere exchanged looks of horror at this. They looked back, their eyes wide, and brimming with the hint of tears. Biclops wasn’t any better. He kept his head away, as if he were ashamed of letting the woman see his tears.

“I can imagine, yes.” Biclops finally said, his voice shaky. “I always knew that zoners would not get treated very well. And for it to go that far...”

Ms. Saffron nodded her head. “Getting away from all that horror, that dreadfulness...” She sighed softly. “That’s the only positive thing about Mr. Cosmo dragging me here.”

At this, Biclops whirled his head and faced her, eyes wide open and mouth agape. Tsere let out a surprised squawk, his body jerking in surprise. Ms. Saffron found herself being stared at by the two large zoners. She soon realized she had forgotten to tell them about Mr. Cosmo, and she felt a sense of guilt eating away at her.

“C-C-Cosmo...?” Biclops’s face became white as a sheet. His body started to tremble a little. Tsere was looking left and right nervously, gritting his beak. “You mean..he’s back...?”

Saffron nodded her head solemnly. “I’m afraid so. Not the one you knew, but..that makes no difference, right?” Saffron clenched her teeth, narrowing her eyes. “He came into this dimension to...claim it. Give it the same fate as the one we originally came from.”

Biclops exchanged a look of dread with Tsere. They both communicated with each other a silent message. Biclops looked back at Ms. Saffron. “Where is he now?” His voice was dripping with urgency.

“I’m not entirely sure of his exact location.” Saffron said. “But he is here in ChalkZone.”

Biclops and Tsere gasped at this. Again, they looked at each other. Again, that silent message, conveying silent horror of what they knew was about to happen.

“The last time I saw him, he was chasing after the Tabooties, and the others. He wants to bring Rudy to his side.” Ms. Saffron explained. “He killed his own, and he wishes to replace him.”

“He..killed his Rudy? For replacement?” Biclops questioned.

“That is correct.” Ms. Saffron nodded her head a couple times. “In my home dimension, he had managed to corrupt our Rudy. He had been his faithful servant for years. He was a complete monster, killing so many zoners, his own family... He was absolutely irredeemable.” Ms. Saffron furrowed her eyes at the memory of that horrible person. “But...even then, I didn’t except that Mr. Cosmo would...” She clenched her teeth. “I still remember his death... Draow, our Draow, had been tasked with killing him.”

Biclops stammered for a second. Then he said, “I knew Mr. Cosmo was nasty, but to kill another black chalk artist... I never thought I’d hear the day.” He glanced at Tsere. He was just as confused as him. “I always thought the black chalk artists looked out for one another.”

“They do. Cosmo sounded legitimately regretful. But that doesn’t lessen what he had done. He betrayed his Rudy. And his Rudy... Despite being so dark and...and evil... He looked so heartbroken and shaken by what happened. He looked as though he had some regret for what he done to ChalkZone.” Ms. Saffron paused for a moment before continuing. “I’m just as shocked as you are about what he did. I never thought Mr. Cosmo would actually kill a comrade like that. And the fact that he was willing to go that far... Well I think I speak for everyone that Mr. Cosmo is a problem that won’t go away anytime soon.”

“And then there is Nihilanth.” Biclops pointed out. Ms. Saffron nodded her head. She was about to speak when the giant cut her off. “But he isn’t going to be easy to deal with either. And combined...”

“Nihilanth and Cosmo are one.” Ms. Saffron said. The three zoners looked at her, horrified. It was clear this was not what they had expected. “It’s true. Nihilanth used Rudy for a vessel, then briefly, Jenny, if I remember right.. Now it’s Cosmo’s turn.” She gave a bitter chuckle at this. “That dragon gets around, doesn’t he...?”

“It does make sense he’d constantly change, though. Think about it. If he stayed with one human, then that would increase our chances of being able to capture him and seal him away. If he jumped from host to host, then it would be harder to deal with him. We could fight and fight to get the human that was infected, but Nihilanth could escape and get inside another.”

Ms. Saffron furrowed her eyes at this. She hadn’t thought of that. It did make sense. Nihilanth might be jumping hosts at least in part to make him harder to catch. Had he been woken up when Cosmo was a kid, she was certain he would have had a ton of humans to jump around with. There were a lot fewer humans now than there were back then, so they did have some hope in finding him faster.

“Yeah...we...” She started to say, but she was suddenly interrupted.

She and the three zoners froze when they heard a commotion in the tunnels, near the entrance. They could hear someone speaking, but the voices were too faint to make out properly. It didn’t help that they were further in the tunnels, around a sharp bend. The voices were muffled, and the only distinct thing about them was that there was certainly more than one person coming into the mine. Biclops took a step forward, but Ms. Saffron held up her hand, prompting him to stop as she shook her head. They needed to wait and assess before they take action.

The voices got closer. The footsteps got louder, more distinct. The zoners were getting a little antsy. Saffron knew they wanted to rush forward and see who was coming in. But she still silently insisted they all stay put. It was better they figure out who it was from a distance, instead of rushing in not knowing what could happen. If they had an idea of who was coming, they could be better prepared.

Then she heard a familiar voice.

“I’m sorry, mom. But this is for your own good.”

Ms. Saffron took a few steps forward, her eyes widened. “Penny...?” She whispered softly. She looked up at the zoners. They, too, recognized the voice. She looked back, moving forward another step. She put her hands to her mouth and called out, “Penny! Is that you?”

“...Ms. Saffron...?” Penny’s questioning voice came. There was the quickening of footsteps, and around the corner, Penny’s head peaked out cautiously, as if she were expecting some kind of trap. Her eyes widened when she saw Ms. Saffron and the others. “So this is where you’ve been!” She cried. “I didn’t know where...”

“I’m sorry for running off. But I had to take care of a problem.” The woman motioned towards Biclops, Tsere, and Courtney. “They’ve been freed.”

Penny’s eyes widened in shock. She seemed to have taken notice on what was on their heads. “How did you...?”

Ms. Saffron replied quickly, “It wasn’t easy. But now we can all rest assured that they’re safe, and...” She motioned her arms out, indicating everything around her. “...the Chalk Mine is no longer in enemy control. The black chalk artists haven’t yet been able to utilize it to their advantage.”

After she said that, the others came into view. From behind Penny, she could see a man walking up. He wasn’t far behind the teenager. In his hands, he was clutching a net of some kind. It was rather large, and was holding something equally big. After the man walked forward enough, Saffron could see that it was Mrs. Sanchez. Her eyes widened in shock at this, watching as the man dragged the netted woman forward.

Many thoughts raced through her head. She recalled how Mrs. Sanchez had been taken over by the black chalk again. How...how did they manage to catch her? She and the Tabooties tried to do something against her, but had no such luck. How did these two succeed in catching her when she and the others could not? Well how didn’t matter at this point; what did matter is that the woman was caught now. She looked pissed off and angry, ready to rip them apart. But the net kept her still. Perhaps it had some kind of paralyzing power?

Another question entered her mind. Why were they bringing Mrs. Sanchez here? Why the Chalk Mine of all places? What was the point? Didn’t they realize the danger of that? They were bringing her to the main location of the white chalk, and other types of chalk. If the woman escaped, she could easily destroy the white chalk, replacing it with black. Or just destroy the place entirely, leaving nothing behind. Magic chalk couldn’t be replaced by magic chalk. Once this place was gone, that was it... How could these two be so irresponsible as to drag this woman here? She could break free and...

The man seemed to notice her worry. “I have a feeling you want an explanation.”

“You bet we do.” Biclops said, narrowing his eyes. Behind him, Tsere and Courtney nodded their heads, Tsere showing the most anger and fear. Biclops casted a sympathetic look at Penny, clearly understanding how upset the girl must be knowing her mom had been taken over. Biclops looked at Mrs. Sanchez. “She’s been corrupted, hasn’t she?”

Mrs. Sanchez tried to reply. But the paralyzing power of the net kept her from making any understandable responses. Just mumbles and growls and other uncomfortable sounds. Penny answered for her, nodding her head, confirming what Biclops had said.

“That is correct.” Penny said solemnly. She turned to the man, and back at Biclops. “Mr. Longhorn and I brought her here because I know of a place where she could be kept until we find a way to take care of Nihilanth.” At the others’ questioning glance, she motioned her head towards one of the nearby tunnels. “The red chalk chamber.”

At this, Biclops paled and gasped in horror. “The red chalk chamber?! Are you insane?! If she gets free...”

Penny raised her hand, cutting him off. “It’s okay, Biclops. We...kind of formed a temporary truce with the red chalk.”

“A...a truce.?” Biclops didn’t sound very convinced. “How did you manage that?”

“It’s a long story.” This time, it was Mr. Longhorn who answered. He took a few steps forward, dragging Mrs. Sanchez with him. “To make it short, the red chalk agreed to do what it can to help stop the black chalk. It’s..not very fond of it.” He gave Mrs. Sanchez a sideways glance. “I’m sure the red chalk will agree to keep an eye on Mrs. Sanchez for us.”

Ms. Saffron nodded her head in understanding. It did make sense. If the red chalk really hated the black chalk, then perhaps it would make a good ally, at least for the time being. She wasn’t sure how much they could trust it, but perhaps the red chalk would at least be trustworthy enough that they don’t have to worry about it helping the corrupted Mrs. Sanchez escape. Should the woman grab onto a piece, the red chalk would likely prevent her from drawing any sort of escape and keep her trapped.

But she still knew just how risk it was making a deal at all with the red chalk. From what she knew about, and how hostile it was, things could go very wrong very quickly with the red chalk. It might just be biding its time, waiting for the right moment to strike. While not as dangerous as the black chalk, it was still pretty terrifying and still capable of causing a lot of destruction. In one way it was even scarier than black chalk. It was one thing to be changed mentally, but to have her body being moved against her will...that would be nightmarish.

Courtney moved closer to where Penny was. She lowered her head and put it close to the teenager. Penny looked up at her creation sympathetically. She glanced at the silver thing on her head and flinched, clearly knowing what was hiding underneath it. Penny contorted her face for a second in sorrow and she grabbed onto Courtney’s head, hugging it against her body.

“Oh Courtney.. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stop this from happening to you...” Penny whispered softly. She gave a quick sniffle as she pressed her cheek against Courtney’s. “I promise, I wont’ let anything bad happen to you again.”

Courtney let out a soft trill as she rubbed her head against Penny. A sign of forgiveness, a way of telling her it wasn’t her fault, it was difficult to tell. Ms. Saffron found her mouth ticking into a small, sad smile. She couldn’t blame Penny for being so upset. Courtney was her creation and all. She must feel responsible for what happened to her, despite it not being her fault. The only ones to blame are the black chalk artists, and their ‘master’, Nihilanth. They hurt this bird, and other zoners and humans. They would pay for it.

Tsere looked on silently. If he could speak, Saffron was certain that even still, he’d remain quiet. He watched sadly as Penny hugged Courtney. Once in a while, he’d look at Biclops. The two seemed to carry on a silent conversation, discussing in their heads what they were going to do now. Tsere looked at Mrs. Sanchez, and his eyes furrowed for a moment in contemplation. Then, slowly, he closed his eyes and sighed. He looked at Biclops and he gave a few nods.

Biclops took a step forward, leaning himself against the cage that he had recently been trapped in. “Hand her over to me.” Penny looked up at Biclops, her eyes widened. “I’ll take her to the red chalk chamber.” He pressed a thumb firmly against his upper chest. “I’ll keep an eye on her.” He said, his voice filled with determination.

“What? Are you sure?” Ms. Saffron found herself asking. Not that she doubted the giant’s strength, but she understood just how much of a risk he was putting himself in.

“I don’t want to make you do anything if you don’t want to.” Penny said, staring at Biclops. “I don’t want to put anyone in danger.”

Mr. Longhorn took a step forward. “I don’t mind volunteering for...”

“No!” Biclops barked at them. The others were taken aback by this sudden outburst. Biclops took in a few breaths, breathing in and out slowly to try to calm himself down. He spoke again, this time taking effort to sound more relaxed and in control. “No, it’ll be okay. I can handle it.” He gestured to himself, his voice brimming with confidence. “You have nothing to worry about.”

Tsere looked over at Biclops. He walked over and nudged up against him with his head, letting out a soft, concerned trill. If he could speak, there was no doubt he would be asking Biclops if he really was okay with this. Biclops looked at Tsere sadly. It was clear that there was some level of trust and friendship between this two.

“I’m positive, Tsere. I’ll..I’ll do it... I’m afraid, yes, but I’ll do it.” Biclops glanced down at Mrs. Sanchez and shut his eyes for a moment. “I told myself I would be responsible for keeping my creator’s creations in check. I had been guarding the red chalk for so long. I did whatever I could to make sure it didn’t get out.” He reopened his eyes. “It hasn’t been easy, but..” He looked at the others, narrowing his vertical eyes. “I have to do this. I have to be the one to go in the red chalk chamber with her. I had made a vow to...” His voice trailed off, emotion filling up inside of him. He shivered, as if remembering something horrible.

The others looked at him sympathetically. Tsere got in close and put a wing around him, pulling him in a partial hug. Mr. Longhorn and Penny looked at the giant, glancing at each other nervously. Courtney moved closer to her creator, as if trying to shield her from something. Mrs. Sanchez just rolled her eyes and scoffed. Thankfully, the net kept her from making any kind of retort that would ruin the mood.

Ms. Saffron hated to do this, but they had to get moving. They couldn’t remain standing here for very long. It was too risky. She looked left and right, making sure that there weren’t anymore surprises. She then took a few steps towards the others. She cleared her throat to get their attention.

“We need to get moving.” She said. A couple of the others nodded in agreement. She then turned her head to Mr. Longhorn and Penny. “Did you two have any ideas on what you were going to do after we let Biclops take Mrs. Sanchez?”

Penny, her eyes narrowed in determination, nodded her head feverishly. “Y-Yeah... I know what we will do.”

Ms. Saffron stared at her for a few moments. Then she asked the question that was buzzing around inside her head.

“Tell me the plan.”

sss

“Oh my gosh! We have to help him!” Doofus Rudy screeched, his voice filled with intense worry.

“I know we do,” Doofus Penny replied. “But we don’t know how far down he dropped, or where he could be.”

Doofus Rudy shot her a terrified expression. “Well we won’t find out just standing here!”

Doofus Penny knew he was right. They wouldn’t figure out anything standing around doing nothing. They certainly wouldn’t learn more about where Howdy landed, or if he was all right. They wouldn’t be of any help just standing there. They needed to take action, but..what should they do?

The urge to help was strong in her, but most notabley in Doofus Rudy. He had been drawn with an exaggerated need to help others, even if he didn’t exactly do a good job of it. Neither did she. Both of them in their younger years had been...rather crazy, and they still were, though they managed to keep it down. Draow’s comment did hurt her, as it reminded her of how they, especially Doofus Rudy, had tried to help, only to screw things up badly. She still recalled the incident where Doofus Rudy had went in the middle of traffic to try to help, only to nearly cause major accidents, and nearly got hurt himself.

She was glad they weren’t like that anymore, not to that degree. She would prove to Draow how wrong he was about them. She would come up with a way to help Howdy... At least as soon as she could figure out a way to get down there. It was a long drop and she knew she couldn’t just jump down. Oh why didn’t she bring any of her inventions with her?

She had a number of inventions that could have helped with this situation. Despite being drawn as a ‘moron’ as some zoners told her, she was still pretty smart in some areas, and she had been able to invent and create a large host of stuff that worked...mostly. Some still had some kinks on them, but even then, they could have proved useful to her.

Then she remembered they had the blue chalk. She could draw something to get them down there. She had to think, though. What should she draw that wouldn’t be too obvious? They couldn’t just dive straight down. Draow might be expecting them, right? He could be keeping an eye on the hole so that, if they came down, he’d see them and attack. They could try locating the stairs but...they didn’t know how this place was set up. They could get lost, and if that happened, they’d be useless to Howdy. Useless to themselves...to everyone.

She vowed never to be useless again.

“Maybe we could draw something that makes us invisible.” Doofus Rudy suggested, cutting her out of her thoughts. “That way, we could sneak down there unseen.”

Doofus Penny kept quiet for a moment, thinking about that idea. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Then her eyes brightened. “That’s a brilliant idea, Rudy!” She grabbed onto Doofus Rudy and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Aww shucks...” Doofus Rudy plushed.

But Doofus Penny couldn’t focus on that. She gave him a quick, gentle but firm, nudge on the shoulder to snap him out of it. “We need to get going now. Hand me a piece of blue chalk.” Immediately, Doofus Rudy rummaged through his pocket and pulled one out. He handed it to her. Doofus Penny took it and raised it up in the air. “Okay, now I’ve just got to...”

Suddenly, there was a loud crash behind them. The ground shook, causing them to scream and tumble as they struggled to keep themselves from falling down. It was useless and the two zoners ended up falling flat on their faces. They groaned in pain as their faces smashed up against the hard ground. They pushed themselves up on their hands and shook their hands, trying to get the taste of dirty ground out of their mouths.

They looked around, trying to find the source of the sudden attack. Everything suddenly went very quiet, disturbingly so considering what had just transpired. The two of them slowly got up to their feet, looking left and right, trying to find any evidence of someone being there. They couldn’t see anyone. This did little to calm them down; if anything, it made them more terrified. They knew someone, or something, had gotten in, and it was very close. They could feel their heart rates speeding up as they tried to locate whoever had gotten in.

Then they could hear footsteps. Loud, heavy footsteps. All of a sudden, the lights had gone out completely, accompanied by a loud crash, something like glass breaking. The two zoners huddled close together, hugging each other as they frantically tried to figure out what they were going to do. They continued looking left and right swiftly, hoping to find something, anything, that would tell them what they were up against.

Soon they saw a shadow on the wall. It stretched out, looking small at first, but steadily grew bigger, wider, to the point where it encompassed their entire bodies. They shrank in fear from this, their hearts pounding in dread. They suddenly felt so cold and chilly, despite being pretty warm earlier. The footsteps became slower, more methodical, as if the one behind them was deliberately trying to scare them.

It was working.

Then a low growl was emitted, rumbling in their chests, echoing in their ribcages. They felt a bright light on them, boring through their backs, breaching their souls. They shivered. They looked at each other fearfully, each trying to figure out a way to comfort the other. Slowly, they turned around, looking behind them. Immediately, they both let out a scream and backed up.

It was Nihilanth...

Doofus Penny gulped as she stared at the massive dragon. The two large heads stared down at them, a set of white eyes glaring at her through the darkness. The other eyes appeared to be glowing, but it was too dark to really tell. She gritted her teeth, taking a shaky step back, unable to stop her body from trembling. The way the dragon was staring at her, it felt as though her feet were getting frozen to the ground. She whimpered softly, knowing that if the dragon decided to attack, it could, and she wouldn’t be able to dodge.

She looked over at Doofus Rudy. Unable to look completely away from Nihilanth, she opted instead to look at Doofus Rudy with a sideways glance. She could make him out standing there, trembling just as she was. He couldn’t take his eyes off the dragon either. The black head was the most focused on him, peering close to him now, the white shine covering him. The black head seemed to almost disappear in the darkness, making it look almost as though it was just a pair of floating white eyes.

Doofus Penny wanted to do something to help him, but she was caught in the sights of the white head. It lowered itself down, and the black eyes bathed her even in the darkness. The white body was easier to make out, unlike the black head. The eyes, due to how dark they were, looked like an endless void, striking a nerve in her, filling her with a burning sensation. Every instinct was telling her to run, but the black void-like eyes seemed to almost pull her in, making it hard for her to look away or even move.

Nihilanth curled his lips back. “Zoners...” He pulled his heads back. “Disgusting. What are you doing destroying the sanctity of this place? Have you no shame?” He took a step forward, pounding the ground as anger swept through his body. It wasn’t as bad as they thought it woul be, but it was still quite unnerving. “Filthy little zoners... We know you came here with that puppet zoner, the one who is trying to destroy us. We know you are in on his plan.”

Doofus Penny and Doofus Rudy glanced at each other nervously. What was the dragon going on about? They had no idea what Howdy was doing down there except probably fighting or trying to hide away from Draow. What would possess this dragon to think that he was attempting to destroy the black chalk? They didn’t even know for certain if there was any down there. This dragon was jumping to conclusions, but they dare not speak back, worried that the dragon might react in a worse manner if they did.

Nihilanth glared at them with contempt, hatred radiating off his body. He began to pace around them slowly. His heads and tails arched inward, forming a partial circle, keeping them in. He walked around slowly, like a predator waiting to strike its prey. Doofus Penny huddled even closer to Doofus Rudy. She dared not leave his side, refusing to let her eyes wander off from Nihilanth’s. She stared into those eyes, feeling them shove a knife through her heart, causing her breathing to quicken.

What were they going to do now? As the two-headed dragon circled them, Doofus Penny’s mind raced, trying to think of something they could do. She wasn’t always as good at quick thinking, especially compared to her real world counterpart. But she wasn’t going to let that weakness get to her. She would think of something. She just needed o...

“We would love to deal with you right now. But we have more important things to take care of first.” Nihilanth said. At this, he swayed back and forth, as if he had just been struck by something large and heavy. He shook his head, pain, mixed in with anger, glowing from his four eyes. “And just to be sure you two don’t get any ideas...”

Doofus Penny and Doofus Rudy didn’t have time to react when the dragon sent out a glow from one of his sides. The glow buzzed around them, circling rapidly until they weren’t able to see anything. This lasted for a few seconds before the light died down. As it did, the two zoners quickly found themselves trapped in a large, metal cage. It looked reinforced and strong.

Nihilanth smiled, satisfied at what he had done. “That will hold you two. Now, if you will excuse us, we have a troublemaker to take care of.” He spread his wings out. “We best do something about him before he ruins things for everyone...”

Doofus Penny narrowed her eyes. Oh no he won’t... She took the blue chalk that had been given to her by Doofus Rudy. As her partner watched her in shock, she quickly drew on the wall of the cage, from the ground up and arching around. In seconds, there was a flash of light, and as it disappeared, there was the hole. As soon as she could, Doofus Penny stepped out and rushed forward. She ignored her partner’s cries of fear and shock and she leaped onto the ground.

Nihilanth let out a surprise roar as Doofus Penny laned on him. She began to scale up his body. He swung his heads around and soon managed to see her. He growled viciously at her, clearly trying to scare her off as he did not want to accidentally attack himself. Doofus Penny did not fall for his empty threat and, exploiting the fact that he wanted to be extra careful about not injuring his back, she continued climbing up.

Soon she got on top of his head. She held on tightly, wrapping her legs and arms around his white head. Nihilanth let out lout screeches and shook his head violently to try to get her off. The little zoner was persistent, however, and clung on, even as Nihilanth slammed his head against the wall. When that didn’t work, the black head came over, letting out loud hisses of anger and frustration. Doofus Penny looked up, watching as the black head came towards her, preparing to grab onto her and dragging her away.

Suddenly the black head pulled back, letting out a screech of its own. Doofus Penny soon saw that Doofus Rudy had come over. The dragon had been so focused on her, he did not realize a second zoner was climbing onto him. He grabbed onto the skin of the black head and pulled back, causing the huge dragon to yelp in pain and shake his black head back and forth. Doofus Penny gave a quick smile at Doofus Rudy, thankful for his help.

The two worked together, trying to guide the dragon away from the large hole where Howdy had fallen through. They held on as tightly as they could, hoping that it would be enough to provide the puppet zoner enough time to get away. They couldn’t tell if he was even still down there or not. But, while they weren’t always so bright, she and Doofus Rudy were smart enough to know that every second counts. So they continued to hold on, even as the heads beat them against the wall or ground in a desperate attempt to make them let go.

Then, without warning, Nihilanth took off into the air. The two zoners screamed and clung on even tighter on his heads, afraid to let go. The dragon rose up higher off the ground, his massive wings keeping him aloft. He flew over towards the hole, hovering above it. He shot a glare at the Doofi before he descended quickly down the hole. The two zoners continued to hold on tightly, the dragon picking up speed, air rushing against them, nearly knocking them off.

Doofus Penny realized, in horror, what Nihilanth was going to do. She had to try to slow him down a little. She crawled closer to his eyes and she began to punch against one of them. Despite the pain, the glow beginning to burn her hand, she continued punching it, making Nihilanth shriek and shake his head, making his flight a little wobbly. Doofus Rudy followed her lead, and now he began to attack one of the eyes on the other head.

In response, Nihilanth’s body stiffened up, pain rushing through his body. As much as he claims to be a deity, it was clear that he was still as susceptible to pain as they were. His body quivered as he tried to cope with the pain of his eyes being attacked. His body wobbled from side to side in flat, hitting up against the walls, scraping his skin.

As they continued plummeting downwards, getting closer and closer to wherever Howdy and Draow had landed, the Doofi continued their attacks, unwilling to give up. They weren’t sure how helpful this was going to be, but they still refused to let go. Knowing what was on the line, they couldn’t let go.

As they struggled, Doofus Penny hoped that Howdy was going to be okay. She hoped that she and Doofus Rudy can buy him enough time so he could get away. Resolving to never let go, no matter what, she continued attacking the dragon’s eye, even as the dragon attempted to bite her. She would not fail this time. She would see to that.

sss

Howdy’s eyes widened in horror as Draow barrelled down towards him. The wolf-like zoner’s jaws split wide open. The puppet zoner had little time to get out of the way. He flinched as he felt the sharp teeth nearly snag him, the hot breath hitting against his body. He attempted to turn around, but Draow reacted too quickly for him. The puppet zoner screamed as his body was slammed against and he toppled along the ground.

As Howdy tried to get up, Draow pounded his foot in front of him, his talons tapping against the ground not far from him. The puppet zoner slowly looked up at him, his eyes wide in fear.

“You really should have thought your plan through better, you little runt!” Draow growled at him. He looked around, surveying the damage of the chamber. “You may have caused me to do some damage here, but you haven’t won yet.” He brought one of his wings forward, showing off his razor sharp wing talon. “And you had gotten so careless...”

Howdy looked at his side. He winced as there was now a deep gash in it. Draow had been correct. During his dodging, he had gotten careless, and didn’t pay as much attention as he should have. This gave Draow the means to attack him. He rushed him quickly and before he could react, he felt the burning, white hot pain of the claw slashing into his body. Thankfully, it wasn’t that deep, but it still sent horrific pain through his body, making it hard for him to move as well as he had.

After that attack, Draow had a much easier time getting him. For the next few minutes, Howdy found himself thrown around, slammed into the ground, tossed into the air, and narrowly avoiding his claws. The puppet zoner was getting a little beaten up. Draow did not use too much force on him, but it wasn’t because he was showing mercy; he wanted to prolong his pain for however long possible. He was deliberately holding back, a thought that frightened Howdy. He knew that, at any moment, Draow could bite him in his jaws and crush his body, or use his weight and mush him into the ground. And he had no idea when Draow would ‘get off the training wheels’ so to speak and really start attacking him. The dread of the wait terrified the puppet zoner.

There was one thing that reassured him, however. In all his efforts, he did manage to make Draow cause some damage to this place. He still hadn’t struck ‘the heart’, or ‘the brain’, or whatever. The black chalk was still around him, taunting him with voices echoing in his head. But at least, his efforts did cause the black chalk some pain and shrunk its numbers down a little. That gave him hope that the other would have an easier time defeating the black chalk.

He looked up at Draow as the bat wolf took a few steps towards him. The bat wolf took extra care to slam his talons into the ground, knowing that the tapping sound grated the small zoner’s nerves, putting him on edge. Draow sneered as Howdy shivered, his sharp teeth exposed completely, as well as his gums. Draow opened his mouth and snapped it shut a few times. Howdy widened his eyes as he heard the distinct thud of the teeth clanging together.

Howdy found himself getting back onto his feet and moving towards the middle of the room. He pressed his back against the center piece, where the black chalk was clustered around. He moved carefully around, trying to get away from Draow. The bat wolf chortled, clearly amused by this. He moved in closer, lowering his body, ready to pounce. His hears flattened against his head, his teeth bared in a nasty, terrifying grin.

Suddenly, before Howdy could side step again, his ankle hit against a chunk of black chalk. He let out a howl of pain as his ankle twisted and he collapsed onto the ground. He hit the ground against his side, yelping as bits of broken chalk pushed against his side wound. He could feel the black chalk pieces being shoved in there. Tears of pain strolled down his cheek as he clutched his side, trembling. He heard a cold laughter and he looked up at Draow. To his horror, he had put his face close to his, the hot breath hitting against his face. The mouth was opened up, and he could see deep down his throat. Howdy took in a shaky breath as he looked up at Draow, meeting him in the eyes.

Oh why hadn’t he brought more blue chalk with him? He had lost his only piece earlier. It was around here somewhere, but he couldn’t even look; Draow’s attack wouldn’t miss him if he shifted focus away from fighting him. Now here he was, pressed up against the ground, with no way to defend himself. He gritted his teeth in fear as Draow moved in for the kill.

“Soon, there’ll be one less zoner to worry about. One less zoner to screw things up for the new world order.” Draow said. He moved back and forth in front of Howdy, shifting his head from one side to the other. He moved so swiftly... “But do not worry. I will not allow your body to go to waste. You will serve a new purpose: as my lunch.”

At this, Howdy’s mind flashed images, remembering the incident with Ghadir. He felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder as he recalled how she had bite into him and tore out chunks of his flesh. She had ate a part of him..forced him to eat himself.. His blood ran cold at the horrific memory.

“What are you waiting for, Draow? Get rid of him before he tricks you into doing more damage.” The black chalk said.

“He didn’t trick me.” Draow snarled, glaring at one of the bunches of black chalk.

“You could have fooled us.” The black chalk remarked, giving a bitter chuckle. “The little thing managed to make you destroy quite a bit of us. The first few times, we would understand, but ten times, Draow? Ten?”

Draow flattened his ears. “I assure you, it will not happen again.” He shifted his gaze to Howdy. “Now then...where were we?”

Howdy was still lost in his mind. He shivered as he was unable to push back the memories of what Ghadir almost did to him. And now the same thing was going to happen again. The threat of being eaten, being reminded of how Ghadir nearly ripped his arm off... He shook his head, desperately trying to push it out of his mind.

Then he heard a loud screech from Draow. At this, Howdy realized what was going on. Snapping out of his memories, he looked up just in time to see Draow arch his head back, splitting his mouth open wide. A low growl emmited from the deep abyss that was his throat. Howdy watched this, his eyes widening in horror, mouth dropping open. Then, slowly, he narrowed his eyes. No, he was not going to just stand here and do nothing. This time, he was going to make a stand. He turned his head towards the center rock piece he was pushed against, and then back at Draow.

Then, seconds later, Draow, his lips curling back into a snarl, launched himself forward. Howdy wasted no time. Mustering as much strength as he could, he pushed himself to the side, rolling out of the way. Draow missed him entirely and his face and body crashed against the center piece.

There was a loud crack echoing through the chamber room. Rocks fell everywhere, some small ones hitting him as he rolled away, trying to get to safety. Then something heavy fell down, crashing into the ground. He couldn’t tell what it was; dust had been kicked into the air. It got into his lungs, causing him to grip his throught and reducing him into a coughing fit. Through his coughs, he could make out another distinct sound, one that reverberated through his head, one that he would never forget.

The sound of the black chalk screaming in agony.


	195. The Death Of The Black Chalk

Rudy groaned in pain, blinking his eyes a few times. He had recently woken up, not remembering what had happened to him. It didn’t take him long for his mind to clear enough that he had some understanding, but he still remained confused and kind of slow. He felt as if something had driven straight through his stomach, and when he looked down, he could see there was a deep blood stain on his stomach.

He gingernly touched it, and hissed, pain wracking through his body. It reminded his muggy mind of what happened with Mr. Cosmo years ago. Hadn’t that man also stabbed him? Yes...yes he did. When he angered the man enough, it prompted him to stab him in the stomach. Then the man ran...and Rudy chased after him, doing whatever it took to keep the giant safe.

It had taken him a moment to realize who had stabbed him this time. Not far from him, there was Jenny. She looked like she had been ready to attack any time soon. His parents, they were with him. They stood by him, glaring at Jenny, ensuring that she wouldn’t be able to get any closer. The woman had mocked them, taunted them that they wouldn’t be able to keep her at bay for long. Neither of his parents flinched. They made it perfectly clear to the woman that they would not tolerate her hurting him again.

Then Rudy recalled hearing some kind of loud cry of pain, and of confusion. His blurry, slowly sharpening vision showed him that Nihilanth was reacting to something in pain. This had stopped Jenny in her tracks. There was a blinding flash of light, and he could make out different individuals.

His eyes had widened in shock as he recognized the missing zoners and people, who had been trapped for days inside Nihilanth’s little vortex thing. All were accounted for, except for Urso, and of course, Barney. They laid on the ground, slow to regain consciousness. He felt relief that most of them didn’t seem like they had been hurt more. Blocky and Rapsheeba still required help, and Sophie... His heart skipped a beat when he saw the stub that was her foot. Despite Tilly reassuring him earlier, he still felt as though he had some responsibility for what happened to his little cousin.

Nihilanth was enraged he lost his prisoners, but he didn’t get a chance to coordinate an attack or retaliation as he had reacted again in pain. This time, he had looked in a new direction, and he had a focused, intense look. He mentioned something about a puppet zoner and he took off, leaving behind a bunch of confused people. He recalled Snap called out Howdy’s name, and Jenny had called out to Nihilanth, asking him what needed to be done, but Nihilanth ignored her completely.

This was a bit much to take in. Rudy’s mind spun, and it was hard for him to calm it down. He pushed himself up, rubbing his head with his hand. He opened up his eyes and he could see Snap rushing towards him, a worried look plastered over his face.

“Hold on there, Bucko!” Snap cried. He positioned himself in front of Rudy. “You shouldn’t exert yourself too much. Take it easy.”

Rudy groaned softly as he tried to push the pain aside. His unfocused eyes stared at what was left of Snap’s arm. His heart twisted at the sight of it. He recalled the story of how Boorat had unintentionally ripped the arm off. Rudy looked at Snap sadly before he shook his head, regaining control of his mind before he allowed his guilt feelings control him.

“S-Snap...” Rudy mumbled. “Wh-Where did he...go?”

Snap looked at him, confused at first. Then he looked over in the direction the dragon flew off in. He looked back at Rudy. “I think he’s going after Howdy!” He said in a low, terrified voice. Rudy blinked his eyes a few times, slow to register. “I have to do something to help him!”

“Not with that arm, you’re not.” Mr. Tabootie said, his eyes narrowed slightly.

“But I..” Snap started to say.

“No buts.” Mrs. Tabootie intervened. Her expression softened up a little. “Look, we know you mean well, but we need to get everyone who is badly injured to a hospital. You all took a beating these last few days. We have more than enough help now to take care of Nihilanth and his lackeys, so that’ll give you some time to recover.”

Mr. Tabootie reached down and placed a hand on Snap’s shoulder. “Don’t think we don’t appreciate what you did, Snap. Think of this as a...thank you, for all you’ve done.” He gave him a gentle smile. “If you want to do something to help us, then please, get to a hospital and get some rest.”

Snap looked like he wanted to continue arguing. He had opened his mouth, as if preparing to protest. Rudy couldn’t blame him. Snap wasn’t the one to just sit around and do nothing. He always wanted to help, even if he was badly hurt in the process. Even when he was traumatized by Mr. Cosmo, he still had the urge to help and was only held back by his fear. But when he had let go of that fear, regardless of his condition at the time, he had attacked Mr. Cosmo. He put himself on the line to help them.

He would have done the same thing again if his parents hadn’t stopped him. Rudy felt grateful that his parents were there and talked some sense into Snap. He wasn’t in the greatest condition to fight, even with the blue chalk. Even if he did hold his own for a while, his arm needed to be properly treated, or it was going to get worse.

“Okay.” Snap said softly. He turned his head, looking towards the others. He paused for a moment, and then added, “I’ll go help them.”

“Good idea.” Mr. Tabootie said, nodding his head a few times. “They certainly need it.”

Rudy watched as Snap got out the blue chalk and headed towards where the remaining Luminos members were, as well as the other former Nihilanth prisoners. They were all gathered in a somewhat small spot, most of them on the ground or on their knees. The Luminos were looking each other over, although Dr. Raiden, being a doctor and all, took the most time examining the others, as well as himself. His metal finger was gone, ripped off. And he wasn’t the only one with an injury.

Some of the Luminos, the ones with the least injuries, checked up on Tilly and Sophie. There was little they could do for Sophie, who was still unconscious, but they did do what they could. They were able to do more for Blocky and Rapsheeba, especially when Snap came onto the scene. He watched as his friend few some supplies for them to use, treating the injured. Dr. Raiden went to work treating whatever he could of Rapsheeba and Blocky’s injuries as Snap began to draw some mode of transportation.

Rudy felt a sense of accomplishment. Even though they still hadn’t beaten Nihilanth, even though that monster was still out there, he couldn’t help but feel like, at least, things were truly starting to go their way. He felt as though, this time, it was going to be an upward trend, not like before when things spiraled downward again very quickly. No, this time, things were different. For the first time in what felt like forever, he felt as though he could take a breath of fresh air.

“No! You can’t do this to me!”

Rudy was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Jenny suddenly yell. He turned his head to see what was going on. He could see what appeared to be two large zoners... Diamond and Sky, they had grabbed onto Jenny and easily subdued her. One held her right arm and the other gripped her left one. The woman was struggling to get free, jerking herself from side to side, but the two zoners didn’t let go.

They were dragging her over to what Rudy recognized as a cage. The crocodile zoner, Nile, had a piece of blue chalk. A small one, and he guessed Snap must have given him a small piece, and he drew a strong, reinforced cage.

“You zoners better let me go!” Jenny cried. “I swear, if you don’t unhand me right now...”

Sky snapped her jaws close to Jenny’s head. The woman moved her head back, staring at Sky with a look that was almost fear. She then continued to glare at the winged lioness. “Enough! We have had enough of you and your comrades causing trouble around here! You have gotten away with it for far too long, and now it is time for you to pay up!”

“No!” Jenny struggled harder. “This isn’t fair! You don’t know what you’re doing! Release me before it’s too late!”

Sky and Diamond clearly had enough of hearing Jenny. They blocked her out as they moved towards the cage. Nile opened it up for them. He glared at Jenny as she was dragged closer. The lioness and stegosaurus picked up Jenny by her arms and they threw her in as roughly as they could. Jenny hit her back against the cage bars and slid down. Nile shut the door instantly and it made a clicking sound, locking.

Jenny immediately got up and she rushed towards the front of the cage. She grabbed onto the handle bars and started to shake it. She shouted at the zoners and everyone around to release her. She spat a series of insults and commands at them, but nobody bothered to reply. A few cast a glare in her direction, but they did not give her the victory of a response. There were more pressing matters on hand, and the important thing was she was subdued, chalkless, and unable to hurt anyone around here.

Rudy felt a sense of relief that, for the time being, Jenny couldn’t hurt anyone. He watched her for a few moments as she banged against the cage bars before she finally gave up, went silent, and slid down on the floor. To his surprise, she lowered her head, as if in submission, but the glare on her face showed him she was not enjoying this. Wanting to take his mind off of her, Rudy turned his attention back to the other zoners.

He was glad to see that Snap had finished up drawing a transportation. Well a few actually, all ambulances. He even managed to draw a couple doctor zoners to help Dr. Raiden with the patients. The first ones to be loaded were Rapsheeba and Blocky. After they were taken care of and well on their way to the hospital, any other injured zoner, including Snap himself, was loaded onto the ambulance and taken away. Maalik and Raiden, who were both injured, also hopped aboard as they had wounds that needed to be treated.

Soon all that remained were Tilly and Sophie. Tilly looked mostly fine. Rudy couldn’t recall if she had been hurt, and he didn’t see any injuries on her. Sophie, though, was a different story. Her unconsciousness body breathed in shakingly as he eyed her injured leg, where there was a bloody, covered stump where her foot used to be. She needed to go into the real world to be treated; there was no way she was going to make it here in ChalkZone.

“She will be going to the hospital with you.” His dad’s voice ran through the air, getting his attention. “She’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

“Yeah, sweetie. Everything will be okay.” His mother said as she stroked his hair. “Come on, let’s get going.”

Rudy’s eyes widened as he realized something. He turned to his parents. He opened his mouth for a second, but at first, he couldn’t think of anything to say. He clenched his teeth, his parents watching him expectly. He soon managed to say something.

“What about Penny? And her mom?”

His parents looked at each other, giving each other worried glances. They looked back at Rudy and attempted to put on the bravest faces they could muster. But Rudy could still tell they were worried.

“I’m sure Penny is fine, dear.” Mrs. Tabootie said, trying to sound optimistic. “She went with Mr. Longhorn I think...”

“Yes. She and Mr. Longhorn have probably subdued Mrs. Sanchez by now. Who knows?” Mr. Tabootie raised his hands up in a shrug. “Maybe they are on their way back now.”

Rudy wished he would be optimistic like his parents, but, as more memory had flooded back to him, he began to fear for the worst. He recalled that Mrs. Sanchez was reawakened as a black chalk artist, and she could spell trouble for his friend and Mr. Longhorn. The fact that they were nowhere in site did little to comfort him. He couldn’t see what was going on, making him dread the worst that could have happened. A series of questions flooded his mind.

What if Penny had been hurt?

What if she were corrupted?

....what if Mrs. Sanchez managed to kill her?

What would happen if Mrs. Sanchez had managed to use some of her...toys on Penny or even Mr. Longhorn?

What if she had won?

He shook his head, trying to get those thoughts out of his mind. No, he couldn’t think like that. He had to stay positive. Surely, things were still going their way. Surely, everything was going to be okay. He just had to remain calm and not get himself worked up. Remaining calm was very important.

A thought came across his mind. Whatever happened to that journal they found earlier? What if there was more information in it they could use? What of that weapon that Bardot gave them? He had nearly forgotten about it. He wondered if that weapon could play a key role in stopping Nihilanth. The zoner had given it to him because he ‘sensed things were coming’. Bardot might not have known specifically what was going on, but he made an accurate guess. That weapon, a fierce-looking sword, could it be some sort of key in stopping Nihilanth? He...

All of a sudden, there was a loud scream. Rudy jerked in surprise, nearly falling back into the ground. He climbed up to his feet shakingly. He started to fall to the side. His mother caught him, holding him by his arm and steadied him. Rudy looked at his mother for a second before turning his attention to Jenny, the one who had screamed.

Sky, Diamond, and Nile, who had stayed by the cage to guard her, were looking at her in surprise. None of them had any weapons or any blood, so Rudy doubted they were the ones who hurt her. He couldn’t even see any injuries on Jenny... at least none that wasn’t there before. But..what happened? If no one here attacked her, and if she didn’t injur herself, then, why was she screaming like that?

It was an uncomfortable sight, watching her sway back and forth in the cage, clutching her head like that. She looked like she was in a lot of pain. Despite what she had done, Rudy couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sympathy for her. He knew what it was like to be in that much pain.

The woman’s eyes were wide open, her pupils shrank into dats, and mouth was stretched open as she screamed. She didn’t look like she was paying attention to anything around her. Rudy doubted that she was even aware of what was going on. She didn’t notice the horrified and confused stares she was getting from everyone, including his parents. All she knew was that she was in pain and, judging from her terrified expression, she didn’t know why. Her body quivered in agony, twitching a few times. She jerked constantly, as if she were trying to escape something.

Then, at last, she collapsed on the ground. Rudy couldn’t tell from over here, but he could have sworn he saw a few tears of pain stroll down her cheeks. Then, seconds later, something black and misty came out of her mouth. Not a lot, but enough for him to realize what it was.

The black chalk.

sss

“I don’t care what Penny says.” Biclops’s eyes were narrowed. “I don’t trust you.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Bardot said, rolling his eyes.

“You’re that hybrid zoner that Mr. Cosmo drew.” The giant pointed an accusatory finger in the yellow zoner’s direction. “The same one who kidnapped Rudy and Penny and hurt them until they were on their deathbeds!”

Bardot gritted his teeth at this. He could see the hatred radiating off the giant’s eyes. He didn’t get much of a warmer response from Tsere either. He was glad that Tsere had left with the others. He didn’t think he could handle two large zoners looking at him like they wanted to trip him apart. After his experience with Draow and the black chalk artists, he wasn’t in the mood for a full on confrontation.

“Yes, I’m quite aware of what I did.” Bardot said. He had his back turned to the giant. He wasn’t interested in looking directly at him. “And I can assure you that I won’t do it again... Of course, I know you are not going to believe me.” He shrugged his shoulders. “So why am I even bothering to tell you this anyway?”

Biclops narrowed his eyes. “Because you’re a snake... You never gave me a reason to trust you before. So why should I start now?”

Bardot thought about this for a moment, and then he said, “Good point. There probably isn’t much of a reason. Let’s just focus on watching Penny’s mommy, okay?”

Biclops growled, “Make one move to touch her, and I’ll...”

“I know, I know. You’re going to crush me into a pancake.” Bardot cut him off, giving another roll of his eyes. “You already told me that. No need to turn yourself into an echo, dear Biclops.”

“You...”

Bardot ignored whatever the giant said next. He wasn’t interested in hearing it. He simply walked away instead of risking to escalate the situation further. The giant clearly didn’t like him, and he wasn’t interested in trying to convince the giant he didn’t mean harm anymore. Right now, that wasn’t very important anyway. Right now, he needed to keep an eye on their prisoner, and make sure she doesn’t escape. He took position near the entrance of the chamber and hunkered down there in case the woman escaped and came that way.

Bardot looked over, happy that the giant stopped shouting at him and had returned to watching Mrs. Sanchez. The woman was no longer in the net. She had been placed in a red chalk cage, which was sentient and helped provide extra security so she wouldn’t get away. The woman was clearly angry, but she had given up trying to yell at them quite some time ago. She knew there was little point to it; nothing she said or did was going to make them let her go.

Bardot took a look around the room, feeling a shudder sweep through his body. He was not very comfortable in here. Being so close to what was once him...it was unsettling. Sometimes the red chalk would taunt him, try to coax him into having someone replace the blue parts of him with red. They told him about how powerful he must have felt with the venom and speed, and the inability to feel regret or remorse for his actions. No ‘petty morality’ holding him back.

He did his best to ignore the red chalk. He couldn’t fall for their trap. They might be allies now, but as soon as this was over, he was cutting off all ties with them. He had no plans on coming back in here. The only reason he was in here was that he had agreed to help Penny by watching her mother. If it weren’t for that, he’d be out of here, probably heading towards the nearest hospital for treatment.

He recalled Biclops, Tsere, and Courtney being shocked and taken aback when Penny told them that he saved her life. It was that reason only that Biclops had a tiny bit of trust in him to let him stay and help guard her mother. But despite him saving Penny’s life, it was clear that the giant was still suspicious of him, and didn’t believe for a second that his ‘new life’ status was permanent. Bardot decided not to argue with him or the others on that. Not like he had anything he could say that would convince him otherwise.

He wondered how Penny was going to do. She had explained what she had in mind earlier, back when they were still in another part of the Chalk Mine. She wanted to keep her mom in the red chalk chamber where she wouldn’t be able to fight back even if she could get out. The black chalk has no control over the red chalk, and if Mrs. Sanchez had attempted to use the crimson menace, the red chalk would ensure she wouldn’t be able to get herself out.

After that, Penny and the others had left. Penny and Ms. Saffron got on Courtney while Mr. Longhorn got on Tsere. The two flyers headed towards the cave entrance, where he knew they had taken off and were going towards their next destination: the Solar Pillars.

The very mention of that place chilled Bardot’s blood. He remembered the pain he suffered there. Penny herself wasn’t too keen on going back there. She mentioned how the black chalk can see and hear what she does, so discussing the plan full on was not going to be easy. However, she was confident that Nihilanth would be too focused on going against the others to truly realize what was going on. She even sent Mr. Longhorn and Tsere out that way in order to increase the odds of a distraction.

He wasn’t entirely certain what she had planned to do at the Solar Pillars. The only thing he knew is that it wasn’t her first choice; she actually had another plan, but alternated because she thought this one was, though riskier, a better solution. He wished she could have stayed longer to tell more of her plan, but she said they had to get going, so he didn’t really hear enough of it to fully understand what she was going to do.

Oh well, he was certain she’d succeed in...whatever it is she planned on doing at Solar Pillars. She was quite strong willed and didn’t easily give up. Even when he had broken her, she still managed to bounce back those years ago. Well not right away, but the fire in her eyes wasn’t fully extinguished, something that irritated and amused him back then, but was something he was genuinely impressed by nowadays. Yes, she was going to do just fine.

“So...why did you do it?”

Bardot’s torn ear twitched at the sound of the giant’s voice. He turned his head and he could see Biclops looking towards him. His arms were folded against himself and he was staring at him with an expression the zoner couldn’t positively identify. Either anger or confusion.

Bardot didn’t answer him right away. He just stared at him, wondering what specifically he was talking about. Was he referring to how he tortured Rudy and Penny two years ago? Or was he referring to him saving Penny? Or was this something more accusatory? Bardot wouldn’t be surprised if the giant thought that he was involved with what was going on.

His ears lowering at the idea of being accused like that, he said, “Did what? What exactly are you talking about, you hulking mountain?”

Biclops narrowed his eyes. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” He glanced briefly at Mrs. Sanchez, who was watching the scene with a mixture of contempt and amusement, and then back at Bardot. “Why did you save her daughter?” Bardot tilted his head. Biclops urged, “Why did you save Penny? What did you have to gain from it? You would never do something like this before.”

Bardot paused, staring at the giant as he tried to think of a response. He lowered his head and looked away. He himself was a little confused about this as well. He had ideas and thoughts, but what exactly drove him to save Penny, he wasn’t certain. He just knew that he was feeling..compelled do it. Something drove him into it. It wasn’t just the lack of most of his red chalk half; there was something else as well. Something that he could not explain.

“I’m not sure to be honest.” Bardot finally said. “I just..knew I had to help her. I felt..angry and determined...so I stepped on.”

“Do you honestly think I’m going to believe that?” Biclops asked, cocking an eyebrow. “From what Skrawl told me, he have to force you into helping those people in the trapped hospital. A shock color I believe he had to use on you and Draow.”

Bardot remembered that. He could still feel the pressure of the shock collar around his neck. He remembered moving through the hospital and rescuing those zoners. At the time, it had been unwilling. He only did it because of the promise Skrawl made. Some kind of deal. He couldn’t quite remember the full details, but he remembered Skrawl saying something like he would grant them a few days partial freedom from the Fire Zone if they complied. Since he and Draow had wanted to get out of the Fire Zone for some time, they took the deal.

Now he doesn’t really care about that anymore. There were more pressing matters at hand. How amusing, and scary, to think that the Fire Zone wasn’t as bad as what was going on now. If Nihilanth got his way...

He shook his head and turned his attention back to Biclops. The large zoner was still waiting for a response. Bardot gritted his teeth, wondering if he could think of anything that would be a suitable answer for him. He couldn’t just remain quiet; that’ll just make the giant more suspicious, and it might lead to a conflict. That wasn’t something they could afford right now.

“In case you haven’t noticed, giant,” Bardot said. He remained on the ground, crossing one leg over the other. “I am not the same zoner your human friends met years ago. Most of my red chalk half is gone. Most of my violent tendancies came from that side. So by that logic, you should recognize that I’m not as violent as I once was.”

Biclops scowled at him. “That doesn’t convince me all that well.”

“Why not?” Bardot said, his ears still lowered. “I just told you...”

“Yes, I know what you said. But that doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. Because you know what? Red chalk isn’t capable or interested in complicated plans like the one you pulled a couple years ago. That was your white chalk half doing all of that. So if you think for one minute I’m going to lower my guard around you just because most of your red chalk self is gone, you better think again. White chalk can be just as dangerous. Sorry, Bardot. But if you want to convince me you aren’t a threat, you are going to have to do a lot harder than that.”

Bardot growled softly, but he kept quiet. He knew the giant was right. Not everyone was going to believe he turned over a new leaf, and telling them his red chalk side was mostly gone wasn’t going to be enough. He expected this kind of reaction anyway. Who was going to believe him? The zoner who set up those nanocameras? The zoner who tortured and killed several zoners and ate a few humans? The one who nearly took their main guardians away all in the name of some twisted ‘game’?

Yeah, it was no use trying to argue with the giant. He had nothing he could say to convince him. Now wasn’t a good time for that anyway. He turned his attention to Mrs. Sanchez. He wondered what they were going to do. Penny was in such a hurry to leave, she didn’t try to free her mother. What was the reason for that? Something about how she needed sentient white chalk, but the only sentient white chalk here was the ivory chalk, and that chalk was...

A loud crash suddenly echoed in the room. Bardot was taken aback, letting out a shocked cry as his fur poofed up on end. He immediately jolted to his feet, his eyes bulging open. He looked left and right quickly.

“What was that?!” He screeched.

He soon saw the source of it. He and Biclops looked over at the cage that held Mrs. Sanchez. The woman’s mouth was wide open as if to scream, but nothing came out. Her body was trembling violently, swaying from side to side. Her pupils were so small, they could hardly be seen. It was as if she had nothing but solid white eyes. The sight was unsettling to the two zoners, neither of whom knew what was going on.

“What did you..do...?” Biclops asked in a hushed whisper. He looked towards Bardot, an expression that was anger, but also had plenty of fear intermixing with it as well. His tone had an accusatory feel to it, which Bardot did not appreciate.

“What do you mean what did I do? I did nothing! I was over there the whole time! How could I have...?” Bardot replied, stopping only when he heard another crash. He clenched his teeth nervously, raising his hind end in the air as if to jump away. “I wish I knew what was going on...”

“Well maybe it isn’t you.” Biclops relented, though it was somewhat reluctant. He looked down at Mrs. Sanchez, his anger replaced with fear. “Something is wrong with her. Maybe we should...”

The giant never got a chance to finish. Having somehow found her voice, Mrs. Sanchez pulled her head back and let out an ear piercing scream. Biclops took a large step back while Bardot jumped in the air, his crest straightening up, and he landed about a foot away. He stared at Mrs. Sanchez, his heart beating. Slowly, he walked forward, slinking his body close to the ground as he cautiously got closer to the woman.

When he got close enough to see more clearly, he could see the look of fear on the woman’s face, but also something else. Pain...

Bardot’s eyes widened at this. What would cause this woman to be in so much pain? He didn’t do anything to her, and he was sure as hell Biclops didn’t do a damn thing to her. What was going on? What was wrong with her? There had to be a reason for this. He watched as the woman’s eyes shut tightly, and when they reopened, Bardot couldn’t believe what he saw.

The eyes... they were glowing black. Well that he already expected, but it was what the black stuff was doing that caught him off guard.

It was...wafering away. The glow was getting less and less intense as the seconds passed by. Bardot stared, wide-eyed, at this. He took a few steps back, watching as the black glow moved out of the woman’s eyes, disappearing in the air. The smoke-like stuff continued pillowing out of the woman’s eyes, leaving the two zoners confused and startled by the whole thing.

“The black chalk...” Bardot whispered as realization struck him.

Biclops had the same thought. “It’s...leaving her...”

sss

Doofus Penny wasn’t sure what she was expecting. There were different scenarios running through her mind regarding this. There were multiple things that could have happened when she and Doofus Rudy took on Nihilanth.

But she never could have imagined it would end up like this.

They had just entered some kind of cave chamber far below Solar Pillars. It was rather dark save for some black lights, which barely provided much illumination to begin with. She wanted to draw some sort of source of light, but at the moment, it was impossible. She and Doofus Rudy still held onto the dragon’s heads, attacking him, trying to make him stear away from wherever their friend had gone.

Not long after the dragon came down here, something unexpected happened. It took her and her comrade by surprise and nearly made her let go of the dragon’s head.

A scream... There was a scream... Echoing everywhere. What was it?

She was taken aback by the scream, her body quivering in fright. Doofus Rudy was looking around, trying to find the source of the sound. As he did this, he still held on tightly to the dragon’s head, his hands clinging to one of the dragon’s large, curving horns. Nihilanth himself noticed the screams, but at first, he only paid attention to getting them off. Then something else happened.

Without warning, Nihilanth’s body stiffened in the air, his eyes bulging wide open. He let out a loud screech from both his mouths. The sound was deafening, huring their eardrums. Still they struggled to hang on, doing what they can to ignore or fight back against the irritating, horrific sound. They watched as Nihilanth’s wings straightened out completely, stiffening up and becoming rigid. The dragon’s legs also shot out, the digits stretching out from one another, flexing as if to grab, quivering.

The dragon, no longer keeping aloft, suddenly plummeted towards the ground below. His body spun around, the air rushing past them from the force. The Doofi let out a series of screams as they came close to the ground. They shut their eyes and waited for the impact.

Seconds later, they crashed.

Doofus Penny felt herself suddenly flung in the air. She twirled around and soon fell back down. She landed on something soft yet hard, and she rolled along the ground. She soon came to a stop and just laid there. The sudden impact sent pain wracking through her body, making her shiver in agony. She let out a few small whimpers as she struggled back ot her feet. The fall knocked a lot out of there and she found she could only move her head a little. Turning it slowly, forcing her eyes open, she looked over at the aftermath of the fall.

It was very hard to see in the darkness. She could barely make out the exact shape and size of this area. She could see something darker than the rest of the area, and it was kind of bulging. She soon recognized it as the dragon. Nihilanth was laying down on his stomach, his heads pressed into the ground at different angles. His tails were pressed against each other and curved around. Pressed up against them, she could make out another small form.

“R-Rudy...” She coughed out, recognizing the form of Doofus Rudy. She got up to her feet and stumbled towards him. “A-Are you okay..?”

There was no response. Her heart clenched tightly, gritting her teeth. She rushed forward as fast as she could. She stumbled a few times, nearly tripping over. She fell down once, her chin hitting against the ground. She let out a pained whimper before getting back up and moving towards her comrade’s side. When she reached him, she dropped down on her knees beside him and looked at him worriedly.

It was so hard to tell if there was anything wrong with him. He was laying against the tails as if he was just sitting down from exhaustion. But his head.. It was lopped to one side. She could still hear him breathing, and she sighed in relief that he was still alive. But the breathing sounded labored and weak, and that did little to comfort her.

“Rudy? Come in..wake up..” Doofus Penny pleaded with him. When he still didn’t respond, she grabbed onto his shoulders. She gently shook him. “Get up, please...”

Still nothing. Doofus Penny felt her heart pounding harder against her chest. Why wasn’t he getting up? Why wasn’t he moving? She cradled him against her, constantly crying out his name, hoping he would respond. As she reached her head up to stroke his hair, she felt something warm and wet against it. She touched it carefully, confused at first. Seconds later, she realized just what it was.

Blood.

Doofus Penny let out a small scream of horror, her body stiffening up at this realization. Her stomach churched painfully, making her feel like she wanted to throw up. She breathed in and out quickly, ragged and shallow. She loooked at his still form in the darkness, and soon she could see that he had a look of pain etched on his face.

How did this happen? Why was there blood on the back of his head? Did Nihilanth attack him while falling? Was there something else here? These questions and more flooded her head, echoing inside her skull.

She clenched her teeth, tears pooling from her eyes. Without being able to see the severity of the wound, she couldn’t tell if he was going to be okay. She clutched his still form against her, letting out her sorrow as she listened to his weakened and labored breathing. Oh Doofus Rudy.. She hoped he was going to be okay. She suddenly felt something small and hard against her. She felt around and picked it up. She recognized it as a shattered piece of blue chalk.

Knowing what she had to do, she raised it up in the air. She glanced down at the still unconscious Doofus Rudy and said, “D-Don’t worry.. I’ll draw something to help you...”

The first thing she drew was a small light. It gave her some partial illumination. Her breath caught caught in her throat when she saw just how pale his face looked, how much pain radiated off of it. She gently turned his head, and she stifled a sob when she saw a deep gash on the back of his head. Nihilanth’s horns...they must have hit against him when they crashed. Tears flowed down her cheeks when she realized just how serious this was.

She heard a scraping sound and her body stiffened up. She clutched onto Doofus Rudy tightly, one arm slung around his body, and turned her head. She raised up the small lantern she drew. She could see something moving, dark shadows casting on her boldly. Two long shadows moved over her, a pair of eyes glinting in her direction.

Nihilanth was awake.

sss

Draow couldn’t breathe. Just taking in a breath was very difficult. He looked left and right, taking in the shocking sight before him. He..he couldn’t believe it... That runt..he couldn’t have... No, this has to be some kind of mistake. This couldn’t be happening.

The bat wolf’s heart pounded against his chest as he continued to look around, surveying the damage that he...no... that the puppet zoner made him do. He turned his head, looking around at the scene before him. The black chalk had started to crack apart, break into pieces. Where there were once bunches of glorious black chalk, now all there were... just bunches of broken pieces, the black smoke pillowing out of them, returning to Nihilanth, their only home left.

He knew this was not an isolated incident. The situation weighed down on the bat wolf’s mind. His pupils shrank in realization, his body trembling. He took a few steps back, his stomach churning as he was forced to face reality. He looked down at Howdy for a few seconds. The zoner was on the ground not far, a little battered and covered in tiny pieces of black chalk. He then shifted his gaze around the chamber. That icy sharp feeling that once permeated this place..it was going away. The place was getting warm...too warm for his liking.

There was no denying it. He couldn’t run from the truth. No matter how much it hurt him..not matter how much it angered him, he couldn’t deny it.

The black chalk..had been destroyed.

Completely...utterly..destroyed.. Except for the Origin Dark part of Nihilanth. The last remnants of the black chalk.

But it wasn’t too late. Nihilanth could always create more black chalk to extend his Origin Dark part to. And his Origin Light half could still take over for a time. The ivory chalk could still... But he’d have to get some and bring it to his master, and Jenny, too. Then after they defeat these weaklings, they could recreate the black chalk. This..all this was just a minor setback. Yeah... Just a setback.

Draow turned his gaze back to Howdy. He growled softly as the battered zoner climbed up to his feet. This zoner...this pathetic little zoner.. It was all his fault this happened. He might have been the one to give chase, but it was Howdy to tricked him. It was Howdy to made him crash into the black chalk like that. He had forced him to attack the ‘heart’ of the black chalk, and by doing so, he had caused the near total death of the black chalk. Oh he was going to pay...dearly.

Draow gave the little disgusting vermin no chance to react. He let out a loud screech that echoed off the walls of the chamber. Howdy looked up and saw him. He backed away, trying to call out for mercy. Draow would have none of it. His teeth bared, his fur standing on end, he chased after the little zoner, his feet pounding loudly against the ground. He could feel the bits of black chalk crushing underneath his feet. Soon, they would be crushing the zoner’s body.

“No...please...!” Howdy pleaded with him, holding his hands out protectively.

“Disgusting little worm!” Draow snarled at him. “You will meet your end here!”

Draow split his jaws wide open, picked up the speed, and jerked his head forward. His muzzle hit against Howdy, knocking him into the ground. Draow skidded to a stop, his claws scraping the ground. He turned around and came barreling towards the hapless zoner once more. Narrowing his eyes, he opened his mouth again and this time, he snagged the zoner in his jaws and lifted him up into the air.

His jaws closed around Howdy. He was so small... He was going to be easy to crush. Not wanting to grant the little monster a quick death, he began to slowly close his jaws around the puppet zoner’s body, taking his time. He ignored the pitiful pleas of the zoner as he carefuly drove his teeth into his form.

Howdy let out screams of pain as he was slowly crushed to death. He squirmed and writhed in the beast’s mouth, pounding with his right hand, clawing at his gums and tongue, whatever it took to make him let go. Draow narrowed his eyes and shook his head violently, tightening his grip on the zoner and smashing him against a nearby wall a few times. Howdy’s body quivered and relented. Draow bit down harder and soon he heard the satisfying grunch sound, accompanied by a loud snap and the oozing of warm, red blood. It dripped to the ground.

Howdy was now still in his mouth, unmoving. Draow felt triumph wave over his body. He began to give muffled chuckles as he continued to hold Howdy’s quiet form in his mouth. His laughter rumbled in his chest, which was puffed up in pride. He wished Mr. Cosmo were here to see this.

“No!” A voice suddenly sounded out. “Let him go!”

Draow turned his head. He could see something coming at him. White and pointed. He screeched in pain as several bloody lacerations went across his face. He staggered back, curving his wings in as his body shook from the sudden pain. He released Howdy’s body, letting it fall from his mouth. Draow brought a wing claw close to his face and carefully wiped at the blood that was getting in his eyes.

Managing to open up one eye, he looked around for whoever had dared to attack him. He could see some kind of figure standing there. Tall...red... He didn’t recognize who it was at first. He flattened his ears against his head and he let out a couple threatening barks.

“How dare you! Who do you think you are?!” Draow roared, lowered his body parallel to the ground in a threatening posture. “Identify yourself!”

The figure, who was holding Howdy’s unmoving body, spoke. “My name is Jacko. And you, my large, hulking ‘friend’...” He pointed a bony claw in his direction. “..are about to become part of my next ‘act’: the disappearing dog!”

Draow froze at that name. He slowly raised his body up, his eyes widening in shock. No..it couldn’t be.. Bardot killed him... He saw the corpse. This zoner, he..he couldn’t be alive.. Draow’s heart rate picked up as he took a few steps back, unable to stop the shivers of shock from sweeping through his body.

Jacko’s glowing eyes narrowed dangerously. “Time to dance... And let me warn you. I’m not like Rudy... I will not go soft on you..” Draow’s eyes widened further at this. Jacko placed Howdy’s body on the ground and spread his arms out, flexing his claws threateningly. “Let’s dance!”

The skeletal zoner lunged at Draow.


	196. Freed, And Yet Not

Anger blazed through Jacko’s heart as he charged towards Draow. The bat wolf merely cringed back in shock, making no attempt to leave. Jacko took this very opportunity to attack him again. As soon as he got close enough, he jumped into the air, pulled his arm back, and struck Draow across his chest. The claws made contact, ripping up some flesh and spilling the monster’s blood.

Draow pulled his head back and let out a screech. He lowered his head, giving Jacko a shocked expression. Jacko wondered if this was because Draow thought that he was dead. Didn’t this universe’s Snap mention something about him being dead here? Or this universe’s Rudy or Penny? That would explain why Draow was reacting this way. He knew it wasn’t going to last long, and he used whatever opportunity he had to keep fighting this evil zoner.

Draow widened his eyes as Jacko rushed at him again, who had his hands spread out and was flexing his fingers menacingly. Jacko gritted his pumpkin teeth and he attempted to slash the zoner again. This time, Draow responded, having regained some of his sense, moving his body to side and letting Jacko sail past him. But this did little to stop the skeletal zoner. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Jacko whirled his body around and he jumped onto Draow’s back.

Immediately, Draow let out a surprised screech and began to buck, attempting to toss him off. Jacko slung his arm around the bat wolf’s furry throat, pressing his arm against it and securing himself. With his other, he raised his hand, his four sharp, bony claws pointing downward, and struck. All four of his claws sank deep into the side of Draow’s neck. He could feel blood pooling out, rolling into his hand. Draow let out a yelp of pain at this and began to run around in circles, smashing up against the wall in an effort to make him get off.

“I’m gonna get ya! I’m gonna get ya!” Jacko taunted the bat wolf as he pushed his claws in deeper. “Look out, dog, because I’m gonna get yet ya!” He followed that up by tearing his claws out with a swift motion, and a chunk of the wolf’s flesh came with.

At this, Draow immediately stopped, his body straightening stick as a body. His wings spread out and his head pulled back as he roared in agony. The sudden motion was enough to take Jacko by surprise and he was tossed off the winged canine’s back. Jacko rolled across the ground painfully before hitting against the nearest wall with a thud. He grabbed his head as he climbed up to his feet.

Draow stared down at the wound that Jacko gave him. It was difficult for him to look at due to its location. The winged canine had to move his head from side to side, tilting it as far as it could go, before he finally seemed to caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye. His eye widened for a moment and he looked back at Jacko. His pupils stared at the blood on his hands. Jacko grinned at him and raised his bloodied hand in the air, flexing his claws threateningly. Draow shrank back, lowering his ears, but then something seemed to hit the bat wolf. His eyes widened in realization, then they narrowed as he pulled his lips back in a snarl, flattening his ears.

Jacko cocked an eyebrow. So now the beast decided to fight. Took him long enough. Jacko was starting to wonder if this was going to be a repeat of his struggle with his Rudy. That would have been pretty sad, considering Draow is a lot bigger. But that also meant he couldn’t get cocky; Draow was fast for his size and if he got close enough, he could easily crush him with his jaws or feet. Jack knew he had to be careful, and be prepared for whenever this beast tried to attack him.

Draow approached him slowly, tapping his large, sharp talons against the hard ground. His bright teal eyes shifted around, and seemed to twinkle. Jacko followed his gaze. His glowing eyes widened when he saw that he was looking at where he had set Howdy on the ground. The glare that he had on before melted away into shock, and he looked over at Draow. The bat wolf blinked a few times, then he grinned devilishly. Before Jacko could stop him, Draow bolted towards the helpless zoner.

Jacko immediately gave chase, running as fast as he could. His heart was pounding loudly, so much that it echoed in his head. He moved as quickly as he could, but he was not able to keep up with the larger zoner, who took much bigger strides than him. His eyes widened in horror as Draow got to Howdy. He stood over him, his body casting a shadow on him. He seized his body in his foot, his flexible toes squeezing him tightly. He held him up into the air, sneering at him in satisfaction before turning to Jacko.

“A little too late, my ‘friend’.” Draow said sarcastically. “I got the ‘prize’ this time.”

Jacko pointed his finger towards the ground. “Put him down, Draow.” He said in a commanding voice. Draow shifted his body slightly, looking at Jacko with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. When he didn’t do or say anything for the next several seconds, Jacko continued. “You heard me. Put. Him. Down.”

Draow shook his head. “As if... I see no reason why I should let him go.” Draow glanced down, chuckling in Howdy’s direction as he ran one of his talons along Howdy’s cheek, being surprisingly gentle. “I admit, he was pretty brave for what he has done. A shame that he must die for that.”

Jacko gritted his teeth. “You will do no such thing.”

Draow shifted again, lowering his wings a tad and his head tilting to one side. “And who are you to say what I can and can’t do? You’re not my boss.” Draow looked down at Howdy. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he turned Howdy’s body around. “Why would you want this thing on your side anyway?” He let go of him and then immediately caught him, two claws pressed against other on one of his arm sleeves. “He isn’t that special. Pretty skrawny if you ask me.” With all three claws soon gripping the zoner once more, Draow slammed Howdy’s body into the ground, using his foot to press him against it. “Hardly worth it to make him a slave.”

“Stop that!” Jacko shouted. He spread his hands out again, his claws curving in a threatening manner. “I swear, if you don’t release him, I’ll...”

“Or you’ll what? Tell me, bone man." Draow sneered, flashing his sharp teeth in his direction. “Why do you even care about him? I remember reading about you before, and you never seemed like the type to really want to have any thing to do with helping other zoners.” He moved a wing in his direction. “You only cared about finding your ‘perfect bride’. I may not be interested in romance, and I may not know your types, but I’m sure that he’s not one of them.” He glanced down at Howdy for a brief moment, and then, his eyes on Jacko again, he said, “So tell me...why do you care?”

Jacko glared at him, his lips pressed tigthly together as he tried to think of a way to respond. His mind reeled as he recalled just how much he had changed over the couple years. Oh, well he had retained some of his traits. It wasn’t like he wasn’t recognizeable as the same person anymore. But he gained some traits that even he himself was surprised about.

All this time taking care of the zoners back in his dimension, getting them away from his Rudy’s tyrannical rule, offering help, it had an impact on him. Even if he didn’t show it much, he did come to actually care about the well being of others. Seeing Howdy attacked... It had triggered something inside of him. The will to help others. As he had fought tooth and nail to stop his Rudy, he knew he had to do the same with Draow. He had never properly met Howdy, but he didn’t appreciate it when Draow hurt him like that.

He flinched a tad as he recalled how Howdy’s body was crushed in the monster’s mouth. He could tell the zoner was still alive at least, but that wouldn’t let long. There was a ton of damage done to him; those teeth had crushed his ribcage and he was certain the spine was severed. Even if Howdy recovered, Jacko sensed that there would be permanent damage. This reminded him of what happened to his Snap, the way Rudy had broken his spine and took away his ability to walk permanently. To think that it would happen again...

“Rudy sent me here to help his counterpart here in whatever way I can. And that is what I plan on doing.” Jacko said with a growl. “The first thing I’m going to do is rip your face off. I’m sure that’ll help this dimension’s Rudy, am I right?”

Draow’s eyes widened for a moment, then they narrowed slightly and he tilted his head. A nasty grin appeared on the canine’s face. “Oh...now I get it. You’re a dimensional hopper. That would explain how you are still alive. I wonder... would you like to see yourself? I’m sure there’s still some footage Bardot has of him killing your counterpart.” Jacko’s eyes widened at this. “It was really quite something. Reducing that worthless, arrogant zoner down to his knees like he de...” He noticed Jacko’s expression and he brought a wing claw to his face in mock shock. “Oh my! I meant, you, didn’t I?” He pointed the wing claw at the skeleton zoner and laughed coldly.

Jacko glowered at Draow, his body shaking. He could feel his blood boiling. But he knew he had to remain calm. He couldn’t let his anger control him. That was what landed him in trouble in the past. He needed to cool down, keep himself from losing his temper. He took in a few deep breaths, and he soon found his heart rate slowing down, back to normal.

After exhaling a second time, he said, “At least I am capable of thinking for myself.”

Draow froze at this. His expression filled with confusion. He didn’t say a word, but the look he gave said enough. Jacko smirked. He would be glad to put this bat wolf zoner in his place.

And so he continued.

“You tell me that I’m worthless, that I’m arrogant, but look at you! I am capable of making decisions for myself.” He put a hand against his chest, and then he pointed at Draow. “But you...” He growled. “You rarely think for yourself. Most of the things you decide upon, you do so with one person in mind: Cosmo.” At this, Draow’s eyes widened, and Jacko knew he got him. “Isn’t that right? If Cosmo wants something, you will do whatever it takes to help him. You don’t care what that entails, just so long as Cosmo is happy. You never stop to really think for yourself what you are doing. All that matters to you is Cosmo. If Cosmo told you to jump off a cliff, I’m sure you’d do that, because you’re stupid enough to do that!”

Draow’s body started to shake in anger and shock. His fur raised on end, his front, sharp canines bared. Despite the threat, Jacko just continued on.

Jacko held his hand out beside himself in gesture. Closing his eyes and smirking, head turned to the side, he said, “You can’t be that stupid, am I right? Surely you must think and do stuff that isn’t Cosmo related...” He reopened his eyes. “Or am I wrong on that? Let me tell you something, Draow.” He took a step forward, his arms folded behind his back as it straightened up. “You think of yourself as a strong, proud zoner. But in the end, you’re a fraud. You’re spineless...and you’re mindless on top of that. You based your whole life around serving Cosmo. Tell me...” He narrowed his eyes. “Is there any real intelligence buried in that thick skull of yours...?”

Draow spread his wings out and let out a roar. Jacko flinched and took a step back. The roar echoed off the walls. It was so loud that bits of broken stalactites fell from the ceiling, crashing around him. Jacko jumped out of the way as a particularly large piece nearly crushed him. He stared at it in shock before looking over at Draow. Upon seeing how feral the beast looked, seeing those sharp teeth, seeing how sharply raised his fur was, Jacko realized he may have just made a horrible mistake.

Jacko took a few steps back. He raised up his hand in front of him in an attempt to calm the bat zoner down. “Now...calm down. Let’s not do anything rash.” He casted a brief glance at Howdy’s unconscious form and looked back up at Draow. “We don’t need to...”

Draow flashed an evil, insane grin on his face. “So now you decide to relent. Too bad you didn’t do that before, you scumbag!” His pupils shrank, his eyes flashing cruel intent. “And now you will pay for that.” He looked down. “No... you won’t. He will.”

Jacko felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Draow lift up his foot and lower his head towards Howdy’s body. Jacko stood there in shock, watching as Draow open his jaws. In a matter of seconds, he knew that they would close around Howdy’s head. Despite not knowing him that well, something inside him told him that he couldn’t allow that to happen. And he listened to that voice inside.

Jacko rushed forward, his feet pounding the ground. He gave a hollar to Draow, snapping the wolf’s attention to him. Draow only had time to raise his head up. Seconds later, Jacko struck down, slashing his claws across Draow’s cheek, knocking his head to the side. Draow screeched in pain as he staggered back, his feet slipping on the ground. Jacko didn’t stop there. He came in a second time. As Draow was struggling to keep his balance, Jacko collided his claws against Draow’s neck, slashing across the wound he already gave, making it deeper. The force was enough to make Draow fall into the ground.

Jacko turned his attention to Howdy. He wondered if he suffered anymore damage from being crushed against the ground like that. He failed to hear the sound of claws screaming the ground as he rushed to Howdy’s side. He realized too late what was going on and he felt a set of jaws bite down on his leg. He screamed and looked down.

Draow had gotten up to his feet, rushed over, and lowered his head enough so he could bite him on the leg. He tightened his grip as he glared straight into Jacko’s eyes. Then he pulled him back quickly, making the skeleton zoner fall onto his stomach. Horror striking through his chest and stomach, Jacko dug his claws into the ground, trying to get a grip. He realized it was useless and, with a mighty tug from Draow, he could feel himself being lefted up into the air, his claws leaving the ground.

He didn’t stay in the air for long. Draow mustered up strength his jaws and neck and he threw Jacko as hard as he could into the ground. The bat wolf rushed over to him as he tried to recover. Jacko rubbed his head, feeling the start of a pounding headache. He looked over and he let out another scream of pain as Draow slammed his foot against him. The top of the digits connected with his side, knocking some of the wind out of him and cracking a rib or two. Into the ground he went again, feeling its cold surface collide with him painfully.

Then, before he could get up, he felt something against his head. His body swept in cold horror as he realized what this sensation was. His body trembled in fear. He wanted to run, but dared not move, lest he make things worse for himself. How..how could he get himself away from..from this...?

Draow’s teeth were pressed against his skull....

Jacko felt his heart pound in his chest as he felt the sharp tips of Draow’s teeth on his head. He felt a bit of blood begin to trinkle down the sides of his head as the teeth had partially broken the skin there. He swallowed hard, his mind tracing, trying to think of what he could do to get away. He looked up at Draow pleadingly, hoping in vain that he would let go. Draow responded by tightening his grip, driving the teeth further into his head.

Jacko screamed, kicking his feet against the ground. Draow held his body down with his foot as he continued to slowly apply pressure. Jacko’s eyes darted from side to side. He had to get out of here, somehow.

sss

Where was he...?

Why was he here...?

Why did he feel so bruised and banged up..?

Where were the others..?

These were the questions that flooded the newly awakened Urso. His mind was so muggy and confused. He could barely remember anything that had happened. His eyes were still closed, but with his sense of smell, he could tell that he wasn’t where he was before. He remembered being outside somewhere. He recalled the scent of fresh air, and fresh grass. But he smelled something else entirely. Mixtures of something bitter...medicine perhaps? And what was that metallic scent he was detecting?

The lion bear slowly opened up his eyes. His vision was still dark and blurry. He let out a few coughs, his breathing slightly ragged. He shivered as he felt some mysterious pain growing inside of his body. The more his mind woke up, the more he realized just how much pain he was in. It was like he had gone through some kind of battle, and yet he could not remember what it was.

He attempted to move forward, but his face immediately hit against something hard. He let out a yelp and staggered back. He could feel something around his face, secured in the back. He blinked a few times as his eyes looked down, crossing to come into focus with the item. He recognized it as a muzzle. Upon realization there was a muzzle on his face, his mind cleared up more, a sense of horror rising up in his stomach. Why was he wearing a muzzle? Had he been captured? His allies wouldn’t do this to him...

Dr. Urso was on his feet once more. He shook his body as he looked left and right. It was still so dark, and he realized it wasn’t because of just his vision; the lights here had been turned out. He let out a soft growl of apprehension as he looked left and right, trying to make out any details that would let him know where he was. There has to be a reason he was here. A series of events that led up to this. Yet he remembered nothing in particular.

He could soon see that he was in some kind of large cage. Bars surrounded him at all sides, sealing him inside. Apprehension grew inside the pit of his stomach as he tried to comprehend what may have happened. The only thing he could conclude was that he was attacked again; some of these wounds were fresher than when he.. Yeah that was right, he had fought the Luminos, right? And he recalled they turned over a new leaf. It wasn’t them who did this...or was it? What if they had been lying and....?

Dr. Urso’s eyes widened in horror as realization struck him. What..what if Rudy and the others had been harmed? He couldn’t see them anywhere. He couldn’t even smell them. If they had been harmed... Oh no... He had to get out of here. He had to find them, make sure they were okay. If they were in trouble, he had to do something to help them. But when he had attempted to move more, his leg suddenly jerked against something tight. With a yelp of pain, he slammed against the ground, his chin connecting against the metal ground that made up his strong cage. He let out a small whimper as he felt his teeth cut into his tongue.

Dr. Urso did his best to ignore the taste of blood as he climbed back to his feet. He looked down and saw that his legs had been shackled together to prevent too much movement. He glared at the shackles, wondering if he would be able to break them off himself. He moved his head down lower, feeling his neck stretch as he attempted to reach it.

“I wouldn’t if I were you.”

The lion bear lifted his head up at that voice. He looked around, and he soon found the source of the voice. Standing not too far away was what appeared to be some kind of patient. He only knew it was a patient in the darkness thanks to the shadows that formed a wheelchair.

“Those shackles will electrocute you if you try to bite through them.” The voice continued. Seconds later, a finger flipped against a switch, and bright light bathed the room.

Urso hissed, baring his teeth, the light hitting him in the eyes. It took him a few seconds to adjust more to the light. When he got used to the brightness, he reopened his eyes and looked around. He soon realized he was in some kind of hospital room. A patient’s room, he wasn’t certain. The room looked like it had been stripped bare. His cage was placed in the middle. His cage had multiple locks on it and some barbed wire wrapped around it. Realizing just how tightly secured he was in this cage, it just made him even more confused. Why was he put in here?

He looked over at the patient. It took him a few moments, but he soon recognized the patient as another doctor. It was Dr. Lancer specifically. She had some kind of brace around her body, and one of her wings was in a cast. She looked as though she had been run over. Urso was confused in seeing her in this state. Just what had happened to her? And why was she looking at him like that? Why was she glaring at him? He didn’t do anything wrong...did he?

“I suggest you don’t try anything you’ll regret.” Dr. Lancer said in a cool voice. “I don’t see that...coldness in your eyes right now. So perhaps you have been freed. But I’m not taking any chances.”

“What...what do you think I’m...” Dr. Urso started to say. He paused when he noticed how dry and weak his voice was. “..g-going to do?”

Dr. Lancer raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to take a guess and say you’re being genuine here.” She pushed on her wheelchair, bringing her a little closer. She stopped when she was a few feet in front of the cage. “You still need to remain in the cage. I can’t take the risk that you might still be controlled.”

Dr. Urso swallowed hard at this. “C-C-Controlled...?”

The hippogriff doctor nodded her head. “Yes. You were.” She took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. She glared at him still, yet there was some sympathy in those eyes as well. “During the times when you had..gotten loose, you had attacked and killed several zoners. And you nearly killed Penny and her mom.”

A freight train struck Urso in the head. He...he had almost done what? But..but how? When could he have...? No, it couldn’t be true. He shook his head in denial, staring at the hippogriff zoner for any signs of her making this up. Yet her expression remained the same. They were still narrowed, but there was also a look of understanding.

Urso shrank down, his body lowering towards the floor. His body shook at the realization. He looked back up at Lancer, sucking in a few dry breaths. He gritted his teeth, and asked the dreadful questions.

“I-Is Penny and her mom okay?” Dr. Urso asked hopefully. Dr. Lancer paused, then nodded her head slowly. “And the zoners..how..how many did I...?” His voice trailed off, unable to get himself to continue.

Dr. Lancer gritted her beak and turned away. She closed her eyes and gave another exhale. The answer she gave him caused his heart to nearly stop beating.

“We counted at least a hundred victims done in by you...”

sss

Doofus Penny quickly hid behind the slanted rock. She held the unconscious form of Doofus Rudy in her arms. She pressed her back against the wall, listening to the uncomfortable sounds that she knew where coming from Nihilanth. Her body shivered in fear, wondering how they were going to get out of here.

Nihilanth’s low growls filled the air. His massive claws tapped the ground, and each time, it was so heavy, it echoed everywhere, reminding her of just what she was up against. She knew she had to get out of there, but she..she couldn’t leave Doofus Rudy. She was not that stupid. She trembled at the thought of abandoning her friend like that. There had to be something else, but at the moment, she was too terrified to think of what she could do.

Nihilanth had looked strange when he got up. She wasn’t sure what to make of it at first. It was just a little...off. But the more she had stared at him, backing away as he approached, the more she realized that something really was wrong with him.

His black side.. It was still there, but it seemed...weaker. Like it was shriveling up a little. And the blackness on the white side, it became paler. She wondered if this signified anything. She didn’t know nearly as much about the black chalk compared to the others. But she couldn’t help but wonder if Nihilanth had somehow gotten weaker. The zoner had a few thoughts on what might have caused that, but she wasn’t sure just how accurate she might be.

At the moment, though, there was no time to figure such things out. She had to get herself and her friend to safety before Nihilanth found them. It seemed as though he was blaming them for what happened to him. Or perhaps he knew they weren’t involved, but still wanted to kill them anyway. Either way, Nihilanth was hell bent on killing them. He had given chase, forcing her to carry Doofus Rudy as they fled around the room. She had eventually taken shelter inside the center pillar. It was so dark...but maybe Nihilanth wouldn’t see them.

Doofus Penny did her best to control her breathing. She tried not to sound too loud as she took in each breath. Her heart was pounding, and she tried to calm it down, knowing that it could give her away. It did not obey her, and she clenched her teeth as she saw the dragon’s massive form walk in front of her. Even though the dragon passed them, she dared not sigh with relief. Not yet.

As she listened to the pounding footsteps of the dragon, Doofus Penny took this time to look around the room, taking note of what was in here. It was hard to see anything in the darkness. It was even darker in here than it was out there. She knew the room wasn’t that large. But that was about how much she could make out of it at first. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, but with so little light, that made little difference. She could see something in the room that might be of interest to her, but it was hard to tell what it was. And with them being hunted and Doofus Rudy in trouble, she dare not move.

Doofus Penny felt a cold chill go up her spine when she listened to Nihilanth speaking to her.

“Two little zoners came in here and got lost, we see. Why not come out, little zoners? We won’t hurt you... We promise.” Nihilanth said, his voice a taunting tone. But there was an overlay of anger to it. “We know what you accomplished. We only wish to reward you.”

Doofus Penny clenched her teeth in fear, pressing her back further against the wall. How could Nihilanth think she and Doofus Rudy did this? They were the ones trying to survive. The worst they did was punch him in the eyes. That couldn’t have done anything to cause his black side to weaken..could it? The very idea of it...it sounded absurd, even to her.

Nihilanth continued pacing around outside. His tails crashed against the ground. Doofus Penny tried not to call out in fear each time the tails struck something hard. She shivered in fear, her heart racing faster. She clutched onto her unconscious friend tighter, shutting her eyes. All she could do was hope and pray that Nihilanth would go somewhere else. Maybe he would think they gotten out somehow and leave. Maybe...

Suddenly, there was a louder crack, this one much closer. Doofus Penny stifled a scream of fright. The ground shook, jostling her slightly. She could hear loud cracks all around her, and she felt something fall on top of her. Dust..and small bits of rock. She turned her head and saw some kind of glow just outside the opening. She snapped her head back, her eyes widening in terror. She crawled back as another crack echoed in the chamber, and the light became more visible. The opening crumbled and cracked, spreading wider until it was shaped like a tear across the wall. Seconds later, a massive faded black face and a glowing white eye looked on into the room.

“Found you.” Nihilanth said coldly.

Doofus Penny felt her heart freeze into a block of ice. The burning fear seemed to start melting it, but that created an uncomfortable sensation that made her feel like she was being poisoned. She pushed herself back, wishing that she could just shrink into the ground and hide. But there was no way she could hide from Nihilanth’s prying eyes now. Especially after the light of his white eye illuminated the room, and she could see that there was no place to hide in here.

With enough light in the room, she could now see what she noticed before. It was a large hole. It looked like something massive had broken through it. There were remains of something on the ground. Broken metal, shattered stone, splintered wood... It was all strewn about the room. She was amazed that she didn’t trip over anything. Even more of a shock, the hole was quite large. How had she not fallen in?

But the jagged and shattered-looking hole was the least of her problems. She turned her head back to Nihilanth. She gritted her teeth, cringing back. With the hole in the ground, there was even less she could do to escape, less room for her to run across. There was no place to hide in here, and the only exit to this place was blocked by that giant monster. She was a sitting duck, a deer caught in the headlights. Her only response to the dragon’s statement was to hold Doofus Rudy closer against her, as if somehow that would protect him from the dragon’s wrath.

Nihilanth’s glowing white eye narrowed slightly at this display. She thought she could hear a couple low grunts, and she soon recognized it as guttural laughter. “Such nobility... Such loyalty... Impressive, zoner. You refuse to leave his side, even though you know the consequences. We would love to reward such behavior...but we cannot.” His voice darkened slightly, the eyes narrowing further. “We cannot allow you to get away with what you have done.”

At this, Doofus Penny found her voice. “Wh-What do you mean...? We didn’t...”

“Oh don’t be so humble.” Nihilanth said, a tinge of something on his voice. Something she couldn’t identify, but made her feel unsettled. “We know that you are in cahoots with that puppet zoner. You had this all planned out, didn’t you? Thanks to your efforts, your pitiful little friend has found the ‘heart’ of the black chalk, and it has been destroyed.”

Doofus Penny widened her eyes at this. She tried to wrap her mind around it. Even after all the weird things she herself does...it was still hard for her to comprehend just what she had been told. The black chalk...destroyed...? The heart..? What was the dragon talking about? How had Howdy done it? Was that his plan or was it by mistake? These questions and more flooded the zoner’s mind, giving her a mild headache.

“Of course, this doesn’t mean the black chalk is entirely dead.” Nihilanth said. Despite this, he still sounded bitter. From that alone, Doofus Penny knew this was some kind of drawback for him. “We are weaker, but it is just a setback..for now. The black chalk’s energy is returning to me. Ourself..to our original body... We can always create new black chalk, but..it will take time. We will need raw material...”

Raw material... the way he said it... Doofus Penny gulped. She did not like the sound of this. Every instinct in her body was telling her to run. She wanted to so badly...yet she couldn’t bring herself to leave Doofus Rudy. So instead, she mustered up the bravest look she could make and said, “What kind of raw material do you need..?”

At this, there was a twinkle in the dragon’s eye. It made her shiver, a cold jolt going up and down her spine. Then he spoke the answer. A low harsh whisper invaded her eyes, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she got the horrific answer.

“...you...” Nihilanth said, a nasty grin spread across his face.

“Wh-What...?” Doofus Penny paled at this, cringing back further. “I thought that... But...i-i-if you need me..how did you...?”

“We see you are confused. Understandable of course. We expected you to be. True, the original black chalk didn’t require zoners as the building material. But see...since you zoners exist because of the black chalk, you have the building material already inside of you. It’s just a matter of..pureeing your ugly forms into something more useful. Just a matter of blending it all up and concentrating it into pure black chalk...” Nihilanth said. The eye turned, and Doofus Penny realized that he had tilted his head. “Why do you think we had the black chalk artists kill so many zoners...?”

Doofus Penny took in a sharp gasp at this, horror snaking through her body, concentrating in her chest and stomach. She had heard something about a war many years ago, and so many zoners dying. Was...was this what they were killed for..? To create more of those vicious black chalk sticks...?

It was starting to make sense to her. That would explain all the senseless killing. It wasn’t just because they were evil. No..the black chalk artists were using their bodies..at least some of them...making new black chalk out of them. The realization hit her like a freight train. It took all her effort not to throw up. She held her stomach and gently rubbed it. She tried to fight against the urge to vomit as she stared up at Nihilanth in horror.

“We do not wish to waste more time. We need to proceed. We need to begin to repair..” Nihilanth growled softly. “Time is of the utmost importance.”

Nihilanth pulled his head back and darkness descended upon the room. Doofus Penny let out a surprised scream, holding Doofus Rudy tighter, as she heard Nihilanth suddenly begin striking the structure. All around her, it was crumbling apart. Large chunks of rock fell to the ground. Nihilanth struck again and again, ripping it apart. He soon pushed his claws into it. Doofus Penny shuddered as she could hear the sound of the claws burrowing into the hard rock, crumbling it with ease.

It didn’t take long for the structure to give way completely. Doofus Penny screamed in horror as it all crumbled around her. It was a miracle she wasn’t hit by anything really large, but large slaps still fell near her, striking fear in her heart. The bright light returned, this time coming from not just the single eye, but the white half of Nihilanth’s body, which now had a slight glow to it. Doofus Penny sucked in a sharp breath as she stared at the large dragon before her. He was smirking at her. Even with his black head looking weaker, he was still able to muster up a terrifying smile on that face. A smile filled with hidden promise...

Nihilanth took a step forward. His large white foot pounded against the ground, right on top of the jagged, broken pieces, crumbling them into dust. The black claws had a slight shine to them, making them look more menacing, terrifying. Nihilanth moved in closer, lifting up his black paw, and reached out towards her.

Doofus Penny trembled hard. “Please...don’t...”

Nihilanth paused for a moment, then chuckled. “Do you think you can squirm your way out of this? You had this coming after you helped that pathetic little puppet zoner...”

“We didn’t do anything!” Doofus Penny cried out.

Nihilanth stared at her. He then narrowed his eyes and he lowered his head. “Yeah...you’re right. You didn’t do anything... At least, you won’t be. Not anymore..”

Doofus Penny looked left and right, trying to think of a way out of this. Her heart pounded against her chest. What was she going to do now? She was trapped. She couldn’t move any further back and the hideous dragon was getting closer to her. She gritted her teeth, wishing she had done something different to preven this from happening. Now, because of her stupidity, she and her friend were going to get killed. And worse yet, they were going to be turned into black chalk. They were going to be used against the other zoners.

No, she wouldn’t stand for it. She wouldn’t allow that to happen. She would resist. She would think of something to help her out of this situation. She wasn’t sure yet what she’d do...but something would come. It always had for her in the past, and it would this time. She narrowed her eyes at Nihilanth, baring her teeth. The dragon seemed amused by this display of sudden courage, and he advanced closer.

Curse them losing the blue chalk... Doofus Penny wished she had hung onto it better. She could have used it against Nihilanth. Now it was nowhere to be found. She quickly glanced around, but there was no way she would be able to find it in this darkness. And she could tell Nihilanth knew what she was looking for; the way he smirked at her. He knew... There was little chance that she’d be able to find a piece and take it before Nihilanth would crush it into pieces. She had to think of another way to get out of here...but what?

Suddenly, something echoed in the air. It permeated through the walls, taking Doofus Penny by surprise. She looked around, trying to find the source. She soon realized it came from down below. She stared at the hole, and she noticed so was Nihilanth. Seconds later, another sound came out. It was difficult to identify at first. It was so echoey, that whatever the sound was..it had been too distorted to be recognizeable. The only thing that she was able to pick up from it was that it seemed like it was filled with..anger?

Nihilanth seemed to know what this sound was. He growled softly, narrowing his eyes. “It seems Draow got himself into a little bit of trouble...” He spread his wings out suddenly. Even though they weren’t close enough to hit, Doofus Penny found herself falling backwards. She laned on her back, staring up at the looming, imposing form of Nihilanth. “We guess we’ll harvest you later.” He said as he gave her a quick glance before turning his glare to the large hole. “We have some important matters to attend to.”

With that, the large, massive dragon crawled through the opening. The hole was a little too small for him, but that didn’t seem to be a problem for the massive beast. He simply widened the whole as he crawled through. As the hole dilated, a crack formed and started to spread over towards her and Doofus Rudy. She stifled a cry of surprise, picked up Doofus Rudy, and moved along the wall, or what remained of it, and tried to get away from it. She managed to get away just in time as the ground where she was crumbled down, falling into the seemingly endless abyss below where Nihilanth had dove down.

Doofus Penny stared down the hole, watching as the huge form of the dragon dove down, disappearing completely from sight. She remained there, stunned, unsure of what to make this turn of events. On the one hand, she was happy that she and Doofus Rudy got a second chance. But..what about Howdy...? She looked down at Doofus Rudy. What about him...? What was she going to do? She..she had to do something. Howdy needed help but...but so did Doofus Rudy...

She collapsed on the ground in frustration, her head pounding with a headache as she struggled with making a choice. She didn’t have much time to make a decision, she knew. She glanced down at Doofus Rudy, and then down the hole where Nihilanth went.

What should she choose...?

sss

Biclops was unable to turn his eyes away from the sight. They bulged wide as he watched the terrifying display before him. He hadn’t expected something like this to happen. He had never seen this kind of reaction from anyone, let alone a black chalk artist. It was scary, chilling him down to the bone, even though the woman wasn’t trying to attack him.

But the way she was moving.. Swaying, twitching, shaking... Something was wrong with her. Despite Mrs. Sanchez’s status as a black chalk artist, despite her assocation with Nihilanth simply by being a black chalk artist, he couldn’t help but sympathize with her. She looked like she was in a lot of pain. He almost felt some relief when she had finally collapsed into the ground, and laid there prone and quiet save for a few shivers.

He approached her cautiously, staring at her, wondering what he was going to do. He wanted to help her, somehow. But..but what could he do? He didn’t dare risk opening the cage; that would be insane. She might jump out and attack him if he tried something like that. Yet, despite the fear, he still got close enough that, if the cage weren’t there, he could reach out and touch her. He stared down at her, watching as her body trembled even when she was knocked out.

Then, upon a closer look, he noticed something.

There was something moving out of her mouth. Something that he didn’t recognize at first, yet it still had a tinge of familiarity. He moved in closer, and he soon realized it was black chalk. He gasped in horror at this, wondering what it meant. He shifted his gaze to Bardot. The hybrid zoner had taken notice of the black chalk and commented on it, as well as him. They both had gone quiet after that.

Biclops still stood where he was, unmoving. His eyes locked onto the unconscious form of the woman. The black chalk had long disappeared, yet she did not stir. Biclops wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. Though he wanted to feel happy that it was gone, he couldn’t help but have a funny feeling about the whole thing. Something...just wasn’t right about this. Something was rubbing him the wrong way. He hadn’t seen this sort of behavior from the black chalk before, and it worried him. It seemed like the black chalk was leaving willingly, but why? Where was it going?

Even if the black chalk no longer influenced the woman, he wasn’t going to celebrate just yet. He had a feeling that this was just the beginning of something else. Something that he couldn’t have predicted. He could only hope that, whatever it was in the end, they could still beat it.

“Do you think she’s back to normal?” Bardot asked in a low, cautious voice.

Biclops looked down at the zoner. He didn’t say a word. He wasn’t sure what to make of Bardot. He was still suspicious of him. He couldn’t tell if the zoner was being sincere or not. He had little reason to trust Bardot. For all he knew, even this display of caution and fear might just be an act to put him off his guard.

Bardot didn’t wait long in the silence. He turned his head slightly, his green eyes looking up at him from an angle. “I mean..the black chalk came out of her body... But do you think something else might be wrong with her?”

Biclops paused for a moment. He thought about just not replying and turning his attention back to Mrs. Sanchez, but he decided to answer. He might as well. Not like Bardot was much of a threat without his red chalk half in tact. “That is a possibility.” He said as he rubbed his chin. “The black chalk may have done something to her when it left. We should probably be careful.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Bardot said. His ears lowered. “Ever since Snap told me about the servant light..." Biclops whipped his head in Bardot’s direction. The yellow zoner was startled, but nonetheless continued. “Yeah...I wouldn’t get my hopes up yet for the woman being freed. I’m sure we’ll still have problems.”

Biclops was shocked by this. He might have been told before, but even if he did, this was still a shock to his system. The servant light? Yes, he knew about that. It was what powered Solar Pillars. And wasn’t it what corrupted Rudy for a time? He was certain he heard of that before. He cursed himself for forgetting. He was usually not this bad at memory. Yet with the looming threat of Nihilanth and whatever was going on with the black chalk artists, and all the deaths... It was little wonder he couldn’t keep his mind altogether.

He looked down at Mrs. Sanchez. He took in a deep breath and sighed slowly. He had to wonder..just what were the black chalk artists going to be like now that the black chalk portion is gone? He didn’t doubt that the servant light would take over. But what would their personalities be like? Or would they still be the same? He knew that hte black chalk had never experienced anything like this before.

And it terrified him. This was bringing in a factor that he wasn’t used to. This meant that he was not going to be of much help to anyone or himself. He quickly realized just how much danger he could easily put himself in if he wasn’t careful. Narrowing his eyes as he stared at the woman, realizing the potential danger she might represent, he took a few slow steps backwards, gritting his massive teeth.

Bardot’s voice cut him from his thoughts.

“She’s waking up.”

Biclops looked down again, and he could see that the hybrid zoner had been correct. Mrs. Sanchez was stirring on the ground. She was pushing herself onto her hands. Her had was bowed, her face pointed towards the ground. He and Bardot could not see it, and the only thing that gave away that she was awake, other than her getting up, was her ragged grunting sounds. Then she began to breathe in and out rapidly, filling the two zoners with apprehension. Seconds later, the woman lifted up her head. What the two zoners saw made them cringe back in shock.

Her eyes, they were glowing again. But this time, they weren’t glowing black like before. No...they were going something else this time. A different color took over her eyes this time.

White...

Biclops took a shocked step backwards. Glowing white eyes... That could mean only one thing. He gulped, having a difficult time processing this. Nothing like this had ever happened before...and yet here he was, witnessing it first hand. This woman, she...she had been, somehow, taken over by the servant light...

But how? He didn’t see any servant light come in. Was the servant light already in her body? Was there another factor? Questions flooded his mind, making his head hurt. But right now, it wasn’t the time to be thinking of this. As much as this confused him, terrified him, he needed to figure out what he was going to do. He knew that servant light was just as dangerous as black chalk. If he stayed here too long, he was in trouble.

He could see Bardot was starting to back away a little. The fact that this cold blooded monster was moving away told him volumes. If Bardot dare not be in the presence of servant light, there was little reason why he should either. They both needed to figure out what they were going to do, and fast. If Mrs. Sanchez thought to attack...

Before any of them could react, Mrs. Sanchez suddenly sprouted a light tendril from her arm. This took Biclops by surprise. He never saw this in black chalk. Was this an ability the ivory chalk possessed? He didn’t have time to contemplate this when Mrs. Sanchez used the light tendrils to slice through her cage and hoist her still partially paralyzed body off the ground. She walked out of the cage, her movements looking...somehow unnatural.

Bardot bared his sharp teeth, his fur raised on end. In seconds, he charged towards Mrs. Sanchez and lunged at her. Biclops couldn’t help but flinch when Mrs. Sanchez’s light tendril struck him in the side, knocking him into the ground. He turned his attention to Mrs. Sanchez and let out a cry of shock when he felt a tendril wrap around his leg. In seconds, Mrs. Sanchez pulled on the limb and the giant lost his balance.

Mrs. Sanchez glared at the two zoners, the white glow in her eyes intensifying. She then ‘spoke’, her voice echoing in the back of their heads. “I think it’s time you and I had a little...talk.”


	197. Reopening The Wounds

“Look out! She’s going to break out of her cage!” Nile shouted, his eyes wide in terror.

“Somebody!” Diamond called out. She rushed forward towards the cage, stopping for a short time to look behind her and motion with her arm. “Hurry! Before she breaks loose!”

But Rudy knew it was already too late. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the remaining Luminos rush over towards the cage. He could see Jenny, who was standing back up after her recent...whatever the heck happened to her, and her eyes were now glowing white. It was a sight that took everyone by surprise. Rudy couldn’t help but shiver in fright, realizing that the servant light must have taken over her.

And if there was one thing he learned from the light dimension, it’s that the servant light had one particular power not found in black chalk. And he could see it being performed right before his very eyes. Memories of his beatdown in that dimension came back, unable to hold them off. He couldn’t stop staring at the long light tendrils that Jenny formed, raising them in the air and forming sharp blades out of them. She struck again and again at the cage bars, the sound clanging through the air and radiating in his chest.

The Luminos surrounded her. They took a fighting position. Diamond moved in closer, narrowing her eyes. She formed a fist with her hand, baring her teeth as she prepared an attack. Whatever she was about to do, she had waited too long. As soon as she took a step forward, Jenny struck against the metal bar with extra force, and there was a loud crack. Diamond’s eyes widened as a piece of metal was tossed through the air. It struck her in the eye, causing her to scream and stagger back.

“Diamond!” Nile shouted in horror. His body shook in shock as Diamond collapsed on the ground, blood flow from her eye leaking onto the ground, forming a small pool of blood. He swiveled his head in Jenny’s direction. The woman was walking towards him. “You..monster!”

Nile went down on all fours like a real crocodile and ran towards the woman. Rudy was surprised that a crocodile could even move like that, yet here he was, witnessing a croc dash across the ground, his body bending with each stride. Nile soon jumped into the air and slammed his body against Jenny. There was a loud thud sound and the two collided with the ground. Nile twisted his body around as he was knocked in a different direction. He got up onto his four legs and took a defensive stance. He slammed his tail into the ground a couple times, a clear warning.

Jenny stared at him and then, to everyone’s surprise, turned and went towards someone else. She ignored Nile’s challenging cries as she headed towards him. Rudy widened in his eyes in fear as he realized just what Jenny wanted to do. He attempted to get back onto his feet. He wobbled before he even got all the way up, collapsing back onto the grassy floor. He let out a soft groan and held onto his head, feeling a headache sweep through it.

“You’re too injured, son.” His dad said. “We need to get you out of here.”

“You’ve been through enough these last few days. Your body could give out at any time. You need to rest.” He could hear his mom say.

Rudy could feel his dad’s skrawny yet strong arms hold him up, letting his son lean against him. His dad grabbed his arm, looping it over his shoulder, providing support. As Rudy pressed up against his father, he looked over and watched as Jenny continued fighting with the Luminos as she tried to get to him. He couldn’t tell if the Luminos knew what they were up against or not. He had a feeling they had experience with fighting the black chalk artists, even if it wasn’t much. But..what of sentient white chalk?

Jenny was chalkless. The black chalk that she had crumbled and shattered into a million pieces. It was worthless to her. But thanks to those light tenticle arms, she was still a match, a force to be reckoned with. The Luminos were having a heck of a time trying to stop her. They jumped at her, tried to strike her down with their claws, fists, and tails. He watched as they tried to bite her, pin her down, anything to stop her. But Jenny was too nimble for them. Her flexible light tendrils allowed her to manuever with more flexibility than Rudy thought was possible. She took large strides, covering large distances, as she moved around the Luminos zoners with ease. Try as they might, the Luminos had a hard time keeping up with her.

At first, it was just a show; she didn’t actually try to attack anyone, not after the first time when she got out. She just moved around them in constant circles. It was as if there was something metal on her and a magnet buried in the ground was pulling her around, being her driving force. The Luminos were throwing punches and whatever else at her, but all she did was practically dance around them. It was like she wanted to make a mockery of their attempts to stop her. But this show, this display of agility, it didn’t last long.

Soon, she began to attack. She moved in behind one of the Luminos. She raised her light tendril, the end tapering into a sharp point. She struck hard. The zoner screeched in pain as his back was slashed open. The deep gash blood profusely as he collapsed. Another zoner cried out his name and rushed to his side, but he, too, was attacked with a light tendril. He cried in agony as he was slashed across the face, staggering back.

The other Luminos zoners quickly got the hint. They began to back away from the woman. Not to retreat, but to make it harder for her to attack them. They met her intense white eyes with angered-filled ones just as intense. Diamond, who was back up with her damaged eye closed, rushed over on all four legs. Each time her body hit the ground, it shook. When she got close enough, she turned to her side and struck out with her massive tail. Jenny turned her head just in time to see the oncoming spiked tail. She narrowed her eyes and simply used her light tendrils to move out of the way in time, causing the zoner to crash her tail against the grass-covered ground.

Rudy couldn’t stand it any longer. He couldn’t just keep standing here while the zoners were attacked like this. He was supposed to be the guardian of this place. He had to step up and do something to stop Jenny. She was after him right? Maybe if he got her attention, he could lead her away from this place.

But it was clear his parents didn’t want him going over. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to help the zoners. Their expressions told him that they didn’t like just standing back here, doing nothing. But they weren’t sure how to deal with Jenny. They had never seen powers like this before. They just didn’t know how to fight her like this. Even if they had magic chalk, what good would it do them? Would Jenny be able to do something to them, now that she was controlled by servant light...?

Regardless...he had to get over there. He had to protect the Luminos. He didn’t expect his parents to do anything. But he..he had to be the one to fight. He would do whatever it took to protect ChalkZone. He didn’t want to see these zoners get hurt anymore. She had to be stopped.

“We...have to...help them...” Rudy said. He attempted to move forward, but his dad tightened his grip on his arm. Rudy shot him a look. “Please... I’m the protector of...ChalkZone...I have to..” He shut his eyes tightly as he tried to cope with the pain. “Just let me fight her...”

“No Rudy.” His mother put her large hands on his shoulders, staring at him in the eyes. “We know you want to take up responsibility and protect this place, but Rudy...you could get yourself killed.” When Rudy attempted to struggle harder, she gripped him more tightly. She put her face close to his, looking at him sternly. “Rudy Tabootie, you are going to the hospital right now.”

“B-But...” Rudy started to say.

“No buts.” His father said. “You can’t fight right now. You’re in no condition.”

“I can still...”

But Rudy didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence. All of a sudden, he coughed up some blood, staining the ground. Some of it got on his mom. His parents looked at him in horror and held onto him tighter as Rudy swayed a little. The pain inside of him was starting to increase. Slowly, steadily, it was getting worse. But..how..? He hadn’t been attacked by Jenny. What was causing the pain to get so much worse?

He wondered..could this have something to do with the black chalk having some problems? He recalled that the black chalk could heal, and that Nihilanth had healed him with the black chalk. If that is the case, then since the black chalk is weakened, would that have any effect on anyone who was healed by the black chalk? The thought filled him with horror, as he realized that if that was the case, then his wounds must be...

Rudy let out a yelp as he felt jabbing pain in his eye. He felt something push against it, forcing him to close that eye. He could feel something underneath the skin, and soon, a small cut began to form. In seconds, it progressively got worse, the pain spreading and the cut getting bigger. Warm blood began to pool down his face, staining it.

“Rudy!” Mrs. Tabootie cried out in horror. She held onto her son’s face, cradling it gently as she stroked his cheek. “Are you okay?”

Rudy seethed in pain. “I-It hurts.. Skin...slowly being peeled apart...”

His parents glanced at each other. Silent messages were conveyed through their eyes. Rudy could hardly pay attention to them. He wasn’t even certain if they were talking, saying anything. At the moment, the only thing he was aware of was the slowly intensifying pain that was ravaging his body. He felt a few tears of pain begin to trinkle out of his right eye, his left eye now swollen shut again.

This..this had to do with the black chalk being weakened. There was nothing else he thought he could be. What was he going to do? Jenny.. She must know something. He turned his gaze towards her, looking at her with a partially opened right eye, his teeth still bared in pain. He had to get to her somehow. Maybe if he confronted her, he could force her to tell him what he needs to know. He attempted to move forward, only for his dad to pull him back again.

“Son, no...You can’t..” Mr. Tabootie started to say. He placed his hand on Rudy. Unfortunately, he touched a spot that a wound was reopening on. The reaction was immediate.

Rudy let out a cry of pain and reacted on instinct. In a desperate attempt to get away, Rudy whirled around and bit down onto his dad’s hand. His dad screamed and he yanked his hand away. Rudy immediately realized what he did and he cringed away from his father. For a moment, his shock overrid his pain and he stared at his dad with a widened right eye. He could see the bruises and bite marks that now adorned his dad’s finger. He winced at the expression his dad gave him.

“D-Dad...I...” Rudy grabbed onto his head, his skull whirling with the increasing and confusing pain that was spreading throughout his body. The pain was getting stronger, making it harder for him to concentrate. Despite that, the urge to protect the zoners was strong enough that he could override some of the pain and he started to move forward. “I need to...”

Mr. Tabootie grabbed onto his son again, ignoring the fact that he had just been bitten, and pulled him back. “No. We got this under control.”

“Under control? What do you...” Rudy coughed, tasting salty blood in his mouth. “..mean..?”

Mr. Tabootie opened his mouth, but his wife cut him off.

“I will stay here and help the zoners.” Mrs. Tabootie said.

“What..?” Rudy’s eyes widened in horror. “But...”

“Millie...” Mr. Tabootie was just as shocked by this.

Mrs. Tabootie smiled at her husband and son. “I know the risk. But I’m willing to take it. Joe, you are faster than me. You can get our son to the real world and to a hospital at a quicker rate than I could ever muster.” Narrowing her eyes, she turned and glared at Jenny with one eye. “But in order to even leave, you two will need a distraction. I will do what I can to hold her off.” She turned back to them, smiling. “I promise, I will be fine. I’ll be careful when fighting Jenny. I promise you..she will not get far with me around.”

“It’s too dangerous! You could...” Mr. Tabootie’s voice trailed off. He bit his lip. “Please...let me handle it. I...”

“No, Joe.” Mrs. Tabootie put a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head. “Please, don’t argue about this here. You need to get Rudy out of here. Don’t worry about me. I’ll do what I can to hold her off. I promise, I’ll return home safely.”

“Millie, I...” Mr. Tabootie tried to think of something to say to stop his wife. It was clear he didn’t like the idea of leaving her at the mercy of that monster. He flinched as he listened to the cries of the zoners as they were being tossed around. He knew that...that could be the fate of his wife. “I don’t know if I can...” He stared into her eyes, and he could tell just how serious his wife was. “All right then...” He gave a small smile. “...be safe...”

Mrs. Tabootie smiled. “Don’t worry..I will...”

Rudy watched as his parents shared a quick kiss. His mother looked at him, her eyes furrowing with worry and concern. She then turned around, putting her back to them. She glared out ahead, staring at where Jenny was. Rudy lifted up his arm, reaching out towards his mother, his hand trembling. He could feel his dad begin to drag him away, and his mother began to walk towards the evil woman. Soon, as he grew weaker, his arm relaxed at his side.

The pain was getting worse. He could feel more blood coming out of his mouth, spilling along his lips. He had a strong metallic taste in his mouth. He was unable to stop himself from continuing to cough. His breathing became difficult, more labored, the blood slowly beginning to choke him.

Suddenly, he felt his legs give way, the strength gone from them. He let out a soft groan as he slmped forward, finding it hard to keep himself standing. His eyes began to flutter shut, the blood loss starting to have something of an effect on him. He could feel his dad get a better grip on him, picking him up off the ground and break off into a run. Despite there not being much of a size difference, his dad was still able to carry him as he ran. Even in his grogginess, Rudy thought this was impressive.

Rudy turned his head and stared out to where his mom was. She had now engaged with Jenny in a fight. His vision blurred more, his mother and Jenny turning into blurs of color dancing around each other. He blinked a few times, struggling to sharpen the image. But the blurring only became worse, to the point where he could barely tell what was going on. He looked up at his dad, and could no longer even tell if it was him anymore. The only way he knew this was his father was, once in a while, he could hear his dad’s echoey voice talk to him, begging him to stay awake, telling him he was going to be okay.

Exhaustion began to overwhelm Rudy. More wounds were reopened, more blood flow pooling inside of him as well as out. There was no way he was going to be able to stay up much longer. He blinked his eyes, doing whatever he could to stay awake, yet it was not to last and he knew it. He could feel his energy slipping away, moving down through his fingers and leaving his body. It would only be a matter of moments before he passed out from blood loss.

Rudy looked up at his dad again, hearing his cries to him grow increasingly desperate. He could faintly feel his dad’s hand on his cheek, but he didn’t react to it. He then turned his gaze to where he knew his mom was. He could only see faintly colored blurs, darkness encroaching, filling up more and more of his field of vision. He struggled to keep his right eye open, but it’d constantly close, and each time, it gave him a sense of relief. His body wanted to rest, and in the end, he gave in, no matter how much he knew it was a bad idea.

Then, unable to stop himself, his right eye closed completely. A soothing tranquility seemed to shoot through his body as soon as he did so, as if his brain was just waiting for him to do that. His body went limp, completely giving out. His dad’s panicked cries echoed in his head and soon became distant. The world turned even blacker, and he passed out completely.

sss

Jacko kept his eyes shut as he waited for the final blow, knowing that he would not be able to react quickly enough to stop Draow from crushing his skull. He could feel the teeth begin to penetrate his head, and in seconds, his head was going to be in pieces. The only comfort is that at least it would be a quick death. Not that it lessoned his raging internal terror all that much.

Then without warning, something large and heavy slammed against Draow. Jacko let out a scream of surprise when he was suddenly released. He felt himself slam into the ground, with Draow no longer supporting him. He rubbed his head, wincing as he felt the spots where the bat wolf’s teeth had penetrated. He looked at his hand, wincing at the sight of blood. He turned his head to see what had happened.

Jacko widened his eyes when he saw what appeared to be a large condor. He didn’t question how it had gotten there. He just stared at the bird as it gripped Draow by its talons, pushing the bat wolf against the wall. Draow let out a series of screeches. The condor practically hissed at him and attacked him with its beak. Draow growled viciously at the bird, snapping his jaws wildly in its direction. The bird was able to keep a safe distance, moving its head from side to side to avoid getting attacked. Once in a while, the bird would peck Draow or bop him on the head with its beak.

Jacko struggled up to his feet. His body wobbled from side to side as he did his best to keep his balance. He grabbed his head and let out a sigh as he fell to the side, pressing himself against the nearest wall. He grabbed onto a small ridge forming out of it as he struggled to keep himself standing. He rubbed his head, feeling whoozy due to the fright of nearly having his head crushed, and the shock of being saved so suddenly. The odds of this happening were astronomical.

He then heard a voice from the side. A familiar one.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Jacko turned his head and he could see Penny, this universe’s specifically, running up to him. She had a look of concern plastered over her face. He didn’t answer her, just breathing in and out rapidly as he tried to catch his breath. He locked eyes onto her and he could see just how worried she was about him. He would have commented how ironic this was, since years ago, they had been enemies, but he knew now wasn’t the time to rake up the past like that.

He turned away, closing his eyes and trying to cope with the pain. He didn’t care if he was being rude. He ignored Penny’s repeated attempts at getting his attention, instead focusing his attention on Draow and that bird creature. He had to wonder where it came from... and how come he didn’t hear it before? He would have at least heard the wings flapping...unless this bird could fly silent somehow, or he just wasn’t paying attention. He wanted to know where the bird came from and whether or not it was a threat. He wasn’t stupid. He knew that, just because the bird was attacking Draow, that didn’t make it an ally. For all he knew, he was next.

He felt a sharp tug on his arm. He tried to ignore it at first. He already knew Penny was okay. At the moment, trying to figure out the position of the bird was more important; if the bird was dangerous, he and Penny were going to need to run very fast. While it might be harmless, it was a risk he didn’t feel was worth taking.

Penny released him, probably giving up on trying to get his attention. She walked into his line of sights, her back turned to him. He watched as she got closer to the two large zoners. He was confused. What was she going to do?

“Courtney!” Penny cried. At this, the bird zoner turned its head. Was that its name? Correction, her. Her name. “Hold Draow there! Tsere will be here soon.”

“Courtney?” Jacko asked, confused.

Penny turned to him. “Yeah, she’s my condor. I drew her.”

Jacko stared at her. He pointed a boney finger at her. “You drew that?” Penny nodded her head once. Jacko blinked in surprise and rubbed the back of his head. “I suppose this means she isn’t dangerous...?”

“Only if you’re a bad guy.” Penny commented with something of a sly smile on her face. “Now, before we continue, do you mind telling me what happened here? When I came here, I did not expect to find you. Did your Rudy send you here or something?”

Jacko nodded his head. “Yes. He wanted to make sure that your Rudy didn’t end up corrupted like him or something...and he wanted me to offer help wherever I could.”

Penny said, “Nice to see your Rudy starting to turn over a new leaf.” She pause for a moment. “How is that working out for you?”

“Pretty much fine. I’m not sure if I could trust him completely, but your counterpart seems to have everything under control.” Jacko said. “My Rudy asked me personally to cross dimensions here to help you guys. Though honestly, the only reason I agreed was because your counterpart was able to convince me that my Rudy was being sincere when he said he wanted to help you guys.”

“Considering how he was,” Penny said. “I’m not surprised.”

Yes that was quite true. Jacko could never forget how his Rudy had been. No one could. Despite his effort to change, his evil deeds had permeated all of ChalkZone. Trust was a hard thing to obtain, something that is easily destroyed, and even harder to get back. Jacko could praise the boy for trying to make a difference and restore things back to the way they had been. But he could never erase the trauma that he inflicted upon the dimension. Somethings just can never be completely healed.

Jacko turned his attention away from that, knowing now wasn’t the time for a trip down memory lane. He glanced over at where Howdy’s unconscious body was and was about to tell Penny about what happened to him, but suddenly, he heard a loud screech. He grunted, covering his ears. He looked over just as something crashed in through the ceiling. Rocks crumbled down, creating a large hole in the ceiling.

Diving out of it, he could see a large, green pterosaur. This must be Tsere, he thought. The large pterosaur flew down towards Draow. The bat wolf had gripped Courtney by her throat and tossed her into the ground. Draow spread his wings and jumped towards her, mouth agape. Tsere got down as quickly as he could and brought his talons forward. Draow turned his head and a shocked expression spread across his face as Tsere pushed him against the wall. There was a loud thud and crack and when Tsere pulled away and the dust cleared, Jacko could see that the beast had been pushed into the rock, getting stuck.

Penny charged over towards where Courtney was. The bird was on her stomach, wings spread out at slightly odd angles. Penny kneeled down in front of her, putting her hands on her long, sharp beak. “Courtney! Are you okay?!”

Courtney’s body had several lacerations on it from her fight with Draow. She lifted up her neck. She gave a weak squawk and nodded her head. Jacko could tell she lost more strength than she was letting on with how her head shook when she nodded her head. Penny seemed to pick up on this, too, and pressed her face against Courtney’s beak.

“Don’t lie to me, Courtney. I don’t want to lose you...” Penny said. Courtney let out a small trill and nuzzled her against her head. Penny smiled at her before turning her attention to Draow. She narrowed her eyes as she watched him struggle to get free, letting out a series of threatening barks and yowls. She turned back to Courtney. “Go find the others. Protect them. Tsere and I will do what we can to keep Draow busy.”

Courtney gave her creator a quizzical expression. She tilted her head to the side, as if she could not believe that she had given her that order. Penny mere pointed her finger and Courtney did not delay to obey. She climbed up to her feet, though a little shaky, opened her wings straight out, and flew up towards the hole that Tsere had created.

As soon as Courtney was out of sight, Jacko asked, “What are the others doing here?”

Penny paused for a moment. Then she said, “They are going to do whatever they can to stop this place. Maybe there’s some security here or something, controls that could be ruined. Anything to keep the black chalk artists from being able to use this place.” As if able to predict Jacko’s next question, she added, “I heard a commotion down here and I decided to have Courtney and Tsere come in to see what was going on. It’s a good thing you did. You don’t look so good.”

Jacko rubbed his head. “Yeah...well...” He pointed. “Neither does he.”

Penny looked around, trying to find where the pumpkin zoner was pointing. She paled when she caught sight of something rather horrific. “H-H-Howdy?!” She shrieked, her voice laced with horror. She immediately rushed over. “Oh no...no...” She whispered as she got closer.

Penny soon reached Howdy’s side. She dropped down onto her knees next to him. She held her hands over his ruined and crushed body, her arms trembling. A few tears rolled down her cheeks. She lightly touched him, stroking his hair and lifting him up into her arms carefully. She stared at his face as she cradled him. She looked over at Jacko, her eyes wide in terror.

“What happened...what happened to him..?” Penny whispered.

Jacko pointed towards Draow, his eyes narrowing. “He...is what happened. He had him in his mouth when I had arrived here.” He looked at Penny, his eyes still narrowed. “I know he’s still alive, but I don’t know just how bad off he is. I’m certain that his spine is broken.”

Penny looked down, her pupils moving along his back. They widened when she caught sight of something. “Yeah... I can see the puncture marks here...” She took in a shaky breath. She gave a quick sniffle before she got up to her feet. She looked over at Draow, narrowing her eyes. “Get Howdy to safety. I’ll stay here and help Tsere.”

Jacko looked at Penny in shock. “What?! No, kid! I’m staying here, too!”

Before Jacko could continue, Penny shot him a nearly enraged look. Jacko stifled himself and took a step back, giving Penny some space. He had never seen her that angry before... Well except for one time. When his Penny found out about his Rudy’s abuse that he had covered up all this time, the look on her face was, even if short-lived, terrifying. Penny’s expression here was still unnerving, though.

Penny growled, “Howdy needs help... Getting him to safety is important...” Her expression lightened up. “...And you need help as well. Please.. just take Howdy and get out of here. I’ll be fine.”

Jacko fell silent. He watched as Penny got out a piece of magic chalk and quickly drew a brace to keep Howdy straight. She put the chalk away, got up, and walked over towards the skeletal zoner. She handed him over. Jacko took Howdy into his arms. He did his best not to put pressure on the zoner’s back, not wanting to injure him further. He looked over Howdy’s still form, biting his lip. He looked back at Penny. His mind wafered through many thoughts as he tried to think of what he should do.

A part of him wanted to say behind and help. He wanted to keep fighting against Draow. He was a tough zoner and the more help, the better. But at the same time, Howdy was hurt and in need of assistance. And he himself had some head injuries that needed to be looked at. He wanted to insist that he was still strong enough to fight, but he couldn’t deny that he was in pain and that he might make for an easy target for Draow. In the end, him staying behind might make things worse, if not for him, then for Howdy.

Jacko gave in. Letting out a sigh, he nodded his head in Penny’s direction. “I’ll do what I can.”

Penny smiled at him, a look of gratitude on her face. “Thank you...”

A loud screech caught their attention. The two of them looked over just in time to see Tsere being tossed into the ground. His back slammed against the cold hard ground, letting out another screech of pain. Draow jumped on top of him, his talons pressing against his wing membrane. Tsere looked up at Draow in horror and struggled to get free. He screeched again as the talons began to penetrate the membrane, blood slowly leaking out of it.

Tsere managed to pull his foot back and he kicked against Draow’s underside, between his legs specifically. Jacko sucked in a breath and turned his head away, grimacing as the claws cut that sensitive space. Oh that’s gotta hurt...

And it did. Draow’s pupils shrank to the point of disappearing altogether. He straightened himself, his fur standing on end, and he let out a horrific shriek of agony. His cry echoed off the walls, causing some loose pieces to fall down. Tsere took this chance to squirm away from Draow. He jumped back, landing on his small but strong feet. Draow shook his head and glared at him. He let out a couple vicious-sounding barks. Tsere merely responded with a loud squawk, his wings spreading out at his sides.

Draow pawed the ground, growling in a feral-like manner, his ears flattening against his skull. His lips curled up into a snarl. He wriggled his body from side to side, as if he were a predator ready to pounce. He scraped the ground one more time before he charged towards Tsere, lowering his head and slamming it against his chest. Tsere was smashed up against the wall, partially indented into it like Draow had been.

“Isn’t this a sticky situation for you...?” Draow taunted the pteranodon. He paced around in front, keeping his distance so that the pterosaur could not strike him with his beak. “Oh the things I could do to you right now...”

Penny narrowed her eyes in determination. She turned her attention to Jacko. “Hurry! Get out of here!” Without waiting for a response, Penny began to dash towards where Draow was, whose foot was raised in preparation to strike. “Hold it right there!”

Jacko watched as Draow turned his attention to Penny. He walked towards her, a dark sneer on his face. Jacko wished he could say and do something to help. He wanted to help stop Draow. But a groan from Howdy made him realize why he couldn’t do that. Not yet.

Unwillingly and reluctantly, Jacko turned his back on Penny and started to make his way towards an exit. As he started to leave the room, scaling up the ‘staircase’, or whatever it was, up towards what looked like some kind of ruined door, he said one last thing. He made sure to speak it loud enough that Penny could hear him.

“I wish you the best of luck, Penny.”

With that, he was gone.

sss

“I wish you the best of luck, Penny.”

The female teenager froze for a moment as that voice rang out through the room. She glanced only for a moment to where Jacko was. She could see him moving up the rock-style staircase, similar to the one she had come down here when Rudy was still controlled by the black chalk. It was exposed when a wall had been torned down, probably due to Draow’s attacks.

She was glad that Jacko listened to reason. She was glad that Howdy was going to get the help he needed. Howdy... The thought of that name boiled her blood as she whipped her head back towards Draow. Just how did he think he was, hurting innocent zoners like that? What the fuck did Howdy do to deserve having his body crushed like that? She thought of asking Draow himself, but she knew it would do her no good. Not like Draow was even going to apologize or realize just how wrong he was. Right now, she just needed to subdue him.

Behind Draow, she could see Tsere still struggling to get free. She tried to pace herself around so she could get to him, but Draow continued to block her. She knew that the second she made an effort to get to him, Draow would most certainly attack her. He was swift, too, and he could easily bite onto her before she could reach Tsere and throw her back, or even crush her in his jaws like he had done to Howdy.

And Draow seemed to realize this. He raised his body up, giving her something of an arrogant, cocky expression. His chest was poofed up, as if proud of what he was doing, proud of what he was going to do to her, proud of this all. Seeing just how much Draow prided himself on being a monster made Penny’s stomach churn. It was disgusting...

“Oh I know what you are thinking, little Penny..” Draow said, his voice taunting. “You are wondering how such horrible things could happen to your little friend...” He said that in a higher pitched version of his voice, the mockery practically dripping from it. Penny just narrowed her eyes at him. “Well it’s simple. Understandable if you were in my shoes. You see...” He motioned his wing over towards the middle of the room. “Howdy did that.”

Penny turned her head and she saw something she hadn’t noticed when she came in through the back staircase way, which she hadn’t known existed until she had turned a wrong way and happened to find it. She could see a pile of what appeared to be black rock, all shattered and in tiny pieces. There was a lot of it, too, strewn all over the place. Just..what was this...?

Draow seemed to hear her unspoken question and said, “That...was the black chalk.”

Penny turned her head, staring wide-eyed at Draow. “The...black chalk...?”

Draow nodded his head. “Yes, little girl. The black chalk. Your pathetic little friend made me run into the ‘heart’ of the black chalk and...well now it’s destroyed.” His eyes narrowed dangerously. “It can still be recreated, so long as Nihilanth is around, but that lousy little puppet zoner must still pay for what he had done. He’s a little monster who deserves to die..” His voice got deep and growly. “If you care anything about others’ suffering...” He spread his wings out. “You will let me kill him. That little barbaric puppet needs to pay for his crimes...”

Penny’s mind became overwhelmed with thoughts, moving rapidly through her head. A mixture of emotions welled up inside of her, and she tried her best to comprehend them. It was difficult for her to process. Her heart clenched as the mixture of emotions swelled inside of her. Two different emotions, shock and anger, were the main ones that were filling up in her mind.

The black chalk was...destroyed? Penny felt a sense of tentative relief. The knowledge that one of the biggest threats to ChalkZone was destroyed..well mostly, was definitely good news. She wished she had thought about the ‘heart’ of the chalk before. If she had, they could have stopped the black chalk a long time ago. If she had known, she didn’t have to waste her time trying to think of how the white chalk could destroy the black chalk, although that knowledge had come in handy when she manged to free Rudy in the recent past.

It was difficult to process. Overwhelming. After all this time..the black chalk had finally been destroyed, at least mostly. After all their time struggling against it, they may have actually finally gotten the upperhand over it. The black chalk had gotten away for far too long. To know that it finally got its comeuppance filled Penny with a sense of joy.

Despite this, however, she was still apprehensive. She knew that there was still a threat going on. She was looking at one right now. Draow was sneering at her, his teal eyes glinting in her direction. The death of the black chalk hasn’t stopped him, and she never thought it would. Draow was an evil monster, blindly loyal to the black chalk, willing to do whatever it told him to. She had no doubt in her mind that Jenny, Cosmo, and Nihilanth would all also remain major threats even after the black chalk was destroyed. Her mom included...

Recalling Draow’s recent mocking words regarding Howdy made her notice the other emotion her mind was burning with, and that was anger. She narrowed her eyes hatefully at Draow, pacing around him as she tried to figure a way to Tsere. Draow walked with her, copying her every move. That same arrogant smile spread across his face, making her grit her teeth.

How dare he call Howdy a monster... How dare he try to tell her that he was a barbarian... How dare he try to tell her that everyone would be better off without him...

Draow was the real monster here. He was the one who decided to attack Howdy. He was the one who helped the black chalk do horrific things. He was the one who initiated a lot of their past fights. He was the one who associated himself with the black chalk and Mr. Cosmo, despite knowing just how evil and dangerous they were. Everything that happened in here...it was all his fault. Howdy was just defending himself, she was certain. Draow was the one who attacked countless innocent zoners in the past. He was the one who needed to be stopped, not Howdy.

“How dare you....” Penny growled under her breath, glaring hatefully at Draow. “How dare you try to pin this whole wrap on Howdy...”

Draow chuckled darkly. “Of course, you fail to see reality. Yes, I came to expect that of you.” Draow pulled his head back, his neck muscles rippling as he prepared for an attack. “No matter. I have no interest in making you realize just how wrong you are. Let’s just cut to the chase...” With that, he lunged forward.

Penny barely had time to react as the bat wolf came after her. She jumped to the side. A second later, Draow’s feet collided with the ground. She winced as she heard parts of the ground crack under the weight of the beast. Draow whirled his body around. Penny grunted as she was smacked in the face by his tail, knocking herself forward. She let out a scream as Draow’s jaws snapped shut right in front of her, narrowly missing her. In response, Penny whipped out her magic chalk, holding it defensively in front of her. Draow froze, pulling his head back, and glaring at her.

For the next several moments, the two just glared at each other, baring their teeth, waiting for the other to make a move. Penny could see that, despite Draow’s arrogance, despite him believing black chalk was superior, he still had some fear of the white chalk. He had enough understanding to know that she wasn’t defenseless and could still fight him. He eyed her chalk cautiously as he moved slowly to one side, looking like he was getting ready to attack. Any time he took a step closer, Penny raised her chalk in preparation, and Draow would pause. Penny wondered if the uncertainty of the situation, not just her having magic chlak, was making him more hesitant.

Penny herself wasn’t actually sure what to draw. There were a number of things that might help, but she needed to be accurate with her drawing. She needed something she could use to stop Draow, and she needed to fast. She couldn’t waste time. What could she draw that could stop Draow?

She didn’t have time to think of something when all of a sudden, Draow let out a screech of surprise and went down. Penny took several steps back, her eyes wide in shock. She could see that Tsere had manged to get free. He wriggled out of the wall and took flight. His body had slammed onto Draow’s back, causing his legs to give out from underneath him and he fell down, slamming his chin against the ground.

“Tsere!” Penny cried, a tone of happiness in her voice. Tsere looked at her up and down, as if assessing her condition. Penny waved her hand dismissively. “I’m fine! Let’s just...”

Penny froze when she felt a strange sensation in her arm, the same one that Rudy had broken before while he was corrupted. It was a tingly sensation that concentrated on the joint, the point of the break. She stared at it, rubbing her arm, wondering what was going on. Then, seconds later, that same sensation began to get uncomfortable, and a dull ache started to form. Her arm also began to lose its stability, beginning to slowly bend where it shouldn’t.

Penny then began to feel parts of her skin begin to break apart. The small annoying pain slowly increased, getting steadily worse as the seconds went by. She took a few small steps backwards, her mind slowly going from confused to terrified as she started to see some redness form on different parts of her body. She took in a few ragged breaths as her mind raced, attempting to sort through and look for a rational explanation for all of this.

She could hear Draow’s dark chuckling. He looked over and could see the bat wolf sneering at her. He didn’t react to any time when Tsere hissed or squawked warningly at him. From his reaction, Draow knew what was going on. Penny took a step towards him, narrowing her eyes, trying to ignore the steadily growing pain.

“What is going on?!” She snarled in a demanding voice.

Draow threw his head back and let out a cruel laughter. “You really don’t get it do you? I thought you would have known when I told you the black chalk was destroyed!” He lowered his head, staring into Penny’s angered and confused gaze. “You see little girl, there is one benefit of what Howdy did...” He paused, as if letting it sink into Penny’s head before he continued. “The black chalk is now too little numerous to keep itself spread out. So what remains is returning to Nihilanth to survive until he can make more black chalk pieces. What that basically means...is that any recent injury that was healed by the black chalk...” His eyes brightened with insanity. “..is now being slowly...painfully..undone.”

Penny’s eyes shot open in horror at this. She glanced down at one of the red marks, which she realized was an old wound Rudy had healed with the black chalk. It was steadily becoming redder and she was certain she could see a little bit of moisture coming up. She glanced down at her arm, watching as it began steadily more unstable, more awkwardly angle. She winced as she felt a collision of pain slowly rise up, getting worse as time passed.

“Wh...what...” Penny managed to squeak out, her mind still in a state of horrified shock. Even Tsere had gone quiet when he realized what was going on. “You can’t be serious...” She managed to say after a moment’s silence.

“Look at your arm. Does it look like I’m kidding?” Draow taunted her.

Penny didn’t want to, but something compelled her to look back at her arm. It was now bleeding a little, and the pain in her joint increased. She was having a harder and harder time keeping it steady. It began to twist in the opposite direction, where Rudy had left it when he broke it. Unable to hold it in, she let out a scream of pain, clutching her arm to herself, dropping the magic chalk on the ground. She staggered back, shuddering, seething in pain. She took in ragged breaths through her tightly clenched teeth. She barely opened her eyes and looked up at the evil winged wolf.

Draow smirked at her. He pressed his foot on the ground and then, with as much strength as he could, he bucked Tsere off of him. The pterosaur crashed into the ground near her. Penny wasn’t able to get out of the way in time and the tip of the wing struck her, sending her rolling on the ground. She screamed as her arm was pushed against a hard surface, bending it further in the wrong direction.

Tsere turned his head and let out a horror-filled squawk. She lifted up her head and looked over at him with one eye. He could see the worried look on his face, and the way he was clenching his beak. He looked guilty and wanted to know if she was okay. Penny would have said something, but the sudden toss into the ground left her a little winded, and she struggled to return her breathing to normal.

As soon as she recovered enough, Penny attempted to reach for the magic chalk. Draow rushed in quickly. Before she could do anything, the bat wolf wrapped his foot around her neck, squeezing it tightly, gagging her. Penny was thrust against the nearest wall. She clutched Draow’s throat with one hand, looking at him with one eye opened, her teeth bared as she tried to cope with the increasing pain.

Draow put his face close to her and said, “I think this is where your little interference stops...” He opened up his mouth, preparing to bite. Penny’s eyes widened and she turned away.

Tsere let out a loud, anger-filled screech and rushed over. Penny felt a sudden rush of cool air as the pressure from her neck was released. She fell painfully into the ground, hitting her shoulder. She pushed herself up with her good arm. She watched as Tsere knocked Draow off his feet. He was now flying above Draow, reaching out with his sharp talons, striking at him. Draow snapped his jaws wildly in the air. Tsere skillfully dodged, moving from side to side, flapping his wings and keeping low. He lashed out at Draow, slamming his beak into the hard ground.

Penny took that chance to get back onto her feet and rush over to the side. She grabbed onto the magic chalk as quickly as she could. She stopped and turned around. She narrowed her eyes at the large zoner, running swiftly over as she drew as quickly as she could. In seconds, she had drawn a weighted net.

“Tsere!” Penny cried as she twirled the net in the air. “Get out of the way!”

Tsere made an inquisitive squawk as he looked over. His eyes widened and he took off as Penny tossed the net into the air. Draow pulled his lips back as he tried to snatch at Tsere’s foot. He missed, his jaws snapping shut on air. He shook his head and growled. Suddenly, the net slammed against him, wrapping tightly around him as he let out a yelp of surprise. He fell into the ground, all tangled up.

Penny wasn’t done yet. She needed to make sure he couldn’t get out. She quickly drew a large cage made of steal. It took her a little longer than she would have liked, but it was still done faster than Draow could try to escape. She put the magic chalk in her pocket and turned her attention to Tsere. Her eyes narrowed, she gave a quick nod.

Understanding what the girl wanted, the pterosaur took off into the air again. He circled around a couple of times before coming down towards Draow. He reached out with his feet and wrapped his toes around the dangling rope of the net. He flapped as hard as he could and slowly he stared to rise up into the air. Penny could see how much work this was for him, seeing how exhausted he was, panting. She felt guilty, but she knew they had to completely subdue Draow before they could do anything with him.

Tsere soon reached the top of the cage and, giving a smirk to Draow, released him, letting him fall in. The bat wolf hit the ground with a loud thud, letting out a yelp of pain. Tsere landed next to Penny and the two of them watched as Draow struggled. He let out a series of barks and curse words at them as he flailed on the ground, his body tossing from side to side. But after a few minutes, it was clear that the bat wolf would not be able to get out of there anytime soon. With a sigh of relief, Penny leaned up against Tsere, gritting her teeth in pain.

Tsere gently nudged her with his head. He looked at her with concern, his pupils moving along her body, noting her returning wounds. He was quite shaken and nervous about it, and he fixated a stare on her, silently asking her questions.

Penny mustered up the best smile she could despite the growing pain. She held her rebreaking arm to herself, rubbing it gingerly. She kept smiling, wanting to look brave in front of the worried pterosaur. “I’m f-fine, Tsere. N-Nothing to worry a-about...” She managed to speak, though her voice trembled a little.

Tsere narrowed his eyes at her. It was clear he did not believe her. Penny didn’t want to argue with him, though. There was no time for that.

“Let’s just focus on Draow here.” Penny said. She locked eyes onto Draow. The two of them stared for several moments in the silence before she spoke up. “I want to say we should bring him to jail...but he’s already been captured before, and he keeps getting out. Somehow. We...we need something else...but...the only thing I can think of is...”

“Kill me?” Draow taunted her. “Oh my, how dark of you...” He spread his mouth into a wicked smile. “If you do that, I’m sure a lot of zoners would be disgusted...” Tsere growled at him warningly, but the bat wolf ignored him. “Go on, little Penny. Try to kill me. Show me how violent you can be. Killing me is the only way to stop me... Go on. Don’t be shy. I will welcome the death you bring!” His eyes widened in insanity.

Penny shook her head. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t allow herself to be pressured into becoming a monster like him. No... She won’t. “No! I will not kill y-you!”

Draow narrowed his eyes. “I thought so. You’re weak! A loser! A failure of a guardian! And you will always be a failure! I promise you, as soon as I break out, I will help Nihilanth revive his plans! I will help him destroy this wretched place of a world! It will be all your fault! Because you didn’t try to stop me permanently today, you are condemning ChalkZone to be destroyed by me!”

Penny shook her head. “No..”

“Admit it, Penny!” Draow grinned wildly. “You want to destroy this place! That’s why you won’t kill me. It’s because, deep down inside, you want to see this place burn down! You want to see everyone in here die! You blame them for your hard life! You know that if you never gone here, Rudy would be fine! You could live a happy normal life without ever having to deal with all these problems. But nope! This world has taken that away from you.. and now you want it to pay the price for that. You want to see it all crumble down..don’t you little Penny..?”

Penny shook her head, tears forming her eyes. “No... you’re wrong!”

“Are you sure about that? Are you absolutely sure...?” Draow inquired. He leaned forward, turning his head to the side with a wide grin. “What does your heart say? I know it must be twisted in realization of the truth.... Trust its instincts, Penny. Give in... and acknowledge your thirst for ChalkZone’s destruction...”

Penny gripped her head, her mind swirling with thoughts. She couldn’t listen to what Draow was saying. He..he was wrong... She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to see ChalkZone get destroyed. She loved this place. Her stomach churned, boiled in anger as Draow continued to taunt her. She would have said something, but what was the point? It wasn’t like he was going to listen to her. He...

There was a loud crash from above. All three looked up, letting out shrieks of surprise as several large chunks of rock came crumbling down, hitting heavily into the ground. Tsere grabbed Penny and flew out of the way, narrowly dodging the rocks. Penny winced as she felt Tsere tighten his grip on her, his claws pressing up against her. But her mind didn’t focus much on that for long as she looked over and saw a large, gaping hole in the ceiling, bigger than the last one. A large form came out, covered in shadow, and landed heavily behind Draow. There was enough force that the cage actually tossed up into the air and came down.

Draow let out a groan of pain, his body still wrapped up in the net. “What was that?!” He cried out.

“Relax, Draow.” A cold, familiar voice said. “We will take things from here...”

Draow slowly smiled. “Ah...I see you made it.”

Penny and Tsere went silent. They remained in the air, Tsere’s wings flapping, keeping them aloft. They stared in horror at the large form, recognizing who it was. If the bone-chilling voice wasn’t enough of a clue, the two large heads and two massive tails were more than enough to positively identify this individual.

“Nihilanth...?” Penny whispered softly. “How did you...?” What was the point of asking? He was a deity. She should expect things like this from him.

“Ah, dear Penny... Sad to see you’re still wasting your potential.” Nihilanth said, smiling softly at her. “We would have loved to see you fulfill your potential... But sadly, there will be a delay in that. See, we heard there was a bit of a problem with the...black chalk..”

“That stupid worthless puppet zoner did it!” Draow cried out. “He tricked me into smashing up against the chalk!”

Nihilanth froze, his tails remaining still in the air. The white head turned and looked down at Draow, bathing him in the black light. Draow stared up at him silently, his wide eyes suggesting he realized he made a mistake. “What did you say?”

Draow gulped. He gritted his teeth, looking left and right. “I-I said the puppet zoner made me slam against the black chalk and I...”

Nihilanth’s head white bared its sharp teeth, the black one keeping its attention on Penny and Tsere. “You were the one who destroyed the black chalk?!” He screeched, a hint of disbelief and betrayal on his voice.

“I-I-It was an accident..s-s-sir you have to believe me... The zoner..he made me do it...” Draow was shaking now. Penny had never seen him this terrified before. “I-I tried to stop him... He just wouldn’t...”

Nihilanth put his face close to the cage, flashing his sharp teeth at him. “Enough excuses! Because of you, all of our plans have to be delayed! We need time to make more black chalk! Do you fucking know how long that will take?!”

Draow shook with fear. “I-I’m sorry...”

Nihilanth opened his white mouth, looking as if he were going to snap again. But then he relaxed, pulled his white head back a little, and smiled at Draow. “Don’t worry, Draow. We’ll forgive you... If you make it up to us. We have a special task for you.”

“Anything!” Draow cried out.

Nihilanth lifted up his leg and slashed at the metal bars holding Draow in. Penny flinched, seeing just how strong and sharp those claws were. Nihilanth grabbed onto Draow and dragged him out. The bat wolf let out a few cries of pain as his wounds and skin were dragged along the rocky, textured surface. Nihilanth lifted up his foot again and struck down, slicing through the net that Penny had created.

Once free, Draow stood up shakingly. He looked up at Nihilanth and bowed his head in submission. He awaited orders. Nihilanth smiled at this and then turned his attention to where Penny and Tsere were. The two of them felt their hearts freeze, neither enjoying the look that the dragon was giving them.

“Kill the pteranodon.” Nihilanth said. “We need to begin harvesting zoners to create more black chalk.”

“What?!” Penny cried out in horror. Tsere also recoiled in shock.

“With pleasure, sir...” Draow said with a nasty grin. He spread out his wings and jumped into the air. He smiled evilly in Tsere’s direction. “Come on, you oversized, ugly flying lizard thing! It’s time for us to end this little game of cat and mouse once and for all!”

Draow took off after them.

sss

“No.”

“Come on...please?”

“I said no.”

“I need to help them!”

“You are staying right there!”

Dr. Urso grumbled to himself as he slumped back into the ground. He had been trying to get Dr. Lancer to let him out so he could track down Penny and the others to offer some assistance. He had been wanting to make up for what he had done and do something helpful for once, now that he was no longer controlled by the black chalk. It scared him, knowing what he did, and he had a strong urge to do something about it.

But Dr. Lancer would not allow him out. She refused to let him set foot outside the cage. A part of him could understand her sentiment. He had gone on a rampage in the hospital and had harmed many patients. She was worried that he might go nuts again and cause more damage. Though he was certain there was a little bit of a selfish reason behind it as well. She probably didn’t want the doctors to ostracize her after they find out she was the one who set him free, on the off chance that he did lose control of himself. Still, after what he had heard about the way she was treated, even the attempted murder, he could see why she’d want to prevent that from happening again.

Yet he couldn’t agree with this decision. His understanding of the situation could only stem so far. He was growing increasingly frustrated with her. He needed to get out of here and go find Penny. He needed to show her how sorry he was for attacking her. It may not have been his fault. It was Nihilanth’s. But he still felt compelled to apologize and make it up to her. But how was he going to do that with the hippogriff there watching him like that?

The lion bear turned his head from side to side, looking around his cage. He didn’t know why he did it. He had already attempted to search for something he could use, only to turn up empty. There was no way out of this cage, at least not without any help. And even if he could get out, somehow break out of his binds, how far could he go before Dr. Lancer would sound the alarm? Not far, he would think. She’d call in her fellow doctors and get him back in the cage.

So for the moment, all he could do was just lay here and try to think of something he could do. He had to figure out a way to convince Dr. Lancer to let him out. He needed to do something to help the others. He didn’t want to just sit here and do nothing. For all he knew, Penny was in grave danger. He was certain that the wounds he gave her would just make things worse. This brought on a sense of guilt. It made him more and more eager to do something about it. He would feel awful if she got more hurt because of what he had done, even if he wasn’t really in control of the situation.

But, how was he going to convince Dr. Lancer...?

She hadn’t really been moved by any of his pleas. She just glared at him in an almost accusatory way. He couldn’t tell if she really did blame him. After all, she had been ostracized by the doctors for a time due to a mishap with..what was his name... Tyreek. She would know what it felt like to be treated that way. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel like he was getting the same treatment from her. Why couldn’t she listen to reason?

“Why can’t you just let me out?” Dr. Urso found himself saying, unable to take the silence and frustration anymore. “You know I could be a valuable asset to the others!”

“...yes I know.” Dr. Lancer said after a moment’s hesitation.

Dr. Urso’s eyes widened slightly. “Then why won’t you let me leave? Why won’t you untie me and let me go find them?” Dr. Lancer stared at him for a moment, then looked away and sighed. “What is this about? Are you afraid I’m going to kill more patients?! Are you afraid that I’m going to tear Penny apart?!”

Dr. Lancer winced at this. She kept her gaze turned away from Dr. Urso. She kept quiet, her horse tail swishing tentatively from side to side. Dr. Urso’s eyes blazed in anger when he was being blatantly ignored. He didn’t take kindly to that. If he weren’t locked up in the cage, he probably would have rushed at her and grab her by the shoulders and make her listen.

But since he could not do that, he instead opted to raise his paw in the air and slam it into the ground a few times. He tried whatever he could to get her attention. He could see her twitch a few times, and he kept pounding harder. Eventually, the hippogriff did turn her head slowly. Not much, just enough to cast a single eye on him. Dr. Urso was annoyed by this half of a gaze, but it would have to do.

“Are you afraid I’m going to wreak havoc here...? Are you afraid I’m going to harm you..?” Urso asked. He made an effort to sound a little gentler and calmer, realizing that he may have upset her more than he intended when he yelled at her. “Are you afraid I’m going to go return to my black chalk artist ‘masters’ and have them give me new orders?”

Dr. Lancer simply shook her head. She was still quiet, unwilling to answer him. Her still being quiet frustrated Urso even more. Why couldn’t she see that being quiet wasn’t the answer? Why couldn’t she see that she was just making things worse?

Dr. Urso said, “Then what is the problem?” He stared at her, hoping that, this time, she would answer.

Dr. Lancer hesitated for a moment, sucking on her beak. She looked away again, staring out towards a wall absentmindedly. Seconds later, she looked at him again. After a frustrating silence, she answered him. “It’s because of Nexra.”

Urso was taken aback by this. “So..it’s not about me going nuts...?” This was not the answer he had been expecting.

“Well part of it is that, yes. But the other part is that we need a donor for Nexra. She has some outline wounds.” Lancer explained. At this, Urso gasped in horror. He never suffered such a wound before, but he had heard just how painful and horrific those were. “She needs to have her injuries assessed. We discovered you were a match, so we are prepping you to have some of your outline taken so we can cultivate it and make a new outline.” She paused, as if something crossed her mind. “We would use the blue chalk, but most of them had been taking into ChalkZone City for repairs and well... we’re focusing on repairing damaged parts of the hospital and the more seriously wounded. Though Nexra is bad off herself and...”

“So why not fix her up instead of cultivating my outline?” Dr. Urso asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“I don’t know!” Dr. Lancer snapped at him. She cringed back, sighing softly. “I just don’t know. I’m not the one who decided that she would be treated the old fashioned way. That had been one of the more higher up doctors. I could try to convince them to let me use the blue chalk on her instead of putting her through risky surgery. But after my stunt with Tyreek...do you really think they are going to be willing to liste to me?”

Urso shook his head. “Yeah...probably not. I can see your point.” He felt a bit of disgust in his stomach. Not for Lancer, but for the doctors who were setting aside Nexra just for the benefit of a little extra reconstruction. He didn’t know why they were treating her that way, but whatever it was, he knew it wasn’t going to be a good excuse. “Who is Nexra?”

Dr. Lancer attempted to answer. “She is...”

“Gone!”

The two zoners turned their heads in the direction of that voice. They could see a doctor zoner rush into the room, panting heavily, his face white as a ghost.

“What do you mean? Who is gone?” Dr. Lancer asked. She turned her wheelchair around and pushed herself closer to the panicked zoner. “Can you tell me?”

The doctor zoner stared at her, panting heavily, his hands on his knees. After a few long seconds, he said, “Nexra! She got up and ran away from us!” He paused, turning his gaze down. “Well more like she limped away. But she moved faster than any of us could have expected. And she had that stun gun of hers or whatever, and she used it to get away, and...”

Dr. Lancer’s eyes widened in horror. “Where is she now?”

The doctor zoner turned his head to one side. “We saw her go off in that direction!” He pointed towards the nearby window.

At this, Dr. Lancer rushed to the window, pushing her wheelchair as quickly as she could. She leaned forward, her eyes barely able to see over the window’s ledge. She turned her head from side to side. She then turned herself around completely, looking back at Urso and the doctor zoner. She took in a deep breath, as if to calm herself down.

“I can see her running off in the distance. With that bad leg of hers, there is no way she’ll get that far. We can stop her and get her back if we send someone after her.” Dr. Lancer said. “We will need a volunteer to go after her.”

“I refuse to do it.” The doctor said. He waved his hands out in front of him defensively, moving back a few steps. “I heard about her.” He fumbled his hands together, looking left and right. “She scares me.. I don’t know if I want to assiocate with a creation of...”

Dr. Urso cut off the doctor. “I’ll do it.”

Dr. Lancer stared down at him. She looked like she was going to resist. But he could see the sense of urgency in her eyes, her desire to bring back Nexra before things got worse. She took in a deep breath and nodded her head once rigidly.

Dr. Lancer pushed her wheelchair slowly towards him. “Okay then... But you are to come right back here when you get her, okay?”

“I understand.” Dr. Urso was partially lying; if he saw any opportunity to help Penny and the others, he was going to take it.

Dr. Lancer turned her head to the doctor zoner. “Do not tell anyone I let him go, or I’ll make you go after Nexra yourself.”

“Oh no, ma’am. I won’t tell anyone! I swear!” The doctor zoner cried, a tinge of fear to his voice.

Dr. Lancer nodded her head at him. Then she turned her attention back to Dr. Urso. She began to approach him again. “Let’s get you out of this cage...”


	198. Defiance

Penny limped away as fast as she could. The pain had begun to spread to her legs, concentrating on where it had been damaged before. The pain that was already there increased as the past pain came back. The more she ran, the more badly she began to limp. She fought back against the tears that formed in her eyes. She shook her head, trying to make the pain subside. She couldn’t allow it to control her, not right now.

Up ahead, she could see her destination. There was a piece of huge stalagmite that had fallen down. There was some space underneath it, where it leaned up against some rocky structure. It wasn’t much, but it would be enough to dodge Draow’s attack. She looked behind her, seeing the large beast dive down towards her. Even though Tsere was the main target right now, Draow took the time to ‘play’ with her a little while.

She barely managed to make it in time, but as soon as she did, she dove down underneath it, going onto the other side. Draow didn’t have time to react to get out of the way. His large form smashed up against the formation. He let out a yelp of pain and he staggered back a little. He shook his head, grunted, and jumped into the air, hovering about a foot above it, looking left and right as he tried to find Penny. The teenager moved around the formation, pressing her back against it. Seeing a rock beside her, she got an idea. She picked it up and tossed it to one side, letting it clang against the ground.

Draow immediately turned his head, his ears pricking up at the sound. He let out a soft growl and he began to move towards the sound. His body was parallel and low, and he moved slowly, stalking what he thought was his prey. While he was distracted, Penny got up and limped away, trying to find another place she could hide here.

But where could she go? There weren’t too many hiding spots here, and there was no way she could find an exit before Draow realizes he had been had. She took a few more steps, doing her best to stifle her temptation to scream. She looked down at her leg, noticing how it kept bending at odd angles. And it was only getting worse from there. She would soon need a way to support herself, and when that happened, she’d be defenseless. With one arm being rebroken and the other holding a crutch or cane, how was she going to draw?

Suddenly, Draow’s face apeared in front of her. It was so sudden, Penny let out a scream of terror.

“Nice try, little girl!” Draow snarled at her. “You can’t fool me!”

Penny took a few steps back. So startled was she, that she wasn’t even paying attention to the ground beneath her. She hit her leg against a raised rock. She hissed as she felt it partially twist and she fell onto her back. She cried out as she hit one of her wounds in a bad way, increasing the bleeding from it. She clutched it in her hand, hissing in pain. She opened up one eye and stared up at Draow, who looked down at her with a sneering expression. He moved in closer and she braced herself for whatever he was about to do.

But for some reason, he didn’t attack her. He just looked down at her, pacing around her once. It was as if he simply wanted to judge her. His pupils moved over her body, assessing her injuries. He then stopped, his shadow and body looming over her, looking so imposing. Draow remained quiet for a few seconds, and then he let out a cold chuckle.

“It’s not even worth it to attack you in this state.” Draow said.

“Like that stopped you before.” Penny said bitterly, recalling how Draow had tortured her when she couldn’t fight back. The time when he had broken her leg... She shuddered to think about it.

Draow stared at her blankly before he smiled again. “Yes, very true. But this time...I think I’ll make an exception.” He lowered himself, putting his face close to hers. “It’s not like you’ll live much longer anyway. With all those wounds returning...” Penny glared at him. “..you won’t stand much of a chance. Your body will be so confused, so traumatized..it might just..give out.” He pulled himself away, still locking eyes onto Penny. “I have nothing to fear from you. Perhaps I’ll just let your own body kill you. How fitting it’ll be that the one who ends up killing you is one of your own allies.”

Draow turned and walked away from her. He turned his head from side to side, looking for Tsesre. Before he took another step, he straightened himself almost upright. He gave Penny a sideways glance, staring intently at her with that single blazing teal eye.

“Perhaps now you will begin to see this..Howdy person, for what he really was.” Draow said. “A monster.”

Penny snarled at him. “You...”

But it was too late. Draow had turned his head away from her and his attention was now given to Tsere. Penny struggled up to her feet, gingerly putting pressure on her redamaging leg. She let out a cry of pain as she grabbed onto the wall and leaned against it. She trembled in pain, clenching her teeth tightly. There was no way she was going to be able to get far from here in this condition. Unable to run, she lifted up her head and watched the fight take place.

Tsere and Draow were locked in aerial combat. Despite Draow’s wounds, which she guessed were largely given to him by Jacko from the light dimension, the bat wolf was still able to keep up with Tsere, still able to keep attacking. He opened up his jaws and snapped at Tsere. The pterosaur moved to the side, the teeth biting down on thin air, narrowly missing. Penny flinched, unnerved by just how close the teeth had gotten. Tsere might be doing well, but he was wounded, too, and his wings partially torn. What would happen if Draow got a hold of him again?

Tsere seemed determined not to allow this to happen. Draow dove down and came up from below. Tsere moved to the side, allowing Draow to go past him. Tsere moved in from behind and raised his feet. He struck out with them, slashing against Draow’s lower back. Some blood began to leak into the fur as Draow screeched in pain. The bat wolf turned his head, looking at Tsere with an enraged expression. He twirled his body around and dove down after him. Tsere was unable to get out of the way in time, and Draow collided his body with his, his shoulder and side of his head smashing up against Tsere. The two tumbled down towards the ground, crashing heavily, kicking up some dust and rock in the process.

Draow climbed up to his feet and pressed his foot against Tsere’s chest, pinning him down. The pteranodon looked up at him in fear and began to struggle. Draow pressed against his chest harder, driving his sharp talons against the pteranodon’s chest, nearly drawing blood. Draow split his mouth wide open, preparing to attack. Drool dripped from his jaws, his teeth flashing in what little light there was. Then he struck forward.

Tsere shrieked in pain as Draow clamped his jaws around his shoulder and partially onto his neck. The large teeth pressed against his skin, slowly penetrating it. He turned his head from side to side, his wings flapping as he tried to escape. Draow worked his jaws deeper into his skin and flesh, blood pooling down, staining the floor all around them. Tsere’s feet kicked in the air, and though the talons sometimes hit their mark, the cuts were too shallow to be of much use to stop Draow. If anything, all they did was annoy Draow further.

Penny felt her heart clench in fear as she watched Draow start to rip Tsere apart. She barely stifled a scream when Draow ripped out a piece of the pterosaur’s flesh, leaving behind a gaping hole in his shoulder. She was relieved to see Tsere kick out with his foot instinctively, hitting Draow in the stomach and forcing him to back off. But that relief turned to worry when she saw how badly Tsere was limping now. His wing dragged along the gournd and he was having trouble lifting it up. And then Draow turned his gaze on him...

“Tsere! Look out! Get away!” Penny cried out.

Draow whipped his head towards her, his pupils shrinking into dots. “You stay out of this!” He turned his head to Tsere. He laughed as he watched Tsere try to jump into the air, try whatever he could to get away. “Looks like this really will be our last match. Such a shame.. I was hoping it would be one epic fight. Oh well... Perhaps you really had lost some of your touch...”

Tsere’s dark eyes widened as Draow approached him slowly. He backed away a couple of steps, his wing still moving along the ground. He winced as he aggravated his injuries. He looked left and right, clearly trying to think of some way to get out. He tried to jump into the air again, but he could only stay aloft for a few seconds before he came crashing down. He cried out as his wounds were damaged a little further, scraping along the ground. He clenched his beak tightl and he pushed himself up on his good wing.

Draow moved towards him slowly, looking down at the trembling pterosaur. He lifted up his foot and kicked Tsere in the chest. He flew backwards, skidding along the ground painfully. He hit his head against the nearby wall. Penny looked on in horror, reaching her hand out, wanting to do something to help the injured pterosaur. Draow took off into the air and began to circle around Tsere. His feet hung below his body, flexing those sharp claws of his. Then, after coming around Tsere from behind, he dove down.

He brought out his claws and he struck Tsere’s body. The pteranodon let out a screech of pain as he rolled across the ground. He coughed a few times, dust and dirt getting into his lungs. He got up to his feet, shivering as pain wracked through his body. He looked up just in time to see Draow dive down at him again. This time, the top of the claws hit underneath his chin, knocking his head back quickly and making him collapse again. Penny put a hand to her mouth at this, horror chilling her blood. She wondered just how much brain damage he had been given from that one attack.

Draow landed on the ground and began to approach the trembling and prone zoner on the ground. His tail swished from side to side. “Almost over, dear Tsere. All you have to do...” He raised his wings up, adopting a hostile posture. “..is hold still, and I will do the rest..” He grinned viciously, drool dripping from his chin and corner of his mouth. Tsere merely looked at him, not even attempting to leave. “Goodbye, Tsere. Rest assured that your body will be used for an oh so glorious purpose.”

Penny shook her head in denial. No..this couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t allow Tsere to be killed. But what could she do, injured like this? Even if she could reach him, what was she going to do? She recalled she still had the magic chalk, but... She glanced over at where Nihilanth was. The dragon deity hadn’t made a move or sound, just watching the fight going on like some eerie spectator. If she tried to draw anything, would he attempt to stop her?

She looked back at where Tsere was. Draow was pushing against his chest harder. The pterosaur increased his struggling. Though he managed to squirm away a little, enough to give a more damaging kick to Draow, it wasn’t enough to free him. Draow lifted up his paw and slammed it against Tsere’s chest, prompting a cry of pain from the large green zoner.

Penny flinched at this, feeling a sickening sensation in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t just let this keep happening. She...she had to do something to help Tsere. She looked down at the magic chalk, clutching it tightly. She glared in Nihilanth’s direction. The deity’s gaze was still on Draow and Tsere. With the black chalk gone, she had a feeling that she was finally free to do whatever she wanted without worry of being watched by Nihilanth. She whipped her head back to the other two as she heard Tsere screech again. Her body shaking slightly, she began to quickly draw.

Soon, she held a dart gun. She had a dart placed into it. Not a tranquilizer dart this time, but it would do. She aimed it at Draow, whose back was turned to her. She leveled her gun carefully, knowing she had to hit him in the right place for this to work. She pulled the trigger and, with a loud snap, the dart shot out, wisping through the air.

“What was that?” Draow said as he turned his head around. His eyes bulged as the dart hit against his thigh with a loud thunk sound. He stared at the dart and then glared at Penny, noting the gun she had drawn. “You impatient little girl. It’s not your turn yet. Can’t you just wa...”

The drug started to take its effects. It wasn’t going to knock him out, but it was going to buy her some time. The bat wolf began to sway from side to side, his eyes unfocused, twirling in all directions as if he were just dizzy. He lifted up his legs and tried to take a step forward. Each time, he nearly fell down, almost losing his balance. Drool moved from his jaws like a water fountain.

“What’s...happening...I...can’t...” Draow’s voice was heavily slurred. His eyes partially closed. He hit his foot against a rock and he fell down, letting out a weak cry. “Everything....so....circly...”

Penny stared at him, making sure he wasn’t able to get up. Draow was attempting to, but his feet kept on slipping out from underneath him. He fell back down, hitting his chin against the ground a few times. Penny turned her attention to Tsere. She watched as he struggled up. Seeing that he needed help, she began to limp over towards him.

“Tsere...are you all right?” Penny asked. Though she got an answer, it was not the one she had been looking for.

“What are you doing interrupting the battle, girl?”

Penny tensed up, turning her head over towards Nihilanth. The dragon was back on his feet, his tails swishing from side to side. Penny gulped, but then narrowed her eyes. She wanted to look as brave as she could in front of this dragon. “Do you think I was going to just stand idly by while my friend here was destroyed?”

Nihilanth remained quiet for a couple seconds. He took a step forward and said, “...no we suppose not.” Penny blinked in surprise, not expecting this answer. “But...it would have been...so much easier...” He lowered his white head, which clearly looked stronger than the black head. With a nasty grin, his teeth were exposed. “We promise you that whatever death is given to the pteranodon now, it will be much crueler than what we had planned.”

“Yeah right...” Penny said. She flinched, staggering due to the increasing pain in her arm and leg. “Wh-Why don’t I believe th-that...?”

“Because you are too narrow-minded, that’s why. You are too stuck-up in your own ways, you refuse to see another.” Nihilanth’s voice was filled with a tinge of anger, but mostly..disappointment...? “It is really such a shame. All we want is to make a better world, where no one has to die anymore. Why can’t you see that we are doing a good thing? Why can’t you see all this is just necessary sacrifice?” He placed a paw against his chest. “Why can’t you see the blood, sweat, and tears we are putting into this, sacrificing our own time in order to make something worthwhile for everyone?”

Penny narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t sure how truthful the dragon was being, but even if he was being honest, she still would have had the same answer for him.

“Because I don’t want to see this world wiped out. Because I don’t feel it is right to destroy an entire species.” Penny said. She pointed a finger at Nihilanth. “I’m not like you. I’m not some kind of monster who thinks he can get away with destroying entire cultures, entire species, all just to satisfy my own twisted vision of a perfect world!”

Nihilanth narrowed his eyes at Penny. His mouth pursed tightly, his lips pulling up enough to show more of his teeth. His black head opened its mouth slightly, the light shining through, partially illuminating her. Despite this intimidating display, Penny remained still, glaring back at him with as much anger and hate at the dragon as she had shown before. The dragon’s attempt to silently threaten her weren’t going to work.

Nihilanth opened up his mouths as he started to speak, but then he stopped for a moment. He glared down at her, and then took in a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. “Is that your final word?”

Penny nodded her head curtly. “Yes.”

Silence fell upon them. The two kept staring at each other. They paid little attention to what was going on around them. Their eyes were only for each other, each waiting for the other to make a move or say something. Nihilanth kept watching Penny, as if he felt that she was going to suddenly change her mind and give into him. Penny watched the dragon warily, waiting to see if he would make any move of retaliation, or anything. Neither side moved or spoke. Both minds filled with thoughts on what the other should do or what they expected the other to do.

The silence was unnerving. It made Penny feel uncomfortable. She had no idea what was going on inside that large dragon’s heads. She knew that, even with half of him weakened, he still had some creation abilities. She knew that, on a whim, he could easily destroy her, especially if he took her by surprise. Still, she would not back down, continuing to glare at the dragon, silently telling him this.

Nihilanth slowly closed his eyes. “Then so be it.” He reopend his eyes. “We will have to show you just how wrong you are...”

Penny felt a sinking feeling in her chest. What did he mean by that? She got her answer very quickly when Nihilanth suddenly lurched forward. Tsere, who took notice, let out a startled screech and tried to come over. Nihilanth’s long tail struck him, slamming him against the cave wall and making him slump down.

“Tsere!” Penny called out, her widened eyes staring at Tsere’s fallen form. She didn’t have time do anything else as a massive force collided with her. She grunted as massive digits folded around her body, the dragon’s hand squeezing her tightly. “Let me go!” She cried, struggling, ignoring the pain she was in.

Nihilanth’s black head glared at her. He squeezed her tightly, making her scream in agony. “We will not let you go until we make you see the error of your ways!” He turned his heads up towards the large hole he had made. He flapped his wings, ascending upwards. “We know the perfect place for that.”

“And where would that be...?” Penny said, seething in pain.

“ChalkZone City.” Nihilanth answered.

“What?! Do you think that will change my mind?! You destroyed the place yourself, you asshole!” Penny shouted at him. She struggled again. “It wouldn’t be like that if you hadn’t...!”

She stopped when she realized the dragon was no longer paying attention to her. He was ignoring her, his eyes focused on what was in front of him. His wings beat steadily, and they rose higher into the air. Penny looked down, seeing Tsere looking up at her with a worried expression. She bit her lip. Poor Tsere... she hoped he was going to be okay.

Penny stopped struggling when they got too high up into the air. She didn’t want to fall from this height. There was no way she was going to survive, and the odds of her surviving dramatically dropped quickly as time passed. Soon, the dragon struck against solid rock. She screamed at the sudden sound, but the dragon’s large body prevented the pieces of rock and broken slab from falling on top of her. Dust and dirt overflowed from the dragon’s back, some remnants of the structure clinging to his scales. Penny glanced down, realizing just how far up they had flown.

Nihilanth stopped, hovering above Solar Pillars, his wings beating against the air. He looked down below, his two heads moving in different directions, examining the place. Nihilanth narrowed his eyes as he looked at one particular structure point. Penny could tell it was some kind of portal, or at least, the remnants of it.

“Such a waste. We were so prepared, too. But no matter, just another setback. Just like the security.” Nihilanth said.

Penny glanced up at him with widened eyes ."Security...?” She had a similar thought to that before. Did Nihilanth find out? Did he read her mind somehow?

Nihilanth let out a soft, quick chuckle. “We are aware it was messed with. Trust us, getting in wasn’t that easy. The defenses started to keep us out, or at least, it tried to. We simply...dug another way in.” He stared down at Penny, flashing his two sets of sharp teeth at her. “If you were hoping to keep us out for long, sorry. You are sadly mistaken. Nice try, though. We will give you credit.”

Penny was a little stunned. She was partially not surprised considering Nihilanth’s status as a deity, but at the same time, she was disappointed. She had hoped that the security thing would have helped. She wasn’t sure who had set it up before, but perhaps they just didn’t do a thorough enough job of it or something. Or perhaps the place was still so old that some areas needed to be renetworked. Whatever the reason, she was disappointed that the idea didn’t work as well as she thought. If it wasn’t going to keep them out for that long...

She gritted her teeth in frustration. If turning the security against them didn’t work, then what would? How could she or someone else find a way to stop Nihilanth? There had to be something that could put an end to him. There had to be a way to stop him permanently so he wouldn’t try to hurt anyone ever again. It was going to be harder than she thought. But she’d...she’d find a way.

Somehow.

“Enough sight seeing.” Nihilanth’s voice cut her from her thoughts. “Let’s get going.”

Penny felt the rush of air as Nihilanth suddenly turned his body to the side, going in a completely different direction. He moved at astonishing speed, faster than she would have thought for his size. It was almost like being in a plane, except the plane was a dragon and her seat was his talons squeezing her body. She looked down, watching the landscapes below move rapidly across her field of vision.

She looked out ahead, seeing the rapidly approaching building structures off in the far distance. ChalkZone City... She held her breath, noticing how, in some places, smoke was still pillowing out from when Nihilanth bombed it. She turned her gaze up towards him, glaring hatefully at him. She said nothing, however, knowing that there was nothing she could do to get through to the dragon. And she doubted there was anything he would do that would make her feel better about the situation. As they got closer, one thought rang through her mind.

Just what did Nihilanth plan to do when he got her there? She hoped that he wasn’t planning another attack. The zoners had already suffered enough. She could only hope that, if Nihilanth were planning on doing something nasty, that the zoners would flee as soon as they could. But would they be able to get away in time?

Only time could reveal that.

sss

Why was she doing this? Why didn’t she just stay at the hospital? Why was she torturing herself like this, dragging herself out here? Every part of her brain was screaming at her to go back. Her wounds were radiating with agony, practically begging her to go back to the hospital.

But Nexra knew that she couldn’t do that. She had already gotten this far. She was getting so close. She was practically upon them now. She was limping horribly, and yet still she went on, ignoring the near-crippling pain the best she could. It wasn’t easy, and her progress was slow as hell, but at least she was getting there.

Up ahead of her, she could see the fighting. She could see her creator, Jenny, take on several zoners and some female human. She watched as Jenny flung them around with...white tendrils? Her heart nearly froze at the sight of that. Where...when did her creator get that kind of ability? She shook her head, trying to push aside those thoughts. She sucked in a deep breath. She had to do this. She had to stand up to her creator. She had to do something worthwhile, something that could help the others. She had to make up for what her creator had done.

As soon as she had gotten close enough, she pressed herself against a nearby rock, allowing her body to rest. The pain was starting to become too much for her. She had to take some time to relax. She took in shaky, ragged breaths, closing her eyes. The pain couldn’t be ignored for long. She could feel tears strolling down her cheeks as she continued to try to cope with it. A part of her felt stupid. How could she force herself to travel so wounded like this? And yet she knew just how necessary it was.

As she watched her creator attack the others, cold shivers went up her spine. She could still feel her creator’s hands on her, stroking her hair or rubbing her shoulders. Nexra had been traumatized by her, forced into submission. Her creator still had a method of control over her, but despite that, she was going to do whatever it took to fight against her. Even if meant killing herself... It was better that than continue to live as her slave. She was tired of being pushed around by her, tired of her pushing the others around. It was time for that to change.

But what was she going to do when she went up against her? That thing that was put inside of her body... In this state, it was hard to tell if Jenny would even remember about it, or if she still had power over it. What if... No, she still had to try. Nexra pushed herself away from the rock and continued to limp over. She moved behind another rock, peering over, somewhat surprised that nobody had taken notice of her yet. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

Jenny had a light tendril wrapped around the neck of the large woman. She couldn’t tell who she was, but the woman was struggling frantically in the air, her legs kicking out. She attempted to clutch the light tendril, only to scream in pain and move her hands away, clearly burning her. A stick figure zoner below was trying to help, but he was swatted away, slamming against a winged lioness zoner. Jenny sneered up at the large woman, giving her a few rough shakes before throwing her aside, slamming her into the ground.

Jenny lowered a light tendril towards her. The tip extended into a sharp blade. She hovered it over the large woman, preparing to attack her with it. Nexra’s eyes widened in horror as Jenny held the woman down with another tendril, pinning her arms at her sides.

“It is a shame your son isn’t here to see this.” Jenny sneered at her. “I would have loved to see the look on his face when his precious mother gets turned into a barbecue...”

“You won’t get away with this!” The large woman cried as she squirmed on the ground, trying to get herself free. “If I had the magic chalk, I would...”

Jenny chuckled darkly, lifting the woman up towards her. She casually swatted the other zoners around her away when they got too close. It was like some kind of game for her. She pressed a finger underneath the woman’s chin, grinning nastily. “Well you don’t, do you, wannabe opera singer?” She turned the woman to the side, examining her like she was just some object. “You wouldn’t stand a chance against me even if you did. You’re no great creator... unlike your little boy...”

Nexra’s eyes widened at this. Was this Rudy’s mother? Yes, it had to be. But if she was here, where was her husband? And where was Rudy? Were they hurt? Did they escape?

“Put me down and I will show you how much of a creator I can be.” Mrs. Tabootie threatened, baring her teeth at Jenny. She looked down at the woman’s hand, grimacing in disgust. She opened up her mouth and snapped them shut, attempting to bite her fingers. Nexra widened her eyes at this, shocked by the bold display.

Jenny narrowed her eyes and pulled her hand away just before the large woman could bite her. She looked at her fingers, flexing them a little. “Almost got me here. Close...” She looked back. “But no cigar. I would be careful of that if I were you, lady. You just might land yourself in hot water. The only reason I’m not tearing you apart yet is because the black chalk needs to be recreated. We need fuel...” She peered more closely at Mrs. Tabootie. “And I know just how to get some.”

Mrs. Tabootie squirmed. “You’re not seriously going to...”

At this, Jenny laughed. “Do you seriously think I am going to try to use your body to... Oh puh-leeze!” She waved a dismissive hand. “You aren’t made of the right...stuff...” She looked around her at the weakened zoners around her. “These guys would do... It’s a start.” Nexra widened her eyes at this. She was planning to do what to them...? “But I’d need more. I can make you draw what I need.”

“No! I won’t do that!” Mrs. Tabootie cried, horror tinged on her voice. “I won’t help you do something so terrible!”

“Would you rather I forced your boy into it...?” Jenny threatened.

“Don’t you fucking dare lay a hand on him...” Mrs. Tabootie began.

Jenny chuckled, her shoulders shaking. “I doubt you can do anything about it.” With that, she lifted the woman into the air and then threw her into the ground as hard as she could. She watched as the woman rolled painfully on the ground, smirking. “How can you, when you cannot even defend yourself?” She took a step forward. “How about you just cooperate? Things will go much faster that way. What do you say?”

Mrs. Tabootie pushed hereslf up onto her hands. She coughed a few times, a bit of dirt falling out of her mouth. She glared up at Jenny, gritting her teeth. “Fuck you.”

Jenny’s eyes blazed in anger for a second. Nexra cringed, expecting the blonde to attack in retaliation. But Jenny soon calmed down. She gave Mrs. Tabootie and eerie smile. “Uh uh.. Wrong answer...”

“No! Stop!” Nexra cried before Jenny could make her next move.

The blonde woman froze, her hand raised up and fingers arched as if she were getting ready to attack Mrs. Tabootie. The two women looked over in Nexra’s direction. Some of the injured zoners also took a look. Expressions of shock and disbelief permeated the area as many eyes settled on her. Nexra felt uncomfortable with the sensation of so many eyes on her, yet she did not move.

The one who was shocked the most was Jenny. Her blue eyes were widened as far as they could go. Her pupils locked onto her, staring at her long and hard. Nexra wanted to move. She wanted to run. But still she refused to go, not even as Jenny’s eyes narrowed dangerously. She could see anger start to flash in those eyes. It was brief, but it was still there, making the zoner cringe back. But she still do not run.

Jenny glared in Mrs. Tabootie’s direction, almost as if she thought that she was involved in this. Despite Mrs. Tabootie’s confused expression, Jenny still glared at her in an accusatory way before shifting her attention to Nexra. She raised up her hand and gestured for Nexra to come over. Nexra froze at this gesture, feeling her heart twist. She took in a deep breath and, slowly, she began to limp towards her.

Jenny cocked an eyebrow as she noticed Nexra’s limping. She looked surprised, though it was likely an act. The woman did trick her and Penny into going into the evil white chalk chamber. Nexra did her best to hide her anger, knowing just what she may end up triggering if she wasn’t careful. She continued to walk over until she was five feet away. She ignored the looks she got from the other zoners and from Mrs. Tabootie, her gaze on Jenny only. She only stopped when Jenny held up her hand, propmting her to stop.

After a bit of silence, Jenny said, “What are you doing here?”

Nexra was silent for a few seconds. She attempted to speak, but merely stammered. Despite her determination, she was unable to speak in a complete sentence, her fear for Jenny still quite strong.

Jenny shook her head. “I see. You are trying to stand up against me. How foolish of you.” She moved away from Mrs. Tabootie, clearly not seeing her as a threat anymore. She paced around Nexra slowly. “Perhaps you do need another lesson. Maybe all that time in hiding has left you...a little weak.”

Nexra narrowed her eyes. “I’m tired of taking orders from you. It’s about time I stand up for myself... Just like how all the others are standing up to you now.”

Jenny replied, “And what if that precious group you mentioned to me before? The one that captured Biclops for a time? Why aren’t they helping you...?”

Nexra wasn’t sure how to reply to that. Her thoughts went back to that group. Some of the other security guards knew who she was, and they helped her out. They had never really planned on capturing Biclops, but they had to, in order to get black chalk to Penny to help her out. It was an unfortunate incident that painted her and the others in a bad light, and it was what led to Biclops’s capture by the black chalk artists, she was certain. She was positive that her actions led to that, or played a role. She hadn’t gotten a chance to speak to her group again. She wondered how they were doing.

Her gut twisted in a knot. “You leave them out of this...” Nexra growled softly. “It’s me you want. You always want to keep a hold over me.”

“Because you are my creation, and you should always do what your master says.” Jenny retorted, folding her arms. “Zoners who don’t comply to their creators’ wishes are as worthless as the trash bag put out on sunday.” Nexra gritted her teeth at this. “You are....”

“You don’t scare me.” Came Nexra’s bold statement.

Jenny looked at her, stunned. “What did you say?”

“You heard me.” Nexra said. Thoughts flooded through her mind as she stared at the woman. “I don’t think anyone should be afraid of someone like you. A woman who thinks she’s strong and powerful, but in the end is just as lost as she claims others to be.”

Jenny narrowed her eyes dangerously. “Watch what you say...slave...”

Nexra didn’t know what compelled her to say the next thing. She didn’t know who she didn’t try to stop herself. It slipped out, and once it did, there was no going back.

“It’s true, isn’t it? I’m sure you had this whole thing planned out. I’m sure you believe you were being so smart and intelligent and so threatening. I’m sure you enjoyed being the big wig of the whole operation. You probably thought you were the one who would remain in charge, am I right? Well guess what? It didn’t turn out that way, did it? You lost command to a few others. You’re no longer the big shot. Your ideas no longer matter so much, now do they?”

Jenny clenched her teeth at this, but Nexra continued.

“I know you quite well, Jenny. I know you always wanted to prove your worth to Teddisson Cosmo. You wanted to show him that you were just as capable as him. Well if that was what you were doing recently, you failed, because you so easily lost leadership. You didn’t even fight for it! Did you...?” When Jenny didn’t respond, Nexra nodded her head. “Yeah, I thought so. I have to wonder just how good you really are. You spent so much time trying to prove your worth... And to someone like Cosmo?! Do you really think he appreciates what you are doing? He’s using you! He’s been using you since day one! You changed much of your personality all to please a guy who just sees you as a mere tool!”

“Shut up...” Jenny growled at her, closing her eyes and clenching her teeth. “Just..shut up!”

But Nexra didn’t shut up. “It’s true, isn’t it?! You slave away, trying to impress this boy, who is only using you! You turned your back on what you believed in, and now you actually fall for your own little lies! Look at what you’ve done to yourself, Jenny! I remember what you used to be like, and you have changed too much!” A few tears rolled down her face, trying to push aside the painful memories. “Cosmo doesn’t care about you! I did, but you didn’t listen to me! You followed Cosmo’s footsteps, and you began to hurt me and others! You are no longer capable of thinking for yourself! So tell me, why should I fear you...?”

Nexra paused for a moment, catching her breath. Jenny glared angrily at her, but said nothing. Nexra could see the woman’s body was trembling in rage. Her better judgment knew that she should stop right there. But something compelled her to keep going. There was a large amount of bottled up anger inside of her, and now it was spilling over.

There was no stopping it. Her voice couldn’t be silenced.

“Cosmo has you wrapped around your finger, and now you no longer can think for yourself! Even before, your plans were based around what you thought he would do, am I right? You follow him around like a pathetic little mongrel! And he knows it, too. He baits you, calls to you, controls you. Cosmo is a twisted fiend who deserved to die those years ago... He was a monster. All the bad things that happened, it was because of him! And you are an idiot for following him! He’ll just use you up until there’s nothing left, and after he’s done with you, he’ll...”

“Shut up!”

Nexra let out a scream when Jenny struck her on the cheek with an open palm. The zoner staggered back, holding her stinging face where she was hit. She rubbed it gingerly as she stared back at Jenny with a look crossing between fear and shock. Jenny had her hand held up, her palm flattened in the air, shaking along with her body as rage became prominent.

Jenny spoke, her voice darkened and growly. “Don’t you fucking dare speak about Teddisson that way... He’s a bigger person than you’ll ever be, slave.” Nexra glared at her, taking a small step back. “Oh no, you are not going anymore. I tried to warn you, and you foolishly ignored me. Now look at what you have brought upon yourself...”

A light tendril struck out towards Nexra. The injured zoner looked up in fear as the tendril, a mouth opening up at the end, attempted to bite her. Nexra moved out of the way. The tendril’s head smashed into the ground, making a clump sound. It pulled out and shook its head before it looked over at her. Nexra turned herself around and grabbed onto the tendril, ignoring the pain she was in, and pulled on it hard.

She ignored the woman’s cruel laughter, ignored the burning pain on her palms, as she forced the tendril in the ground. With a sharp yank, the tendril easily lifted her up off the ground. Her feet dangled, kicking in the air. Jenny watched her for several moments before she pulled the tendril back and tossed her across the ground. Jenny folded her arms, sneering at Nexra as she shakingly got back up to her feet.

“Why don’t you be a good little pet?” Jenny mocked. Nexra shot a glare at her, causing Jenny to cock up an eyebrow. “So you’re still going to be defiant. And after all I’ve done for you...”

Nexra contiued to glare at her as the woman put on the fake sadness show. It didn’t last long. Jenny went back to smiling darkly at her. Nexra pursed her lips tightly in anticipation. She recognized the look the woman was giving her. She had given a similar one before. She prepared herself.

“I don’t see how you think you’re going to beat me anyway.” Jenny said, shrugging her shoulders. “If all of these losers couldn’t beat me...” She motioned her light tendrils around, indicating the injured woman and multiple zoners. Some were attempting to get up, but they had a lot taken out of them and were easily knocked back. “...what makes you think you will?”

“I can still try.” Nexra replied.

“Yes...yes you can.” Jenny said. She tapped a finger against her chin. “Why don’t we make it more interesting? Remember that..thing...?"

Nexra’s eyes widened in horror. Oh now... Jenny wasn’t going to.. How could she have forgotten about that...? Nexra took a few steps back, shaking her head in silent denial, staring at Jenny and hoping that she would change her mind about what she was about to do. But she got no look of sympathy from her. Just a dark smile filled with so much promise.

“Prepare to relive the past, you brat.” Jenny raised up her hand. Knowing what was about to come, Nexra shut her eyes and braced herself.

But Jenny never got a chance to finish whatever it was she was about to do. She let out a sudden scream of pain and staggered forward. Nexra looked at her, shocked by this turn of events. What had happened here? It didn’t take her long to get her answer when she took notice of Mrs. Tabootie. It took only moments for the zoner to piece together what had happened. The woman had launched herself at Jenny and was now clinging onto her for dear life.

Jenny growled at her, trying to knock her off. Her tendrils wrapped around the large woman’s arms and legs. They began to pull. Mrs. Tabootie responded by tightening her grip even more, her large arm pressed up against Jenny’s throat. Nexra realized why she had done this, and as Jenny tried to pull off the angered mother, she was putting pressure against her throat. She gagged a few times and then finally stopped pulling.

Jenny then attempted to whip the mother off. Her light tendrils struck out, cutting along clothing and flesh. Mrs. Tabootie let out a cry of pain as each tendril struck, but she still did not release. Even as blood trickled down her body, even as she continued getting cut up, she didn’t stop, refusing to relent. Jenny kept striking her, but soon gave up, giving a groan of frustration. She relaxed on the floor for a few moments and then turned her head, giving a sideways glance at the woman.

“You’re like a cockroach, you know that, right?” Jenny snarled at her.

“And you are a witch.” Mrs. Tabootie retorted back.

“Of course you’d see me like that. I’m sure your boy feels the same way.” Jenny said tauntingly. “After all, I did sneak into his room a few nights ago, knocked him out and took a blood sample from him, kissed him goodnight, and left and he never figured it out for days.”

Mrs. Tabootie’s face reddened in anger. “You...”

“I do believe this conversation is over.” Jenny said.

To Nexra’s horror, Jenny had snuck a light tendril behind Mrs. Tabootie. During the scuffle, she had slowly been moving the tendril over. It was going to wrap around the woman’s throat and strangle her. Mrs. Tabootie had no way out of that. She could let go, but than she’d be slammed around like a rag doll. If she didn’t relent, then her neck wold be burnt and she’d suffocate. That left only one option.

Nexra had to take action.

Nexra moved forward as quickly as she could. She fought against the horrible pain where her outline damage was. She felt tears of agony flow down her face, and she kept staggering as she rushed forward. But she paid little attention to it as her mind focused on what her creator was about to do. She couldn’t let it happen. She had to try to stop her. And soon, she managed to break out into a run.

Nexra’s leg felt like it was on fire. Shere agony swept through her body. She could feel blood pouring from the agitated wound. She nearly collapsed or tripped over several times. But she persevered. She kept moving, pushing herself forward. Before she knew it, she got close enough to Jenny to launch an attack herself. Her creator was surprised that she was there, but before she could even say anything, Nexra pulled her fist back and punched her.

The force of the punch knocked Jenny’s head to the side as she called out in pain. Mrs. Tabootie looked at Nexra in confusion, but upon seeing her expression, the woman seemed to realize what was up. She turned her head and widened her eyes when she saw the light tendril about to grab her. Jenny growled softly, and the light tendril that was raised shivered in anticipation, and struck forward. Mrs. Tabootie released the woman and got off a second before the light tendril struck forth.

Jenny let out a scream as she was hit by her own light tendril. Nexra limped backwards, Mrs. Tabootie rushing over to provide support for her, noticing her ailments. Nexra thought she heard the woman ask her if she was okay, but she hardly paid attention. Her eyes were glued to Jenny, watching as she writhed and squirmed on the ground, trying to cope with the burn cut that stretched across her back. There was a bloody gash there, part of her shirt torn. She pushed herself onto her hands, retreating that one light tendril into her back. She shivered on the ground, trying to cope with the pain.

Jenny then lifted up her head and glared at Mrs. Tabootie and Nexra. Tears of pain flowed down her cheeks. Her eyes glazed in hatred and agony. She snarled, “You... I’m going to get you for that...”

Although she knew it was useless, Nexra said, “Why does it have to be this way? Why can’t you see what you are doing? Why can’t you stop this?”

Jenny widened her eyes for a second, as if something got through to her. But it was short-lived, and Jenny’s eyes narrowed. “This whole thing could have stopped if you had just surrendered. But that is too much to ask, isn’t it, you impudent little chalk creature...”

“Please..why don’t we stop...?” Nexra asked. “I’m sorry about snapping at you earlier. I just don’t want to see you like this.. Why can’t we just go back to the way we used to be? Why can’t you return to the person you once were?”

Jenny paused for a moment. Then she growled. “Because that girl was stupid, and her relationship with you was a waste of time!” Nexra felt hurt by that comment, but she came to expect it. Jenny raised up four of her light tendrils, poised to strike. “And now I’m going to...”

Jenny was cut short when something large and brown slammed into her, knocking her into the ground. Nexra’s eyes widened as she saw what looked like a bear crossed with a lion standing on top of Jenny. His head was lowered near hers, his teeth pulled back into a snarl, his tail swishing from side to side in an agitated manner.

“Dr. Urso?!” Mrs. Tabootie cried. “How did you...?”

Nexra’s eyes widened in recognition at that name. Dr. Urso... Didn’t she hear the people in the hospital mention his name? Wasn’t he the zoner who... She felt a lump in her throat. She instinctively took a step back, gritting her teeth. She watched the lion bear warily, wondering if he was going to turn on her next. She looked at his body, noting all the thick muscles that were rippling underneath the surface. She flinched at their sight, unable to keep her heart from racing when Dr. Urso turned to look at her.

Ignoring Mrs. Tabootie’s question, Dr. Urso asked, “Why did you leave the hospital? You should have stayed put. Your injuries require treatment.”

Nexra found herself saying, “I couldn’t stay.. I had to..”

Dr. Urso cut her off, showing his teeth not in threat, but in anger and frustration. “Do you realize how badly you could’ve gotten hurt?! Do you realize you could have made things worse for yourself?!” Noting Nexra cringing back and Mrs. Tabootie glaring at him, Dr. Urso restrained himselfl. “Sorry. You have to head back to the hospital.” He looked at Mrs. Tabootie. “Can you do that for me? I’ll catch up when I can.”

“Are you sure? We can stay and...” Mrs. Tabootie started to say.

Dr. Urso shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I can handle myself.” He took a look around the battle field. “I’m sure some of these guys would like a second round against Jenny as well...” He addressed the others. “Am I right?”

At this, Nexra and Mrs. Tabootie could hear calls of approval from the others. Some of the injured zoners climbed up to their feet, fighting against the pain and glaring in determination at Jenny. It seemed like Dr. Urso would get things under control. But given the zoners’ luck earlier... Nexra hoped that Dr. Urso would have better luck.

“Now go on. Get out of here!” Dr. Urso cried. “I’ll do what I can to stop her!”

“Foolish little bear. Do you think you stand a chance against me?” Jenny rose up from the ground. She lifted herself up higher on her light tendrils. “I see you really do think that. I guess you’ve been hanging around my failure, defiant of a chalk creature...”

Dr. Urso flattened his ears. “Come on over, little lady. Let’s dance...”

Nexra watched, unable to turn away as Mrs. Tabootie began to drag her away. Nexra watched as Dr. Urso and some other zoners gathered around Jenny, preparing to fight. Even when Mrs. Tabootie lifted her up into her arms, she still didn’t look away, her eyes locked onto the battle scene. As they continued to run, Nexra felt this overwhelming need to still do something. Despite what Dr. Urso said, a part of her still wanted to do something.

She couldn’t help but feel responsible for how Jenny was nowadays. She wished she had been there for her all those years ago. Maybe if she had just talked to her more, she could have reversed the effect that Mr. Cosmo was having on her, and prevent her from changing for the worst. This was her fault, and now it was time to fix it.

Nexra wriggled free of Mrs. Tabootie’s grasp.

“No! Wait!” Mrs. Tabootie called out to her.

But Nexra did not listen. She bolted towards where Dr. Urso and Jenny were. She was determined to do whatever it took to stop her creator. She didn’t stop her back then. But now, that was going to change. She would succeed this time. She would. She’d see to that.

sss

“Are you okay?!” Ms. Saffron called out, holding onto Mr. Longhorn. The man nodded his head, but the woman wasn’t entirely convinced. “Are you sure? You took quite a hit and...”

Mr. Longhorn pushed away from her. He took a few steps in one direction, holding onto his head and rubbing it gently. “I told you I’m fine!” He snapped, some annoyance on his voice. Though he knew the woman meant well, he couldn’t allow her to delay any time. Every second counted. “Let’s just get back to looking around here.”

He and Ms. Saffron had separated from Penny earlier and they had been dropped off by Tsere. The pteranodon left their side, going back to where Penny was, they presumed. The two of them searched around Solar Pillars, heading down multiple hallways in hopes of finding something they could use against Nihilanth. They didn’t have much luck, but the man was positive they’d eventually run into something.

And they had. Some kind of security room. It was clear someone had already been in here. He wasn’t sure if it was one of their allies or someone else, and Ms. Saffron couldn’t tell either, being just as in the dark as he was. Some of the computers were knocked down, their screens either a pitch black or flickering something similar to static. A few sparking wires laid about and he and Ms. Saffron were careful to avoid them. But the feature that stuck out to them the most was one they nearly walked straight into.

There was a large, gaping hole in the ground. It was the first thing they actually noticed walking in. A large hole in the middle of the ground. They noticed how it looked so uneven, imperfect, and they realized something must have broken down through the ground. Perhaps Draow had been here? There was no evidence of him, but this hole... He would be the sort of zoner to make a hole like this, and this large. But if it was Draow, then what the heck had happened here?

He decided he could figure it out later. Right now, he had Ms. Saffron had to take a look at these computers. They looked like they could be the security to this place. It was possible they were already tampered with, but it wouldn’t hurt to double check, right?

They didn’t have much time to check the computers before a sudden quake spread throughout the ground. They were tossed from side to side as the ground shook and trembled. He thought he heard a loud roar, but it was hard to tell who it had come from. Then a loud crash nearby shook the room more violently. He ended up tripping over something and fell into the ground face first. He hit so hard that he was certain his nose was broken. Blood spilled out of his nostrils and collected partially into his mouth, the familiar salty taste coating over his tongue.

Questions raced through his mind. What was that? Where did it come from? Was it dangerous? Where did it go?

But he couldn’t focus on that. At least the thing was gone, whatever it was, and he could now focus on trying to figure out if these computers could be useful to them. He had been back on his feet for about a minute now. Ms. Saffron stuck close to him, looking at him worriedly, especially at his injured nose. Though he assured her that he was fine, she still stuck close to him just in case something else happened.

Mr. Longhorn sat down at the nearest computer, pulling up the chair. Ms. Saffron remained by his side, watching the screen with as much curiosity as him. Using the mouse, Mr. Longhorn sifted through the different files and programs this computer contained. Most if it, he hadn’t even heard of, and the ones he did were things like maintanence, but so far, nothing on security.

After several minutes of looking aroud, shifting through program after program, file after file, he was about to give up. He hadn’t found anything of interest. This computer didn’t seem to have any security controls on it. Either this room was not security after all, or only a few of these computers operated security. He gritted his teeth in frustration. Did this mean he was going to have to look at every single computer just for...

“Hey, what’s that?” Ms. Saffron called out. Mr. Longhorn looked up at her in confusion. She pointed her finger at the screen excitedly. “Go back a couple!” The man clicked a few times and then she waved her hand. “Stop! There! Look!”

Mr. Longhorn looked at the screen. What he had opened now was some kind of folder. There were several files listed, most of them document files. They were randomnly named, so he was not certain what could be in the files. He wasn’t sure what about them got Ms. Saffron’s attention. He turned his head, about to speak, but he noticed her finger was pointing at one file in particular. He took a look at it and noticed it was called won.txt. A choice of three random letters just like all the others.

Although he wasn’t sure why it interested Ms. Saffron, he double clicked it and opened it up. The text file was rather long. The scroll button was pretty thin. Listed in the file was a long string of text, as one would expect from a text file. He leaned in closely, his eyes scrolling from one side to the other, reading it. After a few moments of reading, his eyes widened in shock.

“This...this file, it...” Mr. Longhorn said, his voice trailing off.

Ms. Saffron had noticed it as well, and when she spoke, her voice was light and faint, filled with awe. “...tells us how to stop Nihilanth..”

The two fell silent.


	199. You Have A Black Heart, Penny

Ms. Saffron was beside herself in shock. She couldn’t believe the discovery they had just made. She wasn’t expecting to find much in this place. She would have thought the black chalk artists, especially Mr. Cosmo, would have hidden this information. It baffled her it was even in the computer to begin with. How hadn’t the black chalk artists done something to increase the security? To ensure that no one would figure this out?

Perhaps it was because this place was so well guarded, that they had overlooked something so simple. Maybe they were putting in some security, but never got around to it. Maybe there was security after all, but it was partially shut down for some reason. Whatever the reason was, the result was that this file was sitting on this computer, opened up, exposing its contents. What was written in there wasn’t some kind of hallucination. It wasn’t a misunderstanding of what was written. It was plain as day to her and Mr. Longhorn.

This file blatantly told them of the path to take to stop Nihilanth permanently...

But why would they have something like this? Why did a black chalk artist type this up? Ms. Saffron wondered if it was an inside job of some kind. That perhaps not all the black chalk artists were so bad, and one of them figured out a way to stop him. Or maybe it was so that they knew what could stop Nihilanth and do what they can to prevent it.

Ms. Saffron took a moment to look around and make sure that no one was coming. Though the chances were pretty low, she still didn’t want to take the chance, especially with the earthquake moments ago. This place could still be occupied. If they were caught...

She kept her attention on the screen in front of her. She stood next to Mr. Longhorn, a hand on his shoulder, as she leaned forward and read along with him. She kept rubbing her eyes, a part of her still in disbelief that this information was here. Perhaps, at long last, they could stop Nihilanth and prevent him from bringing harm to this world and others.

Mr. Longhorn blinked his eyes a few times. He leaned away, tilting his head back as he cast a thoughtful glance in one direction. Slowly, he turned his head to face Ms. Saffron. He sucked on his lip for a second, and then said, “This computer is mentioning something about a sword..?”

“A sword?” Ms. Saffron asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Mr. Longhorn nodded his head. “Yes. It says the sword is the key to stopping him.” He looked back at the screen. He narrowed his eyes and rested his chin on his hands and his elbows on the desk. “But I don’t know what it’s talking about. The kids never mentioned anything about a sword.” He shook his head. “I’m so lost.”

Ms. Saffron nodded her head in understanding. She was confused as well. She didn’t know what the file was talking about in terms of this sword. There was a picture of it, as well. So many curves and jagged areas, a fierce-looking sword... Where could they find such a sword? They couldn’t draw it; she doubted that a recreated sword would work like the original. Perhaps Rudy would know about this sword? Maybe even where they could find one?

If that were the case, they’d have to get to the real world as soon as possible. No doubt Rudy was in the hospital right now, or at least on his way. It would take a miracle for her to see Rudy without the doctors blocking her. She may end up having to push past them and speak to Rudy. There wasn’t that much time, and she didn’t even know how long she had been here. It may have been a day or two, and no one noticed. That would definitely cause problems for Rudy when people who know him see him again after a long absense. They’d be wanting to speak to him, making it harder for her to get to him.

And her... She recalled her counterpart had been killed in this dimension. What would people say when they see her? While they might dismiss it as her just looking like her counterpart, some may want to question her. If any of her old friends saw her, how would they react? Would they stop her, surround her, interrogate her? Ms. Saffron would have to think of a way to get to the hospital without drawing attention.

But it was important she got there, and she had no choice. If this sword really was a key in stopping Nihilanth, they had to get out of here as soon as they could. They had to get to Rudy in the real world and ask him where this sword was. Did he still have it? Did their enemies take it? The sooner they found out, the better.

“We can ask Rudy. Maybe he might know something.” Ms. Saffron said. There was a tinge of uncertainty in her voice. She wasn’t sure if Rudy would have the answers they were looking for. But they’d never know until they try. “We should get out of here as soon as we can.”

Mr. Longhorn nodded in agreement. He looked back at the screen, his expression still stunned and confused. He hadn’t been expecting a way to stop Nihilanth to be present here. He kept his gaze on the screen for a few seconds before he turned his hand and looked back up at her. “We’ll need to figure out a way to get this information. I don’t think we’ll be able to remember it all. Can you write any of this stuff down?”

Ms. Saffron nodded her head. “Do you have any magic chalk?”

Mr. Longhorn frowned for a moment. He reached into his pocket, searching aroudn. “I thought I found one on the way to...” His eyes brightened up. “Ah ha!” He pulled his hand out of his pocket and lifted it up. Clutched in his fist was a small, broken piece of white chalk. He handed it over to her. “Will this do?”

Ms. Saffron took the piece of white chalk and examined it. She pressed a finger on the top and bottom and looked at it more closely, her eyes moving up and down. It was a rather small piece. She frowned at this, realizing she wasn’t going to be able to draw too much with it. But there was enough to draw what she needed. She quickly drew a small notebook and a pencil, which nearly used up the remaining chalk. Putting the small piece away, she grabbed the notebook and pencil, writing down the information as quickly as she could.

She stopped for a moment and looked back at the screen. She noticed something. She leaned forward and she pressed the arrow key down. Mr. Longhorn looked at her in confusion, and then back at the screen. There had been a part of the file they had overlooked. There, right before their eyes, was a paragraph detailing how the sword played a part in stopping Nihilanth.

“Write this down!” Mr. Longhorn cried enthusiastically.

“I’m on it!” Ms. Saffron said. She raised her pencil and attempted to write more. Suddenly a loud screech echoed in the air, causing her and Mr. Longhorn to freeze. She looked around tentatively. “What was what?”

Seconds later, something large, massive, came out from behind them. It moved so quickly that a rush of air hit against them. They turned around, looking back at where the hole still laid. They could see a shadow moving along it. They looked up, but as they did, whatever it was dove at them, letting out another shriek as a blur of light brown nearly collided with them. Both adults jumped into the ground, hitting against it painfully.

Ms. Saffron realized too late that the blurred figure had crashed against the computer behind them. She turned her head, her eyes wide in horror, as the computer toppled over. It smashed against the ground, the screen cracking and turning black. Sparks flew everywhere, electricity coursing through the ruined computer. Ms. Saffron stared at it long and hard, her body shaking in shock. Now the information was gone completely. The information they needed to activate the sword’s capabilities...they were...

She didn’t have time to finish her thoughts when she heard a growl behind her. She turned her head just in time to see a flash of teeth in her eyes. She let out a scream before she felt something collide with her. She looked down and she could see it was Mr. Longhorn. The man’s arms wrapped around her body, holding her tightly. The two collided with the ground just as a massive jaw snapped shut where she had been.

Ms. Saffron felt her heart skip a beat when she got a good enough look to realize who was coming after them. Their attacker was none other than Draow himself... She sucked in a sharp breath as she locked eyes onto the bat wolf. He seemed a little groggy, and the remnants of a crushed needle by his side confirmed what had happened. But the dragu did not have a strong enough hold on him anymore, and now the enraged bat wolf seemed to seek to make up for lost time. And the way he was looking at her.. No doubt, he was already calculating in his mind just what he planned to do to her.

“This way!” Mr. Longhorn shouted as he got up to his feet. He grabbed the woman’s arm roughly as he darted off in one direction. “Through this hallway!”

Ms. Saffron did little to protest as Mr. Longhorn dragged her through what looked like a ruined hallway. Bits of the ceiling were on the ground and she could see some of the metal bits making up its structure. She didn’t have time to analyze it as she scrambled her feet to keep up with Mr. Longhorn. She had no idea where this tunnel would lead them, but it was better they follow it than remain here and get killed by Draow.

After they ran for several seconds, she dared a glance behind her. She saw Draow’s head burst through a weakened part of the tunnel. Rocks flew everywhere and dust filled the room. Her eyes widened as she heard the sound of footsteps, and then her heart nearly froze when she saw the contours of Draow’s face emerge from the smoke. His gleaming, teal eyes stared at her, shining with hidden, cruel intentions. She turned her head away, not wanting to look at him anymore. Her heart pounding against her chest, she kept her focus on the rocky and ruined path ahead of her.

Even as they disappeared down the hallway, even as Draow began to fall back because the collapsed portions of the hallway were difficult for him to pass, Ms. Saffron couldn’t relax. Especially not with Draow’s roars echoing through the hallway, chilling her blood. Flashes of her Rudy’s dying twitches, echoes of his screams, they haunted her mind and it made her wonder if that was the fate she was to suffer here.

She narrowed her eyes. No... Not if she had anything to say about it.

sss

Mr. Tabootie never felt his heart beat so fast in his life. He had ran fast as he could, jumping over vines, rocks, whatever else laid in the way. He didn’t dare cast a glance behind him. All he could think about was rushing over to the nearest portal. All he could keep his mind on was getting Rudy in the real world as soon as possible.

He looked down at his son, biting his lip. Oh Rudy... He and his friends had been through so much here in ChalkZone. He had been tormented the last few days...even longer if he counted when all of this began. In the back of his mind, he kept thinking of all the horrific things his son was forced to endure.

Infected with a chalk virus that slowly turned his insides to chalk...

Being targeted by the black chalk artists...

Hunted down and forced into a ‘game’ by the Luminos...

Transformed into a slave vessel for Nihilanth...

And now here he laid in his arms, unconscious again due to the blood loss. His wound had started to bleed again as he ran. He cursed himself for not being more gentle. He should have watched himself more. He should have taken care not to hit against the nearby trees. But what could he have done? He didn’t know if he was being chased or not. He didn’t know how long his wife could hold off Jenny. If he dared look behind him, he was opening himself and his son to attack. Reluctantly, he kept running.

He could feel his lungs burn, his throat getting dry and sore. It was getting a little painful to breathe. He wanted to lay down and rest, his arms getting tired from holding Rudy. He wanted to set the boy down and take a short nap. But he couldn’t do that. He had to keep on going. He was getting close to the portal. He recognized this place. Any time now...

There, up ahead, he could see the portal. It was right where he thought it would be. He approached it as quickly as he could. As soon as he reached it, he set Rudy on the ground so he could crawl in first. He was glad that they chose to enter from here. It certainly made things easier that they...

The man suddenly paused. Something crossed his mind. Something that made his heart twist in a knot. Just how long had they been in ChalkZone? He wanted to say just a few hours, but why did he get the feeling that it was longer than that? His body feels more exhausted than what he would have expected. He was not that out of shape, and for him to be tired, they had to have been gone longer than he had expected.

But...but that was absurd.. They couldn’t have been gone that long, right? No, it was impossible. He shook his head, trying to get those disturbing thoughts out of his mind. They couldn’t have been gone a day or more. They just couldn’t.

And yet, it would explain why he was tiring out more quickly than usual. It would explain the slight weakness in his arms, why he was fighting against himself not to put Rudy down, something he normally wouldn’t have considered doing. And above all, it would explain the sensation in his stomach. Hunger... He was hungry. And not just a little hungry either. This was a hunger associated with missing a few meals, not just one. But...but if they had been gone for more than a day, then what did....

He looked at the portal with a growing sense of dread. If the portal was open for that long...even if it did happen to just be several hours and not a day like he was dreading, then..what if...? Oh no...

Mr. Tabootie looked left and right. This didn’t seem like a particularly populated part of ChalkZone. But that didn’t relieve him too much stress. He was well aware that there were some feral zoners. He recalled what Penny had told them. The staplegator that had gotten into the real world and attacked a few people... This portal thankfully was a little higher than that creature could possibly climb. But there were other feral zoners who could reach this high, even fly. If one of them got into the real world, just one, it was going to cause major implications.

A feral zoner running through the real world was going to cause a lot of problems. First off, it could wreak havoc in that world. There were plenty of aggressive animal zoners who would attack on sight. He couldn’t begin to imagine the horrors that would result for that. His mind flashed back to when people from Plainsville were disappearing. What if this feral animal triggered deja vu? What if people made the connection? If that happened, then it’s not just real worlders who would suffer. Zoners as well would be in trouble. There was already that scare at the news station. He shuddered at the memory.

All those people who wanted to destroy ChalkZone, and all for a misguided fear. But if they witness a zoner hurting or even killing someone, that would complicate things more because then they’d have a reason to back up their vendetta in wanting to destroy the place. And the very act of that could cause some of the zoners to rise up and defend themselves, which would lead to a fight between the species. If it was allowed to escalate, then they were looking at a future similar to the one Penny described for them. The dark dimension.

But as worried as he was, there was nothing he could do about it now. He had to get to the hospital and drop Rudy off. He needed help and if he didn’t get it soon... He bit his lip, feeling a few tears form in his eyes. He reached down and gently stroked Rudy’s hair.

“Don’t worry, son.” He said softly. “We’ll fix this. Somehow...” He wasn’t sure how true his words were, but, though his son was unconscious, he wanted to sound confident. hoping that Rudy would somehow hear him in his mind and feel a sense of hope.

Mr. Tabootie climbed through the portal. He then leaned himself out of the portal, the ridge of it pressing against his stomach. He secured himself with his legs the best he could as he reached down for Rudy. He grabbed him by his arms and wrestled his way backwards. It took longer than he would have liked, but he managed to get himself back over into the room, through the portal. He looped his arms around Rudy’s body more securely as he pulled him through.

As soon as they were through the portal, Mr. Tabootie picked the boy up into his arms, cradling him. He immediately rushed out of his son’s bedroom and down the steps. As soon as he had scaled them, he immediately rushed out of the door. There was no time to make a phone call. He had to get to the hospital right away. He immediately went to the car and placed Rudy in the passenger’s seat. He buckled him in and then went around to the other side.

After securing himself with the seatbelt, Mr. Tabootie turned the keys in the ignition. He took a moment to look around, making sure there was no one around. He took note there didn’t seem to be any sign of a rogue zoner, but he would keep his eyes peeled just in case.

He backed out of the drive way and shifted his stick. He pressed onto the accelerator, turned the wheel rapidly, and headed off towards the hospital.

sss

Despite every core part of her body wanting to squirm to get free, Penny’s rational brain knew she could not do that. She was several miles above the ground, her body squeezed in the claws of Nihilanth. If he let her go here...

Penny’s mind raced as she tried to think of what she was going to do. Nihilanth was fast approaching ChalkZone City. She had no idea just what he planned on doing to the zoners there. If he harmed them... She growled at the thought. Hadn’t this monster did enough to them? He had slaughtered so many zoners. She could still see their corpses. Not all of the dead had been picked up for proper burial. To add salt into the open wound, Nihilanth, once in a while, would make a cruel comment about the dead zoners below, taunting her about how she couldn’t save them. She wanted to punch him so badly, but refrained from trying, knowing it might lead to something worse.

Penny looked out into the distance, flinching when she saw all the smoke rising up from the ground. She clenched her teeth, her heart and stomach twisting into knots. She recalled how it was attacked by one of Nihilanth’s bombs. She couldn’t begin to imagine the pain and suffering that the zoners around here had went through. Some were killed, many injured... The hospital was completely destroyed as well. The thought filled her with boiling blood and she shot a glare up at Nihilanth. Of all the places to destroy...

She tried her best to keep herself calm. There was nothing she could do right now except ‘enjoy the ride’, as Nihilanth would say. She was in no position to stop Nihilanth. What could she do? She felt an uncomfortable sensation in her fingertips as she realized how helpless she was right now. Yet..she would keep trying. She had to.

Suddenly, Nihilanth came to an abrupt stop. He hovered above some of the taller buildings, a few of them showing damage from the bomb that he set off a few days ago. He beat his wings heavily, keeping himself aloft in the air. He looked down at the area below him, his two heads moved in different directions. A small smile spread across his two mouths, making Penny’s stomach churn in anger. He was probably looking for some victims that he could taunt, someone he could ‘toy’ with while he still had her in his clutches.

After a few moments of silence, Nihilanth’s white head turned and looked over at her. He raised her up as if to get a better look at her. He peered at her with the side of his head facing her, allowing for a single eye to look at her. Penny felt unnerved as the black light moved over her body, filling her with dread. She turned her head to the side, refusing to look at Nihilanth in the eye. The dragon chuckled at this defiance of hers.

“Look down below, Penny. Look down there...” Nihilanth pointed a claw downward. Penny refused to comply. Nihilanth pressed a claw against her. “We told you to look down. Comply now or we will not be so polite later.”

Penny flinched as she felt the sharp tip of the claw against her head. She wanted to resist. She didn’t want to comply with his demands. But remembering what happened to her when she resisted the Luminos, she knew better than to try to defy someone, especially one who is much bigger and more powerful than she was. Giving an agitated sigh, she did as she was told.

Nihilanth smiled at this. “Good...that’s better, isn’t it..?” Penny didn’t reply. She just continued looking down at the ruined streets and buildings below, her eyes narrowed in anger towards Nihilanth. “Look at everything there. This..all this.. Suffering of the zoners. Suffering of this world. This is the price to pay for imperfection. This is the world that you and the others have to live in. Even if we did nothing, someone else would have. Bombs, wars, weapons... Such things bring about nothing but misery.”

Penny clenched her teeth tightly. “You used the same thing to try to destroy this place..”

“A necessary evil we are afraid. Yes we did use the same things, but it was for a good cause, don’t you think? We want to put an end to this world, so that something like this...” Nihilanth spread his tails outward, indicating everything. “..wouldn’t happen. We use weapons as a way of not only cleansing this world for recreation, but also as a reminder to the zoners and humans of why these worlds cannot be allowed to exist. Under my rule, my perfection, none of this would ever happen. Wouldn’t you want that, little girl?”

Penny didn’t answer him. A part of her was listening to him, but the other part was so tempted to tune him out. Here he goes, with more of his proganda. He promises a world where no one would die or be hurt, but just how much of it was truth? For all she knew, he was just saying that to help others feel better about what he was doing. The dragon gave her no reason to trust him, and thus, she would not fall for this bullcrap.

She looked all around her, seeing some movement down below. Her heart twisted when she saw it was another corpse that had been crushed underneath some rubble that wasn’t yet cleared out. She thought she could see another zoner standing nearby and falling down... breaking down crying she was certain. The sight of it caused her body to shake in anger. That suffering, as well as the suffering of others... It was Nihilanth’s fault. He was the one who did this, not some random criminal zoner. How dare he try to take suffering like that and pit the blame on the zoners themselves...

“All this suffering... It doesn’t have to be like this, you know. It could all change. If you care about the zoners, wouldn’t you want them to not suffer anymore?” Nihilanth asked her. He kept staring at her with that large black eye. Penny just glared back at him. He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Why can you not see reason? We are offering a world without pain.”

Penny spat at him, “By bringing pain! Look all the suffering you caused!” She shifted her head to the side, indicating what was going on down below them. “Look at all those zoners! Look at the dead bodies, and the injured! That was your doing, Nihilanth!”

“Yes of course.” Nihilanth nodded his heads. “We are not saying we didn’t play a part. But we only did it to try to show the zoners what kind of world this is and...”

“Bullshit!” Penny snapped at him. “Do you expect me to believe that? You don’t care about this world. You just care about creating your own utopia, you asshole!”

Nihilanth growled at this. He tightened his grip on her, both his heads now close to her face. Penny sucked in a sharp breath, but she refused to relent. She would not allow the dragon to intimidate her into submission. She gritted her teeth, glaring back at the dragon. Nihilanth looked like he wanted to tear her apart, but that only lasted for a few seconds. With an exhale, he sighed, and his expression softened up. What looked to be a bit of sadness came over his face, but that did little to settle Penny’s anger.

If the dragon was looking for sympathy from her, he was not going to get it. All this pain and suffering was done by his hand. He was the reason many zoners were dead and injured. He was the one who chose to do all of this. If he had wanted to create a better world, there were better ways to go about it than spreading harm and chaos. If he had simply stopped to explain himself, not resorting to violence, then perhaps things could have gone better.

But the fact that he had caused so much pain and suffering, all in the name of ‘progress’...it made her sick to her stomach. That’s not what a benevolent deity would do if they were truly trying to change the world for the better. No, that’s what a tyrant would do. And all tyrants must be stopped and apprehended. Hearing Nihilanth’s words just made Penny want to defeat him even more. She didn’t want to imagine what a world run by him was going to be like.

“You still don’t understand. You close your eyes to the world around you. We do wonder if you’re even seeing that pain down below you.” Nihilanth questioned. He narrowed his eyes, his lips on both mouths curling up in agitation. “We wonder if you are deliberately ignoring it.”

“No, I’m not! I know what I see, and it’s more evidence for why you shouldn’t be allowed to succeed! If you’re willing to do this to innocent zoners, then what would become of the new world if you were in charge? What would happen to those new people?” Penny growled at him. “Would it suffer as much pain, as much misery? Well, would it?”

Nihilanth stared at her. He shook his heads. “We told you before, Penny. We only want a painless world, where no one would ever be harmed, and no one would die. If you weren’t so stubborn and single-minded, you would see that.” He took a moment to look around. He shifted his body to the side. “Perhaps a closer view would let you see more clearly..”

Nihilanth arched his back, his wings pointing straight up. A second later, he plummeted downward as fast as he could. Penny couldn’t stifle her scream as they headed towards the ground below at an alarming rate. The wind hit against her face, pushing back her lips, blowing back her hair. She found herself attempting to hold onto Nihilanth tighter, a part of her terrified that he was going to slam dunk her into one of the decaying buildings.

The large dragon waited until he nearly hit the ground before he suddenly flung himself upward, now flying low to the ground. His large wings smashed against the buildings, slicing through them. Penny winced as she heard multiple damaged buildings fall down to the ground, crumbling into multiple large pieces. Nihilanth flapped his wings and raised himself a little higher. He headed straight for two buildings close together. Penny let out a scream, closed her eyes, and looked away. At the last second, Nihilanth shifted his body to the side like a jet pilot, flying at an extreme angle through the space between the buildings. He still crashed into a few things, especially with his tails, but the falling metal and shrapnel did not faze him. Soon he was on the other side and he righted himself.

Nihilanth finally came in for a landing. He lowered himself towards the ground, keeping his wings out to slow down his descent. He hovered above the ground, flapping his wings hard as his feet lowered. Soon Penny could hear the tapping sound of his claws hitting the ground. He lowered all three of his other paws onto the hard ground and folded his wings at his side. He held up Penny, keeping his digits wrapped firmly around her body.

Penny began to struggle again, even though she knew it was useless. She jerked herself from side to side, trying to worm her way out of the dragon’s grasp. Nihilanth responded by squeezing her tighter. She let out a pained grunt, and went mostly limp. She shot him a glare before looking away, her pupils turning, taking in what was all around her.

It was one of the areas in ChalkZone City that wasn’t as explored as the others. There was still signs of minor reconstruction, much a lot less so compared to what she had seen earlier. She was glad that the zoners found some way to make a lot of repairs, but plenty of remnants of what Nihilanth still remained. After what he did, it didn’t surprise her. And this area had some of the least amount of repairs. Taking note of the random shops, she could see why. The zoners obviously wanted to rebuild important places first, most likely in new locations than before.

She didn’t spend much time thinking about that. It was hard for her to stay on the positives as she looked around and took note of all the carnage below. Granted, it wasn’t as bad as when she and her mom came back into ChalkZone. But seeing even just a couple bodies was too much for her. She could see about five bodies below, all of them with horrific injuries. A couple had their spines snapped. A few had their heads gouged open. Cuts, scrapes, and gashes were plentiful among the bodies. Penny felt a cold shudder go up her spine and she forced herself to look away. But Nihilanth had other plans.

Nihilanth stomped over towards the closest body, which looked like a child of some kind. A boy. He was laying near an alleyway. There char marks everywhere, especially around where the boy was. Although Penny wanted to look away so badly, she couldn’t help but stare into the boy’s blank eyes. Her body shook slightly as anger began boil in the back of her mind. This was just a little kid... Nihilanth had... Why that... It took all her might not to snap at the dragon.

“We know what you are thinking. We did not do this.” Nihilanth said. “This was done by other zoners, we are certain.”

Penny shot him a shocked look. “There’s no one around here cruel enough to do that...!”

Nihilanth narrowed his eyes. “We assure you, we did not kill this boy. He was killed by another zoner. Take a good long look at him, little girl.” Nihilanth’s black head looked in the direction of the little boy. “This is the fate bestowed upon your ‘innocent’ zoners in this hell hole of a world. This is the sort of thing you could prevent..if you allow me to finish my work.”

Penny looked at the zoner again. She was now close enough she could do a bit of a visual examination. The zoner’s burn injuries didn’t look like they came from a blast. In fact...as she looked around, she realized none of these appeared to be bomb marks. Instead, it looked like something else altogether. The marks were pretty small and circular, and they looked so precise, like a...likea...

...a laser.. Her eyes widened at this revelation. Nihilanth was telling the truth about this. He didn’t kill these zoners. But if it wasn’t him...who was it?

Penny took a look around, trying to find any kind of evidence to identify the attacker. She noted all the dents and scrapes, some seemingly random burn marks, but she couldn’t find any evidence of a culprit. It might have been one of the few evil zoners in this chalk world. Some were particularly nasty on their own. The idea of an unknown villain being involved filled Penny with dread.

But then she spotted something. On the walls and ground in the alleyway, she could see several lines in the ground. Groups of three. They looked a little indented. Shallow, but indented, a clear sign that these marks weren’t spraypainted on. There was a whole cluster, and each time it was the same. Three lines.

Three lines... Three claws...

Draow.

Penny widened her eyes at this realization. Draow had been here. But...was it the one from the other dimension, their own, or that hideous hybrid? Had Mr. Cosmo been here as well? It was difficult to say. But she had seen enough to know what happened. Draow attacked these zoners, and it looked like he spent extra time on the boy. It was clear Draow, and perhaps Cosmo, toyed with him before killing him. Penny felt her heart clench. Poor boy...

Nihilanth suddenly seized the child zoner into his clutches. He wrapped a single claw around his body, his legs and arms hanging limply over. He brought it close to his black face, sniffing him a couple times and letting out a low growl.

“Don’t you dare!” Penny cried.

Nihilanth looked at her, lowering the boy’s body slightly. “Relax. We weren’t going to eat him.” He shifted his heads so they both looked at Penny, their white and black eyes shining on him. “We just want you to get a nice look. Maybe if you stare at the boy’s rotting corpse, you will see for yourself just how wonderful a life without death would be...”

Nihilanth placed the boy’s body near Penny’s face. The motion was so fast that Penny had to snap her head back in horror. Her wide eyes locked onto the boy’s unseeing ones, the pupils all greyed out and completely lifeless. Penny squirmed from side to side, trying to put space between her and the corpse. But Nihilanth just put her even closer, to the point where her face nearly touched against the dead zoner’s.

Penny’s mind raced, staring at the dead zoner right in front of her. She could feel her heart beating faster, cold chills going up and down her spine. She struggled harder to get away. She then quickly stopped herself, realizing what Nihilanth was trying to do.

He was trying to break her. He was trying to make her cave in to his whim. She couldn’t allow that. She couldn’t allow him to win like this. She had to resist. As much as it terrified her the way he was pushing this corpse so close to her, as much as it angered her that he was defiling a dead body this way, she had to resist. She had to try to remain as calm as possible so that Nihilanth couldn’t get a leverage over her. If she allowed herself to freak out, she might fall into his mental trap.

Nihilanth noticed her resisting, and he let out a soft growl, exposing his teeth. Penny did her best not to look fazed by it. She merely glared back at him, her eyes narrowed in defiance. Nihilanth pushed the zoner’s body closer to her. Penny felt sick with the smell of the rotting corpse in front of her. Boiling acid at away at her stomach as she grew more and more furious with the way Nihilanth was treating this poor zoner who was slaughtered by Draow. But still she did not relent, knowing that if she gave in, Nihilanth would go further. He would continue manipulating her, break her, but as long as she continued to resist and not give in...

Nihilanth opened his jaws, showing off his razor sharp teeth, bathing Penny in light and dark. She felt her body shiver as she felt the darkness and light envelope her, creating a confusing mix. But she still didn’t give in. She glared at him before shifting her gaze away. Nihilanth pushed the zoner’s body up against hers. Penny felt a jolt of coldness rush thorugh her at this, and she nearly screamed. She pulled her head as far back and to the side as she could, shifting it whenever Nihilanth made adjustments.

“Look at it! Turn your head and look at this!” Nihilanth barked at her. “Look at this pain and suffering! Look at his eyes! Do you see the misery?! Why are you ignoring it?! Take a good look!”

Penny refused to listen to him. She kept her gaze away. She could see, out of the corner of her eyes, Nihilanth’s body shaking in rage, but she didn’t allow it to intimidate her. She just remained quiet and still.

Nihilanth snapped his heads back, his teeth remaining bared. “Stupid bitch! Have a look!” Penny found it hard resisting the urge to scream when Nihilanth pushed her face directly against the dead boy’s. He practically rubbed them together. “Look, gawd damn you! Look!”

Penny closed her eyes. Instead of remaining quiet, she gave Nihilanth an answer this time. “No.”

Nihilanth hissed at her. “Why the fuck not?! Don’t you care?!”

“Yes, I do. But you don’t.” Penny opened her eyes and looked at him, a frown on her face. “You claim to be doing this for the sake of the zoners. But all your actions have shown otherwise. You don’t care about them. You only care about this fantasy world of yours, which you want to make a reality. If you cared about them, you would not have killed them. If you meant well, you would have spoken to the zoners first instead of doing all of this.”

“You don’t understand...” Nihilanth started to say.

“Oh I understand all right. Listen here, I’ve been in a world where the black chalk won. And guess what? It was horrible.” Penny’s body trembled as horrific images flashed in her head. “Those poor zoners...tortured...killed..enslaved... a fate worse than death... And the real world was ripped to shreds...” She shot a death glare at Nihilanth. “Don’t you fucking dare tell me that you give a crap about zoners!”

Nihilanth narrowed his eyes dangerously. He looked at the boy zoner and pulled him away. He dropped him on the ground. Penny looked on in horror and anger as Nihilanth discarded his body like it was nothing. She let out a grunt of pain when Nihilanth squeezed her tightly. She opened her mouth and tried to breathe as Nihilanth’s tight grasp made it hard for her to breathe.

“It seems your heart is as black as coal, you bitch!” Nihilanth shouted at her as he raised her up higher. “You filthy little monster! We’ll take care of you just like all the other monsters!”

Before Penny could react, Nihilanth pulled his arm back and threw her towards the ground. Penny screamed as she hurdled through the air. She smashed up against one of the buildings and fell down. She hit against a few awnings, which broke her fall as she crashed into the concrete below. She let out a few pained coughs as she struggled to her feet. She let out a cry of pain as she staggered forward, her arm and leg in worse shape thanks to the fall.

She looked up just in time to see Nihilanth strike her with his paw, the top of the claws hitting underneath her chin, forcing her to bite her tongue. She yelped as she flew backwards, tasting a bit of blood in her mouth. Her back slammed against a stone slab that jetted out from the ground. Penny’s eyes widened as she felt a sharp sensation against her back and screamed loudly. She dropped into the ground, her body quivering in pain, bleeding from several cuts, most of them returning cuts that the black chalk was ‘unhealing’.

As she tried to push herself up onto her arm, Nihilanth stalked towards her, each footstep sending vibrations through the ground. Penny looked up at him in fear and Nihilanth merely scoffed. “You had your chance, bitch. Now, prepare for...”

Suddenly a loud roar filled the air. Penny and Nihilanth froze and turned their heads, trying to find the source of the sound. The roar sounded so familiar. Penny knew she recognized this roar, but...who was it from? And where were they? A pang of fear welled up inside of her. She hoped whoever it was would be smart enough to stay away. She didn’t want them to...

A flash of white moved in front of her. Then there was a thud, and a low growl. Penny shook her head as she coughed, a bit of dust getting up into her eyes. She desperately wiped it away, but she didn’t have to look to know who this zoner was.

“Lay off, dragon.” A calm male voice said. “Let’s not do anything we might regret.”

Penny’s eyes widened. She looked up to see Lars standing there. What was he doing here? She looked at him, disbelieving, as he held up what appeared to be some sort of crossbow. It was pointed straight at the dragon. She bit her lip. Did he really think he was going to do much damage against Nihilanth with that? Penny tried to speak, but she ended up coughing up a little bit of blood. She realized she took a little more damage from the fall than she thought.

Nihilanth stared down at Lars, his eyes widened in shock. He clearly did not expect a zoner to stand up to him like this. Then he smiled, his tails swishing from side to side. “Well then...” The dragon stopped midsentence when he saw another zoner jump beside Lars. “Another one?”

Penny looked on in shock as Chalk Dad also took a stance in front of her. Beside him, a familiar blue chalk dog growled at Nihilanth. Chalk Dad didn’t have any sort of noticeable weapon, but perhaps he was just keeping it hidden. “Leave her alone!”

As soon as he said that, a large group of zoners showed up. Penny looked around, surprised. Were they hiding? Where did they come from? There were so many, all of them with some kind of weapon, and all of them angry as hell. Some small, some medium, and some large, and they all approached, keeping themselves in front of her in a protective stance. They raised their weapons up at the dragon, who let out hisses and looked at them all. He took a few steps back, baring his sharp teeth as if to intimidate them, but the zoners did not relent.

“Get out of the way! We don’t want to destroy you now if we don’t have to!” Nihilanth cried.

“Yeah right! Says the dragon that nearly killed us before!” A zoner said sarcastically, anger fused with his voice.

Another zoner called out in agreement. “You killed so many of us! But you won’t be getting her!”

“Yeah!” A third zoner shouted, this one female. “You want her, you’d have to get through us first!”

Nihilanth’s body shivered in anger. “Then...so be it...” He opened up his mouths, a black and white glow intensifying in them.

Lars raised his crossbow up and fired. A thick, sharp arrow hit Nihilanth in the neck, causing him to jerk to the side, the glowing stopped. With this distraction, the polar bear raised his arm up and gestured for the other zoners. “Come on! Let’s get him!”

Penny watched, shocked and amazed, as the zoners, at least a dozen of them, charged bravely towards Nihilanth. The dragon tried to fight back, but the attack was so sudden and out of nowhere, he was not able to stop them as they slammed into him.

sss

It was no contest. Both zoners knew what to expect. They both realized they stood little chance. But they still tried anyway. They still tried to fight against a creator. It went as well as they had expected, and both of them felt foolish for trying. But they could have felt foolish if they didn’t try anyway. But at least they gave it their all.

Their all, however, wasn’t good enough. Bardot grumbled as he laid against the ground, his feet tied together with strong nylon rope. He had attempted to chew through them, but the rope was too thick for him. He looked over and he could see Biclops with his arms tied behind his back, feet bound together. He was up against the wall, his body being held up by the cave wall there. He was near the cage that once held Mrs. Sanchez. The hybrid zoner shot a glare at her.

Mrs. Sanchez wasn’t too far away. She had her back turned to them, her arms folded against her chest. The light tendrils still jetted out from her back as she looked left and right. She appeared to be calculating, trying to figure out what to do next. Bardot wanted to challenge her, but he held his tongue, knowing that she could do much worse to him than just trying him up. He was lucky that she didn’t do anything as bad as what Jenny had done.

Mrs. Sanchez remained quiet, her head slowly looking from one side, to the other. She looked deep in thought, to the point where Bardot doubted she would react to him if he made noise. Still, he remained quiet save for a few growls in her direction. He looked over at Biclops for a second, noticing he was glaring in the woman’s direction as well. He was attempting to get free, pulling on his arms, trying to bust the rope. But he found it difficult to do so. Breaking nylon was not an easy thing to do, and the hybrid zoner knew she deliberately chose that kind to ensure the giant couldn’t get himself free quickly.

Mrs. Sanchez soon turned around and she looked over at them. Bardot let out a hiss, his fur raising up. Even though he was of little threat to her, he wanted to show her that he wasn’t going to let her push him around so easily. Mrs. Sanchez didn’t seem fazed by this and merely raised an eyebrow at him. Bardot opened up his jaws a little, pulling up his lips and showing her his sharp teeth, his pink gums exposed. He flattened his eyes and his pupils shrank, making him look feral.

Mrs. Sanchez merely shrugged her shoulders. “Yes, I know you are upset, but I had to make sure you two didn’t...run off.”

“What do you plan on doing with us?” Biclops demanded as he kept trying to pull on his binds.

Mrs. Sanchez chuckled. “Struggle all you want to, you will never get free.” She then took a step forward, the smile wiping off her face quickly. “As for what I’m going to do with you.. I’m not sure. That’s what I was thinking about. You might be too valuable to dispose of...then again, you might be too dangerous to keep.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she stared at the tin foil on his head. “Perhaps an internal mind control device would work better.”

Biclops widened his vertical eyes. “Internal...?”

“Oh yes.” Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. “The problem with the old models is that they both can be influenced by outside sources, especially the oldest model, the bracelet. However, that problem can be removed if all of the device were put into the brain, underneath the skull...”

Bardot’s eyes widened at this. Internal mind control devices? Was she insane? Did she have any idea how dangerous that would be? Did she not know the consequences of this? He didn’t think so. The way she spoke, it seemed like she was deliberately ignoring the consequences in favor of... He started to struggle harder against his binds, hoping that, by some miracle, he was going to break them. He had to get out of here. He was not going to stick around and let this crazy woman put anything into his skull.

“Where are you going?”

Bardot stopped his struggling and glared in the woman’s direction. “As far away from you as possible!”

“And abandon your friend? For shame..” Mrs. Sanchez taunted him. She then corrected himself. “Oh that’s right. How silly of me!” She waved her hand dismissively. “He’s not really your friend, now is he?”

“It’s none of your business.” Bardot hissed at her.

Biclops glared in his direction. “Oh that’s real comforting.”

Bardot ignored him. He kept his attention on Mrs. Sanchez. He cringed a little when she approached him. But he still refused to show fear towards her. He opened his mouth part way, letting out a low hiss, a way of telling her if she got close, he was going to bite her. He knew the consequences, but he didn’t care.

Mrs. Sanchez stopped, chuckled at this, and said, “Well it doesn’t really matter. You both are going to share the same fate.” She turned her head towards one of the nearby tunnels. “Of course, I’m going to need some...chalk.” She paused and glared back at Bardot. “Real white chalk. Not that kind that betrayed the black chalk.”

“You mean...?” Bardot’s voice trailed off.

Mrs. Sanchez nodded her head. “Yes. The ivory chalk.” She grinned softly. She straightened herself up, as if to make herself appear more authoritive. “That way, if my dear daughter tries to stop me.... Let’s just say, she will put herself into a bit of a pickle.”

Bardot narrowed her eyes. Of course Mrs. Sanchez would be smart enough to avoid that obstacle. Of course she would know to use chalk that Penny could not use. Or any other of the good creators for that matter. She deliberately chose an evil chalk to increase the chances of it controlling them, taking them over. He glared down at his nylon rope. If he could just get free, maybe he could...

“You two might as well stay a while. You both aren’t going to leave here. You two will be put to...better use.” Mrs. Sanchez said, a smile on her face. Biclops and Bardot both gave her a confused look. “Oh yes, I forgot. I wanted to talk to you about that. But I was too busy getting you two tied up.” The two zoners growled at her, but said nothing. “You see, black chalk requires dead zoners. That is the ingredient.” She raised a finger at this. “All ground up... and you two will make perfect zoners to start wit.” She looked up at Biclops. “And you would be a good start.”

Despite his fear, Biclops gritted his teeth. “Like hell I’d let you do that!”

“Whatever you say.” Mrs. Sanchez said as she waved her hand dismissively. “You two can’t go anywhere. Nothing you do or say is going to scare me, so why don’t you stick around? Hang out here for a while?” She spread her hands out. “At least you will get to die in your own home, Biclops. At least I offer you that much comfort.”

“We’ll find a way out!” Bardot barked at her. “You’ll see!” He wasn’t sure if they could even get out. But he refused to lay around and say nothing. He was going to show as much defiance against this woman as he could.

Mrs. Sanchez looked at him for a second, a slightly blank expression on her face. Then she smiled, her lips pulling up a little as she partially bared her teeth. “Oh I hope you do struggle. I always love it when my ‘patients’ struggle. I never did surgery on zoners when I was a black chalk artist years ago... It’s going to be fun trying out my skills on you two.” She kept her eyes on Bardot. “Maybe you will be the first. Small, vulnerable... No one really cares about you.” Bardot hissed at this. “Yeah, better I practice on you before trying to...fix him.” She casted a glare towards Biclops.

“You can’t do this!” Biclops shouted at her.

“Come anywhere near me with those filthy mits of yours,” Bardot snarled. “And I will bite off your finger!”

“Oh how threatening.” Mrs. Sanchez said sarcastically. “Now, if you don’t mind...” The woman turned her back to them. “I have some ivory chalk to find. Don’t worry. I won’t be gone too long.” With that, she walked away, disappearing down the tunnel.


	200. Showdown

Penny looked on in amazement and shock as the zoners all around her began to attack Nihilanth. This was certainly an unexpected turn of events that she could not have foreseen coming. It was incredible how the zoners were now standing up to Nihilanth instead of running away. And the dragon himself was equally shocked, as well as horrified. He had lost his fear grip on the zoners and they were fighting back. It all reminded her of ants. A few ants, or even just one, is weak, but when put together in a huge army, they were formidable.

Nowhere did that notion show more than in what she was seeing right now.

Nihilanth stood his ground, his two heads looking off in different directions. He let out roars, snapping his jaws at the zoners. They came in from all sides. There were at least a dozen, but it looked to be a lot more than that. Just how many zoners did Lars bring with him? How many did he convince to join in on the fight?

But whatever it was, she could see the result for herself. Lars was hanging back, but by no means was abandoning the others. He was using that crossbow of his, which she realized had blue outlines, to shoot at the dragon’s head whenever he tried to fire his beam or attempted to create something. A clever trick.. Penny wondered why she and the others hadn’t thought to do that. Creating something out of nothing required concentration, and by breaking that concentration, Nihilanth was deprived of the ability that put him at an unfair advantage. Now, brought back down several pegs as Lars, with help from other zoners, the dragon was forced to rely on his physical body to fight with.

Despite how large and powerful he was, it came at a cost. Although he sometimes can seem fast, especially when in the air, Penny realized just how painfully slow he was, at least compared to the zoners. The small group dispersed all around him, jumping and practically looking acrobatic as they dodged the dragon’s attacks. Nihilanth attempted to stomp on them, but all his feet would crush were rocks and once in a while, a corpse, much to the anger of the zoners. He attempted to bite them, yet all he snapped at was the air.

Nihilanth stopped after several failed attempts. He panted a few times, looking at the zoners with his two heads. He narrowed his eyes, pulling back his lips. He pulled back his heads and let out a roar of frustration. It was loud, ear-piercing, and a couple of the zoners had to freeze and cover their ears.

That turned out to be a fatal mistake on their part.

Nihilanth, as soon as he realized some of the zoners had cringed and froze, took action. Both his heads shot forward, despite his black one being weaker. Jaws clamped around two of the zoners’ bodies and they were lifted up into the air. The sharp teeth pushed against flesh, drawing blood, causing the zoners to scream. With a shout from Lars, a few of the others began to lunge at Nihilanth, latching themselves onto him and clawing, punching, biting, and kicking him, mostly on his limbs. Nihilanth bellowed angrily at this but did not attempt to attack them and raised his heads higher so he could continue crushing the two hapless zoners to death.

One of the zoners, a penguin, managed to hop up far enough to reach the dragon’s head. Nihilanth growled and tried to shake the penguin off. This did little to deter him and the penguin zoner began to slap his flipper against the eye. It appeared to hurt him; Penny could see, even from down here, just how much it stung. But he still didn’t stop. He just kept going, much to her amazement.

Again and again the penguin struck, irritating the dragon. Nihilanth finally let out a roar, releasing his grip on the two zoners and letting them fall. As the zoners crashed and the others went to carry them away to check their wounds, Nihilanth turned his attention on the penguin zoner. Unlike the others, this one did not get a second chance. Before the penguin zoner could get away, Nihilanth snapped his jaws around his body and shook him violently. The penguin zoner screamed loudly before beginning to gurgle as the dragon’s jaws crushed him completely. A torrent of blood flooded from the dragon’s mouth as he lopped the penguin zoner into the air before stricking him against the side of his head. The crushed zoner’s body went flying through the air, landing several blocks away.

Enraged by this, one of the larger zoners jumped onto Nihilanth’s leg and bit down into him. His wolf-like body, equipped with unusually long claws, ripped at the flesh. Despite the dragon being a deity, he was still flesh and blood like them. Penny could see the wolf succeed in ripping a chunk of flesh from the dragon, jumping back before Nihilanth could grab him. The dragon let out a ferocious bellow at the wolf-like zoner, moving his white head over to attack.

Two zoners lunged at him from the side, latching onto his head and biting and clawing and kicking. Nihilanth let out a roar and shook his head. He managed to dislodge the zoners, watching them as they fell down. Nihilanth lifted up his massive paw and tried to strike down. His foot collided with the ground, smashing up the concrete, cracking them apart, but missed the zoners entirely.

Penny looked on in horror as Nihilanth’s black squares began to glow. The lines shot out and started to form some kind of object. Lars reacted immediately. He raised up his crossbow and show another arrow at Nihilanth’s head. The arrow hit him in the face, around where the original one had been before Nihilanth ripped it out. Nihilanth let out a loud roar of pain, his head turning to the other side as he tried to cope with the pain. He grapped onto the arrow and ripped it out, prompting another pain-filled cry. He turned his heads towards Lars and began to rush towards him.

Nihilanth moved as fast as his large body could carry him. Penny winced, pressing herself against the rubble she laid near, as she felt the ground shake beneath her feet. The dragon rapidly approached Lars and raised his paw into the air. Lars attempted to strike, but this time, he was too slow. The paw hit him, sending him flying backwards and somersaulting across the ground.

“No!” Penny cried, before shutting her eyes and hissing in pain as her arm and leg degenerated further. She wanted to help her friend, but all instincts told her she had to stay put.

Nihilanth surrounded Lars between his two heads. The black and white eyes bathed over him, growling as he watched his every move. Lars got back up to his feet and attempted to leave, only to be knocked back when the dragon used his black snout to shove him into the ground. Lars gripped onto the mouth and tried to push back. But Nihilanth was too strong for him. He looked up with wide, fear-filled eyes, his glasses having been knocked off of him from the force, his teeth gritted.

“We think it’s time you...” Nihilanth started to say.

“Let him go!” A cry called out.

To Penny’s shock, it was Chalk Dad. The usually mellow zoner had launched an attack. He drew out his weapon, which turned out to be a souped up butcher knife. He rushed forward along with his sled dog, Sparky. The dog jumped at Nihilanth and bit down on the flesh behind his black jaw, right where his neck started. The dragon hissed, turning his white head over to attack. Chalk Dad pulled back his arm, holding the butcher knife, and he quickly demonstrated for everyone to see just how skilled he was when it came to operating knives in flesh.

In seconds, it was clear to everyone that he was a butcher. The knife collided into the neck, corresponding to the spot on the black head where Sparky was biting. He plunged it in as deeply as he could, and then he cut downward, creating a long, deep gash that poured out blood. He then shifted the knife at a new angle and cut downward again, and in seconds, he hacked off a large chunk of skin and flesh from the neck. He did this so fast that Nihilanth didn’t have time to stop him. He screamed as Chalk Dad carved a large piece of meat from him, rapid blood pouring from the huge wound.

Penny was in a state of shock. She had never seen such brutality from Chalk Dad before. He had never done anything like this to anyone. Was this brought on by his anger at what Nihilanth had done? Was this due to the rage he must feel seeing Nihilanth attack his fellow zoners like that? Was he reacting on instinct to stop Nihilanth from hurting Lars?

The end result was the same. A stunned silence fell upon the scene. It only lasted a few seconds before the zoners rushed over to resume their attack. But it was still significant. Penny found herself staring at Chalk Dad, time slowing down. She looked at the blood staining his butcher knife. Sparky was back at his side, blood staining his teeth. Even though she knew why he had done it, she couldn’t help but remain shocked that he had initated the act at all.

Nihilanth let out a few roars of pain before he whipped his body around as fast as he could. He stomped on the ground, Lars barely moving out of the way in time. Nihilanth let out a roar at the encroaching zoners, snapping his jaws at them. His mouths began to glow and this time, nothing prevented him from unleashing the attack.

A beam of black and one of white shot from his mouths. They twisted together, wrapping into a single beam. It collided with the ground, kicking up rocks and dust. The zoners jumped to the side, dodging the attack. Nihilanth moved the beam up, cutting through the road and concrete and sidewalk. A couple of the zoners were hit by the beam. Their feet were fried, caked in blood and dead skin. They fell to the ground, screaming in agony. Nihilanth grinned at this as his beam died down. He charged towards them.

Lars, dropping his crossbow, rushed forward, his feet pounding the ground. Here, Penny got a reminder that, while Lars is a civilized zoner, he was still a polar bear, and he still had a feral side to him, even if he didn’t show it often. The polar bear zoner rushed towards Nihilanth and jumped onto his white neck. His claws pressed into the neck, providing leverage. Nihilanth lurched a little, but still continued his assault on the defenseless zoners in front of him. Lars, in an act of brutality that, similar to her reaction to Chalk Dad, Penny wasn’t aware of he had, he bit down onto the exposed wound. His teeth cut into the meat and ripped at hit. Nihilanth stopped and roared in pain, shaking his head roughly to dislodge the bear. But the damage had already been done.

Now bleeding heavily from the wound, Nihilanth began to show that he wasn’t as mortal as he liked to think he was. The ground stained in his dark red blood, enough that the smell of it began to be noticeable, even to Penny’s weak sense of small. Nihilanth’s eyes widened in panic and he attempted to create something to heal himself with, or at least, that’s what Penny thought he was doing, but it was hard to tell. The zoners kept attacking him, preventing him from doing anything anyway. Then, with a twist of his body, Nihilanth did something that Penny thought he’d never do.

Flee.

Penny watched in astonishment as the dragon attempted to get away. She couldn’t understand why, until she took a moment to think about it. With the black chalk gone, he must have been weakened. His black side was less powerful now, and it seemed like his ability to create anything was affected, slower. And without his calmer black side, his more tenacious white side was making irrational decisions, which lead to this.

Nihilanth opened up his wings and attempted to fly. Several zoners got on his back. Using natural weapons or artificial ones, they attacked his wings. The dragon shrieked as his wing membranes began to get torn up. Such violence wasn’t something Penny would have thought the zoners were capable of, but then again, the zoners had never faced a threat to their own existence before...

Nihilanth soon stopped attempting to fly. His wings had several cuts in them. It wasn’t bad enough to be flightless, but there must be a lot of pain as Nihilanth didn’t dare try to raise his wings too much anymore. He rushed towards the nearest ruined building and slammed his body against it. The brick cracked apart easily from the force and the zoners were thrown off, falling in different directions.

In an act of blind rage and vengefulness, Nihilanth began to stomp on the ground, his tails colliding behind him as the other zoners tried to get close. The zoners he had cornered tried to get out of the way. Though one was lucky, the other was not. Nihilanth grinned in twisted satisfaction as his foot crushed the zoner’s body underneath his foot, a sickening crunch sounding out. The zoners froze for a moment, looking on in horror and shock, before continuing to try to get to the other zoner to save him.

Nihilanth grabbed the second zoner in his paws, lifting him up into the air. He knocked the other zoners away with his tails, watching as their bodies collided against the hard, broken ground. Turning his attention to the zoner he had clutched in his paw, he threw him as hard as he could into the ground. The zoner’s neck snapped immediately and there was a loud crack as his skull hit the concrete. He fell limp on the ground, blood dribbling from his mouth.

Penny looked on in horror as Nihilanth slowly began to turn the tides in his favor. The zoners still fought back, but losing a few of their own to the beast, and in such brutal ways, was having an impact on their motivation. She could see a couple zoners begin to back away, clearly debating on whether or not they should stay and fight or run. Many of the others were shaken, but were still willing to fight. But how long was that going to last?

Penny knew she had to do something to help. She attempted to get up onto her feet. She staggered, letting out a cry of pain. She looked down at her leg. The bone had already broken, and now the leg was useless. She clutched it, seething in pain, tears strolling down her face. Her arm had rebroken by now as well, and she couldn’t use it for support. If she attempted to use the arm, she would be in the grips of agony. She landed back on the ground, her body shivering as she tried to cope with the agony, fighting against blacking out.

Still, that didn’t make her quit. There was something she could do... She just had to think of it. She looked out at Nihilanth as he attacked the zoners, watched as the zoners fought back, targeting mostly the neck wounds that Chalk Dad and Sparky had inflicted. She tried to think of something she could do to help, some way of bringing Nihilanth’s reign to stop. There had to be something she could do. If she could just...

“Penny...!”

Penny raised her head up at that voice. She turned to look. Seconds later, she heard a second voice.

“Penny Sanchez!”

Penny turned herself around, pressing her back against the rubble. She could see, coming down the street, were Biclops and Bardot. She was taken aback. Where did they come from? How had they gotten here without drawing attention from Nihilanth? She wanted to call out to them, but the pain temporarily took away her voice and she seethed, clutching her arm as pain shot up and down it.

Biclops and Bardot stopped not far in front of the girl. They panted. Their eyes were wide, faces pale. They look like they had been running for a long time. Their pale faces made it look like they had seen a ghost. Penny couldn’t help but wonder just what they were running away from, and why did they come all the way here? And how did they figure out this was where she was, or were they looking for someone else? These thoughts and more rushed through her mind as she tried to make sense of the situation.

The two zoners opened their mouths to speak, but they stopped themselves when they took notice of what was going on behind her. Penny could see their horrified expressions, mouths dropping open in shock. Penny turned her head, looking out at the scene with the side of one eye.

Nihilanth rose up on his hind legs, letting out a series of roars. His tails thrashed, crushing the ground beneath him. He swatted at some of the zoners, trying to rake them with his claws. The zoners moved around, doing what they could to stay out of his range. They were regaining some ground, forcing Nihilanth to back away a little. Lars clung onto the monster’s leg, his bear claws ripping up flesh. Nihilanth grabbed him in his jaws, only for Sparky to bite him on his face. Nihilanth flung his head, sending the whimpering dog flying, and turned his attention to Chalk Dad. The butcher raised up his butcher knife warningly. Nihilanth widened his eyes for a moment, as if remembering what the zoner had done to him with that, before turning his attention elsewhere.

He began to stalk towards an injured zoner. He was limping a little, dragging his foot along. Nihilanth licked his lips, growling softly. He spread his wings and jumped into the air, using his flight limbs to help him glide a little further. He slammed into the ground, his weight smashing the rocks underneath him and tossing the zoner forward a little. Penny winced as she heard a crunch sound and realized the zoner’s ankle is broken. Nihilanth chuckled at this and opened his mouth to prepare to bite.

Nihilanth reared back as several zoners surrounded him and jumped onto him like a swarm. They bit and cut him as much as they could, causing the zoner to back away on his two hind feet. Two zoners rushed to the injured zoner’s aid, pulling him away and to safety. Nihilanth attempted to swat the zoners, but he missed. They jumped away just as Nihilanth hit his foot against a jetted out rock and fell onto his back. It didn’t take long for the zoners to take advantage of this.

“Wow. This is quite violent.” Bardot commented as he watched the zoners attack Nihilanth’s underside. “I never would have expected this from these zoners. But then again..” Bardot gave a small, amused smile. “Nihilanth kind of deserves it, the asshole.”

Biclops remained quiet, his mouth still hanging open. Penny noticed his face was paling a little. She wondered if he was starting to have some kind of horrific flashback. She felt hear heart twist at the thought of that. Biclops had been through so much years ago. And now he was witnessing more carnage. Even if it was Nihilanth and not an innocent zoner, seeing any gruesome violence must run the risk of triggering such a flashback for him...

Biclops shook his head, forcing himself to tear his eyes away from the scene. He looked down at Penny. “What’s going on here?”

Penny replied, “Nihilanth was trying to tell me about how he wanted to make things better by creating a new world. He claims to want to get rid of pain and suffering and death, and when I didn’t believe him, he took me here. I still refused and then he tried to kill me.” She turned her head, taking a moment to watch the zoners. “They came and saved me.”

Bardot shot her a disbelieving look. “You mean to say they are risking death going up against this guy to save you?”

Penny nodded her head.

“Incredible...” Biclops commented softly. He quickly shook his head, narrowing his eyes. “But we don’t have time to discuss that right now. Penny, we have something important we need to give you.”

“Just how did you guys get here?” Penny interjected before Biclops could continue.

Bardot raised his paw up, making a dismissive swipe of his paw. “Believe me, it would take a little while to explain that. I’ll just say it wasn’t easy, especially with the rope your mom used to tie us up.”

Penny’s eyes widened in shock. “My mom tied you up?!” She looked left and right, dread filling her heart. “Wh-Where is she now..?”

“Don’t worry.” Bardot said, tilting his head to the side and giving a small grin. “She’s been taken care of.” Penny’s eyes widened at that.

Seeing her expression, Biclops spoke up. “He doesn’t mean....that.” He gave a small glare at Bardot before he looked at Penny. “He just means that we managed to subdue her again. As he said, it was not a simple task, but she won’t be able to cause anymore trouble for now and...” He paused. He began to rub his chin thoughtfully, his gaze pointed backwards. “Of course, we don’t know how long that trap will hold...”

“This isn’t helping! If my mom comes here...” Penny calmed herself down. Now wasn’t the time to get worked up. She looked at Biclops and said, “What do you two need to tell me?”

“We know of a way to...” Biclops started to say.

Bardot put himself in front of Bardot, adopting a proud posture, his head raised an eyes closed. “I figured out a way to weaken the other half to Nihilanth!"

Biclops nudged him to the side, frowning at him. Instead of arguing with him, Biclops knew the urgency of this information. He looked over at Penny, who stared up at him eagerly, waiting for him to continue. “We heard of what happened to Nihilanth. Your mother mentioned that the black chalk had been destroyed, and we concluded that it meant Nihilanth was weakened. We deduced that if the white half were also affected...”

“It might cripple the dragon, forcing him to relinquish his vessels!” Bardot cried out, completing Biclops’s sentence before he could finish. He ignored the glare he got as he turned his head. It was when Penny noticed he was wearing a bag attached to a strap around his waist. He pulled something out, holding it in his teeth. “Here, you’ll need these!” He said in a muffled voice before flipping his head and sending the items flying.

Penny could see a couple pieces of red chalk rolling down towards her. She widened her eyes at this. The red chalk? How would that help them? She knew that it could fight against black chalk, and she used that to free Rudy. But it’s not the black chalk they had to worry about anymore. It was the sentient white chalk that now provided most of the energy for Nihilanth. And even then, the black side was not incredibly weakened. Even with the white side weakened, she wasn’t sure if it would be good enough to stop him.

She wasn’t sure how this was going to work. Did the red chalk have any kind of advantage over the white kind? Did the red chalk have the capability of doing what Biclops and Bardot claimed it would? How did they come to this conclusion?

But there was little time to think about that. She heard loud screams and she looked over. Nihilanth had crushed a couple more zoners and lacerated two more. Blood caked the ground more richly, his blood intermixing with theirs. The remaining zoners still staid and fought, attacking the dragon with all they head. But with far less numbers now, they were slowly beginning to lose. It was just a matter of time before Nihilanth finishes them off. Penny knew she had to act soon, or the zoners were doomed.

“What girl waiting for?” Penny looked down, seeing the red chalk begin to glow rapidly. “Hurry. Use us!”

Penny bit her lip. “Are you sure you can...?”

“Do what we can. Help stop Nihilanth. Trust us!” The red chalk called out to her. “Now! Nihilanth distracted! Eyes on fresh meat! Now time!”

Penny glared at the red chalk when it referred to the zoners as ‘fresh meat’. But she didn’t dwell on that now. Picking up the red chalk, she climbed up to her feet, but tumbled forward. Biclops placed his hand there, supporting her. Penny seethed, clutching the red chalk in her hands as she leaned against Biclops for support. She looked at him and gave him a silent thank you, and then lowered her head, trying to figure out what she was going to do.

“Do something!” The red chalk snapped.

“I would if I knew how I was going to do this!” Penny replied.

Biclops looked down at her with concern. “Your leg is broken, isn’t it?”

Penny nodded her head. “I don’t think I’ll be able to draw well if I can’t walk.” She winced as a bit of pain radiated from her body. If she weren’t holding onto Biclops’s large hand, she would have fallen back into the ground now. “I think I have an idea of what I could draw... But I’d need to be able to move around more and...”

“May I give a suggestion?” Bardot said, raising a claw into the air. Penny looked over at him expectantly. “Maybe you could draw yourself something to help you. Perhaps a jetback or something?”

Penny’s eyes widened at this. Of course, why didn’t she realize that? Why didn’t she come up with that idea herself? She had been so worried about how she was going to try to stop Nihilanth, she completely forgot about drawing herself her own transportation. She looked down at the red chalk, and then back towards where Nihilanth was fighting the remaining zoners. She narrowed her eyes and she quickly sketched with the red chalk.

In a short time, she had drawn herself a jetpack. The straps fit across her chest, secured firmly. She made a single handle which was placed a bit in front of about the middle of her body. She put the red chalk in her pocket and grabbed onto the handle. She squeezed the button tightly and she started to rise up into the air. Glaring in Nihilanth’s direction, she pushed the handle forward, and in seconds, she flew off in that direction.

Penny rapidly approached the dragon, stopping well before she actually reached him. She moved her head up and down, scanning the area. The remaining zoners still fought against him, and the dragon didn’t seem to notice him yet. She looked all around, trying to figure out the best way to do this. She wasn’t sure how she was going to succeed with what she had in mind, but as long as she got the dragon’s attention, which shouldn’t be too hard, she should be fine.

Penny got a little closer and raised up a piece of red chalk. Moving away from the dragon, towards the least damaged part of the city, she began to quickly draw a large circular structure. She worked as quickly as she could. It wasn’t easy. She wasn’t sure how long Lars, Chalk Dad, and the others could keep the dragon busy. Even with Bardot and Biclops helping, seeing the two rush over, she still wasn’t entirely certain. So she focused her attention on drawing the structure as fast as she could. She looped the chalk around in a wide circle, red lines filling the empty spaces, rapidly forming what she had constructed in her mind.

With a few more finishing touches and making sure it had an anchor into the ground, she flew backwards, admiring her handiwork. She had constructed a large, circular metal object. A huge ring that was wide enough for Nihilanth to fly through. There were several notches on the interior, lining the inside and circling around. Each of them had a small light bulb and a slight glow to them. It was attached to a rectangular piece of metal, ‘legs’ attached securely to it while the platform itself had anchors that dug into the ground, ensuring that it couldn’t be easily knocked off or fall over by mistake.

With the object in place, she turned her attention to Nihilanth. Now she just had to make him fly through it. That wouldn’t be too hard. She just needed to push the right buttons and she was in business. She narrowed her eyees slightly and she flew back towards the dragon.

Nihilanth paid no attention to her. His full attention was on the zoners still attacking him. He roared and swatted at a few that were attacking his feet. He lowered his white head and snapped his mouth at a stick figure zoner that had been shooting him with a beebee gun. The stick figure dropped the gun just as Nihilanth tried to seize him in his jaws. Sparky jumped onto his white head and bit down on the tough skin on his snout. Nihilanth growled loudly and shook his head from side to side, tossing the husky dog into the ground. He grabbed him, holding the yelping dog by his tail. Chalk Dad rushed over and drove a large knife against his head, leaving a large gash. He caught him. As Nihilanth pulled his head back and shrieked, Chalk Dad caught Sparky, cushioning his fall.

Nihilanth’s tails went wild, smashing against the ground. Echoes of grunching, crushing, and gurgling filled the air as more zoners were killed. Nihilanth took notice and, clearly inspired, whipped his body around and stomped his foot into the ground, crushing a few more zoners under his feet. One zoner, yelling out in anger and rage, attacked Nihilanth ruthlessly, but it soon turned to be a terrible mistake. The zoner let out a scream of agony as her side and stomach were eviscerated, her organs spilling into the ground. Nihilanth kicked her away and she crashed a few feet away, her intestines spilling onto the ground.

Penny realized, in horror, that very few zoners remained from the large group that came to her rescue. In addiction to Chalk Dad, Sparky, and Lars, and counting Biclops and Bardot, there were only five others. And those remaining five were clearly frightened, a lot of their spirit having been destroyed from their injuries and from witnessing their comrades get massacred. She had to hurry before the rest were killed off. She moved in quickly, hoping that she could get the dragon’s attention before he attempted to attack anyone else.

“Hey!” Penny cried out.

Nihilanth looked over at her and growled. But instead of giving chase like she thought, Nihilanth looked away. His attention shifted onto the zoners in front of him. Both sets of eyes looked directly at Biclops. His lips on both mouths curled back, showing off his long, sharp teeth.

“Nihilanth! Why don’t you face me?!” Penny shouted, cupping her hand to her mouth. “Nihilanth!”

But the dragon refused to listen to her. To Penny’s confusion, the dragon ignored the opportunity to get her and instead focused on going after Biclops. She couldn’t understand why. Biclops was much larger than her and in better shape. Why would Nihilanth choose a more healthy target than her? She didn’t dwell on it and she rushed forward as quickly as she could.

Biclops didn’t have much time to react as the dragon bounded in his direction. He raised his hands and grabbed onto Nihilanth as the dragon tackled him into the ground. Nihilanth pinned him down, easily overpowering Biclops as he was larger than him. His two heads lowered, his jaws opening up, ready bit into the giant. Biclops managed to free an arm and he punched Nihilanth on the side of his head. The dragon’s head was tossed to the side, the other one letting out an angr hiss and biting down on his shoulder. Biclops let out a cry of pain.

Penny cried out in horror. “Biclops!”

Bardot, his fur bristling, jumped onto the head biting Biclops. He positioned himself close to his eye. He pulled back his claws and struck against the orb. He hissed in pain as his claws penetrated through the light. Nihilanth pulled his head up and roared in pain. Bardot yanked his claws out and there was a large splatter of blood. Nihilanth shut his eye, hiding the torn organ from the outside world. As Biclops managed to back away, Nihilanth grabbed onto his eye, blood pooling through his paw. Penny winced at the sight of it.

Nihilanth turned his other head to Bardot, flashing his sharp teeth at him. Bardot arched his back and let out a loud hiss. He backed away as the head edged closer to him, moving at a swift rate. The mouth opened up and snapped at Bardot. The hybrid zoner let out a screech as his foot was caught in it. He was lifted up above the ground and dangled in the monster’s jaws.

Thinking fast, Penny drew a medium sized rock, catching it with her feet. She rocked herself back and forth. She released the rock, sending it sailing through the air. It collided with Nihilanth’s head, just below his eye. His head moved forward in reaction and he let out a low growl, releasing Bardot. He turned his head towards Penny, his teeth bared.

“Come on!” Penny said, waving her arm tauntingly. “Come and get me! I know you want to!” Nihilanth narrowed his eyes at her. “You were trying so hard to kill me before! Well now is your chance! Come on, big guy, are you afraid?”

Nihilanth absentmindedly struck out with his tails, knocking the zoners away. But he made no attempt to move towards her. “You must think we’re stupid.”

Penny asked, “What do you mean?”

Nihilanth raised up his paw, pointing a bloodstained claw behind her. “We’ve seen what you’ve built. We know you are just trying to trick us. It’s not going to work. However, if you want us to react...” Nihilanth opened his mouths, preparing to shoot another black and white beam. “We would be happy to obligue...”

Penny’s eyes widened and she dodged to the left as Nihilanth sent out the super heated beam. Her mind flashed to when Mr. Longhorn got some burns from the beam. Despite it being relatively minor, it was still enough to send another cold chill up her spine and inspired her to move quickly to the left as the dragon moved his head, dragging the energy beam along with him. She winced as she felt the tip of her foot feel the intense heat of the beam.

The dragon blasted at her again and again. Rapid beams sailed past her, nearly grazing her skin. She moved up and down, whatever she could to avoid the beam. To her horror, a few times, the beam nearly struck the device she constructed. Instinctively, she began to fly away from it, knowing that she at least had the dragon’s attention, even if it wasn’t the exactly result she wanted. The girl led his attacks away, and as she kept dodging, her mind swirled with rapid thoughts as she tried to think of exactly how she was going to make this work.

As she kept dodging, she kept trying to come up with a plan to get the dragon to chase her. There had to be something else she could try. Obviously simply taunting him wasn’t going to work. She had to make him want to chase her, and she had to make it less obvious. He was onto her little trick. Shew the only way he’d fly through there now was if he was so angry, he didn’t realize what he was doing. But how could she get him angry enough to fly through there without drawing suspicion from him? There had to be something...

Suddenly a massive foot pushed her against the wall of a building. She let out a grunt of pain, shockwaves of it moving through her body as Nihilanth cruelly pressed against her wounds. The wall cracked a little and she heard a few rocks rolling down from the force of the impact. The sound of metal cracking and bending was also heard and she knew that her jetpack had been crushed. She heard the shouts from various zoners down below as she struggled to free herself.

Nihilanth put his white face close to hears. The sharp tip of his beak was inches away from her face. He opened his mouth partway, allowing his hot, stinky breath hit against her face. Penny turned her head to the side, glaring up at the dragon. She was unable to hide her fear as she locked eyes onto him. This was not lost on Nihilanth and the white head’s mouth corners ticked upwards into a smile.

“You think you’re so clever, don’t you? You need a little lesson from us.” Nihilanth said. His black head lowered and snarled and snapped at the zoners attempting to help her. “Such little nuisances... Well don’t worry. They won’t distract me from my work for long...”

Penny jerked herself from side to side. “Let me go!”

“Oh we would...but that wouldn’t be a good idea.” Nihilanth said, shaking his white head from side to side slightly. “In case you didn’t notice, you’re...not exactly suited for being up in the air.”

Penny widened her eyes at this. She quickly remembered that she no longer had the jetpack. If she fell from this height, there was no way she’d survive, not in her condition. She looked down, taking note of just how far up she is.

“Of course, we could obligue if you really want us to let go.”

Penny looked up at the dragon in fear. She shook her head rapidly ."N-No..I changed my mind!” She hooked her hand on the bottom of his paw, holding on tightly. “Don’t let me go!”

Nihilanth pulled her away from the building. He held her up as high as he could muster without taking flight. “Oh I don’t know. You seemed really determined...” He said. “We wouldn’t want you to become upset...”

Penny let out a scream as she felt Nihilanth loosen his grip on her. She held on with her unbroken arm as tightly as she could. The claws and digits left her body, no longer pressing against her, forcing her to hang on by an arm. Nihilanth’s white head grinned at her. She stared at it fearfully, knowing that if the dragon decided to attack or toss her, there was nothing she could do to stop him.

Penny looked down below and noticed the zoners still fighting. So far, no more had been killed, much to her relief. But just how long was that going to last...?

Suddenly a loud screech echoed across the land. It was intermixed with screams from two humans. A man and a woman. It was hard to tell who it was at first, but something about the screams was familiar. Penny, Nihilanth, and the zoners looked around as they tried to identify the direction the sounds were coming from. There was another scream, louder this time, and it was coming from the right. They immediately shifted their heads over, their wide eyes noticing something heading in their direction.

Penny gasped at the sight. It was Mr. Longhorn and Ms. Saffron... She noticed the woman was starting to limp horribly. She was leaning onto Mr. Longhorn for support, pain etched into her eyes. Her leg looked awful, like it had been twisted. Penny wondered what could have happened to her, and then she got a good idea.

Behind them, Draow was chasing them through the street, his wings spread out and his mouth wide open, sharp fangs exposed and glinting in the light. His leg muscles bulged and flexed as he pushed himself faster, his tail flying out behind him. His feet pounded the ground, his back parallel to the ground as he lowered his head and attempted to attack the two.

“Mr. Longhorn?! Ms. Saffron?!” Penny cried out in shock.

The two adults didn’t seem to hear her call. They looked behind them, letting out a scream of fear as Draow got closer to them. He appeared to be missing most of his armor, only bits remaining behind. He must have lost them in a chase or to whatever the man and woman had done. But Penny’s mind hardly focused on that as she watched her two friends run for their lives. A sickening thought crossed her mind.

Draow was clearly toying with them. Ms. Saffron was limping badly due to her leg. She wouldn’t be able to keep it up for very long. She was already going at a rather slow pace, slow enough that Draow should have been able to catch up already. He was deliberately holding back, prolonging their terror. The thought angered Penny, her blood boiling. How dare he terrorize them like that...

It seemed that she wasn’t the only one who was angry at him. Nihilanth no longer had his eyes on her, and was glaring at Draow. He hardly seemed to notice the zoners still attacking, barely reacting to them. He still held onto Penny, but now he was holding her almost mindlessly as all focus shifted to Draow.

“I’ve got you now...” Draow shouted as he was about to make the leap. Nihilanth lowered his head in front of him, causing Draow to skid along the ground, coming to a complete stop. “N-Nihilanth?! What..what are you..?”

“That is none of your business. What are you doing here? This isn’t what you were assigned to do!” Nihilanth growled at him, flashing his sharp teeth. He glanced at the two adults for a second before looking back at Draow. “And why did you lead them here?”

“I-I was trying to c-catch them!” Draow called out. “They were trying to mess with the controls and...!”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” Nihilanth cried.

Draow lowered his ears, shaking his head. “N-No... I..I don’t understand...”

Neither did Penny. What was Nihilanth getting worked up about? He hadn’t shown fear or anger towards the idea of humans coming his way. He seemed to regard humans as easily to manipulate. Even in the absense of black chalk, there was the white chalk, which could induce magic chalk madness, and be just as deceitful as black chalk. What was Nihilanth worried about? He could easily take over Mr. Longhorn and Ms. Saffron if he wanted to.

Nihilanth snarled at him. “Of course you don’t understand, mutt. You don’t always pay attention.”

“I....” Draow started to say.

As the two began their little banter back and forth, with Nihilanth growing frustrated and Draow remaining confused, Penny turned her head, trying to locate just what Nihilanth was talking about. She turned her attention to Saffron and Longhorn, looking over them to see if there was anything she missed. And what’s when she saw it.

Saffron had something strapped to her waste. It was some kind of holster or something. But it didn’t weild a gun. Instead, it held another type of weapon. Long, sharp, and quite distinct. She knew what it was right away. There was only one thing it could be.

The sword that Bardot had given them...

“Hey! Isn’t that the sword I found in the Fire Zone?” Bardot apparently had the same thought as she did.

Biclops looked down at him. “You found it where?”

Bardot looked up at the giant. “About a year into my stay in the Fire Zone, Draow and I found that sword buried there. I gave it to Rudy when he and his friends showed up to talk to me.”

Bardot found the weapon there? Well that did make more sense than her initial thought of him creating it. No blue chalk and not the right material to create such a sword. But that gave her more questions than answers. Who made the sword? What was it for? Why was it put there in the first place? Why was Nihilanth so angry to see it? Did the sword have something to do with him?

Although Penny wasn’t sure if the sword could be used to stop Nihilanth, there was one surefire way to find out. She stared at the sword long and hard. She looked over at the ring she constructed. She turned her head back towards the sword. She narrowed her eyes in determination. She knew what she had to do. Quickly drawing another jetpack, she activated it and flew towards where Longhorn and Saffron were.

When she got close enough, she grabbed onto the sword. She surprised the two adults, who turned their heads towards her. Penny pulled on the sword. It was heavy and difficult to wield with just one hand, but still she yanked on it. To her surprise, Ms. Saffron grabbed onto her arm, holding it firmly.

“Let go!” Penny shouted at her, staring at her in confusion. “Why are you holding it? I need to use this, I...”

“We don’t know how to work it, Penny. What if you do something wrong and you get yourself hurt? We need to go see Rudy! He might know!” Ms. Saffron cried.

Penny shook her head. “He doesn’t know anything!” She paused, glancing down at the sword. “Where did you find it anyway?”

“We found it...” Mr. Longhorn paused. “Well you know, I don’t know, actually.” He rubbed the back of his head nervously. “I think it was in Solar Pillars...or it was on the way here.. I don’t know.” He seemed to realize what Penny had said. He stared at her wide-eyed. “Wait..Rudy doesn’t know how to use this thing? Well if he doesn’t....” He looked at the sword, biting his lip nervously. “How are you...?”

Penny said, “I’m going to wing it.” The two adults stared at her in shock. “Yes, I know it’s a risk. But I think it’s worth taking.” She glared in the dragon’s direction. “He needs to be stopped. There’s no time to figure out how this works.” She turned her attention to the two adults. “Get Ms. Saffron to a hospital.”

Mr. Longhorn nodded his head. “Okay.” Penny was glad he didn’t try to argue, and realized that Ms. Saffron really needed help.

Ms. Saffron was reluctant to let go, but slowly her fingers loosened, and Penny now held the sword in her hand. Ms. Saffron gave her a wide-eyed look, clearly worried about her. She didn’t attempt to stop her, knowing that it would have been useless to try. “Be careful, kid.”

“I will, don’t worry.” Penny smiled at her. Then narrowing her eyes, she looked over at Biclops and Bardot, who had backed away from the battle. “You two! You and the least injured zoners, help the others to the hospital!”

The two zoners nodded their heads and rushed off to the others. Penny watched as the others left, doing as she had requested. She turned her attention to Nihilanth. She still needed to figure out just how he was going to trick him into chasing her. She looked down at the sword. How was this supposed to be used? She hoped she didn’t use it the wrong way. She had no idea what kind of effects it would have if she didn’t use it accurately. The idea of making a terrible mistake, getting it all wrong... She shook her head. She had to take action and fast.

Nihilanth didn’t seem to notice she had the word. He was too busy yelling at Draow. By this point, Draow had lowered himself into a submissive posture. He had lost the argument and no longer attempted to defend himself or his choices. Nihilanth had calmed down a tad, but was still quite pissed off at him. Penny wondered if she could use this to her advantage. Maybe if she got Draow to fly through the circle in blind panic... No, that wouldn’t work, not unless she forced him to.

She looked down at herself. She had only one working arm, and it was holding onto the sword. There was no way she could hold onto Draow and the sword at the same time. And such a move was risky. There were consequences she had to consider. Yet..if she pulled this off... She made up her mind.

Nihilanth growled at Draow, “You didn’t notice them pick up the sword?!”

Draow shook his head. “N-No..I didn’t!” His body trembled, his head turned to the side as he avoided eye contact. “I swear, I didn’t know! I...”

“Enough!" Nihilanth growled. “Consider yourself lucky that the sword hadn’t been used yet! Quick, destroy it before it can be used!” Nihilanth turned his heads from side to side. “...Draow, where is the sword?”

“What? It was right here a minute ago.” Draow turned his head to the right, his body sloping downward. “I swear, one of those humans had it and...” Suddenly Draow jerked forward, letting out a grunt, his wings spreading out. “What the...?!”

Penny leaned herself against Draow, pressing her leg against his side in an attempt to gain some footing. “Looking for this?” Penny gestured towards her side, where she had drawn a red holster that held the sword. “If you want it, try to take it from me!”

“You brat! I’ll...!” Draow was stopped short when Penny grabbed onto his ear and began to pull hard on it. Draow let out a loud screech, backing up, holding his wings out.

“Get her off of you!” Nihilanth ordered, his blazing black and white eyes practically piercing through Draow’s soul. “Do it now!”

Draow began to buck wildly, trying to throw Penny off of him. She held on as tightly as she could, her hands twisting his ear. He roared in pain, shaking his head from side to side. Penny refused to let go, no matter what Draow threw at him. He began to run around in a small circle, beating his wings a little as his body swayed from side to side. He turned his head, snapping his jaws at her legs, which she pulled back to avoid getting bit.

Draow eventually stopped, lowering his body slightly, and letting out a low, frustrated growl. He suddenly burst into a sprint. Penny took this chance to attempt to guide him. She yanked on his other hear, pulling his head to that side. Draow turned, following her gestures unconsciously. He spread his wings and jumped into the air. Penny held on even tighter, her fingernails practically digging into the skin.

She yanked on his ear to the other side, and soon they were going in the right direction. Draow was so busy trying to get her off, he didn’t realize that they were headed straight for Nihilanth. The dragon let out a roar and snapped his jaws at them. It was then that Draow took notice, stopping in his tracks, his eyes wide in fear. Nihilanth glared at Draow, but his frown deepened when he took a look at Penny. If he had pupils, they’d be focused on the sword that was attached to her waist. He growled, opened his mouths slowly, exposing his sharp teeth.

The sight of this terrified Penny, but it also filled her with hope. It meant that the sword really was a weakness to him. Why else would he react like this? She didn’t know how it was a weakness, or why they didn’t think of it before. But she could always get answers later. Right now, she had to focus on the task at hand. Now that Nihilanth was focused on her, she could get him to chase her. She turned her attention to Draow and gripped onto his ear. She pulled as hard as she could, digging her finernails into the sensitive skin.

Draow shut his eyes tightly and let out a screech. He moved his body to the side and began to run in the opposite direction just as Nihilanth spread his wings out. The two headed dragon immediately gave chase, his feet pounding the ground and then leaving it as Draow flew around wildly. Penny checked several times to make sure Nihilanth kept following. It was clear that his fear of the sword overrid any fear he may have had for her trap. She kept yanking on the bat wolf’s ears, guiding him to where the circular metallic structure laid.

Then, with Nihilanth’s jaws snapping behind her, the dragon’s mind clearly hellbent on getting that sword away from her, Penny managed to get Draow to fly throug the metal structure. Now all she had to do was wait and hope that Nihilanth would fly through. Just a few seconds, and then would come the moment of truth.

Penny heard a loud roar behind her. She turned around. For a split second, she could see Nihilanth flying towards her. She waited, and...

Nihilanth went through the metal hoop.

The reaction was instant. The hoop activated, the lights around it glowing, firing several intense red lasers at the beast. It formed a flat red disc that wrapped itself around Nihilanth. The dragon threw his heads back and let out a loud scream of pain, red electricity coursing through his body, intensifying as the seconds passed. Penny widened her eyes as Draow kept flying further away, watching as Nihilanth’s body convulsed from the electricity.

Draow, after a couple seconds, took notice. He turned around. His ears flattened and his eyes bulged. “..No...!” He barked loudly before rushing back towards the electrified dragon. “I’ll get you out of there! Don’t worry!”

Penny attempted to stop him, but Draow managed to fling her off of him. Penny screamed as she collided into the ground. She seethed in pain and looked up as Draow flew towards the device. He opened his jaws and began to bite against it, pulling it, trying to rip it apart. He screeched as he found himself electrocuted as well. He moved back, hovering in place for a bit. He turned around and tried a new angle. He brought forth his claws and struck against the metal, his claws scraping along it.

After repeated strikes, Draow managed to loosen one of the screws holding the device in place. Penny widened her eyes at this. She tried to get back up, but she was in too much pain and fell back down. She could only watch in stunned horror as Draow kept attacking the weak point. Then, with a mighty tug, he used his jaws to rip a piece clean off. The rest of it came crumbling down, some of it crashing on top of Nihilanth. Penny shivered at the sight of this. What was she going to do now? She couldn’t possibly attempt this again and hope that...

She soon realized something was wrong with Nihilath. He remained in the air, but he appeared frozen. His body constantly shivered, his eyes remaining shut in pain. Then he began to roar as his body glowed for a moment, light shooting out of it. At first, Penny thought he was creating something, but there was something different about this light. Something that seemed familiar...

She got her answer quickly. The light hit the ground and formed a large bulge. It rapidly shifted in shape and size, and soon formed an all too familiar man.

“Master?!” Draow cried in shock.

Penny couldn’t believe it. It was..it was Mr. Cosmo... Unconscious as if he were affected by the electricity, but it was him nonetheless. The red chalk managed to severe him from Nihilanth, no doubt using and damaging the white chalk half of Nihilanth in the process. She kept staring at Mr. Cosmo for a few seconds before she managed to look back at Nihilanth.

The dragon laid prone on the ground. His body moved a little, and he was waking up. But he was slow, sluggish, and Penny could see the toll the red chalk had on him. His white side began to look as withered as his left. The red chalk really did a number on him. But there was no time to celebrate. Despite the dragon’s weakened appearance, she knew this wasn’t over yet. She still had to finish the job. He no longer had Mr. Cosmo as a vessel, and soon, he would no longer have Barney as one.

Penny got up to her feet, activating her jet back so she could stay upright. She lifted up the sword. She glared in the direction of Nihilanth. She knew exactly what she had to do. Even if she didn’t know how this sword worked, she was going to wing it. And she knew what she was going to do.

Penny charged towards Nihilanth, the flames on her jetpack pushing her faster. She got closer to the barely conscious dragon. She raised the sword up, ignoring the aching pain in her arm.

Draow saw her and barked at her. “No! If you lay that blade on him, I’ll rip you to shreds!”

Penny ignored the bat wolf’s warning. She ignored the fact that he was chasing after her now. The only thing on her mind right now was the waking up dragon in front of her. Just a little closer... Almost there... Soon, when she got close enough, she launched herself higher into the air, going between the two massive heads, towards a particular spot. She raised up the sword and then, with as much strength as she could muster, she struck, sending the blade slicing precisely in the middle.


	201. Now Is Caged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: And I'm finally coming into the home stretch of this story. I'm going to try to wrap things up in the next couple chapters. I may end up not finishing some plot points. What I'll try to do is, if I recall a plotpoint that I forgot to resolve, I'll write a short story about it.

There was a moment of silence as the blade sliced through the flesh, right on the line that seperated the black from the white. Penny released her grip as she made an abrupt turn. She was slammed into the ground when Draow caught up with her. His talons pressed against her body, uncaring if he hurt her more or not. But he made no move towards her, his wide, shocked eyes fixated on what Penny had done. Everyone still nearby, who hadn’t gotten that far enough away yet, remained frozen, staring in shock at what happened.

The blade was stuck deep in the space of the dragon’s neck, nearly touching the handle. Every sharp curve, every serrated edge, was lodged inside. Nihilanth’s heads were raised up, his glowing eyes wide in shock and pain. He quivered a few times, a paw raised above the ground, his tails tails straight up. He had attempted to get up and flee, but the pain froze him where he stood, and all he could do was slowly arch his heads so he could see the knife that was in him. He then turned his attention to Penny, his expression asking the silent quetion if whether or not this was really happening.

Penny said not a word. She just stared at the dragon with a rather grim yet determined expression. She shifted her eyes and looked at the sword again and let out a deep sigh. Her task was done. If this was what she was supposed to do, all she could do now was wait and hope for the best. She ignored the heavy breathing coming from Draow, and waited and watched, hoping that, against the odds, she did this correctly.

After what felt like an hour of uneasy, eerie silence, Nihilanth threw his heads back and let out a loud, echoey roar. It shook through the ground, sending vibrations through the concrete underneath their feet. Some of the zoners shifted uneasily, an indication of just how widespread the vibrations were. His heads and necks arched and flew in different directions, wriggling like a trapped snake. His tails wriggled wildly, slamming the ground blindly.

Then the sword itself began to glow. The light intensified, spreading across the middle of the dragon, right on the line between black and white. It extended down until it covered the dragon’s full body. At this, the dragon swayed back and forth more violently, trying to more actively protest against what was happening to him. He let out a series of louder roars, each one filled with more pain and anguish than the last one. The glow spread further, coating his body, giving it a shine that Penny could swear could be seen for miles away. The dragon’s black and white body, in that moment, seemed to all but disappear, transforming it into a pale yellow coloration.

Penny soon noticed something else. It was difficult to describe any other way except that the glow seemed to..harden. It became like a shell on an egg. A massive, dragon-shaped egg. It spread over his body, freezing Nihilanth where he stood. There was a quiver and tremble here or there, but he was otherwise motionless. Then, suddenly, there was a snap, and Penny noticed a crack had appeared.

“No!” Draow called out. He immediately released Penny and dove towards the glowing dragon. He attempted to grab onto Nihilanth, as if he could somehow pull him away. But as soon as he touched the light, he was thrown back and toppled into the ground. He pushed himself up and shook his head. He stared on in horror. “No, please!”

Penny stared at Draow for a moment, noting the terror in his voice. She had never heard him sound afraid before. She looked back at the dragon, the glow on him getting a tad brighter, the cracks spreading throughout. She found herself wanting to move away, but all she could do was raise up her arm, shielding herself from the light.

Then, it happened. Something that she saw coming, and yet didn’t. Something that was going to change everything in a matter of seconds. Something so simple, and yet was so hard to obtain.

The glow ‘shell’...cracked.

In seconds, the light shield broke in several places, sending chunks of solid light flying everywhere, crashing into the ground. The zoners, as well as Longhorn and Saffron, had to get out of the way. The unconscious Cosmo nearly suffered an attack, but Draow was able to grab him and get out of the way in time. Penny rolled herself around, ignoring the pain she was in. She winced as one of the light fragments grazed her broken arm, a burning sensation sweeping through it.

As the shell continued to break, Penny could see that Nihilanth was losing his shape. The areas where the light broke off no longer contained that part of Nihilanth. His wings and tails were the first to vanish, then the rest of his body came. It was like he was turned into a puzzle piece, and he was falling apart at the seams as the crucial pieces were being taken away. His roars of pain continued to echo across the vicinity, echoing in the chests of anyone close enough to hear it.

Then his cries start to distort as his necks broke apart. His face stretched and looked even more gruesome as the glow ripped him apart. His heads lowered to the ground at a rapid pace, his body collapsing into the ground. His heads smashed, and the pieces spread across the land, forming a ‘crater’ of sorts. Whatever remained of him laid there for a few seconds before crumbling up completely, and soon there was nothing left.

Penny remained there in silence, her mind swirling with thoughts as she tried to understand just what had happened here. The others, who still remained where they were, watched in curiosity, some even getting a little closer. Penny wanted to tell them to get away in case it was dangerous, but she found herself unable to, finding it hard to tear her eyes away from the ground from where Nihilanth used to be. She waited for several moments, but nothing else seemed to happen.

Penny bit her lip at this, her heart feeling like it was about to break into two. Her body and mind was hit by a wave of contradicting emotions. On the one hand, there was joy. Nihilanth seems to have been stopped forever. He had lost his two vessels, and he now had nothing left to sustain himself with. He could no longer threaten any of the zoners.

But..but at what cost? Where was Barney? Why wasn’t he still there? Penny’s heart pounded against her chest when she realized that the glow must have destroyed Barney. That must have been the way it took care of vessels that Nihilanth used. She cursed herself. This was her fault.. She..she should have learned more about the sword. She should have been more careful. If she did, then maybe Barney would still be around. Oh what was she going to tell King Mumbo Jumbo? He would...

Penny gritted her teeth, holding back her tears. It was a painful loss, one that she would carry with her the rest of her life. But at least the evil dragon was taken care of. He was no longer going to be able to harm ChalkZone. Not without a body. She could rest assured knowing that the zoners wouldn’t be threatened by him anymore.

Penny could hear heavy panting beside her. She turned her head and she could see Draow standing there. His teal eyes focused on where the dragon had been. His mouth was open and he panted heavily. His breathing was quick and somewhat ragged, and he looked absolutely horrified. He then slowly turned his hea dtowards her. Penny felt a jab in her chest when she saw how devastated Draow was by this, how shaken he was. Penny could have sworn that his fur paled a few more shades.

After a few seconds, Draow, slowly, narrowed his eyes at her. Penny gulped, and attempted to move out of the way. There was nowhere for her to go. Her jetback had been damaged in the crash and Saffron and Longhorn were too far away to do anything to help her. Penny could only watch as Draow adopted a more aggressive posture and walked towards her slowly, his sharp teeth bared at her aggressively.

“You little bitch... You think you’re so smart, don’t you? You think that, just because you stopped Nihilanth, you stopped the black chalk forever. Well you haven’t. There’s more than one way to grow the crop, so to speak.” Draow’s body was low to the ground. He moved slowly forward, his feet lightly touching the ground each time, the sharp tips of his claws pressing into the hard rock, snapping any glow piece he stepped on. “You will not be given another chance. I will make sure of that.” Draow’s wings raised up almost like an owl’s would when it feels threatened. “I have been looking forward to this for a long time...”

Penny tried to shift out of the way. She tried to get herself up so she could try hopping on one foot. Anything to get away from the enraged bat wolf. But nothing worked. Nothing could get her away in time as Draow suddenly charged towards her. His massive frame slammed against her and she found herself being knocked into the ground. She let out a scream of pain. Draow stomped down onto her chest, knocking the wind out of her. She gripped his foot with her hand and looked up fearfully at the bat wolf. He lowered himself, partially straddling her, and let out a loud, threatening screech, letting her see down his throat.

“Penny!” Ms. Saffron cried, her voice filled with horror.

Draow turned his head, his teal eyes staring straight at the woman. “Do not attempt to come forth, or I will make her demise even quicker...” Draow lowered his wing claw to Penny’s throat. “Do I make myself clear?”

Ms. Saffron clenched her teeth, glaring at the bat wolf. But she nor Mr. Longhorn attempted to come forward. Draow smirked at this, and then looked at the other zoners, making sure they got the message. The zoners took a step back, submitting to Draow’s demands, even Biclops, whose worried filled eyes looked at Penny with great concern.

Penny couldn’t blame them for not doing anything. In this situation, what could they do? If they moved forward, Draow would cut her throat open. None of them could move quickly enough to stop him. She was trapped, and at this realization, cold shivers moved up and down her body, her heart pounding against her chest. This sensation increased as Draow turned his attention back down towards her. That sickening smile struck a sharp feeling through her chest, filling her stomach with toxins. Draow knew he had won this round.

“It’s a good thing that they can actually hear what is being said. I know a lot of zoners don’t seem to hear very well.” At Penny’s glare, Draow’s dark smile grew. “Well it’s true! You can’t deny it. I’ve seen a number of occassions where a black chalk artist would tell a zoner what to do, and they refuse to listen, the little idiots! A zoner who doesn’t obey a human is worthless.” He lowered his head towards her. “And a zoner who doesn’t obey a true zoner is equally stupid. Those zoners should listen to me, not their own stupid instincts.” His voice was low, hissing. “You are not fit to be their leader if you cannot accept the truth.”

Penny tightened her grip on his foot. She attempted to push back, but it was no use. “It’s...it’s over, Draow! Nihilanth is gone!” Penny knew that wasn’t entirely true, but it might as well be. Steps would be taken to ensure he couldn’t get another vessel. He had become powerless.

“That’s what you think! But as I said...always another plan!” Draow pressed harder on her chest. The tone of his voice suggested some uncertainty, but if there was even a slightest chance Draow was right, Penny knew she couldn’t just let it go. Draow continued, “And when I do execute the other plan, I will make sure nothing gets in the way. I will not make the mistake of letting you scurry around like the roach you are. I will kill you! And your friends, as well. I will kill anyone who gets in the way!” Draow lowered his head, putting his flashing sharp teeth inches away from her face. “In fact, I think I will take care of you right now. That way, you’ll have no chance of preparing for a backup plan...”

Penny squirmed more as Draow opened his mouth further. She could see him move his head forward a little, positioning his teeth against her head. Penny struggled harder as Draow began to apply pressure to her head. Penny thrashed on the ground as she felt the teeth penetrate her skin, a bit of blood dribbling down the sides of her face. She let out cries of terror and pain as Draow slowly crushed her skull.

Suddenly, before Draow could make the fatal blow, there was an intense glow from where Nihilanth’s body once lay. Penny, Draow, and the others stared in shock as a glow seemed to rise from the ground, hovering there, swaying back and forth. The glow was yellow, just like the previous glow, but it was soon, rapidly paling into white and it began to take shape. There was a sudden flash of bright light, causing everyone to avert their gaze. When they were able to look back, everyone was in shock at what they saw.

There, floating above the ground, was Nihilanth. Or at least, what he looked like without his full body. He looked kind of like how he did as a dragon, but he was in chibi form. His wings were tiny, tails short, his eyes much larger compared to his heads, feet were a little large for his current body size, and he just looked so...adorable was the only word Penny could think of to describe him in this form. His body didn’t appear to be solid anymore, instead made of wisping lights and glows. Once so massive and so threatening, now Nihilanth was reduced to a cute chibi no larger than Snap.

Nihilanth continued to hover there, his heads lowered and eyes only partially open. When he raised them, he looked dazed and confused for a few seconds. He looked left and right, taking in the sights around him. Then, in a matter of seconds, it was like a freight train struck his mind. His body jerked, stiffened, his toes stretching in different directions. In a state of panic, Nihilanth flapped his tiny wings, though it did little to raise him up any higher. He turned his heads from side to side with more force, leaving behind trails of black and white light as he did so.

“What is the meaning of this?! What happened to us?!” Nihilanth cried.

There was a small murmur of chuckles. The tiny dragon’s voice was so...high-pitched and funny sounding. No longer the threatening voice that terrorized them all. Now it was the type of voice they’d hear from a comedy. Even Draow, who was fiercely loyal to the black chalk, couldn’t help but utter a few chuckles himself.

“Oh laugh all you want to!” Nihilanth thrashed his small tails around in agitation. “All we need to do is get another body!” At this, the laughter died down. Despite his voice sounding hilarious, there was clear intent in it, enough that the zoners knew that he shouldn’t be taken lightly. Nihilanth smiled at this. “Yes, that’s right. Fear us, for we are still your deity! You listen to us!”

Penny narrowed her eyes at the chibi dragon. Even in this form, he still had the guts to try to tell the zoners what to do. He still thought that he had the right to control them, still had the right to try to destroy this world. The thought sickened her.

Draow released her, focusing his attention on the small dragon. He approached Nihilanth slowly. Penny could see that his mouth ket partially ticking into a smile, as if seeing Nihilanth in this form was just the funniest thing he ever saw. But he still made it clear he was loyal to him, and he proved that loyalty by bowing down when he got close enough. He lowered his hed submissively.

“Tell me what you would like me to do..and I’ll do it...” Draow said. There was a tinge of eagerness in his voice. “I await your command.”

Nihilanth smiled at this. “Good. At least some of you still have respect.” Nihilanth floated towards Draow. Trails of light swayed behind him, dissipating into the air, creating a short-lived miniature light show of sorts. “You can start by...”

“Oh no you don’t!”

Penny was taken aback when Biclops suddenly charged forward. Draow shifted his body around, his wide eyes on the encroaching giant. Draow let out a screech and jumped at him. Biclops reached forward and grabbed the bat wolf by his throat. He lifted him up into the air. Draow struggled, kicking his feet at Biclops, trying to slash him with his razor sharp claws. But each attack missed. Biclops bared his teeth at Draow, letting out a low growl. He then, mustering up as much strength as he could, threw Draow into the ground. The bat wolf skidded across the ground, letting out a few yelps of pain.

“What are you waiting for? Get him!” Nihilanth’s tiny, squeaky voice boomed through the area.

Draow got up to his feet, shaking his head. He turned to Biclops, spreading out his wings, his eyes narrowed into slits. He moved his head back, curling his lip up in anger. He then took a step forward, his wings raising up into the air, and he let out a loud screech. Biclops widened his eyes, but still stood his ground. He took a defensive posture and raised up his hands as Draow began to charge towards him, preparing to attack.

But Draow’s attack was cut short. Out of nowhere, something sailed through the air, spinning around rapidly, pale blue on color. It struck against Draow, revealing itself to be a large, weighted net. The ends wrapped around each other, securing Draow in the mesh of light blue rope. The bat wolf let out a few panicked cries as he tried to flap his wings, but to no avail. He plummeted to the ground and crashed heavily, kicking up rocks and dust as he did so. Penny stared in shock at this, and seconds later, the culprit revealed herself.

“Stop right there!” A griffin dove down from the sky, landing a few feet away from Draow. She stared at the struggling winged wolf, meeting his glare with one of her own. “You are under arrest!”

“Under arrest? Again?” Draow scraped his feet on the ground as he attempted to stand up. He turned his head and glared daggers at the female griffin. “Do you honestly think a jail is going to hold me for long? You pitiful zoners have caught me before, and I always escaped!”

“Well then, that just means that we will have to be more careful.” The griffin said, her eyes narrowing into slits. She flew down and landed on her feet. She walked towards the trapped zoner. “I already know where we’re going to put you, and it’s not going to be the Fire Zone again.”

Draow scoffed. “Oh really? Then where do you plan on putting me?”

The griffin smirked at this, and Draow’s eyes widened a little, looking unnerved by this gesture. “Oh you don’t want to know that. But I’ll just say this. It’s going to make the Fire Zone look like a heaven.”

Penny watched as some zoners came in from behind the griffin, whom she recognized as Quirk. The zoners surrounded Draow and grabbed different ends of the net. The zoners were quite large and muscular and were able to carry Draow off without a problem. The bat wolf struggled and barked loudly, clearly hoping to intimidate the zoners. But he was ignored and he was slowly dragged away until he was several feet away from Penny.

Seconds later, she could hear the sound of propellers and she could see the Beanie Boys approaching. There were several of them flying towards the trapped large zoner. They grabbed onto the strong, blue ropes and, together, they were able to lift the struggling zoner off the ground. They began to fly off in the distance. Draow let out a string of insults and commands, his body struggling frantically to get free. Biting, clawing, whatever, but none of it worked, the rope being incredibly strong.

“Bring him back now!” Nihilanth commanded, forming fists with his paws and straightening his front limbs at his sides. He looked comical, almost like a pouting child. “We command you to bring him back!”

Quirk turned her gaze towards him. “Oh we don’t think so, little guy. He has a...special place he needs to go.” Nihilanth glared at her. “But don’t worry. We have a place for you as well.”

Penny looked at her, blinking her eyes in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Quirk smirked in Penny’s direction. She raised herself up onto her hind legs and pulled out something. It appeared to be some kind of remove. “Watch this. I just press this button here and...”

There was a creaking sound from multiple directions. Everyone in the area, except for Quirk, looked around, trying to find the source of it. Then suddenly, flashes of something came into view. Penny let out a scream as something flew by her faster than she had expected. She tried to see what it was, but there was another flash that caught her attention. Something blurry and clear, and it zipped by the other zoners, nearly knocking them into the ground in the process.

Nihilanth stiffened his body as he let out a surprised cry. He attempted to fly ahead as fast as he could. He ended up smashing against what Penny assumed was an invisible shield, but she soon recognized it as clear glass. Nihilanth floated around there for a few seconds, stunned, before he turned around and tried going in the opposite direction. He smashed his faces against the glass and was thrown back.

Penny soon realized that Nihilanth was becoming trapped inside a large, tear-duct like device. It was floating there, or it seemed to. She thought she could see something in the ground moving, but it was hard to tell what it was. What was easy to see was the fact that there were a couple pieces of thick glass that were surrounding the chibi two-headed dragon, and as they came together, a flash of light went along the seams, as if to seal him inside. Soon, in a matter of seconds, Nihilanth was trapped inside the teardrop-like structure. The ground shifted and Penny could see that the object was an underground magnetic pedestal of some kind.

It took Penny a few moments to realize that this was drawn by the zoners. It had to have been; she could see the blue outline. She wondered if the zoners were just winging it like she did, or if they had done some research themselves and figured this out on their own. Well however they managed it, she was impressed. She was glad the zoners could do something to help stop Nihilanth.

But..was he stopped...?

Penny watched as some of the zoners approached. Nihilanth was darting around inside the device, looking for a way out. He tried to squeeze in through a crack, but he found none. When he took notice of the zoners getting closer, he hissed loudly at them. Despite being a little guy now, his hissing was enough to make the zoners back away.

Nihilanth opened up his jaws and fired out another twisty, black and white beam. It struck against the glass and the zoners screamed, turning their heads as they held their hands up to defend themselves. But instead of striking them, the beam merely bounced all over the interior of the tear-drop glass. Nihilanth let out a few shrieks as he dodged around, trying to avoid his own beam. It was almost amusing to watch. Eventually the beam struck Nihilanth on the base of his tails, caushing him to clutch that area and let out a scream.

“Our tails!” Nihilanth cried out.

Mr. Longhorn called out from afar. “It doesn’t look like he’s getting out of there anytime soon!”

“It looks like the glass is unbreakable!” Ms. Saffron called out, a relieved tone to the edge of her voice.

“Right you are. Good observation.” Quirk said to Ms. Saffron, although she wasn’t looking directly at her. She was pacing around the device a few times, smirking in satisfaction as Nihilanth kept ramming himself against the glass. “Thought of it myself. I never tried this out before, but I’m glad it works.” She turned her head to the injured, narrowing her eyes slightly. “What are you all still doing here? Get to the hospital now!” She shrieked.

Penny winced at this. She was about to tell the zoner that yelling at the others was unnecessary, but she held back. At the moment, the fact that they had finally defeated Nihilanth was of bigger importance. Figuring out where to put him was a priority; he had to be placed somewhere where he can’t do anymore harm. She wondered if Quirk had an idea of what to do.

Penny looked and saw that the zoners had walked away, heading down the ruined streets and towards some flashing lights around a corner, which she assumed were some ambulances. She then saw Mr. Longhorn guide Ms. Saffron away. She recognized the direction they were going in. They were headed towards the open portal she had seen when Nihilanth flew her overhead. Well it was small and perhaps she was mistaken... Well Chalk Dad and Lars were going with them, as well as Sparky. One of them probably has blue chalk, so it should be fine.

Not all the zoners left, though. Penny could hear the stomping of feet. She turned her head and she could see Biclops and Bardot walking towards her slowly. Biclops was looking at her with concern while Bardot was too busy smirking at the trapped dragon. As Bardot leaned up onto his hind legs and began to make faces at Nihilanth, Biclops continued to walk until he was a few feet in front of Penny. He bit his lip and then lowered himself towards her.

“Are you okay, Penny?” Biclops asked tentatively.

Penny looked down at her injuries. “I’ve been better.” She looked back up at the zoner. “But I’ll be fine. I just need to get back home.”

“Do you need any help?”

Penny turned her head and she could see that Mr. Longhorn had stopped and was now looking over in her direction, along with Ms. Saffron, Chalk Dad, Sparky, and Lars. Penny thought for a moment and then shook her head. “No I’ll be fine.”

Lars cocked up an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“We don’t mind...” Chalk Dad started to say.

“No, I’ll figure out a way.” Penny said, wincing. “I just...need to get up to my feet and...” She lost her footing and fell over. Biclops pushed a finger in front of her. Penny landed against it, cushioning her fall. “Thanks.”

“Don’t need any help, huh?” Bardot said, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. “I think you are in need of a lot of help.” He moved his head up and down, assessing her injuries. “There’s no way you can walk back into the real world like that.”

Penny knew Bardot was right. She wasn’t sure why she was trying to go off on her own. The shock of capturing Nihilanth scrambled her brain a little apparentlyh. She rubbed her head, an ache spreading through it. Yeah, she was going to need help getting back, but, did she want to go back? There were still some thnings to take care of. What of Jenny and Cosmo? And her mother...? What was going to be done about them?

It felt like everything was over, but Penny realized there was still some cleanup to do. It wasn’t time to celebrate yet. They still needed to take care of the final pieces of the puzzle. Only then cold they rest easy. Only then can they declare this horrible incident finally over. The day when the zoners can finally rest easy... She looked forward to that. She couldn’t wait to breathe that sigh of relief.

“All right then.” Penny said, nodding her head. “I hope Rudy got help, too. He...”

Her voice trailed off. Her eyes widened, mouth dropping open. Cold chills went through her body. Suddenly, she was hit with images of a gruesome memory. The dead bodies of zoners everywhere... the ones that Rudy had been forced to kill while under Nihilanth’s influence...

“Oh no...” Penny whispered softly, putting her hands to her mouth. “No...”

“What’s wrong with you?” Bardot asked, tilting his ear upwards.

Penny looked at Bardot, and then looked up at Biclops, who looked at her with a concerned and confused expression. “The zoners here... The ones that were killed... What are we going to do?”

Biclops tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Nihilanth killed them when he was using Rudy as a vessel!” Penny cried out.

Biclops’s eyes widened at this. “Oh my...” Penny couldn’t tell if Biclops knew about this and somehow forgot, or if he didn’t know and this just took him by surprise. He paused for a few moments and then he frowned, folding his arms against his chest. “That is going to be a problem.”

That was an understatement. Penny was certain there was going to be a whole debacle on this. Just what were they going to do now? The zoners may not welcome Rudy back. Even if he were simply controlled by Nihilanth, what if some zoners aren’t so understanding? Penny’s stomach twisted in knots, thinking of the possibilities. Was Rudy going to be shunned by the zoners? Was Rudy going to become mentally unstable? Could he possibly become like...him...?

Penny shook her head. No, of course not. That was absurd. Still... She took in a shuddering breath, her heart aching at the possibility of rejection that Rudy may end up facing. Right now he was in the hospital, where she should be soon. She would hate for Rudy to come back, only for the zoners to turn their backs on him. She hoped that they would be able to find some way to keep that from happening. Rudy didn’t deserve that, not after all he’s been through. Surely the zoners had to understand...right...?

Then she recalled the Luminos and bitterly reminded herself that some zoners did not see things clearly. Even if the Luminos changed, there might still be some rogue members out there. There might still be some anti-creator groups laying in wide, hidden underground or somewhere else. What if these zoners used this incident as a way of ruining Rudy’s reputation?

Biclops seemed to take notice of Penny’s concern. He lowered his hand down, placing a large finger gingerly on her shoulder. Penny looked up at him. “Don’t worry, Penny. We’ll...think of something. Just leave everything to me.” He placed a hand on his chest.

Penny smiled a little. She was glad that Biclops understood. She could trust that he would do whatever it took to ensure that the zoners did not start treating Rudy like an enemy. Rudy was still their friend and guardian. He would still do whatever it took to protect ChalkZone. She hoped that Biclops would help the zoners see the corrupted Rudy for what he really was: a slave. Rudy didn’t want to do those things; he was forced to, his body turned into a mere puppet for Nihilanth to wield and manipulate. The thought of what Nihilanth did boiled her blood.

At least now, he couldn’t hurt anyone anymore. She looked over at the chibi dragon, who was still trying to get out. He was no longer threatening. His cursing and shouts were just comical now, and it was hard for her not to smile at his struggling. What a fitting punishment for the monster that could have wiped out ChalkZone. They were lucky that Nihilanth screwed up and didn’t take the advantages that he could have, such as getting into the real world faster, making better usage of his creation skills, or making full use of taking over the Chalk Mine. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure if they could beat him.

Penny looked up at Biclops, grateful for his offer. “Thank you.”

“No problem, Penny.” Biclops said, a smile on his face. “I promise, everything will be just fine.”

As much as Penny wanted to be encouraged by Biclops’s words, she still couldn’t help but feel a strong pang of sorry. She found herself looking back towards where Nihilanth’s body had disintegrated. She stared long and hard at it, hoping, praying, that something else would rise from it. But when nothing happened, she stifled a small cry. She lowered her head, closing her eyes lightly.

They had failed him... They had tried to save Barney from this terrible fate. They tried to help him regain his life. But instead, she brought only his demise. Even if it meant that Nihilanth could no longer use him, even if, in a sense, he was freed, she still felt like she had failed him. She didn’t want to be the cause of his death. She didn’t want to kill Barney. She didn’t feel much like a hero at the moment. She felt like a monster, a traitor. She betrayed Barney’s trust. What was she going to tell King Mumbo Jumbo? Would he....would he understand, or would he turn on her?

Penny wished things could have worked out differently. She wished there was something she could do... But what could she do now? She glanced back at that empty spot again, knowing that nothing else was going to come out of it. Barney was...gone. She could hear Biclops’s concerned voice calling out to her, but she ignored it, lost in her own thoughts.

It took a firm nudge from Bardot at her feet for her to do anything. She looked down, seeing the zoner look up at her with a confused expression. “What’s the matter?” Bardot asked.

Penny hesitated for a moment, opening her mouth. She shut it and looked away.

“Penny, I know something is on your mind. I’m sure your big friend here does as well. I might not be what you’d call a ‘friend’, but I know you well enough to..” Bardot nudged her again, trying to get her attention. Penny looked down at him and realized he was going to be stubborn about this. She caved in.

“It’s Barney. He..he’s gone.” Penny closed her eyes at this.

Biclops widened his eyes at this. “What? Are you sure?”

Penny swerved her head at him. “Of course I am! Take a look!” She swung her arm in the direction where the ashes laid. “Do you see him anywhere?!” Biclops and Bardot started at Penny, wide-eyed. Realizing what she did, Penny took in a deep breath. “Sorry.. I didn’t mean to...”

“It’s okay, Penny.” Biclops said, giving her a small smile. “And I’m sure Barney is okay. He probably just...got transported somewhere else, or something.” Biclops’s voice didn’t sound too certain, and it did little to comfort Penny. Biclops realized this and bit his lip. “I’m just saying..let’s wait and see. Something...might happen. You never know.”

“Yeah, I have to agree.” Bardot said as he sat down on his haunches, flinching in pain from the injuries that still remained. “Barney can be quite a stubborn centipede. I know that quite well.” Penny glared at him, causing Bardot to pull his head back and gulped quickly. He was wise enough not to press Penny further. “Well anyway, you should head back into the real world for treatment. Who knows how many more blows you can take before you crumble down.”

“Bardot is right. Come on, Penny. I’ll escort you.” Biclops offered. Penny offered little resistance as the giant gently grabbed onto her unbroken arm, letting her lean on him for support. He turned his attention to Bardot. “And as for you...”

Bardot let out a surprised yelp when Biclops grabbed him by his scruff and lifted him up like he were a cat. “Oh come on! What’d I do?”

Biclops narrowed his eyes. “You still have a lot to answer for what you did a couple years ago.”

“You’re still angry about that?!” Bardot cried. “We just....” He quickly calmed himself down. “Oh, fine... I suppose you are correct about that. A few nice acts doesn’t cover up what I did.”

Penny looked up at Bardot, watching as he dangled there, mostly unmoving. She had mixed feelings about this. She didn’t want to see him walking around free. Not after how he had killed her dad...well her stepdad anyway, the way he tortured her and Rudy, all those gruesome things.. That wasn’t something that was easily forgiveable. But she also didn’t want to see him suffer a harsher punishment. His good deeds, and his attempt to change was worth something, right?

It seemed that Biclops did have similar thoughts. “But... I’ll see to it you aren’t sent back to the Fire Zone.” Bardot looked up at him in surprise. “For what you did recently, I’ll try to convince the police to have you be sent to a high security prison instead. Not much of a lighter punishment, but it’s better than what happened to you before.”

Bardot didn’t argue. “Yeah..I guess you’re right.”

As the three of them began to walk away, Penny couldn’t help but overhear some of the comments the remaining zoners were making. She turned her head, looking out of the corner of her eye. She could see a few of the zoners gathered around the unbreakable glass that now contained Nihilanth.

“Hey, he’s not so threatening anymore.” One zoner commented.

“Yeah. I don’t think he can hurt a fly even if it were right in front of him!” Another cried.

Nihilanth hissed at this. “Shut up!” He swirled his body so that his tails were up and his head was down. He bared his teeth, which looked more cute than scary now. “We will get you for this! Let us out and we’ll show you what we can do! Just wait until we get a new body!”

A third zoner, taller than the others, let out a series of quick chuckles. “Well, would you look at that? Hard to believe this guy was big bad Nihilanth. He looks so adorable now. Like a dragon plushie!” The other zoners laughed at this comment.

Nihilanth, however, didn’t appreciate it. He formed a fist with his two paws, threw them down, and shouted, “We are not adorable! We are your deity! You will obey us!”

“Oh what’s the matter?” The first zoner said, puckering up his lips and speaking as if he were talking to a little child. “Are you a little cranky? Maybe you need us to sing for you. I’m kind of tone deaf, but I’m sure you’ll still love it.”

With that, the zoners began to sing. Penny turned her head away and flinched as the off-key singing filled the air. She could hear a few cries of ‘no’ and ‘stop that’ from Nihilanth. They soon faded away as she, Bardot, and Biclops made their way down through the ruined city.

sss

Mr. Cosmo growled as the two zoners held onto him. They squeezed his arms and pulled them out from his sides as they walked away from the retreating forms of Penny, Bardot, and Biclops. He jerked himself left and right, struggling to get himself free. But the two zoners were quite strong, and without any chalk at all to fight with, what could he do?

But that didn’t stop him from trying. He had to get free. He had to get away from here. He knew what he must do. Nihilanth might be defeated, but it was still far from over. He was able to conquer ChalkZone without the dragon’s help. He did it in his own dimension, and he was going to be able to do it here. He would get free. He would come back with reinforcements. And he was going to tear this dimension apart.

But first, he needed to eliminate a complication. He needed to assure himself that an incident like this would not happen again. He needed to make sure that his plans weren’t sent down the drain again. He knew his counterpart had worked hard to make this place his own, and now it was up to him to step up to the plate, take his place. He had been so close..but all that came down.

Because of her...

Mr. Cosmo’s eyes rested on Penny. He couldn’t see her that well from this distance. She was also partially obscured by Biclops’s large form. But that didn’t matter; he knew it was her, and as he stared at her, a growing bile filled his stomach. His lip curled up in a partial snarl, his heart and breathing rates increasing slightly. His hands formed into fists, trembling as the growing intensity of his anger and hatred spread through his body.

That stupid bitch... This was her fault. Nihilanth and him would have won if it weren’t for her inteference. It was all Penny’s fault that the dragon got caught. Her and that blasted sword... She just had to come and play with the big boys, and now because of her, he would have to reset his plans to zero. He was going to have to start over.

He needed to escape. He needed to find Jenny and get out of here. He could do this on his own, but even he wasn’t stupid enough to dismiss the benefit of an ally. He didn’t have his Rudy anymore. He killed him, and now he regretted that decision. He had been so sure he’d win here, so certain he would get a new ally... He wished he had thought his actions through more. And now he didn’t even have Draow with him. Oh he had his controlled zoners, but most of them were weak. It wouldn’t be enough. He needed Jenny. He needed to find her and take her with him. He could use her skills to his advantage.

But first, he needed to take care of something. Penny may have gotten the upper hand this time, but it wasn’t to last. He was going to make sure she never got a second chance. She was going to pay. She was not going to get away from this.

He realized now what he should have done. He should have gotten rid of Penny, just like his Rudy had. At the time, he thought it was a waste, that she could have been useful. Now he realized just how smart his Rudy had been. Penny was a clever individual. She may not have the same drawing skills as Rudy, but she still had a high intellect. Had his Penny lived, she would have surely found a way to stop them. His Rudy had made the right call in getting rid of her.

Mr. Cosmo struggled harder, jerking himself from side to side. The zoners held on tighter, telling him to hold still and cooperate. But he hardly heard his words. Right now, there was only one thing on his mind. Intermixed with the anger that buzzed around in his head, there was only one thing he wanted to do more than anything else.

Kill Penny.

With a sudden show of strength, enhanced by his rage, Mr. Cosmo yanked his arm free, ignoring the pain that it caused him. He formed a fist and swing around too quickly for the other zoner to react. His fist collided with his jaw, sending him flying backwards. As the two zoners attempted to grab him again, Mr. Cosmo bolted away. He ran as fast as he could. The man could barely hear his own feet as they collided with the ground. He could barely hear the zoners shouting angrily behind him, slowly catching up. He instead focused on getting out of here.

He wasn’t sure where Jenny was. But he was going to find her. And as soon as he did, they were going to flee. They would find a place they could hide in the real world, where magic chalk wouldn’t be a threat. Then they would come back to ChalkZone. He would make sure that it’s Penny who lets them back in. Yes, it was going to be Penny who brings about the downfall of ChalkZone. His eyes were currently not on Rudy’s. Now it was Penny he wanted.

Forcing her to betray her friends, allies, and family... That would serve her right. What a fitting punishment. And then, when she has her soul ripped apart, he would come in for the kill.

Penny Sanchez would pay dearly for her sins.

sss

“Let go of me, you stupid zoner!” Jenny shouted. “Do you really want to spend a day in...”

Nexra growled at her, shoving her against the tree as hard as she chould. She refused to let go, refused to back down. She knew the consequences if she did. “I’m begging you! It doesn’t have to be this way! Cosmo is just using you! He...”

“Bitch! Don’t ever talk that way about Cosmo!” Jenny’s temper flared, her face shifting to a red color. She pushed harder against Nexra, her fingernails digging into her skin. “He’s the one who has been helping me! Where have you been?!”

“I’ve been sitting alone, watching as you were being brainwashed by him! This...this isn’t even about the black chalk anymore, is it?” Nexra hissed. Realization moved through her body, accompanied by a stinging pain in the middle of her chest. “You aren’t doing this because of the black chalk... You’re doing this because you want to!”

Jenny managed to push Nexra back. She walked forward a couple of steps, smirking at Nexra. “Think what you will, dear Nexra. But my choice is mine, and yours is yours. I will not allow myself to be pushed back down like some ragdoll. I struggled hard to get the position that I have now. And I’ll be damned if I allow someone like you get in the way of that...”

Nexra glared at her. She took a fighting stance, ignoring her injuries, ignoring the fact that Jenny has and would take advantage of that. At the moment, all that was on her mind was hurt and pain. These emotions swirled around in her head, making it ache. She began to pace around slowly, her eyes glaring into Jenny’s. Mrs. Tabootie and the zoners, even Dr. Urso, all stopped what they were doing and made room. They understood that this fight was between her and Jenny.

Nexra felt her heart clench. For so long, she still had some kind of love for Jenny. It was strained and nearly broken, but still there. She just wanted to have Jenny back. She wanted to have her friend return to her. She had hoped that if the black chalk were defeated, Jenny would return back to normal, the way she used to be.

But that turned out to be wishful thinking. It was clear now, the longer she hung out with her and fought against her, that Jenny chose this path. She had wanted to deny it to herself. A part of her wanted to believe that Jenny was forced. But who was she kidding? Jenny chose to be a black chalk artist. Maybe some of her regrets that decision. Maybe a part of Jenny was terrified of what she had become. But in the end, she chose to become a black chalk artist, which meant that, before the corruption, she was still not so pure. She had some dark desires that were merely magnified by the black chalk.

It had to do with Mr. Cosmo. She was certain of it. She did this all for him. She wanted to please him, and that will remain her goal no matter what she says. She could beg and plead with her all she wants to; nothing would sway Jenny from her goals. Nexra bit her lip, shedding a single bitter tear at this realization.

Then there was Mr. Cosmo. Sure, he was supposed to be something of a nice kid before the corruption. But just how much of that was true? What if he did keep out a few things? And even if he didn’t, who is to say he was all that nice? Who is to say he didn’t have some kind of dark desire? He did go into that tunnel willingly. He did pick up the black chalk... And as a result, brought about an age of destruction to ChalkZone. Just how innocent was Mr. Cosmo back then? Probably not as much as they had thought.

She shook that from her thoughts. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about what happened. She wasted too much time on that, too much time on what ifs and shoulds. Now, all she was going to think about was what she should do. She knew Jenny was not going to give up her quest to harm ChalkZone, to do what Cosmo says. There was only one thing she could do now.

She had to capture Jenny. She had to subdue her, so that she could never hurt anyone again.

“Nexra! Please stop!” Dr. Urso cried, his voice tinged with worry. It was clear he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Despite knowing this was a personal affair, he just couldn’t sit there any longer. “You’re too badly hurt! Come on!”

But Nexra ignored his calls. Even as others joined in, even as the circle of individuals closed in, surrounding them, she still remained where she was, glaring at Jenny. They understood this was between her and her. This was something she had to do.

Nexra took a step forward. “I still have a part of me that cares about you, Nexra. But the other part of me is starting to hate you.”

“Oh cry me a river.” Jenny mocked. “That is your own damn fault.” Nexra widened her eyes slightly. “You chose to be loyal to me. You chose to bark like a dog when I called you.”

Nexra snarled at this. “I did not! You made me do it!”

“But you could have resisted, couldn’t you?” Jenny spread a sneer across her face. “I’m right, aren’t I? You could have continued to resist. But you still backed down in the end. It is your fault, not mine.” She closed her eyes and chuckled. “True, I helped you along a little. I helped you...make a decision.” She opened her eyes and looked directly at Nexra. It felt as though her eyes were boring through her own. “But you still made the decision. There’s no denying that.”

Nexra growled softly, but said nothing. A part of her started to feel guilty. What if Jenny was right? What if she had given up too easily? What if she could have fought harder? What if she could have done something back then to stop her? What if...?

No, she couldn’t allow herself to be swayed like that. She couldn’t let herself believe that she ever had a choice. She didn’t...not as much as Jenny was leading her to believe. Jenny was the one who forced this on her. She was the one who...who did something bad to her...that made her this way. Jenny was just trying to mess with her mind, just like she had in the past. Nexra couldn’t let herself be toyed with like that. She couldn’t let Jenny win this mental round.

She soon noticed the light tendrils that formed in front of her while she was temporarily distracted. She gritted her teeth at this. Just like Jenny to take cheap shots like this. Nexra moved to the side just as one of the light tendrils crashed into the ground. The tendril lifted itself up and turned around, shooting back out towards her. Nexra hissed as she felt it slice against her side, spilling her blood. She dropped down to the ground onto her knees.

“You should really be more aware of your surroundings, dear.” Jenny folded her arms against herself. She sneered down at Nexra with satisfaction. “I have the key to you, and you know what I am capable of doing to you. So why fight me?” She began to pace around her. “You should have just given up while you had the chance. Now look at you... It’ll be too easy for me to kill you... I wouldn’t even have to touch my finger against you to do it.”

Mrs. Tabootie spoke up now. “Get out of there!”

Nexra turned her head towards Mrs. Tabootie and the others. “I’ll be fine... You all should leave, I...” Nexra let out a scream as Jenny wrapped a light tendril around her neck and shoved her against the ground. Nexra’s body squirmed violently on the ground, struggling to get free.

“You heard her! She doesn’t want your help! She thinks she’s such a big girl that she doesn’t need help from the likes of you! Isn’t that right, Nexra?” Jenny put her mouth close to Nexra’s ear. “You want to think you are something. You think you are better than them, don’t you?”

“N-No...” Nexra started to say before Jenny silenced her by grabbing her head and slamming it into the ground.

“Don’t lie to me!” Jenny snarled at her, pressing her fingernails against her face. “You filthy little...”

“Leave her alone!” Dr. Urso shouted, his booming voice cutting through Jenny’s.

“Dr. Urso..no...” Nexra started to say, but she was too late.

Dr. Urso rushed forward towards Jenny, his feet pounding against the ground. Against Nexra’s wishes, the lion bear interfered with their battle. He jumped through the air, sailing through it before slamming himself against Jenny. He pushed her off of Nexra, watching as she toppled across the ground. He took in a few pants, anger etched over his face, his ears flattened against his skull. Jenny climbed up to her feet, glaring back at him.

Dr. Urso, his head low to the ground, showing his teeth, growled at Jenny, “Take one step towards her and I will rip you to shreds...”

At this, Nexra noticed the few Luminos remaining looking at each other with concern. It seemed clear to her that they had experienced that Dr. Urso was like when he was angry enough. They knew what he was capable of. And seeing how these zoners were pretty strong themselves and continued to hold their own against Jenny, for them to react this way around Dr. Urso told her volumeds of what to expect from this doctor zoner.

Jenny wided her eyes at Dr. Urso’s statement and took a small step back. She soon smiled at him, tilting her head slightly to the side. “That’s rather dark for you, isn’t it? I mean...” She tilted her head to the other side. “I didn’t think a doctor like yourself, who is supposed to heal people, would hever..”

“Don’t you dare bring my profession into this!” Dr. Urso took a few steps forward. He remained in front of Nexra. He turned to look at her, giving her a sympathetic expression, before he shared a look of hatred with Jenny. “I am supposed to help people, and if I have to fight you to do it, then I will.”

“Oh how noble of you.” Jenny sneered. “Well then..if you are so determined to save her, let’s see how well you can save her from this!”

Nexra felt her body shake in fear when Jenny gave her that look. The one look that told her that she was screwed. The expression that told her that her time was up. She could feel the others coming in closer, surrounding her, Jenny, and Urso in a tighter circle. She could see the looks of determination on their faces. They weren’t going to run anymore. They were all going to fight back. But that did little to comfort Nexra. They couldn’t save her...from this.

And Jenny knew it, too. Jenny’s hold on her was internal, and she was going to use that to her full advantage. Nexra couldn’t run or hide from this. Terror filled her heart and she desperately looked for a way to deter Jenny from what she was about to do. She knew about this danger going on, but she had hoped that, so long as she kept Jenny’s focus on fighting her, that she wouldn’t even think about doing...this.

But she was wrong, and now, in a matter of seconds, Jenny was going to...

“Jenny!”

A voice rang out through the air. A familiar voice, one that caused shivers to go up everyone’s spines. Well everyone except for Jenny. Everyone knew who the voice belonged to. Everyone knew just who had arrived onto the scene. The last person most of them wanted to see here.

Mr. Cosmo.

Immediately, there were low murmurs spreading through the group. The Luminos looked at each other nervously, a couple of them taking a step back in fear. Mrs. Tabootie had an expression that was a cross between fear and hate. She, as well as a few Luminos and Dr. Urso, stood her ground, preparing to face off against the evil man who caused all of this. Nexra herself felt waves of hate and apprehension strike her as she turned her head, eyes locking onto the all too familiar figure. She braced herself for the worst.

But instead of attacking or giving Jenny specific order of harm, he looked like he was in a hurry. His eyes darted left and right, as if he thought someone was following him. This confused her. What was going on?

“Mr. Cosmo, I...” Jenny started to say.

“Cease your attack!” Mr. Cosmo shouted at her.

Jenny widened her eyes at this. “What? But why...?” She looked down at Nexra. “She...”

“Forget about her! We’re leaving! Now!” Mr. Cosmo rushed forward, pushing past the startled zoners, ignoring the looks he was getting from them. “Don’t just stand there! Come long!” He grabbed her wrist, twisting it roughly. “Hurry, you stupid woman!”

Jenny winced in pain. “You’re hurting me...”

Mr. Cosmo snarled, “I’ll do worse to you if you don’t get a move on!”

Jenny widened her eyes at this. For a moment, Nexra thought she could see fear in her eyes, and a bit of hurt. But that didn’t last long before Jenny narrowed her eyes and nodded her head. She gave one last sneer at her and the others before she and Mr. Cosmo made a run for it across the grassy plains.

Mrs. Tabootie cried, “They’re getting away!”

“Not for long, they’re not!” A Luminos zoner shouted. “We’ll get them back!”

“Yeah!” Another Luminos zoner agreed, pounding the ground with her foot.

Dr. Urso looked down at Nexra, his eyes showing concern for her. He then lifted up his head, looking off at where Jenny and Cosmo were retreating. He was debating amongst himself, trying to decide what he should do. Then when he seemed to figure it out, he looked back at the other zoners and said, “You all go after them! Make sure they don’t make it to a portal! Or to any magic chalk!” He turned his attention to Nexra. “I’ll take her back to the hospital.”

“But...”

Nexra wasn’t able to finish. It had been decided. Urso pushed his nose underneath her body, and she slide over his back. Though she accidentally touched a few of his injuries, he hardly reacted to them, his mind too focused to notice. As Mrs. Tabootie left with the zoners to apprehend Jenny and Cosmo, Nexra felt herself being carried off to the hospital.


	202. Arrest

Jenny could feel her heart pounding inside her ribcage, threatening to come out. She could hear each and every footfall as she slammed her feet into the ground. Her eyes remained focused on what was ahead of her. She could hear the shouts of everyone behind her, telling her to stop. She ignored them. Even if she wanted to stop, she couldn’t. Not while Cosmo was squeezing her arm like this, dragging her along.

Trying to keep up with Cosmo’s pace without tripping over wasn’t an easy task. Cosmo was clearly in a hurry. The way he had called her ‘stupid woman’ earlier.. It stung her. It hurt her. Cosmo was not the type to talk to her like that. For him to do that... Something must be on his mind. She wondered just what had happened. What spooked Cosmo into wanting to retreat? Cosmo did not normally retreat; the only thing that could make him do that is if something major happened.

But she knew better than to try to ask him about that now. She could hear their pursuers getting closer. They had to get out of here first. Without any chalk, without any zoner allies, they were in trouble. As much as they had acted like they could do anything they wanted here, as much as she herself had been careless, not giving a crap if a zoner saw her in ChalkZone and where, she realized that, if sufficiently angered, zoners were quite capable. She might taunt them about being stupid and useless, but she knew that a zoner with the intent to harm her could very well do so, and the only reason she could stop them before was because of the magic chalk, or Draow’s alliance.

But without either of them, she and Cosmo were sitting ducks. It was little wonder Cosmo had a panicked look on his face. Faint, but still noticeable. He was rushing away as fast as he could, dragging her behind him, holding her arm tightly. He made a sharp turn to the right, and suddenly, Jenny found herself in a patch of thick foliage. An attempt to slow down their pursuers, no doubt.

They ran through the foliage as quickly as they could. Twigs and vines were all over the place, and at least two fallen trees were there. She had to pick up her feet quickly, stay light on her toes, and keep an eye out for anything she could trip over. A few times, she and Cosmo had to turn their bodies around as they attempted to get away from the thick vines and debris that laid strewn here. Jenny wasn’t sure how this section got this way, but she theorized this may have been caused by an attack from Nihilanth.

As they got out of the foliage, suffering from a couple bruises and scrapes, Jenny turned her head so she could look sideways at the foliage they had ran through. She could see their pursuers. Mrs. Tabootie was among them, pushing aside the branches and bushes, giving her a hateful look. A couple Luminos zoners, who were better built to go through this stuff than others, made it to the front line and were close to the exit. Jenny bit her lip. This didn’t slow them down much, but it still bought them a precious few seconds.

Soon, their feet touched the thin, clear ground. The visual reminder of what their building-sized weapon had done. Jenny didn’t look down, but she didn’t need to in order to know what was below. An endless abyss, one that would rip anyone apart who fell into it. Didn’t Draow mention something about being down here...? This realization made her gulp, realizing that they had to tread lightly here. Each time her foot touched the ground, she thought she was going to fall in.

They soon touched solid, opague ground, finally having left the dangerous clear ground from before. Jenny couldn’t help but crack a smile. The safety zone... They were getting close to it. Soon, they would reach it. Once they were inside, they’d be safe. She and Cosmo picked up the pace, watching as the building grew ever closer to them, larger, the space between them rapidly shrinking. Yes, they just needed to get a little closer and...

There was a loud cranking sound that caught her attention. Cosmo noticed it as well. She could see something rising out of the ground. Her eyes widened in shock, not because she didn’t recognize it, but because she did. A small laser, placed not far from the main entrance of the Solar Pillars, in front of the staircase that she and Cosmo had attempted to run towards. But...but why was it activating now? She had shut off the security until further notice. Even then, it would only activate for large zoners; it was sensitive to vibrations and...

Jenny widened her eyes in horror. She looked behind her, seeing the zoners rushing towards them. Their vibrations must have triggered it off somehow. She looked back. Her heart skipped a bit as it was preparing to fire at her. She and Cosmo snapped their heads back. As it unleashed a shot at them, Cosmo pulled her roughly to the side, barely missing as the laser struck the ground, blasting off a piece of dirt.

Jenny could hear some of the zoners screaming behind them as the laser began to shoot them. She felt relieved. At least this bought them even more time. But it wouldn’t be long before a few of the zoners, or Mrs. Tabootie, to get around and come at them again. They had to get away quickly.

“This way!” Mr. Cosmo shouted as they rushed around the building. “To Draow’s entrance!”

The two of them ran along the side of the building. There were several shouts and cries from their pursuers. Some of the cries were merely startled or fear-filled as the laser kept shooting at them. These increased when a second laser was accidentally activated by a stupid move by one of the zoners. But some of the shouts were filled with anger and determination, and she could hear heavy footfalls behind her. She and Cosmo picked up the speed, nearly tripping over the ground as they approached the hatch that was Draow’s door.

But before they could get to it, she suddenly felt someone grab her from behind and yank her back. She let out a scream as she was nearly tossed into the ground. She stumbled, regaining her footing. She looked around, trying to see the bastard who had dared try to stop her. To her shock, it was Mr. Cosmo. He was standing in front of her, holding out his arm almost protectively as he stared at the hatchet, which was about five feet in front of them. Jenny was about to ask what was going on, but she soon got her answer.

A loud thud sounded out and Jenny tensed up when she felt something strike the ground. Something large and heavy. She looked over Cosmo’s arm and shoulder to see what it was. Her eyes widened when she saw what appeared to be a large rock with a rope tied around it. She slowly turned her head back, seeing that it was attached from somewhere high up. She took in a few shaky breaths, whipping her head in Cosmo’s direction. The man’s eyes were wide and he said nothing. She knew why.

This wasn’t a trap they themselves set up. The lasers, yes. Even though they were behaving unusually, it was still a trap they had at least designed and implimented to help protect their comrades during the magic chalk war. But this rock... They didn’t put this here. They never designed a trap like this, let out in this spot. If they didn’t put it here... Then who did...?

The two of them hardly had any time to think about this. Without warning, something large and heavy struck against their backs. They let out a scream as they fell forward, smashing into the ground. They turned their heads and they could see that one of the zoners, an anthro hippo, had collided with them. Cosmo and Jenny didn’t waste any time. They jumped up to their feet and adopted a defensive stance as the hippo zoner rushed towards them, moving faster than they would expect for a zoner this size.

Cosmo moved around to the side as the hippo attempted to punch him. The hippo snarled at him before turning his attention to Jenny. He grabbed onto her and tried to force her into the ground. Jenny grabbed a clump of dirt and threw it in the zoner’s face, causing him to cry out in pain. He backed away, nearly tripping on the rough surfaces of the ground. She and Cosmo attempted to run around behind the pillars, but they were unable to get far when another zoner, a boar, jumped in their path. They immediately stopped before they smashed into the zoner.

The boar zoner looked at them, his eyes narrowed and feet pawing the ground, his hooves making noticeable marks in the dirt. He swung his head from side to side, showing off his sharp tusks. Then he charged towards them, letting out a menacing squeal. The sight of this made the two humans freeze for a second, horror splashing over their faces. They jumped to the sides, diving into the ground. The boar zoner rushed between them, stomping the ground heavily.

Jenny attempted to get up, but she felt someone grab her. This time, she knew it wasn’t Cosmo; the fingers were too thick. She turned her head and widened her eyes at what she saw. It was Mrs. Tabootie. She had caught up with them and now she was using her weight to hold her down. The large woman used her hands to secure Jenny’s behind her back. She struggled to get herself free, trying whatever she could to buck the woman off of her. But it was useless; Mrs. Tabootie was just too heavy for her.

She turned her head and, to her horror, she could see that Cosmo was having equal trouble. The hippo zoner had grabbed the man, holding his arms behind his back. The hippo zoner narrowed his eyes and he pulled hard, forcing the man up to his feet. Cosmo grunted, his eyes shut in pain and discomfort as he was brought up to his feet.

The sight of this was almost unbearable for Jenny. She stared, her eyes wide and mouth open, as Cosmo was secured. Her stomach began to burn in anger, emotion rising up inside. She gritted her teeth. She could feel her blood boiling. How dare these zoners treat Cosmo this way... How dare they hold him like that... Do they not know who he is? Do they not know how to show respect? Her anger gave her a boost of energy, and she squirmed in Mrs. Tabootie’s grasp. She swung herself from side to side harder, and she could feel the woman struggling, losing her grip on her.

Then, with one final jerk, Jenny managed to free herself. She got up to her feet and turned her attention to Mrs. Tabootie. She snarled at her, pulled back her hand, and her fist collided with her cheek boke. Mrs. Tabootie let out a cry of pain as her head was swung to the side and she toppled backwards. As the large woman was just barely starting to recover, Jenny rushed over and punched her again. She gave her a couple blows before she kicked her between the legs, and then launched her foot into her stomach. Mrs. Tabootie widened her eyes and sucked in a breath as she fell into the ground.

Jenny smirked down in satisfaction, watching the cringing woman curl up in a fetal position as she tried to cope with the pain. Jenny then turned her attention onto the hippo zoner. She narrowed her eyes, immediately running over as fast as she could. She ignored the pain she was in as she lifted up her leg, slamming it into the zoner’s knee. Eyes bulging, the hippo zoner staggered back. Jenny slammed her body against his massive form, causing enough of an imbalance that he falls into the ground.

Jenny turned her attention to Cosmo, her eyes furrowed with concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine...” Cosmo replied. He took Jenny’s hand and she helped him up to his feet. He rubbed his head a few times and then started to move forward, gesturing with his hand. “C-Come on! Let’s go around to the other side!”

Jenny and Cosmo ran away from their captors again. There was one chance they still had. She could hear the panting of the zoners as the remaining of them got closer. She could hear Mrs. Tabootie being helped up to her feet, and already, a couple zoners were closing in on them. Their only chance left was the large portal on the side. It was not complete, but surely, they could find some way to...

As they came around the corner, Jenny stopped dead in her tracks. She stared wide-eyed at where the large portal was. It was broken, shattered by some kind of great force. She wasn’t able to stop her increased breathing rate. How had this happened? When could it have happened? She turned her attention to Cosmo, clenching her teeth. He looked just as shocked as she was. Well almost.. She could soon see a flicker of recognition in his grey-blue eyes.

“What is it?” Jenny asked, her voice quick and terror-filled.

Cosmo looked back at her. He was clearly trying to remain calm, but his expression showed her a side of him that he rarely ever showed. Fear. “I forgot about this... Nihilanth and I saw but...then we...” He took in a few breaths, trying to calm himself. “Nihilanth was defeated and it must have had an impact on my recent memories..the shock and...”

“What?!” Jenny cried in horror. “Nihilanth’s been defeated?!”

“That’s right.” Said a voice from above. “And soon, so will you two. It’s about time you two were held accountable for what you’ve done! And trust me, I’ve seen enough of this place to put you two away for a long time!”

Jenny and Cosmo were barely able to look up before a figure jumped down from above. The motion was so fast, so sudden, that it knocked them backwards. The two humans landed on their backs and looked up at the figure. Tall, red, a pumpkin for a head, a skeletal body. The zoner put his hands on his hips and glared down at them. He turned his head to the other zoners. Many of them had stopped and were looking at the zoner in shock, as if they weren’t expecting them. The skeletal zoner merely shrugged, as if it wasn’t something he wanted to deal with, and he gestured them to come over.

While the zoner was looking, Cosmo and Jenny got up to their feet. Jenny could see a small, discarded piece of white chalk on the ground, probably from a recent struggle here. She grabbed onto it and lifted it up from the ground. She showed it to Cosmo, who gave a sigh of relief. He gestured to her to follow him, and they continued to run along the side of Solar Pillars.

“She’s got magic chalk! Don’t let her get away!” A zoner cried.

“Don’t worry!” She could hear the skeletal zoner shout. “She’s not going anywhere!”

Jenny would have drawn a weapon or another zoner to help defend herself. But at the moment, she knew the most important thing was getting away. She and Cosmo ran as fast as they could around the structure, before they ran to a hole dug in the ground. Cosmo made a quick comment about having to use it to get into Solar Pillars before. Though Jenny had questions, she put that on hold as she and him jumped into the tunnel. This would slow down some of the zoners, but a few could still get through.

Jenny and Cosmo made their way through the ripped up tunnel, careful not to trip over any of the ridges that formed. Jenny hardly paid attention to her surroundings as they kept moving as fast as they could. Slowly, they began to put some distance between themselves and the pursuing zoners. They soon reached a three-way intersection. They stopped and looked around. Hearing the zoners behind them, they chose the tunnel on the left and ran down it quickly.

Eventually, after a lot of running, they reached a dead end. She skidded to a stop, her breathing quickening as she realized they were trapped. She looked over at Cosmo’s direction, giving a soft glare at him. Why had he and Nihilanth dug multiple paths? Did they really not know which way to go? Was this some kind of backup plan in case someone tried to sneak in? Oh well, she’ll worry about asking him later. Right now, they had to see if there were any portal surfaces here that they could use.

She could hear the zoners getting closer. She tried to calm her racing heart, worried that it was going to attract the zoners. Her heart’s beating practically echoed off the walls of the cave. She winced, looking left and right, expecting a zoner to pop up. It didn’t help that she couldn’t even draw a defense; there wasn’t enough chalk to be used. As she could see shadows forming on the wall, she raised up the small piece of magic chalk, preparing to draw.

But she never got the chance.

“Oh no you don’t!”

Jenny let out a cry of pain when something struck her against her arm. She could feel something sharp against her sleeves, pricking the skin of her arm. She felt herself stumbling to the side, nearly dropping the piece of magic chalk. She turned her head and she could see the skeletal zoner standing before her. And the others weren’t far behind him.

“Why don’t you just give up? No one escapes Jacko-In-The...” Jacko didn’t finish his sentence as a sudden blur collided with his jaw, sending him flying backwards.

“Shut up!” Mr. Cosmo stood there, his body arched forward, his hand still held in a fist. Jenny stared at him in shock. If this had happened under more normal circumstances, she would have smiled, but there was nothing normal about this. Mr. Cosmo shot her a glare. “What are you waiting for, woman?! Draw the portal!”

Jenny did as she was told. Mr. Cosmo wrestled with Jacko, yelping as he got a few small cuts in the process. A couple zoners got close enough to attack him. Mr. Cosmo was light on his feet despite his injuries, and was able to fight back. She knew that this extra energy of theirs wasn’t going to last forever; they needed treatment and rest. As Mr. Cosmo took care of the zoners, Jenny went to work drawing the portal.

She pressed the white piece of chalk against the air. She could feel it hit something, even though there didn’t seem to be anything there. She drew downwards and around in a circle. As soon as the two ends met, there was a flash of light and the portal opened up. A smile spread across her face.

Looking over at Cosmo, she shouted, “It’s opened! Let’s get out of here!”

Mr. Cosmo said, “It’s about time!” He punched one of the zoners, knocking them back. He looked up and his face nearly paled. “The rest are almost here! Come on, hurry! Let’s go!” He turned and immediately rusheds the portal. “Get through the portal! Now!”

Jenny did not waste any time. She jumped through the portal, not caring where she was. She hardly noticed how she collided with a trash can, or even how it spilled onto the ground and she accidentally placed her hands in it. She got up to her feet and peered through the portal, watching as Cosmo rushed over.

“Hurry! Almost there!” Jenny frantically gestured with her hand, urging Cosmo to hurry up.

The man soon reached the portal. He attempted to jump, but he took a misstep and he tripped. He fell through the portal only part way. He let out a grunt as his chin hit the hard ground, the portal’s ridge pressing against his stomach. Jenny flinched, looking down at Cosmo with sympathy as she saw a bit of blood trickle from his mouth.

“They’re getting away!" Jacko cried. He held himself up on one hand, the other rubbing his head. “Stop them!”

The zoners didn’t need to be told twice. They, along with an angered Mrs. Tabootie, rushed towards the open portal. Jenny felt her heart racing, her eyes wide in horror. She looked around, trying to figure out exactly how she was going to erase the portal. They had no erasers, and there was no way their hands or their saliva was going to help.

She then heard a ‘aha’ from Cosmo. She turned her head towards him. Her eyes widened when she saw that he had found a hose laying there. She wasn’t sure why a hose was there, but she didn’t question it. She took a few steps back as Mr. Cosmo brought the hose over, pointing it directly at the portal. He didn’t need to say anything as the zoners immediately stopped, for obvious reasons. Mrs. Tabootie, for those same reasons, continued to run forward.

“Get back there! You two have a lot to answer for! You...!” Mrs. Tabootie shouted.

Her voice was drowned out as Mr. Cosmo turned the hose on. A splatter of water shot out, hitting against the wall. Jenny thought she could hear screaming, and wondered if some of the water hit the zoners. She smiled darkly. She hoped that was the case. As the water was shut off, and she watched the liquid dripping down along the side of the wall, she couldn’t help but imagine some of the zoners drenched in real world water, melting, crumbling down into a pool of liquified dust. Hopefully something like that happened. That would teach them to treat them this way.

Jenny took in a few quick breaths, putting a hand on her chest. She could feel her heart pounding against it, nearly bursting out. She looked over at Cosmo. The redhead’s mouth was open, breathing in rapidly, his slightly wide eyes staring at the wall where the portal had been. He took in a deep breath and tossed the hose into the ground. Mr. Cosmo turned his attention to Jenny. He didn’t say a word, yet she could tell what he wanted.

“It should be pretty easy getting to my place.” Jenny took a few steps towards him, gesturing with her hands. “We could go there and recooperate while we think of a plan to get back in.”

“Yeah.” Mr. Cosmo nodded his head, smacking his lips. “That sounds like a plan.” He gave a dry swallow and rubbed his throat. “You...don’t happen to have any soda with you, do you?”

Jenny shook her head. She could ask him why he doesn’t just use the hose, but she refrained from doing so. She took a look around their surroundings. She soon realized that they were in the basement portion of the city swimming pool. The horrible smell of garbage finally got to her. She flinched and pinched her nose, trying to ignore the smell the best she could.

“I can’t believe I nearly forgot about Solar Pillars being built here.” Jenny commented, her voice distorted nasally from her plugging her nose.

“One of our best choices, I think. Real world water makes an excellent motivator...” Mr. Cosmo said with a small smile on his face. He then shook his head, the smile vanishing. “Come on. We need to get going. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we get to your place, the sooner we can launch a counterattack against those zoners.” He started to walk down the pathway. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Oh and Jenny..?”

“Yes?” Jenny asked.

“I wasn’t going to do this until later, but being chased out of our ChalkZone by those zoners...” Mr. Cosmo paused, seething a little. Jenny couldn’t blame him. Even though she understood the logic, being chased out of ChalkZone by zoners was still pretty humilating. “I’m bringing it to the forefront of our plan.” He gave Jenny a long, stern glare before he continued, “I want you to kill Penny Sanchez...”

Jenny widened her eyes at this. Then her mouth ticked into a nasty smile. “You can count on me...” She felt excitement rise inside of her, twisting around her heart. This...was going to be fun.

sss

Mrs. Tabootie pounded against the wall, uncaring of how much it hurt her. She leaned against the rocky surface, continously hitting against the wall near where the portal had been. Her eyes were shut tightly, teeth clenched and slightly bared. The zoners behind her did nothing to stop her as she continously cursed herself.

“Damn! Damn! Damn!” Mrs. Tabootie hissed under her breath. She paid little attention to the murmurs behind her, or nervous chatter. She was lost in her own mind. She opened up her eyes slightlhhy and stared at the wall in front of her. What were they going to do now?

Mrs. Tabootie wished she had moved faster. She should have been able to keep up... She wasn’t that badly hurt. Okay, so she was a little.... But she still should have been able to pick up the pace. Cosmo and Jenny were right in front of her. They were within reach... and she still failed to stop them. They had succeeded in drawing a portal and they had escaped through it. The portal was gone and she currently had no way to get to them.

She could obtain magic chalk and come back, but by then, Cosmo and Jenny would be long gone. She wouldn’t be able to track them down once she was in the real world. She didn’t hae as much free reign. She cursed herself for letting everyone down, especially her son. He’d be so disappointed in her... She shook the uncomfortable thought from her head as she tried to focus on what she could do. Maybe there was still a way to track them down. Maybe there was still hope they could be apprehended before they got too far away.

No...that wasn’t going to work anyway. She couldn’t think of a way for her or anyone else to track them except to ask around. She couldn’t call the police because she had no proof that they did anything to her or the teenagers. She couldn’t even tell them about her other victims because they were from ChalkZone. Even if she were allowed to speak to them about it, would they even care? Probably not.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted when she heard running coming down the tunnel. She and the zoners, who had gone quiet at this, turned around to face whoever was coming. She could see that it was Bardot. The zoner stopped in front of her. He lowered his head, panting a few times. He looked like he had been running a long time.

“Bardot?!” Mrs. Tabootie cried. “What are you doing here?” She narrowed her eyes. She still didn’t completely trust this zoner. Not after what he had done to Penny and Rudy. “Is there something you’re planning?”

Bardot lifted up his head, staring up at the large woman. He had a bit of fear shining in his eyes. She guessed it was a sort of acknowledgement. He knew that she could beat him up easily in his current state. He lowered his head a little further, a sign of submission. He took a small step back and said, “Biclops and I had been able to get Penny into the real world. I came here because I thought you might need this.”

Bardot produced his paw, holding it out. Resting on top of it was a piece of blue chalk. At that moment, Mrs. Tabootie widened her eyes. She felt the corner of her mouth tick into a slight smile. She would have hugged Bardot out of excitement, but her reservations against him didn’t let her to do so. Instead, she simply cleared her throat and pointed her finger at him, and then gestured towards the wall. Bardot nodded his head, complying immediately. In a matter of moments, Bardot was able to open up a new portal for them to use.

“Okay now we...” Mrs. Tabootie hesitated. What were they going to do now? They couldn’t simply run after them. They needed a plan.

Bardot seemed to realize her hesitation. “What are you waiting for?” He looked over at the portal. “Is that where Jenny went?”

“And Cosmo.” One of the zoners behind him said.

“Cosmo?” Bardot swung his head in his direction. The zoner nodded once. Bardot looked up at Mrs. Tabootie. Confusion washed over his face. “Then why the hell aren’t you going after them?! Hurry!” He swung his paw toward the portal. “They’re getting away!”

Mrs. Tabootie hesitated to answer. She wasn’t sure exaclty how she should word it. She knew full well she should go after them. She knew she couldn’t just stand here, doing nothing. The longer she delayed, the further away those two got.

Yet..she still wasn’t sure exactly how she was going to handle it. If she just ran through, ran towards them... would they call for help? They could easily make everyone who sees believe she was the one intending harm, that she was the aggressor. This could result in her arrest, and that would allow Cosmo and Jenny to remain free. Once they disappear, she knew it would be impossible to find them until they make their move again. She didn’t know if they would even survive the first play...

“I just think we should find a way to stop them without actually chasing them. Cut them off somewhere...” Mrs. Tabootie said.

“Cut them off, eh?” Bardot said. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Yes, that sounds like a plan.”

“But now?” Diamond said, taking a few steps forward. She looked at Mrs. Tabootie, concerned. “Most of us can’t go into the real world without drawing unwanted attention. And we don’t know the landscape in the real world equivilant to here. We wouldn’t know where to begin.”

“That’s true.” A stick figure zoner, which Mrs. Tabootie recognized as Johnzer, took a step forward. She recalled that he was the zoner that gave Sophie and her sister Tilly a hard time. She was glad to see that he had become more cooperative. “We wouldn’t be of much help.”

Mrs. Tabootie knew Johnzer and Diamond were correct. They were zoners; they wouldn’t have much knowledge of the outside world. They wouldn’t be able to offer any advice about what vantage points they had. Only she knew what the landscape outside looked like, but she was far from perfect in understanding relative locations, what was where. She needed the help of Rudy and Penny, but they were in the hospital, so it was up to her now.

Bardot spoke up. “You could try to come in somewhere else. Cut off their escape route.” Mrs. Tabootie stared down at him. “Sure, you can create some kind of flying machine and get over there faster. If you knew of the path of least resistance, they’d go that way. Or if you knew of a place where they could hide, you could get there before them. They might have had a head start, but don’t forget...” Bardot pointed a finger at her, a smile spreading on his yellow muzzle. “You have the advantage of ChalkZone. Draw a mode of quick transportation and you will arrive at your destination long before them.”

Bardot was correct on this. Mrs. Tabootie knew he was. Of course, she couldn’t draw anything herself, but Bardot could. And so could the zoners around here, provided they had some blue chalk. But before they could even take action, she’d have to think of the relative location and try to think of where they might go. Bardot remained quiet as she thought. Even though he’s been in the swimming pool, the location of the portal, he didn’t know enough to be of much help.

Mrs. Tabootie thought long and hard as she tried to think of what they could do. There had to be a way for her to cut them off before they got too far. If she could figure out just where they might go... She ran a mental image of Plainsville in her head, trying to think of every possible street they could take. It was giving her a headache, and she couldn’t remember everything. But she still continued to think as hard as she could, knowing that she had to pick just the right spot for her to make her move.

That’s when it hit her. She knew of where she should go. It was so simple. Yet, she knew this would be where Jenny would go, even if just momentarily. If she moved now, she might have time to stop those two for good.

She turned her attention to the portal. She bit her lip. Then she turned to the other zoners. She gestured with her head, giving the portal a sideways glance. “Cover up the portal. Make sure no one can see it.” As Diamond moved forward, Mrs. Tabootie looked down at Bardot. “Come with me. We’re making a portal somewhere else.”

Bardot nodded. “Did you have a place in mind?”

Mrs. Tabootie narrowed her eyes. “Yes. Now draw us a fast form of transportation.” Bardot opened his mouth to speak, but Mrs. Tabootie cut him off. “Now!”

Immediately, the zoner began to sketch something large and mechanical. Mrs. Tabootie soon recognized it as a car.. Kind of. It had different features than she would expect, and it had that ‘zoner touch’, if that made sense. But at least it looked fast and would get them where they needed to go quickly.

As soon as it was done, she hopped into the driver’s seat. She glared softly in Bardot’s direction, nodding her head. He looked surprised that she wanted him to come along. Normally, she wouldn’t consider the idea, but she decided to take the chance. She would have tried to bring the other zoners with, but the car itself was not large enough for everyone. However, there was something else the Luminos zoners could do that would still be beneficial.

“Remember, stay near the portal. If anyone gets close, do what you can to shoo them away, okay?” Mrs. Tabootie could see several of the zoners nodding in understanding. She returned the gesture before facing forward. She grabbed onto the key and turned it, causing the car to roar to life. “Okay, let’s get going.”

With that, she and Bardot sped off through the tunnel. As they traveled along, heading towards the exit of Solar Pillars, heading in the direction of their destination, she began to think about her current plan and if it was going to work or not. There was a chance that she made a miscalculation. There was a chance that Jenny would think to go somewhere else. But she had little time to second guess, little time to make her move. She just had to hope for the best.

As soon as they were over the invisible layer, heading across the bumpy, grassy ground, speeding past a few familiar sections where she had a confrontation, she placed one hand on her pocket. She didn’t look down; she didn’t need to, in order to know that she had her cellphone with her. Bardot took notice of this and he cleared his throat. She gave him a sideways glance.

“What do you plan on doing with that?” Bardot asked, looking over with curiosity at how she touched her phone through her pocket.

Mrs. Tabootie was quiet for a bit. She soon replied. “I am going to make a phone call.”

sss

Jenny panted heavily as she and Cosmo finally reached the ending stretch towards her house. She had to stop for a moment to catch her breath. She placed her hands on her legs, bent over, and took in deep, long breaths, exhaling and inhaling quickly. Beside her, she could see Cosmo stop and lean back as he tried to catch his breath as well.

Jenny’s lungs burned, yearning for more oxygen than she could deliver. Perhaps she shouldn’t have exerted herself too much. They had erased the portal. There was no need for them to keep running like that. Some people looked at them strangely, wondering what they were up to. She and Cosmo didn’t answer anyone who tried to stop them. She just kept running. They couldn’t stop. They had to get here as soon as possible.

But...perhaps it was best if they had taken it easy. Running all the way over here, she was surprised they both didn’t collapse from exhaustion. They did have some help. They took the bus and it dropped them off near the outskirts of town. But they still ran a large portion of the way and now she felt like she wanted to collapse on the ground. All that running... she had worn herself out. She smacked her licks a little. She was getting really thirsty. A glass of water would help soothe her burning throat.

“I’m still not sure if coming here was the best of plans.” Mr. Cosmo commented. “Don’t you think this was a little too obvious?”

Jenny turned to Cosmo. After taking in a couple more breaths, she replied. “I understand your concern, Teddisson. But not to worry. We won’t be staying here long. I have some supplies here that we can use. We can rest here for a bit, grab some stuff, and get a move on. You did say you knew of a good hiding spot, right?”

“Indeed I do. I stumbled upon it while I was a reporter.” Cosmo said.

Jenny smirked. “I still can’t believe you were a reporter.”

Cosmo gave her a slightly dark smile. “Hey, I had to make a living somehow.” He tilted his head to one side. “Not like I knew about ChalkZone at the time.” His voice suddenly became sullen and bitter at that.

Jenny narrowed her eyes at this. She understood what he was going through. She herself had her memories stolen, too. It felt like losing a part of herself. And it was all Biclops’s fault. He was the one who stole their memories. At least she was able to leave before he could do it again. At least Cosmo was able to escape that fate this time. The thought of him losing himself like that..it was unbearable. Cosmo didn’t deserve to have his memories taken like that.

Mr. Cosmo had gone through several years, not remembering what he had accomplished. He did not remember the glory of the black chalk, or ChalkZone, or what he had nearly accomplished. All of that was taken away from him by that useless giant. She formed a fist with her hand, shaking it. She would make sure that Biclops paid for what he had done. After Penny, he would be next on the hit list. She would see to that. She wouldn’t waste time controlling him; she wanted to kill him off.

Wanting to comfort him somehow, Jenny took a few steps towards Mr. Cosmo. She reached over and grabbed onto his hand, lifting his arm slightly. “Don’t worry.” She pressed herself against him. “You won’t have to demean yourself like that again. I promise.”

Mr. Cosmo didn’t loook at her. He stared straight ahead, towards the house that was her home. He looked like he was in deep thought. After a few momets, he closed his eyes and gae a sigh. He looked down at her. He offered a small crack of a smile and put his arm around her, holding her close. “Yeah. I know.” He then frowned, his eyes narrowed deeply. He let go of her and turned towards the house. “But let’s continue this discussion inside.”

Jenny was a little upset that he just let go of her just like that. She wanted to share a bit of a moment with him. But she knew getting upset about that was silly. Now wasn’t exactly the time to ‘have a moment’. They had to get moving and fast. She turned her head, looking over her shoulder. They may have put a lot of distance between them and the others, but who knows how long that was going to last? She turned around and followed Mr. Cosmo towards the house.

Jenny stared at her house, a small feeling of...some kind of emotion she couldn’t identify rising up inside of her. Even though she had been here quite recently, it still felt like a long time. With all that’s happened in ChalkZone, it felt like she hadn’t been in her own home for ages.

But it also brought about an uncomfortable sensation of failure. She remembered how she had managed to capture Rudy’s aunt Tilly and his cousin Sophie. She had planned on using Tilly in a plan against him. And she had failed in that endeavor. She felt so ashamed. She had wasted so much time... And to lose their prisoners in one day, how revolting. She wanted to kick herself for not making things more secure. If it hadn’t been for that blasted Mr. Longhorn...

She pushed the thoughts aside for now. Mr. Longhorn wasn’t here this time. And now if he dared to show his face here again, she was going to be more prepared. Besides, she had more anger towards Penny at the moment, as she was the one who defeated Nihilanth, and she was certain that she was responsible for the black chalk’s ‘death’ as well. The thought boiled her blood. That stupid wench... She would pay for that.

She and Mr. Cosmo scaled up the hill, their feet stepping on the nice, soft grass. It wasn’t much of an incline, but after all the running they did, this put more stress on their limbs, and their muscles ached a little. They didn’t have to endure long. A few moments later, they were on the steps leading to her door. As soon as they reached it, she opened it up, pushing on the door and walked inside.

They were greeted by darkness. Even though there was still some light out, the sun was starting to set, giving a darker shade to everything around them. Jenny could barely see anything in front of her. Mr. Cosmo walked out ahead and he tripped over something. He let out a yelp and demanded Jenny turn on the light switch now. She would have told him he could have waited, but she declined. She fumbled around on the wall and she soon found the switch. She flipped it on immediately.

Instantly, the house was illuminated. She headed towards the kitchen as Cosmo went and plopped down on the couch in the living room. She pulled out a couple glasses, filled them with water, and joined him. She handed him one and the two of them drank the water almost greedily. She felt instant relief as the water hit against her sore throat. As soon as her glass was empty, she set it down on the ground and crossed her legs.

“How long do you think we should rest?” Jenny turned her attention to Cosmo, who was still sipping his water. “We shouldn’t stay too long, but we can’t leave too early, either. We need to make sure our bodies won’t give out on us when we start to walk towards your hiding spot.”

Mr. Cosmo swallowed some water. “You don’t have a car?” Jenny opened her mouth to speak, but then shut it. Cosmo continued, “Well that is a shame. But I suppose walking won’t be bad. As long as we stay off the road, we may avoid some attention.” He paused, turning his head away, rubbing his chin. “But if we get spotted by someone, we’ll be easier to catch...”

“Not if we run off the road.” Jenny said. She was about to continue, but then she realized one small problem. “Oh...the dogs...”

“Yes. The dogs.” Cosmo said, his eyes narrowed. “There is a good chance we won’t have to worry about that. But on the off chance those people figure out a way to convince the police...”

Jenny nodded in agreement. “Yes, we don’t want to take that chance.”

“No, you don’t.”

Cosmo and Jenny jolted forward, nearly falling out of the couch. They looked around, trying to find the source of that voice. That all too familiar voice.. They soon found Mrs. Tabootie standing not far from them. The two of them stared at her in shock, wondering just how she had gotten there. And how long had she been here? Just where was she hiding?

The shock soon melted away into anger. As Mrs. Tabootie walked towards them, giving them both a sly smile, Cosmo and Jenny glared angrily at her. Jenny felt her stomach twist in knots as she realized that this woman had the guts to trespass on her own property. She didn’t know why the woman had shown up here, alone at that. But she was soon going to regret it. She was about to come along for the ride, and this time, she was not going to let go of her prisoner.

“What are you doing here?” Mr. Cosmo got up from the couch. There was a tense edge to his voice. It was clear he was not going to take chances. “I hope you realize just what kind of trouble you are in...”

“Trouble? Oh, I’m not in trouble...” Mrs. Tabootie folded her arms against her chest. She smiled at the two slyly, an air of arrogance around her that infuriated the two adults. She was playing them. She was acting like this was some kind of fucking game. “What makes you think I’m in trouble?”

“You trespassed, you stupid bitch!” Jenny barked at her.

“I was just passing through. I thought I’d stop by... Say hello to you two before you had to leave.” Mrs. Tabootie said nonchalantly. “You know..it’s going to be kind of lonely not having you two around. You did make a ruckus of things. It might be hard for us to adjust to the sudden peace.”

The woman’s tone was sarcastic. So Jenny replied in an equally mocking tone. “Well don’t worry there, sweet cheeks.” She grinned angrily. “They will get their wish. We’ll be back...”

“Just a shame you won’t be joining them. For trespassing here, I’m afraid you won’t be able to leave.” Cosmo took a few steps towards Mrs. Tabootie. Oddly, the woman didn’t move, but the two of them ignored this lack of fear. “We’ll have to find some rope and a gag so you can’t call for help though.” He turned his head, looking at Jenny with a sideways glance. “Do you have any of that stuff?”

“I believe so.” Jenny headed towards the stairs. She stopped and looked back at Cosmo. “Should I get it now?”

“Yes.” Came Mr. Cosmo’s reply. “We’ll need to get going soon. The faster we get this woman tied up, the faster we can leave, and the sooner we can get back into ChalkZone.”

Mrs. Tabootie chuckled. “Exactly how long do you two plan on waiting before you return to ChalkZone?”

“That’s none of your business!” Jenny snapped.

“Jenny! Get the rope!” Cosmo barked.

Jenny obeyed immediately. Giving a bow of submission to Cosmo, the woman headed towards the basement. She was certain she left something down here. She flipped the light on and headed down the staircase. She could hear the conversation going on between Cosmo and Mrs. Tabootie. She did her best to ignore it, not wanting her mind to trail off too much.

As she reached the bottom of the steps, she couldn’t help but notice the cage they used to hold Sophie and that serpent zoner. She stared at the cage for a few moments, her stomach filling with bile. She remembered how Longhorn had broken in, setting them free. She clenched her teeth, forming a fist with her hand. That man... She did manage to calm herself down and continued walking.

She walked over to the table near the platform where they had killed a few zoners. The blood stains were still there, long having coagulated and took on a chalky appearance. She smiled at the sight of it, remembering the good times she shared with Ghadir and...Tyreek... She swallowed hard, tears forming in her eyes. She wished he could still be here to see this. She wished she had gone with him to make sure he was going to be okay. And Ghadir... At least she was still alive, but she sustained a lot of damage and would be out of commission for a long time.

She shook off her nausea feeling as she found the rope that she needed. She couldn’t find any gags, but they could always find something else they could use. She grabbed onto the rope, looping it around her hands. She headed back towards the stairs. She couldn’t help but listen in on the conversation.

“We’ll be back in ChalkZone when you least expect it!” Cosmo cried. There was a bit more anger to his voice. Mrs. Tabootie was giving him a hard time. “Quit asking me to tell you when we’ll return. I’m not stupid. If I tell you, then if you escape, you will tell the others. You will hear none of our plan.”

“I’m just saying... You probably have a lot of time to think when you won’t be able to go back for about forty years.” Mrs. Tabootie said innocently.

Forty years? Jenny cocked up an eyebrow. What makes her think it would take that long?

“That isn’t how long we’ll wait!” Cosmo barked at her.

“Oh that’s right. I’m sorry.” Mrs. Tabootie said. “It’ll probably be more like sixty.”

“What are you babbling on about?!” Mr. Cosmo cried.

By this point, Jenny had reached the top of the steps. Confusion flowed through her mind as she listened to Mrs. Tabootie’s comments. Just what was she talking about? Why did she think they would be gone for forty or sixty years? It wouldn’t take that long for them to get back into ChalkZone. What exactly did she think they were going to do? Spend time in a...

Realization struck her and she froze, eyes widened. It felt like she had been struck by a large sheet of ice. She gave a few shivers. She stared over in Mrs. Tabootie’s direction. Mr. Cosmo was staring at her in confusion. It was clear he did not get the message. Jenny took in a few quick breaths. Was this woman....? Then when Mrs. Tabootie noticed her, and gave her a knowing smile, her slips parting in a grin, Jenny knew it.

Jenny sucked in a sharp breath, feeling her heart pounding against her chest. “Y-You didn’t...” She managed to breathe. “You...”

“What?” Mr. Cosmo looked over his shoulder. “What did she do?” He caught the expression on Jenny’s face. She didn’t answer him; just stared at him with a look of horror and realization. Mr. Cosmo kept her gaze for about a minute before realization hit him as well. He looked back at Mrs. Tabootie. “You didn’t...”

Mrs. Tabootie grinned. “Checkmate.”

Mr. Cosmo’s breathing increased. He practically started to hyperventilate, sweat pouring down his face. Suddenly, loud sirens began to wail. The familiar red and blue lights flashed. The two adults turned their heads, seeing the colors intermix, lighting up the outside. Horror and fear filled their minds, giving them a cold, chilly feeling. Their hearts pounded against their chests, knowing full well just what they were in for.

Mr. Cosmo turned and stared at Mrs. Tabootie, who smiled at him smugly. After a few quick breaths, he grabbed Mrs. Tabootie by her throat and slammed her against the wall. “You...!” He pulled back his fist, preparing to punch her.

He never got far as the door was suddenly slammed open. Mr. Cosmo froze, he and Jenny giving terrified looks as a large group of cops came rushing into the house, all armed with guns. They all pointed at them. Jenny dropped the rope she was holding and took a few steps back. She looked over at Mr. Cosmo, swallowing nervously. Mr. Cosmo kept his grip on Mrs. Tabootie, but his fist lowered slightly. He looked almost like a deer in the headlights.

“Freeze!” One of the cops shouted. “Release her and put your hands up in the air!”

Slowly, the two adults complied. As soon as Mrs. Tabootie was released, the large woman took a few steps back. She folded her arms and smirked slyly at them. That’s when they realized they had been duped. This woman had not only figured out where they were going to go, but she had beaten them here and called the police, and was merely stalling for time, keeping them here until the police arrived. This realization heated up their blood and they glared hatefully at the woman for a few seconds.

“Hey, that’s Teddisson Cosmo!” Another cop said, his eyes wide in shock. He looked over at one of his comrades. “Wasn’t he supposed to be dead?”

“Well he’s clearly alive. He’s long overdue for a trial.” Another said.

“Yeah..for the murder of Rebecca Saffron...” A third one said bitterly.

“Jenny Hope is his accomplice!” A woman cop said, pointing at Jenny. “I knew there was something wong with her! She never did like Rebecca.”

“All right you two...” One of the cops said, approaching them with two sets of hand cuffs. “Turn around and put your hands behind your backs.” Having no choice with the guns pointed at them, Cosmo and Jenny turned around. They winced as the man yanked their arms behind their backs and cuffed them one by one. The officer than pushed them towards two of his comrades, two large men, who seized them. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say and do....”

The man’s voice trailed off as Jenny and Cosmo were dragged outside to the waiting police car. The door was opened up and they were pushed inside. Before they knew it, the car roared to life and they were taken into custody.


	203. Winding Down

“Oh Snap my man...I’m so sorry...” Rapsheeba said. She held her sympathetic gaze to Snap, unable to tear her eyes away. “I..I wish that...”

Snap gave her a smile. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault. You weren’t even there.” He winced in pain, shutting his eyes for a few seconds. He leaned back, turning his head up towards the ceiling. “And besides, I...should have been more careful with Boorat. Maybe I could have...”

Blocky cut him off. “No, Snap. Don’t even think about blaming yourself.” Snap looked over at his teal-colored friend and chalk mate. “You couldn’t have known things would have turned out that way. But the important thing is, you’re still alive, and you’re still here with us.”

“Yeah, Snap. It’s going to be okay.” Rapsheeba said gently.

Snap wished he could be more enthusiastic. He knew they were right. There wasn’t much he could have done, and there isn’t much he could do now to change his fate too much. But he was still here. His heart was still beating. His broken body would recover. He was going to survive.

And yet... He still couldn’t bring himself to be too happy. He realized he was being a little silly, like when he temporarily lost the ability to walk and he shut everyone away. He didn’t want to fall into that trap again. But... That had been different. His leg loss was only temporary. True, it easily could have been permanent. But he still had his legs. In this situation, he had no chance of a complete recovery. He turned his head towards his left, looking at the bandaged stump that was once his arm.

His left arm was forever gone. He winced at the sight of it, remembering the horrific pain he was in when Boorat ripped it out. It had been an accident, but it didn’t change the fact of what happened. It was such a horrific event...and when he told his friends, it was one of the hardest things he ever had to do. Rudy especially took it hard, blaming himself for what happened. Rapsheeba and Blocky were equally horrified. It had been difficult telling them, but there was no way he could hide this from them for long, even if he had wanted to try.

He told them as soon as he could. He explained everything he knew to them, picking up about where they left off. Rapsheeba and Blocky listened intently, shocked by what they had missed in the past couple days. They barely remember anything before Nihilanth taking them, sealing them away in that void. For them, just a couple days felt like a lifetime.

The three of them, along with the other injured zoners, had been brought into the hospital about seven hours ago. They all had to undergo some surgery as soon as they got there, fixing broken areas, stitching open holes, and other things. He had woken up in the post op recovery room, where he realized that Rapsheeba and Blocky had been placed with him as well. He had been really muggy and it took him a while to remember where he was and what he was doing here. After a couple hours, he and his friends were moved again, into another room.

Now here the three were. Snap sat in the middle bed, while Blocky was near the door and Rapsheeba closer to the window. Snap had the most severe and numerous injuries, but his friends were kept in the same room as him. Snap couldn’t remember if he had requested that or not, but he was grateful, nonetheless.

He hadn’t been the only one who came into the hospital. He had heard some comments from doctors revealing that Howdy, Doofus Rudy, Doofus Penny, and Nexra had also been brought in. And of course, there were some of the Luminos members, such as Dr. Raiden and Maalik.

Doofus Penny was the least injured of the bunch. She had come in, dragging Doofus Rudy, apparently having carried him a long way. Snap couldn’t help but feel impressed by this feat. That took dedication, to carry her friend through a dangerous ChalkZone, never knowing when Nihilanth would strike. Thankfully, Doofus Rudy wasn’t as bad as Doofus Penny thought he was. He still needed help and a stay in the hospital, but it could have been a lot worse.

Howdy had been taken to the hospital by Jacko. He was severely injured by Draow, his spine snapped. The doctors believe he’ll never be able to walk again. The thought sent ice into Snap’s heart, and he stifled a cry. The poor little guy... When Jacko described the injuries, Snap tried his best not to cry or shiver too hard, but he couldn’t help it. The thought of Howdy losing the ability to walk because of Draow’s actions... It sickened him. And damaging his arm more... who did Draow think he was? Snap was glad to hear that the creepazoid had been arrested. He hoped that he stayed trapped this time.

Speaking of Jacko, Snap was surprised that he had come into this dimension. Then again, Ms. Saffron did, dragged in by Mr. Cosmo, so he wasn’t as surprised really. He guessed that Light Rudy had sent him to help. He hadn’t asked Jacko himself and he couldn’t remember if Jacko told him or not. He would have time to speak to him later...maybe. He didn’t know when Jacko had to leave. Snap hoped that he would have enough time to thank him for his help.

Dr. Raiden and Maalik were stil greeted with some skeptism due to their actions at the other hospital. Snap’s mind filled with bitterness as he remembered how the two orchestrated a bombing attack on the hospital, all just to get to Rudy. Even though the two felt remorse for what they’ve done and were willing to make up for it, a part of Snap couldn’t help but remain angry with them. He didn’t think the feeling would go away anytime soon. This was something that needed time to adjust. He hoped that, given enough time, he wold be able to let to of his anger. He might have forgiven him; that didn’t mean he wasn’t angry at them anymore.

He was also still afraid of them, as were some of the patients, namely ones that were in the other hospital when they had attacked it. It was understandable that the patients would be afraid of Dr. Raiden’s presence, as well as Maalik’s. Despite the reassuring and apologetic words from the two Luminos leaders, it was clear a lot of damage had been done. Snap knew it was going to take a long time to fully recover, especially after he had been a target of the Luminos. He still gets chills everytime he remembered how Dr. Raiden tried to tear off his face.

Then there was his friends. He looked from left to right, taking note of their wounds. Blocky’s side was ripped open and Rapsheeba had a broken leg. Both were given by those feline zoners. The thought still filled him with anger, even though they had apologized. He was also still a bit shaken by what Dr. Raiden had told him, about having killed Rapsheeba and Blocky. Yes, Dr. Raiden apologized, but it still stung him horribly. Snap did his best to push aside these emotions, but it was quite difficult.

But things would get better in time. He just had to wait. Time was the best healer. Yes, after a while, he would feel better. Things would return to normal..or almost normal. He no longer had a left arm. He was still alive, though. As his friends said, that’s what was important.

Alive... Suddenly, the word brought forth something else of great importance.

Reggie Bullnerd was...dead. He shuddered at the memory of how he had died. Poor Reggie..he didn’t deserve that. Jenny...that monster... She was the reason he was dead. She couldn’t pin the fault on him. Reggie was only trying to protect them and she... Snap gritted his teeth. He hoped that the creepazoids had all been captured. He hoped that they had gotten what they deserved.

His heart twisted when he realized someone would have to break the news to Reggie’s dad. What..what were they going to say...? He knew his dad was not going to take the news well. He couldn’t imagine what it must feel like to recieve news like that, to give news like that. The fear of possibly having to tell him ChalkZone’s involvement hardly entered Snap’s mind; he was more concerned about how Mr. Bullnerd was going to take the devastating news.

Snap turned his attention to Rapsheeba, and then to Blocky. He cleared his throat and he addressed the two. “Do you guys know...”

Blocky answered before he had a chance to finish. “No. We know about as much as you.”

“Yeah. Sorry.” Rapsheeba said. “We haven’t gotten any word from our human companions. No updates yet. But don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough if ChalkZone is safe, or if we should start worrying again.”

Snap nodded his head. The humans were all back in the real world, he was certain. He wasn’t sure if Nihilanth had been defeated, though. Or Cosmo or Jenny. For all he knew, they were simply in hiding, and their human friends had to retreat. But he did know that, if they were in the real world, they were all in the hospital, especially Rudy and Penny, and he was certain their parents would be with them. Sophie and Tilly were also there. Thoughts of Sophie filled him with sadness as he remembered her shattered foot...

Snap didn’t expect the humans to come back into ChalkZone for a while. He understood that they would be so focused on their children’s condition, they might not realize they could draw messages on the chalkboard. He knew they would tell him any news as soon as they were able to. He just had to be patient and wait.

“I...wonder who Mr. Wilter is doing.” Blocky said. Snap let out a sharp gasp at this, his eyes widened. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I...” Blocky stopped, his voice trailing off.

Snap was, momentarily, unaware of where he was or who was with him. His body shivered a little as he remembered what had happened to Mr. Wilter. The man was lobotomized by Jenny. His brain all cut up... That was one of the cruelest things these black chalk artists had ever done. The thought sickened and horrified him. He couldn’t believe that Jenny had actually... He tried to shake away the thoughts, but it was difficult. It added to the sickening feeling he was currently experiencing.

He wasn’t sure if he was going to recover. None of them did. Snap could only hope that things would work out. Maybe his brain would heal and he would regain some sense of normality. It would be just awful if Mr. Wilter were reduced to a vegetable for the rest of his life. But only time would tell if he would recover even just a little.

Snap did his best to look brave. He gave a shaky smile to Blocky. “I’m sure Mr. Wilter will be okay.” He flinche when he heard his voice crack. “He’s in a hospital now and they will do what they can to help him. He’ll..he’ll be fine..”

“Y-Yeah.. He seemed like he was a guy with a strong spirit.” Rapsheeba said, clearly trying to look on the bright side of things.

Silence fell upon the room after that statement. No one said anything. No one knew what to say. There was still so much they wanted to know. So much they wanted to know. There were still a lot of unknown factors, things they didn’t yet know. They didn’t know if Nihilanth was finished off for good. They don’t know if Cosmo and Jenny were taken care of. They didn’t know if they were going to suffer another attack.

The realization of that unknown, the unknown of if they were going to suffer an ambush or not, caused them to tense up, anxiety filling up inside of them. They looked at each other, and then towards the window warily. They all imagined the large, powerful dragon bursting through the building, ripping it into shreds, killing them in the process. Perhaps they were overthinking it. Maybe they were being ridiculous. But without knowing the status of their enemies, it was still a possibility.

“Snap.”

The silence was cut when a familiar zoner called out to Snap. The door had been opened, the knob hitting against the wall. The clang of metal and the squeaking of wheels could be heard. The zoners watched as Skrawl wheeled himself into the room. His eyes were narrowed, holding gaze that told the blue zoner that Skrawl really wanted to speak to him, as if him calling out to him seconds ago didn’t give that way.

Skrawl used the stick to move his wheelchair towards Snap’s bed. He stopped directly in front. The front part of his wheelchair nearly touched Snap’s bed. Skrawl grumbled, shifted into reverse, and moved back a tiny bit, giving some more room.

Skrawl fiddled around with the stick for a bit, which had become stuck, and after he freed it, he tilted his head up so his mismatched eyes could see Snap. “I imagine no one has told you the news.”

Snap looked at Rapsheeba and Blocky. They then looked back at Skrawl. They shrugged their shoulders and held up their heads, turning their heads in a silent ‘no’.

Skrawl grumbled softly. “Of course not. Those Beanie Boys I sent aren’t the best messengers.” He rubbed his head, shaking it. “But no matter. I can give the news myself.” Skrawl kept his gaze directly on Snap, hardly sparing a glance to Rapsheeba or Blocky. “Well there’s been an update that I think you should know about.”

Snap wondered what kind of news Skrawl was going to bring them. Was it going to be anything good? Was it going to be something that was going to turn the tides in this war? He stared at Skrawl expectantly. Rapsheeba and Blocky did the same.

“Some more patients have been brought in. They have been able to confirm what had happened with Nihilanth...although Jenny and Cosmo ran off, so they can’t confirm anything about them. At least not yet. But I’m sure Mrs. Tabootie will be able to fill us in soon and...”

“What happened with Nihilanth?!” Rapsheeba cried. She widened her eyes, covering her mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell like that...”

Skrawl narrowed his eyes at her. He then softened up his expression, exhaling slowly. “It’s...quite all right.” He cleared his throat, looking at each of the eager zoners. “They didn’t tell me the full details. What they did tell me, though, will interest you.”

Silence swept through the room. The tension was growing rapidly. The three zoners were rapidly growing impatient as Skrawl paused for a moment. They could feel anxiety and apprehension rise up inside of them. Their bodies shivered as they started to feel excited. Skrawl hadn’t confirmed it yet, but they could just feeling it...taste it... Something positive happened this time. They waited eagerly for the jellybean to continue, wanting to know just how much the odds had been tipped in their favor.

Then Skrawl replied, saying the one thing that not only they, but all of ChalkZone and their human allies had been wanting to hear.

“Nihilanth has been defeated.

sss

“D-Dad...? Wh-Where am I...?” Rudy groaned softly.

Mr. Tabootie lifted up his head from his hands. He turned his attention to the hospital bed he sat next to. He forgot how long he had been sitting here, but at the moment, he didn’t care. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched his son slowly wake up from surgery, his eyes blinking open. He reached forward and placed his hand over Rudy’s.

“It’s okay, son. It’s going to be okay.” Mr. Tabootie said, doing his best not to burst into tears.

Rudy looked in his direction, his eyes still unfocused, his vision likely very fuzzy. Rudy seemed to notice his dad holding back some emotion, even through his blurry vision. “Dad, what’s w-wrong...?”

“Nothing, son.” Mr. Tabootie lied. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

While Rudy seemed to have bought this lie, Mr. Tabootie still felt like slapping himself. Anyone who took a good look at him would know he had lied. He just didn’t want to worry his son. The crisis was over, and right now, Rudy’s mind was too groggy and confused to register the facts. If he were to tell Rudy anything, it was going to have to wait.

Mr. Tabootie sucked on his lip as he recalled how Rudy went into cardiac arrest when he came in here. It had been one of the most terrifying moments of his life. Rudy just...suddenly went critical as he was being wheeled in. At first sign, the doctors immediately rushed Rudy into surgery. He had been in there for a long time. At least two hours. The doctors kept rushing around, and he could hear the sound of tools being used. While a lot of them were probably not used on his son, but instead other patients, it was still very unnerving.

Mr. Tabootie remembered the grueling wait he had to endure before he could see his son. The doctors kept coming out, telling him updates. Most of them were standard, a few were worrying, like how he had lost a great deal of blood, but some were more positive. The best words he heard were ‘your son is out of surgery, it was a success’, or something along those lines. Mr. Tabootie was not able to stop smiling when he heard his son had made it through.

He had immediately come into the room. Rudy was still unconscious. The sight of his son in bandages, stitches, some of his body supported... especially with the IV needles and monitor machines... It was unbearable. It brought back horrifying memories of when Bardot and Draow tortured him and Penny. And while his son made it years ago with severe wounds, he feared that this might be it. That his son had sustained so many injuries that he was not going to make it.

But seeing Rudy awake did give him hope. Seeing him unconscious twisted his heart with emotional pain. But awake, looking straight at him, being alert... Those were all good signs. He hoped that his son would continue bringing him good signs in the future.

“Dad...” Rudy called out. He repeated his question from before. “Wh-What..happened?”

Mr. Tabootie clenched his teeth for a moment. Rudy was still so groggy and confused. Telling him the full story right now wasn’t a good idea. He’ll have to save that for when he was more better abled. But he couldn’t just keep quiet. His son deserved an answer. And so he gave one.

“Nihilanth and Jenny are being taken care of.” Mr. Tabootie said. He cracked a small smile. “Snap, your mother, and some others are helping to stop them.”

Rudy’s eyes widened at this. He tried to push himself up. He aggravated his injuries and he let out a cry of pain. Mr. Tabootie looked at his son worriedly. He leaned forward, grabbing him by his shoulders, and gently pushed him back against the hospital pillow. He kept firm pressure there until his son relaxed, the pain disappearing from his face.

“You need to be careful. You’re too injured to be moving around like that.” Mr. Tabootie said, his eyes narrowed in concern.

Rudy gave a few weak coughs. He looked up at his dad, who winced when he saw all the fear glowing in those eyes. “Are they okay...?” Mr. Tabootie hesitated to answer. Rudy looked even more worried. He leaned forward a little, grabbing onto his dad’s hand despite his pain. “Please...tell me they are o-okay..”

Mr. Tabootie bit his lip. “I’m..not sure, son.” He couldn’t lie to him. He reached forward and stroked his son’s hair, trying to comfort him. “But I’m certain they’re okay.”

“Why aren’t you...” A cough. “..helping..” A painful wheeze. “..them..?”

Mr. Tabootie felt like a knife was placed in his heart. Though Rudy didn’t seem angry, the question sounded almost accusatory. Given his son’s nature, how he always put others ahead of himself, this type of question didn’t surprise him. He continued stroking his hair, hoping to keep Rudy calm, keep him from panicking. “I was told to bring you to the hospital. You needed help badly, Rudy. If one of us didn’t bring you...”

“You c-c-could have gone back...” Rudy let out another cough. “...you know.” He paused for a moment, and closed his eyes. “I’m s-s-sorry.. I’m just so worried...about th-them.”

“I know you are.” Mr. Tabootie said. “I promise...as soon as I know what happened, I’ll tell you.”

Rudy looked up at him with wide, innocent-looking eyes. “P-Promise?”

Mr. Tabootie smiled the best he could. He nodded his head once. “Yes, Rudy. I promise.”

Rudy smiled gratefully at this. Then, slowly, his eyes fluttered closed. Mr. Tabootie didn’t do anything to wake up his son. He had just gotten out of surgery not that long ago. He needed to rest as much as he can for a while so his body could recover. He had been through so much... He deserved the rest.

The man smiled softly as his son drifted off to sleep. He watched as his heart rate went into a calm rhythm, almost like a drum beat. His chest rose and fell at a steady rate. His eyes were closed lightly, no sign of stress, fear, or confusion. His face was relaxed. It was devoid of the pain he was expressing earlier. The morphine pumped into his body was doing a great job numbing the pain, helping his son to relax and rest while he recovered from his surgery.

As Rudy slept, Mr. Tabootie thought back to his discovery earlier. The possibility of wild zoners invading the real world. He had been horrified when he discovered that to be something that could have happened. Recalling how people had reacted so negatively to the ChalkZone footage Vinnie had shown, he knew that it was very important to check this out. If there was a remote chance a wild zoner got out... It had been heard enough to convince the people before. If they see a wild zoner attacking someone, not only are they going to be convinced the place exists, but that it should be torn down.

Mr. Tabootie did not spend his entire time in the hospital, waiting for Rudy. He did feel guilty about leaving, especially when he lied about the reason why, but he knew it was important to make sure that nothing came through. He spent enough time driving around the city blocks, looking for any zoner activity. If a sentient zoner came through, chances are they would have immediately gone back. The real world was not safe for them and they knew it.

But a feral zoner would not understand. They would not be so careful. They would act like animals, knocking things over, investigate people, try to find food... In other words, they could have been easy pretty easy to find. They would be like a fish out of water, behaving abnormally, lost in a strange, alien environment. He spent some time driving up and down the roads, looking for any signs of zoners. He had even stopped at a few places, looking around, trying to see if there were any reason to believe a zoner had been there.

He had been happy to learn there was no sign of zoner activity. This didn’t mean they were out of the woods, but it did satisfy him enough to head back to the hospital. He could search again later just to make sure there were no zoners. If there were any, it was safe to assume they were small and relatively harmless or shy; the more aggressive zoners, like that staplegator, would have made a ruckus and he would have found them much faster.

The thought of the staplegator made him wince. He remembered that Mr. Pierce and most of his employees had been arrested, but their minds couldn’t be wiped. While some of them didn’t even see ChalkZone, he was well aware that some of them, including Mr. Pierce, knew about ChalkZone. Just how much they knew, how much their kids were forced to tell him, he wasn’t certain. But the idea that Mr. Pierce or one of his lackeys could turn up later as a threat again was unnerving. The man nearly succeeded in framing him for Ms. Bouffant’s death. If he had gained enough knowledge of ChalkZone, he could cause a whole lot of trouble...

But he tried not to think about it now. There was nothing he could do except wait and give it time. There were other things he needed to be concerned about, and he had no way of figuring out if Mr. Pierce did know about the whole ‘erasing things on a chalkboard to make them real in ChalkZone’ thing. Not without accidentally revealing it himself.

So for now, he’ll put that on the back burner and focus on what he knew was the current threat: Nihilanth, Cosmo, and Jenny. They had to be stopped. Only then would ChalkZone, as well as themselves, their children, and the real world, be safe.

Mr. Tabootie heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Expecting it to be a nurse coming to check in on Rudy, he turned his head. The door knob turned and opened up. Mr. Tabootie widened his eyes at who it actually was.

“Millie...?” His heart fluttered at this realization. Adrenaline and relief rushed through his body, and it took all his strength not to jump up from his seat and go greet her, give her a hug. “Are..are you okay..? What happened?”

“I’m fine, Joe. Really, I am.” Mrs. Tabootie said. She walked up to her husband. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“Me, too.” Mr. Tabootie said.

The two embraced each other. They stayed this way for a few seconds before they parted. They held onto each other’s arms, staring into the other’s eyes. After a held gaze, they leaned towards each other and engaged in a quick yet passionate kiss. After they parted, Mrs. Tabootie was the first one to speak.

“How’s Rudy?” She asked.

Mr. Tabootie furrowed his eyes in concern. “He’s...okay.” He winced at how unsure he sounded. He could see the worried look in his wife’s face. He quickly added, “He made it out of surgery, though, and he was awake a short time before you arrived. The doctors are hopeful he might make a full recovery.”

“Well..that’s better than nothing.” Mrs. Tabootie looked over at Rudy. She sighed softly, her eyes filling with so much worry and concern for her only son. She moved in closer, placing her hand on his, squeezing it gently. “I hope he’ll wake up. There’s so much I want to tell him.”

Mr. Tabootie nodded his head at this. He then paused. He stared at his wife. He bit his lip. He wasn’t sure if this was the right time to ask. But he..he had to know.

“Millie... what happened with..them?” He asked.

His wife stared at him, silent for a moment. It was clear she knew full well who he was talking about. She took in a deep breath and said simply, “We don’t have to worry about them anymore.”

Mr. Tabootie widened his eyes in shock. He thought, at first, it was just a dream, that he was going to wake up soon. But he soon realized this was no dream; it was reality. His wife had actually said that. His body trembled slightly with unexpected emotion. There was some sense of relief, but the most burning thing on his mind was ‘how was this possible’. He stared at his wife for several seconds, silence filling the room.

He soon managed to break it. “H-How?”

Mrs. Tabootie turned her head away. Her eyes narrowed not in anger, but in contemplation. “It all started when...”

Mr. Tabootie listened intently as his wife told him the story of what happened.

sss

“I still...I still can’t believe I almost...” Mrs. Sanchez’s voice trailed off, choking back tears. She put a hand to her mouth. It was hard for her to believe what she had done. She...she couldn’t have... “How could I have allowed myself to be controlled like that? Why...?” Her voice trailed off as she gave a loud sniffle.

She was aware of Mr. Longhorn looking at her sympathetically. He hadn’t spoken a word to her yet, instead letting her release her emotion. The two of them were sitting a hospital room together, their injuries having been treated. She wasn’t sure how long they had been here, but she’d have to say it was a few hours at the very least. The man wasn’t sitting far from her, next to her on the same hospital bed.

The man had told her everything that he knew had happened. Mrs. Sanchez, who had been confused and muggy when she initially woke up, felt her mind snap to reality as the shere horror of what happened sank in. She kept staring at Mr. Longhorn, hoping to find some room for error, something that could tell her that he was wrong, and that she hadn’t...done that. Please, she couldn’t have done something so...so evil.. Could she?

But it had to be true. There was no way the man could be lying or making this up. Everything that Mr. Longhorn said added up and helped to explain her condition, his condition, why she couldn’t remember anything. And most disturbingly, it also allowed her to come up with a reason why, just prior to waking up, she had flashes in the back of her head of her doing things she normally wouldn’t do, such as go up against her own daughter. She couldn’t hide from it anymore. There was no way she could deny it.

She had been turned into a black chalk user. The thought chilled her blood. When she had heard about how she used to be a black chalk artist, she had hoped that she’d never have to worry about that. She had feared the possibilities of what would happen should she be brought back to...their side.

Her nightmare had become a reality. Not only had she been brainwashed, like she had as a child, but she had been pitted against her own friends and family. The worst thing Mr. Longhorn told her she did was nearly kill Penny. Mrs. Sanchez’s heart twisted when he described the attack. Each detail sent another knife through her heart. How..how could she have done that...? Oh Penny...

Mr. Longhorn soon spoke up. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“But...but how could I have...?” Mrs. Sanchez said. She placed her face in her hands, her body shaking as the shere horror gripped her mind. “I didn’t...” She took in a shaky breath as she felt Mr. Longhorn place his hand on her shoulder. She looked over at him, her eyes wide and watery. “How did I even get corrupted...? I don’t remember anything, I...”

Mr. Longhorn was not able to provide any answers for her. He shook his head and said, “I’m sorry, I don’t really know.” Mrs. Sanchez looked away. Mr. Longhorn leaned closer. “But that’s not important. At least now you’re safe and free. Biclops was able to help you, just like how he was able to help the black chalk artists of the past return to....something of a normal life.”

That was of little comfort to Mrs. Sanchez. Yes, her memories were gone again. She no longer remembered what she was like, except what she had been told. But the black chalk still remained. She knew what happened with Cosmo, Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir. All of them had their memories taken. And when it came back, they instantly reverted back to the way they were. What’s to stop her from doing the same thing? The black chalk hadn’t been removed; only her memories. Biclops may have been able to disable it, like he had with the others in the past, but it wouldn’t stay disabled for long.

“What if something happens? What if I become like that again?” Mrs. Sanchez took in a ragged breath, her mouth opened up partially. “If I don’t know how it happened, how can I..how can I safeguard myself to not do it again?” She closed her eyes, letting a few tears fall down. “If I don’t find a way to stop myself, I’m...”

She couldn’t say anything more. She let her voice go silent. She didn’t bother looking at Mr. Longhorn. She just kept her gaze towards the ground, looking at her feet, twiddling her fingers together as she tried to think of what her options were. She needed to know how she got corrupted, otherwise, the same thing could happen again. She didn’t want to hurt anyone again, let alone her own daughter. She was glad that Penny was still alive. She was glad that Bardot was able to help her. But the idea of it happening again...

She needed to figure out what happened. She needed to figure out just how she corrupted herself again. Had she gone off on her own? Was she taken hostage? Was she tricked? ...did she do it willingly...?

Mrs. Sanchez shook her head feverishly at that thought, ignoring the confused look she got from Mr. Longhorn. How could she think something like that? She would never do such a thing without resistance. What would possess her to pick up a piece of black chalk and going along with it? If that’s what she did, then she’d never forgive herself. She gritted her teeth at the thought of it. To willingly use the black chalk while knowing what it can do... that was a disgusting act.

But, on some level, she knew Mr. Longhorn made some sense. It would be pointless for her to keep thinking about what happened, how she could have gotten corrupted. At least now. She was in a hospital, safe and in the process of healing. The black chalk artists had no chance of coming into here. She could worry about figuring out what happened later. Right now, she needed to rest and recover. And not just her. All of them.

At this, she turned to Mr. Longhorn. “How bad is Penny...?”

“I’m not sure.” Mr. Longhorn said. “I hadn’t been able to see her. But I’m sure she’s fine. Or...” He backtracked a little. “As fine as she could be, given the....circumstances...”

Mrs. Sanchez lowered her gaze at this. Guilt invaded her stomach again, twisting it in knots. She still couldn’t believe she nearly killed her own daughter. More tears streamed down her face. If it hadn’t been for Bardot, she..she would have...

“It’s okay, Mrs. Sanchez.” Mr. Longhorn put his arm around the trembling woman, pulling her close to him. “I’m sure Penny won’t hate you. She knows that it wasn’t really you hurting her. As soon as we can, we’ll go visit her, and you’ll see. She will still look at you as her mother. It’s going to be okay.”

Mrs. Sanchez said softly, “And what if she doesn’t? What if she never lets me near her again? If I were her, I wouldn’t let...”

“But you aren’t her.” Mr. Longhorn cut her off. “And you aren’t her. Don’t compare yourselves.” He lightly pressed the side of his face against hers. “Just try not to fret. Try not to worry. Penny still loves you. She still cares about you. Don’t think for a second she doesn’t.” He stroked her hair gently. “This wasn’t your fault. You should know that. Penny does. If anything, she’d be angry at the black chalk for using you like a puppet, not you.”

“How can you be certain?” Mrs. Sanchez didn’t bother looking at him. Her eyes remained shut.

“Based on what she told me, that’s how she’d feel.” Mr. Longhorn didn’t hesitate to answer. She turned her head just enough to tell that the man was smiling at her. “She’s a smart kid. She knows who was really in control then. Try not to worry so much.”

Mrs. Sanchez opened her mouth, but then soon shut it. Yeah, Mr. Longhorn was right. Penny would forgive her. Penny wouldn’t hate her for what happened. It wasn’t her doing those things. It was the black chalk. It was pulling all the strings. It was the one using her like some kind of puppet. She had to remember that. She couldn’t blame herself. Regardless of how this came about, the end result was the same: she was a victim and was used like a mere tool.

At least it was over there. She had been freed and could no longer be used in such an atrocious way. She could rest here, recover, as well as anyone else, such as her daughter, who had been brought in. They were safe in the hospital in the real world. It would be much harder infiltrating this place than it was with the ChalkZone hospital. The black chalk artists wouldn’t dare attempt to attack a real world hospital.

But ChalkZone might still be in danger... She tried to relax herself. Longhorn had never said anything about everyone going to the hospital. Perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie had been left behind to make sure the black chalk artists didn’t do much. Even though those two didn’t have that much experience, she trusted that they would be able to perform well enough to ensure that Jenny, Cosmo, and Nihilanth wouldn’t be able to cause too much harm to ChalkZone. She had known them for a long time, and if there was one thing she learned, they can be quite determined if placed on the spot.

Then there was the issue of Nihilanth. He was still a threat, far as she and Longhorn knew. Longhorn mentioned something about a fight in ChalkZone, but he didn’t mention the outcome of it, who had won. Based on his words and tone, he was not a hundred percent certain they had won, and Jenny and Cosmo had apparently gotten away. The thought twisted her heart, making her grit her teeth. But...they’ll be stopped for certain. She had a feeling in her heart that they would be.

“I wish I could tell you more.” Mr. Longhorn lamented. He closed his eyes lightly as he pulled her into a comforting hug. “Being knocked out isn’t fun. My memories are still fuzzy. If it helps you, if I remember anything else for certain...I’ll let you know.” He said. “I promise.”

Mrs. Sanchez recalled how Longhorn had been injured, his head hitting against a hard surface bad enough that he was knocked out. As a result, there were pieces of his memory that were missing. Chunks, sometimes randomized, that he couldn’t quite recall or peice together. He might know more about what happened to Nihilanth, Cosmo, and Jenny and he just can’t remember. She wouldn’t rush him, though. She’d give him time. That’s all she could do.

Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him, returning the hug. She placed the side of her face against his shoulder. She took in a deep breath and sighed softly. There were so many questions buzzing around in her head. But for now, she would rest.

sss

Bardot let out a soft sigh as he wandered through ChalkZone City. His mind was largely empty, devoid of most thoughts. He narrowed his eyes, focused on one thing only. He kept moving through the city, ignoring the looks and questions he got from some of the zoners he came across. He was so focused, that he nearly ran into a couple of obstacles ahead. He was able to move around them at the last minute and continue to trek through the roads.

He didn’t stop until he came upon something rather peculiar. A large dent in the ground, looking like it was made by something large. It seemed out of place, out of nowhere. To anyone who just came here, this would be a rather unnerving sight. They would wonder if there had been attack, if there was some strange creature they had to worry about.

But Bardot knew better. He knew exactly what this had been. It was no less peculiar to him than drinking real world water was to a human. He wasn’t the only one; a lot of other zoners also knew what this was.

It had been the location of the glass that stored Nihilanth. This had been the place of his defeat.

While it might seem like a good reason to panic that the glass was gone and Nihilanth possibly freed, Bardot knew this wasn’t the case. He knew that Nihilanth was being relocated somewhere where he couldn’t harm anyone again. The zoners hadn’t picked a spot yet, but he was certain they would pick somewhere safe and secure. None of them wanted to have another Nihilanth incident.

Turning his gaze over, he could see a partial crater, recognizable by the dirt markings. Accompanying it were the torn down remains of Penny’s trap. This was where Nihilanth had been brought down. This was where he had been rendered helpless, torn from his vessel that was Barney.

This made him stop for a moment. He stared long and hard at the crater, knowing that this was where Barney made his last stand. If he did anything at all, that is. Nihilanth had used him like a tool, forced his body to be his so he could roam ChalkZone undetected, or whatever the hell he had done. He was certain Barney was forced to watch as his body, morphed into Nihilanth’s,did all kinds of terrible things. He couldn’t imagine what the guy had been through in that state. To not have control of your own body... That’s got to be one of the most terrifying feelings.

Bardot couldn’t help but wonder if Barney was just as terrified in the end as he had been when he tortured him. Bardot flinced at that. He had done a lot of terrible things. Years ago, this wouldn’t have bugged him so much. But now, it had gotten through to him. He had realized what kind of monster he had been. He changed so much in the last few days. In a sick twisted way, he kind of owed Jenny for it; if she hadn’t taken his red chalk half, he probably wouldn’t have made as much progress as he did now. At first, he had wanted to go back, as things were much simpler when his red chalk half was complete, intermingling with his white chalk side. Now...he had little desire to return to the way he had been.

His thoughts returned to Barney. It was a shame that he didn’t get to live to see Nihilanth be defeated. It was a darn shame that things turned out this way. The humans had wanted to save him, but in the end, they were not able to. Barney was gone. They didn’t know exactly what happened, but he assumed that his body had been ripped apart as Nihilanth’s own body was shattered.

Bardot wished he had a chance to speak to the centipede and apologize. Not that it was going to do him much good. He treated him the worst out of everyone. He tortured him for over a year. He had little reason to think Barney would forgive him. But he just had this part of him that wanted to start making things right. Apologizing was better than nothing, correct? But he wasn’t going to get that chance.

“I can’t believe he’s gone.”

Bardot turned his head, staring at Mumbo Jumbo, who was in an advanced wheelchair, moving himself forward. He was not far from Bardot. Seeing him reminded Bardot that the only reason the hospital staff let him come out here was if he had Mumbo Jumbo come with him. Not just to make sure he came back, but also to ensure that he wouldn’t cause trouble. Fair enough.

“I..I wish I had...” Mumbo Jumbo’s voice trailed off. He lowered his head, his eyes closing.

Bardot stared at him. He still had some fear of the tortoise zoner. That wouldn’t change for a long time. But he also started to feel pity for him. Barney had been his best friend. To know that he was gone forever... It was taking a toll on the guy. Bardot couldn’t really imagine how he must feel; he himself had never had a friend. Draow wasn’t exactly what he’d like to call pleasant company.

He felt compelled to try to comfort the tortoise zoner. He wasn’t sure why. But he felt a part of him wanting to do something. He wasn’t sure how to describe this feeling. Unable to hold back, Bardot moved towards Mumbo Jumbo, pressing himself lightly against his legs almost like a cat would.

“Don’t put the blame on yourself. I don’t think Barney would like it.” Bardot said simply. He kept his gaze down, his eyes only partway open. He didn’t bother looking to see the turtle’s expression. “He would want you to live on, am I right?”

There was some silence. Mumbo Jumbo broke it with a sigh. “Yeah, you’re right. I still can’t help but feel this is my fault. I should have come with. Maybe there was..” He stopped, gritting his beak. “Maybe there would have been a way to free him without destroying his body. Maybe...”

“It’s too late for that now. I’m sorry to be blunt, but it’s true.” Bardot kept himself against the zoner, despite his fear of being this close. “All you can do now is press on. Don’t misplace the blame. It was Nihilanth who was the ultimate cause. You know it. I know it. And he’s been taken care of. So don’t worry. Your friend has been avenged.” Bardot now turned his head, looking up at Mumbo Jumbo. “Why don’t we start heading back?”

“Yeah. That does sound good.” Mumbo Jumbo said. He paused, then said, “But not now. I want...I want to stay here for a bit. I want to be close to where my friend died.” Mumbo Jumbo rolled his wheelchair forward some more. “If you want to head back without me, you can.”

Bardot refused to leave. He couldn’t head back on his own anyway. If he did, they would get suspicious and wonder if anything happened. They would surely blame the incident on him and he’d recieve a worse punishment than what he was certain they were promising. Instead of leaving, he remained at the tortoise’s side, sitting down almost like a dog. Though he was still in some pain, he managed to ignore it as he remained by King Mumbo Jumbo’s side.

For a few minutes, the two of them just sat there, staring at the crater in front of them. There was still some small bits of smoke rising out of it. He guessed the ground was probably still warm. He wasn’t surprised; a lot of energy had gone into that attack of Penny’s, and it must have taken even more energy for Nihilanth to hold a vessel as one of his own.

Soon, King Mumbo Jumbo seemed to tire of just sitting around, and his expression, the tears, the guilt glowing from his eyes, it was clear he was not in a good emotional state to do this for long. King Mumbo Jumbo had to tear his eyes away from the crater. He let out a quick whimper, tears dripping down his face. He turned his wheelchair to the side, lowering his head. Bardot watched him sympathetically. He looked back at the crater. Even though he knew there was nothing he could do, he did, on some level, wish it was possible that something more could be done. But that would take a miracle.

After a few more minutes, Mumbo Jumbo said, “I think we should leave now.” His voice was quiet, defeated. He didn’t bother seeing Bardot’s nod as he turned his wheelchair around, his wheels crumbling the small pebbles as he did so. “I’m sure the hospital is wondering where we are.”

Bardot watched as the tortoise started to move away. The yellow zoner took a few steps forward. He stopped when something caused his ear to twitch. A slight sound. Curious, the zoner looked behind him.

He stared at the crater, looking around for any sign of movement. At first, he saw nothing. Perhaps he had just been hearing things. There were a number of zoners relatively nearby. Perhaps he just heard one of them. He shook his head and was about to turn around when he heard another sound. This one was louder, a bit more distinct. He shot a look at the crater, narrowing his eyes. What was going on?

“Are you coming?” Mumbo Jumbo asked.

Bardot didn’t answer. He stared at the crater long and hard. That’s when he saw it. Movement. Bardot watched, his eyes widening as he saw something move underneath the ground. His heart pounded. He swiveled his head in Mumbo Jumbo’s direction. “King Mumbo Jumbo!” He cried.

“What is it?” The old tortoise asked.

Bardot stared at him wide-eyed, clenching his teeth for a moment. He slowly turned his attention towards the crater. “You better come and look at this...” He said as the ground shifted more.


	204. The Nightmare Finally Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story is finally almost finished. There'll be one more chapter and then an epilogue, then this trilogy is finally concluded.

“Rudy...are you ready for this?” Penny asked tentatively.

Rudy snapped out of his thoughts. He had been lost in his mind for the past several minutes, thinking of what had happened recently. He turned his attention Penny and smiled at her. Giving a nod, he said, “Yeah sure.”

Penny could tell he was lying. She furrowed her eyes. “I know this...isn’t going to be easy...”

Rudy’s smile vanished. “Yeah, I figured you would notice..” He turned his head away, closing his eyes. “Just hard to comprehend all that’s happened.” He reopened his eyes. “And the idea of..going there...”

“I know, Rudy. It’s going to be hard for all of us.” Penny reached forward and put an arm around him. “But soon, it’s all going to be over. You’ll see.”

Rudy couldn’t help but smile at Penny’s optimism. She often knew what to say, and he found it difficult to remain pessimistic for long. Things were finally looking up. No...really looking up for them. He couldn’t ruin this moment by thinking of what could happen. He should concentrate on what was happening. Things had turned into their favor. They pushed back. And now, at along last, it seemed that everything was finally over.

Nihilanth had been stopped. That was the bit of news that made him the happiest. Nihilanth, the source of the black chalk, the source of all the trouble they had gone through. Once a powerful dragon who could create anything in thin air, now he had been reduced to an energy-based chibi dragon with less than a fraction of his power. Without Barney as a vessel, he hardly had much strength to harm anyone. He couldn’t even threaten Snap, even if Snap were still reduced to the torn shred that he had been before.

Despite that, Nihilanth was still locked up. He had been placed in a strong glass thing that the zoners themselves had created. It was placed in a high security prison, away from any other zoner. Well, that is except for Draow. During the trial, it was decided that Draow would be placed with Nihilanth, considered just as dangerous as the dragon was. In this prison, the two could do no harm. Draow was not strong enough to break the glass and the security prison, located in an isolated part of ChalkZone, was made of some of the strongest materials, so there’d be no breaking out this time. And to make sure Draow couldn’t do anything even if he did get out, he was fitted internally with a device that would shock him if he tried to leave the vicinity. He was trapped, just like he had been in the Fire Zone. How fitting.

Rudy was glad that trial was done and over with. It hadn’t been a pleasant experience At least it was over now and those two were taken care of. Bardot had also been present. He had stood trial as well. He, too, went to prison. Despite his change in demeanor and him offering help to them, Bardot was still deemed too dangerous. His actions had not been forgotten. But he did receive a lighter punishment than before. Instead of going back to the Fire Zone, he was imprisoned in the same jail, though in a less ‘armored’ place, if that was the word, since Bardot was not nearly as strong as Draow.

But though that trial was done, there was still another that still needed to be taken care of. They had to go to the trial for Cosmo and Jenny. The boy swallowed hard at this, remembering all the terrible things they had done. And it wasn’t just them; Ghadir was going to be present for the trial as well, as her deeds had become known.

He didn’t look forward to the trial. He wished there was a way that he and his friends could avoid it. But what choice did they have? They had some important information the jury would need to know. Plus, they had been called. They postponed the trial long enough. He knew that the loved ones of Ms. Saffron wanted to see them get tried, especially Mr. Cosmo. He had escaped justice with death last time. Now..he must own up for what he did. Sure, this was a different Mr. Cosmo, but he still would have killed Ms. Saffron anyway if given the chance.

Thinking of the trial too long gave Rudy a headache. He shut his eyes tightly for a second, and then turned his head so he could look out the window. He stared outside, looking at the pretty sky and puffy white clouds. It all reminded him of a more peaceful time, before all this had happened. And it served as a reminder that things were still going up.

It had been three weeks since Nihilanth’s defeat and Cosmo and Jenny’s arrest. Things had improved since then. ChalkZone City was looking better. The zoners had been able to collect more blue chalk so they could make faster repairs while he was away. A part of him was a little worried they’d never ask him for help again, but most of him knew that was a silly thought to have. It was more important that repairs were being made. Buildings were replaced and much of the roads were fixed, though there was a lot more that needed to be done.

The rest of the bodies had been recovered, including ones they didn’t know. There were some Luminos zoner bodies that had apparently lived longer than others, such as a dragon one that looked like she had a severe allergic reaction. Rudy felt a lump in his throat as he recalled how they found some blood that turned out to be from Zibble and Blotz. It didn’t take them long to realize they had been killed by Ghadir. Rudy wished he could have done something for them.

The bodies, and memoirs for those who had no body to speak of, were carried into a large burial site. The bodies were placed carefully there and covered. There had been a massive funeral for their loved ones. Rudy and Penny never seen so many zoners gathered in one place. If he hadn't been grief stricken by what happened to the dead zoners, he would have been struck in awe. The funeral commensed and lasted nearly all day. To be expected, it was quite melancholy, with many goodbyes said and many tears shed.

But it wasn’t all bad. The survivors had been taken to the hospitals, including the rebuilt one in ChalkZone City and a new one that had been made due to the shere volume of zoners that needed treatment. Most of the survivors were recovering well, and some even recovered completely as their wounds weren’t as bad as others. As Rudy went back, he was seeing fewer and fewer injured zoners, and the ones he did see always looked many times better.

And more good news came not too long after Nihilanth’s defeat. Penny had told him how Barney had died. She believed his body was destroyed when Nihilanth was finally subdued. That turned out not to be the case. Barney was simpley ‘shot out’ of the body, though he wasn’t sure if that was the correct term. Bardot and King Mumbo Jumbo found him crawling out of the ground, covered in dirt and grime. They were both very shocked by this and took him to the hospital to be looked over, even though he didn’t seem like he was hurt. He was shaken up, but he was otherwise fine.

Barney’s memory was damaged, and thus bits and pieces were missing. He still remembered that he was controlled by Nihilanth, but he didn’t recall everything, like how he was created by Nihilanth for the sole purpose of being a vessel, or what horrific things that he, as Nihilanth, did. Perhaps that was for the best.

Rudy continued to sit on the hospital bed. Penny remained by his side. Their things had been packed, their bodies bandaged up and casted. This was their last night here. The doctors had dismissed them. All they had to do was wait for their parents and they could finally go home. Rudy looked forward to seeing his room again, and laying down on his own bed. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to relax for long, as the trial was tomorrow...

“I’m nervous about the trial, too, Rudy. But it’ll be okay.” Penny said, smiling the best she could. Rudy tried to smile back, but it was clearly faked. Despite trying to push his feelings aside, his dread for the trial still came back. “It’s going to be hard facing them, isn’t it? After what they did...especially Cosmo...”

Rudy nodded his head. “He...er, his counterpart, he did so much to me. You, and Snap too.. Especially Snap...” Rudy felt his blood start to heat up. “I can’t believe he...” He quickly calmed himself down, realizing what he was about to do. He let out a sigh and rubbed his temples. “Sorry. I just..”

“No, it’s okay. You’re just angry. You have every right to be. And you have the right to be afraid. Mr. Cosmo is the worst person I ever met, next to Nihilanth. He caused so much pain and misery for everyone. I was just as angry as you that our Mr. Cosmo couldn’t be brought to trial. Well now he can.” Penny leaned a little close to him. “Now he will pay for what he has done. It might not be the same Mr. Cosmo, but at least it’s Mr. Cosmo.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Rudy said. “Still... I just hope that I don’t lose my temper.”

“You’ll do fine. You just have to remember to keep your cool. You were able to do that in the trial for Bardot and Draow two years ago, and for the recent one for Draow and Nihilanth. You can do it a third time.” Penny placed her hand on his carefully, lightly touching it.

Rudy smiled at this. Penny was right. Everything would be fine. He didn’t think there was anything she could say to make him not nervous about the trial, but she knew how to help him feel more comfortable in doing it. He was glad Penny was here with him.

Then something crossed his mind. “I..wish I could have seen it.”

“Hmm?” Penny looked at him in confusion.

“You...beating Nihilanth.” Rudy said. His smile spread a little wider. “I would have loved to see you put that creepazoid in his place.”

Penny blinked at him and then smiled, giving a quick chuckle. “Well I’m not interested in a rematch, so you’ll never get to see it. Sorry.” Her voice had a joking, playful tone to it.

“I know.” Rudy’s voice took on a similar tone for a second. His smile shrunk just slightly. “But seriously, good job sending him packing.”

“I’m just glad that things are starting to recover.” Penny looked up towards the ceiling. She was still smiling, but it was clear she had a lot on her mind. “Peace is finally settling down in ChalkZone. I wonder if some of the zoners almost forgot what peace was. With all that’s happened...”

Rudy furrowed his eyes slightly. “Ghadir’s attacks... I’m sure they didn’t help either.”

“Yeah..” Penny lowered her head. She looked back at Rudy, attempting to be positive again. “But no worries. She and her comrades are going to go to jail soon. They will not get away with what they’ve done.” Rudy nodded his head in agreement. Before he could say something else, it seemed something had crossed Penny’s mind. She suddenly leaned forward and said, “Oh! I almost forgot! Did I tell you the news?”

Rudy stared at her in confusion. He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. What’s up?”

“Ms. Saffron has decided to stay.”

Rudy widened his eyes in shock at this. “What?!”

“It’s true.” Penny said.

“But how..? Would she raise alarm if she...?” Rudy’s voice trailed off. He could feel his heart speed up a little. Not that he was angry at the idea of Ms. Saffron living here; he was more worried than anything. If she happened to be spotted, then Mr. Cosmo could be aquitted. The thought terrified him.

“I understand. I was just as worried.” Penny said. “But I couldn’t just turn her away. She lost so much. Her own dimension is a wreck. Not like we can do anything about it. No machine to destroy it. But since we did help some of them migrate over, I’m sure we can find a way for Ms. Saffron to fit in, even changing her name and perhaps her look a little so no one realizes it’s her. Besides, where can she go? You and I both know we would not want her to be back in that horrid dimension...”

Rudy narrowed his eyes at this, recalling just how horrible that place was. Going back there hadn’t been one of his most enjoyed experiences. It brought back many terrible memories. Unlike before, though, going back there had been a conscious choice. They wanted to bring back as many zoners as they could. They just couldn’t leave them in that horrible, dying dimension, and they wanted them to lead a more normal life. They brought them to the hospital as soon as they could.

The doctors there had been able to remove the mind control devices, especially with Dr. Urso’s help as he had experience in removing Snap’s. He had also helped with removing the mind control devices of everyone in their own dimension. The dark dimension zoners were nursed back to health, although some remain weak. Most of them were terrified of humans and stayed away from Rudy, Penny, and their families. Although some warmed up, others were still wary and it may remain that way for a while. Rudy was just happy that they were making a recovery and were able to lead more normal lives now.

“I did tell Ms. Saffron to at least stay at somewhere hidden until after the trial.” Penny said. “At least by then, Cosmo and the others will be sent to jail. Of course, there is always the chance that...” Penny stopped herself. She cleared her throat. “Well anyway, she understands the danger and she said she’ll think of a solution. I’m not sure how well her staying here will go, but...I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t glad to have her back.”

“Me too.” Rudy may be nervous about what could happen if someone realizes who Ms. Saffron was, which could lead to Cosmo getting out as murdering her was a big reason why he was arrested. But on some level, he was glad that she decided to stay. She deserved a real home, not that black and red horror of a world.

“Rudy, Penny!” A voice called out. The two teenagers looked over and they could see a nurse standing there, holding some papers. She stared at the two, waving her hand. “Come along with me. Your parents are here.”

The two teenagers watched as a couple of doctors walked in and grabbed their belongings. With their bags slung over their shoulders, the doctors began to held out. They stopped by the door, and they, along with the nurse, waited for them. Rudy grumbled to himself about how they could have helped them up, but he didn’t speak up, not wanting to cause unnecessary drama.

He and Penny had some difficulty getting up. Their injuries still made it a bit hard to move around, and Penny still had to use a crutch, since her leg was broken. They helped each other, and through teamwork, they were able to stand off the bed. Slowly, they made their way over to the nurse and two doctors. The progress was painstaking, and each step hurt since it’s only been three weeks. But they were still able to get over a bit faster than they had expected.

The nurse nodded her head and then turned around. She and the doctors began to lead them down the hallway. They were nice enough to at least not move too fast so they could keep up. They walked down the hallway, headed down the handicapped slope so they didn’t have to worry about the stairs, and soon, they were reaching the main lobby where, in the distance, they could see their parents.

As they walked over, Rudy couldn’t help but think back to the dreadful trial. Despite Penny’s assurances, Rudy was still worried something could go wrong. What if they didn’t have enough evidence to convict them? What if they find a way to get out of going to jail? If they did, what would they do afterwards? They would surely seek revenge...

Rudy tried not to think about it too much. He knew there was little chance they were going to get out of this. He knew he was just being paranoid. Just how could Cosmo convince them that he was innocent? What could he do to get them to let him go earlier?

He pushed the thoughts aside as he and Penny were brought to their eagerly awaiting parents. They were ready to go home.

sss

This was it. The day had finally come. Penny was nervous. She tried her best to look brave in front of Rudy and her mom, but now that the day had come, it was hard for her to hide her jitters. But at least, after today, it would finally be over. They could finally no longer worry about Cosmo, Jenny, or Ghadir. Nihilanth as well. Things were going to go back to normal. Well..as normal as it could get anyway.

When she had shown that she was more nervous than she had let on, the others were supportive of her. She was glad they were understanding. They helped each other overcome their fear of the trial. They all doused their fears about those evil people getting away. They supported one another, comforted each other, and that made it easier for Penny in the building.

She, Rudy, their parents, and the others were in the court building. They had just arrived moments ago. They were currently being led down the hallway. The smell of fresh building, or however it could be described, was everywhere. She looked left and right, seeing people walk to and fro, some holding papers, others trying to prepare for the trial, and whatever else.

Down the hallway, she could see a door. That was where they were going. That was where the trial was going to start. She could feel her heart beating faster as they got closer. She knew that, soon, they were going to enter it, and the trial would begin. Despite knowing there was no way Cosmo or his comrades were going to get away with what they’ve done, she was still apprehensive about going into the room. She couldn’t help it. The idea of sitting in the same room as those monsters....hearing their voices again... She wasn’t sure if she could handle it for long without forcibly reliving some unpleasant moments.

Penny jolted when she felt a hand on her shoulder. The hand gently squeezed it. She turned her head and looked up at her mother, who was smiling at her.

“It’s okay, Penny. It’ll all be over soon.” Her mom said as gently as she could. “We’re all with you. We’re in this together. You don’t have to worry.”

“I know, mama.” Penny said, cracking a small smile. She turned her head away, looking out in front of her as the men led them down. “I know...”

Penny did her best to push aside her feelings for the trial. She and the others had spent so much time comforting each other, reassuring one another that Cosmo wouldn’t get out of jail.. She couldn’t backpedal on that progress with last minute wet feet. She had to remain positive. There was no way that Cosmo and his comrades were getting out of this.

Penny was grateful that her mom had been able to snap her back to reality. She didn’t know what she would have done without her. Her mom often knew just what to say. It still filled her with horror that she almost didn’t get a chance to spend another moment with her mom like this. Penny couldn’t help but give a few quick shivers of dread as she recalled how her mom had been taken over by the black chalk. She shuddered as she recalled how her mom had nearly killed her...

Thankfully, Biclops was able to reverse the process and gave back her mother. Well sort of... He was able to take away her memories and subdue the black chalk. There was some fear that something could happen, but for the moment, she was just glad to have her mom back. She had immediately hugged her when she found out she had been freed. Her mom felt guilty, but she assured her that she still loved her. Why wouldn’t she? It wasn’t like she wanted any of that stuff to happen. Her mom was a victim, not a monster, and she made that perfectly clear to her. Though her mom still felt guilty, she was grateful that Penny didn’t hold hit against her.

Mrs. Sanchez walked a little closer to her daughter. Just enough so that her side touched her. Penny felt comforted with her mom being so near her. Mrs. Sanchez lifted her hand up and then looped it to her other shoulder, pulling her a little close without hurting her, or making it hard for her to use her crutch. “Those three evil fiends will get what they deserve. Not even Ghadir will get away. Not with that bite mark evidence we got.”

At this, Penny looked over at Snap. Their friend came along with them to help them by testifying at the trial. The zoner still had scars on his body from his wounds, and one of them was the one on his arm. It wasn’t visible now since it was covered, but she had seen it. It was quite a nasty mark, easily noticeable. It showed the outline of Ghadir’s teeth. Everytime she saw it, she couldn’t help but picture Ghadir ripping it from his flesh. She shuddered. But at least with that mark, they could match it to Ghadir’s teeth and prove she had been the one who bit him. That alone would be enough to send her to jail.

She felt her stomach twist in knots when she noticed one particular feature of her friend that would never change. The lack of an arm.... Penny bit her lip. Although it’s been three weeks, due to their wounds and getting ready for the trial and everything else, they didn’t have the time to do anything about Snap’s missing arm. Rudy hadn’t been able to draw him anything, and Snap didn’t want to ask any of the zoners to do anything for him; he’d rather they use the blue chalk to rebuild a part of ChalkZone than to ‘waste’ it on him.

Snap was adapting pretty well without his left arm, though. At least he wasn’t allowing it to pull him down like when he couldn’t walk for such a long time. She was glad that he was trying to focus on moving on, trying to be happy, and being himself, and helping them out, instead of curling up in a ball and just giving up. She still hoped that they would be able to do something for his arm. It wasn’t far that he had to lose it like that.

But right now, she’d have to worry about that later. It wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. They had approached the door now. She could see the others being led in slowly. The men stepped aside, motioning with their hands for them to go in. Soon, Penny stepped into the large room.

Immediately, she squinted her eyes and looked away, trying not to get blinded by the light. She was able to quickly adjust and she reopened them just in time before she nearly crashed into Mr. Longhorn, who was right in front of her. She slowed herself down, readjusting herself with the crutch. She then, as she walked down the aisle with the others, approaching the front where another man was ushering them towards, she looked around, taking in just how vast and large this place was.

After she looked around the courtroom, she turned her attention to Mr. Longhorn. He was being led towards a row of seats. She followed, as did her mother. She could see that they were being seated similar to how they were in school. Mr. Longhorn walked into the aisle before her, following Rudy and his parents. He was about to sit down but he looked over and noticed Penny was having trouble entering due to her crutch.

Mr. Longhorn walked over. “Here, I’ll help.”

Mr. Longhorn didn’t wait to hear if Penny accepted it or not. He moved forward and grabbed onto Penny's arm. He guided her down the aisle as best as he could. He didn’t seem to mind that he was moving so slowly. He took each step carefully, making sure that Penny didn’t knock her crutch against anything. Soon, he was able to get her over to the seat next to him. But instead of putting her in there, he had her sit down in the next chair. He used the one next to him to place her crutch against so she wouldn’t have it leaning on her.

Penny settled in her seat. As her mom sat down behind her, Tilly, who was holding Sophie, following behind her, Penny looked over in the man’s direction and said, “Thank you.”

Mr. Longhorn nodded his head in her direction, smiling. “You’re welcome, Penny.”

Penny gave a smile to Mr. Longhorn. She then turned her attention to the front of the courtroom. She stared at where the judge was going to be, and at the stand where she and the others would stand and protest. A few seconds later, she heard the sound of the other doors opening up. She swiveled her head. She and the others narrowed their eyes as they watched their adversaries approach. Cosmo, Jenny, and Ghadir.

The trial was about to begin.

sss

Rudy narrowed his eyes as he looked over at the people sat down on the front desk not far from them. Seated there were the people who had given him, his friends, and his family a hard time for the past...he forgot how long it’s been. But now, they were finally get the justice that they deserved. Cosmo, Jenny, and Ghadir will finally pay for what they have done.

There was no way any of them were getting out. He was certain of it. All of them were guilty of an atrocious action. All of them were guilty of killing. Mr. Cosmo murdered Ms. Saffron years ago. Jenny murdered Reggie. And Ghadir murdered two innocent children, and nearly killed Snap. These actions along would be enough to condemn them. He knew that the audience witnessing the trial would never permit the judge to let them go, and he doubted the judge would do such a thing either if he was convinced of their horrible actions.

Being this close to their tormentors was unnerving, though. He remembered the way they had walked in. They were surrounded by cops to make sure they didn’t do anything. That alone made him nervous; it made him think that the three were going to try something when the cops weren’t looking. He shuddered when they had looked at him hatefully. He glared back, hiding his fear. Judging from their expressions, they could tell that he was hiding his true emotions.

Cosmo, Jenny, and Ghadir sat down on the front desk, the one placed there for the ‘accused’ of a trial. They had a lawyer with them, who stood next to them, his hands in his pocket. The sight of this made Rudy’s stomach twist. What kind of person would try to defend those criminals? Then again, defendants need a lawyer, and this man was probably getting paid for this.

He could see that they all had some kind of bandaging on them. Cosmo was the least injured. So he hardly had anything on him. Jenny was definitely worse, with more bandages wrapped around her body. Ghadir was the worst of them. If he remembered right, she had been impaled by Bardot. She had thick coverings on her stomach and it was clear she was in some pain. While he felt some level of sympathy, as being impaled wasn’t fun, a part of him couldn’t help but feel some level of satisfaction that she was getting an idea of what her victims went through.

The silence that fell upon the room was unnerving. Okay, it wasn’t totally silent. There were some murmers around him, footsteps, and a few other small noises. For the most part, though, it was silent and it was uncomfortable. He looked left and right, taking note of everyone here. Many people had come to attend the trial and now many seats were filled. The jury had already arrived. They were seated in the stand next to the judge tower. The judge himself hadn’t arrived yet. But it would be soon, and when he did, the trial would begin.

As he waited, Rudy couldn’t help but notice Mr. Bullnerd in another section of seats, far off away from them. He hadn’t looked in their direction; his eyes were only on the three people being tried. It was a little hard to tell from this distance, but Rudy could see the look the man’s face. It was contorted in anger and sorrow. If looks could kill, all three of those people would be dead right now, possibly in a pile of ash.

Rudy couldn’t blame him for being so angry. His son was gone. Breaking the news to him had been difficult. He took it real hard, being in denial at first. But when his dad had been able to find his body and bring it back, there was no way Mr. Bullnerd could deny it. He had held onto his son, begging him to wake up. It was a heartbreaking scene to witness. When he finally accepted that his son was gone and held a funeral, his sorrow slowly mixed in with anger. He was determined to see his son’s murderer pay for what she had done. Seeing how shaky he was, Rudy could tell that he was having a tough time keeping himself from launching towards Jenny. He hoped that he could keep himself under control, knowing full well that it could screw everything up.

Rudy turned his head when another door opened up. The clamoring of feet could be heard. He could see someone tall and wearing black walking towards the judge tower. It was the judge himself. He was dressed formally and had a stern look on his face. He headed towards the tower dutifully, beginning to climb up it.

As Rudy watched, he couldn’t help but turn his head towards the others. His friends and family. He ticked his mouth in a smile as a strong, positive feeling swelled up inside, partly overtaking the gut wrenching one he had moments ago. They were in this together. He was positive that, so long that they help one another, they could pull this off. He turned his head back to the judge, waiting for him to start the trial.

The judge sat down on top. He cleared his throat before grabbing the mallet next to him. He raised it up and began to pound it. As he did, everyone in the room became silent. All eyes turned to him.

“The court is now in session!” The judge cried after he used his mallet a couple more times. “Tabootie and Co VS Cosmo and Co will now begin!” He sat down his mallet and cleared his throat. His piercing eyes looked down at the two groups before him. He soon settled his eyes on Ghadir and said, “Ghadir Fatin, stand up.” The woman did so without question. “You will be first. No outbursts or your sentencing will be longer. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.” Ghadir said. There was some restrained emotion in her voice.

“Ms. Fatin, you have been accused of killing two innocent children and threatening a third one, Snap White.” He gestured to Snap as he sadi that. There was a collection of gasps at this. “How do you plead?”

Ghadir didn’t hesitate. “Not guilty.”

“Sit down.” The judge ordered. He turned his attention to Jenny. “Rise up, and come forward.” Jenny did so, giving something of a colder glare at the judge than Ghadir could muster up. “You are accused of breaking and entering the Tabooties’ home, of kidnapping Tilly and Sophie Vertino, and killing Reggie Bullnerd.” More shocked gasps. “How do you plead?”

Jenny’s mouth ticked into the slightest of smiles. “Not guilty...”

“Next.” Jenny sat down next to Ghadir. Cosmo got up next. “And you, Teddisson Cosmo. You are accused of kidnapping Rudy Tabootie and Penny Sanchez, torturing Snap White, attempted murder on Rudy and Snap, and murdering Rebecca Saffron. How do you plead?”

Mr. Cosmo glared at the judge, gritting his teeth. He looked like he was ready to explode in anger. He did do the wise thing, though, and calmed himself down. Rudy was somewhat disappointed. He had hoped that the man would have screwed things over for himself.

“...not guilty...” Mr. Cosmo said through clenched teeth.

As the judge motioned for him to sit down, Rudy could hear many people making angered comments. Some were uncertain of the three were guilty or not, but there were a lot who did, and who were upset with them pleading innocense. Especially those, like Ms. Saffron’s family, who had been told years ago what Cosmo did. A part of Rudy was angered that the judge was treating it like it hadn’t been proven, when it was shown for how real it was years ago. But this was a trial and in order to go to jail, Cosmo still needed to be tried. No getting around that.

He looked over at the others. All of them had glares on their faces as they stared off at the three. Most of them still looked relatively calm that he didn’t expect them to jump out. But a few, like Mr. Longhorn and Snap, looked ready to jump up and say something. He turned his attention to Penny and placed a hand on her arm. She looked over at him, and they shared a brief, silent conversation.

The judge continued speaking, breaking the short-lived silence. “Let the trial begin! The prosecutors may go first.”

“Thank you, your honor.” Another lawyer said, a woman. She was in charge of Rudy and the others’ case. She walked to the front and turned her attention to the group she was representing. “Rudy Tabootie, come up to the stand.”

Rudy felt his stomach twist in knots at this. He hadn’t expected to be called up this quickly. He looked over and got reassuring looks from everyone. His parents and aunt smiled, his girlfriend had her hand on his shoulder, Snap and Sophie nodded their heads, and Mr. Longhorn gave him a thumbs up. Feeling encouraged by this, Rudy got up from his seat and took position on the stand where the woman lawyer had indicated.

The woman walked forward a little, facing Rudy, her eyes locking onto his. Despite being his defendant, Rudy couldn’t help but feel unnerved. “Rudy Tabootie, you claim that Mr. Cosmo kidnapped you and attempted to kill you. Is this correct?”

Rudy nodded his head. “Yes.”

“Will you explain to the court what happened?” The woman lawyer said. She made a motion wth her arm, a silent indicator that not just her, but everyone else wanted to hear what had happened.

“I can.” Rudy replied.

Rudy gave a quick glance to the three black chalk artists. They were all glaring hatefully at him. It was clear that if it weren’t for the policemen in this room, they probably would have attacked him. He gave a quick shudder, then glared back at them, telling him through his gaze they will not be able to stop him from speaking the truth in front of everyone. He looked back at the lawyer, his eyes shifting towards the audience. Taking in a deep breath, he began his story.

“It all started when...”

sss

“Penny Sanchez...”

Penny stared at the male lawyer standing in front of her. She had been called to the stand by him. She did her best control her feelings of anger that this man was working for Cosmo as his lawyer. She couldn’t allow herself to look too unprofessional while on the stand, otherwise it could end badly for all of them. It was bad enough that some people in the audience still respected Cosmo, still believed he was innocent. That alone could give them problems; she didn’t need to help it along.

The lawyer continued, “You claim that Teddisson Cosmo here had tried to kill you. Is that true?”

Penny nodded. “Yes.”

“And that you would have died if it weren’t for Rebecca Saffron’s interference?”

“Yes.”

The lawyer paced around in front of Penny. His hands were folded behind his back. He had a contemplating look on his face. Penny knew he was trying to think of a counter. She mentally prepared herself for whatever the man was about to toss at her.

Soon, the lawyer stopped and glared slightly in Penny’s direction. In an accusing voice, he said, “Do you have any proof of this?” Penny didn’t answer. The lawyer pressed on. “You said that Mr. Cosmo had a large attack dog that he used against you. But where is this dog? Where is your proof that he tried to harm you in anyway?”

At this, Penny gave a soft, worried glare. She wasn’t sure how she was going to respond to that. She would have tried to speak, but she didn’t want to look uncertain in front of everyone, or they could lose the case. She kept her jaw clenched shut tightly as her mind swirled with thoughts, looking for some kind of answer. She glanced over at Mr. Cosmo, who was smirking darkly in her direction. Jenny and Ghadir looked similarily amused. She looked away and back at the lawyer.

“I don’t think I need to remind everyone that Mr. Cosmo has no pets to speak of.” The lawyer said. “I had also spoken to many people who had worked for him. None of them claim witness to this ‘large brown dog’ that you described, Ms. Sanchez. Perhaps there’s something else you’d like to tell us?”

“It’s true!” Penny cried. She immediately caught herself and resumed speaking in a calmer voice. “After he took Rudy away, he had tried to kill me. He sent his large dog after me and it chased me down the hallway. I would have been dead if it weren’t for...”

“Yeah yeah, we get it.” Penny glared at the man’s utter disrespect for what happened to Ms. Saffron. “Well why don’t you show us some proof? Do you have any bitemarks you can show us?”

“No.”

“Any photographs?”

“No...”

“Any videos?”

Penny widened her eyes at this. Of course, how could they be so stupid? They should have grabbed those videos that they found in Cosmo’s old lair. Didn’t their parents say something about seeing footage of Cosmo? Why didn’t they bring the footage with them?

Having no choice, Penny reluctantly said, “...no...”

She looked over at the others with her. They exchanged worried glances, a few of them looking shocked that they didn’t think of bringing the video footage with them. If they put that on display for everyone, they could have shown to the entire court just what kind of man he really was. Now it was too late for that. She hoped that they could provide enough proof to get the three the punishment they deserved.

“So in other words, you’re telling me that Mr. Cosmo tried to have his dog eat you, yet you fail to provide any evidence of this.” The lawyer’s stare was hard, voice firm. “Yet you expect us not only to believe this, but that he and his comrades had committed these horrendeous acts of crime. How do you expect us to believe you, if you cannot provide proof of this?”

Penny remained silent. She tried to think of a counterpoint. But in that moment, she couldn’t come up with anything.

The lawyer smirked and took a step back. “I rest my case.”

Penny glared at him. A growing sense of dread rose up inside of her. This lawyer was better than they had thought. If they weren’t careful, they could lose this battle. And if those three were aquitted... She tried not to think about it. The case wasn’t over yet. They still had time.

Penny finally thought of something to say. “Well, you see...”

sss

The male lawyer walked from side to side slowly, deliberately. He had the same contemplating look as he did with Penny earlier. He turned his attention to the person on the stand, Snap. The zoner had been called up next by the lawyer.

“Snap White, will you repeat again what Mr. Cosmo did to you?” The lawyer asked, his tone somewhat disbelieving.

Snap made a small growl, too faint for anyone to hear but himself. He couldn’t believe that the lawyer had the nerve to make him repeat what he had already told everyone. But it wasn’t like he could argue against saying anything. Doing so would raise suspicion and make it difficult for the others to believe him. He cleared his throat and began to speak.

“He kidnapped me..” Snap was about to include the description of the large dog, but refrained. He remembered how well that went for Penny. He continued, “He took me into his base and tortured me with a knife and...”

“Do you have the knife with you as evidence...?”

Snap froze at this. He couldn’t think of how to respond. What could he say to that? They didn’t know what happened to that stupid knife. He felt his stomach begin to churn as he saw the lawyer smile at him in a satisfactory way, as if he knew he had got him.

Snap tried to answer, but the lawyer cut him off. “How do we know you didn’t hurt yourself?”

“I...” Snap started to say.

The lawyer motioned his hand towards Rudy, Penny, and the others. “How do we know they didn’t do that to you? How do we know they didn’t put you up to this?” The lawyer’s stare hardened as he glanced at the angered people he had indicated. “The same ones who had brought these three without much proof of their own. So why shouldn’t we assume they hurt you and are making you lie for their sake?”

“Objection, your honor!” Mrs. Tabootie stood up, her body shaking in anger. “The lawyer’s case is superficial at best and...”

The judge slammed his hammer against the hard wood. “Order! Mrs. Tabootie, sit down and calm yourself!” He glared at the large woman as she slowly lowered herself down back in her seat. Mr. Tabootie put his hand on her and whispered some soft words to her to calm her. The judge turned to the lawyer and made a motion with his hand. “You may proceed.”

The lawyer nodded. “Yes, your honor.” He turned his attention back to Snap, giving a knowing smile. “Another of your claims is that Ghadir Fatin bit off a part of your arm.”

“That is correct.” Snap said without hesitation or delay.”

“Do you have proof?” The lawyer asked.

At this, Snap hesitated for a second. He did have proof, but right now it was bandaged up. He glanced towards what remained of his left arm. Ghadir’s bite had been on his upper harm, so it was still there despite half his arm being torn off. But it was still bandaged up. The doctor told him to wait before he took it off. But it’s been a few weeks now. The wound would have at least closed by now, right?

It was their only chance. He could start turning the tides in their favor again if he showed the court what Ghadir did to him. It wouldn’t take that long either. He just had to show the marks, and if the lawyer really wanted, he could compare the bite marks to Ghadir and get a match. A part of him was afraid of seeing what his wound looked like, or damaging it further, but right now, what scared him the most was the idea of these three being set free.

“Yes, I do.” Snap said before the lawyer had a chance to speak himself. “I still have the scars to prove she bit me.”

With that, in front of a shocked audience, his horrified loved ones and their families, an angered Ghadir and her comrades, and a curious lawyer and judge, Snap began to unravel the bandages around his stump of an arm. He moved along carefully; just the slightest pressure in the wrong spot felt like glass being jabbed into his skin. Soon the bandages were off completely and he shifted himself so he could show his arm to the lawyer.

The end of his arm was discolored and kind of wrinkled. It was still healing, but at least the wound had closed and wasn’t bleeding anymore. The sight of this was enough to unnerve everyone in the audience, but it wasn’t this that stunned them the most. There, on his upper arm, were the scars he had talked about. The distinct pattern it made was clearly human, and anyone who was close enough to see could tell they were large enough to be from Ghadir. He looked around, watching everyone’s expressions of shock and horror and disbelief. He smiled when he saw some people look at each other, murmuring. Seems he had succeeded.

Even the lawyer wasn’t sure what to say. He stared at the arm, right at the scar that was plain as day. It was clear the lawyer was counting Snap not having any evidence to support anything he said. The lawyer was silent, his lips pursed together as he tried to think of something to say.

The lawyer finally spoke, his voice quiet. “Perhaps Ms. Fatin did bite you...” At this, Ghadir nearly jumped out of her seat in anger. He narrowed his eyes. “But that doesn’t prove anything else. Are you sure you don’t want to dismiss this case? I guarantee that if you continue on like this, you’re not going to like the ending.”

Snap felt a little unnerved by how threatening that sounded. He was a little comforted by the fact that the judge would never let the lawyer do anything that bad. But that did little to calm down his nerves. He took in a deep breath and said, “The trial isn’t over yet.”

“Indeed it isn't.” The lawyer agreed, nodding his head. “Shall we continue?” Snap nodded his head once. “The next question...”

sss

Mr. Tabootie watched with narrowed eyes as Mr. Cosmo had been called to the stand by their lawyer. The female lawyer was standing calmly in front of the man, asking him multiple questions. As Mr. Tabootie listened, he couldn’t help but grit his teeth. The man was answering each question perfectly, with no indication that was he was hiding anything.

It was all so infuriating for him. Mr. Cosmo had harmed his son, and yet he was acting all innocent and tried to come up with an explanation for everything. He was quite good, better than he had expected. He could see that his wife was just as angry, as were the others. But worry was another emotion that was on their minds. Mr. Cosmo was playing the crowd...well at least the judge and jury, who seemed to buy the man’s claims. Everything he said made sense, and each word was carefully thought out.

This reminded him of when Rudy told him that Mr. Cosmo played with Mr. Wilter back in the school, when they had first met. Mr. Cosmo was able to get his teacher to choose him for Mr. Cosmo’s ‘project’ without outright stating it. This same skill was being used here again, with the redhead man able to sway more people to his side without being forceful.

Mr. Tabootie clenched his teeth. This was going to be a big problem. If this kept up, then the audience might start to think those three were innocent, despite the charges against them, despite the evidence of Cosmo being Saffron’s murderer years ago. Cosmo had even come up with an explanation for that. Saffron’s family were one of the few who weren’t so easily moved by this. Mr. Tabootie wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what he could say to tip the tides in their favor. He’d just have to hope for a miracle.

In the back of his mind, his brain churned in thoughts as he tried to think of what he could do just in case those three did get out. He would have to find a way to make sure they don’t hurt his family again. He couldn’t keep them from drawing on a chalkboard; what kind of police would have someone restricted from that? But he could keep them from kidnapping his son again. They would have to go somewhere for protection. He knew of a place where they’d be safe. It’s not ideal, but it was better than staying here, where they were sitting ducks. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but if he had to...

Mr. Tabootie was torn out of his thoughts when he listened to their lawyer ask Mr. Cosmo another question. He turned his head and watched, listening to what that vile man had to say next.

“Teddisson Cosmo, it is my understanding that you called Rudy and his parents to your news station to discuss plans on making Rudy your apprentice, am I right?”

“Well yes of course... You see, I saw potential in the boy.” Mr. Cosmo’s grey-blue eyes looked over and stared over at Rudy for a moment. “Unfortunately...he declined my offer. I was surprised but...eh.. I couldn’t force him into it.” He ignored the glares he got from Rudy, his parents, and the others. “It was understandable though. I did...bring it up to him too quickly. I probably should have given him more..time.”

“And when he declined, you didn’t react in any sort of negative way?” The lawyer asked. Cosmo shook his head. The woman tilted hers and said, “Are you sure? If I were in your position, a well recieved news reporter, I would feel at least a little jipped that someone declined my generous offer.”

Mr. Cosmo chuckled. “I’m.. a bit more mature than that.” He tapped his fingers together. “The boy made his decision and I let him go.”

Lies. Blatant lies. Mr. Tabootie clenched his teeth so tightly he thought they would have cracked. Mr. Cosmo was lying in front of everyone. And many people were buying it. Mr. Cosmo was playing them all for saps, and they don’t even realize it. Mr. Cosmo knows full well what he did, and to lie in front of everyone like that....

He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He reminded himself that he still had a chance to speak. If the lawyer called him up, he could try his best to turn things back in their favor, to convince the audience that Mr. Cosmo and his comrades were lying. There was still time.

That was when the lawyer spoke up again. This time, the thing she said took everyone by surprise, as no one had expected it. Even he himself was startled.

“If that is true, then how come there were reports of a couple of your workers hearing screams from the parents?” The lawyer asked.

“What...?” Mr. Cosmo spluttered, his eyes widened. The lawyer quickly continued.

“I’m guessing you don’t know, but there were some reports from your fellow workers about sudden screams. Faint, but they were identified as a man and a woman. I think it’s easy to presume that it was Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie.”

Mr. Cosmo stammered for a moment. He quickly settled himself down. “They were screaming in joy.”

“Uh huh...” It was clear the lawyer didn’t believe this. “It also came to my attention, thanks to these workers of yours, whom are sitting in the audience as I speak...” She waved her arm to the side, in the direction where the workers were. Mr. Tabootie cast them a quick glance before looking back to the front. The lawyer said, “Anyway, according to them, you had Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie taken to a room and when they came out, they lost their memory of the incident.”

Mr. Tabootie widened his eyes at this. So that’s what happened... He and Millie did think that there was some strange gap in their memory, but they were unable to explain it. Now it was all making sense. Mr. Cosmo wiped their memories, probably to make sure that they didn’t try to get him arrested or stop him from doing whatever he wanted to. The realization that their memories had been toyed with boiled his blood. How dare he...

Mr. Cosmo looked unsure of how to continue. He glanced over at Jenny and Ghadir, as if looking for help. All the two women could do was look at him worriedly and shrug their shoulders. It was clear none of them had any kind of answer or solution for his dilemma. Mr. Cosmo looked back at the people in the audience. There were more people glaring at him now, and Mr. Cosmo started to look afraid. He smacked his lips nervously and looked back at the lawyer.

Giving a small smile, Mr. Cosmo said, “They’re lying. That is not what happened.”

“Oh no?” The lawyer said, raising an eyebrow. “Well I think this will tell us otherwise.” She raised up a tape for all to see.

“What is that?” Cosmo asked.

“Your workers so kindly gave this to me. It’s going to show us what happened to Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie on the day of question. It will show us some...questionable things, and that you were behind it all.” At this, Cosmo’s face paled, his eyes bulging in fear. The lawyer looked up at the judge and said, “May I?”

“Objection!” Now it was Jenny’s turn to protest. “What does that footage have to do with what he’s being accused of?!”

“Overruled!” The judge said, pounding with his hammer. “I will allow it.” He nodded in the lawyer’s direction.

The lawyer immediately rolled in a video screening device. She placed in the video as the screen rolled down so the picture could be seen by everyone. She lifted up the remote and pressed the play button. The audience went silent as the footage played back. Not even Cosmo could say anything.

As the audience reacted to the footage being played, Mr. Tabootie couldn’t help but smile. It seemed the miracle had finally occurred.

sss

Rudy and the others could only wait patiently for the jury to come back. They had all stated their case and all they could do now was wait for the jury to return. Rudy hoped that what they said was enough to persuade the jury to do what was right. There wasn’t really anything else they could say now; once they made their decision, it was final.

Rudy was relieved that the trial started to shift back into their favor. After the footage of what happened to his parents was shown, Cosmo lost a lot of support. Even though it didn’t prove that he had kidnapped him or harmed his friend or even killed Ms. Saffron, it did show that he was being dishonest in court. Many people in the audience were questioning their allegience to him and withdrawing their support. A few still looked like they supported him, but Rudy doubted they could say anything to help him out.

It took a while, but everyone got a chance to speak against the three. Tilly and Sophie recalled how they were captured and tortured by Jenny, Ghadir, and the now deceased Tyreek. Mr. Longhorn explained how he had rescued them, and described in disturbing detail how Reggie was nearly beaten to death and how he was poisoned by Jenny. His parents explained of the time when they were called in with Rudy and how they hadn’t remembered anything after that, and they brought up anything else that they could.

There was a chance that this wasn’t going to be enough. They still couldn’t present to them evidence for some of the actions, much to the delight of the male lawyer, Cosmo, Jenny, and Ghadir. This made their case weaker. If only they had brought that footage with them, they could have a better case against those three.

But even though their case was weaker, their words were able to sway more people, and the judge looked like he was starting to believe them more than he was Cosmo or his comrades. They were careful with their choice of words. They did their best not to say anything that would expose the fact that a chalk world existed. Making sure their stories added up hadn’t been easy, but Rudy felt they were doing a pretty good job.

He glanced at Penny, who turned to him and gave him a reassuring smile. Rudy smiled back at her. He was glad that she could stay so positive in this situation. Her confidence gave him more hope that things would turn out fine in the end. He just had to keep believing in himself, and he others. They would get through this. He knew they would.

Soon, the jury came back. The murmuring around him went completely dead as the jury members took their seats. There was a bit of silence before the judge spoke up.

“What is your verdict?” The judge asked.

A middle-aged man stood up, standing in front of the other members of the jury. He gripped the handle in front of him to support himself. “Your honor, we find the defendants...”

This was it. The moment of truth. Rudy felt his heart beating against his chest. Everything was riding on what the man was going to say next. He stared at him, feeling as though time slowed down. He could no longer feel Penny’s hands on his shoulder or his parents saying softly it was going to be okay. All Rudy was aware of was the man who was about to give the sentencing to Cosmo, Jenny, and Ghadir.

The man finished. “Guilty of all charges.”

It felt like a freight train struck Rudy. He wasn’t able to stop the smile spreading across his face. He let out a quick laugh of happiness, a few tears forming in his eyes. The feeling of triumph overwhelmed him. They did it... they really did it. They had finally won. He turned around and immediately pulled Penny into a gentle hug. He was glad Mr. Longhorn helped Penny sit next to him. He wanted to share this moment with her.

He could hear relieved cries and murmurs from his family and friends. They hugged each other, some of them letting out a few tears of happiness as well. They were all so relieved that, finally, it was all going to be over. The last piece of the puzzle had been taken care of. With the guilty verdict, there was no way those three were ever going to harm them again.

There were a few shouts of protest, but they were overwhelmed by the cries of support from the many who were hoping the three would be found guilty. One of the loudest was Mr. Bullnerd, who was surprisingly able to keep his temper even throughout the trial. He was so happy with the verdict that he stood up and blew a whistle with his fingers. And it wasn’t just him. Ms. Saffron’s family members were also extremely happy and relieved.

Jenny, Cosmo, and Ghadir were horrified by the guilty verdict, as Rudy had expected. Unlike the people in the audience who still supported them, they didn’t try to defend themselves. At least, not yet. They were too shocked by what happened, that none of them could think of what to say. They gave each other worried glances, their faces pale, eyes wide. Their bodies began to shake in emotion, and as realization began to dawn on them, they looked over at Rudy and the others. Rudy winced as they all started to glare at him, his friends, and family.

“You’re making a mistake!” Jenny shouted. “We didn't do any of that! You’ve got to believe us!”

“You’re letting them get away with all these...these lies?!” Ghadir shouted in disbelief.

Cosmo got up from his seat. “We demand a retrial!”

“Request denied!” The judge shouted as his hammer hit against the desk, echoing even through the clamor of people talking. This caused everyone to quiet down as the judge spoke what would be the three’s punishment. “Teddisson Cosmo, Jenny Hope, and Ghadir Fatin, I hereby sentence you all to life in prison with no chance of bale. You will be sent to a high security prison where you will spend the rest of your lives together in one of the most secure jail cells ever devised. Try to escape, and the guards will be instructed to shoot you on sight.”

“That’s not...” Cosmo started to protest.

The judge ignored him. “Case dismissed!” He struck one final time with his mallet, indicating that the trial was over now.

At this, several cops went over to Cosmo, Jenny, and Ghadir. They grabbed onto them, securing their arms behind their backs, and handcuffing them. They then started to escort the three down the hallway, towards the door.

“Get your filthy paws off me!” Jenny snarled as she struggled to get free.

Ghadir didn’t struggle, but she gave a death glare to the cops around her, baring her teeth. “You’re all being duped! It should be them going to jail, not us!”

“Shut it, ladies.” A cop from behind pushed against them, making them walk faster. “You had your chance. Now get moving.”

Cosmo remained silent. He glared over in Rudy’s direction. The two met their gaze, locking onto each other. Rudy’s eyes followed Cosmo as he was being dragged away. Rudy felt his heart skip a beat, dread filling up inside his chest, as Cosmo gave him a silent threat. It was clear Cosmo would do whatever he could to get back at him and the others. Rudy bit his lip, but kept glaring at the man, showing him that he was not going to back down if he did try something. It was over, and Cosmo knew it. And this time, he was not going to escape justice.

Rudy felt an overwhelming sense of relief when the three were dragged out of the courtroom. He could hear them shout and stomp and try to escape, but it was no use. Rudy knew they weren’t going anywhere. He turned back to his loved ones and gave them a big smile. He hugged Penny a second time before planting a quick kiss on her lips.

He found it hard to believe. A part of him wondered if this was some kind of dream. But it was reality and he knew it full well. He could feel an overwhelming positive feeling well up inside of him. So much of it, he felt like he was going to overflow with happiness, excitement, and relief.

The nightmare was finally over.


	205. Conclusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And finally the story is about to conclude. All that's left is the epilogue. I'll have that up probably sometime tomorrow.

Rudy and Penny walked alongside Biclops. They were inside the Chalk Mine, going down one of the tunnels. They hadn’t been walking for that long, and took a dreadfully familiar path. Rudy could feel his heart beating quickly as they got closer. Even though he knew there was no danger, he couldn’t help but feel apprehensive. A part of him wanted to leave, but Biclops insisted on showing both him and Penny; he mentiond that it was something that they would like. Or..something like that anyway.

Soon they reached the destination. The two of them froze as Biclops walked over and pushed the door open. The giant walked in slowly. He then motioned for Rudy and Penny to follow him. Relucantly, the two came in from behind him. Both of them were hesitant about entering. It may have been a while, but they both remembered what this place was.

The black chalk chamber.. Specifically, it was the first one they ran into three years ago. It was the one where Rudy was nearly corrupted, and where he fought against Cosmo. This was also where Cosmo had died. Rudy remembered all of that in detail. As he got closer, the back of his mind flashed with images of the past. Seeing Ms. Saffron’s corpse...seeing Snap get kicked in the head and nearly dying...

He glanced at Penny. She appeared to be just as nervous as he was. She clenched her teeth, her hand gripping his. She walked slowly, using her crutch to steady herself. She looked left and right, as if something was about to jump at her. Rudy found himself looking around as well, unable to completely relax as they entered the horrible chamber. Despite Biclops being there, Rudy couldn’t help but remain terrified of what could happen. What if the black chalk tried something else? What if...?

Then he stopped short. As he and Penny got into the chamber, he noticed something completely different about it. He held his breath, looking left and right. Was...was he in the right place? No...it couldn’t be... Something had to be wrong here. Did Biclops lead them down a different tunnel? But..he was so certain they had gone the right path. But...what is this place then...? Penny looked just as confused, her eyes wide in shock.

All around them, there was...there was no black chalk. The walls were still colored a creepy black. But there were no actual pieces of black chalk to be found. It was totally empty, devoid of chalk of any kind. Even that cold sharp feeling from before...it was gone, too. Now this room felt just like any other room in the chamber. Well all except for the red chalk chamber.

Rudy remained silent in awe for a few seconds. He looked up at Biclops. The giant was smiling knowingly at him. Rudy tried to speak. He opened his mouth, attempting to say something. But nothing would come out. Penny, however, had better luck.

“I..don’t...” Penny choked out. “I don’t believe it...”

“Believe it, you two.” Biclops said. He turned to the side and looked out at the now empty chamber. He put his hands on his hips and smiled with positive emotion. “The black chalk is gone.”

“So...it was true.” Penny whispered softly. Rudy looked over at her. “I..I wasn’t sure if Draow’s words were true.”

Biclops nodded his head. “Well that flying furball was correct about this.” He glanced down at the children before turning his attention back to the chamber. “Bardot and I saw the black chalk leaving your mother, Penny. I had a feeling that it had to do with whatever happened to the black chalk. I checked this place as soon as I could, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the black chalk was gone.” He looked down at Penny. “Do you happen to know who was responsible?”

“Draow said something about Howdy destroying the ‘heart’ of the black chalk.” Penny paused for a moment. She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I believe he was referring to Howdy being in the original chamber that is located under...”

“Underneath Solar Pillars.” Biclops finished for her. “I had a feeling it had something to do with that.” Biclops took a few steps forward. He turned his massive head from side to side. “It’s still hard to believe...after all this time... the black chalk is finally gone.” He turned to smile at Rudy and Penny. “This is definitely cause for celebration, don’t you think?”

Penny nodded her head. “Yeah! I’m sure the zoners would love to hear about this!”

“Yeah, sure...” Rudy said somewhat glumly.

Penny looked at him, confused. “Rudy...? What’s wrong?”

Rudy remained silent. He looked at Penny. He opened his mouth, then quickly shut it. Furrowing his eyes slightly, he turned his head to the side, his eyes focused on the ground. His mind filled with many intermixing thoughts of what happened the past...he forgot how long it’s been since all of this began. But despite the positive things that happened, there were still some negative things. The one in particular...the zoners.

It had been a week since Cosmo’s trial, a week since he and his comrades had been banished into jail where they can never hurt anyone again. They will not be able to escape, nor will they have access to any chalk while they are there, so they can’t even threaten them that way. That would be cause for celebration on its own. Cosmo had been a boogeyman to the zoners for so long. But some of the zoners couldn’t seem to relax. That was because, for them, there was a new boogeyman.

And that was him.

Rudy’s heart twisted in painful knots as he remembered how some of the zoners looked at him when he came into ChalkZone. While most zoners seemed to understand that he wasn’t in control of himself, there were still that handful who were either wary of him or downright hateful towards him. None of them had tried to harm him, but it was clear they did not like his company that much.

And why shouldn’t they be upset with him? He was used as a vessel by Nihilanth. His body was used to do terrible things. That massacre that had occurred, so many zoner deaths... He had been the one responsible, at least on some level. If he hadn’t surrendered to Nihilanth like he had, then he could have avoided the deaths. Those zoners could still be alive. But no, he had to be an idiot and submit to the dragon’s desires. Because of that... He tried not to think about it. He tried to push aside what he had been told, of all the deaths he caused...

But it was impossible. He couldn’t get it out of his mind. He couldn’t stop thinking about what he did. He did...all kinds of horrible things while being Nihilanth’s puppet. He couldn’t blame the zoners for still being afraid of him. He wouldn’t forgive himself, either.

Penny seemed to get what was going on through his head. She looked at him, her eyes furrowed thoughtfully. She took a few steps forward, and reached out with her hand. She touched his cheek. “Rudy, if you’re worried about what the zoners might think...” Rudy looked at her in the eyes, silent. “Don’t worry about it. Most zoners still think you’re a good guy.”

“In a way, yes. But even some of them who don’t hate me are..hesitant.” That was the only word he could think of using that didn’t sound too harsh. Rudy sighed. “I was such a monster. I’m not surprised there are zoners who hate me now.”

Penny looked at him sympathetically. “I know you are upset. But don’t let it get to you. Just give it sometime. They’ll come around.” Rudy gave her an expression that told her that he wasn’t sure if he could believe that. She gave a soft smile. “Yes, I know it’s hard to believe. But...just trust me on this one. Your image won’t be permanently damaged. The zoners will realize you were just as much a victim as them.”

“Penny is right, Rudy. The zoners are just traumatized now. They are going to need more time to adjust and recover from what happened.” Biclops said. Rudy nodded, understanding what he was saying. The giant took a few steps towards him. His vertical eyes locked onto Rudy’s. The giant placed a few large fingers on Rudy’s shoulder, an attempt to comfort him. “The zoners who know who you really are, myself included, will make sure that your reputation isn’t tarnished.” He raised his hand up in gesture. “Why, even the Luminos are trying to help.”

Rudy gave a small smile at this. Biclops was right about what he said. There were zoners who would be willing to help him. Even the Luminos, who had started their recent journey at first trying to ban zoners. Now, at least what remained, were trying to make sure the zoners didn’t label him as a bad guy. The Luminos were quite influential. Given at how easily they could recruit zoners, Rudy did have faith that the Luminos at least would be able to clear up any misunderstanding.

“Yeah...you’re right.” Rudy broadened his smile. “How silly of me to worry.”

“So you’ll come to the celebration then?” Biclops asked hopefully.

Rudy nodded his head. “Yeah.” Biclops and Penny smiled at this. “I will. I promise.”

Biclops and Penny grinned at this, clearly happy with his decision. Rudy was glad about it as well. He shouldn’t let the past get him down. He made mistakes, but now he was making up for them. He was helping to rebuild ChalkZone City, as was so many others, even his parents. He couldn’t cling to the past. He had to move forward. Times were changing. ChalkZone was entering a new, true age, of peace.

It was no time to continue moping. It was, indeed, time for celebration.

Suddenly, his eyes widened, a thought crossing his mind. Biclops and Penny looked at him in confusion. He didn’t answer their unspoken question right away. He just stood there, shocked that he nearly forgot about it. After a few moments, he swung his head in Penny’s direction. He quickly spoke before she or Biclops could say a word.

“We were supposed to meet up with Snap!” Rudy cried.

Penny’s eyes bulged at this. “Oh yeah! That’s right!” She smacked herself in the face. “I totally forgot about that!” She looked up at Biclops. “We’re sorry to cut this short. But we promised we were going to visit Snap. We’ll talk to you later, okay?”

Biclops nodded. He raised up his head and waved as the two teenagers began to leave. “So long!”

sss

Oh crap... Penny couldn’t believe they nearly forgot meeting up with Snap. While she knew her zoner friend would understand, she still felt bad about it. She hated the idea of leaving him hanging like that. Even if they were only about ten minutes late, it still upset her, knowing that Snap was waiting for them. She was glad that Rudy remembered the meeting.

She recalled that Snap was staying with the Luminos. It would have seemed strange at first, considering what happened those weeks ago. But there was a good reason. For one thing, Snap’s treehouse was still destroyed, and in Nihilanth’s attacks, so was his own house. So the poor zoner had nowhere to go. Maalik volunteered to let Snap stay with him and Dr. Raiden. There were other options, but this turned out to be the best, for one very good reason.

Dr. Raiden was fitting Snap with a new left arm. It turned out that he wasn’t drawn with the metal finger; he made it himself. He had already managed to recreate his finger, with help from Maalik and his electrical finger. He did mention something about how it worked, but Penny was so happy about Snap having a left arm again that her mind tuned out his techno babble.

Dr. Raiden didn’t say exactly when the arm would be available, however. It might be available now, or it might be a while. She wouldn’t be surprised if it takes a long time. Replacing an arm with a working hand was going to take more skill and time. Dr. Raiden needed exact measurements, and he needed to experiment for a while. He needed not just the right shape and size, but weight as well. She wondered if he found the right material that would allow Snap to swing his left arm with as little difficulty as his right. Only one way to find out.

As she and Rudy continued rushing through the newly refurbished streets, heading towards the apartment where Maalik and Raiden were staying with Snap, she wondered how Rapsheeba and Blocky were doing with helping out the zoners. Blocky had nearly fully recovered, with just some very mild pain left. Rapsheeba still needed to use crutches, but she was still willing to help out others less fortunate than her. Penny was moved by this selflessness. She’d have to make sure to mention it at the celebration, whenver they decide to hold it.

One such unfortunate zoner was Howdy. Her good mood nearly dropped when she thought about him. The poor guy was permanently damaged from Draow’s attack. His left arm had been able to recover, although not completely. It would still be a while before that arm was completely usable again. But sadly, thanks to Draow, it wasn’t just his arm that was damaged.

That fucking beast broke his spine...

She and Rudy were horrified by this news when they found out. They went to the doctor to see how he was. The only positive thing the doctor could say was that Howdy would live. But Draow’s bite had crushed his spinal cord, and his legs were paralyzed. At the moment, Howdy was bed ridden and had to stay there until he did some more recovery. The doctors say he is definitely not going to walk anymore. The thought brought tears to her eyes. Howdy was a performing zoner, who loved to bring cheer to everything. To not be able to do that anymore would be hard for the little guy. Howdy was being brave, but she could tell he was broken inside.

Dr. Raiden might able to help. She put a mental reminder in her head to talk to Raiden about that. If he succeeds in helping Snap with an arm, then maybe he could find a way to help Howdy walk again. Here’s to hoping.

After some more minutes of walking, she and Rudy stopped, staring up at the apartment. It matched the description that Maalik gave them before. A dark red building sat between a blue and a white one. It was situated in a corner part of ChalkZone City, away from where most of the activities were going on. It was easy to understand why Raiden wanted a place so far off; the loud noises must disturb him from his work.

She and Rudy walked up the stone steps, their hands running along the hard railing made of the same material. Rudy stood in front of her, looking up at the large door. He turned his attention to a keypad on the side. He crunched in the number C15. There was a ringing sound that could be heard from one of the higher levels. She and Rudy took a step back and waited.

Moments later, they could see a tall shadow forming on the wall through the window. The door knob wobbled and turned, causing the door to open up. A familiar feline face stuck his head out. Unlike weeks ago, his face did not fill them with terror, but instead it was welcoming.

Dr. Raiden’s eyes brightened and a smile spread across his face when he saw who it was. “Ah, Rudy and Penny! Delighted to see you!” He took a step back, moving to the side and making a gesture with his arm for them to come in. “Come along with me. Snap has been expecting you.”

Rudy looked up at Dr. Raiden. “We’re sorry we’re so late. We...”

“Oh nonsense! You’re not that late, and besides...” Dr. Raiden began to walk in front of the two teenagers. As he guided them to where Snap was, he turned his head to the side, his golden eye staring at them. “I doubt Snap is going to be that angry with you.”

“I doubt he will. We’re just upset that he almost forgot. Biclops wanted to show us something and we got caught up in that.” Penny explained.

“Well at least you’re here now.” Dr. Raiden said, smiling. “Come along, now. I have been waiting to show you this.”

The three of them kept walking until they reached the elevator. Raiden pressed a button and they got inside. He entered the number for the level they needed to be on. Slowly, they ascended upwards. As soon as they reached the floor number, the doors opened up and they walked out. They followed Raiden down the hallway, remaining quiet the whole time.

It didn’t take them long to reach a door labeled C15. Dr. Raiden pulled out some keys and unlocked the door. He walked in, gesturing for Rudy and Penny to follow. As soon as they were in, he shut the door and locked it behind him. He then called their names and got them to follow him into the kitchen, which was behind a piece of wall that jetted out. They rounded the corner, and soon they could see the kitchen.

Sitting on the table, chatting with Maalik, was Snap. A clearing of the throat from Dr. Raiden was enough to pull the two out of their conversation to take a look. Snap’s eyes brightened when he saw Rudy and Penny.

“Bucko! Buckette!” Snap cried, grinning. “Glad you could make it!” He jumped out of his chair and made his way towards his human friends.

As Snap was running towards them, Penny noticed something was very different about Snap. It didn’t take her, or Rudy, long to figure it out. It was plain as day right in front of them. They couldn’t help but freeze in shock, their eyes widened slightly. This didn’t take them by that much surprise; it was just that... they hadn’t expected it to be this fast.

Snap...had a left arm... This realization hit them like a freight train, making them quiver slightly in emotion. They tried to hold back their tears of happiness, did their best not to shriek and grab their friend. They didn’t want to look crazy or insane, and of course they didn’t want their friend getting hurt. Despite the fact the arm was made of metal and likely very sturdy, Penny couldn’t help but fear that hugging him right now might cause the arm to get damaged or something. She knew she was begin paranoid, but she just didn’t want to take the risk.

Snap rushed over to them and gave them each a hug. They carefully returned it. Both of them were surprised at how the metal felt warm, despite being...well..metal. Despite being artificial, the arm didn’t feel too unnatural, and it seemed that Snap was able to use it just fine. They released them and looked down at their best friend.

“I see you have a new arm now.” Penny pointed out.

Snap glanced at his left arm. He turned it around, as if to show off how much control and flexibility he had over it. He nodded feverishly at Penny. “I sure do! Dr. Raiden was working on it while he was fixing his own finger.”

Penny looked over at Dr. Raiden, surprised. “You were? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” Dr. Raiden said. He looked down at Snap and said, “Consider it an apology from me...” He lowered his ears slightly. “..for the way I treated you before.”

Snap loked up at Dr. Raiden. His expression was that of shock and confusion. “Huh? You’re still upset about that?” He waved his metal hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about! I already forgave you.” He looked at his metal arm. “Although..this is really an awesome arm... Did you take lessons or something?”

Dr. Raiden said, “It was kind of what I was created with. A knack with machines. It was my decision to become a doctor instead.”

“Well this is an impressive talent you have.” Snap said. He kept examining his metal limb, which was attached to the rest of his arm via metal ring that seemed to fuse with his skin. Penny imagined there were a bunch of wires that went underneath the skin, attaching to nerves so Snap could control the arm. “I can even feel with this!”

Rudy and Penny were shocked by this. They turned their heads to Dr. Raiden, waiting for him to confirm or deny that, not that they would think their friend was lying. Dr. Raiden simply smiled and nodded his head.

“It wasn’t an easy thing to put in.” Maalik said. He was still sitting at the table. He looked over his shoulder, his golden eyes looking at the two human teenagers. “Trust me. Raiden here kept shouting in frustration when it wasn’t working.”

“Not that we are ungrateful but...” Rudy said. “Why did he go through the trouble of making the arm capable of sensing touch?”

“Because...” Rudy and Penny looked over at Dr. Raiden. “..I wanted him to be able to tell when something was wrong with the arm. If he can’t feel it, then something could go wrong in the internal structure and he’d never know it. He won’t be able to get it fixed in time.” He motioned with his hand. “This way, if something were to happen, he’ll know it and can get the proper help he needs.”

Rudy and Penny smiled gratefully at the cheetah. They needn’t say the words for the cheetah to know what they were thinking. For him to take the extra effort to help out their friend like that... And the fact that he and Maalik were letting Snap stay with them until something could be done about his homes... It made the two realize just how much had changed these past several weeks. It was hard to believe they were ever actually enemies.

ChalkZone, however, didn’t forget what the Luminos had done to the hospital. And neither did Maalik or Raiden. For their efforts in helping to stop the bad guys, it was decided that the two would undergo community service. It had been going pretty well. That had been part of the reason why the Luminos hadn’t rebuilt Snap’s home yet. Penny wasn’t upset about the wait, thoug, and neither was Rudy. Snap had a good place to stay in the meantime, and it wasn’t like these two were getting out of doing it; they were simply helping other zoners who also required assistance.

Penny wasn’t sure if Dr. Raiden was going to go back to being a doctor or not, or if he was going to find another profession, perhaps in the metal works department. She understood why he didn’t just jump at the opportunity when it first presented itself. He had done a lot of harm as a doctor, and he didn’t feel like he was worthy of being one. She hoped that he would reconsider; he had been a good doctor, minus the whole ‘trying to kill Rudy’ thing, which he no longer participated in.

Maalik had stepped down as leader of the Luminos...or rather he tried to. He felt that he had shamed the group in how he had recruited some zoners, rather forcibly too, and how he had led them all wrong in their ill-conceived quest to stop creators from coming into ChalkZone. But the remaining Luminos still saw him as their leader. Even if Maalik no longer gave orders, the Luminos claimed they would still listen to him.

Penny wondered for a moment what these two are going to do now. She didn’t dwell on it for too long. She turned her attention back to Snap. It warmed her heart, and Rudy’s, to see Snap so happy. She didn’t see him this happy that much. The prospect of having his arm back was definitely a joyous occasion. Which reminded her...

Penny turned her attention to Dr. Raiden and Maalik, “Did you two want to attend the celebration?”

Maalik pricked his ears at this. “Celebration? What celebration?” He looked over at Dr. Raiden. The cheetah could only shrug his shoulders and shake his head. He looked back at Penny. “We didn’t hear of any.”

“That’s because it didn’t happen yet. Biclops suggests a celebration is in order for the black chalk being stopped permanently.” Penny said.

“Oh it has? For sure?” Dr. Raiden asked, a tinge of excitement to his voice.

Rudy nodded his head. “Yeah. There’s no more. Biclops checked, and we saw for ourselves.” A smile spread across his face. “The black chalk is gone for good.”

Maalik clapped his hands together once, rubbing them against each other. “Wonderful! That’s great news!” He looked over at Raiden for a moment, then back at the teens. “Did you want us to help out? You know how good I am at rounding zoners.” He flinced briefly when he said that. His smile quickly returned. “When did you think the celebration should be?”

“We hadn’t decided that yet.” Penny tapped her finger against her chin. What would be a good time? She didn’t want it to be too soon, otherwise it would be hectic to prepare. But she also didn’t want to wait too late, otherwise it would be confusing. They had already waited long enough since she and Rudy had been so busy, they didn’t think to check with Biclops to know if the black chalk was still an active threat or not. She soon got an idea. “What about in five days?” She suggested. “That way, there’ll be plenty of time to set up and prepare.”

“Sounds good to me.” Maalik said. “I can come over and help with setting up what I can whenever I’m not doing community service.”

“Same here. You might not know it, but I’m a fine decorator.” Dr. Raiden said, proudly pointing to himself as his tail curled up.

Snap looked up at Dr. Raiden, grinning. “I bet you aren’t as good as me!”

Dr. Raiden glared down at the small blue zoner. “Oh yeah?” He dropped down on all fours, snarling playfully at Snap. “You wanna bet?”

Snap adopted a mock fighting stance. “Come on! Let’s settle this like men!”

Rudy and Penny giggled as Dr. Raiden pounced at Snap and the two engaged in a friendly ‘fight’. Dr. Raiden was quite gentle in his moves. Batting Snap around and biting him, but with much less force than he did in the past, and even letting Snap get on top of him and hang onto him. Maalik was much less amused by the fight, and just rubbed his head. He did nothing to stop them, and instead turned and walked away.

As Maalik sat down, as Snap and Raiden’s playful cries and growls intermixed in the air, Penny realized there was something she wanted to do before they decided on anything. She walked towards Maalik, ignoring Rudy’s confused expression as she headed towards the lion.

Maalik noticed her. “What is it, Penny?”

“I...was wondering if you could do a favor for me.” Penny said, rubbing her head nervously. “Although..I understand if you don’t want do this. It’s... I dunno.”

“Come on. You can tell me.” Maalik made a gesture with his hand. “You don’t know if I’ll reject it if you don’t ask me. Come on...ask me.”

Penny sighed softly. Even though she had no idea exactly how to ask this, she began to speak, not wanting to keep the lion hanging anymore. “Well, you see.. Rudy’s still upset with what he believes he did, and there are some zoners who still don’t trust him, and he...”

Maalik cut her off. He raised his paw up and said, “Ah I see. No need to say anything else. I understand.” He placed a hand against his chest. “Don’t worry. I know what I can do about that.”

“What did you have in mind?” Penny inquired.

Maalik smiled. “You’ll see.”

sss

Rudy laid down on Penny’s bed. He tried to relax but...how could he? Today was the day. He shouldn’t be this nervous about going into ChalkZone, he knew. But...something about it this time had him on edge. Was it because of the celebration? ...Yes, that had to be it. Rudy was still nervous about that. Most zoners were fine with him, but...what if those other zoners convinced the rest that he was not trustworthy...?

Rudy wasn’t able to hold back the horrible memories now flooding through his mind. He remembered what happened with Light Rudy. His counterpart from the light dimension began his path to madness when the zoners started to turn against him. He was lucky that his parents hadn’t snapped at him yet, and he knew the chances of it happening were low. But...what if he did? What if he did end up going down the same path as his counterpart? The thought filled him with horror.

He tried his best to calm himself down. Maalik did say he was going to work something out for them. He hadn’t been able to get much information from the lion; he wouldn’t really tell Rudy just what he had planned. Rudy could only hope that it was going to work, or at least, not make things worse for anyone. Not himself, not Maalik, not anyone.

One bit of good news that did help to brighten up his mood was what Jacko had told him about Light Rudy. Before Jacko was called back to his own dimension, he informed them of the progress with Light Rudy. Things sounded quite promising.

Light Rudy was steadily going back to the way he used to be, before he went nuts. It was slow, and Jacko doesn’t think he’d make a full recovery any time soon. Light Rudy had given up his title as ChalkZone’s guardian and stepped down as leader, letting Para-Penny take over. She had begun to restore ChalkZone back to its former glory, removing things Light Rudy had placed for the purpose of controlling zoners, and even the dungeon was now gone. Light Rudy took steps in making sure he won’t unintentionally hurt anyone again and hadn’t used the magic chalk since he surrendered. There was still a lot more to be done. There was still tension in that ChalkZone, still areas that needed to be healed, but they were making good progress and things were definitely improving.

Rudy was glad to hear that Light Rudy had come to his senses and was trying to make a change. Even if he never fully regains the trust of the zoners, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t, at least Light Rudy wasn’t hiding away from his problems anymore and was doing what he could to help. He even added a layer of security for the zoners by always being in the presence of Jacko, Para-Penny, or Para-Snap. And speaking of Para-Snap, Jacko mentioned in an almost joking manner how Para-Snap has speed boosters on his wheelchair. Rudy concluded that Light Rudy must feel so bad about takin gaway his ability to walk that he wanted to give something to his Snap to make up for it. Though he never got a chance to ask, he was certain that Para-Snap was happy with the gesture.

But despite the improvements in one dimension, that didn’t help him much to forget the other dimension. The dark dimension. Rudy bit his lip, sucking on it. There was little they could do for that dimension. As Penny pointed out, there’s no option to destroy an entire dimension. Rudy knew there was nothing they could do for that damaged and broken world. They may have been able to rescue some zoners and migrate them over here. But there were still other zoners there that they just couldn’t find, and the people...there were still humans and animals alive in that world that they couldn’t save. It would take forever to find them, and that ChalkZone is so torn up and...

He tried to push the thoughts aside. There was nothing he could do anything about it now. There was no use in ripping himself apart over what can’t be changed. At least they were able to make a difference for some of the zoners. They brought them over, removed the mind control devices, and they helped revert them back to how they used to be. He was glad that they didn’t have their minds wiped like that one zoner did. He bit his lip, wondering whatever happened to him.

His thoughts were interrupted when Penny spoke up.

“My mother and Mr. Longhorn should be home shortly.” Penny said. She was leaning against the chalkboard. It was largely blank, save for a few equations she was doing for school. “Do you think they should come along, too?”

Rudy stared at her, blinking his eyes a few times. “Well why wouldn’t they?”

“I don’t think we ever told Biclops we might bring along family. I just feel like we should have...” Penny started to say.

Rudy cut her off. “I don’t think Biclops would mind. You know that our family is welcome in ChalkZone. I don’t see why it would be a problem now.”

Penny looked at Rudy. Then she smiled and nodded her head. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t know why I was worried.” She paused for a moment. She furrowed her eyes slightly. “Maybe I’m just a little nervous with...” She stopped herself, but she needn’t say more for Rudy to know what was on her mind.

“I understand, Penny. I’m..sure it’s going to be okay.” Rudy said, trying to be comforting. Penny nodded in agreement, but didn’t say anything. Rudy looked at her sympathetically, understanding her situation.

The reason that Penny’s mom and Mr. Longhorn were gone was because they were out on another of their dates. This wasn’t the first one, either. It didn’t happen right away, but roughly a week and a half after Cosmo and his comrades were sent to jail. Mr. Longhorn and Mrs. Sanchez had apparently started to develop some kind of feelings for each other, but instead of rushing into it, they decided to ‘test their compability’ by dating. He was glad they weren’t rushing things, but he understood why Penny would be nervous about this.

They hadn’t known Mr. Longhorn that long. Even though he proved to be an excellent ally and had helped them out, there was still a lot they didn’t know or understand about him. The fact that he succumbed to magic chalk madness and stole from Penny, even though he apologized, didn’t help. Penny was just worried that her mom might getting herself into some trouble again, like she did when she encountered Mr. Pierce.

But Rudy did his best to stay positive about the situation. Things could work out. Mr. Longhorn was a nice guy, from what they had witnessed, and he wasn’t forcing Mrs. Sanchez into this. She was willingly going along with it, and Penny’s mom wasn’t the type to lie, so if anything was wrong, she would have said something, even if she had go into ChalkZone for that. The man didn’t have free reign access like they did. This helped boost his confidence that everything was going to turn out fine. Even if Mr. Longhorn turned out to be not as desirable as Mrs. Sanchez once thought, he certainly was much better than Mr. Pierce. Rudy’s stomach burned in anger everytime he thought of that hideous man.

But at least he was taken care of. He was locked away for life and had no chance of getting out. He was paying the price for his crimes. Justice had been served. He just wished that Vinnie and Terry had survived so they could have witnessed it. They didn’t deserve what they got. He made a mental note to visit their graves soon.

Penny seemed to get it in her head that she should try to remain more positive about the situation. She cracked a small smile, which Rudy retured. It didn’t last however, and she found herself frowning again. “I do hope everything will turn out okay.”

“It will. I promise.” Rudy wasn’t sure why he said that. There was no way he could truly promise things would be okay. Still, he wanted to help Penny feel better. He leaned a little in her direction, his hands on his thighs. “You’ll see.”

“I suppose you are right.” Penny said, smiling gratefully at Rudy before something seemed to get on her mind again. Rudy was about to say something, but Penny spoke too quickly for him. “I wonder if Dr. Raiden was able to help Howdy.”

Rudy recalled that they spoke to Dr. Raiden about their puppet friend. They asked him if there was anything he could do for him. Dr. Raiden couldn’t promise anything, but he said he’d at least try. He was with Penny on this. He, too, wondered if the cheetah had made any progress with that. There was only one way to find out.

“We can ask him at the celebration.” Rudy said. He soon added, “Or if we find Howdy, we can ask him. I do hope that Dr. Raiden was able to help him.”

“Yeah. I’d be devastated if the poor little guy were permanently wheelchair bound...” Penny lowered her gaze.

Rudy shared her sentiment. Howdy was one of their closest friends in ChalkZone. The idea of him being permanently maimed was horrible. It was bad enough when Snap lost his arm. He still couldn’t believe just how cruel Draow was. To crush his spine like that...

He was glad that creepazoid was locked up somewhere where he can’t hurt anyone again. He was paying for the crimes he had committed. And this time, Bardot was not going to break him out.

“I’m sure Dr. Raiden was able to help Howdy.” Rudy wasn’t sure if it was true or not, but Dr. Raiden was intelligent and resourceful. Surely, he would have found something for the little guy. “You’ll see. We’ll go to the celebration and we’ll find him and he’ll be walking around, performing, jumping...”

“I don’t think it’ll be that fast, Rudy.” Penny pointed out. “Dr. Raiden did say it might take a while.”

“Oh yeah..you’re right.” Rudy couldn’t believe he forgot about that. He rubbed the back of his head. “Well maybe Dr. Raiden can give us some good news at least.” He looked back at Penny. Before he could complete his train of thought, he heard some kind of sound. A creaking sound, intermixed with a slam. “Did you hear that?”

Penny turned her attention to her door, which was shut. After a moment of, what Rudy assumed to be, listening, she gazed at Rudy and said, “That was my mom and Mr. Longhorn. Looks like they came home.”

“Shall we ask them if they’d like to come to the celebration? It’s today, right?” Rudy said.

Penny nodded. “Yeah. Biclops said it should be ready in a few hours. We should probably head there now and make sure everything is all set up.” She gestured for Rudy get off the bed. “Come on, let’s go ask them now before we forget.”

With that, the two teenagers opened up the door and exited the room.

sss

Rudy was in absolute awe. He never expected this many zoners to show up. He did expect a high number, but this...this broke all his expectations. There were so many zoners, he didn’t think he could move around that much without tripping and falling into someone. He felt grateful that he could find a seat so he could rest away from the others, and not worry about bumping into anyone. He leaned against the table, drinking the small bottle of water he brought in with him. He watched the ceremony take place.

It took them a while to figure out just where they should hold the celebration. There were multiple choices they could have gone with. Biclops had some excellent suggestions. They ultimately decided on this place. The same mansion that Snap used for his party a few years back, before the whole mess with Mr. Cosmo began. It was just as beautiful as Rudy remembered it, and large enough to house all these zoners. It was even more packed than it was with the party.

The teenager couldn’t help but smile as he watched everyone enjoying the celebration. The zoners, even the ones from the dark dimension, were having a great time. Many of them were socializing, chatting with each other, telling jokes, laughing. There were others that were playing games, like darts, cards, and some were even dancing with each other. Nearly every zoner was doing something. Very few were sitting down, and even they appeared to be enjoying the ceremony despite not being very active.

None of the zoners seemed to have a problem with him. He wondered if it had to do with Maalik, or if the zoners figured out on their own that it was silly of them to be distrusting towards him. Either way, he was relieved that the zoners could, even if it was just for this occassion, could set aside any lingering doubts so they could have fun.

To his left, he could see Howdy performing for a group of zoners. He was still stuck in the wheelchair. Dr. Raiden was doing his best to work on something for him, but he wouldn’t have any positive results until about a week from now. At least Howdy had some help. Rudy could see his friend, Snap, performing along with him. Despite not having that metal arm of his for very long, he had taken to it quite well and quickly learned how to use it. He was moving that thing around in his performances like it was his own natural arm. He smiled as Howdy and Snap continued to perform, much to the delight of the zoners, who were cheering them on.

Looking over to his right, he could see their parents sitting a table with older-drawn creations. They appeared to be having some kind of conversation, while at the same time playing some chalk version of Poker. His dad was having a good time, while his mom looked a little reluctant, though she was still having fun as well. Mrs. Sanchez and Mr. Longhorn sat next to each other, joining in the gameplay. Mr. Longhorn seemed to be winning, judging from his expression and reaction from the other humans and the zoners. Rudy was glad that those two decided to come along. And he hoped things would work out between them.

Upon seeing Chalk Dad and Sparky near the punch bowl, Rudy couldn’t help but wonder if Chalk Dad and his father were going to have another discussion about meats. He resisted the urge to groan. It wasn’t that he didn’t want them getting along; it’s just that the last time they talked about their meat creations, they kept on talking for hours, and it was getting tiresome to listen to. Though perhaps this time, Chalk Dad might actually talk, instead, about how he cut up Nihilanth. Rudy was still shocked he did that, but he understood the necessity of it. It was either that, or Nihilanth was going to start crushing them all.

“This is some party, right?”

“Yeah, I..” Rudy turned his head, expecting to see Penny. Instead, it was Ms. Saffron. “Oh, hello. I didn’t realize you had decided to come. I thought you declined because...” He didn’t get a chance to finish.

“Yes I know.” Ms. Saffron sat down next to him. “But I changed my mind. I decided it might be a lot of fun. And besides...” She leaned back in the chair, causing it to squeak a little. “I never really got a chance to experience that ChalkZone was really like.” She gave him a sideways glance. “You know, before the take over and all that.”

Rudy nodded his head in understanding. Not wanting to let that subject bring them down, he added, “Well I’m sure you’re going to love it here.”

“I would think so, too. True, I had to give up a lot of things. I can’t address myself as Rebecca Saffron anymore, since I’m supposed to be dead here. I can’t talk to my family. I can’t go back to my own home, or my old job.” Ms. Saffron’s sad voice trailed off. Rudy looked at her sympathetically. “But at least I’m alive and out of that dreadful dimension. I...can’t thank you enough for letting me stay here. I don’t ever want to go back to that place. Too many bad memories.”

“No problem. It was our pleasure to invite you here to stay. We would feel awful if we forced you to back.” Rudy said.

“I guess I was worried I’d be a bother and I...” Ms. Saffron stopped herself. She seemed to realize what she said and she backtracked. “Well it was silly of me to think that, wasn’t it?” She said with a nervous smile, rubbing the side of her face.

Rudy just smiled at her. “I’m glad that we had a chance to make up with each other and become...friends.” Ms. Saffron smiled at that word. “Well..sort of.”

Ms. Saffron frowned slightly. “Indeed. You didn’t get a chance to truly make up with your Ms. Saffron..as I didn’t get a chance to make up with my Rudy." She let out a soft sigh, and she managed another small smile as she looked into Rudy’s eyes. “Well, it seemed fate gave us both a second chance, don’t you think?”

Rudy nodded his head. “Yeah.”

“Rudy!” A voice called out. Rudy turned his head to see Penny rushing over towards him. “Come with me!”

Rudy and Ms. Saffron looked at the girl in confusion. Rudy glanced at the woman, but she merely shrugged. She didn’t know what was going on. Rudy turned to Penny and said, “What is it, Penny? What’s going on?”

Penny was grinning practically from ear to ear. “Come on stage! Maalik is arranging a large ‘thank you’ for your efforts.”

“My efforts?” Rudy inquired.”

Penny paused for a moment. “Well not just you. All of us.” She looked at Ms. Saffron and nodded her head. “Yeah, you too.” She grabbed Rudy and Saffron’s hands and pulled on them. “Come on! Let’s go!” She continued to drag the two, who glanced at each other in confusion. “He wants to start this as soon as possible!”

Penny led the two confused humans down through the crowd of zoners. Some of the zoners stopped and looked at them, looking a little confused themselves. Rudy had a hard time keeping up with his friend, and he nearly tripped a few times. He could soon see a raised platform that appeared to be outlined in blue. Did Maalik draw this? He didn’t have time to dwell on the question as Penny dragged them up the steps.

He and Ms. Saffron weren’t alone. He hadn’t noticed it, but his parents, Mr. Longhorn, Penny’s mother, Snap, as well as some others he recalled had a helping hand, were also standing on the stage. It was a little crowded, but he didn’t seem to notice as his eyes were glued on the zoners all around them. There were so many... Their stares practically froze him on the spot. He could feel Penny grab onto his arm and she whispered some encouraging words to him.

Maalik went up on the stage. He walked up to the mic that was positioned in the front center. He grabbed it and he tapped on it a few times. The feed back that was generated through the speakers was enough to get the zoners’ attention. They all stopped, going quiet, and looked over at the lion zoner. Maalik, happy that he got the attention of all of them, cleared his throat and began to speak.

“My fellow zoners! I call you all here today to honor the efforts of these brave people, whom without their efforts, our world would have been torn apart by those wretched black chalk artists!”

As Maalik said this, Rudy noticed, out of the corner of his eye, Howdy being pushed on stage along with them. He smiled, glad that his friend could join in. He was the one who stopped the black chalk permanently. He deserved the gratitude. He turned his attention back to Maalik as he continued. He could also see Mumbo Jumbo and Barney, and his happiness swelled even more.

“I know what some of you might be thinking. I know some of you might be apprehensive. I understand that some of you might be wondering if...that incident will happen again. I can see why you’d all be worried about that. The black chalk artists pulled a lot of our strings, but the worst is when they managed to turn one of our own against us. That was a devastating moment, and I feel for all of you who were forced to witness it.”

Rudy flinched at this. He knew exactly what the lion was talking about. He was referring to how he had been brainwashed by Nihilanth. Guilt rose up in his stomach.

“I assure you that you do not need to be afraid. All of them here, they are the reason you are here today, the reason you can stand here and celebrate the end of the black chalk’s reign. Thanks to them, no more shall you need to fear the black chalk! No more shall you have to worry about the black chalk artists returning! No more will you need to dread the destruction of your world, our world!” Maalik placed a paw against his chest. “And we no longer need to worry about losing one of our own..” He glanced at Rudy when he said this. “..to the manipulative ways of the black chalk!”

Rudy felt Penny lean against him, looping an arm around him, steadying herself with her crutch, which was strapped to her arm, which was how she could grab both his and Saffron’s hands without falling over. He smiled at her as she pulled him into a partial hug.

Dr. Raiden walked forward next to his feline friend. He took the mic away and turned his attention to the zoners. “So let’s celebrate! And let us give thanks to the people who made this possible!” Dr. Raiden raised the mic into the air and waved his free paw towards Rudy, Penny, and the others, many of whom had large smiles on their faces. “Let’s give it to them! What do you say?”

Rudy was not able to stop the smile tugging on his face as the zoners began to cheer. Slowly at first, a few. Then, seconds later, more joined in. Many of them whistled, hands were waving in the air rapidly, many were clapping. The voices of many appreciative and happy zoners filled the room, causing a sea of positive emotion to surge in Rudy, and he knew the others were feeling the same way. Unable to stop himself, he shed a single tear of joy.

Rudy felt something warm and wet against his cheek. He turned his head over at Penny, realizing that she had just kissed him on the cheek. He returned her smile and he leaned forward. He placed a hand on her cheek. He moved in and planted a quick kiss on her lips. They parted and turned their attention back to the audience. Along with the others, they began to grin and wave at the zoners thanking them for their efforts.

Rudy couldn’t stop grinning. The black chalk was permanently gone, the sentient white chalk was under surveillance, the red chalk was back to being monitored by Biclops, and the black chalk artists no longer could get into ChalkZone, and no new black chalk artists could show up. And even though more people know about ChalkZone, they were all locked up in jail, unable to do anything. ChalkZone was no longer under any kind of possible threat, especially with Nihilanth locked up and too weak to do anything.

He knew that, at long last, ChalkZone was finally going to enter a new age of peace. All their efforts had finally paid off.


	206. Epilogue

“I-I... I-It’s bl..blue...” A weak voice said, accompanied by a small cough.

“Yeah, that’s right.” Penny said, smiling. “You’re getting better, Horace. Here’s the next one.” She pulled out another card. “Try to speak this word, please.”

Mr. Wilter narrowed his eyes at the card Penny held out for him. He opened his mouth and attempted to speak. At first, he could only manage random grunts and sounds, but soon, he was able to speak. He managed to weakly choke out, “S-Sophi..Sophisticated...”

“Correct!” Penny’s smile broadened. “Now onto the next one...”

Rudy sat in a chair not far away. He had his leg crossed over the other. He looked on forward, watching Penny help Mr. Wilter relearn to talk. He couldn’t help but smile. She had been doing a good job. It was believed there would still be some permanent damage, but Penny was helping him recover at least part of his mentality. The progress had been slow, but it was getting better as time passed.

Time... Rudy was still in shock on just how time flies. It had been five years since the battle with the black chalk. It had almost become a distant memory. It was still fresh on his mind, but at times, speaking of it, it sounded like a far away story, a myth that they were just telling each other. Only certain things, like Snap’s metal arm, reminded him of the reality of what truly happened. And in all that time, nothing bad had happened again. Nothing on the scale of the black chalk. The red chalk, as well as the sentient white chalk, were still under control, and those who were in prison...they never got out.

Everyone had been recovering. Their wounds had healed up completely by now, with only a few scars remaining behind. Therapy was done on those who needed it, such as Penny, who needed some therapy after her leg healed up. The only wounds that were permanent were the ones that were more than just skin deep.

Snap had learned how to use his new arm with great precision. Dr. Raiden even taught him how to repair it if it got damaged. That didn’t change the fact that Snap’s arm was permanently maimed and he’d never really get his real arm back. But Rudy couldn’t feel too sad about it. Snap was alive and well, and that’s what mattered. He was doing better than Howdy was.

The poor puppet zoner had been quite depressed lately over the loss of his legs. Dr. Raiden hadn’t been able to help him out as he never figured out a safe method of applying cybernetic metal to the legs that still existed. And Howdy wasn’t exactly keen on having his legs chopped off, even though he can’t really use them. Rudy had wanted to help, but he was at a loss of what to do. There was all that complexity he had to deal with; it wasn’t just a matter of drawing legs on him. He decided to put it on hold for now. In the meantime, he gave a nice, up to date wheelchair for Howdy to use. It wasn’t much, but it was better than being bed-ridden all day.

Snap did what he could to help Howdy recover mentally. It was a difficult process, and sometimes Howdy didn’t want visitors. It reminded Rudy about how Snap behaved when he had lost his legs for a time. Howdy seemed to behave a little better, though, and Snap was able to convince him to let him stay over a few times. Rudy hoped that Snap could eventually get Howdy out of his depression.

Skrawl had recovered and had resumed his job as warden of his jail. He had made a few modifications, the most noticeable is that he gave armor suits to his Beanie Boys, likely in response to the Luminos confessing they killed a few of them, and had them patrolling the cities more often. Not a police state by any means, but Rudy couldn’t help but feel ChalkZone was becoming more...secured he guessed was the right word. He could see the need for that.

Dr. Raiden was allowed to work in the hospital again after he and Maalik paid their debt to society. He started off low ranking and had to work his way back to the top. Dr. Urso had been a real help, aiding the cheetah in regaining the trust he had lost, and helped him make up for what he had done. The two had became friends over their days working together in the hospital.

Maalik, on the other hand, regrouped whatever Luminos was left, including Quet who was found injured far away from the ‘battlefields’, and found a new purpose for them. They were now devoted to really helping out zoners, and went to work building new homes for the zoners, including Snap. Their obssessive anti-creator nature had vanished completely, and they began to do things they could really feel proud of. They had even managed to get some new members, even, surprisingly, Craniac 4 and Boorat. Rudy guessed the only reason they joined was because the Luminos helped them out, so it was more out of gratefulness than anything. As predicted, they weren’t very good at helping anyone out, but at least they are staying out of trouble.

For Boorat, it wasn’t a surprise that he wasn’t trying to steal the magic chalk. He and the others had to inform him of his creators’ deaths. They didn’t know exactly how well he took it, as he had run off after they delivered the news. Rudy imagined Boorat must have felt like he had no purpose left, and was trying to make a new one with the Luminos, even if he was failing badly at it.

He wondered how the light dimension was doing. They had been recieving some updates, but quite irregular. Each time, they were given more and more good news. The last time they had a contact from them, Light Rudy had made great strides in recovering his mentality, and the zoners were also doing well in their own recovery. Both Para-Penny and Para-Snap had regained a lot of their confidence and bravery, and were getting closer to reverting back to the way they used to be. Rudy was glad that things were working out for the light dimension. He hoped that things would continue to improve. He also wanted to thank Light Rudy for sending Jacko to help them. If it weren’t for him, Howdy would have died.

His heart clenched as he thought of the dark dimension. There was still nothing they could do. He talked to Dr. Raiden, the creator of the machine. But he said there’s really no way for them to destroy the entire dimension. He mentioned something about nuking the planet, but Rudy opted out when Dr. Raiden mentioned the dangers of the explosion leaking through the portal. As much as he hated it, there was nothing that could be done. He could only hope the poor individuals still alive in that dimension get a quick, painless death.

At least they were able to save some of the beings from that dimension. The zoners that had been brought in were afraid at first, especially of him, and their mentally had been greatly damaged. But they recovered overtime, especially after the celebration five years ago. They had all managed to find a new purpose in life and found places where they belong in ChalkZone. He was glad that they were moving on with their lives. Even if some scars never fade away, the important thing was they weren’t letting it rule their lives anymore.

Ms. Saffron had gotten a job as the new principal of their former school. Due to Tyreek’s death, and his involvement with Cosmo, Jenny, and Ghadir which would have lost him the job anyway, Ms. Saffron had taken over. She had changed her name to Ceri Bluebell and wore contacts to change her eye color, since her hair was already dyed. This made it hard for anyone to tell who she really was. It was hard for her to sacrifice her old life, but she knew the necessity of it. If word got out of who she really was, it would throw their case through the roof, and people would start asking questions. They might even find out about ChalkZone and...

“How is Mr. Wilter doing?”

Rudy looked up and saw that Mrs. Sanchez was now standing beside her daughter. He recalled that she was going to take Penny with her in about an hour on a trip to the zoo.

Penny looked up at her mother and grinned. “He’s doing much better.” She lifted up the cards, and separated them into two piles. One was significantly smaller than the other. “He was able to get these right without problem.”

“That’s wonderful! That’s a lot more than a few days ago. He’s really learning, isn’t he?” Mrs. Sanchez said.

Penny nodded. “I hope he’ll continue making progress.” She smiled down at Mr. Wilter, who looked up at her with something of a blank expression. He still wasn’t entirely there, but he was giving more reactions than he did in the past. “It’s..it’s hard sometimes...” Her face changed to that of sadness, and a few tears formed in her eyes.

“Oh I know, Penita.” Mrs. Sanchez wrapped her arms around her daughter. “But you are doing well. You’re going to make a difference in his life...and many more lives. You’ll see.” She planted a quick kiss on her daughter’s forehead.

Rudy ticked his mouth in a small smile, a mixture of emotions swirling inside of him. He recalled that Penny had come here as an intern. She had followed in her mother’s footsteps, in a way, and became a doctor. She still worked as a vet with her mother, but in her part time, she was a nurse here at the hospital, specifically one with the task of helping with patient therapy. She had been working here for about a year now. Mr. Wilter was just one of the several patients she met. Rudy hoped that she continues to do a good job. He hoped she would be able to land an excellt job some day. She definitely earned it.

Rudy realized that Mrs. Sanchez was alone. He wondered where Mr. Longhorn was, but he guessed he was back at home, helping out with the animals that needed to be fed and cared for. He knew that Mrs. Sanchez wanted to go on this trip to the zoo partially because she wanted Penny to have some more quality time with the man, as she didn’t have as much time with her other father. Rudy was glad that Mrs. Sanchez’s decision to marry Mr. Longhorn was working out well. He was a great help around the house and was very supportive of the two women. It did take Penny a while to get used to calling him ‘dad’, but it was clear they grew to love each other. They...

Rudy’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard the doors open up again. He turned his attention and he could see his aunt Tilly and cousin Sophie rushing over. Rudy grunted in surprise as the sixteen year old glomped him, wrapping her arms around his body tightly. Rudy gave a few chuckles and hugged his cousin back.

“Hello, Soph! I see you’re in a chipper mood today. I take it the test went well?” Rudy asked.

Tilly nodded her head slowly, a big grin on her face. “The driving instructor said she passed with flying colors.”

“Yeah! He said most teenagers have a difficult time, but I was able to pull it off! And look!” Sophie reached into her pocket and showed her cousin her learner’s permit. “I just need to meet these requirements, and I’m gunna get my license, and then soon my own car, and...”

“Whoa there, Soph!” Rudy said as he let go of his cousin and gripped her shoulders. “Don’t get too ahead of yourself! Remember, patience is a..”

“I know that, Rudy! I’m just so excited!” The giddy sixteen year old responded.

Rudy couldn’t help but smile. He was glad that his cousin could be so happy, especially with what happened to her years ago. He still flinced as he thought of her crushed leg that had to be amputated. She did get a prosthetic leg after she healed enough, but it took some long therapy before she could use it just fine. She did suffer some bullying in school, but she was able to overcome that, plus the bullies were taken care of eventually.

Now here she was, practically bouncing up and down in joy as she got her learner’s permit. He was glad that she was able to recover from what happened to her, just like how Snap did, and lead a happy, normal life. He soon got an idea. Perhaps he should invite Sophie to come into ChalkZone and visit Howdy more often. Maybe her positive, bubbly attitude will help Howdy feel better. He didn’t expect any miracles, but it was better than doing nothing.

It would certainly help him. He had already come to terms with the permanent damage to his left hand. To this day, he still couldn’t properly grab with it. While he seemed to regain some ability five years ago, he suspected it was just due to the adrenaline, and his left hand returned to its current semi-useless, semi-useful state.

But now he had a new problem.

His left eye had been permanently damaged. It wasn’t the initial attack, but it was due to the factors that happened afterwards, namely Nile redamaging the eye, Jenny and Dark Rudy prying the eye open as it was trying to heal, and the black chalk’s reversal of the healing effects. It eventually added up. He didn’t completely lose any sight from the eye, but it was now a different color than the other eye. Namely the pupil looked a bit foggy and vision from that side was blurry. It was a confusing contrast, but he was able to get used to it...mostly.

A part of him was still devastated, especially due to his status as being an artist. He needed to be able to see, and the incident left him much more sensitive and protective of his eyes. The doctors said there was nothing they could do for the eye and that it was as good as his sight was going to be in that eye. Rudy hoped that spending sometime with Sophie would help him take his mind off his eye, as well as help out Howdy.

“Do you want to come driving with me?!”

Rudy was nearly taken aback by his cousin’s happy squeal. He grinned somewhat nervously at her, moving back nto his seat. He wasn’t sure if he liked the idea of riding around with someone who just got their learner’s permit. “Gee, Sophie..I don’t...”

“Aw come on..please?” Sophie begged him.

“Don’t worry, Rudy. I’ll be in the front seat with her the whole time.” Tilly said. Judging from the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice, she could tell that what he was worried about. “It will be okay.”

Rudy looked from his aunt then to his cousin. He let out a soft sigh, and smiled. He realized he had to start putting more trust into his cousin. She was no longer the same, little girl he knew from his childhood. He had to show her that he trusted her. Even if he was still nervous about being in the same car as her, he had to support her. She was family after all.

“Okay. But not right now.” Rudy said. He turned his attention to where Penny was still helping out Mr. Wilter. “I want to stay here a little while longer.”

“Okay.” Sophie said, nodding her head. Rudy was glad that she was understanding.

Rudy watched as Tilly walked over to Mrs. Sanchez and struck up a conversation with her. The two women backed away from Penny, allowing her to continue working with Mr. Wilter. Rudy thought of talking to her, but decided against it, at least for now. She was hard at work helping out the man, and Rudy didn’t want to disrupt her.

Rudy turned his attention to his cousin. Since she wasn’t allowed to interact with any of the patients or nurses here without supervision, there wasn’t too much for her to do. She ended up sitting next to him, picking up a magazine to read. He was glad that she had learned patience quite well and was doing a good job with being calm and quiet. Sophie looked up from the magazine, smiled and waved at Rudy. Rudy waved back, returning her smile.

After a few seconds, as Sophie turned back to her magazine to read, he looked back over at Penny. He noticed that Tilly and Mrs. Sanchez were gone. He guessed they probably left to get something to eat from the cafeteria. It was close to lunch time and he was feeling a bit hungry himself. But that could wait. He didn’t want to leave just yet. He wanted to stay here a little longer.

“Okay, Horace.” Penny said as she lifted up another card. “I’m going to ask you what object is listed here. Remember that...”

Rudy smiled as he continued to watch Penny help out Mr. Wilter. She truly had a knack for helping people. He hoped that, with her help, Mr. Wilter could become independent again. He hoped that the man would be able to defeat what Jenny had done to him. He deserved it.

“Heli..Helicopter... p-p-parked in h-hatch..?” Mr. Wilter asked.

“No. Try aga...” Penny stopped. She looked over in Rudy’s direction. She gave a smile and gestured for him to come over.

Rudy hesitated for a moment. He glanced over at Sophie. She was reading a magazine and hadn’t noticed Penny’s gesture. Rudy turned his gaze back to his friend and bit his lip. As she encouraged him again, waving her free hand, Rudy got up from his seat and walked over.

“How is he doing?” Rudy asked as soon as he came over. He felt stupid for asking it. Penny’s mom had already asked before.

Penny, however, didn’t seem to mind the repeated question. “He’s definitely doing better. There’s still a lot of work to be done.” She looked down at the cards. “I’m trying to get him to be able to pay more attention to what’s one the card. Like... seeing the word red colored blue, and identifying what color it is while ignoring the word red.”

“Sounds a little confusing.” Rudy commented.

Penny nodded. “Yeah it is. But it’s important for his mental recovery.” She handed him the cards. “Here, why don’t you hold them for me and hand them out when I ask for them?” Rudy stammered for a few seconds, giving Penny a worried glance. She giggled and said, “Oh don’t worry. The doctors won’t mind as long as I tell them you’re just helping out.”

“Okay.” Rudy felt a little better at this. He paused for a moment, and then said, “Hey, maybe next time Sophie could help.”

Penny smiled as she set her current card down on the nearby table. “We’ll see. I’m not sure how lenient the doctors will be, though.”

“Yeah, I know.” Rudy said. It was a little annoying, but he understood the reasoning behind it. Some of these patients were hurt real bad and one wrong move could reinjure them. Mr. Wilter was in a delicate state and any blow to his head would be disastrous. But he tried not to focus on that, instead turning his attention to what was going on right now. “Well shall we continue?”

Penny nodded her head. She gestured for another card, which Rudy handed to her without hesitation. She turned her attention to Mr. Wilter. “Okay, let’s try this one....”

Rudy watched as Penny worked with Mr. Wilter, helping him regain his ability to speak and some of his mental capacities. He couldn’t help but smile. He hoped that everything will continue this uphill climb. He hoped that the age of peace for ChalkZone would continue to flourish. But if danger were to arise again, he knew that not he, not his friends, not his family would rest until it was vanquished.

He would see to it that ChalkZone was never threatened again.


End file.
